The Dullest Planet in the WoP

Furnace is a Labour planet populated mainly by convicts. It is currently a tectonically active planet that is rich in valuable minerals and ores. The convicts are responsible for ensuring that all of the processing equipment is running efficiently, a tough task due to the amount of falling dust all around the planet. Colonised since 346s.d. Furnace is recognised by many as the most tedious place in the World of Progress. Reports of strange mutations throughout the prison populace are stringently denied.

"Yeah, I spent six months on Furnace, I almost died there. No, no, the prisoners are fine; it's just so boring. Everything is grey and the dust gets everywhere. All you see is either grey walls or grey sky. I can see why they give you more money a month there, they wouldn't get anyone there otherwise. Given the choice I'd have walked the Wall instead. Complete waste of time."

Cal Tribble, Shiver, following completion of six month tour on Labour Planet Furnace, three months before being arrested for cannibalism.

"I'm telling you, I fuckin' clawed him right through his armour. That weren't no normal Thresher suit. I swear the fuckin' armour was bleedin' after I hit him. Didn't fuckin' stop him though, he just looked down, like he was tryin' to remember what pain felt like. Fuckin' fuck, I don't want to meet one of those fuckers again."

Chard, Brain Waster SCL 9, prior to debriefing by Stigmartyr, current location unknown.

The Mobius System

The Mobius System

Furnace is the second planet in the Mobius system, a twin star-system on the outer edge of the World of Progress. A tectonically active planet, Furnace is a seething mass of molten lava and solid rock. The landmasses are primarily based around each polar region, with the northern region mainly a continuous mountain area, where new mountains are forced up from below. The southern pole is relatively flat and stable, primarily made from cooling lava and falling ash. This is a desert like area, which is warm during the day and cold during nighttime. There are a few isolated volcanic islands throughout the equatorial region, but these disappear as quickly as they appear. A lot of the prime metals and elements are here and so SLA has set up several colonies to mine them. The majority of the workers here are criminals, whose crime were not sufficient to allow for an extermination warrant, but did require a long duration punishment.

The atmosphere of Furnace contains a high amount of Oxygen in the form of Carbon Monoxide and Sulphur Dioxide. Filters have been created to convert these gases into pure oxygen and this allows people to move about the surface. A giant processing plant has been set up on the southern continent to filter the air, though it will be another 50 years before the oxygen concentration is great enough to breathe without a filtration device. An additional problem is the amount of dust that falls from the northern explosions. This is severe enough to block out most of the sunlight as well as causing respiration and skin problems. Additionally due to the great volumes of dust falling most of the buildings have to be continually altered so that there are still ways to exit them. As the buildings grow higher and higher, the lower levels are soon deserted as most of the population prefer to live in the higher areas. Most of the buildings are storage areas for the resident population; either sleeping quarters for the workers/prisoners or storage areas for water and the collected metals & elements.

In addition to the permanent buildings there are also large mobile processing plants that slowly move across the ash desert, stripping the ground of all the required metals and elements. These fully automated vehicles tend to travel from one side of the continent to the other, furrowing great channels through the surface ash. Each processing plant is split into several sections, the main section being the refinery, which processes all of the ash and filters out any useless debris. The ash is then passed into the large storage containers that form the bulk of the processing plant. These containers have their own power supply and can detach to allow them to return the processed ash to the colonies.

One of the main problems on Furnace is the lack of water on the planet surface. However, large amounts of ice have been found in the southern continent, buried under a kilometer of dust and ash. This ice is heated by the planet core and escapes as steam through numerous steam holes. The colonists then tap these holes and the steam is cooled and purified so that it can be reused. It is unknown how much ice is to be found under the surface, but it is thought to be a limited supply. It is believed that an alternative source will be required in approximately one hundred years.

Reactor: The Primary Installation

Reactor: The Primary Installation

The main colony on Furnace is Reactor, a fifty mile square processing and storage plant. It is here that the majority of the prisoners and workers are based. There are approximately one million convicts, guarded by 50,000 Shiver units. There are also a further 50,000 workers whose responsibility is the training of the convicts in the use of the various machines. Reactor is divided into seven main sections: The main Control and Communication Sector, Living Quarters, Water Reclamation and Recycling, Air Filtration, Atmosphere Regenerators, Refinery, and Resource Storage.

