Play date: December 15, 2012
Game date: March 29, EY218
Location: Vishnu system, Labrys City on the planet of Kali
Previous events: Much poorly thought-out painting
Jillian wakes up sometime in the afternoon no longer feeling nihilistic but very much feeling like she has a massive hangover. With all of the fabric in her quarters cut into shreds and not willing to wander the ship starkers she's pretty much stuck. It's all she can do to crawl over to the comm and call Volkova, asking her to bring some clothing to the captain's quarters.
It's obvious from the pained tone of Jillian's voice that she's under the weather so Volkova prepares a "cure" for hangovers that's a mixture of vodka, raw eggs, strong spices, and other sundry foodstuffs. She trundles over to the captain's room with her best set of spare pink overalls to find that the door is locked. Jillian can't make it over to open it in her state so Volkova sets down her load and starts to tap the hinges out of the door. The noise is unbearable for Jillian and she burrows down into her nest for the fifteen minutes it takes Volkova to remove the door.
When the engineer finally makes it into the room she keeps the lights off due to the captain's state and briefly fails to find Jillian, who is underneath a pile of black shredded clothing in a room that has been painted black with the lights closed. When Jillian makes her appearance she gratefully starts to put on the engineer's overalls but refuses the vile concoction that Volkova's brought as a potential cure. As much as she'd love some of Malcolm's hangover tea she can't bear to ask him just now. Volkova's underpants don't fit Jillian in any comfortable way so Volkova goes to ask Bishop if he'll part with a pair of his; his build is closer to Jillian's than anyone else's. He's reluctant but eventually gives in and hands over a pair of his simplest underpants that he's willing to part with: gold lamé boy shorts.
Jillian is eventually dressed but still feeling horrible. She'll need new clothes, so after Volkova leaves a note for Malcolm the two of them leave without seeing him. They stay under fuselages and wings while in the hangar in case Malcolm is on top of the hull and soon are in Labrys City. Jillian's wearing her oversized sunglasses and is mostly held up by Volkova as they stroll along wearing matching pink jumpsuits.
Flush with cash after selling Labrys City a load of guns they shop in the first nice clothing store that they find. The snooty shop clerk obviously disapproves of their look but waves them dismissively over to the basic black section. Jillian's soon got several sets of identical black outfits and wears one out of the shop. Then it's time for apology presents: what she hopes is very nice tea for Malcolm and what she thinks is appropriately piratical jewellery for Xao.
At this point it's late enough that they decide to stay in "Angela's B&B" for the night. It's a nice treat, they can afford it, and this way they won't have to face Malcolm soon.
March 30, EY218
Jillian's head is not much better and not eating the previous day isn't helping any. She picks at her breakfast at while Volkova consumes mass quantities. Another guest at the B&B is also at the table. Her name is Sylvia Schlange; she works for the Bureau of Xenobiology and is in town to examine a strange black goo that's been discovered here. A hungover Jillian and typically overeager Volkova start telling Sylvia about the D'vor and the Grob, trying not to mention their personal experiences, but come on so strong that Sylvia dismisses them as having a laugh. Feeling insulted, she leaves to go to work without saying goodbye.
With another day to spend in Labrys City Jillian decides to fill up on art supplies, especially black paint. Volkova takes their current purchases back to the ship. In the common area she sees a note from Malcolm: Sara Pettigrew, the city's greeter, wants to talk to them. A phone number is attached. Volkova takes the note, drops off her bundle, and leaves the gold underpants on the handle to Bishop's door, knocking on it and then scurrying off.
By the time Volkova finds the art supply store Jillian's already filled up a shopping cart. After leaving the store, Volkova loaded down like a mule, Jillian decides that it's time to work on the poster warning people of the D'vor and the two head to a cafe. Jillian's still not up to having anything to eat and her first attempt at a poster is hampered by her throbbing head as much as it is her artistic ineptitude: it's a complete mess. Volkova has a go but her full-page cut-away diagram extrapolated from what little she saw of the Iof's interior is equally incomprehensible.
Jillian makes a second attempt, using a pointillism style, but gives up when a passing cafe patron comments that she loves the abstract art. Volkova likewise tries again, this time in a very simple technical style, and comes up with the best poster yet. It's bland but at least gets the point across that the illustrated ship is dangerous and anyone seeing it should avoid it and immediately report it to the Navy. It's not eye-catching or especially accomplished but they're unlikely to do anything better and so they find a poster shop and order a proof. Their intent is to get a thousand A4-size posters to primarily put onto navigation boards.
