Part 24: The Reactor Revisited

Rolling back the clock again. I've just finished poking around the available logs from *Mute's perspective, and unlocked her list of questions. Decisions up until now are the same as the first time.



Let's keep things on this side of the computer.

Question 1


Look, the questions are for her. They're perfectly straightforward, I don't think any need explanation. Take them to her yourself. You don't have to take my word for it!
It's probably best if you hear it straight from the crazy bitch's mouth herself.

Question 2


Okay... so I can't help but notice that you haven't gone back to *Hyun-ae to get the whole story about the murders.



Oh. Well, that's good.



Oh, okay. I was hoping you'd say that, honestly!



Oh, alright! I just figured, it's an awfully bold thing to claim about someone you've already met, so it's better to hear it from her directly... but if you do trust me, then sure!
Let me just warn you, though... the way this interface of hers is set up? I can actually see every single message that you've flagged as "read". Not what she's said, mind, but I can tell which logs you've seen.
So obviously she can see that, too.
And let's be honest: That crazy bitch is going to flip out completely if she sees her beloved sisterly rescuer knows the whole story.
Like, I wouldn't enable her at all after this, if I were you, this is going to be the point of no return with you two.



Okay then. I think you've made the right choice, but... well, no turning back now.
You don't want to read all her diaries, it's just really grating whining... even I couldn't bring myself to read much of it. But here, there's one in particular I think you should see, and I swear, this is her own words.



BGM: Mute (Entropy)

Uh oh.

So... I'm sure you've noticed all this static on the line, and are wondering what's going on, right?



Look, there's a problem, but it'll be okay. I'm here to help you, but you absolutely must stay calm, or I can't. Just keep it together, we'll be okay if you don't get emotional, but...
Well, right now, we're in the middle of a nuclear fission reactor meltdown.
I'm sure you don't know what that means, and it's okay, you don't have to worry your pretty little head with the details.
The bottom line here is that if it doesn't get shut down soon, there is going to be a massive, massive explosion.
Well then...
Right, well, ordinarily this'd be something you'd want to get a man to do... but it’s okay. I'm sure you'll be able to pull through just fine!
I have the utmost confidence in you!
We've got twenty minutes until the reactor goes all up, killing both of us, permanently. Clock starts now.



BGM: The Reactor

The first thing were going to try doing is just simply using the disable action. I don't think this will work, mind you, but you never know.
The ship's been in such a state of disrepair and non-maintenance, it's probably going to be really complicated.
Still, try that for me, will you? Drop down to the terminal, and try just shutting down the reactor directly.



Oh no it didn't work!!!

*Mute please tell me what to do, I am just a hysterical space dame.



The ship's been in such a state of disrepair and non-maintenance, it's probably going to be really complicated.
Still, try that for me, will you? Drop down to the terminal, and try just shutting down the reactor directly.
...oh. Whoa, self-repetition there.



Oh. And it didn't work, of course.
Don't worry. That was to be expected, there's nothing to worry about just yet.
Of course it couldn't be that simple.
I'm... not sure what's causing the technical problem. I'm going to go do an account of everything and see if I can't figure it out myself.
Hold on for a moment, please.



Oh, of course. That figures.
I found the problem, and it's pretty bad, I'm afraid.
In simple terms: There's two power systems on the ship. One is the nuclear reactor, which is currently running and about to explode. The second is called the Power Storage System. It doesn't generate anything, it's just a battery. When the ship is in low power mode, it's supposed to run off the Power Storage System exclusively, and that should be enough.
The problem is, the primary battery has been completely drained. I can't tell why, the system logs were incorrectly filed by a certain crazy bitch... but anyway, the point is, that battery is dead.
So that's why you were getting an error. If you shut down the reactor now, there's nothing to fall back on, and everything goes down, forever.
Don't worry, though. There's a secondary battery. If we switch to that, everything will be fine! All you have to do is tell the Power Storage System to use the secondary battery instead.
Then you'll be able to disable the reactor safely.



OK, I guess we'll have to turn *Hyun-ae off. Surely this is only a temporary measure, right? Right?



Disabling the reactor did not stop the meltdown!

*Mute, I have too many womanly emotions and hormones to solve this problem.



We're not done yet, though. The reactor is off, but before you managed to do that... well, it already hit critical temperature.
It's not getting any hotter, but unfortunately, it's not getting any cooler either, and I'm... starting to suffer some pretty serious damage from the heat.
Ugh, this is really, really bad... I'm... I'm sorry. I can't... half my processors just aren't even responding, I can't think of a solution... I... I've let you down, I'm so sorry. I have no idea what to do here.
Please, though, you have to think of some way to get rid of all that excess heat!
I don't know what, but... you have to do something, before the damage becomes permanent!
Please... don't let me die here!

A bit of mucking about later...



Okay, here's what you can do: First, make sure the bulkhead seals are in place. Then enable the emergency life support, to fill the empty chambers around the reactor with air.
Next, disable the bulkhead seals, to vent all that heated air into space!
That... That should... If I've done the math right... that should be enough to do it!
Please, hurry, though! There... There isn't much time...



Success!



BGM: Mute (Rescue)

You have my deepest, and sincerest gratitude. Really, if it weren't for you, I'd be dead right now. I owe you my life. Thank you. If you want to talk for a little bit, before we get back to business, that'd be quite alright with me.
Wow, nothing like a near brush with death, huh...



I'll take her up on that offer.



Hm... well, so...
Well.
So, you know? When the timer was getting close near the end, I kinda got to thinking.
Just that, you know, the whole ship is dead.
Once you're gone, it's going to be pretty uneventful, and pretty lonely.
Like, uneventful? That's okay, I don't mind that. I mean, uneventful means that things are secure, so I'm programmed to feel at ease when that's the case.
So yeah, uneventful I can deal with, by design.
But... lonely?
Yes, I'm just an AI, but I'm programmed like a woman. I like to talk, okay? I mean, I'm sure you've noticed.
And you know what that's like.
How do you do it? How do you cope with being all on your own?
So yeah, that's what I've been thinking about.
It's just kinda depressing.
But hey! I'm still alive! That's pretty good, right?
Let me tell you: I'll take purposeless and alive over the alternative any day.
...okay, wow, I've been just rambling there about myself.
I kinda hate it when other people do that. I'll knock it off now...
...so, anyway, what were we talking about...?



Crisis averted, it's time to learn what the deal is with the crazy and homicidal Hyun-ae!