IC: Starfinder Episode 02 - INTERMEZZO

[STARFINDER GM]

The Heroes were triumphant. The evil had been cleansed and this world celebrated. Ninura bid her farewells to the crew of the Solenya, she had decided to stay to make sure the lost canines found their homes. Atuz departed with his home fleet now that he was King but he told them that they could always find a place on his home planet.

Yesult, The drow witch accepted the offer of transport back to the Pact World, for her and her familiar, Etch, a strange canine creature which had been captured by the Mummy priest of Bastet.

Upon returning to the Solenya Sunshine had found a Message requesting that the Ship and Crew return to Akiton to finalize their ownership of the vessel as well as to take care of a few Safety Recall repairs.

So it was that after a few weeks of Free rooming at the casino which was back in the hands of it's rightful owners and being feted by the populace that the Solenya departed for home.

After Launch and while the ship was in route to the drift jump point The crew except for Echo and Sunshine were gathered in the rec area. The drow, who had remained somewhat aloof during their stay after the defeat of the Mummy and god was in her quarters. Echo was in the engine compartment doing engineer things while Sunshine was flying the ship.

Other than a few credits the loot from the Pyramid had not been touched and was right now spread out on the center Recreation table.

Gorunta who stood back declining to sit (They need to get a chair for his size) reached down and picked up one of the blasters. “I'm taking this one.” He growled as he checked the charge and inspected the firing mechanism and plasma chamber.

Jexa pulled the scepter and the blue star out of a bag and set them on the table.

Spoiler

Divide the loot. remember the credits can be exchanged from one stick to another. we also need to identify the two magic items.

Sunshine and Echo can follow along through the ships com and visual channels.

 

[Evana]

"I prefer bullets, although it doesn't hurt to have a back up," said the ship's unofficial decision maker.  Her ice-blue hair was pulled back tightly into a ponytail.  She had on tight white denim, and a long sleeved, white leather jacket common among female colonists.  As was typical, she couldn't go more than a few hours without showing off her midriff, so her white top was tight on frame to accent her figure which exposed a thumbnail sized sky-blue jewel resting in her navel in a beautifully crafted navel piercing setting.  "I'm not a gun buff, these have any stopping power?"

She picked up on of the blasters and took a look at it, relatively unimpressed with it.

"Okay," Evana asked, as she twirled her finger about the table to show she was including everything.  "What is all this stuff, and what's it do?  I know we picked a few nick-nacks that we weren't entirely sure of their function.  What's the word on those?"

[Jexa Brae]

Jexa shrugged when Gorunta claimed one of the five plasma pistols and watched Evana look at another and inquired about them.

"Those are Red Star Plasma Pistols." she answered. "They're powerful, but also a little slow to recharge after a shot, which can be a hindrance at times, like when an unexpected opportunity for a clean shot presented itself. Still though, they pack quite a punch, often burning holes through the target." Jexa explained to the other blue-haired woman as she looked at one of the pistols "...and everything else behind them, for some distance." she added and tossed the pistol back onto the table with the rest.

"As far as the rest, we're getting on that." she said as she picked up the blue stone. "You want to check out that scepter?" she asked Jordayn as she began to examine the stone.

A small, sparkling silver cloud of technomagical nanites formed around the stone as she tilted it, searching for writings and probing if from arcane, while tiny, pixelated arcane symbols, looking more like computer code than arcane writings, could bee seen running from side to side on Jexa's eye to those with keen perceptions.

"You see, when it comes down to it, "magic" is really just a way of "hacking the code of reality". Once you understand that, then you can read and understand bits of that hacked code when you see it." the dark blue haired lashunta explained as she examined the gem.

Spoiler

Jexa is casting Detect Magic and making a roll with her Mysticism +10 to ID the gem = 23 total.

Also, as a spellcaster, "You can also decipher magical inscriptions that would otherwise be unintelligible or, as a full action, identify any spells encoded in a spell gem. This does not normally invoke the magic contained within, although it may do so in the case of a cursed or trapped spell gem."

 

 

[Sunshine]

Patched in via comm, Sunshine's half-distracted hologram flickered slightly, sitting in mid-air and giving people the willies until someone wisely slid a chair underneath her floating form. Currently she was running a routine diagnostic, tapping all the gauges and cycling screen refreshes to ensure that nothing had any latent action built up or had frozen its digital output on a false reading.

