Blue Lacuna — 184 of 467

Aaron A. Reed

Release 4

Section - Pyramid Machinery

The mind machinery is a setpiece. The mind machinery can be idling or projecting. The mind machinery is idling. The mind machinery is either calibrated or uncalibrated. The mind machinery is uncalibrated. The mind machinery can be crypted or unencrypted. The mind machinery is unencrypted. The description is "The complex array of machinery, which seems to extend well beneath the ground, centers around a cylindrical mass that rises from behind the chair. At its top is a large crystalline [o]egg[x], pulsating with a deep red glow and nearly obscured by a frankenstein medley of technology, half delicate alien machinery and half crude wires and handmade stopgaps.[paragraph break]The machinery forms a wide hemispherical berth around the headrest of the [o]chair[x][pyrdesc2]". Understand "cylindrical" or "mass" as mind machinery. The machinery-password is an indexed text that varies. Understand "machine" as mind machinery.

Instead of attacking the mind machinery when Finishing-Treeworld is solved and Finishing-Rebelworld is solved: force discuss machinery_death. Machinery_death is a beat with reaction "The complex of wires and delicate machines would smash easily enough, you're sure. But is that what you really want?". Instead of saying yes when last beat is machinery_death and location is Observatory Exterior, super rampage. Instead of saying no when last beat is machinery_death and location is Observatory Exterior, say "You lower your hands and calm yourself.". Instead of attacking the mind machinery when Finishing-Treeworld is solved and Finishing-Rebelworld is solved and we have discussed machinery_death: super rampage.

To super rampage: remove the mind machinery from play; remove the mind egg from play; move the destroyed mind machinery to Observatory Exterior; change the machinery-password to "un.typable"; say "Blood pumping thickly through your veins, you grab a fistful of cables and yank as hard as you can. Sparks fly as they come loose in your hand like tufts of hair and the deep thrum beneath you groans. Encouraged, you begin smashing and pummeling the machinery with a vigor. A torrent of steam escapes a broken tube; lights and noises die; the thrum below you slows and finally stops.[paragraph break]Finally, panting, you lower your hands. The mindlink machinery lies in ruins.".

The destroyed mind machinery is a setpiece. Understand "mindlink" or "ruins" or "egg" as destroyed mind machinery. The description is "Only bits and pieces remain. The egg lies dark and silent in their midst.". Instead of attacking destroyed mind machinery: say "No more violence is necessary; it's been reduced to rubbish.".

Instead of attacking the mind machinery: say "This is delicate equipment, probably irreplaceable. You don't want to break anything until you're absolutely sure that's the only solution.".

The mind egg is a setpiece. It is part of the mind machinery. The description is "The torso-sized egg is made of some glass-like material that refracts and bends the red glow spilling from inside it in strange ways. Hundreds of tiny veins of sea-blue run through the crystal. Though intact, the surface is marred by blackened scorch marks and streaks of ash melted into the surface. What bits of the interior you can see seem clouded with fractal patterns of impossible complexity; but most of the object's surface is obscured by wires, tubes, and contacts that connect it to the array of machinery surrounding it.". The dream-text of mind egg is "hundreds of glowing red eggs, filled with luminous sparkles of gold and silver". Instead of taking the mind egg: say "It's intricately connected to the machinery underneath it by hundreds of wires and structural rods.". Instead of touching the mind egg: say "The surface is utterly smooth: smoother than marble, smoother than glass, and [if pyramid has power]hot[otherwise if pressure of the related pipe of the pyramid pressure gauge > 10]warm[otherwise if pressure of the related pipe of the pyramid pressure gauge > 0]slightly warm[otherwise]cool[end if] to the touch.". Instead of opening mind egg: say "It seems to be one unbroken solid shape.". Instead of attacking mind egg, try attacking mind machinery.