SPACE JESUS: MASS EFFECT FAWTL

Game Master Freehold DM

"Sure, there's an empty spot in my head, if he wants to explore that," Hestia volunteers. "Maybe he can find something in there about Noveria."

”I don’t advise implanting a malfunctioning VI in your neural implants, Miss Harper. We do not know the full extent of Kody’s malfunction,” says Dern, missing Hestia’s facetious tone.

I believe, in this system, there is some way to determine if I have an item that would be suitable for this task, but I’m not sure what exactly that is.

Hestia blinks in astonishment that Zinnius passed up such a softball. The Salarian must really be worried.

"Heck, I don't even know what my implant does. Might not be storage there, just a comm implant. But I do have an omnitool. Nothing much interesting in it, and it's super basic. Not like I have a personal life to record, anyway, just mission stuff I shared with the rest of you. He can check it out. Can you guys get it offline if he does?"

Theron shrugs, "Would have thought there were spares on board, Chief, and that it'd take the VI a moment or two to realize there's nothing fun on a blank.". He leans against a bulkhead, Guess I'll just watch the show...

"We can certainly try," Dern says to Hestia.

Sorry about the delay. Let's get a roll with respect to whomever wants to contain this malfunctioning AI.

Dern produces an old Earth device intended for the storage and replay of music. "This technology is old, but there is plenty of data for the Virtual Intelligence to get lost in. Let us see."

He holds out the device with one hand, and with the other checks his omnitool to attempt to direct the VI into the spare device.

Systems: 4d3 - 8 + 4 ⇒ (3, 3, 2, 3) - 8 + 4 = 7

That's an amazing roll. Let's see how Kody likes being trapped in a glorified iPod containing his library of early 21st century hip hop.

Dern produces an old Earth device intended for the storage and replay of music. "This technology is old, but there is plenty of data for the Virtual Intelligence to get lost in. Let us see."

He holds out the device with one hand, and with the other checks his omnitool to attempt to direct the VI into the spare device.

[dice=Systems]4d3-8+4

That's an amazing roll. Let's see how Kody likes being trapped in a glorified iPod containing his library of early 21st century hip hop.

oh god. That is an amazing roll. This may end up being more hilarious than I thought

Like a dog offered a treat, Kody notices the new device. He dances towards it and then, truly, starts DANCING, moving to the beat of numerous ancient earth ballads like "The Humpty Dance" and "Amish Paradise". He catches on to the idea that this may have been a trap far too late, and Specialist Cel'rayvay locks down all other networks in the room. Kody roars in frustration for a moment- bringing back memories of rogue AIs from bad late night holovids- but only a moment, and instead begins the herculean task of going through the songs individually. Officer Merriweather slumps against a wall, spots of color in his cheeks.

Hestia raises her eyebrows at Dern. "Wow, you're a hero! What happens when Kody hits the end of your collection?" She turns pink despite herself as WAP makes an appearance.

Turning to Celery and Merriweather, she asks, "So, how safe is it for this thing to pilot our shuttle? Can you reboot him or something?"

Still leaning on the bulkhead, Theron claps, "Nice trick. Though we may need to have someone wipe all those lyrics from its memory for our own sanity."

The mirth in his eyes vanishes quickly, however, and he straightens up to stand in a more... ready... pose before adding, "Think we might need to set up a failsafe or two to prevent that particular bit of fun from happening again -- or, more accurately, to quickly contain it when it does."

”I agree,” Dern says. ”Kody’s system is clearly corrupted. I suspect if I disable all of the networking capabilities of this device, there would be no way for it to get out. I suspect Kody’s career as a shuttle pilot may be at its end.” He accesses the device’s settings to disable any connectivity it might have.

He turns to Cel'rayvay. ”Perhaps a less experimental shuttle pilot is in order for our next excursion. I’ve got ninety-nine problems and a Rogue VI ain’t one.”

