Paranoia: My Name is Troubleshooter

[BlueBard]

"Friend," the Indigo replies, "in my observation a guilty conscience prevents a clone from achieving their full potential.  So it is right and proper that you unburden yourself in order to improve your performance.  What fears and concerns do you have that are hindering you, my Friend?"

[BlueBard]

"Perhaps you hesitate because we are not in a standard confessional booth... I understand.  But for some reason all of the booths are inoperable."

You start to say something, but he breaks in. 

"I know, it's unfortunate.  Really.  How then can we keep a proper record of your absolution?  Fortunately these Secbots are still functional and their sensor logs will suffice.  Accountability is important, you know.  So what were you saying about your fears and concerns?"

[Viking]

"I fear that my time spent confessing to you is keeping me from rendering the confessional booths operational again," ArrMatee explains.

[BlueBard]

"And why would this cause you to fear?" he asks.  Then before you can answer, he continues.

"Fear is a natural but irrational response to the unknown.  It cripples your morale and decision making abilities.  But you can trust The Computer, Friend!  And The Computer knows all!  So you may set that fear aside."

Spyd-R applauds from the corridor.  "Brilliant!  I couldn't have said it any better myself!"

"Is there anything else on your conscience you'd like to confess?" the Indigo asks.

"I bet he's pretty upset about that whole Porta-Wall wreck!" Blo-R interjects.

"Really?  Why don't you tell me about that?"

[Viking]

"Upset, Citizen Blo?  Certainly not!  That would mean that I was unhappy, which is treasonous.  I am shocked to hear you accuse me of such a vicious falsehood.  But fret not, you shall have your opportunity to unburden yourself in due course."

He returns his gaze to the Indigo-clearance Citizen.

"I am, however, concerned about a recent series of events.  I wish to hear your wise counsel as to how I should have acted."

[BlueBard]

"I would be happy to listen, and perhaps to advise."

[BlueBard]

ArrMatee notices that Spyd-R has an uncharacteristically worried look on his face.  He usually only looks that uptight when something bad is about to happen.

[Viking]

"Oh, dear.  Are you feeling quite well, Citizen Spyd?  I would hate to think that you are not in good health.  Such is my concern that I have lost my current train of thought."

He looks to the director of the CITC.  "I feel that this serves as an example of how confession opportunities suffer when proper confession booths are not online.  If you were to grant my team access to a panel in this facility, we could rectify this problem, to the benefit of confessing Citizens throughout this Sector."

[BlueBard]

"Um," Spyd-R says nervously, "I don't think we're going to have that kind of time.  I, uh, hear some commotion headed this way.  And I don't think they're coming for confession."

"I don't hear anything," Blo-R frowns.

"Trust me on this," Spyd-R assures him fervently.  "We need to find cover. Now.  Could we, ah, relax the restriction on bringing weapons into the confessional just this once?"

The Indigo sighs.  "Probably traitors.  They usually try to blow up the CITC at least once a week.  Last week it was a pack of Death Leopards.  Rules are rules, though.  And I'm afraid the Secbots' programming is rather strict on that point."

[Viking]

ArrMatee sighs happily.  "I give thanks to the Computer that I have no idea what Death Leopard means, and hence cannot be made unhappy by its presumedly treasonous nature!"

He turns slightly more serious.  "Citizen Elec-O, I do not believe that either you or the toolbot are carrying weapons.  Am I correct?"

Regardless of the answer, he will then ask the Indigo citizen, "Friend Citizen, is it possible that any of these bots or Citizens may enter if they do not bring weapons with them?"

[BlueBard]

"Certainly they may!" the Indigo Citizen responds.  Elec-O and the toolbot enter.  They are not challenged.

"But what about us?  And what happens if they attack and we're unarmed?" Spyd-R says.

"Safer in there than out here!" Blo-R says emphatically.  He starts handing off his weapons to the secbots through the door.

Spyd-R appears to be undecided as to what to do.

[Viking]

"Team Leader, might I note that if any traitors are armed well enough to get past two Secbots, having a few laser rifles is the least of our concerns?" asks ArrMatee.

"I mean, just look at the power of those two Secbots, bristling with weaponry!  Er... those Secbots are armed with weapons, yes?"

[BlueBard]

"Of course they are," the Indigo assures you.

Spyd-R makes his decision and begins removing his weaponry.

Blo-R finishes divesting himself of all weaponry and darts into the center.  He dashes off into the darkened area and disappears from sight.

Now you can hear some shouting echoing through the corridors.

[Viking]

ArrMatee briefly ponders the wisdom of pointing out to the Secbots that they have weapons in the CITC when, in fact, no weapons are permitted in the CITC, but decides that he isn't quite that gutsy right now.

"Since efficiency is a virtue that we both share," he comments to the Indigo citizen, "might we be allowed to get your Confessional booths working again, while we wait here?  We'd just need access to a power panel located here."

