Marco Innocenti

Section 8 - Starting the countdown

Instead of putting the translucid bar on the bars holder when the translucid bar is novalit or the translucid bar is novawarm, say "LOGAN://'The powering is not sufficient. To have the bar fully charged you need to expose it to both the radiation and the flare.'"

Instead of putting the charged bar on the bars holder:

say "You start putting the charged bar on the holder... but then hesitate. There is something, in Andy's words, that's still ringing in your ears.[paragraph break][italic type]If I trigger the sequence, [roman type]you murmur, [italic type]the AI will be destroyed along with the ship.[roman type][paragraph break]LOGAN://'What are you waiting for, Ektor Mastiff? There is not much time left. The supernova is now less than half an hour from the Arcadia.'[paragraph break]";

say "'Tell me, LOGAN: How did your crew store their... memories? The story of your galaxy?'[paragraph break]LOGAN://'The bulk of Neulanean knowledge [bold type]complexity[roman type] is recorded in a compartment in bridge 3, level 4, starboard section, if that is what you mean. Unfortunately, the place is unreachable from here. Why are you asking, if I can inquire?'[paragraph break]'Fact is, my friend, that if I decide to blow up this ship, those memories... and yours also, will be lost forever. I don't know if I want the hand that pushes the button to be mine.'[paragraph break]";

say "LOGAN://'Oh, this is a nice consideration, on your behalf, but I don't see how your choice could change the outcome. The supernova is almost here and there is no one left in the galaxy to save us.'[paragraph break]'That's fine, but... I don't know. Pulling the trigger: Wouldn't it mean they have won? The Hyerotropes, I mean. The fact that they are going seek-and-destroy on us and in the end we decide to sacrifice ourselves -- our heritage -- to them... Isn't it like surrendering?'[paragraph break]";

say "There is a minute of silence, then the friendly machine speaks again:[paragraph break]LOGAN://'I think you are rather miscalculating the situation, here, Ektor Mastiff. What makes you believe the objects you call the Hyerotropes are after you or any other being in the galaxy? Evidence suggests that the scope of the events triggered by them is not even comparable to the life-span of your -- or Neulan's -- entire history. They seem to be invoking forces to mould masses of galaxies[if the universe hologram is known], as you have witnessed yourself in the Commanders['] Quarters holo-projector[end if]. Although I'm not programmed to make hypotheses, I can suppose they don't even calculate [italic type]life[roman type] as something worthy of their attention.'[paragraph break]";

say "You pause. The bar in your hands starts growing dim.[paragraph break]'But they [italic type]did[roman type] disintegrate at least three inhabited galaxies.' You think about Uncle Oren's last words. 'If not life, what is it they are after?'[paragraph break]LOGAN://'That I cannot answer. What I understand, though, is that you are giving us more account than we deserve. The universe is fifteen billion years old. We are just a whisper in a crowded gathering. The universe will survive. It will outlive us and maybe the Hyerotropes, too.'[paragraph break]";

say "'But,' you insist, 'why did they spare me? Why did they [italic type]save[roman type] me, if I'm not that important?'[paragraph break]LOGAN://'Because it is polite, isn't it, Ektor Mastiff?'[paragraph break]You stare at the vacuum and take your decision. As you drop the charged bar in place, a vigorous alarm starts ringing. It is so strong you have to clog your ears. After about ten seconds, the alarm goes silent and everything becomes dark and cold.[paragraph break]LOGAN://'To trigger the self-destruct sequence, I had to remove power from every other remaining facility. I kept the railways functioning for you to get back to the Hyerotrope. The ELSS is down, so don't remove your suit at any cost. You have 40 minutes left before the Arcadia will blast. Good luck, Ektor Mastiff.'";

now the charged bar is on the bars holder;

activate the Table of Escape Hints;

now the white jumpsuit is charged;

now the Beast is in the Train Station;

now the hoses are part of the smashed container;

now the smashed container is in the Freezing Chamber;

remove the large container from play;

now the bulky shutter is closed;

now the High Corridor is travelled;

now the large octagonal-shaped machine is switched off;

now the Train Station is travelled.

Before taking the charged bar:

if the charged bar is on the bars holder:

say "You don't want to power down the reaction. And the bar is too hot too handle at the moment.";

stop the action.

Instead of taking off the white jumpsuit when the white jumpsuit is charged, say "You would lose pressure and die instantly."

The white jumpsuit has a number called the countdown. The countdown of the white jumpsuit is 41.

Definition: the white jumpsuit is running if its countdown is 11 or more. Definition: the white jumpsuit is finishing if its countdown is 10 or less. Definition: the white jumpsuit is over if its countdown is 0.

Every turn when the white jumpsuit is charged:

decrease the countdown of the white jumpsuit by 1;

if the white jumpsuit is running:

say "[one of][or]LOGAN://'Warning! Self-destruct sequence activated. You have [countdown of the white jumpsuit in words] minutes to leave the ship!'[or][no line break][cycling]";

else if the white jumpsuit is over:

say "LOGAN://'Self-destruct sequence complete. Good bye Ekt---'[paragraph break]The starship Arcadia explodes in a devastating chain reaction that disintegrates it in less than three minutes. Unfortunately, the sequence starts from the bow section, which is the one you are inside, so you miss all the show.";

record "Sequence Comple--" as achieved;

end the game in death;

else if the white jumpsuit is finishing:

say "LOGAN://'Warning! Self-destruct sequence activated. You have [bold type][countdown of the white jumpsuit in words][roman type] minutes to leave the ship!'".

Before looking when the jumpsuit is charged: