Early October 1997 Official Responses

From:  Andy Campbell (Urugg)

1.  the immediate situation (human employee fleeing the cafeteria):

     As soon as he sees the fleeing human, Urugg shoulders past the yazirian
at the door and takes off like a shot.  En route through the cafeteria he
will shout "Security!  Stop where you are or we'll drop you!"  He will sprint
after the human through the back door.  If the door opens into a room or a
short hallway and the human is within closing distance, he will draw his
stunstick and lunge after him / her.  If he throws open the door and the
human is receding quickly down a long hall or large chamber, he will draw his
needler pistol and fire, hoping to drop the fugitive.  If Urugg opens the
door and the human shoots or melees him point-blank, he'll try to use his
forward momentum and barrel through the door using speed to dodge (barrel
through and duck into roll - and hope there's nothing in his way!).
     With any luck, Urugg and T'Klkk will catch the fleeing human and bring
them in for questioning to the "command center" we've set up in (I think it
was Zane's / Taanik's?) the apartment.  First questioning will be normal,
using Telol if the prisoner isn't being forthcoming.
     If Urugg and T'Klkk don't catch the escaping human, Urugg will return to
the cafeteria to question the other employees and get her identity data
(photos / holos, birth / education / work etc records, finger / retinal / DNA
prints if available, etc).


2.  As soon as he gets the chance, Urugg will ask Tork if he's ready to head
down to the park dome which Cimmy (the old yazirian woman) frequents:  

     "You know Tork, I've been doing some gliding in the local domes since we
first touched down here.  There isn't much in the way of mountains or tall
trees, but you can catch some killer updrafts thanks to the way they've set
up the ventilation systems in there.  Nothing like the surface of a planet of
course - what I'd do for a warm western breeze and some clouds in the sky
like there were back on Histran...  The low gee here almost makes up for it
though.  [shakes his head wistfully at the though of going planetside again]
 
     Oh well, we've got our job to do here.  At least Streel's paying us
pretty well for this contract.  What do you say we look up the old yazirian
wise-woman you and Taanik spoke with?  I understand you're from Hentz too -
are you familiar with any of the splinter sects of the Family of One like she
appears to belong to?  I did a little anthropology work while I was on
Histran;  but that was only a sideline, to get a better understanding of
rural ecosystems inhabited by small hunting and farming groups.  This should
be interesting - if we can just find her and get her to open up..."


3.  Again, "between the scenes":

   Urugg will make a trip to several sporting goods / gun stores in
Metrosphere's commercial zones after the lockdown ends.  Being pretty
familiar with needlers and needler ammo, he'll seek out some top-notch needle
loads (are non-Streel vrands available - Wartech?  Interstar Weaponry?  Newar
Laboratories?).  Once he's singled out the top needler clips available on
Metrosphere, he will buy a clip of the best anaesthetic needle brand
available (maybe gives a -5 penalty to the STA check Layne? won't jam the
weapon even on fumble?  or just looks impressive?).  He'll pay up to 30 Cr
for a single clip or 50 Cr for two - whatever the going price is here, though
he'll try to haggle some sort of discount out of the salesperson just to stay
in practice (ie. get 30% off if you buy two, etc).  
     At some point when the group is getting ready to meet together, he'll
pull Kare aside.  "Kare, I've been meaning to speak with you since your - ah
- illness at the last meeting.  I realize you caught a mean case of Redeye
back there, but I've got this nagging feeling that I really didn't help any
by busting your chops at the time.  Anyway, I picked this up for you down in
the commercial zone.  [pulls the top-notch anaesthetic needle pistolclip from
a tunic pocket].  This should replace the clip you wasted on my hide. [winks]
 Just try not to spike *me* with it this time - the last time you knocked my
*ss out cold!
     When we get a few spare minutes, whaddya say we pay another visit to our
blob friend down in the commercial zone?  Something tells me he hasn't
spilled all he knows - maybe a visit from a concerned yazirian and his
"Red-Eyed" compadre might loosen id up a little more?"
     If Kare agrees to said visit, Urugg will concentrate on getting more
info from Baab about id's suppliers, and what types of contraband come into
Metrosphere.  One angle he will feel out is if there was supplier running
supplies (food, medicines, light weapons, etc) to Star's Arm or other unnamed
buyers;  if so, he will try to find out if that supplier got pinched by the
authorities recently - perhaps triggering the spate of thefts?      


4.  Miscellaneous stuff:  

     Urugg will stop by a pharmacy and buy 1 unit of Staydose for 5 Cr to
replace the one he recently used in the riot.  He will avoid any social
actvities that require spending money until his next payday (he'll be down to
between 8 and 28 Cr by this point).  Instead, he'll occupy his time with
exercise in the park domes, melee practice in his apartment (will spar via
hologram with other PC's if any care to try it - that way noone has to "pull
punches" but won't get nailed when hit), catching up on local and
interstellar (especially Hargut and Histran) media feeds, and research on the
Metrosphere project and Star's Arm cult. 


That should cover Urugg's activities for the time being.  Will post any
additional actions after feedback from the rest of the group.

From:  Clark Valentine (Taanik)

Taanik will set his blaster on level 3.  He says "Well, if I'm going to 
shoot a laser at someone I figure I'll probably be trying to kill the poor 
bastard.  No sense mucking about with a 2."

If his beltpack ever dips below 10 SEU, he'll pay to recharge it ASAP.

