November 1998 Story

[Starport, B12 on First Landing Upper Level]

"The ship's all ours, boys." Kare glances at the ship's title, clearly printed on the nearest bulkhead. "The SCS Whisper. I think it's time to rename the ship. Any suggestions?"

Tork looks up from a control panel. "Four-hundred friggin' warbots knocking on the hull and you're worried about renaming the ship?"

The interior of the ship echoes with the distant sound of laser power torches--eating at the hull! Kare clenches her teeth in a frown and examines the myriad of flashing controls about her. "Takeoff preparations normally take about ten minutes, but I'm betting we don't have that long."

Zane looks at Kare with wide eyes. "Are you sure you can control this thing?"

Kare continues to study the piloting controls. "Well. . .how hard can it be?"

Zane's eyes open even wider upon hearing Kare's reply.

Urugg glances at Tork, who is still busy at the same control panel. "What's up?"

"I'm sending a subspace distress signal."

"You know it's not going to get through," says Urugg.

"Not unless Syte knocks out our WNB. If he does, well, this can be our backup plan."

Urugg advances to Kare. "Any progress?"

Kare reaches overhead to flip a few switches, not even bothering to turn toward Urugg. "Just a moment more and this baby'll be spitting fire!"

"That's what I'm hoping," replies Urugg. "The burn from the atomic engines might be enough to send back some of those warbots."

Suddenly darkness swallows the bridge, followed by the silence of a dozen machines shutting down.

"What the--" says Kare's voice in the darkness.

The lights turn back on, and the machines within the ship begin making noise again.

"Heh," says Kare. "Wrong switch."

Urugg slowly begins to unstiffen.

"Relax," says Kare. "I maybe can't fly this thing, but I'll at least get her off the ground." She turns back to her controls and lowers her voice. "I hope."

[Kare Operating Machinery: 50 (base) + 60 (tech skill x 10) + 3 (LOGIC modifier) - 40 (piloting skill level 1 is technically not high enough to fly a hull size 3 craft) = 73%; Rolled: 19]

Outside there is a blinding pink flash of energy as the Whisper's atomic engines kick in. The forty or so warbots that have gathered around the starship step back defensively--but it appears that even the mighty power of the ship's stardrives is no match for the warbots' armor.

The robots advance, one by one, blue laser torches outstretched.

But it is too late. The mighty craft lifts up, gaining momentum and soaring up out of reach!

"Yeeeeehaaaaaaaaaa!" screams Kare from within the ship.

Syzygy gets up from his computer station, where he has downloaded all the information he could grab--plus the Streel hacking program--into a nearby portable memory module. "This is where I get off."

"Right," agrees Urugg. "If we're to have any hope of reaching the Computer Spire, you've got to access the computer network down there and shut down the Spire's forcefield. I'm going with you."

"I'm going as well," insists Tork. "It's going to be pretty chaotic. You're going to need all the firepower you can get. Here, I found these in the ship's weapons locker." Tork carefully hands a rocket launcher and five rockets to Syzygy. To Urugg he hands an electric sword, and in his own hands he carries a full-fledged machine gun. "These weapons are pretty heavy--even in point eight gees, so you'll probably want to leave behind any non-essential gear."

"What about us?" demands Kyran--one of the four Lost Point men who made it onto the ship.

"You stay here with Zane and Kare," answers Tork. "They're going to need some support if this thing comes down."

By now the ship has risen about twenty meters above the moon's surface and begins to stabilize just west of the starport.

Tork opens the nearest airlock, letting Syzygy and Urugg inside. As the outer door of the airlock slides open, Urugg glances at the black moon surface so far below. "Get ready. There won't even be air resistance to slow us down. This is going to be a hard fall."

Syzygy seems not to care. He is first out the hatch, free-falling to the moon's surface just outside the starport rim. He hits the ground hard, but his fall is softened somewhat from the weaker gravity.

[Damage from Fall: 3 (1d5) + 20 (twenty meter drop) - 7 (jumping in 0.8 gees) - 4 (less damage due to weaker gravity) = 12]
[Syzygy's Current Stamina drops from 42 to 36. His skeinsuit, which only had 6 points left, is destroyed by the fall.]

Tork is next to take the plunge. His spacesuit makes it impossible to use his gliding membranes, and there is no air to glide on anyway. However, Tork does curl into a graceful roll to reduce the damage he takes from the fall. Being an expert in the martial arts apparently has its advantages.

[Damage from Fall: 1 (1d5) + 20 (twenty meter drop) - 7 (jumping in 0.8 gees) - 4 (less damage due to weaker gravity) - 2 (martial arts skill) = 8]
[Tork's skeinsuit goes from 41 to 37 points. His Current Stamina descends from 62 to 58.]

And at last, Urugg takes the plunge!

