* Vera drives! Wait, no she doesn't. Fitz drives. Vera smokes.
* Fitzroy does drive!
* Vera was right!
* Leopoldo leans back. I assume I got the passanger seat considering I'm
probably the biggest one here. ^^;
<Yu-Mei> (*cackle*)
<Vera> ( I thought I was in that ;_; )
* Rochelle is comfortable in the back seat, listening to her music! She doesn't
care about the smoke.
<Fitzroy> Probably ten or fifteen minutes now.
* Vera drums her fingers.
<Leopoldo> (Hey, when you weigh around three hundered pounds and are more than
six feet tall, you can sit in the front seat)
<Vera> ( But I got a hat, so it's mine. )
* Rochelle mmms faintly. "Wonder if there's going to be anything to do there."
<Vera> I hope so. I'm gonna go mad at this rate.
<Rochelle> Wait, no, it's a little town in the middle of nowhere. Guess not.
<Leopoldo> Nope, nothing to do there.
<Leopoldo> Unless you call counting grains of sand something.
* Vera sighs. She puts down her cigarette, leans back and tips her hat over her
face. "Wake me when we get there."
<Rochelle> Grains of sand. I'll make sure I do that.
<Leopoldo> Or maybe you could watch the dunes. They're very picturesque the
first twenty times.
<Chamelaeon> <<You're coming up on the place, though. It consists of, from your
point of view, a single street, where the 8 lanes constrict to 2 through a
complicated interchange system. The town is a piddly town, stretching no more
than five stories tall on average. On your left are what look like apartment
buildings and small condos.>>
<Rochelle> Twenty? That many?
<Leopoldo> First ten count double.
<Rochelle> Maybe if you drink too much.
<Leopoldo> And who was the one who drank too much last night?
<Leopoldo> (Err, last time.)
<Chamelaeon> << On the right you can see a fuel station for older stations, with
a board tacked onto it advertising it now offers H2O (for those newfangled
fusion engines and all). You can see a Space Catholic church and the town hall
on that side, too.>>
<Fitzroy> Let's find a diner or an H2O pump to stop and wait.. Any votes as to
which?
<Leopoldo> Fill'er up first.
<Leopoldo> Just in case.
* Rochelle peers at the Space Catholic church. Wonder if there's a board next to
it with some parable or something.
* Fitzroy pulls into the fuel station and parks the Lumbago.
* Leopoldo glances around. Hick-town central?
* Vera doesn't do nothin'
<Chamelaeon> <<As you drive into the place (hopefully not at 100 mph), you also
spot a bar. The board next to the church reads, oddly "There is only One True
God, and his Wroth Be Upon the Emacs." It makes no sense to any of you.>>
<Chamelaeon> <<The filling station is a pretty standard filling station - a tiny
shack with drinks and snacks.>>
* Rochelle peers at the shack.
<Vera> ( Obviously, it's the church of Microsoft :P )
* Fitzroy pulls a worn, dark-blue, baseball cap from a pocket in the car door
and puts it on.
* Rochelle nudges at Vera as she says, "I'm a little thirsty. Gonna get a
drink."
* Vera sits up and shifts her hat. "Hell, I could use a drink too."
* Fitzroy gets out of the car. "I'm gettin' a snack, myself."
* Vera gets out too. She's got a hat! Let's not forget that.
* Leopoldo opens the car door and steps outside the car and stretches. "Man,
those things can't get any more cramped." He makes sure his tail's outside of
the car before closing the door. "Wait up." He walks to get something to drink.
* Fitzroy heads over to the shack.
* Rochelle heads to the door, calmly not looking at the dunes. Gotta save those
for later.
* Vera follows. With Style.
<Chamelaeon> <<Inside the shack is an old man with reading glasses. He's asleep.
The place is packed to the brim with food - it's only six feet by ten feet
inside, really, not counting the tiny booth where the man is.>>
* Fitzroy looks over the food choices.
* Leopoldo looks over the snacks, but instead just gets a soda.
<Chamelaeon> <<There's ALL sorts of Dunno stuff. And some not Dunno-stuff.
There's a local brand of taffy called, unoriginally, "Marion Taffy".>>
* Vera ponders if it's worth getting anything alcoholic so early.
* Rochelle doesn't bother with the alcoholic stuff. Bring on the sugary fruit
drinks!
* Vera settles for a chocolate malt.
<Chamelaeon> <<The old man sleeps through your choosing.>>
* Fitzroy pokes at a package of something then moves on to grab a bag of
non-Dunno chips.
<Chamelaeon> <<You've got your snacks!>>
* Rochelle picks out a small bottle of juice and walks over to the counter.
