Heinlein Stronghold is glitching! Can you help prevent a massive system's failure?
Level: 13
Start: C.M.O.T Dribbler, Market, Heinlein Stronghold
Introduction
You find yourself strolling through the market on Heinlein Stronghold. Vendors hawk their wares loudly and colorfully. Shopping drones and small, creatively constructed 'buyer-bots' buzz around air and ground respectively as a lazy, orange glow drifts in from the twin suns of the system. One particular vendor, identified by a flashing CORTECHS bubble simply as, C.M.O.T Dribbler catches your eye with a flashy grin.
C.M.O.T. Dribbler: Good light shift to you Citizen! Do I discern the savvy gaze of a discerning buyer! Please, come and peruse my wares! At these prices, I'm cutting me own tonsils!
The vendor leans forward with a conspiratorial sideways glance. You cannot help but suppress a smile as you feel her performance is only just beginning to appear like some loud, colorful sun over the horizon of her stall. She taps her nose and continues:
C.M.O.T. Dribbler: I'll let you in on a little secret eh? Between savvy folks like our…
A small, almost unobtrusive tapping interrupts Dribbler mid-sentence. A frown of mild irritation crosses her features as she turns to a hatchway just off to the side. She snorts and performs a double take at the sight before you both.
The hatchway in question seems to lead to one of the many rooms that give access to the exterior of the station. Tapping on the glass of the hatchway is a small man who, for some bizzare reason, appears to be floating inside the chamber. The little individual is politely but, with increasing desperation, tapping on the glass of the hatchway between themselves and you.
Choose how to proceed about the floating man on Heinlein Stronghold.
You have accepted the "H.Y.T.T.I.O.A.O.A." mission.
- Hack the hatch open.
- Watch.
Hack:
(Intelligence check)
Failure
The hatch appears to be shut to to the initiation of airlock protocols. You desperately try to reroute the hatchway's security subroutines as the helpless, floating man watches you from the other side but to no avail.
Success
You're finally able to break through the hatchway's firewall that has sealed the room beyond in what it believes is an airlock initiation. With a hiss, the door opens and the small man falls to the floor with a bump. He stumbles out and the hatch closes once more just as the wall on the far side slides open, venting all the air inside out to space!
The little man, whom your CORETECHS identifies as Billy Washbreeze, gawks at you and C.M.O.T Dribbler.
- "What just happened?"
Billy tries to catch his breath as C.M.O.T idly waves some merchandise at passersby in an almost automatic fashion.
C.M.O.T. Dribbler: Weeell, reckon old Bill here almost got himself spaced! Nothing really special about that these days, been happening here and there in one way or another…station is throwing herself a hissy fit if you ask me.
Billy's previous gawk evolves into a look of incredulity. Having regained some small vestige of normal motor functions now, he retorts:
Billy Washbreeze: Oh sure! Nothing special to you! You didn't almost just get your insides decompressed and turned into a lovely bit of external hull decoration! This is absolutely not normal! The Scientist Schismatics are actually meeting right now to discuss the glitches that have been plaguing the station.
C.M.O.T nods sagely as she half-heartily attempts to obtain the attention of another could-be customer.
C.M.O.T. Dribbler: Aye, heard they were having another water-caller meet over at the old government building. Talking about the dangers to station integrity as I recall. Might be worth a look if you're interested!
The last is said to you as C.M.O.T starts to turn away, her reservoir of attention in the situation at hand now clearly in deficit. Billy looks at you and rolls his eyes before staggering off, presumably towards the med-bay.
Attend the water caller meeting at the old government building on Heinlein Stronghold.
Watch:
C.M.O.T Dribbler looks and you and shrugs as if to indicate she is unsure of what to do. You both turn towards the small, floating figure as their tapping increases in tempo. Almost as if to counterpoint this gentle staccato of panic, a soft klaxon can be heard beginning to sound off from the chamber beyond the hatchway.
The little man, whose name you make out in blurry letters beyond the hatch as Regus Copperpot, begins to mouth something from behind the door.
Regus Copperpot: …
Suddenly, his eyes widen as a hatch on the outer wall behind him slides open! With a distant but palpable WHOOSH, Regus, the air, and a number of tools and items are all vented out into the Black!
A stunned moment passes, it is awkwardly passed by another. After a third moment, Dribbler's head slowly swivels back to you, her mouth pursed open in a straight line in time-honored and universal facial version of the word, 'whoops'.
C.M.O.T Dribbler: Whoops…
- "What just happened?"
