Scene Two
Scene Three
Scene Four
Chapter Six: Places Named After Numbers
Scene One: The Battle of the Teacup
mgrasso> There. Excellent. I'm very happy to begin, by reminding you what we did last time.
Travis> (will do (-: )
mgrasso> Well, Aranth built us a spaceship, powered a little differently than the rest of Queen Mabel's fleet.
mgrasso> And we decided to join the escort party of the Jagged Edge on their mission deep into Alson space.
mgrasso> Before heading into enemy territory, we stopped off at Aquan so Raisa, the dolphin pooka, and her crew could have one last swim.
Aranth> (btw, Aranth named his ship "frank"... long story)
mgrasso> So, now, we're on into the space of the Alson League. In fact, we're passing very close to the area where Raisa found you battling clockwork dragoons.
mgrasso> The H.M.S. Frank zooms along with the other metal fighters. :)
mgrasso> Late on the second day of your journey, the Jagged Edge hoists the red flag, which means that enemy ships have been sighted.
mgrasso> Aranth, give me a Wits + Drive roll, difficulty 6, to see how well you pull into formation.
Aranth> (just a sec)
mgrasso> (sure)
Aranth> !dice 7 6
* DiceWell Aranth rolls 7d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 4 successes.
* DiceWell 6 6 3 2 3 10 6
Aranth> :)
mgrasso> Aranth gets into a good spot in the formation and as your fighter rises to a spot "above" the Jagged Edge, you can see the Alson fleet. And I mean FLEET.
mgrasso> There's probably over 100 ships in the distance, emerging from a gigantic white space cloud. The wisps of star-stuff part as the churning, clacking monstrous bronze ships spew steam and smoke into space.
mgrasso> Their fighters emerge first, looking a lot like yours in size and shape, in fact.
mgrasso> Who's gunning, again?
Artemisia> Me and Chet.
mgrasso> Cool. I need Aranth, Chet, and Artemisia to roll regular initiative.
mgrasso> Wits + Alertness, diff. 4
Aranth> !dice 5 4
* DiceWell Aranth rolls 5d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 9 1 7 8 10
Kirby> !dice 3 4
* DiceWell Kirby rolls 3d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 10 2 10
Artemisia> !dice 5 4
* DiceWell Artemisia rolls 5d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 4 successes.
* DiceWell 5 10 9 8 3
mgrasso> All right, Kirby. The vanguard of the Alson fleet is moving in on you and your position. Will you fire at will? :)
Kirby> What kind of ammunition do we have here again, Aranth?
Aranth> rust guns my friend
* Kirby sizes up the nearest ship and fires.
Kirby> !dice 4 7
* DiceWell Kirby rolls 4d10 at difficulty 7. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 1 7 3 9
mgrasso> Kirby takes aim and fires the gun with a loud splat, like ten thousand paintball guns all firing at once. Kirby nicks the oncoming fighter's wings and sees them slowly corrode, showing only the metal endoskeleton underneath the wing.
mgrasso> Aranth, how will you handle the ship? Will you stay in position, or cut a swath through the first wave of fighters, hoping to dodge their guns?
Aranth> the latter sounds better
Kirby> !dice 6 6
* DiceWell Kirby rolls 6d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 7 4 6 2 3 3
mgrasso> All right. You bravely wreak havoc inside the first wave of fighters. Dex + Drive, diff. 6.
mgrasso> Artemisia, I need you to fire now. Dex + Firearms, diff. 7.
Aranth> !dice 7 6
* DiceWell Aranth rolls 7d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 4 successes.
* DiceWell 10 9 9 5 3 10 2
Artemisia> !dice 5 7
* DiceWell Artemisia rolls 5d10 at difficulty 7. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 10 3 9 10 2
Aranth> (dicey loves me)
mgrasso> Artemisia takes aim as we cut our way through the thick cloud of Alson fighters!
mgrasso> ...as Aranth slickly dodges all incoming fire (ballistae, cannonballs).
Artemisia> Whee!
mgrasso> Artemisia, 8 dice at difficulty 6.
