[003 Rescue Operations

[joertexas]

Grimaud will attempt to aid the recovery.

Roll(2d6)+1:
2,3,+1
Total:6

Whomever else is trying, roll dem bones

[shaidar]

Anne will try and help

Zero-G(1): [_2d6+1]=(1+4)=5+1=6

[joertexas]

Fortunately for the intrepid rescue ball wranglers, they collectively outmass the tumbling object. Equally unfortunately, their adventure is recorded for posterity by ultra-high resolution cameras from four of the five operational ships and craft in the area, and suit cams from everyone, including those taken from all available windows in Princess One. Their efforts are ostensibly aided by commentary from the audience, which would have been more helpful if the commentators weren't gasping with laughter.

After an exciting five minutes, the team brings the rescue ball under control and connects it to the portside docking tube. Two of the suit tethers are hopelessly entangled, but everyone is either inside the collar, or inside the airlock. The entire assembly is pressure-tight and the atmosphere is safe.

Who is opening the rescue ball's hatch/door?

[Tiglath]

Foix will take a look through the vision port (if it has one) and then opens/unzips the "hatch/door".

[joertexas]

Foix will take a look through the vision port (if it has one) and then opens/unzips the "hatch/door".

The rescue ball is dark inside, so Foix sees nothing visually. His suit's IR sensors still show four distinct figures, though. He opens the door, and peers inside. In his lights, he sees four people, all dressed in ragged shirts and shorts, and all are barefoot. A teen girl clasps a toddler in her arms, while two preteens, a girl and a boy, huddle fearfully next to her. They stare at Foix with terrified expressions, while they blink in the lights' glare.

"No hurt us!" the teen calls out. "No hurt us!" She twists to the side, protecting the baby with her own body.

[BackworldTraveller]

Rock will standby with his medical sensors: It will be interesting to see the DNA scope of this group.

However, he doesn't want to frighten them so he won't press forward too much.

[Tiglath]

Foix crouches down and speaks softly "You are safe now. No one is going to hurt you because from this moment on you are under the protection of the Comte de Foix. Your ordeal is over".

He does what he can to calm the youngsters tending to their immediate needs (food and water) and then performing a medical assessment with Rock. De-briefing the kids will come later and Foix believes that will likely need to be done by professionals. However, as wards of House Foix, the refugees will have the best possible care (as well as providing fodder for an additional PhD for Josephine ).

He says to his comrades "I will do what I can for these children. I believe we were mislead by Mother and Eka for reasons I can not imagine. A great deal of their behaviour remains opaque to me. However, if the Master was also an android puppet of a corrupted computer then his behaviour perhaps evidences more obviously how the systems onboard Caladia failed her crew. We must be satisfied that, despite both computers' behaviour and their mental coercion of the surviving crew, we were able to save as many as we did".

Foix will forward an after action report with a confidential medical addendum to the Birach Fleet / Authorities. He will ask Rock and Josephine for their professional opinions as well as including evidence from the rest of the retinue.

He records the strange behaviour of the Caladia's crew (both being hostile to and non cooperative/evasive with rescuers) and cites it as symptomatic evidence of the failing environment in which they were trapped for ~200 years. He recommends that as a minimum their care and treatment includes counselling for post traumatic stress if not an extensive rehabilitation programme to unpick the effects of being generational pawns of two warring rogue AIs.

(OOC: I received clues from the esteemed GM that we were heading for de-brief on this chapter (actually he used the term "Fallout"! ) so the above is is the House Foix position (underpinned by qualified professional evidence). Having pondered it the Caladia's crew just have "all of the above" on their psych eval ("broken" home - effectively a "cult", Stockholm Syndrome, PTSD and then we added Survivor's Guilt! Yay - full house! )

[The Bindoner]

Zhenya is underwhelmed by the refugees and loses interest in proceedings as the Doctor begins his assessment.

No fireworks, no diabolical machine mind with a warbot avatar to defeat. *sigh* A waste of adrenaline. I am going to change out of this suit and take a glass of champagne. If anyone wants a game of Backgammon I shall be in the lounge. When the dobryy Doktor has finished with his probes and the waifs are settled call me, I shall talk to them.

[joertexas]

1437.003.1800

The Lady Perlanda and Attica have moved away from the Caladia as it continues to slowly tumble its way toward perigee with the LaGrange point's center. The merchantman and the liner are in close company, but not actually docked. Aboard each ship, the cruiser's crewmembers begin to tell their stories. From them, and from Mother's memory files, the team pieces together the story of TNS Caladia:

Disaster Aboard the TNS Caladia.docx

(16.06 KiB) Downloaded 25 times

Actions?

[Tiglath]

Foix studies the collated interview summaries as they come in. He comments "The Caladia's fate reads as an evolving tragedy. It seems my assessment of the crew's circumstances was correct and I was able to discern Mother's failing capacities myself. Alas, the survivors would have no frame of reference to draw such a conclusion. Having now learned the military capacity of the Master's forces my decision to not engage some forty hostiles supported by half a dozen warbots was also proven sound. We achieved all that was possible aboard the Caladia and brought everyone that we came across to safety. C'est bien".

He pours cognac for the company and catching Vee's eye says with a self mocking smile "Though it may seem impossible it would appear that my faculties are improving with time. My humble modesty too - I age as well as a good cognac!"

Foix contentedly sends a message to Birach Fleet command commending Sub Lt LeFron's courage and initiative during the rescue and recommending an award. If he feels any relief that his tactical instincts were vindicated he might confess it to Vee later but will never show it in public - Generals don't.

[shaidar]

Anne

With everything seemingly in hand, Anne enquires into the situation on the station... have the personnel returned and does, the Comte and his retinue still plan to continue the original plan to deliver Julliette Pike to her father once the fleet arrives.

[BackworldTraveller]

Rock

As the party, the refugees and Rock return to the liner, Rock will be gratified to return to his family and both he and Elvira will take some time trying to organise some charitable largesse to see the horde of extras settled reasonably. n.b. player going on hols.

[SpinwardMarch]

Taheri

She gets out of the vacc suit and joins Foix and the rest. I read the summaries. Those people are going to need some long-term therapy. Psychosis from a miss-jump... not just the people, but the computers! She shakes her head, and looks into her glass of cognac.

[Tiglath]

She gets out of the vacc suit and joins Foix and the rest. I read the summaries. Those people are going to need some long-term therapy. Psychosis from a miss-jump... not just the people, but the computers! She shakes her head, and looks into her glass of cognac.

Foix replies "For those generations in the wake of the event there was no way to determine that the android dictators were not telling them the truth. The very "way of life" even. Fortunately, Commander, I am not only a fine judge of character but surround myself with good people capable of chiding me on those occasions where my shyness or humility deter me from taking the right path".

Foix smiles and clinks Taheri's glass "It was well done. Santé, Commander!"

[Tiglath]

With everything seemingly in hand, Anne enquires into the situation on the station... have the personnel returned and does, the Comte and his retinue still plan to continue the original plan to deliver Julliette Pike to her father once the fleet arrives.

The Comte de Foix will do so entirely dependant on Captain Dubois' recommendation.

[shaidar]

ooc: It seems we are going directly to Birach.

[joertexas]

ooc: It seems we are going directly to Birach.

Sorry, I didn't specify. The Lady Perlanda drops several passengers and some cargo off at the research station, and picks up another five passengers. Then, she proceeds to the Birach Highport. The next thread picks up after her arrival there. Ms. Pike can also disembark at that time to meet her father.