The Sand Dune -- 17
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Group II: Nike, Asuda, Bailey and Chelydra
"Damn!" Bailey muttered, as he lost the toss and handed his radio over to Nike.
Bud fingered the raised surface of the emblem of the UEF before pocketing the coin. "That's why it's my lucky domar!" He said, chuckling softly.
Nike felt almost giddy with a cohesive plan finally being enacted. All of the adjustments to the new part of their contingent had taken time, and that spent time had made her nervous, given their situation. Jovially, Nike held the radio up to her face and said, "Radio, activate!" A beep emanated from behind her ear. Then, some light static.
"Do you hear that?" she asked Bud and Bailey, surprised.
Almost immediately, a beep emanated from behind Bud, Bailey, Arkady and Percy's ears, then Nike's words echoed from behind their ears, "Do you hear that?" Then light static. They looked at one another quizzically.
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Group IV: MX2000
As suddenly as the ground had begun shaking and the rocks quaking, they stopped. A garbled voice, throaty and guttural, yelled out: "AMA, GUTHA, AMA!"
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OOC:
;)
"Something tells me that we're not all sharing my flashbacks..." pockets his lucky domar, draws his pistol. Looks slowly around the room, sees the android plugged into the ship's computer. "Shlitzee, you know anything about this?"
Tries to associate this 'behind-the-ears-beep' and the radio...decides to experiment, raising his radio hand and broadcasting these words: "Clap-on, Clap-off."
"Yeah, I heard it," Arkady replied. "Is that a nanite transmitter, or are you telepathic, Nike?" He scratched his ear at the thought of tiny robots living there. He was beginning to feel surrounded by robots.
Arkady continued his investigation of the medical lab's air conditioning. He sniffed the air, but the scent of Shlitzee's gelbeads had dissipated. Arkady had suspected the smell might have been coming from a burning circuit board, but now he was less sure.
Arkady stood up and shook the dust from his hands. "The air conditioning is/is not working, but it won't matter if we have insufficient power. Things could get a lot worse if we drain what little reserves we have left!"
To Percy he said, "Are you able to get any of the engineering systems online? Are there any drones to make repairs with remotely? This Med Lab might not be the best place to regain control of this ship before the storm hits."
To Shlitzee he said, "Can Amanda be revived, or do we need to post a sentry here if we need to go elsewhere to effect repairs?"
Nike: "Well holy rodan turds, are you telling me that I have nanites living in me? Where exactly are they living?! And better question--why the hell haven't we noticed this before now?"
Bud has a sudden insight into the multiverse, making his eyes flutter slightly...he feels that somewhere and sometime else he's got machines in his head as well...begins tapping morse code with his radio 'call' button for 'Nano-Nanu'
To Shlitzee Arkady said, "Can Amanda be revived, or do we need to post a sentry here if we need to go elsewhere to effect repairs?"
Shlitzee flexes 'her' mouth into a larger-than-humanly-possible-smile "There's enough Polyamphetamine back there to 'revive' New Singapore. But I'm sure she won't require quite that much."
transmits to nursing bots: revive patient with standard protocols. dilates pupils slightly while looking at Arkady, adds a pinkish hue. "Your cutie should be up in 5."
to Bud's question about the 'earbeep': "Hold up, happy boy! I'm still strokin this antique for '1) position and status of Warden. 2) location and status of dropship, including flight and repair procedures. 3) minimum safe distance from approaching meteoroligical conditions (from dropship sensors, Warden and flight logs)."
if it seems that Shlitzee isn't able to accomplish anything with the computer that the others can't also do: "To hell with this! I wanna find something to smash!"
if Shlitzee is able to produce the information, it will share it with the group and answer Bud's question (assuming it knows the answer)
OOC: Does Shlitzee also hear the beep/receive the radio transmissions?
OOC: Does Chelydra hear the transmissions or does eveyone seem to be hearing voices? It seems he does not have teh nanite transceiver, or at least it is not activated. So my question is are the broadcasts audible to peole standing close by who do not have nanites? Once I have my answer I can post a response.
Receiving Nike's query via the sound waves from her vocal chords transmitted via the medium of the atmosphere in the the space of the room, as well as the delayed transmission via whatever transmitter/transceiver system he was plugged into, Percy raised an eyebrow and confirmed. "Uh, that's a 10-4 on hearing you on my end too, Cap'n."
