ALL POINTS BULLETIN

[blitz_of_gold]

[Some time after the hunt for the invisible stalker a message is sent to every comm in big, blinking letters and accompanying electronic shouting.]

URGENT INFORMATION URGENT INFORMATION

DIAGNOSTICS INDICATE THAT RT-636 MOTHER OF INVENTION LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS ARE NOT FAILING

REPEAT

LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS NOT FAILING

PLEASE INITIATE ANTI-ESPIONAGE PROTOCOLS

ENEMY MISINFORMATION LIKELY

PLEASE INITIATE ANTI-ESPIONAGE PROTOCOLS

Comments

[lonenoble]

Understood.

Thank you for the update.

[unrecovered]

[Welcome to immediate suspicion, courtesy of one Agent Washington.]

Who are you and how do you know that?

Who am I? Who are you, ya punk!

[blitz_of_gold]

I am Bardiche. Once inside the system, it was obvious.

[Bardiche knows the man wants to know more. He chooses to be less then helpful.]

[unrecovered]

So you're the helpful type. Great. [Sarcasm so thick you could cut it with a...well, you know.]

Let's try this: hacker or AI?

[blitz_of_gold]

Yes

[unrecovered]

Do you have a friend, or someone near you who can actually carry on a conversation? I want to talk to them.

Can't and Won't are rather different

[blitz_of_gold]

My Master is unable to com to the comm right now. This unit's capacity for

[Recorded from Wash's transmission]carry on a conversation?

is adequate.

Social interaction guidelines suggest politeness.

Neither is particularly helpful in this instance.

[unrecovered]

[This unit? Guidelines? He's definitely talking to some sort of AI. Great.]

Maybe you should start actually following those guidelines.

What makes you think the error messages are "enemy misinformation?"

Re: Neither is particularly helpful in this instance.

[blitz_of_gold]

Acknowledged. Greetings, I am Intelligent Device Bardiche; my Master is Enforcer Fate Testerossa-Harlaown of the Time Space Administration Bureau. What is your name? [Behold! a machine capable of sarcasm!]

False message not the result of damage to software or hardware.

Message not resulting from actual crisis or damage is result of external action.

Action that deliberately causes unnecessary caution in a group is that of an enemy.

Action that causes repair to unit FILSS more difficult is that of an enemy.

Action that causes excess fear among a group of people is that of an enemy.

[unrecovered]

[Yeah, no, he's dealt with Church and Epsilon. Sarcastic machines are not a novelty.] Agent Washington of Project Freelancer.

If an enemy could hack FILSS - which, incidentally, nobody has been able to do - you'd think they'd do something a lot more overt than misinformation.

[blitz_of_gold]

She is not comprimised.

The monitors have been circumvented.

FILSS is strong

[unrecovered]

FILSS runs those monitors. She runs the entire ship. You can't circumvent a damn thing on there without hacking her somehow.

[blitz_of_gold]

You control your armor. If you were made too busy to put on your armor, it would not be difficult for another being of your shape to wear it.

FILSS is using 100% of her computing power maintaining systems, minus non-essentials.

Communication is non-essential.

Elaboration: The monitors could be hacked because FILSS was not controlling them.

This is only highly likely. It is possible that FILSS has been hacked.

Consider: My data comes from interacting with the systems and peripheral FILSS daemons. If the data is wrong, then FILSS must be hacked.

Three possibilities:

FILSS is secure, the monitors are not.

Neither are secure. Note that if FILSS was compromised then the enemy would have no reason to be as subtle.

I am lying.

Do you believe I am lying?

[Unlike the rest of the message, the final question comes across as somewhat worried- Bardiche, despite not being fond of Washington, finds himself, in his computer-like way, respecting the agent for his able ability and readiness to argue.

If Washington desired to convince others Bardiche was lying... he might be quite successful.]