Early April 1998 Official Responses

From:  Albin Johnson (Syzygy)

(responses from Syzygy to events in last story segment):

>Syzygy draws his gyrojet pistol, slowly, deliberately. The weapon rises,
>turns, and aims for its mark. Taanik's upper
>section becomes visible as the weapon's site comes into focus.
>
>Taanik holds ids ground. "Syzygy! What are you doing?"
>
>"Put your weapons away--all of you!"
>
>"Syzygy, you're crazy."

Syzygy considers the words for an instant. From the feverish look on his
face and the odd angle at which his antennae extend, it is uncertain
whether it is the stress of the moment or actual madness that consumes his
thoughts.

"Crazy? Everyone's a little crazy, Taanik.... I'm just crazy enough to be
useful once in a while."


(LATER...)
>Taanik manages to get close to Syzygy as the two are forced to enter the
>storage pod. "You are my friend, Syzygy,"
>hisses the Dralasite, "but even friendship has its limits. Do not EVER
point
>your weapon at me again."

Syzygy says nothing at first. Taanik had every right to be angry with him
- Syzygy certainly wouldn't like the idea of a weapon pointed at HIM after
all, so why should he expect the others to like it? Regardless, Syzygy
somehow begins to feel a little indignant about taking more lumps in this
mission than anyone else so far. Nevermind that both incidents were
foolhardy and his own fault - in his mind he finds it difficult to
sympathize with the tiny sacrifice of risk he asked the others to assume.
In his mind he will do anything to experience what others consider 'outside
the circle'. He would leap upon the pike to see how it feels, embrace the
flame to watch his skin burn. In his mind he is killing Daka Syte over and
over.

He leans and whispers to Taanik: "Your anger is understandable, my friend.
However, I use whatever tools I have to defeat the darkness. You were my
tool today and it saved the lives of innocents. Perhaps one day I can be
your tool."

Syzygy doesn't seem to notice the odd look this earns him from Taanik or
any other team members that happen to over-hear. Syzygy continues walking,
the sound of a distant drummer playing for him alone.


(LATER...)
>Syzygy takes a second look at the pile of equipment, noticing a familiar
>spacesuit and backpack. "Hey, there's the stuff I
>was carrying the last time I got mugged."

Syzygy will look to see if the chronocom is still there. If so, he will
try to get near it. If the armored sentinels stop him, he will move along
as if only mildly curious. "Heh, heh....just checking to see if my lucky
rabbtit's foot was still there."


>One of the eight metal-coated goons gives Syzygy a powerful shove. "Ha! I
>thought I recognized you! It seems you fall just as easily now as before."

Syzygy stops short for a second, turns to look the sentinel in the eye (or
his best guess as to where his eyes may be) and stares silently for long
enough to creep him out. In a voice barely above a whisper, he intones:

"Back on Circe I once found a dead human in a field. I ate his liver with
some fava beans and a nice Chianti. Kill me soon, for when this is over I
will eat yours..."

He then continues on his way.

(change this for 'yazirian' if it is obvious that the voice is that of a
yazirian's - It should be obvious, but no detail was given here)



>Another of the armored men advances and helps Syzygy up. As he does so, he
>leans close to the Vrusk's head and
>whispers in a voice that identifies him as the same Human who stopped Zane
>from getting clobbered. "What you did in
>the government center took a lot of courage. If you have truly come as
>friends, I will do my best to see to it that you get
>out of here alive."

Syzygy whispers back: "Indignation often poses as courage, but thank you.
We are friends. Please believe us. We are here to help. Please allow us
to do so."

If Syzygy hasn't been stripped of his belongings yet, he will hand his
chronocom to the guard. The chronocom will have the channel number to
Streel's personal communication panel still listed, but not activated.

"I believe this is the man you should REALLY be after, not us."

From:  Clark Valentine (Taanik)

Is there a way Taanik can slip out of the bindings by changing shape? If so, id does it as soon as the armored goons are out of earshot.

Id will also attempt a lie detection on "Selson" - is he telling the truth - or does he at least believe he is?

