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 Deep Space adventure began with a Media Circus, in more ways than one. In fact, the start of the adventure brought another power chart for the players to fill out. Like every fourth adventure, experience was on the line. And media speculation was sure to follow from any markings on these charts.
Considering the current media circus, now is the perfect time to make controversial statements with little to no basis in fact. As such, you will be given the chance to rate the combat powers of several characters that were not included in the last power chart. These ratings will surely provide the press with material to analyse for at least four adventures to come. List the characters below in descending order of power, with 1 being the strongest, 11 being the weakest. The player who is closest to the truth will receive a bonus 200 XP at the end of this adventure, and media attention forever.
The adventure itself began during a press conferance held aboard the SpaceDome. The room was filled with reporters, with cameras flashing, microphones pressed forward and boom mikes hanging dangerously overhead. All the members of the Epsilon Replacements were seated behind a table. This included the three players, otherwise known as Mr. Rhyze, Johnny 'The Man' and Keepa, as well as their coach, Morton. George Steinbrenner was also seated at the table, though he was facing the opposite direction and eating a breadbowl with great satisfaction. After the startling victory of the Epsilon Replacements over the Yankees, the press was eager to interview the players involved. The first question came from Keith, who was still wearing white pants. His question involved stating that Morton's team was fantastic, quite possibly the best team ever. That being the case, Keith wanted to know about Morton's secret to success. Morton was about to answer, when Mr. Rhyze declared that he would deal with this one. If Mr. Rhyze could be believed, the team's key to victory was his own Sphere Shot and shooting abilities. Morton quickly denied this, stating that managerial skill was extremely important. Mr. Rhyze refuted this by stating that Morton hadn't even been at the game during its second half. Needless to say, the press was loving this controversy.
The next question came from Tintin. The famed reporter directed his question to all present, and asked to know how it was all related to some vast intergalactic conspiracy. Mr. Rhyze decided to take this one as well, and replied that Tintin was crazy. Once again, Morton disagreed loudly with the communications' officer's statement, declaring that Rastipopeles had attempted to kill Commander Zaya. Once again, controversy abounded. However, soon Mr. Rhyze was given a question of his own. Don Cherry lept up to the table and demanded to know why he hadn't toppled Babe Ruth during the Blitzball game. All the heat was on Mr. Rhyze, and he could only mutter something about the similarities between Ruth and a blubbery whale. Don Cherry still looked angry, but there was nothing new about that. Fortunately for Mr. Rhyze, Penny took this opportunity to ask George Steinbrenner about his team's defeat. Steinbrenner admitted that some changes to the Yankees' roster would be necessary. He believed that Jet was holding his team back, and was eager to trade him for Keepa. Mr. Rhyze and Morton were more than willing to agree with this proposition, but since Keepa was still officially a member of the military, such a trade was impossible.
Surprisingly, the next question didn't come from a reporter. It originated from Newt, who had become a great fan of Mr. Rhyze. She wanted him to demonstrate his Sphere Shot again. Although the conditions weren't ideal (not being underwater and all), Mr. Rhyze still couldn't resist the opportunity to show off his special shot. However, he botched it horribly, and instead the ball was intercepted by Johnny. Certainly not adverse to a little demonstration of his own skills, 'The Man' performed a twisting shot. The ball rebounded off the wall and floored Mr. Rhyze. Everyone was impressed, with the exception of the prone communications officer. Getting to his feet, Mr. Rhyze declared that Johnny's rebounding shot would be useless in a real match. Puzzled, Keith asked how much more useful his own botched shot would have been. Facing major heat, Mr. Rhyze quickly redirected attention by declaring that Keith was still wearing white pants after labor day. All attention immiediately focused on the reporter, who admitted again that this was certainly a big fashion no-no.
At this point, Blank entered the room and motioned for Mr. Rhyze and Morton to join him. As the three left the room, they were able to hear the next question posed to Keepa by Penny, which inquired about the fact that Blitzball shots always seemed aimed at the same corner of the net. Mr. Rhyze was irate about being pulled away from his important press conferance, but subsided when Blank explained the situation. Apparently, Rastipopeles had awakened, and the time had come to question the villain. The security chief had moved the prisoner to the briefing room for this interogation, and they found him guarded by a pair of Red-Shirts when they entered. The bearded Rastipopeles was also tightly tied to a chair, which might explain why he didn't easily escape with only two Red-Shirts on guard duty. Of course, Rastipopeles was reluctant to talk, and Blank told them they would likely have to help crack the criminal's nerve. And this involved a mini-game.
