Aberrant: Trans-Dimensional Explorations - Trans-Dimensional Explorations

[phoenix]

The door opens, and Eli pokes his head in.

"Hey, is now a good time?" he asks of Michal.

"What's going on?"

[BlueNinja]

"What we need is one of the Meklar," Theo stated, shaking her head. "We might be able to do something if we knew why they were coming here."

Well, if you understand some of the Psylon knowledge correctly, you have a sinking feeling that the Meklar are looking specifically for humanity. The Psylons did use them as shock troops during their long war, so it's possible that the Meklar are looking to eliminate humans before going after the Psylons in War Two. Or they could be planning on dominating humanity the same way the Psylon did. But given that they seem to be mostly destroying oxygen-mitrogen atmosphere planets along their path, the first seems more likely.

Michal interrupts your train of thought at about this point though. "Well, once Rieller's weapon is operational, feel free to try and capture one while you're there. But my hope is that if his weapon will destroy the rest of their scout ships, if we can prove we can liberate one world, we should be able to keep our own free."

The door opens, and Eli pokes his head in.

"Hey, is now a good time?" he asks of Michal.

"What's going on?"

He nods, and waves Eli to the last seat available in the room. "Sure, come in. We're just discussing the Meklar's scout ships." He points to Simon's created model.

[Alex Green]

"What we need is one of the Meklar," Theo stated, shaking her head. "We might be able to do something if we knew why they were coming here."

Paul says,

"It's always risky putting yourself into the minds of aliens, but if I were them, I'd try to kill us. We're quick breading, limited to one planet, weak enough to step on, and we nearly exterminated them 50K years ago. In another 100 years we could have a dozen Mal's and six dozen Pax's. And the Psions, who I admit are probably biased, say they're xenophobes too boot. Oh! And they probably view us as biological weapons, created by the Psions. Who knows, maybe they are right."

"Think of what we'd do if we found a planet full of that alien from 'Aliens', just on the verge of building spaceships."

[Centimane]

Zhenglai looked skeptically at Paul and muttered, "They made a film about aliens and called it...'Aliens'? That was really the title?"

He looked at Paul as though he thought perhaps Paul was trying to pull one over on him.

[AnonCastillo]

Jonathan's mood lightens a bit. "Not the most creative name, I know. Then again, the Iliad literally means 'the Troy story', so you can't necessarily judge a book by its name."

"Anyway, I'm more worried about taking the ships down and less worried about bringing one back. If we do capture one of the Meklar, any research on it should be done on their world. Paul's worries that they might be able to track their troops partway across the galaxy is a good one, even if the fleet won't necessarily be thinking to look for them here."

He pauses for a moment, then says, "I was thinking of making a trip back to Greek world, and if there's a chance that our allies there are under attack as well, I'd like to check up on them before we head out for our next mission."

[Alex Green]

Zhenglai looked skeptically at Paul and muttered, "They made a film about aliens and called it...'Aliens'? That was really the title?"

He looked at Paul as though he thought perhaps Paul was trying to pull one over on him.

Paul says with a smile.

"'Aliens' was the 2nd movie in the series. The first was just called 'Alien'. It's a horror. Mostly the lesson is just because it's new and doesn't have our advantages doesn't mean it can't hit below the belt."

He pauses for a moment, then says, "I was thinking of making a trip back to Greek world, and if there's a chance that our allies there are under attack as well, I'd like to check up on them before we head out for our next mission."

Paul says,

"That lady seer was supposed to be pretty good. She might have news for us."

[BlueNinja]

((So much for Phoenix's cameo. ::glare ))

Eli speaks up, looking between Jonathan and Paul. "Well, guys, I came in here to let you know that Archimedes, Richard, and I, have figured out how to add those big quantum-charged crystals into the gate's power systems. There's two ways we can hook them up. One way will reduce the recharge time, from six hours to about four and a half. The other way will extend the gate window from ten minutes to a little over thirteen minutes. Either way, Archimedes thinks it'll boost the range too, bump it up to about one-twenty, one-twenty five miles." He shrugs. "But it's going to take us two or three days to install them. So Michal told me to ask you when you wanted me to do it."

