God damn it woman! Why do you have to be so stubborn.
Raze's voice is loud and distracting over the rumbling of the ship. Here you are, at probably the biggest job yet, and they are back at it.
Jaelin Nighlock, you quickly peak at your sister, who seems busy flipping off her husband. You wish she'd be focusing on the controls instead, but can't afford to get into their shit right now. You squeeze your grip on the flight stick. The turbulence is beating up this rust bucket as you muster everything you've got to keep it from diving too deep to recover.
I double check that my seat belt is buckled securely, check several panels and maintain a calm demeanor.
"The pilot would appreciate it if you two would kindly buckle up. We are heading into some turbulence. And if that is the 'love that can save the day', we're all fucked!"
Don't get in the middle of this Jaelin Nighlock!
You sister snaps at you, without as much as giving you a glance as she holds on tight.
And stop showing off.
You weave and spin through the currents, nimbly handling the air, even as the ship drops tens of feet multiple times, nearly knocking you out of your seat.
Good lord Mr. Jaelin Nighlock, I hope you know what you are doing.
An older man with a thick cigar mustache is gripping his chair so tight his knuckles turn blue.
Don't you worry Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood. He's good at this and will get us on the ground nice and safe.
Raze tries to reassure the man, though his voice betrays him with a broken "safe" that sounds more like hen shrieking.
And just then you dip into a cloud obscuring all view of outside, lose another 30 feet, straighten back up, and emerge below the cloud layer no more than 100 feet above ground, causing you to slam flaps and spoilers all the way up to increase drag and slow down as much as you can. Then, just 20 feet above ground you slam on the reverse thrust kicking up snow all around the ship, before making touch down.
The landing was hard, but under the circumstances, still a remarkable performance.
Everyone sits in silence.
I hit a few switches and turn a few dials. The ship exhales a large hiss, expunging pressure and exhaust. The metal of the ship groans from relief. I stand up and turn around, facing the passengers.
"Ladies and gentlemen, for whatever reasons you have for being here, we have arrived at our destination safely. To may exit the ship at either of these exits. Feel free to deposit any tips in the containers by the door. You can also transfer it to me wirelessly by using the code written just there."
I point at the exits to the ship with my left hand and tail. I then pick up my thick coat and start placing it on, along with my protective helmet.
"It looks... uncomfortably cold out there. I do recommend bundling up. Oh and Raze, it's not showing off if it's pure talent like mine. After all, what other reason do you to have to keep me around except I'm pretty damn awesome and help you make a ton of credits, hmm?"
I walk over and hold out my hand to my dear sister, offering to help her up from her chair. He looks at Jigaar and winks.
"Speaking of credits, remind me again why we are here and how can I be most profitable?"
You older sister, Amy Nightlock looks at your extended hand, rolls her eyes, and gives you a condescending look.
Save your prince charming for someone who hadn't seen you in diapers.
She jumps out of her chair without much of a problem.
That would be me. We're here because of me. I owed Theo here a ride and he insisted that we would end up with a few good papers afterwords. One thing led to another and he hired our whole team to escort him over these glaciers. But this was all in the brief. Have you taken on a job without even reading what it's about?
A woman behind you with dark red hair motions to Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood and smiles at you with that look she does. You always found that look rather disarming and could swear she knows it and is doing it on purpose to mess with you.
Ha!
You sister notices the interaction and piles on. Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood expands,
Quite right Jilarzi. You and the group here are doing me quite the service. I expect this to be a pretty exciting expedition. You see Mr Jaelin Nighlock, this here moon promises to have remnants of a quite an ancient civilization. Vestiges of the Mechanites haven't been heard of in quite a while, but have had a rather important impact on the broader civilization. At least, that's what I aim to prove here.
I perk up my left eyebrow and look at Amy Nightlock.
My apologies dear sister, you know that I have a difficult time retaining all of the mission details because I'm always plotting our safest routes, but I do appreciate the recap. And I assure you, it's no routine!
I turn my attention to Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood. I'm pretty good at mimicking different social situations because of my sister, who has always been the talker of the two of us. But I did pick up a trick or two. I give a slight bow,
Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood, that definitely sounds very interesting! Ancient civilizations are one of my favorite things to investigate!
Having a hard time hiding my excitement, my tail is moving about behind me quite a bit!
My sincere apologies. I believe that in the rush to come out here, we have never introduced. Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood.
He extends his hand for a handshake. His grip is firm.
I am an Unknown, a xenoarcheologist, and the one guilty for roping Jilarzi and your group to accompany me and my students onto this expedition.
