Toric
Legendary Pubber
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2019
- Messages
- 508
- Reaction score
- 504
Things never go easy.
One week ago...
Luna Laredo, Zinthos and Ixitak X'itac sat in a large auditorium full of people looking for a job. A Major Manning with the UPF performed the subsequent briefing. The lights were dimmed and then she pressed a button on her podium bringing up a small, UPF science vessel in open space clearly marked with the name Star Gazer.
"One month ago a passing UPF science vessel en-route to Starmist picked up a very faint signal from grid coordinates 09, P. They immediately investigated the signal and found it to have originated in a system at those coordinates. They transmitted their report with a brief summary of the new system and a voice file attached form some unknown source. Upon closer examination our UPF linguistics experts were able to pick out just two words, the rest was inaudible.
She pushed another button and the auditorium was filled with the sound of a garbled, synthetic voice: "....Archangel Clear...Archangel...Clear..." repeated again and again, masked by static.
Manning cut the audio and continued. "The crew of the Star Gazer has not been heard from since and is now five days overdue for their standard ship maintenance at Prenglar." She pauses and then changes the view on the holo-vid from the image of the ship in space to a readout of system data.
SYSTEM BRIEF
System: IO (09, P)
Habitable World: Archangel
Moons: 1
Star: Yellow
Total # of planets in the system: 5
Artificial Satellites: Beacons, x100
Gravity: .8 g
Length of Day: 20 hours
Length of Year: 351 days
Prevalent Race: Unknown
Population: Unknown
Trade: Unknown
Manning cleared her throat and continued. "A search of our databases turned up an old reference to a colony advance team with 100 colonists that went missing in this general area in the year 389PF, 500 years ago. The colony ship's name was Archangel and our scholars think that it is too much of a coincidence that a radio signal stating that name is now found in the same region of space where a ship bearing the name was lost. They believe that the Star Gazer has stumbled upon the Archangel and has now gone missing as well."
"The UPF's Planetary Survey Administration, in conjunction with the Human Relations Department, has immediately set about manning and outfitting the UPFS Seeker, the nearest planetary survey and research vessel, with plans to send it to the area to investigate, retrieve whatever scientific data was collected by the Star Gazer and recover the crew if possible. This is where all of you come in. We need people to fill in the gaps and round out the crew. All volunteers will be paid 50 credits per day once the work begins and 10 credits per day while traveling as well as food and lodging while on this mission.
The three of you signed up. Fourteen days round-trip to and from this system would net each of you an easy 140 credits. The fact that the UPF decided to remit these 140 credits up front sweetened the deal. Plus 50 credits a day just to investigate some missing science vessel? It all seemed easy enough.
Of course, things went terribly wrong shortly thereafter. Upon arriving in the system, it was discovered that there were 100 satellites orbiting the planet at 15,000 km. An old beacon message played stating that the quarantine of the planet was now clear. As the Seeker entered orbit, the satellites emitted some sort of EMP disabling most of the shipboard electronics. Then they attacked. During the attack, a scan of the planet turned up the ruins of a moderately large city. Despite the best efforts of the crew, along with Luna, Zinthos and Ixitak, the Seeker had to make a forced landing on the planet.
The space combat and subsequent hard landing unfortunately caused a console to explode one the bridge killing two of the crew members, the captain and pilot. Two members of the crew survived, a dralasite technician named Urb Slorb and a human female communications officer named Sissi Wilkins.
Present...
The Seeker has just put down hard on the planet's surface. If the Star Gazer encountered those satellites that brought down the Seeker, perhaps it's remains are on the surface of the planet somewhere as well. The Seeker was put down somewhere around 15 km from the ruins of the city seen from space. The surrounding terrain is rocky, uneven hills. Clearly getting off the planet will take some time. Either the Seeker will need to be repaired or the group will need to wait for rescue. Sissi reports that it would be a minimum of 21 days before any rescue could be expected. Hey, at least you'll be well-compensated when you return to civilization! 50 credits a day adds up quickly. But to get that money, you gotta survive and probably at least attempt to learn something about this planet, and perhaps the fate of the Star Gazer in the process. Secondarily, fixing the ship might be worth exploring in the event that no rescue ever comes, or does come and encounters the satellite defense system. It might take awhile before the UPF realizes that they need to send a military vessel to deal with that.
You all stand in or outside the downed Seeker. The ship is emitting some light smoke from its engines. You know that the ruins of the city you discovered before landing are 15 km to the northwest. Adventure awaits!
