Part 27: Robot - Update # 8 - The big reveal

Robot Chapter, Part 8
In Which Kato is an Idiot

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Immediately following the Cold Sleep room scene, we're dragged to outside the captain's quarters. Kato, mechanical genius that he is, tries entering the code at least three times, but gets error messages every time.

: It...it won't open!
: What are you doing!? Just break the goddamn lock!
: I know! I thought of that!

So what they're saying is that whole errand we were sent on to fetch a password was a complete waste of time, at least so far as getting the captain's door open. The code will have a use later on though.

: Hold on, Sphere! Take this!



A futuristic device for forcing doors open? Awesome!



Son of a...

Whatever the case, Kato is more than capable of wrenching the door open using his own tools. Fortunately, the captain is just fine with having his door smashed in, because he's got other concerns.



You know, like being dead.

: I thought so. Now the only ones left are me and you. Now get moving!
: Wh-what are you talking about?



: You killed all the others, didn't you!?
: ME!? What are you saying? Why would I...?
: I'm not one of you. I wouldn't have any reason to kill any of you, but I have no idea what kinds of grudges you might hold.



: What...what would you know about us anyway!? It's true, I wasn't really good friends with the others, but nobody hated anyone else! None of us'd kill another human being!



: They were just trying to live the way they wanted to, struggling and mulling over things all the way. Just like anyone else!

Okaaaaay, couple issues with that whole spiel. First off, the idea that Kato built Sphere because he didn't have any friends is both unsurprising and slightly disturbing. Secondly, both Kirk and Rachel hated Huey quite unambiguously, and Huey and Kirk would have had a common reason to off one another if given the chance, namely their mutual attraction to a certain crazy girlfriend. Or wasn't he noticing when they got into a scuffle right in front of him?



Turns out that the captain (whose name is Hol, by the way) also has a message on his computer. Because you know, it isn't survival horror without files and/or personal logs.

: This is the Cogito Ergosum. We're currently on course for Earth. We should arrive there on time as...Eh, what's that?



: S-somebody help!! Th-the door won't open!?

How illuminating. Alternatively, we could have examined him, and learned that he died of asphyxiation that way. Comments, Mr. Kato?



You have got to be kidding.

Since Darth isn't making any motions to arrest Kato like he threatened to do, we are forced once more to explore the ship a bit. Just like the last time, we only have to go down one screen, but it's quite possible to go the other way and end up wandering the entire ship before we get to the screen where something happens.



You obviously can't hear it, but there's a loud annoying tone ringing in this part of the ship, and it doesn't go away until you find the source of the noise.



: The room's alarm is going off. The reason is indeterminate. Please investigate. Forcefully disabling the lock now...



If you haven't already guessed, this is Darth's room, and the alarm is still buzzing. In fact, it won't stop buzzing until you use the console.



"Military Notification Plan No. XXXXXXXXX"

: Continue to monitor the organism even during transport. In the event that you notice any sort of reaction to the presence of humans, please take care to write it down.

If it should happen to do anything cute, do not hesitate to take pictures.

: It is of the utmost importance that it reach its destination. Should the worst happen, its safety at the expense of human life has been deemed an acceptable risk. That is all. --Command HQ

Wait, so the military in a science fiction story is...EVIL!? Nobody could have seen that coming! Let's hear what Kato has to say about it.



: So THAT'S what this is all about! I thought there was something funny about this!

Brace yourself, folks. This is going to hurt.

: Why would you go out of your way to use a civilian cargo transport just to bring that thing to Earth? you had this planned all along!
: You went into my room!? It just goes to show that you can't trust a robot.
: Since you want data on that monster, you used us like lab rats in an experiment!
: Calm down! That memo was in reference to what would happen should extreme circumstances arise!

Kato's statement here makes no logical sense, even if you assume that you can somehow gain useful data from releasing an experimental creature onto a civilian ship full of idiots and crazies. Unless, of course, the Behemoth is going to be bred specifically for taking out civilian cargo ships carrying unarmed people with no combat training, in which case I'd have to ask what's the point.

But before Darth can argue his point further...

: What the?



...The lights go out, and the slightly more atmospheric emergency lights come on instead.



: Let's get out of here, Sphere!

We don't get a choice in whether or not to follow Kato this time, which is a shame, because in this case, it'd be more than welcome. We don't get very far though, before...





Behemoth out of nowhere!



Fortunately, the Behemoth is content to drop us in the middle of the corridor and then walk slowly towards us like a cheesy slasher horror villain.



Since the door at the other end of the hall is locked, this gives us a chance to try out the Power Jack. As shown here, it only has ten charges, which would be terrifying if we ever had to open more than ten doors.

At this point, if we try to interact with any of the consoles, we'll get the following cheery message:



: I have taken over the ship.

Curiously enough, the crewmates' personal computers are unaffected by this, as is the Captain Square game. Maybe they operate on a different network.

Now then, triggering the next plot event is fairly hard to do purposely on your first time through the game. The following steps have to be done in order, despite the lack of logic behind them:



First, we need to go to one of the corridors on the third floor and have these water jets block our path. The door leading out the other way is locked, forcing us to use the Power Jack once more. As for the water...



Do I even need to say what happens if you try to pass it?



After that, you need to go down to the cargo bay and dodge the Behemoth as it jumps out from behind a stack of crates. What it was doing back there is best left to the imagination.



Now, when we go to the second floor, we should catch a glimpse of something familiar ducking into the opposite door from us. Since we're in the general area of the Cold Sleep room, we should check up on Rachel.


"Rachel is inside, but she isn't showing signs of life."

And then there were two, and a half.



Continuing our pursuit of the mysterious figure, we just barely catch a glimpse of it entering Kato's room, and we immediately give chase.



If you didn't already guess, this is one of Kato's previous prototypes. We last saw it sitting in a corner in a storage room, missing a power source. How is it moving without a power source? Your guess is as good as mine, but I'm betting that the Behemoth installed one in it while sitting behind those crates.



My words exactly, Darth.

Wasting no time, the corporal bats the robot on the left (that's us) against a wall and pulls a giant gun out of who-knows-where.



: That hunk of junk must have been the one that shut down Rachel's capsule! It's a hazard to our continued survival. I'm going to destroy them both.



Hey, look who isn't dead! Of course, getting beaten up as much as he did by a short worker robot is embarrassing enough as it is.

: Sphere couldn't have done something like that!
: ...Hmph!

Okay, so we've got a severe case of mistaken identity, and a trigger-happy military officer ready to blow apart the first robot that beeps suspiciously. So what do you suppose the best course of action is?



If you suggested taking on the other robot in hand-to-hand combat, then what the heck is wrong with you?



So here is the moment of truth, when you show that you were paying attention to an offhand detail mentioned near the start of the chapter. The consequences of guessing wrong are obvious.



By the way, if you consult an online guide, most of them will probably give you the solution for the older translation, which is Koro. Just one more entertaining thing about this puzzle, I suppose.

: Then this is the one!

Suddenly, the robot powered by vague means begins to speak, and a strange song begins to play...



: Someone's controlling this thing remotely! Who the hell are you!?





While this is sort of creepy, it loses a bit of its scariness when Darth immediately fills it with several kinds of lead.

: Kato! Do you know what this OD-10 is?
: It...it's...



Surprised? Neither am I.