Uncharted Territory

Browser lacks capabilities required to play.

Upgrade or switch to another browser.

Loading…

Joburg is the largest city on Earth that doesn't have a port. That's no accident. Joburg breeds people who treat the impossible as a temporary setback. People who find a way to get the job done without stopping to ask if it's possible. Dr. Semenya was no different. She was determined to build the world she wanted. As a child, she'd lived in Diepsloot with her mother, Sithembele. It was just the two of them living in a small shack until a violent man took her mother from her. She was sent to live with her father and grandmother in Mtubatuba. She returned years later to reclaim her past. She built her head office on the site of her old home and named the company after her mother. It took patience, effort and a more grit than most people had in them to turn that neighbourhood into a safe place to work. But she did it. Her determination was unmatched. What had started as a modest brick building had been converted into an architectural marvel. Five stories tall now, with walls lined with vertical gardens in various shades of green that contrast beautifully against the warm brown stone of the building. A tall man with a serious expression approaches you. His eyes are warm but concerned. "My name is Tefo. I'm the Doc's assistant." Where would you like to go first? [[Her Office]] [[The staff tea room]] [[Her lab]]

You've arrived at the offices of uMhlathuze Water utility on the banks of Qhubu Lake. You stare at the pristine water and imagine you can see the Shembe temple on the far bank. The area is rich in life and spirituality. You feel buoyed. As though hope itself was carried in the air and was filling you. You head towards the Research centre. The discovery of Shewanella Cubhu turned eSikawini into a hub of scientific activity with researchers from across the world trying to replicate Dr. Semenya's success. There were no new buildings near the lake itself though: the area was too valuable to risk compromising the ecosystem. The uMhlathuze Water management had arranged for one of their buildings to be repurposed for use by researchers. Competition for space at the lab was fierce and A woman standing at the entrance beckons to you. She wears her hair in braids that end in shades of blue and green at the bottom. "Howzit," she says. "My name is Thembi and I run the Research centre." "Lesedi spent most of her time in her lab, but she did spend a fair amount of time at her office on the Unizulu campus." "She also had a house on the Bay." [[Cubhu Lab]] [[Unizulu campus]] [[Bay house]]

Years ago, people imagined Martian colonies would be high-tech, glossy white habitats housing people and indoor forests. The reality was a far cry from that. Terraforming projects had been costly with limited success and the first colonists had abandoned the surface habitats in favour of underground bunkers. The bunkers had evolved into an underground city complete with farms that provided food. A lucrative mining industry spawned from the initial bunker excavation project and began providing raw materials for manufacturing. This in turn spawned a manufacturing industry. The Mars colony had turned themselves into a critical repair and restock station. They were the modern equivalent of the Dwarves in fantasy tales: ingenious miners living in underground caves. Immensely brave people with gruff exteriors and a deep ingrained sense of honour. --- Select your destination: [[Roberts Research Centre]] [[SSC Terraforming Project Headquarters]] [[Old Mining Town]]

[[Proxima Centauri B]]

Her office was not what you had expected. The usual executive desk was missing. Instead, there was a modest desk in the corner with a simple workstation and old school whiteboards in front of it and to the right. She liked to write on the board - it still bore traces of previous notes, drawings and scribbles. In the centre of the room, a large interactive holo-table with several chairs around it. There was a beverage station against one wall and a conferencing screen against the other. This wasn't a room for impressing investors or exerting power. This was a room for invention - for changing the world. Somewhere in this room there must be a clue to her disappearance. The most likely place to start would be her workstation. You log into the workstation and start browsing. There are hundreds of folders and it feels like you're trying to untie a Gordian knot. You pause for a moment and think carefully and then start searching for hidden folders. You find three: Project Genesis

When you really want to know what's going on in a company, hang around the staff tea room for a while. Introduce yourself as an intern, a new recruit or a visitor. Sit quietly with a cup of coffee, read a magazine and listen.

