In reply to Commander Faust (msg # 20):

JJ's only response to Faust's tirade is the use of a single finger.

When he has finished, JJ clears his throat.

If you're done jawing?  When are we sending the captives home to their mothers?

In reply to Batallion (msg # 21):

"We'll handle it from here," the Commander replies, ignoring the rude gesture accompanying the question. "They'll be home safe and sound, never fear."

Xander nods, and presses his hands together. Right. I packed like, a week ago. I'm ready to go whenever. Can't say I'll be sorry to see the last of this place.

Already, visions of modifications and upgrades made possible by the Factory's superior manufacturing equipment and R&D facilities begin dancing in his mind.

In reply to Xander (msg # 23):

But.... that's... the color drains from JJ's face, then begins to come back, but only red.

Let me get this straight... we capture this faciliy... wihtout pants I might add... hold it and scare off evil cronies, rescue the princess and all we get is 'We'll handle it'?  No Big Damn Hero moment?  What about the parade?

Billy gives a snall fist pump at being named team leader but is otherwise nonplussed by Fausts briefing, save a small chuckle at Batallion's punishment and response.  Once Batallion starts objecting to the lack of celebration he does speak up, "Didn't you ever see one of those 007 VRs?  Secret agents don't get parades, they get the girl.  We were here for a month before Faust showed up, don't blame him just because you didn't take your chance to sleep with the princess."

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 25):

"If you want what you did here added to your internal record, I'd think about marching back into the room and taking the test," Commander Faust shrugs. "When all is said and done -- when we can make things public again -- you might get your parade. But only if you follow the protocols."


***

Commander Faust has made one of the transports available for your use. Though you were not explicitly told to leave ASAP, nor forbidden from making upgrades to the ship, you do get the distinct impression that lingering here for longer than is necessary would be looked upon unfavorably.

The ship is large enough for Abraxas to fit aboard, provided the chassis is folded in half and stowed in the cargo hold.

You're also able to hold about a month's worth of rations. Which is good, because the trip back to HQ will take about three weeks.

Plenty of time to learn some new tricks, for those so inclined... provided the trip is uneventful.

OOC: If you want to take specific actions before departing, please let me know.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:38, Sat 06 Aug 2016.

Billy informs the others that he'll meet them at the hangar as he leaves the briefing and quickly makes himself scarce in the intervening time before waltzing into the transport shortly before departure.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:24, Mon 08 Aug 2016.

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 27):

But... But... That test was subjective with many matters interpreted as opinion!  It's not fair when I still have Lloyd in my head!  I can feel him lurking.  I know it.

She composes herself and takes the news of Billy's ascension stoicly.

Congratulations.

I'm sure he cheated.  I'll get to the bottom of this.

She approaches Xander

Should we add some combat mods to the ship or do you feel that we are sufficiently provisioned?

She also approaches Battalion, at least one of them

If you would be interested in retaking that test with me I would be willing to help you study for it.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:18, Mon 08 Aug 2016.

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 28):

JJ opens and closes his mouth, holding back whatever retort he planned to use on Nightmare.

Instead he focuses his vitriol on Faust.

Tell you what, you want good agents, you can send them by my quarters and I'll teach them more than your damned books.

As for your potatoes: you'd better free up some of your crack team for peeling duty, and tell them to be keep close watch on them, 'cause the only thing I'm gonna contribute to your dinner is a little special sauce when nobody's looking if you know what I mean.

With an appropriate gesture, JJ storms out of the room.

JJ is also scarce up until departure, but he does show up in time to leave.

Xander scratches his beard thoughtfully at Rebecca's question. Since we're heading directly back to the Factory, I'm going to say it's probably not worth trying to do a combat refit slapjob without the propery facilities. That type of jury-rigging tends to cause problems with core ship systems, and if we aren't expecting trouble I'd rather not risk it on a milk run.

In reply to Xander (msg # 30):

In that case... I'm ready whenever you guys are!

