Session 3 - Scene 3 (of 9)

Later that night, out in the barn, Wreck does some investigating. It takes a fair amount of time, but Wreck makes his way through the barn.

Finding a loose board along the interior wall, Wreck notices the barn uses various materials for insulation, including an old pictorial magazine. It appears to be German, with the title, "Sonne und Gesundheit".

Wreck isn't sure what to make of the magazine. He finds nothing else of interest in the barn, nor does a quick scan outside spot anything unusual. He debates attempting to access the house, but is cautious because of any alarms or traps Gagan may have. In the end, he decides to return to bed.

Back inside, Burt is finding the bed rather uncomfortable to share; particularly with Jean insisting on spooning. After being woken up in the middle of the night by is hopefully the older man's impact baton (but more likely nocturnal penile tumescence), Burton decides to get up and look around.

After confirming there is no one else in the room (except perhaps for shame), he decides to try and pick the lock to the room to get out. The lock is an older mechanical lock, so Burt is able to lubricate the tumblers and stick something in there to pop it open.

Once the door is open, Burt makes his way towards the front parlor. He doesn't see anything out of place.

Across the house, a flashing red light at the master control panel alerts Gagan that the door to the guest room has been opened and there is an intruder in the living room.

Gagan rushes up and makes his way to the kitchen. He grabs some sausages from the larder and heads into the living room, nearly running into Burt. He immediately asks Burt if he's hungry.

Burt plays along, saying he needed a drink of water. Gagan says he anticipated the man may have needed something, but carefully mentions he likes his privacy and doesn't want guests stumbling about the house. Burt thanks him for the water and goes back to bed. Gagan locks him in again as Jean rolls over in his sleep, passing gas.

Figuring the windows are alarmed, Burt decides to go back to sleep; making sure to first roll Jean off of the bed. Jean asks what is going on, but Burt pretends to sleep. Jean climbs back into bed, resuming his sleeping position.

Session 3 - Scene 4 (of 9)

The next morning, the four men have an awkward breakfast around Gagan's kitchen table. Having not slept well, Jean pokes disinterestedly at his sheep sausage.

Jean tries to make conversation, asking Gagan how long he has lived there. Gagan gives an answer of 20 years. Further conversation reveals that Gagan does very little trading or contact with outsiders, preparing to keep to himself.

The others are not so convinced. Jean in particular focuses on some of the electronics and traps around the home. Gagan claims they are there to protect against wildlife and to ensure his privacy.

Gagan gives his background as being an iterant farmer doing various work around the frontier. Jean mentions the farming couple he met on the beanstalk, Peter and Anne Marie Kirouac. Gagan admits he knows of them, but has had little interaction. Jean confirms the couple said that no one ever goes into this valley, except for Gagan.

Wreck questions how Gagan manages to fund his farm. The old man mentions he did well earlier in life, so he can take care of himself now and his "little farm". Wreck sarcastically agrees, noting that "travelling vagabond farmers tend to make a lot of money."

Gagan equates it to being frugal. He then abruptly changes the subject to ask Wreck about himself. Wreck says he is from Texas. He gives Jean as being French, and Burt as being British. He explains they all met in the merchant marines, while mentioning he was a former marine.

Wreck goes on to describes them as being a "small consortium" that provides security. Jean elaborates they are independent contractors and not employees of Rebco. Gagan finds it interesting that they are in security, but performing a survey mission. Wreck notes they will do whatever people are willing to pay for.

Jean goes on to talk about how survey missions are often matters of security. He says it is about keeping the wrong people from getting weapons production or getting too close to the borders. As they talk, Jean slips an electronic bug into Gagan's kitchen.

Wreck continues to explain that their mission does have a security element to it, as there are rumors of German spies (the Texan puts an emphasis on the last two words). He pointedly asks Gagan if he has encountered any "German folk" but the old man replies that he has not.

Gagan asks if any have been spotted in the area. Wreck says they have not, but they are keeping their eyes open for any evidence of German activity. He notes that a "good old Frenchman" like Gagan clearly wouldn't know anything about Germans, while thinking to himself about the magazine he found.

The old man mentions the only relation he has to Germans is some wine and articles, noting they are inexpensive. Jean is surprised that a Frenchman would drink German wine, but keeps the comment to himself.

Wreck changes the subject, asking Gagan if he would want to join them on their survey. The old man agrees, mentioning he can help their group avoid getting attacked by any more blindeebuffs. Wreck asks about compensation, but Gagan says he mostly wants to come for the experience and asks for only 100 credits.

The group and the old man come to an agreement. Wreck asks Gagan about his knowledge of interesting mineral formations. The man explains that off to the east, there is a mountainous area that would likely contain mineral deposits. They decide to start there first and circle back around to the forest region.

Session 3 - Scene 5 (of 9)

When they decide to head out, Wreck asks Gagan if he'd like to drive. But the old man explains he does not drive anymore; he just wants to ride along.

