Babylon 5: Outrageous Fortune

[Dr Simon]

The slides open with a screech of metal scraping metal, and jams halfway. It has been buckled by some heavy impact, and no longer fits into its recess. The gap, however, is enough to squeeze through.

Beyond is a large lounge area, bathed in the blue light of the looming gas giant, visible through a panoramic window that covers most of the far wall and rises up to the ceiling. The comfortable furniture in the room is scattered about in disarray and there is a strange musty smell.

[sblock=Sarhat]
You catch sight of something, something childlike, move into cover behind one of the larger sofas at the far side of the room.
[/sblock]

[sblock=Croft]
You catch sight of something, something childlike, move into cover behind one of the larger sofas at the far side of the room.
[/sblock]

 

[Vertexx69]

Anyone looking might notice Croft slide something out of his pocket and into his mouth. He points at the section of the sofa with his PPG. He holds up a hand a moment and closes his eyes. [sblock=@ Dr S.]Use the Glyph variation of the message power to send an image of our group sitting at a banquet table, along with the childlike creature from its point of view, heaped with every kind of food. We are all laughing and eating in a very friendly way. I love that a picture is worth a thousand words

You can roll the telepathy check with real dice since IC is down for the umpteenth time this week, to keep things moving.[/sblock]

 

[Dr Simon]

Slowly, cautiously, two figures emerge from behind the sofa. Two alien beings, about four feet tall and identical to your eyes - hairless, pale skin shining in the blue light, large eyes, stocky bodies clothed in the ragged remains of clothing in Markab style, clumsy-looking three-fingered hands.

Holding hands, the two small aliens gaze at you, then in unison they tilt their heads to one side, and blink at the same time as well.

Cheshana makes a sound almost like a laugh. "Ensorrians!" he exclaims.

[sblock=Ashley]
You feel a mental tickle form these creatures, and the impression that they are hungry. You have heard, vaguely, of the Ensorrian race. A minor race incapable of spaceflight themselves, they had been of interest to Psi Corps because of their powerful empathic abilities, slightly at variant with known telepathy.
[/sblock]

[sblock=Croft]
You feel a mental tickle form these creatures, and the impression that they are hungry. You have heard, vaguely, of Ensorrians, a non-spacefaring race found amongst League races as telepathic/empathic entertainers - artists working in mental images. They were briefly popular in the Republic several hundred years ago when it controlled that part of space, but the idea of powerful non-Centauri telepaths on Centauri Prime was not accepted well.
[/sblock]

[sblock=Kirth]
The name "Ensorrian" means nothing to you, but you suddenly feel starving.
[/sblock]

[sblock=Sarhat]
The name "Ensorrian" means nothing to you, but you suddenly feel starving.
[/sblock]

[sblock=OOC]
Telepathy check 17+9-4=22, success with Glyph.
[/sblock]

 

[Shayuri]

Ashley relaxed on seeing the two, relieved that there was, in fact, a normal explanation for all this. Of course, it begged the question of what two Ensorrian children were doing on a Markab ship. Where had they come from? How had they survived?

"All right. We can feed them once they're on the Fortune." She looks at Cheshana. "Do you know their language?"

 

[Dr Simon]

"They have no language, speak only up here," Cheshana points to his temple. "But perhaps understand Markab language. What I say?"

 

[Leif]

Kirth Warren

Upon seeing Croft's gesture with his weapon, Kirth likewise draws his sidearm, just in case. Kirth seems a bit oblivious to the other happenings, though.

"Whatever are you talking about Ashley? Take WHO back to the ship?"

 

[Shayuri]

"The Ensorrians," Ashley replies, giving Kirth a narrow-eyed 'not-funny' look. "And you can put your guns away, everyone. We're not gunning down unarmed children."

She squatted down a little to be more level with them and concentrated on sending a message to them.

I'm sorry if we scared you. We came to recover a Markab relic. You can come back with us too. Will you tell us what happened here? How did you get on this ship?

(OOC - please roll for me...IC still down)

 

[Leif]

Kirth Warren

Kirth looks suitably chagrined at Ashley's rebuke and becomes intent on studying the mechanism of his weapon. He does NOT holster it just yet, mind you.

 

[Dr Simon]

The two ensorrians, still holding hands, again move their heads in concert. A series of images washes over you: the ensorrians in the lounge amidst relaxing markab, projecting images of a sandy landscape into the minds of all present. The markab gradually falling ill, their numbers rapidly dwindling. A feeling of fear as something stalks the ship, carrying away the bodies of the markab, of the something hammering on the door of the lounge whilst the ensorrians cower behind the sofa, sending out waves of empathic fear to drive the creature away. Then a long, long period of loss, hunger and fear of the terrible creature.

Your communicators bleep. It is Vurk, hailing from the Fortune.

"This is Vurk." The pak'ma'ra's true voice grunts and grates beneath the flat synthesised translation. "Have any of you returned to the ship?"


[sblock=OOC]
Ashley: Using Message ability, DC 12. Telepathy check 13+7=20, success.

The non-telepaths feel the enorrian's projection intensely, for them it seems momentarily real. The two telepaths are gradually able to put their usual defences in place, as they become used to the different "wavelength" of the ensorrian's telepathy. They can choose to watch the scenes distinct from themselves, as if on a vidscreen, or to try and shut out the images completely.
[/sblock]

 

[Shayuri]

Ashley frowns. What could possibly...

She touches her comm and answers, "No, Vurk. In fact we found some Ensorrian survivors. They were immune to the plague..." She pauses as a disquieting thought occurs to her.

"Vurk, has anything moved between the ships since we left? If anything has boarded the Fortune you could be in danger. Secure all the doors and arm yourself. We'll be coming back."