Play@YSDC

Posted: **Sat Jul 25, 2015 7:49 pm**

Mission Date: 183

Automated Ship's Log

All times ECT [Earth Cycle Time)

04:17 Geological Event measuring 4.1 on MPE (Modified Planetological Event). Crew awoken. Minor environmental seal breach in Alphas Base Infirmary. Robot designation "Pal" dispatched to emergency seal.

04:18 Supply Module Titan-43 Malfunctions en-route to landing. Anomalous readings indicate life form present.

04:33 Geological Event measuring 3.8 on MPE. Alpha Base Infirmary suffers major breach and shut down. Robot "Pal" suffers minor damage. Beta base Workshop suffers minor environmental breach. Robot designation "Buddy" dispatched to emergency seal.

04:54: Commander M. Wu, Colonists G. Long, G. Croft leave Alpha base in Alpha ATV. Mission: Survey epicentre of Geological Event. Estimated distance: 38 KM. Estimated Mission Time: 120 Minutes. Colonist V. Bergman left in operational command of Alpha Base.

04:56: Supply Module Titan-44 Crash Lands. Colonists H. Barton, S. Golightly dispatched to recover in Beta ATV. Mission: Recover Titan-43 Supply Module, Return to Beta Base. Secondary Objectives: Determine damage to Supply Module, Determine cause of malfunction, Determine cause of anomalous readings. Estimated Distance: 25KM. Estimated Mission Time: 90 Minutes, 2nd Officer R. Drake and Colonist C. Bloom remain in Beta Base.

04: 58 Personal Entry from 2nd Officer R.Drake:

"It's all gone to hell. Two damn earthquakes. First one woke us up. Alpha took it worse, their infirmary has gone. Never seen anything like it. And now the readouts show zero geological activity. It doesn't make any damn sense.

GIna thinks it might be the Electro-Magnetic Flare from Saturn. Biggest one we have seen. Communications are shot, mainly static with the flare. What ferocious timing!

Commander decided needed investigation. Can't say I blame her, but it leaves us short on people. Decided to spare Hattie and Sam, take a look at the Supply 43. Nothing vital on it, as far as I can recall, but we can always do for spare parts and it will be months till replacements can arrive. Thing is obviously malfunctioning - their are life readings on it. I guess its some fungus that Hattie asked for..."

Posted: **Sat Jul 25, 2015 8:02 pm**

ECT: 05: 23

Beta-ATV

Hattie Barton and Samantha Golightly sat in the fore-seats of the ATV, driving through winds and a hazy fog. They had picked up the emergency radio beacon of module-43 a minute ago.

And now they had visual site of it. The Module itself was a cylinder, with tangled parachutes behind it. It was made of super-light alloys, precisely 3m in diameter and 5m length. No airlock. The delivery system would be junk now, crashed into, or possibly in orbit around Saturn itself. They didn't need Jets on the colony; they needed equipment, spare parts, materials, and in the case of Doctor Barton, new strains of Fungus.

The Module had one or two dents. It had not been an easy landing.

Posted: **Sun Jul 26, 2015 3:44 am**

Samantha Golightly brings the ATV to a halt and immediately runs a detailed scan of the Supply Module. "Well, it doesn't look too bad," she tells Hattie. "Power is still on, and there's still heat - though that's dissipating slowly. No sign of a hull breach. I reckon I can have the module spaceworthy again without too much difficulty. I'm detecting movement inside the vessel, and also life signs. Looks like your fungus shipment is intact, Hattie. Or is that it? That doesn't explain the movement. Shall we go check it out?"

Posted: **Sun Jul 26, 2015 10:27 am**

Posted: **Sun Jul 26, 2015 4:06 pm**

“Fungus shipment? I requested some samples but nothing that large ...or moving. There was either a shipping mistake or Mission Control feels that we are severely lacking protein in our diet. Whatever it is, it will be a Popsicle when we open the container. ” Hattie steps off the ATV and walks up to the cylinder. She picks up a rock, knocks on the module exterior, then leans forward, resting the side of her helment against the container.

Posted: **Mon Jul 27, 2015 1:25 am**

Samantha sets the parking brake and hops out of the ATV, following Hattie over to the crashed module.

Posted: **Tue Jul 28, 2015 11:31 am**

It sounds like something is happening outside the capsule. Is that a vehicle? That would mean the capsule is probably outside... and is that hissing air escaping? Time was running out. Seth starts to struggle more frantically to free himself from the foam padding. "Hey!" But it comes out as a soundless croak. Followed by vomit.

Posted: **Wed Jul 29, 2015 4:57 am**

Samantha also rests her helmet against the hull of the supply module, trying to hear what's going on inside.

Posted: **Wed Jul 29, 2015 8:34 am**

Sound travelled wellon Titan; the atmospheric density was higher than earth. The only pollutant noise was the methane rain (a light dribbling from the hazy skies) and the wind.

"Hey!"

Seth's words were caught by all.

Posted: **Wed Jul 29, 2015 11:26 am**

Seth manages to free himself from the, now, stinking packaging. He feels for his torch in his pocket, switches it on and plays the beam around, "Jeez, what a mess." Some cartons are still strapped in but others have broken free and their contents strewn across the wall of the capsule. Seth man handles a couple to clear his way and the clangs reverberate through the capsule. He finds the source of the hissing soon enough: a hermatically sealed agro carton leak. At least it isn't his air. The capsule seems to be on its side and he looks around for the hatch.

Posted: **Wed Jul 29, 2015 9:20 pm**

Amidst the overturned and damaged equipment, Seth finds a completely smashed Osmotransfibrillator, a few vials of Metaboost, and a piece of copper tubing that goes "ping". He also smells some strange fungal samples, that looks to have been overheated on the way down and are now most ripe to the nostrils.

The hatch is still airtight, although he can easily open / blow it.

Posted: **Thu Jul 30, 2015 5:23 am**

"Hello in there!" calls Sam through the hull. "Are you wearing a spacesuit?"

Posted: **Sat Aug 01, 2015 12:32 pm**

Seth looks up from his perusal of his finds. He quickly stuffs them into a carrysac for later. Thank god, somebody's on the ball with the recovery although who and where they are is anyone's guess. 'Err, yeah hi there!' Seth calls. 'No I ain't. Just regular docking overalls. And they ain't too clean neither. Look, I got good air in here for now, what happens if I open the hatch?'

Posted: **Sat Aug 01, 2015 3:50 pm**

Hattie, hearing Seth's response, leans away from the module and turns to Sam to ask, “Isn't it about -100°C out here?” She leans back against the container to explain the situation to Seth, “You should probably avoid opening that hatch at the moment, it's a bit brisk out here and you might catch a deathly cold.”

Hattie steps away from the container wall. “You might want to tell our new friend to cover up with whatever he can find in there, perhaps the container's insulation?” she says to Sam while walking to the hatch at the front of the module.

Posted: **Sat Aug 01, 2015 11:10 pm**

The front of the capsule has the hatch; designed to "Clip on" to an air lock, but not be an airlock itself.

The canister could be driven back to the base, but it looks a risky business; it is damaged, and further jolts or jams could break the seal of the hatch. For all anyone knows, there could be a slow leak already...

It was getting cold inside...

Posted: **Sun Aug 02, 2015 2:39 am**

"You might be able to use the craft's insulation to protect you from the cold," Sam says through the module's hull, "but that's not the only problem. There's also no oxygen in the atmosphere. We could try towing the module back on the ATV, but it would be a real bumpy ride and it might cause the hatch to pop all on its own. Are there any oxygen tanks on board?"

Posted: **Sun Aug 02, 2015 12:43 pm**

Inside the hatch, it was dark and cold, but with his trusted pocket torch, Seth could scan the contents.

There was insulating tarpaulin, and a 5 minute emergency respirator.

Posted: **Mon Aug 03, 2015 7:57 am**

Seth shivers, -100C? So he hadn't crash landed in a balmy oasis then, all hopes of a cold beer and deckchair recovery faded forever. He flashes his torch about and spies the respirator hanging by the hatch. After reading the instructions he shouts, 'I've got about five minutes of air in a respirator here. I'll see what I can do for insulation, give me a minute.' He takes the respirator and then starts pulling the tarp around him. He stands by the hatch with his carrysac, ' Okay, I'm ready!'

Posted: **Tue Aug 04, 2015 3:49 am**

Sam pops the hatch, and she and Hattie each take one of Seth's arms and whisk him towards the ATV. While she is certainly strong enough, especially in the low gravity, she isn't quite as fast as she would like.

Posted: **Thu Aug 06, 2015 9:55 am**

A shuffling heap of unwieldy tarp appears at the hatchway. Even with the respirator on, Seth gasps as the hatch pops, the cold hits him like a runaway truck and he can barely move for the pain. The two 'suits' are there to help him though, and as they grab his arms and lift him towards the ATV, he just grins and bears it; he'd be cursing at the top of his lungs if he didn't have a mouthful of mouthpiece.

Posted: **Fri Aug 07, 2015 5:46 pm**

Seth was hauled into the ATV, the liquid ethane evaporating off all three of them. Normal airlock procedures had to be bypassed. It wouldn't do to strike a match in the ATV until the atmospheric scrubbers had properly got to work.

It had been a cold experience for Seth, but despite the shakes, he looked uninjured.

A beeping from the ATV alerted Hattie and Sam to a message. It had arrived whilst they were out, its content distorted by the EM Storm on Saturn. It was hard to make out clearly...

Spoiler:

Posted: **Sat Aug 08, 2015 6:02 am**

Sam expertly cuts through the EM interference like it wasn't even there, reaching out to contact Alpha Base first, then Beta if there is no response.

Posted: **Sun Aug 09, 2015 6:18 pm**

Seth pulls the tarp from his head, "Ye Gods! Don't you have a better landing strip than that? Who's supposed to be controlling this air space? Where the hell is this place anyway; it's blooming freezing?" The two suits have their backs to him, concentrating on a static-laden message. As soon as they turn to look at him, they see an undernourished man with vomit down his front which is already starting to permeate the atmosphere. He doesn't look like anyone of space-corps type.

Posted: **Mon Aug 10, 2015 9:13 pm**

Sam cuts through the static despite the furious EM flare.