Hello all!  Looking forward to working with you all.  
Time's a-wastin' so let's get right to it!  :)

(I'm assuming that Taanik is still at the apartment with Kare.)  
"Doggone it!  Why doesn't the action ever happen anywhere near me?  
Wait a minute... "

[Layne - Does Metrosphere have a computerized surveillance system?  If so...]
Taanik jumps onto the nearest terminal and tries to track the fleeing 
human carrying the Rage virus, and will guide Urugg & T'Klkk (using 
the chronocom) as they chase her.  The holo projectors might work for this. 
(Layne - will they?  Are there projectors in that part of town?)


Taanik decides to have a little good-natured fun with Tork.  If the 
opportunity presents itself, he will tamper with Tork's holo-projector 
(using Syzygy's tampering as a cover, maybe it will get blamed on him :)  ) 
so that it projects incoming images upside-down.  BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! :)  
If it genuinely annoys Tork then he'll move on to another target:  T'Klkk.  
She needs to loosen up a bit anyway.


More thoughts to come, after I have a chance to think things through a bit more.

From:  John Groszkiewicz (Tork)

Kveldulf@aol.com wrote:
>
> One odd thing - Selson mentioned that the Star's Arm leader has usually been
> present (and prominently so) at the protests so far - but not this one. Why?
>  Has she gotten wind of our group's presence and "gone underground"?  Do they
> have a field camp at Lost Point / in an abandoned monorail tube / in an
> abandoned monorail car / elsewhere outside Metrosphere, from which she only
> enters when protests are imminent?  Did Star's Arm introduce the Rage
> epidemic and Loer stayed home to avoid injury in the ensuing chaos of the
> protest?  Was the protest and / or Rage epidemic created to cover Loer and
> the core Star's Arm group seizure of the life support facilities (assuming
> these are still held by Star's Arm).
>

If Urugg brings this up Tork will reply to him..."Perhaps there is a simpler explanation."

If not, Tork will mention this to Syzygy once the riot situation is under control.

"We know how Kare reacted to Red Eye, perhaps Luer had a similar experiance. I think we
should check the hospitals for any female Yazarians admitted or treated prior to the riots."

From:  Dan Biediger (Zane)

Zane will contact Dr. Pool with the following requests and recommendations.

1.) A fully stocked med-kit for use by Urugg, and at least 7 Antibody, 2
Staydose and 2 Stimdose to replace the ones I've used. (I say at least,
since ideally I'd like to get a few extra doses of each; Stock up and save!)

2.) I'll suggest gathering as many medical teams as possible and moving
through the city in an organized pattern. They should do a computer
search to try to identify concentrations of humans and go to those areas
first. If they are unable to obtain this information, I'll ask Syzygy if
he can do it.

Zane

From:  John Whitfield (T'Klkk)

The immediate concern is catching the woman running away from T'Klkk and 
Urugg. T'Klkk will be in hot pursuit, yelling "You are to be detained for 
questioning. Halt, or we will fire. You are surrounded!" With her DEX/RS 
scores, T'Klkk is counting on easily overtaking the human. If she is able to 
quickly get into HTH range of her target, T'Klkk will try out her brand new 
Electric Sword set on Stun and try to paralyze her. If, for some reason, the 
woman is able to outrun them or if the woman does not seem to be stunable, 
T'Klkk's patience at this point will be gone, so if the woman does not stop on 
her own or puts up too much of a fight, T'Klkk will fire her autopistol, aiming
for the leg, with the intent to bring her down quickly and efficiently. Andy 
has also declared that Urugg is going after this woman, so between the two of 
us, T'Klkk is operating under ninth degree of certainty that they will capture 
her.

	The information wanted:
	is this woman an infected carrier of Laconian Red Eye?
	is she aware that she is carrying? 
	if so, is she doing so willingly or under duress?
	if willingly, why and for whom?
	if unwillingly, why and for whom?

If we do find that she is the carrier, we will take her back to the group and 
decide from there how we want to proceed. T'Klkk would not at all object to 
the use of Telol (which I'm assuming Urugg has with him....if he is carrying 
his med kit). Once we have any of the above questions answered, the team will 
need to assess what it wants to do with this new information.

If, by some cruel twist of fate, she is totally innocent and is not a carrier, 
we will apologize profusely, indicate that we are investigating any and all
possible leads related to the terrorist activities, and express our regrets
for our mistake in identifying her as a suspect. If she is really irate 
(albeit rightly so) and wants to speak to someone in charge (i.e. our boss), 
I'll give her Syzygy's name and vid-phone address. :-)


T'Klkk's next action will be the one declared last time but there was so much 
going on we couldn't get to it:
My previous list of actions were, for the most part, short-term, immediate 
crisis related. The more long term issue of ferreting out the saboteurs and 
bringing an end to their activities still remains. As far as how to proceed, 
T'Klkk will advocate for a group meeting (without Fle'xx present) to discuss 
how the entire team should proceed. If possible, she will attempt to arrange 
such a meeting. If there are fears on the part of others that conversations 
in our rooms may be monitored, T'Klkk will agree to hold the meeting in a 
secluded public place or at a park. Actually, that doesn't sound like such a 
bad idea.

