Aberrant: Trans-Dimensional Explorations - Trans-Dimensional Explorations

[Nullifier]

Pat, floating inches above his chair carefully reads, then signs the paperwork. He looks like he's not in the best mood this morning, but his eyes do perk up at the mention of alternate timelines.

[archer]

Just as stunned as the others regarding travel to alternate Earths, Brandt's logic can't help but kick in on something Michal said. ::huh

"Beg your pardon, but I need to clarify something. You said you'd perfected the methods needed to bring people back and forth, right? How exactly did you manage that if we're the first people that will be setting foot on a 'different Earth'? I hate to be the one to shoot the elephant in the room, but there it is."

[BlueNinja]

"Beg your pardon, but I need to clarify something. You said you'd perfected the methods needed to bring people back and forth, right? How exactly did you manage that if we're the first people that will be setting foot on a 'different Earth'? I hate to be the one to shoot the elephant in the room, but there it is."

"Heh, that. I'm a damn good engineer, so I built a couple of test probes. After losing about four of them, because the gate wasn't opening in the same place, I discovered by accident. Basically, when you go through, one of you will be carrying a backpack with sort of a portable doorway. When you're ready to return, you set that up, and call home." He waves his hand, and a holographic image of a bunch of aluminum pipes, wrapped in copper wire, is standing in the middle of the room. "Anything with good electrical conductivity will work. Once I figured that out, I built another probe, and Athena tested going, building a returning doorway, and came back with no problems."

The door disappears with a shimmer, and after a moment Michal does too.

( <pretercognition> [Pat]: Son of a ! </pretercognition> ::biggrin )

[Alex Green]

Paul says,

"How many worlds have been accessed? Are they, well..., close? Or maybe the word I'm looking for it 'habitable'?"

[BlueNinja]

"How many worlds have been accessed?  Are they, well..., close?  Or maybe the word I'm looking for it 'habitable'?"

Athena's voice comes from a speaker near the stairs. "Michal's unintelligent probes have transmitted data backfrom seventeen worlds, within the time span the gate holds open. Of those seventeen, ten were uninhabitable, three were habitable with no signs of civilization, three showed signs of human civilization, and one was undetermined. My robotic bodies have explored a further five worlds, only one of which was uninhabitable, while all showed signs of human civilization." The speaker clicks, then, "Richard is waiting for all of you downstairs. He will answer any further questions about your transportation, since he designed the signal device to allow you to return home."

[phoenix]

"Richard is waiting for all of you downstairs. He will answer any further questions about your transportation, since he designed the signal device to allow you to return home."

After a pause, Eli says,

"Let's go meet Richard", and starts to walk down the stairs.

[AnonCastillo]

After a pause, Eli says,

"Let's go meet Richard", and starts to walk down the stairs.

←

John follows, quiet but with a look of interest and curiosity on his face.

[Alex Green]

Athena's voice comes from a speaker near the stairs.  "...ten were uninhabitable, three were habitable with no signs of civilization, three showed signs of human civilization...

Paul frowns but goes to meet with Richard without comment.

[BlueNinja]

Down the stairs is a rather large office, or possibly a lab - it's hard to tell, because the top surface of every single thing inside is covered in papers, wires, electrical and mechanical parts. On top of one table is the remains of an OpNet computer, mixed in with several other unidentifiable electronic pieces, and the upside-down shell of a toaster. In one corner, bent over a soldering iron, is a man with a long pony-tail of jet-black hair. "I'll be with you in a moment," he says, then he slides the soldering iron into a rack, and pops the plastic case closed. "Hello everyone, I'm Richard. Here, this is a secondary ETPH device," he says, handing it to Ash. To your possible surprise, he's a baseline. "To continue what you were asking Athena in the briefing room, Eli, we've been using the data from the probes to refine the method we use to dial into alternate timelines. Whenever we get data back from a probe that says a world is uninhabitable, the selection program accounts, and takes that world out of the system, as well as adjusting the selection to give us a better chance of sending you to a habitable world."

He glances around, pausing to pull the band on his pony tail tighter. "Anyone else have questions before I launch into my monologue about how the whole damn thing works?"

[Alex Green]

He glances around, pausing to pull the band on his pony tail tighter. "Anyone else have questions before I launch into my monologue about how the whole damn thing works?"

Paul says,

”Two come to mind.

First, have you sent a cage of rodents or the like through this thing yet?

