Zin, who is now very concerned about being stuck in any devolved state, is speaking quietly to himself. If you listen closely, you can catch that he is speaking in different languages, but when it gets back to English you hear “I think, therefore I am” before going through the phrases again. Zin finds a terminal and says, “If we need to find raw material for a cure, we’re going to have to consider that we’ll have to scan for specific molecular components. There’s no telling what the local flora and fauna have become, and we can’t trust that we’ll find any of the identified organisms in the wild anymore.”
Zin is going to use insight (11) and science (3) to go through the computer data and isolate the specific “materials” needed so he can begin scanning plant life around the compound.
(Sorry folks, I’ll get back to this very soon! Just slightly swamped with everything at the moment… maybe tonight? Let’s say tonight, I’ll try to get everything filled back in)
(Okay! I have a few minutes to fill us back up and get ready for next steps… I apologize again for letting this get away from me. I recently took a couple painting commissions to try and make a little extra money, and Andy’s nerve pain has resulted in a lot of tears, fears, and a couple trips to the ER. It’s been a “fun”… insert-period-of-time-of-your-choosing… in my home recently!)
Based on Dr. Schipp’s notes recovered from the computer, you know exactly which types of flora and fauna need to be collected to have viable samples for study. To collect them, however, you must venture out into the storm, and unfortunately the samples you need are not between the outpost and the shuttle. There are three samples Dr. Schipp needs to continue her lifesaving research.
(Locating a sample will take an Insight or Reason plus Science task with a Difficulty of 2, with a success allowing 1 sample to be taken. Collecting the sample itself is then a Daring or Control plus Security task with a Difficulty of 3. Because of Tray’s efforts with the computer, you can either reduce the Difficulty of a Task by 1, or you can reduce the time it takes from 2 Time Units to 1 Time Unit. You have to choose in advance, obviously, but note that you can also spend 1 Momentum afterwards to reduce the Time Interval by 1 as well, if you’d like)
Rad manages a rudimentary but effective perimeter alarm system coupled to a series of motion, light, and phermonic sensor arrays. The group will have plenty of advanced warning (at least 3 Time Units) before any Devotees jump you. Nice work!
Also, due to Tray’s efforts, the Computer has been almost fully restored: you can ask me any questions (within reason) without it taking any time: if a question is incredibly complicated, I’ll warn you in advance if it would take a Time Unit to respond, but as a general stance, assume that talking to or requesting assistance from the Computer is free from this point onward.
Curing the Devolution is a very difficult problem facing your band of intrepid explorers: under normal circumstances it would be weeks of work. However, only the best and brightest are accepted into The Fleet, so anything is possible!
(Finding and administering a cure for the devolutionary phenomenon is a linear, timed, Challenge which contains several Tasks, each of which must be completed in order. Each attempt takes 2 units of Time, but remember that you can use the Computer’s assistance or Momentum to reduce that to 1 unit. The first step is Identify the Cause. The book suggests Reason + Science with a Difficulty of 3, but you may use the Computer’s assistance to reduce that by 1 instead of speeding up the process, if you’d like.)
(Just a reminder to @Snobbydolphin, @DJCT, @RogerBW, @RossM, and @WolfeRJ that the skill combinations are recommendations, not requirements, but should give you an idea of how you want to roleplay the situation. Any combination of skills you think would make for an interesting story is a good choice! And remember… two of you are feeling a touch twitchy… just means your Critical Failure range is bigger, but like @Snobbydolphin did above, try to filter in a little of that flavour into how you have your characters act)
(I believe the Time Chart I made above is still accurate: You still have around 10 Time Units (for most of you more, for Zin slightly less) before things… [dramatic music] change…[/dramatic music])
So because you didn’t make it easier, I assume you meant to make your attempt quicker? In which case, you have only spent 5 units. You could try again if you want… just saying
Zin responds to the communicator “I feel like that might depend on how we define ‘survivors’ if we don’t find a way to reverse the devolution.”
Zin starts to search the computer but realizes very quickly that this is going to be tough. He mutters a Bajoran curse. “I’ll need a hand analyzing this data. There’s a lot here.”
Zin will use reason (8) + science (3) = 11 to try and isolate the cause. I’ll go with using the computer to make it easier, and I’ll wait a moment to see if anyone wants to help or take the lead with better chances.
(Two units of time spent, bringing you to 6 total units spent)
A brisk walk near the parameter of the outpost following your tricorders pings several very promising samples.
(Before you get to harvesting or collecting said samples, why don’t you describe them for the group? Nothing larger than a squirrel or a dedicated shrub, but they’re also slowly transforming under the ion bombardment from the storm… perhaps they glow or shimmer? Or they’re twisting under winds that nobody else can feel?)
“I’ve found … something. Think it is what we are looking for. There are bulbs, brightly coloured - like candy eggs I thought. But then when the ion storm touches them they change. It’s … unsettling. They burst open like seed pods, organic, vibrant, grotesque. From something so braw, to horrific fungal spores.
I’ll need to try and harvest some of them, but it gies me the willies”
Okay so Rad Torlent grabs a data slate and a stylus and sketches out the flora needed for the cure and a rough map since it’s an area we haven’t traveled through. He does this a few times again from memory comparing them back to the computer results while grabbing a pack and a hiking stick and muttering to himself. He’s sweating more than usual and keeps his eyes down as he stalks out into the storm very pointedly not looking at the odd lights. White knuckles stand out on the hiking stick and as it’s daring he’s going out without scanners or tricorder depending on memory and hoping to move swiftly to get help to others as fast as possible and to get himself out of here as fast as possible. He’s not talking much unless engaged. Teeth stay clenched as his lips move reciting parts of the sample description to help the memory.
I’ll put a roll with one momentum in the next post. Maybe the survival focus will apply here.
to try and isolate the cause. I’ll go with using the computer to make it easier, and I’ll wait a moment to see if anyone wants to help or take the lead with better chances.