Game: Behind the Mask

The latest thrilling installment of the Doctor Who Expansion, featuring Ping as the noble Sir Peter of Burgonshire and Holben as the secretive Vepsia. Meanwhile, Borusa GMs.

1
''The Time Agency has recruited you both to travel to the planet Dagian, in the year 2107. This planet is notable because it is the first human settlement to be located outside of the Sol system. You have been assigned to gather information about the colony, as the content is strangely lacking from the Time Agency's databases.''

''You arrive on the planet together by Vortex Manipulator (however you cannot leave until the Agency clears you to do so). The area around you is rather marshy, with a pleasant atmosphere and comfortable temperature. Milton Town, the colony in question, is visible a short distance away.''

Shall we?

2
I step to the side, and allow Vepsia to go forth first. "Thou may goest first, my lady. Watch thyself, there is much mud about."

3
Vepsia looks at him a little bemusedly. "Um, thanks." She carries on towards the colony.

4
''Milton Town itself contains many bright white buildings - scrupulously clean, without a trace of marsh mud. As you walk up to its edge, you can see a network of paved pathways running through the colony, with people walking up and down them. They pay you no mind. However, an electric fence surrounds the colony, roughly two meters in height. ''

5
I stop a man on the path. "Pray pardon us, sir, but couldst thou direct us to the lord of thy town?"

6
Vepsia rolls her eyes and then watches.

7
''The man you stop is rather short, with forest green clothing. He turns and peers at you from through the fence. "Eh? Who are you two, then?"''

8
"We are travelling minstrels, come to play in thy town."

9
Vepsia nods with a blank face. "I'm the piper and he's the fiddler."

10
''The man looks you over, an odd expression growing on his face. Finally, he says, "Right. I'll lead you to the door," and starts walking along the fence.''

11
I follow him. As I walk, I attempt to strike up a conversation with the man in green. "Thy town is a splendid sight to behold. How long has it been since you first came to this world?"

12
"And are the fences to keep something in or to keep something out?"

13
To Sir Peter: "About ten years, give or take. The beginning of the terraforming process was much earlier, though. Thirty years since that. It took a while, but we're finally here."

To Vepsia: "A bit of both. Partly it's to keep people from going out into the deep swamps. The last thing the Medical Division wants is to see some unlucky fellow who tripped up and got his head stuck under two feet of marsh muck. But it keeps some of the critters out, too. We introduced a bunch of species, it's part of the terraforming process. Mr. Simmons doesn't really appreciate them; they're all meat and no brains. Not too much of a difficulty, though. Here's the door."

''A rather unassuming door is built into the fence here. The man unlatches it, allowing you access to the smooth pavement - a welcome pleasure after the marsh. From what you can see, the path leads to a single point where all the roadways of different colors converge - presumably the center of Milton Town.''

14
I enter, holding the door open for Vepsia. "Tis an admirable effort thou hath put into this town. Pray tell me, who is Mr. Simmons?"

15
"And is he the man you're taking us to?"

16
''"Nah, I wouldn't worry. He's a bit peculiar, all things considered, I don't really care for him that much. He's head of the Planetary Division. Been acting rather odd the past couple of months. Blank-faced, doesn't talk a lot. Probably came down with the stomach bug that's been floating about lately. I keep telling the Socials to look into it, but they nod and forget about it. Typical of the higher-ups, they get all sorts of priviliges and what do they do in..." The man stops himself. "Sorry, I have a tendency to rant. Anything else I can help you two with?"''

17
"Thou hath been most helpful. Is there an inn in town?"

18
"Somewhere where people meet."

19
''"There's one, I think. A bit dingy. If you keep heading right, you'll see it at the end of the lane there." With that, the man leaves.''

''You now have several options. To the left, there are buildings marked SOCIAL DIVISION and COLONY OFFICES. To the right, there is a sign that reads PLANETARY DIVISION ->, as well as a building further away that appears to be marked as LODGING. Straight ahead, there are more buildings, but you can't determine their purpose yet.''

