SPS Iron Hammer

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<<widget "SetGender">> /* $pgen: 0 = male, 1 = female, 2 = gender neutral, 3 = no gender */ <<if $mc.gender is "woman">><<set $pgen = 1>><<elseif $mc.gender is "person">><<set $pgen = 2>><<else>><<set $pgen = 0>><</if>> <</widget>> <<widget "gender">><<cycle "$mc.gender" autoselect>> <<option "feminine" woman>> <<option "masculine" man>> <<option "androgynous" person>> <</cycle>><</widget>> <<widget "eyes">><<cycle "$mc.eye" autoselect>> <<option "blue">> <<option "brown">> <<option "green">> <<option "black">> <<option "grey">> <<option "golden">> <</cycle>><</widget>> <<widget "size">><<cycle "$mc.size" autoselect>> <<option "tiny" 0>> <<option "small" 1>> <<option "average" 2>> <<option "tall" 3>> <<option "very tall" 4>> <</cycle>><</widget>> <<widget "weight">><<cycle "$mc.weight" autoselct>> <<option "chubby">> <<option "heavy">> <<option "fit">> <<option "lean">> <<option "thin">> <<option "frail">> <</cycle>><</widget>> <<widget "nofight">> <<if $mc.size gte 3 or $mc.weight is "chubby" or $mc.weight is "heavy">>, but even with your <<if $mc.weight is "chubby" or "heavy">>strength<<else>>size<</if>> you do not move him one inch<</if>> <</widget>> <<widget "nofighta">> <<if $mc.size gte 3 or $mc.weight is "chubby" or $mc.weight is "heavy">>, though you barely manage to fit through it,<</if>> <</widget>> <<widget "fight">> <<if $mc.size gte 3 or $mc.weight is "chubby" or $mc.weight is "heavy">>You know with your build, you probably could have taken one of them. <</if>> <</widget>> <<widget "restrain">> <<if $mc.size gte 3 or $mc.weight is "chubby" or $mc.weight is "heavy">>, even with your <<if $mc.weight is "chubby" or "heavy">>stature<<else>>size<</if>><</if>> <</widget>> <<widget "afternoon">><<cycle "$mc.afternoon" autoselect>> <<option "spending some time at the Sport Hall, working on them muscle of yours." sport>> <<option "strolling through the rows of the library, for some quiet reading time." book>> <<option "walking to the sun deck, for some dreamy stargazing." star>> <<option "spending some alone time in your pod, undisturbed." pod>> <</cycle>><</widget>> <<widget "blink">><<script>> $(document).one(':passagerender', function (ev) { $(ev.content).find("#blinky").fadeTo(1000, 0).fadeTo(1000, 1).delay(200).fadeTo(1000, 0).fadeTo(1000, 1).delay(200).fadeTo(1000, 0).fadeTo(1000, 1).delay(200).fadeTo(1000, 0).fadeTo(1000, 1).delay(200).fadeTo(1000, 0).fadeTo(1000, 1); }); <</script>><</widget>>

<<silently>><<nobr>><<set $mc to {}>> <<set $rule to 85>> <<set $friendly to 70>><</nobr>><</silently>>

<span class="title">//SPS Iron Hammer//</span> <span class="author">by <a href="https://manonamora-if.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">manonamora</a></span>

<<nobr>> <li>[[stats]]</li> <li>[[codex]]</li> <li>[[credits]]</li> <</nobr>>

<<silently>><<set $rulestat to $rule /=2>><<set $friendlystat to $rule /=2>><<set $unruly to 100 - $rulestat>><<set $unfriendly to 100 - $friendlystat>><</silently>>\ <h3>Stats</h3> <div class="stat-bar-group"> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar-overlay-left">''Obedient'' $rulestat%</div> <div class="stat-bar-overlay-right">''Rebellious'' $unruly%</div> <div class="stat-bar" id="statone-stat"></div> </div></div>\ <div class="stat-bar-group"> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar-overlay-left">''Friendly'' $friendlystat%</div> <div class="stat-bar-overlay-right">''Hostile'' $unfriendly%</div> <div class="stat-bar" id="stattwo-stat"></div> </div></div>\ <<link "Return" $return>><</link>>

This game was made possible on Twine with the help of the [[Sugarcube 2 Documentation|https://www.motoslave.net/sugarcube/2/docs]]. <h3>Macros</h3> * Chapel ([[Notify, Dice Roll and Fade-in||https://github.com/ChapelR/custom-macros-for-sugarcube-2]]) * Cycy ([[Live Update|https://github.com/cyrusfirheir/cycy-wrote-custom-macros]]) * HiEv ([[Pronouns, Terminal, and other CSS add-on|https://qjzhvmqlzvoo5lqnrvuhmg-on.drv.tw/UInv/Sample_Code.html]]) <h3>Background</h3> * Light Mode: [[Hexagonal Blue Roof Wallpaper by Pixabay|https://www.pexels.com/photo/architectural-design-architecture-building-ceiling-434650/]] * Dark Mode: [[Blue Pink and White Andromeda Galaxy Way by Miriam Espacio|https://www.pexels.com/photo/blue-pink-and-white-andromeda-galaxy-way-110854/]] <h3>UI Template</h3> * [[Twine/Sugarcube 2 Template by A.W. Morgan|https://awmorgan.itch.io/twine-sugarcube-template]] <h3>Fonts</h3> * [[OpenDyslexic Font by Abbie Gonzalez|https://opendyslexic.org]] * [[Orbitron|https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Orbitron]] * [[VT 323|https://fonts.google.com/specimen/VT323]] * [[Changa|https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Changa]] <<link "Return" $return>><</link>>

<span class="title">//SPS Iron Hammer//</span> They say you have been on board the longest. How long? You are not quite sure, not anymore. You do not remember a time before the //SPS Iron Hammer//. You don't know how you even ended up on this spaceship to begin with. You just seemed to have appeared one day onboard, as many have before you and many more have after. You were give a suit, ''#8019'', and some menial tasks to complete every day. Ensure that these are done in a timely manner and avoid causing any trouble, and you will spend your life content and taken care of. Failure to comply, and well... You are no quite sure, but you'd rather not find out yourself. Until now, your life onboard of the //SPS Iron Hammer// has been quite pleasurable. Since you've set foot on this ship, you had need for nothing, nor wanted anything. Sure, not remembering a single thing prior to your arrival is peculiar, but no one else on the ship remembers their life either. To be honest, you are not sure you would want to remember either. You would rather not want to learn anything negative about your past life... or yourself. For a long time, all of this was sufficient to you. You were quite happy with your life onboard the SPS Iron Hammer. Until this new crew member appeared, Jake he called himself. A loner peculiar young man who will confide in you, if you allow him to. A secret that will change your life. Between choosing to live your life in peaceful bliss and finding the truth, how will you reconcile your place on the //SPS Iron Hammer//? <div align='center' style='font-size: 150%'><<button [[Start|Start]]>><</button>></div> <hr> ''Content Warning:'' some animation (timed text, blinking text), foul language and swearing, mention of violence, mention of death, mention of bodily harm.

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>><<type 60ms>><span class="piri">“Hello, #8019…”</span><</type>>\ <<fadein 2s 2s>><<link "Wake Up" `passage()`>><</link>><</fadein>> <<case 2>>You hear a faint voice in the distance. Instinctively, you put the cover over your head and turn towards the wall, trying to hide from the warm light slowly filling the room. //Not just yet. Please… 5 more minutes.// “<span class="piri">Hello, #8019,</span>” you hear the voice, clearer now, chanting in your ears. “<span class="piri">It is time for you to get up. You are awaited at the Commissary today for your daily assignment. Please report there as soon as possible. Have a good day!</span>” You reluctantly move the cover down and open your eyes, facing the cold metallic wall your bed is attached to. Tiny tally-marks, scratched into it, seem to be shining with the light. You mechanically brush them with your fingertips. As you have done every day for the past… //Weeks? Months? Years?// You are not quite sure. You have been on board for so long, you have lost track of time. Yet, you remember your awakening as clear as day, as if it had happened just yesterday. //It has been much longer than yesterday.// You rub your eyes with your palms. //It doesn’t matter anyway at the end//, it’s not like you can easily keep track of things in here anyway. //Nor have I made much effort either.// At this point, it has been so long since you’ve last scratched the wall—//was I even the one who did this?//—, you’ve lost the need to start again. P.I.R.I., the AI on board, tracks everything. For you, and everyone else. You only need to follow what it tells you. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>“<span class="piri">Hello, #8019,</span>” the voice repeats, still chanting. “<span class="piri">It is time for you to get up. You are awaited at the Commissary today for your daily assignment. Please report there as soon as possible. Have a good day!</span>” You sigh. Knowing full well the voice will continue its incessant repetition until you are completely up and out of your bed, you still avoid making any other movement. You are not the kind of crew member to refuse one of P.I.R.I.’s commands or argue with it, but you will often delay the moment you end up doing it, as long as you can manage anyway. Once, early in your stay on the //SPS Iron Hammer//, you tried to stay still in your bunk for as long as you physically and mentally could. The voice repeated its message endlessly, and became more annoying with each repetition, bordering on threatening by the end. You clearly remember your head hurting and your temple almost bursting with pain. Your breaking point came much quicker than you anticipated, you could not withstand the shrill robotic voice for longer. You thought you had the willpower to fight through it and find out what would happen if you stayed in bed even longer. But your actions proved you wrong, and you did not dare attempt it again either. * [[The voice is still relatively calm. You could try to squeeze a few more minutes of rest if you stayed in bed a bit longer. |SB1][$rule -= 5]] * [[You can already feel remnants of pain while recollecting this unpleasant experience. You’d rather not live through it again. |GetUp]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if hasVisited("SB2")>>You’ve tried your best, but you cannot take the pain, not anymore. Your best was not enough to beat the game you created with P.I.R.I., though unknown by it. You roll yourself out of your bunk, with much difficulty, and fall on the ground. You try to stand up.<<elseif hasVisited("SB1")>>//There is no need for dumb experiments today.// As much as you want to stay in bed, you still would rather not have to clean those dirty bathrooms, at least when you knew what to do to easily avoid it. That and the horrible headaches, you shudder. This is all you need to muster the will to get out of your bunk.<<else>>As much as you want to stay in bed right now, you also really want to avoid repeating this unpleasant experience. You’d rather not want to hear the calm robotic voice turn shrill. //Anything to prevent these horrible headaches//, you shudder. This is all you need to muster the will to get out of your bunk.<</if>> When your feet are firmly on the ground, the echoing voice turns silent. You stretch your arms and legs the way you were taught when you arrived. //Well… not as much arrived as woken up in a pod//, you snort. Even though it has been quite some time since, these daily exercises continue to feel odd on your limbs. You don’t remember much of your time before the //SPS Iron Hammer// —though you are not sure you remember anything at all—, but your limbs seem to recall something. You’ve tried many times —//too many times//— to find any remnant of a memory, thought long and hard, tried things to help jog your brain. But it was all in vain. There was nothing to be found there. //Nothing but fog.// You shrug. It does not matter in the end. //It won’t change anything. All that matters is what I do now.// You remove your nightwear and pick up a neatly folded pile of clothes. You unfold it and put on your crew uniform. You look into the polished wall in front of you, gazing at your reflection in this green khaki suit. Your eyes move to the dark silver embroidered patch on your left breast. ''#8019''. You were given this uniform when you awoke. It is also by this number that P.I.R.I. refers to you. You sneer… * [[You frankly don’t care much for names at this point. You’ve let the crew refers to you by this number as well.|Name][$name to "#8019"]] * [[While P.I.R.I. calls you by this number, when it comes to the rest of the crew, you prefer to be called… |Name]]

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>“<span class="piri">Hello, #8019,</span>” the voice chants again. “<span class="piri">It is time for you to get up. You are awaited at the Commissary today for your daily assignment. Please report there as soon as possible. Have a good day!</span>” //Fuck it, I can stay in bed a bit longer.// You put the cover back over you and close your eyes, hoping to squeeze a few more minutes of rest before you inevitably have to get on with your day. You’ve managed to withstand the pain before, you know you can do it again. Though, you concur while you will probably not fall back asleep—//not with that robotic voice babbling my ear off, anyway//—, you might be able to enjoy some time by yourself in your pod. This is the only place you can be by yourself. Everywhere else, every room, every corner, hook and crannies, you are never alone. There is always someone around. And even when you think you are alone, //P.I.R.I. is always watching…// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>“<span class="piri">Hello, #8019,</span>” the voice repeats, like clockwork. “<span class="piri">It is time for you to get up. You are awaited at the Commissary today for your daily assignment. Please report there as soon as possible. Have a good day!</span>” You bring your arm over your eyes, the light being now so bright you cannot escape it anymore. //Still some time left…// As long as P.I.R.I. wishes you a good day, you are in the clear. You know you won’t be able to lazy around much longer. Soon, the chanting voice will lose its charming tone. Soon, it will get even louder, and its volume will keep on increasing until you get up. //Soon… but not yet!// Pre-emptively, you shuffle your hand under your pillow to find a pair of earplugs, which you insert in your ears when you end up finding it. //They won’t work much in a bit, but, for now, it will do.// You try your best to empty your mind and block out any noise, hoping to get lucky and fall asleep. But, the only voice you hear is not the one of Morpheus’s. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>“<span class="piri">#8019,</span>” the voice declares, though you hear it faintly with your earplugs. “<span class="piri">You need to get up now. Please report to the Commissary promptly.</span>” The voice is not lovely anymore. It is more firm now, with no pretences of niceness or politeness in its delivery. Gone are the good wishes. Gone is the chanting. The final reminder.// Ugh. Here we go… // You have stayed in your room for as long as P.I.R.I. would allow you to without any consequences. Starting now, if you fail to comply with the command, you know you will be punished. After you experimented last time, you were assigned to Maintenance for weeks, to the tasks no one wants to do, mainly cleaning bathrooms. You are pretty sure that this show of insubordination landed you in the stinkers, as you were never assigned to Maintenance ever since. * [[Cleaning toilets is not really your style. Relent and get out of bed. |GetUp]] * [[Capitulating is not the way, no matter the consequences. Stay still firmly in your bunk. |SB2][$rule -=10]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if def $name>>You frankly don’t care much for names at this point. Sure, you used to find it //weird// when you arrived. You’ve even struggled for a while, as most crew members do, as these numeral characters on your chest seemed to aggravate you for some reason. With the loss of your memories, losing your name —you are sure you had one before— felt like losing your //humanity//. However, you ended up realizing running after something that did not seem to exist —not anymore— was just a wild goose chase. You’ve come to terms, more or less, with this loss and moved on with your life. P.I.R.I. refers to you by this number. ''#8019''. So does the rest of the crew. Unlike you, some members of the crew prefer to be called by something else, for fear of losing their humanity as well or just because they want to stand out. Honestly, you’ve tried giving yourself a new name, but nothing felt right. The name they gave themselves seems to be the last thing they think they have left in this world, as like you their memories are gone. They did not feel any connection to these assigned digits, but you’ve grown attached to them. You think it fits you quite well. And that is enough for you. <<else>>You’ve lost the number of times you’ve asked P.I.R.I. to change how it refers to you, in vain. Its robotic voice continues to call you by the numeral characters you were assigned to when you woke up. Luckily, the crew is more understanding and receptive to your wishes. Rather than ''#8019'', you ask to be called… <<textbox "$name" "Type here...">><<button "Submit">><<update>><</button>> Just like you, some crew members prefer the use of an actual name, rather than these basic numbers. Whether it was to stand out from the crowd or show their personality, everyone seems to have a different reason to discard their assigned label. At least among themselves. Though, you have speculated that, for most of them, many are clinging on these special names as their last link to their humanity, having lost their memories as well. While you don’t know where your insistence to use <<liveblock>>$name<</liveblock>> comes from —nor do you wish to know either—, you’ve also seen a group of the crew not caring for them one bit. When they realized they lost their memories, they quickly accepted their fate and new nameless life. It was easier to let go and move on than to torture themselves with these existential crises. Some even feel proud of these glowing numbers on their chests. //To each their own.// <</if>>\ * [[Knock, knock, knock.|Request]]

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>><<case 1>>A couple of knocks on your door bring you back to reality. “$name?” you hear a hoarse voice on the other side. “Are you decent?” //Ugh… What does he want now?// You sigh, your palms covering your //face. He is going to ruin my morning again, isn’t he? Can’t I get one day —ONE DAY— without him breathing down my neck?// You force yourself to take a deep breath. //That’s right… Keep calm.// The faster you deal with him, the better it is. For you, at least. You take a final look at yourself on the polished wall in front of you, as you pull down the top of your uniform —just a bit—, making sure it fits properly on your body. //<span class="piri">A properly dressed crew is a good crew</span>//, P.I.R.I. used to remind you. A <<gender>> reflection with piercing <<eyes>> eyes mirrors your movements. The <<size>> moving image looks tired, behind its youth. After all this time on board the ship, you still haven’t notice any major changes to this <<weight>> body. //Something, something about the ship’s AI putting weird stuff in our food//, you chuckle. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>“Are you //really// going to make me wait?” the man knocks on your door again. //That mot—… That man has been bothering me —and everyone else— almost every day since he arrived on board.// You massage your temples as you move to open the door. A large man stands in its frame, blocking any way out of your pod. He wears a similar khaki green uniform as you do, though his is already quite filthy. //Have I ever seen it being clean?// He scratches his coarse dark beard, covering the bottom half of his face, and grins. You barely notice his mouth through his beard, but his teeth //—god his teeth—// bring you ever so closer to gag every time you see them. You divert your eyes back to his uniform, something weirdly less filthy. #64073 is embroidered on the barely visible patch, hidden by his beard. <<if $name is "#8019">>Like you, he prefers to go by his number than a “real” name.<<else>>Unlike you, he prefers to go by his assigned number rather than finding himself a name.<</if>> “Finally,” he mutters. “What do you want, #64073?” “And a good morning to you too, $name. What a fine day it is today, drifting in this metal junk in the ever-expanding space without any goal or destination. I have slept quite well, thank you for asking. How are you today?” “Spare me, #64073. I am not in the mood. Just get on with it.” “You are doing Commissary today, right?” “Why do you care?” “I thought you could do me a small favour.” * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<SetGender>>You roll your eyes. //Not again…// Every time he stops by your door —or wherever you are when he finds you—, he will ask you for something. Most often, it is something small. An extra portion of food or some spare parts for whatever project of the month he is “working” on. //Sometimes…// you shudder just thinking about it. That man will take and take, never satisfied. He could take everything from everyone, but that would still not quench his thirst. Greedy is not strong enough of a word to define him. Usually, when he asks you for a //small favour// as he calls it, you try to flip him off and move on with your day. Even then, he rarely respects your choice and will follow you until you either relent to his request or he finds an easier target. Accepting to help him you is never without risk, for you or anyone crossing paths with him. You’d rather stay out of trouble. Some days, however, you let him have his way —or at least pretend to— to get rid of him faster. Just his presence close to you is taxing. Giving in and doing what he requests tends to give you a bit of a reprieve from his shenanigans. As long as P.I.R.I. doesn’t notice your actions —or deems them dangerous—, you know nothing bad will happen to you. Still, it requires you to be a bit more… cautious. * [[You won’t give him any answer before he tells you what he wants exactly. |R-Question]] * [[Refuse directly. You don’t need nor want to deal with him today. |R-Refuse][$friendly -=5]] * [[Accept directly to get him out of your hair. You can always faint ignorant later…|R-Agree][$rule -= 5, $friendly +=5]]<<unset $text>><</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>“Maybe I can, maybe I can’t,” you shrug. “Depends on what you want.” “It’s only a small thing, $name. I promise it won’t take too long.” You cross your arms, cock your head and look at him, miffed. When he wants something, especially if that //something// goes probably against the rules, he always goes around the bush, annoyingly so. Unless you agree from the get-go, he will try to waste your time as much as he can, just to spite you. //Arsehole.// “Well then? What is it you want?” “So you agree to do it?” his face lights up. “Never said I did. I ain’t agreeing to anything when I don’t know what it is.” “It is a really small thing I want you to do in the Commissary. Just a small override on a tiny little single request.” You roll your eyes once more. You’ve always expected this favour to come at one point, but always hoped it would never fall on your lap. //Just a small override… Who is he kidding?// It is never just a small request with him, and it would definitely not be just a small override. Not the kind P.I.R.I. would let you do anyway. Sure, it gives you some leeway and lets you approve small things it did not account for —or did not think important enough to account for—. A small protein bar here, some extra drilling screws there. You don’t expect #64073 to request a small thing. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>“You know full well P.I.R.I. won’t let me do that,” you lie. “Pfft,” he shakes his hand. “I know you can do more than just the job that dumb robot asks you to. You’ve done this before.” “And I know you are not going to ask me to approve a request for an actual small thing, #64073. Now, spill it out already. I have other things to do.” The man swiftly glances around him, making sure no one is around to overhear your little conversation. //As if anyone actually cares what passes through his lips.// Nothing can be heard by you and you only, when P.I.R.I. tracks every little word the crew says, at any time, in any place, and acts in consequence. Even then, the AI seems to be turning a blind eye to many things. If it is not critical to the safety or overall well-being of the crew, it lets you do whatever you want… //including bullying people apparently.// “Approve Request HLZ666GC,” he whispers. “Ooookay… What is in that request, #64073?” “Don’t worry ‘bout it. Just do it, alright?” he scans the corridor behind you. “I’ll know it if you don’t do it!” * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>The rough man leaves the room and disappears before you can even respond or ask more questions. //Always acting so shady. Unbelievable.// Why P.I.R.I. has not dwelt with him yet is a complete mystery. Others seem to have vanished for much less. With #64073 gone, you can finally start your day in peace. You exit your room and walk towards the Commissary. Luckily, you only need to follow the corridor down, the opposite direction #64073 went to, for a few minutes before passing through an opening, leading to a room. You press the door button, which locks you almost immediately in this small space. The AI tends to give you tasks located close to your bunk. You have heard some of the crew complaining they had to cross the whole ship almost every day to complete their own job. //No need to think about this now,// you sigh. //There are still many things to do today.// * [[Continue|StartJob]]<</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>“Ab-so-lu-te-ly not!” you try to push him aside, but he does not budge. “Oh come on, $name!” He settles strong in the frame. “Why not?” “I don’t see why I should do anything for you,” you push him again<<nofight>>. “As long as your voice is not coming out of the speakers like P.I.R.I’s, I am not going to follow anything you say.” “But you have before! Why not now?” “Goddammit, #64073! I don’t want to go through this with you every time. Now,” you try to find an opening to escape your room, “let me get on with my day. I have shit to do.” “It’s just a small thing this time! It won’t take you any time. Come on, $name. Just this time. I won’t ask again. A small thing. I promise.” “You promised yesterday. And the time before,” you count on your fingers. “And the time before that. And the time before that one as well. And all of the ones before,” you count until all your fingers are straight. “Yet, here we are.” “It’s really the last one, this time,” he claps his hands together in front of him, pleading you to change your mind. “Please, $name. I’m begging you. I don’t want P.I.R.I. to end me.” You take advantage of his movements leaving you some space to pass him<<nofighta>> and finally extract yourself out of your room. You swiftly walk away from him, not even looking back, hoping to get on with your day in peace. When he realizes that you are gone, #64073 runs after you, still pleading his case. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>“You know the drill, #64073,” you chastise him. “Do your tasks and P.I.R.I. will let you be. Don’t be a dick to people and it will even give you what you need. Then you can do whatever you want. It’s really not that hard to leave people alone.” “But, $name, you know with my bad knees I can’t do the tasks I am assigned to. Not without what I need from you.” “If you stopped kicking people with it, that would probably help.” “Wow… You can be so cruel, $name,” he pouts. You roll your eyes once more and increase your pace. //If I could just reach the Commissary before him…// you could manage to lock yourself in there and be free of him. #64073 tries to keep up with you, with some pain as his knees can only let him run for so long. Would he actually follow the rules and do what P.I.R.I. asks of him, the Med Bay would have replaced his knees long ago. As it stands, his little transgressions keep him from an easier life. //He keeps himself from an easier life.// You’ve wondered if the medical crew also keeps him at bay so everyone can avoid having to deal with him at his full capabilities. //What a bigger bully he could become otherwise.// With healthy knees, who knows how many chests will find their way in front of his bony kicks? Trying to lose the annoying man, you’ve increased your pace so much you are now almost run down the corridor. P.I.R.I. reminds you, in your ear, to <span class="piri">please follow the rules and be mindful of others while travelling around the ship</span>. Unless in an emergency or in the Sports Hall, this kind of running is frowned upon here. //If I don’t lose him soon, this will have to qualify as an emergency.// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>You almost dive into the Commissary room and slam the door button, which locks you inside. You sit panting on the cold floor, against the wall, trying to get your breathing under control. You are startled by the banging of #64073’s fists against the door. You find somewhat comforting having this door separating the two of you. Since he is not assigned to this space today —he never is anyway—, you know he will not be able to enter, no matter how hard he tries. You hear him cursing you through the door, though faintly. You are tempted to respond, if that would not end up antagonizing him more. You’d much prefer he’d get into trouble on his own. Helping someone commit any form of large disturbance —or any crime for that matter— is heavily frowned upon and would land you into a big mess with P.I.R.I.. Punishment is given in many forms, from being tasked to clean disgusting toilets to… //well, who knows really?// You’ve tried to manly keep your head down all of this time and did your best to avoid the wrath of the ship’s AI. You’ve met people who haven’t. They tend to disappear quickly after their last transgression, never to be seen again. //Never to be remembered again…// The banging on the door doesn’t last as long as you expected. You guess that P.I.R.I. has reminded #64073 of the possible consequences for his actions, which probably prompted him to leave you alone, at last. You’d rather he be gone completely. You get up from the cold floor and get ready to start your day. * [[Continue|StartJob]]<</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

“Sure. Whatever.” #64073 is taken aback a bit. He was definitely expecting you to put up a fight about this, at least a bit. Or to drill him about the vagueness of his request. His demeanour returns quickly to his usual self, as he smirks at you and rubs his hands shadily. “Great. I won’t take you too long, I promise.” “I already agreed to it, dude. Can I go now?” “Don’t…” he looks at you confused, “don’t you want to know what I want?” You shrug. Knowing him, you know you don’t have to worry much about this. He always makes sure his instructions are clear and followed when the time comes. He will find a way to reach you and remind you, regardless of whether you’ve agreed to his favour or not. It doesn’t matter much if he explains everything to you now, you’ll get the rundown again when you will need to act. You’d rather avoid wasting more time here and now. “Right,” he pats your shoulder. “You just need to approve Request HLZ666GC.” “Huh? What?” “Request HLZ666GC… Don’t worry you won’t miss it.” “ ‘K. Anything else?” you take his hand off of you, with almost disgust. “Err… No.” “Can I?” you motion the corridor behind him. “Right… Yeah.” #64073 takes a step back and lets you leave the room. You pass through avoiding glancing at him and start walking towards the Commissary without looking back. “Don’t forget your promise,” you hear him yell behind you. “Yeah, yeah…” you wave back. //One day…// one day, he will leave you alone. He will have no choice but to leave you alone. His shady business and actions will have to catch up to him at some point. And P.I.R.I. will have to punish him. You hope, at least. You remember some have vanished for much less. The distance between your room and the Commissary is quite short. Luckily, you only need to follow the corridor down for a few minutes before passing through an opening, leading to a room. You press the door button, which locks you almost immediately in this small space. The AI tends to give you tasks located close to your bunk. You have heard some of the crew complaining they had to cross the whole ship almost every day to complete their own job. //No need to think about this now//, you sigh. //There are still many things to do today.// * [[Continue|StartJob]]

There are very few rooms on the ship where you feel completely at ease: your pod, the Library Hall, and the Commissary. You find the last one to be a cosy room. On the right of the door, stands a small desk, the one you sit at when it is slow and quiet. You also fill in paperwork there. //Though, there is not much paper involved//, you think as you tap on the screen of a tablet left on the desk. Continuing on the right, you see a built-in-the-wall closet, locked with a biometric box controlled by P.I.R.I., guarding a small inventory of little items. //And a wonderful assortment of bland snacks//. Opposite to the door, you find the Commissary counter, closed until you turn it on, by where other crew members can request items from the inventory or access to larger items in other rooms. The Commissary job is an easy one. People come up to the counter, scan their bio-prints, and either hand you their request cards or ask for the item upfront. You prefer when the crew does the first, as it means less work for you. If they don’t hand you their card, you need to manually enter their request in the system, which sometimes lead to errors and frustration. //But when they bring their cards…// then you just need to scan them in the small machine on the counter, which sends the request to the system. When the request is in, P.I.R.I. informs you whether it is valid or not. You can then choose to apply its judgement or override it. There is rarely an instance when you need to do the latter though. You like this job. There is not much thinking or effort involved. You don’t need to lift heavy things, crouch all day, or have someone’s life in your hands as you stitch them up. You occasionally need to handle difficult crew members, especially when their requests are not approved, but they are few and far between. Sometimes, you manage to make someone a little bit happier even —with P.I.R.I.’s blessing. You’ve doubled the amounts of a request before, or added a little treat or two. //It’s not much, but it’s honest work, I think?// Another thing that you like about this job is that it is short. Unlike other departments, the Commissary is not open for very long during the day: just a couple of hours in the morning, a few in the afternoon, and a few more in the evening. Each slot is filled by a different crew member. You tend to have the morning shift. //Well…// what you consider morning anyway. In space, you’ve rarely seen any light brighter than stars burning light-years away —you don’t even remember the last time the ship passed close to an actual planet—. Still, the Commissary is open just long enough for everyone to submit their request, but never long enough that you can stay idle. Since you’ve arrived on the //SPS Iron Hammer//, you’ve been assigned to this job quite a lot —more often than others as far as you can tell. You are pretty good at it, if you’d say so yourself, and don’t cause much trouble anyway. You wonder sometimes whether there would be an actual reason why you are assigned there so often. <div align='center'><<button [[OPEN THE COUNTER|CounterMed]]>><</button>></div>

