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- LEVELTEXT:
- ; Start of level one:
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- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,1,"I awake. For a few moments I lie in a daze, not knowing who or where I am. "
- dc.b 0,1,"Then the memory of my ordeal floods back, and I start upright with a cry, "
- dc.b 0,1,"staring hectically around at the unfamiliar room. "
- dc.b 0,1,"Gradually I take in my surroundings. I seem to be in the quarantine bay of an "
- dc.b 0,1,"Earth Force ship; a military one from the looks of things. "
- dc.b 0,1,"They must have found me! But was I all they found..? Feverishly I check the "
- dc.b 0,1,"status panel on my medical bed. Green across the board; no evidence of "
- dc.b 0,1,"contamination. I let out a sigh of relief. Time to meet my rescuers, then. "
- dc.b 0,1,"I buzz the intercom, and wait. No reply. I try again, but to no avail. "
- dc.b 0,1,"Where is everyone? I disengage myself from the life support apparatus, pulling "
- dc.b 0,1,"tubes from various places, which is when I notice the smell. "
- dc.b 0,1,"I find the source almost immediately; a crumpled form huddled out of sight "
- dc.b 0,1,"in the corner of the room. His pale dead hand loosely grips a shotgun, and a "
- dc.b 0,1,"trail of dark stains leads from the door to the pool in which he slumps. "
- dc.b 0,0," "
-
- ;B
-
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,1,"The rest of the earth ship seems almost deserted. Examining the ship's log I "
- dc.b 0,1,"piece together what must have happened. "
- dc.b 0,1,"This ship, the battlecruiser INDOMITABLE, was dispatched to Osiris base to "
- dc.b 0,1,"ensure nothing escaped the destruction I caused. They found me floating near "
- dc.b 0,1,"to death in the shuttle I used; pulled me on board and stuck me in quarantine. "
- dc.b 0,1,"They were preparing for the return hyperspace jump when something appeared "
- dc.b 0,1,"out of nowhere, something HUGE, which shut down their main power systems, "
- dc.b 0,1,"then docked. After that it gets confusing; the ship being attacked by alien "
- dc.b 0,1,"soldiers, the crew fighing back, boarding the enemy vessel to try and break "
- dc.b 0,1,"free. That's all; after that the records are empty. Seems like I'm the one that "
- dc.b 0,1,"got away. Even if I could pilot this monster on my own, which I can't, I "
- dc.b 0,1,"couldn't leave maybe two or three hundred people captive, especially after they "
- dc.b 0,1,"saved my life. "
- dc.b 0,1,"Grimly shouldering my pack of supplies, I head for the docking ring... "
- dc.b 0,0," "
-
- ;C
-
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,1,"As I step into the shaft, some sort of energy field grabs me and lowers me "
- dc.b 0,1,"to the bottom. As I suspected, I can't seem to make it work in reverse. No way "
- dc.b 0,1,"to go but onwards, then. "
- dc.b 0,1,"I have no idea where the captives might be held; the alien design of this ship "
- dc.b 0,1,"is strange and disorienting. The ship itself is constructed of a curious "
- dc.b 0,1,"mixture of substances and designs, with bizarre crystalline surfaces next "
- dc.b 0,1,"to hi-tech alloys next to weird organic constructions. Strangest of all, some "
- dc.b 0,1,"of it is clearly adapted from earth technology and style, which begs the "
- dc.b 0,1,"question: what other species have contributed to the technology aboard this "
- dc.b 0,1,"ship? "
- dc.b 0,1,"I am given no time to think further about the subject, however, as the "
- dc.b 0,1,"distant sounds of the alarm being raised snaps my attention back to the "
- dc.b 0,1,"present. I'm going to have to keep on the move and out of sight if I am to "
- dc.b 0,1,"avoid the fate suffered by the crew of the INDOMITABLE... "
- dc.b 0,0," "
-
- ;D
-
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,1,"This doesn't look good. One minute I'm being pursued, the next everything goes "
- dc.b 0,1,"quiet. Something tells me there's something dangerous about the area I've "
- dc.b 0,1,"stumbled into, quite apart from the alien threat. "
- dc.b 0,1,"No point in going back though; they'll be ready for me with more firepower "
- dc.b 0,1,"than I can handle. No, the only thing to do is the unexpected: make it through "
- dc.b 0,1,"here alive and catch them by surprise... "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- ; small level with big baddie in.