[Damage from Fall: 5 (1d5) + 20 (twenty meter drop) - 7 (jumping in 0.8 gees) - 4 (less damage due to weaker gravity) = 14]

Pain sears through Urugg's leg bones as he meets the hard ground. The fall was faster than he expected, and he made the dangerous mistake of stiffening his legs.

[Urugg's skeinsuit, which had 36 points, now has 29. His Current Stamina goes from 40 to 33.]

"Come on!" urges Syzygy, who is already back up on his eight legs. "We've got to get back inside the outpost!"

[Aboard Whisper Assault Scout, Hovering Over A9 on First Landing Surface Level]

The interior of the starship shifts suddenly, throwing Zane into one of the Lost Point men.

"Take it easy, Kare!" says Zane.

Kare glances over the dozens of short range sensors which surround the pilot's chair. From several angles, she can see First Landing's twelve ground to air laser batteries--equally placed throughout the city--which begin to rotate towards the ship. "A rough ride is the worst of our worries right now. I can maneuver to place the Spire's forcefield between us and the four cannons in the east sector of the city, but we're going to be wide open to those eight other cannons. I need you to man the ship's laser battery!"

"I've never run a gunnery station before," says Zane.

"We don't have a choice," replies Kare. "I'm not asking you to shoot a target ninety kilometers away." The ship tilts again and begins to fall, but Kare quickly stabilizes it. "A blind flitter could hit a stationary target at this close range. Just aim and shoot!"

Zane runs to the laser gunnery station and tries to figure out the controls. This all looks so different from the medical equipment he is accustomed to.

[Zane INTUITION: 70 - 40 (non-military PSA) + 10 (beam weapons level 1) = 40%; Rolled: 36]

"I think I've got it," says Zane from the gunnery chair. A close range scope scans First Landing at his command, centering on the closest anti-air cannon to the southeast. "I gotta admit, I'm feeling psyched today!"

"You're not going to get affectionate on me again!" warns Kare.

"Heh," chuckles Zane. "I admit the kiss was kind of sudden, but you don't know how this feels! Since I was a kid, my biggest dream was to be a player on the stage of life! In medical school I was a nobody. I spent every day in a protected shell. My actions had no bearing whatsoever on the cosmic flow of things. But today, today I'm facing eight hundred thousand robots, and a mastermind with a whole city at his command. There's nothing like coming face to face with enemy fire and not letting it touch you! This is so exhilerating! For the first time in my life, I'm on the stage! And it's a starring role!"

"Just concentrate on taking those cannons out," orders Kare.

[Zane Chance to Hit (lack of skill and extremely close range even out): 65%; Rolled: 03--lucky break!]

A mighty discharge of laser power escapes the ship and blows the anti-air cannon into blackened shrapnel.

"Yes!" shouts Zane. "I can't believe this feeling! From now on, every day is going to be like this!"

The interior of the ship shakes with an explosion--blackening the lights out for a split second. Kare tries frantically to maneuver the unfamiliar ship and dodge the incoming bolts of laser fire. This ship is shaken again--harder this time--as it is struck simultaneously from both sides.

Kare's voice hollers above the scream of a dozen emergency klaxons. "We've taken three hits! We've got drive damage, hull damage and an electrical fire on the engineering deck!"

[1 ADF point and 6 hull points are lost.]

"We'll take care of the fire!" offers Kyran. "Just get us out of this deathtrap!"

[Airtube South of Starport, B13 on First Landing Upper Level]

Two security robots greet Tork, Urugg and Syzygy as they enter the city through an airtube airlock.

[Tork Chance to Hit: 33 (RW) + 30 (projectile skill x 10) + 20 (firing burst) - 10 (short range) = 73%; Rolled: 61]
[Damage (10d10): 6 + 8 + 10 + 9 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 3 + 6 + 1 = 46]

[Urugg Chance to Hit: 38 (M) + 20 (melee skill x 10) + 10 (weapon modifier) = 68%; Rolled: 37]
[Damage (4d10 + PS): 1 + 9 + 4 + 7 + 2 (PS) = 23]

[Syzygy Chance to Hit: 38 (RW) + 20 (gyrojet skill x 10) - 10 (short range) = 48%; Rolled: 07]
[Damage (15d10): 10 + 8 + 9 + 6 + 5 + 10 + 9 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 6 + 7 + 10 + 9 + 8 = 112]

Tork fills the left robot full of machine gun rounds, and Urugg follows up with a vicious swipe of his electric sword. Bare wires spit sparks from the robot's broken chassis, but the robot is not down yet.

Syzygy lets fly his rocket into the robot on the right. Metallic limbs go sailing as the rocket explodes, and the robot is no more.

The left robot grasps for Urugg, but Urugg swings out of reach--returning with another swing of his sword.

[Urugg Chance to Hit: 38 (M) + 20 (melee skill x 10) + 10 (weapon modifier) = 68%; Rolled: 52]
[Damage (4d10 + PS): 2 + 7 + 1 + 8 + 2 (PS) = 20]

Urugg's sword slices through the robot's torso, severing hundreds of essential wires. The robot seethes in an electronic rage, but Tork is already in its face with a pair of karate punches.

