Imperial Fringe Online Game Chat Session Log January 25th 2004
21:24:37 - Methuslah: Certainly! The hatch has just flow off, and there seems to be something moving in the dust - a huge tornado, heading directly for you!
21:25:24 - vance: vance evades, looking for a hole in the ground.
21:25:27 - Kit: I'll duck and take cover as good as possible. If I can grab something to hold onto, I'll do that.
21:27:32 - Methuslah: The tornado whilrs towards you, totally obsuring your view. Patters of light rocks begin to throw themselves at you, until you feel you can bear no more. Then, slowly, the sut begins to clear.
21:28:14 - vance: vance looks around carefully.
21:28:37 - Kit: "Almost no atmosphere to speak off, but lousy weather. I guess the property values around here aren't too good!"
21:29:24 - vance: "I wouldn't buy any."
21:30:39 - Kit: "you do get as much solitude as you wnat though, what with this build in self-defense system and such!"
21:30:52 - Methuslah: The dust and soil has blown away, revealing a huge step pyramid, with a true pyramid at its top. You were blow to the bottom but the wave; it is near a hundred meters high. There is an operning at the top.
21:31:54 - Kit: "Holy Moses! THAT was under the sand?" (Is the opening at the top the hatch we unscrewed?)
21:32:50 - Kit: (If i's that high, the originas shaft that we obstructed should be somewhere on the pyramid. Is it visible?)
21:33:16 - Kit: (is the step-pyramid 4- or 3-sided?)
21:33:27 - vance: vance laughs. "I don't think we have enough explosives."
21:33:38 - Methuslah: (4-sided)
21:33:48 - Methuslah: (At the top)
21:34:45 - Kit: "OK, lets go and find some kind of entrance" (What type of material is the pyramid made off?
21:34:56 - Kit: (Any energy signature?)
21:35:18 - vance: "yes, but it will take a while to walk around the base."
21:35:24 - Kit: Kit takes a couple of pictures off the pyramid, as soon as the dust has settled enough
21:35:37 - vance: "and for all we know it's some kind of defense array."
21:35:53 - Kit: I look around. "Kraiger, you OK?"
21:36:26 - Kit: (Any features, script, signs, apparatus etc visible on the pyramid?)
21:37:29 - Methuslah: There is a slow energy buildup from the base of the pyramid - much lower than before. It is completely featureless.
21:38:02 - Kit: "Slow energy buildup here. Whatever we do, we shouldn't idle too long"
21:38:54 - Kit: Is there some kind of stairs, or how big are the steps of the pyramid? Could it be climbed easily?
21:39:43 - Kit: What about the base. Does it rest on bedrock now, or does the pyramid go even deeper into the ground?
21:39:48 - Methuslah: The gravity is less than a quarter of Earths - you should have no trouble scaling the pyramid.
21:40:20 - vance: "other than climbing, I have no suggestion. and I'm not sure climbing it is a good idea."
21:40:49 - Kit: "Well Vance, what do you think? Straight up or a quick walk around first? There might be easily accessible doors on one of the other sides?"
21:41:24 - Kit: I walk up to the pyramid carefully to examine the surface material. Is it the sake kind of metal of the topmost pyramid?
21:42:01 - vance: "we can do both. I'll climb, you walk around."
21:42:40 - Kit: You think it's a good idea to separate? (Where is Kraiger by the way. Is he all right?)
21:43:49 - vance: "we're close to each other. I'm heading up." vance moves up the pyramid.
21:44:23 - Methuslah: You'll be at the top in five minutes. Bouning up the steps.
21:44:26 - Kit: I look around for Kraiger. Any sign of him?
21:44:27 - Methuslah: Kraiger is waiting below.
21:45:10 - Kit: Ok, I'll circle the pyramid, looking for any kind of unusual features, taking pictures and keeping an eye on the energy buildup.
21:45:58 - Kit: (Looking at the bounding Vance) "Crazy youth. Be careful!"
21:46:20 - vance: when he has a chance vance stops to feel the pyramid, whether it is shaking or vibrating or otherwise moving.
21:46:36 - vance: he also puts his helmet to it, listening.
21:47:00 - Methuslah: There si a faint, low tone coming from the pyramind.
21:47:16 - Methuslah: Kit, on the far side you see some unuual heiroglyphics, like nothing you've ever seen before.
21:47:59 - vance: rising or steady tone?
21:48:04 - Kit: (taking pictures) Well there is some kind of writing here, but I have never seen something like it before."
21:48:42 - Methuslah: Staedy
21:48:53 - Kit: (Are they abstract signt, or identifiable pictures?)
21:49:57 - vance: "the pyramid has a tone to it, also."
21:50:45 - Kit: "I assume there is some kind of machinery at work here. Have you found any entrance yet?"