[Alex Green]

Paul says,

"Now sounds good. Or at least while we're on this side of the gate. No way do we want you doing that while we're on the other side. And I think decreasing the recharge time sounds like the better option."

[Bahamut810]

Ash nods. "Yeah. Decrease the time. While he is getting that done, I say we take the time to go to New York. Have a few nights out on the town. I know a few places we can have some fun at if we keep a low profile."

[Shade Sentinel]

The Obsidian Mask leans back in his summoned throne, arms resting with his fingers tapping eachother in a pondering way, and speaks...

"The quicker the gate would be able to open suits the team much more effectively than making it stay open longer. If a mission needed to be aborted in case of emergency...having the gate available could prove much more useful."

[AnonCastillo]

"I agree. It generally doesn't take us more than a few minutes to get everyone through, even if you could double the time it stays open we wouldn't need the time. On the other hand, there have been quite a few situations where it would have been easier to come back an hour sooner."

[Shade Sentinel]

The Mask places his replica Meklar scout ship on the table in front of him and leans back in his throne.

"So Michal. Please deliver the details of the next assignment. "

[BlueNinja]

The Mask places his replica Meklar scout ship on the table in front of him and leans back in his throne.

"So Michal. Please deliver the details of the next assignment. "

He nods and leans back in his chair. "Eli, don't plan on incorporating those crystals until tomorrow after Jonathan and Theo have returned from Greek world. Then you guys can take a few days off, see New York," he gives Ash an odd look as he says it, "and come back here in a week or so. The next world I had in mind ... hmm, I suppose probably 9BI GIB8 is the best candidate. It has a stronger quantum field than hours - not nearly as much as that other apocalypse world that gave you aberrations," he says specifically to Paul and Brandt, "but I'd expect your powers to be stronger there. The world split off around eighteen hundred to eighteen twenty, but I'm mostly wanting you to check it out because the quantum field detectors in the probe were giving me a sort of chaotic wave-form. If it's natural, no good - but if it's artificial, say something similar to the Psylon artifact you had to destroy on Aberration world - that could help us. The probe I sent through seemed to have arrived in some kind of religious district, since there were at least three churches within easy view, but otherwise it seems to be Fresno." He glances back at Simon. "I'll send another probe through at a different time of day just to verify the world and the gate upgrades while you guys are on vacation." He glances around the table one more time. "Anything else? If not, I'd like those of you who can afford to skip sleep to start giving myself or Athena all the details about the Meklar ships you can remember. I'll have Richard set the gate for Greek world tomorrow morning." Michal looks somber, and his music shifts to something with a loud, sorrowful saxaphone solo. "If we're lucky, our potential allies are all still there."

[Alex Green]

Paul spends the evening talking to Athena and Michal about the spaceships. He knows more than the thought he did, although he didn't see the first hand he was present for the mind link conversations and displays.

Then he approaches Patricia and says,

“Hey, how are you doing?”

[Bahamut810]

Ash nods. "Sounds good to me. So...who all wants to head to New York?" he asks. Before he leaves he gives whoever wants it a rundown of what happened and answers any questions he can, adding in gut feelings about things as well.

[Alex Green]

Paul asks,

"What's happening in New York?"

[Expendable]

Theo sighs. If Patricia was going to the Greek world, she might need a few things. Like a simple book on learning Greek and a translator of her own.

She began jotting down a few notes....

[Bahamut810]

Paul asks,

"What's happening in New York?"

Ash chuckles. "That depends on who's going. There is always *something* happening, it just depends on what you want to do. Im sure I can find something that dosen't *totally* piss off their Municipal Defender. Well...you guys dont have to. Truth be told, I like screwing with the guys head."

[SkyLion]

Estabn stays up many hours with Michal and Athena. Unfortunately, Esteban had little information to give beyond what had already been said, but nevertheless his employer had been thourough and relentless, insisting that no detail was beneath notice.

,,

After making sure his pay had been deposited, Esteban asked The Obsidian Mask if he would be so kind as to open a warp to his home....he had cooking to do...

