A Knight of Shreds and Patches Transcript
Season 3 Episode 6: Diagnostic Commands
Transcript by Cameron Robertson
Intro:
\[hurdy gurdy music begins\]
Nick: Welcome, listeners, to A Knight of Shreds and Patches. An immersive actual play podcast. This episode features the talents of –
Penn: Penn Van Batavia as Marathon Messenger and Gwendolyn Rozenthall.
Kit: Kit Adames as Birdie Foundling and Vaus Foundling.
Cameron: Cameron Robertson as Emma Blackwood.
Sydney: Sydney Whittington as Cassidy Shard and Winifred Foundling.
Nick: Nick Robertson as GM and Narrator.
Sydney: Hello editor Sydneys, this is your listener with today's messages:
Oh my mistake, April Fools’ was earlier this week. But don’t let that stop you from pulling a goof and bringing little spots of happiness to the world, like you do when we know you’re listening. Of course, if you’re looking for a totally different vibe than happy and goofy, you can head back over to the Orpheus Protocol, where the cast has reappeared in the new Battle Lines arc. And if you want to lean into the goofs, you can always consider backing our Patreon, which gives you access to bonus episodes, campfire conversations, and other fun rewards, including a whole collection of silly bloopers.
And with that, we wrap up today’s announcements and head into Season 3, Episode 6: Diagnostic Commands. And so…
“Join us, for now our tale to yours attaches
To carry hope: a Knight of Shreds and Patches.”
\[hurdy gurdy music ends\]
\[electronic beeping\]
\[robotic powerup noise begins\]
Distorted Robotic Voice: Power restored. Systems online. Reconfiguring audio connection.
\[robotic powerup noise fades to radio frequency static\]
\[over radio\]
Kit (as Birdie): Last time on a Knight of Shreds and Patches, we went and saw Winifred. It was hard. Not as hard as I thought it would be, which is good. But it was really amazing to see her again and to see her with her family being happy with her life. It was - it made me really happy. Winifred and I went on a little walk to sort of catch up over the last couple of years. I really missed her. I missed everyone. I think I'm - I think I'm starting to like being home more.
\[radio static\]
Episode Start:
Nick: The sun has begun to set in the agri-dome as Birdie and Winifred finish their walk, having caught up in both their lives at least enough to move on to business. As they head back to the front door of the cottage that Winifred shares with Maria Bliss and her husband Larry, they hear the sounds of happy conversation inside and open the door to a warm and glowing scene of domestic joy. Birdie, you see Marathon, Cassidy, and Emma watching Mackenzie roll on the ground, reaching for different toys and burbling happily, while Larry is bringing yet another tray of baked goods in from the kitchen, and Nurse Bliss looks on happily. [could even say she looks on blissfully]
Nick (as Maria Bliss): Oh, you're back. Did you have a good walk? Everything sorted out?
Kit (as Birdie): As much as we could sort out in 20 minutes, I guess.
Sydney (as Winifred): We got cut up a little bit. These sausage rolls smell good.
Nick (as Maria Bliss): There's so many double entendre, I'm paralyzed for choice.
Sydney (as Winifred): [laugh] Larry, did you know what you made for dinner?
Nick (as Larry): Yeah uh, sausage rolls. I was hoping to create a ground for double entendre.
Kit (as Birdie): Is that something you do often with your cooking?
Nick (as Larry): It's a way that me and Winifred have bonded. We don't have as much in common but wordplay and innuendo is something that I aspire to Winifred's greatness on.
Nick: And he smiles broadly. This is obviously well tread territory for the two of them.
Sydney (as Winifred): You know, you'll begin to approach my skills someday.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh my gosh~.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle] Emma?!
Sydney (as Cassidy): Emma are you okay? [laugh]
Cameron: [laughing] Emma has fallen back on the couch and dropped her head back so she's staring at the ceiling and just looks like her soul has evacuated her body and sits back up and looks accusingly at Birdie,
Kit (as Birdie): What??
Cameron: and says
Cameron (as Emma): She's just like Cassidy!
Kit (as Birdie): Okay...
Nick (as Maria Bliss): Wait from everyone's reaction I feel like that was supposed to be some sort of - was it like spaghetti? Is that what we're doing now?
Nick: Maria looks very confused.
Penn (as Marathon): I'm lost too now.
Kit (as Birdie): Winifred -
Penn: Marathon is down on her stomach next to the baby and is just trying to tune back in now.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Marathon you're on the floor in the Bliss household, in the living room.
Penn (as Marathon): [sigh] Yep. Thanks Cassidy.
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh] See, see Winifred is not just like Cassidy. It's just that Winifred has Cassidy's ability to just like have a comeback for everything, but she has Marathon's quality to make it all a sex joke so it's just the quickest sex joke you can possibly think of and it's everything. You're not safe from it.
Sydney (as Winifred): Only the jokes are quick to be fair.
Kit (as Birdie): I~ -
Penn (as Marathon): Whoa.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh my god.
Nick (as Maria Bliss): Oh, I got that one.
Nick (as Larry): Yeah, I got that one too. That would that was about my level. That one - that one's a lot easier to follow. I'm a big fan.
Cameron (as Emma): [dies from pun exposure] Oh my god.
Nick: Marathon as you were distracted by this quick repartee, Mackenzie the baby rears back, grabs two big handfuls of your hair -
Penn (as Marathon): Eugh!
Kit (as Birdie): [laughing]
Nick: - and chops down on your ear.
Penn (as Marathon): Dah Mac! Mac!
Nick: You can feel slobber going into your ear.
Penn (as Marathon): [very minor distress] Ahh. Whoa.
Kit (as Birdie): [laughing]
Sydney (as Winifred): Oh look she likes you.
Penn (as Marathon): Yep. Well, I've taken worse bites. Ah. Okay. Thank you Miss Mackenzie.
Kit (as Birdie): Does she have teeth?
Nick (as Larry): Mac! Mackey! Mac and cheese! Let her go,let her go.
Nick: And Larry has set down the food and has gently grabbed the baby around the torso and is trying to extricate her from where she's got you and -
Penn (as Marathon): Oh! Oh!
Nick: It is not working. She is not letting go.
Penn (as Marathon): Nope! Nope! Stop pulling. Stop pulling. I'll just wince through it.
Kit: Birdie will go over and try to pry open Mackenzie's little fat fingers.
Nick: And it works because she immediately starts grabbing onto your hands and trying to chomp on your fingertips.
Kit (as Birdie): Thank you. That's very nice of you. I'm so glad that you like the taste of my fingers.
Penn (as Marathon): [panting and appreciating freedom]
Sydney: Winifred fishes out a pacifier from a basket on the other side of the room and deftly slips it into place.
Kit (as Birdie): She doesn't really have all that many teeth.
Sydney (as Winifred): No, but it's better than your fingers.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah. She's very charming. I like that she um, has an attack instinct. [laughing]
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah she's cute.
Nick (as Larry): Well, I made two separate trays of food. I thought, Winifred, you might want some time to talk through with this group whatever made them come over here out of the woodwork. Birdie. It's great to meet you. I've heard so much. I'm glad you're not dead. But uh, -
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Nick (as Larry): - maybe we should give them a minute? It seems like they probably have a lot to discuss.
Nick: He picks up Mackenzie, making the tell tale dad groan as he sets her on a hip, and tilts his head meaningfully at Maria to give you all some space and time.
Kit (as Birdie): Thank you.
Sydney (as Winifred): We won't be too long.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Penn: Marathon gives a single finger wave to Mackenzie as they leave.
Nick: As they're walking out, Mackenzie pulls out the pacifier and throws it in your direction. It goes about a foot, but that as Larry gets a couple of steps down the hall, Mackenzie starts crying because she doesn't have her pacifier anymore.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh! Shoot. I'll scoop that up. You guys get all set up.
Nick: Larry's already turned around and is heading back and as you round the corner, he's realized what's happening and accepts it gratefully and says,
Nick (as Larry): I'll be just down the hall and the kitchen will just be eating and eavesdropping. If you need anything, just let us know.
Nick: And he gives you a big wink and heads away with the pacified Mackenzie and Maria.
Cameron (as Emma): Thanks, Larry!
Penn (as Marathon): Damn. The kid's kind of cute.
