Novibelle 2015/01/09(Fri)22:57 No. 619210 ID: b438c1
File 142087307342.png - (92.36KB , 800x640 , Paradiso069.png )

There’s a guy up there! If security cleared this whole place, what’s he doing here? It doesn’t look like he’s wearing a security uniform.


“I’ve gotta hand this much to you, kid: in a town full of folks all trying to leave their mark, you sure know how to make an entrance worth remembering! I get a feeling you not here for the party though, and CorpSec around these parts doesn’t take too kindly to party crashers. We better split.”

“Wh-who are you?”

Novibelle 2015/01/09(Fri)22:59 No. 619211 ID: b438c1
File 142087314201.png - (127.55KB , 800x640 , Paradiso070.png )

“Call me Anders. Freelance troubleshooter.”
Go-Follow! ID Match:
Karr Anders
Age: 23
Occupation: GO-PLEX Delivery Pilot

“What are you doing in here? The rest of this place is empty.”

“Ha, yeah! Good old CorpSec put out an evac order. The common folk all hightailed it over a few blocks down. But I’m a ‘run at danger’ kind of guy, so you’re in luck. I don’t know what brings you down here, but it’s a good thing I found you first. My feed on CorpSec’s radio chatter has you getting called ‘high priority,’ and my feed on your Go-Follow! right now has you marked DOA, so there must be some story here. What brings you to this neck of Scorpio, kid?”

“Ahm-”

“Actually, us shouting back and forth like this? Probably not the best way to keep CorpSec off our tail. So hold that thought. Hang tight - don’t move, kid - I’m gonna figure out a way down there, real quick-like. We can tell each other what we’re up to once we’re on the same floor.”

...What the frag is this guy’s deal?

I say we use the not-mindreading program on this guy when he comes down to meet us.

look around for a way up, yo.

[List Karr Anders' registered implants]
[Run GO-PLEX On Their Mind on Karr Anders] (when he's talking to us. Don't start yet if he disappeared to find a way down).

>What the frag is this guy’s deal?
If I had to guess? An opportunist. You present an opportunity for him to exploit. If he's not entirely on the side of the law here, getting to you before the security forces could be advantageous to him.

That, or he's just a doof who's curiosity outweighs his common sense.

Or more realistically, maybe somewhere in-between doof and opportunist. I wouldn't be so quick to trust though, considering everything.

Motives aside, though. Someone who knows the local turf could be immensely valuable, short term. Maybe our evaluation will change once we've done our mind reading, but if he's at all earnest, we could use the help.

>>619211
He's an ADVENTURER! I like him. Let's accept his help. If you wanna be sure, use your thought reading thing.

Even if he's lying to us, we can still use him if he's interested in avoiding security. Don't be too quick to put trust in the guy, though, even if short term we can make use of him. Also, does our social chameleon app have a time limit like the 'On Their Mind' app?

Novibelle 2015/01/10(Sat)00:06 No. 619227 ID: b438c1
File 142087718561.png - (177.27KB , 800x640 , Paradiso071.png )

>Social Chameleon App
That's running constantly, I think. If he drops a reference the program recognizes, It'll pull it up right away.

>Run "On Their Mind(™)" on Karr
Okay, as soon as he comes down I'll talk to him and see if-

"Actually, I got an idea. One, two, haaa-"

WHUMP

Novibelle 2015/01/10(Sat)00:08 No. 619228 ID: b438c1
File 142087730287.png - (178.91KB , 800x640 , Paradiso072.png )

"Didn't hurt."

Or we could just walk away right now that's an option too

>>619228
Well, his idea clearly WORKED. It's not particularly subtle, but it was a quick way to get down here. And please, avoid looting unless there happens to be something of extremely high strategic or tactical value immediately available. We don't have TIME to loot, if we want to avoid security. If this guy can hear their radio chatter, though, he's too big an advantage to throw away just because he's acting like an idiot.

>>619228
Ask him to give you one good reason why you should follow him.

...I'm hoping he has implants such that that only looked stupid.

[List Karr Anders' registered implants]

Might as well help him up. (Unless that was just a ploy to get you within arm's reach...?).

>Or we could just walk away right now that's an option too
That is a pretty good opening for a hard sell, actually. Forces him to get up, scramble after you, and try to explain himself after failing to impress you or inspire sympathy with his pratfall. Puts you in a position of strength in the opening of these negotiations.

>things to ask
He mentioned something about keeping CorpSec off our trail? He got in, does he have a way out?

He also said something about telling us what he was up to?

Ask if there were other evacuation orders. Does he know where else has been cordoned away, and if anyone has been recovered from those feeds?

>prepared lies
Start with half truths if pushed- obviously you're not very interested in being picked up as a high value target, and you'd like to know your family is all right.

At the moment, you'll be better off with somebody on your side. You're listed as Dead on Arrival, despite not having even been seen yet, so they're likely to kill you if they locate you, and this guy probably knows his way around... When it doesn't come to vertical movements.
>That is a pretty good opening for a hard sell, actually. Forces him to get up, scramble after you, and try to explain himself after failing to impress you or inspire sympathy with his pratfall. Puts you in a position of strength in the opening of these negotiations.
Could always go the middle route, with apathy. Rather than helping him up or walking away, you just stand there. His whole reason for coming down was so that you could talk in a safer manner, so now's probably a good time to ask any important questions. Basically, don't be sympathetic with him for falling, don't be impressed at his bravery in jumping down, nor his self-proclaimed "Unharmed" diagnosis, and don't be angry at his stupidity. Just take advantage of the chance to talk and leave it at that.
>Jailbroken to bypass need for permission from targeted user for ten minutes. A ten-hour cooldown is in effect before the user can bypass permissions on the same target a second time.
Is the cooldown rescinded for consentual mind reading?
>Social Chameleon App
>JUBILUS HEIGHTS NEWSGRID
Does the app just not run on its own terms, or is there no data on this place? I get from the appearance it's supposed to be a fancy mall type place, but anything more specific?

Be friendly and try to get him as a squadmate. You can always threaten to stuff him in the escape pod.

if he's a traitor, we'll catch on and betray him before he betrays us. I hope. go with him.

Novibelle 2015/01/10(Sat)19:40 No. 619368 ID: b438c1
File 142094764211.png - (104.63KB , 800x640 , Paradiso073.png )

>>List registered implants for Karr Anders
GO-PLEX IMPLANT DATA OVERVIEW…

GO-PLEX “Rough n’ Tumble!” Athletic Safety Kit
Nanotech skeletal lacing designed to reinforce bones while still allowing for full mobility, allowing for optimal protection against fractures. Commonly used by athletes on GO-PLEX sponsored sports teams.

