In reply to The Watcher (msg # 811):

As she notes the suits stillness he hears a sibilant hiss in his head.



She pulls up into a crosslegged position and leans forward towards him bright eyes sparkling as she pokes and prods at the mystery.

So before you were placed into this 'program' who was your employer?  Were you Braeburn stationed on Titan?  Or were you brought here?  Who is the 'they' you have mentioned?  Do you know the mechanism of your current survival from your cancer?  Toxicity killing off the cancer cells as fast as they grow?

As for me, yes I'm an auger, I was the CSO of this site from the age of about 9.  There was an... accident on site.

She shuffles uncomfortably



Sitting intimately close without touching Basil she continues.

After the incident I was left broken, lost and confused.  I was shuffled from psychiatric caretaker to psychiatric caretaker.  Finally I was about to be expelled from the Advanced Diagnostics program because I... hurt someone... badly.

I was taken in by someone who believed in me.  I was placed with a team and over time my psyche finally began to heal.  I then came back to Titan to figure out what happened and met Hadrian who was able to further help me heal.

Now, Hadrian is acting as head of this facility and I am back acting as an interim CSO.  There was a split between Hadrian, myself and the rest of the team, resulting in our return.  As such it is our duty to ensure the safety of the facility.  To that end I want to get you cleaned up and out of this room.

That being said the man who treated you before me was a radical against this site.
 He had plans to usurp the chain of command, turn it to his own purposes.  So tell me, did he say anything to you regarding his plans?  Where he was going his other followes, equipment base stations or resources?

During one of the long silences she explains some of the story (excluding aliens for now) of how Apex found something and attempted to murder her and how she was able to escape.  How she was in custody and she is awaiting the return of her team.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:12, Tue 04 Sept 2018.

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 812):

The voicebox sighs mechanically.

I didn't even know I was on Titan, if that tells you what you need to know.  I started treatment at a clinic in Sydney... that's on Earth.  I don't know anything about who works here.

Lots of doctors, got more and more technical as things went on so I lost track of who was who; though I saw both SAGE and Braeburn logos in their turn.  Besides the fact that the faces and equipment kept changing, I've been locked up for near two years... increasingly without contact from anyone. 

Basil pauses for some time, weathering Nightmare's flurry of questions.

It sounds like you have as much cause to seek revenge as I do, been as close to death as I... so maybe you'll understand more than most.

All I want is to get out of this cell, to find the people that did this and make them pay if I can.  Likely they locked me away because there's no cure, so I'll settle for revenge.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:35, Tue 04 Sept 2018.

"The Hybrid is a non-factor, you can recover it once the warcaller is dealt with.  I'm not sure if there is a mindstone either, the Amgine ship made an artificial gate before we left," Billy remarks in response to the Lith's question.  "I don't know what it will take to get a higher rank warcaller to get him to stand down, but if we do that it should be as good as resolved."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:56, Tue 04 Sept 2018.

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 814):

She looks at Basil seriously and shakes her head.

I told you I was different.  Thats why I'm in here with you... I've been you before.  Everything, living with death around you like a blanket, pulling your hair, chasing you everywhere.  Isolation because you were moody, mean, dangerous.  There was a time I wanted revenge, I now see my own desire as misguided.

That being said I will fix you up as best I can.  If there is a cure to be formulated... I will.  Lets start with making you safe to release to the general public.  Here is what I'm going to do...

I'm going to get you a tablet with a direct connection to me.  I always have my tablet with me so you'll be able to get in touch with me whenever you need it.  I don't really sleep... A remnant from previous days so don't be afraid of waking me up.

I want you to write down... if you can... every experiment you remember being done to you.  It may help me formulate a path going forward.

She places a gentle hand on his knee

Would this be acceptable?  Is there anything else you would ask of me?  I, unfortunately, have other duties to attend to.

Her head looks to the front glass.

Hadrian I'm coming out.  I'll leave my suit in the airlock and we can send a team to decontaminate it.  Would that be acceptable?

She waits for Basil before she makes any move to get up.