Kit (as Birdie): She's got a thing for attacking specifically you, apparently, Marathon.
Cameron (as Emma): I think it's funny. She was doing that the whole time you were gone, Birdie. [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, it's fantastic. Good. Good. Good.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, it's fun.
Sydney (as Cassidy): There's you know,
Penn (as Marathon): Likes to wrastle.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, Marathon has a certain sense of attraction around her, you see?
Cameron (as Emma): Mm.
Penn (as Marathon): A fight a fight a fight sense, I guess the baby has. But uh,
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah Marathon known for the best fights.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay, okay. You - that was an outlier. I -
Sydney: Cassidy has gone through a couple of different rapid facial expressions and settles on slightly uneasy.
Penn (as Marathon): I won three. I won - I think it was three before that. I won, I won a few, I'll say that. I won a few before I got to that.
Sydney (as Winifred): Oh are you a fighter Marathon? Birdie mentioned [chuckle] -
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Sydney (as Winifred): - a certain occasion.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Penn: Marathon swaggers over to take a seat where the rest of the Patina is sitting.
Kit (as Birdie): [giggle] I - you know. I only really told her about just um, the whole arena juice part, mostly mostly about Sasha. But
Penn (as Marathon): Oh... none of the cool part.
Kit (as Birdie): I mean, I told I told
Sydney (as Winifred): I mean I only got the high level but I'm sure if we're doing work together, we can talk more.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, I mean, I told Winifred about the cool part about Emma kicking some ass.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [overlapping] Emma did a good job.
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping] Heck yeah!
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean Marathon, you know, did a good few fights.
Penn (as Marathon): [heartbroken] I - I made it to the end. I... I did better than Em- I no
Penn: Marathon, realizing she's losing her composure a little bit, settles back and runs her hand through her hair again and is like
Penn (as Marathon): Nah you know what? Yeah, Emma - Emma's pretty good. I I just I just just got beat. Gotta - happens to the best sometimes, you know? Um.
Kit (as Birdie): Just gotta take it on the chin, huh Marathon?
Kit: And Birdie is grinning at Marathon because she knew that this would fluster Marathon.
Cameron: Emma is staring at Marathon with an eyebrow slightly raised because Marathon is definitely going to say that she was better than Emma when they orchestrated the end of that fight together. [laugh] But she's polite, so she's not going to call Marathon out in front of our new friend.
Penn: Marathon picks a plate up from the coffee table and lays her chin on her fist that's propped up on her knee.
Penn (as Marathon): So uh, I'm sure we've, we've all - I'm sure there was lots of cool stories and such but I don't know, do you want to talk some shop at all?
Sydney: Winifred bends down to grab a sausage roll and leans against the wall between the Patina and the room that has the other two in it, starting to nibble on the pastry.
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah Birdie mentioned you needed computer help, but she did want Emma to explain.
Cameron (as Emma): Yes.
Kit (as Birdie): I'm not good with the lingo.
Cameron: Emma sets down her half eaten sausage roll.
Cameron (as Emma): So, Birdie has told us that you're a bit of a computer genius and I do hardware - I do not do software - and unfortunately, software is what I need.
Sydney (as Winifred): Okay.
Cameron (as Emma): So we have this giant mechanical mech suit.
Sydney (as Winifred): [special interest activated] Oh~.
Cameron (as Emma): Cassidy -
Sydney (as Winifred): Is that the Knight?
Cameron (as Emma): - do you have any other descriptor for that? Yes. the Knight. You heard about the Knight?
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah, Birdie did mention it.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay.
Sydney (as Winifred): It got thrown way up in the air at one point.
Cameron (as Emma): Yes uh, Cassidy -
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, it's a big like, I don't know, 20 foot tall murder machine with a giant sword and a crossbow built into the arm.
Penn (as Marathon): Sick as fuck.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It's wild tech from our previous mechanic refurbished it. I don't know. It's cool. It's big. It's powerful. It's dangerous. And right now it's probably dangerous to us too.
Cameron (as Emma): Questionable on if it's dangerous to us or not. It's part of why I want someone who knows what they're doing to take a look at it.
Sydney (as Winifred): Okay, what's going on with it?
Cameron (as Emma): So I have repaired it physically since it's great fall from the sky, but prior to getting thrown, it got injected with a virus.
Sydney (as Winifred): Ah.
Cameron (as Emma): I didn't get to see the implementation device because it it snapped off.
Sydney (as Winifred): No there's a few standard available hardware intrusion packages out there, I can probably find some pictures and see if you can see one that matches.
Cameron (as Emma): I [unsure noises] - we can see. I - the only time I saw it, [laugh] I was also in a mech suit and it was a while ago.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It was a very chaotic situation.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, I was more concerned with just getting it gone.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, the Knight was trying - my understanding is the Knight was trying to punch Emma.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): And also turning a lot of, you know, not especially innocent bandits, but bandits into pulp.
Sydney (as Winifred): Oh.
Cameron (as Emma): Yep. So my basic understanding of the Knight, while it does not - it can be fully controlled by the pilot, and just have some, like the automated systems going off of your controls and stuff, there does appear to be a native AI to it -
Sydney (as Winifred): Interesting.
Cameron (as Emma): - that hasn't been fully active at all in the times that I've interacted with it. I know Cassidy -
Sydney (as Cassidy): It talked to me.
Cameron (as Emma): - it was talking to you.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, it didn't. It talked slowly, I guess, like slowly in a maybe it's not used to talking or it's new to talking. I hadn't seen it or heard it before, but when before is when we haven't used it. We didn't use it all that much before. It was - it's expensive to run. Now we've got a fuel source for it, but
Sydney (as Winifred): Okay, so it's a big piece of complicated hardware that has at least one AI on it?
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Sydney (as Winifred): And maybe a bad one?
Cameron (as Emma): And a bad one. Yes. So the virus that was injected did appear to be self aware, and was fighting the native AI for control of the mech. We, with some long distance, technical coaching -
Sydney (as Cassidy): Emma was yelling stuff at me over the radio, and I was trying my best to do things and I only got shocked like once.
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh] We we were we were able to basically get the intrusion AI isolated and quarantined.
Sydney (as Winifred): Okay, that's good.
Cameron (as Emma): To where the interference that Cassidy was seeing of having all the screens go dark, and not being able to control the Knight in any way went away, which is a good sign. I did go back in later and reinforce some of the walls that we put up around it, but I don't, I don't know enough to feel confident that I have completely isolated it.
Sydney (as Winifred): No and I can imagine that with the interlacing of the two AIs, especially if they're both in a system that you're less familiar with, it's going to be hard to pull out just the one without doing damage to the other or to the onboard protocols -
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Sydney (as Winifred): - for like, I assume there's some user input conversion stuff.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah it does a good job of like just doing what you want. You just kind of hit buttons and it gets
Cameron (as Emma): It is incredibly intuitive and reacts very much to how you're interacting with it, but the mechanic that Cassidy mentioned earlier who refurbished it - I've listened to all of her logs and looked at diagrams and stuff and I I didn't find any mention of her acknowledging that there was an onboard AI already.
Sydney (as Winifred): No I don't suppose we could ask her for more info?
Cameron (as Emma): No.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, she uh, died.
Cameron (as Emma): Yes. So um, not an option.
Sydney (as Winifred): Ahh.
Cameron (as Emma): That is why I am here. I am the replacement. [sounding slightly down on herself]
Sydney (as Cassidy): And Emma is our, is a great mechanic, and she's the only thing holding half of our equipment together besides duct tape.
Penn (as Marathon): And she's the best I've ever known. So
Cameron (as Emma): Thank you.
Kit: Birdie's eyes had glazed over a little bit because of all the tech talk, but she refocuses and nods.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah Emma's amazing at everything. And she's really cool.
Cameron (as Emma): Aw thank you.
Sydney (as Winifred): Okay, so
Cameron (as Emma): But the thing I'm not amazing at is software which I -
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): I would very much appreciate it if you would come out and look at it. I have - I have a tablet hooked up so we can interface with it.
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah, I'm not hooking up any of my stuff to something that's got any onboard AIs that's - not with what -
Cameron (as Emma): Yup that - that this this is the, this is the only thing this tablet plugs into is the Knight. But the native AI I think is totally fine being there.
