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A Pound of Flesh: Two Truths and a Lie

Babushka finishes repairing Murderbot after his mod overload. Murderbot learns that he has a panic button which is now controlled by Carnoc. The rest of the crew get mods installed mostly uneventfully, except that Ink grows some new vents. We learn how some of the crew relaxed over the last month via sex, exercise, painting, and talking. The crew return to The Company ship, coming up with a cover story for Yandy's plan. Murderbot hides out in the ship to avoid having their black box read. The Smoking Man reviews the data stick and keeps the crew in holding while waiting for the CEO to arrive. Ink hides the case, which the crew believes is a nuclear weapon, behind a toilet on the company ship. Murderbot spies on a Repurposing Department crew removing the crew's items from their ship. The Company CEO asks about Sycorax production and offers another mission to obtain some Solarian Fruit for analysis. Ink starts blabbing the truth, and Smoking Man reveals the drugs did their job.

Episodes in module: A Pound of Flesh

Rebooting Murderbot

  • Carnoc asks about the panic button
    • Babushka investigates
    • anyone directly threatening The Company would trigger it
    • Carnoc comes up with an unsafe word phrase
    • Babushka rewrites the code
  • we remove the Pilot Skillslick from Murderbot to fix his overclock

Babushka repairs Murderbot

Babushka repairs Murderbot

  • Babushka says through DopTown into the sink there's a graveyard where we could harvest old cyberware
  • Murderbot boots up
  • Carnoc: "Did you know you have a panic button?"
    • Murderbot: "A panic button? What is that?"
    • Carnoc: "Um… it can cause you to detonate."
    • Murderbot: "That is insane. Why would I have a panic button?"
    • Carnoc: "It looks like the company wanted you to spy on us."
    • Murderbot: "I have no such directive from the company. Is the panic button now gone?"
    • Carnoc: "No, it's still there."
    • Murderbot: "What will cause this panic button to go?"
    • Carnoc: "It used to be people around you talking negative things about the company, like planning or plotting against the company."
    • Dex: "I'm honestly surprised we hadn't set it off already by accident."
    • Murderbot: "There is still a panic button inside me. Is this correct? What will trigger this panic button?"
    • Carnoc: "Me saying a word. Or your death."
    • Murderbot: "What is this word? Well, please write it down, so that I may know to avoid it."
    • Carnoc: "No, only I can say it. It has to be my voice."
    • Murderbot: "Well, yes, but it is your voice, so don't say it. Just write it down."
    • Carnoc: "I won't say it, or write it down. I don't anticipate needing it."
    • Murderbot: "I hope not! But as of now, there is no word that is programmed to trigger the panic button, is that correct?"
    • Carnoc: "No, there is. I just didn't tell anyone what it was."
    • Carnoc: "Murderbot, you can feel safe. You don't need to be concerned about this. That's an order."
    • Murderbot: "Order received."

Installing Mods

  • Ink gets some cyberware installed
    • semi-organic vents form on Ink's neck and underarms
    • adds slickware
    • gains stress equal to the number of slots

Ink shows off his new vents

Ink shows off his new vents

  • Zeke gets cloakskin cyberware installed

    • no issues

  • Carnoc gets cyberware installed

    • gets slickware installed with no issues

  • Dex gets cyberware installed

    • adds slickware
    • gains stress equal to the number of slots

Reducing Stress

  • Ink reduces 8 stress by having consensual sex
  • Dex paints and it takes awhile but he eventually relaxes, reducing 8 stress
  • Carnoc works out and it takes a couple days but he reduces 6 stress
  • Zeke spends time with his followers and reduces 2 stress

Dex relaxes by painting

Dex relaxes by painting

Returning to The Company

  • we head back to see The Company
    • a case is mysteriously on our ship
    • get into cryo sleep
    • Murderbot monitors the autopilot and crew
  • Murderbot sits next to Carnoc's sleep pod
  • Murderbot wishes he could pilot himself
    • is taunted by the computer
  • a few months pass
  • a week before rendezvous, Murderbot takes us out of cryo sleep

Inspecting the Case

  • we take a closer look at the case
    • it has a note and a data stick
    • says we're likely to be interrogated
  • we inspect data stick
    • contains trade routes starting from a fake location
    • trade manifests have signatures of company ships
    • details of Sycorax production
    • high-level communications from within The Company
      • middle and upper management
      • shows they are involved in trading Sycorax
    • we're not sure how much of it is true
  • Ink and Zeke try to find a way to scan the briefcase
    • Ink is able to reconfigure external scanners to point inside the ship
    • spend some time scanning the case
    • it's radioactive but can't identify the source material
    • there are electronic components inside

Cover Story

  • we try to figure out what to do about Murderbot's black box

Float in space in a vacsuit

Float in space in a vacsuit

Drop off on Samsa 6, the former Carc planet

Drop off on Samsa 6, the former Carc planet

Hide on the ship

Hide on the ship

  • Murderbot decides to stay on the ship
  • we discuss our cover story
    • Murderbot hacked into Bratva and obtained these records
    • Bratva found Murderbot and we weren't able to free him
    • need a high-level company representative to review the information
    • we can give the company access to Bratva

