On Thursday, 10 November 2011, Janice and I had dinner at the Acropolisrestaurant in Needham, Massachusetts. The next evening, we settled in for the usual night of animation and genre television. We enjoyed Cartoon Network’s premiere of Green Lantern: the Animated Series, which combines Bruce Timm’s streamlined style from his superb 1990s shows with computer animation similar to that in Star Wars: Clone Wars.
Speaking of Clone Wars, I think the darkening tone befits a war that began with idealism and ended with critically weakened democracies, much like World War I. On a related note, famed comic book creator Frank Miller lobbed a rhetorical grenade into debate around the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street movements. I don’t deny that there have been difficulties with latter’s focus and safety, but I also believe that questioning economic fairness is no less patriotic than fighting terrorism. Science fiction author David Brin posted a strong retort, and I wish that both liberals and conservatives alike would strive harder to stay civil.
After raking leaves on Saturday, we ate at the Texas Road House, whose Dallas filet steak I enjoyed. I also liked Masterpiece: Contemporary’s Page Eight, an all-star musing on British national security and bureaucracy (not unlike Homeland). On Sunday, Janice and I attended a performance of works by Bach, Respighi, Haydn, and Brahms by the Rivers Symphony Orchestra at Christ Church in Needham.
>>”22 to 31 October 2194 A.D./C.E. or 0 Terran Galactic Era:” The adventuring party presented its findings in the investigation of the death of preacher Hugh Doyle to the United Ecumenical Movement (U.E.M.). The group transferred custody of wealthy widow Louise Reinhagen, and Archbishop Javier Fuentes alerted law-enforcement authorities around Saturn’s moon Titan to look for Adrian Valentin and Esteban Bakafret, suspected of smuggling, blackmail, and murder.
Hector Chavez asks for surplus military gear from the U.E.M., but the former spy’s companions remind him that it’s more likely to be available from provisioners Amir and Hassan Mukhtadi on Eclipse Station. Hector later acquires a laser rifle with a tripod and multispectrum scope, an old-fashioned revolver, a tactical vest, and a camouflage Ghillie suit.
ARTHERR studies astrogation records for Epsilon Eridani, where the Appomattox is supposed to deliver its cargo of items from the Vatican Museums to unknown recipients. Among other things, the robot learns that slower-than-light generation ships set out from the Sol system in that direction about a century ago and that Luyten’s Star, which may also have human-inhabitable planets, is a likely base for whoever will be getting the relics.
Jasmine decides against having Delphine (“Uplifted” dolphin) astrogator Erta Garza join the crew because of her association with Octopoid (“Uplifted” octopus) Kolidari. The charismatic co-owner of the Lucky Garden Casino was involved in Doyle’s murder and had invited the tiger-woman to work for him. Jasmine also buys a sonic shotgun from the Mukhtadi brothers.
By contrast, Capt. Gabriel Adams asks gynoids Tanya and Galia if they’ll leave Kolidari’s employment to serve on the Appomattox. The “Synths” (artificial sentiences) hesistate, but ARTHERR reassures them that they’ll have no trouble finding work on estrasolar colonies that Terrans are just beginning to establish.
Mr. Richmond Garrett observes the warning of local constable Capt. Garzan Cisneros to avoid further civil disturbances and stays in his cabin. Nero Bartholmew and Averki “Deep Dish” Dyashenko attend to the snake-oil salesman. Richmond joins the vote against Gabriel’s plan to conduct a heist of the Lucky Garden Casino.
The disappointed pilot sets a course for EpsilonEridani, about 10.5 light-years from Sol or 10 subjective days’ travel in Transit space. Engineer Hector sets up a false registry and transponder code for the luxury yacht as the “Heaven’s Gate” out of New Delhi. He also helps ARTHERR analyze and record each artifact in the cargo.
Unused to long periods of faster-than-light (FTL) travel, Jasmine is restless and practices her marksmanship by checking out the ship’s missiles and firing paintballs at crewmates! The onetime pit fighter and Gabriel disapprove when Hector and Richmond avail themselves of the gynoids’ services.