Sydney (as Winifred): Do you think it was dormant before? Or is it like -
Cameron (as Emma): I think -
Sydney (as Winifred): - a fresh insertion or something somehow?
Cameron (as Emma): I think it was dormant because we - the only person who had worked on it recently was me, and I didn't install anything and it reacted to the virus being injected, so it was there before that.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. The only other time anything ever interfaced with it was we had our old party member Zee-o had the ability to talk to it over wireless signals? Zee-o was a synth.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay, so since since Cassidy mentioned Zee-o, I can continue talking about Zee-o.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah. I mean, I imagine if we're - they are long gone, I don't think you have any uh,
Cameron (as Emma): I figured we were good, but I didn't want to be the one to bring it up. So I know for a fact Zee-o had mentioned having conversations with the Knight.
Sydney (as Winifred): Ah. Okay.
Cameron (as Emma): Like we always interpreted that to mean like machine code level.
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah, configurations and everything.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah. And like doing pulse checks and stuff of the systems. I think Zee-o literally meant that they were having conversations and talking to the Knight and that there was some intelligence there.
Sydney (as Winifred): Hmm.
Sydney: Winifred is biting her lip, and looking off into the distance as she's trying to shape in her head, what she thinks is going on.
Kit: Birdie has definitely been watching Winifred's face through this last part, and is very specifically trying to decipher Winifred's emotion from her perfect poker face whenever Zee-o is brought up.
Sydney: Only Birdie would ever notice this, but there is a flicker of surprise and then a slight squint of maybe another idea behind the surface one that's being presented. No one else would ever have known anything and the only way that Birdie can is because you've spent years watching Winifred have these same ideas about things.
Cameron (as Emma): So I feel safe having the native AI there because I think if it was a threat, Zee-o would have said something .
Sydney (as Winifred): And you said Zee-o too is gone in the same way as your old mechanic or?
Cameron (as Emma): Not in the same way as the old mechanic, but across the continent and left the group so not accessible -
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): - to assist. Any anytime I was having software issues before they left, they could just like touch the Knight and it would start working.
Sydney (as Winifred): That's a useful power. Ability.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah and and they did set up some interfaces for me to be able to do like quick activations of stuff, but nothing about the AI being there. And I think it's probably because it was just chillin, assisting in the background, but didn't need to come forward at all. So if possible, I would like to try to retain that entity.
Sydney (as Winifred): Sure, non destructive.
Cameron (as Emma): While trashing the other one and removing it fully from the Knight so that there is no chance for it to take over again.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, being in a giant machine with the potential for mass destruction and not having it be in control is not a fun time.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Sydney (as Winifred): I can imagine.
Cameron (as Emma): Well and trying to coach the pilot of that machine to make it stop doing that while being chased by that also do not recommend.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I'm - while Emma is not a software person, I'm not a machines, like I don't know, wild tech. I have my headset,
Sydney: And Cassidy points to what's on her face.
Sydney (as Cassidy): But that's pretty much it. And a cook pot, I guess.
Penn (as Marathon): We just don't have the skills that Birdie tells us you have and that's what brings us here.
Sydney (as Winifred): I am probably top three software people on Sasnak. Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): I think you're number one.
Penn (as Marathon): I like that confidence.
Sydney (as Winifred): There's a couple of other competent people around.
Kit (as Birdie): Mmmm.
Sydney (as Winifred): That is a cool headset, Cassidy. I would enjoy getting to take a look at it at some point too. But on topic. Okay, so to diagnose I will definitely need to see the Knight.
Cameron (as Emma): Figured.
Sydney (as Winifred): I'll need to see your tablet.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Sydney (as Winifred): Where do you have it? Are you down in short term parking?
Cameron (as Emma): Short term parking. Yep, we've got a garage.
Sydney (as Winifred): Okay. Yeah, I know the parking attendants.
Cameron (as Emma): But there's space in our truck to be able to look at it in there,
Sydney (as Winifred): Okay.
Cameron (as Emma): - and activate it and turn it on as long as we don't move it around.
Sydney (as Winifred): Sure. I'll need to go down and look at it. Depending on what it looks like, I'll probably need to make a second trip with a select set of tools but I'm not - there are some other avenues of exploration that we have available on board Sasnak with - the city has a lot of ambient technology or access around.
Cameron (as Emma): I had noticed.
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah. [laughs in fellow nerd] Maybe if you're lucky, you'll get to see some.
Cameron (as Emma): I was I was very intrigued by all the just the ports in the wall as we've been walking around. There's so many.
Sydney (as Winifred): Oh I mean, if you're, if you're in the market to hear, I'd be happy to give some descriptions about stuff.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh, I most definitely am. [laugh] I don't think they are, so maybe that's a conversation we can have while walking to go see the Knight.
Penn (as Marathon): Happy to hear it if it makes Emma happy. So
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah I'm - Emma hasn't had a fellow tech person around in a while to talk to, so I think it'd be good for her.
Cameron (as Emma): Well and I think all of the other tech people have been around have been Advantia. So
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah~.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah~.
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah~ Advantia are -
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh] Oh that was in unison! That was beautiful. Expresses my feelings so perfectly.
Kit (as Birdie): I told Winifred about the tech we got.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, your thoughts on Advantia, Winifred?
Sydney (as Winifred): You've got cool stuff. I mean, they have skills. They have, there's a long chain of inheritance and teaching that goes back to a long time ago, but they, they're not the most welcome on Sasnak. Because the workings of the city itself is kind of maybe not something they'd be the most comfortable with and it's not something we're willing to let them poke around in.
Cameron (as Emma): That seems very fair.
Sydney (as Winifred): Of course, I'm a member of the Forecasting Bureau and it is, to some extent, it's our job to poke around. The more that we can understand about what the city wants and what it's looking for, the better we can do.
Penn (as Marathon): So do you - are you involved in predicting where it's like moving and stuff?
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah, that's what the office does.
Penn (as Marathon): Cool. That's sick.
Sydney (as Cassidy): So do you like, are you tapped into the city looking at stuff? Are you up watching, I don't know, wind speed things spin to figure out what variables it's using or -?
Sydney (as Winifred): I mean it's a combination of a few things.
Sydney: Winifred reaches down and starts peeling the paper wrapper off of a cupcake.
Sydney (as Winifred): There's a couple of ways that you can get windows into at least some of the tracking variables. Do any of you know neural networks?
Penn (as Marathon): Like brain stuff?
Sydney: Winifred looks at the blank faces.
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, like some, but it's been a while since high school.
Kit (as Birdie): I only really know what you've told me. And that was a while ago, and my brain has had to make room for other things.
Sydney (as Winifred): Fair. It's not super important. It ends up being that I'm watching indirect indicators of indirect indicators. Hidden layers. I get like two in some deep convolution. It doesn't really tell you anything, but sometimes things light up and you can start beginning to draw correlations. I have ideas for other methods, but even with that, I'm one of the more effective ones which like more goes to show that no one really knows.
Cameron (as Emma): So Sasnak's just -
Sydney (as Cassidy): City with a mind of its own.
Cameron (as Emma): Sasnak just has a brain and it's doing its own thing?
Sydney (as Winifred): Pretty much.
Cameron (as Emma): Doing what makes it happy. Living its best life.
Sydney (as Winifred): It's certainly doing something.
Kit (as Birdie): Yep.
Cameron (as Emma): Going on grand adventures.
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Huh. Well, that's pretty cool. You get to be there, see it all.
Sydney (as Winifred): Mostly I am down with a tablet tapped into conduits in random places, looking for new leads, not finding any.
Penn (as Marathon): Code tells the story, right?
Penn: Marathon is tapping her temple.
Sydney (as Winifred): Something like that.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah. Well, um, would you be interested in - now that it looks like we're kind of just picking out desserts - would you guys be, would you be interested in accompanying us down to the garage Winifred?
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah we may as well. I'll take a look. I've got a lot of fieldwork, and fieldwork within Sasnak that ends up being, you know, Guts work or wherever, but I'm not home super often and I would like to spend some time at home tonight.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, that's fair. That's fair. We don't want to take up too much your relax time. Yeah.
