Aurora looks doubtful as Boone hands her a weapon, but takes it. She thinks to check the safety, the one thing of which she is sure.
Fineline: there is a rather large snake, the unimaginatively named Engarnoconda, which regularly reaches some 10 meters in length. Attacks on humans are rare, but they have occurred.
Boone and Dr. Felspar are crouching outside the stateroom door, guns in hand.
Anson informs Georg of the snake.
Georg: How big do these things get again?
Georg seems to think for minute.
I'm coming back in. There is definitely something in the grass out here!
Anson: About 10 meters in length, and affirmative. I'll tell everyone on board to expect you back.
He then uses the on-board comms to inform everyone on the ship just that.
Is there any reading on the bomb-sniffer coming from the cabin? If not, we should move on, I think. Or do you want to try and take out the pirates?
"If we see an opportunity to try and take the ship back, I definitely think that we should fight back," Aurora whispers.
Boone, make a sensor's test, -1 DM.
sensors:
Boone looks over his equipment, fiddling with some of the buttons and connections as he sweeps the area.
Now you're not detecting anything for explosives
But as you step away from the state-room door, you get a positive reading, apparently coming from Dr. Feldspar!
Make another Sensor Check, no DM.
Eli looks at his contraption, then the Doctor.
"Ummm...anything you want to tell me doc?"
Sensor Check:
Fineline, make a Comms check, -1 DM.
Fineline: There's a sudden spike in radio chatter, but its all on encrypted bands.
Anson frowns and begins paying attention to his sensors and non-encrypted chatter.
You can't, but perhaps your computer can: however, you're going to need to capture more message traffic before you have enough data to do any kind of cryptanalysis.
You notice Georg standing behind you, looking nervously expectant.
Anson waits to capture more message traffic, greeting Georg.
Anson: Welcome back. Know what's going on?
Georg: No idea. I do know they didn't expect that it would take too long to grab the jewels and get back. They didn't think we be ground-side for more than 90 minutes .
It's been over an hour already.
Anson: Thirty minutes to go then. Know anything about the encrypted radio chatter? I'm not an expert on decryption, but it might be important.
"Nothing to report that I know of," Aurora replies to Boone.
"Well then why in the hell are my sensors pointing right at you? Have you handled any of the bombs?", he whispers.
Georg: No, I don't really know anything about that, though I know the group that was to retrieve the gems were supposed to use scramblers, if they had to make any reports back to the ship.
Dr. Feldspar, Boone, make a test, using your intelligence modifiers.
Anson: I'll just have to depend on the computer then.
Int test:
Anson: Should I get the engines warm in case something does happen? I don't know if your... friends will take that badly.
Georg: Yeah, I don't know if they would like that.
Fineline: make a test using Computer, -2 DM; to attempt a decryption attempt on the communications that you've so far captured.
Anson nods in response to Georg. and works on the computer.
Eli looks a little sheepishly at the doctor as he remembers she came in contact with the explosives before.
"Oops...sorry doc! Well at least I know this thing works. Lets keep searching."
"S'okay. I forgot myself."
Boone: you picked up a slight reading in the state-room, but, after thinking about it, you decide that your sensitive instrument was probably detecting similar residue on Georg (who, after setting up the explosives, would probably be lousy with residue).
Feldspar: You don't have a large enough data-set yet, to do any meaningful cryptanalysis.
Boone, as of now, you're reasonably certain that there are no significant explosives aboard the vessel, save for those bundled with the cargo pallets in the hold.
Boone will relate this information to the Doctor.
"Well now that we know they have not hidden more explosives on the ship, we need only to decide how to rid ourselves of the bombs still attached to the pallets in the hold. Any suggestions?"
Fineline, there's some more radio traffic, this time on an open band:
Male voice: They're closing in fast...we're taking fire! Noise Can't shake them! More noise We're going down!
Anson looks to Georg.
Anson: Doesn't sound good. I'd really like to get the engines warm. Could you contact your... friends to find out what's going on and ask if we could get our engines online?
Georg, as he moves over to the communication station: All right, I'll ask.
Georg: Hmmm, Captain Fineline, there's a warning light on the sensor panel?
Fineline, Sensor's roll, -3 DM for unskilled use.
Anson looks intimidated by the panel. He mutters something about wishing the actual expert was here before attempting to decipher the warning.
IS Boone able to remove the explosives on the pallets and get rid of them? Can he inspect the bombs? No one is around, right?
You can inspect the bombs. Make a Sensor's test, -2 DM.
Sensor's test:
Aurora keeps watch while Boone does his work.
Boone: It appears that the bomblets form a kind of circuit, like bulbs in a string of Christmas tree lights, if one is removed, it would initiate a detonation sequence. The whole string will have to be removed, a pallet at a time, without pulling any of the connections out: do-able, but its is going to be a real-pain-in-the-ass. Of course, if you had the disarming code...
Boone, you can attempt to remove the 'bomb-net' you'll use Mechanic, with a +2 DM (due to the great sensor's roll, you have a excellent idea of how the dam thing works). Problem is it'll take 5 rolls to complete the job: any failed roll means the number of successful rolls required increments up 1 (you have to redo a lot of work). Any unmodified roll of 3 or less means you pulled out a connection, triggering the detonation sequence.
Mechanic.