Silicon 2024/06/06(Thu)15:18 No. 1092524 ID: 0b7e05
File 171771229770.png - (187.45KB , 990x660 , HU_02_000_B.png )

You realize you're not getting any closer. In fact, nothing moves here. The corridor is frozen in a single moment.
You have a distressing feeling of something lurking behind you. Like something might jump out at you at any moment. You're afraid to turn around though you already know what you'd find if you did.

Silicon 2024/06/06(Thu)15:18 No. 1092525 ID: 0b7e05
File 171771230736.png - (205.09KB , 990x660 , HU_02_000_C.png )

A quiet, weak voice calls out from the darkness behind you.
"Is that you, Dee? You look like death.
"Ah, no... We're here again. So you must just be me."
Its tone betrays a deep, exhausted sorrow.

The low ceiling poses no obstacle to your head as you straighten.

Silicon 2024/06/06(Thu)15:18 No. 1092526 ID: 0b7e05
File 171771232797.png - (187.53KB , 990x660 , HU_02_000_D.png )

You stand and - after a deep breath - you turn.
There it is. Whoever it is.

The corpse says: "We can't help but come back to this moment over and over again, huh? Damn Serenity-100! Damn him all the way to hell! As if it wasn't enough that he made us monstrous. Poison to the world!
"We could have at least been safe and sound and contained in our cranny! Instead we were here, trying to prevent an utter catastrophe. None of this would have happened if he'd just shut up and stuck to the plan. But no. No, no, no, he had to have his victory lap.
"That's how we lost her. All because of him."

Your voice catches in your throat. You swallow.
"Lost her? Who?", you ask hoarsely.

Silicon 2024/06/06(Thu)15:19 No. 1092527 ID: 0b7e05
File 171771234397.png - (122.03KB , 990x660 , HU_02_000_E.png )

"You."
"That's how we lost you."

"Disq?"

Silicon 2024/06/06(Thu)15:19 No. 1092528 ID: 0b7e05
File 171771235904.png - (285.75KB , 990x660 , HU_02_000_F.png )

"GYAAAAAAGH!!!"
"Great God!"

Part 2: Destroyer Silicon 2024/06/06(Thu)15:19 No. 1092529 ID: 0b7e05
File 171771237985.png - (198.34KB , 990x660 , HU_02_000_G.png )

"Sorry! Sorry."

Silicon 2024/06/06(Thu)15:19 No. 1092530 ID: 0b7e05
File 171771239603.png - (342.25KB , 990x660 , HU_02_000_H.png )

While you're still readjusting to the waking world from that bizarrely vivid dream, Maya grabs your cup and goes to fill it with water. She's talking but you're distracted. Something about this nightmare has left you alarmed and confused. You try your hardest to commit it to memory.

Finally, wakefulness catches up with you in earnest.
Maya is still apologising: "I swear we didn't mean to intrude, but you didn't respond to anything, so we got a bit worried."

"I didn't respond?", you ask.
"Not to knocking, not to the door opening, not to us calling out to you... We found you tossing and turning."

"Nightmares?", Gamal ventures.

Nightmares, or memories? Both, really.
You were somewhere with microgravity, probably in Earth orbit, in the midst of a firefight. Did they find any signs of struggle outside, or hull breaches?

"Fractured memories. I found out what happened to the crew. There was either a mutiny or a raid, and... well, almost everyone died. Even me, in a way."

>>1092536
Well, depends on how confident you are that was a memory, vs some metaphorical dream thing. Even assuming it were literally true, I'm not even totally sure a mutiny or raid happened, at least not according to the spoken words.

>>1092530
Yeah tell them you had a nightmare, but since it was a dream you can't trust any information from it. Better they don't know, since it might lead them down the wrong path.

You do think they can start calling you "Dee", though. Not Disq.

You had a dream about someone having a dream about you. You're dead though, so they know it has to be a dream. They talk bitterly to dream you, about betrayal and petty egos, that resulted in this whole disaster, as well as your death.

>>1092550
But given the memory loss involved, "Dee" might be a very different person to Disq. Maybe not someone they would want to be again.

Just say that it was disturbing, but you aren't sure if it was a memory, a dream, or a mix of both.

>>1092530
Not sire if nightmares or memories, probably a mix of both

Hmm. Zero gravity in the flashback. Looks like this is indeed a grounded ship.

"I think it was a repressed memory. Violence happening on the ship. Shots fired. Someone saying we have been there before... but it only really lasted a few minutes, how long did you spend trying to wake me?

A bad dream about a gunfight... maybe, it wasn't very clear. Lets stick with Disq until we know Dee is/was the kind of person we want to be. Lets also keep the name to ourselves for now.

Silicon 2024/06/09(Sun)14:37 No. 1092725 ID: d1187f
File 171796904454.png - (302.36KB , 990x660 , HU_02_001_A.png )

You decide that you're missing too much of the context to make a useful attempt at interpretation yet. So you stick to the basics.

"A nightmare, yes. Perhaps even a memory, or a mix of the two. There was... violence. On the ship. Shots fired. There was someone having a dream about me. Said it had to be a dream because... I'm dead? They talked bitterly to dream me, about betrayal and petty egos, that resulted in this whole disaster, as well as my death.", you explain.

Gamal strokes their beard and gives a noncommittal "Hm."
You shrug: "Yeah I don't understand it either."

"Well, it's another piece of the puzzle. Every bit is likely to be helpful in some way.", they say.
"Hm." you reply and take a sip of water from your cup.
Damn, you think. Water is good. So good. What an odd thought.

Maya nimbly lifts herself up onto the chair.
"Well, dreams aside, I have good news for you. We've had a mission meeting and decided unanimously that your demands are reasonable. While we haven't found a consensus on how to implement them yet, we're ready to make some concessions.", she says.
Gamal goes to take the other chair. "Please bear with us for the time being.", they say.

"So, Shyama has uh... assigned us some worksheets to go over. It's mostly translations we need, some symbolism we're curious about. That sort of thing. But once we're done with that, we can talk about whatever you like. And!", here Maya points to the box on the table, "I brought some of your gadgets to look at. Should we get started?"

>>1092725
Ah, maybe the "important" thing you had to do was to tell the others you're alive? Maybe that's the only reason you're still here. They left you behind, thinking you were dead. Except, shouldn't an advanced civilization such as yours be able to TELL if someone is dead or not? Hmm. Maybe this is some secret backup body they didn't know about?

Anyway, yeah. Let's get to the analysis. Think about what to tell them about the objects before you do.

It would be nice to see a few of their gadgets, to see what tech levels they've got. Pass it off as curiosity, but it would also give us an idea of what tech not to reveal to them, if it comes to that.

Not much water on the moon. You've been here a while; it's probably not easy to come by.

If they haven't eaten yet, why don't we eat together... oh, we overslept didn't we. Yeah, let's get to it.

Silicon 2024/06/10(Mon)12:26 No. 1092787 ID: 815fee
File 171804761820.png - (324.20KB , 990x660 , HU_02_002_A.png )

A strange thought pops into your head: What makes one alive or dead?
The question has a cold familiarity to it. Like you've thought it many times before. It's not a happy thought.
But you're alive! Cogito ergo sum, no?

You return your attention to the conversation.

"I'd like to see some of your gadgets, honestly.", you say.
"Oh." Maya hesitates. She's a bit quiter, less excited when she says: "Yeah, I can... I'll bring some of our stuff, too, later. Sure."

Before any kind of awkward silence can descend, you muster what enthusiasm you can. "All right, let's go, then."
Maya nods. "All right!", she says with more vigour and reaches for the cassette recorder.
Gamal helpfully pushes it into her reach and hands her a writing pad, which she then passes on to you.

"Here, have a look, please.", she says. Then she pushes the record button on the recorder. "This is session three, cassette one, 7th of Pausha Waning, 2512. Interview conducted by Maya Ramesha Gha- Dog's Dick!"
She stops the recording with an annoyed groan, then pushes another button and then finally the record button again.
"This is session three, cassette one, 7th of Pausha Waning, 2512. Interview conducted by Maya Ramesha. I've given Disq some samples of English writing."

You take a look.

Silicon 2024/06/10(Mon)12:27 No. 1092788 ID: 815fee
File 171804763925.png - (193.26KB , 990x660 , HU_02_002_B.png )

Hmm...

I don't think that was our current self in the dream. We looked different. Blue hair, with softer curves, and freckles.

Maybe this body adjusts the holographic parts of our appearance to the mind inside?

Also, did anyone else notice the symbols? There was one next to us that's also on the cup, one next to the corpse when we looked closer... and this huge encircled sun symbol in the background when we spoke to the corpse.

