Episode 31: What’s Pasta’s Prolog - kaseido/NeoTokyo GitHub Wiki

4 Thatcher

The morning after the stunning message intercepted by Killswitch’s hardware, the team meets to decide what to do. Vir suggests telling Mango the message rather than playing it, in case there’s something buried in the recording.

“We could stick that into my brain and see if I go crazy, but how would you tell?” Paragon suggests maybe filtering the message. Carbide suggests showing the readout of the emulator, as that’s just cat-text. Paragon likes that, in case there’s issues in translation or tone, and she knows she’s got a horrible accent in Cat, as she’s constantly told: “I don’t think it’s affectionate or trying to get me to improve, they just want to hurt my feelings.”

They play the cat-text. Mango gets very fluffy and sits there staring. Paragon has gotten used to her place in the pecking order and waits. Star sits nearby and Mango climbs into her lap. Star gets a swat for appearance’s sake after going for the belly pets.

Finally, Mango says, It feels right, it feels like we should hear and follow.

Carbide offers to install the chip in the server. Mango says now they know there’s something to know and someone who knows it, so please. He’ll get it put in in the next couple days.

Mango asks what they think it means. Carbide says it feels like the weird shit from the Corporate Wars, the urban legends of fighters and vigilantes. He was just a little kid, but there were some weird bad stories. It doesn’t match any of them, but has the feel of the stuff the oldsters tell when they’re real drunk and high and in a dark mood. Sometimes they talk shit about things they’d seen or heard about that nobody came back from. This feels like that.

Mango says, “bad old shit that’s come unburied.”

Vir says it’s time to change the litterbox.

Carbide offers his help. Vir says maybe somekitty does know Sekhmet. Mango says that being able to share what they know might yield answers.

Paragon searches Reddit and the Gnu message boards, asking for info on Sekhmet. Star warns of incoming catgirls. Paragon starts shaming the furries for inaccuracy and starts a massive flamewar on the furry boards. Nothing learned.

Nixie suggests they meet in Koto City – not where anybody lives. She recommends a restaurant that’s good for nobody standing out or being overheard: a family-style Italian restaurant called What’s Pasta’s Prolog. The restaurant turns out to be a great choice: busy, loud, a remarkably diverse clientele. The team speculates it began as a mob money-laundering operation, but the food was too good.

Carbide says they got some things that made them curious about the history of the uplifted cat program. Was there anything connected to the project about the name Sekhmet?

It doesn’t ring a bell for Nixietube. She tells everyone that she did a little asking around, in the university administration and accounting. The cat program was funded by a grant about 30 years ago: the program receives generous funding from some complex investment vehicle on the condition that the capstone project for the Masters program is a cat upgrade, and that the cats are well-treated and released. Everybody she asked about the details just kind of shrugged: it’s money, it’s a good project, who cares? They never have trouble capturing strays from University Heights, too.

Star facepalms. “Why are academics so trusting? Oh just constantly upgrade our cats behind the scenes, I’m sure there’s nothing nefarious, it’s just someone who loves cats.”

Paragon asks her to come up with a number for how much money they’ve gotten over the years. Do you think any corpo would spend that much money in toto because “I like kitties?” Nixietube shrugs: she wonders if she’s a Mister Snuggles with corporate-level money – no offense, but just a crazy cat lady. Because what would an army of cats be good for?

Star pours drinks for everyone. Vir is messaging Allyson Desai about Star’s paranoid ideation.

Sekhmet is probably a project name at some corporation or other, Paragon says. “Oh this is weird and gross!” Star says it’s a poison pill. Para: “We didn’t even think about where the money comes from until now!” Star says the cats are an anti-virus system: they’re a counter-measure. To what, Carbide asks.

Carbide asks Nixie to get the account name and corporate shell.

Vir asks which one is the side of good: they think the kitties. Carbide says the cats are the ones who hired us, so either way, they’re the clients.

Star asks if Netwatch ever funds strange research: “If I were investigating a lawless society, I might want a kitty failsafe.” Stridev thinks that’s a fascinating line of inquiry.

Stridev says that uplift is banned in the Federation, but there are gray areas. Technological adaptations for civilizational sentients is fine – like enabling cetaceans to work on land or in space. Enabling communications with other intelligences is fine. Genetically or cybernetically upgrading them generally isn’t, though there’s not a clear line between remediation and upgrade. The cats are unique, and the research wouldn’t be allowed in the Federation, but it’s not anathema like genetic engineering or a singularity scenario. Netwatch doesn’t care, though part of his job is keeping an eye on the program to ensure it doesn’t get into orbital bombardment of your barista territory. It’s a very low priority.

Star says that it’s a little odd that Netwatch is unconcerned. Stridev thinks her concerns are logical.

Carbide isn’t sure how much they want revealed, so he’s not pushing. Stridev asks if there’s any preliminary results or encounters. Carbide says just the messages with Sekhmet, but it’s early days, and it’ll be more effective as more cats share their knowledge.

Stridev asks about the myth. Paragon says hearth goddess and lady of slaughter. And some cities beholden to her. She just knows Egyptian stuff because the pictures are really weird. It could be some metaphor bullshit. The oldy-worldy people put animal heads on gods to represent additional powers. They are us plus more. So that in reverse for the cats? Cats plus people instead of people plus other stuff.

There was an actual cat goddess too, for domestic cats. Stridev is fascinated that it isn’t the association one would expect. Paragon thinks someone went "meh, close enough.” She adds that she thinks Bast was an underworld goddess, since kings were buried with cat mummies as guards.

