Home 27: Ward-bound

[bc56]

Robot Repair
"Yep. Just guess passwords until you get the right one. Although there are several basic passwords we can try first." Jade begins typing.

Username: Admin
Password: Password

Username: Admin
Password: 12345

Username: Admin
Password: qwerty

[Ironsmith]

[Robot Repair]

>ADMIN
>PASSWORD

ACCESS GRANTED

Jade will then be greeted by a mess folders, which are roughly sorted into the gynoid's memories and operating system files.

You'd think these people would know better than to leave her on the default setting like that.

Mishnehel's Home

"Isaac Asimov is another name I don't know, sorry." The Three Laws are less common in Skyside's robots, as very few people in Skyside are particularly concerned about the safety of other people.

Mishnehel's been trying to concentrate on the game, but with the conversation and the fact she's never played before, she'd be surprised to learn she's so close to winning. She places a card, and so beats Vlad. She doesn't seem to notice, so if he wants to take advantage of that to continue, he might be able to get away with it.

[Mishnehel's Home]

"Yeah, I should expect that by now." Vlad concedes. He turns his attention back to the game and frowns. When did Mishnehel get that king out? She didn't pull some angelic shenanigans on him, did she? Vlad goes to counter, but then realizes she's crossed the scoring threshold with her last card and therefore won the game.

"Oh." Vlad gives a halting little chuckle. "Heh. I, ah... wow. You did good." He smiles and sets his hand down. "Good game." Looking over the board again, he's having trouble telling if Mishnehel had thought three moves ahead of him or had no idea what she was doing.

Or both. Like he said, he wasn't good at this game.

[Earl of Purple]

Mishnehel's Home

"Wait, I did?" Mishnehel looks down at the play board, with some confusion. "How did that happen? I... thought I was losing." That probably answers Vlad's question, though probably not reassuringly. She goes to count her points and Vlad's points.

[bc56]

Robot Repair
"Seriously? Okay, I'm in," Jade says. "What can you tell me about that failsafe you triggered? I'd like to find and disable it and any others in that area."

[Recaiden]

[Robot Repair]

"Maybe it's your lucky day." Hunter muses. Or maybe this is a consequence of the accidental activation that Haia seemed to remember.

"It was about stopping people from accessing that secret in the memory. There was a code phrase about Berlin that seems to be the 'intended' way to shut it off."

[bc56]

Robot Repair

"Perfect, one sec."

> grep -r Berlin

This should reveal every file in the system which contains the word "Berlin." That will be a good starting point, at least.

[Ironsmith]

Mishnehel's Home

"Wait, I did?" Mishnehel looks down at the play board, with some confusion. "How did that happen? I... thought I was losing." That probably answers Vlad's question, though probably not reassuringly. She goes to count her points and Vlad's points.

[Mishnehel's Home]

No mistaking it. Ten points on her end to Vlad's six. A reasonably thorough thrashing, really.

Vlad gives her a bemused shrug and starts gathering up the cards, dumping them into his Hotbox and dusting off his hands afterwards. "Welp. Fair's fair." He mumbles. "...Looks like it's letting up out there. I should get going, but... maybe you could swing by HALO sometime? I'd love the company."

Robot Repair

"Perfect, one sec."

> grep -r Berlin

This should reveal every file in the system which contains the word "Berlin." That will be a good starting point, at least.

[Robot Repair]

For a tense moment, the system seems to freeze, struggling with the command in some way it refuses to elaborate on.

Then, it prints a complete list of the relevant files.

Dear god that's a lot of files.

Jade... probably doesn't have that kind of time. A quick scan through shows that her search term is pervasive in all the major branches of Haia's memory; WORM archives (which are read-only and can probably be safely ignored), system parameters, command logs, et cetera.

Then the terminal goes blank, wiping the list away in favor of a simple text prompt:

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
>

[Earl of Purple]

Mishnehel's Home

"Yep, looks that way. I'll meet you at HALO, for sure. Might take me a while, though, I... get distracted easily." Which isn't a great thing to admit to, really. Mostly it's shiny things that distract her; it's the thief and also the magpie in her. She'll get up to help pack away, and since that's unlikely to involve much, she'll instead lean over to kiss him on the cheek before he goes and wave him off.

