“Death Station” Continues in the York System of Albadawi Sub-Sector
The Planet York is rated:
"C 8 A 2 4 6 3 F Non-industrial. Owned by Irashdaa. G"
C - Starport = Routine Installation = repair facilities and unrefined fuel available
8 - size = 8,000 miles diameter [earth is 12,800]
A - atmo = "exotic" requires humans to live in bubbles, extract oxygen from local
4 - Pop = up to 9999 people, actual number is around 5-6,000 [up from '2']
6 - Govt = Captive government, i.e. controlled by Irashdaa.
3 - Law Lvl = Body Pistols, Bombs, Grenades, Poison gas; Portable Energy
F - Tech Lvl = 15, maximum Imperial [due to this being a high-tech mining colony].
As I have also been working on learning Space Travel and its related game mechanics, adventuring within a couple of sub-sectors helps reduce down time for the players, who are aging, you know! Altho the core's civilization is more complicated than the Imperial Rim, I have the concepts and plot devices needed to make Bravo Team's adventures sensible and firmly in the T1ed. canon; this was a goal for the group from the beginning.
And
now, enough editorial comment! Let's return to team Bravo-7, last post
they were up to their ears in danger on the lab ship Syncomens, but slowly
unraveling the disaster that befell it…
* * START SESSION 4 - [DATE?], 2024 * *
The Teams then debate the merit of heading on to Q1 [and the auxiliary lab] or doubling-back and entering Q2 which contains the galley, mess, and reception areas, as well as the lift to the pinnace. Final decision is to head to the Auxiliary Lab in Q1, as more of the research may have been conducted there, so it is likely to be a high-threat area.
The Auxiliary Lab turns out to be wrecked; debris from laboratory equipment, another Ichiban Model/0.5 lab computer, work furniture as well as broken utility pipes and conduits is scattered away from the point where an explosion went off. The floor is buckled, but room pressure seems normal, according to readouts. At the far end near Air Raft #2 access door, there’s a pile of wrecked lab tables, stools, and other items obviously *not* exposed to an explosion. The Team proceeds cautiously.
Instead
of plant boxes, there are various animal cages in the lab, some quite
large... Many are damaged and their
occupants lay dead, killed in the explosion. Other cages have their doors wide
open with no signs of occupation. As they pass the Ichiban-5, Team Security
notes that it is clearly unusable and unlikely to yield much of any use.
Maintaining a 360 watch, the group stops in front of the debris pile.
“Who do you think is in there?” Asks Gabriel.
“Or what…” says Glitch.
“And how many,” adds Stinks.
The Team establishes security then a few
start picking at the rubble pile covered by those who aren’t watching their
backs. As they remove objects, it’s clear there is a tunnel through it, and it
leads – again – to a hole, roughly cut with a blowtorch and padded with
clothing and mattress bits. This time, it exudes a stench more animal than
human…and distant scrabbling, grunts, and calls.
“I think we found the laboratory pets,” says
Oran. And indeed, in their suit’s light beams, faces start appearing – colorful
but not friendly faces:
“Nice monkey, I got a treat for ya,” says Gabriel, flicking off his safety.
A
few charge out into the light, and are met with fiery blasts of thunder from
the covering Team members. One retires rapidly, shrieking, dragging its leg –
or was it an arm? The others lay still.
“Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!” shrieks a voice from the floor,
followed by pitiful sobs and moans.
“C’mon on up then,” says Glitch, “No weapons
and you won’t be hurt!” Two hands
appear, palms up, followed by a filthy, unshaven face. The eyes full of fear,
panting, much like the mammals already scared off by the guns.
“Don’t hurt me! It wasn’t me, I tell you, it was the
others…their mad, I tell you, completely MAD – yes! I never thought it was
wise, much less scientific… or ethical, yes, or ethical! The plants, the woods, yes, they are coming
COMING to Dunsinane Hills! Hah! *sob* They can’t be stopped!
