Present:
- Anastasia "Stasi" Tepes. Zhodani Soldier from Querion – Shane
- Emerse Gee. Daryen Scientist from Torment – Darryl
- "Riley" O'Reilly. Sword-Worlder Pilot from Winston - Richard
- Anton Tositova. Solomani Gunner from Entrope - Ian
- Itzy Ende. Sword-Worlder Soldier from Winston - Chris
- Sang "Spanner" Hoang. Sword-Worlder Mechanic from Winston – Jeff
- MARMALADING: Hoff Ende. Sword-Worlder Scientist from Winston - Kevin
- Gnostic Hands. Solomani Scientist from Entrope – Jamie
- MARMALADING: Belle Ende. Sword-Worlder Medic from Winston - Steven
- Split "Penny" Ende. Sword-Worlder Minstrel from Winston - Jason
- NPC: Scurry. Drone Gunner from Winston
- NPC: Zeraphina Althira. Zhodani Diplomat from Querion
- NPC: Finn Cyborg from Querion
by Richard
We regroup with the door closed to where we saw web.
The only other exits from the room are from whence we came, and the "steam hole" in the roof, which we assume allows the large telescope to see the stars.
"So, what do we know?" chips in Emerse, and carries on.
 |
| Emerse's doodles |
"There are four of these Ancients' 'reverse domes'. Two on Winston and near each other, one on Dollar (the planet where we are now) and one on Formaline (the moon around the gas giant Lophomyrtus) where we rescued Stasia from. They all seem to be huge receivers and/or telescopes.
I think the all have a focal point where they intersect and I believe we will find what we are looking for at that point."
Emerse carries on for some time with only Gnostic looking vaguely interested. The other scientists pointed out that all the planets and moons are spinning and orbiting, so if there ever are focal points, then they will be at rare times. And maybe never.
"But we weren't asked to solve anything" says Split "just find out what we can about these sites".
"Yes, but, any interesting theory is that the ancients…….." Emerse babbled on as we all began to discuss what we do next.
"I don’t want to fight spiders," Itzy states
"Let's open the roof then."
"Let's see what the dials do on the large screen."
"Let's touch the hand print near this big telescope."
"Well, if spiders are our least preferred option," says Gnostic, "let's try the screen dials first" and with that he touches the hand print on the screen near the power source. It goes green.
"Let's touch the one near the machine," volunteers Riley and does so before anyone's protests could be registered.
There is a grinding whirring noise and the base on which the radio telescope sits begins to rise at about 1cm a second on large circular screws. We watch as it gets nearer and nearer the steam door in the roof. When it’s a metre or so away, a loud alarm sounds, and we quickly touch the hand print and stop the base rising further.
"We could open the steam door," says Anton.
"I don’t think so, too dangerous," says Gnostic. "There's almost a vacuum out there."
"I got it." an excited Emerse exclaims oblivious to what we have been doing. "The formula for a parabola is f = x^2 /4a. To find the focal point of a parabola you just measure the longest diameter (width) of the parabola at its rim. Then divide the diameter by two to determine the radius (x) and square the result (x^2). Then: measure the depth of the parabola (a) at its vertex and multiply it by 4 (4a). Finally divide the answer(x^2) by (x^2 /4a). The answer is the distance from the vertex of the parabola to its focal point. We do that for each one and we are done."
Ignoring Emerse, Stasi verbalizes what most of us have been thinking. Plan A it is, through the web.
We open the door and tentatively go forward. Gnostic calls out in the Ancients' tongue while wearing the crown (he is looking for a servitor but has no luck).
As we go further down the corridor we see more web including strands across the corridor, clearly to warn of anyone approaching.
"Anyone got any heat?" asks Riley who somehow ended up in the front with Stasi. "I want to burn these webs."
"Flares," calls Anton.
"Yep they will do."
"They are back in the air-raft."
"Well, go and get them."
