You wait out 11 days in Zero Gee, eating from your rations and having little to do with the computers not working very well.

Then the relief ship arrives on Day 126, and your hearts rise.  It has seemed like a long time trapped with a crazy android and the Matrix infection.

Shuttles dock, and you are transported under security to the Pegasus, a flagship nearby.  There is a military air about everything, and those you meet coldly lead you without speaking to decontamination units.  They are all wearing decontamination suits themselves, completely detached from you.  Through breathing apparatus they tell you where to go and seat yourselves.

After two hours of decontamination, you are told your equipment must stay on board Snobol and Moneyspider for security reasons.

Finally, clothed in basic white uniforms, you are led to a debriefing room.  It is sanitary, with only a one-way mirror.

A man steps in the door clad in military uniform.

"We thank you for your service," he says across the table, and it is clear he is high ranking.  "The Matrix infection is something we have never seen before and we have to quarantine this entire sector to ensure it does not spread.  As you can probably guess, it would wreak havoc if it escaped.  Therefore, your equipment and all possessions have been quarantined too.  We can take no chances."

He pulls open a folder and stares at it for a minute.

"But that is where the bad news ends.  We are taking you to be rewarded for your valiant service.  You will get paid enough to buy new equipment and outfit yourselves."  He pulls out vouchers and hands one to each of you.  "For your efforts on Volturnus, the UPF is grateful.  The Sathar threat there has been deterred.  The UPF has therefore granted me permission to present you with this."  He taps the vouchers.  "These are 8000 credits awarded to each of you.  This payment is directly from the United Planetary Federation."

He then puts another similar voucher in front of each of you.  "These represent the 7000 credits Captain Akizk promised you.  The ByChem Corporation is giving you these credits to honor his promises and helping the Venturi Project."

He then puts a third voucher in front of you.  "This is another voucher from ByChem Corporation.  This is to secure your continued services.  As you are the only survivors of the Matrix infestation, they want you close by to consult as they try to decode the data you brought back on the portable drive."

He taps the vouchers again.  "That's 16,000 credits for each of you.  As they say on my home planet, don't spend it all in one place."  He smiles and says.  "Now, for a little more bad news.  I need a full debriefing."

You spend the next five hours telling him the details about your adventures.

At the end, the general says, "I have one more surprise for you.  We have just returned from Volturnus after responding to the distress call you sent several months ago.  Not only is all well on Volturnus, not to mention a golden opportunity for private companies, but I am happy to report that your companion who died on the surface was able to be revived and...modified to help him lead a normal life.  We have the Eorna and modern technology to thank."

He waves to the one way mirror, and in walks Bartja.  Now, though, Bartja has some obvious signs of mechanical intervention, almost what you might call a cyborg.

Bartja now stands at the end of the table, and the rest of you sit around in astonishment at seeing the return of your friend once thought dead.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:06, Mon 28 Feb 2011.

General Ashe, as you've learned his name to be, stands up and says, "I will let you all catch up.  Whenever you're ready, food is available at the mess deck, and bunks are ready in the rack rooms.  We are on our way to the Spacestation Aurora.  There, ByChem representatives will want to talk with you about helping them.  Any questions?"

S'Krllk stares at the vouchers. It is obvious that he has never been paid at this rate, from hatching on. When he finally can tear his eyes from the vouchers, he stares at Bartja. Finally, he drops his head and mumbles "Great, even if they kill you you don't get to stay dead."

Half of Bartja's face smiles at the comment, half of it remains cold and almost dead-looking.  He scans the group with his eyes; one normal, the other set in the metallic artificial skull covering the right side of his head.  A flicker of recognition crosses his active features as he sees Desiraye.

"Well, I'm back.  My....memory and coordination aren't what they once were, but I'm alive and kicking" he continues with just a hint of a slur in his voice.  "As you might guess by the extent of my....repairs, the shot I took to the head should have been as fatal as it appeared.  The Eorna and Mechanons have fantastic technology and I was ... recovered, but my memories are not all there and ... a few other things.  Please forgive me if I don't know all of you immediately.  My physical therapist tells me I may never have full recovery of my memories, but I am gaining back some."

