Next, it was time to check on a few things: The data we’d transferred to 4A4 included a lot that had been transferred from the Science Building. We didn’t know if there was any more in the Science Building’s local computers, but it didn’t seem likely.
We asked Dr Mil, Dr Kiin, and PO Zurich if they had any knowledge of:
Applicable HazMat? Only the basics. None of them are lab safety people; there were dedicated lab safety people, but they appear to have become casualties.
Starship navigation or piloting? That could help with recovering 5A7. No. Tass has very basic piloting skills.
EVA? Only Zurich.
The carvings at Carvings Camp? Yes.
The carvings seem to be what messed up Erich’s mind, although fear, shock, starvation and dehydration can’t have helped him. They are known about, back at base, and the first camp was put there because they were interesting. They seem to have been made about 300,000 years ago, during the period of Ancients activity. Susceptibility to their effects varies, and Dr Kiin is not susceptible. Elanor Braam, one of the original scientists, became obsessed with them, went mad, and died of unclear causes. Things she said included: “In the place beyond everything lies the extinction of all life.”
Her death seems to have been why the camp was moved. There are directions, which Dr Kiin could read, to a location far to rim-spinward, in the region of the mouth of the Great Rift. That’s beyond Riftspan Reach, in Touchstone or Afawahisa sectors, or the near-empty sectors beyond them. That seems to be “the place beyond everything,” which Dr Kiin was calling “Terminus Point.”
It’s not clear if the tendril infection is the “extinction of all life,” nor is it clear how long the debris that 5A7 found had been orbiting this world.
I put it to Erich that he was in a poor mental state when we found him. We don’t have a doctor who can say you are unfit for command. However, standing down from command until we can get a doctor for you seems wise. He disagreed, feeling sure he was fine. I was less sure.
Then we assembled and tested the oxy-hydrogen flamethrower, mounted it on the air/raft and tested it again. We didn’t get that right, because when Konash and I used it to attack the tendril mass west of the Science Building the air/raft span and crashed. Our guns were damaged in the crash, and we fled the lurching things that detached from the tendril mass. Fortunately, they didn’t come all that fast and we got away.
After decontamination of the outsides of our suits, the airlock on 4A4, and the inside of 4A4, Konash, Gani and I discussed the desirability of recovering 5A7. With no air/raft, a low-skill pilot would have to fly it (otherwise I could fly it up, air/raft down and fly the second ship up). Since recovering the ship was not a primary objective, we decided to leave it here. We were feeling a bit discouraged by the crash, and it seemed worth avoiding an immediate conflict with Erich.
We did first aid from the crash damage, ate, and lifted off in 4A4. The trip back was OK, although we had to put Erich in a low berth during the first jump and left him there for the rest of the trip. We did not have any outbreaks of tendrils.
On arrival, we signalled that we needed quarantine, seriously, and once we sent over the logs, they believed us. We got very decontaminated, and much of the equipment we’d taken outside was destroyed and replaced.
The Imperium was, quite properly, very interested. After discussions and planning, an expedition to find “Terminus Point” is being put together by the Deepnight Corporation, under contact to the Imperium.
This will be a long voyage and requires a significant journey through Aslan space. Gani, you’ve spent time with them?
Doing a little estimating, a subsector is 10x8 parsecs, about 13 parsecs diagonal. A sector is 40x32 parsecs, about 52 parsecs diagonal. The distance as the photon flies is over 150 parsecs each way and will be increased significantly by the need to find practical routes. We’re going to need a sizable vessel and crew, with excellent life support and Jump, a good science crew, and some Marines. Do we get anagathics?
None of these things got to happen.
Talk to Konash and Gani: recovering 5A7 is riskier than us all going back in 4A4. Notably, it splits us up, which would be bad if Erich’s paranoia is justified, and there is a stage of tendril infection where the creatures can pass as people. The rescues have much longer potential exposure than us. I don’t think this is true, but it’s hard to completely discount. Should I try to debrief PO Zurich carefully?
Talk to everyone: do we want to try to recover 5A7? It’s riskier than us all going back in 4A4.
If we’re going to do that, we need to:
Lift the lockdown on 5A7.
Repair its cargo bay hatch, thoroughly.
Decontaminate its inside, thoroughly.
Overhaul both ships and the air/raft, thoroughly, sharing out the spare parts fairly.
Decide on the crew split, and if we’re going to do EVAs in orbit. Getting Dr Mil back to civilisation is especially important. (Tass and Erich should not be on the same ship.)
Get all the data from 4A4 duplicated onto 5A7.
Decontaminate again, on both ships.
Charge up the air/raft and refuel the ships.
Go!
A year ago, Deepnight Endeavour, a long-range exploration vessel went, missing. The likely places have been tried. There are recent rumours about distress calls and an old Navy refuelling cache somewhere in the Rift. Somebody is putting together a freelance attempt to find DE for the reward.
Phil was considering an ex-scout pilot. John has a medic/mechanic.
We’re going to need a few NPCs, simply to have a recovery crew for DE if we find her.