Artemisia> !dice 8 6
* DiceWell Artemisia rolls 8d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 2 3 1 9 2 9 6 6
mgrasso> Both Kirby and Artemisia's blasts have knocked out a couple of Alson fighters. Your charge into the enemy's presence has inspired the Sapphire fighters behind you!
Aranth> thats furking right!
mgrasso> You are now about 400 yards from the flagship of this fleet. Kirby, Int + 1, diff. 8.
mgrasso> Everyone else, I need Perception + Alertness, diff. 6.
Travis> !dice 3 6
* DiceWell Travis rolls 3d10 at difficulty 6. S/He fails the roll!
* DiceWell 3 4 2
Solangia> !dice 7 6
* DiceWell Solangia rolls 7d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 5 successes.
* DiceWell 8 7 9 3 4 8 10
Kirby> !dice 5 8
* DiceWell Kirby rolls 5d10 at difficulty 8. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 9 2 4 5 5
Aranth> !dice 2 6
* DiceWell Aranth rolls 2d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 7 8
Artemisia> !dice 5 6
* DiceWell Artemisia rolls 5d10 at difficulty 6. S/He fails the roll!
* DiceWell 3 1 1 6 7
mgrasso> All right. It's time for next combat round. Now, the "Frank" is in the midst of the heavy carriers of the Alson fleet. I need Art, Kirby, and Aranth to roll init again.
Kirby> Grrrr....
Artemisia> !dice 5 4
* DiceWell Artemisia rolls 5d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 2 6 6 4 1
Kirby> !dice 3 4
* DiceWell Kirby rolls 3d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 3 2 7
mgrasso> Aranth?
Aranth> sorry, my browser is acting up, just a sec
* Solangia is standing near the front window, looking out into space
mgrasso> Okay.
Kirby> Did anyone else notice that we seem a bit outnumbered here?
Aranth> !dice 5 4
* DiceWell Aranth rolls 5d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 4 successes.
* DiceWell 4 5 10 10 3
Solangia> Screw that. Did anyone notice who's in front of us?
Artemisia> There are certainly enough to keep us occupied for a while!
mgrasso> Kirby: your turn to fire, as you shout that observation out of your gunner's port.
mgrasso> It looks like big ships are your only target now.
Kirby> There's enough to do more than keep us occupied.
Solangia> !dice 2 8
* DiceWell Solangia rolls 2d10 at difficulty 8. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 2 10
Artemisia> Who's in front of us?
Solangia> Oh, only Alson and his ship.
* Solangia points it out as best she can
Solangia> See? There's the flag ship...
mgrasso> Indeed, you peer out the front window of the fighter ship, and you can see it exactly as Old Glass Eye's old friend said: there is the flagship, and on the deck, you see a lone figure with a guard of small green humanoids, fiddling with an obviously out-of-place machine.
Kirby> !dice 4 7
* DiceWell Kirby rolls 4d10 at difficulty 7. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 6 8 9 7
mgrasso> Kirby hits again! 8 dice, diff 6 for damage.
Artemisia> Can we get close enough to get him?
Kirby> !dice 8 6
* DiceWell Kirby rolls 8d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 3 9 5 6 3 4 5 1
Aranth> Hells yeah!
mgrasso> Artemisia, you yell that as you fire your own gun. Go for it.
Artemisia> !dice 5 7
* DiceWell Artemisia rolls 5d10 at difficulty 7. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 9 7 3 3 8
mgrasso> Artemisia, 8 dice diff 6 for damage!
Kirby> Get him? Maybe we should assess the tactical situation here first.
Artemisia> !dice 8 6
* DiceWell Artemisia rolls 8d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 5 successes.
* DiceWell 7 6 2 6 3 9 5 8
Solangia> Well, let's see... Big ass ship versus us. And I bet they have a bathroom.
mgrasso> Artemisia shoots her rust gun and spatters the side of one of the huge, steam-powered carriers. She takes out a whole side of their hull.
Artemisia> What's on your mind, Kirby?
Aranth> rock art!
* Solangia steps away from the window and takes a seat in the back
mgrasso> Aranth! Your tactic moving the ship, sir?
