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You explore the museum a bit, eventually making it to a large exhibition hall.
Along each wall of the entry hall, four plinths are arrayed with nameplates at their base. Two plinths are empty, one plinth contains a blue button in place of a nameplate, and the remaining five plinths hold twelve-foot-tall statues of various androids. Each statue is in a state of disrepair, as if the graphics have not finished compiling the data or the memories the statues are built on were damaged.
In the center of the room, a much larger statue of an android looms over the others. This statue has no nameplate but remains illuminated even in the darkest incarnations of the room’s rendering.
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The blue skittermander replies “It’s a blue button, what could go wrong?”. He looks around, looking a bit worried “It looks like the place is getting more and more corrupted. It looks like it will get deleted. That won’t happen to us, will it?”
Bleu is also looking at the android statue, trying to remember anything about them, but nothing comes to his mind.
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"Fascinating. The corrupted data is being represented visually in the simulation. I fear it will grow more nightmarish as we go on. Now, uh, Hope, my good fellow, are these friends of yours?" he asks, waving his hand at the androids depicted here.
"I've always been a big proponent of not pressing big red buttons. Our skittermander compatriot here is correct, however. Blue seems innocent enough. It must activate the museum display. It may provide us some insight into this madness!"
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Ignoring the statues, Blo heads toward the button.
What a big button is it . I wonder what will happen if I press it... Oh how did that happen?
A holographic image of Celita, current leader of the Dataphiles appears, along side a nameplate reminding you about who she is.
Her image, with long hair pulled back into a ponytail, silently observes Blo.
Hope-01 points to a terminal near the foot of the first statue. "I think this part of the corrupting code hosts the most accessible part of the program. This terminal is a graphic representation of that access."
He eyes it up warily. "[b]I suspect it acts pretty much as a standard secure terminal.
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Skip eyes the half rendered android speaking of perfection. "No offense, old boy, but you've got a little ways to go to be perfect. Are you and interactive exhibit? What is this place?" he asks, not sure to expect a reply.
He will redirect his inquiry to Celita as Makai works on the encryption. "What is this place? Can you answer our questions?"
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As Makai approaches the computer a masculine disembodied voice fills the room. “I am not cruel. I saved them. Every last one of them is preserved forever in the archives of my memory. I am a custodian, not a destroyer.”
Tapping away, Makai can make out some very suspect code. He can clearly see how the program will attack guidance from within if left unchecked. They also determine that performing a manual reboot from within the system before the infection takes hold would purge Guidance of the corruption.
Perhaps more interestingly, there are some old code fragments that still contain comments within them. It seems that the code was written by a being known as Historia-Prime... And a quick scan of the computer shows an image that looks very much like the statue above the terminal.
Perhaps even more ominously, two of the statues start to animate, climbing down off their plinths. The one in red chants "Your individuality creates inefficiencies, but that problem is correctable" while the one in blue chimes in with "Problems must be eliminated for efficiency’s sake." before seeming to fall apart.
Status: initiative bold may roll and maybe act
Blo
Makai 14/19SP
Elisan
KINAA
Skip
Blimp
Hope-01 7 damage
Statue (init 5)
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Hope's eyes enlargen a little. "No...."
KINAA thinks the large statue (not the moving one) in the middle of the room looks a little like Hope-01. The realisation sends her projectile well off course.
Skip also notices the similarity, sending acid at the moving statue.
Makai's own shot is on target. They recognise the statue as a technological construct. It has standard construct immunities and will be resistant to kinetic attacks [ooc]has DR[/ooc.
Status: initiative bold may roll and maybe act
Blo
Elisan
Blimp
Hope-01 7 damage
Statue (init 5) 11 damage
Skip
Makai 14/19SP
KINAA
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"How will you preserve anything if all that is within this place is being corrupted and destroyed?" Elisan asks of the voice. "That is illogical."
"It is our individuality that allows us to complement one another. Let us show you just how efficient we can be."
The kasatha darts behind the nearby statue. Drawing his pistol while concealed by the effigy, he emerges on the other side to fire a shot at the construct.
DC20+ target's CR
and target is flat-footed
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Blimp gives a light burn to the statue while Elisan takes a tricky shot, but misses.