>Run “On Their Mind(™)” on Karr
+++On Their Mind(™) Now running…
---

“Give me one good reason to trust you.”

He pops back up on his feet pretty quickly, looking none the worse for wear.
“I told you kid, I’m a troubleshooter. I find folks in a rough spot and I see what I can do to lend a helping hand. Now, I gotta admit- wasn’t really sure what I was gonna find here. I heard an evac pod was about to hit the mall, I heard that CorpSec thought it was a big deal, and I came running in hopes that I could find something to work with. ”
(//Lend a helping hand - “Get to be the hero” // Wasn’t really sure - “This might be a lead.” // Something to work with - “Thought I hit a dead end...”))

“So you go around fixing people’s problems? And what do you get out of that?”

“Do it for the kicks, mostly. It’s kinda my thing.”
((//Mostly - “People dig troubleshooters.”))

Novibelle 2015/01/10(Sat)19:53 No. 619373 ID: b438c1
File 142094839054.png - (113.33KB , 800x640 , Paradiso074.png )

CONNECTED TO JUBILUS HEIGHTS NEWSGRID… ACCESSING RECENT HEADLINES…

There’s an orange glint in his eyes, and he opens up a holospace display of a map. Smart contacts, I’m guessing, since it doesn’t look like he has cybereyes.

“Anyway, I’m guessing you’re pretty lost and confused, but I can get you out of here! The mall connects to a terminal for Paradiso Heights’ underground transit tunnels. They’ve got the terminal on lockdown, but I’ve got the tools to override the security doors and get us into those tunnels. It’s smooth sailing from there. Done like Dezal.[*]”
(//Lost and Confused - “Poor kid.” //))

“How can I know that I’m safer with you than security?”

“Listen, ehm… Novibelle. Cute name. Your Go-Follow! says you’re dead, so I’m betting your Fed ID says you’re dead, too. Those corp guys ain’t gonna be much help to you, especially if my hunch is right. Now, let’s split. Walk and talk, but swift-like. What brings you here, kid?”
(//Hunch - “Hiding something”// )

[*Social Chameleon Tip-
Jase Dezal -A figure in the Troubleshooter community famous for claiming the bounty on space pirate captain Bustoph Bamorr after a decade of terrorizing Federation Space.]

This guy seems too good to be true. A random everyman who took to adventure in hopes of a quick buck, and has no glint of malice or professional ruthlessness. He might be fooling the implants to look the adventuring fool.

Still, if he IS deceiving you, he would have little to no reason to string you along, instead of knocking you unconscious. And he raised a valid point - you're legally dead, so the cops (who are likely on the company payroll) would have little trouble declaring you dead in an accident and kidnapping you in exchange for one hell of a donation from the CEO at the next policeman's ball.

In short, you'll need to pick the right allies. We're kinda spontaneous, GOGO is delirious, your medical records list you as dead, your family is scattered across the planet, and you have a video file that has the potential to change the course of human history in your brain.

Make this journey epic.

>>619373
Tell him you're trying to save the galaxy. Heheh.

Walk, or run if necessary, while doing any further discussion.

Someone(don't tell him about the broken AI in your head) hacked the rescue pods and some of them went off course, including your little sister's. We're in a bad position, and we could use any help we could get right now. Avoiding security DEFINITELY sounds like a good idea though. Sure, technically we haven't done anything wrong, but given our rescue pod just did some fairly expensive property damage, we don't think it's a good idea to stand here and wait for them. They'd FIND a way to put the blame on you, and given our unfortunate legal status, they'd get away with it easily.

>Nanotech skeletal lacing designed to reinforce bones
So as long as he doesn't impale himself, or rupture or tear something, he can laugh off falls.

>Smart contacts, I’m guessing, since it doesn’t look like he has cybereyes
If he does, they're certainly not registered.

>mind reading
From what we're picking up, this seems mostly about ego for him. He helps people because he likes the image that comes with it- he wants to be a hero, be popular, etc.

>Done like Dezal.[*]
I suppose if we're gonna use the chameleon app, we should banter with what we're given. *ahem*.

I hope that's a reference to competence, and not your intention to hand me in for a bounty. I'm no pirate.

>Hunch - “Hiding something”
It would be very helpful if we knew if that mean he was hiding something, or if he rightly suspects you of hiding something.

>question
Would your public profile, the one that says you're dead, put you near the station that exploded? I'd like to know if we need to cover that in your story or not. If it's clear you were involved, we need to deal with that angle.

>What brings you here, kid?
Use half truths, and use the chameleon app to fill in the holes for us when he makes assumptions.

You're not here by choice. There was an explosion on your ship- you were supposed to just be passing through this system. Something went wrong with your escape pod's nav system, too. Now you're worried about finding your family, and if they made it through okay.

>//Mostly - “People dig troubleshooters.”
They also enjoy hearing a bit of humbleness, so at least he's got that covered, too.
>//Lost and Confused - “Poor kid.” //
Well, you can certainly play your cards and garner his sympathy. Helpful to ensure he doesn't betray you, since he feels it would be the worst thing in the world.
>//Hunch - “Hiding something”//
He's got a point... Or, well, he's supposed-thoughts do. May as well tag along with him, at least until you meet up with the others.
>and has no glint of malice or professional ruthlessness.
...He's in it to become famous, attract babes (or dudes, or both), and to hog all the glory when any criminals are felled. He doesn't seem the type to want to share his glory with just anybody, but at least it's a rather forward desire.

Novibelle 2015/01/10(Sat)23:22 No. 619420 ID: b438c1
File 142096093341.png - (155.84KB , 800x640 , Paradiso075.png )

RECENT HEADLINES FOUND:
“Cascadia Liberation Day Festival in Lower Jubilus begins!”
“Week of False Faces Ball Continues Sreeshane Tower”
“Blocks surrounding Palm Circle Mall evacuated to Great Heights Park pending investigation of Mysterious Crash”

>If he does have Smart Contacts, they're certainly not registered.
That wouldn’t show up on the registered implants, since they’re just contact lenses that let people interface with their comms in holospace without having to physically pull them out. It’s what most people use for comm interfacing, but some people get headaches from holospace displays and just use hands-on comms.

>He seems too good to be true.
>Tell him you’re out saving the galaxy.
“Oh, you know… just taking a little detour on my trip to save the galaxy, is all.”

I’d feel really clever for saying that I had actually come up with it first. That’s pretty much the story of everything smart that comes out of my mouth, though.

