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Troubled Waters
117 Plays1 year ago
Unravel a mystery in Time & Space with Team TARDIS! Join the Fixer and his companion, Maeve Sullivan, on their first proper assignment from the Doctoral Program. Strap in, because it's a doozy: Study the wibbly-wobbly history unfolding on the futuristic ocean world of Caspian VI!
There they'll meet Calamity Hap, a wayward traveler of the stars, with a day pass to the Sardick Science Center! Fascinating things are happening fast, but all is not as it seems!
Enjoy thrills, chills, and laughs galore with Brand Osorio, Cate MacCoyne, and Pandora Beatrix, along with GM Casey Jones. It's bound to be a fantastic time!
Music by Tabletop Audio
Theme by RJ Pirchinello
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Transcript
00:00:05
Speaker
Time travel, sci-fi adventures, and risky rolls of the dice lie ahead.
Welcome and Introductions
00:00:09
Speaker
Hello and welcome to Anywhere But Now, a Doctor Who actual play podcast. I'm your host and GM, Casey Jones. The next hour or so holds a thrilling adventure in time and space, so let's dive in.
00:00:22
Speaker
With me is the wonderful crew of our time-traveling machine. Playing the Fixer is the indescribable Brandasorio. And joining him for their second adventure is Maeve Sullivan, intrepid reporter, played by the terrific Kate McCoyn. Last but not least, filling the TARDIS team is Pandora Beatrix as Calamity Hap. Rolling double sixes bring extra bonuses, while rolling Snake Eye spells disaster.
00:00:47
Speaker
House rules mean our players begin the game with five, count them five story points each, so they're not empty handed, but don't have an embarrassment of riches either.
Game Mechanics
00:00:56
Speaker
Get ready for a collaborative, immersive storytelling experience. Instead of a legendary hero who's defeated the Daleks and the Cybermen hundreds of times, our intrepid fixer is still in his first incarnation, traveling the cosmos as a senior member in the doctoral program.
00:01:14
Speaker
What's that, you wonder? Rolls, rules, and other tantalizing tidbits will be explained as we go. This fine TARDIS crew have no idea what they're heading into. And of course, a bigger on the inside thank you to our listeners. Time is truly a gift, or it wouldn't be the present. We thank you for spending yours with us.
Social Media & Interviews
00:01:33
Speaker
If you like what you hear, follow us on Twitter at anywhere but now, underscore at the end. Links to everything in the doobly-doo. Stick around after the game for interviews with the players.
00:01:43
Speaker
Brought to you wherever you're listening in time and space. This is anywhere but now.
Arrival at Caspian Six
00:02:24
Speaker
Calamity, you have just arrived on the ocean world of Caspian Six. The Sardic Science Center is one of the most fascinating research institutes in the quadrant. The planet is entirely covered with water, save for these completely artificial outposts.
00:02:48
Speaker
You step out onto a platform wide as a small town, sitting comfortably just above sea level on an ocean that stretches from one horizon to the other. A small forest of wind turbines churn on the warm-sawed breeze flowing from the west. Everywhere you look, pavilions of science and study glisten in a noonday sun half-hit behind fat clouds above.
00:03:10
Speaker
Guided tours are available. Happy faced visitors wander freely. Reinforced walkways safely connect every block of the Science Center. Calamity as you step off the space bus from orbit, the driver gets on the horn one final time.
00:03:34
Speaker
There are any number of directions to go in. It is currently a couple of hours before sunset. People are gathering and milling around tour guides. So like people are wandering, people are taking tours. You have a day pass for the Sardic Science Center. You received it in a raffle as part of your last job. You have been on the road for some time and this is a nice break that came to you completely from the whim of
00:04:03
Speaker
the heavens. What would you like to explore?
00:04:08
Speaker
Oh well first I just wanted to thank the shuttle bus pilot because the delay was fantastic because the view here is just amazing and you know we had a lot more time to see it. It's really great. Yeah I'm just gonna sort of pick a random direction and then go because literally everything here is interesting and then you know I'm obviously I'm doing my standard you know looking out for anything that seems particularly unusual that's going on but for the most part I'm just sort of absorbing the ambience.
00:04:34
Speaker
Beautiful. As far as the ambiance is concerned, there is presently a tug of war between style and substance. And substance is slowly losing the war. Laser lights span out across the middling cloud cover to the north and loudspeakers on a circuit. Occasionally remind you to visit the Arena Boy Alice this evening. And so forth. Literally, whatever is the nearest thing, that is where I'm going.
Exploring the TARDIS
00:05:04
Speaker
Okay, the tour lines drop you off and pick you up near the gift shop. Over to the right shore of the institute is the Aquarium Research and off to the left is the Greenhouse Lab. Looks like right, so we're going to go to Aquarium Research.
00:05:23
Speaker
Okay, sweet! We cut to...
00:05:53
Speaker
In the center of the room is a clear console with vibrantly lit controls. A single light is out on one button of the console. A crystal-appointed wand built into the floor is the final pull mechanism to activate the time rotor, groaning along happily as a time machine can. A clear grip bar at waist height runs the length of the console, which seems to carry no fingerprints.
00:06:16
Speaker
The only non-clear furniture in the room occupies a corner made cozy, where an espresso machine, an armchair with an ottoman, and a little table with a bowl of walnuts wait for the auditor. You are currently riding through the time vortex on your way to your first official assignment as part of the doctoral program and your semester abroad.
00:06:39
Speaker
Fixer, you and Maeve have the run of the room. I am probably adjusting the contents of my Kilt's cargo pockets with a horrifically large pile of various tools, all of them very, very low-tech looking, analog as they could get, but piled high next to me as I'm reaching into one pocket and adjusting and then reaching into another pocket, pulling out one item and putting it down and replacing it with something else.
00:07:09
Speaker
You're fully repaired and replaced. Sonic Stylus is waiting, fully charged in a socket on part of the console. Excellent. Maeve, you've had a day or two on your own to explore the TARDIS and get comfortable and make your room your own. Be safely around a time machine that is bigger on the inside. What have you done in the last day or two as you've bounced around the vortex?
00:07:35
Speaker
I think Maeve has done a lot of walking around the TARDIS and pointing at something and going, what does that do? And then listening to the answer as if she fully understands it. And then walking to the next thing she doesn't recognize and going, and what does that do? Currently, she is perched on a ledge somewhere drinking a cup of espresso from the auditor and taking notes in her little notebook trying to write down everything she remembers and somehow understand it. And she's not doing a very good job of that.
00:08:03
Speaker
I don't imagine so. Give me an ingenuity roll to see if Post-its blow her mind. Post-its, which have been helpfully placed around the TARDIS with every... What's that do? What's that for? Where's that tube go? Etc.
00:08:25
Speaker
That is double three, so pretty average. Averages average to ever average. Okay, you're not mind blown by it, but you are like, that is cool. I feel like a little surprised every time she comes across one because I think by now both of you have started to anticipate where the what is that do's are gonna come in and like hang them preemptively. And she's like, oh, there's, there's a note here.
00:08:49
Speaker
I just picture shoulder-high shot of Maeve wandering through the hexagonal halls of the TARDIS with the fixer and the auditor trailing behind her. Every time she asks a question, she's like, what's that do? The auditor just rips off a post-it and he fixers, slaps it to the... Well, that's the ergonomic hydrometer. And just like three long seconds of, what's that do?
00:09:17
Speaker
What's that do? There are also helpful arrows pointing to various necessary places like the TARDIS wardrobe, which is always, you know, three rights, two lefts, down the stairs, up past the observatory and hang a right after the Arboretum. And it is a beautiful observatory. It really is.
Mission Preparations
00:09:39
Speaker
It's really something.
00:09:40
Speaker
Absolutely mind-blowing. Fixed to the TARDIS console as part of the doctoral program is your dispatch, a 1920s-style radio-looking fax machine that receives your latest updates via the pneumatic time tubes going all over the place. If you've ever had the delight as a child to watch one of your parents take one of those deposits, tankards, and just... and...
00:10:07
Speaker
shoot it off through the tubes. Yes, as you are in the middle of the vortex, a slides down and a canister just rolls out of the dispatch. The auditor takes it, hatches it open and takes a look at what it says inside. Ooh, what does it say?
00:10:26
Speaker
Oh, kudos for deactivating a rudimentary time lock and acquiring a server companion. Well done. The device has been collected by top specialists for analysis, and, you know, Trip Shine is not in our records. Do not pursue Trip Shine. He folded up and pins that to you. It is the first slip of two. His eyes, uh, brighten a little bit. Like, oh!
00:10:51
Speaker
Oh, you're going to enjoy this one and he tucks it into a vest pocket. Today, my lucky fixer, you're going to be in the environs of nascent temporal significance.
