This page contains a log of events that transpired during our gaming sessions. It has been summarized based on the events that I felt were important.
 | The first adventure starts on the transport ship, Madrid, on it’s way to
Archimedes 2 (A2). As the ship emerges from a short trip in the Flux it
slows to a stop for a bit then continues. As the ship continues the pilot of
the small craft, Captain Lopez, welcomes the passengers to the asteroid belt
and starts blaring Spanish electro-pop on the internal speakers. When the
captain finishes an older man in a beat up Navy spacesuit who introduces
himself as simply, Rusty, pulls up a chair. After taking a seat the grizzled
space traveler pulls out a strange deck of cards and some Cicadian Whiskey.
Rusty explains that the card game is known as Face Of Enoch and that it is
all the rage on A2. Out of Rusty’s United Front duffel bag emerges a
strange orange creature that looks like a combination of a monkey and a cat.
Rusty says the creature is named “Scotch”. With that the PC take a seat
and play some cards. [At this point the players present character
descriptions and play a hand of Enoch.] During the conversation Rusty asks
the various PC what brings them to A2. Most folks are either looking for
someone or going for work of some type. Rusty says that he is coming back
from a business trip. He says that he owns a hovercraft and engine repair
shop on A2. Stooz asks about inspection procedures and Rusty does not seem
too concerned except he does mention a hard nosed “sheriff” on A2 called
Captain Slaine. |
| As the game of cards starts to wrap up the ship bucks and veers to one
side. Concerned Dave attempts to open the door to the cockpit. Surprisingly
the door is locked! Stooz wires open the door quickly. When the door first
opens smoke pours out! Stooz and Dave find Captain Y with his legs
completely blown off. The copilot is also dead as a piece of metal juts out
from his side. Quickly Stooz pulls the pilot out of his seat and Dave takes
the controls. Mack moves in to help try and fix the panel so Dave can regain
control. Vladeric also moves into the cabin to see if he can raise someone
on the radio or get the shields working. It appears that the radio, distress
beacons, and shields are completely fried. As Mack fixes the panel Dave
makes some fancy piloting rolls to land the craft in a chasm on A2 within
sight of the domes! |
| When the ship comes to a stop it is caught in a slide under a large
quantity of rock! Mack feels that the integrity of the ship will not hold
very long. This time Stooz and Mack pull open the outer door. After jerking
open the door the group finds it covered with boulders! At the same time the
other PC have discovered that Rusty is hurt. In fact a large beam has
crushed his chest and he appears to be dieing! Lena seems very concerned and
tries to comfort the old man. As Rusty passes he looks at Lena with a
knowing stare and says, “I saw it commin’...” Mack then proceeds to
dig the PC out of the ship using some type of cybernetic drilling rig in his
arms! |
| As the PC emerge into the chasm they take their bearings. It appears that
the walk to the domes will take around 4 hours and they have 6 hours of air.
Down the center of the chasm are vehicle treads. With this information the
PC decide to venture down the canyon. At the end they find a mine shaft
opening and a security panel from a mining company called Red Brick 5.
Vladeric breaks into the panel and turns on a map. It will greatly cut down
on the distance the PC will have to trek so they enter the cave. |
| Along the way the PC stop at a local base camp then proceed on. They hear
a rumbling noise that grows in strength. Eventually they are attacked by a
Vandor Granite Behemoth which Mack says is called a “Stone Snake” by
miners. He also informs them that the tail is the beast’s vulnerable spot.
With that the PC engage the huge creature! Hannibal dodges attacks while the
other PC cut loose on the beast. Lena jumps over 50’ onto the back of the
snake and urges the PC to move back so the tail is exposed. Eventually the
PC manage to kill the snake. |
| With that the PC continue to the domes. They enter an airlock and are
eventually inspected by none other than Captain Slaine. The PC speak with
the Captain for a bit. Lena feels that the crash was sabotage. For some
reason Captain Slaine seems interested and respectful of the uniformed
GeneCrux employee. One of the minor inspection officers mentions that Rusty
was a “fixture” at A2 and the he heard the man had a will. With that the
PC are allowed to enter the settlement. |
| The PC are inspected by two Terran Confederacy Port Authority (TCPA)
agents and Captain Slaine. After the inspection the PC take a look around
for a bit. It appears to the PC that it must be “night” as the lights
are tinted blue and seem to be changing color to a darker purple. Stooz
kicks on his laptop, connects to a public net, and determines that it is
23:00 hours local time. He also finds some local hotels for the PC who are
interested. With that the PC go their own way:
| ||||||||||
| The next day the PC further explore the domes. They visit the busy port
dome and the storage dome. During the day they see posters that say, “It
Could All Be Yours!” The posters also have a picture of Rusty! At the
bottom the posters say free booze will be served at the Purple Fountain Club
starting at 22:00 hours. During this time Lena is contacted by a slovenly
lawyer known as Slim Nutty. Slim informs Lena that he is handling the Osgood
(i.e. Rusty’s) estate. He also informs her that it is important that
Scotch be allowed to attend as he is part of the will. Confused a bit Lena
agrees. Lena then heads to speak to the TCPA port director where she finds
him in a heated conversation with Captain Slaine. The director is a young
Indian man named Zane Shadzi. Director Shadzi holds his own and tells Slaine
that he will have the ship for his criminal investigation after it has
passed a thorough inspection. Lena then speaks with Zane about the ship and
convinces him to let her be present at the inspection. Hannibal investigates
the police station and picks up information on two bounties. They include
Hien Luu, a smuggler, and Frederic Pelletier, a suspected racqueteer. After
asking around he discovers a shop that deals in “hard to find goods”
called Trini’s Treasures. | ||||||||||
| That night the PC attend the party at the Purple Fountain Club. The place
is packed! It is run by a “fem” Pakuin known as Ivy Primrose. (She is a
rose plant.) The bouncer is a large tan club wielding Trog known as
Crooktooth. During the party Slim takes the mike and informs everyone that
he is handling the Osgood estate. He also informs everyone that Mr. Osgood
has left a recording them to view. The recording, only a month old, is
displayed to the guest of the Purple Fountain Club. (Stooz secretly tapes
the recording using his bio-comp.) The recording has Rusty going through a
heartfelt speech about the importance of friends and family. After that he
informs the crowd that Scotch will be used to determine who will get a share
of his estate. Scotch is set down then approaches all of the PC in turn. The
proceedings are very chaotic as often others are trying to push their way.