“Hah! Well, you sure got good morale for a kid in a spot this rough. Keep that up, and you’ll go far.” (//Morale - “She’s gonna need it.” // )

“But uh, seriously… there was an accident on the ship I was in. Something went wrong with the escape pods, and I ended up here. I think my sisters got thrown off-course, too. I’m worried about them.”

“Sisters? I heard something about there being other pods. Once we get you out of here we can get to work making sure they make it of this alright.”

“...You’re not some sort of bounty hunter, are you?”

“Huh?”

“When you said ‘done like Dezal,’ you meant you’re good at what you do - not that you’re gonna turn me in, right?”

“Whoa, you’ve heard of Dezal? Points for you, kid! I’m not here to turn loose kids over - the reputation you get for that level of scumbaggery ain’t worth the creds.”
(//Loose kids - “Do they know she’s here yet?” // )

“So you’re not in this for the money?”

“Nahh, I make enough creds moving packages for GO-PLEX - the troubleshooting is for the respect, you know? Folks dig troubleshooters. That’s why my uncle always says.”
(//Uncle - “Here on his money” // )

“Troubleshooting runs in your family, I take it?”

“Far from it - my uncle works in advertising for this sector’s GO-PLEX division. He’s real supportive, though - says that a delivery boy who helps right wrongs between runs is good for public image. And speaking of righting wrongs… you said something went wrong that knocked your evac pod off course. Well, that’s a lucky break for the two of us.”
(//Good for public image - “Not a sellout if I’m helping folks” // )
...
“Listen… You’ve been real brave about all this so far, but you’re gonna need to tell me about the folks who nabbed you now. Do you remember where you were supposed to be going? Did they have a special drop-off point, or did it seem like they were expecting CorpSec to pick you up? I’ve been trying to figure out how these branders[*] have been sending kids to the surface for a while now, and anything you can tell me’s gonna help get your sisters back.”

[*SOCIAL CHAMELEON TIP
Branders -Slang for interplanetary human traffickers.]

Branders…? Wait a second, I think whatever he thinks is going on here and what’s actually going on here are two very different things....

From the way he's talking he thinks you may have been sent down to be transferred to a human trafficking ring from another, and that Corpsec may be involved in it?

..It actually makes more sense considering you are legally "dead" and missing, it would be a method the Human Traffickers use to send their people and slaves around. Huh, never thought of it like that.

>>619420
Tell him you don't want to say anything until you're clear of the area.

You can clear up this misunderstanding LATER. Right now, it's to your advantage because he thinks you're his big lead. Along the way you can ask him what he's heard about the upcoming summit. Maybe he's even heard of the "accident"?

Well, at least the mind reading is consistent. He's in this for ego and/or image.

>Wait a second, I think he thinks is going on here and what’s actually going on here are two very different things
Yup. Welcome to lying 101. If you're not specific, people will fill in the holes with their own truth.

Although, it's a close fiction to your own truth. There are at least two factions (your father, and Corvo's people) who were looking to 'traffic' you and your sister to a specific location. It doesn't give away that they're really after what's in your head.

Now, of course, the real question is whether we correct him or not.

I'm... thinking we correct him, a little. We can't be too generous with the truth, but we don't want to provide false leads on a child smuggling ring.

>what say
I'm sorry, but we weren't even supposed to stop here. Um. There were a few people who disagreed, and did want to stop here, which suggests they had contacts here, but I don't know who or where.

...the ship was going to Mars. The ones who disagreed were from Modernia. (Potentially risky information, but if he's planning our escape route, we want him to know to avoid Martian / Modernian agents).

We weren't supposed to even BE on this moon. Things got very very out of hand on the ship. Which is why it exploded.

Looks like your escort is coming up with a hypothetical backstory, so you don't have to.

Alright, be sure to look around, make sure you keep an eye out for police or signs of a bad path. Karr looks like he's REALLY distracted yapping to you.

Hey, do you have an app for your eye that can notify you if the eye saw something suspicious? That way, we can scan the road with your implant while you concentrate on your conversation with Karr.

clarify the misunderstanding, but do so while he leads you the fuck out of here! the coppers are on the way.

>>619431
And the people hunting us down aren't going to be run of the mill human traffickers, not once they realize we're ALIVE. Which could be in about 30 seconds, given how much info Karr has already got and how much info the people we don't want to find us would already know. We really, really don't want to meet any Martian agents.

And remember: Do not confirm or deny anything that would give him full certainty on the matter.
If he confronts you about it at any point, it'd probably be wise to feign a breakdown. You're a kid, he'll probably drop it immediately and try to comfort you.

As a less important thing, what does it mean when implant listings tell us they are 'Alpha-grade' or 'Beta-grade' exactly? I have been making certain assumptions about that, but it would be good to have confirmation one way or the other.

Novibelle 2015/01/11(Sun)20:33 No. 619692 ID: b438c1
File 142103723161.png - (136.06KB , 800x640 , Paradiso076.png )

>Clear up the misunderstanding, but move!

“Wait, I uh… I think there’s been a bit of a mistake. We weren’t even supposed to stop here. The accident wasn’t just with the pods, things went wrong aboard the ship that I was on and everyone had to evacuate.”

“Wait, hold up kid - you sure about that? I mean, I heard reports of a shipwreck, but I had figured CorpSec was covering their tracks with that one..
(//Covering their tracks - “But what’s with this kid, then?” // )


“We were just passing through. I… I really don’t know what else is going on here.”

“Then there’s two of us right now who are lost and confused. As soon as we’re out of here, you’ve got a whole lot of explaining to do.”
(//Explaining - “Something doesn’t add up.” // )

Novibelle 2015/01/11(Sun)20:36 No. 619694 ID: b438c1
File 142103738110.png - (149.68KB , 800x640 , Paradiso077.png )

I think I made the right choice. He seems nice enough to still help me out, even if I’m not the big lead he was hoping would pop out of that pod.

“Wait, kid, hold on.”

“Spread out, search the area.”

“Looks like they started to sweep this place. We ain’t getting anywhere with all these CorpSec goons sniffing around this close to the terminals.”

“What do we do?”

“We do what I do best - improvise.”

Novibelle 2015/01/11(Sun)20:37 No. 619696 ID: b438c1
File 142103746087.png - (152.06KB , 800x640 , Paradiso078.png )

“Stay put in here. I’m gonna lead some of those guards away and loop back around for you.”

“What if something happens? Shouldn’t I have some way to contact you, or for you to contact me, or somewhere to go in case you don’t come back?”