Anyways... I think it should be safe to translate these words for the crew. Start a new sheet of paper perhaps where you note them down like "Command = *Command* " and such.

>>1092788
Looks like a building directory an elevator panel, and a login screen. I don’t think there’s anything in here that would be dangerous to translate that they won’t figure out with elbow grease and a crowbar.

First up, you need to write '0123456789' and specify this is base-10.
Looks like they copied a map. Ask for the map, and you'll label what goes where.

This one says ’No Entry.’ You can ignore that warning, as obviously if they didn’t want you to enter there wouldn’t be a door. It’s merely a formality.
We need context for ‘Pa55word.’ Was there anything else written around it? What was it written on?

Ooh, you have an armory?

>>1092791
Oh also point out that they are confusing the numeral 5 and the letter S. maybe pre-emptively explain 0 and O.

>>1092788
Okay, we can infer from this that they explored around and found all those locations. Also, the Armory was likely last since it was put in awkward empty space, and "no entry" was written at the same angle so the armory must be blocked off thank goodness. Potentially password-locked but that could be Command or Science... You could ask?

Huh, they only found Habitat 3? Where's 2 and 1?

Anyway, read everything out loud. No sensitive information that I can see. The top right looks like it's a floor selection in an elevator, which means now we know there's three floors to this facility.

Now would be an excellent time to remember what's in the armory

>>1092796
We don't know that for certain. Maybe the cybersecurity around here is atrocious and someone wrote down their password, which was literally 'Pa55word.'

That's either Pa55word or Pa55w0rd. Explain the word 'Password', and the horrific practice of extremely poor cybersecurity of just replacing the letters with numbers to comply with computer requirements that passwords involve both letters and numbers. Most security systems should have more complex requirements, and have a list of 'very poor passwords' that are automatically invalid. Someone was breaking security regulations by having such an easy to guess password for their login AND also writing it down like that.

>>1092796
The more likely explanation is that they are writing symbols in ways that resemble their own writing. Note the line at the top, not just on the S but also E R P and G.

>>1092800
I don't think we should tell them that PA55W0RD is the password for whatever they're trying to get into, not until we go see what it is.

Ah, they found the armory. …Why did your ship need an armory, anyway? Who were they going to shoot?

Funny Question: CAN we actually write their language?
Otherwise we will have to start with a word by word translation were they have to give us the equivalent in their tongue.
Also, we're not in a ship I think. The signs on the upper right are elevator signs and there is no basement in a spacecraft :)

What about the symbols in the top right you don't recognize? What does that say, 1G? 1/6? 1B? Maybe they read them sideways or upside down, or maybe that's not english at all.

>>1092823
1
G
1B
They're floors.

Silicon 2024/06/15(Sat)01:53 No. 1092970 ID: 6d3a6d
File 171844162880.png - (323.68KB , 990x660 , HU_02_003_A.png )

The dream pops into your head again. What could it mean that your appearance was so different? It's reasonable to assume that the DtR projector could do different shapes and colours. Why not freckles, too?

And yeah, those round glyphs come to mind. In the dream, they seemed to just pop up around people... Yeah, you're pretty sure they relate to people in some way, but how? The one on your mug seems closely related to you specifically.
You're so close to getting it. You can feel it.

But understanding eludes you and so you focus again on the task at hand.

The only words on there that strike you as potentially troubling are 'Armory' and 'Password'. Could anybody really be so careless to choose a password as obvious as 'PA55WORD' and leave it written down somewhere?!
Then it hits you. A bunch of the other letters also look kind of strange, especially the Gs. Whoever copied these was clearly not familiar with the latin alphabet. Maybe that's why a bunch of these letters have that line at the top like Devanagari script.
So that's not the number 5, that's an S!

You look up at Maya and ask: "Did you write this?"
She smiles apologetically. "Yes. I uh... I was in a bit of a hurry when I copied that down. I hope it's legible."
"Oh I can read it fine.", you reassure her, "But particularly your S looks kind of strange."
You point it out to her. You also point to the 'S' on your name tag.
"Oh. Good to know. Hm, yeah that one kinda looks like a reverse 'ta' to me so that's how I wrote it. Yeah maybe you can teach me your alphabet sometime..."

