Flash-Bang and CID are in Cavern 42, one of the biggest subsurface caverns in Mercury. People and robots everywhere are going about their business...


Why are Flash-Bang and CID in Cavern 42?


(Suggestions (that you are not required to choose from):

--You're here to help investigate recent seismic disturbances

--You're here as part of a publicity campaign to open a new exhibit at Mercury's biggest museum

--You're here to escort a dangerous captured criminal back to Rocket City for trial )

“So I guess we’re going to have to flush them out, eh CID?
Or, at least, flush something out”, Flash said to his robotic companion.

They’d followed the trail this far, and were confident that the terrorist cell who’d planted those explosives at the Venusian World Fair were operating from this part of the solar system.
The componentry were of a Mercurian make, and CID’s investigations had revealed that a recent group of Mercurians to the Venusian capital had logged passports from this Cavern.

The place was huge, however.   Several entire cities forged together in the subterranean megaplex.
“Your the cat-n-mouse expert, how do we even start to find these jokers in a place like this?  I mean, we in the middle of a proverbial haystack”, he finished.

(For 1 XP (for each of you), answer:

1. Did the explosives go off? Was anyone hurt? Or were they safely defused or safely dumped in the ocean somewhere instead, hurting no one?

2. What role did you, personally, as Danger Patrol agents, have in dealing with the explosives? Did you defuse them? Find them and throw them in the water? Did you get the anonymous tip and warn other Danger Patrol agents?

Each of you may answer one of the above (#1 or #2), for a total of 1 XP each.)


 

Suddenly, a sinkhole opens up in the ground about 50 yards from you! Some orange-jumpsuited men jump out of the hole! They point at you! "There they are!" they shout-- and then they fire strange rifles into the crowd all around them!

When their projectiles hit, they POOF into bursts of smoke for a few seconds... harming no humans whatsoever...

...But five robots who were touched by the smoke stop where they are and clutch at their heads. "RAAAAARRRRHHHH!" they shout.

Observing this, another Mercutian robot near you (who wasn't affected by the smoke) says: "The Silver Plague! It has come once more! All is lost!"

The five affected robots start attacking people near them-- sometimes picking humans or other robots up and tossing them as hard and as far as they can!

The orange-jumpsuited guys shout "For the Flame Witch!" and then they jump back down in their hole and disappear.

Everybody else screams and runs and generally starts fleeing and panicking!

WHAT DO YOU DO, AGENTS? WHAT DO YOU DO?! (Hint: someone's gotta do something about these dangerous robots!)

The bomb defusal was close, some improvisation was needed to get the wires cut in time and short out the CPU chip inside.

At the beginning developments of this terrorist moment, CID answered his colleague "By observing visual intel and operating on protocols." That was it's answer. From there, it quickly processed that it had two differing tasks to deal with, so it needed to deploy.
"Deploying Prime Drone." the CID 3000 informed as the head released from the chassis, deployed it's maneuvering jets and went down the hole.

"Your lead?" The torso enquired it's colleague.

(CID has answered #1... Flash-Bang, you may answer #2 if you wish.

CID, take 1 xp.)




(I'm gonna wait on what Flash-Bang does before I say what happens with Cid's head.)

It had been a seriously dangerous response: which, of course, thrilled Flash.
Upon discovering the existence of the bomb, he and CID had mere minutes to find the damned thing.  If it hadn't been for CID tapping the local satellite and facility networks while Flash flew them in on the Venusian PD hover cycle (at, what was possibly unnecessarily angles and speed), they'd have never found it in time.  But, apparently, CID amazing skills with covert computer systems allowed him to find the bombs unique electronic signature.

To get to the bomb in time, Flash had needed to blow a hole in the roof, from above, using his Ray Gun.  He then leapt off the bike in a stupidly, daredevil fashion, in through the hole.
CID, very wisely, took control of the bike with his body, while sending his head plummeting after Flash.

Which was awesome, because without CID's head talking him quickly through the defusing process, Flash probably wouldn't have stood a chance of figuring out the complex circuitry involved.

Thankfully, as the countdown screen reached 2, Danger Patrol managed to defuse the situation (and the bomb).
This message was last edited by the player at 21:31, Tue 06 Aug 2019.

Flash desperately yearned to leap into the sinkhole after yon Flame Witch's terrorists.

But unless the sinkhole looked to be closing, he knew that the opportunity to follow them would remain available to them.
                                But if the sinkhole begins to close, Flash will make that leap in
Right now, civilian folks needed the help of DANGER PATROL, and Flash couldn't turn his back on these innocents.

"We finish this", he said to CID, almost relishing in the new dangers.

And the leapt forward towards the nearest rebid-robot, intent on tackling it to the ground.
          - rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  KICK some ASS.

(Flash may also take 1 xp.)

Flash slammed the robot to the ground, and lights all over its body went out-- he'd jarred an important wire or connection loose somewhere, and the robot's battery or power-pack was no longer powering its body. As a robot, it could always be rebooted later... although it might still be "rabid" later, too...

Well, that was a worry for later. 4 "rabid" robots to go...

(Before anything else: CID's head is currently trying to investigate what's in the hole... but what is CID's body doing?)

"Agreed." the chassis said. It moved to try stopping the robots, but realized the problem of the Silver Plague. It couldn't get close without risk to his own body. With that in mind, CID shot from afar using its Electro-Blaster.

(Forceful?)
17:05, Today: Covert Infiltration Droid 3000 rolled 6 using 2d6 ((5,1)).

(CID, on your character sheet, your Electro-Blaster has a [+] next to it.

By removing the plus symbol, you CAN add +1 to your roll... if you want to.

If you just want more xp, feel free not to use that, though.

So which is it?

(Y'all get to add some pluses back later on...))

XP for now. Save for the big rolls.

(Okay, but I just realized-- I've been thinking of shooting an actual weapon as a hand-eye-coordination thing, so maybe it should be Agile... BUT the rules do say you can get XP by choosing to lower a middle-score roll...

So I'm fine with you getting the xp and blowing the roll either way, but for future reference we need to decide: is aiming and shooting a weapon Forceful or Agile?

(Flash-Bang, you can weigh in on this issue too...)

And if it's Agile, you gonna stick with the 6, or...?)

(CID takes another XP.)

The "rabid" robot which CID aims at moves at exactly the wrong second, and CID misses with his Electro-Blaster.

CID's shot hits a large zip-line pylon, and various people moving around the cavern from up above via zip-line feel a very unsettling vibration as the pylon starts to creak and groan.

That thing's going to come down if someone doesn't do something somehow!

---

Meanwhile, CID's head enters the hole to find...

...No one. It's a maintenance tunnel that runs under the cavern floor at this spot so technicians can work on problems with sub-floor power cables, plumbing pipes, air hoses, cooling systems, and so on.

It turns, after only thirty feet each way, in two directions-- to the left, and to the right. The bad guys must've gone one way (unless they split up?) but which way should CID's head investigate? (Or should he go back up and work on the robot/pylon problem?)

As Flash slammed the robot to the ground, and lights all over its body went out, he used his own momentum (and that of the backward falling metal man) to continue his roll, off the robot and up onto his feet.

Looking around, he spotted a nearby motorised vehicle.  It was large enough, and heavy enough, that parked up against the injured pylon, it would add some stability and reinforcement to the structure.

But between here and there, Flash could also think of another purpose it could serve.

Leaping in behind the wheel, he was glad to find that the local delivery vendor had left the van running.
Flash punched the accelerator, and launched the van forward, directing it squarely towards (and hopefully into) another of the renegade-bots.
          - rolled 11 using 2d6+2.  Ram the Robot.
               That is an Agility roll;  if this be a 'destructive' Force roll, the result is actually 12.
               The 'use the van to reinforce the pylon' will be Flash's next action.

The robotic torso reaches into its utility belt to bring out a cyber rope, one which will be tied to the car to ensure that the pylon doesn't fall over.

Meanwhile, in the maintenance tunnel, the primary drone of CID decided to go left and hope it was successful in finding the pair.

Flash Bang's skillful driving of the van is successful-- that's another "rabid" robot down for the count-- 3 to go...

(And I agree that driving a vehicle is an Agility thing, by the way...

CID, you must remove the plus symbol on your character sheet next to your utility belt.

On the up-side, you will get an extra +1 to whatever you try to do next with that rope...)

Meanwhile, CID's head goes left... just in time to see two men rounding the next far corner. Either they split up, or the others already ran around that corner. (Either way, there go two of them... gonna chase 'em?)

