Session 9 - Absolute Zero

• The crew rested and conducted downtime activities as needed. While Allei prepared for the mission that night (Wacha's request, "Invisible Designs"), the rest of the crew decided to earn some extra scratch by completing another side mission for Wacha.
• The client requested that the group go aboard the research vessel, the Pioneer, and discover what happened with the crew, what went on, and acquire the research that thes hip contains. This research vessel was fresh back from an expedition to the swamps of Dysnomia. It arrived at the station, docked on autopilot, and no one has entered it or left since then. The client gave the group authorization to be the first on board.
• Upon arriving at the dockship...
• The group hacked the controls and entered in through the airlock. Once aboard, they discovered that the ship had temperatures below freezing; the environmental control on the fritz. The group took the time to change into environmental protection clothing, then proceeded.
• The group went to the cockpit first and discovered frozen corpses along the way. The corpses had signs of an acidic mold which ate flesh. AUW had not encountered anything like it before, but was able to identify several of its traits through his scanners.
• The group found the captain's datapad, which contained the following entries...
• Client sent us to acquire samples of indigenous wildlife and fauna. High paying job; my team is mostly here to provide security. Don't foresee too many problems, I've been to Dysnomia before.
• Initial camp set-up was rough. Our ship attracted a tribe of Crags Men. We eliminated them, though took on several wounded.
• Researchers have found a small mining area with diamonds and ancient relics. Spared a few men to recover that so the scientists could focus on their tasks.
• A researcher came down with Dysnomian Flu and hid it from the crew. Not sure if he knew what he had, might've mistaken it for a normal cold. Idiot. He went berserk and we put him down.
• We're preparing to leave; several notable fauna and wildlife specimens. They're interested in a mold they found, but it seemed rather unremarkable. We're putting our samples in the deep freeze to keep them pristine.
• Reports of the temperature systems being damaged, sending the engineer down with a couple guards to check it out.
• Freezing. The mold... it changed when it was exposed to extreme cold. Bigger. Think the damn thing is even sentient. Its cat and mouse from here, already taken out a lot of the crew. Energy weapons seem to hurt it, but not much. Its tough and quick; quiet too. Lost half my team before I knew what was going on. 
• Leaving the civvies here... Making one last push to the temperature systems in the core. If we can repair the damage, get it hot again, it might get the mold back to normal. That's what one of the scientists said, anyway. Worth a shot, we're all dead anyway if we don't do anything...
• The crew moved onward...
• AUW identified the Dysnomian Flu has a potential hazard; its an illness that drives people berserk. There is a cure, but no vaccine to prevent it.
• Remek found research logs that claims the mold is a runny, luminescent, non-intelligent smile. It is extremely durable and resistant to all non-energy damage. 
• The group decided to head below deck to fix the environmental controls in hopes of returning the temperature from freezing back to normal--thus restoring the mold to normal as well.
• Disturbingly, the sentient mold appeared to be keeping tabs on the group; studying and learning from them so that it might prevent them from fixing the environmental controls. It wanted to "live" after all.

• Below deck, the group ran into trouble...
• Defensive turrets were still active. Nikki managed to hack into two of them and gain control of them. She used one to destroy one of the malfunctioning turrets. The other turret she controlled was destroyed by the mold in the mean time.
• Crow managed to use his rifle to snipe the last remaining turret.
• Before the environmental controls, the group found one last obstacle...

• The security team that had been sent below deck had been left in one mass pile of body parts; fused together as a warning and trophy by the sentient ooze. Disgusting to say the least.
• Tamit decided to burn it with her flamethrower, but her weapon discharged the grenades and other explosive devices left among the ruined security team. An explosion occured!
• The explosion shakened and damaged several crew members, the mold then ambushed the group from the shadows; deciding on then to strike!
• A fight broke out between the mold and the group. It would ultimately end through a desperate gambit by Vela. She cut the fuel line of the ship and then cut the power cord with another; bringing them together to cause a massive explosion.
• The explosion nearly killed AUW and Tamit, and it severely wounded Vela. The mold, luckily, was 'defeated'. AUW's expertise in medicine was enough to take care of the groups damage, but it was a close call--especially for the doctor. 
• Although the ship suffered SEVERE damage, the mission was 'completed'. The group repaired the environmental systems, stored the mold safely, and recovered all the research data for the client. They got paid, job done...
  
  
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  EACH PC RECEIVES...
  $1,750
  
  THE PARTY THEN HAS TWO OPTIONS...
  1) Steal some of the diamonds, minerals, and artifacts aboard the ship and delete records of it; affording them some extra loot. This will create negative reputation.
  
  2) Forgo stealing the loot and offering to help repair the damage done to the ship through their actions. This will create positive reputation.