Rise of the Machines

Heroes: Jackie, Saavik, Neji, Wheatie and John Watson.
Enemies: The Balrog and ED-209.

Neji – Beat Cop's Report 26

Recent Duties: Four days have passed since the arrest of Ambassador Thomas Griffin and the recovery of the Republic crown jewels. Your vigilance was largely responsible for thwarting the theft of many priceless artifacts, and you are proud to have put another criminal behind bars. The museum exhibition also marked the conclusion of your time at Precinct 17, and it couldn't have come too soon.

Tidings from the Campaign Trail: (News regarding Cormus' coming election.)

-Despite what it may seem, not every major election forum has erupted into a violent confrontation. The debates held yesterday at the University of Cormus were actually quite civilized. All four candidates were in attendance, and fielded questions from the students gathered at the enigmatic MUB. Discussion focused mostly on serious issues, though Mayor Don Atchison seemed a bit put off by the poor attire demonstrated by the majority of the audience. This atmosphere was only briefly disturbed by vocal heckling from a group of students representing SALAD (Students Opposed to Liberal Arts Declination), who accused Atch and Mr. Riven of having hidden agendas dedicated solely to scientific research. They seemed more supportive of the cultured approach presented by Mycroft Holmes, and made frequent references to some 'Saint' who would be guiding them in their voting decisions.

The Street Beat:

-With the vote set to be held in about a week, most analysts have declared Don Atchison a lame duck mayor. This is a term you don't entirely understand, but you believe it suggests that his authority has diminished. Yet word on the street indicates he has just ordered work to begin on a major construction project in the city's downtown. No one you've spoken with seems to know what's being built, but it's clearly a very large endeavor, judging from the amount of equipment and workers involved. Then again, you've noticed that a disproportionate number of construction workers seem to mill around even on the smallest projects.

Personal Notes:

-The preseason for the Cormus Dodgeball League of Cormus is set to begin in just a few days. As such, you've made it a priority to arrange a practice for Team IQ so that you can run them through the rules and go over some basic practice drills. In fact, you've booked Precinct 13's fitness facility this afternoon for just this task.

-You're always relied on the spiritual powers of Katra to guide you, and they have never led you astray. Yet some people persist not only in ignoring these forces, but also in purposefully denigrating them, often in favour of science. You can't imagine living in such an empty and empirical world. Surely this movement is partially responsible for the moral decay you see within this Deksiilan society.

Mini-Objective:

-Ensure that Team IQ's first practice session runs smoothly.

-Bash science as the faithless diversion it so clearly is.


Wheatie – Legal Assistant's Report 27

Recent Duties: Four days have passed since you foiled the plan of the nefarious and ominous Colonel Blood. To be honest, there was nothing really nefarious or ominous about the plan itself. Still, he really was one of those bounders you've heard so much about. At least they let you go back to Precinct 13 after the arrest. It was past time they realised that your job is in the legal department, not as some sort of bobby security chap.

Tidings from the Campaign Trail: (News regarding Cormus' coming election.)

-Despite what it may seem, not every major election forum has erupted into a violent confrontation. The debates held yesterday at the University of Cormus were actually quite civilized. All four candidates were in attendance, and fielded questions from the students gathered at the enigmatic MUB. Discussion focused mostly on serious issues, though Mayor Don Atchison seemed a bit put off by the poor attire demonstrated by the majority of the audience. This atmosphere was only briefly disturbed by vocal heckling from a group of students representing SALAD (Students Opposed to Liberal Arts Declination), who accused Atch and Mr. Riven of having hidden agendas dedicated solely to scientific research. They seemed more supportive of the cultured approach presented by Mycroft Holmes, and made frequent references to some 'Saint' who would be guiding them in their voting decisions.

Book Report:

-Science really is super cool! You took a book out of the library the other day on the Glory of Science, written by Bill Nye the science guy. It talks about all these amazing things that people have done using science. The sections on chemistry were particularly fascinating. You've always felt you'd fit in well with that discipline. The book also had a part devoted to applied technology, and mentioned something about tricorders and their use in Starfleet. They sound like amazing devices, so it's great that there's one within the department. Now you just have to convince Saavik to let you play around with it.

