You wake up the next morning and prepare to go to the lab with your new IDs.

Watching the vids, you see a disturbing news report:

"Today's shock news bulletin is that in the wake of the riot in Jedsis, Vist'Lat has sacked all of its Human workforce. Humans living in VL company houses have been forcibly evicted by RIK per-sonnel, and in some areas of Jedsis, street-fighting has again erupted. Attempts by the Commercial Council to reinstate the workers have been rejected by VL, who claim that they are a danger to the starport."

You can expect that there may be further danger and riots in Jedsis.

Turning away from the news report, Bartja looks over his gear one last time.

"looks like more trouble. Think they're letting humans and Yazirians into this lab today or are we going to be denied?

Something doesn't make sense here. Why would a trade house want to fuel the unrest?  What are their major sources of income?  Follow the money!"

If there is time, Bartja logs onto the Web to do a bit of research on todays headlines.

Anyone else doing anything before taking off?
This message was last updated by the GM at 19:28, Thu 14 Feb 2013.

"The only thing I can come up with is that we have a small window of opportunity to do this job.  We have to deal with the new circumstances and get it done.  We also need to prepare for resistance outside from rioters because we're a mixed group."

QUESTS:
Just a reminder of what you are currently doing--the rest of the potential quests and things to do are in the Quests thread:

THESE ARE FROM 'THE BLACKNESS' ONGOING CAMPAIGN GOALS:

1) Take the datastick (found in Bugs in the System) to someone who can decode and unlock the message found in the Matrix's Hole Between Worlds.

2) Prevent the Qantariate invasion (2 cycles until invasion) (Qantariate are extra-dimensional aliens)

4) Optional: Learn more about the Synth (the Qantariate slinter group that opposes the invasion and will help you)

6) Take the artifact (i.e., datasphere) to Tariel Nuna on Kraatar.  She knows about the Shadows of Rakon and can help figure out what it is.

7) Discover how the Sathar are involved in the Qantariate invasion.


You are currently going to visit Tariel Nuna and have the IDs to get to her lab in the Kipur District.

GOALS IN THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON CAMPAIGN:

This is part of the current adventure:

In exchange for a dart pistol and dart rifle (collapsible), and for IDs, get Ejidali the syringe and vial in Lab 148 in the research labs, marked as "V180984" (and pay 1000 credits).  (This is in the lab area where Tariel Nuna works.)

You pack up your stuff for the day's trip and head out to Kipur.  Your IDs work perfectly, and you find yourself at the front desk to the Lab Corp. offices at about 10:00 a.m.

"How can I help you?" the Vrusk receptionist asks.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:51, Fri 15 Feb 2013.

Hammer says, "We're here to see Tariel Nuna.  We've got an object of very important scientific importance that I believe she will be very excited to see and look into." Not sure where the sphere is at exactly, but whatever bag holds it he will tap affectionately with his robot hands.

Desiraye folds her hands behind her back in a professional manner and lets her Vrusk companions address the receptionist.

"If you could direct our metallic compatriot, it would be most helpful. Apparently I wiped the location from his memory during the last bit of maintenance, but it doesn't leak anymore... much."

Kri'lik barely contained a laugh at S'Krllk's remark."Yes Lab 146 I believe."

Bartja felt addled today, one of the side effects from the permanent brain damage he would never fully recover from, despite his shiny-new half-skull.  He listened in silence but frowned slightly as it all suddenly came together in his mind.

"Damn, I'm still slow at times!" he commented quietly to himself as he put the pieces of the puzzle together (finally)!  He waited to be directed to Lab 146 with a new bounce in his step as things began to fall into place.

The receptionist has you wait while she makes a call on her headset.  Then she turns back to you.  "Ms. Nuna asks what is this regarding and which company do you represent."

OOC: This would be a place where a special skill can be used to make a die roll as to reactions.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:49, Wed 20 Feb 2013.

"We are am independent group and have something she will be VERY interested in."

Psycho-social Level 3
Empathy - 40%
Persuasion - 40%

OOC: This will hopefully also jog your memory.

Kri'lik is handed the phone and he explains the situation.  (Persuasion check successful.)

"There was an e-mail from Kyrian to Kyrtok," he says.  "It described an artifact that is now in our possession and instructed us to find Tariel Nuna on Kraatar. It says that she -- you, I presume -- know about the Shadows of Rakon and are best suited to figure out what it all means.  It also suggests that we get Dr. Legrange involved."

At the mention of LeGrange's name, she tells you to stop right there and has the receptionist buzz you in and send you to Conference Room 1040C.

You go up to the 10th floor, where a human woman is there alone.  "Please show me this e-mail you mentioned," she says without introduction or other acknowledgment.

You hand her a copy of the e-mail, which stated:

"Kyrtok,
 Have experimented with the machine.  No ill effects from experimenting with the buttons, but still no results.  Get Kyrillian to analyze color sequences.  We must get it to work.

My contact sent me a strange file with pictures of different suns.  He says he cannot tell me more.  Something about how their minds are connected and they will know if he reveals more.

I am nervous because I was told the body count and number of deaths in preventing this invasion is inconsequential.  Could that mean us as well?

I am told that getting the machine to work will bring a datapad or artifact to us that will allow us to decode the alien messages received on Moneyspider through the Matrix Hole Between Worlds.  The Qantariate discovered our universe because of the Matrix.  I think it should be destroyed but the Synths believe it is critical to our success in preventing an invasion that will destroy our universe more surely than an antimatter annihilation.

The artifact can be taken to Tariel Nuna on Kraatar, who knows about the Shadows of Rakon and is best suited to figure out what it means.  We should also get Dr. Legrange involved.  He's brilliant.

I have decoded the "cycles" listed by the aliens.  Each cycle is the equivalent of 1 month.  This means we have less than 2 cycles left before the invasion!  I'm in a panic.  The worm creatures are involved too.  How, I don't know, but somehow."

She sits down upon reading the e-mail, is silent for a moment, and then hands it back to you, pointing at chairs for you to sit down while she makes sure the door is closed.

"You have the artifact?" she says, still a bit aloof.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:23, Wed 20 Feb 2013.

Hammer says, "Yes, but can you tell us what is going on?  Do you know what this email means?"

Kri'lik nods as Hammer speaks but then asks his mechanical friend to show the woman the sphere.

Desiraye moves over to where Kri'lik and S'Krllk are resting and stands next to them while they wait.

Bartja takes a seat and opens his toolkit to look for the artifact.  "Who brought it?  I think I didn't" he says as he rummages through his wares.

Tariel Nuna says, "First, can you tell me why you have IDs from former lab assistants who died after the riots last week?"

Before you can answer, a woman walks in and hands her a note, then promptly leaves.

Tariel says, looking down at the note and then up at you, "So let's see.  We have Bartja, Desiraye, Hammer, Kri'lik, and S'Krllk here.  I did a facial recognition scan on you in the elevator.  Lucky for you, those names cleared my database."

She sets down the note.  "You risked a lot to bring this information to me.  You also survived the Qantariate invasion of the Pegasus and the Matrix infestation of the Jetsom station.  So you know a lot."

She says, "I was part of the Matrix project before it got out of control.  We've known about the Qantariate invasion for the better part of a year.  It came through secure Sathar communications that we decoded.  Unfortunately, we have no way to stop it.  This 'artifact' should give us some clues, and perhaps help us take the fight to them, but we don't know much right now.  However, we do have a research factility here that can more fully examine the artifact."

She then tells you a little more about herself and how this came to be:

"I previously conducted scientific espionage for government groups, including the UPF, ByChem Corporation, VoidCorp, and a couple others.  While on a ByChem vessel, our sensors detected unusual energy emanating from a cloud of space debris.  Within the cloud, we discovered a small device totally intact.  The rest of the debris we identified as belonging to a Sathar vessel.  We don't know how it was destroyed.  The device we found was a storage device containing fragments of knowledge from an unknown alien culture.  Over time, we realized this alien race was an extradimensional race.  We set a course back home to start studying what we found.

