| abstract
| - The bridge doesn't look like a typical humanoid styled bridge. Many of the consoles are mounted high on the cavernous walls, with perch-like seats. There doesn't seem to be any other way to reach them besides flight. The forward wall is seperated by large windows providing a fairly unobstructed view . slippink eenstsem at 270 mark seven-nine ... speet 3500 am een no rush." / GEN_SPACE / Falcrin says, " Unidentified vessels, this is Doctor Falcrin of the Broadwing Research Expedition. I convey my greetings." / GEN_SPACE / Innokentevna says, "You are also zee most heafily Arm't Enteafor ... vhat zee hoop deet you expect?" / GEN_SPACE / Innokentevna says, "Ungstiri Commershal Transport Gray Horse sents greetinks Broatvink. Ve heart your message an came for a look an' see." / GEN_SPACE / Taeren says, "That's also true, Grey Hor - ah! Greetings, Doctor Falcrin. This is the LMS High Endeavor from La Terre. We were in the neighborhood and, ah, saw your probe. We come with peaceful intentions." / GEN_SPACE / Stargazer says, "Ya Ta, Greetings from Quaquan MS Starchaser." / GEN_SPACE / Falcrin says, "Then there is indeed life on the other side of the object. Excellent. You obviously understand Standard. Are you connected with Sanctuary, then?" / GEN_SPACE / Kei Korolev says, "Is very sad story, Sanctuary is no more. But we bring hope and many other dreams of lost worlds. All very good peaceful welcoming things." / GEN_SPACE / Stargazer says, "We know of the Sanctary, though Quaquan is not directly connected with them." / GEN_SPACE / Taeren says, "Not personally, but you could say that Sanctuary is connected with us. I take it you encountered Sanctuary during its voyage? Might I ask if anyone on our side of the Gate would have heard of you?" / GEN_SPACE / Innokentevna says, "I vas a passanger on zee Sanctuary, Broatving ...zo I ton't remember here ..."" / GEN_SPACE / Falcrin says, "We are Falari. We have had a few dealings with Sanctuary during its voyage through Hiverspace, from which we hail. We had found a gateway that led to this universe, and we have spent many months exploring it." / GEN_SPACE / Taeren says, "So, Broadwing - what you're saying is that contact very close to your location is a gate that leads into Hiverspace?" / GEN_SPACE / Kei Korolev says, "Am Kei Korolev, Engineer, High Endeavor, of La Terre." / GEN_SPACE / Falcrin says, "The only wormhole I am detecting is that which you just came through...we are currently in orbit of a planet which we have been scanning for several days. We have detected signs of civilization, but thus far our scans have not picked up life and we have received no answer to our hails. Since you are here, would you care to join us as we send down a landing party?" This avian creature stands at nearly 9 feet high. He is humanoid in his general shape, with a pair of arms and legs. His body is covered with chocolate brown feathers, except for his lower legs which look like the legs of an eagle. His head appears like that of a bald eagle, white feathers with a sharp pointed beak. Attached to his shoulder blades on his back is a large pair of eagle-like wings, which when extended have a wingspan of nearly 8 feet. When not in use, they are kept folded together against his back. He is wearing a long-sleeved jumpsuit, light blue in color, with patches emblazoned on the shoulders and on the right breast. / GEN_SPACE / Taeren says, "Speaking for the High Endeavor, yes - if the atmosphere is breathable by humanoids such as the ones you met from Sanctuary, then that would be a plus, but is not necessary. Give us a few seconds to get some astrogation locked in and we'll skip over there shortly." / GEN_SPACE / Falcrin says, "We are reading an oxygen-based atmosphere suitable for most carbon based lifeforms. We have found what we believe is a spaceport, and have targetted that for our landing coordinates. Our team will meet you on the surface." / GEN_SPACE / Kei Korolev says, "To make clear, it was you who sent probe through warpgate?" / GEN_SPACE / Falcrin says, "Yes, that was our probe. Its purpose was to attempt to make contact with life beyond the gate. It would seem its mission was a success." / GEN_SPACE / Innokentevna says, "comink to viseet, eenbount Broatving ...." / GEN_SPACE / Stargazer says, "This is QMS Starchaser, Greetings Broadwing." / GEN_SPACE / Falcrin says, "Greetings, STarchaser." / GEN_SPACE / Stargazer says, "Shall we wait for the others before landing?" / GEN_SPACE / Falcrin says, "It is only fair, I think." / GEN_SPACE / Stargazer says, "I think so as well, Captain." / GEN_SPACE / Taeren says, "We'll be there in a second." / GEN_SPACE / Taeren says, "We've arrived. Gray Horse, when you finish your overflight, we'll