JP: Lt. Corelli & Lt. Kel & Ens. Herrick & 3rd Lead Frolotdesh & Wayfinder Boggarsh: Don’t get lost!
Mark P
OOC: This the wrap up for the Act II, there were a couple refinements to the dialogue and actions to get it all in sync and then sets up for Act III which will come up shortly. Left some tags for KW in case you're able to hop in; no worries if not.
((Primary Control Tunnel, Central Tholus - Esh-o Colony))
The Starfleet officers and Engish had gathered around Frolotdesh, who they had asked for any details that could help shed light on both the asteroid-dissolving nebula and the power fluctuations the colony was facing.
Frolotdesh: Not exactly strange sensor readings. I’m not sure exactly what reports make it to your desk Engish-go-ondesh but we’ve had a high number of people joining Aphris after very simple accidents — things any tenured miner would have avoided. Our fatalities in the last week have doubled, and we just had another accident.
Kel: ::urgently:: Are there wounded?
Mines were inherently dangerous to begin with. He subconsciously checked to make sure his med kit was present.
Frolotdesh paused for a second, but dismissed the idea of the aliens helping the latest casualty of the mines. The wounded miner was already likely on the way to the surface through one of the service lifts… it would be too late to try and catch up with them now. In this brief moment, it appeared that his boss took his statement with a bit of offense.
Engish: Another accident? I don’t think that’s made it to my desk yet!
Engish looked towards the aliens, he looked upset.
Frolotdesh: oO This is probably why I won’t get promoted to Secondary Extractor; I don’t care what they think of us. Politics. Oo
Corelli: Hopefully you were not made aware of it because it was… minor.
Frolotdesh's eyes blinked a few times, he saw the pink skin without any hair look to the ones with hair on their face. Maybe this meant something to them or they were trying to calm down Engish.
Frolotdesh: Yes, yes, sorry. There is more. The survivors have given different accounts of what happened — none of which match the accidents that were reported. Most miners have attributed their recollections to the fumes, but they share similar details. Tall, slim… monsters, just visible in the corner of the eye just before the accident happens.
Corelli: Well that explains it. Zet.
Kel: Exactly how many Zet are present in the colony? What exactly do they do?
Frolotdesh: There are Zet every couple blocks, patrolling day and night. I would say maybe 50 but I don’t think it’s them… we pay them for protection. Why would our guards come after us? And, these monsters are said to have wings. I haven’t seen a Zet with wings before.
Frolotdesh seemed dismissive of the idea, but V’Len was sure he had seen some kind of Zet with wings flying up towards them on Port Coray months ago. He was not ready to dismiss the notion.
Engish: That’s very odd, I’ve never seen such a species or creature.
Corelli: If the workers are not usually ones to embellish stories, perhaps its true.
Kel: I wouldn’t be too dismissive. The galaxy is a big place and the Zet are very secretive. Who knows? So are the power fluctuations a problem in this area as well?
Frolotdesh: Yes; we’re also experiencing the power fluctuations down here. The safety commission has told us to avoid the far-most tunnels on one side of the colony but we weren’t told much. Are they related?
Engish: That’s what these folks are here to help us figure out.
Corelli: Well, we might not have that much time before the rock disintegrates.
Frolotdesh: ::large eyes blinking:: It’s disintegrating?
Kel: If it helps you can think of it as dissolving.
Corelli: We need to work fast. Lets get a detailed map of the mining work done, enlist the help of any willing miners to place explosive charges, and prepare to expertly carve a sizable chunk of this rock away. We probably can utilize the existing technology to reinforce the power conduits in these key areas. Josh, Anton, could you look over the core reactor for any signs of damage?
Kel: ::looking at Corelli:: Chief I'm afraid I'm going to need you to tell me what I can do. Mechanical engineering is well outside my wheelhouse.
The one they called Chief nodded towards the blue one. It seemed good to have run into folks that were similar to the miners down here; even if they didn’t know exactly what to do, they put their best effort in.
Herrick: Aye, Chief. Er… Which direction is the core in?
The tertiary extractor tapped a few buttons, and the display cleaned up — getting rid of all the extraneous performance data and leaving a clean map with just the tunnel networks branches and the glowing red dots.
Frolotdesh: This is a better view for what you’re looking for. ::turning to the pink man who had some facial hair but not as much as the other one:: You will likely get lost. Take one of our wayfinders. Boggarsh go with them. We’re already going to miss our target, at least this will be a good reason.
Kel: Where did you want me Chief?
Corelli: Right, lets head out and see about placing the charges, or finding monsters!
Richards: Response
Frolotdesh: If you are looking to excavate the part of our home that the safety council has cordoned off, we will likely need to put the miners’ lives in danger. They are relatively brave people but these recent events might make them unsure.
Engish: Nobody wants anyone’s lives to be threatened, but if we don’t act, we’ll all be in danger.
Frolotdesh: I can gather several wayfinders to distribute the explosives. We’ll need to target spots where we’ve already finished mining, otherwise… (quietly) Boom. Do you have the charges with you?
The very bearded man shook his head — he seemed to be the one that handled exploding things, but in this case they would have to use their remaining stock.
Frolotdesh: The Central Power Nexus has the best entryways to the tunnels that are the most likely candidates to… explode off into space. It might be best to start there, and gather support in distributing the explosives. (unsure) If we’re going to use our mining charges, we will likely need to place a couple in each spot to get enough force to break it away from the main rock. We may have enough…
Engish: This appears to be well Coordinated, Mr. Corelli, you’re in good hands with Frolotdesh, I will return to my office and prepare the general population.
Frolotdesh: Yes, that is a good idea Engish-on-desh. They should know that the explosion will happen before it does… otherwise, they will probably be too much panic for the Zet to handle.
Richards: Response
Corelli: Thank you for your support this far, we will find an answer for you.
Kel: Good luck Administrator.
The large administrative frame wandered off into the dark, leaving the group where they were, with the quiet hum of power being generated just behind them.
Frolotdesh: Alright Boggarsh, lead the way for them. ::pointing to one of the smaller doors on the side of the room::
Richards: Response
It was always interesting watching Boggarsh lead the pack; he was smaller than the typical Esh-o, as were most wayfinders. Their smaller frame seemed to make them speedier as they traversed the rock. As Boggarsh took off, he led the assortment of aliens away and Frolotdesh started preparing to shut down operations. The last thing he needed were workers trapped in cave-ins from the explosion.
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Lieutenant V’Len Kel
Chief Medical Officer
USS Oumuamua
T239811VK2
He/Him (character and player)
&
LT. Kammus Corelli
Chief Engineer
USS 'Oumuamua
T239807KC3
&
Ensign Josh Herrick
Engineering Officer
USS ‘Oumuamua
O240005JH3
he/him/his (player/character)
&
Frolotdesh
Tertiary Extractor Lead
Central Tholus Mining Detail
&
Boggarsh
Wayfinder
Central Tholus Mining Detail