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 815):

Basil pauses for a long time, shoulders hunched, glass eyes reflecting Nightmare's gaze back at herself.

What choice do I have?  I'll do whatever I can and whatever I have to.

Unless it turns out this is just another trick.

In reply to Basilisk (msg # 816):

The tablet will be loaded with as much entertainment as I can scrum for you.  It may not be to your taste but there will be games, movies, books, graphic novels and educational materials.  It should provide you at least a modicum of comfort.  Most importantly a live human on the other side.

She stands and quirks a half smile over her shoulder at Basil.

If this is a trick... its a damn elaborate one isn't it?
This message was last edited by the player at 13:56, Wed 05 Sept 2018.

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 817):

The helmet wobbles up and down in a clumsy nod.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:21, Wed 05 Sept 2018.

In reply to Basilisk (msg # 818):

Team Diplomacy

"THERE IS A WARCALLER AMONG THE FLEET WHO SHOULD SUFFICE," the Roshak sends. "I WILL CONTACT THEM AFTER THIS MEETING CONCLUDES."

OOC: Is there more you want to achieve at this meeting or are you ready to move on?

Team Titan

"I'll send someone to detox it," Hadrian replies. "It doesn't look like you're learning much. Let's get you to medical. We can always try again later."

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 819):

I've learned plenty...

She says as she waves good by to Basil and phases into the airlock, where she phases out of her suit (which slumps remaining partially upright), floats ethereally through the wall to Hadrian and the materializes, slumping heavily against Hadrian, her head on his shoulder, surreptitiously wiping tears away.  She shakes quietly as she wraps her arm weakly around his shoulder.  Collecting her tablet she moves slowly with Hadrian to the medbay.

We have much to do.  Each person in the room told me far more than they think they did.  We need to follow up and time is of the essence.  Assign me a team of security and scientific personnel a manager from each side and several employees will do.  Have the managers meet me in the medbay.  I will run down these leads and keep you appraised of the situation.

What will you do while I'm being worked on? 
This message was last edited by the player at 15:28, Wed 05 Sept 2018.

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 820):

Team Titan

"You'll be assigned staff, but not right away. Focus on healing first. We have more immediate priorities. The Compound is under new management," Hadrian says simply. "I'm going to hold an assembly. An all-hands meeting. Mandatory attendance, though we'll do a separate one for security personnel and emergency staff who are on-duty during the meeting. I'm not stripping away perimeter defense or anything foolish like that."

He narrows his eyes.

"We also need to isolate Abe's supporters, send a team out to claim Topstation, secure and seal the tunnel passages...there's much to do. And when we're ready, we'll need to reach out to the IDA and see if they'd be amiable to selling or trading back the Grid. I need it."

In reply to Hadrian (msg # 821):

Team Diplomacy

"I think that may conclude the portion of the meeting that requires this entire assembly," Captain Vasquez says. "The Roshak fleet will pull to within range of an appropriate Warcaller's sphere of influence and make contact with the Compound. Once Hadrian has been turned from Apex's sway, it should be child's play to make arrangements to collect the remaining things we need from Titan's surface and arrange an acceptable conclusion to all of this."

She turns to the Roshak.

"We'll deliver the body of Apex to you alongside those other objects, once we have secured them. And remember, we're going to want to witness the process by which the orb is extracted."

The Roshak nods, and she turns to the Lith.

"What do you need from us in order to secure a hearing with the Consortium on the matter of Sol's independence? And what is the process by which we apply for membership, if we decide that's something the sector desires?"

"Any race that seeks entry to the Consortium requires at least one sponsor from among its membership," the Lith rumbles. "More sponsors is better, as it greatly expedites the process to have secured several votes in favor beforehand. It is possible that the Lithic Empire would be willing to support you in this endeavor, though I must confer with my superiors before I can state that with any finality. At such point, we could discuss the specifics of membership, dues, responsibilities, benefits, and the like."

The lumbering humanoid pauses for a moment, glancing over at the Roshak.

"You and I must discuss the matter of the captured mindstone in greater detail before we return to our people, as well."

