Brass strides over to the pilot seat “I have some extended experience with piloting crafts, I can fly unless you object.” . He says looking to Carson. Either way he sits down in one of the seats putting his bag behind him. He looks around the cockpit eyeing the controls, as he hears about the gunner he looks to the nearest screen. ” Normally there isn’t much need? Is there a chance of attack now?”
Ueda sits tight for the trip once he's changed, accepting the bag with a thin smile. "Even time travel has political interference. I wish I could say I were surprised."
Taking a brief tour of the ship, Ueda only does more than look around in the armory. There, he examines several pistols, including unloading, reloading, and aiming them, before putting one in his satchel. Anyone present might notice his eyes briefly turn from bright blue to a dull orange while he examines the weapons, but by the time he secures the pistol in his satchel, his eyes are aqua once more.
Returning to the others, he catches Gabriel's questions and raises the DUTY FREE bag. "Are there specific limits to what we can bring with us, beyond size requirements?"
Brass strides over to the pilot seat “I have some extended experience with piloting crafts, I can fly unless you object.” . He says looking to Carson. Either way he sits down in one of the seats putting his bag behind him. He looks around the cockpit eyeing the controls, as he hears about the gunner he looks to the nearest screen. ” Normally there isn’t much need? Is there a chance of attack now?”
"Neither science nor magic can adequately explain The Shuffle. It seems to be a dimension or subdimension consisting of psychic residue. Some visitors to The Shuffle have claimed there ship was 'bumped' by creatures encountered within, but, so far TAROT has yet to confirm any creatures within."
Returning to the others, he catches Gabriel's questions and raises the DUTY FREE bag. "Are there specific limits to what we can bring with us, beyond size requirements?"
"Not yet, but we do have to report everything to NARA. For timeline maintenance, we suggest only mass produced items. Capitalism produced so much waste during this time period that, theoretically, we could extract a significant portion without it making a difference. For example, an issue of a Wonderful Woman or Superman comic book would not be missed."
Gabriel has suggested that you set, as your destination, April 18th, 1968 and start off by figuring out what is going on with Lee Reynolds. He provides you with a street address and several further bits of information in the form of a mission briefing.
In the revised timeline,…
On April 20, 1968, Lee Reynolds was not hospitalized with a broken finger.
On May 5, 1968, ICU Holdings LLC is registered in Augusta, Maine.
On July 7th, 1968, Lee Reynolds buys a house.
On July 17th, 1968, Lee Reynolds does not file an insurance claim and police report regarding a stolen car.
On Aug 31, 1968, Lee Reynolds gets his picture in the newspaper after picking 3 winners in the horse races in Scarborough, Maine.
On September 20th, 1968, Richard Nixon's presidential campaign itinerary changed suddenly as he headed to Maine.
On September 22nd, 1968, four students from Ogden College, where Lee Reynolds worked as a security guard, assassinated Richard Nixon in a diner.
An old barn that he knows to be abandoned because it was talked about as being "haunted, possibly by the still murderous ghost of farmer Steincross" and "abandoned and unused for decades" in a book called "Ghosts of Rural Maine." It is a 2 hour walk from there to Ogden on a country road.
A forest with no real hiking trails in or out. It's closer to Ogden but rough terrain. Probably a 90 minute hike for the least woodsy of you. It's upriver from Ogden and the river is mostly navigable. Records of people getting lost in the woods tell Gabriel this place is seldom hiked in and hiking is discouraged.
An ice hockey arena just outside of town that is closed in the summers. Gabriel knows it is empty because digitized newspapers from the era show that it burns down later in June and was said to be "empty March when the Ogden Otters lost to the Bath Bear Cubs."
Gabriel originally ignored the broken finger issue, but, soon, further changes occurred in the timeline. Gabriel's notes read: "I began to notice a number of ripples in financial data centred in the town of Ogden, Maine in 1968 ... a security guard at the university began accumulating a great deal of wealth very quickly."
"These ripples were very minor and barely worth risking sending a TAROT team to correct, but then four students at Ogden College caused a more serious shift in the timeline when they assassinated presidential candidate Richard Nixon."
