The view out of the window is a breathtaking one. The planet Mars sits far below, its high, rough mountains and deep canyons evident even from orbit. Clouds, thicker than they were just a decade ago, drift slowly across the world, betraying the hand of mankind in turning this cold desert world into a place that is almost pleasant. Here and there, the normally rust-red surface takes on a decidedly green hue where hardy transplanted genetically-engineered plants begin to take hold. As the small disk that is the sun begins to slide behind the planet, you can even see that the atmosphere has begun to take on a bluish tinge, though it has a long way to go before anyone will consider it truly Earth-like.
“The Warden-Commander will see you now,” the voice of the young executive assistant chimes out before you are all ushered into the Warden-Commander's office.
Inside stands Warden-Commander Antoine Shari. He is a relatively unassuming Malaysian man with a face that you would be hard-pressed to pick out of a crowd, and a physique that speaks of some years behind a desk. Even so, he is known for his sharp wit and mind, and seems to always be aware of anything of note that occurs in the inner-system. Some rumors say that Shari has direct ties with 4G Enterprises, who help feed him the intelligence he always seems to have at hand.
“Welcome to Mars,” the Warden-Commander says, as he stands from behind his desk. “I do apologize for the unexpected summons, but there is something I need looked into.”
On the screen is an aerial view of Mars. You recognize the massive canyon as Coprates Chasma.
The Warden-Commander continues, “If you don’t recognize this, it is the Coprates Chasma canyon. It runs nearly 1000 km from end-to-end and goes as deep as 4 kilometers in some areas.”
The image on the screen suddenly zooms in on the canyon and you find yourself dropping beneath the Martian surface. The walls of the canyon look to be nearly vertical and, as your viewpoint continues to dive into the depths of the massive natural fissure, it gets notably dark. After a few moments of darkness, lights can be seen in the distance. Then, only seconds later, the silhouettes of buildings come into view.
As the motion on the screen slows to a stop just outside what appears to be a small town, Antoine says, “And this is Presidia. It is a small insular community of independent miners and their families. It is also home to a couple of atmospheric processor maintenance teams, some merchants, and mechanics.” The older Warden pauses to wave his hand dismissively in the air, “and all the other rabble you can expect to find in such an isolated location.”
Shari punches a few keys and the image of the screen shrinks as it is replaced by a new one – a video stream. It shows the head of a man with graying hair, a short-cut beard, and skin that has been leathered by harsh Martian winds. For a moment, he seems frozen in time before the stream begins to play.
“I’m Sheriff Fielding. I’m what passes for the law in Presidia, and I think we may need some help. You see, there’s a bunch of things that’ve gone missing around here. It was just small stuff at first, but later people started reporting that their pets had gone and wandered off. Pets don’t normally like leaving for long here, because it gets awfully cold at night. Not that day and night are much different round these parts, except for the lights.”
The Sheriff pauses for a moment and looks off-screen for a moment. He then says to someone unseen, “Shut up! I’m on the call. We‘ve been over this. I ain’t got a clue what’s going on and people are scared.” He pauses, while the someone lips off. “Get out of here before I put a boot up your ass.”
The Sheriff looks back at the screen with a slight blush. After a moment he continues, “Now, as I was saying – we need help here. Gear and pets gone missing is trouble, but now we’ve had some people disappear. I can’t make sense of what is going on and could really use someone with a bit more experience in this kind of thing.”
The image on the screen stops again, then the window closes. The picture of the town moves to fill up the empty space once again.
Looking at all of you, the Warden-Commander says, “I don’t know if this is anything for us to worry about here, but Presidia is essentially deep under the surface of the planet. It could be that their mining has stirred something up that we need to deal with before things get worse. If you get down there and it turns out to be a local problem, help the sheriff out as best you can and then get back home. If it’s something else, do what you need to do.”
The Commander leans back in his chair for a moment before continuing, “Things in the system are starting to get very strange, and I don’t know how much longer we’re going to be able to keep a lid on things.”
“You can pull any data you may need out of the network. Honestly, there isn’t much there. Presidia is isolated and the locals like it that way. Don’t expect the warmest of receptions when you get there.”