The CID torso gets the rope to tie around part of the pylon and a building structure, to stop it's desired direction of tipping.

Insightful rope tying?

Meanwhile, the head is chasing after the target. One in the, um, metaphorical hand and all that.

(Yes, Insightful. I nearly posted about all the different kinds of ways you could do it, and decided that me trying to predict what you'd do next in 5 different ways was silly. Roll +Insightful (plus Utility Belt +1 bonus too))





(Hm... Roll +Agile to try to make sure they don't notice you back there...)

insight
01:18, Today: Covert Infiltration Droid 3000 rolled 7 using 2d6+2 ((2,3)).

Agile (Stealth)
01:19, Today: Covert Infiltration Droid 3000 rolled 10 using 2d6+2 ((5,3)).

After running over Robot #2, Flash drew the van up beside the pylon, scraping the van's side against the concrete ... and parking it that way, so that the van helped to stabilise the pylon.

Seeing the Headless CID moving with cyber-rope to secure the pylon and van further, Flash took it upon himself to deal with another of the renegading robots.
Leaping from the van, he drew his Ray Gun, aimed and shot for the metallic head of the nearest.
          - rolled 12 using 2d6+2.  shoot robot.

Something in the robot's head overheats... The robot's obviously constructed along different lines than CID, because with its head disabled, it falls to the ground. KA-CLANNG...

Two "rabid" robots to go...

And the zip-line pylon is stable for now... everyone has stopped getting ON those zip-lines now, and everyone already on is in a hurry to get off and stay off...

It is still in danger of collapsing and/or falling, but NOT before everyone gets off...

But one of the two remaining "rabid" robots runs up and charges at CID's body suddenly! Will this "Silver Plague" thing be contagious? What will CID('s body) do?!?

The final "rabid" robot charges at Flash Bang!

(Flash Bang, remove the plus symbol next to your Ray Gun...
Guys, you can attack (Forceful) or dodge (Agile) or try something else...)

---

CID's head moves up closer to the two men... There doesn't seem to be anyone in front of them...

And they don't look behind them...

But one of them says to the other: "Okay, now's good-- if we get split up, meet back at the old well..."

The other man nods, and slaps something (about half the size of CID's head) on the wall, and then keeps running...

(Does Cid's head glance at the thing on the wall, or just fly on past it...?)

As the nearby robot charged Flash, he spun quickly using a Titan martial arts* maneuver he’d learned years ago.

This allowed him to catch the robot in a swift move, and using the robots own forward momentum against itself, flip the robot out of balance, and sent it sailing towards the robot that was charging towards CID.
          - rolled 15 using 2d6+4.  FORCEFUL throw ...  using bonus from ‘Alien Training’
This message was last edited by the player at 17:03, Thu 08 Aug 2019.

The Prime Drone glances at the thing. Covert ops procedure does include intel gathering after all.

Oh crap it's an explosive, and it's about to go off!


Options:

1. RUN! Er, FLY? HOVER AWAY FAST?!? (But in which direction? Forward, or back the way you came?)

2. Try to defuse it-- FAST? (Can you do that without hands? Maybe #1 is best...?)

Good thing CID knew now that it was a bomb, but now he had to move to follow them. The trail would be lost otherwise.

Afile?

(Agile indeed.)

The head removes it's safety protocol Narrow_Tubeway_Flightpath.exe to move at full speed down the tunnel away from the explosion without losing sight of the pair.

Agile
17:55, Today: Covert Infiltration Droid 3000 rolled 10 using 2d6+2 ((2,6)).

The head drone dashes through the darkness swiftly as an explosion occurs behind it, narrowly escaping harm as flames slightly lick the robotic frame.

(Because of the excellent roll result, it doesn't matter this time, but for future reference: Should judo-like martial arts moves where one skillfully redirects an opponent's momentum not count as Agile? Discuss here or the OCC thread please.)

The two remaining "rabid" robots are both taken out of commission (without either of them touching CID).

The zip-line pylon is still somewhat dangerous, but not only are all passengers off it, furthermore, now that the danger from the "rabid" robots is over for the moment, repair teams can arrive soon enough to start working on a more permanent solution.

(I'm going to wait on narrating more until I hear CID's thoughts about what his head and body know and when they know it etc...)

The torso had spent extra time making sure that it was on point for keeping the tower from falling. Thus it performed sub-optimally in self defence from the ravaged bots. This function report was not going to be a good one.

The head was blistering through, realising it had crossed a point of no return, it was save or scrap, no going back. So it carried on, realising the lack of backup.

"We may have a problem with my cranial unit." CID said as some sort of muffled boom occured in some distance. "I will try to convey all I come across, but it maybe compromised if they know the drone is linked to more than just a monitor."

CID's head, having made it past the explosion, again moves up behind the two men.

They hurry down several flights' worth of stairs...

Then they take a passage away from the stairs (although they go down farther), and come to a door on their left. They slow down and stop. and CID's head does the same, just within earshot, hovering behind a large vertical pipe.

"This is it," says one man. They start covering their jumpsuits with medium-gray hazmat suits, as if they're going to go work around radioactive material or toxic gases or something. "You ready?" The other man nods. "If anyone asks what we're doing coming through this door, say that we thought we heard a strange noise... like an explosion in the distance, but we looked around in here and didn't find anything unusual... But if we're lucky, no one will notice us anyway... Okay, let's do it..."

They're getting ready to go through the door... Presuming they close it behind them... can CID's head open it again by himself...?

Flash stood, and took in the scene for a moment.
Then, turning to the crowd in general, he called, “It’s all good, folks.  Danger Patrol has this matter well in hand.
Go about your business ... but stay off that ZipWay until engineers get her to fix that pylon”.

Turning to CID, he said more quietly, “Ok. I know you’ve got a bit A HEAD of yourself, so let’s go catch up with your cranial unit, eh!”.
And he headed for the sinkhole.

The torso lifted a hand. "Flash, wait. There was an explosion several minutes ago. There is at least 37% chance of a maintainance tunnel collapse." The spy announced as he then went stiff and focused on in the tunnels.

Back down there, there was only one chance for the head to fit through the door. It would have to time this right.

Agile
22:37, Today: Covert Infiltration Droid 3000 rolled 9 using 2d6+2 ((5,2)).
This message was last edited by the player at 23:30, Wed 21 Aug 2019.

The two men passed through the door... Then it was closing...

CID('s head) made it! He was now in a large underground tunnel, with a forty-foot ceiling that fell away to each side.


(In other words, a tunnel in this shape:  D

But with the flat part on the bottom.)

The tunnel was dimly lit by a light every hundred feet or so... there was no way to see either end.


...But the men spotted him!

"What th' tanj is that?!" one said.

"--It's a spy drone or somethi-- No! It's the head of that robo Danger Patrol agent! Blast it!"

The men pulled ray guns from pockets, and aimed at CID's head, and pulled the triggers...

(Agile roll to dodge... You'll get an extra +1 to dodge if you retreat (but will you head left or right down the tunnel?)

Or will you do something else...?

---

Meanwhile, Cid's body and Flash Bang find the section of the collapsed tunnel that's blocked where the explosive went off...

“Well, I guess we start digging, or find another way around”, Flash said to CID.

He looked around to spy any nearby doorways or passages ... or access panels that maintainence crews might use to log reports, access blueprints and data, and manipulate electrical systems.

Agile
13:07, Today: Covert Infiltration Droid 3000 rolled 10 using 2d6+2 ((4,4)).

The Head drone shifted to the left path, to avoid a blanket of fire from the pair of hostiles.

The two men miss, but they keep firing, and CID's head is forced to hurry down the tunnel, and soon they are out of sight and earshot...

There is a vertical shaft that's big enough for him, and which leads upwards... Does CID's head take it, to try to get back to Flash-Bang and his body...?

---

Flash-Bang finds an access panel...

(One of you say what you want to attempt to do with the access panel, and then roll Insightful...)

Or ... I tell what I want CID to do with the access panel, and  HE makes an insight roll

“CID, old buddy, see if you can talk to their systems, and get us a floor plan of this place ... and find out if there’s any alarms or need that can tell us where ‘something unusual is happening’, eh.
I’m going to take a look around for a door out of this place”
                - rolled 3 using 2d6.  Insight.     :-p    :-p

Flash Bang looks around for a door out of the corridor... he not only finds nothing like that, he may have discovered a new form of alien fungus growing in a patch on the wall that befouls his olfactory senses... UGH. It'll take a little while to get that stench out of his memory...