Percy rambled aloud about the technology. "Maybe I can dig up something about this radio tech," he said turning to the computer station. "Weird that none of us seem to know about it, even with my scrambled egg memories. Then again, perhaps it was something specifically arranged for clones in case of a shipwide disaster." He grinned. "Anybody here take the Warden Cloning 101 elective?"
Then, Percy frowned. "Oh, nevermind--that explanataion would mean you two guys wouldn't have them," he grumbled, pointing to Officers Asuda and Baily. "Hmmmmmmmm. Maybe the tech wouldn't be activated unless other communications were down? But then why would we not have been briefed? Erg.... Where's tech support when you need them! Nevermind, I _am_ tech support."
Percy continued to assist Shlitzee with the fact finding via the computer system, and concentrated on searching for anything having to do with "nanotechnology," and "personal radio transmitters."
As he searched, he thought aloud on the topic of the slight delay in the transmission. "Perhaps the transmission on Nike's end," he explained, pointing to Nike as exhibit A, "had to go all the way up to Warden..." Percy pointed to exhibit B with his other hand, "and back down to us on the planet. Kind of like the few second delay programmed into talk radio transmissions to give the DJ a chance to censor vituperative callers! Anyways, if this system is served by Warden, we might be able to communicate with someone up there, help us figure out what happened to Warden. Whereas the standard communications are offline, this might give us some link back to the big bird if we can find anyone back there who's also plugged in."
His eyes grew wide and he uttered his trademarked phrase: "Waaaaiiiitaminute! Zhaxier!" Feeling the need to refresh the memory of the two they found stowed away on the drop ship, he explained quickly. "Remember that clone mutant who was with us on Warden but who ran off and presumably got left behind? If he's got this stuff," he said, tapping his ear, "we might be able to raise him on the radio--he might even be listening to us right now!"
He looked up, as if that were the direction of Warden, which he presumed to be the case. "Uh, radio activate! Uh, Zhaxier, Zhaxier Cole, come in, do you read me? It's me, Percy? Over?!" Suddenly, he grimaced. "FRAK!" he shouted. He clamped his hand over his mouth as if he'd said something terribly wrong. Then he whispered through his fingers, "Maybfe fthat wasn'tf a gfood idea." He slowly moved his fingers away, and concluded, "hopefully The Watcher isn't also The Listener!"
On a whim, Percy also searched for any shipwide lifesigns indicators that might reveal if Zhaxier had found a way onto the drop ship before they had to take off. It then occurred to him that the signals might be relayed via the drop ship computers and the delay would have nothing to do with the distance from the planet to Warden. But, he kept that thought to himself, having blabbed too much about too many untested hypotheses already for one afternoon.
OOC:
OOC: Are our words being transmitted to one another's ears? This post assumes that they are.
Nike's exclamation caused Arkady to wince. His headache had never really abated, it had only been forgotten while the welfare of his comrades was in question. Now his skull was in five easy pieces, some assembly required. "Maybe," he said in a low voice, almost a whisper. "Can you hear me? I'm not accustomed to hearing voices in my head. That comm-device might have distributed nanoreceivers and transmitters to all of us ... hmm, but I think those kind of nanites have to be installed, not just distributed like spybots. So what kind of tech is this anyways?"
Arkady, rubbing his temples, approached Percy. "I wonder if there's any painkiller in that medkit."
transmits to nursing bots: revive patient with standard protocols. dilates pupils slightly while looking at Arkady, adds a pinkish hue. "Your cutie should be up in 5."
Arkady watched his reflection in Shlitzee's unblinking eye turn pink. "Thank you," he nodded.
After scanning his database on what laungage was spoken, he turned stepped back and looked around for its source. His heavy fists were raised as he took a combat stance. No one would get past him while he was still operating.
The Sand Dune � 17.2
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Group I: Nike, Asuda, Arkady, Bailey, Percy, Shlitzee and Chelydra
"Radio Off." Nike said softly, as Arkady rubbed his temples and Percy scanned the computer screen. "I have a helluva headache" she whispered.
Bud looked at her. "What did you say?"
"Anyone hear that over your transmitters?" she said loudly, curious.
"Not I." Grunted Chelydra. Everyone shook their head or answered negatively.
"Radio On." She said softly. "Each person who hears this nod your head when I say your name."
