HOUR 2

While Seth continues to the ship, Bob heads back to the admin office. Chief Marshall Quinton is not there, but one of her deputies is. When you ask about Frankie Battista, she very nearly shuts down. "Look. All I can tell you is that he must know someone big. We've only managed to slap him with a fine or two, and I think those only stuck because he has to keep up appearances. If you saw guys with him, they're probably bouncers at the Starfire, but they rotate in and out nearly with every freighter. I wouldn't go looking for trouble there. You'll find it. That's all I can tell you. And hopefully no one heard me say that."

As Bob leaves the office he's met by Seth with carrying Theodore's crate. The cat was a tortoise shell domestic mix - at least partially maine coon - with an orange and blue eye. "Ah, Bob, meet Theodore. Theodore, meet Bob."

When the cat meowed, it looked directly into Bob's eyes. And as uncanny as it was, it sounded like the cat had attempted to say. "Hi!" Considering Seth's economy with words, extremely limited social skills, and generally obsessive and hyperfocused personality; it wouldn't be a stretch to consider his only hobby was teaching Theodore the cat.

"Ah it is well. Theodore likes you."

Where is the cat to accompany you to next? Back down to the shafts, or up to the Starfire?

The lift works for Bob on his way back to Life Support. Food is also life support of a kind, which is why the assembly line for the food packs is located there. He waits for Seth. And waits. And waits.

The lift works for Seth too, at least on the way up. The dwellings here are utilitarian one-room affairs... painted walls, a simple bunk - couples get two, stacked, unless they know someone. There's a small kitchenette along one wall along with what is actually a copious amount of storage, at least for Seth's needs. The combination shower/toilet is in the corner by the door. Sit for one stand for the other, nothing fancy and it's self-cleaning when it works.

It's on the way back out that the lift has issues again, and so Seth is forced to walk. He climbs down the stairs to the main level and then heads out the main hallway. He hits wide marble stairs (you know the kind in every mall) going up that lead to the Galleria Mall, so-called because of the observation gallery that's located just above the main mall level up another set of nice generic marble stairs. The map says to go left though, and so he does, past Lee's Shop-MART and Anarchy Ink. A narrower hallway leads to the Starfire Lounge, but there's a lift here too, and it works. He's able to take it down to the Life Support level, where he meets up with Bob again.

The vents await. So does Adam, having waited here for you to return. He's staring at the blood stains, not really processing anything.

Yep! Seth and Bob met back up at the Life Support level, but Adam is still just sort of... existing there in the food assembly room where he had previously stopped existing.

The vents are mostly, short passages, some carved into the rock itself as the asteroid slowly became the base. It's easy to tell which way you should go at first, but as you reach the end of the life support section, you're left with almost no trace clues at all.The cavernous central vent goes in two directions here. One way is warmer than the other, but beyond that you have no real way to tell which way you should go.

The rocks show no real signs of erosion from air or water; it's very dry and cool in the vents, and the air circulates slowly through the station. However, in one direction you do find areas where the stone is worn smooth from continued use. Both on the ground and at about hip-level - or slightly above - the sheen of the rock indicates that someone has been walking through here regularly, relying on touch as much as sound. And these marks are, while not easily traceable, at least remarkable. Once they're pointed out, they're obvious, and so slowly, you follow those marks. The shaft angles down and then takes a ninety degree turn, then another, and another. The air is blowing from behind you now, and it's slightly warmer in front.

Eventually, the shaft opens up onto a high, cavernous area, and you find yourself looking down at the reactor that powers the entire station. You're about a hundred feet up. No one is supposed to be up here, so there's no guardrails or vent covers blocking your view.

The shaft overlooks the cathedral-like ducts and pipes of the reactor. Occasional arcs of electricity illuminate condensation running down the large plexiglass window that is there solely for the purpose of blowing out in the event of a reactor overload. The station would need to be saved, after all. The people could be restocked.

There's no clear way down from here, so you keep moving.

The tunnel continues its downward cubic spiral, and eventually ends at an intersection. To the left, a grate much larger than the one you started at is screwed in securely at one corner, but the rest are loose, letting it swing to the side to open your way out. The station's elevator is nearby, but its buttons are unresponsive. Overhead, lights flicker and buzz.

If you turn the other way, there is an endless labyrinth of gloomy tunnels, each slightly smaller than where you started. They all at some point lead out to rooms lined with maintenance access panels.

The entire level is hot and humid, and nothing is maintained well.

The only good thing to note is that here again, just next to the lift, is a layout of the level.

I've marked your location with an X.

YOu follow the hallway until you come to the corner. At the end is a sign that points to the left, proclaiming the next room to be:

Maintenaince Access A2.

Yes, it is misspelled. The door shoots open with a smoothness and speed that belies its age. The motors are in pristine condition, probably because it only gets opened once a year, if that.

The room is a bit lower than the hallway, and ankle-deep oily water covers the whole floor. It's slippery. You'll have to make your way through very carefully.