[BlueNinja]

Over the next week -

Patricia gets set up in one of the emergency bunk rooms near the gate briefing room. Michal told her that if Rieller's weapon can help drive away the Meklar ships, she's welcome to stay behind on her world; if not, she can evacuate back with the group and whoever can be found who's willing to settle Greek world and help the locals.

Jonathan and Theo make a trip through to Greek world, which seems to be progressing fairly well. Axis and Clio are still unhappy neighbors, but as the war is officially ended, they are apparently keeping it to merely barbed comments. Another four Godchildren have expressed interest in joining the sudden alliance, but the more cautious voices have (for the moment) kept their membership to the same ten who met you. Persephone has had no further visions of the alien fleet, but she does promise to spend at least an hour each day scanning the stars for them. Helen, who happens to be visiting, puts forth the idea that due to their (the godchildren's) rather fracturous nature, the Meklar might not consider their world a threat worth destroying.

Ash manages to make a slight nuisance of himself, enough to annoy the Gothic Knight without actually getting himself into the papers.

Eli and Archimedes hole themselves up in the gate power room after the trip to Greek world ((why does that sound like an amusement park?)) and modify the gate's power supply. They rule it a success, as it now only takes four hours and forty minutes to recharge the gate after a full window opening.

BEGIN EPISODE 8: FANATICS 'R' US

Tues 2 Dec 2020, approx 0800

SGE gate briefing room -

Richard is waiting in the briefing room, and once everyone is inside, he gets up and clears his throat a little nervously. "Hey, I wanted to apologize for my behavior when you guys came back from that last world. I guess I didn't really understand, on an emotional level, what the Meklar were capable of doing to any planet, not just ours." He stops and takes a sip of water from a water bottle, then turns to the screen and snaps his fingers. "I love it when Athena understands what I want," he says with a grin, as a video pops up on the screen.

The video shows the view from the mostly flat roof of a five or six story apartment building in one of the lower parts of Fresno. "This seems to be emerging in some kind of a religious district, we think. We didn't want to risk moving the probe all the way to the edge of the roof, so we just had it do a slow circle of the area right around the gate. You're coming out the side of an air conditioner," he grins as the camera pans over to show it, "but the stairs are clearly visible, and I'm sure you guys can get down to the street with little to no difficulty." He stops to fiddle with a keyboard for a moment, and the video vanishes to reveal a 3D created map. "Here's the apartment building you'll be arriving on, and there's eight different churches within a one-mile radius." Several buildings light up in white. "There's also two billboards that are barely visible, but they both seem to be advertising for religious services of some kind. Michal said that there was a general upswing in religious devotion and membership, so he's wondering if something went differently and caused a change to the first amendment, or cultural acceptance of religion, or something like that."

Richard fiddles with the keyboard again, and the map vanishes to be replaced with a graph set, two lines - one green, one white, one red. "This might be a little esoteric for most of you, but basically this is a representation of the quantum field. Green is our earth. You can see how the quantum field varies, sort of like an AC current without a negative side. The red is that aberration world. It's swinging like mad, going all over the freaking place, and it's near the top of the scale. The white one, that's above the green one, is this world. Not crazy, but ... Michal thinks your powers will be stronger - better range, maybe, better effects, maybe. He doesn't think it'll affect you like aberration world, but he does recommend being very cautious about your power usage."

He glances around the table. "Any questions? Michal said to prepare for a few days, if you think you'll need it with more limited power use."

[Alex Green]

Paul says,

"...Society doesn't seem to have collapsed. We might be alright."

[Shade Sentinel]

The Mask finds himself eager to again venture off world. His abillity to drop the Obsidian Mask persona was a pleasant experience, though one he currently isn't capable of doing while in his native dimension.

"Perhaps a plan is in order. Many members of this team are required to perform with relative consistancy. (( Motioning to himself and Zhengali )) Given the current information, that may not be the most prudent course of action. What is the plan then? Every successfu mission requires one."

[Alex Green]

Paul says,

"The over all plan is we step through the gate taking as little time as possible, then we find out the social status of novas in this realm. Then we try to find out when and how they showed up. More specifically, as soon as we get there well look over the ledge and see a sample of people, and adjust our costumes to match. Then it’s probably off to the libraries.”

