Fail-Safe
Jon Ingold
basic difficulty cover art first person multiple endings on Jay Is Games parser science fiction short length spaceship spaceship setting triangle of identities unreliable narrator Xyzzy Awards 2000
%
With thanks to Vincent Lynch, Tom Lees, John Bichard.

up.]
Bzzt. Crackle. *Static*

"...hello? Hello? Can... me? .. Anyone! Hel.... Need.. hello?"

Bleep - PLEASE WAIT - Locating/Tuning signal...

..

".. help. Repeat, can anybody hear me? Can you hear me? Hello.."
Hello
"Hello? Hello! The .. <crackle> pretty bad. Are you receiving this? Over."
No
"..what? Can't quite make you out. .. we need help. This is the space pod 'Serpentine'. We've been attacked, a small cruiser. They.. they came out of nowhere.. tried to board us.. ...stly dead.. systems are all messed up, we're drifting.. I need help to fix this.."

"I'm by the console, there's wires everywhere. The computer flashing something. What do I do? Hello?"
You fix it
"What it? I don't understand.."
You identify yourself
"What was that..? The radio.. <crackle> ..ing up, Moon's interference, something.."
You read the computer
"It's flashing 'SIDE ENGINES MALFUNCTIONING' and 'GENERAL POWER SHORTAGE -- Reconnect Auxiliary: Cross computer feed (G) with back-up power line (B)'. There's a couple of buttons by the side; Reset and Diagnose. Should I press one of these?"
You press diagnose
"I've pressed it.. nothing.. I think it must be broken.."
You look at the wires
"There's about twenty of them; all looped up ...from under the console. Three of them have been cut, ends bared.. I think McThwaite.. -"

Bleep -- accessing records: "McThwaite, Alistair: Born Cairo, 2412. Graduated..."

- Initiate Search for Salient Inf (Y/N)?
Y.
PLEASE WAIT - Filing to secondary processor.

"- .. was connecting them up, about to twist them together. But I.."

"The ship's spinning pretty fast - the Grav. Pad went in the first blast, but, the spinning - everything's kind of sticking near the walls."
You connect the wires
"Which shall I connect? There's a red wire, a green, a blue... Any guesses, I don't know, don't know.."
You connect the blue and green
"Okay, I'll.. twist the wire ends up... hang on.."

"Okay - nothing's blown up. Phew.."

Bleep - Processing complete. McThwaite, Alistair - contracted to 'Serpentine' - Rank: Chef - [Author's Note: FILE CLOSED]
You wait
*static*
You wait
*static*

.."God.. Thank God, the lights... Hello, are you there? Are you there.. Hello?"
Hello
"Oh, fantastic, so good to hear you! .. everything went dead.. thought I'd lost it all for a second.. Geez!"

"Computer's back on-line now. Shall I read the display to you?"
You read the display
"Oh, it's still flashing 'SIDE ENGINES MALFUNCTIONING'. There's a couple of buttons by the side; Reset and Diagnose. Should I press one of these?"
No
"Okay.. but I'm going to need.. lasers.. pretty soon, okay..?"
You check your inventory
"You..? You ..what?"
Inventory
"Sorry? Do.. what? ..I can't hear you, too much static.."
You look around
"Oh, let's see. The attack was tough, it's bad... ...console, with the computer screen on. The engineer, McThwaite was trying to fix that before.. ...shook up bad, he might be okay, I don't know. I don't think so....hatch, that leads down to the ring... engineering, store rooms and stuff. And there's the porthole."
You examine the porthole
"The moon, it's .. uh .. it's approaching pretty fast. I'm going to need to sort out these engines.."
Pray
"Oh what? Oh man, oh man.. I'm gonna die.. oh no..."
Look around
"Oh, let's see.. it's bad up here. There's the console, with the computer screen on. The engineer, McThwaite was trying to fix that before he  - well he's here too. He's shook up bad, he might be okay, I don't know. I don't think so. And the hatch, that leads down to the ring section, airlocks, engineering, store rooms and stuff. And there's the porthole."
You look at McThwaite
"Says.. name on his overall.. He's bleeding.. a lot, red blood everywhere.. he was over by the console - I think it shorted, or when the last burst hit us.. he's dead I think.. yes, he's dead.. He died in the last attack - the shaking of the ship.. must have thrown him.. something like that, yes that's it.."
You look at the wires
"There's about twenty of them; all looped up ...from under the console. Three of them have been cut, ends bared.. I think McThwaite was connecting them up, about to twist them together. But I.."

