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PointMaid Since: Jun, 2014
#176: Aug 4th 2020 at 4:49:29 AM

Post 34

>"Such as?"

"Such as trying to get the help of the F.f.E.C. even though they're watching for me to do that. A calculated risk. Something under the radar, out of the box, something they won't have thought of. Something… human."

You think back on all the spy novels, movies, and nonfiction about codebreaking you've read. Any ideas?

MadameButterflyKnife Semain Calm from the Holocene Since: Mar, 2019 Relationship Status: She's holding a very large knife
Semain Calm
#177: Aug 4th 2020 at 4:52:15 AM

> Rappel in in all black and hack the mainframe

and the public won't dwell on my transmission cause it wasn't televised.
TroperNo9001 Dragon in Waiting from the Dollhouse (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: I turn to stone when you are gone
Dragon in Waiting
#178: Aug 4th 2020 at 5:10:10 AM

> Once you're "captured", try tricking one of the F.f.E.C. members into joining your team.

Still waiting for someone to break him free...
dvorak The World's Least Powerful Man from Hiding in your shadow (Elder Troper) Relationship Status: love is a deadly lazer
The World's Least Powerful Man
#179: Aug 4th 2020 at 1:25:14 PM

>Use Kif's contact list and a phone booth to contact his friends.

Now everyone pat me on the back and tell me how clever I am!
PointMaid Since: Jun, 2014
#180: Aug 5th 2020 at 5:01:57 AM

Post 35

> Rappel in in all black and hack the mainframe

"Well, I suppose we might be able to do something with the rappel-in-in-black thing… Maybe..."

> Once you're "captured", try tricking one of the F.f.E.C. members into joining your team

Kif is confused. Do you mean try finding out the F.f.E.C. (Force for Exploration and Cooperation) member acting as a mole in the political detentions section of the government and getting their help?

>Use Kif's contact list and a phone booth to contact his friends.

Huh. Let's think this one through. There aren't any phone booths here. But, a public phone booth is a way to anonymize your call. Can we do that? According to Kif, the Bintanni government tracks comm calls, and it can do that because the signals use their satellites. You realize that, with your ship able to transmit and receive signals, you basically have your own satellite that's not part of the government's bunch. If you patch Kif's comm in to the system through your ship…

Kif agrees it's a good idea! You patch them in.

''...Yeah, it's Kif. I need your help. I couldn't alert you without the government knowing, they're monitoring me. No, I found a way around it, it should be okay now… more than I should probably say at the moment just in case, though. Look, the government's holding my family. I need help finding out where they're being held, at the least.."

Is there anything else specific you tell Kif to ask the F.f.E.C. for help with? You can continue to use this method to communicate in the future, but there's no guarantee it will work as intended forever.

dvorak The World's Least Powerful Man from Hiding in your shadow (Elder Troper) Relationship Status: love is a deadly lazer
The World's Least Powerful Man
#181: Aug 5th 2020 at 7:12:08 AM

>"I can't think of anything else to do but get this show on the road. If there's nothing else we absolutely must do, I say we begin our infiltration."

Edited by dvorak on Aug 5th 2020 at 7:12:47 AM

Now everyone pat me on the back and tell me how clever I am!
PointMaid Since: Jun, 2014
#182: Aug 6th 2020 at 4:23:24 AM

Post 36

>"I can't think of anything else to do but get this show on the road. If there's nothing else we absolutely must do, I say we begin our infiltration."

"I still can't help but think we're missing something," Kif mutters. Oh, you need to wait for the F.f.E.C. to investigate and get back to you on where Kif's family is being held, that is, if you want to spring them and your friends at the same time. Maybe you should spend the downtime going over your plan. Any spy-novelish ideas on how you're going to pull that double rescue off?

MadameButterflyKnife Semain Calm from the Holocene Since: Mar, 2019 Relationship Status: She's holding a very large knife
Semain Calm
#183: Aug 6th 2020 at 4:29:13 AM

> Make a pipe bomb!

and the public won't dwell on my transmission cause it wasn't televised.
dvorak The World's Least Powerful Man from Hiding in your shadow (Elder Troper) Relationship Status: love is a deadly lazer
The World's Least Powerful Man
#184: Aug 6th 2020 at 8:50:51 PM

>Review plans

Now everyone pat me on the back and tell me how clever I am!
PointMaid Since: Jun, 2014
#185: Aug 7th 2020 at 4:40:59 AM

I think I'm going to leave this up one more day and post tomorrow morning. Thanks for staying with me and following along, you're awesome [awesome]

TroperNo9001 Dragon in Waiting from the Dollhouse (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: I turn to stone when you are gone
Dragon in Waiting
#186: Aug 7th 2020 at 5:16:18 AM

> Strategize on sneaking past those security systems they have. They could have the usual lasers, who knows?