From:  Layne Saltern (GM)

>Syzygy will look to see if the chronocom is still there. If so,
>he will try to get near it. If the armored sentinels stop him,
>he will move along as if only mildly curious. "Heh, heh....
>just checking to see if my lucky
>rabbtit's foot was still there."

Syzygy's old chronocom is indeed visible in the pile of stolen goods. But
before Syzygy can get close to it, he is man-handled by an inviso-thug that
does not appreciate the rabbit's foot joke.

From:  Layne Saltern (GM)

>Is there a way Taanik can slip out of the bindings
>by changing shape? If so, id does it as soon as
>the armored goons are out of earshot.

It might be worth a try, but keep in mind that Taanik is wearing a
spacesuit. Even if HE can change shape, his spacesuit CAN'T.

From:  Clark Valentine (Taanik)

> It might be worth a try, but keep in mind that Taanik is wearing a
spacesuit.

Oops, forgot about the suit. Id'll try anyway, but won't be too surprised if id fails.

From:  Andy Campbell (Urugg)

In a message dated 98-04-09 20:58:07 EDT, cgv@flash.net writes:

<< > It might be worth a try, but keep in mind that Taanik is wearing a
spacesuit.

Oops, forgot about the suit. Id'll try anyway, but won't be too surprised if
id fails.
>>

Actually, it could still work - if you reabsorb a limb / arm that's been tied
up, you may be able to work the now-empty sleeve free from the now-slack rope
that fastened the limb, then reform the limb inside the sleeve after you've
worked it free. Or something along those lines...

From:  Ken Morefield (Zane)

Greetings All,
Wow! what a story! The only bad part is that Zane does not
know any of newly discovered facts. So he will do what he does best.
He will treat as many of the people as he can. He will try to win their
respect and get any tidbits of info out of them that he can. He will also
try to see(or ask) where his companions were taken and what is being
done with them. He will strongly suggest that he sympathizes with their
cause, but some suggestions: 1) Zane will need more medical supplies.
Will he be allowed to get them?
2) The conditions are just too
bad here.
These people must leave this place. They can get better treatment
in med-facilities.
3) We have one of you already
safely hid
back in the city. Do any of you know Cimmy.
If they let Zane leave to get supplies. He will try to escape if he is
escorted
by some of the armoured goons. Even though Zane doesn't know who Streel
really is, he still thinks that he's been working for the wrong side. The
only place
he can think of to turn for help is Loer. Can he find her and will she help.
He will 
tell her what he knows and ask for her help. It could be to both our
advantages.
If they don't let Zane leave then he will try to find a way to rescue
his team-
mates. He will try to get as close and friendly with any of the goons as will
let
him.

From:  Albin Johnson (Syzygy)

Syzygy peers through the polarized plexiglass of his spacesuit's helmet to
inspect the cramped, cluttered prison around him. On every side he could
see a comrade secured to a vertical beam. To his left is the graceful form
of the lovely T'Klkk, bound to her beam face-first just as he is. Her
writhing figure, fastened so alluringly against the object, creates an
image that somehow turns him on in spite of the situation.

"Hmm....kinky!"

He shakes his head. "No", he thinks to himself, "can't think about that
right now!" The others are talking, plotting an escape. He can't hear
them. His mind is a tangle of possibilities. Some are absurd, others
plain impossible. Another puzzle to figure out. Was there even a
solution? The randomness of solutions tickled his mind until he cares no
longer for any sensible way out. Only a way out.

Syzygy thinks about the two sentinels talking on the other side of the
room's only door, their voices still audible. He wonders just where their
sensitivities lie and how easily he can provoke them. With a grin he
throws his head back and begins to sing in long, loud tones a variation on
an old Dral spacer song he once heard, emphasizing certain words for
maximum effect:

"Oh......
The Lord o' Shadows was a mean old KNOB,
A mean old sneak was he...
He left his people to suck on space
While he lived safe and free!

Oh, ne'er a second he gave THEM thought,
Whilst e'er they grew a-wan.
'Cause he was sitting pretty you know,
'Fore long he'd be long GONE!

Oh, seven heroes came along, lo,
Seven came to help them,
But the Lord o' Lies done hyptnotized,
The poor fools to stop them.