With that the PC are asked to meet with Nutty Legal Services on the
following day to go over his holding. | ||||||||||
| That night Vladeric decides to investigate Rusty’s Engine Emporium.
After breaking in he is surprised to find the place completely thrashed! It
appears that someone has ransacked the place looking for something. As
Vladeric starts to look around he surprises three dark brown Cicadians who
are inside the place! The three quickly leave through an air vent. Vladeric
calls the other PC who begrudgingly get out of bed to meet with the Va
Rulen. The PC carefully investigate the place. They determine several
things:
| ||||||||||
| The next morning the PC inform Slim of the situation and get a complete
low down on Rusty’s estate. The important assets of the estate include the
following:
| ||||||||||
| At this point the PC decide to visit Trini’s Treasures. Hannibal
suggests that the “doll” in the message is likely Trini as she deals in
hard to get items. Trini Lux, the owner, is a pretty woman of Chinese decent
who is wearing a tight spandex top and a pulled down space suit. She
describes Rusty’s visit and the strange “S” shaped rod with strange
ruins. Trini said a scan did not reveal it’s composition so she suggested
that Rusty visit a scientist friend of hers. She tells the PC she can setup
a meeting with the man the following day and that she will accompany them.
At this point Vladeric talks with Trini about getting some high end security
gear. (Vladeric is not happy with the security at Rusty’s Engine
Emporium.) |
| At this point the PC proceed with Lena to the berth which has the wreckage
of the starship Madrid. On the way the PC hear a ticking sound on the dome.
Dave comments that it must be a gamma ray storm. This will ground traffic in
the dome. After chatting with Director Shadzi in the berth the group is
introduced to a plucky Japanese woman named Jules Hyaguchi who will be
leading the inspection of the craft. She appears to be quite proficient at
her job. When the ship is first opened the PC split up and start to search
the ship. Captain Dave heads off with Jules to check the cockpit. He lamely
tries to hit on her. During their search Dave blocks the doorway so Lena can
look around the main cabin. Dave and Jules discover a detonator device and
remove it for inspection. In the main cabin Lena feel a lot of remorse and
almost become sick to her stomach when she sees Rusty’s body. She finds
Rusty’s bag and discovers a blaster, some clothes, a vehicle scanner, and
a picture of Rusty standing in front of a ship with two other Navy men. The
ship is called the Viceroy. When Mack gets done looking at the engines he
examines the body and finds a strange metal bar in the shape of a square
with the corners rounded. Surprisingly it is NOT in the dollar sign shape
which the PC have heard Rusty possesses. Mack pockets the object. He then
goes to the cockpit and takes a look. It appears that the demolitions were
placed by an expert. The compound is one that is commonly used by demolition
experts (i.e. MEC). The shield, navigation, and controls were set to be
disrupted. The detonator was connected to the guidance system. Mack could
not tell anything more about the detonator without opening it up. After the
investigation the PC return to the engine shop and get some dinner. |
| Stooz returns to the ship and sets up a quick surveilance rig on the ship
so they can watch who goes to check it out. As he is leaving three men in
TCPA inspection suits enter the berth. They then enter the ship and move
directly to check Rusty's body. They quickly check the cabin and leave. |
| At dinner Hannibal speaks with two Va Rulen. One is strangely dressed in a
blue and black harlequin space suit with a white trench coat that has fur on
the collar. He says his name is Carter Cromwell. The other is dressed nicely
in a white suit and light blue stole. He introduces himself as Barclay
Loftus. Hannibal asks the men if they know Vladeric. The men laugh and say
that they didn’t know the spy was on A2! They also reveal his family name
to Hannibal. After getting prompted Cromwell says he is a “politician”. |
| On prompting from Dave, Stooz sets up a sensitive sound device on the rod.
After some analysis he determines that it is making a low frequency strange
noise. He records the pulsing and tries to analyze it. Stooz discovers that
something is missing from the code. Stooz also starts to scope out security
for Rusty’s Engine Emporium. In the process he finds a camera pointing at
the shop! He sets up a loop on the camera and decodes it’s frequency.
Stooz cannot find the receiver. |
| The next morning the PC meet with Trini and take off to the storage dome
to meet her scientist friend. During the ride she mentions that he is a bit
“strange” but he’s very smart. Dave lamely hits on her. At the
warehouse Trini knocks twice and after some shuffling there is a hesitant
reply, “Um…please go away.” Trini looks confused and shrugs her
shoulders. She moves away and signals to the PC. Stooz recognizes the man as
his friend Gilby Toren! Stooz talks to the voice. Surprisingly Mack acts! He
digs a hole through the thin wall of the warehouse. With Dave on his
coattails they surprise four thugs who appear to be holding Gilby hostage.
Two of the four thugs were in the party of three men dressed in TCPA
inspector uniforms earlier in the adventure. Mack punches one thug while
Dave opens fire with his blasters on kill! He knocks out one man then fires
at the second in the head where he is not armored and hits. The result is
devastating! The brutal act forces one man to give up and the other to run.