"What we found uncovered that the Sathar are working with the Qantariate to take over the known galaxy.  This conformed to decoded messages from the Sathar we later found.  We started building an archive and a defense.  The Matrix project was a line of defense we hoped would work -- insert a virus like organism into their dimension and let it take them out.  It was a top secret military project in conjunction with ByChem.  As you know, that did not work.

"Other parts of the device contained technical schematics, but we did not know for what.  We could only conjecture that the Sathar were receiving technological advancements from the Qantariate. You've obviously now met the Kyriadorians -- or Kyrns -- an amicable race."

OOC: You remember that the Kyrns are about 4 feet tall and have squid-like faces and heads, with tentacles that squirm and move as they speak.  They were wearing ByChem uniforms on the Pegasus station.  Their bodies, though slightly slimy looking, are humanoid.  They make some of the best researchers and scientists but are very rare in number.  In human atmosphere, they wear a thin breathing apparatus and listen through tiny polyvox translators.

"The plan was for the Kyrns to keep researching on the Pegasus, and for me to meet with Dr. LeGrange here on Kraatar where we have some good research facilities.  I knew Dr. LeGrange from the institute many years ago, and despite his political leanings, I knew he could be invaluable to our research.  Now he is dead without even getting the chance to hear about us.  And the Pegasus is destroyed, along with the Kyrns who were helping us.

"And that device you recovered?  That's the device we found in the cloud, our only possible connection between our dimensions and the Qantariate's.  It is indestructible, as far as we know, at least in our dimensions.

"Our only friends from the Qantariate side are the Shadows of Rakon rebels who oppose the war.  I hope that I can connect the artifact here and get it working enough to communicate with the Rakon group to see what we can do."

She takes a deep breath, as if waiting a long time to get that off her shoulders.  "Our work here is top secret.  Even 99% of the researchers here have no idea what is going on.  You are in a group of perhaps 20 people on this planet who know anything about this, and we need to keep it that way, so keep your mouths shut."

OOC: I am not sure yet whether you decided to bring the device from quarantine or leave it there.  If you got it, you can produce it now from a bag. It does not matter from the game storyline perspective.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:51, Mon 25 Feb 2013.

Bartja relaxed noticeably.  It felt good to release the pent-up tension from trying to pull off sneaking around this lab.

"We made an underground contact who got us the ID's into the lab.  Now his credentials are in question as far as I'm concerned, but we owe him a return visit one way or another.  What he's after cannot be this important" he concludes, pulling the device from his toolkit bag.

"Perhaps you can help us return what he's after - or at least a reasonable facsimile - and then we'll know better how we got these ID badges.

Now you mentioned Legrange's political leanings.  Can you elaborate on those as well?  We're kind of sort of looking into his assassination also..."

As for this device - you believe it's a communication tool or a key to open a Dimensional portal?  What sort of Void or Hyperspace rift are we risking with this thing?"

She answers one at a time:

"Everyone knows LeGrange was politically charged against the oppression by the Vrusk on this planet.  Frankly, his assassination comes as no surprise to me.  But it is sad for science that he is dead.  His hatred for the Vrusk meant that the ends will justify the means.  Any means.  It was about 30 years ago that Legrange and David Dever founded the Kraatar Liberation Corps (KLC).  That's a secret organization dedicated to freeing Kraatar from Vrusk domination by 'direct action,' including bomb attacks and sabotage directed against the Vrusk.

"Jack LeGrange was already famous in business and scientific circles as the head of the highly profitable limb and organ regeneration company Trojan Enterprises on Timeon.  Before his assassination, he recently shot to galaxy-wide prominence as the winner of the coveted Fulbourn-McCoy Prize for medical re-search, and he founded the High Peaks Sanatorium here on Kraatar. Born on Kraatar, but exiled for KLC activities, he has long spoken out for the removal of 'Vrusk interference' from his home planet, and made an impassioned speech to this effect during the prize-giving ceremony."


"As for your ID badges, no one knows about the death of those lab assistants...that I know of.  Could be an innocent mistake, I guess.  But very circumstantial, it seems."

"As for the device, it is safe, as far as we know.  It is what we were using to communicate with the Shadow Rakon in their dimension, and to receive messages back from them.  It is not the portal used by the Qantariate.  As you've seen, they just open up portals in places wherever they choose.  We don't know how that works.  No, we think this device was placed here by the Shadow Rakon to help us help them.  For our benefit, if you will.  Actually, let me take that back.  It was given to the Sathar to help them, but now that we have it, the Shadow Rakon is using it for us to help them.  We don't know much about what is on the other side of the device, but we assume the Sathar have more of these devices to help coordinate the galaxy-wide attack of the Sathar and Qantariate that is coming soon."
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:12, Tue 26 Feb 2013.

Desiraye chimes in at the question of the ID badges.  "We were told that we had limited time with the item, less than two months so, we knew that time was of the essence.  The person we were told to contact (Tariel) was supposedly out in the field for an extended period of time.  Due to the data we were able to figure out or have help figuring it out, it seemed worth the risk to get this to someone in here since known inhabited systems were all in jeopardy.

We don't have a problem with keeping our mouths quiet about this place and what you're doing.  There's a lot more going on outside this facility that seems to be taking up peoples time lately, including the person who made us the ID's.  As a matter of fact, this person who procured the cards for us to get in here was looking for something very specific in Research Lab #148 labeled as V180984.  Not sure if you know what or where that is but, that's what he was looking for in return of the identification he supplied us.  If you're willing to help us and if what this person is looking for is dangerous or very top secret, perhaps you can give us something the authorities can track or catch him in the act?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:20, Tue 26 Feb 2013.

Tariel laughs.  "Out in the field is what they often say about those working on covert operations.  If you have the artifact, I can take you to the lab where we will try to use it.  My lab assistants are already getting things prepared."

"Let's give it to her then so they can get started," Desi says with a smile as the artifact is handed over (from whoever had it and I'm sure it's not that big of a deal who at this point).

You give her the artifact/datasphere, and she looks at it, marvelling.



"Why don't we go to the lab?" she says, taking the artifact and standing.

Nuna says to Desiraye, "I don't work in that lab, so I can't really help you on what he's looking for.  Taking anything out of these labs, though, is likely to be considered theft, so I hope he has the credentials to ask you for something like that."

Hammer says, "My rusty joints are up for it. Let's go see that lab and see if this thing actually does anything."

Bartja stands.  "You'll excuse us while we visit the restroom then?" he asks slightly innocently.  He intends to locate the laboratory as intended and to retrieve the vial before leaving the building, but he doesn't want to alarm this new ally or cause her to get into any sort of trouble with the corporation.

He also wanted to revisit those corporations linked to Legrange, but that could wait until a good internet connection and database were available.

She says, "Sure, you must need some freshening up after your long travels.  Just meet me in Lab 162B when you are done.  And take this."  She slides a security pass across the table.  "It will temporarily give you access to the labs."

Bartja picks up the pass and winks as he stands.  He turns to the door and makes his way to Lab 148, being sure to act as though he belongs here.

You make it to the lab area, and the pass opens the door to the labs.  A sign above the double doors says "LABS 101 - 182."

The first thing you notice as you enter the hall is that there is a Vrusk and a human walking side-by-side away from you, caught in their discussion over a clipboard.  They do not see you, but you notice that, unlike them, you are not wearing labcoats.

On the left side of the hall are even numbered labs, starting with lab 102.  On the right side are the odd numbers, starting with lab 101.  The lab goes forward about 100 feet before teeing off to the right and left.

Desiraye begins to look around the nearest rooms for some kind of lab coat a cart or some kind of 'prop' that makes them look like they belong there.