I told them they’d lose their licenses – or
worse! Then they were angry, they threatened me, yes! A scientist, a DOCTOR - to
kill me! And they’ve killed, yes, killed
I tell you - everyone – and the sea split, the ship was hit, and the sands on
the shore were shaking… ha! Yes, yes,
SHAKING I say, and they consume, yes, they commit EGREGIOUS acts, *consume* and
more, yes, yes more and WORSE.” and the voice trails off into blubbering and
tears. The primates scrabble and grunt in the silence after this unexpected
speech.
“C’mon out, it’s OK” says Glitch. “You part
of the crew?” And indeed the first
survivor turns out to be none other than one of the scientific leads in the
experiment trials, Dr. Raimondo Stands. Completely unmanned, alternating
between bouts of sobbing, groveling, and accusations against “them”, it is soon
clear that Dr. Stands is not completely connected to his surroundings.
“Doc, we’re going to need you in the Aux
Lab,” states Oran, “sooner the better.”
After his arrival, Wineston, Peck and Zack also catch up. Eventually, Stands is coaxed out from his lair, but is not completely cooperative. Doc consults with Oran who nods, then has the Team hold Stands down while he makes a quick prick in his arm. Soon, most of the monologue drifts off and Stands is just mumbling and lethargic. He’s taken back to the bridge area by Doc Stinks and Glitch, where one of the staterooms will be the aid station managed by Glitch. Doc and Stinks will return ASAP.
Team
Security takes a breather, then continues pushing forwards into Q1. Air Raft
hanger #2 has no air raft – where is it?
Hard Point #2 is an ugly sight. The laser’s gunner is in his chair, but
his head appears to have been ripped off and is missing. Two other bodies are
present, and appear to have been partially consumed. They take a tactical pause
for Doc and Stinks return.
“Right, let’s move on – stay sharp,” says
Oran.
“I got a bad feeling about this,” says Neo.
They
cross back over to Drive Pod #2. It is messy with feces, bits of bone and
remains, and a faint scrabbling and grunting can be heard from above – the
second level. Oran looks at Neo and Doc, points up to the ladders and hatches
to the second level. Neo and Doc nod, go up and test the closed hatches – ‘thumbs-up’
– they are not secured. They look at each other, and Neo gives one, then two,
then three fingers…and they simultaneously pop the hatches and poke their heads
in, weapons cleared over the lip, ready to use, as the hatches bang into the
floor. It’s not a pretty sight.
A long-faced man, filthy, unshaven, with a
tattered lab coat whirls between the two hatches as between two threats; two
primates start to grunt, howl and whirl around, undecided which way to go for a
moment, being outflanked.
“Hah!
Qu’est-ce que c’est! Qu'est-ce que c'est!!” screams the man D who
then charges at Neo, a feral look in his eye that clearly means no good. The
primates dance around, but one then heads towards Doc, a decision clearly made.
From below, Oran and the team watch as shots ring out. Neo’s lower half seems to leap up into the room, and it is unclear what is happening. Doc’s SMG is heard at the other ladder.
Amidst the human shouting, primate howling, and weapons firing, a decision has to be made, so Gabriel and Oran head up the ladders, somewhat awkwardly, holding their weapons ready. Oran peers over the lip of the hatchway, and sees Neo on the far side of the cramped compartment, slumped up-side down against the wall, looking dazed. A wild-looking man capers and twirls screaming “Qu'est-ce que c'est!” repeatedly. Then heads over to the partially incapacitated Neo.
Oran doesn’t think about it, he quickly pulls himself up and shouts “Hey!” at the wild man, while dropping his shotgun and drawing his trusty boarding cutlass. The feral fellow turns and begins bobbing and weaving towards *him* now, “Qu'est-ce que c'est!! Qu'est-ce que c'est!!” he screams. Oran begins working him over with the flat of the cutlass. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees a primate cut in two from Doc’s SMG, bleeding out. The other screams and nimbly climbs the drive itself, then leaps off towards Doc and an emerging Gabriel.
As Neo shakes it off and begins to rise, Doc and Gabriel cut down the other primate with fire at arm’s length. Oran grapples with the madman who is trying to pick him up – and appears to be able to do so! Gabriel dashes around the drive and slams into the madman, who appears completely unfazed when his head and torso are slammed into the wall. Clearly, this will take more personnel!
Neo and Doc jump in, and with the four of
them they batter the madman, knock his legs from under him and he awkwardly
hits the deck, on his back. This would easily knock out any man, but he just
stares into Neo’s eyes while Neo rests his body weight on his shoulder and arm.
Growling and staring, he begins to pick Neo up off the deck with just the one
arm, his eyes bulging!
“Doc, you gotta put this dog down!” shouts
Neo. Doc deftly pulls out an auto-hypo while kneeling on the feral fellow’s
other arm, and eases it right into an artery.
It appears to have a mild effect. Doc tosses the empty aside, pulls out
another, repeats the process, and slowly Neo begins to rest back on the deck as
the bulging arm begins to relax. “Qu'est-ce que c'est?” the madman asks, then
his eyes roll back. There are a few moments of collective catching of breath.
“You OK,” Oran asks Neo.
“I’m a bit beat up, but I can keep going.” Peck,
Zach and Winestin enter the pod, and the madman is lowered onto the Pod’s first
level for them to take possession of his drooping form.
“Will Dr. Spangler recover,” Peck asks Doc.
“Likely,” answers Doc.
“How do you know who he is,” asks Oran.
“His lab coat,” answers Peck pointing. Sure
enough, the name can just be seen amidst the tears and filth. “OK, says Oran. “Me
and Stinks will do the carry this time, you guys take five.”
“I’ll help,” says Winestin.
“Zack will, also,” says Peck. “We must
press on soon.”
In just a few minutes, the four return, and the search continues. Next to the Drive Pod, the Auxiliary Bridge is well-lit and intact. The terminal to the ship’s main computer is blinking a ‘ready’ state. The following state rooms are in various states, some stripped of furniture and bedding, others intact. One contains a partially-consumed crewman, missing a leg. Searches for other personnel don’t bear fruit, and the team wants to keep moving, assess and eliminate any threats, and insure the ship’s integrity before looking around in detail. They arrive at the bulkhead door to Q2, and take a breather, check weapons.
“Alright, let’s finish up. Pop that iris valve.” It is done and the hatch swings open, Q2 before them.
The
Team checks all the staterooms. One is a research library, with some materials
scattered around the floor – someone was obviously interrupted at their work.
“We’ll need to look around in here when
we’re done,” says Oran.
The rest of the rooms are in various states:
some are in disarray, some not, one has signs of a struggle: blood on the floor;
another has a body in a closet, missing an arm; another has a travel trunk with
unusual exterior design motifs, unusual symbols in small letters. Something
about it is familiar…
“Doc, c’mere,” says Oran. “Those symbols look familiar to you?”
“Yes – ANNIC NOVA writing, I’d say,” They
pop it open. Inside, neatly folded, are three space suits, almost identical to
those salvaged from that mysterious vessel. Also, a portable flat screen with
dials and buttons. Doc pushes a couple of likely ones. A bald, brown, humanoid
head without eyebrows appears, and begins speaking. Various images appear –
with a button push, the image changes and the talking head speaks again. Doc
looks at Oran. “Language tutor – similar to the one on the ‘Nova’s main screen.
And these suits – no tanks and no place to attach a tank, like ‘Nova’s.”
“We have to come back for this. Let’s stow
it.” They push it into a closet and conceal it with a few articles of clothing
and some small boxes.
The Reception Area has a plaque with the
ship’s build history and specs, with the owner as “Scientific Charters”. Below,
a small letterboard says “Welcome aboard, Lysani Lab Personnel!” At the far side, is the lift shaft to the
pinnace docking ring. They decide to keep clearing Q2.
Farther along, they encounter the cook’s
stateroom, a staff meeting room with various types of filing and data systems
conveniently located, and a private dining room. The Galley follows, with
smashed lighting fixtures and some disarray but no large piles of objects. A
visual scan of the area reveals nothing extraordinary to a galley. The Team
advances into the darkness and checks the larger storage doors.
“Guys, I found the rest of the crew…I
think,” says Gabriel in a strange voice.
The rest of the Team moves closer – Gabriel has opened a large insulated
door for what is obviously fresh food cold storage. There, hanging from various
meat hooks, are at least a dozen of the crew – completely frozen, obviously
dead, some missing limbs and parts. Oran switches to the group Push and informs
Eclipse and the other Teams. Peck, Zack and Winestin join them.
“Doesn’t look good,” says Winestin. Zack
looks somewhat green. Peck says nothing, but looks at Oran and the rest of the
Team. His face gives nothing away.
“By the information given, we still have
four unaccounted for,” transmits Simpson from Eclipse.
“Not much left – the pinnace and…the
maintenance tunnel,” says Oran.
“Hopefully, the pinnace,” says Stinks dryly.
“Let’s shake it,” says Oran, “we’re on air
time.” The Team closes the fresh food storage door again, and backtracks to the
lift shaft.
Popping the door, the lift appears ready for
use. Another door is in the side, marked “ladder access point” in yellow
stencil. “What do you think?” asks Oran.
“I like the ladder better – we’ll be able to
see up the shaft instead of a surprise at the top,” says Gabriel. Oran nods,
enters the elevator and stops, poised, at the door. They cover him. He yanks it
open, stepping back with his trusty cutlass at the ready. Two of the primates
lay on the floor, bullet-ridden and obviously dead. Oran prods them with the
cutlass anyway. They are stiff.
“OK, Stinks, Neo, Gabriel, Winestin, me then
the Krono-kops,” says Oran. As the team heads up the shaft ladder, Oran and
Zack step out onto the lift roof to cover the hatch at the top. Stinks tests
it, nods to Oran, who hand-signs him to storm up. He throws the hatch open,
looks around then shakes his head. He and Neo enter a tight landing, and Neo
peeks in the small window to the pinnace airlock and quickly draws back. “We
have one sleeping sentry in the airlock; looks like a crewman.”
“Well, it’s time for him to get up, clearly,” says Oran.
Neo pounds on the door. The sleeping sentinel starts and awakens. “Rescue!” he shouts, Trader Eclipse, CPT Simpson.” The crewman is clearly delirious with joy. He shouts something out the open interior airlock door and then begins to open the door. A sharp word from inside is heard – another crewman, obviously in charge, enters and walks to the window. She looks disheveled and tired, but is composed. She looks closely at Neo, then Gabriel, who both try to look as benevolent as possible. She completes the opening of the airlock, and regards them.
“Diane Batter, pilot,” she says. “This is
Lou Tilly, engineer. C’mon in – how many are you?”
“We’ve a robust crew at the moment, with
some additions. The shaft is a bit tight, so we’ll sort that real quick.” Oran
leaves Peck and Zack to guard the exit. They all file up into the pinnace.
There, they are introduced to two other survivors. Hanna Putz, medic and steward, and another disheveled fellow in a dirty lab coat, Dr. Pedro Finkman. Hanna hugs Gabriel, who looks awkward, Lou is alternating between laughing and crying, and Dr. Finkman is cloyingly appreciative.
“It’s been quite an ordeal, we’re so
grateful, Spangler and Stands are missing, presumed dead, but they became quite
mad. One of them blew up the auxiliary lab, let the animals loose… If not for
the efforts of the fearless crew, we would all have been lost… would all have
been lost,” he repeats, shaking his head.
“There’s going to be a lot to talk about
later, but what’s this ship’s status?” asks Batter, “we’ve been cornered up
here for days.” The other survivors go inside to gather a few things from the
pinnace.