"If you're handing out pistols, I'll take one. Might come in handy if we ever fight a group of enemies that like to stand in single file." She stuffed a few Yipi Stix™ into her mouth.

"For the credits, I'm proposing the extra share rule - everyone gets an equal share of the credits, with one extra share for ship upgrades or in the event of an emergency. For example, if one of us comes down with mummy rot from our fight with the mummy, we take the cost of treatment out of that emergency share first. That'll be about 3,660 credits for each of us, then. We all wind up with a little less, but it ensures that there's a net beneath any of us should anyone slip and fall - and ship upgrades benefit everybody. Any thoughts?"

[Jordayn]

"A slush fund to keep the ship and us in fine shape is more than acceptable to me," Jordayn agreed as he accepted the Scepter from Jexa and laid it out in front of him on the table. "If people decide they rather go their own way, their share can be reclaimed from the fund easy enough."

Jordayn waved away the offer of one of the plasma pistols, preferring the more targeted and multiple settings of his arc pistol, then passed his hands over the Scepter. "There's more than one way to describe 'magic' Jexa, as many as there are those who wield it." He have Evana an appreciative glance and nodded. "Let us see what Arshea has to say on the matter."

Jordayn murmured a prayer deep in his throat, surprisingly resonant coming from his lean frame, then his eyes began to glow with the light of the dawning sun as he scrutinized the Scepter. "As you are free in all things, Arshea, reveal unto me the secrets of this device..." After a moment, Jordayn snickered. "The words aren't really necessary, but people expect a bit of flare when a priest communes with his Goddess."

Spoiler

Jordayn casts Detect Magic to help Identify the magical properties of the Scepter.

Mysticism to Identify the Scepter: 1d20+16 32

 

[WS ST]

Spoiler

Jexa the stone is called The Western Star - it is an Aeon Stone

This blue crystal is cut in the shape of a five-pointed star.

As a standard action, its user can alter his appearance as with a disguise self spell. When so disguised, the user can render the western star and other ioun stones in his possession invisible.

Spoiler

Jordayn - The Scepter is a Rod of Withering - an ancient item of magic. Probably worth a lot to a collector

DESCRIPTION

A rod of withering acts as a +1 light mace that deals no hit point damage. Instead, the wielder deals 1d4 points of Strength damage and 1d4 points of Constitution damage to any creature she touches with the rod (by making a melee touch attack). If she scores a critical hit, the damage from that hit is permanent ability drain. In either case, the defender negates the effect with a DC 17 Fortitude save.

 

[Jordayn]

The half-elf issued a low whistle and shoved the scepter towards the center of the table with a pair of fingers, his eyes returning to their natural pale blue hue "That thing is a vicious piece of work, though considering where it came from, we shouldn't be surprised."

He subconsciously rubbed his fingers clean on his coat as he took a seat at the table. "It's not that it hits hard, but rather a mere touch saps the very vigor and health from a person. I wouldn't ever use something like that, not with the connection I share with my goddess, though if one of you wishes to..." The priest shrugged noncommittally. "Everyone is free to make their own choices. For my part, I'd suggest we disenchant it and break it down into parts and UPBs to make something of better use."

The handsome priest frowned, then nodded. "Admittedly, the enchantment is an old one not commonly used anymore. It could fetch a good many credits from the right collector, if one could be found."

[Echo]

"More money sounds good to me," Echo's voice declared from one of the intercom terminals nearby. She grunted then, and there was an electrical sizzling noise. "Damnit."

"Anyway, yeah, especially if shares are going to the ship...which isn't a bad idea...then a bigger payout is good. Mama's got expenses."

[Jexa Brae]

"I'm sure that among us all, we know several possible people we could offload it to, if that is what we want to do with the scepter. More credits are always good."

"Though if the big guy wants to keep it as a beat stick for particularly nasty enemies, then I am cool with that too, as long as we put a Called fusion on it, 'cause I do not want that thing used on me if some prick we are fighting gets a hold of it." Jexa said as she looked over Gorunta thoughtfully. "I would kinda clash with this whole motif you have going on though." she said to him.

"Breaking it down though... that would an absolute last resort, at least for me. But whatever the group consensus is, I am good with" she offered with a shrug. 

"As far as the pistols, any that are not claimed can be sold for one, or maybe a couple, thousand credits, depending on how low cut the neckline of Evana's top is that day." she joked, but not really.

