Level: 5
Start: Yuzana, Gym, Taungoo Station
Introduction
An Anima employee's strange behavior has raised a few eyebrows. Will you investigate further?
In the busy Gym, you overhear an exasperated trainer complaining to a colleague about an unreliable client.
Yuzana says: It's just rude! I've been worried about Bao but, honestly, I don't even care any more! Now, I find out she's been hanging around the Lounge if not working at Anima. Why? She isn't even going to her home! So weird. She's acting so weird. I don't have time for this. I need paying clients who show up… Not some green-haired looney who can't keep an appointment. Something's up with her and I don't have the segments for it, y'know? I'm running a business here…
Yuzana's colleague nods along, with a somewhat disinterested expression. You suspect she's just waiting for her turn to complain about her own problems.
Yuzana continues: Last time I saw her, she was jabbering at me the whole time 'bout some nonsense mumbo jumbo. I think maybe she's been reading some kooky content feeds or something… Mystics and shamans, and the like, y'know?
Yuzana pauses, waiting for another listless nod from her colleague. You leave them to their gossip, wondering whether to check on this Bao yourself.
New goals: Search for a troubled woman called 'Bao'. She has green hair and hangs out in the Lounge on Taungoo.
You have accepted the "A System Shock" mission.
Go to the Lounge and talk to Bao Habu
Next NPC: Bao Habu, Lounge, Taungoo Station
- Approach Bao Habu.
Approach Bao Habu
A young woman in an Anima work-suit sits alone and is clearly shaken. Noodles slip from her chopsticks in trembling fear. As she sighs and pushes the bowl away, she abandons any hope of eating. She appears troubled. This must be Bao who the trainer at the Gym mentioned.
Me: Excuse me. Is your name Bao?
Bao says: Why? Who are you?
- Explain that someone at the gym said she may be troubled.
- "I'm here about the cancellation fee for the gym."
Explain that someone at the gym said she may be troubled
Me: The trainer at the gym said something about you. She said that you seem troubled and that if you were not at work with Anima, you'd be here. I wondered if I could help.
Bao Habu says: Yuzana said that?
Bao's voice sounds hollow and distant, as if some distraction plagues her mind.
- Ask Bao to explain.
Ask Bao to explain
Me: Why don't you just take me through it?
Bao Habu says: I don't know you at all, ser. I certainly don't know you well enough to … this is pointless. I'm going to lose my job, my life…everything. I can't think straight…
She nervously wrings her hands.
Bao Habu is pale and trembling.
New goals: Discover what's troubling Bao Habu.
- Reassure her that you only want to help.
Reassure her that you only want to help
You choose your words carefully and, eventually, Bao seems more open to your questions.
Me: I see that something pains you. Tell me about it… maybe I can help.
Bao Habu says: This doesn't … it isn't something anyone can help me with. There isn't any hope.
Bao Habu seems a little fearful still but you can tell that, deep down, she's warming to the idea of talking.
- Persuade her to open up.
Persuade her to open up
You continue your efforts to build trust with Bao. She seems to be receptive.
Me: Honestly, I'm interested. And I want to help, if I can. Whatever the issue.
Bao Habu says: And if you should find out that what troubles me is a dire curse?
- Ask Bao Habu what she means by 'curse'.
Ask Bao Habu what she means by 'curse'
Me: I'm sorry. Did you just say… a curse?
She trembles and twitches. The eyes of Bao Habu dart with fear.
Bao Habu says: If you have it in you to question what I know to be inflicting me…then why would I even try to speak with you? You're not from Taungoo Station, I take it?
There's a slightly deranged look about Bao Habu's darting eyes as she waits for a response. You wonder what it is exactly you're getting yourself into.
- Confirm that you're not a native of the station.
- End your involvement with this disturbed woman.
Confirm that you're not a native of the station
Me: No, I'm not from here. You'll have to spell it out for me. It isn't that I'm trying to be rude, I just… I mean… You believe in curses?
Bao Habu says: This is part of our culture, here on Taungoo Station. These are the stories and warnings we were raised with. Warnings we were taught to heed… although I now know all too well that those warnings were true, and now I too am touched by the curse.
She rubs her sweaty palms together and whispers to herself.
- Ask her if she's sought help.
- Ask what the curse entails.
Ask what the curse entails
Me: What makes you believe you're cursed? How does it manifest?