The rooms all appear to be locked and need a keycard.  They do not have windows on them, although you see the following notices:

Room
103, 105, 107      DANGER: HIGH RADIATION
104, 106, 108      DANGER: ACTIVE VIRUS EXPERIMENTS
109, 111, 113      DANGEROUS ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION
110, 112, 114      DANGER: CHEMOTOXINS
115, 117, 119, 121 KEEP OUT: QUARANTINE
116, 118, 120      DANGER: TOXIC CHEMICALS AND IRRITANTS
122                EMPLOYEE LOUNGE

Bartja looks at his ID tag to see if it incorporates the Key Card required to open one of the doors, then motions towards the employee lounge.  He then notices that 101 and 102 are not labeled and deduces they may be janitorial closets or rooms where white coats might be found.  He sets out his toolkit and quickly gets to work on the lock system, hoping to get the door open before anyone else comes along.


00:08, Today: Bartja Nemuco rolled 71 using 1d100. Open Locks.

After a few tries, he shakes his head and puts away his tools.  Speaking quietly, he adds "I'll need more time if I didn't already set off an alarm.  We could try the lounge, but we're more likely to be recognized as impostors if anyone in there knew the original owners of these ID's."

Bartja is unable to pick the lock to the door.  However, swiping your ID card opens the door to rooms 101 and 102.

Room 101 carries supplies:  chemicals mainly, but also safety equipment like goggles, fire extinguishers, and a chemical wash shower.

Room 102 is a locker room.  It is currently empty and the lockers are closed.

Desiraye looks around the locker room to inspect what may be in there.  Mainly, she wants to see if there is ay of the lockers that are open and not locked and to se if there are any lab coats/jackets that will fit the party, with the exception of Hammer who may wind up being the stunt dummy 'emergency' or 'janitor bot'.  "If we don't find what we're looking for in these two rooms, we're gong to have to hit the lounge!  Did anyone see a listing of the room we need to get into or am I blind?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:24, Mon 04 Mar 2013.

The personal lockers are locked with an electronic swipe lock.  However, you find a large locker with generic labcoats that are apparently for visitors or use when other coats get dirty.  There are 12 of them in the locker.

Desiraye shakes her head in approval and then begins to hand out the lab coats to the others simply smiling and saying, "Doctor."

"doctor" Bartja replies grinning as he takes the cost and puts it on.  "room 148 if memory serves. I hope someone wore down the vial number?"

"V180984"

Hammer decides to pretend he is a normal robot since mechanons are probably not known on this planet.  SO he skips the labcoat and works on his skills at moving and talking more like a non-sentient robot.

"Do you think we should crack open a couple of the lockers for ID's or passes while we're here?"  Desiraye looks for a little larger lab coat so her concealed weapons aren't apparent or so easily seen.

Bartja shakes his head and closes the locker. "I doubt anything has been left here. In a facility with this level of security, you get fired for not wearing your ID at all times. We should do this quick and get back before we're missed."

Doning a lab coat Kri'lik follows the others as they search for a way into their targeted lab. He also looks for a clipboard laying around in the closets if possible.

You proceed unaccosted as you go to lab #148, which is to the left after the T intersection.  As you get to the door for room 148, however, you hear some approaching conversation from behind you.

You have about 12 seconds until they round the corner.

11...10...

Bartja quickly swipes his ID card through the does security lock and holds his breath for a moment waiting for the door to unlock. "If this fails, keep walking down the talk nonchalantly as if we too belong here. " he whispers to his companions.

"ACCESS DENIED" reads a response on the small screen above the electronic lock.  The lock is attached to a small plastic case which could theoretically be broken into by someone with a high enough skill.

...9...8...7...

"Damned infernal security locks!" Bartja hisses as he sets down his toolkit and pulls out a multi-tool to work quickly on the lock.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
10:37, Today: Bartja Nemuco rolled 92 using 1d100. Open Locks (80).

---

The pressure is too much and he can't seem to even get the cover off before the approaching voices turn into the corridor.

Dropping the tool quickly into his toolkit, he stands and turns away from the intruders and begins walking down the hall.  Nonchalantly, he pretends to be finishing a joke with his friends, "....so then she says 'Uranus is one of the gas giants!".

He then thinks to look down the corridor to see if there is another turn ahead which they can use to escape or if they might be trapped in a dead-end hallway.

You see two humans and two Vrusk turn the corner, clad in labcoats. (Detect/suspicion roll failed.)

One of the humans looks down the hall and says, "I haven't seen you here before.  Who are you guys?"

Dropping the grin for a more serious attitude, Bartja squares up his shoulders and prepares for a confrontation.

"We don't work in this area normally.  Are you the technicians who were supposed to meet us a half-hour ago to bring us here?  You're late and we need to get back to our own lab, so let's get this transfer done with so we can all get back to the productive work!"

Bartja hoped the bluff worked and either they were going into 148 and would let them in, or they were not and would go back to their own work.

Desiraye looks up at the walls and the corners to see if there are any security cameras in the area.

Medicine and science was his primary profession and Kri'lik had had similar thoughts of bluffing when Bartja spoke out. The aged Vrusk quickly starts spouting out technical medical and science jargon that was both vague in detail and confusing while speaking in as rapid a manner he can.

Psycho-social Level 3
  Empathy   - 40%
  Persuasion- 40%

Trying overcome them with words to make them open our door for us.

After listening to Bartja and Kri'lik, the Vrusk says, "I know nothing about a 'transfer.'  If you're going into lab 148, you'll have to wait for them.  No one goes in there or has a key code except for a few.  You can use the phone in the lounge if you want to call someone."  He doesn't seem overly suspicious at this point.

Desiraye just stands there and tries to put on a pretty smile and says, "Thank you," softly as she pretends to scratch an itch near one of her holsters.

Bartja smiled and picked up his bag to head to "the lounge"....very very slowly.  He checks the location of the scientists until he is satisfied they've gone into their own work-space, then quickly returns to 148 to have a better look at that door lock...

After seeing them off to the lounge, Bartja works again on the lock, and again fails miserably.  (Roll of 95.)  Then Krlssk steps up and gives it a try.  He is able to override the lock and get it to open after a few minutes.  The area has been rather empty but as Kr'lssk opens the lock and the door to lab 148 slides open, the door to the lounge also opens.  Someone is leaving the lounge and will see you here is you don't quickly get in the open door of the lab.

It is dark inside the lab as you peer in.

Desiraye takes out her flashlight to illuminate the lab room and waves the others in quietly behind her.

Hammer also runs in, feeling along the side walls for a light switch.

Bartja slides in and steps to the side of the door in case the open lab door is noticed before it can be closed.  He notices suddenly that Hammer is looking for a light switch and tries to restrain him from turning on the lights until the door is closed.

Once they're safe, he whispers "We don't need light.  There may be cameras in here and if they're not infrared or thermal, we'll not be noticed.  We just need to find our vial and get our of here quickly."

He presses an ear to the door, trying to listen for footsteps receding down the hallway.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:16, Wed 13 Mar 2013.

The door closes and the footsteps recede. (Dice roll success.) You have apparently evaded notice.

It is dark in here, but Desiraye pulls out her flashlight.

Essentially, this is a 30' x 30' room lined with cabinets against each wall.  The cabinets have glass doors and are lined with vials.

Four countertop tables with shelves and barstools separate the room roughly like gills on a fish.  You cannot see below the level of the countertops, but on top of them, they have beakers, scales, rubber gloves, gas masks, and other equipment chemists would typically use.

The heavy scent of chemicals, similar to paint thinner, assault your nostrils.

In reply to GM Heath (msg # 59):

Desiraye shines the flashlight around on the cabinets where the glass vials are being held and then to the tables and she moves for a gas mask and some gloves on the tables.  She dons the mask and gloves while saying to the others, "Let's not waste any time but, I'm not taking any chances in here.  Who knows what the hell they're storing in this lab!  We know what we're looking for, so let's get it before something bad happens."