"They were too damn good for us... better firepower, defences, everything.. .. -"

Bleep -- accessing records: "Species: G'hilga. First Contact: 2413. War declared 2423..."

- Initiate Search for Salient Inf (Y/N)?
Y.
PLEASE WAIT - Filing to secondary processor.

"- .. didn't stand a chance.. I guess we were outside the moon security field.. would have polished us off if we hadn't have broken through in time I suppose.."

"I've connected those two together; they seem to be holding."
Go down
"Sorry? Do.. what? ..I can't hear you, too much static.."
You enter the hatch
"The hatchway isn't open.. I can't.. through.. "
You open hatch
"Okay - hang on.. turn the wheel, quite heavy.. Aaargh!.... Y...!"

- Click - <Crkkzt>.. .<bzzt>..

"..sorry.. slipped on something, cut my leg... I'm okay.. The hatch is open.."

Bleep - Processing complete. Physical form of G'hilga - height 3 foot, monopedal, climb using multiple claws situated over torso, translucent blood - Firepower - superior, though unable to penetrate Moon-shield - [Author's Note: FILE CLOSED]
You enter the hatch
"Okay, I'll just slip through.. right."

"Okay - this is the central hub... ..there's the hatch leading back up the bridge and a couple of other doors.. a lot sealed off; bulkheads down, scorch damage on walls.. ..couple of bodies.. <bzzt> ..leading off into... ...marked 'store room' on the door... and a ladder down, and some debris opposite the door.. ...squeeze past, I don't know.."
You open the door
"It's a solid bulkhead! ..sealed.. I can't find any sort of mechanism.. open it.. You think I really need to get this open.. might be a way.. Well?"
Yes
"Right, okay then.. Hang on; I'll give this a try.."

......Frrrraaaaagggg.... BOOM!.....

"Okay, it's open."
You enter door
"Okay, I'm .. now in the store room.. pretty cramped here.."

"This isn't the laser room, I need the laser room.. ...hole in the wall, leading back to the hub, right size, straight through the bulkhead. And, let's see... ..body, just one here, a man. He's... ...some sort of recess, alcove, and another porthole like in all the rooms; Moon's pretty damn big.."
You examine recess
"A square recess - no, it's a chute of some sort.. leads downwards.. I think it's a waste ejection system; there's a button above it labelled 'Flush'... to eject things into space I suppose."
Exit
"I'm going back through the doorway."

"Okay - this is the central hub... ..there's the hatch leading back up the bridge and a couple of other doors.. a lot sealed off; bulkheads down, scorch damage on walls.. ..couple of bodies.. <bzzt> ..leading off into... ...marked 'store room' on the door... and a ladder down, and some debris opposite the door.. ...squeeze past, I don't know.."
Down
"What..? The radio's bad .. breaking up, Moon's ...thing.."
You search the bodies
"Too many.. in a such a mess... don't think there's anything there.."
You examine the debris
"...load of debris from the attack, blocking up something I think, a tunnel. They must have hit... ..mighty fine weaponry they've got there. I might be able to slip past into the tunnel.. <crrk>.."
You enter
"Right. I'm climbing through now.. hang on.."

"Oh, let's see. The attack was tough, it's bad... ...console, with the computer screen on. The engineer, McThwaite was trying to fix that before.. ..died....hatch, that leads down to the ring... engineering, store rooms and stuff. And there's the porthole."
You climb the ladder
"Are you sure.. do I need to? It looks pretty burnt out down there, I don't know how safe it is.. Should I go?"
Yes
"Okay then. Hang on.."

"Climbing down the ladder..."

Bleep - PLEASE WAIT - Incoming inf from Tracking Station Tranquility Base..

"Oh God.. it's a real mess down here.. ..third level.. the walkway mangled up in the middle, hairpin.. the walls are all crunched in, toward the base of the ladder, a V.. there's no floor space to stand on.. all the bulkheads around have closed, they're charred.. there's piping, wiring hissing from every crevice.. it's like it's just been .. melted.. "
You climb the ladder
"I'm climbing back up.. hard, the Grav's a little looser here.."

