Session 11 (16 June 2023)

Location: Cha Qu archaeological site in the day zone of Dal Hallen (Far Home 1428)

Date: 090-5600

Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes before extraction

Travellers: Sasha Danlami (comms), Torka Jax (security), Dr Jaxxon Fomstep (medic), Jacobe Kyman (pilot), Griff Kodiak (gunner)

While you continue your exploration of the interior of the alien complex, two companions on guard at the entrance observe the movements of several individuals from a species of local omnivore, so-called "creepers". They're like a cross between a lobster and a scorpion and about the size of a large dog. You notice that after each psionic pulse wave emanating from the ruins, the behaviour of the creepers shifts: they become more active and animated. They now begin to converge on the great mound beneath which the alien ruins are buried. More and more appear, along with several individuals representing the more dangerous sub-species: the bigger warriors and the leaders who, according to current xenobiological thinking, coordinate the others through some rudimentary form of telepathy. A small group that includes a leader and some warriors approaches the mound entrance with obvious intent to explore. Concerned, Griff lines up a shot, but in the end you decide to retreat further inside, avoiding confrontation for the moment.

Explored interior of the Cha Qu complex

You continue your exploration of the circular complex, your cooperation made easier by fine-tuning your comms gear to compensate for the ambient interference. The psionic pulses continue at irregular intervals; some are the painful "screams" you heard previously, while others are like a wave of lucidity and healthfulness that washes over you. Every so often, a ground tremor threatens to knock you off your feet — a constant reminder of the seismic instability of this area. Happily, the walls of this structure seem remarkably solid despite their presumed antiquity. They're holding, for now.

In area D, the Dr Fomstep decides to investigate the psychic caress of one of the "luck stones." Holding it in his hand, he concentrates, reaching out with his mind ... and suddenly, in a flash of otherworldly insight, makes a great cognitive leap forward. He comprehends with absolute certainty the purpose of this place: it's an experimental facility for studying and replicating life forms. The experience leaves him with a splitting headache and naught else, for the stone has crumbled to a fine dust. Jacobe watches with dismay as Cr50,000 disappear before his eyes. He's not likely to relinquish a second stone from his pack.

Meanwhile, the rest of you are dealing with headaches of another kind. Guided by the intent curiosity of the leader, the creepers have broached the gel barrier and begun exploring the interior. Fortunately, they don't seem to regard you as a threat, nor as a food source ... yet. They do, however, seem determined to poke and prod every crevice, so to lure them away from your vulnerable gear and yourselves, you lay a trail of the grey fluid toward the hemisphere in area C. Thus distracted, the creepers leave you to your explorations.

It wants to sample you.

Oddities accumulate. In one area (E), you come across a seven-foot-tall blocky monolith that casts a shadow yet remains completely invisible. In another (G), you find a small grey metal box containing two more "luck stones" suspended in green goo. In a dead end corridor (F), you discover three large metal lidded crates; one is open and three-quarters filled with emerald goop. Emboldened, you open another. It too is filled with green stuff, but your lamps reveal that some blocky object is suspended within. You pull it out and as you do so, it activates, levitating under its own power and unfolding a pair of long articulated limbs with unnerving, penetrative-looking tools at the extremities. 

You back away, but it pursues you, blades whirling and needles jabbing. Your first panicked laser blasts go wide but Torka's cutlass cleaves off a limb and further shots render the automaton inoperational. 

As the psionic pulses, tremors, and nasty surprises keep mounting, you begin to re-evaluate your mission here. Another 80 minutes remain until extraction and you're not sure you want to remain here that long. In a feat of technical brilliance, Sasha manages to focus your medium range communicator's signal to achieve greater range: if you want to call in an immediate evac, you probably can. Yet clearly many potential artifacts — not to mention the centre of the complex and the apparent source of the psionic pulses — remain to be found. Rewards beckon, but risk is mounting.

What will you do?

Image credits: Map by Dyson Logos; "sampler" from Ninth World Bestiary (c) Monte Cook Games.