Bartja heartily agrees and looks under the counters for files or index cards that would indicate what each vial contains.  It's information that he's pretty sure is stored in here somewhere.  Information that most researchers would record as they perform their experiments or studies.

Once the files are located, he uses his bionic eye to take a snapshot for the record of what exactly they have been asked to procure.  This will be studied later...

"Look for something we can put this vial into for transport out of here so it doesn't break and make us grow appendages like a Dral."

As you look around, Bartja finds a file cabinet and begins paging through it.  The vials are all numbered, so you easily determine where the vial should be.

But as the flashlight rounds the corner of the final countertop, you stop dead in your tracks.  There is a dead human curled up on the ground.  You can't tell much about her in the darkness.

Then you hear a sound from something--or someone--inside the last countertop.  "Help!" comes a cry from within, and you see that the doors to the cabinet under the countertop have been barred shut with a ziptie.

Desiraye turns back to Bartja and quietly tries to relay the message of urgency.  "This just got more urgent.  We've got a D.B. and someone locked in a damn cabinet.  This is starting to go south real damn quick!"

Kri'lik uses the little light available and quickly moves to examine the dead human for clues on its death.

Bartja motions for Desi to hurry.  "Get the vial and I'll pull the file, then let's free the prisoner and find out what happened here.  No need for them to know why we really came in.

Turn on the lights!" he whispers quickly to Hammer as he thumbs through the files to get the right numbered folder which he slips inside his skeinsuit beneath the lab coat.

Waiting for the lights to come on first, Bartja pulls out a multi-tool and opens the knife, ready to cut the zip-tie once the room and their presence will appear legit.

Hammer again goes to the wall and looks for some sort of light switch.

Hammer finds the light switch.  Lights flood the room.  There is more banging from within the cabinet, though it is more of a dull thud than a knocking thud.

Bartja finds the folder and quickly begins taking pictures of it with his eye.

Kri'lik moves in to see the cause of death.  Some sort of gunshot wound to the back of the head seems to be the cause.

Trying to get the general idea of what the vial contains from the information he is photographing, Bartja looks briefly at the corpse and shakes his head.  "Do we want to risk being connected to this or shall we rescue the prisoner in the cabinet?" he whispers as he works.

"Whoever did this isn't long gone. We probably passed them in the hallway!"
This message was last edited by the player at 08:09, Tue 19 Mar 2013.

"We risk not being able to get the vial out and our asses in hot water.  We didn't do anything wrrong besides a  little B&E.  I'm not wearing a murder and false imprisonment charges.  You think we were set up?  I mean, what are the chances we have to go to a lab where there is one person dead and another tied up in a cabinet?  I don't like this at all!"

You hear more cries for help from inside the counter under the island.

Kri'lik realizes that this body has been dead for at least an hour.  The burn marks from the gunshot do not appear to be from a weapon normally used, and he can't place it exactly.

Bartja is realizing two things as he takes pictures of the documents.  First, these are in paper form, not electronic, meaning that they didn't want to chance the data escaping the lab through data transmission.  And two, though there appears to be some general information, someone has removed a large section of descriptive material, including the chemical compounds, structure, and molecular makeup of what is in the vial.

Hammer and Desiraye, in looking around, find that the place where the vials should be, there is nothing there.  Someone has apparently stolen them.  In fact, the whole shelf they were on has tilted over vials and is a big mess, as though they left in a hurry.  The vials are numbered, and it will take a few minutes to look through them to see if anyone left behind accidentally any of the vials you are looking for.

S'Krllk uses his bodycomp to scan the counter under the island, attempting to find the easiest, safest way to unlock it.

The safest way to unlock it is to cut the zipties keeping it closed.  :)

"That scumbag set us up!  The vial isn't here and I'm pretty sure we're here to take the fall.  We got to get the hell out of here and back down to Nuna and her lab or we might get her in trouble.  We get caught, we don't get the truth, and I want the truth from that low-life!

Get the person out of the cabinet and let's see if we can help somehow and try to make the best out of this messy situation."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:05, Wed 20 Mar 2013.

S'Krllk starts to snap off the zipties with his multitool, quietly murmuring, "What you bet they come out shooting."

Bartja stood by, ready to pounce if this captive came out with any ill intent. He want much with a rifle, but he could wrestle!

When you cut the zipties and open the cabinet, a blob-like form that has become cube-like from inside the cabinet falls out.  After a moment, you realize that it is a dralasite stuffed in too small of a container for his slug-like skin.  He begins stretching and moving out his limbs to take on his more normal shape.

A Dralasite in the form of a gelatinous cube oozes onto the lab floor with a dull thud, accompanied by a moan.  Its face is compressed on the top side of the cube, moist and slowly elongating, and it strains to see its rescuers.

Finally, Orvo speaks: "I think it safe to assume that since you released me, you're not on the same side as the creeps that forced me in there.  But all things considered with what I just went through, and poor Heumana losing her life, it wouldn't hurt to have a little assurance as to who you all are."

In reply to Orvo (msg # 78):

"We're certainly not here to hurt you, of that I can assure you.  Can you tell us about the creeps who did this to you and what they were after?  We um, could certainly use a little discretion here if you don't mind.  We would rather not be here when security arrives.  We are sorry for the loss of your friend, Huemana."

Hammer says, "My name is Hammer.  I'm a Mechanon, which is a living robot.  We were here to collect a vial to take with us, but someone appears to have stolen it.  Do you know anything about that?"

To Desiraye, "I appreciate your assurances and can tell you're one who speaks directly.  That's refreshing."  And marveling at the Mechanon, Orvo says, "I've read the holos on your people.  Amazing stuff.  Another time, better circumstances, I'd really like to talk.  The whole Volturnus thing..."

Orvo is more of a square with rounded corners now.  The Dralasite continues, "Since I'm not going anywhere for a few minutes, I'll fill you in on what I know.  I do routine psych screenings for big corps all over, with a focus on deep space ops and any intense work that requires extended periods of time in confined spaces.  Peeps go bonkers in the boonies.  So labs like this I get requests from regularly.  Yes, you can call me a shrink.  That kind of fits."

Orvo eyes the two Vrusks and thinks that in any other setting he would be falling over laughing.  How many jokes started with two Vrusks walk into a lab...but someone was killed here.  Someone who had come to him for help.

"OK.  So I'm settling in not too long ago and I get this communication from a lab worker named Heumana.  She's clearly unsettled by something (I figure it's the long hours) but thought it was odd she felt pressured to send a non-traceable link.  She had to tell me where to meet her.

"So I grab my empathy-test kit figuring this is a routine drill, crack a few jokes, look inside another fatigued mind that just needs some good old fashioned shut eye.  But she meets me outside this lab, talking frantically about this new compound that can be ingested and had weapon-application potential.  Something about quarantine?  Quaranatime?  Quar-something or other.  I don't remember - never heard it before.  She wanted to talk to me about the ethics of it.  That's when I knew she wasn't crazy.  I could sense Heumana was afraid for her life in approaching me about this.  Then the door to her lab slid open."

Orvo paused, apparently composing himself.

"We walk into the lab.  And there are at two Sathar - YES - Sathar, staring back at us, unarmed but with body comps.  And of all things, their side kick was this freakin' Dralasite, one of my own flesh and blood, in a surgical bunny suit, doing their bidding.  We stood frozen momentarily but a moment too long.  The Dralasite fired on Heumana and she went down with an awful crash across a lab table.  I could only watch her fall.

"And then the Dralasite turned to me but couldn't shoot.  I know they took something they were looking for even though I was in that damn sweat box.  I could hear them turning the lab inside out, and it sounded like they had files, or was it vials, before they finally left.