”I agree,” Dern says. ”Kody’s system is clearly corrupted. I suspect if I disable all of the networking capabilities of this device, there would be no way for it to get out. I suspect Kody’s career as a shuttle pilot may be at its end.” He accesses the device’s settings to disable any connectivity it might have.

He turns to Cel'rayvay. ”Perhaps a less experimental shuttle pilot is in order for our next excursion. I’ve got ninety-nine problems and a Rogue VI ain’t one.”

At this, Gir steps forward, outlining his years of piloting experience. He seems only slightly disappointed that he will not be dropping on site with the team, but notes that he is far more sane than Kody seems to be.

hopefully we will get our quarian back one day. He is now officially in the background but still with the team...

Hestia watches Dern lock down the audio device, trapping Kody inside, with an odd mix of pity and horror. "Poor guy," she murmurs.

When Gir volunteers to pilot the shuttle, Hestia backs him with a firm nod. "We could use him in the away party, but I can't think of anyone better to pull our butts out of a fire if necessary."

Theron nods, "Still not exactly sure what we're doing, but it's just good tactics to have a skilled pilot for our extraction. Especially if it turns into an emergency situation." He chuckles, "Better still if they're able to punch a hole through the opposition to make sure we can get to our ride home."

Like a dog offered a treat, Kody notices the new device. He dances towards it and then, truly, starts DANCING, moving to the beat of numerous ancient earth ballads like "The Humpty Dance" and "Amish Paradise". He catches on to the idea that this may have been a trap far too late, and Specialist Cel'rayvay locks down all other networks in the room. Kody roars in frustration for a moment- bringing back memories of rogue AIs from bad late night holovids- but only a moment, and instead begins the herculean task of going through the songs individually. Officer Merriweather slumps against a wall, spots of color in his cheeks.

Having started on her way later than the rest, Grace shows up just as the transfer finishes taking place, her whole demeanor switching from serious to confused in an instant.

"Alright, what seems to be the... whoa... Anyone care to fill me in on what just happened?"

”It seems Kody went rogue,” Dern explains. ”That is highly unusual for a mere VI system. I suspect there is more to that system than we knew.” He looks back to the other crew with an appraising look. ”It would be more consistent with an AI fault. But I can’t imagine anyone in a position of authority would install an untested AI to pilot a shuttle.” His tone suggests that that is, in fact, precisely what he suspects has happened.

”I would be interested in reviewing Kody’s code and logs. If memory serves, however, they are only available to Lieutenant Vaws and Captain Arpin.”

”It seems Kody went rogue,” Dern explains. ”That is highly unusual for a mere VI system. I suspect there is more to that system than we knew.” He looks back to the other crew with an appraising look. ”It would be more consistent with an AI fault. But I can’t imagine anyone in a position of authority would install an untested AI to pilot a shuttle.” His tone suggests that that is, in fact, precisely what he suspects has happened.

”I would be interested in reviewing Kody’s code and logs. If memory serves, however, they are only available to Lieutenant Vaws and Captain Arpin.”

Grace nods her assent.

"Sure thing. I'll see if I can talk with the Captain or the Lieutenant and try to get you some useful information."

She looks around to the rest of the crew present, appearing slightly unsettled.

"I apologize I wasn't able to make it here earlier. Is everyone alright?"

Theron says, "I would be interested to see the logs - or, more accurately - what's not in them. I have to expect that if this is reckless -- potentially illegal -- AI experimentation, then someone's likely to be covering their tracks. I mean, it's not like the Alliance would condone such a thing, would they, Sergeant? However, on the positive side, to answer your question, I believe the only harm done has been to people's dignity as private files were on wide display."

Hestia frowns at the storage unit that now traps Kody. "It would have been a different story had Kody gone all Durandal while piloting the ship. Rampancy is an ugly thing."

Specialist Cel'rayvay stands to her full, modest height and sends Theron the information requested without missing a beat. "Full maintenance logs for Kody as performed by myself or Officer Merriweather. You'll see that everything was normal from installation until just a few moments ago.

