Chapter 2.0 - Into The Black

Diego looks down to see that his poncho has been replaced with an odd leather jacket. It is long - very long - almost scraping the ground as he walks. The weirdest part of the whole get up are the buttons; hundreds of them. Shaking his head trying to determine the purpose of so many obviously non-functional buttons he instinctively reaches to pull down his sombrero.

"It's gone!" he yells, frantically looking around at the ground, trying to find it. "What's with my voice!" he screams again noticing that his thick Mexican accent seems to have disappeared.

He leans back against a wall and sighs and looks over towards Eli. "This is all very weird..."

As the world around me comes into focus, I look down to see my clothes have changed. Instead of being ready for desert travel, Were those belts around my leg? Oh, for a holster. No sleeves though. Odd. No wait, what's that on my wrist? "WEAPONAUT"? A tattoo? Geez, what is this place? Absentmindedly, I gently rub my wrist as I look at the others. We'd all changed. At least we're all still human. As if on cue from that last thought, something inside my wrist shifts, making a small sound like metal clinking under a thick blanket. My hand falls to the ground with a heavy thud. "What the hell?! What the fuck is this shit?!" The strangest thing is ... it didn't hurt. It just went numb.
As I stare at my hand, I notice where it separated from my wrist. Metal and lights shone, matching my exposed wrist. What is this place?
[OOC: Sorry for the late reply. Trying to figure out the look of this guy. Is this recursion more Firefly, Farscape, or just general space sci-fi?]

Still confused by all of the buttons on his jacket, Diego is a bit oblivious to the other people around him. He quickly snaps to attention when alarm starts blaring though. "Should we be looking for someplace to hide?"

Calming down after my shock from my detached limb, I pick my hand up from the floor with only mildly shaking hands and catch up to the others. Nervously looking about, I'm startled by the announcement and back up against a wall. In response to Diego, I say, "I don't think hiding is what we should be doing. Sounds more like we'll need to be hanging onto something." I watch everyone around to see what they're doing, in case I need to change my tactics for riding out this storm.

Seeing the beckoning woman, I grab Eli and Diego's attention, "Come on!" and then rush off to the assumed shelter.

Seeing the beckoning woman, I grab Eli and Diego's attention, "Come on!" and then rush off to the assumed shelter.

"Don't need to tell me twice." Diego responds as he follows behind the others

Diego gives Jeapa a nod.

"Ma'am."

Jeapa stands as tall as any of you, and has a hard look about her. You've seen her type many a time back in the Rio Grande, and you'd peg her right off as a deputy or marshall of some border town. Her features are exotic, maybe slightly asian, and she is all ropey muscle, except for her oversized mechanical left arm. On her hip, she packs a stubby blaster.

She shakes Eli's hand firmly and nods at Eli's question. "G'dye. No worries, mates, we rarely lose containment in a class 3. Best prepared, though." Peaking out the porthole, she says over her shoulder, "where you boys from?"

"A mite different than what you might be used to here." Diego adds.

Unsure of what is happening Diego frantically looks about to see if he can figure out what he might be able to do to help.

Worried, but eager to feel useful, I step forward. "I don't know what to do, but I'm willing to help any way I can, ma'am."

Diego will make a run towards the kitchen area and attempt to retrieve the emergency kit (if there is one) before returning to the foul-mouthed Jeapa.

"I'm in, but you're the only one that knows this place well enough to form a plan. What do we need to do?"

Holding his hands to his ears Diego follows quickly behind Jeapa.

Not sure what you might expect, but the corridor seems normal. There is a slight gust that disturbs the air, but it seems to be disapating. However, it is really cold. So cold that old people should start traveling south.

Your ears screaming in pain, your exposed skin turning white in the intense temperature, you follow Jeapa down the central circumferencing corridor. She jogs forward, certain of herself, passing three side branches before stopping at a fourth. She ducks low and peeks around the corner, then turns back and waves you forward.

Perhaps it is an artefact of speaking through the air mask, or the rarified atmo in the station, but her voice sounds thin when she says "I'll crack the door lock from that sec panel over thay-ah" she points at a terminal down the hallway, "then I want two of you sheilas to go in, one going left, the other right. Shoot anyone that is arm-ed. Then you," she continues, pointing at Eli, "take that rifle and stand jeest outside tha door. Cover your buddies but give me space to rush in past you once I'm done. Comprende amigos?" she drawls lazily in terrible mock spanish.

