RPG: FTL

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Wulf Kharon ] - Group Ganymede / compound interior / cyrotube area

 

"..."

 

There was a silence. Then Wulf produced a beat-up black permanent marker from his pocket and carefully copied down one of the strange Engi cyrotube marks onto the front of his own flak jacket. Bold and clear, the sign stood out vividly against the dusty grey fabric outer lining.

 

"...there, does that make you happy?"

Edited June 29, 2014 by Shadowhawk

[Alex Humva]

IC [insane Engi]

 

The Engi stared at the mark, then at Wulf, then at the mark, then at Wulf.

 

"[...You just made that. You are no prophet of the Creator. Who are you to make that mark?]" It backed up, new fear in its eyes. "[You... you're a demon. An impersonator.]" This seemed to completely unhinge the Engi. "[Thirty years they slept! Thirty years I was free! Now they walk once again! They take your form! YOU ARE NOT CHOSEN!]"

[Silvan Haven]

Kenshin Harken

 

IC: "No idea Colonel. I was thinking of going down there to get a clearer picture. Figured I should let you know first."

 

Keeping the link open, he started making his way down in to the crystal clear water.

Edited June 29, 2014 by Silvan Haven

[Snelly]

IC: Ashley 

 

What are you?

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Wulf Kharon ] - Group Ganymede / compound interior / cyrotube area

"Ah, poor misguided soul..." sighed the privateer pityingly, gazing down at the terrified Engi. "I am no false one, come to torment you! I am the New Prophet indeed, sent by the Creator himself to avenge you in your plight. Think you that the Creator, the Great One of the Stars and All That Is, would leave you defenseless and forgotten when foul daemons prowl the darkness of this land once more?"

He smiled, white teeth flashing beneath the shadowed visor of his riot helmet.

"For these thirty years, you were free, there was no need... now the blackness rises, and I, I and my fellows, have likewise arisen against it! We have been called to aid you, my friend and brother, and who are you to doubt us?"

[Alex Humva]

IC [insane Engi]

 

"[You are no prophet! You didn't do the ritual! You didn't do the ritual! He, he is a prophet!]" The Engi scampered over to a cyrotube, tensing up as it looked at the mark, then tapping on the console, the tube beginning to hum as it began a defrost cycle. "[He will prove you wrong! He will wake the chosen! You are an impostor!]"

[Burnmad]

IC - Kelezaag:

 

The Mantis watched, bored, as the Engi revived one of the beings in the cryotubes. "A for effort," she commented to the pirate.

[Zhangku]

IC: Souper Saladd

 

Hearing the insane engi ramble was more than enough to temporarily distract the slug from the incoming transmission from headquarters, "Just to let you know, comrades, we're cut off communications wise with the ship.  Chances are whatever demon that the Engi speaks of is causing this disruption, which tells me two things.  One this thing knows we're here, and two it can cut off signals of multiple sorts. I felt a slight disturbance psiionically, but didn't want to disturb you all with this information as it was not currently relevant.  I believe we're all being watched.  Let us hope that this...human chosen can tell us what is happening."

[Constructelf]

IC Vincent

Vincent, who had been working on the computer this whole time, didn't really know what to make of this. The premise described in the video logs seemed down to earth enough, but something just felt off... He continued working on the computer, hoping to optimize the conputer's systens so that they could get a clear picture.

[Eevee]

IC

 

"Roger... We'll do our best." She said softly as she kept herself and her fighters above the area the colonel had instructed her to.

 

God... I hope everyone is alright.... And Will.. She sighed softly, not wanting to think about the horrors that may be below.

[avmatoran]

IC:

"Uh... Harken, you sure that's a good idea?" Gaven asked uneasily.

 

OOC:
No idea how often I will be able to post for a long while. Feel free to bunny Gaven and use him as an NPC if you need him.

[Alex Humva]

IC [Ominous Presence]

 

The presence didn't respond, not in any way Ashley could understand anyways. She was unsure it was unable to understand her, though as she felt around it she came to a startling realization: it was all around her because it was actually that large. Whatever alien presence this was, it was huge, not just psychically but physically as well. It might span the entire forest for all she knew. 

 

IC [Colonel Ojeda]

 

"I'll be watching." The Colonel had begun to sweat, her vision continuing to blur in and out. Whatever was doing this wasn't very precise about it... but it didn't feel like a psionic incursion. It didn't feel like anyone was forcing its way into her mind. Sliding back into a chair, she tried to puzzle it out. Insane Engi, Confederates who froze themselves... why were the Engi insane and not the humans? Surely if there was something psionic, they'd focus on the base commanders, and not just drive one species to a homicidal insanity. 