Notes from Home:

-You wrote home to complain about your recent reunion with Rufus, but your parents seemed to totally misunderstand your letter and believe that the two of you get along just fine. This is in spite of the fact that you never got along with dogs even back on the farm, and they were much less 'playful' than Rufus.

Legal Report:

-Communication with an unknown informant by the name of Deep Throat has been turned over to the legal department. This mysterious figure claims to have important information regarding the current election campaign, but will only reveal it on the condition that his contribution remain annonymous. It's legal's job to ensure that information gathered follows proper procedure, and to determine if information from such an unknown source can be deemed credible. So far Miss Vayl has done all the talking, but you've been involved in prepping some of the paperwork.

Personal Notes:

-Some people might say that the point of Dodgeball has something to do with eliminating the other team, but for you it's all about not getting hit. Past experience suggests that the best way to avoid being a target is to avoid doing much of anything. It's also important that you avoid exerting yourself in such a silly activity, when there's important legal assistant work that needs to be done.

-Unfortunately, all the legal work is being backed up because the department's photocopier has broken down! Nicholas thinks it's some sort of massive paper jam, and has turned to you for aid. Even with all your photocopying experience, you've been unable to fix the photocopier. This is a huge crisis! It's totally essential that you get the photocopier up and running right away, so you can get back to copying and collating important documents.

Mini-Objective:

-Get a chance to play with Saavik's tricorder, and learn how to use it.

-Be careful not to exert yourself too much during dodgeball practice.


John Watson – Crime Doctor 22

Recent Duties: Four days have passed since the arrest of the mysterious crimelord known only as Juntao. He and his agents might have been everywhere, but his plans certainly went nowhere. And as was so appropriate with all the rumours of mummies floating about, you soon had these criminals all wrapped up.

Tidings from the Campaign Trail: (News regarding Cormus' coming election.)

-Despite what it may seem, not every major election forum has erupted into a violent confrontation. The debates held yesterday at the University of Cormus were actually quite civilized. All four candidates were in attendance, and fielded questions from the students gathered at the enigmatic MUB. Discussion focused mostly on serious issues, though Mayor Don Atchison seemed a bit put off by the poor attire demonstrated by the majority of the audience. This atmosphere was only briefly disturbed by vocal heckling from a group of students representing SALAD (Students Opposed to Liberal Arts Declination), who accused Atch and Mr. Riven of having hidden agendas dedicated solely to scientific research. They seemed more supportive of the cultured approach presented by Mycroft Holmes, and made frequent references to some 'Saint' who would be guiding them in their voting decisions.

Newspaper Headlines:

-A good investigator needs all the information, and that means subscribing to as many newspapers as possible. This includes the University of Cormus student newspaper, known only as the Sheaf. Most of the articles are clearly daft, but there is one story of interest. It's supposedly written by a student hailing from Domremy, one of the many small villages surrounding Cormus. Domremy was once known as a popular location for tourists looking for a rustic opportunity to interact with nature, but the student claims the village has recently been haunted by a spree of murders. Furthermore, local police seem unwilling to seek assistance, even from their Cormus counterparts. How typical. Citizens have also reported the increased presence of ever more bold wolves within the area. This all sounds fairly intriguing, but it's hard to take it at face value given the source of the information.

Mysteries:

-The case of the mysterious mummies once again proves that superstitions have no place in modern existance, where science reigns supreme. And in so many ways, your detecting methods are truly a branch of science in and of themselves. Your sleuthing skills definitely involve employing the scientific method, right from developing a hypothesis to testing its validity against empirical evidence and observations. It's just like medical diagnosis; observe and analyse the symptoms of a crime in order to find the correct culprit. In this manner, the closing of a complicated case is somewhat analgous to actual advances in the field of science.

Personal Notes:

-This whole Dodgeball team is rather ridiculous. You've never really seen the point of organized sports, with the obvious exceptions of cricket and footie, pip-pip. Still, you did agree to play on this Dodgeball team, so you'll just have to put up with it for now, even though you'd really rather be doing science.

-While your branches of science may be different, you still have to respect the scientists over at Cyberdine for their ingenuity. At the same time, you're quite convinced that there are some professions that will never be automated, law enforcement among them. It seems Don Atchison doesn't entirely agree, and has scheduled a press conferance later this afternoon at the Cyberdine lab to unveil some new policing initiative. Of course, this might still mean great things for the field of science.