Bao points a somewhat erratic forefinger at her own temple.
Bao Habu says: Here. In here! All the time… Visions. Of the Catastrophe. Endlessly replaying… And yet, I was not even born then. The curse fills my mind with these horrors! I suffered not like this before the curse struck… Only recently does it blight me so!
There is evident desperation in Bao's eyes and her voice is strained with both exhaustion and fear. Whatever her beliefs, she is clearly suffering.
- Ask her if she's sought help.
- Ask how she came to be cursed.
Ask how she came to be cursed
Me: How did this curse afflict you, Bao Habu? You did not always suffer like this?
Bao shakes her head vehemently.
Bao Habu says: No, no, I did not. The curse of Sada touched me only recently… But I have not slept since. Not a single segment of peace, without being visited by the torments of the curse…
- Ask her if she's sought help.
- Ask about Sada.
Ask about Sada
Me: Who…or what… is Sada?
Bao Habu speaks in a hurried whisper.
Bao Habu says: You truly are a traveler if our stories are unknown or strange to you. I worry that speaking on this will bring you into a darkness that you are not responsible for. Your concern is kindness, yes…but the curiosity buys a ticket to a place most horrific.
She begins to shake her head as if the words of her plight give the curse strength.
Bao continues: Sada worked at the Foundation, many cycles ago. And when she wasn't working, she was investigating the Catastrophe on Taungoo. She wanted answers. Truth. A woman with a sharp mind… A- no- not now, not a- again!
Bao stops suddenly, mid sentence, and and grimaces painfully, clutching at her eyes and shaking her head. She winces in apparent pain, and you suspect she's troubled by a vision which bothers her. She tenses up, as if bracing against it, seemingly holding her breath til it passes.
- Check she's OK.
Check she's OK
You observe the troubled woman as she tuts, somewhat manically, under her breath. It's a worrying sight, and you can understand why it would be upsetting or scary to others. After a few units, the tension in her body seems to subside and she opens her eyes to you again, clearly drained by the short but intense ordeal.
Me: Are you alright?
Bao Habu says: It passes again… These overwhelming visions, like a tide of sorrows, drown me by the segment. Things I never lived, now I remember endlessly… I- we were speaking of something…
- "You were telling me about Sada."
You were telling me about Sada
Me: You were telling me about Sada.
Bao Habu seems annoyed at herself for forgetting where she was up to.
Bao Habu says: Sada, yes… Okay… Many said she was obsessed, with the Catastrophe. For cycles she gave her energy to chasing theories, rumors, speculations… Artifacts and mementos, memories and evidence… She was desperate for truth. In the end, it drove her to madness. The visions of it never left her mind. The foundation wanted no more of her and she spent her final cycles in deranged solitude, tormented still by the lack of answers… This madness, we call the curse of Sada. Occasionally, others on the station have been afflicted too…
Bao pauses to catch her breath, clearly fatigued by the retelling.
Bao adds: And then, a few tenspans ago… At work, I came across some of her old files. Things not wiped when she left. And, I found out why. Why she lost her mind…
- Ask what caused Sada's madness.
Ask what caused Sada's madness
Me: And? What caused it?
Bao takes a deep breath, looks you in the eye, and then pronounces the words slowly but deliberately, taking care to make herself clear.
Bao says: At the time it struck her, Sada was investigating the station's Mesh nodes. There were still some offline. Left, as they were, since the Catastrophe. She thought she would find information there… One day she gained access to the old disused nodes behind the Anima decks. l don't know exactly what happened but it sounds like she found something there… Only it corrupted her somehow. The curse struck her, and she was never the same again…
- Question the tale.
- Ask Bao about her investigation into Sada's case.
Ask Bao about her investigation into Sada's case
Me: Let me guess. You went and did the same thing as Sada? Searched for the nodes?
Bao says: I could not resist. The secrets of the Catastrophe are a mystery to all… I wanted to know more. So I sought out the old disused Mesh nodes behind our facility. Connected to their data ports and… Only a curse I have found. Visions of suffering, endless and horrific. Of airlocks purged, and lifeline systems disrupted. Violence and strife, starvation… All these hells I see daily as I had lived them. Though I was born many cycles after the Catastrophe…
A solitary tear runs down Bao's cheek. She wipes it away, clearly making an effort to hold back others.
- Suggest that Bao's trauma is normal.
