Heather Anderson

Character Art by Brahahaga

Heather is a young mechanic who finds machines and technology to be far better company than other humans ever could. She recently finished her engineering degree with flying colors and was quickly taken on by the Void Engineers, although whether they value her talents or just didn’t want anyone else snagging her is another question entirely. She is awkward and rude, sometimes wholly in intentionally and sometimes because being nice strikes her as pointless. While it would be a blatant lie to call her well adjusted, compared to most of her colleagues she’s met, her background is surprisingly mundane—until now.

## Background

* Likes building, repairing and modifying technology
* Awkward and lonely
* Has only been Enlightened for a few years
* Career largely directed by a possibly ineffective and irresponsible mentor
* Minimal field experience
* Not well regarded and deemed expendable by the Technocratic Union in general and the Void Engineers in particular
* Approximately 23 years old as of the beginning of this chronicle

## Character Biography

### Oldlife

In middle school, Heather had a friend who was secretly attracted to her.  She feigned ignorance, for fear of losing one of the only real friends she had.  At some point, he gave her a flower, which she dried and kept between the pages of a book.  The knowledge of its existence gave her some degree of comfort.

### Early Newlife

During the first day of her initiation and orientation with the Void Engineers, a teenage kid bounced up to Heather, introduced himself as Mateo and declared he was a weirdo.  He immediately explained that their unique form of introduction helped him gauge how people would react.  Heather was taken aback, going so far as to ask why he was talking to her, but eventually returned their greetings.  Mateo would take it upon himself to become her friend, which she allowed as she did not sense any ulterior—or romantic—motives on his part.  As he went through puberty, his voice would crack when he was excited.  He also became known for being something of a know-it-all, always raising his hand when the instructor asked a question.  Heather learned to use that, while avoiding eye contact with her instructors, so she would not have to provide any answers to her instructors.

A few days after her orientation began; Heather met her mentor, Sabian Knight, who had been assigned to induct her into her section of the Void Engineers.  Sabian was initially skeptical of Heather, challenging the new recruit to demonstrate her knowledge.  Heather was overwhelmed by the room, as she saw it as a mechanic’s ideal workspace.  She eventually recovered and built something so impressive that Sabian was unable to hide her surprise, even before Heather revealed it also made coffee.  The two would subsequently establish a good working relationship.  The most important piece of advice Sabian offered was for Heather to maintain her curiosity.

### DSRV Rogue

Several years after Heather’s orientation, Sabian would be assigned as Chief Engineer of the Technocratic Union submarine DSRV Rogue, which was ordered to travel from Seattle to the Deep Sea Exploration Zone, a secret Void Engineers base located near the Marianas Trench.  She was instrumental in recruiting Heather to join her, as she felt it would provide valuable experience for Heather and she could keep her mentee safe. The Rogue consisted of three decks or levels: the main level (which held the mess hall and most of the quarters were housed), an upper level (piloting, storage and other things), a lower level (mechanical equipment).

While Heather was a Void Engineer and a member of the submarine crew, she was asked not to enter the storage area, as it was stacked with supplies intended for the Deep Sea Exploration Zone.  She was required to bunk with the main crew which, in an unusual departure from standard practice, was not a pre-established crew from the Aquatic Exploration Teams of the Earth Frontier Division.  The crew included members of other Void Engineer Methodologies such as Research & Execution (who included known colleagues Jordan and Mia), Border Corps Division and Pan-Dimensional Corps (Fleet Operations Command).  She surmised that the unique makeup of the crew was intended to address any developments that might arise during the course of the mission.

When Heather was not performing her duties, she stayed out of the way to fix things and tinker on her own special projects.  However, she found the lack of internet access increasingly difficult. After a few days, she approached the lone member of Iteration X who had been assigned to the crew, though she could not remember her name.  Heather was briefly sidetracked by her eyes and whether one of them was a cybernetic implant.  The Iteration X operative correctly guessed she wanted to gain internet access, as roughly half the crew had already seen her for the same reason, and was willing to help as she was bored and wanted someone to talk to.  She was satisfied that Heather primarily wanted internet access to download e-books, but asked her to avoid pornography, as it would be difficult to enact and maintain the necessary anti-virus countermeasures. They mutually agreed that this had been a productive, albeit awkward, conversation.  Heather explained that she had worked on submarines, but this had been her first submarine mission.  However, she was confident it would be successful.  They eventually exchanged names before heading to Heather’s cabin to set up internet access on her laptop.

Heather would use her internet access to download e-books to her Kindle and watch soap operas.  She later discovered, to her surprise, that Mateo was also assigned to the submarine.  While they had drifted apart after their orientation, Mateo was quick to renew their friendship and happily watched soap operas with her.  During this time, Heather noticed that he wore a binder.  However, he never brought it up during any of their conversations.

After a week traveling in cramped quarters, dim lighting and stale air, nerves were starting to fray.  The captain, Aaron Gamble, quickly interceded before things got out of hand, but tensions were still running high.  Heather recognized some of the tensions came from the fact that the DSRV Rogue was woefully short-staffed, forcing most of the crew to pull double shifts and operate without sufficient sleep.  Heather was an exception, as Sabian made sure she had enough rest so the two of them could keep the Rogue operational.

At some point, Captain Gamble would publicly announce that his cabin door was missing and asked if anyone knew anything about the matter.  After the crew laughed, Gamble ordered a crewmate by the name of Devon to act as his new door.  Devon amiably complied, going so far as to maintain his new role until the door was returned.  The prank had a notable improvement on crew morale.

At some point in her journey, Heather found herself crawling through the vents to an out-of-the-way area of the submarine, where she had to repair a motor that was critical for normal operations in the mess hall.  As she crawled through the vents, she touched the side and found some grooves that felt like some kind of spelling.  Digging out a flashlight she turned it on and discovered the word ‘Nautilus’ printed into the metal. She found that bizarre, considering the name of the submarine was ‘Rogue’.  However, she put the thought aside as she could hear the grumbling of hungry crewmates. She repaired the motor without any difficulty, though the cramped conditions of the vent made it somewhat awkward.  After finishing her repairs, she popped her head out of the ventilation shaft.  The hatch fell down and almost hit Nolan, had Tegan not batted it out of the way.  Sophia managed to dodge out of the way. Heather explained to Nolan and Tegan that she had been in the midst of fixing things.  She then confirmed to the mess specialist that the motor was fixed, which allowed her to start dinner.  After calling out that she was not a god, Heather opted to drop out of the ventilation shaft, into the mess hall… and landed on the head of Tegan, who was attempting to catch her.  The two wound up sprawled on the floor.  Heather helped Tegan up, but was less successful in removing the boot print from Tegan’s face.  Nolan quietly commented on the situation while Sophia worked on her tablet and ignored what was happening.

On the seventh day, Heather was walking to Engineering when she heard Sophia screaming from her room.  She tried to enter Sophia’s room, found the door was locked and began knocking. Heather called out and asked if Sophia was okay. Sophia assured her that she was fine, but evaded her follow up question regarding why she screamed out loud. After confirming Nolan was a therapist, Tegan ignored Sophia’s assurances and used her phone to override the locking mechanism.  When Tegan insisted on seeing her, Sophia opened the door, pointed a taser at her, repeated her words and firmly closed the door.  By that point, several other crew members—including Captain Gamble—had arrived on the scene.  Gamble asked everyone to disperse and give Sophia some privacy, but asked them to reconvene in the dining area in twenty minutes. Tegan felt somewhat slighted, feeling that one should respond when hearing screams of distress. Nolan agreed, but pointed out that some people did not appreciate such wellness checks, no matter how well-intentioned.

Heather followed Nolan as he walked away, reminding him that Gamble wanted to hold a meeting.  Nolan explained he wanted to brush his teeth again after having some instant coffee.  Heather was shocked that he had found coffee.   Nolan pointed out that she had never asked, that this was the first conversation they ever had and offered to share his supply.  Heather promptly accepted, declaring he was her new best friend, and passed the time rambling about various parts of the submarine she fixed while they walked to his room and his supply of ‘magic juice’. Tegan walked behind them, as her quarters were in the same direction, but did not participate in the conversation. True to his word, Nolan gave Heather—and Tegan, when he saw her—some pods from Luna Coffee.

During their conversation about the various brands of coffee Nolan had, Tegan divulged the fact that some research teams were working on a stimulant that was more effective than coffee.  Nolan and Tegan shared a moment over their mutual appreciation of Spaceballs.  Heather and Tegan saw that Nolan’s room was extremely well organized—which spoke to past military experience, OCD or both—and expressed their appreciation.

The crew obeyed Gamble’s orders and convened in the dining area at the designated time.  He told them they had arrived two days ahead of schedule and thanked everyone—particularly the engineering team—for working so hard despite the circumstances. Gamble explained that the Deep Space Exploration Zone was now within range of their scanners.  They had determined that the base still had power and had not been destroyed, which came as a surprise given that the Technocracy had not received any communications in several months.  The Rogue had tried hailing the base multiple times, but had not received any response.  Their current working theory was that the crew of the base were all dead.

As such, the Rogue would dock at the base and her crew would investigate.  Tegan offered to access the base computers and gather more information.  Gamble accepted her offer, recognizing she might have some tools that his Void Engineers lacked and how she had already proven her skills by helping various crewmates acquire internet access.  If there were no problems, the crew of the Rogue would proceed with retrieving data and other elements required by the Technocracy.  If problems arose, however, then they would be expected to deal with them.  Gamble handed out a list of the personnel assigned to the base, their roles and areas of study. Heather skimmed the list.  The main piece of information she gathered was that the chief scientist was a Void Engineer from Research & Execution, specifically the Advanced Research Division.  She then returned the list at Nolan’s request.