The Roshak vents in aggravation, but does not say no.

"Excellent. Then barring any further matters to be addressed, we consider this discussion to be complete. Thank you all for your time, and do let us know when the Roshak fleet is in position for the next phase."

***

The aliens leave the room (after all discussions requiring them have concluded for the moment), and Captain Vasquez heaves a sigh of relief.

"That went unexpectedly well. If all goes to plan, we shouldn't have any trouble putting this Titan matter behind us shortly."

She smiles tightly at the group surrounding her, then focuses on Abe.

"I'm going to need you to get in touch with Braeburn, using whatever means necessary to patch it through to the very top of the top. This runaround has got to stop."

The scientist nods and jots down some notes in his datapad.

"We, er, we also haven't really resolved the matter of Muse," Bradford ventures. "He, uh, he was hoping to talk to Barachiel about his...um, his project, but..."

He gives a dejected gesture.

"...yeah. So, since he can't...be with Barachiel anymore...he, uh, he kinda wants to go with the Lith when they leave. Unless we're leaving, too? He, uh, he can't stay in this sector much longer. There's too much to do."

Bradford looks over at Billy and Xander cautiously.

"And he wants me to go with him. Is, uh...is that going to be a problem?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:12, Thu 06 Sept 2018.

"Wait you can do it from orbit?" Billy seems shocked by the revelation that the Roshak can give orders from their ships before it sinks in how obvious that should be, "Uh, you might want to uh, not send the whole fleet in.  Just assuming they'll take that as an act of aggression before you can actually order anyone.  Maybe say you want to discuss a cease-fire?  That's technically true.  Just to make it clear, it might not be that easy if any of the other humans get the impression that he's being mind controlled after you talk to him.  I'd be happy to help with the wording, if you want," Billy clarifies before the aliens depart.

***

After the Roshak have left and Bradford proposes Muse's desires Billy looks at him appraisingly, "I'm not his boss.  Or yours, actually. I feel like there are a few other people you should be talking to about a space-trekking sabbatical.  I had expected that dealing with Apex would be the end of our issues on Titan but of course everything's more complicated than that.  Honestly, I'd like the Lith, and/or the Roshak to say hi to the high political muckety mucks in the UN or whatever before they go," Billy looks past Bradford to address Vasquez, "There is, according to Pryor, a split opinion on how real aliens are among them.  Regardless of public opinion the people in charge could stand to know what's what, hard evidence would help, and subverting Viceroy's opinion that our political body is largely ornamental isn't a bad idea either.  I would've liked to show Muse how to prove things to those of us with ignorant mortal shells.  I was hoping to show you what the gates look like too, if you're going to solve the problem you ought to know what it is." He says this once again to Bradford.

"The Lith might be able to give you more info than you can get here, but probably not as much as you want.  Viceroy didn't even seem incredibly clear on the nature of the gates beyond their basic function, and I don't think he was just being evasive.  If you and Muse want to try petitioning the aliens on your own I won't stop you, but there is work to be done here too and if this Consortium thing works out, and happens in any kind of hurry, there might be just as many opportunities near home as there are out there," Billy shrugs, clearly not invested in demanding Bradford or Muse do as he pleases.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 822):

With a physical effort Hadrian can feel through her arm she pushes herself up to look at him and smiles weakly.

How about we compromise... Have the IT team grant me full access to the facility systems including the security cameras right away.  Without an academic pursuit you know exactly how stir crazy I would go.  This way I can do some research on personnel files, view the footage from the missing mining teams and try to suss out any of the co-conspirators while I convalesce.  What would you rather me do?  Play video games? 

She smirks at this.

Also, do me a favor, when you do your town hall, introduce me to them as your second.  That will ensure that you and I are able to manage together, efficiently, and maximize the response to our authority.

Team Diplomacy

"I would be pleased to consider your proposed verbiage," the Lith says to Billy before the aliens depart the room. "I will ensure our colleagues give it the consideration it deserves."


