IC
    As the majority of the Eorna leave, Klik glances at Telgar.  "Thank you." She turns from one diplomatic situation to the next, looking in the faces of her teammates.
    BudRREEPboopboopboop, after finally composing himself after his fit of laughter, sits up from the floor, still holding his pseudotorso and catching his breath as his guffaws subside to chuckles.  His wobbling membrane congeals a bit more and he turns to Klik as he straps his polyvox back onto his pseudoneck.
    "Kleebopple, Gribble Flizzz BURPLE flixx?" His polyvox translates, "Klik-n-Klack, why didn't you *mention* you were a Star Law agent?"
    "Wouldn't be prudent at that juncture," Klik responds.
    BudRREEPboopboopboop nods, pondering this answer.
    To all Klik continues, "I was sent to investigate disappearances of vessels entering this system, probable pirate activity.  I, like many of you, was captured by said pirates.  The Streel team is here legally and it could be argued that they were protecting Streel's mining rights.  Some of the actions taken after the base was secured were treading the line of legality, but none of that will make it into my report.  The Streel team did us all a favor by removing the blights from the galaxy.
    "So you may recall that I was particularly keen to interrogate the prisoners.  I tried the old "good cop - bad cop" schtick with Payne.  I think it worked.  We learned enough to make a sound conjecture at the Star Devil's identity.  Marshal ap Gar on Pale is certainly following the leads as we speak. OOC: [see archives, 11.22.00 "Prepping the Base". The message to
Star Law is ~3/4 the way down.]
    "My job ended there.  I came along now out of curiosity.  But the advent of the sathar throws this back into a Star Law operation.  Therefore I grant you all deputization to deal with this sathar situation.  In other words, do what you would have done anyway.  I have seen your courage.  I trust that you will do the right thing.
    Bud perks up at this statement.  The very thought of him, a once sheepish Terraformer from the peaceful planet of Inner Reach, being deputized by Star Law because of his valor and daring adventures, fills his nucleus with pride.  A musky odor emanates from his membrane and he stands tall and upright on his two lower pseudopods, puffing out his upper pseudotorso.  If his wife and children could see him now . . . ohhh . . . his family . . . Bud's pride-filled moment as a daring adventurer quickly melts away as his optical clusters fill with goo at the thought of his loved ones. . .
    "Of course we must contact Star Law immediately," Klik continues. "We could radio Kah-liss.  Even though the Eorna say they have seen no sathar for many years, there is something deeper going on.  They did not rule out that off-world races *could* be on Volturnus.  There may be a contingent here, or perhaps listening posts, or perhaps they visit periodically.  They said there "may" be other bases populated by off-world races, which sounds like the sathar.
    The forlorn dralasite perks up again. Yes!  Star Law!  They could get a message to Bud's family!

OOC [Referee]
 Just so we don't get back into a squabble about who is in charge of who, Streel is still operating as Streel, and can perform their research/exploration on Streel's behalf. Klik isn't pulling out an 'ace in the hole' to become supreme commander of the team. There should be no reason the group can continue to work as a whole here. As Klik even says, ""We already covered the whole question of jurisdiction back at the base." So, just want to reiterate that we're not getting into another chest-thumping match.

IC
   Long after the Eorna leave the room Ooob-a-loom finally recovers a semblance of his normal self. "Thanks for the 'Billiard Ball Treatment' Bud"  Ooob-a-loom says to his fellow Dralasite.  "Tactile contact with another Dral seems to work most every time."  He glances around the culture centre once more. "All this wonderful art and history but the Eorna are so modest about their highly advanced comedic routines!  They would have to be the driest comics in the cosmos.  I wonder if we could take a couple of them on tour through the Frontier after all this is over?  Now there is a sure fire winner if ever I saw one."
    Some time later, after much soul searching, Ooob-a-loom approaches the 'Star Law' officer. "Hey you!  I presume you have some ID or evidence that you are who you claim to be?  Impersonating a Star Law officer is a pretty serious offence."  Ooob gives the Vrusk a long hard optical scan as he awaits the reply.
    This dralasite is no tougher than the drill sergeants at the Academy, Klik thinks. "Sure.  Ask Marshal Garnu ap-Gar, Pale, Truane's Star.  He's my boss.  That's why I knew to send the message to him when we were back at the base.  Now I certainly didn't keep my badge with me when the pirates were after me.  It's buried about a dozen clicks out from the base."
  "Well regardless, as far as I'm concerned you have deceived us all and for my part, I can no longer trust you.  I'll also remind you that we are all private citizens.  Aren't we?"  Big Red turns to the rest of the team questioningly  "No other surprises?  Anyway, my point is, we are outside UPF space so you don't have any authority out here and none of us have to follow any orders.  At least not from you."  The big Dralasite then pointedly turns his back on 'Star Law' as he now refers
to Klik exclusively, and resumes his study of the Eorna museum.
    "We already covered the whole question of jurisdiction back at the base," Klik responds.
    Raleigh, staring in shock and listening to the exchange between Big Red and Klik, finally just shrugs. "Why not," he mutters to himself sarcastically. "After all weve been through this all makes perfect sense!"
    Stepping forward, Raleigh waits till he has Klik's attention. "Look, weve all been through hell over the last few months and I for one can't downshift this fast. Star Law or not your in the same boat were all in so lets say we handle our friends here and then work out jurisdiction...k?"
    Raleigh steps back and motions towards Telgar, looking at the Dinos as if to indicate it was the old enforcers turn. "Your the boss man, and Ill follow you wherever. Let's handle this diplomatically so we can get off this damn rock and get paid."
    Raleigh's diplomacy allays Bud's dismay at Ooob-a-loom's negative reaction.  Bud nods in support of Raleigh's words and awaits Telgar's wise counsel.