drop ... so long as you don't find anything too disturbing on the far side, heh." / GEN_SPACE / Falcrin says, "Thus far we have not encountered any other vessels in this region since we arrived. It is as if it has been deserted." / GEN_SPACE / Innokentevna says, "To nyi vait for us ... ve are makink a planetary surfey, an veel dovnloat zee eenformashun as vee geet eet."" / GEN_SPACE / Taeren says, "Acknowledged. You know where to find us ... the High Endeavor is going in for landing. We'll wait for the others before leaving the ship." On the planet’s surface... This sprawling spaceport appears to have been an active and heavily used terminal, but all that remains is covered in thick layers of dust. The ravages of age have caused buildings to crack and crumble. Hulks of freighters litter the cracked and pitted tarmac, slowly turning into piles of dust as they rust. The air is still, and quiet, except for the soft whistling of the wind through the rusted hulks. Scattered across the tarmac, some tumbled down the ramps of several of the ships, are skeletons, mottled brown and black with age. They look to have dropped in mid-stride. Falcrin steps out from the shadows of the Broadwing, carrying a satchel over one shoulder, and a scanning device in one hand. The airlock of the Starchaser opens with a soft hiss. Once the ramp is secure a young woman with long raven black hair disembarks and starts down it. Taeren is wearing a survival suit as he disembarks from the Endeavor at length. Despite the polarized nature of his faceplate, it is easy to tell that his attention is captured by the skeletons here who have fallen for, apparently, very little reason. Falcrin joins the emerging group with a nod. A cursory glance at the skeletons, then he returns his focus to the group. "Well..it seems I now have an explanation as for why our hails were not returned..." He takes up his scanner and turns it on. The suited form nods, and a vocalizer clicks on. "I'm concerned about biological agents. People don't just randomly die like this without any evidence as to why." Falcrin checks his readings, "Atmospheric readings are not picking up anything particularly infectious or lethal." The form tilts his head. The vocalizer turns on again. "If you're wrong, you're paying for my medical bill." The suited person pulls his hands up to the helmet, and with a hiss of escaping air, removes it - revealing the face of Taeren. He flicks another switch to disengage the flow of air from the tanks. "I'll be right back." He turns and heads into the ramp. Stargazer smiles at Falcrin as she approches the group. She is dressed in a traditional Quaway for tromping through unknown areas, in buckskin pants and mocassins. She does not wear a mask or atmosphere suit, though a light mask hangs from her belt. "Ya Ta, Doctor Falcrin, I am Stargazer, ambassador for Quaquan. Kei Korolev follows Tae out, in her gaily painted Ungstir Worksuit, complete with kneepad of a stuffed hyperkinetic rabbity thing's head. Fangy! Stargazer stands by Falcrin and Taeren. Falcrin nods to Stargazer. "A pleasure, ambassador." Taeren emerges again, his helmet clipped to a D-ring at his waist. "I had to tell my Engineer that it was all clear to shut down life support," he explains, now walking towards Falcrin. In lieu of a handshake with a gloved hand, he bows. "I'm Taeren M'nammrann, pilot for the High Endeavor, and this is Kei Korolev, our engineer." Kei Korolev follows Tae out, helmet clamped. "And is this handsome person who was speaking to us?" Falcrin nods to all of them. "I am appreciative that you answered our invitation. Now, we have people to get to know and share the experience of determining the secrets of this civilization. Our scans indicated that there was heavy industrialization, but current readings of the air show a very low level of artificial pollutants." Stargazer returns the nod and smiles at the others as they join the group. Now she turns her attention to the area and skeleton. Kei Korolev counts, "Nanotech, fusion, advanced ethical reasoning, advanced bioengineering." Kei Korolev says, "Or much much time." Falcrin looks to Kei, cocking his head to the side in confusion. Taeren nods, turning to look at the skeletons himself. "Can you date how long it's been since that poor guy was alive?" he inquires, pointing at the nearest one. "Oh - sorry. Kei is counting off the different ways they could have pulled off being highly industrialized without leaving too much pollution, I think." He smiles apologetically. "You get used to how she thinks after a while." Stargazer moves quietly towards the skeleton, crouching down to get a better look at it. She doesn't touch at this point. Falcrin looks to Taeren, nodding. "From