He's fairly certain these are the emergency controls for this airlock. It should allow only one hatch to be open at a time, and the handles either release the hatches so they can be moved by hand, or employ some mechanism to open and close them. The gauges should measure atmospheric pressure in the lock, and inside the ship.

"Can we get in?" Veronica asks from just outside the airlock, where she has been waiting patiently.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:34, Wed 25 May 2016.

Brent considers Gareth's response as well as the time crunch. "Let's all do it then if you can make it work Gareth.  We'll try to pass through."  He called to the captain.  "Outer hatch is open and we're going to get through the airlock with the inner hatch now captain."

"Understood," the captain replies tersely.

Veronica moves into the airlock, scrunching in to make room for the others. Everyone can fit, but it will be close quarters.

"Yes, I believe that we can."

Gareth briefly explains what he believes the function of the panel to be. Once he has done so he will attempt to employ the controls to close the outer door.

With everyone crowded into the airlock, Gareth pulls on the right-hand handle, and the outer door closes. The only illumination now is from your headlamps.

Brent lets out the breath he was holding.  "One hatch down, one to go.  See what you can get with the other handle Gareth."

"Have you ever done this before, Sir?" Veronica's voice isn't quite steady over Brent's comm.

Brent swivels around his entire suit somewhat awkwardly in the confined space.  "I've not seen this particular model of ship but the emergency protocols are similar enough to what we use.    As to what is on the other side of the hatch; I'm not sure what to expect but it will likely be something none of us have ever seen."

Emboldened by his success Gareth will manipulate the controls and attempt to open the interior door. If the door opens he will shine a light in and observe what he can.

Following his earlier logic, Gareth moves the left handle, and nothing happens. He tries the right one again, and the outer door starts to open. He quickly returns the right handle to its stowed position, and the outer door closes. Once more, he moves the left handle, and the inner door opens smoothly.

The team swivels as one to look at the interior beyond the airlock. Beyond the doorway, there is a bulkhead to your immediate left, with a pressure door about three meters away. The far bulkhead, about eight meters away, is curved, apparently matching the ship's outer hull. the compartment is about four meters wide, and there is a hallway leading forward, directly across from the pressure door.

A small table with chairs around it, and a sofa are arranged in this space, and there are cabinets lining the forward bulkhead. The deck appears to be covered with a cloth-like or carpeted material, as is the overhead.

"Oh, my!" Veronica gasps as her light illuminates the area. On the sofa lies a sprawled figure, legs stretched toward the airlock, and head slumped over to the side. Your helmet lights lend a garish cast over the scene, and you can all clearly see the figure's long dark hair hanging toward the deck. The person's skin is desiccated and dark, drawn tightly over the bones. A tattered coverall and boots still adorn the body.

Another figure lies prone on the deck, facing away from the airlock. They wear matching clothing, but that is all that can be seen from this vantage point. Your monitors beep softly, indicating that there is breathable atmosphere here, but it is at about a third of normal pressure.

Brent steps forward into the space and stops suddenly as he sees the dead.  He noted the presence of atmosphere as well as the fact that the bodies indicated that they had been dead for quite some time.  "Keep the helmets on for now in case there is some plague.  Check the bodies first."  He moved further forward and knelt to examine the body on the couch.

Brent's light falls on the figure's face. It - she, he can see enough of her features now, appears to have been asleep. As he checks further, he notes a small hole in her light blue jumpsuit, right over her heart. Her jumpsuit has several tears in it, like the fabric was stretched and torn along the woman's limbs. The torso and abdomen area is undamaged.

Her skin was darker than his own, and is darker still from the effects of decomposition and mummification. Other than the hole, he sees no sign of injury or illness on her person.

Brent turns back and faces the others.  "It looks like she may have been shot.  Her jump suit is torn and ripped and there is a hole over her heart."

Gareth decides to investigate the other body. He will attempt to determine the cause of death. He will also search for any equipment or possessions.

Ooc: will make skill check in die roller for examining the body.