The “Heaven’s Gate” drops out of Transit as it approaches another vessel on the way to EpsilonEridani. It is the Chengdu, one of the outbound generation ships that ARTHERR had researched. The grifters hail the would-be colonists, and after some debate, they enter the larger vehicle’s landing bay. Richmond stays behind.
Capt. Adams, Hector, ARTHERR, and Jasmine are welcomed aboard by representatives wearing yellow sashes. Executive officer Chuan Bao and bursar Ghia Shan, grandchildren of the Chengdu‘s original crew, ask for recent news from Earth. They also note that they should have caught up to or heard from earlier waves of interstellar settlers, but they haven’t yet.
The away team takes a tour of the massive space ark. Gabriel goes to the central command-and-control (C&C) deck, where he sees personnel wearing blue sashes (possibly signs of a caste system) carefully watching antique equipment. Hector helps Sigurd Anders, an engineer wearing a red sash, improve efficiency in the heavily shielded ship’s ion drive.
ARTHERR accompanies fellow old-model robot Franz to the hydroponics and medical bays. They also trade information, even though the Ru’ulok (heavy-gravity reptilian alien) FTL drive plans won’t be useful until the Chengdu can trade genetic samples or Terran art for rare elements.
Jasmine learns that only about 5% of the crew are Synths, and she finds some chims (“Uplifted” chimpanzees), as well as Delphines and genetically modified orcas in a large pool. They and the nearly 10,000 human passengers are descended from people who fled overcrowding and religious infighting on Terra. Gabriel and Richmond look for gambling opportunities.
After spending time in C&C, Gabriel has a more intimate dinner with Ghia. The courier explains that now that humanity has FTL capability, newer waves of emigrants may skip EpsilonEridani and Luyten’s Star for more hospitable and more distant worlds, causing the bursar to question her ancestors’ wisdom.
Hector hacks into the ship’s logs and learns of a Delphine nicknamed “Bob” who was wounded during a collision. ARTHERR searches for him and finds that the unfortunate astrogator’s brain has been hardwired into the ship’s systems! The artificial intelligences interface, and Bob tells ARTHERR that he is very tired, but he can’t be disconnected to sleep without endangering the crew.
Confident that more modern medicine can restore Bob to a whole body and safely disengage him from the Chengdu, ARTHERR seeks help from Sigurd, Franz, and Dr. Rufus Han, an “Uplifted” orangutan and acting captain.
Hector and Jasmine enjoy fresh fruit from the ship’s gardens before working to improve its communications arrays and the Delphines’ walkers. ARTHERR offers to clone himself to substitute for unstable Bob, but Dr. Han denies permission, noting at the Vimeco droid is also still in beta.
Sigurd, Hector, and ARTHERR ultimately manage to begin decoupling Bob’s brain from the Chengdu‘s systems. Dr. Han assures them that he’ll use more recent data from Earth to aid the crippled crewmember.
ARTHERR and Jasmine recommend that Dr. Han contact the Olvar (mammal-like arboreal aliens) rather than the piratical Ru’ulok for FTL components. They also say they’ll look out for other colony ships. Gabriel and Hector prepare the Appomattox to resume on its course to EpsilonEridani and Luyten’sStar….
Also, remember that we won’t be gaming on Nov. 20 or 21 because Byron V.O. will be visiting from St. Louis the weekend before that! Vote in the poll at the Yahoo/eGroups site, and I hope to see some of you at Super MegaFest or the one-shot on Saturday, Nov. 19. Be seeing you, -Gene
–Artificial intelligences (AIs)/robots: sometimes disembodied; android/gynoid/nonhumanoid, cargo/construction, engineering/mechanic, general purpose, maintenance, military/police, mining, science/exploration (see “ARTHERR”), social/recreational (see Tanya and Galia)
Although Janice’s and my Verizon FIOS wasn’t restored until Thursday, 3 November 2011, I hardly missed land-line telephone, cable television, or Internet service after the early winter storm last week. A decent number of trick-or-treaters came to our door on Halloween, and I’ve caught up a bit on reading, free of fund-raiser calls.
