Imperial Fringe Online Game Chat Session Log March 28th 2004
20:36:33 - Methuslah: OK. NOw as I recall, you had just set off an explosion behind your shuttle, in the hopes of distracting the arrow....
20:37:23 - Kit: correct. I'm ready to shut off all engines and start the "turn off signal" as soon as the arrow heads for us and gets close enough (if it does)
20:38:06 - Methuslah: The arrow has stopped, dead in space. It is slowly beginning to turn in your direction.
20:38:44 - Kit: ok, I keep the engine going until it heads for us and gets close enough.
20:39:09 - Methuslah: It is slowly edging towards you.
20:39:11 - Kit: Here, Kitty Kitty, here we are!
20:40:41 - Kit: as soon as it is close enough, i power down and start the signal
20:42:00 - Methuslah: The signal begins to shine out into space, and the arrow disappears, fading into the blackness.
20:42:32 - Kit: checking sensors, anything of the fleet? What about the arrow that was behind us?
20:42:47 - Kit: any other arrows?
20:43:26 - Methuslah: That arrow is still persuing - but it too is beginning to fade out. Still no sign of the fleet.
20:44:07 - Kit: As long as the other arrow is still far enough away, I power up again and resume the search and calling out fro the fleet.
20:44:41 - Kit: I'm beginning to worry that out comm equipment is broken. No sign of the fleet, no message, that is highly unusual.
20:45:27 - Kit: Kraiger, keep an eye on the scanners. As soon as any lights get within (insert critical distance) tell me.
20:46:00 - Kit: While continuing the serach I run a check on the comm equipment.
20:46:00 - Methuslah: OK - you are now far beyond where the flagship ought to have been - still no trace. You might want to think about fuel consumption at this point - you are running somewhat low.
20:46:44 - Kraiger: "Roger"
20:47:04 - Kraiger: "Nobody out here Kit!"
20:47:19 - Kit: Well, Ill turn back to where we can fuel up before I run out. Maybe we have to get back to the planet of the Lights to refuel, if we don't get an answer from the fleet.
20:47:44 - Kit: Is there any kind of debris? Any sign that the flagship might have exploded?
20:48:53 - Kit: We knew the plans of the commander where to hide the smaller ships behind planets and moons, and we also saw the scanner in the pyramid. I'll plot a course to the nearest hiding place, if I can do so without using up too much fuel before we can reach a place to refuel.
20:49:48 - Kit: Are there any other planets in this system (maybe closer) where we could refuel?
20:50:06 - Methuslah: Make a Navigation roll - 7 or more.
20:50:14 - Kit: 2D6: 7
20:50:18 - Methuslah: There is the original planet, with the corrosive atmosphere.
20:50:37 - Kraiger: (Kraiger will try and run some diagnostics on the comms - 2D6: 6)
20:51:00 - Kit: well, since we don't know if the corrosion is still active, I'd ratehr not land there if there are other options.
20:51:38 - Kit: but if it is a possible hidey hole fro the fleet, we will pass by closely if we can
20:52:34 - Methuslah: OK - you have plotted the course - it'll take to a point where you can survey the nearst hiding places, and give you just enough margin to land again.
20:53:11 - Kit: (Say Meth, this modified scout we currently use. Is it jump capable?)
20:54:00 - Methuslah: No - it's more of a shuttle than a scout.
20:54:14 - Kit: OK, now lets see if we can find them. They must be somewhere. A whole fleet cant just disappear without any trace, even if a few were swallowed by the lights.
20:55:02 - Kraiger: (thumping the radio) "I don't know whats wrong with this thing" - 2D6: 8
20:55:48 - Methuslah: You don't find any roblems - but retuning the frequencies indicates some incomprehensible chatter on ultrahigh wavelengths.
20:55:52 - Kit: Kraiger, check our supplies. If we cannot find the fleet on this goabout, we'll have to get back to the planet to refuel and start a longer search. At least we don't have to worry about the lights any more, now that we know how to turn them off.
20:56:04 - Kit: How much coffee do we still have?
20:58:01 - Kit: But maybe we can find them. Their orders were to hide after all, and maybe our comm is damaged so that they cannot hear us. If we can get close enough we should find something on the scanners, otherwise weÄll have a long search before us.
20:58:52 - Kit: The real problem with space is, that it is really mostly a lot of nothing. Makes finding something tiny, like a ship, kinda hard, especially if id doesnt want to be found.
20:59:26 - Kraiger just entered this channel
20:59:35 - Kit: Any way to locate where the incomprehensible chatter is coming from?
21:00:36 - Methuslah: Not unless you can get a series of fixes. It does sem to be constnat.
21:01:08 - Kit: we'll kepp monitoring it while we move. maybe we can get a fix on the location that way.
21:02:29 - Kit: How long will we take on our search course before we come across the first possible hiding place?
