Investigating the Eye

The crew of the Skylark spend some time investigating an artifact they have been carrying; The Eye of Yasterdray.

This chapter is based on Carl's notes from our July 11, 2021 session. Since we are scattered around the country, we use Discord for voice communications and the Roll20 online virtual tabletop to connect with each other.  The picture of the surface of the asteroid was rendered in Unity, the Skylark model was created in Sketchup.

Continued from: One Crowded Hour – Part 2

Location: Maitz High Port, Maitz system, Mora Subsector.

Date: 013-1110


0450
Just docked at Maitz. Just us and the ship, all extraneous folks and things from the Duchess Selene left behind.

While selling cargo, Sam met Sylvia Burnaby, a trader offering spare parts and life support at a discount. We have a pretty good stock of all we might need, but it was a nice gesture.

We all went out for Fig's birthday and had a nice meal.

Some news about the war had come in, Zhodani seemed to be doing OK, but we held out hope that the good folks would triumph in the end. 

• The Zhodani have a chunk of the Spinward Main from Fulacin down to Vreibefger.
• They had Jae Tellona, but the Corridor Fleet took it back on the way to relieving Rhylanor.
• The 214th Fleet has taken all of the Metal Worlds and hit Narsil.
• The 213th fleet has everything from Dyrnwyn to Biter and has been hitting Gram and Sacnoth. The Sword Worlds will probably soon fold like the Vargr.

We had not heard that the Vargr were having troubles, it was good to find out. They may be trying to negotiate a Separate Peace.

We were pondering 'the eye', and whether or not we should consider using it for the war. DISINCLINED. 

We know there are still ancient sites out there, and if the Zhodani get one...

Medicus has been having dreams about The Eye and we got him to discuss them a bit more, he mostly remembered bits and pieces. In his dreams, The Eye is watching him, wants him to pick it up.  He also reminded us that the dreams were not present when we were off the Skylark for maintenance. Proximity alert maybe.

Mora, our current destination, might have scholars to whom we could talk. Conceptually, but talk about ancient artifacts.

019-1110
We got more news of the war. The Zhodani took a big hit at Calit, in the Vilis Subsector.

021-1110
Loaded, gassed, and ready to go. Off and away to Fornice

028-1109 
Out of jump in the Fornice system.

An rescue ship passed us going FAST, taking pirate raider victims in to the main world. This system is NOT known for pirate activity, so we got even a bit more alert.

We docked at Fornice High uneventfully. Just a normal stay and go.

042-1110  
Jump out for Mora.

043-1110  0350 
Heading in to Mora.

Kipenzi, at the flight controls, coming into dock. We collided with  a 200 ton express courier. The Certainty.  It is a certainty that we are on a trend of NOT GOOD at Mora. Last time, on the way out we just missed a close encounter with an unmanned vehicle, but this time: SMACK!

We got a puncture in the port wing fuel tank. We lost about 8% fuel before the auto systems closed off the damage. Repairs came to 64,000 credits. Mora port surveillance showed it was a mutual fault issue, so we fixed us and they fixed them.

We spent a fair bit of time at the university area(s) on Mora, reviewing and reading about Ancient stuff.  Nothing new or exciting, pretty much what we had known before. The database had been updated for Fulacin and Tyana, but not for Yorbund.  The Yorbund entry was most recently updated on 140-1105, and our visit there was 1102. Someone didn't pass it along, gotta wonder why.

With two gas giants in system, this might be a good place to do some experimentation with the EYE. If all goes to hell, we could at least drop in into someplace irretreivable instead of letting it change hosts and go on.

Lucid dreaming was a possiblity, and Medicus agreed to try that out.  

054-1110  
Repaired, loaded, gassed.

We decided to take off and go out to an asteroid and Medicus actively(?) try to communicate in his sleep. Off we went.

057-1110 
Out to an asteroid, ready for a nap.

Medicus actually succeeded in contacting the eye in his sleep. It wants to be used, feels its potential is being wasted. However, no specifics of what it wants him to do or how it should be used.  Probably not gonna take him over. Not psionic enough to reach him in wake state.

Possible questions:

• Why Medicus
• What was the creature it was in (the eye of)
• Is there another way to communicate.

058-1110  
Another nap for Medicus. The answer to "Why me?" was "You are the only one who answers".

We detected a 66000 ton cruiser at the edge of our sensors. It passed by far far away, and did not notice us. Or at least did not react in a way that indicated that it noticed us.



We stayed on the asteroid for a few days, with Medicus sleeping as his bio schedule allowed. Some nights were better than others.

Fig, Leon and Sam rotated shifts on sensors as the days went by.

Medicus had a good dream time and learned a lot from the eye.

• No benefits of the eye are usable until the eye is placed into an empty eye socket.
• Have to psionically contact or wear it.
• Multi-Spectrum Vision, the character will never be blinded by atmospheric or light poor
• conditions. And can see in all wavelengths.
• The eye functions as a psi enhancer multiplying Psi Strength
• The eye functions enables Psi Attacks to be made, even if the host is not Psi trained and/or doesn’t have that ability
• Also a DISINTEGRATION BEAM!

We detected another military ship some days later.  We stayed quiet.  1000 ton destroyer escort just minding its own business.  It was going the same way as the cruiser that passed earlier.

If they were going to jump, it would have been much sooner than where we are. Could be a training exercise, could be trouble, could be just one of those things.

Once you wear the eye, YOU WEAR THE EYE.  Leon's comment about it sprouting tentacles to the brain all of a sudden seemed less joking.

The eye was part of a batch of TWELVE!!! It has no idea where the others might be.

About a 3 meter cube area effect for the disintegration beam. The psi attack is line of sight.

The eye runs on the energy of the wearer.  Could not use often, but boy oh boy when you did...

Any of us could use the EYE if we were willing to make the sacrifice and replace one of our own eyes.

Finally felt like we got enough information, Medicus can just sleep in the sleep times for a while.  Maybe talk, maybe see eye to eye.

For the log, over the last week, our sensors detected:

• The 400 ton transport Hondo River heading toward one of the outer planets.
• A 100 ton scout ship, patrolling the asteroids. It did not detect us, or if they did we were not interesting.  It appeared they were looking for something.
• 100 ton survey ship Beagle's Bones. Came near us but we were not noticed.

073-1110
We decided to head back toward Rhylanor, by way of Icetina.  We could get a little better update on the war as we got closer to the front, at the very least.

Medicus woke up from his last sleep, thought the eye was done communicating for a while, or perhaps forever.

Jump out for Brodie, heading back toward our old home territory.

080-1110   0615
Out of jump into Brodie. A red giant system, so there is a HUGE jump shadow to travel through getting in and out of the port area. 4+ days from the 100 stellar diameter limit.

News update! Some operation with no details has started:



091-1110  
Gassed and loaded up.

We hear that Fulacin, and several other systems had been retaken by the Empire.

Continued in Heading to Regina.

See Also: Dramatis Personæ, Skylark 2, Campaign Starts, The 2nd Adventure, The Chamax Plague, Horde, Shadows, Research Station Gamma, Twilight's Peak, Prison Planet, Leedor on Aramis, First Call at Zilla, Trade War, The Bloodwell, ANNIC NOVA, The Kinunir, Kesser's Return, Justice, Mission to Mithril, Outback, Skylark and the Pit, Last Flight of the Amuar and One Crowded Hour.