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Chapter 28 (Original Archive)
supreme_arbiter 4/3/2005
Turn 12: Clones in Toyland
Percy and Arkady arrived in the supply room where Amanda was
carefully examining the protein disrupter pistol. They emptied the
contents of their containers into the recycler. "That should be
plenty and then some," Arkady said.
Chelydra entered the room. "Hey, Amanda. Percy, Arkady," he nodded.
He swiped his card and opened the door labeled 'Munitions Locker'.
Inside the small room beyond, he turned right and likewise opened the
next door. The heavy security door opened and revealed a small room.
There was a piece of machinery with levers, hoppers and funnels on a
large desk. A medium assault rifle, a heavy assault rifle, two medium
sized assault rifles and three handguns were hung neatly from a
mostly empty weapons rack. The inertial dampening shelves were mostly
empty as well, but there were still some items left: 7 belt holsters,
4 large belt pouches, 6 smaller belt pouches, 3 large power cells,
dozens of red cylinders, several small and large ammo clips, 4 orange
cartridges, 5 large boxes of shotgun shells, a box of small metal
pellets and empty shotgun shells, a box of green, red and blue orbs,
dozens of boxes labeled 9mm and another couple of dozen labeled 9.1mm
APHE.
Arkady was the first to enter the munitions locker. He picked up one
of the handguns. It seemed to be a simple lead slug thrower. He
managed to pull out the ammo clip. It seemed full. He tried to put
the clip back in, but it started to make a clicking sound.
Embarrassed, Arkady soon got the clip in snuggly.
OOC: I used the MA3e Complexity chart for a complexity level 2 item.
Arkady nearly had an accident...
Arkady looked up as Bud entered the room. "Nice selection you got
here," he said. He politely took the pistol from Arkady and showed
him how to put the first round in the chamber by pulling back on the
top half of the pistol then showed him how to turn the safety on and
off.
"Thanks," Arkady replied. He took a belt holster and two full ammo
clips for the pistol that Bud pointed out.
"Chel," Bud asked, "are you familiar with any of these firearms?"
Chelydra shook his head. "This is a combat shotgun. Holds 12 18mm
shotgun shells, single shot or burst. This assault rifle is a SK-19,
Sturmkarabiner. It uses a binary propellant system: the ammo is
harmless without the catalyst," Bud showed them how to remove an
orange cartridge from the rifle. "This cartridge holds the gas that
the rifle uses to fire. Each cartridge will fire 600 9.1mm armor-
piercing high-explosive bullets. Single shot or burst mode. It also
fires 6 30mm grenades." Bud looked in the box of multi-colored
orbs. "Red grenades are always fragmentary, green are always knockout
gas, and blue is smoke. And this," Bud caressed the largest
weapon, "is a plaser."
"Is that anything like pleather?" Arkady joked.
"Uh, no. It's a plasma rifle."
"Not a laser rifle?" Arkady said, trying to sound serious.
"It's both, actually. Plasma is a super heated gas. But the gas cools
too quickly in atmosphere for it to be an effective weapon from more
than a few dozen meters away, so the weapon first fires a laser to
heat a path for the plasma. The laser does damage as well, but not as
much as the plasma. This is a Japanese model, a Kurita Type-21F. 15
megawatts of portable tank-stopping punch!" Bud showed them how to
unload and load the power cell. "One atomic cell will fire 40 plasma
bolts. And this," he showed them how load a small red cyclinder, "is
the hydrogen charge. Each charge will fire 1 plasma bolt. Both the
cell and the charge are required. When you fire the plaser, watch
out: the charge'll be ejected from the chamber on your right and
it'll be red hot! Finally, that device on the desk is a shotgun shell
loading machine. Any questions?" Bud proceeded to show each clone how
to use each weapon. He showed Amanda how to load and unload the
hydrogen cell in her protein pistol. He showed the clones how to read
the contents of a cell: the one in Amanda's pistol was completely
full and could fire 20 more shots before it would need a new cell.
---------------------------
THX-1492
The human stopped a meter in front of the robot. He did not look
scared at all. He paused a moment and watched the robot, then swung
the metal rod. THX could clearly see that it was a heavy piece of
pipe with threading on the end. The robot watched as the pipe swung
closer to its head.
---------------------------
end transmission
OOC: There is now a page with a map of the lifeboat and details about
the ship's contents. There are pictures of the new weapons in the
Munitions Locker and a new image of one of the items in the Supply
Room at:
http://www.metamorphosisalpha.com/ias/pandora.html
gglassdr 4/4/2005
THX-1492
THX-1492 puzzles for a moment. This human was not behaving logically.