***

"Muse has shown me the gates already," Bradford replies, looking over at Billy somewhat uneasily. "But, uh, I wouldn't mind seeing one for real. Up close, I mean. We can make time for that before, er, before we go."

The gem pulses slightly.

"Muse doesn't really want to talk to the UN though. He, uh, he says it'll take too long. And he's not sure they'll, ah, they'll listen. Or let us leave together. We'll, uh, we'll play it by ear I guess. After the Titan issue is buttoned up."

***

With that, there is little to do but wait for the Roshak to make contact with Titan and attempt to bring Hadrian back from Apex's sway.

Abe spends his time trying to punch through Braeburn red tape (and trying to get the ball rolling on notifying Candy's next-of-kin), while Whitney mostly stays aboard the Ship of Convenience to run diagnostics on the plasma drive.

Bradford spends increasingly long periods of time sitting quietly with Muse in his hands, staring out the nearest viewport.

Lt. Urban seems to have assumed other duties aboard the ship, for you do not see her again. Another individual whose name you learn is Lt. Abel is now acting as Captain Vasquez's aide in her stead.

Kayla, Xander, and Billy have comparatively little to do until a Roshak shuttle docks with the Goethe -- a recent arrival from the larger fleet. It contains a pair of Roshak who are somewhat smaller than the examples of the species you've seen thus far, and much less talkative.

"They're here to extract the Warsphere from Apex's remains," Captain Vasquez explains to Billy, Xander and Kayla, pulling them aside. "I believe some of you wanted to observe the process? I know I do."

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 825):

Team Titan

"Of course not," Hadrian chides Rebecca gently at the mention of video games. "But I want you to focus on recovery. The rest can wait. Your team will be ready for you once you're back on your feet."

He smiles slightly.

"And don't worry -- the Compound will have a clear chain of command reiterated to them during the assembly. I can't think of a better second in command than you."

***

The assembly goes more or less as predicted, with Hadrian declaring himself the new Overseer of Project Huygen, identifying Rebecca as his second and Security Chief Denton as his third, and enacting an aggressive timetable designed to get the station secured, repaired, and back to normal operations in record time.

To Rebecca's dissatisfaction, she finds that a team is ultimately not assigned to her until she has fully recovered and passed Hadrian's comprehensive recuperation protocols, some of which were mentally exhausting and physically taxing even after she'd regained her health.

Thus she finds herself with little to do in the medical bay for several days, though she is granted access to the Crucible and has her tablet at her bedside.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:55, Mon 24 Sept 2018.

Billy takes a datapad and with a few minutes types out a brief script and an attempt at instructions to improvise beyond it.  "Just make sure they understand that Hadrian is the only one actually under sway of a warsphere, and for humans authority is not absolute. We don't want any of the soldiers on Titan to believe Hadrian lacks the competence or lucidity to actually call off the fighting because of alien mind control.  If anyone thinks he's just following Roshak orders then they probably open fire and I'd bet the Amgine would be able to make a case that the Roshak were attempting to manipulate a less advanced culture to the Consortium before we can accuse them," he states to the Lith as he hands it over.
***

During the team's relative downtime Billy relates the circumstances of Candy's passing to Abe, and requests any information about her next-of-kin to give his own condolences.  Aside from that he doesn't press matters with Bradford and Muse any farther, but finds himself also staring silently through viewports.

When Vasquez collects the team regarding the surgery on Apex Billy nods, "Yeah, seems like the kind of thing worth knowing about.  You have like a ship's doctor or someone with actual medical experience to sit in too, right?"

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 827):

After Nightmare leaves, Basil stands still for some time, silently regarding the now opaque viewing window.

He then returns to his normal routine of sitting quietly and pacing quietly.

In reply to Basilisk (msg # 828):

ALL TEAMS

Events unfold with relative alacrity once all the pieces have finally been snapped into place.

***

Captain Vasquez, the ship's medical staff, Billy, Xander, and lots of recording equipment are present during the warsphere removal process, which the two Roshak medics/scientists/removal experts complete with a deft precision that belies the uniqueness of the situation at hand.