 

IC [Group Ganymede]

 

The defrost time was somewhat lengthy, you couldn't just thaw people like popsicle, so there was a period of awkward silence as the tube hummed away, until finally, the machine released a plume of gas within the tube, gave the occupant a moment to rouse, and chimed open. Coughing profusely, and then immediately throwing up whatever was in his stomach, he drug himself out and steadied himself on the tube as he blinked around in the dim light.

 

"Please tell me you're not slavers," the man mumbled, before the Engi rushed to him and held his arm in the air.

 

"[Chosen! Chosen!]" The alien seemed positively delighted that it didn't accidentally kill the man with the wrong wakeup sequence.

 

"I see you met Joe here." The man's wits were slowly but surely returning to him, as did his recognization of the situation, noticing that none of the team had gasmasks on. "You've been breathing this air, haven't you? Oh dear. Oh very dear. The ship you came on, does it have nanites?"

[Silvan Haven]

Kenshin Harken

 

IC: The water was only up to Harken's waist when Gaven spoke. Stopping and turning around, Kenshin replied.

 

"Not really, no. But we did not bring any drones with us and we need to find out what that stuff is. Toss me a rope will you? I need some way to escape quickly if they end up being hostile."

[Shadowhawk]

IC - Kelezaag:

 

The Mantis watched, bored, as the Engi revived one of the beings in the cryotubes. "A for effort," she commented to the pirate.

IC: [ Wulf Kharon ] - Group Ganymede / compound interior / cyrotube area

 

"Well, it was worth a try." muttered Wulf somewhat ruefully, taking out his knife and cutting away the marked patch of cloth from the front of his flak jacket. He didn't want to upset the Engi any more than it'd already been, and as far as the health of Mr. Kharon himself was concerned, he had no intentions of getting himself tagged as 'demon imposter'. 'Enormous pirate' was dramatic enough; sometimes, a bit too dramatic.

 

As the cyrotube defrosted, dumping its occupant abruptly back into reality, the privateer greeted the man's first comment with a curt "No," and then the next statement with a growled, "What's 'oh dear oh dearie me'? Yeah, the ship's got nanites, but what the , exactly, is this air doing to me, I'd first like to know?"

[Alex Humva]

IC [Doctor Stevens]

 

"I'm not a hundred percent sure what it is, might be a microbe or a fungi, smart money's on some sort of fungal spore, but I didn't have the time to conduct a proper study before we had to freeze ourselves." The doctor glanced at the Engi, a bit worried. "We weren't affected, not as much as they were anyways. Mild paranoia and twitchiness, though some more severe hallucinations got a hold of the command staff. I'd suggest getting some cleansing nanites though, to get it out of your system, just in case. As for the Engi... well, the invader seems more inclined to their biology than ours. Mass hysteria, superstition, homicidal rage... the Engi are really an uncivilized race when you strip them of their higher functions." The doctor walked over to the cabinet, his Engi companion trailing along, and after typing a combination in pulled out a syringe, injecting its fluid into himself. "You'll have to excuse me if I'm a bit uneasy on my feet for a bit, it was a rush cyro job. How long have we been frozen? It was 62 ALT, January, when we went under."

 

IC [Group Io]

 

Harken found the water to be easily navigable, no currents or murk to get in the way. Within short order he was upon the resting figures, and able to get a better look: some sort of cuttlefish-like creature, except rather than one blob with tentacles, it was oblong and stretched, as though it was a quadruped... with tentacles. The creature was resting peacefully, different colors and textures rippling across its skin as it did. What was peculiar was a long and consistently blue stripe down what might have been its spine, the same blue as the mushrooms Harken had seen.

[Silvan Haven]

Kenshin Harken

 

IC: Harken slowly panned his view across the cluster of creatures, his built in camera catching it all and sending it back to the ship. It only took a couple seconds, after which he started slowly making his way back to the surface. Kenshin had no plan to be caught in the pool if the group of unknowns decided to wake up.

 

While he walked his mind went over what he had seen. The blue on their backs in particular stuck in his mind.

 

It could simply come from them eating the mushrooms, but knowing this crew's luck the mushrooms are the juvenile version and we are in a nest.

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Wulf Kharon ] - Group Ganymede / compound interior / cyrotube area

"It's 95 ALT. You've been out for... eh, thirty-something years."

[Snelly]

IC: Ashley

 

Ashley flipped on her comm once more, the channel open to any crewmember who could receive it. "I'm getting the impression that whatever this presence is...it's really, really big. Like literally." 