Raze speaks up,
You called this group Mechanites, but you've used a different term before.
Ah, yes. More colloquially they go by the name Unknown. It's a bit of a mouthful and church is perhaps a rather grandiose ascription. It is more of a cult. An influential one for sure, but a cult. It has never spread over a significant percentage of any population. Still, its cells have been discovered in all sorts of places.
Raze looks at the crew,
Folks, let's start getting ready to disembark.
Members of the Unknown start busying about. Raze looks at you and asks,
Jaelin Nighlock, can you please plot out a route for us? Here are the coordinates Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood provided us.
Aye, Aye captain!
I turn the chair back around and began entering commands into the computer.
Jilarzi does love this kind of stuff. I love being part of her crew because I get to see and learn so much! Do you expect there to be violence from the cultists?
The computer makes several beeping sounds and I respond by entering more equations and adjusting algorithms.
I have the course all laid out.
I hand a datapad with the information over to Raze.
Anything else I can do to help out?
Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood responds,
No sir. These cultists are nowhere around here. This whole system so so far off of the beaten path that no one has been here in centuries.
Raze takes the tablet and distributes the route to the group and makes sure to make eye contact with each person, upon which everyone responds "check".
Alright folks, I think we've got everything set. Make sure your environmentals are on. It's cold out there and the atmosphere is very thin. We've got 10 on the ground and Nobi will stay on board to keep the place warm for us.
And with that everyone heads out, laden with gear. The ground crunches with every step as you move out onto the glacier. The surface is made of ice that is often broken with large cracks and crevasses that seem to run forever. It is dark, with only starlight illuminating the ground. Jagged peaks of mountains can be seen all around you. Betrayed only by the lack of starlight as they cast silhouettes over the sky. Those with difficulty seeing in the dark turn on flashlights, which makes it difficult for darkvision or lowlight vision to kick in when walking next to them.
What role do you wish to play? hang out the back, scout ahead, guard the client, etc?I choose the role of scouting ahead. I often rely on my darkvision to give me an edge over any potential threats. With my acrobatics and perception, I am also good at spotting hazardous or dangerous terrain. I report back with Raze and the others often through whatever communications we have available. I try to stay far enough ahead that their light doesn't interfere with my scouting.You move good 25 yards ahead of the group, to stay comfortably away from their lights, and embrace the full extent of your senses that the darkness affords you. The atmosphere is so thin that sound is dulled, except for the crunch beneath your feet as your footsteps can't help but crack and crunch the snowy dry deposits that cover the surface. You can't help but to sigh to yourself as you see the long trek still ahead of you.
Be careful out there. The ice is getting thinner and more brittle.
Raze sends you a friendly warning.
I take a moment to look through my binoculars to scan the environment for potential hazards or creatures.
Hold. I'm checking for hazards.
You squint your eyes to soak up everything around you. The landscape is dark and cold. The ground, indeed, looks suspect, as ice pierces through ice in jagged spears and sharp askew plates. You see that you will have to walk carefully not to slip and cut yourself or worse, fall through into one of the plentiful crevasses.
As you survey the area and plan out a safe path, you see something different, right at the edge of your vision. About twenty yards away, a small soft-rounded shape hugs the round.
I focus in on the object and try to determine if it is alive or moving.
Hold. I need a moment to plot a course. This landscape is treacherous. Raze, be careful, there are lots of hazards here and I know how clumsy you are. I see a shape in the distance. Wait for my word. I have my weapon out!
I slowly remove my gun from its holster and start slowly approaching the object stealthily, observing it for movement.
Ok, hero. Go ahead and check it out. At the ready.
Raze makes a hand gesture pumping his fist up and down then moving his free hand to cover his brow as if shielding from the sun. (You know these to be hand signals for "stop" and "watch")
You slowly creep closer to the object, cursing every tiny crack beneath your feet. Each step is calculated, meticulously chosen. At ten yards, the object's soft edges become clearer. It is about three feet long and maybe just about two feet high. The sharp shadows are throwing you off. You creep ever closer.
There is no movement beside your own. Only a few tiny little motes of icy snow float in the air. The loudest thing here is your heartbeat. Thump, thump, thump. It seems so loud right now. You pause to calm yourself down, slow your heart and proceed forward. The shape is becoming clearer.
Ten feet away. Why are you having a hard time? You are in the middle of nowhere. Nothing but ice at the most severe austerity of nature. Yet this thing. It doesn't fit. Blackwood's voice rings in your head,
This whole system so so far off of the beaten path that no one has been here in centuries.