Neither SMART nor BRAVE he quickly gave
Them metal suits to fight in
They forget the food, the air, the sun,
They'd rather let HIM win.

How does this tale end, I'll let you know,
It all depends on YOU,
If you care more for HIM than your KIDS,
We're ALL as good as through!"

Syzygy hopes to attract enough attention to get one of the guards peeved
enough to enter and confront him. He will either take the opportunity to
try and sway their minds or at least get one to take a swing at him. If
one of them does, he will try to duck in time for the blow to possibly
strike his bindings, snapping them. If freed he will scurry out of the
chamber to find resources/ a hiding place.

Hopefully, the guard sympathetic to our cause will enter alone and Syzygy
can talk to him. If not, perhaps I can divide them by causing the bully to
attack me and the 'good' guy to try and defend me.

In any case, Syzygy may appear even more unhinged to his comrades. After
all, breaking into verse isn't the sign of a focused mind while in the
midst of danger.

From:  John Groszkiewicz (Tork)

Hi Layne,

Okay, its time to begin Tork's Official Move. I may detail the second section more, it 
depends on the other players responses.

=== Begin Official Move ===

Tork's mind is racing, from "Dakka"'s actions he can believe that this man is the real 
Selson. Unfortunately, that means that team has been working for, *and being used*, by 
the real Dakka Stye. BUT... If the Lord of Shadows is in Selson's office, WHY did he 
hire us to stop the raids? Are we being played for the patsy or are there still a twist 
or two waiting to toss us for a loop? If the Lord of Shadows is the real Dakka there is 
*no* way that he will let us live now that we found his secret. If the Lord is not 
Dakka, he will kill us for trespassing. Either way we have to get out of here *BEFORE* 
the lord of Shadows gets here.

Tork looks around to see who he can make eye contact with and also attempts to free 
himself. < No, I will not gnaw off my arm as suggested by someone else. >

"Can anyone get free?" Tork asks to noone in particular. His words are unusually calm 
for the Yazarian. Those unfamiliar with Tork might assume that he has calmed down, 
others know better. This is the calm before the storm, Tork will do whatever is 
necessary to remove himself from this situation. Then *vengeance* will be served but 
on Tork's terms, someone will pay and pay dearly.

Tork looks at our new cell-mate and asks: "So Spider, how did you manage to escape from 
D-17?" Tork's question is not idle chit-chat, he seeks to determine our new cell-mate's 
skills and if he has friends somewhere.

Until we get this straightened out Tork will *always* refer to our new cell-mate as 
"Spider" and will demand that the rest of the team does the same. This way we all know 
who we are talking about. "Spider" is the guy with us. "Selson Streel" is the guy in 
the Metrosphere CEO's office. "Dakka Stye" is the murdering, computer genius, saboteur 
no matter who he turns out to be. Tork will also do his best to get Spider to accept 
this naming convention.

Tork will continue his inquiry ( regardless of answer or silence ) "Why do you suppose 
Dakka would swith identities with you? Streel's a big corp, you two cross paths 
somewhere before?"

If Spider is cooperative Tork will ask how he managed to sneek into Metrosphere. I 
figure we can use the same method to try and ge back inside unnoticed.

Tork will end his inquiry with an offhand question: "Just one more thing. Have you ever 
meet Maxim Zek'et?"

If Syzygy voices a complaint over this question Tork will stare at him and say "It's 
just a harmless question, let the man answer." << For *why* Tork is asking see my 
"[Unity] Clues" thread. >>

=== Part 2 ===

This part of the move is going to depend greatly on if we free ourselves or not. If our 
captors arrive before we can get free Tork will talk to them and attempt to convince 
them that we are on the same side.

- "For what Selson Streel is paying us he could easily pay to house and feed *all* the 
people here at Lost Point. Streel hired us to stop the raids. I think he thought we 
would come in guns blazing and ..., well you get the picture. We are not those kind of 
people. We are *not* your enemy, SELSON STREEL IS."


If we manage to free ourselves Tork will arm himself and suggest we move elsewhere in 
Lost Point and have a stratagy session. One thing we will need to do is find a suit for 
Spider. :( Tork will also suggest that we use a door other then the one we came in and 
then blast several pillars in hopes of collapsing the roof. Hopefully our captors will 
assume we are buried in the rubble.