[Tork Chance to Hit: 33 (M) + 20 (martial arts skill x 10) = 53%; Rolled: 76, 45]
[Damage (PS): 4]

One of the two punches makes contact.

The robot swings back at Tork, but Tork manages to avoid the attack by stepping back.

[Urugg Chance to Hit: 38 (M) + 20 (melee skill x 10) + 10 (weapon modifier) = 68%; Rolled: 78]

Urugg thrusts his sword at the security bot, but misses.

[Tork Chance to Hit: 33 (M) + 20 (martial arts skill x 10) = 53%; Rolled: 05, 44]
[Damage (PS): 4 and 4]

Tork roundkicks the android, knocking an arm off, and crushes what remains of its neck with a follow up elbow punch.

The robot crackles with an electric death, and falls to the smooth floor.

"There's two more down, out of a few hundred thousand," says Tork.

Urugg nods. "At least with all radio links down, they can't tell their friends."

Syzygy finishes reloading his rocket launcher. "Not a bad piece of equipment, but nothing would beat a good computer terminal right now."

Tork notices how empty the hallways feel. "Syzygy, this place was crawling with the holograms you set up. Where are they?"

Syzygy can think of only one explanation. "Dakka must have shut them down."

Urugg glances down the hall and sees a small procession of robots passing by. "We won't win this war with weapons. If we're going to get you to a terminal, we're going to have to sneak past those sentry robots! Follow me, and do as I do."

Urugg tiptoes to the nearest hallway junction and presses his back up against the wall.

[Urugg Stealth: 20 (base) + 30 (environmental skill x 10) + 13 (DEXTERITY modifier) = 63%; Rolled: 96--bad break]

In his attempt to get past the robots, Urugg knocks over a decorative statue--alerting the four robots to his presence.

[Roll for Initiative. Syzygy: 8 (IM) + 3 (1d10) = 11. Robots: 5 (IM) + 9 (1d10) = 14.]

The robots rush at the group.

One tries to grab Syzygy, but Syzygy manages to evade the sentry's electrified grip.

Unfortunately, this leads Syzygy directly into the grasp of another robot--which manages to knock the rocket launcher from Syzygy's hands. [It rolled a lucky break.]

[Syzygy STAMINA: 43; Rolled: 49]

Syzygy falls limp to the stun effects of the metallic hands that grab him.

The third robot swings at Tork, but Tork skillfully dodges the attack.

The fourth robot tries to come at Tork from behind. Tork quickly steps out of the way.

[Tork Chance to Hit: 33 (RW) + 30 (projectile skill x 10) + 20 (firing burst) - 10 (short range) = 73%; Rolled: 08]
[Damage (10d10): 2 + 4 + 9 + 7 + 10 + 2 + 5 + 7 + 3 + 9 = 58]

Tork returns fire with his machine gun, blowing holes in the first robot that tried to attack him--but not destroying it.

Urugg dives for the rocket launcher that Syzygy dropped on the floor.

[Urugg DEXTERITY: 76; Rolled: 13]

Urugg spins about and fires from the floor.

[Urugg Chance to Hit: 38 (RW) - 10 (short range) = 28%; Rolled: 26!]
[Damage: 2 + 4 + 1 + 8 + 1 + 7 + 3 + 1 + 5 + 8 + 4 + 9 + 10 + 7 + 2 = 72]

The rocket catches one of the robots square in the chest, and deals it some severe damage!

Seeking revenge, the damaged robot clutches Urugg's shoulder. Electric juice courses through Urugg's body, tightening his muscles.

[Urugg STAMINA: 40; Rolled: 55]

Urugg trembles on the ground, unable to move.

One of the robots hits Tork, dealing another electric shock.

[Tork STAMINA: 62; Rolled: 55]

Tork somehow withstands the stunning effect, and fires at the first robot he hit.

[Tork Chance to Hit: 33 (RW) + 30 (projectile skill x 10) + 20 (firing burst) - 10 (short range) = 73%; Rolled: 57]
[Damage (10d10): 8 + 10 + 10 + 3 + 5 + 4 + 9 + 4 + 10 + 1 = 64]

The robot takes the full load of bullets and tumbles backward into a destroyed heap.

The other three robots advance on Tork, but only one of them manages to touch him.

[Tork STAMINA: 62; Rolled: 56]

Again, Tork defies the absolute pain of the robot's electrified hands.

He fires his machine gun at the robot Urugg damaged with the rocket launcher.

[Tork Chance to Hit: 33 (RW) + 30 (projectile skill x 10) + 20 (firing burst) - 10 (short range) = 73%; Rolled: 12]
[Damage (10d10): 1 + 3 + 7 + 4 + 3 + 7 + 9 + 3 + 1 + 5 = 43]

A swarm of bullets pierce's the robot's shell. The additional damage is too much for it. The robot slumps motionless to the floor.