Standing, Shari signals an end to the meeting, “Good hunting and watch your backs. Remember, it’s up you to keep all this in check and protect those who don’t even know they need protection.”
You are not ushered out, though the Warden-Commander remains standing. Still, it appears that he's willing to field any questions you might have, even if he is making it clear he has other business to attend to. Should you want to look into the Warden database, it can be accessed through password protected terminals in the rest of the Warden office - none of that data is available over the internet.
As the commander begins his briefing, The wrist comp on the man in his early 30s begins recording, in case there was something in the briefing that needed to be gone over later.
Standing near the front of the group, the dark-haired man wearing the light armor popular with both researchers and investigators asks "Do we have a count or list of the things and people that have gone missing? additionally, how long ago did we receive this message?"
He then rocks back on his heels slightly, waiting for the answer.
Shari shrugs slightly and shakes his head, "This is the only message we have received. I'm sending you to Presidia to find out details about who or what exactly might be missing. And we received this approximately three days ago."
As the briefing goes on, a wry smile spreads across Phineus' face. When it's over he crosses his arms and shakes his head slightly.
A mine? Seriously? Just my luck. The man chuckles and whispers, Just my luck.
He doesn't appear to be interested in asking any questions, and simply watches the others.
"Do we know how stable their tunnels are and if there have been any reports of seismic activity? A few collapsed tunnels and unmarked air shafts could easily account for missing animals and people. The missing gear could just be a thief."
Shari responds quickly and sharply, "Presidia was a former colony of 4G Enterprises. And the colonists are professional miners. I suspect that their tunnels are stable. And we've had no reports of seismic activity here, but we don't get regular reports from the surface - still the Sheriff made no mention of that in his message, so I doubt that such things have happened recently - at least not that they noticed. You should ask about it once you reach the surface however."
"Is Presidia the sort of place where every openly packs"
If the terminals are near by, he then proceeds to download all the info on Presidia.
Hoss watches the screen with wrapped interest, a smile playing on his lips.
"Is this the only report we have had from Presidia in recent years and if not, would I be able to have access to full records of previous reports?"
"Do we have any background information on Sheriff Fielding?"
Once the questions are finished Phineus will make his way to one of the Warden terminals and review any information available on Presidia. He only skims the information for now, simply downloading anything he can find for later review. He's especially interested in local environmental conditions, laws and customs, social and political reports, and any past operations by Wardens on the site, or at nearby sites.
He'll also do a cursory search of news from Mars in general, looking for similar incidents, going as far back as necessary.
Quinton will join Phineus in the terminal area, doing research on 4G enterprises, and specifically what the company would be mining on mars, cross-referencing creature attacks on similar mining colonies on other planets looking for patterns (specifically looking for creatures who are patient and stalk prey for a while/have intelligence).
After he assembles a list of such creatures, he will then see if they have any specific weaknesses that are common among them and make a list for the group.
"Presidia is a town with extremely low crime rates. I highly doubt that they carry weapons terribly often. And I think that they will be even more distrustful of heavily armed outsider. Keep any carrying you need to do to the bare minimum."
"We don't get reports from them with any regularity, but that is not unusual. They only contact us when there is an emergency that we would be equipped to handle and this is the first time that that has happened. As for the Sheriff, Joseph Fielding, he used to work for 4G for about twenty years while they owned the outpost. After they pulled out, he stayed on as Sheriff. Word is that his jacket has a number of citations for excessive force, but he was never actually charged with anything."
Those of you that are interested walk out to the terminals and begin to search. Other than verifying what the Warden-Commander has already told you, there isn't much information about Presidia. As for 4G, they were mining the same as most companies on Mars - promised or suspect unknown riches, but Presidia in particular found little other than common materials and that was why they pulled out.
When you search for creatures, you find effectively nothing. Not that creatures aren't present in the database, but they seem very habitat-specific. Nothing of this sort seems to have been found on Mars. Attempting to look at any disappearances across any habitat is overwhelming - without further information it could be literally anything, including simply a human serial killer.
