If the dreadful trip to Annic Nova was bad, leaving it was a nightmare of such proportion to as render the entire journey unmemorable. Or almost entirely.
Gwernach did remember a few things. Not at all satisfied with the mode of transportation Parker had to offer, Tha cont'rap'shun's a dang'r ta us all! Gwernach remembers having badgered and pleaded with Mr. Anderson to put the ship's resources to the test. Perhaps a nice slow decent; if it were long enough, and Gwernach were able to hid away in a windowless room somewhere...but the dwarf's argument was no good. Calling into question the sled's safety was quickly muted by Mr. Anderson's reassurances to the contrary. Although far from being assuring in Gwernach's opinion, the sled was the only option.
Gwernach's last ditch hopes of being sedated for the return trip proved fruitless, something about the dangers of alcohols on grey matter in the vacuum of space. Nonsense! Gwernach thought, No wond'r tha only dwarves 'ere are Xor an'meself! As far as he knew, he was absolutely correct on this point.
Resigned to that nightmare of a sled once more, one of Gwernach's last memories were of sealing himself into his generic suit. With the hood pulled shut, the sweaty dwarf clenched the arm rests once more, closed his eyes...then screamed at the top of his lungs the moment the feeling of weightless hit. His muffed cries trapped within his hood, or so he hoped, Gwernach passed out, not awakening again until the sled set down behind the stone feature on the canyon floor.
Stumbling out, Gwernach practically tears the hood from his head and finding a suitable place to sit, breaths deeply until his hands stop shaking vowing quietly, Nav'r. Again. Nav'r. Again.
The group disembarks from the strange sled, and gathers around Parker, who stands in the shade a large pile of boulders on the canyon floor near the south wall. The wall towers above you, almost completely smooth to a height of nearly a thousand feet.
To the east the southern canyon wall curves toward the north slightly, as it goes away from your position, and becomes rougher in appearance, with many ledges and protrusion jutting out here and there.
To the north the canyon floor stretches half a mile, and has a noticeable decline to it as it goes away from your position. Somewhere, off in that direction you know there is a small river. The far canyon wall, the north canyon wall, looks to be only about one half the height of the southern wall, here, but grows higher to the west.
Parker takes a small box out of his pack, and holds it in front of him, looking at it, he touches it with the fingers of one hand and says
The wreck is about a quarter mile to the east, where the canyon wall here turns sharply to the north. The wreck lies at a fifteen degree angle, with the front of the ship pointing slightly northeast by east. It is upright, according to these readings, and it looks like, over the years that it has been resting here, someone has taken the effort to build up stone supports for the upper hull. That probably explains why it hasn’t sunk deeper into the canyon floor over the four hundred years its been resting here. The ship, by the way, was once a Leviathan merchant cruiser. The IRS purchased it, gutted most of the interior decks, and repurposed it as a long range rescue ship with full hospital capabilities.
Parker swipes the box with his finger, and then looks at it again.
All the actual records for the interior layout of the Contagion have been lost or destroyed. What we do know is that it should have a general layout similar to other such ships, of which there are three. But there’s no guarantee the information I have will be correct.
There are four normal access points to a ship like this. The first is a small airlock at the top of the ship, on the port side about athwart ships. The second and third are airlocks on the E deck, that’s going to be about nine meters up. One of these is athwart ships, on the starboard side, and the other is on the bow. The forth, and probably our best bet, is a special engine room access on F deck, about six meters above the canyon floor, starboard near the stern. Each of these doors is going to be a heavy, thick, mechanically locked and normally electrically sealed door. I’m sure that by now all the electrical power of the ship has been depleted, so with these doors we only need to defeat the locks, and then pry them open, which who knows how much rust and grime has sealed them shut after all these years, could be impossible.
There are two other possible ways to get in, harder, but if we can’t open any of the doors, these will be our last options. On the very top of the ship there is a folding canopy that is opened to deploy a shuttle, this is a small ship, bigger than our sled, about twelve meters long, that’s forty of your feet, sorry. There is practically no way we would open it if it were sealed, but if it had been opened when the Contagion was in her descent to the planet, say for the crew to escape, then we have a shot there. The other is a cargo door, also very large, on the starboard side on E and F deck. There would have been no reason for that hatch to be open, so I’m betting it isn’t even worth investigating.
Once inside we should be able to move around alright. The passageways are not tight, as they were, or should have been, designed to accommodate medical beds. We will encounter three types of doors. Regular doors that swing open, these might be heavy, and possibly locked. Pocket doors, these are light, and slide into the walls next to them. They typically do not have more than privacy locks, so they should be easy to defeat. The last type of door will be an air tight hatch. There will be a few of these in key locations. They will be small, set in the wall like a sort of hole you have to step through, heavy, locked and possibly sealed shut. That’s what our tools are for.