[BlueBard]

"Certainly," the Indigo replies.  "Feel free.  Let me know if any of you need to unburden your souls before you die a horrible death at the hands of traitors."

Spyd-R has finished handing off his weapons and scoots through the door.

"Excellent idea, ArrMatee-R!" Spyd-R says.  "Why don't you escort Elec-O?  I'll observe the activity and prepare a report.  I'll be... over there somewhere."

Spyd-R rushes off into the darkened recesses of the center.

[Viking]

"Well, Citizen Elec-O and valued Toolbot, let's get to work!  Where's the panel that you need access to?  We'll head there immediately."

[BlueBard]

"Got it!" Elec-O replies.  "Toolbot?  Where's the panel?"

"Ah, ze verk order does not show ze prezise location... ve could not access ze database because of ze power outage.  It says only zat it is inside vun of ze booths in ze far left quadrant of ze center.  Zat is ze best estimate of vere it should be, anyhow."

Hard to tell due to the darkness, but you figure there are dozens and dozens of booths crammed into this room.  Each of the black booths is about 2.5 meters tall, 1.5 meters wide, and 1.5 meters deep.  There are ten rows of booths, with a 2.5 meter wide isle between each row.  Each row is twenty or more booths deep, each booth being spaced about 1.5 meters apart (you can't see the far side of the room from where you are)...

[Viking]

"Team Leader?  Citizen Blo?  Sounds like we better put our flashlights to good use!  The faster we find that panel, the faster we restore power, which means the faster we put another bit of security between us and the onrushing horde of traitors!"

ArrMatee pauses a moment to think.

"Umm... Friend Citizen?  What happened to Citizen Numb?" he inquires.  "He also had a flashlight.  If he's recovered enough to return to active panel-searching duty, that would be great.  If not, we can at least make use of his flashlight to help speed up the search."

Another flash of inspiration hits ArrMatee, as he shifts into respectful Bootlicking mode towards the high-ranking Indigo citizen.  "And... Friend Citizen, I would imagine that you have a better knowledge of these Confession booths than all of us put together, seeing as how they are entrusted to your enlightened care.  I sincerely believe that if you could provide any information that would help direct us to the panel that we seek, it would dramatically comfort this Team as it continues to serve the Computer."

[BlueBard]

Spyd-R and Blo-R do not reply.

The Indigo responds to your questions.

"Citizen Numb?  Oh, you mean the poor soul who preceded you!  He is at rest now.  As to the panel you seek, I'm afraid that I am not well versed in the technical side of things.  I will help you look, however."

In the distance you hear shouting.  It's still rather indistinct at the moment, but you think you hear "Death to the Computer and its' minions!"

[Viking]

ArrMatee wonders if, in fact, Citizens Blo and Spyd are actually looking for the panel, or are just concentrating on hiding and hoping that they get passed by when the heavily armed traitors arrive.  ArrMatee will reach out with Empathy sense towards the darkness to see if he can get a sense on what his teammates are feeling, or possibly to get a sense of the general directions in which they're hiding.

[BlueBard]

ArrMatee reaches out with his "sixth" sense.

Aside from yourself, there are six sources of emotion within range.

The closest, which you assume is the Indigo Citizen, is calm, unperturbed, and unafraid.  You can't divine the reasons for this confidence, be it insanity, delusion, courage, or otherwise.

The next closest, which you think must be Elec-O, is anxious and increasingly fearful.

The farthest source is angry, eager, and bent on destruction.

The other three you assume must be Blo, Numb, and Spyd.  You have no way of knowing who is who, except by educated guessing.

One is sleeping peacefully.

Another is furtive, anxious, and determined about something.  It feels fairly close in relation to the other two.

The last is furtive, expectant, excited, and determined about something.

You could home in on them using Empathy, but you've only got time to track down one of them.

As you contemplate this, you notice that a cloud of mist or smoke is billowing out of the darkness.  The smell is pleasant but unidentifiable and it is clouding your flashlight beam.

[Viking]

ArrMatee will home in on the emotion that is furtive, expectant, excited, and determined about something.  That's the one emotion that clearly feels out-of-place.

Of course, this might ordinarily be viewed as contrary to being a survivalist.  But it's better to only have to worry about traitors from one direction at a time.  And ArrMatee takes great comfort from the presence of the heavy aluminum rolling pin, which he will free from the duct tape holding it to his back.

[BlueBard]

Flashlight on, or are you trying to sneak up?

[Viking]

ArrMatee will turn off the flashlight and try to sneak up.

[BlueBard]

ArrMatee grunts as he works to extract the rolling pin from his person.

"Ah," the Indigo smiles.  "A clever workaround to overcome an adverse situation."

You flick off the flashlight.  Darkness.

