================================================================
Title                  	: Zero Black
Episode Title(s)        	: Descent (Intro), The Underwater Base, The Lair of the Slith, The Lord of Despair, Ascent (Exit)
Version        	: 1.0
Release Date           : Beta
Author                  	: Edd 'EddX' McRobbie
Email Address          : eddx@hotmail.com
Description             	: Unreal single player adventure    
                          
Other levels by author  : Time and the Sky Shard, The Abandoned Colony (spabcv2)
  
Additional Credits to : Epic Megagames (http://unreal.epicgames.com/)
                          	for making a great outlet for creativity.
                          	The Testers.  
                          	All the editing sites I visited, everyone had something to offer.
                          	You, for playing this level. Thanks a lot!

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--- Play Information ---
Game                    	: UT
Level Name(s)    	: Descent, The Underwater Base, The Lair of the Slith, The Lord of Despair, Ascent
Single Player           	: Yes
Cooperative         	: No
Difficulty Settings  	: Yes
New Sounds          	: No
New Graphics       	: No
Known bugs          	: None I'm aware of.


Installation
------------
   Unzip the files and place them into your maps & music directories under the unreal
   directory as appropriate

   Use OldSkool to start a new single player game if you're using Oldskool.  Select spuwintro.

   From the console type in "open spuwintro" to run the map from within the game.

   Double click on spuwintro in maps directory to begin with default settings


Story:
------

... another blast rocks the base, and you scramble desperately to remain on your feet.  All around you in control people are yelling, the lights are flickering, and you wonder almost idly how the Skaarj found the tiny orbital hidden in the upper layers of the system's major gas giant.

Then you're thrown, along with everyone not strapped down, straight up towards the ceiling as the base abruptly plummets and alarms wail.  Control's various consoles, screens and familiar layout spins madly around you, and you hope against hope that Camary makes it through this even though it looks like you aren't - then you strike the ceiling and blackness descends...

until, not sure how much time has passed, you regain conciousness with a pulverised right shoulder, what feels like two or three broken ribs and one eye swollen shut.  To your suprise the base is still around for you to regain conciousness in: you were sure the Skaarj had blasted the main generator, plunging the base into the gas giant where the incredible pressure of the planet's roiling depths would crush the base and everyone in it.

Of course, the base is one of a small number of experimental staging stations, and the Skaarj obviously decided to capture it for analysis rather than completely destroying it.  As you're lying on what was the ceiling, surrounded by crumpled, bloody bodies, with the bodies of those strapped in dangling above you, in the ruins of control with emergency lighting flickering on and off rendering the scene a eerie tableux of devestation, you gather that the Skaarj decided they preferred the base upside down.  Still you've made it throught the attack, and you cling to the hope that Camary must have made it through also.  If she hasn't... the thought is to terrible for you to contemplate.

If she has, you need to find her and get of the base in an escape pod as quickly as possible.  Putting thought into action you gingerly you get to your feet, then twirl in shock as four large, ice blue Skaarj troopers step from the flickering shadows to surround you,  claws sliding from their sheaths.  As you try and grab a gun from a torn body next to you they grab you, lifting you from the floor.  A harsh bark halts them, and the largest Skaarj you've ever seen steps up to stand before you.

He barks a command and the Skaarj troopers hold you up to him, his huge head right before you, your limbs held tight.  With lightning speed their leader slices open your armour and with another swipe gouges a hole in your chest just above your heart.  Almost tenderly he shows you the tiny silver trace bead he just now dug from your body.  Shocked, trembling with pain, you realise you must have been implanted when you were injured in your last campaign.  At the time you'd felt lucky to escape alive, your arm sliced open to the bone by your attacker.  Now you know that as the Skaarj were losing the battle they decided to try and implant a trace to enable a revenge attack rather than kill you.  Your attacker gave his life to make sure he injured you and seeded you with a trace bead.  The implanted bead then moved through your body before you could be treated in medical, lodging itself to one of your ribs.  Somehow the trace wasn't located, and its signal managed to remain undetected.  And then it hits you.

You led the Skaarj right here, ten weeks later, to this system, and the base being tested in its gas giant.  You're responsible for the loss of the base, for the death of your companions.  You might well be responsible for Camary's death.  You.