And second, since you already have a handful of planets that are habitable or even have signs of humanity, won’t we be going to one of them?”

[phoenix]

"To continue what you were asking Athena in the briefing room, Eli, we've been using the data from the probes to refine the method we use to dial into alternate timelines."

"I'm Eli. That's Brandt."

[BlueNinja]

"I'm Eli. That's Brandt."

←

Richard blinks, then glares up at the ceiling. "Not funny, Athena. Getting me all confused." He smiles apologetically. "I'm bad with names at first, so bear with me."

Paul says,

”Two come to mind.

First, have you sent a cage of rodents or the like through this thing yet?

And second, since you already have a handful of planets that are habitable or even have signs of humanity, won’t we be going to one of them?”

←

"We've tested the gate on a couple of mice and a stray dog. Our surgeon, Angela, couldn't find anything wrong with any of them. As for visiting those worlds, what do you think you're here for? We haven't sent a probe or Athena more than a hundred feet away from the gate location. Your job is going to be exploring those worlds to a distance of at least a dozen miles. More if you can manage it." He glances around the group. "Anyone else?"

[archer]

"We've tested the gate on a couple of mice and a stray dog.  Our surgeon, Angela, couldn't find anything wrong with any of them.  As for visiting those worlds, what do you think you're here for?  We haven't sent a probe or Athena more than a hundred feet away from the gate location.  Your job is going to be exploring those worlds to a distance of at least a dozen miles.  More if you can manage it." He glances around the group. "Anyone else?"

Brandt shakes his head in the negative. "I have no more questions, for the moment. Please continue."

[BlueNinja]

"Please continue."

Richard glances around the room and nods. "If I get too technical, just stop me. I promise I can explain it in simple terms, since I used to teach science at a junior high while I worked on my PhD." ::biggrin Clearing his throat, he gestures towards a heavy-duty piece of paper stuck up on the wall, that might be a rough blueprint of the gate. "The basic theory behind the gate is that every time a significant decision is made, affecting the quantum field around the Earth, another universe is created. It's a bit more technical and complex than that, but the specifics don't matter for your mission. In essense, the gate looks backwards in time at the quantum field for a decision, and follows the track of the other universe to open a sort of wormhole into that universe. Travelling through the wormhole is probably going to be a bit strange, but even Michal can't understand the way Athena described the experience."

He takes back the small plastic box he handed Ash; the thing is about the size and shape of a garage-door opener remote, a simple square box with a fingerprint-sized green button and the seam for the two plastic halves. "The size of the wormhole, and the length of time you have to keep it open, are the main limitations. The big gate we can hold open for a little over ten minutes before the quantum batteries run out. The ETPH here is basically a miniature sliding device, just big enough to open a microscopic workhome to one place - our Earth - for about one hundredth of a second. Just long enough to send a radio signal telling the main gate where to find you. For some reason, it's easier to backtrack the signal to a magnetic field, which is what you need a portable gate on the other side for."

Handing the small box back, he moves over to a set of aluminum pipes, covered in copper wire, just like the hologram Michal showed you upstairs. "You'll get one of these for each world you go to. Strictly speaking, it's not neccessary, as any sort of conductive metal in a shape large enough for you to walk through will work. But on worlds where there's not human habitation, or with a lot of buildings, these gates will be easier for the computer to find. Set it up, put the ETPH against the side of it, and press the button. One minute later, you get your portal home. The only downside is that you'll have to remain on each world for a minimum of six hours to give our power supply time to recharge."

Richard glances around the group one last time. "If any of you have questions, now is the time. Then you'll get to see the gate activate, so you have a rough idea of what you'll be stepping into. After that, you'll all be spending the rest of the day in the Armory, so that Rieller, Claire, and Kevin can test your combat skills and recommend suitable weaponry."

[Bahamut810]

Ash smiles.

"I am good. I would like to get a look at any 'special' circutry in the moble unit though...If there is any. In case we need to make field repairs or some such."

[Alex Green]

He takes back the small plastic box he handed Ash; the thing is about the size and shape of a garage-door opener remote, a simple square box with a fingerprint-sized green button and the seam for the two plastic halves.  "The size of the wormhole, and the length of time you have to keep it open, are the main limitations.  The big gate we can hold open for a little over ten minutes before the quantum batteries run out.  …

Paul thinks, *I wonder if that means they have an atomic reactor or some such around here somewhere?*,,

But on worlds where there's not human habitation, or with a lot of buildings, these gates will be easier for the computer to find.  Set it up, put the ETPH against the side of it, and press the button.  One minute later, you get your portal home.  The only downside is that you'll have to remain on each world for a minimum of six hours to give our power supply time to recharge."

