It's actually evening time by now, and the lab would be closed.  You think that it would be best to go back in the morning.  (You have already visited the lab during Day 4.  See here: link to a message in this game )

You sleep for the night, and see the following announcement broadcast the next morning:

"Today the Commercial Council has expelled Vist'Lat from its ranks. The Council feels that much of the recent unrest can be attributed to VL's policies. Its latest move to sack its Human workers and evict them from their homes is untenable. The Council cannot condone or accept this behaviour."


(You remember that two days ago (on day 3), Vist'Lat had sacked all its human workers and forcibly evicted all human workers.)

(You also remember the people who killed LeGrange shouting out before the assassination: "This murder will not go unavenged!", "Vist'Lat murderers will all die!", and "The KLC cannot be crushed!"

Reports had also stated that many Vrusk had held Vist'Lat accountable for the murder (which may have been why Vist'Lat expelled the humans to appear like it was fixing the problem).

You remember that Vist'Lat is also the group that runs the starport.

You also remember that RIK Zzik'Ti (your contact at the Starport) did not want Vist'Lat to know about the deal he struck up with you related to the investigation.

Vist'Lat is also holding all your unauthorized weapons and equipment while you are on the planet.)


You review the video and remember the following tidbits coming out related to LeGrange's claims:

- Vrusk are enslaving Humans; the Humans have no choice but to work for the Vrusk in their factories or indirectly on the farms.

- Humans are treated as second class citizens; no Human holds a managerial post, all have low jobs in the hierarchy.

- Vist'Lat, described as "by far the most rapacious trade house on Kraatar", has been carrying out vigilante raids against Humans.

- When asked about his connections with the Fulbourn-McCoy board of trustees, Legrange was very offended and terminated the interview. This behaviour aroused Charletta's suspicions.


It is now the morning of day 5, mid-morning by the time you make it to the laboratory, but you eventually make it back to the "good" side of town and to the lab.  Your IDs allow you entrance, and you go back up to where you usually meet Nuna.

Dr. Nuna meets you.  She is with a colleague, whom she introduces as Dr. Yoshiko Matsuhara.  The two women update you.

In the last day, there have been power fluctuations which they believe to have emanated from the Sphere, even though it is encased and should not be able to bring anyone across dimensions.  But the power in nearby offices and with tools and computers has occasionally flashed on and off, which has never occurred before.

They believe they have isolated the communication conduit that will allow communication between the two dimensions.  However, whatever "friendly" alien was helping has not yet responded.  It may be away from its communication device or something worse might have happened.

Otherwise, not much has happened.

But they inform you that a delegation of 5 people have arrived on planet and are being rushed through the Starport (forgetting all quarantine protocols so they can come look at the device).  They will arrive at the lab in little more than an hour, and Dr. Nuna and Dr. Matsuhara invite you to stay if you want.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:41, Mon 02 Dec 2013.

"Apparently, our Dral friend wants the tape because he saw something that Charletta saw as well.  What is off about it though?  She asked a question about the award and the interview ended abruptly."  (Trans/LeGrange?)

"I think our contact at RIK wants to keep our arrangement secret or he stands to lose a lot.  That's why I didn't want to contact him after the merchant and the Sathar incident but, it is what it is.  WE're his secret weapon to get this solved for him and he gets the credit and we get the credits.  I'm good with that. They also have our heavy ordnance I don't want us to lose either.  I'm a little surprised though that he was that resistant when we told him Sathar were on the planet.  I guess that would blow his job out of the water if that got out too?"

"We might as well stick around and see how these people are getting through quarantine since our people are still in it!  Our people might be able to help you in your research Nuna."

"I'm beginning to wonder about that award, myself. If LeGrange was capable of performing the ground-breaking work attributed to him, why did he have no ideas as to the artifact he was shown? Perhaps he was attached to the work as a figure-head in order to make his speech about human oppression. If that's the case, there would be another eminent scientist responsible for the work."
"Assuming this person is in the laboratory where the artifact is being studied suggests that at least one of the researchers has a second agenda. Could this become a problem?"

Hammer says, "I say we wait for this delegation and see if they have anything else to offer.  I'm also wondering why we had to come here and see Nuna if LeGrange supposedly was so smart."

"What are you saying?  He doesn't know what he was doing or he was a fraud?"

Hammer says, "Good question.  I'd go with some kind of fraud.  Maybe someone else is pulling the strings.  Maybe someone else is the smart one.  Maybe it's even the Sathar."

As you stand around debating the issues of your investigation and waiting for the visitors from the Starport, an armored man steps in and introduces himself as Zeb Draxxon.  He appears to be some sort of security at the lab, well trained and not your typical security guard.  He says he is there as security when the visitors arrive from the Starport, since they bypassed all security and quarantine protocols to get here in time.

You think you might have seen his face somewhere before, in a newspaper or vid from long ago, but you can't quite place it.

Nuna and Matsuhara seem a little uncomfortable when he enters, as if he has walked in on them in the locker room, but they nod at his presence to acknowledge he is supposed to be there and return to their work.

"May I see your idents and can you state the nature of your business here?" the security man asks the group. He looks them over with a very trained eye, sizing up each of them.

"Now that, makes sense," Desiraye says at Hammer's comment about the Sathar being involved in this.  "Let's not forget our alien friends threatening to destroy the galaxy too but, a Sathar plan to control someone with some power on a planet ready to go wild with civil war, not beyond them at all!"


Desi looks at the security man to see if he is wearing a security uniform from the lab itself before handing over her identification they had gotten from Nuna.  She looks him over, "New here?"
This message was last edited by the player at 09:43, Tue 03 Dec 2013.

The man smiles slightly as she checks out his ill fitting lab security uniform.
"Relatively, yes. Just helping out an old friend and earnings some creds. This checks out," he says handing her back her identification after scanning it.

Hammer also hands over his ID--the one they got on the black market.

Desiraye takes the ID back and puts it into one of her pockets.  "You in between jobs or something?  I guess it's tough to get work as a human around here huh?"