Trembling, you spit in the big Skaarj's face.  You want him to kill you quickly, but he only laughs, a huge, rumbling chuckle.  He bows before you as if in thanks, and you know he's observed a lot of humans, has tortured a lot of humans, has killed a lot of humans, to be able to mimic human gestures that well.  He crushes the trace bead, then abruptly slashes your chest once more, carving lines of fire into your skin.  You manage not to scream, not to give him satisfaction, then he barks another command and turns away.  You start to scream insults, but the troopers are impervious to your struggles.  They take you from control and bundle you in an escape pod.  When it's ejected you watch on its small screen as the Skaarj cruiser that must have attacked the base accelerates away, the base clamped to its underside.   Then the huge gas giant you thought would hide you from any detection swings into view as the pod tumbles in its erratic orbit, and you're alone with your guilt.

You want to kill yourself, but an escape pod is designed to save lives, and it won't let you take your own by openning the lock to vacuum.  So you have no choice but to wait in pain for the inevitable rescue that comes a few days later, shame burning in the neat gouge above your heart and the lines of fire that you now know marks you as the big Skaarj's cattle, branding you with his name: Lord Gu'Vartear.  When you used the Universal Translator on the bloody mark you wanted to scream in helpless fury when you realised how the Skaarj had dishounered you.

You try and bury the memory of the big Skaarj and his bloody claws with their treacherous prize from your mind, and after medical treatment you return to duty thankfully, rid of the Skaarj's mocking brand, but not of its feel.  You burn with the knowledge that Camary is MIA along with four other staff while the base has vanished with the Skaarj cruiser.  You're well aware you'll never see her again, and her fate is a lonely death at the hands of the Skaarj, perhaps after a great deal of torture, perhaps after they experiment on her, or perhaps both.

Another campaign takes you back out into the depths of space, and determined to kill the enemy until you regain your honour, or until you're killed yourself, when the command briefing comes for a solo mission you welcome it eagerly:


ORDERS  ***  ORDERS  ***  ORDERS  ***  ORDERS  ***  ORDERS  ***  ORDERS  ***

Summary Follows:

Campaign    : Argon A9-IV

Objectives  : Locate & Infiltrate Skaarj Millitary Base

Mission Briefing Follows:

Mission: Alpha Five Seek

Background:  After three months of searching we have located the Skaarj millitary base in this system.  It is located on Argon 7, which has no land masses above water.  The base is approx 1000 metres below the surface in the centre of a region of high volcanic activity.  We have maintained silent running since entering the system and believe the Skaarj are unaware of both our presence and our discovery of their base.  We have stationed the fleet within range of Argon 7 amongst a small cluster of asteroids which should prevent the Skaarj detecting us.

Mission Profile: Level 1 Locate & Infiltrate

Activity: A Stealth Transport Shuttle (STS) will take you down to Argon 7 where you will take a recon sub down to vicinity of Skaarj base on automatic pilot.  Descent time will be three hours due to slow speed to prevent detection.  Once you reach the drop point you will exit sub and follow next Skaarj vessel that docks into base.  Recon shows that the lock is under automatic control.  If you keep close to Skaarj vessel you should not be detected.  Locate entrance to base and infiltrate.  Identify Skaarj objectives in system and reduce base's functionality as best you can.  Escape by any means possible and return to surface.  Your shuttle will pick you up and return you to base one.

Order Priority:

1 - Gather all relevant intelligence as you go

2 - Neutralise a maximum of Skaarj and Skaarj Allied personel

3 - Return to pick-up point

Good Luck and Good Fortune

By Order of Captain H.R. Davies - 11:35 ST: 14/8/2147

ORDERS  ***  ORDERS  ***  ORDERS  ***  ORDERS  ***  ORDERS  ***  ORDERS  ***

		

Author's Notes
--------------
I wanted to try something different - and thought what about an underwater level?  And here it is...

Things to note are that I had to come to a halt with these maps or they'd never see light of day due to very little time on my part to edit, as such the amount of planned scripted events has been toned down and the use of coronas and flares is a little haphazard as I simply gave up on finishing this element due to time and have left things as per 'last build' - but the maps are fully playable and lit as well as populated with tasks, foes and ammo.

Feel free to send any comments, questions, or notices if you review this level.

Cheers!


Copyright / Permissions
-----------------------
This map pack may be distributed as you like.

Authors may NOT use this level as a base to build additional levels - but if by some small chance there's something to learn then by all means check out all you want in UnrealED

You are NOT allowed to commercially exploit this level - although you can include it on cover disks, etc.

You MAY distribute this UNR through any electronic network (Internet, FIDO, local BBS etc.), provided you include this file and leave the archive intact.

----------------------
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trademarks of Epic Megagames, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names 