Alien: Eternal Lie #2

Alien: Eternal Lie is a survival horror quest where the players, as Captain Bannon, will have to guide the crew of the USCSS Melita through an unfolding nightmare in space.

I allow between ten and twenty minutes for voting and may break a tie with a dice roll.

I always try to incorporate (and encourage) write-ins if they don't violate the spirit of voted decisions, though I may edit or tweak them to fit better.


*IMPORTANT LINKS*

>Archive
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=Eternal+Lie


>Melita's deck plan
http://imgur.com/a/E5CBp

>Tremolino's deck plans
http://imgur.com/a/m6LIv

>Briefing materials
https://pastebin.com/u/MU-TH-UR_6000


Including:

>Captain's Briefing
https://pastebin.com/wHGY8TrK

>Crew Dossier
https://pastebin.com/cWL26maE

>Crew and Equipment Manifest
https://pastebin.com/uWAbWVHM


>Twitter
https://twitter.com/MU_TH_UR_6000

File: 20170722134656_1.jpg (298KB, 1920x1080px) Image search: [Google]

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You, Batista the company representative, and Van Leuen your Executive Officer, have docked onto the port side airlock of the small freighter which empties into a poorly maintained ready room. Pressure suits stand sentry-like in their clear plastic sarcophagi, and battered metal lockers have doors ajar, stuffed with spare jackets, boots. On one, a faded and half- crumpled centerfold of Playboy's Miss December 2124, baring it all.

With the echoes of fear fading away in your mind, the last vestigial traces of the strange nightmares plaguing you, you remind yourself to be careful on Tremolino, that you are a mere mortal human.

The flesh is weak and death comes quickly and easily on the fringes of space. Any mistake could be your last and any help was weeks or months away.

Any conflict is handled using the best of 3 1D10 rolls, 7+ being a success.

In the right (or wrong) circumstances, any failure can be fatal. To guard against death you have ingenuity, planning, and luck.

You have "Chips" to survive deadly failures. Captain Bannon starts with 2 chips, and can get more from surviving extremely hazardous situations without having to spend chips. It's important to note none of your other crew are blessed with such survival mechanisms to start.

A Chip, in a sense, is an automatic "get out of jail free card" and if you fail in a deadly situation, having a chip can literally be the difference between life and death. Usually this means you are able to extricate yourself from the situation alive, it does not mean you are successful in anything other than staying alive.

Chips are used automatically in the case of a deadly failure.

"What a mess," Van Leuen mutters, his private opinion amplified by his helmet radio, buzzing in your ear.

Leading the way, you reach the door that leads to the main passageway of the ship and press your palm against the 'open' button. A low buzzer sounds and the door whooshes open, revealing a long hall that would look more at home in a breaker yard than in a serving vessel. Cables hang from open panels in the ceiling like vines. Some light strips are out, and access covers lay open.

You remember Van Leuen's suggestion that this may be a smuggler ship, and a captain's eye tells you this is fairly likely. You see signs of shoddy maintenance, which was at least evidence that this ship doesn't get to port much

"That's certainly not up to code," Batista says, glancing back at you to flash a quick, nervous smile through the glare of his helmet.

>Let's split up to cover more ground
>Search the ship as a group

(More choices to follow)

>>1734755
>>Let's split up to cover more ground

>Let's split up to cover more ground

>writing

File: Tremolino.jpg (74KB, 1240x1256px) Image search: [Google]

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"It'll take forever to search this bucket in a group," you say, turning to each of your companions in turn. "We'll split up."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Van Leuen asks.

"You've got your pistol if things get rough," you say, "Besides, this is a rescue mission."

"Right," Van Leuen doesn't sound quite convinced.

Where will you search first?

>bridge
>living area/hypersleep
>engineering
>Storage

>>1734982

> Bridge

> Bridge

>Writing

File: Cryosleep.jpg (238KB, 1920x1080px) Image search: [Google]

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"I’m heading for the bridge," you say, "Van Leuen, why don't you check out engineering and then see what they're carrying."

"Sure thing." Van Leuen says.

"Batista, head for the starboard side of the ship and check your way back to the starboard storage area."

The company representative nods.

The three of you part ways, thudding footsteps echoing away as the distance between you grows. You enter into the common area of the ship, just aft of the hypersleep chamber and, as the door closes behind you, realize how alone you are. In the midsection of the ship, you are in a large, white paneled room with two columns on either side. It seems to simply be an open common area and is virtually devoid of any evidence of human habitation.

"You guys seeing anything?" a faint voice buzzes in your headset. Redding, still on board Melita.

"No," Van Leuen says. "Nothing. This place is a mess though. Batista is right, certainly not up to code." His breath is heavy from exertion as he talks.

This close to the Hypersleep chamber, you decide to poke your head in. The door cycles and you shine your halogen light across the empty cryopods. A quick query on a nearby computer gives you the names of their former occupants.

Balch, Leeb, Alistoun, Haldin.

"Looks like there are four of them," you say.

"Roger," Van Leuen replies.

"Common room is empty," Batista says, "Lots of beer cans."

You leave Hypersleep and circle the long hall to the bridge. Again, as you pass the bunk room, you cycle open the hatch to peer inside. Four bunks, unmade, clothes scattered about, you even note with some disdain open condom wrappers fluttering across the floor in the artificial breeze of the ship's life support. Your lamp makes the shadows leap and come alive.

"Hello?"

Nothing.

"This is really strange, captain," Redding says, presumably watching your camera feed.

"Agreed, I'm going to the bridge to find out what's up," you reply.

You enter the bridge which is unsurprisingly also empty, computers humming and ticking away to themselves. A quick survey of the navigation console yields and interesting find. The ship's master control key is missing. This meant, functionally, it was dead in the water. Typically a captain kept such a key with them at all times.