Apex's body is suspended, the skin around her abdomen flayed, and the muscles tensed to their breaking point.

THE WARSPHERE WOULD NOW RECONSTITUTE WHOLE FROM HER CENTER MASS, WERE SHE ROSHAK. SHE LACKS THE PARTS FOR THE PROCESS. WE MUST ASSIST HER.

Those witnessing the operation note that the fibers of her exposed muscles are tinged in blue, an extra layer of mass which is slowly unraveled by the application of special tools the Roshak use to painstakingly extrude the substance back into a solid sphere, layer by layer, over the course of an hour.

By the time they are finished, you are quite certain an ordinary human would die if subjected to such an operation. Watching the recorded footage and sharing it with other medical professionals who were not present (such as Hadrian and Rebecca) only confirms this suspicion.

***

The Roshak Fleet, approaching Titan with caution and following a script heavily influenced by Billy's suggestions, manages to pull within range of their most powerful Warcaller's influence without triggering another wave of hostilities from the embattled moon.

The exact details of the transmission shared between the Warcaller and Hadrian are unknown to you, but it's hard to argue with results: a more cooperative Hadrian freed from Apex's lingering control. All active hostilities between Titan, Roshak, and Lith forces cease shortly thereafter, though no small share of misgivings remain.

Himself again, Hadrian contacts the Goethe and invites the IDA to join him on Titan to help oversee the transition of power from himself (and Apex's remaining loyalists) to Abe. He calls another assembly among the Compound's staff to explain his abdication of power in terms of being reassigned to a new and exciting opportunity elsewhere, and throws his full support behind the regime change.

This story is mostly true, for as was predicted during the diplomatic meeting, the Roshak wanted his warsphere back as well. Seeing as it is attached to the young scientist, his choices involve either joining the Roshak fleet as a sort of human foreign exchange commander or being destroyed during the removal process. He opted for the former.

"Not much of a choice at all, was it?" he says to Rebecca with a sad smile, though he eventually perks up. "But just think of what I'll be able to learn from the Roshak labs! And maybe...maybe I'll figure out a way to remove the warsphere safely and free myself someday. Then we can continue our own...experiments...together. If that's ok with you, I mean."

He sighs wistfully and holds her hands, facing her.

"It's not a perfect solution, by any means. But it's the only one where I -- where WE -- have a real shot. You know?"

They spend quite a bit of time alone together, doing things best left to your imagination (Science. Definitely science.)

***

By the time Captain Vasquez's forces enter orbit around the moon, Hadrian has already rounded up any remaining troublemakers and set them aside for extradition back to Earth. Many staff who have been on rotation in the Compound for longer than they'd intended are also flagged for transfer back home, among these Selma and Huck.

Abe promptly moves into Apex's office upon his return to the Compound, and finds that this promotion is finally sufficient to raise the appropriate brass at Braeburn. The company is quick to condemn Apex as a rogue operative, recoils in exaggerated horror at the tales of her atrocities, and recommits itself to its initially stated goal of using the Compound as nothing more than an outer waypoint and relay station to help them extend clear and consistent Archive access throughout the solar system.

***

Once she has recovered from her wounds, Rebecca finds herself with plenty of time to make good on her offer to free Basilisk, though Abe and Vasquez both underscore how little they want him to become their respective problem once they learn of his peculiarities. Your contacts at the UN make it clear that they'd prefer someone with Basilisk's properties to remain off-planet for safety reasons, as well.

Thus it comes to pass that Rebecca -- with assistance from Hadrian, Abe, and Kayla -- secures a portion of the Ship of Convenience's cargo hold and transforms it into a makeshift containment chamber capable of serving as a dwelling in which Basilisk can 'safely' reside while outside of his suit. It's not a perfect solution, but it's the best you're able to come up with in such a short time.

***

Xander and Sophia remain mostly quiet during all of this, thoroughly enjoying their access to both the Archive and the Crucible and abusing this newfound trust by learning as much as they can about PROJECT AVATAR and PROJECT ARCHON.

Over the course of his research, Xander learns that there were ultimately three versions of the experiments that met with any modicum of success.