They decide to take two vehicles. Wreck has plans to leave the old man in the wild and come back to investigate the mysteriously enhanced home.

Wreck also wants to know how to avoid the blindeebuffs as they head out. Gagan says the best thing to do is avoid their territory, but then starts talking about watching for them hiding in bushes and mentioning they can be very quiet. He also says once they are inside their vehicle, they should be safe.

Wreck isn't so sure this information matches up with their experiences so far. He tells the old man that his advice sounds like a load of horseshit, but notes they have no choice but to listen. He does say the blindeebuffs they encountered were not in a bush and weren't very quiet.

Before they leave, Gagan mentions he needs to go back inside for something. When he comes back out, he has a bottle of German wine. Once he clears the doorway, heavy metal shutters come down to cover the doors and windows of the house. Gagan sits down in the jeep, simply noting that he was thirsty.

Jean, shocked by the security, mentions that it is quite the farmhouse he has. Gagan simply states he values his solitude. Wreck wonders aloud how a vagrant farmer could make such a fortune, but Gagan answers only that he did so by living a "frugal life". Burt mutters something about avoiding expenses like steel shutters.

Wreck has the men divide up, with himself in one vehicle and Jean and Burt with Gagan in the other. Gagan, however, advises it would be safest to divide evenly into the two vehicles. Jean mentions they need to do it that way because all of the equipment was moved into one of the jeeps previously.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Jean says they can shuffle the equipment around later but suggests they get moving. Gagan reluctantly agrees, and gets in the jeep with the others. They head off in the lead, with Wreck following.

Session 3 - Scene 6 (of 9)

For the next week, the trip is relatively uneventful as the group moves up into the mountains and surveys the area. They see the usual rocky formations, land bridges, trees, and other natural wonders of the mountains.

One morning, Wreck's jeep hits a rock as they are travelling through one of the passes. The impact breaks a hole in the coolant line, causing a link.

Wreck manages to make the repair, but they don't have a lot of extra coolant. He asks Gagan about any supplies back at his home. He says he can go back to the farm while the others continue along.

Gagan offers to come back with him. Wreck says he'd rather not leave his companions out in unfamiliar territory. The old man points out that it would be even worse for Wreck to head out by himself, also mentioning he doesn't recall exactly where the coolant might be and would have to come with him.

Wreck responds that he is a Texan, not a Frenchman, and is more than capable of venturing out on his own. He tells the old man to give him the keys to his place, so he can look around for the coolant. Gagan politely refuses, saying he would not feel safe at night in his home knowing someone else may have had the keys.

The old man also mentions using urine as a substitute for the coolant. Conceding defeat, Wreck decides to transfer some of the coolant from the other jeep instead though he is tempted to just leave Gagan there and go back to his place anyway.

After Wreck siphons the coolant and they get moving again, Gagan resumes asking questions about why Rebco would want to be out in such a remote area. Jean makes a comment to Burt, in German, that the old man is asking a lot of questions. Burt agrees, wondering what the old man is hiding. Observing carefully, Jean notices Gagan's face twitch slightly; Jean infers that Gagan can understand them.

Gagan mentions to the men that for all the concerns about German spies, they appear to be speaking in German. He wonders if they are the men the French government should be concerned about.

Jean responds that as part of their training, they have to be ready to infiltrate the Germans, or at least be able to interact with them if they encounter anyone out in the wilderness. Gagan describes his explanation as "plausible".

Luckily, the jeeps manage not to overheat while travelling in the mountains despite being on half their normal coolant. After a couple more days of survey work, they eventually make their way down into the foothills and towards the forested region.

Session 3 - Scene 7 (of 9)

As they head into the forest, Jean spots a clearing up ahead that appears to be missing vegetation. It is a larger area in size, and Jean wants to investigate.

He asks Gagan about the unnatural clearing, and the old man seems genuinely surprised. He says he's never seen something like this before.

Getting closer, Jean sees the clearing is rather circular. He knows it must be artificial in origin.

He has Burt pull over to get near the area. Wreck spots the area once they move out of the way, and radios ahead to the other car. He advises Jean to hold back and scan for radiation first.

Burt pulls the jeep to a stop. He gets out with a rad sensor, and finds faint radiation. As they are out of the jeep, they can tell the vegetation has been burned away, as if by a rocket.

Wreck can tell it is likely some kind of landing craft, though doesn't correspond to the ones he's seen. Jean asks Gagan if there are often spacecraft in the valley, asking if there are any aliens. The old Frenchman says he's seen nothing, noting again that he is a simple farmer who keeps to himself.

Jean jokes about little green men running around in the forest. Wreck makes a sarcastic comment about the blindeebuffs learning to fly.

Wreck and Burt decide to search around the area carefully. Jean takes some soil samples. Wreck spots a bottle in the grass nearby. It has a logo for the popular sports drink Bionade, with German writing on it.

Pointing out the bottle to Gagan, Wreck asks the old man again about seeing any Germans around the area. Gagan again claims ignorance. Wreck calls the situation mysterious.