Sydney (as Winifred): We can do the survey and then yeah, I'll see the kinds of things we're dealing with and hopefully we can have a plan.
Kit: Birdie leans in a little bit to Winifred.
Kit (as Birdie): What kind of work are you doing in the Guts? I thought you weren't really going to work down there anymore.
Sydney (as Winifred): No, I'm not doing pipe work or anything. I'm not -
Kit (as Birdie): Okay.
Sydney (as Winifred): We're only software now. [laugh] I stay away from anything that involves high pressure or fluids.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay. [relieved huff] Yeah.
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah. No, I [negative noise]. You're, you've not been back for that long. And Zan -
Kit: Birdie visibly winces just from hearing their name.
Penn (as Marathon): Well, we could I'm sure we could use the fresh air too if -
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): - we all I don't know if y'all need your jackets.
Penn: Marathon starts standing up out of her chair.
Penn (as Marathon): But I - yeah, I could - you got, let's do - let's let's go. Yeah. Woo.
Sydney: Cassidy starts standing up and looking ready to go just to avoid any further dwelling.
Kit: Yeah Birdie slings her backpack over her shoulder again and makes sure that her hockey sticks are not going to whack anyone while they're walking back down in this residential area.
Penn (as Marathon): We're not going to have to cut through that Riot again are we?
Kit (as Birdie): Uh maybe?
Sydney (as Cassidy): I imagine it's probably cleared out now.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, they don't last very long.
Sydney (as Winifred): I didn't see anything on my way up.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, there was a skirmish that we kind of got caught up in.
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah the council I think is moving against different factions a little bit mmm, less subtle than maybe it had been in the past.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney (as Winifred): But you get used to it.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, I forgot to tell you that Cassidy knew one of the old members of the Patina is now a tin can here.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh, yeah. So yeah, my one of our old crew members became the First Sword a few years ago. Gwendolyn?
Sydney (as Winifred): Ahh.
Sydney: Winifred's face portrays nothing.
Kit: Birdie is side-eyeing Winifred.
Cameron (as Emma): All right. High praise on Gwen. Cool.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Got to figure out how to get into see her at some point, just at least to say hi.
Penn (as Marathon): Your non reaction is a very telling reaction.
Sydney (as Winifred): There are opinions about the city leadership.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): Hm.
Sydney: And Winifred goes to put her hat back on.
Cameron: Emma picks up her baseball bat from where she'd rested it next to the front door.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay, yeah, to the garage.
Nick: So the Patina and Winifred make their way retracing their steps back towards where the rig and the Knight have been left in short term parking of Sasnak Traveling. The thoughts of the group that the riot would have ended prove to be correct. Merchants Alley is quieter than it was earlier, but shops have reopened and people are walking around reasonably calm and going about their business. You don't see many of the security forces around - just a few pairs standing on corners. And you make your way back to the freight elevator and down beneath the main platform of Sasnak Traveling, passing several Ramp Girl guards. From a distance Emma you recognize the bald Ramp Girl who recommended fingernail polish to you just a day before.
Cameron: As soon as Emma sees her Ramp Girl friend from yesterday, she halts, turns to the rest of the group and says
Cameron (as Emma): Y'all keep going. I'll be right there.
Cameron: And takes off at kind of a skipping jog towards the desk where the Ramp Girl is sitting. You can't hear their conversation, but you can see excited greetings and then you see Emma just holding out her hands with her nails up showing off her nail color. [laugh]
Nick: And they do the appropriate hands to cheeks and excited speaking and showing their nails which are a different color than they were before. And it is clear that you have made a lifelong friendship.
Cameron: Once this interaction is complete and enough excitement has been shared, Emma does a joyful wave and jogs towards the garage that the rig is in.
Penn: Marathon turns to the rest of the group since Emma's run ahead.
Penn (as Marathon): I take it to mean that we don't have to pay our reentry fee.
Sydney (as Winifred): It is a valuable group to make friends with, the Ramp Girls.
Kit (as Birdie): And very scary.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well I mean, mostly like the guns and the discipline.
Penn (as Marathon): They seem cool to me, but
Kit (as Birdie): No they're they're - they're cool, scary. They're scary cool.
Penn (as Marathon): What was the difference, Birdie?
Kit (as Birdie): Okay, well.
Sydney (as Winifred): Birdie do you remember when you had a crush on one -?
Kit (as Birdie): [high voice] We don't need to talk about my crush on Karma.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, yes please elaborate, Winifred. Birdie has not been a forthcoming as she should have been about this.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh~.
Sydney (as Winifred): Oh well Birdie really liked this one named Karma.
Penn (as Marathon): [gasp] Wow you even remember the name.
Kit (as Birdie): [dying on the inside] Oh my gosh.
Sydney (as Winifred): Oh. I'm a very good steward of my family's affairs.
Penn (as Marathon): Literally.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm. Yeah. I just - it was a completely - in my 14 year old preteen stupid brain, so it doesn't even count.
Sydney (as Winifred): We have to start somewhere.
Penn (as Marathon): Birdie seemed pretty nervous when we were coming back in about Karma.
Sydney (as Winifred): Oh, yeah, she definitely still works here.
Kit (as Birdie): [whisper] Yeah she does work here.
Penn (as Marathon): She was doing a lot of extra makeup. Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): I did not do extra makeup...I just did my [fades into nervous laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Oh well you were just extra careful.
Kit (as Birdie): Yes.
Penn (as Marathon): Going till the last second.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah,
Penn (as Marathon): I'm not - I'll embarrass you. I'll razz you.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, yeah.
Sydney (as Winifred): If you're rushing it, it's not gonna look as good, Birdie.
Kit (as Birdie): [sad] I know.
Sydney (as Winifred): You had to take your time.
Kit (as Birdie): I know.
Penn (as Marathon): Emma! How's it -?
Cameron: Emma is jogging back up and is about 10 feet from Marathon when she yells her name.
Cameron (as Emma): Why are we yelling at me? [sad laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): Oh I just - what's what's what's the sitch?
Cameron (as Emma): Oh, Riley says that they love my nail polish and we're good. We can go in.
Penn (as Marathon): Perf.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Nice.
Nick: Anyone who is thinking about the long term impact of your journey here, anybody who might be thinking about tactically their movements through Sasnak and what that could mean and who might be watching and like the political nature potentially - go ahead and make me a Streetwise check please. This is going to be a hard difficulty check.
Penn: Okay, I'll roll.
Cameron: I'm at least establishing connections within the Ramp Girls, so I'm going to say that Emma's rolling.
Sydney: Cassidy is just forever paranoid, so even if she doesn't know what she's looking for, like just the security of the rig itself is generally a concern.
Nick: And Winifred doesn't need to roll for this because whatever it is, 99% chance already aware of what you all are about to learn so.
Sydney: Cassidy's rolling three greens and three purples.
[dice rolling]
Sydney: And got two successes.
Penn: I rolled three purple, two green, and a yellow and I got one failure.
Kit: We're rolling for Streetwise so that's three yellows against three purples. And I got two successes and two threats.
Cameron: I have the same dice pool as Marathon - three purple, two green, one yellow, and I rolled four advantages.
Nick: Interesting. Okay, so those of you who were successful - something that occurs to you is that as you're looking around this large area, there are a decent amount of security cameras up by the very high vaulted ceilings, nestled unobtrusively on some support posts all over the place, several of them are tracking your progress across this bay. So you know you were being observed. That's also part of the sales pitch for this parking lot, too. It's probably not something that's going to immediately be an issue because you're just a group of visitors. But something that occurs to you is that if you were to continue to come back over and over again, that might raise a flag. Or if you do anything else that attracts attention, and somebody wants to look into your movements. There's a recorded evidence of you and Winifred coming down here, which might help somebody to learn more about you or build a case, you would also probably be thinking that anything you do, like with the Knight or the rig you're going to want to make sure is not observed, because you don't want video evidence of the Knight floating around out there. That would be really bad.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Lot of cameras.
Kit (as Birdie): They're very vigilant here.
Sydney (as Winifred): Everyone on Sasnak knows everything at all times. You just got to be careful what you have out and what you're doing.
Cameron (as Emma): Well, good thing we backed the rig in.