Kirby> Well, we're a little tiny ship, and they're a big-ass one. Unless they've got an unguarded radiation vent, I'm not sure how we can take them out. This isn't really my bag.
* Artemisia silently enjoys the sight of ships disintegrating in her gunfire.
Artemisia> Do we need to take out the ship? How about just taking out Alson? He's small.
Aranth> I'd like to stick with a bob and weave kind of approach... It will make us less of a target.
Solangia> Oh yeah. Let's kill their leader. That'll make us very popular.
mgrasso> Okay, excellent. Dex + Drive, diff. 6
Aranth> !dice 7 6
* DiceWell Aranth rolls 7d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 4 successes.
* DiceWell 1 7 9 6 4 6 7
mgrasso> Aranth does a very good job, again, this time avoiding the much more deadly weapons of the larger ships. But they are all continuing to advance on the Sapphire Fleet, and as such, you are now less than 100 yards away from the flagship. Here's what you see.
Aranth> um... If we arn't going to try and kill their leader, what are we worth?
mgrasso> On the deck, you see that the lone figure is in fact a sidhe. He is wearing a standard, expensive, 20th century business suit.
Artemisia> !dice 6 5
* DiceWell Artemisia rolls 6d10 at difficulty 5. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 3 2 4 3 10 8
* Solangia eyes the figure. "When you're right, you're right, Aranth. Take him out, Art!"
Kirby> And when we're done, let's see if we can find his family and kill all of them as well.
mgrasso> The deck is large, about the size of a basketball court. Around him are capering about 10 green-skinned humanoids, all about 4 feet tall. They are wearing bronze ceremonial armor and seem to be leaping in joy from what the sidhe is doing with the machine on the deck.
Kirby> Kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out.
Solangia> Ooh1 Good idea, Kirby. And any friends he might have.
Artemisia> Well, what about taking out his machine?
Travis> How very *butch*.
Kirby> His machine is a different story.
Artemisia> It seems to be important to him.
Kirby> It doesn't belong here.
mgrasso> The sidhe makes some final adjustments, pulls a cord (like the one on a lawnmower) and the machine roars to life.
Aranth> um, what is it?
* Solangia goes to the front window and all but presses her nose into the glass trying to make out more detail
Artemisia> I don't know, but it looks like it runs on gas!
mgrasso> He grabs a six foot long, 1 foot wide flat rectangular panel from near his feet, and holds it up to the sky.
Solangia> The hell? Is he going to sand something? What is he doing?
mgrasso> The panel, which seems to look like frosted glass, slowly begins to snap to life in the characteristic fashion of a fluorescent light turning on.
mgrasso> The panel then reveals a series of sacred runes, which stand out in orange on the fluorescent light... CIRCLE K.
Aranth> can we shoot first and ask questions later kiddies?
mgrasso> Indeed. Initiative for the shooters and the pilot again. :)
Travis> (Circle K? As in the brand of beer?)
Artemisia> (hah! :D :D :D)
Travis> (And the store?)
Artemisia> !dice 5 4
* DiceWell Artemisia rolls 5d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 7 1 10 5 8
mgrasso> (As in the southwestern convenience store chain, yes)
mgrasso> (It's their logo)
Kirby> !dice 3 4
* DiceWell Kirby rolls 3d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 7 8 2
Artemisia> (with their bright lights!)
Aranth> !dice 5 4
* DiceWell Aranth rolls 5d10 at difficulty 4. S/He fails the roll!
* DiceWell 3 4 1 4 1
mgrasso> Johanna gasps when she sees this.
mgrasso> For her, it's all come together.
Kirby> It's about time...
mgrasso> Aranth, where are you piloting?
mgrasso> Are you taking us in for a pass?
Kirby> Use the Force, Aranth...
Artemisia> I'd love to get a shot at that light.
Aranth> yeah
mgrasso> By the way, when the light is turned on, it looks like the space around the Alson ships is getting... well, like it's becoming true void. A vacuum.
mgrasso> All right. So, I need "Dead-Eye" Artemisia to roll to hit it here.
Aranth> (I'm going to disbelieve)
mgrasso> (heh!)
