Early November 1997 Responses

From:  Layne Saltern (GM)

John Groszkiewicz said:
>Syzygy:  "According to this, the wire-whip counter in 
>the monorail has been passed. . .twice."
>
>Is it safe to assume that this is because of the team's rescure of Syzygy? One =
>leaving the stations, two = team coming back?

Good point!

The counter was placed slightly south of where Taanik stopped the train.
The journey to rescue Syzygy did not cross over the counter.

>I'm also wondering how the monorail is powered?
>Does the car have it's own power supply
>or does it get power from a "third rail"?

The monorail trains have their own power supplies. They were originally
designed this way to make the monorial system more dependable. (As long as
the tube is, a break or malfunction in a third rail somewhere along the way
would be likely.)

However, having made the trains self-powered made it very difficult to shut
the system down when it was abandoned. First Landing could lock off the
monorail terminal, but they couldn't shut down power to the individual
trains.

From:  Albin Johnson (Syzygy)

Kare wrote:
>If hypo training is a option she will ask Syzygy to monitor the procedure,
>to ensure all goes well.

Syzygy will gladly help in any way possible, but I don't see how he's
trained to monitor hypno-training.


>Kare has considered that she may have to complete this mission
>independently from the group, to this end she will attempt to make fake
>IDs, secretly obtain a spare room (safehouse), she will create a number
>counter security programs to aid escape, ie. a virus that will
>automaticly remove her from police and customs files, a virus that will
>automaticly shut off all the lights in town...what choas that would
>make, etc. She may make a list of security, combat and other useful
>robots. Then attempt to reprogram them for later use.

Not to second-guess Kare, but Syzygy has declared that he is monitoring the
components of the Spire network that handle the team's access profiles.
For this reason, he is probably also monitoring the individual team
members' files to ensure no one changes them again (like before). Finally,
Syzygy has done enough work creating fake I.D.'s for himself and Tork (no
one else asked) that he would again be privvy to the info on the team
members and may notice Kare's changes.

Again, I'm not retro-actively declaring this - it may or may not fit under
what I've declared already. It's up to Layne to make the judgement call.
If it DOES fall under what I've declared already, Syzygy will merely notice
the changes and investigate them, thinking it's caused by an outside source
(the alleged perpetrators who futzed the code before).


Urugg's intended moves are GOOD ones! Good thinking, Urugg. My comments
on these and other thoughts are probably too late, but figuring the last
story segment came out a week late, maybe Layne can take this all into
account:

> Next, he will take a cast of one of the prints using some vaccuum-drying
>resin (similar to patching material used to temporarily seal suit and hull
>leaks) (basically like taking a plaster cast of a print here on earth)

No telling what a vaccuum environment may do to the clumping/drying effects
of any resin. I'd suggest using your enviroscanner or some such device to
do a laser relief scan of the prints (like they do of the moon from here on
earth), creating a 3D image in the computer that can be studied in MUCH
more detail than a cast. You also mentioned this, but I figured it was
worth mentioning.


> This whole site investigation will occupy Urugg for a half day or so,
>not including the analysis tasks which will be done back inside Metrosphere.
> Urugg will head down to one of the university-type facilities to do the
>analysis tasks - they will likely have useful, specialized equipment more
>sensitive than the portable enviroscanner.

If Urugg needs a computer expert to help him on this, Syzygy will
volunteer. Not only is he 4th level computer skilled, but he'd like to get
back at the bastards who rolled him.


>3) He likes Taanik's suggestion of an undercover Ixiol buy. Urugg will
>suggest that Taanik go ahead with the idea, with backup from 2 or 3 team
>members;


Syzygy initially offered the undercover idea with a backup team when we
first got here. As such, he'd also volunteer to tag along in the back-up
team, but only if no one more qualified already volunteers (i.e. the
military heavies).

Also, I just recalled Urugg asking Syzygy to make him a fake ID like the
ones he made for himself and Tork. Syzygy will do so and also for anyone
else requesting such documents. Since Syzygy is carefully monitoring the
team's personnel records and access profiles (cautious of the bug that
disrupted them earlier without explanation) he may be well suited to make
personnel file alterations. He has already backed up all sensitive info on
himself into a portable module (in case there's a hacker out there intent
on making Syzygy's life miserable) for later retrieval and will do so for
anyone else who asks.


>Urugg will ask one or more of the team's computer gurus check
>the Metrosphere databases for Cimmy's real name again

Again, I forgot to make this declaration before: since Syzygy failed in his
first attempt to do this task, he will try again.