Penn (as Marathon): No joy rides with the Knight, I guess.
Cameron (as Emma): No! Obviously not.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Not until it's fixed right?
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): We weren't planning on doing that on Sasnak anyway, right?
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, no, no, I was - I was joking, Miss Emma.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay. Oh, I could tell you were - I didn't know if Cassidy was.
Kit (as Birdie): [laugh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): I'm responsible, Emma.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay.
Nick: For your advantages Emma, once people have called out the cameras and everything, you know exactly how to block the sidelines for while you're in the rig, namely, shutting the door. But once you've gotten inside, you'll be able to sweep and make sure that there's no actual observation stuff in your private garage. So you'll be able to at least confirm that you're not being observed as long as you're in there. So it's not that they're going to figure out what's going on with you, it's just that you having come so soon after you parked to visit with a notable member of the Forecasting Bureau that might raise some questions, although you're not really sure about that part. But you do know you don't want people to know about your robot and your cool truck.
So you get to the entrance to your private garage. You scan your key card which causes the metal doors to slide open, revealing the rig and you all are able to go inside and do whatever it is that you want to do in there. There is a light inside. Emma, you're able to confirm there aren't any cameras or anything in here. Privacy within the garage is apparently a feature, but you are able to shut the door after you so that nobody can bother you.
Cameron (as Emma): There's a way to open the door from the inside right?
Penn (as Marathon): Looks like we got like a garage door button right here.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay, cool.
Penn (as Marathon): Marathon clicks it.
Cameron (as Emma): Sweet. I just [[laugh] - before I suggested closing the door, just wanted to make sure there was gonna be a way for us to get out.
Kit (as Birdie): Yep.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I don't I think being stuck in a garage would be a bad way to go.
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, at least we've got our supplies in here - as meager as they are.
Penn (as Marathon): Look it wasn't a fear before.
Sydney (as Winifred): I can open it, it's fine.
Penn (as Marathon): Now we've got some privacy.
Sydney (as Winifred): Don't even need the key card.
Cameron (as Emma): Anyway, Ah, come on back Winifred.
Cameron: And Emma takes off walking around the rig to open the tarp in the back and climb up.
Sydney: Winifred is in full observation mode absorbing the vehicle itself, the exosuit and the motorcycle and the other motorcycle, all of the gear, getting an idea of the type of kit that the Patina has access to - keeping in mind that she had at least heard a couple of the missions that the Patina had taken since Birdie had been around.
Nick: Yeah, your impression of the Patina is that they have a good amount of material. They are very well equipped to do the jobs that they take on. Everything is as well kept as it can be with parts that are available. So very much a well cared for but some things are held together with duct tape and wishes. But you do notice little notes on some places on the rig that show that they intend to fix it more thoroughly when they have the parts. More and more as you look, you are very impressed with the mechanical organization of what Emma takes as her responsibility of keeping everything running. Everything seems very well categorized and taken care of and if they can't fix it right then, they're not going to forget about it.
Sydney (as Winifred): Emma is all this yours? The organization - the mechanic stuff?
Cameron: Emma I think has made a few alterations to the way that the tarp is set up over the back - since we weren't using the Knight at all, it didn't need to be able to remove the tarp fully at the drop of a hat so that the Knight could stand up and get out. So she's rigged it to where there are two ropes on either side along one wall on the corners that she can grab and pull to pull the top tarp over so that light can get in and she's busy pulling one of those over so that we can get some light into the dimness of the back of the truck.
Cameron (as Emma): Uh yeah, I um, all of the stuff pretty much is inherited, but I did a big inventory and organization journey while we were in Eagle Hill. So
Sydney (as Winifred): It looks like you've done a good job. You should be proud.
Sydney: And Winifred clambers up.
Cameron (as Emma): Thank you.
Cameron: Emma shifts to the other corner to pull the tarp from where it is sitting over the Knight.
Cameron (as Emma): I found so many screwdrivers. That's the most notable thing from my organizational efforts is dear Lord for number of screwdrivers.
Sydney (as Cassidy): There were so many screwdrivers.
Cameron (as Emma): I had a pile going.
Sydney (as Winifred): I suppose that's a mechanical like fundamental.
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, I get if you keep losing them, I guess but it's like a lot of the same size.
Sydney (as Winifred): Good thing about software is you kind of just need the one.
Cameron (as Emma): That's true.
Cameron: And Emma finishes yanking the tarp over and the light falls down onto the Knight.
Nick: The single overhead light of the garage illuminates the Knight. It's folded up to fit inside the back of the rig. The armor is still dented in a few places, but you can tell, Winifred, that a lot of combat damage has been repaired or buffed out or reinforced. There is a cockpit in the center that is currently closed again for travel and a large sword running along the baseboard of the bed of the rig. This is the second most advanced piece of wild tech that you have ever seen. Just at a glance you can tell that if people were to use this for the wrong reasons, they would be able to upset the balance of any region they so chose.
Sydney (as Winifred): I can see why you'd want the AI out of this.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Sydney (as Winifred): This is a big - this is impressive.
Cameron (as Emma): It can do some damage.
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): And we would we would like for that to be damage that we're controlling and making smart decisions about, so
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah, this this should not be in the hands of anyone not making smart decisions.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Sydney: Winifred starts to walk around to the outside of the Knight and look at it.
Penn: Marathon has been leaning against the wall inside of the big trailer and after Winifred says that she perks her head up and kind of looks down and away.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Marathon you haven't even been in the Knight.
Penn (as Marathon): For a good reason, probably.
Penn: And she starts pulling out a Voyager.
Sydney (as Cassidy): This is a pretty small room.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, you're gonna smoke in the garage?
Penn (as Marathon): No, no, I can - I'm just gonna
Kit (as Birdie): Just -
Penn (as Marathon): I could -
Kit (as Birdie): You just gonna put it in your in your lips?
Penn (as Marathon): I don't know.
Kit (as Birdie): Save it for later?
Penn (as Marathon): It's a nervous habit, I guess.
Kit (as Birdie): You trying to look cool for my sister?
Sydney (as Cassidy): I mean, you can - do you need to lift the - you can go back outside.
Penn: Marathon realizes the situation she is in, freezes up for maybe just a second too long and says
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah. Yeah. I'll look out outside. Uh~. Yep. See you guys. [awkward throat clearing]
Penn: And she takes a brief walk, hits the garage door opener and lets it open just a tiny bit and then lets it close again as she slides through the bottom real quick.
Kit: Birdie will sigh and say,
Kit (as Birdie): You know, I'm kind of hopeless in this, so I'll leave you guys to it you - yeah, have fun and I'll go make sure Marathon doesn't do anything. Yeah.
Kit: And she'll take the same path out that Marathon did and will repeat the same garage opening and exiting before letting it close again and sighing while leaning up against the garage door.
Nick: So Birdie you find yourself leaning against the garage door next to Marathon. You've got plenty of privacy. There are a few Ramp Girls, but they're all well out of earshot. And you find yourself on guard duty.
Penn: Marathon has already sparked up a cigarette and is in an attempt to make herself feel more confident, is leaning against the wall next to the garage door in the pose where she's got one leg on the ground and the sole of her other foot on the wall.
Kit (as Birdie): You trying to intimidate someone or something?
Penn (as Marathon): [startled] What? Hey- ah,
Penn: Marathon shifts into an awkward lean now.
Penn (as Marathon): I -
Kit (as Birdie): It's okay.
Penn (as Marathon): It's just like
Kit (as Birdie): Just giving you shit.
Penn (as Marathon): - a power pose.
Kit (as Birdie): It's okay.
Penn (as Marathon): Power pose.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, definitely a power pose.
Penn (as Marathon): For me.
Kit (as Birdie): Uh huh.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): Did you just come out here to -
Penn: Marathon taps her cigarette a little.
Penn (as Marathon): What's up? How you doing?
Kit (as Birdie): I just knew I wouldn't be any help in there. And I don't know, like being in small places didn't really bother me - well, it stopped bothering me after like a year or so after everything, but I think just being back here, and just having to get in the little - it wasn't great. I'd rather be out here.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, I get you. I'm kind of a one punch wonder. So um when when when we call for some some rough 'em up, then then yeah, then I'll be ready. But yeah, this techy stuff is out of my league. [laugh] But um, it's nice to see you getting along with Winifred.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, we have a lot to, I guess, repair and I don't know if we'll ever really go back to the way things were, but I'm learning to accept that.
