Contract: Nightstalker
Previous: Lost Archives II: Initial Investigation of Telecore
Next: Echoes of Things to Come
#Team High Turnover Rate spent the night on their ship resting. Since Bash was so messed up by the Trooper Drones he elected to remain on the ship to continue resting. Genji chose to go out and accompany Jerzac Scarlewe, Roquesta (Rocket) Strauss, and Roswell Mogul while they looted the manufacturing hub.
Rocket overrode the auto function on the door that led further into the complex, locked it, and rigged a shock grenade to explode if the door was opened from the other side. After that was complete everyone helped disconnect one of the replicators. Just after it was grabbed by the nearby loader, Genji noticed the way out of the complex was blocked by one of the oozes and a trooper drone when the drone took a shot at him.
Rocket took ranged shots while Roswell ran to engage in close combat and Jerzac ran to cover. Genji was able to recognize it as a trooper drone, the basic footsoldier of the Meridath but did not understand all the implications until he felt his mind thrust have no effect. Bash was woken up by the screaming comms chatter and started to don his armor. The trooper has laser focus on Genji like the previous fight and Bash. Despite taking a solid hit, it ignore Roswell attack to shoot Genji and advance on him.
Having fought these before Rocket drew her thuunderstrike rifle, took aim, and hit with devestating effect. Taking a que from her, Roswell and Jerzac doubled down on the sonic damage to quickly end it. Genji tried to mind thrust the ooze, also to no effect.
Rocket, Roswell, and Jerzac all focused on the ooze after it pulled Roswell's pistol away. Genji on the other hand used his psychokinetic hand to scatter the dust from the trooper to prevent any reformation. Possibly distracted by the intense noise directed at it the ooze missed Roswell on three seperate attacks. Rocket was able to blast the ooze apart with a little incidental damage to Roswell. Bash was a little grumpy about being woken up and not even being able to participate in the 'fun.'
In the aftermath Rocket and Genji expressed interest in further studying the dust the enemy combatants dissolved into. Since Bash was up Genji took the time to collect 5 seperate gallon samples to store on the ship while the others scattered the rest in the wind outside the complex. They also summoned Antonio to come retrieve the loader and replicator to store both on the Kormoran.
Now that the manufacturing habitat had been recleared, Rocket disarmed the grenade trap and opened the door. The group of four continued further in to the next dome which to all appearances was the living quarters/rec area. To the right is an open area with a cluster of computer terminals with several tables surrounded by chairs. To the left is a blank wall with one door. Across the way is a corridor and another large wall with another door.
First investigating the door on the left it opened to a room with a large number of bunks. Continuing down the corridor the group opened the other barracks however this one is in disarray with the chests and cabinets arrayed on either side of the door as a killbox. Unfortunately that did not seem to have benefitted the inhabitants as there are a half dozen or so bodies rotting in the debris.
Deciding that room looked unpleasant Jerzac ordered Rocket to lock that door just in case. Moving on to the next section the doors opened to reveal a handfull of individual rooms. Two seemed to belong to Pravii, one of which was very traditionally decorated the other cold and sterile; one belonging to a Celonian, one belonging to a Kasatha, this one contained an Orache Tree which Jerzac made a note to deliver to Professor Solstarni to make her feel more at home; finally the largest seemed to belong to a human and contained a computer and piles of papers on the large desk.
The papers both the name of Dr. Iscalapius and contained information on the agriengineering and bioadaptation projects. Every single piece of data indicates every single organism adapting perfectly, indeed even better than their natural emvironements. As an aside the doctor also gushed over the Geomantic Matrix's effects and how even that miraculous machine was working better than expected. Perhaps this all has something to do with the mysterious Xi Tablet-like monuments that were uncovered in one of the windstorms. "Must talk with Dr. Dolabella when she surfaces from the lab." All pieces were photographed and sent to the ship for the professors to start analyzing.
Rocket has able to hack into the computer and found video feeds with the final svae data from 10.5 months ago. This computer monitored the Agricultural hub, the Agriengineering Hub, and Bioadaptation Hub. During the last recordings there was an aggressive shaking on the screens. A short period later, on the "Agriengineering" feed, a human man ran into frame followed by a trooper drone. The drone paused just in frame then shot the fleeing man in the back. The drone turned and left, not noticing the small puff of yellow light that appeared on the bullet's impact. After the drone left the man pulled himself painfully to his feet and continued on into the "Bioadaptation" feed. Another shake occurred and the energy fields around micro habitats flickered and failed just before the camera feeds also failed.
Finally, Jerzac noticed an odity in the width of the wall between this room and the kasatha's. He started tapping on the wall until he found a hollow section. With some help he found a release and opened a cubby with what appeared to be a small alter and a bust of a skeletal figure covered by a veil.
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Looking at the bust gave everyone present the uncomfortable sensation they were back in the dream of the twisted city at Temple of the Twelve (see Mad City Behind The Veil for why no one liked that). Rather than risking another group hallucination, Jerzac ordered the cubby shut without disturbing anything at all.