"No key," Redding echoes your thoughts.

"What's that?" Van Leuen asks.

"There's no master control key," you explain.

"There goes any chance of salvaging this tub," he replies.

"Couldn't we just drag it along?" Batista asks.

"Melita doesn't have a towing array, and if we try to use the airlock docking aperture we're likely to crack a seal and vent our ship," Redding says.

"We'll just have to find the key," you say.

You know you won't be able to access the ships main computer room without that key, you can still accomplish some basic tasks thought the consoles on the bridge if you wanted to.

>Query computer about crew whereabouts and check ship logs
>Finish searching the ship first

> Query computer about crew whereabouts and check ship logs

>Query computer about crew whereabouts and check ship logs

>Writing

File: tumblr_ocqrwxbk451qhrm3lo1_540.gif (2MB, 540x405px) Image search: [Google]

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Unable to sit at the computer console in your bulky pressure suit, you awkwardly hunch over the keypad and begin typing queries.

>Open ship's log

>NO DATA FOUND

No ships log. Not really surprising given the state of the rest of the ship, and it made Van Leuen's belief that these were smugglers even more likely.

>What's the ship's status?

>NOMINAL. HOLDING ORBIT OVER CS-759.
>WARNING.
>ORBIT WILL DECAY PAST TERMINAL POINT IN 4.8 MORE ROTATIONS

Some rough mental math told you this was a few hours.

>MANUAL INPUT REQUIRED TO STABILIZE ORBIT

You sigh. Manual input meant getting the ship's key.

>Where's the crew?

>SHIP'S CREW ON AWAY MISSION TO SURFACE OF CS-759 USING PRIMARY SHUTTLECRAFT

An away mission?

"Captain Bannon, I think I've found something," Van Leuen says, a pop of static making you jump.

"What is it?"

"Cargo hold is mostly empty, some standard supplies, but there are plastic wrappers scattered on the floor, some kind of powdery residue on them. And wads of used duct tape."

"It's probably cocaine," you say.

"There's a high demand on Tannhauser," Van Leuen adds, "Probably comes for Costaguana or some other backwater and they bring it to colonies like Tannhauser or Kodiak."

(1/2)

File: TremolinoBridge.jpg (157KB, 1920x1080px) Image search: [Google]

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"So what are a bunch of drug runners doing on the surface of a planet like CS-759?" you ask.

"What?"

>Where is the ship's shuttle now?

The computer fires out a long string of coordinates.

"Redding, hit this area on the planet's surface with our sensors when we pass over, would you?"

"Sure thing, that's coming up quick, just over the horizon. Standby."

You exhale and glance around the bridge. You know Melita/i] is not the most well taken care of ship, but this is a new level of abuse. One of three auxiliary monitors nearby has been totally shattered, the screen just displays a blizzard of static underneath a series of overlaying spider web cracks. Another monitor has been neatly removed, cables hanging out of it like an empty eye socket.

You even notice the seat you're leaning on has COCKSUCKER written in permanent marker on the back of its headrest.

"My god," Redding says, her voice rising with astonishment. "We got it, captain!"

"Got what?"

"Paydirt! Those coordinates. Tungsten deposits, copper, my god the readings are sky high!"

That explained why the smugglers were down there. They were likely trying their hands at wildcat prospecting, but you knew without the proper paperwork and corporate recognition, their claim would mean dick compared to yours.

You turn back to the computer terminal once more.

>What's the status of the away team? How long have they been gone?

>STATUS UNKNOWN. AWAY TEAM HAS BEEN ON PLANET'S SURFACE FOR 68.4 HOURS
>NO CONTACT HAS BEEN MADE WITH SHUTTLE

So they were probably fucked.

Another sigh. It also meant you would have to go down there. Not just to check on the smugglers, but to confirm your scans.

"What's the ground look like down there, Redding?" you ask.

"Rough, that deposit looks to be in a pretty rocky patch, steep canyons. You might be able to land the shuttle in a clearing down there, but it would be tight."

"Alternatives?"

"There's a flat plain just a few kilometers away. It'd be a walk, but heck, we could even set Melita herself down there if we really wanted to."

>We'll take the shuttle into the canyon
>We'll take the shuttle to the nearby plain
>We'll take Melita to the nearby plain
>Write in

(2/2)

>Take shuttle to the plain

No sense in risking the whole damn ship, especially with smugglers about. Plus if anyone tries to get aboard we'll see them from a mile away.

>Take shuttle to the plain

>Writing

"We'll take the shuttle down, but I'm not risking that canyon," you say. "We'll swing by to pick up some gear and then head down.

"I'll get everything you'll need together," Redding says.

The shuttle can only carry four comfortably. It would be easy to bring your current team. Van Leuen, Batista, and yourself. You could also add one more, or mix it up entirely.

>Current team is fine.
>Bring one more (Write in)
>Different team (Write in)

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That's all the time I have for tonight.

Thanks for playing guys and we'll pick up next Wednesday, same time. 8 EST (12 UTC)

>>1735633
This is fun and well-written, and you're doing good job. Using pics from Isolation is genius as you can get all kinds of shots you need and the graphics are great lol.

I'll tune in next wed and contribute some posts.

>>1735461
>Bring one more (Write in)
Duke he was in the Navy if there is someone that knows how to shoot a gun it's him.

>>1736126
Supporting

>>1735669
Thanks, I appreciate thr kind words! Things are just slow.

>>1736126
>>1736795
Duke will be included as the 4th member when we pick up the session again.

>>1736917
Shame quest time is 3 at night for me. I would contribute more if I could.