what readings I can get, it is almost one thousand years old, almost to the point of fossilization. Whatever happened to these people happened nearly a millenia ago. Although I am curious as to what could have caused such widespread death. There are no traces of radiation, so it must not have been a nuclear holocaust." "Unless they found something with a much shorter half-life, Doctor ..." he turns to look at Falcrin. "I'm sorry - You are Dr. Falcrin, the one we spoke to in space, right?" Falcrin nods. "Yes, my apologies." "It seems that having four arms may be the norm in this universe." Stargazer says, pointing with her chin at the skeleton's extra arms. "Big heavy head, big cat like teeth..." she moves around and squats down to get a look at a different angle. Falcrin nods. "An unusual body structure, to say the least. Hopefully in these ruins we might find some images of what they looked like with their flesh intact." Taeren mm-hmms at Stargazer, absently, and goes to the nearest rusted-out freighter, looking it over for similarities to designs he may have seen before ... either in his own universe, or the ones he's most recently visited. The freighter, at least what is left of it after the ravages of time, doesn't look like any known design. Stargazer nods in agreement, more interested in the skeleton, "That would be very interesting. Look how thick the collarbones are and how big the eye orbits are... and a tiny nasal passage... hrrms... Wonder if they saw more with those eyes." She moves dow towards the feet, "Three fingers and a thumb." she points out. Falcrin nods. "It would seem they needed less air to function than most other air breathing species. The large cranial area would suggest a large brain capacity, and possibly high intelligence." Taeren raises both eyebrows. "You're quite the biologist, for a diplomat, Ambassador Stargazer," Taeren points out. "Kei, do you think there's any chance that we could recover some data from a freighter's ship log if we found their data core and wired some power to it?" Stargazer stands finally, looking down at the remains, "Not smart enough maybe. Looks like it died here. Don't know how..." She looks up and smiles at Taeren, "On Quaquan we have many interests. Animals, plants, stars, it is all part of my education... you see, my parents were teachers. I was not always ambassador, nor do I think I will always be ambassador." she informs him gently. Falcrin looks off to the horizon, "Most likely the answers we seek will be found beyond." Taeren nods. "I think you're right - we can come back here anytime, I hope." He looks around for an exit of some sort. "So Dr. Falcrin ... did you have to come through the gate to get to this planet, or did you fly here at F-T-L from your own home system?" Falcrin looks to Taeren, "You are partially right. We found a gateway that led into this universe from our own. We have been traversing through this universe to learn about it, and during our travels found this planet and the gate through which you emerged. We had never seen anything like it." Stargazer starts to walk away from the group, stepping carefully not to stir up too much dust. "Is this the only body you have found?" she asks, pausing to look back at the doctor and the others. Falcrin looks around at the numerous skeletons peppering the tarmac, "This is but one of many, it would seem." Stargazer glances around as well, embarrassement coloring her bronze cheeks a little redder, "Oh... sometimes one is too close to the tree to see the forest." Taeren says, "So this is the only habitable planet you've found so far in this universe?" He scratches his chin with a gloved hand, following the line of the main thoroughfare all the way to the Highway at the end of the spaceport with his eyes. "No, Ambassador - look, there's one right there." He points to a skeleton toppled out of a freighter's landing ramp. "These guys had to have traded with /someone/, looks at these ships, they're heavy freighters." He inspects other freighters, looking for anything that would pass for jumpsails with which to get through a gate as he wanders towards the highway. "How long at faster-than-light did it take you to get here, from the gate you got into this universe from?" Falcrin looks up, as if to think, then back down. "Approximately four weeks. We passed other habitable planets, but they too had no readings of life. We finally settled into orbit around this one to determine why." Stargazer starts back towards her ship, "I will be right back." Stargazer trots down the ramp of the Starchaser. She now has over her shoulder a simple leather bag of medium size. "Now I am ready. Shall we go explore?" she asks with a eager smile." Falcrin