”I would not put it past them, madam. There was just an article in RealTruth Weekly about brain manipulation. Check it out now, before you forget. My friend and I will be back in a jiffy. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it when I come back down!” Dern says, urging Grace toward the elevators.
”If I may…” Dern steps in. ”One can never be too careful when it comes to security. Have you seen the news feed about Glen Xi - the security expert who uncovered the STG spy ring here on Noveria? I am just as outraged as anyone, after what those monsters did to my family before I fled. Your caution does you credit, madam, and I will be sure to remark upon it.”
Using Non-Linear thought to substitute a Contacts check for Rapport. Invoking “Unlikely hero for the common man” and spending Fate point for a +2 (Invoke: when trying to win the sympathy of ordinary people or humans in particular.)
social ones. Depends on how you want to run it. Slick and smooth? Intimidating and severe?
As they make their way toward the lobby, Grace turns to Dern.
"We don't have much time to work with here-- how do you want to play this?"
”Hmm. Even I know that sometimes an artillery blast is a poor choice, as much as it pains me to say. We could rush to the elevators, and I could attempt to hack any technological surveillance on the way. Ordinarily that would not be a terribly effective strategy - and it certainly will not help with any security staff who sees us - but we can hope that security is too concerned with the commotion on the upper floor to notice our presence.”
”We should warn them. I do not think a frontal assault is advisable in this location - which is rare for me to say. But do we know they are after our team - or is something other than normal business going on here?”
Dern sends a quick message to Theros and Hestia: Some heavies entering the building among the delivery staff. Could be you are made. Could be something else is afoot in this building.
”The best person for such a delivery might be you, Theron. Perhaps I could link to you Omnitool and scan the automated security systems from your position inside.”
”I was never one for that sort of subterfuge myself. Probably why I never fit in with STG. Direct is usually best, I suppose blowing the facade off the building might attract unwanted attention.”
If it were possible for salarians to blush, Dern would likely do so. ”Why, Sergeant, I suppose I could show you where to find them. There are some likeminded communities of folk out there from all over the galaxy. The exchange of ideas is... stimulating.”
Dern looks down to assure that all of his gear is in a proper state of readiness, although he has already done so at least four times.
Dern’s eyes light up at the request. ”Of course! I find that humans typically find salarian fare off-putting, but they do not know what they are missing! This being an Alliance vessel, I had to arrange for a case of this to be available here. It’s better fresh, but the canned stuff will do in a pinch.”. He happily shares some with Grace and eagerly watches her, waiting for her reaction after the first bite.
Sitting down with his waffles, he opens a small sealed container and spreads the vile-looking contents atop them. ”Jellied roe. Breakfast of champions,” he comments before tucking in greedily.
”I share your concern, Miss Harper,” he says between mouthfuls. ”I have much wider latitude with my artillery in uninhabited spaces. This mission will certainly pose unique challenges.”
”It can be difficult to discern fact from fiction when it comes to news out of Noveria. The latest conspiracy theories are that a vast megacorporation controls all of the corps operating on the planet. That would sound ludicrous, but certainly wouldn’t be the strangest thing to come out of Noveria.”
Dern looks as if this is suddenly a novel idea. "Hacking self-destructive nanotechnology?" He hastily makes an entry into the storage of his omnitool. "Either a new avenue for research, or a great premise for some fan fiction."
Satisfied, he turns back to the matter at hand. "I looked up what I could regarding our destination..."
It is unclear whether Dern is a "morning person" - he seemingly exhibits the same nervous energy at all times of day. With a "down to business" air, he quickly readies himself and sets out to ensure he is punctual to the meeting.
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.
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?"
”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.”
”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.”
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.
”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.
Dern walks into the canteen beside Hestia. "Not that you need me to tell you, but Cerberus undertook many experiments of genetic modifications and cybernetics on their most valuable assets. I believe our Mr. Iskios is one such - he has all the signs. Infiltration, espionage, assassination... asymmetrical warfare. STG would almost be proud."
Heading to the counter, he opines, "I got out of STG to avoid that sort of thing." His expression darkens. "I don't particularly approve of his being assigned to our unit, but I will do what must be done. It won't be the first time," he sighs.
Suddenly his expression brightens and a broad smile crosses his face. "Ooh! Chicken nuggets!" He begins loading his plate.
Dern is somewhat taken aback by Hestia's question. "From my understanding of human culture, the type of activity undertaken in W.A.P. is of a far more intimate nature than what I would expect of the Sergeant and Iskios. But then, I am not an expert in human body language. Perhaps I misread the room, so to speak."
His head cocked to one side, he considers for a moment, before shaking off the thought and changing the subject. "And you. Are you alright, Miss Harper? You seemed... upset before. And fairly distraught at the appearance of our new Cerberus asset. I am somewhat a novice when it comes to human emotion, but I understand it is sometimes helpful to have someone willing to simply listen at such times. I may not have much to add, but I am always willing to listen." He smiles awkwardly.
Once Grace and Hestia have left, Dern looks back to Theron with his unctuous Salarian smile. "Well, they've certainly thrown you to the lion's den, I'd say. A trip to Noveria - or back to Noveria, as the case may be - that's a dangerous mission under any circumstance. All sorts of things can happen in a place like that. Remnants of Cerberus security features, rogue AIs, experimental subjects - why, even a poorly aimed grenade round can be fatal in a place like that, and no one would even know what happened. I hope you're up for it."
Dern pauses to consider for a moment. "I wonder what they're serving in the canteen at the moment? I'm so hungry I could eat a leviathan. Good luck with your briefing!" He gives another too-friendly smile and turns to head out.
Dern nods slowly at Hestia, still not taking his eyes off the newcomer. "Frankly, I could see STG doing the same. I thought the Alliance might be better than that sort of thing. I suppose I was wrong... for once."