Richard glances around the group one last time.  "If any of you have questions, now is the time.  Then you'll get to see the gate activate, so you have a rough idea of what you'll be stepping into.  After that, you'll all be spending the rest of the day in the Armory, so that Rieller, Claire, and Kevin can test your combat skills and recommend suitable weaponry."

Paul asks,

”You’re the technical expert, so you’re the one to phone home to if things go wrong. I have no idea if a mind link works across dimensions, but if it does, or if it works with the ETPH, you’re probably the guy we’d want to know what is happening. So, how about it? It’s not like we’d actually share minds, it’s more like a quantum walky-talky or television.”

Ash smiles.

"I am good.  I would like to get a look at any 'special' circuitry in the mobile unit though...If there is any.  In case we need to make field repairs or some such."

Paul nods and says,

A backup ETPH might be good too. Hmm, can we field re-charge these things with electricity?

[archer]

"If I get too technical, just stop me.  I promise I can explain it in simple terms, since I used to teach science at a junior high while I worked on my PhD." ::biggrin Clearing his throat, he gestures towards a heavy-duty piece of paper stuck up on the wall, that might be a rough blueprint of the gate.  "The basic theory behind the gate is that every time a significant decision is made, affecting the quantum field around the Earth, another universe is created.  It's a bit more technical and complex than that, but the specifics don't matter for your mission.  In essense, the gate looks backwards in time at the quantum field for a decision, and follows the track of the other universe to open a sort of wormhole into that universe.  Travelling through the wormhole is probably going to be a bit strange, but even Michal can't understand the way Athena described the experience."

Brandt blinks. "You're talking about quantum theory and the multiverse concept...I can imagine it would be a bit strange, yeah."

*Especially if we run into our alternate selves...*

Richard glances around the group one last time.  "If any of you have questions, now is the time.  Then you'll get to see the gate activate, so you have a rough idea of what you'll be stepping into.  After that, you'll all be spending the rest of the day in the Armory, so that Rieller, Claire, and Kevin can test your combat skills and recommend suitable weaponry."

The speedster raises his hand. "I've got some questions. What happens if we don't have the ETPH, or it gets broken? And what level of combat should we actually be expecting?"

[Nullifier]

Pat is silent the whole time, having floated along with the rest of the group, though he does raise an eyebrow at the technical description. At he mention of combat the ugly, floating dwarf closes his eyes and concentrates for a bit. Soon enough the air around him is rippling even more intensely than ever, blurring his twisted, ugly form.

[Activating FF, (I hope ::wink )]

[BlueNinja]

Ash - "I am good.  I would like to get a look at any 'special' circutry in the moble unit though...If there is any.  In case we need to make field repairs or some such."

Paul nods and says, A backup ETPH might be good too.  Hmm, can we field re-charge these things with electricity?

Brandt - The speedster raises his hand. "I've got some questions. What happens if we don't have the ETPH, or it gets broken? And what level of combat should we actually be expecting?"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down folks. To repeat, this one is the backup ETPH. The primary one is a little bit bigger, but not much. The electronics are pretty simple, and I will be showing you how they work later in the week, but trust me when I say you don't want to build one from scratch. The first world you're going to is one without nearby signs of habitation, but to be honest we don't know what to expect on other worlds. The ones with civilization have seemed rather tame, from the brief views we've had. As for the power," he pops open the case, "they run on just residual quantum energy. No batteries needed. Since the portal is quantum-powered, there's no chance of you landing on a world where the ETPH, or your powers, won't function. The reason you get to see the gate activated is because this one is going to be sent through to one of the uninhabitable planets with a probe to be properly field tested." He looks back at Brandt and frowns. "If you don't have one, I don't know if it's possible to signal us. Michal's still deciding what the contingency plan will be if you guys don't check back in a 'reasonable' amount of time, but I know he'll tell you what it is before you head through the gate. The biggest thing to remember is to have the ETPH touching the gateway you're using. If it's more than about two inches away, the gate will open at a random metallic opening between one and three meters in size, anywhere within one hundred miles from this base's location on the alternate Earth. If you have to travel more than a hundred miles from where you're dropped, you'll have to return to get home. I mean, we'll get the signal, but we just won't be able to move the gate opening that far. It's a bug that Michal hasn't quite worked out yet."