nods. "Indeed. There are most likely more buildings to be found beyond this spaceport. Such a facility as this one is usually built near population centers." He turns and begins to walk off towards the spaceport's exit, which leads onto a highway. Taeren hmms. "A whole universe, populated, now entirely destroyed. Creepy." He looks very uneasy. "I wonder if they all died at around the same time ..." Turning back to Stargazer, he nods. "Yeah ... if the Falari are ready, Dr. Falcrin?" He is, by now, several yards away, standing near the exit from the spaceport. Falcrin nods "Quite ready. Let us proceed." This road seems to have been the main entrance to the spaceport beyond, but like the spaceport it too is succumbing to the ravages of time. The asphalt has cracked and pitted, and some sections have sunk and split apart of the road. The local plant life has reclaimed most of the exposed areas. The road continues on to a large intersection ahead. Taeren says, "Your ship had enough fuel for four weeks' travel at faster than light?" Taeren looks impressed. "How fast were you cruising, to make that?" Falcrin looks to Taeren as he walks along, "Our vessels are capable of refueling using atmospheric gases. In some of the systems we passed we found several gas giants which provided plenty of reserve fuel. We intend to use them on our return trip to Hiverspace." Stargazer listens as she follows along, eyes scanning the plant life and the ruins they cover. Taeren appraises the Falari questioningly. "Must have sensors better than the Echo Cluster Institute on Antimone, to pick out gas giants in star systems from that great a range." He turns his attention on the highway. "Looks like there's a split up ahead ... I wish we had some ground vehicles." Falcrin nods. "They would be beneficial, that is most certain." Stargazer seems content to walk, being a Qua has some good points, such as walking long distances. She's walking with Falcrin and Taeren. Falcrin looks at his scanner as he walks along. "I am picking up indications of dwellings beyond these coordinates, as well as a large structure that seems to be part of the roadway beyond." Taeren nods. "By all means, let's check it out." He is wearing a survival suit with the helmet off, clipped to a D-ring at his waist. Falcrin nods, and continues onward. Two large highways meet here, with large exit/entrance ramps joining them to each other. Highway signs, some still attached to the rusting poles that hold them, are hanging over the various roads written in an unfamiliar language. The flat land provides some idea of what lies beyond the intersection. The East/West highway leads to a large installation to the west, while towards the east, the rising towers of a city can be seen. The North/South highway leads south to the spaceport, while the northbound lanes head off into the infinite horizon. Vehicles, many overturned or smashed into guardrails and other cars, litter the highways. Rust has claimed them, leaving little but twisted hulks of metal. Scattered around many and still inside some are skeletons, their bones mottled brown and black from the passage of time. The pattern of the cars seems to indicate that their drivers lost control at the same time, resulting in catastrophic collisions. Falcrin looks across the tattered landscape and the destruction and chaos that rules it. "Whatever happened to these people, it happened quite suddenly..." Stargazer nods, then stops and concentrates for a moment on the wreckage. She frowns slighly, but keeps whatever she's thinking to herself for the moment. Zetral strolls along a good ways behind the others, an NBC hood pulled over his head beneath his helmet and a rifle held lazily by the carry handle in one hand. Falcrin looks to his scanner as it begins to beep. Sweeping it around, he settles it in the direction of a large fenced in facility to the west. "Very odd. I am picking up signs of power emanating from that installation beyond. Very faint, like an emergency generator of some sort." Taeren nods. "I wonder if time in this universe passes at the same rate it does in ours?" he inquires, turning to Stargazer, and then to Falcrin. "When Sanctuary returned to our part of the multiverse, its denizens had experienced only a few months, but the universe had passed through three hundred fifty years and change." He turns to face forward, and walks towards the installation. "Their ships had OtherSpace baffles, so obviously they were in communication with the Hivers, and using their faster-than-light drive. I wonder if their death was connected to the death of the Kamir and Hivers ..." Falcrin looks to Taeren, "We have not encountered any unusual temporal anomalies during our stay in this universe. The