Some police dramas make it seem so easy, but interrogating criminals is much harder than it appears. It takes a great deal of persuasion to convince these villains to confess to their crimes. As such, the following moves have been developed to crack a criminal's resistance. Of course, evildoers have come up with their own strategies for resisting interrogation, against which the following moves have differential effectiveness.
| Technique | Effectiveness | Description |
| Accusing Glare | d20 + Willpower | The questioner glares at the criminal, certain of their guilt. |
| Trick Questions | d20 + Int | Through trick questions, a questioner attempts the criminal into confessing to some crime. |
| Shaking | d20 + Strength | A popular move in which the cop shakes some sense into the criminal |
| Intimidating Light | d20 + Dexterity | A bright light is shone in the criminal's eyes, blinding them. |
Morton and Mr. Rhyze were not afraid to make full use of the aforementioned devastating techniques. However, Rastipopeles had faced interogation in the past, and knew some tricks of his own. The first of these was an Absolute Denial, in which Rastipopeles denied any connection with any sort of wrongdoing, or anything else for that matter. Another tactic he used was entitled No Comment, and involved Rastipopeles refusing to speak. The final, and most effective tactic consisted of Demanding A Lawyer. This proved particularly effective when used while being shaken, which was something Morton and Mr. Rhyze seemed to enjoy doing. They also made use of the intimidating light and cunning trick questions. In the end, though, it was a bout of fierce shaking which finally cracked a confession from their prisoner. He was now completely willing to answer their questions.
The three questioned him thoroughly on the attempted assassination, but found that Rastipopeles didn't have any of the answers they were looking for. A former drug dealer from Chalchak, Rastipopeles had been forced from the planet by Tintin, who he described as a 'meddling journalist'. His career had changed to Hitman, and it was in that capacity that he had come to the station. He had been contacted annonymously online with this job. His unknown employer instructed him and his men to pose as a camera crew and come to the station to kill Commander Zaya. Payment was to be handled electronically. Half the digi-cash was forwarded to Rastipopeles' account, and the other half would be provided upon execution of the deed. Despite numerous proddings, it seemed clear that the prisoner really had no idea who he had been working for. Blank sighed and hauled the criminal back to the brig. Morton paid a quick visit to Sam for some fast healing, while Mr. Rhyze went down to the boiler room and obtained the television and boiler room. These he took to the new Military Lounge, unaware that in so doing, he had uncovered the coffin of Dracula...
Work log: You've been at your station more than usual lately, and you haven't even been playing much Freecell. It's not as if you've suddenly grown more dedicated. Rather, you don't want to miss a minute of the Blitzball coverage on TBN. Especially since one of their stories feature you and the Epsilon Replacements.
Incoming Transmissions:
-The draws for the Blitzball Intergalactic Cup have been announced. The semi-final rounds will pit the Deksiil Crescent Moons against the Electran Currents and the Armorian Defenders of Virtue against the Lorac Monsoons. This second match has received a lot of the media's attention, and has been dubbed a match of Good versus Evil. The exact dates and locations of these games have yet to be announced, but even these pairings continue to feed the interest in the Blitzball community.
-In a special broadcast of Coach's Corner, Don Cherry described the recent game at Space Station Epsilon. Although the game involved only amateur teams, Don insisted that the Epsilon Replacements could make it big someday. In one of his characteristic rants, he stated that the Epsilon team had great potential, and he mentioned again the hit you dealt out to Flavius, the Fenixan mountan of muscle.
-The Loracian government has issued a statement about the religious cult. Apparently, most of the group has been surpressed and those remaining have been driven into hiding. No comment has yet come from the Lorac Monsoons on this statement.
System Status: -In a truly horrifying development, your replacement has discovered how to download things from the internet. This means it's only a matter of time before he downloads and installs a copy of Windows PX.