Artemisia> !dice 5 7
* DiceWell Artemisia rolls 5d10 at difficulty 7. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 8 5 5 9 5
mgrasso> All right. 7 dice at diff. 6.
Artemisia> !dice 7 6
* DiceWell Artemisia rolls 7d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 5 successes.
* DiceWell 7 6 7 5 8 5 8
Artemisia> woohoo!
Aranth> rock!
mgrasso> Artemisia squints as she sees Alson, the sidhe, exultant in his seeming victory. But it is short-lived. Artemisia's gun trains on the machine's base, made up of a gasoline generator. She smacks it with three healthy doses from the rust gun, and the thing just melts away.
mgrasso> The light snaps back into darkness.
mgrasso> Kirby? Target?
mgrasso> And Aranth, give me a quick Dex + Drive roll. Diff. 6.
* Kirby starts unbuckling his straps to get up once he sees the light is destroyed.
* Artemisia whoops in her gunner's seat.
Aranth> !dice 7 6
* DiceWell Aranth rolls 7d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 10 2 6 9 1 9 2
mgrasso> Aranth gets close enough for a pass of Alson and his goblin guard.
mgrasso> The goblins are firing crossbows at your hull as you do so.
* Kirby gets out of his seat and works his way into the main body of the ship.
Aranth> i wish I had thought of the fact that there might be some real people involved...
* Aranth laments only having rust guns
Solangia> !dice 5 7
* DiceWell Solangia rolls 5d10 at difficulty 7. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 1 9 10 5 3
* Kirby sits down and rummages through his bag for a while.
Kirby> !dice 6 7
* DiceWell Kirby rolls 6d10 at difficulty 7. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 6 2 10 9 6 4
mgrasso> Aranth, what are you going to do? (read my msg)
mgrasso> Is anyone getting my msgs?
Aranth> (oh, sorry)
mgrasso> (We just have to keep moving)
Travis> !dice 5 4
* DiceWell Travis rolls 5d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 1 6 6 3 7
Travis> (got distracted)
* Kirby raises his head , furrows his brow, and starts digging again.
Aranth> As the cross bow bolts come hurtling at the ship, aranth flips up a cap on the dash. Underneath is a candy apple red button, which he pushes, with a gleam in his eye
Kirby> Hmmm... now that's not supposed to be.
Travis> Hmm. He's wearing Armani. Stylish.
mgrasso> As he does, you accelerate with great force, slamming any of you who are not buckled in against the back wall.
Kirby> If he's got a gas generator here, I should have a peanut butter and jam sandwich in here somewhere.
mgrasso> You zoom out past the Alson fleet, and Aranth attempts to bring the ship back under control from hyperdrive.
mgrasso> Alas, he cannot, and you are hurtling with great speed into the nebula from which the Alson ships came.
Artemisia> Wow, Aranth. I'm impressed!
mgrasso> (sorry, Mandy. Damn nocker flaws! :D)
Kirby> Dude, this blows...
Aranth> Hey! nocker flaws are "minor but irreperable)
Aranth> "
Scene Two: The White Hole
mgrasso> In fact, pretty soon, you can't see the fleet from the back windows. The mists of the nebula are too thick.
* Kirby says through clenched teeth.
mgrasso> Aranth: this is minor. It works! It just works too well. :)
mgrasso> By the time Aranth is able to cut the hyperdrive, you are floating in a white misty cloud.
mgrasso> Johanna looks out the window and says, "I think we're in the Teacup. Remember, on the map?"
Kirby> Yeah. This is where someone dies. Or gets tea on them.
mgrasso> All: Perception + Alertness, diff. 6
Solangia> !dice 7 6
* DiceWell Solangia rolls 7d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 3 3 10 5 3 9 1
Aranth> !dice 2 6
* DiceWell Aranth rolls 2d10 at difficulty 6. S/He fails the roll!
* DiceWell 3 3
Artemisia> !dice 5 6
* DiceWell Artemisia rolls 5d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 4 successes.
* DiceWell 9 9 5 6 7
Travis> !dice 2 6
* DiceWell Travis rolls 2d10 at difficulty 6. S/He fails the roll!