Next area: Market, Heinlein Stronghold:
- Call Station Security and report the death
You direct your CORETECHS to connect to Station Security. A bored sounding voice answers, and their lack of interest continues even after you make your report. You're even fairly sure you can make out a stifled yawn as they ask the victims name.
[Security]: Thank you for the report, we'll follow up with the individual's clone should they have procured one. If you wish to follow up on the subject in general, a meeting is currently underway via Water Caller at the Science Fair. Heinlein Stronghold thanks you for your spirit of community, have a day filled with wonder and ingenuity…
With that, the lackadaisical employee signs off, leaving you with an uneasy feeling that you should, perhaps, attend this Water Caller meeting.
Attend the Water Caller meeting at the Science Fair (Government Center) on Heinlein Stronghold.
- Do not get further involved (optional)
Deciding that this does not seem like your problem and, in fact, that this location is not conducive to a long and healthy existence, you walk away.
You have failed the "H.Y.T.T.I.O.A.O.A." mission. You can retake this mission and try again.
Both paths continue:
Next area: Government Center, Heinlein Stronghold
- Do not get further involved.
- Attend the Water Caller meeting.
Attend:
The former government center, now redesignated as 'The Science Fair,' is an interesting scene indeed. An almost schoolyard fair feel suffuses the outer courtyard of the squat building. Raised voices, bubbling experiments and all number of bizarre smells waft over the area as various Scientist Schismatics show off their projects.
You wend your way through the throng of strange science and make your way to the interior of the building. Blanketed by the low buzz of many voices, you see a number of people gathered around what you assume must be the 'Water Caller.' A number of holographically lit artificial waterfalls are placed in a hemisphere around the back of the chamber, lending an eerie but relaxing glow to the area.
Within the waterfalls themselves, you see a number of blurry shapes seemingly projected right onto or even via the water itself. A heated discussion seems to flow among them.
Optional path, if you didn't save Copperpot:
Next NPC: Aby Stander, Government Center, Heinlein Stronghold
- Ask a bystander what's going on
You ask a young woman next to you what is going on. Being a Belter, she has an advantage in as far as line of sight and answers without taking her eyes off the show up ahead.
Aby Stander: Oh, just another weekly Water Caller episode of, 'Whose Theorem is Loudest.' The Schismatics are arguing about what should be done, if anything, about the rapidly increasing glitches around the station. I heard some poor smog got himself floated today…
Next area: Government Center, Heinlein Stronghold
Both paths continue:
- Listen to the Scientist Schismatics talking via the Water Caller.
Noting the attention with which the crowd is attending the talkers within the artificial waterfalls, you turn your attention to the meeting as well. One of the waterfalls depicts a man with wispy hair and odd looking goggles. A name floating in orbit around his waterfall states he, Professor Panthus Neutrino, is currently addressing the rest.
Panthus Neutrino: I say again, the situation will undoubtedly present a solution to itself…one simply needs to wait and grokk. In an infinite universe of infinite possibilities, one simply needs to wait for the optimal finite probability to come along. The only action required at the moment is intense scrutiny and observation of everything!
Several other watery voices raise in agreement or disagreement for a moment until another waterfall lights up, highlighting the orbiting name of a Dr Malleable Dolemite. Like meerkats at the Savannah equivalent of street theater, the crowd turn their collectively delighted heads towards this new speaker.
Malleable Dolemite: Quite right. And I propose that this solution has, courtesy of an ineffable universe, now presented itself via my humble genius! These station-wide glitches and technical errors are nothing short of a calculated and tactically staged attack via a joint operation of the Consortium and Gaulish secret services!
Dr Dolemite pauses, giving the crowd and his peers a moment to gasp in appreciation of the dramatic revelation. When no such gasps are forthcoming, he waits a moment longer before continuing, his voice only slightly tinged with irritation.
Malleable Dolemite: Hmmph, yes well…Obviously, the correct course of action here is a strict implementation of security protocols, both in software as well as hardware form, to weed out security breaches and destroy them! Invasive diagnostic subroutine and killer bots galore!
The heated debate continues, with various other Schismatics loudly offering their opinions and solutions. All, you note, except one. One particular scientist seems to be staying quite silent throughout the proceedings.
- Do not get further involved. (optional)
Deciding that this does not seem like your problem and, in fact, that this location is not conducive to a long and healthy existence, you walk away.
You have failed the "H.Y.T.T.I.O.A.O.A." mission. You can retake this mission and try again.
Next area: Market, Heinlein Stronghold
- Do not get further involved.
- Observe the silent scientist.
Observe:
You take a moment to observe the scientist labelled, Moss the Maddest. While the medium of falling water renders the image a little wavy, there is, nonetheless, a surprising clarity in detail and definition. The ongoing debate continues unabated but becomes background noise as you observe this particular individual.
