IC - 19 - Barnard's Rest - Kiara

[Mephistophilis]

Li is focusing on stabilising the copter, but in response to Kiara she casually says 'COD-Lambda-RD4A-8265, why?'

[jp1885]

“If I can connect wirelessly to the comms system, while we’re still in range, I can broadcast a quarantine warning for the shuttle,” Kiara replies, jabbing once again at her datapad.

“They might be infected people on board. If they can be intercepted and isolated, it might stop the infection from spreading.”

[Mephistophilis]

'If you think anybody will hear, sure, give it a go. I don't want to hang around here much longer so make it quick.'

Li circles around the colony while the Landing Pad dome opens wide and the shuttle comes into view, the red glow of the launch motors indicating imminent lift off.

Sounds like a Computer Use

[jp1885]

“I’ll be as quick as I can.”

[42] = 42
Computer use 65 d%: [ 42 ] = 42

[Mephistophilis]

Kiara is able to piggyback one of the sensor signals into Barnard's Rest and access the colony network. She sends an all channels message, 'Shuttle COD-Lambda-RD4A-8265 from Barnard's Rest is breaking Titan quarantine. There may be infected individuals on board. Intercept and isolate.'

She watches the shuttle engulfed in white smoke begin to lift up from the Shuttle Bay landing pad, hovering a hundred metres off the ground as the auxiliary thrusters tip it up perpendicular to the surface. The powerful first stage launch rockets ignite and their orange-red plumes jet out behind the shuttle which lurches into the sky and streaks up towards the edge of the atmosphere leaving behind a trail of white smoke.



Just as the shuttle approaches the edge of space, where the atmosphere thins, something small flashes into view, coming from beyond the atmosphere, and seems to impact the shuttle. Instantaneously there is a massive orange-red explosion and it shatters into a million pieces.

That's a SAN check for potentially causing the death of scores of people, 0/1d6.

[jp1885]

[82] = 82
SAN 64 d%: [ 82 ] = 82

[3] = 3
Loss 1d6: [ 3 ] = 3

Kiara states open mouthed at the billowing explosion. She makes a small squeaking sound from the back of her throat.

“I-I was trying to save them…” she stammers.

[Mephistophilis]

Li flies the copter towards the black methane sea of Ligeia Mare, not looking back. 'Rather them than us.'

[jp1885]

“You think we’re gonna last any longer than them?” Kiara snaps. “Even if we stop whatever’s happening at Waystation, we’re never gonna leave this god-forsaken planet!”

[Mephistophilis]

'One problem at a time. Let's survive the flight over to Waystation first.'

[jp1885]

“Damn it I wish I could be as cool as you,” Kiara mutters, still distraught. “You’re not an android too are you?”

“Anyway, I’d better let the others know we’re heading out early, and tell them know the shuttle’s not an option.”

While Li flies the chopper, Kiara does just that.

[Mephistophilis]

Li silently flies the copter away from Barnard's Rest, above Pumping Station 1, and out over Ligeia Mare. The glassy surface enigmatic in its blackness. The flight is smooth, Li is clearly a skilled pilot.

Kiara tries to call the rover over the radio, but all she can hear is static. Occasionally the static goes silent, like someone is transmitting something, but she can't make anything out.

Try rolling a Listen

[jp1885]

= 96
Listen 20 d%: [ 96 ] = 96

Maybe it's the noise of the chopper, or the fact that Kiara is still upset and distracted, but the scientist hears nothing discernable in the gaps between the static.

[Mephistophilis]

Soon they're flying out over the black liquid methane of Ligeia Mare. Li skates close to the surface but it seems safe as there are no waves. However, within the copter Kiara can hear a few creaks and thumps from outside through her suit sensors, probably just pressure shifts.

Trying the radio again just repeats the static, with occasional pauses like before. Li jabs the controls, 'Comms on the blink.'

[jp1885]

“No surprises there; everything seems to be turning into shit,” Kiara grumbles.

“Let’s fly over there route. Maybe they’ll see us and know we’re on our way.”

[Mephistophilis]

'I've got fuel for about six hours of flying' says Li. 'That's three hours out, three hours back. I reckon it'll take two or three hours to get to Waystation, same to get back. Gives us somewhere between two and zero hours of spare fuel. I can try and fly low, use as little fuel as possible, and see if we can pick them up around Pumping Station 5 but it will be tight.'