[Bahamut810]

Ash frowns. "Yeah. Deskwork is loads of fun." he says in a monotoned, less then enthused voice. "If we are lucky we run into some trouble. You know what would be wierd? This place has a lot of churches and stuff...what if the Catholic Church and the Protestants and such are all like the Church of Michael Archangel...no nova's because they are all killed when they erupt. Or the exact opposite...they are all considered angels or something and are held up on pedistuls. Anyone wanna make bets?"

[AnonCastillo]

Ash frowns. "Yeah. Deskwork is loads of fun." he says in a monotoned, less then enthused voice. "If we are lucky we run into some trouble. You know what would be wierd? This place has a lot of churches and stuff...what if the Catholic Church and the Protestants and such are all like the Church of Michael Archangel...no nova's because they are all killed when they erupt. Or the exact opposite...they are all considered angels or something and are held up on pedistuls. Anyone wanna make bets?"

"Some of us don't mind enjoy learning the history and culture of other worlds. Either way, I hope they're not religious fanatics, or you might get your wish."

[Centimane]

"Some of us don't mind enjoy learning the history and culture of other worlds. Either way, I hope they're not religious fanatics, or you might get your wish."

"Yes, I for one would find that very enjoyable. History is a fascinating subject, and I am, as they say, 'getting too old' for all of this adventure we seem to attract."

[Expendable]

Richard glances around the table. "Any questions? Michal said to prepare for a few days, if you think you'll need it with more limited power use."

"Can you get a better picture of the religious symbols?" Theo asked. "They could be important."

She glances around at the others. "I think we might escape too much notice if we cross with camping gear, pilgrimages are usually very popular religously. Do we know when they diverged?"

[Bahamut810]

Ash shakes his head. "Pilgrimages are old school. And even then we would get the notice of inn keepers who would want our deng. I think we should go light...just what we can carry or hide under the clothes."

[BlueNinja]

"Can you get a better picture of the religious symbols?" Theo asked. "They could be important."

Athena's avatar pops up on the screen. "Due to the extreme range of the video, I was not able to ascertain any sort of personal religious symbolism. The churches seem to belong to Christianity, with similarities to both Baptism and Methodist sects."

She glances around at the others. "I think we might escape too much notice if we cross with camping gear, pilgrimages are usually very popular religously. Do we know when they diverged?"

Richard nods. "Sometime in the early eighteen hundreds. The exact time is somewhere between summer of eighteen-oh-three, and fall of eighteen-nineteen." He looks up from the keyboard and shrugs. "It might have been something in another country, or it might have been something in the US."

[archer]

Athena's avatar pops up on the screen. "Due to the extreme range of the video, I was not able to ascertain any sort of personal religious symbolism. The churches seem to belong to Christianity, with similarities to both Baptism and Methodist sects."

Richard nods. "Sometime in the early eighteen hundreds. The exact time is somewhere between summer of eighteen-oh-three, and fall of eighteen-nineteen." He looks up from the keyboard and shrugs. "It might have been something in another country, or it might have been something in the US."

Brandt watched the video intently, tapping his chin with steepled fingers. "I don't suppose we have any audio on this scene, do we? It would be helpful if we could hear traffic, or anything that might indicate how busy the area surrounding the rooftop is. And, though I didn't notice anything during that first viewing, was the probe able to determine if there were any type of surveillance cameras nearby? In my experience, religions like to keep an eye on their collective flocks...especially if the religions are in as much control as we assume."

He glances at Theo when she speaks, then at Ash. Leaning back in his chair, Brandt shrugs, not seeming too concerned about what they take with them. "Weapons are likely to be a big no-no. Other than that, I'm sure simple, tourist-style backpacks or messenger bags wouldn't catch too much attention. It looks like a decent-sized city, we should have few problems 'acquiring' gear if we need it." Surprisingly, he grins at Ash on that last part.

[Alex Green]

Paul says,

"Looks like city gear, with the old fashioned Doctor's bag again."