TTFN
John johngroz@velocity.net
----------
"Can't say. Saying would be knowing. Don't know. So, can't say." - Zathrus

From:  John Groszkiewicz (Tork)

John Whitfield wrote:
> 
> >>Okay... WHY let us keep our Chronocoms?!?
> >>I always viewed chronocoms being worn on the
> >>wrist. It should not be too hard to free our hands
> >>enough to open a channel to get help.
> >
> >Your chronocoms are indeed worn externally on your wrists and could
> easily
> >have been removed. But the fact remains that they were NOT removed.
> 
> T'Klkk will say, "Nine degrees of oddness that our chronocoms were not
> removed. Self-T'Klkk wonders why that would be, unless they are
> equipped
> with some kind of tracking device."
> 
> If she gets free .....er.... WHEN she gets free :-) (gotta be
> positive) T'Klkk
> will remove her chronocom and leave it at the base of the support beam.
> She will then suggest that the rest of the teammates do the same. If
> there is time, Kare might be able to open one and see if there is
> anything unusual inside. I doubt that we'll have the luxury of free
> time, though.

Tork will second the suggestion that we leave the chronocom behind *BUT* not before 
sending a message.  I suggest that we contact Captain Ap-Harrow with the following 
message:

"Captain Ap-Harrow! We followed the suspect to Lost Point but Dakka has eluded us. The 
team was captured but has managed to escape, not sure how long we can elude our captors. 
Send a couple of your most trusted men to gaurd Selson before.."  At this point 
Tork will end the transmission by shooting the chronocom. He will have removed it from 
his wrist and 'mounted' on some near by junk before making the transmission.

The message may have to be modified some depending on the situation when the message 
gets sent. Whatever the exact content Tork will want to make two points: [1] Let the 
Captain know that Dakka eluded us ( as far as Tork is concerned Dakka is in the 
Metrosphere CEO's office). [2] Tell the Captain to have some men gaurd Selson - Tork 
wants someone to keep an eye on 'Selson' to make sure he does not get away. We'll worry 
about the gaurds later.

TTFN
John johngroz@velocity.net
----------
"Can't say. Saying would be knowing. Don't know. So, can't say." - Zathrus

From:  Albin Johnson (Syzygy)

>Tork will second the suggestion that we leave the chronocom behind *BUT* not
>before
>sending a message.  I suggest that we contact Captain Ap-Harrow with the
>following
>message:
>
>"Captain Ap-Harrow! We followed the suspect to Lost Point but Dakka has
>eluded us. The
>team was captured but has managed to escape, not sure how long we can elude
>our captors.
> Send a couple of your most trusted men to gaurd Selson before.."  At
>this point
>Tork will end the transmission by shooting the chronocom.

I don't understand the point this doctored-up message will be making. You
leave Ap-Harrow with the impression that Spider/Dakka is still the threat
and that we've been incapacitated. Also, that "Streel" in the office is
still Streel. Are you worried that she's on the take and we need to fool
her? I think the sooner we get word out that Selson may not be himself
the better. Also, I still don't see how we're all assuming we can even GET
a message out. The chronocoms are practically unreachable while tied up,
aren't they?

- AL

From:  John Whitfield (T'Klkk)

Okay. First order of business is pretty obvious: getting free!!

T'Klkk will say, "Teammates, it is essential that we free ourselves of
these bonds. Use all your strength. Exploit any weakness that may be
present in the ropes or in the knots. Try to find a sharp surface on
your support beam and rub the rope across it. Self-T'Klkk approves of
Taanik's plan to re-absorb limbs and shift in ids ropes! Hurry,
Teammates. We may not have much time. And do so quietly so that we do
not attract attention!"

T'Klkk will then proceed to twist, pull, and contort in an effort to
free herself. She will exploit any advantage she can find. 

If they do not get free, of course it is simply a wait and see
situation. In the meantime, T'Klkk will ask Taanik what id thinks about
Spider's story. "Teammate-Taanik, it is well know that members of your
race can detect untruths. What is your assessment of this human's
claims?"