The Control and Communication Centre or 3C as it is known locally is the nerve centre of Reactor. It is here that every aspect of Reactor is monitored and controlled, from the prisoners to the automated refinery equipment. The prisoners are monitored through the use of locator implants and video surveillance, as well as by Shivers at key points. The Living Quarters are divided into three sections, dividing the prisoners and workers from the Shivers. The Shiver section also houses the Department of Mineralogy and the Department of Engineering scientists.

Water Reclamation & Recycling and Air Filtration are both undertaken throughout Reactor. Due to the toxic atmosphere and the lack of surface water, it was necessary to make Reactor an environmentally sealed building. All oxygen and water within Reactor is recycled to limit the amount of new resources required. Approximately half of all water and air is recycled and mixed with fresh supplies of each, water from the ice caps below the planet surface, and oxygen from the natural environment. It is the responsibility of the Department of Engineering to ensure that the enough oxygen and water is supplied to all parts of Reactor as needed.

The Atmosphere Regenerator and the Refinery are the two largest sections of Reactor and it is here that the majority of people work. The Atmosphere Regenerators are similar to those on Mort and it is hoped that they will allow for people on the surface to breathe without a filtration device in about fifty years. These Regenerators are highly reliable and almost seem immune to the influx of dust into the system. The Refinery is where the collected ores and minerals are processed to form concentrated compounds that are then shipped off planet. Most of the work here is physically demanding and a shift system is in effect so that work can continue without stopping. It is here that most of the prisoners work through their sentences, monitored by the departmental workers and the Shivers. All prisoners are paid by the Department of Mineralogy for working at Reactor and can earn up to 5 UNIS a week if they are lucky.

The Resource Storage areas are dispersed through Reactor and are used to store the refined minerals and ores before they are shipped throughout the World of Progress. The storage areas are also used to store water and food for the prisoners. Most of the food at Reactor is from the large Karma beasts that are breed specifically for the purpose. Quite a lot of the storage areas in the lower sections of Reactor have been abandoned as the falling dust has caused Reactor to expand upwards. Most of them have subsequently been filled with dust or waste materials, but every now and then whole corridors are seen leading downwards which do not even have the usual slight layer of dust on them. It is a common belief amongst the prisoners that there are various creatures that live in these abandoned areas, from escaped prisoners to karma mutations. There are even rumours that a whole legion of Shivers once entered some of the abandoned areas, never to be seen again.

Life on the Planet

Life on the Planet

"Life doesn't get any more pointless than this."

Prisoner Zekke, currently doing 6-10 for killing a Monarch Law Officer.

"Well, I like the work. I mean it's got to be better than sitting around doing nothing, right? I got transferred from the Crypt and, well, it's nice here. Okay, so the dust gets everywhere, and you can always hear the machinery, no matter where you are, but no one hassles you here. My roommate at Crypt was killed on my second night, that sort of thing doesn't happen here. It's almost like no one can be bothered with being a problem."

Prisoner Summers, during first week at Reactor, currently doing 8-15 for Stocks fraud.

"This place sucks. The only thing that keeps me going is that the Shivers here have it just as bad as we do. They're prisoners just like we are. You hear that Stick? You're just as trapped as we are, you're just a prisoner with a club and armour."

Prisoner Carriye, ex-operative, currently doing 10-20 for damage to SLA property.

"The dust is the worst. I can cope with artificial light and that stale taste in the air. Hell, I can even cope with the rust coloured water that the Recyke boys keep churning out, but the dust, well, it just gets everywhere. Coming out the shower's the worst, by the time you've dried off, you're already got a thin layer of dust on you. I can't wait 'till my tour finishes."

Shiver Trendel, during first month of six month tour.

"Life ain't to bad here, I'm sort of getting used to it. As long as you keep busy you'll be okay. Worst thing that's happened to me so far was when this steam pipe blow near the food pens. The steam just shot out all over this Karma Food-Breed, blistering its skin all over for about 100 meters. By the time we got there you could see the flesh bubbling away. Anyway, this creatures trying to get away, rocking from side to side and making a terrible bleating noise, real high pitched and squeaky and that sets off all the others. It was a complete racket, couldn't hear a thing. We managed to get the pipe closed, but one of the food-techs had to kill the Breed. As soon as it stopped bleating all the rest stopped as well, very strange. It smelt wonderful though."

Worker Andulaces, Department of Environment

"We process over 680 million tonnes of refined ore every week. The sheer scale of this place is just overwhelming. Name me anywhere else that is this productive? Whoever thought of using prisoners is an absolute genius. I love this place."

Worker Dreth, Department of Mineralogy

"I've worked in prisons before and I've also worked on Mort, so I came here expecting more of the same. I mean it's natural, you get people trapped in a small space with very little to do and you're going to get trouble. People are going to mouth off and you're going to get beatings or stabbings, right? Doesn't happen here, don't ask me why. Sure you get the odd guy who has played up and has had to be restrained by the Shivers, but that's all. Hell, I deal more with drug addictions here than anything else. It's not quite what I was expecting."

Doctor Carthel, Assistant Medical Officer at Reactor.

"I've been there, down into th' depths. I'm tellin' ya I saw them with me own eyes. Fuckin' Enforcer Shivers right underneath us, doing fuck knows what. I ain't goin' back there again, I tell ya."

Prisoner Trace, currently doing 5-10 for being involved in a riot.

Interview with Warden Johnsen

Transcript Of Tape Interview Between Warden Johnsen And Karen Dysan, Reporter For Third Eye News.

Private File. Not For Public Release

DYSAN: Please Warden Johnsen, could you tell me a little about yourself.
JOHNSEN: Well, I've been with the Department of Shiver since I was 18. After twenty years I wanted a change of pace from how things are in Mort so I applied to work here. Now I'm here. There really isn't much more to say.

DYSAN: Well lets start with why you joined the Shivers.
JOHNSEN: That was an easy choice. I'd grown up in Suburbia on Mort so I pretty much knew what went on in the World of Progress. I knew it would be foolish to not work for SLA, but I didn't want to be an operative, so I joined the Shivers instead.

DYSAN: Why did you not want to be an operative?
JOHNSEN: Because most of them are drugged up psychotics. Cloak Division just about keeps them on a lease, but I can't see the World of Progress being worse off without them. They'll do anything to be seen, to get on teevee. I swear when I was a Shiver most of the time things went bad, it was because of an operative, one way or another. If they trained even a tenth of all operatives as Shivers and enforced some more discipline on them, well, we wouldn't need them. Crime is on the increase in Mort and it needs an organised force to defeat it, not a whole collection of loose-cannons just trying to be famous.

DYSAN: So I take it you don't like operatives too much.
JOHNSEN: Well thankfully I don't have to deal with them too much anymore, but every now and then I get a group, normally straight from Meny, who insist on talking to some of the prisoners. They cause no end of trouble as they forget that this is a working prison. I have one rule here -behave and you'll be left alone. Most of the prisoners here are quite happy doing their own thing, just killing time until they can get back home. Hell, for most of them this is safer than where they've come from. Then you get a bunch of hot-headed operatives in here, waving guns and knives around, demanding info from them. The sort who think that interrogation means beating the crap out of someone. They forget that the prisoners here are a commodity belonging to the Department of Mineralogy. If you damage their property you're reducing the factories effectiveness. And that's what counts in the long run.

DYSAN: So what do you do with the operatives?
JOHNSEN: Well this is a prison here, we can control what sections they can get to and what sections they can't. I find they tend to be a lot better if they've just spent the last six hours trapped in an elevator or something. It gives them time to think about what they are doing. Besides, the prisoners aren't going anywhere. If they still ain't listening to me, well, this riot baton isn't just for show.

DYSAN: How do the prisoners act in general? It must be hard making sure that they all behave.
JOHNSEN: Not really, most of the prisoners settle down pretty quickly. I mean if they want to shout and yell about how they shouldn't be here they can, but I'll just stick them in with the Food-Breeds till they shut up. The prisoners here have got it pretty easy really, eight hour working day, plenty of time to do what you want, all your meals provided for you and as much teevee as you can watch. Hell, the Miners even pay them for the work they do. There isn't any other prison like this anywhere else.