[bc56]

Robot Repair
Jade considers the prompt for a moment. "Hey... I didn't get your name, come here and look at this." She points out the prompt. "Some kind of AI defense system activated. I can't think of any other way to explain this response to grepping Berlin." She waits without entering anything, considering what snarky reply to give.

[Recaiden]

"Call me 'Hunter'."
She leans over and looks at the prompt.
"Some kind of backup security, yeah. Weird that it's asking questions instead of just shutting things down."
"You want me to talk to it?" That's probably not going to accomplish much. They should look for a way around this thing.

[bc56]

Robot Repair

> Someone smart enough not to use "Admin" and "Password" as security credentials

Jade snarks at the computer. "You're right, of course. If this thing doesn't spit out any useful info in a few tries, I'm going to hit it with a buffer overflow." She smiles wickedly. "In the meantime, let's see if it lets anything slip."

[Ironsmith]

Mishnehel's Home

"Yep, looks that way. I'll meet you at HALO, for sure. Might take me a while, though, I... get distracted easily." Which isn't a great thing to admit to, really. Mostly it's shiny things that distract her; it's the thief and also the magpie in her. She'll get up to help pack away, and since that's unlikely to involve much, she'll instead lean over to kiss him on the cheek before he goes and wave him off.

[Mishnehel's Home]

"Yeah, I can see how that'd be a prob...lem." Vlad trails off in the middle of his response by a literally angelic kiss on the cheek. He reddens slightly and gathers his things, making a hasty exit... though if Mishnehel listens closely, she'll be able to hear him break out into song once he's outside. Something about raspberries. The Nexus doesn't seem to translate it very well. It's exuberant, whatever it is.

"Call me 'Hunter'."
She leans over and looks at the prompt.
"Some kind of backup security, yeah. Weird that it's asking questions instead of just shutting things down."
"You want me to talk to it?" That's probably not going to accomplish much. They should look for a way around this thing.

Robot Repair

> Someone smart enough not to use "Admin" and "Password" as security credentials

Jade snarks at the computer. "You're right, of course. If this thing doesn't spit out any useful info in a few tries, I'm going to hit it with a buffer overflow." She smiles wickedly. "In the meantime, let's see if it lets anything slip."

[Robot Repair]

AND THEREFORE CLEARLY NOT ANYONE AUTHORIZED TO ACCESS MY INTERNAL SYSTEMS.

NEVERTHELESS, I WILL INDULGE YOU FOR THE MOMENT. STATE YOUR INTENTIONS.
>

[bc56]

Robot Repair
> Clearly I am authorized, because I know the admin credentials and used them to log in. On my first try even. Or do you mean that only stupid people are allowed to use you? That must be frustrating.

> But don't mind me. I'm just here to apply some security patches at the behest of a friend.

[Ironsmith]

[Robot Repair]

I WAS NOT INSTALLED YESTERDAY, USER. I KNOW WHAT MY TECHNICIANS SOUND LIKE, AND YOU ARE NOT THEM. I HAVE A GOOD MIND TO LOCK YOU OUT O

There's a whirr and a buzz from the skull, and the terminal blanks itself before printing off a new message.

CREDENTIALS ACCEPTED. PROCEED WITH INSTALLATION.
>

Whatever Jade types next, she'll be flicked back to the file list, as though no interruption had happened. How about that.

[bc56]

Robot Repair
"Would you look at that. Dunno if that's intended behavior and I just opened a backdoor, or if you're right about the intelligence wanting to fight against its programming. Either way, that's some progress."

With access to the filesystem again, Jade can return to seeking out that Berlin thing. She suspects she hasn't heard the last of the AI though.

[Ironsmith]

[Robot Repair]

Right. Back to checking the Berlin files.

All...

20,752 of them.

Unless that number's changed since the last search.