From Alpha base, just a prerecorded looped distress signal, code "Omega-3". Indicating a team member in life-threatening peril.

From Beta base, you pick up a signal from Dr Bloom, blurting frantically.

"Sam? Hattie? Anybody? Can you hear me...zzzzt....I can't seem to pick up anything...damn EM flare...zzzzt....Mander Wu is dead...Drake has gone off to Alpha base to see what happened. Apparently George has gone insane, attacked Victor, maybe killed him. He had me pop open the weapon box. Please come back soon! I'm going to try and contact Drake..."

The message was a little distorted but clear enough. Unfortunately, Doctor Capser Bloom was a physician not a technician, and he was unable to pick up any return signal through the interference.

Posted: **Sat Aug 15, 2015 8:19 am**

"Back to Beta," says Sam, wheeling the ATV around and heading back towards base at the highest safe speed. She calls back to the stowaway without looking at him, keeping her eyes on where she's going. "We're on Titan, and the supply module malfunctioned and crashed. It was also supposed to be unmanned, but I think we've got bigger worries than that now. "

Posted: **Sun Aug 16, 2015 7:55 pm**

"Titan?! You've got to be kidding me! Feck. Those depot jokers back on Mars really know how to shanghai a guy. Jeez, what a mess. God, I stink. More than usual." He shouts above the rumble of the ATV, "So, er, who are you two then? Sounds like you'be got a nice reception waiting back at that base of yours."

Posted: **Mon Aug 17, 2015 5:32 am**

"I'm Samantha Golightly," says Sam, still watching her surroundings as she drives. "I'm an engineer. And this is Hattie Barton, biologist. Nice to meet you, though I wish it were under better circumstances, Mister..."

Posted: **Tue Aug 18, 2015 3:33 pm**

"Hazard... Seth Hazard. I'm er, an odd job man, handy to have around. Nice to meet you Miss and Miss. You know, there was still a lot of stuff in that capsule we can salvage, can you put a mark on it so you don't lose it in a storm or whatever? We should go back for it soon as the mess at the base's been sorted." He looks out of the window at the barren landscape flashing past. "This is a new facility isn't it? What's the purpose for it? Mining?"

Posted: **Wed Aug 19, 2015 3:09 am**

"Among other things," says Sam. "We also do research here. Yeah, this is a new colony. It's been here for several months, but I just got here myself about a week ago. We have the coordinates of the supply module, so we can come back for the stuff later - whatever wasn't ruined by exposure to the atmosphere, that is. It's not like anyone's going to come by and take it, so there's no rush. Since you're stuck here for the time being, I'm sure we'll have no problem finding work for you, especially since we're now very shorthanded."

Posted: **Wed Aug 19, 2015 7:56 pm**

"Yeah, well I still expect decent board and lodging in return. And keep me out of the mess if you don't mind, it's not my fault the module crashed. I'm pretty handy with computers and such though if you need a hand with that kind of thing."

Posted: **Thu Aug 20, 2015 3:43 am**

"That's a very useful talent," says Sam. "Don't worry, you'll get food and quarters as good as the rest of us get." Whether or not that was decent, she left unspoken. "Oxygen too. You're going to need that."

Posted: **Thu Aug 20, 2015 10:17 am**

Seth frantically grabs a hold-loop as the ATV flies over a bump, "Hey, don't spoil me! I'm not used to luxuries you know." He watches the blur outside for a bit, "How long before we reach your base? I'd like to get out of these stinking overalls."

Posted: **Fri Aug 21, 2015 2:49 am**

Though the man is older than her, he reminds Samantha of a child asking "Are we there yet?" Of course, she wants to get back just as much as he does. "Beta is less than half an hour from the crash site," she says. "We've only been moving for a few minutes. I guess we could play a game to pass the time. I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with...R."

Posted: **Fri Aug 21, 2015 6:40 pm**

Seth continues to look out of the window. "Rocks." He says flatly and changes subject. "You ever heard of the Romas? Space Gypsies some call them. They weren't always in space, obviously. In the old days they used to live on the roads, Old Europe mostly. Hazards are one of the old families; go all the way back to the 17th century. That makes me a pure bred." He nods to himself. "Still roaming." And he puts his hand to his neck subconsciously.

Posted: **Sat Aug 22, 2015 4:58 am**

"Got it in one," says Sam when Seth first speaks. "Well, that's just about exhausted the possibilities for 'I Spy' around here. I've heard of Space Gypsies, but I've never met one before. It makes sense the Roma would take to the space lanes after having spent all of that time wandering around on Earth. There's a lot to see out here. I've only barely scratched the surface. I haven't been in space all that long. Where else have you traveled?"

Posted: **Mon Aug 24, 2015 7:51 am**

"Oh, er, all the main hubs; Luna, Mars, Belter, Earth north and south and most of the stations too; even Sol Orbital and briefly that one on Oberon before it was shut down. You been out here long?" It's unclear whether Seth is asking about Titan or Space in general.

Posted: **Mon Aug 24, 2015 7:45 pm**

The journey back was through haze and cold. Ethane rain, cracked Ice and rock. Even at safe speeds, one had to be alert. Powerful overheadlights sliced through the air to illuminate the way ahead.

The Electromagnetic storm was hardly waning. Static was the only message through the communications system, despite best attempts to cut through the disturbance.

Beta base eventually swam into view. From the exterior, everything looked fine...

Posted: **Tue Aug 25, 2015 4:18 am**

"I just arrived on Titan last week," says Sam. "This is my first trip into space." She steers the ATV towards the airlock so they can enter Beta base.

Posted: **Tue Aug 25, 2015 9:46 am**

The Airlock on Beta seems intact. As you pull up the cluster of domes you can see no sign of damage, or, for that matter, life. The lights are still on outside.

Due to the severe insulation needs of the base, it is windowless - entirely sealed in a double layer of strong high tech plastic foams, which have extraordinary insulating properties. This means you can't see inside...or visa versa...

Spoiler:

Posted: **Tue Aug 25, 2015 3:30 pm**

Seth leans forward to peer over Sam's shoulder. "Everything look okay? Let's get in there - I stink."

Posted: **Wed Aug 26, 2015 5:53 am**

"I couldn't actually tell," says Sam, steering for the nearest airlock big enough to allow the ATV entry. "Can't smell a thing with my spacesuit on. Everything looks okay, but I can't tell what's going on inside until we enter. The lights, heat, and power are still on, at least."

Posted: **Wed Aug 26, 2015 11:50 am**

The airlock clicked into place. The ever present thick atmosphere of TItan conducted sound better than on Earth, giving an ominous nature to the silence and small sounds.

Beta base was actually a series of domes, linked by passages, all highly insulated and full of oxygen. The hub, however, was the communal area; a mixture of kitchen, lounge, and operations. It was where everybody (normally) hung out. Doctor Wessex of course was often in the Infirmary dome.

The Worskshop Dome had been slightly damaged in the Earthquake; the robot "Buddy" had been sent out to seal the slow leak. No sign of him outside. Perhaps he was inside the Workshop Dome. Perhaps he had been damaged too.

As they entered the Communal Dome, they were greeted by soft lighting and the pleasant voice of Boss, the base computer.

"Welcome back, Barton, Golightly, and unknown male...Doctor Bloom is delegated officer. Commander Drake is off site. Buddy is in the Workshop, routine maintenance work. Environmental Integrity at 99%. I hope you had a successful mission. As per protocol, I will alert Earth Mission control of presence of unknown male"

Boss had a silky smooth pleasant English voice that was as polite as you could get, even in the most severe of crisis.

Posted: **Thu Aug 27, 2015 3:40 am**

"Thank you, Boss," says Sam, climbing out of the vehicle. She knows it isn't necessary to be polite back, as Boss is a machine, but she's gotten into the habit. "Where is Dr. Bloom's current location?"

Posted: **Thu Aug 27, 2015 11:47 am**

Seth climbs stiffly out of the ATV; he's been bumped and bruised and he isn't getting any younger. He looks around, "Nice, not bad for a moon-dump. Hi there, er Boss, I'm Bob Dylan, put me on your list of personnel for the moment please. And can you direct me to the heads please, I need a wash and clean clothes." He turns to Sam. "Hey, is it always this quiet?"

Posted: **Thu Aug 27, 2015 10:17 pm**

It is indeed quiet.

"I am pleased to meet you, Bob Dylan" smoothed Boss' voice.

"Doctor Bloom is currently in the Infirmary" said Boss to Sam.

The lights flickered slightly.

"Apologies for the power fluctua-ai-ai-ai-ai-tions" stuttered Boss briefly. "We are still experiencing very minor power system variations. It is presumed that this is due to the Earthquake and the Electromagnetic Storm. Fluctuations are only minor. I have dispatched Robot Buddy to the reactor dome. However, full system analysis and repair by qualified engineer are recommended when convenient. There is no need for alarm..."

Sam was familiar enough with the systems to judge this accurate enough. The brief brown oat and stutter was uncommon but not unheard of during EM flares from Saturn. Even minimal damage to the power system could exacerbate this; although there was no danger of full blown power failure. Probably.

Posted: **Fri Aug 28, 2015 2:39 am**

Sam raises an eyebrow when Seth gives a false name, but she says nothing on the subject. "No, it's not usually this quiet," she says. "I'm the only qualified engineer, so that's going to be on me to fix the reactor. I think it'll hold for long enough to talk to Dr. Bloom, but maybe I'd better so to the reactor first...just in case."

Posted: **Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:05 am**

Seth continues looking around. "Well you know your own reactor best but I can probably sort it out too - or at least give you a hand. I've fixed them before, up to the SSX54 model anyhow. Point me in the right direction and I'll get there straight after changing."

Posted: **Sat Aug 29, 2015 3:31 am**

"I could use all the help I can get," says Sam, smiling. "Consider yourself my new assistant." She gives Seth directions to somewhere he can get cleaned up and to the reactor. "If you have any questions or lose your way, just ask Boss. I'd better go to the reactor now and get started."

Posted: **Sat Aug 29, 2015 10:21 am**

Seth nods and heads off to get cleaned up before continuing to the reactor. He admires the latest technology used in the building of the module; it is obviously a pretty new operation.