Jean wonders about the German wine the old man has. He claims to have bought it off some people along the road to Premiere, many years back. Gagan asks if Jean has any ties to the local Germans, since he speaks German and all.

Wreck is more concerned about why the spacecraft would land there. Looking around for geological formations, he spots a large cave.

Session 3 - Scene 8 (of 9)

Jean asks Gagan about the cave, and if he has been inside it before. Gagan mentions he has explored some of the caves in the region, but not a lot and is not familiar with this particular cave. Jean suggests they go exploring into the cave and the old man agrees.

They try to get Gagan to head in first, but he claims he is too old of a man to take the lead. He suggests the most athletic person be in the lead. Wreck suggests he and Gagan go in side by side.

Wreck readies his autopistol and heads in. They look around a bit, finding the familiar stalagmites and stalactites in the back of the cave but little else.

Convinced there is more to the cave than meets the eye, Wreck has them search the area carefully. Gagan makes sure to keep an eye on everyone.

Gagan finds a button hidden on one of the stalagmites. He calls out to Wreck to let him know. Wreck tells him to push the button, while making sure to step away.

The old man says he is not comfortable pushing the button. He wonders if they should look around for a door or other portal first, and suggests perhaps touching it from a distance with a pole or something. He also says it might be best if they just leave.

Wreck insists the old man push the button. Gagan insists this could be dangerous and they should leave. Wreck tells him he doesn't have many years left.

The Texan levels his pistol at Gagan, telling him he doesn't trust him and needs him to push the button. Gagan notes that he doesn't trust Wreck and his team either.

Gagan looks around the area near the stalagmite carefully. He notices a faint discoloration in the back of the cave wall that could be a doorway. He then asks Wreck who he really works for. Wreck tells the old man he has the same question for him, but if he doesn't press the button Wreck knows who he won't be working for.

The man agrees that Wreck has him in a compromised situation. He presses the button, causing a concealed set of doors to open at the back of the cave, revealing a passage beyond. Gagan asks Wreck if his friends are in there, which the Texan responds in the negative to, though intimates that perhaps Gagan's friends could be.

Gagan is still suspicious, wondering how Wreck happened to come to this particular cave in all of the area. He tells the Frenchman they just happened to find it while scouting around, just like he saw.

Wreck radios back to Burt, saying that Gagan found a button that opened some concealed doors. He tells Burt they will proceed forward.

Burt relays the information to Jean. He asks if they should follow. Jean says if anyone is down in the cave, it could mean people are also out in the area, so they should probably stay to guard the equipment. Burt informs Wreck they will stay above.

Wreck motions the old man forward with his pistol. Gagan heads in, unconcerned. As he enters the hallway, lights come on overhead, flickering on and off.

The passageway leads to a small metal stairway leading down. Wreck asks Gagan if anything is familiar to him, saying it is very strange and that he's never seen anything like it. Gagan agrees, saying he has not either.

The stairs lead down to a large, hexagonal-shaped room with metal walls and a concrete floor. The lights continue to flicker on and off.

Nearby is a metal table with something on it. Next to the table area is a large wall of computer monitors of some kind, with what appears to be a storage locker next to that. Across the room, there appears to be some kind of open storage area.

Wreck tries to test radio contact back to Burt; the signal does not get through. He looks closer at the table, seeing there are several objects on it, but he can't make it out from where they are.

The Texan tells Gagan to proceed in, but to be prepared to run. As Gagan gets closer to the metal table, he can see that it is the dissected remains of a human. From the expression on the corpse's face, he appears to have been vivisected.

The corpse's chest cavity is still wide open. Along the wall, there are several jars of pale green liquid with various organs floating in it. Wreck tries to ascertain the nationality of the man, but cannot. The remains are somewhat mummified, indicating the body has been dead awhile.

Wreck says they should check the rest of the room. He tells Gagan to check the locker while he looks at the computers.

At the computer console, Wreck is surprised to see the controls are in a language he does not recognize. They appear to be some sort of symbols. Using his dataslate, he takes image shots of the console and around the room.

Wreck decides to try pressing one of the buttons along the edge of the panel, hoping for a power button. After pressing a few, he hears a hum as the system powers up. The screens illuminate, with strange symbols showing up on the screen, apparently wanting Wreck to enter something.

Pressing a few more random buttons, Wreck tries to get the system to work but nothing happens. Eventually, the screens freeze up with a red background with a different set of symbols. He calls out to Gagan, asking him what he's found and noting they may need to exit the room quickly.

Gagan tells Wreck that the locker is locked. Wreck comes over and tells the old man to step back. He fires at the lock on the locker, but the shot ricochets off and smashes into one of the monitors.

Unable to open the locker, Wreck starts pushing more buttons. A beeping sound begins from the console. It begins to beep faster.

Wreck tells Gagan to make a run for it. They just get out of the room when a blast door comes down to seal off the room and a blast goes off. Outside, Jean and Burt spot smoke pouring out.

