Full Text for A Narrow Thread

What follows is the full text for the scenario "A Narrow Thread".

Extremely lank and dark, a long-limbed individual glances up from his workbench. "A moment please," he mutters as he fits a housing over a chaos of wire. He continues working as he speaks.

"The Cin-Sae destroyed much of this station before we managed to restrain them. Unfortunately our main electrical generator was destroyed during the attack and I fear that we may not receive a replacement. In three days the backup will fail and we shall die. Our people shall remember your attentions."

"I had not expected to see you again," the technician says, rubbing his hands together. "I am, unfortunately, no closer to repairing the main generator."

Sitting on a stool, the technician is nearly collapsed on his overly-tall workbench. Looking up at William with glazed eyes, he makes a sweeping gesture with his hands.

"Have you come with the generator?"

His long fingers stroke the silver generator as you pass it over.

"You have the thanks of my people," he says graciously. "Your names shall be known always in the Tqn of the Nuskuan."

Reaching behind a panel, he unwraps a strange looking probe and hands it over. "In the hands of a master, this does great good."

"I am...tired," he says. "I think I shall rest a while more."

William eyes a set of steps apparently carved from the snow itself.

"It's pretty dark down there. Think we should go in?"

The scene under the snow bank is grisly, the charred husks of the Cin-Sae spawn piled one atop another in a huddle of claws and teeth.

"Like something out of a nightmare," Robert says, kicking a carcass. "Why would anybody just let these things loose?"

A dead Cin-Sae Spawn on the frozen ground.

As revolting in death as they were in life, there appears to be nothing remarkable about the dead beast.

After an unpleasant search, William discovers something lying in the snow next to the creature.

"This terminal has already been reserved," the Nuskuan says. "Kindly leave me to my business."

An emergency warning comes up on the screen even as William begins to encode a message. It scrolls slowly across the screen.

"Main Transmission array disabled. Please see Controller 9."

Uncertainly composing the warning at the keyboard, William completes the message and hits the transmit button. A brief pause. Three beeps.

"Whoever gets this will think we're crazy."

"Better to think we're crazy then spend their time digging graves," a Nuskuan says. "Well done."

The lights flicker on overhead as you enter, disturbing a sleeping Nuskuan. Groggily he peer at you as he unfold himself from a sleeping position."My shift?" he asks groggily.

"The cycles seem to be growing shorter," he says wearily. He cocks his head to one side suddenly as if first seeing you, then waves his hand. "I shall see you at the end of this shift. Sleep well."

Watching as the creature pads out, Katya seems lost in memories.

"Common sleeping rooms," she says. "It brings to mind how things were in Romania...a long while ago."

Folding himself like the petals of a flower, the Nuskuan begins to drift slowly to sleep.

"I would like to finish my cycle in private," he mumbles.

Immediately William curses, recognizing the figure padding down the corridor.

"I don't think we should have disturbed him. He doesn't look happy."

Squinting against a blinding glare of white, William scrutinizes the ground.

"There's something moving under there!"

William slipped into a sink hole.

"Leukotytes!" an intern shouts as William enters the door. "Quick, get out of that suit!"

"You picked these up while you were in the snow," a Nuskuan explains, pointing to a cluster of tiny creatures chewing on the back of the suit. Chucking it into a small door, he activates the cleanse mechanism.

"That should kill all of them. Nothing I can do about the suit."

"You pose a great threat to the station. I'm afraid we have to eject you."

Several interns swarm forward, grabbing arms, legs, packs. In a hurried rush the corridors fly by. After the steel doors close, the party sits trembling in the bitter snow.

Easing the nearly frozen captain down onto a strange mat, a medical scanner immediately begins to assess his injuries. The doctor turns to shake William's hand, but is interrupted by a sudden commotion.

"Use our terminals to warn everyone about the Cin-Sae! The job's not finished! Go to Sabik and destroy..."

Interns quickly sedate the captain before he can say more.

"Delirium," the doctor apologizes.

The symbolic interpreter reports that the sign reads "Captain Swyonsen - Station Leader"

William cautiously rifles through the possessions on the captain's desk. After a nearly fruitless search, a notebook is found in a lower desk drawer.

"Doesn't he ever open his mail?" Osai asks, sorting through Captain Swyonsen's mail on his desk. "It doesn't look as if he's been here for days."

"10th Hau-Nai, 10 G.Y.

Accepted transfer of Sub- Li "Scrover" from the Sabik mining colony.

34 Hau-Nai, 10 G.Y.

Leukotytes found in Com Center. No damage reported.

16 Bau-Nai, 10 G.Y.

Unscheduled shipment from Sabik colony. Fourteen team members killed by Cin-Sae Spawn that were found in the shipping crates. Electrical generator destroyed. Carcasses burned in pit.

From a distance it appears as though a tree is protruding from the ground. Drawing closer, it becomes apparent that it is a Nuskuan half-buried under the snow.

"Tha..o..nsgal...Cin-Sae..,"

It is clear that the man has clearly lost his senses, and he is only marginally holding on to life.

"I'm not sure what their biology is like, but I can't believe that he can survive long in this," Osai says, glancing through the snow. "We should get him to an infirmary."

The lights flicker on as you enter, disturbing a sleeping Nuskuan. Groggily she peers at you as she unfolds from sleeping position.

"My shift?" she asks groggily.

"Wasn't like this on Sabik," she mutters, standing up. She stretches her long arms as she looks for something in the room. "Crazy mess there. Firing all the reliable employees, installing self-destruct mechanisms in the silos. Like they were going to war or something. Perhaps I can tell you more of it later."

She pulls up the mattress, then places it down again. "If you find a blo, let me know, okay?"

Without another word, she turns and pads out the door.

Folding herself like the petals of a flower, the Nuskuan begins to drift slowly to sleep.

"I would like to finish my cycle in private," she mumbles.

Taking the pipe in her fingers, she experimentally makes a few sounds. She thanks you and chats about the station, her life, friends. Then, somewhat cautiously, she begins a tale about the Sabik Mining Colony.

"I would use our facilities to warn the sector of what is going on, but they would think me mad. Besides, it requires a Sector Clearance of 1."

A shrill call on the intercom cuts her short and she apologizes. "I am afraid I have to go on duty. Perhaps I shall see you again."

"The local temperature is -30 degrees. Are you certain that you wish to go outside without protection?"

Hurrying down the corridor to meet you, a Nuskuan seems relieved to see everyone alive. Immediately he turns his attention on the captain.

"He still has color. Only a few of us even knew he was missing. With recent events we felt it best to keep it secret," the creature says. "Get him to the infirmary quickly."

An irritated individual greets everyone as the environment doors close. Quickly he presses the open door switch and motions you outside..

"I cannot let you back into the station while you are infected with the Leukotytes."

Abruptly the door closes and the party finds itself once more in the snow.

The snow in this area appears to be shallower than the rest.

A blue light begins to filter through the layers of snow as William digs furiously. After an hour's work, a high- tech radio array is clearly visible in the frozen ground.

From his looks, the controller has gone days without sleep. Almost automatically he recites something he has had to repeat numerous times recently. "All the terminals are booked at the moment until we manage to clear another array. Thermauls are on the wall."

Busied with the task of unrolling a wad of surgical tape, the intern speaks quietly as he works.

"The workers here have been having problems with the cold," the Nuskuan says. "Ice and foliant lifeforms are not easily compatible. I would suggest that you be careful while travelling outside as well. Many have died in that ice."

"Have you found my blo yet?", she asks.

A metallic voice comes from the panel, "You need Sector Clearance to use this station."

"A close call.", William says. "We almost beamed down inside of those tables."