Yet, you can't deny what you see in front you any longer. The silhouette of a person is now unmistakable. Just sitting here on the ground, resting against a small outcropping of ice, perfectly still, facing away from you, towards your destination. On its arm is a patch that you do not recognize. The helmet is on, forcing you to walk around.
At this very moment everything seems to disappear at your undivided attention is on the helmet. Who is here? How is it possible? Why? Then you gasp as you see that the visor is entirely gone, open to the elements and that face.
The mouth is first, wide open in a silent scream that is frozen in time for god knows how long. Then there are the eyes. They are entirely gone, as if burnt out, replaced by two hollow shadows, as black as the sky.
I found a corpse... I thought no one had been here in forever? Maybe the cold kept this thing from decomposing? Hold, I'm going to take some pictures. Jilarzi what can you tell me about this symbol that I'm uploading?
I pull out my data pad and input some commands and then start taking some pictures of the corpse for posterity. I get several pictures of the above symbol and send to Jilarzi for some additional information.
The body's visage sends shivers down your back, but you manage to keep your psyche intact. Though the encounter leaves you uneasy and unnerved.
Jilarzi replies as you document the scene,
That is most strange. The symbol doesn't seem connected to any specific paleontological findings that Theo or I are aware of, outside of the most crude symbolical facsimile. It looks quite modern in design. The suit itself looks modern as well. I dare to say that this person couldn't have been here for that long.
Does the body have anything on it?
Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood adds,
Indeed my dear. It would appear that we're not the first with the idea of examining this site. It is odd that I would not have heard of such an expedition in my circles. xenoarcheology is not exactly a large scholastic community. Though, what interest there may be beyond anthropological pursuits of knowledge escapes me.
I can't say that I'm excited to be touching this thing. Do I have to worry about space corpse diseases or anything?
I crouch down and make direct eye contact with this thing (or eye to eye socket lol). I let out a sigh. I signed up for a lot, but I really, very obviously don't want to actually physically come in to contact with this thing. I let out another sigh and slowly reach in to search the corpse, being very careful to try and not disturb the corpse as much as possible.
I slowly search through his belongings, taking great care to be as respectful as I would want someone to be with my corpse in a similar situation... I look behind me just to make sure whatever might've killed this guy isn't back there, then I return to my work. I ease up a lot when I realize that this thing isn't going to come alive and try to eat me and that it isn't going to explode or melt or otherwise do something a corpse shouldn't do.
This poor guy.... dying alone and then being forgotten... this place is so cold, it feels like it could chill you to your very soul!
You should always be mindful of contagions. You never know what might get you. Try not to touch...
The advice comes a bit too late as you pilfer through the body... respectfully.
The corpse is frozen solid. Even the fabrics are stiff and brittle. As you slowly make your way through the various pockets, it is hard not to crack and damage them. Each movement seems to shake the body a little, persisting your feeling of unease, as the open mouth seems to still scream in agony.
You find that one pocket is already ripped open, before you even get to it. Its contents are gone. So is the weapon in an empty holster, strapped to the hip. The person's left hand is clenched tight around some sort of a Moon Datapad. You don't think you can nudge it loose without breaking the fingers off.
However, it is not the contents of the body that has you stop dead in your tracks, but its right hand which appears to have written something on the ground. The letters are hard to make out as the layer of snow is very thin,
MUST STOP LOO
The right index finger rests right below the last "O".
You sit there staring at the writing in silence, getting lost in your thoughts until you are startled a bit by your group behind you.
What does it mean? Tell me you're not fucking with us. That's not funny!
Your sister, Amy Nightlock asks.
Most extraordinary!,
Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood exclaims.
A number of grad students gasp at the sight of the person. One blurts out an expletive way louder than comfortable for everyone's years,
What the actual fuck?
I jump up from my squatted position quite dramatically, letting out a small squelp before catching myself.
Way to sneak up on a guy! or maybe two guys as it were. Looks like he's already been searched before. He has a data unit, but I didn't want to break his hand to get it. Also, take a look at this writing...
I point down to the letters in the snow.
I'm not sure who this Loo person is, but we have to stop him!
I wait a moment for everyone to process what I said, then I look back at them with a devilish grin.
Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood, are you positive no one was sent here prior to us? Oh, and Jilarzi do you know anything about this insignia?
I point to the transformers looking symbol on the corpses outfit.
Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood sits on his hunches staring at the person's missing eyes, takes a pen and moves with the intent to swab the back charred substance lining the sockets,
Fascinating. I am absolutely sure. Expeditions cost money that those like us don't just have in abundance. We pool resources for such things. Before setting out, I put out a call to my colleagues to see who would be interested in joining. Everyone who was interested is right here son.
Jilarzi looks at the badge,
Nothing.
Wait, I think I’ve seen it before.
Raze gets close to the body and takes a thoughtful look at the symbol.
This is a security services company. What are they called… Radix. Yeah, this is the insignia of Unknown. I’ve seen them around on the news.
What is a security company doing all the way here?
Amy Nightlock ponders out loud.
Raze answers the rhetorical musings,
Well whatever that is, it’s sure making this a much more interesting trip.
Everyone seems to follow your lead regarding the data unit.
After taking a few more pictures of the scene, I kneel down before the corpse.
My apologies....
I reach down and take the Moon Datapad from his hand, doing as little damage as possible, but also aware that it will break something... Once retrieved, I hand it back behind me.
Poor guy. Dying all alone out here...
I turn my attention back to Raze.
I don't think I've heard of them, but you're always more up to date on that kind of stuff anyway. Well, this is an interesting first discovery... what do we do? I don't think we could give him a burial - or that it would even be safe to try. Do we just catalogue and move on? I haven't scouted any further than this.
You crack a few knuckles and wrench the small cylindrical object from the frozen fist. It gives you some trouble, but you have committed at this point and persist.
With one more firm pull you have the Moon Datapad in your hand. You sigh with relief and proceed to stand up, just as the body tilts over, the head falling onto your feet. You don’t even have time to jump up before Black Ichor spills from the eye sockets onto your shoes.
I leap backwards to my feet while letting out an audible 'yelp' that would make anyone around me forever tease me about squeeling like a little school girl. The people around me are equal parts horrified at the body and Black Ichor and cracking up because of my super masculine display.
I cannot say I didn't deserve that.... But I don't think I have any on me.
I look around at the people around me to make sure that no one else got splashed with the Black Ichor.
The Black Ichor does spill on your shoes, but you sigh with relief as you realize that the sharp broken glass from the helmet was about to rip through your protective suit layer, possibly exposing you to the elements as well as providing a path for the ichor to drip into your suit.
As you look around, it is clear that the whole scene has some of the students shaken. Although, no one is panicking.
Raze breaks the stillness and answers your question,
Alright, let's keep on moving. We still have some ways to go.
The group starts to slowly move on.
Jilarzi, do you think we should take some of this ichor for study? I think it's unusual for it to not be frozen?
I look around at the students and the rest of the group.
I have a weird feeling that it's only going to get stranger from here. Is everyone okay?
I wait a moment for confirmation from the group before getting myself ready to scout again.
Oh! And here!
I hand the Moon Datapad over to Jilarzi so she can begin her investigation. Once everything is ready, I once again proceed ahead of the group scouting for the best, safest path through the frozen tundra.
Jilarzi looks at the fluid with curiosity,
With such a thin atmosphere and constant shadows, the ambient temperature here must be close to -300 degrees. There's not much that has such a low melting point. Oxygen, Nitrogen, maybe Propane? But none of them have this thick viscosity, nor are black. This is very strange. There is not much I can do out here. We'd have to sample it and bring it back onto the ship, where I could run some proper tests. Maybe on our way back?
Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood narrows his eyes in thought,
But why is this oozing out of the eye sockets of this poor soul? That makes little sense.
Jilarzi ponders the question out loud,
Perhaps it was drawn towards the heat?
Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood,
Sure, but why the eyes? Why not the nose or mouth?
Jilarzi looks at the Moon Datapad and hands it back to you,
This thing is dead. I think you'd have more success with it than I.
The group gets up and starts heading further down the glacier, following your lead. The way is treacherous. The ground beneath you cracks with every step. The dead body still fills your mind, distracting your thoughts. That face is hard to shake. You continue for about a mile, when an abrupt scream snaps you back into focus.
Shit, shit, shit, hold on.
I can't. Ow my god, I'm going to die.
Voices of two of the grad students franticly exchanging over the radio. Then Raze,
Man down! Man down! Jaelin Nighlock, the path collapsed. Hold on, don't let go we'll grab you. Everyone slowly step away. We can't have this ice collapse any further!
You look back and see the whole group slowly step away from what looks like a person barely peaking through the ground. Raze throws a rope to one of your teammates and starts to crawl towards the grad students who continue panicking.
