[from the Empress of Moths, amidst system malfunctions and strange portals]

[morbirdinterest]

I have been investigating the new portals using some skills from a previous Jaunt. Two things have revealed themselves to me, which may be of interest.

First, my Control Panel returns a reading of "extra-system access loci" when I use it near a portal. This suggests to me that some entity other than the Trumps is creating, and likely using, these portals.

Second, and quite coincidentally, while activating my Control Panel in a secluded part of the Empress, I discovered that there are dead bodies in the reactor. Eight of them.

Comments

[detectivewonder]

Combined - molecularly, or fusion?

[darkhourdear]

I have no idea. [sorry science really isn't his thing.]

[detectivewonder]

Molecule. Has to be. Sort of an esoteric compound...

[darkhourdear]

[Phillip has no idea what he's talking about. Hooray not having gotten past the very beginning of sixth grade science class???] What does that mean?

[detectivewonder]

It's rare. Could be a superconducting alloy if it's meant to be on the hull, and it's very stable, could be part of the sensory apparatus for the reactor... radioaztive, but not very radioactive...

[darkhourdear]

But the ship said it was those two things that caused the people to die. [he doesn't know if it was in combination or not but--]

[detectivewonder]

Well, it'd be pretty heavy as an alloy - ammunition for a railgun, maybe.

Or-

Do you remember what was said, word for word?

[darkhourdear]

[Phillip tries not to sound affronted by the question- he was a Wolves' Child, they don't forget things! But... that wasn't actually him and Tim doesn't know that, but he still doesn't forget.] Yeah.

[He proceeds to recite the conversation from here, stopping when he starts asking the ship if it wants or needs anything.]

[detectivewonder]

That makes it sound like... nuclear decay. a superheavy stable element breaking down would generate a lot of energy... reactions we can't even begin to understand.

[darkhourdear]

[phillip certainly can't even begin to understand it. any of it. but--] ...Reactions like weird portals opening up to Liminal Space, or reactions more like 'everyone dies'?

[detectivewonder]

Hard to say. Probably the second one.

[darkhourdear]

[Phillip sighs.] Awesome.