00:11:04
Speaker
I do enjoy a little temporal significance. Fixer and Maeve both give me an ingenuity and knowledge check. Because, yeah, you never know who's hanging around a bar. And I think some temporal significance is maybe something you heard of. You don't know. Fixer, you can throw two on for being a Time Lord trainee. Looks like I'm looking at a three and a two with a total of 13. Bully, that's good. That's a strong 13. Maeve, what did you get as your total roll?
00:11:33
Speaker
I've got a 3 and a 5 with a total of 15. You have already started to like pour over open textbooks left around. The fixer is many things, but the most fastidious at cleaning up after themselves in the TARDIS console room. Nacent temporal significance.
00:11:51
Speaker
is where the wisps of causality and chance become the cotton of opportunity, which is spun into the fabric of time and space. Something important may or may not happen today. Maeve, we are about to experience one of the true glories of this type of travel. Just keep your eyes open. I think we're going to have a great time. What do you think is going to happen? That's the best part. I have absolutely no idea.
00:12:21
Speaker
Amazing. There is a chirp and a tweet on the console of your coordinates that the doctoral program would like you to go to. This is going to be an ingenuity and transportation role. Add to for being a Time Lord. And you do have an advantage here because the coordinates have already been locked in.
00:12:42
Speaker
So roll free dice, keep the best of two. Maeve, how do you feel watching the Fixer start to go about operating the TARDIS console? I think Maeve has just like, wherever she is, she's gotten up, stowed her little notebook, and is like kind of like following the Fixer and watching everything that is happening here.
00:13:02
Speaker
Beautiful. From his chair, the auditor is watching with just, the shot would be from over his book as he's pretending to read and he's just watching with, go get him kid, kind of zeal. Yes, Fixer, what was that role please altogether?
00:13:20
Speaker
Well, all together it was a 13, but I'm looking at a 1 and a 6 on the dice. So I'm definitely walking up with some trepidation after our last, less than smooth landing. I definitely want to make sure that everyone on board feels safe while traveling, and I have a fear that, ooh, this might not go as well as I'm hoping, but...
00:13:38
Speaker
Grab hold of the console and begin the process. Okay. A 13 is one success level below where we would need to be for a safe and ordinary landing. These are the magic numbers. A six and a one, neatly cancel each other out. So would you like to spend a story point to bring yourself up? Would you like to ask Maeve for some help as the TARDIS is wobbling on its way out of the vortex? Or would you like to let things fall where they may?
00:14:07
Speaker
I think I would like to use that story point just because the safety of everybody on board is one of the primary important systems. Beauty, just as like things are starting to land neatly, you hit some chop and the TARDIS starts to wobble and over in the corner the auditor just lifts the bowl of walnuts so it doesn't roll away across the floor this time.
00:14:27
Speaker
Ooh, definitely feeling the sides of that time vortex, aren't we? Let's adjust that a little. Blue stabilizer, he cost. Quickly reach out, hit that. And you materialize two feet above the ground. Gravity kicks in and the whole place just falls to solid beams. Everything appears to be okay. Nothing is too badly jostled. Reach out.
00:14:55
Speaker
pet the console, caringly, reach up, grab my sonic stylus, slide it in a pocket, turn towards Maeve, and say, hope that landing wasn't as concerning as previous. Oh, this is the most fun I've ever had.
00:15:09
Speaker
Oh, good. Good. That's a relief. Both of you give me an awareness role with intuition, please. Maeve, take an extra two for being an intrepid reporter like you've been trying to observe as much as you can. Pixar, go ahead and add two for being a Time Lord, please. Excellent. Ended up with a 15 with
Exploration of the Science Center
00:15:26
Speaker
a two and a six on the dice. And that is a total of 17 for me with a six and a two.
00:15:31
Speaker
Great. As the fixer brings around the scanner, Maeve wanders over to the console and notices that out of all the candy-like buttons, one is just dead. Uh, is this one out for a reason? Well, I believe everything happens for a reason. I'd like to look a little closer. You blink in bafflement at the button that is currently dead. One of the drawbacks of having a completely transparent console is that nothing is labeled.
00:16:02
Speaker
Well, I've never experienced that before, so I'm not quite sure what's going to happen. Maeve has successfully activated the scanners. You are on some kind of floating pavilion on an ocean world. The readout announces that you are currently on Caspian 6 in the late 22nd century. About five o'clock in the afternoon, you have a couple of hours before sunset. Welcome to Sardic Science Center. Sardic Science Center? It's very far in the future.
00:16:32
Speaker
Well, relatively? The auditor snaps on his coat and double-checks that he's got everything before he puts on his pith helmet and says, yes, well, time is relative, wherever we go. From the fixes, in my perspective, it's in quite the distant past. Well, like, what actually is here? It's a science center? And there's a lot of water. Do they have... Do you think there's, like, fish here? There's probably some sort of aquatic species that they study here. We should go find out.
00:17:00
Speaker
That's to the exterior of the TARDIS, which is still a quick fix time repair watch shop. It now sticks out like a sore thumb on a pavilion of what is largely gleaming steel and glass. The fixer, you start to get the inclination that you know what that light was that went out. Well, we may need to create an extra sign for the outside.
00:17:27
Speaker
The auditor tucks the open to closed sign dangling inside the glass door as he shuts it. Cut to calamity. If you have ever been to a working museum or a working science center, there is frequently a glass wall dividing where the tourists can go from where the scientists are doing their research inside the aquarium nursery.
00:17:57
Speaker
A tour is currently a couple of meters ahead of you walking around the inside of a well-funded research laboratory. The air is cooler here than outside. Beyond the glass are a number of research tables complete with indoor pools and experiments testing the native waters.
00:18:16
Speaker
One is a tropical tank rife with dazzling scaled fish. A large pool supports a handful of small green jellyfish. A third houses electric eels. The tour guide is talking about how Caspian 6 has a nine perfect ecosystem for supporting aquatic life, but for whatever reason life never took.
00:18:38
Speaker
All the building blocks are there, but there's been no spark. The water's natural warm climate does not help things. Research is supported by the SARDIC Foundation, but interest in funding has started to wane since they perfected the crystal cloud technology.
00:18:56
Speaker
About the Science Center proper, there are towers with these small glowing crystals that along with sound propagate and move the cloud cover around. Is it obvious that you are not in fact supposed to go on the other side of the glass? Security around here is not the most supreme. You wander this to yourself like, how tight is the security around here?
00:19:25
Speaker
Yeah, the other side of the glass does seem, frankly, more interesting. It really does. Give me an awareness roll, please. An intuition. So it looks like nine. That is not going to do it. A twelve is the minimum for something that is not necessarily a secret fact.
00:19:42
Speaker
You do, however, have the option to spend a story point or two to improve your success. One story point would raise you to a yes, but and spending two story points would get you to a uncomplicated yes.
00:19:58
Speaker
Well, let's just spend one then. As you wonder to yourself, just how tight is the security around here?
Calamity in the Lab
00:20:04
Speaker
You get your answer because the crowd parts and you get a straight beeline of sight to the access doors and a guy in a lab coat with a tray with his lunch on it. And you can see completely what buttons he's pressing. They're not small and he pushes the door open. But as he turns around, just out of force of habit, he does clock you.
00:20:27
Speaker
seeing him craning to see, oh, is that the door code? So you get weird looks from one of the scientists as he just waves to you as the glass door shuts between you. That's fine. But yes, you now have the access code for this particular lab.
00:20:44
Speaker
Oh, excellent. Well, then I'll just go over there and put that in. Do you want to do that right now when people are milling about? Or do you want to bide your time for a hot second and use coordination and subterfuge? Or do you want to do it with an audience? I feel like, honestly, the best things just happen when you just sort of go do them and don't really worry about it. So yes, I'm just gonna do the first one. I'm just gonna go do it and not worry about it.
00:21:08
Speaker
Add a story point calamity, that is your first story point of the game, for acting in a way that I believe not only promotes the story forward, but also is an entirely something mishap would do. Give us a coordination and subterfuge role for the tiptoeing, unnoticedly, to the door and then the doot-doot-doot-doot of the code.
00:21:32
Speaker
Can I pitch presence instead of coordination because I'm basically just sort of acting like there's no problem with me doing this because that is in fact what I bleeped. That is absolutely fair. Do you have any points in convince? Yes, I do have three in convince. You can try to convince the passers-by that you're not doing anything you're not supposed to. Give us a presence and convince role. Oh, that looks like a 17.
00:21:56
Speaker
That's beautiful. You don't even have to pick the lock. You just doot doot doot doot doot and push your way in. As you go in and the door pisses shut behind you, we pan to the entryway of the aquarium where the fixer and mave and trailing behind them is the auditor entering the aquarium proper.