comm beacon we placed at our entry point has been relaying information back and forth from our command base, and there have been no indications of a time difference." Stargazer follows the others, quietly visually examining everything they pass. "But you live in Hiverspace, right? I mean, I'm not a temporal physicist, but Sanctuary was travelling in Hiverspace when time was passing more quickly for them than it was for my home universe, or whatever it was." He shrugs. "Maybe we'll see something in this installation ..." Taeren comes to rest standing in front of the building, looking up at it curiously. Zetral looks around slowly beneath his hood, as he nears the others. After what seems to be a few moments consideration, the slides his helmet off of his head and then removes his mask, before replacing the helmet. The mask is then carefully folded and tucked away in a large pouch, before he moves to completely catch up to the others. "So what happened here, any clues?" Falcrin nods. "Indications are it is a military facility. If anything is to go wrong with a world, it will always involve the military." He proceeds forward, holding his scanner in front of him. Falcrin looks to Zetral, cocks his head to the side, then looks to Taeren. Zetral nods, very slightly, raising his rifle to a slightly more useful position of leaning on his shoulder. This way he is at least holding onto the butt, rather then the carry handle.where Stargazer moves alongside Falcrin, casting a glance at the scanner. She looks at Zetral when he speaks, slight recognition in her expression, though it passes quickly and she gives her attention back to the building they were approaching. Falcrin continues onward to the facility. The highway swings past this entrance to the installation beyond, with an exit ramp leading up to the main gate, at least what was a gate. Much of it has rusted to dust. A few poles and scraps of chain-link remain. A pair of guard shacks still stand by the gate, though time has not been kind to them. Flying from atop them on rusted poles are a pair of flags, faded, and tattered, but their appearance and markings lend them to being military. The installation beyond consists of several large buildings, the largest being in the center and is at the end of the road leading into the installation. Taeren enters the installation after Falcrin, looking up at the buildings. Taeren looks blank for a moment. "Huh? Oh -" he turns around. "Hey, boss. Yeah, that's Zetral Eturnin, owner of the LDF High Endeavor. Zetral, this is Dr. Falcrin of the Falari vessel Broadwing. He's poking around with us." Falcrin looks at his scanner, and back up at the building. "The source is definitely that central building ahead." Zetral nods, a tiny motion of acknowledgement towards Falcrin, as he brings his rifle into a more useful position." He scans the area, pausing briefly on the flags, before moving up towards the front of the small group. "Suppose that's where we should head first, then.." Falcrin heads through the rusted gates, stepping over a few rusting poles. This wide field appears to have been a parade ground for troop training at one time, but now it has overgrown with thick bushes and tall weeds. The only traversable paths remaining are the cracked sidewalks that criss-cross the field. The road from the gate splits the ground in half, ending in a large cul-de-sac in front of the central building. A torn, faded, and tattered flag like the ones on the gatehouses, although much larger, flies from the top of a rusted flagpole, in defiance of the ravages of time. Scattered around the various sidewalks are skeletons, mottled brown and black with time, positioned as if their former owners were cut down instantly in their tracks. Zetral shrugs at Stargazer and Taeren. "Probably not. Hopefully I'm just carrying around a bunch of worthless gear. But I'd rather have it and not need it then the other way around." He offers a confident smile towards Stargazer. "Of course not." Falcrin continues to walk forward towards the entrance of the large building. He takes a few scans of some of the skeletons he passes, as well as some of the overgrown vegetation. Taeren shivers at the dead here. "Maza's hands were here," he says gloomily. "This is creepy. Can we see what's in there and get out of here, please?" "Are all the skeletons the same species." Stargazer asks Falcrin after nodding to Zetral's answer, her curiousity stronger than her caution, "This is very interesting." Falcrin looks to Taeren and nods. "You would get no argument from me." Reaching out, he turns the knob on the building's front door. Rather than opening, the door's ancient wood crumbles, puffs of dust escaping. He ducks down and