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14:17, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

X2U-238: Shot In the Dark.

Posted by StarMasterFor group 0
StarMaster
GM, 302 posts
Storyteller
License to Tamper
Thu 12 Jun 2014
at 05:28
  • msg #1

X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Upon stepping out of the other side of the gate, the team enters a world of darkness. Fortunately, they brought their own light.

The light from the flashlights continue to show the image transmitted by the MALP. Its own lights are out... to conserve energy.

The stargate, the triangle DHD and the MALP are all still there.
Hilda
SG-X1, 325 posts
Staff Sergeant (honorary)
Mission Specialist, SG-X1
Mon 16 Jun 2014
at 11:52
  • msg #2

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

—and emerged in utter darkness, not seeing where the ground was and crashing hard. But the hardy Cimmerian rolled and bounced up, ready for battle, flicking on her flashlight.
Freyda
player, 54 posts
Asgard
Geneticist
Tue 17 Jun 2014
at 17:38
  • msg #3

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Freyda comes in and looks around. I will work on basic power and lights first and check the life support. Once the others come through. I don't think Hilda the yelling was necessary but it fits the mood I think.

She turns on a light from the chair taking out a working light from the mechanics kit a lot of light from a small device in a radius keeping the setting low for now as she looks around at the structures.
Kaspar Radoslaw Gorski
SG-X1, 166 posts
Professor of Anthropology
Major, Polish Land Forces
Tue 17 Jun 2014
at 19:11
  • msg #4

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Having stepped slowly and carefully through the gate, Kaspar only stumbles slightly, as he steps out.  He gives himself a shake, to ward off the chill from the transition, as he turns on his flashlight, and waves the beam around.

"Anyone see anything recognizable?" he asks, "I mean, can anyone tell if we are in a big cargo bay, or in a big hanger bay, or what?"

"Hilda, I noticed you have a pair of infrared goggles in a pouch on your belt.  I'd like you and your youthful eyes to climb up on the MALP and keep an overwatch."

"Sargeant Mojdar, I want you to head out into the surrounding dark and try to find the limits of this chamber, keeping a special eye out for exits.  At no time are you to proceed so far that you loose sight of the lights we're setting up here.  If you don't have IR goggles -- well, shame on you, Ranger! Borrow Hildas if you have to, though I'd rather she keep hers for overwatch.  That's all I can think of, Rajip, unless you have something else to suggest? I'm open to suggestions."

Kaspar shines his light down at the deck plating he's standing on.

"Somebody give me a scan of the floor." Kaspar orders, "Check the analysis against what we know about the materials that a Ha'tak is made from.  Remember, General Hammond told us they are only assuming this is a Ha'tak, from the size of this chamber.  Let's see if we can confirm it.  Also, let's get some environmental scans, just to confirm the MALPs telemetry.  Make sure it's all the same.  Last thing we need is to suffocate in our sleep because we got the carbon monoxide levels wrong, yeah?"

Kaspar clips his flashlight to his webgear, then digs his pipe and tobacco pouch out of their respective pockets, and begins filling the bowl.

"And, of course, if anyone comes across any alien writings..." Kaspar says, placing the pipe in his mouth, firing up his lighter -- taking note of how brightly/dimly the flame burns -- and drawing the tobacco to smokey life, "...do let me know."
Freyda
player, 55 posts
Asgard
Geneticist
Tue 17 Jun 2014
at 19:18
  • msg #5

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Freyda does a baseline mechanics analysis of the ship locating all the basic system locations and size etc. using an Asgard Scanner linked to her computer to start reporting the results.

ooc: 15:16, Today: Freyda rolled 19 using 1d20+10. Mechanics Analysis. ~no gear modifers applied might be +4 higher~
Rajip Mojdar
SG-X1, 142 posts
Staff Sergeant
Army Ranger
Tue 17 Jun 2014
at 21:20
  • msg #6

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Just as the Cimmerian did, Rajip also took a wrong step in the darkness around, falling off a low platform, hitting the ground below it with a noise betraying their presence at the gate. Unlike the warrior woman, however, he had not gone through it so painlessly, crashing his knee against the floor. He hissed in pain and anger, but then calmed down as in the strong beams of his teammates' flashlights he noticed there was no serious damage to his leg and the pain itself would abide soon enough.

He stood up, his own flashlight also on, penetrating the darkness ahead.