She whispers to Xander

I don't suppose you could help me study for that test... I just didn't get it.  I'll take it again when we get to base.

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 31):

The party shores up any loose ends, then boards the transport and departs without further incident.

As the station fades from view behind you, you enjoy a collective sigh of relief.

This is mitigated slightly when your eyes dart over the Viceroy's inert form, and you recall the last trip you took that rendered him that way.

***

Three weeks later, the transport arrives at Director Kelce's familiar (to all but Billy) headquarters facility, which is located on a hunk of rock roughly five square miles in size that lazily orbits the sun between Mars and Earth.

There are several key features: a large, domed structure nearly a square mile in size, which understandably dominates the tiny skyline; a network of greenhouses; and a series of tubing that hints at enclosed roadways.

There is no docking facility to be seen, nor anywhere obvious to dock the ship, but as before the domed structure swivels and swirls to create a small opening at the very top. Dangerous-looking Antiaircraft batteries dot the perimeter of the dome, though they are not trained on your ship.

The transport lands in an isolated docking area nestled just within the top of the dome. A shuddering sound and a hefty CLANK follows the moment the ship touches down, indicative of magnetic docking clamps.

All told, your landing sequence goes off without a hitch, though you are informed after landing that Director Kelce is not on the premises at this time. Viceory is carted off the Factory almost immediately upon touchdown. None are permitted to accompany him.

The various operatives, workers, and other staff at the facility seem to know your names, ranks, and mission, however, and get to work outfitting the transport for a longer journey.

"This isn't shore leave," an email from Commander Faust helpfully reminds each of you. "Refuel, refit, and relaunch. We have only a short window to reach Ceres before SAGE manages to get their own fleet into the picture."

OOC: You have about a week of free time at the HQ facility before being urged to leave in a more aggressive way.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:23, Mon 08 Aug 2016.

Of course, Xander replies warmly to Rebecca. You just have to keep in mind that these people aren't testing objective facts. You just have to answer what they want to hear. The 'right' answers aren't necessarily right. Take a deep breath and relax, and you'll do fine next time. Think of it as a guessing game. Try to guess what they want to hear. These military types are pretty predictable.

Xander will attempt to locate Director Kelce, shooting her an email to inform that the team has arrived. Then, depending on her response and whether or not she'll be back in the week they have before relaunching, he'll either report directly to her, or spend his time in the Factory, tinkering.

"Yeah, all my answers were just scenes from old action VRs" Billy chimes in unhelpfully at Xander's explanation to Rebecca, "Shoot the bad guy, save the girl, make up a good catch phrase.  Test was a cakewalk."
Billy spends most of the downtime at the new base mostly dawdling.  He associates with anyof the staff that aren't intimidated by rank, wanders the halls unproductively and does not generally act like a military agent.  He does nose around the Factory after waiting what he considers a respectful time following Viceroy's initial carting off, inquiring about the fabrication and mechanical capabilities of the place are.  His inquiries are inexpert and he mostly wants the names of cool pieces of technology.  After his initial bout at the factory he's ocasionally heard while mostly alone in the halls talking to someone named Hank about those same pieces of technology and capabilities.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:45, Mon 08 Aug 2016.

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 34):

Rebecca heads immediately to the lab to begin deciphering the treasure trove of data they recovered from ARES and SAGE.

I've been trying to interpret this information with inferior technology on the wretched asteroid and came up with nothing.  Perhaps you could help me unravel it?

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 35):

During their brief stay, JJ pulls his normal trick of appearing to be everywhere, but this time with a twist.

The duplicates, which normally do little more than wander, lounge, and snack, take on a more aggressive tack.  Remotes for televisions go missing, only to turn up in the trash the next day.  Toilets are clogged by paper towels with surprising regularity, food is "accidentally" spilled every meal, and everything seems to be covered in smudges.

In a nutshell, Battalion makes himself as much of a passive nuisance as he can.