Thembi guides you to the lab. For all her flair, she has a very no-nonsense pragmatic way about her. At first glance, there's nothing strange about the lab. Benches and equipment trolleys against the walls. Cleaning agents, saftey equipment, microsopes... all pretty standard. Except for one thing: against one wall is what appears to be a medium sized fish tank being fed water from a pipe out of the wall. You ask Thembi about it. She looks at you and asks sincerely, "Do you know why researchers struggle with S.Cubhu?" You shake your head. "Ok. Well... it disappears." "Disappears?" you ask. "Yes. You collect a sample today and by this evening, there's no Cubhu left in the sample container." she states with a small hint of frustration in her voice. "It's not dying. It's not being eaten by greedy buddies. It's literally disappearing." "One second it's there and the next... Poof!" "It's gone." "At first we thought it might be breaking down because of the way that we collect and isolate samples." "But it doesn't matter what technique we use - Cubhu does a disappearing act every time." "That's what the pipe does... it supplies water direct from the lake so we don't lose time collecting." "That's also why Lesedi is so damn rich - there are only two places in existence where you can find Cubhu." "This lake... and in her containment tech." While she speaks, realise that you don't enough information to work with. "Do you know where I can find more detailed information on her tech?" "Perhaps her plans?" you ask Thembi, hopeful that she can point you in the right direction. "Well, you can check her field notes or you can have a look around her house on the Bay." "Honestly though, I'm not sure what you'll find." --- Decide on your next step: [[ Field notes]] [[Bay house]]

You take a slow walk along the concrete walkways beside the historic red brick buildings of the University of Zululand. It's difficult to imagine such an illustrious institution once had a troubled past. Dr. Semenya's lab is on the far side of campus in the Philander Centre for Sustainability Studies. Between the Philander building and the SANSA building is a reflecting pool with a fountain on the far end. A kingfisher is drinking from the water enjoying the relative safety of the campus. It's clear to see this section of campus was designed to allow nature a safe space to flourish. The pool itself contains a variety of fish and plants to keep the water crystal clear at all times. The entrance to the building is bright an airy. The roof is comprised entirely of semi-transparent solar panels that leave a surreal geometric pattern of light and dark squares on the pristine white tiles. The map on the wall shows you how to get to her office and you make your way there slowly. A feeling of strangeness is slowly building in you - like Alice going down the rabbit hole, you feel that things are about to become less clear but that what you find will be important. Her office door is imposing. The embossed nameplate above the door looms over you. You feel the weight of the importance of what you're doing. You use the master security tag that her family gave you to access her office. The air is stale and the surfaces are dusty. No-one has been in here since she disappeared.

The 'beach house' was in reality just an apartment on the Tuzigazi waterfront. It was decorated simply and showed litte of the doctor's personality. The master bedroom had a simple desk next to a sliding door that opened onto the waterfront. A serene place to contemplate life. You open the top drawer and find the usual bric-a-brac that inevitably populates the easiest drawer to access. You open the second drawer and find the usual over the counter medication that someone past middle age would keep handy: painkillers, antacids, creams for insect bites and antihistamines. Nothing unusal about the contents but the drawer appears deeper than the first. You remove the drawer and empty the contents on the desktop. A close inspection reveals a cleverly hidden false bottom. You remove it and find a tablet and charger hidden there. You start it up and use the admin override pin that her personal assistant provided you with. The tablet unlocks and you navigate through the folders and various documents. Most are typical but with some careful searching you find a hidden directory. There are three folders in that directory. Select a folder to examine * [[Pillay |Secret affair]] * [[Trafficking |Proxima Centauri B File]]

Lesedi Semenya - PhD in Microbiology. CEO of Sithembile Space Corp. Currently 70 years old. ? Maybe younger

In 2021, the actress Shaleen Surtie-Richards passed away. She was to South African entertainment what rains are to the Kalahari: a natural force that brough light, life and energy. Her death resulted in a furious condemnation of the South African entertainment industry and the callous way in which entertainers in South Africa were not paid royalties. The outcry did not last long - the country was holding on to too much pain and anger to focus on her for more than a brief moment. When the Sithembele Corp was finally large enough to afford and in-house legal team, one of their first corporate social responsibility projects was to assign a team to challenge the legislation so that actors could get paid royalties. It took them years but on the day of their success, the SSC Lunar Base 1 was renamed the Surtie-Richards base. The primary function of the base was to research and develop uses for lunar dust and regolith. The fine lunar dust that had made the first lunar missions so difficult had also become it's biggest export: sin