"Teammates. I have called us all together so that we can all touch base and 
come to a common agreement on how this team should proceed. We have gathered
a lot of information, have come across several leads, and have heard some 
great suggestions from one another. But, we do not have a clear, focused plan 
of action. If we are to succeed, it is necessary that we formulate such a 
plan. Each of us brings strengths, and we are starting to learn how to rely 
on one another. We are a good team, and we can become a great team." 
(at this point there is patriotic music in the background) Just kidding. :-)

"Teammate-Syzygy has commented that he believes the colony's law enforcement 
is not sharing all the information that they have available to the. 'Keeping 
us in the dark' were the word he used, I believe." T'Klkk will nod her head 
slightly at Syzygy and click in acknowledgement of him. "I must agree. In 
fact, I believe that we are ...er... in the dark on several fronts. At one 
point Syzygy was trying to run a program which failed because of a system 
error; the supervisor at the Computer Spire, Rejj, indicated that there was a 
problem with the security algorithm even though Syzygy did indeed have the 
appropriate authorization. When Syzygy asked if this problem occurs often, 
Rejj responded with a standard line used by all the help-techs. As you know, 
Vrusks are able to discern subtle nuances in social patterns because of the 
intricies of Vrusk society. Well, it was obvious to me that Rejj did not want 
to admit that these problems are apparently occuring with some degree of 
frequency. We should keep this in mind when using the colony computer. In 
fact, as far as I am concerned, nothing that we store on-line is secure. I 
suggest that we all approach our work with this perspective."

T'Klkk looks around the group for discussion.

"While not wanting to sound paranoid, these are the circumstances under which 
we are apparently working. I have opted to not include a representative of 
our employer in this discussion because at this point I'm not sure who is or 
is not involved in what appears to be a cover-up of information which should 
be readily available to us. What do others of you think?"

She will again wait for discussion.

"I suggest that we make a list of all the facts that we know. A list of all 
leads that we may have. A list of all suspicions or guesses. And, from those 
lists, we should formulate our plan."

At this point, she will wait for feedback from others. Her ultimate goal is 
to slow down the pace of things, get everyone to look at all of the pieces of 
the puzzle at once, and then come up with a group decision on the appropriate 
action to take.


If there is "downtime", T'Klkk will approach Urugg. "Teammate Urugg, I used 
an invitation to dinner as an excuse to get you away from the others so that 
we could track down the possible carrier of the virus. Now that this is 
resolved, I would like to invite you to dinner....for real this time.... in 
appreciation for all of your help in catching that woman." (assuming that we 
did, of course!!) :-) "I wish to learn more about Yazirians and feel seven 
degrees of comfort interacting with you to do so."

She will also, at some point, approach Syzygy. "Teammate Syzygy, I want to 
express again six degrees of appreciation for the flowers, confections, and 
body oils. The fragrance and appearance of the flowers produce nine degrees 
of sensory pleasure. The confections, likewise, are pleasing to the eighth 
degree. Would you care for one? And, the body oils offer nine degrees of 
luster and smoothness to my carapace. You really did go to too much trouble. 
I am most appreciative of these gifts." She will then lean forward, touch her 
antennae to his, and say the Vrusk word for "brother of mine although from a 
different hatching of eggs". She will then casually walk away.

When she gets a chance, she will say to Zane, "Your work with tracking down 
the virus and handling the medical crises we've encountered has been 
impressive to the eighth degree. Teammate Zane, you are an outstanding medic 
and a definite asset to this team. Thank you for all that you are doing! If 
I can be of service to you, please let me know."

She will say to Tork, "Your attention to the safety and security of this team 
has been most commendable, Teammate Tork. You have handled yourself 
exceedingly well in combat situations, and the work that you have done during 
the investigations has been equally impressive. I have also noted that you 
are more skilled in hand-to-hand combat than I am. Self-T'Klkk would be most 
honoured if you would be willing to teach some of what you know."

To Taanik she will say, "Teammate Taanik. Although I do not fully understand 
your humour, your contributions to the workings of this team have been 
welcomed! Your expertise with the holoprojectors has been most invaluable. 
Self-T'Klkk is glad to have you as a teammate!"

To Kare she will say, "Self-T'Klkk hopes that Teammate Kare is feeling better 
after the illness. Your little trick with the holoprojector where you 
displayed your video game bought us the time that we needed to deal with the 
situation. Good thinking!! Thank you for what you give to this team."

T'Klkk's will do all of this in private with each individual, so it may take 
her a little time to make her rounds. Her whole point of this is to simply 
build more of a team-relationship and to verbally recognize each member's 
strengths. She is aware of her own rigidity and is slowly stuggling to find 
when is the right time and what is the right way to "soften up" a bit. Also, 
she is secretly enjoying (although maybe not admitting it to herself) the 
flirting/teasing/tormenting with Syzygy. :-) 

-JWW

From:  John Groszkiewicz (Tork)

This should be considered an OFFICIAL move, if we don't have time for it this 
installment Tork will bring it up for the next installment.

I ( John ) came across some information that may or may not have an affect on the 
outcome of this mission. After a couple messages between myself and Layne, I've decided 
to make the information "public" and see what the outcome is. Tork, however, is 
concerned the the information may cause problems if ignored and may also cause problems 
if the team finds out about it.


Tork will find a moment when no one else is around and in a hesitant tone says to 
T'Klkk: "I have something I'd like to discuss with you." and after a short pause adds 
"In private." If T'Klkk pushes the issue Tork will reply "It may be nothing, that's why 
I don't want to bring it out in front of everyone." Tork will refuse to bring the 
matter up in frount of anyone else. If T'Klkk is unwilling to talk to Tork in private 
he will proceed on his own.

If T'Klkk is willing to discuss it in private Tork will explain that while checking out 
backgrounds of the cell-mates he came across some information, that IF correct may 
affect the teams ability to complete the mission.

