 |  Lifepod |
A science-fiction adventure for 3 players, adapted from the motion picture LIFEPOD
On the Board of Directors of the Titan Mining Corporation (TMC), the largest and most powerful of the earth’s megacorps. TMC virtually controls the exploration and exploitation of the solar system, and own and operates the only transport ships between occupied planets, ships such as the space liner Hyperion that is presently en route to earth from Venus.
Director Stern has been on Venus investigating claims by dissidents amongst the Venusian colonists that working and living conditions are unbearable, and that TMC security forces are persecuting any who dare to object to the harshness of the life that has been thrust upon them, and imprisoning them in unofficial dissident rehabilitation camps. He found no evidence of such camps, and came away convinced that conditions are being maintained to a sufficiently high standard, with hospitals, schools, and good habitats.
Stern is a man of late middle age, tall and solidly built, a little overweight but otherwise healthy. He has thinning reddish-brown hair that was once curly, cold grey eyes and an expression that matches his name. As would be expected, he dresses in a smart and elegant suit. He is not a bad man, and sees himself as the conscience of the TMC Board. But he does believe whole-heartedly in the corporation, and will defend it vigorously against what he perceives as unfounded allegations.
An experienced businessman rather than a diplomat, he is a natural leader but lacks tact and the human touch. His larynx has been surgically altered, to give him a more authoritative voice. He has few skills that operate outside the boardroom, but he does carry a six shot revolver at all times (lasers are detected by security sweeps, and thus not permitted on liners, and few gunpowder weapon remain in 2169)
A second year medical student born and raised on Venus. She is on her way to earth to complete her field training. Like most if not all native Venusians, Torres has an abiding hatred for TMC and everything it stands for. She has seen the appalling conditions first hand, the overworked and underpaid miners, the lack of safety precautions, hospitals full of radiation-burn victims, and the rehabilitation camps run by TMC security to "re-educate" any dissidents who might object to their lot in life. Her father was tortured and murdered by TMC inquisitors in such a camp, and she has scars the length of her back as testament to her own experiences there.
Torres is in her early twenties, with short dark hair and an attractive face generally concealed beneath a scowl. She is of Hispanic descent, and is dressed in cheap travelling clothes. There is a fire in her eyes, and she is not afraid to show her temper, but she is not an unreasonable person, and is certainly very intelligent. She is accustomed to inhospitable living conditions, and is resourceful and strong-willed. Her medical skills are still somewhat limited, but she is a promising student. She also knows how to look after herself, and has a small knife tucked into her right boot, for emergencies.
Kane is an escaped prisoner, being shipped from Venus to a penal colony on earth, though he tries to hide this fact from his fellow ‘passengers’ for as long as possible, claiming to be a cargo bay hand. (He also has a cut on his forehead, which he will claim was sustained when a stack of crates fell on him in the cargo bay) He knows it is only a matter of time before he is discovered, however, as he has on his right wrist an electronic cuff designed to administer an intense heat whenever his adrenalin levels get too high (ie. he gets angry). These cuffs are typically used for violent criminals, and Kane knows the others will think the worst of him, which is why he will claim to be a political prisoner, if forced into an explanation. He was in custody when the explosions started, but got free when the detention block suffered multiple explosions. He ran blindly, and found himself in this lifepod.
In truth, he was a water reclamation engineer, responsible for supervising shipment of water to remote Venusian desert towns. On one such trip, the driver didn’t reach the town, but instead dumped the cargo of water into a vast underground reservoir. When he reported this, he was told to keep his mouth shut. When he pressed the issue, he was arrested and charged with subverting the interests of the shareholders, and put in a cell the size of a shoebox. He doesn’t know how long for, but he has suffered from claustrophobia ever since.
Kane is a thin man in his late twenties, with unkempt hair and cheap clothes. He is unshaven, somewhat short-tempered, and rather nervous in case he should be discovered. He is stronger than he looks, however, and knows how to fight.
A very attractive fair-haired woman in her late twenties, who arrives wearing a long black evening dress. She is a journalist, and persists in trying to record everything on her portable vid-cam, which she never allows out of her sight. She has a reputation for letting nothing stand in her way in her pursuit of a good story.
The man ultimately responsible for the destruction of the Hyperion, though that will not become apparent for some time yet. Initially he appears as a thirty-something blind man, with black hair and a dark beard, and a Mediterranean look about him. Smartly dressed and carrying a large bag containing personal effects, he tells people that he was a structural engineer working for TMC, until an accident rendered him blind. In actuality, he is a covert security operative. He used a fusion smelter to cause the explosion on the Hyperion, and sabotaged the lifepods so that only this one would escape. His plan is to kill each of his companions one by one, ensuring that the fugitive Kane will be blamed for the murders, and Venusian dissidents will be accused of destroying the Hyperion in an attempt to assassinate Director Stern. That will give TMC security all the excuse they need to employ force to quell the growing unrest on Venus, with the weight of public (earth) support behind them.
To aid in his plan, he has secreted an environmental suit and food within the galley, and during the trip will fill a number of water-balls to go with them, before contaminating the remaining water supply with hydraulic fluid.
A thoroughly ruthless and cold-hearted professional killer, Corrigan will let nothing stand in the way of his mission (though he has no intention of sacrificing himself in the name of the TMC. He is also a highly intelligent, skilled charlatan, adept at diverting suspicion onto others, and away from himself.
One of the ship’s galley crew. A kind a friendly family man, large build, black, early twenties; he carries a photo of his wife Lily and daughter Denise.
One of the Hyperion’s crew of ‘toolies’, midgets who have had one of their arms replaced by a cybernetic tool, which can be used with a multitude of attachments. Their small size and expendability (part of a toolie’s contract stipulates that his duty is to ensure the safety of his ship and its passengers and crew, even at the expense of his own life - they are well paid but seen by most people as little more than tools, less than human) make the toolies ideal for conducting repairs in the more inaccessible parts of a ship’s superstructure. Q3 is no different, utterly selfless and dedicated to the safety of his passengers. He is deeply affected whenever anything happens to someone under his care.
The designated pilot of Pod 7, she is also the Hyperion navigator who sent a toolie (T9) to investigate the heat build-up in grid 5 that led to the explosion that destroyed the ship. T9 reported an octopus-shaped device, hot in the centre, with copper leads. Moments later, sections 40-52 decompressed, there were multiple electrical failures all over the ship, and she sent out the mayday. As life-support began failing, the captain gave the "Abandon Ship" order to escape to the lifepods.
Brookes is a career pilot, skilled and dedicated, and fully aware of her responsibilities to her passengers. Much as a toolie, she is not above making sacrifices if it will mean saving lives. She is a slim black woman, short hair, with an immaculate uniform.
A young woman, mid-twenties, long dark hair, enters the lifepod in a state of distress and carrying a small hyperstasis pod containing her new-born baby. Her only concern is for her baby’s welfare, and she contributes little else to the scenario.
The complete player handouts can be found here. When a handout is required, it is duplicated in the text.
It is Christmas Eve, in the year 2169. On board the Titan Mining Corporation’s passenger liner Hyperion, en route from Venus to Earth, are 2000 passengers and crew in party mood. And then the fun starts.
Navigator Tech Lauren Brookes noticed a heat build-up in grid 5, so she sent a toolie, T9 to investigate. T9 reported seeing an octopus-shaped device attached to the power grid, with copper wires running from it. Moments later the ship began to shake, Sections 40-52 started decompressing, and multiple electrical failures and explosions were reported all over the ship. A mayday was sent out, and when life support began to fail, the captain ordered a general abandon ship. There was an understandable amount of panic, as explosions rocked the ship and fires spread, and passengers and crew alike struggled to make their way toward one of the Hyperion’s 120 Lifepods. Our story concerns those who made it to pod 42.
Kane is first to reach the Pod, so is already there when the others begin to arrive.
Next to enter is Corinne Ryland, clutching her baby’s hyperstasis pod and crying for help.
Torres enters, and realises that Ryland needs help to attach the pod to an umbilical tube, or the baby will suffocate. She locates an umbilical and attaches it, just as Corrigan fumbles his way in, and stands in the entrance, quite obviously uncertain.
Director Stern arrives, finding Corrigan blocking the entrance [Stern Handout #1]
Rockwell Stern - Handout #1
Having found your way through the smoke to a lifepod, number 42 you think, you arrive to find some idiot standing in the entrance. Its frustrating how easily some people are overcome and virtually paralysed when they find themselves faced with a crisis situation. You have no time for such lightweights, and order him out of the way.
Tech Brookes arrives, followed closely by Q3 and Crewman Parker. Brookes instructs Q3 to seal the hatch if no-one else is boarding, as they are leaving right now. [Stern Handout #2]
Rockwell Stern - Handout #2
The pilot is only Tech level, and does not have the authority to launch the Lifepod without having a senior officer on board. You hate it when people fail to follow correct procedures, and could have her de-commissioned for failing to wait for the arrival of an officer. The fact that she is prepared to argue with you also signifies that she has no idea who you are. On reflection, it might be a good idea to keep your identity a secret for the moment, at least until you’ve had time to assess the situation and evaluate your fellow survivors.
Brookes refuses to argue with Stern, and insists they are leaving; just then St. John enters, and Q3 closes they hatch behind her. Q3 then hands out oxygen masks to everyone, and helps them to strap themselves in.
Clare St. John starts filming the scene with her portable vid-cam.
Tech Brookes reports that the auto-release is not responding, and that she is going to have to launch the pod manually.
In response to any query, she replies: "These pods are old, too old; they should have been replaced years ago. Hardly anything works as it should, because the TMC Board of Directors decided in their wisdom that it wasn’t cost-effective to maintain them, in view of their exemplary safety record."
The Pod is launched, a violent lurching motion that shunts it out into space.
Brookes reports that according to the comm-traffic she is monitoring, no other Lifepods have been ejected yet. And their own pod is not yet far enough away from the Hyperion to ensure safety. She pleads with them to ejects as soon as possible, but there is no reply.
The Hyperion explodes violently, and Pod 42 is still too close to the blast radius. It is rocked by the force of the blast, and Q3 reports damage to the cockpit radiation shields. They won’t close, which leaves the pilot without protection. The hull is then punctured by a shard of debris. Crewman Parker grabs a sealant canister from the supply locker, and starts to spray over the puncture as the cabin depressurises. He has just finished, when a second puncture occurs, just below the first, sending a large piece of shrapnel into his right leg just above the knee. He grasps his leg in agony, leaving the gaping hole. Q3 is buy attending a third puncture on the other side of the cabin.
As the holes are being fixed, a second shockwave rocks the Pod, knocking the baby’s hyperstasis pod free from its umbilical. Ryland cries out in panic, but despite help the baby is already dead by the time they reconnect the tube. Ryland sits down, cradling the pod, and sobs inconsolably.
While the others are distracted helping Parker and repairing the holes, she gets up quietly and walks over to the airlock. [Kane Handout #1]
Tyrell Kane - Handout #1
You notice the distraught woman, Ryland, going over towards the airlock, still holding onto her baby in its hyperstasis tube.
After she is stopped, she can be sedated. Corrigan suggests she is strapped down for her own safety.
A First Aid kit can be found, but like everything else on the Pod it is hopelessly inadequate. It does contain a few bandages, and a hypospray with a supply of morphia painkiller.
Q3 attempts to raise Tech Brookes on the comm, but she doesn’t respond. As the only recognised member of the Hyperion crew on board, she is technically in charge. Eventually she answers on the vid-comm, reporting that the crawlway to the cockpit has been damaged, and has depressurised, her shields failed to close, and are jammed, leaving her open to solar radiation. Main transmitter is also damaged, so no message can be sent. They will just have to wait for a response to the Hyperion’s mayday. The nearest base is 4 days away from the Hyperion’s last location, and they have been knocked further from that position by the force of the blast. The Pod is only equipped with manouevring thrusters for docking, so she sends out an orbital marker to help rescuers trace their location.