“Have some faith, kid! I’ve got experience playing keepaway with corp cops, and you should be good so long as you don’t go making too much noise.”

Novibelle 2015/01/11(Sun)20:38 No. 619697 ID: b438c1
File 142103750698.png - (136.71KB , 800x640 , Paradiso079.png )

“Hey! You aren’t supposed to be in here!”

“Whoops, I must’ve taken a wrong turn on my way back to the hotel!”

“We have a security breach! Requesting backup!”

Novibelle 2015/01/11(Sun)20:39 No. 619698 ID: b438c1
File 142103754626.png - (60.52KB , 800x640 , Paradiso080.png )

For a resort moon, this place isn’t very relaxing.

At least Karr seems to at least think he knows what he’s doing. I hope he makes it back alright, because I have no idea how we’re getting out of here if he doesn’t.

>Alpha-grade implants vs. beta-grade implants.
Oh, uh… I think it’s just that alpha-grade implants need less maintenance than beta-grade ones, but they cost a bit more.

>Welcome to lying 101. If you're not specific, people will fill in the holes with their own truth.
Still, I think it was better to clear the air on that. I don’t know how inclined he would have been to help me in the long term if I had tried to trick him into thinking I had something to do with these branders he’s hunting. He seems to think the security guys here have ties to some really bad people… which doesn’t make me feel good about most of my family probably being in their hands.

>If he tries to push you about what really happened, it'd probably be wise to feign a breakdown.
I’m going to be honest, I don’t know how much ‘feigning’ would be happening there. I don’t know what’s going to happen, GoGo, to me, or to my family, or with this information in my head, or...

Novibelle 2015/01/11(Sun)20:41 No. 619699 ID: b438c1
File 142103766091.png - (52.71KB , 800x640 , Paradiso081.png )

“Hey. This is my hiding spot. Find your own.”

Relax for now. Whatever happens is going to be out of our control for a bit. We just need to do what we can to get it back IN control, then keep it there.
First order of business is to regroup: We find everyone, then plan from there.
Manageable chunks.

While we got some downtime, see if you can browse the news for the locations of the other escape pods.

>>619699
OH SHIT, WHAT
>Panic blindly, flail limbs

>>619699
Novi, do you have anything to barter? Apps, security keys, etc.?

>Still, I think it was better to clear the air on that.
Yes, in this case, not-lying was the right call. Giving him a false lead on child-abduction would have eventually blown up in your face. And been a very ugly move, to boot.

>Hey. This is my hiding spot. Find your own.
Um. I'm sorry, I don't mean to intrude.

...could I stay a few minutes? They're right there, and they're looking for me. I won't bother you again.

stay calm. unless you feel his touch on your legs. they you're probably better off with the fuzz.

Don't scream, there might be guards outside of your hiding spot. Slowly turn your head and see who's behind you, then say you would leave now and you'd really like to (not lying since he's kinda creepy) but if I did that now a guard might see and we'd both be in trouble... hope he's reasonable.

>//Explaining - “Something doesn’t add up.” //
True. You weren't supposed to stop here, and yet an incident occured to force the entire crew to drop down. Maybe he's right, and you were the victims of a trafficking attempt, strings pulled by Corpsec.
>“Hey. This is my hiding spot. Find your own.”
"Sorry, sorry! I'll be sure to remember that next time."

Novibelle 2015/01/11(Sun)21:37 No. 619743 ID: b438c1
File 142104102367.png - (53.21KB , 800x640 , Paradiso082.png )

“Whh--”

“Hush, child. Don’t scream. That would be bad for both of us. Bad for me, because then they might find me. Bad for you, because…. I can’t let them find me.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t know you were here I had no way of knowing that you were here please-”

“Now now, I don’t want to hurt you. This is why you must not scream, or turn your head, or stay in here. Leave me.”

“I would if I could, I swear. But they’re looking for me too and they’re right outside.”

“Mm. This is true. But it does complicate matters.”

“I didn’t mean to intrude, sir. I swear.”

“You fell from the sky, child. This much I saw.”
“Are you an angel, child?”

depends on what he defines angel as.

>>619743
Shit, should've immediately used the thing we've been using on everyone.
[check implants of the squatter]

Tell him an angel falling into Paradise sounds a bit backwards.

and totally activate that other program, too.

>Are you an angel, child?
A fallen angel is bad isn't it? I'm not that.

>>619746
We don't have an Go-Follow! ID Match to look up. Unlike everyone else we've met, one didn't pop up when we met. Either we need a face to access their profile, or this person is off the grid.

>“Are you an angel, child?”
Has anybody called you an angel, before? Simply saying that you have been called one, or that you never have been, should be good enough. That, or you wish you were.

>Either we need a face to access their profile, or this person is off the grid.
>this person
What if they're a robot, and not a person? Robots can be people, but as to why they cannot be found, that may just be direct orders being followed by a nonsapient robot.

...I'm wondering if this is one of those "are you a god" questions like in ghostbusters.

Say you don't really think of yourself as one but others might, why?

Novibelle 2015/01/11(Sun)22:30 No. 619772 ID: b438c1
File 142104423229.png - (53.23KB , 800x640 , Paradiso083.png )

>Why isn’t his profile popping up?
For that stuff to work, the system needs to identify either his voice or his face. He’s not letting me get a good look at him, and his voice doesn’t seem to be triggering anything…

“I… I…”

“Well, of course not. In far off days, a girl from the sky would be a sign from the heavens - but invoking such superstition would be foolish today, when the space above this rock are full of ships and people who might easily fall.”

“what do you want from me?”

“I only want you to answer a question for me. It’s a question I’ve been giving a lot of thought to lately.”
“Image this scene. A starship is preparing to land back on its home planet after a long journey, but there is an accident and the ship crashes into the sea.There are two passengers aboard. A man, and his older brother. Nobody hears their distress signal. They spend many days floating in the ship with not a trace of land in sight. Eventually, the days stretch into weeks, and the two men exhaust the ship’s rations. As things begin to look grim, the starving man’s brother turns to him with a proposition. He says, “If neither of us eat, we will both surely die. You are the younger brother, and you have more years ahead of you than I - I want you to kill me, so that you may eat a few days longer, and hopefully then one of us will live.” After much consideration, the man carries out his brother’s request.”
“And so I ask you, child. Who is to blame for the grisly outcome to this tale? Is it the man who chose to consume the flesh of his own sibling in hopes of prolonging his life...?"
"Or is it the brother, for tempting him so?”

I feel it would be better to die together than for a desperate move such as that to be made. Only if it were guaranteed to work should it have been done. Both brothers are at fault. Both should have realized it was not the right thing to do.