>>FATE 3e “Vortex” Team 1 (5a), crew of the Blackbird:
-“Syzygy” [Brian W.]-Trinoid (trilateral amphibious alien) xenologist with an organic laboratory and a pet cat named “Mr. Sniffles”
-“Tela” [Sara F.]-female Tharian (winged reptilian humanoid alien) escapee from the Encegulans, engineer
-“Chris McKee/Agent Prometheus” [Josh C.]-male Terran cyborg human sniper working for eugenicists at Black Box Security Co.
-“Aughest-vor…” [Jason E.R.]-male human from the Lemuria orbital city, onetime dilettante, solar-sail racer, pilot
-“Scoop Chang” [Rich C.G.]-male Jovian “near-human,” interstellar reporter kidnapped by the Olvar; psi interested in First Contacts
-“Lt. Kevin Reese” [Bruce K./absent]-male Terran human, burned-out officer and explorer in the Interplanetary Patrol
-“Gombo Shisel” [Rich L./absent]-male Mongolian/Martian human, former horse rancher and wilderness survival expert
-“Dr. Bucket” [Non-Player Character]-United Earth Authority astromech robot assigned to the Blackbird
>>”22 to 25 October 2194 A.D./C.E. or 0 Terran Galactic Era:” While on the way to Oasis Station, about 40 parsecs from Earth, the crew of the Blackbird had more hallucinations in Transit space, thanks to the REM faster-than-light drive. In their shared dream, the explorers met representations of the experimental Olvar ship and newcomer Scoop Chang, another Terran far from home.
The scout vessel returns to normal space near BD+04-123, a star in in the Andromedae constellation. Syzygy assesses Chris McKee’s cybernetic implants (for eventual removal) and the biomechanical Blackbird, assisted by droid Dr. Bucket.
Tela optimizes Scoop’s hovering newsbot, which he has nicknamed “EVE” and styled to look like an early 20th century flash camera. She adds thrusters and manipulator arms so that it can help the interstellar journalist when he’s outside the ship.
Chris reviews the Olvar Star League database for records on the Zarkonians, a species he glimpsed during the shared hallucination. Agent Prometheus finds that the crab-legged aliens’ armada threatens the Aquarian and Polarian homeworlds. He is wary of Scoop, whose arrival on the Blackbird even engineer Tela can’t explain.
Pilot Aughest-vor… scans the BD+04-123 system — a.k.a. HR 222, GL 333, Hip. 3765, 96 Piscium, or Wolf 25. The orange-red dwarf is orbited by two Neptune-size gas giants, one iceball world, and two rockballs (one hot). There is also a planet in the “Goldilocks” zone, about half an AU (Astronomical Unit, the distance from Earth to Sol) from the star.
Lt. Kevin Reese takes a turn at the helm while Scoop asks Chris and Aughest-vor about their dealings with aliens. They explain their distrust of the Ru’ulok, who have been involved with intrigues on Earth and Mars. Chris and Aughest describe the following extraterrestrial species that they’ve met so far:
-Aquarians/Polarians [created with Carlo R.]: Amphibious humanoids with colonies in a few systems; threatened by Zarkonian Armada
-Tharians [created by Sara F.]: Gargoyle-like, pre-FTL aliens; see Tela
–Tolimanian mantiles: Reptilian/insectoid xenomorphs (hostile life forms), pack hunters that communicate via subsonics, encountered near Alpha Centauri
-Trinoids [developed by David I.S., Brian W.]: Three-armed, barrel-trunked xenobiologists; see Syzygy
–Venetian land whales, carnosaurs, and lampreys: See below
–Xenoids: Synthetic beings created by aliens, similar to humanity’s “Synths” (robots/A.I.s, “Uplifted” animals, genetically engineered humanoids)
-Zarkonians [created by Gene D., Carlo R., Bill B., Jon B., and Ray C.]: Tentacled crustaceans with an interstellar armada; homeworld unknown
Their diplomatic missions have been mostly successful so far. Scoop then interviews Syzygy and Tela about their interest in Terrans, but he is interrupted as the Blackbird enters orbit around a life-bearing planet (96 Piscium B). Tela names it “Venice” after a sunken human city because of a network of canals visible from space.