Hammer says to Zeb's question, "The nature of our business is that we acquired this Sphere that allows communication to another universe or dimension, and we have uncovered a potential plot of an alien invasion.  We are helping the research team with any questions about its nature and uncovering more of the plot.  We were on a research platform space station called Pegasus [? as i recall] that blew up, but not before we escaped with the Sphere and some clues.  So that's pretty important business, I think."

The Mechanon is not sarcastic, merely stating the truth in logical terms.

S'Krllk shows the newcomer what passes as his ident, and tells him, "I'm waiting for the universe to snuff me, just like everybody else."

The man seems to be taken aback from that.
"Uh, oh, well then yes I'd say your business is pretty important. Who did you say you all are?" he asks the group.

Desiraye smiles at S'Krllk's comment and turns to attention back to Zeb.  "It's a pretty long story Zeb.  How much time do you have?"

"Well, if it's something I could in anyway help you with, all the time you need," the man says giving a cursory scan of S'Krllk's ID. "I'm Zeb Draxxon, by the way."

In reply to Zeb Draxxon (msg # 18):

"Aren't you working a gig here right now?  You know, to help out your friend?"

"Wouldn't you consider preventing an alien invasion helping out my friend? At the very least, doing what I can while you are here under my watch, yeah?" Zeb asked the group.

In reply to Zeb Draxxon (msg # 20):

"I suppose that would depend on who your friend is?  We can always use a hand," Desiraye says looking back to the others for approval.

Hammer nods. "Given the amount of battles we find ourself in, with the Sathar no less, another soldier type is certainly welcome."

In reply to Hammer (msg # 22):

"I'll tell you what, I'll talk to my friend who runs this place. I'll let him know the gravity of the situation and that I'm going to be assisting you while you are here. If what you need to do takes you off of this place, I'll see then if I'll just go with you," Zeb replies. Getting off this rock would be nice and helping to protect the galaxy again would be most welcome.

Desi's eyes have a look in them when Hammer makes the comment about another soldier would be nice to have.  "Hammer is right.  We have a good support staff but, we're light on dedicated shooters.  I, we, could use someone who knows their way around weapons and tactics.  What else can you do?

What did you used to do before your security career?"

Kri'lik had been mostly silent as they entered the facility when Zed meet them. He had had his fair share of strangers of late, with most of them trying to kill them. Eyeing the man, the middle aged Vrusk thumbed his blaster to stun just in case.

"I'm a.. former Ranger. Let's just leave it at that for now," Zeb replies.

Nuna and Matsuhara get a call.  "The delegation has arrived," Nuna tells you.

When they enter, they immediately seem to take charge.  The delegation of five includes a human woman who seems to be leading the delegation, a robot, an unknown type of alien wearing a facemask that helps it breathe, an old human who appears to be a scientist, and a strong, burly human male who appears to be a bodyguard and is well armed.  In fact, all of them except the old man are armed.

The human female wears goggles to enhance her vision and optical awareness.  She carries a large satchel.  "My name is Teliko," she says, as if an official taking over an investigation.  "We are here on business from the UPF.  You are Nuna?  Take us to the Sphere without delay."

The alien of unknown origin and the human soldier bodyguard stand next to her.  They also both hold satchels.  The alien has long, stringy hair and is about 7 feet tall.  Its face is completely covered by the facemask, but it appears to be long and pointed down like a reptile or canine.  Otherwise, it has a fairly humanoid appearance with an orangish skin and appears more muscular than any human could get.

The robot is about 5 feet tall, an android built roughly like a human without any covering over its robotic body.  It seems to be looking over each person in the room and scanning them.

Nuna, intimidated by the take-charge group, says, "Yes, it's right over here."  She points back to the adjoining room where the sphere is kept in the liquid containment system."

Desi nods her head and puts her hand out to Zeb, "Fair enough."

Hammer sees the new group and steps up to them.  "We are the group that found the Sphere and brought it here," he says.

In reply to Hammer (msg # 29):

Stepping up after Hammer does, Desiraye adds, "And, at one time, I was employed by the UPF to go to Volturnus to dedal with a Pirate problem.  I may still be employed?"

In reply to Desiraye Lipost (msg # 28):

Zeb takes Desi's hand and shakes it, but then turns as the others entered the room. Realizing that he is still holding her hand as he was distracted, he quickly let's it go and smiles lopsidedly at her while they begin to talk.

Teliko nods dismissively at you and begins walking past.  "The sphere," she says insistently to Nuna, who runs to catch up and lead them into the adjacent room.

S'Krllk looks aside at the delegation, and quietly states, "They must have some pull, walking right in to the only evidence we have without having their ID checked."

Kri'lik moves to follow them and see if they will try and block his way.

Hearing S'Krilk, Zeb suddenly remembers that HE is that authority who should be inspecting their IDs.
"May I see some identification, please, gentle species?"

"Obviously, we have ID if we got out of starport without a quarantine," Teliko says, but she and the others flash their IDs.  The robots do not have ID, of course, but the others all seem to be official UPF IDs."  Teliko and the others do this quickly and move past you toward the far room.

"Stay here while we look at the orb," she says to all of you as they go to the far room and prepare to close the door behind them.

"Ummm, would it be ok if you looked at it here? These folks went through some trouble to recover it," Zeb replied.

OOC: THe sphere is being kept in a cylindrical tubing full of a liquid that is supposed to make it be inoperable by the enemy aliens to transfer themselves to this dimension, so it can't really be moved...not without making it operable again and going to great trouble to drain the fluid, etc.

"It's OK Zeb.  Their tattitude is pretty clear.  No matter how many people we lost between Volturnus and here, they've got their new toy to study.  No matter how good of an employee you are, you can get kicked to the curb at any time!"

Desiraye steps to the side and stands with the rest of the team.  "Be ready, just in case something goes wrong.  Call me paranoid but, something seems off that they're able to walk through the quarantine.  Granted, this is a pretty unusual circumstance with what we're trying to deal with here."

The group goes into the next room and closes the door.  You can vaguely hear them having a discussion with Nuna.  The old man seems to also be talking quickly in an agitated manner for a few moments.

As your curiosity and suspicion piques, you hear the woman yell, "DO IT NOW!"

Nuna and the old man apparently protest for a moment.  Then you hear the sound of breaking glass, followed by a gunshot of some kind, and fluid begins leaking under the floor toward you.  The cylinder has obviously been broken.

Hammer grabs his pistol and goes to the side of the door, looking to see if anyone else is following.  Military style, he is standing there ready to open the door and run inside, if he is not alone.  "TIme to do this," he says, looking around to you for back up. "Something's not right with these people.  My sensors are tingling."

"I knew something wasn't right," Zeb says as he draws his weapon and goes to the other side of the portal.

So currently in the group we have:

Desi
Hammer
Kri'lik
S'krllk
Zeb

Bartja and Orvo are around but not currently with the group.

Did I miss anyone?

Are Bartja & Orvo's still active PC's or NPC's Heath?

They were PCs, and I just kept them on the sidelines when their players went inactive.  Orvo's player had to take a break but said he wanted to come back when he could; Bartja, as you recall, sort of comes in and out -- does a very good job when he's here, but then takes leaves of absence for awhile.

In reply to GM Heath (msg # 45):

OK, just wasn't sure if you were looking for someone to pick them up to play.  Bartja has been a great asset to our team and I would've like to have have more Orvo as well.

Desiraye turns on her albedo screen  and draws out her K-Pulse pistol and hugs the door from where the sphere is being kept and where the commotion is coming from.  "Screens up!  Me and ammer will go in first.  Zeb and the rest of you follow us in.  We don't know what we have yet so, expect the worse."

Kri'lik having suspected something was off and had tried to follow the new comers into the next room rapidly for a middle aged Vrusk activates his Inertia Screen then draws both his K-Pulse Pistol and his Frontiersman Heavy Blaster. The last of which is set for stun.

He does however graciously let the more combat oriented persons of the group enter through the doorway first.

He opting to shoot with only one weapon but after the bullets start flying. If he see Albeido Screens up he will use the K-Pulse, otherwise he with fire off the stun blasts.

As you surround the door, you hear someone break out over the room's intercom system, saying, "Dr. Nuna, are you there?  This is Christine from reception.  I just got off my break and there are some people here saying they are here to see you from the UPF.  Something about a sphere? I don't know what that is, but they don't have lab passes.  Should I let them up or do you want to come down?  Dr. Nuna?  Dr. Matsuhara?  They're waiting and they don't look real patient."

The professor quickly looks around the room for the comm system to hopefully send a reply.

Hammer sees what's going on.  "Imposters!" he says to everyone in the room before opening the door and lowering his weapon.

"Christine, as of now we are on complete lock down. There are impostors in the facility and the have the sphere," Zeb says into his communicator, after which he follows Hammer into the room with weapon ready.

You walk into the room to see the old man dead, leaning over a worktable, with a shot through his head.  Strange devices are also attached to his head with wires running out and to the destroyed cylinder. Smoke is rising from the end of Teliko's laser pistol.  Her goggled eyes moved toward where you stand.



The reptile-like humanoid stands nearby, weapon ready.  His name had been identified by Zeb as Syzzyx.

The human bodyguard also stands nearby.  His name had been identified as Sandhal.

The robot is also facing the door.

The cylinder holding the sphere has been broken, and the robot is taking the sphere to a computer workbench near Teliko, who has a computerized device in her free hand.



The slightly quicksilver liquid in which the Sphere had been suspended covers the floors in gallons and gallons.  More of it sprays from two nozzles.  The slippery liquid covers the floor near the door you entered, and is quickly spreading to the rest of the room.

Dr. Nuna and Dr. Matsuhara have retreated to a corner of the room to your left, mouths open in horrified aghast.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:18, Thu 19 Dec 2013.

In reply to GM Heath (msg # 52):

OOC: That's a great pic Heath!

BIC:  Turning her screen on (if she didn't already), Desiraye says to the others as Zeb calls for help.  "I want to try and avoid going in with that liquid all over the floor.  We have friendlies in the room so watch your fire.  Me and Hammer will initiate the contact.  Once we have to reload, Zeb, S'Krllk, you guys step up and continue to fire.  Doc, you're our safety.  Check the door and make sure security gets in here in a hurry."

OOC: The pic comes from an Alternity adventure in Dungeon Magazine #68.  The plans for the space station you were on came from the same adventure.  At first, I was going to interweave that entire adventure into this one, but the plotlines are too different, so I'm just stealing some characters, pictures and maps. :)


The goggled woman sees you entering and rushes to the table where the robot is setting the Sphere down.  She sits and tells her bodyguards, "Make sure there is no trouble."

The alien bodyguard, the human bodyguard, and the robot stand and face you, forming a wall between you and Teliko.  They all have weapons but have not drawn them on you yet.

The human Sandhal says to you, "Stand back and do not interfere.  We have killed a traitor here."  He nods to the old man who is somewhat connected by the tubes to the cylinder where the Sphere had been.

"What the Frak is going on here?  You kill one of your own you just walked in with and there's another delegation coming up here with security now!  Now he's a traitor?

Doc Nuna and Matsuhara!  Are you two OK?"

Desiraye has her weapon out but, it isn't pointed at anyone of the 'delegation' yet.

She looks back and says, "Tell security and whoever else needs to be up here to double-time it ASAP!  We've got a serious situation going on and maybe going bad very quickly."

S'Krllk says, to no one in particular, "I'm surprised at your patience. The universe hasn't tried to violently incapacitate us for at least fifteen kliks. Why don't we all just start shooting and end the suspense?"

Desiraye smirks at S'Krllk's comment about her patience and says back, "My gut is telling me to start shooting but my brain is telling me no, something isn't right here.  New guy!  You got anything?  Anyone else?"

"I'm all for the old Ranger motto- 'Stun 'em all, sort it out later'," Zeb says dryly.

Teliko is engaged in her operation with the sphere and her device, her goggled eyes scanning as her fingers work.

She says to her human bodyguard, "Sandahl, if they don't drop their weapons, just shoot them."

Both Sandahl and the strange alien turn on protective screens of some sort, their guns still raised at you.  Sandahl waves his gun in a gesture that indicates you to lower your weapons.

Hammer says, "We drop nothing.  We have lab security on our side.  You drop your weapons!"  At any sign of attack, he will immediately fire on the human.

Upon hearing the woman tell her person to fire on us if we didn't comply, was reason enough for her to raise her weapon up and bring the sights of her K-Pulse pistol on the man, Sandahl.  Using as much of the walls for cover, she opens fire.  "They don't drop us, WE drop them!  Watch the civvies and hope security gets here quick."

Firing [3] shots from her K-Pulse pistol at the human bodyguard, Sandahl.
Beam Weapons; 90%

S'Krllk starts to move to the side while he reaches for his weapon in an attempt to broaden the target area. Once he locates his weapon  he'll begin firing at Teliko's device in an attempt to disrupt her operations with the sphere.
"Don't let her call any more of those shadows!"

A firefight breaks out.

ROUND 1
The human Sandahl fires at Zeb, who is clad in security uniforms and by all appearances seems to be the greatest threat.  The pistol is a laser pistol, and Zeb is hit once for 10 STA damage.

Hammer fires at the human, hitting him once with his laser, which appears to be absorbed by the albedo screen.

Desi fires as well, making all three of her shots directly on Sandahl with the pulse pistol.  One of the shots hits him in the head, killing him instantly.

S'krllk fires at Teliko and the device, but his shots go wide.

The alien also fires in your general direction, and the robot has turned toward you as a slot in its chest opens.

The alien has fired a tangler grenade.  You all jump to avoid its effect...

(Everyone made reaction speed checks except for Hammer.)  You jump out of the way, diving to avoid being caught in the tangler.  Hammer gets stuck in the sticky stuff and is unable to move or attack.

The robot rushes forward toward Zeb and Desi, and you see a smoke billowing out of its chest toward you.  Both of them try to avoid the smoke, but Desi collapses.  (The smoke is equivalent to a doze grenade.)  Zeb dives out of the way, but the swinging arm of the robot hits him square in the back.  (11 STA damage.)

Both Desi and Hammer are now incapacitated.  Telika is still working on the device.

S'Krllk fumbles at activating his albedo screen and tries to fire at the robot at the same time. Of course, the screen isn't going to stop the smoke and the needler isn't likely to damage the robot, but he's not considering those things at this point.

OOC: rolled 28 to hit the robot, rolled 8 damage plus sleep (anesthetic needles)
Yes, S'Krllk is an incompetent combatant

S'krllk does minor damage on the robot, but the needles have no effect on it.  Two more grenades fall at your feet.  Smoke rises and you are unable to resist.  The last thing you hear before falling unconscious is Telika saying, "Got it.  Let's get out of here!"

And then all goes dark...only Hammer is unaffected.

When you awake, Telika and her companions -- and the Sphere -- are gone.  Hammer reports that there was the sound of gunfire out in the hall (but of course, he was stuck in the tangler grenade).  The tangler web has now mostly dissolved, and Hammer and Desi can break free.  The two scientists are still unconscious in the corner from the sleep grenade.

Hammer reports that about 15 minutes has passed since they left, though 5 minutes of that was spent in some sort of firefight in the hallway.

Groggy from whatever put them out, Zeb shakes his head hoping to chase the cobwebs out
"What was that?"

Hammer says, "I think the chase is on.  We have to track them down and get the sphere back."

"Right," Zeb replies, then turns on his comm-unit, "Security, full lockdown at the space port. No ships should be authorized to depart."

Hammer tells you they were saying something about needing more bio power.

Dr. Matsuhara says they must mean they need more biological tissue to power their device, whatever it is.  There's only one place they can get that:  The Biological Experimentation Lab.

You head out, with Dr. Nuna and Dr. Matsuhara leading the way.

Then you see the trail left behind.  Security lay on the ground as you go.  One thing you notice is that they all seem to have been taken down with non-lethal means, primarily sleeping gas or tangler grenades, though a few guards twitch from the effects of stun guns.  Some of their weapons have been taken from them.

When you reach the entrance, it is locked.  Dr. Matsuhara takes you to the observation room, where you look down at the sight below.

The Biological Experimentation Lab is a large, round room about 100 feet in diameter.  The observation room looks down through one way glass onto the room.  The center of the room is where the experiments are performed.  Ringing the room are a number of cylinders containing various types of biological samples, as well as numerous containers and metal carts that would provide decent cover.

That is, until Dr. Nuna gasps and says, "If any of those samples are broken, they could lead to a biological contamination that could kill everyone in the facility, maybe even cause a plague that would sweep the planet."

In the center of the room, a table with straps sits with the Sphere on top.  The slab is usually used to hold down experimental lab creatures, but now it holds the Sphere and two large metallic jars with wires coming out of them.  The robot is setting up the wires to attach to the Sphere and the device Teliko was working with earlier.

Her bodyguards have been engaged in using a welding torch to seal the entrance closed.

Teliko now has two military issue rifles in her hands.  In a chair next to her, a Vrusk is tied up on the ground.

"That's Dr. Velkyss," Dr. Matsuhara says.  "He runs the biological experiments in the lab."

Teliko pauses and then looks up with her goggled eyes at the place in the observation deck where you spy down at her.



"I see you up there," she calls to you.  "These are not fashion accessories.  Do not come down or in any way attempt to interfere.  I have run out of non-lethal weaponry, so from here on out, it's serious business.  Leave us be, and we will be gone before you even knew we were here."

The robot continues to connect the two metal jars.

Dr. Velkyss, weakened and distraught, says, "You mustn't disturb the samples.  This is a quarantined area."

"Yes," Teliko says as she lifts a device from Dr. Velkyss' robe.  "Quarantine.  Exactly what I want."  She hits a button, and alarms suddenly blaze.  A deep computerized voice says:

QUARANTINE INITIATED.  ALL PERSONNEL RESTRICTED.  CONTAINMENT FIELDS INITIATED.

Your room seems to darken a bit, and you realize it is because quarantine walls are lowering just outside, locking you in.

GEOMETRY OF THE ROOM:
For planning purposes, here is what you are looking at:

Think of two concentric circles.

The lab room is about 20 feet tall, with two observation decks, one on either side.  Each observation deck has a 20 foot long one way observation window.  The floor of each observation deck is about 10 feet off the ground.  Stairs lead down from both observation decks to an entry into the lab, and then back up again to the next observation deck.  Both these doors have been barred and sealed by Teliko's men.