"'Scuse me."
* Leopoldo walks over to the man with his selection. A orange-flavored soda
drink. He knocks on the wall or whatever is nearby to knock. Like the counter!
That works.
<Rochelle> (Orange soda!)
<Leopoldo> (SUNK1ST!)
<Chamelaeon> <<The old man starts awake.>> "EH?"
<Leopoldo> We'd like to purchase our selections.
* Fitzroy also grabs a Dunno-nut (doughnut for cheapskates!) and walks over to
the counter.
* Leopoldo places the soda on the counter.
<Chamelaeon> "Oh.... okay." <<Shakily, he rings you each up in turn and holds
out the datapad for your printreader and print.>>
* Leopoldo thumbprints, although it's unlikely it's recogonizable as a
thumbprint. "Something wrong, sir?"
<Chamelaeon> "Not many customers round here. What brings you this way?"
* Leopoldo nods. "Just passin' through."
<Fitzroy> Yeah. Thought we'd take a break here.
* Rochelle prints for her drink. "Road trip. Thought we'd play count the dunes.
Anything interestin' here?"
<Chamelaeon> "Nothin' but the shack where the thermocouple is." <<He yawns.>>
<Chamelaeon> <<You spot a delivery truck head past the station and turn down the
next street.>>
<Fitzroy> Sounds exciting.
* Fitzroy heads out as soon as he's rung up.
* Rochelle does, too, looking at the truck as it passes.
* Vera does likewise. Woot.
* Fitzroy jokes, as soon as they're out, "Shoulda let him sleep."
<Vera> Not like there's anything else to do around here, huh?
* Leopoldo nods and takes the soda once he's paid for it. He walks out to the
car.
<Rochelle> We can get spiritual and attend church or something.
* Vera chuckles humerously.
* Leopoldo smirks. His attention seems elsewere, though.
<Chamelaeon> <<As you get out to the car you can see the guard shack, down the
street where the truck turned. The scrawny driver is unloading a crate from
it.>>
<Chamelaeon> <<He's in a lifting exo. Since he's so scrawny.>>
* Vera points that way. "Wonder what's in the box."
<Leopoldo> Some special shipment...
<Vera> ( They're shipping boxed wood! )
<Chamelaeon> <<As he backs away and gets into the truck.... you notice the crate
is transparent. Inside is something brown and, well... it looks familar.>>
<Rochelle> Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll drop it so we can find out- oh,
that's handy.
<Leopoldo> Somethin' fragile. I'm thinkin' we should check it- Yeah.
* Rochelle pops open her drink and has a sip.
<Vera> I guess we'd better.
* Vera heads that way.
* Leopoldo twists off the cap of his bottle with his bare hands very easily and
sips. "Think that's another artifact?
<Leopoldo> It looks vaguely familiar.
* Rochelle deadpans around her juice, "Must be fate."
<Leopoldo> Nah. Just a coincidence.
<Rochelle> Same thing.
<Guard> <<The scrawny boy heads for the shack with his cargo carried in both
hands. This becomes a problem when he tries to figure out a way to knock on the
shack's door without using his hands, and apparently fails.>>
<Fitzroy> Anybody want to go take a closer look?
<Leopoldo> Do you have to ask?
* Rochelle snickers.
* Leopoldo walks up to take a closer look at the object.
* Vera evidently wants a closer look, 'cause she's already going that way.
<Fitzroy> (how far away is Scrawny again?)
* Fitzroy goes with Leo
<Guard> <<Call it fifty feet or so.>>
* Rochelle shrugs to herself and walks after. She has another drink of juice
while she's at it.
<Guard> <<The scrawny (and apparently stupid) boy is eyeing the door as if
willing it to knock on itself. This yields no visible result.>>
<Rochelle> (Wondering: Is anyone else nearby?)
<Guard> <<What, in this dump?>>
<Rochelle> (Right!)
* Rochelle gets close enough to talk to the guy without raising her voice and
points at the box. "What's that for?"
* Leopoldo rolls his eyes and looks over the crate.
<Guard> <<The scrawny, stupid, and apparently jumpy boy starts when Rochelle
speaks and almost drops the box.>> "GHUH! Don't-- who're you? You don't work
here! I can't tell you."
* Leopoldo walks over to the boy. "You need help with that?"
<Guard> <<He glances at the lot of you, and figures out that if he's careful, he
can use his knee to knock on the door. Which he does.>>"N-no. I got it."
<Leopoldo> You sure? That looks awfully heavy, and I doubt they equipped you
properly for this shipment.