(Flash Bang gets 1 new XP but takes -1 forward on his next roll)

The head of CID tries to retreat back to his body, hoping the explosion didn't actually cause a cave in.

***

Meanwhile, back at the body body. CID can see the logic of Flash Bangs suggestion. <Grey>"I agree with your plan of action. Accessing..."<grey>
CID initializes connection to the Electro-Net Interface, attempting to access a floor plan.

Inight
17:17, Today: Covert Infiltration Droid 3000 rolled 13 using 2d6+1 ((6,6)).

CID's use of the access panel is extremely successful, at least for this section of the maintenance tunnels. In fact, he is able to figure out that if he and Flash-Bang backtrack a few dozen yards and go down through a trap door and then head southwest for just a little while, it'll be easy to meet back up with where CID's head will be soon.

(I presume y'all do this...?)

Presume correct for me.

Flash gave CID a hearty slap on the back and a “Awesome work, CID”.

His antennae were still twitching from the nauseous, noxious scent that’d got into them; and it was making his head a little groggy.
But now that a plan (and path) of action was sorted, Flash leapt into action
... headed for that trapdoor, and down onto the next tunnel.



Presume away, friend GMski.
You know what they say about ‘Presume’: it makes and ass out of ...   um, no.    Anyway, onward ho.

(Well, I'll get you started...)

A while later, Flash-Bang and CID were...

   ... standing again in one of the crowded merchant byways of Mercury's underground metropolis.

Through a mouthful of Little Dog* he sighed, and said to his intrepid companion, "Well, what do we do now?"

He was glad that CID had his head back; it made talking to the metal man much easier.
Of course, Flash had the instinct to go after the cultists that they'd just lost in the tunnels ... but he remembered that such was not their mission here on Mercury.  They were tasked with discovering, and bringing to justice, the terrorists that had perpetrated the bombing of the Venusian Games.
He could only hope that, eventually, the two ended up being the same organisation.

"I've got some contacts in these warrens, from years ago.   Maybe I should try and find them.
They might have some useful intel".
He was feeling revitalised by the Dog and the moment of rest.





* totted as a 'Mercurial Treat to Span the System for', the Little Dog was a local delicacy** that had very little to do with 'little' or 'dog' (although it did contain some unknown meat source, so dog really shouldn't be ruled out).

** and by 'local delicacy', it should be noted that most nobody from any place other than Mercury could stomach the strange miasma of ingrediants.

CID was optimizing his time, checking his tour guide databases for efficiency, making head and torso units realign in system updates and general diagnostics. All in the time Flash Bang informed
CID was sure that his companion knew what he was checking up on, but CID wanted to ask and check anyway. "Are you sure that will be helpful? Time has an interesting effect on organic life forms."

CID did have numerous files on the goings on within the Solar System, it was a part of his design to have that sort of intel. But in reality, some things slip through the cracks, which meant he had to be sure to gather that further intel himself.

"Only one way to know", Flash responded, flashing a smile.

He'd finished his Little Dog, and the can of Solar Cola had washed it down just right.
"You ready to go?"

"79% Completion of update." CID answered. "My model has been only recently introduced to Danger Patrol, so as you might say, there is a lot riding on my performance." CID pointed out to Flash Bang. With a blip, the update was complete and CID answered with a nod.

Part 3: SUSPENSE!

Who is the Flame Witch?
Why have her followers done what they have done so far?
Where are she and/or her followers located when they are not causing terror?
What was, and is, the Silver Plague?
How did the Flame Witch's followers bring back the Silver Plague?

Not having an answer to each these questions is a threat to the Danger Patrol and to life as the solar system knows it!

It's time for our two Danger Patrol agents to find out all the answers they can get: fast!

---

Questions are what you “fight” in a Suspense scene (similar to how you fought threats in the action scene).

Unlike the first action scene, the PCs don’t have to be together. CID may be in a lab studying some sort of evidence while Flash-Bang could go somewhere to talk to some sort of expert on something. Or they could stick together! Whatever!

The GM will frame each question with a location and brief description before the Suspense scene starts.

---

Who is the Flame Witch?

Location: The Mercury History Museum
Brief description: A building carved into the middle of a huge cavern stalagmite

Why have her followers done what they have done so far?

Location: The local Danger Patrol headquarters
Brief description: An office building, but with better security than a bank

Where are she and/or her followers located when they are not causing terror?

Location: That tunnel where they shot at CID's head
Brief description: A big tunnel in the shape of a tube cut in half lengthwise, with the flat part on the bottom

What was, and is, the Silver Plague?

Location: The Memory Bank, a robot bar
Brief description: An old refurbished (but not very refurbished) factory where robots hang out when they're not at work

How did the Flame Witch's followers bring back the Silver Plague?

Location: The Mercury Institute of Technology
Brief description: The best local university for science-major types


You might have better results together, but you'll cover more ground faster if you split up! And you've got no time to lose!

---

Players should feel free to offer suggestions and say how their heroes get involved in the investigation (very possibly following up on anything they talked about during the Interlude).

You “fight” a question by performing investigation actions. You do "damage" to the question until it’s defeated, just like a threat during an action scene. When and if a question is defeated, it’s answered definitively by the GM, the player who defeated it, or some combination (with input from the other players as needed).

New Threats may be spawned during the Suspense scene, but that's okay-- you'll deal with them in your next action scene!

“ Some old pals of mine work at the Institute of Technology here”, Flash said, thoughtfully, “I think I’ll head down there and see what they can tell me about this ‘Flame Witch’ and this ‘Silver Plague’.

Why don’t you access the Patrol’s database back at headquarters, see if you can figure out hat these crackpots have been up to?”, he suggested, “and where they’re at”.

“Just be careful, eh!   We don’t want you coming down with the Plague.  You remember what happened when you got the virus last month”, he jestered, referring to CID’s computer systems.

"A translation of Pluto Quartz Binary was needed for the job. Those chips becoming contaminated with organic life is prone to 'glitches'." CID repeated with the exact same tone that was used and abused over said month. A feat which would show exhaustion coming from anything besides a robot.
CID tried to put any part of mistakes besides the constructive behind him. Never mind the part where Danger Patrol HQ witnessed the incident of CID "doing the robot"...

"But you're quite right, I would be quicker with the databases. Plan of action is efficient and therefore approved." CID agreed.

CID's Suspense Scene 1:

Why have her followers done what they have done so far?

Location: The local Danger Patrol headquarters-- an office building, but with better security than a bank

CID uses his Danger Patrol badge to enter the local headquarters, and after a few test to prove it's really him, he's free to move around the building. There's an receptionist, and various agents are walking around quickly here and there...

---

Flash-Bang's Suspense Scene 1:

How did the Flame Witch's followers bring back the Silver Plague?

Location: The Mercury Institute of Technology, the best local university for science-major types

Flash-Bang's Danger Patrol Badge easily gets him access to wherever he wants to go on the underground campus of the Mercury Institute of Technology...
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:32, Tue 10 Sept 2019.

Inside, Flash quickly met up with some alien allies: a couple of egghead buddies that he was friends with back in college.
They were fans, too, and Flash had kept in contact with them over the years.
     (after all, you don’t get so blind drunk with guys like this, and go absailing naked, unless your friendship is solid, right!)
He’d already made plans with them o catch up while he was on Mercury, anyway ... this situation just sped things up a bit.

Over a corvessian brew, he told them what had happened, and asked them about this ‘Silver Plague’; “What was it? And what’s with these dudes trying to ‘bring it back’ already?”


- rolled 13 using 2d6+1.  Insight or Charm; using Alien Allies.
PERFECT ROLL.   The dice roller wants Flash to find out about this shite.   :-p

Flash-Bang is told that:
--The Silver Plague was a big problem for robots of all kinds
--It was, thankfully, confined to Mercury
--It wasn't exactly cured so much as it "burned itself out" after a while...

(I will let you tell ME 0 to 3 more things about the Silver Plague, and then I will tell you 1 to 3 more things...)

Seeing as time was of the essence, CID wanted to see if he could grab experienced hands. So he went to the reception desk and made a synthesized cough to grab attention. "Good day, do you know if the Archivist is in? I have an urgent matter to handle."

"Yes, the archivist is in..."

"So, what was the Silver Plague?", Flash asked Professor Alqueeezee.
-- "The Silver Plague was an electronic virus ... but not just a program, it caused the targeted technology to physically mutate, rewiring its internal circuitry, thereby causing the device to act randomly.  Often aggressively, in a form of mechanical madness", the Professor explained.