steps through. One of the few buildings in the installation which is still sound enough to enter, the interior lends to it definitely being military in nature. White barren walls, wooden doors, with simple lights hanging from the ceiling. At the end of the hall is a door different from the others, a large steel door which seems to lead into some sort of chamber. Various offices are off to the sides. Several contain skeletons like those outside, slumped at their desks. Falcrin pulls a flashlight out of his satchel and pulls it on, illuminating the shadows beyond. Inside, the building looks virtually untouched from the ravages of time, although dust covers nearly everything. Zetral touches his chin, briefly, as he follows behind Falcrin. His rifle is promptly slung from his shoulder, as he peers around. His cybernetic eye seems to change in hue, slightly, glowing much less and looking a more blueish color. He begins to move along, heading eventually towards the large steel door. Falcrin waves the flashlight from door to door, settling on one at the far end of the hall, made of thick steel. Focusing the beam on the door's controls, they are dimly lit through the thick covering of dust. "I believe we've found the source of the power readings. If we are lucky, beyond that door may be electronic records we could retrieve." Taeren nods. "Yeah ..." he says. "We can let Kei take a whack at those, she's great with that kind of thing." He remains behind Falcrin for now, obviously a little put out by all the death here. Falcrin walks up to the control panel, and pushes a few of the buttons. The panel sparks and emits smoke, causing the steel door to rumble open. "Odd..the dust must have short circuited the panel's wiring. I doubt I was that lucky to hit the right code." Stargazer reaches into the leather bag she had slung over her shoulder earlier and takes out flashlight of her own. She flicks it on and stands where she is as she passes the beam of light slowly around the room. "More bodies." she murmurs quietly. Falcrin seems to be taking a rather aloof approach to the bodies, almost as if it's something he's seen a hundred times before. Cautiously, he steps into the chamber beyond the door. A rather large octagon shaped chamber, with doors at either end. It is made of what would appear to be stainless steel, for it has withstood the passage of time better than other areas. The ceiling has many tiny holes, while the bottom is made of a grate that covers a network of drains. Unlike the rest of the facility, this room is still receiving power from an unknown source. Taeren reaches down to the arm of his survival suit, turning on the suit's forearm-mounted worklight. He looks around nervously, up at the holes, and down at the drains. He unclips his suit helmet and seals it in place without a word, re-engaging the flow of oxygen, and double-checking his other seals. Seeming to sense the presence of the group, a series of red lights on the ceiling begin flashing, and after a series of beeps, the nozzles on the chamber's ceiling activate, dumping a thick cloud of white vapor on those present. The sequence continues for several minutes, then ceases. The vapor slowly dissipates. Zetral drops one of his hands onto his pistol, looking slowly and suspiciously about, not making any move to get a flashlight or night vision equipment. He touches his chin, sniffing carefully at the vapor. Falcrin raises his scanner at the vapor, checking the readings. "Decontamination compound, although stale after all this time. Dust seems to have settled in it. Surprising that this chamber would still work after all this time." Stargazer steps in the room but waits just inside the door, casting a glance at the ceiling. As she sees the vapor she quickly unhooks the mask from her belt and places it over her face. At the same time she removes a tube from the leather bag, which sees to also hold a small airtank, and attaches it to the mask with a snap. Falcrin swings the scanner towards the opposite door, which slowly slides open after the sequence completes. Beyond, dimly lit through dusty lights, is a laboratory. Already quite safe from the vapor, it seems that Taeren is probably smiling under his polarized visor. His helmet moves downward - his chin, most likely, moving to trigger the speaker. "Perhaps I should go in first - seeing as how there is a decontamination process for a reason, and all. Falcrin, you should follow, with the scanner." He turns, and his suited form makes its way into the laboratory. As any research lab would be, this room was at one time kept as neat as a pin. Thick layers of dust now cover all the equipment and tables that populate the room. The lab seems geared towards genetic