Gamble tasked some of the crew to unload supplies, while the rest were ordered to focus on data retrieval.  He then concluded the meeting, inviting anyone who wanted to work with the submarine scanners to accompany him. Heather, Nolan, Sophia and Tegan followed Gamble to the bridge, which was only occupied by the first mate, Tajima Yukiyo.  Heather helped Sophia and Tegan calibrate the equipment so they could conduct their scans. Sophia and Tegan noted out loud how the base defences were raised, as if they were reacting to the submarine.  Curious, Heather tried recalibrating the scanners and running her own analysis.  She was surprised to detect every kind of Enlightened Science she was familiar with, along with a few more forms.  Hearing this, Gamble took a look for himself.  He said the results suggested that some of the base crew was alive, but found the sheer amount of energy unusual.  Nolan asked if the scanners had taken any external readings of the base, citing hull integrity as an example.  Gamble replied that external scans had either come up clean or were inconclusive due to shield interference.  He advised them to prepare for the worst.

Heather returned to her quarters and donned a set of finger guns before grabbing her computer and basic scanning equipment. She did not feel prepared for whatever she might encounter inside the base.

Everyone soon felt reverberations as the Rogue docked with the Deep Sea Exploration Zone.  Hoping the physical connection could bypass the shield interference, Sophia reached out with her senses.  She determined that the air quality and internal temperature was nominal. Curiously, she picked up two extra life signs that were not included in the base crew manifest: one human, one feline. The team speculated on the former, with possibilities including a pregnant operative, a spy and a clone. Heather tinkered with her goggles until she was able to visually see manifestations of certain forms of Enlightened Science, including Prime energy.

### Deep Sea Exploration Zone

Gamble warned the team to be careful, as they did not know what to expect, before opening the airlock to reveal a starkly white hallway.  Two people were already waiting for them: a young woman sporting a ponytail and suit, and an unassuming man who looked them over like a security guard. Heather detected active Prime and Matter energies emanating from the gentleman immediately.  She knew this was wrong, but could not draw any conclusions from her observations. Sensing something was amiss, Nolan established a mind link with Heather, Sophia and Tegan.

The woman greeted them politely, explaining they had not expected any company.  Flustered, Gamble told them that the Technocracy had been trying to contact the base for months.  The woman replied that they had been sending reports during that time, wondered if there was a problem with the communication systems and invited them to the control room so they could speak to the commander.  Gamble exchanged looks with Nolan, surprised by her detached demeanour, but eventually accepted her offer.  He transferred command of the Rogue to Yukio in his absence.  Gamble, Heather, Nolan, Sophia and Tegan then followed the woman into the base.

Nolan began a running conversation with the woman, who he identified as Dr. Eva Walters.  He mentioned that one of his mentors, Carl Etheridge, had spoken highly of her.  Heather recognized that Agent Etheridge was the leading Man in Grey who died in 2006 during an onslaught at the Portland chantry.  The fact that Eva did not react was highly suspicious.  Furthermore, she connected Eva to the Special Projects Division of the Syndicate, which she knew had ties to the multinational megacorporation Pentex.  She then remembered some old files she read on the submarine in her boredom, which revealed that Pentex was conducting some research in this base.

Through the mind link, Tegan told her other teammates that she would complete the data retrieval as quickly as possible, given the suspicious circumstances, and advised them to come find her if she did not return within fifteen minutes.  She then split off with Mateo and Jordan to head for the laboratories.

Gamble, Heather, Nolan and Sophia eventually arrived at the control room, where several people were bustling about.  As they looked through the reinforced windows and saw the Marianas Trench, Eva approached a middle-aged woman standing by one of the consoles, greeted her as Commander Bessette, and informed her that they had visitors.  Bessette casually dismissed them as she was busy.  A stunned Gamble spoke to her, calling her Amelie, but she did not respond.  He walked over and quietly spoke to her. Heather picked up some ambient Prime energy through her goggles and a flare of energy from Nolan as he began some kind of Procedure.  She also detected some dead spots and wondered if there was Primium somewhere in the base.  Heather then began casually wandering throughout the control room, noting that no one seemed to respond to her presence.

Sensing things were becoming increasingly suspicious, Nolan used the mindlink to telepathically tell his teammates everything he knew about the Special Projects Division—specifically that they were an infamous part of the Syndicate that regularly performed unauthorized research on demons, the Nephandi and other Reality Deviants… before vanishing after the emergence of the Dimensional Anomaly.  He also confirmed that Dr. Eva Walters was a high-ranking member of the Special Projects Division and she did not react when he deliberately used the name of a high-ranking N.W.O. agent, Carl Etheridge, who died after her disappearance. Nolan then added the observation of Eva’s eyes turning black.  Sophia revealed that she had also seen eyes turning black during her recent nightmare.  The song ‘Working for the Weekend,’ by Loverboy, began playing over the mindlink as Nolan’s stress levels got the better of him.  Tegan told them that she needed a little more time.

Heather and Nolan then realized, to their horror, that the observation of black eyes was one of the many descriptions they had read about Threat Null—one of the most terrifying adversaries that the Void Engineers had faced. Furthermore, they were looking at the Threat Null counterparts of the Void Engineers, who no one had seen before.  Nolan began mentally laughing hysterically.

It was at that point that Gamble slammed his fist into the console, exclaimed that Amelie was his wife and demanded that she look him in the eye.  As everyone in the room froze, Sophia telepathically urged Heather to explain. Heather was horrified that Gamble would yell at Threat Null and initially conveyed the belief that they would all die momentarily.  She eventually recovered enough to tell Sophia and Tegan that Threat Null came from beyond the Dimensional Anomaly, should not be on Earth and should not exist as Void Engineers.  As Nolan tried to suggest to Gamble that they should run, Amelie coldly ordered her crew to kill them all.

Sophia fired her taser at Eva, recognizing that, even if it did not hurt Threat Null, it should hurt the host body.  Eva’s back arched as she broke out into spasms. Heather threw a canister of CLN-20 (a.k.a. ‘Fun House’) gas, causing half of the infected enemies to collapse. Tegan joined the others, assessed the situation and fired her LL/AP-15 Finger Guns.  She killed Eva with her first shot and hit Amelie with her second. Nolan moved past Amelie, then used a Procedure to make everyone else think they swapped places. Gamble was momentarily confused by Nolan’s actions, but saw through the illusion. He ordered his crew to return to the submarine.

Sophia pulled her pen from her jacket pocket, intending to stab a hostile and trigger its internal explosive if she could not escape.  Meanwhile, she began retreating to the submarine, planning to advocate for the base’s destruction as she felt its crew was infected and were beyond saving. Heather accessed one of the consoles and found the self-destruct sequence.  Calculating how much time the crew of the Rogue needed to return to the submarine, seal the door and disconnect from the base and set a countdown timer.  She then started the countdown and began to run. Tegan kept the infected base crew at bay.  She then ordered everyone to run back to the submarine, intending to be the last person to leave. Nolan activated a Procedure to improve their chances of success before retreating himself.

The submarine crew ran, with Gamble and Tegan bringing up the rear.  Sophia was the first to return to the Rogue.  Seeing the door was open, Sophia used her life sight to confirm none of the submarine crew had any shadows or signs of infection.  However, she did see the cat that she detected earlier, who had somehow made its way onboard.  Fearing it might carry the infection, she threw the animal off the submarine and explained her rationale to the team.  No one chose to question her motives.  The team was so eager to leave, none of them saw its tag, identifying it as a KIT Mark named Cupcake.  Tegan used her Enlightened Science on the door to seal the infected inside the base.  The Rogue then disconnected and began pulling away.

Everyone felt relieved to have escaped with their lives.  However, Heather then realized that she had failed to factor the blast radius of the base’s self-destruct into her calculations when she set the countdown. Before she could say anything aloud, the base exploded and the submarine was caught in the shockwave.  As they were flung about the corridor, the lights turned red, the alarms began to ring and they felt a strange pressure on their bodies.

The operatives tried to stand up, only to find themselves floating through the air.  They saw all the colours of the rainbow tear through the submarine, its beauty belied by the screams they—and their crewmates—made and the howling winds that seemed to blow through the halls.  One by one, they recalled all their memories—from both their oldlife and their newlife—before they slipped into unconsciousness.

### Beyond the Dimensional Anomaly

Heather was the first to wake up and felt an incredible amount of pain.  Opening her eyes, she was mildly surprised to see that her body had not been torn to shreds, meaning the pain she felt came from internal injuries. She realized from her training that the submarine had somehow crossed through the Dimensional Anomaly, which meant the injuries she had sustained would heal over time.  Looking around, she saw Sabian’s shredded corpse floating in the air.  It was then that Heather realized there was no gravity and no lighting beyond an alarm that intermittently flashed red light.  When she heard the sound of her breathing grow increasingly raspy, she also concluded that life support and other primary systems offline.

As her prime sight provided no significant information, Heather donned her goggles and activated her Dark Sight.  She found herself in the midst of several floating bodies.  Only then did she remember the majority of the crew had just escaped from the base and returned to the submarine when they were hit by the explosion, and thus did not have the opportunity to disperse.  Looking closer, she recognized Nolan, Sophia, Tegan and Captain Gamble.  Deciding that Sophia, as a Progenitor, was the closest thing she had to a doctor, Heather checked on her first. As far as she could tell, any injuries Sophia had sustained were also internal in nature. Heather was able to wake her up without any difficulty.

She flinched away and almost punched Heather before recognizing her.  After Heather asked Sophia not to punch her, she explained she had to deal with failing systems.   In a slightly incoherent ramble, she asked the Progenitor to deal with the mass of unconscious and dead bodies around her.  Sophia asked what was going on.  Heather explained there was an explosion, she believed they had traveled through the Dimensional Anomaly, she felt like her cells were being shredded with glass and life support was failing.  Having gleaned enough information to understand the situation, Sophia urged Heather to begin repairs.  Heather floated away, but not before saying she was glad Sophia was not dead.