<< Yes Tork is starting to like the term cell-mates. It kind of fits with us being 
enclosed ("caged") inside the Metrosphere. :) >>

Tork has found information linking Kare to the Gypsie Moon Corporation, a group which in 
the past has been involved in anti-Streel activities. Tork is hesitant about revealing 
this information as feels he is on a thin line and is unsure of what side to step on. 
If he makes the information 'public' he risks making false accusations, alienating Kare, 
causing division within the group, and perhaps even making it impossible for the mission 
to be completed. If Tork ignores the information and Kare uses her position to take 
vengence on Streel the mission may fail and cell mates could be harmed.

Tork would like to know what loyalties Kare has to the GMC, and if they will interfer 
with her completing this mission. For the record - Tork will state that he is not 
bringing this information up because of Kare's Red Eye episode. Tork just recently 
received the information and wants to know that if push comes to shove that he can count 
on everyone.

Tork may ruffle some feathers but feels that this is important enough to pursue. Tork 
will ask T'Klkk: " Will you come with me to talk to Kare? Diplomacy is not one of my 
strong points."


Tork will talk to Kare with or without T'Klkk along. When Tork talks to Kare, he will 
toss a report to her entitled "Gypsie Moon Corporation". He will give Kare enough time 
to read the title and ask "Ever hear of them?"


I know what Tork will say/do based on Kare's answer. I have not included them here 
because I do not want to let John W. to know Tork's reponse before Kare gives her 
answer.  I will be sending my responces to Layne in a seperate message and will 
reveal Tork's action when I get Kare's responce. Besides, I've been too long winded 
already. :)

TTFN
John johngroz@ncinter.net

From:  John Whitfield (T'Klkk)

> Tork will find a moment when no one else is around and in a hesitant tone says to 
> T'Klkk: "I have something I'd like to discuss with you." and after a short pause adds 
> "In private." If T'Klkk pushes the issue Tork will reply "It may be nothing, that's why 
> I don't want to bring it out in front of everyone." Tork will refuse to bring the 
> matter up in frount of anyone else. If T'Klkk is unwilling to talk to Tork in private 
> he will proceed on his own.

T'Klkk will definitely accompany Tork without question or reservation. 
"I respect your judgement, Teammate Tork, and your contributions to this team 
have been excellent. We will go and talk in private."


> If T'Klkk is willing to discuss it in private Tork will explain that while checking out 
> backgrounds of the cell-mates he came across some information, that IF correct may 
> affect the teams ability to complete the mission.

She will be very much intrigued by this. Tork has her attention!


> << Yes Tork is starting to like the term cell-mates. It kind of fits with us being 
> enclosed ("caged") inside the Metrosphere. :) >>
> 
> Tork has found information linking Kare to the Gypsie Moon Corporation, a group which in 
> the past has been involved in anti-Streel activities. Tork is hesitant about revealing 
> this information as feels he is on a thin line and is unsure of what side to step on. 
> If he makes the information 'public' he risks making false accusations, alienating Kare, 
> causing division within the group, and perhaps even making it impossible for the mission 
> to be completed. If Tork ignores the information and Kare uses her position to take 
> vengence on Streel the mission may fail and cell mates could be harmed.
> 
> Tork would like to know what loyalties Kare has to the GMC, and if they will interfer 
> with her completing this mission. For the record - Tork will state that he is not 
> bringing this information up because of Kare's Red Eye episode. Tork just recently 
> received the information and wants to know that if push comes to shove that he can count 
> on everyone.
> 
> Tork may ruffle some feathers but feels that this is important enough to pursue. Tork 
> will ask T'Klkk: " Will you come with me to talk to Kare? Diplomacy is not one of my 
> strong points."

"Without a doubt, Teammate Tork. While I am certainly no diplomat, I would be 
glad to join you in talking with our teammate. Since you are the one who 
discovered this information and Teammate Kare will be responding to what you 
have discovered about her past involvement, I would offer myself as mediator 
so that both you and Kare have an opportunity to express yourselves and be 
heard by the other. We can then decide if we need to bring any of this before 
the rest of the cell...er...team. In Vrusk society we have a very complicated 
set of guidelines, rituals, and procedures for dealing with difficult 
situations such as this, but I don't think that they would be useful to us 
since Syzygy and I are the only Vrusks in the group, and he seems to be less 
familiar with many Vrusk customs that I grew up with."


> Tork will talk to Kare with or without T'Klkk along. When Tork talks to Kare, he will 
> toss a report to her entitled "Gypsie Moon Corporation". He will give Kare enough time 
> to read the title and ask "Ever hear of them?"

Definitely with T'Klkk.


> I know what Tork will say/do based on Kare's answer. I have not included them here 
> because I do not want to let John W. to know Tork's reponse before Kare gives her 
> answer.  I will be sending my responces to Layne in a seperate message and will 
> reveal Tork's action when I get Kare's responce. Besides, I've been too long winded 
> already. :)

As mentioned, T'Klkk will try her hardest to be an impartial mediator. She 
will encourage both parties to state their point of view, only intervening if 
the situation seems to be getting too volatile. If this happens, she will 
suggest that everyone take a deep breath, wait a couple of minutes, and then 
try to start the discussion again. If Kare and Tork are becoming obviously at 
odds with one another, T'Klkk will summarize each party's comments/point of 
view and then try to calm the conflict.

T'Klkk will be interested in learning about the report that Tork throws down 
in front of Kare. She will also want to know where Tork got his information. 
Likewise, she will want to know what Kare has to say. She will make it very 
clear going into all of this that her main goal is to gather information and 
not jump to conclusions of judgements.

