2. Dark Spaces

You have a few toots from the Lyle's Cooperstown grog and, your courages firmly attached to your belts, enter through the portal back to the ship. The decorating has gone well, a sort of frontier chic aesthetic that if planned was executed marvelously.

From there, floating in the dead black of space, you are considering returning to the Craadian hanger to deliver the goods, but after ten minutes of searching your ship, you remember you've already delivered the goods. No doubt there is a fair bit of drunken laughter and/or head scratching at that.

You decide to enter the portal for the other Craadian asteroid (the third one that had a portal buried deep in the rock). You crawl out, finding the gravity essentially zero. At the end of the first tunnel is an intersection and a tech light standard (not actually producing light at the moment). To the right, you know it leads to a hole overlooking a large cavern with mining equipment. To the left has not been explored.

"Whoa! was it exactly like that when we were here before?" said turana as she started to float in the place , using her arms and hands to get closer to a wall and use it to impulse herself through zero G, , she also considered the drinks she took having some residual effect on her perceptions as well

Would you like to explore the tunnel leading away from the light standard, or drop down into the main mining cave?

Emmett breathes out heavily. The drinks positive effects have completely faded, but he's left with the longer-lasting negative ones. "Blugh. Yeah, I remember the down and up were a bit screwy last time, but....ugh....Last time I didn't feel quite like this."

He moves to the tech light and grabs it, trying to figure out how to switch the damnable thing on. Sure, the area is lit up well for now, but that could change. He doesn't want to be left holding nothing but his weapon in the dark when it does. Fortunately with the low gravity his polearm is easy enough to handle.

"Might be best to head that way." He point down the tunnel, away from the main mining cave. "I've been over there and didn't see much. Sure, there's more I ain't seen yet, but I ain't ready just yet to make nice with the folk who live here. I wanna poke around a bit first, if we can."

Jaz is going to stage-whisper I still don't think it's a good idea to go poking around. Let's just disable it now.

Emmett determines that it is a simple on/off device, with an obvious switch. Turning it on, however, would also enable an electric eye that is trained to watch the portal.

Emmett sets the light down, not wanting whoever runs this mine to know they're hear just yet.

He turns to Jaz, speaking quietly. "You aren't even wonderin' what this is all about? All this runnin' around from rock to rock, metal buggers tryin' to claw at us and some creature or other firin' lasers and all, and you'd be ok with just...headin' out? I don't know...I'm not sure I could leave it alone. I gotta know whatever is sendin' creatures to town aren't just goin' to find another way to go about it. Maybe they've got it out for Cooperstown or somethin'. Maybe they think the mine that Cooperstown has been diggin' into is sacred or somesuch. If we're talkin' about leavin' the town behind us, we need to know this job is good and done, right?"

"It can’t hurt to find out…" Lyle whispers. "We should try and get as much of a handle on the operation here as we can. We don’t have to walk in and shake everyone’s hand necessarily- maybe we just scout out the situation?"

Emmett chuckles. "Heck, I dunno, Lyle, you might be the shakin' hands and kissin' babies type. Maybe they got an executive hootchologist position open for you." He shrugs. "Shoot, I'd vote for you."

It can very much hurt to find out. And the whole point of removing the portal use is that we don't have to worry about what their intensions are because we've protected the town.

The one claim for using the portal is to increase trade, which might benefit both sides. Do the Craadians have anything to trade with Cooperstown that might benefit the townsfolk, and vice versa?

The portal is thus risk and opportunity.

"Like I said- let’s just see what’s what. We don’t have to announce ourselves and I’m not looking for a fight. The only portal we’ve removed from use so far was the ones the quints we’re coming through… are we now trying to shut them all down?"

Turana floated in the air as she heard the conversation and looked for a way to combine both approachs So what do you guys think if some of us go scout a little and some stay here right next to the portal? i mean that way if things go really wrong and we do not come back after a reasonable time , whoever stayed by the portal can render it useless before getting out and that way at least can make sure the town is protected, you know: a extreme situation might demand extreme measures

Emmett rubs his beard and face with his metallic hand. The lower gravity was playing havoc with his stomach, and whatever Lyle gave them earlier didn't help. The cold metal focuses his thoughts.

"Ain't a bad idea Turana. If we're just pokin' around, no reason why we can't leave one or two behind. They could suss out a way to bust up the portal before we c'mon back, just in case we're in a hurry. Jaz, you think you'd wanna hang back?"

" I’m not a fan of splitting up- strength in numbers and all that… but If you’d like I can scout ahead? I’m pretty good at moving quiet- and the shadows love me. It should be easy." Lyle hoped he sounded as confident- but he wasn’t so sure.

Emmett seems torn. On the one hand, he's never been one for subtlety. Go in loud, smash some heads, try to keep yours on your shoulders, that's generally his approach.

On the other hand, he doesn't feel right letting anyone else take a risk. Bunch of kids, they barely know their ass from a hole in the ground. Could never forgive myself if...

He sucks his teeth for a moment. "I dunno...What if..." His face cycles through a few expressions before he sighs. "Yeah, guess you're right. I always managed to just miss you back in Cooperstown, guess you're good at stayin' low. But I'll try to keep behind you a bit 'til you tell me to hold back. If you run into some kinda trouble, you better leg it back to us doubletime. I don't need your blood on my conscience."