If she is able to get loose, she'll until Tork and send him to get the
party's weapons and equipment while she frees the others. She'll ask
Urugg to report on Spider's condition (she agrees with Tork's suggestion
to call this man "Spider" until true identities can be sorted out).
If they're able to get their weapons, she'll ask that all who are armed
with barium cartridges use them.
As mentioned in a previous post, she'll suggest that the teammates all
leave their chronocoms at the base of the support beam where they were
tied.

She'll say to the team, "It is time that we decide quickly how we wish
to proceed. Self-T'Klkk has no interest in an armed conflicts with the
armoured refugees if at all possible. Also, since there is doubt as to
the true identity of the individual who hired this team, self-T'Klkk has
reservations about returning and reporting to him until we are able to
gather more facts. Self-T'Klkk is also conscious of the fact that
Teammate-Zane is still with the refugees, and Self-T'Klkk does not wish
to abandon him." She shifts uncomfortably and her antennae flick into a
position which Syzygy recognizes as an indication of deep reflection. 
"There are many unanswered questions. If the Lord of Shadows and the
individual who we knew as Selson Streel are the same, and we know that
the Lord of Shadows provided these people with the armoured suits, then
why would he not also provide them with food rather than having them
resort to raids on First Landing? Why are there so few males and so
many children among the refugees? How was Cimmy able to escape to First
Landing and why have others not followed her since conditions are so bad
here? Teammates, there is more that we must learn before that we can
proceed!"

The rest of T'Klkk's actions are going to depend on the reactions of
others. So, I'm throwing the door open for discussion. Talk amongst
yourselves....let me give you a topic.... :-) (any SLN fans out
there?) 

-JWW

From:  Clark Valentine (Taanik)

When Syzygy starts his poetry, Taanik says "You crazy bug, shut the 
hell up before you get us all killed!" Taanik has about had it with 
Syzygy's ravings. He got us into this mess by insisting that we 
surrender. Taanik would rather have slugged it out. Now he's 
going and ruining any chance of quiet escape with his ridiculous 
antics.Taanik will re-absorb one of ids arms and try to wriggle out 
of the restraints. If successful, id will release ids comrades as quickly 
as possible while re-growing the arm. Id will drop ids chron' and the 
base of the pole as per Kare's suggestion, then grab ids blaster from 
the pile of equipment (it is in the same room, right?).

When it makes sense, Taanik will suggest quietly but forcefully that 
Syzygy start being a team player. "Just what the hell were you trying 
to pull with that poetry stunt? And I'm not even talking about your 
absolute butchery of that old Dralasite poem - Dralasite poetry recited 
in PanGal; Ug! Individualism and personal initiative is fine, but you're 
downright foolhardy sometimes, Syzygy. Start thinking before acting."

Otherwise Taanik will use ids lie detection as much as possible on 
Streel/Syte/Spider, and on any Lost Pointers questioned. Id will 
follow orders from T'Klkk and/or Tork, but not Syzygy. Id 
recommends trying to escape back to First Landing with 
Syte/Streel/Spider or whoever he is.

We need to find that old engineer, and maybe the guy we used to 
think was Streel's aide - what was her name, the woman we don't 
trust? They could probably confirm some identities here.

From:  Ruben Rivera (Kare)

Layne Please Post,

As Kare remains tied up, she thinks....Even if Rubberneck can set us
free, what do we do next? As Tlkik speecks, her words make sense to
Kare. 

Cricket Queen "...There is more here then meets the multifacetted eye"

Kare "Agreed, but what do we do next?"

Kare considers for a moment. "Boys and Girls, if memory serves me
properly, there are many factory and lab facilities available at lost
point. Kare suggests:

1 Once free, we look around Lost point. Namely, the labs and 
factories. Maybe we can find your missing men.
2 Locate some armor. It may help us in the rest of our mission.
3 IF team feels secure (after we get our armor) Kare will suggest
that the Techs try to repair the Life Support units in the
buildings. Isolating computer access (keeping hackers away) and doing
the physical repair.

Why help? Its the right thing to do. Second we could win friends. 
"How STRONG is your Lord of the Shadows, that he could not give you
air. Could not or Would not! People of Lost Point rise up and follow
your natural leader KARE."

