(EPs: 6, total: 13; Art: 6, total 12)
Imperial Military Base, Planet Cinnamon. Day of Alien Appearance +1.
Reluctant though she was to acknowledge it even to herself, the blue-skinned segment of Jannisett’s native population was not designed to stand in front of an active missile; that “privilege” belonged to another skin colour.
In the aftermath of the downed flitter battle, Eddie, Banker, Shepherd and Jannisett were all hospitalized. Eddie was released after a short time, but, fascinated with the machines, continued to poke around the base hospital. He found that Shepherd (who’d been shot and badly burned) and Jannisett (who’d lost 11 of her 13 body) had been placed in rejuv chambers. As soon as the young engineer realized that that meant the blue girl would be exposed to prying eyes, he concentrated on watching Shepherd, gradually becoming aware that the man’s nanites wanted to “do something.” So he gave them a push, learning that, if he kept pushing, he could watch Shepherd’s skin actually healing. Eventually the doctors noticed Shepherd’s phenomenal progress and flooded into the area to make notes and discuss. Eddie was pushed to a back wall some ten feet away from the chamber, where he found that he was panting and sweating in order to keep encouraging Shepherd’s nanites. In three hours, the burnt man was completely healed and Eddie let the nanites “go back to sleep.”
By this time, Banker had been released from the hospital, so he and Eddie returned to the ship.
The man wearing a major’s insignia who released Shepherd from hospital custody was, the former agent recognized, one of the other two Imperial Intelligence agents on base. Three Imp Ints in one location represents a heavy-duty investment by the Empire. Knowing that the radio signal (an uncommon frequency sometimes used by the military) that triggered the flitter explosion came from this base, Shepherd trusted no one. The Agent tried to establish rank; Shepherd – still bluffing due to memory loss -- managed to establish superior control.
Major: “The military will know that you’re an unusual person because you’ve just rejuved a phenomenal amount of damage in a ludicrous amount of time.”
Nonetheless, Shepherd asked the man to run cover for him vs. the Military, and to pinpoint the signal’s origin. They considered bringing in the 3rd agent.
Major: “I doubt this is important enough to blow the 3rd man’s cover. As it is, your cover is blowing my cover. Let’s leave one free.” He gave a brief synopsis of the prisoners’ deaths in interrogation and noted that he hoped those deaths were just rumour. He knew that Jamie was in protective custody in a bunker.
Shepherd confronted the Base Commander and insisted on questioning the prisoners himself. The General thus appointed the self-declared Imperial Agent to a liaison position with Base Security and assigned security personnel to assist him. Shepherd discovered that the interrogations had been (foolishly, in his opinion) attempted simultaneously and, apparently, the prisoners had all had a pre-prepared extreme reaction to the interrogation drugs. At least one victim had thereupon been cut open for open-heart massage which had been unsuccessful. Full autopsies had not yet been conducted. Still, it seemed unlikely that one had still been alive and able to escape. However, one of the bodies was now missing from its guarded storage and the circumstances were such that a single person could have by-passed security and removed a single body. “Why this particular body?” Shepherd asked himself.
Shepherd then examined the personnel records of the deceased attackers. All had been assigned to this base but five of them had so little military experience as to call into question their assignment to this particular planet. Shepherd found several other aberrations in the records and started to think that, perhaps, an AI had been responsible for the attack. “Trying to play chess with and AI is very difficult,” he muttered.
Returning alone towards his quarters, Shepherd heard a mechanically neutral voice say, “Hello, Bishop.” The man noted that it emanated from a device that could only have been recently placed on the wall and that its signal was being picked up outside the camp; therefore either a team of two was contacting him or some one who was uncommonly fast on his feet. His senses told him the outside receptor continued to move.
Voice: “What in the world are you doing here?”
Shepherd: “Who would you be?”
Voice: “Oh, that’s not good.” Click
Shepherd examined the device and found it trapped to destroy itself. He failed to disarm it and so lost what physical clues there might have been.
Jannisett woke Shepherd and, refusing to tell him anything, went with him to the Sorcerer. There Jannisett persuaded a reluctant Art to opaque the ship’s hull. Shepherd’s senses noted that there had been a huge beam from base HQ to Art’s quarters, but he said nothing.