If Kare is indeed involved covertly with any of the subversion going on, 
T'Klkk will be merciless in handing her over to the authorities with all of 
the information that we have available to us. If Kare is indeed innocent, 
T'Klkk will be a vocal advocate for supporting and trusting her, defending 
Kare against any who would have objections to her based on past involvements.

Hopefully none of this will come to fisticuffs. If it does, T'Klkk's goal 
will be to bring order to the situation as quickly as possible and with as 
little damage as possible to all parties involved.

As far as how to involve the rest of the team, it is hard to say until I see 
how this plays out.


Wow!! Things are REALLY getting interesting!

Later.

-JWW

From:  Ruben Rivera (Kare)

Tork and T'klkk walk into the room while Kare sit at a table, Tork
tosses a data pad on top of the table and says,"Ever here of them?!" 

Kare has witness many confrontations before, she lifts her right leg and
places it on top table while her right hand falls to her right hip.

"Hey Greedo, tell Jabba I have his money..." Sorry.

"Who...Well apeface, if your so smart why don't you read it, you CAN
read can't you."

Kare will dispute every charge,"I'm a stock holder", "Maybe", "Prove
it", "All lies", "No", "You got to do better then that", "Your ugly",
"Jerk!".

Kare will fight all charges, and let the others prove it, if they can. 
Lacking eye witnesses, she will consider her innocences to be fact, and
will act offended if pressed.

More to come.

Ruben

From:  Albin Johnson (Syzygy)

Stuff Syzygy overhears:

>I've been meaning to ask, what was the first infected tech working on?
>It's computer stuff, but would Syzygy know? Kare? Would they be able to
>find out?
------------------------------------------------------------
>>One last thing, were the Life support systems tampered with or damaged in
>>any way? Is the atmosphere of Metrosphere the same now as when we arrived?
>
>Nothing to this effect has been reported. Beyond this, you would have to
>look into it.
------------------------------------------------------------



Syzygy will retreat from the rest of the group and seclude himself as he
often does when working on computer-related tasks. Having true partners he
can trust is totally alien to him - he's learned over the years to do
without friends, being on the run from the Circe colony and living down the
rejection of his people for being Zed. But he's never liked it. This
group struck him as different - open, friendly, capable of trust. Such a
new experience prompts him to seek out the familiar confines of his own
room where he holes up, cracks his many knuckles, and sets to work.

His main goals:
- use the information Rejj the tech. support guru gave him about the
changes made in the info access algorithms to track down who did it, when
it was done, and from where - any anomalies he will first offer to Rejj for
explanation - if id seems uncooperative, Syzygy will try to find someone
higher up in the computer services dept. If possible, he will try to find
any correlations between these changes and any aspects of his team's
operational status in the system: how it might affect their travel
arrangements, security clearances, living arrangements, etc. Any overlaps
will be noted.

- send a formal inquiry to the supervisor of the inflicted human from the
spire, asking him to do a check on that human's last recorded tasks, the
condition of his workstation now, and any projects in the immediate
past/future he was assigned

- request a report from the life support systems support/monitoring center
detailing the atmospheric breakdown, radiation profile, and temperature
indices two weeks before and since the hostile takeover of the l.s.
centers. Syzygy will enlist Urugg to help analyze these data.
Specifically, he wants to know if there are any changes and if they can be
explained by machine malfunctions or changes in operations/personnel.

-----------------

Suddenly, a knock at his door. Syzygy rouses himself from the analytical
stupor into which he descends at such moments. The door opens, flooding
light into his dark refuge. The doorway frames the lovely silhouette of a
female Vrusk's shapely form.

T'Klkk:
"Teammate Syzygy, I want to
express again six degrees of appreciation for the flowers, confections, and

She will then lean forward, touch her
antennae to his, and say the Vrusk word for "brother of mine although from a
different hatching of eggs".

Syzygy is very surprised to have T'Klkk interrupt his isolation, but in a
good way. She was, after all, the only Vrusk in existence that ever
regarded him with friendship. Syzygy is extremely excited by the physical
contact granted him by the female. So much so he won't notice when his bag
of pistachios fall from his hand and spill everywhere. When she leans
close he awaits the words he's longed to hear...

...when he hears what she says he's stunned. It's only after she's long
gone it sinks in. "'Brother'?.....'brother'?.....'BROTHER'!?!? All that
and I'm like a stinkin' brother? Phooey!"

Syzygy closes down his terminal, too disgusted with life in general to
continue any serious work. His Dralasite puzzle is sent across the room, a
reminder of his sad distractions. Was this his destiny, then?
Puzzle-solver? Unworthy of the attention of attractive females? Getting
sand kicked in his face while those military types he grew to hate back on
Circe ran the show?

He'd been in this room for hours, and now he had a pile of confusing
feelings to work through. Somehow the emotional detachment between
strangers was preferable to this confusing, closed-in familial-unit
arrangement the group had going on. His first thoughts are to seek out
some nightclub action, but he can think of even graver things to occupy his
time with.

Syzygy grabs his gyrojet pistol, all his TD-19 satchels, his tech kit, his
stunstick and the rest of his gear in his back pack. A quick spit and
polish makes his ZED mark gleam, as if a physical manifestation of the chip
he felt on his shoulder right now. He grabs Zane's portable audio device,
slips in a tape of some loud, subversive Vruskan music, and heads for the
door.