---

Let me know if you want to do any prep before the door opens, and then roll initiative por favor.

Just when Diego was starting to shake off the pain in his ears from the pressure difference they are assaulted by Jeapa's terrible Spanish. His grimace hidden by his mask he simply nods in acknowledgement and gestures that he'll go right. He draws his pistol machine gun and readies himself...

I easily keep up with the woman, traversing the corridor with my usual grace by avoiding debris strewn about by the decompression. Focused on following orders, I reach for my weapon only to notice the strange design. Instead of a regular handle, it seems to have a kind of port that looks familiar. Once it clicks, I shudder, detach my hand, and attach the blaster.

He cocked his head and looked forward ernest ly although his eyes were closed. He had been here for a while and the odd message from the elders visions didn't seem to make sense until the chaos started.

When the earth shakes and the air cracks dance with the ones that run to the danger to face it. As emergency procedures and people panicked it brought the brazen out of thought. Pulling his own breather mask from his pouch he looked to the last of the strangers that gave him a hand gesture.

Maybe this was what he was supposed to see, grabbing heel anchors himself he gave chase to the group following the woman. "I come to help." he explained his hand going to an odd hook shaped weapon.

"Looks armed to me!" Diego reassures himself before firing at the person holding onto the system terminal (T4).

Well at least now I know what we're doing and what's going on. Floats on Thunder thought to himself moving to stand on the balls of his feet.


He suddenly would start to bounce the hook in his hand clacking slightly from the metal etched feathers as he shook it, his free hand reaching out to clasp at one of the what he thought to be theives. Sound would pass through him more audible as tones of his voice than actual words and reverberate into the room towards the man holding canisters (T3).

(OoC: Using Exception 1 Int minus 1 for Int Edge of 1, if he's not from this recursion (he probably from here though) his senses are overwhelmed and he loses his next action next turn)

Edit: On a hit I'll use the 18 to do +2 damage for a total of 6 (4+2)

Ultrann36 says:

Edit: oh well I didn't need that extra effort to hit after all. But with the 20 I will use the extra damage)

Remember you get your efforts point back when you roll a 20!

I slip an XP to Floats on Thunder to get him on the board.

Taking my sights on the newly armed creature (T2), I fire my hand-blaster at it through a strange flexing of muscles that I knew to perform, but were strange and new to me.
[OOC: Using a level of effort for taking careful aim.]

Trying not to make things even worse Diego will take a knee and carefully put his sights on the weird looking being holding the canisters (T3).

OOC: Medium weapon.

From the security terminal, Jeapa ran down the hallway and slid to a sliding stop in front of the door. On her side to avoid the fire from Eli and Floats, her left arm slides open and small gun turret retracts. It self-aims and fires multiple times but both aliens duck away from the blaster rays.

The alien to the right (T3) thumb activates a toggle on one of the cannisters, and then throws it into the doorway where it explodes. {Speed Defense rolls from everybody - beat a TN 9 for half-damage, but beat a TN 15 to avoid all damage - and Ultann36 please roll SD for Jeapa as well}

The alien that was previously under the industrial press (T4) focusses his attention on Eli whose spike rifle has wreaked so much havoc with their hopes and dreams for a 10-year reunion. {Second speed defense please Eli, TN 15}

I wonder what th- Floats on Thunder starts to think before his brain fast forwards and he attempts to dive out of the way.

"Nope." he states wondering if he could change reality based on wants at a time like this.

Expecting the worst when seeing the thrown object, I hurriedly dodge away.
[OOC: FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF.]
[OOC: Nope. I'm spending 1xp to reroll that.]

Seeing the incoming canister Diego does his best to dive to his right...

EDIT: What's the damage? I know it's half after that roll, but I missed the damage amount...

I quickly get back up once the blast subsides, finding my cover again before taking aim once seeing another one of those dangerous canisters.
[OOC: Attacking T3]

Rolling to his feet after diving out of the way he finds himself swaying again the odd metal hook in Floats on Thunder's hand rotation as he twists his wrist. The reverberations of sound emit from him again pushing onward rushing towards the Metal thrower.

