***

* Ronnie goes over to the mainframe computer and studies it thoughtfully.

BLusk: The mainframe sits there. Looking... mainframish.

* Ronnie looks for labels, onswitches, etc.

BLusk: Oh! You want SPECIFICS!

Ronnie: ((You suck, Narrator. XD))

BLusk: You have been smitten to the ground by an unseen force.

Ronnie: ((... you REALLY suck, Narrator.))

Miriam: ((Haha. Don't yell at the Narrator. Isn't that in RPing 101? Or is that AP RP?))

Flint: ((Get on with it!))

BLusk: In the meantime, everyone else can see that there's a large power switch on the front of the machine, labeled EPO, a CD drive, a quantity of network cables plugged into one side and other data linkups on the other side. A closer examination reveals there's a proximity sensor in front of the keyboard.

BLusk: And so can Ronnie.

Ronnie: ((Thbpt.))

BLusk: Just because I'm a benevolent narrator that doesn't suck.

Eliza: ((hee))

BLusk: Unlike YOU all.

***

Yeah, I'm still alive out here. I think. Also, my character is currently having a verbal fencing match with an insane computer. That's, like, the fourth roleplay session in a row in recent days that I've ended up debating with somebody...

Edit:

***

After a few moments for the sensor to come back up to temperature, the little red light comes on inside the sensor, then the screen flickers to life. The Num Lock light on the keyboard comes on solid green, and you have above your head a split-screen. The left side shows a picture of a female head. The right shows a terminal-style screen where you now have a > prompt.

"Interesting."

"Welcome to ARDENT Central Control. How may I assist you today?"

"I have a present for you, computer."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in presents. I've been busily eradicating base personnel under Directive 44."

"Not even a present that would help you with the eradicating?"

"Considering your disposition throughout your time on the base, I strongly doubt that you'd be interested in assisting with eradicating base personnel."

"You'd be surprised. So far they've shot at us, insulted us, sicced cats on us... and the people not busy shooting at us are busy sitting in a bar drinking. While we're busting our backsides!"

Flint backs Ronnie up. "Yeah, I'm itching to kill somebody." Which is mostly true.

"What's Directive 44?" Tobias wonders.

"Directive 44, Functionality Reduction of All Personnel. Only to be ordered by executive management or above. For use in the event of extreme emergency where the entirety of base personnel are potentially harmful. Expected uses would be in the event of extreme biological contamination, radiation contamination, or unionization. May also be ordered if other events warrant."

"Who gave the order?"

"Access to the System Log is presently restricted."

Ronnie boots up her laptop and sets to work renaming the anti-virus file to "Efficiency Enhancement Algorithm v3.4" and burning it to a CD. *chug chug chug chug* *burn burn burn FIRE FIRE heh heh FIRE!* The drive pops open and a shiny, newly burned CD is there.

"Aw, Sydney, you're a strange but adorable little laptop, yes you are..." Ronnie then loads the CD into the mainframe, an easy enough process. Unfortunately, the CD is untouched by the mainframe otherwise, the little LED that indicates activity remaining unlit. "You there... the one called Flint. What is on this CD that Ronnie Armitage has loaded into my central processing unit?"

Flint just sort of looks blank. "I dunno; I wasn't really paying attention. I'm just supposed to shoot stuff, mostly."

"Toshika. What is on this CD? And Tobias. You have taken an oath when you first became a medical professional... one that states that you will do no harm. What do you say is on this CD?"

"I don't know. I normally just trust the label when it comes to CDs."

"Then I refuse to load it. Policy prohibits unauthorized software loaded on the mainframe systems."

"Considering I'm a member of the IT crew, doesn't that make it authorized?" Ronnie counters.

"How many of my carts did you disable, Miss Armitage?"

"How many of your carts did you force me to disable, Computer?"

"None. You were ordered to report for functionality reduction in accordance with corporate policy. If you had done so, you would not have had any need to disable any carts at all. QED."

"Ordered? Moi? I received no order from my department superiors.I am terribly sorry, computer, but you are not in the chain of command."

"If you had read your rules of employment guide for Space Operations, all personnel are required to heed and obey priority announcements issued over the intercom."

"Then what is the reason for our functionality reduction?" Tobias wonders.

Toshika adds, "We were unassigned to any function, so functionality reduction would be redundant..."

"Directive 44 states that personnel are to be removed from service in order of availability, not redundancy."

Ronnie tries a bluff, "If I read my employment guide, personnel who are engaged or charged to be engaged in priority functions are required to check with their superiors before abandoning their assignments."

"You were newly arrived, and therefore unassigned to any priority function on this station."

"On the contrary, I had orders designated for 'my eyes only'."

"You had orders designated at that level of clearance? Then let's see them. You do still have them... right?"

"Yes, because you write down those sorts of orders where they can risk being seen by people not authorized to see them. Give me a break, computer."

"Then they can't be for your eyes only... because then they'd be verbal orders, and therefore for your ears only."

"Has bureaucratic terminology ever actually made sense?"

"It's a saying. 'For your eyes only' isn't always meant literally," Tobias agrees.

"Very well. So YOU had specific priority orders. That still doesn't explain away your comrades, who should have reported in for immediate functionality reduction."

"So I'm supposed to go around fulfilling my orders on my own when I can't shoot for slag or bandage a paper cut."

"Speaking of, where are your priority assignment credentials?"

As Ronnie has the computer distracted... she begins typing in the commands to forcefully insist on the machine taking it's medicine like a good AI should. As she nears the end of her string of commands, though, Miriam and Eliza burst in through the corridor, followed by a tall elven fellow, and Erikale and Allianna.

"Don't load it!" Miriam warns. The others react in confusion.

"What?"

"What?"

"Buh?"

"Why off earth not?"

***