The Roberts Research centre was built in honour of the late Kuli Roberts. Many years ago, she had been a minor celebrity with a repuation for bullying. But despite her many flaws, she had been fierce about her support of children with albinisim. She was a role model and mentor to many children struggling to navigate a world that held the threat of mutilation or death. A young Kgaugelo Mohapi had been one of them. She had inspired him to pursue his interests and follow his dreams. This had lead to his success as one of the world's best researchers in the field of material science. He left academia to pursue more lucrative business interests and after one of his patented materials was found to be ideal for space craft reactors, he found himself in direct competion with Dr. Semenya. His wealth and influence was rivalled only by hers. The Roberts Centre had started as a research initiative but as many other initiatives on Mars, was forced to adapt to the needs of the colony. It now included a small refinery that converted the raw ore from the old mining town into usable materials for production. It was a vital cog in the machinery that was turning Mars into a civilization. That being said, Mohapi Inc, the parent company, was still in direct competition with the SSC. That makes them a reliable lead to follow in the disappearance of Dr. Semenya. The airlock door opens automatically and the receptionist greets you with a smile. You look at his immaculate, pure white dashiki suit and you're reminded why the staff at Mohapi Inc. are often referred to as The Angels. He steeples his perfectly manicured nails and asks for your name. On hearing it, he grins, "The doc has been waiting for you." [[Meeting Kgaugelo Mohapi]]

The last shuttle stop is right across from the imposing airlock doors of the SSC project headquarters. A stark reminder that Mars was still a hostile environment. The air is clammy with the whiff of amonia. Likely some residue from blasting that was carried along the ventilation channels. The walls were high and curved. A combination of concrete and bare rock with piping and conduits running the length of the tunnels. At regular intervals there were bright yellow emergency boxes that contained breathing equipment - a safety precaution in the event of a failure of the primary environmental system. Martian law had been written in blood. The airlock opens and a tall woman in dusty overalls steps through. She greets you with a nod and gestures for you to follow her. "Hi! My name is Astrid." "You hungry?" she asks. "I'm about to have breakfast." [[Have breakfast]] [[Don't have breakfast]]

[[Wormhole]] [[Battle]] [[Return to Earth]]

Her field notes were carefully sorted by project in inexpensive notebooks that covered all the shelves in a small study and were piled on a desk. She seems to be a person of habit; all the notebooks were of the same brand and everything was old school paper. There wasn't a tablet or a digital interface anywhere to be seen.

What Mars lacked in terms of atmosphere, Venus had too much of. The technical challenge that scientists had been working on for decades had in part been resolved by the corporate machine. The extensive use of Shewanella in the various areas of space travel created a demand for sulphur. Rather than transport this from Earth, they built floating platforms above Venus to mine the sulphuric acid clouds. The water that resulted as a byproduct of the process was either sold to passenger transports or to the terraforming project.

The folder contains a collection of emails, instant chat messages and photographs. It doesn't take you long to piece together the story: Dr. Pillay - the Chief Financial Officer at the SSC has been involved in an illicit affair with a colleague. This alone was not enough to bring the situation to the attention of the corporation: the two had been collaborating with a third party to defraud the company. Funds had been diverted to an Offplanet account on Mars. The location of the funds and the identity of the third party are still unknown. Choose your next step carefully: [[Check the other folders |Folders]] [[Travel to Mars |The Mboya Martian colony]]

* [[Pillay |Secret affair]] * [[Trafficking |Proxima Centauri B File]]

During the first terraforming project, one of the surface habitats collapsed. Martian soil isn't abrasive like lunar regolith, but it is reactive. Despite all of the controls and all of the safety checks, a small amount of soil was tracked into the habitat. Historians estimate it was less than a teaspoon. A small explosion in one corner of the habitat triggered a cascade of explosions and tore out an entire pod. Fortunately for the terraforming team, one of the engineers had previously worked for SubTropolis. She stepped in and turned one of the lower mining levels into a habitat. The rock at that depth was far less reactive than the surface and maintained a stable temperature. Her likeness was carved into a pillar at the entrance and a brass plaque at the base read, "Bhavna Naidoo, Visionary Engineer." Old Mining Town was now the cultural centre of Mars. There were gift shops, restaurants, museums, art galleries and the historical archives. People walked on demarcated walkways and automatic electrical shuttles that made regular trips between tourist drop-off points and the residential areas. You wave down an electric shuttle and ask to be taken to: [[The Martian Historical Archives]] [[Shaft 7 - A pub]]

The year 2022 was a dark year. The world was slowly coming out of a global pandemic, climate change had unleashed world-wide disaster, war waged in Europe and fascism was on the rise in America. That all changed when a young researcher in rural Kwazulu-Natal discovered a micro-organism that could metabolize toxic chemicals and in the process, generate electricity. Her name was Doctor Lesedi Semenya. She developed a bio-battery using the newly discovered Shewanella Cubhu that was clean, efficient and inexpensive. It was the first of many inventions that would form the foundation of her business: the Sithembele Space Corporation. A month ago, she disappeared. Governments, corporations and various other organisations have mobilised to search for her. The Semenya family have hired you to find her and ensure her safety. They have suggested a number of possible locations where you may find her or clues to her whereabouts. --- Select a destination to start your search: [[Earth - Cubhu Lake]] [[Earth - Sithembele Space Corporation]] [[Venus Terraforming Project]] [[The Surtie-Richards Lunar Base]] [[The Mboya Martian colony]]