Hannibal easily chases down the man trying to escape. Quickly Lena, Stooz,
and Gilby attend to the shot man. It appears that he will live if he is
taken immediately to intensive care. With that Stooz and Gilby start to
catch up. Gilby tells the PC and Stooz that his alias on A2 is Martin. After
this he shows that he has a dollar shaped rod previously in the possession
of Rusty. Trini, Dave, and Mack take off. Hannibal expertly interrogates the
men. Hannibal discovers that the men are named Jerry Hall, Stinet, Bartlett
(“Bart”), and Marcus. They have G5 badges and TC pilot registrations.
They claim to be mine haulers for G5. When prompted the haulers say that
they found the strange rod on asteroid M34L65 after returning with a load of
tourite. They say that their boss, Kielty, hired them to rough up Martin to
get him to research the device. Minutes later Slaine arrives and takes
control of the situation. He questions the PC and the men. He seems very
upset but also glad that nobody was killed. Slaine is not happy… |
| After the scene at the warehouse Capt Slaine leaves to find Mack and Capt
Schaffer. He try the engine shop then Ela’s. At Ela’s Slain finds the
two partaking of some beer with friends of Mack’s who are G5 miners. They
include Jim Del Rio (Foreman), Damian Penney, Joe Lesney, and Phil Roy.
After some snide comments by Mack he takes the pair into custody and
questions them. Slaine warns the pair to be careful using weapons and
informs them that he will keep an eye on them. Hannibal bribes some of the
guards into releasing the pair. As the trio are leaving they see Slaine
bringing in a captive which they assume must be Kielty. | ||||||
| After receiving a call from the TCPA Port Director Lena goes for a visit.
At the appointment she is joined by Capt Slaine. Slain tells the pair that
he has captured Kielty. The two listen to Shadzi explain the results of his
analysis. He had determined the following:
| ||||||
| Stooz and Martin catch up and analyze the latest metal bit. Stooz learns
that Martin has been attending meetings with Technoists. Hannibal stays with
the two metal pieces listening to the two friends. Eventually Stooz asks
Hannibal to leave so they can talk in private. Mack is working on the ship
with Dave. Lena is looking at accounting records on the computer. Vlad
decides to visit the other Va Rulen in the city. When he investigates
Royyuru he decides not to approach. | ||||||
| Stooz, Vlad, and Martin attend the Technoist meeting. Father Blun meets
his guests with a two handed shake and offers them a chair. Snacks and
flyers can be found on the back table. As the meeting starts Professor Burl
Oak, the large Pakuin, joins the meeting. The meeting consists of a talk
about gamma ray storms. The key points in the discussion include the
following:
| ||||||
| Father Blun finishes with a talk about the Technoist. After the meeting
the group meet Semus Mayberry. Mayberry is a TCPA technician who thinks the
navigation beacons could be adapted to collect tracking data on astral
bodies not simply incoming ships. The data would be very useful to
scientists. Father Blun seems very interested as do several of the other
guests. | ||||||
| That night the rest of the PC are contacted by a strange black man who
says that he represents a “buyer”. This buyer wants to discuss the metal
bits in their possession. The PC feign ignorance of the bits. The man
ignores them and gives them the details for a meeting at the Purple Fountain
Club. He tells them to ask Ivy for the “Carter Party”. The PC instantly
expect Barton Finkle as the buyer as he owns G5 where Kiely worked. | ||||||
| All of the PC approach Crooktooth at the club. He loudly asks Ivy about
the meeting. She leads them to a private room that may have some type of
security installed. At the table are the black man and a thin white human
who appears to be very nervous as his hands are twitching. The man asks the
PC to sit. Stooz refuses at first. The man then introduces himself as Barton
Finkles VII and the black man as his security chief, Randazzo (i.e. “Daz”).
After introducing himself he explains the following:
| ||||||
| After the meeting the PC notice the three Cicadians that robbed their
place walking into the Purple Fountain Club. When the three Cicadians see
the PC they bolt! The trio jump into a taxi and are pursued by Stooz on
hoverboard and Capt Schaffer and Vlad via a procured hovertruck. After a
wild chase scene where Capt Schaffer shoots one of the Cicadians the PC
arrest the trio and flee the scene. Capt Schaffer pays off the taxi driver.
The PC then interrogate the Cicadians. C’Taa seems like the smart one,
C’Tab seems like a whiner, and C’Tac seems like a tough silent type.
During the talk C’Tab spills and tells the PC that after the men who were
raiding their place left they broke in. They found only a small metal bit in
the shape of a “U”. They sold it for 10 creds to a man the PC identify
as the smuggler, Hien Lu, using a wanted poster from Hannibal. Capt Dave
pays the trio to find Hien Lu. They discover that he left right before the
storm. His ship is named the Silk Worm. |
| Hannibal decides to go but tickets for the team to travel to the small
station outside of the local flux gate in attempt to track down the Silk
Worm. As he returns from the trip he is met by a bounty hunter associate of
his, Loi Tran. Loi introduces Hannibal to her current partner, “Murph.”
After some banter Loi mentions that she is her on a “private job”. She
will not reveal any additional information. With Gilby, Stooz creates a
couple of simple fake metal bits that the group can hide around their shop. | ||||||||||||
| When Hannibal and Stooz return the group decides to go to the Purple
Fountain Club for dinner. At the club they are met by an Ichthian smuggler
friend of Capt Schaffer’s known as Capt Marlin Kelp. Capt Kelp claims to
have just arrived from a trip in Va Rulen space in his ship, The Swordfish.
Kelps says that he plans to pickup a load of tourite for a trip to Ichthia.
