Chapter 3: on the station

[SpinwardMarch]

Moving this to its own page, for ease of reference.

[SpinwardMarch]

Everyone has gotten on the station. The captain will stay in the area to pick you up.

I am assuming the group worked out a way to signal the sub. How you do you plan to contact him to return?


What you see, once everyone gets inside, is a long tube going up, about 9 feet/3 meters in diameter, with a ladder going up into the gloom.

There is only room for one person at a time on the ladder, so what is your climbing order?("Who's on first?")


Chiree thanks Ringar for the help up to the ladder. I thank you very much for your help. I will be able to climb by myself now.

[spanningtree]

Ringar;

Would a personal comm unit not have enough range?

Ringar is happy with any order.

[Jernau35]

"Even if the comm unit works", Jrec says, "let's arrange a light signal we can use as well. We don't want to get stuck here because the battery in the comm unit died".

He gestures to his cutlass. "Maybe I should go first. Silence....might be needed for some stuff".

I know we all bought shotguns. I think Jrec might have bought a pistol too. I'll have to go back and refresh my memory about what equipment we have.

[ybn1197]

I'm ok with Jrec taking the lead from here. Madox has a shotgun and a revolver, he's not exactly the quiet type.

[spanningtree]

OCC: Can we assume Ringar grabbed a flashlight from the sub and arranged for visual signaling as a backup to personal comms devices?

[SpinwardMarch]

You all arranged with the captain to give a light signal to be picked up, in case the communicator batteries fail, or other problems occur. One would assume that they are easily rechargeable, as long as there is a power source and proper connector.

The group climbs up the ladder in the tube. On your way, you notice various side tunnels leading off horizontally into what is apparently the globe's maintainance section. Most are unlit, with switches in the main tube. When you get near what appears to be the upper end of the tube, you reach a slightly larger horizontal tunnel. This tunnel has permanently lit emergency lights and an "Exit" sign on it. Imperial OSHA spec. It is also tall enough to stand in.

This tunnel leads to another vertical tube, also with a ladder. This one is fairly short, and ends with a hatch at the top. This hatch does not have a lock, but has the classic wheel opening device. Your referee does not have a military background and doesn't know the proper term.

The hatch opens into a wide corridor. One ends in what must be the door to the central column of the station, and the other has large glass doors. To one side, there is a spiral staircase.

What do you do?

[Jernau35]

"Check out the glass doors?" suggests Jrec softly. "See what's in there before whatever is in there sees us".

He makes a quick visual check of the hallway for any cameras or other surveillance devices. Then moves a few feet down towrads the door while he waits for a reply from his comrades.

Edit: Changed "but" to "before".

[spanningtree]

Ringar:

Yeah, that sounds good. Whispering in response to Jrec's query. Chiree, does any of this look familiar? Shotgun = at the ready.

OCC: Updated Ringar's sheet with "flashlight" for signaling, please excuse the back reach.

[SpinwardMarch]

You don't see any surveillance equipment in the hallway, after a cursory look around. As Jrec moves toward the glass doors, he sees just dense fog inside the containment area. On a digital sign panel near the glass doors, there is posted the following information:

Globe No. 3
Environment: 256
Populated: Yes
Status: No Results

Chiree quietly answers Ringar, This does not look like the globe I escaped from. It had no fog. I think it is under the water. There are many strange things and beings here. Not all are friendly.

OCC: Updated Ringar's sheet with "flashlight" for signaling, please excuse the back reach.

No problem. I will give everyone (except Chiree) a regular good flashlight as part of their exploration gear.

Actions?

[spanningtree]

Ringar:

Yo, guys, wait a sec, don't touch. Ringar whispers to his comrades. This place is a lab, Chiree says there are strange things here and some are not friendly. That status indicator says populated. Pointing at the digital sign. Lets keep exploration to a minimum unless Chiree thinks we found the right pod, he thinks we should be headed down.

Afterthought, whispering: I wonder if the environment in that pod is even breathable.

[ybn1197]

Ringar:

Yo, guys, wait a sec, don't touch. Ringar whispers to his comrades. This place is a lab, Chiree says there are strange things here and some are not friendly. That status indicator says populated. Pointing at the digital sign. Lets keep exploration to a minimum unless Chiree thinks we found the right pod, he thinks we should be headed down.

Afterthought, whispering: I wonder if the environment in that pod is even breathable.

Madox scratches his head. "If its populated, its breathable to something. What... I do not want to found out. There has to be a method of moving about the domes. Probably something in the central column. We should find our way there and then head downwards."

[Jernau35]

Jrec

Jrec nods in agreement. "Even if we wanted to mess around with whatever's in there, chances are there's a sensor on the door or something."

He nods towards the spiral staircase. "I reckon you're right about the central column being the way to go. But where do you think that goes?" Jrec starts towards the central column regardless.

[SpinwardMarch]

The group moves towards the center, away from the globe. When you get to the end of the access hall, there is a glass door leading to a landing, with a guard rail with some sort of interlock mechanism. If you look down, you realize the entire column is hollow, all the way to the bottom. Falling would be fatal. If you examine the opposite side of the column, you see a spiral track running around it. On the wall to the right side of the landing is an elevator panel with a call button, and up and down arrows, and the number 3.

What do you do?

[spanningtree]

Ringar:

Should we change the call button?

[ybn1197]

Maddox rubs his chin. "Anyone think they can pick that lock?" indicating the mechanism on the door to the stairs.

[spanningtree]

OCC @GM: Is the interlock a true lock or more similar to some kind of environmental seal/lock? IE: High to low pressure zones for bio containment.

[SpinwardMarch]

The spiral staircase going up is slightly inside the globe. If you look around, you discover it leads up to a Viewing Chamber for the globe. It seems to be part of the general design of the globe and there is probably one in each globe.

When you look down into the central shaft you can see a half-hemisphere attached to the track several "floors" below you. It runs on that sprial track on the walls of the shaft and follows the location of the globes. This elevator looks like the only way to get up and down in the center.

The interlock gate is to keep people, robots and creatures from falling to their death at the bottom of the shaft. When that half pod reaches the access shaft (hallway), you guess that the gate will unlock. There is no environmental seal needed here; those are on the doors into the containment globes. The designers appeared to fail on creating a safe enclosure for the elevator access.

You might try pushing the "up" call button.

Actions?

[ybn1197]

Seeing no other option, Maddox "calls" the elevator, his pistol ready in case the elevator isn't empty when it arrives.

[spanningtree]

Ringar:

Nods at Maddox's action.