“Once in a great while, mankind unlocks a secret so profound that our future is altered forever. Fire, electricity, splitting the atom. At the dawn of the 31st century, we unlocked another. It had the potential to change humanity’s role in the universe. We called it, the ‘Titan Project’, and it was a testament to the limitless power of the human imagination. Perhaps that’s what the Clans feared most, for… [sighs] …it brought them down upon us without warning, and without mercy.”
https://youtu.be/ZoJDApTMM6g
August 9th, 3048 : System – Hlian :
Synopsis : The group continues exploring the ruins of the LaGrange Point of Hlian I, salvaging a little more ice for fuel and water, as well as finding several radioactive and toxic clusters of ruined ships bits.
Near the center, they find the remnants of the “Quitzl” itself, and contemplate entering the ruins of the vessel which seems mostly intact. Worried they might encounter someone within still alive, they head to the small craft bays, and attempt to open the doors manually. They encounter several dangerous traps on the manual entry mechanisms, destroying one, but eventually DJ manages to bypass the other and gain access to the ship’s bays. The vessel is without pressure, and making their way to the main elevators, they activate another trapped door, which brings their investigations to a quick end. The damage is impressively ravaging their couple of suits, and they withdraw to contemplate the situation.
The recent repairs have led to an increase in humidity levels across the ship, and a new bacterial fungus is developing, ruining the ship’s life support systems. The group agrees to closet themselves in the barracks for a period of several days to allow the vacuum of space and cold to hopefully destroy it. They all gather and spend several days in too-close quarters, of a lock-down cold freeze. Tempers continue to fray. The group recovers their personal armor suits stored in the ship’s lockers, and ensure they are in working condition.
August 13th : The crew is woken to a pressure warning, and it becomes apparent someone is trying to cut their way into the ship. The five pirates are stymied in their efforts by finding a large 100-ton yacht blocking the only path into the ship, but deploy a portable airlock and get access. The group splits-up, with some heading to engineering with Commander Roliant Everrard and Lieutenant Tatzel Holden, while the rest stay in the relative safety of the barracks. Varick sought the safety of his pet’s cannister, and waits out the encounter in relative quiet.
DJ and Andrés in their personal suits make their way through the other airlock and small craft bay, and circle around to outside of the ship’s hull to find a heavily damaged and repaired S-7A “Starbus” parked outside the bay doors. They quickly subdue the occupant, a wiry light framed man who claimed to be a simple pilot from the “Quitzl” and forced to serve these pirates. In the barracks, the pirates demand the occupants open their door, and establish a portable airlock over the door.
In the barracks, the survivors refuse, and prepare their defenses, including several explosive devices. The pirates storm the barracks, led by a massive brute of a man with a tiger tattoo covering most of his upper body. He takes several hits before going down, while his companion follows up with a grenade, which Blunt absorbs with her combat armor by diving on it, neatly shielding the rest of the group, though her armor now has a large divot in its breastplate from the explosion. This pirate was blown apart by the explosion and his bits cover the room in gore.
The other two pirates pack up the makeshift airlock, and head back to their shuttle, and encounter a trap laid by DJ and Andrés. DJ slays one with a brutal stab using her sword, and captures the other by neatly trapping him against the shuttle door. Two pirates captured and three dead, the group gathers together and tries to sort out who the invaders really are…