-
- ;E
-
- ;large complex-ish level still aboard spaceship.
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,1,"I scramble shaking out of the teleport and look around apprehensively. No sign "
- dc.b 0,1,"that I'm not alone. Good, my plan seems to have worked. I'm finding a lot of "
- dc.b 0,1,"abandoned supplies from the INDOMITABLE, which means that either the assault "
- dc.b 0,1,"failed but the aliens still haven't had time to clean up, or the fighting is "
- dc.b 0,1,"still going on somewhere else. The way this place is locked up, it looks like "
- dc.b 0,1,"the aliens were drawing the attacking marines into their ship, shutting off "
- dc.b 0,1,"their escape route as they went. If I can open up a path back to the "
- dc.b 0,1,"INDOMITABLE, they might have a chance. If they're still alive, that is... "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
-
- ;F
-
- ;large complex-ish level on spaceship.
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,1,"I'm having difficulty following the trail of the marines; they must have split "
- dc.b 0,1,"up or been split up. Looking around I have difficulty believing I'm still "
- dc.b 0,1,"aboard a spaceship; these rooms glow and pulse with evident but unknowable "
- dc.b 0,1,"purpose. All I can do is try to track down my fellows and help them escape. "
- dc.b 0,1,"That they are still alive and fighting back seems likely; the aliens have never "
- dc.b 0,1,"used anything like the full strength they must have in this vessel to attack "
- dc.b 0,1,"me, meaning they must have more important fish to fry... "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
-
- ;G
-
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,1,"The trail ends here, at a teleport which appears more powerful and important "
- dc.b 0,1,"than the others I have used. I attempt in vain to decipher the alien symbols "
- dc.b 0,1,"when, shockingly, I see fragments of earth dialect, scattered here and there! "
- dc.b 0,1,"What is going on? First earth technology, now our language, used in a ship "
- dc.b 0,1,"of obviously alien manufacture! I am so stunned by the discovery that I fail "
- dc.b 0,1,"to notice, for several seconds, that the bits of text I CAN read refers "
- dc.b 0,1,"several times to a planet. This must be a ship-ground transporter! I stare "
- dc.b 0,1,"bitterly around. The marines had been herded like sheep, and I had fallen "
- dc.b 0,1,"straight into the same trap, with no choice now but to press onwards. Cursing "
- dc.b 0,1,"my own stupidity, I clutch my supplies and hurl myself into the teleporter... "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
-
- ;H
-
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,1,"I don't know where I've ended up, but it seems to be within a military "
- dc.b 0,1,"compound of some kind. The idea conjures up images of an alien version of "
- dc.b 0,1,"Osiris base, where samples of other species are brought for experimentation. "
- dc.b 0,1,"Maybe THAT's where the crew of the INDOMITABLE are now, floating in vats in "
- dc.b 0,1,"some darkened room, their bodies invaded by obscene alien probes bent on "
- dc.b 0,1,"remaking them in some new, more... suitable fashion. Sickening images swim "
- dc.b 0,1,"before my eyes and I sag to the ground, too exhausted and terrified to stand. "
- dc.b 0,1,"When I pull myself together I find I am huddled shivering in a corner, arms "
- dc.b 0,1,"wrapped around my head. I'm lucky nothing found me in that state; I'd have "
- dc.b 0,1,"put up no resistance at all, whatever they tried to do to me. Determined not "
- dc.b 0,1,"to cave in like that again, I pull myself upright. If the crew of the "
- dc.b 0,1,"INDOMITABLE are beyond saving, then I'll only have one other option... "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
-
- ;I
-
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,1,"The trail is becoming more difficult to follow than ever. It seems like the "