Heather took advantage of the lack of gravity and her knowledge of the sub to travel through the vents to Engineering.  She soon realized that crossing the Dimensional Anomaly caused every system on the submarine to shut down.  However, she believed she could bring them back online. However, she quickly became frustrated, going so far as to curse out loud and throw the occasional tool. Tegan called out that she was joining Heather and asked her not to throw anything else.  Reaching the door, she asked if Heather needed any assistance.  Heather gave vague orders to fix something else. She made a great deal of progress in getting the life support system back online, though she grumbled that it would be easier if she wasn’t in so much pain.

Shortly afterwards, she abruptly fell to the floor as, unbeknownst to her, artificial gravity had been activated.  She cursed in pain and demanded to know what Tegan had done.  Tegan apologized for turning the artificial gravity on, but found it curious that such a system existed in the first place.  Over the mind link, Nolan needed a moment to process that, but eventually found that just as curious.  When Heather got back to her feet, she asked Tegan to find the controls to the PA system.  Tegan managed to turn it on immediately.  She announced to the survivors that she had turned on the PA and artificial gravity system, and apologized again for any discomfort caused by the latter.  An irate Heather threw a wrench at Tegan, only to ask for its return after it fell short of its intended target.  After some more work, she managed to restore the life support system and sighed in relief as fresh air began filling the cabin, though she noted it had the taste of dead bodies.

Moments later, Tegan heard Nolan shouting out loud, though his words were somewhat muffled.  Heather calmly asked him to report to Engineering. Heather’s voice came over the PA, asking him to report to the Engineering Room.  Nolan shouted back that there was a big hole.  He began answering Heather’s questions by giving a rough approximation of its dimensions and assuring that he was not being sucked out. During the conversation, Tegan tried to explain that she’d activated the windows.  At Heather’s and Tegan’s suggestion, Nolan tapped the window and confirmed it was made of glass, though it was much denser than standard windows. Tegan explained she had found, and restored, redacted code for windows.  Nolan apologized for distracting them with his inarticulate concerns.  Heather replied she was relieved that he had not been sucked out into the void of space. Nolan asked them how they would feel if that had happened.  Based on their responses, he declared they were in good mental health.  When Heather replied that she was in a great deal of pain, Nolan promised to visit her in Engineering and provide medication after he replenished his supplies from his room.

Heather briefly accessed the PA and requested anyone alive and mobile to report to the cafeteria.  She then returned to her repairs.  Sophia reported there were only five survivors and that she was in the mess hall. Heather, Tegan and Nolan promptly asked for the identity of the fifth survivor and learned it was Mateo.

Nolan eventually arrived in Engineering and received a pop culture-laden greeting from Tegan.  When he offered drugs, Tegan pointed to Heather, who raised her hand plaintively.  After taking her pulse and assessing how much pain she felt, he injected her with a cocktail of amphetamines and painkillers, which he enhanced with his Enlightened Science. Feeling much better, Heather began assessing the integrity of the vessel, considering it endured an explosion that sent it through the Dimensional Anomaly, and ran scans to determine what systems needed repair.  Tegan pulled up a display of the vessel and began running diagnostics. Nolan then asked if there were any means of external communication, which they could use to contact any deep-space stations that had previously been cut off by the Dimensional Anomaly. As Heather began searching for any relevant systems, Tegan revealed that she had discovered an unlisted energy source located somewhere in the centre of the vessel.  Heather and Tegan wondered if it was a warp core.

Looking further, Tegan found some blueprints and put them on the display.  A light was pinging from a room located in the belly of the ship.  Heather was surprised, as her blueprints made no mention of such a room.  They were still pondering this discovery when they were interrupted by the sound of Mateo screaming, followed by Sophia shouting for Nolan.  Nolan promptly left Engineering.

Heather began gathering whatever tools and equipment she thought she would need to thoroughly explore what she now saw as a ship—and cut through any walls that got in the way.  She also downloaded the blueprints of the ship—and information on any damaged sections—to a nearby tablet.  She turned back in time to see the display screen briefly went dark, gave an indication of restarting, then returned to normal.  A message appeared in an old font, welcoming them to the Nautilus (episode 1).

The two were confused at the homepage that welcomed them to the ‘Nautilus’.   Heather remembered a panel embossed with the name Nautilus, which she discovered in one of the vents near the mess hall, and mentioned it to Tegan.  The Void Engineer added that she had thought the Technocracy had simply repurposed some parts, but now wondered if the truth was more complicated.  Having agreed that the mess hall would be a good place to start looking for the mysterious power source, the two finished downloading the schematics to the tablet.  Both couldn’t help but note that the computers were now running two operating systems simultaneously.  Before Heather left, Tegan set up a remote connection so she and Heather could communicate.

Heather arrived in the mess hall to find Mateo unconscious and holding a plush llama.  She poked the plush with her bare hand and found it suddenly hurt less.  Hearing some banging from the kitchen, she looked inside and found Sophia and Nolan. Sophia asked Heather if she wanted coffee.  Nolan was so preoccupied that he did not realize Heather was present until Sophia told him she had joined them.   Heather told them she was looking for a secret power source but would happily take coffee first.  Sophia eventually confirmed that the secret power source was not on the blueprints they were given.  Tegan’s voice echoed from the tablet, startling Nolan and Sophia until Heather explained she’d established a communications link between Engineering and the tablet.  Tegan told Nolan and Sophia that she had unlocked a hidden operating system that said they were on the Nautilus and there was some kind of warp core or power source hidden onboard.  Sophia asked if they were on a submarine or a spaceship.  Tegan guessed both, but pointed out that she had discovered window controls and artificial gravity systems, both of which were incongruous to submarines.

At that point, Nolan announced that the coffee was ready.  Tegan was excited to hear they had coffee and, not dissuaded by Heather’s warning of its smell, asked for some.  Sophia found a travel flask and filled it with coffee.  She also suggested that someone should physically accompany Heather, noting the limitations of Tegan’s remote monitoring.  Heather was amiable to having either Sophia or Nolan accompany her.  Sophia decided to volunteer, as Mateo would not be going anywhere.  That prompted Heather to ask what was in the llama, a question that confused Tegan.  Nolan replied that the plush had been dipped in a cocktail of MDMA, psychocilibin and Tylenol-3 (with codeine).  Heather admitted that that explained why her hand hurt less.  Nolan asked if she needed drugs and began searching through his supplies.  Heather eventually accepted some extra-strength Tylenol, but not the LSD.  Tegan repeated her request for coffee and Nolan agreed to bring some over.  Heather began dragging things over to a vent with Sophia’s assistance.  She then climbed up, secured a rope and dropped it behind her so Sophia could follow.  Once Sophia joined Heather, they began crawling through the vents.

Heather stopped when she found the panel that bore the name ‘Nautilus’.  She stopped, uttered the words ‘Open Sesame,’ knocked on the panel and stared at it intently. Heather’s examination was interrupted by Sophia, who explained there was something flaring a few floors beneath them that showed signs of Prime and something that was similar to, but was not, Data. Heather looked closely but could not detect anything.  Sophia guessed it would require some sort of trigger.

Heather called out to Tegan and asked where the item ‘that should not be’ on the vessel was located.  Tegan looked at their location and provided detailed directions. Digging out her table, Heather re-synced the device to refresh the schematics.  Sophia asked if it was possible that there was a transporter on the ship, but Heather was certain that was not possible.  Sophia then asked whether she was certain the Technocracy built the ship or merely repurposed and liberated it.  Heather allowed that that was entirely possible before silently leading the way to the mystery item. They eventually made their way through the vents and down the ladders to one of the lower floors, making their way past boxes (holding supplies that were supposed to have been unloaded at the Deep Sea Exploration Zone) and the workshop where Heather was usually assigned. Heather was certain that what she was looking for should be nearby.  When Sophia suggested it might be hidden, Heather began a closer examination of her surroundings. Heather and Tegan tried to talk to each other, only to have trouble communicating.

As she looked at the wall, she realized one of the panels was newer than the others and had something flaking off.  Heather pulled out her soldering iron, but found it had no effect.  She then shared her observations with Sophia. Sophia commented that she saw a flare that did not seem to fully penetrate the wall before reaching out to touch it.  She asked aloud if the wall should feel warm.  Heather thought it was possible, now that the power was restored, but it depended on what systems were inside.  She then touched the wall herself and immediately declared it was not just warm, but hot.

Alarmed, Sophia grabbed Heather’s arm and yanked her to the side just before the metal exploded.  While Sophia’s armour protected her from the shrapnel, Heather sustained further injuries.  Smoke began to billow through the hall. As they coughed from the smoke, they could hear something burning from the room revealed by the exploding wall—a room that should not exist according to their original schematics.  Heather was confused by the existence of the room, but Sophia was more concerned by the fire.  After looking around, Sophia found an electrical fire extinguisher and began to put out the flames.  Sophia donned her goggles and put on some heat-resistant gloves. Looking inside, they saw it was clearly designed for a specific function, despite the occasional boxes that had been left there for storage.  A large, circular object stood in the centre of the room.  The large crack and hole in its size suggested it was the source of the fire and explosion.  Its appearance was reminiscent of a warp core, albeit a cheap, jury-rigged version of one.

Sophia continued to put out the fires in the room. By the time she was done, their lungs were thoroughly irritated. Heather carefully approached the device and began assessing how much damage it had sustained and whether anything was breaking down.  She was still examining the device when Nolan and Tegan arrived.

Nolan asked what was going on.  Heather warned them to stay back.  Sophia explained that a wall had exploded and led to a fire, which they had subsequently put out.  She admitted they were still in the preliminary stages of exploring the room.  In return, Tegan said that Nolan had deleted a cat and she had discovered an entire section of the ship that had been cordoned off, which indicated the vessel was larger than they thought.  Frustrated at this latest revelation, Nolan kicked the wall.  Tegan offered to help, but Heather told her to stay back. Sophia asked if Heather or Tegan was interested in the original blueprints to the ship.  Heather remained distracted, but Tegan readily scanned them with her DEI and uploaded a copy to the implant’s memory.

