Baralou will next manipulate the M/MN/ 
LS (life support) program (see Pull-out 
Sheet VIII) to by-pass the poison filters in 
the life-support unit and then order the 
DB-0 security robot (Pull-out Sheet V) to 
release toxic Cys-DE gas into the air, by 
shooting holes in the gas tanks in the 
strongroom (M15). 

The gas will reach a toxic level through- 
out the ship 15 turns aster it is released. In 
the first 2 turns thereafter, any character 
not wearing a gas mask or breathing 
mask will suffer 1 point of poison damage. 
In the next 2 turns, the damage will be 2 
points. Poisoned characters will continue 
to suffer damage for 2 turns after their 
last breath of poisoned air (unless given a 
dose of antitox). 

If the characters are looking at a toxyrad 
gauge, it will warn them of the gas 5 
rounds after it is first released. If not, the 
referee should make a secret intuition 
check for the most intuitive player char- 
acter. If the check is successful, the 
character will notice the gas after d5+15 
turns. If the check fails, characters will 
not notice the gas until they have suffered 
5 points of damage. 

As soon as the gas is noticed, Ellen and 
Fiator will recognize it and rush to their 
cabins (M5 and M23 respectively) for 
their gas masks. Both will find their 
masks, but Fiator's has been sabotaged 
by Baralou (see Ev5) and he will die of 
poisoning soon after he reaches his 
cabin. Any character who examines 
Fiator's mask after his death will notice 
that the filters are missing. To avoid 
complicating this event unnecessarily, 
the referee should have it occur when 
Fiator is separated from the player 
characters. 

The air in the ship will be de-toxified in 5 
minutes if the M/MN/LS program is ma- 
nipulated back to normal or life-support 
system #2 in room M26 is turned on 
manually. 

Ev7. Baralou Unmasked 

After the death of Fiator, Ellen (as the only 
survivor) will almost certainly be the 
character's prime suspect. If accused, 
she will plead her own innocence and, if 
necessary, will even submit to a dose of 
telol to prove it. 
 

Ellen will help the party as much as she 
can in their attempts to overcome the 
Matrix, but the tactics that worked on 
Jetsom (manipulating/reprogramming 
through command channels, and/or heat- 
ing) will have no effect (see Destroying 
the Matrix - page 18). 

After they have been working on the 
problem of the Matrix for some time, Ellen 
will remember the "Captain's Computer/ 
Robot Systems Manual" (in the locker in 
the captain's cabin - M5b) and consult it 
in an attempt to find a solution. This 
should happen before the characters 
start to make any significant progress, 
but it is up to the referee to decide, exactly 
when. Ellen will discover that Baralou is 
listed amongst the ship's robots, and will 
tell the characters at once. 

If, for example, Ellen is dead or has been 
locked by the characters, the char- 
acters will learn of the existence of the 
manual by means of prompts from the 
computer while they are working on it 
(e.g. "WARNING: Invalid Procedure. Refer 
to CAPTAIN'S SYSTEMS MANUAL"). 
When they find the manual, the char- 
acters will learn the truth about Baralou. 

Once the characters discover that Baralou 
is a robot, it should be obvious that she 
was not killed in the micro-still control 
room explosion (Ev3)  and that she is still 
alive. It should also be apparent that 
Baralou was responsible for everything 
which has occurred. The hunt will begin! 

Ev8. Hunt for Baralou 

Baralou's access to the intercom and 
other systems (see Baralou's Powers - 
page 18) means that she will know at 
once that her secret is out. Her exact 
response will depend on the circum- 
stances, but she will only wait to be found 
as a last resort. If possible, she will take 
the fight to the characters, attacking them 
when they are unprepared, preferably in 
small groups. Her knowledge of where 
characters are and what they are saying 
and planning, will give her a considerable 
advantage, and the referee should exploit 
it to the full. 
 

Ev9. Eliminating the Matrix 

Even if Baralou is destroyed, the Matrix 
will remain in the program circuits and 
robots from which it has not been 
removed. Although it will produce no 
further dangers, it can still be detected as 
a "hardware fault" (see page 18). It is up 
to the referee about the Matrix (with a few 
minor system malfunctions, for example). 

Ev10. Relief Ship and Future Events 

The relief ship sent by the ByChem 
Corporation will arrive on Day 126 (see 
TIME CHART - page 4). The events which 
follow will depend on how the referee 
wishes the campaign to develop. For 
example, the characters could simply be 
paid off and taken to the nearest starport, 
never again to hear of the Matrix or the 
Venturi project. Alternatively, they could 
be hired by the ByChem Corporation and 
become involved in restoring the project 
to full working order. If the Matrix spreads 
from Venturi (in the freighter which 
brought the characters, for example), the 
characters might become enmeshed in a 
whole series of adventures concerned 
with stamping out the "virus" in a variety 
of forms across the Galaxy! 
 

The Snobol/Moneyspider installation has 
three main components: the docking and 
other facilities inside Snobol; the Money- 
spider where the crew can live in relative 
comfort; and the micro-distillation column 
mounted on the cable between the two.