I'm sorry I can't hold you. You are too heavy.
Please don't let go. I'm slipping
I'm trying. No! Ow my god, no. I'm sorry. No not my leg. Raze hurry. She's only holding onto my boot.
Raze,
I'm coming, just hold on.
It's too late. She's gone.
Silence comes over the comms, but then is broken by another scream.
Raze, she ripped off my boot. She ripped it off. My leg! Shit, my grip.
Raze,
I'm here grab my... shit!...
They're both gone! I don't see them. It's so dark in there.
Another long pause as Raze just lays there with an empty glove in his hand. It feels like ten minutes pass without anyone moving. When faint static, followed by distorted voice of one of the students. It's quiet and sad.
I'm stuck in some crevace... I can't feel my leg...
Sobs,
My hand, it's frozen solid. I'm sorry Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood, I should have been more careful.
Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood comes on in a somber voice,
Nonsense child, you did everything right. The path just gave way. Are you stable?
No, I don't think so. There is something here.
What do you mean? What do you see?
I think it's another body, like the other one. Ow god, ow god, that's impossible. What the fuck? Ow go, no.
What is it? What do you see?
That's not possible. Please! That's not possib...
The radio breaks with loud high pitched distortion followed by brief static, and then silence.
I start running as fast as I can back towards the rest of the group. Even with the screaming and the voices, I can't get that skull out of my head, and now because of my distraction.... Well, there's no point on dwelling on what is lost, but try to save whoever I can. I pull out my alloy cable gun and start making a lasso of sorts, just in case I have to scale down the side of the ice wall quickly.
I'm coming back! I'll be there as soon as I can!
When I get back, take a moment to evaluate my surroundings
You can either run or be safe. Not both. If you want to run, roll athletics.
I run back as fast as I can
You run as fast as you can, ignoring Raze’s instruction. While you run you fumble through your backpack to get out a grappling hook, which distracts you from the fragile ice. The whole scene plays out in front of your eyes and you get there just as the second student starts falling. You reach out to grab her, however the ice breaks underneath you and the slippery wall proves too difficult to grab onto with so much weight. You, the student, and now Raze start falling in.
You can do only two of: grab Raze, the ice wall, the student, or grappling hook. Which do you choose?
I grab the student and the grappling hook. My goal is to fire the grapple hook and swing down and grab Raze as well. At this point we may all live or die together.
So you don’t have a grappling gun. Just a rope and hook. (The gun is too expensive for first level) Either way you only have two hands and even trying to hold onto a rope and the weight of an adult person while falling is a very difficult thing.
Roll attack to throw the hook while falling and roll athletics to hold into both the student and the line.
The dice have spoken!!!!!
My darkvision fails because of their mundane lighting and it causes me to miss.
So much is happening all around you in a span of a few seconds that it is difficult to take it all in. Ice cracks, people are yelling in terror. Your body smashes against the hard wall and you can taste blood as you bite your lip. You hold your breath, reach out and feel for the second students hand. Success! Yet even this is tempered as the hand feels hard and alien, a frozen brittle vestige of what was once flesh and blood. But the grip is strong and you toss the grappling hook, just as you hear the first student cry out,,
That's not possi...
The throw goes way off as you tumble into the darkness. The world spins around you and you entirely lose track of Raze. The one thing that you can still tell is your hold on the young man. That hand, that hard frozen appendage is still firmly in your grasp and the brief feeling of weightlessness takes over. Yet, that too is brutally brought to an end as your body slams hard against the ground and a thousand drum cacophony fills your head and the world goes to black.
...you open your eyes and can barely see anything. It is dark, very dark. You move a little, just to test if your body is still there and it responds with pain that sears through every bone, and you unconsciously let out a pathetic moan. A pool of blood wets your temple and is uncomfortably sloshing within your cracked helmet, but you are alive. You have to be. The pain certainly feels real.
You lock your jaw and strain to right yourself into a sitting position. You look at your grip and see a frozen human hand, free of its owner, broken off at the forearm, like some glass sculpture. You stare at it for a while or maybe a few seconds. It is hard to tell time right now. You look around and see the frigid icy walls of the crevasse around you and black nothingness beneath.
You have landed on some sort of ice shelf, barely protruding from one of the walls. You almost lose balance and fall off as you realize that there is barely any room to move. Yet there is something here with you. You are sitting on something that must have broken your fall.
You slowly manage to twist your body and look. It is a body. The uniform is familiar. A cold shiver runs through your body. Who is this? Who saved you from dying? Who did you kill with your fall?