"Arkady." She watched as Arkady nodded his head, seemingly with a bit of discomfort.
"Chelydra." No response.
"Percy." Percy nodded, his eyes still intent on the computer screen.
"Asuda." Affirmative.
"Bailey." Affirmative.
"Shlitzee." Nothing.
"Ok, those of you who heard me, try saying something in return."
"Oh great," muttered Chelydra. "Something else I lost in the mail."
Arkady thought it was odd that neither Chelydra nor Shlitzee had heard the message through the comm device. He wondered if it required a regular human physique, but he kept his opinion to himself. He did not want to risk hurting Chel's feelings.
"I heard you, Nike, but my headache has gotten a lot worse. I hope it's not caused by this comm. Percy, did you see any PainAway in the medical bag?" Arkady lowered himeself to the deck, careful not to tilt his head. He rummaged through the medkit for relief from his throbbing head.
in response to Cpt Thomason's directive, Bud speaks the words:
"So that's 2 burrito con carnes, one porkalope wrap and an iced coffee...your total is 32 domars."
Nike was excited. If they could communicate by some kind of internal radio, then that would make operations so much easier. But then Bud Asuda said something, and she couldn't make it out.
"Interesting. I couldn't hear you that time, Asuda. Try saying 'Radio On' and then say whatever you said again."
"Radio On. Less bussout some woopass, Cap!" as he incorporates a forehead sweatwipe into a 'waving lemur' form.
"Radio off," Arkady said. "So you can't here me until I say ... Radio on? You can hear this, radio off. But you can't hear this?"
"I feel like we're filming a Karate Kid movie. Radio on, radio off, wax on, wax off!" Percy enjoyed a brief laugh but went back to the computer terminal. "Alright, so some of us have built in radios, what say you 'away team' folks check in every few minutes so we don't lose anybody?"
"Waaaaaitaminute." He paused briefly. "What if I don't want to talk on the radio or listen, either? In other words, can a guy get some sleep around here or will I be subjected to all of Officer Asuda's antics whether I want to or not?" He scratched his chin and stuck out his lower lip, as if it had an effect on the clarity of his thinking. "Maybe it's always on for reception, but only on for transmitting if you say the magic words. I wonder what the range is on these things. And how we got them?" Suddenly he rubbed his neck, thinking he might feel a protrusion or some indication where the radio had been implanted, if that were indeed the vehicle for delivery of the technology. "Hmmm, maybe the computer knows what's going on."
He attempted to find a way to query the space craft's computer database, in order to look for information on "communications," "personal radio," and similar topics. Then it occurred to him the resident bot, Shlitzee, might know what was going on.
"Shlitzee, you've been on or around this ship for a while. Do you have an explanation for this?"
OOC: Obviously, any info Shlitzee has on this would come via the SA, but I wanted to ask the question in character all the same...
[[Jenkins]] He attempted to find a way to query the space craft's computer database, in order to look for information on "communications," "personal radio," and similar topics. Then it occurred to him the resident bot, Shlitzee, might know what was going on.
"Shlitzee, you've been on or around this ship for a while. Do you have an explanation for this?"
OOC: Obviously, any info Shlitzee has on this would come via the SA, but I wanted to ask the question in character all the same...
OOC: Can Shlitzee be of any help?
Scratches middle of own back by hyperextending an arm (as only a robot can do).
While the teams continue to try to figure out their situation, the supreme arbiter falls off of the face of the planet. Suddenly, she manages to climb out of the depths of the abyss and realize that after months of sleep deprivation from four small children, she really is alive, and begins to work on a new, exciting, riveting post! Stay tuned. The phoenix is rising from the ashes!
OOC: a little IC summarization might be in order :)
Arkady stood and walked over to Chelydra so he could hear him without the use of his radio, which didn't seem to be working. "Radio on. I'm glad we found friends because we'll need all the help we can get. There's a storm coming and we may soon be buried in sand if we don't get the ship's systems back online. If that isn't bad enough, we've also heard a potentially hostile animal screaming onboard but we don't know where it is. There are several as yet unlocated hull breaches through which it, and others, may have gotten onboard. Those breaches need to be secured. This medlab is a secure deadend, but we don't know about the sleeper cabins, the exercise room and the shower facility just outside," Arkady pointed toward the exit, "or the galley at the end of the hall. We're _reasonably_ sure that the computer room aft," he pointed behind the separate medlab, "and the cockpit," he pointed down along the ship's slanting surface, "are secure but between them are two doors which we haven't opened yet. There's also a weapons locker in the store room which we haven't checked yet."