OOC: What do the immediate surroundings location look like?
Vasandra Tourmaline
SG-X1, 135 posts
Netjerian
Wheelman/Pilot
Tue 17 Jun 2014
at 21:54
  • msg #7

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Exiting the stargate with the same caution she imbues into her every action Vasandra steps down onto the floor with an almost insulting grace, all the while guiding the FRED to as safe of a stop as possible for such a heavily burdened vehicle.  Quickly issuing instructions to both the MALP and the FRED Vasandra has their powerful floodlights active and facing in opposite directions down the longest available paths of the room in order to provide the most effective visibility possible.
StarMaster
GM, 318 posts
Storyteller
License to Tamper
Wed 18 Jun 2014
at 03:09
  • msg #8

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Oops. I goofed again! The room would not have been dark around the stargate because the stargate's event horizon generates a good amount of light.


Vasandra has no problem hooking up the floodlights that Hilda brought along. The MALP and FRED only have spotlights... better for directional lighting. She gets them set up with plenty of time to spare before the gate closes. One of the mission parameters was that the gate would remain open for a full 30 minutes before shutting down.

The floodlights illuminate a large area around the stargate, but the light does not penetrate to the walls, at least not in any meaningful way. Anyone at the walls, however, would be able to see the lights clearly.


Freyda's scans produce only minimal results. She can determine that the walls are around 100 feet away, and that they are made of a trinium alloy consistent with ha'taks, as is the floor and the 50-foot high ceiling. But there is no power... no active systems for her to trace.
Hilda
SG-X1, 326 posts
Staff Sergeant (honorary)
Mission Specialist, SG-X1
Wed 18 Jun 2014
at 06:18
  • msg #9

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Kaspar Radoslaw Gorski:
"Hilda, I noticed you have a pair of infrared goggles in a pouch on your belt.  I'd like you and your youthful eyes to climb up on the MALP and keep an overwatch."


Frowning, Hilda looked about herself and in the pouch for these goggles — she didn't quite know what all the stuff the SGC granted her really did — but came up empty. 'I don't have any goggles.' she reported, unembarrassed to be found lacking. If they were important, then they should be in one of her scouting bundles.

Regardless, she stowed her shield and sheathed her sword before climbing up on the MALP, shining her torch around and casting electric light into the gloom. Coming from a pre-industrial world, she knew what it was like to truly be in the dark. Unfortunately, her eyes were still adapting, thrown by the lights been set up and shone around.


OOC: Spot 10, Listen 23
14:14, Today: Hilda rolled 23 using 1d20+5. listen.
14:14, Today: Hilda rolled 10 using 1d20+5. spot.

Gavin
SG-X1, 73 posts
Tollan
Scientist
Wed 18 Jun 2014
at 18:49
  • msg #10

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Once again, Gavin was the last to go through the stargate, though it had nothing to do with any reluctance. The others went through first because of certain priorities, and because of their mindset. Hilda was what the Tau'ri called 'gung ho'. He almost always smiled at her... enthusiasm.

The others seemed to subscribe to the general attitude of 'we have to do this so we might as well get it over with'.

Gavin was simply more prudent. If there was ever some reason for him to go through first, he would do it.

While Rajip scouted ahead, Hilda stood watch atop the MALP, Vasandra set up the flood lights, and Freyda began scanning the ship, Gavin was left to do the other thing the Major requested. He set his tech kit on the back of the FRED, opened it up and began running the requested scans.

He is testing the gravity, the temperature, the air pressure, the humidity and the atmospheric content.

"Running those scans now, Major," he tells Kaspar. "Everything feels normal, though, but we'll see what the doohickeys have to say."
Rajip Mojdar
SG-X1, 144 posts
Staff Sergeant
Army Ranger
Thu 19 Jun 2014
at 18:47
  • msg #11

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

With his weapon trained at the point where the light from his personal flashlight revealed a fragment of the far wall, Rajip took several steps to the front and walked across the width of the room, methodically revealing every bit of the darkness-covered part of the stargate chamber, memorizing the locations of entrances and any type of control devices along the walls as well as searching for possible video cameras or other monitoring devices under the ceiling.