21:04:32 - Methuslah: You're coming up on it now...and there is nothing to see. In fact. you find it ahrd to believe it can have been chosen as a fleet hiding place. There is little to conceal it.
21:05:22 - Kit: what do you mean by that. A planet should be big enoigh to hide more than one fleet behind it.
21:05:52 - Methuslah: Not all of the ships were hding behind planets - most were hiding behind asteroids in the belt.
21:07:01 - Kit: ok, we keep along our course, calling out for the fleet all the time, maybe someone will hear us. and maybe they are at another hiding place.
21:07:22 - Kraiger: Maybe they just ran away...
21:07:34 - Kit: If this place was unsuitable, they probably noticed and moved on. At least thats what I hope.
21:08:10 - Kit: Hmm. The flagship was jump capable wasn't it? Maybe they left the system?
21:08:36 - Methuslah: The next was planning to hide behind the moon of a planet - but you see no moon present.
21:09:09 - Kraiger: Kit, are you sure we're in the right spot?
21:09:10 - Kit: No moon? It can't have disappeared. A whole moon?
21:09:48 - Kit: Wwell, according to my data, we should be. Unless our navigational data is completely wrong.
21:10:22 - Kit: I'll check the long range scanners and try to correlate what I can make out with the naviagtional data of the system that I have and notice any discrepancies.
21:10:33 - Kraiger: Or... the wrong time?
21:10:59 - Methuslah: The sensor data appears to be a nonsense. Te navigational computer refuses to accept the updated data as inconsistent with previous readings.
21:12:38 - Kit: I'll check the snesors, twice. As long as we are in view of a planet I'll also use my eyes. This is strange. I have to figure out what is wrong here. Our sensors, or the system.
21:13:46 - Kit: I'll also check the backlogs of the scanners to see where they start to deviate from the expected data. Maybe we can find out at waht time the discrepancies started.
21:14:48 - Kit: we didnt notice any discrepancies on the way in. Hmm, could the discrepancies be explained i we assume that our clocks are wrong?
21:15:26 - Methuslah: The sensors appear operational. Your clocks seem fine - but cannot be checked without outside references.
21:16:26 - Kraiger: "I've got a bad feeling about this Kit. How far away are we from the planet with the polar base?"
21:16:52 - Kit: Dang. I hope we can find the planet again with the sensors and the navcomp off this way.
21:17:25 - Methuslah: Which do you trust - sensors or navicomp.
21:17:25 - Kit: Well, if our navcomp is right we should be (xxx) away, if our sensors are right it should be (yyy) (Meth?)
21:18:05 - Kit: (any way to use good old visuals with a pair of binoculars to get some kind of verification?)
21:18:22 - Methuslah: BOth indicate you can reach it - but you would be following different courses.
21:19:00 - Kraiger: "Are you still going to tell me _this_ tub has character Kit? It may be our coffin if we can't figure out how to get to a planet!
21:19:54 - Kit: Also running a system check on the navcomp
21:20:31 - Methuslah: Navicomp appeaers to be functioning within normal parameters
21:20:42 - Kit: Relax Kraiger, We'll find the planet yet, even if I have to get outside and do it manually.
21:22:03 - Kit: OK, I'm getting outside with my binoculars and trying to compare what I can see visually with the data from the navcomp and the data from the scanners. If one of them is wrong, I should be able to veryfy it, when I can locate something big (like a planet) optically.
21:22:58 - Kit: something that one set of data claims is someplace else.
21:23:31 - Methuslah: Your binoculars do not provide much data, of course, but they seem to confirm that the sensors are accurate.
21:23:44 - Kit: That way I should be able to get a clue as to which data is wrong. Also, while I am at it, I can check the scanners from outside to see if anything is wrong.
21:25:06 - Kit: OK, I'll trust my eyes on this. I'll assume the sensors are accurate and use their data fro the course. I'll occasionally get outside to check again, so maybe I can get some more data (triangulating towards a planet or somesuch)
21:25:59 - Methuslah: OK Navigation - 7
21:26:05 - Methuslah: 7 or more
21:26:22 - Kit: 2D6: 6
21:26:35 - Kit: uhh, almost on target
21:27:00 - Kit: (i really used up all the good rolls for today 
)
21:27:55 - Methuslah: Course unsuccessful, but only just - it's going to be a difficult landing/ North pole again?
21:28:01 - Kit: Hard to navigate without a navcomp 
21:28:31 - Kit: Well, we know that there is fuel there, so why pick a different place where we are not as sure.
21:29:00 - Kit: Any sign of lights around the planet or around the place where the pyramid is/was?
21:29:45 - Methuslah: Nothing new - the planet looks just as it did when you left it.
21:30:26 - Kit: ok, heading for the pole after a quick scanner verification that we really are at the right place
21:30:48 - Kit: bucke up Kraiger, we are going down to shovel some snow again
21:30:51 - Methuslah: Scanner indicte that all is correct.