Wait a minute. Novi, are you sure you're seeing someone? I suspect this is GOGO.

...my sister and I wouldn't be able to have that happen to us. She already lost her body. She'd just have to watch me starve, while I watched her run out of batteries.

Our escape pods went off course. It was my fault. I saw the news report- one fell into the sea. I have a sister out there right now, and she's alone.

(Best hope- empathy and common ground without answering his ogre's choice that's been tormenting him for years).

>>619777
Oh god I really hope we don't have more AI errors in here. That's a very worrying thought, that Red Guy wasn't our only rogue GoGo, in here. This guy is fundamentally wrong about where to place blame in his entire story, though. It's probably the fault of whoever designed their starship. Had they never heard of hydroponics, or aeroponics for that matter? That's pretty much why they were developed! And what caused the accident? And why didn't the distress signal reach anyone? This is a very VAGUE story we're getting here. Are most ships even capable of atmospheric entry? Perhaps most importantly, what exactly is his problem with someone consenting to be cannibalized for the purpose of survival? If he's moralizing about someone in that situation taking that kind of drastic action, he sounds like kind of a jerk.

>Who is to blame for the grisly outcome to this tale?
They both are to blame. The younger for giving in, and the older for giving up.

alright before we answer the question I have to ask one myself, WHY are you thinking that question in the first place?

as for a answer, nobody wants to die and sometimes people do crazy things just to grasp a few more moment of life but if you want an answer the one to blame would be those that were involved in the act. Both we involved in the final act in some way so both hold blame.

Also another random question that doesn't have anything to do with this little talk but when was the last time you ate mr. creepy glowing eye guy?

Novibelle 2015/01/11(Sun)23:28 No. 619802 ID: b438c1
File 142104773999.png - (52.15KB , 800x640 , Paradiso084.png )

>Both are to blame
>Neither are to blame
>The person who built the ship is to blame

“I don’t know! But - but I know I’d do anything to help my sisters, and right now they need my help. Please, just… why are you asking me this?”

“Very admirable, but isn’t it clear to you that both brothers are to blame?”

“W-why?”

“Because it all could have been avoided… If either knew how to fish! Eh-heh! Heh heh!”

“...Wh...”

“My my, look at you. You mean no harm to anyone. I apologize for frightening you so. I can’t leave this mall until I’ve found something special to me, but I hope you escape unharmed. And I hope that we do meet again.”

Novibelle 2015/01/11(Sun)23:31 No. 619804 ID: b438c1
File 142104787549.png - (62.78KB , 800x640 , Paradiso085.png )

I can hear a bunch of shuffling behind me, and then silence.

[*Social ChaMEleon Tip:
Angel - A Supernatural spirit, often acting as an agent of divine will in the texts of various religions.]

...I don’t like this place.

the simple answer? the fault lies with whatever caused that crash for making a such choice necessary in the first place.

depending on the circumstances, the fault may also lay with the people who caused the crash. if it was accidental, then it lies with the people failed to predict the crash due to their incompetence. or with whoever gave those incompetent guys their jobs, and the guys/events that led to those guys obtaining their jobs, and so on, ad infinitum, until you reach the beginning of existence itself. (the same thing happens if you say there was nobody there assigned to accident prevention duty, or the pilot was drunk, or whatever.)

or one could say that there was no chance involved, because the story was purposefully crafted by the storyteller, thus making him the guilty party.

and if he won't accept either of those two answers, it is both, because if both parties weren't there and did the things they did, it wouldn't have happened. although even then you could go meta and say that it might not be fault but cause depending on whether the little brother was saved, and whether or not it was better for him to die, and whether or not the big brother should've been the one to partake since we don't know which of the two deserved to live more, and what exactly it is that makes a person deserve to live more than another.

but basically what I am saying is that this is a very complex philosophical issue that is best thought on at a time when on is not busy hiding for their fucking life.

>>619804
pfff it was a riddle, dammit. I think I even heard that one before.

AH! He was jamming you. That's why we couldn't get a read on him or anything he said. Well, that, or we're glitching out and it was just a coincidence.

>Social ChaMEleon Tip
Huh. That's weird. The string is glitchy and late. Maybe that hack wasn't as clean as it could be. (Sorry, Aichi).

>If either knew how to fish!
It was a joke? Geeze. I guess if you live alone in vents, you'll be inclined to mess with people for fun.

>I don’t like this place.
It's okay. They left, and you've still got us. We just have to wait a few minutes for Karr to come back, and then we can go. Calm yourself. Regular, even breaths.

Hm... I get the feeling that he'll do as we say for kicks if we can find whatever it is he's looking for. We should look into that.

He might not be trustworthy but he seems cunning, and willing to allow safe passage to those who can think for themselves (in his "who is to blame, committer or corrupter" test you refused to choose the two stereotypical options "It's his fault" or "It's my fault" and choose to "help regardless of fault" instead). Having a stealth expert to balance out our scout expert might help your odds.

You might not be able to trust him, but his skill shows - he beat you at riddles, even with your augments and us.

>If either knew how to fish!
Heheh! I had actually thought of that when hearing they first crashed into the ocean, but forgot about it with the actual question.
Oh well, I'm sure I'll remember the trick answers next time!
>AH! He was jamming you.
Makes sense, he didn't want to be found, and Corpsec would probably keep a close watch on any searches run. Jamming you would also keep you safe from them, since, being so near, they could have tracked the signal.
>I can’t leave this mall until I’ve found something special to me, but I hope you escape unharmed. And I hope that we do meet again.
I understand that sort of interaction can be a bit spooky, but I can't help but trust the guy. He's not outright here to help you, but his goals are honest and safe.

>>619811
I really don't think Aichi was to blame for that one. It seems MUCH more likely that it was that guy, whatever he was, doing that. At least that suggests he isn't in Novibelle's head with us, though. Still might have been some kind of AI, but probably external? Or possibly just someone with the skills necessary to mess with our implants. The more stuff like this happens the more I wish we had more illegal software on here. Feel like we don't have enough tricks to handle an undertaking of this caliber.

well now, let's just forget that ever happened and hope that one guy comes back for you sooner rather then later, also can you see anything outside of your grate or no?

Novibelle 2015/01/12(Mon)16:29 No. 619954 ID: b438c1
File 142110898478.png - (136.85KB , 800x640 , Paradiso086.png )

>It was a joke
Yeah, well, I don’t think it was very funny. And whatever that guy’s deal was, he wasn’t very nice scaring me like that! When he started talking about people being tempted to eat each other, I got really worried for a second that I was about to start feeling a nibble at my toes!

