In reply to The Watcher (msg # 920):

"Oh quite the contrary, Jayke. The chains are immensely powerful in the right..." Muse begins in a disastrously bad imitation of Billy's pitch, but he bails the instant he sees the bit rankle. "I can't do it like he can. It's just a parlor trick for now. But, you should see the new species that Lab is..."

He cuts the patter when he hears the Omega Commander's transmission. "Wilco, Commander."

Muse turns to Billy.

"You want to get your goons in gear?"

He pockets the sphere.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:42, Sat 17 Dec 2016.

"Batallion please get in the car so we can save the planet.  Moon.  The plan's not gonna work without you. Please?" Billy's voice echoes out of the ship's comms as well as the team's personal units.

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 922):

JJ gives a dismissive raspberry.

... BETTER ships eh?

He audibly growls at the comms when Billy's voice is heard over it.  Yeah, yeah.  I'm coming. About time somebody got something done around here.

Then finally he shrugs and very pointedly hauls himself out of his chair (purposfully knocking over a few beer cans to the floor as he does so) and saunters lazily to the rover.

In reply to Batallion (msg # 923):

Team XanBat

As Battalion Prime vacates the ship, Omega-1 plops into a chair, shaking his head at the beer cans and the general state of the cockpit.

"We're en route now," the commander broadcasts to Muse. "Meet you at the Ready Room."

The rover crawls across the surface with a modicum of alacrity, chugging along until it reaches the tunnel leading to the subterranean Docking Bay. The driver expertly weaves the bulky treads through the twisting approach, arriving at their destination without further incident.

After disembarking from the rover, the Omega commander and his three remaining men file to the air lock, ushering Battalion and Xander along with them. The lock cycles, and they soon find themselves on the other side of the door.

"Ready room's this way," the commander nods, leading the way.

He doesn't make it three passages before the group nearly runs over a pale little girl with a stuffed toy on her shoulder as she barrels through the hallways in the opposite direction.

Xander and Battalion immediately recognize this to be Nightmare, and she in turn recognizes them. The Omega commander lets the silence hang for a moment as they stare at each other.

"Come along then, if you're coming," he eventually sighs, walking past the girl to continue leading the group toward the Ready Room.

Team Laser Muse

The show-and-tell session in the Ready Room is interrupted by a loud, metallic rapping at the door.

CLANK. CLANK. CLANK.

Without awaiting a response, the Omega commander enters the room. He quickly performs a visual sweep, then settles his gaze on Wes, Jayke, and Eddie.

"Hit the mess for an hour, guys."

The three exchange glances, scoop up their cards, and file out of the room. Once they're gone, the Omega commander ushers the others into the Ready Room and seals the door behind him.

"So that's it, then? That's everyone?" he says, looking at Billy, Xander, Battalion, and Nightmare before settling on Muse. "No...no, the mechanic is missing. Where is she?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:14, Mon 19 Dec 2016.

"This is everyone.  She's just a stranded spacer we picked up, she's not a problem," Billy responds to the commander at the mention of Kayla.  "Xander, crack open Nightmare's datapad so we can get to the bottom of this mess," he says with a wave between the two.

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 925):

Omegas 2, 3, and 4 pop off their helmets, clearly feeling more at home in the Ready Room even with such unusual company. One of them pours a cup of coffee for himself, while the other two walk over to the dynamic station map that's situated on one wall.


"I didn't say she was a problem," the Omega commander says. "I asked where she was. I handle security for a restricted installation. Despite what you might think about my ability to do the job based on today's activities, I can assure you that I take it seriously. She is unauthorized. She can't be left unaccounted for."

He faces Billy directly.

"Especially if even you can't vouch for who she really is, or where her loyalties lie."
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:20, Mon 19 Dec 2016.

"Her loyalties lie with the people not trying to kill her or destroy her life.  She's playing doctor's assistant in Charlie's office, and he called for her to be there himself, so out out of all of us, she is the most authorized. And I will vouch for her, so leave it alone."

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 927):

The commander, seemingly placated for now, turns his attention toward Muse.

"Look, this whole situation is giving me hives. What's going on?"

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 928):

Nightmare waves brightly at Muse.

glad to see that you joined the right side. 

The unspoken 'finally' hang n the air.

She smiles mischievously as she adopts the confident female sachet (a first for those who are observant). She lays a hand on Muse's shoulder as she walks past him

the glitter looks good on you. I think you should keep it...

She sniggers at her own cleverness.

Sparkles

She tosses the data pad to Xander and looks at strigoi

how you holding up?  Is information on the data pad important?  Is it the pad itself?