"Okay - this is the central hub... ..there's the hatch leading back up the bridge and a couple of other doors.. a lot sealed off; bulkheads down, scorch damage on walls.. ..couple of bodies.. <bzzt> ..leading off into... ...marked 'store room' on the door... and a ladder down, and some debris opposite the door.. ...squeeze past, I don't know.."
You open the door
"..open already.. okay.."

Bleep - Processing complete. Enemy fleet massing just outside MoonShield perimeter - All batteries collecting for attack - All civilian/trade ships must land immediately - Boarding pods detected - [Author's Note: TRANSMISSION ENDS]
Oops
"I don't understand.. start again, please, help me.."
You squeeze past
"What do... want me to squeeze past?"
Yes
"Alright."
You look at your surroundings
"Okay - this is the central hub... ..there's the hatch leading back up the bridge and a couple of other doors.. a lot sealed off; bulkheads down, scorch damage on walls.. ..couple of bodies.. <bzzt> ..leading off into... ...marked 'store room' on the door... and a ladder down, and some debris opposite the door.. ...squeeze past, I don't know.."
You squeeze past the debris
"There's not.. enough room for me.. don't think I can get past."
You search debris
"There's.. there's some sort of room there, sure.."
You enter door
"Okay, I'm .. now in the store room.. pretty cramped here.."

"This isn't the laser room, I need the laser room.. There's the hole in the wall, leading back to the hub.. through the bulkhead. And.. this place is a mess... another body, just one.. a man.. next to one wall, where's there's.. some sort of recess, alcove, another porthole like in all the rooms..."
You search the body
"One hand is clutching.. a thick tangle of wiring.. short bits, ripped out I think.. connectors still attached to the end.. nothing else."
You examine the wires
"Just scraps.. scraps of wire; torn out of somewhere I guess.."

"Not a lot of crew on board though... could have been worse I guess.. just bad luck or something, huh..?"
Exit
"I'm going back through the doorway."

"Okay - this is the central hub... ..there's the hatch leading back up the bridge and a couple of other doors.. a lot sealed off; bulkheads down, scorch damage on walls.. ..couple of bodies.. <bzzt> ..leading off into... ...marked 'store room' on the door... and a ladder down, and some debris opposite the door.. ...squeeze past, I don't know.."
You dig debris
"Rig?.. I don't understand, there's nothing to rig up here.."

"The laser room's got to be around somewhere.. hope it's nearer the top of the ship.. accessible."
You move the debris
"Okay.. I've hauled a bit out of the way.. not much better though.."
You enter the tunnel
"I don't see.. I don't see what you mean at all."
You look around
"... is the central hub of the ship. Let's see; there's the hatch leading back up the bridge and a couple of other doors around the ring.. a lot sealed off; bulkheads down.. .. couple of bodies floating slightly, red blood.. passages, blocked up leading off into .. marked 'store room' on the door, pretty solid.. and a ladder down, and some debris opposite .. squeeze past, I don't know, I could try to squeeze past it, I think there's..."
You squeeze past the debris
"It's going to be quite a squeeze.. hang on.. no, I'm through.. okay.."

"The laser! The laser room - it's here!"

"..'s it! That's the control for the laser!.. Okay, let's... ..very proud of me.. ..ha!.. <crzzzkt>.. Gujt!.. No! D... ... not working either; d... on, I'll take a closer look, maybe you can ..."

"There's a panel by the side of the main controls, numeric pad above that... forced open, like someone.. apart. .."
You examine the panel
"The outer casing.. access panel ripped open, hanging loose. The workings of the console are inside, I think.. By the side of it, there's a keypad, numeric keypad.."
You examine keypad
".. from 0 to 9, got a display at the top with.. "

"The display is dark.. could be... ken, panel..."
Press 5
"The what? I can't see anything.. Anything like that.."
Look around
"Alright. .. laser's here, the controls and everything, under the por... not much else, real mess. No bodies.. just the one doorway, a little blocked but okay I guess..."

"Moon's getting pretty close.. I can see, damn, I can see the collision battery swinging around.."
You look at the laser
"There's a panel by the side of the main controls, numeric pad above that... forced open, like someone.. apart. .."