Done with the poster for the nonce, Volkova calls Sara Pettigrew from a public phone while Jillian sits in the booth holding her head in her hands and moaning softly. Sara tells Volkova that something strange has been found -- Volkova surprises her by already knowing it's the black goo -- and, since the Steel Hummingbird is very well travelled, would they mind coming by the research centre and taking a look at it? Volkova agrees and on the way over Jillian stops off at a chemist's to get something to help with her state. A weak morphine solution is thus purchased. It might not be an appropriate cure but she definitely feels better after taking it.
The research centre is at the point where the two large domes of Labrys City overlap and the two take the tram to get there. They are expected at the reception desk and take the lift to the third floor where the head of the botanical research section, Helga Lang, greets them. Helga works for the Bureau of Xenobiology but is permanently stationed here, as Kali is where most of the indigenous life in the system is found. She's got some interesting branching tattoos around her eyes and has teased up her hair to a frightening size.
Helga takes them to a lab with several airtight incubators where the goo is being examined. Sylvia Schlange is also there along with an intern, and it's obvious that Sylvia remembers the conversation at breakfast. She takes Helga aside and talks to her quietly, shooting poison looks at Jillian and Volkova. Worried that they're about to be kicked out Jillian steps towards them and apologizes for breakfast, making an attempt to mollify Sylvia. It seems to work and although Sylvia still isn't terribly friendly towards them everyone can now focus on the goo.
It was found a little under two days ago in the animal dome and no one knows where it came from. Peering at it moving about slowly in its incubator, both Jillian and Volkova confess that they've never seen anything like it. Jillian notices a small amount of it on the *outside* of the supposedly airtight incubator, something that worries everyone. Examining the back of the incubator Volkova sees more of it and a spotty trail of the stuff leading to a vent. Everyone hurries to the lab next door and, going through the various cabinets, finds that it's gotten to a bag of agar powder and is consuming it, having grown noticeably.
Helga goes off to call the authorities about this worrying turn of events. Jillian, Sylvia, and Volkova will continue to search this end of the floor for more black goo. As they split up Jillian notices that the cabinet in the hallway labelled "fire axe" is empty, with its glass-fronted door swinging open. Concerned, she heads off in the direction of Helga's office to tell her about this new development.
Volkova is busy checking out a lab and doesn't notice someone behind her until the Vishnan is almost upon her and, muttering something about Volkova not hearing the music, swings at her with the fire axe! Scrambling backwards, Volkova gets a gash in her arm that could have been worse but which is still painful. She quickly pulls out Khnuta and manages to hit the woman in the arm before receiving an agonizing deep hack to her leg. Bellowing with pain she tips over a free-standing cabinet to put a barrier between her and the maniac.
Jillan's just found Helga's office when she hears the crash and sprints back towards Volkova. In the lab, Volkova gets some breathing room when Sylvia crashes into the maniac from behind and painfully slams her into the cabinet. Then it's Sylvia's turn to retreat from the axe, ducking and weaving her way back to the door. Jillian hurtles through the door and hauls Sylvia out of the room, screaming at her to get help. Volkova makes a Hail Mary throw of Khnuta and her pink wrench strikes true, caroming off of the back of the Vishnan's head. Leaning heavily against a counter Volkova grabs a tabletop centrifuge and begins to whirl it around her head for another attempt when Jillian steps in closely enough to the attacker to make the axe unwieldy and takes her down with an uppercut.
After taking a moment to tie the woman up with rubber tubing Jillian sees to Volkova's wounds and rips up her new shirt to stanch the bleeding. Once her adrenaline wears off she sees the first aid kit and realizes both that she could have used that and that her Black Rose tattoo is now on display. She grabs some of the gauze from the first aid kit and wraps it around her upper arm to hide the tattoo and make it look like she has a minor cut as well. She and Volkova both notice that some of the black goo is making its way out of a cabinet and oozing onto Volkova's blood! It seems a good time to leave the room.
Sylvia shows up with Helga and two other women as Jillian drags the unconscious woman out of the room and Volkova hobbles painfully into the hallway. Volkova explains what happened as Jillian takes the axe to another lab and hides it in a cabinet. Sylvia's first aid is better than Jillian's and she sees to the engineer's leg and arm as best she can.
The Vishnan lying tied up on the floor is identified as Rosham Bo, who works here and seemed perfectly sane before. Helga's called in the event and the floor has been sealed to keep the goo contained. It looks like they're trapped here until they find out what's going on and deal with it.
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Bishop's Bedpost Notch Count: 0 (running total: 17)
Jillian's Bedpost Notch Count: ha! ha!
Malcolm's Bedpost Notch Count: 0 (running total: 1)
Volkova's Bedpost Notch Count: 0 (running total: 3)