You ask: "Did you copy these off a map? Maybe you can just show me that and I'll translate it there?"
Maya shakes her head. "No, these are from a storage room right around the corner."
"Ah."
"Oh, except for the one at the very top. That's on the outside of the facility. And the three short ones in the corner, which are from the hallway."

You nod. "Okay, this says 'Habitat 3', which means 'Habitat 3'. These are look like fl-"
"Wait, wait, wait! Uh!", Maya interrupts.
She grabs a pen from the table and reaches out her hand for the writing pad. You let her have it and she leans over to allow you to see it while she's writing little translation notes, as you go.

"Okay... 'Habitat 3'. Next?"
"These are floor designations I think. '1, G, 1B', which probably means 'first floor', 'ground floor' and 'first basement'."

It does occur to you that a spaceship or even space station with a basement would be quite... odd. So then this must be a more permanent structure. Maybe?

"Then these three here are 'Armory', 'Password' and 'No Entry'."

Silicon 2024/06/15(Sat)01:54 No. 1092971 ID: 6d3a6d
File 171844164850.png - (311.55KB , 990x660 , HU_02_003_B.png )

"Armory?", Gamal asks, incredulous, "You've got weapons up here?" He seems genuinely perplexed.
You shrug. "Apparently.", you say.
"Is that... normal?", he wonders.
"Couldn't tell you."
"Right, the Amnesia. Carry on."

Silicon 2024/06/15(Sat)01:54 No. 1092972 ID: 6d3a6d
File 171844165999.png - (310.71KB , 990x660 , HU_02_003_C.png )

You return to the translation. "These look like department names. They are, in order:
"'Command' or 'Leadership'...
"'Science'...
"'Medical'...
"'Security' or 'Protection'...
"'Engineering'...
"and 'Operations'."
You can see Maya frowning as she notes these down. When she's done, she looks at the page with clear scepticism.
"Are you sure, teacher?", she finally asks.
"Yes I'm sure. Why?"

"I said these are from a storage room, right? 'Armory', and 'No Entry' are on a door in there. 'Password' is from a little panel by the door. I already suspected it was a security measure."
She runs the back end of the pen along the remaining six words.
"These, we found as labels on the compartments of a container unit full of clothes. Uniforms. They all look roughly the same and similar to yours. Different collar, longer pant legs and they have sleeves. But otherwise, same shape with the skirts and everything.
"The only difference between the labelled compartments is the color of the clothing.", she explains.
"You said, you're an engineer?"

Silicon 2024/06/15(Sat)01:54 No. 1092973 ID: 6d3a6d
File 171844167206.png - (315.39KB , 990x660 , HU_02_003_D.png )

"I... I am.", you say, suddenly less certain of it.
"Well... Maybe it doesn't mean anything, but... The clothes for what you said is 'Engineering' are orange. Your clothes are white. That'd be 'Science'.", she says.

Science? That doesn't sound right. Doesn't sound right at all.

Maya gives a nervous laugh and says: "It probably doesn't mean anything, teacher. Let's move on!"
You try to shake off the anxiety. "What are the other colors?", you ask.
Maya thinks for a moment. "Command is Golden, Medical is Greenish-Blue, Security is Black and Operations is Karmija."
"What's Karmija?"
"Uh... deep red? Bit purple?"
"Ah. Crimson..."
"I guess."

"... You wouldn't know what happened to habitats 1 and 2, would you?"
Maya shakes her head. "No teacher. There's only the one building. And I'm pretty sure we scanned the moon's surface quite thoroughly."

This does not make you any less anxious.

"Should we move on?", Maya asks nervously.
"Yes, let's.", you say.

She flips to the next page of the writing pad and hands it to you.

Silicon 2024/06/15(Sat)01:54 No. 1092974 ID: 6d3a6d
File 171844169261.png - (194.43KB , 990x660 , HU_02_003_E.png )

It's full of those glyphs. Here they are again.

"These are on the outside of some of the doors in this area.", Maya says. She points to the familiar one. "This one's on your door. And your mug, of course. Do they mean anything to you?"

Okay. Glyphs refer to people. Probably. That one on the bottom right is especially familiar and it seems like it's... embellished. Didn't you see that in your dream?
You are so close to a realisation you can taste it. What's the missing link between Glyph and person?

Hmm. Next time you're alone, you should check your body for bullet holes. If they thought you were dead, then you should at least have signs of recent repair to your frame.