Posted: **Mon Aug 31, 2015 7:33 pm**

"Listen, I don't want to get in the way of your engineering, uhm, thing. But I think we should see the doctor first, he may have heard something back from Alpha..."

Hattie gives Seth a worried look and then looks back at Samantha.

"Maybe Dr. Bloom can give Bob Dylan here a quick look-over before we contaminate more of the station."

Posted: **Tue Sep 01, 2015 4:23 am**

"All right, we can talk to Dr. Bloom first," says Sam. "We do need to find out what on Titan is happening. I guess the reactor will hold. Worst that'll happen is a blackout."

Posted: **Tue Sep 01, 2015 4:47 am**

The reactor did indeed hold. It was a tough old bird. There was one more flicker and a bzzzzt! sound, but that was all.

Beta camp, like Alpha camp, was actually a series of domes with interlocking passageways; so in case of breach, any could be sealed. The infirmary dome was, understandably, next to the communal dome. All it took was a few swishing doors, automatic (although they had manual override) and working perfectly, and they were in the infirmary.

Which also looked quite intact. It was true that a few containers had fallen to the floor in the earthquake, but nothing more than that.

And inside, an also intact Doctor Casper Bloom...

Posted: **Tue Sep 01, 2015 9:33 am**

Seth busies himself in the heads; it's been two months since he had a shower but he works quickly as he has no idea how long his allotted water will last. Then he throws his dirties into a laundry chute and grabs some clean overalls which look about his size. He transfers his belongings around his person and looks at himself in the mirror. "You're getting too old for this business, Seth Hazard, what'chur doing on this dump of a moon base anyhow? Soon as we're off, the better." And then he heads back to the communal area which is now empty. "Er, Boss, have Golightly and Barton gone to the reactor or are did they go see Dr. Bloom?"

Posted: **Tue Sep 01, 2015 10:46 am**

Even a brief shower was interesting with 0.14G. Almost poetic. It was power assisted, but still, the splashes and drips were completely unlike earth, or, for that matter, zero gravity. Fortunately Titan had plenty of water, rationing was not a problem. A key issue in its identification as a future thriving colony. Precious, precious water. Not only useful in itself, but a source of oxygen.

"Doctor Bloom, Ms Golightly and Ms Barton are all currently in the Infirmary, Mr. Dylan" said Boss, pleasantly.

Posted: **Tue Sep 01, 2015 8:50 pm**

"Doctor Bloom, how good to see you alive and intact. What's going on? We could barely hear you over the EM-interference. Have there been any transmissions from Alpha?"

Hattie bursts into the Medbay, all eyes and questions.

Posted: **Wed Sep 02, 2015 5:16 am**

"I'm glad you're okay too, Dr. Bloom," says Samantha with a smile. "I was able to cut through the EM interference and hear much of your message, but some of it was still garbled. What exactly is going on?"

Posted: **Sun Sep 06, 2015 8:12 pm**

Dr Bloom was nervous, sweating, pale. He crouched behind a workstation, eyeing all the doors.

"Beats me" he blustered, before getting a grip on himself.

"But thank God you are here!" he said, hugging his fellow colonists.

"I don't know much more than you. We got a message from Alpha Base, they found something. Something extraordinary. A giant cube, a strange giant cube, at the epicentre of the earthquakes. Some garbled message about a city...As incredible at it sounds, it could only have been extraterrestrial. Nothing natural could have made something so geometrically perfect..."

"Unless the Chinese or something have made something years away from what we know, it must be extraterrestrial. Just think of it!" he stopped to steady himself.

"Unfortunately it all went to shit. Commander Wu dead, Gina...gone, no response. George made it back to the base, but in some sorry state. The ATV was damaged, and George apparently had some kind of psychosis. Victor..he was shocked too, but not completely crazy like George. When they got back to Alpha, George got back he attacked Victor... We haven't heard squat since then..."

"Ron went out to see what happened, but I haven't heard anything. Hell knows what going on. I am half tempted to declare a quarantine. I'd have one of the firearms if I wasn't alone. To be honest I have been scared shitless..." he confessed.

OOC: For reference (it is elsewhere) Alpha Base consisted of: Mara Wu was the commander of the whole base. George Long was the Chemist, Victor Bergman was the Astrophysicist, and Gina Croft was the Geologist.

Beta Base consists of the PCs, Dr Casper Bloom (speaking), and 2nd officer Ronald Drake

Posted: **Sun Sep 06, 2015 9:44 pm**

Hattie shakes her head, trying to keep up with the rambling doctor.

"Dr. Bloom, please try to keep calm. We're on a moon orbiting Saturn. Everything outside of what we brought here is extraterrestrial."

Despite her excellent academic skills, Hattie wasn't much of counsellor...

"Now, please, try to repeat slowly what happened. How did Commander Wu die? And why did Drake not signal us, we could have easily picked him up in the ATV."

She tried to steer away from mentioning the fire arms.

Posted: **Sun Sep 06, 2015 9:54 pm**

Dr Bloom was not well reassured by the questions, and began pacing, wringing his hands.

"It happened so fast...the EM storm, we barely had any communications..." he said, by way of admittedly unhelpful explanation.

He slumped down on a chair and put his head in his hands.

"I don't know how Mara died. Probably only George does, and by the sounds of it, his mind has snapped. Maybe Victor, too..." he sighed. "George was ranting about some buzzing noise in his head, kept repeating the word Yuggoth..."

"They saw something by the cube. Something move. Something aggressive, maybe, or might just be they panicked. Mara got fried, burnt, I don't know...I wasn't there...." he shook his head.

"By Gods, has it come to this? What is out there?"

He gave a suspicious look at Seth Hazard. A highly suspicious look.

"And now this joker turns up...coincidence?" he asked, clearly believing it not to be the case.

OOC:

Spoiler:

"I have the complete recording of Victor Bergman's message from the Alpha ATV..." said Boss, helpfully from the speakers, and proceeded to play back the full message, free of EM distortions.

*crackle*

Mayday Mayday!

This is Victor. Victor Bergman, from Alpha Base. It’s all gone to hell. Don’t know how long I can speak. Commander Wu is dead. George, George Long, has gone mad, don’t know where he is, but he stabbed me. I’m bleeding badly, but got away.

We found a giant cube, like noting on earth. Must be extra-terrestrial. Might have caused the earthquakes. Possibly some mining equipment. It had unearthed something…magnificent, or terrible. Some city of black stone, carved…impossible angles…like a maze in three dimensions.

Then we saw something move. I don’t know what. Like some bird maybe, except it was no bird. We started to run, seized by terror. Mara didn’t make it. Got fried somehow. Gina…I don’t know what happened to Gina. George and I got into the ATV and sped away. George was babbling, his mind had snapped. Can’t say I was far away from breaking myself. He kept saying “They are buzzing in my head...Yuggoth….Yuggoth….”

Didn’t realise how far George had gone. When we got back to Alpha base he screamed and stabbed me.

Where is Ron? I can’t get through. Damn interference. Got to try and hide, if Long finds me again I won’t get lucky a second time….

Posted: **Sun Sep 06, 2015 10:54 pm**

Hattie listens to the recording, slack-jawed.

"I...I..you need to check out our latest arrival first, Doctor Bloom. We need to know if he's fit to travel. And then we have to find out what happened to the others, it could be there was some malfunction in their oxygen supplies that caused something along the lines of mass delusions or hallucinations, or...a city..."

Posted: **Mon Sep 07, 2015 5:13 am**

"Yes, and I need to fix the reactor," says Sam, stunned by the revelation. "As much as I'd love to explore an alien city, it's been there for some time. It can wait a while longer."

Posted: **Mon Sep 07, 2015 8:06 am**

Hattie let out a deep sigh and furrowed her brow in deep thought.
"Sam, can you stabilise the generator while Doctor Bloom takes care of mr. Dylan? I'll go see if the T-prop is available and try to get a hold of Drake on the radio. If we have to go look for missing people flying should be safer and more effective than going by foot or ATV."

Posted: **Mon Sep 07, 2015 3:11 pm**

Seth walks in from the corridor, "What we're leaving already?" He's been listening to the last bit outside in the corridor so has the general gist and doesn't like it one bit. "Shouldn't you contact Earth HQ or something; sounds like most of your team is down; we need rescuing pronto."

He eyes the wild-eyed doctor with suspicion also, there's a mutual dislike, he's seen that look before when people got space-crazy and they're not dependable. He stretches his arms and does some limbering up. "You know, I feel just fine; a little bruised but I've been through worse. No need to worry about me Doc; sounds like you've got enough on your plate. Heh?" He turns to the others. "I can give you a hand with the reactor or your T-prop; whatever, I'm easy."

Posted: **Mon Sep 07, 2015 8:45 pm**

"Yes, contacting Earth would be a grand idea. Except for the fact that currently Saturn is in the middle of the biggest EM storm we have recorded, and it happens to be lying directly between us and our blue home" replied Bloom, with an edge of Sarcasm.

"Who the hell are you, anyway?" he asked, suspiciously, as he started his medical examination.

Posted: **Mon Sep 07, 2015 9:45 pm**

Hattie stops on her way to the hangar.

"Listen..Bob, apart from what Doctor Bloom is saying, none of us here know how to fly the spaceship and our friends and team-mates need our help. We're not deserting anyone. We're not the kind to launch people out into space and not give a ...not give...not care where they end up."

She takes a deep breath to try and calm down and continues.

"You just get checked up, tagged and cleared by Doctor Bloom, let Sam and me put this place on automatic, so we can go out and mount a rescue operation."

With that, she walks out towards the hangar to run the T-Prop through its pre-flight, fruitlessly trying to hail the mission's second-in-command.
"Beta-base for Drake, Beta-base for Drake."
...
"Beta-base for Drake. Come in, Ronald, just answer your radio."
...
"We're coming to find you, Ronald. If you can hear me, just know we're coming."

Hattie lets out a deep sigh.

"Boss, calculate most likely trajectory Ronald Drake would walk to reach Alpha-Base and possible distance he has covered in the time he has left this compound." Her tone was formal, but not impolite.

Posted: **Mon Sep 07, 2015 9:54 pm**

"The current meteorological studies indicate medium - high winds. Recommend caution with T-Prop flight, but wind speed and conditions within acceptable limits" said Boss.

