Moravia Orbital Colony, Ulysses | 237d/3008AD | Von Hapsburg System
Deuce looked at the information a moment. "Well... we won't have enough power to run that radar at all times. So once, maybe twice a day, we turn down the heat and dim the gro-lamp to scan for nearby ships. Won't be long enough to frost everyone, but finding help that much sooner is good. Mr. Kirk here should be left to tend to the food needs; that'll keep him busy and away from the others so he's not getting grouchy and causing trouble. The fellow who breathes water's a challenge; if he doesn't have his own suit, he'll need to stay inside one of the spacesuits. If supplies get low, draw straws to see who gets shot out an escape capsule to increase the odds of finding help."
He looked at it again, then nodded. "Anything else?"
[3]
"I see. You know, most of the teenagers we get are into this utilitarian nonsense where they 'sacrifice one for the good of many' or something like that. I've seen it happen, and it's failed every time. Drawing straws is the good ol' way to do it, since its fair to everyone, and your idea of using one of the escape pods is nifty. I'll give you the offer. Where do you want to start, Mr...?"You have the option of working with life support and oxygenation, atmosphere control and heating, water and sanitation, or electronics and machinery.
Moravia Lobby Alpha, Floor 3
Heated Combat! (All initiative rolls default to a [1])
Megacity Time: 6:50Action: Go check out this Aeonia Zeal person...
You take the elevator/tram/thingies down to the ground level from which you came. Here you find the fruit of your labor: riots in the streets, demonstrating and stopping trams and taxis. And all without a trace of your name being mentioned. All according to plan.
You flip our your spacephone and start browsing local records for information on the Aeonia lady. Travelling around the galaxy sprinkling gold on promising enterprises... that sounds like quite the entrepreneurial spirit! Of course, it is quite a shame this investment of hers won't happen to return.
As previously learned, Aeonia is most likely on the Georgium Sidis. There is a full-scale rebellion on George's moons, and both sides are looking for all the funding you can get. Aeonia is quite open in her support of the monarchists, citing the economic successes of many functional monarchies across the sector, while denouncing the harm that republican rebellions have left over the centuries on many worlds. Of course, her position is a controversial one, not popular in republican establishments such as this one.
Aeonia's investments mostly consist of donations and shares into agencies that specialize in various forms of augmentation and electronic integration. Augments have never really taken off as a species-wide thing, and for various reasons; augments can only be taken during adulthood, as children will soon outgrow theirs and they will have to be replaced. Augments require constant, surgically applied upgrades and replacements, which many cannot afford and even fewer want to suffer through. The majority of humans in existence, thus far, are genuine humans, albeit with several common genetic modifications that have integrated themselves into the gene pool.
The corporations Zeal funds don't seek to change that. Instead, they design high-end instruments for rich folk and military contractors.
...
WARDEN recalls the employees he had spied upon before, and speaks to Atlos over the comms. "The individuals we previously noticed mentioned an elevator to the Space Inc headquarters. If I follow them, I could find out where it is, which would provide the group with an entrance."
Sneak away from the crowd and tail the Space Inc. employees while staying hidden.
[6/5]
"T-minus... now."You use your jets to fly among the ceiling piping and light fixtures, taking residence near an air filter. The device is a "Scramtech Emergency Filter," apparently not in use.
It appears that the police have noticed your ascent, [3] but your black color scheme and boxy nature blends in perfectly with the surroundings. You crawl your way over the strangers and monitor them for additional dialogue.
Stranger: Hm, was that a police robot?
Employee 1: Doesn't look like it.
Employee 2: I'm not sure what to make of it. A robodog, perhaps?
Stranger: Oh God...
Employee 1: Hmm?
Stranger: They've evolved...
Employee 1: Quick, get to the elevator!
It seems they are running. You won't be able to remain camouflaged while chasing after them. However, on the ceiling you locate a hatch to the upper crawlspace of the mall. You'll have to break your way through, since it is locked.
Moravia Lab
High Security (-1 Stealth)
"I don't think like a human either." Nerin has the computer continue displaying random packets of data on the display that would be indecipherable to anyone who isn't mentally hooked up to the computer as he begins running the simulation to see what the AI is trying to show him.
You sense a number of three-dimensional maps of a blob masquerading to be a human. The data indicates that the blob's internals are stratified into layers, the outer layers serving as camouflage while the middle layers produce motion and the inner sections buzz with infra-red emissions and heat. That must be where the blob digests its food. There is a small data upload as you browse the simulation.
You look around, and find that there are no anomalous heat signatures, although the blob's aforementioned capability to mimic human heat signatures is noted. You aren't able to see into people's skin and skeletal structures without a source of microwaves, though. Simply opening a microwave oven in the room should do the trick, though.
"That's good. Never fun to go on a trip and lose a shirt. You'd be surprised how often lost shirts happen. One time, we were exploring an old abandoned mining installation on an astroid in the Ventis system, one of the machines randomly activated, Nerin shut it off fairly fast, but the machine thought we were Rockhounds, and seconds before he could shut it off, the machine slammed one of its mining implements through my side to try harvesting what it thought were minerals. Ruined the shirt and took a few hours to repair internal damages. Really hard to get blood out of a shirt."
"I am sorry for your loss."