The initial experiment placed one of the most stable AIs (Sophia) with the most fully-developed prototype of the Archon-class battlemechs (Abraxas), piloted by one of Braeburn's most talented pilots (Xander), whose service records indicate an almost preternatural ability to intuitively control machines on an almost subconscious level.

A follow-up experiment took place after Xander went AWOL, this one involving three names: Mithra, Logos, and Aletheia. If it is indeed patterned upon the previous experiment, Xander hypothesizes that these are the names of an AI, mech, and pilot in a situation much like his own. Frustratingly, the Crucible lists their current status as DEPLOYED, with no further information available.

Xander and Sophia scour the Crucible for additional knowledge anyway, and in doing so they accidentally uncover a third experiment. This one is dated several years before the one Xander had thought to be the initial one (his own). The names involved follow a different nomenclature and pattern entirely, and consist of just two identities: Calvin and Goliath. Their current designation is listed as MIA.

Further searches turn up nothing new of note.

***

Billy is pleased to be granted proper Archive access via the Compound's Crucible system, now that everyone is on the same team for a change.

He touches base with Dr. Pryor and learns that SAGE has confirmed the salvage of a ship named the Persephone, but its AI core was so badly damaged as to be unusable. The whole thing was slated for salvage until Pryor caught wind of it and had it moved as-is to a storage hangar. If Billy wants to pick it up or have it shipped somewhere, both options are on the table (though he reiterates that the ship is not fit for space in its own right at the moment).

Gestalt is still on Venus, and Dr. Pryor notes that the man is obviously bored and has been amusing himself by making life somewhat difficult for his researchers. Despite the good word put in to the UN Speaker on his behalf from the speaker's daughter, Gestalt's charges for various and sundry crimes remain on the record -- returning him to Earth is certain to be a death sentence. Given this, Dr. Pryor expresses his hopes that when you retake possession of the Persephone, you retake custody of Gestalt, as well.

Dr. Pryor further notes how pleased he is with the diagnostics Whitney has been sending him, and reiterates that the safe return of the plasma drive to either the Dichotomy or to the SAGE facilities on Venus is of utmost importance to him.

Before ending the last transmission, Dr. Pryor uploads several holographic frames recovered from the Persephone -- they clearly show the chitinous ship fading in and out of its cloaked state and blasting the vessel with an orb of energy.

"Might be worth showing this to your new friends," he suggests.



***

The UN is eventually contacted, as well. The Speaker expresses great trepidation at the prospect of meeting with either the Lith or the Roshak dignitaries, citing security concerns. Still, the man is a politician who owes you a favor for rescuing his daughter, and he knows when one must be returned in kind. Thus, he agrees to set up a more private meeting between the diplomats and the UN Security Council -- a compromise that the Lith and Roshak agree to honor.

The meeting goes about as well as can be expected, and mostly consists of idle pleasantries amounting mostly to 'we collectively agree that you exist, and hope things trend toward trade rather than war in the future' from the UN side of things and a stoic lack of assurances from the alien's side of things, given the sector's lack of Consortium membership.

"We can vouch for your readiness to at least begin the discernment process," the Lith concludes. "But you will need to demonstrate that this sector meets Consortium membership requirements and can rise to achieve its obligations, as well. Deploying a Solese envoy to vigorously make your case in person would be helpful. We will leave you with the proper coordinates, but your envoy must make it there themselves using technology derived from this sector. It is part of the requirements."

***

Finally, the issue of reciprocity is settled when the Roshak deploy one of their novice warcallers to the Goethe, whereupon Captain Vasquez immediately commissions them as an IDA Lieutenant.

Bradford does indeed take Muse aboard the Lith's ship, and the Lith likewise leave one of their own aboard the Goethe as well.

Everyone involved seems satisfied with this arrangement for the time being.

***

After all is said and done, Xander, Billy, Rebecca, Basilisk, Kayla, and Whitney find themselves lounging aboard the Ship of Convenience discussing their next steps.

