Bartja has never been good with people (LDR 35) so he stays off the bridge as the tensions build.  Instead, he opens a link with S'Krllk to work with him on figuring out the mess in Engineering.  He'll stay where he is until S'Krllk is ready to chance making some changes or the boys above need a hand in a firefight.

The following should help in visualizing respective positions.

(MINUTE 3 OF S'KRLLK'S ANALYSIS):

RECREATION DECK
Bartja and Appleburg remain on the Recreation Deck. Bartja is trying to help S'krllk. (+10% added so far.)


ENGINEERING DECK
S'krllk is still working on a way to disable the accidental self destructive explosive on the engineering deck. (Please let me know at which minute into this process S'krllk will actually try to defuse, if he knows yet. You can retract, of course, any time prior to the post in that turn.)

Bartja and S'krllk also see a potential second option, which would be to remotely deactivate the deadman switch. If Bartja makes a robot check and S'krllk makes a successful computer check (as follows), then they can activate the utility robot remotely, which can then deactivate the switch through the ship computer on the bridge to eliminate that immediate risk through the computer system (which is currently cut off because the bridge computer system is independent of the rest of the ship):

Bartja: Removing Security Lock at level 4.
S'krllk: Bypassing Security Level 4. (Or technician deactivate alarm/defense at Level 5.)




BRIDGE DECK
And on the bridge...

Orvo for now remains in the central area. He can heal as needed or act however he wants. (Appleburg can also climb up to heal if needed.)

On the west side, Porter sees Terry, two hostages, and the string of grenades attached to the kill switch (deadman switch) held by Terry. Porter says, "Terry, is this what you signed on for?  To murder people?  Suicide?  Does this even make sense to you?  You have an implant in your head that is telling you to do things you wouldn't do.  You have to fight it.  If you want to live, you have to disable your trap and let us help you."

Porter is moving closer (and slowly) to bridge the gap.

Terry says, "Stop right there! No closer." He raises the deadman switch menacingly. The pistol in his other hand is pointed at Porter. He looks with confusion at LeGrange without responding to Porter's comments. He keeps looking back and forth between LeGrange and Porter.

(OOC: Sorry, I thought there were only two hostages, but in rereading the module, there are actually 3.) They are in locations as pictured in the map below.

Desi heads out the east hatch. She sees a hostage tied to an acceleration chair, and LeGrange behind him (as shown). Behind her is the last utility robot, which remains motionless for the moment.

She also sees the stringed grenades (as shown). Anywhere in the bridge except the central area (with hatches closed) will be within the blast radius of the grenades. The grenades are incendiary grenades.

LeGrange is dressed strangely, not in his normal uniform. After a moment, you see he is dressed in a vacuum suit, which protects against fire--in other words, the incendiary grenades.

Both Terry and LeGrange have a stack of laser pistols in front of them so that they can easily drop one and fire another at maximum SEU without pause.

LeGrange says, "No one wants to die, of course. But I can't say about Terry. He's got a death wish. So you see, this will not be suicide for me at all. I may be the only one to survive. And yes, we used those implants all the time at the sanitorium. You probably saw them yourselves. But to suggest that I may have such an implant? Ridiculous."


This message was last edited by the GM at 05:03, Wed 02 Sept 2020.

At Terry's command, Porter will stop, but as he looks at LeGrange, Porter will inch over towards the hostage seated in the Astrogation seat.  He will keep talking to Terry to keep him distracted.

"Look, I sure don't want to die, I am sure these folk don't want to either.  Is death what you want?  I sure don't want to kill anyone, I just want to help you.  Look at this situation, do you think this is normal?  Do you think this is sane?"

OOC: Oops, forgot one more detail. The hostages are in freeze fields.

OOC
How high up are the partitions between Terry and the first hostage?

I think the partitions are computer stations, so they are like desks. The top of the map is the "front" of the ship and the "ceiling" would be the forward with thrust, so I am imagining that there is a lot of computer equipment both looking "up" toward the ceiling as well as where the partition is at, with not a ton of space to move between.

OOC

If Porter moves to the right (Terry's left) would he be blocked from observation?  If so, he will attempt to disconnect the last 3 grenades on the chain without being seen.