"Stay away from me!" warns Tork, stepping back quickly enough to avoid the oncoming attacks of the remaining two robots.

[Tork Chance to Hit: 33 (RW) + 30 (projectile skill x 10) + 20 (firing burst) - 10 (short range) = 73%; Rolled: 05--lucky break]
[Damage (10d10): 5 + 1 + 8 + 8 + 3 + 3 + 9 + 4 + 4 + 10 = 55]

The force of Tork's next machine gun burst sends one of the robots reeling back into a control panel in the wall. Electric current from the panel floods the robot's body, short circuiting it into uselessness.

The final robot bears down on Tork, clutching his neck in an iron grip. Tork screams with pain as the electrical currents from the robot's hands send spasms through every body muscle. Acrid smoke rises from Tork's burning flesh.

But suddenly the grip loosens.

The robot falls stiffly to the floor, revealing Syzygy--who is still somewhat shaky from the ordeal he went through. On the robot's back is a panel that Syzygy managed to get open, to deactivate the robot.

Urugg rubs his head as he gets up. "Ow! I've got to work on those survival skills."

Tork uses both hands to reposition his neck. He looks to the east. "It looks like the path is clear to the Disaster Recovery Facility just down the hall. You'll get your chance again, Urugg. Once we find Syzygy a terminal in the facility, you and I are going to have to use our skills to come up with some kind of camouflage."

The three run like mad for the Disaster Recovery Facility, hoping they can get there before any more robots show up.

Inside a narrow hallway of the facility, Urugg and Tork set up a barrier of cabinets, blankets, first aid kits and water bags on all sides.

"Good," says Urugg. "If we can make this look natural enough, the security robots should pass by this area without even thinking to look for us behind it all."

[Urugg Concealment: 10 (base) + 30 (environmental skill x 10) + 13 (LOGIC modifier) + 10 (Tork helping) = 73%; Rolled: 42]

Meanwhile, within the hiding place Urugg and Tork have set up, Syzygy cracks his knuckles and sets to work at the terminal in front of him.

"All right, Syte. Hope you're ready for some real competition!"

[Dakka Syte's Office, Government Building, I7 on First Landing Upper Level]

A red light flashes slowly next to Dakka's computer terminal, snatching the Human's attention. He looks at the light for a few seconds, letting the gravity of the situation sink in.

"More ambitious than I thought," says Dakka--to himself apparently. "Someone's trying to break through the Spire's security protocols. Well, I can deal with that easily enough. Whoever you are, welcome to my territory!"

Dakka's nimble fingers enter in his next command at the terminal:

"EXECUTE SECURITY TRACE PROGRAM -- AUTHORIZATION DAKKA"

The computer terminal replies immediately, displaying an impossibly complex schematic of the outpost's computer network. A status message appears above the schematic:

"TRACING SOURCE TERMINAL. . ."

Dakka grins. "Okay then. Let's see where our little hacker is, so he can be dealt with properly."

[Syzygy Defeating Security: 60 (base) + 60 (computer skill x 10) - 60 (program level x 10) + 10 (LOGIC modifier) = 70%; Rolled: 61]

Dakka's brow twists with concern. The computer seems to be taking an unusually long time locating the terminal from which the hacker is working.

Finally the status of the search is updated:

"TRACING SOURCE TERMINAL. . .REDIRECTED BY SOURCE"

What little was left of Dakka's grin falls away entirely.

[Aboard Whisper Assault Scout, Hovering Over A9 on First Landing Surface Level]

[Zane Chance to Hit: 65%; Rolled: 15]
[Damage (1d10): 7]

The nearest cannon to the northeast explodes and collapses into a heap of slag.

"Ha ha!" chimes Zane. "Got another one!"

The bridge trembles with another explosion, followed by another so powerful that a number of control panels burst from the walls and clatter to the floor in a storm of sparks.

"They're firing again!" returns Kare. "We've taken two more hits! This ship's hull is falling apart, and the laser battery's been knocked out! Not only that--the fire has killed the navigation system! I can't even land this thing!"

[The hit to the hull did double damage: 8 points (4 doubled). This leaves only 1 hull point!]

"Fine!" says Zane, getting up. "I'll use the assault rocket launcher!"

"No!" hollers Kare. "There's no way you can take out all the canons in time!"

Zane looks ahead at the defiant Computer Spire, rising arrogantly from the city behind a glimmering protective field. "I'm not aiming at the cannons!"

"There isn't time! With navigation down I can't evade enemy fire!" Kare activates the ship's intercom. "All hands, retreat!"

Zane focuses on the Spire through the rocket gunner sensors. "We won't get another chance at this, Kare!"

"This ship can't repel firepower of that magnitude!"

Zane's voice rings with fierce determination.

"Syzygy will have that shield down! We've got to give him more time!!!"