"...the damn gun's lining up! The damn space junk gun is lining up!.."
Exit
"Okay, I've squeezed back out.."

"... is the central hub of the ship. Let's see; there's the hatch leading back up the bridge and a couple of other doors around the ring.. a lot sealed off; bulkheads down.. .. couple of bodies floating slightly, red blood.. passages, blocked up leading off into .. marked 'store room' on the door, pretty solid.. and a ladder down, and some debris opposite .. squeeze past, I don't know, I could try to squeeze past it, I think there's..."
"Oh no, I don't believe it! The damn gun.. it oh sh.. ie! ...firing at us! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!!"
Yes
"Alright."

"..not going to be please.. ..failed... so close.. ..damn you, DAMN you, DAMN Y"
%
With thanks to Vincent Lynch, Tom Lees, John Bichard.

up.]
You press the green
Bzzt. Crackle. *Static*

"...hello? Hello? Can... me? .. Anyone! Hel.... Need.. hello?"

Bleep - PLEASE WAIT - Locating/Tuning signal...

..

".. help. Repeat, can anybody hear me? Can you hear me? Hello.."
You look around
"Hello? Hello! The .. <crackle> pretty bad. Are you receiving this? Over."
You look at yes
"..what? Can't quite make you out. .. we need help. This is the space pod 'Serpentine'. We've been attacked, a small cruiser. They.. they came out of nowhere.. tried to board us.. ...stly dead.. systems are all messed up, we're drifting.. I need help to fix this.."

"I'm by the console, there's wires everywhere. The computer flashing something. What do I do? Hello?"
Y.
PLEASE WAIT - Filing to secondary processor.

"- .. was connecting them up, about to twist them together. But I.."
Twist blue and green
"I only.. caught.. wanted me to.. twist the wires."
You connect the blue and green
"Okay, I'll.. twist the wire ends up... hang on.."

"Okay - nothing's blown up. Phew.."
Wait
Bzzzt.. crackle..
You wait awhile
Bleep - PLEASE WAIT - signal offline. Retracing..
You wait for a while
Bzzzt.. crackle..

.."God.. Thank God, the lights... Hello, are you there? Are you there.. Hello?"
Don'T panic
"Who's that.? There's no-one here like that.."
You open hatch
"Hello..? The line's still a little weak, but I can hear you..? Thank God, thank God, I thought.. everything went dead.."

"The computer's back up and running now; shall I read the display?"
You read the display
"Oh, it's still flashing 'SIDE ENGINES MALFUNCTIONING'. There's a couple of buttons by the side; Reset and Diagnose. Should I press one of these?"
You press diagnose
"Wait - yes, it's reading, it's pretty fast, I'll, hang on.."

"Damage to decks 1,2 - light. Damage to 3 - partial. Damage to 4 and below - total. That's the ..berths and equipment; damn! Hang on, there's more.. side engines offline, back thrusters erratic. We're going to need to use the lasers to cut them free, they're spinning us off.."

"I don't know how to operate them.. Are they not controlled from here? No, suppose must not be ... sealed off.. Shall I go down and look?"
Yes
"Okay then. Hang on.."

"The hatchway isn't open.. I can't.. through.. "
You open hatch
"Okay - hang on.. turn the wheel, quite heavy.. Aaargh!.... Y...!"

- Click - <Crkkzt>.. .<bzzt>..

"..sorry.. slipped on something, cut my leg... I'm okay.. The hatch is open.."
You take the wires
"They're only tiny little bits.. I don't think I could use them.. ..destroyed.."
Describe the surroundings
"This isn't the laser room, I need the laser room.. ...hole in the wall, leading back to the hub, right size, straight through the bulkhead. And, let's see... ..body, just one here, a man. He's... ...some sort of recess, alcove, and another porthole like in all the rooms; Moon's pretty damn big.."
You look in recess
"I can't see anything.. goes a long way down though."
You enter the recess
"It's not large enough.. ..or me.."
You take all
"The... I can't ..e anything.. Anything like that here."
You examine man
"Must have died in the attack.. like all the others I guess... he's.. lying near the recess in the wall, his hands still over the lip.. fell onto it perhaps, certainly facing ... lot of blood.. oh God.."
You look under man
"Nothing.. there's nothing there.."