It should be running away in fear! No matter, the programming will input defense mechanisms.
THX-1492 swings its heaviest engineering implement to block the swing of the humanoid.
If the humanoid continues to attack, THX will retreat back into the structure.
katrinalieff 4/6/2005
Amanda
OOCQuestion; Does Amanda have a ProTON Pistol, or a ProTEIN Pistol?
Amanda became very, very interested in the handling of the weapons, and
pays very, very close attention. After the lecture, she holsters the
pistol, and picks up the Sturmkarabiner. She tests the weight: "I don't
know what it is, but I LIKE this one�" she said with a serious look.
Admiring its color, shape, and testing its weight, she loaded the
launcher with `red' frags. Finally, almost as an `afterthought', she
slung the fancy rifle/carbine over her shoulder.
supreme_arbiter 4/6/2005
OOCQuestion: Does Amanda have a ProTON Pistol, or a
ProTEIN Pistol?
protein - it melts organic material
In review of last turn, I noticed that I forgot to
mention something about THX's turn. I assume that the
robot was using its 'radio receiver' (radio signals)
and not its 'broadcast power receiver' (a power
source).
gglassdr 4/6/2005
THX-1492
yes, THX was not using a power source (got to conserve those batteries!)
supreme_arbiter 4/11/2005
Turn 13 - Down the Rabbit Hole
THX-1492 swung a heavy-duty grappling tentacle to block the humanoid's
attack. The pipe struck the tentacle and burst into a cascade of light
without doing any damage. The light grew until it consumed the robot's
entire 360 degree field of vision.
When the light diminished, the humans were gone; the rocky, desert
terrain was gone. THX stood in a clearing surrounded by jungle.
Vegetation obscured the landscape. The ancient building and the
excavated pits and trenches were still there. A small mammal moved
nearby. When THX turned to examine it, the animal scampered toward a
nearby tree and disappeared down a hole. Beyond the hole, the robot
detected a fresh trail through the undergrowth. The same robotic
footprints THX had seen in the trench below had marched this way into
the jungle toward a cliff covered with vegetation.
end transmission
supreme_arbiter 4/11/2005
D'oh! I forgot to post an image of the small mammal :)
publius1024 4/12/2005
Arkady
"Thanks, Bud Sensei," Arkady said and bowed slightly.
Bud scrutinized him for a moment. Was he mocking him? But the look in
Arkady's eyes indicated his honest gratitude. Bud smiled. "You're
welcome, Padawan."
Arkady turned to Percy and said, "shall we go see a computer about a
reactor part?" Percy and Arkady went through the door behind them and
opened the matter compiler shed. The compiler was still on. The
terminal indicated large quantities of carbon, silicon, hydrogen,
oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur had been decompiled. There was already
more than enough carbon to build the reactor part and there was
another couple dozen kilograms of material in the recycler that had
yet to be decompiled. They reauthorized the reactor part and
construction began immediately.
Arkady browsed through the common items in the Emergency Equipment
directory. He spotted 'Unformatted ID Passcard' and 'Comm Headset'.
"Amanda needs a passcard, and Chel needs a headset," he said and
clicked on the compile button. The compiler asked Arkady to select a
priority for the new construction. He chose to have them built after
the reactor part was complete.
"Now to get some sleep," he said to Percy. "I'll meet you back here
when the replacement part is finished."
Arkady passed through the supply room on his way to the cabins. He
noticed the weapons they had brought on board and decided they'd be
safer in the munitions locker since the supply room doors didn't
require passcards to open. After he took them all into the locker, the
jackets hanging in a cabinet caught his eye. He took one off a hanger
and tried it on. It was light, sporty and fit him well. Confident with
his new look, Arkady finished stowing the weapons and left the supply
room.
He turned down the corridor toward the medbay and stopped at the first
cabin on his right. He suddenly recalled a memory of his former life:
unassigned cabins were not often keyed to passcards. Arkady tested his
memory by holding his thumb to the passcard panel. The panel
illuminated and the door opened. Feeling pleased with himself, he
entered the room. There was a three person bunk bed, a desk, a chair,
shelves, cabinets and an end table beside the bed. The door closed
behind him and Arkady sat at the desk where there was a computer
terminal. He swiped his passcard over the computer's card reader to
login. He typed the query, 'how do I lock my cabin?' The terminal
displayed a series of diagrams showing the procedure. Arkady read them
and went to the card reader inside the room beside the door. He put
his thumb against the card reader as before. A moment later a message
displayed above it, 'Thumbprint unknown. Please swipe passcard.'