This sounded familiar.   Wasn't that similar to what CID said the bomb at the Venusian Games was designed do to?
Had the terrorist attack there been an attempt to induce Silver Plague on another world??

"You say it was originally confined to Mercury.  COULD it occur elsewhere?
-- "Not really.   The plague relies on a very curious combination of elements found only in Mercury's atmosphere.   Research has shown that.   Unless,"  Prof Alq continued, "unless someone has created a mutant strain", he concluded with horror.

This didn't sound good to Flash.

"And there is no 'cure' you say?"
-- "No.   Like I said, it just sort of burnt itself out.    A bit like isolating a biological contamination: once it ran its course, with no new victims to infect, it had nowhere to go.  And burnt itself out".


Flash and the Prof went quiet now, drinking their brews, each lost in their own thoughts on the matter.
Until the Professor remembered a few additional facts worth sharing ...

"Well, just one thing," he said. "I personally don't even understand how what the Silver Plague does is possible, nor where it came from... No one does, except-- well, rumor is that only the native robots might have some idea. But I'll tell you how I think this terrorist group has brought it back. They must have found some robot that caught the Plague that no one knew about-- that still had whatever the Silver Plague is trapped inside, waiting. My first guess would be deep in some mine somewhere, maybe..."

"Good." CID said to acknowledge his good fortune. "I need to see them about an urgent matter tied to my current assignment. I need everything on file about the Flame Witch and followers as soon as possible." CID said to convey the problem as promptly as possible.

"Go right on through," says the receptionist.

"Hello," says the archivist when he sees CID. "Do you need my help, or can you handle the files yourself? I've loaded the relevant files onto that computer terminal over there..."

CID glances in the direction of the terminal to see that a compile program had completed and was ready for viewing.
A good start to the research.

The head swivels towards the Archivist. "Presuming there is enough data on the Flame Witch activities, this should suffice for my line of inquiry. Thank you."
CID's head turned towards the terminal, then rotates back to the Archivist to add. "I might visit you again if another matter arises." CID admitted, completing his repositioning to the terminal. There, he stated the search for any connections.

Insightful I presume if this part requires a roll?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:50, Mon 23 Sept 2019.

After thanking Professor Alqueeezee, and bidding him farewell, Flash headed for ...
The Mercury History Museum (a building carved into the middle of a huge cavern stalagmite) to find out Who is the Flame Witch?.

Arriving, Flash asked for directions to that part of the Museum, and began to research her identity.
     - rolled 5 using 1d20.  Insight for Researching .=

Flash finds nothing right away. It turns out that Mercutian history is a lot more rich and complicated than one would think. His head starts to hurt just a little.

(Flash gets 1 new XP and takes -1 forward.)

Flash, realising this, decides to 'ask for directions'.
He went looking for a librarian, and explained his need to find as much as he could about The Flame Witch.

(Charming roll, please...)

- rolled 9 using 2d6.  Charm.

The librarian seems a little nervous around Flash-Bang (must have never met a Titanic before), but she agrees to try to help him for a little while...

(You come up with one fact about The Flame Witch, and then I'll tell you another...)

After some discussion with the nervous librarian, it turned out that the woman knew something of interest to Flash.

Namely, that the Flame Witch was considered something of a divinity, or a deity of sorts; a priestess to an ancient religion who'd tapped ancient arcane power for immortality.

She existed, still alive after all this time, by virtue of the Ever-Lit Pyre that burned eternal in her temple on the other side of Mercury.
And it was rumoured that should the Pyre even extinguish, she would die with it.

'Incandesia' was something of a city-state itself, and home to her loyal followers and worshippers who defending the place zealously.

(Um, I said ONE fact, but what the heck, I guess I'll just roll with it...)

The odd thing about all this (well, what about all this wasn't odd? So okay, the super-extra-odd thing) was that according to the legends, the Flame Witch was supposed to have died a long time ago, because the Ever-Lit Pyre had somehow been extinguished. So... what could be up with a Flame Witch doing things these days...?

Flash-Bang tries to contact CID, to compare notes.

...He gets no reply.


(Since this has become a solo game, I'll let you go investigate one more place...

Your options are:

1. Go check CID's last known location

Why have her followers done what they have done so far?

Location: The local Danger Patrol headquarters
Brief description: An office building, but with better security than a bank


2. Maybe CID isn't responding because he's off the grid?

Where are she and/or her followers located when they are not causing terror?

Location: That tunnel where they shot at CID's head
Brief description: A big tunnel in the shape of a tube cut in half lengthwise, with the flat part on the bottom

3. It might make sense for CID to be here...?

What was, and is, the Silver Plague?

Location: The Memory Bank, a robot bar
Brief description: An old refurbished (but not very refurbished) factory where robots hang out when they're not at work)

Sorry, I get creative.   If that's a problem, I can reign it in a bit in your game

This information bothered Flash.  Either some ancient diety-empowered Priestess was back from the dead, or ... or maybe someone was out there using the imagery and persona to reignite (pun intended) something.
And, while the two seemed seperate, maybe that something was the 'Silver Plague'.

And somehow, this Silver Plague was reaching beyond the boundaries it had previously been capable of ... with the help of an ancient, dead religious nut.


Flash tried to contact CID, but go no response ... no matter how often he tried.  Which he found suspicious; it wasn't like CID.
And it occurred to Flash that they'd had comm's difficulty down in the tunnels; and that CID may have returned to that tunnel where the enemy had shot at CID's head in an attempt to continue tracking the villains.


Thanking the Librarian, Flash headed off down into the tunnel network (option 2) again, in the hope of meeting up with his erstwhile companion.

Other agents of (or subcontractors for) the Danger Patrol had unblocked the exploded passageway that had earlier thwarted Flash-Bang, and CID had earlier electro-mailed a memory-map of the path to take to get to the big tunnel to his partner...

So from the description of the big tunnel, it was clear to Flash-Bang, when he entered it, that he'd done so.

But there was no immediate sign of CID, neither body nor head, and no sign of anyone else... at first glance, anyway.

What does Flash-Bang do?

(Options:

--Start detecting for possible clues!
--Take the tunnel, off to the left, the direction CID's head flew off initially!
--Take the tunnel, off to the right!)

Without much hesitation, Flash headed off to the left ... being that, to the best of his knowledge, that is the direction the  Bad Guys^tm  fled earlier; and if CID had returned to further investigate, Flash suspected he would have gone.

Either way, finding either CID or the route of the enemy would be a boon right now.
         - rolled 4 using 2d6.  Track the enemy + CID.

Flash-Bang heads off to the left.

He finds nothing of interest, save for--

1. A hole in the ceiling just a little bigger than CID's head-- that must have been how CID got back to his body that first time, and

2. Some more of that smelly tunnel-fungus. Ugh.

(Flash-Bang takes -1 forward, but gets 1 new XP.)

Frustrated, soon enough, Flash muttered to himself, "Right then.  Nothing here.   I guess I go ... right, then!"

Turning around, he went back the other way, and tried his hand at searching that direction.
        - rolled 7 using 2d6-1.  Insight to investigate Right tunnel.

After a little while, Flash noted a side door on the left where the dust was disturbed-- this door had gotten a fair amount of use recently. He tried it-- it was unlocked.

It led to stairs that led downward, in a straight tunnel, at not quite a 45-degree angle...

Welp, down he went...

The tunnel had a single metal handrail on the side... but the tunnel itself got wider, and wider, the ceiling higher...

The lighting, like in the previous tunnel, was just a single bulb every hundred feet or so...

But the tunnel no longer seemed man-made, but natural now...

Finally, the stairs ended, at the bottom of what seemed like a huge crevasse... There was a new door on the far side, though... Flash-Bang headed toward it...

Uh-oh. A deep growling from his right warned him that he wan't the only life-form down there...

(There's a dangerous beast down there. Just one, but still.

For 1 xp: What is this dangerous beast, and exactly why is it so dangerous?)

Flash Bang was almost across the cavern floor, when deep growl stopped him in his tracks.  Literally.

Having frozen a moment, Flash slowly and carefully turned his head to look to his right.
He kinda hoped that it was a Skurellian Bullfrog.    They made that kind of noise.
Sure ... kinda.  Well, not as quite that deep, or menacing.

And the frog didn't smell quite that bad, from what Flash remembered.
Of course, he kinda hoped it was a Skurellian Bullfrog that just happened to smell like a Gorthic, Flesh-eating Tarantula.