"We could always keep any spares as a bit of an armory on the ship, in case we lose weapons, one way or another. It might not be a bad idea to stow spare armor and what not there too. You never know when some prick security force is going to try and take out shit. Just an idea." she said, tossing the idea out there, but not overly concerned, one way or the other.

"Now this little beauty here," Jexa said, holding up the blue, star shaped stone, "...is a special Aeon Stone. It can alter the user's appearance, kinda like a holoskin, and also make itself invisible, along with other aeon stone the user has. I wouldn't mind this, personally. It would free up some of my magic so I could learn a new spell, and being able to hide aeon stones would help a lot." she explained and then looked around at the others. "Cool?"

"Oh. I got no problem with a ship/emergency fund either." she added.

[Yseult]

"You can't break it down." The husky accented voice came from the open doorway and surprised everyone. "That is a true magical Item it is probably thousands of years old and was made with real wood and real gems and metals. Not machine reconstructed bits and pieces.  Regardless of it's function it is a work of art."

The Drow walks sensually into the rec room, over to the table, her pet following her giving the vesk and the elf a wary eye. She stops at the edge of the table and reaches out to the scepter. Her hand strokes the shaft slowly gently. "It is beautiful, isn't it?" She says to no one. 

"You would be foolish to destroy such a thing.' Yseult said directing the comment at Evana. "It is easily worth more than everything else you collected combined."

[Jexa Brae]

"Exactly. It would be like turning a masterpiece into a set of finger paints." Jexa concurred. 

[Evana]

"Very well," Evana conceded.  Evana and the Drow were a stark contrast of completion and attire.  Evana was bright and cheerful while the dark elf carried with her a palpable aura of gloom. "For now, we'll defer to the experts and keep the scepter in one piece.  I'll call my people and see if we can't have its value properly appraised and find an appropriate buyer, should we decide to sell it at all.  And welcome to conversation, Yseult, if you've more to add, by all means.  But, for the record we're all fools here.  That's how we get shit done."

"I'm not overly knowledgeable on all this arcane techno-dribble, but your skills were useful Jexa," she waved the stone away like it was meant for the technomancer.  "If that thingie will enhance them, I say more power to you, hun.  Enjoy. "

"The rest of this stuff, honestly, pick a blaster or let's sell or scrap em'.  Also, Echo, sweetie, I'm going to bring this new toy to you, could you run all the tech stuff to make sure it's up to snuff?"

[Jexa Brae]

A single person's concession was good enough for Jexa. With a flick of her finger she flung the stone at her forehead, only for it to stop a few inches from it and begin to slowly circle her head. Jexa concentrated for a second and then the stone vanished as her hair and light tattoos shifted from dark blue to a dark red.

"That's pretty damned cool." she commented, mostly to herself.

"Oh. That reminds me. I forgot to tell you guys that I grabbed this off of the priest. It was broken, but I fixed it." she said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small device, placing it on the table.

"This is force field generator the priest was using. Green level. It can run for about two minutes continuously, and fully regenerate in under half a minute. Lasers and gasses still get past it, but it'll stop everything else. Not a bad piece of hardware, if one's armor can accommodate it. New they retail around eighty thousand credits." she sighed as she slid it toward Jordayn.

"I can repair a lot of stuff, both with and without my technomagic, but the body is not one of them. So I figure that you, being the one with the healing touch and all, might be best to use this. The longer you are up and active, the better off all the rest of us will all be." Jexa explained with her hand still resting on the device.

"I mean that, or we probably give it to the big guy and make him and even more unstoppable engine of death and destruction, as if he really needs it." Jexa commented with a small grinn and a roll of her eyes.
 

Spoiler

Green Level Force Field (Armor Mod)
Level: 14,  Slots: 2, Bulk: L, Cost: 80,000 cr, Charges: 20, Usage: 1 charge/round, Temp HP: 25, Regenerates 6 HP/round and 20% or reducing a critical hit to a normal hit.
SF pg 205 & 206

 

[Gorunta Hemok]

"The pointy-ears needs it more than I do." Gorunta expressed in a sharp-toothed grin. "And that scepter is not for me - though I do like your thought about a Called fusion for my blade." The question might arise, why would the obvious example of a Vesk warrior not in fact use a doshko, given how culturally classic it was? Gorunta didn't talk about it, but in truth the weapon had been tied up with his image of self as a soldier of the Veskarium. After fleeing, it... just didn't feel right anymore to use one.

[Evana]

"Call fusions for everyone?"  Evie smiled.  Her rich, posh accent was pitched with glee.  "I'm such a trend setter."