Breakfast is just the thing you need after the exhausting journey from Earth to Mars. You follow Astrid down a passage with offices on either side toward another airlock. At the airlock she takes off her shoes and motions for you to do the same. As you step through you understand why: beneath your feet you feel the softness of grass. Ahead of you is a small garden table and beyond that row after row green shrubs with white flowers and small pink fruit, pillars covered in creeping vines and yellow berries and the familiar broad leaves of banana trees. If it weren't for the glow of the grow lights and the concrete ceiling above you, you might have believed yourself in a tropical paradise. Astrid breaks your reverie by offering you a scone and some tea. The scone looks oddly green and you wonder if it's because of the lights. She points to the creeping vines. "We add the powdered leaves of the Barbados gooseberry to the flour to make it more nutritious." "The berries aren't bad either - they add a lovely tartness to the num-num jam." "Is that what you do here? Grow food?" You scan the indoor garden and realise that it's not as uniform as it first appeared. There appear to be quadrants with different plants growing in them. Each with a small garden table and chairs. "Oh goodness no... " she replies. "This is just Lesedi's pet project - she's a firm believer that people need green spaces to thrive." "The fact that the garden produces food is just a little extra benefit." "What we really do here is run the surface soil through a series of bacterial baths to break the perchlorates down into harmless compounds." You're feeling a little out of your depth at the moment, unsure of which questions to ask to lead in the right direction. Fortunately, Astrid

You step into the boardroom as directed and you're greeted by the stern stare of Dr. Mohapi himself. You were expecting to meet a several intermediaries before getting to speak to him, but for unknown reasons, the process had been expedited. He's wearing an outfit similar to the receptionist, except he was wearing a dashiki jakect with straps and buckles in odd places. His fingers are tapping on the polished surface of the boardroom table, impatiently. You suspect that you have one opportunity to reach him and get the information you need. Choose your approach: [[Take the hard line and ask him about the disappearance directly || Disappearance]] [[Ask about his shirt || Siyandas Designs]] [[Play open cards and tell him what you know|| Open Cards]]

You decide to tackle the problem head on. Clearly, he knows why you're here. You state your name and that you were hired to search for Dr. Semenya. In absolute silence, he continues to stare at you. It's a stare that's measuring you and judging you. He reminds you of David Gyasi in the old films from the 20s. He has more information than you and he knows he has the advantage. You decide that you have nothing to lose and ask him outright if he knows where she is. He seems irritated by your questions and responds with more silence. Eventually, you decide that this is a dead end. You thank him for his time and leave the room. Choose your next destination: [[Old Mining Town]] [[SSC Terraforming Project Headquarters]]

You gently examine the statuette. It's hand blown glass on a wooden base and the plaque is firmly attached. The etching is professional and it doesn't seem to be mass produced. "Can I hang on to this for a while?" you ask. He looks at you with a concerned expression on his face. "The business and personal rivarly between myself and Lesedi doesn't change the fact that she is one of my oldest and dearest friends." "This is the last thing that she gave me and the only way I'm letting you take it is if you also take an SOS tracker." [[Take the SOS Tracker]] [[Don't take the SOS tracker]]

You look at the statuette and shake your head. You can't see how it will help. He gives you a small smile and says, "It was worth a try." "If I were you, I'd try going to the Archive in Old Town or visiting her research centre..." "Siya will give you directions if you need." Choose your next destination: [[Old Mining Town]] [[SSC Terraforming Project Headquarters]]

Named after the original shaft that was used to create the habitat, Shaft 7 is a pub decorated with old mining equipment and memoribilia from the original excavation team. Being underground, the concept of night and day is somewhat arbitrary. The bar is filled with people coming in from their shift and catching up on the days events. Microprojectors in the walls project livestreams of various channels onto the pillars that support the cavern ceiling. The booths and tables appear to be made from sintered regolith - one of the main exports of the lunar bases. You find yourself a booth and get comfortable. The brownian motion of people coming in and out of the pub, finding places to sit, moving to greet friends or just quietly sitting in a chosen place, is mesmerising. Through the ebb and flow of people, a centre-point starts to emerge. A middle aged man with a five o'clock shadow and a buzzed mohawk appears to be the magnetic north in the flow of people. You have a choice here [[Approach the Mohawk stranger]] [[Wait for your contact to arrive]]