Teliko has her human bodyguard, her alien bodyguard, and the robot.

Dr. Velkyss is tied up about 5 feet from the table in the center of the room.  The center area is about 20 feet in diameter (the clear area).  The rest of the room contains concentric circles of the experiments in cylinders, metal carts, and other containment systems that do not rise more than about 8 feet off the ground.  You could weave in and out of the samples or hide behind them, but you don't know which ones are contaminents and which ones are not.  (Percentages will be rolled for the effect of each exposed sample.)

S'Krllk begins to work feverishly at his body-comp. "If I can figure out the feeds, maybe we can cut the power before things get too out of hand."

Hammer says, "One good thing about my being a mechanon is that I don't need lights.  I work just as well in darkness."  He agrees with Skllrk's plan.

"How long do you need?"

Without looking away from the readout on his bodycomp, S'Krllk responds, "Don't know if I can do it, much less how long it'll take."

There is an electrical outlet just outside the door entering into the lab.  It can be removed and tapped into but will take about 3 minutes.

8 minutes until Teliko completes the device connections

Leaping to the outlet, S"Krllk starts working at, somehow, destabilizing the power to the operating theater.

Frustrated that they always seem to be one step behind Doctor Krl'lik mutters something under his breath then offers a dose of biocort to anyone who might need a bit of quick healing.

+10 STA if anyone want it.

That will be 30 seconds per person per shot.

Desiraye looks around to see what kind of hard cover they have to use to their advantage before trying to engage.

The specimens containers and metallic carts are the only real hard cover within the room (and the large metal operating table in the center of the room).  The specimens have a percentage chance of causing an infection of one type or other if punctured or broken.  You can also have cover behind the doors where you are at now if you get them open, though you don't have a clear shot all the way to the center of the room where Teliko is.

OOC: I'll try to construct a rough map for you.

OOC: I'm going to go ahead and advance this slightly because I'm not sure if everyone has been following up on this.

S'krllk is working on shutting down the power.  It takes about three minutes. He succeeds...a little too much, perhaps.  All the lights around you go off, and the door's emergency lock releases.  The door between you and Teliko opens, though it is dark beyond.

The emergency doors for containment, however, remain just as closed and locked behind you.

In the darkness, you hear Teliko say, "Get them!" while she is still getting the sphere charged.

Kri'lik has shots available for anyone who needs healing... (Just indicate if you were going to get one for +10 Stamina.

5 minutes until Teliko finishes.

SITREP: The doors to the interior room are now open, but it is completely dark except some emergency lights above the doors.  (All shots will be at -15% to hit.)

The containment cylinders and carts are still in place, though they are just vague shadows at the moment.

Inside, there is Teliko, her human bodyguard, her alien bodyguard, her robot, and the scientist she kidnapped, the Vrusk -- Dr. Velkyss.

In reply to GM Heath (msg # 80):

Desiraye reacts when the lights go off and turns to the others.  "Spread out!  Find the best over you can and then engage them one by one.  Fire your weapon dry,get back behind cover, reload, and then engage again from a different position.  Wittle them down.  The robot is the biggest threat but, not the only one.

Who has the heaviest weapon?  You concentrate on the robot, I'll go after the alien and the human.

Zeb, take the others and set that up.  Fire and then maneuver.  Cover each other and let's stop this fraken scumbags!"

Desi will split off from the other group, make sure her screen is up, find the best cover she can, and then engage the alien with fire from her Pulse pistol.  Three [3] rounds to start off with.

Beam Weapons: 6 [DEX:30 + 60 = 90%]
Cost: 250Cr
Weight: 2 kg
Damage: 3d10
Ammo: 20 SEU PowerClip
SEU: each shot drains 2 SEU
Rate: 3
Defense: Inertia
Range: 5/10/20/40/80
Ammo Cost: 100 Cr PowerClip
Skill: Beam Weapons
This message was last edited by the player at 23:38, Mon 03 Feb 2014.

Hammer says, "I only have a laser pistol, but I can see in the dark being mechanically built."  Hammer goes into the room, hangs a right and takes cover behind the nearest cylinder.  He will fire at whichever bodyguard or robot comes into view first and is the easiest to hit.

"However you need to do it!"

OOC: I think we were also waiting for some kind of map as well Heath.

S'Krllk continues working with his bodycomp, trying to scan the area and get a bead on where Teliko is. Once he has some kind of readout, he will fire his needler in an attempt to prevent the woman from charging the sphere.

Thanks for your patience.  Here is a rough map of the lab interior, along with the last known locations of everyone inside before the lights went out.  The white circular area is the outside corridor with the viewing area into the lab.  (The viewing area would be up winding stairs and are located on the northwest and southeast corners.)

You are entering through the southwest doorway.  It is a wide doorway since they bring specimens and large items into the lab.

I show you where the metal specimen cabinets are located, as well as the circular specimen cylinders, which are typically about 2-3 feet in diameter, filled with liquid, and with different types of living organisms preserved inside.

You can typically find the best cover between the cabinets and the cylinders.  If you make it to the center of the room, the large specimen and examination table there could also be used.

"Soft targets for you with your needler pistol S'Krllk.  It's no good against the robot."

Hammer runs to the nearest specimen table, using it for cover.  He fires his laser pistol (set to 5) at the human bodyguard, hoping his robotic sensors will assist him in the dark.

I feel like we're down to just 4 active characters: Desi, Hammer, S'krllk and Kri'lik.  The game is really slowing down, so please post any final moves over the weekend, and let's get it moving again.  For those who have not been posting, I may need to phase them out of the game.

"ZEB!  You with us?"

Zeb runs to the left behind the specimen cylinders, firing at the human bodyguard as he goes there.  "Take cover!" he yells as ye goes.

ROUND 1
A battle breaks out...

S'krllk makes a great hit against the woman Teliko, hurting her shoulder and making her lose her concentration.  She ducks down behind the center table for cover, pulling out a weapon.

Hammer fires at the human bodyguard, hitting it once!

Desi runs around behind cover and fires three shots from her pulse pistol, hitting twice.  The alien growls in pain and distress, taking cover behind one of the large cylinders.

Kri'lik is taking cover and ready to administer aid to any injured.  (I didn't get a move posted, so that's what I guessed for now.)

Zeb fires at the human bodyguard, hitting once.  The human is now hurt and also hides behind the cylinder.

The human, robot, and alien all fire back...

S'krllk is hit for 17 damage from the human's laser pistol.

Zeb is hit by two lasers from the alien for a total of 34 damage.

The rest of the shots flying through the air miss.

The robot is pulling out another grenade of some sort as it faces the center area directly in front of the door where you just entered...

In reply to GM Heath (msg # 91):

Now successfully behind cover and that mostly everyone else is using it (including the opposition), Desiraye calls out over her chronocom, "Keep using cover!  S'Krllk, keep up your fire on the soft skinned targets.  Everyone else, switch fire to the robot about to mess this room up with a grenade!"

Desiraye shifts her fire to the robot (from behind cover) with three more [3] rounds from her Pulse pistol.

Current SEU Clip= 14/20

Beam Weapons: 6 [DEX:30 + 60 = 90%]
Cost: 250Cr
Weight: 2 kg
Damage: 3d10
Ammo: 20 SEU PowerClip
SEU: each shot drains 2 SEU
Rate: 3
Defense: Inertia
Range: 5/10/20/40/80
Ammo Cost: 100 Cr PowerClip
Skill: Beam Weapons

Hammer moves to the left, taking cover behind a cylinder, and takes fire at the human bodyguard again.

Zeb also fires at the human bodyguard from behind cover.

Kri'lik?  S'krllk?  Waiting for more moves...

S'Krllk mumbles something about the "stupid universe" and tries to reverse his previous success in order to shut the doors and prevent the grenade from being thrown out of the lab area.

Desi fires at the robot, hitting it twice.

Zeb and Hammer take out the human bodyguard, who cries out in pain as he falls to the ground.

The alien bodyguard fires but misses.  The robot also fires.  It hits Zeb once and also throws the grenade in his direction.

This grenade is not a nonlethal grenade.  The blast catches Zeb straight on, killing him almost instantly.  S'krllk is also hit but not killed.  (21 STA damage.)

The orb begins glowing as Teliko is attaching something to it.

Hammer switches his fire to the alien, still crouching behind cover as he fires.

OOC: I think I've really failed to draw you all into this sidequest like I'd hoped.  The game seems to be lagging a bit.

OOC:  I'm still in the game any way you want to run it Heath.  Just saying...

Also, since one of the K'rrlk is NPC'd for now, can we maybe get some covering fire from the good Doc or some kind of supporting action to help us?

BIC: Desiraye is getting frustrated now seeing that Zeb has been annhilated by a grenade form the robot and no one is paying attention to her command/request.  "Frak it!  So much for working as a team!"  Desiraye continues to pour as much accurate fire on the robot that she can trying to take it out and eliminate that threat.

Firing three [3] more rounds
Current SEU Clip= 8/20

Beam Weapons: 6 [DEX:30 + 60 = 90%]
Cost: 250Cr
Weight: 2 kg
Damage: 3d10
Ammo: 20 SEU PowerClip
SEU: each shot drains 2 SEU
Rate: 3
Defense: Inertia
Range: 5/10/20/40/80
Ammo Cost: 100 Cr PowerClip
Skill: Beam Weapons

I forgot about that.  I'll NPC him until he gets back.

OOC: This is the same map, so positions might be different and the human bodyguard is dead, but it is for reference only.



The robot is repositioning itself, moving between the tables and leaving itself wide open for a few seconds.

Desi fires at the robot, followed by S'krllk and Kri'lik, hitting it so hard that the robot stumbles and then falls against a large glass specimen cylinder before crashing to the ground.

Hammer fires at the alien but misses.  The alien bodyguard also fires back, hitting the specimen container next to Hammer and shattering it...

(Reaction speed...failure.)

Hammer is suddenly covered in the viscous and watery material from the shattering cylinder.  The bluish liquid covers his head and shoulders as it sweeps over him.  He notices a label underneath the cylinder as he is ducking and covering his head with his metallic hands.  It reads: viral mutation of alien origin.  A snake-like alien creature with suckers and multiple pock-like marks falls to the ground near Hammer.  It is a dead sample and flops like a dead fish on the now wet ground.

Your remaining combatant is the alien bodyguard.

Teliko cries out, "It worked!" as she then attaches some kind of wire or tube to the back of the sphere, which still sits on the specimen table in the center of the room.

Instantly, the sphere starts glowing again, this time with faster and brighter pulses that light up the formerly dark room.

Almost out of ammo in this magazine, Desi switches her sights to Teliko to try and stop her from what she is doing.

Firing three [3] more rounds
Current SEU Clip= 2/20

Beam Weapons: 6 [DEX:30 + 60 = 90%]
Cost: 250Cr
Weight: 2 kg
Damage: 3d10
Ammo: 20 SEU PowerClip
SEU: each shot drains 2 SEU
Rate: 3
Defense: Inertia
Range: 5/10/20/40/80
Ammo Cost: 100 Cr PowerClip
Skill: Beam Weapons

Hammer doesn't take time to gloat over the dead bodyguard or the disabled robot, nor does he worry for the moment about whatever virus might have just spilled all over him.  Instead, he aims and fires at the alien bodyguard while keeping as much cover as he can.

With the sphere up and running, Teliko is getting in position behind her cover to pop up and join the battle.

OOC: Not seeing much posting activity here.

OOC: NPC or take second characters?  Just a thought.  I would like to very uch contnue playing here.

S'Krllk decides that maybe having power restored to any portion of the area is a mistake, and tries to turn it off.

In reply to Desiraye Lipost (msg # 106):

I have someone who will be joining with a new character.  I've PMd the other absentee players to see if they want to join back in.  If they don't reply, we'll probably just do some replacements.  I get a number of requests to join this game whenever I post an ad anyway.

Awesome!

Don't forget the actions of Doc for this round either.  It looks like everyone else has posted?

Hammer fires at the alien bodyguard, hitting it once.

Desi fires 3 shots at Teliko.  She hits three times in the head, and the leader of the group goes down.

The bodyguard is firing at Desi to save his leader.  He misses Desi but hits the container over her head.  Desi feels viscous wet fluid flow all around her head and shoulders.  A piece of glass also hits Desi in the shoulder.  (6 STA damage.)

S'krllk goes back to try to turn off the power.

Kri'lik fires at the alien bodyguard, hitting it square in the face and taking it down.  (Critical hit.)

Just then, the doors burst open behind you, and a security team enters the room.

The speakers are blaring alarms.  "CONTAMINANT RELEASED. CONTAMINANT RELEASED. RETAIN LOCKDOWN."

The sphere has gone quiet again, but not before projecting some sort of opening into the far wall.  Two shadowy black figures, that take the shape of the wall and things they pass, enter the room and quickly go right through the wall to the east, disappearing from view.  They leave behind them trails of the "Blackness," which you recall is deadly to the touch.

Before the opening closes, two Sathar also emerge right behind the Sphere, near where Teliko fell.  The security team opens fire, as does your group, hitting one of the Sathar, but not before they grab the sphere and go back through the black portal.  The sphere is now gone, and in Sathar hands.

At this point in time, Desi is beginning to feel her skin crawling where the liquid had doused her.  She is turning red.  It is like a burning rash on the upper half of her body, and breathing is becoming difficult.  (8 STA damage.)  She has to sit and focus on breathing.

One of the security team approaches and leans down to help Desi.  He introduces himself as Sergeant Porter Min, and he quickly injects her with an antihistamine and powerful antibiotic, which helps with the breathing.

Porter tosses away the empty hypospray cannister and checks Desi's pulse, then orders the members of the security team to check on the other downed sentients and make sure any hostiles are dead or incapacitated.

He frowns at the spot where the portal disappeared.  "Looks like we were just a little bit late.  What was it those worms were after?"

Hammer says, "Those weren't worms.  They were beings from another dimension or galaxy or something.  The sphere acts as a portal to let them in, and now it's in the hands of the Sathar."  He will check the terrorists to see what equipment they had, or anything that might lead to clues like a PDA.

Kri'lik walks over and uses his healing ability on Desi.  (Healing 11 stamina damage, which heals up to 6 stamina of Kri'lik's damage.)  He offers to heal anyone else who needs it as well.

In reply to Hammer (msg # 113):

Porter shakes his head at the Mechanon.  "I was talkin' about the Sathar, big guy.  What those shadow things were was my next question."

The party explains that they are called the Qantariate, and they are preparing for war against this universe/dimension, within the next 30 days or so.  The sphere was a method of communication and transport between the dimensions.  It is unclear if there are any more.

(I will let players tell more details as it comes out.  The Qantariate are black because they do not exist as normal corporeal substance in this world, and they sometimes leave a trail of the black substance behind, which is like acid or worse to the touch.)

Desiraye tries to take off whatever clothing and equipment she can when she starts to feel the burn of the liquid on her shoulders and head.  She can feel her breathing start to get frantic and that whatever this fluid was, was the cause of her feeling like this.  Instantly, when she felt the hand come in to try and calm/control her, Desi feels the relief of the injection begin to calm her down.  Looking up/back to the man, she hears that he's part of the responding security element trying to help her and her team.  Desiraye tries to control her breathing as she addresses him, "Thanks for the assist.  You got her just in time, finally!  I'm Desiraye and what the Sathar took was a long story."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:11, Thu 03 Apr 2014.

Desi and everyone else injured are taken to a medical facility for healing and observation.

Sergeant Min, meanwhile, gathers what information he cans and meets them at the medical facility to talk to them.  Here is what he found out:

The sphere is gone, nowhere to be found.

Both Dr. Nuna and Dr. Matsuhara were found dead, killed by the strange extra-dimensional Blackness, which apparently hunted them down.  There is no further trace of the two Blackness shadows, nor of the Sathar that disappeared into the temporary portal when they took the Sphere.

Teliko was shot in the face and head.  Her goggles were destroyed by Desi's shots, but they appear to be of a design that is alien--perhaps of Sathar origin. It is unclear how she breached security or even got into the labs with her associates.  In fact, it appears as if she may have entered through a portal like that the Sathar came through.

Research is going on to discovery the true identities of the terrorists, including Teliko, as well as why the Sathar were involved.  A few items of equipment were confiscated, including the weapons, and the robot is also being examined.  There are no updates on that yet, but they do not appear to be UPF issue and could also be of Sathar or other unknown origin.

Currently...

Sergeant Min is standing next to all of you while you are finishing up to be released from the hospital.  It is evening now.  Everyone has been fully healed, except that it is unclear what effect the contaminants had on Desi and her DNA.  Hammer, as a Mechanon, was not affected by the container that was destroyed over his head.

Zeb Draxxon's death is also being investigated, but you have been cleared of his death.

Feel free to discuss and strategize.

Porter waves a holofile sheet absently as he considers things.  "I'm currently on assignment with Star Law.  They're a bit short on manpower at the moment for one reason or another.  Don't ask me.  Anyway, I've been tasked with tracking down any leads related to Sathar infiltration or espionage at that lab, or any other criminal activity that might be or have taken place.  It seems like you are all working toward the same thing.  I know I could use some help with my investigation.  I'm a marine, not a detective.  Shall we pool our resources in this?"

Desiraye reloads her K-Pulse pistol with a fresh magazine and places the empty one in a pocket, re-holstering it when it is complete.  "Wish we ran into you the other day when we ran into a bunch of the worms.  We zapped about five or six of them and we couldn't get the RIK security to believe us that we actually ran into them.  They're obviously looking for something around here because this is the second time we've run into them in a day or two.

Me and my people are an investigative unit, not so much soldiers.  Me and Hammer have been the shooters, S'Krllk and the Doc over there have been the support.  WE just met this other guy Zeb who said he had some security background but, he didn't last too long with us.  We could use someone else who knows their way around weapons and some sound tactics.  We help each other out see what the hell is going on around here."

"I've got a fairly open mandate to investigate criminal activity, especially regarding the Sathar.  I think we may work well together."

Porter will inquire with the security chief as to whether any of the confiscated weapons could be released to him, since he only has his personal automatic pistol at the moment.  He wasn't able to take any military gear on this assignment, and Star Law hasn't requisitioned him any equipment.