Now it’s going to be dark, and I’ve arranged for us to have a few head lamps, but they won’t last forever, so we need to use them sparingly. Once inside, if for any reason we should get separated we have the radios, which, inside the hull will only work over a short range. The inside of the hull should have markings on the walls and floors at random locations. These markings are standardized, and will help you should you get lost. You’ll see a letter, and these letters are in an alphabet different from yours, but just know that the first symbol is a letter and it corresponds to the deck you are on, then there will be two, two digit numbers separated by a slash. The first number is the transverse frame number immediately aft of your position while the second number is the closest longitudinal frame number inboard toward the centerline of the ship. Odd numbers in the last place mean you are starboard of the centerline, even numbers mean you are port of the centerline. Any questions? Good, let’s check our gear, and head for the wreck. We’ll stay close to the southern wall of the canyon, the shadows here will afford us a bit of cover as we approach, and we can decide what access we will try first once we get a little closer.
One last thing. Now that we are away from the eyes and ears of the IRS, let me tell you what we are looking for. Somewhere on that ship, I’m betting, the IRS has hidden away a device called a Black Globe Generator. I wouldn’t expect it to be installed, as a hospital ship really has no use for such a device, so why it might be there is a mystery. However, having one of these devices is a violation of many interstellar treaties, and only a very small number of ships in the UCoPG are allowed to have them. These devices can generate a shield, huge in size, that surrounds a ship, like this one, which can negate almost any kind of attack thrown at it. These devices are made from artifacts, you might know them, and on your world they are called Spheres of Annihilation. A Sphere of Annihilation is said to be a remnant of what was once an entire plane of existence, an entire universe, that collapsed in upon itself for reasons no one understands well. These artifacts are found all over this universe. There is a race of beings who have mastered the art of combining magic, something that doesn’t exist on every world, with technology. They keep their skills secret from everyone else, and because of what they can do with these secrets no one is foolish enough to challenge them, but they have found a way to harness a Sphere of Annihilation, set it into a devices which controls the destructive power of the Sphere and turns it into a shield generator called the Black Globe. If the Contagion was carrying a Black Globe, and if someone had found a way, or who knows maybe it was installed, but if it was activated incorrectly, at a time when it should not have been activated, it could have, would have caused the ship to malfunction. It would also have protected the ship as it descended down to the surface of this world. How the ship survived the impact in this canyon I can’t explain, but if we find this device, and I want you to listen carefully.
If we find this device, we are not going to approach it, handle it, or interact with it in any way. We are going to get our asses off that ship the minute we verify the presence of the generator. When the UCoPG arrives, if there is a generator, they can deal with it. These things can terrible damage to whatever is around them if they are handled incorrectly.
Xor, Gwernach, Sasithorn, and Marvin try to take in all this information. Some pay close attention, while others notice that the canyon floor here is littered with fist sized, polished stones, dark in color, which look hard, solid, and heavy.
while others notice that the canyon floor here is littered with fist sized, polished stones, dark in color, which look hard, solid, and heavy.
Why look what we gaht here
Xor will gather some rocks
Feeling much better, Gwernach perks up with talk of moving on, Tha farth'r away from tha thing tha bett'r! His dwarven eyes scan their surroundings as Parker describes the Contagion's supposed condition, trying to envision this ship in his mind while at the same time assessing this new environment.
Gwernach reacts quickly to Sasithorn's suggestion, Aye, stay'n low an' in tha shadows. The dwarf eagerly nods in agreement with Sasithorn realizing only after his words had come out that he may have inadvertently insinuated something. Fortunately the eager expression on Gwernach's face and twinkle in his eye at the thought of gaining access to the ship with no climbing betrays no such malice.
Crouched on a ledge on the canyon walland believing herself to be concealed from any onlookers, Yildiri watches the group below, nocking an arrow to her bow but not drawing it.
They look harmless... But I want to be sure. You never know with these kasabalar
From the tip of the arrow head, the rays of the sun flash just off to the right of Gwernach's field of view. Even though his dark brown eyes twitch to it's location, the dwarf's head turns slowly to give him ample time to take in the rest of the area. Spying the lone figure crouched on the ledge of the canyon wall the ranger focuses his gaze on her and the bow in her hand. Seeing she has yet to draw back the bowstring, Gwernach clears his throat to get the other's attention, We've got company. Readying his own longbow, Gwernach points his nose in the direction of the crouched figure. Crouch'n ov'r thar, jus'up on tha ledge.