"Seems obvious, right?" Whitney says. "Return the plasma drive to Dr. Pryor, get your own ship back, and then you're all free and clear. Right?"

"We're probably going to want to talk to him about that," Kayla shrugs in response. "The plasma drive has been working well, and it sounds like the UN's envoy will need a copy of their own if they're going to make it our bid for Consortium membership a reality."

She grins mischievously.

"I'm pretty sure we could make good use of one, too..."

"That's for Dr. Pryor to decide," Whitney sniffs.

Kayla simply shakes her head, then turns to Billy, Rebecca, Basilisk, and Xander, awaiting their opinion.

***

OOC: Once you've settled on your next course of action, I'll reel this chapter into a close and award karma. There's lots of space left if you'd like to do or say more related to all this exposition, though, so don't be shy if you'd like to do something!
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:41, Tue 25 Sept 2018.

The entire series of events finally concluding the Titan incident are exhausting, even given Billy's minimal involvement.  Between reassignments, communication and diplomacy Billy takes a still frame from Pryor's transmission and presents it to the Lith diplomat, interested in at least identifying the race the vessel originated from.

As the crew of the SoC sit in relative calm he sighs heavily, "I'd like to take two pit stops before we hit Venus."  He brings up a display, showing coordinates somewhere in the middle of nowhere between Ceren and Saturnine space.  After a moment, Kayla and Xander, at least, can probably recognize it as the location of Faust and the Alliance of Sol's encounter, and two of the Solese jump gates.  "Having the UN on the same page as everyone's nice, but if this Consortium thing is gonna work out aliens need to be a publicly known fact.  I have a plan to break the news with relatively little risk.  Plus I could stand to stir up some new traffic, secret agenting has been terrible for my reputation.  Bradford's off on his on alien adventure, but we need some concrete evidence of how they're destroying the universe, I'm sure SAGE would love to get some details on how the jump gates work, and maybe they could get to work on finding some bad stuff while they're at it.  Plus it'll cut down time on the trip home.  After that," Billy swipes the display to a space station Rebecca and Xander might recognize, "We're out one super secret asteroid base, and frankly this ship and the Persephone are both a little cramped in the long term.  We could stand to unpack a little before returning this boat to Pryor.  Then hop skip and a jump to Venus," Billy looks around at the others, "Unless anyone has more pressing matters?"

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 830):

Basilisk is notably hesitant to follow Rebecca out of his cell and into his new one aboard the Ship of Convenience, but obliges with enough coaxing.

Once there, he is similarly hesitant to remove the bulky armor he wears.  Again, with enough coaxing, a demonstration of the safety of his section, and assurances that the doors cannot be opened easily, he eventually gives in.

Armor off, you see that Basil is a gangly man with thin boney limbs and a stooped gait.

His skin is thin and veiny, seemingly overstretched across his torso and is tinged bilious yellow.  His eyes are dim, sunken deep into a pale face accentuated by dark lips.  When he opens his mouth, you catch glimpses of a gap-toothed smile framed by blackened gums.  His hair is patchy, scraggly, and seems to vary in shade and texture.

When he talks, which is seldom, his voice is a reedy monotone.

While diplomacy and biology go on without, Basil spends his time reading as much as he can on whatever device or services are made available.  He thanks you for rescuing him, but says little else, noting that he has "a lot to catch up on".
This message was last edited by the player at 12:45, Wed 26 Sept 2018.

In reply to Basilisk (msg # 831):

"Sounds good to me," Kayla agrees, though she looks over at the others to see their reaction to the suggestions as well.

In reply to Kayla Wallin (msg # 832):

The Lith and the Roshak study the still frame of the attacking ship carefully, and eventually make a copy of it for further analysis.

"This sort of craft is known to us," the Lith says at last. "But only in passing. No Consortium world has claimed them, and they do not send transmissions. Some say they are crewed by a lost race like the Guin or the Mantoid, but we have our doubts."

He rumbles quietly to himself.