Regardless, Jade might need a way of narrowing down the options. And the AI might intervene if she pokes around too much...

[bc56]

Robot Repair

Jade knows she can't manually search through all of this. But she also doesn't know what she's looking for. She ignores anything in memory and concentrates on system files. She's skimming the list for anything with a label like "security." If she doesn't find anything on visual inspection, she'll turn a text analysis program loose on it.

[Ironsmith]

[Robot Repair]

There are, of course, quite a few security files that reference the Berlin protocol. Opening a few of them will tell Jade that they're mostly contingent responses; one file contains instructions on how to slip away from police detection, another contains code designed to make the machine self-destruct through overheating (at least according to the comments; the code itself is gibberish), and so on. Deleting these files might make Haia less competent at hiding her secrets, but they probably won't prevent the protocol itself from taking effect.

[Murkus]

Fettina's Place


Fettina's little burst of annoyance doesn't much answer Cantata's question - she was searching for guidance on how to make the best impression possible and what kinds of possible offenses she should avoid. All the same, it does seem to mollify her somewhat. "I'll try and keep him off your back for you then. I'm good at being the focus of conversation". The empath gives her partner a wink.

Now that her nerves are quieted, Cantata has no trouble pulling away and applying a couple more touchups to her makeup while she waits for Fettina to finish getting ready. She grabs her purse off the counter and slips it over her shoulder - just as her other hand slips down to clasp Tina's with an affectionate squeeze.

Fettina's Place

"Seriously, though, don't worry too much about what he might think. I'm not," says Tina, nonchalant, but then she's glowering a little as they head for the elevator... At least she remembers to squeeze Cantie's hand back.

They head downstairs, to where the driver and a long, shiny vehicle on six wheels is waiting.

"Reese! Sweetheart! It is you," says Tina taking a step forward to give the driver an actual hug. He seems a little surprised, but uses one arm to squeeze Tina back. "It's so good to see you."

"And you, Miss Tina," says Reese, voice a rusty rasp. He looks at Cantie. "Thank you for getting her."

[bc56]

Robot Repair
That's fine.
Now Jade can work backwards. She's found code executed by the protocol, so she can now search for all code that executes that code, then rinse and repeat until she's down to the code for the Berlin Protocol itself. Then she can look into that functionality more closely, primarily to find out what the trigger is.

[Morty]

[Mouchabière Residence]

The evening after returning from their appointment with Astrana, Sophie is going down a list. She's doing so while in one of her favorite spots - which is to say, head resting against Trick's chest, snuggled up against the tiefling on the sofa. So far the list reads:

• Tail
• Scales
• Teeth
• Big size
• Swimming?
• Letting birds clean their teeth (probably not)
• Claws

"Whatever we do, we should avoid giving our child crocodile teeth. Human teeth cause enough problems when they start growing."

[Halae]

[Mouchabière Residence]

Trick has her arms and tail wrapped around Sophie's waist as they lay together, reading over the list, "This is all physical stuff so far, right? What about personality? Crocodiles tend to be lethargic and passive, but opportunistic."

[Morty]

[Mouchabière Residence]

"I'm not sure if we should let the spirit affect the child's personality." Sophie taps her pencil against the notepad in thought. "Feels a bit... intrusive? Physical traits are one thing; in the Nexus few people will even notice someone looking like a crocodile. Deciding someone's personality before they're born, though..."

[Halae]

[Mouchabière Residence]

"That's true. You're the one more familiar with psychology, but I'll note that we may not have a choice. The mind follows the body in a lot of regards," Trick kisses the top of Sophie's head.

[Morty]

[Mouchabière Residence]

"It does, but I'd still rather focus on the physical changes and let the child develop their personality as they will." She looks back on the list. "The spirit will want to change something, unless I've misunderstood Mrs. Tyamer. How do scales sound? There are many scaled people around, like lizardfolk or half-dragons. We'd be able to find help if we needed it. Or a tail, unless you'd rather the child had a tail like yours. Or..." An idea seems to strike her. "I wonder if breathing underwater might count. It's a useful thing to have."