He will be seen. I am picturing it like looking at the space between a desk and upper shelves, so there are about 4 feet of open space to see, shoot, talk or whatever through. Someone could maybe distract him or something.

"Orvo, can you please come here?  I need your help."

As soon as he appears at the door, and Terry's attention is taken, I will reach out and disconnect the line to the grenade at the junction of F and H as quickly as possible.

Bartja smirks on his fleshy-face as he sees another option.  Through the team channel he quietly says, "Guys, keep them talking and don't take any risks yet.  I've got control of the utility robot.

S'Krllk, if you can, take a moment to look at this feed I'm sending you from the bot, see if you can hack the computer through to bot and use it to deactivate Terry's dead-man switch."

Desiraye replies over the team comms, "Copy that!"

Porter will keep talking, keep telling Terry to give up and help them.  The steady cadence of his voice will be measured to keep his attention off of the rest, other than Orvo.  If the robot can get the other side, it will isolate Terry.

S'Krllk takes Bartja's suggestion seriously, and adds the task of hacking the computer through the robot to his list of priorities.

MINUTE 4

Porter keeps Terry occupied and calls Orvo. When Terry looks away to LeGrange and the other door, Porter clips the wire of the grenades.

The utility robot comes to life behind Desi. It then turns to the computer.

S'krllk begins working remotely to have the computer by the robot ready to remotely disconnect the dead man's trigger set by Terry...

08:34, Today: GM Heath rolled 11 using 1d100

Success! S'krllk successfully deactivates the dead man's trigger.

Bartja and S'krllk relay their success of this to everyone else, and you breathe a sigh of relief.

But Terry and LeGrange still have laser pistols and hostages.

Porter will inch closer to Terry, closing the distance while he is still distracted.

OOC: I imagine Porter is by the seat marked h. So I'm guessing he is going around the workstation. Regardless, the motion does not go unnoticed.

"One more step and I'll put a hole through you," Terry threatens.

LeGrange says, "They must be part of a conspiracy. They claim we actually have implants in our own heads. How would they even prove it?"

Terry is sweating and not responding. He just shakes his head, keeping his eyes closely on Porter now.

Porter says, "Would you have taken the crew hostage?  Is that normal?  Only an implant would make you do that.  Orvo, are you there?"
This message was last edited by the player at 00:31, Thu 03 Sept 2020.

"If you don't believe us, why don't you inspect each other and or, yourselves?  You guys are smart, if you see or feel something, say something!  You would then know that we couldn't have done it.""

Bartja lets out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and returns his attention to the tanglidge of wiring that Terry has made of the Engineering consoles.

"We ready to try and disarm this ships engines or shall I head upstairs and join the...subdual of our future prisoners?"

OOC: Note that Bartja also has control of the utility robot upstairs. He can control the robot or move around himself, but only one at a time.

LeGrange responds to Desi, who now stands just 10-15 feet away, "As you will recall, the implants are undetectable without a brain scan or actual exploratory surgery. So just how do expect us to do what you ask?" His tone is derisive, as if talking to a young schoolgirl.

S'Krllk responds to Bartja, "I don't want to take any chances, maybe we could get the ship's computer to run a diagnostic on the engines."
Still working slowly and deliberately, S'Krllk is focused on preventing disaster, even at the cost of the ship's function.

Desiraye lowers her rifle to the low-ready and addresses LeGrange.  "We have a lab deck, would that suffice for a scan?  However you want to do it.  I don't think we have too many other options before we blow each other up.  I prefer the former option.  What do you suggest?  We also have a pending invasion creeping up on us as you know, Jack.""

Orvo moves through the hatch into the bridge deck.

He followed behind Porter but kept the other side of the hatch.

He keeps out of Terry's view and tries to get a look at one of the hostages behind Porter to assess their condition.

He also made ready a tranq. Injection from his medical kit.

If either Porter or Desi made to jump either Terry or Me grange he would follow them and try to sedate them

Bartja directs the utility robot to turn back to the computer station, then coms S'Krllk.

"I'm linking you to the utility robot who is at the computer console on the bridge still.  See if you can access the system to run the scan you need.  I'll keep studying the wiring and schematics to see if there's anything else I can figure out on that mess."