What?!
Yildiri's brow furrows as she tries to make sense of the stranger's words. She glances briefly at the other members of the group, seeing how they react before deciding whether to stay put, retreat or advance.
Marvin commits to memory Associate Andersen's briefing. "Information is acknowledged. This unit seconds Associate Andersen's stated best course of entry: F-deck special engine room."
Using their own sensors and after Gwenarch's warning, Marvin quickly finds their watcher. [b]"Unknown party sighted." Their hands stay on their musket, keeping the ready position.
Making a decision, Yildiri stands up on the ledge.
"Moon smile upon you, strangers", she shouts. "Are you lost? There is precious little here - no water, no game and no shelter. If you have taken a wrong turning, I can guide you back to the road"
The very idea of there being a road which they could have taken instead of the suicidal sled ride Mr. Andersen insisted upon taking makes Gwernach cough. Shooting a wide eye in Parker's direction, Gwernach rubs his nose and stowing his bow, faces the woman up on the ledge. The dwarf hikes a thumb over to Parker, Our associate 'ere assures us we're nah los' lass. Butta guide won't be turn'd down, les's chat. With a kindly smile the dwarf waves Yildiri down from her perch, inviting her to join them for a more private conversation.
Parker shades his eyes from the sun, and as is his way, looks the stranger up and down slowly, in the most overly telling way, and lets out a long low whistle, then cups his hands together and shouts up to the wall face of the canyon
Thanks for the information, doll. We're not lost, and we aren't looking for game, water, or shelter, actually. What we need is to find out how close we can get to that structure ahead of us without being seen, if there are any people living in, or around it, and if they are hostile. If you would like to come down here I promise you we mean you no harm, but we are armed and can protect ourselves if you decide to change you mind about being friendly. What do you say? how about we get together so we don't have to raise our voices?
He lowers his hands, and says quietly to the group around him. Let's keep sharp. Gwernach was able to spot this one, but there might be others in hiding. We don't want to get caught in a trap before we even reach the ship
Amidst Parker's shouting Gwernach runs the flat of his hand down his face in defeat, So much fa keep'n a low profile.
Folding his arms the dwarf takes a few steps away from the others under the pretense of taking another look around the canyon walls for any more hidden dangers all the while grumbling under his breath something about all the back and forth shouting going on, ...thay'll certain'lay know we're 'ere now...
Yildiri climbs down from her perch and walks towards the group, holstering her shortbow. She places her hand on her chest, palm towards her, with her thumb and little finger extended to form a crescent.
"This is my clan's land, kasablar; they will not be far away. If you are not lost, what exactly are you looking for? Depending on what it is, I may be able to help"
The loud one mentioned a structure. That could mean one of many things...
Marvin follows their protocols, something which could be called instincts in organically evolved species but more purposeful and ingrained, and allows Associate Anderson and the rest of the party to conduct first contact diplomacy and negotiation as they commit most of their attention the environment though a small portion is dedicated to immediately reacting if the other party proved hostile or a threat.
Gwernach watches as the half elf descends. The unique copper coloration of her skin raises a bushy eyebrow in interest, but only after Yildiri draws nearer into the light. Yet despite any appeal the woman's skin may hold for this lover of all things metallic, her elven features remind Gwernach of the long tradition of distrust held amongst dwarves and elves. Forcing this down he reflects, She's awf'lay short forr'n elf. Gwernach grins sincerely and accepts her greetings, returning it in traditional dwarven fashion, fist raised as though holding a hammer in honor of dwarven craftsmanship.
When no one else steps up to speak the ranger adds, Well met emma-ssary o'Kasablar. Ma name's Gwernach Nickelbeard, then indicating each in turn he introduces the rest of the group, May companions 'ere arr M.A.R.V.I.N, Sasithorn, ma fellow count'ray man Xor an Mr. Park'r And'rsen. Gwernach holds his extended arm in Parker's direction a bit longer than the others, He's brought us 'ere, still feeling some of the affects of Parker's sled, Gwernach is more than a little sarcastic on his pronunciation of brought, ta view'an odd build'n o'sorts - tall met'al place. Nott'of tha canyon ba, foreign if ya will. Do'ya know it? The dwarf's thick accent muddles some words yet he's confident the message got across, Would be eas'ir if everyone jus spoke dwarven. Subtly nodding in the inquisitor's direction Gwernach awaits her own introduction.
Well, my stalwart friend here is correct, Parker says as he claps Gwernach on the shoulder and smiles at the girl. His eyes travel up and down her more times than are necessary as he goes on to say. We are indeed headed toward that structure ahead he points to the wreck on the canyon floor.