Personal Notes:
-A rising Blitzball player like yourself definitely needs a good night's rest. Unfortunately, you haven't been able to have one since the departure of the SpaceDome. You have been awakened at all hours of the night by some sort of howling. It almost sounds like a dog, although you were unaware that any were on the station. Others have heard this nocturnal howling as well, and rumours have spread about some sort of Werewolf inhabiting the station. You're more than a bit sceptical about this notion, but on the other hand, a full moon can always be seen shining from the station.
Mini-Objective:
-Discover the truth about this Werewolf and stop its midnight howling.
Work Log: You've spent a great deal of time attempting to fix up the remains of your Falcon, and it still isn't even close to spaceworthy. At least you didn't lose the race this time. Although some would argue that the race wasn't worth the loss of your ship, but these people don't understand the true value of that draw. And at least Johnny's in the same situation.
Space Fleet Status:
-2 and a third Falcon Fighters, all fully loaded.
-1 unarmed SG-3 military transport capable of holding 20 people.
-1 fully armed Thunderer, belonging to Fayde.
Military Supplies:
-15 'slightly-used' Falcon missiles purchased from Crazy Sam.
-8 Heatwave missiles purchased from the GAP.
-3 Space-suits complete with oxygen tanks providing fourty minutes of breathable air. Two of these space suits have been painted red, courtesy of the station's new engineer. Using them was never pleasant, but it's now even less enjoyable.
-Welding torches, masks and maintenance supplies. You feel like you have a bucket on your head when you wear ark-welder's mask�
Docked Flights:
-The Scoop, a specially designed Starstreak transport belonging to N.E.W.S. news, is still docked in Space Bay two. Despite the fact that no one has heard of them, N.E.W.S. seems to be an actual company, and they are sending a crew over to pick up their ship and their reporter. Unfortunately, it looks like the station will get to keep Rastipopeles and his crew of criminals.
-The remains of Johnny's customizable Falcon are still spread out over the Military Bay. As a private citizen, he'll likely have to fund the repairs of his Falcon out of his own pocket. There's one benefit for working with the military.
-A large and rusty transport ship from Lorac has recently docked in Space Bay 2. It's rather odd that you haven't noticed any crewmembers disembarking from this ship since its arrival. If the markings on the ship's side are to be believed, it's called the Corpus Fatalli. Loracians seem to like those kind of funny names.
Personal Notes:
-Being a Blitzball coach seems to involve nothing more than making controversial statements about the sport and other teams. As far as that goes, you're more than qualified for the job. It's only thanks to your efforts with the Epsilon team that you haven't earned a rather harsh reprimand from your commanding officers over the destruction of your ship.
-No one can do too much work without feeling the need to relax. And the Military Bay Lounge is the perfect place to do so. You've already outfitted it with Guido's table and the coffee table from the Manor ship. With a little work, you're positive you could turn it into the best hangout on the station.
Mini-Objective:
-Obtain more furnishings for the Military Bay Lounge.
In typical fashion, the action resumed as the two heroes entered Bennigan's. As usual, the Irish pub was crowded. Only one table had open seats, and it was partially occupied by Jamal, Falco and Tintin. As the two seated themselves, they noticed Johnny seated at a corner table with Penny. They both seemed to be trying to talk about themselves at once, which really wasn't overly surprising. The two protagonists were a bit surprised, however, that Tintin was still on the station. When posed such questions, the journalist replied that he would wait for the next transport. Besides, he had heard strange rumours on the station, and he thought they might be part of some vast conspiracy. Lucky happened to arrive to take orders during discussion of these strange rumours, and was quick to panic and flee. After returning, he told them all that there were many scary things roaming the station. Upon spending a moment's thought on the topic, Morton and Mr. Rhyze realised that they had also heard many strange rumours recently.
Come to think of it, you've heard a few chilling myths floating around the station lately. Obviously, they can't all be true. But some of them are worrying, to say the least.
-Whispered rumours suggest that Count Dracula, the Lord of the Undead himself, may be somewhere on the station. Supposedly, no mortal weapon can harm him.
-Some claim that a Werewolf is haunting the station. You're not the only one to have heard howling late in the night. Whether this rumour is founded or not, something has certainly been disturbing your sleep.
-Speculation suggests that a villain called the Neon Phantom has taken up residence on the station. Unreliable witnesses suggest that this fellow always wears a spandex jumpsuit covered with neon lights. This fiend is attributed with turning off several light switches unexpectedly, although no one has actually seen him do it.