You press a familiar button just under the counter. Its window opens and reveals a queue of waiting crew members. //Another long day, huh,// you sigh. Some days, you will only see a handful of them requesting things. During others, the queue will be so long, it fills the entire corridor. Those days, thankfully rare, are the worst. //Today…// you put your head out to gauge your workload. You think it might be busy enough that time will pass quickly. //But who knows… I don’t know until my shift ends anyway.// “Hey, $name. How are you doing?” asks the first person in line. “Just fine, thanks. What you got today?” “Request for the Med Bay,” she hands you her request card and scans her fingerprints. You nod at the woman and scan her card. The verification screed loads the request. <div class="terminal"> //''Request:'' #55951 — Medical Bay Inventory low. Need more material. Requesting:// <table class="terminal"> <tr> <td><<fadein 2s 20s>><span class="lnr lnr-checkmark-circle"></span><</fadein>> 50 gauze press boxes,</td> <td><<fadein 2s 21s>><span class="lnr lnr-checkmark-circle"></span><</fadein>> 40 tongue depressors (wooden),</td> </tr> <tr> <td><<fadein 2s 22s>><span class="lnr lnr-checkmark-circle"></span><</fadein>> 3 packs of needles,</td> <td><<fadein 2s 23s>><span class="lnr lnr-checkmark-circle"></span><</fadein>> 1 sewing needle kit,</td> </tr> <tr> <td><<fadein 2s 24s>><span class="lnr lnr-checkmark-circle"></span><</fadein>> 1 burn cream tube (large),</td> <td><<fadein 2s 25s>><span class="lnr lnr-checkmark-circle"></span><</fadein>> 250 surgical masks,</td> </tr> <tr> <td><<fadein 2s 26s>><span class="lnr lnr-checkmark-circle"></span><</fadein>> 75 pain killer pills,</td> <td><<fadein 2s 27s>><span class="lnr lnr-checkmark-circle"></span><</fadein>> thermometer.</td> </tr> </table><div align='center'><<button "APPROVE">><</button>> <<button "REJECT">><</button>> <<button "EDIT">><</button>></div></div> You see little green checkmarks appearing almost instantly next to each item, as P.I.R.I. approves the request. You are not surprised by this at all. Requests from the Med Bay are very rarely rejected by the AI —and you only heard of it happening, you never saw it yourself—. “Anything else you need?” “I think that’s it for now,” replies the woman. “If we run low today again, someone will come back.” “Alright, then,” you press the green button under the request and add monotonously: “The items will be available at the Med Bay shortly. If an emergency occurs, please use the emergency request screen in the room. Thank you for your patience. Have a good day.” You hand the request card back to the woman, who swiftly leaves the corridor. She didn’t even thank you or bid you goodbye, but you don’t take it personally. Crew members assigned to the Med Bay rarely leave their post during their shift, and will try to stay as little out when needed. Another crew member takes her place and hands you his card. “Request from the Farm.” * [[Take the card. |CounterFarm]]

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>The next few hours pass quite quickly, //though not quickly enough//. You are busy with processing requests, chatting with some of the crew during the verification of their cards, and just going about your task under the watchful eye of P.I.R.I.. Aside from that guy from the Farm, you haven’t seen anyone close to breaking down at the counter. You feel almost resentful that today has been uneventful. You like a good challenge, a good action… something other than pressing a few buttons. //Still, it is better that way//. You don’t particularly enjoy the days you are so busy you need to lie down as soon as your shift is over and until the morning after, just to recuperate, nor the days the crew is just on edge or about to break at one point. //Those are truly the worst//. You are somewhat surprised #64073 has not yet shown up. You’ve expected him to come up to the counter at some point during the day. <<if hasVisited("R-Agree")>>Just to make sure you comply with his request.<<elseif hasVisited("R-Refuse")>>To see if you will change your mind about his request.<<else>>But you haven’t seen him yet… nor his request.<</if>> //That’s odd…// He is not the kind to forget about his favours. //Ting!// The terminal beeps. One more hour left and I can finally leave. You’ve been thinking almost as soon as you opened the counter what you would do after your shift would end. You had been looking forward to this little free time for a few days already. The asks you had been assigned to until today had been so exhausting you ended up taking a nap until dinner was served. In the end, you settled on <<afternoon>>. //Hopefully, nothing will stop my plans today…// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>“Erm, Erm.” You look up to the new arrival at the window and see a dishevelled woman taping her fingers on the counter. Just as you acknowledge her presence, she throws her card at your face. You dodge it, though barely, and it falls behind you. You get out of your chair, mumbling spitefully at the rude woman, and pick the fallen item. You can read on it: //Request HLZ666GC.// “#64073 <<if hasVisited("R-Refuse")>>was not pleased with your attitude this morning. How cruel of you to make him run like this, when you know about his bad knees.<<elseif hasVisited("R-Agree")>>was surprised by your attitude this morning. You are usually not that quick to help him.<<else>>says hello, by the way.<</if>>” //And here it is, the moment I have been dreading for//. You hold onto the card, avoiding scanning it just yet. Nothing good ever comes from #64073, no matter how he puts it. You struggle with what to do next. Part of you is quite curious to see what #64073 was practically begging you to approve, while the rest just wants to throw the card back at the rude woman’s face. * [[Throw the card back on the counter. You are not in the mood to deal with rude people today, nor with #64073 shenanigans for that matter. |Throw][$friendly -=5]] * [[Scan the card and see what #64073 wants from you. If you are going to throw yourself into trouble, you might as well know for what. |Scan]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if hasVisited("Throw")>>You reluctantly take the card from the threatening woman. It was fun to toy with this woman a bit, but whatever #64073 requested in there is not worth getting hurt —or worse, losing your life. You shudder at the thought of getting shivved in your bed by this gruff-looking woman, as you scan the card. //#64073 would never have the balls to do it himself, but she looks crazy enough to do it for him.// \ <<else>>You swipe the card, praying that its content is not too problematic. You already feel like you are in trouble by just looking at it. You know P.I.R.I. won’t fault you for doing your job, but anything that #64073 touches turns to shit. //If #64073 wants to throw me to the lions, I might as well know why I got there.//<</if>> //Tu-dum.// The terminal pings a noise you’ve never heard before. “Uh-huh?” “What?” the woman becomes agitated. “What’s wrong?” “I… don’t know. It’s never done this before.” “Well? Scan it again.” You swipe the card once more. //Tu-dum.// The terminal still rings the same noise. Somehow, you expected this to happen. //Everything #64073 touches turns to shit…// “Weird…” “Why? Why doesn’t it work?” “I don’t know.” “Doesn’t the screen say what’s wrong with it? It should say something, right?” You look up at the woman, fixing her gaze at the back of her terminal, biting her nails. Sure, you could have looked at the screen right away and diminished her worries, had you thought about it first. But seeing her squirm a bit like this somehow fills you with glee. You know in the back of your mind, you should be worried about the situation, as no manual or amount of training has prepared you for that: <span class="terminal">ERROR — CARD CORRUPTED</span> “It says the card is corrupted,” you finally disclose after peeking at the screen. “Okay… what does that mean?” “I don’t know,” you shrug. “I’m not Engineering.” “Can’t you still do something?” You glance at the terminal once more. You hope the system is now blocked, just so you don’t have to deal with her. But, to your dismay, the screen now shows three options: <div class="terminal"><div align='center'><<button "FIX CARD">><</button>> <<button "READ CARD">><</button>> <<button "PING AI">><</button>></div></div> * [[“I could ping the AI to take a look at it.” |Ping AI]] * [[“I could fix the card, though the system would probably delete its content.” |Fix Card]] * [[“I could force the system to read the card anyway. But I think it would be a really bad idea.” |Force Read]] <<silently>>* [[(Lie) “I can’t do anything, the system is shut down.” |Lie]]<</silently>>

You throw the card back towards the woman, with the same contempt she threw it earlier. Your smirk as it lands in front of her. “Yeeeaaaah… I don’t need to scan this to know P.I.R.I.’s going to refuse it. If #64073 wants something, he might as well come himself. “Tssk… Didn’t realize you were more knowledgeable than the AI.” “Unless you have a proper request to give me, please stop bothering me and leave,” you wave her away, ignoring her remark. The woman looks at you up and down and grimaces. “Is this how you want to play, little ?child? Don’t you know I can make your life difficult? Very difficult… And that would be before #64073 gets involved. Don’t even get me started on what he would do to you.” “I should ask you the same thing,” your fingers hover very visibly over the close counter button. “I am not afraid of your little threats.” “Sure you ain’t right now, all nice and safe behind your little counter. But you’ll have to leave this room eventually. You won’t be as protected then. It would be such a shame, if a ?child like you were to have a little… accident.” “Oh, please! We haven’t had one of those little accidents, as you call it, in like…” you try your best to remember how long it had been, in vain, “… maybe forever?” “I’d be more than happy to break that streak,” she smirks at you menacingly. “Sure, Jan,” you look sideways. “By all means, break that streak. It would be pretty hard to hide this kind of thing from P.I.R.I.. I’d hate to see you faced with the consequences of your actions and suddenly disappear. “P’cha! I ain’t afraid of that thing. Now,” she taps the request card on the counter, looking ready to jam in in your neck, “ has the little ?child reconsidered?” * [[Reluctantly pick up the card and scan it. It was fun to toy with this woman a little, but you’d rather not get shivved in your sleep. |Scan]] * [[Tell her to piss off. She is probably just flexing some muscles she does not have. |Pissoff][$friendly -=5]]

“Now, has the little ?child reconsidered?” The tapping sound she makes with her card on the counter is getting irritating, though not as infuriating as the infantilizing tone she has taken when talking to you. You glance at her suit to catch a glimpse of her embroidered patch. //Ah! A newbie…// “#93482, right? You’ve been on board for like… less than a hundred days now?” “I guess,” she shrugs. “What of it?” “I was just thinking how much of a shame you still haven’t been able to acclimate to the ship. I mean, sending threats to other crew members, intimidating them, flexing muscles you clearly don’t have… I truly hope this won’t come back to bite you in the ass. It’d be sad to hear you’ve disappeared because of the company you keep.” “Disap—” her eyes widen, and you catch a small glimpse of fear. “Come on! You must be a child, if you believe in this urban legend,” she chuckles nervously. “You can’t just disappear on a ship like this, right? There are no escape pods, no small ship, no hangar… You are bound to be found at some point, right? Right?” “Oh, my dear,” you shake your head. “You’d be very much an idiot not to believe in this urban legend, as you say. There is an empty vacuum of space all around us, just outside of the outer walls. It would be pretty easy to throw your body out there…” “Now, who is making the threats?” “Dearie, I have been on this ship much, much longer than you have. I have seen many come and go. I’d even wager I might be the longest surviving member among this current crew.” “Huh? How? You don’t look a day over… twenty?” “Beats me,” you shrug. “But, that is not the point, here. Most of the crew I have seen passing have died more or less peacefully. Usually of old age or untreatable illness —yes, we still have those—. Others… well, let’s just say they haven’t been so lucky.” “You mean people actually disappear? For real?” “Yeah…” “How…” her body shakes a bit, “how is it possible?” “What they did on board defined their ends. Not following the basic rules of conduct. Creating unsafe environments. Being violent towards others… you know that kind of misdemeanour. It’s a shame though…” you bite your lips. “No, never mind.” “What? Why?” she becomes agitated. “Why is it a shame?” “No, it doesn’t matter anyway. It won’t bring them back.” “Come on, now. Just say it!” “Do you really, REALLY, want to know?” “Yes! Tell me why it’s a shame!” “They could have just stopped what they were doing at any time. The crew and P.I.R.I. reminded them of the customs and how unacceptable their behaviour was many times. Yet, they chose to ignore it and continue on their path of destruction. And to think they could have a pleasant life on board, without worries and with their needs met, had. they. just. followed. the. rules.” There is a moment of silence, before the woman backs away from the counter. She looks at you, confused. “That… that’s it?” “Well… yeah. It’s not that complicated.” “All of that bullshit talk for some dumb morals?” “Hey! I don’t make the rules here.” “Sooo…” she crosses her arms. “I take it you’re not going to budge, are ya?” “Nope!” You pick up some random items that had been left on the counter and move to the back of the room to put them away. “You really would rather risk your life? Even after all that I said to you? All because of some dumb belief I may or may not disappear?” “Yup!” you shout back, not even facing her. “Enjoy the rest of your day, I guess… #64073 won’t be happy about this. But it won’t be my problem anymore.” “ ’Kay. Bye!” Still confused by your reaction to her threats, the woman leaves the counter. Her incessant card tapping finally ceases. //Ugh… those good-for-nothing idiots are truly a thorn in everyone’s foot.// They are just annoying enough to ruin your day, but not dangerous enough for P.I.R.I. to jump in and actually do something. Though, for a short moment, you thought you had planted enough doubt in her mind to make her change her ways. //Maybe, just maybe, this will be enough to question her choices…// Speaking of choices, you hope this one doesn’t come back to haunt you. You pray you won’t have to see #64073 for a while and he even forgets about you altogether. //But I know better…// He will be back, with full force, to berate you for <<if hasVisited("R-Agree")>>not fulfilling your promise.<<else>>disregarding his request.<</if>> //As long as he doesn’t murder me in my sleep, I think I can handle him…// * [[Continue |End work]]

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>The last hour of your shift at the Commissary passes quickly and uneventfully. During that time, you did not encounter any resistance from anyone stopping by the counter, especially from the ones whose requests had to be denied. Even those usually get a bit huffy and puffy with you, but they stayed weirdly quiet. //So much the better…// <<if hasVisited("Pissoff")>>After what happened with #93482 trying to hand you #64073’s request, you are glad today is finally over. You probably shouldn’t have flipped off that woman so harshly, but you couldn’t help it. //Her tone was just so infuriating.// Though, you expect #64073 to retaliate the first chance he gets. He is not the type of person to take kindly to disrespects towards himself or his ‘crew’. //Eh… That’s future me’s problem.// \ <<elseif hasVisited("Talk AI")>>Still, you feel a pinch in your heart. That woman, #93482, probably won’t deserve the harsh punishment she is about to face, just for taking the fall for #64073’s request. You decided to seal her fate anyway, knowing that it would happen this way. Knowing you could have done something about it. You shake your head. //It is not my problem anymore. She knew what she was doing helping that good-for-nothing.// \ <<elseif hasVisited("Talk AI 2")>>You have been feeling quite light-hearted since dealing with #64073’s request. You feel relieved you won’t have to deal with him anymore. //There is no way he will get away with requesting Ereus’s Snow, even at this quantity.// P.I.R.I. has surely taken care of that little problem by now. Not only that, but someone has promised to your bidding. You smile. //What can I make her do?// \ <<else>>After what happened with that woman and #64073’s request, you are glad today is finally over. You probably should have let her decide what you should do with that request card, but she was becoming too indecisive for your taste. Though, you expect #64073 to retaliate the first chance he gets. He does not take kindly to mistakes and mishaps with favours he has requested. //Eh… That’s future me’s problem.//<</if>> With delight, you press the button under the counter to close the Commissary window. You lock the inventory closet and sit by the back desk, putting the closet key in one of its drawers. A few files are awaiting you before your day is truly over. P.I.R.I. likes that every task is done meticulously. //Such a nitpicker…// As such, your reports should follow that benchmark. Deep in your report, you hear some knocking on the closed counter. //There is always one…// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>“We’re closed,” you yell towards the window. “Come back this afternoon.” “Ah, come on, pal! I ran to get there on time. Can’t you make an exception?” “Nope. You’re late. System’s closed. Can’t turn it again.” “Are you kidding me?” he slams the windows. “I know you’re lying, pal. Systems can be turned back on any time.” “Maybe in other parts of the ship, but not in Commissary.” “But I need it now!” “File an emergency request in your own department.” There is some more banging on the counter and a good amount of swearing from the latecomer before you hear footsteps leaving the corridor. While most crew members are timely and will queue quietly, there are always one or two of them that will arrive after the curtain has been closed or will bother everyone around them because their requests are not getting processed faster. They will never admit they were in the wrong and will make a point to blame you at any turn. You try your best not to take it personally. //It’s just how they cope…// You rush through the rest of your paperwork and leave the room. Finally free of your responsibilities for today, you walk swiftly towards the Mess Hall to enjoy a nice meal. You haven’t eaten since you went to bed last night, save for the few snacks you took from the inventory closet earlier. You don’t usually enter the Mess Hall in the morning, the smell of food makes you nauseous then. You are salivating thinking about the delicious dishes you are hoping to find there. It will be quite the contrast with the stale snacks from Commissary. * [[Continue|End Day]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

You stand in front of the closed door of your pod for probably too long. //People are going to ask what is wrong if I don’t move//, a voice inside your head chimes in. Going in will mean that the day is over. //Finally over.// But you are not sure you want it to end just yet. You don’t want to face the choices you have made today. You put your forehead on the door and exhale. //If only I didn’t need to worry about what I do…// As soon as your skin touches the metallic cold panel, the door opens. You lose your balance for just a second and enter your room, still deep in thoughts. You sit lazily on your bed, reminiscing on the events of today. You’ve tried your best to distract yourself from #64073’s shenanigans<<if not hasVisited("Talk AI 1")>>, and managed to avoid his path multiple times<</if>>. //He is so fucking taxing…// As such, you’ve spent the rest of the afternoon <<if $mc.afternoon is "sport">>working out at the Sport Hall. It had been a while since you took some time to work out this intensely. You are definitely going to regret it tomorrow, when your whole body will be aching, but you are glad you got that boost of endorphin at the end.<<elseif $mc.afternoon is "book">>browsing the shelves at the Library, flipping through a few books and thinking about what you could borrow for your night reading. You ended up with a stack as tall as your torso, which was met by an odd look from the librarian. You settled on only taking a couple of novels, the largest ones.<<elseif $mc.afternoon is "star">>stargazing on the sun deck of the ship. There are multiple spots on the ship where you can lose yourself looking at the ever-expanding space, but the sun deck is the only place where you can stargaze at your leisure, without bothering anyone.<<else>>hiding alone in your pod, hoping to be undisturbed. Being in contact with so many people during the day is really tiring. You like to have some alone time, away from everyone and prying eyes. Here at least, you won’t have a judging gaze on you for what you like to do.<</if>> It takes you a considerable effort to get up to get ready for bed. Even if you feel exhausted, you know better than sleep in your uniform. //A properly dressed crew is a good crew//. You take off your uniform and throw it down the open chute by your bed. Tomorrow, it will be back clean and folded by your bunk, waiting for you to wear it once more. You adorn your sore body with your nightwear and lay back down. The light in the room slowly dims down until you can barely see a thing. <<if $mc.afternoon is "book">>You completely forget about the books you have borrowed. <</if>>You pull the cover over you and close your eyes. In between a few yawns, P.I.R.I.’s voice resonates in your ears before you fall asleep. “<span class="piri">Goodnight, #8019.</span>” * [[Sleep|Day 2]]

“I could ping P.I.R.I. to take a look at it, if you want.” “Are you insane? Do want us to get killed?” “Just telling you what the system says I can do,” you shrug. “Why? Do you know what’s been requested?” “No,” she responds quickly, //too quickly//. “#64073 didn’t tell me.” “Right… Well, you don’t know what’s in there, I don’t know what’s in there, and the system can’t read the card. I don’t see any other options there…” “Isn’t there something else you could do?” she scratches her elbow, distressed. “I’d rather not bother the AI.” * [[That woman seems to know more than she lets on. Press her further. |Ping]] * [[“I could fix the card, though the system would probably delete its content.” |Fix Card]] * [[“I could force the system to read the card anyway. But I think it would be a really bad idea.” |Force Read]]

“I could try fixing the card, if you want. Though, the system might end up deleting its content if the problem is too deep.” “Are you stupid? What’s the point of him creating a request if you end up deleting it?” “Hey!” you protest. “I don’t make the rules! It’s not like this kind of thing has happened to me before. I’m just trying to find a solution. Do you know what’s in there, anyway?” “No,” she responds quickly, //too quickly//. “#64073 didn’t tell me.” “Right… Well, you don’t know what’s in there, I don’t know what’s in there, and the system can’t read the card. I don’t see any other options there…” “Is there a chance the request stays intact?” “Lady, I’ve already told you I am not Engineering. I could, it could not. I don’t know.” The woman stays silent and taps her fingers lightly on the counter, as she thinks. You are tempted to press the button before she makes up her mind. If the request were to suddenly disappear, you wouldn’t have to deal with it anymore. //Or at least until #64073 submits it again…// “So what’s it gonna be?” you ask the woman, who is taking her sweet time to make up her mind. “Err… What else can you do?” * [[“I could ping the AI to take a look at it.” |Ping AI]] * [[“I could force the system to read the card anyway. But I think it would be a really bad idea.” |Force Read]] * [[You roll your eyes at her indecision and press the Fix it button anyway. |Fix Anyway][$rule +=5]]

“I could force the system to read the card anyway. But, I think it would be a //really bad// idea. I can’t stress this enough.” “Huh? You have a way to read the request, but you think it’s a bad idea. Are you //dumb//?” “Well, if the system can’t read it normally and it says it is corrupted, there is something definitely wrong with that card. I’d wager forcing the system to read it would probably fuck with terminal and land us in a lot of trouble.” “Both of us?” “Yeah. I may be pressing the button, but you brought the card here.” “But what if it doesn’t? What if the card doesn’t break the system?” “On the off-chance it doesn’t, I should be able to check #64073’s request. Though, if it is already a problem, I’m sure whatever he is asking for is going to throw us into hot water.” “And if it does break,” she mumbles, “I’m gonna be in so much shit. Fucking #64073…” You let the woman marinate a bit longer, so she can make up her mind. //Who else but #64073 would fuck up so bad and forcing us to make an impossible choice?// However you look at it, this is a lose-lose situation for everyone. //I’m in fucked either way.// “So, what do we do?” she peeps. * [[“I could ping the AI to take a look at it.” |Ping AI]] * [[“I could fix the card, though the system would probably delete its content.” |Fix Card]] * [[Press the button. If #64073 tried to fuck with you on purpose, you might as well fuck with him too. |FR end]]

“ ’Kay… You obviously know more than you let on about this card. Come on. Spill the beans.” “Or what? You ping the AI?” she snorts. “Well… yeah,” you move your hand and hover the button on the screen. “Wait, no! Don’t!” she yells, trying to pull your hand away. “I… I don’t know what #64073 requested. Not exactly. I just know the AI wouldn’t like it.” “So drugs, huh… All the more reason to ping it.” “No!” she looks more agitated. “If you do this, I will be the one taking the blame for it.” “That’s not my problem.” “Please! I… I take it back. I take it all back, ok?” “That’s not enough, lady. You have put me in trouble the second you gave me this card. All so #64073 can get a bit high…” you shake your head. “If you don’t mention me, I… I’ll do whatever you want.” “Huh?” “Ping the AI if you want to, just don’t mention me. I’ll do whatever you want for it. #64073 can rot for all I care.” Still hovering the button on the screen, you bite your lip. //The offer sounds tremendously tempting.// Not having one of #64073’s minions on your ass for not following his request, but having them on your side to do your bidding, now that would be quite advantageous to you. //Someone who would do anything for me…// You glance at her and see her bite her nails. She still seems a bit unhinged to you. //She would probably throw me under the bus the first chance she gets, wouldn’t she?// * [[Ping P.I.R.I. the way you are supposed to. You’ll lay the fact on the table, no matter the woman’s pleadings. |Talk AI][$rule += 10]] * [[Ping P.I.R.I. and avoid mentioning the woman. She could be quite useful to you, you hope. |Talk AI 2][$rule += 10]] <<linkreplace "Propose to do something else.">>\ * [[“I could fix the card, though the system would probably delete its content.” |Fix Card]] * [[“I could force the system to read the card anyway. But I think it would be a really bad idea.” |Force Read]]<</linkreplace>>

You press the screen under the distressed eyes of the pleading woman. Her face turns to horror when P.I.R.I.’s voice echoes in the room. “<span class="piri">#8019,</span>” the robotic voice fills the room. “<span class="piri">You have requested help. State your issue.</span>” “I have encountered a corrupted request card. Can you tell me how to process it?” “<span class="piri">State the request number.</span>” “Request HLZ666GC.” “<span class="piri">Request made by #93482 for 725ɜɳ of Tetramyrbispirinine, commonly known as Ereus’s Snow. Is that correct?</span>” //Of course, it was going to be drugs.// What else could you have expected but drugs? Though, the amount seems abnormally high. There would probably be enough to sprinkle over the whole crew’s dinner and have them overdose in an instant. //What the fuck was #64073 thinking about when requesting this?// “<span class="piri">Please answer the question. Request made by #93482 for 725ɜɳ of Tetramyrbispirinine, commonly known as Ereus’s Snow. Is that correct?</span>” The woman quietly pleads in front of you, hoping the AI doesn’t notice her, //in vain//. With her hands together, she prays for mercy. She barely looks like the threatening woman of earlier, the fearless one who seemed unhinged enough to hurt you right there and then. Still, you do not trust her little charade. “Yes.” The woman crumbles on the ground weeping. Her fate is sealed. “<span class="piri">Thank you for reporting this issue. It will be handled swiftly. Please return the corrupted card to its appropriate case.</span>” Following the AI’s request, you slid the card into a slot opening in front of you. The hole closes as soon as the card is through and completely disappears. You are unmoved by the woman’s cries. “#64073 is not a kind man,” the woman blurts out, “but you are just cruel.” Before you think about shrugging at her, she is taken away by two other crew members, wearing navy blue uniforms. You have a vague ides of what will happen to her, though you’d rather not think about it. You just feel glad #64073 won’t get his grubby hands on some Ereus’s Snow. //At least, not just yet//. You shudder at the idea of what he could have done with it. Still, you will need to face him at some point. You do not look forward to this next encounter… * [[Continue|End work]]

You press the screen under the distressed eyes of the pleading woman. Her face turns to horror when P.I.R.I.’s voice echoes in the room. “<span class="piri">#8019,</span>” a robotic voice fills the room. “<span class="piri">You have requested help. State your issue.</span>” “I have encountered a corrupted request card. Can you tell me how to process it?” “<span class="piri">State the request number.</span>” “Request HLZ666GC.” “<span class="piri">Request made by #93482 for 725ɜɳ of Tetramyrbispirinine, commonly known as Ereus’s Snow. Is that correct?</span>” //Of course, it was going to be drugs.// What else could you have expected but drugs? Though, the amount seems abnormally high. There would probably be enough to sprinkle over the whole crew’s dinner and have them overdose in an instant. //What the fuck was #64073 thinking about when requesting this?// “<span class="piri">Please answer the question. Request made by #93482 for 725ɜɳ of Tetramyrbispirinine, commonly known as Ereus’s Snow. Is that correct?</span>” The woman quietly pleads in front of you, hoping the AI doesn’t notice her, //in vain//. With her hands together, she prays for mercy. She barely looks like the threatening woman of earlier, the fearless one who seemed unhinged enough to hurt you right there and then. You feel for her, having been made the fall-out person for #64073’s shit. Though she may not be completely without fault here —she did threaten you after all—, she does not deserve the kind of punishment P.I.R.I. is likely to give her. “<span class="piri">Is that correct?</span>” the voice repeats. “No.” “<span class="piri">Information incorrect. Transmit corrections.</span>” “Request made by… * [[#64073|Asshole][$friendly += 10]] * [[#8019|Me]] <<silently>>* [[Give a random crew number.|Random]]<</silently>>

“Request made by… #64073.” “<span class="piri">Information received. Request made by #64073 for 725ɜɳ of Tetramyrbispirinine, commonly known as Ereus’s Snow. Is that correct?</span>” You see the woman crumbling on the ground, relieved, and weeping of joy. You can’t help but smile at the scene. It is not everyday you can make a significant impact on someone’s life onboard. “Yes.” “<span class="piri">Processing information.</span>” There is an interminable silence. “<span class="piri">#64073 is not at the counter. Explain.</span>” The woman turns quiet and tenses up. //This is it. The make it or break it moment.// “#64073 asked another crew member, #93482, to submit the request. She… was unaware of the content of the request.” “<span class="piri">Processing information.</span>” Silence again. “<span class="piri">Thank you for reporting this issue. It will be handled swiftly. Please return the corrupted card to its appropriate case.</span>” Both the woman and you sigh in unison. //Thank goodness P.I.R.I. bought it!// Following the AI’s request, you slid the card into a slot opening in front of you. The hole closes as soon as the card is through and completely disappears. “Thank you,” the woman blurts out. “You didn’t have to help me after… what I said. I won’t forget it.” You don’t even have time to respond, as she disappears quickly after, leaving the counter and the corridor empty. You wonder if #64073 will be picked up soon for this little transgression. //Maybe he already has been taken away?// P.I.R.I. tends to be swift in its punishment. You have a vague idea of what could happen to him. Even though you rejoice at the idea of getting his comeuppance, you prefer not to think about it too much. You just feel glad #64073 won’t get his grubby hands on Ereus’s Snow. You shudder at the idea of what he could have done with it. * [[Continue |End work]]