- Ask her to describe exactly what happened with the Mesh node.
- Suggest that Bao is hallucinating.
Ask her to describe exactly what happened with the Mesh node
Me: What happened to you? Tell me exactly. Maybe I can find some answers.
Bao Habu's trembling becomes worse as she covers her mouth to remind herself to keep her words quiet. Her eyes grow large as she recounts the tale.
Bau Habu says: Sada's notes were incomplete. It took me a long time to understand them… I visited many defunct Mesh nodes on Taungoo, before getting to the one she described. The one which cursed her… Behind the Anima Foundation decks, in a connecting corridor. I found a working data port and synced my CORETECHS to it…
Bao pauses, gathering herself for what is clearly an unpleasant recollection.
Bao says: There was a static. Like a transmission was just out of range… Static then a few pops, then a screech of sorts. Then came a crescendo of sound and I was… cursed with it. Then I was gasping and sneezing. It was so overwhelming. Like nothing I've felt before. Now I can hear Sada's voice… all the time. Telling me I have been cursed as she was… over and over… again.
- Suggest that Bao's trauma is normal.
- Ask if there is a way to clear the curse.
- Try to reason with Bao Habu. Try to rationalize an explanation.
- Suggest that Bao is hallucinating.
Ask if there is a way to clear the curse
Me: That sounds horrible! There must be some way to clear you of this curse?
Bao Habu says: Clear me of this curse? I shouldn't have expected a traveler to understand. I've been infected by the Touch of Sada… I don't think clearing is possible.
- Apologize for being unable to help.
- Try to reason with Bao Habu. Try to rationalize an explanation.
- Offer to investigate the disused Mesh node yourself.
Try to reason with Bao Habu. Try to rationalize an explanation
You try to find reasonable explanations for Bao's situation.
Me: It could have been that the old data port contained corrupted data… and perhaps connecting to it spooked you a little? Corrupted audio that maybe sounded like a voice. That you imagine to be Sada's?
Bao Habu says: If only! This isn't some glitch in the system! The curse is deep within me… I can't think straight. People speak but I don't hear. My thoughts race, in every direction…
You persist, convinced that the curse hypothesis must be somehow inadequate.
Me: Perhaps you have a fever Bao? Have you been to the Sick Bay?
But Bao only mutters under her breath now, turning her attention back to the noodles she's pushing around her plate, from one side to the other.
She says: I shouldn't have expected a traveler to understand.
- Apologize for being unable to help.
- Ask if there is a way to clear the curse.
- Offer to investigate the disused Mesh node yourself.
Offer to investigate the disused Mesh node yourself
Me: I want to help you Bao. I'm going to see this disused Mesh node for myself… It's at the Anima Foundation HQ, right? Can you tell me where.
Bao's face is overcome with frantic dread. But also perhaps a tiny glimmer of hope.
Bau Habu says: No, wait…You can't. You'll… be stricken by it too… It's not safe… Although. I can't stop you. If really you wish to do this? No… it is too much to ask of a naive traveler… The curse cannot be broken.
Bao seems conflicted. It is clear she's desperate for help, but also unkeen for others to suffer as she does.
- Apologize for being unable to help.
- "I'm not afraid of the curse. Trust me."
I'm not afraid of the curse. Trust me
Me: I'm not afraid of the curse. Trust me.
Bao Habu says nothing as she pushes away her noodles and takes out a pocket slate. On it, she pulls up a map of Taungoo station and points to a small service corridor to the rear of the Clone Vats.
Bao says: Here. It was here. It's hidden… Hard to access… That's why these Mesh nodes haven't been restored yet…
Bao trails off. You glance at the slate display, taking note of the location indicated, and bid her a wordless goodbye as you set off to find out more about this curse.
New goals: Visit the Clone Vats on Taungoo to investigate Bao Hagu's curse.
Go to Clones
- Search for the disused Mesh node Bao indicated.
Search for the disused Mesh node Bao indicated
You pass the Anima Foundation HQ's main lobby and work your way towards the service corridors which Bao directed you to. At regular intervals along the corridor, you pass functional Mesh nodes, blinking with activity, and fixed at easily-serviceable heights along the wall, protected by anti-tampering casing. Many survived the Catastrophe unscathed and, of those that didn't, these were probably the easiest to repair.
