a pair of network shenanigans

[leftbehindagain]

[Putting two things in one post to save space, both before the attacks get going. The first is jaunt only and technically public, but I'm not sure if anyone other than our special guest and perhaps Eren would have reason to comment. The second is a solo jaunt-walkabout bridge, intended to be private but I'm open to walkabout-side party crashers; ping me if you want in on that.]

Comments

[jaunt] Adventures with Psychic Delegate

[leftbehindagain]

[Naoki's preference would be to lock this down, but he's not sure if he could actually include everyone who needs to be included, if he did that. So they'll just have to take their chances. In any case, the matter of where to get a base set up in Cancer Sector is better shown than told, at the moment, and this... seems more secure than Interfacing it.

SHIRO had amazing luck not catching viral data last time, but its luck may not hold now.]

SHIRO, let me know if this is working - I'm not sure how long I'll be able to keep this up. I thought it'd be better to show you what we're up against out here in real time.

[And sure enough, from the looks of the visual data it's... gonna be tricky at best to start a base in this sector. The city is too much of a labyrinth to be of much use, and the wastelands don't provide much in the way of material or cover.]

[bite_the_hand]

[There's a mental sigh of frustration.] I had a bad feeling that's what we were dealing with. Guess there's not much point to continuing on foot for now. We're just getting sand in our circuits. I could probably make something, but like hell I'd be able to explain how I did it.

[The name confusion strikes again - Eren wasn't paying enough attention and simply assumed Captain Shiro was trying to direct from Liminal Space during one of his more lucid moments.]

[shiroganeheir]

ERR-N? How exactly are you able to create things? Is that the Variables' skill?

[leftbehindagain]

[Oh good, it worked.]

It can be one of them, yes. There's a bit more to it in ERR-N's case at the moment - we'll explain later. [He's not about to make Eren flail through that conversation alone.]

In any case, under the circumstances, I'm not counting on it being half as uninhabited as it looks.

[shiroganeheir]

Things rarely are. If there are not hostile entities, there is likely something that is harmful.

I do not wish to risk Programs to an unknown at this point. We should choose a different sector.

[leftbehindagain]

Gemini's at least partially secured already, thanks to the I/O towers.

[bite_the_hand]

[Wait. Wait. That's Commander SHIRO's voice, not - oh shit. Boy did he just mess up.]

It's, I'm, uh... borrowing some code?

[And there's Naoki to the rescue. Eren's going to have to thank him for that later. When ERR-N continues after the pause, he sounds a bit more confident again.]

I have temporary access to a rare skill that allows me to code extremely basic structures and render the data in only a few microcycles. However, if I'm calculating correctly I'll only be able to do it a few times, and it'll leave me really low on energy.

OPEN from SHIRO

[shiroganeheir]

Oh... this is a problem.

Also... how are you transmitting directly into my circuits? I must admit this is... odd.

[leftbehindagain]

We've learned a lot about how to manipulate the code our Users gave us to work with since the last time we were here. [That's... really over-simplifying things, but when you're working with infiltrators you have to.]

I know you had extraordinary luck dodging corruption last time, but I didn't want to rely on your luck holding. The one that's causing trouble here sounds particularly nasty.

[verdeleonessa]

Wait... SHIRO? How did... wow.

[shiroganeheir]

HOLT-2? Are you in my processing as well?

This is quite beyond my calculations.

[verdeleonessa]

Err... I suppose NAOKI did something? He's really good with this kinda stuff, so I wouldn't know how, but... Hi.

[awitchdidit]

...so this can be done. How deeply, deeply interesting.

You are the Revolutionary leader, correct?

[jaunt -> walkabout]

[leftbehindagain]

[Bridging to another group of Travelers, on the other hand, Naoki's much more used to doing. He's less sure that his intended recipient is available, though Delaunay mentioning her when he contacted the jaunt gives him some hope, so he doesn't secure the message quite as much as he would otherwise. If Helena's not available, there are people there he can make do with talking to; he's just really hoping for her insight on this mess.]

Okaa-san? Do you have a minute?

[notadisappointment]

Did something happen there?

[leftbehindagain]

I think it's only just starting to happen. She's used to a different class of weird stuff than we are, and I was hoping to get her perspective on it.

[And just be a worried mess in Helena's direction.]

[notadisappointment]

Ah, yeah. That makes sense.

Is everyone from Inaba-universes alright? They're all on that side except me, aren't they?

[leftbehindagain]

As far as I know, they are. They're all infiltrating.

[notadisappointment]

So it's just you there as yourself, huh? In a way, we're in the same situation.

[leftbehindagain]

In a way.

[notadisappointment]

Well, I'll leave you to it. Good luck with whatever's going on.

[leftbehindagain]

Same to you, Hanamura. [And really, it does mean a lot that he took the time to say anything at all.]

Re: [jaunt -> walkabout]

[awondrousplace]

Always, darling. What's going on over there?

[leftbehindagain]

Some of it's like the last time. Some of it... really isn't. And I think the problem started with Jean's overlay, but it's impossible to tell for certain.

There's a virus going around that's strong enough to cut off a Questing Country Bond for hours at a time - the Pogemon kind too, according to Eren-san. People who've been affected don't know it.

Claudia-san said she thinks it's a Trojan.

Re: [jaunt -> walkabout]

[youandyoualone]

Naoki?

[I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY DELAUNAY IS NOT YOUR MOM, BUT HE IS CURIOUS AS TO WHY YOU'RE CALLING.]

[leftbehindagain]

[Yes, well.]

Things are starting to get... complicated on this side of things, Anafiel-san.

[youandyoualone]

[Oh, he does not like the sound of that.]

What happened?

[leftbehindagain]

There's a virus in this system that's somehow managed to be even more insidious than the one Lovers and Devil concocted for the Grid. Affected people don't know they've been infected and end up running around all night Interfacing the code to anyone they can reach.

Claudia-san says she thinks it's a Trojan. [What that means in computer terms, he only knows thanks to her later explanation, but Delaunay's up on his classic literature - if the names of the old places aren't different in his reference, he might be able to guess how it got its name.]

[youandyoualone]

[Oh yeah, he definitely knows about Troy. He even wrote a poem about Achilles and Patroclus. So he can guess why it might have such a name.]

A virus... Those are a kind of animalcule that finds its way into your body to sicken you. Alcuin explained those to me and the bacteria as well. There is a computer plague?

[leftbehindagain]

Data-based rather than organic, but essentially, yes.

[youandyoualone]

... are they the same size as the people or even more miniscule?

[leftbehindagain]

...Not... it's a bad code that's getting passed around. Definitely not person-sized.

[youandyoualone]

Ah. I know that the fleshly sort of virus is too small to be seen, much like the people who inhabit computers, so I was just making sure of the relative scale.

[leftbehindagain]

I don't think that sense of scale quite applies when you're inside the computer yourself.

[youandyoualone]

Ah. I suppose it would be difficult for the virus to hide within them if they were the same size.

[leftbehindagain]

Very slightly.

Some of our people who usually work with computers are trying to find out more about how it works and how to stop it.

[youandyoualone]

I am glad they are.

[And yet. And yet he wishes he could do something.

A plan is beginning to silently formulate within his mind...]