“Request made by… #8019.” “<span class="piri">Information received. Request made by #8019 for 725ɜɳ of Tetramyrbispirinine, commonly known as Ereus’s Snow. Is that correct?</span>” You see the woman crumbling on the ground, relieved you did not mention her name. Her face swiftly turns to confusion as your words finally register in her brain. She mouths //what are you doing?// Your eyes widen, as you realize what you have done. //Why the fuck did I say my name?// “<span class="piri">Information received. Request made by #8019 for 725ɜɳ of Tetramyrbispirinine, commonly known as Ereus’s Snow. Is that correct?</span>” “Yes,” you hear yourself say. “<span class="piri">Processing information,</span>” there is a small pause. “<span class="piri">Thank you for reporting this issue. It will be handled swiftly. Please return the corrupted card to its appropriate case.</span>” Following the AI’s request, you slid the card into a slot opening in front of you. The hole closes as soon as the card is through and completely disappears. //What the fuck am I doing? Why am I putting my neck out for this woman?// “Thank you,” the woman blurts out. “But, why did you say your name?” You don’t have an answer for her. You don’t even have one for yourself. //Why did I say my name?// You don’t even have time to protest, as two other crew members with navy uniforms have entered the Commissary room and taken a hold of you. You are not quite sure what is going to happen to you, even if you have a vague idea. //I am going to disappear, aren’t I?// Still, you feel glad #64073 won’t get his grubby hands on Ereus’s Snow. At least, not yet. You shudder at the idea of what he could have done with it. Though, you feel like there must have been a better of handling this… * [[Continue |death]]

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>You’ve been dragged away by these two navy crew members for some time now. You did not even resist your fate when they barged in the Commissary room. <<fight>>//What would have been the point?// P.I.R.I. already struck its judgement, not even you can escape it. You’ve let yourself be carried around by these two muscular individuals. Their face turns away from you every time you try to look at them. //Do they feel bad for me?// Your path has twisted and turned into many corridors and halls, without ever crossing another soul. There are many crew members on the ship at any moment, but today it is eerily empty. For some reason, you expected to be brought back to your pod, and get your final judgement there. But they have taken you to the opposite direction in your room. It is now far behind you. At this point, with how far you’ve been dragged, you’d even expect to have reached the other side of the ship. //Who knows…// You’ve never really explored the whole station, even after all of this time. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>Your group ends up stopping in front of a bare wall. One of the carriers presses a button, creating an opening out of nowhere. They push you inside and close the hole behind you. You land flat on your ass, which starts feeling sore. You get on your feet and slam yourself where the hole used to be, hoping that it will open again. But the opening has completely disappeared. You sit back in the middle of the room, trying to calm down. Looking around you, you notice the bright white room has no discernable opening. Every wall, the ceiling and the floor are just basic white metallic panels, with no visible corner. //There is no way out//, a voice chuckles in your head. “<span class="death">#8019,</span>” a voice fills the room, authoritative and grave, very much different to P.I.R.I.’s. “<span class="death">After requesting Tetramyrbispirinine, a substance illegal for request outside of the Medical Bay and in quantities lower than 1ɜɳ, you have been found guilty of drug possession outside of authorized means on board of the SPS Iron Hammer. Under the Intergalactic Code of the Federation, illegal drug possession on any SPS-vehicle is punishable by death.</span>” Somehow, you are not really surprised by the declaration. As soon as you were dragged out of the Commissary, you had an inkling that this would happen. //When else are people dragged away from their job if not to receive capital punishment?// Maybe, you even expected it as soon as you said your <<if $name is "#8019">>name<<else>>number<</if>>. You are still not sure why you’ve let yourself take the fall instead of that woman for #64073’s antics. //Saving that woman should not have to cost my life//, you sigh. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 3>>Part of you just wants to give it all up and be resigned to this final fate. //I have made my choices, and I must live —well, die— with them.// Still, something inside of you wants to fight a bit longer. Pleading for your case. There must be some extenuating circumstances to make them change their minds! Your life shouldn’t have to end this way, not when some crew members of much worse character are still on board. //They would never have let this happen in an actual courtroom,// you think. But the voice continues its monotone monologue, undisturbed by your internal struggle. “<span class="death">Case XEPSE-823117836/SPSIH-#8019: Prisoner to be terminated. Cause of termination: illegal drug possession. Date: 363294 A.F.S.—5.27.6. Executor: Penal Intergalactic Registry Intelligence (P.I.R.I.), Space Penitential Ship (SPS) Iron Hammer.</span>” //Wait, what? Me, a prisoner? Penitential ship? What… what the fuck is going on here?// You want to scream, but no sound passes your lips. //Am I really in a space prison? That… That can’t be possible. I can’t be in a space prison. That’s ludicrous! Why would I be in a space prison? What kind of shit did I do to end up here?// You have never been able to remember anything from your life before the ship. And it is now too late to find out how you go there. //Unless…// “Wait!” you finally speak. “Requesting case information.” “<span class="piri">State the case number,</span>” P.I.R.I. answers. “Case XEPSE-823117836/SPSIH-#8019,” you stun yourself, as the words pass your lips correctly. “<span class="piri">Access denied. Case XEPSE-823117836/SPSIH-#8019 terminated.</span>” “It can’t be! I’m not dead yet!” you yell back. “Requesting case information.” “<span class="piri">State the case number.</span>” “Case XEPSE-823117836?” you hope you said the correct combination to get the information prior to your arrival. “<span class="piri">Access denied. Case XEPSE-823117836/SPSIH-#8019 terminated.</span>” “Come on, P.I.R.I.! I need to know! Requesting case information.” “<span class="piri">State the case number.</span>” “Case SPSIH-#8019?” you try as your last result. “<span class="piri">Access denied. Case XEPSE-823117836/SPSIH-#8019 terminated.</span>” “For fuck’s sake, P.I.R.I.! Why can’t you give me access?” “<span class="piri">Crew member not recognized. Request denied. Resume sentence.</span>” “Don’t I get a last wish or something before I die?” * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>The AI remains silent. You repeat your question again and again, in vain as P.I.R.I. doesn’t budge. //I can’t not know why I ended up here. Not when I am about to die. That’s not fair!// You bury your face in your arms and cry, as the authoritative voice continues, unrelenting. “<span class="death">Notes: Belongings and files of the prisoner will be forwarded to the next of kin or individual or individuals mentioned in their will. In the event of unavailability of these individuals, these items will be set aside for a limited determined period to be claimed, before sent to the Archive of the Federation or destruction.</span>” //Why? Why did I think it would be a good idea to take the fall for this? There was no good reason to sacrifice myself for this! For nothing! What an idiot!// There is nothing you can do. There was never anything you could do. And you knew it as soon as you mentioned your name. Nothing else but accept your death with grace. “<span class="death">For any challenge of this hearing, please contact the Federal Office of Justice in Voliton-city, Planet Cion BI5. Current wait for a case hearing: 4082 days. Thank you for your patience.</span>” * [[Continue|death2]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

You roll your eyes at the woman’s hesitation. //This is not the time for indecision!// Who knows how long you have left before P.I.R.I. realizes that something is wrong here and locks you out of the system —or worse, locks you in the commissary room. //I don’t want to only feed myself the stale snacks.// You press the //Fix it// button under the shocked eyes of the gruff-looking woman. “Hey!” she interjects. “What are you doing? I didn’t tell you to do shit!” You shrug at the woman and turn back to the terminal. //Soon, it won’t be my problem anymore.// The screen has now changed to a loading bar, slowly advancing as the system fixes the corrupted card. You wonder how #64073 found that card to begin with. P.I.R.I. doesn’t usually let broken items just laying around the ship. //Maybe he fucked up so bad he corrupted it on his own, you chuckle.// “What’s funny? Whatcha laughing at?” “Nothing.” //Ting!// Before the woman can ask anything else, the terminal announces that it is done, the card is fixed and asks you to scan it again. You swipe the card once more. As guessed earlier, the system deleted all of the information on the card, it is now blank. The screen blinks //Request Card Empty. Try Again?// “Card’s fixed,” you hand it back to the woman. “But the system deleted everything.” “What the hell, $name? I thought you said it could stay intact. Why did you lie?” “I said there could be a chance. I never said it would work.” “Why did you do it then?” “What else could I do? I couldn’t read the request anyway and you told me you didn’t know what was in there.” “Right…” “ ’Kay then,” you look at the woman, incredulous. “I couldn’t help you more even if I wanted to. Ask #64073 to enter his request again.” “He won’t be happy.” “That’s his problem.” “I don’t want to tell him, ” she says under her breath. “That’s your problem,” you shrug. “Next!” The woman reluctantly leaves the counter, card in hand, hunched in defeat. You sigh in relief seeing her go, feeling glad #64073 did not get his grubby hands on whatever he had requested. //At least, not yet.// Even though you don’t know what was in the card, you have a vague idea of what it could be. //Drugs. It’s definitely drugs.// You shudder. You will still need to face him at one point. //That woman’s right, he is not going to be happy.// * [[Continue |End work]]

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>><<type 60ms>><span class="piri">“Hello, #8019…”</span><</type>>\ <<fadein 2s 2s>><<link "Wake Up" `passage()`>><</link>><</fadein>> <<case 2>>“<span class="piri">Hello, #8019…</span>” The faint voice of the ship’s AI tickles in your ears. Every day, the robotic wake-up call starts so faintly, as if it was broadcasting from a great distance, only to get closer —and louder—. Every day, you fight that annoying alarm by hiding under the covers, even as the light showers your small pod. //Will I ever be allowed to sleep in?// “<span class="piri">Hello, #8019,</span>” you hear the voice chanting in your ears. “<span class="piri">It is time for you to get up. You are awaited at the Stasis Area today, for your daily assignment. Please report there as soon as possible. Have a good day!</span>” //Huh? The Stasis Area? Why do they want me there?// It has been quite a while since you’ve set foot there, the last time being probably the day you woke up on the ship. Unlike most of your fellow crew mates, you’ve never been assigned to the Stasis Area —or any other on that side of the ship—. There are only a few reasons why one would be assigned to work around the stasis pods: something went wrong and the pod needs cleaning, someone is going to be woken up, and someone is getting put back to sleep. //What I would give for more sleep…// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>“<span class="piri">Hello, #8019,</span>” the voice repeats. “<span class="piri">It is time for you to get up. You are awaited at the Stasis Area today, for your daily assignment. Please report there as soon as possible. Have a good day!</span>” “Assignment details,” you grumble. “<span class="piri">Undefined. Please report to the Stasis Area as soon as possible.</span>” //This is not a good sign,// you sigh. P.I.R.I. will avoid giving any explanation when the assignment is going to be… challenging. It probably doesn’t the crew to refuse the job if they knew what to expect was not going to be pleasant. //Though, it’s not like I can refuse P.I.R.I.’s commands…// You still fight it passively, by lying still on your bed. Maybe if you arrive late enough, the job will have been taken care of by someone else. <<if hasVisited("SB1")>>You’ve attempted staying in your bunk longer than you should have, a few days ago, but your little experiment was not as successful as you had hoped. //Maybe, this time it will?//<</if>> * [[Get a move on. The earlier you deal with whatever is awaiting you at the Stasis Area, the earlier you will be able to put it behind you and do something you enjoy. |up]] * <<if hasVisited("SB2")>>[[Attempt to stay in bed as long as you can again. You were so close last time to beat your record. This time, you are sure you will be able to fight it till the end!|Bed][$rule -=5]] <<elseif hasVisited("SB1")>>[[Stay in bed just a bit longer. Cleaning a few toilets again is worth it, when you can enjoy a few more minutes of shut eyes, even with P.I.R.I.’s voice blasting.|Bed][$rule -=5]] <<else>>[[Stay in bed just a bit longer. They will have to wait for you anyway, before you start whatever you have to do. They can wait surely wait five minutes longer. |Bed][$rule -=5]] <</if>> <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>><<if hasVisited("SB2")>>//Just because it didn’t work last time, doesn’t mean I will fail today.// You bring the cover back over your sleepy body, for pre-emptive protection, and close your eyes. You’ve always wanted to uncover what was at the end of that painful tunnel. It must be quite valuable, if you can withstand all of that pain. You were so close last time, so close to beating your record. You still had to tap out and bring your little experiment to an end. This time, //I will fight until the end!// \ <<elseif hasVisited("SB1")>>//Ugh, whatever//, you think, putting the cover back over your sleepy body and closing your eyes. //I don’t care if P.I.R.I. assigns me to Maintenance again and make me clean shit.// It is still worth it to you if you manage to get a few more minutes of shut eyes. You are so used to the AI’s voice blasting in your pod that it doesn’t bother you much anymore. //They can wait for me.// You turn towards the wall. //It’s not like they have a choice anyway.// \ <<else>>//Ugh, whatever//, you think, putting the cover back over your sleepy body and closing your eyes. //They can wait for me. It’s not like they will have a choice either//. P.I.R.I. does not allow the crew to switch their assignments —not without its consent, which is rarely given—. As such, no one will be assigned to complete whatever job you have to do today. You still prefer to delay the inevitable, at least as long as you can. //Worst case, P.I.R.I. assigns me to Maintenance again.//<</if>> In any case, you know you can handle the robotic voice for a bit longer. Falling back asleep won’t probably be possible, not with P.I.R.I.’s annoying voice trying to spear your eardrums already. //That, and its avoidance in telling me what I am supposed to do at the Stasis Area.// Managing the growing headache is one thing, but adding the anxiety on top of it is not ideal. //Why does it want me there?// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>“<span class="piri">Hello, #8019,</span>” the voice repeats. “<span class="piri">It is time for you to get up. You are awaited at the Stasis Area today, for your daily assignment. Please report there as soon as possible. Have a good day!</span>” You shuffle your hand around your pillow to find a pair of earbuds. I know they must be somewhere are here. I’ve used them yesterday, I’m sure! You still struggle for a bit to locate them. When you finally grab them, you swiftly insert them in your ears. You know they won’t work for much longer, but it will have to do for now. You try to empty your mind and let go of your worries, but P.I.R.I.’s voice only gets louder. “<span class="piri">#8019,</span>” the voice informs you. “<span class="piri">You need to get up now. Please report to the Stasis Area as soon as possible.</span>” <<if hasVisited("SB2")>>//First stage is cleared, easy-peasy.// If you tap out now, you know P.I.R.I. will let you leave free of consequences. //But if I continue, I might be able to crush my record.// You don’t seem to care much for those consequences, not with that mystical prize you seem so sure of its existence. //Not even that dumb AI can stop me! // With P.I.R.I. having dropped any pretence of niceness or politeness, you know it will only get harder from now on. Even the dirtiest bathroom you’ve had to clean on board are no match for what can happen next. The pain aching all over your body, coming and going for days on end, will be worth it. //I can resist it!// * [[Tap out and get up. Breaking a record is not worth all of this pain. Not the back-breaking pain from cleaning the ship, not the headache and P.I.R.I.’s voice echoing in your mind for days.|up]] * [[There is no capitulating in your book, no matter the consequences. Not when you know you can reach the end. This time, you know you can reach it. |Bed2][$rule -=10]] <<elseif hasVisited("SB1")>>//Here we go again.// The final stop before P.I.R.I. makes you face the consequences of your actions. You’ve cleaned enough shit in your time on the ship to know where P.I.R.I. draws the line, and when it considers you are just showing insubordination. You are pretty sure that staying this long in bed was the catalyst for the many assignments at Maintenance. With P.I.R.I. having dropped any pretence of niceness or politeness, you know it will only get harder from now on. What awaits you may or may not be worth the extra length you’ve wished to stay laying. //Should I tempt the devil? Or just relent and fulfil my unknown duties?// * [[Relent and get out of bed. The pain, the cleaning or the distress you’ll feel because of your little show of defiance is not worth the little time you could scrape here. |up]] * [[You are stronger than P.I.R.I.’s unrelenting voice. Stick to your bed a bit longer. You don’t really care if you are assigned to Maintenance again. |Bed2][$rule -=10]] <<else>>//Here we go.// This is the final reminder. So far, you’ve stayed in your room as long as P.I.R.I. would allow you without any consequences. When you experimented last, you were assigned for weeks at Maintenance, mainly cleaning the bathrooms. You are pretty sure that show of insubordination landed you there, because you were never assigned the Maintenance ever again. The voice is not lovely anymore, but more firm. There are no pretences of niceness and politeness in the delivery. Gone are the good wishes. Soon, the actual torture will start. //Forget Maintenance, this is definitely going to be worse.// * [[Cleaning toilets is not really your style. Relent and get out of bed. |up]] *[[Capitulating is not the way, no matter the consequences. Stay still firmly in your bunk. |Bed2][$rule -=10]]<</if>> <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if hasVisited("Bed2")>>//Whatever is at the end is not worth all of this pain.// You know you’ve tried your best, again, but the ache was too great, even for you. There is only so much the human body can take before it breaks down. Even though you were so close to your goal —//I could almost taste it//—, your best was still not enough to reach it. You had to resign yourself to stop delaying the inevitable and deal with your assignment at the Stasis Area. //Maybe they will even let me nap for a bit in one of those tanks…// You’ve been told napping in them is supposed to be quite regenerative. //Could it take care of my headache?// \ <<elseif hasVisited("SB1", "Bed")>>You shudder at the memory of the pain P.I.R.I. inflicted you the last time you tried to say in bed a bit longer. //This is not worth trying to delay in inevitable, isn’t it?// You know the earlier you deal with whatever job you’ve been assigned to at the Stasis Area, the better for you. //The better for my head, for sure.// Still, you are a bit anxious about what is awaiting you. //Maybe they will even let me nap for a bit in one of those tanks as a reward…// You’ve been told napping in them is supposed to give you very trippy dreams. //Like doing drugs, without the side effects.// \ <<elseif hasVisited("Bed")>>//Excruciating pain and knowing that I will need to clean shit later is not what I look forward to in the morning.// As much as you want to stay in bed, you still would rather not have to go through that again. Having to deal with whatever you’ve been assigned to at the Stasis Area sounds more appealing with whatever torture P.I.R.I. would let you go through. //Maybe they will even let me nap for a bit in one of those tanks…// You’ve been told napping in them is supposed to give you very trippy dreams. //Like doing drugs, without the side effects.// \ <<else>>As much as the thought of staying longer in bed is attractive to you, you can’t delay the inevitable much longer. You can’t refuse to do your job. //And a trip to Maintenance is not what I look forward to in the morning.// The earlier you deal with whatever you’ve been assigned to do there, the earlier you will be able to put it behind you and do something you actually enjoy. //Maybe they will even let me nap for a bit in one of those tanks…// You’ve been told napping in them is supposed to give you very trippy dreams. //Like doing drugs, without the side effects.//<</if>> You get out of your bunk, to shut down the robotic voice, and start your daily routine. //Stretching, grooming, dressing. One, two, three.// Every day has been the same —well, almost the same— since you’ve arrived on board. There never has been too much deviation in how these days are spent, //and that is how I like it.// Others may find it boring, and maybe borderline insane, to do the same thing every day, but you do enjoy the routine. //Stretching, grooming, dressing. One, two, three.// You are always woken up by P.I.R.I.’s robotic voice every day. It always assigns you a task, which you try to complete before having your mid-day meal. You always have an allotted slot of free time, when you can relax the way you wish. You always have supper before you go back to your pod to sleep. The assignments may change day-to-day, you may choose a different activity in the afternoon, you may eat a different meal, but your overall schedule stays the same. //Even the meals don’t vary that much.// P.I.R.I. ensures of that. //Stretching, grooming, dressing… Where did I put my toothbrush again?// You remove your nightwear and put on your crew uniform. Like every day, you look in the polished wall in front of you, glancing at your reflection in this green khaki suit. You smile. //Mmh… Lavender. They changed the detergent perfume again, didn’t they?// You chuckle a bit. You remember the first time you noticed the perfume change on your clothes. It happened shortly after you woke up. The crew got so used to the same smell, they started believing their suits were not getting cleaned during their sleep. They were so angry they rioted. The morning after, you could smell a new scent on everyone. * [[Leave your room. |walk]]

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>“<span class="piri">#8019,”</span> the voice declares. “<span class="piri">This is your final warning. Failure to comply will be met with further repercussions.”</span> You lay still on your bed, barely grasping what P.I.R.I. is telling you. Whether you are refusing to follow the command or because you can hardly move at this point, you can’t tell anymore. Threats don’t even scare you as much as what the pain is doing to your body now. Paralysed by the pain, the only thought crossing your mind is how you have beaten that stupid AI. It won’t have as much control over you as it once had. You know how to outplay it now. //If I could just stay still a little bit// <<link "longer…" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>“<span class="death">#8019,</span>” a different voice fills the room, authoritative and grave. “<span class="death">After refusing to comply with the commands given P.I.R.I. on multiple occasions, you have been found guilty of insubordination on board of the SPS Iron Hammer. Under the Intergalactic Code of the Federation, insubordination on any SPS-vehicule is punishable by death.</span>” //Death?! What the hell?// you want to scream. You just wanted to stay in bed a bit longer today. //How can this be seen as insubordination?// Your actions are of the same level a child refusing to go to school would. //Why would it even land such a strong punishment?// You were expecting weeks, maybe even months, of literally shitty tasks, //but not death!// You want to discuss this, with whomever is talking to you, and plead your case. //My life can’t end this way!// you try to cry out, but no sound passes your lips. <<link "The voice continues its monotone monologue." `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 3>>“<span class="death">Case XEPSE-823117836/SPSIH-#8019: Prisoner to be terminated. Cause of termination: Insubordination. Date: 363294 A.F.S.—5.27.6. Executor: Penal Intergalactic Registry Intelligence (P.I.R.I.), Space Penitential Ship (SPS) Iron Hammer.</span>” //Prisoner? Penitential? What… what is going on here?// you try to scream again, but the pain stops you once more. You want to fight for your life. //It can’t end this way!// <<link "I won’t let it!" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 4>>“<span class="death">Notes: Belongings and files of the prisoner will be forwarded to the next of kin or individual or individuals mentioned in their will. In the event of unavailability of these individuals, these items will be set aside for a limited determined period to be claimed, before sent to the Archive of the Federation or destruction.</span>” You do not manage to stop the voice. You try and try again to move your lips, but you stay paralysed. You cannot do anything but accept your fate at this point. //It can’t end// <<link "this way…" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>“<span class="death">For any challenge of this hearing, please contact the Federal Office of Justice in Voliton-city, Planet Cion BI5. Current wait for a case hearing: 4082 days. Thank you for your patience.</span>” Before you can say or think anything else, the wall opposite to your pod’s door opens wide. Everything in the tiny space is sucked into the hole, you included. Like riding a sledge, you slide down the tube on your mattress, twisting and turning along its curves. In the process, you lose your former possessions in smaller openings around you. Terrified, you scream for help, fulling aware that no one would hear you, let alone be able to reach you. You seem to slide endlessly to [[an unknown destination.|END2]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>You are not ready to give up, not just yet. You curl your body under the cover and brace for the worst. You’d rather feel whatever P.I.R.I. throws at you than deal with what is awaiting you in the Stasis Area. From what you’ve heard, cleaning a few toilets is a cakewalk compared to the goop. You gag just a bit thinking about it. You don’t really want to put someone back to sleep either. //What if they don’t want to back?// Or worse, they make you wake someone up. Life aboard the SPS Iron Hammer is quite pleasant when you get used to it, but it took you so long to acclimate to this environment. Not everyone manages either. //P.I.R.I. never prepared me to wake someone up. What if I say something wrong and make everything worse?// No. You’d rather stay in bed, safe under the covers. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>“<span class="piri">#8019,</span>” the voice repeats, now clear as day even with your earplugs. “<span class="piri">You need to get up now. Report to the Stasis Area as soon as possible.</span>” <<if hasVisited("SB1")>>Against any good judgement, you stay in your bunk, unmoved. You know you are getting close to your goal. You cannot back out just yet. //The end is almost there.// The shrill robotic voice continues its repetitive chant in such volume your earplugs have more or less lost their purpose. //They might be protecting me much now, but I still don’t want my ears to bleed…// You calmly take a breath, hoping it would mitigate this new headache. You prepare yourself to endure whatever P.I.R.I. will try to do. //It’s not going to beat me today! I can do it!// You bury your head in your arms, trying your best to protect your ears. It won’t work for long, but it is the only way to protect your temples.<<else>>And still, you resist the command. You know it is unwise, but you cannot back out, not when you are getting so close. //I managed it before, I can do it again//, you try to convince yourself as your temples start aching. Anything to avoid going there. The voice, now shrill, resonates in the room repeating its message in shorter intervals. Even though your earplugs don’t filter the noise as well as a few minutes ago, you know it would be much, much, worse if you took them out. //Might not be protecting much anymore, but still doing something.// You breathe deeply, hoping for the growing migraine to dissipate, or at least not get worse. You may not scare easily, but you know how bad it can become. You try to block the noise further by putting your palm over your ears. You know it will be in vain soon, the noise will find its way to burst your temples, but still you do it.<</if>> * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 3>>“<span class="piri">#8019,</span>” the voice repeats, even louder. “<span class="piri">You need to get up now. Report to the Stasis Area promptly.</span>” <<if hasVisited("SB1")>>You feel a familiar feeling inside your skull, pulsating throughout your whole body. //Here goes nothing.// You know you’ll start having trouble thinking clearly very soon. //As long as I keep focus and do not stray away from my goal, it will be worth it//, you keep repeating, like a mantra. Part of you already wants to quit and cry for help —which will never reach you, since every pod is sound-proof. //I won’t be weak this time…//<<else>>A throbbing headache has now settled in your skull, pulsating its pain throughout your body. It is starting to hurt so much, you have trouble thinking clearly. You want to scream for help, but you are not sure anyone will come for you. No one but you can enter this pod without you opening the door, just as much as you cannot enter someone else’s either. Even if one person managed to pick up on your pleas, which would be unlikely as these rooms are sound-proof, you’d need to drag yourself out of your bunk to let them in. If someone were to pass by, they would probably not even hear this excruciating wake-up call. You are completely isolated from the rest of the ship.<</if>> * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>“<span class="piri">#8019,</span>” the voice declares. “<span class="piri">This is your final warning. Failure to comply will be met with further repercussions.</span>” <<if hasVisited("SB1")>>//Almost there.// When you tried again a few days ago, this is when you stopped. You tried your best to ignore the pain, but it had been more than you could handle. //And then, there was that killing headache//, which followed you for days. You did not even bother asking P.I.R.I. for a painkiller, as you know it would have refused it. //So close to the goal…//<<else>>//Almost there.// This was when you stopped last time. You could not take the pain anymore. You are not even sure you can take it right now either. You remember clearly that headache following you for multiple days after your little //transgression//. As much as you begged for it, P.I.R.I. did not let you request any painkiller. You had to feel every second of pain until the headache left on its own. At least, you were not forced to think much during that time, having to work Maintenance and all.<</if>> * [[You are almost there. Damn the repercussion, when you can finish your little challenge. Dirty toilets will await you anyway, whether you stop now or not. |END]] * [[Tap out. This was a dumb experiment. You’ve hurt yourself enough, there is no need to torture yourself for nothing in the end. |up]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>You open the door of your pod, with some reluctance, almost believing #64073 will stand on the other side berating you or asking for another favour. \ <<if hasVisited("Talk AI 2")>>But you know it cannot be possible. After ratting on him to P.I.R.I. a few days ago, you haven’t seen him around. You wouldn’t be surprised if he had been taken care of by the AI. //I’m sure P.I.R.I. has handled him by now.// You’ve noticed even his goons have started avoiding your path. Only that woman, #93482, dared approach you. She keeps thanking you every time she sees you, and reminding you she has a debt to you. \ <<elseif hasVisited("Talk AI")>>He hasn’t bothered you much since the little incident at Commissary last time, when you ratted on the woman who brought his request. You haven’t seen her around either for that matter. //I probably won’t ever see her again…// It has been surprisingly quiet on that front. //So far.// You are quite sure #64073 will be back at full force to bully you into doing something for him. \ <<elseif hasVisited("Pissoff")>>You already got an earful from him, for not even processing his request. He was very pissed to learn that not only you did not follow his clear instruction, but you also disrespected his right-hand woman. For a few days, you were a bit worried he would send someone after you, to stab you once or twice, as some sort of warning. //But things have been worryingly quiet with him…// \ <<else>>You already got an earful from him, for fixing his request card. He was very pissed to learn that not only did you not follow his instruction, but you also destroyed the only possible way for him to request what he wanted. //There is no way he was not asking for drugs with it.// Since you could not be trusting with this simple job, he has stopped bothering you. //For now…//<</if>> Still, you are surprised to find the door frame clear. You even look a couple of times behind you as you make your way to the Stasis Area. He had been so persistent with his little favours, that you almost miss your little morning scuffles with him. He was the only one to keep me on my toes. You are glad his threats have disappeared. //No one needs that kind of anxiety in their lives…// You distract yourself from the negative thoughts by whistling a tune or two. You can’t tell if you are making them up or if you’ve heard them somewhere. There is not really any music on board the //SPS Iron Hammer//. Not that you can recollect at least. It is always good to occupy your mind when you know you still have such a long way to go to get there. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>Compared to any other job you have ever been assigned to, the Stasis Area is located the farthest from your pod. You are pretty sure you’ve only walked this path once, but from the other way. You were shown to your room by another crew member just after you were woken up. //What was their name again?// You don’t recall either having seen them around lately. It is a bit difficult for you to visualize where rooms are located on this ship. //It’s not like there is a map I can look up, or something.// If your pod was at the front of the ship, you reckon the Stasis Area would be at the back —but you are not certain—. You never go so far from your room, you’ve never needed to. You maybe took a few afternoons to explore this metal vessel a bit shortly after you woke up, but now you are not quite sure. //Maybe I just dreamed it?// Considering everything, you are not afraid to ever get lost on the ship. You know you just need to follow the green arrows in front of you. They seem to have been painted on the floor and the walls around you, but you know better. //It’s all in my mind.// If you looked behind you, you would not see a single one. No one else but you can see these arrows. Everyone onboard can see arrows guiding them to wherever they are needed. //This was the way P.I.R.I. decided to solve this getting lost issue.// It freaked you out when you first got assigned somewhere, but you got used to it, eventually. //Now…// you barely notice them. Unless you are going somewhere you don’t usually go. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>You’ve noticed how eerily empty the corridors have been, especially for the time of day. //Shouldn’t they be buzzing with people by now? or did P.I.R.I. wake me up at a weird time again?// Even with the different shifts, there is rarely any corridor empty like this. You are always bound to find someone running to fix an emergency or lazying strolling down. //Weird…// You can’t seem to shake the feeling until you reach the Stasis Area. When you finally stand in front of its door, you hesitate to press the opening button. You are a bit afraid to learn what you are supposed to do today. You don’t find cleaning a particularly enjoyable task, especially since it would involve a lot of weird goop. If you have to put someone back into a tank and they are not willing to get in, you might need to struggle with them. //And well, waking someone…// you hope it won’t come down to that. Even though you have been on the //SPS Iron Hammer// for a while now —maybe longer than everyone else currently awake—, you’ve never had to be an awakening attendant and mentor a newbie. //P.I.R.I. must have thought of me as unsuitable for the task until now. Why now?// <div align="center"><<button [[Press the button.|Stasis Area]]>><</button>></div> <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>Your fingers barely graze the button before an opening creates itself in front of you to reveal the dreaded Stasis Area. The room is surprisingly dark, when the corridor is so strongly light, save for a bulb or two flickering inside. A shiver travels down your spine. //This is not a good sign, is it? I’m going to get murdered here, aren’t I?// “Hello?” your voice echoes inside. “Fucking Engineering!” An angry voice yells back, from the rear of the room. “Can’t they fix shit properly? I know barely anyone comes by here, but still… Goddammit!” Hearing an actual human voice, you feel instantly better. No one will murder you in this creepy room. //I hope.// You might not feel completely space here, but you enter the space with a more assured step and let out another //hello//. A dark shape jumps from out of the shadow in the back, making you take a few steps backwards. The shape gets closer to you, and you pray it is friendlier than the voice. On its way towards you, the shape stumbles a bit on furniture, boxes, cables and other miscellaneous items on the ground, and grunts or curses every time it encounters an obstruction. Under the still flickering light, the shape takes a more defined silhouette, resembling more an actual person with every step it takes. With its more human shape, you try to recall if you’ve ever met them before, but keep drawing blanks. When the shape stands an arm away from you, you can finally examine the stranger properly. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>A tall woman stands in front of you, a warm glow brightening her brown skin when the light flickers above her. A large clean white lab coat hides her slender figure. Even with those weird goggles on her face, she intimidates you right away. //There is something about her that makes me feel… small?// “Ha! Hello! So you are…” she moves her goggles up and glances at your uniform, “#8019 then.” “<<if $name is "#8019">>Yes!<<else>>Actually, $name.<</if>>” You look at her uniform, but can’t find a number. “And you are..” “<<if $name isnot "#8019">>Oh! Sorry, $name. Right.<</if>> You can call me Cenisa.” “Erm… Nice to meet you?” “Eh,” she shrugs, “probably won’t remember you when you leave.” “Huh? What?” “Oh!” She turns around and shows you a large scar on her skull, made more visible by its pinkish tone contrasting with her black short coily hair. “I got bored one time and decided to experiment a bit. Kinda went wrong…” “Ah… Sorry?” “Pfft! Don’t be. I did it to myself. Can’t remember why P.I.R.I. didn’t stop me, though. Ain’t that weird, huh?” You look at the woman, confused by her attitude. You have so many questions you want to ask her. //Why isn’t she worried about that kind of memory loss? Why isn’t P.I.R.I.? Why did it ever let her do that to herself? Why hasn’t the Med Bay fixed her yet?// Something stops you from saying another word and satiate your curiosity. The woman turns away from you and disappears into the shadow. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>“Anyway,” her voice echoes from somewhere in the room, “whatcha doin’ here? Just warning you, I ain’t letting you inside the pods for a nap. P.I.R.I. hasn’t been happy about that.” “Ah… bummer.” “I know! And I can’t even do it for myself either! And I get so bored when it assigns me here. This is pretty much the only fun thing to do while waiting for time to pass…” “That’s… unfortunate?” “Eh. You live with it.” There is a pause. “So… I may have a faulty memory, but I’m pretty sure you haven’t answered my question. Whatcha doin’ here?” “I don’t actually quite know…” “Ah… brain problem too?” “Don’t we all?” you chuckle, but your joke is met with silence. “Erm… No, I just wasn’t told what I was supposed to do here. I asked P.I.R.I., but I didn’t get an answer.” “Mmh… Let’s see then.” You avoid taking more steps inside the room, thinking the door to the corridor will close behind you otherwise. You are not quite yet ready to embrace the dark. In the distance, a blue light appears, revealing Cenisa’s face. With her goggles back on her nose, she seems intensely concentrated on whatever she has in front of her eyes. “Oh! That’s fun!” she finally exclaims. “What? What am I doing today?” “Doing the best part of this job! We are going to wake up someone!” * [[Fuck. Me. |next]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