Mechanically, Li will need to pass a Pilot (Planetary) roll to avoid running out of fuel (they won't crash, they'll just not have enough to get back from Waystation to Barnard's Rest), Kiara will need to pass Luck for the rover to be near Pumping Station 5, and Li or Kiara (both can roll) will need to pass one of a regular Navigate or a hard Spot Hidden test to detect them. FYI Li has Pilot (Planetary) 60% and Navigate 50%

[jp1885]

Spoiler:

[78] = 78
Li’s Pilot 60 d%:  [ 78 ] = 78

[53] = 53
Kiara’s Luck 60 d%:  [ 53 ] = 53

[64] = 64
Li’s Navigate 50 d%:  [ 64 ] = 64

[93] = 93
Kiara’s Spot hidden 37 d%:  [ 93 ] = 93

Unfortunately, things don’t go too well in the piloting and spotting department, though, as luck would have it, the chopper does pass over the transporter near pumping station 5.

[Mephistophilis]

At Kiara's urging, Ling Li reluctantly turns the copter away from Waystation, crossing towards the near shore of Ligeia Mare and Pumping Station 5.

Li continues to fly low, just above the smooth liquid methane. As Kiara sits there watching the flat black surface stretching ahead she notices something odd, initially it is hard to process what she is seeing but eventually she realises that she can see odd disturbances in the surface of the sea. Difficult to fully resolve due to the blackness of the methane but highlighted when the bright lights of the copter shine on the nearest parts. They look like ripples, not ripples from the downthrust of the copter but running perpendicular to their flight. Like waves. And the more Kiara looks the taller they become, great linear deformations of the liquid running as far as the eye can see, waves of several feet in height above the surface.

Noticing Kiara's preoccupation Li says 'I didn't think there were supposed to be waves in Ligeia Mare, I'll have to climb a bit to be safe. We should be coming to Pumping Station 5 soon.'

In another twenty minutes the copter reaches the flat shoreline where the Pumping Station sits between the black sea and the rocky wastes beyond. Tendrils of dark tubing snake out of the liquid and up to the large cylindrical silver pumping apparatus mounted on a metallic platform of railings, walkways, and grating panels. Beside that is the dome shaped hub station, maglev tunnels and metal pipework meandering along the shore line back towards Barnard's Rest.

'I estimate the rover is somewhere near here based on their most likely speed and direction' says Li. 'I will start a standard surface search sweep.' She begins to fly the copter around the Pumping Station in increasing circles, Kiara realises it is a spiral pattern. After fifteen minutes of ever widening circles they are still unable to see the rover.

'Fuel is getting low' says Li, tapping the control panel with a frown just visible through her suit helmet. 'I'm not confident we have enough to get to Waystation from here and then return to Barnard's Rest. We will need to refuel at Waystation but if we do that we will have enough fuel now to make a few more sweeps to look for the rover.'

She prods the control panel a few times, 'And I think we're in the right place, I'm picking up a transponder.'

So the successful Luck roll means that the rover is somewhere around here. The failed Pilot means you don't have enough fuel for the return trip. The failed Navigate and Spot Hidden means you haven't found the rover yet. Since you now have fuel to spare because you will have to refuel at Waystation anyway you can attempt Navigate/Hard Spot Hidden again, or do something else

[jp1885]

[57] = 57
Kiara's spot hidden 37 d%: [ 57 ] = 57

[92] = 92
Li's navigate 50 d%: [ 92 ] = 92

Still rattled by the exploding shuttle, and not a little concerned by the strange waves on the lake, Kiara is still unable to locate the transporter.

"Let's press on to Waystation - I don't think we have much of an alternative," she suggests.

[Mephistophilis]

The radio crackles again, but this time there's definitely something there. Li turns it up.

'Hello, hello, this is Surface Rover BR-163, come in Copter BR-054, Kiara is that you?'

[jp1885]

“Yes it’s me,” Kiara replies with some relief. “We had to leave early before the mob got to us; the prospect of impending doom seems to have driven everyone crazy.”

“I guess they tried to escape in the shuttle - infection or no infection,” her voice cracks a little. “I couldn’t let that infection spread. I thought if I transmitted a quarantine request, they’d at least stand a chance…”

“The bastards blew them out of the sky!”