Dr. Amundsen

Portrait

HackerProf.jpg

Conversation

1 - Once you rescue her, if Lo and David are still alive
2 - After telling her about Lo, if he is still alive
3 - After telling here about Lo, if he is dead
4 - If you told Lo to help David himself, and he is still is captured as well
5 - After going to Mikhail's
6 - After going to Mikhail's, Lo is dead
7 - Starting The Survivors Quest
8 - After getting the PDA back
9 - After completing her part of the Survivors quest but before confirming Special Projects' involvement
10 - After talking with Hel about Special Projects and needing to select a contact
11 - After finishing The Survivors Quest.
12 - After finishing The Survivors Quest.
13 - After finishing The Oldtown Quest.

Intro (after rescue)

Thank you, thank you so much. I'm… not even really sure what happened down there.

Still a bit woozy to be honest.

Why were you even looking for me?

Lo sent me
Loki sent me
Just a good samaritan (End of conversation)

Lo sent me

Lo? Can't say it rings a bell, but thank him for me.

He said to say 'Loki sent me'
I will (End of conversation)

Loki sent me/He said to say 'Loki sent me'

Oh, Loki? Wow, never expected to hear that name again. But I guess that is his style.

Thank you and thank him!

(End of conversation)


Intro (told about Lo)

So what's Loki up to nowadays, sending you around to look after people?
A place called Mikhail's mostly
Nowhere in particular (End of conversation)

A place called Mihkail's mostly

Thank you. I'm… not honestly sure quite what happened there. I'll head over to this Mikhail's and we'll see what we can do.

(End of conversation)


Intro (told about Lo, Lo is dead)

So, what's Loki been up to these days.
I've got some bad news...
Oh, same old Lo (End of conversation)

I've got some bad news…

Oh? The poor soul. He was… always the most cautious among us. Got through the accident without a scratch, but now this…

Well, we're just going to have to be strong.

(End of conversation)


Intro (If Lo went after David himself and you still haven't rescued both of them)

So, what's Loki up to then, sending you looking after people?
He went looking after someone too
Hiding out at Mikhail's
Nothing really (End of conversation)

He went looking after someone too

Oh.. David, is it?

I suppose he's really the only one left outside. I'm going to put things back in order around here, if you hear anything, get back to me right away.

(End of conversation)

Hiding out at Mikhail's

Alright… that sounds like the best plan. If Loki was able to hide out there for years… there's no reason I can't do the same, I suppose.

(End of conversation)


Intro (after she moves to Mikhail's)

(Before rescuing David:)

Thanks for telling me about Mikhail's. I can see why nobody found Lo… but it's safe and that's what counts right now.

Take a look at this PDA (before giving the encrypted PDA)
How's the decryption coming? (after giving the encrypted PDA)
Tell me about Lo
You're welcome (End of conversation)

(Before rescuing Hel:)

There's only one of us left… you should talk to Loki. I'm sure he's got a plan.

What can you tell me about him?
Take a look at this PDA (before giving the encrypted PDA)
How's the decryption coming?a (after giving the encrypted PDA)

(Before rescuing Hel, if David and Lo are dead)

Well, Loki is gone but we need to pull together.

There's only one other survivor I'm aware of and she's probably in danger too.

Who?
Take a look at this PDA (before giving the encrypted PDA)
How's the decryption coming? (after giving the encrypted PDA)
Tell me about Lo
You're welcome (End of conversation)

(After agreeing to rescue Hel, if David and Lo are dead)

I'm not entirely sure where Hel is in the Slags, honestly. I remember there's a Metros stop just outside the wall, but she'll be inside somewhere.

I'd look for a tall building. She'd choose somewhere abandoned and defensible.

Take a look at this PDA (before giving the encrypted PDA)
How's the decryption coming? (after giving the encrypted PDA)
Okay, thanks (End of conversation)

(After rescuing Hel:)

Ahh, Helen's back. That's good. All of us together now… all of us that're left.

Take a look at this PDA (before giving the encrypted PDA)
How's the decryption coming?a (after giving the encrypted PDA)
You're welcome/Thanks (End of conversation) (before/after giving the PDA)

Who?

She was another coworker of ours. Her name's Helen, so they gave her the codename Hel. She worked with the security detail.

