003: On the Road to Aki

[helvorn]

William will follow along with Growler.

[Thumper]

Growler-
Uh, gents…lady! I’m feeling psionic power from this panel here. I’m sensing a bit of, uh, a projection or maybe a draw from it. I’m going to attempt to reach out it much like what happened with Bills. I’ll wait until y’all move where you want to.

When others have positioned themselves where they want and indicate they are ready, he’ll reach out telepathically as he did successfully with the Matter Disintegrator and Bilis.

[terrymixon]

Growler-
Uh, gents…lady! I’m feeling psionic power from this panel here. I’m sensing a bit of, uh, a projection or maybe a draw from it. I’m going to attempt to reach out it much like what happened with Bills. I’ll wait until y’all move where you want to.

When others have positioned themselves where they want and indicate they are ready, he’ll reach out telepathically as he did successfully with the Matter Disintegrator and Bilis.

The silver surface ripples and vanishes. In its place is a crystal-clear image of a room carved out of stone with what looks like a bent hatch on the far wall opening onto a short corridor with a black opening at the end with stars moving there. It looks so real, you feel as if you could reach out and touch it.

[Thumper]

Does Growker’s suit indicate a change of pressure or temp? He’ll reach out to touch it.

[terrymixon]

Does Growker’s suit indicate a change of pressure or temp? He’ll reach out to touch it.

No change in temp or pressure. He reaches out and his hand passes through what had been solid a moment before. There are no sensors on the hand to detect conditions, but the other side might be real after all.

[Thumper]

Growler-
”Um, someone humor me. What do you see when you look at this panel? Come touch it please.”

He pulls his inertial locator to reference his current position with that of their ship.

[terrymixon]

Growler-
”Um, someone humor me. What do you see when you look at this panel? Come touch it please.”

He pulls his inertial locator to reference his current position with that of their ship.

If it really does go elsewhere, the inertial locator won't realize that. It will see you having taken a single step.

Roscoe steps up. "Interesting. A stone chamber in what looks like space. Perhaps this opens up to the surface of the moon? No, we'd see the gas giant. Is it an image of elsewhere?"

He puts out his hand and it passes through. "Not an image."

Before anyone can stop him, Roscoe steps through and is floating in zero gravity. "Somehow, this is not on the moon at all. There is no gravity or atmosphere. I am sending some spybots to look outside."

While a few of them dart away, he uses his grav assist and stops in front of the opening--for that is what this surely is--and waits.

Metz puts a hand through but does not follow. "Astonishing. Roscoe went elsewhere in the blink of an eye, without crossing the intervening space. That violates the concept of causality, yet we are seeing it with our own eyes."

"Video feed coming in," Roscoe said. "Whatever you were envisioning as the distance this can work at will need to be expanded upon."

The feed on your HUD shows part of an asteroid tumbling in space. It must have once been larger since it only has the one compartment in it. The thing that stands out the most is the star in the distance. It is a bright blue, which does not match either of the stars in the Aki system.

"Great gods above," Metz cursed softly. "Instant travel between star systems? Even a single parsec would be revolutionary, but we have no idea where Roscoe currently is. He could be across the damned galaxy."

"I am recording everything I can," Roscoe said. "When we get back to the ship, I may be able to locate where this side is. If not, we could fabricate a probe with the appropriate sensors and astrogation databases to send through."

Metz turned to face the others. "This is worth far more than whatever Mad Dog turned over to the Omicron Division. Depending on how far it can go, it could change... everything. And why isn't our air bleeding off? It's somehow keeping the air in while letting people through. Utterly astounding."

When the spybots returned, Roscoe stepped back through, adroitly landing on his feet. "I've heard little of what Ancients relics have been found, but if something like this had been located, it would have changed something in how the Imperium is doing things. This base may be a treasure trove of technology, but this alone makes it worth finding. Madam Treegarden will lose her mind."

[Thumper]

Growler is awestruck.

”Roscoe, can your creeping spy bots check if this panel can come off the wall without damaging how it works?

[terrymixon]

Growler is awestruck.

”Roscoe, can your creeping spy bots check if this panel can come off the wall without damaging how it works?

"No. Can we test on the other panels? You only felt something from this one, right?"

"Stop," Metz said. "We don't know anything about this. How is it powered, for example? I suppose one could argue that if the side on the dead asteroid base still has power, it might be built in, but why take chances?

“Even if you can get it off the wall without breaking it--which is uncertain at best--if we remove it, it might become a useless trinket rather than the most valuable thing any of us will likely ever see. Maybe, if push came to shove, we could cut the wall around it and take the whole damned thing, but this is far too soon for that kind of rash talk.

