16: Macapá

You picked quite a nice drop point. The ventilation plant is pretty much empty, and there's plenty of background noise to cover your activities. You should be fairly free to move around in there, though I would be very careful with your weapons discharge anyway. It is of the highest priority that you avoid alerting the Chtakt of your presence, as that might cause them to drop the beanstalk. DO NOT start any fights except inside out-of-the-way buildings. There are several prototype Refraction Masking Devices hidden around the beanstalk grounds. These devices will induce controlled refraction of light within a personal shield system, making the wearer semi-transparent. The initial prototypes were placed here against just such a contingency. Unfortunately, the technology has not been perfected. You will be visible as a shadow at close range, and the devices generate too much heat, causing them to burn out after a short period of time. Use them wisely, as you will need them. There is one cache of RMDs hidden somewhere in the ventilation plant, and another somewhere in the security building. You will probably need the ones nearby before leaving the ventilation plant, as it exits onto a fairly high-traffic area.

Once you reach the beanstalk loading area, you will need to find a place to hide on board the elevator capsule. We accessed the capsule's cargo systems, and there are three cargo crates on board. One of them responds that it is empty. You will need to crawl inside and suspend yourself to avoid a traceable power signature. From what we can tell, alien forces have been withdrawing from the beanstalk grounds. We're not sure what it means, but it will give you freer run of the grounds. Good luck! We'll be back in touch when you reach the beanstalk node!

You've gone and got stupid on me, hain't you boy? Well, I guess I can kiss human-kind goodbye. I guess I'll have to hitch a ride with the Chtakt for a while. They have cut the beanstalk, and as you know, that means Earth's ecosystems are shot. And without supplies from Earth, the moon bases and space stations will be gone in less than a year. At least I'll finally see you dead, though. The bottom end of the beanstalk drifted west a little before it started doing any real damage, but it's vaporizing tons of the Earth's crust by now. You should see it from up here! I think it may have even created a new break in the crust near you. I don't know if you'll die in an earthquake or be innundated by superheated rock, but I doubt even you can survive. Have fun!

OPENING REMOTE CONNECTION You seem to be moving around the beanstalk grounds without trouble. Just be sure to keep out of sight. There is an elevator that will be leaving your planet's surface shortly. It is very important that you be on it. We will be planning our actions based on that assumption. When the elevator nears the node, our operatives will begin a minor rebellion. We hope this will distract those loyal to the Masters enough that you will be able to do what you need to. Our operatives will strip themselves of all chitin dye, which will make them easy for you to identify. For now, just get on the elevator. I will contact you again once you reach the node. CLOSING REMOTE CONNECTION