"They were too damn good for us... better firepower, defences, everything.. .. -"

Bleep -- accessing records: "Species: G'hilga. First Contact: 2413. War declared 2423..."

- Initiate Search for Salient Inf (Y/N)?
Y.
PLEASE WAIT - Filing to secondary processor.

"- .. didn't stand a chance.. I guess we were outside the moon security field.. would have polished us off if we hadn't have broken through in time I suppose.."
You move man
"..moved a little.. didn't reveal anything.."

Bleep - Processing complete. Physical form of G'hilga - height 3 foot, monopedal, climb using multiple claws situated over torso, translucent blood - Firepower - superior, though unable to penetrate Moon-shield - [Author's Note: FILE CLOSED]
Exit
"I'm going back through the doorway."

"... is the central hub of the ship. Let's see; there's the hatch leading back up the bridge and a couple of other doors around the ring.. a lot sealed off; bulkheads down.. .. couple of bodies floating slightly, red blood.. passages, blocked up leading off into .. marked 'store room' on the door, pretty solid.. and a ladder down, and some debris opposite .. squeeze past, I don't know, I could try to squeeze past it, I think there's..."
Look around
"Alright. .. laser's here, the controls and everything, under the por... not much else, real mess. No bodies.. just the one doorway, a little blocked but okay I guess..."
You look at the controls
"The what? I.. I don't see anything like that here."
You look at the panel
"The outer casing.. access panel ripped open, hanging loose. The workings of the console are inside, I think.. By the side of it, there's a keypad, numeric keypad.."

>>
"The outer casing.. access panel ripped open, hanging loose. The workings of the console are inside, I think.. By the side of it, there's a keypad, numeric keypad.."

>>
"The outer casing.. access panel ripped open, hanging loose. The workings of the console are inside, I think.. By the side of it, there's a keypad, numeric keypad.."
You look at the keypad
"Keys,. .. to 9. There's a display, four... "

"The display is dark.. could be... ken, panel..."
You examine display
"I don't see - no I ....what you mean at all."
You look in the panel
"Inside.. there's a lot of tangled wiring, but ... anything broken... empty socket just under the numeric pad... one component missing... quite large, power source perhaps... to find it.."
You leave
"Okay... tell what I need to do... ...help me, for God's sake.."
Exit
"Okay, I've squeezed back out.."

"Okay - this is the central hub... ..there's the hatch leading back up the bridge and a couple of other doors.. a lot sealed off; bulkheads down, scorch damage on walls.. ..couple of bodies.. <bzzt> ..leading off into... ...marked 'store room' on the door... and a ladder down, and some debris opposite the door.. ...squeeze past, I don't know.."
You search debris
"There's.. there's some sort of room there, sure.."
You enter door
"Okay, I'm .. now in the store room.. pretty cramped here.."

"This isn't the laser room, I need the laser room.. There's the hole in the wall, leading back to the hub.. through the bulkhead. And.. this place is a mess... another body, just one.. a man.. next to one wall, where's there's.. some sort of recess, alcove, another porthole like in all the rooms..."
You examine the alcove
"A square recess - no, it's a chute of some sort.. leads downwards.. I think it's a waste ejection system; there's a button above it labelled 'Flush'... to eject things into space I suppose."

"I'm gonna need to fix that laser up pretty quickly.. can't be long now till Moon landing, you know?"
You look under man
"Nothing.. there's nothing there.."

"It could be anywhere this damn thing! I hope you know what we're looking for.."
Leave
"I'm going back through the doorway."

"Okay - this is the central hub... ..there's the hatch leading back up the bridge and a couple of other doors.. a lot sealed off; bulkheads down, scorch damage on walls.. ..couple of bodies.. <bzzt> ..leading off into... ...marked 'store room' on the door... and a ladder down, and some debris opposite the door.. ...squeeze past, I don't know.."
You climb the ladder
"Are you sure.. do I need to? It looks pretty burnt out down there, I don't know how safe it is.. Should I go?"
Look around
"Oh God.. it's a real mess down here.. ..third level.. the walkway mangled up in the middle, hairpin.. the walls are all crunched in, toward the base of the ladder, a V.. there's no floor space to stand on.. all the bulkheads around have closed, they're charred.. there's piping, wiring hissing from every crevice.. it's like it's just been .. melted.. "
You examine the piping
"There's a lot of ... broken, torn pipes here, spewing white gas.. it's all mangled up.. and a metal chute of some sort.. seems to be caught in a bulkhead, must have been flying outwards when it closed.. all crunched up.."