"Alpha and Beta base are located 2KM apart. With Titan gravity and atmospheric density, It normally takes 20 minutes at regular speed, in a straight line, to Alpha Base" the computer continued "However, with exertion Commander Drake could have cut this time down considerably"

By any estimation, second officer Drake, if hurrying, should have reached and entered Alpha base...If walking, he would be close...

Posted: **Mon Sep 07, 2015 10:42 pm**

The damage to the reactor is worse than Sam had thought, and it's taking her a long time to repair it. Perhaps if Seth shows up and helps her once he's done being poked and prodded by Dr. Bloom, it could speed up the process.

Posted: **Tue Sep 08, 2015 11:53 am**

"Alright, alright, keep your hair on, Doc. You can call me Bob, nice and simple that." He stands impatiently while Doctor Bloom gives him a check over. "See, just as I told you; nothing wrong. I don't want to be here anymore than you want me here. Let's just say I had a misdirection and me being here is a mistake but we can't do anything about it." He zips up his outfit. "Right, I'm off to the reactor, cheers Ears." And he scarpers quick as he can to the reactor room.

Posted: **Tue Sep 08, 2015 8:24 pm**

Seth arrives at the reactor room to find Sam cursing, crouched down under the ducts. He quickly gets to work, passing her the correct tools when she needs them and wiping her brow. Unfortunately, even his expertise is not enough to coax the reactor back into perfect condition immediately and they take rather longer than they'd first hoped.

Posted: **Tue Sep 08, 2015 11:10 pm**

"Sam, this is Hattie. Do you have an estimate on that reactor? Drake's been out for some time now and I'm sure he's reached Alpha-base by now. He may be in need of our assistance.", Hattie sighs as she releases the transmitter and gets out of Sagan and starts towards the reactor room.

Posted: **Wed Sep 09, 2015 4:15 am**

"We're still trying to isolate the problem," replies Sam. "I guess it'll take an hour or two to track down and fix it."

Posted: **Wed Sep 09, 2015 1:34 pm**

Hattie let out an exasperated sigh, her words occasionally interrupted by the swishing of the automated doors.

"Two hours?! Can't you put the generator on a containment loop until we get back? I need to know what happened to the others and if we arrive two hours, I doubt we'll be able to help whoever is in need of our help. And Drake's out there, alone."

Posted: **Thu Sep 10, 2015 4:22 am**

"I guess the reactor can wait," says Sam. "I mean, it's not going to explode or anything. Worst case is the power goes out. We should equip ourselves before we go. We don't know what's out there. We need plasma pistols from the armory."

Posted: **Thu Sep 10, 2015 8:45 am**

Seth's not too keen on the mention of plasma pistols, "Hey, why don't I stay here and get this fixed once and for all; you can't afford to have this baby go down. The two of you should be enough to find Drake, I'll only be a hanger-on as I don't know diddley squat about outside. I'll check with Boss for updates." He wipes a greasy hand through his hair.

Posted: **Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:23 am**

Hattie doesn't look very comfortable with either of the ideas.

"I suppose you're right, Sam. Doctor Bloom can stay behind and man Beta Base in case..well, just in case."

She then turns to Seth, some concerns apparent on her face.

"Listen,...Bob, no offence, but you fell from the sky almost the very moment everything turned weird. You're going to have to come with us or either be sequestered in an improvised cell. I'm not too keen on the latter, and I'm guessing you aren't either."

Posted: **Thu Sep 10, 2015 5:58 pm**

Seth makes a face and shrugs, "Only trying to help. Don't blame me if the power shuts down later at a critical moment. Lead onwards then, Major Tom." He starts humming a very old tune.

Posted: **Thu Sep 10, 2015 8:01 pm**

A few moments later...Operational dome...

"Confirm Identity: H. Barton"

"Confirm Identity: S. Golightly"

"Confirm Identity: C. Bloom"

"Access to weapons locker granted. Please exercise extreme caution. Lethal weaponry"

"Have a nice day!" finished Boss, in characteristically pleasant tones.

The locker swished open to reveal three fully charged plasma pistols. The fourth clip was empty, the weapon taken by (presumably) by Drake.

Doctor Bloom helpfully took one plasma pistol for himself. "For protection" he explained. "After all, I'm holding Beta base, right?"

He gave Seth a look. Clearly not wanting a newcomer who arrived under unusual circumstances access to a lethal weapon.

Posted: **Fri Sep 11, 2015 3:36 am**

Samantha claims one of the remaining plasma pistols, handling it expertly. After verifying that it's fully charged, she holsters it on her belt. "That's the plan," she says. "Hattie, help yourself to the other one. Then we'll be ready to head out."

Posted: **Fri Sep 11, 2015 1:49 pm**

Hattie claims the last pistol and rather reluctantly clasps it to her belt.

"Doctor Bloom, could you please try hailing Alpha Base or Drake while we make our way over there?"

She turns to Seth.

"There should be a spare exosuit, we'll pick it up on the way to the hangar."

She takes a deep breath and exhales.

"Alright, let's go."

Posted: **Fri Sep 11, 2015 9:11 pm**

A little later...

The T-Prop ride had been a little bumpy, but nothing too serious. The weather was unpredictable in an EM storm. There was thick methane rain, and a haze in the atmosphere. There was even the odd bolt of lightning from the upper atmosphere, as Titan circled through Saturn.

Alpha base looked fairly intact. The infirmary was pretty shot, with cracks that had become holes. It had been sealed off, an environmental breach, and looking inside a goodly proportion of the equipment had been damaged.

The rest of the domes looked o.k. Maybe one or two minor cracks that had been sealed. It would need further repair in the future, but for now moldfoam plugs had done the job.

Hattie, Seth, and Sam would have to enter the base via Exosuit walk and airlock. The ATVs were big enough to have a dedicated airlock seal, but the T-Props were small, agile, fast, and without such luxuries.

Whilst the Infirmary was open to Titan air, it could still be explored. The other seven domes were apparently still atmospherically intact, with beckoning airlocks...

Posted: **Sat Sep 12, 2015 4:26 am**

"That exosuit's a lot better than what you had before, huh?" Sam says to Seth with a grin. "I think we should check out the infirmary first, as long as we're out here. We might be able to find some clues as to what happened."

Posted: **Sat Sep 12, 2015 8:48 am**

"I concur, let's investigate."

Hattie looked up at the ominous sky of the moon and the distant flashes of light. She'd always found it beautiful, eerie and majestic, but now it seemed like something was lurking in the darkness. A shiver ran down her spine and she tried to shrug it off. Primitive superstition, millions of years of condition to avoid predators, nothing more.

"Let's see what's inside."

She made her way to the airlock.

Posted: **Sat Sep 12, 2015 4:10 pm**

Seth follows the other two towards Alpha Base infirmary. He's glad of the exosuit; it's brand new and the latest model. He's impressed by the whole outfit here, there's been some money spent and he wonders what it is the team have really been investigating. He switches on a powerful flashlight as it's unlikely to be any power in the quake-struck infirmary. He shines it unnecessarily onto the airlock controls for Barton, just to make a point that he hasn't got anything else i.e. a gun to hold.

Posted: **Sat Sep 12, 2015 8:40 pm**

The holes were not quite big enough to crawl through, at least safely. Maybe the diminutive Seth could have, but it would risk a tear in the suit. The conventional door was a better bet.

The Airlock's electronics gave a brief *fzzzt* before failing. Power had been cut to the Infirmary. Emergency lighting had been activated, a chemical battery which was already starting to fade. Perhaps another hour or two of juice left.

It was left to the three investigators to wrench open the door manually. Despite the low gravity, it took a fair bit of force.

The Infirmary was a mess, at least half of the instruments broken, and many more on the floor. There was signs of a fire near the entrance, presumably the oxygen and methane rain had reacted explosively for a brief few seconds. Only a few shelves were intact.

Apparently inert, the Robot "Pal" lay on the floor, its slender but elegant form slumped against a precariously leaning shelf of drugs and chemicals.

Posted: **Sun Sep 13, 2015 2:33 am**

Sam peers into the darknees. "Oh, Pal, you poor thing!" she exclaims when she sees the damaged robot. Using her multiool's torch function, she makes her way over to it, shining her light at whatever appears interesting. Once she shores up the shelf to make certain it doesn't collapse, she examines Pal, but she isn't quite sure what caused the damage.

Posted: **Sun Sep 13, 2015 2:12 pm**

Seth looks at the fire damage, "Do we expect another explosion if we attempt to enter the rest of the facility without a proper airlock? Assuming there's still oxygen in there of course?" He then looks at PAL over Sam's shoulder. "No 'Boss' to welcome us here? What if we get this bot operating, maybe it can tell us what happened." He also kneels down next to PAL and uses his multiscanner. "He looks to far gone to me; look - half his head is missing!"

Posted: **Sun Sep 13, 2015 6:33 pm**

"Yeah, I was hoping he could tell us what happened if we fixed him," says Sam. "We probably could, but it would take too long. The infirmary was sealed off from the rest of the base because of the breach. It's too dangerous to try to enter the rest of the base directly. We'll need to go back outside and then enter through a regular airlock. Once we're in the base proper, we should be able to communicate with the computer here."

Posted: **Sun Sep 13, 2015 8:49 pm**

Hattie looks around, her suits light combining with that of the others in a feeble attempt to break the broken Sickbay's gloom.

She lets the other two take their turn at Pal, but when they fail to produce any results, she chimes in.

"I could try linking up with Pal's mainframe to retrieve his memory banks, maybe that'll give us some insight into what happened."

Hattie crouches next to the downed robot and connects her multiscanner to Pal.

Posted: **Sun Sep 13, 2015 9:27 pm**

As Hattie leaned over to inspect Pal. The electronics operation would be reasonably straightforward.

But the damage was...odd. Dents; damage from the titanquake, surely. But also, Pal had been disabled. Its internal circuits seemed to have been fried. Rescuing the data bank might be difficult.

And more!

Behind the Robot was a booby trap. Hattie and Sam spotted it; thank goodness. Some chemical mixture, designed to stew together if Pal was moved. Acid, maybe. Explosives, maybe. Whatever it was, moving Pal would have lead to a potent mixture...

Posted: **Sun Sep 13, 2015 10:55 pm**

"This is strange...it looks like someone purposefully overloaded Pal's circuits and th..", Hattie shuts up rather abruptly; just as she was about to shift the robot to plug in her device, she spotted the trap.

"A trap!", she exhales. The darkness seems very oppressive all of a sudden, the possibilities of what was waiting on the inside, or out there...

"Don't touch Pal, we need to stay calm." The latter was more to herself than anyone else.

Posted: **Mon Sep 14, 2015 2:12 am**

"I see it too," says Sam. "Why would they sabotage Pal and set a trap like this? It sounds like they've gone paranoid and space crazy. Fortunately, with the dome sealed off, it's not likely that anyone else will set off the trap. I could disarm it, given time. Speeding things up could result in an explosion. Unless..."

Posted: **Mon Sep 14, 2015 2:24 pm**

Hattie frowns, deep in thought.

"The foam of our sealant pistols might be able to neutralise the chemical reaction...or it might act as a catalyst. I've no idea what's in there, not without taking time to look at it with proper equipment, so I can't make a definitive assessment."

"I think we should move on, see if we can find Drake and find out what happened here."

Posted: **Tue Sep 15, 2015 4:42 am**

"Agreed" says Sam. "I don't know if the foam would work either. Let's go back outside and try one of the regular airlocks."

Posted: **Tue Sep 15, 2015 11:25 am**

Hattie carefully backs away from the robot, the light of her suit shining on its metal frame as she recedes.

"Let's see if we can enter via the workshop, I'm sure that's what Drake would have tried."

Before heading on, she cast one last look at the robot booby trap.

"This looks like George's doing, doesn't it? I may have a thought...Wait!"

Hattie moves to one of the table and puts it upright, installing her multiscanner on it as she starts operating a few buttons and sliders.

"If the dome's structure doesn't interfere too much, I should be able to pinpoint Drake's chip, ...and George's. If we know where he is, it might give us a clue as to what other doors he may have boobytrapped."

Hattie growls as she frantically taps away at her machine.

"I'm assuming the residual energy left by the lightning strike is interfering with my reading, perhaps we can boost our signal if we create a stable scanneing perimeter by triangulating our different scanners, setting them up over there and there.", she points at two other points in a rough triangle."

Posted: **Tue Sep 15, 2015 1:49 pm**

The chips were still functioning. Despite the interference, the signal was strong enough to broadly locate them, even if not accurately pinpoint them.

Bergman and Drake were, it seemed, in the hydroponics dome. The seemingly mad George Long was in the workshop dome.

Posted: **Tue Sep 15, 2015 7:49 pm**

Seth has a rummage round to find anything useful, like a med kit and something that might knock a madman out, like tranquilizers. Then he gets ready to go back outside to find an airlock.

Posted: **Tue Sep 15, 2015 9:53 pm**

The Infirmary had plenty of drugs, and it was not hard for Seth to spot an Med-gun full of Omnicalm...Normally these things would be under some kind of lock and key to prevent drug abuse, but with the power failure and quake damage, things were in quite the state of dissarray...

Posted: **Tue Sep 15, 2015 10:18 pm**

"I suggest we try the hydroponics dome first, they might need our help..."

Hattie didn't sound too sure of the fact that either of the men could be saved, it must have been the chaos of their oppressive surroundings.

Posted: **Wed Sep 16, 2015 5:22 am**

"Agreed," says Sam. "Let's go find them, and fast. Every minute counts!"

Posted: **Wed Sep 16, 2015 11:14 am**

The Hydroponics dome looked undamaged from the outside, a cold dome on a cold world, occasionally lit up by the EM storm flashes in the high atmosphere, dull as they were. Lit up with beams of light as the three men and women examined it.

Airlocks were somewhat cramped. The thud of closed, air-tight doors. The slow hiss of oxygen being added to nitrogen. The evaporation of methane and ethane, promptly eaten up by the hydocarbon scrubber.

And then, the slow hiss of the inner door.

The hydroponics dome was lit, brightly, with wide spectrum lamps all over the high ceiling. It was divided into four sections, again, a limited precaution against thermal and atmospheric breach. Rows and rows, layers on layers, of shallow vats stretched everywhere, linking to deep-drilled earth, with tubes of nutrients flowing everywhere, like veins. Bland fungal greyness lay in still repose on every vat.

Posted: **Wed Sep 16, 2015 2:28 pm**

Hattie stepped into the dome and disengaged her respirator. She breathed in deeply as her eyes adjusted to the painful brightness of the spectrum lamps.
She didn't hear anything in particular, but spoke in harsh whisper nonetheless.

"Drake? Professor Bergman?", she never had gotten round to omitting his title, "Ron, are you here?"

She took a few tentative steps into the dome, looking for either of her team mates.

Posted: **Thu Sep 17, 2015 5:31 am**

Sam doesn't hear much over Hattie's voice. She checks her scanner to see if she can locate Bergman and Drake. Or their bodies, she thinks reluctantly.

Posted: **Thu Sep 17, 2015 10:04 am**

Seth removes his helmet carefully, he hates being inside those things, and sniffs the air. The fungal aroma is oppressive but not wholly unpleasant. He starts walking up the aisles between the grow pods. "It looks even worse in it's natural state than when it's on the plate. This Is what you eat, right? Or is this a research project?"He then has a good look round and then listens for a response to Hattie's call.

Posted: **Thu Sep 17, 2015 12:29 pm**

Seth could hear footsteps; sliding boots, scuffled soles.

Then, after Hattie called out, they stopped. And silence hung in the air. All that could be heard was the faint buzzing of the lamps, a quiet but unpleasant insect sound.

"Whose there? Hattie?" came the call back. The voice of Drake.

"Who is with you?" he shouted. He sounded commanding, perhaps scared. A fast voice, blusteringly loud.

Drake sounded like he was coming from the quadrant adjacent, shielded off by a thin, semi transparent sheet of plastic.

Posted: **Thu Sep 17, 2015 6:57 pm**

"Drake! Frack it, Ron! You're alive!", she let out a sigh of relief and started in his direction.

"I'm here with Sam, we came looking for you."

She didn't understand why she hadn't mentioned Seth, but it seemed to hang in the air, almost ominously.

"Are you alright?"

Posted: **Thu Sep 17, 2015 7:48 pm**

"Er, Barton, hold yer horses. Something's not right." Seth whispers. The voice of the doctor doesn't tally with the faltering footsteps. He gets out the med-gun and checks there's a capsule ready loaded. Then he tiptoes to the edge of the quadrant, ready to shoot it into the doctor if necessary.Perhaps It all seems rather melodramatic to the others. He nods to Hattie.

Posted: **Fri Sep 18, 2015 4:30 am**

Sam follows Hattie's lead, staying a few steps behind her and stopping if she stops. "Are you hurt?" she asks. "Where's Bergman?"

Posted: **Fri Sep 18, 2015 10:01 am**

Seth hides in the corner. If the doctor proves to be hostile, and the one who laid the trap, he'll step up behind the doctor and try to inject him. If he seems okay, Seth plans to just stay out of sight for the moment so not to complicate matters. He shakes his head; those buzzing lights are irritating!

Posted: **Fri Sep 18, 2015 8:55 pm**

A shadow appeared by the translucent plastic sheet that separated the two quadrants. It was certainly the size and shape of Ronald Drake. It was hard to make out.

The shadow pressed against the sheet, a plasma pistol, tracing a line.

"I'm not hurt. You can bet I'm not hurt..." a tinge of menace. Even a threat.

"Victor's bust up. Pretty bad. Couldn't patch him up. Bleeding out, I guess. George stabbed him bad. Right now, trust is in thin supply, ladies. You don't sound crazy, but still...Alpha base is down, and I don't know what the hell is going on..."

He sounded nervous, strained, something at his throat.

"You armed?" he asked.

Posted: **Sat Sep 19, 2015 5:08 am**

"Of course we're armed," says Sam. "We'd be fools not to be, under the circumstances. We'll try to help Victor. Really, he needs Dr. Bloom, but it might not be safe to move him. Beta's got some damage, but it's still intact. We don't know any more than you do about what's going on."

Posted: **Sat Sep 19, 2015 2:13 pm**

Seth wonders why Drake doesn't come through the plastic, surely he should be overjoyed to see his team mates. Why is he hiding? And if he's suspicious of Hattie and Sam then the prospect certainly doesn't look good for Seth. He considers staying hidden whatever the outcome. But then being alone in the base with a couple of crazies....

Posted: **Sat Sep 19, 2015 3:21 pm**

"Damn it, Ron, if Victor's bleeding out you should let us see him, maybe we can still help. Where is he?"

This was getting weird, Hattie noticed that she'd almost instinctively had lowered her hand to rest on the hilt of her pistol.

"Listen, Ron, we just got here and we came to look for you so we could find out what was going on here. Together. Please come talk to us here."
Hattie tried to sound convincing, but she sounded more confused than anything else.

Posted: **Sun Sep 20, 2015 4:55 am**

"Please," says Sam. "We're Victor's only chance." She isn't sure if she's getting through to him.

Posted: **Tue Sep 22, 2015 9:09 pm**

The shadowy figure, seen through half opaque plastic sheets, barely moved.

"This isn't happening...this isn't happening....this isn't happening....not supposed to happen...." he muttered, over and over again. If his mind was not cracking under the strain, then it was already cracked.

"I'm taking no chances. Put down your weapons. I'm in charge here until I say otherwise. Then we can get Victory to the Infirmary in Beta base. As you say, don't want anybody else dying..." he said, voice strained...

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2015 5:43 am**

"All right," says Sam, placing her plasma pistol on the ground. She doesn't want to shoot him anyway, as he's merely not in his right mind, but she thinks she's perfectly capable of clobbering him even unarmed if it comes to it, plus Seth is their ace in the hole. Gaining Ron's trust is the only way to help Victor.

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2015 7:20 am**

"Ron...please, calm down, we're putting down our weapons."

Hattie makes sure the safety is still on, puts the blaster on the ground and very audibly kicks it away, not inadvertently in Seth's direction. She wasn't sure what had made her trust the person she's known for the past three months less than the one she's known for the past 3 hours, but this was just getting to be too weird.

"Ron, let us help Victor."

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2015 10:20 pm**

With the slow fall of the plasma pistols in Titans weak gravity, the translucent plastic parted and Ron Drake stepped through. He looked haggard, to say the least, with bags under his eyes and stubble. Tired. Maybe dosed up with a little caffstim. Twitchy.

"Sorry...Sorry..." he mumbled, looking at everything but the two women's eyes.

"I don't know what's happening...something...something..." he struggled. "Victor is...I'm not sure...I don't know who to trust....George is still here...don't know what's happening...everyone's going crazy!" he blurted.

He shuffled the two women, oblivious to Seth, and pointed to the adjacent quandrant of the hydroponics dome. Whilst he didn't look like he was trigger happy, he was nerve-shot, and made sure he kept his pistol up, and made sure he had the women in eye shot.

In the next quadrant, Victor lay in a pool of blood. It didn't take a doctor to know he was in a bad way, with multiple stab wounds to the leg and abdomen.

"Wha...wha...you came...there was a city...aliens...aliens...." he whispered, faintly, before passing out cold, his flesh cold and clammy.

Posted: **Thu Sep 24, 2015 5:25 am**

"I don't even know where to begin," says Samantha. "If he were a robot, I could have him back in working order, but I'm not much good at fixing people. We should have brought Dr. Bloom with us."

Posted: **Thu Sep 24, 2015 6:45 am**

"Victor! Victor!", Hattie exclaims as she kneel down by his side, trying in vain to stop the bleeding. "You have to stay awake, Victor!"

"I could fly back with him, but I don't think we'll all fit in the aircraft. Are there any ATV's left here?"
She only then really notices the shape Drake is in.
"Dear Ron...what happened to you?"

Posted: **Thu Sep 24, 2015 10:21 am**

"Alpha ATV? Haven't checked" muttered Ron. "Came back from...whatever...in a rush, got here in one piece, but don't know what shape its in. Should hold four people fine though..."

The ATV's could indeed hold four people in cramped quarters for a few days on end. Ron didn't know about Seth though. Five would be a plausible squeeze, suitable for a short journey, although whether that was advisable with a critically injured patient was quite another matter. The T-Prop would be out of the question.

"What's the matter? I'm fine, just fine..." he answered, snapping. It did not take an expert in human psychology to realise he was lying.

Posted: **Thu Sep 24, 2015 10:39 am**

"Ron, relax, we're here now. We're going to get the ATV, take you and Victor back to Beta and get you all taken care of by Dr. Bloom."

She makes gentle noises as she speaks, trying a few shushes as she approaches him and gently tries to put her hand on his arm.

"You're not alone anymore, Ron, we're here. Have you seen George? Where is he?"

Posted: **Thu Sep 24, 2015 5:20 pm**

In reply, Ron called out the question to Boss.

"Boss, where is colonist George Long?"

"George Long is in the reactor dome, Officer Drake" replied Boss in its placid and pleasant tones. "I cannot pinpoint his location due to the normal reactor interference. All chip signals are obscured in that location"

It was true. The reactors were top of the line, but low level EM interference did occur. A multiscanner could no doubt pick him up, if it was nearby, but it would not be possible to pinpoint without being nearby.

"Q-Drag! * If George has gone mad..." said Ron, pressing his eyes with his hand, grinding his teeth. "I don't know if he could make it go nuclear, but if anyone can, its George..."

That may not have been strictly true. The reactor was top of the line and had a thousand safety protocols, but given time and ingenuity, one could possibly make a nuclear weapon out of it. George Long was a chemist, not a physicist, but he was a brilliant one, and his ingenuity was legendary. It was certainly plausible.

OOC: * A common 22nd proclamation of awful bad luck. Quantum-Drag

Posted: **Fri Sep 25, 2015 5:50 am**

"We'd better get over there fast, then!" says Sam. "I hope we don't need them, but we'd better bring the plasma pistols."

Posted: **Sat Sep 26, 2015 10:03 pm**

Hattie stared at the unconscious Victor, then at the ragged Ron and finally at Sam.

"But Victor needs the doctor...we can't just leave him here. He'll die for sure."

Posted: **Sun Sep 27, 2015 5:48 am**

"You're right," says Sam, loud enough for Seth to hear. "We'll just have to abandon Alpha and evacuate to Beta. We'll need to leave the T-Prop behind."

Posted: **Sun Sep 27, 2015 12:57 pm**

Ron seemed undecided, or perhaps he was just to strung out to make a decision. He kept muttering under his breath, about life, death, and madness.

"We can't abandon Alpha, not whilst we have a genius madman in a nuclear reactor. I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to die. I really don't want to die" he said, fingers twitching on his plasma pistol.

"Better Victor than all of us..." he said, ashamedly. "If you guys are going to disobey my orders, I'm not going to shoot you, but there is an order of command here, and you will be breaking it..." he said, neck taught. "So make your choice..."

Posted: **Sun Sep 27, 2015 9:55 pm**

Hattie feels at a loss for words. She looks at the others and then kneels down next to Victor and plants a kiss on his brow.

"Do not go gentle into that good night", she whispers and then she gets up again.

"Let's go save this moon from thermonuclear holocaust, I don't want to imagine the effects of that explosion on Titan's atmosphere."

"Who knows, Victor might even be better when we get back."

Posted: **Mon Sep 28, 2015 2:37 am**

"You're the boss, boss," Samantha tells Ron, retrieving and holstering her own plasma pistol. "Might I make a suggestion, sir? Hattie could take Victor back to Beta in the ATV while you and I deal with George. I think between the two of us we can handle him. I'm better at fighting than she is if it comes to it, and I can also repair any damage he's inflicted to the reactor and keep it from going boom. It's up to you, sir." She knows that even if Ron refuses her request, Seth could still bring Victor back to Beta in the ATV.

Posted: **Mon Sep 28, 2015 10:33 am**

Ron considered Samantha's proposal, as best he was able. His hands shook, until he clamped them into fists to stop them shaking. He looked like a man who hadn't slept a week. His consideration was a fragile thing at best.

"Yes. No. Yes....Errr...Maybe..." was his considered and final judgement on the matter. He almost seemed not to care. In a daze, he switched the safety on his pistol and started making his way to the reactor.

"

Posted: **Mon Sep 28, 2015 12:29 pm**

"Be careful, you two."

Hattie looked concerned, but took the opportunity Sam presented.

"I'll go get the ATV and pick up our patient. Maintain radiocontact, okay?"

Posted: **Tue Sep 29, 2015 4:22 am**

"You take care too, Hattie," says Sam. "I'll try to stay in touch, as much as the EM flares allow, anyway. Good luck."

Posted: **Sun Oct 11, 2015 6:22 am**

Seth listens quietly while the others leave the area. The T-prop sounds interesting but there's no where to fly to. He considers returnin with Hattie but that Dr Bloom is likely to clamp him in the brig. He picks up the fallen plasma pistol, checks it and quietly follows Sam; having worked on the other reactor, he may be able to shut this one down if necessary.

Posted: **Sun Oct 11, 2015 7:15 pm**

OOC: Hattie travels to Beta Base Infirmary in this thread

Meanwhile...

The reactor power systems on Beta base were running smoothly, compared to the brief brown outs back in Alpha. The whole base, however, was deathly quiet bar the swish of automatic doors opening and closing.

To Sam, Ron Drake seemed strung out at the least, with the eyes of a shell shocked war veteran. It looked like he was seeing but not believing. He kept muttering to himself about how "this wasn't happening...". His grip on his plasma pistol was tight but suspect, with squirming white knuckles and cold clammy sweat.

The beep beep of his multiscanner showed where George Long was...up ahead amongst the panels, wires, and cables of the reactor.

No...more than up ahead. Up. Ron looked up, where the ventilation ducts were. Enough for a small man to crawl through...

Posted: **Sun Oct 11, 2015 8:51 pm**

"That'll be a real tight fit for me," says Sam, looking up at the ventilation ducts as she grips her own plasma pistol. "I think I can manage it, though - barely."

Posted: **Sun Oct 11, 2015 9:11 pm**

Whilst Sam was tall and broad, Drake had the edge on her. A squeeze for Sam, but more so still for him.

Ron gripped his plasma pistol steadily. "Rather you than me then..." he said in a soft, and guilty voice. "Look...if you see George, shoot first. Shoot to kill..." he said, fixing her with a glare. "The man is mad, dangerous. Victor might be dead, and who knows what happened out there...he might have done worse...much worse..." he said, gulping.

"He's ruined us...ruined everything. We can't afford to take any chances with him. Not now. If you see him...shoot to kill...." he said, gesturing at her pistol.

Posted: **Sun Oct 11, 2015 11:36 pm**

"Understood, sir," says Sam, though she has every intention of letting George speak in his own defense as long as he isn't hostile when she encounters him. Right now, all she has is hearsay, and she doesn't even know whether or not it's true that he stabbed Victor. Even if he did, he may have simply gone mad, as Ron seems to have. If she can subdue him or convince him to surrender without killing him, she'll do it. She opens up the nearest grating and hoists herself into the duct shaft.

Posted: **Mon Oct 12, 2015 7:36 am**

Seth peeks round the corner and then ducks quickly back out of sight; he's just seen Ron's broad back and beyond him, Sam's legs disappearing up into the air vent. 'One brave and crazy lady.' He thinks, leaning his head back on the cold wall.
It seems to him that Ron is orchestrating The situation and had planned for Sam to go into the vents all along. He considers shooting Ron there and then but if he missed.... Instead he looks around for another air vent hatch.

Posted: **Tue Oct 13, 2015 3:22 am**

Sam squeezed herself into the overhead ventilation duct. Getting up was not difficult in the low gravity. Squeezing was. It was claustrophobic too say the least. She could, however move forward, if slowly, with her pistol and scanner ahead.

Beep...Beep....Beep... the sound from her scanner was not loud, and could be muted. A gentle ping to show that George was up ahead. He was not a big man, but neither was he small - he would not be much better off than Sam in moving...

Spoiler:

Posted: **Tue Oct 13, 2015 4:40 am**

Sam checks her scanner, but it's hard to get a fix on George. Blasted EM interference, she thinks.