00:22:20
Speaker
Is there a map of any sort detailing what sorts of wondrous creatures are currently being spotted? I feel like one of those brochures you get at the zoo. Maeve, give me an awareness roll. Fixer, give me a presence and convince roll to charm your way onto a tour in progress.
00:22:39
Speaker
Double ones. Maeve, while you are outside on the pavilion, you get a face full of sunlight off a glass roof right in your eye and you will be at a minus one two awareness for the next 30 minutes of gameplay starting now. So no, you did not find a map. I am sorry. Victor, how did you do on your presence and convince me?
00:23:03
Speaker
I got a 5 and a 4 on the dice, and a total of 14. As the three of us blend into the back of the crowd, and the tour guide is like, oh, one, two, three more of you. Hi, welcome, welcome. I'm Gemma. Nice to meet you all. Pleasure, Gemma. Thank you so much for your amazing tour. We're really excited for it. Oh, hi, Gemma. Light's really bright here, isn't it?
00:23:24
Speaker
Oh yes, yes it is. We do have visors on sale to help with the glint that are available in the gift shop. She walks the tour slowly enough in front of the glass wall that you can see the various experiments going on. Most of the scientists are working at one of these three pools, whether it's the Papa piranha, whether it's the electric eels or the jellyfish. But when she gets to the middle of the
00:23:54
Speaker
Walkway Gemma says and watch out for the Papa piranha. They eat whatever they wanna That's clever
00:24:02
Speaker
But yes, they are quite carnivorous and have been known to eat flesh and bones. So please watch yourself. Are they native to this planet? That's a wonderful question. The answer is no. And she starts to go into a rehearsed, practiced spiel, where she competently explains while most of the building blocks and proteins of supporting an ecosystem are present, the temperature has proven to be a couple of degrees too warm.
00:24:31
Speaker
to support that life. So the waters are presently non-viable for that. The experiments they're doing are testing the waters literally to see if endangered species or indigenous species that are harmful to others could be transplanted here under some conditions. They have not found any answers yet, but it does look like they are able to keep these habitats of sea creatures alive.
00:24:54
Speaker
add one story point. Maeve, give me an awareness roll on the other side of the glass. Calamity, please give me an awareness roll. I got a 2 and a 3 for a total of 11. I also got an 11. Calamity does not locate a rack of lab coats, so she just wanders into the lab proper dressed as she is.
00:25:19
Speaker
I don't blend. He just has a sort of gray coverall jumpsuit and a cropped hologram rainbow hoodie jacket. That is an awesome hoodie. Love it. Okay, this is on me. I should have asked earlier what you were wearing. That hoodie is going to put you at a minus two not to be noticed in the future. Yes. FYI. There is nothing subtle about that hoodie.
00:25:45
Speaker
Given that that makes you an extra two points to be noticed, that does put Maeve's roll over the necessary from one of the 13 because you're two points easier to see and she spots a person who does not look like they know where they're going, taking it all in on the other side of the glass.
00:26:03
Speaker
Gemma has her back to the glass because she's talking and going through her spiel about all the doctors that work here, Dr. Gogol and Dr. Lomo. I stand on tiptoe and I wave to the person behind the glass who seems to have no idea where they are. Lamity, do you see the person at the tail end of the tour group outside waving to you specifically? Let me get an awareness roll and I'll put, I'll give you a plus two because she is very deliberately waving.
00:26:30
Speaker
Also, I feel like while Maeve has adopted like maybe a pair of blue jeans and a nice sweater, she's still very much doing like her hair and the rest of her looks still very much like a woman from the 1890s. I like it, I dig it. This will be completely lost on calamity. But yes, I have a 17. Okay, yeah, you super notice the waving young woman with an anachronistic hairdo next to Dandy's.
00:26:56
Speaker
So I'm going to sort of start gesticulating like, do you want to come in here? Open the door. Yes. Babe is going to nod like very big gesture. And then I'm going to like elbow the fixer and point towards this. I'll go back towards the door then to let them in because not everybody is lucky enough to see the code.
00:27:19
Speaker
This is too fun to get in the way of. Yeah, the tour guide has her back the entire time and is already leading the other groups onto the next site that are going to head for the observatory. As Fixer and Maeve head for the door to the lab, I am going to need another presence and convince role though. And you are going to be at a minus two because of that wonderful hoodie. Perfectly understandable.
Confrontation with Scientists
00:27:45
Speaker
It's the way of 12 this time. Yeah, with the minus two.
00:27:48
Speaker
Dr. Lomo's awareness plus seven only comes to 11. You narrowly escape her otherwise occupied vision because she is focusing on her experiments. Since you already have the code and you're also on the unlifed side of the glass, you can just push it open. Did you want to come in? It's much more interesting in here. Yeah, it looks more interesting. Are you one of the scientists? Uh, not that I'm aware of. Oh, cool. Not that I'm aware of.
00:28:19
Speaker
Story point for calamity. I mean, I haven't tried doing any science yet, but so I could be great at it. We should try doing some science. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Victor, this is Maeve, and this is the auditor. Hello. Hello, is there your first name or is it just part of an address?
00:28:38
Speaker
It's part of the vibe. I've had confusion with that before because I had a whole thing with my name. My name is Chronometry Hat right now, anyway. That's what I'm using, yeah. So, it's a place to meet you.
00:29:09
Speaker
It is a very pretty name.
00:29:13
Speaker
Thank you. If you want to commit it, I was just gonna... I was just sort of watching what they were doing, and then... I mean, I guess, yes, if any of it seems interesting and not that hard, then, you know, we could do some science, too. I would like an awareness roll from Maeve and the Fixer, please. Awareness and intuition. Oof. I am way too focused and impressed by that hoodie to notice anything else in the room. I ended up getting a seven with two ones.
00:29:40
Speaker
I got double twos for a total of 10. While you are taking everything in, fixer with those double ones. You turn at a noise a little too sharply and stub your toe.
00:29:58
Speaker
on the edge of a research table, you're gonna be at a minus one to coordination for anything involving perambulation for the next half an hour. That also made a lab when you accidentally kicked the table. The entire lab now knows you are here. None of us are wearing anything approximating lab attire and stick out like the sorest of thumbs. Very educated by the noise and immediately goes to the table and also kicks it.
00:30:28
Speaker
Like that was great. It is pretty resilient, isn't it? That's quality build right there. The nearest scientist with the most important looking lab coat on, the sea of scientists drifts apart as a baffled looking clean cut woman steps forward. What? What are you doing here? Who are you?
00:30:55
Speaker
What is looking at the science? I'm going to try and move. I learned. You know why we're here. You rock. That was wonderful. Roll presence and convince.
00:31:05
Speaker
That's a 4 and a 1 for an 11. That's an 8 with a 4 as a 12, unless you want to spend story points. Can I spend some story points for her? This is a fine point to bring up the value of gadgets. One of the things that a Time Lord usually carries is psychic paper, and gadgets contain in themselves two
00:31:28
Speaker
Story points, given this is very ingrained, and the story points are right there. Yeah, if you want, you can use both. I would like to. I'd like to flip that psychic paper open, stand as assuredly as I can, and not say a word just backing exactly what Maeve said.
00:31:45
Speaker
You two kicked the table one after another, clinging to the refuge in audacity. And as Calamity rambles to a halt about how good the tables are, Dr. Lomo blinks, says, Can I help you? At this point, Maeve just, she's like, No, wait, I know, I know. You know why we're here.
00:32:08
Speaker
And then the auditor just wraps Fixer in the elbow. Real crazy. Oh, in a very unconvincing fashion until there's that chunk of credibility. Dr. Lomo looks at the psychic paper. Her smile disappears into resting scowl face. She says, you're with the sardic foundation. Oh, our apologies. We weren't expecting you today to review.
00:32:37
Speaker
The science, as you put it. One of the scientists in the back of the room coughs. What would you like to see first?
00:32:47
Speaker
We would like to see whatever you are most proud of. The smile does not reach her eyes. Yes, right this way. She walks you through a barely buying it, but also know that people with money don't necessarily have to show up in any kind of uniform or dress code or remembered to wear shoes today kind of fashions.
