Adventure Overview
Players: Mr. Rhyze, Morton.
Enemies: A Fat Man in a Speedo and the Predator.
Started: With a press conferance onboard the SpaceDome.
Ended: After the conclusion of the hunt.
The Fat Man in a Speedo Mr. Rhyze was horrified by the appearance of the Fat Man in a Speedo. And there was no sand nearby with which to entomb this monster in a castle! With a belly-shaking laugh, the Fat Man declared that he would make the Hydrosphere his own personal domain. Mr. Rhyze could not allow this, but still could barely bring himself to look at the Fat Man. With another disgusting laugh, the Fat Man threw a bowl of red Jell-O which struck Mr. Rhyze in the face. Angered the communications officer tried to fight back, but he simply didn't have the willpower to strike such enormous bulk. The Fat Man in a Speedo pounded with him with bowl after bowl of Jell-O, each of a different color. Although these attacks were extremely weak, they began to add up. In desperation, Mr. Rhyze switched to area psychic attacks, which didn't require him to look directly at the Fat Man in a Speedo. This proved much more effective, and soon the Fat Man collapsed over backwards in an explosion of Jell-O. The ground shook in the aftermath of his fall. This tremor drew Blank's attention, and he poked his head out of security to stare in horror at the Fat Man. The question became what to do with the beaten Fat Man. There was clearly no room for him in the brig, but they couldn't just leave him blocking the hallway.
Blank decided that they could take the Fat Man back to his own room. It took only a short consultation with the computer to determine the correct room. However, moving the Fat Man in a Speedo proved too much for even Mr. Rhyze and Blank together. They needed some extra muscle, and Mr. Rhyze decided that Morton was ideal to provide it. After some amount of calling, the pilot agreed to help, and they moved the huge man into his room. After accomplishing such a difficult task, Morton and Mr. Rhyze decided to stop in the pub for a refreshing drink. Tintin was there at the moment, taking about some sort of conspiracy theory involving seven crystal balls. Suddenly, Mr. Rhyze had an epiphany. Vance had told him to consider who on the station might have a dog. It only occurred to him now that Tintin might match that description. A quick inquiry, revealed that Tintin did own a dog, called Snowy, whom he had been concealing in the room. Since such pets fell into the grey area of Station regulations, the journalist had only allowed the dog to roam free at night, at which point Snowy would sometimes howl. At Mr. Rhyze's insistance, Tintin agreed to keep Snowy inside his room at all times.
Race: Deksiilan
Occupation: Fat Man in a Speedo?/Technician
It's the scariest thing in the world. It's the most terrifying thing ever seen. The most chilling visual. It's monstrous, it's crappy, it's huge and it's really really big. The Fat Man in a Speedo matches all these descriptions and a whole lot more. As his name suggests, he is a very fat man wearing nothing but a red speedo. Although officially a technician on the station, he seemed to spend most of his time scaring people and bathing in the Hydrosphere. Apparently, it was the only bath big enough to fit him, and he intended to use it constantly. In combat, he used his horrifying bulk as a deterrant and attacked by throwing bowls o Jell-O in the air. Usually at his opponents. Where he kept these countless bowls is still not known.
With the Werewolf mystery solved, Mr. Rhyze was ready for some serious R&R. He and Morton decided to go down to the Military Lounge to take care of this important task. However, they never imagined what they would find on the lowest level of the station. Exiting the turbolift, both noticed a pair of Red-Shirts collapsed in the hallway leading to Space Bay 2. This was not strange in itself, considering the fact that Red-Shirts were constantly wounding each other. But these guards had not been shot by any sort of gun, but rather cut and slashed into various bloody pieces. Morton had his guns ready as the two proceeded into Space Bay 2. The room was empty of life, but Morton instantly noticed that the door to the Loracian transport was now open. More worryingly still, a thin trail of blood stained the entry ramp. Fully alert, the two entered the ship. They found a scene of carnage.
About a dozen Loracians in black robes lay strewn about the wreckage inside the ship. Most were cut in similar manners to the Red-Shirts, though a few looked to have broken necks. All the machinery within the ship was also torn and destroyed, which meant that Morton would be able to loot much from this ship. Closer investigation revealed that each corpse wore a horned-skull amulet around their necks. It was the mark of Dagobros, the God of Darkness. Proceeding to the very back of the ship, the two found a solid Admorite cage, easily big enough to hold a man. There were strange ruins marked on the door of this cage, which was ripped from its hinges. Growing more grim by the moment, Mr. Rhyze led Morton up to the cockpit. They found nothing of interest there but an electronic log. Mr. Rhyze tried and failed to hack into the log before calling Blank, Sam and Vance down to Space Bay 2. Soon, all those mentioned had arrived, and Blank was examining the ship with a squad of Red-Shirts. Vance knew little about the religion of Dagobros, nor about the runes marking the cage, but he did know much about computers. Consequently, he was able to access the log. It had only one entry, which was fairly cryptic. It mentioned something about a 'Holy Mission' and bringing the True God's sacred Gift to the rest of the Galaxy.