OOC: 20:47, Today: Rajip Mojdar rolled 12 using 1d20+5. Spot.
Vasandra Tourmaline
SG-X1, 136 posts
Netjerian
Wheelman/Pilot
Thu 19 Jun 2014
at 18:52
  • msg #12

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Once the stationary flood lights are set up in a close perimeter around the Stargate Vasandra begins issuing movement commands to the MALP and FRED to advance the coverage of their headlights out to the walls and assist with the search for access panels or doors likely to lead to such things.
StarMaster
GM, 322 posts
Storyteller
License to Tamper
Thu 19 Jun 2014
at 20:06
  • msg #13

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

The stargate is situated in the center of a large room around 200-feet square. Rajip finds one door, closed in the wall straight ahead of the stargate. It's a typical truncated triangle door. It does not open as he approaches, and even pushing the control panel to the side doesn't cause it to open.


On the wall to the right, Vasandra finds another door. It doesn't open, but she also makes another grisly discovery--on the floor is a skeleton.


Gavin's readings confirm what the MALP's sensors had indicated. 99.5% standard air and temperature. Pressure is 1.1% higher than at Earth sea level. Ambient room temperature is 73OF. Air content has 76.1% nitrogen, 21.12% oxygen, 1.03% argon, .051% carbon dioxide, .2% water vapor, and 1.1% krytpon, and other trace gases. Gravity is .95 Earth normal.
Rajip Mojdar
SG-X1, 145 posts
Staff Sergeant
Army Ranger
Fri 20 Jun 2014
at 05:01
  • msg #14

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

"The door here won't open," Rajip reported back to the Major after he'd inspected the rest of the wall, then moved on to the other door indicated by FRED's spotlight. Once there, he attempted to open it and, if successful, to retreat behind the cover of the wall again.
Vasandra Tourmaline
SG-X1, 137 posts
Netjerian
Wheelman/Pilot
Fri 20 Jun 2014
at 06:37
  • msg #15

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Sparing the skeleton little more than a glance Vasandra walks around it to the far more important door, looking for access panels or any indication that anyone has tried to force it open.  Only after an inspection of the door does she continue her sweep back to the Stargate to report in.  ”There is another door, they are clearly without power and we may not be able to apply power directly to the doors, we may also want to check for flaws in the DHD as soon as the wormhole closes as the whomever left the skeleton behind may have been trapped in the room for a long time.”
Kaspar Radoslaw Gorski
SG-X1, 168 posts
Professor of Anthropology
Major, Polish Land Forces
Fri 20 Jun 2014
at 09:47
  • msg #16

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

"Skeleton?" Kaspar asks, taking the pipe from his mouth, "There's a skeleton at this second door?  Well, well..."

Kaspar walks over to the FRED and retrieves the shoulder bag holding his specialty gear.

"Hilda!" Kaspar calls, starting to walk off towards the skeleton, "You're off overwatch, grab one of those big flashlights and come with me! Vassandra, I leave checking the DHD to you.  Everyone else, keep doing what you're doing; we're setting up camp here for now, it seems.  Sargeant Mojdar, please keep searching the perimeter of this chamber -- knowing where the two doors are is fine, but I want to know the location of every button, switch, panel, and console you can find. It may be relevant at some later time."

Kaspar, with his flashlight still lit and hanging from his webgear, heads over towards the skeletal remains.

Once he gets there, he pulls the laptop out of the satchel, turns it on, then sets it aside to go through its boot-up.  Then, with the exrtra light brought by Hilda, he takes out the digital camera and snaps a few shots of the skeleton from a couple of angles.

"Okay, Hilda.  I want you to use your 'trackers eye' to look over these remains with me, and tell me what details stand out to you.  Your persective is different than mine, and you might make some connections that I wouldn't.  First of all, let's consider how this person was dressed..."



OOC: First off, we'll need a detailed description of the skeleton and any gear on or near it.

Not exactly sure just what skill, or set of skills would be needed, here, but I'm going to start with studying the remains with my Knowledge: Anthropology -- treat this as an Anthropological analysis of a grave site.

Knowledge Roll: 05:46, Fri 20 June 2014: Kaspar Radoslaw Gorski rolled 27 using 1d20+9 ((18)).

ALSO, as a Free Action (^_^) I will spend 1 Action Die to use my "Professor" ability to "grant the benefits of any basic skill feat he possesses to each other member of his team. This effect lasts for the duration of the current scene. This is the Scientists core ability". I will do this with Hilda, to grant her skill with Knowledge: Anthropology.  Only thing is, I don't know if Knowledge Skills are basic skills (I'm at work, as I post this, and don't have access to the Rulebook). I'm not sure if this ability grants Hilda a skill level equal to mine (+09), or, because this is an Action Die, if she just gets the skill with a "level" of 1d4.