Debating Ecological Impact
00:33:12
Speaker
The local water is viable but still too warm to foster indigenous life. They've had luck testing the resources on the jellyfish and the other reef life at different temperatures. So the jellyfish needed the coldest
00:33:28
Speaker
the electric eels that are swimming around in a little mobius strip of their own and their own little tank with that obligatory bar of how many ampoules of energy they're generating at any given time and finally the Papa Piranha especially genetically bred version of Piranha to be complete
00:33:49
Speaker
omnivores. They're looking for ecologically friendly ways to, you know, help dispose of trash. A species of pup-pup piranha that can literally eat whatever they wanna has, you know, applications in ocean cleanliness, provided they don't just eat everything. And that would be my worry, Dr. Lomo. If we are expanding out these pup-pup piranha to this region, and there is any type of indigenous life that we are currently unaware of,
00:34:17
Speaker
Well, I mean the Sardic Foundation would not want to be responsible for the loss of indigenous life. She nods like she's heard that kind of warning slash spiel slash lip service from the ecologically minded. And she takes you to the wall where a
00:34:36
Speaker
Big blue vertical map of the water that just gets darker and darker and darker and darker the further away from the surface you get. They've done repeated scans. There is no indigenous life. Give me an awareness roll. Can I pop my sonic stylus out as if I'm taking notes on my little notepad and try to see if we can do a deeper scan using our technology?
00:34:59
Speaker
And I would like to add at least one story point as well. You can spend a story point without rolling to verify that, yes, the waters are lifeless. They have the means to support life, but the temperature has been too warm. Because you spend a story point, you also notice on the data metric that the basal water temperature of Caspian 6 has lowered by about six degrees over the last two months.
00:35:30
Speaker
Now this temperature decrease that we're seeing about six degrees, has that been a result of the work you and your team have been doing, or one of the other teams here? Dr. Lomo, size. Maeve, give me an awareness and intuition roll, please, and throw on... You know what? We're gonna use your focus here, because your focus is the truth, correct? Yes. Okay, so this is gonna be a three dice roll. You get to use all three.
00:35:55
Speaker
That is a total of 13 with two twos and a three. As Dr. Lomo starts to explain, you read the room accurately. Like you don't have a complete picture of the sharks versus the jets kind of competition of the various science pavilions, but what you do pick up on and the scientists just roll their eyes. Like we wish. Dr. Lomo explains.
00:36:20
Speaker
that the Crystal Cloud technology first perfected on behalf of the Sardic Foundation to be used on their home planet. The Crystal Cloud technology has been now amplified into entertainment. The Arena Borealis has started to influx a lot of funding that the Sardic Science Center
00:36:43
Speaker
badly needs. They have been generating more and more cloud cover over the last couple of months as they've done more and more and bigger and bigger shows. The turbine forests out to the west can usually disperse the the clouds as they blow through but the shows have been generating more and more. So the more cloud cover they've been generating that is the source of the temperature dip and unfortunately has nothing to do
00:37:10
Speaker
with any experiments they're trying to run.
00:37:14
Speaker
But if the water temperature is going down, isn't that a good thing? You could do the things that we've all been trying to do here with the stardic foundation. One of the other scientists near the front of the group says, well, that's true. But of course, the next step would be deciding which species to enter into this new habitat. And that's when Dr. Lomo talks over them and says, those decisions have already been made.
00:37:41
Speaker
a hush falls over the other scientists. They don't shrink, but they do shut their traps because they know that the boss has spoken. What decision? What are you going to do first?
00:37:53
Speaker
She just raises a finger and the tour guide who's on a new loop opens the door and says, yes. And Dr. Loma says, we have distinguished guests here. Please make sure they have access to anything they need. And Gemma escorts you all out onto the Science Center proper.
00:38:12
Speaker
turn to her as we had and just say, definitely think if there's anything some additional funding might help you with. Your projects are very important to us at Sardic. He does not warm at all when you say that. It is a little bit later in the day. So Maeve, your awareness handicap has elapsed to 30 minutes. I believe Fixer still has some time left on his coordination handicap.
00:38:37
Speaker
Gemma has some pep in her step and like legit seems like she's happy to work here. She's at that age of graduate school. She's in her mid 20s. And as she starts taking you around the science center proper, she starts getting into a kick about how excited she's been working with Dr. Lomo and Dr. Gogol and Dr. Cook. She's learned so much from all of them in all the different departments and she can't wait to get her master's degree, you know, really sink her teeth into some science.
00:39:07
Speaker
What is your favorite thing that they do here? What is the thing that brings you joy, that when you think of the thing that brings you the most pride out of anything that we accomplish right here? She stops and smiles wistfully and over her shoulders are the stellar observatory. She says,
00:39:27
Speaker
I knew I liked you for a reason. You are now at a plus two for social interactions with Gemma, and she offers to take you inside the stellar observatory. That sounds nice. Amazing. It's a reason you're not, you know, observing them from space with, you know, closer. She chuckled. She's like, that's a great question. Actually, the views from here have been astronomical.
00:39:57
Speaker
But also quite seriously, the space lane traffic is already cluttered enough. We have plenty of pyro telescopes from down here. There are a lot of people in space these days. She thinks for a second about it, and nods, and her ponytail bounces. Yeah, I mean, the Science Center always did decent business, but ever since the Arena Borealis took off, that's been a major draw.
00:40:23
Speaker
What is it that they actually show off at the Arena Borealis, Gemma? She says, better to show than tell, and reaches into a back pocket and takes out pamphlet quality paper, Arena box seats of the Arena Borealis for this evening's show. You are too kind, thank you.
00:40:41
Speaker
That seems fun. It really is. I've been a dozen times. It's fantastic. But yeah, I've got a quota, so I have to keep handing those out. You enter a massive observatory that reaches into the sky. Faint blinking lights halo the tower and its telescope. Inside, a ramp corkscrews the way to a humongous telescope and its console. At the top by the console is an untouched meal and an over toppled chair. Gemma leading the way is like, oh!
00:41:10
Speaker
Dr. Cook, he's always so busy, she picks up the chair and goes into her reversed spiel about the Observatory. Funded by the Sardic Foundation, the Observatory captures invaluable research in the Quadrant, tracking wonderful things like the Castellas meteorites, and also keeping the Quadrant safe by monitoring swarm activity. Now don't worry, the swarm has no interest in this planet. Swarms of what? Like a swarm of bees!
00:41:35
Speaker
No, no, the swarm. The swarm? Fixer, give me a knowledge roll. Absolutely. So this is going to be ingenuity and knowledge and plus two for Tylor training.
00:41:47
Speaker
Ooh, very nice. Got a five and a three on the dice, and we're looking at a total of 16. Beautiful. The Swarm are base-faring parasites that completely ravage whole planets and reduce them to sandy briquettes. They travel in numbers of the thousands, if not the millions. They have been known to completely destroy entire planets in a matter of minutes. And since they travel through the stars via these subspace holes, they tear themselves
00:42:17
Speaker
through just how fast they are ripping through the air and consuming. They can pop in and pop out from heaven knows where, so one of the things that the Sardic Observatory does is monitor the skies for swarm activity so they can be tracked, they can try and form, you know, travel patterns, etc.
00:42:33
Speaker
Okay, I would like to pull out my notepad, pull out my sonic stylus, begin explaining to Calamity and Maeve the dangers and worries about the swarm while I begin downloading the data from the observatory telescope, tracking data they've accumulated about the swarm so far. That I will need an ingenuity and technology role and throw to on for the sonic please. So they're like space paparana. Yes, they are like space paparana.
00:43:01
Speaker
Because they pop, and then also they pop a runner. Pop a runner. They pop in and then they pop out, that makes sense. This one were quite deadly. There's one of those helpful science centers, zoo maquettes, that have the illustration of the animal. And what you have is a manta ray, roughly the size of a mid-sized sedan.
00:43:24
Speaker
more teeth than the Manson family, and the teeth appear to be almost metal or stone. They are that sharp and dense. There's one in the illustration, and behind them are an endless cloud of same.
00:43:41
Speaker
Wow, they're great. Oh my, yes, they're quite terrifying. Fortunately, they've never shown any interest in water planets, so we're quite safe. Any questions? So many wonderful questions, but I would love to meet Dr. Cook first. She looks around. You know, Dr. Cook is so busy. He's the head of operations for the entire pavilion, so if he's not here, he might be checking in with Mr. Cradmatter over at the Arena Borealis.
00:44:04
Speaker
Zap, crab matter. Zap, crab matter. So, Fixer, what did you get with your ingenuity and technology and Sonic? We ended up with a 14, but I did get a 1 and a 5. Accessing the logs on the telescope is trickier than you thought. The logs actually freeze you out. There appear to be, at the very least, some security on the records. The good news is you did not set off any alarms. The bad news is you are at minus 2 to try again.
00:44:33
Speaker
But yeah, you do a quick scan of the records. You get a back of interference that a security on the records is not letting you through. Gemma turns like, can I help you? One of the things that we were tasked with was making sure that the data we're receiving lines up with the data that you have on site. Truth be told, Jenna, that's the reason one of our illustrious companions is called an auditor.
00:44:59
Speaker
The auditor just bounces on his heels with just like the he's right, you know, kind of expression. You are at a plus two to convince her with the good word of Dr. Lomo. So give me a presence and convince role and Maeve, give me one as well. Chime in with that. Ah, much better. Standing at a 16 with a three and a six.