Speaking of moments, Lt. Vaws arrives in engineering a moment later. "Whats going on here, Sergeant?" Its less of an order and more of a growl.

Theron says, "I would be interested to see the logs - or, more accurately - what's not in them. I have to expect that if this is reckless -- potentially illegal -- AI experimentation, then someone's likely to be covering their tracks. I mean, it's not like the Alliance would condone such a thing, would they, Sergeant? However, on the positive side, to answer your question, I believe the only harm done has been to people's dignity as private files were on wide display."

Grace gives Theron a sidelong look, crossing her arms.

"That's good at least, this could have been a lot worse. I doubt the Alliance would have had anything to do with something like this, though I did once hear something about an attache to the Citadel being dismissed for illegal AI research years ago. On the other hand, this isn't an Alliance operation..."

Hestia frowns at the storage unit that now traps Kody. "It would have been a different story had Kody gone all Durandal while piloting the ship. Rampancy is an ugly thing."

Grace cocks her head to one side, looking slightly confused.

"Durandal? Like from The Song of Roland?"

Specialist Cel'rayvay stands to her full, modest height and sends Theron the information requested without missing a beat. "Full maintenance logs for Kody as performed by myself or Officer Merriweather. You'll see that everything was normal from installation until just a few moments ago.

Speaking of moments, Lt. Vaws arrives in engineering a moment later. "What's going on here, Sergeant?" Its less of an order and more of a growl.

Grace instinctively snaps to attention, looking slightly embarrassed as she raises a salute.

"I'm not entirely sure, Lieutenant. I apologize, I didn't get here much before you did."

She glances at the deck for a moment, a slight blush creeping across her face, before she again addresses the Lieutenant.

"It seems that, ah... our piloting VI has gone rogue. Fortunately, Specialist Dern was able to at least temporarily contain it on a spare old-fashioned storage drive. Fortunately, Specialist Rimas has volunteered to act as shuttle pilot for the remainder of our mission. Again, I apologize. With any luck, this won't happen again."

Hestia Harper wrote:

Hestia frowns at the storage unit that now traps Kody. "It would have been a different story had Kody gone all Durandal while piloting the ship. Rampancy is an ugly thing."

Grace cocks her head to one side, looking slightly confused.

"Durandal? Like from The Song of Roland?"

Hestia laughs. "Kinda. Its descendant -- an AI in an old Earth video game. Never played it, but I read the story - all about humans encountering hostile aliens and having their ship AIs lose their minds. It's a good lesson." She falls quiet as Vaws appears, sighs deeply, and focuses her attention on her Omnitool.

Dern speaks up in a formal manner. "Lieutenant, if I may... I am interested in investigating this malfunctioning VI. When we first became acquainted with Kody, he stated that his code and logs were available only to you and Captain Arpin. If I have your okay to investigate this matter further, I believe I will need you to grant permission regarding Kody's logs. Would I be permitted to review that data?"

Reference

Who is that masked DM? wrote:

Specialist Cel'rayvay stands to her full, modest height and sends Theron the information requested without missing a beat. "Full maintenance logs for Kody as performed by myself or Officer Merriweather. You'll see that everything was normal from installation until just a few moments ago.

Speaking of moments, Lt. Vaws arrives in engineering a moment later. "What's going on here, Sergeant?" Its less of an order and more of a growl.

Grace instinctively snaps to attention, looking slightly embarrassed as she raises a salute.

"I'm not entirely sure, Lieutenant. I apologize, I didn't get here much before you did."

She glances at the deck for a moment, a slight blush creeping across her face, before she again addresses the Lieutenant.

"It seems that, ah... our piloting VI has gone rogue. Fortunately, Specialist Dern was able to at least temporarily contain it on a spare old-fashioned storage drive. Fortunately, Specialist Rimas has volunteered to act as shuttle pilot for the remainder of our mission. Again, I apologize. With any luck, this won't happen again."