(Building an ETPH from scratch will require an Engineering of 2 (or 1 with Electronics specialty) and will need at least 10 successes in total. Multiple dice-roll rules; ie one roll per 8 hours of work, with an extra success needed for every die roll you make that doesn't complete it. When off world, your characters have to be within 100 miles of Selma, CA; that leaves a large spot in the middle of California that's safe territory, but in some worlds you will find it more useful to leave the state, or possibly the main US states.)

Paul asks, ”You’re the technical expert, so you’re the one to phone home to if things go wrong.  I have no idea if a mind link works across dimensions, but if it does, or if it works with the ETPH, you’re probably the guy we’d want to know what is happening.  So, how about it?  It’s not like we’d actually share minds, it’s more like a quantum walky-talky or television.”

Richard fingers a stud earring nervously. "Mental contact? I don't know if that would work. Plus I'm a bit leery of the whole telepathy bit."

[Activating FF, (I hope  ::wink )]

[Activated, barely. ::wink As for your PM, you basically just echoed what everyone else said with a request for more detail.]

[Bahamut810]

Ash nods, grinning slightly.

"Well...since we will be getting classes and all that later, how about we get our 'class schedule' and then get down to the Armory? I cant wait to see what the peak of nova intelligence can cook up in that department."

[BlueNinja]

Ash nods, grinning slightly. 

"Well...since we will be getting classes and all that later, how about we get our 'class schedule' and then get down to the Armory?  I cant wait to see what the peak of nova intelligence can cook up in that department."

←

"Today you'll all be hitting the armory. I don't know if Michal will be letting you take out the 'special stock' as Rieller calls it, not for the first mission at least. Whenever Rieller and Claire are done with you, and Kevin's tested your hand to hand combat skills, then you'll get a check-up with Angela. Tomorrow morning, everyone who's interested will spend time with me while I go over the technical details of the ETPH, show you the schematics, that fun stuff.

"Tomorrow afternoon you'll have one final meeting with Michal, then he said you'd all have a few days to get any business taken care of, buy personal supplies if you need them. He's hoping for you guys to ship out to the first world on September 10th."

[Alex Green]

Richard fingers a stud earring nervously.  "Mental contact?  I don't know if that would work.  Plus I'm a bit leery of the whole telepathy bit."

Paul answers,

"I'm not suggesting real telepathy. Yes, real telepathy allows probing and editing, and it’s pretty scary stuff I'll admit. (Paul carefully doesn’t look at Pat)

"Thing is, this isn't that, and I can’t do that anyway. A link is entirely voluntary; both for whether it is up, as to what you choose to share. If you don’t like it, you can turn it off just like you could a TV screen. It’s real straightforward”.

“You can ask any of the others here about how it works, well any but Pat. Anyway, if it doesn't work it doesn't work. But if it does work and we run into other technology, you could tell us what specifically you wanted us to bring back or what we should do.”

[Bahamut810]

“You can ask any of the others here about how it works, well any but Pat. Anyway, if it doesn't work it doesn't work. But if it does work and we run into other technology, you could tell us what specifically you wanted us to bring back or what we should do.”

Ash's grin widens a bit as he claps Paul on the back, "Its cool, Rich. I am linked with him, and its a better version of a cell phone. If nothing else, if we cant get to the opening point and dont have a radio, we could hit the button and when you open the portal again, mentally talk to you about what we are doing. It is a risk well worth taking, and trust me...I know risk."

(I'll drop a QP for persuader)

[BlueNinja]

Richard glances between the two, and lets his hand drop. "I'll think about it and tell you tomorrow when you come down here. Anybody else have questions, before you see what the gate is really like?"

[Alex Green]

Richard glances between the two, and lets his hand drop.  "I'll think about it and tell you tomorrow when you come down here..."

Paul nods.

Richard glances between the two, and lets his hand drop.  "...Anybody else have questions, before you see what the gate is really like?"

Paul answers,

"Not I. Let's see this thing in action. Although if we are going to send a dog or something through I'd like to link to it first."

[AnonCastillo]

"I'd like to echo a previous concern; just how likely are we to actually engage in combat? And what is the eventual goal of all this? Trade? Conquest? Colonization? I have a little trouble believing that you've set all this up purely for the sake of exploration; after all, this is a corporation and you do need to make a profit from all this somehow."