>>1092972
>different colored clothing for each department
That makes perfect sense. Uniforms are often designed to show the wearer's assignment at a glance. Ah. Here's something worrisome: you only "know" your name due to your nametag, which is on your clothing, which doesn't match your memories. What if you're wearing someone else's clothes? The corpse in your dream seemed to imply that you were both the same entity, somehow... maybe there's some weird mind transfer going on and you're SHARING a body with Disquiet-247?

>>1092974
>glyph and person
Rank? They're geometric with the vertices clearly marked; perhaps those translate to numbers somehow. Reading from the middle, the fanciest one is effectively 1-0-0. Top left is 2-4-7... ah, that's your symbol isn't it? Then that's what it is, they're geometric representations of each person's numbers. The bottom right must be Serenity's-100's symbol. The embellishment must be a sign of rank, so Serenity was/is the captain?

Seems safe to tell them. The symbols represent your numbers.

Do you remember any of the uniform colors from your dream?

So... In your dream, you saw 828 get shot by 503... presumably right after shooting 642.
100 has been mentioned.
So far, we have no idea whom (if anyone), the numbers 294, 156, 202, and 310 designate. And what words go with these numbers.

Ah, alternate theory: You're wearing someone else's uniform, but the nametag is yours. They detach, right?

We DO have context for the numbers! We remembered some of them in Chapter 0!

Anguish-739
Rage-828
Serenity-100
Excitement-947
Regret-528

So Rage-828 is the one who was shot in the dream!

I think we can also safely assume that this wasn't originally our body. The different looks in the memory, the name we didn't remember, the nonfitting clothes, the cryptic reference to us not being "Dee, the way our body feels unfamiliar and awkward... I think we can begin admitting to ourselves that this is the likeliest option.

>>1092982
Oh oh this makes perfect sense too. In the dream the glyphs floated like hud elements! Possibly they exist as a sort of IFF system so you can identify a person no matter what body they inhabit!

Right, can we remember anything about who 642 is?

Silicon 2024/06/20(Thu)13:27 No. 1093183 ID: 6d3a6d
File 171891525051.png - (344.39KB , 990x660 , HU_02_004_A.png )

"Of course! They're numbers! Numbers in names! Of course, there it is! Disquiet-247! Serenity-100! Rage-828!", you blurt out with excitement.
Maya startles and asks: "What? Hang on, slow down. What?"

You hold the pad over to Maya and tap the three parts of the top left glyph in order from inside to outside.
"There. Two, Four, Seven. As in Disquiet, Two, Four, Seven. Disquiet-247! And this one...", you point at the one on the bottom right, "One, Zero, Zero. Serenity-100! Pen!"
Maya hands you the pen and you quickly write the names down in English next to the symbols.

"And who's that?", she asks.
"Someone in charge. The captain, perhaps. Maybe that's what these embellishments mean.", you tap the outer part of the symbol with the pen.

Maya squints a bit as she looks at it more closely and she says: "Is that really all that means?"
You shrug. "I'm really just guessing with that one.", you admit, "Why?"
"Because it looks like the Tripundra.", she says.

You look at her, then at the symbol again.
"You know...", she prods carefully, "Three horizontal marks? One central dot? The Eye of Lord Shiva? No?"
"Well I've definitely heard of Shiva before."
Maya looks disappointed when she says: "I guess it's a coincidence."

Meanwhile you're already flipping over another page on the writing pad to note down the symbols from your dream and memory.
Eight-Two-Eight
Six-Four-Two
Five-Zero-Three
Seven-Three-Nine
Nine-Four-Seven
Five-Two-Eight
And next to the first one, you write 'Rage-828'.

Silicon 2024/06/20(Thu)13:27 No. 1093184 ID: 6d3a6d
File 171891526609.png - (266.59KB , 990x660 , HU_02_004_B.png )

Who is Rage-828? In your dream... he... was shot. He said you're him. Is that literal? Is that true? Can you trust a dream? Is it even possible to change so drastically? It would explain why your body seems so alien to you. It would also explain the problem with the uniform colour.
But in addition to the 'how', there's also the 'why'. Why would you... become Disquiet-247?
You notice your jaw is clenched. The anxiety is back. Your breathing quickens. Something in you is struggling against the realization. You don't want to think about this. It hurts. The pain makes it harder to think.

Maya must have noticed your distress. "Teacher? Are you all right?", she asks.
You swallow, you try to blink away the tears. "No", you manage.
She speaks softly: "What is it? Can I help?"