Kit: And she - it looks painful on her face for her to say that.
Penn (as Marathon): Mmm.
Penn: Marathon moves from her leaning position on the wall and slides against the wall until she's in prime territory to scoop Birdie into a side hug.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh okay.
Penn (as Marathon): I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Kit: Birdie will wrap her arm around Marathon's waist and awkwardly pat her side.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, thanks. I appreciate it. You know, it's only [deep breath] it's one of the - one of the siblings down, you know? And I knew she take it at least well. She's like, pretty much unreadable, so, who knows? Also um, speaking of Winifred, if you try and flirt with my sister, I will have to kill you Marathon.
Kit: And she looks up at Marathon with the most deadpan stare.
Penn: Marathon raises her eyebrows and then a smile starts to creep across her face.
Penn (as Marathon): Now, you didn't have to make it a competition.
Kit (as Birdie): What? What about what I just said -
Penn (as Marathon): A challenge. You didn't have to make it a challenge.
Kit (as Birdie): No~ see, that wasn't a challenge. It was a threat. A direct threat. I will go insane and you cannot do this to me. [laugh] Or I'll steal all your cigarettes. How about that, hm?
Penn (as Marathon): Hm. Hmm. Contemplating. You know, I think I'll just kind of vibe -
Kit (as Birdie): Oh my god.
Penn (as Marathon): - and see where things
Kit (as Birdie): No~! I know what that means for you Marathon.
Kit: And she'll unwrap her arm from Marathon's side and elbow her a little bit in the ribs.
Penn (as Marathon): Oof.
Kit (as Birdie): You'll focus your little affection thing on Cassidy, huh? On Miss Cassidy?
Penn (as Marathon): I mean, yes, of course. I you just - you just threw out the, you just threw out the challenge. That's all.
Kit (as Birdie): [laughing] Oh my god. You can't do this to - Okay.
Penn (as Marathon): Oo~.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, sure. Winifred's [mumbles]
Penn (as Marathon): Oh?
Kit (as Birdie): No! [laughing]
Nick: Back inside the garage, Cassidy, Winifred, and Emma - you all have not yet moved on, as you see Marathon and Birdie duck outside with apparently little interest in the technological side of the Knight.
Sydney (as Winifred): Is Marathon always so impulsive?
Sydney (as Cassidy): She's not known for her um, thoughtful decision making.
Cameron (as Emma): Yes.
Sydney (as Cassidy): You heard the tales of the Fight Club.
Sydney (as Winifred): I did. Well if Birdie's babysitting? Maybe they're watching each other.
Cameron (as Emma): They - I don't know if they get into more or less trouble if they're together, but they at least tone down the trouble. [laughing]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Did yeah did Birdie tell you that I guess they were like stealing stuff to pay for Marathon's travel for a little bit?
Sydney (as Winifred): No. That does sound like - well, that sounds like Janus, but Birdie is kind of the product of a lot of us. So
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, nothing nothing too wild should happen with Birdie being there. I I got faith in Birdie. And I know Marathon will listen to Birdie. So
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well we're in here, and they're out there, so I'll try and stay out of your way. I just if it helps to have a first hand experience of like,
Cameron (as Emma): Things going wrong?
Sydney (as Cassidy): - evil red light or whatever. Yeah, I was like stuff breaking in the cockpit like I'm here. But uh, yeah, I mean, I'm the sharpshooter. I'm on a city where I can't have guns.
Sydney (as Winifred): Well, I mean, you can have guns if you're a citizen.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, okay. But I they're, they're sitting here. And I can't like a bow is is too big.
Sydney (as Winifred): Well. Knives?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, that's what I went with.
Sydney (as Winifred): Okay, then you're fine.
Cameron: While this conversation is happening, Emma has walked over to the Knight and picked up a tablet that was resting on its knee that's wired in and is looking very technical pressing buttons on a tablet.
Sydney (as Winifred): So this is the Knight of the tales that I've learned from Birdie.
Cameron (as Emma): Yep, this is the Knight.
Sydney (as Winifred): I see we've got the maker's mark I guess? The fish in the gear that's on the outside too the rig?
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah that's the mark of Pallie. Our old -
Cameron (as Emma): The previous mechanic.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah.
Sydney (as Winifred): Ah.
Cameron (as Emma): Maker's mark slash team logo slash mark of ownership. Because there's there's another actual maker's mark that I think is the actual like, when the Knight was manufactured first, it was there.
Sydney (as Winifred): This one?
Sydney: Winifred is looking up at the shoulder of the machine where the mark that was not put there by Pallie is. It's the sleek stylized tree with the snake wrapped around it climbing up the tree.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, that one.
Sydney (as Winifred): It's not a familiar logo, but if this was like a one off or something it's hard to say anyway.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah so that - the tree mark there, the original one. And it is worth noting that Zee-o had an incredibly similar marking -
Sydney (as Winifred): Oh?
Cameron (as Emma): - on them. It it didn't have the snake and it it had a star added, but like same tree like very, very obviously the same icon just like altered slightly. So I know Pallie had the suspicion that they likely came from the same manufacturing company, group, organization, secret society, whatever was creating them.
Sydney (as Winifred): Interesting. Good to know.
Cameron (as Emma): So that's - and that's another mark in support of the, what I shall call the nice AI, being native to the initial install for everything.
Sydney: Winifred nods and then goes around to look at the tablet. Without Birdie here, you don't have a good read at all on what Winifred is thinking besides assembling technical details. And she bends down to look over your shoulder. As Winifred gets close, Emma can smell a dark scent of amber, cypress, and musk - definitely of a perfume that she's wearing. It's only noticeable at this close of range, but she's leaning kind of over you to get to the tablet or to see the screen of it.
Cameron: Emma will shift the tablet to the side slightly so that Winifred has a more clear view. Emma basically has a health dashboard set up so it's showing different power levels of varying components of the Knight and response times tracking and I think she's clicking through shifting over from the dashboard that Winifred knows she's probably likely just using as she's turning the Knight on to check that everything is going to power up correctly and stuff, over to your more standard command prompt were she's able to enter into navigate to the main hierarchy of all of the software components within the Knight so that she can point out to Winifred where the isolation chamber is set up within it.
Sydney: Winifred reaches to take the tablet out of Emma's hands and starts holding on to the tablet with one hand using the other one to rapidly type a series of diagnostic commands. A set of numbers fly by, there's some what looks like just a hex dump, but things are highlighted in it like Winifred was searching for something specific. She moves very quick.
Sydney (as Winifred): Okay, so it's still, everything's always Unix. There's no escaping it even this far.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Sydney (as Winifred): But, okay. Yeah, so give me the rundown of where things are. I'm looking at peripherals now.
Cameron (as Emma): Yep. So
Cameron: Emma, allowing Winifred to maintain control of the tablet, but using her pointer finger to kind of show where to go to track it down, she indicates a partition named bad guy AI.
Sydney (as Winifred): That makes sense.
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] Yeah, I wanted to leave a super clear note for myself. But that includes the piece that I helped Cassidy initially quarantine during the huh - event we'll say, where it took over.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, there were red lights and purple lights and everything starting to yell at me in the cockpit. And then of course, I was yelling at Emma.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, and I've added in anything else malicious that I found as I was wandering through that seemed to be a part of it.
Sydney (as Winifred): Okay, well, let me poke around and see. I can probably while I'm here at least do another round of containment, but we'll see.
Sydney: And Winifred issues another flurry of commands. A text editor opens up, a script appears itself under the barrage of screen presses.
Nick: So Winifred as you start to try to evaluate this, I need you to make me a Wild Tech check. And Emma, you can aid this Wild Tech check if you would like.
Cameron: Sure. I'm aiding.
Nick: Do you add anything besides a blue if it's already a four yellow?
Cameron: I'm learning. I'm just happy to be here. Yeah, I do not add anything to four yellows. I'm just a bonus blue.
Nick: Okay, so you get a blue die for that. I would like to flip my GM Story Point to upgrade the difficulty and the difficulty is going to be Daunting.