Lt. Reese and Dr. Bucket stay behind as Aughest, Syzygy, Tela, Chris, and Scoop take the drop ship Dragonfly to the surface. Aughest lands it near a large waterway amid indigo vegetation and bird-like aliens. Syzygy says that the air is breathable, gravity is 80% of Earth’s, and microbes pose a minimal threat. The humans adjust their goggles to shift the visible spectrum to be less stressful on their eyes.
Xenologist Syzygy happily wades into the old canal, and grease monkey Tela glides to a ruined pump station. Curious Scoop asks Chris if the party typically scatters without a First Contact protocol, and the paranoid Black Box agent says that the aliens are often in charge in such situations. Aughest reminds everyone to keep comm channels open.
Although he is unable to identify the canal builders, Syzygy enjoys swimming with fish-like creatures and takes samples until he senses tremors. Tela climbs up the side of the stone building until she finds a round opening into an upper chamber. She climbs in, stepping on squishy, reactive moss. Scoop sends EVE up to provide light and record her findings.
Aughest-vor soon also notices the ground shaking, and he spots a stampeding herd of animals approaching! Scoop surprises everybody by using Genurgy to grow wings, and he carries Aughest to the top of the tower. (Such mutations are very rare among humans.)
Chris calls to Syzygy to get out of the water and hasten to the pump house, where Tela is disappointed to find the strange hydraulics equipment inoperable. The beasts hove into view, and each herbivore has six legs, a wide stalk with sensory organs above a low-slung maw, and a body the size of the Tiger Hawk Sandstorm ground-effect vehicle (which Aughest wishes he had taken)!
From the top of the pumping station, Scoop and Aughest see a dozen large carnosaurs loping at the edges of the panicked herd, which has started crossing the canal. Tela throws a rope to Chris, while Syzygy seeks shelter behind the tower. Fortunately, none of the lumbering Venetian “land whales” collides into him.
While looking for passageways, Aughest falls through a hole to a level below Tela. EVE illuminates numerous crawling creatures, a few of which resemble millipedes with lamprey-like jaws! The onetime playboy calls for some help, and Tela throws down a glow rope but forgets to tether it to something. Aughest tries to fend off the swarm with the rope and asks for another.
Chris and Syzygy eventually pull up Aughest, who has only a few bites that need medical attention. Scoop observes that most of the land-whale herd has passed, so he could fly toward the “Dragonfly” with Aughest. Tela volunteers to follow, and sniper Chris says he’ll cover them.
Scoop uses psionics to thicken his skin and takes off, carrying Aughest, who has a pheromone grenade from Syzygy. Three of the clawed carnivores run after them. Tela follows, gradually descending, but Agent Prometheus’ first shots go wide.
Barely outpacing the predators, Scoop and Aughest-vor get to their drop ship. Scoop establishes communications with the Blackbird, and Aughest frags one of his pursuers with the rail gun, making Chris proud. The Dragonfly picks up the rest of the away team and returns to orbit, just as Lt. Reese warns that a huge vessel has entered the system.
Lurandi, captain of the Talari (ark ship) “Cyan Horizon,” hails the fellow explorers and tells the Blackbird to prepare to be boarded. The Terrans are alarmed, but Syzygy asks the Ma’ari captain to rendezvous in neutral space to trade information on the world they call “Stark.” She agrees to go to “Florence” (96 Piscium C), an airless rocky planet.
Aughest-vor, Tela, and Scoop take the Dragonfly, while Syzygy, Chris, Kevin, and Dr. Bucket stay on the Blackbird. The vacc-suited Terrans and Tharian step onto Florence, where they meet representatives of the Ma’ari, who appear humanoid but less than half the size of humans! Lurandi and trade envoy Rilga coolly invite the delegates to their moon-size ship, but they hesitate.
Syzygy checks the Olvar database and learns that the inquisitive Ma’ari don’t have a homeworld and have been starfarers for about 10,000 Earth years. Chris sits in his gun turret, wary of the massive Talari. Lt. Reese tries to assess whether the nonaligned species is a threat, and Dr. Bucket’s scans indicate as many as 1 million life forms on the space ark!
Scoop is more optimistic about aliens, however, so he and Aughest try to engage the Ma’ari in conversation, despite Tela’s worries. They ask for time to discuss the invitation among their crew, and Lurandi agrees. Meanwhile, Kligba Onagan, a hooded Olvar aboard the Cyan Horizon, privately radios Syzygy and asks to meet on behalf of the Kharvamid Alliance….
