"There doesn't appear to be any significant damage." Stanley says looking at the results. "I cannot completely rule it out, but I am pretty confident there will be no lasting effects. Don't use this time tunnel, or whatever it is called, too often though. Oh, and eat healthy and exercise."

"I have to say I am glad that all the disappearances here turned out to be something relatively harmless. Sure, it is quite inconvenient for you and the others who have been teleported, but see it as an adventure. One you won't forget. And now you are in what is probably one of the most advanced infirmaries in this sector of space, maybe even this time, so do you have any other complaints? I wouldn't mind taking a look. Or we can go to the food." Stanley says.

"I'll try again, but the universe is like one superbig Tower or brainquarters. Kalath is *somewhere else*. Luckily, Sweetboy and I have run to quite a few different superbig towers, like the place with my signing girlfriend and the giant people and transforming airplanes, or the place with the dragons where I used to live. Hopefully, I can bring Sweet Boy there, and we can pick Kalath up."

'She said she wanted to lost-and-found the others in "the way of her people".' Smoke Alarm show-and-telled worrywartedly. 'She wanted to explore like me and you. She was howling.'

She frowned, rememorising what had happened before. Mayhaps it could help Traveller lost-and-found Kalath and the others? 'When it happened, everything went all wobbly. Dimensionally. Like with the Qplotl. Things got further apart, moving without moving. We feeled we were falling sideways into the middle. Footing out of there was like running up stairs on a flat floor.'

Stanley makes sure that Mr. Vinsen has had something to eat, and then heads back to the console room.

Trav pays attention intensely. "Got it. She may have done a Kitling jump at the edge of this math slalom. And we did make them curiouser cats. Well, I'm you're OK, darling. Can I see your phone?"

With luck, the phone's telemetry function that normally connects it to Sweet Boy may have recorded some of the strange fractal data that was surrounding Smoke at the time. Smoke Alarm may have stumbled across the rabbit hole that Trav wanted to take them all down.

OOC - Intellect+Science?

The Traveller moves back to the console.  The analysis she set running when the TARDIS first arrived at the Moon of Storms is still iterating on the model she set up from the transversal route data sketched out in Racallan's journal.

It seems hard to credit that Racallan was able to capture something as much like a coherent transversal bridge as he did: it speaks of genius, or madness, or a bit of both.  Having said that, it was still far from a navigable route, mathematically anchored at neither end, nor after all of the TARDIS' computations has it reached the level of resolution required.  The Traveller had expected that.  Brute force computation would only get you so far, and for all of the TARDIS' idiosyncratic methods, it wasn't capable of much beyond that.

But, armed with the data captured during Smoke Alarm's close interaction with the transversal interface, Trav realizes she may have the key to unlock it.  Applying the waveform atop the still-processing model as a harmonic transform, Trav sees the graphical representation sharpen and firm, extending notional filaments at either end.  One end resolves to a point in 5-space and a set of coordinates in the Vortex: a spot to aim for.  The other end -- Trav can't say for sure, but it shows a hint of structure that just may represent an interface into another continuum.

It's a tightrope.  But it may be enough of one to dance across.

OOC:
21:59, Today: The Guardian rolled 21 using 2d6+14 with rolls of 6,1.  Ingenuity(8) + Science(6).

Smoke Alarm handed over her talkiphone, then eyespied curiously as a cat as Traveller went to work on the puzzle. Mayhaps one day she could get knowhow of this sciencing stuff too? But the Kang could really only get the knowhow by copying and doing, just like this. She outlooked at the picturespout. 'Is that the mathy map of the universe here? Outlooks like noodles.' she decided, now eyespying it closely. 'Mayhaps I can have a helping-hand? Where's you-are-here?'

Stanley and Vinsen have returned to the console room by this point.  The Hecate staff, by now, are gathered around Trav at her study of the transversal threshold.  Of the three, Sokolov is the most intent upon the display -- Trav catches his lips twitching soundlessly like he's trying to puzzle through the math he sees there -- while the others are just watching Trav, expectant of a conclusion.  Though admittedly Dr. Makoro is displaying a great deal more in the way of patience than Murcheson.

"I think I know where our cat girl went. It will be dangerous - very dangerous - and I will be happy to drop you bunch off first before we go down this sled. But I did promise to rescue people, and so I shall. So, who ever doesn't want to go, speak now or forever hold your peace." Using Smoke Alarm's data, she starts keying in coordinates and a course.

"Do you want us to drop you off?" Stanley looks at Vinsen. "She isn't joking about this being dangerous. You are a victim and nobody expects you to risk your life."

"I don't have any idea about how hard it would be, to get me home, when there are so many other people that are still in trouble right now," Vinsen says.  "I would be taking the Traveller's word for that in any case.  So I think I'll stay with all of you, until this is over.  I wouldn't want to leave other people at risk just so you could take me back, much as I want this to be over."

Trav smiles. "That is very brave and kind of you, Mr Vinsen. As for the rest of you? All I need are some stellar coordinates, and I can bring you anywhere in this galaxy."

At Traveller's offer, Smoke Alarm outlooked at the others, wondering what they would choose, if they would be scaredy-cats or brave and bold and they could be, if they would speak now or forever hold their pieces. The idea of choosing to outgo some place sound-and-safe was strange to her; she'd never ever been some place truly sound-and-safe. Well, except one. 'But what place could be more sound-and-safe than the talkiphone box?' she asked. 'They can loiter here until we lost-and-found the others. Can't they?' she asked, outlooking next to Traveller for confirmation.