Continuing her examination, Heather scanned the physical structure with Forces and Matter.  Unfortunately, it yielded little more than an analysis of the damage that she could see with her own eyes.  When she switched to a scan with Dimensional Science, she immediately realized that the device was a Wonder, potentially a powerful one that held vast amounts of Primal Energy.  Unfortunately, she also discovered that it had been completely drained.  She also remembered from her training that it was dangerous to take Technocratic versions of these Wonders through the Dimensional Anomaly as they would take damage.  She made an educated guess that the Wonder had sustained damage when it passed through the Dimensional Anomaly and exploded, causing more damage to the Technocrat crew as they crossed the barrier themselves.

Heather reported that the device was no longer leaking radiation, which Tegan confirmed from her own scans.  She added that it had started to fail while passing through the Dimensional Anomaly, which meant that the device and the Dimensional Anomaly shared responsibility for killing most of the crew.  Finally, she identified it as a Wonder.  Nolan was shocked, as that meant the device came from the Traditions and not the Technocratic Union.  As the other Technocrats processed that information, Heather added one last detail: while the failure of the Wonder meant it was no longer leaking energy, she also believed they needed it operational in order to cross the Dimensional Anomaly and return home. Tegan wondered if their transit through the Dimensional Anomaly was an accident or whether someone wanted the Wonder destroyed.  Heather reminded them that they blew up the Deep Sea Exploration Zone, which could have triggered a chain reaction.  Tegan was more concerned at the possibility that someone had sent them out on a suicide mission.  Nolan asked how quickly they could repair the Wonder. Heather remembered what Sophia said about seeing energies that were similar to, but different from, Data.  She also realized that the Wonder was emitting energies that were similar to, but slightly different from Dimensional Science.

After some thought, Heather told the others that she could start repairing the Wonder, but revealed that it channeled energies that were not totally compatible with their Enlightened Science.  As such, she doubted she could bring it fully back online or use it to send them home.  Tegan said her scans revealed that the engines could be repaired, but Heather told them they would only allow the ship to move through space—not the Dimensional Anomaly.  She also pointed out that they did not presently know their actual location in space. As she said that, though, Heather remembered one of her early lessons as a Void Engineer about how dangerous it was for anyone to stay beyond the Dimensional Anomaly for more than ninety days.  Failure to observe this time limit, which was known as the Ninety Day Rule, would lead to discorporation and death.  She passed this information along to her colleagues.

Tegan was visibly concerned.  In an effort to take her mind off their impending demise, she told Heather and Sophia that they had found and deleted a virtual cat.  Nolan assured Sophia that he had taken all the steps necessary to fully delete it, but Tegan expressed doubts that it was actually gone.  After making pop culture references about cats, Tegan added that it was holding a red blinking light just before the explosion.  Heather suggested it could have been an alert, as she was sure the Wonder was about to explode on its own.

Nolan got everyone back on track by reviewing how the Nautilus was actually an Etherite vessel that had been repurposed into a Technocratic vessel.  Tegan suggested that they could explore the sections of the ship that had been secretly cordoned off.  Heather was more focused on how to repair the Wonder, as it used energies that were not quite Data or Dimensional Science.  After confirming that it might be the Mage equivalent, Nolan promptly identified the latter as Spirit Magick.  When Heather made a face, Nolan insisted that that was what Tradition Mages called those kinds of energies, even if they were wrong.  Heather insisted that it would be difficult to make Magick fit her Enlightened Science.  After debating whether discorporation was like The Blip (from the Marvel Cinematic Universe) and how painful it might be, Nolan, Heather and Tegan wondered if the vessel might actually be a Marauder or Nephandi ship.  Sophia thought it was improbable that the ship had passed through that many hands, but Nolan felt otherwise based on his knowledge of history and classified files.  The Technocrats decided to explore the hidden areas of the ship, but not before Heather applied duct tape to the parts of the Wonder that showed the most damage.

They did not travel far before reaching another wall, but only paused long enough for Heather to cut their way through with a plasma torch.  The Technocrats found themselves in a room with a window that gave them a clear view of the empty void. After looking at the blackness, Heather, Nolan and Sophia saw a flash of light that resembled the Aurora Borealis.  While it resembled outer space, they did not see any stars. Heather began hearing screaming in her head, which sounded exactly like what she heard when she passed through the Dimensional Anomaly. The other Technocrats were startled when Tegan dropped to her knees and screamed.  She soon indicated that whatever she experienced had passed.

Nolan told the others that they were looking at the Dimensional Anomaly itself.  After a brief discussion, he then insisted everyone be quiet and looked for a coffee cup.  After Sophia pointed to a thermos that she had left behind, Nolan retrieved it, drank the remaining coffee and placed it against his ear.  He then hit his fist against the wall and began counting. Heather realized Nolan was trying to determine where they were, what Spirit Realm they were in and what the Gauntlet was like around this region.

Using Cowboy Bebop as an analogy, Nolan explained that the Technocrats were somehow in the Null Zone, a place between realms that the Technocrats did not officially acknowledge.  He added that technology did not normally work in the Null Zone.  When Heather and Tegan asked how their technology was still functioning, Nolan theorized that it was for the same reason that they had accessed the Null Zone in the first place—the Nautilus was an Etherite vessel that employed Magick.  Furthermore, he realized where he had heard the name KIBO before: it was a Virtual Adept artificial intelligence or Intrusion Countermeasures Electronics program program from the late 1990s or early 2000s.  Following his train of thought, Heather and Tegan asked if that meant they had to learn Magick.  Heather refused to draw runes and scribbles on the wall to make the Wonder work.  Tegan pointed out there were no moon cycles to follow or crystals to extract.  Sophia stated that the mad science that Mages called Magick did not make any sense.  Heather allowed that if they all started chanting, they might hit the correct frequencies.  Tegan proposed a group orgy to generate the necessary energies, which Heather and Sophia firmly rejected.

Continuing his explanation, Nolan said past trials proved they could not learn Magick, as they knew (or believed) it would not work.  He then asked if they could move.  Tegan repeated that they could repair the engines, while Heather reminded everyone that the engines alone would not allow them to cross the Dimensional Anomaly.  Nolan said that while the Union had not colonized the Null Zone, the Traditions had.  Therefore, he proposed finding a Tradition Mage on their side of the Dimensional Anomaly and persuade them to help.  When Heather asked how to find one, Nolan jokingly suggested Tinder.  Heather had the idea of using her tablet, coupled with her Data and an Entropic effect, to access a cached webpage for singles and see if the internet was available and whether she could locate any Mages in the vicinity. After receiving a signal that there was no internet, Heather poured some Entropy into the tablet.  KIBO appeared and informed her that he was single.

Heather announced that she had found KIBO.  After guessing the program had jumped to her tablet, she asked if he could help them find Mages.  KIBO helpfully told her that he was a Mage.  While Heather seemed confused, Sophia looked intently at the tablet and identified the presence of an Enlightened Genius or Avatar.  As Heather revealed her concern, KIBO pulled up a fractal image and said he was placed onboard to protect it.  Tegan identified the fractal as the item Nolan had found while she was playing Doom.  When Sophia asked if it could help them, KIBO said it contained everything known by ‘the Fisher Princess’.

Tegan asked if she could download the fractal.  KIBO admitted she could, but did not know what would happen.  Seeing no alternative, Tegan removed her implant—to Nolan’s disgust and Heather’s fascination.  Sophia told the others that the Fisher Princess was a Virtual Adept who used to run in the late 1990s and early 2000s before disappearing.  Nolan felt that made sense, as her departure coincided with the crash of the Digital Web.  Sophia warned that downloading the construct of a Virtual Adept into her head might be dangerous.  Tegan believed that it was worth the risk if it would help them return home.  Nolan intervened and gave her a Mind shield with a dose of LSD.  Thus fortified, Tegan plugged her DEI into Heather’s tablet and downloaded the fractal. She then hesitantly inserted her implant back into her eye.  After a moment, she passed out.  Heather checked her tablet to see if KIBO was still on her tablet.  Seeing he was still there, she stroked the screen and saw the program respond to her finger stroke.  She then wondered if KIBO was like a Tamagotchi and whether she had to feed him (episode 2).

Nolan nervously asked for water to splash on Tegan and flashed a light in her eyes to check her pupillary responses.  As Sophia and Heather began looking for water—or cups—he began a physical and—given her cybernetic status—technological examination.  He saw her human eye was dilating normally, but her DEI and brain were processing so much data that it overwhelmed Tegan.  Having concluded his exam, he reported his findings to the others. Nolan wondered if she was sealed and whether she’d ever eaten anything.  Heather thought she was, but could not remember seeing Tegan eat or drink anything.  Sophia, looking visibly unimpressed with her colleagues, pointed out that she’d had coffee and was sealed because she had blood.  Nolan was delighted to hear that and asked if she had retrieved any water.  Sophia explained she had not, as the mess hall was a fair distance away.  After Nolan pointed out that he was supporting Tegan’s head, Heather volunteered, emptied a coffee cup that one of her colleagues had put down and left to retrieve some water.

Heather eventually returned and handed Nolan the water he requested. Nolan added some painkillers to the water, as he was concerned Tegan’s cybernetics would not come back online with her biological systems and short circuit, sending her into an uncontrollable rage.  After pausing to label his containers, he poured the dosed water into Tegan and made her swallow it.  He left her a note explaining how much Tylenol he had given her, written in a scrawl that Heather found illegible and tucked it into her pocket.  He then asked how bad the situation was, given that Heather had given them eighty-nine days before discorporation.  When Heather confirmed her earlier statement, Nolan asked how time passed in the Null Zone and whether anyone was proficient with time.  Heather laughed nervously before admitting she was chronically late, while Sophia said she always met her work deadlines.  However, neither of them was proficient with the Enlightened Science of Time.  Nolan took a sip of his drink, was visibly dissatisfied with the taste, and asked how his colleagues were doing.  Heather admitted she was still in a great deal of pain, but set it aside to study the original blueprints of the ship on her tablet. She was so focused that it took her a moment to realize Nolan had asked her a question.