[BlueNinja]

Tues 2 Dec 2020, Gate room

approx 0900 -

With everyone outfitted with a minimum amount of equipment, Walter dials up the gate for the next world. Once through the gate, the air is cold and crisp, the sky clear, though showing a tinge of smog, the way most cities looked just after the start of the Nova age. There are no security cameras on the roof that anyone can see, and looking over the side shows the street. There is some foot traffic, a bit less than would be normal in Home Fresno, but traffic patterns look normal. People are dressed for the season: long sleeves, pants, and light jackets.

What does catch the eye of whoever looks over the side is that many cars are painted with religious iconry of some sort, mostly stylized crosses, doves, or bread and wine. Most of the churches that Richard put on the map are easily obvious from here, as lights and signs highlight the cross and flame that sits atop each building.

(Basically, each church has a large 'sign' on top, which is a Celtic cross with a flame (either real or plastic w/ lighting) atop that.)

[Bahamut810]

Ash (who would *know* if they were being watched ) is one of the few who look over the side. "Looks like Im a little oddly dressed. So...we off to look for a library, assuming the church hasent banned them. Hopefully they didnt take too many liberties with their history."

[AnonCastillo]

Jonathan shows up wearing a black suit with his staff left behind, and reluctantly tucks his pentacle inside his dress shirt.

"Yeah, let's find a library and get this over with."

[Expendable]

Jonathan shows up wearing a black suit with his staff left behind, and reluctantly tucks his pentacle inside his dress shirt.

"Yeah, let's find a library and get this over with."

Theo nods quietly. Her eufiber has shifted to comfortable black boots, black pants, a light gray sweater and a light blue windbreaker. Her pda is inside its case tucked under her sweater and she's carrying her faded black messenger bag.

"I wonder how different this world is from ours," Theo muses. "Think whoever owns this building will mind if we go downstairs?"

[BlueNinja]

As Ash glances around, ensuring that they are not being electronically spied on, an earsplitting scream echoes from somewhere below you, and a moment later, a crash echoes from the side facing the street. Looking over, you can see a man falling towards the street, only to have wings of fire burst forth from his back and carry him to a safe landing.

While this seems to be mostly normal nova behavior for all of you, the reaction of the public below is nothing short of massive panic. People are screaming and fleeing, and three uniformed men armed with what look like clubs are slowly converging on the man, who seems to be staring at himself in horror. (And not at his wings, but something else.)

[Bahamut810]

Ash looks over quickly at the hubub and says to Theo and reaches inside his jacket pulling out his pistols. "We are about to see...Hey Estiban, why dont you grow some angel wings in case we need to get down there quick. Johnny...why dont the rest of you head to that library...this is the perfect distraction for you." he says as he pulls the hammers on the back of the metallic death-dealers making a satisfying clicking sound.

[Alex Green]

Paul says,

"So much for novas being welcome. We should leave him and dorm down."

[Expendable]

Ash looks over quickly at the hubub and says to Theo and reaches inside his jacket pulling out his pistols. "We are about to see...Hey Estiban, why dont you grow some angel wings in case we need to get down there quick. Johnny...why dont the rest of you head to that library...this is the perfect distraction for you." he says as he pulls the hammers on the back of the metallic death-dealers making a satisfying clicking sound.

"Ash, rescue him but try not to kill anyone!" Theo urges.

(ooc - did the man fall face forward - or back?)

[AnonCastillo]

Ash looks over quickly at the hubub and says to Theo and reaches inside his jacket pulling out his pistols. "We are about to see...Hey Estiban, why dont you grow some angel wings in case we need to get down there quick. Johnny...why dont the rest of you head to that library...this is the perfect distraction for you." he says as he pulls the hammers on the back of the metallic death-dealers making a satisfying clicking sound.

Jonathan steps up to the side of the building, shifting uncomfortably in the suit. "If there's any chance we can save this man and get away with it, I'm not going anywhere until we try. Asking me to walk away from religious persecution. Zhenglai, Mask, try to find somewhere secluded we can warp to. The caves we hid in on the last world should do nicely. Esteban, can you get him away from those men without hurting anyone?"