Imperial Fringe Online Game Chat Session Log December 14th 2003
20:33:19 - Kit: so are we ready to start?
20:33:40 - vance: (yes, ready to go)
20:34:05 - Kit: anyone on a time limit tonight?
20:34:34 - vance: (not me)
20:34:45 - Kraiger: Nope!
20:37:22 - Methuslah: Nor I!
20:37:54 - Methuslah: OK - as I recall, you had just launched on the Cygnet, heading for Thalcos.
20:38:32 - Methuslah: You had launched successfully, but now need to set course - I'll need Pilot and Navigation rolls, please. Failure will mean a delay in getting to the planet.
20:38:44 - Kit: yup, full stealth mode engaged
20:39:04 - Kit: ok, I guess that means me Pilot 2D6: 7
20:39:11 - Kit: Navigation 2D6: 6
20:40:20 - Methuslah: OK - course set, stealth mode actived, and implemented. You will arrivei n about four hours - with three hours to go before the deadline.
20:40:57 - Kit: enough time for a little coffe on the run. :-)
20:42:08 - vance: "shall we do a sensor survey of thalcos as we approach it?"
20:42:41 - Methuslah: Anyone want to do a sensor ops check - straight 7, with deductions for skill.
20:42:47 - Kraiger: (Kraiger sits quietly, going over a weapons/armour check)
20:43:03 - Kit: yes, but passive sensors only, we don't want to be detected
20:44:11 - Kit: Vance, I think you have the sensor job, as a prospector you should be able to handle them
20:44:48 - vance: 2D6: 10
20:48:17 - vance: vance spends some time on the telescope and sensors.
20:49:00 - Methuslah: Hold on - I've just been called away - be back in a couple of minutes.
20:49:34 - Kit: ok, we'll wait. We have four hours after all
20:50:49 - Kraiger: OK, I'll brb too...
20:52:51 - Methuslah: You've picked up some unusual signatures on the screen - it looks like more of those arrows.
20:52:55 - Methuslah: Sorry about the delay.
20:54:01 - vance: on the surface?
20:55:38 - Methuslah: In space - heading roughly for the fleet.
20:55:47 - Kit: is there some kind of trail to them, so taht we can estimate a point of origin?
20:56:08 - Methuslah: No trail, but they do all intersect - at the planet.
20:57:16 - Kit: maybe if we get closer, we can pinpoint the location better. We believe, that they may be some kind of projection, so that we could maybe tun them off at the source, IF we can find that.
20:58:34 - Kit: Vance, keep an eye on them, and if one changes course towards us, sound the alarm.
20:59:09 - Kraiger: (back)
20:59:22 - vance: "right."
20:59:28 - Methuslah: Three and a half hours to the planet. More of the arrows have now altered course, heading for the battleship - it looks like the plan is working.
21:00:54 - Kit: Time for a coffe break.
21:01:48 - Kit: Hey, Kraiger, why don't you shoot up some coffee for us?
21:03:14 - Kraiger: (Looking up from in the middle of a pile of weapons) - OK, let me finish checking out ... (turns back to his weapons)
21:04:08 - Methuslah: The next few hours pass fairly uneventfaully. As far as your sensors can determine, the fleet dispersal is going according to plan - the battleship is contining to head out away - angling towards Trane.
21:04:35 - Kit: By now you should know all these by heart. (looks at weapon pile) Did anyone tell you that this is NOT an invasion force but rather a stealth mission?
21:06:04 - Kraiger: Yeah, we've been on a few of those lately... always seem to wind up with somene shooting at us.
21:06:36 - Kit: I'm wondering, if these arrows really are some kind of projection, would it be possible to dirsupt their focus somehow? Just as you can disrupt a laser with heavy dust?
21:06:45 - Methuslah: You are entering orbital approach. Want to run a sensor scan?
21:07:08 - vance: (speaking of stealth, what kind of ammunition is available for the shotgun? should have asked this earlier.)
21:07:25 - Kraiger: better run passive only...
21:07:37 - vance: passive scans, yes. also telescope.