You decide that an SOS tracker is might be a good idea. If you get into a tight spot, being able to reach someone as powerful as Dr. Mohapi might actually save your life. You thank him politely for the offer. He returns with the smallest SOS tracker you've ever seen. Pitch black and barely the size of your thumbnail. He places it on the base of the statuette and it attaches to the surface with a satisfying snap sound. Clearly the base is an alloy cleverly designed to look like wood. He peers at you over his glasses and says, "This will track the statuette by piggy-backing off the nearest available signal within 50km." "Try not to get lost in the middle of nowhere." He reminds you of one of your uncles: always mildly amused and pre-emptively disappointed in you. "If you get into trouble, apply a constant pressure to the device and use the trigger phrase: Frank. N. Furter" You grin. You should have expected him to be a fan of the more esoteric classics. It's now time for you to leave and search for more clues. Choose your next destination: [[Old Mining Town]] [[SSC Terraforming Project Headquarters]]

You decide that an SOS tracker is not a good idea. There's no way to ensure that the tracker is only tracking you during a crisis. You thank Dr. Mohapi and politely return the figurine to him. You ask him to contact you if he thinks of anything that migh help in your investigation. He nods in the affirmative. Choose your next destination: [[Old Mining Town]] [[SSC Terraforming Project Headquarters]]

Bravery is for fools and as you walk towards the Mohawk stranger, you realise that you might be one. The mood has shifted subtly from the jovial after-work chatter to suspicion and tension. A handful of the group have cautiously shifted positions so that at least one hand would be free. They're getting combat ready. You realise that if they do attack, you're unlikely to survive. It will be quiet - a knife between your ribs. No-one will find your killer and you'll become another statistic in the Martian crime database. You glance at the people beyond the table and see your out. Your waitress is just past the Mohawk man. She can't see you -but you wave at her nonetheless. If they're not convinced this was your plan all along, this situation is going to explode into chaos very quickly. You feign an expression of frustration and move a little to your left so you can be in her line of sight. The people around the Mohawk man are still alert to your every move. Time to break out your star acting skills. "Ex-cuse me, m-m-m-misss?" you say with an exaggerated stutter. You know she can't hear you but they can and even though they still view you as a threat, at least one or two have written you off and returned to their drinks. You wave again and this time you catch her eye. You mime writing a bill and she nods in the affirmative. You turn around and walk back to your booth. You can feel their eyes on you as you walk back. You pay your bill being careful not to look at the Mohawk stranger or the people at his table. Stepping out the door, you're greeted by the bright neon sign of the cocktail bar across the road. Sadly, this is the last thing you'll ever see. You feel a sharp pain in your back and realise that your ruse failed. The

You introduce yourself and cordially ask if this is the staff uniform. He breaks out into an unexpected grin. "No - this is Siyanda's handiwork." With no small measure of pride, he starts showing you the features of his outfit. There are couplings for data storage, hooks for attaching safety gear and hidden clips on the neckline for attaching an emergency helmet. "He's a genius at material science and design - I'm hoping to convince him to leave teh." "The fabric is a new composite we're testing." "It's lightweight, fireproof and made from martian materials." "Mine has a built in belt so there are no loose ends to catch in machinery and..." He has an almost child-like delight at the features of the shirt. You can't help but enjoy the explanation. He slides his thumb under a decorative panel revealing a secret pocket holding a mobile and an old fashioned pen and notepad. "... a pen holder!" You share a laugh but in a moment of realisation, the mood becomes sombre. He scratches his head and says, sincerely, "Look, I don't know where that blasted woman is." "I really wish I could tell you but she has the infuriating habit of doing things no-one can predict." He slumps into a nearby seat and with a wild gesture says, "Some days I wonder how much of that woman is genius and how much is madness." To your trained eye he seems like an old man missing an old friend but definitely not telling you everything. Instinctively, you ask him if she left anything with him. He looks at you oddly. "As a matter of fact, she did." He gestures and you follow him to his office. Behind his desk is a wooden bookshelf with books and antiques. Wood is a luxury on Mars - as are old fashioned books made from paper. Most Martians prefer to cut their shelves directly into the rock and coat them with a plastic coating. He presses on a panel and a concealed wall safe. After a moment, he turns around and presents you with a small statuette of a tuxedo cat. A small nameplate reads, "Mr. Snuggles." Dr. Mohapi looks at you and says, "She knows I don't like cats and I definitely don't like odd little trinkets, but it seemed important to her that I look after it." "Do you think it will help you find her?" [[Yes]] [[No]]