As security took over the investigation, Mr. Rhyze and Morton decided to go pay Tairix a visit. The former was convinced that the arrival of two Loracian ships on the station could not be a coincidence. Tairix had a cell to himself in the brig. When Mr. Rhyze told him that the Corpus Fatali was docked on the station, he was instantly interested. He did not seem overly surprised that the crew of the ship had been killed, and the Red-Shirts with them. He told Mr. Rhyze that the entire crew of the station would likely die if he wasn't released to save them. It didn't take much convincing to win over Morton and Mr. Rhyze, and at their recommendation, Blank agreed to release Tairix. The latter told them to assemble all officers on the station in the briefing room. He would address them after he got a few things from his ship. Nodding agreement, the two heroes left the brig. However, they were instantly approached by Falco. He had found something in the Flight Simulator he thought they should see. They rushed into the darkened room to be presented with yet another bloody corpse. This time, it was Newt. She sat in the center of the simulator, pinned to her chair by the heavy knife thrust through her throat. The darkened blade hissed as Morton pulled it from her throat. Closer examination revealed many other slashes on her small body, which had clearly been done once she was already dead. More than a little worried, Mr. Rhyze called all officers to the briefing room. As the group gathered, Morton gave the strange knife to Vance for further analysis.
Not long after all officers had gathered, Tairix came storming into the room. He now wore his Zelzakian armor, immiediately earning the envy of Mr. Rhyze, and carried a pair of briefcases. He wasted no time in explaining the situation. Apparently, the Corpus Fatali belonged to a dark Cult on Lorac. With the approach of the Blitzball Intergalactic Cup, that planet's government had been cracking on such groups. Some few cultists had managed to escape in a transport ship, and they were carrying a very dangerous cargo. Confirming Mr. Rhyze's worst fears, Tairix announced that it was a Death-Grobai, an extremely powerful creature that lived only to kill. Such creatures were often considered sacred by the followers of the Dark God Dagobros. Of course, this did not save them from the Death-Grobai's lust for killing. The cultists had caged the Death-Grobai with mystic runes, but once their power faded with time, the Death-Grobai had broken free and slaughtered its 'masters'. Now, it was loose on space station Epsilon.
There was considerable worry after this statement, and Commander Zaya asked to know how Tairix knew so much on the topic. Of course, this sort of thing was part of the Terminator's job. He hunted Dagos-spawn wherever it could be found, and had been after this group for quite some time. Now, he would hunt down this Death-Grobai as well. Of course, he admitted that this would be extremely dangerous. The Death-Grobai would never rest, never falter and never stop until it had killed every living thing on the station. Although considered stupid, these monsters possessed a bestial cunning. It had certainly been hunting and killing longer than any of those present had been alive, and knew all the tricks. In addition, Death-Grobai could disappear in even small amounts of darkness and possessed enormous regenrative capabilities. The only accurate way to accurately track such a creation would be with thermal vision. Tairix wore a Scout capable of that, and also possessed two additional pairs of thermal goggles. He passed one of these to Morton, and the other to Mr. Rhyze, despite the latter's protests. The Loracian army had discovered several ways to deal permanent damage to Death-Grobai, and one involved the pair of suitcases Tairix was carrying. Flipping them open, he pulled out a pair of Grenade Launchers, which were likely the cause of the weapon possession charges against him.
Tairix's plan was simple; he would lead Morton and Mr. Rhyze in hunting the Death-Grobai. All other personnel not engaged in essential station operations would confine themselves to their rooms, and keep all areas brightly illuminated. Apparently, Death-Grobai preferred to strike in the dark. Death-Grobai would also be unable to operate complex technology. They would be able to figure out how to open doors, given time, but they never be able to properly operate the turbo lift. As such, it must have another way of going between the levels. Zaya suggested that it had likely found its way into the Engineering tunnels. With a guilty start, Morton recalled the fact that he and Gaston had shorted out all lights in these tunnels. However, Tairix didn't seem to mind. He was certain that if the three of them marched through the tunnels in the dark, the Death-Grobai was sure to come to them. Neither Mr. Rhyze nor Morton found this to be a very reassuring idea.
Before entering the engineering tunneles, Morton decided to outfit himself in a bulky space suit, simply to gain a little extra protection. Thus equiped, he followed Tairix and Mr. Rhyze into the tunnels. The Terminator led the way, grenade launchers ready. He had no particular destination in mind, and was simply waiting to attract the predator's attention. It didn't take long. After some marching through the dark, they found the corpse of a Red-Shirt, and a pool of blood nearby. Both corpse and liquid were still warm, which meant the work was recent. Mr. Rhyze and Morton looked around nervously. Only at the last moment did Mr. Rhyze notice something wet dripping onto his shoulder. Glancing down at the fresh blood stain, he quickly flew backwards. In doing so, he narrowly avoided the shadowy Death-Grobai as it dropped silently from the ceiling.
