Trace cleared his throat, hoping to derail the Professor's imminent tirade. "I'd be happy to give your ship a once over, if you think it'd help."

Axander looks a bit sheepish during Tarys's explanation of her duties regarding him. Though it was just a cover story, he couldn't help but feel like his enthusiasm for investigating the landing site in the first place warranted that sort of explanation. His mouth opened to give a reply when Borys asked about archaeology, but the more agitated man interrupted and took Axander aback. There was a brief moment he glanced to Tarys and Borys, but then he took a quick breath, stood tall, and answered.

"Ah, excuse me, you must be the senior researcher here. I can see why you'd be concerned about other scholars taking credit for your discoveries, but let me assure you that my university is quite strict about that sort of thing. Our methods of preventing theft like that is quite ingenious and completely impossible to circumvent, leaving no motive for doing so. Besides, we've no idea what this site even is."

Ortega fumed for a while, regarding the travellers suspiciously and asking various questions, like why they'd come here and why, their fields of expertise, their credentials, to which Axander and Tarys tried their best to give honest or evasive answers to. At last, he'd decided Axander was on the level, at least with regard to not trying to jump his claim. Axander and Tarys had, it seemed, suddenly been thrust into the cut-throat world of interstellar archaeology, full of lost technology and alien hazards, where archaeologists were as much treasure hunters as academics, if not more so, not that they would say as much.

Then he seemed almost glad to have them, with an avaricious gleam in his spectacles. After all, they might be willing to lend a hand and some more academic credentials to his dig. '...Ah, well, this planet doesn't actually have a name. This is a rogue planet, you see, a wanderer across the Milky Way...' Then he launched into his practised presentation.

Ortega explained that a Draconian automated probe mapping this sector of space – a rather sparse area between the Outer and Perseus Arms of the Milky Way Galaxy, on the far side from Earth and close to the outer edge – had discovered a rogue planet. A rogue planet was a world flung by gravitational forces out of its parent solar system, left to wander cold interstellar space. This one was calculated to have been wandering for two to seven million years. But, within the last few centuries, it had encountered a white dwarf star and been caught in an erratic orbit, from which it was likely to be flung out again in another century. All this had been calculated by a Draconian astronomical team.

They'd also detected a signal: faint but regular, and continuing. No one could identify the source, but Ortega theorised this planet had been home to a civilisation once, millions of years ago, highly developed and potentially connected to the ancient history of the galaxy and the powerful elder races that had dominated the stars in those forgotten days, like Osirans and Time Lords. This civilisation would have been lost when the planet was ejected into interstellar space but kept perfectly preserved beneath the ice.

Without a sun to warm it, the planet had frozen over, according to the Draconians. First its atmosphere had cooled to liquid, and then to ice: frozen water, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. Ordinarily, this would be too thick and dense to melt or cut through, but the small degree of radiant heating from the white dwarf had begun to thaw the planet out, and at its closest, the world was experiencing the nearest thing to spring after millennia of winter. A breathable atmosphere had returned, and the ice decreased enough to permit excavations.

Ortega's plan was to rotate the Yermak's powerful engines and fire them downward while remaining grounded, using their heat as a thermal drill to cut a large borehole into the ice. Then they would use the engines as generators to power plasma torches, with which they could carve tunnels and trenches and make more precise archaeological excavations – the equivalent of using trowels in soil.

Borys explained the crew's task was to reorient the engines; manage the thermal drilling, power generation, and plasma torches; help in the manual labour of melting tunnels and cutting trenches and shifting blocks of ice. Ortega added they would assist in basic unskilled archaeological work, like sifting through spoil-heaps, moving equipment, and cleaning finds as necessary.

Borys and Ortega introduced the crew and archaeologists, especially those hanging around the tent:

• Prof. Niles Ortega – expedition leader and chief archaeologist
• Scholastor Stirix – xenobiologist, cryologist, arctic safety expert
• Farren – xenoanthropologist, xenotechnologist
• Hali'r'a Plim, B.Sc. (Hons) - archaeologist
• Vax Kent, B.Sc., M.Sc. - archaeologist
• Borys, Bluetooth, Sky Light, Trace - technicians, mechanics, general labourers, security

'You're welcome to hang around here until we can get a look at your ship.'

'...And I'm sure a keen student such yourself would enjoy experiencing real archaeology in action, the process of excavation, discovery, and analysis. Seeing as you're unfortunately marooned here for the foreseeable, you might find it rewarding to help out, get your hands dirty – or chilly, rather.'


OOC: Sorry for the wait, I was busy and ill. I jumped us forward to get on with things.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 06:44, Tue 13 Oct 2015.