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 929):

The chains rattle slightly.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:32, Mon 19 Dec 2016.

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 929):

After watching the Commander and Billy volley back and forth, Muse unfolds his arms and joins the conversation.

"Commander, first, my thanks to you and your men. You're right, it has been a long day. Xander, Battalion -- welcome to Ceres. Thank you for cooperating. Nightmare, glad you and Percy are back with us."

"My name is Muse. I've been called the muscle, a fixer, Sparkles," he says, nodding at Nightmare, "Just know I'm here to keep the body count as low as possible."

He paces to the center of the group to being the briefing.

"Commander, based on information gathered to date, I am almost certain that Doctor Olsen is responsible for eight deaths on the ship -- plus the damage and destruction of the ship itself -- and an orchestrated an coup attempt on this base's management. In addition, she has made a hostage of one of the ship's survivors in Depthcharge. It is my belief the datapad ... Xander, is it? ... holds -- in addition to the testimony of those gathered here -- will corroborate these claims."

He pauses and looks at the Omega Commander to see how the news is scanning.

"Commander, I loathe the politics of this base as much as you do. But they exist, and now we must intervene for the good of the station. Olsen committed an act of treason. While it is true that Billy is a direct relation to Charles Lesueur-Fische, his team has done nothing but attempt to track down Olsen since they've arrived. And to be blunt, they're simply not coordinated enough to be a hit squad. Olsen is the aggressor, not them. So I'm inclined to trust them. Billy has also given me his word that once Olsen is apprehended, his team will be leaving Ceres."

"I'll pause for your thoughts, Commander."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:00, Mon 19 Dec 2016.

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 929):

JJ saunters into the room, flips off Billy, and takes a seat.

A duplicate appears, fetches coffee, then vanishes after serving it to JJ.

FUCK this is hot... he mutters

Another duplicate appears, fetches milk for the coffee, and vanishes like the first.

So... who's in charge here and what the fuck is going on?

After Muse says his piece JJ sighs.

Right... just as I thought...

In reply to Batallion (msg # 932):

The commander clasps his hands behind his back while Muse speaks. Once Muse has finished, he looks down at the ground for a moment. At some silent activation, the viewport of his helmet slides back to review the lined, grizzled features of a man who's traded his prime for hard-won experience.

"Let's see the evidence," he says simply. "If you can prove your allegations, SAGE will be in your debt for ferreting out this plot."

The commander looks off into the distance before continuing.

"I didn't hear Dr. Baxter's name mentioned in that explanation. Dr. Olsen is one of his employees, and this involves his department. What's his stance on the matter?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:59, Mon 19 Dec 2016.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 933):

"Baxter's stance is flat on his back in Charles's office. Olsen laid him out when he started to suspect her. Billy, what did you hear from him?"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:03, Mon 19 Dec 2016.

"He thought my brother was corrupt and sabotaging the project, he thought we were just some contract and tried to pay me off to not get involved.  This right after Charlie told me hiw Baxter's department set back the terraforming by a year for no reason, and was hoping to get some saboteurs out of your science department with her research.  Just before he passed out Baxter said something about progress being more important than the lives of a few lab rats, I didn't get any clarity on whether he meant actual rats or was writing off an entire ship.  If he's not an actual monster then your own company's been pit against itself and so far it's gotten Olsen into a position of power with no direct oversight, which makes me think even if she's not the mastermind, she knows who's trying to start civil war on Ceres."

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 935):

Nightmare smiles as she takes a step next to muse nudging him affectionately with a shoulder.

I have been the Agent in primary pursuit of dr Olson.   To date all eyewitnesses to Olson treachery on ship have been neutralized or removed. Muse, do you know where or what shape gayle is in?  My team and yours can attest to he mutant bodies removed from ship. Owe were assuredly created by dr Olson. Her notes on The datapad I just gave to Xander has her notes and I have a protracted recording in her own words surmising her research on human subjects and the side effects therein. When she decided that I was not some child to be patted on the head and sent on my way and I attempted to detain her she put the lie to her claims of ignorance by awakening the mutants and ordering them to restrain me while she fled.

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 935):

The commander raises an eyebrow at Billy's tale.

"I'm gonna want proof on the purposeful setbacks to our mission, too."

The statement is not made in a confrontational or defensive way -- merely a fact, simply spoken.

He turns to Xander, who is now clutching the pilfered datapad.

"How long will it take you to find the files you need? And why would you have Dr. Olsen's notes on your datapad anyway?"

The commander listens attentively to Rebecca, then turns to the other Omegas standing near the map.

"Gale was taken to medical, right? Pull up the infirmary, Deuce."