Arkady pointed at the keyless panel which he had removed to access the cable conduit behind him. "Percy and I haven't been successful yet at getting the air conditioning unit or any other systems online, and we still have no idea how much charge we have left in the ship's capacitors or fuel for the engines. Percy, Shlitzee and I may have to move into the computer room or gain access to the engines themselves to complete our work so we need the rest of the ship secured, and quickly! Amanda should be awake soon so we won't have to leave her by herself." He looked at Nike and hoped that she, Bud and Chelydra would take care of the tactical details.
Digging Out
Nike looked at Bud. "Whoopass it is. Let's stay together until we get to the cafeteria, then split up--Chelydra and I can secure the cafeteria. Chelydra should know his way around there a little, since that's where he was when we crashed this tin can. We secure the engines and other areas after that. Bud, you and Bailey check the sleepers and crew comfort areas." She paused to wipe a trickle of sweat from her brow. "And I know that I don't need to tell you to make it doubletime."
"Arkady, Percy, Shlitzee--keep at it. As soon as the sections are secured, we'll contact you to come and evaluate the damage. In the meantime, keep at it from here."
OOC: I totally apologize for the huge delay. I'll try to keep it going a bit better! Anyone who needs to drop out, please let me know.
OOC: The database does not find an exact match for the language, but after the speaker shouts several other phrases, the language identification program finds a similar language. That language has no translation for 'Ama', but 'Gutha' appears to mean 'trespasser'.
While MX2000 scanned his database, the speaker repeated the throaty call, "AMA, GUTHA, AMA!"
"Good luck," Arkady said. "Radio off." He ran into the next room to check on Amanda.
OOC: has Amanda revived yet?
Shlitzee plays with the keyboard while attaching leads to various computer ports. A few seconds of quinching 'her' face as dataflow surges through various systems, then she addresses the group.
"Just a little reworking of the access programs...rerouting...a little more...eureka! I've just activated the auxiliary environmental forcefields to cover our two hull breaches. Looks like we have one each: big and small. That should reduce the enviro- system strain and reinstate the 'comfort controls.'"
Shlitzee attaches a small cannister of 'dynaloob' to its nose, activates several quick pulses. Donning an _expression that humans would associate with 'elation,' the bot speaks again, "I'm still interested in smashing a few things."
OOC: has Amanda revived yet?
Not completely, but she is beginning to stir.
Amanda's perfectly proportioned limbs stirred; a lock of hair fell across her face. Arkady scrutinized the bedside monitor. He was satified with what he saw and left the room. He returned to the open panel and stared at the spaghetti of circuits. He felt overwhelmed and frustrated by his inability to get any useful results.
Shlitzfarl: "Just a little reworking of the access programs...rerouting...a little more...eureka! I've just activated the auxiliary environmental forcefields to cover our two hull breaches. Looks like we have one each: big and small. That should reduce the enviro-system strain and reinstate the 'comfort controls.'"
"Oh," Arkady said. "Great, thanks."
Bud Asuda, double timer
"Sweep and Clear it is." smiles as he whisks some sweat away.
Over his shoulder, as he leaves the room
"Shlitzee, while you're sexin' up this crate, maybe you should try the ol' 'kamikaze' backup."
Bud feels loosened up from his dancing, happy to be active. As he accompanies his companions, he asks in a quiet voice
-"Chel, you weren't in the 'screamin 21st' by any chance?"
-"Nike, think we should try capture any beasties we come across, or just whack'em?"
-"Bailey, you've been pretty quiet...all systems go?"
to all "By the way...I think that 'kamikaze' backup might prove useful, I'm a little hazy on specifics, but I think it was a little 'extra insurance' for tough times."
Quirkcy Percky: After Nike led the two stowaway crewman out of the medical lab, Percy turned his attention to Arkady. "Did Bud just say something about 'kamikaze'? Oh boy." He stared at Arkady blankly, as if his brain had finally registered something Arkady had said earlier. "And, uh, no, I didn't see any PainAway(TM) in the medkit, but I'm not sure I'd recognize it anyway, seeing as I barely recognize myself these days. Maybe it would be a good idea to take an inventory of the stuff in there."