You pain your hand to move and reach out to the victim's broken helmet to gaze at the face...
It takes a second for your mind to make sense of what you see. Two empty, black eyes ooze dark liquid on the features that are unmistakably yours.
and I'm staring face to face with a dead me? or I see me in the reflection of the helmet with black ooze coming out my eyes?
You are on top of your dead body, which is missing eyes. You are still alive and corporeal and everything. Though very badly hurt.
I have so many thoughts running through my head, but I remember something I learned in training way back in the day. One of my favorite commanders advised me once that when everything goes nuts, to evaluate your options and proceed. I lean on this phrase and take stock of my situation. Yes, there is a lot going on.... Yes, I am freaking the hell out.... but if I don't want to die down here, I have to take things one step at a time.
I lean with my back against the ice wall, now freezing from head to toe and realizing that my mistake could have just made everything.... well, no assumptions.
Raze! Can you hear me? Is anyone else alive down here?
I reach into the pocket of my jacket and pull out my med patch and place it on my most painful area to stabilize myself. I then take stock of my body, checking each limb to make sure it isn't broken before trying stand on it. Then, I check my communicator.
Status report! Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood, can you hear me? Raze? Are you alive down here?
You look over your body and check your limbs. Everything seems fine until you try to move your leg and sharp pain pierces your focus as the limb bends in an awkward direction. You must have at least broken your fibula. After a few seconds, static comes over the channel and distorted sound of who you think is your sister tries to get through,
ghhhhkssss... ther... sshhhhk... re you... khhhhk... shhhhhsshhhh... dead...
Disturbed is the very LEAST of what I'm feeling at this point actually. I do feel a slight sense of relief when I hear Raze's voice over the communicator. Even if things are bad, she is alive right now.
I'm sorry Raze. This is bad... I think my leg is broke... and...
I turn my gaze toward the dead body lying next to me. I take several deep breaths as my focus now comes to "this impossible thing". A million possibilities of what I'm seeing run through my mind. A distant cousin? A clone? I know they can do crazy stuff with plastic surgery... But... why here? Why now? It's like he did the same thing I did.... but didn't survive! And the Black Ichor... I know something is up with that stuff... AAHHHH another problem.
I... something is going on here.. Raze!
I reach into the pocket on the body to see if he has a medpatch too. I might also be okay if I can make some sort of splint...
I frantically turn to my communicator.
Guys! We need help! Can you all hear me?
I sit back for a moment and allow my eyes to adjust to the darkness and allow my darkvision to fully kick back in. I'm going to do one last quick scan of my surroundings. I am looking for Raze and also general terrain.
Guys... I... I found a body. Another one with that damn ooze! And I think it's MINE!
You did not hear Raze's voice. It was your sister.
You call out on the radio, still staring at your dead doppelgänger. This body, right here, right now feels very wrong.
In a few seconds, your sister's voice comes back on, over significant static,
khhhhhk... Raze... khhhhk... shhhhrrrrrrg... hold still... pffffkkkkhhhhh... line.
After a few minutes you see a line with a light slowly lowers towards you. After some radio coordination and finagling to reach it you strap the rope around your waist and with help make your way back to the surface, where six people await you with trepidation. As soon as you are within a safe distance of the crevasse, your sister throws herself at you and grabs you so strongly you have difficulty taking a breath. You stagger on the broken leg, as she puts her hand on the sides of your helmet and presses her forehead against it with tears flowing down her face,
I thought I lost you. Everything happened so fast. Was Raze down there with you?
Your voice painfully chokes within your larynx. They might have fought, but you know they loved each other. If your sister is asking about Raze, then he must have fallen in and wasn't as lucky to have been caught on top of a ledge. Then you feel another set of arms hug you from behind and hear Jilarzi's voice,
What happened? All four of you disappeared. Is anyone else...
Her voice fades as she struggles to finish the sentence.
The group spends a good hour trying to radio the two grad students and Raze, but nothing but silence returns. Then your sister gets the idea to send a lit datapad and stream the video in hopes to find anything. Slowly the line lowers and the group precariously tries to spin the camera to search, but to no avail. Only the ledge with your body comes onto the screen, evoking audible gasps, with you sister's more colorful reaction,
What the actual fuck Jaelin Nighlock?
The one remaining grad student becomes visibly disturbed. She sits down and rocks back and forth.
Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood tries to comfort her and says to the group,
Well, I'm not sure if we should press on at this point. We are so close, but all this...