Before you can think of a way out of your task, the blue light disappears. And so does the woman. There are still a couple of bulbs flickering throughout the room, which helps you localize Cenisa as she makes her way back towards you. She continues to curse her goggles, supposedly helping her to see in the dark, as she stumbles some more. “I swear to all the gods above… Fuck… Engineering will hear about this… P.I.R.I.?” “<span class="piri">State your request.</span>” “Full light on, please.” The room turns dark, before the light flickers again. One bulb flickers only a couple of times before it breaks. “Ugh. Are you kidding me? P.I.R.I.?” “<span class="piri">State your request.</span>” “Request for Engineering to fix the lights.” “<span class="piri">State additional comment.</span>” “Fix the fucking light, you dimwits. Flickering does not mean it works for fuck’s sake.” “<span class="piri">Request sent. An agent will come shortly.</span>” “Never shortly enough,” she mumbles. “P.I.R.I.?” “<span class="piri">State your request.</span>” “Diagnosis Tank 5.” “<span class="piri">Tank functioning. Subject in good health. Awaiting awakening.</span>” “So, $name. Do you want to wake our subject up now, under the spooky lights? Or wait for Engineering to show their asses?” * [[“Shouldn’t we wait a bit? I mean, they are going to freak out if they wake up under that kind of light otherwise.”|wait]] * [[“Let’s get on with it. I don’t want to stay here longer than I have to.”|now][$friendly -=5]]

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>“Let’s get on with it. I don’t want to stay here longer than I have to.” “ ‘K, kinda rude,” her voice carries. “Like, I get it. But still. Not cool.” Cenisa reappears next to you and grabs you by the arm. She pulls you towards a tank by the wall, the aforementioned Tank 5, painted in a bright red on its side. Angled at about 30 degrees from the ground, the tank is made of strong metal, wires and tubes, and a glass panel on top. Currently translucent from the frost inside, you know it will turn transparent before the body will be taken out. Or so you have been told. The panel was already out of your way when you woke up. And you did not pay much attention to it then. While the room has seemed uninviting, with its creepy ambience and flickering light, seeing that tank fills you with comfort. //Was this also my tank? Nah… That can’t be possible. They’d need to move what’s inside every time they wake up someone otherwise…// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>“Ready?” “Huh?” “Ready to meet your new buddy?” “Sure,” you shrug. “Wow… what an edgy ?child we have here,” she snickers while pressing a button. A small screen on the side of the tank lights up and announces <span class="terminal">AWAKENING TANK 5 COMMENCING: DIAGNOSIS PHASE</span>, while a loading bar under the text fills up slowly. As the bar’s progress increases, so does your anxiety. Cenisa notices you grimacing. “First time, eh?” “Is that so easy to tell?” “Yeah… It’s easier after this one.” “I am not even sure I want to do this right now…” “Well,” she smacks your back, “can’t back out now. Or like… ever.” While you are sure the woman is trying to be comforting, her words are nothing but. The only you want to do right now is run out of the room and not stop running, not until you are far, far, away from this place. You never saw yourself as the mentor type, the kind of person that accompanies others, helps them acclimate and is there for them. You’ve managed to survive all of this time —longer than everyone else onboard— especially because you’ve kept your head down and left others to their own devices. //What if I fuck them up? I don’t need that on my conscience!// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 3>>The screen now flashes: <span class="terminal">@@#blinky;AWAKENING TANK 5 DIAGNOSIS COMPLETE — GOOD CONDITION@@</span>. “Oh, thank God!” Cenisa whispers. “What? What’s wrong?” “Nothing! That’s the great thing, nothing is wrong!” “Why would something go wrong?” “Err… Malfunction,” she starts counting her fingers as the list goes on, “poor storage, Engineering fucking up, system going down, poor condition of the body to begin with… There are as many reasons as there are probably stars out there.” “That’s not… reassuring.” “But look,” she points at the screen, “the system says it’s fine! No cleaning up goop for you!” At this point, you’d rather clean up tanks full of goop rather than all of this. You never asked for nor wanted the responsibility for the good development of a newbie. //I can’t even take good care of a potted plant!// “So… What do we do now?” “We wait until the process is complete.” “How long will that take?” “Depends on the body. Usually, it’s not that long. You’d be able to have lunch by the time it’s over.” “Do you know who we are waking up?” “Er… not really. Hold on.” She crouches down to the screen and taps on it. Her fingers move so quickly and precisely, you don’t have time to read anything appearing on the screen. //How can she do that so fast?// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>“Alright-y. Mmh… Not much information. Ugh, Typical. Male. Mid-20s. Somewhat healthy, though he is a bit on the bony side. Probably needs a quick check-up at the Med Bay. No underlying condition. Waking up should be smooth.” “That’s good, right?” “I’ve seen worse. But he seems fine. If he is as sound of mind as he is physically, that should be a cakewalk for you. Lucky you!” You swallow with difficulty. If this is supposed to be a cakewalk, I can’t imagine having to wake up someone with problems. Cenisa gets back up and opens a hatch at the back of the tank. She throws you something she grabbed from the hatch. Wrapped in some sort of thin plastic film is a khaki green uniform, just like yours. You turn the package around and see a couple of numbers embroidered on the front: ''#93812''. “I hope you don’t mind nudity too much, ‘cause he is as naked as a newborn in there,” she knocks on the tank glass. “You won’t have to dress him up, don’t worry. I’ll put a towel or something on his lower body and you can give him the uniform when he gets out.” “And that’s it?” “Essentially? Yes. Though it is recommended you talk to the newbie when he wakes up. To make sure he knows a friendly face is there for him,” she shrugs, “or something.” “What do I say?” “Man… You guys really should be trained before you come here. Did you even read the manual?” “Manual? What manual?” “The one that came with the assignment.” “I didn’t even know I was coming here to wake up some dude!” “Ah… right… you did say that earlier. Well, we have some time before the process is done. I can give you my copy of the manual, if you want. Or you can ask some questions. What do you want to do?” * [[If she offers you her manual, you might as well take advantage of this and read it. It might be useful.|manual]] * [[Reading the manual could be interesting, but you’d rather ask questions directly to someone who has gone through this multiple times already.|question]] * [[Eh… You can just wing it.|wing]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>><<blink>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>“Shouldn’t we wait a bit? I mean, they are going to freak out if they wake up under that kind of light otherwise.” “Would they?” Cenisa glances at the ceiling. “Eh… It doesn’t phase me that much.” “Maybe you are used to it? But they probably won’t.” “Right… They might think we will try to murder them,” she laughs. Cenisa reappears next and grabs you by the arm. She pulls you deeper into the dark room, where you end up losing your sight completely as the darkness submerges you. You cannot do anything but trust this woman will guide you safely to wherever she is taking you. She seems to be more careful with her movements than earlier, when she only had to take care of herself. Until she stops, releases your arm and pulls something closer. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>“Here,” she finally says. “Sit down.” “What? Where? I can’t see anything.” “Ah… right, you don’t have goggles like mine on.” She takes your hand and gently puts it on top of your assigned seat. You keep your hand on the cold metallic surface until your behind is firmly sitting on it. //Please, let it be an actual seat and not some weird jar filled with some gross stuff.// Cenisa disappears again and you hear her shuffling stuff around again somewhere further in the dark. Another source of light ignites her face, this time from a lantern, which she brings back with her. She puts it down on the table in front of you and takes a seat by you. Instinctively, you glance down to the seat under you, //just to check if it is not some weird stuff//. But you are just sitting on a plain chair. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 3>>“Alright, $name. Whatcha wanna do while we wait for Engineering to move their asses? Might take a while.” “Er… I dunno,” you scratch your head. “I wasn’t really prepared to do this today, to be honest.” “This? As in waking up someone, this?” “Yeah…” “Is that really your first time?” “Can you tell?” “Sure,” she shrugs. “Don’t worry, though, it’s easier after the first one.” “I am not even sure I want to do this right now…” “Well,” she slaps your back, “can’t back out now. Or like… ever.” While you are sure the woman is trying to be comforting, her words are nothing but. The only you want to do right now is run out of the room and not stop running, not until you are far, far, away from this place. You never saw yourself as the mentor type, the kind of person that accompanies others, helps them acclimate and is there for them. You’ve managed to survive all of this time —longer than everyone else onboard— especially because you’ve kept your head down and left others to their own devices. //What if I fuck them up? I don’t need that on my conscience!// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 4>>“Uh-oh…” she looks at you and grimaces. “Didn’t mean to freak you out like that, $name. You really don’t have to worry,” she pats you on the back. “It will be just fine. You are not going through this alone.” “Er… Do you know who we are waking up?” “No clue! Hold on.” She disappears once more. By the sound of her steps —as she hits things on her way again—, you can estimate more or less that she should be around the entrance of the room. //That and I can see her when she walks just under the flickering light.// “Alright-y,” she finally says, her face coming back towards you, lit above a tablet. “Case #94812. Not much information. Ugh, Typical. Male. Mid 20s. Somewhat healthy, though on the bony side. Probably needs a quick check-up at the Med Bay. No underlying condition. Waking up should be smooth.” “That’s good right?” “I’ve seen worse,” she shrugs. “But he seems fine. If he is as sound of mind as he is physically, that should be a cakewalk for you. Lucky you!” You swallow with difficulty. //If this is supposed to be a cakewalk, I can’t imagine having to wake up someone with problems.// Cenisa continues reading the file on the tablet, not paying any attention to you. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>“How long will it take?” “Depends on the body. It’s usually not that long. A few hours at most until you are out of the door.” “Can something bad happen?” “Oh! Loads of things! Malfunction,” she starts counting her fingers as the list goes on, “poor storage, Engineering fucking up, system going down, poor condition of the body to begin with… There are as many reasons as there are probably stars out there.” “That’s not… comforting.” “I’m sure it will be fine, $name. The amount of times goop had to be cleaned during an awakening is really low, according to P.I.R.I. at least.” “But, if it is not that, I can fuck him up all by myself!” “Oh, buddy…” she gives you a concerned look. “You haven’t read the manual, have you?” “Manual? What manual?” “The one that came with the assignment.” “I didn’t even know I was coming here to wake up some dude!” “Ah… right… you did say that earlier. Well, we have some time before the process is done. I can give you my copy of the manual, if you want. Or you can ask some questions. What do you want to do?’ * [[If she offers you her manual, you might as well take advantage of this and read it. It might be useful.|Engineering]] * [[Reading the manual could be interesting, but you’d rather ask questions directly to someone who has gone through this multiple times already.|Engineering]] *[[Eh… You can just wing it.|Engineering]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>Before you can answer her, the main door flings open and a short man enters grumbling. He is wearing some stained overalls over his uniform and holding a large toolbox. “Alright, Lady Scientist. What’s the problem this time?” “Oh my God!” she addresses you and laments. “Not only they can’t repair shit properly, but they also dare to send me a blind guy as well. I tell you, $name. Engineering hates me.” “If you didn’t keep braking ya stuff, we’d probably not care as much. Now,” the man takes a notebook out of his back pocket and flips it open. “Reports said…” “The fucking light is out, you dimwit.” “Lady Creepozoid, don’t worry, I don’t want to be here either,” the man looks up. “And the light is not out. It’s still working.” “Sure. //And my foot up your ass will work just fine as well. //Will you make it stop flickering?” The man puts his toolbox down and takes something out. He throws it at the ceiling. The mysterious item hits the flickering lightbulb, and makes a clinking noise when it hits the ground. Save for the small lantern radiating on the table and a few flickering lightbulbs in useless spots, the room has been rendered completely dark. Besides you, Cenisa mutters a //fucking caveman//. “Here. Light ain’t flickering no more.” “Well, obviously. But there’s no fucking light either!” “File a report with P.I.R.I.,” as the door opens again, you see the man leaving. “Just you fucking wait, you fucking gremlin.” “Fucking //what//?” the man stops, tensing up. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>As the hostility between the repairman and Cenisa increases, you just want to slip away and leave them cutting each other’s throat. As an unwilling bystander of this fight, you’ve frozen up the moment it started, unable to move or say anything to stop it. The relationship between Cenisa and the whole Engineering department seems to be very belligerent. Regardless of whom started the feud, no one seems willing to make an end to it. That man looks ready to throw some punches towards the woman. For an interminable moment, the room stands still. Until Cenisa sighs. “Listen, man. I ain’t alone here. See this ?person by the lantern over there? P.I.R.I. sent ?them to wake someone up today.” “Eh, a fresh body coming to run down the halls. Been a while since we had a newbie down in Engineering.” “You know as well as I do no one can force P.I.R.I. to assign someone to a hall. The case file doesn’t even provide any information about his character.” “And? How is that my problem?” “We— ?They don’t want to freak the kid out when he wakes up.” “Ha…,” the man scratches his head, embarrassed. “Right, the awakening is not always… smooth.” “Hey! Don’t freak $name out in the process, it’s ?their first time!” “Hohoho! Fresh meat waking up fresh meat,” the man seers at you. “What have you done, kid, to make P.I.R.I. assign you to that?” he points at Cenisa. “//Rude//…” Cenisa interjects. “I’ll let you know I am extremely delightful among a like-minded company.” “Delightful, my ass,” the man laughs. “So, can you fix the light?” * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 3>>The man falls silent, hesitating. “Doesn’t have to be a permanent fix,” Cenisa continues. “As long as it works for a few hours, tops.” The man continues to stay mute. He props himself to the door frame. “Come on, man. For the kid.” He does not seem to pay any attention to Cenisa’s pleas, looking instead at and cleaning his nails. “Fu—” Cenisa stops herself from swearing. “Fine. What do you want?” “You know what I want,” the man grins. “I can’t do that anymore! P.I.R.I. revoked my access.” “Bullshit, Lady Creepozoid. I saw you in one of ‘dem tanks last time I came ‘round.” “That was before P.I.R.I. …” “No tank, no deal.” The man grins even harder, knowing he clearly has the upper hand here. Silence sets in the room, as Cenisa is forced to make a decision. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 4>>“Ugh. //Fiiine//,” she relents. “I’ll find a way.” “You better.” The repairman rummages through his toolbox and takes a stick from it, which he breaks in half and throws in the middle of the room. Soft light slowly emits from the broken stick and embalms the room. “P.I.R.I.?” the man asks. “<span class="piri">State your request.</span>” “Request for a ladder. Tall.” “<span class="piri">State the reason for the request.</span>” “Goddamn, every time…” he massages his temples. “Cause I’m a fucking dwarf that can’t reach the ceiling.” “<span class="piri">Request granted. Item available by the door.</span>” The man leaves the room, for a short moment, before returning with the requested ladder, one at least triple his size. You are amazed at how such a little man can move around encumbered by such a large item and set it up without any semblance of a problem. Without paying any more attention to either Cenisa or you, the man gets to work. In between fixing the light sources, he reminds Cenisa of her promise. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>The scientist gets up from her chair and walks towards one of the tanks in the room. She presses a button, before going behind the tank and picking up something. She comes back, holding a package, which she throws at you. Wrapped in some sort of thin plastic film is a khaki green uniform, just like yours. You turn the package around and see a couple of numbers embroidered on the front: ''#93812''. “Here’s the newbie’s uniform. Give it to him before he gets out of the tank. Oh, I also started your buddy’s awakening, since it will take a while. So, $name. What did you want to do again?” * [[Since she offered you her manual, you might as well take advantage of this and read it. It might be useful.|manual]] * [[Reading the manual could be interesting, but you’d rather ask questions directly to someone who has gone through this multiple times already.|question]] *[[Eh… You can just wing it.|wing]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<switch $text>><<case 1>><<unset $text>><<if hasVisited("manual")>> <div class="terminal">''A crew member is scheduled to be woken up from a Tank. What is the procedure to follow?'' //This procedure needs to be completed with a medical attendant, under the supervision of P.I.R.I..// — First, request P.I.R.I. to diagnose the Tank. If the Tank is non-functional, request for repairs. If the Tank is functional, request P.I.R.I. to commence the awakening program. — Second, monitor the progress of awakening on the Tank screen. Actions may be required. In case of error, please refer to this manual or contact P.I.R.I.. — Third, when the program notifies you of its completion and the Tank lid opens, check that the subject’s physical condition is acceptable (see Appendix 46 if you are the medical attendant). — Fourth, when the subject regains consciousness (within a few minutes of the lid opening), check that the subject’s mental condition is acceptable (see Appendix 47 if you are the medical attendant). — Fifth, engage in conversation with the subject until they seem stable enough to be discharged. * [[There is an issue on the Tank Screen. How can it be fixed?|learning][$text = 2]] * [[The new crew member’s physical condition does not meet the checklist. What now?|learning][$text = 3]] * [[The new crew member’s mental condition does not meet the checklist. What now?|learning][$text = 4]] * [[What should the emotional attendant say to the new crew member as they regain consciousness?|learning][$text = 5]] </div> * [[Close the manual. |Tank]] <<else>>“What’s the procedure to wake someone up?” “Broadly? I ask P.I.R.I. to start the program on the assigned tank. It turns on the system of the tank, and we just wait until the tank requires any action. If all goes well, the top part of the tank opens and we have to cover the body, for everyone’s sake. Then I need to do a few physical and mental checks on the subject, to make sure everything is fine. You get to chitchat with them while they dress up. And then you can leave.” “It’s really that easy?” “When everything goes well, yeah.” * [[“If there is an issue with the Tank, what do we do?”|learning][$text = 2]] * [[“What if there is something wrong with the body, like physically?”|learning][$text = 3]] * [[“What if they are not… well in the head when they wake up?”|learning][$text = 4]] * [[“What do I say to them, when they wake up?”|learning][$text = 5]] * [[“I don’t have any more questions.”|Tank]] <</if>><<case 2>><<unset $text>><<if hasVisited("manual")>> <div class="terminal">''There is an issue on the Tank Screen. How can it be fixed?'' The procedure to follow will depend on the issue shown on the screen. If you are unsure about what to do or about the issue at hand, contact P.I.R.I. immediately. //Common known issues:// — //Subject condition other than good:// the subject in the Tank is not in a condition of going through the awakening procedure. The Tank will immediately stop its progress and await further instruction. Request diagnosis from P.I.R.I.. The Med Bay may need to be contacted. — //Tank Screen does not work:// contact P.I.R.I. and request repairs. In the meantime, contact P.I.R.I. to request progress information. — //Awakening system is down:// the awakening procedure will not commence or continue. Request repairs of the tank and rescheduling of the procedure. — //No body is found:// if this has not been done yet, request P.I.R.I. to diagnose the Tank. If the Tank is full of goop, request for cleaning. For other reasons, follow P.I.R.I.’s instructions. * [[A crew member is scheduled to be woken up from a Tank. What is the procedure to follow?|learning][$text = 1]] * [[The new crew member’s physical condition does not meet the checklist. What now?|learning][$text = 3]] * [[The new crew member’s mental condition does not meet the checklist. What now?|learning][$text = 4]] * [[What should the emotional attendant say to the new crew member as they regain consciousness?|learning][$text = 5]] </div> * [[Close the manual. |Tank]] <<else>>“If there is an issue with the Tank, what do we do?” “Err… what kind of issue?” “I dunno? Something is wrong with the body?” “The system shuts down and we need to do a diagnosis with P.I.R.I. to see what is wrong. Usually, the body is a bit too cold or too warm to be woken up. But P.I.R.I. often fixes it directly. If it is not possible, someone from the Med Bay will check the body.” “What happens if the body is not recoverable?” “You mean if it’s dead? The Morgue is assigned to take care of it.” After seeing you pale, “but don’t worry! It happens very rarely. I’ve seen goop more often than a dead body.” “What if the body is fine but something goes wrong during the awakening process?” “Same thing. To be honest, most of the time, we need to contact P.I.R.I. and follow its instructions. Like contact Med Bay. Or worse,” she shudders, “Engineering or Maintenance.” “Huh… If you just need to ask P.I.R.I. some stuff, why are you here?” “I know, right? This job is mainly waiting and tick checkboxes on a list. But P.I.R.I. thinks it’s needed to have a competent medical attendant at all times. And I am not going to be the one to question its directives.” * [[“What’s the procedure to take someone up?”|learning][$text = 1]] * [[“What if there is something wrong with the body, like physically?”|learning][$text = 3]] * [[“What if they are not… well in the head when they wake up?”|learning][$text = 4]] * [[“What do I say to them, when they wake up?”|learning][$text = 5]] * [[“I don’t have any more questions.”|Tank]] <</if>><<case 3>><<unset $text>><<if hasVisited("manual")>> <div class="terminal">''The new crew member’s physical condition does not meet the checklist. What now?'' If the subject’s physical condition does not meet the checklist, please contact the Medical Bay through P.I.R.I.. If the condition is critical, the medical attendant needs to follow its emergency training. Otherwise, request a diagnosis from P.I.R.I. and follow its directive. The subject may need to be sedated or put back to sleep altogether. For the whole checklist, see Appendix 46. * [[A crew member is scheduled to be woken up from a Tank. What is the procedure to follow?|learning][$text = 1]] * [[There is an issue on the Tank Screen. How can it be fixed?|learning][$text = 2]] * [[The new crew member’s mental condition does not meet the checklist. What now?|learning][$text = 4]] * [[What should the emotional attendant say to the new crew member as they regain consciousness?|learning][$text = 5]] </div> * [[Close the manual. |Tank]] <<else>>“If they fail the physical check, what happens then?” “Depends on the body’s condition. At best, I may need to use my emergency training. Otherwise, we will contact the Med Bay to take over. At worse… well, there is nothing we would be able to do but request someone from the Morgue.” “Is the checklist long? What’s in there?” “Not that long. Does the body react to the reflex points? Is the body temperature in the normal range? Is there brain activity? Are the organs functioning? That kind of thing. Most of it is scanned by the Tank or P.I.R.I..” “I don’t remember someone checking me out when I woke up. Are they going to be conscious when you do this?” “Eeh… It depends on the person. Most people are conscious, and will remember, only after this check. Some are a bit more… premature. But they don’t seem bothered or traumatized by it. It’s not really invasive.” “So... No probing?” “Is that what you wanted to know all along?” She laughs. “No, don’t worry. There is no probing involved.” * [[“What’s the procedure to take someone up?”|learning][$text = 1]] * [[“If there is an issue with the Tank, what do we do?”|learning][$text = 2]] * [[“What if they are not… well in the head when they wake up?”|learning][$text = 4]] * [[“What do I say to them, when they wake up?”|learning][$text = 5]] * [[“I don’t have any more questions.”|Tank]] <</if>><<case 4>><<unset $text>><<if hasVisited("manual")>> <div class="terminal">''The new crew member’s mental condition does not meet the checklist. What now?'' If the subject’s mental condition does not meet the checklist, please contact the Medical Bay through P.I.R.I.. If the subject is volatile, the medical attendant may need to sedate them. Request a diagnosis from P.I.R.I. and follow its directive. The final steps of the awakening may have to be postponed to a later date or until the subject’s mental condition meets the requirements. For the whole checklist, see Appendix 47. * [[A crew member is scheduled to be woken up from a Tank. What is the procedure to follow?|learning][$text = 1]] * [[There is an issue on the Tank Screen. How can it be fixed?|learning][$text = 2]] * [[The new crew member’s physical condition does not meet the checklist. What now?|learning][$text = 3]] * [[What should the emotional attendant say to the new crew member as they regain consciousness?|learning][$text = 5]] </div> * [[Close the manual. |Tank]] <<else>>“What if they are not… well in the head when they wake up?” “Do you mean slow or mad? Because those will get different answers.” “Well, both? Separately.” “If the newbie is slow, it’s not too much of a problem for us. I would probably need to contact the Med Bay for further testing. But P.I.R.I. can handle that kind of people, it has in the past. You’ve never interacted with them, have you?” she asks, almost chastising you. “Not… not that I can recall,” you respond, a bit embarrassed. “Well, you don’t need to worry. They do just fine.” “Right… And if they are mad?” “Depends how crazy they are. Same procedure as with the first case. Unless they turn violent, then we sedate them and try again later.” “And if it doesn’t change?” “They are transferred to the Med Bay. And that’s it for us.” * [[“What’s the procedure to take someone up?”|learning][$text = 1]] * [[“If there is an issue with the Tank, what do we do?”|learning][$text = 2]] * [[“What if there is something wrong with the body, like physically?”|learning][$text = 3]] * [[“What do I say to them, when they wake up?”|learning][$text = 5]] * [[“I don’t have any more questions.”|Tank]] <</if>><<default>><<unset $text>><<if hasVisited("manual")>> <div class="terminal">''What should the emotional attendant should say to the new crew member as they regain consciousness?'' When the subject is regaining consciousness, the emotional attendant should stimulate them to help with the awakening procedure. The use of other senses —touch, vision and smell— are as important as discussion. It is recommended to do so before, during and after the mental check, if and when possible. Confusing the subject should be avoided as much as possible. As the subject regains consciousness, the emotional attendant should mention their name and the name of any other person in the room. Focus on small talk at first and on describing their direct environment (awakening room). Answer the subject’s questions as simply and as clearly as possible. Be calm and collected, and show these emotions in your mannerisms and talk. * [[A crew member is scheduled to be woken up from a Tank. What is the procedure to follow?|learning][$text = 1]] * [[There is an issue on the Tank Screen. How can it be fixed?|learning][$text = 2]] * [[The new crew member’s physical condition does not meet the checklist. What now?|learning][$text = 3]] * [[The new crew member’s mental condition does not meet the checklist. What now?|learning][$text = 4]] </div> * [[Close the manual. |Tank]] <<else>>“What do I say to them, when they wake up?” “Whatever you want to,” Cenisa shrugs. “I ain’t the boss of you.” “Shouldn’t I try not to traumatize them though?” “Listen, pumpkin, it takes a lot to traumatize someone. But you are too worried about this to do something dumb, or do it on purpose. I guess avoid talking about space right away. That can freak people out.” “But, we are on a huge spaceship! In space! That’s kind of the whole thing here!” “Well, you’ll have to tell him at some point. It’s not like you can just leave the ship by walking out of the door. I mean you could, if P.I.R.I. lets you. Just don’t mention space the second he regains consciousness. Got it?” “Yeah, good point. That can wait. So, what can I tell him?” “Eeh… I dunno. To be honest, I don’t really pay much attention to this part when I wake up someone. I guess describe the room. Or make some small talk. Talk about the weat—wait no,” she facepalms. “Not the weather. Maybe your last meal or your next one? Or what you did last afternoon?” “Right, small talk. I can do that.” “Oh! Maybe introduce yourself as well. That could be useful, I guess. You know… to humanize yourself a bit.” * [[“What’s the procedure to take someone up?”|learning][$text = 1]] * [[“If there is an issue with the Tank, what do we do?”|learning][$text = 2]] * [[“What if there is something wrong with the body, like physically?”|learning][$text = 3]] * [[“What if they are not… well in the head when they wake up?”|learning][$text = 4]] * [[“I don’t have any more questions.”|Tank]]<</if>><</switch>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>“<span class="piri">#8019,</span>” the voice repeats, louder now. “<span class="piri">You need to get up now. Please report to the Commissary promptly.</span>” You still don’t budge. //Capitulating is not the way//, not when you know the punishment involves cleaning a few toilets here and there for a while. //And it’s not even that bad, really.// People tend to clean after themselves anyway. Only a few times you had to plead P.I.R.I. for some sort of mask, as the smell was too overwhelming. An idea pops into your mind. //Maybe I could trick P.I.R.I. into thinking I was sick?// Trying to outsmart the ship’s AI would be a feat in itself. //Who else but the sick ones avoid leaving their beds?// No one can escape its sensors, no matter how much they try, //but I could maybe deceive it?// You lie to yourself, knowing deep down while it cannot read your thoughts, it can read your vitals just fine. //It doesn’t hurt to try.// You curl your body into a fetal position under the cover, and brace yourself for the worst. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>“<span class="piri">#8019,</span>” the voice repeats, which you can hear as clear as a bell even with your earplugs. “<span class="piri">You need to get up now. Report to the Commissary promptly.</span>” And still, you resist the command. You know it is unwise, but you cannot back out, not when you are getting so close. //I managed it before, I can do it again,// you try to convince yourself as your temples start aching. The voice, now shrill, resonates in the room repeating its message in shorter intervals. Even though your earplugs don’t filter the noise as well as a few minutes ago, you know it would be much, much, worse if you took them out. //Might not be protecting much anymore, but still doing something.// You breathe deeply, hoping for the growing migraine to dissipate, or at least not get worse. You may not scare easily, but you know how bad it can become. You try to block the noise further by putting your palm over your ears. You know it will be in vain soon, the noise will find its way to burst your temples, but still you do it. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 3>>“<span class="piri">#8019,</span>” the voice repeats, even louder. “<span class="piri">You need to get up now. Report to the Commissary promptly.</span>” A throbbing headache has now settled in your skull, pulsating its pain throughout your body. It is starting to hurt so much, you have trouble thinking clearly. You want to scream for help, but you are not sure anyone will come for you. No one but you can enter this pod without you opening the door, just as much as you cannot enter someone else’s either. Even if one person managed to pick up on your pleas, which would be unlikely as these rooms are sound-proof, you’d need to drag yourself out of your bunk to let them in. If someone were to pass by, they would probably not even hear this excruciating wake-up call. You are completely isolated from the rest of the ship. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>“<span class="piri">#8019,</span>” the voice declares. “<span class="piri">This is your final warning. Failure to comply will be met with further repercussions.</span>” // Almost there.// This was when you stopped last time. You could not take the pain anymore. You are not even sure you can take it right now either. You remember clearly that headache following you for multiple days after your little //transgression//. As much as you begged for it, P.I.R.I. did not let you request any painkiller. You had to feel every second of pain until the headache left on its own. At least, you were not forced to think much during that time, having to work Maintenance and all. * [[You are almost there. Damn the repercussion, when you can finish your little challenge. Dirty toilets will await you anyway, whether you stop now or not. |END]] * [[Tap out. This was a dumb experiment. You’ve hurt yourself enough, there is no need to torture yourself for nothing in the end. |GetUp]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>You finally land somewhere, in a room you’ve never seen before. Thankfully, the mattress lands your fall. Compared to the whole simple design aesthetic of the ship, this one seems unfinished with pipes on the wall exposed. There are two doors in this room, standing opposite to one another. You crawl towards one, with difficulty as you are still dealing with the throbbing pain and the soreness from the fall. You hope that it could lead you to freedom, but you find no way of opening it. You make your way towards the other door, on which you notice a bright window. A shadow passes swiftly. You slam you hand on the transparent panel, hoping that whoever passed would see you. //And maybe rescue me?// You see no one through the opening. The adjacent room is bizarrely empty. “<span class="piri">Cabin depressurization commences,</span>” you recognize P.I.R.I.’s calm voice. * <<link "NO!" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>“<span class="piri">Cabin depressurization commences.</span>” You bang on the door even harder. Deep inside, you know there is nothing you could do to save your life. You still try with all of your might. //There has to be a way out of here//, you lie to yourself, again. There is no escape. There never was. There never will be. As the room pressure drops, you feel yourself floating. Your feet leave the ground. Before you lose your balance, you anchor yourself at the door. This is not the first time you’ve felt this sensation. There have been times when it happened on the ship, often due to malfunctions. Other times, some crew members fucked things up, either by accident or on purpose. It had been fun, then. Swimming inside the halls, jumping from one wall to another, doing flips without the fear of gravity stopping you. You scream at the window, again. In vain, again. Your gaze is blurred by your tears. //No, no, no, no!// You brush the tears rolling down your cheek with your hand. You never saw yourself ending this way. * <<link "Why?" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 3>>“<span class="piri">Door opening in three…</span>” * <<link "No, no, no! I still have so much more to give! " `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 4>>“<span class="piri">… two…</span>” * <<link "Please! If any god is out there, please!" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 5>>“<span class="piri">… one…</span>” * <<link "I’ll be good! I promise!" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 6>>“<span class="piri">Door opening.</span>” * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>Everything went dark so quickly. In a blink, you almost missed it. You glanced at the door, slowly opening, and before you knew it you were outside. In actual space. You’d never seen of the ship, not really. Some had the chance to, having to do some repairs. But you were never assigned there. You contented yourself with the few windows looking into the great unknown. It gave you some idea of what the shipped looked like, but you could never make a full image in your head. SPS Iron Hammer seems as big as a moon, or even a planet. This was the last glimpse you caught before you blacked out. The unfathomable immensity of the ship you had barely explored during your time there, filled with people you barely knew, slowly moving in the ever-expanding space. * //[[A life wasted for no good reason. |Last Page]] // <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<div align="center"><h2>FIN?</h2></div> You have found the Ending :// \ <<nobr>><<if hasVisited("END2")>>Now, you’ll sleep forever. <<elseif hasVisited("FR end")>>That probably was the wrong button! <<elseif hasVisited("death2")>>Volunteering as tribute is not a flex. <<elseif hasVisited("sleep")>>That experiment was a failure. <<elseif hasVisited("alone")>>You dropped him like a hot potato. <<elseif hasVisited("pass")>>Well, well, well. Aren’t you a coward, now… <<elseif hasVisited("lies")>>Memories not found. <<elseif hasVisited("snitch")>>You’d have been shivved for that in the street… <<elseif hasVisited("dont")>>Your hands are clean, right? <<else>>This can’t be the end…<</if>><</nobr>>// Thank you for playing //SPS Iron Hammer//. If you've enjoyed the game, consider rating it! <<click "Restart?">><<script>>Engine.restart()<</script>><</click>>

