Conversation 527: LAIR / INSTIGATOR

You are caught in the ray of the Pale Compressor and talk to Ruby. You can: 1. Ask about the Compressor. 2. Ask about the murder and why Ruby went into hiding. 3. Try to destroy the Compressor. 4. Try to stop Ruby from killing herself if you destroy the Compressor. 5. Let Ruby go.

How to use this page:

This is a listing of every "entry" in a given game conversation as scraped from the game files. Entries often contain written dialogue, as well as conditional logic governing their appearance to the player. They also link to other entries, sometimes automatically and sometimes through player action. This page is best used to search for a specific word or phrase, as following the links in this format can be difficult. For an experience that better accommodates the branching structure of these conversations, see the corresponding interactive page.

Column definitions:
  • ID: a numerical index for the entry within this conversation.
  • Character: the character speaking or acting.
  • Dialogue: prose containing spoken dialogue and other description.
  • Conditions: logical checks governing this entry appearing or occurring.
  • Links: entries that might follow this one, depending on conditions and player choice. Most links are internal to this conversation, external links to other conversations are marked with the format (conversation ID, entry ID).
ID Character Dialogue Conditions Links
0 None
  • 1
1 None
  • 375
2 Ruby, the Instigator Suddenly, your entire body is paralysed. Aggressive white noise fills your skull -- a strange pain like you've never felt before. Through the static, you hear a woman's voice.
  • 252
3 None
  • 113
  • 120
  • 121
  • 129
  • 275
  • 271
  • 272
4 None
  • 151
  • 16
  • 395
  • 78
  • 50
  • 108
  • 228
  • 305
  • 42
  • 5
  • 25
5 You Destroy the machine.
  • 7
6 You Convince her to put the gun down.
  • 10
7 Ruby, the Instigator
  • 8
  • 9
8 Ruby, the Instigator Variable["boardwalk.ruby_red_check_pain"]
  • 13
9 Ruby, the Instigator (Variable["boardwalk.ruby_red_check_pain"]) == false
  • 15
10 Ruby, the Instigator
  • 11
  • 12
11 Ruby, the Instigator Variable["boardwalk.ruby_red_check_rhet"]
  • 17
12 Ruby, the Instigator (Variable["boardwalk.ruby_red_check_rhet"]) == false
  • 18
13 Pain Threshold You did it. The Compressor lies broken on its side. It's quiet in your head again. It still hurts like hell, but...
  • 21
  • 22
  • 27
14 You Say nothing. Try to cover your ears.
  • 112
15 Pain Threshold The violent white noise becomes even more overwhelming closer to the Compressor. Feels like your brain is swelling up in your skull.
  • 159
  • 160
  • 316
16 You "You said something about a tribunal..." Variable["tc.tribunal"] == false and Variable["boardwalk.ruby_red_check_pain_failed"] and Variable["boardwalk.ruby_version"]
  • 155
17 Rhetoric She's truly desperate -- she thinks she has no other options. You need to give her options.
  • 480
18 Rhetoric You should know the words to say. You've been here yourself. So why is it not coming to you?
  • 476
  • 188
19 You "Klaasje found it... weird you came up with a plan so quickly." Variable["whirling.klaasje_ruby_seemed_have_everything_planned_out"]
  • 31
20 Authority She's refusing to adopt the demeanour of a cornered animal. A leader with no one to lead -- she still wants to retain some control of the situation.
  • 418
21 You "You're under arrest!"
  • 24
22 You "See them fireworks, Kim?" (Glance back.)
  • 24
23 Ruby, the Instigator She eyes you warily, as though gauging your sincerity.
  • 20
24 Ruby, the Instigator She looks at the machine, assessing the damage. Her hand trembles.
  • 177
25 You "I can't take it anymore. Just go." (Don't attempt to destroy the compressor.)
  • 503
26 You "It's pretty weird... that you came up with this plan right on the spot." Variable["whirling.klaasje_ruby_seemed_have_everything_planned_out"] == false
  • 31
27 You (Whisper over your shoulder.) "You okay, Kim?"
  • 176
28 Ruby, the Instigator "Oh." She smiles sadly. "Well, I guess I always knew she was a *survivor* above all else."
  • 345
29 Ruby, the Instigator "Don't know anything about it. No one's been around since I set up camp. But I'm sure I'm not the first vagabond to..." Her voice trails off into white noise in your head. It feels like an aneurysm approaching.