>I wish we had more illegal software
I sure hope we can find some way to teach you guys a few more trick soon…

“Hey, Kid!”
“Wha--!”

“Whoa, Keep it down! I just got through with losing those mooks! You’re looking awfully shook up, kid… you claustrophobic or something? A jeez, that’s my bad - I hadn't even considered that when I stuck you in there.”

inform him that there was a creepy dude down here and ask if he's got a flashlight to shine down the shaft. you couldn't see his face.

>>619954
Tell him there was some creepy guy in there. Don't go into more detail than that.

Ask about where you're going next.

don't really care what he believes lets just get out of here before we're forced to make even more friends.

...He does have a way our right? or is this one of those "making it up as we go" type of deals?

The creepy dude was maybe seriously threatening us to preserve his anonymity. I'm not sure we should rat him out. Let it go.

It's fine. What's our exit plan?

Don't rat the stranger out. Just say you thought you heard somebody, but aren't sure.

Novibelle 2015/01/12(Mon)20:31 No. 619986 ID: b438c1
File 142112349285.png - (139.72KB , 800x640 , Paradiso087.png )

>Tell Karr about the creepy guy
“No, no… I uh…”

>The creepy guy seemed pretty prepared to hurt you in order to stay anonymous
“...It’s fine. I just thought I had heard a voice in the vent, is all.”

“Well, if anyone was in there it was probably just a squatter trying to avoid CorpSec. Sometimes people who are really down on their luck come to this rock hoping to strike it big at the casino and lose the last of what they have, including the ship they used to get here. Imagine that - trapped in paradise. “

“...I think I actually can imagine that.”

“Oh, yeah… right.”
(//Oh - “Nice going, numbskull.” // )


That guy did seem pretty serious about staying hidden… I’ll wait until later to bring it up, but for now we need to get out of here.
“We have a way out here here, right?”

“I’ve got CorpSec looking high and low for me inside the mall, so we should be able to slip out through the transit tunnels without much of a problem. They’ve delayed the metrobus that makes its stops in this block, so with any luck we can slip right through the tunnels without having to worry about CorpSec or getting squashed by incoming traffic. But we gotta move, kid, so get to it!”

Novibelle 2015/01/12(Mon)20:37 No. 619989 ID: b438c1
File 142112384618.png - (168.97KB , 800x640 , Paradiso088.png )

The transit terminal is just as empty as the mall above it was… it’s almost eerie seeing these places barren, since they’re usually where you would expect to see tons of people moving around. But today it’s just me, this Karr guy, whoever that was in the vents, and a few dozen armed guards running around above our heads.

“You can stop looking over your shoulder kid, we’re here. I just need a minute to get these security doors open, and then we’ll take the tunnel back to where the party is!”
(//Back to where the party is! - “Wish all my plans went this well.” // )

We only have a few more minutes before the permissions override for the thought-estimation software runs out. Now might be a good time for me to ask Karr whatever important questions are on your mind, GoGo.

We should probably try to feel out whether it's likely he'll help us avoid Martian attention, since he was making incorrect assumptions about who we are, but I doubt he will turn us in or anything, and I can't think of a good way to bring it up.

But uh, where is he going to take us once we DO get out of here? Because while we could probably do some things on our own, we kinda have the whole problem with being legally dead right now, and no real good way to solve it. Martian agents are gonna be looking for us as soon as they realize people survived the event in question, and basically the only real resource we have right now is this guy. Not that he's done a bad job, just that I'd like a little more in the way of allies when dealing with hostile governments.

So I notice what looks like an ad for some kind of gene therapy! Is that a big thing around these parts? What about the controversial nature of it?

List of unimportant questions to nitpick:

1. How's your family?
2. How bad is the company's grip on their city?
3. What's out there, where the third pod landed?

Focus on finding someone who can fix your implant. If I hear that moron say "Go Go Application [Something]"...

Whatever. Just figure out why you're hearing us. And once you get through, you may as well buy some games, enjoy yourself. But get something that has NO internet or mechanical limbs whatsoever.

Make sure we terminate the program before it would send the request to him. It would be bad if we let on what we were doing.

>important questions
So... where do we go once we're clear? It's probably safe to walk around if the corp doesn't know your face (although that will only be true until they find out from the other passengers who's missing), but the whole legally dead and stranded here thing might make operating difficult. Um. Not that I mean to impose, or anything.

Is there a way to make it so people won't be able to tell I'm dead?

Is there anything we can do about your family? You're not asking for something crazy like a jailbreak, but your sisters were in the other pods that went off course, and it would be nice to know if they're okay. (Nicer too if they slipped the net, but we probably can't get to them in time to affect the outcome. They'll either get away or not).

>what else
We... should probably give him his answers soon, too. We want to gauge his reaction to the truths we let him know. Of course, we have to decide what truths to let him know.

I'm thinking the easiest way to start is to ask what our profile lists as your last known location. He should catch on pretty quick if that exploded station shows up. Then we can figure out what we need to say from there.

well we know he's helping us because he believes that we're connected to something he's looking into and his profession, but here's something we don't know that I would kinda like to know. What's the plan once we actually get out of here? Also if he has any idea on how he's going to find your sisters... or anyone else from your old ship really. Speaking about the people on the ship who didn't have there escape pods crash off course what happened to them?

>//Oh - “Nice going, numbskull.” //
Might be good to apologize "if you made him feel guilty." It's not his fault your escape pod crashed down like that.
>//Back to where the party is! - “Wish all my plans went this well.” //
Might be good to compliment him now. It was pretty dang handy how he was able to give Corpsec the slip and make a clean getaway.
>back to where the party is!
Does he work with a group of Troubleshooters, not just alone?

Novibelle 2015/01/13(Tue)05:42 No. 620096 ID: b438c1
File 142115655966.png - (129.46KB , 800x640 , Paradiso089.png )

>What’s with that ad for gene therapy?
I see designer baby ads all the time on the streaming networks I follow. The procedures involed are really expensive from what I’ve read, but the ads all say it’s the best way to make sure your baby is born healthy. I guess you don’t really have to worry about genetic disease when you’re picking and choosing what genes go into your kid.

Sometimes you see famous people get media attention for gene-splicing their kid so it’s born with a tail or something, so I know you can use it for more than health.

>Apologize for being a smart-ass back there
“Hey, uh, Karr? I hope I didn’t make you feel bad for that comment about being stuck in paradise, I’m just really nervous about what’s going to happen to me and my family is all.”

