[IC] Splendor in the Stars: An Eclipse Phase Campaign

[Princess K]

[Somewhere]

A warm flame crackles, filling the archaic, wood-paneled room with unsteady light. An elderly man sits in a plush armchair, reading a leather-bound tome. He shifts in his seat, letting out a light chuckle at the words on the page.

“Good reading?”

The voice echoes, seemingly from nowhere. The elderly man nods. “It’s not Steinbeck, but it passes the time. An interesting set you’ve picked up in recent times, Mahler.”

The disembodied voice laughs gleefully. “Aren’t they just? More pieces for the game; it’s like buying a character pack in a vid game!”

“I want to see them in action. A dossier can’t show me who they are. How they act when thrust into the unknown, when situations tumble out of control.” The elderly man closes his book, setting it on the coffee table beside him.

“Out of control? As if that ever happens!” The voice laughs again, delighted at its own joke. ”But I’m aware. I’ve got something planned for that; I’ll conduct a few tests myself and send you the data, alright? You take care, Holst.”

The voice fades away. The elderly man sighs, rising to his feet. The antiquarian room and the sound of firelight fades as well, leaving a cold, clinical steel box behind. “Impress me, maestro.”

---

[Somewhere Else]

It is a strange thing, waking up from a dream. The momentary confusion of being pulled out of an entirely different world, and perhaps the question: did I just wake up… or fall asleep?

The café you’re in seems real enough. A brightly colored case buses the tables, taking orders in a pleasant synthetic voice. A quiet buzz of conversation fills the air, contributing to the safe, local atmosphere of the place. Full height windows provide a glorious view of the stars, while the artificial sunlight feels warm – for those with morphs that can feel. Nothing feels different.

The people around you, do you know them? You’re all sitting around one table so you must at least be acquainted, but you can’t say you recognize them at all. There was a training exercise, you were told before all of this, but this seems nothing like a training exercise.

Spoiler: Perception: Target +0

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The quiet conversation around you seems to be composed of easy inanities and idle gossip. There is no information of value to be heard here.

Spoiler: Investigation: Target -20

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A period of careful listening and considerate reveals that the chatter seems to repeat itself. The order is scrambled, but the people around you repeat the same set of topics every nine minutes and thirteen seconds.

[Thanatos168]

Evander, clad in tan colored full body armor with an EVA style helmet, takes a few moments to survey his surroundings. Eventually, he grunts quietly, then leans forward over the table with his hands interlocked. "So...presumably, we're a potential cell, and this is a meet-and-greet of some sort. My name is Evander. I'm a people person. I'm smarter than average. I believe trust is essential in healthy relationships and as such I won't bother with a cover story, I'll simply leave my past a mystery. I've been told I pull off the "mysterious stranger" shtick rather well, so really this is best for everyone. Anyone else care to introduce themselves?"

[Beans]

Eo herself is in body armor ((unless otherwise noted by our GM)), dull slatey blue-grey, helmet off. Her petite frame and porcelain-doll skin contrasted with the vibrant orange of her hair and eyes (and indeed all things meant to be pink on a basic human body, like gums and nailbeds) have earned her celeb-blogger persona such nicknames as "Orange-Cake-chan", "Tangerine Doll", and "tiny gay creamsicle" (not even Firewall knows how to handle that one). Glancing around, she doesn't notice much about the surroundings out of place, and prefers to observe her fellows.
I am Eo. You may already have seen my blog, but I think it is obvious by my presence here that I can do things other than be marginally endearing in front of a camera.

[Sahaar]

Roan, clad in armour with his helmet at his side, smiles as he greets the others.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Roan Alkena and I'll be your gunner for the forseeable future. Nice to meet you all, how are things?"

[kind_of_a_ROBOT]

Matheus shifts nervously in the chair, annoyed at the lack of comfortable seating. His tentacles wrap reflexively around the back, and he lifts himself up fractionally, intelligent orange eyes sweeping around the table and surrounding environment. The octopus' skin shifts through a series of dark shades, before resting in a dull maroon, roughly textured.

"Hello...I am Matheus." He says simply.

Spoiler: Perception

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(1d100)[97]

[DukeGod]

Solaris was unarmored. The Olympain morph looked just like a tall woman with some muscles, in the usual skintight leotard, some clothing and longcoat one could see often enough. But his morph should be quite well protected. Well, he introduces himself

"You may call me Solaris. Hacker."

And pilot he guesses. Not that they needed to know that yet. He calls in the case that is serving drinks. Slipping his gloves out, he touches it with two fingers, attempting to activate the Skinling and get any sort of access with the case

[Princess K]

The skinlink nanobots form a connection between Solaris and the case morph. If he wishes, he could attempt an intrusion against the protecting muse and ego within, though such an attempt would not. The mechanical server peers curiously at the eclectic group. "Can I bring you anything?" it asks pleasantly.