Moss the Maddest seems to be a wiry fellow with large, Harsene eyes that sit like rapidly moving spotlights above a constant wooden expression that is, by contrast, quite stoic. His bushy hair flows wildly outward from his head as if it's trying to escape his brain.
With a start, you suddenly note that Moss seems to have turned slightly from the conversation and is now staring directly at you. You lock eyes for a long, awkward moment before a sudden CORETECHS notification provides you with a tiny apoplexy in its interruption from the intensity of this impromptu staring contest. The caller ID says: Moss the Maddest!
- "Hello…?"
- "Erm, I wasn't staring…"
Hello:
Moss' voice is a little nasal with an articulate, well spoken accent.
Moss the Maddest: Hello. I've placed my image onto a loop so the rest of this rabble will be unable to observe. I have no doubt the ruddy sneaks will have some type of lip-reading algorithms set up, paranoid numpties that they are!
Moss the Maddest: Now, correct me if I'm wrong…it's just an expression of course, since I'm very much right…but you are <name>, yes?
- "Yep, that's me."
Moss the Maddest: Ruddy well done… You are absolutely the perfect fit for Operation, H.Y.T.T.I.O.A.O.A!
- "What exactly is Operation. H.Y.T.T.I.O.A.O.A?"
Moss the Maddest: Well I should have thought that was obvious! Operation Have You Tried Turning It Off And On Again.
There is a drawn out pause as Moss is, perhaps, waiting for your praise on his clever Operation title. Around you, in the real world muted by your CORETECHS while you're on this call, the other scientists continue to debate. The crowd seems to still be enjoying the episode.
- "So wait, you think we should turn the station off and on?!"
- "Aren't acronyms meant to be short, maybe making up a word?"
Acronyms:
Moss the Maddest: Yes, usually. And usual is boring. The whole point of a Scientist Schismatic is to break the ruddy rules to make things better! So my acronyms form entire sentences! But I also then put them into acronym form to shorten them…
Trying to figure out the logic of this results in you feeling a little cross-eyed. It may either be the result of an intellect superior to yours, or the thinking of a lunatic. You are unsure which…
- "So wait, you think we should turn the station off and on?!"
Moss the Maddest: Not exactly, I KNOW we WILL. And this will cause the station's malfunctioning subroutines to reset, flushing away all the conflicts that have been built up since the Catastrophe. In essence rebooting station operations.
Moss the Maddest: Are you on board? It will be most assuredly a life threatening venture that will provide plenty of opportunity for all sorts of thrilling injury. It is also 100 ruddy percent the correct course of action!
- "OK OK. I'm in!"
- "I think it's too risky."
Risky:
Moss the Maddest: Oh, it's very risky! But it will also save the station. Any other ideas being put forth by the group will take too long. I calculate a probability factor of 89.65 to 1 against that the next three glitches will result in overwhelming structural damage to integral systems which will result in the stations experiencing terminal orbital decay and ruddy well crashing into Greta Thunberg below.
As if on queue, the aforementioned planetoid of Greta drifts into view through the distant and gargantuan viewing panel that makes up a part of the ceiling far above you. A foreboding shadow drifts across the assemblage of people listening to the scientists discussing how to potentially save their station.
Moss the Maddest: I urge you to take my side, but it has to be now! Last chance….
- "OK OK. I'm in!"
- "Sorry, Moss." Reveal Moss' plan to the other schismatics.
Sorry:
The CORETECHS call cuts off as you step forward and tell the scientists on their water-callers about Moss' plan. You note that the looping image goes back to a live feed and Moss seems to be watching you with an expressionless gaze. Perhaps predictably, your revelation of his plan causes the other scientists to erupt in a fervor.
Everything seems to happen quite quickly at this point, with a number of scientists calling for Moss' temporary incarceration while they figure out what to do, if only for everyone's safety. Moss doesn't move and you watch as station security arrive at his Water-Caller location and drag him off.
The entire time, you cannot help but notice his strange, expressionless gaze does not shift from you until he is out of view.
- Walk away.
There is a humdrum of activity that bursts around you as you turn to walk away. Various Schismatics are calling for the immediate approval of their own plans to save the station while others refute or deride them. The onlooking crowd has now started to feel uneasy, wondering if something more serious is indeed about to happen.
Suddenly, before you can get very far, the entire station seems to stagger to one side! People scream and many lose their footing. The Planetoid of Greta Thunberg, still visible from the gargantuan view-panel above, lurches sickeningly to one side as the station seems to slowly start turning.
