Ideally, with a fake ID or some other form of protection - perhaps a wealthy patron? Think of it like being gay in a country where that's illegal, or if not illegal still something heavily discriminated against socially and violence is common. The closet is your friend. You might be able to get a decent life in autonomist space, like the Titanian Commonwealth, if you wanted to live 'openly'. It really depends how much attention you draw to the whole "hey guys, the TITANs futzed with my head!" thing. You might end up having people worry that you're a security risk - a sleeper exsurgent, or something like that.

Well in my game, Consortium media has downplayed the Lost as much as they could. Any Lost going public are often portrayed as charlatans (we called them Gellerites) and conpersons. (and hunted down in secret later) Some Lost abilities can be simulated with sufficient hardware/software so it can be difficult for to "prove" the the existence of Psi powers.

As others have mentioned going public is typically a fantastically bad idea. The people who know you are Watts-MacLeod infected want you and most others will think you're a ticking time bomb of psychosis. I am currently playing a Lost in a campaign, and while aspects of my character are rather extreme, you can pass yourself off as "normal" in many regards. A fake ego ID is kind of standard, to the point where your main character sheet may effectively be "fake", though the only real difference would be your name and Rep scores. Along those lines look at the Sleights you are planning on taking (or have taken) and extrapolate. If you're a Psi 1 using self-enhancing Psi Chi sleights then you can fit in most places. Security/Mercenary work could be very suitable to things like High Pain Threshold, Instinct, Filter, or Ambience Sense. On the other hand a gatecrashing xeno-archaeologist could be a marvel in their field through the use of the Grok sleight, being able to activate and get some basic functions out of entirely alien devices. Gamble with the Savant Calculation and/or Predictive Boost sleight, act as a particularly effective hostess with Superior Kinesics, etc, etc. If you're trying to play a Lost with only minor mental derangement or you've even managed to repair your mind and become basically stable, then you're just another character. You just happen to have the usefulness of self-enhancing Psi powers. Now if you've taken Psi 2 and do this you're boring and shouldn't take Psi 2. Seriously, I wouldn't allow a "healed" async with the power to psychic stab someone because it doesn't make any sense. Consider it like this. Psi 1 (Psi Chi sleights) are a manipulation of the nature of self. The Watts-MacLeod virus has modified your brain to provide you with the understanding and power to manipulate aspects of your own being. This knowledge can -eventually- be assimilated and come to terms with, your powers will never extend beyond your own being and as such your fundamental understanding of Psi can stop with you. Psi 2 (Psi Gamma sleights) on the other hand is absurdly more powerful than Psi 1, and with that power comes mental damage. Psi 2 revolves around projecting from your own mind to manipulate the minds of others. This can be a simple act like Charisma, making the target basically think you're awesome, or passives like Ego Sense/Thought Browse/(kinda)Deep Scan. More complex and more powerful things like Psi Shield, Spam, Psychic Stab, Implant Memory/Skill are forcing your mind into another. Whether you are consciously aware of this knowledge or not that power implies a deep awareness of the nature of the transhuman mind and its frailty. Furthermore actually -using- that power would not only be stressful but very likely fucking terrifying.

What are the chances (or rather how would it be accomplished?) that a member of the Lost generation would be able to forge a fake identity and become a member of Oversight? I'm looking to craft an Antagonist/NPC that is publicly an Oversight manager (coordinates field assets/auditors), who is actually a Lost that is trying to play Firewall/external groups as well as other Oversight agents in order to expose Cognite and the unknown parties involved in the failure of the Lost project (which in my campaign is going to be Ozma I think). What would a Lost have to do in order to stay hidden and undetected as a member of Oversight?

uwtartarus wrote:

What are the chances (or rather how would it be accomplished?) that a member of the Lost generation would be able to forge a fake identity and become a member of Oversight? ... What would a Lost have to do in order to stay hidden and undetected as a member of Oversight?

He/she'd have to be paranoid in the extreme and very judicious in the use of async abilities for one. That said, most people in the EP setting aren't even aware that asyncs are a thing, which is probably the one advantage this person has working for them, assuming they can adequately erase all connections between themself and the Lost project. Probably the biggest challenge would be avoiding brainscans; coming up anomalous on one of those (especially since people higher-up in Ozma or Firewall would know what to look for) would cut their career short and fast. Identifying and recruiting/avoiding/eliminating other asyncs would also be keen; any risk of being identified as something other than a typical suit would be problematic. I could see them going so far as to sleeve synths (and risk the associated async fever) in other to avoid being pegged as asynchronous, though sleeving in a biomorph and downing a lot of Comfurt would probably be nearly mandatory in order to function. Aside from that, though? All the standard corp qualities—business acumen, savvy demeanor, cutthroat tactics, etc.—will probably ensure they rise up comfortably in the Oversight ranks. The trick would just be being good enough at the job to garner power in Oversight without drawing attention from Ozma ... assuming that's not their intent, anyway.