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.