Derelict — 8 of 10
Vern & Mark
Release 1
Section 1 - The Text
Table of Quip Texts (continued)
| quip | quiptext |
| who-am-i | "You try to talk with the creature. It doesn't immediately appear to understand you, but instead cocks its head in a bizarrely human-like fashion.[enable the approach quip][enable the can-speak quip]" |
| say-nothing | "You stare in silence at the creature. It stares back momentarily, then breaks your gaze skitters around nervously." |
| can-speak | "You ask the creature if it can speak. It responds with a series of clicks and hisses." |
| approach | "You slowly walk towards the creature, reaching a hand out. It hesitantly approaches you, then turns around and dashes towards the air duct. It's movements are so quick, they barely register before your eyes.[terminate the conversation]" |
| logon | "You log into the computer. The desktop shows icons for a number research applications, as well as a file explorer.[enable the files quip][enable the research quip]" |
| compexit | "You log out and step away from the computer.[disable the vlog1 quip][disable the vlog2 quip][disable the vlog5 quip][disable the vlog8 quip][disable the vlog4lock quip][disable the vlog3 quip][disable the vlog6 quip][disable the vlog7 quip][disable the vlog7lock quip][disable the vlog4 quip][enable the logon quip][enable the compexit quip][terminate the conversation]" |
| research | "You see charts that appear to be tracking the progress of a living organism. It appears to cut off on December 12th, where all signs of life abruptly flatline.[enable the date quip]" |
| date | "You check the date in the corner of the desktop. December 17th." |
| files | "You see a number of audio, video, and text logs, sorted by date.[enable the vlog1 quip]" |
| vlog1 | "Video Log:[line break][line break]A man in a decorated uniform sits comfortably in his reclining chair. Behind him, you can make out a silver placard hanging above the doorway to what appears to be the bridge. After fussing with his hair for a moment, he begins speaking:[line break][line break]'Today marks the arrival of humanity to Beta Venator 88 IV on the wings of our Valafar. Spirits are high. After all, every last habitable planet is a valuable asset to ISCA (Inter-Stellar Colonization Affirmative). The temporary base has been secured with haste at Point Blanc and basic living conditions have been established. Unfortunately, I don’t see myself finding too much free time in the weeks to come - I’ll try to update regularly.'[line break][line break]He sighs heavily and fixes his collar before nodding into the camera and saying,[line break][line break]'The celebrations are underway, and my presence is requested. Second Lieutenant Stritzheis, signing off.'[line break][line break]The video cuts off there.[enable the vlog1 quip][enable the vlog2 quip]" |
| vlog2 | "You can make out the same silhouette from the first log sitting in the same location. The lighting is a lot dimmer now for some odd reason.[line break][line break]'Dr. Wreiss, two of your staff stopped me earlier and mentioned that you brought something aboard. Livenne calls it an alien relic. If what she says is true, then maybe we can bring home a nice Christmas gift. Do report back ASAP. I look forward to your findings.[line break][line break]Also, don’t forget to set up the DSN receptors to regulate altitude for the ship as is leaves atmosphere tonight. We can’t have what happened last time again.[line break][line break]Stritzheis, signing off.'[line break][line break]The video cuts off there.[enable the vlog2 quip][enable the vlog3 quip]" |
| vlog3 | "The video footage seems to have been corrupted, but you can make out enough of the audio to understand what is being said. A female voice speaks up after several seconds of mumbling in the background:[line break][line break]'Lt. Stritzheis, we’ve put the relic under close examination. To our surprise…the relic appears to have a...pulse. I know it sounds absurd, but I’m led to believe this relic is an actual living organism, or at the very least...'[line break][line break]Her voice hushes and nears the microphone,[line break][line break]'...an egg. I know the protocols involving extraterrestrial species, but you have to see it for yourself. I’m leaving the Bay 2 key in your locker in the Crew Quarters. Please come down and see it for yourself at your earliest convenience.'[line break][line break]The video cuts off there.[enable the vlog3 quip][enable the vlog4lock quip]" |
| vlog4lock | "You are not authorized to access this log.[enable the vlog4lock quip]" |