In reply to Batallion (msg # 36):




Battalion is warned that his antics will result in a strict "One Batallion" policy being implemented throughout the station if he doesn't straighten up his act. Whether he does or doesn't, Battalion is banned from the mess hall. Three meals a day are brought to his room instead.

Eventually, the day of your departure arrives. Under Billy's guidance, you board the transport, load it with supplies, download the appropriate charts and maps, and are back in the cold embrace of space before you know it.

***

The journey to Ceres takes about a month, and time passes slowly within the cabin of the transport.

About three weeks into your journey, the console lights up with an incoming message. It's static-laced and hard to make out:

"-eat, can anyFZZZZT -ear me? FZZT-elp... need repaiFFZZZT... SOS... Coordinates... 2-FZZZT by 33 degrees, FZZZT-gate via BetelFZZZZZT"

Attempts to respond go unanswered.

The computer analyzes the message and shows three likely locations given the incomplete coordinates.

The first would add about a week to your journey, but you have sufficient supplies to cover it.

The second would add about two weeks to your journey -- you'd have enough supplies to still reach Ceres, but it might be hard to return home with after your mission without resupplying.

The third is quite distant: five weeks out of your way, and you'd definitely need to resupply before heading home after your mission.

There is a fourth option, of course, which involves exploring some or all of the given locations. This would mean entering Ceres space at critically low fuel and supply levels, but could technically be done.

Your options are clear: continue toward Ceres, ignoring the message (1 week), or detour to follow one or more of the computer's guesses (variable time).
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:07, Tue 09 Aug 2016.

"So are any of us actually heartless enough to abandon someone in the asshole of space?" Billy looks to the rest of the team for a compelling argument to doom a helpless stranger, "And if not does one of our sciencey members want to venture a guess at how far away Static Mcgee is?"

Definitely not, that would be a shit way to go, Xander replies immediately. But it would be helpful if we could try to narrow down where the signal is originating from. I personally suggest diverting to the nearest possible source point. Even if we're wrong, we might be able to get a different vector on the signal and pinpoint the actual location with a higher degree of accuracy.

In reply to Xander (msg # 39):

JJ spent the first few days of the trip being surly, but then realized how much work that involves, got bored, and settled back into his normal laziness.

Hmph, big damned hero time again?

"I'm a little less comfortable with sweeping across the void looking for one ship than I am with just abandoning this guy," Billy says grimly, "Even two pit stops is gonna strain supplies." He gives Rebecca a pleading look, hoping there may be a better way to pinpoint a ship.

In reply to Batallion (msg # 40):

Before leaving Rebecca takes the test again this time doing much much better.

Reason: 85, Yellow success

Intuition: 65, Green success

She still does not look happy with the results, but at least she's not crying this time.

Stupid Lloyd messing around in my head.  I should find him... when I do....

She looks at Billy and then gives a smarmy answer

Wasn't there something about triangulating coordinates on the test?  You were made commanding officer you tell me.

She immediately looks ashamed and focuses on the map attempting to draw a trend line near as many of the possible origins of the message.

I'm sorry, that was out of line.

Agreed that sweeping through the void is non-optimal.  I think our best way to go about this is to travel along the vector that takes nearest to the most points.  We should travel along this vector attempting to triangulate the points as we go thereby maximizing our options.  I hate to say it but at the moment iterative analysis will be the only method by which we can find this. 

"I literally forgot everything on that test the next day," Billy says dismissively in response to her jab, but his tone and expression are severe as someone's life is in question.  His look does soften as he nods acceptance of her apology.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:57, Tue 09 Aug 2016.

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 42):

Yeah, "Sweeping Across the Void" sounds like a good band, but a bad idea...

As for the test, Battalion blows a raspberry. You're smart, princess, don't worry about those ramrod-assed idiots.

In reply to Batallion (msg # 44):

Billy spends more than a few minutes with a far-away look in his eyes. It's possible he's just brooding.