I was planing on making a plug-in that continued the Launch Exploration Probe story.
So i drew this much up about a month ago and have since lost interest. I have other progects going and dont have much time to work this one any farther. I am looking for people good at writing mission Descs to form a team to work on this plug.
Here is all i have written.
You are camly sipping away at your drink, when you spot Jerry approaching you again. You remember that he and his team were the ones that you took down to the kontik system to launch the probe. He looks very agitated, and sits down next to you.
He waits a second before turning to you. <PN>, could i ask another favor of you?
You reply, Depends on what kind of favor.
Jerry replies, The probe that we launched, well, its back, and way too early. We suspect something has gone wrong, and I need someone to take me any my team back down there to pick it up.
What's in this for me? you ask.
The team will pay you the same amount, 50,000 credits, as last time, for your trouble? He replies.
Are you willing to head back down to the knotik system?
Yes
Jerrys face lights up and his mood suddenly changes.
Thank you, i was afraid that you wouldn't ever want to go there again. He says.
We need to stop by <DST> to pick up some equipment, and the rest of the team, and from there we can head on down to kontik. When can you have your ship ready?
You reply. I can have my <PSN> ready in around four hours.
Four hours it is then. Jerry turns and walks off. You head off to prepare your ship.
No
Im NOT going back down there, Kont is too dangerous, Period.
Jerry sighs and walks off to try and find someone else to do the job. You assume that very few other captains would be willing to help him.
You land, and the rest of Jerrys scientist team loads the equipment on board. Then clamber into the living quarters for the trip to kontik.
Things never seem to change around the planet of kont. Sometimes it seems as if it were stuck in some kind of timeless void. As your <PSN> glides down though the calm undisturbed atmosphere of kont, you cannot help but wonder who built the ring around the planet, and why they are no longer here. The
Auroran cruiser still silently drifts off in the distance, lifeless and haunting.
Jerry snaps you out of your reverie. There it is! Sure enough, the probes radar signature shows up, yet the probe is stuck halfway up one of the structures supporting the ring.
Why in the world is the thing stuck halfway up that strut? One of the scientists voices your thoughts.
I dont know, it was programed to land back on the surface, not get stuck in the ring structures. Jerry replies.
Could the program have malfunctioned? You ask.
Not likely, Says a team member known as Kelly. Its electronics were state-of-the-art. Yet if it came back so soon there must have been something that went wrong. Then she mumbles to herself This is just great. None of the people who ever ventured into the ring structure ever came back. I wonder if the same thing will happen to us.
Could we park the <SN> in midair right along side the probe, then extract it without having to risk going up the inside of the strut. Jerry questions.
You shoot down the idea. Its possible to park my <PSN> in midair, but being so close to that structure would mean the end of us if anything went wrong. Kelly joins in, Its impossible to use our equipment without a solid platform.
With great reluctance the rest of the scientists agree. You guide your ship down to the base of the strut and let the scientists out. They pack up their equipment and head into the structure. Eighteen hours later, Jerry and six other of his team come running out of the tower as fast as their legs could carry them. You open the door and let them in, their faces are pale and they are all frightened. You wait until they stop panting before asking them. Where is the probe? And the rest of the Team?
Jerry tells what happened. ?We had gotten the probe most of the way down, i think we got it to the twevlth story when all of the sudden some of the scientists simply vanished. Just like that, poof, gone. Then we ran for it, <PN>, get us off of this place.
Where to?
Jerry thinks for a minute, ?Aurora, the aurorians have tried to colonize this place before, they also have had people vanish. Maybe they may hold a clue on how to prevent it.?
The <PSN> glides in to a stop in front of the Aurorian Expeditions building. You wonder at why they still have one, after all, there has not been any major expeditions in at least two centuries. You and Jerry walk inside and leave the rest of the team of scientists to play tourist for a while.
How may i help you? The man at the front desk asks.
Jerry replies I am looking for information regarding the vanishing on Kont.
?Ah, yes. We never did find out much, still remains a mystery today. Yet here is a list of the disappearances, times, places and excetera. I hope you find what you are looking for. He hands jerry a data crystal.
Jerry leans closer I want to know if anybody picked up unusual sensor readings, any kind of reading, while a vanishing took place.
The man turns around and types a few things into a computer. He then turns back. ?Sorry sir, nothing of the sort... He pauses and frowns, Wait, i do think there was one warrior who did mention something odd around the time of one disappearance. He then turns back to the computer and types a few more things. Ahh, here it is. Roawn Bloodmark noticed unusual spike in the mass of kont on (DATE NC). Hmm... ah! Here, he gave us the exact readings of that time. He hands another crystal to Jerry.
?<PN> could you wait for me in the bar I am going to consult an old professor of mine, he might know a few things about it. Jerry says to you.
You are sit quietly in the bar sipping your drink. At last Jerry walks in. He spots you and walks over and sits down at the table.
?Good news <PN>, i consulted my old professor on earth using a subspace tightbeam, and sent him the data. He has sent a note back that he found something that can help us. He noticed that there always was a strange subspace heating up around the whole kontik system before a disappearance.