20
I begin towards the inn, while observing the townspeople. Do they carry themselves like average citizens, or like soldiers?

22
Do any of them have weapons?

23
''Everyone you see is normal, just going about their lives like normal people. No weapons are visible. You come up to the Planetary Division building, which is rather unusual compared to the rest of the town. It is rather small and low to the ground, with no windows. There is one door. A bit beyond that, you can see the inn.''

24
I stop outside the Planetary Divisions building, and turn to Vepsia. "I believe we are meant to investigate this building. Shall we enter?"

25
"That seems to be the right way forward."

26
''The building itself is small, and appears to be mostly empty. A computer bank rests at the far end of the room, and there is a staircase leading downwards. It is very quiet, and nobody else appears to be around.''

27
"Tis suspicious," I mutter as I look around. "Places of administration held more of an air of... administration in Burgonshire. I doth wonder if all of their Divisions be as still as this."

Not having much experience with computers, I walk over to the stairs and stare down them. Can I see any light or movement from below?

28
Vespia takes a look at the computer bank.

29
''Sir Peter: The stairs go a couple floors down, and you can't see any light from where you are. There's a set of buttons on the wall nearby, though, which may or not be a switch that turns them on. ''

''Vepsia: The computers are reasonably high-tech, but you can easily operate them by the looks of it. One of them has a screen which reads WELCOME TO THE DAGIAN PLANETARY DIVISION INFORMATION SYSTEM. PLEASE ENTER YOUR SEARCH TERM IN THE FIELD BELOW. There is a touchpad keyboard underneath the heading.''

30
I run my hand across the buttons to turn all the lights on. (Sir Peter's only electronics experience thus far is with his vortex manipulator and the lightbulbs at Time Agency base).

31
Vepsia uses the search term "no cause for alarm".

32
''Sir Peter: The lights do indeed turn on, and you can see down the staircase now. There is an arrow on the wall at the bottom of the staircase, pointing to the left - presumably the way to the next floor. However, your button-pressing appears to have caused the uppermost button to start flashing. You cannot see why.''

Vepsia: The computer pauses for a moment before bringing up exactly one result, the search term boldened:

COLONIZATION OF DAGIAN AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MILTON TOWN

''Our planet of Dagian, first designated V654 Centauri B/2077 at its time of discovery, was chosen as the first planet outside of our native solar system to be suitable for colonization. Notably, it was also the first subject of the SA's Extraterrestrial Body Terraforming Program, which allowed the planet to be habitable for humans.''

''The EBTP equipment was sent to Dagian twenty years in advance of our arrival, as to assure that the atmosphere would be breathable and the environment would be tolerable. Prior to the terraforming process, Dagian was a volcanic world, highly unsuitable for colonization. As it was the easiest planet to reach at the time, the EBTP was required in order to create the lush world of humanity's dream. (Other records of the original planet are as yet unavailable. Please see Mr. Simmons for details.)''

''The fleet that brought the first human colonists was led by Captain Henry A Brooke, and consisted of 2000 members. The original flight to Dagian was interrupted by what appeared to be an air leak in the hull of C29-3, but the ship's engineers determined that it was minor leak and no cause for alarm. The problem was fixed swiftly and the fleet arrived only two days after its scheduled arrival. Milton Town was then established nearby the landing site, and remains Dagian's only major colony.''

Now, Milton Town holds over 6000 citizens, and is home to a glorious society.

33
I walk down the stairs, turning left at the arrow. I shout, "Hello! Does any soul work here? I should like to discuss matters with thee."

34
"We should probably find Mr. Simmons."

35
''"No sense in wasting your energy, then." The speaker is a man dressed in black clothing, who has seemingly appeared in the room without being noticed. He is fitted with tinted glasses and a small mustache. "I do hope you're not thinking about going downstairs," he says. "I'm afraid it's...out of bounds."''

36
I walk back up the stairs, giving an open smile usually reserved for greeting noblemen. "Verily we would not think of it, sir. We seek nothing more than knowledge of thy wondrous colony. Pray tell, what duties dost thou perform in the service of Planetary Divisions?