Jannisett then told Shepherd of her conversation with Cleopatra. The agent advised her to tell her blackmailer that the Party was researching the Alien’s teleport powers. Knowing that nothing related to such research would show up in any analysis of the crew’s actions, the blue girl shook her head in something close to despair.
Shepherd again visited the Base Commander, warning of him of an eminent surprise inspection. He gets permission for Eddie to use the machinist shop. As the interview wound up, the security man who had been assisting Shepherd showed up. “We have concerns about this ‘alien’ you call Art, since it isn’t a living entity.”
Shepherd: “Art is alive and is a part of our team.”
Security: “We’re concerned about Miss McFadden. A non-living entity moving around this base without us knowing who controls it is a cause for concern.”
Shepherd: “Miss McFadden authorized Art’s inclusion in the team.”
Security: “Things have changed since the attack. That authorization is not enough.”
Shepherd: “She may well stop work if you don’t include Art. He is of an unknown alien race; not a fabricated thing.”
Security: “According to our med-techs, it can’t be a living thing. It doesn’t breathe, it has no blood, it appears to be of homogenous construction; other than mobility – which a machine may have – it fits none of the criteria for a living organism.”
Shepherd: “Then the criteria may have to be changed. Doesn’t the Empire have experience with alien races?”
Security: “None like this. If you can keep it confined to your vessel until this is straightened out, it will be OK.”
Shepherd: “I’ll do that.”
Sometime thereafter, convinced that Security had to be wrong about categorizing Art as unliving, Shepherd hacked into the base computer to see if anyone had been manipulating the data on Art. He discovered that, indeed, the Military is convinced that Art is a construct of unknown origin.
Day of Alien Appearance +4.
Jannisett finds that she’s still down 2 body points, two days out of the rejuv chamber.
In something close to panic, Jannisett summoned Shepherd and Art and showed them the message.
Jannisett: “Can’t we do anything?”
Shepherd: “Tell them we’re working on the tport devices. Give her some information. That’s how it works. It may buy time for your friends.“
Jannisett: “If we don’t have real information, I don’t see how I can.”
Shepherd: “Who’s Smitty?”
Jannisett: “A ranger. The other trainer for the rangers beside Sam. I knew him.” She turned to Art. “Please help me!”
Art: “What is it you want me to do.”
Jannisett, begging: “You talk to an AI. Perhaps it knows the AI that has Sam and the others. Please, find Sam!!”
Art: “I do not know….”
Shepherd: “Ask Mangosuthu for the location of Sam. Or for the location of Jannisett’s people. We have no idea if the AI’s really have them.”
Two hours later Art reported back: “Mangosuthu does not know the locations and cannot find them out.”
Jannisett called Banker and Eddie into the conversation. Jamie, of course, was unavailable although the blue girl tried to reach her.
Jannisett: “If we can’t find Sam, I’ll have to do anything Cleopatra asks.”
Banker: “Your best hope is that we don’t know that Cleopatra has control over anybody.”
Shepherd: “She knows Jannisett and has a strong interest in our mission.”
Banker: “Have you dealt with AI’s a lot? Do you know how AI’s think?”
Shepherd: “Not a lot.”
Banker: “Do we have proof that anyone’s been contacted by an AI.”
Shepherd: “Art.”
Banker: “Proof?”
Jannisett, frustrated: “Something with power to take over machines and a cabbie has been contacting me! It’s threatening my friends. It may have planted a machine in me to affect my zot box. Whether you call it an AI or not, I have to take it seriously. It has power.”
Shepherd shrugged and related what he knew of the incoming General, Mr. McFadden, and expected nobles.
Banker: “Why don’t we all go talk to Jamie? We’ve got to find a better solution than giving up.”
Shepherd, beginning to sound like a broken record: “Delay her with spurious information.”
Banker: “Perhaps a better way is facts that won’t infringe on what we’re doing? What if we tell the Military an AI is interfering with one of Jamie’s teammates?”
Shepherd: “That’s an option. It could be very good or very bad.”