Bleep - Processing complete. Enemy fleet massing just outside MoonShield perimeter - All batteries collecting for attack - All civilian/trade ships must land immediately - Boarding pods detected - [Author's Note: TRANSMISSION ENDS]
You examine the chute
"Chute, running from the level above I think.. the other end is trapped in one of the bulkheads; it's squeezed the chute.. burst it open at the base, along a seam.."
You look in the chute
"..something..yes, there's something here. A component, it's little blackened, but it's some sort of component. Quite ... I've picked it up.. I've got it.."
You examine the component
"Is this it? ..all, a bit charred.. size of .. a man's fist, yes.. gold attachments either end."
You climb the ladder
"I'm climbing back up.. hard, the Grav's a little looser here.."

"Okay - this is the central hub... ..there's the hatch leading back up the bridge and a couple of other doors.. a lot sealed off; bulkheads down, scorch damage on walls.. ..couple of bodies.. <bzzt> ..leading off into... ...marked 'store room' on the door... and a ladder down, and some debris opposite the door.. ...squeeze past, I don't know.."

"Moon's getting pretty close.. I can see, damn, I can see the collision battery swinging around.."
You squeeze past the debris
"It's going to be quite a squeeze.. hang on.. no, I'm through.. okay.."

"Alright. .. laser's here, the controls and everything, under the por... not much else, real mess. No bodies.. just the one doorway, a little blocked but okay I guess..."

"I'm still holding onto the blackened component."

"...the damn gun's lining up! The damn space junk gun is lining up!.."
You put the component in the panel
"Okay, I've slotted it in... hang on... it's powering up!.. oh, .. keypad, the keypad's powered up."
"Keys,. .. to 9. There's a display, four... "

"All powered up.. need an access code. What's the code?"

Bleep -- accessing memory -- Lasercodes: ENTER CLASSIFIED SECTOR: (Y/N)?
You enter 8748
"Okay, I'll type it in.. hang on... "

"..it's flashing.. 'Type code match' ..hat good? What does it mea..?"

"...the damn gun's lining up! The damn space junk gun is lining up!.."
You wait
"Just ... the code, tell me the code now!! ... hear me, I need the code..."

"...oh sh.. oh sh... I'm gonna die! The gun's firing.. I'm gonna die.."
Fire
"What do... want me to fire?"
Fire laser
"Just ... the code, tell me the code now!! ... hear me, I need the code..."

"..not going to be please.. ..failed... so close.. ..damn you, DAMN you, DAMN Y"
%
With thanks to Vincent Lynch, Tom Lees, John Bichard.

up.]
You press the green
Bzzt. Crackle. *Static*

"...hello? Hello? Can... me? .. Anyone! Hel.... Need.. hello?"

Bleep - PLEASE WAIT - Locating/Tuning signal...

..

".. help. Repeat, can anybody hear me? Can you hear me? Hello.."
You open hatch
"Huh?.. right, yes, I'm on it.. "

"Okay - hang on.. turn the wheel, quite heavy.. Aaargh!.... Y...!"

- Click - <Crkkzt>.. .<bzzt>..

"..sorry.. slipped on something, cut my leg... I'm okay.. The hatch is open.."
Go outside
"Okay, I'll just slip through.. right."

"... is the central hub of the ship. Let's see; there's the hatch leading back up the bridge and a couple of other doors around the ring.. a lot sealed off; bulkheads down.. .. couple of bodies floating slightly, red blood.. passages, blocked up leading off into .. marked 'store room' on the door, pretty solid.. and a ladder down, and some debris opposite .. squeeze past, I don't know, I could try to squeeze past it, I think there's..."
Go down
"Do what..? You're breaking up.."
You climb the ladder
"Are you sure.. do I need to? It looks pretty burnt out down there, I don't know how safe it is.. Should I go?"
You look at the piping
"There's a lot of ... broken, torn pipes here, spewing white gas.. it's all mangled up.. and a metal chute of some sort.. seems to be caught in a bulkhead, must have been flying outwards when it closed.. all crunched up.."
You look at the chute
"Chute, running from the level above I think.. the other end is trapped in one of the bulkheads; it's squeezed the chute.. burst it open at the base, along a seam.."

