OOC: You each gain 2 XP.

Hammer searches more carefully while you begin making preparations to leave.  There are two short wave radios under the seat.  A printed message is also folded and placed under the seat.  It reads:

"Gartik,

Offworld trouble makers are at Quazzt. That blundering blob of fat, Gorboz, has mishandled the situation at Gozzorf. An attack on their train was unsuccessful. They may be heading to High Peaks. Stop them at all costs. They are easily recognizable. The group contains two Vrusk, two humans, a dralasite, and a Mechanon.

Boot"

You take off in the vehicles.  It takes several hours drive time to reach the sanitorium, and the sun is starting to set.  There have been no messages on the radios or elsewhere.

You stop the vehicles just out of sight of High Peaks Sanitorium to take a look at it.  The road had been winding through the mountains, so there is not much to hide, and you take turns peaking around the corner.  (See arrow on map pointing to "explorer")

There is an approach road that winds up the mountain, and then an open area that leads up to the main buildings.  It is definitely set atop a "high peak."  A river far below separates this peak from the adjacent mountain.

The entire complex itself is pressurized. The center is a large dome of glass encasing what appears to be a vegetation area or gigantic garden. There are two airlock doors near the front to enter the building.  They appear to be locked with voice recognition locks and some type of electrical field.  You are not sure if there are other security devices in the complex.  You see a number of small, well armored security cameras set around the open area (marked "c" on map).

Doing a little more scouting, you also see that there is a refuse chute that is possibly unsecured.  It dumps refuse out the back of the mountain--you had seen some garbage as your vehicles crossed that path, which led you to look up.

Unfortunately, the refuse chute is 175 meters above the road, and 25 meters down from the top of the cliff.  There are plenty of foot and handholds in the mountain, so you theoretically could climb it if your skills are good enough.  There is no way to get to the top part of the cliff without moving through the open area with the large security cameras.





It is as you are scouting it out that you hear interference on the radios. Fine-tuning the receiver allows them to pick up a broadcast from the Sanatorium:

"This is Boot calling Gartik, come in Gartik. Please state your position. Repeat, please state your position."

Night is beginning to fall...

Orvo looks to the more militant members of his crew. "We could try climbing the refuse chute. I really don't see any other way to approach unobserved."

Hammer says, "It's that or pretend to be Gartik and his crew.  I'd hate to split up, though.  Didn't we find climbing gear in the explorer?  Maybe that'll help us get up there."

"I thought there were two sets?"

"I doubt we could convince Boot that we were Gartik and his crew long enough to get inside. I believe that either storming the gates or climbing are our only real options."

"OK, we have a couple of different options here.  We can try one of the entry points, one being the top, the second being the climbing route as one unit.  Or, we go a two-pronged approach, splitting the team attacking them from two sides.

Let's get a vote and get this going.  I don't think we're barking up the wrong tree here.  I think there's something off with the Sanitarium and it may have to do with the KLC attacks.  We may be able to find some clues here.  At worst, we're arrested for destruction of property or we collect our fee for ending our investigation.

Thoughts and/or concerns?"

Orvo's ocular nerve bundles grow larger. "Splitting the party? Is that a good idea?"

Hammer says, "Why don't we radio back and pretend to be the scouting party.  We tell them we will be there in the morning.  If they believe us, great, they won't expect anything.  If they don't believe us, then they won't expect anything until morning.  In the meantime, we try to climb up the garbage chute."  The mechanon was not excited about rock climbing but realized it was the best and possibly only hope of getting in there unnoticed.

S'Krllk starts to sort through the various systems, scanning with his bodycomp as necessary. Explaining, he says, "I'm going to take another look at the captured equipment, if they have the right communications gear, we might be able to gain a look inside without actually being inside."

You have enough equipment to try to get two people up to the chute at a time.  The handholds going up can also be used to do some rock climbing up the surface.

OOC to S'KRllk: I'm not sure what he is searching for or what equipment he is looking at. Can you be more specific?

It has been several minutes now, and the voice repeats:"This is Boot.  Gartik, come in!  State your position!  Repeat, please state your position."