Murcheson's jaw sets and he gets a bit of a stubborn look to his features, but Dr. Makoro holds up a hand to still whatever outburst he was about to make.  "The lieutenant spoke for all of us when he said we're in.  We're in."

Trav replies - "Sweet boy is about to take us somewhere new, and everywhere we go is dangerous, even for him. I want to let these good folks have the chance to get off the ride before we head on in."

Upon Dr Makoro making his pronouncement, and checking the faces of the others for nods and assent, the Traveller grins proudly. Humans - indomnitable. "Hold on, here we go!" She reaches over to the old transversal station, works a wheel and pushes in a plunger. Then, she throws down the main drive lever, as they are off!

'Icehot!' Smoke Alarm whooped as Traveller made Sweet Boy ready-steady-go! As the talkiphone box flew down those space-noodle things, the Blue Kang footed around the console, excitedly eyespying the picture-spouts and check-upping the puters, everything short of flicking buttons and pressing switches. After all, Traveller tended to dash around the console, and Smoke Alarm was beginning to get knowhow it was needed for the journey. After all, she was never outgoing anywhere without footing it either. 'Are you sure-as-eggs we can track back, Trav?'

Stanley decides to give a good example to their guests and actually does hold on to something. After all their adventures he was somewhat used to the 'turbulence', which wasn't really too bad yet, but he wouldn't be running around like Trav and Smoke.

The TARDIS engines start to trumpet and roar, and there's a lurch and sensation of falling as the timeship starts on its way.  The overhead projection shows the kaleidoscopic maelstrom of the Vortex rushing past as the craft hurtles into it.

Flashing block capitals in blue appear on the display: Transversal Power System engaged and priming.  Transversal Aperture Navigation enabled.  A pattern of six hexagonal reticules superimposes on the racing imagery of the vortex, each shifting in color and the pattern drawing closer or expanding again as it traces across separate temporal skeins, seeking the "thread" that indicates the flaw or fissure that can serve as the entry point into Racallan's transversal route.

Intercepting the skein at the right inclination and the right rate of temporal shift is going take a deft hand....

OOC: Trav, give me a Transport + Ingenuity.

The Traveller circles around the entire control console, making adjustments here and there. Unlike the blond, who would be frantically running around, Blue takes her time, listening, adjusting everything like a Maestro. It's been a long time since she's done this - maybe she will put her hand to interdimensional exploration again.

"Everyone ready? Holding on? Good. Because HERE WE GO."

Two levers down, one level up, a footpedal goes down and a plunger goes in!

OOC: 10:20, Today: The Traveller rolled 25 using 4d6+12 with rolls of 5,5,2,1.  Ingenuity+Transport+Story Point.

Stanley Newton is an old hand at being a passenger in the TARDIS, and even he isn't all that sure about what to expect from this journey.  As the Traveller slips the TARDIS neatly into the transversal aperture, the display shifts from the whirling colors of the Vortex to show the perspective falling at breakneck speed along a branching spiderweb, veering off at fork after fork after fork.

There's the slightest sense of momentum with each change in direction, and an unfamiliar, pulsing vibration through the soles of Stanley's shoes, but the effect in general is actually more exhilarating than dizzying -- he feels like he's riding over twisting mountain roads at full throttle, with a sure-handed driver at the height of her skills behind the wheel.

Then the trip down the web is over and the TARDIS bursts into another Vortex, one that looks on the screen like a weird photographic negative of the one they've just left.  The engines blare out as the central column oscillates up and down, until at last it comes to a halt, there's a final powerful THRUMM through the vessel, and the cheery ding! of arrival.

The only thing that seems off now is the scanner image.  It splinters up into a colorful, irregularly pixellated pattern that shows no sort of real image at all.

As they rode the transversal roller-coaster whatsit, Smoke Alarm cried out 'Wheee!' and 'Woohoo!' Then she jerked suddenly to a stop-sign at the end of the ride, whatever the laws of physics said she actually should do. 'Icehot!' she whooped, then eyespied the picture-spout. 'Outlooks all pixelly. Do you knowhow where you-are-here is?'

"Huh" Stanley takes a look at the scanner display. "That doesn't look good."

Trav whaps the monitor a few times. "Sweet boy, now is not the time for your 8 bit fetish."

"I've been to video game realms before, but not via Sweet Boy. The best way to see outside is to go outside! Lets take a look!"

And she replies to Smoke Alarm - "No idea, sweet. Not knowing, isn't it wonderful?" She adjusts her hat, as she joyfully goes to discover a new place.

And there she goes. She marches right up to the door, opens it up, and pokes her head outside. What does she see?

OOC: Can I claim an SP for Impulsive or Curious?
This message was last edited by the player at 01:02, Sat 02 Mar 2019.

Smoke Alarm eyespied Traveller outgoing. 'Not when you hop-skip-jump off a tower, it's not!' she retorted, rather wisely she thought. 'You gotta knowhow to land too.' Still, footed after Traveller, and wondered just how she was going to hop-skip-jump on pixels and colours anyhow.

"Relax, Smoke, I'm looking before I leap." Indeed, she takes a look around. What is outside?