"That was maybe an hour or two ago.  I'll fill you in more when it comes back to me.  I can tell I'm still in a state of disbelief.
But listen I'm not that far frazzled to realize I've got no way off this thing.  No one's going to come for me.  And I owe you all one for rescuing me.  Do you need a hand in anyway?  I'm good with three fists and am pretty good at telling when someone's lying."

Bartja grins a toothy smile to Orvo.  "Sounds like the Sathar got to the lab before we did.  Good thing we heard your cries for help and had the fortune of finding a way in.  I've got a sick feeling I know how they got in...and out without being noticed.

I think the word you're looking for is Quantariate.  It's why we're here but we haven't figured out why or how the Sathar are involved, although now I would suggest its because there is a new weapon to be gained in some way.  That vial must have had the answers we're looking for - at least some of them...

What say we revisit our dark-market contact and see who was after that vial and why he wanted it?"

Hammer says, "Yes, but before we return, we should visit Nuna and complete our business here.  Should we just leave or should we report this officially to security?"

"I think we should just leave. My confidence in the efficiency of the local security agencies has reached a low point."
Even as he says this, S'Krllk is scanning the surrounding area for the tell-tale material disturbance normally left when the shadow things walk through walls.

"Normally, I would say we should leave here immediately and don't look back.  Under the circumstances, I think we need to check back with Nuna to complete that task first. 

In reply to S'Krllk (msg # 84):

Orvo nods to the Vrusk's comment about security.  "There's obviously a breech with someone in security. I've not had any dealings with them aside from arriving here, so I haven't had an opportunity to sense their trustworthiness."

Hammer says, "To Nuna, then, and then we go away from this accursed place."

Bartja nods in agreement.  "I like her anyway.  I think she can be trusted and she's our only help in trying to understand this stuff right now.  If she wants to double-cross us now, we're screwed anyway."

"And then we find Ejidali and have a nice little chat with him about our mission.  Plus he's got our photo's so who knows what else he's capable of doing with them.

I like Nuna too and I think we can trust her. If not, We have to find another way out of here."

In reply to Desiraye Lipost (msg # 89):
Orvo marvels at the integration in this group, listening to their plans.  They must have been through a lot together.  The Dralasite offers, "I think I can be of service if you permit me to join you in seeing this 'Nuna'.  I'm a decent reader of personalities.  I'm ok to detect a liar and definitely can get a strong empathic read in most instances."

Desiraye looked the Dralasite up and down before she spoke, "Maybe we can help each other or at least get the other the hell outta here.  You gotta weapon or something to use in case you need it?"

In reply to Desiraye Lipost (msg # 91):

"Just these beauties."  Orvo kisses the fist of each one its three limbs, now finally back into sweet sweet Dralasite form.  "I've got a pretty wicked punch times three." Orvo looks gleefully from one person to the next, then adds, "Oh, and if you've got a slingshot big enough, I can roll into a ball and make one hell of ballistic weapon."

Realizing its pack was stuffed in the base cab with it, Orvo goes back and shuffles through his things.  "Oh, and I've got some drugs...to get answers.  Telol, social de-inhibitors...usual shrink stuff.  I'm sure I could point a gun or toss a bomb if the need arose." 

"Cool!  Come with us then and help us explain what happened here.  We'd better get back to Nuna before something really bad happens to her too."

Bartja headed for the door, intent on getting to Nuna before any assailants within the complex could...

Desi smirks when she see's the Dralasite lift up his fist when asked if he had any weapons on his person.  "Tough," she says as she starts for the door and addresses Orvo one last time, You need to tell our friend that you saw Sathar in here too and what you were hired to do.  Let's get ready to move everyone!  Smooth is fast!"

Noticing that no one actually searched the cabinet with the missing vials, he stops to search through them to see if any got left.  "Just in case the Sathar are as dumb as I suspect," he says in a dry robotic voice.

Fallen back beneath many of the discarded vials, Hammer finds two vials marked as the type you are looking for.  The liquid inside is clear.

"Well done Hammer." Kri'lik remarks as he finds the vials, then motions for every ones departure.

Orvo falls in line and heads for the door, nodding at the clever Mechanon's find.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:31, Sat 30 Mar 2013.

You pocket the two vials and go out to meet Nuna.

She sees you in and says, nodding to Orvo, "Who's this?"

You see in this research lab numerous pieces of equipment of very advanced technologies.  In one of them, suspended in midair inside a glass-like box with various gauges and buttons around it, you see the artifact floating.  Laser lights continually rotate around the orb to examine and assess it.

Two other research assistants are here.  They are compiling and punching in data into computers as fast as it can come in from the device and seem oblivious to you.

In reply to GM Heath (msg # 99):

Desiraye steps up to address Nuna, "That is a new acquaintance we just met.  He has some very interesting information that may have to do with the research project we brought you."

"Thank you Desiraye."  Orvo walks closer to Nuna, comfortable distance that isn't too formal, and says, "Your friends here saved me from an incredibly slow and dull death inside a metal box.  That's no way for a Dralasite to go."

Orvo recomposes himself to be serious, there are troubles brewing.  To Nuna, "I was asked to secretly visit a lab and assess the ethics of some new compound..." Orvo nods to the Yazirian to give the name of it again..."It wasn't yet weapons grade, but had potential.  I'm sure I'm getting things wrong, but the point is, we walked into her lab together, and she was shot dead on the spot.  And there were Sathar there.  I saw two of them, scouring the place, ordering around [I'm ashamed to say] a fellow Dralasite who was the trigger finger for those worms."

"When this team found me, a couple of hours had passed.  Most of the 'secret compound' had been stolen."

Orvo's getting distracted by the shiny glowy thing in the glass cube.  He has to shake his head to stay on task.  Dralasites senses are hyper sensitive to stimuli, especially if it flashes.

Nuna says, "Thank you for reporting this.  Have you reported this to security yet?"  She seems very distraught by this news and she begins calling up security to have them investigate the other lab.

Bartja clears his throat, now wondering how much they should share with Nuna.  He guessed that it couldn't hurt too much since she already had the cube.

"We think the Quantariate broke into the lab by the look and sound of it.  They were after something in there.  We believe it was the very same vial of stuff we asked you about before.  If they got it, what are we facing?  What does that stuff do that we should know about?  It won't be long before they find out you have the device and they might be coming here for it soon, so there's no point leaving us in the dark on this."

He hoped his appeal would touch her sense of reason - or paranoia.

Nuna shrugs.  "I have no authority over that lab.  Someone else was working there.  That's a chemist's lab.  I wonder what the chemists know or have to do with the Qantariate."  She now looks even more distressed.

"We don't have a problem with you reporting it but, could you please leave us out of it?"

She is already talking to security over the phone, but she says to you, "Well, I'm assuming the security cameras caught you over there and you probably weren't wearing gloves, so there are fingerprints.  We had best make sure this is open for public inspection...if you are, in fact, innocent."  She says this last as though wondering why Desiraye would want to keep secrets.

Orvo listens intently, not just to the words spoken but the body language used, mostly by Nuna, but also Orvo's new team mates, to get a better sense of their respective relationships to Nuna.  Orvo uses his Empathy skill to check if Nuna is giving off any other vibe, aside from just concern or fear of punishment.  Is she hiding something?

OOC: 23:19, Today: Orvo rolled 15 using 2d10. empathy check on Nuna.  Perhaps I rolled that incorrectly?  I intended for it to be percentile...

Roll d100 for percentile.

She does not seem to be suspicious, just upset that a murder occurred in the lab under their noses, and that it was a Sathar...and that it has something to do with the Qantariate, which few people know about.

Desiraye reluctantly nods to Nuna about calling security but, she knows it's the right thing that should be done with a murder in the labs they don't need to get blamed for.  She motions with her head for the rest of the team to come over (including Orvo who she makes specific eye contact with) by her so that we can talk quietly amongst themselves.

