Mothership - Titan

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Finn presses his thumb. There is a seconds delay before the automatic doors pull back. He has a clear view into the room from the doorway.

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Contos's place is a fairly sedate affair. Phosphorescent bulbs, a computer terminal, clothes storage. Typical colonial room.

On the small table next to the bed Finn sees the diary. An old fashioned paper notebook (OOC: This would be somewhat less common than today, but not rare in any sense) with a cover showing a young woman riding a polar bear through a vaguely fantasy environment.

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The air that escapes the room is noticeably warmer than in the rest of the FTL complex.
 
The metallic creature stops at the stairs and in fact turns back and walks almost to the centre of the ground floor. Lassiter then sees it tilt its "head" upward. It's looking, as best as one can tell, straight at Lassiter. It doesn't seem to have seen Finn.
 
Finn walks inside Cantos' room.
Without delay, he walks over and picks up the notebook and returns to the doorway.
Finn reappears in the doorway, waiting and listening for a moment. Then he flashes a thumbs-up as he silently checks with Lassiter to make sure all is well.
 
OOC: Smith Smith just piloting in a minimal sense for now

Lassiter shakes his head and points down, he tilts his head imitating somebody looking up.
 
OOC: Yup, saw it but I'm just slow to respond. I'll hit this thread later today.
 
OOC: Oh let no rush on you, just in case the alert system was funny.
 
Finn steps into the room. If there's a control to keep the door from closing behind him, like a light sensor, he'd like to jam it so the door stays open.

Re-entering the room, Finn does a quick inspection of surfaces, checks to see if the terminal is on. Any clothes out or other possessions in the open?
 
Finn quickly spots a HOLD button next to the door and hits it, keeping it open.

The terminal is currently switched on. Looking around the room Finn spots a few possessions either on the terminal table or next to the bed: boots (with an internal magnet for low gravity), library tablets full of texts on physics and chemistry, similar fiction collections. Folded next to the bed is a red floral dress with a sunhat on top.
 
The metallic figure keeps looking at Lassiter. It then bends its knees and jumps upward toward the skylight...

OOC: You have a chance to act before it reaches the skylight
 
The metallic figure keeps looking at Lassiter. It then bends its knees and jumps upward toward the skylight...

OOC: You have a chance to act before it reaches the skylight
Lassie panics and tries to shoot it, in an attempt to put it off it's trajectory. "The hell are you!?"
 
Finn reads Dr. Cantos' terminal.
 
Lassiter steals himself as the metal figure flies toward him. Waiting until it almost reaches the skylight he lets rip with a focused spray of bullets that clean removes the entity's "head" and sends it flying back down where it smashes to bits on the floor.

From what Lassiter sees the pieces are no longer moving.

OOC: A Crit!
 
Colonial security lets Finn into the terminal. He can see an email client, programs related to FTL research simulations and the odd few movie files.

Before he can look at any in depth he hears a burst of SMG fire and then a resounding clang of metal hitting the lower floor.
 
Finn jumps up in shock. Time to go...he can try to get remote access to the terminal if he gets out alive.
Finn runs out of Contos' room and sprints for the skylight. He's going to climb out and run as fast as he can.
 
"Finn! Finn!" Lassie calls out, after battling down the sudden spike in adrenaline and fear he just felt. "I shot the... thing. It jumped for me. Don't reveal yourself in case it's still ... alive? But it's not moving. I shot off what would be the equivalent thing of it's head. Thought you might like to know."
 
Finn reaches the rope coming out of the skylight no problem.

OOC: I'll just wait to see if you remain or head out of the skylight in light of Lassiter's comment above
 
"Finn! Finn!" Lassie calls out, after battling down the sudden spike in adrenaline and fear he just felt. "I shot the... thing. It jumped for me. Don't reveal yourself in case it's still ... alive? But it's not moving. I shot off what would be the equivalent thing of it's head. Thought you might like to know."
Finn halts in place and replies. "Guess I jumped the gun...literally! If I've got time, I'm going to checkout her email. Give a holler if I need to book it."

Finn pauses in thought for a second. "Good shot, by the way. I guess you got it...in a vital spot? Weird."

With that, he turns around to do as he said.
 
Scanning the terminal and looking through the emails, Finn first sees usual workplace gossip and technical discussions among FTL staff.

However the emails related to the five days prior to her disappearance show a clear pattern.
  1. Do the necessary work in the FTL lab
  2. Take a train out to the old nature reserves
  3. Spend the night in Lake Town rather than here
 
"Like I said, no promises it's actually... dead... or whatever can constitute dead for an inanimate object moving around like some horrible puppet."
 
Finn emerges from Contos' room and heads towards Lassiter at the skylight exit.

