The engineering section of CS-8 is what every scientist dreams of. 6 massive labs contains anything they may need to research bacteria, virusses, life itself if need be. Access is restricted.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:30, Sat 04 Mar 2017.

Making quick timealong the vents the three men soon find the fork leading to engineering. Luckily, despite the blackout all over the ship, engineering is well lit. Probably the only area on the ship with lights now.
Seperated from the rest of the area, hidden from view in a large cooling tower, is the double fusion reactor that provides ample power to keep CS-8 working. Ample, when the batteries are replaced on time.
Hazmat suits are readily available along the walls, as are all the tools required to switch out the bulky battery coils. 8 per reactor, for a total of 16.
Each coil mansized, and seemingly weighty.

  After their   quick trip through the..now inactive..blades.  Key takes a quick look around, and Points to the suits, he begins to   step into one,

 ..Right.... we  made it to the Bloody place, its  do the rest of the Job.... now? marco said, if  we take all the batteries out.. the whole ship will shut  down..like  shuttin' down yer  computer so's you can delete something.... well set the batteries  up... pull the old ones, and when we get them all pulled, we can start loading the new ones in....

 he points to the tools,..now?.. we can go about   taken them out, but  Steve's gonna have to guide us here?

 Offhanded he says to  Troy then,..did ya say there was another bloke out there?


  while he waits for  Answers  he says to  the  Bridge...we made it.... if Marco is right,  we should be all better, once we install the new batteries....'we're gonna take them all out first, so there' no bloody power, then install the new ones... Marco said..that should reboot the ship.... Right Marco?

When no reaction comes from either bridge or M4RC0 Kray slowly realises that the moment Blake Shut down the reactor he already put the ship on black. They are on their own.

.. Bloody hells.... guess we do it, or we don't....  Holler down the Vents to whomever was down there, ta join us...no use anyone dyin' alone, if  we bugger this up, eh Mates?

  He Grins Nodding to Steve, to see what he wants them to do...

Stephen moved to the row of suits and began inspecting one. Satisfied, he began suiting up.

"This is a three person job, so congratulations, gentlemen, you are honorary engineers. We need to suit up, and I'll check to make sure you have them on right. We can't afford leaks in there.

As for replacing the batteries, once you see how it is done, you'll see it isn't rocket sci- well okay, it IS rocket science, but one of the easier parts."

He continued to suit up and wait for whoever else was going in with him.

  Shadow was all but  suited up.  Troy was there,  as well as the new woman, Addison.

  ... If  we stage the New Batteries...by the old ones, we'll have less turnover  time when  we pull the last one, to cut all power?...For MArco's reboot....with any luck, he'll be able to bloody well tell us  why we are in this mess...

Troy suits up. He lets Stephen check it, then looks for a cart of some kind to move the batteries with.

while they wait  for   Steve's instructions,  Shadow will help try to finds things  to move the batteries (do  they have swing cranes?).

 as they look, Shadow asks Troy,..so, Mate?, How long have ya been in the  sevice.... he grins,..not counting the last 100 years or so?

Patterson chuckles.
"Not counting marine training either? A month. Came fresh from basic, was assigned to Major Ascotts unit. I remember we all found it funny none of us had any relatives. Three of my mates are in pods over there somewhere too."
He shrugs as he clumsily rolls a cart to the first battery. Those hazmat suits hinder movement quite a lot. He looks inside the storage at the 16 large metallic devices. Pullies and winches are there to assist in moving the refrigerator sized heavy water containers.
"So Cornell? We just take em all out and then put the new ones in?"

  ..yah... i got my wings was flyin' Hellcats around the Indian ocean for a brief  bit..call came in said i could go...didn't really have a reason ta stay, ya know..'cept playing in the AFL...so? here i am....Goolong's  finest!

  me and the others got checked out on shuttles too, but the bleedin' things are like ice  wagons...

Ha, they tried teaching me that, Troy grinned.
Sarge said I was too stupid to drive, let alone fly. But hey, I can shoot a hole in a dime at two miles out... I guess thats worth something
Following instructions by Stephen Troy starts to unhook the first battery.

he gives the hazmat head gear a shake,..not me, mate...i'll shoot an apple off your  head inside a hellcat?... but   not  with a rifle or  hand gun...i have to aim..center mass..just to hit something...but..you give me a knife..they won't even know i'm coming... i topped out in survival ..sneaking up on blokes and such...

Hah, too bad we never learned how to change the batteries to a fusion reactor. Aren't these things highly radioactive? Patterson shuddered at the thought

.. the pilot shrugs,.don't know.... i know we  don't want to  be sleepin' on top them or anythin'...but the suits  should  save us.... I guess once we get the good one is, we have to put the old ones in the chargin' stations again.