As I think about it, it seems Syzygy has become more and more involved in
the personell records section of Metrosphere's computer system. Other
aspects of this mission related to computers are cropping up and I suggest
for reality's sake that another computer specialist declare they will
specialize in these other areas (like geological data processing, mapping
the locations of hits/supplies taken, monitoring conditions of the life
support centers, etc.)

This is all a little late, but VERY relevant.

Syzygy out.

From:  Andy Campbell (Urugg)

<< During converstion with Loer, Tork will try
to find out the following: 
[snip]
4- How long has she known this Spider' fellow? What does she know of his
background? >>

When the group gets together to discuss all these interesting developments,
Urugg will venture the question: "Does anyone else find it odd that this
Spider fellow showed up on the scene around the same time our old pal Dakka
Syte disappeared off the authorities' radar?" [at least, I think it was
around the same time... have to check the web site again]

PS. Evil plot / conspiracy of the day:

Loer is not a real yazirian. She is a Level 6 cybot dispatched here by Dakka
Syte before his capture, with orders to set up a bogus underground
organization / cult which would aid and shelter the good Mr. Syte after he
escaped from custody...

From:  Albin Johnson (Syzygy)

>** If Tork has time **
>
>These are some things that Tork want to do, provided he has time...
>
>1- Talk to the team techs about: (A) changing/overriding the security codes
>on the
>monorail door locks. (B) Adding counters to the doors? (C) Can a
>chronocorder picture
>be displayed on an apartment "window"?

Syzygy would probably like to look into mass-producing that remote-relay
counter thingy. Seems to come in handy, n'est-ce pas?


>3- Background checks on the following: Blackjack, Baab, Yulua Chacuub
>(Tork's "new"
>identity), and Simeonne Arielle (Chimmy's old identity).

Layne - Yalua Chacuub is actually the character I played long ago that
starred in that story you posted. Also, Syzygy's alter-ego, Taluskix, was
another of the characters from my old group. I don't know why'd they ever
be in Metrosphere, just thought it'd be funny to have their names involved.

If you need their backgrounds let me know. I don't figure that it'd be
that important to maintain that level of consistency though.

- your pal AL

From:  Andy Campbell (Urugg)

A few things that have been rattling around the old brain:

A) re: the "media outage" in Syzygy's hospital room: 
We should figure out if it was just in his room, or if the entire hospital /
medical dome / level / colony was affected. The possibilities and
implications will depend on the extent of the problem, as well as its cause
(if that can be determined).

B) re: the previously proposed "sting" / trap to be set for the
inviso-thieves
We may want to consider setting traps in multiple units and then staking out
the general area in which the thefts occurred as a "rapid response team" once
the trap(s) are triggered. A couple of trap ideas for consideration / to get
others thinking:

B-1) Flood the storage pod floors with a few mm of water, and leak to the
maintenance department / cargo handlers crews that due to minor water leaks
the pods will be left unstaffed until maint. crews can be dispatched to make
repairs. The food, clothing and hand weapons stored there (note: perhaps
token amounts of these items could be moved in prior to the "leaks" to lend
authenticity to the bait) will be unavailable for a few days until the
problem is fixed; several shopkeepers who handle these goods will be
informed that their restock shipments will be delayed.
When the thieves blow a hole in the pod side, the atmosphere within
should vent and "fill" the pod with ice-cold vaccuum. The few mm of water on
the floor should flash-freeze, immobilizing anyone strolling blindly in;
meanwhile, a silent linked to a seismic detector on the outer pod hull will
notify our team.
Note: I'm no scientist, so it's possible the H2O layer would vaporize before
flash-freezing; Urugg would know or verify this before making the suggestion
- anyone know the answer?

B-2) The vindictive option: set up as above (maintenance problem will
strand shipments of goods in the affected pods). Seismic detectors will be
set up on the outer pod hulls as above. The seismic detectors will be hooked
up to a timer, in turn linked to several tanks of liquid nitrogen attached to
a sprinkler system. Thirty seconds after the outer hull is breached*, the
timer will activate the liquid N2 sprinklers, dousing the entire pod chamber.
Anyone caught inside should be flash-frozen (or, if they have insulated
low-temperature suits - very possible - the suits' joints will lock up and
immobilize them). Again, I'm not enough of a scientist to know whether
liquid N2 would vaporize in a vaccuum or fall as a proper spray.

