∝Transmission 030: Flee! Run! Scarper!

[gauntletmods]

[that ever-present droning sound in the entrance shaft and inner rim, that song stuck in a frozen second in time, finally lets out another note, and then another. at the same time, all around the outpost, the "ghosts" of the inhabitants and merchants begin to appear for even longer. eventually, things slowly begin to return to normal, the song finally progressing far enough that it eventually finishes then begins anew, and a few people are beginning to cease phasing in and out of time--and are noticing the changes that have occurred while they had been stuck in their own moments.

however, before anyone can ask what's going on or whether all the occupants of the outpost will fully appear again, there is that three-note chime over the Sphere Network.]

Attention all crew members and otherworlders. I have intercepted a coded message regarding an incoming fleet of Alliance vessels, and unfortunately, I do not bear good news. The 15th Battalion has been sent to capture and reclaim the Uesugi and Hawking, with the execute order to eliminate all those who betrayed the Alliance and the mission they had been tasked with. Commanders Menaeus and Farix have informed me that the head of the 15th Battalion is being led by the same group that had altered their memories and tried to use them as pawns in their elaborate experiment.

The commanders believe that they will not hesitate to use a device called an organic matter vaporizer the moment they have secured the ships. It will destroy every single living being on-board.

Fortunately, we have 72 hours before they arrive at the outpost. All crew are to immediately board their respective ships and disembark within the next hour. Any persons left behind are tasked to help the survivors of the Gate anomaly and explain why the event had happened to them. However, keep in mind that should the 15th Battalion arrive at the outpost, whether you live or die depends on what you tell them.

Further instructions will be sent to your Spheres as soon as you board your assigned ship. That is all.


DETAILS

Unfortunately, no sooner do the crew members board the ships and try to leave the air locks, half of them begin to vanish and flicker in place just like the people in the outpost. They're still very much alive, but are now out of phase with the present time--which means that the ships can't run at full capacity.

This would be a huge problem if other things hadn't happened all around the ships at the same time. Or perhaps it is still a problem, but this time, the crew are willing to accept any and all help the otherworlders can offer because...well... Something has happened to the engine rooms of both ships. The engine room is located in Sector 2 (of both ships, respectively), and the moment anyone goes in there, they’ll see that the phasing is even worse there. Entire systems are off-line; others are stuck on one screen, whereas some are blinking furiously and whining louder and louder, giving the impression they may explode at any minute.

That whining, screeching noise will permeate both ships to some degree, growing fainter the farther away you go from it, but even in the far reaches of the ship, the sound can be heard.

The message all otherworlders will receive on the Sphere is brief and reads as follows:

-Aid all crew prepare for immediate disembarkation the engineers in Sector 2 prepare for hyperdrive.
-Exercise extreme caution and work as fast as possible. The 15th Battalion is known to have ships comparable in speed and power to those in ours, the 8th Fleet.
-Once the ships have reached a safe distance away from the 15th Battalion, the commanders will update the crew about the Fleet’s next destination. They say to be prepared to meet an old friend.
However, when anyone arrives in Sector 2, they will find it completely devoid of any engineers. Only the flickering images of them trying to do their jobs but are unable to thanks to the anomaly will occasionally crop up as the "ghosts" of the people in the outpost did. What they will find, aside from the problems above, is a terminal set at the far end of the main room. The screen is black and blank--except for a blinking green line ready to display. Below the screen is an old numberpad. From the bare areas surrounding it, there might have once been other stations or complex systems, but they have fallen victim to the anomaly.

When you approach the terminal, the screen will immediately begin to type in this message:

»Welcome Otherworlder.
»To activate hyperdrive, input the numerical security passcode, followed by #.
»processing...
»processing...
»processing...
»Security passcode has not been entered/is incomplete.
»To activate hyperdrive, input the correct numerical security passcode, followed by #|

Then three clues will appear on the screen, but each ship will then get slightly different clues from one another in order to find out what the passcode is. There is only one passcode, and the three clues will lead you to the singular answer.

We will put up comments in this post for each ship containing the clues. Answer ICly to your assigned ship’s thread. How you decide to do it is completely up to so long as you input the passcode in the end. We’ll be giving three days for everyone to put in the passcode--comments will be screened during this time. At the end of the three days, we will unscreen the responses! Depending on how many different entries the computers receive will directly affect how far away the ships are able to flee from the incoming battalion. Of course, incorrect entries will incur some sort of consequence...

Of course, if you have any questions, you’re more than welcome to ask here OOCly or through the usual channels!