Arkady did so and soon the device displayed another message,
'Dmitrivich, Arkady. Thumbprint saved. Door locked. You may now use
your passcard or thumbprint to lock or unlock this door.'
Arkady went back to the computer and typed another query. The computer
responded by saying an alarm would ring in his room to awaken him when
the matter compiler had completed construction on the reactor
replacement part. "At last," Arkady thought. "Something that works!"
He patted the computer affectionately, took off his holster and jacket
and placed them beside the bed. He was ready for a nap, but he had one
last thing on his mind. He left his room and found the restrooms
through a small exercise area down the hall. He took a brief, hot
shower and dried himself with a towel from the cabinet. He put on his
jumpsuit, returned to his room and climbed into the middle bunk.
Beside his jacket and pistol, he placed his pocket knife and attached
his magnetic icon to the duralloy hull beside his bed. He thought
about his parents, now long dead for many centuries. He wondered if he
still had family on Mars, or anywhere else in the universe. Still
wearing his jumpsuit, he lay on the covers. He fell fast asleep and
dreamed dreams of wild marines and insane machines.
OOC: The GM has turned off the Fasten Seatbelt lights. You are free to
walk about the cabins :) Like the last several turns, the next couple
will be weekly (approximately.) This is due in part to the fact that
we have two new players, and that the ship is more or less secure. The
characters at this point are preparing for the next stage of the
adventure...
MuwaHaHaHa :D
BTW, I've updated Amanda's and Arkady's character pages and the
lifeboat's contents page.
gglassdr 4/15/2005
THX-1492
THX-1492 stands motionless attempting to interpret this most strange turn of events.
It turns on all its sensors to examine its new surroundings. It also attempts to replay
all evidence of the transference to attempt to analyze just what happened.
gammaben 4/20/2005
Percy
Percy and Arkady arrived in the supply room where Amanda was
carefully examining the protein disrupter pistol. They emptied the
contents of their containers into the recycler. "That should be
plenty and then some," Arkady said.
Chelydra entered the room. "Hey, Amanda. Percy, Arkady," he nodded.
"Howdy Chelydra!" Percy said happily, still feeling the high
of having breathed real and not recycled atmosphere for the first time
in his clone-self's life. He watched as Chelydra opened the munitions
locker, and Arkaday and Bud streamed in like school students trying to
be first in line to the water fountain at recess. Percy smiled, patted
his laser pistol, and took a peek himself after Cheyldra and Amanda
went into the weapons room.
Percy listened as Bud described the various weapons. The plaser
sounded like science fiction! But, they were living science fiction
and it was par for the course. He wondered what new inventions may
have been dreamed up and fashioned into reality, back on Earth, in
the intervening years since Warden's departure from the pale blue dot.
Arkady turned to Percy and said, "shall we go see a computer about a
reactor part?" Percy and Arkady went through the door behind them and
opened the matter compiler shed. The compiler was still on. The
terminal indicated large quantities of carbon, silicon, hydrogen,
oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur had been decompiled. There was already
more than enough carbon to build the reactor part and there was
another couple dozen kilograms of material in the recycler that had
yet to be decompiled. They reauthorized the reactor part and
construction began immediately.
Arkady browsed through the common items in the Emergency Equipment
directory. He spotted 'Unformatted ID Passcard' and 'Comm Headset'.
"Amanda needs a passcard, and Chel needs a headset," he said and
clicked on the compile button. The compiler asked Arkady to select a
priority for the new construction. He chose to have them built after
the reactor part was complete.
"Now to get some sleep," he said to Percy. "I'll meet you back here
when the replacement part is finished."
[[Percy]] "You bet. Don't put your blaster under the pillow unless
you put the safety on, right?" Percy joked. He watched as Arkady left
the garage, then grinned almost mischievously to himself. He sized
up the car and hovercraft, and noted to himself what they might need
to be functional again. Tires, he thought, and power, he continued,
making a mental list. He tried to gain entry into each vehicle, to see
what might look familiar to him. He may not have been a space pilot,
but he could guess that his original self could drive _something_.
Perhaps he could take one of the vehicles for a spin, and explore the
surrounding area of the crashed lifeboat, if he could get it working.
