Ship’s Notes: Screening and Security

I used to think that Gestler was very busy.  Now... well I am starting to believe the man doesn’t need sleep, or at least not a normal amount of sleep.  In addition to his own duties of recruiting a security team (which seems to be mostly psychological profiling, rather than an assessment of skills), Gestler is recruiting assorted other crewmembers into being additional assets for his security team.

To date, he has recruited both the software specialist and the roboticist, along with the psychologist and the chemist.  He has also talked extensively with Madame Elsie and the other Dancing Dragons who will be coming aboard.  He has asked me to keep his contact with Madame Elsie and her people a secret.

Which, I suppose, paints a fairly alarming picture, if you squint the right way.  So far he has been using the software specialist to run background checks on the incoming crewmembers, and having the psychologist help profile his security recruits.  This seems legitimate.  But the others?  Will I have a cadre of combat servitors patrolling my halls?  Does he intend on using drug therapies to control my crew?  I am not sure how I feel about such measures.  I know for a fact that he will be trying to convince the chemist to help him fabricate chemical weapons, which makes me uneasy.

Compared to all that, his contact with the Dancing Dragons seems almost benign.  I feel that my internal sensors should be sufficient surveillance, but I suppose that having spies warming the beds of malcontents might lead to additional conversations?  But they know I can see and hear everything in the ship anyway, so I’m not sure Gestler’s plan concerning this.  He isn’t telling me, since apparently I talk with the rest of the crew too freely, but I suppose there must be a plan.

I wonder what Susana would think of this all.  I recently read one of her journal entries, complaining about Gestler and how him and people like him are what empowers evil in human society.  And now Gestler seems to be recruiting based on personality – specifically people like him, I assume, people who obey first and worry about morals later.

Right now Gestler is in me, discussing with Circulatory Specialist Patil the importance of security during long voyages.  I know why he’s talking to the circulatory specialist.  He’s been quite consistent about sending me updated plans on how I can win if he betrays me.  It’s somewhere between adorable and unnerving.  However, most of the plans are centered on the fact that while Gestler may have many talents, he is made of flesh and blood, and I am directly connected to a great number of things.  My self-defense capability has already been demonstrated on Arcadia, but Gestler notes that venting the atmosphere would be useless on anyone within a vacuum suit.  Instead he was going to convince Susana and Maria to help him install vitriolic chemical weapons throughout the ship, but Susana (and thus Maria) refused.  I think there’s some irony there, since Susana opposes Gestler, and these weapons are specifically to oppose Gestler.  Alas, Gestler decided against actually mentioning the purpose of the weapons.  But, well, soon I may be able to vent thermal exhaust into crew compartments via my circulatory system, or whatever other deadly fluids run throughout my systems.  Huzzah.