He then radios the ship,
Nobi, there was an accident. We need an airlift. I understand you can't land, but perhaps you can you come and winch us up?
His request is met with silence.
I have no idea.... imagine how I felt! It freaked my shit out sis!
I'm speaking with my arms in a very dramatic fashion.
Why is it there? Like, right where I fell? Could it be a clone? There was more of that ooze, so there has to be a connection.
He looks toward Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood.
What's wrong with your boy?
I moan out in pain....
I can't go find out with my leg like this...
Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood’s face forms all sorts of wrinkles and becomes very serious,
Why is the ship mot responding? Your crew should be at attention. We need help.
Amy Nightlock meets his look of concern,
Nobi wouldn’t ignore the message. Something must be wrong. What do you want to do Jaelin Nighlock, press on or go back to the ship?
I may be a little biased Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood, but I won't be much help with this broken leg. We may need to return to the ship and make sure Nobi is okay. Maybe we can get my leg set as well. We can regroup, figure out how to get to Raze and our other expedition members, then decide if we should push on. I'm not interested in cancelling the expedition; there's something.... weird going on here... but for now, we may need a breather.
Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood responds,
Agreed, this seems like the best course of action.
Amy Nightlock interjects,
Wait, I'll go. I don't think we should move the whole group and I'll move faster without having to babysit everyone.
Then looking at you,
Don't. I'll be fine
She doesn't give you time to respond, motions to one of your crew-mates and off they go in haste. The one remaining grad student still weeps quietly looking up at the sky.
You all wait for a good hour, giving the group some time to patch you up. When eventually she comes back, she looks tired, disheveled and alone,
This fucking place is cursed!
Jilarzi protests,
Ok the situation is bad, but cursed?
No it's not just fucked. It's fucking cursed. I fucking mean it. There is no going back. Like, we can't. Every time we tried to go past half a mile from here we ended up looping right back. We must have tried like 5 times only to start at the beginning. And then... Esper just disappeared. Fuuuuck! He just vanished Jaelin Nighlock. He was there one second and then I turn my head and he was gone. No more splitting up.
Amy Nightlock looks at you. You can tell she's holding back a torrent of emotion, which is about to boil over when the grad student speaks staring up,
The stars, they're back to where they were before.
What do you mean?
Jilarzi seems baffled
They're back to where they were a few hours before.
Everyone looks up and Jilarzi responds,
That's not possible, the rotation of this moon takes at least 16 hours. We're all tired. It's easy to confuse the sky.
No, I've been looking all the time. It's the only thing I can go by in this place. And now they are back to where they were when we started.
Amy Nightlock looks back at you,
Jaelin Nighlock, there is something else. I saw another copy of you dead body.
Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood says somberly, looking at you,
I'm afraid it appears that the only way through is forward. Can you walk?
Your leg hurts, but the patches have been doing their work. You may not be as agile, but should be able to walk.
Two dead, one alive... the odds are stacking against me. Where was he.... ugh, I? What was I doing?
A look of worry crosses my face...
I can walk... I don't want to stress it too much, but we have to get moving
I stand up using my tail for a boost.
Haha, look at that! I'll just use my tail as a crutch!
I start wobble-walking, trying to use my tail to steady myself.
Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood comments,
Just to lay the facts before us:
- we have lost four of ten of our people,
- including your team leader,
- we have one member who is injured,
- we have lost contact with our means of evacuation,
- we can't go back on foot either,
- we are encountering dead bodies who are missing eyes,
- there is a suspect black substance coming out of them,
- some of the bodies strike a strong similarity to at least one member of our group,
- the star field seems to follow a faster rotation than the spin of this terrestrial body
If we make it out of here alive, this will be one hell of a story. But, the only way we can do that is if we stop making mistakes.
- and there is that comment, "must stop loo".
Uncertain of the right way forward, the group is not eager to move, but forward seems to be the only way to make progress and so that's what everyone agrees to do. Jilarzi comments,
The question is forward to what?
Amy Nightlock gets up and starts moving towards the archeological site, followed by Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood, Jilarzi, the grad student, with the last remaining member of Unknown guarding the rear.
Do you continue to scout ahead?
Hold up everyone, I may be a little bit slower, but I'm still the best scout in the group. And besides, I want to keep all of you safe for as long as I can. I think I understand a little bit. The only way to stop this loop is to finish it. We can't go back now.
I look at Amy Nightlock and Jilarzi.