Lets spy and make friends,(and get Kare a nice suit of shinny armor, Now
you see Kare, with inviso control).

Thanks
Ruben

From:  Albin Johnson (Syzygy)

>When Syzygy starts his poetry, Taanik says "You crazy bug, shut the hell up
>before you get us all killed!" Taanik has about had it with Syzygy's ravings.
>He got us into this mess by insisting that we surrender. Taanik would rather
>have slugged it out. Now he's going and ruining any chance of quiet escape
>with his ridiculous antics.

OOC: I didn't want to bring this up, but since you mention it: where did I
ever suggest surrendering? I wanted us to pull back to a defensible
position - that's all. The only input Syzygy gave was to lower weapons
pronto to avoid getting the women and children killed. If we'd stayed any
longer you'd be counting bodies right now. I don't understand why we
suddenly 'gave up' instead of pulling back and letting the armored goons
follow us - if you re-read my statement, Syzygy wanted to lock the door
behind us as we left, but there were no working locks and no time. So that
left us with pulling back. However, there are no detailed maps of where we
are, so any tactical considerations go out the window - all that's left to
do is give an open-ended statement and hope the GM divines what you'd like
to do if you knew what was where (i.e. fallen pillars to hide behind,
craters to duck into, etc.) We had nothing to work on.



>When it makes sense, Taanik will suggest quietly but forcefully that Syzygy
>start being a team player. "Just what the hell were you trying to pull with
>that poetry stunt? And I'm not even talking about your absolute butchery of
>that old Dralasite poem - Dralasite poetry recited in PanGal; Ug!
>Individualism and personal initiative is fine, but you're downright foolhardy
>sometimes, Syzygy. Start thinking before acting."

Syzygy's expression grows dark. T'Klkk may notice his lesser mandibles
rigid, a sign of a Vrusk feeling deep hurt. His voice is barely a whisper,
talking only to Taanik so no one else can hear.

"Friend Taanik, you are mistaken. My 'personal initiative' has almost
gotten me killed twice - no one else was at risk. In addition, it was
always for the good of the team. Remember it was Kare, acting as a rogue
player, who snuck into Streel's office and discovered the airshaft, it was
my solo trip to the surface that yielded evidence of the invisible
attackers. Urugg's casual walk thru the garden brought us into contact
with Cimmy. Team efforts are good, but solo efforts are important, too.
And the incident at gun-point...well, I don't expect you to understand.
People may be breathing because of that. I have acted drastically, but not
carelessly - all of life is a calculated risk. Do you care to live
forever?"

Syzygy dons a feeble attempt at a cocky grin, but he is visibly stung. He
will keep very much to himself from this point on, interjecting only
whenever he thinks he can contribute.

>Otherwise Taanik will use ids lie detection as much as possible on
>Streel/Syte/Spider, and on any Lost Pointers questioned. Id will follow
>orders from T'Klkk and/or Tork, but not Syzygy.

Syzygy's only orders were at gun-point. He doesn't expect anyone to
respect or understand his action at that moment. He did what he had to do.
He doesn't feel the need to give orders.

OOC: Layne, did the guards bother to open Syzygy's space suit to inspect
it? If not, does Syzygy still have his palm-switch wired to the charges on
his body?

- your pal AL

From:  Clark Valentine (Taanik)

Oops - Al's right about the surrender thingie. My apologies - Layne, 
please remove that part from Taanik'' actions (as they would make no 
sense at all in light of this reminder).

Sorry, Al!

From:  John Groszkiewicz (Tork)

> From: rivera86@flash.net 
> Kare considers for a moment. "Boys and Girls, if memory serves me
> properly, there are many factory and lab facilities available at lost
> point. Kare suggests:
> 
> 1 Once free, we look around Lost point. Namely, the labs and
> factories. Maybe we can find your missing men.

Maybe, maybe not but at least we might find a good place to 'hole up' while we sort 
things out a little more.

> 2 Locate some armor. It may help us in the rest of our mission.

With you on this one but would like to suggest that we also try to find a spacesuit for 
"Spider".