"I got the notebook, and I was peeking at her mail. The last few days before her disappearance, she was heading over to the nature preserves at night, and then spending the evening in Lake Town."

Finn grabs Lassiter's hand at the top of the climb. "I want to figure out what the hell happened here. What do you say we corral the good Dr. Coombs for a read-through of this notebook somewhere over hummus and dolmas?"
 
Eyeing the dormant metallic figure, Lassie nods with a set jaw. "Sounds great. This place is weird and I definitely need a break from it."
 
OOC: If there is anything you want to wrap up let me know, otherwise I'll head to the discussion with Coombs over food.
 
Leaving the FTL lab, Coombs recommends a restaurant in the centre of the city. The train drops the group off along a narrow street that cuts through an atmospheric processing unit or rather the processing unit for the whole colony. Titan Atmospheric Processing Unit as it is plainly called, or TAPU by the locals.

The four establishments that line the street do a good business from workers at TAPU coming by for their lunch during the day, but really begin to get packed around evening given their reputation.

Coombs, Lassiter and Finn are seated in short order and giving a bit of bread and hummus to munch on while they look through the menu.

"The Saganaki is intoxicatingly good" Coombs says eagerly pushing his finger into Lassiter's menu.

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Finn order the saganaki, pita bread, hummus and babaganoush, along with a bottle of white, if they have it. Once folks are settled in, he breaks out Cantos' notebook.

"So, let's go through this and see if there's anything we can learn. I'm hoping you can talk us through the technical bits, doctor," Finn begins.
 
Lassie at first eagerly tucks in, and per Coombs' recommendation orders the saganaki. He's halfway through his main when he realises he can't taste anything, and resorts to drinking instead. While Coombs relays the technical details, Lassie attempts to follow on in a haze. "Do you have any more theories on what in Jupiter could have used that metal sheet like a puppet?"
 
Coombs begins to look through the notebook, but speaks to Lassiter as he does so.

"Do you have any more theories on what in Jupiter could have used that metal sheet like a puppet?"
"No...like literally not at all. It's...well look it flat out means there's some entity at work here that is not human. We need machines and heavy duty computations to mess with matter like that. This thing did it at will. Contos couldn't have learned that in a few months or ever. Worse this thing lives in whatever void Contos sent herself to. The place between teleportation destinations"

Finn order the saganaki, pita bread, hummus and babaganoush, along with a bottle of white, if they have it. Once folks are settled in, he breaks out Cantos' notebook.

"So, let's go through this and see if there's anything we can learn. I'm hoping you can talk us through the technical bits, doctor," Finn begins.
Coombs looks through the notebook slowly after speaking to Lassiter. Then he turns to Finn sharply.

"There's reintegration settings here. Specific ones. To bring her back I suspect. And the destination...inside Titan. Deep inside"

He lifts the notebook to show Finn a bunch of equations with a crude sphere etched in purple and the 'Bulut' underlined.

"No doubt these are settings to take somebody deep inside Titan. The rest...the non-mathematical parts sound strange. Not like the woman I know. She's just writing different versions of the 'vision of the entity' story she got from different cult members and underlining words. All related to the exact features of where Bulut was at the time"
 
No...like literally not at all. It's...well look it flat out means there's some entity at work here that is not human.
Finn nods. "I mean, one way or another, I don't think you can be human anymore after having your body transubstantiated into a null-space or wherever the fuck she is. How can neurons talk to each other in nowhere?"

Finn turns to Cooms, empathy in his eyes. "What do you think, Coombs? You still think we can save her? Or do the current events kind of overshadow that?"

Two thoughts hit Finn.

"She could speak and hear in the weather station and the lab. Is there any reason to assume she's restricted to those sites?" Finn asks Coombs with alarm.

"Also, we should check in with the weather station. At the very least, we need to surreptitiously tell them what happened, assuming that the Cantos-thing hasn't already gone berserk on them. If they were unprepared and not wearing environment suits, I don't see much chance for their survival."

Finn sends mail to Koga. The weather station needs to be alerted, but preferably after creating a subtext to get them suited up and armed. Assuming they are still alive.
 
Finn nods. "I mean, one way or another, I don't think you can be human anymore after having your body transubstantiated into a null-space or wherever the fuck she is. How can neurons talk to each other in nowhere?"
"Null space, let's go with that"

Finn turns to Cooms, empathy in his eyes. "What do you think, Coombs? You still think we can save her? Or do the current events kind of overshadow that?"
He hangs his head for a moment.

"I think I can...but I know there are more important things right now"

"She could speak and hear in the weather station and the lab. Is there any reason to assume she's restricted to those sites?" Finn asks Coombs with alarm.
He looks up suddenly.

"The lab has some connection to null space, but that weather station no. If she can affect things there...I see where you're going with this" he says eyeing his surroundings nervously.