* DiceWell 1 7
Travis> (ouch)
* Kirby looks absent-mindedly in his bag and hums, "Places Named After Numbers"
Aranth> (art knows whats up)
Kirby> !dice 4 6
* DiceWell Kirby rolls 4d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 1 success.
* DiceWell 5 1 6 6
* Artemisia looks at the walls.
Artemisia> Is that mist? Coming in the seams?
Aranth> what?!
mgrasso> Artemisia's eyes lead you to observe that snaking tendrils of misty white are coming in through the seams and boltholes in the ship.
* Aranth jerks his head around to look
Artemisia> Maybe this is the tea we get stained with!
mgrasso> In several spots, the mist of the nebula outside seeps into the ship.
Kirby> Dude, this ship is starting to look like the inside of a bong.
Aranth> wait! (aranth screams at Frank) This is not furking cool! this is not cool.
mgrasso> But most of all, in one spot along the baseboards. The mists start to rise into a column, and coalesce...
mgrasso> ...into the shape of a young woman.
* Kirby lays down on the floor and looks up.
mgrasso> (inside of a bong... heh)
Artemisia> Whoa. Kirby, what did you light up?
mgrasso> "Hello," speaks the shape, extending her hand in a sign of peace.
Aranth> Hello.
Kirby> hey
mgrasso> Her voice whispers like the wind.
Artemisia> Who are you?
Aranth> what are you?
Kirby> Can you point us to a restroom?
mgrasso> "You are the travelers I brought here." Her face, which has no distinguishing marks like nose or mouth, nods at your questions. "Those who ply the spaceways call me the Teacup, but that is only because of my shape. You may call me the Oracle."
mgrasso> Johanna says, "*You* brought us here?"
Artemisia> You brought us here? Why?
Solangia> Oracle? Oh, we're doomed to sleep with our mothers now.
mgrasso> "Yes, sister stargazer," says the Oracle. "You can clearly see how Alson threatens your world and mine."
Kirby> Sweet.
mgrasso> "Something had to be done. Heroes had to be summoned."
* Kirby struggles to sit up.
* Kirby looks around.
Aranth> heroes? fat lot of good we're doing.
Kirby> And this is the best you could do on short notice, right?
mgrasso> "He has brought Banality from the waking world and seeks to destroy all of the Stellar Demesnes."
mgrasso> The Oracle looks at Aranth. "You destroyed his machine! You have helped us immensely! But there is one task left to you."
Aranth> Kirby? the queen you bow to, the oracle who summoned us from another solar system you disrespect? not cool man.
* Aranth beams
Aranth> we helped.
Kirby> Summoned?
Solangia> What task?
Aranth> "brought us here" what ever
mgrasso> "Summoned. Through the dreams of those who love the stars, and dream of them."
Kirby> Summoned, brought us here, kidnapped us, it's all the same to you, eh?
* Kirby nods to the Oracle, "Sorry you have to hear all this."
Aranth> actually, I'm having an amazing time. so, madam oracle, what is this other task?
mgrasso> The Oracle looks at Solangia. "The war will be won this night, thanks to you. But Alson still has one trick left up his sleeve. He wants to destroy the Stellar Demesnes any way he can, and he is hedging his bets. He seeks to block out the observatories in your world with light, as he sought to destroy our home with unholy Banal light from your world."
Aranth> so, Johanne, you recognized him?
mgrasso> "You must return to your own world and stop him and those he protects, who wish to spread the light and render the observatories useless."
mgrasso> Johanna shakes her head no.
mgrasso> "No, I didn't," she sighs.
mgrasso> The Oracle addresses Kirby alone.
mgrasso> "You are not a hero?"
Artemisia> !dice 6 4
* DiceWell Artemisia rolls 6d10 at difficulty 4. S/He gets 5 successes.
* DiceWell 3 9 10 6 9 9
Solangia> And you're never going to, Johanna.
Kirby> Oh, sometimes I'm not so sure. Other times, though...
Solangia> None of us are even going to think about this when we return.
Travis> You could be *my* hero very easily, Kirby.
* Solangia looks around at everyone
mgrasso> The Oracle nods her head at Solangia. "How very true."
Artemisia> I will. I'll be thinking about it.