Soon, exhaustion started winning over excitement over the newness and
intrigue of matter compilation and vehicle repair. He put in an order
of tires for the car on standby, so as not to forget. He'd discuss
with the rest of the crew later if it were a worthy use of their spare
carbon. For now, he felt like a bit of a rest, himself, but there
was one stop he wanted to make, first.
Percy made his way back to engineering. He walked within view of the
rusting robot through the window to the reactor room, and cheerfully
gave it an update. "Uh, Terminus?" He waited for the robot's response
to his presence, which never came, so he continued. "Good news!
We found enough carbon to compile a replacement containment chamber
cooling system! Isn't that great? Uh, I hope you haven't been waiting
five hundred five years to hear that news. I'm really sorry, if you
have." He awaited the robot's response eagerly.
supreme_arbiter 4/23/2005
IAS turn 13.5 - Down the Rabbit Hole & Hot Rod Percy
THX-1492 stood motionless and attempted to interpret the strange turn
of events. It replayed its video capture log to analyze what had
happened. In slow motion, the pipe struck THX's tentacle and began to
break apart like a gas or a cloud. A fraction of a second later, the
point of contact burst into bright white light. The light spread
quickly to the rest of the human's body. The transformation continued
from his feet to the ground and soon eclipsed everything except the
sky. Then the light gradually faded to reveal the surrounding jungle.
THX turned on its radio receiver and ran a search algorithm to see if
anyone was transmitting. Nothing but static came from THX's speakers.
The robot zoomed its telescopic lenses to examine its new
surroundings, but there was nothing but jungle as far as it could
see. It looked through the microscopes on the end of its tentacles.
Nothing but air flowed beneath them. It turned on its ultraviolet
lenses and radiation detector. There were no significant radiation
sources nearby.
It turned on its infrared lenses and saw a strange sight. A faint,
warm mist hung over the area. THX switched back to the visible
spectrum but the mist was invisible in visible light. It switched to
infrared again and watched the mist. It was blowing gently down the
trail toward the overgrown cliff.
"Skree," yelled THX's speakers. It had finally detected a strong
signal. THX carefully analyzed it. The frequency was very narrow. The
message was well encrypted. It soon found several other frequencies
that were similar.
OOC: THX-1492 (and robots in general) can record audio and video, but
only those devices which are engaged. In other words, since THX was
observing the events of last turn in the visible spectrum, he/it
can't view the log in infrared or ultraviolet.
-------------------------------------------------
Percy tried to gain entry into each vehicle. Each was unlocked and
the keys were in the ignition. He turned the key in the sporty ground
car. The hydrogen powered engine silently started. The dashboard
seemed familiar to Percy. It indicated the power cells were fully
charged. He turned the engine off and tried the hovercraft. It too
was fully charged, but not so silent. Since the skirts were missing,
the craft's blowers noisily blew air into the garage. A light on the
less familiar dashboard understatedly said 'Skirt Integrity
Compromised'. He shut the engine off and the noise stopped. As he got
out of the hovercraft, he noticed there were several cans beneath the
seat. He removed them and discovered six empty cans of Obb Beer.
Percy considered the vehicles. He may not have been a space pilot,
but he remembered his original self knew how to drive. He was almost
certain he'd be able to drive the sports car, however, it was
deinitely not made for driving in sand, even with decent tires. The
hovercraft was a different matter. It seemed similar to a regular
car, but Percy had no memory of them at all. It might handle better
on sand than a wheeled vehicle, but judging by the amount of wind
blown by the engine, it might make riding in it uncomfortable without
protection.
Percy considered taking one of the vehicles for a spin to explore the
surrounding area, but they'd have to move the ship first. There was
no way the garage lift would work with so much sand directly beneath it.
Soon, exhaustion started winning over excitement over the newness and
intrigue of matter compilation and vehicle repair. He found a decent
set of tires with good traction for the car, and a replacement skirt
and protective shell for the hovercraft in the matter compiler's
computer Emergency Equipment directory. He put them on standby, so as
not to forget. He'd discuss with the rest of the crew later if it
were a worthy use of their spare carbon. For now, he felt like a bit
of a rest, himself, but there was one stop he wanted to make, first.
Percy made his way back to engineering. He walked within view of the
rusting robot through the window to the reactor room, and cheerfully
gave it an update. "Uh, Terminus?" He waited for the robot's response
to his presence.
"Ter minus... Here." the robot's voice said tinnily over the room's
loud speakers. An arhythmic tap tapping sound remained after the
robot spoke.
"Good news! We found enough carbon to compile a replacement
containment chamber cooling system! Isn't that great?"
"Containment chamber... cooling system... cool... Replacement ready."
