Space Herpes or For the Love of Tiffany

A couple of days after bringing 'The Tusk' to Millwall Station and going immediately into 7500 credit debt as the ship is repaired, Max and I took another job. Oh yeah, and this scientist joined us, a Dr. Cole. He reminded me of my parents. He had the walk and speech pattern of someone from academia, but lacked their sense of superior judgement based on second hand knowledge and no real world experience to back it up. So I liked him. 

Dr. Scrot asked us to investigate a space station orbiting the planet Invictus. It sent out a distress signal, but the station's computers had no luck gathering information because of interference. What little they did discover was the name of the space station, the Precuneus. A scientific, experimentation station studying the effect of zero gravity on bio masses.  A Dr. Boshavic is in charge. 

Now that wouldn't be strange, except the Precuneus is supposed to be 75 light years away. 

Millwall Station loaned us a scout ship, Rosa, and off we went to investigate the displaced space station. On the way to our destination, Dr. Cole took the time to explain what his process was for selecting a teacher's assistant. The man had a plethora of attractive, female students to chose from. I admire his dedication. 

Upon reaching orbit along side the Precuneus, it was obvious it was in trouble. A strange shaped asteroid attached itself to the hull. None of us had any clue what it was. Dr. Cole surmised that is was an alien spaceship and because the aliens had the intelligence for space travel, that they were friendly, and should be regarded as such. So upon on meeting them we were to assume as much. See comment about about judgement based on second hand knowledge and no real world experience.

We entered the station and Dr. Cole managed to get one of the computers to give a run down of this operation. He found more details about the experiments. It included a variety of creatures, one that bothered him the most was the gorilla. He regaled us with stories of how when gorillas and monkeys attack they go for the face, fingers and to his ultimate horror, the genitals. I can't say I was too pleased to hear that little factoid. 

I messed around with the computer and managed to bring up the personal files. Seventy-five on staff. Dr. Cole took a liking to one of the scientists, Tiffany Fields, a comely scientist who likes working out, pina coladas and walks in the rain. 

From the lower decks we heard knocking.

Down we went. As we exited the lift we saw feet sticking out from beneath a desk. Max and I took the lead, Dr. Cole stayed behind in his day glow space suit. We found a Johnathan, his neck, leg and arm was broken. Dead. And nearby was this fleshy mass with several soft, leathery eggs on top (space herpes!) that had hatched. I always get nervous when I see a broken egg. Nothing good ever comes out of those things.  

Within the wall that bisected the room, was a door with a hand scanner. I picked up Johnathan and drug him over to the door to use his hand. Just as the door swished open, I heard cries from Max and Dr. Cole not to open the door. Whoops.

A thick scent of  azane or ammonia rolled out. It was accompanied by what I can only describe as a thick fog. A form appeared in the fog, another scientist, this one was walking, but his eyes were glazed with a pus white color. On his head were a stacked, pulsating group of eggs the size of grapes. He reached out for me and I shot him with my trusty laser pistol. Dropped him with one shot. It was then I considered maybe if we removed the eggs the scientist would return.

Max rushed over and said there were more in the room. I pushed the button to close the door and the dead man's feet were stuck in the open door. Open. Close. Open. Close. Then defaulted to open as another man stepped out of the rolling fog. Meet Bob. 

Max shot some of the eggs on his head. I tried to imitate this, but my aim was a bit off. Bob lunged at Max, eyes pus colored as the other, and fell forward on his face. I took the opportunity to clear more of the eggs off his head. My aim was off again. 

I killed Bob.

Small alien like creatures popped into the air, made a screeching sound and then hit the floor. I'm assuming they were dead. 

I was in mid-sentence apologizing to headless Bob when Tiffany Fields walked through the door. Somewhere Dr. Cole had gotten a fire ax, but his arms were visibly shaking from the effort of holding it. Tiffany went after Dr. Cole, eggs again, stacked on her head. 

Dr. Cole managed to get her back toward Max and I. I lassoed her with my rope. Yes, I carry a rope in space. This is my rope. There are many like it, but this one is mine. Max shaved a batch of eggs of her head with an expert shot. I wound the rope around her tighter and we managed to get all the eggs off and her eyes returned to normal. There was hope. I looked over at headless Bob and felt a little guilty.

Max turned on the ventilation system and the ammonia fog cleared and we entered the back half of the laboratory. We found where the asteroid connected with the station. It looked like a natural cavern. No sound. No light. We decided to enter.

End session. 