Sydney: All right so Winifred is rolling four yellows against three purples, a red and a blue.
[dice rolling]
Sydney: I have a success and a threat.
Nick: Great. So with a threat, Winifred you realize that whatever software intrusion happened to this hardware, it's self aware enough and can defend itself enough that it registered a different user poking around in there. It doesn't have the resources to change its defenses, but you have a feeling that it will fight you as hard as it can when you do try to fix this. And then with a success, you are able to pretty thoroughly diagnose why Emma wasn't able to deal with this directly on her own and why she was right to come to you.
Sydney: Winifred hits the screen blank button to suspend the tablet and hands it back to Emma.
Sydney (as Winifred): So I got good news, bad news, and neutral news - worse news? Flavors. So - can confirm there's something in there that's not up to good things. As it turns out there actually at one point were two things in there not up to good things.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh yeah!
Sydney (as Winifred): Some of the remnants that you were picking out I think are basically debris. I don't know if it's the more powerful one - the more successful one? There's only one left now and everything else is kind of resource fodder. The one that's in there is it is contained in that it's not going to be taking over immediately, but it's pretty entangled with stuff. It's not going to stay entangled - I would recommend keeping the Knight off for the moment.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Sydney (as Winifred): It has a alarming capability for self replication. This cannot be hooked up to any network in the city.
Cameron (as Emma): Uh. Wasn't planning on it.
Sydney (as Winifred): So this needs tools that I don't have.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay.
Sydney: Winifred has her eyes closed in deep thought, again, as she's tracing out the mental picture now of having seen firsthand what's going on with the hardware, drafting the architecture and starting to string together of maybe what the approach would be. Cassidy is sitting with her back against the toolbox and her knees up in front of her doing her best to follow, even if she doesn't understand a lot of the technical terms. Cassidy was at least around to do some of this firsthand.
Cameron (as Emma): All right well, all of that reinforces my decision to have somebody else look at it.
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah. So the good news is I think I have an idea of what's going on.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay, good.
Sydney (as Winifred): What's going on is not great.
Cameron (as Emma): I didn't think that it was.
Sydney (as Winifred): You are looking to preserve whatever this good AI is - the native one?
Cameron (as Emma): Yes, please.
Sydney (as Winifred): Okay.
Cameron (as Emma): If it goes away I don't know what that will do to the functionality of the Knight.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, so much of it is like intuition and whatever based I don't know that we be able to rewrite that from scratch with how many moving parts there are like that - [laugh] I don't, I don't know this would be pilotable anymore.
Sydney (as Winifred): Okay. So, yeah, we're not, it's going to be a lot of small rewriting of modules, trying to strip out corrupted code, purposely warped code obfuscated. It's not going to be a quick process. The tool that I would normally want to bring to bear here is going to be um, I - yeah I'm not willing to interface with this with that going on without some kind of -
Sydney: And Winifred looks thoughtful in a way that almost feels rehearsed, but maybe she's just that put together.
Sydney (as Winifred): So there is there is something that I don't have, but someone has that might be enough to provide the - do you know ICE Emma? Intrusion countermeasure electronics?
Cameron (as Emma): No, ma'am.
Sydney (as Winifred): Basically cyber shields protects you, or protects your whatever you're typing protects your stuff. So there is a specific piece of hardware on board that one of the council people has, we'll say access to. It's not really theirs, but it's in their territory and they, I haven't seen it physically. I know where it is, by, you know, doing my best to map the city networks. But there's only one thing that I can think of that would apply here and that's not going to be an easy process. I hope you are prepared to make some contacts. I can get you started, but
Sydney: And Winifred stands up
Sydney (as Winifred): You're gonna get to do some politics.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Great.
Cameron (as Emma): That's Cassidy's favorite.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, love it so much. Yeah. Lovely.
Sydney (as Winifred): I mean, I'm well positioned to do some of it, it's just not, there's gotta be some outside - enough to imbalance the system enough. And when I say the system I -
Sydney: And Winifred gestures to the city that's around above and below them.
Sydney (as Winifred): - just enough to set some ripples in place so that I can get access to some other things. There's nothing else to do down here though. We can add back up.
Cameron (as Emma): Alrighty.
Cameron: Emma returns the tablet back to the Knight's knee and repeats the process of closing up the top tarp in reverse from what she first did.
Sydney (as Winifred): Also, Emma your key card?
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm?
Sydney (as Winifred): We need to make this more secure.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay.
Sydney: And Winifred takes the tablet out of her satchel. This one is networked to the city, and does a quick set of key presses on the physical keyboard that is attached to the side of this tablet. Things fly past too fast, but Emma, you notice at least that she's running a saved script. She's not writing something special for this. Securing access and this physical hardware thing has to be something that she's done multiple times in the past, which maybe doesn't quite line up with what her advertised job of Forecasting Bureau member is.
Sydney (as Winifred): I changed the access codes, I changed the encryption algorithm on there. No one should be able to get in without that card. Don't lose it.
Cameron (as Emma): Thank you.
Sydney (as Winifred): Even the more snooping Ramp Girls or curious people that like to watch visitors and me, at least here should be safe.
Cameron (as Emma): Greatly appreciate it.
Cameron: Emma tucks the card into her bra.
Sydney (as Winifred): A resting place of the highest tier.
Cameron (as Emma): I figure it's unlikely anybody's gonna go in there. So
Sydney (as Cassidy): I - there's a second key card that if you need to do the same thing.
Sydney: Cassidy reaches into her pocket and produces the other of the paired key cards. Winifred runs a second procedure though it's faster this time because she's just reemerging the card and Cassidy following Emma's lead, slides it under her shirt. There is a trading of meaningful eye contact between Cassidy and Winifred before Winifred turns and begins to leave the rig with a head gesture.
Cameron: Emma finishes closing up the tarp and grabs her baseball bat off of her workbench and jumps down to follow Winifred out of the garage.
Nick: And as the group, having obtained what info they can from the Knight so far, leaves the garage, what scene greets them of Marathon and Birdie?
Penn: As Emma, Cassidy, and Winifred start to leave the garage, they're hearing grunts of scuffling and some chuckles from Birdie. And then as the site becomes clear when the garage door opens up, we see that Marathon has got one of Birdie's arms locked behind her back and is trying to puppet Birdie's other arm around.
Penn (as Marathon): Give it back - okay, I'm just going to have you reach with your own hand and grab it back out, okay?
Sydney (as Cassidy): You guys good?
Kit (as Birdie): Oh hey!
Penn (as Marathon): Birdie - yep, yep, sorry miss Cassidy. Birdie took - Birdie took my Voyagers and and, and put them down down her chest and I am I'm being very respectful and having her grab them back out in a physically forceful way. But Birdie [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): You'll get them back over my cold dead body.
[surprised chuckles from the Patina]
Sydney (as Winifred): Wow, Birdie I didn't know you were the one into Marathon.
Kit (as Birdie): I -
Kit: Birdie stomps on Marathon's toes, yanks out the -
Penn (as Marathon): Fuck. Dirt!
Kit: - the Voyagers and shoves them back at Marathon immediately in the span of like two seconds.
Penn (as Marathon): What the -?
Kit (as Birdie): I -
Sydney: Cassidy is looking slightly embarrassed apparently that this news has already made it to Winifred. [laughing]
Kit (as Birdie): I do not like Marathon in that way. I was just,
Penn (as Marathon): Thank you.
Kit (as Birdie): We were just playing. We were just having fun.
Sydney (as Winifred): Ah yes. I'm sure. I'm sure it was just a little bit of innocent wrestling.
Penn (as Marathon): And Winifred I was happy to have the chance to uh,
Penn: Marathon looks over a Birdie.
Penn (as Marathon): - to show off a little bit of physical prowess.
Penn: And Marathon gives a wink to Cassidy too.
Kit: Birdie has her hand on her Advantia gifted stick.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Marathon - Birdie's like a foot shorter than you and you were evenly matched.
Kit (as Birdie): [laughing]
Penn (as Marathon): Okay. You know what, let's keep going. We're heading back, right? Where are we going? Where are we going? You know,
Kit (as Birdie): She just didn't want to crush the Voyagers.