Burt's radio comes to life. Wreck yells, telling him and Jean to get into the vehicles. Burt tries to ask what happened but Wreck repeats his request. As Wreck and Gagan get outside, everyone gets in the hover jeeps and drives off.

Session 3 - Scene 9 (of 9)

When they are a safe distance away, the group stops to make camp. Jean asks for more information about what happened and Wreck shows him the pictures of the room from the data slate.

Neither Jean nor Burt recognize the symbols on the image of the control panels. He asks Gagan, but the old man says they are not familiar to him either.

Jean recalls that when they were at the spaceport, Mador Miller mentioned how alien ships sometimes cross through the space near the planet. He asks Gagan if he's ever heard anything about the aliens. The old man shakes his head.

Since the computer system was not in French, German, or English, Jean posits that it must be alien. Wreck points out that the vivisected human was also present. Jean wonders if they are safe in the area, and should camp further away.

Burton is less concerned. He notes whoever was there looks like they may have been gone awhile. Wreck would prefer to stay in the area, to see if they can observe the area to see if anyone returns.

Taking Wreck's plan into account, they position themselves back in the trees and watch. The night passes uneventfully, and no one comes back to the cave.

The group then decides to return to their survey mission. Burton studies their maps of the areas carefully, curious why this area was picked for their landing spot.

Wreck decides to try and stir up some interest. He sends a holo-mail to Jackson Maddox along with the images he took. He tells Jackson about what they found.

Gagan asks Wreck if he is sending a message to his boss. Wreck tells the old man that absolutely, when he finds a vivisected human in a cave with a secret lab and alien symbols he tends to find that reportable.

A text message then comes in on Wreck's communication unit. It says, "Message Received. Await Response Team." Wreck tells the others they have a choice; they can either await the response team or make a run for it.

Jean asks Gagan if he wants to wait around or not. Gagan is concerned about a team going to his house. Jean explains they likely will come straight to them.

Burt says he'd rather not wait to be debriefed. Jean agrees, wanting to head out of the area and let the response team deal with it. Wreck, however, wants to stay there to find out what's going on.

Wreck tells the others he will stay while they move on. Jean tries to advise him to leave too, but Wreck reminds him it would be a trivial matter for Rebco to track them all down since the hoverjeeps are most likely being tracked. He says running will send the wrong message.

Gagan asks if Rebco is really friends of theirs. Jean agrees that this is not the job they signed up for, which Wreck agrees with. The old man suggests that heading back to the farm is the best course, as free agents they are not likely to be too friendly with them.

Wreck is adamant about waiting for the response team. Burt is swayed by the Texan's argument, saying it could look too suspicious if they left.

Jean asks Gagan if he thinks he could make it back on foot. Wreck insists that Gagan stays with them, thinking to himself that if Gagan goes off he will undoubtedly go to a hidden communication station to contact his German spy allies. The old man agrees to stay, not wanting to hike several days through the forest on foot anyway.

Wreck puts his plan into motion. He has Burt and the others move off a short distance away and hide, while he makes a visible camp and waits for the response team. As he waits, he hopes this won't cost him his life.

Session 3 - Session Notes

This session happened about three weeks ago. We skipped a session around Christmas / New Years, then had a OD&D one shot that I didn't take notes for, then had this session but then had to skip the next one (this Friday we are doing another D&D session though, this one with some of the guys' kids).

One of our former player's (Alderman Biggins in Cthulhubusters) new living situation allowed him to rejoin us over Skype again, so I had him play Gagan (who I originally intended to be a NPC). It worked out very well, and the player really got into playing the mysterious man.

I thought the session moved along well, and the sense of mystery kept building up, which was good.

Other thoughts from the session:

* Gagan is clearly more than he appears to be, with his "old French farmhouse" stocked with advanced electronics.

* I thought the Gagan player did a masterful job of avoiding the other PC's questions and turning it back to him collecting information on them.

* The German magazine in the barn was clearly a clue meant to imply Gagan is a German spy. "Sonne und Gesundheit" is my rough translation of "Sun and Health", implying that it was some kind of retro nudist magazine.

* We all agree we went a little overboard with the homoerotic jokes about Burt and Jean sharing the bed (many more were made that did not make it into the writeup), but once we started that ball rolling, it kept on going.

* The Gagan player totally improvised the "water and sausage" routine, which the others didn't buy for a minute.

* Gagan's purported background as a wandering farmer was also improvised, leading to lots of jokes about how poorly thought out the lie was, but the player kept it up very well. I liked that it gave a feel of Gagan is lying, the others know he is lying, and he knows they know he is lying, but it's all part of the polite spy game of wits.

* I got a kick out of the love for German wine bit.

* The Gagan player improvising the bit about the blindeebuffs sneaking up in the bushes was hilarious, because he clearly didn't read up on the past session report very well. It was a very Alderman Biggins moment.

* The steel shutters on the house were meant to have a real batmobile feel.