[Echo]

"Snuff," Echo repeated absently through the intercom. "Absolutely. I am all about the snuffing. Hey, bring one of those blasters down with you too. And a sandwich."

Another voice, high pitched and electronic piped up, "I don't want a sandwich."

There was a clang, and Echo retorted, "You'll have a sandwich and you'll like it."

[STARFINDER GM]

Yseult took a bowl out of a opening behind a sliding door while Echo's voice was carrying over the intercom. The drow paused gazing atthe intercom for several second before turning her attention to the bowl, which she place back in the receptcle and a moment later drew out a much larger bowl. She turned and started for the door the empty bowl dangling from her hand. "I have a ...friend who would make an offer on the scepter. Let me know if you wish me to contact her when we reach Starhome." With that she and her pet left the room without a single glance back.

Evana opened her mouth and started to say something but it was lost in a barrage of whistles and beeps coming from Sunshine's flickering image. That image disconcertingly spun to the left and floated out of the chair While it reach and pressed invisble buttons and pulled lever noone could see. Sunshine continued moving around doing thing that no one had context for. Finally she spoke. "Alright we are atthe Drift point. I have brought us to a dead stop and will activate the Drift  engine in...5...4...3...2...!"

The world didn't jump there was not sick sensation, no sense of twisting in the gut or multidimensional weirdness all there was was a rapid pulse of rainbow light around the edges of the crews vision which lasted no  more than a micro second most didn't even register it at all. But the Solenya was no longer where it was. It was in drift space.

"Looks like we had a clean transition we'll be getting back under way in just a little bit. Then next stop Akiton."

Spoiler

I will need Piloting roll DC10 from Sunshine. and an Engineering roll DC14 from Echo for purpose of story consider that the ship is not yet upgraded from it previous level if you need to old stats let me know. and yes i know that the count down ended on an exclamation point not a 1

 

[Echo]

Meanwhile, at the aft of the ship, crammed up against the shielded bulk of the pulse reactor, and the ominously humming barricades that separated the liveable area of the ship from the radioactive death-coils of the sublight drives, Echo reclined in her seat, propping her feet up on the other seat. Off to her left, in the open area on top of the deckplate door that would drop into the ventral maintenance ductwork, her new buddy experimentally plodded about on its four jointed, mechanical legs. She winced as the four legs all slipped at once, splaying out in an 'X' and letting Tacky's undercarriage hit the deck with a clang.

"Pull the wheels in," she suggested. "You don't even need them right now, they're not even powered yet. Claw feet. Yeah."

She heard Sunshine call the Drift engage, and rotated in her chair to the console she had set up. With a few swipes of her hands, Echo rebalanced the power, diverting most of it to the Drift drive and taking all the tactical systems and sublight drive offline.

"Good thing there's no space monsters in the Drift, eh Tacky?" she said to the drone, which was carefully getting back to its feet.  It swiveled its head...a small orb attached to the front of a much bigger orb...kind of like a mechanical spider might look. A third body segment rose up behind it.

"There are no space monsters in the Drift," the drone reported after a moment in its high pitched voice.

Echo nodded, leaned forward and pushed a button, locking the rebalance in. Then was the shift, the weird perceptual horizon Drifting played...and then they were in.

Now where was that sandwich?

Engineering: 1d20+15 30

[STARFINDER GM]

 Several minutes had past since the ship had transitioned to drift space then the thrum of the engines came to life once again and Sunshine's voice came from the speakers. "Looks like we caught a break. Strong beacon signal we should be at the Transition point in a little more than a day." This was good news.

A few hours later, the crew, having finished dividing up the loot and eating a good meal had dispersed to their own duties or private business. On the bridge Sunshine was half monitoring the ship and half engrossed in a second rate pulp novel when the ships proximity alarm sounded.

***WARNING -- WARNING -- NAVIGATIONAL HAZARD DETECTED ON CURRENT COURSE -- DETECTED MASS APPROXIMATELY 30,000,000 TONS -- COLLISION IN 180 SECONDS --- WARNING --- WARNING***

The alarm began to repeat blaring throughout the Solenya!

