Project Nova · Evil Kitten Productions

Episode XIV: Scelus Somnum

September 11, 2019·16 min·1 clip

The station computer claims Eberhart cooked and ate the missing chicken, forcing the group to question who to believe.

The episode opens with Armstrong and Eberhardt in a relaxed conversation about other stations and cooking. Eberhardt has been preparing an elaborate fried chicken dinner for the group ahead of the resuming trials. When she discovers the marinating chicken has disappeared, she calls the entire group together for an impromptu investigation. She accuses the group collectively and threatens unspecified medical consequences. The group searches rooms and finds nothing. Asking the computer, they get a surprise: it accuses Eberhardt of entering the kitchen at night, cooking the chicken, and eating most of it. Eberhardt flatly denies this and points out there is no video evidence. The group agrees they trust Eberhardt over the computer, but the accusation shakes Eberhardt, who begins to wonder if she has less control over herself than she thought. Armstrong proposes recreating the conditions — refreezing and marinating a new batch of chicken overnight — with an alarm system rigged by the mechanic Charlotte. During the wait, Armstrong and Vespucci discuss the computer's reliability, the servers Vespucci found in the tunnels, and the possibility that the trials may have already begun in disguise. That night, Charlotte's alarm triggers and Eberhardt does not answer her door. The group finds her in the kitchen, cooking while apparently unconscious. They wake her and she has no memory of being there. She connects the sleepwalking to stress about the upcoming trials. The group finds genuine relief and humor in the mundane explanation, and Eberhardt laughs at herself. Armstrong promises Vespucci can rig something to wake Eberhardt if it happens again. As the group celebrates the resolution, they hear footsteps that clearly belong to a person. Armstrong notes there is no one else on the station. A figure appears and identifies herself as Dr. Choll. A supplementary log afterward reveals a backup program has failed to override Nova Station systems but is now looking for a different approach, targeting control of a single pod bay.

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