But what does that help?You ask
We need to get the probe, there may be something it can tell us, an anomaly in the next system. That may link to the strange things that go on at kont. So what we will do is go back there and get the probe. You will stay inside your spaceship and keep checking for a heating up on your subspace scanners. If you do see any, run like the wind and tell us so we can get out of there before we all vanish. He replies.
Are you willing to try once again to get that probe?
Yes
I knew I could count on you! Jerry says thankfully.
I takes you several hours to find the rest of the scientists. Then they all clamber aboard your ship for one last try to get that probe.
This time, the scientist team is obviously frightened at the thought of going back into that place. Yet they still keep their calm as best they can. They once again head into the structure. One hour later they are back down, this time with the probe. They quickly load it into your ship and board. Just as they close the door to the <PSN> you begin to notice a small ray on your subspace scanner, pointing directly to here. Feeling a sense of panic, you blast off into space at the fastest possible speed.
<PN> , take us back to earth. Jerry calls.
You bring your ship into dock. The scientists haul it off to their lab to scan it. Jerry turns to you just before going and says, <PN>, it will take us a while to scan over all the contents of the probe. I will meet you in the bar when i need your help again
Several days later, you are sitting in the earth bar again when Jerry walks in and spots you.
<PN>! He shouts, everyone in the bar turns and stares at him. He slips into a chair at your table. ?Sorry to attract attention, I am just so exited. You see, there is a black hole near kont. The probe was accelerated many times faster then its normal ion propulsion drive could have ever powered it. So it HAS actually reached far to the south of the known galaxy. However, the probe was moving so fast all the pictures are blurred beyond hope of using. Still, we have the radar and subspace data, which is enough to find the accurate star positions. Hence we can triangulate, and open up new jump routes to some systems.
Great! You congratulate him. Although, what about the people disappering problem? Have you solved it? You ask.
Actually, no, He says with a sigh. but I think that the black hole is somehow responsible. His mood stays dim for a second then he snaps back. Anyway, i want to see what lies beyond this known galaxy. Are you willing to take me were no person has ever gone before <PN>?
Yes
Yes, by all means yes! You shout. Suddenly everyone's eyes turn on you. You slip lower in the seat embarrassed. Jerry is beaming.
When can we leave? He asks.
Anytime you wish. You reply.
Tomorrow at dawn then <PN> He states.
You wake up the next morning to a pounding on your door. You open it and find a crowd of news reporters, wonderful, now the media knows about it. Immediately they begin firing off questions at you... Is it true that you will be the first {G Man Woman} to ever leave the known galaxy? Where will you and your team be headed? What role will this have to play in the future of startravel? You slam the door shut. Slipping out through the window, you head to your beloved <PSN> where Jerry and his team of scientists are waiting.
No
Oh well, i can always find some other captain who would be willing. Jerry says, and walks off.
<PN> this is odd. The aurorian government never mentioned building stations to the south. Land on <DST>, I want to have a look around.
This station has obviously been abandoned for years. There is no sign of life, even the power reactors are dead.
Jerry walks up to you. Ive been exploring this station, and it appears that the aurorians built them here sometime (DATE NC). Yet they abandoned them, maybe because of the same things that happen on kont. Still, i have no idea why the apparently honest aurorians would ever chose to lie to billions of people, say that there was no jump points to the south and cover this up.
... And i cant seem to figure out why either...
Continues as: Systems opened to the south through the kontik system, 5 total, then there is a wormhole that links to a new universe with about 12 systems. Two of new the systems are inhabited by Aur Stations, turns out that the aurorians had ventured farther south then they told. These stations were made and inhabited once, yet abandoned from the same thing that kont suffered from. So they kept it secrete, and never told about it. Beyond that is a colony that was launched out into the void, and forgotten. They never were found, Otoma Kane?s hypergate system never linked to them. Their tech had advanced very far, and is about that of the polaris. Yet it is tech, not biological. They found a wormhole that takes them into the next galaxy. You will save the vanished team members, scout the new systems, uncover the aurorian coverup, reunite the race with the rest of mankind, solve the vanishing problem. One thing that will never be solved, is the civilization who built kont. That civilization also built on the other races planet, they mearily built on top of the constructions. They managed to solve the problem of people dissapering. This is how you will solve the vanishing problem.
The New Race is involved in a war agianst an alian race in the new galaxy. Thats why they have a military. The alian race?s sheilding is remarkably powerfull, yet its weapons are poor. The alian race wants all humans to leave them alone, and go back to the galaxy where they came from. They hate all humans. They are no great empire, just a faction of aliens, maybe 8 or so worlds.
The New race is calm and reserved most of the time. They chose not to remingle with humanities affairs. When provoked to war, their fire is always cool, icy, and business only kind of thing.
Yes its Horrably clitched...
So.. Anyone interested?
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(url="http://"http://homepage.mac.com/benedwards/.cv/benedwards/Public/Ares1.2/StarsAreFire%3AC4.sit-binhex.hqx")The Stars Are Fire(/url)-A TC for Ares
(This message has been edited by Skyfox (edited 06-11-2002).)
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