37
"We are well known for following the rules and staying away from possible danger."

38
''Mr. Simmons smiles. "I suppose you could say I am in charge of the Division. I maintain historical records, and will oversee further colonization of the planet if other citizens decide to take such action." He pulls out a long, thin smoking pipe as he speaks.''

39
"Thou art a scholar, then," I say, looking around for a chair.

40
"Anything we should know?"

41
''Mr. Simmons gives you both a careful eye. "Well," he says, "that would depend on your purpose for coming here. I can see you have already been perusing the details of the colony's arrival on the planet, but I would assume that you would like to know something else. Ask, and you shall receive."''

There is no chair.

42
"There are a good many things we should like to know. But the greater part of our inquiry is this: is all well on this world? Something here rests uneasy on my heart--we would surely help thee if thou were in need of aide."

43
"Let's go with that question, yeah."

44
''Simmons smiles. "I can assure you that everything is as it should be. There are some..." He thinks for a moment. "...projects we have been working on, but otherwise the colonization plan has been going exactly as intended, and will remain so for the next few years."''

45
I shalt take thy words as true, good Sir Simmons. Pray tell though, what be these 'projects' thou speakest of?"

46
"Just what I wanted to ask."

47
''Mr. Simmons ponders the question for a moment, and then gestures downstairs. "After you."''

48
I beginneth my descent down the stairs.

49
As does Vepsia.

50
''Simmons brings up the rear, and closes the door behind him. You descend down the stairs and turn left at the arrow. The passageway terminates in another door, which Simmons unlocks and enters. "Wait here," he says. "There haven't been visitors as of yet. It needs to be...tidied." And he's gone''

51
I grunt, and stand waiting with Vepsia.

52
"Why does he pause before the last word in his sentence?"

53
"I am inclined to believe he is concealing his true purposes from us. His title may be 'Administrator', but he acts the knave to us."

54
"That seems likely. Keep anl eye out for foul play, I guess."

55
"Agreed."

56
''The door creaks open again, and Simmons emerges. "In here," he says, and you both walk through.''

''You stand at the top of a metal staircase, which leads into a massive room, almost like a giant underground bunker. There are various computer banks lining the walls. At the far side of the room, there is a reinforced wall with a tall door leading into it. "Welcome to the secrets of Dagian," Simmons says. "Feel free to peruse."''

57
"Marvellous. I am... Not so capable with computers. Mayhaps we can talk, Mr. Simmons?"

58
"Or perhaps you could go the computing for us?"

59
"There is no need. These computers are exactly like the ones upstairs...just with a little extra information stored within."

There is some stirring behind the big wall, but it is very quiet.

60
"What layeth behind that door?"

61
Vepsia tries the search term "NO CAUSE FOR ALARM" again.

62
''Sir Peter: "You'll find out...in good time." Simmons then turns to Vepsia.'' Vepsia: There is once again exactly one result...but it's different this time.

''LEVEL BETA ACCESS GRANTED WELCOME SIR SIMMONS COLONIZATION OF DAGIAN AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MILTON TOWN [UNCENSORED]''

''Our planet of Dagian, first designated V654 Centauri B/2077 at its time of discovery, was chosen as the first planet outside of our native solar system to be suitable for colonization. Notably, it was also the first subject of the SA's Extraterrestrial Body Terraforming Program, which allowed the planet to be habitable for humans.''

''The EBTP equipment was sent to Dagian twenty years in advance of our arrival, as to assure that the atmosphere would be breathable and the environment would be tolerable. Prior to the terraforming process, Dagian was a volcanic world, highly unsuitable for colonization. As it was the easiest planet to reach at the time, the EBTP was required in order to create the lush world of humanity's dream.''

[BEGIN UNCENSORED RECORDS]

''This process did not go entirely as expected, however. Preliminary probes were sent out to the planet before the EBTP began, and discovered that an intelligent alien species (which has never been formally named) was already living on the planet, despite the harsh conditions present. It was previously thought that no form of life could survive on Dagian's surface, but it was clear that this assumption was unfounded. In particular, the presence of [WARNING - LEVEL ALPHA CLEARANCE REQUIRED] was most unusual and unprecedented.''

