LogBrink-Jason-14

Game log for the 2015/02/15 session of Brink, as taken by Jason

Torch and Absinthe wake up from sedation after a couple says, and Dr Satin invites them (and Swan) to a final dinner before turning them loose. Torch, who has stopped wearing his mask, asks whether this means they're allowed to eat on Ring 8 after all. Swan does not really want to answer that.

The dinner table is stainless steel, furnished with nice plates and crystal, and it's all beautifully arranged. There's a slight antiseptic tang to the air. Maybe five other people are at the table, including Dr Satin, a young woman, two men in their late twenties, and an older woman who look like Julianne Moore with a grey pageboy. Everybody stands up when the party gets ushered in, and the older woman greets "Theo" warmly. She tells Torch that he's "stunning". This place is odd, man. The staff bring out a nice green salad with cherry tomatoes. Dr Satin hands Absinthe a bowl and says, "Bacon bits?" to Absinthe. Torch, confused by the tension, reaches out with his 'Neer senses. The bacon bits are screaming.

Satin tells Absinthe that they feared for her, given the poisoning, though they don't really know why some people experience discomfort during cryosleep. Torch suggests that it's because the Devourer preys upon the sleeping. From that point he waves off all food, while Swan eats like nothing was wrong, and Absinthe claims to be a vegetarian.

Swan's Mom draws him out when she asks about his "new business venture." He relates the difficulties with the 'Neer raid. She says that she will dictate a strongly worded letter to them about this. One of the guys, called Charles, keeps making wisecracks, so finally Torch tries to draw him out to learn more about the world outside the station. Charles offers to go with him if he eats a good meal, but Torch refuses. His refusals become a source of tension, with people increasingly getting cranky with Swan for bringing this jackass to dinner. Swan covers it by saying that as an ex-Neer, Torch's physiology is a little "different." Swan's Mom ends up dismissing Charles. Swan ends up having to pivot hard to asking Satin about his reproductive plans. Mom then turns it back and implies that maybe Swan and Absinthe are a thang. Swan gets visibly flustered, but Absinthe just gives her a look, and suddenly Mama is dumbstruck.

Swan, feeling things slipping out of control, brings the topic back to the situation in the Den. In the process, he shares his vision of the future with Torch and Absinthe. After they leave, Torch tries to convince Swan that they need to overrun cryo and free everyone. Swan convinces him otherwise by reminding him that the station ecosystem could not hope to support so many. Torch rededicates himself to opening the wormhole and finding a way out. Also killing the Devourer.

Cipher, working with Dr Oculus in control, finds a chance to examine the quantum scope. He finds nothing wrong with it but can read its recent history. Anyway... he's been assisting Oculus as possible, but only insofar as Oculus keeps him in the loop and doesn't try to keep him away from the scope. Oculus and his people are building a gravitic lens, out in space, and they need the quantum scope to calibrate the individual sensor elements. He's been working for a few days, aware of a feverish level of activity around him but with no set deadline, and while everyone is working hard, the emphasis on accuracy over speed means that there's no hope they will be able to return the scope within Swan's one week deadline. Oculus authorizes him to communicate with Swan and warn him that the deadline will not be met.

Four or five days in, Cipher realizes that he's all alone, until someone comes and gets him for "the ceremony." They give him some robes and a mask so that he can attend in fashionable garb. They go to Ring 35, which has no grav, partial power, and partial atmo. The ag dome they're in faces the sun and has a view of the wormhole. A great many people in billowing robes are there. Floating in the middle of the dome, Dr Oculus hums or sings a very deep bass note. People are putting on oval mirrored masks, so he does likewise. Nonetheless, Cipher... does not fit in. He notices that a lot of people seem to be looking toward him, and that when he's nearby, they drop out of the humming chorus. Whispering starts and then spreads until the Doctor himself notices. "There is a newcomer among us. Bring him to me." The group crowdsurfts him to the middle of the room and then tosses him up to Oculus. Oculus puts out a hand and stops him as he approaches - in a way which violates the conservation of momentum.

"Brother, if you are to be so called, do you come here of your own free will?"

"I do."