Docking with Company Ship

  • initiate docking procedures with a company ship
    • it's a troop transport, 10 times larger than us
    • same ship as before
    • a few other ships nearby, but this is the largest
  • company asks us for the ship manifest
    • this includes crew, and we leave Murderbot off the list
    • airlock opens, no one is there to greet us
    • we enter a decontamination room
    • crew decontaminates and puts on company uniforms
    • Ink tries to arrange uniform to hide his vents

Debriefed by Smoking Man

  • we're greeted by the smoking man
    • tell him we completed the mission
    • we're escorted to a debriefing (interrogation) room

Crew detained in an interrogation room

Crew detained in an interrogation room

  • he reviews the data stick
    • he seems a bit nervous
    • "Did you review this information?"
    • Zeke: "We plugged it in, we have no idea if it's accurate."
    • "This goes up pretty high. Why don't you guys wait here?"
    • "It's gonna be a while. I need to verify some of this stuff."
    • "You're gonna have to be held here. There'll be a guard at the door, but he can escort you to the bathrooms and stuff, bring food, drink."
    • "You're gonna have to be sequestered here for at least half a day. But if this all turns out to be true, this is good news guys. We're all moving up in the world."
  • Ink goes to use the restroom
    • hides the case behind a toilet

Ink hides the case behind this toilet

Ink hides the case behind this toilet. Do you know how to use the 3 seashells?

  • an hour later they bring us refreshments

Murderbot Watches the Ship

  • meanwhile, on the ship
  • Murderbot is keeping himself busy

Murderbot watches a show to pass the time

Murderbot watches a show to pass the time

  • Murderbot hears footsteps from 3 people
    • random smalltalk
    • sounds like they're picking things up and packing them away

Smoking Man Takes Credit

  • hours pass
  • smoking man returns
    • Smoking Man: "This is really exciting"
    • "It's been run up the chain all the way to the CEO. He's coming to review this data."
    • "I feel pretty good about this, based on what I've seen in here. That all those people will be fired. And that we can move up."
    • "I really do think we're in line for maybe more than one promotion. Your pay may increase 20 or 30%. That's exciting."
    • "When he gets here and reviews the data he's probably gonna have some questions. Just be relaxed, calm, and professional."
    • "He's gonna be pretty excited about what we found."
    • He emphasizes the we. He's definitely gonna take credit for this.

Meeting the CEO

  • 2-3 more hours pass
    • we've waited about 12 hours total now
  • Ink uses Tattletale to listen in as CEO arrives
    • they question if the information is correct
    • they're excited to learn more about Sycorax production
    • the corruption allegations could open up spots for promotion
    • this CEO is only head of a particular syndicate, so even they could be promoted
  • CEO walks in
    • CEO: "Devin here transmitted all of this data to me."
    • CEO: "Tell me about your mission. Tell me how it went."
    • Zeke: "We lost a good friend."
    • CEO: "Your Android? You made friends with the android?"
    • Zeke: "Yes. Of course we did."
    • CEO: "That's a bit bizarre."
    • Zeke: "He felt human to us."
    • CEO: "Well, unfortunately, that was company property, so that's gonna come out of your salaries."
  • CEO discusses Sycorax production
    • Ink: "I think we could go a little bit deeper out there, Prospero's, and maybe even take out the head honcho. If you want us to go back undercover."
    • CEO: "Well, we have the formula, but it does allude to a specific ingredient that is hard to come by. Is this Solarian fruit on the station?"
    • Dex: "We didn't spend much time talking to Ukko-Ukka. we know the Solarian Church is involved in farming something, and they're the ones manufacturing Sycorax.
    • CEO: "What we really need is to get a sample of that Solarian fruit. We can then do a chemical remake of it... make a synthetic version. That's what I need you to go back for."
    • CEO: "It wouldn't hurt if you also destroyed all the evidence so that we didn't have competitors."
    • CEO: "So… Yes, there's a mission following this. I'm willing to offer you 10 months of hazard pay."

Repurposing Company Assets

  • meanwhile, Murderbot is keeping watch on the ship

Murderbot spies on intruders

Murderbot spies on intruders

Repurposing Division collects company items

Repurposing Division collects company items

  • 3 members of the repurposing division are each packing things into a large bin
    • Murderbot notices everything they're packing is company materials on loan
    • including the Wilbur Mark II
    • Murderbot sends us a warning that Ink picks up on his Looky-loo

The Truth Comes Out

  • continuing discussion with the CEO
    • Ink: "our Murderbot's hidden on the ship. It's not destroyed."
    • Ink continues to say incriminating things without realizing it
    • Devin: "Boy, that sodium pentothal really works wonders, doesn't it?"