There are certainly higher-tech bionics and implants available on higher tech worlds that what Bartja has received - but it has saved his life and for that he is grateful.

He moves forward and extends his right hand to each team member in turn, introducing himself to friends of old and new alike.  To him, they are mostly met for the first time.  "I am Borg, we are one" he jokes suddenly - then realizing that it is in poor humor, suggests "maybe we should catch up in the mess hall.  My appetite is a little higher than it used to be."

Professor Kri'lik looks down at the vouchers before him, Wow that’s a lot of cred. At the mention of food he comes back to reality and clicks his mandibles together in agreement. "Yes let’s get something to eat, telling the same story a dozen times in the last five hours has gotten me somewhat hungry." He also looks at the simple white clothing he has on and says, "This reminds me of when I was medical student back when I had to examine the dead."

At the time the relief ship comes and picks them up, Desiraye is past exhastion and normal reasoning after all that has hapened and those friends she has lost.  She goes through the motions of decontamination and changing into the white suits before coming into the meeting area with the others.  She folds her arms in front of her as she stares into the mirroed glass until the person in the militaty uniform comes in and sits at the table.  Desi makes her way to a chair and sits with her companions.

She nearly hits the roof when the military representative makes mention about all of their gear that will be confiscated and lost until the vouchers come out!  The redness comes out of her face some and she looks a little more at ease when the final tally is 16,000 credits of the vouchers.  Desiraye grimaces again when he tells them that they've got another five hours of debriefing to go through.  She knows that's S.O.P. (standard operating procedures) for something like this and it can't be helped.  She was a little surprised the the ByChem Corporation still wanted them around but, I guess maybe that's a way of keeping them quiet by paying them or keeping under close watch.

Having her jaw just about go through the table when she sees Bartja enter the room and the fact that he actually recognizes her, Desi is overcome with emotion and those around her can see a tear come down her cheek as she goes up to embrace her once dead comrade and friend.  She goes right past his extended hand and hugs him.  "I, I, <sniff> can't believe you made <sniff>, made it you sonuvabitch!  I can <sniff> eat.  We been eatin' rations for the past 11 days."

General Ashe says, "Before you head off to get food and catch up, let me tell you about Aurora.  It is a space station where many scientific studies and researches are performed.  As such, it has a military annex as well as the scientific and civilian annexes."

He pulls up a map on the screen in the center of the table.



"There is a military quarter.  Because of the danger of the experiments and the security threat, the military presence is high there.  In the wrong hands, many of those experiments could be very dangerous.  The command quarter is where the scientists and military commanders meet, strategize, and negotiate what can and cannot be done.  They also oversee all projects from that quarter.  The science quarter is where the experiments are performed and is subject to high security.  The residential quarter has shops, sleeping quarters, and other areas for civilians."

He laughs slightly.  "As you can probably guess, a research company like ByChem had to lobby heavily, but it has the largest showing of scientists at Aurora.  That's how they could immediately dispatch this flagship once the distress calls were finally heard.  You see, the Aurora has special qualities about it that make it highly valuable to conduct research.  But I'm sure you don't care about those details.  Let's just say it's high value real estate for scientists."

He points to his wrist.  "We still have 5 days' travel until we get there.  One thing you should know is that we are a flagship permanently stationed at Aurora.  Therefore, we have the honor of having many research projects performed here, particularly those that cannot be done on Aurora or for which there simply is not enough space there to perform.  Whenever you're ready, I will have someone give you a tour of the ship so you can stretch your legs.  Otherwise, just take the next five days to relax."

General Ashe adds that the map of Aurora shows just one level.  There are actually about 20 such levels, so that it looks like a giant barrel.  I say 'about' because each level can be detached and new ones added, so the number of levels varies...usually increasing because of the high demand for that area of space."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:13, Mon 28 Feb 2011.