    Klik motions to Telgar and anyone else interested. "There is something strange about so many intelligent races growing up
together at least reasonably peacefully on one planet.  The Eorna may be tampering with the others, playing big brother.  I'm not sure what it's about but they are keeping something back.  That's not a surprise since we entered their "very well hidden" home. Any ideas?"
    Bud steps forward and addresses Klik, "GrEEEG  Flipple blibble blip."  His polyvox translates, "Well, ma'am," addressing Klik appropriately in light of his new deputation, "with all due respect, I am uncertain that the peaceful commingling of sentient life forms necessitates a conclusion of foul play."  Bud continues, popping, whistling and bellowing, his polyvox providing a smooth translation into the vocal stylings of proper Pan-Gal as his three upper pseudopods gesticulate the physical aspect of the universal tongue, "Triad, Pale, and Gran Quivera have long enjoyed the peaceful coexistence of their multi-racial denizens.  Outer Reach, of my own solar system, less so; nevertheless, three out of four planets represent overwhelmingly favorable odds.  From a purely philosophical point of view, I believe we would be injecting a false assumption into our analysis if we presume that intelligent life forms cannot coexist without physical conflict.  Without tangible evidence to the contrary, it is my humble opinion that we should presume that the Eorna mean the other Volturnans no harm." Bud awaits intellectually stimulating responses from his colleagues.
    BudRREEP and Klik continue their philosophical musings while most, if not all the others, ignore them. Klik responds, "I see your point.  And I don't accuse the Eorna of foul play, just a tempering influence.  I grant that my hypothesis presumes that conflict is inevitable in the course of civilization.  As evidence I point out the armed war parties we met on first contact with all but the Edestekai.  Likewise, I assume that peace is inevitable for the continuation of civilization.  Else all but one of these civilizations would be destroyed or at least the losers evolutionary and technical developement would be stunted so as not to become a menace to the winner.
    "My current hypothesis is that the Eorna evolved first and had their share of wars and struggles.  They stunted the developement of the other races until they were fully civilized.  That is, they were so far ahead of the others that they fear no uprising.  At or about the same time, they entered the phase of peaceful civilization, settled on the philosophy of beauty and
life, perhaps at a result of some cataclismic event, perhaps in natural course of societal evolution.  Then they began bolstering the intellectual and cultural evolution of the other races, grooming them for some unknown purpose or perhaps just for the beauty of growth, like watching one's child."
    BudRREEPboopboopboop ponders Klik's hypothesis, resting his pseudochin in his pseudoextremity and nodding pensively.  "*BURP* *whistle* Blibblubb"  His polyvox translates, "Hrm...the question then arises, how to we operationalize these concepts to test this hypothesis?"

OOC [Klik]
"operationalize".  Now that's using your vocab.  You go, blob!
OOC [Referee]
 Wow! You guys are going at it like true scientists! Impressive!

IC
    Klik listens intently to Bud's postulating. "Asking the dinos didn't work very well.  We could ask the other races. Their viewpoint would be of interest.  There should be clues in both their relationship with the Eorna and in their mythologies.  There may be other ways, such as DNA patterning if the Eorna went as far as that, but I am not at all certain they even would.  Thinking back to the awesome psychological effects induced in us by the crystals I would be more inclined to suspect psychological conditioning rather than physical transformation.  Perhaps stimulate the hypothalamoid and production of N-cells to promote memory...