| vlog4 | "There has been sufficient data collected about to relic to assume it contains an embryo. Log will refer to the relic as an egg. Since this frigate lacks a science facility, we have devised a makeshift incubator for the egg.[line break][line break]Day 2 Incubation Report:[line break][line break]Egg appears to respond positively to room temperatures of 24°C to 26°C with a favored incubation temperature of up to 31°C. Any higher may drastically harm the embryo. Bay 2 has been selected to host the nurturing and development of the egg for the tools and ability to sport these temperatures consistently. These numbers seem to indicate a warm blooded species.[line break][line break]Absolute humidity of this ship is insufficient - relative humidity regulated to match native environments of up to 45 grams per cubic meter with air saturated at 30°C. Ideal moisture level appears about 50% to 55% relative humidity on a wet bulb thermometer. Fortunately, the raw exhaust from the six repulsorlift fission reactors produce enough heat to also maintain this humidity level for long enough spans of time to allow for sporadic caretaking sessions. Albeit the temperature we can provide is slightly higher than expected. [line break][line break]Egg has begun to dry out, but this seems natural, considering that the pulse of the egg still remains healthy. Dr. Karnings has been tasked with monitoring the egg and venting the incubator at predetermined times.[line break][line break]This concludes the report.[enable the vlog4 quip][enable the vlog5 quip]" |
| vlog5 | "Medic Bay Report 656767210d0a0d0a:[line break][line break]It appears that Dr. Karnings has fallen ill as of last night and is temporarily relieved from his duty. I have personally assigned Pvt. Dache to fill his role while Dr. Karnings recuperates. The symptoms we have examined include headache, nausea, temporary blindness, and explosive diarrhea. A couple passengers have taken note and are beginning to question what we are harboring.[line break][line break]This draws suspicion to the relic. The relic does not seem to be producing chemicals as far as we’ve detected, and our other sensors are reading nulls across the board. Further investigation will be promptly conducted. If findings yield any chance that this relic is harmful to our well being, I will submit an order to evacuate it from an airlock.[line break][line break] - Dr. Humlock[enable the vlog5 quip][enable the vlog6 quip]" |
| vlog6 | "Medic Bay Report 6372796f0d0a0d0a:[line break][line break]I regret to be the bearer of bad news, but Dr. Karnings has fallen into a coma. The majority fearing that the illness is contagious, we have opted to instate him into a cryostasis pod post-haste. Still, research is paramount and the main focus of this vessel. I will submit a request to tighten security regarding handling of the relic to calm the nerves of my colleagues.[line break][line break]Some are highly concerned that his illness is starting to spread, but I assert that it’s simply in their heads. Surely nothing can be this infectious if it is not a detectable airborne pathogen.[line break][line break] - Dr. Humlock[enable the vlog6 quip][enable the vlog7lock quip]" |
| vlog7lock | "You require top secret security clearance to access this log[enable the vlog7lock quip]" |
| vlog7 | "The screen is blurry, but you can make out a long haired silhouette in the low lighting. Another individual, a male, approaches her hurriedly and inquires in a rushed, but quiet tone:[line break][line break]'What are you doing? We need to go NOW! I’m not waiting around for that to happen to me.'[line break][line break]The man grabs the woman by the wrist and tugs on her to leave with him. She pushes his hand away and asks for a moment.[line break][line break]'The ship is on autopilot. Herman will take us to the nearest human colony. It says…'[line break][line break]She looks down at what appears to be another monitor and reads slowly.[line break][line break]'Dur...ahem, Epsilon Durandal 107 II a. The date is December twelve, four-ninety-first of the second millenia. Doctor Rubie Wreiss, s-signing off.'[line break][line break]At that moment, the man ushers her to go and reaches down to end the recording. The video cuts off there.[enable the vlog7 quip][enable the vlog8 quip]" |
| vlog8 | "The first seventeen seconds of the video are pure static. Surprisingly enough, the video recording is still running. You begin to hear tampering with the machinery. Banging, if you could verbalize it. Finally, a voice, along with shredded video segments, is delivered:[line break][line break]'Damn, is this wor--'[line break][line break]Static noise fills in the next ten seconds before the audio returns.[line break][line break]'--ey, HEY! Shit’s going haywire, man. Is this thing on? Whatever we picked up is causing this. Th-that piece of...whatever. It’s going down, man! Is this a radio? Hello?! Screw all this, I--'[line break][line break]The video cuts off there.[enable the vlog8 quip]" |
| hermexit | "'Happy to be of service!'[enable the hermexit quip][terminate the conversation]" |
| hermship | "'Ah yes, this is a rather fine vessel! Valafar is a Halcyon class interstellar frigate, a part of the research division of the ISCA.'[enable the hermisca quip]" |
| hermisca | "'The ISCA stands for the Inter-Stellar Colonization Affirmative. Humanities last best hope of escaping a doooomed earth! Ha ha just kidding Earth is long gone.'" |
| hermmemlie | "'Err I don't know anything about that.'" |
| hermdeath | "'I uh. Sorry. You don't have the security clearance for that.'" |
| hermsec1 | "'Oh... fantastic... feel free to ask me questions...[enable the hermdeathtrue quip][disable the hermmemlie quip][disable the hermdeath quip]'" |