This message was last edited by the player at 10:51, Fri 20 June 2014.
Hilda
SG-X1, 328 posts
Staff Sergeant (honorary)
Mission Specialist, SG-X1
Fri 20 Jun 2014
at 12:06
  • msg #17

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Hilda jumped off the MALP, landing heavily on the deck in her army boots. 'Okay.' she acknowledged. Had she ever said "sir" to a superior officer? Not often. She grabbed her extra equipment off the MALP, pouched it, and made to follow. 'Shouldn't you contact the SGC? If we are to be trapped here — again — then we should tell them what we have found now before the gate closes.'

Joining Kaspar at the corpse, she looked dubiously at the skeleton. 'The bodies I'm used to are usually much fresher. Or animals... Okay, stand back, don't step on prints.' The hunter first scanned the floor around the body for footprints, whether of dried blood or grease of scuffs in the dust, before she moved in to close to inspect the remains for wounds left on the bones or holes in the clothes, using a pokey thing from her evidence kit.

'Well, he's dead.' she reported mischievously.


OOC: Investigating the body, using an evidence kit (whatever that does).
Track: Survival 11, or take 20 for 26
Search 6, or take 20 for 23
19:41, Today: Hilda rolled 11 using 1d20+6. survival.
19:42, Today: Hilda rolled 6 using 1d20+3. search.

This message was last edited by the player at 12:06, Fri 20 June 2014.
StarMaster
GM, 325 posts
Storyteller
License to Tamper
Fri 20 Jun 2014
at 21:57
  • msg #18

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Freyda and probably Vasandra know that the doors are powered, and to the best of their knowledge, there is no manual way to open the doors. On the other hand, there is an access/control panel to the left of each door. Prying the cover off will give access to the internal circuitry, at which point power can be directed to the door.

The same applies to various 'hidden' control panels around the room. Freyda can locate them with close-up scans. These should all be controls for altering the parameters of the cargo bay.

Having established where the doors are, this further indicates that the team is in one of the four corner lower cargo bays on a Ha'tak ship.


Other than determining that the skeleton is, indeed, dead, all that Hilda can determine is that there are no tracks... because there is no dust... and that it was an ettin! In this particular instance, the evidence kit has no obvious use.


Kaspar is able to determine that it was a human (99.2% certain) male, around 6-feet-6" tall. It is lying face down, arms above its head. Any determination of age is impossible because of the second skeleton within--a Goa'uld.

There are no clothes, no skin, no other organic remains other than bone, nor are there any jewelry or devices.

There is no obvious cause of death, no broken bones or burns, no skull fractures.


Kaspar's Professor ability doesn't grant skills only the skill bonus from a skill FEAT. Only Scholarly would apply in this instance (+1 to Knowledge), but Hilda doesn't have any Knowledge skills. However, given the imprecise definition of Scholarly, I can see that it would let her use a relevant Knowledge skill untrained (the Professor is instructing), and it could even apply to her Survival skill.

Still, for a measely +1, it's probably not worth burning the Action Die.

Freyda
player, 59 posts
Asgard
Geneticist
Fri 20 Jun 2014
at 23:41
  • msg #19

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Freyda gets her kits out there should be a portable power source, gets our her Sonic Screw Driver and gets to work on the door hitting some buttons as it makes funny sounds.

Sound FX  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzZedNx2XOY
(ooc: player is such a nerd)

She tries to wire the power source into the door its likely not strong enough for more then gets the panel working trying to keep it simple open the door not do much more or screw anything over.


19:39, Today: Freyda rolled 28 using 1d20+16. Electronics.
19:40, Today: Freyda rolled 18 using 1d20+16. Mechanics.
~ Asgard gear bonus verses G'ould Tech added. ~

This message was last edited by the player at 23:42, Fri 20 June 2014.
Kaspar Radoslaw Gorski
SG-X1, 169 posts
Professor of Anthropology
Major, Polish Land Forces
Fri 20 Jun 2014
at 23:49
  • msg #20

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Kaspar takes a few close-up photos of the secondary skeletal remains curled up inside the rib cage, then jots down a few notes in one of the notebooks.

"Alright. Step by step. First, this is a human skeleton; it is amost identical to the anatomical norm for Earth Humans, or those descended from them -- like you and other Cimmerians."