She was probably the toughest of us, physically and mentally. She stayed behind, in the Slags. I think there's still a Metros line that runs there… we ought to look after her and find out what she's learned.

I'll help
What's in it for me?
Do it yourself
Let me think (End of conversation)

I'll help

Thank you. Once we get Hel back, we should be able to piece together what's been going on.

(End of conversation)

What's in it for me?

Wish you would have asked before I went on the run. I can't access any of my accounts anymore, at least not without being traced.

Honestly, I was just assuming you'd want to help to figure out why Lo and David were killed, but if it was just a business thing that's okay.

Either way, thank you for saving me from the Third Eye.

(End of conversation)

Do it yourself

Oh, I'm sorry, I assumed you were helping. That's rather rude of me.

I'll figure something out, but come back if you change your mind.

(End of conversation)

Tell me about Lo/What can you tell me about him?

Yes, of course. We worked on the same project, in what's the Slags now. Loki was one of the lead scientists. I maintained the network.

I'm not sure what his real name even is, but Loki was just a code name. We all had one. I was Sif. Always thought that was a bit sexist, but you'll have that, I suppose.

(End of conversation)

Take a look at this PDA

Hmmmmm. It'll take a while, but I should be able to get this decrypted for you.

(End of conversation)

How's the decryption coming?a

I'm still taking a look at the PDA. It looks like a Midgard cypher, which is a little surprising. As far as I know, they only use it internally.

before the Novos rollout:
I'm familiar with the cypher, so I'm confident we can break it. It'll just take a while.

Currently:
They've changed operating systems since I did serious work on these, but I should be able to tell you what we're up against.

(End of conversation)


Intro (after starting The Survivors)

(If Lo is alive)

I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that I've figured out what sort of encryption they used. The bad news is that I won't be able to get through it from here unless they made a mistake… and even then it might take years.

The other good news is that it's a Midgard system and we might be able to get it decrypted with your help… assuming you're a fair hand at hacking and infiltration.

I'll do what I can
How?
How's the decryption coming?b
Yea, not happening

I'll do what I can

Good, good!

Just be careful with yourself. Hel said you look pretty durable, but I don't want you dying for our sake.

Here, you'll need this back.

You found: encrypted PDA

So what do I need to do?
I doubt that would be a problem
You're welcome (End of conversation)

I doubt that would be a problem

Oh, yeah. Lo mentioned something about that.

I wish I had something interesting to add, but if it's a medical question that has Lo stumped, I know to tap out.

(End of conversation)

How?

Ah, yeah, it's a little complicated if you haven't used it before. The original cipher was intended to remotely brick stolen or compromised devices, so they're not really focused on usability.

Anyway, if it still works, you need a connection to the corporate systems to get the one-time key to decrypt it. To get the connection, you'd need to be admin on one of the remote facilities servers.

You'll need to have the encrypted PDA connected for at least a couple minutes, because the key is huge… as large as the entire contents of the PDA, actually. Sorry for the encryption lesson.

Anyway, the big hurdles should be getting admin access to the remote server and standing there waiting for the download. Unless you're mirroring the access of the same person who encrypted it, it'll trip some alarms at corporate.

End of conversation

How's the decryption coming?b

I'm still taking a look at the PDA. From what I can tell from the little unencrypted data, this is going to be harder than I thought.

It's encrypted with a one-time key, which means we'll need the key to decrypt it. There's really no way around it.

I have some suspicions on how we might be able to get the key, but I don't like any of them so far.

(End of conversation)

Yea, not happening

No worries. It's a lot to ask.

Well, if you change your mind, come back. If not, I'll keep plugging away at it from this end.

It's always possible there's some sort of repetition or weakness in their one-time key. Might take years, but anything worthwhile does, right?

(End of conversation)

Intro (after getting the PDA back)

Thanks for your help. Don't worry if it takes a while.

Like I said, I'd have taken years if it worked at all, so a few days won't kill us.
How's this work?
Give her the file (If you have the Fangs encrypted files)
I'm working on it (End of conversation)

How's this work?

Ah, yeah, it's a little complicated if you haven't used it before. The original cipher was intended to remotely brick stolen or compromised devices, so they're not really focused on usability.