[Disaster Recovery Facility, C13 on First Landing Upper Level]

"How's it looking?" asks Urugg, barely daring to disturb Syzygy's work.

"Dakka's re-coded all the security algorithms since we left for Lost Point. Even with the cracking program from the assault scout, it's taking me a lot longer than I expected. On top of that, someone's trying to trace my work back to this terminal. I'm doing my best to redirect the trace elsewhere, but I can't keep this up forever."

The distant sound of metallic footfalls catches Tork's pointed ears. He looks about nervously, praying their group is not discovered by a squadron of security robots. "If we can't get the forcefield down soon, none of this is going to matter any more."

The clacking of Syzygy's keyboard grows louder with frustration. "I know! I know!"

[Dakka Syte's Office, Government Building, I7 on First Landing Upper Level]

The wall-sized monitor in front of Dakka Syte displays millions of thin gold lines--all intertwined at right angles on a background of black. A red circle with a crosshair through it passes from junction to junction on the maze of gold and black. At each junction the circle pauses, and a few lines of text appear below it:

"TRACING SOURCE TERMINAL. . .REDIRECTED BY SOURCE"

And after each such pause, the red circle continues in its search.

"You're a clever one," says Dakka. "But you can't hide from me forever." The light from the gold lines glows on Dakka's glistening wet forehead. "I know you're there. You're so close I can smell your breath."

The red circle slows to a crawl, and then pauses for several seconds.

"TRACING SOURCE TERMINAL. . ."

The golden junction beneath the red circle and crosshair expands, displaying several hundred lines of text. At the top of the text is a flashing line in large red letters:

"SOURCE TERMINAL LOCATED"

Dakka's sweaty lip curls into a grin the devil would be proud of.

"I have you now!"

[Disaster Recovery Facility, C13 on First Landing Upper Level]

With simultaneous motion, two steel panels slice from the walls. Before Urugg and Tork can react, the small area of hallway they are sharing with Syzygy is sealed off entirely from the outside world.

"What's going on?" demands Urugg.

"We're trapped!" is all Tork can come up with.

Syzygy screams in mental agony.

"No!!! He's found us! I was so close!"

[Dakka Syte's Office, Government Building, I7 on First Landing Upper Level]

Dakka Syte chuckles at the keyboard. "Once more, we see who is the superior man. Just a few much keyboard commands and I'll have your computer station deactivated. Then we'll see about increasing the air pressure in your little cell until your innards squirt out of your spacesuits like biscuit dough."

"Back away from the terminal!"

Dakka stops short and glances upward to see where the order came from. He finds himself staring down the deep barrel of an automatic pistol. The bluish image beyond the pistol comes into focus: an insectoid with a fierce set of compound eyes.

Dakka wisely lifts up his hands, palms forward, and holds them at about shoulder level. His mouth bends into a snarl. "T'Klkk."

T'Klkk and her pistol take one step forward. "Self-T'Klkk said 'back away!'"

Dakka Syte leans back just far enough to keep the pistol from ramming up his nose.

From behind Dakka, Taanik lifts ids nightstick and strikes. Having to deal with ids old Ixiol addiction, having to see the gruesome sights of all the evils Dakka has performed--all the rage unleashes itself in the force of Taanik's attack.

[Taanik Chance to Hit: 38 (M) + 5 (weapon modifier) + 20 (attacking from behind) = 63%; Rolled: 31]
[Damage (2d10 + PS): 9 + 10 + 4 = 23--nice rolls!]

The long black stick bludgeons Dakka over the back of the neck, knocking him off his chair and onto the gray office carpet.

Dakka looks down to see a dark red stain soaking the carpet. A warm, red liquid courses down his chin and falls in large drops onto the stain.

He looks up and sees T'Klkk--her pistol trained on him with precise accuracy, Taanik--drawing ids laser pistol, and behind them the real Selson Streel--his eyes burning with the fire of long deserved justice.

Dakka bares his teeth, which are soaked in a trickle of blood that has found its way into his mouth. His eyes narrow in on Selson Streel, a man who never should have escaped the prison Dakka put him in.

Dakka's voice hisses like a Sathar's.

"You!"

"Get your hands where I can see them!" orders T'Klkk.

Dakka rises to his knees with a painful grunt, and slowly extends his arms together.

[Taanik INTUITION: 55; Rolled: 06]

Taanik tilts ids rubbery, amorphous head. "T'Klkk, why's his chronocom beeping?"

T'Klkk turns her attention to the miniature device on Dakka's wrist. The 4 cm x 4 cm viewscreen displays a number:

"55"

With another soft beep, the number changes:

"54"

Then again:

"53"

The changes appear to be taking place at exactly one-second intervals.

"Deactivate it, whatever it is!" orders T'Klkk.

"Oh, you'd like that," replies Dakka. "I'm sure you'd like that. I knew there was a possibility that somebody would try to take this world from me. If only you understood. If I can't have this world, nobody can!"