Jannisett: “And if the threat comes from AI’s, it would be a guarantee that the AI’s would know that I have told.”
Eddie: “It sounds like they’re asking for information you don’t have and then punishing you for not having it. Sounds like a human – not a computer – to me.”
Banker: “We know that AI’s have trouble predicting humans and dealing with them.” He checked the sensors. “Incidentally, when we want to leave this ship, we’re going to have trouble. Security is really tight; the base is locked down. Something happened while we’ve been in here.”
Shepherd turned on his sensors and listened in. The powered suit had been moving on its own without operator control. “It’s like someone was putting the suit through a test run.”
Eddie: “You guys woke me up from a dream like that. That might have been me.”
Jannisett: “How could you have been moving the suit?”
Eddie: “I don’t know. I remember thinking before I feel asleep that that armor was cool and I wanted to examine it. I wonder if I could do it on purpose, not just in my sleep?”
Shepherd tried to test Eddie’s manipulation of electronics but the alert state of the military guards made the young engineer nervous and the two argued for some time.
Shepherd: “I’m worried that you don’t have control.”
Eddie: “I can’t do it with everything, just some things. I don’t know the range it took to move the powered armor suit.”
Jannisett: “You shut down the monitor on New Ranch West at range.”
Banker: “We could use this incident to our advantage. After all, if I didn’t know about you, Eddie, I’d think that an AI operated the suit.”
Shepherd: “If we encourage that thought, the Military will investigate the AI’s.”
Banker to Jannisett: “But the AI’s will still suspect you told.”
Jannisett: “But Jamie said that the Emperor trusts AI’s and that Admiral A’gis would not investigate them properly.”
Shepherd: “If we tell the Military, they’ll cut all outside links. I’ll report the AI interference.”
Jannisett stared at the agent unhappily.
Banker: “Aside from Jannisett’s problems, is that good? If we’re getting other people involved in this, who should they be?”
Shepherd: “The general.”
Banker: “The Admiral on the orbiting ship?”
Shepherd: “No, the new general who is coming to take over the base.”
Banker: “Then you’ll have to wait for his arrival.”
The men started to explore Jannisett’s relative commitment to her various groups of friends, putting her in the untenable position of deciding who amongst them all was most important to her: Sam, the rangers, Grey, Jamie, the crew of the Sorcerer. The blue girl was shocked speechless that they would ask her to commit to such a choice, even hypothetically, and made more unhappy by the remembrance of those amongst her own people for whom she had cared and who she had – at the Owners’ orders – helped destroy.
Shepherd: “If the AI told you to kill Jamie, would you?”
Eddie: “Don’t press that question. If you do, I’m out of here.” The engineer left.
After a brief display of total trust in Jannisett, Banker eventually turned to Jannisett: “I’m worried that you didn’t immediately say you wouldn’t kill Jamie. How could you hesitate?”
Jannisett, in a very low voice: “I wouldn’t kill Jamie. I was wondering how to kill myself.”
Banker: “That wouldn’t help Jamie or Sam. You must hope that Cleopatra is running a bluff.”
Jannisett tried not to show the despair she felt.
Banker: “What do AI’s do?”
Shepherd: “They run everything. The Core. The Military. There are separate AI’s for running all sorts of things. Art, ask Mangosuthu what its program is, what his function is?”
Art: “He is one of the few that did not start as a military application.”
Jannisett, almost to herself: “If they run everything, how can I hope Cleopatra is merely bluffing?”
Banker: “Should we get the military here to train Jannisett with guns. She can’t use them.”
Shepherd: “Why ask me? Do we need permission?”
Eddie: “I can’t teach her. I don’t see why she can’t simply use one.”
Banker: “If we’re practising marksmanship on the base, yes, I think we need permission.”
Eddie: “If we tell them about me, would they let me play with the suit?”
Shepherd: “They might never let you go again.”
Banker: “Don’t tell.”
Banker: “Let’s just crack this alien thing and get out of here.”
Shepherd: “That puts us back to the plans on day-minus-one.”
Banker: “Now that it’s way too late, I’ve a thought that Art could look at the tport site and see if he can figure anything out.”
