Chapter Eight: Breakfast on the Queen

[BackworldTraveller]

Queen
You see the flash of blue light as the Queen signals the door to open.
Certainly. Shall I tag this person as a Visitor?

[joertexas]

Queen
You see the flash of blue light as the Queen signals the door to open.
Certainly. Shall I tag this person as a Visitor?

"Hun, Noor is a crewmember."

[BackworldTraveller]

Queen
Logged
The conversation appears quite dull in the network...just a few flashes on the link to the bridge.

The virtual airlock door, remains open and the airlock unchanged. You do have a strange feeling that you are a giant in a miniature world. The external aspect of the airlock is more of a dock-door but internally it is better scaled to your "body".

[Monsieur Rose]

Noor

Noor enters as quickly as she can, keeping an eye out for anyone nearby.

"Hello? She looks a lot better than the last time I was here. Power and everything. You've been busy."

[joertexas]

Noor

Noor enters as quickly as she can, keeping an eye out for anyone nearby.

"Hello? She looks a lot better than the last time I was here. Power and everything. You've been busy."

"Please come to the bridge," Indrani says over the comm.

[Monsieur Rose]

Noor

"Bridge, right." She looks left and right, trying to determine where the bridge would be on such a ramshackle vessel. Seeing the lifts, she heads for that and picks the one labeled 'crew'. Riding that to the top and the expected bridge, she gets off and turns the corner to the bridge.

"Oh hey, Nalani! Captain." She nods at the other woman and smiles. "What's so urgent? What did you find?"

[joertexas]

Noor

"Bridge, right." She looks left and right, trying to determine where the bridge would be on such a ramshackle vessel. Seeing the lifts, she heads for that and picks the one labeled 'crew'. Riding that to the top and the expected bridge, she gets off and turns the corner to the bridge.

"Oh hey, Nalani! Captain." She nods at the other woman and smiles. "What's so urgent? What did you find?"

"Pull up a console," Indrani points at Nalani's repeater display. "Have you ever seen anything like this?"

[The Bindoner]

Nālani looks up from her console. It is interesting work. I think I should get my holo-deck, it has a security suite as well as editing and analysis software. I might be able to find fingerprints.

[Monsieur Rose]

Noor

She peers at the display in confusion. "What are we looking at? An Asteroid?"

"I'm not that skilled in virtual stuff, but that looks like a real place. Also, what's behind that door with the labels? Files available?!"

She stands up and looks at Indrani. "What the hell is going on? Are these his notes?!"

[joertexas]

Noor

She peers at the display in confusion. "What are we looking at? An Asteroid?"

"I'm not that skilled in virtual stuff, but that looks like a real place. Also, what's behind that door with the labels? Files available?!"

She stands up and looks at Indrani. "What the hell is going on? Are these his notes?!"

Indrani nods at Nalani's comments, and looks at Noor. "This is a representation of the Queen's computer system. You tell me."

[BackworldTraveller]

Queen
What is here is here. How can I help?

OK - Game mechanics! (Computers 101)
Whoever is your lead programmer will be leading with their Computer Skill. Any crew-member can be lead programmer..."the worst that can happen is that a crew member is locked out by security", right?
The Holo Deck gives you a separate CPU not influenced by the Queen. i.e. The queen can't just kill your avatars by denying them CPU access

This deck has its own security software so any counter-strike against the deck's CPU can be intercepted

You are at the system console - A boon dice (i.e. an extra dice you can roll and substitute in for any one dice you don't like should you wish)
You can get bonuses for Intrusion Software, or finding the passwords or answering the hints (e.g. having the Available Files to hand). Proper preparation will improve performance. Other than the existence of the construct itself, within that construct there are various hints and tips. Real world actions can influence Virtual world outcomes - and vice versa.
Provided you aren't locked out you can try again as many times as you like. If you are locked out, you are still able to force entry (but bring a bigger stick). n.b. The captain can designate people as crew while not locked out
Each attempt will take only 1d6 minutes - although discussion and preparation between attempts may take longer.

You know that the computer is INT:6 and Computers:0 from here
It has an intimate knowledge of itself (EDU:15) so you really want to avoid playing against that stat! If it can look up a response to your strategy from the database it will do so better than you can.
The security software is going to give the computer +4 in attacks and defences (Effectively Melees)
n.b. the computer has up to 10 CPUs to drive avatars.

Basic software allows you to be "armed" with Fists and defended by slightly flashy Bracers. Security 2 Software is effectively (assuming standard software) light-armour and riot shield by comparison.