research, with various pieces of equipment resembling gene sequencers, DNA analysis, and culture incubation dominate the room. One wall has several filing cabinents alongside a large mainframe computer. This room, unlike the rest of the facility, is still receiving power. Objects in the room: Mainframe A squat box measuring four feet high by six feet wide by three feet deep, attached to the wall with various heavy cables. Two operator terminals sit on top of it consisting of two keyboards and two LCD monitors, which despite the obvious time that has passed, are still displaying data. One of the terminals has been cleaned off of its thick dust layer, and the keyboard shows signs of recent use. A typical laboratory table, constructed with wooden legs and a wooden frame, topped with a hard black stone slab. Beakers, test tubes, and other glassware are arranged on the table, apparently in mid-experiment. Some of the glass has residue near the bottom, indicating they had liquids that evaporated with time. The table and its equipment is covered with a thick layer of dust, except for one area, shaped like the bottom of a test tube rack, indicating that some equipment was recently removed. This particular filing cabinet appears different from the others, in the fact that the dust upon it has been disturbed, as several of the drawers have been opened. The folders within are out of sequence, indicating that documents have been removed. What documents remain seem to be categorized, but are written in the alien language. Falcrin swings the scanner around slowly, focusing on each piece of equipment. "The dust has been disturbed recently. We do not seem to have been the first to re-discover this lab." Zetral has removed his gasmask from it's pouch, and stuck it tightly against his face. After a few moments he removes his helmet and pulls the hood back, before replacing his helmet on his head. With a soft click, the safety strap on his holster is disconnected. Falcrin walks over to the mainframe and looks at the data. Copying it into his scanner, he runs it through a translation algorithim, hoping to reveal some useful information. Taeren visibly tenses, even behind his faceplate. He walks towards the lab table, after shining his light around cautiously. "maybe there were survivors ...?" Stargazer leaves her mask on for now, secured against her mouth and nose. She breathes steady, not more than usual. She moves slowly around the room, looking at the different equipment and carefully touching nothing. Falcrin looks at his readings, and shakes his head. "This dust has been disturbed very recently. Based on the other evidence I don't see how it could have been a member of this race." Stargazer stops before the filing cabnet, "We are not the first ones to be here." she says, glancing around for other evidence. Falcrin looks to the cabinet, and nods, then to the lab table. "Whoever it was, they seemed interested in this lab's equipment. Scavengers, perhaps." Taeren says, "Things have evaporated into the air here. And someone has taken things from the lab - look." He points at the lab table. "Could you infer who - or what - from the fingerprints, or the pattern and dimensions of the holes left in the dust, where they touched things?" He turns to his boss. "Zetral, would you be so kind as to guard the door? It would be very bad to wind up locked in this room." Falcrin shakes his head. "Whoever they were, they were careful to eliminate evidence that could identify them. These areas have been wiped clean." Zetral nods, slightly, stepping back into the doorway, though he peers around, studying things from a distance. Falcrin looks at his scanner's display as it finishes processing. "However, I believe I may have found the answer to this planet's current state..." Taeren looks at the mainframe, then at Falcrin. "By all means, explain .." Stargazer moves to stand beside Falcrin, trying to catch a glance at the scanner's readings, "What have you found?" Falcrin reads a few lines, then speaks. "The information is sketchy as I don't have the processing power here to fully decode it, but it would seem this planet and many others in the region were in a state of interplanetary war. This race invented a doomsday bio weapon with the intent of gaining power over their enemies. A calculated bluff, if you will." Looking at a skeleton visible in the hall beyond the decon chamber, he says, "It would seem it backfired." "See!" Taeren says, emphatically. "I *told* you. Didn't I *tell* you! Maza's kiss, is it still active in the air? Do you know if it would affect our physiology, or how long they expected before symptoms developed?" Falcrin punches a few buttons on his scanner, and shakes his head. "You