 ..be real nice..if  the  bleedin' bloke who runs  engiuneering would wake up....but... its up ta us right now?

Guided by the know-how of Cornell the three men start to slave away at replacing the batteries. Contrary to what they expected at first, its the empty ones they have to put in, and the full ones that come out. Where they have to put the full ones none of them know, but they are certainly radioactive.

Slower than the men to navigate the warren of tunnels, Addison finally joined the rest. "What on earth are you three doing?" she asked with no apparent alarm or distress. She hopped out of the vent shaft and into the room, ready to pitch in if the need for another set of hands arose.

..between  grunts, gasps  and a few well placed  curses, Shadow calls over to Addison,..put one of them suits on, or  we'll be able ta use  ya for a bleedin' night light?

 grunting more, as they settle the first new one in...seems  somethin' went bleedin' bonkers with the ship.. the few of us are woke up 100 yeasr or so late.... the ship is almost out of out of power.. so Marco..the voice thing?..he  started lettin' some of  us out...

 more   shifting and such,..some folks on the bridge... don't know how many..at least 2..but  we can't get ta them, and they can't even talk to us....but?.. if we can't get this  done..well... our trip's about over...

Addison hurried to get into one of the indicated suits. "Well that's a predicament. How can I help?"

  Shadow points to Steve,..he's the guy closest to an engineer?...  once you'er suited up, have him check your  bloody suit..then  , if he doesn't  have nothin' for ya, you can  take a spanner to the bolts  ahead of us, to speed things up?

"For now, we just have to replace these batteries, then get the power plant restarted. Thankfully, I know most everything we need to get that much done.


Stephen didn't respond at first to the question about the batteries being radioactive, they were, after all, in the heavy hazmat suits. Hopefully that would reassure everyone else, they didn't need to know exactly how radioactive these things could be if allowed to deteriorate or leak.

"Not to alarm anyone, just a general precaution, once we get this underway and the power back on, someone remind me the four of us need to visit infirmary. Just a routine check and possibly a few rounds of radiation pills, shouldn't be anything severe, just a precaution. And gentlemen? Please be gentle with those refrigerator sized fusion batteries."

"It's less efficient, but we need to change out the batteries one at a time, I do remember that, something about an explosion if all bays are empty. Seriously though, it's going very well all things considered. You're doing a good job, we'll get this ship back up and running."

He checked Addison to make sure the suit had no leaks and the suit was on properly, then lead her to the fusion batteries.

"You'll notice the series of pulleys and wenches. If  you would be so good as to get the next new battery strapped in, it will save time, which, considering life support is offline, is highly beneficial. Or loosen bolts, help tighten them up, whatever you feel most comfortable doing to help speed things along."

   After  Steve  talks to Addison,  Shadow  asks,..what is yer Field, Miss?

 ..By the way... I'm  LT Shadow?..Kray.. This here's  Troy Patterson, Lance Corp..and ya  just talked  ta Steve  the engineerin' type guy...

Ah, the dreaded "What do you do?" Bane of blind dates and emergency engineering sessions alike. "I'll be the one distributing those radiation pills. I'm with Medical," Addison replied. It didn't seem like the time or place to recite her CV, but Addison wasn't just a doctor -- she was a brilliant doctor, and had spent her entire professional life working in progressively more and more adventurous regions in search of the next mental challenge and adrenaline hit. When Doctors Without Borders had run out of war zones and outbreaks to send her to, she had taken the next logical step for an adrenaline junkie and signed up for one of the ships leaving earth.

Adjusting to the added bulk of the suit as she went, she made her way to the pulley system and started getting it ready to receive the next battery. She wouldn't be able to move the thing on her own, but once someone was free it would be a snap to get it into place.

well. ..we got a good  start fer a mix of  folks, provide  we  don't blow the bleedin; thing up...

 he starts Musing, as the move ..place and secure  the batteries,..funny thing? you' d think the bloke back on earth woulda had a plan fer this... wake us up early..or  wake us  up a month or so late?.. Not..Bloody decades.......but..right now..I wanna get this power back on, so i can see my fighter again....

Stephen perked up when he heard Addison say she was in medical.

"Would that be Dr. Connolly?" He smiled in spite of the situation. "Civilized conversation, how wonderful. No offense, gentlemen. Now we're four, we should be able to get this ship powered up and figure out just how busy we're going to be the next few days."

He went to work with the others, well aware both of the severity of their situation, and the need for a little levity, his machinery had never complained about his bedside manner.

He started singing an old tv show theme to himself that seemed appropriate.