Farren had been busying himself here and there following touchdown on the rogue planet and had not been all that eager to step outside to face the harsh chill of the environment.  However, he had been about to "gear up" to step outside when low and behold 2 complete strangers were brought inside.  They appeared to be "human" (or at least human-like) but Farren knew that the humanoid form was one of the most common encountered in the galaxy and there was no telling what species these two beings might actually be (assuming they were not using some sort of disguise to merely appear human).  Their story seemed somewhat implausible considering the circumstances.  Perhaps if this had been a "stable" world in a normal solar system that had regular space traffic, a "crash landing" could be accepted more readily but what were the odds of another ship just happening to land upon a rogue world at the same time as Professor Ortega's expedition.  The probability that this was all simply "coincidence" was likely not very high and Farren did not need a computer to calculate that.

Farren stepped forward and offered his hand for a polite handshake when Professor Ortega introduced him to the pair.  Other than a typical nonchalant "hello", Farren did not have much to say to the pair at the moment.  Instead, he was more interested in studying the pair, looking for any signs of equipment or technology or clothing or symbols that might indicate who they really were and, more importantly, where they really came from.  But Farren was careful not be too intrusive in his observations as he did not wish to make the pair feel uncomfortable or unwelcomed.

Tarys does her best to fade out of the limelight as the confrontational aspect dies down, both because Axander is meant to be her employer in the little scenario they've concocted, and because this gives her a better opportunity to observe, and see who is observing them in turn.  She notes Farren and Trace, both giving her the same resonant twinge from her retrocognitive memory as the first pair did.

She hopes none of them take undue notice of this.  There was a knack to using foreknowledge to one's advantage, one that you learned quickly when you dove into the Time War, and part of that was learning to navigate around predestination loops and Blinovitch eddies.  And this time and place could well have a weight to them all their own, and one of which she had seen nothing.

Axander's attitude shifted quickly from aloof to enthusiastic once Professor Ortega seemed to accept that the pair weren't there to steal his work. He happily met with and introduced himself and Tarys to the rest of the crew, shaking hands and looking quite pleased.

"This planet is absolutely fascinating, I had never thought it possible for an ejected world to end up caught in another star's orbit so smoothly. The odds are certainly not in favor of this kind of event. I'd be quite happy to help in any way I can, Professor. I'm more a historical sociologist than archaeologist, but I've dabbled a bit here and there into the physical remains of history. Where do we begin?"

'Excellent! I'm sure you'll be quite useful to me around here.' Ortega said, equally parts pleased to have a different kind of expert on board and relieved that Axander wasn't going to poach his research. 'You'll probably want to speak with Mr Farren here, our xenoanthropologist. He comes highly recommended by Professor Orla Hadmani of the London University of History and Antiquity. He's also a sociologist.' And any conflict there was not his concern.

'Now, our first task will be to analyse the results of Mr Kent's scans, looking for locations of interest, significant structures, and anomalies. Then I will select suitable sites for digging trenches – or, ah, tunnels, in our case.'

Vax Kent had entered the tent during the lecture, having parked the buggy outside. He and Hali had been busy downloading and processing the data collected in the ice-penetrating radar scans. But now, as if on the professor's cue, they got their computer projecting an impressive 3D display, hanging in the air in the centre of the tent. It was hazy, low-resolution, and pixellated, but the blocky grey shapes were clear enough: stepped pyramidal structures, grand spires, curving walkways, clearly an extensive settlement. The complete ghost of a city hung in the air before them. 'Aha! Excellent! Well done! Now, let me look.' Ortega reached a hand into the image. With common, 3D touch-display gestures, he could rotated or expand the projection as he desired. No one else got to have a go yet.

But, looking down, Vax seemed to realise something and broke off for a moment. Working quietly, he found a mop (just the thing for moving snow and slush, it had transpired), warmed it at the hearer, and then swept away a section of the floor within the tent. Soon, he had the area clean and polished, and crystal clear. 'Have a look.' Looking down, they could see the buildings themselves, wavering and distorted and emerging from shadow. Spires and ziggurats of dark stone spread out before them in all directions, showing a whole city entombed in the ice.


OOC: Roll Awareness + Knowledge/Science/Technology checks, as you like, plus any relevant bonuses, to make findings from the data. Difficulty is 15, with more facts with higher rolls. If you have gadgets with the Scan trait, feel free to use them as well.

Trace wanders over to Vax and looks down to where the man is indicating. He whistles, impressed by the frozen city below. "Okay, I guess that pretty much confirms we found something." The boy says with a grin. Stepping back, he pushes up the sleeve on his jacket and consults the screen on his gauntlet, scanning the city below.

