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Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 6:39 pm
by ashimbabbar
is it really a totally random choice with two chances in three of being blasted, or is there some subtle clue I haven't found ?

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 8:36 pm
by SlyJohnny
Top one.

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 11:54 pm
by SGamerz
Thaluikhain wrote:Each of the three dials has three buttons above it with which you can manually move the dials 1, 2 or 3 positions onward but you don't know which button is which.
If each dial represents a number of steps the dial can move, then we really shouldn't try the top or the bottom one until we figure out which is which, because the "detonate" area is exactly 3 steps away.

Press the middle button first to be safe.

Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 2:15 am
by Darth Rabbitt
Middle.

Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 6:16 am
by Thaluikhain
342
You press the button and the red star clicks forward onto the line before the DETONATE line. The dials look like this

Which button do you press next:
The top button?
The centre button?
The bottom button?

Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 9:49 am
by SGamerz
So we're now 2 steps away from Disarming the bomb, and we've now confirmed that the centre button moves the dial by 2 steps up. No need to risk either of the other 2, just press the centre button again.

Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 12:45 pm
by Darth Rabbitt
Agreed.

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 9:19 am
by Thaluikhain
[score a K]
You press the button and the red star clicks forward onto the DISARMED line. You breathe a sigh of relief.

252
You are wiping the sweat from your brow when, suddenly, with bloodcurdling cries, a mass of horsemen burst from the trees behind you. They are armed with shortbows, hooked lances and curved swords. Their weathered yellow faces with oriental eyes and black moustaches are creased with the joy of slaughter. Many have conical helmets, spiked with a plume of horsehair at their centre. They wear painted strips of oxhide, laced together for armour over leather jackets and breeches. There seem to be hundreds of them boiling from the cover of the trees, too many for you to use your mental powers. Will you:
Run for the shelter of the village?
Run the longer distance back to Falcon's Wing?
Use your blaster on them?

There is a picture here

("yellow faces with oriental eyes" sigh)

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 7:37 pm
by ashimbabbar
I'd love to blast them and it would seem the safest option, but it's bound to create time-continuity problems and get us fired or whatever, ensuing the renegade's triumph. So, sorrowfully, not.
( plus, if ther's some agent of the villain around, we're advertising our presence. Not good. )

Although it's a bit counterintuitive, I think the village is the best option as they'll scatter to pillage, rape and slaughter and then we should be able to use our mental powers on one mongol or a handful.

Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2017 2:09 pm
by Thaluikhain
355
You manage to reach the village before the mongols and hide yourself in an empty hut. They fall upon the village in their hundreds and their bestial cries mixed with the screams of the peasants sound like those of fiends and victims in hell. It seems the mongols kill for sport and you are certain you will soon be discovered. Will you:
Tear off your peasant's clothes and step out in your uniform?
Wait to be discovered and pretend that you are already dead?
Make a run for your Time Machine?

(The previous section said turn to 353, but that's the wrong section. This seems to be the correct one.)

Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2017 4:32 pm
by Darth Rabbitt
Feign death. A Time Patrol uniform means nothing to 13th-century warriors, regardless of how much of a racist stereotype they're portrayed as.

Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2017 7:20 pm
by ashimbabbar
damn it, I expected far more proactive choices !

feign death looks like the best option offered

Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2017 5:01 am
by Thaluikhain
You believe you have been overlooked as the slaughter and pillage subsides, until you hear them deciding to cut the ears from each of the dead and throw them into sacks. You decide to slink out of the village while the mongols are intent on their grisly ear count.

229
Back in your Time Machine you catch your breath and decide where in time to travel to next. Will you:
Try to track down Lord Speke?
Follow Lord Kirik to Kelados in 3033 AD?

Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 11:46 am
by SGamerz
Find Kirik

Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 4:51 am
by Darth Rabbitt
Looking for Kirik sounds good to me.

Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 5:21 am
by Thaluikhain
You instruct CAIN to turn on the Variac Drive to shift you into null-space and to re-engage the Drive as soon as you have finished inputting the navigational co-ordinates for the Timehole on present day Kelados (3033 AD). Your scalp tingles slightly as the Time Machine moves out of phase, and everything around you seems grey and insubstantial. You know that should you turn on the outside camera the screen would remain blank, not even blackness exists in null-space. You cast your thoughts into the void and, using your Psychic Awareness, locate the Timehole of present day Kelados. When you have translated this location into co-ordinates for CAIN, the Variac Drive engages once more. The process of re-emerging in real time is immediate, but seems to take about an hour for you. You may spend this time in the Autodoc, if you wish and gain up to 12 Endurance points. The feeling of disorientation when you rematerialise persists longer than is usual. Flipping the switch for the outside camera you are dismayed to see nothing in the floodlight but green fog The machine rocks gently as if the stabilising legs were malfunctioning. With a start you remember that the surface of Kelados is one great ocean. Your altimeter tells you that the machine is floating to the surface, the hull can easily withstand the pressure of water at your depth of fifty metres. CAIN sends a TIME recognition signal to a nearby research station. If you have seen a nuclear bomb, a man in golden armour named Iskander, or visited Spiro's Ringworld-


Falcon's Wing reaches the surface and bobs gently. Your external camera revolves slowly until a floating platform comes into sight. Two hideous apparitions of jointed legs and bloated brain sacs slither over its edge and are lost to the deep. Your exterior microphone amplifies a strange clicking which your Translator reads as, '... unforgivable interruption of Lelcrrrrck'ick by a non-clan member...' Apparently there is no universal equivalent for Kelcrrrrck'ick. Puzzling as to what you may have interrupted, your attention is suddenly drawn to the screen as the camera tilts down towards the surface, picking up some movement. Through the reflected glare of the Keladi sun you see what looks like a hundred-metre long sea monster with six luminous eyes about to engulf you. Falcon's Wing lurches violently as it erupts from the water and you realise it is a Keladi spaceboat with its floodlights on, a rakish space ship shaped like a manta ray. CAIN chimes, They are requesting holophone contact,' and you open a channel. You strain back in your crash couch as Falcon's Wing fills suddenly with water and a cruel looking Keladi appears before your eyes, claws waving. Remembering it is only a holo-projection you relax and identify yourself as a member of TIME, codename Falcon. The Keladi replies, 'It is well I arrived quickly. I am Rrillk, Argon of the TIME research station, here in the Biruk shallows. Had not I, a member of the bond-clan of TIME, arrived first, you might have been treated with hostility, even attacked.' You ask where Lord Kirik is, and Rrillk informs you that he has just used his Time Machine to go back to the Timehole in Kelados' past, 2710 AD. You decide to follow him immediately, and thanking Rrillk for his help, disengage the holophone connection and ask CAIN to engage the Variac Drive.

You emerge from the greyness of null-space into a huge spaceport on an artificial island, built so that the Keladi could trade with other spacefaring races without forcing them to adapt to an undersea environment. The huge, vaulted Starport stretches for miles on each side; you can count more than forty different types of spacefaring vessels. The holo-generator throws the image of a large aluglass container around Falcon's Wing and the camera shows that nobody has noticed its sudden appearance. You ask CAIN for historical details of Kelados in 2710 AD. It chimes, 'At this moment in time the Keladi are on the brink of war with the Earth Federation. Reason: border incidents misinterpreted by Keladi as being a way of testing their defence systems. The Keladi, at this time, do not realise that many humans break the Earth Federation's laws and suppose that if one human kills a Keladi, his "clan", or all Earthers, approve his action. Phocian pirates are being en-ouraged to use Keladi Starports as bases from which to prey on Earth Federation shipping.'

What could be done to change the Timeline here?' you interrupt. CAIN waits for some seconds before replying: 'I can see one method of changing the Timeline which would be both easy to do and disastrous in effect. The Keladi envoy, Korakiik, a telepath, regarded as insane and "clanless" by the Keladi, but the only one who, through his psionic power, understands the Earth Federation and humans is shortly due to leave Kelados orbit to meet an Earth envoy. Historically, he was responsible for preventing a war which would probably destroy both civilisations. To prevent this meeting would change the timeline to a greater degree than I can compute.' You find yourself thanking CAIN as you pull on the uniform of a Phocian pirate which CAIN has already instructed the Molecular convertor to prepare. Your Psionic Enhancer helmet now resembles the helmet of a Phocian laser-turret operator, disguising your features. Taking your holo-detector, you set out in search of Lord Kirik.