It's cold outside; there's no kind of atmosphere
I'm all alone, more or less
Let me fly, far away from here
Fun, fun, fun, in the sun, sun, sun

 when Steve started to sing, Kray  gave a look at  troy and sorta chuckled,, but  went back to shifting, and hefting

  things seemed to be going well...but a lot better, once the power was  back up..

"The one and only!" Addison replied to Stephen. "Although I can't promise how civilized I'll be."

After some song, dance, witty banter and bloody hard work, the team of four improvised reactor workers manage to switch out all the batteries. While three hours is not a time for the record books, heck, not even a time they would graduate with, they still have a job well done to look at. In triumph, feeling like a million bucks because hey, even he had to improvise, Cornell flips the big red power switch.

With a soft humming the reactor comes to life.
Lights come back on, computers start up. The life support and airconditioning start working again. New life has been breathed into the ship.

  Stepping  back  as they made sure the  batteries were are cranked  down. He watches the others  as  Steve hits the switch.

 When the power comes on, he grins, saying,..well!..Bloody damn good luck!

 he truns around  locating a  screen, as it flashes he says aloud,..Hey?  Marco? you up?

 Then adds,..Bridge? Can ya Buggers hear us?

Good morning Kray Shadow. It is now 10.25 on 17-2-2157. I am the ship AI. I am never down.

Concerning you to the bridge. Link established.

 Shadow grins,...Thank Ya  MArco!  nice ta hear your  vocie.... do ya suppose you might be showin' us the way to  the Sick bay?

 he looks  around then looks at Steve,can we take these suits off yet?

  well? Mates? You heard the LAdy... we got thanks, now? lets get checked out so we can get our uniforms...and..i can go see my Hellcat...

  He looks at the old batteries,..do we have to do somethin' with those bloody things?

"There are showers in Medical. Only two, but we can take turns. Better leave the suits on til there's at least one wall between us and the batteries."

He nodded at Allison. "There's a decontamination shower for the suits just off the exit from the reactor. Don't want to go around the ship spreading radiation. Then we get out, strip, and go to Medical, we'll still need individual showers to be safe and then get checked out. Tedious, I know, but necessary."

He began to lead the way to decon when he looked around and turned back to the others. "Very good job everyone. Obstacle overcome, hopefully a sign of things to come. Once we leave here, I'll grab a toolbox and we'll go to Medical. Doctor, we'll need to give everything a going over, make sure the equipment is in working order. The mechanical bits I should be able to work on just fine."

   The Pilot nods his head,..lead the way.. i'm sorta outta my element here, so far..but, its  sort easy..just do stuff that  doesn't get ya killed?

 he will follow along, and do what they need to do. He wants to find his quarters, get his uniform and flight jacket, and go see his lady in the hanger bay.

Addison led the way to the medical bay, stopping at the decontamination showers along the way.

  as they leave the showers  and he  fuzzes his hair  with the towel,..well..first shower in 150 years..don't seem that much different

  ..sure like to know  what the bloody 'hell is goin' on though.

Addison may not have had much in the way of fashion sense, but the jeans and sweater she'd squirreled away in the medical area were comfortable and functional. She was tying back her long hair into a sloppy braid when Kray got out of the shower. She shrugged into a white lab coat and gestured for him to sit. "We'll get this over with quickly so that we can get back to figuring that out," she promised. She went through a basic exam, not just looking for signs of radiation poisoning but for any ill effects from being in cryo suspension for so long. She didn't rush, but she went through the exam with brisk efficiency.

 while Addison  checked him over, Kray  asked aloud,..Marco? how far are my quarters from here? I'd like to get my uniform kit an' all....

  while Addison works, he shakes his head as he asks,..don't understand this too much..but.. how does it happen..this bleedin' ship, suppsoed  to help mankind carry on? get so  bloody screwed up.. I Mean..we're  alibe, alot longer  down the road then we should be..but...we missed  everythin' in between..

(move this to medical guys thanx )

(from Medical)

Stephen returned to his natural habitat, eager for the smell of dirt and grease, knowing he had a lot of work ahead of him, especially if no one else assigned to Engineering were awake.


It didn't overly concern him at the moment. He grabbed a clipboard to take assessment, made sure where his tools were, then began checking on the status of the equipment. He planned to move to the reactor and other parts he wasn't as familiar with later. For now, it looked like he might be acting engineer, and he needed to be prepared for such an eventuality.

(From the conference room)

Blake arrives, finds a terminal and sets to work. I'mean trying to find out more about the sabotage of the ship.

Blake starts his quest by figuring out who accessed the AI systems last. The culprit covered his or her tracks well, but he's pretty sure he can find out eventually.

