Run Synopsis
Some last decisions are made at Senta, Asteroid #550. The bodies are examined for identification and about half wear named uniforms. There is no immediate way to verify identification. Rook determines that whatever weapons this site had appear to have been taken by the raiders. Some debate ensues about the usefulness of blowing up the power plant and so letting the raiders believe that their sabotage was complete albeit delayed; Capt. Lyle Norg eventually decides to leave the plant intact if only because the captives may survive and wish to reclaim what is left here.
Lyle and Dan compute a high-fuel-burn course that will take the Smudge Pot out of the asteroid orbit to return at an angle that will allow us to reach Tsulk, Asteroid #684, before the raiders do. They make it so and we do - though both Rook and Lyle take time enroute to file reports with their respective agencies.
As approach is made to #684, a shiny spot resolves itself into a temporary dome sheltering an area about 160 meters in radius. Dan parks the Smudge Pot in the asteroid's shadow and the group makes its way to the dome. Lyle produces a listening bug and determines that there seems to be no activity whatsoever within the dome. The group proceeds into the airlock which requires manual cycling, and thence into the dome proper.
Investigation shows the dome to contain an amount of equipment as yet unpacked and housing, as well, accommodation - definitely used - for 12. The living areas seem divided into 8 and 4 and it is not hard to recognize the trappings of 8 marines and 4 Russian History Buffs. The histories cover the period of Russian history from the USSR back to the last of the Romanovs and there is a particularly notable triptych near one of the "brains'" beds: a ruler from 100 years or so ago shown on the left with a group of men, in the center with regalia, and on the right with family. In the background of each panel is a intense bearded man supporting what in the center picture appears to be the orb of state. It is a smooth silvery ball.
Dan considers tampering with the vodka supply but resists due to there being no partially empty bottles available. Lyle works to rig the atmosphere generator to gradually break down and cause O2 deprivation. Dan helps by disabling the dome's O2-level monitors (although he sets off the first one's alarm and has to use excess duct tape to re-establish it again. Zeno sets explosives around the outside of the dome and a larger one in the airlock. Rook attempts to conceal the traces of our infiltration into the dome. Then the group exits back to the Smudge Pot, leaving Rook hidden in the rocks as an observer of the raider's return. The intent is to blackmail the raiders once their ship has left.
The raider's ship comes into parking orbit and 12 people jet down: 8 with chests and boxes, 2 with 2 life-bubbles each containing a person, and 2 apparent leader types. They enter the dome - 4 marines first then 4 "brains" with the bubbles and then the last 4 marines - without any indication that they've noticed anything about there being intruders around. Rook remains observing (her security gear includes night vision and telescopic vision with her helmet) and 8 rounds later is surprised to see the raiders emerge again (4, 4 and 4) with one of the leaders carrying a protective box. They all jet back to the waiting space craft which then takes off and - to Rook's horror - fires a blast beam back at the dome!
Rook sprints to the dome and leaps into the collapse, searching for the bubble-encased victims that must be therein. Both bubbles are damaged. One glance reveals a woman obviously dead from shrapnel. The other victim is an older male obviously in great distress as decompression starts to kill him. Rook shoves him into the airlock and cycles it closed - hoping that it was not damaged in the explosion - as the man throws a medallion at her. Amidst the shards of bubble still falling slowly in the low gravity, Rook catches up the medal: apparently something like a St. Christopher's medal.
Unwilling yet to risk radio contact, Rook hoofs it back to the Smudge Pot and requires Lyle's assistance and a life bubble and a temporary air lock bubble. The group follows her back to the dome as she relays the recent occurrences. Zeno warns about disturbing his un-triggered explosives and sets to recovering them while the others see what can be done for the unfortunate victim. The man is dying and Lyle's paramedic skill is not up to saving him. He manages to say, in Russian which Lyle understands, "Tell Stolypin .. the Chekniya know .. but they don't know about Riga 1918. He has to protect the ..." and he dies.
The group calculates the chances of keeping the departing raiders' ship in sight to determine where they are going, but it is clear that they have speed the Smudge Pot does not and also that they are heading out of the asteroid plane, undoubtedly to approach their destination in "civilization" by whatever route their ship was undoubtedly logged as legitimately traveling. None of the ship's crew lived on Asteroid # 684, that seems clear too.
The Authorities show up in very short time (responding to the earlier reports) and it is determined that only part of what was stolen from #550 is in the boxes brought by the raiders. The more esoteric equipment was likely jettisoned as too identifiable and is now part of the Belt. Other boxes were just food. It is unclear yet what tell-tale gave our intrusion away and, we guess, triggered the murderous abandonment of this dome. Their last victim is now identified as Vasale Koshonioff and he shows evidence of having been man-handled - tortured? - on the trip to this place. One of the Authorities quietly passes a recognition signal to Lyle and he learns that Sam's new primary goal for this assignment was to get Koshonioff out alive. Ah well. Rook shows Lyle the medal and observation proves that it was minted to honour an "Alexander IV". The female victim, Mrs. Koshonioff, is examined and no similar medal is found on her. The triptych is the only thing the raiders seem to have felt necessary to remove from the dome (presumably in the protective box) before abandoning it.
The group sadly starts its way back to Ceres; the mission, a failure. Lyle accesses his computer encyclopedia and discovers that Stolypin was the last prime minister appointed (1906) by Czar Nicholas II, the last king of Russia, who was himself overthrown in 1917 and murdered with his family in 1918. Chekniya were the secret police of the Bolsheviks who overthrew the czar. Riga is the capital city of the Baltic State of Latvia. (Incidentally, Sam Clemens was originally a Latvian.) Lyle hypothesizes about some non-legitimate descendant of Nicholas (who bears a strong resemblance to the major figure in the triptych) being protected by loyalists and hunted by Bolsheviks even after all this time. There is no record of a Czar Alexander IV, Nicholas' father having been Alexander III and his (hemophiliac) son being Alexis. Koshonioff was apparently a czarist.
Later information filters in: the person who comes to settle the estate of all those who once lived on Asteroid #550 is one Gregori Stolypin.
EPs: 2 each for the temp. characters; +1 for Lyle
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