(OoC: Using Exception again, Int cost of 1 - 1 from Int Edge, Also AJ got +2 damage or a minor effect I think. XD)

Edit: I'll use the 19 as additional Damage on the hit for 4+3 damage to T3 (Metal Thrower?)

Shaking the cobwebs from his head, Diego once again raises his machine pistol. "Two more to go..." he thinks to himself as he can barely make out the location of the last two aliens.

"Wait, it's just one alien... I think.... Ah hell, just aim for the middle..."

Diego, still woozy from the explosion, fires a short burst from his machine pistol, but it tracks high, chewing up the wall above and behind the last alien.

Jeapa runs into the room, and slams tackles the alien, who attempts to club/block her.

---

Ultrann36, please roll for Jeapa once again, then I'll describe the aliens actions, if any.

Jeapa slams into the alien, but he deflects her human arm away and after struggling for a few moments, he stumbles out of the tackle. While Jeapa hasn't said anything to alter your plans, she is now in the zone of fire, and you might wonder why she changed tactics.

---

Floats and AJ are up, possibly followed by Diego and Eli, then Jeapa and the alien. T3 had another explosive charge which has rolled most of the way to the door and has stopped, motionless yet threatening. T4 has a large blaster rifle and is uninjured and edgier than a longtailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Recall that there is a one-step penalty for firing into the room at him (which makes the difficulty 15, in this case), but no additional penalty for Jeapa being there.

With one would-be thief left Floats on Thunder lets out a warcry and whoops slightly garbled behind his breather mask as he rushes to join the woman. Lashing out with the curved metal hook at the alien. It would give him a chance to figure out the room and what was in it.

Not having any luck with gunfire and seeing that Jeapa has moved in close Diego will draw both of his bone-handled daggers and rush in.

Fast: Can move a short distance and still take an action.
Dual Light Wield: Two light weapons at the same time.

Eli's spike rifle once again finishes off the alien. It drops to the ground limply, as if it was suddenly turned off.

Jeapa picks up the small explosive from the floor and after a quick glance, tosses it idly onto a work bench. She then steps up to the crate and examines the digital readout.

"You mates are new here, righty? What do you know about planetovores?"

(OoC: I figure she'll explain but from my PC's background he probably knows of the "Dream Eaters", ignore the roll if it's not needed.)

With his weapon wielding arm now relaxed as he looked around he thought of the words the woman warrior spoke. He was quite a bit and thought about the phrase...

Floats On Thunder doors recognize the term, and with it the association of extra-worldly entities that seek to consume realities. Literally.

She adjusts some of the settings on the device and then stands. Straightening her clothing, she glances around the room, then flaps her arms to shoo you all out of the lab.

"I think everything is secure. Let's get back to better air, and I'll explain. I bring it up because I think these would be thieves were agents of such a planetovore."

Floats on Thunder’s face darkens with the realization and nods as the immediate threat is gone and leaves making his way outside and waits. He smooths down and adjusts the fabric around his neck the material soft to the touch, something he can never get used to it seemed considering what he considered clothing these seemed ‘soft’ yet strong.

Once the others besides the woman warrior meet up outside the door he would introduce himself.

"Hail warriors, I am known as Floats on Thunder to my people, I am one who dances through the dream worlds and understands the ways of The Strange taught by those who have learned from Brother Raven. Here in this dream on this Iron Star Child I go by the name ‘Thund3r’ to remind myself of the difference in the dreams and as not to confuse or forget one’s self in this ‘dancing of the dream’." he stated politely and with earnest looking among their number. His odd terminology though probably make the others wonder if he’s a bit off or maybe he was hit in the head during the ordeals possibly.

As he regards the others he looks around for the one who wears the effigy of the stranger’s possible spirit guide.

(OoC: I figure I should introduce myself in character also looking around for the guard that left to do his own thing I guess.)

Awuim remains at the intersection of the main corridor and the side corridor the weapons lab was located on. An interested observer might have noted that he nearly left his post a few times during the firefight, but dutifully opted to remain at his assigned position.

Jeapa nods thankfully at Thund3r's assistance and leads you away, Awuim following behind.

As you begin walking, the station intercom activates: "ATTENTION. CLASS 4 HULL BEACH HAS BEEN CONTAINED. INTERNAL ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE REMAINS AT DANGEROUS LEVELS. ESTIMATED TIME TO RECOVERY OF PRESSURE TO SAFE LEVELS IS FIVE MINUTES. CONTACT SYSSEC IMMEDIATELY IF YOU REQUIRE IMMEDIATE ATTENTION."