Muttering about the damage this would cause to the station, Tairix fired both grenade launchers at the crouching shadow. One hit the mark, and the other exploded behind the creature. The light of the explosions momentarily illuminated the corridor. All could see the Death-Grobai clearly as it slowly rose to its feet, making not a sound. It was clothed all in white, but its face and hands were only inky darkness, with no apparent features. A belt of knives ran across its chest, and it gripped one of these knives in a black fist. Morton opened fire with both his guns, and Mr. Rhyze launched psychic attacks. None of this had any noticeable effect on the Death-Grobai, and it darted forward with incredible speed and slashed Tairix across the chest. The knife tore easily through the Terminator's armor, leaving a long, bloody gash in its wake. Stumbling back, Tairix dropped the empty grenade launchers and pulled out his shotgun rifle, and fired a vicious shot which blew open a portion of the Death-Grobai's chest. The creature showed no reaction as it smoothly spun and thrust a knife through the helmet of Morton's space suit. This destroyed the suit, Morton's thermal goggles and left the pilot bleeding badly. After the heroes' retaliation, the Death-Grobai spun and disappeared into the shadows of the corridor, much too fast for any to follow.
Muttering something about medical attention, Tairix led the other two out of the tunnels after reloading his grenade launchers. They emerged to bad news. Apparently, the Death-Grobai had already struck again. Blank took them to the Brig, where they found a stabbed Red-Shirt propped behind the desk. Rastipopeles was also dead, slashed up in a manner similar to the other victims. Curiously enough, none of the other prisoners had been harmed. Apparently, door to Rastipopeles' cage had been opened slightly before the lights in the brig went out. Moments later, the other prisoners had heard Rastipopeles' final screams. Tairix admitted that selective killing was a bit uncharacteristic for a Death-Grobai. Suspicious, Mr. Rhyze suggested that perhaps someone had been guiding the Death-Grobai. Tairix sceptically replied that any such attempt would be extremely dangerous. Mr. Rhyze had several suspicions about this event, and decided they should pay Penny a little visit. Such did not prove possible.
As the three made their way along the outer ring towards Penny's room, Morton noticed a door along the hallway had been smashed in. Investigation revealed the bloody remains of a technician inside the room. As the three turned to leave, they were confronted again by the Death-Grobai. With astonishing speed, it sped towards them, death knife leading the way. Mr. Rhyze took the hit for the team and it left him bloody. However, this gave Tairix the time he needed to aim and fire his grenade launcher. One blast sent the Death-Grobai stumbling backward. The other shot struck the window of the outer ring, shattering it. The heroes had time only for one deep breath before the resulting space vacuum pulled all breathable air from the hallway. As the explosions cleared, there was no sign of the Death-Grobai. However, a dark hand suddenly reached up to grip the edge of the hole torn in the outer ring's side. Slowly, the Death-Grobai pulled itself back into the station. Aware of their diminishing air supplies, Morton and Tairix ran down the corridor towards the turbolift. As a Zelzakian, Mr. Rhyze had no such concerns and uncharacteristically flung himself at the creature, attempting to knock it out the hole into deep space. It was like running into a brick wall. Mr. Rhyze stumbled back, and received a stab from the Death Knife from the trouble. This was enough to drop the communications officer.
The Death-Grobai stood triumphant over its prey, and prepared to deliver the killing blow. Suddenly, Tairix's shotgun ran out from down the hallway, and the exploding bullets blew off the Death-Grobai's arm which had been clutching the Death knife. Still without a sound, the Death-Grobai drew another knife from its belt with its other hand and prepared to finish Mr. Rhyze. As Morton laid down cover fire, Tairix tossed his shotgun aside and charged back down the hallway. As he closed the distance between them, the Terminator drew out a grenade. Pulling the pin, he tossed it at their feet. The resulting explosion was dazzling, literally. Fortunately for Mr. Rhyze, Tairix had used a blinding illumination grenade. The Death-Grobai drew back, and Tairix flung himself at it. However, even the Terminator's strength was not even to push the unbalanced Death-Grobai out the gaping hole. Fortunately, Mr. Rhyze had been awakened by the bright light, and was able to lend his strength to the cause. A precise shot from Morton to the creature's leg was finally enough to send it tumbling backwards out into deep space. In a final gesture, as the Death-Grobai floated from view, it tossed a deadly knife back towards Mr. Rhyze. At the last minute, Tairix flung himself in the way, shielding the communications officer.
With air in short supply, no time could be spent celebrating this victory. Hefting the unconscious Tairix over one shoulder, Mr. Rhyze literally flew down the corridor. Morton was already running for the turbolift. They reached their goal not a moment too soon. As it happened, the lift wasn't empty when they entered. Shaimus loomed over them, leadpipe in hand. He seemed well aware that they were each at 1 Hitpoint. However, his current priority was to fix the hole in the station, hefting his welding torch, the engineer exiting the turbolift, leaving them with a dire threat. But for now at least, the danger was over.
Return to The Deep Space Main Page