If his room-mate Zane inquires as to his destination, Syzygy will merely
snap back:

"Aaah, I'm goin' for a breath of fresh recycled air."

Syzygy hesitates, then reaches for his space suit.

"Don't wait up for me."

The door slams behind him as he mutters to himself:
"Let's see if I can get some action now...."

Syzygy will proceed directly to the abandoned monorail station. He will
keep his chronocom channel open, but will mute the speaker to avoid
unanticipated sounds. Perhaps he can switch the chronocom to vibrate if he
is called. Also hopefully he can set the chronocom to register his
location to the others in case of trouble.

Syzygy will examine the monorail station for signs of activity - people
milling about, lean-to constructions, signs of industrial lubricants on the
track, metal-on-metal abrasions where poorly-maintained parts rubbed
together, gang symbols on the walls, etc. While there, he will look for
anyone suspicious. If questioned, he will pose as a nutball looking for
Loer An-Tehr, looking for quick and easy money and boasting of his skills
both technical and explosive.


He will also climb up into the rail structure and rig a whip-wire counting
device under one of the monorail's struts to detect any movement along the
rail from the moment he places it until he checks on it again (unless he
can rig it to transmit via radio any movements to his chronocom in the form
of a beep).


As a final safeguard, he will rig all of his satchels charges in parallel
with both pressure and radio-activated detonators. This way, he can
detonate any or all of the charges by either hitting the frequencies on his
chronocom or squeezing a set of four pressure pads just below his left palm
each keyed to the 1, .5, and two .25 kg. charges. These charges will be
wired to his body but easily detachable in case he wants to place them/
throw them away in a hurry. Since he doesn't have enough of these already,
he'll purchase two more pressure and two more radio detonators before
heading south to the monorail station.

-AL

From:  Dan Biediger (Zane)

> Syzygy grabs his gyrojet pistol, all his TD-19 satchels, his tech kit, his
> stunstick and the rest of his gear in his back pack. A quick spit and
> polish makes his ZED mark gleam, as if a physical manifestation of the chip
> he felt on his shoulder right now. He grabs Zane's portable audio device,
> slips in a tape of some loud, subversive Vruskan music, and heads for the
> door.
Zane enters the room: 

> If his room-mate Zane inquires as to his destination, Syzygy will merely
> snap back:

"Hey Syzygy, I had a question about the computer. Where are you going?"

> "Aaah, I'm goin' for a breath of fresh recycled air." 
> Syzygy hesitates, then reaches for his space suit.
> 
> "Don't wait up for me."
> 
> The door slams behind him as he mutters to himself:
> "Let's see if I can get some action now...."

"Huh, What's eating him?"
Zane will contact Dr. Pool and pass along the request/recommendations. 
He will then, contact the rest of the team.
"Does anyone know where Syzygy is, he left here some time ago? He was 
acting kinda strange...er than normal. Considering the situation with the 
'rage', I think we should find him."
At this point, I'll try to contact him, If he answers, I'll try to find 
out where he is and what he is doing. I'll then try to persuade him to 
come back to the room or convince the rest of the team to help me go get 
him. If he does not answer, then I'll try to locate him and then 'rescue' 
him. 
If at any point, anyone comes under attack, I'll rush to the location and 
do my best to help.

From:  Clark Valentine (Taanik)

(I'm assuming that Taanik is still at the 
apartment with Kare.) "Doggone it! Why 
doesn't the action ever happen anywhere 
near me? Wait a minute... "
(Taanik over chronocom, giddy with excitement) 
"T'Klkk, Urugg, Syzygy, do you want me to use 
the holo-projectors to try to 'herd' that woman 
into a corner?!! I can draw my blaster, stand in 
from of the projector here, and pretend to threaten 
her, or something. This is just like the time that 
Paaglo told me about when id was chasing that 
Sathar agent..." If they don't wand id to, id will 
try to hack into whatever central computer system 
id can in order to at least track her.

Once things calm down a bit, Taanik (the team 
Robotics expert) will suggest to Syzygy and Kare 
(the other two techies) that they check out those 
robotic mining and transport vehicles, maybe at 
N-16 (this is the start of the mining road nearest 
the latest vandalism). Id wants to see if they have 
been tampered with or if there is any way that they 
could have been used (or could possibly be used) 
to play a part in the crimes (for example, sneaking 
into First Landing undetected). Taanik will eventually 
want to check out a mine, especially the one to the 
southeast of First Landing. Taanik thinks that Lost 
Point might be a bit too obvious a place for the 
criminals to be hiding.

Taanik will spend 12 XP raising his Robotics skill to 
level 3 ASAP. Layne, when does this happen?

From:  John Groszkiewicz (Tork)

Ruben Rivera wrote:
> Kare will dispute every charge,"I'm a stock holder", "Maybe", "Prove
> it", "All lies", "No", "You got to do better then that", "Your ugly",
> "Jerk!".

As I stated in an earlier message:
: If Kare denies any involvement Tork will first reply " My sources have
: link you to this group. Are you saying my sources are wrong? " If Kare
: continues to deny his allegations Tork will cut her off " Apparently my
: sources have you confused with someone else. I appologize for the error."
: He will then act as if he has dropped the subject but will do further
: background checking.

You can either post this generally or save it for the next story addition. :)

If T'Klkk ask's Tork for his opinion on the "interview" he will dryly reply "My 
questions have been answered." Not sure where I'll start checking. I know what I want 
to check but at this time Tork is not ready to make an offical request to Lt. Dimmer. 
Tork also does not want to pull anymore cell-mates into this (yet).