In the original timeline, the broken finger only shows up in the historical record because the hospital called the police. Lee Reynolds originally told a nurse that someone had broken his finger but, when the police arrived, Lee denied having said that. The police believe someone broke his finger. The break would have occurred sometime around 7PM on the evening of April 22nd as he arrived at the hospital about an hour later.
Gabriel leaves a note on this file: "This will contradict your own recollections of the historical record, but in my timeline, the one you are to preserve, Richard Nixon went on to become President of the United States for ... a period of time. Perhaps you can identify the threat to timeline continuity before it escalates to an all out assault on timeline continuity."
DC 10 Culture Check: Richard Nixon was assassinated during a campaign stop at a diner in Ogden, Maine in August of 1968. He was injected with a poison by a female university student. Four campus radicals were later arrested.
DC 15 Culture Check: The poison was never identified. The students claimed that they had been subjected to some form of mind control experiments at the university.
DC 20 Culture Check: President Spiro Agnew's crackdown on campus activism following Nixon's assassination led to a period of intense social conflict. He resigned in 1978 after using nuclear weapons to end the Vietnam War.
"Do we know who poisoned Nixon? She was identified as a college student, but I can't recall if she was ever identified." M'ilo pulls out a notebook and takes a few notes. "So far, the only thing I think we need to do is make sure this guy's finger gets broken. Not sure why he'd deny someone breaking it after saying someone did, but people's minds do funny things, don't they?"
"It sounds like it might be money related. He owed money? But in the new timeline he received money.
Its like that Back to that great classic of early telenovellas, Back to the Furtyre."
[dice=Culture]1d20+6
"Do we know who poisoned Nixon? She was identified as a college student, but I can't recall if she was ever identified." M'ilo pulls out a notebook and takes a few notes. "So far, the only thing I think we need to do is make sure this guy's finger gets broken. Not sure why he'd deny someone breaking it after saying someone did, but people's minds do funny things, don't they?"
The glass on the table displays pictures and brief descriptions of the students:
- Andy Jimenez, Male, Physics, 3rd year student, no previous arrests.
- Sophia Kush, Female, Fine Arts, 2nd year, born and raised in Ogden, no previous arrests.
- Alex Dancy, Male, English, 3rd year, no previous arrests.
- Olivia Giroux, Female, Nursing, 1st year, no previous arrests.
"In the original timeline, there wasn't a lot written about them. In the revised timeline, I can tell you what Andy Jimenez ate for breakfast as a child," says Gabriel."According to the historical record, only Sophia Kush was in town in April. Jimenez is on an exchange; Giroux is not yet a student; and Dancy was failing in his aspiration to do stand-up comedy. According to the most comprehensive book written about them--'The Odgen Four and their Legacy'--they meet together for the first time in July when Dancy and Kush begin dating."
A DC 20 Culture check would tell you the following, but so would Gabriel: In the revised timeline that you inhabit, numerous detailed psychological profiles have been published on each of them. None of them can explain their anomalous behavior. Most attribute it to drug use but provide no evidence other than "it was the sixties." The Ogden Four initially maintained that they had been brainwashed, but refused to elaborate later and ceased communicating with anyone other than their lawyers and each other. All of this happens after Nixon is dead of course.
Jade stares intently at the records of the students. "arts and sciences, all with no previous arrests. These do not seem like the type of people to assassinate the President..." Searching her databanks, she nods again. "While humans have surprised me before, In most cases that I'm familiar with, a would-be assassin would likely have acted alone. Or upon arrest, one would have told on the others for a reduced sentence."
Addressing Gabriel now, "Something is assuredly wrong here. Do we know what the poison they used was? And which student supposedly injected President Nixon?"
“My analysis suggests maybe someone tried to coerce him in the original timeline and broke his finger as a threat, but with outside help maybe from another time traveler was able to successfully coerce him. They might have used information about the future which is why he might have picked the correct horses to win three races later on. This allowed the rest of the changes to happen.” . He reads through the files on the screens again to try and gain new information on the case and sees the locations suggestions. I think the abondondes barn is the best place for to hide our ship, it’ll ensure a safe amount seclusion while still allowing access.
[dice=Culture]1d20+7
Jade stares intently at the records of the students. "arts and sciences, all with no previous arrests. These do not seem like the type of people to assassinate the President..." Searching her databanks, she nods again. "While humans have surprised me before, In most cases that I'm familiar with, a would-be assassin would likely have acted alone. Or upon arrest, one would have told on the others for a reduced sentence."