''Not knowing what dangers this species may present, the Divisions convened and decided to go ahead with the program. The EBTP was initiated, and most individuals of the native species were eradicated. The exact reasons for this are unclear, but it is theorized that the resulting atmosphere created by the program was not breathable for the species. ''

[/END UNCENSORED RECORDS]

''The fleet that brought the first human colonists was led by Captain Henry A Brooke, and consisted of 2000 members. The original flight to Dagian was interrupted by what appeared to be an air leak in the hull of C29-3, but the ship's engineers determined that it was a minor leak and no cause for alarm. The problem was fixed swiftly and the fleet arrived only two days after its scheduled arrival. Milton Town was then established nearby the landing site, and remains Dagian's only major colony.''

[BEGIN UNCENSORED RECORDS]

''Upon arrival, it was discovered that some members of the alien species had survived the terraforming process. A. Simmons was assigned to lead the eradication process, and all trace of the species was erased swiftly and efficiently, namely by methods of [WARNING - LEVEL ALPHA CLEARANCE REQUIRED]. This project has not yet been revealed to the general public to maintain their safety.''

[END UNCENSORED RECORDS]

Now, Milton Town holds over 6000 citizens, and is home to a glorious society.



''"I do hope you'll excuse the clearance title I made for myself," Simmons says. "It was a rather slow day."''

63
I look at Vepsia with concern. "Art thou well? You seemeth pale." I walk over and read the records. When I'm finished, I let out a ragged gasp.

64
"Why did you do it, Simmons? Couldn't you have kept some alive?"

65
''Mr. Simmons smiles. "I'll let you in on a secret...I was terrified of them. I wanted to rid this planet of them forever. I wouldn't have stopped until each and every last one of them was no more than dust in the wind. But then...I liked them. I liked them so much. Isn't that right?"''

"Yessss."

''A voice, from behind you. There is something unnerving about it. Soft and hissing, yet at the same time synthetic and mechanical. A voice that should not be.''

"Yesssssss."

66
I slowly turn to face the creature behind me, a queasy feeling in my stomach.

67
Vepsia raises an eyebrow and looks round.

68
''And there it is. It's a bit taller than Simmons, walking towards you on four thin and stilt-like legs. It is covered all around in rags and thick black fur. But its head is covered by a blank white mask, completely unexpressive. ''

''"I trust that this is...a special occasion, Simmonssss," it hisses. "We don't often get visitors."''

69
"What is this, Simmons?" I demand angrily. "One of the creatures thou hath exterminated?"

70
Vepsia readies her weapon.

71
"I hope you won't mind a bit of history," Simmons begins, while the thing stalks menacingly about.

"When we saw them on the probe readings, we had no idea what to expect. So we destroyed them. A rather stupid action, when you think about it. Humans. Indomitable for a reason, if you think about it. They manipulate things to satsify their every need, without ever thinking about exactly what they're doing. We thought they were gone, but...we were wrong."

''"We live on the assssh and air of a firey world," the creature interjects. "What isss right for us is poison to you. Your machinessss came through and decimated our forever home. Our bodies are enhanced and our masks keep us breathing. And we gave ourssselves a new name to remember what it was once like. We are now the Shadow Walkers."''

''"As head of the Planetary Division I was assigned to help get rid of them," Simmons continues. "But they were better than us." A slit appears at the "mouth" of the Shadow Walker's mask, and a tiny needle slips out, attached to a waving, thread-like wire. "They had a clever augmentation. A tiny needle attached to their heads injects an unknown chemical into the body. It changes brain chemistry - makes those affected become puppets for their use. It didn't actually hurt that much, I'll admit."''

72
"Thou destroyed an entire civilization... and then became their slave?"

73
Vepsia just feels glad that she can't be affected.

74
''"Hardly a slave. And hardly an entire civilization either." He flips a switch on the computer bank, and the far wall proceeds to slide open. Beyond it are Shadow Walkers. Lots and lots of Shadow Walkers.''