The statue strides forward and whacks at Makai
Knocking much of the stuffing out of him. Surely things shouldn't hurt like this in a simulation?
Hope-01 calls out. "Don't worry Makai, its on its last legs..." and he feels better.
Status: round 2
Skip
Makai 6/19SP; has benefited from Hopes inspiring words
KINAA
Elisan
Blimp
Blo
Statue (init 5) 21 damage
Hope-01 7 damage
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Skip brushes his clothes off and straightens his shirt as the combat dies down.
"I may not be good with computers, but context clues aren't lost on me! What was that booming voice before the statue attacked? It mentioned preserving "them". Could this corruption be some kind of intelligence? Is anyone familiar with this Historia-Prime?"
He ponders this and asks Makai "You discovered that we have to manually reset Guidance. Did you find anything to let us know how, or where we might do this?"
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Hope nods, "I should, but hopefully when we leave here, they will be gone."
You can poke around and explore the other statues a bit, collecting a variety of sayings from them.
The second says "Focus. Our Society deserves perfection. Any less is unacceptable.[b]”
The third says "[b]Your individuality creates inefficiencies, but that
problem is correctable.”
The fourth "Problems must be eliminated for efficiency’s sake.”
The fifth "There’s no reason to waste time instructing those who aren’t suited to the kind of work the Dataphiles perform, but you have shown you have the potential to accomplish great things, and I can’t continue to lead the faction forever.”
The sixth "“…only a footnote. One of several, in a story that never mattered, other than that they provide me the means to continue carrying out my responsibilities.”
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Elisan nods along with K.I.N.A.A's observation. "I have not met them, but I have heard of Celita and Historia-7. You may be onto something."
He considers a moment. "I had initially thought these statements to be judgements or a manifesto of sorts," the kasatha speculates as he walks amongst the statues. He stops before the sixth, mulling over the statement. "But perhaps they are personal reflections or assessments? Maybe it was herself that she sort to improve... Could these be successive iterations of the original, Prime consciousness?"
He looks to his companions. "Regardless, something has corrupted Guidance and is destroying these monuments to Historia. We need to stop it."
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“Removing the notion of self? Sounds like inflicting lobotomy.”
Yes, I rather enjoy myself, personally."
"Regardless, something has corrupted Guidance and is destroying these monuments to Historia. We need to stop it."
Skip listens to Elisan, and nods. "Historia-7 is it? Interesting that there are 6 statues depicted here."
"So, Hope, do you have any insight as to where we might be headed to restart Guidance?"
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"Well, if we are ready.,.. I think I might.."
Hope-01 waves his arm, the museum vanishes and is replaced by a sleek white hall.
"This is not reality, but a simulation of Guidances server facility." he explains.
The décor in this rectangular lobby changes rapidly; the floor cycling through plush carpet, green tiles, hardwood planks, polished marble, and industrial steel, while the walls spin through a cyclone of colors, wallpapers, and hanging art. The furnishings likewise shift, though in all the room’s permutations, there remains a desk and an office chair. At the desk, a holographic image of one of Guidance’s personas remains seated and paused in the middle of the chaos surrounding them. At a slower rate than the room, Guidance’s visage shifts to another guise worn by the AI, then another, but remains immobile amid the maelstrom.
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Elisan looks around the shifting room. "Hope-01 is right," he says. I recognise these areas. I saw them on a tour of Guidance's servers."
He points out several in particular. "Those look like the security servers."
When Makai hails the holographic Guidance, Elisan turns, adding a greeting of his own. "How are you feeling? Can we do anything to help you?"
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Guidance gives no response.
None of the décor in this room stays for any length of time. Everywhere you look, it changes, even faster than they can blink.
Hope-01 looks worried at the flickering nature of the simulation. "This... is not how it it looked in the good old days." he says somewhat absently.
Shaking his head he adds "We may have less time that I expected."
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Hope-01 looks worried at the flickering nature of the simulation. "This... is not how it it looked in the good old days." he says somewhat absently.
Shaking his head he adds "We may have less time that I expected."
"I'm afraid I still don't quite understand your part in all of this. What are these 'good old days' you speak of? Have you been in Guidance's core before?"