He mentions that his brother and sister-in-law have been elected as leaders
of the Coral Reef region. Apparently this is quite an honor. Mack writes
down a list of parts that he needs to complete repairs on the groups ship
but Kelp does not have them in his cargo. He also brings some news.
| ||||||||||||
| At this point Vladeric decides to go over and speak with Carter Cromwell
and his associate Barclay Loftus. The conversation is full of innuendo and
inference but the results of the meeting suggest several things. The
Cromwell clan who has vast shipping resources has pulled out of several
contracts due to disagreements with the current regime in Va Rule. Cromwell
is in A2 on some type of business. Cromwell would be willing to work with
Vladeric in the future. After the meeting Vladeric speaks with Capt Kelp
privately about conveying information to Va Rule. Capt Kelp seems interested
in the proposition as message data trips are often lucrative and extremely
easy to transport. With that the group returns to the shop for the night. | ||||||||||||
| The next morning as the group discusses the upcoming trip there is a knock
at the door. It is Randazzo (i.e. “Daz”) the security chief from G5.
After getting the door shut in his face he knocks again. Daz speaks to the
PC about his employer, Barton Finkle VII. He tells the PC that Baton would
like to have another meeting with the PC if they are willing to talk. Daz
then goes off the record and tells the PC that Barton has not experiences
the “hard living” like the PC or himself. He says that Barton still has
“pie in the sky” ideals. The PC say they will think about another
meeting and get back to him. After this he leaves the shop. | ||||||||||||
| As the PC are walking to their transport ship through the port dome they
observe a small commotion outside of one of the berths. There are two TCPA
officials with a small Va Rulen girl. Arguing with the officials are two
crewman from the Swordfish. One is an Ichthian and the other is a human. The
Ichthian is very upset and claims that the stowaway should be prosecuted and
that they should be reimbursed for having to transport her to A2. As the
stowaway appears to have no creds these is no way for her to pay. Vladeric
approaches the group and convinces the Ichthian first mate to fetch Capt
Kelp. Once Capt Kelp arrives Vladeric reaches a deal where the stowaway is
released into their custody. At this point Stooz anonymously calls the TCPA
and reports a problem with their transport so it will be delayed. This will
give the PC a chance to figure out what to do with her. The stowaway who
appears to be 18 years of age claims to be named Yasu. As the PC decide what
to do with her Mack takes her to a local food vendor to get something to
eat. Mack calms her down and discovers that Yasu came to A2 to visit “her
beloved”, Carter Cromwell! After Yasu talks with Vladeric she reveals that
her full name is Yasuharu Cromwell. Yasu claims to be the daughter of
Cromwell but also his lover! This surprise many of the PC but Vladeric does
not seem as surprised based on the reputation of the Cromwell clan and
typical Va Rulen customs. | ||||||||||||
| Vladeric sets up a meeting with Cromwell and discusses Yasu. Cromwell
tells Vladeric that it would be good if he could, “find someplace else for
Yasu to be”. Vlad then returns to the PC and buys a ticket for Yasu. He
tells her that Cromwell has left A2 and that they are going in the same
direction and would be willing to escort her. Yasu agrees. At the same time
period the PC with Yasu visit Ela’s Tomb to wait. At the bar Mack hears
from his friend, G5 foreman Jim Del Rio, that their union contracts are
coming up for renewal and they are worried about it. | ||||||||||||
| With this the PC travel through the flux gate to the station. They leave
the three Cicadians in charge of the place while they are gone. At the
station they discover that the Silk Worm never came through the flux gate!
They also realize that they probably should have checked a bit more on A2
before leaving. Vladeric escorts Yasu to a transport and gives her some
spending money. | ||||||||||||
| The PC return to A2 a week later. The Cicadians painted a picture of a hog
holding a beer mug on the front of the ship. It appears that Capt Schaffer
and Mack are making plans. Waiting for them is a report for Lena on G5. The
report is over a year old but there is quite a lot of detail. Here are the
important facts from the report:
|
| As the game starts Vladeric announces that he is going to do some
investigation on Cromwell and heads out of the engine shop in a disguise.
[Jeff was not at the game.] The rest of the PC start talking about the Horny
Hog. Initially discussions focus on how they can get their ship repaired.
After a while they start talking about other ways that they can get ANY ship
to follow The Silk Worm. The trio of Clickers take off to get something to
eat. After a few minutes the PC follow. | ||||||||
| On the way to the Purple Fountain Club the PC see a commotion at
Bellweather’s Arcade. When they approach they find the their three
Cicadian friends donning goggles and entering a strange metal box which is
sunk into the floor. After a while other patrons start betting on how long
they can last. When monitors turn on the PC realizes that the three insect
men are in a sort of holographic game. The goggles change their perceptions
to make simple effects look and real. The simulation starts with dodging
obstacles. It soon progresses to higher levels. When reaching the highest
level the arcade operator gets a nod from the owner and cranks the
difficulty to the maximum. When this happens the scene change to a dark
tunnel with the three being attacked by Trogillian warriors! When the
clickers try to fight back they are severely pummeled. When the ride ends
they are knocked out and very frightened. Captain Schaffer enters the metal
room and sees to his crew. They head to the restaurant to get some drinks. | ||||||||
| Lena meets with Barbara Lane, Zane’s secretary, and asks about the Silk
Worm. Barbara says the Silk Worm has been the latest talk around the office.