Hundreds of them is not an unreasonable guess.

75
I swallow hard. "What is it thou intend to do with these creatures? They can live on this world no longer."

76
"How much of the population is under your control?"

77
"None of the population is under my control. If anything, it is the other way around. And their motive is quite simple, really...they want this world back."

A couple of the Shadow Walkers hiss in agreement.

78
"Tis their homeland. Yet how would thou remove the colonists from the danger?"

79
"Yeah, what's your plan to solve the problem?"

80
''Mr. Simmons smiles. "Think about it. Human colonists arrive on the planet and decimate the native population by terraforming the landscape. They laid out a most effective plan for us all by themselves. You're smart people; you should be able to figure things out."''

81
My eyes narrow. "Surely thou dost not mean...?"

82
"Repeating the process in the other direction?"

83
''"You have to agree that it's only fair, given the circumstances." The Shadow Walkers move closer. "One thing, however - you know all this now. If you report this to the people of Milton Town the results will not be...pretty, shall we say. If that is the case, would you care to...join us?"''

84
"We could relocate the colonists, Simmons. No one has to die. And as for thy masked hounds here," I say with a smile, "We are not afeared of them. Thou need not threaten us."

I subtly send a message on my Vortex Manipulator, requesting HQ to grant temporary permittance of spatial teleportation capabilities.

85
Vepsia nods slowly.

86
''Mr. Simmons looks curiously at the Vortex Manipulator, and then proceeds to rip it from your wrist and insert it into one of the computers. There is a small beep, and he takes the manipulator out and hands it back to you. He smiles.''

87
"What hath thou done?" I snarl in rage, and point the particle gun at his chest.

88
"Have you trapped us here?"

89
"Oh no, not here. You can travel anywhere on the planet you like. But I'm afraid you can't ever leave this world now."

90
"Is that true?," I growl, eyes flashing in anger.

Suddenly, I seize hold of the man's scruff and teleport back to the forest we started in. "But I wonder if thou wouldst attest to the fact here, away from thy pets."

I draw my sword and press it up to the man's throat.

91
Vepsia watches.

92
''Simmons is unimpressed. "I see that you are...threatening me," he says. "No matter. You seem to have missed some rather obvious things, though. Two, to be precise. One - as I am sure you have already deduced, is that animals from other worlds needed to be brought down after the terraforming process in order to create a viable ecosystem. Two - is that the civilization of the Shadow Walkers, as I have already told you, was quite advanced for this time. If their augumentation technology survived, it would not be unreasonable to assume that they used it for...other things." Very casually, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a remote. It has a button on it, and he presses it.''

On cue, a gigantic Drashig fitted with some sort of neural clamp rises from the swamp behind Simmons, and roars.

93
Snarling, I slash him in the legs with my sword, rolling an 11. Adding modifiers that makes a critical hit, which I choose to inflict Bleeding.

With the Frenzy ability, I step over his toppled body and fire my particle gun at the Drashig, rolling a 5. That's 200 damage, as Drashigs have no amor against exotic.

94
Vepsia uses the Aim for the Head ability to do 240 (h), which is 192 after armour.

95
''Mr. Simmons starts hobbling away, back towards the complex. Meanwhile, the Drashig is down to 1708 HP. It roars and knocks Sir Peter over with its head, causing 20 damage as the knight hits the ground. (The GM is looking favorably upon you and so is being quite nice.)''

96
I struggle to my feet and fire directly at the thing's head (which I am told is quite close to me.) "Die, infernal swamp dragon!" I roll a 5.

97
Vepsia goes Vespiform mode and chases down Mr. Simmons, hitting him (rolling a 10) and trying to knock him down. "Order that thing to break off!"

98
''Simmons falls to the ground, and looks up at you. "I knew there was something odd about you, from the start," he mutters. "But why should I do what you say?"''

Meanwhile, the Drashig is down to 1508 if the GM has counted correctly, and starts slithering towards Vepsia, finding Sir Peter too irritating of a target.