[Eevee]

IC

 

"Are you sure?" Estelle replied to Landes, the bad feeling that she had growing at her subordinate's words. "Do you know what it wants?"

[Snelly]

IC: Ashley

 

"Pretty sure...it's at least big enough to cover the entire forest...as for what it wants, I have no idea...it's too alien to understand..." 

[Alex Humva]

IC [Doctor Stevens]

 

"Oh." The doctor took a moment to take it in. "Well, I think my license needs renewal. In the meantime, I'd suggest returning to your ship and getting an injection of cleansing nanites. We don't have any here, I doubt they'd still be functional after all this time anyways. Do you have others in the facility?"

 

IC [Colonel Ojeda]

 

After sweating into her chair for a few minutes, the Colonel regained her wits, turning the comms back on. "If it's so huge, then why... ah. The mining shaft. Landes, can you at least feel if it's malevolent or not?"

[Snelly]

IC: Ashley

 

"I'm...I'm not certain...it's like...I can't really understand it's mind...not sure if it can understand me either..." 

[avmatoran]

IC:
"Harken, anything interesting?" Gaven asked, tossing a rope to Harken as he had been asked.

[Havelock Vetinari]

OOC: I hold off posting for one day and completely lose track of what's going on...

 

IC (Devas)

 

Devas keyed his comms, unaware of the utter chaos consuming other parties. "Colonel. I have just seen a Vendarian soldier on planet. This is..." Devas struggled for words for a moment. "clearly impossible. Can't be an airborn agent. Advise caution." The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up, his heart rate was increasing and in the dark corners of his mind, long-dormant instincts were screaming at him to run as far and as fast as he could. Unfortnately, Vendarian military training was not as intelligent as these instincts, and did not consider an illusion, however impossible and disturbing in it's implications, grounds for a retreat.

 

IC (Halik)

 

It seemed every time this ship made a stop of any sort, some sort of deadly mortal peril materialized and did it's level best to kill them. Halik was almost used to it at this point. She'd been paying attention to the findings of the group, as expected of someone in her position, but she'd held her tongue and her peace. It was unlikely they would listen to her at any rate. Colonel seemed to be the only one with any interest in her advice. As yet, Daniels seemed to be handling the situation well. Considering he seemed to have an interest in the pink-haired gene deviant, this was a relief. At least the military-centered part of his judgement was sound.

Edited June 30, 2014 by Basilisk

[Silvan Haven]

Kenshin Harken

 

IC: "More or less." Harken replied while grabbing the rope and giving a couple quick tugs to tell the Rockman to pull him out. "I found some weird cuttlefish-squid things. It looks like they might be able to walk on their tentacles as well. Since they seem to have a connection to the glowing mushrooms surrounding us I suggest we get out of here as quickly as possible with as little damage to the strange foliage as possible."

Edited June 30, 2014 by Silvan Haven

[Xomeron]

IC:

 

"We do." Can interjected; he'd been silent and contemplative since entering the facility, and had kept to a shadowy part of the room since the engineer had arrived, in case a dramatic dash from the shadows was needed, before speaking into his microphone. "Colonel, Skinter here. We recovered a medical professional from cryo; says that we have a hallucinogenic agent operating on an unknown vector. He recommends getting everyone back on board for nanobot decon." Can paused. "We have one human and one injured engi, plus seven humans in cryotubes. We may need to set up the cargo bay as a quarantine zone."

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Wulf Kharon ] - Group Ganymede / compound interior / cyrotube area

Noting that there was essentially nothing of use he could actively accomplish until Skinter got things squared away with the higher-ups, the muscular ex-pirate calmly took up a strategic guard position near the now-unsealed enclosure doorway they'd originally entered through, assault rifle cradled in an relaxed 'shoot-from-the-hip' firing position.

[avmatoran]

IC:

Gaven began slowly pulling the rope back, not wanting to accidentally ram Harken into a squid-thing. "With our luck, the mushrooms might be larva and metamorphate just as we are leaving."

[Necro]

IC: Ovechkin's eyes darted around, hands gripping his shotgun, the gatling gun on his back now. The message seemed to suggest that any resistance wouldn't be from beings that could be saved. There was little use in stun weaponry, and depending on how far-gone the Engi were, death might be the merciful ending.

 

"Major, if we are to remain here longer to recover more data, I suggest we fortify the room." The Rockman said. "Engi are not particularly loud, an ambush is a possibility, and as it stands, cover in here is scant."