Spoiler

Sunshine needs to make a piloting  check at DC18 to avoid the collision. Out the cockpit window She and anyone else on the bridge can see this structure hanging in drift space (the planet is not there)

 

[Evana]

It was simple number crunching but it passed the time as she calculated expenses, checked the feeds for hits on perspective jobs, and looked for deals they could get on supplies.  She liked the view of space from the bridge, it was like she was on stage and all the stars were her audience.  At the sound of the alarm she looked up casually, then shot stright up, gripping the edges of the command station and shouted, knuckles going white.

"Sunshine!" She shouted at the ysoki, which was not uncommon in an alert status.  "Trouble!  Look lively!"

[Sunshine]

Sunshine was at attention, grabbing the manual steering sticks with her hands, her tail curling up in concentration.

Spoiler

Sunshine pilot check: 1D20+15 = [1]+15 = 16

A 10% chance of failure happens one time out of ten, I guess.

However, her fingers slipped as she grabbed for one of the sticks and her fumble cost the ship precious seconds. She grabbed at the stick, but a look out the cockpit told her she wasn't going to make it. She cursed in ysoki, a word that roughly translated to "person who moved my cheese," though the force of her intonation gave it somewhat more weight as a cuss.

She flipped on the comm as she fought to right the ship. "Condition red, condition red. Brace for collision with unidentified celestial object. Everyone to action stations, this is not a drill." Sunshine's voice was all business and military training, all traces of the adorable squeaky hotshot gone. "Repeat, condition red, condition red. Everyone to action stations. Brace for collision with large unidentified celestial object. This is not a drill."

[STARFINDER GM]

The Solenya drove toward the huge artificial structure, Sunshine trying desperately to alter course but there just wasn't enough time. Evana pushed herself back in her chair as the object, spacecraft station, what ever grew to fill the view there was no way they would survive hitting it at these velocities.

Throughout the ship everyone heard the alarm and Sunshine's pronouncement and grabbed on

On the bridge the Sunshine still tried but even she knew it was a lost cause, when suddenly, a bluish-green glow poured in from the window and all motion stopped.

The ship was caught in some sort of beam emanating from the body of the object. In the engine room the ships drive cut out although everything still checked out. 

The Solenya didn't stay still long, On the bridge Evana and Sunshine watched as the beam began pulling them into the monstrous structure...

[Evana]

"We'll talk about that later," Evie shot Sunshine a look of 'you know what you did/didn't do' and began working her console.  "Engineering, I need a status report.  We're locked in a tractor and I need to know what works, what doesn't and what our options are.  Jexa, scour databases.  I need to what that is, what it can do, why it's in our way and... what can we get for it?  Everyone else, consider us on alert.  Unlock em' and cock em'."

She dashed a few switches with her fingers and a holo screen projected the object in front of her with a small static square in the lower left hand side of it.  "Unidentified... station thingie... this is the Solenya, Freelancer freighter.  We seem to have been caught in one of your tractor beams.  While it may have assisted in avoiding a collision, I would remind you that you are smack dab in the middle of a drift lane.  Now, kindly disengage your beam, and politely bugger off.  You damn near killed us all."

Spoiler

Opened a com channel in an attempt to reach the vessel.

 

[Echo]

"Working on it," Echo replied. "Doesn't look like it's messing with our power at least...so you guys won't, you know, die horribly when the oxygen stops recycling. Running a diagnostic now to see what it IS doing, and a scan of the other ship. Iiiii'll letcha know. Bye."

She acted with considerably more urgency than her vocal tone conveyed, of course. The usual engineering console interface she used had blossomed like a flower in spring, bristling with readouts and displays and diagrams comparing power levels, speed, gravitational radiation, electromagnetic characteristics, and a host of other details.

Even more important than finding out about the weird beam that had caught them was making sure it wasn't hurting the ship though! Multiple system diagnostics ran in parallel, with Echo's eyes constantly flicking between them to try to catch problems quickly.

Computers to run scan: 1d20+15 18

Is actually a 20, cuz I forgot we have +2 to sensor rolls from the ship's systems.

Engineering to check systems: 1d20+15 31

[Gorunta Hemok]

Gorunta calmly  began grabbing and checking over his rifle, the plasma pistol and the sword, more nonchalantly than anything. Most likely, if the past business with Atuz was any indication, ridiculousness and a bloody fight were to be expected. He liked this group already - no fear of boredom or petty jobs like bouncing!

[Jexa Brae]

"What the shit?!" Jexa exclaimed as the huge station? came into view. She swung her considerable boots, that were resting on the top of her console, down to the deckplate as her displays lit up, spewing all sorts of data and alerts at her. Her hands gracefully drifted over the interface console, tapping in commands and aligning the sensors, though it looked more like she was playing a symphony on a piano.
 