She tells him the cats are augmenting themselves. Stridev gives a very intense look. Star says she’s joking, with no hesitation. Nymphie tries to back her up, and Paragon steps back into it, but is convincing. Whew!

Stridev wants to know more, but is stymied: it’s outside his expertise. The team seems able with both technology and inquiries: should he be “hiring them”?

“Frankly I will never tell you where I get my coffee. That’s a joke too.”

Stridev wants info and will pay for it. Carbide says they’ll have to check with their clients.

Star says she thinks there’s about to be a crisis in her church.

Stridev asks Nixietube if the team is exceptionally weird or if all the locals he knows have hidden depths. Definitely hidden depths, she tells him.

He asks if there’s any knowledge of where the message came from. They say absolutely not.

Star doesn’t want to invite Netwatch to their extremely legal and not at all suspicious wedding – and especially not a Vulcan!

They leave the restaurant, Nymphie quite tipsy and chatty. As they’re standing outside, Carbide gets the feeling they’re being watched. He’s pulling from cameras and mics trained on the party. He detects someone monitoring A/V on them. He texts to the group chat, up a block on the left, guy’s got a hot mic on us. Star texts back, “what gets an entire restaurant of people to start running?” Carbide: “nothing that would get us invited back if we tried it.”

Paragon offers “I could probably arrange for a poser gang to do a drive by.” Carbide questions the response time: it’s going to be weird if they’re stand there much longer. They decide to just go: Nymphie is chattering away happily, and providing cover.

Star considers alcohol a completely reasonable coping mechanism, and isn’t going to drag Nymphie off to Desai over it. Vir could just grow her a new liver. They’re just having the conversation about the merits of cybernetic replacement vs. cloned parts. It goes on at some length.

Vir’s sad that their half a cheesecake in a box isn’t going to make it home.

Star calls up a performance program on her holo-emitter to have ready: an impromptu street party fi needed.

Carbide identifies the spy kit as Netwatch, and texts that to the group chat. Star puts on some sunglasses and tries to see if he’s monitoring them or Stridev. Can’t really tell. She moves up to Stridev to walk opposite him and starts engaging him about the cats and his history with them. She’s using him as a shield.

Star and Carbide note two figures lurking by the train station, Carbide texts their location to the group. Star texts back asking if they want to point out what’s happening to the people they’re walking with. Carbide texts back only if they want to let the guy with the eyes and ears know that they know. Vir points outs that Stridev’s lack of reaction is vaguely suspicious. Star says either he doesn’t know and he’s not doing his job, or he does know and it’s a trap. They decide to go forward.

Stridev says he doesn’t know who they’re here for. Star says that their previous encounter with Netwatch goons is why she’s fat.

“You have acquired subcutaneous lipids as a stress reaction to your interrogation?” Carbide explains that it’s her EMP shielding, and asks his advice on how to proceed. He says he should inquire as to their purpose, with them out of stunning range. The team agrees, and Stridev goes on ahead up the stairs to talk to one of the goons.

He gets shot. Carbide can tell it was a phaser stun.

Star calls out, “I don’t suppose this is an internal matter that doesn’t involve us?” No reply.

Nixie screams and runs over to Stridev. They shoot her too.

Nymphie is having a full-on panic attack, Star notes. She’ll deal with that later. “Calm down, focus.” She gets Nymphie breathing again.

The two agents pick up Stridev.

“Do we care? He hasn’t hired us yet!”

“We should at least go grab Nixie, I feel.” – Carbide. He also suggests Vir run up as a medic to help Nixie. They want to Rapid Detox Nymphie first, but Star says to leave her.

Star offers a distraction behind them. She hits the play button! In the doorway behind them in the train station, there’s a full Star concert! With background dancers! “International fame as a trauma response is very real”

Both mooks are watching the show. One is tapping his foot against his will. Star nods at Vir, who runs up and revives Nixie. Carbide runs in and hoists Nixie to her feet, and gives her a guiding push to the group. The goons don’t seem to care about Nixie.

Carbide texts Star and asks if she thinks she can get him to give up the Vulcan.

“I have no idea! Let’s find out!” She closes and transitions the vocal to be in harmony with herself until she picks up the melody line. “Why are you taking my date for the evening? Right NOW? We were going HOME. Don’t do this to me! See that body? I’ll send him to you in the morning!” She slips her arm under Stridev’s shoulder, elbowing the other out of the way like a drunk girl.

One guard is apologetic: their boss is a hardass and won’t let them cut her a break.

As they’re talking, said boss comes up. Star will never forget that voice: it’s Barret, the agent who EMP’d her! Barret wants to know what the two clowns are doing. Star shrieks and grabs one of the guys with her other hand. “That lady assaulted me!” and pushes him towards her.

A moment of chaos ensues. Star clings like a wire-cage monkey to Stridev.

Barret is happy to take everybody in. Star starts shrieking about her lawyers and her agent.

The agent who likes Star gets involved, and quotes regs so hard at Barret! With the concert blaring, her team digging their heels in, Star adding to the massive scene – at a train station! Barret gives in. They can always round him up tomorrow. “Get in the van! And turn that noise off!” The Netwatch team leaves.

The team wakes Stridev up .“They kidnapped him from us last time! IT’S OUR TURN!” Carbide scans for tracking devices on Stridev and the rest of them. Stridev had a very sophisticated tracker on him, in his hair. Carbide gets it out.

“That’s why people comb their hair!” - Paragon

Carbide flushes it down the toilet in the train station, to make them take a wild goose chase into the sewers. Paragon says they’ll make Dome Ops do it on their behalf, but Carbide says it’ll buy time.

The team bundles everybody onto the train, headed to a random hotel. Interrogations will ensue.