It looks like they are the only survivors from the Hyperion.
Brookes asks for someone to conduct an inventory of supplies.
They have about a week’s water, and a supply of survival rations (like soft biscuits) is the only food. There is the first aid kit, the puncture sealant, and very little else.
Meanwhile, St. John videos everything. [Torres Handout #1]
Erin Torres - Handout #1
You hate the idea of that woman filming everything. On Venus, TMC security record everything people do, spying on their lives, looking for anything that might be used to incriminate them at a later date. Is it possible that she might work for TMC?
St. John points out that she recognises Director Stern. [Stern Handout #3]
Rockwell Stern - Handout #3
You also recognise this woman. She is a reporter, well-known for her ruthless determination in pursuit of a story, and lack of morality. TMC also had a file on her ex-husband, who was and outspoken businessman regarded as a troublemaker.
Everything is quiet for a couple of hours, as the survivors introduce each other and come to terms with the tragedy of the Hyperion.
Suddenly the silence is broken as Ryland goes into shock. She struggles violently, unable to breathe. Despite their best efforts, she dies. If Torres examines her, she will find a miniature water-ball in her mouth, its tube stuck down her throat. [Torres Handout #2]
Erin Torres - Handout #2
You personally helped to strap the woman down. There was no way she could have swallowed the water-ball, as her arms were secure. The straps were loosened when you tried to resuscitate her, so it is impossible to prove, but you’re certain she couldn’t have put the tube down her own throat.
If the point is raised, St.John admits to loosening the straps so that Ryland could be more comfortable.
Corrigan then interjects a story which is taught to Venusian school children, which he is sure Miss Torres will be familiar with:
Back in a time when the earth’s polar regions were still ice, an Eskimo family was trapped in a winter storm. The children were starving and wouldn’t have lasted another day. The father went out hunting, but again came back empty-handed. The children were asleep in their grandmother’s arms, knowing they were going to die. The parents woke next morning to find that the grandmother had cut her own wrists, and drained her blood into a soup bowl. They children were saved by her sacrifice.
The point? He is merely suggesting that if they survive, they should record Miss Ryland’s death as a gift of life, a sacrifice.
Her body is then put into the airlock, along with her baby, and ejected into space.
Q3 takes this particularly hard, and retreats to his own small room. [Stern Handout #4]
Rockwell Stern - Handout #4
You know that part of a toolie’s oath of service is to ensure the safety of his passengers, even to the extent of sacrificing his own life where necessary. They take their oath very seriously, which is why Q3 is so upset at Ryland’s death.
It is late, and everyone is very tired. Soon they all fall asleep.
Those not already awake are jolted from their slumber by a sudden burst from the Pod’s thrusters. Q3 contacts Brookes, who reports that she has locked on to an orbiting supply beacon, which she estimates is about 3 days away. If they can find it, they should have more than enough food, water, and oxygen to last until they are found and rescued. [Stern Handout #5].
Rockwell Stern - Handout #5
You object to such important decisions being taken without your consent, and feel obliged to make the point to the pilot. But before you can do so, your thoughts are interrupted by Corrigan who is seated next to you.
He says that he could detect a note of strain in Brookes’ voice when she reported on the supply buoy. He thinks she may be lying in order to keep up their spirits. He confirms the excellence of his hearing by pointing out the alteration to your larynx which gives you a more authoritative voice!
It appears that Tech Brookes is suffering the early stages of radiation sickness, and Q3 is frantically searching for a way to reach her so that he can try to repair the shield mechanism
St. John is seated next to Kane, and asks him what happened to his face. As he is explaining, she grabs the wrist of his shirt and pulls it back, revealing his electronic wrist-cuff. She explains to the others that they are only fitted to dangerous, violent criminals. [Kane Handout #2]
Tyrell Kane - Handout #2
You know the others will only think the worst of you, now that they know you’re a criminal. They have their prejudices, and they wouldn’t believe you if you told them the truth. What do you care what they think? Let them have their suspicions, you know better.