"They were too damn good for us... better firepower, defences, everything.. .. -"

Bleep -- accessing records: "Species: G'hilga. First Contact: 2413. War declared 2423..."

- Initiate Search for Salient Inf (Y/N)?
Y.
PLEASE WAIT - Filing to secondary processor.

"- .. didn't stand a chance.. I guess we were outside the moon security field.. would have polished us off if we hadn't have broken through in time I suppose.."

Bleep - Processing complete. Enemy fleet massing just outside MoonShield perimeter - All batteries collecting for attack - All civilian/trade ships must land immediately - Boarding pods detected - [Author's Note: TRANSMISSION ENDS]
Describe the surroundings
"Oh God.. it's a real mess down here.. ..third level.. the walkway mangled up in the middle, hairpin.. the walls are all crunched in, toward the base of the ladder, a V.. there's no floor space to stand on.. all the bulkheads around have closed, they're charred.. there's piping, wiring hissing from every crevice.. it's like it's just been .. melted.. "

Bleep - Processing complete. Physical form of G'hilga - height 3 foot, monopedal, climb using multiple claws situated over torso, translucent blood - Firepower - superior, though unable to penetrate Moon-shield - [Author's Note: FILE CLOSED]
You examine the wiring
"There's a lot of ... broken, torn pipes here, spewing white gas.. it's all mangled up.. and a metal chute of some sort.. seems to be caught in a bulkhead, must have been flying outwards when it closed.. all crunched up.."

"Not a lot of crew on board though... could have been worse I guess.. just bad luck or something, huh..?"
Up
"What..? The radio's bad .. breaking up, Moon's ...thing.."
You climb the ladder
"I'm climbing back up.. hard, the Grav's a little looser here.."

"Okay - this is the central hub... ..there's the hatch leading back up the bridge and a couple of other doors.. a lot sealed off; bulkheads down, scorch damage on walls.. ..couple of bodies.. <bzzt> ..leading off into... ...marked 'store room' on the door... and a ladder down, and some debris opposite the door.. ...squeeze past, I don't know.."
You move the debris
"Okay.. I've hauled a bit out of the way.. not much better though.."

"I'm still holding onto the blackened component."
You put the component in the panel
"Okay, I've slotted it in... hang on... it's powering up!.. oh, .. keypad, the keypad's powered up."
".. from 0 to 9, got a display at the top with.. "

"All powered up.. need an access code. What's the code?"

Bleep -- accessing memory -- Lasercodes: ENTER CLASSIFIED SECTOR: (Y/N)?
Wait
Select type no:8 - 7 - 4 - 8

Bleep -- PLEASE WAIT -- Accessing lasercodes...
You enter 8748
"Okay, I'll type it in.. hang on... "

"..it's flashing.. 'Type code match' ..hat good? What does it mea..?"
You wait for a while
"What's the.. <pzpt>.. I need the engines free... WHAT'S THE DAMN CO... !.."

Bleep -- code accessed: LASERCODES FOR TYPE 8-7-4-8:

[Author's Note: Highly Secured Material]: Display Document (Y/N)?
Y.
"Moon's getting pretty close.. I can see, damn, I can see the collision battery swinging around.."
You enter 8748
"Okay, I'll type it in.. hang on... "

"..it's flashing.. 'Type code match' ..hat good? What does it mea..?"

"...the damn gun's lining up! The damn space junk gun is lining up!.."
Wait
"Just ... the code, tell me the code now!! ... hear me, I need the code..."
"Oh no, I don't believe it! The damn gun.. it oh sh.. ie! ...firing at us! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!!"
You enter 8748
"Okay, I'll type it in.. hang on... "

"..it's flashing.. 'Type code match' ..hat good? What does it mea..?"

"..not going to be please.. ..failed... so close.. ..damn you, DAMN you, DAMN Y"
Yes
"Oh, thank God. Thank God.. ..emergency frequency.. We need help.
This is the space pod 'Serpentine'. We've been attacked, a small cruiser. They.. they came out of nowhere.. tried to board us.. ...stly dead.. systems are all messed up, we're drifting.. I need help to fix this.."