* If there's one thing I always find difficult, its coming up with enough interesting things to happen out in the wild. The rock and the coolant line was designed to be a hazard with a calculated decision point / risk.

* The duel of wits between Wreck and Gagan over heading back to the house for the coolant was brilliant; particularly the fact that Gagan won.

* The clearing was something I planned to spice up the forest a bit.

* Bionade is a real German beverage, though I describe it here as a sports drink when in actuality it is more of a soda.

* The cave experience is something not in my original plans, but I came up with after session 2 to make the exploration a bit more exciting. It is definitely a deviation from the original Tri-Color Shadow adventure I'm basing this planet on, but in the spirit of alien goings-on.

* I think the Wreck player really thought Gagan was leading him into a trap in the cave.

* The flickering lights of the hallway and hexagonal room were inspired by The Staff base of the Dharma Initiative in Lost.

* The radio not working down there was pure cliché, meant to heighten the tension.

* The autopsied human is meant to be pure alien abduction trope, with the wall of monitors being the typical futuristic computer bank.

* The screen Wreck couldn't understand was a login screen. When it went read, it meant he locked out the system. Clearly, he later activated a self-destruct sequence meant to protect the system from intruders.

* The "storage area" of the room that they never investigated was actually a stasis field. If they would have gone in, they would have been trapped.

* The message back from Maddox was pure Alien 3.

Session 4 - Cast of Characters

Jean Danielou: The older French merchant with a sordid career.

James "Wreck" Deckard: A former Texan marine who later joined the merchant security service.

Burton Steele: A younger up and comer from the United Kingdom.

Gagan Hubert: A mysterious old French hermit.

Session 4 - Scene 1 (of

Hiding back in the forest, Burt, Jean, and Gagan watch as Wreck awaits the response team. Up in the sky, they see something that appears to be a falling meteor. It appears to go down to the ground.

Based on the angle it fell, Jean can tell it fell somewhere deep in the woods, approximately five clicks away. He and Burt are discussing whether or not to investigate it when Wreck radios in, saying that someone should go check out the meteor.

Burt likes the idea of going to investigate, especially if it puts an additional five kilometers distance between them and the response team that will inevitably be killing Wreck. Jean isn't so sure about the idea of driving through the woods in the dark.

Radioing back to Wreck, Burt tells the Texan they will look in the morning. Wreck sarcastically agrees with their assessment to let the mysterious falling object go unchecked for the night, pointing out they just found an alien base. He continues his harangue, telling the two that giving alien invaders a couple of hours to dig in is a great idea.

Getting progressively more aggressive, Wreck asks who came up with that plan, suggesting it was Danielou. He gets nothing but static from the comm unit as a response.

Wreck then asks for Gagan over the radio. Jean quickly hands off the comm unit. Once Gagan is on the line, Wreck asks the old man if he knows how to drive a hover jeep. He tells Gagan that although he's claimed not to drive anymore, he believes the old man still has the skills. Wreck goes on to tell Gagan that they need to go look into the falling object, and if the two dingbats he's associated with can't do it, Gagan will have to.

Gagan reluctantly agrees, stating he's not sure about driving at his age but can probably do so. Burt and Jean reluctantly agree to go along as well.

Session 4 - Scene 2 (of

Shortly after the other three leave the area, Wreck hears a noise overhead; it appears to be the sound of an air skimmer having engine trouble.

A fair distance away, Wreck can see a small, blinking red light coming slowly down to the ground. Wreck gets his pistol ready and takes out a flashlight and shines it around.

Rather than investigate the blinking red light, he decides to hold position. After a second, he realizes it would be better to turn the light off and take partial cover behind the jeep.

Off in the distance, Wreck can see the blinking red light is staying a meter or so off of the ground and is heading slowly towards him. As it gets closer, the light from the campfire reveals the red light is attached to a humanoid shape, tall and thin with long hair.

Wreck holds his position and stays quiet. As the figure gets close enough, Wreck can tell it is a human female wearing a vacc suit, with the blinking red light some kind of homing signal attached to the suit. She appears to be tall and thin, with long brown hair.

The woman calls out, asking if anyone is there. She starts looking in the direction of the jeep then walks that way. Wreck calls out, telling the "little lady" she has gotten close enough. She tells him his name must be Wreck. He responds by telling the woman to identify herself.

The woman gives her name as Gail, saying she is with the response team. Wreck asks where the rest of the team is. She explains they had a problem with their air skimmer, it hit something on the way in and there was some electromagnetic interference.

Wreck wants to know what they hit. She describes it as an orbital object, likely a rock. Wreck mentions seeing an object crashing down to the surface. Gail is interested in the direction.

Gail then inquires about the whereabouts of the rest of Wreck's team. He explains they went off to investigate the meteor.

Turning the conversation back to her own missing team, Gail tells Wreck they need to go find them first. She believes the rest of them also got out using their grav chutes.