Bruce, we missed you at this week’s game! Brian, thanks again for the cheese, and Jason, thanks for bringing The One Ring for us to look at. Josh, I look forward to participating in your Fortune’s Fool one-shot this coming weekend.
>>”19 to 21 October 2194 A.D./C.E. or 0 Terran Galactic Era:” While on its way to deliver a mysterious cargo of Vatican relics to Epsilon Eridani, the crew of the Appomattox became involved in a murder investigation on Eclipse Station, in orbit around Saturn’s moon Titan.
Jasmine meets with Kolidari, the octopoid (“Uplifted” octopus) co-owner of the Lucky Garden Casino. After reluctantly sharing a hot tub with him and Delphine (“Uplifted” dolphin) astrogator Erta Garza, the Felinoid says she’ll consider his offer to work with “Synths” rather than for humans who treat them poorly.
Richmond Garrett orders a hovercycle in the form of a robotic horse from provisioners Amir and Hassan Mukhtadi. Back at the casino, Capt. Gabriel Adams continues chatting up gynoids Tanya and Galia in the hope that they’ll help him with a heist.
Damp Jasmine returns to the space yacht, where she reports to Hector and company about Kolidari (whose voder makes him sound like archaic-era actor Sean Connery). Onetime spy Hector recalls that security cameras caught an octopoid near where firebrand preacher Hugh Doyle was found murdered.
ARTHERR sees little reason to turn in the charismatic fellow Synth (synthetic sentient) to the local authorities, since Doyle had claimed that divine scripture “granted man dominion over all life.” Mr. Garrett agrees that it’s better to steer clear of the unsettling assassin, even if Gabriel still plans to rob his casino.
A security alert warns Hector of another disturbance near Eclipse Station’s chapel. A woman is rallying Doyle’s followers to continue spreading his fundamentalist doctrine across the outer Sol system. The local constabulary — as well as gambler Rev. Winston Jones, in all likelihood — seems more concerned with protecting the casino than confronting the angry mob.
Hector sets off an alarm in an attempt to disperse the assembled scruffy colonists and religious zealots. ARTHERR and Richmond get on the intercom and warn of “Venusian cancer gas” before local authorities cut them off. Since the woman continues inciting the colonists, Hector uses the fire-suppression systems to spray her with carbon dioxide foam.
The communications expert later identifies her as Louise Reinhagen, the wealthy widow who was a financial supporter (and onetime lover) of Hugh Doyle. ARTHERR notes that a recording from the Ringtown Diner caught her talking with Adrian Valentin, a smuggler who bought the equipment used to kill Doyle. Reinhagen had revealed to Gabriel that Valentin was blackmailing her and Hugh at the time of his death.
In a back alley, Jasmine again meets with Synth laborers “Prini Vonchadry” [Non-Player Character/Beruk], “Rosario Tamuz” [N.P.C./Greg], and cigar-chomping Chim (“Uplifted” chimpanzee) Faisal Batar. She warns them of Doyle’s followers, who may lash out at nonhumans in their grief at his unsolved murder.
Ursoid (“Uplifted” bear) Prini relays the tiger-woman’s news about Reinhagen and Doyle’s relationship to the information networks, while Felinoid (“Uplifted” panther) reiterates her drunken theory that Doyle was sacrificed to “dark gods” — even though she is unaware of the ritualistic aspects of his murder. ARTHERR had theorized that the disembowelment and candles were an attempt at misdirection.
After conducting research into Louise’s late husband Jurgen Reinhagen, an Oromax megacorp executive killed at the Hephaestus Stadiumdisasternear Venus, Richmond changes clothes and goes to meet her at a luxury apartment on the station. A robotic butler greets the confidence artist, who finds the merry widow strangely unaffected by the deaths of her husband and lover.
Louise admits that Doyle was no friend to the United Ecumenical Movement (U.E.M.), Rev. Jones, or Synths, but she found his beliefs comforting after her husband’s death. Reinhagen reiterates that Valentin had threatened to expose her relationship, which has now happened even after Doyle’s murder.