Still waiting for someone to break him free...
EloquentOrNot Since: Aug, 2020
#187: Aug 7th 2020 at 2:22:57 PM

>"Can we ask the F.f.E.C for the identity of their person on the inside, if we're likely to meet them? Also, how much information can the F.f.E.C get? Maybe they could help us find out more about why all of this is happening?"

PointMaid Since: Jun, 2014
#188: Aug 8th 2020 at 4:58:19 AM

Post 37

> Make a pipe bomb!

Interesting thought. You haven't established that you have the materials or established what you would use it on. Figure that out, and maybe it's part of a plan.

>Review plans

Well, you have a way to get into the place your friends are being held: the trojan prisoner ploy. If you still want to use it after Kif suggested it as a way to get you actually captured. And you have the knockout nanospray, plus an antidote for you if they try to use the version they put in the champagne again. Does that constitute a plan?

> Strategize on sneaking past those security systems they have. They could have the usual lasers, who knows?

You ask Kif, who knows more about Bintanni technology than you do, about what kind of security you're likely to run into. They're likely to have an AI monitoring cameras, similar to what you have on your ship. That will be feeding information to a few Bintanni security guards, most likely armed with phasers that can be set to stun or kill. The Bintanni also have something Kif calls security screens, which are open doorways patrolled by nanomachines that check whether you're authorized to be in an area. These are set up at the entrance to high-security areas.

You have the idea of shutting down nanomachines or cameras in an area by making EMP (electro-magnetic pulse) weapons. The problem is, it would disrupt your own communications, too.

>"Can we ask the F.f.E.C for the identity of their person on the inside, if we're likely to meet them? Also, how much information can the F.f.E.C get? Maybe they could help us find out more about why all of this is happening?"

You and Kif decide to risk another call to the F.f.E.C. After a little discussion on whether this is really necessary and how it could put the operative in danger, you're told that the person on the inside is a janitor, named N'eo'leem'pio. You request as much information about the situation they can get, hopefully why this is happening, but it will take time. They'll be back in touch when they have more information.

What do you want to do now? Do you still want to use the trojan prisoner ploy? Do you want to make some EMP's? Anything else?

TroperNo9001 Dragon in Waiting from the Dollhouse (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: I turn to stone when you are gone
Dragon in Waiting
#189: Aug 8th 2020 at 5:01:59 AM

> Trojan prisoner. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Still waiting for someone to break him free...
dvorak The World's Least Powerful Man from Hiding in your shadow (Elder Troper) Relationship Status: love is a deadly lazer
The World's Least Powerful Man
#190: Aug 8th 2020 at 9:09:32 AM

>Make an EMP blaster with plans found online.

Now everyone pat me on the back and tell me how clever I am!
EloquentOrNot Since: Aug, 2020
#191: Aug 8th 2020 at 11:04:52 AM

> You realise something you didn't notice before: Kif's family hologram showed two children, but they said they only have one. They also bought you time by claiming to be working on a fake plan with you, so it's still possible they'll change their mind and actually betray you later if something goes wrong. It might be a good idea to secretly prepare for that, but for now, just ask innocently about the second child in the hologram.

PointMaid Since: Jun, 2014
#192: Aug 9th 2020 at 4:57:44 AM

Post 38

> Trojan prisoner. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

[tup] It's a plan.

>Make an EMP blaster with plans found online.

The internet is 44 light years away. Your ship's computer, however, holds plenty of reference material, and the principle is pretty basic electrical engineering. The hardest thing is finding Bintanni parts that are equivalents and figuring out their specs in units you and your reference material are familiar with. You do have to get Kif's help to find some materials and get help with Bintanni units. You were afraid it would be too bulky to carry, but it seems the Bintanni are very good at miniaturizing their parts.

Nice work! Are you sure your last name is Ramirez and not Mac Gyver?

You just hope it'll be strong enough to do what you're asking…

> You realise something you didn't notice before: Kif's family hologram showed two children, but they said they only have one. They also bought you time by claiming to be working on a fake plan with you, so it's still possible they'll change their mind and actually betray you later if something goes wrong. It might be a good idea to secretly prepare for that, but for now, just ask innocently about the second child in the hologram.

"Oh? My sibling's child. They were over that day. They often play together."

The GM is clearly human and can't always keep everything straight as much as she tries. (See also: accidentally switching Binhanni to Bintanni for so long I just decided to stick with the latter) Thank you for catching something I overlooked. :p Which is not to say I couldn't decide to roll with your 'Kif is hiding something about their family' interpretation if I feel like it... evil grin

The F.f.E.C. have promised they'll check in with you very soon. Is there anything you want to do while you wait?

TroperNo9001 Dragon in Waiting from the Dollhouse (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: I turn to stone when you are gone
Dragon in Waiting
#193: Aug 9th 2020 at 5:45:20 AM

> "Got any good Bintanni songs on the radio?"

Still waiting for someone to break him free...
dvorak The World's Least Powerful Man from Hiding in your shadow (Elder Troper) Relationship Status: love is a deadly lazer
The World's Least Powerful Man
#194: Aug 9th 2020 at 8:10:31 AM

>Test the EMP blaster on something to make sure it works. With Kif's help so you don't break anything of his.