Anyway, if it still works, you need a connection to the corporate systems to get the one-time key to decrypt it. To get the connection, you'd need to be admin on one of the remote facilities servers.

You'll need to have the encrypted PDA connected for at least a couple minutes, because the key is huge… as large as the entire contents of the PDA, actually. Sorry for the encryption lesson.

Anyway, the big hurdles should be getting admin access to the remote server and standing there waiting for the download. Unless you're mirroring the access of the same person who encrypted it, it'll trip some alarms at corporate.

(End of conversation)

Give her the file

If hers is the first survivor quest you complete:

Hmmm. Well, it'll take a bit to go over all the data, but let me run it through a quick heuristic scan.

Huh, there's a contact that he gets calls from a lot… a Dr. Thomas.

It looks like mostly shipment information to a facility in a cave right off the lake… weapons and Eclipse. All free… that's weird.

Jackpot! He made a document here about stuff he was able to find out about Thomas. Sounds like he was curious too.

She apparently mentioned competing against others "on Yggdrasil." He didn't know what she meant, but I have a suspicion.

That sounds like a Midgard codename. I'd hazard a guess that it's a project under Special Projects if they still exist.

Keep your eyes out for them. If their fingers are in this, it'd… well, it'd be terrible for us, but it would also explain a lot.

(Gain Dr. Thomas as a contact if you don't already have her)

(End of conversation)

Or, if you already suspect Special Projects is involved:

Hmmm. Well, it'll take a bit to go over all the data, but let me run it through a quick heuristic scan, see if anything looks like Special Projects.

Yeah, here we go, perfect. He talks with a contact named "Dr. Thomas" constantly. He made a note in one of the documents that she's competing with other people "on Yggdrasil."

Her words, he has no idea what it means. But I'd bet my faked PhD that it's the name of a project under Special Projects.

They were all named like that: Valhalla, Helheim, Mimir… all sorts of things like that.

It's not quite open-and-shut, but taken with the rest of the evidence, I'd say this Dr. Thomas was giving the Fangs Eclipse under the watch of Special Projects.

(Gain Dr. Thomas as a contact if you don't already have her)

(End of conversation)


Intro

Keep your eye out for anything involving Special Projects or that Yggdrasil. I have a feeling Dr. Thomas is tied into Special Projects somehow.

It's possible she's gone rogue, but if she's acting on their orders…

How so?
Alright (End of conversation)

Or, if you have evidence to confirm that Special Projects is involved:

So Special Projects is involved… that doesn't bode well for any of us. We can hope they've broken off and turned to crime. Special Projects always had a very long leash.

If that's not it… well, we're in bad shape.

How so?
Tell me about your old projects?
Alright (End of conversation)

How so?

Well, if Midgard itself is behind all of this… they have the resources to crush us if they find us. We'd have to work very carefully.

But unless things have changed a lot in the last few years, most of the departments operate separately or even at cross-purposes. So it might just be a department with no oversight, cutting edge tech, and the resources of a major corporation in its own right.

When I say it like that, it doesn't sound like good news, does it? Trust me, it is.

(End of conversation)

Tell me about your old projects? / How about another?

Sure, I'll tell you what I can. Remember I was a security lead, not a researcher, so there was plenty I just never paid attention to.

Helheim
Mimir
Valhalla
Yggdraisil
Nevermind then (End of conversation)

Helheim

That was a kind of weird project. Most of the projects back in the day were strictly research, somewhere between brainstorming and traditional R&D.

Helheim was research, but only sort of. It was supposed to create a new security procedure for the facility. Helen and I were co-chairs on the project.

It never really got off the ground before the Incident, though. Which might be just as well if Midgard's turned on us. The worse their security is, the better, right?

How about another?
Thanks! (End of conversation)

Mimir

Ah, I only had a bit of involvement with Mimir. It was a huge project, though. The idea was that most bottlenecks with human progress are related to memory… not sure I buy it, but that was the thesis.

Anyway, it was a big cooperative project involving training and cybernetics, genetic manipulation and drugs. Most of the previous studies had used one technique at a time, so we were trying more of an interdisciplinary approach.

I worked some on security protocols for the implants' firmware, but that was it. The genetic results were actually the most promising, but our facility was destroyed by the Incident before they got to human trials.