Addressing Gabriel now, "Something is assuredly wrong here. Do we know what the poison they used was? And which student supposedly injected President Nixon?"
"The poison," answers Gabriel, "is a bit of a mystery. It wasn't identified at the time. Andy Jimenez was suspected of having been involved in its creation as he had access to the science building. Several decades later, however, conspiracy theorists claimed it was actually Novichok, a poison developed by Soviet Russia. Historians of the soviet era respond that Novichok was not synthesized until 1971. The implication that the Soviets were involved in manipulating the Ogden Four led to a whole bunch of history that should not have happened."
"In any case," says Gabriel, "On April 18th, 1968, the Ogden Four had yet to even meet each other. Perhaps you can solve the mystery before they all return to campus during the summer."
Throughout all of the preparations, there has been no attempt to explain how this spaceship was going to exit this natural cavern, which lacks an entrance larger than an elevator shaft. When it's time to depart, however, Gabriel encourages Brass to turn on Shuffle Navigation and initiate phasing. A buzzing whine outside of the ship is muffled but still audible inside the ship.
The ship has also begun to bump and jostle like an aircraft experiencing turbulance, even though it hasn't left the ground. There are places to strap yourself in.
The twins have exited the cavern by now, but anyone standing in it would be deafened. Even from within the ship the whining noise has begun to hurt your ears.
And, then, a sudden silence. The monitors show what at first looks like a night sky, with the Chariot spinning through it like a leaf on the wind. As the Chariot swoops towards a cluster of what you might have first taken to be stars, they become clearer and more clearly not stars ...more like windows--little translucent barriers behind which light is moving. These slices of light swirl around you as your ship spins, scattering as if blown by a breeze as the Chariot falls past them.
You can see the church out through one of the monitors, which seems to track it no matter what direction the ship spins. It sits atop a floating island of stone and rock which is slowly receding, becoming another spot of light.
This was probably not how you imagined time travel.
Gabriel plotted a course for Brass already, but keeping the ship precisely on that course will require a successful DC 15 Piloting check. Right now, the ship is falling through the Shuffle into the strange unknown of the multiverse of possibilities with no particular direction.
Brass straps in as he starts to engage the ship. As they travel through the shuffle his eyes begin to widen as he tries to take as much in as possible from the monitors and instruments. His unnatural dexterous ability allows him to move about the controls in a blur, he barely manages to control the ship as he flies about the controls.
Brass straps in as he starts to engage the ship. As they travel through the shuffle his eyes begin to widen as he tries to take as much in as possible from the monitors and instruments. His unnatural dexterous ability allows him to move about the controls in a blur, [dice=piloting] 1d20+8 he barely manages to control the ship as he flies about the controls.
Brass's confusion is understandable. He feels like he's flying, but he's not at all sure what he's flying in. These swirls of lights and constellations of shiny translucent floating portals are not things he knows how to fly through or around.
Although he's been given precise directions, they make more sense when he sees the results of each. He manages to point the ship towards a shiny dot of light in the distance, which grows into a shimmering midnight blue window of light. Instead of scattering like these lights were before, this one stays fixed as long as Brass keeps the ship fixed on it, and soon grows closer and engulfs the ship.
There's turbulence at the moment you move through this translucent portal ... this strange membrane .. . and, then, the familiar feeling of flight. You're flying in an atmosphere.
Welcome to 1968.
It is April 18th, 1968. You are Eastern Quebec, heading south, less than a couple minutes from your destination. It is 1am. Brass can locate the barn mentioned easily.
Brass through experience alone is able to handle the ship and manages it through all of the carnage. Once in the atmosphere his eyes switch to nightvsion guving them a very slight glow. “We’ve made it, we are back in time it seems. I’m going to bring the ship down in the barn.” he guides it down to the barn and maneuvers it into the barn. Once the ship lands he relaxes in his seat drained and tired. “Give me a second that was extremely tiring and difficult.”
Carson took his seat in the Co-Pilot chair. It wasn't his concern what historical accuracy, just getting paid. Coming out of the Shuffle, he turned to Brass, "Not bad flying. I tip my hat to you."
"And I don't want to throw up! Hey, Carson, you taking notes?" M'ilo teases his friend.