"AAHH!" cries Elec-O in panic.  "What happened to the light?!?"  You hear scrabbling, then a flare of light as a hottorch is turned on.  You attempt to move away, but the Indigo, Elec-O, and the Toolbot follow you.

You sense that furtive/anxious/determined is now elated/satisfied.

[Viking]

So much for sneaking up.  Feh.  And here I thought that Elec-O, the Indigo Citizen, and the toolbot were off exploring separately to find the bloody panel.  Double feh.

"Just conserving power while freeing a tool," ArrMatee explains hastily.  He turns his flashlight back on and charges off towards the direction of the elation and satisfaction.

[BlueBard]

Elation/Satisfaction is the other way, over by the Secbots.  You were trying to sneak up on Furtive/Expectant/Excited/Determined, not Furtive/Anxious/Determined.

"Where are you going?" Elec-O asks.

"He was trying to be stealthy, I think," the Indigo answers.

The shouting is louder now, and angry/eager/bent is almost here.

[Viking]

I give up.  I can't parse what's going on anymore.

[BlueBard]

I give up.  I can't parse what's going on anymore.

Sorry... do you need better descriptions?  Or am I hosing you too badly?  I know this is Paranoia, but I don't want to over-frustrate you.  Feel free to ask for clarifications along the way; I won't penalize you for that.

You didn't tell the others to stay put, so they're just naturally tagging along.  The Indigo out of curiosity, Elec-O because he's scared, and the toolbot because it's sticking close to Elec-O.

If it helps, you know that Spyd and Blo are the two sources of emotion.  One of them is roughly in the direction Spyd went and that's deeper into the room.  Let's call that North.  Coincidentally, that seems to be where the scented mist is coming from, and the mist is thickening.  You don't know how the mist is being generated.

The other source of emotion, which may be Blo, is over near where the Secbots are guarding the door.  That's South of where you are at.  That's not the direction Blo left toward, but he could have circled back for some reason.  However, the Secbots are barely visible due to darkness and mist and you can't see anyone in that direction.  You are definitely getting a vibe of satisfaction from whoever is over there, but can't tell why.

(OOG: In the absence of an actual player in the role of team leader, I've been looking to you for a certain amount of direction.  That's not how it was supposed to turn out, but, well, you know...  Everyone else bailed after the first team wipe.  And I'm really regretting the whole Energy Suppression Grenade thing.  It made a good story but it also complicated everything.  {sigh}  You should tell the others what to do at times, or make suggestions.  Otherwise, I'm trying to take into account the characters and what they might do in the absence of leadership.

If you'd rather not grind through this, we can just end it.  I'll write up a closer.  But this really is the last room.  You just have to hold off the traitors long enough to get the power back on.  Sort of like Agatha trying to fix Castle Heterodyne.)

[Viking]

(*Deep breath...*)

Okay, I'll try this again.

(*Another deep breath...*)

Giving directions to Elec-O and the Indigo, ArrMatee explains quickly and quietly:

"We'll have a better chance of finding the panel in question if we split up.  Elec-O and/or valued Toolbot, if you could quickly describe what the panel looks like that we're searching for, great.  The two of you should stick together, using the hottorch as your light source.  Obviously, if you find the panel, get started on fixing it."

To the Indigo, presuming that the panel can be described in such a fashion that splitting up to look for it actually makes sense:

"Friend Citizen, it would help us greatly if you could help in the search for the power panel.  If you need a flashlight, the Troubleshooter that confessed first had one.  I'm sure he'd want you to make good use of it while he rests.  The panel that we're looking for should be somewhere in... (*gestures appropriately*) that direction.  Elec-O and the toolbot can begin searching the leftmost row of booths in that sector, and I'd advise you to start with the rightmost row.  I need to coordinate with my other Troubleshooters before starting up the middle."

"Finally - a tactic to confuse traitors.  If you find the power panel and want the rest of us to meet up with you at that spot, call out, 'It's not here!  I'll try the next row!' and then shut off your light and wait for help to arrive.  With any luck, that'll make the traitors think you're moving somewhere else, while signaling to the rest of us where to go."

Now, all that was meant to be relatively quiet, and not necessarily heard by Blo or Spyd.  He'll then call out, "Spyd, Blo - status reports?"

Whether he attempts to meet up with either of them or confirm his code phrase with them depends on what he hears from them.

(*Side Note: He suspects that Spyd is further in, and has activated the mist courtesy of the Portable Morale Booster.  He is also guessing that Blo has stealthily circled back to where the Sec-bots are, in a presumably successful attempt to secretly retrieve weaponry.  But since this is Paranoia, ArrMatee can't rule out the possibility that one or both of them will try to help the traitors or otherwise sabotage the mission.  So he'll keep his Empathy open to gauge reactions from those two troubleshooters.*)