    As the team discussion starts to abate, Telgar finally speaks up, "I'm just glad that they have decided not to be hostile so far. It is interesting that they were so curious as to our intentions with the Star Devils. It almost seemed that they were not joyful about the freeing of the Edestekai either. The Eorna appear to have knowledge of other bases, yet they have no intention of letting us know about them. I'm very suspicious of their motives concerning the other planetary races and why they don't tell us much of what we really want to know." Turning towards Klik,"Although it is surprising that we have found evidence of past sathar contact and the possibility of them returning exists, I don't think they are an immediate concern. I'm more intersted in the relationship of the Eorna and the pirates. I wonder if they speak Edestekai as well as they speak Pan-Gal..." Telgar grabs a polyvox from the nearest person with one and uses it to ask one of the guards for a beverage in Edestekai.
    The guard regards Telgar a moment, then speaks in his own tongue to one of the medics. The medic Eorna reaches at crystal canteen at his waist and offers it to Telgar.
    Telgar accepts the canteen and drinks cool water from the container, returning the canteen when done. "Curious...Before we do anything, we have to wait and see what the leader Eorna have to say about what is to happen with us."
 
 
    When Klik can find Payne somewhat by himself, she approaches.  Undaunted by any umbrage she states her case.  "I will testify in your behalf if you are ever in need."  She waits a moment for a response or just to let the statement sink in.  "I already interrogated you.  Back at the base.  By what you told me I don't think you have much to worry about from Star Law.  And I will make sure they know how helpful you have been to the UPF."
    Payne ponders her words. "I appreciate your offer Klik, If Star Law backs off, military justice will catch up to me. There are powerful people back home who have the power to get what they want. This person wants me to pay, regardless of my innocense or not."
    Seeing that Payne is anxious about the subject, Klik nods and lets it go at that.

    The Techexs, drawing away somewhat from the intellectual postulationg of the Eorna's origin,  begin looking around at the different art pieces, snooping around for more Eorna technology they may be able to learn. Ooob notices a very large mural along the western wall. He regards it for a moment in interest, then speaks up, interrupting the dialogue between Bud, Klik, and Telgar.
    "Excuse me, fellows, but I think I know how the Sathar fit in with the Eorna," Ooob announces.
    Everyone turns to Ooob, who motions to the large painting. The soft colors and details of the painting are beatiful in an artistic eye, but the subject matter is what draws everyone near. The painting depicts the Crystal City (assumingly the crystal city you are now under) in the midst of a great battle. On the right side of the mural, squads of Sathar, rushing toward the fray in tight marching formation, spill into a fierce firefight with the defending Eorna. Lasers beams streak across the canvas from both Sathar and Eorna weapons.. Ships, some of recognized Sathar design, others unfamiliar, battle in the skies. Shards of crystal and debris rain down from the buildings as smoke and fire billow from shattered windows.  Studying this painting a few minutes clearly indicates a major battle occurred between the two races and explains the ruins of the city far above you.
    Bud's polyvox booms with excitement, a waft of sweet odor raining from his pours. "Blak Gadle DREBAK! Murka dib BlAAH Branka VRANDLE!" Bud exclaims, almost jumping up and down in his glee. The polyvox translates: "Incredible! This may not only be an art gallery, but it could be a Eorna History Center as well!!" Bud moves to other statues and paintings which depict the Great Battle, which seemed to do great devastation. Other displays paint pictures of the other races. Some in particular depict the following:

• Octopi being pulled from the ocean by a pair of Eorna, swirls of colored smoke or dust circling the Eorna. Many are very abstract and difficult to interpret, but different works show similar stories of monkeys.
• One holographic display (activated by a simple button) depicts a sunny day, and many Eorna gathered around a space vessel of some kind. As it takes off, leaving Volturnus far behind, it is assaulted and destroyed by Sathar vessels. As the debris scatters in all directions, you see it often forms many different Eorna words, of which you currently do not understand. Whether the words tell a story or are memorials to  Eorna lost, you do not know.
• Several displays seem to depict the Eorna moving underground, abandoning the ruined city on the surface.
• Many streamers or banners line the walls or float from the ceiling throughout the room. Following the source (or perhaps it is where the streamers are going TO),  you see the streamers begin (or end) at a dark pyramind against the northern wall. The structure, which doesn't seem to have any entrance or window, stretches perhaps 10 meters into the air.

    A lot of the art is abstract and without knowing the Eorna language is impossible to decipher. However, the displays keep the teams attention and everyone loses track of time as they try to uncover the secret of the Eorna.
    After an hour wait, the four Eorna return along with several of the armed dinos. They wait until everyone gathers back together before speaking.
    "We have spoke long with others. We are in agreement. Your arrival can be both good and bad. But we tell you all, as the time is near, we fear." The Eorna look among you with sad eyes and begins telling you about their history...
 