It'seems going slowly today.

Struggling to get past the altered AI coding, Blake realises this task is one that will challenge all his skills. A nice challenge indeed, but one that will require massive amounts of coffee, a quiet surrounding, and some food. The engineering area is way too loud to concentrate.

"Marco, where could I work undisturbed for the a while? Also, message for Jennifer Maxwell, tell her I'may assigned to investigate the computer systems for information about ghetto problem."

One would assume you are assigned an appartment Blake. Perhaps there you can find quiet.

Addison waited for someone to pick up the phone in Engineering. As soon as they did, she asked them to put Dr. Cornell on the line immediately.

Blake debates whether to answer the phone, eventually deciding he shouldn't. Blake asks Marco where Ltd Maxwell is. He'd better see her if he's supposed to be helping her. On discovering she's currently in the captain's quarters, he decides to head to his apartment for some food.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:10, Fri 17 Mar 2017.

Activating the ship's AI operated autonomous systems, Marco sets about delivering several sets of drones and modules to empty Engineering bay 7.

<< From: Ship Security

By the time Micaela had reached Engineering Bay 7, Marco had already delivered the requested materials. This was not particularly surprising, nor was the scope and capacity of the bay itself. This was for the survival of the human race after all; no expense was spared.

At her touch, the largest of the 4 crates folded open, revealing the chassis of the requested drones. After pulling one out and hanging it from an apparatus that would allow her access to every surface, she opened the 3 smaller crates in turn. The cluster of modules she withdrew from them were varied and unusual and not at all what she had told Lou she would be building. But this first drone wasn't for the mission, it was for Micaela.

... <working> ...

What Micaela made first was an assistant. She replaced the default reactor with a high efficiency unit, installed every sensory module available to her (and a high capacity drive to store the data), added a manipulation arm with modular tool set and small storage bay, a high bandwidth communication suite, and finished it off with a magnetic wheeled chassis extension when flight wouldn't be an option. Once the hardware was complete she uploaded custom operational software she had been working on for more than a decade. It wasn't a true AI, but it could fool those that didn't know better. It was an awful lot of work for something that wouldn't actually be scanning the ship, but with its help, and the fact that she couldn't trust Marco, that work would pay off in the long run.

With the final execution of the activation command she looked up from her laptop as the small drone hummed to life.

"Hello Tau. Please perform a level 2 diagnostic."

"Yes, Kerana." Only a moment passed before it continued. "All modules are reporting operational status."

"Excellent Tau. Initiate a high security firewall. Only commands issued from me that can be verified as genuine are to be followed."

"Understood." it chirped back.

"Well then, let's get started."

... <working> ...

Her pony tail disheveled and her clothing marred by a variety of mechanical fluids, Micaela paged Lou.

"Hey, boss. I've got eight drones ready for action, with one spare to keep Tau and me company. Do you have approval for us to go all 'big brother' on this boat?"

The engineer looked at her handiwork as she waited for a response, watching them all bob up and down like a flock of creepy metallic birds.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:26, Thu 25 May 2017.

Message to Micaela Nieves from Lt. Maxwell:

   "Conduct initial feasibility testing using one drone in unoccupied areas of the ship.  Keep records of signal interference and any other problem that might impact a larger deployment.  Once we have those results, I can take them to the Captain for approval for full scale implementation."

Message Ends

"Understood." she said before closing the connection.

Then she whistled before calling out, "Unit zero one, you're up!"

One of the bobbing drones obediently flew within arms reach before coming to a stop again. Micaela then picked up a felt tip marker and started scrawling on the clean, shiny surface.

Big Brother 01
Watching you since 1984
Property of the Cops

After taking a moment to admire her handiwork she capped the pen and set it aside.

"Unit zero one, prepare to execute prime directive. Modify parameter. Limit area of search to recreation deck. Execute."

The drone turned away, passed through the door to bay 7 and was gone.

For the next couple of minutes Micaela monitored the data stream coming in from Unit 01, looking for any problems. When everything checked out she came to the conclusion that sitting here and watching a single stream of data would be painfully uninteresting.

"Tau, link with units zero two through zero eight. Slave and follow. We're going for a trip."

>> To: Recreational deck

From Hydroponics.

Cornell entered engineering at about the time the engines were fired up, supervising the process because of a lack of a better engineer available. Still, all went as planned, and the Polo soon pulled up alongside the DaGama.
"Keep the engines at .9," he ordered as he quickly calculated the drifting speed of CS-3."
The hummed softly, running smooth as the cumbersome vessel slowly adjusted speed.
Yep, he certainly preferred plants above engines.