Chaos ensues for some long segments and people's panicked shouts about a second Catastrophe permeate the station. Suddenly, everything goes black. Black and silent.
The sudden silence that permeates the air around you hits you like a ton of very quiet asteroids. You had never realized how you had become used to the background hum and latent sounds of a working space station. The low drone of its engines, the background hiss of air filtration systems, even the distant echo of people's voices was always there.
The only light you can see drifts in from the distant binary stars of the Sirius system, and even people's panic is reduced to hushed whimpering. Long moments pass until…
Moss the Maddest: Well! That, I must say, was quite the tense moment!
Almost as if to punctuate Moss' words, the station lurches again. One by one, the missing background noises of the station's various operations can be heard starting up. Lighting returns with a blinding crash into your senses and you can just about hear people around you gasping. You realize that Moss must not have actually ended his CORETECHS call with you somehow.
Moss the Maddest: I can't stay long, but just wanted to call and thank you for your most necessary , albeit unwitting, help! You see, the brig, my research shows, is the closest location to a station hardline leftover from before the Catastrophe. I needed to be in a cell so I could access it without interruption and thereby enact my reboot of the station. Now, it won't be quite as effective as a hard reboot, so to speak, but it buys us some time! So, thanks muchly! Here's a little something in way of apology for using you in such an ignominous manner. Oops, must run!
You have received 100.00 credits.
You have completed the "H.Y.T.T.I.O.A.O.A." mission.
I'm in:
Moss the Maddest: Brilliant, exclamation point! Let's ditch these utter smog-for-craniums and proceed to saving the station! Get yourself to the Playground, <name>. When you get there, look for Roy!
The call abruptly ends, leaving you blinking as the rest of the world rushes back to flood your senses. The Scientist Schismatics are still deep in debate and nobody has seemed to notice that Moss the Maddest still appears to be in a subtle loop. You can't help but detect a slightly smug expression on the looping visual's expression…
Head to the ruins on Heinlein Stronghold, locally known as the Playground.
Next area: Ruins, Heinlein Stronghold
- Search for 'Roy'.
The Playground is a small, ruined metropolis at the heart of the station, lying at the convergence of Heinlein's habitation tubes. Long ago appropriated by the Scientist Schismatics as a live testing ground for their various experiments, the area is a patchwork of melted, burnt, or destroyed buildings and rubble across various levels.
Distant sounds of muffled explosions or energy discharges punctuate the otherwise silent vista as you begin your search for Moss' friend, Roy. The air is acrid with the smell of burnt metal and other, stranger chemical reactions as you spend many segments exploring the area.
There seem to be few people here and what rare folks you do see, seem to avoid any contact with you. After sometime, you note that while there is always some measure of background hum from the various drones in the area, one particular buzz seems to be ever-present in your immediate vicinity.
Looking up, you notice a small and rusty looking drone following you around. In your CORETECHS, you can see a digital ident tag orbiting the little robot. It reads: Roy.
- Wave at 'Roy'.
You wave at the diminutive little robot, noting that it appears a fairly strange and patchwork little thing. You could almost describe it as untidy. As you wave, it buzzes down towards you until it hovers before you. A moment later, you receive a CORETECHS call from Moss.
Moss the Maddest: Well, I must say it took you significantly less time than I initially expected for you to find Roy. He's programming is a little faulty and I can't control him remotely. That said, the little fellow is integral to our mission! So if you could just grab him and we can continue! You need to find what used to be a station maintenance facility.
You reach out an grab the hovering little drone. It broadcasts an indignant little squeak but does not otherwise resist.
Find the old Maintenance Facility in the Ruins on Heinlein Stronghold.
- Hack the station's mesh and find blueprints of the old city
- Search through the old city for the maintenance facility.
Search:
You search through the detritus of this old city for a long number of segments until you finally find, on one of the lowest levels, what should be an old Maintenance Facility.
Enter the Maintenance Facility in the Ruins of Heinlein Stronghold.
- Enter the facility.
The Maintenance Facility is a squat building lying on the edge of a small crater on the lowest level of the Playground. One positive aspect of this is that it appears to be farther away from the various experiments occurring throughout the city above. Explosions and other strange sounds and mostly distant and muffled here.
Gingerly, you pick your way through the rubble around the building and find what used to be a heavily reinforced entry hatch. For better or for worse, it now lies broken and covered in dust, leaving a gaping entrance into the dark recesses of the building.
Moss the Maddest: Brilliant! We're in!