00:45:17
Speaker
Yeah, no, 16 is much better for sweet-talking Gemma. Oh, oh, of course, absolutely. I don't know why they tried to shut you out, of course. And she goes over to the controls and goes deep in the deep duct, dude. And as you start poking through the telescope, she starts talking about how Dr. Cook has been a bit grouchy lately. You started making more snappish decisions, snapping at people and so forth. I thought that Tiki Luo was a great idea, but he hated it.
00:45:47
Speaker
When you open up the telescope, the first thing that you see is where it is pointed. The telescope currently has a view of a shipping crate. 10 meters long, 4 meters wide. It looks like a shipping crate of the 22nd century hanging in space smack dab in the middle of traffic lanes. You do access the logs. Dr. Cook has been using it a lot.
00:46:10
Speaker
When he's not tracking swarm activity, he is also watching the sky for things like the swarm packing crate that is currently up there. Would you like to spend a story point?
00:46:22
Speaker
Yes, please, and I also would like to, if possible, back up this data so we have it for future use. Spending the story point, I'd say, lets you copy the information.
Sontaran Activity Discovery
00:46:32
Speaker
You do also get the logs, the unofficial logs that Dr. Cook has kept on the computer that's attached to the telescope, and what you find that he is also tracking Sontaran activity in the Quadrant. Gemma, were you aware that there is a increase in Sontaran activity in the region?
00:46:51
Speaker
Dr. Cook, of course, must have brought it to somebody's attention and security here, right? This is the first time you've genuinely caught her off guard. What? Let me see. And she gets over your shoulder and scrolls through the information. And sure enough, the SARDIC Observatory telescope has been used to monitor and track suntaran movements in the distant corner of the quadrant. Is there any record on this machine of any downloads or exports of data that it's been used to send anywhere?
00:47:20
Speaker
That's a very good question. At a story point, yes, this information has been relayed from the observatory using the broadcast dish that is just off-site. And it does not look like it was being sent to the Sardauk Institute, does it? No, it does not.
00:47:36
Speaker
Is there anything, like, um, not on a computer lying around, any, like, notes or, you know, something a careless scientist might have left around that you could go snooping through? Yes, there are. Give me an awareness roll with intuition, Maeve the Investigator. Three dice because you're pursuing the truth, this is your focus. Give me an awareness and intuition roll and throw two more on for being a reporter.
00:47:59
Speaker
So it's a two, two ones and a three for a total of 14. But I will tack a story point on it if that's possible.
00:48:06
Speaker
Good news is a 14 is more than enough. The bad news is there is a one in that mix. So yeah, in addition to the untouched meal and the over toppled chair, you do find printouts of some complaints from a Dr. Gogol. They are not addressed to Dr. Cook as the chief of the observatory. They're addressed to him as the chief of the whole facility.
00:48:29
Speaker
There have been complaints about power being siphoned from the greenhouse to other departments of the Science Center that Dr. Cook has done nothing to address. Gemma stands a little taller and clears her throat apologizing as she straightens up the notices. She doesn't put them away, but she stacks them in so nicely and she puts them in Dr. Cook's inbox. All that power must be costing the Institute money and you don't even know where it's going.
00:48:56
Speaker
actually we use the wind turbines the turbine forest off the western coast provides most of our power just a finite amount of power what's uh suntaran oh they're very disagreeable little fellows
00:49:13
Speaker
Disagreeable fellows. I'd say that's quite accurate. I've never had the privilege of meeting them myself, but that is the general impression they've left. These are the Dr. Cook's notes on the Centaurans. They are nowhere near this quadrant. Likewise, they have no strategic interest in a water planet. It doesn't look like they have any knowledge that their movements are being observed.
Mystery of the Crate
00:49:36
Speaker
completely keeping Gemma in the loop as if this is just normal and how business like this happens. Turn to the rest of the team and say, I wonder if we should go up there and see what's in that box the illustrious doctor has been spending so much time looking at. Ooh, that sounds fun.
00:49:51
Speaker
does sound fun. We fast forward half an hour later. The sun is very close to sunset as the lot of you stand in the base bus parking station near where the TARDIS is parked.
00:50:07
Speaker
One of the space buses has been outrigged with a towing device attached to the shipping crate and brought it down. The crate has arrived as you guys stand close enough to watch with approval or disapproval. Yeah, there's a bit of a crowd around watching as the bus detaches from the crate and drives off again.
00:50:31
Speaker
Walking up with a 22nd century clipboard in his hand is none other than Zap Cradmatter. A flashy ringmaster of the Arena Borealis, he wears a red ultra velvet top coat with tails, black vest with gold buttons, and a diamond tie pin in his cravat. He looks at the clipboard in his hand, he taps it in a row of buttons, and the locks on the shipping crates piss and swing over.
00:51:00
Speaker
walk right up to Zap, give a quick scan of the box with my Sonic as I approach to make sure it's safe for everybody that's gathered around, turn to the fantastically drab Zap and say, you must be Zap-Crab Manor. I need to know who your tailor is. Oh yes, gambles of space London. You're obviously a gentleman of great taste. Excuse me, I have a job to do. Can you step back some? Who are you?
00:51:23
Speaker
flip up the psychic paper and don't say a word. And just look at him in a very approving, caring, like, I really think the world of you, sir, sort of way. Give me a prison's and convince role-fixer and throw on two for the psychic paper. Let's have a backup role with Calamity and Maeve contributing to the, yes, we belong here, we're supposed to be here, we are who we purport to be. Despite the fact that not one of us is worrying what the other is.
00:51:55
Speaker
The dice are definitely on our side. So yeah, I have a 20 with these pixages. And I have a 16 with a six and a three. A 17 with a six and a five. We are this man's new best friends.
00:52:11
Speaker
We are this man's new best friends. You have sweet-talked the heavens out of Zap Cradnetter. He just looks at you all and says, I do like the cut of your chip. Gemma starts to explain that you're with the Sartic Foundation and Zap says, I spotted a titan of industry when I saw one.
00:52:29
Speaker
He explains cheerily with another rehearsed Pat thing about how much benefit the Arena Borealis has brought to the Sardic Foundation. Zap stands a little taller, brags and says, you're looking at the personal protege of Wiz Dalton, of Joy Belin. So I think I know a thing or two about showmanship.
00:52:47
Speaker
We've almost tripled revenue of this science center with some little flash and pizzazz to add on to their technology and their pursuits of knowledge. But I couldn't be happier. He pops open one of the lids and they are stacked with foam green seat cushions to be added to the arena seating.
00:53:09
Speaker
We spared no expense because we can afford it now. He elbows you in the arm and he says, speaking of Joyblint, there's been talk about having another one of these set up on one of their water worlds. Wouldn't that be a pimp? That would be fantastic. I mean, with the great successes you've had here, I could easily see them replicating this at multiple locations. Maeve, give me an awareness roll and intuition. Double threes for a 13.
00:53:37
Speaker
Your reporter senses tingling when out of the crowd walks a reporter. He is a tired looking burnout of a 22nd century journalist. He is unshaven and does not look particularly happy to be here. He holds out a device that fits in his hand, clears his throat. Grat-clatch, new space Toledo Chronicle.
00:54:01
Speaker
What do you expect to bring with tonight's extravaganza? And he just holds out the mic and Zap goes into how great the Arena Borealis is. Their new program tonight is going to be the flashiest yet.
00:54:17
Speaker
And in character, I'm going to say, with the extravagance and wonder the Arena Borealis has brought, it is just so impressive. Zap, you're taking such good care of all the attendees, too, and give a knowing look towards the cargo crate filled with extra cushions.
00:54:35
Speaker
And he says, if we want butts in those seats, we're going to make those seats comfy. And a number of robots in bright employee-colored golf shirts step up manning these forklifts that come in, wheel the crates, and driving them along the walkway towards the Arena Borealis.
00:54:55
Speaker
Zap, hands, Grack clatched the journalist a box seat for tonight's show and then goes off just trying to whip the crowd up as he disappears and Grack filing his notes and he tucks the thing into his jacket. It doesn't look like he cares.
00:55:11
Speaker
So Grack, uh, looks like a bummer of a lead, huh? He scratches his jaw and yawns. He reaches into his pocket, pulls out a Snackums brand power bar, rips the foil off, and just starts talking over his chewing. It's like, you know, I covered the opening of the Plaxco plant. I covered the Dalek Blitz of Arbomont. I even covered Kitsy-Fantington's debutante ball. Okay, that was a cat kind debutante. The claws were out that night, and that is not a metaphor.
00:55:41
Speaker
I can imagine, and here you are reporting on the Arena Borealis. Why don't you tell me? Where is the story? What's your spin? Two items. Number one. Maeve, add a story point for going directly into the journalism lingo. That's fantastic. Grack? Stan? Half an inch taller. Thought I smelled ink on you. What rag you with?