"I'm by the console, there's wires everywhere. The computer flashing something. What do I do? Hello?"
You connect the blue and green
"Okay, I'll.. twist the wire ends up... hang on.."

"Okay - nothing's blown up. Phew.."
You climb the ladder
"Climbing down the ladder..."

Bleep - PLEASE WAIT - Incoming inf from Tracking Station Tranquility Base..

"Oh God.. it's a real mess down here.. ..third level.. the walkway mangled up in the middle, hairpin.. the walls are all crunched in, toward the base of the ladder, a V.. there's no floor space to stand on.. all the bulkheads around have closed, they're charred.. there's piping, wiring hissing from every crevice.. it's like it's just been .. melted.. "
You look at the pipes
"There's a lot of ... broken, torn pipes here, spewing white gas.. it's all mangled up.. and a metal chute of some sort.. seems to be caught in a bulkhead, must have been flying outwards when it closed.. all crunched up.."
You examine the chute
"Chute, running from the level above I think.. the other end is trapped in one of the bulkheads; it's squeezed the chute.. burst it open at the base, along a seam.."

Bleep - Processing complete. Enemy fleet massing just outside MoonShield perimeter - All batteries collecting for attack - All civilian/trade ships must land immediately - Boarding pods detected - [Author's Note: TRANSMISSION ENDS]
Wait
"Come on, hurry up.. .what's the code for the laser, what's the code??"
You enter 8748
"Okay, I'll type it in.. hang on... "

"..it's flashing.. 'Type code match' ..hat good? What does it mea..?"

"Moon's getting pretty close.. I can see, damn, I can see the collision battery swinging around.."
You enter 1374
"Okay, I'll type it in.. hang on... "

<bzzt> "the laser's powering up.. I have control of it! Gujt! I have ... of it! Do you hear me, Human? I have control of the laser!"
Describe the surroundings
"...I thank you, Human, for your aid... <bzzt vrakk> You perhaps do not quite grasp the stupidity of what you have just done. The Empire will - "
Wait
" - be most - "

Bleep - PLEASE WAIT - New Signal Located.. Locating/Tuning...

"Hello? Alpha Station Computer, this is MoonDome Beta-3. We need your assistance, we've been attacked; they're through the shield. It's Frag firepower! I don't know how it's coming through the shield, but it's definitely Frag weaponry! We thought we could see some attachment to a civilian transport. Repeat: We need assistance. Require.."

Bleep - PLEASE WAIT - Channeling signal into secondary processor...

" - where many have failed. Our long war is over, I think, Human. We have you to thank for that. You are a true hero. I - "
You wait
- " wish you a good death."

Bleep - Power source fluctuations. Memory sections damaged. Control un..
You idiot
"I don't think... can.. more than one at a time.."
You open hatch
"Okay - hang on.. turn the wheel, quite heavy.. Aaargh!.... Y...!"

- Click - <Crkkzt>.. .<bzzt>..

"..sorry.. slipped on something, cut my leg... I'm okay.. The hatch is open.."
You climb the ladder
"I'm climbing back up.. hard, the Grav's a little looser here.."

"... is the central hub of the ship. Let's see; there's the hatch leading back up the bridge and a couple of other doors around the ring.. a lot sealed off; bulkheads down.. .. couple of bodies floating slightly, red blood.. passages, blocked up leading off into .. marked 'store room' on the door, pretty solid.. and a ladder down, and some debris opposite .. squeeze past, I don't know, I could try to squeeze past it, I think there's..."

Bleep - Processing complete. Enemy fleet massing just outside MoonShield perimeter - All batteries collecting for attack - All civilian/trade ships must land immediately - Boarding pods detected - [Author's Note: TRANSMISSION ENDS]
You enter 6126
"Okay, I'll type it in.. hang on... "

<bzzt> "the laser's powering up... targetting is swinging round... ..the fleet, targetting our fleet... all automatic.. damn it! ... The fleet - the fleet's being ripped apart... I improved the laser cannon... oh no... damn you, Human..."

<crkkt>

"..firing back at me... what have I... damn you!!! DAMN YOU!!! DAMN Y -