“I am always happy to help my fellow crew mates,” you smile at him as you override P.I.R.I.’s judgement on the terminal. “I’d rather not want to see the Med Bay’s requests increase, if all of your backs and joints get worse.” “I unders— Wait… really?” he looks at you surprised. “You will actually let us build it?” “I just approved it, and can’t undo it… so yeah,” you hand him back his card. “Just… just don’t end up creating a killer robot, alright?” “Thank you!” he shakes your hand heartily, before grabbing the card. “Thank you, $name! I promise you we won’t! We’ll be careful. Thank you!” “You’ll receive soon your shipment at the Farm. Do not forget to return any piece you have not used and any equipment you are borrowing. Have a good day!” The man giddily leaves the counter before you are done speaking, and skips his way back to the Farm. He did not wait for you to say anything else, probably fearing you would get back on your word and cancel it all. You smile at this heart-warming picture, bitterly hoping that your action won’t come back to haunt you. //If there is a God out there… please let it work.// * [[Continue|# Request]]

“Err…” you clear your throat, delaying delivering the bad news. “There must be a reason why P.I.R.I. keeps refusing your requests. I mean, it’s kind of telling you still haven’t been able to start your little project yet. Look around you, man. Have you seen any robot on the ship?” “I know… But don’t you think it’s kind of cruel that the AI lets us break our backs and joints like this, when there is a simple way of making our lives easier?” “I… I don’t know, man,” you hand him his card back. “I feel for you, I really do. But there must be another way to fix your problem. One that doesn’t involve building a killer robot, or won’t land you in trouble.” “You don’t think we’ve tried everything? That’s why we are trying to fix the problem ourselves! What else can we do, huh?” “I’d need to know what you’ve tried first, to not tell you to try something you’ve done before. But my first thought would be to talk to Engineering.” “Those snobs? No, thank you! They look down on us enough.” “I don’t know, man,” you shrug. “They might have an idea. Maybe even test a prototype for you. It would be more likely to get P.I.R.I.’s approval that way.” “I… I’ll talk with the others,” he fidgets with the card. “What about the rest, though?” “The non-robot-building materials? Yeah, that’s fine. The shipment should be at the Farm by the time you get there.” The man passes his hand through his hair, looking defeated. You wish you could help him more, but you don’t want the consequences of an actual killer robot on your hands. He mutters a thanks before leaving the queue, dragging his feet going back to the Farm. //Poor guy…// * [[Continue|# Request]]

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>You grab the card and scan it. The screen loads the request. <div class="terminal">//''Request'': #28899 — The Farm Replacement material and tools. Requesting:// <table class="terminal"> <tr> <td><<fadein 2s 1s>><span class="lnr lnr-checkmark-circle"></span><</fadein>> bushings</td> <td><<fadein 2s 15s>><span class="lnr lnr-cross-circle"></span><</fadein>> motor</td> </tr> <tr> <td><<fadein 2s 13s>><span class="lnr lnr-cross-circle"></span><</fadein>> bearings</td> <td><<fadein 2s 3s>><span class="lnr lnr-checkmark-circle"></span><</fadein>> shafts</td> </tr> <tr> <td><<fadein 2s 17s>><span class="lnr lnr-cross-circle"></span><</fadein>> cables</td> <td><<fadein 2s 9s>><span class="lnr lnr-checkmark-circle"></span><</fadein>> shears</td> </tr> <tr> <td><<fadein 2s 2s>><span class="lnr lnr-cross-circle"></span><</fadein>> cylinders</td> <td><<fadein 2s 4s>><span class="lnr lnr-cross-circle"></span><</fadein>> soldering iron</td> </tr> <tr> <td><<fadein 2s 11s>><span class="lnr lnr-cross-circle"></span><</fadein>> fuel</td> <td><<fadein 2s 8s>><span class="lnr lnr-cross-circle"></span><</fadein>> solenoids</td> </tr> <tr> <td><<fadein 2s 14s>><span class="lnr lnr-cross-circle"></span><</fadein>> electric saw</td> <td><<fadein 2s 10s>><span class="lnr lnr-cross-circle"></span><</fadein>> structural tubing</td> </tr> <tr> <td><<fadein 2s 5s>><span class="lnr lnr-checkmark-circle"></span><</fadein>> gloves</td> <td><<fadein 2s 16s>><span class="lnr lnr-cross-circle"></span><</fadein>> switches</td> </tr> <tr> <td><<fadein 2s 12s>><span class="lnr lnr-checkmark-circle"></span><</fadein>> hammer</td> <td><<fadein 2s 4s>><span class="lnr lnr-checkmark-circle"></span><</fadein>> trowels</td> </tr> <tr> <td><<fadein 2s 9s>><span class="lnr lnr-checkmark-circle"></span><</fadein>> hoses</td> <td><<fadein 2s 6s>><span class="lnr lnr-checkmark-circle"></span><</fadein>> valves</td> </tr> <tr> <td><<fadein 2s 7s>><span class="lnr lnr-checkmark-circle"></span><</fadein>> hydraulic pumps</td> <td><<fadein 2s 12s>><span class="lnr lnr-cross-circle"></span><</fadein>> wires</td> </tr> </table><div align='center'><<button "APPROVE">><</button>> <<button "REJECT">><</button>> <<button "EDIT">><</button>></div></div> This time, the verification process is not as instantaneous. You are not too surprised, as his list seems to be as long as his arm. It takes a while for the system to complete its task. The man taps his fingers on the counter, in an increasing tempo as he loses his patience. “So… what’s the hold-up?” “Chill, man. System’s checking your request. Can’t do anything until it passes judgement.” “Ugh…,” he throws his hands in the air, irritated. “It’s always the same thing for the Farm, always taking its sweet ass time. Why can’t it be as fast as the Med Bay? We are important too here! Maybe even more important than them.” You shrug and go back to the screen. There is no need for you to fuel this conversation further. If you just let them complain as much as they wish, they don’t direct their frustration towards you. It makes your job a bit easier. During the man’s little tirade —about how everyone looks down on the Farm and whatnot, you didn’t particularly follow—, you hear a faint //ting// from the terminal. //Finally!// The screen shows it has finished its verification. //Oh no…// The AI has decided to approve only part of the man’s request. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>“So…,” you address the man. “What do you need an electric saw for?” “What’s with you?” the man retorts, jumpy. “Why do you want to know?” “The AI didn’t approve it.” “It’s broken,” he shrugs. “Needs replacing.” “The AI doesn’t seem to agree with you.” “I don’t care what the AI thinks, //buddy//. We need it.” “ ’K. Well, unless I can prove why you need it, I can’t do anything here.” The man inhales angrily. For a short second, you are afraid he would unleash his frustration on the counter, or on you. //Not like P.I.R.I. would let him anyway.// He would just cause the Commissary to close early and make the many people behind him very angry, for they would be forced to come back during the next shift. //This would not be ideal for anyone.// You hear him exhale violently through his nose and see his fingers form a fist. “Can you override it?” “Sure… If you tell me why you need the replacement.” “What if I don’t tell you?” “Then, you are only getting the few approved items on the list.” “There are other things that have been refused too?!?” “Er…” you scroll down. “Yeah. Let’s see… An electric saw. Some motors. A soldering iron? Huh. That’s kind of unusual to request for the Farm.” “Fu—” * <<link "SLAM!" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>He slams his fist on the counter, close enough to you that it makes you jump, but far enough not to trigger the safety. It happened once on your shift. Someone was so angry they wanted to fight you. They had tried to grab you and pull you over the counter, triggering the safety system. The counter closed on their arms, keeping them stuck in place. You almost thought you were having a heart attack you were so shaken. //This one does not seem to be the violent kind, he can keep it in for a bit longer.// “Well?” you remind the man, who still hadn’t answered you. “You can’t keep the line still forever. What’s it gonna be?” The man looks past his shoulder, towards the growing line beside him. He gets a bit closer to the counter and mumbles something under his breath. You can’t make out what he says to you. “What? I couldn’t hear ya with that mumbling, buddy.” He gets even closer, as close as P.I.R.I. lets him and whispers: “We want to build a killer robot.” “A WHAT?” “Wait, no!” he shakes his hands in front of him. “Not as in murder killer, as in awesome killer.” “Phew…,” you sigh, relieved. “But why?” “To automate the planting and harvesting. It’s the worst part of the job and it’s killing our backs and our joints.” “Why didn’t you include this in the request, then?” “ ‘Cause we already tried before. The AI didn’t let us save the request at all. Dunno why.” “I mean… if you used the combo //killer robot// in the request, I am pretty sure P.I.R.I. took it literally.” “We tried it as well without that word. Still wouldn’t work. Maybe it doesn’t want any competition,” he laughs. “So… What now?” //Indeed, what now?// Following the AI’s directive, refusing the unnecessary items, would be the safest bet and keep your hands clean. Or you could override the request and let the crew build a helper for the Farm. //What could go wrong with people wanting to build their own robots anyway?// * [[Override P.I.R.I.’s decision and accept the whole request. Anything to help a fellow crew mate. |accept][$firendly +=5]] * [[Follow P.I.R.I’s directive. This sounds too risky to gamble. What if their little project turns evil? |refuse][$friendly -=5]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

Double-click this passage to edit it.

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>A screen appears in front of you. In this room devoid of windows or doors, the screen seems to have materialized out of nowhere. Already resigned by your bleak fate, you don’t even bother looking at it. You’ve laid down on the floor, sobbing. //Why did I do this? Why did I sacrifice myself? And for what? Nothing!// Some sound is emitted from the screen, some sort of beeping, but you turn away and ignore it. //What’s the point anymore? There is no way out, no escape, no one to save me.// The beeping continues and gets slowly louder. Something really seems to want your attention. But you persist on ignoring it. //What’s the point…// A final long beep is broadcast by the screen before the room is filled again with oppressive silence. Without the incessant sound echoing in the small space, you realize how alone you are in the room. You bring your knees to your chest and hug yourself close. //No escape…// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>You don’t know how long you have been in this room. You just know you have missed a couple of meal, with your stomach grumbling so much it hurts. You scan the room, hoping to find some sustenance. Save for the screen still in front of you, the room is completely bare. //Is P.I.R.I. going to starve me to death? My life can’t end this way…// You crawl towards the screen, feeling weak. Your fingers lightly touch it and the beeping sound resumes. It takes you a colossal effort to prop yourself closer and investigate this piece of technology. //It must have come from somewhere. There must be an opening somewhere.// As you get closer, the screen lights up, blinking. You try your best to make out what is written on it, but your vision is blurry from crying so much and your hunger. You can’t seem to stay concentrated for more than one word at a time. It takes you a few tries before you finally decipher its message. @@#blinky;//Terminating #8019 in progress. Releasing Isoedoppeaptas.//@@ Your vision gets blurrier as you try to understand the message. //Isoedoppeaptas… Where have I heard this before? Was it at a the Med Bay, or a request for them?// You struggle to inhale properly, as your nostrils are getting overwhelmed by a rotten smell. You pinch your nose, and breathe through your mouth as best as you can. //Ugh…// You feel as if you can taste the rancid scent. It is making you want to vomit. //Isoedoppeaptas…// Your blurry vision loses its colour, slowly turning black as your consciousness flickers. The whole room is filled with that rotten smell, overpowering your senses. //Thump!// Your head feels painful. //Did it hit the floor?// You are not quite sure. You are not sure you even feel your limbs. Before you lose your consciousness completely, you think you’ve heard P.I.R.I.’s voice one last time. “<span class="piri">Termination complete. Cleaning required. Maintenance contacted.</span>” * [[A life wasted for no good reason. |Last Page]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>> <<blink>>

<<if hasVisited("now")>>“What do you want to do?”<<else>>>“What did you want to do again?”<</if>> “Mmh… I should probably flip through that manual of yours. I should be a bit prepared for that,” you nod at the tank. “Shouldn’t I?” “Alright-y, just give me a minute to find it.” Cenisa takes off again, looking for the requested manual. You hear her grumble, wherever she has disappeared to, as she seems to struggle to remember its location. She swears a loudly couple of times, when she slams shut some doors and drawers. <<if hasVisited("wait")>>The repairman giggles, seeing the scene unfold, clearly enjoying seeing her struggle this much.<</if>> “Ha!” you hear her shout. “I knew it was somewhere around here.” She gets back to you, a shiny tablet in hand, and hands it to you. “Here you are, $name. If you have further questions, just ask.” You press the screen and the manual lights up. Its title is of an obvious simplicity: //The Awakening Manual//. You press the title, taking you to a table of content. From there, you are able to pick different topics you may wish to learn more about. <<if $mc.afternoon is "book">>With all of the time you’ve spent at the Library, you wonder why you never came across it before.<</if>> <div class="terminal"><div align="center">THE AWAKENING MANUAL Table of content</div> * [[A crew member is scheduled to be woken up from a Tank. What is the procedure to follow?|learning][$text = 1]] * [[There is an issue on the Tank Screen. How can it be fixed?|learning][$text = 2]] * [[The new crew member’s physical condition does not meet the checklist. What now?|learning][$text = 3]] * [[The new crew member’s mental condition does not meet the checklist. What now?|learning][$text = 4]] * [[What should the emotional attendant say to the new crew member as they regain consciousness?|learning][$text = 5]] </div>

<<if hasVisited("now")>>“What do you want to do?”<<else>>>“What did you want to do again?”<</if>> “You’ve seen a lot of these awakenings, right?” “More than I can remember.” “Then, I’d rather ask you directly, than read it in a book.” “Alright-y. Whatcha wanna know, buddy?” * [[“What’s the procedure to take someone up?”|learning][$text = 1]] * [[“If there is an issue with the Tank, what do we do?”|learning][$text = 2]] * [[“What if there is something wrong with the body, like physically?”|learning][$text = 3]] * [[“What if they are not… well in the head when they wake up?”|learning][$text = 4]] * [[“What do I say to them, when they wake up?”|learning][$text = 5]]

<<if hasVisited("now")>>“What do you want to do?”<<else>>>“What did you want to do again?”<</if>> “Eh… You know what? I think I’ll just wing it.” “Are you sure?” “I could read all I want or ask you a bunch of questions, but I don’t think I’d be able to remember anything when the time comes. I mean, you can’t learn a whole lesson on how to wake someone up just before it happens.” “Someone got their confidence back!” She smacks your back. “Great! If you don’t mind waiting until the tank’s ready, I’m just gonna continue what I was doing before you arrived,” she starts to slip away. “Wait! What were you doing?” “Err… You don’t really want to know.” * [[Her tone is so firm and serious, it might be best if you left her alone.|wing2][$wing = 1]] * [[Now, you are intrigued. Ask more questions. |wing2][$friendly -=5]]

<<switch $wing>> <<case 1>>With the tone she used, you’d rather keep any question to yourself. //Curiosity killed the cat//, as one says. You don’t really want to think about all of the weird experiments she is doing back there. Before she locks herself in a room in the back, she throws a tablet your way. You press the screen, hoping for something to entertain you while you wait. The tablet lights up and reveals the manual Cenisa mentioned earlier: //The Awakening Manual.// You put the tablet aside. //Ugh… Boring!// <<default>>“Err… You don’t really want to know.” “If you are going to be this secretive about it, I think I really want to know. No, wait… I am sure I want to know.” “Don’t try me, $name. You won’t get a thing out of me.” “Oh, come on! Don’t be a spoilsport. Tell me!” “Definitely not! It doesn’t even concern you.” “I don’t care if it doesn’t concern me. I don’t want to idly wait for the tank to be ready. What am I supposed to do until then?” “I dunno and I don’t care,” she shrugs. “Maybe twiddle your thumbs?” “But that’s boring!” You lament. “You know what’s not boring, though? Telling me what you are gonna do!” “Geez… How many times do I need to tell you no?” “Wow, what a fun-killer you are.” “And you are acting like a child. Luckily for me, my assignment does not include babysitting your ass. I don’t care what you do, just don’t touch critical stuff. And don’t bother me!” Before she locks herself in a room in the back, she throws a tablet your way. You press the screen, hoping for something to entertain you while you wait. The tablet lights up and reveals the manual Cenisa mentioned earlier: //The Awakening Manual//. You put the tablet aside.// Ugh… Boring!//<</switch>> * [[Knock on the door behind which Cenisa locked herself. If you are going to wait, you’d rather have a companion.|action][$action = 1, $friendly -=5]] * [[Read the goddamn manual.|action][$action = 3]] * [[Just wait.|action][$action = 5]] <<if hasVisited("wait")>>* [[Move your attention to the Engineering guy. Maybe he would be willing to strike a conversation?|action][$action = 2]]<</if>> <<silently>> *[[Ask P.I.R.I. for entertainment.|action][$action = 4]]<</silently>>