How about another?
Thanks! (End of conversation)

Valhalla

That was a complete mess. Our boss back in the day, he was a real dreamer. Not, you know, your run-of-the-mill visionary. No, the guy that thought something that'd been tried for a century could suddenly work if he did it.

Valhalla was one of those. He was trying to download human brains… minds I guess would be the better term, on to computer hardware and eventually load them into drones.

He was a genius, don't get me wrong, and he probably got closer than anyone else ever has, but that's still a long ways from it being usable.

He finally saw the better of it and started dismantling the project a few weeks before the Incident.

Actually, some of the technology looked a lot like Zaibatsu's neural recordings that came out a couple years later. Helen thought they might have caused the Incident as corporate espionage for a while, before we realized the… strangeness, for lack of a better term.

How about another?
Thanks! (End of conversation)

Yggdraisil

You know as much as I do about that one. I'm not even totally sure it's under Special Projects from just the name, but it certainly stands to reason.

I was honestly kind of surprised we never used that name back in the day.

How about another?
Thanks! (End of conversation)


Intro (after (nearly) finishing the survivors quest)

Well, I'd hate to abandon you after you saved me from the Third Eye, but I think Helen has the right idea. We need to split up for security's sake.

She wants one person to remain in touch with you, which is probably the most important part. There's no way we could have made it this far without you, so we can't let you fall into enemy hands.

You should be my contact
Thanks, let me think (End of conversation)

You should be my contact

I'm kind of surprised, to be honest. Helen always seems a bit more reliable… although I guess her times in the Slags may have changed that.

We know what we need going forward, though: more information. The more of their facilities we crack, the more data we can gather, the better decisions we can make.

I know Special Projects. Eventually, we'll know more than anyone in Special Projects. Then we can bring the whole thing toppling down.

(End of conversation)


Intro (after finishing the survivors quest)

New intro:

Thanks for choosing me to help head up this investigation.

Let's get started
You're welcome (End of conversation)

Let's get started

Alright. I think our first target should probably be the Midgard records facility in Oldtown. Back when I was working for Wotan, Midgard started computerizing the high security records from that facility’s vault.

The timeline was something like twenty years out, so they’re probably still working on it. If you can get access to that terminal, it should have records from our work before the Incident.

Alright
Wotan?
The Incident?
Maybe later (End of conversation)

Alright/Let's get moving/Well, let's get started

Great! I’m counting on you.

(Starts Oldtown quest, end of conversation)

Wotan?

Our old boss. I’m not sure what his actual name was. He was very attached to the whole mythological codename thing.

The project that we think led to Eclipse was one of his brainchildren. One among many, actually, but there should still be some records.

He died in the Incident that created the Slags, along with… countless others. We just happened to be across town having lunch or we’d be ash as well.

Let’s talk about something else.

Let's get moving
Sorry for bringing it up

Sorry for bringing it up

It’s not a problem… I just don’t like the dwell on the fact that a lunch meeting is all that stood between me and death.

And almost dying again in that basement. I’m a little shaken up, is all. Let’s talk later.

(End of Conversation)

The Incident?

It’s what everyone called the big explosion that created the Slags. From a psychological perspective it’s interesting how an event big enough can be boiled down to one word, it’s impact large enough to make up for the understatement.

Or maybe that’s not psychology at all. Could be sociology or something. I’ve always been better with computers than people.

Still interesting, though.

Well, let's get started
Let's talk later (End of conversation)


Intro (after starting Oldtown quest)

Glad to have you on board. Let me know what you can find out.

What should I be doing?
It alerts the guards
I have the files
I'm on it (End of conversation)

What should I be doing?

In the Midgard records facility in Oldtown, there should be a terminal that they’ve been using to house the older files… particularly the most secure ones.

If we want to find out where Eclipse is coming from, that’s the best bet.

(End of conversation)

It alerts the guards

That makes sense. If you leave anyone at one of your terminals for long enough, they're bound to get through.

That's why Helen and I used to team up all the time. If my security got tripped inside the facility, they'd send her guards.

Anyway, there should be some sort of connection protocol buried deeper in the system if you can take that offline. Otherwise, you might be able to command the records to turn it off or use defensive functions to block the connection.

Failing all that, you'll just have to get as much as possible in one swoop.