could say it is still in the air, you could say it is not. Based on the chemical formula in this data, I have been able to detect trace amounts of it in the environment, but it is heavily mutated. The evidence suggests it has mutated over time to a non-lethal form. Otherwise, I would not be standing here speaking to you." Zetral looks at the others, and then states, "Well, I've got NBC Decon equipment on the Endeavor... But anyway, it looked like whatever it was took effect very quickly, anyway. The people on the highway didn't have time to stop, or anything. Taeren presses a hand to his faceplate, as close as he can get to a facepalm in his present state. "Great," he vocalizes with his speaker. "I'm going to have an intergalactic version of Montezuma's Revenge." Falcrin nods. "According to what data I can decipher, their bluff was called and the weapon deployed. It achieved its goal, and destroyed their enemies, but they did not anticipate and infected enemy vessel derelict drifting back here, crashing and delivering the weapon to themselves. The results were lethal." Stargazer's breath fogs against her mask, clouding the transparent material, "Still, it may be dangerous. What if it only sleeps." Zetral gulps, once, as he looks carefully around the room, shaking his head. "Just goes to show about doomsday weapons.. They aren't worth the effort." Falcrin nods. "I will transmit this information to our central computer on the ship and run several simulations on it. That will give us a better understanding of its characteristics." Taeren slides out his PDA, holding it out towards Falcrin. "Please transmit the data you found on the disease over my way. That way, if we get sick later, we'll at least have the genetic sequencing when we cross back to our own universe." Falcrin nods, swinging his scanner towards the PDA, and tapping a few buttons. A progress bar rolls across the scanner's screen, then flashes, "COMPLETE". Stargazer takes out her own PDA, "Please, may I have the information as well. Our healers will want to look at it." Falcrin nods, repeating the process for Stargazer's PDA. Taeren suddenly comes to a revelation, "Everyone here understands that it's very important that we keep this information to ourselves. If it falls into the wrong hands ... some people have used biological weapons in the recent past, in our universe." Falcrin nods to Zetral. "It seems that weapon proved fatal for more than just its creators. We passed several planets on our way here, all were devoid of life, although their environments were more than capable of supporting it." Zetral nods, slightly, and then pauses... "Could you also send a copy to the Endeavor's computer? Just in case we can't get back to our ships for some reason." Falcrin nods, "I will do so." He nods to Taeren, "A wise precaution, we must keep this information from getting spread too far. These people did this in the name of defense, it is unthinkable what someone in the name of evil could do with it." Stargazer frowns, "Having the information will allow the Qua Master Healers time to develope defenses against such an attack." She presses a button on her pda, then switches it off, replacing it into the pocket of her coat." Taeren says, "So ... we know what happened ... a biological attack destroyed an entire universe. Except for some people who are alive on this planet, and escaped your scans. I recommend copying the whole of that mainframe's data to the Broadwing's computers, where your translation algorithms can work on it. After that ... there's no real reason to hang around here." Falcrin nods. "Agreed. I will remain here to extract as much data as possible." On a private Commlink channel: "Broatvink, tovnloatink planetary surfey to you ... eets avful lonely vhere you are, nyi, repeat, nyi ozer signs ov life. At least tventy major metropleetan areas an zee only life signs ve are peekink up are four ... you exploratory team. Gray Horse out an outbount." On a private Commlink channel: 'That confirms the information we have gathered from their research labs. Thank you.'. Zetral nods, very slightly, seeming to agree with this statement. "Alright, well, I'm gonna head back to the Endeavor." He taps the fliter on the end of his mask. "I only brought one filter, and it's getting towards the end of its operating life." Falcrin nods. "My appreciation for your company, and your assistance. May the winds lift you." Stargazer seems hesitant to leave right away, "Do you need assistance, Doctor?" Zetral nods, once, and then turns to leave quickly. Taeren says, "I'm planning on looking into the city itself before I head back to the Endeavor ... I'd prefer not to go alone."
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