Posted: **Tue Oct 13, 2015 12:45 pm**

Posted: **Tue Oct 13, 2015 2:18 pm**

Sam slowly crawled and squeezed through the ventilation ducts, probably the only place on Titan where the air was warm and stifling. It was enough to make a woman sweat.

The scanner kept on beeping; surely George was just around the corner, mere feet from her....

Seth started to follow, but Drake spun around at the sound of Seth's boots. He didn't spy Seth directly, but had heard him. The man was a heap of nerves. His finger tensed on the trigger, close to squeezing....

Posted: **Wed Oct 14, 2015 5:04 am**

Proceeding carefully and quietly, Sam tries to peek around the corner to see if George is there.

Posted: **Wed Oct 14, 2015 9:40 am**

Seth hears Ron's intake of breath around the corner, and he freezes, his heart pounding. 'Damn that man's got cat's ears! This is just crazy.' He glances back the way he came for somewhere to hide, but there is nothing in this corridor.

Seth's never been one for aggression; he's always taken the sneaky option or just plain flight but it looks like there is no choice this time. 'Well, it's me or the loony.' He thinks. He waits, his plasma gun aimed about chest height, ready to fire as soon as Ron appears round the corner.

Posted: **Thu Oct 15, 2015 5:43 pm**

At that very moment!

Hattie peeked awkwardly around the corner...

Nothing...

But the scanner did not lie. A beep, a beep. Infront of her, splattered by blood, was George Lang's Chip, carved out his arm and lying still on the plastic coated floor of the ventilation duct...

Meanwhile...

Ronald Drake turned a corner, sliding between the sheets of wires and tubes of the reactor. His plasma pistol was in his hand, and like Seth, he was trigger happy...

But who would fire first? And who would fire true? For unleashing plasma weapons in a reactor may not be wise...

OOC: Tune into to the ooc thread, same Bat-time, Same Bat-Channel, to resolve the outcome...

Posted: **Thu Oct 15, 2015 8:00 pm**

In the confines of the vent, Sam doesn't hear anything until a plasma blast startles her. She looks around for the nearest exit from the vent shafts.

Posted: **Fri Oct 16, 2015 7:33 am**

'Aggh! He's here!' All hopes of Ron walking away have gone. Seth doesn't even wait to grit his teeth; he pulls his trigger and fires, aiming at Ron.

Posted: **Fri Oct 16, 2015 8:20 am**

There was a flare; brighter than normal in the oxygen atmosphere - a brilliant flare. Then a scream, a horrible wail, as commander Ronald drake lit up like a firework, stumbling this way and that, crashing into walls of equipment, then slumping to his knees, still alight with orange-hued fire, and then collapsing on the ground, the plasma spitting out.

His body lay motionless but breathing, his flesh and clothes smouldering.

"Warning" interrupted Boss, speaking throughout the dome with his normal unflappable polite tones. "Commander Ronald Drakes Chip is registering critical life signs. Urgent medical attention advised. Commander Ronald Drake's location is Alpha Base Reactor..."

Posted: **Sat Oct 17, 2015 2:54 am**

Sam hurries back to where she had left Ron, hoping that she's not too late.

Posted: **Sat Oct 17, 2015 12:29 pm**

Seth watches in horror as Ron is engulfed in hot fizzing fire. He looks at the pistol in dismay, "What the hell is this thing; why have they got such a weapon here?" He throws it on the floor and rushes to Ron's side, waiting for him to cool down. He feels sick to his stomach.

Posted: **Sun Oct 18, 2015 5:26 am**

Posted: **Sun Oct 18, 2015 5:10 pm**

Spoiler:

Posted: **Tue Oct 20, 2015 8:35 pm**

Ron was fairly cool to touch, the plasma burning out in an instant, but he was clearly in a serious condition; aside from extensive burns his chest was in bad bad shape. He was mercifully unconscious, for surely he would have been in agony if awake.

A few dying sparks and embers lit up the floor around him, but fortunately the reactor was undamaged - that is, undamaged by Seth's trigger finger. For George Long was still unaccounted for...

Posted: **Wed Oct 21, 2015 5:16 am**

"What happened?!" cries Sam as she hurries over to Ron, relieved that at least the plasma has instantly cauterized the wound. Grabbing a first aid kit attached to the wall, placed there to be used in the event of an emergency (such as this), she does her best to treat him. Her adrenaline and desperation lend her skill she didn't know she had, and she also hears something in the background.

Posted: **Thu Oct 22, 2015 9:52 am**

Seth helps Sam as best he can. He's dealt with these kind of burns before, so knows exactly what to do, even with limited equipment which he jury-rigs from cleaning cloths and fire-extinguisher foam. He's too busy to hear anything and keeps his head down to avoid eye contact with Sam.

Posted: **Mon Oct 26, 2015 12:13 am**

Spoiler:

Ron groaned as he woke up. "Uuhhhh....you shot me...uuuuhhrrr....." he moaned. "The pain...it hurts so bad...." he said sweating from the agony he must surely be in.

He grabbed Sam's wrist, almost delirious..."Shoot him...shoot him..." he demanded, his bulging eyes glaring at Seth. "He will ruin everything! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I want to live! Whatever it takes!" he babbled, squeezing her wrist.

The First Aid Kit certainly had painkillers in...but how much to give?

Meanwhile, Sam hears some scuffling footsteps, trying to be quiet, but still....they are heading out of the Reactor....

Posted: **Mon Oct 26, 2015 3:16 am**

Sam pulls free. "Did you hear that?" she whispers. "I think that was George." She indiciates the direction where she heard his footsteps receding, her plasma pistol in her hand.

Posted: **Tue Oct 27, 2015 11:28 am**

Seth is still mortified for shooting Ron, "We can't just leave him like this; he's in agony." He looks at the phial of pain killer to see if there's any instructions. "The way I see it, this one dose won't be enough to kill anyone - where's the sense in that? And he's a big fella; he can handle an oversize dose if we get it wrong and too little will still help him a bit."

When Sam hears George he says, "Let me just give this to him before we go." And he takes the phial and administers half of it. "This will hopefully just sedate him, reduce the pain. Look here Ron, here's the rest of it, if you need it." He lays it down next to Ron's hand. "You rest here and we'll be back as soon as we've found George; and then we're all out of here. Sam, can you get your Boss to monitor Ron and let us know if anything changes?"

He waits briefly to see how Ron takes the pain killers and then nods to Sam, "Lets go." He picks up Ron's gun and discards his own plasma pistol that seems to have bust.

Posted: **Wed Oct 28, 2015 5:16 am**

Sam nods, following Seth. "You should take the lead," she whispers. "You're a lot quieter than I am, and we don't want him to know we're on his tail."

Posted: **Wed Oct 28, 2015 12:52 pm**

"Just because I look sneaky." Seth protests. "But you're probably right." He takes one last look at Ron and then stealthily creeps down the corridor in the direction that Sam indicates. He wonders what they should do once they find this George; he for one isn't going to do any more shooting - not for a long while.

Posted: **Thu Oct 29, 2015 12:16 am**

Spoiler:

Seth took the lead by several yards, as quiet as he could. And he did not just look sneaky; he pulled it off. Ahead of him, moving quietly, but not silently, was a lonesome figure dressed up in the Colonist overalls. On his back, "LONG".

The man was dishevelled, with wild hair, and a few rips on his overalls. In one hand, he held a tool kit - a step up from the normal multitool, for complex repairs and construction. In the other, a plasma torch, for heavy duty cutting and welding. Of course, a plasma torch was a dangerous thing - a dangerous weapon. Its end burned with tiniest of flame, but Seth knew all to well that at full power it would be a foot long blade of white hot heat.

"Bzzt...Bzzzt....Bzzzt....hehehe....Bzzzt Bzzt Bzzt..." mumbled George in an out of tune hysteria as he shuffled to the centre of the reactor...

Posted: **Thu Oct 29, 2015 5:27 am**

Sam brings the sedatives with her before following Seth from a distance. She still doesn't know the circumstances of how Ron got shot, but she's pretty sure Seth didn't want to kill him, or he'd have finished him when he had the chance and wouldn't have helped to treat him. All the same, she's just as glad she's behind him rather than in front of him.

Posted: **Thu Oct 29, 2015 10:15 am**

Seth turns round and mimes to Sam who is following a distance behind. "I can see him. Follow quietly." He really doesn't like the look of the fellow and that torch could be fiercesome. Better to follow George to see what he was up to. Seth continues quietly to follow George.

Posted: **Thu Oct 29, 2015 11:39 pm**

George shuffled his way to the main reactor panel, only a few dozen yards away. He seemed preoccupied, his head jerking and constantly making a "bzzzz" noise between his teeth. He looked almost epileptic, the way he moved.

By the main control panel he put down his tool kit and started to burn away with his plasma torch at the metal plates that shielded the main components. He seemed oblivious to the sparks and embers that fluttered onto his overalls and skin, burning both.

Spoiler:

Posted: **Fri Oct 30, 2015 5:51 am**

"We have to stop him before he makes it blow," whispers Sam. "Try the sedatives first."

Posted: **Fri Oct 30, 2015 3:42 pm**

"Gee, thanks." Mutters Seth but it's the only option and he quietly pulls out the sedative gun. He creeps towards George who is busy destroying the control panel, there isn't much time if Seth is to stop George from doing something serious to the reactor; Seth raises the sed-gun and attempts to inject it into George's back.

Posted: **Fri Oct 30, 2015 5:28 pm**

The makeshift sed-gun plunged into the unsuspecting man's back. There was a grunt, and a pshhh sound as pure Omnicalm poured into his veins.

George spun round, unsteady. he was not particularly strong or tough - enough to get him onto the programme but nothing special, like his intelligence. His plasma torch flared and wobbled, sprouting and spitting its white hot heat. As George fell to the floor he waved it wildly, shooting out its full power - an explosion of heat and light into Seth...

Spoiler:

Posted: **Sun Nov 01, 2015 1:13 pm**

Seth feels more than sees the fierce heat of the plasma torch as it carves a fiery slice through the air. He ducks instinctively and rolls across the floor. He sits up and pats his head; there is a strong smell of greasy burning and he finds his hair has a frazzled furrow right down the centre. "That was way too close." He looks a little like a mad scientist now.