Gail takes out a dataslate and opens up an app. While she enters some data, Wreck talks about how curious it is her skimmer happened to hit an "orbital object" so close to where the apparent alien base was found. Gail reminds him that alien involvement hasn't been confirmed yet.

Wreck asks if she saw the images he sent over the holo-mail. Gail mentions they are still being analyzed, but Wreck is quick to point out the area didn't look French or German.

Gail fusses with her app, noting she's having an issue getting a triangulation. After a minute, she gets a signal lock. She instructs Wreck on the direction to go, but he insists she takes the lead. Taking out her flashlight, she heads off. Wreck follows, very alert for an ambush.

While they walk, Gail asks for more information on how they found the base. Wreck explains they stumbled onto it during their survey mission, keeping it vague. She then asks about signs of recent activity, which Wreck confirms.

Gail asks if the site is still accessible, but Wreck tells her no. He says there was a bit of an accident. She mentions hoping they'll get more from the analysis of the images and Wreck cracks a nervous joke about staying away from buttons in places like that.

She coldly says that pushing the buttons would not occur to her. Wreck somewhat defensively points out is felt natural to him, but admits he is a simple Texan. Gail, a bit too quickly, agrees he is "simple".

Changing the subject, Wreck asks if she works for Rebco. Gail cagily answers that she is part of the response team. Looking at her dataslate, she tells him they are almost there, having traveled half a kilometer from Wreck's camp.

Wreck asks how many people are on the response team. Gail gives the number as three, plus the pilot.

Shortly after, another flashlight shines out from the darkness at the two of them. A female voice calls out to ask, "Gail, is that you?" Gail responds affirmatively.

Another woman approaches, a tall blonde with the same vacc suit as Gail. She gives her name as Jo. Wreck introduces himself. She notices the rest of the team isn't there.

Wreck asks where the others might be. Jo isn't sure, but notes that "Laurel" got out of the skimmer just after her. While talking, Wreck carefully examines the woman. She does appear to have been in a recent grav chute jump, but he can also tell both women appear to be professional mercenaries and are carrying pistols as sidearms.

Once again, Wreck tries asking if the women work for Rebco. Gail is unamused, saying she thought they already established they were there as part of the response team. Wreck notes he just likes to know who he is dealing with. Gail coldly notes it is not important.

Jo, being the warmer of the two, touches Wreck on the shoulder, smiles, and tells him not to worry about it. Wreck notes that in his experience, not worrying about things can leave to a man getting killed. He considers whether or not he should attack the women now, but thinks better of it.

Instead, Wreck tries to get the ladies back to the campsite if they can't find their other companions. He notes the rest of his group will be back soon. Gail responds by noting she's picked up Laurel's signal.

Wreck notes his surprise about the group being all women. Jo says they all work well together. When Wreck asks if the pilot is a woman as well, Jo confirms and gives the pilot's name as Sun. Gail suggests they quiet down and get moving.

Not certain he wants to continue, Wreck asks if they still need his assistance. Gail tells him he better stay with them. Wreck asks if it is an option or an order. Gail just says she thinks it would be best for everyone. Jo smiles at Wreck telling him not to worry as it won't take long.

Before long, the group meets up with Laurel. Wreck continues to play along to see what will happen...

Session 4 - Scene 3 (of

Meanwhile, Burt, Jean, and Gagan travel through the dark forest. Gagan drives the jeep at a fast pace, quickly moving through the woods without incident. Jean and Burt both notice they've never been in a hover jeep that felt like such a smooth drive, only confirming their suspicions that Gagan was lying about his piloting skills.

Jean thanks the old man for his smooth driving. Gagan passes it off as "beginner's luck".

As they get near the area they are heading to, they see a red glow off in the distance where something hot appears to be cooling down.

Jean gets out of the jeep and uses his multi-spectrum goggles to investigate. The glow is bright, and he detects a wide band of gamma rays coming off of the object. The radiation is normal for an object coming from space, but Jean also notes it is metallic in nature, not a rock. It appears to be some kind of sphere the size of a large boulder.

When Jean radios back to the others, Burton encourages him to move in closer to investigate further. Jean, however, wants them all to come closer with the jeep. Gagan complies as Jean describes the object as created, but not overtly dangerous.

Using the sensors on the jeep, Burt can tell the object is the remains of some kind of satellite. Gagan has a better idea of exactly what the object is, but says nothing.

Burt tells Jean it is a satellite, which could be worth something. He suggests they go check it out. Jean agrees that Burt should go look at it, but he insists to the older Frenchman that he will need backup.

Gagan tells them they should both go and he can stay back at the vehicle. Burt and Jean are suspicious of the offer. Gagan says he will maneuver the jeep around to point the opposite way in case they need a quick exit. They finally agree to his plan. As they head over, Gagan takes a position halfway between them and the jeep.

When they get up to the satellite, Burt inspects the hull. It seems to be in good shape, and has some writing. It appears to be in French, saying "Projet de Photo Ciel", which roughly translates to "Project Skycam".