DYSAN: So you never have any real problems with prisoners then,
JOHNSEN: No, not really. I mean what's the point, if they play up, they'll just have to stay longer here and that's the last thing that any of them want to do.

DYSAN: What about Jeremy Cage? What happened with him?
JOHNSEN: Cage was a madman, he should have been sent to Bethlehem not here.

DYSAN: I've heard rumours from your prisoners that he caused the riot that cost you your second.
JOHNSEN: You shouldn't believe what these prisoners tell you.

DYSAN: That wasn't a denial.
JOHNSEN: Cage was delusional, that just made him dangerous. Some of the prisoners thought he was a messiah and that he had the power to let them leave. He didn't.

DYSAN: I heard that even some of your Shivers helped him.
JOHNSEN: I think this interview is over now.

DYSAN: What about the rumours of a restricted zone amongst the storage area?
JOHNSEN: Storage for radioactive material from the refinery.

DYSAN: You don't expect me to buy that do you?
JOHNSEN: Lieutenant, please escort Ms Dysan out of my office.

DYSAN: What about the Shivers who have returned to Mort and become Cannibals? Or the Enforcer Shivers? Or the mutations in returning prisoners?
JOHNSEN: Good day Ms Dysan.

The Cage Riots

From File Notes By Karen Dysan. Private File. Not For Public Release

"When I follow the timing of the events, the reports of Shivers who have turned to cannibalism, the first reports of these new Thresher weapons, and the outbreaks of the contagion it all seems to point towards Furnace and ultimately to Jeremy Cage. And yet I'm still missing the important parts of the puzzle. I have the border now I need the central pieces. There are so many unanswered questions even after talking to Shiver Wise. Why did the three operatives that caught Cage get him so easily after the Shivers spent 8 months trying to track him down? Why did Thresher try breaking him out of their custody? He was a serial killer not a powersuit pilot. What were Thresher using that caused two of the operatives to be quarantined? What caused the outbreak of an unknown contagion at the holding cell that Cage was held in? Why was Cage sent to Furnace, a low security prison? I mean he was a serial killer, for Slayers sake."

"It just doesn't make sense. I tried to get the medical records for those affected by the contagion and was D-Noticed quicker than I thought was possible. I tried to find out who was responsible for sending Cage to Furnace and got passed around various departments for the whole day. I must be missing something - time to go over the facts again."

"Jeremy Cage was born in Upper Downtown and bought up in an orphanage. At a young age he was psychologically evaluated after repeatedly setting light to things in his room. The evaluation identified that Cage had a sociopathic nature that caused him to regard others as not real, mere pawns in a much larger game. Cage spoke of having been told the truth by a figure he would only identify as Sorrow. He had been told that he was meant for greater things than most, that he had a destiny. Shortly after his evaluation Cage disappeared for over a decade. There is no trace of where he went or what he did during this time."

"Cage was found by the squad THX who had been tracking the serial killer Star for 2 weeks. The Department of Shivers had previously been tracking Star, so called because he left a star like pentagram next to all of his victims, for over 8 months, during which time he had claimed 19 victims. THX found that the latest set of pentagrams had words and clues hidden amongst them which identified an address. These clues had only started on the 15 victim and THX soon set up surveillance on Cage who lived at the address. As he was about to claim his twentieth victim he was stopped by the squad."

"Almost as soon as Cage had been captured the Thresher team tried to break him out of the squads hands. The squad hadn't even had time to tell the Shivers that they'd got him, so why were Thresher watching them. If it hadn't been for Sand teleporting them out of the vicinity, they all would have been killed. As it was two of the squad were put into quarantine for 12 days after being shot. Then two days after being held by the Shivers 14 people from in and around his holding cell were also quarantined by Cloak Division. And yet, somehow, Cage wasn't granted an Execution Warrant or even put in quarantine. Instead he was transferred to Furnace as though he was a normal prisoner, not a serial killer possible contaminated with a deadly virus."