Spoiler: Kinesics -60

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The synthmorph displays the barest, almost imperceptible signs of agitation. The only sign of tension is a slightest of wavers in its digital voice, unshaken by the instincts of biology. Despite its demeanor, it is ready for trouble to start at any moment.

All around you, people continue their conversations peaceably; somewhere, someone laughs brightly at a joke. A message plays over public channels. Package for... Atlas. Package for... Atlas. Package for... Atlas.

[Sahaar]

Roan's hand is instantly in the air.

"I'll have something local. Not too strong though, I'd like to keep my footing. What do you recommend?"

Suddenly, he realizes something...off in the air about him. He keeps his hand in the air--no need to give his revelation away--but starts paying more attention to the conversations around him.

[Princess K]

The synthmorph bobs its head. "Of course. We offer a variety of flavored synthehols available. Popular flavors include 'whiskey', 'strawberry' and 'salt mackerel.'" Roan's muse receives a transmission containing menu data. "We also offer wine made from real, grown grapes." A rather ludicrous price is attached to the latter product.

Glass shatters and a yelp is heard. A woman at the other end of the cafe is standing in a puddle of bluish liquid and broken glass. A few of the patrons glance over, but quickly return to their conversations. Nothing is out of the ordinary.

Spoiler: OOC

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The production of alcohol is pretty much free for the establishment. You'd be paying for the atmosphere and social environment of the cafe more than the actual drink, so there wouldn't be a price tag on regular fabricated drinks, but likely an entrance fee. Not that you paid that, but that's what happens when you appear wholesale at a table.

Transitional economies, ho!

[Sahaar]

Roan looks over at the woman who spilled her glass,

"I think I'll have that wine. I prefer the real thing to synthesized junk. Er, no offense of course."

[DukeGod]

Giotto wasn't the most moral person, but he didn't wish to just hack into an ego in a synth like that. He just tries to download as much information as he can that without being instrusive or alerting the ego.

Gaia? Process this data will you? he orders his muse. Breaking contact, he makes his order aswell

"Give me whatever it is the strongest flavor of whiskey you can synthesize" Ah whiskey. The drink of all businessmen of the old days...

Thus, he returns of the conversation

[Beans]

Eo looks at the case morph, vibrant orange eyes blinking once. She noticed the woman who dropped her glass, but is unconcerned for now.

I would like a synth-sherry, please.

[kind_of_a_ROBOT]

Still glancing furtively around the table, the octomorph lifts itself higher on the back of the chair, and turns his head toward the case morph.

"Do you have a cocktail recommendation using the salt mackerel synthahol you have? Something sweet perhaps?"

Matheus then lowers himself back to his seat, pulling his tentacles in. The chromatophores in his skin shifting to a lighter hue as if embarrassed. He could not help but feel self-concious around the others about the table. Curious about this, as he consults his muse. [Nemo, I think perhaps ordering a salt mackerel synthahol cocktail may appear strange to other transhumans, can you confirm this? Typically I wouldn't care, but I feel like I may be required to interact with these people for a time.] [{Nemo}: Salt Mackerel flavored synthahol is not a particularly popular choice among most groups of Transhumans. However, current projections of this particular social interaction should not be altered by your choice. Do not worry so much, Matheus.]

[Thanatos168]

Evander, lapsed into a thoughtful silence, offers only a "Nothing for me, thanks." to the server. Internally, however, he invites everyone into a private mesh text chat, though still accessible to the observers. Inside the chat, he says "First off, by our level of armament I"d say it's safe to assume we're in for some combat at some point, so stay alert. Secondly, given the fact that we haven't been issued any objectives, this may be a test of our capability to proactively identify threats. If you see anything suspicious, chime in. I for one am curious about this "package for Atlas", is that name familiar to anyone?"

[Princess K]

The synthmorph nods its head, a cool blue light pulsing in the center of its face. "Very well. Your orders have been noted and will be brought out shortly." The synthmorph turns away, heading for the back room to collect the ordered drinks.

A hacking, wheezing cough cuts across the peaceful clamor of conversation. Several eyes turn toward the noise, eying a neotenic - or perhaps just a child? - stumble off clutching his head. The signs of sickness - quite rare in this modern world - spread throughout the cafe. A cough here, a sneeze there. Subtly at first, but gradually, little by little, rising in crescendo.

[Sahaar]

"Yikes, looks like something's going around," mutters Roan, looking around the room.

[Thanatos168]

Evander begins working quickly, first checking the seal on his suit while advising the others to seal up if possible, then releasing some of his nanodetectors to investigate the area. On the text chat he says "Rapid onset respiratory distress... could be a nano infection of some kind. We need to try to quarantine this asap, don't let anyone leave." In person, he stands up and addresses the crowd thusly: "Alright everyone, remain calm and stay seated, the situation is under control." He then walks over to someone exhibiting symptoms and examines them, attempting to ascertain the nature of the illness.