Now everyone pat me on the back and tell me how clever I am!
EloquentOrNot Since: Aug, 2020
#195: Aug 9th 2020 at 11:28:11 AM

[up][up][up][lol] No problem, glad I could help with this cool story!

> Tell Kif about the lost consular ship from 20 years ago, and that you suspect a connection between the missing humans and how finely tuned the nanomachines were to human biology. Then you realise: "Wait, even if it wasn't because of the nanomachines, I was still unconscious, I couldn't have escaped. Why would the abductors leave me there, unless they needed more from the nanomachines than just knocking us out? I had some pretty serious memory loss when I woke up... What if my friends don't remember anything at all?"

PointMaid Since: Jun, 2014
#196: Aug 10th 2020 at 6:08:41 AM

Post 39

> "Got any good Bintanni songs on the radio?"

You pick up a station playing something called 'Swarm of the Nanites'. It's a bit like ''Flight of the Bumblebee'' by Rimsky-Korsakov.

>Test the EMP blaster on something to make sure it works. With Kif's help so you don't break anything of his.

After a bit of discussion with Kif, and leaving all your electronics except the blaster inside, you take a sample of nanomachines out to their backyard. They're programmed to be innocuous but hover two meters off the ground. Your EMP blaster appears to bring them down from about 20 feet.

> Tell Kif about the lost consular ship from 20 years ago, and that you suspect a connection between the missing humans and how finely tuned the nanomachines were to human biology. Then you realise: "Wait, even if it wasn't because of the nanomachines, I was still unconscious, I couldn't have escaped. Why would the abductors leave me there, unless they needed more from the nanomachines than just knocking us out? I had some pretty serious memory loss when I woke up... What if my friends don't remember anything at all?" '

Kif takes this all in, and nods. ''The humans twenty years ago, they escaped and found some of us sympathetic – it's how the F.f.E.C. was formed and some of how we learned about humans. But what was done to them; there's no easy way to put it: nobody knows exactly what it was but it was like they were being slowly eaten alive. Our medic tried, but they could only slow the progress. They succumbed in months. I'm sorry."

Kif looked at your eyes. "You're not fully human, are you? I have a feeling they weren't expecting you. Maybe the nanomachines reacted in an unexpected way, I don't know. Maybe that unexpected reaction gave you amnesia, I'm not sure. And I don't know exactly what they're looking for. But it's good for your friends that you're different, because we might be the only ones who can rescue them."


The F.f.E.C. makes contact with you again. They have a location where Kif's family is being held. It's about two blocks from your friends.

You ask again about what they know about why this is happening. Some of it, Kif's just told you. Really, that's what the organization has known for a while. Anyone with access to plans of secretive government agencies has been vetted quite thoroughly, including for ties to the F.f.E.C. As for any more information, it still hasn't been much time for investigation. However, they can tell you this: There have been three-way conference calls between the same agency that seems to have taken your friends, some people at a nanotech company that might be translated as "EleMental" that had reportedly been working on mind control, and the Xenophobic insurgent faction the government had blamed for the message telling you to go home.

Huh. What's your next move now?

Edited by PointMaid on Aug 10th 2020 at 9:16:48 AM

dvorak The World's Least Powerful Man from Hiding in your shadow (Elder Troper) Relationship Status: love is a deadly lazer
The World's Least Powerful Man
#197: Aug 10th 2020 at 11:20:50 AM

>Consider our options.

Now everyone pat me on the back and tell me how clever I am!
EloquentOrNot Since: Aug, 2020
#198: Aug 10th 2020 at 11:51:50 AM

I had misinterpreted that part early on to mean that the xenophobic group had supposedly sent the first message inviting the humans, so I went back to read the start again and I'm now wondering: Is Ruby half-Hesperian or something? Or does she not remember everything about herself yet?

> "This sounds to me like the government is working with the xenophobic group to develop mind control that works on humans! Can you think of anything else it could be, Kif? Either way, I'll need to take some of that nanomachine neutraliser when we sneak in. We need to work on the plan now. Trojan prisoner/fake betrayal, right? So you can convince the government and keep your family safe for longer by 'locking' me in with my friends, and I can neutralise any mind control nanomachines in them. We'll need a bit more than that, but does that sound good so far?" (Secretly plan to take a bit more neutraliser than Kif knows, just in case.)

Edited by EloquentOrNot on Aug 10th 2020 at 8:07:26 PM

PointMaid Since: Jun, 2014
#199: Aug 10th 2020 at 5:55:49 PM

[up]OOC: Oh, why not wink ... you are perceptive. I haven't said it explicitly, but I was considering her half Hesperian, yes.

PointMaid Since: Jun, 2014
#200: Aug 11th 2020 at 3:52:00 PM

Sorry for no post earlier today, folks. My internet was out :( I'll make a regular post tomorrow morning as usual (US Eastern Time).


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