Everyone looks at Kane with suspicion now, but they keep their opinions to themselves for the moment. The air is becoming thinner, breathing more uncomfortable, and everyone is once more left alone with their thoughts.
St. John sits there watching over and over again her vid of the scenes of panic in the Hyperion’s last moments, trying to find some clue as to what caused the explosion that killed some 2000 people. Could it have been some kind of reactor problem? she asks Q3.
Corrigan interrupts, saying it wasn’t. He insists the structural shocks that preceded the explosion reverberated from 3 separate locations, adding that he used to be a TMC structural engineer, so he knows what he’s talking about.
What else could it have been? If no-one else does, St.John suggests a meteor. Q3 says the Hyperion’s shield were built to deflect meteors. He adds that T9 was sent to investigate an unidentified heat build up just prior to the first explosion, and asks Brookes what T9 reported.
She says he saw an electronic device, octopus-shaped, hot in the centre, with copper leads, attached to Grid 5.
Q3 identifies this as a fusion smelter, a mining tool. [Torres Handout #3]
Erin Torres - Handout #3
A fusion smelter is much more than a simple mining tool. It is effectively a mini fusion reactor, capable of generating enough energy to liquify minerals. They use them on Venus, and they have been responsible for more deaths and serious injuries than any other industrial ‘accident’. But why would anyone have a fusion smelter on a space liner?
Whats more, a smelter cannot be activated by remote, so the saboteur must have been on board the Hyperion.
While they contemplate this latest mystery, Brookes reports some comm-traffic she has picked up. It is from the search and rescue ships. They are saying that Director Stern is presumed dead, and are talking about calling off the search, as no survivors have been found. The likelihood of anyone being found now is so remote, it would not justify the expense of continuing. It appears that the news services are pinning the blame for the destruction of the Hyperion on a Venusian terrorist faction, believed to be specifically targeting Director Stern. [Torres Handout #4]
Erin Torres - Handout #4
This is typical of the opinion of those on earth, their prejudices and misconceptions fed by the news services and controlled by the TMC propaganda machine. People on earth have no idea of the conditions on Venus, and people like Stern make sure they never find out. He’s just visited Venus, what did he think of the conditions there? How can he justify the rehab camps, and the sort of punishment that results in scars like the one on your back?
Corrigan calmly states that if you look closely, you will see that everyone on board had a motive for destroying the Hyperion.
Torres - a Venusian, who hates TMC
Stern - to stir up anti-Venusian feeling, so as to justify tougher measures against the dissidents
Kane - an escaped criminal, punished for sticking up for what’s right
Parker - for the life insurance (all TMC employees have good cover) for his wife and child
Corrigan - lost his sight while working for TMC, who didn’t give a damn about how it would affect his wife or family
Q3 - had arm replaced by cybernetic tool, to earn an extra 50 credits a day; no longer seen as a person, more a piece of equipment, a toolkit, and therefore expendable
St. John - story of the century
St John questions Kane, asking how he managed to get to the Lifepod if he was held in custody. As he explains, he becomes agitated, his wrist cuff administers a shock, and Corrigan mentions the obvious tension in his voice. [Stern Handout #6]
Rockwell Stern - Handout #6
So the saboteur is revealed at last. This psychopath has cost TMC a fortune by destroying the Hyperion, not to mention the cost of the resulting operation on Venus that is sure to follow. Oh, and the loss of all those lives. If you could overpower him now, at least the rest of the survivors would be safe from further danger. And you’re no doubt the only one here who’s armed
Q3 demands the gun from Stern, and insists there will be no lynching on this Pod. Everyone is told to relax, as they have other problems to worry about. The oxygen circulation system is dead, which is why they’ve been having trouble breathing. [Torres Handout #5]
Erin Torres - Handout #5
You know of a way to control your breathing so as to conserve oxygen, which is taught to all Venusian colonists at an early age.