"Uh, I hope you haven't been waiting five hundred and five years to
hear that news. I'm really sorry, if you have." He awaited the
robot's response eagerly.
Terminus stood in front of the reactor room's airlock patiently
waiting. The airlock door reflected vacantly in its stereo camera
lenses. Its wrist twiched against its leg making the metallic tapping
noise. "cool," it said.
end transmission
supreme_arbiter 4/23/2005
I've had a change of heart about the Item Complexity charts. I want to
keep more of a role play style, and less role play :) It's also more in
keeping with the previous style. No one before Arkady has had to roll
on a complexity table as far as I know. Placing Arkady in harm's way
might have had some effect on my decision as well ;)
So, from now on characters will be able to use technology based on a
less complicated mix of character background and GM capriciousness ;)
However, the computers on the lifeboat are mostly functional and
programmed to give useful information to users with a passcard (i.e.
the way Arkady used a computer to learn how to lock his cabin door.)
katrinalieff 4/26/2005
Amanda
Percy and Arkady arrived in the supply room where
Amanda was carefully examining the protein disrupter pistol. They emptied the
contents of their containers into the recycler. "That should be
plenty and then some," Arkady said. Percy watched as Chelydra opened the munitions
locker, and Arkaday and Bud streamed in like school students trying to
be first in line to the water fountain at recess. Percy smiled, patted
his laser pistol, and took a peek himself after Cheyldra and Amanda
went into the weapons room.
Chelydra entered the room. "Hey, Amanda. Percy, Arkady," he nodded.
Amanda nods in Percy's direction, still admiring the Assault
Rifle: "Hello Percy. Did you find enough debris for the recycler?"
Arkady browsed through the common items in the Emergency Equipment
directory. He spotted 'Unformatted ID Passcard' and 'Comm Headset'.
"Amanda needs a passcard, and Chel needs a headset,"
Amanda waited for Arkady to give/issue her the pass card when/if
he does, she will quietly say: "Thank you�"
[Percy then goes to see Terminus]
Percy made his way back to engineering. He walked within view of the
rusting robot through the window to the reactor room, and cheerfully
gave it an update. "Uh, Terminus?" He waited for the robot's response
to his presence, which never came, so he continued. "Good news!
We found enough carbon to compile a replacement containment chamber
cooling system! Isn't that great? Uh, I hope you haven't been waiting
five hundred five years to hear that news. I'm really sorry, if you
have." He awaited the robot's response eagerly.
Amanda does not hide the obvious fact that she is spending too much
time admiring the "Sturmcarabiner" Assault Rifle, she is impressed
by its sleek looks and massive firepower for a personal weapon. Both
her and her player (ie; me) are impressed by it.
[OOC: Sorry for the `pithy' posts, but I'm still trying to get
a `feel' for the game. I'm not entirely sure yet just what Amanda is
supposed to be doing�but from the archives, I get the feeling
that `she' doesn't either!
Here's a stupid question�aside from the obvious�what does "Perfect
Looks" gene do that is listed under abilities? I know what it means�
but does it give any bonus to Leadership Ability, or just
to `impress', or does it just make men (or women?) go: "WOW!" when
they see her-distinctively an R.P.'ing thing.]
supreme_arbiter 4/26/2005
admiring the "Sturmcarabiner" Assault Rifle,
she is impressed by its sleek looks and massive
firepower for a personal weapon. Both
her and her player (ie; me) are impressed by it.
Thanks :) I aim to please!
I'm not entirely sure yet just what Amanda is
supposed to be doing... but from the archives,
I get the feeling that `she' doesn't either!
No worries. It's no big spoiler, but we are currently
wrapping up the final chapter in this act. The results
of the lifeboat repairs will only take another couple
of turns (but several hours in 'game time'.) Until
then, the characters are equipping themselves,
choosing their crew quarters, getting a little sleep,
or doing whatever else they wish.
I've probably been mashing the pace a little. I
apologize, but I'm a little 'hot-to-plot' :D
Here's a stupid question... aside from the
obvious... what does "Perfect
Looks" gene do that is listed under abilities?
does it give any bonus to Leadership Ability, or
just to `impress', or does it just make men
(or women?) go: "WOW!" when
they see her-distinctively an R.P.'ing thing.
It's never been explained (as far as I know...
Zhaxier? Any comments?) Amanda was originally an NPC
so it wasn't necessary. I think the first person to
play her was also the GM that created her. A
Leadership bonus seems appropriate to me. +3? Of
course it would only apply to NPCs.