"I've found out little about what happened to Cage at Reactor, except for what Wise said, about how Cage caused a riot and barricaded himself, the Wardens Aide and over one hundred prisoners in the depths of the Storage areas at Furnace. Wise even said that there were some Shivers who'd gone there voluntarily as well. Cage held out for 42 days, managing to repel all attacks on the area by the Shivers. According to Wise, something happened to those that had sided with Cage, they seemed unstoppable, as if high on some drug or something. Towards the end of the 42 days several operative squads had attempted to break in and they reported people with weeping sores all over their bodies who would try suicide tactics to get at them. One squad who arrived near the end of the siege, even said they had been ambushed by Thresher troops, and that they saw Shivers eating people."

"Anyway on the 43rd day of the siege the Foldship Loki arrived in orbit, and deployed over one hundred Enforcer Shivers as well as Stigmartyr agents Joshua and Gadriel. Gadriel was last seen walking into the storage area shortly before Joshua and the Enforcers sealed off the whole area. Wise told me that the Enforcers still patrol the area and haven't been re-equipped for the whole time they've been there. Makes me wonder what is so important that they continue guarding the area five years after the riot."

"I've just had confirmation that my request to interview Warden Johnsen at Reactor has been granted. Perhaps he'll be able to answer the questions about Cage."

Contagion

Cloak Division Medical Summary: Contagion FURN001

There have been six stages of the Contagion identified to date. These stages were identified at Furnace following the Cage Riot in 901SD. A group of prisoners barricaded themselves in a storage area with the Warden's Aide as a hostage. Several unconfirmed reports have stated that Shivers were also amongst the group to riot. It was whilst fending off attacks for 42 days that the Contagion was first noticed amongst those captured. Towards the end of the time it appeared that the prisoners were co-joining with their clothes and armour. A brief description of each stage is below.

• STAGE 1 : Initial Infection: Only chance victim has of fighting off Contagion. Victim comes down with flu-like symptoms (-4 PHYS), combined with debilitating migraines (-4 CONC). To fight off the contagion the victim must make a PHYS test (with the modifier due to the flu) everyday until the character rolls over twenty. If the character fails during any day then the character has become infested.
• STAGE 2 : The flu-like symptoms and migraines continue. Victim becomes more and more withdrawn from normal life (increased Paranoia and Sociopathy; +2 ranks each). Victim's skin breaks out in small raised red bumps. If the character has a finance chip then the characters migraines are even more painful (-5 CONC not -4).
• STAGE 3 : The bumps on the victim's body start weeping a sickly yellow pus. The victim's retreat from normal life continues (increase Paranoia and Sociopathy by a further +1 rank), with the belief that they are continually being watched. However, the victim's flu-like symptoms start residing (PHYS now at -2 only). If the victim has a Finance Chip, it no longer works.
• STAGE 4 : The sores spread throughout the victim's body. Wherever the sores are touching anything, they will start growing into the object, whether it is a cloth sheet or a set of armour. Strangely enough this only causes the victim pain when the object is pulled away from the sores. The flu like symptoms have completely resided and even the migraines are less debilitating (-2 CONC). The victim complains that they feel they are loosing control.
• STAGE 5 : At this stage of infection the victims skin will completely meld with anything that touches it for more than 24 hours. Examples of melded objects have included fully enclosed body armour. At this stage the victim seems quite happy with his predicament and will resist any attempts to 'cure' them. The victim gains the abilities of what they were wearing (including the PV and ID of any armour) and will naturally heal at the same rate as a Stormer (one wound, hit point or ID point per every fourth round). If the armour or clothing is wounded then it will bleed like normal flesh. However, this is not considered a wound unless the hit points of the victim are damaged.
• STAGE 6 : The victim no longer suffers from any migraines. The bonding with the clothing or armour is complete although the victim requires about twice as much food as before. Slight mutations occur through the armour or clothing, this includes fingers melding together, the growth of claws and the elongation of teeth.

At the end of the siege, just prior to the arrival of Stigmartyr several operative squads were sent in to the area. They came back with tales of weaponry joined to the Contagion victims as well as Thresher troops assisting the prisoners. No Thresher weaponry or equipment was ever retrieved. Stigmartyr assumed control of the siege on the 43rd day and currently oversee an unknown quantity of Enforcer Shivers in the area. All details of the happenings at Reactor on the 43rd day of the siege have been set at SCL 1. All mission details for the Enforcer Shivers has been classified as SCL 1.