(End of conversation)

I have the files

Fantastic! It'll take a while to go through these records, but let's get cracking!

(Lose Special Projects history)

(End of conversation)

Intro (after finishing Oldtown quest)

Thank you so much for the files! With your help, we're definitely on the right track.

What'd you find?
What's next?
Tell me about your old projects
You're welcome (End of conversation)

What'd you find?

Well, I think our suspicion is right… the experiments David and Lo were working on back at Test Facility 1 brought us to Eclipse somehow. I'm fairly sure those initial experiments were part of Subproject Niflheim and Baldur, David, was part of the initial experiments.

But it looks like Wotan wasn't bragging when he said the board gave him free reign. His reports read more like notes he jotted to himself… frankly, I'm not sure what to make of them.

Even running computer security, though, I never heard of Niflheim. The boss must have been playing things very close to his chest… which implies he was on to something and the drug wasn't some study of Project Mimir leftovers like he said.

And we're not the first ones to dig into it. There are some entries from fact-finding after the Incident, but someone with executive level access went digging a couple years ago.

They pulled the ladder up behind them too, clearing out a bunch of records. All I've got is their handle: XGangleri.

Who was Wotan?
Project Mimir?
XGangleri?
Thanks (End of conversation)

Who was Wotan?

Our old boss. I'm not sure what his actual name was. He was very attached to the whole mythological codename thing.

The project that we think led to Eclipse was one of his brainchildren. One among many, actually, but there should still be some records.

He died in the Incident that created the Slags, along with… countless others. We just happened to be across town having lunch or we'd be ash as well.

Let's talk about something else.
Let's get moving
Sorry for bringing it up

Sorry for bringing it up

It's not a problem… I just don't like the dwell on the fact that a lunch meeting is all that stood between me and death.

And almost dying again in that basement. I'm a little shaken up, is all. Let's talk later.

(End of conversation)

Project Mimir?

Ah, I only had a bit of involvement with Mimir. It was a huge project, though. The idea was that most bottlenecks with human progress are related to memory… not sure I buy it, but that was the thesis.

Anyway, it was a big cooperative project involving training and cybernetics, genetic manipulation and drugs. Most of the previous studies had used one technique at a time, so we were trying more of an interdisciplinary approach.

I worked some on security protocols for the implants' firmware, but that was it. The genetic results were actually the most promising, but our facility was destroyed by the Incident before they got to human trials.

(End of conversation)

XGangeleri

I don't know much about Gangleri, just what I could look up on my comm. It's apparently the alias of an old king… which is kind of meta. I have to approve at some level.

But the X is a bit more interesting. That's new. I'd say from his accesses that Gangleri's from corporate, maybe even directly working for the executives… which I think gives us a good bet what the X stands for.

That also means Wotan's system expanded outside of Special Projects and they need to break up the namespace. Which is to say there might be a Security Gangleri and a Special Projects Gangleri out there too.

Hopefully that's just good operational security and not a sign that whoever's making Eclipse is root now. It'll be hard enough going against a few corrupt executives, if it's all of Midgard…

(End of conversation)

What's next? / Let's get moving

Well, we need to dig deeper… or higher, I guess. Next stop is Downtown… the heart of the beast, but it's going to be a mess.

Even if we were supposed to get the information we need, I'm sure it's buried in the back of a filing cabinet somewhere. Probably not even indexed.

Which, is why I'm hoping we can track down this XGangleri person who touched the files before us. Chances are good he knows what's going on or, even if he won't chat, has left other trails that will help us out.

The "X" apparently means he works with the executive staff directly. Which means getting to take icepicks to security older than either of us… and stuff they put in last week.
I'm game
Sounds rough

I'm game

Good to hear. I'd suggest getting Dowtown, checking the lay of the land. As much as we do a lot with code, the real weakness in any system is people. See if you can knock a few loose… people they've burned along the way.

(End of conversation)
(Starts Heart of Midgard quest)

Sounds rough

Yeah… I don't have a great answer for you. It's going to be a shitshow, but I think it's our only way to figure out the truth.

(End of conversation)

Uses

Sources

You gain her as a contact after successfully defeating the Third Eye guarding her in Boiler Room during the University Quest.

History

Before the Oldtown quest came out, choosing her as the contact at the end of Survivors gave the following text:

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