Once the designated items were on their way back to the ship, the group headed through the southwest door and found the agricultural hub. Despite thoroughly searching it, no one found anything of interest. Just prior to returning to the dormitory hub Rocket spotted an object across the canyon that may be one of those Xian monuments the notes mentioned.
Making a note to investigate that later, the crew returned to the hub and went through the southern door. There they found what is presumably the "Agriengineering" dome. This one's top was open to allow exposure to the Telecore environment. Despite being untended for almost 11 months these plants appeared to be in good condition. Rocket realized this dome is matches the camera feed where the troopers shot the doctor. Despite trying to find and investigate the impact point, the ground was clear from months of environmental exposure.
Moving on to the next and final hab on this arm, the crew noticed some sandstone structures, a regulated pool of water, and some alien flora similar to the previous dome. Not knowing what dangers may lurk here, Bash entered cautiously to look around and possibly take fire for his less armored allies. Not far into the room, he saw a clean white skeleton at the far end but his augmented hearing also detected movement. Rushing around the sandstone structures an exceptionally large creature came into view.
Immediately on the defensive, Bash took a snap shot that missed. The creature was on him in an instant attacking. Jerzac took a shot and recognized it as a Defrex, though significantly larger than any other known specimen. Roswell attempted to crush it by tapping into the graviton mystery of the universe but it's immense strength allowed it to resist it. Rocket however shot it with her sonic rifle, dealing it a devestating blow and bowling it over.
Bash retreated and missed his shot. Finding a less armored target that brought itself within reach, the Defrex chomped on Roswell causing grevious injury. The captain missed his next shot as he was distracted by roswell stepping right up to the creature and attempting to punch it with his solar weapon. Hoping to distract the monster Rocket shot it again.
Seeing that the creature had hardly slowed, Bash turned up his Prototype Rail Rifle and a lance of plasma streaked out to injure and burn the beast. Still distraced by the meal in front of itself, the Defrex attacked Roswell again and knocked him unconcsious. In horror Jerzac took another shot and backed up to prepare for retreat. Rocket yet again shot the creature trying to be a sufficient nuissance to distract it.
Unfortunaly for Bash these higher settings appear harder to aim and he missed his next shot. The Defrex ignored all else. Finally finding prey to consume it ripped the dying Roswell in half and started trying to feast. Unable to cope with the stress otherwise Jerzac pulled out his Lho sticks and started smoking like a chimney. Shaken, Rocket missed for the first time oin this encounter.
Bash took the time to steady himself and shot the creature winging it. The Defrex retreated into the depression and under the stone bridge but not before sucking out the top half of its new treat with a sickening wet squelching slurp in full view of the remaining crew. In an attempt to stun the creature, Jerzac threw a stun grenade into the depression. Without line of sight on the creature Rocket had to step closer than she'd like to take her next shot.
Bash tried to take advantage of his armor's capabilities. He used his blindsense to overlay the Defrex's current position behind the outcropping and fiddled with the dials of his rifle. He fired directly into the sandstone but his quick math failed him and the beam did not penetrate all the way through. The Defrex chose that moment to throw the now empty shell of Roswell's torso in Bash's direction and the crew heard the sound of screaming metal as it started crunching away at the waist and legs. Jerzac somehow distracted it by getting in line of sight, opening his coat, gesturing to his defrex hide armor, and shouting "I'm coming for your ass next!" This opening allowed Rocket to take a perfect shot at the side profile of the beast.
Bash took several deep breaths to steady himself and redialed his settings. Just as the last remnants of his crewmate spun over the rock, the Defrex moved right into his sights, and Bash drilled a clean glassy hole through the rock and punched clean through the Defrex's skull.
As the closest to the empty armor Jerzac nudged it with his toe to get a better view of the inside. "Well, he sure had some guts." And called Antonio to come retrieve the Defrex and Roswell's armor for material, supplies, and taxidermy pruposes.
While waiting Jerzac looked at the other two members of the orignal crew "Perhaps it has something to do with us? We seem to be the only ones who keep surviving."
Rocket said "I have no intention of dying before I clear some debts, and certainly never for allies of convenience."
After the grisly cargo is on its way to the Kormoran, Rocket approached the bones. Each had been broken in some way and the marrow licked clean until nothing was left. While inspecting the skull closer she saw a small chip affixed to the left temple. She picked it up and with some minor effort extracted access certificates for Dr. Iscalapius.
On a whim, the remaining crew further investigated the room with the corpses back in the dorms. Here they found several servicible guns as well as a computer on the best dressed individual. Rocket dug her inorganic hand into the rotting flesh of the apparent leader but found no access chip. She also attmpted to hack into the computer but the stress of the day must have clouded her mind enough to prevent access.
Once again, the crew returned to the ship to recuperate and evaluate the next course of action.