Adventure Overview
Players: Rei, Mr. Rhyze, Morton.
Enemies: Angry Barbarian, Grant Cheston.
Started: Reporting to Commander Zaya's office.
Ended: Cancelling the Ebench Compile.
This adventure began as the heroes were on their way to Commander Zaya's office. They had been called upon to give a full report detailing what occured on Jabba's ship. The three of them left the Sailbarge in the competent hands of Blank and his scores of Red Shirts. After explaining the situation to Zaya, the three will told to have reports on her desk by the next morning. At this point, Blank entered the commander's office to tell them that everything which had gone missing from the station had been recovered from Jabba's ship. However, he was quick to complain about the fact that their brig could not possibly contain all these newly-caught theives, especially since Jabba essentially needed two cells for himself. Zaya told them that this matter would soon be dealt with, and sent them all on their way to perform their respective duties.
Work Log: You've spent almost as much time ignoring announcements as you have cleaning the station. It's not as if you've been shirking your duties; Epsilon is simply in very good order. That is not to say that your job has been without difficulties. Although the floors are spotless, you've been having some other problems.
Cleaning Incidents:
-Several automatic doors have failed to open as they should, often resulting in painful and humiliating consequences. You've examined these doors, and they appear to be in working order. However, they are controlled by computers, and you really don't know much about that.
Personal Notes:
-Today's episode of Days of the Week is the two-hour season finale. You are tremendously excited by the prospect of Mr. Foo's face being revealed at last. In fact, you figure that this day should be declared a holiday so that everyone can enjoy this wonderful show. You can hardly wait to discuss the events that will take place in this episode. Disturbingly, no one else on the station seems to watch this great show, so your conversations will likely be one-sided. You can't tolerate this lack of appreciation for your favorite soap opera!
Mini-Objective:
-Convince as many people as possible to watch the Days of the Week episode showing later today.
-Advertise this special any way that you can.
List of Committed Viewers: (List those who have agreed to watch below.)
Work log: Work at the Communications Station is certainly much easier than taking down a fat gangster. Unfortunately, the computer crisis has gotten even worse than it was before. Your console often freezes when you try to play games of Solitaire or Free Cell. It is almost certain to crash whenever a transmission is sent or being received.
Incoming Transmissions:
(This is a log of all recent transmissions sent to the station from the outside.)
-The Deksiil Crescent Moons are slated to play an important season game of Blitzball against the Fenixa Infernos at the Starbase stadium. These are both top-rated teams, and their match is set to decide which one goes on to compete in the Championship round. You really hope to get the time off to see this game.
Outgoing Transmissions:
(A list of transmissions sent from your console to the rest of the galaxy.)
-You haven't been able to send any coherent messages.
System Status:
-Your system is no longer really functioning at all. You can sometimes still send messages throughout the station, but even that screws up frequently. Right now, you really accomplish just as much sleeping as you do by attempting to do your job. Which really isn't a bad idea…
Personal Notes:
-All this news about Blitzball has gotten you pumped. You're really in the mood to practice a few shots of your own. The Hydro-Sphere is only big enough for one player and the goaltender. That's fine as far as you're concerned; you never liked passing anyway.
Mini-Objective:
-Score as many goals as you can on Keepa.
Work Log: Your toughest task lately has been recovering from the hang-over you acquired from the drinking competition. Now that Mr. Rhyze's Falcon is fixed up, you have been able to spend more time in space on routine patrols. Flying is far preferable to piecing a ship back together. However, when you decided to do some minor maintenance on your Falcon, you discovered that your tool box appears to be missing. In fact, you can't find it anywhere in the military hangar.
Space Fleet Status:
-3 Falcon Fighters in perfect condition.
-1 unarmed SG-3 military transport capable of holding 20 people.
Military Supplies:
-10 extra Falcon class missiles, not counting the four already loaded on each of the three Falcons.
-3 Space-suits complete with oxygen tanks providing fourty minutes of breathable air.
-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 Sailbarge is still being examined by security. A great deal of its cargo has already been confiscated, and all the items missing from the station have been recovered.
-A Deksiil Airlines Silver Dust which brought Professor Grant Cheston to work on the computer systems.
Scheduled Arrivals:
-A Spheran Prison Transport is scheduled to arrive later today. Apparently, the station's brig is overflowing and some of the prisoners need to be transported down to the planet.
Personal Notes:
-You don't know who took your tools, but you certainly want them back. These things are necessary for the day-to-day maintenance of your ship, and you certainly don't want to foot the bill for replacing them yourself. Since Jabba couldn't be behind this theft, you know it has to be someone else on the station.
Mini-Objective:
-Locate and reclaim your tools.
A quick visit to Sam later, the three heroes found themselves meeting once more in Bennigan's for the afternoon meal. Mr. Rhyze was getting tired of being constantly associated with both Rei and Morton. However, he found that there was only one free table in the pub. In an effort to distance himself from the other two, he seated himself at Jamal's table. However, this plan was doomed to failure, as both Morton and Rei also sat down at Jamal's table. After ordering their food (and convincing Lucky that this food was indeed Irish), the three spoke to Jamal. Mr. Rhyze and Morton didn't really speak much, but rather took the opportunity to obtain free donuts. Meanwhile, Rei told the security ensign that she was organizing a session to watch the Days of the Week episode in the bar. Jamal said he was interested but, he would need to get up to get snacks, and that was simply too hard. Rei offered to help him to his feet, but this proved impossible for her. The help of Mr. Rhyze and Morton only caused Jamal to collapse and crush his chair. Finally, Rei went to get Sam, who eagerly agreed to the special and also helped her successfully pull Jamal to his feet.
As Rei worked to right the immobile Jamal, Morton was looking into the theft of his tools. He confronted Shaimus, who was also in the bar eating. However, the only result was a bunch of threats. If Shaimus knew anything, he certainly wasn't going to reveal it. After this aggressive exchange, Shaimus left the pub. Morton was about to do the same, when all the lights suddenly went out. Panic instantly ensued, and everyone scrambled about in frenzied desperation. All three heroes quickly whipped out flashlights (from their ever-expanding starting inventories), and searched for the light switch. Upon finding it, they discovered that the darkness remained no matter which way they switched it. After a minute more, the lights came back on all over the Station. A voice over the intercom announced through heavy static that the power had temporarily gone down, but that the disturbance had now been fixed and there was no need to panic. Such a reassuring line can only be viewed as a bad omen.
Throughout this adventure, Rei spent a great deal of time arranging a crowd for the final episode of Days of the Week, which she intended to show in Bennigan's. The meetings that created this audience occured throughout the adventure, but I will detail them all here for simplicity's sake. This way I don't have to worry about when exactly each encounter took place in the overall course of the adventure.
Jamal: By helping the fallen fat man to his feet, Rei guaranteed herself that this jive-talking security agent would attend the finale. Convincing him wasn't too hard, since he wouldn't really even need to leave the room.
Lucky: Inviting Lucky to this viewing caused the little man to flee and hide. While doing so, Lucky shouted out something about how 'Everyone wants me viewership!' However, once she managed to catch him in his usual cupboard hiding place, he agreed to attend the viewing.
Sam: Rei went to Sam in order to inform him of Jamal's earth-shaking collapse. Sam was quick to offer his help, and instantly agreed to the show viewing when asked about it.
Doug: The only thing that seems to motivate Doug is money. After a great deal of descriptive writing on the blackboard, Rei bargained him down to 35 marks. After paying him that sum, Rei was assured of the pleasure of Doug's presence at the viewing.
Vance: The station's science officer was the first peron Rei encountered who refused her invitation. She went to him with the intention of writing her report, and did so after several cutting comments from Vance about the intellectual content (or lack thereof) in soap operas. She told him that he could Mystery Science theater the show, but Vance insisted that he could find much better uses for his time.
Commander Zaya: While delivering her report to Commander Zaya, Rei told her of the gathering planned in Bennigan's. Although the Commander was reluctant to spend so much time away from her duties, Rei persuaded her that doing so would allow her to get more in touch with her crew. By watching this 'popular' show, Rei insisted that Zaya could better understand the common crew member.
Blank: Rei found Blank writing security reports in his office. When asked to attend the viewing, he glumly replied that too many Red Shirts would likely be injured in his absence. However, she managed to persuade him that the pub would be in need of security during the event, and Jamal certainly wouldn't be up to the task.
Falco: Falco was full of contempt for Days of the Week, and told Rei that he was far more interested in flying in space. Rei proceeded to tell him that people might get the wrong idea from that, and he really shouldn't act so antisocial. This tactic only managed to make Falco angry, but she finally won him over by using flattery and playing up his mad skills.
Shaimus: No one really believe that Shaimus would agree to any such event. And he didn't. In fact, he even threatened to literally pull the plug on the gathering by switching off the power.
Keepa: The station's resident Blitzball goalie agreed with little hesitation to the proposed viewing, assuming he wasn't busy playing Blitzball at the time.
Jean-Luc Picard Rei found the station's Number 2 in his quarters (room 2) doing some paperwork with a very serious expression on his face. She really didn't expect him to approve of such a gathering, and he didn't. Not only did he decline the invitation, but he also questioned why she should have so much free time to be inviting people.
As a sidenote, both Mr. Rhyze and Morton also refused to watch the show. Both of them offered the excuse of intending to visit the flight simulator during the proposed time.
Neither Mr. Rhyze nor Morton were idle during Rei's meetings. Morton was still searching for his missing tools, and his next destination was the Engineering room. He still suspected Shaimus, because you should always beware of men named Shaimus. However, a quick search of the room revealed no sign of his tools, and a few words with Shaimus also provided no insight. While Morton was engaged in his search, Mr. Rhyze was set to enage Keepa in a game of Blitzball. After changing into his blitzball uniform, Mr. Rhyze hurried to the Hydro-Sphere. Keepa was already there. After a push of the nearby button, the sphere began to fill with water. They both had time for only one very deep breath before they were completely submerged for the first five minute period. During this time, Mr. Rhyze demonstrated his shooting power by scoring several amazing goals against Keepa. However, Rhyze's performance proved even more incredible in the second half, as he scored several times from the far end of the Hydro-Sphere. Keepa did come through with a couple saves, but was still greatly impressed by Mr. Rhyze's skill at the sport.
Mr. Rhyze arrived back at his communications station just in time to receive a garbled transmission from an incoming ship. Although it was hard to interpret, his computer skills allowed him to comprehend most of the message. The approaching vessel was a Spheran Prison Starstreak, and it was requesting permission to dock at the station. This permission was granted, and the starstreak was told to land in Docking Bay 2. Rei was sent to meet the incoming ship. It appeared to be little different from any other transport she had seen, except for the bars across the windows. Once the ship had completed its landing procedure, a lone man descended from the cockpit.
The Warden The Warden was anxious to get the prisoners on board his ship, and had Rei lead him to the security office. On the way there, the Turbo Lift seemed to jam. Fortunately, this problem proved to be only temporary, and after a couple tries, the Turbo Lift resumed its normal operations. During this short delay, Rei invited the Warden to her gathering and asked if there were any other people on his ship to invite. The Warden's answers were negative on both counts. He said that he wanted to deal with the prisoners, and that there shouldn't be anyone else on his ship, unless they were stowaways. It had apparently happened before. Soon, the two reached the security office, and the Warden quickly began conversing with Blank about the prison transfers.
During this entire docking procedure, Morton had been debating where he could find his tools. While considering all those who might want to use his tools, he suddenly remembered that Professor Winfried Grassmann had been planning to build a time machine. With that in mind, Morton hurried to Grassmann's quarters. Black smoke was pouring out from under the door, and there were sounds of strange machinery coming from within. After a couple knocks, a dishevelled Grassmann opened the door. Morton could now see his tool box set beside a massive, and strange device. Apparently, the time machine wasn't working, and Grassmann was more than ready to leave everything to Morton. After making some changes to the Professor's state diagram, Morton grabbed his tools and left the room. Before leaving, he promised to bring Grassmann more tools to work on his time machine. Unfortunately, this plan failed, as Falco watched his own set of tools far too carefully. To prevent further 'borrowing', Morton cunningly locked his tools in the cockpit of his Falcon.
Dinner was being served in Bennigan's when the three heroes arrived, coincidently at the same time. By the time the meal of mostly potatos had been consumed, Rei knew that the ETA of her show was about fifty minutes. She quickly hurried down to the boiler room to get her large TV. Of course, in order to do so, she had to 'choose' the Squirttle, in order to make it relinquish its Pokemon-watching binge. Meanwhile, Mr. Rhyze was accosted directly after eating by Jean-Luc Picard. Picard wanted him to report to the Flight Simulator. After the condition of Mr. Rhyze's last ship, Jean-Luc felt that the former would certainly need to be tested before being allowed to once again pilot one of the three Falcons. Although Rhyze hadn't been practicing, he did manage to execute an Express Transport simulation and an Obstacle Course. Picard's expression did not change throughout the entire demonstration, and remained just as serious as when the test began.
While Mr. Rhyze was engaged in this stressful situation, Morton and Falco went back down to the Military Hangar to inspect the ship. Falco Lombardo had mentioned to Morton that he had seen Shaimus snooping around the ships, and now both intended to ensure that all was still in working order. As Morton checked his ship, he heard a banging noise coming from one corner of the room. Upon investigating, he discovered that the banging was coming from a storage closets. When he opened this closet, he was suddenly confronted by a huge barbarian! An angry barbarian, no less. This large fellow wore no clothes save for a brown loin-cloth and carried a heavy wooden club. Once released from his closet prison, the angry barbarian instantly attacked Morton. The pilot quickly called for Falco's help while fending off several blows. Despite his rage, the barbarian eventually fell to Falco's fists and Morton's gun. As the two were about to examine their defeated opponent, the lights suddenly went out. The entire station was suddenly thrust into darkness, from the now inoperative flight simulator to the boiler room where Rei had just unplugged her television.
Race: Spheran
Occupation: Prison Warden, as his 'name' implies.
