Terry has turned to his equipment to run computations, but he turns back around and says, scratching the back of his head as though it has an itch, "The air is breathable and carbon monoxide based. It simply has some toxins which are harmful over long periods of exposure. Keep on your breathers and your environmental suits and you should be just fine. LeGrange probably did not have them. Probably."
NOTE: The character effects will start after 3 hours of unprotected exposure: -30% intuition and logic, -20 stamina and unable to travel more than 8 hours without rest. It will slowly get worse (5% per hour), but unconsciousness (and eventual death) would occur after 13 hours without protection. You return to normal after 10 hours of being removed from the toxins.
You all get into the airship. Terry and three crew members remain on board the Moraes while you travel with Captain Marlboro and Engineer Innesti. The survey robot helps guide you. It is just after 8:00 a.m. when you leave, and the overflight scanning begins. You spend over two hours searching and scanning...and finding nothing. You get further and further away from the Moraes, and then it happens...
While cruising over the rugged ridge and valley terrain northwest of the Moraes, the survey robot suddenly turns and attacks your airship! In seconds, the fragile airship is seriously damaged and rapidly losing altitude. With an emergency override from the airship's control panel, Engineer Innesti swiftly deactivates the robot. However, the damage has already been done.
The captain and engineer valiantly struggle to maintain control of the plummeting craft, but it is in vain. "Ship down. Ship Down!" the Captain yells out to you all. Everyone runs to their parawings, which act like parachutes from the airship. You jump to safety from the falling craft, gliding with the parawings.
But the engineer is too late to get full use of the parawing, and the captain rides the crippled ship to the ground in a futile attempt to soft land it.
Both are now seriously injured. Fortunately, your landings were not widely scattered, and everyone gathers at the scene of the crashed airship in a matter of minutes to assess the situation.
The radiophone transmitter in the airship gondola was destroyed in the crash, and the transmission range of your chronocoms is too limited to reach the Moraes. However, Bill Terry establishes contact from the ship. His message is brief.
"I directed the survey robot's attack on the airship. I am very sorry if there were casualties, but LeGrange's work is too important to be stopped now. I told you I met him a couple years ago. I actually joined him. I am his rescue team. And no, he is not anywhere near the area you're searching. Sorry for the red herring. He will be joining me by nightfall, and then we will be off as soon as these star drives are repaired. I hope you enjoy your new home planet."
With that, he signs off. Three other crew members remain on the Moraes, but there is no way to discover their fate. Approximately 48 more hours of work are necessary to complete the overhaul of the star drives before Terry can take off.
48 hours remaining
SITUATION ANALYSIS
Captain Marlboro and Engineer Innesti are seriously injured. The flotation chambers of the airship are damaged beyond repair. The airship's gondola is quite damaged, but still in one piece, thanks to Captain Marlboro's heroic efforts. It may still be airtight.
You must regain control of the Moraes and find out what has happened to Terry and the other crew members. If Terry lifts off, you'll be stranded here, and LeGrange will have escaped. The Qantariate invasion will happen, and the known galaxy is likely to be forever altered and taken over by the Qantariate and Sathar.
To recover the ship, you must cross 80 kilometers of an alien planet, facing unknown flora, fauna, and other natural obstacles.
Once you arrive at the Moraes, Terry may use the offensive resources of the ship against you. He has at his disposal at least two other survey robots, the remaining weapons, the security programs of the ship, and anything else he can improvise in the meantime. You don't know if the crew members are working with him or are potential hostages.
With the survey robots, Terry can monitor and attack you as you approach. You have only your personal weapons, skills, and wits.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:17, Fri 14 Feb 2020.