21:52:07 - vance: "not yet, still heading up, though I doubt the original screw hole is an entrance. just checking."
21:52:15 - Methuslah: Abstract - there is no linguistc order. There does seem to be a mathematical pattern of some kind, but you do not recongize it.
21:52:30 - Methuslah: THe hole does lead down into the pyramid, seemingly into some sort of chamber.
21:52:35 - vance: "any word on whether the attack on the fleet has stopped or paused?
21:52:57 - Kit: I'll leave the deciphering to an appropriate expert. I just make sure I get good pictures of everything.
21:53:16 - vance: "hey, the screw hole does lead down into the pyramid."
21:53:51 - Kit: "Well, since we have already activated the automatic deduster, we might as well take a closer look eh?"
21:54:37 - vance: vance activates the telescopic feature on his eye and looks down. is anything apparent?
21:55:30 - Kit: Once I finish circling the pyramid, I climb up after Vance, a bit more slowly and carefully though.
21:56:02 - Methuslah: The shaft seems to got about ten feet down - its going to be a tight fit, onyl one of you at a time.
21:57:05 - Kit: Any light or other energy emanation down there?
21:57:28 - vance: does IR show anything?
21:57:29 - Methuslah: It is totally dark
21:57:57 - vance: "hows the energy buildup?"
21:58:25 - Kit: Once I reach the top of the pyramid, I take alook around. Anything to be seen in the surrounding area?
22:00:23 - Methuslah: Growing slowly. It will be nearly an hour before it reaches the previous peak, assuming the buildup continues at the same rate.
22:01:26 - Kit: "I recon we have about 50 Minutes to find the switch to turn the thing off. (looking down the hole) Any volunteers?"
22:01:48 - vance: "I doubt this is an entrance. I'd hate to crawl down some exhaust port."
22:02:43 - vance: vance shines a regular light down the hole.
22:03:00 - Kit: "I haven't seen any other possible entrance, so I guess we'll have to try the exhaust port."
22:03:42 - Kit: "I seriously doubt we'll be able to turn this thing off by rapping on it from the outside."
22:04:01 - Methuslah: THe light reflects down into a small chamber.
22:04:04 - Kit: "We should have taken along an ummanned probe of some sort."
22:04:35 - Kit: "Oh well, First in. I'm a scout. I'll go in!"
22:05:28 - Kit: (With the low gravity and the narrow hole, I assume it will be easy to crawl down adn up again without a rope of sorts?)
22:05:35 - Methuslah: It'll be a tight fit.
22:05:36 - vance: vance hesitates. "alright. I'll back you."
22:06:24 - Kit: Haven't I just recently crawled through half a carrier in the acess tunnels? It can't be any tighter than that. I'll climb down.
22:06:56 - Methuslah: True. But you'll have the slide down - it's very slippery.
22:07:14 - Kit: In that case, I'll have Vance secure me with a robe.
22:07:37 - Kit: ah, rope. a piece of outdated apparel probably wouldn't help much.
22:08:50 - vance: "hate to be a killjoy, but I don' t like this. let me look at the writing on the pyramid first."
22:09:04 - Methuslah: (Have to go to smallest room. Back in a minute.)
22:09:08 - Kit: If necessary, I'll weld some kind of hook to the pyramid, so that we can secure the rope.
22:09:57 - Kit: "You don't like this? Aren't prospectors the kind of people who poke their nose into new places also?
22:11:13 - Kit: The Writing is really strange, almost mathematical. You can take alook at the pictures I took. That might save time?
22:13:50 - vance: "yes, it would. and yes, we poke our noses into new places, but we also try not to get them burnt off."
22:13:57 - Methuslah: (Sorry about that.)
22:14:10 - Methuslah: You can display your picutres on your digicam.
22:14:58 - Kit: Ok, here are the pictures. Maybe you can make anything off them.
22:15:14 - vance: anything vance recognizes?
22:16:06 - Kit: (While Vance studies the pictures, I'll set my scanner on record, and lower it down the hole)
22:16:21 - Kit: (then pull it back up and study the recordings)
22:19:51 - Methuslah just entered this channel
22:23:34 - Methuslah: The recordings indciate all environmental readings the same as on the surface. Images of the walls reveal the same type of mathematical patterns - and another shaft in the far wall.
22:25:10 - Kit: "More writing down there. I guess they wouldn't write on the inside of their exhaust pipe eh? I believe it is reasonably safe to go down there.
22:25:26 - vance: "if the patterns are purely decorative, then this is indeed an entrance. if they're meant to be seen."
22:26:14 - Kit: Maybe the yare welcoming words. Come in and enter, don't forget to wipe your feet and please stay on the red line.
22:26:25 - vance: "shall we go?
22:26:48 - Kit: Anyway, I'll go down now. I'm too curious for my own good. Will you give me a hand?
22:27:01 - vance: "yes."