It was LOST after passing beacon #9. (There are a total of 12 beacons.) The
search ships will not able to find any piece of wreckage. The TCPA is
considering the ship destroyed. Barbara seems to like speaking with Lena. | ||||||||
| At the Purple Fountain Club the group meets with Stooz. Their final plan
includes marking the ship for repairs then “borrowing it” to look for
the Silk Worm. The plan has several parts including fake transponders and
hacking into the TCPA computer but Stooz thinks it can be done. The group
decides not to speak with Barton right away as they don’t have a good
angle to direct the discussion. While chatting Trini Lux sits down at the
table with the PC. She informs Stooz and the group that a tall Asian woman
came into her shop asking about high tech medical gear. In particular she
asked about gear that Martin owns. On leaving she tells Stooz that they are
“even”. | ||||||||
| Stooz leaves to talk to Martin about it. He catches Martin speaking with
someone about the Silk Worm on the phone. After digging through the phone
records at G5 Stooz figures out that Martin is calling Professor Oak. Stooz
relays this information to the PC. | ||||||||
| With this information Lena and Captain Schaffer decide to attend a
Technoist meeting where they know Professor Oak will attend. Mack attends
the meeting to hear his friend, the G5 Foreman, Jim Del Rio speak about
comet mining. At the meeting Oak arrives as do the Asian woman and a black
man with dreadlocks. During the meeting Lena and Dave speak with Professor
Oak. They threaten the safety of Martin if Oak does not speak with them.
They also infer that Martin has told them “everything”. This seems to
really frighten Oak. He tells them that they should talk after the meeting.
After this Dave decides to speak with the Asian woman. After talking with
her it is apparent that she is not interested in comet mining. In fact she
is intrigued by Dave and leaves with him for drinks. She tells Dave her name
is Loi Tran. (Dave knows that she has a reputation as a bounty hunter.) The
pair leave before the end of the meeting. After the meeting Oak leaves. Lena
briefly speaks with Mack then the two follow. They speak with Oak on the
street but he will not reveal anything until he can see Martin in the flesh.
The two setup a meeting with Martin and Stooz at the Bio-Dome. | ||||||||
| Stooz confronts Martin about his involvement with Oak but he will not say
anything. Martin tells Stooz that it could get him in a lot of danger.
Martin says he needs to speak with Oak before saying anything. | ||||||||
| Captain Dave and Loi Tran are getting along very nicely when Loi receives
a call. She complains for a bit then explains to Dave that she has to leave. | ||||||||
| Lena, Mack, and Oak go to Oak’s smaller domed house and wait for Stooz.
When Stooz and Martin arrive they he notices some cameras and calls Lena.
They setup a meeting in a different part of the dome. When the two groups
meet Oak puts his massive branch-like hand on Martin’s shoulder and slowly
utters, “I’m glad you are unharmed old friend.” This surprised Stooz
who did not know the two were so close. Oak then asks Martin if he trusts
the group. Martin says yes. With that Martin tells a story about his project
with Oak:
| ||||||||
| With that the PC split up. Stooz and Martin go to a local hotel to hideout
for the night. Stooz stays up all night hacking. Lena and Mack return to the
engine shop. On the way back to the shop Mack spot a tail. By setting up
Captain Dave at a local bar they pass by and identify the tails as Loi Tran
and Murphy. Lena and Mack go to the Purple Fountain Club for drinks. Captain
Dave watches Loi and Murphy from a distance. Eventually Dave decides to join
Lena and Mack. After talking for a bit the trio return to the engine shop
and call it a night. | ||||||||
| In the meantime Stooz attempts to send Oak a message. He is surprised to
find a large amount of black ice watching the Professor’s computer. By
later carefully approaching Stooz discovers that the source of the ice is
from a hacker known as “5hU773R” (i.e. hacker speak for “Shutter”).
Stooz guesses that Shutter might be Murphy. Stooz also orders a TCPA ship to
be serviced by the engine shop. He also starts to rig some transponders that
will allow them to exit with another signature. |
Date And Time At End Of Game: 4/1/2402 AM.
Dave Schaffer's personal log
Heh heh. Loi's fallen for the ol' Shaffer charm, that should be a help when it
comes to the inevitable shootout! Not sure what the crew thought they were doing
in that crazy game? Need to find other ways to help those fella's blow off
steam. (drinking?)
| The group starts by receiving the ship that they setup for repairs. The
ship is a TC multipurpose scout class corvette named the Black Sun. It has
some special outfitting which includes a front mounted docking connector,
ventral and dorsal mounted turrets, long tethers for extended space walks,
and lots of miscellaneous satellite parts (inventoried and catalogued).
After loading in their gear the team departs. |
| The group decides to head out to beacon #12 then swing out from there to
beacon #9 to start the search. This way the mission will not seem as
contrived in case anyone is tracking them. Once they reach this point the
group starts a search for the Silk Worm using signal data from Otto (i.e.
the AI). After searching for almost 6 hours the team gets a signal.