"We all know that we didn't commit any murder here.  With that said, we need a cover story of why we're here.  Orvo, they hired you for a job correct?  Do you have a problem with saying we're working together and you missed a xheck-in and we came to look for you after we didn't contact us at a certain time?  Anyone else have any ideas?  The murder victim needs justice and I think I know where to start.  Floor's open for suggestions everyone."

Hammer says, "If they have video footage, shouldn't they have video of the Sathar?  I mean, how did they get in here anyway?"

"That's my fear, Mr. Hammer.  For me the question is: is security in on it, because why aren't they swarming the lab we just left?  Especially if they have footage of Sathar slithering on down through this place?  And if there isn't any footage, did these Sathar goons compromise security already, by either taking them out or buying them out to look the other way?"

"I can't help but feeling we're on our own here in that regard."

"Yes, Desiraye, I was hired to do some psychic evaluations on some of the technicians who've been logging longer stays - mostly vets in the company.  I was to receive names upon arrival.  Didn't happen.  And I'd have to find the name of the person who sent me the contract to get my original contact info.  It may have been forged, even by the woman who was murdered to get me here - this is all guess work.  But I will say we are working together and leave it at that for now, rather than spin a story that runs amok.  I'm good at detecting lies.  Not telling them.  Sorry if that disappoints."

Orvo taps a floppy grey foot on the ceramic steel flooring, like a flipper, all three arms crossed in contemplation...

"Do any of you know of anyone else who may need our help?  Perhaps our 'mission' at this point should be one of search and rescue?  Does this shiny cube thing need guarded?  Can we tap into the video archive from here if it's best to stay?"  Orvo shakes his head - so confusing.

Security arrives, but Nuna does not let them into the lab.  Instead, they take you each and interrogate you.  In the process, you find out that the security guard monitoring the monitors that monitored the lab (OOC: say that three times) had been killed, and in reviewing the footage, they did, in fact, find the Sathar entering the lab.  Orvo's story (and yours) checks out.  They do not press charges or seem suspicious.

The Sathar apparently appeared out of nowhere within the lab environment, and you are reminded of the Qantariate method of popping into this dimension through their "Blackness."  Somehow, the Sathar were able to teleport or otherwise move into the lab space, and then back out, using a technology you are not aware of yet, but almost certainly to do with the Qantariate.

This whole process takes about two hours, and you finally return to the lab and Nuna, who is working on deciphering the Sphere with her assitants.

"Come in," she says.  "We've had some time to get some results from the Orb already.  Are you ready for this?"

Tonelessly, S'Krllk says, "Only if it's going to try to kill us, we're used to that. Anything else would be a surprise."

Desiraye smiles at S'Kllk's comment and walks over to where Nuna is so she can view the information they have discovered.  "Orvo!  Are you interested in joining our team?  We, us four, have been through a lot together and you seem like you might have something to bring to our team here.  I don't think the others would mind?  What do you say?"

Orvo bows with two hands out and one over where its heart would be if it were any other species in this galaxy gone bonkers, says, "Why Desiraye, I'd be honored.  And my fists, and occasionally witty banter, are at your service.  Besides, who wouldn't want to hang out with a Vrusk." He winks at S'Kllk.  "Vrusks are all the rage on Dralasite worlds if you didn't know.  Oh, and human comedians, but that's old hat."

Orvo forgets this maybe isn't the best time for cracking wise, "OK, so what are these new findings?  And can someone clue me in on the old findings, like a very brief synopsis?"
This message was last edited by the player at 03:35, Sun 07 Apr 2013.

Bartja taps the artificial side of his skull for emphasis. "After this head injury, I'm not even sure I am who I remember being!

Okay Nuna, clue us in on your findings and let's see if any of the pieces start to fit."

He was still wondering about those vials that were taken from the lab and was half occupied with reading three test reports he had photographed back in the lab...

Desiraye stands by for the results of the Nuna's tests.

Orvo stands by attentively as well, looking up from person to person and back at Nuna.

Nuna tells you what they've found, pointing to the alien sphere:



"This sphere is like a keyhole to the dimension of the Qantariate, but also a beacon and a datasphere for holding information.  It is multifunctional, in other words.  What is interesting is that it exists as one object in our world but exists as multiple objects in the Qantariate dimension.  That is why a Qantariate rebel can use the datasphere to send discreet messages to us, but it can also be used for them to pinpoint and travel to this location."

She says, nodding her head, "Yes, as a beacon, it is a dangerous device because a Qantariate from the other side can cross through to an area surrounding us.  That is why the attack occurred on the Pegasus and starstation Aurora when you were there.  They honed in on this and transported into the surrounding areas of the ship to attack."

"We have isolated a number of stored messages on the device and are in the process of trying to translate them.  Unfortunately, because the artifact exists as multiple items and locations in the Qantariate universe, we do not know if they are messages to the Sathar, from the Qantariate rebels, or something else entirely."

She hands you a small thumb drive.  "This is a copy of all the messages and data we recovered from it.  I want an extra copy in your hands in case something happens here."

Then she touches a screen, and you see a number of schematics pull up.  "These are ships, we believe.  Qantariate ships.  We think they are warships.  These schematics were part of the data we discovered that were not text."

She sweeps her hand across the screen and you see a planet with a sun among a sea of stars.  "We believe this is the location of the insertion for the coming Qantariate invasion.  Unfortunately, we don't yet know what planet or system this is, but it must be in our galaxy somewhere.  Chances are, it is in Sathar territory."

She closes out the screen and looks back at you.  "What we think we can do," she says, "is neutralize the beacon aspect of this artifact.  Our data shows that a precise chemical composition, and submerging the datasphere within it, will completely block out its beacon-like capability, leaving them blind, at least as to this datasphere.  We'll know more as the studies continue."

Bartja breaths a sigh of relief.  "So that's why they always pop in around us when we have the beacon with us.  I'm almost sorry we brought it here.  It has cost you some lab technicians.  This also means they're still here and they're doing nasty things as we speak.

This chemical composition wouldn't happen to be in some of the vials of the lab, would it?"

In reply to GM Heath (msg # 119):

Orvo stands motionless and in awe listening to this explanation, while internally the world Orvo thought it knew unravels in its mind's eye.

"If I had eyelids I'd be blinking dumbfounded right about now."

"If there's a pending invasion, shouldn't we notify the military?  Am I way out in left field on this?  This is all too much.  I need a shrink - oh wait cancel that got one right here.  Ahhh.  Much better."

"I agree the UPF needs to be notified yet we dont have alot of proof. No physical Sathar, no dead Qantariate, just a destroyed ship and station."

Nuna says, "The UPF have known about this longer than you have.  They helped with the Matrix Project that you were apparently part of after it failed.  But the UPF is not disseminating its information.  And I think you are right that we need to send our discoveries to the UPF.  I'll do a full write up and have it to them by the end of the day, assuming, of course, I can sneak it past Kraatar's firewalls. The Vrusk here can be very protective about information seepage."

Desiraye looks around the room at the others and then looks to Nuna, "This is a little above my pay grade here but, can we stop them?  We've got a nice little mess going on, on your planet here too Nuna!"

She laughs.  "No, no, this is not 'my' planet.  Like Orvo, I'm just a researcher sent here.  I don't know about any chemicals in the labs.  We are construcing something similar to a fish tank to immerse the sphere in.  The construction should be done by the end of the day and you can come back tomorrow for an update."

She turns to Desiraye, "Can we stop them?  That Matrix Project was supposed to do that, but it failed miserably, leading to a substantial loss of life, including some of your friends.  We are still trying to collect data, and acquisition of this sphere is a great step forward.  We hope to find a way to stop it, but the invasion is slated to begin in less than a month.  We may just have to deal with it when it gets here."