  • 467
30 You "Just a... place some comrades stopped through. A revolutionary bunker." IsTHCPresent("communist") and Variable["tc.mazov"]
  • 29
31 Ruby, the Instigator "What? No. Faking a lynching was her idea."
  • 38
32 Ruby, the Instigator "Oh." She smiles sadly. "I knew the kitten had claws, but not like this..."
  • 345
33 You "You're right. Klaasje was the first... to share her suspicions."
  • 32
34 You "Your friend Klaasje really threw you to the wolves... said you shot Lely." Variable["whirling.klaasje_ruby_drama_wolves"]
  • 32
35 You "When I threatened to arrest her, Klaasje broke... she told me everything." Variable["tc.ruby_did_it_klaasje_said"]
  • 28
36 You "How did you manage to... come up with a plan? So quickly?" Variable["whirling.klaasje_ruby_seemed_have_everything_planned_out"] == false
  • 31
37 Ruby, the Instigator "Who ratted me out, by the way? Was it Titus? No," she hesitates, "he wouldn't have broken first..."
  • 34
  • 33
  • 35
  • 251
  • 412
38 Half Light She looks shaken. She wasn't surprised to be ratted out -- but *framed*?
  • 422
39 Authority So she says she didn't do it -- and she doesn't trust you. Is it you specifically or the Citizens Militia that she distrusts?
  • 37
40 You "Klaasje said... you seemed to have a plan... prepared when you got there." Variable["whirling.klaasje_ruby_seemed_have_everything_planned_out"]
  • 31
41 Ruby, the Instigator "I know you're feeling pretty uncomfortable right now. Don't move too much or fight it. That'll just make it worse," says the shadowy figure by the machine.
  • 58
42 You "Do you know about the... bunker... next door?" Variable["boardwalk.ruby_hiding"] and (Variable["auto.visited_bunker"] or Variable["TASK.check_boardwalk_done"] or Variable["boardwalk.mazov_mainhub_reached"])
  • 48
43 Ruby, the Instigator "Fine, if you really want to talk, I can dial it down. I've also got a gun, by the way." She steps reluctantly out of the shadows. The pain lessens.
  • 379
44 You "Go ahead, then." (Let her do it.)
  • 185
45 None
  • 178
  • 6
  • 44
46 None
  • 4
47 Kim Kitsuragi "...you made it look... like he'd been hanged..."
  • 40
  • 19
  • 36
  • 26
48 Ruby, the Instigator "What bunker?"
  • 102
  • 30
  • 82
49 Ruby, the Instigator "I saw *you* roll into town. I wasn't about to stick around for questioning by a goddamn La Puta Madre agent."
  • 530
50 You "Who killed the merc... if it wasn't you?" Variable["boardwalk.ruby_didnt_do_it_arguments"]
  • 52
51 Perception (Sight) The gun she's carrying is a two-barrelled front-loader -- not like the murder weapon.
  • 392
52 Ruby, the Instigator "How should I know? As I keep saying, he already had a bullet in his head when I got to him, and there hasn't been any useful gossip over the radio..."
  • 234
53 Suggestion The voice coming through the whirlwind of pain is not malicious. She doesn't want to hurt you -- but she has to.
  • 65
54 None
  • 86
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
55 You "What's happening to me?"
  • 109
56 You "Are you gonna... kill me too?"
  • 83
57 You "Help, Kim, help! My brain's on fire!" IsKimHere()
  • 84
58 Ruby, the Instigator "Can't say it's a pleasure, officer. I was really hoping *not* to make your acquaintance. But -- here we are. "
  • 53
59 Ruby, the Instigator "That boy's really gotta learn to keep his trap shut. And it's not a bloody pale emitter. It doesn't emit *pale*..."