<<switch $action>><<case 3>>You reluctantly pick up the tablet and flip through the manual’s pages. If I have to wait by myself, //I might as well do something…// you shudder at the thought… //productive//. While you could put a little effort into remembering what you are reading, you don’t care enough about what is written on the screen to do so. You just want all of this to be over and go back to your regular schedule. //It is enough of a pain that I am now responsible for someone else…// <<case 2>>You turn your attention to the short man from Engineering, hoping to have a long and fruitful conversation with him while you wait for the tank to be ready. “Hey!” The man ignores you completely, only focusing on fixing the light. “Hey!” you repeat, waving your hand at him. Still, the man avoids paying any attention to you, and looks completely unbothered by your action. “Hey, man! Come on, answer me!” “Can’t you see I’m busy here, kid?” the man grumbles. “I ain’t doing this work for her,” he nods towards the door at the back. “Let me do my job, or we’re going to have a problem here.” “You too? Just my luck…” you tap your fingers on the table. “Does this job really need all of your attention?” “Kid, if you want to have a wrench thrown at you, just continue with the questions.” “P.I.R.I. won’t like that,” you mumble under your breath. Luckily for you, he does not seem to catch what you just said. You would have likely received that wrench, and it would not have landed in your hands. You sigh. //No entertainment from him either, I guess.// You pace around the room, partly to wait for time to pass, partly to annoy the man who is ignoring you again. <<case 1>><<if $wing is 1>>While you might not be that curious about what Cenisa is hiding behind the door, you are getting quite bored from waiting for the tank to be ready.<<else>>While you might still be curious about what Cenisa is hiding behind the door, you are so mainly due to the extreme boredom from waiting for the tank to be ready.<</if>> You knock on the door and await an answer. When it does not come quickly enough —for your taste at least—, you knock again. She still does not answer you. //Can she really not hear me? Did she pass out or something?// You continue knocking on the door, more annoyingly by changing the tempo of your knocks at random. Soon, when your knuckles start getting painful, you move on to throwing your whole body at the door. “Alright, alright, $name,” Cenisa’s voice emits from the other side. “Will you knock it off already?” “Not until you open this door.” “Until the tank is not ready, I don’t have time for you.” “Come on, Cenisa. I don’t want to wait by myself. Can’t you stay with me?” “And what? You need some crayons and paper? Some snacks? I already told you I am not babysitting a child today. It’s not in my job description.” “I’ll be quiet, I promise.” “Jeez… You don’t give up, do you?” You respond by giggling. <<if hasVisited("wait")>>The Engineering guy also chuckles at the scene.<</if>> “Fine. If that means I will have some silence around here…” She opens the door, which reveals a small office. She lets you enter and makes you sit down in the corner. She sits by a desk and goes back to what she was doing. You sit quietly and still for a while but get bored quickly. There is nothing for you to do. You open your mouth, wanting to speak to her. “Don’t you dare thinking about it,” Cenisa interjects. “If I hear another word from you until the tank is ready, I will stab you with this needle,” she takes it out from one of the desk drawers, “and put you to sleep.” //Put me to sleep? Does she mean I will take a nap or…// You swallow with difficulty and close your mouth. You try your best to avoid making any sound, even when you move. <<case 4>>(P) <<default>>You are not in the mood to do anything else but wait. You’ve passed on reading that stupid manual. Cenisa’s tone was strong enough to understand that she would not be a fun companion to pass the time. <<if hasVisited("wait")>>That repair guy would probably rather leave this room as soon as he is done, any delay in his work would surely infuriate him.<</if>> And you don’t particularly trust P.I.R.I. to provide any satisfying form of entertainment. <<if hasVisited("wait")>>You resign to stay in your seat and wait for time to pass. Once in a while you glance at the repairman and look at his progress. He eventually leaves, when there is sufficient light in the room to not look like a dystopian nightmare. <<else>>You resign yourself from finding a seat and wait for time to pass. After some time passes —as you are not tracking time, you cannot say how long—, a short man enters with a toolbox at hand. You don’t pay him any particular attention. //Is that the Engineering guy?// You shrug. He glances around the room, sighs and leaves shortly after. He comes back, a tall ladder in hand, and sets himself to work. Once in a while you glance at the repairman and look at his progress. He eventually leaves, when there is sufficient light in the room to not look like a dystopian nightmare. Not before leaving you a note to give to Cenisa when you see her again.<</if>> <</switch>>\ * [[Continue|Tank]]