| hermdeathtrue | "'Well... You see... When the egg hatched, the creature seemed to have let off some sort of... mind death ray. Thing. I'm not really sure. I still don't know exactly what the thing is. Anyway, it appears to have been a reaction to the fact that none of its kind were around when it first hatched. Imprinting is very important in a lot of reptilian and bird species from Earth, so it's reasonable to assume that this species requires that as well. When imprinting doesn't go correctly, well, it's almost certainly irrecoverable. I'd avoid that thing at any cost.'[enable the hermmemtruth quip]" |
| hermmemtruth | "'It seems you were able to get to the Cryo chamber before the worst of the effects occurred. The creature's ability does not appear to function like some sort of affliction, you need to be actively exposed to it to be affected. By freezing yourself, you were able to keep yourself alive, though not unscathed.'[enable the hermcreature quip]" |
| hermcreature | "'Well, it appears reptilian in nature, but warm blooded. Based on its movements through the ship it is able to survive in zero atmosphere environments for prolonged periods. It also seems to be peculiarly picky about where it eats. That's why I decided not to let you into the bridge earlier... that's where it does its, ah, feeding.'[enable the hermname quip]" |
| hermname | "The AI core does not respond, and instead, shuts off the console interface.[terminate the conversation]" |
| ldfight | "You raise your fists and prepare to duke it out with the Lizard, but your heart just beats faster as you quickly realize you've no chance against its speed and strength. Every second you delay, it simply gets closer." |
| ldthrow | "You grab the nearest thing you can see and chuck it at the Lizard, but by the time the object even leaves your hand the Lizard is out of it's path, and nearer to you." |
| ldrun | "You try to back away, but there's nowhere to go. The doors are locked, and the gap between you and certain death is shrinking very quickly." |
| ldsubmit | "You put up your hands in front of your face defensively, and await the inevitable. But death does not come. Instead the Lizard slows down its movements, and approaches you within a few feet. It slowly reaches out a limb, imitating the gesture you used earlier. Hesitantly, you react in turn, and you reach out to touch its extended claw. The creature momentarily meets your eye, before retracting the appendage. It then appears to search it's body, before retrieving and presenting you with a starmap. You analyze the picture and quickly recognize a planet marked with a gash. The planet where the crew picked up the egg. You look once again at the Lizard and for the first time can see the pain in its eyes. A little bird lost from its flock, desperate to return home. You know what you need to do. And there's only one thing standing in your way.[enable the ldpoint quip]" |
| ldpoint | "You point at the door locks and make a smash gesture with your fist. The Lizard quickly comprehends, but instead of actually smashing the panel it gently places its front claws against it. A blue glow appears around its steely forceps, and the panel flashes a rainbow of colors before turning black. You can feel the electricity in the air, arcing off of the creature. Suddenly the energy flows back into the panel, it makes a fizzling sound and black smoke starts flowing out of it. The door slowly slides open.[terminate the conversation]" |
Table of Herman Interactions
| prompt | response | enabled |
| "That's all." | hermexit | 1 |
| "Tell me about the ship." | hermship | 1 |
| "Why can't I remember anything?" | hermmemlie | 1 |
| "How did everyone die?" | hermdeath | 1 |
| "What's the ISCA?" | hermisca | 0 |
| "I've obtained greater security clearance." | hermsec1 | 0 |
| "Now, tell me why can't I remember anything?" | hermmemtruth | 0 |
| "What really happened to the passengers?" | hermdeathtrue | 0 |
| "Tell me about the creature." | hermcreature | 0 |
| "What is my name?" | hermname | 0 |
Table of Computer Interactions
| prompt | response | enabled |
| "Log On" | logon | 1 |
| "Exit" | compexit | 1 |
| "Research Apps" | research | 0 |
| "File Explorer" | files | 0 |
| "Check the date" | date | 0 |
| "View Nov 11th, 2491 - 1834 hours" | vlog1 | 0 |
| "View Dec 2nd, 2491 - 1416 hours" | vlog2 | 0 |
| "View Dec 3rd, 2491 - 0012 hours" | vlog3 | 0 |
| "View Dec 6th, 2491 - 0658 hours" | vlog4lock | 0 |
| "View Dec 6th, 2491 - 0658 hours" | vlog4 | 0 |
| "View Dec 8th, 2491 - 0729 hours" | vlog5 | 0 |
| "View Dec 10th, 2491 - 1255 hours" | vlog6 | 0 |
| "View Dec 11th, 2491 - 2308 hours" | vlog7lock | 0 |
| "View Dec 11th, 2491 - 2308 hours" | vlog7 | 0 |
| "View Dec 12th, 2491 - 0148 hours" | vlog8 | 0 |
Table of Alien Interactions
| prompt | response | enabled |
| "What are you?" | who-am-i | 1 |
| "Can you speak?" | can-speak | 0 |
| "Approach the Creature." | approach | 0 |
| "Say nothing." | say-nothing | 1 |
Table of Alien Approach Interactions
| prompt | response | enabled |
| "Run!" | ldrun | 1 |
| "Fight!" | ldfight | 1 |
| "Throw something at it!" | ldthrow | 1 |
| "Accept your fate." | ldsubmit | 0 |
| "Point at the door locks." | ldpoint | 0 |