Desiraye looks at the slide show of Aurora station and looks to be impressed but, still entirely tired to be up for much longer.  When the General is done, she turns to him and asks, "Pretty impressive set up you've got there General.  I've got to say, I've never heard of anything like that or an operation at least not that large.

So, I guess that's where we'll be working out of, for ByChem that is?

Also, is there anyplace on the station where people like us can acquire some new gear since our is quarantined?  Or, any restricions?  I know I plan on sleeping for at least a day or two but would love to look around the ship when able.

There was a logbook that we had acquired when we were on Volturnus that we wanted to bring back to the UPF, my employer or I guess my former employer now?  It had information in it from the Red Devil pirate organization that was hitting the shipping in that area and I think they should be able to view it for their busniess purposes."

The general says, "Once we get to Aurora, you can equip yourselves at the civilian area.  Weapons and armor are available at the military district.  With what you've all been through lately, we're working on military security clearances.  They should be processed by the time we get to Aurora."

He shrugs.  "As for ByChem, I couldn't tell you what they want exactly.  But given you're the only ones alive and they have valuable commodities and a new...species?...you discovered, I'm sure they will at least want you close at hand.  Maybe on a retainer or some such.  Couldn't tell you.  I'm just the messenger."

Desi smiles slyly, "Any chance they do online orders?"

The mention of various research projects perks Kri'liks interests as he wonders what sort of medical research they are conducting and if he will have the time to observe any of them. Given what’s happened to him of late he highly suspects otherwise.

"So Bartja, tell us what's going on?" Desi says wiping her face and moving with the others to the cafeteria so they can all sit & eat while they catch up.

At the cafeteria, Bartja gets plenty of food and finds a place where they can all sit together as a group.  He gives Desi his new lop-sided smile as he bends over to begin eating.

"I don't really know much myself, yet.  A UPF Shuttle came after the war, bringing settlers and researchers back to Vulturnous.  When they found me there, they got pretty excited and I was asked to come here.  I only recently found out that we were to be reunited and sent elsewhere, since I'm still alive.

Death - even if it's not permanent, doesn't appear to be enough to cancel the contracts we've signed..."  This last bit was said in jest - if only partly.

"What do you know of our future?  I'm guessing we're tallying up enough Top Secret information that our employers are not going to let us out of their sight for long.  Some of these...implants I have acquired have peaked interest with some scientists.  I don't know if I want to participate in another research project.  I'm still disoriented from the damage in my head!  Eventually it should heal, but I'm still not 100% physically."

In reply to Bartja Nemuco (msg #13):

"I'm not sure exactly on our next move, I guess once we reach the base, we can see what ByChem wants us to do for them.  What do you mean sent elsewhere?"

After making a rude comment concerning metallic ovipositors, S'Krllk says, "I'm beginning to wonder if we would get a warm welcome anywhere they care to send us. Still, I must admit to suffering far fewer moments of mind-numbing boredom than I used to."

Bartja looks around to see else might be listening to their conversation.  Once satisfied that it is still as private as any other, he leans forward and talks a bit more softly.

"I'm just assuming we'll be sent elsewhere.  They could have sent me home, or back to the University to finish my studies, but they didn't.  You think this Space Station is cheap to live on?  Hell, half the station is off-limits to us without security passes!  That's a lot of work space!  What is this place, really, if not a joint military-mega-corp research and assault operation?"

For a moment his face flushes as the old Yazirian rage threatens to surface.  Instead he sits back and takes a few deep breaths to calm himself, then continues.

"The way I figure it, they're keeping us together until they figure out what to do with us.  As an ancient wise man once said, 'keep your friends close, but keep your enemies even closer'.  We know too much, that's all I'm saying."

It would seem that the adjustments made in Bartja's head may have made him just a touch paranoid...