> 3 IF team feels secure (after we get our armor) Kare will suggest
> that the Techs try to repair the Life Support units in the
> buildings. Isolating computer access (keeping hackers away) and doing
> the physical repair.

Sounds good.

> Why help? Its the right thing to do. Second we could win friends.

Okay.

> "How STRONG is your Lord of the Shadows, that he could not give you
> air. Could not or Would not! People of Lost Point rise up and follow
> your natural leader KARE."

Oops, you may have lost me here.  What these people need is to let cool heads 
prevail. I say we need a good YAZARIAN leader. 

> Lets spy and make friends,(and get Kare a nice suit of shinny armor, Now
> you see Kare, with inviso control).

Okay, but *ONLY IF* you agree to not seek vengence for what "the team" did while you 
were under the influance of 'The Rage'. ;)

TTFN
John johngroz@velocity.net
----------
"Can't say. Saying would be knowing. Don't know. So, can't say." - Zathrus

From:  Andy Campbell (Urugg)

"Coming up at 10 - Urugg sur Innesti stars in 'Bound, Part Deux - Days of
Blunder"

But seriously folks, we seem to be at a bit of a disadvantage for the moment.
Since, barring Taanik pulling off a successful Houdini imitation, Urugg's got
plenty of time on his hands he will try to help his teammates with their plans
as best he can. 

As the thugboys bind his arms and legs in succession, Urugg will remain
utterly silent, glaring straight ahead. As the process goes on, he will be
unable to conceal a low, choked off growling which grows from the back of his
throat. In the confined space of his helmeted suit, the muted sound
reverberates liek the moans of the damned, or perhaps a distant summer
thunder... For the duration of our confinement, Urugg will remain utterly
silent unless spoken to or drawn into conversation. His speech in any case
will be clipped and to the point; his usual good humor will be noticeably
absent - as will his recent wild theorizing about our employer and the Lost
Pointers. If or when the team gets free, his black mood will not noticably
lift until and if we escape Lost Point. 

Urugg's first order of business will be to put his Psycho-pathology skill to
work (given the tense situation and recent outbursts between team members).
His greatest concern is for Syzygy, who (though he will not voice the opinion)
Urugg has a hard time not blaming for the group's current predicament. He
will make as good an assessment of Syzygy's state of mind as he can without
being obvious; if we have private channels on our helmet radios, he may
discuss his findings with T'Klkk if they appear relevant (she being the only
other vrusk present). Urugg's other concern is Taanik vis-a-vis Syzygy;
again, he will try to assess any potential risk to the team as best he can
using the utmost discretion (ie. he will not actively question either team
member, but draw his conclusions from trained observation / inference and -
possibly - discussion with T'Klkk). The analysis tasks will be a welcome
distraction from Urugg's own brooding thoughts. 

As Tork's conversation with Spider progresses (Urugg will adopt the convention
immediately - if things heat up we may need to know without asking which
"Streel" we're referring to, so we might as well get in the habit now), Urugg
will try to help things along, using his Psycho-Pathology skill to try and
help Spider assemble his thoughts and get his bearings. 

Some things Urugg would like to know from Spider - granted that Syte is a
computer genius, but how did he hack every record across the Frontier that
might have vindicated Spider as the real Streel? (now there's a great band
name - "The Real Streel" - playing the Terledrom Coliseum next Tuesday! ; ))
Syte would have had to get every record in multiple agencies (ie. the Frontier
equivalents of, say, his birth hospital, state of birth, Social Security
Administration, IRS, etc. - quite an undertaking). Why did Syte pick Streel
to impersonate - to go to that much trouble, it seems unlikely that Syte just
picked a name from the "Frontier 500". If Spider / Streel broke out of
prison, how was he able to get hold of black ops inertia suits and
assassinator rounds and get on planet this fast? Questions, questions...

Besides Taanik's attempts at escape, Urugg will suggest to Spider that we may
be willing to believe (and even aid) him despite the apparent holes in his
story - but he must try to set us free both as a gesture of trust / goodwill
and since if he doesn't, the inviso-boys will surely finish what they started
with him earlier...

General stuff:
If we get free, Urugg's first objective will be to gear up. 