Burton asks Jean what it means, suggesting they are being watched. Jean points out it is clearly a French surveillance satellite. Burton looks closer, spotting the remains of the optical systems and the memory port to its onboard computer.

Jean takes out his dataslate and runs a connection into memory port. Using his computer skills, he hacks past the system's security and accesses the satellite's memory files.

Just as he gets done removing the connection, a male voice calls out, "Hey, what are you three doing?" Three men then come out of the darkness, dressed in fatigues and carrying rifles. The man in the lead asks Burt and Jean if they are the three surveyoers.

Jean confirms, introducing himself and Burton and pointing out Gagan but calling him by Wreck's name, "Mr. Deckard". The man tells Jean that they are the response team.

Burt asks the men if they know anything about the satellite. The man in charge says no, saying they were expecting something related to aliens.

Jean says there must be some kind of mistake as now that they've seen it close up, it is clearly French in origin. He asks the man if they are employees of Rebco, but the man deflects by saying they should secure the area. He has his men fan out and patrol the perimeter.

The man himself uses his rifle butt to break open the security panel protecting the memory core. He then reaches in and tears out the memory chip.

Burt starts to ask if they've ran into Wreck while they were headed here, which confuses the man. Jean elbows him in the ribs and points out Wreck is just over by the jeep. The man starts to look suspicious.

Session 4 - Scene 4 (of

While walking along with the women, Wreck clandestinely turns on his radio and ensures it is transmitting. He then talks to the women, asking if they work for Rebco. Gail asks why he keeps bringing that up. Wreck responds that he wants to know who he's dealing with and believes if they really worked for Rebco they would have just said so.

Gail still won't answer. Wreck points out that if they can't prove they work for Rebco, he has no intention of continuing to help them. Gail tells him it will be to his best advantage to continue on with them.

Wreck asks what the advantage is. Gail ignores him, pointing out she's gotten through the magnetic interference of the hull ionization of the skimmer and located its position. She says it isn't far.

Back at the satellite, Jean and Burt are picking up part of the conversation over the comm, but the transmission is spotty from interference from the gamma radiation.

Burt suspects the men they are with are not with Rebco, whispering to Jean in German. Jean points out it is just as likely that the team with Wreck is the fake one, or perhaps neither is actually affiliated with Rebco, and the two teams could be part of the same organization or from competing groups.

Jean suspects Wreck's holo-mail to Jackson Maddox may have been intercepted, possibly by more than one interested party. Burt wonders what to do next. Jean says they should ask to get back to surveying.

By now, the other soldiers have returned. They report to their commander that the perimeter is secured.

Jean suggests to the man they should get back to the survey mission. The man agrees, saying they should all head back to the jeep to check on their supplies and make sure they are good to go.

Trying to get rid of the men, Jean says all the equipment is good and they should not trouble themselves. The man says it is all right, as it will give them a chance to meet Wreck.

Not sure what to do, Jean and Burt start leading the men over to the jeep. Once their backs are turned, the men raise their rifles and ready to shoot them. Gagan watches from the distance, saying nothing. He is pretty sure the man in charge of the team is Wolfgang Cutler, one of the clean-up experts from the German colony.

Cutler and his men let loose a burst of fire into the back of Jean. He falls to the ground, dead.

Burt hears the gunfire and sees Jean's torn-up body. He decides to make a run for it, heading for the jeep by way of the nearby trees.

Bullets fly everywhere, tearing into the foliage. Gagan trots his way back to the jeep.

Burt tries to get back to the jeep quickly, but one of the shots hits him in the leg. He falls to the ground. Burt valiantly tries to crawl his way to the jeep, but one of the men catches up to him. Standing overhead, he brings down the butt of his rifle into Burt's head, knocking him unconscious.

Cutler then looks to Gagan. He tells the old man, the other one is dead but Burt is still alive and asks Gagan what he wants them to do with him.

Gagan looks around carefully. He tells Cutler there is still another man out there. Cutler says Wreck is of no concern.

Mentioning the strange facility they found earlier, Gagan asks Cutler if he knows anything about it. Cutler responds they intercepted the images along with Wreck's message. He mentions he's lost a few men in the area recently and has suspected alien involvement.

Cutler then asks Gagan if he has seen any of the hostiles, referring to the aliens. He says they will need to clear out the whole area.

Gagan mentions that the people he was with, Burt and Wreck, were very interested in earning money. He believes they could still be useful.

Cutler defers to Gagan, having his men load Burt into the jeep. He tells Gagan that if this one or Wreck prove useful to go ahead and use them, but cautions Gagan that if they do not, the old man will need to take care of the mess himself.

Before leaving, Cutler advises Gagan to get out of the area quickly. He notes that Bellaire undoubtedly is also aware the satellite has come down and will be coming to retrieve it.

Session 4 - Scene 5 (of

Across the forest, Wreck and the women have almost made their way to the ship. Wreck is still considering his options; he's a bit nervous he hasn't heard back from Burt and Jean. He decides against making a run for it and continues along with them.