Flash's antennae were already taking in the Tarantula's scent ... and begin to quiver in fear, of their own initiative.


Flash could see those six, huge, multifaceted eyes glimmering in the darkness yonder.
Maybe three Skurellian Bullfrog ... that smelt really bad ... sitting one on top of each other?


And suddenly Flash exploded into action.
Gorthic, Flesh-eating Tarantula's were dangerous beasts.  Fast, strong, agile ... and always hungry.
Thankfully, like most any tarantula, they didn't use webs. They were chase predators.
If only he could stay out of its mandibles long enough to get to the door, it couldn't follow him.

(1. Be sure to add your 1 new xp to your running total xp.

2. Sounds like we're about to use Agile? Welp, roll for it!)

As an Interworld Games athletic champion, Flash had participated in many sprint and hurdle events over the years.
He'd competed well, and regularly proven himself at the peak of Titanic ability.

This was different, of course.
The rocks and rubble in his way were far from the regular, organised, conformed hurdles he was used to.
The ground was uneven and slippery.
And his competitor was a giant creature of natural agility and speed ... that wanted to eat him.

The latter, at least, was great incentive to push himself to the limits ...
                   - rolled 8 using 2d6+2.  R U N !

Flash Bang makes it to the door, and through it (thank goodness it wasn't locked!). The Gorthic Tarantula is just a little too large to follow...

But it does damage Flash's leg right as Flash is making it through the door.

(09:06, Today: The GM rolled 3 using 2d2 ((1,2)).

Flash takes 3 damage.)

The following tunnel goes straight for a little while, but there's a light about 50 yards ahead...

(Pausing in case you wanna do a reaction post or anything...)

As Flash paused, in the hallway not far from the door, and bandaged the spider-gash in his left leg to prevent it bleeding or getting infected, he wondered about the Tarantula.
The thing was too big to leave the cavern ... at least via either door that Flash had observed.
How was it feeding?  or Who was feeding it?
How did the local government maintainence staff not know about its presence?

He made a mental not to come back and investigate ... soon.
Right now, he wanted to know where CID had got to: as well as further their official investigation.

And so, after catching his wits and breath, he headed off down the corridor.

At the far end of the corridor, someone had spliced into a major power conduit... to power a teleporter.

However, the teleporter unit was currently non-functional.

It was still powered, it just wouldn't teleport.

Had it been somehow sabotaged? Or was it just that it was paired to another teleporter unit somewhere else, and that one wasn't powered on right now?

Flash felt frustrated. CID usually handled this technological stuff...

(Options:
--Try to access the teleporter log or whatever sort of software applications the unit might have (Insightful)
--Try to actually make the teleporter work (Insightful, but -2 penalty!)
--Something else?)

... a dead end, sort of.
A teleport pad, instead of a physical way forward.

Obviously, someone was keeping that Tarantula as a safeguard against anyone coming this way ... against anyone stumbling onto this teleport pad.

He'd normally have CID handle this technical stuff.  But CID was AWOL; AWOLCID!

It was easy enough for Flash to find the technical control panel, and he opened it up to look at the screen and reading there.
Now, if he could only make sense of readings to figure out where the teleporter's counterpart pad was ...
               - rolled 8 using 2d6+1.  Insight to read logs: using Alien Training.
Thankfully, there was some similarity in the software's layout and practical application to those used on Titan;  and that previous knowledge, along with his Danger Patrol training, might yield something that might help.

Huh. The date and time of the last teleport fit with just after when the Flame Witch jumpsuit guys that CID's head had followed would have been leaving after noticing the head and shooting at it (and missing).

The location... was... somewhere. A set of coordinates... somewhere underground, on the other side of the planet, the side that was currently sun-facing. Flash couldn't be more specific than that without looking up the coordinates when he got back to civilization.

Right now, it was time to work on leaving this tunnel...

(Options:
INSIGHTFUL: try to fix the teleporter (comes with -2 penalty)
INSIGHTFUL: try to think of some other way to leave (comes with -1 penalty)
FORCEFUL: try to lay some smack-down on the spider
AGILE: try to run past the spider again (might be harder this time)
OTHER: ?)

‘So, the portal pairs with one on the other side of the planet?’ Flash mused to himself ... and the Fire Witch’s stronghold was there also.
Coincidence?    Flash didn’t think so.

He considered his options.
Currently, he was trying to find CID; and as Flash’d spent time with CID since this teleported was used, his companion agent could not have come this way.

So maybe it was time to check back to DP HQ.    If they didn’t know where CID had gone, then at least Flash could make a quick report ... in case he too went missing.
Also, he could see if there were any additional agents available, that could help out with this case.
Maybe you'd like to advertise?  it'd be an appropriate time to introduce a new character or two if you get any interest

And that meant going back through the Tarantulla cave.
He could simply try to make the run, but he felt (as a DP agent) that he really ought to do something about that threat ... otherwise other people might get hurt.
Besides, who was Flash to turn down a challenge like this?


So he headed back to the Tarantula Cave.
Drawing his Ray Gun, he opened the door ... but his plan was to wait for the giant spider to come for him, come at him ... but he’d stay outside the door, through which it couldn’t fit, and do as much damage as he could to it from outside the room, before entering.


- rolled 7 using 2d6+1.  Confident: to lure the beast to the doorway, through which it cannot attack Flash, but he can attack it.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:52, Fri 08 Nov 2019.

(I agree, so I think I'll try it)




The tarantula did, in fact, come to the doorway...

The Gorthic, Flesh-eating Tarantula was at the doorway, inside the room, Flash hoped.
Flash took position in the corridor outside, through which the giant spider could not get at him;  Flash levelled his Ray Gun, and took aim ...
           - rolled 14 using 2d6+3.  Ray Gun shot.
... and when the moment was right, he pulled the trigger.

The Gorthic Tarantula is very wounded! It crawls back away from the doorway at human walking speed (it is normally much faster that that). It won't fall for that trick again...

...But it's still out there, and alive... Now what?

‘Ok’, thought Flash aloud to himself, ‘Initial damage done, and first impressions made.
Time to follow through”

Holding his raygun in front of him, Flash cautiously went through the door, looking* for the giant Tarantula.
      * looking UP as well as around.   Those buggers could climb, and were natural ambush hunters.

Flash wasn’t intending to give, or expect, any quarter.  As soon as he could finish this matter, he would, opening fire on the creature as soon as he had a good shot at it.
A wounded, trapped predator was no critter to be playing games with.


It should probably be noted that Flash’s heart was beating like a Thrash Metal Drummer in his chest right now!
The thrill and adrenaline was ...  AWESOME

The tarantula is slowly backing back toward the left-hand section of the chasm you're both at the bottom of. When it sees Flash again, it stops, like it's considering what to do... But just for an instant. Then, it charges Flash! It's about as fast as a Venusuan swamp-centipede can gallop, so Flash has about 6 seconds to react before it reaches him...

As Flash locked eyes with the hairy mother-eater, he could see his death.
Each of its dozen or so beady, glassy, black eyes showed him a different manner in which the giant spider might rend or mutilate him ...

And so he did the only thing he could, he fired his raygun straight into its face!
 - rolled 9 using 2d6+3 ((3,3)).

The spider is blinded, but infuriated-- or is it just panicked? Either way, it flails out desperately with its clawed front legs...

(10:16, Today: The GM rolled 3 using 1d3 ((3)).

Flash-Bang takes 3 new damage.)

Still, at least its mandibles haven't found Flash-Bang yet...

Flash Bang staggered backwards with the blow; cursing another rip and bloody stain to his awesome uniform

But the spider was temporarily blinded, and Flash decided to take advantage of that.
Swiftly, and with practiced grace, he tossed a Flash Bang grenade so that it skittered in under the giant arachnid’s head ...
     Using Agility here, as the grenade will do some kind of Special Effects, rather than damage (GM to narrate)
      - rolled 9 using 2d6+2.  Toss grenade.

And in those vital seconds before the grenade exploded, Flash activated his jetpack ... flying backwards away from the scene, as he shit his eyes in preparation for the flash and the bang.

The grenade goes off with a very loud BANG! (good thing this area is tectonically stable! But it is) and a very bright flash of light (not too bad for Flash because not only were his eyes closed but it went off under the spider).

Of course, the spider was already blinded, and after sight, spiders/tarantulas operate more on sensing vibrations and smell than literal hearing... But a tarantula's sense of vibration is very related to their ability to hear, and the thing certainly looks shaken up... it's sort of jittering and stumbling around like it's drunk and had too much coffee at the same time...
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:19, Tue 12 Nov 2019.