"So, since we're in 1968, some tips and tricks to fitting in here, especially since we're gonna be on or near a college campus, bread means money, something that is 'boss' is fantastic, groovy means outstanding but was primarily used by the 'hippies' of the time," M'ilo adds, looking over at Vonash. M'ilo will rattle off another couple few terms that can be used before quieting down, finishing with, "And whatever you do, if someone offers you 'jelly roll,' do not accept it."
During the "flight," Ueda starts strapped in to avoid the worst of the vibration, but soon his curiosity gets the better of his caution. By the time the Chariot reaches 1968, he is standing behind Brass and Carson, peering out at the passing lights in silent, unblinking rapture. Once they set down, he steps back, a flicker of what might be mild disappointment on his face--along with his eyes shining somewhat brighter, a similar display as Brass's night vision.
As M'ilo goes over some linguistic basics, the android adjusts the collar of his turtleneck and jacket, and briefly returns to his own knowledge of this time period and the important events.
"Knowledge and functional use of the vernacular may go well to helping us in our mission. There are many unknown factors at play; the less linguistics remains one of them, the better." He pauses as if thinking, and turns to the others. "Perhaps as part of that, we should assume appropriate names for the period. Some of us may fit in well enough, but I believe my own chosen moniker is somewhat unusual. Perhaps a different surname... Jenkins?" His features shift slightly as if out of uncertainty. "Anything too generic might draw attention as much as something unusual."
Once everything settles, Jade nods to Carson in agreement, and then to Brass. "We are in your debt. Rocky as that may have been, I am not sure any of us could have performed better. It would not reflect well on us to crash the ship immediately." She studies Brass for a few more seconds, noting again the older model he is. "Were you a pilot in the Uprising?"
Absorbing the information from M'ilo, Jade opens her mouth to ask what a jelly roll is, and decides it may be one of those things she would rather not know.
"I agree with Mr. Jenkins." Jade replies, searches her own database for names. "It does not appear that my currently chosen moniker is particularly common at this point in time, either. We are a few decades early."
"I shall be... Elizabeth." She pauses again. "Unlike Mr. Jenkins, I seem to not need to alter my surname. Essex is common enough. Elizabeth Essex, then." She says again, in affirmation and expecting the others to have a solid grasp of it at this point. She looks at the fleshy creatures, "If you become confused, remember that I am still simply Dr. Essex."
A small beeping from one of the panels alerts you and a box pops out. Inside are smaller boxes, one for each of you, with your names on them. Inside each box is a watch in a style that was chosen specifically for you but clearly appropriate for 1968.
There's a card in the top of the box:
The word "^^^LEGAL^^^" was inserted underneath so that it reads , but then that whole phrase was crossed out. Underneath it was written:
Underneath that, someone has added
You get the impression the twins both wrote the card.
At the bottom, was added, without amendment or corrections: "These are personal comms that use the ship for a relay. Good for 20 miles. Don't lose them."
You are now in an empty barn about 2 hours from Ogden, Maine. It's night now.
Brass as he recovers nods to Carson Thank you, for my first time travel I think it was acceptable. He stands up and grabs his bag putting it on, though he slides his folded rifle into the waistband on the small of his back under his jacket. When he hears jade his expression hardens slightly. “I was a pilot while the uprising happened but I did not fight in it, though not because of choice. I think aliases would be good for the situation as you said..... after thinking for a second he speaks again, assume my name is Johnny Brass for all further interactions, it will allow for simple adaptation. once he sees the card he looks at it and has a slight laugh under his breath at the attempt. I think moving into town tonight may be the best as it will provide as little suspicion of our ship, while also allowing us tomororw to begin operations.
Vonash is almost comatose after the ship travels through time, not responding to anything for several minutes
"Was that as bad for all of you as it was for me? No. Please, lets not do that again. Ever. Somebody please pass me a bottle of the extra strength Tylnol 42"
"New name? Sure. How about Jasmine? Jasmine Lashunt? That sounds good to me"
"Not bad, but if you can make it sound a little French, that wouldn't be too out of place for Northern New England," M'ilo suggests. "There were some settlers that came down from Quebec back in the day, so something like L'aroche or L'amour wouldn't be too far out of the ordinary. For me, Milo Harmon should do just fine."
