While still in orbit around Kolatill, the Far Star receives a second distress call:
Emergency, emergency ... Imperial Science Team MS133 on Aaris 3 ... Under siege ... Enemy have destroyed our shuttle ... 6 personnel remain ... we're being picked off one by one.
The Captain signals back an acknowledgement, without revealing the answering ship's identity. Jessa comments that MS is probably Military Survey, adding that the scout team Moff Sarne dispatched there was disappeared once it returned. Furthermore, Sarne sent an expedition to Aaris 3 several months ago: scientists, engineers, and 10 troopers (for protection). The whole mission was shrouded in secrecy.
The Far Star spends approx 2 days in hyperspace. The Engineering teams note that there is carbon scoring on the Far Star's hull; the Imperial Escort Carrier did not concentrate its fire, but some still penetrated the deflector screens. Significant repairs are carried out; the X-Wings are overhauled; and the screens are investigated for soft patches.
An orbital satellite beacon, probably left by the initial survey, is still rebroadcasting the original distress call when the Far Star arrives at Aaris 3 Initial sensor sweeps identify the area of the ground site.
The distress call changes; the new message is from Dr Lancer Bruno, to Kal'Shobbol (which he still believes to be Moff Sarne's base). Only three of the team remain, and the (unknown) enemy comes at night.
A shuttle team is assembled: Brophar (pilot); Edly Fasalk (gunner); Gorak Khzam (Rodian team leader); Jessa Dajus; Kl'aal (Defel scout); Firdaaz (scout); Scoryn (security exec); Unda Lagor (Aqualish heavy weapons); Genna Seedar (field medic). The remaining three places in the shuttle are for the survivors (hopefully).
The shuttle overflies the area, sweeping it with its sensors; the Aegis dropship, with a full combat team aboard, provides high cover. Three lifeforms are detected inside a defensive ring, in a major clearing.
On landing in this clearing, the team fans out while the shuttle takes off again (to use its sensors to better effect). There are two survivors: Solla Deremot, a female tech, and Dr Lancer Brunou. The third member, Dr Theda, has died of a blaster wound. The survivors are rushed onto the shuttle; each carries a small chest (mainly containing data crystals and archeological artifacts each is searched by Gorak). The Aqualish heavy weapons specialist acquires the survey team's E-Web (the top end of the repeating blaster scale).
At the very least, the survivors are suffering from sleep deprivation, exhaustion etc. The female tech (Deremot) is primarily concerned with her research (and, more importantly, getting off the planet asap). Dr Brunou is standoffish over the change of government, viewing the New Republic as Rebels.
One of Dr Brunou's datapads contains a mission log a copy is downloaded onto a spare datapad. Principal events include:
| Day 49: | charted ruins of an ancient civilisation; |
| found entry into a ruined metal structure. | |
| Day 52: | found pictographs in the chamber revealed by the dig. |
| Each emits a long and complex series of sounds if pressed. | |
| Dr Jelloc and Prof Tansad have conflicting theories on their meaning. | |
| Deremot is sent to assist them. | |
| Day 59: | a breakthrough: the pictographs are dates based on Aaris 3's rotation. |
| A slab of dull metal is found in a concealed space under a floorpanel. | |
| It is 25 cm dia, 2-3cm thick, and vaguely triangular. | |
| [It is among the items brought aboard the shuttle]. | |
| It is of no known alloy, possibly hollow, | |
| and appears to contain an energy source. | |
| The team intend to return it to Moff Sarne's labs on Kal'Shebbol. | |
| Day 61: | Spies are noted inside the jungle; the troopers are uneasy. |
| A security team sent into the jungle fails to return. | |
| Weapons are issued. Deremot returns feeling uneasy. | |
| Moff Sarne ordered that they should stay, keeping the mission a secret. | |
| Day 62: | Hostiles openned fire on te camp during the night. |
| The bodies of the missing security team are found. | |
| Jelloc reported Tansad missing and was ordered back. | |
| He resisted claiming to be on the verge of deciphering the pictograms. | |
| He translates the name of the chamber as being the Place of Kastays. |
The shuttle docks with the Far Star, but atmosphere mixing is prevented. The two survivors are vacc-suited across; blood and air samples, etc, are also cycled through the airlocks, for analysis in the med-bay. Nothing unusual is noted; the survivors (in addition to exhaustion etc) have minor (opportunistic) biological infections, but nothing serious. The Far Star's sensors have detected (small) lifeforms in the jungle, but nothing of (approximate) human size or larger.
Scanning equipment is cycled back through, to probe the dull metal slab. While its surface can be scratched, portable scanners fail to penetrate the slab. Furthermore, it is very hard to lock on to the emitted signal (it appears to be frequency-agile).
Brophar floats a theory that the expedition killed each other, in some advanced state of paranoia it first affected the troopers and Deremot (the latter had enough military experience to fire the E-Web), who were likely to be most paranoid anyway. Gorak (the team leader) is unconvinced, but agrees to keep it in mind.
The shuttle returns to the planet, with the dropship again as high cover. The latter is ordered not to open itself to the planet's atmosphere, to prevent possible contamination. Further scans of the jungle before dawn reveal no large lifesigns; the wrecked shuttle is at a secondary camp, nearer the ruins. (It appears to have exploded from inside; the cockpit end is reasonably intact, while the other end is wrecked).
