[from the Empress of Moths, amidst system malfunctions and strange portals]

[morbirdinterest]

I have been investigating the new portals using some skills from a previous Jaunt. Two things have revealed themselves to me, which may be of interest.

First, my Control Panel returns a reading of "extra-system access loci" when I use it near a portal. This suggests to me that some entity other than the Trumps is creating, and likely using, these portals.

Second, and quite coincidentally, while activating my Control Panel in a secluded part of the Empress, I discovered that there are dead bodies in the reactor. Eight of them.

Comments

[mysunnydisposition]

Okay, well this just turned into some kind of horror movie. Great!

I'm... guessing there aren't conveniently eight people missing from the Empress' passengers?

[ That wouldn't be better, but it would be... part of an explanation, at least. ]

[morbirdinterest]

Ho ho ho... Even if there were, how would we tell? There is no guarantee that a reliable passenger manifest even exists, considering the circumstances of our departure from Gehenna.

[mysunnydisposition]

Wishful thinking that someone might've been keeping track of these things. I guess it's a little harder now that half of everyone's running around Liminal Space, but still...

[ Sigh. ]

Can you at least tell what species the bodies are?

[morbirdinterest]

I would have to get close to the reactor once again to get such detail, I think. And I am reluctant to do so without good cause. What do you think such information might reveal?

[darkhourdear]

So THAT's what they meant.

When I talked to the ship, they talked like there were multiple things as as a part of them and they mentioned some of them were dead. They can't tell the difference between the ship and the dead people anymore, I think.

[morbirdinterest]

Fascinating... Of course, it is also possible that the corpses are part of the ship and there is no meaningful separation between the two anyway.

[darkhourdear]

I don't think it was always that way. I kind of got the impression that they used to be the crew.

[morbirdinterest]

[After also picking up what Phillip tells Steph]

Oh, undoubtedly. Though the cybernetic technology of this world, combined with the fact that the bodies are all in the reactor and in such great number, make me wonder about the exact nature of their relationship to the ship. "Wearing a ship" seems to imply a closer relationship than simply walking the halls, as we do.

[bite_the_hand]

You talked to the ship. How did you- ...Forget it. That wouldn't even be the weirdest thing I've heard this Jaunt.

[He's streaming his voice so Phillip gets to hear his exasperated sigh. Going from a low-tech world to all of this is hard enough. Add into that all of his friends being either missing or Infiltrated, and everything with the portals... Little wonder he's hit the point where he's stopped trying to understand half of what's going on.]

So how does a ship start thinking it's a bunch of dead people?

[darkhourdear]

Magic. [phillip doesn't see why everyone is so hung up on that part.

On his end, Phillip shrugs- not that Eren can see it.] Not sure. Maybe they've been a part of it for so long that when they died, whatever was left of them found their way into the ship. Or maybe it has to do with them being in the reactor.

[bite_the_hand]

I guess since they're in the reactor the ship thinks the corpses are a part of it?

[Every time he starts thinking this Jaunt can't get any weirder...]

[seventhbullet]

Well, isn't that a thing. Couple of things. At least eight things.

Out of curiosity, do you know what kind of reactor it is? Are the bodies stuffed in it part of the process?

[He's seen weirder.]

[morbirdinterest]

Indeed.

The reactor is totally unfamiliar to me, and I have no real explanation for how or why the bodies are in the reactor. I have some speculation based on what Phillip has shared...but that is all.

[accordance]

What species of dead bodies?

I could try divining them, but my Sight is unnaturally clouded.

[morbirdinterest]

That, I could not tell. I suspect such data may be beyond the capability of the Control Panel, though I am also not eager to find out for sure.

[accordance]

I could investigate it in person, if it becomes important. Radiation has no effect on me.

[ He has a feeling it might be important. ]

[morbirdinterest]

Is that so... Gaining access to the reactor may be difficult, but a first-hand look would certainly be useful.

[dino_zarf]

How dead we talking? From before the ship wound up as scrap in a junkheap or later?

[morbirdinterest]

"Dead" is the extent of what I know, I'm afraid.

[dino_zarf]

Too bad. One's a lot more worrisome than the other.

[Not that he likes the idea of any dead. But if they date back to the ship getting junked they won't have a murderer around.]

[bite_the_hand]

So we need to worry about something being in Liminal Space with us.

[And wait, what!?]

There have been a bunch of corpses in there this whole time and nobody noticed!?

[morbirdinterest]

I think it is a distinct possibility, yes.

And you are correct, if anyone has noticed the corpses before now, I am not aware of it.

[bite_the_hand]

Didn't they check that before they turned it on!? How could no one know the reactor's full of dead bodies!? I know there wasn't time for a lot of maintenance but isn't that part kind of important!?

[turbedon]

Do we know what species they are or if they can be retrieved? I'd like to know why they're in there...

[morbirdinterest]

I'm afraid not. As for whether or not they can be retrieved... You would have to ask someone on the Empress' engine crew that question.