  • 112
60 Esprit de Corps You should probably check on Kim. That's what good partners do.
  • 61
61 Ruby, the Instigator
  • 62
  • 63
62 Ruby, the Instigator Variable["boardwalk.ruby_esprit_kim"]
  • 291
63 Ruby, the Instigator (Variable["boardwalk.ruby_esprit_kim"]) == false
  • 133
64 Pain Threshold Doesn't wish to hurt you? Not according to your ear canals... wait, no, not even your ear canals -- this is going directly into your neural pathways.
  • 71
65 Ruby, the Instigator
  • 66
  • 67
66 Ruby, the Instigator Variable["boardwalk.ruby_suggestion_malice"]
  • 64
67 Ruby, the Instigator (Variable["boardwalk.ruby_suggestion_malice"]) == false
  • 70
68 Ruby, the Instigator "No, I didn't do it. I only helped stage the lynching. Though I doubt that makes much of a difference to *you*."
  • 39
69 Ruby, the Instigator "She asked me to come upstairs -- the merc she'd been going with was lying on the bedroom floor, dead. I knew she couldn't get the authorities involved. So, yeah..."
  • 47
70 Pain Threshold As she says the word "officer," you feel a spike in the agony. It sounds like the entire radio frequency range is screaming directly into your neural pathways.
  • 71
71 Ruby, the Instigator
  • 72
  • 73
72 Ruby, the Instigator Variable["boardwalk.ruby_electro_new"]
  • 77
  • 385
73 Ruby, the Instigator (Variable["boardwalk.ruby_electro_new"]) == false
  • 101
74 Ruby, the Instigator "No, I really didn't. She's not that easy to read. I just assumed she'd done too much blow. It wouldn't be a first for her. But -- no such luck. She was in some *deep* shit."
  • 69
75 Ruby, the Instigator "If you've got something *really* important to say, you can do it through the white noise."
  • 110
76 You "Klaasje... said you knew something was wrong immediately."
  • 74
77 You Cover your ears!
  • 111
78 You "Did you shoot Lely?"
  • 342
79 You "And what did she say?"
  • 69
80 You Look back at Kim.
  • 91
81 You Keep your eyes on Ruby.
  • 133
82 You "Just a bunker. Have you been there?!"
  • 29
83 Ruby, the Instigator "No, I'm not going to fucking kill you. If that had been my plan, you'd be dead already. All things considered, I'm being pretty reasonable here."
  • 109
84 Kim Kitsuragi "Mmm..." The lieutenant clutches his head as his eyes roll back into his skull.
  • 85
85 Endurance The torment Lieutenant Kitsuragi is experiencing is worse than your own. He's trying to resist, but there's no way of knowing when he will recover.
  • 109
86 You (Yell through the static.) "You're under arrest!" Variable["boardwalk.ruby_pi_you_can"]
  • 88
87 Ruby, the Instigator "Yeah, they love sending people to faraway places..."
  • 197
88 Ruby, the Instigator "Really now? Check this out!" She turns the dial in her hand.
  • 89
89 Ruby, the Instigator You're overwhelmed with a new surge of violent static. It feels like a blood vessel exploded in your brain.
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
90 Ruby, the Instigator "She sits down with a drink, trying to steady her nerves. So I grab a seat next to her."
  • 419
  • 76
  • 79
91 Kim Kitsuragi "Right behind you, officer." Eyes closed, the lieutenant is doubled over. He's still alive and breathing.
  • 288
92 Endurance The torment Lieutenant Kitsuragi is experiencing is worse than your own, but he's slowly beginning to recover.
  • 133
93 Ruby, the Instigator "Nah. That I'm not planning to shoot you is the extent of the courtesy I can extend to La Puta Madre at present."
  • 131
94 Ruby, the Instigator "Alright, don't kill yourself over it. I was shooting the shit with Hardie and the boys over a few beers, like always. Then Klaasje comes in, all pale and shuddering..."