Flash figured that he had the giant spider ‘on the ropes’.
It was blind.  It was shaken (if not stirred) ... and didn’t know where the hell Flash was.

Zooming around in a wide, swift arc, Flash dropped onto the back of the Tarantula’s neck, so that he could lock on to its neck with his legs, and began hammering into the back of its head with both fists, intent on knocking the bloody creature out cold.
- rolled 11 using 2d6+3.  Forceful.
- On a 10+, you deal your damage to the enemy and avoid their attack. At your option, you may choose to do an extra 1d6 damage but risk exposing yourself to enemy attack.
... I take the option to do extra damage

There is a cracking noise...

The spider is quite dead, its chitinous exoskeleton broken.

Well, at least Flash-Bang is free to leave safely now...

... and so he did.

He made the proverbial 'bee line' for Danger Patrol HQ.   It was time to make a report of all he had found, check to see if CID had returned, and maybe find some other Danger Patrol Officers to help out with this case.

It looked as though this case was leading them across to the other side of the planet, sooner rather than later ... and so some kind of flyboy would be awesome.
Also, a detective type (someone with some actual investigative skills) would be helpful.  While Flash wasn't an idiot (entirely), he was by definition, an athlete ...


He also needed to find some medical attention to patch him up a little.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:46, Thu 14 Nov 2019.

Back at the Danger Patrol Headquarters, Flash discovered that CID still hadn't reported back.

He quickly made a report, sharing what he had discovered so far, and attached a requisition for new backup (asking for several fellow members to be assigned, as the threat rating was rising quickly, and time was running out).


Then, he sought out some medical attention and hit the sack for a few hours sleep.
Hoping that this counts as a 'rest' period, that I might rejuvenate some of Flash's health and used Bonus', please?
Of course, this gives time for 'backup PCs' to arrive, also ... to join in the next exciting episode of ...

                D A N G E R    P A T R O L  ! !
This message was lightly edited by the player at 00:32, Wed 20 Nov 2019.

(Since we lost a player and are inserting 3 more, I think that these are special circumstances.

--You may heal, at this time, for free, half the damage you've taken.

--If you check off one of the plus marks next to Alien Physiology, you may heal it all now.

Also:

--I will let you refresh ONE used "plus" marker (not an Alien Physiology one) at this time. OR: you may choose NOT to do that now, and then next time we refresh them, I will let you refresh TWO EXTRA.)


Mere hours later, Flash-Bang has company...

(Okay, folks, it's time to introduce yourselves to Flash-Bang as new agents assigned to the case. It's up to you whether you all show up at once, or if you come in 1 or 2 at a time instead.

I guess he's resting either
--in a spare guest room at Mercury's Danger Patrol headquarters, or
--in the Medical/Infirmary section of Mercury's Danger Patrol headquarters...)

Buzz strolled into the guest room, leaving the door wide open.  She dragged a chair from the wall to the side of the bed and sat in it, staring at the slumbering form in the bed.  After a few moments of patient silence, Buzz slapped the figure.  "Hey, greenie.  You Flash?  Colonel said you need a pilot for something.  Where we headed?"

OOC: It would be totally in character for Buzz if this was not actually Flash she was waking up.  Just giving you options.

Doctor Cagliostro had already started setting herself up in the infirmary, requisitioning its' supplies and diagnostic equipment into a little makeshift laboratory of her own. She left its actual functionality as a medical facility fully intact of course, one of her many doctorates was in medicine.

Before long the area was making all sorts of odd noises, bubbling and shrieking from strange concoctions of science and magic alike, along with the scent of chemicals, incense and brimstone.

"Hmm, a primitive space, but with sufficient if minimal equipment and good energy. It will do, for the length of operations here."

Strolling through the corridors whistling tunelessly, about the best he could manage and still look like he meant to do it, Denton followed the rather exuberant pilot. It was both shocking and entertaining to watch.

"Geesh, you stick jockeys sure get cocky around here." Denton lit up another of his faux cigars, with a self assured smile. "But, at least you're easy on the optical female evaluators."

Checking out the green shinned form in the bed Denton winces, blows a smoke ring like he is the only person in the universe qualified to do so, and leans in a little closer, "Say, where's this guy from? Jupiter, Neptune? He's built like a free-fall football player. None the worse for wear and tear I hope."

"There was a cute doc back in the medical bay." Denton said, not really paying attention if anyone heard him. "Maybe I should go check her out, er, check her availability for our friend here. With the kind of action he probably saw, I might be needed her personal attention myself. Soon, I hope."

"You touch me with anything more than your eyes, and I'll make sure there isn't enough left of you for the doc to put back together."  Goggles resting on her foreheard, she looks up from her chair at the hulking form by the door, ringed in smoke.  "You look like a capable fighter.  I'm sure you've survived more than your share of scrapes."  She quirks a smile.  "That won't stop me.  I'm too old to care.  So just do you job, and let me do mine."

Her gaze drifted back to the sleeping figure on the bed.  "He's from Titan, I think.  The green skin and antenna.  Can't get a good look at the extra arms under the covers, though."

She speaks a little louder.  "Greenie!  Naptime's over!"

Flash had been dreaming of dancing with the number three as the marshmallow hippoplatapusses cavoudelled the stars about the ...
When someone slapped him right in the bruise!

Rudely awoken, Flash didn’t know who he was for a moment, or where he was ... and came up swinging.
Which resulted in his fist connecting with the wall, and Flash tripping and falling unceremoniously off the bed with a sheet wrapped solidly around his legs.

As reality and knowledge returned to him, along with the new bruise on his knuckles, he froze to take in his surroundings ... his fists still up, his eyes wide, and his breathing chaotic.

Eventually, he managed to focus on the chick sitting beside his bed: the one with the amused and self-satisfied Cheshire Grin on her face.
“Wh...ho”, Flash managed to stutter out, “Who are you?”

He still felt like shit, and a glance at the clock told him it’d only been a few hours he’d slept.
Not going the full heal; and taking the ‘no plus replenish’ ... cos Flash is a Thrill Seeker, after all, so let’s up the ante a little

"Buzz.  Pilot.  Where to?"

Flash Bang looked at  Buzz Pilot Weartoo a moment, blinking, before realising his own introductions were expected,
“umm, Flash, clinically reckless, toilet“, he replied ... because he realised he was busting for a _{never mind}.

Still blinking the sleep from his eyes, Flash turned to head for the lavatory ... and fell face forward, because the sheet was still wrapped around his legs.

M-barrassed, he untangled himself as Buzz watched on bemused ... then crept off sheepishishly.

Buzz leaned back and shrugged.  She turned toward the giant in the doorway, while she waited for the results of "clinically reckless" toileting.  "What do they call you?  What do you do for DP?"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:20, Sun 17 Nov 2019.

"I possess a particular understanding of the criminal mind." He takes a puff and blows another ring of smoke. "I helped take down some syndicate thugs working out in the asteroid mining colonies."

Walking in and taking a seat without all the usual swagger and exaggerated attitude, Denton angles the smoke away from the others and speaks without bravado, "I grew up out there. When it came down to them or me, well the Patrol gave me a second chance. I gave them my loyalty."

Lean forward in his chair, "I can fly a little, and I know my way around a space station, a laser, and a library. But, where I excel is at the sharp end of the spear."

At around this point, the good doctor joined the others, acrid smoke still billowing from her rune-embroidered labcoat from some experiment or ritual she'd been conducting in the med bay- or at least saying so would be less embarrassing than explaining her attempt to cook toast on a bunsen burner-as she gave the assembled squad a quick once over.

"A spear eh? Primitive, but no doubt effective. Sometimes the old ways are best. Of course, perhaps the spear could be made to shoot lightning or damage souls..." She began muttering calculations and incantations to herself and trailed off for a moment before snapping back to attention, realizing she never finished her introduction as she gave them all a flourish of her coat that's half bow half curtsy.

"Cleopatra Cagliostro, at your service! Holder of various PhDs and greatest sorceress in the solar system! You'll find no knowledge beyond my grasp and I'm happy to put the secrets of the universe to work for the Danger Patrol, as long as they allow me to continue my research!"

She grinned, very pleased with herself for not bungling her little speech.

Flash returned from the lavatory.   His two left hands drying each other with a paper towel, while his two right hands were simply wiping themselves on his uniform pants.