Lieutenant Vaws rakes the room in one impatient gaze and decides she really doesn't want to know what happened. Get this cleaned up, then get some rest. We will be at our destination before long, and I need you ready.

She positivity spits Officer Merriweather with her gaze but says nothing as her eyes flick to Dern.

If you are going to research this, work with Engineering. I'm unlocking the logs for calibration and initial installation for you now, and I want a report before you leave.

Her Omnitool glows orange as she does so.

Looks like the entertainment is over and the work is starting. Hestia slides out of Engineering and into the hall, heading for her bunk.

Theron smiles at Grace, "No, I suppose it isn't," then spins on his heel and tosses over the datapad he was handed, "Here, Dern. Might be interesting to see how this might differ from what you just got access to."

He shrugs, "Rest. As you say, Lieutenant.", and heads back toward his room.

Dern nods and sets about reviewing Kody’s logs and code to decipher what went wrong.

Systems: 4d3 - 8 + 4 ⇒ (3, 2, 1, 2) - 8 + 4 = 4

Dern nods and sets about reviewing Kody’s logs and code to decipher what went wrong.

[dice=Systems]4d3-8+4

Dern notes this information for further investigation, and shares what he has learned with Sergeant Wright.

Hestia sits cross-legged on her bunk, fiddling with her Omnitool, as Theron enters the bunk area. She holds her arms out expansively, indicating the utilitarian space. "Welcome to the fabulous RITS."

Theron scans the room quickly, then shakes his head and sighs, This is indefensible... I guess it's a good thing I'm a light sleeper... He takes a moment, then says, "Could be worse. Which one of these is vacant -- or was there a Quartermaster who thought it'd be appropriate to not give a bunk assignment to the evil Cerberus assassin?"

He looks around again, I bet I could find a nice access tunnel or ventilation shaft to sleep in -- like in that freighter I stowed away on to get back to Omega... But, that'd just be doing the same stupid thing that Vorrux had to slap out of me - if I'm to be part of the team, then I need to show that I am - even if they're likely to draw straws for who gets to kill me in my sleep. He laughs at that a moment, And now, we've come full circle. Then, I was worried the brutish Krogan would do it, and now, it's all about the 'superior' humans....

"Where does the evil Cerberus assassin sleep?" Hestia murmurs, still poking at her Omnitool. She suddenly switches to a hokey vid star voice while making jazz hands. "Anywhere he wants!"

Just as suddenly, she's all quiet co-operation. "Those two are open," she points at a couple of spares. "It's not luxury, but the rest of the crew hits their bunks while we're on-planet. This is the only quiet area while we're in-flight."

She goes back to her Omnitool.

Theron laughs, "Anywhere? What's the XO's room look like?" He throws a wink and heads over toward the spares that she indicated, eyeing each of them for a moment, Stop, there's no better defensive position here. It's all open..., then pausing, "Is one better than the other? Less noise, closer to the shower, anything useful?"

"They're all equally crappy, as far as I can tell," Hestia murmurs. then suddenly sits bolt upright. "Hey, right, you were Cerberus! Awesome! So, were you ever stationed on Noveria? That's where we're going, and there's something wrong there, and I can't remember what, and... maybe you know?" Omnitool forgotten for the moment, there's a tense, straining eagerness in every line of the girl's body.

Theron shrugs, "I'm sure they're better than sleeping in a storm sewer to keep away from the husks," then lowers himself onto the bunk, wincing, "...if only barely."

He blinks at the sudden change, then shakes his head, "No, I was never on Noveria.... I think I remember hearing it was a research facility of some sort, but... Honestly, my attention and intel were generally pointed outside Cerberus -- so I'd had little real knowledge of what was going on inside.... Other than the happy prop stuff, like the resurrection of Shepard, that is --- And, now that we know the horrors of what that entailed, I can't help but think that keeping me turned outward was by design."

