In the Black Episode One: Death on BX-37

Metagame Info

* GM: star
* Date Played: 2020 Jan 18

Where

  • Start: A.C. Gate to Planet BX-37
  • End: Orbit above Planet BX-37

Important People / Places / Things

Synopsis

The Crew of the ACSS Decker has been asked to evaluate the conditions on the ground at a remote research station in a largely uninhabited system. The planet designated BX-37 had a research crew of seven. They were sent to study the planet's simple (mostly microbial) life and expand the astronomical databases by observing from their distant outpost.

Communications contact with the station was lost approximately three weeks ago, but before the outage a death was reported on the station. The crew agrees to go investigate and elects Orin as the chief facilitator for this mission. Before leaving the gate in A.C. controlled space Violet uses the resources available to make sure the ship's systems are in top working order. Tomas pulls the personnel files, such as they are, of the base staff.

We arrive in orbit above the planet and set up a geosynchronous orbit above the base. Violet immediately diagnoses the communications problem. The satellite relay that amplifies communications from the planet and relays them back to the gate at the edge of the system is malfunctioning. It needs repair.

As Violet and Omar are the only two with the appropriate certifications for spacewalks they exit and begin the repairs. A minor maneuvering mistake turns into a disaster when the relay's autonomous repair drones begin to attack the workers. In rapid succession Tomas and Robin exit the airlock and engage the drones in combat. Orin maneuvers the ship into an advantageous position and Nathan immediately takes advantage of it by taking up a gunnery position and blasting the drones with energy weapons destroying them and singeing Robin.

Without opposition Violet easily repairs the relay and everyone climbs back aboard. We are able to raise Angelo Margolis, a surly habitat engineer from A.C. who believes this posting is beneath him and is eager to get reassigned. He is extremely disappointed that we are not here to relieve him, but agrees to let us land and pick up data and deliver supplies.

The Icarus lands near the base. We are met at the airlock by Dr. Alison, the station Xenobiologist. She immediately tries to send us away. She is uninterested in an inspection and Haar senses that she distrusts authority. Robin cons her into allowing a perfunctory guided inspection with Tomas in exchange for supplies for the station. It is agreed that the other crew will deliver the supplies to the cargo bay.

As soon as Dr. Alison leads the tour away Violet immediately violates the terms of the agreement by heading directly to the nearest engineering station to check on the system status, but nothing appears out of the ordinary. Nathan also wanders into the station, but when he is questioned about leaving the bay he intimidates the functionary into retreat. Orin keeps to the agreement, but uses the opportunity to investigate the cargo bay where he discovers that this station is indeed in violation of A.C. safety protocols.

Meanwhile Tomas and Robin's walkthrough with Dr. Alison is providing very little new information. We learn that the staff Geologist was killed when something heavy fell on them. That this occurred within the base. That while there are minor notes no significant accident or medical investigation took place. And that the body was rapidly cremated.

Between Nathan's disregard for the rules and Tomas's "bad cop" routine becoming a bit too forceful Dr. Alison chooses to kick us and all A.C. staff out of the research station. Tomas attempts to delay the final ejection with some contractual wrangling, but is largely unsuccessful.

The party, along with Angelo Margolis, the Habitat Engineer now glad to have been ejected from his hated posting, return to the ACSS Decker. The party discusses what they learned and Cosmo uses her masterful culinary skills to wine and dine Angelo until he opens up about his time on the station. We learn that he was there for two years. They are cutting corners on all kinds of safety and contamination protocols in the name of efficiency. He claims not to have known Marko the murdered geologist well and not to have witnessed the death.

That night Robin, Nathan, Violet, and Cosmo conduct an unsanctioned infiltration into the research facility. They fly down out of sensor range, Robin sneaks into the facility where they shape-shift to take on the form of Dr. Alison, they enter her office, and place a remote interface node onto her terminal which allows Violet to hack the system and extract the data. The infiltration team makes a clean getaway afterwards.

(end session)

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