Hearing the discussion, he said, “Good to meet you, Doc Cagliostro.  Say,” with a mischeivious grin, “What do you get if you cross a Hyblivic Octopus with the common Saturnic Bullcalf?”
And before she, or anyone, could roll their eyes at the oldest joke on Jupiter, he laughed, “An immediate cut to your research grant, and a formal investigation by the Ethics Committee”.


Joining the small gathering, three of his hands shot out ... one each towards Cleo, Buzz and Denton ...
“Pleased to meet you all, I’m Flash”.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:53, Sun 17 Nov 2019.

"Still Buzz.  Corey," she adds, shaking on of the left hands, then wiping her own hand off on her uniform pants.  "Still damp.  Cheap towels.  When's the mission briefing?"  Buzz was itching to do more than ferry cadets from planet to planet for various training exercises.  The most recent crop she brought with her to Mercury were here for subterranean maneuvers.

"Good to meet you all." Denton said. He stood stretched his arms cautiously so as not to poke someone unintentionally, yawned, and said "I'm off for a cuppa-joe and little rack time. Could someone chime me for the briefing?"

Denton strode to the doorway, stopped, and turned to look back at the collection of fellow patrolers.

"This must be one hell of a mission." Denton said as held his cigar poised near his mouth. "Because we're one hell of a ragtag group."

Turning, he walked out and made his way to the nearest coffee dispenser.

Buzz stares toward the empty doorway that the muscled smoke machine just left through.
 "I think he said his name is Possessed.  Or was it Criminal?  Maybe 'ragtag' isn't the thing we need to worry about," she said, loud enough to be heard in the hallway.  She couldn't keep a joking smile from her lips.

"Wow, complete sentences." Denton replies. "You honor me beyond measure."

Sipping his coffee Denton went down to the lobby and stretched out on a sofa. He would be asleep before the coffee would be finished.

Flash watch the dynamics of play among the new Agents he was meeting.
It was obvious that Buzz wasn't a regular here, any more than Flash was (he'd arrived just this morning, himself).
But he wondered if Doc Cagliostro and Quade were stationed here.

He shrugged at Buzz, and said, "I can fill you all in now, if you like?", following Quade out into the Rec Lounge, and hoping the ladies would follow suit.

Flash was still pretty banged up, with several gashes in his torso and leg, and heaps of scratches, burns and bruises.  But he seems to be rolling with it all pretty well.

"Assuming that none of you have read my report ..." he began.   Because, lets be honest, Flash wouldn't have unless under duress, "A few weeks back, a terrorist cell who planted an explosive at the Venusian World Fair.  My partner and I managed to deal with it, before it blew.  And all the evidence pointed to this planet as their base of operations.

From what we can tell, a group loyal to an immortal, but now dead priestess called The Flame Witch are responsible.
It seems that they have somehow found, or created, a new strain of The Silver Plague: which is a robot only virus that sends any electronic being insane and violent upon contact with the virus.

And for some reason, this organisation is insistent on bringing back said Silver Plague ... maybe they want to see all electronic beings wiped out?  or start a war between electronics and fleshies?   I dunno".
He halted a moment, to let all that sink in, then continued,
"This Flame Witch was a priestess of an ancient religious cult here on Mercury.  Apparently Immortal while the magic flames in her temple exist ... its believed that the flame, and the witch herself, died long ago.
But somehow, this new cult is reigniting," he said, grinning at his own pun, "her name and image, at the least, in this desire to return the Silver Plague into the Solar System.

My partner has gone missing, as we split up to follow some academic leg-work.
But I've found a teleporter that some of the Flame Witch flunkies used earlier today to escape after some releasing some Silver Plague in the city here.

The corresponding coordinates for its paired teleport pad are on the other side of the planet.
Which, funnily enough, is apparently where the Flame Witch temple city is supposed to be".
Again, he paused, before continuing on.

"So my thoughts are to make my way over that away, one way or another, and take a look at what is going on, on the sunny side of Mercury".

"Sounds like as good a place to start as any." Quade said as he got from the sofa. "Do we have any idea of how extensive this Witch's following could be on Mercury? You called them a terrorist cell, but do we have any idea of how they view themselves? You know, do they think they are saving us all from ourselves or something?"

"Nope" was the simple answer to that question.
Flash and CID had arrived here this morning, and were only just beginning their investigations.

Buzz had followed Flash into the rec room for his briefing.  "Are you planning to come in airborne, or do the tunnel systems connect that far?  Flying would be faster, of course, but a solar flare could make the trip mighty uncomfortable, even for Mercury."

A Danger Patrol tech came into the room holding a clipboard. "Mr... Ban... Mr. Flash-Bang? And Pilot Corey? Good, you're all here. Mr. B-- Mr. Flash-Bang, we read your report, and we've got a ship ready to take you to the coordinates on the other side of Mercury... with the appropriate safety gear, of course. Stellar weather reports state that it should be mild today, though, even there... Are you ready to leave right away, or do you need more time to prepare...?"

"I just need enough time to pack a couple of ham-n-cheese subs, a pickle, and a thermos of coffee." Denton said to the gathering at large. "Do you figure we need to carry any of that fancy Patrol kit? I'd hate to give the wrong impression."

"If you're asking my opinion, I'd say yes, take your gear," said the tech, "but what do I know, I'm just a corporal..." The corporal (Tech division) sighed a small sigh. "...Anyone got any other questions for me, before I go back to my own department...?"

To Corporal Whiner, she asks, "Is the provided shuttle big enough to carry surface or subsurface vehicles?  A tunnel cruiser with a shock cannon on the top might be handy against a swarm of cultists.  The tracking transponder in it would also be strong enough to relay to the shuttle and then Mercury base, so our position would be easier to triangulate if something goes wrong."

To Denton she says, "Is the coffee here as strong as they have on Ganymede?  I don't want any of that Venusian crap.  It's weaker than skim milk!"

"I'm just happy that it is real coffee and not some soy-protien imitation." Denton said. "I once got busted smuggling chicory grown on Earth as a coffee substitute. I paid four thousand for a ton on Earth and sold it for forty thousand in the belt. It was a damn sight better than the soy stuff. But, real coffee. It's nearly as valuable as the water that goes into it."

Denton smiled. Looked back over his shoulder at the others and said, "Well, actually, I got busted for tax evasion. Evidently, a ton of chicory has a tax assessment of two hundred per quarter ton. Remember to pay those import taxes kiddies."

Buzz just smiles.  "Real coffee.  Excellent.  Necessary and excellent.  Follow me, corporal.  You can finish answering my questions as we go."  Buzz follows Denton until the smell of dark roast leads her even faster.

“Agreed”, said Flash, “We have no idea what to expect when we get there.  So let’s be ready”.

When they got to the SPORT (Suborbital Planetary Operations and Recreational Transport), Flash provided Buzz with the coordinates he had been given at the library for the Temple City of the Flame Witch.
As the engines hummed to life, ad have the SPORT it’s trademark throb, Flash took a seat nearby the controls, for maximum vision out the front windscreen ... without getting in Buzz’ way.

"No, sorry, no room for that sort of thing..." says the corporal. "The craft you've been assigned is more designed for stealth, so that there's a chance-- probably better than a 50% chance-- that they won't know you're coming..."




(08:16, Today: The GM rolled 8 using 2d6 ((5,3)).)

The surface of Mercury is extremely rocky and looks barren to the untrained eye. There are a few species of native life forms, but they're well-camouflaged, and quite rare, anyway.

When Buzz pilots the craft to the coordinates (or, you know... above the coordinates, at least), Buzz notices something odd-- the dust down there has been disturbed. Not just in one spot, but here and there around the coordinates...

Flash-Bang theorizes that not only has someone been landing vehicles around that area in the last year or two (and taking off again, since none are visible now), the same someones have also driven away any local wildlife (probably the Mercurial Carpet Flapper, a sort of super-light non-aquatic flounder/catfish-like creature that is able to get airborne for short distances even in Mercury's very light atmosphere. They're not carnivorous to anything as large as a human, but their sides are sharp and can cut open a human's environmental suit, so they're a bit dangerous anyway)...

Buzz scours the landing area through the windows and monitors.  "Should I land in a new spot, or one of the places they've used before?"

She's also trying to spot the entrance to the underground complex, planning the best way to align the landing position so they can minimize time on the surface, and she can get the SPORT sky-borne as quickly as possible.

"As close to the door as possible, with the SPORT pointed in the right direction for a hasty hop out of here if things get dicey." Denton said. He stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray in anticipation of suiting up. "Besides, if we get in without being detected it would be good it we didn't have to waste time walking from several miles away to get into the place."

