8: Endymion

0xA4;583888tr$~~~^.d a bit of a ro&gh landdding. We ca^12774.nder he.vy fire as wwwe nearred (nddymion. The shuttl^1043357.tteries are ddying and the rre*88tion mot.rs will never wrok agai%%#. ^ ^^&naged to carsh-llland a$65@446&(2dge of Enjymiin. We *re near a s!~ller craTTTER AT THE ^%.32#^ERR! ^ dymion. The "bakc" enn%)ance to the cccmplex lies !~thin this ccra**$r. Be c%1284reful -- thi^0x04FFA3C6;^ ^ilitary instttt^.lation. If th3 ex%rrgf.rnal weaopns fired on uS THEN AN~##@%^ERR! ^' ithin the com&lex m ay be . da~!gerous as well. Y..*&.%^ERR277574.Reset. on your own. Theer @re no u&!link chips on b^0xA7C8.is shuttle. ^^^.oodbye.

DISPLAYING MESSAGE I hope this message finds you, son. We had reports that your shuttle left Tycho on a trajectory for Endymion. Why, I'm not sure -- you're going to have some explaining to do! I apologize for any problems you might have been having with communications while at Tycho Dome. Our primary communication links were fried by an EMP broadcast from an unknown location, though we think it was from a small shuttle, undoubtedly crawling with alien scum. It took us a while to move new components into the system. To get to the point, we need you out of Endymion. There's an experimental reactor there, and if it doesn't get "primed" with the appropriate security codes twice per day, it will explode -- probably carving out a new crater to replace Endymion.

WAITING MESSAGE FROM: <<UNKNOWN SOURCE>> i feel disappointment at the recent developments. your ship is grounded. my agent is captured. the chip that was in his possession is on its way to another base. i do not know its location. i will attempt to formulate a new plan. END OF MESSAGE

^.55746kkmx7 $C1Excerpt from Unexplained Phenomena of the 21st century: ^ERR.stream.5564at6;unknown. Such occurrences are rare, and are generally scoffed at, but the Sterbinsky Asteroid incident of 2047 garnered a great deal of interest, both by the scientific community and the public. In the summer of 2047, an astronomer named Sterbinsky was testing out a new astronomical search algorithm. He was being paid by the United Nations Aeronautics and Space Agency (replaced in 2076 by a subdivision of the new United Planets government, and later to become the UPNC) to develop a method to constantly scan the heavens for asteroids and other bodies that might impact the Earth. Sterbinsky's algorithm found a previously uncharted asteroid. This asteroid was unusually large and had a much higher albedo than almost any other charted asteroid. This asteroid was not moving towards Earth, so it was not given a high priority. Nevertheless, the asteroid was automatically flagged as uncharted and more detailed pictures were taken. When Sterbinsky examined the photographs later, he made a strange discovery. The asteroid seemed to have too regular a shape to be natural. Though the photographs were fuzzy, the asteroid distinctly had an almost perfect spherical shape, with other regular geometric shapes projecting from it. Sterbinsky released his findings to the scientific community. They subsequently caused quite a stir, and captured the imagination of the popular media. There was enough interest that a probe orbiting Neptune was ordered to redirect its cameras. From its closer position, clear photographs were obtained that showed nothing of the regular structure seen in Sterbinsky's photographs. The high albedo was explained by the fact that a large portion of the asteroid's mass appeared to be water ice. The asteroid was tagged as an important resource for later use by Far System missions or remote probes. The scientific community and the general public believed that Sterbinsky's photographs were frauds. However, even now there are some who believe that the discovery was covered up by the United Nations.

Well, if it isn't my old friend from Mars! I've been watching you. You've got the Chtakt (that's what the aliens call themselves) quite agitated. You've definitely been noticed. You look like you could use a little help. I'll give you a little, since without help, you'll be stuck in the hallway outside until you're found by forces even you can't handle. It was a bit foolhardy to jump out of that vent without knowing how you were going to get back! This here's a particle accelerator. It flings subatomic particles, speeds them up in a chamber just past these doors, and then uses them to keep the fusion reaction going in the experimental reactor that powers this complex. Obviously, such a large reactor is not needed to power this complex. It also powers weapon systems defending this area. You're lucky this place is in a shambles -- only 7% of the external weapons are functional, and barely 3% of the internal weapons are. If they'd all been working, you'd have been fried in space before you knew it. In order to escape this complex, you'll need to shut down the reactor. For this, you need a security card. Fortunately, I know where one is -- in the accelerator. Poor lieutenant commander Jorgensen happened to piss off the bugs big-time and then made the fatal mistake of surrendering. He should have gone down with all guns blazing. The Chtakt are NOT a forgiving race. He was put in the particle accelerator, where the radiation slowly blistered his skin until it peeled away. Fortunately for you, he still had his security card when he was put in the accelerator. Even more fortunately, your protective shields will keep you safe from the radiation. The only thing you must do is override the locks on the doors to the accelerator chamber. (Of course, I could do that for you, but what's the fun in that?) I'm unlocking the switch that opens the door to the particle counter. If you smash the circuitry near the top of the column on the east side, the counter will cease registering particles. When the count drops to zero, the locks on the doors will disengage. Come back here when you're done and I'll let you know what to do next.