"What does that mean?" demands Taanik.

"I programmed the Computer Spire with a death switch, just for a situation like this one. In. . .let me see. . .46 seconds, the Computer Spire will release every air seal in this outpost. Instant decompression. Sure, any of your friends with spacesuits may live a few hours longer than most, but the two hundred thousand people without them will cease to exist before even knowing what hit them."

T'Klkk lowers her weapon and motions for Taanik to do the same. "Very well, Syte. You have won. Deactivate the switch."

Dakka smiles with the psychotic eyes of a thousand lunatics. "That's the catch. Once the switch is activated, I can't shut it off."

"Do it, Syte!" yells Taanik. "We're not joking."

Dakka glances at the number "39" glowing on his chronocom display. "Unfortunately for all of us, neither am I."

[Disaster Recovery Facility, C13 on First Landing Upper Level]

"Come on. . .Come on. . ." says Syzygy. His fingers hit the computer touchpad in front of him so hard that it stings.

Urugg and Tork stand still as statues--gaping at the computer screen.

But all the computer screen will say is:

"PROCESSING REQEUST"

[Syzygy Defeating Security: 60 (base) + 60 (computer skill x 10) - 60 (program level x 10) + 10 (LOGIC modifier) = 70%; Rolled: 20]

The computer screen blanks out, and then displays a new message:

"SECURITY FORCE FIELD DEACTIVATED"

There are two seconds of silence as the success sinks in.

Then Urugg, Tork and Syzygy all jump up and join voices in a ritual chant: "YES! YES! YES! YES!"

The shouts of triumph subside, and Urugg remembers that this success is only part of the plan.

"Let's hope this does us some good."

[Dakka Syte's Office, Government Building, I7 on First Landing Upper Level]

The clock continues to tick:

"22"

"21"

"20"

"19. . ."

[Aboard Whisper Assault Scout, Hovering Over A9 on First Landing Surface Level]

Kare yells angrily at Zane from the bridge's escape pod hatch. "Zane! Get out of there!"

But Zane insists on manning his gunnery station. He yanks the firing lever, nearly breaking it off. "The shield's down! Ha ha! Rockets away!"

The ship lurches with a laser blast from one of the anti-air cannons. Zane's gunnery station bursts into a blinding explosion of fire, white sparks and shrapnel.

Kare shields her eyes, barely glimpsing the silhouette of Zane's body being thrown like a cloth doll.

The explosion's shock wave slams Kare into the wall. As she gets her bearings again, she sees that the entire bridge is on fire. Zane lies still on his back in the middle of it all.

"NO!!!" Kare sprints toward the fallen body, not caring about the flames she is running through. Hauling the body over her shoulders, she fights her way back to the escape pod hatch and enters the pod.

Zane's head and arms fall limply to the floor of the pod as she lets him go.

Meanwhile, the assault rocket that Zane launched propels its way for the now unprotected Computer Spire. Hundreds of white interceptor missiles rise from the city's anti-air defense stations, hoping to stop the vicious rocket.

But interceptor missiles were designed to track objects coming in from several kilometers away. With the danger so close, the missiles do not have time to adjust their courses, and end up following the rocket--rather than intercepting it.

The escape pod severs from the Whisper--and just in time, too. The Whisper's drives give out with a cloud of thick black smoke, and the massive craft of steel and plastiglass plummets toward the ground.

Kare pilots the escape craft away through the air as fast as it will go. "The ship's drives are going to blow! We've got to get as far away as possible!"

Looking ahead through the escape pod's forward porthole, Kare sees Zane's assault rocket make contact with the Computer Spire. At first the rocket merely pierces the Spire's wall. But then there is a moon-shaking explosion, bursting the sides of the Spire and severing the top third entirely.

Chunks of Spire walls, floors and memory banks spray in every direction, striking Kare's pod and sending it spiraling out of control. One moment she is spinning head over heals, the next she feels the bone jarring collision of the craft against the moon's rocky surface.

Kare tries to shake the daze she sustained from the crash.

[Kare STAMINA: 65; Rolled: 05--lucky break]

The severity of the crash floods Kare's body with adrenaline. With superhuman strength, she throws her shoulder against the pod's exit hatch--forcing it open--and carries Zane out onto the moon's surface.

Through the ground and her spacesuit boots, Kare can feel the tremors of the nearby assault scout. She runs harder than she ever has in her life, firey pain claiming her lungs and throat. An airlock into the nearest city airtube is only meters away. If she can get inside the shielded city in time, she should survive the eminent explosion of the Whisper's atomic drives.

But the airlock refuses to open. It isn't locked. The hatch simply isn't responding.

Kare sets her shoulder against the airlock hatch and pushes with monstrous strain.

[Kare STRENGTH: 65 + 20 (adrenaline) = 85%; Rolled: 83!]

With manual effort, Kare manages to get the hatch open. She pulls Zane in to safety, and pushes the hatch back into place.