00:56:03
Speaker
Ah, the Chronicle! One of them. He waves his note taker device around before tucking it into a code pocket that has used it so much, there's an indentation for it. He says, that's a good question. I know the ecologist has been raising a lot of stink about the waters, but if they're gonna make one announcement, who knows if they're not gonna make two. There's gotta be some free food around here.
00:56:27
Speaker
Wait, what announcements? Oh, you know, the big show, the things Zapp said about how they're expanding and, you know, the arena Borealis has gone from this little mini thing to the talking about franchising. It's not exactly news, but it's it's it's paid marketing. So that's what I'm here for. That's the state of the fortress eight. He said there are two. He just pats his belly. That's just what the old guts telling me. Oh, hot dog. And what's up to a hot dog?
00:56:55
Speaker
Speaking of gut feelings, it concerns me that there would have been any need to have the orbital telescope pointed at a shipping crate unless it wasn't supposed to be delivered here or worse yet, it's being delivered here by some nefarious purpose. Quickly check through the scan data we have and see is it something where he always checks for the packages or is it just for this package?
00:57:18
Speaker
Give me an ingenuity and tech roll and you're at an advantage because you have already collected the data and it is on your device. So roll three dice for me please and give me the highest opportunity. Yay well we're looking at a total of 12 with a four and a two.
00:57:32
Speaker
12 is good enough to collect information that is not presently secret. Also, you have elapsed the roleplay half hour of being down one point for coordination. So there are more than three or four years of regular reports and tracking from Dr. Cook.
00:57:49
Speaker
on stellar cartography. Then about two years ago, the Sardic Foundation charged him with tracking swarm activity, and that has been part of the normal process. Gemma expressed no surprise at all. Month of info, month of info. It was only in the last two months that he started making private logs of the santaren movements in the quadrant. Do you think there's something in the crate besides cushions? Maybe it's a cover? Can your little zzzz thing tell us?
00:58:18
Speaker
Well, I did scan the thing as I was approaching. Zap, did we get any results off that, or should I roll for that? Ingenuity, plus two for your Sonic, and you are at a disadvantage for this roll. People do sometimes put things in crates that are not what it says on the outside of the crates. I've heard a lot of rides on cargo ships. Sometimes you just look inside, because why wouldn't you? That sounds fascinating. Where were you trying to go on a cargo ship? Wherever it was going. Trying to go to a specific place just seems like asking for disappointment.
00:58:46
Speaker
Got a 10 with a 1 and a 3, unfortunately. With the 1 on the dice, you were not able to get any kind of specific material scan. You just identified them as green foam seat cushions for the Arena Borealis. Are the robots still going in and out, like taking cushions? They are swift, fast-efficient automatons, so they have finished the job already and, like, the last crate is being forklifted to the Arena.
00:59:15
Speaker
Quickly yell out to one of the robots. May I grab one of those, please? Present and convince roll, please. Got a 15 with a 6 and a 4. He halts and turns to the back of the crate and Zap looks at me and says, what are you doing? Waiting around. Go do your job. Go do your job. And has him look to you, tilt his head apologetically, and drive on. Fascinating. His...
00:59:38
Speaker
Zap and Gemma are firmly not around us right now, right? Gemma is a couple of feet away, there in case you guys need anything. She is just going over the papers that Dr. Gogo left on Dr. Cook's desk. Excellent. Unfortunately, I have the worst gut feeling that whoever sits on those cushions will be very negatively affected. But I have not a bit of proof to show in any direction that that could be the case. Well, we could go there and sit on some and see what happened.
01:00:07
Speaker
I like you, Calamity. It is a good idea. It is a good idea. So, Fixer, give me an Intuition Roll plus Time Lord Training. Okay, we're looking at a 13 with a 3 and a 2 in the die.
01:00:21
Speaker
The Centaurans have a specific enemy. The Centauran Rutan war has raged on for millennia. And the Rutans are shapeshifters by nature, so it is possible that strange things are afoot. It would not be the first time that they have inserted a scout to start testing the waters, so to speak. How dangerous are the Rutan? They can be quite deadly.
01:00:48
Speaker
Touch base deadly, or you can have a conversation across a room type of deadly. You can have a conversation across the room, but physical contact with them can be deadly.
Danger of Rutans
01:00:58
Speaker
I love the idea of going to check out more regarding these cushions, but do me the favor both of you. Please don't touch them, just in case. But how will we know if they're going to do something bad if we don't sit on them? Well, we could poke them with a stick, I think.
01:01:14
Speaker
I mean, we can try that. That's not the same as sitting, but all right. A calendar reminder beep goes off on Gemma's watch. She double checks it and goes, oh, fatal sticks. OK. I need to take a quick break and make sure that Dr. Gogol remembered to eat today. She is quite busy. I'm going to head for the greenhouse. Do you all need anything? Actually, we were hoping we could come with you. You've been so helpful. And I do believe Dr. Gogol is one of the people we have to make sure that their data does line up with what they're reporting.
01:01:45
Speaker
Oh absolutely, that makes a lot of sense. So she walks you across the pavilion. The sun has half set and we're getting closer to the nighttime performance. As you guys are going along the walkway talking and heading for the greenhouse lab, the Fixer's TARDIS still sticks out like a sore thumb.
01:02:06
Speaker
on a pavilion of concrete glass and steel, a wooden box that is painted red with a closed sign hanging in the window is just sitting there. And Gemma does a take at it. She's like, is that part of the next marketing campaign? If they didn't like the Tiki Luau, I guess that's a swing in the other direction, but I don't see the appeal. What was your question? Sorry, that just broke me. Oh, yes, it's definitely going to be part of the next promotion, from what I understand.
01:02:35
Speaker
It's kind of steam funky tonight. She continues to talk up Dr. Gogol as you guys approach. This is my third summer working at the Science Center, and I have gotten to work all over the place. And Dr. Gogol is one of the sweeter people. Her spouses are currently off planet. She rambles on about how sweet Dr. Gogol is with her spouses, walks you guys into the greenhouse lab.
01:03:01
Speaker
Our timing couldn't have been more perfect. I'm so happy that we were able to arrive at a time where we could actually meet Dr. Gogol in person. She literally never leaves except to complain or walk around the pavilion once a day because I make her. She shrugs. Genius gonna genius.
01:03:17
Speaker
That is so true. Genius is going to genius. Oh, speaking of geniuses, Gemma, have you noticed anything odd or different in the last two months? She starts counting off on her fingers. You know, there has been a bit of a tug of war with the way things have been running ever since Dr. Cook took over, as like the head honcho of everything in charge. I don't know if it's the pressure of running this place, but he's been a real sourpuss lately. It must be very hard to run a facility as large and as important as this one is.
01:03:45
Speaker
I gotta be honest, like my first impressions of him were that he was all about the science, but ever since the arena Borealis has shown real money could be behind it, he's backed every decision they've said. They want more power for the arena shows, they get it. I don't know how a scientist gets to make those kind of decisions, but that is why I am a tour guide and he is the one in charge.
01:04:09
Speaker
But she knows from personal experience that Dr. Gogol is one of the most perturbed by the way things have been going. You enter a glass building, housing a tropical forest, warm and lush as a bathhouse. Large trees and emerald palm fronds fill the space.
01:04:27
Speaker
A sap's sweet scent mists the air, and the cries of strange birds ring as they wheel in the captured sky above. A stone path leads past habitats of exotic flora and fauna, unlike any you've seen, to an enclosed lab where Dr. Henrietta Gogol does her work.
01:04:44
Speaker
Dr. Gogol is in a deep Viridian jumpsuit covered in pockets so she can just reach for stuff while she's doing her experiments. She looks to be about eight and a half months pregnant. The jumpsuit has been specially stretched out around the midsection for comfort so she can keep working right up until she pops. The lights dim from time to time. Have you ever lived in a building with sub-optimum power?
01:05:10
Speaker
Oh, absolutely. The use of a single microwave can dim the lights an entire apartment. Yep, that was my young life. That is what happens from time to time as you enter the building. The lights dim.
01:05:26
Speaker
As we're approaching, I'd like to use my Sonic to see if the power relay is accessible remotely. That's going to be ingenuity and technology. And if you want to scan just to read the power levels, you can do that and throw on two more for technology for your Sonic.
01:05:43
Speaker
Without those two, I'm sitting at a 15 with a 5 and a 4, and I will happily add those two to bring me to a 17. You're able to tell power is being diverted from here to other areas of the Science Center. From what you're reading, it is going against the original code of how the power is supposed to be evenly distributed throughout the Science Center.