Eventually they come along the downed skimmer. A woman is working on fixing it when they approach. The women all huddle together and talk quietly. Wreck notices they turn back in his direction a couple of times while they talk.

Wreck focuses his attention on the ship. It looks fairly banged up, but he can see there is writing on the ship and sees that everything is in English.

Thinking about the third colony on the island, Wreck wonders if the British are involved. While the women all appear to speak with American accents, he can tell they slip sometimes and can sense they are trying to hide a natural British accent.

Taking a gamble, Wreck sets down his weapons and cautiously approaches the women. He tells them it is time to put their cards on the table, noting they are clearly not Rebco employees nor French militia, nor German spies. He tells them that although he doesn't know what they are doing, it is time to talk straight. He also mentions his companions are not responding to his attempts to communicate so he believes they may have trouble.

Gail responds, in her natural British accent, that Wreck is probably right. She goes on to say that if they have not responded, it may already be too late for them. She then says there is another group operating in the area.

Wreck demands answers, saying he can't help them if he doesn't know what is going on. Gail exchanges glances with the other women before answering. She then explains she can tell him what is going on, but can't promise him more than 10% of the cut.

Gail reveals their true mission is to recover a French surveillance satellite. As the surveillance is illegal, the French had been hiding it in the restricted orbital zone.

Wreck asks what brought the satellite down. Gail explains they did. Wreck gives his belief that it was related to the damage at the station he discovered, but Gail explains there is not a direct connection. She does admit there is an indirect connection.

Continuing on, Gail explains that their employer had been looking into the alien ships passing through the restricted area when they discovered the spy satellite. Since Wreck destroyed the base, they took the opportunity to down the satellite, hoping the French would be too busy focused on the destroyed base to notice.

Gail says her mission is to recover to data from the satellite so her employer can sell it back to the Germans, whom the surveillance is undoubtedly against.

Wreck asks her if they know anything about Gagan. Gail refers to him as "the man who calls himself Gagan Hubert". She goes on to explain that her records indicate his real name is Adolph Mueller and he is a German deep cover spy.

Gail goes on to explain that Gagan is actually only in his forties, having been surgically altered to appear much older after being the victim of an accident that nearly killed him. Wreck notes that regardless, he is an ugly old bastard.

Wreck speculates that since Gagan, or Adolph, is off with his boys, that doesn't bode well. Gail agrees, saying Mueller probably already took care of them himself or is working with the other team in the area. She says the Germans have a specialist in the area named Wolfgang Cutler who will be looking to retrieve the satellite himself.

Since the air skimmer is so heavily damaged, Wreck suggests they head back and use his hover jeep. Gail agrees. She has Laurel stay with Sun to help with repairs, while she and Jo will accompany Wreck to find the satellite.

Session 4 - Scene 6 (of

Sometime later, Burton wakes up to find himself half naked and tied down to a bed with Gagan standing over him. Burt is scared about what Gagan has in mind. He calls Gagan a bastard and asks what his plans are to do with him.

Gagan simply says he does not believe Burt has much choice in the matter of what he does. Burt isn't sure what that means, but calms a little when he realizes his clothes have been removed to bandage his gunshot.

After a dramatic pause, Gagan goes on to tell Burt he needs him to contact Wreck. Burt asks what for. Gagan doesn't really answer, he just wants him to tell Wreck there is an emergency and he needs to come back right away.

Burt asks Gagan why he should help him. Gagan unrolls a cloth with pockets containing various surgical tools. He picks each one up, examining it closely, making sure Burt can see, and then sets them down on the table next to him.

Gagan then smiles and tells Burt the real question is, why wouldn't he help him. Burt responds that he is a lying bastard.

Burt finally agrees to make the call. Gagan is pleased, saying that otherwise Burt is clearly a foreign spy and that as a good Frenchman, he would be forced to defend himself and his country. He asks Burt if he wouldn't do the same.

Gagan continues to play with one of the surgical tools as Burt asks what he's supposed to say. Gagan gives him a set of coordinates to relay to Wreck, instructing Burt to say he was attacked and needs assistance.

Burt tells Gagan that he'll need to release his hand in order for him to use the comm unit. Gagan says that he can operate Burt's equipment without Burt's hand needing to be available.

After Gagan activates Burt's device, Burt starts asking for Wreck. Wreck hears the static-filled message. He signals the women he is getting an incoming message.

Wreck then asks to confirm Burt's identity, then asks where Jean is. Burt tells him they are in trouble. He goes on to tell Wreck that he is hurt, and he thinks Jean is dead.

The Texan tries to process the information. He asks about Gagan. Burt then yells out for Wreck to help him, saying he is being held hostage at Gagan's.

Gagan quickly takes the comm unit away, telling Burt he shouldn't have done that. Wreck then hears the comm disconnect.

Back in the farmhouse, Gagan stabs a scalpel into Burt's carotid artery, causing him to bleed out.