The characters: Vermood Tsuunga, pirate humpback whale
The protagonist is Vermood Tsuunga, a hunchback whale and one of a few uplifted prototypes of a canceled program. The modifications are not genetic, but rather involved nanosurgical integration of high-plasticity artificial cortex matter, and the installation of a powerful microframe virtual interface implant. When the uplifting program was canned on ethical ground, Vermood played stupid so as to be released into the wild. He then headed to Bangladesh to "convert" to Islam and obtain a Caliphate passport. Although cognitively slow, he is a creative thinker. Creativity and unnatural intelligence are like salpeter and charcoal to the mind of a ravenous hunter. Through online interactions, he secured a contract as nomadic Internet Service Provider node on the IndiaTel network. Roving the eastern end of the Indian ocean, he saved enough to purchase an infomorph that he had educated in business and law. Vermood doesn't have cultural familiarity with the mainstream pan-human culture.
Character: Tsion, Low-sapiens AI, business end of thing
Tsion is the "Tom Hagen" of the operation. He is programatically bound to obey laws. Although his operations are falling within the confines of this hard-coded limitations, he is aware that Vermood and Kraken are not on the clean side of things. For as long as he has deniability and it doesn't endanger his Caliphate citizenship, he has little choice but to let things go. When Vermood needs to behave like a human, Tsion is usually the one teleoperating Bandar, a second-hand cyberdoll.
Character: Kraken, ghost mind emulation, psychopathic hacker
Kraken was german hacker who became business partner shorlty after the contract with IndiaTel was signed. Kraken analyses meta-data and makes inference on interesting opportunities that Vermood would be able to capitalize on. Two years ago, Kraken went through a host of personal problems, and made the radical decision to undergo destructive uploading. Vermood accepted to play host to his ghost on his massive microframe. In return, Kraken purchased an Eidetic memory package that they share. Kraken believes to be in control, but is very much aware that Vermood has "the finger on the switch" of the microframe. The shared memory has lead Kraken towards Vermood's bestial outlook while Vermood has acquired a taste for angry anarchism. Kraken is considered to be an abomination in the Caliphate and holds no passports.
Continental slope off the Coast of Banda Aceh, Malaysia
The sea is dark blue. The sky is deep gray and a visual sensor couldn't make Santa's sleigh at 150m. Vermood surfaced and established connection. He deployed his COMM arrays and watched the queued packets stream to the sky through his augmented reality (AR) lense.
The ocean floor in these parts is full of fringists that are unwilling to route live traffic to their communities, but are nonetheless willing to update their cached copy of the world-wide-web. Had they realized that their ISP was a microframe woven into a whale's brain, they would have probably refused to do business. Vermood bears no respect for his client either and would gladly destroy them if there was more money in it.
Tsion's 12 vs Electronic Ops(sensor)-10 [secret roll]
Vermood prefers to keep his head clear and "live" the sea. He defers to his infomorph, Tsion, the job to embed back into the web. He doesn't understand the process very well, but knows the kind of questions that can be answered.
First comes the updates, then the map overlays. Tsion fires the router and joins the IndiaTel network. A number of surface ships and buoys access point for underwater installations make connection. All of there traffic goes through Vermood's microframe, although all of it are encrypted VPN streams. Tsion then teleoperates the sensor array on the Ikan to find out where the navy ships are operating: nothing turns up. Vermood is a essentially an Internet router using its position to prey on opportunities. Out in the far reaches of the sea, people need his service: it is easier to get away with more.
First comes the updates, then the map overlays. Tsion fires the router and joins the IndiaTel network. A number of surface ships and buoys access point for underwater installations make connection. All of there traffic goes through Vermood's microframe, although all of it are encrypted VPN streams. Tsion then teleoperates the sensor array on the Ikan to find out where the navy ships are operating: nothing turns up. Vermood is a essentially an Internet router using its position to prey on opportunities. Out in the far reaches of the sea, people need his service: it is easier to get away with more.