Zhaxier Cole 4/27/2005
<[[Bachtrack]]>>
I pick "Ricercar a 6," from _Musical Offering_, BWV 1079. :)
[[katrinalieff]] Does [Perfect Looks] give any bonus to Leadership
Ability, or just to `impress', or does it just make men (or women?)
go: "WOW!" when they see her?
The former options you give are to some extent corollaries of the
last, which I think was the original intent: those who are inclined
to be attracted to her (notwithstanding her own preferences) will
be. Here's some documentation of this conclusion elucidated by her
link to Zhaxier.
In IAS, post #504 reveals that Zhaxier attended a differential
equations course held aboard Warden. He had no intention of
learning the material, but rather he (most likely on a dare) audited
the course to tease its cute blonde professor: Dr. Amanda Flockheart.
In Murphy's Law (#1044, #1427), it is revealed that Zhaxier actually
asked Dr. Flockheart out, but much to his surprise, she turned him
down---and quite publicly. Zhaxier was humiliated, and his friends
in Propulsion added to his shame by granting him the nickname "King"
(as in "King of the come-on line").
A revealing interlude featuring a flashback to the original Amanda
is given in post #1580.
Hope this helps!
-Z.
gglassdr 4/30/2005
THX-1492
THX-1492 attempts to analyze the encrypted message and determine the
location of the transmission.
george
supreme_arbiter 5/1/2005
THX-1492 used its known encyption methods to decrypt
the messages but they all returned garbage. The
messages required more complicated software to
decipher. The robot turned its attention to the
location of the transmission. It used the difference
between its main and auxiliary antennas to locate the
signals' origin. Unfortunately the results were
inconclusive: initial sound waves seemed to be
arriving from numerous directions at once.
OOC: is this how radio transmission are locatred? I
guessed. Anyways, the results will be the same :)
gglassdr 5/1/2005
THX-1492
Since its sensors cannot ascertain either what happened or the source
of the mysterious transmission, THX-1492 will begin scouting the
immediate area including the trail, the cliff, the buildings, and the
jungle surrounding the clearing.
george
supreme_arbiter 5/4/2005
Turn 14
Since its sensors could not ascertain what had happened or locate
the source of the mysterious transmissions, THX-1492 began scouting
the immediate area. The trail through the dense jungle had been
recently cut by laser fire (no growth had yet formed on the damaged
plants.) When it reached the shade of the cliff, the robot could
clearly see that the cliff was not a natural formation. The cliff
was actually a dropship that had been overgrown by jungle. Vines had
grown into the few cracks they could find between the plates of
Duralloy. THX-1492 checked its memory and discovered that this
dropship was sitting in the exact same position his crew had parked
their dropship. It was identical except for the aging. The trail
ended at the dropship's open gangplank. Heavy robotic footprints
lead up the trail and into the ship. The robot's visual sensors,
still in infrared mode, saw the faint warm mist being drawn into the
dark belly of the ship.
Puzzled, the robot surveyed the jungle that surrounded the clearing.
It was dense and crowded with vegetation. Movement through it would
require heavy cutting and defoliation. The heat signature of distant
birds could easily be spotted through the upper foliage. Their calls
occasionaly pierced the silence.
THX-1492 returned to the excavation and continued scouting. It
wandered through the ruins it had just come from. The ruins had not
changed since the robot had rebooted, but the trenches and pits were
overgrown and eroded. The rusted ironwork and exposed columns in the
trenches bore silent testimony that an unknown race had once lived
here untold ages ago. THX followed the trenches and the deep rut
left by robotic footprints around the excavation site. It formed an
unbroken circuit around the area. The only other footprints in the
area were those that led down the trail to the dropship. They began
abruptly at the top of the trench. The robot continued its search.
All the crew's equipment was missing: tools, heavy lifting
machinery, crates of artifacts, robots, parts. All of it was gone.
The last excavated pit was not overgrown or eroded. At the bottom,
the robot found another large structure. It was a large rectangular
ruin made of a hard, dark substance like basalt. There were no
openings. On the side, several large rectangular spaces (about three
meters tall and four meters wide) glowed warmly in the infrared
spectrum.
----------------------------------------------
Elsewhere, elsewhen on the lifeboat...
Shlitzee completed the operation on Horatio's student. Horatio and
Shlitzee helped David, still groggy from the sedatives, back to the
Captain's dining room.