After Nolan went on a conversational tangent on how to address deceased werewolves, he asked Heather if her command of Forces extended to creating an EMP.  Heather replied by pointing out the dangers of setting off an EMP on the ship.  Nolan and Sophia emphasized that they wanted one that would only extend to a very limited range.  When Heather asked why they needed one, Sophia explained it was for Tegan, in case there were any dangerous side-effects from downloading a Reality Deviant program.  Heather suggested tying her up instead.  While Nolan accepted the more analog solution, Sophia was concerned that Tegan would escape her bonds, attack them and infect the rest of the ship.  While Nolan and Sophia argued, Heather retrieved a rope from her kit, tied Tegan up and dragged her to a room to lock her inside. As Heather picked Tegan up, she muttered under her breath about strange agents not understanding technology and wanting to harm such a beautiful ship.

Nolan belatedly broke off from his rambling to offer his assistance.  Observing her handiwork, he asked if Heather tied a lot of people up, as he did not remember anything in her file that would suggest such proclivities.  Heather explained that she was good at knots, citing a brief period of time in the Girl Scouts.  The conversation led to thin mints and whether they would make it back to Earth.  Heather admitted she did not know whether or not they would return, but felt it would be an adventure either way.  Nolan admired her optimism, which Heather mistook as him trying to flirt with her.  After confirming they were colleagues, but might become friends, Nolan finally understood the implications behind his earlier statements.  He insisted, repeatedly and emphatically, that he was not trying to make any romantic overtures. In addition, Nolan insisted he was basically sex-less and wordlessly gestured at his marriage ring.

At that point, Tegan began calling out and asking why she was tied up.  Heather explained they had taken precautions in case she woke up as a rampaging rage monster.  After she reassured Nolan that she was not feeling any more homicidal feelings than usual, she repeated her request to be freed.  Heather opened the door and untied her.  Tegan then noticed a note had been tucked into her pocket and read that Nolan had given her a thousand milligrams of Tylenol.  She realized the sheer amount of painkillers was probably why she felt unwell and pointed out that she did not feel pain like most people.  Nolan explained that the model of pain-dampening software she had was known to experience delays when rebooting and wanted to minimize any discomfort she might feel.  Under his breath, he added that it would provide a route for him to shut down her central nervous system—though his attempts at subtlety were promptly countered by Heather’s frank and audible explanation.  Tegan told them she was not thrilled about their open admissions about taking her down, which Nolan and Heather continued discussing.

Heather and Nolan learned that Tegan had received a vast quantity of memes and spoke to the fractal, which responded with vibrations that she felt in her bones.  Hearing the latter, Nolan examined his medications to double-check whether he had given her painkillers.  Tegan added that she acquired several files and revealed that KIBO was now in her brain.  Furthermore, she came across a paper that might discuss the function of the Wonder they had found.  Tegan then asked if they knew anything about Project Deepwater and whether they killed Sophia.  Nolan explained that Sophia had grown tired of their company, while Heather said she had not been killed recently (by either of them).

Tegan went on to reveal that she had uncovered the original crew manifest—three Etherites and a Virtual Adept who was, in fact, the Fisher Princess—and an audio log.  After reciting the crew names, Nolan recognized Captain Jenny Dekkar as an Etherite who had been very active in the late 1990s before vanishing.  When Tegan mentioned they were looking for Professor Emeritus Alexis Hastings, Nolan immediately recognized the name and asked if they were sent to kill her.  Tegan explained that she had gotten the impression that they were sent to find her.  While they had succeeded, they quickly regretted it, according to an ominous audio log.  Furthermore, KIBO had been offline for several years before he was turned back on sometime in the 2010s.  Heather and Tegan speculated that KIBO’s reactivation was due to the Nautilus’s discovery by the Technocratic Union.  By that point, Nolan had remembered enough to tell Heather and Tegan that Hastings was once the leader of the Etherites, but had vanished when the Dimensional Anomaly hit.

She added that the crew was traveling to Victoria Station, which Nolan also recognized, to see if it was still active, as the Traditions had not received any communications from them in several years.  Heather and Nolan felt that Victoria Station would only be active if it was haunted, though Heather conceded that it may have been active and staffed back then.

Now that Tegan had finished processing all the files in her DEI, she decided to find a computer station and start uploading them to the mainframe.  Heather and Nolan followed.  On the way, they passed by the infirmary where Sophia was happily sorting through boxes.  Tegan told her what they were planning, invited her to join them, and gave assurances that she was not a killer robot before they continued on their way. Nolan wanted to change his clothes.  Tegan was willing to wait until he returned and use the time to prepare an ad-hoc presentation.  The conversation turned to Powerpoint Olympics (Nolan was a fan, Heather and Tegan were not), deodorant (Heather offered some to Nolan, which he turned down, before using it herself) and how Nolan felt they were bonding.

Sophia asked if anyone needed Band-Aids.  Heather felt she needed more than Band-Aids considering the injuries she’d sustained passing through the Dimensional Anomaly, suspecting that some of the damage had been done on the molecular level.  Hearing her words, and seeing how visible her injuries were, Sophia entered Heather’s personal space and began a physical examination.  After several calm utterances of pain, Heather was asked whether she wanted to be healed slowly or in a faster and potentially grosser way.  She chose the latter out of morbid curiosity.  Sophia proceeded to give Heather medication and a quick blood transfusion that healed some of Heather’s injuries (and transferred some of the damage to Sophia).  Heather told Sophia she felt the transfusion brought the two of them closer together, which Sophia found unfortunate.  Curious, Heather asked if the blood would register as her own or Sophia’s in the hypothetical event that she was attacked by a vampire.  Sophia replied that it would be Heather’s as she only donated an ounce of blood before eating a cookie.

Nolan came back and asked what Tegan was looking at.  Tegan explained that she had found a list of people who were being targeted by something called ‘Chulorviah’ as part of a project that was currently being funded by the Special Projects Division.  She pulled up a watch list, financial documents and some information on the Chulorviah, displaying the files on a computer screen.  Nolan was confused as the Special Projects Division was not currently being funded.  Heather speculated that the list was of people who had already been infected and were currently being monitored.  At that point, they realized that Sophia’s name was on the list, with a notation that she was a ‘Section 12 candidate’. When Nolan asked what the virus could do, Tegan explained that it could make cephalopods smarter and humans more bestial.  Nolan wondered if Sophia was part squid, while Heather asked if that explained the grumpy demeanour Sophia displayed before her morning coffee.

The other Technocrats asked Sophia if she had been squidded, bitten, injected or stared at computer screens for prolonged periods of time.  Sophia did not look impressed with their line of inquiry, but replied that she had never been squidded.  She conceded that she had received several bites—all of which had healed.  Tegan scanned Sophia with her Enlightened Science and determined she was not broadcasting or receiving any signals.  Sophia looked even less impressed.  Tegan pointed out that she woke up tied up in a room because they thought she was a killer robot, prompting Sophia to remind her that she downloaded a Reality Deviant program from a well-known Reality Deviant.  Put on the defensive, Tegan reminded her that her name was put on the watch list.

Heather, Nolan and Sophia saw that Tegan had found another list of names.  They all recognized Amelie Bessette, the leader of the Deep Sea Exploration Zone base.  Heather also noted Sabian Knight, her mentor and Chief Engineer of what she had originally called the DSRV Rogue. Tegan asked if anyone knew what T0 meant.

Nolan asked Tegan where she got the files from, learning she downloaded several Iteration X files from Project Deepwater.  He then asked what they said about Randall Lang.  Tegan only knew his name was on a list marked T0.  Heather didn’t know what T0 meant.  Nolan told them a few years after the Anomaly, in the early 2010s, there were several reports concerning sightings of entities that were similar to, but different from, the Technocracy.  They were mostly unsubstantiated and subsequently denied, but the Void Engineers seemed to take them more seriously.  Sophia asked if they were like the threats they encountered at the Project Deepwater base.  Nolan confirmed that was why he asked them to run.  T0 was an internal code or tag for Threat Null.

He went on to claim that Randall Lang could not be part of a Threat Null: partly because he was a friend, partly because he was based on Earth and Threat Null had historically appeared in areas where the Dimensional Anomaly was weak.  Sophia suggested that, if he was Threat Null, he could have used a weakened section of the Anomaly to slip through.  Nolan added that he was a NWO handler and thought his inclusion on the T0 list was a mistake.  Tegan insisted Lang’s name was there.  Heather acknowledged that Knight’s name was there as well.  Sophia pointed out that Threat Null was not confined to deep space as they had encountered them underwater and suggested they had been infected at some point.  When Nolan told them Threat Null was not a virus or similar infection, Sophia recalled how everyone at the base exhibited black eyes.  Tegan remembered that Project Deepwater was trying to make some kind of virus based on the Chulorviah and wondered if they could mix it with Threat Null.  Nolan felt Threat Null using the Chulorviah as an infection vector made more sense.

Heather began processing everything she had learned, as she had previously understood Threat Null to be the result of the Dimensional Anomaly on people who were outside of it or travelled to space.  The idea that Threat Null was on Earth within people she knew, like Sabian, was a new concept.  However, she recognized that Sabian had the influence to requisition the ship and hand-select the crew.  Furthermore, she would be the most likely candidate to know about any secret compartments on the Nautilus.