"I...", you take a deep breath and hold it for a couple seconds before letting it go.

Silicon 2024/06/20(Thu)13:27 No. 1093185 ID: 6d3a6d
File 171891527622.png - (312.10KB , 990x660 , HU_02_004_C.png )

"I am not me..."

Maya looks at you and her expression slowly shifts into a frown. "Is that what Shyama has told you?", she asks.
"Huh?"
"Because, y'know... that's not necessarily true.", she says and launches into a full-on rant heedless of your confusion.
"His perspective is just that, a perspective. There are other ones and most of them don't throw out the ontological foundation of everything. Just because we misinterpret our experience of the self that doesn't mean there is no substance or continuity to it. You're you. I'm me. And that means something. And perhaps if I were wiser and you didn't have amnesia, we'd know that we're the same or how exactly we are different. Even just thinking 'I am not me...' gives the game away doesn't it? Who's thinking it? Where does the impulse originate from? It has to come from somewhere. And even if the thought is a function of a physical brain and nothing but biochemistry and neural connectivity, who's watching the thought forming in that mind? Somebody! That's you!"

...

You're not sure what to even say to that.

>>1093185

No no, I mean I think I can be loaded with different physical brains or something.

Ah, no, I meant that this isn't my body. Like my mind was moved from a different body into this one. So Disquiet probably wasn't my name either.

Whoops!

Hey, before we delve into what we actually meant - what does Maya mean with this? Maya, you sound a bit upset. Are *you* okay? Did Shyama do something to upset you?

Either way... thank you. For what it's worth, if our Dream was true, it's more like we used to inhabit a different body. Either our brain or a copy of it may have been moved into this one. Which begs the question... what happened to Dee?

We called her Dee. That seems affectionate. And if she gave us her body, we must have been really close.

Maybe she's still in here, somewhere?

Well, okay, brains have baseline core personalities and capabilities, but could possibly be projected like an over the air television signal to other brains via a technological mediation to remotely override the local brain's actively run personality to be the local subject matter expert on the scene if need be, perhaps.

Or if each body is a computer, and storage density is powerful enough, everyone's full brain and identity could be loaded on everyone's else's body and with a strong enough taboo in running multiple instances of a person at a time, you could sort of swap bodies, provided you also had an update protocol for experiences in another body.

Or something even more exotic. Which model the group was using... hard to say.

>>1093183
>Serenity's symbol looks like a major religious mark
Perhaps the interference with this timeline was more than erasing Rome. That would explain why the dream mentioned a "victory lap"...

>>1093185
Tell her you think you might be Rage-828, in Disquiet's body. Or a fusion of the two, somehow. If such a thing were possible, and Disquiet was the sole survivor of the conflict with Rage dying next to her, then it makes sense that she would try to rescue Rage-828 in this way.
I think we might want to check the room marked 828, if she knows where it is.

You're you. Maybe you're not who you think you are, but whoever you were, you are, right now, here trying to answer that question. You have Disquiet's chassis, and maybe you were Rage, or maybe Disquiet just has Rage's memories. I mean, really you're trying to recover the memories of everyone that was onboard this ship. You can figure out which ones are yours later.

Could we trace the history of this Eye of Shiva back a little further? Where does the symbol originate, how far back? Maybe it fell to Earth among some wreckage.

>>1093185
Tell Maya you're thankful for her faith in your authenticity, you appreciate that, afterall what is a person if not the collection of their experiences and emotions? I mean, even normal humans replace all their cells over the course of a lifetime, becoming a cyborg is just a shortcut.

This is probably why we cried when we looked at the mirror. We might have been staring into the face of a deceased dear friend, perhaps even a partner.

Wow, this is grim. Maybe Dee's not gone though. If she donated her body to us when we got shot, perhaps she moved to a new body before hand, or some data storage medium. A Hard-drive? Brain-in-A-Jar? The Main Computer?

Also I have a small inkling your boss may have being trying to set himself up as a god in the new timeline. Just a hunch.

Also Maya, you're plenty wise! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

(Maya keeps calling us teacher, I wonder if that's a hold over from a caste system thing?)

Okay, this reeks of stigma. Tell her your timeline had this problem by the truckload, but humanity eventually realized that most anti-identity discrimination was capitalized by the elite as a means of dividing the common populace and creating scapegoats out of naturally-forming individuals. Acceptance is a momentous battle, but every little victory can save thousands of lives.