01:06:02
Speaker
You are able to determine that the power can be rerouted from the right terminal. You would need access or to crack it though. Finding that and cracking it are not the same thing.
01:06:14
Speaker
That makes a lot of sense. Did I get enough information to at least know where one of those terminals might be? Even how much this building is palm fronds and cases of animals and fauna and everything,
Power Struggles and Tensions
01:06:26
Speaker
finding a computer terminal that would stick out like a sore thumb, I would say that yes, there is such a terminal inside the plastic sheeted cordoned off area to keep some of the moisture out off of her experiments.
01:06:38
Speaker
You guys approached the sheet-protected lab area. Dr. Gogol, it's lunch. Did you remember to eat? And a hand pulls the plastic rack back and says, no. She pulls out a fig bar, courtesy of Snackums, rips the foil off, and starts feeding herself. Meh-meh. She looks at the four of you, can barely make heads or tails of who are they?
01:07:05
Speaker
And she says, oh, they're from the Sardic Foundation. They're here to check on things. She's like, oh, great. Are you pro or con? Pro or con what? Me being able to do my research. And it's a terminal when the lights dim. Oh, pro. I'm pro everyone being able to do everything. Yes, 100%. What can I do for you fine people?
01:07:27
Speaker
Well, I guess the first thing we'd like to know is what we can do to help you. We understand you're doing some great work here. We understand there's some inefficient use of power in some of the other parts of the facility, and as a result, they're not allowing you to utilize the power you need.
01:07:41
Speaker
Thank you. You're the first person that's made sense in the last two months. I thought I was going crazy on birth hormones. People keep giving me different answers. She waddles over to a stool while Gemma cracks open a Snack'em's brand, sparkling water for her. And just says, thank you. Takes a sip.
01:08:00
Speaker
Yeah, it's been a pain in the tuchus, and I've already got pains in my tuchus. His name's probably gonna be Charlie. You're going to decide at random? Well, my husband wants Charlie, and my wife is leaning towards Charlize. Are you going to decide the gender at random, too? Oh, we don't decide. The child's gonna be able to determine its own gender when the time comes. But a starting name would be appreciated, I'm sure.
01:08:22
Speaker
Okay. Give me an awareness roll, everybody, with awareness and intuition. Fixer, make yours a science. Uh, that is a five and a three for a fifteen. Anyone do better than a fifteen with any sixes on the dice? I got a six and a four, but I only got a fifteen.
01:08:40
Speaker
I have a 12, but I have T60. It is a greenhouse, and it looks like Dr. Gogol is studying echobiology. She walks you around the lab and name drops Dr. Lomo, the scientist that works in aquatic research over in the aquarium.
01:08:57
Speaker
shakes her head and is like, I don't know what changed. She used to have lunch with me at least once in a while and now I never see her anymore. Because she took Dr. Cook's side and she took Zap Crad Matter's side. I guess they know which side their bread is buttered on. Studying these exotic species to try and get a better understanding of their own
01:09:18
Speaker
naturally inborn bio-restorative traits. There are plants here that can regrow entire branches in a matter of no time. Animals that can recover from injuries in sci-fi equivalents of seconds. She says, I've gotten as far as this. And inside the container is a band-aid sized patch of bio-restorative nanoskin. I'm close. I know I am close, but I can't finish my research if they keep
01:09:47
Speaker
Draining the power and then she looks up as clouds Gather and royal towards the northwest that is not helping things either I'm not happy to begin with that things they're doing to the sky is making the water unnaturally colder that's how we damage ecosystems, but I'm specifically and Personally miff because they are affecting the greenhouse and I need it at specific temperatures
01:10:12
Speaker
It was all the power just going to the arena, or is it going somewhere else? You know, I thought it was all going to the arena, but those greedy so-and-so's over at the aquarium have been siphoning it off too. I've just been getting the scraps. Hey, look at the fixing. Well, it sounds like that needs fixing. Why does the aquarium need extra power? Do they have all the electric eel?
01:10:36
Speaker
She gives you a look like, are you serious about the electric eels? She says, I don't know if they're breeding them to charge that much juice, but I doubt it. There should be a much fairer distribution of this power. You know, I just feel like we need to make this right by you. Would you mind giving us access to your console? I'd like to access the system and make sure that it's giving you the proper amount of power instead of this nonsense.
01:11:01
Speaker
looks at you and pauses for a second. The person that has been on hold with customer service trying to get a damn answer out of someone for the last two months, you just broke her brain for a second. Oh, you're serious. Thank you. Yes.
01:11:16
Speaker
The amount of lives that you will be able to directly save that your work will save is priceless. She starts to tear up. I've been trying really hard. Gemma hands her a handkerchief and she blows her nose and Gemma holds out a trash can and she just drops it in there.
01:11:34
Speaker
You now have Dr. Gogol's access. You are going to need to roll because she does not have the personal access to seize more amperage. I would like to reroute power from the arena to this lab so it gets all the power it needs. Reroute some of the power to the aquarium. So both of them are able to function quite a bit better than they are right now. And I want to trick the system into reporting back that the arena has full power.
01:12:03
Speaker
I really, really like that. I will spend all the story points for it. Number one, add a story point for thinking like a Time Lord and out of the box solutions. Number two, how many story points does that put you at, right, Meow? Okay, so that would bring me back up to four story points.
01:12:21
Speaker
Yeah, I'd say that's a three-point expenditure if you want to forgo rolling. That would be a minor task that you successfully accomplish. So that the greenhouse and the aquarium are getting the lion's share of what they need to run their experiments. The report shows that in spite of the lights dimming on the readout, the report continues to say receiving full power.
01:12:44
Speaker
Well, the Time Lord works on that. I would like to just take Dr. Gogol's arm and sit her down and get her a nice cup of tea, and then I wanna start asking some very reporter-like questions with this rapport we're building up. This started two months ago, so have you noticed anything strange since then or around then? Have you seen anything odd? Just start getting her perspective on this now that she knows we're actually trying to help her.
01:13:12
Speaker
She says that she actually has a little bit of trouble telling sometimes because she spends most of her time in the greenhouse. But yeah, the things that she's noticed, Dr. Cook used to be all about the science and somewhere in the last two months he started making decisions that poured more power and oomph into the arena borealis of all things.
01:13:35
Speaker
sometime in the last week or so, she must have said something to cheese off Dr. Lomo because she hasn't been by for lunch since and Dr. Gogol is at a loss. She's like, I don't know what I said. I don't know what it is. Well, we're here to get it sorted.
01:13:52
Speaker
You're doing something with consequences in another location that has no PCs. So we're going to briefly cut to the master control booth above the Arena Borealis. And the console is like a church organ of buttons and levers.
01:14:10
Speaker
From here we can see that robots are placing the green comfy cushions on arena level seating. As Zap Cradmatter hovers over some poor engineer in another golf shirt and a visor to keep the sunset off his face, what do you mean they're sufficient power? I'm looking at insufficient power!
01:14:30
Speaker
The intimidated tech clerk shakes his head, and his chair is rolled out of the way as Zap takes the controls. He's like, no, no, no, no. We're going to have to hold off. We're going to have to figure this out. He turns to someone who is off screen. He says, I don't know what to tell you. Do you have any bright ideas? Into the light steps Dr. Cook, a rather heavyset man with receding head of white, wispy hair.
01:14:56
Speaker
got a pot belly and he's got lab coat of authority on and the scowl lines are deeply entrenched and he says it's going to be taken care of. He comes over as Zap continues to fiddle with the controls and unfortunately he does roll well enough to get an awareness roll and see that power is going to the greenhouse and is going to the lab normally at least according to the
01:15:24
Speaker
reports that may or may not be fudged anymore. But as Zap is absorbed by his work, Dr. Cook just stares off ominously at the greenhouse across the pavilion. Cut to Calamity. These strangers have just swept in and picked you up in an adventure that is quite unlike almost anything you've experienced before. How are you feeling right now?
01:15:53
Speaker
excited, honestly. I have thought it to suspect that there may be some stochastic event magnetism here, but, you know, because a lot of really weird things have happened. I'm just keeping an eye out. Give me an awareness role, an intuition, an attitude for the deity to which you subscribe.
01:16:11
Speaker
That is a 15 with nothing special. Back on your previous residence, there was a certain petrichor of opportunity in the air. That spark and that sniff of like big things are brewing. It could be exciting. You have had that same other meta whiff in the air ever since this trio walked through the glass partition of the aquarium lab. And you have basically like, oh, that smells familiar.
01:16:41
Speaker
Can I spend a story point to not notice that yet? Yes, you can absolutely gain a story point to ignore that information.
01:16:49
Speaker
I have an idea. I'm just, I'm emotionally attached to it, so I'm waiting. It's fine. It'll be fine. Hey, this is collaborative storytelling. I'm here to help you have fun. If an opportune moment for that presents itself, I hope you partake. While you guys are talking, the tea has been mostly gone. Fixer, you're a Gemma and Maeve and Henrietta inside the lab. What are you doing?