Aranth> art, dreaming? mists?
mgrasso> "The nature of the Dreaming will remove your memories."
Artemisia> They're discussing the lighting ordinance at the city council meeting. I'll be there.
Solangia> Sure you will, Art. Sure.
* Solangia rolls her eyes at the sidhe
mgrasso> "Perhaps it would be best to record your travels here. Write down what you have done."
Kirby> Sorry, but I don't think I can, Travis.
* Kirby holds him tumb and forefinger about 2 inches apart.
mgrasso> "That way, upon returning to the waking world, you will know what action you are to take."
Aranth> perfect!
Artemisia> Thank you. I'll do exactly that.
Solangia> Kirby, will you be our scribe?
mgrasso> The Oracle looks at Kirby. "Perhaps you are not a hero, little one. But you can be a bard."
Artemisia> Kirby, do you have some paper and a pencil?
Kirby> Yes I do.
mgrasso> "Now, let me tell you where you must go to return to your world."
Artemisia> Would you record this before we go, Kirby?
* Kirby pulls out his composition book.
* Kirby starts sketching the Oracle.
mgrasso> "You must fly, through me, in the direction of the Starless Zone. That zone, as the mortals call it... is my sister."
mgrasso> "In your world, she is a black hole."
mgrasso> "She is a portal back to the Banal realms."
mgrasso> "She will, however, require a sacrifice to let you through her into the waking world."
Aranth> Wait, will frank be with me when we get home? I have storage space in the basment of my apartment complex.
* Kirby keeps notes on the page with the sketch.
Solangia> What kind of sacrifice?
mgrasso> The Oracle smiles. "You can fly your machine of dreams back into the waking world."
Artemisia> What manner of sacrifice?
Aranth> alright!!
* Aranth does a little dance
mgrasso> "Tenebrae... for that is what my sister is called, lives a lonely life. All space sailors avoid her, for they believe she is death. I believe..." the Oracle chuckles, "she will want to be entertained."
Solangia> What does she find entertaining?
Travis> Gemma could shimmy for her.
mgrasso> "I will leave that for you to discover."
Kirby> So we have to prepare a skit?
Travis> I bet Kirby could sing a *fabulous* Gilbert and Sullivan.
mgrasso> The Oracle chuckles. "I can see the future, and I have no doubt that she will find you all highly entertaining."
Kirby> You can see the furute?
Kirby> and the future, too?
mgrasso> "Yes, I can."
Aranth> Do I amuse you? Am I clown for your entertainment?
mgrasso> "Now, before I let you go, I must offer you the answer to one question. It is tradition."
* Solangia pokes Aranth in the side. "Yes."
Kirby> Is the weather going to be nice a week from Saturday? I've got a cookout planned.
Artemisia> Who wouldn't find us entertaining? I mean, look at us.
Aranth> I know!
mgrasso> "The weather will be just fine."
Solangia> Kirby! What kind of lame question is that?
Kirby> Woohoo!
Aranth> Kirby You shit head.
Artemisia> Kirby!
Aranth> We could have asked about the assasins
mgrasso> The mists clear from the cabin, and all around you, the mists disappear.
Aranth> the lion
* Travis pouts at Kirby.
Artemisia> We'd at least better be invited now.
mgrasso> You are in regular star-space now.
Scene Three: The Black Hole
* Aranth gets up and punches kirby
Aranth> That is for your stupid fucking question.
Artemisia> So Aranth, where's the nearest powder room?
mgrasso> But ahead of you is a zone of starless space. An inky, roughly circular cloud floats in space in front of you. That is where we are headed.
* Solangia grabs Aranth and whispers something to him
Kirby> Fuck you cockknocker.
* Kirby starts writing a list in his notebook.
mgrasso> Aranth, are you piloting again?
Aranth> yes
mgrasso> Aranth gets back in the pilot's seat and sets a course for the heart of the black hole.
* Kirby gets out his pipe and lights it.
mgrasso> As you glide towards the edge of the black hole, a whispering voice, which seems to come from all around you, speaks. "You seek passage? Who art thou?"