Meanwhile, Jasmine and a small but feral group of Synths goes in search of Reinhagen as the current leader of Doyle’s flock. Hector spots them heading toward the residential area, and ARTHERR hastily assembles Mr. Garrett’s robotic horse (a non-Vimeco model).
Richmond tells Louise to retreat through a rear exit and meet him later at the Appomattox‘s dock. He then goes to talk to the fierce bioengineered and robotic beings. Former wrestler Jasmine tosses the snake-oil salesman over her shoulder and sprints to get some breathing room.
Engineer Hector shuts down airlocks so they can’t be spaced and tinkers with life support to slow down pursuit. ARTHERR broadcasts images of Richmond’s past altercations with Doyle’s followers to the corridors near the Synths to show that he’s actually on their side.
The sheriff and counterdemonstrators will soon arrive, observes Hector. ARTHERR remotely — and not very gracefully — guides Richmond’s horse to him, crashing into a wall on the way. Mr. Garrett manages to calm the crowd and gets behind Jasmine in the saddle. They fly back to Eclipse Station’s docking bay.
Capt. Garzan Cisneros of the local patrol warns the troubleshooters that since Richmond has been involved in several civil disturbances around Venus and Saturn, he should avoid future trouble on the station. Even though he plans to address Doyle and Reinhagen’s followers and has had complaints filed against him by the real Dr. Garrett, Richmond agrees.
Synths Averki “Deep Dish” Dyashenko and Jasmine are reluctant to let Reinhagen aboard the Appomattox, but Richmond ushers her to an unused cabin, hoping to later tap her wealth and perhaps have her join his crew. ARTHERR attends to the damaged hovercycle, adding a pony-shaped sidecar.
Archbishop Javier Fuentes radios Hector to inquire about progress in the investigation of Hugh Doyle’s murder. The armored U.E.M. officer says he has two troop transports of chaplains on its way from New Quebec to help secure the orbital station, but ARTHERR warns against provoking further violence among the Saturnian colonists.
Hector reveals that a conspiracy suspect is in custody, and Archbishop Fuentes agrees to send a less obvious detachment for her once a confession is extracted. Burly Jasmine stands guard as Richmond reluctantly questions the widow.
After flirting and weeping in vain, Louise explains that Adrian Valentin had been using Doyle’s expanding network of followers to facilitate his smuggling. When moralistic Doyle objected, Valentin blackmailed him and Reinhagen, ultimately carrying out his threat to kill him.
Mr. Garrett asks Reinhagen who else would profit from Doyle’s death, and she eventually names Kolidari and Esteban Bakafret, a shipping magnate whose profits might be threatened by the self-righteous preacher. She knows nothing of the ritualistic aspects of the slaying.
In return for a “donation” to “MarSoupAil” — shell company Mars Soup Aid Lenders Ltd. — the grifters offer to minimize their description of Louise’s involvement (not to mention the octopoid assassin) to the U.E.M. to protect her from reprisals by Bakafret. They then turn her over to Archbishop Fuentes’ agents, who say they’ll work with Capt. Cisneros to find Valentin and close the inquiry.
Now that the U.E.M. owes the Appomattox a favor, Hector contacts his onetime handler Max back on Earth to help cover his tracks and check the news. Richmond retreats to his well-appointed quarters and calls for chef Nero Bartholomew.
Jasmine wonders whether Erta, Tanya, and Galia will be able to join the crew without her going back to Kolidari. Gabriel still wants to rob the casino and learn more about the Vatican artifacts. ARTHERR sets a course for Epsilon Eridani….
Thanks again to both “Vortex” groups for replenishing our munchies! Paul, we missed you, and note that the Pathfinder/Skype: “the Vanished Lands” fantasy telecom team won’t be playing again this coming weekend. Thanks, Greg, for your flexibility regarding your Dresden Files game as I sort out my schedule for November.
In the meantime, Team 1 (the crew of the Blackbird) is set to meet on Monday, Oct. 24 (sorry, Brian), and I won’t be running anything on Halloween. I look forward to Josh’s Fortune’s Fool one-shot on Saturday, Oct. 29! Be seeing you, -Gene
Gene's Worlds 