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Re: REKT: BTE Mission 2: Fuhodo Station

#811
((Re: "slightly older": "slightly" being "several years")

"I wouldn't mind knowing wh-who I be sharing this d-data with, b-but..." Saoirse stutters, as she presses the needed buttons to send the data package to Serava Dai. "...if it weren't for ye, w-we'd be bloody p-paste, so... F-fair's fair, I g-guess."

As Serava Dai receives the data package, she grows motionless, as though she's reading the contents on the interior of her helmet's HUD. Then she nods. "Thank you. If the event is half as important as you say, it'll probably make up for the failed objectives when I present this to my superiors. As to who we are..." An image appears on Saoirse's PDA screen of an emblem or insignia: three mountains under a darkening sky and a setting sun. "We're a branch of The Twilight. My superiors may have questions for you in the future."

In the meantime, Buck has finished his hack. The PDA is certainly Tartarus-made - what he can find is clearly Tartarus-signed. Not only that, seems a standard make - albeit an entirely different model than any he's seen. Unfortunately, the shock to the disc has made it virtually unreadable via hack; the only information that he can glean is fragmented binary data. It might become useful in the future, but for the time being, with only the equipment he presently has available... there's just not that much he can get out of it.

Saoirse remembers something."Ah! B-before I forget - while we w-were fighting earlier - t-there was a large explosion - do ye know what t-that was?"

The commander shakes her head. "It wasn't anything I or my soldiers did. I'd suspect it was the Minas Maniri trying to kill each other, quite probably using induced cave-ins. A view of the station from the outside might reveal more."


At that moment, Saoirse's PDA buzzes: A message flashes across the screen: lines and lines of bright green scrambled nonsense characters, many of which the PDA doesn't even seem capable of displaying properly. In fact, Buck sees the same thing - as does anyone else presently holding their PDA.
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Re: REKT: BTE Mission 2: Fuhodo Station

#813
Surprised, exclaim:

"The bloody hell!? Can anyone read this squid gibberish?"

Looking at Caleb and Saoirse

"We've been havin' these weird slate problems for some time, y'all? Haven't tried tracin' it yet... Dun' like it though."

Gesturing at the PDA

"Also, this?"

With some concern and confusion:

"Our tech. Like, our employer's."

Immediately try tracing the source of the weird message.
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Re: REKT: BTE Mission 2: Fuhodo Station

#814
Hapchazzard wrote:
Fri Aug 21, 2020 2:54 pm
"We've been havin' these weird slate problems for some time, y'all? Haven't tried tracin' it yet... Dun' like it though."

"Also, this?"

"Our tech. Like, our employer's."
"You guys should get that off your PDAs, or lose them. Who knows what they're picking up off of them? Maybe they're tracking us!"

"...And wait, that PDA half is Tartarus tech? What the hell are they playing with?"
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Re: REKT: BTE Mission 2: Fuhodo Station

#816
cuisinart8 wrote:
Fri Aug 21, 2020 9:26 pm
Hapchazzard wrote:
Fri Aug 21, 2020 2:54 pm
"We've been havin' these weird slate problems for some time, y'all? Haven't tried tracin' it yet... Dun' like it though."

"Also, this?"

"Our tech. Like, our employer's."
"You guys should get that off your PDAs, or lose them. Who knows what they're picking up off of them? Maybe they're tracking us!"

"...And wait, that PDA half is Tartarus tech? What the hell are they playing with?"
"If they wanted to track us, they dun' need to do this theatric crap. Looks like a ciphered message to me. Or somethin' that got scrambled badly."

Looking at Saoirse

"Do computer waves go through this portal thing?"

At this point, since everything is so damn weird, time to try out even the impossible:
Try to quickly decipher the message using the same algorithm and key I gave to Yuuji and Ishmael earlier in the mission
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Re: REKT: BTE Mission 2: Fuhodo Station

#818
Hapchazzard wrote:
Fri Aug 21, 2020 2:54 pm
Immediately try tracing the source of the weird message.
Tracing the source turns out to be a very difficult task; all PDAs are in the same location, so triangulation isn't really something you can do. There's very little included that's useful as identifying the source as well; it seems to be gibberish, and certainly not readable as text. It's also pretty sizable: over 200KB, which is a good deal more than your average text message or even lengthy email. You feel like you've seen something similar before, but you can't quite put your finger on it... But what you are able to figure out, looking through the associated data, is that the signal seems to be rather faint, as though it's either A. being generated weakly, or B. coming from a good distance away.
Hapchazzard wrote:
Sat Aug 22, 2020 4:17 am
At this point, since everything is so damn weird, time to try out even the impossible:
Try to quickly decipher the message using the same algorithm and key I gave to Yuuji and Ishmael earlier in the mission
Not sure what else to do, you try to decipher the message using the same algorithm and key you gave to Yuuji and the late Ishmael earlier in the mission. No dice.
Dinosawer wrote:
Sat Aug 22, 2020 5:09 am
"Most likely..."
I'm not dumping my PDA though, that data is too important...
I power off my PDA, if possible by taking the battery out.
The battery does not come out. The screws are all topped with complicated icosadodecahedron spirals, so delicate that a single wrong touch will strip the head and make it impossible to remove. Damn iPDAs from Crapple Inc! This is their fault, pushing to make electronic equipment impossible to service by the common man! Why, if you had access to their headquarters, you'd give them what for! And then some! But -
You take the battery out of your PDA. It shuts off immediately.
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Re: REKT: BTE Mission 2: Fuhodo Station