The Eorna were once the only intelligent species on Volturnus and had advanced to a high level of technology. They are natural hypnotist; much of their technology stresses mental control (probably one of the main reasons the techies had such problems trying to figure out Eorna gadgets). The big picture of Volturnus comes to play when the Eorna speak of the Day of Death. The Eorna eventually advanced to the level of star travel. But as soon as the Eorna launched their first starships and left this system, they were attacked by a Sathar space armada. Like most Sathar attacks, this one came with no warning; the Eorna were not even aware of the presence of the Sathar until the mysterious worms invaded their system.

The Sathar space armada quickly overwhelmed the Eorna, wreaking destruction across the planet. Within a matter of days, the worms had nearly driven the gentle Eorna to extinction. Still, the Eorna fought valiantly, and were able to resist complete annihilation.

The Sathar retreated, hoping they had destroyed enough of the Eorna civilization to prevent them from ever attempting interstellar travel again.  The remaining Eorna were warned to never attempt interstellar travel again or the Sathar would return to destroy all life on the planet. The Sathar left behind a mysterious artifact  to alert them of any interstellar travel in the system that might occur in the future. (The Eorna gesture to the looming display of the pyramid at the northern end of the room).

Less than 150 Eorna survived the Day of Death. They soon realized they were doomed as a race, for they knew that their numbers were not large enough to provide a viable gene pool. To meet the Sathar challenge, they have undertaken what they call The Great Mission. They have artificially interfered with evolution on the planet to produce the Edestekai, the Kurabanda, and the Ul-Mor. They hope one of these races will eventually achieve a high level of civilization, dedicated to beauty, but with sufficient technology and military skill to defend against, and eventually destroy, the Sathar. The Eorna are using a subtle process of hypnotic indoctrination and DNA manipulation to accelerate the development of three races toward intelligence. Most of the Eorna survivors have undergone cryogenic sleep, waiting to be awakened until they are needed to continue the project. Despite the fact that most of their young are born physically or mentally deficient because of the limited gene pool, the Eorna continue to breed, relying upon the few normal children to help continue the project.

The efforts of most surviving individual Eorna are given whole-heartedly to the Great Mission. Only 10 of the original survivors are awake at any given time. When one of these individuals dies, a sleeper is awakened to replace the dead Eorna. Forty-six individuals remain in cryogenic sleep. Those who are awake are aided in their efforts by the most capable of their descendents (many of whom have inbred genetic defects).

The number of Eorna is so small that they no longer need a formal society. There are no social organizations other than the family. Eorna society thus maximizes individual freedom of choice and minimizes social control of the individual. Criminal behavior is handled by a computerized/robotic legal system. All laws have been codified and entered into special computers. Computers run the robot police and server as ultimate judges in all civil and criminal cases. Eorna law recognizes that there may be extenuating circumstances involved in a criminal act. The system tries to evaluate a person's intentions and motives when considering guilt or innocence. The usual punishment for serious violations is imprisonment in a mental hospital. In some cases convicted criminals may be required to provide some type of restitution to the victims of their crimes. Finally, Eorna law recognizes a special appeal based upon the criminal's value to society. This system works for the Eorna because they all share the same basic goals and ideals (The Great Mission). However, the Eorna admit the prison and mental hospital systems have largely broken down. Some criminal or insane Eorna do exist and wander free in a few areas of the planet. The robot police frequently malfunction due to neglect.

The arrival to Volturnus of first the Star Devil, then by Truane's Star (OOC reminder, Truane's Star is the system where Pale is, where you were hired) completely upset Eorna plans. Though three races are intelligent, they have advanced only to a primitive state of technology. The Eorna fear the traffic to Volturnus over the past year has triggered the artifact and even now a Sathar Attack Fleet is on its way.

    "So you see," the Eorna finishes, "your arrival on our planet may have decided the destiny for all. We do not know for certain if the Sathar Artifact is activated. We will not approach the artifact, as it is most certainly has internal and external defenses. Excessive Eorna casualties would jeopardize the Great Mission should an attack of the artifact fail."
    The Eorna regard you hopefully. "Since you have arrived, you have killed the Star Devil and freed the Edestekai. Will you also help us? Find if the artifact has been activated, and if not, destroy it?" The Eorna stares into the distance a long moment, then sighs. "If the artifact is activated, then we have little time..."
 

OOC
   Welp, this is what you've been waiting for. I almost wish none of you had any idea where the story line went on Volturnus. I'd like to see some fresh responses. Of course, there are a few of you who didn't know this was coming.

Note - the pyramid in this room is NOT the Sathar Artifact. It is another piece of art depicting the device.

Jeff