Play@YSDC

Ground Control - Styx Base, Pluto
0655 GMT - Tuesday, August 9, 2112

Colleen received a message on the intercom from Sergeant Heinrich Kohl: "Lieutenant, this is Sgt. Kohl with Security. Can you attempt to get a hold of Lt. Col. Bruce for me?"

Captain Juliette Desjardins boarded the Demeter.

Before Colleen could respond, she saw six unidentified blips on her scanner. They emerged from the coordinates of the rock formation that Captain Desjardins had found and were heading straight for the two ships and Lt. Colonel Howard Bruce, who stood alone on the surface between them!

Colleen snaps on the intercom - communicating to both Desjardins and Bruce simultaneously. "Bruce, six incoming heading straight for your co-ordinates. Get back to the ship! Repeat. Get back to the ship!"

She then responds to Sergeant Kohl: "There's six incoming unidentified blips converging on Bruce." She then will open the communications channel between the two of them.

OOC: Yep, I know that's probably a few rounds worth of actions but that's what she'll aim to do.

OOC,Actually, you can manage that in one round, though I had your initial responses only go to the person for whom they were intended, before you linked the channels together.

"Lieutenant-Colonel!" shouted Sergeant Heinrich Kohl on the comm. "Rose, is there anyone down there who can see exactly what's going on?"

"Lieutenant Colonel Bruce is hit!" yelled Lt. Hu at almost the same time. "They fired some sort of blue... THING at him. He seems to be alive, but isn't moving!"

As they spoke, one of the blips remained stationary while the other five reached the security chief. Then they moved with him quickly, back towards the rock formation from which they had emerged.

Rose stares at the blips in shock, though now she's linked them, there's not much more she can do just yet. "What did you see? What are they?"

The others spoke all at once, at more or less the same time Colleen did.

"1st Lt. Hu Xiang," said the astrophysicist, "I'm on site in the Persephone. The creatures have just taken Lt. Colonel Bruce into a nearby cavern."

"Hu, this is Sgt. Kohl," said the sergeant. "Could you see what these things look like? What're they doing with Lt. Col. Bruce now? Has there been any word from Capt. Desjardins?"

The unidentified blips and Lt. Colonel Bruce reached the rock formation and disappeared while everyone was talking.

Juliette and Xiang talked over each other again.

"They seem to be like a flying insect, multiple extremities, large heads," said the astrophysicist. "They have taken Lt. Col. Bruce into the caverns. I can't see where from the viewscreen. And yes, Captain Desjardins has made contact and killed one."

"This is Captain Desjardins," said the pilot, "they have captured the Lt. Colonel. Permission to engage in battle on close ground to own party."

Colleen would need to contact Colonel Patel in Command to request permission, who would then need to discuss it with General Pryce.

"Contrôle au sol," said Juliette, "les crètins fly incredible fast. There is a flat cave, at the far end of the cave there is a round sphincter-like opening that was closed when I was down there last. It is sealed by a lot of black plates that looks like it would be an iris opening. There were a lot of colored lights flashing on the wall next to the door, and since they had two on guard the last time, they are bound to be on guard now."

"Capt. Desjardins," says Heinrich, "do you have any reconnaissance drones you can send into the cavern first? See exactly what's going on? But congratulations on your kill. And whatever you decide... be careful."

"That is a negative, Sergant Kohl," added Juliette. "I have no drones, the Demeter is to small to carry them. But there are some unmanned drones in the docking bay at the base. I'm uncertain of the the signal length, but if you send them out we should be able to take over control at this end to boost the signal as they go into the tunnel. Or 1st Lt. Hu can fetch them with the Persephone. Fourmilière, Zut Alors," she said and continued in English. "This is maybe like an anthill, they are bound to have other exits. All creatures that live underground have alternate exits. They lured the Persephone down here. Maybe this is only a trap. We should send in drones here, but we should also find their alternative exits."

Colleen knew that there were two drones stored in the docking bay. She could control them remotely from here in Ground Control.

Colleen contacted Colonel Patel and filled her in on what had happened. After some discussion with General Pryce, the colonel authorized the use of a drone. However, the general made it clear that Captain Desjardins was not to enter the tunnel herself. If this did not work, she was ordered to return to base.

Colleen replied: "We've been authorized to deploy a drone. It's on its way to you now, Captain. If this fails, you are not to enter the tunnel yourself but are ordered to return to base." A couple of minutes later, the small remote control drone arrived and hovered beside the Demeter, visible on Colleen's scanners. "Transferring control to you now." She gave over control of the drone.

OOC,[b]Colleen[/b], you may roll Psychology.

The drone flew over to the rock formation and disappeared from Colleen's scanner.

"Demeter to Persephone," said Juliette on the comm, "do you keep a look-out for action on the surface? I would not like them to come at us from a different exit!"

After a short delay, she shouted: "Fire in the hole!"

"Shi, I can keep an eye out up here for any sign of activity," replied Lt. Hu, a little belatedly.