Parker is convinced Kane is the killer, and says so, insisting that he’ll administer his own brand of justice if Kane comes anywhere near him. St.John enlists Torres’ help in sedating him with Morphia, though Torres is reluctant to allow him too much painkiller in case it does him more harm than good. He is in a lot of pain, and shows the two women his photo of his wife and daughter, tearfully wondering if he’ll ever see them again.
Meanwhile Q3 has had an idea, to borrow circuits from the temperature control system to repair the oxygen circulation unit. It’s going to get mighty hot, but at least they’ll be able to breathe.
That night, Corrigan fills a number of water balls for himself, them contaminates the remaining water supply with hydraulic fluid.
Next morning, St John reports that the water tastes funny, oily. Upon investigation, it appears that the water has been contaminated with hydraulic fluid. Q3 says they are still over a day away from the supply buoy. Corrigan expresses his doubts that they buoy exists, believing Brookes made it up to help morale.
Sweltering from the sun’s relentless heat, they eventually locate the supply buoy. It can be seen out of the cabin window, but as it rotates slowly, it’s far side is revealed to be exposed; it has been destroyed by space debris, and is now empty and useless.
Everyone is demoralised, and Brookes is gravely ill with radiation sickness.
Q3 believes he has finally found a way to reach her, through one of the tiny crawlways in the hull that house the power cables. They appear to still be pressurised. He asks for Kane’s help, and shows him a map of the crawlway system, but Kane can’t enter the crawlway because of his claustrophobia. Without help, Q3 is unable to get past the high-voltage cables, and has to give up.
St John notices a patch blow in the galley, and rushes to block it. She covers it with her hand, and screams for help. Kane is nearest. She might have lost her hand, but instead suffered only a minor cut and bruise. Q3 fixes the patch, explaining that changes in temperature sometimes cause them to crack.
Through his drug-induced delirium, Parker mumbles that he heard it whistling in the night, and mentioned it to Corrigan. Corrigan, insists that had he been awake he would have heard it, but he wasn’t, and didn’t speak with Parker.
As Torres is checking the dressing on Parker’s leg, she sees that his wound has become gangrenous. He had secreted a supply of morphia and has been taking large doses to ease the pain, with the side-effect of accelerating the tissue decay. [Torres Handout #6]
Erin Torres - Handout #6
There is no option, if you want to save Parker’s life, the leg will have to be amputated. The only way seems to be to use Q3’s mini-chainsaw, while the rest of you hold Parker down.
Parker is distraught at the prospect of losing his leg, but ultimately has no choice if he ever wants to see his family again. Finally he agrees, and insists St John video the incident, so that he’ll be shown to be a brave hero when the eventually get rescued.
While the amputation is being completed, the Pod passes through the tail of a comet, bombarding the capsule with chunks of ice. With no shields, Brookes’ lonely vigil is finally ended, and the vid-comm shows her slumped lifelessly in her seat.
Q3 takes her death particularly badly. [Kane Handout #3]
Tyrell Kane - Handout #3
As he returns to his own cabin, you hear Q3 mumble "No, this can’t be happening again."
If questioned, he explains: In the shadow of a comet, there is no heat. Their food and water are all but gone. Once before, while he was on the dark side of Jupiter, in a mining ship heading for the mines on Io, the ship caught fire. The Pod got away, and drifted for 3 weeks; 52 men freezing to death in darkness. Only one person survived. He doesn’t want to have to watch that again.
The temperature drops dramatically over the next few hours. Everyone’s tempers are a little frayed. Corrigan urges calm, pointing out that their only hope of survival lay in co-operation, and restraint. [Stern Handout #7]
Rockwell Stern - Handout #7
How can Corrigan remain so calm all the time? And what about that bag he always keeps hold of. Does he have something to hide?
Corrigan insists the bag contains only a few personal effects, and if it is searched he is proved to be telling the truth.
It is now New Years Eve. The Hyperion was due to reach earth on New Years Day.
The ice at least provides a source of water, as the intense cold freezes the moisture in the air.
St John apologises to Kane for her earlier suspicion of him, and asks him sincerely how he came to be wearing the wrist-cuff. They end up falling asleep, huddled together for warmth.