21:07:47 - Kit: Well Kraiger it's still quite possible that something teh scientists on Trane did caused this agression. I'd prefer to handle this as peacefully as possible. There has been too much violence and death already.
21:07:58 - Methuslah: Standard shot.
21:08:35 - Kit: Vance, try to find out where these arrows originated, we only have three hours to locate the problem. We don't want to land in a swamp.
21:08:53 - Kraiger: In my experience Kit, there are two kinds of death. Theirs, and ours. I'd like to limit the "theirs", but not at the expense of the "ours".
21:08:56 - Kit: Does the planet still seem just a dead rock from here?
21:09:23 - vance: "we did get some records out of our lab. did anyone ever review t hem?"
21:09:38 - Kit: There is a third kind of death: "None at all", that's the one I prefer!
21:10:03 - Kit: I hope the scientists of the fleet did, they were far beyond my skill at chemistry.
21:10:08 - Methuslah: A full telescopic survey will take more than ten hours - you could set it through the computer. That'll take a 7 or more roll to set up a succesfful run - to be done using Sensor Ops.
21:10:29 - Kit: But I still have a copy with me, so if we ever have some idle time to spare, we might try it.
21:10:49 - vance: (then no full scan. just as opportunity arises.)
21:11:18 - Kit: Does a passive sensor scan show anything at all?
21:12:06 - Methuslah: Passive sensors do pick up a foggy energy echo on the surface - but it can only be narrowed dow n to an area of a hundred miles square.
21:12:37 - Kit: If it's all we have, do we want to take a closer look?
21:12:57 - Kit: Maybe we can pinpoint it from closer down.
21:13:36 - Kit: Any sign of atmosphere?
21:13:42 - Methuslah: You could try and make a low-altitude pass over the region - but you run the risk of being picked up by anythingwatching for such a thing.
21:14:32 - Kit: Anyone got a better idea than trying to sneak closer?
21:14:36 - Methuslah: Just a trace of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
21:15:39 - Kit: First correction to the szrvey data there!
21:15:56 - vance: "we could try a slow over-the-horizon approach"
21:17:11 - Kit: Sounds good to me. I'll try to pick a course that takes us in low, but I will try not to fly right across the area in question but rather skirt the edge in a slow curve. maybe we can pick up some more data that way.
21:18:02 - Kit: Guys, better put your si shields on if you haven't already. If "They" are pschic, we don't know how far their range goes.
21:19:33 - Kit: Ready at those sensors, Vance, I'm taking us in.
21:19:55 - Methuslah: OK. I'll need two pilot rolls at 8 or more to succesfully complet the maneouver.
21:20:23 - vance: "ready"
21:20:49 - Kit: Cluncy beast this ship is 
2D6: 8
21:20:57 - Methuslah: You get two chances to scan at 7 or more.
21:21:00 - Kraiger: (Kraiger is buckling up, puts on psi-shield)
21:21:00 - Kit: 2D6: 8
21:21:25 - Kit: (why waste more effort than necessary )
21:21:34 - vance: psi-shield too
21:23:00 - Kit: (general rules question, if i make a roll, do i add my skill to the result or have you already figured that into the difficulty you tell us Meth?)
21:24:47 - Methuslah: I've already figured that into the result - this is a tricky maneouvre.
21:25:25 - Methuslah: You manage primary interface - another roll will be needed to make sure that you stay out of the zone.
21:25:47 - Kit: (one would think so, if I sītill have to roll an 8 with my pilot skill of 4)
21:26:14 - Kit: OK, here we go 2D6: 3
21:26:32 - Kit: oops 
21:27:00 - Kit: Vance better get some good readings.
21:27:31 - Methuslah - just entered this channel
21:28:27 - Methuslah: OK - you are one a strew course towards the ground - something seems tto be overrding elements of your computer. Vance - you will have a chance to make sensor readings.
21:29:19 - Kit: Oh fuck, full control to manual, trying to catch our descentd 2D6: 9
21:30:14 - Kit: Something down there is messing with our computer. What do the sensors say Vance?
