7: Deep Doodoo

You survived the drop! All systems functioning OK? I advise that you check your weapons and sensors for defects after that long in a radiation stream. It was hard to do, but I managed to get a fleeting transporter fix on the corridors around this chamber about 10 minutes ago, whilst you were plummeting downwards. So… the assault team beat you to it. They have even managed to recapture two of the three control rooms that are up above you: we control the main power transducer and the coolant pump network, but we can't even get near the bulkhead locks. This plant is riddled with remote locking bulkheads to combat flooding. All they are doing at the moment is preventing us from searching effectively.

Melville's renegades are no doubt responsible for the bulkhead problem: they are covering their tracks remarkably well. Some have even managed to disguise the signal from their subcutaneous transponder beacons to stop me locating them. I am less sure of the role the Pfhor troopers and hunters are playing down there. They seem to be attacking everyone, as is their nature, so be careful. Get up into the bulkhead control room and we will see what we find there.

[Message begins] ]xAssault team 37 ]2Incoming Units ] ]We have secured the bulkhead control room ]after a minor skirmish with the Pfhor. ]More are heading our way. ] ]The locking mechanism is jammed shut: ]further evidence that our quarry passed ]through here recently. They have also ]blocked corridors leading from this area. ] ]Records suggest that we'll be able to ]initiate a wide area scan from the ]terminal shown here. This should pick up ]all lifeforms in the area and reveal ]Melville's presence. more... ]Find him and Hermes will transport us all ]out asap. ] ] ]Holding position. More hostiles are ]approaching as I write.... ] ]Stay calm [Message ends] [attached image displayed] [Authentication follows if required]

Lifeform detected: Jack Melville [Human Male] Location: Heat Transfer Unit C Access: monitor corridor blocked entry via Coolant System only [cycling maintainance airlock] [ WARNING unable to transmit ] [ your access clearance to ] [ automatic defense droids ]

Wonderful, you have got him: trapped and no way out but into my specially prepared brig. You have performed beyond my expectations. Thankyou. Clever, using the interference from the Heat Transfer Unit to not only mask his presence but also prevent me from transporting him to where justice can deal with his crimes. Not so clever, forgetting that you can simply power down the unit from the console on your left. I don't know how much he has been telling you about my role in all this, but you can safely ignore it all. It is no concern of yours: you do what I tell you to. No doubt he'll beg for mercy, but prison is where he belongs. Do it marine.

-I can't believe you are still running after me doing every little chore that Hermes tosses your way. -I'm hurt pretty bad in here and won't survive long. So listen up. -Whatever you do, don't flick that switch. Turning off the heat transfer unit right now will cause a massive energy discharge.. and fry me. I don't know who you believe, but all I can do is beg you not to complete Hermes' orders. -More pleading follows in a message file... [ File dump follows- ] [ Press ESC to abort ]

[begin file] reTeam briefing xJack Melville 2Field units To be used in the event of my death or incarceration. The only way we will stop this thing is to make this place blow. We'll have to set it to overload: shut down the coolant system and decouple the power transducer and the energy build up in the heat transfer units will be phenomenal. The explosion will take most of this planet with it, so make sure that you know your evac route. Shuttle is standing by. [attachment: image displayed] [file ends]

[Recorded Message] xGemini Design Team Member 1442 (dismissed) Jack Melville [Message begins] When we first started to design Gemini, none of us realised the full implications of building an instantly relocatable station in cooperation with the Pfhor. We had one agenda, the Pfhor another, and, as it turned out, Hermes a third. - We were told that Hermes had negotiated a peace agreement with the Pfhor. We had had no contact with the Pfhor for almost sixty years after their attempt on the Marathon and your careful clean up work, and a peace treaty with them seemed thoroughly plausible. Gemini was to be the first token of this alliance. Nobody had seen first hand the true nature of the pfhor apart from a few AI's and yourself. Hermes wanted you out of the way for just this reason, and the Pfhor were happy to accept you as a trophy. The handing over ceremony was to take place aboard Gemini as soon as Hermes could convince Leela to let you go. Leela had no idea of the personality changes that Hermes had undergone once divested of his military role and consented almost immediately. - Hermes had his own ideas. He seems quite willing to trade the safety of Earth for the power of which he had been stripped... - The Pfhor of course merely wanted the offensive capabilities of Gemini. With a weapon that powerful, Earth's defenses would no longer keep them out. They cooperated gladly in the rebuilding of this ancient power station on Toft. The attack fleet sent to meet Gemini was a genuine suprise for all of us, a double crossing that even Hermes did not expect. - After the Gemini-B winked out of existance, Hermes was into full coverup mode - desperately trying to get you to wipe out the pfhor without you actually surviving the conflict. His deliberate attempt to kill you with a transporter on your way to Gemini A was part of this plan, executed before Hermes realised the true extent of Pfhor fleet. - Once he realised that he was seriously out numbered, he needed you alive. Furthermore, you could be convinced to come after myself if fed with enough guff about my dubious nature. With enough forward planning, he could easily pin the whole thing on you and make sure that you were locked away from enquiring minds forever. - So, what now? Get to the shuttle and we'll get you out of here safely. Unfortunately, your subcutaneous transponder is still functioning: as soon as you step out onto the surface, Hermes will be able to get a lock on you. He is pretty pissed at the moment, and will no doubt show off his skill in atmosphere bombardment to try to take you out.

[additional] - We have kept a transporter functioning amidst some of the abandoned temples on the far side of Toft. These structures are left over from a major shift in religious observance away from worship in the volcanic regions of the planet toward the huge oceans. They have made excellent hiding places for my followers. - It is getting dark now and the nearest that we can land a shuttle is some distance from the transporter, so be prepared to make a run for it. JM [message ends]