Eddie: “We could go back out without Jamie. We’re far more expendable.”
Jannisett: “If we continue the mission, at least we’ll have something to report to the AI.”
Shepherd: “We’ll have to either take theSorcerer or I walk in and simply take a military vessel. I’m not going to risk giving enough warning for sabotage.”
Banker: “Let’s not be confrontational with the Military.”
Shepherd: “Then that’s the decision.”
Banker: “Is that the puppet master talking, or Croy?”
Jannisett: “I think he manipulates me like he says the AI does.”
Banker: “Glad you noticed. And it’s not just you.”
Jannisett: “He’s got me bugged. He says you said to.”
Banker: “Really?”
Shepherd noted in the base records that one of the power suit operators had been replaced by a female soldier.
Jannisett asked Shepherd to use the extra time to accompany her in searching out the soldier who had observed her first contact with Cleopatra. At one point she tried to indicate a soldier that she had looked directly at and thought she recognized. Shepherd spent a half-hour searching surreptitiously. Eventually he gave up and returned to find the blue bodyguard three-deep in admirers at the Enlisted Men’s Mess.
As they consult, Jannisett suddenly realized that the person she sought had been a woman, not a man. Shepherd researched. There were 80 women on base. He sorted the list down to 36 possibilities. Then they went to look face-to-face. She recalled the body language but had not seen the face clearly. Half-way down the list, Jannisett admitted that there were 8 likely suspects already and that this search was not working.
A message was delivered to Shepherd: “Meet me in the Officer’s Mess.” He let Jannisett tag along to the meeting and turned her over to some lucky man who got to show her how to operate the coffee machine. Shepherd sat by himself and observed that the half-dozen people eating included the 3rd Imperial Intelligence man. After a while the Imp Int man left without bussing his dishes. Casually, Shepherd check the arrangement and found the code indicating the time and place of the real meeting.
Jannisett and Shepherd returned to the Sorcerer. The latter checked the base surveillance records and found a sergeant on film who had been in both places at the time Jannisett noticed. Cross checking proved the sergeant to be one of the 8 on Jannisett’s “most likely” list. He recalled that this one had under-reacted when the two were conducting their search. Her personal record noted 13 years in military service with some experience undercover; expertise in weaponry, heavy and ship; and a high Loyalty Index.
Shepherd: “This is your suspect.”
Jannisett: “What happens if I hurt her?”
Shepherd: “Don’t. We don’t yet know who she works for.”
At 3:30 AM, Shepherd opened the ship door to go check out the meeting place; he met a communications officer who breathed a sigh of relief, “I’ve been trying to get in for 15 minutes! The General can see you now.” Shepherd mentally informed Art that his plan was to first meet with his contact, then visit the General. So, stealthy and cautious, he arrived 10 minutes early, making sure that he moved at times when base security cameras were not pointed in his direction. Just before 4 AM, his contact arrived.
[The Chronicler has no notes regarding said meeting.]
The meeting was very short. Imp Agent #3 thought Shep had called the meeting and vice versa. Quickly they head separate ways. The agent asked if there was anything Shep was desperate for help with, IIRC there was not.
Thereafter, Shepherd met with the Base Commander, learning that:
Shepherd checked his bugs to settle the matter. Sound indicated that, indeed, Banker had gotten up as he said he did, wandered to the common room, than stood for some time outside the bridge. No other sounds had been recorded by the sound-activated bugs. Shepherd swept the bridge for new plants or explosives, but found nothing. Eddie checked as well and reported that he thought the cable tension on the com cables had been changed. A closer examination revealed that all three plugs of said cables had small amounts of lubricating putty and a trace of same was on Shepherd’s forehead (which he generally keeps concealed by a bandana).
Banker: “Were you plugging yourself in?”
Shepherd: “It appears that I was doing something; I have no memory of it.”
Banker: “How many groups are trying to kill us?”
Eddie: “At least three.”
Banker to Shepherd: “Are you sure you are not working for one of them.”
Shepherd shook his head.
Banker: “This is weird.” He turned to the blue body guard, “I suspect this is out of your experience: where someone you are trying to protect may be trying to hurt us and himself.”