The Warden is famous for his skills at watching and guiding prisoners through various forms of work rehabilitation. He is known to have kept many model prisoners, including the recently recaptured Morto the Marauder. He is an expert at law enforcement, and believes all prisoners should be at work in either the prison library, or preferably the metal shop. Of course, The Warden often turns a blind eye towards what these criminals actually create with their welding. He looks a great deal like one of those old, traditional police officers. The warden wears blue clothing, a blue police hat, a black tie and carries a billy club. He came to Epsilon Station at Blank's request to pick up the over-abundance of prisoners that were occupying the Brig. This dangerous bunch included Captain Crunch, Jabba the Hut and many of Jabba's annonymous goons. The Warden is sure to turn these ne'erdowells into model prisoners in no time.
After only moments of complete blackness, the red emergency lights of switched on, bathing everying in an eerie glow. The intercom clicked on, but the voice which spoke over it could only belong to the squeeky Grant Cheston! Cheston cackled that he had finally finished switching over all the Station's systems to Eiffel. In one hour, the code would finish its final compile and the computers would become far better than they could ever be with a JAVA system. Moments after Grant initiated the compile, the emergency lights went out and total darkness returned. The intercom now transmitted a mechanical message which stated that all systems on the station were now inoperational, including all backup systems. Power, heating, air, it was all down. Worse yet, the message informed all who could hear that all fourty-five minutes of breathable air remained on Epsilon. Coincidently, this was also the amount of time before Days of the Week began, something which Rei considered far more important. The computer completed its message by urging everyone to 'Have a nice day!'.
The three heroes quickly lept into action. Their reactions were very similar: all three immiediately switched on their flashlights. Morton, Falco and Rei quickly got the three space suits and air tanks from the military hangar. Morton tried to get the systems running in the Engineering room, but to no effect. The only way to get the systems back online would be to cancel the compile, which meant going to the computer labs. Mr. Rhyze had already come to this conclusion, but found that without power, the Turbo Lift obviously couldn't operate. Eventually, he managed to find his way into the Engineering tunnels from the kitchen of Bennigan's. Unfortunately, he had no idea how to navigate these tunnels to get to the upper levels. Rei had already explored the engineering tunnels, and knew them fairly well. Negotiating them in the dark was more difficult, but she still believed she could find her way to the computer room. She was soon leading Morton and Falco through the darkness. However, their going was slow, and they eventually lost Falco in the maze of tunnels. After climbing several long ladders, they encountered Mr. Rhyze wandering aimlessly through the corridors.
Their time and air was swiftly running out. The three found themselves at the bottom of the final ladder which would take them up to the necessary level. However, they had only minutes remaining. As they began to climb, it became obvious that Rei and Mr. Rhyze did not have the strength to make the ascent within the necessary time. Just as things looked hopeless, a figure suddenly descended from the darkness to offer a helping hand. It was Sam, floating effortlessly next to the ladder. After admonishing the heroes for not seeking his help sooner, Sam offered Mr. Rhyze and Rei a lift and swiftly flew them to the top of the ladder. This deed done, Sam raced off to help others who may have been wounded (such as Red Shirts.) This left the three heroes standing before the hatch leading into the computer labs, with only a few minutes to spare. Morton quickly clambered up and pushed the hatch open. Rei and Mr. Rhyze wasted no time in following him up into certain danger.
The computer lab was a scene of horror. All the computer screens were black and dead save for one, which showed the disgustingly purple Ebench compile. The progress indicator was at 95%. The room was littered with papers from Cheston's new Eiffel book. Grant Cheston himself stood in front of the computer, awaiting the completion of his compile. When the three insisted that he cancel the operation, Cheston refused. After Morton made a comment about the benefits of Java, Grant seemed to go berserk. Shrieking about Java, the Professor vowed that he would not let them cancel the compile. When they insisted, he pulled out a stack of Java CDs and flung one at Rei to devastating effect. Battle quickly ensued. Morton let loose a barrage of bullets, Mr. Rhyze flung forth Psi-Globes and Rei used her new round-house kick. However, before most of these blows could strike, Grant would impose some sort of pre-condition which made most attacks ineffective (since they violated this vague precondition.) The attacks that did hit were mostly nullified by Cheston's post-conditions. For his part, Grant attacked with the worthless Java CDs and with his squeeks. The minutes ticked by as the battle raged, but just in the nick of time, Grant finally went down. The compile was cancelled without a minute to spare, and the old systems on the station instantly reactivated.
All features, from the lights to the oxygen, were restored. The three heroes had faced the power of Eiffel, and they had come out alive. Station life would likely return to the routine now that the systems were back online. This concluded the fourth adventure in the Deep Space campaign. The biggest question left hanging is whether Rei will be able to reach Bennigan's in time to catch her favorite show as it airs its dramatic season finale.
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