OOC: Sorry to have Percy ignore your last two requests for painkillers, Ark! Speaking of medkits, though, I just looked back at the archive and found that Arkady had given a medkit to Percy back in the cockpit when they were reviving Nike after the crash. I had forgotten Percy had it in his possession. This was one of two med kits Arkady and Chelydra had acquired from the equipment room (map key: 4). Known contents so far: single-use nanodoc applications, Cold Compress Shameess.
The Percinator: "Alright, let's see here." Percy cracked his cloned knuckles, glancing at them and noticing for the first time that the little scar at the base of his right hand's middle finger was not there. Of course the cloning banks wouldn't have copied that non-genetic flaw, but he still had the memory of punching that bully, Matthew, in the teeth back in the 6th grade anyway.
Taking a deep breath, and inspired by the recalled memory, he got to work on the computer system with the robot Shiltzee at his side. "Let's get those repair robots activated, shall we Shiltzee?" Percy smacked his lips once, savoring the fading taste of the candy bar he'd eaten.
OOC: I guess we can scratch that from Percy's char sheet!
Percy: "Did Bud just say something about 'kamikaze'?"
"Sounds like he's a man that takes precautions, that's good. I just hope he doesn't expect to need it!"
"And, uh, no, I didn't see any PainAway(TM) in the medkit, but I'm not sure I'd recognize it anyway, seeing as I barely recognize myself these days. Maybe it would be a good idea to take an inventory of the stuff in there."
Arkady browsed the medkit's contents.
"Shlitzee, have you heard anything from the battery servers yet? Do we have enough power in reserve to get systems online again? What panel provides access to the airconditioning unit in this room?"
OOC: You all have my sincerest apologies for the delays in the game. I have come to realize that I do not have the time to be a GM at this time, and it isn't fair for me to continue trying, so after a series of four or five moves, one every couple of days in the next two weeks, I'll be handing over the reins to a new GM. So stay tuned, thanks for your patience, and get ready for some fun! Incidentally, I will stay on and play Nike as a PC once the new GM takes over.
So, hold on to your utility belts, here we go...
Sand Dune -- Digging Out 2.0
[The four searchers]
After a thorough sweep of the ship, Nike, Bud, Chelydra and Bailey found nothing but the expected material damage... until Nike and Bud got to the largest breach. On the other side of the forcefield they could see the landscape around them, and it wasn't very inviting, at least not in the near vicinity. There were mountains in the distance, and various critters scurrying about in the dunes closer to the ship. The sky was menacing and dark, flashed of green rippling across it as the sonic booms shook the ship slightly. And then, through the forcefield, they saw a humanoid moving away from the ship, and across a dune. There it disappeared from sight. "Hey Perce, relay this for me. 'Shlitzee, is the computer too damaged to do an outside sensor sweep for humanoid lifeforms again??'" Nike radioed. "Chleydra, Bailey, report."
[Percy, Shlitzee, Arkady, Amanda]
As the others were moving around doing their respective, Amanda sat straight up in her bed. "Oh my," she said, clearly confused.
Meanwhile, the computer began to beep and whir. Numbers and characters began streaming across the screen. "Holy cow!" said Percy, as he pointed it out to Shlitzee. The computer was running outside sensor sweeps--without being commanded to.
[MX2000]
As he listened to the calls of the beasts around him, an electronic signal penetrates his mind. "We are in need of assistance. Come." Coordinates are realized in his mind. Suddenly, nothing else matters- -for a moment. "Guarding the secret is no longer necessary, if the creators are here," MX2000 reasons. "Yet, how can I know that it is truly them, and not some trick?" And with these thoughts, he realizes that he isn't sure what to do.
I will be away on vacation for the next week, but will continue after that.
Ps I completely understand about the lack of time thing. For much the same reason.
OOC: Yay! It's like we're all back from Summer vacation :) Good to hear from you again, Dave, er... Chelydra. Do you have any plans to revive your 'Send in the Clones' campaign?
Arkady closed the access panel and covered the wiring he'd been staring at. He was glad he hadn't tried to rewire anything: the tangle of wires in the medlab had only confused him. It was like spaghetti with no meaningful function. He heard movement in the other medbay and was glad for the distraction.