Posted: **Sun Nov 01, 2015 3:34 pm**

George Lang had a strange look in his eyes as he slumped to the floor.

"They are coming..." he mumbled, before his eyelids slid shut, and he passed out from the sedatives into an deep slumber. He did not quite look at rest, with the odd twitch and groan.

Posted: **Mon Nov 02, 2015 2:58 am**

Samantha rushes forward. "Well done, Seth!" she says. "Are you okay?" She checks to make sure Seth isn't injured, then she ties up George and examines the metal plates to see the extent of the damage, trying to communicate with Beta as she does so. "Hattie, it's Sam. Our friend sedated George before he could blow up the reactor. Ron is hurt bad, but he'll survive. He's under sedation too. We'll have to come back to Beta, but I'm no medical expert, so I don't know whether Ron can take a T-Prop ride. We may need the ATV."

Posted: **Mon Nov 02, 2015 11:07 pm**

Hattie's relieved voice came through over the comm system:

"Sam! Good to hear your voice! I am currently tied up with a blood transfusion to Victor. It think we need another five to ten minutes. I'll get to the ATV as soon as I can. ETA 45 minutes. Do you think you'll manage that long?"

Posted: **Tue Nov 03, 2015 7:11 am**

"I think so, Hattie," replies Sam. "I'll make sure the reactor isn't in danger. I don't think he had time to cause any significant damage. The good news is that Ron hasn't lost any blood. Plasma wounds are instantly cauterized."

Posted: **Tue Nov 03, 2015 10:12 am**

Seth has been investigating the reactor. He looks up, "I reckon I can fly that T-prop of yours; it sounds similar to what I've flown before on Earth. I don't know how many it fits though. It doesn't look like George here did much damage to the reactor but I can't be sure." He walks over to George and leans in close. "How long do you think those sedatives will last? He was spouting all sorts of nonsense before he was knocked out - something like "Theyrrreee Commmmiiing!" He mimics a strangled voice. "Maybe it's an invasion of aliens about to hit us?" He jokes.

Posted: **Tue Nov 03, 2015 3:07 pm**

"I'll finish up here as fast as I can. I'll see you all within the hour. Don't move Ron unless his condition is stable. Hattie out."

The radio transmission ended with the familiar crackle of the transmitter being released.

Posted: **Wed Nov 04, 2015 6:14 am**

"The aliens were here first," says Samantha. "We're the invaders here. I've got no idea how long the sedatives will last, but hopefully he'll be out for a while." She finishes examining the reactor for damage, then she searches George and makes sure he's disarmed.

Posted: **Wed Nov 04, 2015 3:36 pm**

When Sam has finished, Seth says, " Do you think we should carry George along to where Ron is and wait for Hattie there? It's not going to hurt George and we can keep an eye on Ron - it'll be a while before she gets here."

Posted: **Thu Nov 05, 2015 5:50 am**

"Yeah, we'd better keep everyone together where we can keep an eye on them all at the same time," says Sam. She scoops up George in her muscular arms and slings him over her shoulder. "We don't want to leave Ron unmonitored with his injuries, and we don't want to leave George alone in case he comes around. He removed his chip, by the way. I found it in the vent shaft."

Posted: **Thu Nov 05, 2015 5:36 pm**

Seth picks up George's tools and trails after the burly engineer. "You all have chips? Makes sense I suppose. So you can tell where all the other missing crew are then? So are Ron and George normally weird like this or has something happened to them? I mean, you and Hattie seem okay, but all the gents on this moon are on a scale of bonkers to downright crazy dangerous. Even the Doc back at the other base is suspect if you ask me. But these two - jeepers!"

Posted: **Thu Nov 05, 2015 10:08 pm**

Whilst Titans gravity made for unfortunate difficulties with physical health (largely compensated by monthly injections of Osteogen V and exercise regimes) it did make lifting bodies easy work. Sam had no problems hauling George Langs unconscious body back to Ron, who lay similarly but mercifully knocked out by the painkillers Seth had given him. He was breathing in slow, shallow breathes. His body looked an absolute mess, and there was the faintest unpleasant smell of burnt human flesh.

"Please be advised, Commander Ronald Drakes chip has sustained minor damage and readings are intermittent. Vital signs are still present but urgent medical attention is recommended..." said Boss is pleasant but dutifully sombre tones.

Posted: **Mon Nov 09, 2015 6:56 am**

"No, they aren't normally like this,' says Sam. "Maybe it's because of the aliens, and it might not even be intentional on their part. We really know nothing about them yet. As to why not everyone is effected, perhaps it only affects men and not women. I'm sure Boss can locate all of the other crew members, as long as they still have their chaps and are within range. Boss, where are all of the surviving crew members located?"

Posted: **Tue Nov 10, 2015 10:32 pm**

A little while later...

....back at Beta base Infirmary

"All present chips accounted for" said Boss, coincidentally answering Sam's question.

"The Infirmary isn't built for this!" complained Doctor Bloom.

"George Long, stable vital signs, sedated with Omnicalm, chip has been removed and inactive...."

"Commander Ronald Drake, stable vital signs, serious plasma burns, heavily sedated with painkillers, chip active..."

"and Victor Bergman, stable vital signs, mild anaemia..."

"Yes, I'm awake" said Victor, weakly. He looked paler than normal.

"I don't know what happened though. Just a load of garbled messages from the away mission. Then George came back, screaming that something was out there, then he stabbed me..." he groaned.

"I am afraid I cannot account for or detect the chips of Commander Wu or Geologist Gina Croft" said Boss, pleasantly. "The chip has only a short range and unfortunately the current electromagnetic storm makes communications difficult...last known location was at the earthquake epicentre..." said the ever mild voice of Boss.

Posted: **Wed Nov 11, 2015 11:45 am**

Seth has been trying to cut some semblance of order to his razed hair with some surgical scissors. "How long have the survey team been away? I hate to put a damper on things but wouldn't they have returned by now if they couldn't get a message through?" He looks in a mirror and scowls at himself, "I look just the same, only with shorter hair." He puts the plasma-fried bits of hair in the bin. "And if Boss can identify me, Bob Dylan, he ought to be able to spot the aliens when they creep up on us. I wonder why he didn't spot anything unusual happening at the Alpha Base."

Posted: **Thu Nov 12, 2015 3:57 am**

"The first thing we need to do is get a message through to Earth," says Sam. "We have to report what's happened here and ask them to send a ship ASAP, either to reinforce and resupply us, or to evacuate us. We might not be able to transmit through the EM storm, but we can make a recording and have the computer keep trying to send it periodically. This storm can't last forever, so eventually it'll get through, even if..." She hesitates, not wanting to give voice to her fears. "Even if nobody is able to send it manually. I hate to say it, but I think we're going to have to explore the area of the quake's epicenter to find the missing crew. Doctor Bloom will need to remain here to care for the wounded, so that leaves the three of us." She indicates herself, Hattie, and Seth.

Posted: **Thu Nov 12, 2015 12:05 pm**

Seth sighs; what a choice! Exploring a live quake's epicentre or spending the day with two crazy psychopaths and a third borderline crazy doctor. He says to Sam and Hattie, "Can I have a word?" and draws them aside. "I don't think leaving these three alone together is a good idea. What if George escapes and damages this base? We'll have nowhere to come back to. And Ron's lost his mind, I know he's wounded buy he's a strong fella and could recover quicker than we think. He might release George. And I don't think Doc's up to dealing with them both, certainly not if it gets out of hand. He doesn't know what it was like at Alpha base; they'd talk him round into doing something he shouldn't. I reckon." He finishes rather lamely. It sounds like perfect paronoia even to his ears but he just can't shake the feeling of impending disaster; he's imagining driving back to the base, should they survive the epicentre, and finding a pile of wind blown rubble.

Posted: **Fri Nov 13, 2015 4:19 am**

"I wouldn't expect Ron to let George go," says Sam. "Try to kill him, sure, but release him? He's nuts, but he's not that kind of nuts. We'll have to keep our crazies secure with both physical and chemical restraints. Keep them sedated for now. I guess one of us could stay behind to back up the Doc. The reactor also still needs some more repair work. We don't want the power to go out."

Posted: **Fri Nov 13, 2015 8:51 pm**

Hattie finishes up shooting up with Haemodyne and joins the conversation fully.
"I agree with both of you. We'll create a comms loop in the hope that our message will get through eventually. We could try taking the Sagan to a higher altitude and try transmitting from there, but with the weather being what it is, I estimate our chances of success with that to be lower than 40%."

She sighs.

"And then I suppose we'll have to explore the site. There could be survivors left... " Her voice trails off, she's not too convinced about it either.

Posted: **Sat Nov 14, 2015 6:57 am**

"Yeah, we have to look for them," says Sam. "If I were missing, I'd want someone to come search for me. If there weren't anyone out there, I'd say we should just stay in Beta and wait for evac."

Posted: **Sat Nov 14, 2015 11:16 am**

Seth refrains from comment about rescue, it's all very well as long as you don't get stuck yourself, but he nods; the comms loop is a good idea. "If we get to the epicentre, if, will you be able to track the missing crews' chips? I can't see we'll have any luck finding them on just visuals. Also, would we be safer flying through the quake zone if there are still tremors? And can you give Boss special instructions for restraining George and Ron?"

Posted: **Sun Nov 15, 2015 5:10 am**

"I can track their chips on my scanner," says Sam. "I used it to find George's chip, but it wasn't inside George any more when I located it in the ducts. You're right, it might be better to fly to the quake zone, as long as there's a safe place to land. We'll give Boss instructions before we go, but he's just a computer. He can't administer medications or keep them tied up unless he uses the robots, which are out of order at the moment. It'll be up to Dr. Bloom to handle that."

Posted: **Sun Nov 15, 2015 11:39 am**

"Okay then." Seth says resignedly. "I guess the 'plane is stocked up with emergency supplies and such. I can pilot helicopters and similar 'planes by the way. Hey Bloom - you got personal first aid kits we can each have?" He looks at George and Ron but there is nothing much else to be done except hope.

Posted: **Sun Nov 15, 2015 3:31 pm**

"Well, I suppose it's good to have at least two pilots...I'll go suit up and prep my gear. Dr. Bloom, do you need any more help with your patients before we leave?"

Play@YSDC

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