[BlueNinja]

"I'd like to echo a previous concern; just how likely are we to actually engage in combat? And what is the eventual goal of all this? Trade? Conquest? Colonization? I have a little trouble believing that you've set all this up purely for the sake of exploration; after all, this is a corporation and you do need to make a profit from all this somehow."

←

Richard gives a not-quite-elegant shrug. "As for combat, I honestly don't know. All the worlds we've sent probes too have seemed peaceful, but that might just be around the gate location. We certainly don't expect you to drop into the midst of a firefight, but the possibility exists. If we had opened into multiple obviously-dangerous worlds, we would have been looking for novas with more obvious combat-oriented abilities."

He just smiles at the last question. "Wait until tomorrow, because that's a point that I know Michal wants to address personally."

[Bahamut810]

Ash chuckles. "Don't worry guys...I'll take care of ya. I'm good with guns and stuff. Just take cover and I'll take an army out."

[Alex Green]

Richard gives a not-quite-elegant shrug.  "As for combat, I honestly don't know.  All the worlds we've sent probes too have seemed peaceful, but that might just be around the gate location.  We certainly don't expect you to drop into the midst of a firefight, but the possibility exists.  If we had opened into multiple obviously-dangerous worlds, we would have been looking for novas with more obvious combat-oriented abilities."

Paul says,

"A serious fire fight is statistically unlikely. Even during the world wars, most of the planet was pretty quiet during even the worst of the fighting. For that matter, this part of the planet was always quiet during those times. If we step out into the middle of a town or city the locals might sic the local cops on us, or perhaps even the army, but I think we should be fine."

Ash chuckles.  "Don't worry guys...I'll take care of ya.  I'm good with guns and stuff.  Just take cover and I'll take an army out."

Paul responds with interest,

"I thought you were Mr. Subtle Powers?"

[Bahamut810]

"I thought you were Mr. Subtle Powers?"

"I am." he says simply.

[Alex Green]

"I am." he says simply.

Paul doesn't bother with the obvious counter-comment and will instead wait for the combat tests.

[BlueNinja]

"I thought you were Mr. Subtle Powers?"

Richard shakes his head, snickering. "Man, Ash, Rieller is either going to chew you up and spit you out, or declare you his soulmate. C'mon, let's get this show on the road." Taking the ETPH back from Ash again, he leads the way out of his workroom, down the hall about a dozen feet to a large blast door, and opens it with a magnetic swipe card. Inside, you find yourself staring up a ramp at the giant ring, with the window of the briefing room visible about fifteen feet up in the wall.

Richard moves over to a rather normal-looking filing cabinet, and opens one of the drawers, withdrawing a bizarre basketball-sized metallic sphere, with a dozen different protrusions sticking out of it. "This is one of the automated probes. I'll just be sending it to the world you'll first be visiting. There's already a temporary gate set up, so if you're feeling daring or loaded down with supplies you won't have to bring your own the first time. In about six and a half hours from the time we send it through, the probe will dial back home. If all goes according to plan." He pushes a few buttons on a small panel, and slides the ETPH into a claw before releasing the probe. It floats into the air, apparently waiting for some command. Then Richard looks up at the window, and makes a thumbs-up.

Standing on the ramp leading up to the plastic and metal ring, a flashing light turns on in the ceiling above you. The inner part of the ring starts turning, stopping with a squeal of brakes and a clunking sound as the red lights around the outside turn on. With each red light marking a symbol, a sense of presence starts to fill the room - lights and movement inside the ring that don't last long enough for the mind to comprehend them, noises and voices just loud enough to be heard, but too soft to be understood. At last the final symbol clunks into place, and an inky blackness spirals from the outside towards the middle of the ring, almost rippling like a vertical pool of tar. The noise and the images are constant now, yet somehow dulled by the inky darkness.

Richard touches one more button, and the probe takes off into the ring at a sprint (well, a normal sprint, not a Brandt sprint ::wink ) and vanishes. Richard pulls out a PDA, glancing at it. "Radiation levels still a little higher than Earth norm, but it's not a danger unless you plan on staying for a few years. Pack sunscreen. Still no civilization in sight." He puts the PDA away, and after a moment, the pool of tar inside the ring seems to slide away, as though it's in the corner of your eye even while you stare right at it. With it gone, the room seems to regain some sense of solidity. "Ready to see the Armory?" Richard asks as though nothing is out of the ordinary.