----------------------------------------------
Arkady awoke to the not-so-gentle alarm beside his bed. He strapped
on his holster, put on his jacket and headed for the garage. There
he met Percy. The replacement part for the reactor was finally
complete! Percy opened the door. He tugged on the big metallic
object inside, but it was too heavy.
Just then the blue light above one of the robot storage chambers
turned green. The chamber opened and an engineering robot stepped
out of it. The words 'HEPHAESTUS II 00056' were printed on its
chest. Two heavy grappling arms projected from the robot. "Do you
require assistance?" it asked.
"Why, yes we do," Arkady replied happily. "Would you please carry
this containment chamber cooling part into engineering? Terminus
needs to install it."
Hephaestus obligingly took the part and carried it out of the
garage. The robot was strong and walked steadily but hesitated on
every other step, like a limp. When it reached the engineering room,
it called for the airlock door to be opened. The mechanism beside
the door flashed to indicate that a precautionary decontamination
was taking place inside. White foam floated down from the ceiling.
While they waited, the speakers carried the sound of Terminus'
tapping to them.
Arkady twitched involuntarily. "Doesn't that sound annoy you? It
does me. I remember the sounds of ships and robots from my former
life. They were regular, rhythmic patterns. This noise has no
pattern. It's creepy. Or maybe it IS a regular pattern, but it's too
long for the human ear to recognize? I don't know, but it makes me
uncomfortable. Do you mind if I wait out the repair in another room?"
Arkady left. A few minutes later, the airlock door opened and
Hephaestus placed the part inside. The door closed and a moment
later the inner door opened. The tapping stopped and Terminus
carried the replacement part into the maze of the reactor. "Warmth,"
it said drearily.
----------------------------------------------
Arkady returned to the matter compiler. He was surprised to see
Amanda still in the munitions locker. He waited for the compiler to
finish manufacturing the next two items. He took them out of the
compiler when they were complete.
He took the first item to Amanda. She did not hide the obvious fact
that she was spending too much time admiring her new Sturmkarabiner
assault rifle. She was impressed by its sleek looks and massive
firepower for a personal weapon. She was eyeing it affectionately
when Arkady flashed the new passcard at her. "I got a little
something for you."
"Thank you," she said quietly.
"Shall we set you up with a room and configure your passcard?"
Arkady and Amanda walked to the crew quarters. Amanda picked a room
and they went inside. Arkady sat at the desk and logged into the
computer. 'How do I configure a new passcard,' he queried. A series
of diagrams stepped them through the process. Amanda scanned her
thumb print on the passcard scanner and typed in her personal
information. When the process was complete, Arkady showed her how to
lock the door.
OOC: I modified the lifeboat map page (it's on the archive site,
first link under resources.) The map now displays letters (a-n) in
the crew quarters and the assignments are listed in the key on the
right. Only two are occupied (locked), one by Arkady; the other by
Nike. Please post your choice of quarters and I'll modify the map to
reflect your choice.
To keep things in perspective, Nike has been asleep now for three
hours and 50 minutes. It's dark outside (which the characters
wouldn't know unless they are checking out monitors from cameras
outside or are in a room with a window (the cockpit, the dining
rooms or Nike's quarters.)
Finally, this is an image of the lifeboat's newest occupant,
Hephaestus:
end transmission
katrinalieff 5/8/2005
Amanda
[Arkady]
He took the first item to Amanda. She did not hide the obvious fact
that she was spending too much time admiring her new Sturmkarabiner
assault rifle. She was impressed by its sleek looks and massive
firepower for a personal weapon. She was eyeing it affectionately
when Arkady flashed the new passcard at her. "I got a little
something for you."
"Thank you," she said quietly.
"Shall we set you up with a room and configure your passcard?"
Amanda looked to Arkady and said quietly: "UM, Alright. I want to lay
down and see if I can get some sleep. That is, unless there is
something `special' you need me to do before hand�"with that, she will
follow Arkady to the rooms door.
publius1024 5/11/2005
Arkady
Amanda looked to Arkady and said quietly: "UM,
Alright. I want to lay down and see if I can get
some sleep. That is, unless there is something
'special' you need me to do before hand."
With that, she will follow Arkady to the rooms door.
Arkady reddened visibly. Thoughts of Nike mingled with
thoughts of Amanda. "What *I* need? I just need to
know that you're ok. I've been worried since I heard
you were knocked unconscious by the crash. There's a
little time to nap before the repairs are complete and
this bird flies again, hopefully."
gglassdr 5/11/2005
THX-1492
From the condition of the dropship & the ruins, THX-1492 concludes that it must have
gone through a dimensional time warp. The robot stares at the large black basaltic
rectangular slab. Its memory circuits faintly recalled an orchestral score from an ancient
classic science fiction film. THX looked for a bone to throw into the air. Finding none,
it retreats down the trail to the dropship. It enters the dropship to explore the dark interior.