Then Metz frowned. "You activated it with your mind? Or was it more like Psi talking? Can it be done mechanically? It would be difficult to explain to Madam Treegarden without revealing your secret otherwise."

He faced the portal, and it simmered and returned to a look of pure silver. "Good. That means I can make a mechanical switch that will work for anyone. That should make things easier. Do any of these others work? What about the two in the next chamber? Where might they take us?""

[terrymixon]

While everyone deals with this revelation, Roscoe steps a little to the side and seems to be concentrating. Then he smiles.

"I sent some of the spybots out under their internal controls and told them to map the facility for us. They've been gone a while but have returned. I can now give us an idea of how extensive this facility is. Good news. I see no mobile objects and no active threats.

"The base has four levels, two below this one and one above. The base is...extensive and seemingly intact. Perhaps seeing what we have to look at might make going through it easier and faster. Otherwise, we might be here for days. Here is the rest of this level."

He sends this image to your HUDs.



"I can see one control area and some other potentially interesting areas. There is a chamber with two shafts leading up and another one with two shafts leading down. Let me share the level below us."



"There are some laboratories and robotics areas that might interest Doctor Metz and an area with a lot of what look like advanced cryoberths, all empty. The technology there might be very interesting. And here is what is below that."



"This looks like the machinery that keeps the base running. Of interest, but likely incomprehensible. And above us is this. Oh, dear."



"That larger area is some kind of landing bay, and it is occupied."

The last image is that of the massive bay, in which is parked your ship.

[Thumper]

Growler had been lost in thought on the Teleportic Portals, and he’d only half-listened to Roscoe. That last statement from Roscoe’s “Oh dear” caught him up.

”Go! Go! Get to our ship!”

And he sets out at a space suited run.

BTW, his purpose in looking at the Inertial locator was to determine the team’s current position in relation to the landing site. Not to step through the portal and check position.

[terrymixon]

Growler had been lost in thought on the Teleportic Portals, and he’d only half-listened to Roscoe. That last statement from Roscoe’s “Oh dear” caught him up.

”Go! Go! Get to our ship!”

And he sets out at a space suited run.

I'll let some of the others respond as they might influence your actions.

[terrymixon]

Growler had been lost in thought on the Teleportic Portals, and he’d only half-listened to Roscoe. That last statement from Roscoe’s “Oh dear” caught him up.

”Go! Go! Get to our ship!”

And he sets out at a space suited run.

BTW, his purpose in looking at the Inertial locator was to determine the team’s current position in relation to the landing site. Not to step through the portal and check position.

Got it. And you do realize that your suit's grav assist can hit 200 kph since you have the skill to use it, right? You don't have to waddle.

[Thumper]

Got it. And you do realize that your suit's grav assist can hit 200 kph since you have the skill to use it, right? You don't have to waddle.

Oh sweet! I forgot. Waddling for now awaiting other prospective actions.

[ateno]

Arkar with some experience will assist someone who needs a hand heading back.

Arkar

[Tiglath]

Arkar with some experience will assist someone who needs a hand heading back.

Arkar

Garvin who failed his "waddling (basic)" self help course holds a hand out for a tow back.

[helvorn]

William speaks up. "Wait, let's take this slowly and carefully. The floor of the canyon in which we landed was to smooth to be real. I'm guessing we stumbled upon the docking bay. Let's move deliberately and tactically up to the docking bay and check out the ship."

[terrymixon]

William speaks up. "Wait, let's take this slowly and carefully. The floor of the canyon in which we landed was to smooth to be real. I'm guessing we stumbled upon the docking bay. Let's move deliberately and tactically up to the docking bay and check out the ship."

Someone did spot the clue. Points to you. You may add a DM+2 to a roll of your choice at some point going forward.

Will you look at any of the intervening rooms? You will be passing what looks like a control room (only slightly off the direct path, but a control room none the less) and one with a strange globe on a pedestal (directly along the way).

Metz and Roscoe will trail along behind.

Unless I hear differently, I'm assuming everyone is roughly together.

[Thumper]

Growler will consult his Inertial Locator once again for the spatial relationship of the team’s current position to the ship’s location. That should provide confirmation.

[terrymixon]

Growler will consult his Inertial Locator once again for the spatial relationship of the team’s current position to the ship’s location. That should provide confirmation.

The ship seems to be in roughly the right area, only under the surface of the moon.

As I asked earlier, any pause at the globe room or the control room?