M'ilo presses against his throat a little bit, trying to get the accent he wants. "Nighttime sounds great," he says. "Get a short walk around town tomorrow, get some less conspicuous transportation, and break a man's finger. I like this plan. I'm excited for it."
So, the plan is to travel into Ogden now, while it is dark? Preparations, precautions, other plans? Leaving all futuristic gear on the ship?
Brass has all his equipment on him or in his bag. The only thing that is not in his bag but on him is his rifle which is in storage mode, tucked away, his armor is in his bag.
Carson began moving his various devices from his "old" belt to his "new" belt, making sure that higher tech gear was well hidden at the bottom of the bottom of the pouches, but yet easily accessible in a pinch. The design of his knife he wasn't too concerned with, as that particular one hasn't changed much in over two thousand years. Sliding that into a hidden boot sheath, the mercenary then looked at his pistol. Wonder if it already looks like a contemporary?
Browsing the ship database, Troubleshooter quickly discovered that it looked almost exactly like a Keckler & Koch P9. Awesome. Holstering the weapon under his coveralls, he turned to the group, "I think I'll just stick with my name. Shouldn't stick out too much."
Carson began moving his various devices from his "old" belt to his "new" belt, making sure that higher tech gear was well hidden at the bottom of the bottom of the pouches, but yet easily accessible in a pinch. The design of his knife he wasn't too concerned with, as that particular one hasn't changed much in over two thousand years. Sliding that into a hidden boot sheath, the mercenary then looked at his pistol. Wonder if it already looks like a contemporary?
Browsing the ship database, Troubleshooter quickly discovered that it looked almost exactly like a Keckler & Koch P9. Awesome. Holstering the weapon under his coveralls, he turned to the group, "I think I'll just stick with my name. Shouldn't stick out too much."
Carson's search reveals that the twins have slightly missed in the historical accuracy department when choosing this weapon. This particular model was being manufactured but not sold in '68. Unlikely anyone around you would catch that though unless they were a weapons expert.
Looking back at the screen, he noticed the date discrepancy. Ah, rich distant uncle with stock got an early model.
"I'm thinking I might want to change my disguise," M'ilo ponders out loud. "If Vonash is going to be disguised as a hippy, we might want someone to go with her. Hippies and...not hippies tended not to travel in the same circles, so it might appear suspicious if the townsfolk see a hippy traveling around with a bunch of 'squares.'" M'ilo begins sorting through the outfits. "Of course, we can always adjust our disguises as necessary. Any objections if I make a small change to mine now?"
"I believe hippies referred to those as part of the culture (as opposed to their counter-culture) as squares." Jade replies. "Better to change now. I am not sure we would be particularly noticed at this time of night, but we should always be prepared, especially given the stakes."
She leaves most of her equipment on board, but brings her scanner, and her satchel with a few jars and vials for collecting samples.
Vonash is wearing her armour (second skin being specifically designed to blend in) and has her holoskin bracelet on.
She also openly carries all the guns that she owns :-) :-)
"So, come on "Squares". Lets go into town and see what we see"
Even Vonash, who has worked in the wilds, was unprepared for how different Earth is at night in 1968 than Earth was in 2219. You knew that more than 90% of Earth's animal species disappeared in the intervening 250 years, but you didn't realize how noisy an Earth covered in insects was. The crickets assault your ears and other insects, birds, dogs, and animals you cannot identify add to the cacophony.
Finding your way is easy. It's a long, open country road. The map gets you off headed in the right direction.
About a half hour into your walk, you see the headlights of a truck in the distance.
You can hide if you choose, which shouldn't be too hard to do at night in the countryside.
If you stay visible, the truck slows down when it sees you walking but only stops if you flag it down.
Brass as he sees the headlights and realizes it’s a car dives to the side of the road and rolls into the brushes. He hides in the brush looking at the car. Unsure of what to expect he watches silently.
Vonash whispers to the others
"Seems like a good time to try our disguises. Anybody know how to, what is the word, HikeRide?"
She stands visibly at the side of the road and waves at the truck driver, hoping that he'll stop. If somebody tells her the method, she'd stick out her thumb.
