Road trip - session report

After five weeks the family decided it was time to act, and they were persuaded by Stein Fjellberg to travel the martian desert - looking for replicants and nomads. After a week in the geologist's truck they found an old safe-shelter, where a group of replicants had taken refugee. Herding them was easier said than done, especially due to an unknown phenomena making a very high pitch sound. A mysterious hole was found in the back of the complex, leading into an unexplored cave.

Here follows the players own recollections of the previous session; tuesday 28th of february at ISOTOP art studio:

Idunn's rant:

It was a glorious day for adventure as we set out from the NY. Hail was pounding hard on Stein Fjellberg's trusted vehicle, and T-E, Munin and I were comfortably slouching in the trailer, while the Big Man and Little Brother were piloting beside the Geologist. We settled in for a long ride of tall tales and high spirits just as the Glorious God of Sun sent her blazing rays down to play abstract cinema on the inside of the trailer. ‎

"We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a saltshaker half-full of cocaine and a whole multicolored collection of uppers, downers, laughers, screamers . . . Also, a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of beer, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls."
H.S. Thompson

Can you hear Willie Nelson singing "On the road again"? We were off to the Desert. Hold the Storm.

Alfred Eriksson:

Finally the family leaves their bubble of everyday life to explore the vast surface of the planet. The spectacular scenery of the desolate Mars makes a great impression on Alfred, as he rides shotgun with the guide. The first miles out were filled with nanotrees that increases Mars' general temperature...spectacular indeed. When the neon fibers fades the rock we live on reveals itself as a place no man should thread. Fjellbekk didn’t seem to worry too much about that, and the rambling in the back made a comforting soundtrack to the long drive. Alfred spent most of the days, while not driving, looking in to binoculars and discussing various aspects of the landscape with the new family friend.

How things got from checking out Munin II, to gathering runaway replicants is a mystery, but nevertheless the complex checks out to be a potential replicant pez dispenser. The hole in the back of the complex is potentially made by martian lifeforms, but the studies of the hole so far has given no clues what so ever as to what and when it was made. Alfred is determined to bring in more equipment and make a new outpost for the family affairs here. Gathering intel on Munin II and make a listening post for traffic coming in and out of Kalmar. If it is out of reach for Allfader it could be a perfect arrangement for the Eriksson agency.

Research logg entry Tor-Erik:

Moral qualms on replicant hearding dismissed. Speciments less human than primates. Scientific finds considrable: of 6 captured pods all infected with nano-virus of same structure as me. Evidence indicate connection to psi powers.

Suspicion of unknown psi mastermind supported by strong hive-like behaviour of pods and mind numbing attack upon entry in facility.

Personal injury. Fringer guide Fjellskrent has massive trauma.

Alfreds spherical camerafriend used to explore natural grotto behind hole in compound structure. Processing data and assessing situation before further action.

Personal note: Psi-attack released deep rooted scenarios of fear in own subconsious, perhaps better left alone. Images of tentacled things-that-must-not be stirs my sanity. Need to rescheduel talk with dr. Niemann upon return.

Munin-1: Journal entry 4:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Desert excursion. First stop, secure and re-domesticate replicant assets from abandoned domes in the desert. Replicants in Shelter #31 show surprising emergent group behaviour ...and high frequency of "p-mutation" - a mutation shared with Dr. Tor-Erik Eriksson. Found artificially created hole in wall, leading into cave. Indicates replicants are directed by self preservation and surprising intelligence. Will investigate further.

FULL ENTRY:
Headed out from the city in buggy with trailer. Passed through the solar harvesting fields where replicants where busy planting nano- engineered solar harvesting rods. Landscape rougher about one day out. We decided to try to start out with re-domesticating some replicants, sending them back to a Erikkson controlled facility, before we sought out the nomadic tribes. According to Stein Fjellberg, the nomads hunt replicants -- it seemed prudent to not show up at one of their camps with replicants in tow.
First destination was an abandoned facility, Shelter #31. Similar to research structure/bunker complex that the family controls out in the desert. However #31 is in a sorry state of disrepair. No automated killer drone on guard. Entry proved easy. At the facility, around two dozen feral replicants were holed up. Initially re-domestication went without incident -- but after Dr. Eriksson had tranquilized half a dozen specimen, an ill-advised warning shot sent the group into panic. The doctor took a hit from an improvised crossbow and went down.
Around this time most of the group were affected by what they described as a "loud, keening noise on the edge of hearing". The "noise" triggered nausea and headaches, and grew seemingly stronger the further into the facility the affected attempted to go. Stein Fjellberg was entirely overcome by the signal and passed out. There was no audio signal. The situation is now temporarily under control, after all the replicants that were not tranquilized escaped through a strange hole in the back wall of the complex, leading into a cave formation.
The hole looked similar to that made by a termite or other burrowing insect, only about 1 meter in diameter. We have started mapping the cave with concussion grenades and sonar mapping devices. The doctor got enough blood samples to identify several cases of the so-called "p-strain" mutation -- thought to be responsible for the doctors psi-like abilities. Based on this evidence along with the apparent intelligence directing the replicants, I theorize that the mutated individuals in this replicant "colony" mesh together in a way that results in a hive-like mind with greater intelligence than any one individual.

We agreed to pay Stein Fjellberg with copies and access to the latest geological survey maps. Fjellberg makes most of his income working as prospector, searching for heavy metals and rare minerals brought to Mars by asteroids early in the planets history.

APPENDIX:
While doing research on the legal ramifications of re-domesticating replicants, I came across a reference to the introduction of the Kinship principle in New Kalmar law. The first introduction of kinship law stems back to the re purposing of old viking principles regarding trell ownership as guiding principles for the ownership of replicants. This first introduction of old Norse law opened the door to what is now taken as fundamental jurisprudence in New Kalmar.
As to current law for replicants, any "found" replicant that is registered to a New Kalmar owner, either a person or a corporation, should be returned to said owner. Custom dictates that a finders fee is paid to the entity that returns the replicant. The size of the fee is usually either 10% of the prize for purchasing a new replicant of similar make and breeding, or 20% of expected resell value, if there is problems identifying the price of a new specimen.
For replicants not domestically owned, any found replicants is considered property of the finder. Similar rules holds for all jurisdictions on New Kalmar, often leading blade runners to smuggle replicants across borders before resale, claiming that they were found in a jurisdiction other than where they were registered. The smuggling of replicants is a serious offence in all jurisdictions, sometimes carrying similar penalties as treason, due to the shortage of replicants on Mars, and their great need in public building projects. Another method that is less often used, is to forge buy/sell-orders for the replicants. When these cross several jurisdictions, it can be hard to prove that a replicant is not found in a different area, or is in fact stolen property.