IC-Ep 1-The Blue Enigma(Xiang/George/Sofia)

[BenTheRat]

Sofia spoke up, "I'm not reading anything unusual. As far as I can tell its just normal, the drill bits should have torn right into it. This is weird."

ooc,can you describe what we are seeing in more detail, ie. do we see the lock, does it appear to be made of wood, is there any glass on it, etc... I don't want to comment on things I know out of game, in case you have changed them up. I.e. the key lock which is common in Dr. Who, we probably haven't seen anything like that or at least not for 20 years or so.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Sure. It looks like this: [img]http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/~trekker/policeboxes/images/tardislibrarypics/thumbs/bbcprops/tn_carnival1.jpg[/img] It appeared to be made out of wood, with the windows at the top made of opaque glass. However, it proved impossible to break or even damage them. The lock was a metal, mechanical cylindrical tumbler lock of an antique sort, similar in appearance to the kinds that were commonly used in the 19th and 20th centuries.

[BenTheRat]

ooc,thanks

Sofia frowned. "I can find no reason we can't get into here." She tries to look through the glass with no luck. "How the hell did 4 people fit in here, they had to be horribly cramped. Well this antique lock would use a mechanical key. These are usually pretty easy to drill out. Did you try drilling the lock aready?" She scratches her head while walking around the backside of the box.

[Mr. Handy]

"First thing I tried," said George Bond. "The major already told you I broke two drill bits."

"Four people could fit inside," said Major Orlova, "but only barely. The intruders must have had a key. I just have to wait for Security to get back to me about it."

Sofia walked all the way around the box. It looked the same on all four sides, though the doors were only on the front.

[BenTheRat]

"Have you tried tipping it over? Maybe something on the top or bottom might give us some clue we are missing?" Sofia asked.

[Mr. Handy]

"No, not yet," said Major Orlova, "but that is a thought. Let us lay the box on its back. I believe the three of us are strong enough if we work together."

Lt. Edward Barrett's voice came on the intercom. He asked Major Orlova where exactly Captain Desjardins had found the rock sample he was analyzing and if a larger scale survey could be conducted there.

"I do not know where precisely she found it," said Major Orlova. "There were numerous samples collected, all labeled. Your best bet is to ask her yourself when she gets back. Currently she's out retrieving the Demeter. We do have the means to conduct a larger survey and even small-scale mining operations. Why, did you find something interesting?"

OOC,[b]Sofia[/b] or [b]George[/b], whoever posts first, please make a roll of 1d100 on the Resistance Table, pitting your combined STR score of 32 (which includes [b]Natalia Orlova[/b]'s STR of 7) against the box's SIZ of 25. This gives you an 85% chance of success.

[BenTheRat]

roll,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3226970/]strength res, target = 85 (1d100=48)[/url]

The 3 of us gently lay it on its back. Sofia continues to take measurements and notes. Does she find anything on the top or bottom of any significance.

[Mr. Handy]

Working together, the three of them had no difficulty laying the box on its back. The underside appeared to made of the same wood, though it was unpainted. The top of the box tapered slightly, and in its center there was a cylindrical electric light of some sort, which was currently turned off.

"There's little more we can accomplish here," said Major Orlova. "Let's load it onto the gravcart and take it back to the lab for further analysis." She indicated the large antigravity dolly hovering in the wedge-shaped storage room's only corner, which was designed for hauling crates around. It looked like it would work just as well with the mysterious blue box.

"Well yes actually," replied Edward on the intercom, "the sample of rock Captain Desjardins brought back contained an alloy, part titanium, part something else. I will have to characterize the unknown metal further but it is very light and very strong." He paused. "Once we know more from the Captain, any chance I can get out to see the site myself?"

"Something like that could be very useful," replied the major. "Yes, I think a visit to the site could be arranged once Captain Desjardins returns. If we can find a large enough deposit of this metal, we may be able to do something useful with it. Is there anything else?"

[BenTheRat]

Sofia hops up, obviously disappointed at not being able to open the box, and heads over to grab the cart and pull it over to the box.

[Mr. Handy]

"No, Major, that's all," said Edward before he disconnected.

With the blue box on the gravcart, the three of them pushed it out of Tertiary Storage and down the tunnels to the laboratory module.

OOC,[b]Sofia[/b] and [b]George[/b] are moving to the thread linked below.

The Mystery Deepens