She offers to give you more official "passes" to let you in and out.

OOC: Keep in mind that she does not know about the research in the lab with all the vials or that you took two vials from it.

Bartja motions with his head that it may be time to leave.

"We'll take those passes, thank you much!"

Turning away for a few minutes, he closes his eyes and focuses on memory.

In reply to GM Heath (msg # 125):

"I think you better start calling everyone A.S.A.P. Nuna.  I know it's a smaller issue but, you planet is about to explode in civil war!"

She says, "No need to worry.  All our results and potential conclusions are automatically and immediately sent to the UPF...again, assuming they are making it past the firewalls.  I still have to type in my actual report, though, and I need a little time to do that.  A team of scientists at the UPF are probably poring over our research right now and they may even get to conclusions before I do.  But there's nothing like being right here with the device."

In reply to GM Heath (msg # 128):

Feeling that she's being ignored about bringing up the whole Jack LeGrange problem, Desiraye speaks up again after Nuna shares her knowledge on the sphere, "Nuna, listen to me!  This sphere isn't the only thing going on.  All be it pretty serious, your planet is having a major problem with rioting and racial strife. Are you comfortable handling this for now?  We've been hired in a round about way to look into the assassination at the airport and this whole KLC thing going on here."

She says, "What choice do I have?  I'm hired for a job, and I'm doing it.  We're safe here in this part of the city anyway.  All that strife is in the parts of the city where the lower classes live.  LeGrange was a genius.  What a great loss that was, but I don't have many options.  If we try to leave the planet, we'll be quarantined, and then what will be accomplished?  Go figure out the assassination.  Who knows, maybe you'll find something from LeGrange's death that will help us figure out this sphere."

She adds a bit wistfully, "This isn't my planet, either.  I only just arrived here about a month ago.  I thought I'd get to work with LeGrange, but you see how that turned out.  He didn't even make it out of quarantine.  I really don't care about Kraatar, but we are all stuck for now.  This Qantariate thing is my primary focus."

Her assistant comes into the room, interrupting her train of thought and bringing with her your "official" IDs to enter the place.

"Come back tomorrow," she says, "and I'll give you an update after I--"

Just then, the sphere begins glowing and pulsing.

"Will you look at that?" she says, half to herself, staring at it in amazement.  "Diedre," she says to her assistant, "run some testing.  Make sure we're capturing all the data we can from this."

Addressing his companions, Kri'lik says "Perhaps we should go visit our associate that helped us get here, we have something to return to him, and to get some answers..."

Hammer had been listening in silence, though his metal gears may have been making some sproinging noises.  "Yes, good idea, but do we know what's going on right now with this sphere?

The alarm suddenly goes off, and all doors automatically lock.

Nuna looks up, worried.  "An intruder!" she says, moving back to the corner of the room.

Meanwhile, the sphere continues to pulse.

Instantly on the alert kri.lik draws both of his beam pistols and activates the motion sensor on his left gauntlet.

Hammer turns on his albedo screen and puts a laser pistol in one hand and his vibroknife in the other.  "I'm suddenly wishing they allowed us to carry more powerful weapons around this planet," he complains.

Desiraye reacts immediately by turning on her albedo screen and drawing her laser pistol out and scanning for a target to shoot at.  "Where is it and how many are there?"

Nuna says, "I don't know, but that's the security alarm, not the safety alarm, so there's a breach of security somewhere on the floor."

S'Krllk rotates his right eye clockwise, and his left eye counterclockwise. If he were human, his brow might be knit in concentration. Manipulating his bodycomp, he starts to scan the walls and floors for structural anomalies that might indicate a creature moving through them. "I would suggest we be on the lookout, if there were anything to actually look for."

OOC: 21:15, Wed 24 Apr 2013: S'Krllk rolled 96 using 1d100 ((96))
one can but laugh

Bartja flips on his Albedo screen but watches the sphere with fascination as they wait for an intruder to come looking for it.

"They may not want this thing back you know.  It's like a door for them if I understand this correctly.  As long as it's here and safe, they'll always have a way in here.  If we were to move it somewhere else - like deep space for instance - they wouldn't have such an easy way to move into our universe."

Missing his gyroject rifle terribly at the moment, Bartja adds "I need to get my hands on a needler weapon as soon as we can.  I've got an idea..."

Something heavy hits the door that is security locked.  Then it hits it again.  At the third time it hits, you hear a straining sound, and the door begins to bend inward slightly.

You begin to remember what you observed during the last battle with the Qantariate.  They were invisible in this world except that when injured, you could see completely black areas of them show up, and then when they are killed, they die in a flash of light and leave behind the deadly "blackness" that will kill (or at least burn like a deadly acid) anyone who touches it until it finally dissipates.

They will also attack with their "blackness," which is some kind of unrecognized matter from their universe.  It acts like acid to the touch.

As the door bends inward, you begin to wonder if you have encountered every type of creature from the Qantariate realm, or only one single type.

Very apprehensive to be facing another Qantariate battle without heavy weapons or rifles, Bartja slips on the brass knuckles and gets into a fighting stance.  It would have to be bare-handed battling with an invisible enemy partially in a different universe.  No one ever told him at the University that he would be in situations like this....EVER!

"Who's got the vial?  The stuff in that vial can kill these things if it's injected.  Give Doc the vial so he can load a hypo.  It's our best chance to get out of here alive if what we're seeing is really happening!  We'll deal with the street vendor about this later.  It's time these guys all start working together to solve this problem anyway."

Hammer says, "I took the vials." He gives one to whoever has the hypo.

S'Krllk fiddles with his bodycomp a little more, then starts checking his pockets at the same time.
"I used to have a needler, but I don't remember if it was confiscated or not. Hold a sec and I'll check my pockets."

I don't think you have a needler weapon, but you have the hypo if you want to make a melee attack to inject it into the invisible creatures.

Orvo watches his new found friends plug in and turn on all sorts of screens and suits, says, "Wow, you all sure have some really neat toys."

Listening to the conversation regarding injectors, Orvo speaks up, "Hey, I have a hypo for injecting sedatives and truth sayers.  You'd be amazed how much deep space miners have stowed away in terms of repression.  Exactly.  Yikes." At that he fumbles through his pack and hands the Mechanon the hypo.  "And let me know if you want some telol."

As the door thunders and bends, Orvo mimes opening a can and sprinkling it all around in front of him.  The chunky dralasite responds to his new friends' questioning looks with, "You've got guns.  And fancy sheilds.  All I've got is this can of whoop ass."

At that, Orvo kisses all three fists and gets ready to deliver a pounding to whatever is pounding on the door.

The door gives a shudder, bending in, and then suddenly stops.  There is a shimmer in the air in front of the door, and you seem to realize that whatever the thing is, it is almost completely invisible and it has just pushed its body through the solid mass door.

A screeching sound like a whine of squeaky brakes hits your ears.  The sound does not sound pleasant...or friendly.

"What is it?" Nuna says, shrinking back into the corner as far away as possible.

OOC: Please post your moves with the Qantariate creature now in the room.  I'm assuming Hammer is handing the vials to one of the doctors to inject, like Kri'lik, assuming they have the best capability of injecting something into the creature, but the truth is that it will be a melee attack at -30% due to the invisibility of the creature and its movement.  That will go away if you can make the creature somehow visible.

Bartja looks around quickly for anything powdery or liquid that will help them see this thing.

"Paint, dust, water - throw anything on it so we can see it!  The fact that we can hear it says to me it's using technology to cloak its appearance in our universe, which means we can hit it."

Figuring the doctor would need a slower target if there was any chance of injecting this thing with the hypo, Bartja leaped onto what he thought was the alien.

Hammer fires his laser pistol at the invisible area where it seems like the alien is at.