“It’s mostly secured – at least, a visual
check for crew and essential systems, hull’s intact,” says Oran. “We’ve got the
bridge, and an aid station there. Only loose end is the maintenance tunnels
–there’s primates in there, uncertain who or what else.” He briefs her on additional
relief, survivors, etc. “The other doctors are under sedation – they’re not
coherent at this point,” he finishes. Batter nods, clearly full of suspicions. “The whole *event* was very odd…” she
begins in hushed tones.
But Dr. Finkman returns. “I’m ready to head
to your vessel, if you feel it’s we can depart safely,” he says. “Of course, it
might be wise to secure some of the research data, as that will bring purpose
to the deaths that have been incurred on this path of scientific discovery. I’d
think the families would be please to know they did not die in vain, nor that
the precious knowledge…” he stops speaking, his voice trailing off as his mouth
gapes open and his eyes bulge at something behind Oran.
Oran whirls around, cutlass ready to fend
off an attack, but it is only Sub-Assistant Kronographer Peck…who is locking
eyes with Dr. Finkman. Oran whirls back to face Finkman, only to see him fall
in a dead faint. Batter just stands, unmoving, as he hits the deck [literally].
Oran looks back to Peck, who takes his eyes from the prostrate doctor. “Zack is
checking the lift controls – we moved the primate carcasses out of the shaft,
and he should be up shortly,” he says blandly to Oran. Oran gives him a long,
hard look. “OK. Looks like we’ll need it for the Good Doctor, anyway.”
Doc returns, and takes charge of the survivors who are to head to the makeshift aid station near the bridge, both for safety and to get better checked out. Oran leads the rest back down the shaft, noting the lift rising to take the survivors out of the pinnace. When they make it down the ladder, the lift is still loading, far above. Oran gives it one more suspicious look before heading back through the galley of horror towards the bulkhead door to Q1 and the bridge.
* * END SESSION 4 – [DATE?], 2024 * *
* * BEGIN SESSION 5 - JAN 18, 2025 * *
The
Team makes their way to the Bridge. Oran makes sure Bravo Team brings up the
rear. Doc and the survivors in the center, Zak and Peck lead the way. As they
pass the pile of furniture and lab equipment in the Auxiliary Lab, Winestin
drops back – Oran looks at him, then nods at Stinks to hang back as well. Once
most of the group has left Q2, Oran stops, looks back and sees Winestin
catching up, holding a charred lab computer in his hands.
“I thought I saw it in the rubble earlier,
but the primates distracted me. We gotta take this along and see what we can
get out of it.” They formed back up for a safe trip back to the bridge. When
they got there, they found Doc and Glitch keeping an eye on two of the Drs - the
psychotic Spangler and the sniveling Stands. The oily Dr. Finkman, along with
the other surviving crew members, is in one of the other staterooms with Peck; Zack
is leaning outside the door, bored.
Winestin and Oran consult in low voices, but
can’t come up with a reason why the survivors *can’t* talk to the Sub-Assistant
Kronographer, without appearing to be more than a fearless crew working the
spaceways. Ultimately, Wineston values their cover, which can still be useful.
While Peck is busy, Bravo Team takes the
opportunity to organize all the data they found. This is relatively easy since
Jerek already copied the data from the main computer.
“By the way,” says Jerek, “One thing I found
is that along with the daily encrypt of research results and other activities
to Lysani Labs, which the computer can read, an additional transmission has
been made during the night cycle, often from one of the lab computers. That
code is also encrypted, but the mainframe computer *can’t* read it – at all. Or
else it is in a language it doesn’t understand.”
“We can decipher them later,” says Winestin.
“The important thing is to find out where they are going – we need another
lead.”
“Should be doable, I’ll get back to that – I
was checking out some of the other systems.”
The charred Ichiban/0.5 Winestin wanted to
take with him, but secretly. They decided to hide it in the hard box containing
the three suits. This reminds Oran of something else – Doc is summoned and
checks out the contents of the box.
“Same suits all right.” He says, then pulls
out a box with screen and dials. After some fiddling, it turns out to be a
language tutor with a talking humanoid head, no eyebrows – also like the one on
Annic Nova. “We need to figure out who’s stateroom that was.” Oran nods.