Omega-2 complies, and the map shifts and zooms to a wide sector not far from the debriefing rooms.

"Ok, good. Trips, how many patients are we showing?"

"Six, sir," Omega-3 responds. "Pulling up the records."

A series of names pop up, overlaying the dots. None of them say "Gale".

"Quad, let's get a playback of the last hour or so. Check-ins, checkouts, etc."

Omega-4 complies, and the commander studies the screen carefully.

"There, sir!" Deuce says, tapping the screen. "Looks like Gale was transferred for observation and evaluation about 20 minutes ago."

"Transferred where?"

"Doesn't say. Want me to call down and ask?"

The commander considers the question.

"Depends. Who's name is on the transfer order?"

Quad taps the screen a few times before responding. "It's Baxter's authorization code."

"But Baxter has been indisposed for the last 30 minutes, right?" the commander says, thinking out loud. "Curious..."

He looks over at Billy.

"This is starting to sound a little more credible. What else have you got for me?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:34, Mon 19 Dec 2016.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 937):

"Commander, we need to tread carefully. Olsen is still under the impression I am going to deliver Nightmare to her -- and that I've enlisted your corps to help. If she gets wind we're all collaborating like this, the Island is going to snap shut on us and both Redford and Gale will be harder to retrieve. Surprise is our ally for the time being."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:40, Mon 19 Dec 2016.

"I don't have any proof of intentional setbacks, but if Chuck and Baxter both suspected each other of the same thing then someone else screwed the pooch," Billy says to the commander's request for proof.

"Speaking of Redford," he chimes in after Muse voices his concern,  "do you have record of what happened to him after you dropped us off and Muse took us to our rooms? I talked to him from Charlie's breakout room before Olsen and Baxter came in, and he was gone when Muse and I came to get him."

Xander picks up the datapad and opens it, navigating the top menus with the familiar excitement that comes with starting a new puzzle. It's our tablet, but Olsen's datacard in it. Apparently she kept all her research and notes on her isolated system, saved to an external memory card. Highly irresponsible for a scientist wanting to make sure their research was backed up, but not unwise if said research was illegal or unethical. In any event, it shouldn't take me long to crack it.

He extracts a small data cable and plugs it from the tablet to the base of his skull.

Alright Sophia, let's have some fun.

In reply to Xander (msg # 940):

The commander gestures to his men, and they begin searching for Redford's information on the system. The map changes to show the debriefing room, complete with Redford's overlay. At about the same time Billy and Muse begin heading toward the room, Redford's dot leaves the debriefing room -- apparently unaccompanied. It heads down a series of hallways, then vanishes after reaching what appears to be a solid wall at the end of a passage.


***

Xander jacks into the datapad and gets to work. The device hums and whirrs, growing hotter in his hands than perhaps it was intended to get.

Aaaaand we're in, Sophia says. Hello, what's this? A...data ward? Has this device been mined someho-"

Xander stiffens, jerks, and convulses suddenly, and droplets of blood begin to gather beneath his nose.

[Data Ward (yellow, success)]

[Damage (Xander): 30]

[Endurance vs Kill (Xander): 39 -> karma to 81, yellow, success]

Xanders eyes snap open and he falls backward, somehow leaving the datapad, undamaged, on the table nearby. He lands in a heap, and it takes a good 10 seconds to return him to consciousness.

OOC: Xander's health is set to his Endurance when he wakes back up. He is badly hurt, but avoided permanent Endurance loss.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:42, Mon 19 Dec 2016.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 941):

Hmmmph

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 941):

"Jesus Christ. Muse to Medbay. We've got a man down in the Ready Room. Send personnel immediately, but do NOT log this request in the system."

Muse looks at the Commander.

"Redford's signal ends at the elevator to Depthcharge. Olsen's data has lethal protections on it. She's got some explaining to do. Commander, I'm going to get her. If you and your men choose not to participate, I fully respect that decision. I only ask that you leave us to operate. You know the security of this base is my first priority."

He puts a low fidelity map of Depthcharge up on the wall.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:02, Mon 19 Dec 2016.

In reply to Muse (msg # 943):

"Medical attention is unnecessary. Xander is...rebooting. But I can pilot his chassis without needlessly endangering our mission."

As if to prove this point, Xander hauls himself awkwardly to his feet. His eyes have a rather glassy expression and a bloody nose, but otherwise he looks much the same as always.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:09, Mon 19 Dec 2016.

In reply to Sophia (msg # 944):

"Cancel and delete that request, Medbay."

"Commander, the most we'd ask of you is to borrow a few uniforms to get is in there so we can extract the doctor without a fight."