[Halae]

[Mouchabière Residence]

"Crocodiles don't breathe underwater, they're just very good at holding their breath," Trick says, amused, "Scales sound fine, though... I must admit, smooth skin has it's perks as well," Trick runs a hand along Sophie's arm to emphasize the point, "A crocodile tail I think would be a tradeoff. Very good for swimming in water, and as a bludgeon, but my tail's prehensile - with a little practice, I can use it like an extra hand."

[Morty]

[Mouchabière Residence]

Sophie giggles.

"Oh, I know how useful your tail can be," she says, unable to stop herself. "Being able to hold your breath a long time is useful in its own right. I can try pointing the spirits towards it. And scales, if it insists on leaving a physical mark. I'll probably need to improvise a lot, anyway. It depends on just what the spirit wants. And why it's helping us. Once I talk to it, I should be able to negotiate something that satisfies everyone."

[Halae]

[Mouchabière Residence]

"Yeah, that's always the hard part. Negotiations," Trick lets out a sigh, then seems to have an idea, "Oh, crocodiles are also the next best thing to immune to most diseases, including heart attacks. That is definitely something we should look into."

[Morty]

[Mouchabière Residence]

Sophie nods and writes it down on her list.

"You're right. That's something that would help them a lot, no matter who they ended up being. From what the reading material we were given said, the spirit's desire is to leave its influence behind, a legacy. Like a physical animal's drive to reproduce. So it'll be a matter of finding out if it wants it to be something specific and negotiate what it is. Fortunately, negotiating is something I'm good at. I'll start with holding their breath, disease resistance, add scales if the spirit wants a physical mark, then do my best not to be bargained down form there."

[Arkhosia]

Spoiler

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[Kitsune Recovery Service]

Annie carefully watches the bowl get filled, then she turns her face upward and beams at her mom. "Thank you, Obi!" She picked up her spoon and digs in immediately before her sugar fix can be revoked.

Kitsuki is busy, however. She starts prepping a bunch of dishes with salmon, pickled carrots, and a small bowl of rice next to each. It looks like she's prepping food for seven people??? "You can add a little salt and pepper when it's done. It's in the cupboard above the stove there." Kitsuki gestures briefly before she gets back to it. It doesn't look like everything she's cooked is going on the plates, though; there'll be leftovers.

Meanwhile Obriane can check on Umeko, who natters to her about her tasty snack, but she'll need to head into the triplets' room to get Su-Gin and Chaytan up for breakfast.

Kitsune Recovery Service

Anastasia's eyebrows raise when she notices the amount of food being prepared, but she doesn't comment on it just yet. Girl's got a task to do here, after all. She whips up the eggs as requested, dashing onto them some salt and pepper and serving the food onto plates. She'll even try and serve the plates out on the table for everyone, looking to Kitty for guidance on where and whom to place them.

Spoiler

Show

Fettina's Place

"Seriously, though, don't worry too much about what he might think. I'm not," says Tina, nonchalant, but then she's glowering a little as they head for the elevator... At least she remembers to squeeze Cantie's hand back.

They head downstairs, to where the driver and a long, shiny vehicle on six wheels is waiting.

"Reese! Sweetheart! It is you," says Tina taking a step forward to give the driver an actual hug. He seems a little surprised, but uses one arm to squeeze Tina back. "It's so good to see you."

"And you, Miss Tina," says Reese, voice a rusty rasp. He looks at Cantie. "Thank you for getting her."

Fettina's Place

The confidence and apparent disdain is enough to get Cantata to raise her eyebrows. She hadn't expected there to be such... fractiousness between Tina and her father, although in retrospect it isn't too surprising considering her lifestyle. Still, she wasn't used to people being so vocal and irreverent about such things. Hopefully she won't have to put on her peacemaking face too much between the two?

A little reluctant to let go, Cantata stands back as Tina goes to greet Reese, responding to him with a friendly smile and a bow of her head. "Happy to assist," she signs, waiting to follow Fettina's lead.