Spoiler

 

Jexa will attempt a Scan (pg. 325).

So Jexa rolls her +15 Computers and gets a +2 from the ship sensors for a total of +17.

35 total on Scan roll 

 

Data quickly began coming back to Jexa's screens. Other than arresting the Solenya's motion the beam didn't seem to be doing anything to the ship, it was just a standard, albeit incredibly powerful, tractor beam. Her own scans were giving less information. The computer had no record of anything like this and it had no obvious visual ques as to it's origin. The scans detected no life, but Jexa wasn't sure it that was because there was no life or just that her sensors couldn't penetrate the structure.

"Fuck if I know what the hell that thing is. The computer is doing no better either. From a design perspective, I cannot tell it's origin either." she said with a shrug as her fingers continued to lay over the console, drawing it more data.

"I am not detecting any life signs, buuut that might just because because we can't scan through their thick-ass hull. So life scan are inconclusive, I guess." she added as she pulled out her arc pistol, checked it, and concealed it again.

"The tractor beam is not hurting the ship or anything, it's just strong as hell, so this could just be some sort of automated docking procedure, but no way to tell right now."

[Echo]

"Can confirm," Echo confirmed. "The board is green. All systems are fine. Let me know if you want to go to ramming speed."

[Sunshine]

"A tractor beam assumes a tractor beam operator - someone either is operating that beam, or built the machinery that is operating that beam." Sunshine tested out a few maneuvers on the manual steering column, just in case breaking free from the tractor beam was possible. "So if no one recognizes that thing then this couuuuuuuuuuuld be first contact. Any of you have a translation spell beefy enough to comprehend unknown languages?"

[Jexa Brae]

"I got it covered." Je,a answed the ysoki.

[STARFINDER GM]

Outside a second beam joins the first and begins to draw the ship toward the structure and an opening maw preparing to swallow the tiny vessel and her crew.

With in moments the Solenya is inside a cavernous dark bay of some sort. More beams play over the ship, bathing it in weird multicolored light. Some even penetrates the hull making shadows dance and the crews skin tingle.

Jexa punches buttons on the console in front of her. "It's some kind of scan. I'm still not picking up any sign of life but he walls of this bay are reflecting our scans.

Suddenly there are flashing lights outside and a series of white arrows light up on the deck pulsing one after the other leading away from the ship. The ships microphones pick up sound as several different languages speak all at once. Then the voice settles on the Common Packworlds tongue.

"Attention. all biologicals must vacate the repair bay while repairs are underway. This includes artificial lifeforms with biological components. Please follow the indicated path to the main promenade and enjoy your stay while repairs are underway. Thank You."

[Echo]

"Biological components," Echo mutters irritably as she collects some things. "I'm working on it! Shut up!"

She went to the spider-like drone that was watching her with its mismatched camera eyes and grabbed a metal box off the shelf nearby it. "Okay Tacky. This is for you. I'm uploading some visual recognition patterns. If you detect someone who does NOT conform to one of these patterns...they are Target Practice Dummies. Got it?"

There was a clacking sound as Echo fitted the box magazine into the drone's reload compartment and slammed the access panel shut. The rotary cannon mounted just under its head started to spin up. "Target practice!"

"Tch tch," the engineer reprooved, and put her hand near the weapon. "IF you see someone who's not on that list. IF. Remember we talked about 'if then?'"

Tacky the spider-drone did its best to nod its head.

"IF something comes onto the ship, AND it does NOT conform to these patterns, THEN Target Practice. Confirm."

The cannon spun down, and Tacky replied, "Confirmed," with a rapid burst of code to Echo showing the new directive. She nodded.

"Good Tacky. Lets just get you backed up first. Just in case."

Echo took a small cylindrical object, just big enough to fit in the palm of her hand, and pressed it to a port on the top of the drone's body. After a few seconds the yellow light on it turned blue, then green, and she disconnected it again.

"Go get 'em."

Then she went to get her gear on and meet the others in the forward half of the Solenya.

---------

"So," the android said as she sauntered into the airlock, "Taking odds we'll get out of this without overloading Solenya's drive to explode while we bail in escape pods? I'm thinking one in two. Also, if-slash-when we get back on board, um, show your face as you get on."