Kraken analyze the Internet traffic
7 vs Computer Operations-14 (14, Software +1, Time +1, difficulty -4). MoS 7.
Kraken operates from the VII and spends two hours to sniff network traffic. He maps out the nodes in the net. This task is made hard by the heavy reliance on VPNs and P2P networks. However, if there were some kind of Olympics for network analysis and manipulation, he'd be a medal contender. Tsion opens a TeleOp connection to the Ikan paus (their 300-ton cutter) and update the maps. He digests and sends a reports to Vermood. Surface conditions at Beaufort 5 (rough sea, whitecaps). The Ikan paus is on an interception course with the target: a highly valuable floating nanofactory named the TABAO. Once that a connection is established, Kraken TeleOps into the buzzbot parked on the Ikan and takes off to get a visual on the ship. Tsion reports no silent ships on the display. The coast may be clear. Vermood make a course correction to intercept the TABAO from the south.
twenty second-century highjacking
Tsion determine the ownership trail for the TABAO
support: 14 vs Merchant-11. Nope.
10 vs law-10. MoS 0.
Tsion find out that the TABAO is operating under a license from a South African 3D printing corporation. Tsion identifies the barrister that holds the documents. Kraken takes the information and begins working his magic.
Kraken 11 vs Computer Operation(intrusion)-11 (12 software +2, Tsion's support +1, difficulty -4)
A notification pops on the TABAO informing that the ship has been sold to another corporate interest. The new owner is a corporate entity registered in Bangladesh. A series of keys are provided to update the credentials and connections to corporate accounts. In South Africa, the ownership switch goes un-noticed and may remain like this for days or week unless the informorph running the TABAO gets in touch.
The LAI running the TABAO is no fool. The paperwork checks out OK, but there is something odd about the way things have unfolded, and security protocols have not been followed.
TABAO/CO manages to proxy through a P2P network and establish a VPN back to corporate despite the changes in the routing credentials. The connection is made and a status report is sent out. Kraken doesn't pick up on this move until some information is sent out and a few bytes comes back. He silently redirect the flow into a buffer for later analysis, but some of the damage is done. Kraken reports this to Vermood. Vermood orders the shutdown of the LAI's master process.
The LAI running the TABAO is no fool. The paperwork checks out OK, but there is something odd about the way things have unfolded, and security protocols have not been followed.
TABAO/CO's 9 vs IQ-9. Suspicions arise.
9 vs Computer Operations-11. MoS 2.
Kraken's 8 vs Computer Ops-14. MoS 6.
Kraken wins the contest, with consequences.
TABAO/CO manages to proxy through a P2P network and establish a VPN back to corporate despite the changes in the routing credentials. The connection is made and a status report is sent out. Kraken doesn't pick up on this move until some information is sent out and a few bytes comes back. He silently redirect the flow into a buffer for later analysis, but some of the damage is done. Kraken reports this to Vermood. Vermood orders the shutdown of the LAI's master process.
Kraken's 8 vs Computer Operations (intrusion)-6
(12+2(software)-4(unfamiliar system)-4(LAI inherent security locks))
Kraken tries to take over the TABAO's systems, but it uses a strange proprietary OS that throws him into a hacking trap. The only things that can be done now is to have access to the hardware itself. Vermood orders Tsion to "take a break" and go on a jaunt somewhere in weblife. The Ikan's navigational sorftware is ordered to intercept the TABAO while Kraken will teleoperate Bandar (the cyberdoll) for an unfriendly boarding. ETA: 1h.
Vermood would have loved to operate the TABAO with none the wiser. However, this won't work this time. Vermood is also incredibly hungry. The adrenaline of the complications are piling on the hunger ones. Unfortunately, there is no time for a hunt: he'll have to wait to rendez-vous with the Ikan to get a ration of krill substitute from the reserve.
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