21:30:24 - Kraiger: Kiiiit? Is divebombing part of your plan????
21:30:27 - vance: reading: 2D6: 8
21:30:50 - Kit: Cool down, Kraiger, maybe they'll take us for an asteroid this way.
21:31:31 - Methuslah: You are now operating on mnaul control - but you wasted a lot of fuel trying to deflect from computer control. You effectively had almost all your thrusters firing at once.
21:31:59 - Methuslah: You've picked up a point energy source - narrowd down to a square mile. Another reading will bee needed for a more precise analysis.
21:33:04 - Kit: Dammned. Vance, locate us a good landing spot. This *&$@§ # computer needs some teeth pulled.
21:34:12 - vance: locating landing spot: 2D6: 4
21:35:25 - Methuslah: You can't find anything flat- best is a crater - it's going to be a rough landing. 5 or more, Kit, for a non-crash landing. A 11 will give you the option of a return to orbit.
21:36:02 - Kit: ouw, talk about impossible things eh? 2D6: 8
21:36:48 - Kit: Well, we are down. Gotta solve our problem here if we ever want to get back up.
21:36:52 - vance: (we're kind of hard on ships, aren't we? crashing them, blowing holes in them...)
21:37:21 - Kit: Hey, this was a no crash landeing! Just not enough fuel left for a new start.
21:37:29 - Kit: The ships not harmed.
21:38:29 - Methuslah: You've managed a safe landing. You'll be able to launch again - but you will need a quantitiy of hydrogren to refuel the tanks.
21:39:28 - Kit: Now maybe they have a fuel punp around here. Vance, anything interesting on the sensors?
21:39:34 - Kraiger: (Kraiger hits the quick release and gets out of his seat) "OK, lets take a look outside" (heading for the airlock)
21:40:31 - Kit: If the guys around here are attracted to energy, I think it might be best to power down the ship, as soon as we know it's safe to go outside.
21:41:12 - Kit: (sealing suit) How far are we from the last readings?
21:41:20 - Methuslah: Outside atmosphere and surface registers as safe for exit.
21:41:45 - Kit: What is the atmosphere analysis?
21:41:49 - Kraiger: "I'm heading out - follow when you're ready" (Kraiger hits the airlock)
21:42:34 - Kit: Vance, collect all data we have gathered into a map of the surrounding area. We may need it.
21:44:08 - Methuslah: Atmospheric analysis indicates partial pressure approximatley one one-thousandth of Earth - 65% Nitrogen, 30% Carbon Dioxide, 2% Cyanide, 3% trace gases.
21:44:44 - Kit: Nice, healthy atmosphere there.
21:45:01 - Kit: Vance, you ready?
21:45:13 - Methuslah: Kraiger, you step out onto the surface. The soil crunches under your feet - it is almost iced over. To the north you see a point of light.
21:46:13 - Kit: ice? of what chemical makeup?
21:46:22 - Kraiger: (Look for cover, 20m from the ship - get in cover and survey surounds with suit-optics
21:47:15 - vance: (sorry, crisis with my kids. back again.)
21:47:35 - vance: "yes, ready." anything else on the sensors? 2D6: 10
21:48:23 - Methuslah: You see nothing more than a normal environment around you - but the light persists.
21:48:42 - Methuslah: You sensors register a source of high-intensity radiation just to the north, about a mile - and airborne.
21:49:08 - Kit: OK, powering down all but the most basic of ships systems.
21:49:54 - Kit: Moving?
21:50:42 - vance: gather up tools, equipment, and shotgun, and vance is ready to go.
21:51:24 - Kit: the radiation sourde, stationary or moving?
21:51:46 - Kit: (gathering up my stuff and preparing to leave ship)
21:52:10 - Methuslah: Source is moving towards your position, slowly. Be overhead in about nienty seconds.
21:52:23 - Methuslah: Make a 5 Engineering roll to power down systems.
21:52:34 - Kit: Out of the ship everyone and scatter!
21:52:41 - Kit: 2D6: 7
21:52:56 - Kit: That should hopefully make us invisible.