Credits

GM..................... +matt jackson 

Max............................ +Greg C 

Dr. Cole....... +Christian Walker 

Nikola.................................. Me

Bob......................................Bob

Tiffany................ Zienia Merton

Shot, Bitten, and Scorched

Hi. That's me. I'm Nikola Vegas. Okay that's not me, but that's how I picture me. I graduated from RNI University and I was on track to become a professor. My parents taught at RNI, my genius younger brother, Isaac, is already a professor. My sister, Marie, is a project manager for a bio-tech branch of the university. So I was the last of the family to join the employ of RNI. 

When I completed the professor training and explained to my parents that I wanted to explore other worlds, not read about the history, but find the history, they just stared at me. They took me to the campus Pizza Hut to 'celebrate' my graduation. The buffet no less, I believe my mother's exact words were, "A suiting celebration for the career path you've chosen". We ate in silence, my father paid the bill and they left without so much as a good luck.

Earlier in the week I'd spent nearly every credit getting the supplies I could afford. I got this sweet laser pistol. Now with only a few credits to my name I waled to the job recruiter's office, backpack in hand. I needed a job.

Without going into too much detail there was a cargo ship, the Tuskavarda CX-7. Tusk for short. A cargo ship headed to the out most planet, specifically to Millwall Station. A mining operation, but access to some of the outer planets that haven't been explored, but surface scans have shown anomalies. The word anomalies is candy for my ears. While I might be digging, or hauling, it would give me a chance to earn some credits to do what I want to do.

While on the Tusk I met an interesting guy, Max. Apparently his father is the majority share holder in the mining operation. I was hoping this was a break for me. Maybe I could get a better job knowing Max. 

A few days into the trip things got exciting. Too exciting. There were a series of deafening bangs on the ship's hull. The alert went off. The other passengers were in a panic.Max and I not ones to sit around started toward the lounge, the lounge had the best windows on the ship to see what was going on outside. Outside our door a crew member handed us emergency packs and told us to return to our rooms. Ahh, no.

From the lounge I saw the strangest ship I'd ever seen. It looked like five different ships fused together. I'd heard of hartunfaans, but never thought I'd see one of their ships this soon. Killers and breeders, an evil lot. Max and I ran up to the bridge to see if there was anything we could do. A boarding pod latched onto the hull outside the cargo bay. A chance to use my new laser pistol. Excited and terrified Max and I ran down to the cargo area. Large blivets of various of gases were secured by cables. Four levels. It was crazy.

Boom! The boarding pod struck the side of the ship, blew a hole threw the hull and six hartunfaans ran out. They wore magnetic boots and were standing on the walls. From below, four crew members of the Tusk opened fire. Max was quick to run to join them, his laser pistol firing wildly in the air. He showed no fear. I went up to the next level hoping to catch the bastards in a crossfire. What the hell did I know? I was always the third man on the university fencing team and there were only four of us.

I reached the next level, laser fire was going everywhere and we were surrounded by 300 lb. compressed gas bombs. I did a quick estimation in my mind and thought it was comparable to my parents putting me into advanced quantum physics class when I was nine. But I didn't have a sweet laser pistol then.

I fired off my first shot. I missed. Actually, if the hull hadn't been there I probably would have missed space!  One of the crew members went down as did one of the hartunfaans. The one I shot at took aim at me and missed, but he melted a large section of the catwalk I was standing on. Then hit me with second shot. Luckily the railing got the most of it. Then the gas blivet caught fire.

Before I know what I was doing I jumped off the catwalk onto the hartunfaans that shot at me. I ended up putting him in a headlock and shooting at another raider. I...ah...missed again. 

Max and the crew were laying down heavy fire, but two of the crew were down and another one was trapped under a gas blivet. 

As I was hanging on for dear life, the hartunfaan, the fucker bit me. Next thing I know I am woozy, I can understand what its saying and my will was fading, I was ready to do whatever it wanted. Max blasted it, but it still tried to shoot me. I was able to get enough of my wits gathered and blasted it dead. Then I nearly fell the remaining two tiers. Which would have been okay, since the hartunfaan blew himself up. 

Max was able to rescue me from taking the fall. After all, I'd already been shot, bitten and burned. No need to add a fall to it. Then the boarding ship exploded opening a large hole into space. We managed to direct one of the gas blivets to 'plug' the hole. 

We escaped to the bridge and things went nuts. In short, the hartunfaan blew the bridge off the ship. Max and I sealed ourselves in the navigation room. Distress calls had been made and scout ships from the Millwall Station arrived just in time to chase the remaining hartunfaan away. 

Once we arrived at Millwall Station Col. Bertolucci offered Max and I the Tusk, since everyone else had died except a janitor and an elderly couple. But, the Tusk needs thousands of credits of repairs. I think I have three to my name. However, if we did some missions for a strange alien named Dr. Scrot. 

So it begins.