With that, Anton rushes back to the air raft and gets the four flares whilst bemoaning the fact we didn’t wait around to get that flamethrower.
We get back in formation and move forward.
Itzy looks around a little embarrassed.
"The smell of fear and a voided bowel," smirks Riley.
The corridor curves to the left and there are more webs across it. Stasi lights a flare and burns them as we proceed.
In the light of the flare we see penetrating and glowing eyes.
"Shoot at those, Itzy!" calls Stasi.
"At what?" questions Itzy [who failed his perception roll badly].
"Those eyes," Stasi and Riley yell simultaneously opening fire.
All hell broke loose. In all, six spiders came down the tunnel. Two died before they got to us thanks to Split and Riley.
The next two caused some issues. Before arriving Stasi and Riley got shots off. Stasi hit but Riley's shot ricocheted into Itzy causing 4 damage [Riley fumbled and shot a nearby ally].
Riley ended up with one on his face taking 6 damage (adjusted down by 4 by using luck). He then managed to make a strength roll and hold it at bay, but not until Split shot into combat and hit Riley. [Shooting into melee combat is very dangerous. If you hit, it is random who actually gets hit. Of course, everyone knows this.] Fortunately, on the 2D6, she rolled 2 and Riley remained standing but with a graze across his nose.
The other spider caused similar issues for Stasi who also took significant damage before using her substantial Zhodani strength to hold it at bay.
These two "held" spiders were dealt to by Split, Itzy and Gnostic.
We quickly shuffled the party with Itzy (reluctantly) and Split at the front.
The remaining two spiders sped toward them. Itzy missed and one launched itself at him hitting and causing damage. Riley fired (into melee) hitting Itzy again, who amazingly remained standing.
Split managed to kill hers with Stasi's help.
Itzy could no longer fire in melee as he had a two-handed gun, but Riley finished off number 6.
"Well that was close," chips in Anton cheerfully.
"We best continue" responds Riley glaring at Anton. "We've come this far"
We carry on and come to another door which we open. On the other side is a plant room with lots of pipes and grills and a large metal box on the far side but away from the wall.
"Looks like the other one on Winston," Gnostic reminds us.
"No signs of spiders," says Emerse who had now joined us
"Bet there is something around the back" Spanner says "A nasty thing like in Winston."
"It didn’t really harm me," volunteered Gnostic as he carefully approached the box and peeked around.
Immediately he lets off a guttural scream and runs past us to the outer room voiding his bowels in the process.
"Yep the same thing," says Emerse
"I will look," volunteers Riley
"Don’t bother – here is nothing we can find out" responds Emerse
Riley, ignoring Emerse, pokes his head around the corner with the same impact as Gnostic – Riley runs out of the room screaming and curls up into a ball in the outer room.
"See" says Emerse helpfully. "Just leave it alone"
Again, ignoring Emerse, Spanner looks and this time no scream of terror. [Jeff used 3 luck to make Spanner's Psych roll]
The hideous creature looks at Spanner.
"Help me"… "Help me!" heard in her head.
"Who put you here?" asks Spanner who then immediately has a flash in her mind of a room full of rubies.
"What is a Volatile Canker?" she asks.
"It's a part of me," is the response, and Spanner vaguely recognizes a similarity to the creature on the Gnost Roma, the Zhodani freighter.
"Open your mind to me" is the request to Spanner.
"Bugger that," thinks Spanner who is now using her photographic memory to remember every detail. As she does there is a flash of a room full of milk. "Where is the honey?" she ironically thinks.
Spanner now backs away and we all retreat down the corridor to the main room.
"That was useful I think" surmises Spanner.
"Let's get out of here."
"Yeah, let's go."
"I think we should report back to Contessa."
"I think we should go back to Formaline."
"That’s too dangerous."
"If the focal points of all four telescopes are accurately calculated…. "
We get back to Air-raft and quickly arrive back at Ye Faerie Queen.
Riley straps himself in for take-off, but to where will they go….?
We wait until next week
