IC - 19 - Surface of Titan - Everyone except Kiara

[Mr. Handy]

"I heard the word 'come,'" says Sam. "I could try to trace the signal and see where it originates, but I have a feeling I already know: Waystation."

[Starspawn338]

Jojo shrugs. "It just sounds like static to me. Maybe there's some natural background emission going on somewhere."

[aine]

“At least the signal is Human then. I was beginning to imagine otherwise.” Nicole says to Sam.
“Let’s keep going.”

[Mr. Handy]

"Of course, the human may be infected," says Sam, "but, yeah, let's keep moving."

[Mephistophilis]

The rover rolls on in silence. After a while Moses says 'We've cleared the canyons, I'm turning back towards Ligeia Mare, we should come near to Pumping Station 5 eventually.'

They settle back into the monotony. The rover gently crunching through the methane snow, nothing visible through the windows but the featureless surface of Titan obscured by hazy orange atmosphere. Time passes, minutes, tens of minutes, hours.

-----

Up ahead, it looks like something is resolving through the haze, although Moses and Isabella are showing no sign of noticing it. Like a figure, at the very edge of the orange mist, at the horizon, walking away from the rover...

A shudder runs through the rover, all of a sudden the view up ahead looks odd, the horizon seems to be at an angle, the sensation of the rover's wheels in the snow has stopped. Then the rover thuds back into the ground, bouncing, shuddering. Grinding to a halt. Just ahead of the rover the methane snow starts to move again, a great rend appearing, a crevasse in the rock underlying the powdery snow. Wider, and deeper, it spreads out as far as can be seen, the rover slowly tipping over the edge, hanging precariously. Black liquid rushes into the fissure, liquid methane from the methane sea. Aftershocks shake the rover again.

Spot Hidden (40% & 45%): 1d100+1d100 47 + 95

[Mr. Handy]

"I think I see someone out there," says Sam, "walking away from the rover!"

Spot Hidden roll (55% skill) in the rover:
d%

[Mephistophilis]

Just before the quake hit, it was like...well, it looked like that figure wasn't wearing a surface suit.

[Mr. Handy]

"Whoever it is doesn't look to be wearing a suit," says Sam. "Could be another android."

[Starspawn338]

Spot Hidden 50
1d100

"I don't see anything. Are you sure you're not hallucinating?" Jojo turns towards Sam. "I don't believe there are any other androids on the surface."

[aine]

“Never mind the apparitions! Nobody move! We’re about to tip into who knows where. Moses, can you reverse us onto safe ground?” Nicole shouts.

Spot hidden 60 roll:75

“

[Mephistophilis]

Looking increasingly panicked, Moses revs the engine and the rover rocks back and forth. He stops and the front of the rover pitches even further forward. 'I uh, uh, I don't know what to do, it's not budging, uh, we're slipping, we're slipping!'

Isabella is desperately jabbing at various consoles and instrument panels, 'Quake's fractured the crust, flooded with liquid methane. No way of knowing how far down it goes. I can plot us a path round it but we need to avoid slipping down it first.'

[Mr. Handy]

"Everyone carefully move toward the back of the rover," says Sam, doing so herself. Her knowledge of engineering and physics comes in useful here. "We need more weight back there to provide enough leverage to keep us from slipping further."

[Starspawn338]

"Very well." Jojo says as he moves to the back of the rover also.

[aine]

Nicole takes a deep breath to stay calm and then starts shifting back slowly.
“If we do go, press the mayday button if there is one.” She says to Isabella.

[Mephistophilis]

Jojo, Sam, and Nicole edge back, out of the rover cockpit and into the cargo hold. Isabella then leaves her seat and joins them. When they're all out of the way Moses gently engages the engine and the rover begins to rock slightly as the wheels dig into the methane snow on the edge of the crevasse.

The rover very slowly inches back, 'I think we're okay' shouts Moses.

-----

Moses manages to back away from the fissure and Isabella rejoins him in the front. She plots a course around the black methane filled crack. The aftershocks have ceased. Rolling along the surface the rover continues on its interminable journey. Eventually Moses says that they're approaching Pumping Station 5.

Soon the dome shaped hub station comes into view, emerging from the orange mist. Beside it the railings and walkways of the pumping platform with its large cylindrical silver pumping apparatus disappearing into the black methane sea with its tubing radiating out like thin fingers to grasp the dark liquid. Plastic maglev tunnels and metal pipework indicate the direction back to Barnard's Rest.

[Mr. Handy]

"Let's call Kiara and let her know we can see our destination," says Sam. "We can give her our ETA so she'll know when to leave."

[aine]

“We’d better find her a decent landing zone while we’re waiting. Good driving by the way, Moses.” Nicole is looking forward to getting out of the Rover.

[Mephistophilis]

This is Pumping Station 5 - you're just over halfway to Pumping Station 6/Waystation.

[Mr. Handy]

"We're still quite a ways off from Waystation," says Sam, "so it's much too soon for her to leave, but we should still update her on what we've encountered."

[aine]

“Half way! We’d better keep going then.” She uses the radio to contact Kiara.
“Kiara, Kiara, come in, over?”