21:53:50 - Kraiger: (Kraiger will move position to 20m away from the ship, at right angles to where the light is coming from)
21:54:28 - vance: hiding, but looking too
21:55:21 - Kit: How fast is the thing moving?
21:56:07 - Methuslah: Accellarting fast - now moving at 5,000 mph.
21:56:44 - Methuslah: You manage to dive into cover. You see one of the arrows light light fly overhead, leaving a fainty luminescent trail in its wake.
21:56:46 - Kit: hiding, and looking as well. Hoping it hasn't noticed us.
21:56:56 - Methuslah: The ship has been successfully powered down.
21:57:11 - Kraiger: (5000???)
21:57:31 - Kraiger: (Oh OK, different light)
21:57:35 - Kit: hmm, that trail straight back to the source or curved?
21:58:44 - Kit: Seems like they don't go for optics, only for energy. We should take soem of the mines along from the ship as a possible distraction.
21:59:02 - Kraiger: "Come on, lets get away from the ship" (moving caredully away from the ship and the incoming light)
21:59:43 - Kit: Anything more to be seen from cluseup but an arrow shaped light? What does my scanner say about it?
22:00:27 - Methuslah: The trail heads right back to the source.
22:00:37 - Methuslah: The light is too blinding to discern any detail.
22:01:11 - Kit: Rats, I forgot my sunglasses.
22:01:52 - Kit: OK guys, semms to have passed us by. I say we follow it's trail right back to the source. Any objections or other ideas?
22:02:12 - vance: "no, concur."
22:03:10 - Kit: Kraiger, Vance, we should each take one of the mines along, then head off. We are on a tight time limit here, so we better get this matter solved.
22:03:19 - Kraiger: "Lets skirt around a bit more, rather than approaching directly from here..."
22:03:29 - Kit: (how's gravity on this planet btw?)
22:03:57 - vance: "we have mines?"
22:04:04 - Kit: Fine with me, tactics is your part, lead on.
22:04:40 - Methuslah: The mines are too big to carry without vehicular assistance.
22:04:40 - Kit: Yes, we have mines on the ship, at least I had asked for such a thing that causes a big energy "flash" to distract the lights.
22:04:46 - Methuslah: Gravity about 0.3 of Earth.
22:04:51 - Kraiger: (Moving from cover to cover, skirt around another 200m, then find a good approach towards the source of the light)
22:05:16 - Kit: Darn. OK, well, if push comes to shove then we'll have to short out a power pack again. Let's go.
22:05:35 - vance: following
22:06:23 - Kit: Good for some big jumps around here. (falling in line behind Kraiger and Vance.
22:07:23 - Kit: Well, see you soon baby (pat the ship affectionately before moving off)
22:09:13 - Methuslah: OK. You make your way towards the light int he distance. It seem to be rectangular in shape, and is set against a high hill, mabe 500 meters above the ground.
22:09:38 - Kit: How big?
22:09:57 - Kraiger: (Continuing approach...)
22:10:45 - Methuslah: Maybe five by ten meters.
22:11:17 - Kit: Some kind of flat surface or three dimensional?
22:11:40 - Kit: Could it simply be some kind of window or other opening into the ground?
22:12:43 - Kit: Any traces on the ground of it haveing been worked, moved across or otherwise disturbed?
22:14:17 - Kit: Is the glowing trail from the light still visible? And if yes, does ith come from the glowing shape?
22:15:36 - Methuslah - just entered this channel
22:15:53 - Methuslah: (Sorry about that - got thrown out for a second.)
22:16:08 - Methuslah: The glowing trail is fading rapidly - it seems to come from the shape.
22:16:20 - Methuslah: No traces on the ground of recent working. It looks flat.
22:17:09 - Kit: sensor check. Any kind of scan possible on the shape?
22:18:52 - Methuslah: It is emitting a high degree of heat - more than 200 degrees C. YOur suits should easily be able of coping with the heat level.
22:19:11 - Kit: Is it some kind of opening?