But also inform her that you're saying the identity you've been assuming may need to be altered due to abnormal shenanigans. It just means you'll need some more time and information to find yourself.

Silicon 2024/06/30(Sun)14:55 No. 1093622 ID: 6d3a6d
File 171978451680.png - (294.77KB , 990x660 , HU_02_005_A.png )

"Okay w-", you begin, but it seems Maya isn't quite done.
"Honestly, if I find that extrapolating from my philosophy's base principles leaves no room for any kind of persistent self, I don't go 'Huh! I guess there is no self, then', I rethink the base principles, for heaven's sake!", she says.
"Maya, I-", you try again.
She goes on: "And they're so smug about it, too! Just-"

Gamal loudly claps their hands together. "Maya!"
She startles. "Huh? What?"
"This is maybe not the most appropriate topic, don't you think?", they say.

She looks at them and then at you.
"Oh... Yeah, sorry. I got carried away... You were saying?", she asks sheepishly.

Silicon 2024/06/30(Sun)14:55 No. 1093623 ID: 6d3a6d
File 171978453011.png - (315.99KB , 990x660 , HU_02_005_B.png )

Finally able to get a word in edgewise, you give Maya your best smile. "Well thank you for your concern and for your faith in my authenticity. What I meant to say was that I might not be who I thought I was... But first uh... are you okay? Did Shyama do something to upset you?"
She fidgets. "Er, not... specifically, not really, no. Look, Gamal's right, it's uh... not the time."
In their usual calm demeanor, Gamal adds: "Maya chafes under the predominantly Buddhist Kushani culture. You hit on a sore spot."
"Oh, you're not a Buddhist, then?", you ask.
"No, uhm... I'm a Shaivite Hindu. Look, can we pretend that didn't happen and I was just normal back there?", Maya pleads and then she changes the topic, "What did you mean you're not who you thought you were?"

You feel this is probably not the time for a lecture about prejudice, even though you'd love the excuse to not dig into the identity issue further. But this is probably important.

"I assumed I was Disquiet-247, because of the name tag on my uniform, but now I'm not so sure anymore. From the start my body felt off to me. I burst into tears when Shyama showed me the mirror. I think I knew Disquiet-247. But somehow it's me in her body now. And that I was actually Rage-828.", you explain.
Maya looks sceptical. "And... who's that?", she asks.
"I don't really know.", you admit, "Maybe we can find more in the room with this symbol?" You tap the 828-Glyph.
Maya shrugs. "We haven't found any such room, but I'll keep it in mind.", she says, then she brightens, "Wait this might fix the uniform problem! Maybe Rage-828 is the engineer!"
"Maybe."

"Well if you consider this a real possibility, I assume you have some kind of idea how you ended up in someone else's body?", she asks with clear interest.
"Well, nothing concrete, but I mean... it's a mechanical body. I don't think I was originally a... robot or cyborg... an artifical lifeform, you know? That already implies someone put my brain in this thing, or perhaps installed me on it like a computer program and who's to say there wasn't another brain or another program in here before me?", you say.

Silicon 2024/06/30(Sun)14:55 No. 1093624 ID: 6d3a6d
File 171978454798.png - (251.45KB , 990x660 , HU_02_005_C.png )

She looks at you with big eyes. "Well if that's true, that would... sure be something!"
"What do you mean?", you ask.
"Well... what is a person if one body can belong to two people? If you are Rage-828, then where's Disquiet-247?", she ponders.

This hits you right in the guts... if you even those. It knocks the air right out of you and you must concentrate for a moment to get the breathing started again.
Where is she now?

"Maybe she's...", a sob shakes your whole body. "Maybe she's still in here somewhere?"

"Yes, I... I'm sure she is!", Maya agrees hastily. You can't tell if she means it or is just trying to make you feel better. The grief hits you in waves. You've lost her. You lost her and it's all because of you.
You're so alone. So alone. You were supposed to be together. But she's gone. She's not here.

Silicon 2024/06/30(Sun)14:55 No. 1093625 ID: 6d3a6d
File 171978455991.png - (238.34KB , 990x660 , HU_02_005_D.png )

Gamal walks around the table and goes down on one knee in front of you. They raise their arms.
"Do you need a hug?", they offer.

Hug from a stranger? Well, fine.