Overnight, Parker sees Corrigan drinking fresh water from one of his water-balls, but is unable to call out because he is too heavily drugged. Corrigan silently crosses the cabin, and breaks his neck. Next morning, Kane is first awake. [Kane Handout #4]
Tyrell Kane - Handout #4
You appear to be the first awake, so you decide to go check and see how Parker is doing. When you get to him, you discover that he has died in the night. Obviously the pain was too much for him in the end.
The others are woken, and Torres notices immediately that Parker did not die as a result of his leg wound. [Torres Handout #7]
Erin Torres - Handout #7
It is clear that Parker did not die as a result of his leg wound. His neck has been broken, and Kane was first to wake this morning.
St John says that Kane was with her all night.
Q3: "If Kane didn’t kill Parker, then who did?"
Corrigan says he did it. He was using up valuable oxygen, and was going to die anyway. He had only 10-12 hours at best (Torres agrees). He was going to discuss it with them, but knew that they wouldn’t have the courage - the heart - to condemn Parker to death. But this is the Endgame now, survival of the fittest. Says that he has calculated that if 2 people sacrifice themselves, the chances of the others surviving increase by 50%. He will be the other sacrifice. He picks up a piece of metal sheet, and uses it to slash his wrist.
The wound is not too deep, and it can be staunched and bound.
For the next few hours, all rest and conserve their energy in silence. [Kane Handout #5]
Tyrell Kane - Handout #5
Lost in quiet reflection, something that has been nagging at you for the past couple of days starts to come into focus. Something happened while Parker’s leg was being amputated, but in all the confusion that followed it slipped out of your mind. You know it was something odd, and have a gut feeling its important, but you can’t quite place it.
If the vid of the operation is watched, a startling discovery is made. At one point, as Parker throws aside a blanket that he’d been using as a pillow, Corrigan is seen to duck out of its way. If questioned, he says he remembers the incident, and he heard the blanket coming, and ducked. Amidst all that screaming?
St John shines the camera’s light at his eyes, and he blinks and shies away, revealing that he is not blind after all.
Q3 emerges from his cabin holding Stern’s gun. Corrigan calmly says: "Give me the gun, Q3, you know you’re not going to hurt me." As Q3 hesitates, Corrigan makes a grab for the gun, takes it and shoots the toolie twice in the chest.
He now reveals that he is in fact a TMC agent. Yes, they did want to create an excuse to send in the troops on Venus, and they needed to stage a crime so horrific that they couldn’t fail to have the full weight of public support behind them. Stern wasn’t told of the operation, because of his ‘suspect’ morality. They believe he has gone soft. Now any investigation will uncover the story of how the dissident Kane planned the whole thing to get revenge against TMC, and killed all the survivors except him, Corrigan. He has more than enough supplies stashed to last until rescue arrives.
If he is not stopped now, he will shoot St John twice, killing her, then fire 2 shots at Stern, only hitting him once, in the shoulder, and then go to shoot Kane but run out of bullets. He fights off an attack and flees to the galley, where his supplies are. There he disables the door locking mechanism and dons his environmental suit, and starts to smash off one of the sealant patches with a metal pole.
There is a way into the Galley, though the underfloor crawlway which Kane saw on Q3’s map. But he will have to overcome his claustrophobia to do it.
He can surprise Corrigan, and they struggle, but unless he receives some help Corrigan will overpower him and eject him out of the airlock. (note that throughout the struggle, Kane will be in great pain from the wrist-cuff he wears) Two sources of help: Torres’ boot knife, to combat Corrigan’s pole; and additional help from Torres herself, if she can force the door (their struggle has knocked a water drum over the floor hatch). Utterly destroying the door mechanism will enable it to be levered open, perhaps using one of Q3’s attachments as a lever.
Between them they can overcome Corrigan, who will be killed.
The survivors are able to use Corrigan’s supplies to last the remaining 3 days until they are picked up. It is decided to leave the body of Q3 on the abandoned Pod, as it is the highest honour they can pay him.