22:19:47 - Kit: For all we know, we could be looking at the muzzle of some kind of gun. But there should be some trace of construction around here.
22:19:50 - Methuslah: It looks to be - but your scanner is having trouble detecting in.
22:19:51 - Kraiger: (Scanning around for any signs of other construction or anything)
22:20:22 - Kit: The light arrow we saw, how big was it? Could it have fitted through that opening?
22:21:20 - Kit: It the opening on top of the hill or might it be possible, to bring down enough of the hill from above it to block it if necessary?
22:21:34 - Methuslah: Nothing else that you can see. The light arrow was too small to fit - but the trail definatley lead there.
22:22:05 - Kit: um, you mean the arrow was too big to fit or the hole too small?
22:24:38 - Kit: You said the ground was covered with some kind of ice where we landed. If the opening is so hot, is the ice aroound there melded, and in what radius?
22:26:17 - Methuslah: There is no sign of melting in your area - but the ground feels much softer here.
22:26:33 - vance: vance has IR sensing in his artificial eye. anything show up on it?
22:27:22 - Kit: What about the hillside and the theoretical possiblility of bringing it down on the shape/hole?
22:29:05 - Kraiger: (Continue slowly to approach)
22:32:41 - Methuslah - just entered this channel
22:33:14 - Methuslah: Your eye shows intense heat coming from the doorway.
22:33:18 - Kit: (having problems meth?)
22:33:31 - Methuslah: It could be done - there is a lot of loose rock and soil.
22:34:14 - Kit: Looking around for any other kind of opening or sighns of construction.
22:34:31 - Methuslah: I'm afraid so - let's carry on for the moment, but I apologize in adanvce if I drop out without warning.
22:34:49 - Kraiger: (Still approaching...)
22:35:19 - Kit: If these guys emit so much energy, I wonder what they look like, and what we must look like to them.
22:35:48 - Kit: Or we are really just looking at a smoking gun.
22:37:03 - Kit: Is the energy output from the hole steady, or does it fluctuate?
22:37:31 - vance: "I'm trying to find other openings or accesses, but I don't see any."
22:37:33 - Methuslah: You are now about a hundred meters away. The heat is noticable - but you should be able to deal with it by turning your colling units up.
22:37:41 - Methuslah: The energy output appears to be slowly rising.
22:38:51 - Kit: Looks like they are heating up for another shot. I really don't feel to eager about climbing dowm into a gun barrel. There must be some other kind of opening around here.
22:41:11 - Kraiger: (Can we skirt around ebhind this opening?)
22:41:20 - Kraiger: (<behind>
22:42:36 - Methuslah: The power levels are rising. You can get around it fairly easily.
22:43:22 - Kraiger: "Lets try and get around behind it"
22:44:05 - Kit: Let's look for another opening. I don't think this is the only one, but keep this one in sight, I want to see what happens.
22:44:43 - Kit: (following Kraiger, looking around for any other signs of opening/construction/tracks on the ground
22:46:48 - vance: taking cover.
22:47:59 - Methuslah: After another minute, you see a sudden burst of light flash out of the opening. It forms into an arrow, and flies off across the landscape, heading generally up in a similar direction tothe other craft.
22:48:13 - Methuslah: The temporature has now dropped to planetary normal.
22:49:02 - Kit: It IS some kind of gun barrel or launch window. Strange.
22:49:56 - Kit: We might be able to disable this one by burying it. But there may be more.
22:50:11 - Kit: How about taking a peek inside while it is cold?
22:51:27 - Kit: (Meth, when the light "formed" into an arrow, was it like a lot of small elements swarming together or like a bigger mass just morphing?)
22:52:10 - Kit: What did the sensors indicate when the light formed?
22:52:23 - Kraiger: (Are we behind the hole yet? ANy sign of another entrance?)
22:55:31 - Methuslah: (A mass morphing.) The sensors indicate a white-hot burst of heat and radiation, quickly fading to normal. You are no behind the hoel - but see no other exit.
22:56:24 - Kit: OK, I'm creeping close for a peek inside. I use my mirror first.