Hestia nods. "Why point you inward, unless for internal audit purposes? Which is why I thought you were here, actually... Anyway, we toured Noveria when we were little. 'Noveria is a prime example of the use of terrain and climate for enemy control in non-martial situations. Anything that breaches containment is highly likely to die in the extreme cold and rugged mountains.' But there was more. Some sort of contingency plan in case the place was invaded. And the Alliance took Noveria, so I fear the Cerberus contingency plan is in effect. And I can't. Remember. What. It. Was." Grimacing in frustration, Hestia he punctuates each word of the last sentence by punching both fists into her head.

"Ow." A tic contorts her face for a pico. "All that's gone."

She relaxes with a sigh, then starts frantically poking at her Omnitool. "Nobody believes me. Maybe I can find something, or at least something that will remind me. Maybe it's not gone..."

Spoiler:

The quarian is certainly thorough. The maintenance is extremely regular, and it's even boring to look through. But it's the initiall installation that gets your attention- somewhere before Captain Arpin and Lieutenant Vaws oversaw installation, this VI was created by a Noverian company called Elite Innovations. As you are headed there already, it might not hurt to look.

Dern notes this information for further investigation, and shares what he has learned with Sergeant Wright.

Grace gives Dern one of her now-familiar concerned looks.

"Elite Innovations, eh? And they just happen to be on Noveria. I know I'm no great shakes at technology, but something about this sounds dodgy as hell."

She sighs, taking a moment to rub her temples with thumb and forefinger.

"I've got a bad feeling about this, but there's not much we can do, all considering."

Straightening, she claps Dern on the shoulder.

"Still, as long as we work together, we'll be alright. Stay sharp, yeah?"

Grace flashes a smile that's closer to genuine than any he's seen in the last few days, though still not quite a hundred percent.

"Like the Lieutenant said, we should all get some rest. I'll be hitting the sack in a bit, just figure I should check in first, make sure Harper and the new guy are getting along..."

She trails off, shrugging, and heads for the RITS quarters.

Grace enters the bunk area just in time to watch Hestia punching herself in the head. As Hestia finishes speaking and consults her omni-tool, Grace raises both hands in a palms-out gesture, appearing a bit startled and confused.

"Whoa... okay... is everything alright here? Are you alright?

She looks from Hestia to Theron, then back to Hestia again, seeming genuinely concerned.

Hestia sighs. "Noveria's got me twitchy, Sarge. It's frustrating. I'm sure there's something going on there, but..." She shakes her head. "I dunno."

Theron tries to ignore the Sergeant, and, instead, says gently, "Honestly, Hestia, as I've looked deeper and deeper into this cesspit, I don't think we could have counted on what was in your head as being accurate. Plans within plans, wheels within wheels, contingencies left and right -- any data you did still have would be just as likely to be the trigger to a trap as the way to disarm it."

He then turns his attention to the woman standing in the door, his face locking back into a neutral mask, "Didn't think it would be taken well if I tried to stasis her so she'd stop -- " Point of fact, I assumed it would be taken as the attack that would let you space me... , "--so I thought it best to ride it out." Besides which, I'm thinking that girl's got a lot more frustration, pain and confusion to let out... Better to let her do it here than in the field.

Hestia stops looking at the Omnitool and sits thinking. "Stasis never fixes anything. Just delays it," she murmurs quietly.

"If there was a contingency built in, it's either been disarmed, has already hit.. it's been ten years, and ten year old intel is mostly worthless." She looks at Grace. "It's probably nothing, Sarge. I'm seeing shadows everywhere. After all, I thought Theron was here to eliminate me. Momentary lapse of reason." She shoots Theron an apologetic look.

Lapsing back into thought, she chews absentmindedly on the end of one thumb. Maybe the station can see Cerberus implants. Maybe the contingency triggers when Cerberus personnel arrive. And mine can't be removed. Or maybe I'm getting all paranoid. MORE paranoid.

Dern walks in toward the end of this. "Ah, are we still discussing assassinations? I always assumed if anybody were to come after me, they would be STG. I cannot imagine why any human organization would bother."