Heather said out loud that the Nautilus—then known as the Rogue—and her crew was selected to travel to Project Deepwater, where Threat Null was already present.  She speculated that the chief engineer might have enough influence to make such arrangements.  In particular, she may have chosen the Nautilus/Rogue because of its secrets, most notably its ability to breach the Dimensional Anomaly.  Latching onto Heather’s references to Threat Null as ‘them,’ which Heather explained meant they were typically found ‘out there,’ Tegan found and played the last audio clip recorded by the Traditions crew for the others: there had been an attack, the recorder had to dump some data, there were no other survivors, KIBO’s help was required, and she regretted that they found her—or them.  The Technocrats agreed that the entities the Traditions had encountered were Threat Null.  They reviewed the fact that the Technocracy had acquired the Nautilus sometime after that recording and effectively disguised it by repurposing it into the Rogue.  Heather asked what Randall did and whether they would be involved in such a subterfuge.  Nolan allowed that it was possible, but felt Iteration X or the Void Engineers were more likely.

Sophia brought the conversation back to Threat Null, mentioning how Pentex had its fingers in a lot of pies.  Nolan said Threat Null had a few manifestations that were on the record.  He mentioned that Tradition Mages—or Reality Deviants—had certain impressions of the Technocrats, comparing them to Men in Black, the Borg and the Stepford Wives.  He then recalled a Void Engineer of his acquaintance who entered a subdimension that rearranged itself into a manifestation based on Valhalla and had regular contact with a Pan-Dimensional entity who thought it was one of the Norse gods.  On his last visit, he met someone in modern business wear claiming to be a legal representative for the gods.

Heather asked if the lawyer was a manifestation of Threat Null.  Nolan was unsure, as his acquaintance said he was someone who knew from college, who subsequently was recruited into the Syndicate’s Special Projects Division before it disappeared.  He concluded with the admission that he had to purge his acquaintance due to orders.  Tegan concluded that all evidence indicated that the Special Projects Division was alive and well.  The Technocrats wondered if they had been sent to Project Deepwater so Threat Null could acquire a means of reaching the surface.  Sophia darkly wondered if they were merely sacrificial lambs or agents who had outlived their usefulness.  Nolan reviewed what they could do, starting with his role in helping agents process trauma sustained in the line of duty so they could return to the field.  He recognized that Heather, while new, worked with mechanical equipment and had restricted access.  Heather agreed, but felt she had ruffled some feathers and had probably made enemies.  Nolan conceded that point, but felt she was low enough in the hierarchy to escape notice.  The two also recognized that Heather was specifically asked to join the expedition by Sabian.  Nolan moved onto the others, claiming that Sophia could be some kind of super agent and admitting he knew nothing about Tegan other than his overinflated fears of her being a killer robot.  Tegan replied with a citation of her computer skills, but eventually admitted she was recently promoted to work on the newest model of HIT Marks before being assigned to this mission.  Sophia still believed their situation felt like a setup.  At Tegan’s prompting, they began reviewing the list to determine who was on Earth.  Sabian was dead and Nolan believed Randall was based somewhere in the United States.  Tegan mentioned Amelie Bessette before Nolan speculated that the mug he was using belonged to Randall.  Heather wondered if drinking from Randall’s coffee mug would infect him with Threat Null.  Sophia pointed out something had happened because they ceased communications for months and the more logical means for Threat Null to reach the surface was to stay in regular contact.  That prompted Heather to ask Tegan where she went after leaving them.  Tegan explained she had gone to retrieve some files from the Project Deepwater base, which were not to be confused with the files she acquired from KIBO.

Nolan asked Tegan was missing any periods of time from her memory.  Tegan was not aware of any lapses of memory.  Nolan explained that, under the circumstances, it was possible she had been compromised without her knowledge.  He asked Tegan to trust her and offered some coffee before asking how long she had her DEI and what happened to her original eye.  Tegan revealed she had lost it to a cougar attack when she was nineteen and would have died, as she could not afford the necessary surgeries, had the Technocracy not offered to pay her bills in exchange for her service.  Nolan felt she had survived and joined the Technocracy because she was a fighter with exceptional talents, which extended to piecing together things that had been omitted.  He asked her to recall what happened on the Project Deepwater base after she left her colleagues while performing exercises like looking out of both eyes or focusing on the tip of her nose.

Tegan remembered separating from the rest of the group to collect some data, though she was accompanied by some colleagues who were delivering supplies.  She reached one of the labs and met a lab technician, whose name escaped her as she was more focused on the carpet, who told her there was a file on the computer to take.  Then she realized that he mentioned multiple files rather than just one.  She plugged her artificial eye into the USB port and selected a file labeled Iteration X.  It was at that point she realized that, somehow, she had also selected a hidden file with no name.  She saw herself transferring both files to the eye, reinserting it into her body, nodding to the lab tech and headed back to join the others to escape the base before it exploded.

Nolan asked Tegan to engage her Safe Mode and open the hidden file.  Tegan complied and was relieved to find it did not contain a virus.  The file was a series of documents from a loyal Technocrat holding out in a base of Threat Null, with the intent of hiding the information, returning it to the surface and warn everyone.  The documents indicated Nolan was right: they were using the Chulorviah as a vector to spread Threat Null.  Furthermore, they were trying to convert them into a computer virus.  While they might have achieved some success with the Chulorviah, they had not determined how to convert Threat Null into a computer virus.  Tegan also found an account from the unnamed Technocrat spanning several months before the Project Deepwater base went silent.  It detailed how people were exhibiting personality changes.  It mentioned how a member of the Special Projects Division had somehow appeared on the base one day and was responsible for cutting communications.  The Technocrat felt any response from the surface would be too late so he compiled the file as a backup.  Sifting through the documents, Tegan discovered a reference to decipher the numbering codes of the other files.  She also found a warning that the Kraken JPEG had an infected EXE file that contained the virus and should not be opened.  Finally, she came across a document that seemed to contain gibberish except for a series of words that stood out: Eater of Souls.

Nolan found the name Eater of Souls disturbing.  Tegan was relieved that she had not selected the JPEG.  Heather sought confirmation that Tegan was okay.  As they began wondering if the JPEG could be deleted, they realized that the files from Project Deepwater and the Nautilus were mixed together in Tegan’s head, which meant that KIBO could access it.  Tegan managed to quarantine the JPEG to prevent any unwanted access.  As she did so, she realized it was heavily implied that the Deep Sea Exploration Zone was not the only base that had been infiltrated.

Tegan recognized they needed to get back to Earth and remembered coming across a paper that might help.  Heather insisted on getting the paper now, had Tegan send it over to her tablet and declared that she would avoid everyone and study the paper until she understood it.  After announcing she would return to the room with the Wonder, she abruptly left.

True to her word, she returned to the Wonder room and began studying the paper, which addressed the phenomenon of information paradoxes.  She quickly realized it would require thinking beyond her Technocratic training and began working on her tablet while taking copious notes (digital and physical).  After some time, she came to the conclusion that the Wonder needed something to jumpstart it, which she could accomplish with an infusion of Primal Energy.  She believed she could reprogram it to work with Data or Dimensional Science, though it might require multiple activations to return all the way home.

While wondering how she could force the Wonder to accomplish her goals, KIBO popped his head over the file and asked if she wanted help escaping the Null Zone.  After pausing, Heather admitted she could use some help and asked why he was offering.  KIBO stated he was made to help others.  As KIBO tilted his head, Heather’s Prime sight caught flares of energy and realized what Sophia was said: there were flashes of Genius (or what Mages called Avatar) inside the program.  Heather asked what KIBO was, exactly, and whether he was part of a Reality Deviant.  KIBO explained that the Fisher Princess made him to help her but, when she had to go away, she remade him so he could always provide assistance.  Heather recognized she had left part of herself in him, which KIBO regarded as a gift so he could help anyone who found them.  Heather asked what the Fisher Princess would do in their situation.  KIBO gave a detailed explanation that, as far as Heather understood, would accomplish her objectives.  After thanking KIBO for his information, she asked whether he was also in Tegan.  She learned that he was not presently in Tegan’s brain but could return.  Heather hastily told KIBO not to enter Tegan’s brain as she needed help and the best way KIBO could provide that help was to stay on Heather’s tablet and fix the Wonder.

Heather spent the next couple hours formulating plans and making repairs while holding a running conversations with KIBO (episode 3).  Some time later, Mateo turned on the general comm channel.  Curiously, he made several efforts to alternate his pitch, apologize to someone else and wonder if something was an improvement. Tegan responded first but got little more than a request, from the person she thought was Mateo, for someone other than her to report to the ‘infirmary’ as ‘he’ had done a ‘whoopsie doodle’. Heather was so focused on her work that she completely tuned Mateo out.

At some point, she was interrupted by Sophia waving a hand in her face. Once Heather finally asked what was happening, Sophia jabbed her with a syringe, healed some of her injuries and explained Nolan had an accident.  Once Heather was assured that Sophia’s injections contained drugs from the infirmary and not from Nolan’s stash, she admitted that she had no talent with Mind or any soft sciences beyond physical incapacitation with blunt objects.  Sophia withdrew her syringe from Heather’s body and left without a word.

Heather resumed her work, not realizing that Sophia had left (episode 4).  After completing some preliminary repairs, she contacted everyone else over the comms and asked them to come to what she called the Warp Core. Heather told Tegan (and Nolan and Sophia, when they arrived) that she had made the Wonder functional.  All it required was infusions of Data, Dimensional Science and Prime so it could take them home without exploding (probably).  She then proceeded to give them a series of tasks, including ordering Tegan to write some code and input coordinates.

Tegan programmed some instructions based on Heather’s directions.  Heather forced Prime energy into the Wonder to jumpstart it, but saw it was struggling to complete what she wanted it to do.  Partway through, Heather realized the Wonder was exceeding its capabilities and made a split decision to have Tegan change the coordinates.  The Wonder flared to life briefly, blinding the Technocrats.  When their vision cleared, they realized they passed through something and wondered if they slipped through the Dimensional Anomaly as it didn’t hurt like the first time.