22:57:32 - Kit: Vance, just in case we need it, try to figure out the best places on this hillside for placing charges to bring down tha hill to block the entrance, ok?
22:58:25 - vance: "yes." vance starts evaluating charge preps.
23:00:06 - Kraiger: (Kraiger creeps forward for a look too)
23:00:57 - Methuslah: OK Vance - you have that covered, and ou have sufficient explosive to do the job.
23:02:33 - vance: when vance finishes preps, he goes over to the weapon discharge port and looks inside.
23:03:27 - Methuslah: Kit - ou see a long tunnel, heading straight down about a quarter of a mile. The temperature is beginning rise again.
23:04:18 - Kit: That is definitely too deep to climb or jump. What are the walls made off?
23:05:18 - Kit: I see no other entrance and I don't think we can fly down. Maybe we should block it and see what happens. If soemeone is down there, they might sho up to find out whats wrong?
23:05:59 - Kit: And maybe it's their only launch, and blocking it might at least stop further discharges? What do you think?
23:06:01 - vance: "or the discharge will blow the dirt all over us."
23:06:51 - Kit: Well it's your job to make sure it blocks the hole real good. But if you have another idea, I'm all ears.
23:07:32 - Kraiger: Well, these things sure aren't friendly. Lets set a charge, get back into cover, and plug up this hole
23:07:44 - Kit: Did your scans on the surfece indicate more than this energy trace?
23:09:09 - Methuslah: Nothing more.
23:09:32 - Kit: I still wonder what exactly these lights are. I am not sure if they are projections, the shape that formed looked more like a self powered entity.
23:10:23 - vance: "how much time do we have to screw around?"
23:10:39 - Kit: Vance, set the charges. I currently don't see any other options. We can at least try to stop more lights from launching for a while.
23:11:34 - Methuslah: At the rate the temperature is rising, six minutes. You'll need four charges to make sure - it'll take a minute to set each one. Who has Demolitions skill, and at what level?
23:11:39 - Kit: Maybe these "projectiles" run out of power after a while. If we can stop more from launching, we may have a chance.
23:12:11 - Kit: (no demolition, just Jack of all trades)
23:12:47 - Methuslah: Vance, Kraiger?
23:13:23 - Methuslah: Base to set a charge is 7 - plus 2 mod if using JOT.
23:13:37 - Kraiger: (Hang on a minute)
23:13:45 - vance: (jackot 2, no specific demolition training as such)
23:14:04 - Kit: Does the level of JOT make any difference?
23:14:57 - vance: "kraiger, can we keep a few in reserve in case we screw up?"
23:15:04 - Kit: OK, Vance, we better share the task, two charges each, Kraiger can cover us.
23:15:15 - Kraiger: Energy weapons and survival are the best I can come up with...
23:15:59 - Kit: quick, we don't have too much time.
23:16:52 - Methuslah: Yes - so thats 7 or more for each of you.
23:17:01 - Kit: (moving into position to place first charge)
23:17:10 - Kit: first one 2D6: 10
23:17:22 - Kit: second one 2D6: 11
23:17:49 - vance: 2D6: 8
23:17:57 - vance: 2D6: 9
23:18:31 - vance: "set, hook up, take cover"
23:19:10 - Kit: OK, moving to cover. Vance, fire if ready.
23:19:19 - Methuslah: Four minutes to get out of range.
23:19:32 - Methuslah: Ok Vance. You press the switch, and.........
23:19:37 - Methuslah: Tune in, next week...
23:19:39 - Kit: Hurrying.
23:19:48 - Kit: Ah rats.
23:20:06 - Kit: another cliffhanger
23:20:19 - Kit: not that i didn't expect it.
23:20:45 - Kraiger:
23:20:54 - Kraiger: Thanks, another good one!
23:20:54 - vance: (good game. see you next week.)
23:21:17 - Kit: yup, hopefully for a big "plug the gun" explosion.
23:21:41 - Kit: at least that'll get their attention, whoever "They" are.
23:21:56 - Methuslah: See you all next week! Haev a good week!