We were sent here by people from the north, with a mission to uncover the mystery of this place. We don’t intend to do it any harm. We just want a quick look around on the inside, if we can get there. Do you know anything about it?
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Yildiri dislikes the way Parker is looking at her, but controls her temper.
"Well met", she says in reply to the dwarf, nodding at the company as a whole.
"I may know of what you seek. It is not safe - those who go in it tend to change, and not for the better, but if you wish to go inside, your bodies are your own, and your souls are Hers."
She shrugs, then stares intently at them.
"I can guide you there, but there is one thing I need to insist on. The iron sled you mention is next to a temple, and that temple is yasaklanmış
- a forbidden place. You must not - must not - go in there. It is nothing but a house of plagues and shadows, and you will lose more than your lives if you enter."
Politely clearing his throat, Gwernach asks, An by what name may we address yee emma-sarry?
"Yildiri peri kızı arasında Carakeju", replies the half-elf.
Gwernach's eyebrows shoot up again but he quickly regains his composure repeating a shortened version partly out of fear of mispronouncing the rest, Yildiri, yar assistance wou'd be grreat-lay appre-shi-ated.
Yildiri pauses to think.
"Not much", she replies. "I've heard stories, and seen things on the tale-stones in the Women's Sanctuary; at one time, supposedly, the followers of a fell god who dwelt in this canyon were scattered and destroyed by an iron comet that fell from the sky, but it must have been a great while ago, as there are no craters or scorch-marks, and stories tend to warp and change over time"
She shrugs, then continues.
"I have seen strange creatures - spherical, with tentacles - and odd lights when I have patrolled this canyon at night, as well as sounds like somebody grinding corn in a huge quern, and we sometimes see a flying boat enter and leave the sled, but in general, if we stay away, it does not bother us, so we do not bother it.
We do not go in the temple; nobody goes in the temple, and you must not go in the temple", she adds, with emphasis.
Peering an eye over in Parker's direction Gwernach reassures, Well, tis a good thang we're no go'n ta tha temple. Jus tha stracture. Cinching up a strap on his pack the dwarf turns his head to the others looking ready to proceed, Shall we?
"Follow me"
Yildiri turns around and proceeds to lead the party up the canyon.
As grateful as Gwernach is to be leaving Parker's infernal sled behind, the dwarf soon begins to relive the horror of flight with every ascending step up the canyon wall. Once again sweat trickles down his face, stinging eyes which dare not look down. Through force of will, Gwernach pushes on. Fixing his eyes firmly on Yildiri's backside, stepping where she steps and using the same hand holds, Gwernach somehow manages.
Panting and still suffering from a bout of vertigo, Gwernach draws his bow and stares into the darkness of the cavernous chamber beyond the Contagion's giant metal door.
Opps, I meant to say, not entirely uninhabited, slip of the tongue I guess. Anyway, get your weapons ready, looks like the front door is open. We’ll start there, and see what this ship is hiding
Parker draws a fat barreled pistol from the holster at his side, and walks slowly toward the bridge.
Inside the bridge it is shadowy. Some light manages to filter through cracks in the ceiling and walls, and the glare of the sun at the far end of the bridge plays a trick on your eyes making the tunnel appear darker than it really is.
The wood beneath your feet creaks and groans with each step as the party moves through the bridge.
When you are just emerging from the far side onto the metal platform that is a lowered door attached to the side of the ship, you try to look past the sunlit area into the dark, vast space beyond, but the glare is too much for your eyes and you cannot see into the ship’s interior more than a few feet, and all there is to be seen is a thin floor of sand.
Suddenly you hear the twang of strong crossbows and a volley of bolts come flying out of the interior of the ship.
[ooc]There are seven crossbows being fired at the opening of the bridge (the side closest to the ship) There is a penalty for the attack. [ooc]
Two bolts fly at Parker, who is in the lead,
While completely at random a single bolt comes flying at each of the others
Parker drops onto his belly at the last minute and the bolts strike the wood next to him
All around the rest of the team crossbow bolts strike hard, sticking into the uprights of the bridge, but for one, which strikes Sasithorn
Sasithorn - takes 4 damage
"Kafataslarının kafesleri - gnawers of skulls!" snarls Yildiri, snapping off a shot from her shortbow, then attempting to move into cover
The errant crossbow bolts whizzing past the group from inside the ship force Gwernach's head to duck, but only momentarily. Peering within the ship he can just make out a few of the Uradurluns. Still fighting the affects of vertigo, the ranger looses the arrow he'd had notched at the nearest one. To his dismay, the arrow he'd thought was heading straight for its intended target, flies right past the Uradurlun. Unwilling to admit he was seeing double, the dwarf concludes the next thing to come to mind, Ah, com'off it! Are thay usual-lay tha quick?! Still following Yildiri's lead, Gwernach moves out of the firing line.