While researching at the terminals, Kaylee thinks aloud. "Perhaps we should try mixing search criteria? Such as trying to determine if the timing of any disappearances coincides with the drilling of new tunnels. That may at least let us know if there could possibly be any connection between the two. Plus we could start our investigations with those disappearances first since there is bound to be at least some unrelated crimes in a colony that size."
She will attempt to see if she can get any results with her search criteria on the terminals here.
"I'd hate to leave Ronda completely behind. Will our transport stick around? Or is there some known place I can store her near by?"
Kevin looks for a more discrete way to carry his knives.
As Kaylee searches the database, it becomes clear that there isn't much information about the details of Presidia's business. No particular mining schedules, or a sense of when they have opened or closed tunnels, it all seems pretty insular. All that is really available is the basic statistics - the population is 913 and the colony is at the very bottom of the chasm which is nearly 3 miles down. It doesn't look like the other information is obfuscated or redacted, it just seems like Presidia has been under the radar and no one has ever had a need to collect any further information from them.
Still in the office, Shari responds to Kevin, "I suspect that the Sheriff will offer you space in his weapons locker. But you'll have to see the situation on the ground. I am not telling you to leave your weapons on the station - far from it - but I suspect that the less threatening you are when you begin to talk to residents, the better you will be received. You are still empowered and required to use whatever force you deem necessary, but you must be sensitive to the temperament of the miners."
"As for your transport, once it drops you off, it will return to the station. There is no way for a shuttle to reach the floor of the chasm so it will land on the surface and a large freight elevator will take you down to Presidia proper. Should you require return passage, the elevator also houses communication arrays and can be used to contact the station or other planetary services."
"Well I'm good then. If you need me I will be on the transport trying to figure out the most subtle way to store my knives."
Phineus focuses his search on general information, starting with other incidents of a similar nature on Mars. He seems more interested in the history of the planet and area and any scientific reports of the area prior to the colony setting up.
I wonder what exactly they thought they'd find down there...
Once done with that he'll rejoin the others.
Just bring your guns. We'll be bringing plenty of other equipment. We just won't want to step off the shuttle looking like we're there to kick down doors and shoot puppies.
He looks around the group, Anyone know anything about this place? Couldn't find much myself.
"So, I should carry around my scimitar machine pistol, but not my throwing knives?"
Turning to Kaylee, Quinton says "That's not a bad idea, although it seems that there is very little information on Presidia. I wonder if there are another other such mining colonies on Mars, and if any of them are reporting missing objects. Let me do a search for that."
Phineus chuckles, Depends on what kind of impression you want to make. Professional? Or Crazy? My guess is that most miners don't carry a whole lot of weapons. Or see much use for them. No one is going to question why a Warden is wearing a pistol. You're a government agent.
But if you're openly carrying a few knives, people might ask why. Speaking of which, what do you plan to do with them? Phineus smiles, looking more genuinely curious than admonishing.
"My past has taught me to be prepared and to have a back up. These knives are useful up close and at a bit of distance."
Kaylee sighs and looks over to Quinton. "You are right about there being very little information. I haven't been able to find anything matching my search criteria here. I suppose that any in-depth research will just have to wait until we reach the colony itself and have access to their data."
As the topic of weapons comes up, Kaylee looks over to the two talking about it. "What to do with weapons is a good question. Though I always carry around my pistol and a knife in a boot sheath, I wouldn't mind taking a shotgun or rifle and some form of non-lethal subduing equipment. So I suppose we should request a portable weapons safe to take with us."
Looking around the office Hoss notice's that his teammates have seemingly wandered off in the middle of the briefing. He claps his hands together and flashes a smile to Shari, "Thanks Kid, good talk." before wandering off himself.
Hoss bounces around, first to the cafeteria where he grabs himself a protein bar that he starts munching on. It was the Chocolate Peanut Butter kind, the only kind that really matters. As he's eating he saunters past a few of the younger groups, maybe they were just support staff, maybe they were Interns of some sort, Hoss didn't much care to find out. He winks to the cuter ones, who giggle, and completely ignores the rest, who glare. Soon enough, Hoss has reached the Armory where he starts to throw on his gear in a seemingly hap-hazard manner between bites of his snack.