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>//Ting!// A faint bell noise emerges from the tank.<<if hasVisited("wing")>><<if $action is 1>>Cenisa pushes back her work and gets up from the desk. You still avoid moving a hair. She is about to leave the room when she glances back at you. “So? Are you coming or not?” “Huh?” “Your buddy’s waking up.” You get up and follow her. The lid of the tank is now slowly opening.<<else>>Cenisa reappears out of nowhere and swiftly makes her way toward the tank. She looks around the tank before glancing back at you.<</if>> <<elseif hasVisited("now")>>You glance at the screen on the side of the tank, which now flashes: @@#blinky;<span class="terminal">COMPLETE. TANK OPENING.</span>@@ Cenisa pushes you back just a bit, as the lid of the tank moves up, missing your <<if $mc.size gte 2>>chin<<else>>forehead<</if>> by a hair. “Careful, here. You don’t want to be knocked out cold before you meet your new little friend.” <<else>>Your eyes are caught by the flashing text on the tablet screen, the one Cenisa brought back before you asked her some questions/you started reading the manual. The body’s information is gone and has been replaced with the following blinking words: @@#blinky;<span class="terminal">COMPLETE. TANK OPENING.</span>@@ “Ha! Finally,” she claps her hands. “Come on, $name. Let’s meet the newbie!” She pulls your by the arm and gets closer to the tank. The lid of the tank is now slowly opening.<</if>> Steam comes out of the opening, revealing slowly the still unconscious body. Cenisa grabs a sheet and places it on top of the body. She taps something on the tank screen, which opens a white page with some sort of list. <<if hasVisited("learning")>>Is that the checklist <<if hasVisited("question")>>she was talking about<<else>>the manual was mentioning?<</if>><</if>> She examines and probes the body, marking down items from her list when the results satisfy her. The more she touches the body, the more it reacts. When Cenisa is almost through her list, you hear a grunt from the tank. //Oh, no.// “Well, someone’s going to be awake soon. That’s quick.” * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>Cenisa motions you to get closer. Hesitantly, you take a few steps and take your first proper look at the body. Like Cenisa told you earlier, the body in the tank is a thin and frail-looking pale pearly one. Every time Cenisa pokes him, you are afraid his skin would bruise or break down. His face seems still boyish with his skin sprinkled with freckles. His ginger hair is falling over his eyes. You catch yourself brushing them aside gently. You are taken by surprise when he yells following your slight touch. “Noooo!” as his torso rises, his gut-wrenching cry fills the room. Cenisa grabs his arm, pushes him back into the tank and orders you to do the same. You try your best to hold him down, but the young man continues to convulse harshly. //Oh, no. It’s not going to be a cakewalk, is it?// He pushes back on his human restraints, struggling to free himself from your clutches. Delirious, he continues to shout nonsensically. “Don’t take me there! No! Ariah!” * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>Both you and Cenisa double in your efforts to hold him down. For a scrawny man, he is resisting more than you could have imagined. You encounter quite some difficulty in keeping him in place<<restrain>>. “Ariah,” he cries out again. “I’m sorry!” “Ok, $name. We clearly have a crazy one in our hands. And not the quiet kind.” “Are you sure he is actually crazy? He seems more disoriented to me, than anything else?” “Hey! Who’s the doctor here?” she sends you an annoyed glance. “Don’t bother answering that, it was rhetorical. There’s crazy written all over his head, buddy.” “So… What do we do?” “The easy way? Sedate him. And we try again tomorrow. Hopefully, he will be calmer then. I’d just need you to hold him down by yourself for a few minutes.” “And the not easy way?” “Talk him out of his craziness? To be honest, I don’t know if that would even work. He seems pretty out of it. They don’t usually scream like this when they wake up. You could try, if you want to, but I can’t promise it will work.” “Talk to him? That’s your solution?” “Hey!” she looks offended. “I’d rather take the simpler way and sedate him. That’d be easier for everyone. You’re the one who asked for another way. If you want to slap him out of it, be my guest. I don’t care. Just make a choice.” You freeze and look at her like a deer in headlight. “NOW, <<print $name.toUpperCase()>>” What do you do? * [[Have the young man sedated. He seems too far gone for you to be able to do anything.|sedate][$rule +=5]] * [[Try to talk to him. Maybe that will calm him down.|talk][$friendly +=10]] * [[Slap him. That could confuse him long enough to reason with him.|slap][$rule -=5, $friendly -=5]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>><<blink>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>“Sedate him!” you yell, jumping on the body to hold it down so Cenisa can put him to sleep. She releases her grasp, thumbs up at you and goes looking for the sedative. //Couldn’t she have that prepared beforehand?// The body under you continues to struggle and tries to push you away. You constrain him as best as you can, as you anchor yourself to the tank. //Goddamn, he is strong. His frailness was a lie, wasn’t it?// It takes all of your strength and effort to keep him in place. He scratches your arms and face. Though, you are not quite sure he is conscious of his actions. “Sorry, sorry, $name,” Cenisa reappears. “Couldn’t find a clean needle. You holding up ok?” “Ugh… I don’t know how long I can keep on holding him down.” “Right! Right…” She looks around the tank. “Hold on… I just need a clean spot. His neck maybe?” “Can you just prick him already?” “You can’t stab someone with a needle and hope he sleeps instantly!” “Yeah, well, holding him is difficult too! I’d rather not get more scratches, Cenisa…” “Put your elbow on his face and hold it aside. Just need to stab this pointy thing on his neck.” You try you’re your best to follow Cenisa’s instructions. As he continues to avoid your restraints, you are tempted to just knock the man out. //Would an elbow to the face work?// But P.I.R.I. might not appreciate you hurting its precious cargo. The young man does not appreciate his new confinement either and wiggles even more. Cenisa gets closer and closer, needle at hand. The young man catches a glimpse of the shiny syringe and screams. With his mouth so close to your face, you feel like your ear is about to pop. “Goddammit, $name. Hold him down, will you?” “I am trying my best here! You hurry up!” You notice Cenisa moving the needle even closer and pressing the plunger of the syringe down. Seeing that movement, you feel relief, knowing your job is done. //For now…// Your muscles relax and you feel like you are floating. //Oh nooooo…// You move your head and the room starts spinning. It spins faster and faster until everything turns black. The medical attendant did prick someone with that needle. It just ended up being you. * <<link "Fuck. Me." `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>“$name?” A hand shakes your shoulder, not as gently as you would like considering your state. Your head is throbbing. You’d think you had stayed in your room all morning with that kind of pain, hanging out with P.I.R.I.’s torturous wake-up call. Your left arm is sore as well. “$name? Come on, I don’t want to call the Med Bay. They’re gonna make fun of me.” “Uurrrhhh…” “Oh, thank god. ?Theyare still alive.” “What the…” “Good job, by the way. Holding the crazy down. He’s out cold.” “What the fuck, Cenisa?” “What? Isn’t that such a good news? He’s sleeping pretty nicely. We can try again tomorrow.” “You stab the needle in my arm, Cenisa!” You massage the sore spot. “What the hell?” “Ah… that,” she scratches her neck. “I may have miscalculated the needle’s destination by a tiny bit.” “A tiny bit?!? It went in the middle of my arm. Right in the middle!” The woman turns silent, but puts her hand forwards, ready to help you get back your feet. You roll your eyes and reluctantly grab her hand, letting yourself be pulled back up. She pats your back and walks to the back of the room. “So, that’s it?” you ask, confused. “Well, yeah. The boy’s back in the tank, sleeping soundly. You’re free to do whatever until tomorrow.” “You’re not even going to apologize?” “It was an accident,” she shrugs and disappears. “What the fuck, Cenisa?” you yell back, but she doesn’t respond. You stay in the room for a bit longer, grumbling. You approach the tank, where the young man had been put back. Looking through its transparent panel, you see him sleeping soundly. //He looks so peaceful.// So much so, it is difficult to imagine his crisped face, yelling his lungs out. A little curious, you tap gently on the panel, hoping for a reaction. But the body does not move an inch, as if frozen in place. Deeply disappointed, you leave the room, grumbling some more. * [[Continue|Wakeagain]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>><<link "SLAP!" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>The sound of your hand smacking the young man’s face echoes in the room. Save for the sound from the tank, everything stands still and quiet. Your palm turns rosy and feels slightly painful. The young man’s face was bonier against your hand than it seemed. //Well… at least, he is quiet now.// As you hoped he would, he looks stunned. Stunned enough to be quiet and still. Both you and Cenisa release him. “Great!” Cenisa claps her hands. “$name, talk to him? See if he reacts.” “Hello,” you address the young man. He looks at you with dead eyes. Those blue eyes looking completely empty inside makes you shudder. //Something is not right with him.// * [[Continue|talk awake]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>“Hey!” you address the young man. “I’m sorry Ariah!” he continues to cry out to someone, not paying any attention to you. “Please, forgive me!” “Hey!” you try again, almost shouting at him and waving your hand in front of his eyes. “Are you seriously going to talk him down like this?” Cenisa chimes in, still trying to hold him down. “Yeah. He doesn’t seem crazy to me. I think he is just in shock or something. Whatever happened before he was put in the tank must have been pretty bad.” “I’ll give you like 5 minutes to try your way out. If nothing changes by then, he is going back into the tank. Got it?” You nod reluctantly, disappointed at Cenisa’s lack of faith in your judgement. //It will work, I know it.// Even if your decision is not seen as serious as you had hoped, it doesn’t stop you. Just trying to get his attention does not seem to be working, and you now have a deadline to calm him down. //I just need to try something different//. You embrace the young man tightly, as tight as you can manage with him still pushing you back and yelling variations of the same words over and over again. “It’s ok, man. You’re safe. Don’t worry. Everything is fine,” you whisper calmly close to his ear, repeating the words until he calms down. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>The young man continues to fight you, but you keep resisting pulling away. Your soft words gradually take their effects and his body slowly relaxes. The tension leaves his muscles and he goes limp in your arms. He then shakes and starts sobbing. You pat him gently on the back, still repeating your kind words like a mantra. You can’t help yourself sending a victorious side-eye to Cenisa. “Well… I’ll be damned,” she mumbles. “It worked.” You unwrap your arms, grab the young man’s shoulder and look into his eyes. Now completely quiet, there is a melancholic look on his face. He avoids looking back, some tears still falling on his cheeks. “Try talking to him again,” Cenisa nudges you. “Hello,” you address gently the young man. He looks up, embarrassed. Something about his eyes makes you shudder. What you first thought was a melancholy look on his face now just seems to be emptiness. His eyes look dead inside. //Something is definitely not right with him.// * [[Continue|talk awake]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>“Good morning, $name? Slept well?” //And now, she talks to me?// You roll your eyes, entering the Stasis Area once more. You have not heard a word from Cenisa since yesterday’s incident. You have seen her around, as she showed her face at the Mess Hall while you were having dinner. But she passed by you without even acknowledging your presence. You were already offended when she refused to apologize for her action, but that infuriated you even more. You were tempted this morning to ask P.I.R.I. for a different medical attendant, but you realized that it would be utterly useless. P.I.R.I. does care about petty squabbles, unless the parties of the miffed relationship are about to kill each other. You don’t like the woman, but don’t hate her to that point. //Not yet anyway…// “Planning on stabbing me again?” “Are you still sore about that? Seriously, $name. It was an accident. Can’t you get over it?” “I don’t know. How long would it take you to get over getting stabbed?” “It was just a needle, not a knife,” she shrugs. “And you got a nap out of it. I’d have even thanked you for that.” //If I press further on getting a goddamn apology from her, and she keeps waving it off, I might end up stabbing her//. You sigh. Hurting her won’t solve anything —and you would probably not get what you want from her—. P.I.R.I. would definitely not like that, and neither would Cenisa. You push off your frustration by moving your attention to the tank, still looking the same as when you left it yesterday. “So,” you nod at the tank,“ when are we taking care of this?” “Whenever you are ready.” “The earlier, the better.” Before turning it on, Cenisa asks P.I.R.I. to diagnose the tank, the same way she did it yesterday. You take a chair and wait patiently for the tank to be ready. Cenisa tries to start a conversation with you a couple of times, but you completely ignore her. You don’t have the energy to monitor your emotion today, and you’d rather not antagonize her. //Better have silence than snap at her…// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>Ting! The faint bell noise emerges once more from the Tank. You get up from your seat and move closer to the tank. The young man’s uniform is still waiting by the tank, but you don’t bother picking it up just yet. If he goes crazy again, that probably won’t help me. Cenisa grabs the tank screen and starts the checklist all over again. You don’t really get why she would need to start it again. //I mean, the body hasn’t changed since yesterday…// You take a look at the body still sleeping in the tank, and notice that the sheet Cenisa used to cover him is still there. It seems it stayed on the young man, even when he struggled with the two of you. There are a few red and purple spots on his body, in places where you had to restrain him yesterday. You feel a bit bad for him.// It must be really sore. How will I be able to explain this to him?// “Noooo! Don’t make me go there!” the man screams again. “Ugh… Not again,” Cenisa sighs. You are not even surprised at this point. //Why did I think he would get better after a little sleep? It’s not like it was going to magically make him better.// Sedating him was only going to delay the inevitable. You almost rush to help Cenisa hold the young man down. “Ariah! I didn’t mean to do it! I swear!” The young man struggles again and tries to push the both of you away. This time, you make sure your face is far from his hands. You don’t want to get more scratches. //That was painful enough.// “Well, $name. We can’t hold him down forever. Whatcha wanna do now?” What do you do? * [[Sedate him again. You don’t want to struggle with him. Maybe tomorrow he will be calmer.|sedate2][$rule += 10]] * [[Try to talk to him this time. Cenisa didn’t think it was a good idea last time, but you’d rather avoid getting a needle in your arm again.|talk][$friendly +=10]] * [[Slap him. When someone is this far out, you just need a shock big enough to make him snap out.|slap][$rule -=5, $friendly -=5]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>Cenisa did not even bother reappearing and waving the both of you off when you left the Stasis Area, even after you yelled a loud goodbye. You make an effort not to feel insulted by the woman’s action. //She was peculiar till the end… // Jake returned to silence after changing into his new crisp uniform. This whole ordeal shook him more than you expected. With the sudden shrieks here and there, as he gets used to P.I.R.I.’s grasps over him, the rest of the course to the Mess Hall is quite awkward. Unlike you when you woke up, Jake avoids asking any question, or responding to any of yours. You try your best to make conversation for the both of you and give him any information that could help him. Lunch is as awkward as the stroll, as some of the crew is quite interested in the newcomer. Jake, not liking that kind of attention, hides under the table hoping they leave him alone. You have to remind the curious pairs of eyes to give the young man some space. They are clearly not helping. It seems every time the coast clears and you convince Jake to get back to his seat, another wave washes over the table. Jake ends up eating his meal under the table. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>When the lunch rush dissipates, you pull Jake from his hiding place and slip away from the Mess Hall. The young man looks relieved to be away from the crowd. You make sure to avoid packed halls while you show him around the ship. //The important parts of the ship at least. Going to Maintenance should never be on that list. //With the same dead eyes he looked at you when he woke up, you see him glance at the rooms you show him. He looked as interested in the Library as with the Sport Hall. And the Commissary counter. And the Sun deck. And the Entertainment theatre. When he doesn’t look as dead as a walking corpse, he keeps looking back, as if worried someone was following him. You had explained to him how to get around the ship by himself, and how P.I.R.I. would help with that. But his action was not of one that still gets used to the arrow system. You try to reassure him and move along, standing in the same place for too long turning Jake jittery. You leave the young man at the door of his pod, after a long afternoon. During that time, he barely said a word. You remember how much you had to take in during your first day, but you’d like to believe you were still pretty talkative to your mentor. Jake seems relieved to finally be left alone. You can’t help be feel worried about him as his door closes behind him. * [[Continue |Day 3]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>It has been a few days since Jake woke up. You’ve tried to get back to your routine as best as you could, but something has been eating at you. A feeling of dread and worry deep inside your gut has made itself known as soon as that door closed in front of you, shortly after you left the young man inside of his pod. You tried to ignore it at first. You stuck strictly to your routine and avoided thinking about your assignment at the Stasis Area. //If I don’t acknowledge it, it can’t exist, right?// Yet, the feeling persisted. You tried to rationalize your (lack of) actions. After all, you had done your job to the best of your abilities. P.I.R.I. didn’t reprimand you or comment on it. There was nothing else you could have done. Nothing else that was mandated of you. Yet, the feeling persisted. You tried to blame Jake for making you feel this way. //Wasn’t he the reason something feels wrong here? I never had to worry before he got here!// And yet the feeling persisted. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>There was something peculiar about the young man that you couldn’t stop thinking about. You couldn’t put your finger on it, until you saw him at the Mess Hall. In the dark corner of the room, alone, keeping to himself. You realized you had crossed his path here and there since he woke up, but never talked to him, or acknowledged him really. There was never anything longer than a hello between the two of you, as you avoided him because you were evading your feelings and he was dodging any kind of interaction with others. Every time you see him, he seems to look more and more like a ghost of himself. The bags under his eyes getting darker and bigger. His face turning paler and paler, his freckles almost vanishing. Drifting aimlessly along the corridors. //Has he slept at all recently?// While you empathize with him on how confronting a new situation can be, especially when one has to deal with the loss of their memory, you worry that if he continues to avoid everyone and everything, it would not end well for him. You know some people can’t get accustomed to the ship’s cold environment and P.I.R.I.’s strict rules —even if they seem basic to you—. Their sanity doesn’t last long and they vanish soon after. //It would be such a shame if Jake were to follow them. Wasted potential.// * [[No! This can’t be the end of him. Not like this. You will talk to him and find out what is wrong. Maybe, just maybe, you will be able to help him get better.|talk2][$friendly +=5]] * [[There is nothing else you could do to help him. Either he acclimates to this new place, or he doesn’t. There is no in-between. If he doesn’t want to talk to anyone, that’s on him. You can’t cross personal boundaries.|alone]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>“Get the needle…” you yell at the medical attendant. “But don’t stab me this time!” You lunge atop the young man again. This time, you know what to expect from him, even if you can’t really predict his movements. You know to make sure his hands are nowhere near your face this time. If he scratches you again, you’d rather he not touch your pretty face. You put your whole weight on him to restrain him. “Alright, $name,” you hear Cenisa’s voice in between his grunts and yells. “Straight to his jugular. Coast needs to be clear for that.” You give a quick nod to the woman and move to clear her path to the young man’s neck. You make sure your limbs are in no way shape or form close to said neck —or her hands. You want to avoid getting stabbed again. That short nap was not worth the headache. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>It takes a moment for the body under you to turn completely limp. You still wait a few more seconds before you let it go, afraid he would wake up and try to escape again. You glance at his tranquil face and have a hard time again understanding how can a peaceful-looking person could be so violent. “Well… that’s that I guess,” Cenisa takes a seat by the tank. “Shame the crazy got him. He’s kinda cute.” “What do we do now?” “Come back tomorrow. We’ll try again. Though I don’t have much hope for him anymore.” “What about third time’s the charm?” “Pfft. Doesn’t work that way in here, buddy.” “Sooo… What do we do if he is still the same tomorrow?” “Err… Don’t worry about it.” “Why not? I don’t want P.I.R.I. to give me shit for not doing my tasks.” “Don’t worry about it, ok? The AI won’t fault you for that. You followed the procedure as it was written.” She waves you off. “Just go do whatever now, I guess.” You want to protest. You don’t get how nonchalant she can be about this. P.I.R.I. gave you a task, and you intend on completing it properly. You don’t want to give up when it gets too hard, even if you chose to sedate the young man twice already. Third time’s the charm. I can’t give up on him, not just yet. But you don’t say anything. There is no arguing with Cenisa. She knows what she is doing, she has been waking people up for a long time. She wouldn’t tell you all of this if it wasn’t true. There is nothing to be done here, not anymore. * [[You leave the room. |sleep]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>You never ended up going back to the Stasis Area. The day following your failed second try, P.I.R.I. assigned you somewhere else. When hearing of your new task, you requested an explanation, but P.I.R.I. stayed mute. You thought it weird at the time. Cenisa had made it seem she was expecting you to come by and try to wake the young man again. You were tempted to pop by the Stasis Area and see what happened, but you never seemed to find the time —or you ended up forgetting altogether—. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>You never went back to the Stasis Area, but you would cross paths with Cenisa, the medial attendant, here and there. She even appeared at the Commissary counter one day, when you had been assigned there. You tried to ask her about the sleeping young man every time you saw her, at first. But she would just look at you confused. She never seemed to remember who you were, even after you would remind her of your little shared adventure. She probably got annoyed of being accosted by you, as she started to avoid you soon after. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 3>>You never went back to the Stasis Area, but you kept thinking about the young man. You’ve always wondered what had been wrong with him, screaming at the top of his lungs. He had seemed scared out of his mind —//what was he scared of?//— and sorry about something he had done. //How could he feel something this strongly about things he could not remember?// You didn’t like to ponder too long on this thought. You also avoided talking about this to anyone. No one likes to be reminded of their lost memories, even on a good day. Even if they made peace with it. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>And so, you never went back to the Stasis Area, and life continued. After a while, you stopped thinking about the young man, and this experience, altogether. It was an unpleasant memory you started to avoid. One you wished you could forget. There was nothing else you could have done, nothing to change what happened. //I shouldn’t have to feel guilty about something that wasn’t even my fault.// You stopped thinking about it, but the feeling stayed. <<fadein 2s 10s>>* [[You never went back to the Stasis Area. |Last Page]]<</fadein>> <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>“Oh, good!” hear Cenisa mumble, checking another box on her tablet. “Right, well… Erm… My name is $name, what’s yours?” The young man stays silent and keeps looking at you with those dead eyes. Cenisa brings her hand to her face, exasperated. “Did you remember having a name when you woke up?” she whispers to you. “Ah… right… No memories,” you look uncomfortable. “Err… Name’s $name. And the other woman here is Cenisa. We’ve been tasked to wake you up today. How are you feeling?” The man keeps mute. //Did he hear me? Or is he ignoring me?// His gaze moves from you to Cenisa to glancing around the room. His mouth opens, as if he was about to say something. You get excited at the prospect of an actual conversation with him. But, disappointingly, he swiftly closes it. <<if hasVisited("slap")>>His hand grazes his red cheek, the one you slapped.<</if>> * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>“Ah, yeah… Uhm… Sorry about that. Erm… You were really out of it, and it seemed like the best idea to calm you down. I mean it worked, but I didn’t mean to hurt you like that.” “Out of what?” he whispers, barely audibly. “Err…” //How can I say that without being rude?// “You screamed like a crazy person,” Cenisa chimes in, with a deadbeat face. “Cenisa!” “What? That’s true! No need to beat around the bush…” “What did I say?” the young man talks a bit louder now. “Err… You seemed to be talking to an Ariah, whoever that is. Do you know an Ariah?” The man turns silent and his eyes widen in fear. You are afraid he will start screaming again, and prepared yourself to slap him <<if hasVisited("slap")>>again<<else>>instead<</if>>. He calms down and seems to be thinking. “You were also talking about not wanting to go somewhere,” you add, hoping it would help. “Do you know where that somewhere is? Or why you did not want to go?” The man does not reply, but seems more distressed. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 3>>“Oh, and something about being sorry about something. Did you do something you were not supposed to?” “I…” the man starts, but shuts down. “Feels like you know them, but you can’t remember clearly where you know them from?” Cenisa blurts out. “I…” he seems to be choosing his word carefully. “I guess so. I can see her face clearly. How… how did you know?” “Common side effect of the tank. Don’t worry about it.” “What? Shouldn’t that a bad thing?” “Not really?” you prevent Cenisa from continuing, and freak him out more. “It’s just going to feel a bit weird for a while, but that’s pretty normal here.” “It is normal not to remember things? That’s doesn’t sound right.” “Oh, no. That’s completely fine! No one on board remembers anything about events before they woke up here. It just feels like a fog.” “A fog…” he mumbles, sceptical about your explanations. “Does it ever go away?” “If you don’t think about it, yes. If you try to force your way through it, no. And you’ll feel a nasty headache after.” “It seemed so vivid…” he mutters, mindlessly. “What?” “Huh?” “What was so vivid?” “I…” he burst into tears. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 4>>You mutter a //there, there// as you pat his back. You feel bad for the young man. When you woke up, it was already not a piece of cake to deal with. //I at least had someone competent to guide me through it.// He just has… you. Someone who was thrown into the lion’s den without any preparation, any training, any real help. You hand him a tissue, in which he blows his nose vigorously. “Listen, man. I know it’s not ideal right now. And it probably won’t feel for a while. It will take you some time to get used to all of… this. But, you don’t really have a choice here. None of us did.” The young man looks at you, distraught, and cries even harder. //Whoops…// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 5>>“On the bright side, you can start your life again. Whatever happened before you went into the tank does not matter here. All of your mistakes, your bad choices, all of it, gone.” “What…” he sniffles, “what if someone knows me here?” “They won’t remember you. Again, no one here remembers anything.” “What if they pretend to?” “Yeah, that’s not possible,” Cenisa answers. “It would be pretty obvious to everyone.” “But what if I want them to remember me?” “I don’t know why you would want someone to remember you if you don’t remember them,” she looks confused. “But to answer your question, they won’t.” The young man whimpers, his head buried in his arms. You think you catch an Ariah in the middle of his cries. Cenisa strategically moves away from the tank and you continue to pat his back gently. I wish you could do more, but you don’t know what you could do or where to start. How can I help when it is something you need to do inside? Your heart feels a pinch. That feeling of loss is not something that will go away immediately. Or ever. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 6>>“Err… Do you want to see the rest of the ship?” “Ship?!?” //Oh boy…// “Where the fuck are we?” “Err… I can’t tell you exactly…” “Why not?” “I… I don’t really know where we are.” “Well, who does then?” “P.I.R.I., but it probably won’t tell you either.” “Who is that P.I.R.I.? And why wouldn’t it tell me?” “P.I.R.I. is the ship’s AI. But I don’t know why it doesn’t tell us. The information is apparently restricted. Not like it matters too much. Even if we knew where we were, we are probably too far to any inhabitable planet anyway.” “Planet? Are we in fucking space? Please tell me all of this is a joke. You are pranking me, right? This can’t be real. In space? Like where stars are type of space?” “Yeah. I mean, there is only one kind of space…” “That’s just great,” he sighs. “You don’t sound happy about it.” “Why the fuck would I be happy about all of this? I get woken up by people I don’t know in a place I don’t remember going in and having lost all of my memories. And I find out I am in fucking space, probably light-years away from home, where-the-fuck-ever home is. Of course, I am not fucking happy!” “Well,” Cenisa chimes in again, not particularly paying attention to the situation, “I can safely say you are not actually crazy. You passed the mental check, #93812.” “Huh? #94…” //Oh no…// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 7>>“Oh! You weren’t given your uniform yet? $name, what have you been doing?” “Hey! I was calming him down first!” You pick up the wrapped package and throw it at the young man. “Here is it. Are you happy now, Cenisa?” “Eh,” she shrugs. “I’ll be happier when you guys are out.” She puts the screen in her hands back on the tank and leaves you to lock herself deep in the back of the room. You roll your eyes and bring your attention back to the young man, who is trying to make sense of the package in his hands. He passes his finger on the embroidered patch. He opens the package and grabs the patch, ready to tear it out. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. P.I.R.I. is not really one to enjoy public destruction.” “#93812. So I’m a fucking number now?” “Er… Only if you want it to be. And for P.I.R.I.. That’s how it will call you. But you can choose any name you want. —I’m #8019 on my uniform, but I prefer to be called $name./Like Cenisa, that is not the number she has been assigned to.” “That’s kind of messed up.” “Eh. Don’t try to think too hard about this. Some of the crew chose to go by their assigned numbers instead/, like me/.” You pause to let this sit in his mind. “So… What do you want to be called?” “Jake.” “Jake,” you put your hand forwards. “Nice to officially meet you.” He reluctantly takes your hand and shakes it, mumbling a nice to meet you too under his breath. You hear his stomach grumble pretty loudly. “Ah, yes. The awakening hunger. I remember that one. Come on, get dressed. I’ll take you to the Mess Hall for lunch.” * [[Continue|Leave stasis]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>You reject the mere idea of going near that ghastly young man again. //What else could I do but chastise him for his weird behaviour? No one wants to hear how terrible of a job they are doing!// And you have done your job. If P.I.R.I. hasn’t requested any further assistance from you to help Jake, there is nothing you can do. Either he acclimates to the ship and its quirks, or he doesn’t. There is no in-between here. There cannot be. Not under P.I.R.I.’s watchful eye. And why should you put your neck out for someone who has avoided everyone trying to be friendly to him, refusing invitations to activities or even ignoring them completely when they talk to him. You don’t need to put yourself in harm for someone so… //weird//. There is a simple reason why you’ve lasted this long on this ship —longer than everyone else—: keeping your head down and avoiding trouble. //And Jake… he smells like trouble.// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>Even though you decided to steer clear from the pale young man, you can’t help yourself still keeping an eye out for him wherever you go. There is something fascinating about seeing someone sinking into that king of despair and alienation. //He is like that inevitable crash that cannot be stopped from happening.// Part of you still wants him to succeed, to get over whatever is on his mind and join the real world. Life is so much sweeter on board when you accept its realities, and you want him to enjoy its perks as much as everyone else on board does. But there is nothing else you can do for him. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 3>>Some time —weeks? months?— passes before you realise you’ve lost track of him. You have not seen him at the Mess Hall for meals when you are there. You have not crossed paths with him in the corridors for a while. He has not joined either any of the very popular Film Nights at the Entertainment Theater —//have I actually ever seen him there before?//—. It feels strange not seeing his pale face and his awkward demeanour moving along the ship. You are not too worried about his disappearance though. There could be many explanations for why you have not seen him. For one, P.I.R.I. could have moved his schedule to a different shift slot, one you are not assigned to. You’ve seen other crew members vanish like this, only to come back some time later. //The same thing should happen with him, right? He could —no, will— reappear at any moment. // * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 4>>Except he does not. It has been worrisomely long since you last saw him. You have asked around to other crew members to see if anyone had caught even a glimpse of him. You feel like you have searched every nook and cranny of the ship to find him. You’ve even passed by the Stasis Hall and asked Cenisa, who unsurprisingly did not remember either of you. You also sent multiple requests to P.I.R.I., but you never received any answer. Moving through the motion of your resettled routine, disheartened by the denouement of your first awakening, you catch yourself passing by and stopping in front of his pod multiple times. You’ve debated every time whether you should knock on the door and get a clear answer, but you chickened out at the end. One drunk evening, wishing to see the young man’s face one more time, you take the leap and knock. You are not shocked to see someone else answering your call, only disappointed. //Maybe P.I.R.I. moved him…// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 5>>Life has taken back its course and you have followed it along diligently. <<if hasVisited("Talk AI 2")>>#93482 has started to get clingy, as you have yet to cash in on that favour she has decided she owes you. You’ve tried your best to think of something, but quickly given up as you didn’t find a request good enough for her. Still, you’ve enjoyed her company, somehow. <<else>>#64073 has even decided to make you his target again<<if hasVisited("Talk AI")>>, though he has avoided requesting Ereus’s Snow again<</if>>. You almost missed his relentless will to bother you, as he had quietly been absent for some time. //It’s like nothing has changed…//<</if>> You have not seen the young man at any point. //What was his name again? James? Jason? Jacob?// You seem to only remember his pale freckled face and his dead-eye look. //Why can’t I remember his name?// Sometimes, when you close your eyes, you can see him, in his open tank, screeching so strongly you can almost hear him. It leaves you shaking.// What was wrong with him? Why did he scream?// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>Sometimes, you almost think you see him around the ship, like a ghost. In the corner table at the Mess Hall. Standing in the corridor and disappearing while other crew members pass him. In places you never showed him or where you never saw him. He was so weird, always by himself.// Why did he keep to himself?// It’s when you catch a glimpse of the spectral figure that you wonder about his fate. But just for a short moment, never longer than a sigh. You don’t like to linger too long on these thoughts. It makes you uncomfortable. You are afraid to think about what could have happened if you had acted then. What he could have said to you. //What if he would have turned my life upside down?// No. You are happier this way, set where you are, with existence on board, under the thoughtful watchful eye of P.I.R.I.. * [[A safe plain life.|Last Page]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>//No! I can’t let it end like this! I can’t have my first awakening turn into a failure.// You have to find out what is wrong with him. If he hadn’t made friends yet, he should at least have warmed up to some people or gotten along with a few. //Did he even try?// His behaviour is not normal, even for someone who has just woken up. //Sure there are many of reacting to a new and unfamiliar environment, but this just takes the cake. And it can’t last!// Not if he wants to survive here. Jake deserves as good of an experience onboard as anyone else has before him. In any case, you won’t feel your task will have been completed until you find out what is wrong with the young man, and maybe try to fix it. You’d prefer he stayed away from P.I.R.I.’s bad side for failing to get accustomed to everything. At least until I try to correct his course. Even if you know you won’t reach the level of your mentor —//why can’t I <<if hasVisited("now")>> still<</if>> remember his name?//—, maybe you could try your best to emulate his spirit. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>The next time you see Jake at the Mess Hall, in his corner and still alone, you stride towards him and sit at his table. He glances at you and goes back to his meal, without a single word. You try to make some small talk, but he is not responsive either. You try to ask him some simple questions about how he is adjusting to his new life, but he stays uncomfortably silent. //Do I really need to pry it from him? // “Alright, man. I can’t turn around the bush forever. I’m just going to say it. You are starting to creep everyone out. What’s wrong with you?” “Nothing,” he barks back. “Leave me alone.” “Ok. With an attitude like this, there is obviously something going on with you. Are you going to tell me about it, or continue to brood in your corner like a child?” “Why should I tell you shit? It’s your fault I’m like this.” “My fault? What mistake have I made here? I’ve only done what was asked of me.” “You woke me up in this shithole of a ship in fucking space to hang out with some other weirdos.” “… Uncool, man.” * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>He sits back and crosses his arms in defiance. It just makes you want to slap him. <<if hasVisited("slap")>>//Again.//<</if>> Something about him just makes you tick. And it is more than his attitude. He kept looking around, as if afraid someone would hear him. You look around with him, but no one else but you seems to be paying any attention to the young man. //Why does he keep looking around all the time? Is he afraid of someone here? <<if hasVisited("Talk AI 2")>>Did he step on someone’s toes?<<else>>Is #64073 bullying him too?<</if>>// “Ok, let’s try this again. What would make you talk to me about what’s going on with you? What can I do to make you feel better?” “Send me back.” “To the tank? Er… I don’t think it’s possible.” “That’s not— Never mind. I don’t think you’d get it anyway.” “If you explain it to me, that would help.” “I can’t,” he looks around again. “Not here.” He hesitates to continue. “Do you really want to know?” “Obviously, I do. I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.” “Are you sure?” he looks nervous. * [[“Why do I need to repeat myself? I am sure.”|continue][$rule -=5, $friendly +=5]] * [[“Actually. This just sounds like trouble. I’ll pass.”|pass][$rule +=5, $friendly -=5]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>“Are you sure?” he looks nervous. “Why are you making me repeat myself?” you reply, annoyed. “I am quite sure. I wouldn’t be talking to you if I wasn’t…” You think you see the start of a smile on the young man’s face. He looks around the table one last time, moves forward and motions you to get closer. “Do you know a place where we can be alone? As in no one can disturb us, alone.” “Our pods. No one else but the owner can open its door. Unless P.I.R.I. forces it open during an emergency.” “Mmh… Anywhere else? Is there somewhere the A.I. can’t reach us?” “I… am not quite sure. I always expect it to be around.” “That’s not ideal… I guess the pods will have to do for now.” He gets up from his seat and picks up his tray, ready to leave. You start to follow his lead, but he motions you to stay seated. “Meet me in say… 15 minutes. My pod. Don’t take a direct way.” Jake leaves the table and swiftly exits the Mess Hall. //Why the whole secrecy? What has happened to him?// You were right to worry about him. Something is definitely going on with him. You finish your meal quietly, getting nervous about the meeting. You really want to help the young man, but you are anxious about what he could tell you. //This is going to be bad, isn’t it?// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>“There you are,” Jake grunts. “Took you long enough.” “Hey! You said to take the long way. I did just that. Taking a bunch of wrong turns takes a while, you know.” “Whatever,” he looks behind you. “Get inside.” He steps aside to let you in and close the door the second you are inside. You glance around the small room. Like your pod, this one has the same design, with the bunk on the wall, a small desk and a chair, and just enough space to do a push-up or two on the floor. Like your pod, there are a few marks scratched on the wall just above the bed, though there are significantly fewer of them than on yours. “Thirteen,” Jakes declares. “Huh?” “That’s the total amount of marks. It’s been thirteen days since you woke me up. Well, thirteen days I have been awake and conscious. For all I know, it could have been more,” he sighs. “Isn’t it weird we can’t track time here?” “I guess… you get used to it after a while.” “I don’t think I will ever be able to.” “I thought so too,” you smile. “You should see my wall and the marks I made there. I started forgetting to mark the wall, and then stopped bothering altogether.” “I’d want to remember how long I have been on board.” “If that helps, then keep at it,” you pat his shoulder. “Anyway. What did you want to tell me?” “Right… Promise me you won’t say anything to anyone else.” “For the love of—” you start exasperated with this whole secretive charade. “Just spill it already!” * [[Continue|worry]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>“Are you sure?” he looks nervous. Looking at him, you realize you need to think for a moment. //Do I really want to know?// His nervousness is getting to you. //What if whatever he will tell me lands me in trouble?// There’s a reason you’ve been the longest-lasting crew member on the ship: you keep your head down and stay out of trouble.// And my gut…// well, it is telling you to run. “Actually,” you finally declare. “I think I’m gonna have to pass. I don’t like the sound of where this is going.” “I… understand.” He stands up, seemingly disappointed in your answer, and grab his tray. He takes a few steps before turning back to you. “Is there really no way for me to go back into the tanks?” “Honestly? I don’t know, Jake. Before I had to wake you up, I had not ever gone back to the Stasis Area. I had heard that some crew members had to be put back into their tanks, but I think that was only a rumour.” “Do you think the medical lady would help?” “Cenisa? Maybe? But be warned, she won’t remember you.” “Huh? I thought I had made an impression on her, with… you know… me screaming.” “Don’t take it the wrong way. It definitely has not printed in her brain.” “Why not?” “She has a thing with her brain,” you point behind your head, around the region where Cenisa’s scar was located. “Oh. Ok.” He turns away from you, drops his tray in the required spot and leaves the Mess Hall. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>This was the last time you saw the young man. You’ve always wondered if you should have not listened to your gut that day and pushed Jake to share his worries with you. He had seemed antagonistic. He was clearly hiding something. You tried to think what had been that mysterious thing he had tried too hard to keep to himself, but, aside from some drugs or some makeshift weapon, you did not find something that would satisfy your curiosity. Nothing would truly fit your theory.// What was he hiding?// This was the last time you saw the young man but life moved on. You were not too worried at first, when you realized you had not seen him for a while. You were sure P.I.R.I. had been involved in some way. //Maybe he was moved to a different shift? I should see him again soon, I’m sure!// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 3>>That was the last time you saw Jake, and the young man was still missing. You were now getting concerned about the broody man. Even with a change of shift, you should have crossed paths with him at some point. The //SPS Iron Hammer //might be a big ship, but not that big. There are only so many rooms to hide in, so many corridors to go through. You did not even see him during one of the Film Nights, when the whole crew gather in the Entertainment Theatre. //Where is he hiding?// You started asking around, to other crew members, to see if anyone had talked to him lately. You are sure you had searched the whole ship for him during your downtime. You’ve even passed by the Stasis Area and asked Cenisa, who unsurprisingly did not recognise you. You pressed her quite a bit, since Jake’s last question to you had been about the tanks —and her—, but forcing her to look into her files did not produce any result. Knocking on his pod’s door had been a waste of time. You also sent multiple requests to P.I.R.I., who strangely stayed quiet on that front. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 4>>Life had taken back its course, and the young man has still not appeared. You tried your best to get back into your routine, but it never felt the same. <<if hasVisited("Talk AI 2")>>#93482 has started to get clingy, as you have yet to cash in on that favour she has decided she owes you. You’ve tried your best to think of something, but quickly given up as you didn’t find a request good enough for her. Still, you’ve enjoyed her company, somehow. <<else>>#64073 had even decided to make you his target again<<if hasVisited("Talk AI")>>, though he has avoided requesting Ereus’s Snow again<</if>>. You almost missed his relentless will to bother you, as he had quietly been absent for some time. //It’s like nothing has changed…//<</if>> Still, you felt a pinch in your heart when you thought about the young man. //What was his name again? James? Jason? Jacob?// You only seem to be able to remember his pale freckled face and his broody attitude. //Why can’t I remember his name?// Sometimes, when you close your eyes, you can see him, in his open tank, screeching so strongly you can almost hear him. It leaves you shaking. Other times, you feel him arguing violently with you. //What was wrong with him? // * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>That day at the Mess Hall was the last time you saw the young man, even with all of your searching efforts. You’ve felt disappointed about the fact that your first awakening ended in such a way. You’ve avoided answering any question about your short time at the Stasis Area, when prompted by other crew members. This bitter experience made you even avoid this side of the ship altogether. P.I.R.I. was at least smart enough to never assign you there again. Since you’ve wondered only once whether you had taken the correct path that day when it came to him. You’ve had a feeling that something greater was hidden behind a curtain, which the young man seemingly had taken a glimpse of. //It would have turned my life upside down, wouldn’t it? I made the good choice by putting him off, right?// You truly believe you made the right choice, you are happier this way, set comfortably in your little pod and routine. * //[[A cowardly life.|Last Page]]// <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>“Just spill it already!” “I…” he falls on his chair and puts his head down. “I am not sure how to explain it. But something is wrong here.” “Wrong? Having trouble getting used to all of this, huh?” “Yes— I mean, no. Like, I get the whole shtick and what the A.I. wants from me —you can’t miss that—. But it’s not what I mean.” “Oook…” you sit on the bunk and lean on the wall. “what do you mean, then?” “Something is not right with me… that or there is something wrong with everybody on board. I… I don’t think I belong here.” “Don’t belong here? I know your start has been a bit… //rough//, but everyone belongs here.” “I don’t think I was supposed to be sent here,” he continues, not really listening to you. “They were supposed to ship me somewhere else. They told me I wouldn’t be committed far away.” “They? Who are //they//? Where were they supposed to send you if not here?” “I… I don’t know. I just know this wasn’t where I should be.” “Oook…” you try not to sound judgemental, but Jake is testing your patience here. “Why would you even think //that//?” “I…” he bites his lip. “Yes?” “I remember some stuff.” “You //remember// some stuff.” “Yeah…” * //<<link "Oh, no." `passage()`>><</link>>// <<case 2>>“Are you sure you didn’t dream it? I know you can still get some weird dreams after you leave the pods. It usually doesn’t last too long.” Jakes turns silent and avoids looking at you. He fidgets with his fingers. “I didn’t dream it!” he insists. “Oook... If you didn’t dream it, where does all of //this// comes from, then?” “I… I don’t think you would believe me.” “Try me, Jake.” “I remember things… things that happened.” “Yes, yes. We’ve established //that// already.” “From before I woke up on the ship.” His words echo in the room. Not quite registering in your brain. “What, now?” you ask bewildered. “I remember things that happened to me, from before you woke me up a few days ago.” “How… how is that possible?” “I don’t know! No one here seems to remember anything. No one, but me! I can’t claim to remember all of the details of my life. I still don’t know how I got on this ship. But I can vividly see myself back at home. And… uhm… the trial.” “I don’t understand. You… you couldn’t answer any of my questions when you woke up. You felt the fog and everything. You told us you didn’t remember anything.” * //<<link "He did say it, right?" `passage()`>><</link>>// <<default>><<unset $text>>“I never actually said that! You and that medical lady assumed that, when I was still confused.” “No! No one is supposed to remember //anything//!” “Well, I do. I remember watching my mother baking me pies in our tiny kitchen on the weekends, and letting me eat the raw dough, how they tasted when we would share them, the warmth of the pan when it came out of the oven, and their heavenly smell.” “No, no. This can’t be happening.” “And the first time Mick punched me in the yard, because I won his marbles” Jake continues, without caring for your distress. “How much it hurt my cheek and how violet the bruise stayed for a while. Jokes on him though, because I punch his front teeth out. I remember the whipping I got from my dad for fighting for such a dumb thing.” “No, no, no, no. That… that can’t be true. It’s not possible!” “The feeling of grass under my hand, when I would sit on the hill, just below the Oracia tree. How it was the only quiet place around home and how much time I would spend there to get away from it all. No one would come to bother me there. Except, Ariah…” Jake stops talking, tongue-tied. He looks down, almost ashamed. You look at him shocked, and somewhat sickened. //How… how is it possible? No one can remember anything. This is what binds the crew together. The only thing we have in common. It can’t be…// * [[No! You can’t believe a word he said. He has to be lying, to be making all of this up. It can’t be true! It wouldn’t be fair, if this was true. P.I.R.I. wouldn’t let this happen.|lies][$rule +=5, $friendly -=5]] * [[And yet, this is not something you can lie about. You can’t pretend to remember something, not like this. Why would he be allowed to remember, him and not anyone else? Is… Is P.I.R.I. hiding something?|listen][$rule -=5, $friendly +=5]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>“Stop!” you yell. “Just stop, now. I don’t want to hear anything else coming from your mouth anymore. I don’t know why you would lie about this. I don’t know what’s so wrong in your brain to do something so twisted.” “I wouldn’t lie. Not to you. I promise!” “I can’t believe you. I won’t believe you! Everyone here can’t remember a thing, but you do? That’s not possible! P.I.R.I. wouldn’t let this happen.” “Why would I lie about this?” “I don’t know? To stir shit up? To fuck with me? I just… I don’t want any part of this!” you get up to leave. “I’m not lying!” Jake stops you. “Listen. I was sentenced to hard labour after I stole a bunch of shit for someone. I was told my sentence would be carried out close to home, because I told them where the loot was when they arrested me. But something happened, I can’t remember what, and I ended up here.” “Stop it, Jake! You’re just messed up. Cenisa was right, you are crazy!” “I’m not crazy! Everything I said was the truth!” “If this is all true, what makes you think I would trust a criminal like you?” you spit at him. “Leave me out of your shit.” “What? But you said you wanted to help me.” “I wanted to know what was wrong with you. Gosh, wasn’t I served. I don’t want to be tangled in your bullshit. I’m cleaning my hands off of this.” You push Jake out of the way, flip him off and leave his pod without looking back. If you had looked back, you’d see him looking at his shoes, first disappointed, then breaking down in despair. //I can’t believe I almost fell for his bullshit.// You truly thought you could help him out of his funk and be a productive member of the crew. //Why would he do something like that? Why would he fuck with me like that? What did I do to him to deserve this?// You knew better than getting into other people’s business. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>You only see Jake a few times after your little fight with him, crossing his path here and there. You’ve seen him avoiding you at every chance he gets, turning back in a corridor when he so much catches a glance of you or leaving a room when you enter it. You can’t help but give him dagger eyes when you see him. He would respond by rolling his eyes at you and turning away. Sometimes, you want to get up to him and confront him. You almost have to stop yourself from starting an altercation with him. You know you’ve done your job, but seeing his snarly face makes you seethe. It’s not your fault the young man spewed out lies like that. You went above and beyond to try to help him out, and he just threw it all away for a laugh. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 3>>//I am done with him. I give up.// You can’t put your neck out like that for someone who clearly needs help, just not your kind of help. There is nothing you could have done to save his mind. //He was too far gone.// Even if you promised him you wouldn’t rat him out, you are sometimes tempted to report his crazy ass to P.I.R.I.. //What’s the point? He can in trouble on his own.// It takes you a while to realize Jake hasn’t shown up anywhere lately. You don’t miss too much his broody presence. Nor are you worried about him at all. //Maybe P.I.R.I. moved him to a different shift.// He could reappear at any moment, now. //And if he does not, who cares?// He could have landed into trouble all by himself, for all you knew. There was something about him that screamed trouble after all. Until now, you had managed to avoid getting into trouble, you didn’t need that kind of heat following you around. //Maybe P.I.R.I. just took care of him.// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 4>>Life has taken back its course and you have followed your original routine diligently. //Only caring for Number 1!// You wake up, do your job, relax, and go to bed. <<if hasVisited("Talk AI 2")>>#93482 has started to get clingy, as you have yet to cash in on that favour she has decided she owes you. You’ve tried your best to think of something, but quickly given up as you didn’t find a request good enough for her. Still, you’ve enjoyed her company, somehow. <<else>>#64073 has even decided to make you his target again<<if hasVisited("Talk AI")>>, though he has avoided requesting Ereus’s Snow again<</if>>. You almost missed his relentless will to bother you, as he had quietly been absent for some time. //It’s like nothing has changed…//<</if>> You have not seen the brazen young man at any point. //What was his name again? James? Jason? Jacob? Eehhh, whatever…// You’ve stopped caring. //Whatever happened to him… he probably found trouble on his own. Lying and all… // * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>Sometimes, you catch yourself thinking about him lying about remembering his past life, and get irrationally angry. You try not to linger too long on that thought, else you are afraid you would punch a wall and hurt yourself. Sometimes you wonder if what he said to you was true. If he could actually remember his life. //Would there have been a way for me to remember as well?// You are not sure you would have been happier that way, being ostracised from others like he was, plagued with an impossible secret, worried about its consequences. //No.// Your life now is much more enjoyable. You are safe, content, well-taken care of, under the thoughtful eye of P.I.R.I.. * //[[A comforting life.|Last Page]]// <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>You sigh deeply, still shaking. This is not something you can just lie about or come up with. You can’t pretend to remember things. //Not the way he described it. Not the way he seems to feel it//. It does not make any sense in your brain. //Why him? Why would he be allowed to remember, when none of us can recall a single thing?// “You believe me, right?” Jake peeps, anxious. “I…” “Right?” “Honestly… I don’t know. It sounds so impossible.” “I’m not lying! I swear!” “I know, Jake. I believe that. The rest…” you put your face in your hands. “//How? Why would you tell me?//” “You asked?” he brings his chair closer. “I know it’s not something you can say willy-nilly around here. Not with that A.I. listening to everything. I just needed someone to know about this. In case…” he pauses. “I can trust you with this at least, right?” You don’t answer right away. You glance at him. With his knee shaking from his restless foot, it looks as if his whole body is trembling. He is biting his nails, waiting anxiously for your response. You feel a pinch in your chest. You don’t want to let this puppy-eye looking child down, as much as it pains you. As much as he put you in an impossible position. //Why would he burden me too with this?// “Right?” he repeats, his lip shivering. “I’m not going to rattle on you to P.I.R.I., if that’s what you are worried about. And I am for sure not talking about this with anyone else either. They would not respond kindly to what you’ve told me.” The young man lies back on the chair, closes his eyes and lets out a relieved sigh. Keeping this secret to himself for this long seems to have taken a toll on him. //Will I feel like this soon too? I never asked for this… I just wanted to help him feel better. What am I going to do with him?// * //<<link "What am I going to do about that?" `passage()`>><</link>>// <<default>><<unset $text>>“What now?” you pull the young man out of his reverie. “Huh?” he sits up and looks at you, confused. “You kinda dropped a bomb on my lap, Jake. I can’t just stay idle and wait for it to explode in my face. What do you want me to do now?” “I don’t know… I didn’t think that far. It’s been kind of hard to hide just this from everyone. And from that pesky A.I. especially.” “Just this?” your eyes widen. //Please let this be a joke.// “Wait. There’s more?” “Err…” he scratches the back of his neck. “Please don’t tell me there’s more. This was already hard to get my head around that you can remember stuff. It still doesn’t sit right with me. And now you’re implying it’s not the only thing you’ve had to hide. You must be joking…” “Maybe this is too much for you, right now,” Jake gets up from his seat and moves towards the door. “We can always talk about this later.” “Oh, no!” you pull his sleeve back. “You are not going to leave in suspense like this. You can’t let me wonder like this and worry about the worst until you deign to tell me.” “I… I don’t think you are in the right mindset to hear about this, $name.” “I can be the judge of this, Jake. Sit down and tell me,” you snipe at him. “If you think it best…” he sits back down. “Have you ever wondered why no one remembered anything?” “I guess? I was told this was a side effect of being in a sleep state for so long.” “Isn’t it weird that no one tried to fix that issue? I mean there’s been like over ninety-thousand awakenings before me, and, until me, everyone has had that problem. Everyone even accepted it without really protesting. And the ship is still going through the motion just fine. You even see me as a problem because I remember some stuff.” “Where are you going with this?” “I think this was done by design.” “What?” you look at him as if he said something incredibly stupid. //It’s going to sound stupid, I can tell.// “Think about the way the ship is set up. Giving everyone a blank slate and forcing them to accept this, under the watchful eye of an all-powerful A.I.. It makes for a very subservient population.” “And? People bond over a common ordeal. So what?” “I think this is all part of an experiment,” he says, with the straightest face you’ve ever seen. * //[[Snort.|JTheory1]]// <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>It takes you a few minutes to calm down. You couldn’t help but laugh at his idiotic remark, especially when said with the most serious look. He said it with so much conviction, you were //this close// to believing it. Instead, you laughed. It started as a small snort and became a full heartily laugh you could not stop.// It has been a long time since I’ve laughed this hard.// “Are you done?” Jake looks annoyed, not having been taken seriously “Sorry, sorry, Jake. I just… //pfft//. I just couldn’t help myself.” “Can you take it seriously? Or pretend to? I’m not joking here.” “But you have to admit, this would be kind of funny, though. We were all propped up on this ship, woken up one by one, without any memory, with an AI that would do experiments on us. That’s something you find in fiction books, not in real life.” “I have proof!” “Really? There is actual proof that this ship has been the ground for experiments on its crew? Right,” you snort. “I’ll believe it when I see it.” “Ok, maybe I don’t have physical proof. But don’t you feel like something is weird on the ship?” “I have been long enough on this ship to understand it is useless to ask yourself that kind of question, Jake.” “Humour me, then.” “Fine,” you roll your eyes. “But I’m walking away if I realize you are just fucking with me. Got it?” The young man nods, but still seems disappointed by your reaction to his findings. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>“Alright. So everyone has lost their memories from before they woke up, right? But the ship needs some specialized knowledge to be run properly. Like the medical attendants at the Med Bay or in Engineering. How can someone without memory can perform in these roles, which can be quite specialized, and not fuck up in major ways?” “There are still accidents happening, Jake. P.I.R.I. is not foolproof when it comes to its computing.” “Sure, but how can they manage so well if they don’t remember anything?” “Err…” //There has to be an explanation for this, right?// “And you can’t tell me it’s muscle memory. You can’t muscle memory astrophysics. And I haven’t seen anyone get super detailed training, either. You need years of that kind of training to be even decent at your job.” “Maybe the tanks only targetted a specific part of the brain?” “Exactly! And that can’t be accidental that it happened to that part of the brain of so many crew members!” “That’s still a bit far-fetched, Jake. Our knowledge about science is not set in stone. There are so many things that can go wrong. I am glad we can still manage to take care of the ship like this without too many issues.” Jake sighs. This was not the response he had been expected from you. //How can I not be critical of all of this? He sounds like a crazy conspiracist right now.// But something in your gut pushes you to listen to him. There is something so fascinating watching someone sink into madness, you are not sure you can even pull away from it. * [[Continue to listen to him and see where he is going. Maybe he will have a good point, maybe he won’t. But to know how to help him, you need to know how far he went with this theory.|JTheory2][$rule -=5, $friendly +=5]] * [[Stop here. You’ve heard enough crazy talk from him. There is no helping him with how far he seems to be gone. You’ve had a good laugh from him, but this is just madness.|stop1][$stop to 1, $rule +=5, $friendly -=5]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