"The little buggers took a full blast without seeming more than injured," said Juliette. "I will withdraw the drone to see if I can lure them out. 1st. Lt Hu? Are you ready for action if they do come out? They need a full blast from a big gun to go down. If they do not come out I think we should take the specimen I've got packed up in my airlock and their gunthinghy in for closer study... "

"That's it, 1st Lt. Hu!" Juliette said a moment later. "We are going back. Let's take off and return to base. When you are ready, 1st Lt. Hu. Let's go home. I'll cover the entrance until we are ready, then maximum speed to base. Does that sound ok by you?" To the base she said: "This is Capt. Desjardins. Drone down. The Demeter and the Persephone will return to base. We all need to have a long chat now!"

"Affirmative," replied Lt. Colleen Rose. "I'll notify General Pryce and Colonel Patel." She opened up a channel to the Command Center. "Colonel Patel, this is Lt. Rose. The drone was lost. The Persephone and the Demeter are on their way back to base. Captain Desjardins is bringing back a specimen and one of the aliens' weapons."

After a short delay, General Pryce replied: "Guide them back in to dock, Lieutenant. Colonel Patel and I will meet Captain Desjardins at the docking bay." Shortly thereafter, his voice came from the public address system: "This is General Pryce. Lt. Colonel Bruce has been taken by the aliens. Captain Desjardins and Lt. Hu are returning in the Demeter and the Persephone with an alien specimen and one of their weapons. Major Orlova and Captain Bauer, please report to the medical lab and prepare for an analysis of the specimen. Private Torres and Private Bond, please report to the astrophysics lab where you will assist Lt. Hu with an examination of the weapon."

"Right, let's get back to base," said Lt. Hu.

Colleen watched on the scanner as the Persephone and the Demeter returned to Styx Base and hovered over the docking bay. There were no other contacts visible on the scanner, so nobody appeared to have followed them back. She retracted the dome. "Persephone and Demeter," she said, "this is Ground Control. You have permission to land."

Colleen then sits back and stares at the monitor that contained all of the blips, pondering what this could mean for them.

The only objects visible on the scanner were the two spacecraft that were now landing in the docking bay. Colleen's instruments had told her that they had both docked, and now she could reseal the dome and repressurize the docking bay. Once that was done, she recalled that General Pryce wanted her to head down to storage and see if she could find a replacement part for the transmitter, though he doubted there would be any still there. If someone went to such lengths to sabotage communications and cut them off from Earth, it was a good bet that the spares would be taken care of too. The general had also assigned her to discreetly investigate the sabotage. The only other person he trusted was Lt. Colonel Bruce, who was now in the hands of the aliens - if they even had hands.

Colleans reseals the dome and repressureizes the docking bay before rising up from her chair with a long stretch to get the blood flowing again. She wondered if there was anything she could use as a weapon. Who knew what lengths the saboteur would go to? She starts toward storage.

Colleen did carry a .32 automatic as her sidearm. It wasn't very powerful, but its fast rate of fire made up for that. She wasn't such a great shot, but if she sprayed enough lead around something was bound to get hit. Her forte was words, and she knew that they could kill just as easily as bullets. She had the general's ear, after all. She simply had to tell him who the traitor was, and the wheels of justice would do the rest.

Colleen made her way through the airlocks on either side of the tunnel leading to the storage module and opened the door to primary storage, where parts for essential systems, such as the relay module, were kept. Stacks of plastic crates lined the floor and several shelving units.

Colleen searches around for the transmitter, grumbling all the while.

Colleen checked the computerized inventory and soon found the small box that was supposed to contain the spare relay modules. However, she noticed that the seal was broken. When she opened it, she saw that the box was empty. The four relay modules that were meant to be inside were gone.

OOC,[b]Colleen[/b], please roll Spot Hidden.

Colleen simply assumes that the modules were all gone and thus doesn't pay enough attention.

The empty box revealed nothing to Colleen, only that the modules were gone. Whoever had taken them did not appear to have left any physical evidence.

Colleen returned to her office to report the findings.

Colleen returned the central module and contacted General Pryce from her station in Communications. He told her to meet him in the Command Center, where she found him alone.

Colleen headed for his office. "Colleen Rose, reporting for duty," she says, trying to sound unconcerned.

The general returned Colleen's salute and listened as she reported her findings. "Well, that was to be expected, I suppose," he said. "I didn't think the traitor would leave the spares, but we had to check. Your best bet to uncover the saboteur would be to investigate the crew and find out who has a motive to betray us. Most of them are at the medical lab right now to see the alien that Captain Desjardins brought back. Lt, Hu, Private Torres, and Private Bond are in the astrophysics lab analyzing the alien's weapon. Other than yourself, the only one I trust for certain is Lt. Colonel Bruce, and unfortunately the aliens have taken him. In his absence, Sergeant Heinrich Kohl is in charge of security. If you can rule him out as a suspect, you may use your best judgment as to whether or not to take him into confidence and enlist his aid. Is there anyone in particular who has aroused your suspicions yet?"

"Not yet, sir. No. I think I'll go observe the others in the medical lab. With the current dangers, the saboteur might be having second thoughts about stranding himself or herself near this unknown alien colony."

"Unless, of course, he or she is working with the aliens," pointed out General Pryce as Colleen left. "On your way, Lt. Rose. Keep me apprised, please."

Colleen left the general's office and made her way to the laboratory module.

OOC,[b]Colleen[/b] is moving to the thread linked below.

The Gathering