Penn (as Marathon): [grumbling] I wanted to be respectful.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Penn (as Marathon): [grumbling continues] I'll beat anybody you need. Whatever
Kit (as Birdie): Marathon’s a gentlewoman.
Penn (as Marathon): Dirt.
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, I think it's great that you aren't groping Birdie in public.
Penn (as Marathon): Thank you. Thank you. I
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, you can do it consensually in private all you want.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh -
Penn (as Marathon): Now Birdies like -
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, that's gross.
Penn (as Marathon): No, that's like, like, like, like, I don't want to.
Sydney (as Winifred): Oh, yes?
Penn (as Marathon): Is it - Is it stolen valor to say like a sister?
Kit (as Birdie): No. Yeah, I think of you like, like, like, yeah, no, that's gross. You're like family. Uhuh. No.
Cameron (as Emma): [snort]
Kit (as Birdie): You're like a really annoying older sibling.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, okay. Well,
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah... and I had four of them growing up, so I know a lot about older siblings being annoying.
Cameron (as Emma): You have a lot of experience with that, Birdie?
Penn (as Marathon): I don't know if you, if you're so innocent in this particular situation, but
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Sydney (as Winifred): Birdie, you're just the same as you always were.
Kit (as Birdie): Thanks.
Sydney (as Winifred): Congrats.
Kit (as Birdie): I'm glad to have made no personal growth.
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping] Aw Birdie, I think you've grown.
Penn (as Marathon): [overlapping] No she's made lots of growth. Yes.
Kit (as Birdie): Thank you. Thank you. I was just joking. But
Penn (as Marathon): She's probably a whole foot taller.
Kit (as Birdie): I was 17. [laugh]
Penn (as Marathon): [laugh] It was a growth joke.
Sydney (as Winifred): She's just the same as she always was, Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay, well, you know?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, you didn't -
Penn (as Marathon): I'm just taking Ls and uh you know, I'm just going to flex.
Nick: As the group continues to banter back and forth, the dynamic is quickly becoming very comfortable even with Winifred added and as you exit the garage and take the lift back up to Merchants Alley, you see that night has fully fallen. There are gentle orange lights illuminating the roads and the shopping traffic has increased rather than decreased. You come to a landing with stairs going up and stairs going down and if the Patina is going back to where they spent the night last night and Winifred is going home, this is where you part ways.
Sydney (as Winifred): You said you guys are staying back with Vaus in the shipping container?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah. Then you need to go that way and I gotta go that way.
Penn (as Marathon): Is there any sort of action steps we need for tomorrow?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Sydney: Winifred puffs up her cheeks and then blows out.
Sydney (as Winifred): [exhale] I think we're gonna have to go - well, you, we're gonna go have to talk to Janus.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, okay. That's that's good. I'm happy about this. Yes.
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Don't sound so excited Birdie. [laughing]
Kit (as Birdie): No Janus will be -
Penn (as Marathon): It's gonna be great.
Kit (as Birdie): Janus'll be fine. Janus is honestly less scary than I was for Winifred. Sorry Winifred.
Sydney (as Winifred): I mean, kind of being scary is part of the fun.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Foundling tour continues.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah, just -
Sydney (as Winifred): I can send you Janus' current place or you can get Vaus. We've not, me and - I've seen Janus but I think we kind of spread out a little bit since everything.
Kit (as Birdie): You guys don't really keep up at all, do you?
Sydney (as Winifred): Janus makes the most effort. But
Kit: Birdie gets a little visibly sad and disappointed. She's been the opposite of Winifred of about hiding her emotions for most of her life.
Kit (as Birdie): Uh. Yeah, we can - I'm sure Vaus also has the address. So whichever.
Sydney (as Winifred): Emma, do you have a comm device?
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, I do.
Cameron: Emma pulls it out and we do the hold the backs together and do the tappy thing to [laughing] share our contact information.
Sydney (as Winifred): I'll send you the details after I've got stuff mapped out a little bit. It's probably going to be a multi step process to get access to all the hardware.
Kit (as Birdie): Great.
Cameron: I figured it wasn't going to be a super quick fix so
Sydney (as Winifred): Yeah. Complicated thing with a high... mm - a low tolerance for failure.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm. High danger ratio.
Sydney (as Winifred): But Birdie at some point if you have time, um we can go - Zan has a memorial.
Kit (as Birdie): Where?
Sydney (as Winifred): Last spot they were seen.
Sydney: Then Winifred turns and walks away.
Sydney (as Winifred): Have a good night.
Cameron (as Emma): Thanks for your help!
Sydney: And she throws a hand up over her shoulder.
Kit: Birdie's just shocked into silence for at least the count of five until she does the same and turns around wordlessly and just starts walking.
Cameron: Emma follows and says
Cameron (as Emma): She didn't flirt nearly as much as I was expecting her to, Birdie.
Sydney (as Cassidy): No. Yeah. Did you have to like threaten her or something?
Kit (as Birdie): No, yeah, she probably just was more distracted by maybe just seeing - showing up to your family home and seeing your dead relative doesn't really make for the best grounds for flirting.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, fair.
Cameron (as Emma): I think Marathon did the most flirting actually.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Trying to impress someone?
Penn (as Marathon): Look, I - Miss Cassidy it's no secret. I just I just want you to think I'm cool. You know, I can be beat Birdie, right?
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing]
Kit (as Birdie): Marathon.
Cameron (as Emma): Marathon~.
Kit (as Birdie): It's okay, I -
Penn (as Marathon): No the pity makes it worse. [laugh]
Kit (as Birdie): No I'm not - I'm not pitying you.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah. ah nah.
Kit (as Birdie): Look I was -
Penn (as Marathon): Hey,
Cameron (as Emma): That was just so adorable.
Penn (as Marathon): [dramatic sigh]
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, such respect for personal space boundaries, Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): Thank you. Thank you. Um.
Sydney: And Cassidy shoves Marathon's shoulder to keep her walking in the right direction.
Penn (as Marathon): Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. To the - to the container! My polish is already chipped and it's been a day.
\[hurdy gurdy music swells\]
Outro:
Penn (as Marathon): Welcome back folks, you’re tuned to Going the Distance: Traveler’s Guide on road dial 1558. That’s a wrap on today’s log and we’re set to loop after these considerations. Further detail for the following is cataloged in the show notes.
This has been A Knight of Shreds and Patches, an actual play podcast using the Genesys game system from Fantasy Flight Games. The show is edited by Sydney Whittington, and features the talents of:
Kit Adames as Birdie. Kit can be found on Twitter and Instagram @ venusvultures. Kit is also a voice actor for Elevator Pitch Podcast, a queer genre-hopping anthology podcast that can be accessed on Spotify and YouTube.
Penn Van Batavia as Marathon. She can be found on Twitter @ acquiredchaste and in drag as horror king JOHN on Instagram @ john.is.risen. Penn is an indie TTRPG designer whose most recent work includes SLICE IT OUT, a grisly carving RPG about cutting pieces of yourself out to fit in. Check out faer other work at pennharper.itch.io.
Sydney Whittington as Cassidy. Sydney can be found on our Discord server, which is linked in the show notes, and on Twitter @ sydney_whitt. She’s also a contributing editor and occasional guest player for the Orpheus Protocol, a cosmic horror espionage actual play podcast.
Cameron Robertson as Emma. Cameron can be found on Twitter @ midnightmusic13 and on Instagram @ reading_and_dreaming. Cameron is also a player on Tabletop Squadron, a Star Wars Edge of the Empire actual play podcast.
And Nick Robertson as narrator. Nick can be found on Twitter @ alias58. Nick is also the GM for Tabletop Squadron. Nick can also be found as a player on the Orpheus Protocol.
This podcast features the musical talents of Dora Violet and Arne Parrott. You can find Dora at facebook.com/doraviolett. You can find Arne at atptunes.com.
The official artwork for this podcast was created by Rashed AlAkroka, who can be found on Instagram and Artstation @ rashedjrs.
You can follow the Patina on Twitter @ akosap_podcast or visit the website: www.akosap.com. To further support the show, consider joining the Patreon at www.patreon.com/AKoSaP, where we’ll be bringing you weekly content including bonus episodes, campfire conversations, and other fun rewards.
Until you tune back…
…stay bold and stay kind