<Guard> <<The scrawny stupid jumpy boy in the lifting exosuit blinks. And then
the door opens, and the guard in attendance looks out.>> "Whaddya wa-- oh, you.
Right, put in in there." 
<Guard> <<The guard gestures behind him, to the interior of the shack.>>
* Rochelle just blinks and watches passively.
* Vera peers around the boy, to the interior.
* Leopoldo glances at the interior.
<Guard> <<The interior is sparsely equipped; two shelflike desks, one with a
computer and a half-eaten sandwich, the other with lots of room, and a chair.>>
* Fitzroy adjusts the TSM jack that he's still connected to.
<Guard> <<The only other thing of note in the room is a datapad. The pathetic
young man slowly and carefully makes his way in.>>
<Guard> <<The guard eyes the lot of you curiosly, in the meantime.>>"And what
can I do for you?"
* Fitzroy looks at Leo, since he was doing the talking before.
* Leopoldo smiles. "Just looking around. Saw you got a shipment there and wanted
to take a closer look."
<Fitzroy> He looked like he needed some help too.
* Fitzroy gestures toward Scrawny.
<Guard> <<Scrawny sets the crate down on the empty shelf/desk. He turns and
leaves in a hurry. The guard seems amused.>> "A closer look? Sure. Better look
fast, tho."
<Rochelle> Why? What's it for?
* Rochelle peers around the doorframe at the thing.
* Leopoldo glances in at the artifact.
<Guard> "Heh. The thermocouple, of course. What else?" <<Meanwhile, Rochelle and
Leo see the device in the box is a pyramid-shaped item with ribs running along
it's sides.>>
<Vera> The who?
<Guard> "Well, now that you've had a look, you're happy, right? Okay, goodbye."
<Guard> <<The guard shuts the door!>>
* Rochelle barely gets her face out of the way of the door before he shuts it.
"Wow. What a nice guy."
* Leopoldo shrugs, and once he's sure the guard and the boy aren't listening, he
talks. "So, Roy, think you could hack into the computer?
<Leopoldo> "
<Fitzroy> What would I be looking for?
<Leopoldo> There was a computer there. I'm thinking if you hacked in and told
the guard via the computer using someone else's voice, you could get him to
release the artifact willingly.
<Rochelle> That sounds kinda tricky.
<Leopoldo> Okay, what other ideas do you have to get it, then?
* Rochelle shrugs. "I'm not an idea person. But it does sound tricky."
* Fitzroy hmms
<Fitzroy> I could try to ask him to store it in some place we can get to, maybe.
<Vera> Wonder if these thermopeople are criminals.
<Leopoldo> Lookin' to catch a bounty while out here?
<Vera> Actually I'm just sick of having to take these things from honest people.
* Rochelle nods slowly.
* Rochelle looks around.
<Fitzroy> I'm gonna head back to the car. Standing around here won't really
help.
<Vera> Yeah, good idea.
* Fitzroy starts walking. "I'll see if I can find that guard's computer."
* Leopoldo looks deep in thought as he walks back to the car. "Why would they
need that artifact for the thermocouple?"
<Guard> ( Yeah. If people lived here, you might attract a crowd. )
<Vera> Beats me. What's a thermocouple?
<Leopoldo> (Might I know what a thermocouple is, Cham?)
<Vera> ( A couple of thermo's, obviously :P )
* Rochelle looks thoughtful for a moment, then walks after them.
<Vera> ( They're 24's whose power is to cause a thermo-nuclear explosion when
they blow up )
<Chamelaeon> (Anyone with a basic physics background or a little knowledge about
current generation knows a thermocouple is a wire from deep in the Mars to the
surface. It generates current, simply and cheaply.)
<Guard> ( I'm afrait that's the wrong answer, Vera. *kicks Vera off the stage* )
<Leopoldo> It's like a power plant that runs on the thermal energy of the
planet.
<Leopoldo> Why they'd need an artifact still beats me, though.
<Fitzroy> 2d6-3
<Fitzroy> (hmm)
<Leopoldo> (Other channel.)
<Vera> Could be any reason.
* Rochelle thinks.
<Rochelle> Hey, Roy.
<Fitzroy> yeah?
<Rochelle> Are you in his computer yet? I got a hunch.
<Fitzroy> Yes, actually. There's not much there though.
* Rochelle nods and keeps talking. "I bet they're collecting those things.
That'd be why they've got another one here, along with that statue. Probably
isn't for the whateveritis."
<Chamelaeon> (I'll keep going fifteen more minutes, but I've got a test
tomorrow. I've really gotta sleep.)
<Fitzroy> Well, there's no mention of where it's supposed to go next, if
anywhere.