So far, Buzz doesn't see any such entrance. If there is such a thing, maybe it's somehow camouflaged from aerial observation...?

Doc Cagliostro looked up from her meditations as they approached and checked over her equipment and suit to make sure everything was in order. "I agree. If we can find the entrance, a quick extraction is always best. But how to locate the appropriate spot..."

the Doc moved closer to Buzz and peered over her shoulder. "If neither you nor the ship's instrumentation can spot our complex, perhaps it would help if I realigned the ship's equipment to function in tandem with my omni-scanner." She produced the shiny chrome device from her suit with a flourish along with a multi-tool, but resisted the urge to begin hotwiring it in immediately. The pilot was in charge of the ship after all, as much as the Doc was in charge of her lab.

"Nothing on the 3D subsurface scan, so far.  Give it a shot, Doc.  Just don't touch the attitude control equipment.  I think the best access to the sensor array is over there."  Buzz points back and to the left, to a panel of dials and monitors.

In the meantime, she continues to hover over the area, as close as she feels safe.

"Any chance those landing spots are on top of hangar elevators, disguised and cloaked somehow?"

(09:06, Today: The GM rolled 10 using 2d6+2 ((4,4)). Success.

Doctor Cagliostro, please mark off the plus sign next to your Omni-Scanner entry on your character sheet. (You can still use the Omni-Scanner, but you get no extra bonus for doing so until the plus symbol is renewed.)

Near the center of the area generally marked by the coordinates (well honestly a little ways to the north, really), Doctor Cagliostro's omni-scanner detects that the solid rock isn't really solid underneath. Probably a hidden entrance tunnel... Something that fooled the craft's scaners, but not Doctor Cagliostro's more sophisticated equipment...
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:58, Sun 24 Nov 2019.

Snoring loudly.

Denton stretched in the restraining straps a bit to the left, farts loudly, and mumbles innocently, "No mam, that wasn't me this time."

Flash joined the ladies at the front of the ship, as Denton napped.    The man's flatulance made Flash's antennae twitch ... and the Titan noticed that Denton's general pheromones were mildly tainted by the amount of caffeine in his systems.   It was a strange difference from most Earthings.

"It seems as good a place as any to set down", he said to Buzz as Doc C's device revealed the subterranean secret.
"Good thinking, Doc", he said with a smile.

As Buzz maneuvered to land the SPORT, Flash prepared to disembark.  The thrill of adventure was starting to tingle in his terbothemic ... much to Flash's excitement.

Buzz set the SPORT down adjacent to the indicated coordinates, so the rear landing ramp could open right beside it.  She also adjusted the rear turret to face the opening.  If they needed to lay down suppression fire on their getaway, it might save precious seconds.  "That's all I can do from here.  Everyone suited up?  I don't want to deliver any roast turkeys back to base," she said as she finished securing her Mercurian Exploration Gear - Advanced (MEG-A suit) and checking the ammo on her Ray Emitter.

Buzz kept the SPORT's engines and systems in standby mode, locking the controls to her bioelectric signature, with one verbal failsafe.  "I've set it so they can't move the ship or operate it without me.  If I'm dead, just speak this phrase to the ship and she'll let you run her."  The brazen pilot sent a text message into the communication screen inside everyone's helmet reading 'Buzz went for coffee'.

The four besuited-up agents walked slowly behind Dr. Cagliostro, holding her omni-scanner... but she only walked a few yards before she stopped... crouched... and wiped her gloved hand on the ground.

Her wiping revealed, under the orange-gray dust, a hatch, a sort of round-but-larger-than-a-manhole-sized thing. "I suppose that eventually--" she started to say, but then four little nozzles popped up and started spraying a fine dust back over the hatch. That answered that. Not eventually, but whenever anyone was done using it, the nozzles hid the hatch from eyes-- and there were probably baffles that also hid it from basic mass-scans, too, just not from anything as sophisticated as the omni-scanner.

More wiping, and a handle for opening the hatch was revealed...

"Very good positioning." Denton said. "Truly. You did well to locate this and land us nearby. And ride was very smooth, I slept like a child again."

Flash grinned with childlike excitement.
At times like this, he felt like a character in one of those role playing games he used to play online; which was silly, because he wasn’t.

“Ok, so who’s in first?   Let’s see hands ...”, all of his shot up, “so that’s four votes for me!”

"Sorry, but I'm afraid you used improper balloting technique. So, I will claim three of your votes and add it to my own." Denton explained. "That means Buzz goes first."

Denton laughs uproariously at his own humor, of course.

"Oh, that was funny." Denton forces himself to calm down. "Seriously, I got this."

Buzz cocks an eye at Denton's humor but is more than happy to let him go first.  She's more than happy to lead the charge when piloting space craft.  On foot, she's more comfortable minding the flank.

"Ever wonder why big strapping examples of genuine masculinity like myself are created from the cosmic matter of the universe?" Denton checks his gear, packs his lunch in as special case marked 'the stuff', and tapes an of fashioned set of brass knuckles to his forearm. "Because someone has to go first."

The open hatch leads to a dimly-lit ladder-well.

The ladder-well, after about forty feet, leads to a passageway, left and right, with a door at each end.

It's a fairly boring passageway, with no obvious cameras, traps, sensors, nor, like, people ready to kill you (nor any people at all).

There's enough atmosphere to breathe, and scans report that it's safe to do so.

The temperature is a comfortable-enough 74 degrees Fahrenheit.

So... left, right, or split up and investigate both?

Buzz doesn't remove her helmet, but immediately sets off to the left.  She's curious about the readings, though, and keeps an eye open for vents, pipes, cooling systems, or other evidence of atmospheric controls for this sub-Mercurian complex.

Denton knelt, carefully so not to disturb the ground, and checks for signs of recent passage. As Buzz sets off Denton quickly looks about for signs of security features that could cause trouble.

Denton sighs, "Women will be the death of me one day."

There are small, very narrow vents every fifty feet or so, up along where the walls meet the ceiling.

The lights are set into the ceiling, too.

There are no recent signs of passage either way... the passage seems to be swept or mopped or something ever day or two. So that tells you something, in a way.

Buzz soon reaches the left door. It's a big, thick-looking metal thing, with a button to the side to open it, but there's also a wheel in the middle of it for manual opening and closing for emergencies.

Buzz speaks in a low, insistent voice.  "Hey, big strap!  You going first again?"

Even as she prepares to storm past the doorway or lay cover fire through it, Buzz is still keeping an eye on the vents, the light fixtures, and the far door.  A threat can come from any angle.  Better to be ready.

"Sure thing, what's life without an ambush." Denton replies as moves past the woman. He was careful to allow Buzz room to move just in case there was indeed a threat. "Foolhardy, sure, but foolhardy with a gun to back you is better."

The door opens to reveal...

Hm. Another ladderwell leading down.

Buzz scans the new path for sensors and possible traps.  Even as she does so, she asks, "Down?  Or back to the other door?  If we have to run out of here, it's easier on a level surface."

(The new ladderwell seems to have no sensors nor traps.)

As Big Strapping and Buzz seemed to have teamed up to investigate one direction, Flash flashed a smile at Doc C and said, “Shall we?” ... and headed off in the opposite direction.

If he came to a similar doorway, you can be guaranteed he’d push its buttons ... when add Cagliostra was ready, of course.

"Keep going." Denton said after a moment. "Big, mean, and green can handle himself. And he has the Doc to back him up. Between her brains and his brawn I'm sure there every bit as capable of getting well in over their heads as we are."

Buzz says quietly to Denton, "If you insist on ladies first, so be it.  At this point, we're probably fifty - fifty on who would get shot first anyway."

She waves to Flash and Dr. Cagliostro before descending.  She's still got her raygun in one hand, so her progress is slow and deliberate.  The gun is pointed downward as much as possible.

(GM rolls dice:

Okay, now I know what's at the bottom of the ladder. Buzz, roll Insightful check, please...)

(GM rolls dice:

Okay, now I know what's behind this next door...)

Flash-Bang and Dr. Cagliostro opened their door.

The room that was revealed was long and wide, with lots of tables and benches-- evidently a mess hall, based on the four guys in orange jumpsuits holding trays of food.

There are exits from this room to the left, right, and straight ahead...

It takes a couple of seconds to take all this in... Which is about two seconds less time than it takes the four guys to register that there are (at least) two intruders in their midst. A couple of them say things like "Hey, what th'--?!"

All of them go for their sidearms...
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:49, Wed 11 Dec 2019.