S'Krllk grabs the nearest container of liquid or powder and throws it at the floor in front of the door, hoping to shatter it and spread the contents. As he is doing so, he says one word, "footprints".

"Oh man.  Oh man," Orvo draws a blank after blank for some great catch phrase to say, shrugs and yells, "Charge!"

Orvo barrels straight ahead, all 240 pounds of Dralasite pudding in tow, for what it surmises is the center of the noisy beast or Q-thingy.  At contact Orvo will show them what a Dralasite jab and 2 upper cuts feel like. Hint: punch strength at +3.

22:27, Today: Orvo rolled 17 using 1d100. Martial arts punchin' time.

OOC:  Heck yeah!  Needed 40% to hit with martial arts skill!

Desiraye takes a careful aim at the creature and fires a single laser Blast at it set on 4SEU (at 4d10+8 Damage).

Kri'lik loads the vial into a hypo all the while checking his forearm for the radar signatures of the invisible enemy. His device worked in seeing them on the lost starship and station so he assumed it would work here as well.

OOC: Sorry for the delays.  Real life got in the way.

Looking at the radar, you see that whatever it is before you has the shape of a tentacled monster, not humanoid at all.

Hammer fires his laser pistol, and a black dot appears where he hit the creature.

All S'Krllk can find is a big bag of lye, so he throws it, and it splatters over the floor and part of the creature's "leg," creating a little area between you and the blackness monster.

Orvo jumps and punches.  He hits it with his fist, and comes away feeling the acid eating into hit tentacled arm.  A black stain is there burning him.  (12 STA damage.)

Desiraye fires, hitting the creature.  A black spot appears in the invisible creature where she hit it.

Hammer gives the vial to Kri'lik, who loads the vial and checks against the radar signatures.  He strikes out with the vial but misses the blackness monster.

Invisible tentacles strike out.  Desiraye feels one go by her head.  The tentacles fly like whips striking.  They even brush the air and make the snapping sound a whip makes when it breaks the speed of sound.

Hammer is hit, and a black acidic burn starts up his robotic arm.  (10 STA damage.)

Both Kri'lik and S'Krllk feel something fly near them, but neither are hurt.

Bartja leaps onto where he thinks the creature is, but it apparently steps out of the way.  And a good thing too as Bartja slams into the floor and remembers that just touching the thing caused the blackness burns, and too much touching caused death and one's own body to turn into a stain of black sludge.

Nuna is in the corner but not too far away.  A whip-like tentacle slaps her straight down the face, and she screams in pain as a line of black opens up from forehead to chin.

Hammer steps back and fires again.  "Get it with the hypo," he urges Kri'lik as he looks down at the injury on his arm and tries to shake off the burn and blackness.

Orvo stumbles backward grimacing at the black gooey stuff on his gelatinous fist.  "Not cool!  And how gross!"

He looks to Kr'illik to insert the hypo as the Mechanon suggested, "Go for it dude!  Or do you want me to do it?  While I've got zero experience with black tentacled things from outer space," he looks annoyingly at whatever that creature is that just spewed on him, "I've had to handle a major psychiatric case or two before."

At that Orvo hops from foot to foot while wiping where his nose would be (if he had one) with each of his thumbs.

Hammer and Desiraye fire again. Both appear to miss the invisible creature.

The bag of lye settles, and a tentacled portion of the invisible creature is lit up.

Kri'lik seizes the moment, jumps forward, and slams the hypo into the exposed giant tentacle.

You hear an inhuman screeching squeal, and then suddenly -- like a pool of water dropping -- a large mass of black goo falls onto the floor.  It is the blackness you've seen before, and it leaves a silhouette of a strange tentacled creature for a moment before even the blackness shrivels and disappears into whatever universe it came from.  In its stead, you see an acid burnt outline on the floor as what can only be described as a squid-like outline.

But the hypo worked.  You have one vial remaining of the liquid, enough to at least give something, as promised, to Ejidali for giving you the IDs.

Nuna says, her hands clasped at the wound running down her face, "We need to get that containment unit ready as soon as possible."  She seems distracted by the acidic burns on her face, and she calls for a medic.  "It's burning," she says, distressed. (8 STA damage.)

The acid of the blackness touch is still burning Orvo and Hammer.  (Orvo loses 6 more STA, and Hammer loses 7.  Previous experience has taught you that it lasts for three rounds unless stabilized medically -- one more round to go.)

Desiraye holsters her laser pistol and moves over to where Nuna is injured and disoriented.  "Doc, get on Nuna first then check the rest of the team out.  Nuna, it's going to burn some.  How do we get the containment team in here?  How can I help?"

Bartja dusts the lye from his clothes and looks over acid scarred floor as he thinks.

"We need more of this stuff in the vial.  If the scientist who made it are now dead, maybe our contact can use what we have left to create more.  We're going to need a lot more I think.  I want them to build me a ton of Needler ammo with this stuff in it. If we're going to fight the Quantariate, I want to have every opportunity to win that we can muster."

In reply to Bartja Nemuco (msg # 158):

Orvo nods in agreement with the Yazirian's plan, then yelps out an "Ouch!" after each movement.  "And I've still got a hypo folks.  Ouch.  OK, shutting down vocal chords now.  Ouch. This stuff really hurts.  Ouch. Sheesh.  Ouch. Come on.  Ouch. Not cool."

Security arrives, along with a medical team.

You are taken for treatment and then released a little while later.  Oddly, no one really talks to you much; they all seem to be conditioned to the fact that what happens in this lab is secret and confidential.

(Everyone is healed back to normal stamina.)

As you prepare to leave, Nuna catches up with you and hands you a disposable communication device.  "I will call you if anything develops here," she says.  "Otherwise, come back tomorrow and we can see what secrets we have learned from the sphere."

Her face is bandaged from top to bottom.  Normal curative measures do not work so well on the Blackness.  Even where it has hit Orvo and Hammer, there is a long dark scar that shimmers like quicksilver.

You are now free to leave the lab complex.  You have official keycards now and can return at any time during operating hours.

It is early afternoon, and you can return to your contact by early evening if you leave now.  Otherwise, you can go somewhere else.  Nuna sees you to the front desk to see you off (in case you have any more questiosn for her, now you can ask).

Once clear of security and free to speak freely....

Bartja speaks.  "I suggest we meet our contact again and thank him for the access.  Suddenly the payment seems inconsequential compared to the usefulness of the stuff in this vial he's after.  I think we need to investigate his intentions for it and if they intend to manufacture it themselves, we try to get some use out of it ourselves."

"Thank you for helping us Nuna.  You put your neck on the line for us and we appreciate it.  Let us know if they're able to copy the stuff in the vial to use against these creatures.  WE have an important meeting this evening we must keep."

Deisraye listens to Bartja and adds, "We're going to get what we were promised as payment.  This stuff has been quite a help to us and we should get what we were promised.  I don't mind charity work sometimes but, I don't think we were given a straight story."

Orvo perks up when Desiraye says this, adds, "Oh I can vouch for that.  Stuffed in a box is not 'other duties as assigned'."

Desiraye nods to Orvo's comment, "You weren't the only one who was lied to when given your job either Orvo.  I'm not sure if it is related but, if it is, we'd be glad to have you aboard.  You seem to have a set of skills that would compliment our team.  Do you have any gear you need to retrieve?

If we go to meet our contact, I would like you to stand to the rear a little bit to see if you know this clown we're going to meet.  We could kill two birds with one stone?"

Kri'lik nods in agreement. This vial was very important it seemed and he would not wish to simply hand it over if their contact could not reproduce it easily.

Orvo nods to Desiraye's suggestion.  "I like your style.  That's a good plan.  I'll keep a watchful distance and put the feelers out for anything suspect.  Regarding equipment, no, it's this standard issue survival pack.  But if we have time for a steam bath I sure could go for one of those...but I can suck it up for the team.  Glad to be on board."