____
15:16, Thu 13 Aug 2015: Trace rolled 15 using 2d6+6 ((3,6)).
Awareness (2) + Tech (4) + 2d6 (9) = 15, 17 with the bonus from the scanner gauntlet

Tarys crouches down by the edge of the cleared space to study the city, making sure that she isn't obstructing anyone with more clear call to be doing so.  She takes in the sweep of the architecture, the look of the materials, and perhaps even the echoes of history laying upon it, trying to pick out any identifying details.

(Her fingers twitch.  She imagines that the Possible Knife might be able to tell her more about the layers of deep time that rest upon this place, but waving a dagger like a madwoman is perhaps not the best way to hide within her assumed role.  She clasps her hands in front of her to still the urge to unsheathe it.)

She remembers the captain's explanation that this world is a rogue planet.  Planets have been made to go missing before, when they proved inconvenient to the great powers, and she wonders whether this might not have been the case here.

Technically a Gadget with Scan, but dowsing with bared steel can wait. :)

Tarys rolled 17 using 2d6+9 with rolls of 2,6. Checking out the city: Awareness(4) + Knowledge(3) + AoE (Ancient Civilizations)(2)

Fascinated by Kent's three dimensional scan of the buried city, Axander was late to notice the view below. Everyone else was already staring and studying by the time he looked down, and was immediately awed.

"My word..." The others appeared to be examining and studying and using their various skills, and the young man realized it was time for him to be useful as well. His messenger bag was under the warm coat he'd worn, and he reached into one of the pockets to draw out a little black computer. More of a book, really. It unfolded and he pushed a few buttons, muttering to himself. Or to it, hard to say.

"Ah, hm. Categorized list of rogue planets, filtered by known habitation..." Being Axander, he was more looking up stories of such places and worlds, and narrowing down from there. This was the sort of event that led to myths and legends, and he felt sure to find something of note.

[21:40, Today: Axander rolled 19 using 2d6+9 with rolls of 6,4. Awa+Know(Lit)+Scan.]

Farren's curiosity was piqued sufficiently that he was willing to divert his attention from the two recently arrived strangers to focus on the incoming data and attempt to analyze the discoveries being made.  Farren tried assessing the information from various perspectives, initially having some difficulty finding the right discipline to apply to gain the best insight into its meaning.

The Ice Warrior gleamed. This was -science-. Not biology perhaps; but science all the same. He examined the information gathering, his keen analytical mind already going over possibilities.

01:31, Today: Stirix rolled 16 using 2d6+7 with rolls of 6,3. Awareness (3) + Science (4).

Rhawn hadn't really been given a chance to use his technological savvy yet. After all, he didn't look like a scientist, now, did he?

Repairing a toaster, even if it was a 41st century toaster, didn't really count.

But, as the others were absorbed in the observation of the image and tried to extract some significant data from it, he also did the same.

04:31, Sun 16 Aug 2015: Bluetooth rolled 14 using 2d6+5 with rolls of 5,4... Awareness (2) + Technology (3).

As fascinating as the image was, he was more concerned about the possible nature of anything that may have actually survived encased in the ice. All it really took was energy. Who knew what source of energy these people had used.

Everyone closely studied what they saw...

[5 blank lines suppressed]

OOC: Some of your findings overlap, but I picked them at random, skewed to what you did and rolled where possible.

"Huh", Trace said, "that's weird." He tapped and swiped at the air above his gauntlet, manipulating the image projected onto the smart contacts he was wearing. Confused over what the scanner was telling him, be rebooted the device and scanned the cityscape again. The same results.

"It's ... like," he said haltingly, unsure as to what he was actually seeing. "Its like the whole city is moving away from us really quickly. Without actually going anywhere of course. The scanners are automagically compensating for a degree of redshift. Which I think that's what it means."

Trace thought about it for a second. "The only other thing I know off that can cause a redshift other than objects moving away is like if something is right on the event horizon of a black hole or something. The object is still moving away, but the time dilation caused by the gravity is so big that it appears to be standing still just getting redder and redder. Saw it happen once, looked really weird."

PM

Axander slowly nodded as he read the electronic book's output, mumbling to himself as he continued typing in more information to refine his search.

"Naturally. Tales of rogue planets are rare enough, and most all of them are horror stories. Only a handful of storytellers in a handful of cultures ever considered writing stories of heavenly delight and paradise on these worlds. Shame, would've been nice to have something friendly to look forward...to...? What is that?" Something below had caught his eye, and the young man adjusted his glasses and knelt down to get a better look. A few more button presses and he waved the book in the city's direction.