“Time is passing – let’s try the direct
method. Can you get Dr. Spangler to answer questions?”
“Probably,” says Doc slowly. “Only wild card
is, I’ll have to use some Medical Slow and whatever else is in him is making
him react unusually.”
“Worth a shot – he’s made his bunk, and
he’ll have to lay in it.” Doc and Glitch prepare the cocktail, and Oran watches
the door. Doc skillfully brings Spangler to a point where he’s murmuring and a
little restless. They question him, successfully, ascertaining that he’s been
sending regular duplicates of all lab results to Butler Chemical, Terra/Sol,
via his contact on York, that he only knows as “CZ”. ButlerChem instructed him
thru CZ to delay the experiment, so Spangler set off the bomb, little knowing
the effects it would have on the crew and experimental primates!
Around the same time, Jerek summons Winestin.
Turns out the ship’s mail program is very dutiful about tracking mail, lest any
research be lost. The address on York is
<< CZcalcia:York:Lysani:17729>>.
Oran and Winestin compare notes.
“CZ… that’s our lead or I’m a Kronographer”
says Winestin.
Simpson informs them from Eclipse that
additional ships are just a few hours away. In the meantime, discussion among
the team revolves mainly on securing Syncomens better. A slow,
controlled venting the ship into space should kill anything on board, bacterial
to mammal, but may also destroy valuable evidence and experiments. Also,
Winestin would have to assert his Ministerial jurisdiction. The decision
remains staying incognito and acting out their roles.
Finally, they are relieved by additional
vessels from York. Bravo Team make their exit from Syncomens with many
unanswered questions and uninvestigated suspicions. They return to York,
without Peck and Zack on board. Upon landing, they debate their next course of
action.
“We gotta figure out that address, who or
what it is, and chase it down,” says Winestin. After some back’n forth, they
decide to check the mailroom of Lysani Labs. Glitch comes up with some likely
excuses about a lost package, then departs, Stink trailing him. “No one should
go anywhere here without another one of us keeping an eye on him,” says Oran,
“who knows how deep this goes, and what the Time Police are up to.”
Glitch enters the mail room, and a cheerful,
young woman with a name plate that reads, “Iva Shandor” waits on him. He
explains that a personally important package somehow got mislabeled, and was
sent to the “CZ” address. She gives him a form to fill out, and says he can
return tomorrow and they should have it. Thinking quickly, Glitch explains that
some of the items in the package are perishable, and, using all his 11/Knight
social graces, requests a quick check.
Utterly charmed, Iva checks the mail
box, and reports that there’s a hold on the mail, which usually means that the
recipient is off-planet. After some more conversation, Glitch ends up with an
explanation of the address and a “is there *anything* else you
want…*anything*?” accompanied by some grey-eyed glances. Glitch considers how
long the ship has been Travelling, and…does the obvious – secures a drink after
she gets off work! The address is
simple:
Cedric
Zimmerman:Office_of_Community_Interaction:Box9.
But
who is Cedric Zimmerman? He’s a PR executive that handles relations with one of
the nearby sub-sectors, Ranulf. The hold on his mail is for another 10 days.
Glitch thanks her and has a cheerful departure.
Back on the ship, Winestin, Doc, Oran, and
Glitch talk it out, consulting with Simpson about the astrogation. They don’t
think they can catch Zimmerman before he’s in route back to York. They also
need to touch base with BWI and the Bureau of Health on Irashdaa, where they
may also be able to develop some more leads. No clear choice is at hand, so
they consider splitting up the Team to do both courses of action: wait for
Zimmerman on York, and head to Irashdaa. Glitch looks at his watch.
“While you make important decisions, I’m going to be sure not to disappoint a mail clerk. And I may come back with some more information about Cedric Zimmerman, as well!” He says over his shoulder as he strides out the bulkhead door.
* * END SESSION 5 - JAN 18, 2025 * *