Strangely the signal cuts in and out at irregular patterns. Using
mathematical skills with a heavy dose of Cryptography Stooz determines that
the patterns are not random. They are just cutting in and out because they
are emanating from a spinning astral body. By approaching when the signal is
off the crew stealthily approaches an asteroid which is the source of the
signal. After a brief discussion of their various options the team decides
to simply fly over the signal in a daring surprise attack and shoot out the
engines of the target ship (i.e. the Silk Worm). When they fly over they
don’t see a ship. Instead they find several caverns. After probing the
caverns they find the one where the signal is emerging. After another talk
they decide to simply fly down. |
| Once inside the shaft the Black Sun is attacked by a small anti-personnel
laser turret. This does not harm the ship at all so the team leaves it
alone. At the bottom they find the Silk Work and a small shelter. There is
hardly any power coming from the site and all of the life forms except one
are in the shelter. With that Hannibal gets on the communications link and
pretending to be a TCPA official orders the base to surrender. No response
is given. At this point Mack shoots out the turrets and the bridge of the
Silk Worm. The group then formulates a second daring plan. They decide to
doc with the Silk Worm and have the Cicadian trio knock on the adjoining
hatch with tools. While the smugglers inside are distracted they will tunnel
under the shelter and surprise them from behind. With that the team digs
under the shelter. Mack closes the tunnel behind the team so escaping air
will not be an issue. |
| Mack digs into the shelter with a thrashing metal noise as the floor to
the shelter is metallic. After emerging he eyes 7 people in space suits. He
throws a mass of tourite at the captain, Hien Lu, and a strange Va Rulen in
a black space suit with wings (i.e. the first mate). The explosion throw the
two men to the ground in a heap! With that the rest of the PC rush into the
room. Captain Dave finishes off a crewman with two point blank shots while
Hannibal keeps two other bust with a dodge. Stooz uses the hole lip for
cover and fires at a crewman. Quickly the team dispatches the crewman and
Hien Lu. During the fight the PC note that the crew were quite crazed in
their attacks. [GM Comment: The PC rolled REALLY good on damage and to hit
rolls. The PC only missed 1 time the entire fight! The initial grenade took
out the only two bad guys who could fight! Lucky night for the good guys.] |
| After taking out the people in the shelter the team rushes in different
directions. Mack notices that on Hien Lu’s belt there is an artifact piece
and a detonation device which has been activated. He then deduces that the
only real way to get the most effect from an explosion in space would be to
explode the ship. He alerts the team then digs back to the ship through his
tunnel to prep it for take off. Stooz looks at the device to see if it can
be shut off remotely. He finds that it cannot. Hannibal picks up his bounty,
Hien Lu, and heads towards the Silk Worm to find the lone crewman. Captain
Dave leads the way until they get to the ship them lets Hannibal lead.
Upstairs the team finds a lone crewman who is quite crazy. He has locked
himself with the engines that appear to be overheating! The man is sitting
on the box containing Otto! When the PC enter the room the man simply
cowers. They grab the man and the box and escape to the Black Sun. Captain
Dave blasts the ship out of the cavern just as the Silk Worm goes up in a
huge ball of flame. |
| The crew then returns to A2. Once back they return the ship after milking
some money from the TCPA for repairs, try to decide what to do with Otto
knowing that there are bounty hunters outside, and turn in Hien Lu for the
reward. They turn the rescued crewman, Juan Egas, over to the Technoists so
they can study his brain. The crewman relayed to the team that after the
gamma storm it left the Silk Worm almost completely non-functional. He jury
rigged power after a couple of days. When food ran out and the group decided
to eat one of their crew named “Bob” he locked himself in the engine
compartment. |
| The first order of business is to decide what to do with the box (i.e. the
AI Otto) and the third artifact piece. Stooz decides to hide the box in the
ship and to mock up a fake one for show. At this point Otto communicates
through random characters that flow onto a screen. Martin suggests that Otto
only be given short bursts of input data so he does not get confused or
overloaded. The third piece is held by Mack. (Currently Mack, Stooz, and
Hannibal have a piece each.)| Once that is decided the PC venture to the Purple Fountain Club for
dinner. On the way they meet Loi Tran. Murph is not with her at the time.
She claims he is “busy”. Loi mentions that she wants to bring the “cat
and mouse” stuff into the open. They both know the other is watching. No
need to hide it. At dinner she reveals that the pair is working for a man
called Maxwell Beanfeld. Beanfeld is a wealthy industrialist who specialized
in biological compounds. He is a known Technoist. Loi also reveals that he
paid them 10,000 credits for the job and 1,000 credits per day to look out
for highly skilled doctors. She knows Martin and Oak fit the bill. Beanfeld
told them to simply watch and that they would be paid until he tells them to
stop! | Mack attends a union meeting with his friend Jim Del Rio. The union
representative is a thin man with a goatee named Randy Ochs. Mr. Ochs
conveys that the first round of meetings was tense but not negative. | Vladeric returns from his investigation of Carter Cromwell. He relays the
following data: |
The next day the group starts working on a plan to steal the Va Rulen
parts they need from Winters Run. Vladeric sneaks up to the ship in a
ventilation shaft and takes a look. They decide to sneak in Vladeric in a
food crate. | Finkle contacts the team through Daz. They blow him off for a couple of
days so they can commit the robbery of the parts. | At the next labor meeting Mack learns that the G5 miners plan to strike.
On April 4th the tunnels into the G5 done are blocked by strikers. This
prevents food from getting delivered to Winters Run delaying the plan to
steal the parts. The PC call Finkle and tell him they want to switch meeting
days. | Before the meeting Hannibal starts playing with Rusty’s old deck of
cards. To his surprise Scotch jumps up on his lap and seems interested. As a
joke Hannibal deals Scotch a hand of cards. At that the strange alien
creature jumps up on the tables and starts rolling on them! When Hannibal
tries to take on the cards Scotch attacks him and hisses! When Lena
approaches with a canned ham Scotch backs off but it is not easy. At that
Stooz directs Martin to use his medical scanner on Scotch. Martin reports
that Scotch is under the influence of some type of toxin that apparently
does not affect humans. Stooz then directs Martin to search for more
compound in the engine shop while the PC attend the meeting with Finkle. | The PC enter the Purple Fountain Club meeting room and proceed to order
some food. Daz is eating a steak but Barton Finkle seems to be only pushing
his food around the plate. When the PC have settled in Barton explains that
his goal is to make sure the artifact bits get researched. He would like to
own the pieces but if the group will not sell he would be willing to talk
about some type of research deal. After some great discussion the PC point
blank ask Barton if he has a piece. He says he has one. When Finkle asks the
PC about their pieces it comes out that they have 3 and that there are a
total of only 4 pieces. This is information that the PC did not know until
this point. More bargaining commences then the PC eventually make a shrewd
agreement with Barton. They will let him join their research team and take
some credit for their discovery if they get 75% of the proceeds from any
exploitation of the artifacts. Although very hesitant the PC bring up a
great argument involving the unions and how this deal would allow him to
resolve that issue as well. The argument works and Barton agrees. He sets up
a meeting with the PC where he will bring his piece but not his information.