360
You float down from the Access Hatch, lowered by invisible Tractor Beams. You can smell ozone in the air of the Spaceport. Rounding a bulkhead you come across a refuelling bay and your holo-detector indicates that the Keladi scoutship in front of you is in fact a Time Machine. Judging by its size it could only be that of Lord Kirik. As you walk through the hologram you are surprised to see water underfoot. Kirik's Machine is normally water filled, a much larger model than your own. Clearly all is not well for, as you look up, you see that his Access Hatch is open and on automatic. His Mind Scan is not operating and you are drawn up into his machine. The grotesque body of Lord Kirik lies inert across his crash couch, the disc which is his Psionic Enhancer lies in a pool of water at his side. The usually bloated brain sacs are flaccid and his jointed legs curled unnaturally. Looking more closely you notice a neat circular wound in the middle of one of his brain sacs, still pouring purplish fluid. There is no sign of the weapon that was used to do this. He has been killed quite recently by someone who he had allowed into his Time Machine. There is no helping Lord Kirik. Do you:
Leave the scene of the crime before you can be discovered there?
Send Kirik's machine into null-space?

There is a picture here. I'm not sure, but I think it is Kirik.

Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 12:44 pm
by Darth Rabbitt
Send it into nullspace, since a dead Keladi in a time machine will probably make it harder for the Keladi envoy to smooth this over and prevent war.

Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2017 11:13 am
by Thaluikhain
[score a G]
Realising that time travel would be invented too early if Kirik's machine was discovered, you manually set the Variac Drive to engage in a minute's time and pause on your way out only to pick up Kirik's Psionic Enhancer. The machine winks out into null-space and it will never reappear, but at least you have preserved the Timeline. The Psionic Enhancer carries a chip developed on the Kelados Research Station for Lord Kirik. You may slip this into your helmet for it increases the power of Thinkstrike. Add one to your Thinkstrike Modifier

262
Before returning to Falcon's Wing you look around the rest of the refuelling bay. Two Phocian Corsair ships, sleek attack craft, have completed refuelling. A Phocian guard stands by the personnel ramp of the nearest ship, a squat humanoid with a brilliantly coloured head, like a macaw without a beak. To your surprise, your Psychic Awareness tells you that his mind is being dominated by another. Since Korakiik is the only known psionically aware Keladi at this time and he is in space orbit, a non-Keladi must be controlling him, possibly Kirik's killer and maybe the Renegade Lord. Before you can investigate, your holo-detector begins to bleep continuously. A Time Machine has materialised behind you. Spinning round, you see a figure seeming to appear from the side of a gas tank that did not exist a few moments earlier. He looks like a Phocian pirate, but on seeing you he tips back his helmet to reveal the face of TIME Special Agent Bloodhound. Like you, he has a model A3 Time Machine, now disguised as the gas tank. His thoughts brush yours and he speaks before you can greet him, his blue eyes hard, 'I'm sorry, Falcon, I have a Termination Order for you.' You realise he has been ordered to kill you, just as he draws his blaster with the lightning reactions of an elite combateer. You dive to the floor, but are wounded slightly as the lancing white bolt of plasma sears your neck. Lose 4 Endurance points. Will you:
Attempt to use your Power of Will to control Bloodhound?
Try to Thinkstrike him?
Surrender and ask him to check CAIN's records before he kills you?
Draw your blaster and fire?

Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2017 11:27 am
by SGamerz
Power of Will, since he's probably just deceived by the real villain so we should avoid killing a fellow agent. Thinkstrike if it doesn't work. Avoid blaster at all cost.

Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2017 8:20 pm
by Darth Rabbitt
Agreed.

Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 5:34 am
by Thaluikhain
You concentrate your mind in an attempt to control Bloodhound's mind. Bloodhound also has powers of the mind and it will be no easy task. Make a Power of Will Roll.
If you score 7-12, turn to 126
If you score 2-5, turn to 99
If you score a 6, roll again.

Rolled 2 and 2, so 4.

The battle is fierce but soon Bloodhound is attacking your mind and before you can recover he has blasted you again. You double up as the plasma bolt hits your side - lose 13 Endurance points. If you are still alive, you find yourself too stunned to do anything. Bloodhound walks over to your stricken body and levels his weapon for the final blast. 'Wait, Bloodhound! Kill me and the population of all Earth and the colonies may perish. I am helpless, but look at CAIN's memory banks before you void me.' He hesitates, then drags you into Falcon's Wing and ties you up. Examining CAIN's records, it soon becomes obvious to him that you are on a vitally important mission and that his mission to kill you must be abandoned. He unties you, but your wounds are so bad you must subtract one from your Evasion Modifier. Bloodhound says, 'I'm sorry, Falcon, someone has used me, someone who wants the timelines to be changed.'
'Who gave the order to kill me?' you ask.
'Our Section Chief, Agidy Yelov,' he replies. 'He told me you had killed Lord Kirik.'
'But Kirik has only been dead a matter of minutes,' you tell him. Bloodhound pauses, then says, 'Yes, of course, Falcon, how can he know of Kirik's death so soon? Either he was responsible or he is in league with the traitor that did it.' Your Section Chief is working with the Renegade Lord.

255
You tell Bloodhound that the Phocian pirate guarding the nearest Corsair ship is under mind control. Bloodhound sug gests that you look into this while he returns to Earth in 3033 AD, and reports to Yelov that he has successfully killed you, so that you can operate without fear of further trouble from your comrades. When he has done that, he will explore the
Timelines and help you with your mission. You thank him. 'Good luck and look after yourself, my friend,' he calls, and with that he returns to his machine, Hunter, which winks out suddenly. You look towards the sleek Phocian ships and see the pirate enter one and seal the hatch. As you watch, the Corsair's Fusion Drive fires up and the ship hurtles out of the Starport, breaking the noise and launch regulations as it does so. If you wish to examine Yelov's file on CAIN's records, when you return to Falcon's Wing, turn to 15. You may look at Yelov's file whenever you are in your machine, but don't forget to remember the paragraph you are at before going to 15, as no further options are given there. When you are ready, do you:
Return to Falcon's Wing and follow
Bloodhound in order to confront Agidy Yelov?
Investigate the second Corsair ship?

Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 10:53 am
by SGamerz
So it's Yelov and a Renegade Lord?

Leave Yelov to Bloodhound. Investigate the second ship.

Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 12:44 pm
by Darth Rabbitt
Go after the ship. Yelov (and possibly the renegade Lord) will suspect something's up if we tag along with Bloodhound.

Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 1:59 pm
by Thaluikhain
71
You approach the second Phocian Corsair ship and notice a guard on watch. Your Psychic Awareness tells you nothing, but he is not alert. You decide to Thinkstrike him and the power of your mental attack makes the tired guard unconscious. You board the sleek, arrow-shaped ship, passing through the small hold and up the stairwell to the bridge and sleeping quarters. These small ships were built for a one- or two- man operation Their design is archaic to your eyes, but the ship computer assists you to pilot the vessel. The scanners show the other Phocian ship climbing into orbit, soon to leave the atmosphere Wasting no time, you secure yourself in the oddly-shaped, free fall couch, and gun the Phocian pirate ship into the sky, on the trail of her sister ship. As you clear the atmosphere, locked on to the other Phocian's course, its pilot hails you on the ship-to-ship Lascom. Your ship computer picks up the coded bursts of low intensity laser light and converts them to speech. 'Why are you following me?' Do you:
Ignore the laser communication?
Tell the Phocian that he is under mind control?
Open fire on the Phocian with the ship's Pulse Lasers?

There is a picture here

Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 11:58 pm
by SlyJohnny
I don't think he'll believe us, since he won't have encountered mind control before, but maybe telling him will give him a chance to break free.