After a few units wandering along increasingly-obscure corridors, you realize you're now alone and your senses sharpen up, no longer blunted by the bustle of a background hum. As you approach the location Bao indicated, you're surprised to find a sealed door blocking your progress, marked with a warning that reads, "HAZARD NOTICE - KEEP OUT"
- Force the door.
- Pick the lock on the door.
Force the door
You feel the alu-alloy door with your hand, tapping it at various points to ascertain where the mechanical locking mechanism is mounted. Soon enough, you pinpoint its unusually hollow resonance, and target a powerful kick at it. A splintery crack is audible.
You apply another kick just to be sure, then lever open the now slightly-misaligned sliding door, squeezing through the gap into the next corridor section. A dim, emergency light illuminates the space, but it's clear this section is on a power-saving setting, clearly not intended for regular use. Down the darkened corridor, you can hear a faint air-recycler fan whir, and something else. A faint voice perhaps? Sada's voice? No. You reprimand yourself for thinking so illogically.
- Find the defunct Mesh node in this corridor.
Find the defunct Mesh node in this corridor
You proceed along the narrow corridor, originally built to aid the service of some of the station's non-populated hull chambers. For some reason, Bao's bizarre beliefs about a curse don't seem as easy to dismiss in this cramped and lonely space, where you find yourself proceeding, somewhat gingerly.
And then, around the corner, you're confronted by a figure, covered entirely in some all-white protective suit, tinkering away - unaware of your presence - at the very Mesh node you're seeking! Large letters stamped across the white protective suit read 'HAZ OPS'.
- Look at Hazard Operative 521
Look at Hazard Operative 521
Go to Clones and look at Hazard Operative 521
Next NPC: Hazard Operative 521, Clones, Taungoo Station
- Move closer.
Move closer
You take a step closer, observing the figure. The form is large and bulky, suggesting a male, beneath the protective clothing. You stand a few paces behind, watching as he tinkers silently with the defunct Mesh node. Hunched over, with an air of studious concentration, he applies some sort of spray from a dispenser to the node with one hand, while checking readings on a pocket slate in the other hand.
You stand motionless, deliberating on a course of action.
- Continue observing the figure.
- Speak. Address the man.
Continue observing the figure
There's a strange smell in the chamber, musty and fetid, as if it has been closed up for a long time. The stench mingles with a new aroma, chemical and acrid, which gets stronger with each fresh squirt of the man's spray dispenser.
You observe as he applies the chemical to the area surrounding the defunct Mesh node, then moves to some of the surrounding surfaces too, meticulously applying the solution. Only the heavy breathing of his respirator is audible, interspersed with the regular hiss of the spray dispenser.
- Speak. Address the man.
Speak. Address the man
Just as you open your mouth to speak, something happens.
The pocket slate in the man's hand emits a long bleep and flashes an eerie green light intermittently, creating a spooky light effect in the dank chamber. His hunched figure seems to slump in reaction, and his respirator emits a long whoosh. It sounds like a relieved sigh, after which he puts down the objects he's holding and tinkers with the seal which runs around his neck, slowly detaching his hood. He removes it and turns, just as you speak.
Me: Excuse me—
The man jolts, visibly startled.
He cries: What tha—- Who are- This is a restricted area! How did you get in?! Hazard Ops! You dumb or what?
- Confess to breaking in.
- Ask about Hazard Ops.
Ask about Hazard Ops
Me: Hazard Ops? What's that?
The man still seems somewhat infuriated by your presence, but answers nonetheless.
He says: What do you think it is, Ser? We work to make environments safe for citizens. Chemical spills, gas leaks, fungal growths… That's what brought us here. Nasty Psilocybin spore culture… Strong enough to send you on a trip lasting tenspans and tenspans. Tiny, airborne spores. Can't see em normally, till you put the spray on em. Then they glow, nice n bright, and you can isolate and neutralize…
He turns and points at the area near to the disused Mesh node. Where he applied the spray, there are strange luminescent patterns on the surfaces, circular and spiraled. The man grins, evidently taking some satisfaction in a job well done.
He says: Don't worry. Safe now. The psychoactives are dead. Now I best be moving… Still got loads to do on Taungoo. Thirty-one more offline service corridors, and twenty-seven access crawlspaces, and that's just my job list for the next tenspan! All sealed up since the Catastrophe, full of stinky horrible stuff like this, that needs taking care of. Keeps me earning, at least! Haha
His initial panic seems to have left him now, he chuckles under his breath as he gathers his tools into a carry bag, and then consults a station blueprint on his pocket slate, presumably checking his next assignment.