“I wouldn’t sweat it. That one was on me. Stupid stuff comes out of my mouth all the time. Smart stuff too, though. It’s kind of a mixed bag that way. One of the reasons I’m so fun to hang around.”
(//One of the reasons - “Natural charm, good looks, social graces, sense of style...” // )

>Your buggy comm
“You know someone who can fix a busted comm?”

“I’m pretty handy with tech stuff, I can give it a look once we get somewhere a bit safer.”
(//Handy with tech stuff - “...And there’s another reason!” // )

>What’s his plan after you get way from the mall?
>Where’s the “party?”
“So, where are we going once we get out of here? You said something about taking the tunnels towards some kind of party?”

“You’re in the Jubilus district, kid! The party’s pretty much everywhere that ain’t here right now. But the particular party we’ve gotta catch is in the Sreeshane Tower, if we want to get you away from the CorpSec heat. I’m in connection with a pretty powerful lady who I think can get us out of this place without security flagging us down. The last meeting I had with her ended on bad terms, but she should be willing to help a kid in a rough spot”
(//Powerful - “Scary” // Bad Terms - “Absolute fragging disaster.” // )

“And then what?”

“...Not sure yet. This mess keeps piling up on me, and I’m still trying to figure out how you factor into it.”

>The issue of your legal deadness
“...Even once we get out of here, it’s going to be hard moving around with a dead ID.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m not sure WHAT your deal is with that, but I’ve got an app that’ll help you in public. You’ll still want to stick with me until we can clear this district though, ‘cause between CorpSec and the branders I can’t leave a loose kid running about in good conscience.”
(//Good conscience - “I’ve put enough folks in danger this trip.” // )

Novibelle 2015/01/13(Tue)06:25 No. 620108 ID: b438c1
File 142115912555.png - (93.40KB , 800x640 , Paradiso090.png )

“What… is it with you and these branders?”

“It’s a lead I’ve been chasing for a couple of months. I’ll spare you the details for now, but I have a good reason to believe Paradiso Prime ain’t all beaches and sunshine these days. I think someone here is trying to start a local division of Far Space’s favorite shadowstream.”
“You ever heard of ‘Youthful Rebellion,’ kid?”

“...”

...I have.

Novibelle 2015/01/13(Tue)06:25 No. 620109 ID: b438c1
File 142115915378.png - (174.33KB , 800x640 , Paradiso091.png )

Outside of Federation Space, there’s a bunch of planets in what we call “Far Space.” Some people call it “Dark Space,” because things out there are… really bad. Out there, there’s wars that last for years and years, starships that drop bombs on cities where nobody has the right machines to protect themselves, and some people say there’s weapons that can make it so you can’t live on an entire planet anymore. And there’s nobody like the Federation to keep control, so it’s been happening out there for as long as anyone can remember. All the video streams that are made in Dark Space are banned by the Federation, but sometimes they make their way here anyway, and people call them “shadowstreams.”

There’s a really evil man out in Far Space who everyone just calls “The Shark,” and not a lot of people like him. But he still has a lot of power in Far Space, and when people try to fight him he has their kids taken away from them. Then he puts them on this show called ’Youthful Rebellion’, and he makes them do all sorts of really dangerous challenges, and he broadcasts it all over Far Space until their parents agree to stop fighting him.

It’s a terrible, awful show. Sometimes people get really hurt, but the men running it still make them participate in the next episode and they don’t get to stop and they don’t get to leave until their parents turn themselves in… and then, I don’t think anyone really knows what happens to the kids.

The Federation Broadcasting Services have been doing everything they can to block the show’s shadowstreams or years, and it’s for a very good reason. If the Federation could move into Far Space and shut The Shark's whole operation down they would do it in an instant.

Novibelle 2015/01/13(Tue)06:26 No. 620110 ID: b438c1
File 142115917549.png - (123.34KB , 800x640 , Paradiso092.png )

There’s this one contestant called Killerbee though and sometimes I look up the unlisted networks that air the show because I want to make sure she’s still doing alright because Killerbee is really really cool.

“Hey, you still with me?”

Novibelle 2015/01/13(Tue)06:26 No. 620111 ID: b438c1
File 142115919220.png - (178.24KB , 800x640 , Paradiso093.png )

“Ground control to Novibelle, you’re spacing on me something awful!”

“O-oh! I’m sorry.”

“Kid, I think it’s your turn for storytime now. What DID land you on this rock, if it wasn’t the branders?”

Frag, I figured he was going to ask that soon, but I didn’t want it to be this soon. How much should we trust this guy with knowing, GoGo? I mean, we just met the guy, but he does seem to want to help...

tell him your ship mutinied but it was stopped but one of them had a bomb that he used to blow up the ship. Everyone scrambled to the escape pods once that little fact was made known to the crew but our pod went hay wired halfway through and managed to knock both of your sisters of course as well.

If he ask for more details tell him the mutiny happened because your father was pushing the crew to finish a job with a time limit but some of the crew wanted to rest here planet side. The captain was one of those "the sooner you get done the sooner you can rest" types and vetoed the idea... then the mutiny happened.

If he ask what the ships mission is... Look confused and say you're not entirely sure (not a lie, you dad only did tell you what you needed to know) but from what you were able to pick up it had something to do with politics... I think that was one of the reasons for the mutiny as well, someone had political connections here and wanted to stop use them. But since we weren't stopping he decided to ask the captain again... at gun point.

As for the dead thing... say you're not to sure on the details since you can't remember a lot but you were with family, then you heard an explosion, remember some screaming, everything kinda blurs after that, and the next thing you know your on a ship heading somewhere but were never really told why.

One last thing, Don't answer anything unless he directly ask about it. Also if he presses on the "Why are you dead" question tell him you'd rather not think about it, bad memories but if he still presses then give him that little tidbit and start sulking... probably should be easy since you actually where there.

Tell him about how your family has been on the run ever since you were legally declared dead. You have concrete evidence about how a high-ranking politician caused a terrorist incident to get votes in the upcoming conference with President Kline, and your family wants to prevent him from reclassifying your home as Dark Space territory.

The problem is that your dad grew a paranoid streak, demanded mods for your implants, prevented regular checkup and social interaction. It wasn't his fault, how would you feel if your youngest daughter was forced to have her brains extracted and placed in a hard shell? But basically, your implant is now insane. So it hacked the escape pods and bam.

Your implant is now split into two different "factions". Faction A is your familiar AI, but now he's broken and doing dangerous stuff while trying to "help". He's asleep at the moment. Faction B is a group of voices that don't seem to have any leader or general consensus (most of the time). You have no idea if these voices are part of GoGo, a group of hackers, or you going nuts.