  • 90
95 You "Fuck yeah, I'm a La Puta Madre agent... You better let me go."
  • 93
96 You "Agent... Is La Puta Madre some kind of travel agency?"
  • 87
97 Ruby, the Instigator
  • 98
  • 99
98 Ruby, the Instigator Variable["boardwalk.ruby_kim_help"]
  • 387
99 Ruby, the Instigator (Variable["boardwalk.ruby_kim_help"]) == false
  • 60
100 Ruby, the Instigator The woman runs past you and disappears into the darkness of the tunnel.
  • 502
101 Volition Don't focus on the pain -- focus on doing your job. Tell her she's under arrest.
  • 54
102 You "The communist hideout back there..." Variable["tc.mazov"]
  • 29
103 You "Fat Angus said you had a pale emitter..." Variable["whirling.hardie_logic_wc_succ_reaction_speed"]
  • 59
104 Ruby, the Instigator
  • 105
  • 106
105 Ruby, the Instigator Variable["whirling.hardie_logic_wc_succ_reaction_speed"]
  • 254
106 Ruby, the Instigator (Variable["whirling.hardie_logic_wc_succ_reaction_speed"]) == false
  • 114
107 None
  • 259
  • 103
  • 265
  • 14
108 You "What happened... Sunday night? Tell me your version." Variable["boardwalk.ruby_did_you_kill"]
  • 23
109 Ruby, the Instigator "I'm using a pale latitude compressor. You and your partner have been caught in its field."
  • 255
110 Pale Latitude Compressor "236189281... If you're looking for a deal on mattresses... SUHSUHSUHSPEEDFRRRR... 23567... 32971047302819... Oh Rosaline, oh Rosaline..."
  • 128
111 Pain Threshold No, buddy, that's not going to help. You can't shield yourself from this -- it's an entirely *new* type of experience. Way worse than all the previous ones.
  • 285
112 Pale Latitude Compressor "Hhhhhzzzzzzzzssss... 136841... hhhhhzzzzzzzzzzssss... 37891303... hhhhhzzzzzzzsssss... hzzzzsssss..."
  • 97
113 You "What's this goddamned *pale* anyway?" Variable["tc.pale"] == false
  • 284
114 Ruby, the Instigator
  • 115
  • 116
115 Ruby, the Instigator Variable["pier.joyce_palebranch_mind_damage"]
  • 117
116 Ruby, the Instigator (Variable["pier.joyce_palebranch_mind_damage"]) == false
  • 112
117 Conceptualization I hate to interrupt the deafening pain you're in, but Joyce said it was possible to force dimensions by using radio waves. This must be one of the devices used to send radio signals across the pale.
  • 107
118 Ruby, the Instigator "Precisely. This is an industrial-strength paraboloid. It's meant for forcing dimensions on something that doesn't *have* them. Needless to say, the frequencies used are... out of this world."
  • 119
119 Ruby, the Instigator "At the upper limit is the large prime number generator station. It's used specifically for pale latitude compression. That's why you may be hearing some numbers. But you might also hear -- or think you're hearing -- local radio chatter."
  • 611
120 You "How did you get your hands on this thing?"
  • 122
121 You "Will I stay like this forever?"
  • 123
122 Ruby, the Instigator "I built it myself." She nods toward her torture device.
  • 124
123 Ruby, the Instigator "No -- once I shut down the compressor, the pain will end." She hesitates. "It may take a few minutes for you to steady yourself, though -- it's a bit like waking out of a very confusing dream."
  • 270
124 Interfacing And she's proud of it, too. As she ought to. This is way beyond your abilities.
  • 268
125 Ruby, the Instigator
  • 126
  • 127
126 Ruby, the Instigator Variable["boardwalk.ruby_la_puta_esprit"]
  • 225
127 Ruby, the Instigator (Variable["boardwalk.ruby_la_puta_esprit"]) == false
  • 444
128 Kim Kitsuragi