Jeapa adds "We have automated robots that attempt to patch hull beaches as soon as they occur, and we have enough reserved air to resupply the entire station several times over." She stops at a for marked EMERGENCY PERSONNEL ONLY which opens for her. You enter a small room which pressurizes as soon as the outer door closes, which is both a relief and a new torment to your tortured ears. She removes her mask and rubs her ears with her good hand, opening and closing her jaw reflexively.

"I'm headed to SYSSEC, or System Security, and I'd like you to accompany me. I'll tell you more about planetovores and I have a proposition for you."

"Well, I'm glad someone understands the ways of The Strange!" Diego says "cuz I sure as hell don't!"

He then looks to Jeapa as he mimics her action trying to find some relief from the searing pain in his ears. "What were those things?"

OOC: Diego could use some rest - down to 2 might and 50% on the others. I have him as using his Action and Ten Minute recoveries already, so he'd need an hour.

From the airlock, you enter a small service tunnel which leads to what must be an internal vehicle, which seats 10. Jeapa enters the small room/car, not unlike a carriage or train car, and straps herself to the seat with a lap belt. Various warnings flash at you, such as "WARNING: ABOUT TO ENTER LOW GRAVITY ENVIRONMENT" and "SAFETY BELTS MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES".

Once you all strap in, the car soundlessly floats upwards, toward the center of Tombstone Station. You can tell that Jeapa is reading by the way her eyes move and from the flash of laser light across her eye from her strange goggles that she has donned. The car slows down towards the center of the station there is a brief moment of disorientation as the car revolves more rapidly at the center of the station, but it soon begins to move sideways, towards one of the smaller 'upper' rings.

At the end of the journey, the car reorients and then slides 'downwards' into the centrifugal artificial gravity vector. When it stops, you are thoroughly confused as to where you are in relation to where you were. Only a system terminal showing your position superimposed over an image of the station tells you you are now in the Observation deck, the smallest of the rings.

During the three minute journey, Jeapa tells you the following:

Planetovores are unimaginable creatures that inhabit the Strange, the dark energy network that underlies the universe. Where the dark energy coalesces from its raw chaotic state into stable 'islands', we call these places 'recursions'. They are very stable. Planetovores tend to feed on reducing the stable recursions into the lower potential energy state of raw Strange. As such, they are the greatest threat to life that could possibly exist.

"The one thing that we have on our side," she says, "is that planetovores cannot just simply chomp down on a recursion, like a shrimp on a barbie. They can't penetrate the boundaries, and so they need agents, or some other way to open the door. Those aliens are a manifestation of sorts, right? They are agents of a planetovore that is nearby in The Strange. They seek to reduce the potential energy of this recursion. In a word, to wreck shit."

The journey ends there with an acknowledgement that you are know at SYSSEC. Gravity is lighter here, maybe a 1/4 of normal, but you won't float around. Jeapa unbuckles her safety harness and stands, and proceeds to the door. "This is a sensitive area, but I think that I can trust you Sheilas. I need to say, however, that naughty boys will get fed to the trash compactor. Ready?"

Edited slightly for readability.

Floats on Thunder listens intently his face solemn and nods occasionally to the explanation. To him the planetovores seemed to use the aliens or agents like a pack to hunt, to injure their prey so the scent of their blood can be followed.

"This pact can be made." he states unbuckling himself and standing.

Diego, still playing with his ears a bit, catches most of what Jeapa had to say during the trip and figures he'll figure out the details as the situation progresses. "Works for me."

[OOC: I hand Eli a cypher to recover 5 Speed (Velocidad)]
You can trust us, ma'am. We just want to help. I smile and nod sincerely.

Awuim barks something that sounds like "gorth" and she nods at each of you, then turns to the door. It opens as she moves towards it, and only closes after the last of you enter.

The space you enter is one big room that takes up the whole ring, except for the circular center which contains the shaft to the rest of the station. It is full of computer readouts from waist down, and glass looking out over space from waist up, with no obvious frames to the glass. The stars move slowly across the field, but you can tell that it is you that is moving/rotating when the dying binary start system comes into view. Jets of illuminated stellar material stream from a large star to the other, smaller one. About a dozen technicians, all human, but from random cultures and time-periods, fiddle with readouts, or otherwise watch the instruments.