Your heart leaps in your chest as Moss chirps in your ear! Belatedly, you realize that nobody had ended the call, and Moss must have been sitting there silently the entire time. Slightly fazed, you cautiously move into the building.
Moss the Maddest: Right. What you're going to have to do is find your way deep into the lower levels of the facility. There should be a maintenance shaft going down. Don't worry about losing contact, Roy will act as a signal booster. Once there, we can find what likely served as a sort of station BIOS. Or at least something Roy will be able to use as one.
Me: "So why did you need me for this again?"
Moss the Maddest: Ah, yes. I see what you're getting at. Well, you are clearly quite the accomplished adventuring type. And I, while a really clever chap and a brilliant scientist…well I didn't want to die.
You pause for a moment and fight the urge to offer a retort before continuing.
- Proceed deeper into the facility.
Your surroundings take on a greenish hue as your CORETECHS adjusts to provide better visibility in the darkness of the facility. Judging form the dust and detritus littered around, nobody has been down this way in many cycles, perhaps even since the Catastrophe.
You move deeper and deeper, through dark and silent hallways covered in ash, dust, or some other particles. After several segments of exploration, you eventually discover the shaft that Moss mentioned. Gingerly, you descend, hoping the archaic metal struts that serve as an access ladder do not buckle.
After what seems like an eternity of climbing, you reach the bottom. Moss' voice, only slightly distorted, punctuates the very palpable silence all around you.
Moss the Maddest: Well that took ruddy aaages! You must be almost right through to the other side of the station! But don't worry, you couldn't fall out the bottom or anything…probably.
There is a pregnant pause while Moss seems to consider this. You feel the pause continues for a little longer than you feel comfortably necessary and you begin moving forward as you wait for him to continue.
Moss the Maddest: Right! Sorry, I was just picturing how that might look like and also considering the irony. I mean, can you imagine? You're down there, trying to help me save the station and you just fall out of the bottom? Only, I suppose, to then have the fiery debris of the exploding station rain down on your as you plummet towards the planetoid below.
After a short walk that is only extended in your perception by Moss' terrifying imagination, you reach the end of the hallway and a rather utilitarian panel on the far wall. With a sinking feeling, you notice a pair of security turrets still very much active on either side.
- Find a way to circumvent the turrets.
Me: "There's a security system still very much active down here"
Moss the Maddest: Really? Can you Adam and Eve it? I suppose that makes a certain amount of sense. This is a very key system we're about to try and hack into. But this security must have its own power source. You'll need a way to get around it. And I think you need to hurry, things are getting shaky up here!
Find a way to circumvent the security turrets in the ruins on Heinlein Stronghold.
- Thow Roy directly at the panel!
- Try and hack the dataline.
Hack:
You finally establish a connection from your CORETECHS directly into the dataline network and begin trying to rewrite the security subroutines of the two turrets. As you work, you cannot help but notice several lurches of the floor beneath your feet. Is the station starting to fall apart up there!?
You feverishly press on and after several harrowing moments, the turrets finally power down! At Moss's panicky instruction you rush forward and press 'Roy' onto the panel on the far wall!
Roy attaches to the panel which immediately lights up. The station is shaking even harder and you brace yourself. Moss is silent on your CORETECHS and you can only hope he is doing his part on his end, if he is even able to!
Suddenly, everything goes silent….
- Wait…
The sudden silence that permeates the air around you hits you like a ton of very quiet asteroids. You had never realized how you had become used to the background hum and latent sounds of a working space station. The low drone of its engines, the background hiss of air filtration systems, even the distant echo of people's voices was always there.
Now, there is nothing…pure silence.
You begin to wonder what is happening in the habitable areas of the station above? The silence must mean that Moss succeeded to some degree. Is everything covered in darkness? Are people panicking? Is the station, even now, plummeting to its doom?
Moss the Maddest: Well! That, I must say, was quite the tense moment!
Almost as if to punctuate Moss' words, the station lurches again. One by one, the missing background noises can be heard again, albeit in a distant and muffled way from your present location.
Moss the Maddest: I'd say that was a resounding success! The station has rebooted…rebutted? Rebootled? Anyway, we're back in business! Sans, I expect, all the annoying little glitches that were occasionally tossing people out of airlocks and such.
Moss the Maddest: So listen, I don't wish to be awkward but I'm going to need to vamoose, as it were. I've broken some hefty protocols and will need to lay low for a little bit. But, in way of saying thanks for the help, I've uploaded a small fee to you. Go on, treat yourself to something nice! Oh, you can find your way back out right? Oops! They're coming…must run!
You have received 250.00 credits.
You have completed the "H.Y.T.T.I.O.A.O.A." mission.
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