The following explosion of the Whisper's drives rocks the entire moon.

[Dakka Syte's Office, Government Building, I7 on First Landing Upper Level]

"7"

The descending numbers on Dakka's chronocom reach "7" and stop.

The wall-sized computer screen at his desk blacks out and displays a simple white message that Dakka has never seen before:

"COMPUTER FAILURE"

The floor rumbles with the distant explosion of the Spire, forcing T'Klkk, Taanik and Selson to brace themselves. The ample lighting goes dead, replaced by barely sufficient blue emergency lights.

It is at this moment that Dakka chooses to take advantage of the distraction. With the momentum of a wild man, he leaps into the air, ramming into the space between T'Klkk and Taanik.

[T'Klkk REACTION SPEED: 71;Rolled: 12]
[Taanik REACTION SPEED: 45;Rolled: 46]

T'Klkk catches herself, and avoids being knocked over. Taanik's reaction is a little slower, and he ends up rolling on the floor.

T'Klkk turns to see Dakka diving for a solid wall.

And to her great surprise, he passes through it.

Taanik sits up and straps on ids infra-red goggles. "Part of the wall is a hologram. There's some sort of chute behind it!"

T'Klkk is already heading for the hidden chute. "Dakka's escape is not an option!"

T'Klkk jumps bravely into the chute, followed by her amebous team-mate. Both of them slide easily down the chute's slick walls, faling faster and faster until they almost black out.

Gradually the vertical shaft begins to curve, sending T'Klkk and Taanik on a southward angle with great velocity.

Finally, after what must have been a few hundred meters of sliding, the two slow to a halt. They are forced to crawl the remaining distance of the tunnel--until at last they enter a gigantic area filled with micro-mazes of circuitry and hundreds of thousands of flashing indicators.

T'Klkk looks about silently, trying to get her bearings.

Taanik is able to identify the equipment about them more easily. "This is all signal routing stuff. We must be at the central spinal cord of the outpost's computer network--directly below the actual Spire."

A missile of some sort whizzes past the two, so close to their faces that they can feel the wind behind it. The device ignites behind them, devastating a wall of circuitry with an explosive blast.

"Take cover!" orders T'Klkk. "He's got a rocket launcher!"

T'Klkk and Taanik drop to the floor, rolling back into the shadows behind a wall of plastic with copper traces. The disgusting odor of burnt plastic permeates Taanik's porous skin.

T'Klkk's antennae tighten as she examines the area around them. "The rocket was fired from above. It would be logical to assume that Mr. Syte is climbing up the Spire."

"Or what's left of it," says Taanik, noticing how even at the Spire's base many of the walls are cracked. Taanik readies ids laser pistol. "What do you say we follow him up?"

The two find a utilitarian ladder and begin their ascent. Forty meters up, they reach a hollow section of the Spire's base, lined with memory banks and catwalks. Every sound echoes more than a dozen times in the vast empty space.

"Don't look down," warns Taanik.

Naturally, T'Klkk turns her head to get a view of what lies below them. The ladder drops away into the shadows to a floor so far below that T'Klkk can no longer see it.

T'Klkk climbs onto one of the catwalks and Taanik follows suit.

Taanik tilts ids gray head around. With all of the ladders, catwalks, and dark corridors, Syte could be anywhere.

[T'Klkk INTUITION: 40; Rolled: 30]

Taanik's search is interrupted by T'Klkk's voice: "Incoming!"

Another rocket comes barreling straight at them!

[T'Klkk REACTION SPEED: 71; Rolled: 12]
[Taanik REACTION SPEED: 45; Rolled: 25]

Both Tannik and T'Klkk leap out of the way, but the catwalk itself takes full damage from rocket's explosion.

The catwalk's twisted remains creak and groan under Taanik and T'Klkk's weight. Then with a sudden motion, the catwalk gives way--splitting and falling to a vertical position.

[T'Klkk STRENGTH: 50; Rolled: 57]
[Taanik STRENGTH: 75; Rolled: 16]

Taanik wraps ids pseudopods firmly about the catwalk's railing and manages to keep ids grip. But T'Klkk loses her handhold--and begins to tumble toward to floor forty meters down!

[Taanik REACTION SPEED: 45; Rolled: 03]

Forsaking ids own safety, Taanik leaps downward--snatching T'Klkk's left wrist with one pseudopod and the broken end of the catwalk with another.

Taanik's rubbery body stretches, straining to hold onto the catwalk against the force of both ids own and T'Klkk's weight.

Dakka Syte emerges from the shadows of a catwalk about fifteen meters away. He chuckles at the spectacle: a Dralasite hanging from the end of a fallen catwalk, and a Vrusk hanging from the Dralasite as though the Dralasite were a giant rubber band.

Relishing the moment, Dakka reloads his rocket launcher and takes careful aim. "Too easy."

