Fate of the Reasoner

[Fab]

Discovery
Hidden compartment

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One of the welders working at the life support compartment came across a curious discovery while fixating hull panels. His blowtorch blew straight through an unexpectedly thin wall segment. Upon prying the sheet metal open with a crowbar, he discovers a hidden compartment concealed by panels and thin metal sheets. It looks cubic in shape, and by what his experience tells him, it apparently is a smuggler's hold, a special cargo container designated to fool scanners by bouncing off electromagnetic waves around itself, making it appear like whatever surrounds it to scanners. This would explain why such compartment hasn't been discovered until now.

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Disapproval
Questions Unanswered

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With the rumors and the discovery of the hidden compartment, the curiosity of the workers has sparked. Talks within circles of colleagues about how the official manifests and reports do not align with reality are increasingly common. Some are worried such lack of transparency from ISA's part can lead to accidents or even disaster. Others, do not understand why the secrecy around the ship. A few claim that the ship might be a target of rival families that want to seize the Teide's technology for themselves. Whatever is the word of the moment, the workers are discontent with ISA's disinterest in answering their many questions.

Unrest increases

[Fab]

Success
Core output increased

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After several days of attempts, the engineers aboard the Teide cheer and celebrate after the high-pressure turbines reach 50% output, a staggering 35% increase from previous attempts. With the electrical system repaired, calibrated with factory-new parts and insights from the new schematics, engineers are confident that power outages and emergency shutdowns are no longer a worry. Despite the impressive output, the power generated is still not enough for an ignition sequence. Work now completely shifts to achieving ignition.

[Fab]

Important Event
Shocking discovery

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Almost end of shift. A few workers at the life support compartment are tasked with opening the mysterious sealed bulkhead that was found yesterday. They look for an entrance but they do not manage to find one, as expected from a conventional smuggler's hold. They take their plasma cutters and blow torches to make their own entrance. After a few minutes of careful thermal slicing, they make a hole wide enough for a fully equipped man to pass through. One of the workers volunteers to go inside the bulkhead and report his findings. He goes in and powers his flashlight, revealing a room that looks like a small self-contained habitat, commonly found in long range scout ships. Scanning around, he finds several bunk beds, storage spaces, surfaces for seating... and, for his surprise, corpses. He gasps and becomes wide-eyed in fear. Reluctantly, he makes way to take a closer look. five bodies in advanced stages of decomposition are found: Two adult males, one adult female, two children. He backs off after seeing their decomposed and deformed faces, letting out a scream. He leaves the compartment in a hurry by carelessly jumping out of the compartment. His coworkers anxiously ask about what he found. He takes a while to catch his breath, and reveals his findings.

Everyone is shocked and in disbelief. Another worker takes his flashlight and shines it against the filthy interior of the compartment. The terrifying sight makes him gasp and take a step backwards, which makes him trip and fall on his back. He is helped up, and some of them begin to panic. Despite being Corsairs, no civilian is prepared to control their emotions in such situations. The most well-collected in the group calm down the rest, reassuring their colleagues. After all of them have their emotions in control, they ask each other what they should do. The first thing they decide is to keep their discovery a secret, and make up a lie. They judged that the ISA will surely cover up the event and apply consequences to the witnesses. Afterwards, they plan on exploring the compartment on another day. "We deserve a few answers" - one of them says to the group, before closing and concealing the hole. They return to the foreman, and all report the same thing: "The compartment was a repurposed bulkhead to store toxic byproducts of the life support system".

[Fab]

Preparations
Ignition imminent

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"General announcement! Workers are to cease their activities, secure their tools and gather at the airlocks. A full battery of engine tests is imminent!" - A foreman warns using a megaphone, echoing across the ship. The same announcement is broadcasted through the few intercom systems that are in working order. After the feat of stabilizing the primary power core and reaching a stable power output, the chief engineers agree that it is time to initiate an engine stress test to triangulate faulty components and benchmark the ship's performance.

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Success
Secondary ignition achieved

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A major milestone has just been met. The team working on the propulsion systems managed to conduct the initial engine startup sequence successfully, with minor problems. Port engine array fired flawlessly with all three nozzles maintaining stable combustion. Starboard engine array initiated combustion, but a problem with the fuel pump resulted in flooding of the nozzles and a unstable combustion. Engineers are confident that with the new Kusari engine components, the fuel pump can be fixed and calibrated quickly. Next on the test pipeline is a full ignition sequence with coaxial magnetic couplings release.

[Fab]

Life support compartment. 4 hours into the maintenance shift. Martin, the one who first entered the compartment, meets up with Ramón, his coworker, also a witness. Ramón helped Enrico, the second to enter the compartment, get back on his feet.

Martin
Hola, Ramón. Where are the others?

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Ramón
Ah, Martin! Feeling better, si? Enrico, Alessandro and the others were given engine duty. It is just us two with maintenance.

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Martin
Oh, I guess this is for the best... So, we going in again? Foreman isn't missing us.

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Ramón
I had another plan. We give amigo Samuel a call, see if he can come help us. Unlike us both chicas, he's got cojones. Don't know if you heard about the hombre, but he's on the clean-up team. Seen real nasty stuff. The things right there? Ain't nothing for him.

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Martin
Hmm... Samuel. The one with the yellow suit? Saw him in the cafeteria a couple days ago. Hombre looks tough... If you trust him, Ramón, I can get behind that. You go call him.