Edited June 30, 2014 by Necro

[Alex Humva]

IC [Colonel Ojeda]

 

"Halftrack just got back on the ship; hold your position, I'll have 'em take you back the nanites." The Colonel frowned, thinking for a moment. "We'll continue the crystal harvest. Retrieve the rest of the facility crew and get them into the hanger, the ship's air filters will keep the rest of ship fine. Daniels, pull the data bricks and bring them back, the computer can analyze them faster here. Devas, keep your head and shoot anything that gets too close. Harken, I want you topside, you'll be providing cover for Europa."

[Silvan Haven]

Kenshin Harken

 

IC: "My thoughts exactly Gaven. Let's get out of here."

 

So saying, he reached the edge of the pool and climbed out, the water dripping off of him in tiny streams. Coiling the rope back up he carefully led the group out of the secondary cave and back to the mine shaft.

 

"After you fellows." He said, gesturing to the rope they had come down on.

[avmatoran]

IC:
Gaven strapped his rifle to his back before beginning to climb out of the shaft. "I have a bad feeling about this whole place... We need to report back to the Colonel, quickly," he called down to Harken as he climbed.

[Silvan Haven]

Kenshin Harken

 

IC: "That would be the idea. The Colonel called us back so we could provide overwatch for another team. She has been getting a live feed through my suit."

[avmatoran]

IC:
"Good. Anything better than being down there, right in the creepy squid-dudes' home turf." Gaven reached the top again and pulled himself up out of the hole, unstrapping his rifle and getting ready for whatever may come. "I'm up, come on up," he called down.

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

"No need to fortify, Ovechkin, we're moving out. Keep an eye on the hallways. Ojeda says there are some really weird spores in their air," His speech was briefly interrupted by muttering under his breath, something along the lines of 'Seen enough sci fi to see that coming', before continuing to speak as he ejected the data core. "So any of you that have a gas mask with you, put it on."

 

"Liu, you're going to be in charge of keeping this data brick safe."

[Havelock Vetinari]

IC (Ameli)

 

Ameli, of course, already had her gasmask equipped and had taken up a guard position near the entrance simply out of habit. "Sir, if there are spores in the air, they could spread by skin contact, moisture...any number of things. Gasmasks may not be enough to stop it."

[Silvan Haven]

Kenshin Harken

 

IC: After waiting for Taylor to go up the rope Harken followed. He was surprised that they had managed to get away without anything happening. At least, not yet.

 

Making their way over to the south side of the complex, Harken led his trio to where Europa was loading the FTL crystals and set up overwatch positions..

[Alex Humva]

IC [The narrator]

 

Probably to everyone's surprise, not a whole lot of anything happened. Callisto and Ganymede fell back, Ganymede calling in some help to revive the remaining humans, and Europa's crystal harvesting continued on as expected. The halftrack arrived back with the nanites, and after a brief period of nausea, the spores were removed from their system, restoring everyone's mental state back to good condition. Radio static continued, though, and the computer eventually identified a hacker; someone within the facility splicing into their comms, no doubt one of the deranged Engi.

 

By the time something eventful happened, the sun was setting in the sky, and the last shipment of crystals was just about ready. The groups had gathered together, the computer having analyzed the logs and the reports of the facility doctor and found that fungal spores were the most likely explanation, though it couldn't find an explanation for the mental presence Ashley felt. Long-term sensor analysis did show something alive under the surface, but its lifesigns were so faint, it was barely detectable.

 

More important was the strange and lumbering beasts, who had chosen now as a good time to wander through. The assembled crew was able to watch as they thumped past, the ground shaking as they did.

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

"No matter how much sci-fi I've seen, these are still some odd critters." Daniels commented, his voice slightly muffled by his mask. Technically speaking, there was no real indication of atmospheric danger anymore. That didn't mean he had any intention of taking chances. He'd delivered the data brick as ordered, and was no observing the lumbering beasts from where he leaned against the ship, rifle still slung at his hip, just for caution's sake.

 

"Granted, they're more reasonable than most sci-fi. But that somehow makes them stranger."

[Silvan Haven]

Kenshin Harken

 

IC: While he had never thought about getting a degree in xenobiology or anything, Kenshin did consider it a hobby of his. His job sent him to planets all over the sector of the galaxy in which the Human species made their home and some time around nine years ago he had started paying attention to the plants, animals and...other, that made their homes in the areas where he worked.

 

Standing off some distance from the large alien animals, Kenshin had turned on his suit's recording equipment and was watching the creatures as they made their way through the clearing.

 

Those things are massive.