In reply to Yardbird (msg # 894):

You're very brave, Basilisk rumbles.

In reply to Basilisk (msg # 895):

"Nah man, I'm king chicken. Checked that switch and all the hookups for traps like five times. Bill here's your cowboy," Roger says with a tired voice that carries neither humor nor irony.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:21, Tue 23 July 2019.

In reply to Yardbird (msg # 896):

Once Xander and Sophia are plugged into the makeshift peripheral, Roger throws the master breaker switch and the room tenses with the energy of anticipation...

...but not with the energy of actual ENERGY, because nothing else happens.

The various fuel line indicators that are all zeroed out or blank may have something to do with that.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:22, Tue 23 July 2019.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 897):

"He is recovering as best he can, given the limits of his physicality and the shortcomings of his spirit," Ibis replies to Billy's earlier question about your injured linguist. "If Abraxas is not sufficient to keep him safe while he recovers, there is nothing anyone can do for him."

In reply to Ibis (msg # 898):

Rebecca studies the claw marks carefully, noting their dissimilarity to anything she has encountered before. A shadow of doubt passes across her features as she considers how much more easily these claws were able to punch through the barrier than her phasing abilities seemed capable of doing.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:22, Tue 23 July 2019.

Billy looks at Ibis, "Just curious, but does the goddess have much to say on the subject of bedside manner?"

After a moment that makes it very clear that nothing is forthcoming from the flipping of the very ominous switch he speaks up, "Lemme guess, we need to fix this damn thing in the dark so that Hitch's wild ride can continue."  Before even getting an answer he walks toward the unopened door.  He heaves a deep sigh and puts his hand on the handle to open it, "Getting real sick of this bullshit," he mutters.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:27, Tue 23 July 2019.

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 900):

"Godsfuckingdamnit," Roger mutters, strapping his tesla shotgun at the ready.

In reply to Yardbird (msg # 901):

Raj...

She says with some trepidation.

I don't think this was done by a terrasque.  Unless they have unique claws... Take a look at this cut...

She points running her finger down an edge, and hissing as she pulls it back and sticks it in her mouth with a bead of blood.

These are smooth cuts, sharp, I bet this was done by Goliath.  If this was done by a biological claw it would be more torn looking, pock marks and the like.

So good news, bad news?

She sends Percy scouting to check the door to what I guess is room H, the unexplored area.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:24, Wed 24 July 2019.

As Rebecca and Roger discuss the nature of wanton distruction Billy flings the door open, “Yipee ki yay,” he states matter-of-factly.

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 903):

"Good news," Roger says, preoccupied with finding space between Billy and the threshold to shine his conscripted and modded projector bulb's ray into the next room. He dials it up to full intensity -- broad daylight.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:07, Wed 24 July 2019.

In reply to Yardbird (msg # 904):

Billy pounds in the unlocked door leading eastward, peering into the adjoining room with little success until Roger's illumination catches up with him.

~~ Room H: Fuel & Liquid Storage ~~

This room has two distinct halves, one painted a silvery purple hue and the other an copper-like orange tinged with green. Both halves are otherwise mirrored with embankments of tall, wide tanks connected by a twisted series of pipes and valves -- or, rather, what remains of them.

A pair of placards rest above the tanks on either side, which Adj translates as FUEL and WATER. While the tanks are intact, the vast majority of pipes, valves, and nozzles in this room have been ripped apart and flung all over the place.

Despite the chaos, the ruined equipment is not the centerpiece of the room. The body sprawled in the center of the floor is awarded this dubious honor.

It's a body that looks remarkably human, at least from where you're standing. Two arms, two legs, one torso, one head. It is wearing what were once pants and the tattered remains of a shirt. The body's position suggests it was cowering from something, and a club-like length of broken pipe lays on the ground near one of its hands. Its other hand is curled around a palm-sized object you can't quite make out.

Further inspection reveals the likely cause of death: a diagonal slash wound that streaks from shoulder to hip. A small sack rests on the ground near its waist, glittering objects visible through the sack's its many rips and tears.

There only discernible exit to this room is back the way you came.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 905):

"Man it is just one major bummer after another," he says, propping his flashlight against the corner and adjusting the bulb so it soaks the whole room.

He walks over to the corpse and kneels to examine it. He quickly stands up and backs away, shaking his head. "Nope. Nope. Can't do another dead body yet. You guys need me I'll, uh... be on the pipes."

Roger begins inspecting the broken pipes, valves, nozzles, and tanks -- noting how they've fallen into their current state before obsessively organizing them in groups according to size, condition, and perceived function.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:07, Thu 25 July 2019.

In reply to Yardbird (msg # 906):

Percy slips into the room between everone's legs and Nightmare surges in, when the dead body is exposed, phasing through people (easier than walls) and rushes to the body.

She checks first for the items that are on the body, then age of the body, morphology and checks to see if the cause of death is a similar cut that did the previous room.

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 907):

Basilisk stomps forward behind Nightmare, careful not to trample on anything important or dangerous, and assists with the autopsy: displaying exactly zero squeamishness by the violence or the process of inspection.

He compares notes with Nightmare as they work.

“Big baby,” Billy remarks to Roger’s sudden squeamishness.  While Rebecca and Basilisk worry over the body proper Billy takes the bag from the floor and empties its contents near the door to give the autopsy some breathing room.

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 909):

The sound of Roger's tinkering and meddling stops for a few moments at Billy's comment, then resumes again at a slightly faster pace.

In reply to Yardbird (msg # 910):

Billy dumps the sack's contents into a jumble on the floor. They consist mostly of polished stones of various colors and square chips of metal in one of four sizes.


Basil and Rebecca work at the body together, and quickly determine that it was indeed once human (or an alien so close to human as to make no difference). There is no equipment to be found except the plastic thing it has clutched in its hand -- you are unable to discern what it is from its position nestled within the body's palm, and it is held so tightly that you cannot pry it free without mangling the fingers.

"What the hell..." Billy toes the spilled contents of the bag, "Is this like...alien money or something?"

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 912):

"Ah yeah, it's Leireblomst coin Adj says," Roger answers as he begins piecing the piping back together.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:06, Sat 27 July 2019.

"How long's this guy been dead?  If it's not a very large number then what the hell is he doing with ancient alien coinage?  Roger, they good for anything other than currency?" Billy asks, picking up a handful of coins and a couple stones to look at more closely, holding his flashlight up close to them.

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 914):

A human in a similar state of decay in a similar environment would have been dead for less than a year, but you aren't familiar enough with the insects and bacteria of this planet to be certain those parallels make for good guesses.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 915):

Rebecca reports the finding.  Then proceeds excising the held item from the hand.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 915):

"Dunno. Could be like a vending machine upstairs or something. Joss don't do the whole money thing. Talpids might be interested. Especially with all the lore around burning metal. You'd be a certified badass to slip the turrets and come out with something shiny. Hard to say though. No clue what this species is. A Leireblomst alum, but that's all Adj can tell." Roger offers, his voice's audibility fading in and out as he moves between the rooms, unflipping the master switch before getting to work on tube repair. "What's that thinger in the dude's hand?"

"They good for anything as raw material?  Old earth coins were made from gold and copper," Billy follows up to Roger's suggested value.

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 918):

"It's nothing extra special. Just metals and gems you can find on-planet if you go spelunkin'. I mean they're kinda rare. But it's not like you guys are hurting for cash if you made it all the way out here. I figure. If you're a fan of gem carvings though, the facets -- er the lattice -- look a little Terran."