Barton wants to meet the team. Barton gives out Daz’s cell number. (Mack
calls his friend and tells him to have the union negotiator bargain
tougher…and not to ask him how he knows it will work.) | On the way back to Rusty’s Engine Emporium the PC are passing the port
dome tunnel to the G5 done. They hear a loud explosion then red
depressurization sirens start to blare. The PC quickly don helmets and move
to help. Captain Shaffer jumps into a hover truck that is caught in the door
and after a jackknife manages to get it out of the way. Others grab people
and move them to helmets. When a crate knocks out one of the men Lena uses a
telekinetic grab to pull him to safely. Hannibal rushes back to the shop as
he is worried that someone might have caused the explosion as a diversion to
break into their place. The doors close sealing the shaft. With this the PC
return to the engine shop hoping none of the striker got hurt. | The crate containing Vlad is loaded onto Carter Cromwell’s ship (i.e.
Winters Run). After waiting a few minutes Vlad sneaks out of the crate and
opens a panel labeled Thrusters in Va Rulen script. A guard interrupts Vlad
but does not notice him. Vlad finished his work and connects two of the
devices. He then activates them and replaces the panel. At that moment a
guard enters the room surprising Vlad. He hides behind a crate hoping the
guard will leave. Instead an alarm on the ship is sounded. Over the
crewman’s radio another crewman informs him that they detected an
unauthorized radio signal leaving the ship and that they have activated the
jamming devices. The man immediately enters a defensive posture. Vlad
carefully opens a panel in the floor and shorts out the life support on the
ship hoping to distract the man. Instead the guard maintains his position
and calls for help. A second guard enters the room and they start searching
for an intruder. They find Vlad trying to sneak by and hold him at gunpoint.
The other PC move to try and help Vlad but it happens too fast. Cromwell
then enters the hanger with some TCPA security guards. After talking with
his crewman Cromwell tells the guards that it is an internal issue and that
everything is handled. When the guards leave Cromwell speaks with Vlad.
Through a series of innuendos it is apparent that Cromwell now expects a
favor from Vlad for letting him off the hook. | At the shop Martin finds more of the toxin and a data crystal in a small
box hidden in one of the lift compartments. The message on the data crystal
follows: | |
| After returning to the engine shop the team sets up a meeting with Barton
to go over some preliminary information, and more importantly, to get a look
at his bit. (Before Barton arrives Stooz and Martin hide the AI.) Barton and
Daz show up in a taxi in different clothes. After entering the shop they
explain that because of the accident it is very hard for them to move around
discretely. Following brief hellos Barton produces his piece for
examination. Hit bit is in the shape of a triangle with rounded corners.
Martin and Stooz quickly confirm that the piece is genuine. While Martin and
Stooz examine the piece Barton conveys some high-level information that he
has about the ancient race that his family call “The Others”. [Note that
I will summarize all of the PC information about the bits and The Others
below.] While chatting it is evident that Barton is extremely interested in
the research. He is completely in awe when he is allowed to examine the
three bits the PC have acquired. With all four bits Stooz is able to see
signs of a very intricate coded message in the low frequency tones. He
determines that even with his awesome computer power it would take at least
2 weeks to decipher unless he also utilizes the computing power of Otto
(i.e. the AI). Stooz does not reveal Otto but quotes the translation time at
around 20 hours to the group. As Daz is starting to gather their things
Barton comments that the group will want a ship. When he sees the Hog he
asks about it. Stooz prints out a list of the parts they still need. An hour
after starting the meeting Daz forcefully removes Barton so they can attend
some important union meetings.| The group then heads to lunch where there learn that one of Jim Del
Rio’s crew, Phil Roy, was on strike during the explosion. He was blinded
by flying rock shards. Jim is quite upset as Phil does not make a lot of
money and will not be able to afford even cybernetic replacement eyes let
alone cloned replacements. During the same time Hannibal puts out feelers
for someone he is hunting. Vladeric locks himself in the box and puts the
plan to steal the parts into action. | That night the PC visit Barton’s home to discuss more about the Others.
(Stooz and Martin do not attend as they are working with the bits and the
computers.) The dinner is very friendly. The PC come to realize that Barton
and Daz are very likeable people. During the meeting they learn more about
The Others and they learn that Barton has sold the G5 assets on A2 to Carter
Cromwell. According to Barton the results of the union talks were enough to
cripple the already declining mining operation. When Carter approached with
an offer that was extremely generous he could not refuse. Barton also lets
the PC know that this is very confidential information at this time. As part
of the deal Barton was able to convince the Va Rulen politician to provide
parts for the Hog and to completely waive the lease for Rusty’s Engine
Emporium! Here is a summary of the information the PC have on the bits and
The Others. (Note that this is the PC information ONLY.): |
The next day Martin and Stooz hide Otto and the group meets with Barton to
report the results of the decoded message. The message is in three parts.