"The doors. Most of them are small and round, and don't match the size of the buildings. Clearly the dominant species on this world would have used them, but over there you can see doors meant for galli-- er...humanoid inhabitants. There were two sentient species living on this planet." He glanced over at Trace and tried to add the boy's discovery to his own in his head.

"Curiouser and curiouser." The city seemed like a good place to check with the temporal trace locator, but it would be hard to explain away to the others. Axander stood and backed away from the crowded view, closing his book.

Farren nodded his head in agreement as Trace pointed out the mysterious red shifting that Farren had also noticed.  Then Farren pointed to an area at the outer edge of the scan as he said, "Trace, what do you make of this rather large "blank area" at the edge of the scan?  Upon closer examination, it appears to be the sides of some kind of circular pit, like a deep well or mine shaft.

Everything just sort of drops out of sight, apparently going straight down past the limits of the scan.  If that is some kind of mine shaft, it would have to be exceedingly, almost unimaginably, deep.

But... you mentioned that this kind of redshift is typically linked to the event horizon of a singularity?  However, if there was a black hole close enough to be causing this level of redshift distortion, would not its extreme gravitational field have been noted during our approach of the rogue planet?"

Farren glanced over at Axander, noting that the young man seemed to catch himself and correct himself to say humanoid.  Hmm... so what or who are "galli" or "galli-er"?

Farren asked, "Did you notice any potential clues that might indicate if one set of doors was older than the other?  While it is possible that two different types of sentient species may have existed on this planet, there is the possibility that they did not co-exist at the same time.

Perhaps a later species originated after or even evolved from the former?  Or perhaps one species died out, maybe after the planet was knocked out of its system orbit and went rogue, and a different species visited the planet later, making the most of the facilities already constructed & established?"

Stirix paused, then murmured, pointing out a hand towards the hologram, as he hissed.

"A shaft. Intensely deep - so deep it goes beyond the areas of the scan. That's deep - an underground area might be able to be investigated if it goes -that- deep."

For the most part, Bluetooth just kept in the background and listened while the others discussed things waaaaaay over his head. However, at the mention of round openings, it made him think of something specific.

"Round openings always remind me of spaceships," he offered. "Could these round openings be hatches on a spaceship? It's a function of technology, not necessarily a function of biology."

Tarys keeps silent as the others all float their observations and theories.  She is reluctant to speak up and offer her insights, lest she give away her assumed role before she's ready.

But she steps closer to Trace and Farren as they discuss the red shift.  "You make a good point about the gravity -- it seems like most of the conventional causes of that kid of effect are ruled out by the circumstances," she says. "Is there any sort of unconventional cause that you can think of?"

Trace shrugged. "I'm no astro-whatsit. I don't know if there's anything else that could cause a shift like that." Except maybe a time-dilation field, he thought. But he probably should mention something like that. As far as he could remember, the dominant human culture of this era had no knowledge or experience with such technology.

"But you're right. We'd have detected anything like a black hole before now. I guess we really need to get down there now." He added with a curious and excited grin.

As the others put forward their observations and discussed their findings, the three archaeologists conferred amongst themselves, with Ortega conveniently coming to all the same conclusions. Well, it was nice to have professional confirmation. The professor smiled condescendingly to the less-qualified and said 'Very good analysis, we'll make archaeologists of you yet! Of course, we'll verify things ourselves in the excavations.' He seemed really very pleased with himself to have found his lost city.

'Borys, if all is ready, please engage the thermal bore. We'll melt down past the ice crust to form our initial trench, then use plasma torches to cut through to specific parts of the city.'

'Alright, stay away from the engines, else you're barbecue.' The captain exited the tent and returned to the ship.


OOC: Before we go on to the next phase, please go ahead with any conversation, investigation, or whatever you have in mind.

Farren looked from Trace to Tarys as the question of "unconventional answers" hung in the air.  When Trace seemed unable to come up with any ideas, Farren glanced from Tarys to Axander as he said, "Can either of you think of an "unconventional cause" for the red shift effect observed, something other than the extreme gravitational effects of a singularity?

Perhaps whatever caused this surprising red shift effect might also be responsible for the trouble you both had with your own vessel?"

"Perhaps."  Tarys considers the question carefully.  "I should not claim anything more than a layman's understanding of the problem, of course.  But if you break the question down, all we really know is that we see a longer apparent wavelength.  If the wavelength is constant and the distance scale rules out some effect of relativity, the only remaining part of the equation would be a change in the rate of time."  She gives Farren a serious look.  "However that might be caused.  I would think that a closer investigation needs to be carried out very carefully."