[Sahaar]

"I'll hold the door." Roan whispers, getting up and walking towards the main entrance.

"We are here to ensure your safety, this area is under quarantine. Listen to my friend here, he's a Menton, he's good at this kind of thing, he knows what he's talking about."

[Beans]

Eo seals up and stands, taking in the scene. The situation is under control. Please remain calm and in your seats while we deal with this.

[Princess K]

"Quarantine? Is there something going on?" a sharp voice inquires. An underlying titter of panic runs through the gathered transhumans, but everyone remains largely in place. For now, the Sentinels' demeanor and assurances are keeping things in check. The synthmorph that took your orders turns its optics smoothly between Sentinels; it's hard to tell what sort of emotion the being might be feeling. Meanwhile, the coughing neotenic pushes his way into a restroom, out of sight, still cradling his head.

The individual Evander examines - seemingly nothing more than a "regular" human - frowns. "You a doctor? Is there some sort of gas leak or something?" he asks. The man appears to be having mild difficulty breathing and continues to cough, but the underlying causes of his distress remain unclear.

The woman who dropped her glass waves to Roan. "Who are you exactly? Are you saying we won't be allowed to leave?" she asks.

The Case

Spoiler: Kinesics Target -60

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The ego within the case is still incredibly tense. It seems about to bolt at any moment, simply waiting for an opportunity.

The Customers

Spoiler: Kinesics Target +0

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The people appear to be relatively calm and collected. They're nervous and concerned, but no one is panicking enough to make any rash decisions as of yet.

[kind_of_a_ROBOT]

Matheus slides from his chair to the floor, quickly changing his skin color to match it. He then attempts to find a spot to observe the happenings, knowing full well his particular skill set is not going to be of any use calming down a panicked and sick crowd. While he glances around he runs an internal check on his Toxin Filters.

He slides along the floor, lowered as flat as he can manage, but can't seem to make any headway through the increasingly stressed crowd.

He shoots an open message to his companions through the mesh. [What in the hell is going on? Does anyone have any idea? I am attempting to get a better view of the crowd, but moving through this throng is impossible! Someone please, calm these people down!]

[Thanatos168]

Evander continues working somewhat frenetically, though he maintains an outward appearance of calm. He mutters something about medical training to the customer he checked on, and begins walking over to the entrance by Roan. Inwardly, he asks his muse Erasmus to research what they might be dealing with, based largely on its unusually rapid infectivity. He also says through the mesh: "That kid who just went into the bathroom might be our patient zero, or even the source. Recommend Matheus and Giotto pursue, but be wary of ambush. We'll handle things here.

[Sahaar]

"I can go, too, if you need me," says Roan, trying to keep everyone inside the bar.

[kind_of_a_ROBOT]

[Got it] Matheus responds tonelessly.

He shifts his chormatophores again, and attempts to weave his way through the crowd toward the bathroom.

[Princess K]

The restroom is a luxurious affair, laid out with the retro-futuristic aesthetic popular in many design circles, all quicksilver curves and zeerust light, art deco revived for 10 AF. Matheus' attempts at stealth are foiled - the young boy was standing right beside the door. He lets out a terrified screech as he sees Matheus, falling backward with little ceremony. After a moment, his eyes focus on the octomorph, and he stutters, "O-oh, you're not... oh..." He attempts to rise to his feet, but only falls back to his knees, retching onto the . "Oh... oh, please..." he sobs.

Unfortunately, the boy's scream was heard outside the restroom. "What're they doing to him?" someone demands, nervously looking toward the restroom. "What's going on?"

Spoiler: Checks

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Infosec +0, Wireless Monitoring

Spoiler

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Someone is sending a signal to station security, a standard SOS call.

Kinesics +0

Spoiler

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The scream from the bathroom has amped up the tension in the room. The crowd is beginning to fear something very bad is going on, and braver souls may act rashly at any moment, unless placated.

Relevant Skill (Persuasion, Intimidation, Deception, etc) -20, Keep Crowd Calm

[DukeGod]

"I'm sure it's nothing serious. Maybe he's just in pain from his disease. Might be he has one of those morphs made to self-destruct. Look, I'll go in and see okay?"

Giotto tries to calm everyone, making appeasing motions, before turning around and going towards the restroom. He enters without ceremony

"What is going on here?"

[Sahaar]

Roan puts his hands up and tries to calm the people down.


"Hey, everyone calm down, don't get too antsy. Panic is what causes bad things to happen.!"

Spoiler: Persuasion roll

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(1d100)[42]