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Ramón
Muy bien! I'll get him down here. Say we found some trash that needs cleaning. He'll be over in a minute...

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Ramón calls Samuel, which takes a few minutes to arrive. In the meanwhile, Martin and Ramón pretend they're working.

Samuel
Ah, senõritas! Got a problem with trash, eh? Why didn't the ladies take care of the trash themselves?

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Ramón
Finalmente! Took you long enough, Samuel - We ain't got a problem with trash. We need your help for something else. Take a good look over there. [Ramón points at a small gap, and shines his flashlight in it]

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Samuel
Dios mio! You two been killin' people and stashing them here? I ain't cleaning those for you!

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Martin
Relax! We didn't kill anyone, ese. We found those people behind this wall over here. Can you take a look?

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Samuel
[He shrugs] My pleasure, amigo! Work has been quite boring recently... I won't even ask questions.

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Samuel goes inside the compartment with the help of Ramón and Martin. He spends almost a whole ten minutes inside the compartment, turning over everything in it, and occasionally swearing.

Samuel
Bloody fuck! How long these people been here? 'Can smell them through the mask! Fuck!

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After leaving the compartment, Samuel has his trash bag full of findings. They're all eager to analise everything in detail.

Samuel

Alright ladies. Quite the finding you got here, eh? Thing's a treasure cove, I tell you. Listen up, I know you two are eager about the bodies. What can I say is, they aren't Corsairs. I found some trinkets on them. Liberty eagles. They're from the old crew, that's for sure. What they were doing there I don't know. Actually, that spot is a nice one if it didn't smell like granny's arsehole. Kitchen, bathroom, beds... Good for a familia. That's what I think. Those five are related. The oldest, let's call him grandpa, has some nice clothing on him. Probably rich. The other adult male is military. Found a liberty-built plasma thrower by his side. Rusted. Can't sell that one. Ah, he's got a hole in his skull. Someone capped him or he capped himself. The adult female is around the same age as grandpa. I'd say around forty years old. The kids are around twelve. What they all had in common is that they were malnourished. They died from starvation... But the younger adult, milboy over there, "probably" didn't die from natural causes, hah!

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Martin
Jesus. That all?

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Samuel
Probably not. I'd need hours to look at every corner. Everything's filthy.

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Ramón
Alright. That's enough for today. In a couple days, we all go in. Together. It'll be faster this way.

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Samuel
Ah! Ramón! Thought you were a chica! That's what I like to hear. Get a good mask. You'll need it.

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Martin
Fuck.

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Advantage
Positive market reaction

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News of the Teide's successful ignition sequence, albeit partial, reached investors around Crete which reacted positively to the development. The ambitious and risky project has immense potential on the ship construction industry, garnering the attention of several investors that like to trade risky for huge profits. An official ISA spokesperson said "There's nothing the ISA can't build or repair" confidently on tonight's public press conference.

[Fab]

Midshift. Ramón and Martin sit on the same table on dock C's cafeteria. The space is more crowded than usual, with lots of chatter and movement across the room.

Ramón
Amigo Martin! Glad to see you. How's things, holmes?

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Martin
Hola, Ramón. To be real with you, I've been worried about the whole thing we got going on. We're a few tries from foreman Juarez to breathe down our necks.

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Ramón
Compreendo, amigo. Compreendo. Sooner or later we'll need to deal with him. Maybe get him on our side. That would be much easier.

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Martin
Si, si. One less pair of eyes to worry about. Got any idea on how to do that?

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Ramón
Samuel mentioned the whole place being a treasure cove. Te acuerdas? With luck, we can give him a little trinket. Who doesn't likes a good ol' trinket?

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Martin
That's counting on our luck too much, don't you think?

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Ramón
Si. Got any better ideas? Want to spend some of your savings, eh?

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Martin
Hard to argue with that...

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Martin takes a look around the cafeteria, feeling something's wrong. Ramón notices and catches his attention.

Ramón
What's wrong, amigo? Didn't you hear about the news? Some electrician working on the docking bay found an altar below the runway. Crazy hombre told everyone what he found. ISA stepped in and suspended him for practicing religion during shift. They say it was him himself that made the altar.

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Martin
Well, uh... if you ask me, that's plausible. You know how some hombres are, right?

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Ramón
Of course I know, Martin. But doing that on a work shift? When have you heard that happening? I tell you, Martin. There's something strange about this ship. It always felt odd to me.

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Martin
Dios... Of course it is, Ramón! What, never worked on a liberty ship before? I've worked on at least a dozen!

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Ramón
Hah. funny hombre, ain't you? Maybe sooner or later you'll get it. Sometimes, this ship gives me the real creeps. Been worse since we opened up that hole.

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Martin
Don't hit me with those haunted ship stories, Ramón. Those get old. Let's finish up. Ration time's almost over.

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Tragedy
Worker death

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Joel Bolívar, a technician, died today in a freak accident while working on the Teide's primary reactor core. A sudden spike in steam pressure burst open the pipe he was working on, throwing him across the room into a support beam, fracturing the back of his skull and melting his unprepared suit. An ISA representative said that the agency is taking all measures to investigate the incident, and also pointed that such accidents are very common in the ship industry - one of the most dangerous civilian jobs.

Unrest increases
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