"Also, we should check in with the weather station. At the very least, we need to surreptitiously tell them what happened, assuming that the Cantos-thing hasn't already gone berserk on them. If they were unprepared and not wearing environment suits, I don't see much chance for their survival."

Finn sends mail to Koga. The weather station needs to be alerted, but preferably after creating a subtext to get them suited up and armed. Assuming they are still alive.
"Jesus" Coombs says and waits for the response from Koga nervously.

It comes through within a minute.

"No problem. They have been informed" she messages back.

Finn and Lassiter notice a man approach them. Late 20s, blond, tall, casual t-shirt and jeans outfit.

"You the ones investigating the Papadakis, Contos and Renner murders?" he extends a hand "Jonathan Brukner. Titan Independent. Would an interview be on the cards?"
 
"Jonathan Brukner. Titan Independent. Would an interview be on the cards?"
"Well, Mr. Brukner, we're kind of in the thick of things at the moment. I think we can back to you in," looking at Lassiter, "one-to-two days? We have to talk about it first. Also, we'd need to know what you want to talk about ahead of time, and we'll probably want to set some ground rules if we agree to such a thing."
 
"Well, Mr. Brukner, we're kind of in the thick of things at the moment. I think we can back to you in," looking at Lassiter, "one-to-two days? We have to talk about it first. Also, we'd need to know what you want to talk about ahead of time, and we'll probably want to set some ground rules if we agree to such a thing."
"Okay no problem, seems sensible. I'll send you on what I want to discuss. Covered the cases a while back. Attention has died down since then, but something was odd about the whole thing. Look forward to our chat"

He heads to a nearby table and picks up the menu.
 
OOC: I'll respond later today. Right now my whole office has switched to all-virtual, and there are a few critical issues combined with the communications problems.
 
He heads to a nearby table and picks up the menu.
Finn sighs. "If you leave us alone for now, we can exchange some off-the-record information. As in, you tell us what you know about these cases, and we'll tell you..." Finn looks around at his compatriots. "Well, I'm pretty confident we can tell you something newsworthy.

"And then, maybe, an interview...later," Finn finishes.
 
Brukner thinks a bit from his table and then taps a bit on his hand tablet.

Lassiter and Finn then receive the details of a black market hacker living in Lake Town who reportedly hacked a memory chip recently. He claims it was from a cranial implant.

"Whatever you've got I'll be glad to receive" Brukner says from his table as his order arrives.
 
Finn raises his eyebrows appreciatively. "That's good information. Interesting that you even know we're looking for that. You must have some good contacts, Mr. Brukner."

Finn thinks for a moment. "You have me at a disadvantage because I don't know what you don't know. What do you know about the Inner Way, Mr. Brukner? I could enhance your understanding if there are any gaps."

OOC: Finn is hoping that Brukner might reveal new information here, but he's not counting on it.
 
"That's good information. Interesting that you even know we're looking for that. You must have some good contacts, Mr. Brukner."
"Better than good" he says with a smile "We have a mutual acquaintance I irritate on occasion. Dr Blix. I hounded her about the recent autopsy she did for you. A diplomat with no head stands out"

A woman at a nearby table grimaces at the last remark.

Finn thinks for a moment. "You have me at a disadvantage because I don't know what you don't know. What do you know about the Inner Way, Mr. Brukner? I could enhance your understanding if there are any gaps."
Brukner reels off a few facts that match some of what Finn knows, but it's clear he knows less than they do. However he does say one thing of note. Their main temple (OOC: The one at the start of the game) took a lot of money to construct, specifically to mine the rock for its walls from the lake.
 
Brukner reels off a few facts that match some of what Finn knows, but it's clear he knows less than they do.
"You know they were raided last night?" Finn asks. "Do you know why?"

Finn pauses. "If you already know all that, tell me, and maybe I can think of something else. Otherwise, I'll tell you what I know."
 
Lassiter listens to the back and forth, glancing around at any bystanders who are listening in. He has a gut-lurching feeling that they are being followed and/or listened in on, all of a sudden.

(OOC: Sorry, between the shift to WFH and my notifications failing, I missed these updates)
 
"You know they were raided last night?" Finn asks. "Do you know why?"

Finn pauses. "If you already know all that, tell me, and maybe I can think of something else. Otherwise, I'll tell you what I know."
"I know they were raided, but no I don't no why. Authorities were pretty reticent about telling me"
 
Lassiter listens to the back and forth, glancing around at any bystanders who are listening in. He has a gut-lurching feeling that they are being followed and/or listened in on, all of a sudden.
Nobody is doing anything too out of the ordinary. Some people nearby are clearly interested in your conversation, but Brukner isn't exactly being quite.

(OOC: Sorry, between the shift to WFH and my notifications failing, I missed these updates)
OOC: No worries!
 
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