Marvin holds their musket in hand but waits to assess the enemy before firing, needing to conserve what precious few gunpowder bullets remain.
A voice calls out from inside the ship
Berniqui! shal ematud frotom, frotom*
Gwernach – 15
Yildiri – 9
Uradurluns – 5
Sasithorn – 5
Xor – 5
Parker – 4
Xor screams and runs back the opposite way, never to be seen again.
Gwernach – 15
Yildiri – 9
Uradurluns – 5
Sasithorn – 5
Parker – 4
Marvin hesitates, slowly retreating back toward the slight cover afforded by the frame of the upright supports for the covered bridge, while Gwernach and Yildirl lose a couple of arrows into the darkness in front of the party. The sound of arrows striking with a
*Thunk – Thunk*
Follows, but there are no shouts of pain, which seems to indicate the shots missed.
Staring into the shadows, hindered by the glare of the overhead sun off the metallic surface of the building or ship or whatever it is supposed to be, the party regroups standing against the walls of the covered bridge.
With his back to the wall, and holding his pistol up near his head, Parker takes a few deep breaths, and says
Okay, so they are not the welcoming committee, or maybe they are. Does anyone know what it is they are shouting? Either we give up on this way in, or think of some way of getting passed them. I personally hate violent confrontations, but it wouldn’t be my first shoot out with gaurds trying to keep me out of a place I wanted in to.
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"These are Uradurlun. My people have had extensive contact with them, and it's never been anything but bad. They're rapacious slavers. I'd have said something, but I'm honestly surprised they're bothering to speak to us. They're telling us that our kind is not welcome here."
Sasithorn calls back in halting Uradurlun:
"Hail! We come in...nonaggression. We will fight if we must, but we...have no need to do so. It would be...a superior choice if we did not. You are in danger in this place. We come with someone who...perhaps...knows this place's...secrets!"
Whispering, We need ta draw'em out. Gwernach taps a side pocket and the vial of explosive fluid contained within, A litt'l fire? Ah can star'it but'll need a wee bit'o oil ta keep it go'in. The dwarf's eyes search the other's for suggestions as he notches an arrow from his quiver.
"'Your kind are not welcome here' indeed", hisses Yildiri. "Rot their bones. If we can't get round behind, or on top of them, then we'll have to get them out somehow. If we can't talk them down, we'll have to force them out, and fire will do as well as anything, friend Gwernach"
Yildiri contributes to the negotiations, also in Uraldurlun:
"With us before you and the Aç gölgeler evi behind you, your position is not a strong one. Leave with your souls intact while you still can!
Marvin leaves the diplomacy to the rest of the party, their function remaining as vanguard. They are unable to grasp the nuances of social interaction and would revert to protocol.
They helpfully add, "Firing upon the other party during parley constitutes an indisputable act of aggression and will necessitate immediate retaliation."
Sasithorn yells back, in the native tongue of the people defending the interior of the ship. He tries to find words that might sway the enemy to change their mind about allowing the group to enter.
The wayang and Uradurluns do not have a history of good will. In fact it can be said that the Uradurluns have no good will when it comes to people who chose to live where the sun may shine.
A voice calls out from inside. It is a female voice now, but the language is still Uradurlun. A few words are spoken when suddenly Yildiri shouts out her own opinion.
Tarluddu narlt ac ar goed…
The voice is silent for a moment, and then it begins again, sounding more irritated and determined
Narak berniguiquida! Shal hik sucohm! Athran frotom meh drov
When Parker realizes that Yildiri suggest using fire to rout out the Uraduluns he shakes his head at her, and says to her
Bad idea. Let’s try not to set the thing on fire. I’m not sure we’d have any chance of putting a fire out inside the ship, once it got out of control.
Facing the threat, Gwernach rolls his eyes as Parker counters the dwarf's suggestion to 'flush' the critters out. Mumbling to Yildiri he confesses, Would've been fun... Keeping a shoulder tight to cover at the side of the bridge, and an arrow reach on his bowstring, Gwernach sits patiently awaiting the outcome of Sasithorn's negotiations.
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The wayang and Uradurluns do not have a history of good will. In fact it can be said that the Uradurluns have no good will when it comes to people who chose to live where the sun may shine.