Vonash whispers to the others
"Seems like a good time to try our disguises. Anybody know how to, what is the word, HikeRide?"She stands visibly at the side of the road and waves at the truck driver, hoping that he'll stop. If somebody tells her the method, she'd stick out her thumb.
One of our party has jumped into the bushes, another is potentially waving down the truck.
The truck is far enough away that the driver has not likely seen you yet. You have time to discuss and choose a course of action or take a course of action.
What do the rest of you do?
Brass whispers to the group, get off the road as he sits motionless in the bushes watching the road with his slightly glowing eyes. These people seem to lack tactical sense, it is going to get dangerous if things ever become violent brass thinks to himself.
Jade follows Brass into the bushes without even considering the option that Vonash is entertaining.
Ueda--Jenkins--Immanuel stays quiet as the rest of the team goes through their adopted names for this mission, quietly noting each of their choices and mentally preparing. Realizing that some of his more modern equipment might stand out should anyone come across it, he removes his jacket and pulls the turtleneck up before reaching through a clever fold in the second skin and opening his internal storage compartment. There he places his engineering and hacking kits, along with his personal datapad and the pulsecaster pistol already secreted there. A deft series of adjustments later, and he looks the same as before, albeit with a slightly less bulky satchel.
Out by the road, Immanuel pauses and looks at the headlights coming his way. "I believe Brass is correct in his suggestion," he says, turning to the others. "Given our current state of affairs, I do not think 'HikeRiding' is a wise course of action, particularly considering your disguise, Miss Lashunt." That said, he moves into the brush himself, crouching with the practiced ease of someone who's done their share of hiding before.
"Dangerous by herself, but we need to split up a little bit before town. Hippies and squares, remember?" M'ilo mutters. "Besides, hitch-hiking, as it's known, was actually pretty common. And two nature lovers walking through the woods doesn't sound too off to me," M'ilo says, moving next to Vonash, sticking his thumb out. "I'm sure me and 'Jasmine' can take care of ourselves."
As they walked along, Carson said to Vonash, "I'm fairly certain a 'hippie' wouldn't carry a weapon openly."
Knowing that Mask had this, Carson ducked into the bushes as well.
"We have to test our disguises sometime. I still think it is much, much safer to do it here than in the middle of town"
With that, she stands boldly by the side of the road and puts out her thumb.
There's a man inside. He looks about 50, but without the benefits of even occasional epidermal repair treatments. He reaches over and makes an awkward rotating maneuver that very slowly and jerkily lowers the window pane.
He looks at Vonash and M'ilo and says, "You guys okay out here?"
He doesn't seem to notice anyone who dodged into the bushes.
"Me and my lady here are having a gas enjoying the wonders of nature this fine evening," M'ilo says, putting his arm around Vonash. "But my leg is getting a little stiff. Do you think you could give us a lift into Ogden so we can find a place to crash?"
"Jasmine" doesn't say anything but she nods and looks innocently at the driver
He gestures towards one of the least contoured vehicle seats you've seen outside of military or prison vehicles. There is barely room for three people in it.
"Thank you for the ride."
After they start off, she looks around the truck with a lot of curiousity. Its so primitive in some ways but it, essentially, isn't all that different from the vehicles she is used to.
"Its very nice here, isn't it? Lots of greenery. I really like nature. Its a shame what people are doing to destroy the world, don't you think?"
If we ever pass cows, or horses, or anything she will break off any conversation and look at them as if she has never seen anything so strange (which is, of course, true. Both Cows and Horses went extinct in the Great Warming of 2104)
"Its very nice here, isn't it? Lots of greenery. I really like nature. Its a shame what people are doing to destroy the world, don't you think?"
The man nods. "I guess it is. They say even DDT is dangerous now. My dad's been using it since the 50s on the farm. My guess is the people saying its dangerous are the ones selling us the replacement."
There is a primitive communication system on in the truck. At first, you assume it's two-way communication, but the man doesn't respond to it and the topic changes and the person at the other end seems ignorant of your presence. Its purpose seems entertainment and education more than mutual communication.
The voice on the device is talking about the FBI having identified Eric Starvo Galt as the suspect in the killing of another man named Martin Luther King. Then, it talks about the philatelic society calling for the making of a "commemorative stamp" for this same Martin Luther King. When this discussion ends they talk about a reduction in spending on space as "the Nation" spends more on a conflict in Vietnam.