- Ask about a remedy for exposure to the Psilocybin spores.
- Ask about the defunct Mesh node.
Ask about the defunct Mesh node
I'm interested in the Mesh node actually. I've been told there's an old data port, full of weird image and audio files…
He pauses for a unit, then breaks into a hearty belly laugh.
He laughs: That explains it. I could tell someone had been in here previous. Door was logged sealed, but it wasn't when I got here… I'm guessing whoever told you that has been in here, eh?
His laugh echoes in the tiny, dark chamber. You feel somewhat offended, on Bao's behalf, that her suffering should so amuse him.
He adds: Nothing to do with the Mesh node. Junk is all that is right now… But anyone snooping around it would've dosed themselves up pretty good on the ol' magic shrooms… No wonder they're hearing and seeing weird things! Ha, serves em right for disobeying 'off limits' signs…
- Ask about a remedy for exposure to the Psilocybin spores.
Ask about a remedy for exposure to the Psilocybin spores
And, if someone did get exposed to this stuff, is there a remedy for it?
Still packing his equipment up, the man produces something from his satchel and hands it to you.
He says: Take this, just in case. It'll take the edge off the hallucinations and synesthesia. But you'd know by now if you'd been exposed. These little spores act fast… Anyway, I'd treated most of it yesterday already. Today was just finishing off.
You take the small packet of what appears to be a medical gel, intended for oral ingestion.
- Take your leave.
Take your leave
Me: I should be going. Sorry for startling you.
The man replies: You shouldn't have been here in the first place. Stick to designated areas in future. Trust me, you don't wanna find out the hard way why some stuff is still off-limits… We've got cycles and cycles' worth of work still, before stations are fully safe again. Until then, do as the sign tells ya, eh?
You nod an acknowledgement and head back out the way you came, messaging Bao that you're on your way.
New goals: Return to Bao in the Lounge of Taungoo station and dispel her 'curse'.
Go to the Lounge and talk to Bao Habu
Next NPC: Bao Habu, Lounge, Taungoo Station
- Return to Bao Habu.
Return to Bao Habu
You return to the Lounge, where Bao Habu sits slumped in a foam armchair, despondent. On seeing you she perks up, her features brightening as you approach.
She says: <name>, you return, true to your word. I hope the curse has not also struck upon your head too?
- Explain what you learned to Bao Habu.
Explain what you learned to Bao Habu
You explain to Bao Habu about the Psilocybin growths common to the station's still unsecured areas, and the likelihood that she, like Sada, exposed herself to a potent dose of airborne spores. Bao seems reluctant to accept it.
Bao shakes her head: Cannot be. Why then have I visions like Sada did, all those cycles before me? Catastrophe's hells, every where I turn?
Me: I think it's because you were thinking about it when you were exposed. The spores exacerbate your mood and feelings, whatever they are…
Bao looks upon you incredulously still, shaking her head.
She mutters: I don't believe it. The curse is real… The things I see… It is not some flight of fancy.
- Give Bao the remedy you obtained.
Give Bao the remedy you obtained
You take the anti-psychoactive gel you obtained and empty its contents into a cup, handing it to Bao.
Me: Eat this, Bao. It's a remedy. It will lift your… er- curse. Otherwise you will suffer it for many tenspans… Try it. Trust me.
Bao is somewhat hesitant but gulps it down nonetheless.
She says: I hope to stars the curse will lift with this potion. My mind cannot carry such terrors for much longer… Hell has visited me too many times. I- I- just want my life back… Like it was before the curse of Sada struck…
Bao trails off, slumping again in her chair now. She hides her face in her hands and starts to sob gently. You notice the skin around her nails has been picked away horribly in her nervous agitation, as this strange sickness tormented her of late, with endless, draining visions of cataclysm and suffering. Watching her, you hope to have restored some semblance of mental peace for her; to have pulled her back from this awful madness.
Then, in the quiet surroundings of the Lounge, and for possibly the first time in a long time, Bao Habu seems to fall into a deep and restorative sleep, snuggled in the spongy armchair before you. You leave her to her rest, hoping she'll wake as her old self once again.
You have completed the "A System Shock" mission.