Well, I got the cryptic muse pestering me last night as I tried to drift off, here's the idea as it came to me...
(my muse) ... a vision of a painting of flowers, no make that a mural of a rain forest or a jungle on the wall, except the picture is alive and the elements are flowing...
(my take) ... no, not quite alive, the colors fade to shades of greys and a grainyness begins to bleed through, the wall is crawling with machinery, small tendrils of circuit paths writhe across the wall and flow along the floor and ceiling surrounding me, and then over me, and all fades to black...
OK, so maybe she wasn't so cryptic, but it started that way. I mean I was looking for inspiration on a story involving AI machines and she shows me a pretty picture of flowers? It took me a couple minutes to figure out how to go from that to the subject.
What I see, since this is a one off deal, is it should be an everybody dies type scenario. A kobayashi maru. Timing will be tricky for the ref and the actual end game tricky.
When the players arrive they find a ghost station. Everything is on automatics and there are no signs of anybody. This should be played up. Initially walking around the station, finding labs with projects intact but no one around except research specimens. The common room or dining area layed out for a meal, plates of food as if everyone eating were suddenly called away. But everywhere neat, as if there was no panic, no catastrophe, just suddenly no people.
ref knowledge
When the researchers activated the AI nano it was still small and learning. But it grew quickly in both size and awareness. Faster than the researchers anticipated. Much faster.
The players come to one lab that is different. The quarantine shields are in place and the external readouts show that stage one sterilization has been completed. A clock counts down to "safe" condition. In a couple minutes the shields will open and they can investigate.
ref knowledge
The reasearchers realized they had a problem and started sterilization procedures. Locally at first in an effort to preserve the projects in other labs. That was a mistake. The AI nano learned fear and hurt first. And it acted out of self preservation. It ran and spread to nearby labs.
The players enter the lab. It is intact and there are no bodies here either. The sterilization procedure used a hard radiation bath but each lab has an isolated and shielded computer for lab notes. Perusing the records the players find hints about the project but nothing that seems dangerous or threatening. Nothing biological, just some inorganic samples being studied. A mineral as yet unidentified and attempts at measuring it using different radiations and instruments. And then the records stop, just before the sterilization protocol was initiated.
ref knowledge
The AI nano found the circuitry of the ship compatible with it's own, and began to expand and escape. Once out of immediate harm it lashed out, hurting back those who hurt it. And things escalated.
Moving on, the players now find two more labs under sterilization protocol. One more the same as the last only with biological specimens, destroyed by the same hard rad bath procedure. The lab notes show the specimens and research to be harmless. And another with level two sterilization, a hard rad bath and explosive vacuum exposure. When the shields are raised the players may enter through the airlock if they have vacc-suits. The lab notes recovered will show the same nothing unusual. But this lab has a dead researcher, snagged on some equipment, apparently killed by the explosive decompression (if the players can't or don't enter the lab they will see the snagged researcher from the door).
ref knowledge
But the AI nano was quicker than the humans and not limited by concerns of limiting damage. In very short order every human aboard was dead and only a few labs had been sterilized.
But where are the others? The lifeboat is still docked and they've looked everywhere. Or have they? Something doesn't add up. Shouldn't there be a door there?
ref knowledge
The AI nano was safe. The humans had been eliminated. But now there was no way to escape. The AI nano realised it was now trapped in this shell. It didn't like being trapped. It wanted to get away. Far away. The computer showed it that there were ships that could travel between stars. That's what it needed. It would have to wait. Soon it would be visited by others with one of these Starships and then it could leave.
The players are beginning to notice they are being directed at times. Walls where there should be doors block access to certain areas. Blasting their way through they find the bodies. And an envelope marked with an Omega. Inside the envelope are hardprinted steps for engaging the research station's secret self destruct warhead. Apparently the commander was considering implementing the action but was not able to. What could be so bad that he'd consider it? What could have prevented him from doing it by killing everyone aboard? And is it still aboard?
ref knowledge
The AI nano is becomming concerned. The humans who had come were too curious. And clever. They had found the others despite all it's deceptions. It could wait no longer, it was aboard the Starship but needed the humans to operate it. They would have to be scared into running.
Suddenly the sterilization protocol alarm sounds for the area the players are in. They need to get out fast or they'll be killed. They just manage to clear the airlock before the shields drop into place and the sound of the explosive decompression is heard on the other side. It looks like whatever killed the researchers IS still here and now it's after them.
And from there it's a race for the players to avoid the traps and attacks mounted by the AI nano construct as they try to arm the self destruct and escape. With the AI nano construct trying to herd the players to their ship.
The AI nano construct has no knowledge of the self destruct device and the players find it easier if they make their way back to their ship rather than any other way. The more they dally on the station the more lethal (but always restrained from actually lethal) and numerous the attacks. If their ship should be physically disconnected from the station for some reason the attacks on the station will stop. And there are no attacks on their ship.
The players may figure out that their ship is now occupied by the AI nano construct. If they do then they have a choice to make. With no good outcome for them either way.
The ref may allow one possible way to beat this catch 22 if the adventure is used as part of a campaign. The players may make a run for the station's lifeboat, with the AI nano construct fighting them all the way with nothing held back. And if they make it to the lifeboat before the explosion destroys the station and their ship then they will have succeeded in destroying the AI nano construct and living. Of course they are now marooned in a distant seldom visited system with just the lifeboat and the stuff on their back. And the adventure of surviving until rescued begins...
Anyway, that's how I'd outline the adventure. As mentioned the actual timing of it will be tricky, and I leave the details to you to develop. If you find the idea interesting and in line with what you had in mind.
I'm dry! Dang, my mind is just gone dead, sorry. "I'll be bachk!" Just as soon as my muse sings to me.