"What is real? I asked myself that the first time I came here." Awium's voice is quite human for a dog-headed person, and he enunciates more than you have heard anyone do so before. His accent is unfamiliar and faint, more New York than you would have guessed.

"I can tell you that if got into a craft, we could sail around that binary pair, and then return here. Our instruments would tell us that we were on a journey of more than a million miles, yet that would make this the largest recursion of all. So, do we really travel that far, or does it only seem like we do? It is confusing." He begins walking, and it is clear that you should follow him.

"These instruments tell the technicians that the recursion is no bigger than Tombstone Station. If we leave, then we are entering The Strange, and as such, we chance encounters with travellers of that chaotic environment. The star system is echoed in The Strange dark energy network, and that means something. It is, in fact, why this station was built. To study it and to learn what we can."

He pauses. "You may have caught on that the station was built. Yes, we can build recursions. From what I know of yours, it is an echo of the desires of Earth. My own recursion, Arden, was also built. There are others, some private and personal, others public and accessable."

Jeapa, who had stepped away to consult with a technician, returns to you. She joins in "Tombstone Station was made to be open. You can't get to it from just anywhere, just the nearby recursions. But to keep it safe, we have to guard it. That's where I come in. The sheriff, if you will. I was born just a sheila from the backcountry, but here I'm a god-damned wrecking crew. That's pretty fantastic."

Awium smiles at her, and they nod at each other. "Ms. Jeapa has uploaded some information into my craft. I want to investigate the planetovore, and see if we can maybe stop it, or perhaps just annoy it into leaving. If you're interested, let's meet up in a couple hours in the ring below, and see what happens out there."

They look at you with the expectation that you may have questions.

Diego has a question.

"How does one going about 'annoying' a planetvore?" Diego asks before adding "It doesn't sound like something you'd want to provoke. Wouldn't it be safer to just identify and destroy its agents?"

Floats on Thunder shrugs "I figure this warrior woman knows of a way that would not be suicide to attempt I would hope." he would state his hand going to his chest palm in. "Provoke or annoy is probably the best choice of words, something large enough to swallow what you know as the world you come from is not something we can appease easily, if it stay it may stop looking at this place we are in where we can see it's agents and hunt them and go to a recursion connected to this one where we are not, like my home or yours." offered up.

He would agree to a non suicidal plan it was agreeeable for people from all worlds to incline the world eaters to move on to other areas of The Strange.

Jeapa nods. "The planetovore itself is beyond our capabilities to effect. But we can target it's agents and resources." She pauses and then continues. "You should know that we have never tried what Awium will propose to you. We don't think that it will backfire in any way. Most hopefully, perhaps we will learn something about defending all recursions from these entities."

"Lastly, it is a concern to us, too, that it may just go elsewhere. Everyone here is from somewhere else. We don't want our homes destroyed. Would we sacrifice this place if we could save a more populated recursion? Absolutely. We don't think that's the case, but if you find out otherwise, we need to know."

Looking at everyone, I shrug. Sounds like a fine enough plan to me. Heck, all this recursion talk is still kinda confusing to me ... but I'll get it soon enough.

Jeapa shrugs. "Not much specifically about the agents. They're fairly focussed on whatever task they do, almost machine like. They first showed up here awhile ago, but mostly explored. Some of our team were suspicious about them and kept tabs, especially since rumours of a planetovore in the area began to surface at the same time. This is the first time that those blokes have attacked."

She continues, leaning forward and speaking more softly. "They may have a base nearby, which would be the extent of their resources. We hope."

"Any idea where this base may be? Might be worth checking out."

Floats on Thunder nods, "If this is what you wanted us to wait a few hours for I think it easy enough to do." he states.

Diego will find himself a place to sit down and enjoy a powdery drink.

Putting both to Strength Pool

Float on Thunder looks through the options cocking his head to the side and nods, putting in multiple orders for mostly dry powders eventually an earthy pungent concoction is make which he places in front of the most tired looking of the group. "Drink. It is not for pleasure you can tell." he states with seriousness.

Edit: Huh well that's a fail, it will be bitter and kind of gritty, it doesn't make you feel better at all though. XD