The man, Gareth sees, is lying face-down with his head turned to the left. Oddly enough, his feet are crossed, one over the other, but he is stretched out full length on the floor. An autoloading pistol of a type Gareth has never seen before lies near the man's right hand. His left arm is nearly pinned under his side, with the hand barely showing.

A jagged wound about the size of the man's ear is evident in the left temple area. Bone fragments gleam in Gareth's headlamp, and there are some unidentifiable tissue fragments visible inside the skull.

When Gareth tugs at the man's shipsuit, the fabric tears easily. The suit exhibits rips along the man's limbs, just like the woman's suit. There is nothing in the pockets Gareth can reach.

Malcolm reaches around and I holsters his pistol.

"Hear that? The scratchy noise coming from the overhead."

Malcolm checks the overhead to see if there are access panels. If he finds one in the area of the noise, he makes sure he has adequate light, and tries to acces the area to investigate, with command permission of course.

"Where?" Veronica looks around the compartment, focusing on the overhead. The interior of this ship is somewhat different than the others you've seen. There is definitely an up and down orientation, without the hand holds and locks on everything to keep it from coming adrift.

Also, everyone notices that down is definitely *down*. Your feet are planted solidly on the deck, although you tend to bounce upwards with each step.

Malcolm sees that the only openings in the overhead are a trio of air vents, which are covered with grills. They appear to be intact.

Gareth will pocket the pistol or secure it on his person if possible. He will attempt to determine how to use the weapon.

ooc:21:24, Today: Hoot rolled 12 using 3d6 ((3,5,4)).

"Something strange happened here. I need more information, Veronica go explore the immediate area and report back. Thats an order."

As best he can tell, it's a regular auto loading pistol. It's hard to handle with his gloves on, since it's a compact model. Also, he has no idea if the thing has a safety or not. It's usually bad form to place a loaded handgun in anything but the holster designed for it.



"Aye, Sir," Veronica says. She moves into the small hallway, and up to the forward hatch. She grips the hatch door and tugs experimentally. The hatch slides open. "Looks like the flight bridge, here. Everything's dead, though."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:45, Wed 01 June 2016.

Brent starts at the mention of something moving in the overhead.  "Something cut or ripped at the uniforms.  Stay close and keep the vents above us covered.  I'm worried there was something that attacked this crew."  He readies his own pistol.

"The noise has faded. If something was in the air vents, it has moved to another part of this ship. Stay frosty Veronica."

Malcolm pulls out his combat knife for close encounters. speaks with Veronica on the flight bridge.

"Veronica, can you determine the state of the flight deck equipment? We might be able to find the flight records and figure out what happen to the crew."

Malcolm moves to an area where he can still cover the air vents and a full view of the room  but also see veronica location. Malcolm tries to determine, through Observation, what might have happened between the two. His first thought is he killed her and then himself.

"Can any of you determine how long they have been here based on decomposition? We need to find those flight records."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:09, Wed 01 June 2016.

"It appears to be intact, but it is offline. I don't see any manual controls."



There is a small galley unit located next to the airlock. Both doors on the forward bulkheads are closed. They appear to be ordinary sliding doors instead of pressure doors.

The woman indeed has a single hole consistent with a gunshot wound directly over her heart. Malcolm sees no sign of powder burning, and there are no obvious injuries or defensive wounds immediately visible. The man's only visible injury is the jagged hole in his head. There is no sign of any other tissue or bone fragments. Malcolm does spot a mark on the rear bulkhead just behind the couch - an area of the wall covering has been forcibly removed, revealing the metal underneath.

"I'm no doctor but with bone fragments jolting out of the mans skull it looks like an exit wound, as if something might have ripped its way out. If there is an exit wound on her back and a hole in the couch, we might be able to determine if the woman was killed here or placed here after being shot."

Malcolm tried to determine if there is a way supply power to the flight deck and doors.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:10, Wed 01 June 2016.

So far, Malcolm has seen no indication of active systems aboard the ship, aside from the distress signal. There is still that heat source somewhere aft...

knowing certain crew members are more valuable than others Gareth decides to send Veronica further in before advancing himself. Gareth radios to Veronica.

"Veronica, there is a heat source in the aft section of the ship. I need you to go take a look."