Second will be to get the team free of the cell by whatever means necessary;
yes, this means force if warranted against any and all inviso-goons. 
 The tall Yazirian has not been trapped like this in
a long time, and he is not about to remain that way. He signed on this
mission to be able to continue his studies in the sunny veldt of the Histrani
outback, to live free beneath the azure skies with the wind in his hair and
the sun at his back; he is *not* going to die on some airless, godforsaken
rock for some soulless coporate stooge or some pathological criminal.
Anything standing in the way of Urugg's eventual safe passage off this rock
will be considered an obstacle. The inviso-goons may be litle more than a
bunch of armored dupes, suckered into serving the LoS / Streel / Syte /
whomever in some Devil's bargain to keep their colony alive - but they are
still armed and quite capable of murdering us to serve their own goals.
However noble in intent the invisos' goals may be, Urugg is concerned with
keeping the team alive, neutralizing the party (whether the LoS, Streel /
Syte, or Spider / Syte) responsible for this mess, and getting off this
miserable rock alive (these concerns being ordered from most to least to least
in importance). 

Three, once free of the cell, objectives depend on what's happening:
---If we're all in pretty good shape and can locate or steal a suit for
Spider, Urugg will advocate returning to First Landing but not notifying our
employer - ie. walk back, jury-rig a cargo bot as transport, etc; the rail
tube is too easily monitored. Once back at First Landing, enter through some
unused maintenance way (we should be familiar with them from past activities
the last few months), go to ground, and eventually confront our employer and /
or maxim Zek'ket about The Situation.
---If there is no easy way (or hard way, for that matter) back, try to
negotiate with the Lost Pointers, using our medical, environmental / life
support & psych skills as bargaining chips. 
---If the inviso's turn violent, take any steps necessary to preserve the team
from harm; *only exception* - under no circumstances harm the colonists.
Preferred course of action will be to have 1 or 2 team members (Urugg will
volunteer since he's got Stealth from his hunting days on Histran) lure the
inviso's into an ambush, with the rest of the team waiting to "paint" them
with barium rounds and then hammer them until they yield or collapse. If this
situation comes about, Urugg will show remorse but no mercy to the fallen
inviso's.


Well, that's about as long-winded as I get... Given the wide-open
possibilities this turn, I hope it covers everything. Now let's see what luck
the future holds for our hapless heroes and heroines : )

From:  Albin Johnson (Syzygy)

Syzygy doesn't say much in the way of replying to the chatter going on
between his team-mates. Their ideas all seem sound, and he has little to
offer, he thinks. Instead, the thought keeps running through his mind of
what the others were thinking about him...about his pulling a gun on them
back in the squalid habitat room. Their sideways glances are not lost upon
him - he knows there is a measure of trust lost now. He leans his head
back and takes a long breath. "It was worth it", he thinks, "at least the
denizens of Lost Point are still alive..."


Still, he can't think of anything else to do to get free. To Kare's
suggestion of repairing the life support systems in Lost Point, he merely
offers:

"Even if we could get to the units, and even if we have the tools, the
damage to the infrastructure alone probably prevents us from doing any
good. It would take crews of repair techs and a complete overhaul of the
outpost. Still, I'm game to try."

Syzygy also notices Urugg trying hard not to seem like he is staring at him.

"Head doctor...hah!" he mumbles. "Urugg, my friend, you have far worse
things to worry about than Syzygy's feeble mind. My thanks for your
concern, but any madness I may be afflicted with can only be a blessing
compared to the nutcase who's been pulling our strings."

Syzygy will keep trying to get loose, etc. just like everyone else. He
wonders just what is securing him to this post (material of binders, how
they are connected to his hands, etc.). He is interested in making use of
his ambidexterity to somehow double-joint his way out of the restraints.
Due to the size of his thorax, there would be no feasible way for him to
pass his arms (wrapped around the post) thru his legs and try to contort
himself into a position of leverage. He quickly checks the structural
soundness of the beam at its base and pinnacle. This was an old, worn-down
facility - perhaps rust or corrosion have done their work here. If any
spots on the columns look deteriorated in any way, Syzygy will recommend
they try to apply point pressure loads to them in hopes of bending the
metal.

All I have for now.

- your pal AL