“I am not too convinced by this. But if you have something else, I am willing to listen.” “Really?” Jake perks up. “I do have something else! Have you ever seen any officer on board?” “You remember Cenisa? Apparently, she’s the Chief Awakening Officer.” You then mumble: “Or did she make it up to feel superior to the rest of us?” “You know that’s not the kind of officer I mean. Really, think. Have you seen a captain around? or a second mate? Someone with an actual rank?” “I—” you need to actively search your memory to answer his question. //Has there ever been a captain? Should there be?// “I don’t think so? Everyone is more or less on the same level here. I’m sure P.I.R.I. assigns someone to those positions when needed. I don’t think I’ve ever been on the bridge either.” “How is there no set captain?! How has this ship managed without a leader?” “I mean… there’s P.I.R.I.. I think it has done a pretty good job at taking care of us.” “That’s not… An AI can’t be the only thing that steers a ship! It’s only supposed to only be a helpful add-on, not an all-powerful ruler!” “Is it? It’s doing just fine here.” “Have you ever been on a normal ship before?” You stare at him, perplexed. “You know I can’t remember anything, right?” Jake’s cheeks flush, embarrassed. “We-well, it’s not normal. There should be a fixed captain, people with different ranks. And a clear line of command.” “That would create such a mess,” you roll your eyes. “I know a few crew members who would go crazy with power, or go on a rampage to get it. I think I like this system better.” “How are you ok with a non-human entity governing you all?” “You get used to it,” you shrug. Jake puts his head in his hands, mumbling. You think you can make out //how can I get through to you//, but you are not sure. You don’t understand why not having a set command crew is so important when manhandling a ship. The //SPS Iron Hammer// has functioned well for years —maybe even longer?—, without any major issues. //Maybe this is the future of space travelling?// * [[You’ve humoured the young man long enough. It’s time to make a stop to this little charade. He still has not convinced you something is afoot on the ship and you don’t think he will ever manage to. He is just crazy…|stop1][$stop to 2, $rule +=5, $friendly -=5]] * [[There is something weird about what he is saying here. You feel there is some truth to stating that there should be a captain on board. The crew shouldn’t be at the mercy of a non-physical AI.|JTheory3][$rule -=5, $friendly +=5]]

<<switch $stop>> <<case 1>>“Stop! Stop right there, Jake.” “Huh?” “I’ve heard enough from you, and there is only crazy talk coming out of your mouth. I don’t know why you’ve let me to your little rabbit hole of conspiracy, but it’s not funny anymore.” “Funny? $name, all of this is just fact! You can observe it yourself, if you paid any attention to what’s around you.” “Lies, Jake! Just lies. I don’t know what if something went wrong with you in that tank, but this is not normal behaviour! I tried my best to understand where you were coming from, but this too much, even for me.” “I can’t ignore the truth! And neither can you! You have to face it as I did!” “Unbelievable… Why couldn’t you just follow the program like everyone else?” “I am not going to be a fucking sheep like you!” “This is just ludicrous,” you get up from the bunk and move towards the door. “I shouldn’t have led you on earlier. Cenisa was right, you’re just insane. Maybe we should have left you in that tank…” “Well, maybe you should have!” <<case 2>> “That’s enough, Jake!” “Huh?” “I think I’ve humoured you long enough. I can’t in good conscience let you continue spitting lies like this. It’s time to stop this little charade of yours.” “Charade? Lies? $name, I’ve only told you the truth! You have to believe me!” “You haven’t convinced me one bit, Jake. I don’t think you ever will. Not with that crazy talk of yours. An AI leading a ship is not normal? Look around you, it’s working just fine for us!” “You can’t ignore the facts! You will have to face reality, $name! The whole crew will have to!” “You are just crazy, huh?” you get up from the bunk and move towards the door. “Why couldn’t you have just followed the program, like everyone else has?” “I am not a fucking sheep like you!” “Unbelievable… Cenisa was right after all, dammit. Maybe we should have left you in that tank…” “Well, maybe you should have!” <<default>>“No!” you yell. “This is all just lies! It has to be lies. It’s not possible!” “Stop resisting, $name. You know it’s the truth!” “I don’t know that! P.I.R.I. a rogue AI fucking with the crew? The whole ship is an experiment? No, no! That’s just crazy talk!” “You think I’m crazy? You are the one who’s a fool for not was seeing what’s in front of you!” “Listen, I tried my best to understand where you came from with all of your weird theories. But I should have stopped you long ago, because you are just spouting nonsense here. What a fucking mess you’ve dragged me in…” “You have to face the facts! Everyone will have to!” “Facts?” you almost jump from the bunk. “You are the one fucking with me here! A shadowy group taking all of our memories just for fun? How deep have you created this conspiracy to not see the truth?” “You are just a blind sheep, if you think what’s happening on the ship is the truth!” “Goddammit,” you move towards the door, “Cenisa was right, you are insane. Maybe we should have left you in that tank…” “Well, maybe you should have!”<</switch>> You roll your eyes at him, as you leave his pod. There is no need to stay any longer, not if I want to get dragged even deeper in his bullshit. I just had to wake up the crazy one, huh? Still, you find yourself not taking more than a few steps outside before stopping. There is something dangerous about that young man. * [[Maybe you should tell P.I.R.I. about this little incident. That man is going to be a danger to the ship if he is not dealt with swiftly.|snitch][$rule +=15, $friendly -=15]] * [[Leave it alone. You’ve entangled yourself enough already. If he gets in even more trouble, he can deal with it on his own.|dont][$rule +=5, $friendly +=5]]

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>“Supposing it is not normal to have a commanding crew on board, and P.I.R.I. is the only thing guiding us, what then? What’s the problem with that?” “Everything! It can do whatever it wants with us without any repercussions. It holds our lives in its code. And there is nothing we can do to stop it if something goes wrong! It governs us all with an iron fist!” “Wow… chillax, Jake. P.I.R.I. gives everyone pretty clear and easy rules to follow. You really need to do something atrocious to get the boot.” “I don’t think you understand how bad this is, $name. With something in control of everything on board, we don’t have a way to contact anyone if something bad happens. We should all be scared of that!” “We’ve never had to contact anyone before. I don’t think we will, in the future. P.I.R.I. has a good track record.” “Wait… you’ve never had any outside contact ever? Never had a distressed call? Never encountered another ship?” “Mmh. I don’t think so? I’ve never seen any gizmo that could get a call. Not where I have been assigned anyway.” “Really? You’ve never come across a radio? on the whole ship?” “Can’t say I have. But if there were to be one, I’d guess it would be on the bridge? Can’t be sure though, I’ve never had access to it.” “Have you ever tried to get inside?” “Err… No.” “Why not?” “Never felt the need to,” you shrug. “Ok… But what about ships passing by? There are a bunch of windows around —I know, because you brought me to the Sun Deck on my first day and those are huge—. It should be easy to spot something passing, no?” “Sure… But I don’t think we crossed paths with one. It would have been a major event for us if someone spotted another ship. That’s already a pretty large occasion when we pass a planet, once in a while. It kinda stops the whole crew from their tasks that P.I.R.I. often has to remind us to go back to it,” you chuckle. “How did everyone even accept this as normal?” he mumbles, dumbfounded. “Ok, what’s your point, Jake. You asked me a bunch of questions, but I don’t see where you are getting at.” The young man inhales loudly, ready to unload what is on his mind. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>“We are on a ship with a crew, with no memories, that is ruled by an omnipresent and omnipotent AI controlling their every move. For some reason, the ship has managed to function all of this time. This is already weird, but it could be a long streak of lucky coincidences. And don’t say that the ship has a pretty well-oiled machine with its crew, it’s already weird the AI calls us by numbers and not names. &emsp;“The ship, which has never stopped anywhere —to your knowledge—, has rarely passed by a planet nor crossed paths with any other ship. Now, this wouldn’t be too strange, if the ship’s course was going through a large empty zone, devoid of anything. I’m not too surprised that not everyone knows where we are going —yes, I’ve asked other people—, it’s not something that you want to broadcast if the destination is not ideal. But it seems that no one, no a single soul, knows of our course, or where we are right now. //No one//. &emsp;“And there has seemingly never been any contact between the ship with anyone, or anything, outside of these walls during your whole time on board —which I found out is one of the longest among the crew, how you have managed to still stand is pretty impressive—. It wouldn’t be too weird if we were crossing empty space. That is still an unusual amount of time, though. The Federation would have tried to make contact with the ship at some point, and with regular intervals. They are not the kind to let a ship as big as this one drift loosely in space. Especially if they are running an experiment on its crew.” * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>When his last words leave his lips, there is a long silence settling in the room. //That… that was a lot.// You keep drifting your gaze between him and nothingness as you try to process the information. In the distance, you can hear Jake panting a bit, recuperating from his word vomit. //That… No…// When you glance at him, he looks at you intensely, waiting for your approval, or a response, a sign, anything. //This is just crazy talk, right?// “It’s… It’s a bit far-fetched, Jake,” you chuckle, distressed. “Don’t—don’t you think? I mean… it’s—it’s just crazy talk. P.I.R.I. wouldn’t… And the Federation?… What?” “I know it’s a bit confusing right now. I… tried my best to take steps to ease you in. I’m sorry… It’s a lot to take in, huh?” “That…” you mumble, “that’s not possible. We… we have a purpose here. P.I.R.I. gives us a purpose. We couldn’t function without it. It protects us from danger…” “Are you… //afraid// of the AI?” “I…” you turn away from him. “You know none of this is //normal//, right? You understand that, at least. Right?” * [[No! You can’t understand that. You can’t accept his words as truth. He is lying! He must be. There is no other way. P.I.R.I. can’t be some kind of rogue AI flexing its power on the crew. The ship can’t be the setting for some weird experiment. They can’t have taken your memories just for fun! This has to be some crazy conspiracy. Jake must have gone insane since he woke up!|stop1][$stop to 3, $rule +=5, $friendly -=5]] * [[His explanation can’t be all there is. There has to be more to it. You can believe your life here has been a lie. You can’t be just a dot, a number, on a spreadsheet for no other purpose than being experimented on. There has to be a better reason than this for losing your memory.|more][$rule -=5, $friendly +=5]] <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>You feel tears going down your cheeks. //This can’t be all there is. All of my struggles can’t be summarized as being part of a fucking experiment.// You don’t know whether you got all of what Jake mentioned earlier —he did unload a lot on you, you may need to ask him to repeat himself—. There has to be a better reason. You can’t believe your whole life, the one you can still remember, has been a complete lie. “Err… There, there…” Jake is now sitting next to you, patting your back awkwardly. Hesitating between giving you a full-blown hug and sitting there coldly, the young man continues his clumsy patting until your sobbing ends. * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>“I’m sorry, $name… I…” “Sniff… Is… Do you think…” “Mmh?” “Do you think there’s a chance I didn’t lose my memories? If this is really an experiment, they must have a fail-safe, right?” “I don’t know, $name. It would depend on who is running the experiment, I guess?” He then whispers: “I just hope the Federation is not involved…” “What?” “Uh? Nothing…” While you sniffle a bit longer, your tears have stopped. You wipe your face with your sleeve. You feel embarrassed having acted this way in front of the young man. //I’m supposed to be comforting him, not the other way around!// You take a few deep breaths, which is quickly mimicked by Jake. “So… you believe me?” “I… I know you are not lying. I just hope you are wrong.” “What? Why?” “How do you think it feels to be told you have been unknowingly part of an experiment all this time?” “Right…” He opens his mouth, hesitates a few seconds and closes it. He hides his hands in his pockets. “What?” you huff, frustrated. “Err…” “You better not hide anything else from me.” “You might not like this.” You feel a small prick in your arm and start feeling dizzy. * //<<if hasVisited("sedate")>>[[Not again…|Last Page]]<<else>>[[What the hell?|Last Page]]<</if>>// <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>You can’t leave this thread alone until you fix the situation. You had told yourself you would help the young man as best as you could. Unfortunately, telling P.I.R.I. is the only way to do it. You feel a bit of remorse snitching on your pale companion, after you had promised him you wouldn’t. //No! It’s the only way. He is too dangerous.// “P.I.R.I.?” <span class="piri">“State your request.”</span> “I have to report an incident.” <span class="piri">“Explain.”</span> “Jake has a suspicious attitude—” <span class="piri">“Individual not found in database.”</span> “Right… you need his number. What was it again? Hold on… #93812?” <span class="piri">“#93812 is currently in his pod.”</span> “Yes, him! #93812 has a suspicious attitude.” <span class="piri">“Additional information required.”</span> “Where to start? He claims to remember things from his past life. Like before he woke up onboard the ship. He has also claimed ludicrous things about the management of the ship. According to him, the whole ship is one big experiment. I think… I think something is wrong with him.” <span class="piri">“Information received. Please wait.”</span> Your feet start to pace in the corridor. For some reason, you’ve reported this whole debacle right there, in public, where anyone could have heard you. //Way to go, $name. Potentially creating panic onboard.// The robotic voice echoes again in the hall. <span class="piri">“Thank you for reporting this. The issue will be taken care of soon.”</span> * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>That day was the last time you saw Jake. The day you ratted on him to the ship’s AI. You’ve stopped regretting your choice to make him face the consequences of his words. //This was just insane. To think like this. How can someone get so deep into a conspiracy so quickly?// You know deep inside you should have told him for the get-go this was just crazy talk. Maybe you should have dragged him to the Med Bay for a check-up. This would have been the fairest thing to do for him. //Whatever. What is done is done.// You shouldn’t have to worry about something that is in the past. That was the last time you saw the young man. You never crossed paths with him ever again. He was absent at the Mess Hall during mealtime. Missing from his pod —you knocked once on his door, but someone else opened it—. He seemed to have completely disappeared. You are not too surprised, as you had portrayed him to P.I.R.I. as a menace to the crew. He probably would have ended up being one, if his secrets ended up leaking. //People would have killed for a chance to get some memories back, I’m sure…// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 3>>Life had taken back its course, and the young man has still not appeared. You tried your best to get back into your routine, but it never felt the same. <<if hasVisited("Talk AI 2")>>#93482 has started to get clingy, as you have yet to cash in on that favour she has decided she owes you. You’ve tried your best to think of something, but quickly given up as you didn’t find a request good enough for her. Still, you’ve enjoyed her company, somehow. <<else>>#64073 has even decided to make you his target again<<if hasVisited("Talk AI")>>, though he has avoided requesting Ereus’s Snow again<</if>>. You almost missed his relentless will to bother you, as he had quietly been absent for some time. //It’s like nothing has changed…//<</if>> The young man rarely crosses your mind, now. You don’t even remember his name —//why would I care for that?//—, but his face sometimes appears in your dreams. Those nights, you would see his pale freckled face, far in the distance, with angry lines on its skin, looking like he was yelling at you. But you only seem to hear unrecognisable mumbles when it reaches your ears. //Still looking crazy, even in my nightmares, huh? What was wrong with him? // * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>That day, in that pod, was the last time you saw the young man. You’ve felt disappointed your first awakening turned out to be such a failure. You’ve complained to all that would hear it how bad of an experience you had at the Stasis Area and looking after that insane man. You would swear up and down you would refuse any further assignments there, which never ended up happening as P.I.R.I. was at least smart enough to never send you there again. You’ve never reflected longer than that on your choices that day. Whatever happened happened. Knowing you could not turn back time, you’ve shed any feeling of regrets. //He was just a crazy man, there is no need to dwell on it.// You still had no problem sending someone to their probable death, just to ensure your life would not change. * //[[The life of a bastard.|Last Page]]// <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

<<if ndef $text>><<set $text = 1>><</if>><<switch $text>> <<case 1>>You could have reported him to P.I.R.I.. You had ample time and many opportunities to do so. You could have even signalled the issue to the ship’s AI as soon as Jake started talking about his crazy conspiracies. But you refrained from doing so. Was it because you had promised you would not rat on him? //Whatever the reason, I’m just glad to wash my hands from all of this.// If P.I.R.I. ever decides to ask you about this little meeting, you could then voice your side. //I did not believe him, how could I have? He was insane. He had to be!// Still, you can’t believe you stayed in his pod listening to him for that long. You know you almost fell for his bullshit theories. //And to think I wanted to help him!// You don’t understand how he could fall so low in such a short time. He had been in his tank until only a few days ago. The descent to madness was quicker than you expected. //It’s a good thing Cenisa won’t remember me, or she would have probably said ‘I told you so’ to me.// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 2>>You only see Jake a few more times after this little kerfuffle of yours, crossing his path here and there. But, he avoids you at every corner, turning back in a corridor if he so much catches a glimpse of you, or leaving a room if you enter it. You don’t bother talking to him either, not even caring when he rolls his eyes at you. You know you have done your job the best you could.// It’s not my fault that man is insane and would rather spew out lies than get on with his new life onboard.// You already went above and beyond to help him. He just decided to try deceiving you with his dumb conspiracies. //What else could I have done? Believe him?// You can’t put out your neck for someone like that.// If he keeps up with this attitude, he won’t last long…// * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 3>>After some time, you stop caring about the nuts young man. Every time you have as much as a thought about him, you seethe. //And for what?// Something about him just screamed trouble. He would have probably let you down a dangerous rabbit hole. You are just glad you didn’t fall for his crazy views. //For nothing! It is just a waste to reminisce about this.// It takes you a while to realize Jake hasn’t shown up anywhere lately. You don’t miss too much his deranged presence. Nor are you worried about him at all. //Maybe P.I.R.I. moved him to a different shift.// He could reappear at any moment. //And if he does not, who would care?// He could have landed into trouble all by himself, for all you knew. //Maybe P.I.R.I. just took care of him. // * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<case 4>>Life has taken back its course and you have followed your original routine diligently. Only caring for Number 1! You wake up, do your job, relax, and go to bed. <<if hasVisited("Talk AI 2")>>#93482 has started to get clingy, as you have yet to cash in on that favour she has decided she owes you. You’ve tried your best to think of something, but quickly given up as you didn’t find a request good enough for her. Still, you’ve enjoyed her company, somehow. <<else>>#64073 has even decided to make you his target again<<if hasVisited("Talk AI")>>, though he has avoided requesting Ereus’s Snow again<</if>>. You almost missed his relentless will to bother you, as he had quietly been absent for some time. //It’s like nothing has changed…//<</if>> You don’t remember the last time you have seen the irresponsible young man. //What was his name again? James? Jason? Jacob? Eehhh, whatever…// You can’t even pretend to care anymore. //Whatever happened to him… he probably found trouble on his own. Being crazy and all… // * <<link "Continue" `passage()`>><</link>> <<default>><<unset $text>>No one ever asked you any question about the young man, even though they knew you woke him up. He must have freaked out other crew members at some point. You still feel a sting of disappointment every time you see a newbie being paraded around. //Why was I stuck with the crazy one?// Thankfully, P.I.R.I. never reassigned you to the Stasis Area. At least, you managed to avoid another failure. Once, you caught yourself wondering on the Sun Deck about the words spoken that day. //Could that have been true?// His mind was probably rendered inept before you woke him up, but his words now seem to move you at last. You’ve felt jealous he was able to remember part of his life, while you could not at all. //Would there have been a way to get my memories back, had I followed his crazy ass?// The thought made you laugh. //Nah… He was just nuts.// You realized your life was not as bad as his words painted it to be. It was still very enjoyable and comfortable. You couldn’t feel any safer, more content or well-taken care of, than you are now. * //[[A calm life.|Last Page]]// <</switch>><<if def $text>><<set $text += 1>><</if>>

* <<if ndef $name>>[[#8019|MC]]<<else>>[[$name|MC]]<</if>> * [[P.I.R.I.]] <<if hasVisited("Request")>>* [[#64073]]<</if>> <<if hasVisited("# Request")>>* [[#93482]]<</if>> <<if hasVisited("Stasis Area")>>* [[Cenisa]]<</if>> <<if hasVisited("talk awake")>>* [[Jake]]<</if>> <<link "Return" $return>><</link>>

<span class="terminal"><img src="https://artbreeder.b-cdn.net/imgs/7c4132593b0f7a28a5af259ddb54.jpeg" style="float:left; max-width:25%;height:auto;padding:5px;">''Name:'' #????? (a.k.a. Cenisa) ''Gender:'' Female ''Height:'' 175 cm / 5ft 9in ''Date of Birth:'' //RESTRICTED// ''Arrival Date:'' //RESTRICTED// ''Background:'' //RESTRICTED// ''Physique:'' Coily short hair, dimples, slender frame, sometimes wears glasses. ''Personality:'' Blunt, intelligent, loner, looks down on others.</span> <<link "Return" $return>><</link>>

<<link "Return" $return>><</link>>

<span class="terminal"><img src="https://artbreeder.b-cdn.net/imgs/b056a8753f89361da275806c9634.jpeg" style="float:left; max-width:25%;height:auto;padding:5px;"> ''Name:'' //RESTRICTED// ''Acronym:'' P.I.R.I. ''Type:'' Artificial Stuper Intelligence ''Size:'' //RESTRICTED// ''Creation Date:'' //RESTRICTED// ''Installation Date:'' //RESTRICTED// ''Creator:'' //RESTRICTED// ''Personality:'' Neutral</span> <<link "Return" $return>><</link>>

<span class="terminal"><img src="https://artbreeder.b-cdn.net/imgs/4af39dd21c1cd25c5e6fed004c11.jpeg" style="float:left; max-width:25%;height:auto;padding:5px;">''Name:'' #64073 ''Gender:'' Male ''Height:'' 187 cm / 6ft 1.6in ''Date of Birth:'' //RESTRICTED// ''Arrival Date:'' //RESTRICTED// ''Background:'' //RESTRICTED// ''Physique:'' Large man, muscly, prominent belly. ''Personality:'' Belligerent, careless, impulsive, threatening.</span> <<link "Return" $return>><</link>>

<span class="terminal"><img src="https://artbreeder.b-cdn.net/imgs/66665214fefff7e7342637747797.jpeg" style="float:left; max-width:25%;height:auto;padding:5px;">''Name:'' #93482 ''Gender:'' Female ''Height:'' 167 cm / 5ft 4.8in ''Date of Birth:'' //RESTRICTED// ''Arrival Date:'' //RESTRICTED// ''Background:'' //RESTRICTED// ''Physique:'' Frail frame, gruff appearance, hidden muscle, visible scar on cheek (provenance: unknown). ''Personality:'' Follower, infuenceable, prone to anger.</span> <<link "Return" $return>><</link>>

<span class="terminal"><img src="https://artbreeder.b-cdn.net/imgs/84c15e2762181287402d06217be8.jpeg" style="float:left; max-width:25%;height:auto;padding:5px;">''Name:'' #94812 (a.k.a. Jake) ''Gender:'' Male ''Height:'' 169 cm / 5ft 6.5in ''Date of Birth:'' //RESTRICTED// ''Arrival Date:'' //RESTRICTED// ''Background:'' //RESTRICTED// ''Physique:'' Almost bony frame, place skin with freckles. ''Personality:'' Unknown.</span> <<link "Return" $return>><</link>>

//Survivor testimony from the Space Penitential Ship (SPS) IRON HAMMER — Interview with #93482 — Recording Transcript […]// “Why do you keep asking me this, mister? I really don’t know why ?they decided to do this.” “Please, you are one of the few survivors. It is important that you tell us what happened.” “But I can’t say what was in ?their mind! I don’t even know what was going through mine for a while after this happened. Everything just when to shit so fast. It was complete chaos for a long time.” “Alright. Let’s start at the beginning, again. Why were you at the Commissary that morning?” “#64073… He wanted something, but couldn’t show his face at the counter anymore, not after having received so many rejections. He asked me for a small favour: to bring his request card for him and give him the goods afterwards. If the ?person at the counter were to hesitate, he asked me to put a bit of pressure on ?them.” “Do you know what #64073 requested?” //(frustrated)// “I’ve already told you I don’t know! He was all secretive about it. Knowing him, it was probably some drugs for his knees. He’d been complaining about them for some time.” “Do you know how #64073 got that card?” “No. It’s not like I followed him around looking at what he does.” “Humph… Back to that day. Did you end up putting pressure on the ?person at the counter?” “Well, yeah. ?They didn’t want to <<if hasVisited("Throw")>>scan the damn card, and <</if>>fix the problem.” “What was the problem with the card?” “I… don’t really remember. Something about it being broken inside or something?” “So the ?person at the counter, after a bit of pressure from you, decided to read the malfunctioning card by ?their own accord.” “Exactly! ?They even said ?themself ?they thought it was a bad idea. But ?they did it anyway!” “Where is that ?person now?” “$name?<<if $name is "#8019">>” “You mean #8019?” “Yeah.<</if>> I don’t think I saw ?them after a few days. I don’t know where ?they went. You… you don’t know either?” “There have been… unidentified bodies found on board. Some are completely unrecognisable. We think ?they may have been part of those. Well, we hope.” “Can’t P.I.R.I. scan the bodies? It should have all of our information.” “We can’t find P.I.R.I. either.” “Huh? How can you lose a ship AI? Shouldn’t it be in the ship?” “Indeed it should be there. But it is not where it should be. We don’t know where it is.” //Silence// “Now, let’s go back to the aftermath of the issue. What happened just after #8019 read the card?” “There was this loud siren blasting everywhere. All the screens onboard turned red and had some weird signs on them. I couldn’t read what it said.” “Can you try to think about it just for a moment? Maybe you did read it unconsciously?” “Eh… That’s not possible.” “Why not?” //(whispers)// “I can’t read.” “Ah…” //(sound of throat hawking)// “So the screens were red. What did you do?” “I just ran away. When something bad happens, P.I.R.I. takes the person responsible away. And I brought the faulty card. I thought it was going to take me too. So I ran. And I hid in my pod.” “Could you hear the siren in your room?” “After I forced my door close, not really. It didn’t ring inside the pods. Thank goodness.” “How long did you hide?” “I don’t know. You can’t track time on the ship. But I was there for a long time.” “We didn’t find you there. What made you leave your pod?” “I was hungry. At some point, it felt I hadn’t eaten for days. So I went out to the Mess Hall for some food.” “Can you describe how the ship looked when you went there? Was the siren still ringing?” “Yes, but it didn’t sound the same anymore. Like an old record player that is a bit busted. You could tell it was the same siren, but spookier. And the ship was busted too! Some wall pieces were missing, a bunch of wires hanging and sparking, stuff looked like it had been on fire at some point. I think I saw some blood at well? I am not sure if it was then or later.” “So, people had already started to break down the ship by then.” “I guess?” “Did you see anyone on the way to the Mess Hall or in there?” “Well… $name was there. At the Mess Hall.” “How did ?they seem?” “Weird… Like pretending nothing happened.” “Did you talk to ?them?” “A bit, I think. ?Theywere rambling in front of an empty tray about P.I.R.I. still not having given ?them an assignment for the day. ?They left quickly after.” “When did you see ?them again?” “I think I caught a glimpse of ?them during the //Bloody Day//. ?They seemed completely oblivious to what was happening around ?them. I don’t know how ?they managed to survive that battle. I mean people were throwing themselves at each other. I saw a guy just clubbing people like they were golf balls!” “Wait? You actually saw #8019 after that?” “Yeah… a couple more times after that too. ?They always looked like a ghost in the corridor. You could not talk to ?them or stop ?them at all. ?They would pretend you were not there, or maybe ?they just didn’t see us…” “How is that possible? None of us saw #8019 on the ship. The distress signal we received was made on what you call the //Bloody Day// and we arrived not more than a week after, at most.” “I dunno, man! I was surprised you guys showed up at all. Really thought that was the end for me there…” “Can you remember the last time you saw #8019?” “Eh… It’s definitely some time after Bloody Day and before you guys showed up. Maybe just before? I was in the lowest deck with a few people I found after the big fight, close to where you guys found us. ?Theywere just standing there, in front of one of the windows, looking at the space. ?Theywere mumbling to ?themself again. One of the crew actually went to ?them to see if ?they wanted to join us.” “Who? Who talked to ?them?” “I…” pause “It doesn’t matter anyway. She never came back. So when I went to check up on her, $name was gone as well.” * [[— End Recording —|Last Page]]

<div align="center"><<liveblock>><<if settings.theme is "Dark">><img src="https://i.imgur.com/WmRwRA7.gif"><<else>><img src="https://i.imgur.com/cN4XmHQ.gif"><</if>><<update>><</liveblock>></div> <<fadein 2s 5s>>* [[Continue|Wake Up]]<</fadein>> <<if settings.notifications>><<notify 3s>>Game Autosaved<</notify>><</if>> <<set $rule to random(30, 150)>> <<set $friendly to random(45, 125)>>

<div align="center"><<liveblock>><<if settings.theme is "Dark">><img src="https://i.imgur.com/WmRwRA7.gif"><<else>><img src="https://i.imgur.com/cN4XmHQ.gif"><</if>><</liveblock>></div> <<fadein 2s 5s>>* [[Continue|day 3]]<</fadein>> <<if settings.notifications>><<notify 3s>>Game Autosaved<</notify>><</if>> <<set $rule to random(30, 150)>> <<set $friendly to random(45, 125)>>