The first is a prime number sequence which is used as a basis for decoding
the rest of the message. The second section resolves into a unit of distance
and time based on the speed of light. The last is astrological information
about four stars, their decay rates, a time 150,000 years ago, and a point
in space. By gathering ancient star data a precise point in space can be
determined in 2402. Later Barton returns with that information and news that
the parts for the Hog will arrive in two days. The location is approximately
10 days away from A2 in an uncharted region of space. As the data is very
old Stooz warns the team that it may take a while to find what they are
looking for…whatever that might be…when they reach that region of space. | With that Mack and the Clickers start repairing the ship. The rest of the
team starts gathering supplies and equipment for the trip. Barton plans to
go but Daz needs to stay with the transitioning company. The process of
fixing the ship and gathering the gear takes 5 days. | After completing the repairs and gathering their gear the team departs in
their ship, The Horny Hog. The ship bucks when it starts and shimmies when
it accelerates but after some adjustments on the engines Mack and Capt
Schaffer seem pretty happy with the results. The ship accelerates quickly
and travels at a fast maximum speed but it turns like a “charging
rhinoceros”. | The 10 day journey to the location is uneventful. Some of the PC play
cards while Capt Schaffer keeps the Clicker crew busy doing odd jobs around
the ship. During the trip the PC reveal the AI to Barton. The PC start to
search the area but the search drags on severely. After 10 days the PC find
something unusual. In a very light asteroid field one of the rocks is denser
on one end. By synchronizing with the spin of the asteroid the PC are able
to jump off onto the surface. Although Barton is extremely reluctant to
jeopardize the mission due to his lack of zero gravity training Captain Dave
“strongly” asks him to attend. The spinning of the asteroid imparts only
0.5g which makes moving around dangerous. With some subtle directing from
Mack the perceptive group finds a small disk with a triangle indentation.
Inserting the bit reveals a strange dark passageway into a very strange
room… | |
Date And Time At End Of Game: 5/1/2402
Dave Schaffer's personal log
Not sure about 'charging rhinoceros'. Sure the Hog needs a bit of stroking but
nothing the most talented pilot in the galaxy can't handle... We'll need to make
some maneuvering modifications so she handles like a dream, that'll catch the
alliance by surprise...!
| The PC place the triangle shaped bit on a small circular platform. After
placing the piece a small door opens. The path leads to a large open room.
Along the walls are intricate patterns that look like air currents. Ancient
text inside the doorways says: Core Of All Life, Quick, and Fluid. The room
has a set of pillars over a spiked pit. By throwing rocks Mack determines
that there are three spike guns in the room. The group drops down carefully
into the pit and circles the weapons. On the other side they climb out. |
| The next door has a square piece indentation. Inside is a tube leading
down into an open room. Writing says: Durable, Home, and Resource. Hannibal
drops down first. He discovers that the room is some kind of puzzle. The
enemy is a large status with a huge club. Force field limit the way the PC
can move (i.e. only into orthogonal squares). When Hannibal gets
electrocuted and falls Lena and Mack give it a try. They get to Hannibal but
are not able to make it to the far doorway. Finally the PC are able to
figure out the puzzle and get to the other door. |
| The symbol on the next door is an upside down “U”. The door opens to a
long “v” shaped room with reflecting walls. The writing on the floor
says: Enriches, Peels Deception, and Life’s Joy. When Hannibal enters a
laser fires. The PC discover that they can break the mirrors. With a rush of
speed Hannibal gets to the other side and breaks the end mirrors which
prevent the lasers from reflecting down the hall. |
| The next door has the “$” but it is laying on it’s side. When the
door opens they find the bottom 3 feet to be covered in water. Writing on
one wall says: Powerful, Life Bringing, and Cleansing. The PC check the
water and it appears safe. When they get half way through a set of
switchbacks a large metal crab robot attacks. It moves with amazing speed!
In seconds Stooz falls with a terrible shoulder wound. Mack tries to fight
back but he does not seem to be able to hurt the creature. Lena’s laser
sword seems to be the most effective weapon. In an effort to reach the far
door Mack grabs Stooz and rushes forward. As he drags Stooz the beast
follows snapping at their heels. Stooz pushed Mack forward to get out of the
way. At the end of the hall the PC stop and the beast continues to attack.
With the help of shots from Hannibal, Captain Dave, and Lena the beast falls
but not before Stooz becomes gravely wounded. Only help from his internal
biocomputer saves his life. |
| The last door has all four symbols. As the door opens four skylights open
in the roof over four sets of spiral text. As the light enters the room a
hologram appears. The hologram is a star map. Stooz records the data and
Finkle takes pictures. Back in the ship the PC translate the spirals. Here
is the text: |
| On the way home Stooz discovers that Otto has learned some simple words
like Father, Mama, Casa, Star, Happy, Electricity, Power, and Spanner. Stooz
has no idea how Otto learned the words. Later he rigs Otto with a computer
eye and feeds Otto some star chart data. The other PC try to convince Stooz
to hook Otto up to the ship but Stooz says Otto is not ready.| When the PC arrive at A2 they discover the following: |
Stooz feeds Otto the ancient star chart data. The two of them determine
that the destination in the hologram is the planet Euclid. | |
| After returning to the engine shop the group tries to get up to speed with
what has happened on A2 while they have been away. At the same time they try
and prep the Horny Hog for it’s next mission (i.e. the long trip to
Euclid). Lena gets a message from GeneCrux. She chats with Randazzo for a
bit then leaves the shop. Hannibal leaves the shop with a vague comment
about following up on a lead. Dave receives a message from Kelp then works
on the ship with the Clickers. For some reason he seems concerned. Vlad says
he needs to take care of some “business” and leaves. [GM Comment:
Note that all of these events will be covered in the next session where
these players are present.]| Capt Dave gets a message from Kelp. Kelp sent the message on April 14th,
2402. The message opens with a scene of Kelp enjoying himself at an
underwater party. On his head is a wreath of seaweed… | |
|