Mini-Objective:

-Promote the importance of science.

(Please keep an accurate listing of your scientific efforts.)


Saavik – Forensic Investigator 4

Recent Duties: It has been four days since you participated in the security operation at the British Museum. Remarkably, you were able to work in conjunction with officers from Scotland Yard without attracting much attention from your more insular colleagues. You were also able to stop Colonel Blood's rather illogical plan. You are still skeptical that anyone could honestly expect to escape with such priceless objects merely by stuffing them down their pants, but this sort of pernicious foolishness does facilitate your job. All the same, it was a reflief to be reassigned back to Precinct 13, where racial differences are the norm rather than the exception.

Tidings from the Campaign Trail: (News regarding Cormus' coming election.)

-Despite what it may seem, not every major election forum has erupted into a violent confrontation. The debates held yesterday at the University of Cormus were actually quite civilized. All four candidates were in attendance, and fielded questions from the students gathered at the enigmatic MUB. Discussion focused mostly on serious issues, though Mayor Don Atchison seemed a bit put off by the poor attire demonstrated by the majority of the audience. This atmosphere was only briefly disturbed by vocal heckling from a group of students representing SALAD (Students Opposed to Liberal Arts Declination), who accused Atch and Mr. Riven of having hidden agendas dedicated solely to scientific research. They seemed more supportive of the cultured approach presented by Mycroft Holmes, and made frequent references to some 'Saint' who would be guiding them in their voting decisions.

Tech Report:

-It continues to be your job to handle Kojak's email inbox. This task makes you feel more like a secretary than anything else, but at least this is preferable to some of the appellations given to you by Inspector Reeves. Once again, you found only one message of main interest.

To: kojak@cormuspd.dk

From: mugsy@cormuspd.dk

Nyah, Kojak!

I hear that yous have been planning a practice for the Bad Dudes over at the Precinct later this afternoon. I hope that while I'm there, I'll be treated like family, see?

Does Wheatie still work there? It's been too long since I've seen that guy, see, and I'm planning to hold a nice little reunion. A reunion between him and the ball!

Badda-bing, badda-bam!

-Mugsy

'I want to feed the cobra!'

Impersonal Notes:

-Since beginning your tenure with the Cormus police department, you have yet to work in your primary field of expertise. Managing and maintaining the Precinct's equipment depot is a position for which you are far overqualified. Perhaps your superiors need to see further demonstrations of your scientific and technical skills. Fortunately, there seem to be many opporunities to do just that even within the Precinct itself.

-You still have to question the logic of competitive sports such as Dodgeball. You mostly agreed to join Team IQ in an attempt to conform with the surrounding culture. Clearly such sports cannot hold the same importance as the meditation and gladitorial rituals.

Mini-Objective:

-Impress your superior officers with your amazing understanding of science and technology.


Jackie - Agent's Report 16

Recent Duties: It has been four days since you finally managed to wrap up the Juntao criminal organization. Chris Tucker seemed to think it was a big payday, but it's really just business as usual for you. Not that the IBI are likely to thank you for your efforts, since they involved bringing a loose cannon (and mouth) like Chris Tucker into the British Museum. As such, it was rather a relief to return back to Precinct 13.

Tidings from the Campaign Trail: (News regarding Cormus' coming election.)

-Despite what it may seem, not every major election forum has erupted into a violent confrontation. The debates held yesterday at the University of Cormus were actually quite civilized. All four candidates were in attendance, and fielded questions from the students gathered at the enigmatic MUB. Discussion focused mostly on serious issues, though Mayor Don Atchison seemed a bit put off by the poor attire demonstrated by the majority of the audience. This atmosphere was only briefly disturbed by vocal heckling from a group of students representing SALAD (Students Opposed to Liberal Arts Declination), who accused Atch and Mr. Riven of having hidden agendas dedicated solely to scientific research. They seemed more supportive of the cultured approach presented by Mycroft Holmes, and made frequent references to some 'Saint' who would be guiding them in their voting decisions.