(In case anyone hasn't watched the series, or guessed - yes, Michal bought the Stargate. Yes, you'll be walking through it. No, there aren't Go'auld on the other side. Or Asgard. Or any of those other aliens from tv.)

[Alex Green]

Paul closes his open jaw and comments,

"Wow. ::blink I've, ah, seen the show. ::ohmy ... And hey, radiation is good for me. ::wink "

"Oh, right, the Armory. Sure."

[Nullifier]

When he sees the stargate, Pat's face suddenly breaks into a grin, and he watches it intently.

[spending qps for Quantum Attunement, for however long the demonstration lasts]

[AnonCastillo]

(Kinda figured that's where it came from.)

Jonathan looks a bit confused at Paul's comment, but is otherwise mostly intrigued.

[phoenix]

Eli blinks. He apparently hasn't seen Stargate.

[BlueNinja]

[spending qps for Quantum Attunement, for however long the demonstration lasts]

As seen with Quantum Attunement, the activating gate starts being surrounded by a dark, almost malevolent field, hissing and swirling like disturbed fog. As each chevron lights up, the fog grows thicker, until it suddenly coalesces inside the ring. For a moment, the puddle flares with light, reminding Pat way too much of his years inside the star of Alpha Centauri, then it is a flat, black pool, rippling softly as the images and sounds, still no clearer than they are to the non-attuned, impact against the surface. As the probe goes through, there is a peculiar sound, like a drawn-out scream at the volume of a whisper, and the radio wave being beamed back is visible at the surface, where the darkness presses outward like a bubble. When the gate finally cuts off, the shock is staggering - for a moment, the entire room seems devoid of quantum, leaving Pat rubbing his eyes until his vision comes back.

[Bahamut810]

"Ready to see the Armory?" Richard asks as though nothing is out of the ordinary.

Ash's grin turns to a full smile. "Oh yeah. This is gonna be good."

[BlueNinja]

Richard leads you back through the complex, back up several flights of stairs to where you had passed Rieller and Claire on the way down. The armory is empty of all but the locked cases, containing dozens of handguns, rifles, and submachine guns, as well as other less obvious weaponry. Curiously enough, there's an open door on the other side of the room, with a sign above it reading Experimental Firing Range. "Ten bucks says they're inside," says Richard. "Have fun, and see you all tomorrow." He departs with a jaunty wave.

Sure enough, after a moment, Rieller sticks his head through the doorway. "Good, you're all here," he says. As you file in, he and Claire are set up at two different firing stations, he with a bizalle lumpy-looking rod, and she with a pair of Uzis. He looks at her and raises a quarter in his hand. "Heads I go first, tails you do," then flicks the quarter, bouncing it off the wall to land spinning on the ground, tails up. "Fire away then."

Claire raises her Uzis, and sprays wildly down the range. Fifty meters away, at the end of the range comes a humming noise, and then the cardboard targets come zipping up to be examined. Each of the ten targets have two perfect trios of gunshot holes, one for the head and one for center body mass. "Sixty bullets, sixty holes," she says with a smirk, setting down her guns. With an identical smile, Rieller pushes the button, and new cardboard targets emerge at the other end of the range.

Taking his gun up, he closes his eyes, puts his back to the range, and fires over his shoulder. A hum, a crack, and then a series of bangs and sparks echo from downrange. A minute later, the targets are coming up, and each cardboard target has a hole in center body mass. "One bullet, ten holes," he retorts to Claire, who rolls her eyes. "All right, everyone. Inside the armory are just about every single kind of weapon imaginable. All of you are going to pick your two weapons of choice, and come in here. Claire and I are going to test your firing abilities at ten, twenty-five, and fifty meters. If any of you can beat that," he says pointing at his targets, "then you can damn well stay here and I'll go gallivanting across the universe!" Shouldering his rifle, he floats back into the armory to unlock the weapons cages.

[Alex Green]

Paul walks over to the cages, selects a heavy pistol, checks & loads it, and puts it at his side where a pounch forms for it. Then he selects a "hunting" rifle, checks & loads it, and holsters it as well.

He comments,

"I can shoot. Thing is, I'm good for a Doctor. I haven't practiced a lot since I was a kid. By elite standards, well, lets just say I'm not an elite."

Paul walks up and takes aim, hand gun first. When he uses the rifle he takes his time.