Desiraye smiles and extends her hand to the Marine, "I think we will.  I'll tell you now, we haven't had a good success rate with recent people who have partnered with us.  As long as you're up for it?

I'll let the rest of the team introduce themselves to you and what their specialties are.  I've been the muscle and shooter by default over time."

Desi looks back to the rest of the group and motions for them to introduce themselves to their new partner.

"I think I may stick around a while.  I saw service in the war..."  Porter gets a faraway look for a moment.  Then he snaps to attention, waiting for the rest of the group to introduce themselves.

"We've seen a little action ourselves.  I was on Volturnus when the Sathar attacked.  I lost a lot of good friends on that planet between Pirates and the worms!"

Hammer says, "I am a Mechanon, from Volturnus.  I met the group on the Pegasus starship when we escaped from the first group of the Black shadow creatures.  I am a xenobiologist and am just aching to really know what these shadow creatures and the Sathar are all about.  Don't let my mechanical frame fool you.  I've got plenty of emotion and sentience going on here.  Anything biosocial, you can talk to me.  I handle a gun okay too."

S'Krllk brightens momentarily, "You're a military type, then. That's nice, one more small piece of the universe shooting in the opposite direction."
"S'Krllk, at your service. I repair stuff, and sometimes it works."

Kri'lik introduces himself as the "doctor" of the group, both in knowledge and healing.  He is a Vrusk.

OOC: I am NPCing Kri'lik until his player gets back with us.

"We've got a good spread of skills amongst us but, we've been running up against some pretty big guns.  You would be a big help.

We're looking into something for a, uh, friend we've made here.  It's kind of hush-hush and if you want to work together, we need to share some information with each other.  We can't mention them directly and this whole Sathar thing has come up on us kind of quickly and we don't know how deep it really goes.

We are looking into the Jack LeGrange assassination at the starport the other day."

As Desi finishes her sentence, a well decorated military man walks into the room.  He is human, tall and muscular and about 50 years old.  His dark skin and well cropped black hair contrast against his white military uniform.

"I am UPF consulate Grandin Spief.  I oversee operations in this sector.  When I ran your identities through our system, I found that you used false identification to enter here before obtaining proper IDs with Dr. Nuna.  I also read your report about the Sathar attack on the shop of Ejidali.  I know you are working with RIK Zzik'Ti out of Starport Security.  While I appreciate he has the best interests of Kraatar in his mind, I am concerned that he is too close to the matter.  So I checked your IDs further and found that you are cleared with the UPF on a security clearance.  The Vrusk on Kraatar won't care about the clearance, but I do.  Your file indicates your involvement on Volturnus, the discovery of the extra-dimensional invasion and the misguided attempt to thwart it using a bug virus that then got out of hand, and your final rescue and flight from the Starport Pegasus before it was destroyed by the Qantariate.  Your rescue then brought you to this godforsaken planet, which now sees you entangled in further problems."

He takes a deep breath.  "You have a lot more knowledge of the Qantariate than I do, first hand, at least.  Given their involvement, I wouldn't be surprised to see them also involved in other matters here on Kraatar, even matters related to LeGrange--or at least Sathar involvement.  Please continue to work on your investigation and to keep RIK Zzik'Ti apprised.  Anything you tell him, you can assume I hear about, whether through authorized or unorthodox channels.  And I report directly to the UPF.  They are keeping an eye on you."

He shrugs.  "While the UPF does not believe there is any connection between the Qantariate and events on Kraatar, I am not so sure.  That's why we need eyes on the ground here.  As UPF consulate general, I have little authority here on Kraatar, but the UPF stands behind your efforts.  If you observe anything related to the Qantariate or Sathar from here on out, please keep me informed."

He touches some buttons on his PDA, and your own PDAs go off.  "There's my contact information.  Digitally record whatever you deem important to these matters, as evidence for the UPF."

Porter stands and salutes when Spief enters the room, and of course listens to him respectfully.  When he asks for reports sent to him, he responds with an almost automatic, "Yes, sir!"

All the while, though, he's waiting for the consul to leave so he can get on with the information sharing with his new companions.

Hammer watches, reliving the past few days in his mechanical mind as the consulate representative speaks.  He does not say anything, but instead waits, thinking of what the next best step is.

Anyone else posting?  Are you going back to your rooms for the night?

If we can't get any more information from here or any of the weapons, I guess we turn in for the night?

Porter has no problem turning in for the night.  We can share some info in the morning and then decide on our course of action.

Just to get it out there to speed things along, Porter was originally charged with investigating the abduction of a Dralasite named Orvo, connected to the lab, and Dr. LaGrange's disappearance.

There are also reports of racial unrest in some areas, and general Sathar activities that he should look into if he has time.

Contacts have also let him know that there have been unauthorized landings in the Quazzt Depression that he would like to look into, but it goes beyond his investigative authority.

We don't have to follow up on any of these right away if you all know of some pressing matters, but if these do tie into your current investigations, we can plan how to best tackle them.

"We ran into Orvo in the lab.  He was connected to the LeGrange assassination?

As far as racial unrest, we've seen several issue's that this is a really bad place to be right now.  We were involved in an incident or two since we've been here.

We've also heard about the landings.  We overheard a conversation:  While recently at Quazzt's Depression, a Human saw starship lights in the sky, which was very odd since starships are only supposed to land at the starport.  The human thinks it was extremists or racists landing there.

At the starport, no one had records of unauthorized landings in Quazzt's Depression."

OOC: Sorry about the delay.  Grad school stuff kept me busy last week, this week too, actually.

Porter looks over his data file.  "My orders are to investigate the abduction of Orvo.  I don't have any information about his connection to the assassination, although that's a possibility.  When and where exactly did you see him last?  What do you know of him?"

Orvo is still somewhere in the laboratory.  He left the group to attend to his work.

OOC: In other words, Orvo's player took a temporary absence but never returned.

I'll assume we're going to rest and move on to Day 6.  If Orvo's player gets back to me, I'll let you know.  If you want to do anything else before moving on, please do so today.

Each of you receives 3 experience points to distribute as desired.

In reply to GM Heath (msg # 138):

DOes anyone need to shop or have any other questions while we're here?  If not, let's move forward and get this going!