- dc.b 0,1,"marines lost hope when they discovered where they were; I keep finding piles "
- dc.b 0,1,"of equipment abandoned in corners; no bodies nearby so I must assume they were "
- dc.b 0,1,"taken prisoner. Some were still fighting on though, maybe trying to get back "
- dc.b 0,1,"to the ship somehow. I don't think they made it though. "
- dc.b 0,1,"It looks as if this was a one-way ticket for us all. Without help I doubt "
- dc.b 0,1,"I could pilot the cruiser back home, even assuming I could get back aboard. "
- dc.b 0,1,"I sit for a minute or two, resting and collecting my thoughts. The situation "
- dc.b 0,1,"seems hopeless. But maybe, just maybe, I can do some damage here before they "
- dc.b 0,1,"take me. I get to my feet once more, choose a promising-looking tunnel and "
- dc.b 0,1,"set off. After all, what have I got to lose? "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
-
- ;J
-
- dc.b 0,1,"The aliens still don't seem organised; perhaps the marines managed to hurt "
- dc.b 0,1,"them badly, knock out lines of communication or something. As I run down "
- dc.b 0,1,"another dim winding corridor, a panel catches my eye. More earth script! As far "
- dc.b 0,1,"as I can make out, this is intended to be some sort of computer terminal. But "
- dc.b 0,1,"there's no screen, or keyboard, just a slightly transparent flat plate. I bend "
- dc.b 0,1,"down, trying to see through the material of the plate. As I do so, my forehead "
- dc.b 0,1,"brushes it and - I am floating in a vast space, countless millions of bright "
- dc.b 0,1,"threads weaving through the emptiness around me. I think to turn around and the "
- dc.b 0,1,"world shifts, showing my own trail. All these... lights, or threads, must be "
- dc.b 0,1,"alien minds; this space a kind of group consciousness! But there seems to be "
- dc.b 0,1,"something wrong. The threads writhe together but seem unable to join or "
- dc.b 0,1,"communicate. I can feel something, huge but dormant, perhaps damaged or even "
- dc.b 0,1,"destroyed. Could it be the marines caused this damage? However it happened, it's"
- dc.b 0,1,"the only thing keeping me alive right now. Even as I think this, I see pulses "
- dc.b 0,1,"of light within the silent mass. I disengage instinctively. Perhaps later I can "
- dc.b 0,1,"use this network to my advantage. Right now I'm vulnerable... "
-
- ;K
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,1,"This looks like a storage area of some kind. There might be all sorts of useful "
- dc.b 0,1,"stuff to be found. On the other hand, if it's anything destructive, it'll be "
- dc.b 0,1,"under lock and key and guarded heavily. Right now though I need all the help I "
- dc.b 0,1,"can get... "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
-
- ;L
- dc.b 0,1,"The aliens are definately starting to get their act together, which doesn't bode"
- dc.b 0,1,"well. Nearby is another of the strange terminals. I hesitate, then plug in. "
- dc.b 0,1,"Once again I enter the hive consciousness. Immediately I see the central mass "
- dc.b 0,1,"pulsing and glowing, powering up. Suddenly I see something out of place; "
- dc.b 0,1,"flickering cages of light, two containing bright red threads like my own, the "
- dc.b 0,1,"rest empty. As I watch, one flares up and vanishes. The last thread seems weak "
- dc.b 0,1,"and glows only fitfully. They must be the captured marines! I race towards the "
- dc.b 0,1,"occupied cage and hover outside. I attempt to communicate, and am rewarded with "
- dc.b 0,1,"a hazy line joining our threads together. Immediately my mind explodes with pain"
- dc.b 0,1,"and fear raging through the link from the captive. I frantically send a message "
- dc.b 0,1,"of who I am. The fear fades a little, and I get a message in reply: "
- dc.b 0,1,"'Leave us... we're all dead anyway. Try to get to the oribital control "
