Mission 6d - Mission of Mercy

Sam also sends a message to Michiko:

>>>>>>What happened at the house last night?

>>>>>>Okay.

Sam accesses the computer and punches in "iranihsoy2920" when prompted for a password.

Once able to access the computer without having to worry about the security, Sam pokes around for any information on the consciousness currently stored in the machine. Failing a way to figure out who the consciousness is, Sam looks for an event log to determine when this consciousness was loaded to the computer, and when and it if has been uploaded to a donor.

WuJen, wandering the community center in a bathrobe and still looking somewhat worse for wear, sits down to drink some tea and calls Mushiba again. "Hey, just checking in, are the girls behaving? Do you need anything from us? So long as everything is quiet I will try and make it down in the next day or two, I've a lot to discuss with them, but I'm a little laid up from some recent action to be visiting just this minute. "

WuJen tells Mushiba "Alot of those girls don't have homes to go back to, they were snatched off the streets and previously lived in the caves or similar situations. I'd not have them forced into anything, but if your boys can play nice and everyone is happy with their situation there's no need for anyone to stay single and lonely. On a not unrelated note... How is your community set for skilled people. Those girls have some unique headware, and it's possible we could sell them on using it to learn some useful skills to help them pull their own weight. The ware isn't useful to anyone without an outside piece of equipment, but I know where to get it. "

Sam messages WuJen:
>>>>>> I think that Dr. NakaMats may have transferred his consciousness to the woman we brought here.
>>>>>> I am trying to learn more from the computer.
>>>>>> There is a dearth of log files.
>>>>>> See what you can find out from her.
>>>>>> Here is a journal Dr. NakaMats kept on the computer

Sam forwards the journal text file to WuJen. He also tries to determine the file size of the full brain currently stored on the computer, and calculates the top speed that amount of data could transfer through a cable attached to a DNI.

WuJen asks the rescued girl to sit and have some noodles with him at lunch time.

"I wanted to talk with you a bit. First, I want you to understand that you are safe with us. Our interest in this matter was stopping the kidnappings and enslavement of people for the Yamaguchi Yakuza. I am going to ask you to stay for a while, however. "

" Firstly, what would you like to be called? "

Sam continues poking around the computer, looking for any information that he can find, or for some way of interacting with the consciousness.

WuJen sighs, uncomfortable with the shakey moral ground this situation puts him in. "I'm sorry Nam, It's the nature of the project you were made a subject of. The purpose of your implants was to erase the conciousness of your mind, and replace it with another. So you may indeed be Nam Takimasi, or you may now be Dr. Nakamats. The issue being we want to help Nam Takimasi, as she is innocent of any wrong doing, but we need to make sure at the very least that Dr. Nakamats will not pursue this research and practice of enslaving young girls for prostitution or killing them to sell their bodies to wealthy people looking to be young again. So, we don't want to keep you prisoner but we can't let you go, either. Which leaves us with you are safe, regardless of who you are, but until we can ascertain who that truely is, we can't just let you go free. I realize you may not appreciate the distinction, but at the very least we won't be making unseemly demands or abusing you in any way. We are investigating the system that has been installed in you, and once I've recovered from your rescue I will be able to use magic and hope to be able to be certain of your identity. If you are indeed Nam Takamasi I beg your patience for a time, and if you become Dr. Nakamats I need assurances that these horrendous crimes are at an end and as a scholar I'm interested in seeing certain questions answered. "

In the call to Mushiba:. " I get it, but I try not to judge how people spend their free time. If the guys can behave themselves, and the girls prove more open-minded than most, I'd call it a win. I am hopeful we have this situation pretty much resolved, so they should be able to move along shortly in any case. I just want to make sure the scum that snatched them up in the first place don't find them so easy to abuse a second time. "

WuJen says "It's not so much a test as it is just reading your thoughts. It's not dangerous, though I suppose it could be embarrassing. We are also looking into the technology to see if there is a way to verify how it's been used. Unfortunately Dr. Nakamats doesn't seem to have been much of a man for keeping notes, or we would already know many of the answers we seek."

" If it turns out you are Dr. Nakamats in a new body, you just can't engage in unethical research anymore. Even this line of research, if he had used cloned bodies instead of people pulled off the street, would not have been cause for alarm. Sadly, the Doctor is a monster, with no regard for others beyond how they can further his own ends. Rather than keep you prisoner I'd rather have you watched and allow you to pursue whatever ends please you, as long as that doesn't entail hurting others or engaging in what amounts to slavery and mass multiple murders. "

Sam gets to work on coding an interface to talk to the brain in the box.

"The best answer I can give is that I can't know 100%. I can say that the spell doesn't have any adverse effects on people with standard headware of any type. While what you've been given is unusual, part of that is that it is of a very high quality so as to do what it's supposed to do. That usually means it's interaction on magic and your body is minimal. All things considered I have no reason to think the spell will be harmful in any way.