Let's do things a little different, cuz honestly my shit is freaked out right now. I don't want any of us getting out of each others sights. This is going to be slow going. Before I round a corner, I'm going to wait for you all to bring the group so we can proceed together. I don't want any more of us to vanish... or worse.
I give a nod to Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood and the students.
Keep your students in your sight Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood, and he in yours. We can make it through this together.
Lord Theadore Thomas Blackwood nods back at you approvingly and you all move out in the order stated, with you leading ten yards ahead of the group.
The terrain remains unforgiving, but after what feels like hours of meticulous measured progress you come to ruins at the foot of a sizable mountain.
The ice all around the area juts out in sharp jagged sheets that stick out like spears. The dark monolithic structure protrudes above the ice refusing to succumb to its grip. Its columns look ancient and interior is filled with darkness that refuses to yield to light.
You are about 100 yards out scanning the area. It is difficult to pick out details at this distance, but the way looks formidable.
I let out a deep, drawn out sigh. At least we can see the goal. The pain in my leg.... well, my leg is mostly numb now. To be honest, I'm mostly glad that we didn't run into anything dangerous, there's little chance I could fight, run or fly like this without consequences, so I'll keep relying on my luck.|
Alright everyone, this is the last breather. Don't let me out of your sight!
I look back at the students and wink at them.
Once I get the path planned out, same as we've been doing. Approach cautiously and try to stay in my step. If something happens to me, let it happen, then check and make sure everything is safe for yourself, then come for me.
I pull up my datapad and make some calculations, scanning the terrain, as usual to find a good path. I feel that sticking close to the spears is a better option since the ice is thicker and not as easy to break. Once I feel comfortable with the path, I send the information to the other datapads and begin my approach.
Solid ground is scarce and far in between.
Making your way through the shards is very slow-going. Every step feels like a gamble and you are already badly hurt. You look back and see that others are having an even herder time.
Light and shadows reflect and refract strangely off of the ice as if the air around them is similarly bending in sharp lines. It isn't long until you are almost entirely surrounded by a hall of jagged mirrors whose edges seem to just appear out of nowhere, intent on skewering the flesh.
You turn back to check again on your party only to see your broken reflection in hundreds of glistening edges. You look above you and see stars moving very rapidly, a days worth of rotation crammed in a few minutes, causing you to lose sense of balance.
You don't understand what is going on other than it's utterly different from what you have ever experienced before. This is not normal, not natural.
You get a sense of vertigo, but are able to avoid impaling yourself on a 3-foot shard of ice. Instead, you l fall over onto something that cushions your fall. As you look down you see Amy's face frozen in time with look of pure terror and agony. Her eyes are gone, like the others, and she is speared through by ice. The tear through her suit is brimmed with black markings of the fluid.
You were able to muster a state of cognitive dissonance regarding your own face, but now seeing your sister amidst this ice breaks you psyche. You take a 3 point sanity loss which puts you at 7 and you progress one step into madness.
I struggle to keep it together and finally give up the fight. I let out a scream with tears streaming down my face.
Amy Nightlock! TALK TO ME! TELL ME YOU'RE OKAY!
I start digging at the ice with my hands trying to free my sister, only breaking from the panic upon hearing her voice.
You hear your own voice coming back to you over the comms channel. But it comes many times, each time it is distorted in some way. Sometimes it is shifted high, sometimes low, sometimes it is entirely out of order.
YOU'RE ME Amy Nightlock TO OKAY TALK TELL ME
Oh that isn't good.... Terrified I stop... while still looking down I slowly stand up and look behind me...
Shards of cold glass surfaces look back at you.
and how about the structure?
You see it refracted through the ice, appearing as hundreds different structures.
Can I continue pushing forward?
right now, I can't see her, so my training would tell me to push on, that's what she would do and hopefully we end up at the same place
There's a chance she is okay. I know that that IS her, but not JUST her....
You slowly make your way through the ice, moving past bodies, those of your team and those of Radix corporation. You see the many ways all have died, each full of agony. How many are you?
Finally you make your way onto more solid ground. It is black and smooth, like molten stone. However you have little time for curiosity because as you look up you see hundreds of charred bodies, each burned into a twisted screaming caricature of life. Each in some pose trying to helplessly crawl away. Away from what? You tremble as you slowly pick up your head...
The view of the charred remains of you and those you love, the agony they must have went through and the incomprehensibility of everything that is happening around you breaks you and makes it impossible to hold together.
You are at 3 sanity and progress into weakened state on Madness progression.
Got pretty fucked up in the end
You lose control and run as far away as you can cutting yourself up on the glass.
NOOOOO