He entered the room as Amanda looked over the side of her medibed. "Better not climb out that side, Amanda. The floor's uneven because we've made an emergency landing. You'll have to be careful." He helped Amanda remove her tubes and climb down from the medibed. "Everyone's fine. There were two other humans on board when we left the Warden. They're evaluating the damage with Nike and Chelydra right now. Are you feeling any better?" Arkady brought Amanda into the main medbay where Percy and Shlitzee stood in front of the computer terminal.
Yes, I think so. I lost my notes maps etc in a hard drive crash, but have replaced the computer. I think life has calmed down enough to make resumption possible. Look for a new post and possibly a map when I get back
Trivia question - Why did Zhaxier's ID card grant him access to the sleeping quarters he entered to escape the autobots?
Ok I'll bite--maybe as an engineer he had override to all crew quarters for engineering inspections? Or maybe he'd hacked the system to give him access to certain female crew quarters? (ahem)
Nike: "Hey Perce, relay this for me. 'Shlitzee, is the computer too damaged to do an outside sensor sweep for humanoid lifeforms again??'" Nike radioed. "Chleydra, Bailey, report."
"Radio on!" Percy shouted, wasting the audial projection on the circuitry that would have picked up a sotte voce. "Oh, uh, nevermind, radio, you're already on!" the technically oriented Warden escapee said to his embedded radio technology.
Nike: "Percy, I heard all that, please relay the message!"
"Uh, sorry!" He realized Shlitzee was probably wondering if it could recommend a psychiatrist at this point, not hearing Nike's end of the conversation. "I was, uh, talking over the radio," he explained. He surrendered to the wacky fact that he was on a conference call using telecommunications tech inside his head! "Nike wanted me to tell you..."
Percy: Meanwhile, the computer began to beep and whir. Numbers and characters began streaming across the screen. "Holy cow!" said Percy, as he pointed it out to Shlitzee. The computer was running outside sensor sweeps--without being commanded to.
OOC: If I may be so bold to quip a reply for Shiltzee...
Shlitzee: "Captain Thomason asked you to tell me 'Holy cow!'? I find you humans' lack of focus and ill-timed humor to be quite disconcerting!"
"Uh, Nike, this is Percy. The computer _is_ running outside sensor sweeps, but I don't think we initiated it!" He looked at Shlitzee in puzzlement, then saw Amanda and Arkady enter the room.
"Heeeeey Amanda! You're awake!" He grinned a big smile. "That's wonderful! How do you feel?"
Amanda: "I feel like I just survived a crash landing or something, I'm so sore!" She stretched her arms.
Percy and Arkady looked at each other and widened their eyes.
Amanda: "What'd I say?"
Oh man! I almost forgot about that one :) Sorry GB, you are incorrect :( I'll have to delve back into the archive for the answer, unless Z would like to explain it first. Any other guesses?
A little bit of recap from Chapter 15...
Direct access to S8346 was impossible for the time being... He abandoned his original plan and stepped into a nearby doorway. Zhaxier swiped his card... The doors slid open, revealing a woman's sleeping quarters... "Ugh," he shivered involuntarily. "Pink." He didn't pause to wonder why he had been granted access to a room that was obviously not his.
The answer was explained in Murphy's Law, Chapter 6: the room belonged to Zhaxier's significant other, Enki Alba...
Zhaxier easily finds S8346 on the ground floor at a four-way junction in the hallway right where he remembers it. In the same hall, he realizes, is Enki's apartment, though his former self rarely visited there on account of the saccharine decor. Could she have kept it so pink just to keep me out? He wonders, amazed that he would even spare the mental cycles to generate such a thought. It is a bittersweet minor epiphany of sorts: he will never truly get over Ms. Alba.
Hm, I guess I knew that, even though the memory was a bit rusty....
But more what I was trying to guess at, was did Zhaxier have access
because he hacked the computer system? Or maybe Warden folks could
arbitrarly grant access to anyone they wanted to their personal
quarters, and Ms. Alba
That's right; it's a delicious irony, no?
The original IAS archive, however, never contained the (IMHO) superfluous line about Z's not thinking why he has access. :)
As for the mechanism of his access, IAS-Z was a propulsion engineer, not a computer hacker, and he certainly wouldn't have access to the security database in either case. More importantly, he was Enki's lover: it's most likely that Enki gave him access herself!