Jannisett: “That has never happened to me.”
Banker to Shepherd: “Do you feel differently then yesterday?”
Shepherd: “I don’t know. I’ve not gotten much sleep and the situation is tense. I don’t know what effect that might have on how I feel.”
Banker: “Have Art check you out.”
Shepherd: “His room is next to the bridge. He might know if I was up.”
Art, after the check up: “The pathways may be different. Many things have changed in you the last few days.”
Eddie: “He was in the rejuv chamber being put back together, for one.”
Art: “The one in the middle of your forehead has been plugged in; the others, not. I do not know what that means. The ships of my time did not have this wired-humanoid-communications interface.”
Shepherd: “Why did I do it?”
Eddie: “You put all three plugs in the same hole, one at a time.”
Jannisett: “It would seem that you were conducting some sort of experiment with yourself. Perhaps if you try again, you would remember your intent.”
Shepherd: “Not right now.”
Having confirmed Jamie’s theory, the crew returned to base. A new vessel was apparent; a flagship of some sort.
Eddie tried his nanite mojo to shut the suit down. The female operator was inside.
As the cart passed the heavy weapons station, Shepherd realized that the suit must have first taken out those operators. He jumped off the moving platform, trying to do himself as little damage as possible. Someone shot him in the back of the shoulder as he rose to his feet [7, 28 double AP w/ +1 stun mod], stunning him. As he recovered and moved to aim a heavy weapon, he noticed that a soldier in heavy armor was trying to protect him.
Eddie tried again to shut down the suit: first the weapons, then mobility. He noticed that the ‘kill the driver’ over-ride was signaling to no effect, so, instead, he reactivated that mechanism. The interior of the suit was bathed in microwaves.
Shepherd fired wildly, injuring a soldier. Then he noticed that the heavy armor soldier had found a target.
Eddie chipped: “Suit’s down. Suit’s down.”
Shepherd answered: “Really?” and joined his guard in searching for the sniper.
Guard: “Am I discharged from protecting you, sir?”
Shepherd: “No. Let’s go!” Doing his duty, the guard moved at a slow enough pace to ensure protection for Shepherd.
Shepherd: “Movemovemove!”
The guard fired and was sure he’d hit. Shepherd’s examination of the site turned up no blood, however.
Shepherd: “Go after him! I’ll take my chances.” However, they did not find the sniper.
Eddie checked the audio record in the suit’s system. It showed that the operator had been ordered into space. She had acknowledged the order. Then she had traveled in the opposite direction and started shooting. Her internal dialog had been recorded: “Lord, I don’t want to do this! This can’t be right! But I have no choice. I hope this all turns out right. Damn <mumble>!”
Eddie thought that the “mumble’ might be “nobles”.
At that point, the engineer realized that the suit’s stabilizers had kept it erect such that the other soldiers were still firing on it. Wanting the audio record to survive, he released the stabilizers so that it would topple over.
Meanwhile, Jannisett had been doing damage control around the bunker. She noticed a somewhat familiar figure who suddenly shot at her. Art had noticed too and interposed its rapidly moving cart. The blast knocked the alien unconscious.
Eddie pulled out his big gun and shot the attacker in the head. [6,36; taking 6 stun himself from the kickback.]
Jannisett raced forward as Eddie’s gun clicked futilely. It takes time to recharge.
The attacker turned and shot Eddie in the arm [5].
Jannisett ran into the attacker, smashing critically through nearly 30 points of defense, and throwing the attacker back 20 feet with a decided dent in the chest armor.
Shepherd chipped: “Nice, guys.”
Eddie answered with a description of the suit operator’s recording.
Shepherd: “At least one of those eight nobles is out to get us.”
Eddie: “To get Jamie, at least.”
When the military reviewed the tapes of the battle, Eddie was advised to use a heavier weapon; his bullet had tinked off the suit. Jannisett, however, they joke about “belling”; they want to know where she is at all times on base.
(EPs: 6, total: 13; Art: 6, total 12. Three of these 6 EPs may have been spent prior to this game per GM’s allowance.) Next Run: 31.Oct.04
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