The Gob: DM

Players:

            Richard Cunningham

            Carol Cunningham

            Steve Wilson

            Clare Hooper

            Detail

            Tindalos 

The group were passengers on board the luxury spaceship cruiser Titanic, from the planet Sto; orbiting the primitive planet of Earth during its 'primitive celebration of Christmas'.

 

While watching holo-film footage of Earth's history of Christmas a sudden crash and distant explosions caused some alarm but nothing like the near-chaos that ensued as soon as all the lights went out. One person in particular (Tindalos) began screaming and clearly panicking. Others sat waiting for the steward in the next room, or even a Heavenly Host to come and put things to right. Others, such as the retired General immediately pulled a torch from their coat and began to look around the room. The torch attracted the dark-phobia suffering man and after short scuffle he had it out of the general's grasp. With the aid of a young woman (Carol C), the General (Detail) and the General's aide (Richard C) they managed to calm the fearful man and allowed him to keep the torch. They then realised little was happening so Tindalos, Detail, Richard C and Carol C headed over to the control room to see what was going on. The door was faulty and did not open automatically so they used the emergency manual override. As the door opened they could see that the steward was dead. Crushed under the wall, which had cut the poor man in half as it had been folded, due to some unexplained tearing of the metal wall itself.

 

Meanwhile another man (Steve W) headed for one of the two remaining doors and tried to open that manually. The remaining three people (NPC's) were an old couple, Gladiss and Henree, and a young man whose name was never revealed, waited to see what the others would do.

 

Steve W had trouble opening the door but began to succeed when down the corridor outside he could only see the flashing sparks from damaged circuits and hanging lights. Jus then as the others began to join him he notice a man, a steward of some form covered in blood running up the corridor towards him, followed by some Host. As the man entered the holo-film suite crying out "Help me! their trying to kill me!" a white disc sliced the top of the man's head off and he fell, dead, to the floor. The disc then flew around in a circle before returning to its owner, a Host. The group then hurriedly closed the door and headed for the remaining exit.

 

They managed to get through the door just as the lights came back on and the door automatically opened. Down the end of the corridor lay another dead body. Assuming the Host were out for blood they headed out into the corridor and took the first turning. The group had decided the bridge would be a good place to head for, although one woman (Clare H), suggested using the teleport rings to get to safety below. Soon they came to a corridor that led to either the lounge where the teleport rings were or in the other direction the crew areas. As Clare H headed right towards the lounge direction, the other turned left to the crew quarters. Doors opening could be heard behind them.

 

Clare H  found her way to a corridor where in the distance three host were standing with their backs to her. She ran around the next truing straight into three more, oncoming Host. unable to hide she quickly fired questions at them in an attempt to delay their actions and bolted through the gap between them before they could hurl their discs, she escaped into another room, chest heaving and very winded from the excessive running.

 

The others had found more dead and signs of damage to the Titanic. Luckily no Host seemed to be around. They continued on until they reached a cargo bay. Bodies lay in pools of blood, load-lifters sat as they had been left, crates and boxes were thrown around the room, from the chaos of the Host killing the crew or else from whatever had caused the initial explosion or damage around the ship, they did not know. They headed for the bridge through the crew areas.

 

Clare H, meanwhile, was still heading to the bridge when she happened across some escape pods. All jetissoned!

 

The other group had by now reached a t-junction. One way was completely blocked by fallen metal supports and pipes, the other was unblocked but the ceiling was clearly bowed; falling water made great puddles on the floor. It looked dangerous but passable. As the group reached near the end, the ceiling suddenly gave way in one area. A great support girder crashed through the ceiling smashing into the floor. Luckily Steve W had escaped death, but only just, the girder was like a spear-head, and it had just missed him. He was pulled away safely but Richard C and the old couple were stuck on the wrong side.

 

After some deliberation, it was noticed the door at the end of the corridor led to what appeared to be the Host maintenance station. Half Host bodies and rows of limbs and heads littered the room along with three dead, more load-lifters and lots of cargo. Detail, Carol C, Steve W and Tindalos entered the room, and saw, through a door-window the head of a Host, obviously standing guard outside. Stealthily they made their way to a load-lifter and started it up. Fortunately the electric motor caused little sound. Detail drove it out into the corridor to lift the girder blocking the corridor. With some trepidation it worked the old couple were hurdled through followed by Richard C. The group returned to the Host maintenance station and looked for possible weapons.

 

Clare H, found her way to the lounge and tried the teleport rings, only to be dismayed at their failure to operate. Not enough power was coming from the bridge to power them. She began to barricade herself in the lounge usingtables and chairs, but had hardly began when three Host walked in through a door.

 

Quickly she ran off again, dodging three more deadly discs.

 

The group in the maintenance station found a Logic transconder, a device that reprograms Host logic circuits at base level. It would shut the Host down for short period. Detail then had on his person a Booster-Cell this would allow the Logic Transconder to work at greater power, perhaps greater range, although there was also the possibility that it would blow the logic transconder.

 

Forearmed they headed off. Steve W driving one load-lifter at the front, the others behind, but Detail drove a second load-lifter with Gladiss and Henree sitting on the lifting gear.

 

Clare H found a com station, but it seemed faulty, but she began to try and use it to find out which escape pods were still available, the process was slow and difficult.

 

The others then turned into a corridor to find a Host setting off a row of escape pods, quickly Steve W jumped out of the load-lifter and zapped the Host with the transconder. It immediately fell inert. They found the pods had all gone, but continued onwards, hoping to find more further on. as they passed Detail ran the Host over...just for the hell of it!

 

Clare H still tried getting the information out of the com station.

 

The larger group then found another bank of escape pods, and they were all still here. Quickly they bundled in, but detail decided to try the com station nearby and send a call for any survivors to come to their area. Suddenly Clare H and Detail were talking to each other. Clare explained where she was and said she would be on her way. Detail decided to remain on board and try to get to her and ensure her safe passage, so too did Richard C, Steve W, and Tindalos. Carol C, the young man and the old couple were herded into the pod and sent off.

 

Before the escape pod fired, the whole ship suddenly up-ended with a mighty roar. The corridor they were standing in went near-vertical and they were all sent hurtling to the far end, crashing into each other and hitting the door. Minor injuries occurred but nothing too serious. Luckily for them the load-lifters emergency grav-clamps kicked in holding them in place. Clare H, elsewhere was also thrown across the place but also sustained only minor injuries.

 

As the group lay in a pile the escape pod eventually fired, but caught by the flames licking up the side of the titanic it was thrown, spinning out of control. The Titanic was heading straight for Earth, as Tindalos calmly explained to the others.

 

 Detail then again found in his deep pockets a small pair of magna-clamps (used to hold on to the sides of his bathtub when he wanted to get out and Richard C was not there to help him). With these Steve W began to climb the near-vertical corridor, towards the escape pods. When he reached them, he turned them off and slid them back to the next person waiting to climb up. As they began, the corridor again began to change angle, and level out as the gravity dampers kicked back in. The titanic was pulling out of the dive and into safety once again.

 

The Titanic had somehow been saved.  Many survivors were found hiding from the Host, who had mysteriously gone berserk, and when the rescue teams arrived they even pulled drifting escape pods back to safety.

 

The remaining survivors were all eventually remunerated and recompensed. But who had been the strange man, called the Doctor, who had apparently, along with the help of Midshipman Alonzo Frame, saved the day? He had simply disappeared!