OOC: Feel free to spend the 140 credits you were paid before leaving on any gear you'd like.
One week ago...
Luna Laredo, Zinthos and Ixitak X'itac sat in a large auditorium full of people looking for a job. A Major Manning with the UPF performed the subsequent briefing. The lights were dimmed and then she pressed a button on her podium bringing up a small, UPF science vessel in open space clearly marked with the name Star Gazer.
"One month ago a passing UPF science vessel en-route to Starmist picked up a very faint signal from grid coordinates 09, P. They immediately investigated the signal and found it to have originated in a system at those coordinates. They transmitted their report with a brief summary of the new system and a voice file attached form some unknown source. Upon closer examination our UPF linguistics experts were able to pick out just two words, the rest was inaudible.
She pushed another button and the auditorium was filled with the sound of a garbled, synthetic voice: "....Archangel Clear...Archangel...Clear..." repeated again and again, masked by static.
Manning cut the audio and continued. "The crew of the Star Gazer has not been heard from since and is now five days overdue for their standard ship maintenance at Prenglar." She pauses and then changes the view on the holo-vid from the image of the ship in space to a readout of system data.
SYSTEM BRIEF
System: IO (09, P)
Habitable World: Archangel
Moons: 1
Star: Yellow
Total # of planets in the system: 5
Artificial Satellites: Beacons, x100
Gravity: .8 g
Length of Day: 20 hours
Length of Year: 351 days
Prevalent Race: Unknown
Population: Unknown
Trade: Unknown
Manning cleared her throat and continued. "A search of our databases turned up an old reference to a colony advance team with 100 colonists that went missing in this general area in the year 389PF, 500 years ago. The colony ship's name was Archangel and our scholars think that it is too much of a coincidence that a radio signal stating that name is now found in the same region of space where a ship bearing the name was lost. They believe that the Star Gazer has stumbled upon the Archangel and has now gone missing as well."
"The UPF's Planetary Survey Administration, in conjunction with the Human Relations Department, has immediately set about manning and outfitting the UPFS Seeker, the nearest planetary survey and research vessel, with plans to send it to the area to investigate, retrieve whatever scientific data was collected by the Star Gazer and recover the crew if possible. This is where all of you come in. We need people to fill in the gaps and round out the crew. All volunteers will be paid 50 credits per day once the work begins and 10 credits per day while traveling as well as food and lodging while on this mission.
The three of you signed up. Fourteen days round-trip to and from this system would net each of you an easy 140 credits. The fact that the UPF decided to remit these 140 credits up front sweetened the deal. Plus 50 credits a day just to investigate some missing science vessel? It all seemed easy enough.
Of course, things went terribly wrong shortly thereafter. Upon arriving in the system, it was discovered that there were 100 satellites orbiting the planet at 15,000 km. An old beacon message played stating that the quarantine of the planet was now clear. As the Seeker entered orbit, the satellites emitted some sort of EMP disabling most of the shipboard electronics. Then they attacked. During the attack, a scan of the planet turned up the ruins of a moderately large city. Despite the best efforts of the crew, along with Luna, Zinthos and Ixitak, the Seeker had to make a forced landing on the planet.
The space combat and subsequent hard landing unfortunately caused a console to explode one the bridge killing two of the crew members, the captain and pilot. Two members of the crew survived, a dralasite technician named Urb Slorb and a human female communications officer named Sissi Wilkins.
Present...
The Seeker has just put down hard on the planet's surface. If the Star Gazer encountered those satellites that brought down the Seeker, perhaps it's remains are on the surface of the planet somewhere as well. The Seeker was put down somewhere around 15 km from the ruins of the city seen from space. The surrounding terrain is rocky, uneven hills. Clearly getting off the planet will take some time. Either the Seeker will need to be repaired or the group will need to wait for rescue. Sissi reports that it would be a minimum of 21 days before any rescue could be expected. Hey, at least you'll be well-compensated when you return to civilization! 50 credits a day adds up quickly. But to get that money, you gotta survive and probably at least attempt to learn something about this planet, and perhaps the fate of the Star Gazer in the process. Secondarily, fixing the ship might be worth exploring in the event that no rescue ever comes, or does come and encounters the satellite defense system. It might take awhile before the UPF realizes that they need to send a military vessel to deal with that.
You all stand in or outside the downed Seeker. The ship is emitting some light smoke from its engines. You know that the ruins of the city you discovered before landing are 15 km to the northwest. Adventure awaits!
OOC: Feel free to spend the 140 credits you were paid before leaving on any gear you'd like.
Last edited: