Death's Dark Dominion

Player Characters
David 'Dai' Bush
Joseph Connelly
Isabella Everitts
Tadim 'Tac' Cromwell

As the moon travels through the farthest reaches of space a strange mass of spacecraft are detected...

In this Episode...

An Eagle flies through space...	Someone says, "It's a bit weird..."	And something blows up...

The Moon is moving through an area of space with some kind of electro-magnetic interference.  There is a strange dust cloud Moonbase scanners cannot penetrate, and although the moon will not pass through Commander Koenig decides it is important to see if it poses any threat and launches three Eagles to investigate.

Eagle One is commanded by Commander Koenig with Alan Carter

Eagle Five is commanded by the player-characters; Dai, Isabella, Tac and Joseph along with medical office Kai.

Eagle Seven is piloted by Marcus along with science officer Chen.

As the Eagles approach the dust cloud they are buffeted by an invisible field but all pilots are able to maintain control.

The Eagles pass harmlessly through the cloud and met with a stark area full of derelict alien starships as well as lots of floating debris.

Most vessels are twisted hunks of metal, but there are three large vessels that are of interest.  The first a a large alien vessel, it has six giant spheres and looks almost organic; one of the sphere is damaged and half missing.

The second is unrecognisable, a giant space hulk with all of it's outer hull missing, revealing tiers of corridors.

The third is a surprise, and appears relatively undamaged, an Earth deep space Probe Ship.  This particular model was still on the drawing board when the moon broke away from Earth.

None of the vessels are showing any life signs.

Commander Koenig "Well Isabel, you have science lead on this one.  You take one, we'll take the other two."

Isabel "Thank you commander.  I really would like to investigate that alien vessel with the spheres."

Commander  "Okay, we'll take the hulk, Marcus, you and Chen check out the Earth Probe."

Landing Eagle Five in the alien vessel is relatively easy as there is the giant opening and the there is a platform strong enough for it's weight.  There is no atmosphere, so spacesuits are required.  Isabel and Joseph leave the Eagle to explore.

The whole vessel has an organic look to it, no obvious metal or computer.

The first, damaged, chamber is empty except for tendrils hanging from the ceiling.  Isabella and Joseph throw a stone at one to test if it is safe, it is not, as it moves it discharges bolt of plasma energy.

Isabel "Tip, don't let them touch you."

To exit the chamber is an obvious doorway sealed with a thin membrane.  Joseph cautiously breaks it with his hand... nothing happens, but one left it immediately starts to seal again. It leads to a small corridor connecting to the next Chamber. 

This chamber has lots of interconnected walkways crisscrossing the room.  Throughout the chamber are many large, two and a half meter high organic pods.  On examination there appears to be something in them.

As Joseph moves to catch up with Isabella suddenly the old and brittle floor beneath his feet give way, but Joseph is able to jump to safety at the last moment.

Isabella cuts open one of the pods, a gooey liquid pours from it (good job they are wearing space helmets and can't smell it's foul odour.  Inside they find an alien body, roughly humanoid, thought not fully formed, it has no facial features.  Isabella surmises these are growth pods.  They call Kai to join them and take back a body for examination.

The next chamber also has walkways, but with growths from the floor.  Most are decayed and crumbling, but Isabella finds some that are not and surmises they are table and chairs.  A living room chamber. 

Joseph is suddenly struck in the back of his calf by something sharp and painful!  Spinning around there is some small creature, no more than a foot in length, bioluminescent, almost squid-like but with venom tipped claws.  The creature lunges again but Joseph shoots it with his stun gun.  It takes two hits to kill the creature.  Isabel carefully examines it, it is different to the body in the pod, possibly a space parasite, a Space Squid.

They move to the next chamber with more caution.

This chamber is a storage area with lots of pods of varying size.  Isabel opens a couple of the pods.  Most of the equipment is unrecognisable, though not all organic implying it comes from another other culture, possibly through trade.

Isabella and Joseph move through the corridor to the next chamber, this one has masses of those plasma tendrils, but they are all connected up, not hanging, most going into a giants organic structure in the middle of the room.  Isabella surmises this is the engine or power room, the tendrils must distribute power throughout the ship.  The ones in the first chamber were obviously hanging because of the damaged ship.

Before they can reach the power core they spot movement!  The power core surface appears to come to life, but it is in fact this Space Squids, all but invisible while they were still, and there are dozens of them!

Isabella and Joseph run as the Space Squids scurry towards them!  They comm Dai to get the engines ready.

Just are they are jumping aboard the Eagle a Space Squid catches Isabella.  Kai pulls her aboard and starts treating her wound. 

Dai turns the Eagle around and creates a back blast with the engines burning the Space Squids before flying out of the now collapsing sphere!

Across the starship graveyard is an almost identical situation as Eagle One blasts clear of the space hulk leaving explosion behind!

Attention falls to Marcus, where his Eagle has engaged it's engines without detaching itself form the docking claw!  Commander Koenig tries to raise Marcus on the Comm but gets no reply.  suddenly the Eagle breaks free, sending it spinning into a hulk of floating debris, the Eagle explodes!

Chen (on the Comm) "I'm sorry Commander.  We can't let it survive,"

Commander Koenig "Chen!  What is it?  Wait there, we'll come and get you."

Chen "It's too late Commander.  It's... it's a bit weird."

Dai notices that the Earth Probe has engaged it's engines, but the blast has somehow been reversed, it's going to backfire it's rockets.  No sooner has he warned Commander Koenig the Earth Probe is engulfed in a huge explosion totally destroying it!

Eagle One and Eagle Five return the Moonbase Alpha with enough telemetry to all the Moonbase to protect itself as it passes the strange dust cloud and magnetic interference.

END