[Roll for Initiative. Dakka: 6 (IM) + 7 (1d10) = 13. T'Klkk: 8 (IM) + 9 (1d10) - 3 (holstered weapon) = 14.]

As Dakka moves to squeeze the rocket launcher's trigger, T'Klkk snatches her automatic pistol with her one free hand and fires a burst from the hip.

[T'Klkk Chance to Hit: 41 (RW) + 40 (projectile skill x 10) + 20 (firing burst) - 10 (short range) - 10 (catwalk railing provides soft cover) = 81%; Rolled: 56]
[Damage (5d10) = 5 + 4 + 1 + 8 + 5 = 23]

The bullets plaster Dakka's chest, splattering red blood on his clothes and the catwalk. The rocket launcher tumbles from his grip, clattering to the floor forty meters below.

Dakka grits his teeth, folds his arms against his chest, and twists in pain--tilting backwards over the catwalk rail.

T'Klkk and Taanik watch in silence as Dakka's body spins downward, disappearing into the shadows beneath them. From the darkness sounds a wet thud--intermixed with a sickening crunch. The sound echoes many times within the Spire's base before it dies.

After several seconds of silence, Taanik remembers the predicament id and T'Klkk are in.

[Taanik STRENGTH: 75; Rolled: 39]

Pulling with all ids might, the Dralasite lifts T'Klkk to the catwalk railing, and both of them climb up to the safety of another catwalk.

Safety, of course, is a relative term. As soon as they reach the new catwalk, the entire Spire begins to tremble with instability.

"Let's get out of here," says Taanik. "This whole structure's going to collapse!"

A few heavy pieces of machinery fall from the heights above, confirming Taanik's words.

As the two of them reach a more stable platform near the edge of the Spire, an entire floor of memory banks falls from the heavens, snapping catwalks like toothpicks. The mass of steel and glass finally hits the ground with a deafening crash.

Taanik looks downward at a fate that could have been theirs. "Dakka's under there!"

T'Klkk holds Taanik back.

"He could not have survived. Self suggests we call the other team-mates and go home."

[Airtube, B9 on First Landing Upper Level]

The four Lost Point men in armor search the vacant confines of the curved airtube for any aggressive robot activity. The only illumination comes from a scarce set of blue emergency lights. No movement, robotic of biological, can be seen anywhere in the tube. The accelerator strips themselves move no longer.

Even Lost Point never felt this eerie and abandoned.

In the midst of the four men, Kare crouches over Zane's motionless body. She searches intently--then frantically--for a pulse, a breath. . .any sign of life.

There is none.

She can't feel the radio communicator in her hand as she activates it. She doesn't even take notice that the communicator is now working, whereas before it wasn't. The White Noise Broadcaster must have been destroyed with the Whisper.

Kare sets the communicator to broadcast. Her voice is weary and hoarse. "All team members, this is Kare speaking. The city-wide computer has been neutralized. It's over. But. . .but Zane didn't. . ."

Kare's voice extinguishes like a candle flame. She looks down again upon her fallen team-mate and shuts off the communicator. As she gazes upon Zane's peaceful expression, she remembers the last moments they spent together: the vibrance of his character, his youth, his thirst for life, his knowledge and career ambitions--now all wasted.

Kare's eyes stare into space, contemplating the great mysteries that await us beyond this mortal existence we take for granted.

Her voice is soft, when she finds it again.

"Zane. . .for one day at least, you were a player on that stage."

[Somewhere in the Darkness]

Dakka Syte opens his eyes and tries to figure out where he is. It is so dark that he is not fully sure whether his eyes are open or not. He tries harder to open them. They must be open, but he can see nothing whatsoever.

The waves of vertigo subside, and Dakka concludes that he must be lying on his back.

The memories return. Falling, falling. The Spire--ton upon ton of steel walls, memory banks and circuitry--collapsing, crushing him.

Crushing him.

Dakka takes a moment to think about his arms and legs. They don't feel any pain, so he must be uninjured.

But wait.

He can't feel his arms and legs at all. It's. . .as if they aren't even there!

He tries to move them.

Nothing.

He struggles to move his torso.

He can't.

He tilts his head, and his cheek meets the cold, smooth surface of steel.

That must be it.

The Spire has collapsed upon him. . .pinned him down. . .paralyzed him!

The next sensations come back to him. Not from his legs or arms--they are long gone. But his face, it's covered with something dry and sticky. Grime? Blood? Impossible to tell.

But it itches.

Dakka tries to twist his facial muscles, but try as he might he can't get it off. He tries to pull it off with his hands, only to remind himself that he has no hands.

The itching spreads until it tingles like fire all over his face.

Dakka screams. Louder. Louder yet.

But the sky piercing Computer Spire that once obeyed his every whim now apathetically ignores his heartfelt pleas.

A minute passes. An hour. Two hours. What must be a day, and longer.

Dakka's mind spins in circles, focusing again and again and again on the same thought: It may very well be months before someone finds him.

If anyone ever does. . .

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