22:27:21 - Kit: Ok, here we go (climbing down)
22:28:59 - Methuslah: You slide down, and land with a bump on the floor. The room is dark, pitch dark, with only the fait illumation of your suit lights.
22:29:26 - Kit: Taking out my flashlight and looking around.
22:31:22 - Kraiger just entered this channel
22:31:36 - Kraiger: Howdy....
22:31:58 - Methuslah: Hello!
22:32:15 - Kit: (Howdy Kraiger)
22:33:00 - vance: (good day)
22:33:21 - vance: (back in five minutes)
22:34:58 - Kraiger: (Am I going to be able to fit down this hole in my battledress?)
22:37:49 - Methuslah: Only just - and you have to leave your heavy weapon behind.
22:38:31 - vance: (back again)
22:38:50 - vance: vance heads down. can he bring his shotgun?
22:38:51 - Kit: (still looking around inside)
22:39:06 - Kraiger: (*sigh*) OK, I'll pull the power pack, make it safe, and stash it carefully behind some rocks
22:40:19 - Kraiger: (Pulling my ACR out of its bag, I check it's action to make sure all is OK
22:41:35 - Methuslah: YOu should be able to take that - it isn't very bulky.
22:42:52 - Kit: (putting a new battery into my flashlight and trying again)
22:44:02 - vance: vance heads down.
22:44:26 - Methuslah: The light flickers on this time, but the battery charge is dropping rapidly. Your suit's powerpack ia also beginning to drop - but its life is so long it will make little difference.
22:45:01 - Kraiger: (Taking a last looka round the surface) Here I come (Squeezing into the shaft)
22:45:20 - Kit: There is a definite kind of power drain down here.
22:46:47 - Kit: Looking around, heading twoards the other shaft, if I cannot see anything else. I do take a picture of the glyphs on the walls though.
22:47:25 - vance: "well there's one advantage to a chemical weapon." vance checks his eye - presumably it is affected as well.
22:48:45 - Methuslah: Your eye is registering a power drain, and will need to recharge within a few minutes.
22:48:45 - Kit: I do hope we won't need any weapons at all.
22:49:21 - Methuslah: Your camera is failing. Just as you finish saving the pictures to hard memory, it fails. Your chemical weapons will fire - but the targetign aides will not fucntion.There is one shaft heading further down.
22:50:24 - Kit: I guess we better get going before all the power is drained eh?
22:50:46 - vance: "yes. I will be down to one eye soon."
22:50:52 - Kit: heading for the next shaft.
22:51:10 - Kit: Can you manage with one eye?
22:51:12 - Kraiger: "Yeah, this suit is gonna be a boat anchor if the battery pack fails..."
22:51:32 - vance: "yes, both personally and with a shotgun."
22:51:52 - Kit: Good, then let's get going.
22:52:17 - Methuslah: That is true - you are only able to control it with your power servos.
22:52:48 - Methuslah: Down the shaft, to another chamber. There is a faint luminesnce on the wall, and what looks like a scale, almost a third of the way along. There is another tunnel on the opposite wall.
22:53:24 - Kit: Anything that looks like controls?
22:54:11 - vance: "mene, mene, tekel, upharsin."
22:54:14 - Kit: Is the scale moving?
22:54:37 - Kit: What is that supposed to mean Vance?
22:55:13 - vance: "old bible prophecy. 'you have been weighed and found wanting.'"
22:55:16 - Kraiger: You Ok Vance?
22:55:41 - vance: "yes."
22:55:51 - Kraiger: Bible? Whats that? An old Holo-Vid?
22:55:58 - Kit: I didn't know you were the religious type.
22:56:00 - vance: "just referring to the scale."
22:56:44 - Kit: I think it isn't a scale for weighting something ut rather a kind of development indicator eh?
22:56:46 - vance: "yes, I am."
22:57:11 - vance: does the scale seem to indicate anything?
22:57:12 - Kit: Like the blue bar in computer programs (windows installing)
22:58:08 - Methuslah: (Something like that)
22:58:26 - Kit: Is it moving?
23:00:49 - Methuslah: Very slowly, but yes.
23:01:41 - vance: "then let us move rapidly."
23:01:47 - Kit: Some kind of process is in the works. Might have something to do with the energy buildup outside.
23:02:00 - Kit: OK, moving on.
23:03:57 - Methuslah: Sutdy, the indicator jumps. Your suits begin to sound alarms, as the powe begins to drain much faster. Then the room begins to explode with light, and.....
23:04:02 - Methuslah: More, next week...
23:04:16 - Kit: 
23:04:57 - vance: (I'll be here.)
23:05:01 - Kraiger: Whew! Glad I'm in a (dead) Battledress then! 
23:05:08 - Kit: There he is again, our beloved cliffhanger. 
23:05:45 - Kraiger: See you guys next week then!