When they went to look out the window, they saw nothing but stars—though that was an improvement from the starless void of the Null Zone.  Tegan told them she was connected to the internet again.  Heather cautioned them from celebrating too quickly.  She admitted the Wonder was not powerful enough to take them to their intended destination, forcing her to switch coordinates.  Nolan felt even a partial success was worth recognizing.  Tegan wondered if they would still discorporate.  Nolan did not believe so, while Heather held off answering until she had verified their current location.  Tegan complimented the Technocrats for their accomplishment, though Sophia and Nolan recognized they still had to save the world from Threat Null.  However, Heather and Tegan voiced the need for sleep.  Nolan offered to stand watch while they rested.

As Heather left, she noticed that the Wonder had powered down again.  She recognized that she needed a more permanent solution, but knew the item was not broken and could be a potential source of transportation.  When returning to her room, she checked to see if KIBO was still on its tablet and made it watch anime or a telenovella with her before going to sleep.  KIBO displayed excitement, as the Fisher Princess had done the same thing (episode 3).

Heather woke up in a start to the sound of alarms going off.

At some point, Heather and Sophia joined Nolan and Tegan.  While Sophia stood behind them and silently watched, Heather asked why there was a sudden influx of power and why there were logs of systems being shut down.  Tegan explained that Nolan decided to rewire the ship.  Heather observed that he rerouted CO2 recycling without affecting artificial gravity or the blast doors, which Nolan attributed to not knowing what various wire colours signified.  Tegan told Heather that Nolan was trying to contact aliens and sarcastically asked him if they responded.  Nolan explained he was trying to ‘star 69’ them, then realized Heather and Tegan were too young to understand the reference.

Nolan asked if Sophia was around.  Heather, Nolan and Tegan then realized that Sophia had been there the whole time.  Nolan marveled at Sophia’s stealth while Heather thanked her for healing some of her injuries.  Looking around, Nolan realized that Mateo was the only one who was not in the room.  Heather thought he might be in the mess hall, prompting Nolan to explain he accidentally swapped bodies with him.  Furthermore, Nolan had been contacted by some kind of telepathic alien entity while he was standing watch.  Heather was more distracted by the tie that had been turned into a headband.  Removing it and dropping it to the floor, Nolan added that it was a shapeshifter.  Heather wondered if it was really a shapeshifter if it could read his mind.  The two began talking about the productivity of their conversations, whether Heather was weird and how Nolan needed a haircut.

Nolan continued rambling about how the alien read his mind, left before he got its name and how he wanted to ensure it was not a threat.  Sophia speculated that the entity might have been what Reality Deviants called a spirit, it might be easier to contact out in space and it may have left as it viewed Nolan’s request for a name as an attempt to bind it into service.  Tegan pressed further and got Nolan to admit that the entity pulled memories of his mind and assumed the appearance of someone he wanted to see.  Heather and Tegan thought it might have been a way to communicate or negotiate, especially as the Nautilus had recently materialized.  Tegan then recalled the radio signal they had received as they were trying to sleep.

After some thought, Tegan told the others that she was still hearing the radio signal and that it comprised of a looping message that said “No unity without diversity.  No Ascension without freedom.  Enigma takes you where dogma cannot.  We do not create the path to Ascension; we explore it.”  The message continued with directions to go to a street address at a certain time and date, find the lost boy and retrieve him from Control.

Nolan clarified the street address and admitted it was his house, back when he was a new recruit.  Heather asked how long ago and learned it was 21 years ago.  Heather and Tegan noted that they were about two and five years old at the time, respectively.  Nolan allowed that he was somewhere in his twenties but declined to offer specifics.  Tegan idly speculated whether the signal they were receiving were from spirits.

Heather began studying the sensor readings on her tablet and discovered that there was a Forces signature coming off of the Nautilus.  She detected a much larger energy signature far away, but could not draw any conclusions other than the fact that it was coming closer.  However, when she compared the scans to the stellar bodies that she was used to, she realized there were no planets in the vicinity.  While the presence of stars within visual range proved their location was not as empty as the Null Zone, Heather concluded that they were not in their solar system.

Heather mumbled that there were no planets anywhere, which unfortunately meant they were not in their solar system.   In addition, the giant energy signature was getting closer.  She was not sure whether they were still in the Milky Way Galaxy or another galaxy, as the scans did not match anything in their database.  Heather suspected they had materialized somewhere beyond Union-known space and were thus far away from Earth, which concerned Tegan greatly.  However, Heather also proposed the idea that they were in a parallel reality, which Nolan emphatically supported.  Sophia suggested they operate as if they were in their own reality for the time being.

Tegan was more concerned that the giant energy signature was approaching their position.  Heather showed her the analysis of the readings she had performed on her tablet.  Nolan offered to hail the energy signature.  Heather and Tegan vehemently said no, even though Nolan suggested it could give them a tow and Tegan was present to prevent him from disabling life support.  Sophia suggested waiting for the energy signature to contact them and reveal its intentions (e.g. whether it was hostile) rather than opening hailing frequencies and giving away their location.  Tegan reminded her that Nolan might have already given away their location.  Sophia conceded the point, but felt that repeated hails might draw its attention and pointed out she was far more familiar with battling threats on Earth than in space.

Nolan remembered to ask Sophia to check on Mateo, who had mentioned feeling hollow during the body swap.  He was not sure whether it was a side-effect of being in Nolan’s body or whether Mateo had been infested with an alien lifeform.  Heather wondered if Nolan was missing something while Tegan remembered the part of the message that referred to the lost boy.  Sophia decided to investigate by scanning Nolan’s body and discovered the only thing missing was his appendix.  After observing that Nolan was unlikely to have appendicitis, she left to find Mateo.

Given that the other Technocrats had had a full night’s sleep, Nolan asked if someone wanted to relieve him.  Heather and Tegan immediately raised their hands, with Tegan telling him to go and sleep.  Nolan asked if Heather could cut his hair, as she had told him she had shears in her inventory, but decided he would rather sleep first and reduce the risk of making any impulsive haircut decisions.  Before Nolan could leave, Tegan walked up to him and apologized for roughing him up earlier, brushing some dirt off and patting his shoulder. Nolan brushed it off, noting they were all tired, apologized for scaring her and assuring her that he would never consciously put any of them in jeopardy.  After promising to be less impulsive in the future, everyone agreed that Nolan needed some sleep.

Heather began working on the engines so they could operate in space.  As she worked, an avatar appeared on the screen.  She thought that it was KIBO, only KIBO now looked like a Sphinx Avatar.  When Heather asked, KIBO explained he got an update.  They wondered if KIBO’s appearance could change, sidetracking Heather into looking for avatar modifications.  She found an appropriate menu of options that showed signs of being updated when the Nautilus returned to real space.  With Heather’s encouragement, KIBO explored the options.  Heather asked if KIBO wanted to try different colours.  They considered hot pink before Heather turned KIBO’s fur chartreuse so he could lick it.  KIBO announced that chartreuse tasted like zeroes and hexadecimals.

When Heather told him to have fun while she worked, KIBO asked what she was working on.  Heather explained she was trying to learn where they were in space and recalibrate the engines, as they were originally set for deep sea travel, not space.  She welcomed his assistance in running calculations on an equation as it did not work without factoring in gravity and she could not remember the relevant lessons from her microgravity course—either because she slept through half of it or she was watching Downton Abbey.  She explained what Downton Abbey was and offered to show it to KIBO after they finished Dragonball.  KIBO agreed to help as he liked math.  Working together, they managed to correct the calculations and recalibrate the engines (episode 4).

Heather was watching Dragonball Z with KIBO when she heard Sophia on the comms.  The Progenitor warned that there was a HIT Mark in the infirmary and Tegan had to wake up immediately.  The message was followed by a loud, blaring alarm.  As Heather processed that message, KIBO noted that they had a visitor.  Heather was surprised to see Tegan appear on the tablet screen and wondered if she was supposed to be in the episode.  Having heard Heather, Tegan set the record and admitted she made a serious mistake.  After pausing the episode, and confirming that Tegan did not freeze, she went to the comms and sent a message of her own, inquiring why there was a HIT Mark on the ship.

Returning to the tablet, she saw Tegan was gone and felt that was for the best.  Heather then headed to the infirmary with caution, remembering that HIT Marks were deployed against Reality Deviants—particularly Mages—as they were built to counter magic... and thus, potentially, their Extraordinary Science as well.  She arrived to see Sophia, hear a loud crackling noise, and notice Nolan slumped against the wall.  Seconds later, electricity arced from the computer into the HIT Mark.  Tegan’s voice came over the computer speakers, informing her colleagues that she would be delayed but would assist them as best as she could.  Mateo assessed the situation and scooted back into a corner.  Nolan wheezed that the rubber ducky delivered the insult before throwing it down the hall and passing out.  Succumbing to Nolan’s Procedure, the HIT Mark fought through the electricity of Sophia’s taser to walk down the hall and fire his weapon at the rubber ducky.  Keeping a firm grip on the taser’s trigger, Sophia sidled over to Nolan and injected him with a healing compound.  When he woke up, Sophia apologized for her abrupt method of healing.

Using her tablet, Heather accessed the ship’s systems and disabled the artificial gravity.  Everyone started floating off the ground.  Tegan then rematerialized in the infirmary and began to float as well.  She apologized for getting lost inside the ship’s computers and assured them she was here now. After shaking off his confusion, Nolan shouted at the HIT Mark, pulled out a flashlight and used a Procedure to turn it into an improvised targeting laser for Tegan.  The HIT Mark turned his weapon on Nolan and pulled the trigger… only to find he emptied his clip on the duck.  He demanded that the Technocrats return what they took from the base.  Given that he was in the middle of the hallway, he was unable to do anything else. Sophia Hypercrammed the knowledge to move in microgravity environments, maintained her grip on her taser—even though the weapon seemed to have minimal effect—and began moving back to the infirmary to look for some kind of weapon. Heather completed a Procedure to ensure the HIT Mark landed awkwardly when she restored gravity.