"Do you come here cognizant of the risks and responsibilities?"

"I do."

"Is it your intention to cleave to the Farsight Brotherhood?"

"It is."

"Then look into my eyes."

Cipher falls into his eyes. He feels himself in a tight, fast, decaying orbit around the wormhole. He's almost touching it when he hears Oculus say, "Don't fight it." He goes into the wormhole. When he comes through, Oculus' eyes are no longer black, and the Doc looks shocked. He puts Cipher's mask back on and pushes him back into the waiting mass. The collective singing seems to be prying his brain open to the psychic maelstrom. He goes with it and reaches beyond the maelstrom. In the land of rooms and doors, one of the doorknobs is vibrating. He opens it and the wormhole is right there in the doorway. He steps through and finds himself in his favorite place on the space station where he grew up, looking at Earth, just the way he remembers it. There are people all around him, reacting to his presence with considerable surprise.

Swan gets the message that Cipher left, warning him that the deadline will not be met, and calls him back. Cipher says he's already asked Oculus to move faster and he can't push any harder. If Swan wants to do more, he needs to show up and do the pushing in person.

Swan orders a 2-armor vac suit.

Yvette and Plinko The Peg-leg give Torch a hard time about not being there for them. Torch ends up choke-slamming Plinko to make him shut up.

Raskolnikov confronts Swan about the failure to return the Quantum Scope. Swan presses him for 48 more hours, after which they will go get the scope. Raskolnikov asks for Swan's word that he can come with him to get the scope, and then accepts the new terms.

Oculus asks Cipher to come and speak with him. Seems that Cipher has transcended and Oculus wants to know what Cipher saw. Cipher relates his vision and confirms that he studied at Lunar Lagrange U (Go Warthogs!). The Doc asks one of his flunkies to send in Dr Farquhar. Oculus tells Farquhar that Cipher is to be given special quarters and his every need attended to. They move Cipher into swanky new digs that lock from the outside. Cipher tells Farquhar that he likes the place but requires companionship. Farquhar will look into it. Then Farquhar leads him back to the lab, which is now under double-heavy guard. The 48 hours pass quickly.

Cipher sends Absinthe to find out what's going on with Turf in the Shell. Seems that things are really tense, everyone's armed, different groups control different areas, and an increasing number of people are going around telling people to unify behind Swan to avoid being Devoured. Oddly, this does not seem to be a popular message. Turf's people control the elevators.

For companionship, Farquhar provides Cipher with a golden retriever named Molly. Dogs are rare so this is kind of a unique privilege. On the other hand it is totally not what Cipher wanted. Swan gets Warchest and Flail and a small gang of soldiers and heads up to Control with Raskolnikov, with Absinthe shadowing them to make sure things go smooth, and to see what she can spot about Oculus' true motives.

Oculus arranges for Cipher to be present at the meeting with Swan. Cipher refuses to go unless he can bring the scope, and the scope is in use. Oculus comes in person to discuss that particular point but yields instantly when Cipher points out that they're in the middle of a run.

Swan's crew comes to visit, which gets off to a great start as Oculus doesn't recognize Raskolnikov, and Raskolnikov calls him a fat blob of suet. Oculus starts to take them to the lab, but an alarm starts going off. In the lab, the halon sytem activates, and when Cipher turns to look for it, the quantum scope is gone. Raskolnikov begins screaming insults, Swan orders him to stand down and shut up, Raskolnikov yells "he's got a gun," and all hell breaks loose. Swan yells "chill the fuck out!" and Oculus' guards back down to Swan's troops. Oculus starts talking about calm. Cipher and Molly return to the lab. Oculus orders the alarm shut down. He ends up assuring Raskolnikov that finding the scope will be his total goal. Raskolnikov shakes on it with him, providing him the chance to discern that Oculus feels safest in his office, and would trust Raskolnikov if he joined Oculus' research team.

Raskolnikov watches the search. Farquhar tells Oculus that he intercepted a transmission from Absinthe to Swan saying she has the scope. Oculus informs Raskolnikov that Swan appears to be the problem. Oculus, at Cipher's request, tells Cipher and Raskolnikov to work this out between them.