Here's a minor thing to worry about: I checked the system notifications from when you plugged in to the cable, and you were given a drug cocktail designed for Disquiet-247. This might be bad for you. Taking someone else's medications is seldom advised... though depending on how you were transferred to the body it might be appropriate-- maybe the drugs are designed for the body, not the mind.

Yes. Yes we need a hug. And that was definitely why we started crying at the sight in the mirror.

I'm sorry, Rage. But I don't think all hope is lost! Your memory was from Dee's point of view, so there must be SOME of her cognitive stuff that carried over. You might carry bits and pieces of her in your mind, and you're within her body. She is all around you and she wanted this more than anything else.

Now, try to focus. What did we mean by "it was supposed to be both of us"? Was there a plan to do something about everyone else? Can we recall what Dream-You meant by us having been turned into monsters? We seem certain that we weren't a robot, so what did that mean?

>>1093628

I'm guessing bombing Rome back to the ice age had something to do with that.

If you're looking for my power switch, don't bother. Turning me off then on again won't help.

Hug him, recenter yourself

Yes. Very much so.

Silicon 2024/07/11(Thu)12:14 No. 1094128 ID: 0b7e05
File 172072524377.png - (323.33KB , 990x660 , HU_02_006_A.png )

What could a hug possibly accomplish?, you think. You have lost someone important. Someone that you will never get back. Even if something of Dee remains, she will never be whole again. How's a hug gonna fix that? You were supposed to be together. You're certain of it. She wasn't meant to be lost. You're not sure what that means, but you know it's true.

Clearly, you figure, surely, Gamal knows that hugs don't solve these issues. Surely they're only offering because they don't know what else to do.

Well... no point in spreading your misery. If it helps them cope with having to watch you fall apart, you can do them this kindness.

It's just a hug.

You slowly slide your arms under Gamal's and they awkwardly shuffle closer and the both of you wrap your arms around one another. You can feel their warmth, the gentle yield of their body against yours.

...

Hmm...

Silicon 2024/07/11(Thu)12:14 No. 1094129 ID: 0b7e05
File 172072526946.png - (173.65KB , 990x660 , HU_02_006_B.png )

"Oooouubbllugghhh Ahuuuuuugh buh ubuhh oooboobuh"
"There, there. Let it all out.", Gamal coos softly.
"Thabk oouuuuu buhoooo dhis feels abazingh"

Gamal tightens the embrace ever so slightly.
You were wrong. This is the best thing ever. How could you have been THIS WRONG???

Silicon 2024/07/11(Thu)12:14 No. 1094130 ID: 0b7e05
File 172072528570.png - (294.55KB , 990x660 , HU_02_006_C.png )

"U-uhm...", Maya clears her throat.
"I think that's all the chorework done. Uh do you... Do you wanna see what I brought for you? Hmm?", she asks.

Schrödinger’s Box! Until its opened it is in a superposition of containing an earth shattering doomsday device or a very fancy future oven timer! Lets open it immediately and find out!

Is she... using her eye as a spotlight??

>>1094134
I think it's just a gold plated orb, nonfunctional. These people don't have cybernetics.

>>1094130
Ooooh a present. What's in the box?

Oh boy! They saw how much you liked the first rubic cube and got you another.

Whatever it is, why not let it distract you for a bit until you're in a better head space to grapple with your grief?

First, take your time with the hug if you need a moment longer. Its good for you!
Second, appreciate that this capacity for feelings (and sadly also trauma) is another indicator for you being actually originally human or such a human-like artifical construct that there is little difference at this point.
Third, I like the guess that they got you another enrichment item and second it, but maybe don't tell them beforehand. They seem so happy with making it a surprise :)
Fourth, consider that your human capacity for getting overwhelmed by grief/trauma and other emotions could be kinda dangerous with your until now not fully tested physical capabilities. I mean even with normal strengh getting overwhelmed is bad because it feels awful, so maybe we should think about something for emotional anchoring like a fidget toy, a mantra or something that helps with staying calm when more memories come back?

Or an Emotional Support Gamal. They're great at this, maybe they can keep us?

Interesting Idea, but with this I have to raise the issues of of consent and transportability. Something we always have at hand seems... handier.

Funny. Summing up the three digits per name each results in a different number, and it looks almost as if they're ordered.

Excitement 20. Anguish 19. Rage 18. Almost like we're counting down to Serenity.

Just in case you need a pointless detail gnawing at the back of your skull.