Tegan shouted out to the others, asking if there was a plan and revealing she could not fire on the HIT Mark while the artificial gravity was disabled.  Glancing over at Mateo, she saw the blank look on his tear-streaked face and recognized he had completely dissociated from the moment.  She told Nolan his services were required in the infirmary. Nolan asked the HIT Mark for more information on what he wanted and how he arrived on the ship.  The HIT Mark replied he followed the ship after the Technocrats left the Deep Sea Exploration Zone and eventually came aboard.  Before he could say anything more, Heather deployed a set of marbles underneath him and restored gravity.  The HIT Mark came down, slipped and fell to one knee.  Mateo crashed to the floor, but the other Technocrats landed on their feet.  Heather grabbed her tablet out of midair while Tegan shot the HIT Mark with one of her Finger Guns.  Sophia crouched down, ran into the infirmary, looked around and grabbed a crowbar. Heather realized she had accidentally turned off her tablet and focused on rebooting her device to the exclusion of everything else. Tegan suddenly said hello out loud.  In between pauses, she mentioned the ship’s name and asked whether an answer could result in the ship’s destruction.  She then shot the HIT Mark with her other Finger Gun.

By that point, the HIT Mark looked seriously damaged.  Nolan asked again what the HIT Mark wanted and professed a preference for negotiation over further violence.  The HIT Mark stated that the Technocrats took files from his employer and demanded their return before transforming his fingers into claws and slashing Nolan.  Looking down, Nolan was dismayed to see his tie had been severed—ignoring his more physical injuries. Sophia was confused by the HIT Mark’s statement as they were all ostensibly part of the Technocracy.  She darted from the infirmary, told the HIT Mark they had taken files from Threat Null and not their mutual employer—the Technocracy—and hit him in the head with her crowbar.  The HIT Mark managed to look at her—eye twitching, sparks flying from his head, body jerking—before the light went out of his eyes and he slumped to the floor.

Now that combat was over, Sophia asked Heather if she could reprogram the HIT Mark.  Heather hesitated, feeling that would fall under Nolan’s area of expertise.  When Sophia expressed confusion, Nolan shakily admitted he had taken courses in artificial intelligence and artificial intelligence psychology.  Sophia felt reprogramming would require more computer knowledge, prompting Heather to admit she had limited experience in that field.  Nolan interrupted them to point out how much he was bleeding.  Sophia dragged him into the infirmary and stabbed him with another needle to administer further healing.

Tegan said her name out loud, said she was on the Nautilus and asked for the name of the person she was addressing.  She was clearly confused by the response. Turning to her companions, Tegan asked whether anyone recognized the name ‘Marianna of Balador’ or knew anything about a Pleasure Dome. Nolan asked if Tegan could call out Marianna as a liar.  When Tegan refused, explaining Marianna was hailing the ship, Nolan decided he was Napoleon.  Sophia said Marianna had been on several all-points bulletins, had been missing for some time and was concerned that she might be very old and very powerful.  She added that Marianna was an Ecstatic.  Seeing that her colleagues knew more about her than she did, Tegan told Marianna she would redirect the call to the ship’s computers and asked her to wait.

While Tegan considered her options, she realized the communications signal was already broadcasting to the computers and she was simply acting as a relay—something that had not happened twenty minutes ago.  A confused Tegan then rerouted the call to the computers and speakers in the infirmary and told Marianna she was on speakerphone.

A woman’s voice came out of the speakers, confirming she was Marianna of Balador.  She asked to know who she was addressing, besides ‘Tegan Warner of the Nautilus’.  Heather and Nolan introduced themselves.  Heather wanted to know whether Marianna could see them.  A quick discussion established that there was no video connection, but one could be established from the bridge if it was necessary.  Marianna extended an invitation for the Technocrats to visit her Pleasure Dome and receive aid, as they seemed to be adrift in space.  Tegan confirmed her observation while Nolan asked for more details.  Marianna complied, telling the Technocrats they could dock their ship and avail themselves of any of the services within.  She promised that they would be safe as long as they did not harm anyone.   Aside from rest and relaxation, she offered the use of the Pleasure Dome’s drydock should the ship require repairs.

Nolan asked where she had been all this time.  Marianna replied that the fully story would take some time, but briefly explained that she had passed the time in her reconstructed Pleasure Dome as the original had been destroyed some time ago.

The Technocrats discussed their current supply of food and whether they could find someone more familiar with the Reality Deviant technology on their ship before Tegan muted the call.  After several tries, Tegan reminded Nolan of his earlier suggestion about finding a ‘Mage’ to help fix their ship.  Heather agreed someone on the Pleasure Dome might have more experience in repairing the Wonder.  Sophia wondered why would any Reality Deviant help the Technocrats.  Tegan admitted she deliberately used the original Etherite ship name and suggested they could mislead Marianna’s group into thinking they were affiliated with the Traditions.  Nolan agreed that they could try, but Sophia felt their façade would not hold up for long.  Recalling Marianna’s promise that no harm would befall them so long as they did not harm anyone else, Tegan felt it was a gamble they would have to take.  Sophia remained suspicious, while Heather and Nolan were intrigued.  Heather added that her ability to perform repairs would be significantly enhanced if the Pleasure Dome actually had a drydock.

Tegan unmuted the speakers and accepted the offer.  Amused, Marianna told them she would bring ship into dock.  When asked, she elaborated that she would use her magic.  Heather went from alarmed to wary to curious, asking Marianna to explain her process later.

While waiting, Heather performed some scans and determined the magic essentially acted like a tractor beam.  She also realized that the Pleasure Dome was the giant energy signature she detected earlier.  Curious, she saved the sensor readings for further analysis.  Heather also invited KIBO to transfer his program to her tablet so she could take him on an adventure—and potentially infiltrate the Pleasure Dome’s computer systems.  KIBO happily accepted her offer.

Heather then decided to move the HIT Mark to another location for temporary storage.  Tegan was already there when she arrived.  Determining he was too heavy, Heather disabled the artificial gravity again—after warning her companions over the comms—so she and Tegan could move the HIT Mark.  Along the way, Tegan told Heather the HIT Mark possessed Primium.  She also said that Sophia’s attack triggered a self-destruct that wiped his memory.  However, given enough time, effort and Heather’s help, Tegan could harvest the Primium and recover some data. They moved the HIT Mark into a storage closet near the Wonder.  Heather said that a morgue would be more suitable to store the HIT Mark and the numerous bodies of their former colleagues in an organized fashion.  When she lamented how the ship did not have such a facility, Tegan pointed out that it had been repurposed into a submarine, which typically did not come with a dedicated morgue.

Nolan got on the comms and asked Tegan if she thought Mateo would be allowed to board the Pleasure Dome for sexual healing.  Tegan thought it would be fine once they established Mateo was probably over the age of consent.  Oblivious to the discussion, Heather called out for Tegan’s help to adjust the HIT Mark’s arm so they could put him into temporary storage.

Nolan suggested the HIT Mark might have shapeshifting abilities that could be employed.  Tegan replied that Sophia had triggered an internal self-destruct when she hit him on the head that probably disabled such capabilities.  Moving back to the original topic, Nolan announced that he would bring Mateo over for whatever therapy was required.  When Tegan asked what was wrong, Nolan refused to reply—citing doctor-patient confidentiality—and ended the conversation. Moments later, Sophia let out a roar of rage that could be heard throughout the ship. Heather asked if it would be all right if she removed the HIT Mark’s arm.  When Tegan agreed, Heather cut off the appendage with an electric saw.

After ten or fifteen minutes, the Rogue—or Nautilus—was pulled into a docking bay inside the Pleasure Dome.  Sensors soon indicated that an Earth-like atmosphere and gravity were being established.  The Technocrats assembled in the airlock and opened the hatch, finding that some people had wheeled over a boarding ramp so they could disembark.  Looking around, they saw they were in some kind of drydock that was filled with people who were hard at work.  The Technocrats were directed to a set of doors and were told that Marianna would meet them in the main hall.  Thanking them, Tegan led the way down the ramp.  Nolan initially struggled to carry Mateo before an exasperated Sophia hoisted him in a firefighter’s carry.

The Technocrats entered a large hall that resembled a grand cathedral.  They noted several doors and a row of Grecian columns surrounding a pool before realizing the hall was filled with people who were engaged in carnal activities, involved in public displays of affection, chatting or lounging.  In addition, they noticed the nightclub music playing in the background, sensing it was both out of place and strangely comforting.  A young black-haired woman in her late twenties and of Mediterranean descent approached them.  Extending a hand to Nolan, she introduced herself as Marianna of Balador (episode 5).

## Character Information

**Convention**:

* Void Engineers

**Methodology**:

* Earth Frontier Division

**Eidolon**: Static

**Nature**: Innovator

**Demeanour**: Contrary

**Attributes**:

* Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3
* Social: Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2
* Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence (Creative) 5, Wits 3

**Abilities**:

* Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 1, Awareness 2, Brawl 1
* Skills: Crafts (Gadgets) 4, Jury-Rigging 2, Firearms 2, Research 1, Technology (Modification) 4, Microgravity Operations 1
* Knowledges: Computer 3, Subdimensions 3, Investigation 2, Medicine 2, Science (Paraphysics) 4, Helmsman 2

**Backgrounds**: Genius 3, Resources 1, Certification (Firearms) 2, Status 1, Mentor 1

**Enlightenment**: 2

**Spheres**: Data 1, Dimensional Science 2, Entropy 2, Forces 1, Matter 1, Prime 1

**Willpower**: 5

**Merits**: Concentration 1, Mechanical Aptitude 1, Judge's Wisdom 4

**Flaws**: Easily Intoxicated 2, Overconfident 1, Expendable 3

**Rank**: T2 - Agents and Operatives