While in the Holodeck virtual space, (should that occur) you have Security 1 Software (+2) which gives you a similar advantage in perceived equipment.

n.b.When the holodeck is plugged in to the captain's console it looks like...

Holodeck.png (28.37 KiB) Viewed 908 times

...and it connects directly to the airlock via the door to the left

If connected to the other consoles it opens into the "Blue-line space" instead. From outside (viewed from blue-line space) it looks like a grey cube with a door.

[Bluetongue]

Arnwulf

"So you ladies going to play 'Ready Player One' with the Queen?"

The ex-marine enquires to all the fuss. He has sat at the terminals of battle simulators and virtual ornithopters, honing real life skills from the safety of cushioned bucketseats. He was never that adept however and ill favoured the perpetual respawn ability which coaxed cadets into a false sense of security in actual battles.

He checks on Reven after his night trysts and if Pranit has a work schedule for the day.

[The Bindoner]

Nālani, returning with her computer, recognises Noor with surprise: Ah! N-Sam! How rude not to greet you, sorry, I was not thinking. How nice to see you. Your insights will be most welcome, I believe you know more about the Saffa matter than we do.

[BackworldTraveller]

OK - anyone want to consider any specific skill rolls before you start?

Attached to the west door of Nalani's box is the lock...

Inside the lock is still a plain space, a constructor's plaque and a scratched message on the far door...

Help
Files available

The holo displayed inside the box is the view from the avatar of the person logged onto Nalani's box

The blue-line space (accessible from the south exit) now shows Nālani's grey box attached to the airlock

[SpinwardMarch]

Maggie

I am willing to help.

[2d6]=9 + Electronics/computers 1=10

Player not quite visualizing how this works.

[BackworldTraveller]

Maggie
Maggie takes a station and starts to examine the construct. The individual components seem to be off-the shelf - used quite originally. The asteroid appears to be a composite of various images taken from elsewhere. She's started a search looking for the details of the originals so that the place(s) can be identified. The main oddity is that the construct must have taken many weeks to build, and must have been built by someone aboard the Queen with, at least occasional, central system access.

Hoping to identify the person responsible, Maggie looks at the constructor's plate in the airlock, but it just says "Minas Ithil Ltd" - so perhaps that relates to the asteroid-station itself?

Treat this as a real-world space you can move about in and examine. A-la a computer game or PBEM traveller scenario. e.g for the above a ELECTRONICS(COMPUTERS) search in the in-game databases could identify the asteroid (already taken as started by the way); INVESTIGATE or STREETWISE or ADMIN might help identify the constructor; or the coder. I've left the scrawl on the door as a puzzle for you all to work out - what does that mean? And, of course, you could look at the rest of the construct inside the airlock - you have many "crew" (if you can find trusted bodies) for recon by death purposes provided the captain doesn't get banned, after which you have a finite number or have to resort to out-and-out intrusion software (which no one currently possesses, but which you may be able to find and which might be useful anyway given what you are up to because of the anti-security bonuses it brings). As you progress other useful skills may present themselves.

[cybersavant]

Reven Stiilpahth sat in the crew lounge.

[The Bindoner]

Nālani takes a professional interest in the construction of the virtual environment, looking for clues about who might have been involved in its creation. As a practitioner she knows the signatures of her contemporaries, and might be able to recognise where those off-the-shelf components were sourced and trace back to who accessed them.

She will turn to trying to identify the individual rock depicted next.

Captain, I believe you should lead this. Your profile suggests you have more experience with systems analysis than the rest of us.

[2d6]=4 +2 Streetwise, +2 Int =8

[joertexas]

Nālani takes a professional interest in the construction of the virtual environment, looking for clues about who might have been involved in its creation. As a practitioner she knows the signatures of her contemporaries, and might be able to recognise where those off-the-shelf components were sourced and trace back to who accessed them.

She will turn to trying to identify the individual rock depicted next.

Captain, I believe you should lead this. Your profile suggests you have more experience with systems analysis than the rest of us.

[2d6]=4 +2 Streetwise, +2 Int =8

"All right. Let's designate everyone who will be helping as crew, while I'm still not locked out. Who wants to help?"

[The Bindoner]

I believe you should create as many crew avatars as you can, Captain. We will take control of new ones as we burn the old. Use every identity you can, previous crew, visitors, anyone the Queen has a record of. When we have full control we can restore banned accounts.