"Second, this was a Jaffa. We can tell that because the secondary skeleton -- that of the Go'auld parasite -- is down here where the abdominal cavity would be, rather than wrapped around the neck and spinal column, up here."

"Third, there is no indication of a violent demise; no broken or fractured bones. The skeleton -- skeletons -- are almost pristine.  From the lay of the bones, I might guess that he either crawled to this position -- indicating a weakened physical condition, most likely starvation -- or that he was kneeling here, praying to his God to open the door and save him, when he died and fell forward.

"But we have some questions, too.  We have, here, an almost pristine set of bones; there is no lingering connective tissues, no flesh, no hair, no sign of body coverings.  If this man was a Jaffa, where is his armor, his uniform, his staff and helmet?  From what we see here, he might have been naked.

"And that brings up a secondary question -- if he'd mummified, his skin would be tightly wrapped aound his bones, and some clothing might remain bound to him; but we see none of this. However, if all his flesh and soft tissues -- and maybe even his clothing -- rotted away, there should be some evidence of their presence; if nothing else a stain on the floor under the skeleton.

"What was he doing here?  Why was he naked?  Was he naked? Were is the rest of him; where are the remains of his remains?  The skeleton is pristine, almost as if it had been cleaned.  Or stripped.  But, if so, by what means?"

Kaspar stands and takes a final snap shot of the skeleton, then looks around.

"This cargo bay has two doors.  The skeleton is in front of this one.  Why?  Just because it's the one he came in through?  Did he come through the gate and this was the first door he found?  As a Jaffa, he probably knew his way around the inside of a Ha'tak, so, if we assume he knew where he wanted to go..."

Kaspar turns to locate vassandra, and calls over to her.

"Captain Tourmaline, a question! In your experience with starships, when a cargo bay has large doors like these, where do they generally lead? Either into, or out of the ship, yes?"



OOC: not to be a pest, but, um, Freyda...which of the two door are you trying to open?  I wasn't sure...
This message was last edited by the player at 23:52, Fri 20 June 2014.
Freyda
player, 60 posts
Asgard
Geneticist
Sat 21 Jun 2014
at 00:04
  • msg #21

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

ooc:
Good point, if there are controls whichever is not for an airlock, she can read G'ould and other languages if one is air pressure or had any security features that would prevent opening into a vacuum that is likely a door out, over one going into a hallway.

Hilda
SG-X1, 329 posts
Staff Sergeant (honorary)
Mission Specialist, SG-X1
Sat 21 Jun 2014
at 00:38
  • msg #22

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Hilda could have said something about the skeleton, but Kaspar had already said it all and more. 'Perhaps fire or ray-dee-ay-shun burned his clothes and flesh up?' she suggested, not having much else to add.

'Should I use this evidence kit? It has something for detecting blood?'
This message was last edited by the player at 00:41, Sat 21 June 2014.
Kaspar Radoslaw Gorski
SG-X1, 171 posts
Professor of Anthropology
Major, Polish Land Forces
Sat 21 Jun 2014
at 05:27
  • msg #23

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Kaspar ponders Hildas suggestion, "Hmm. No, I think that any ionizing radiation that was strong enough to vaporize flesh would also vaporize the bones, too,  As well as making this entire chamber radioactive for a thousand years.  But burning ... mmm ... again, I'd have to say no.  There is no sign of scorching, either on the floor or wall, here, or on the bones themselves.  But, maybe, some new thermal energy based weapon we haven't seen yet...hmm, maybe.  Good thinking."

Kaspar thumps himself in the temple, after Hilda suggests checking for blood trace.

"Excellent idea, Hilda!  Please, swab the floor just underneath the skeleton, and swab one of the larger bones -- maybe that femur, there -- as well."
Vasandra Tourmaline
SG-X1, 139 posts
Netjerian
Wheelman/Pilot
Sat 21 Jun 2014
at 08:21
  • msg #24

Re: X2U-238: Shot In the Dark

Inspecting the large door, and it's control panel Vasandra acknowledges Kaspar's guess.  ”Almost any ship with a dedicated cargo hold, or more than one, will include large exterior doors for loading and unloading cargo quickly, as we are inside the ship this door no doubt leads outside while the smaller doors will lead inside or to other cargo bays with their own exterior doors

It is most likely that only someone stripped of any survival gear and intentionally left here to die would end up like this, in which case the flesh and whatever meager organic clothing was left behind was no doubt eaten either by carrion bugs or bacteria from non sanitary conditions.”

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