<Chamelaeon> (Wait.... damn computer clock. I'll go till 1:10.)
* Vera shrugs. "Could be."
<Leopoldo> Yeah. Concordant?
<Leopoldo> Or however you pronounce it? I couldn't get the name straight in my
head.
<Rochelle> Is there a list or something? He seemed kinda important.
<Vera> It's a stupid name anyhow.
* Rochelle nudges Roy. Work faster!
<Fitzroy> I could send a message to the guard, but I'm not sure where to have
him deliver the thing.
<Rochelle> Okay. Is there a list?
<Fitzroy> of what?
<Rochelle> Of artifacts, or something.
* Leopoldo nods. "They probably have a spreadsheet or something."
<Fitzroy> I didn't see anything on the guard's computer..
<Vera> That'd be handy.
* Rochelle folds her arms. "Why don't you..." She blinks. "He was the only one
in there. Maybe it'd be easier to get him to leave in a hurry, then go in and
take it."
<Fitzroy> I could have him put it in the thermocouple shack or something.
<Fitzroy> hmm, that's a good idea too.
<Rochelle> I still think there's something, so taking a look inside might be a
good idea, too.
<Fitzroy> Did he have a datapad in there?
<Rochelle> Yeah.
<Fitzroy> I'm gonna try to get him to leave his post.
* Leopoldo nods. "That should do the trick. And we should take a look at that
datapad... At least transfer the information."
<Vera> Yeah, you distract him, I'll take a look around.
<Fitzroy> Alright, hopefully he'll leave in a bit. We've gotta be quick though.
<Guard> <<The guard exits the shack at a full run, going somewhere in a hurry!>>
<Rochelle> Wow. What'd you tell 'im?
* Fitzroy grins.
<Chamelaeon> <<The door stands open.>>
* Vera watches him go. "That was quick." She makes for the door.
* Rochelle does, too! Hurrying before he gets back is always good.
<Chamelaeon> <<The datapad lies on the floor, screen cracked. There's a chip
slotted, though.>>
* Rochelle picks up the pad. It still on?
* Leopoldo stays with Roy. "You're going to need to show me how to do that."
<Fitzroy> I sent a note from his supervisor saying that there was a problem with
the thermocouple and that he needed to check it, fast.
* Vera ... doesn't pick up the pad.
* Leopoldo chuckles.
<Rochelle> (Haha, I beat you!)
* Vera looks at the artifact instead.
<Chamelaeon> <<The pad is off. And quite broken.>>
* Leopoldo shakes his head. "Oh yeah, they're gonna need help lifting that
thing."
<Fitzroy> Lemme see that chip in the datapad.
* Leopoldo runs to the warehouse or whatever.
<Chamelaeon> <<The artifact is in the crate.>>
* Rochelle presses buttons semi-randomly to try to get it to work, then just
removes the chip. She hands it to Roy whenever he gets there.
* Leopoldo looks over the artifact. Is the artifact itself big, or just the
casing?
<Chamelaeon> <<The casing.>>
* Fitzroy plugs the chip in to his comp.
<Leopoldo> (Does it look like I could bust it open easily enough without
damaging the artifact?)
* Rochelle wipes off the pad with her shirt - juice fingers - and tosses it back
onto the floor. Yay, it's broken!
<Chamelaeon> <<It's the gibberishnamed file, Roy. Encrypted enough to make your
eyes bleed. And yes, Leo.>>
* Leopoldo opens it if it's easily openable. If not, well... There's always the
2x4 approach.
<Fitzroy> Ah, I thought so. There's a file on here I'm taking..
<Chamelaeon> <<It opens easily. Better hurry.>>
<Fitzroy> Alright. Grab that thing and let's go.
* Leopoldo snags the artifact and closes it, quickly making his way to the car
while trying to hide the artifact.
<Fitzroy> The thermocouple shack isn't too far away.
<Vera> Let's move, then.
* Vera makes for the door.
* Fitzroy heads back as soon as Leo grabs the thing.
* Rochelle glances around, decides the sandwich isn't worth taking, and heads
for the car.
<Chamelaeon> <<You make it back out to the car just as the guard pops out of the
thermocouple shack, staring at you suspiciously.>>
* Leopoldo keeps the object hidden. We're at the car, right?
<Chamelaeon> <<yes.>>
* Fitzroy gets in and starts up the car.
* Leopoldo hops into the front seat. He waves happily to the guard.
<Chamelaeon> <<And you drive out of Red Marion, waving to the guard as you go.>>
<Chamelaeon> <<ATC2 Session 4 ended!>>