"You know what Gartik sounds like? Or any of the others? What if they have a password or phrase? If we answer them, they will know. If we don't answer them, they'll wonder."

"They didn't say anything before opening fire, so we don't know anything about their voices.  We could mimic heavy interference with the reception and put in a lot of background noise."  You can almost see Hammer's Mechanon gears turning to figure this out.

Desiraye was trying to make the best call about using the radio when it came to life.  She turns to the others, "We take a chance of them getting the feeling something is wrong whether we answer the call or not.  Hammer has a good idea and let's go with some interference when we answer."

"And a passphrase?"

OOC: Sorry for the absence.  Life has been hectic lately.  9-month old baby, need I say more?  :D

DM - All of the soldiers we fought were human, right?  Also all male?  I'm making that assumption here.

Porter looks at the radio.  "I think we need to contact them, and I'd better make the call.  They might not realize I'm not one of their men, but they'd surely pick out a vrusk, dralasite or mechanon voice.  Should I tell them Garik was wounded in the fight but that 'we' won?  Then they may think I'm just one of the others.  If they send out a medical team, though, that could be bad.  Any other ideas on what to tell them?"

"I am still concerned that we know too little of those men and their organization to trick them."

"Orvo still makes a good point everyone.   We need to decide quickly.   Damned if we do, damned if we don't!"

S'Krllk is poring over the communications gear. "Maybe a medical team would be good, might have vrusk or dralasites or others we could use to infiltrate."

OOC: he's looking for a way to hack into the systems at the base of operations

"If only two can climb using that gear, the rest of us could go in the front.  We could radio that Garik was killed in the firefight, but that we took the survivors prisoner.  Might get us up to the gates at least."

Hammer says, "Or we just take turns with the gear.  It'll take longer but be safer.  If anyone's really good at climbing, they can just use the handholds.  That person probably isn't me."

Hammer will let the others decide what to do about the radio as he begins setting up the climbing gear to get to the top and get through that garbage chute.

"If me and someone else go up using the ropes, who else can use the rocket launcher in case you need to?"

OOC: To keep this moving, I went ahead and made the rolls for climbing.  Interestingly, Desi came close to having a critical miss...

You hide the explorer in the brush and get ready to climb.  You leave the radio calls unanswered.  (Whatever you are bringing should be able to be carried on your person due to the climb.)

You begin climbing the wall, with Desi and Hammer on the ropes.  As you climb, Desi hits a loose patch and begins tumbling... (RS check success)

...she catches herself, but not before being slammed up against the side of the mountain.  (7 STA damage.)  As you continue to climb, Orvo also takes a misstep and begins to fall.  He scrapes his jelly-like body pretty badly against the rock wall but catches himself with a dangling appendage.  (RS check missed; 8 STA damage.)

As you reach the chute, the climbing becomes easier but is still at an angle.  Occasionally, you have to dodge kitchen refuse being flung down at you...

Kri'lik is hit by a particularly foul smelling bit of refuse and begins to slide down the chute, but he is caught by Porter before he goes all the way down.

You surface in a 12 meter by 12 meter room.  The only exit (besides the chute) is a 6 meter wide corridor leading east.  About 6 meters past the corridor's opening is a closed door.

This is some sort of maintenance room.  It contains the Sanatorium's power generator (level 6), a back-up generator (level 4), refuse disposal facilities and life support equipment (level 4).

A maintenance robot is throwing kitchen waste down the refuse chute, which explains the food that was flying past your face.

Given that you entered from the chute, the maintenance robot apparently thinks you are waste needing disposal.  It begins chasing the first person who came up the chute (Desiraye).

Hammer will wait to see if anyone can disarm the robot nonviolently.  If not, he will pull out his weapon and begin firing before anyone gets thrown down the chute.

OOC: Sorry for the late response, RL has been kicking my ass.  What kind of weapon(s)  does/is the robot using?

Just with its pincer claws.  It thinks since you came up the wrong way from the disposal chute that you are trash that needs to be thrown down the chute.  It is attempting a grapple (which will hurt from the metal pincers), and then what amounts to throwing you down the chute, which will likely lead to death if it succeeds.