If the above substances do vaporize instantly in vaccuum rather than
flash-freezing, Urugg would suggest (if they exist here Layne) substituting
satchels of Foam Grenades (as per Zeb's Guide) - Slick Foam for option (1)
and Solid Foam for option (2). 

Alternately, option (2) using Acid Foam grenades (or simply an acid sprinkler
system) might force a surrender if the thieves' suits began to degrade so
fast their only option would be to radio M-Sphere authorities to be let into
an airlock and decontaminated. 

C) outlandish possibility we haven't considered:
Maybe the Star's Arm leadership knows something we and Streel don't, and are
afraid to reveal it because the believe Streel would rape it (metaphorically
speaking). This is a long shot, but considering this system was only
colonised a few years back it is an outside possibility.
- Perhaps the moon is home to an undiscovered life form capable of
surviving in vaccuum or a trace atmosphere? Even if it were primitive (ie. a
virus or microbe), its sheer uniqueness as a species would make it worth
protecting and studying; if more advanced (say an exotic silicate lifeform
which metabolised energy from thermal vents) it would be even more worth
fighting for. 
- Maybe the moon houses an as-yet undetected by Streel colony of UPF
exiles, escaped political prisoners or criminals, a pirate base of some sort,
or a lost colony of UPF races or other aliens. Or even just a hidden ruin (a
la the "Face on Mars") of another vanished race. Any one of these could lead
those who discovered the colony / race / ruins to hide it and attempt to
drive the Streel colony off the moon for fear the corp would exploit it.


OK, and now to live up to the subject line:

"Paranoid Schizophrenic Conspiracy Theory of the Day"
Not only is Loer of the Star's Arm a cybot dupe designed to create a safe
hiding spot for Dakka Syte, but the cybot is an unwitting fall-guy. "Spider"
is also a dupe, albeit a human one - paid by Dakka Syte to impersonate
himself (and surgically altered to resemble Syte using funds Syte embezzled
from UPF banks); Syte plans to have "Spider / Syte" killed off to fake his
own death and remove any suspicions that he is still hiding out in the
Frontier. Which brings us to Dakka Syte himself. He paid to have himself
surgically and genetically altered to resemble Selson Streel, a minor member
of the Streel family; memory implants similar to hypno-training implants
(purchased at astronomical cost) have provided him with the mannerisms and
knowledge to effectively impersonate Streel. The Syte-Streel switch was made
shortly before the present unrest, and it was really Syte who hired the PC
team to expose both the cybot Loer dupe and to capture or preferably kill the
Spider / Syte impersonator (as a backup the impersonator Syte has a
Sathar-style hypno-implant which will kill him if captured; Syte acquired
the top-secret technique by hacking into a UPF Spacefleet Intelligence
mainframe, incidentally chock full of juicy info. on the worms).

Heh heh. How's that for a "man on the grassy knoll" theory of why our team's
here?
And now back to your regularly scheduled Unity programming ; ) 

From:  John Groszkiewicz (Tork)

Kveldulf@aol.com wrote:
> 
> Urugg will venture the question: "Does anyone else find it odd that this
> Spider fellow showed up on the scene around the same time our old pal Dakka
> Syte disappeared off the authorities' radar?" [at least, I think it was
> around the same time... have to check the web site again]

I'm not sure if Dakka Syte is Spider or a Red Herring, oops, make that a "sub plot". :) 
I would not be suprised to find out that Spider is a member of the Shadows who was sent 
infiltrate Star's Arm. He could be trying to direct the Star's Arm's protests to 
provided cover for some Shadow sabotage. ( Like the stuff Kare found in the life support 
building. )

> PS. Evil plot / conspiracy of the day:
> 
> Loer is not a real yazirian. She is a Level 6 cybot dispatched here by Dakka
> Syte ...

Tork will have to watch and see if she uses a motor oil salad dressing. ;) 

Kveldulf@aol.com wrote:
> 
> B) re: the previously proposed "sting" / trap to be set for the
> inviso-thieves
> We may want to consider setting traps in multiple units and then staking out
> the general area in which the thefts occurred as a "rapid response team" once
> the trap(s) are triggered. A couple of trap ideas for consideration / to get
> others thinking:

Why set up traps in multiple units? It looks like they are using the monorail for 
transportation. Lets just booby trap the station. 

I've got to find a email package with better spell checking. I almost suggested that we 
"bobby trap" the station...

As the Shadow troopers exit the car they come face to face with a small black haired 
boy.
"Hi, I'm Bobby."

AAARRGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
John