Likewise, I'm not using the spell on your hardware. I'll be reading your normal, natural thoughts. While there is no 100% promise it can't interfere with the spell, I can promise that I'm not on a witch hunt and am not looking for an excuse to do you any harm, and that the spell isn't the only thing we are checking to be sure you are free of the Doctor.

As to watching you, I mean I'd come to visit, like any friend interested in your welfare would. Despite the enormity of what he's done, I don't believe he had malicious intent. He just lacks the moral compass that would guide a normal person away from slavery and murder as an acceptable means to an end. He truely believed the benefit of his research warranted the sacrifice of your lives. He even tried to get some of my friends to undergo the procedure voluntarily, expecting we would be eager to do it. "

WuJen does his best to placate any concerns she may have, and then leaves her to see about other arrangements for the girls. Once he's out of the room, he summons a spirit and orders it to keep watch over the girl from the astral, and to alert him if she tries to leave
the grounds of the community center or anything attempts to harm her.

That done he returns to bed and leaves his body, traveling to Mushiba's compound. He manifests briefly for Mushiba's benefit, to let him know he's working on getting the girls gone, and then goes to talk to the girls and see what they would like to do about living accommodations.

WuJen tells the girls "Ok, bottom line... As far as we can tell your headware doesn't put you at any extra risk. We have worked on securing it so you can't easily be turned back into dolls against your will, and we will continue to work on that, or work with you to remove the headware entirely if you wish. No hard timeline to r that exists right now though. Your hardware works as skillwires, and it's function goes beyond that to training skills very quickly that you would retain in the natural way. We are happy to help you get any skillsofts or training you like so you can support yourselves as you see fit.

So, I don't think the Yakuza has a particular interest in you at this time. They can't make use of your headware, and unless any of you are secretly the daughter of a Yakuza boss or politician, I doubt you are in any more danger than anyone else in the city at this point.

So, to your living arrangements. While I think you may be selling the guys here short, it appears you aren't happy here, and they aren't exactly genteel. So, for your comfort and theirs, those of you with friends or family to stay with, we can help get you there. Those of you without... I'm willing to help fund a new place to live for a short time, but you need to consider what you are going to do to support yourself. I didn't go to the trouble of rescuing you from slavery as a Bunraku to see you starve on the street, and you are in the position to learn any skills that interest you. Pick a profession, and let's see about getting you on your feet and out of Mushiba's hair. "

WuJen says "Not all jobs are legal. It's part of why I chose here as a place to put you up, I'd hoped I could convince both you and them that you could be valued members of this community. No one is happy with that idea, and I apologise for that.

I appreciate the position you are in, I'm one of the only people I know that *does* have a SIN. Ordinarily I'd suggest finding a place among the Yakuza, but I don't feel like that's a good idea.

You could run the Shadows. It's not safe, but develop the right contacts and skills there is nuyen to be made, and with enough nuyen other hurdles can be; overcome.

I suppose we could find you a nice abandoned building somewhere, and you could make whatever life you liked there. I know some other people too, but some of them are likely to literally eat you, they aren't friends. There's also places outside the city we could ask, but they aren't quite as happy to see outsiders.

But whatever we are going to do, staying here isn't really any safer than leaving you with the Yakuza long term. These are good men, but they aren't gentlemen. There's a little room at the community center where I stay, but with so many the conditions in jail might be more roomy. You do not have to decide this minute; or even today. I just wanted to let you know that those of you with a home can go back to it, and for the rest we need to discuss how best to help you. "

WuJen considers "the tools aren't a problem, but a deck is a little behind my means at the moment. I don't suppose any of you would like to be rid of those implants? We could fence a few and make up the difference. "

WuJen nose "I understand, and I will see what I can do. The tools at the very least are easy enough. I can speak with Mushiba and the surviving Cobras and see if there are any good spots nearby if your goal is to salvage from the arcology. "

WuJen takes his leave of the ladies, and again seeks out Mushiba and any surviving Cobras to ask about anyplace nearby that could be settled, pointing out the benefits of friendly neighbors and potential trading partners.

Mushiba has had his hands full dealing with the fixing up the base, dealing with the Cobras who stayed behind, and moving stuff from the old place while avoiding the Ninseis so he hasn't really had much chance to survey the area for useful abandoned buildings, though there are certainly many to choose from.

The ex-Cobras definitely have a better understanding of the area, particularly what is in and out of the drone patrol areas, which is pretty important if one wants to survive in the area for an extended period of time. One brings a map of the area on his commlink, shows the patrol borders, and points out several buildings that are outside of that area and still in relatively good condition.