Classified Information:

-It seems that the enigmatic cop killer is still at large within the city of Cormus. This time, the victim was a young officer from Precinct 12's sniper division. This unfortunate fellow was carved up in a manner similiar to previous victims, and left on display within an abandoned storage facility. As before, this crime scene was further embellished by an ominous message written in the victim's own blood. It reads as follows:

Darkness Of the Moon,

Replete with Every Malific Yearning

the time draws near...

Police have yet to decipher any meaning from this strange message.

Personal Notes:

-People seem to think you're not very good with scientific stuff, ever since you managed to blow up Watson's chemistry set. They don't seem to understand what a freak accident that was. As an IBI agent, you're used to handling advanced techno gadgets all the time. And you don't usually end up breaking them, either! It's not your fault that many of them turn out to be rather fragile.

Mini-Objective:

-Prove that you're capable of handling technology by toying with as many scientific gizmos as possible.

(Please keep an accurate list of the scientific devices you've...'handled'.)

Adventure Summary


It is late and the streets of Cormus are dark and sombre. However, deep in the anals of Precinct 13, one lone candle still flickers...

Seated at her desk in the darkened room, Neji reflects on the previous day's events and what significance they may hold. The quill pen in her hand pauses as she thinks for a moment. After a short time lost in thought, she begins to write:

"These days are shrouded in a darkness I cannot quite define. It had all started this morning when our regular lunch break had been rather unceremoniously interrupted by one Dr. John Watson who had the audacity to preach his blessed science to all those gathered – much to the displeasure of some of those gathered. (As it turned out, I was the only one to be counted in that group. I should have known better given the passions of the likes of Wheatie, Saavik, and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Jackie.) In any case, I remained steadfast in my devotion to the faith and my attempts to convey that sentiment, with a resounding lack of success, perhaps especially due to the fact the only person who seemed to agree with me at the time was The Anthropologist...
"What happened after that is largely unknown to me, as I had errands to attend to. From what I had learned later, Jackie destroyed a microwave and Saavik had to assist in the fixing of Wheatie’s baby pride and joy precious photocopier.
"As perhaps another trial for me to endure, Team IQ's scheduled dodgeball practise was met with more adversity than I had hoped -- both from the team (which I half expected) and from The Bad Dudes, captained by Kojack, who decided to crash our proverbial party. When they refused to vacate the gym when asked, a confrontation ensued using the only venue common to the two parties: a dodgeball game. Clearly, the team with the superior captaining abilities prevailed as Team IQ quashed the hopes of The Bad Dudes throwing Kojack and his companions: Mugsy, JFK, Bill Cosby, Terrell Owens (formerly of the Cormus Broncos) ...and Wedge into a bit of a foul mood for the rest of the day. (not that this is uncommon for Kojack at all) All in all, it was a successful day for the team and hopefully, this will continue into the future.
"My daily trip to confession was also one of unparalleled tribulation. Although the Precinct 13 church is not the one I normally frequent, I felt oddly compelled to try something closer. Just as I was about to begin, a letter was handed to me, catapulting me back into a time long ago, a continuing saga unfolding before my very eyes...
"With Saruman defeated, our heroes continued into the black tower of Barad-Dur in search of their target. Immediately upon entry, their presence was noted by a rather large contingent of Easterlings on the staircases leading towards the upper floors. On the main level, two large winches were being employed to open the gate that held captive the most deadly of Sarpedon's forces -- The Balrog!
"With an imperative need to prevent that gate from opening, our heroes set out to destroy the two Easterlings trying to operate the winches. Unfortunately, all the smoke from John McGuire's cigarette caused quite the smoke screen which hampered all ranged attacks -- much to the displeasure of Irvine. Trying to gain the upper hand quickly, Smith infected the Easterlings on the stairs with a deadly virus that eventually managed to consume a good number of them. Borromir sounded the Horn of Gondor and Hamlet summoned the ghost of his father. Together, all these forces were enough to bring down all but one of the Easterling army.
"Unfortunately, with the gate already half-way open, Borromir felt oddly compelled to peek inside -- and was suddenly unconscious after being lashed with some sort of fire-whip that could only belong to one creature. The Balrog was free.
"Realizing that the Death Grobus was going to be difficult to take down, Smith decided that the best way to attack it was to use his Multi-Agent System to split himself into many parts and beat down the Balrog that way. Unfortunately, it only held off the beast for one turn. After that, it was up to Hamlet, Irvine, and John McGuire to stop it. Hamlet and his father's ghost didn't last long, dropping to the Balrog's Death Knife and whip, John McGuire took a decent chunk out of the Balrog but eventually fell himself, further proving that smoking really is a filthy habit. Irvine had to struggle not to choke during his pin-point precision shots and Borromir eventually regained consciousness, constantly sounding the Horn of Gondor to help out with Irvine's aim. Eventually, under the combined pressure of all our heroes, the Balrog was defeated and the trek to the top of Barad-Dur continued...
"My reverie was interrupted unceremoniously by the ringing of a phone. Apparently my confession had taken over half an hour; The Chief was (as usual) outraged at my absence and insisted that I return to the precinct, as there was a case to be assigned.
"Apparently, there was a press conference to be held at Cyberdine Systems and Atch needed some fine, upstanding, law enforcement officers to be seen with. Of course, that meant my companions and I had to dress up for the occasion and head down to Cyberdine. Of course, that meant Watson was going as a mere spectator because well, to get rid of Watson would be like trying to get rid of one's own spleen -- it's not something one needs to live, but it's troublesome to remove without the proper instruments.
"In any case, as it turned out, Atch wanted to unveil the newest in cyborg technology in a large press conference (attended by members from SCTV, The Daily Planet, The Izael Foundation, and the Personal Dumpster Times represented by Dr. John Watson), tapping it as the future of policing. (Why he wanted real police officers to be there when it was clear his intention was to have them replaced, only the gods know...) As per typical plot contrivance, the machine goes haywire and control of it is lost. Evadine secured the area, but the robot, ED-209, was rampaging through the area where there were innocent civilians and experiments that could not be interrupted. Of course, since there were competant police officers around, it became our job to conduct the rescue mission.
"Armed with nothing more than our wits and some convenient fake scanner blips, we scoured the building in search of the scientists and the manual shut-off switch for ED-209. Focused on the mission, I implored my companions to do the same, with varying degrees of success. Eventually, the two sets of scientists were saved and the manual control was reached. Only Saavik was caught and subsequently thoroughly knocked out by the renegade ED-209.
"In the control room, Wheatie ran into one of his old friends, none other than Lord Ragland, back from his supposed pie stealing ways. After a short battle, Ragland was defeated and Wheatie was found staring down the barrell of ED-209's plasma gun. Needless to say, Wheatie, already wounded from his previous battle(s), was defeated easily -- but not before unleashing the deadly Moon Attack (and promptly screaming 'FOOLS! I gained a level you FOOLS! That's why I have so many hit points, FOOLS!').
"The rest of us (save that dark god-following heretic, Jackie) were quickly dispatched to help defeat the massive robot. Tom from Izael's mansion arrived not long thereafter to assist us in the massive task of taking down the horror that was ED-209. Unfortunately, that is where my recollection of the events ended. I only discovered recently that the arrival of Inspector Valtyrez turned the tide in the battle, destroying ED-209 for good.
"There was also a brief conversation between the Midnight Gaiden and Tairix (secret identity of Tom From Izael Manor) that I don't actually know happened, but certainly was most honourable.
"What lies in the future for this city, I know not. I only know that whatever happens, it will be up to us to stop it. Praise be to Millius to give me the strength to continue in this, the darkest of dark hours."

With this final sentance, Neji puts her quill back in its ink pot and sets it in its place for the evening. It has been a long day and she knows she will need all her strength for the morning, to face whatever evils decide to rear their ugly heads and to make right all that has been wronged.

Note: Special thanks to Neji for writing this summary.

New Characters

Dr. Sherizawa
Race: Deksiilan
Affiliation: Cyberdine Systems
Dr. Sherizawa is the chief researcher and scientist at Cyberdine Systems. He is most reknowned for his blatant ambition, scientific brillance and his penchant for speaking as if he has been dubbed in a low quality foreign movie. Sherizawa's specialty lies in the field of automated systems, and this has translated into breakthroughs in both civilian and military projects. This has included Cyberdine's recent ED-209 and ZOOMBA robots. Dr. Sherizawa could be described as a tall, vaguely Asian man with slick dark hair and a white labcoat. He seems to have no hobbies aside from doing science.

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