Tork will probably try accessing the information himself and see how far he gets. I 
want to do background and last known address checks on:

Blackjack ( I don't expect anything beyond the "Blackjack and Kare" story )
Yalua Chacuub ( my alter ego - want info for if/when Tork uses the new I.D. )

Tork will also want to check to see the docking logs to see if any GMC ships have paid a 
visit to Metrosphere.

Oh Ya, If Tork talks to Fl'exx ( when Kare is not around ) he will somehow slide in a 
question about Metrosphere's value, i.e. "If this place were shut down what kind of 
losses would Streel Inc suffer?"

Going back over the story here are a couple things Tork wants to look into, if he has 
time. ;)

>From this last segment:

> "DON'T KILL THE XXXXX THE HARVEST-WORMS"

Was "XXXXX" written on the sign or is it something Tork was unable to make out? Next 
time Tork is in his room he will access the education databases and see if he can dig 
anything up on the "Harvest Worms".

>From Late September:

Tork would like to see the police film that T'Klkk noticed the distortion on. Can he 
tell what race the intruder was? Humans and Yazarians may be hard to tell apart but 
Tork should be able to tell if it was a Vrusk or Dralasite.

Back from the "early September":

>"This is interesting," T'Klkk says aloud. "A long list of known Star's Arm
>activists is listed in the records. When I cross-reference these citizens,
>I see that many of them have left their employment in the past few months
>and have given up their places of residency. Where they are living and how
>they are sustaining themselves is unknown." Her antennae fidget in perplexity. 
>
>"Are the addresses of any of the activists known?" asks Zane. 
>
>"There are a few that still have current addresses on file, assuming the
>records are up-to-date." 

Tork wants to follow up on this.
1) "many of them have left..." is about how many names?

2) Tork will also run down the list of people and jobs. Anything stick out? Unusuall 
positions, any job/race stick out as being more predominant or missing? Do they come 
from all over town or just one section?

3) Tork will want to track down those citizens we have "current" addresses on. The lock 
down would be an ideal time for this. Also, of those that are still working - what 
fields/sections are they working in?

4) Those that gave up their places of residency - are their rooms empty or are there new 
occupants? If the rooms are empty Tork will want to check them out for clues. Did they 
leave anything behind or were the rooms stripped bare when the occupants left?

5) Did any of the citizens who gave up residency have roommates that are still around 
that we could question?

6) It sounds like most of the "traffic" is people moving into Metrosphere. Are there 
records of people who leave the city? Tork will cross reference those 'exit lists' with 
the list of citizens giving up residency, i.e. did any of the 'missing' leave town?

Kveldulf@aol.com wrote:
>
> 2. As soon as he gets the chance, Urugg will ask Tork if he's ready to head
> down to the park dome which Cimmy (the old yazirian woman) frequents:
> 
> "You know Tork, I've been doing some gliding in the local domes since we
> first touched down here. There isn't much in the way of mountains or tall
> trees, but you can catch some killer updrafts thanks to the way they've set
> up the ventilation systems in there. Nothing like the surface of a planet of
> course - what I'd do for a warm western breeze and some clouds in the sky
> like there were back on Histran... The low gee here almost makes up for it
> though. [shakes his head wistfully at the though of going planetside again]

Tork has not made time to go gliding lately. "I would love to go gliding. Perhaps on 
the way there you can tell me more about Histran." :)

> Oh well, we've got our job to do here. At least Streel's paying us
> pretty well for this contract. What do you say we look up the old yazirian
> wise-woman you and Taanik spoke with? I understand you're from Hentz too -
> are you familiar with any of the splinter sects of the Family of One like she
> appears to belong to? I did a little anthropology work while I was on
> Histran; but that was only a sideline, to get a better understanding of
> rural ecosystems inhabited by small hunting and farming groups. This should
> be interesting - if we can just find her and get her to open up..."

"I am from Hentz but have not heard of Cimmy's sect. The Family of One I grew up with 
was rather.." Tork pauses thinking back to an unhappy time "They were somewhat strict 
and untolerant of different ideas. I was unaware that the Family had any splinter 
groups. It would be most interested talking to her about the 'Shadows' *and* her 
beliefs."

Amanda & Clark Valentine wrote:
> 
> Once things calm down a bit, Taanik (the team
> Robotics expert) will suggest to Syzygy and Kare
> (the other two techies) that they check out those
> robotic mining and transport vehicles, maybe at
> N-16 (this is the start of the mining road nearest
> the latest vandalism). Id wants to see if they have
> been tampered with or if there is any way that they
> could have been used (or could possibly be used)
> to play a part in the crimes (for example, sneaking
> into First Landing undetected). Taanik will eventually
> want to check out a mine, especially the one to the
> southeast of First Landing. Taanik thinks that Lost
> Point might be a bit too obvious a place for the
> criminals to be hiding.
> 

Team: Should we ask Fl'exx for an official tour or are we afraid that would give "them" 
time to clear out? "Them" being the terrorists weither they get their information from 
Fl'exx with or without his knowledge.

Layne: Are there holoprojectors in the mine areas? At least maybe in an office area 
near the entrance? If there are Tork will suggest we pay a 'holo visit' to one or more 
sites before we actually go treking off "across the hills".

GM Reply------------------------------------------------------------------------
The mines were constructed before First Landing was a flourishing city.
They are completely automated with robot labor and were never equipped with
holo-panels. However, there are a lot of instruments set up in the Computer
Spire that can remotely monitor the status in the mines.