#819
Suddenly, everyone's comms go haywire; a loud static screeches in their ears, with just enough of a garbled transmission to make it seem very much like it's not entirely random - but it's impossible to tell what was just said.

Sukava and Vynkor are exempt. They don't hear a thing.

The Cybersuits also do not appear to have heard a thing.

After a few moments of silence, the transmission repeats: loud, screamy, garbled static.
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Re: REKT: BTE Mission 2: Fuhodo Station

#820
After analyzing the signal, and noting the odd deja vu, relay the info to the people around me:

"Well, it's gibberish, is what it is. Dun' have the time to decipher it, if it is even ciphered n' not some weird alien jibber jabber language. For all I know, it's some advert for fried brains, or whatever the hell the aliens on this shithole eat. Funny though, could've sworn I've seen somethin' like this before... In any case, it's -"

Upon being cut off by the loud comm sound, lower the volume back to a comfortable level and exclaim:

"Bloody hell!"

At this point, already a bit unsettled by all of this weird stuff happening, the strange messages and PDA malfunctions, and now this damn creepy screamy noise, look around and probably get further unsettled by the general ambience (creepy, dark sewer), say to the rest:

"Well, I dunno 'bout y'all, but maybe we should get out of this goddamn cave? Intrademinsional portals n' shit are cool, but I'm not plannin' on gettin' eaten by some ancient tentacled alien monstrosity that seems to be livin' down here!"

If I have the time before we leave, try and decrypt the message
Once people start leaving, go along with them, keeping close and, preferably, in the middle of the column
Along the way, stay maximally alert to any possible ambush.
Also, keep my ears open and listen carefully to any sounds out of the ordinary
Last edited by Hapchazzard on Sun Aug 23, 2020 2:38 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: REKT: BTE Mission 2: Fuhodo Station

#823
I wince heavily at the horrible static sound, fumbling to lower my comm volume but failing to do so before the transmission ends. What the hell is going on here?
Hapchazzard wrote:
Sat Aug 22, 2020 11:10 am
"Well, I dunno 'bout y'all, but maybe we should get out of this goddamn cave? Intrademinsional portals n' shit are cool, but I'm not plannin' on gettin' eaten by some ancient tentacled alien monstrosity that seems to be livin' down here!"
"I agree, there's something strange going on here and I don't like it one bit. We need to get out of here!"

My hand strays to my shotgun briefly. I'm not losing another squad, not again...

I turn to Serava Dai hopefully. "Do you guys want to come with us? Safety in numbers, at least."

Regardless of her answer, I take out my shotgun, follow Brom, and let him do the talking. If we run into possible enemies, I take cover, trying not to clump up too much with my fellows.
Last edited by cuisinart8 on Sun Aug 23, 2020 9:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: REKT: BTE Mission 2: Fuhodo Station

#824
cuisinart8 wrote:
Fri Aug 21, 2020 12:30 pm
Brom's words bring me back to reality. I'd allowed myself to briefly forget why we were here in the shock of the portal opening.

"Brom's right," I say, uttering a phrase I'd never dreamt of saying before then. "We have the PDA piece and the woman's finger, those can be analyzed better back on the ship. We need to get out of this hellhole."
Dinosawer wrote:
Sat Aug 22, 2020 11:17 am
"Sure, l-let's take the sh-shortest route to the h-hangar."
"I see we are in agreement then.
We leave for the hangar at once, for there is no time to lose!
Fear not! For the magnificent Connley Mckale shall lead you all to safety!

Bill, keep an eye on those transmissions if you will, but try to stay on your guard.
There could be enemies lurking behind every corner, and we mustn't let them get the drop on us!
Those with appropriate skills should help if at all possible. We cannot rule out that what we received was a warning..."

Turn to our newfound allies
"We'll be leaving now, and we'd appreciate it if you would move with us for as long as you're able.
With you among our group, no one would dare attack us!"


((Actions have been moved ahead due to dialogue between REKT members.))
Last edited by Hema on Tue Aug 25, 2020 3:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: REKT: BTE Mission 2: Fuhodo Station

#825
((in response to the pulse of garbled comms))
save a dump of the last minute or so of the comms log, for later analysis of the garble
"Foork, that was loud! Someone has to calibrate their equipment better.... I saved a copy of that burst, for the eggheads back on the ship to analyze, maybe they can ungarble it."
Tag along with the crew towards "the fck outta here"

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