Hoss had come in during the middle of the conversation, and was most of the way through strapping his weapons to himself before the conversation had made it's way back around to what to do with them. He unslings his Rifle from his back, and holds it in his off hand. "I suppose you're right. The RFL-4 is a bit much; trusty, but rather intimidating." He does however finish strapping his combat knife, throwing knives, Heavy Pistol, and Shotgun to himself. After that he finds a bulky long-coat and throws that over himself, it looks like something that might be designed to keep harsher things like sand, dirt, and wind at bay rather than simply rain. It helps to cover up most of his weaponry, many of which seem to fit his rather imposing frame.
"The Midnight Sailor always docks at night."
As you all search for reports of similar happenings, you aren't able to find anything. That doesn't strike you as terribly odd however - the remote mining colonies don't really maintain a central database for petty crimes so things like missing objects don't really get out. As for the Wardens specifically, you only receive notice if you either go looking for something or it gets bad enough that the colony calls for the Wardens specifically.
The shuttle ride down to the surface of Mars is pretty ordinary. The thickening atmosphere means that the transition from orbit is not like it was a decade ago, but still pretty smooth when compared to Earth or Venus. Less than two hours after the meeting with the Warden-Commander, the shuttle drops you off at the lip of the Coprates Chasma. The ghostly remains of the old town, long destroyed by especially violent tornados, can still be seen around you. The only intact building is about 100 meters away, sitting on the edge of the canyon.
"So, how did all of you get caught up in all of this? Me? I seem to be drawn into all of this rather I want to be or not."
"I used to be a detective first class back on earth. I investigated a string of murders that were done by a creature that I later found out was a Mi-Go. Thing darn near killed me before I was saved by wardens."
After finishing his searches, Phineus makes his way back to his quarters to change. He throws on an old set of work clothes meant to fit in down in a mining outpost. He has no illusions that he'll be noticed as an outsider in such a small community, but he crafts his look to put the average miner at ease. He also grabs a head scarf to keep out the wind and sand.
In the closet he retrieves his travel kit. A biometrically sealed case with rollers. His gear, uniform and clothes already sealed inside. On the way to the door he stops short. He shakes his head slightly and chuckles as he turns back to get his sidearm from the drawer. Quickly opening his case, he places the sidearm inside and heads to the shuttle.
--
With a sidelong glance at Hoss, Phineus smiles. Expecting trouble right away? Or just hoping to start some? His question seems intended as rhetorical, as he doesn't wait for an answer. He just chuckles slightly and steps off into the shuttle with his case.
--
Phineus spends the trip reading over various general information about the planet Mars. General scientific studies mostly. He looks up towards the other passengers but doesn't seem interested in talking much. Only responding to say, I'm sure you can read all about me in my file. I'm just here to handle science issues.
Kaylee shrugs at the question. "Mom was an engineer and Daddy was a lawman. I guess I just inherited both their interests and had the bad-luck to stumble onto some people doing something they shouldn't."
Hoss is busy playing a small handheld system, dings and whistles seem to be coming from it at a rather rhythmic pace. He doesn't look up as he answers, "I just got bored really. Earth was boring, my Mom and Dad were just work-a-day stiffs, and I grew up on Saturday Morning Cartoons and Comics. The vibrant, life filled, glorious stories that they presented...so I bounced around the System a while." His eyes have a certain faraway glance as he pauses his game, a continuous *BEEP...BEEP...BEEP* coming from it.
Hoss looks up, smiling, "I'm a hero, much the same as those stories. I hunt the beasties of the night; but it's not just for the thrill, the vibrancy, the fun. No, I fight because it's the right thing to do." He accentuates his last words with a large, meaty finger poking his game with a small, plastic *thud*. He nods with that last sentiment and leans back into his seat as his game starts whistling again.
--
Hoss departs the shuttle and glances around, noting the destroyed terrain. He thinks himself lucky to have grabbed the coat to protect himself from some of the dust as he pops up the collar. Almost as soon as his feet hit the ground, the coat appears stained with the rusty red of the planet. He spies the building in the distance and begins striding towards it.