Hope you get his sympathy.

>You know someone who can fix a busted comm?
Risky part is how much you can trust anyone besides Aichi with your tech. Anyone working on it could potentially gain access to the evidence, discover your illegal social media mindreading mods, or... do something to us.

Yes, working systems are important, but we have to be very careful who we let in.

>Frag, I figured he was going to ask that soon, but I didn’t want it to be this soon.
It's better now than later. We want to gauge his reaction with the mind-reading while we still can.

>What DID land you on this rock, if it wasn’t the branders?
Politics. That, and a Gemini industries suicide bomb. The explosion wasn't accidental. (If he asks- yes, you saw it).

There were some Modernians who very much wanted us to stop here, and were willing to force the issue. That's one reason you're wary of trusting the corp- if the mutineers wanted down that bad, they probably have friends there.

The politics your Dad's involved in had something to do with that mess with the Martian league. (He deliberately didn't tell you everything about his plans). So um, you'd be wary about trusting anyone with ties there, too.

Do not tell him about the evidence, or your own importance.

That should be enough. If he remembers to press on why you're dead, just tell him the ship was coming from [whatever the name of the system with the space station disaster was].

>>620125
The evidence file isn't any good to them without Aichi, at least. Not that they couldn't have already gotten to Aichi, but worth remembering if she's still managing to avoid being scooped up by CorpSec.

But yeah, mutiny! Fun for everyone except literally everyone aboard the ship. Noone wanted it to go the way it did. Because now we're guaranteed to end up in SOMEONE's clutches, and the best we can hope for is that it's not Martian agents. Because that would be bad.

Novibelle 2015/01/13(Tue)16:29 No. 620192 ID: b438c1
File 142119538724.png - (126.99KB , 800x640 , Paradiso094.png )

“Politics, I guess.”

“Heh, I’m almost tempted to tell you ‘say no more.’ But eh… I don’t want want more surprises, so you might as well tell me what’s gonna be important. Who’s gonna try to shoot me, at least.” (//Say no more - “...Fragging hate politics.” // )

“Well, specifically, politics that have to do with that conference the Martians are hosting. My dad was trying to stop them from scrambling up the leadership of the Federation to give them more power, but there was a politician from North Modernia on his ship who wanted to go get help from his government even though my Dad thought it would risk exposing his mission. There was a big falling out, and a bomb ended up going off on the ship, and everyone had to evacuate.”

“And I’m guessing something about this little mission of yours entailed needing you officially dead?”

“Something along those lines.”

“So everyone whose pods didn’t crash here ended up ‘safely’ in a pickup zone for Paradiso Security to pick up. Not sure who got the duty end of that blaster - you and your sisters for ending up here, or your old man and the rest of that crew for ending up in Paradiso’s loving care.”
(//duty end of the blaster - “This situation sure complicates things for me, too” // )

“Are they going to be okay?”

“Hard to tell. Alphacorps love political blackmail, but hate their loose ends. They won’t risk hurting anyone until you and your sisters are accounted for - and if we can bring the heat on their other dirty business before that happens, they might be willing to trade their political hostages to ease the burn of the fallout it’ll cause.”

“You seem pretty sure they’re involved in this business with the branders.”

“There’s been kids going missing all over Scorpio lately, and one of the old Youthful Rebellion hosts just used some false IDs to buy himself a retirement home on this rock. You do the math. When Far Spacers are involved, you gotta assume the worst - and what could be worse than Youthful Rebellion: Federation Edition?”

>“You got one better, kid?”
Niece would probably work much better, while otherwise keeping the same skit.

Novibelle 2015/01/13(Tue)16:48 No. 620206 ID: b438c1
File 142119648912.png - (135.54KB , 800x640 , Paradiso095.png )

“But why would anyone want another program like that on the netgrid? And why would an Alphacorp be willing to support it?”

“Because the media’s driven by demand, kid, and people demand what they aren’t allowed to have more than anything else. Doesn’t matter how fragged up it is, so long as it’s taboo. Dark Spacers love their Old World culture, but the meaning of it is all lost on them - people like The Shark read an Old World story about kids in a dystopian future fighting for survival and miss all the messages about the commodification of human lives and the cultural celebration of violence. People like him just see shock factor. And people like his audience just see taboos.”

“I… really don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Eh, forget it. I’m just ranting. Anyway, I’ve got some nifty software that’ll trick the public access grid’s recognition relays. It’ll get us through public places by spoofing fake IDs, but we won’t be able to use it at security checkpoints. We should still have a decent cover story to back them up, though.”
(//Ranting - “...To the wrong crowd.” // )

“Cover story?”

“Yeah, you know, what to tell people if they start scrutinizing things. Here’s what I’ve got - my name’s Wade Westlake. I sell used starships, I’m on vacation, and I’m staying at the Echo Chamber Hotel in lower Jubilus. I’m divorced, but still on good terms with my wife, and you’re my daughter.”

“Daughter? I’m fourteen and you’re twenty three. I think that would raise some questions.”

“You got one better, kid?”

“Not off the top of my head, but I could probably come up with something good if you gave me a second to think it over…”

>>620206
Something happen? I responded to this only to find it suddenly wasn't there...

>ranting
He's talking sociology and economics. Basically, even though it's terrible, people will be drawn to watch. Maybe even because it's terrible. (You admit this yourself!). That means people can make money on it.

>cover story
We don't look enough alike for me to pose as your daughter, or to pose as siblings.

The divorce story could work if there were step parents getting together and/or splitting up again. So... you're spoiling a step sister. It also covers us if we seem to not know each other as we should.

>>620206
Niece. Little sister would require a lot more family resemblance, but niece works.

Say that his mother got lonely so she purchased a designer fetus from Nugenico. Unfortunately, they screwed the procedure up and you wound up with a few missing organs.

Even better, how about you say that it was his grandmother who wanted a new baby girl?

>you got one better, kid?
he's story for the most part sounds pretty good but change daughter to niece. As for way "Wade" is taking his niece on a vacation with him say your parents are going through a divorce and "Wade's" brother (that way we can still use the same last name he picked for himself) dump you on him so she'd be away for most of the messy brake up. Wade being such the great guy he is agreed to help his sibling in their time of need, that and the wad cash they give him to for the inconvenience also made saying yes easier.

As for a name... Jade? If we want to be cute about it we could even say that your "dad" named you after your uncle.

Suggestion 2015/01/14(Wed)14:09 No. 620391 ID: 388ccd

...Läuft Kusaba.

Niece or cousin are more believable.