- dc.b 0,1,"computers... Without them the alien defences are useless. Use the cruiser... ' "
- dc.b 0,1,"A blast of images flashes into my brain; rudimentary instructions for using the "
- dc.b 0,1,"autopilot. The last image I recieve is of the planet from space, erupting as "
- dc.b 0,1,"the alien craft, towed out of orbit by the cruiser, crashes on the surface... "
-
- ;M
-
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,1,"The brief communication I established with the captive marine showed me where "
- dc.b 0,1,"he thought the orbital computer uplinks were located. Once they are destroyed, "
- dc.b 0,1,"the automated planetary defences won't be able to track the cruiser or the alien"
- dc.b 0,1,"craft. There are three uplink computers, all independant from one another. I'm "
- dc.b 0,1,"going to have to take them all out before I can try to escape... "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
-
- ;N
-
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,1,"One down, two to go. The others are trickier; one is in a heavily guarded tower "
- dc.b 0,1,"nearby, the other some distance away. I head for the tower. I'm getting tired, "
- dc.b 0,1,"the medical bed on board the cruiser kept me in good shape, but I've been "
- dc.b 0,1,"knocked about a lot and covered a lot of ground. Maybe I can hole up in the "
- dc.b 0,1,"tower somewhere and rest awhile. Then again, if the aliens see a pattern in "
- dc.b 0,1,"my attack; heading for the orbital computers, they'll put everything they've "
- dc.b 0,1,"got around the third computer to prevent me reaching it. Looks like I'll have "
- dc.b 0,1,"to rest later. When either they're dead, or I am... "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
-
- ;O
-
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,1,"Two down, and just one to go. Checking out of a window, looking towards the "
- dc.b 0,1,"third uplink, my heart sinks. The aliens know what I'm up to, even if they don't"
- dc.b 0,1,"know the whole plan. Maybe they ripped it out of that poor marines head before "
- dc.b 0,1,"he died, maybe they just figured it out by themselves. Either way, there's a lot"
- dc.b 0,1,"of firepower being mustered over there, and I mean a LOT. Still, what else can "
- dc.b 0,1,"I do? I shrug my pack into a less uncomfortable position with a sour grin. "
- dc.b 0,1,"'Hey,' I tell myself, 'Not like you had any other plans for tonight'... "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,0," "
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- ;P
-
- dc.b 0,0," "
- dc.b 0,1,"Against all the odds, I succeeded in destroying the last computer, which should "
- dc.b 0,1,"knock out the orbital defenses for a while at least. But even so the alien craft"
- dc.b 0,1," will still be manned. How can I escape with that thing waiting for me? "
- dc.b 0,1,"It overpowered the cruiser before; it can do it again. I smash my fist into the "
- dc.b 0,1,"wall in frustration. The pain reminds me of the surge I recieved through the "
- dc.b 0,1,"link to the dying marine... "
- dc.b 0,1,"I stop dead, a wild, wonderful idea slowly unfolding in my mind. The thing in "
- dc.b 0,1,"the alien mind-space; the central mass: what if it wasn't a machine at all, but "
- dc.b 0,1,"some creature? That being injured would account for the aliens being so "
- dc.b 0,1,"uncoordinated. If I find it, and injure it further, or even kill it... If I time"
- dc.b 0,1,"it right, so all the aliens are linked back in, I might be able to blow their "
- dc.b 0,1,"minds completely this time. Even if it doesn't work that well, they'll have "
- dc.b 0,1,"a lot more to worry about than me creeping back on board the cruiser. I just "
- dc.b 0,1,"have to find this thing, and put it out of commission. Permanently. "
- dc.b 0,0," "
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