The surface of Mars is difficult to breathe on for those of you that are used to artificial environments or Earth - the atmosphere is thin and up here it is choked by dust. As Hoss heads to the building, it is clear that there is a single man inside - a rough looking local with a scraggly beard and leathered pale skin. He is wearing miner's work clothes and he has a rebreather sitting on a nearby table. Seeing the man approaching him he hits a button and the only visible door to the building slides shut and seals.
Kit mutters to himself then knocks on the door. " Hello! Wardens! We were asked to come here! Your Sheriff sent for us!" I get my badge out.
Kaylee sighs as the door slides shut. "You would think they would be a bit more friendly since they sent for us."
After Kit finishes, the door slides open with the creaking and whirring of gears. The building is all but empty and the man inside simply grunts dismissively, not even looking up at you. Beyond where he sits look to be the controls to the elevator and the large freight doors that would allow access to it which are currently closed.
Phineus lifts his scarf up to keep the sand out of his face as he makes his way over to the shack. He has a bit of an issue rolling his travel case through the sand, and ends up trailing behind the others slightly. He doesn't have his badge openly visible, but it hangs on his belt underneath his jacket.
I think you scared him, glancing over towards Hoss, obviously smiling under his scarf.
--
Guess we're headed down. I'm guessing you're not going to object? He coughs slightly as he lowers his scarf and address the man. Who'd you piss off to get stuck with this job? Phineus smiles goodnaturedly.
Name's Phineus. Good to meet ya.
Dressed in clothing appropriate for Mars, Quinton followed along but did not say anything. He was much more concerned with getting out of the wind. His field kit was fully loaded, and his shoulder bag contained his guns and armor.
When you attempt to start talking to the man, he simply grunts and shakes his head. He looks up at you and then slides his chair toward the elevator, hitting the call button with a closed fist and returning to his original position and looking away from you again.
I get in the elevator. I am mainly dressed for the environment. Ronda is in her holster. I am carrying as many of my knives as I subtly can. My lock gun is also out of site if possible.
The man sighs, shaking his head again. He speaks, though he doesn't look up at you much.
"Albert, Albert Vogler. And we all gotta do our shift up here. Just my turn up here is all," he says, motioning with his thumb toward the elevator. "Thing takes about ten minutes to make it all of the way up. So don't get your panties in a bunch."
It is fairly clear from his tone that he isn't really pleased to be up here, but also isn't pleased to be dealing with your group. It is unclear whether it is just that you are outsiders, that you are law enforcement, or that you are openly carrying longarms.
Phineus straightens up his case and takes a seat on it. Thanks Albert. Ten minutes, eh? Could be worse. He looks around at the others, but seems content to remain quiet and wait for the elevator, not intending to bother Albert again, unless the old man volunteers anything.
The elevator grows louder as it rises, but it hums rather than creaking, indicating that it is both well sealed and well maintained. Albert just stares out at the Martian surface though, after about seven minutes, he speaks without turning to face any of you.
"So I guess Joe must really be scared of losing his job if he's bringing in heavily armed Wardens to scare everyone in line. You all just remember I ain't said nothing and I ain't done nothing."
Not a problem, Albert. We're going to try to make this visit as quick and painless as possible. He looks around at the gathered Wardens with a wry smile on his face, clearly believing their luck won't be that good.
"Heavily armed? Out in the belt we call this sensible."
Albert blinks and turns to look at Kit, "Then out in the belt is a place I don't want to live. Around here we don't consider walking around with shotguns on our backs and pistols on our waists. Maybe if you weren't so violent out there you wouldn't think walking the streets with guns was sensible." He grunts when he finishes and turns back to the window, clearly quite perturbed by the implication about local customs.
Quinton leans against a wall and seems to be not paying attention to anything, but is actually actively listening.
Phineus chuckles, Never found much use for a gun when I've been out in the Belt. But it's a large place. Some people just hang in rougher crowds. He shoots Takenachi a sidelong glance. But, he means no offense Albert. I think what my associate meant was that sometimes Wardens are required to deal with things forcefully.
Phineus frowns as he looks around the group. We'll be out of your way soon enough and get these weapons secured away. Hopefully, they won't be needed to deal with whatever problem you're having here.