The shuttle drops off the team and again takes off (with just Brophar and Edly aboard). On the way to the secondary camp, the team senses that they are being observed (but do not detect the source). The secondary camp is a mess, having sustained and returned blaster fire; it has further been neglected. (Damage appears to be from blaster pistols/rifles). There are no non-booted tracks; one well-worn track leads from the clearing towards the ruins. 4 dead expedition members are around the camp all have been killed by blasters. (The team also collects 2 medipacs and a small fusion generator).
The ruins consist of corroded metal buildings. The nearest has (what appears to be) a balcony and window; the entrance has been cleared of undergrowth. Inside is a small (25 sq.m) room, with pictograms on the walls; metal and rubble has collapsed at one end. The floor is scuffed metal; an area has been uncovered, revealing a space beneath. The lid rests against the wall; the uncovered depression is 2 foot sqaure by 6 inches deep. Gorak finds a hand scanner, an electronic scale, and various other small pieces of equipment.
Outside, there are perhaps 10-50 buildings (which disappear into the jungle, making accurate counting difficult). There is no sign of Dr Jelloc (who was alleged to have deciphered the pictograms).
The rocks in the corner of the chamber have been disturbed; Jessa spots dried blood on one rock, and a couple of black hairs. Underneath the pile is a body, clutching a datapad the back of his head has been crushed, though not by a rockfall. This is Prof Tansad, who had a competing theory to Jelloc (it was he who made the pictogram-date breakthrough). Below Tansad's body, there are rubble-choked metal stairs going down. However, it would take significant excavation to open them up.
Outside, the wraith scout has found many booted prints, around the secondary camp (but again, no other prints). From the roof of the first ruin, Unda Lagor (the Aqualish heavy weapons tech) fires the E-Web at movement in the trees. He succeeds in felling a tree, and collapsing the roof. The E-Web is wrecked; Lagor is unhurt. Gorak tries to persuade Brophar (still in the shuttle) to take Lagor aboard; the latter has been firing indiscriminately into the trees. Brophar refuses, so Gorak puts Lagor in charge of securing/defending the shuttle landing site (in case a fast evacuation is required).
The rest of the team head back to the main clearing (last visited during the evacuation). There are earthworks, and a makeshift defensive area. There appears to have been a small war here; of order 1000 blaster shots, and E-Web blasts. Eventually, all 10 troopers, some techs, and Jelloc are accounted for all have been killed with blasters or the E-Web.
A series of blasts are heard from the landing site; these are from Lagor, who is shooting his light repeating blaster at movement.
Jessa pulls the data off Tansad's damaged datapad, including the following:
Entry 54: (by Grigor Tansad, Imperial Scientist) The hieroglyph translation is going well; Jelloc is jealous. Something feels wrong. 11 columns of pictograms have been deciphered thusfar. The ruins are from an industrial society, with an oral tradition. They built mighty cities of metal, fought occasional wars, and were perhaps humanoid. [The translations are detailed in a prior, inaccessible, entry]
Col 8: There are references to a scholar, Kastayz. On the last days, prior to the fall of civilisation, a comet streaked across the night sky. A Plaque of Victory was brought back by the returning legions.
Col 12a: It is 6 days since the arrival of the Plaque of Victory. There has been increased minor violence, then full-scale factional conflict. Each faction claims that the plaque spoke to it; when it was eventually given to Kastays, it no longer spoke to him. He locked himself in his Tower, and concealed the plaque under a hidden panel.
Gorak is now convinced by Brophar's theory; the metal slab (the Plaque of Victory) appears to cause increased paranoia, followed by violence. This may well have been the fate of the survey team. Lagor appears to be succombing already Gorak briefs his team verbally, rather than trusting the comlinks.
Brophar rigs a one-shot missile, to fire the artifact (still on the shuttle) into the gas-giant. He explains to the Far Star that, if he or Edly power up the shuttle's weapons, they have succombed, and must be destroyed immediately. The missile delivers its load, and the shuttle returns for the team on Aagis 3 (who have been scavenging stores, medpacs, blasters and packs, comlinks etc).
The shuttle docks with the Far Star, where the team is checked through by shipboard security. Unda Lagor refuses to hand over his light repeating blaster, or to have a proper safety catch fitted; after a standoff, Gorak stuns him and orders him sedated.
Dr Brunou has proved himself to be very Imperial far too indocrinated to be given the run of the ship. From him, Jessa discovers that Moff Sarne had asked Brunou's opinion on some strange and powerful artifacts known only as DarkStryder. He was then sent on this mission; Moff Sarne wondered if the ruins might be another DarkStryder site. The artifacts are described as being oddly shaped, single-coloured, with an odd squeezeable handle; they were apparently not designed for a human hand.
Before leaving the system, Brophar collects the subspace relay ( spares). Solla Deremot is happy to stay with the ship (and thereby becomes the most highly qualified archeologist aboard). Dr Brunou is handed over to the New Republic authorities at Kolatill, to be given time to adjust to the changing situation. Unda Lagor is thrown off the ship, and his repeating blaster is confiscated in lieu of a fine. [Crew morale increases]
Gorak orders a full security shakedown aboard the Far Star; all weapons larger than a blaster, all grenades and detonite, etc are locked up in the ship's armoury.
The next port of call is likely to be Charis.
| Gorak Security Chief | 4 CP |
| All other shuttle crew inc Brophar, Edly | 3 CP |