21:31:22 - Kit: ok, coming in for a snowy landing
21:31:59 - Methuslah: You'll need to make five pilot rolls, three of which must be successful (5 or more)
21:32:06 - Kit: Once we gat down, we'll probably have to recalibrate the navcomp.
21:32:15 - Kit: 2D6: 4
21:32:22 - Kit: 2D6: 8
21:32:27 - Kit: 2D6: 2
21:32:36 - Kit: (uh oh, this is getting worse)
21:32:41 - Kit: 2D6: 6
21:32:50 - Kit: 2D6: 7
21:33:29 - Kit: hang on Kraiger, this is gonna be a rough landing.
21:33:31 - Kraiger: Kiiiiiiiittttttt
21:34:10 - Methuslah: You bounce a couple of times, but skid down on the ice, sending hyuge plumes of snow up into the air. As soon as the dust settels, you notice something oddon the horizon - a seris of curiously shaped rocks.
21:34:35 - Kit: whats so curious about their shape?
21:35:05 - Kit: OK, everyone al right? Relax Kraiger. We are on solid ground again.
21:36:44 - Methuslah: It almost looks - manufactured.
21:37:43 - Kit: Hmm, another structure. How far away are they?
21:39:51 - Kit: btw, is there still some incomprehensible chatter on ultrahigh wavelengths?
21:40:02 - Methuslah: Maybe a quarter of a mile.
21:40:28 - Kit: Well Kraiger, how about we go and check them out, after we get the ship refueled?
21:41:08 - Kit: Fueleing goes first anyway. Everyone suit up and get your shovels. We have tank to fill.
21:41:42 - Kit: I'll also check the ship for possible damage from the landing once we are outside.
21:41:46 - Kit:
21:44:23 - Kraiger: (Kraiger readies his PGMP, and then digs in) "Hey, shovelling is pretty easy in this suit!"
21:45:27 - Methuslah: The ship appears undamaged from the outside - just a few more scratches to the paintwork.
21:45:47 - Kit: Ok, what about the chatter on the comm?
21:46:16 - Methuslah: STill the same - no trianglation yet possible.
21:46:33 - Kit: Good, the I can leave the backbreaking work to you young ones (grins).
21:47:17 - Kit: I'll use the time to recalibrate the navcomp.
21:47:51 - Methuslah: The navicompe will recompileitself given time. An hour shoud suffice,
21:48:46 - Kit: ok, I'll set it on the task, then run a standard system check while Vance and Kraiger shovel snow. 
21:49:52 - Methuslah: OK _ you are now ready to leave the ship.
21:50:15 - Kit: Is the tank full?
21:53:03 - Methuslah: The tank is filling up - Vance can handle it for a while.
21:53:30 - Kit: OK, Vance, you look a bit pale today (acute case of ludo absensis), maybe you should stay with the ship and monitor comm and scanners, while Kraiger and I go for a quick check of the structures there? We'll keep in contact via comm.
21:54:23 - Kit: I'll make sure that vance knows how to activate the "turn off" signal, should any stray lights show up.
21:55:04 - Methuslah: All is in readiness. You are suited up and ready to leave.
21:55:13 - Kit: Also he should keep sending messages to the fleet. Maybe they will eventually hear us and answer.
21:55:28 - Kit: Kraiger, ready to do a bit of legwork for a change?
21:56:59 - Methuslah: The airlock begins to open, and you step out. Bounging lightly in the high gravity, you quickly reach the ruins. They seem to be hundreds of years old, left unmaintenainted for countless years.
21:57:03 - Kraiger: All set (hefting his PGMP)
21:58:25 - Kit: I'm shooting a good many of pictures again. Is the style similar to the pyramids? any Indication of sript or symbols?
21:59:03 - Kit: Any energy signature from any of the buildings?
21:59:13 - Methuslah: IT actually looks Imperial - but somewhat unusual. You can see an inscription - in Anglic. It reads.....
21:59:17 - Methuslah: More, next week...
21:59:30 - Kit: (here comes todays cliffhanger)
22:00:04 - Kit: I thought you said we might finish this business today. We didnt even find the fleet?
22:02:16 - Methuslah just entered this channel
22:02:20 - Methuslah: You will next session. I promise - next session you will learn the truth!
22:02:49 - Methuslah: The fleet is not the be all and end all of everything...
22:03:47 - Kit: ah, I'll hold you to your promise, and the fleet is something thet we are trying to save, so finding it safe and sound would be a good thing.
22:03:55 - Methuslah: WE'll need a good long session for the denouement - two and a half hours will do it.
22:04:07 - Methuslah: Then another session or two to mop up - then off the the Void!
22:04:19 - Kit: and besides, we need a jump capable ship to get on with the campaign.
22:04:24 - kraiher\ just entered this channel