One more thing. The mines are not pressurized.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Albin Johnson  << SNIP >>
>
> Syzygy will examine the monorail station for signs of activity - people
> milling about, lean-to constructions, signs of industrial lubricants on the
> track, metal-on-metal abrasions where poorly-maintained parts rubbed
> together, gang symbols on the walls, etc. While there, he will look for
> anyone suspicious. If questioned, he will pose as a nutball looking for
> Loer An-Tehr, looking for quick and easy money and boasting of his skills
> both technical and explosive.
> 
> He will also climb up into the rail structure and rig a whip-wire counting
> device under one of the monorail's struts to detect any movement along the
> rail from the moment he places it until he checks on it again (unless he
> can rig it to transmit via radio any movements to his chronocom in the form
> of a beep).
> 

If Tork is able to catch up with Syzygy he will calmly walk up and ask "What you up to?" 

Regardless of Syzygy's answer Tork will reply "If you need any help just yell." If 
Syzygy requests some assistance Tork will help (as long as Syzygy is not about to blow 
up the monorail station). If Syzygy does not ask for help Tork will simply stand by; 
autorifle loaded, cocked, and safety off; watching for trouble.

John W Whitfield wrote:
> << SNIP >>
> T'Klkk will advocate for a group meeting (without Fle'xx present) to discuss
> how the entire team should proceed. If possible, she will attempt to arrange
> such a meeting. If there are fears on the part of others that conversations
> in our rooms may be monitored, T'Klkk will agree to hold the meeting in a
> secluded public place or at a park. Actually, that doesn't sound like such a
> bad idea.

Perhaps instead one (or more) of the Techs could build a 'white noise generator' just 
big enough for one of our rooms.

<< snip>>
> frequency. We should keep this in mind when using the colony computer. In
> fact, as far as I am concerned, nothing that we store on-line is secure. I
> suggest that we all approach our work with this perspective."
> 
> T'Klkk looks around the group for discussion.

Tork does not feel qualified to answer questions on on-line security. For the most part 
he will simply remain silent and listen to what the others have to say.

> "While not wanting to sound paranoid, these are the circumstances under which
> we are apparently working. I have opted to not include a representative of
> our employer in this discussion because at this point I'm not sure who is or
> is not involved in what appears to be a cover-up of information which should
> be readily available to us. What do others of you think?"
> 
> She will again wait for discussion.

"I believe there is information that is not being made available. The problems 
that Syzygy has had accessing the system are evidence of this. We do need to ask 
ourselves if the access was denied by Streel or because of that extra.." Tork pauses 
looking for the right word, he does not find it "Stuff that Syzygy found in the computer 
programs."

> "I suggest that we make a list of all the facts that we know. A list of all
> leads that we may have. A list of all suspicions or guesses. And, from those
> lists, we should formulate our plan."
> 
> At this point, she will wait for feedback from others. Her ultimate goal is
> to slow down the pace of things, get everyone to look at all of the pieces of
> the puzzle at once, and then come up with a group decision on the appropriate
> action to take.

Tork agrees on this. "It seems that we have been reacting to situations instead of 
working twords solving the case. We need to double check our work so far and see if 
anything was missed. There are some areas that we have not yet followed up on."

John W Whitfield wrote:
> 
> She will say to Tork, "Your attention to the safety and security of this team
> has been most commendable, Teammate Tork. You have handled yourself
> exceedingly well in combat situations, and the work that you have done during
> the investigations has been equally impressive. I have also noted that you
> are more skilled in hand-to-hand combat than I am. Self-T'Klkk would be most
> honoured if you would be willing to teach some of what you know."
> 

"I am honored by your complements and would enjoy the opportunity to pratice 
hand-to-hand combat with you. It has come to my attention that you use automatic 
weapons also. Perhaps we can find range and take in some target practice."

TTFN
John johngroz@ncinter.net

From:  Dan Biediger (Zane)

Depending on the situation with the lockdown and medical sweep, Zane will 
offer to help in the door to door screenings and innoculations. I'm 
assuming that, the medical group needs help and Syzygy does not. If the 
medical groups are doing alright and the team is in good shape, I'll head 
to the medical complex. I'd like to check out the medical records of any 
new arrivals to the colony, working backwards from the most recent to say 
4 weeks ago.
While I'm there, I'll check out the nurses.
This is supposed to be a vacation for me, and all I've been doing is 
work. I could use a little relaxation. I'll try to keep it low key, don't 
want to bring anyone home to meet the team just yet. I do want to get to 
know some of the residents of the colony in a more informal setting; 
could provide some useful insight later on.
Zane

From:  Ruben Rivera (Kare)

Kare will be defensive about any question about Gypsy Moon. They are
her allies and she will not "give them up". If Tork drops the matter so
will she. But in the back of mind (and the side of her eye) she will
watch out for Tork. And may plan several escape routes, maybe make fake
IDs, prepare an nasty Virus, get a schedule of shuttles leave this rock,
plus there capabilities (what purpose would hijacking a system shuttle
serve, it can't jump), she will also locate spacesuit lockers, incase
she has to "disappear".

In the mean while she will work, independantly if she must, on the
supply raiders. Making and comparing lists of what was stolen, when,
where, and most importantly what items have been stolen repeatly. 

She would also like to visually inspect the Life Support system, but
realizes that she may be strapped for time and may need to plant
cammeras for an ambush. Or she may need to help other team mates.

Kare will have to admit that Tork reminds her of BlackJack...they're
both ugly.

Kare Supreme