"That said, if you see a squad of salarians in tactical gear board the ship... and let us be honest, you would not see them... be sure to wake me." He settles comfortably into a chair.

"Did you figure out why Kody went loopy?" Hestia asks the Salarian. "Can you fix it?"

"Honestly, Hestia, as I've looked deeper and deeper into this cesspit, I don't think we could have counted on what was in your head as being accurate. Plans within plans, wheels within wheels, contingencies left and right -- any data you did still have would be just as likely to be the trigger to a trap as the way to disarm it."

He then turns his attention to the woman standing in the door, his face locking back into a neutral mask, "Didn't think it would be taken well if I tried to stasis her so she'd stop--so I thought it best to ride it out."

Hestia stops looking at the Omnitool and sits thinking. "Stasis never fixes anything. Just delays it," she murmurs quietly.

"If there was a contingency built in, it's either been disarmed, has already hit.. it's been ten years, and ten year old intel is mostly worthless." She looks at Grace. "It's probably nothing, Sarge. I'm seeing shadows everywhere. After all, I thought Theron was here to eliminate me. Momentary lapse of reason." She shoots Theron an apologetic look.

Lapsing back into thought, she chews absentmindedly on the end of one thumb.

Grace nods slightly, her eyes flicking in Theron's direction, before addressing Hestia's concerns.

"No, I get it. And you might be right about the intel. But on the other hand, there might still be something there. Best be careful, yeah? I want to get to the bottom of this, but we're not going to risk any of your lives to get it. Even though the organization isn't there anymore, anything Cerberus left behind isn't to be trusted."

Briefly nodding to Hestia, she turns fully to face Theron.

"You're not wrong. But I don't appreciate the sarcasm. Whether I like it or not, you're on my team, and we're going to have to trust each other and work together. All of us."

Grace folds her hands behind her back, straightening into a position almost reminiscent of Lieutenant Vaws's severe bearing.

"We'll be at Noveria soon. Like the Lieutenant said, I'd suggest we all get some rest and prepare. We don't know exactly what's down there, so we'll all have to be at our best. Dismissed."

She pauses before heading to her own bunk, speaking quietly to Hestia.

"I meant it when I asked if you were alright. I know I don't know much about all of this high-tech stuff, but let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

Hestia looks up at Grace in surprise. "Of course I'm alright. We have a mission. We all have to be alright."

As Grace turns to go, Hestia nearly whispers, "Thanks, Sarge."

Hestia looks up at Grace in surprise. "Of course I'm alright. We have a mission. We all have to be alright."

As Grace turns to go, Hestia nearly whispers, "Thanks, Sarge."

Grace nods, almost imperceptibly, for a moment seeming very far away.

"We all have to be alright..."

She turns slightly toward Hestia.

"You'll all be alright. All of you. I promise. Now, go get some rest."

She nods again, giving a half-smile and a thumbs-up before heading to her own bunk.

Thats strange...My post didn't, well, post. Huh.

Time passes. Your "night" is restful- although the remainder of the ship is abuzz with activity, the level of activity has it turn into a buzz in your collective ears that lulls you to sleep.

Eventually you are at your destination- Noveria. Even in modern day the planet retains its somewhat sinister reputation- lightly touched during the Reaper War and a hub of all manner of secretive projects that conspiracy theorists say helped to end the war, afterwards it helped to rebuild places devastated by the conflict via breakthroughs in constructive sciences.

Still, it's a great place to have your lunch eaten...or worse.

Lieutenant Vaws calls a meeting between wakeup and breakfast.

Sorry about the short post,I had more written but I lost it.

In the morning, Theron waits in the hall for Hestia on route to the meeting, "Just so you know, my comments to you - including that I debated using stasis - weren't sarcastic. I meant what I said - that anything you 'remembered' would likely not be trusted, anyway." He shrugs, "Of course, I might just think that based on how often they lied to me."