01:17:12
Speaker
I think I'd like to, with the doctor's permission, of course, make copies of her notes on this amazing discovery she's made. She is not going to be agreeable to copying her research. These are her private notes. This is her research. She would disagree with that. So if you do want a copy of her notes, I am going to need a presence and convince from you.
01:17:31
Speaker
Fair enough, I'd like to word it this way. Because of how important the work you're doing is here, I would ask you that either you give us a backup copy so it doesn't get lost, or you back up that data somewhere safe. I worry that with the fact that you haven't been getting the power you need or your other professional needs met, were they to shut down a department like this against our requests, against our advisement, the amazing work that you're doing could be lost.
01:17:57
Speaker
She reads your sincerity and says, I really appreciate that, but we science pretty good here. I back up everything. Plus, my spouses, Felix and Rogo, have copies of my data uploaded to our personal cloud. The minute she says that her spouses have a backup copy, big smile across the fixer's face, you definitely science well. Thank you. We back up our backups. Give me an awareness role, everybody, with intuition, Cebu Play.
01:18:27
Speaker
Sitting at a 12 with a 5 and a 2. A 15 with a 6 and a 2. Also a 14 with also a 6. Maeve is the first to notice Grac's aftershave when there's that brief air condition hum as the outer doors are opened and you hear footsteps approaching the lab.
01:18:47
Speaker
Hello there, Grack. You guys are currently on the far side of a wax partition. The plastic sheets that are keeping most of the water misters from hydrating her notes. You do hear footsteps approaching, crunching on the gravel in the stone path. I'll go take a look and see who it is. You see Grack approaching with a heavyset man you have not seen before. He does not look particularly thrilled and he is wearing the most important looking lab coat of authority you have seen since you landed here.
01:19:15
Speaker
I'll give a crack a little wave. Hey, there you are, kid. Following the story, no doubt. He just sidesteps when the larger man drifts past him with a slightly disapproving scowl and a hand slides through and pushes apart the plastic sheeting. And in comes Dr. Cook with a unpleasant scowl on his face.
01:19:38
Speaker
I see you have everything you need here, Dr. Google. She just sort of sags on her stool. Great. That didn't take long. Yeah, Doc. Thank goodness these fine people from the Sardic Foundation actually showed up or I wouldn't be able to do the job that I signed up for here. He just...
01:20:08
Speaker
That is a very good question. He appears to be a normal biped. Timelords can sometimes sniff out other Timelords depending on the showrunner, but in terms of you
01:20:20
Speaker
Identifying another species, whether or not they are a shape-shifting species, is not something you can do just by scent. You would need to sonic or ask.
Sontarans and Rutans Discussion
01:20:31
Speaker
So while we were in the doctoral program, we'd probably learned about the Sontaran-Rutin War. How did the Sontarans during that war get the Rutans to show their true form, or at least get them to show that they weren't what they were hiding in this? That's a very good question. I am going to want an awareness and knowledge role on this and add two for Time Lord training. You got a 14 with a 3 and a 4.
01:20:55
Speaker
With a growing ball of dread forming in your stomach, you finally recall what the original shape of the rootings are supposed to be, and that is a green jellyfish. Oh no. The same type of jellyfish as we saw them trying to get the world ready for? It's entirely possible. The jellyfish in the pool were very small, probably no bigger than a softball.
01:21:23
Speaker
Babies, they're so cute when they're that age, with the little tentacles. Dr. Cook stares at the four of you with skepticism. You're with the Sardic Foundation. I didn't get the message.
01:21:39
Speaker
And the SARDIC Foundation did not get appropriate data coming out of your computers. Why is that, Dr. Cook? He starts to bristle. Oh, oh, snap, news. Grack takes out his data machine as Dr. Cook, not taking eyes off you, says, I have very carefully overseen the power distribution for this facility and you are interfering with its operations, mister.
01:22:05
Speaker
Oh, I just let that mister keep going. Oh, okay. It's a fascinating way to hang mister. It's great.
Dr. Cook's Intimidation
01:22:14
Speaker
Give me a presence and resolve role. He is trying to intimidate. He is not doing anything supernatural, but he is trying to impress upon you that he does not like that you are here. So this is going to be your resolve and ingenuity versus the resolve and presence of Dr. Cook. So the number to beat right now is 17.
01:22:34
Speaker
Unfortunately, I just got a 14 with a four and a four. That's a 19 with a six for me. Yeah. I pull out a notebook and just look at him and smile and get like ready to like write something down. That's the thing. Your pad is your shield and you shall not want. So that's great. Calamity, what was your total?
01:22:54
Speaker
I got to 12. You definitely get the impression that leaving would be better than staying in terms of staying out of trouble. You've wandered around enough spots of like, oh, I should get out of here before someone notices me versus, oh, he's actually asking me to leave. Maeve, what is your question? As the auditor did not roll great either, he is also just hovering behind Maeve, who has been the bravest so far. And who would you be, young lady?
01:23:23
Speaker
Maeve Sullivan, I'm, we'll call it an independent reporter for right now. Just wondering if you could tell me what brings you here to the greenhouse and if you could just give me some more information on your research here so I can file the story. Grack is with you. He chimes in holding out his recorder device. Grack Clatch, new space Toledo Chronicle. That's an interesting question and what's all this about Sontaran activity I've overheard?
01:23:49
Speaker
And if you could give us a little background on the fluctuating power situation here. We have obviously needed to re-evaluate our dispersion of resources as new focus has come to the facility.
Arena Borealis' Impact
01:24:03
Speaker
Can you tell us more about that focus? The arena Borealis is doing wonderful things to the climate and they shall continue.
01:24:12
Speaker
We have heard that the arena borealis is bringing down the water temperature. Can you tell us more about that and what you hope to accomplish with this?
01:24:21
Speaker
In the fullness of time, we will have a planet rich in life. It may not be indigenous, but this is not always the way of such things. Grack chuckles and says, tell me about it. I smell fresh ink. And he leans in a little too close. Dr. Cook, what are your plans for after all this?
01:24:45
Speaker
I believe his plans is to help his species repopulate while fleeing from the Sontards, which is not going to be very effective now that your secret is out, whoever you are trying to pretend you're Dr. Cook. Fascinating. Any comments? Grackclatch is the closest to Dr. Cook. That's a fascinating line of inquiry, Dr. Cook. What do you have to say?
01:25:07
Speaker
At which point Dr. Cook reaches out, takes hold of Grack Clatch's forearm. Grack immediately goes completely stock-still electrocuted as the crackle fills the air. His fingers unclench and then re-clench. He drops the recorded device and goes completely rigid before he falls back stone-dead to the floor.
01:25:30
Speaker
as smoke wafts off of his completely electrocuted form. Cook turns to the group of you and says, that remains to be seen. He starts to expand. The already pale tint to his skin starts to fade away and turn green and green and green until he has expanded into a rather
01:25:57
Speaker
large green jellyfish about four feet tall starting to expand out with his tendrils across the gravel.
01:26:43
Speaker
And that is where we are going to stop things today. That has been part one of Troubled Waters, our second mod with this lovely team TARDIS.
Tribute to Grack
01:26:52
Speaker
I'd like to go around the table, really introduce our team, and deal out precious, tasty experience points. Kate, how would Maeve report on today's events?
01:27:03
Speaker
I think with these recent developments, Maeve would make her entire report a tribute to Grack in his previous reports. She wants to memorialize everything he's done and file his research along with her own as a joint story. I dig it. Pandora, how does it feel to be now a part of a team TARDIS running around your first sci-fi adventure?
01:27:24
Speaker
Well, so far, it's been great. And it's been, honestly, just, you know, there's been a lot of interesting things that make no sense at all. And she's just sort of vaguely mashing them together in her head. But that's great. And also, you know, it's kind of sad when Grapp got electrocuted that, well, that seemed unnecessary, but, you know, not a lot she could do about that. I hear you. Brand, what surprised you about today's mod?
01:27:47
Speaker
Ooh, surprised in a positive way. I loved the references to how people are trying to do things in a positive way, but you have to be careful how you use your science, because it can be so easily manipulated by others for evil, even if you as the scientist have the best of intentions. I dig it. And finally, to our listeners, another big thank you for sharing your precious time with us.
Closing and Engagement Encouragement
01:28:12
Speaker
If you feel it's been well spent, please share anywhere but now with your friends who are looking to enjoy themselves. Feel free to leave a like or a comment. You can find us on Twitter at anywhere but now with an underscore at the end and wherever you get your podcasts. For all of us, I'm Casey Jones. Thank you so much and have a great day.