99
Casting a quick glance at the giant giant wasp apparently eating Mr. Simmons, I shake my head and aim for the Drashig. 4... miss.

100
"You like being alive, and doing all the things people do when they are alive. You probably like long walks in the park, spending time with your friends, looking after children, and completing the sunday crossword."

101
''Simmons narrows his eyes. "Fair enough. But here's why you should do what I say. If you kill me, the plan will go on regardless and the Shadow Walkers will reclaim this world as their rightful own. If you don't kill me..." He smiles. "Well, nothing will be different at all, actually. You might just live a little longer, is all."''

102
Another shot at the drashig, rolling a 1. I really need some points in MKS...

103
"Tell me what you have to say, then, human."

104
''He smiles again. "Let's do this...properly, shall we? Not as two opponents, but as intelligent friends. I must ask you a question: do you know exactly how the Shadow Walkers will reclaim their planet and make it like it once was?"''

The Drashing roars and bites out a clump of swamp muck from next to Sir Peter.

105
Quickly I step out of the way, despairing at ever winning this battle.

Then I see what to do.

I run right over towards it, grabbing hold of it's eyestalk. Then I teleport as high into the upper atmosphere as my Vortex Manipulator as I possibly can. Many miles away.

Then, pulling away from the beast (which is about to become a stunning testament to the power of gravity), and use the Manipulator to teleport back to where I was.

106
"No, I don't. How?"

107
"You may know of the procedure known as 'Action 5', common on all extraterrestrial colonies. In the case of Milton Town, we have a whole store of nuclear missiles, to be used only if the planet is a lost cause. Only a few people on Dagian know about it. The Shadow Walkers and I can very easily gain control of it, use it, and bring an eternal nuclear winter over this entire world. A delightful bit of irony, isn't it."

''He smiles, yet again. "Now what I would like is this: your weapons, your devices, and all the advanced technology you possess. Along with the smoking remains of Milton Town, we will use them to rebuild the civilization of the Shadow Walkers and turn them into a prosperous empire once more."''

''There is a very loud bang as the Drashig lands, scattering tons of water and marsh muck around the landscapes. There are sudden yells and shouts coming from Milton Town.''

108
I run towards Simmons and the giant wasp. "Be gone with thee!", I shout, brandishing my sword at the wasp. "He is my prisoner, not thy meal!"

109
Vepsia looks hard at Simmons. "Your mind has been dulled by servitude."

She flies off to somewhere where Sir Peter cannot see her transform.

110
''Simmons turns to Peter. "Interesting character, that one."''

There are townspeople emerging from the colony in order to investigate.

111
I grip him firmly by the shoulder, and look around for a nice, relatively hidden place to teleport.

112
A human-form Vepsia steps out again and joins them.

113
''There is marsh muck, and not much else. A group of townspeople seems to be heading your way.''

114
"Wander not, Vepsia. I spotted a wasp of grotesque size nearby."

I take the remote control from Simmons. I teleport with him to the top of a tree, and survey the surrounding areas.

115
"How peculiar."

116
''The nearest tree is within Milton Town itself. Most of the people are going about their business as usual, although there is some discussion about a large crash being heard outside of the colony. In the alleys, however, Shadow Walkers are moving. They are all heading in the same direction.''

117
Are they coming towards us, or somewhere else? I hold a sword to Simmons' throat. "Knave! How dost thou plan to take back this world? "

118
What is the direction?

119
''"You must have missed the conversation." Simmons looks directly at Vepsia. "You can tell him," he says.''

''The Shadow Walkers are not heading toward you, but rather towards a road. There is a sign that says ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION ->.''

120
"What conversation?", I ask bemusedly. I turn to Vepsia. "Hast thou already interrogated him? Thou were in yonder trees, well away from him..."

121
"How could I have talked to him when I was several hundred metres away?" She shrugs. "Pretty typical slimy businessman."

122
''Simmons sighs. "Do you want them to explain?" he says, motioning towards the bottom of the tree.''

Two Shadow Walkers are standing there, hissing menacingly.

123
"Indeed they shall. Explain, monsters."