Come to think of it, you've heard a few chilling myths floating around the station lately. Obviously, they can't all be true. But some of them are worrying, to say the least.
-Some claim to have seen a Fat Man in a Speedo emerging from the Hydrosphere. This would clearly be a very horrifying sight indeed
-Whispered rumours suggest that Count Dracula, the Lord of the Undead himself, may be somewhere on the station. Supposedly, no mortal weapon can harm him.
-Several annonymous technicians claim to have heard screams while working in Space Bay 2. The source of these supposed screams has not been found, and some suggest that an old Pilot Ghost is haunting the area.
-Disturbing reports have come in from several Red-Shirts about some kind of strange creature seen wandering the corridors of the station. Although it resembles a dog, this thing is rumoured to have a few too many legs.
Mr. Rhyze was obviously most curious about the Werewolf. He spent several moments discussing it with Falco and Jamal. The latter had also heard the howling, and would have gone to investigate, if he weren't so busy 'keeping order' in the pub. Falco spent the conversation mocking their fear over this Werewolf, and continued to do so even after Jamal assured him that Werewolves were bad. Morton was not concerned with this type of nonsense. He was more preoccupied with improving the Military Bay lounge. And the most important thing the pilots' lounge would require would be booze and a place to store that booze. As such, Morton strode over to the kitchen. It took only a small amount of intimidation to convince Lucky to part with a cabinet and some drinks to go with it. Loot in hand, Morton went down to the new lounge to properly outfit it. Installing the cabinet proved easy for Morton's mechanical skills. Of course, in the process of doing so, he managed to consume most of the alcohol he had brought with him. Nevertheless, he decided next that the television needed to be elevated on some type of stand. He found the perfec item in the boiler room: an empty coffin. In taking, Morton spent no time wondering what once might have resided within it.
After eating, Mr. Rhyze decided to devote some time towards questioning various others about the alleged Werewolf. His first visit was to security. He found Blank seated behind his desk, and Newt playing nearby. The communications officer wasted no time in asking him about the rumours of the Werewolf. Blank replied that they were nothing more than rumours, and although he had received several complaints (mostly from Red-Shirts) he had yet to find proof of any such creature. Having learned several interogation techniques from watching the questioning of Rastipopeles, Newt offered to help get answers out of Blank. Despite her shaking, Blank had no more information to give, but at least it seemed to amuse her. Disappointed, but not overly surprised, Mr. Rhyze next went to speak with Sam. The medical officer knew nothing more about this Werewolf, nor did Commander Zaya or Jean-Luc Picard who he visited next. One of his last visits was to Vance. He knew the man of science would have little use for rumours of Werewolves, and likely mockery for those who did. Indeed Vance discarded any notion of a Werewolf's presence on the station. However, he did comment that it could simply be the howling of a dog, although he did not know who would possess one.
Morton was on a quest of his own. He had now consumed all the beverages he had stocked in the lounge, and was badly in need of more. Rather than pay another visit to Bennigan's, he decided to go visit the Engineers, who were sure to have large quantities of booze. This logic had only one flaw, that being that the engineers constantly depleted their own supply of drinks. So, he his visit to Gaston's room found the engineer with not a drop more booze than he. Apparently, the engineers had just finished drinking, and Max Planck was still locked in the resulting stupour. However, Gaston offered to help Morton get some booze from Bennigan's. In fact, the two of them could turn this proceeding into the latest engineer prank. They would take the Engineering tunnels into Bennigan's, take some of Lucky's rare Irish spirits and then do something humiliating and stupid. The last part of this hadn't yet been decided, but Gaston assured Morton he could come up with many ideas. Instead, Morton suggested simply turning off the fuse for the pub. Gaston thought this was a great idea, since it would likely be attributed to the Neon Phantom. However, this plan proved futile, as Gaston cut the wrong breaker, shorting out the lights in the engineering tunnels instead. Consequently, the two became horribly lost, and after several encounters with Shaimus and Commander Zaya, decided to go visit Bennigan's in the normal manner.
Mr. Rhyze's search for the Werewolf had eventually brought him back up to the Bridge. At that point, however, the station's scanners began to pick up an approaching space ship. There was no sign of his replacement, and consequently, Mr. Rhyze was forced into action. Commander Zaya ordered the communications officer to hail the approaching vessel, while Picard analysed the scanner readouts. It appeared that the ship was a Falcon Fighter, somewhat worse for wear. The vessel replied immiediately to Mr. Rhyze's hail, and Zaya gave the orders for the transmission to be put on screen. The face that appeared before them belonged to the following character, though they did not yet know it.
Tairix Tairix explained that he was passing through Sector Y and was in need of fresh supplies. Since the Electran Station allowed no visitors, Epsilon was the only alternative. Commander Zaya was more than a bit suspicious, but could not deny a traveller the chance to obtain fresh supplies. However, once the transmission was cut, she ordered Mr. Rhyze to keep an eye on the visitor. More than a bit curious, Mr. Rhyze readily agreed and made his way down to Space Bay 1 to meet the stranger. Noting the worn condition of Tairix's Falcon, Mr. Rhyze asked him if he had seen any action recently. Tairix replied that a man in his profession was always finding action. The two continued their conversation as they wandered up to Bennigan's for a drink. Tairix proported to be a mercenary, looking for work on Sphere or Electra. He had noticed that the Commander didn't seem to trust him, and noted that there must not be many visitors on the station. Mr. Rhyze replied that they often had strange visitors, but currently there was only a media transport.
By this point, the two had entered the pub. Johnny was still seated with Penny, currently mentioning repeatedly the Top Gun video he had obtained from Doug. Apparently, this was his favorite movie, and recommended viewing for any real pilot. Tairix and Mr. Rhyze seated themselves, and attempted to order, although doing so was difficult considering the fact that Lucky was terrified by Tairix. However, their conversation was not destined to last long. They were interupted by the appearance of Blank and a team of wounded Red-Shirts. Apparently, the security chief had been doing some background checks on Tairix, and had found that he had several outstanding charges of illegal weapons possession on Lorac. Tairix assured him that it was just a misunderstanding, but Blank insisted on questioning the visitor. Grumbling that they were making a big mistake, Tairix was escorted to the brig. Blank's group was followed by an intrigued Mr. Rhyze.
Race: Loracian
Occupation: Terminator
Hailing from the dark world of Lorac, Tairix spent most of his time hunting and destroying Dagos-spawn. It was in this capacity that he had earned his reputation as the Terminator. A dark-skinned man with broad shoulders and black hair streaked with silver, Tairix usually wore dark leather. However, when on the hunt, he would often outfit himself in black Zelzakian armor. Tairix also possessed a large arsenal of weapons, ranging from a PK-97 to an RD-51 rifle with exploding bullets and even a pair of illegal Grenade Launcher, which he would use simultaenously. Due to the Loracian government's close connections with the Doom Priests, they often did not approve of Tairix's vigilante actions, though this did not nothing to disuade the Terminator.
Morton's thirst was quenched, but he was still intent on improving the military bay lounge. The boiler room was a good source of random items, and so he returned there. This time, he emerged with a water cooler and some paper cups. If nothing else, this was good for water cooler discussions. As he returned from with his loot, he found Falco seated in the lounge watching the large-screened team. The blue-haired pilot was impressed with all the work Morton was done. He found the television to be a great addition, if only there was something decent to watch. Morton offered to fetch Pokemon or Days of the Week tapes from the boiler room, but Falco shot down both suggestions. With a shrug, Morton decided to head over to Space Bay 2. He had rumours about the Old Pilot Ghost, and hoped to get to the bottom of that situation. He found that Space Bay empty, with the exception of a large rusty ship from Lorac. The door to the Corpus Fatali was closed and locked, and did not open after Morton's knocks. Even listening carefully, Morton could hear nothing from inside the ship. After waiting another moment, he attempted to hack the computer lock. Considering his lack of computer skills, it wasn't at all surprising that he managed to set off the alarm instead. Leaping for cover behind some crates, Morton waited for some sort of reaction from the ship. He waited a long time, but the ship remained closed and silent.
Meanwhile, Mr. Rhyze was following Blank and Tairix down to the brig. The others had already entered the security section when Mr. Rhyze happened to notice the next door down the main hallway slowly opening. It was the door to the Hyrdosphere, and the communications officer was curious to see who else might be using that room. He was horrified by the answer.
To find out the identity of this mysterious foe, you will have to go to section two of this Adventure.
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