"Such ships are usually encountered at the edges of known space, most often in the general vicinity of cloaked jump rings. We do not believe them to be pirates, as they return all ships they engage to dust rather than looting their cargo or ransoming their crew. We call them (unintelligible). The Roshak refer to them as (unintelligible)."

The translator does its best, but can't come up with anything better than 'Null Dusters' (in Lith) and 'SPHEREMELTERS' (in Roshak).

You're certain you can come up with a better Solese name.

Ball Busters? Xander suggests with a grin.

***

During the intervening time, Xander spends a fair number of hours in deep discussion with Dr. Pryor.

He pulls Billy aside during their planning sessions. I don't mind the detours, as long as we end up on Venus. It's high time I get to the bottom of what Abraxas is, and SAGE has some research and diagnostic facilities I'd like to make use of.

Sophia's avatar materializes on the nearest display. Agreed. And additionally, I have reason to believe that some of the data from before my current awakening may be recoverable. If anybody has the expertise to do so other than Braeburn itself, it would be SAGE.

We promised Dr. Pryor we wouldn't steal any mechs this time, he notes wryly.

"There's a lot we need to deal with on Venus, least of which being that if we get there and give the SoC back we don't technically have a ride.  I'd like to work out some kind of official business partnership if we can. If that goes through I'm sure you can get involved."

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 835):

With no strong objections being raised regarding Billy's proposed pit stops or the final destination, the crew of the Ship of Convenience assumes their usual duty stations and presses on toward their next adventure!

(OOC: If folks have specifics they want to handle regarding the pit stops along the way, we can cover them in the OOC or via PMs while I put together the next segment. I had planned to mostly summarize the journey to Venus and the stops along the way but I'm open to other thoughts. Thanks all!)

~~ END CHAPTER 11 ~~

Global Karma Breakdown

These are the global things that will affect everyone equally. Individuals will gain bonuses and penalties beyond these. I will not make those public.

Baseline: +1000

Bonuses

- PLOT BONUSES (+800)

-- Recoveries & Acquisitions (+200)
--- The Grid: 50
--- The Ship of Convenience and its plasma drive: 100
--- The Kiloyear Hawk: 50

-- Knowledge Gained (+200)
--- Roshak Warspheres: 50
--- PROJECT AVATAR and PROJECT ARCHON: 50
--- Consortium politics, policies, and procedures: 50
--- The cloaked, chitinous ship that shot down Persephone: 50

-- Liberations (+200)
--- The Compound (from Apex): 100
--- Hadrian (from Apex): 50
--- Basilisk (from the Compound): 50

-- Misc (+200)
--- Accepted Selma Side Quest: 50
--- Earned Roshak and Lith support for Sol's bid for Consortium membership: 100
--- Notified the UN of the presence of aliens and jump rings: 50


- COMBAT BONUSES (+800)

-- Avoided Combat (+200)
--- The Compound's interdiction mechs: 50
--- The Compounds internal security patrols: 50
--- Apex & Co. during Compound infiltration: 50
--- The Braeburn defense fleet upon returning to Titan: 50

-- Misc (+600)
--- Brutally hacked the Compound: 100
--- Successfully escaped Titan without getting shot by missiles: 50
--- Defeated Apex & Co.: 100
--- Survival (Kayla, Whitney, Urban, Hadrian, Abe, Huck, Selma): 350

---- Total Bonuses: 1600

- PLOT PENALTIES (-550)

-- Did not appoint Solese ambassador to Amg (repeat offense): -50
-- Stunningly dysfunctional team dynamics (Fiernas et al.): -250
-- Conflict escalation in the face of diplomatic overtures (Rebecca): -250
-- Failed Selma's side quest: 0

-COMBAT PENALTIES (-400)
-- Reckless tactics (KO'd Selma while she was piloting a moving hoverbike): -50
-- Merciless execution of Roshak/Amgine hybrid (Rebecca): 0* *this penalty will be applied privately, but it's important to note here so others know it was addressed
-- Avoidable losses (Candy, Barachiel): -200
-- Party members defeated (Billy, Abraxas x2): -150

---- Total Penalties: -950

Adjusted Baseline: +1650

******