Aranth> Art? I believe mystics, dietys and royalty are your specialty
Artemisia> We are travelers seeking passage back to our home. Are you the one called Tenebrae?
mgrasso> "I am. My sister has sent you, then."
Artemisia> !dice 7 8
* DiceWell Artemisia rolls 7d10 at difficulty 8. S/He botches the roll.
* DiceWell 1 1 10 7 6 7 3
Artemisia> gah. I knew it was going to happen.
Artemisia> !dice 7 9
* DiceWell Artemisia rolls 7d10 at difficulty 9. S/He fails the roll!
* DiceWell 6 1 10 6 8 1 10
Artemisia> Yes, she told us you could direct us there.
mgrasso> "I certainly can. You must simply pass through the center of me, and you shall find yourselves again among your own kind, changelings."
Travis> Me? Having something to do with the "center" of a woman? Harumph.
Artemisia> Travis, you're not helping right now.
mgrasso> "You are brave, noble lass, to have sought me out. Star-sailors greater than you have fought my stellar winds and been torn apart."
Aranth> !dice 6 6
* DiceWell Aranth rolls 6d10 at difficulty 6. S/He gets 2 successes.
* DiceWell 2 7 2 2 2 6
Aranth> !dice 6 8
* DiceWell Aranth rolls 6d10 at difficulty 8. S/He gets 3 successes.
* DiceWell 8 9 9 5 6 3
Kirby> Well, we'll do just about anything for that to *not* happen.
Artemisia> Perhaps, but we are not sailors. We are merely travelers brought here from beyond.
Solangia> I'm not a sailor, but I play with some on tv.
mgrasso> "You need do nothing, now. Simply pilot your craft directly into and through me."
mgrasso> Aranth? Ready to go?
Aranth> as long as every one else is
mgrasso> Kirby has finished writing.
Aranth> alrighty, lets rock and roll
mgrasso> And Aranth brings Frank about and pilots the ship directly into Tenebrae's shadowy form.
Aranth> "that a girl, frank"
Scene Four: Planetarium
mgrasso> Something strange happens upon your passing through the black hole. Certainly, it feels like past instances of passing back into the waking world. But it feels like a metamorphosis is taking place.
mgrasso> In fact, the odd thing is, when you reappear after the pass through Tenebrae, you're still flying through space.
Travis> (Fae....in...spaaaaaaaaccccceeeeee)
Aranth> (ha!)
mgrasso> You look behind you and around you, and you can see a star field. But when you look *forward*, it's like looking through a fish-eye lens.
mgrasso> And in that field of vision is a crowd of little beings, seated, in a circular chamber. There's about 150 of them.
mgrasso> The room they are seated in is dark.
Kirby> Oh well...all the world's a stage.
mgrasso> You continue to plod along through space, you emerge from the star field and start flying forward, towards the seated beings.
mgrasso> A couple of them raise their arms and point at you. Then a few more.
mgrasso> At this point, there are no longer stars behind you, and you can see clearly where you are.
Aranth> good pointing (like look! Superman!) or bad pointing (like natives with spears)?
mgrasso> You have just emerged from the dome-like screen of a planetarium. You are now floating down from the ceiling and every child in the place can see you!
Artemisia> whee!
Travis> (wasn't this in an episode of s
Travis> South Park?)
mgrasso> The adult teachers (about six of them) are telling the kids to calm down and stop pointing, but the kids won't stop.
mgrasso> The adults can't see you, obviously.
* Artemisia tries twirling in the air.
* Solangia makes faces at the kids
mgrasso> Up on the planetarium screen, you can see the image of a black hole.
* Kirby takes a toke from his pipe and mutters...
Kirby> Remember kids, just say no...
mgrasso> Artemisia twirls inside the gun port, and Solangia looks out of the window makign faces at the kids.
Travis> Or you'll turn into a homosexual like me!
* Solangia flashes the adults, not that they can see her
mgrasso> Aranth, care to pilot us out of here and back home? You guys are at the planetarium near the university, about three blocks from Aranth's place.
mgrasso> You'll need to get home quickly, before Banality hits your ship.
Aranth> yes yes yes
mgrasso> That's all for tonight, folks!
Artemisia> go go, gadget!