George
supreme_arbiter 5/18/2005
IAS turn 15 - The Conference
The jungle invaded the interior of the dropship only a little ways.
Dead vegetable matter cluttered the corridor. THX's cameras, still
in infrared mode, could not see how pitch black it was inside. The
warm mist filled the corridor and lit the way toward the cockpit.
The floor was littered with broken shapes of useless debris.
THX-1492 stopped when one of the piles of debris resembled a human
body. The robot turned on its spot lights and switched to the
visible spectrum. A human corpse in combat armor lay a few meters
ahead of the robot. It was very old and covered with dust. Punctures
in the armor and laser scoring on the bulkheads indicated a battle
had been fought there long ago.
------------------------------------
Arkady wished Amanda a goodnap. As he walked down the hallway toward
the galley, thoughts of Nike and Amanda clouded his vision. Did Nike
share his feelings? Had Amanda been flirting with him? Arkady slowed
as his thoughts bubbled up. Suddenly he imagined a distant bell
ringing. He stopped and pondered it. Had he really heard it? Was it
a memory from his past? No matter. He vowed not to dwell on the
matter. Currently, the galley was before him. He strode in that
direction more purposefully.
"Hey Chel, I brought you a present," he said as he handed the
headset to him. "Now you can join the party line."
Chel, Bailey, Horatio and the students were all seated at the
Captain's table. They were dining. Chel explained that the students'
bags had been mostly filled with food. They had loaves of bread,
dried fruits and meats! Arkady sat down and joined them for a meal.
He hadn't eaten since they'd left the cafeteria on the Warden,
nearly 16 hours ago. While he ate, the students talked about the
Sigai and their families. They also spoke of Eden. None had yet been
there but they all hoped to one day make the pilgrimage.
After he'd eaten his fill, Arkady thanked them for the food and
excused himself. He felt guilty for leaving Percy by himself for so
long. He'd been gone for over an hour! He took a portion of food for
Percy and headed for engineering.
Percy sat at a computer terminal, silently writing Post-It notes and
sticking them around the monitor. "You're gonna run out of those.
They're probably antiques now," he said as he gave Percy the food.
After several minutes the sound of Terminus' tap-ta-tap-tapping
began again. It gradually got louder. Soon the robot emerged from
the depths of the reactor. "Reactor repairs... Complete," it
intoned. "Please test, warm engines..."
Arkady looked at the clock on Percy's computer screen. Five hours
had passed since Nike had told them she was taking a nap. "Radio on.
Nike, this is your wake up call. Are you awake? It's me, Arkady. The
reactor repairs are complete and we're ready to test the engines. If
we can lift the ship and set it down on level ground, we should
consider moving our guests to the cockpit where they'll be safely
seated and we can keep an eye on them."
OOC: If Nike wasn't already awake, the previous message in her comm
device has woken her up. If Amanda took a nap (she had one hour of
sack time) she is also awake. Bud (who was taking a nap in his
chosen quarters) was also woken up by the message. Although the crew
has learned how to turn the transmitter off ("Radio on/off"), they
haven't yet learned how to turn the receiver off ("?").
end transmission
katrinalieff 5/20/2005
Amanda
If Amanda took a nap (she had one hour of
sack time) she is also awake.
In that case, Amanda will "Comm" Nike (or everyone): "Ah, hi folks. I
just woke up a few minutes ago. Any word on our plans for the daycycle?"
katrinalieff 5/20/2005
Amanda
Had Amanda been flirting with him?
Answer: Sort of.
stacinator 5/20/2005
Nike
"Roger that," Nike said, her mind swiftly coming to an alert
state. "Meet you in the mess in five minutes to discuss ship
operations."
She still felt fatigued, but it was still a drastic improvement over
her previous condition. Just being that relaxed--being naked and
feeling the softness of the bed and being able to close her eyes--was
invigorating. Rising, she went into the loo to splash some water on
her face and put her jumpsuit and equipment back on.
A thought occurred to her... "Pandora, are you with us?" she said,
fastening her belt.
gglassdr 5/21/2005
THX-1492
THX-1492 continues to examine the dropship in visual mode.
It continues its inspection into the forward cockpit room.
It is specifically searching for anything still operational,
especially communications equipment.
george
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