[Evana]

"Viri sánguinum infernum," Evie cursed in a language no one understood.  "Machines... bloody machines.  This is just lovely.  Well, at least I won't feel bad about wrecking the place, which given our track record, is in t-minus ten hours and counting..."

"All right everyone, you heard them, let's gear up and get off," she smirked.  "Take that how you like.  I'll meet everyone at the airlock."

Spoiler

Evie will get her gear together and meet at the airlock.  She's keeping her white outfit, hoping the light blindness irritates the drow. 

 

[Jordayn]

On 4/18/2018 at 6:32 PM, Echo said:

"Working on it," Echo replied. "Doesn't look like it's messing with our power at least...so you guys won't, you know, die horribly when the oxygen stops recycling. Running a diagnostic now to see what it IS doing, and a scan of the other ship. Iiiii'll letcha know. Bye."

"I can take care of us, if life support goes down," Jordayn said, watching the approaching station with curiosity now that they look like they were going to slam into at Drift speed. Despite a love of travel, he wasn't a pilot, but he could keep his crewmates going so they could keep the ship going.

19 hours ago, STARFINDER GM said:

"Attention. all biologicals must vacate the repair bay while repairs are underway. This includes artificial lifeforms with biological components. Please follow the indicated path to the main promenade and enjoy your stay while repairs are underway. Thank You."

"They're polite machines at least," Jordayn replied, offering Evana a wry grin. "Perhaps they'll warn us before trying to eviscerate us for raw material. I wonder when the last time the... station had visitors?"

Jordayn was already geared up, pistol at his hip, wearing his shiny red refractor suit and open priest vestments over that, everything else he might need in the null space chamber strapped to his arm. He did check one more to make sure the force field generator was properly connected to his lightly armored suit however.

13 hours ago, Echo said:

"Taking odds we'll get out of this without overloading Solenya's drive to explode while we bail in escape pods? I'm thinking one in two. Also, if-slash-when we get back on board, um, show your face as you get on."

"Oh, I think our odds are much better than that," Jordayn countered with a laugh as he strode into the airlock, adding after the look on several faces, "that we won't have to do that. "Last time worked out rather well, over all, really."

[Gorunta Hemok]

"Right now," Gorunta pointed out, "we don't have a track record. We've only done the one job for Atuz so far. It'll take two times before it starts becoming a track record." The vesk was fully armored, armed and loaded for bear though. "That said, I won't be surprised if it ends in wrecking the place. We don't have any heavy explosives on hand, do we?"

[Jexa Brae]

Jexa hopped from her seat and ran back to her cabin, grabbing her pack.

"Let's see what passes for hospitality in this place." she said as she checked her arc pistol and then stowed it again.

[STARFINDER GM]

The Heroes for Hire all gathered at the airlock ramp and waited for the mechanism to cycle before heading down into the huge bay. The flashing arrows in the floor led off to the left of the ship. Looking all around the bay appeared empty with only the Solenya and themselves being present.

"Attention. all biologicals must vacate the repair bay while repairs are underway. This includes artificial lifeforms with biological components. Please follow the indicated path to the main promenade and enjoy your stay while repairs are underway. Thank You." Blared the bays speakers at a volume that made the crew wince.

The crew advanced in the direction the arrows indicated and soon came to a featureless wall. As they approached the voice boomed out again.

"Attention. all biologicals must vacate the repair bay while repairs are underway. This includes artificial lifeforms with biological components. Please follow the indicated path to the main promenade and enjoy your stay while repairs are underway. Thank You."

At that moment a section of the wall slid aside and revealed an opening and at the same time the floor upon which the stood slid forward carrying them through the opening and sliding shut as they past.

Our Heroes found themselves in a darkened room, lights flickered on suddenly then went dark and then tried to flicker on a gain. The flickering cast eerie shadows across the room. Behind them on the wall/door a large circle made up of hundreds of crooked red slashes started blinking with each blink one of the slashes turned black.

The air was dry and stale. There were seats lined up in rows of various sizes and shapes as if to accommodate a multitude of species along the walls there were a half dozen large vending machines their internal lights flickering, adding to the chaos of shadows. Both ends of the room were open and curving hallways could be seen beyond.

[Jordayn]

"Insistent, aren't they?" Jordayn commented with mild amusement as he stepped lightly into the room. It seemed rather... banal now, considering how they had arrived to the station. He arched a brow at the circle made of hundreds of jagged red slashes, noting them going black one at a time. Some sort of chronometer the priest guessed.

Jordayn wondered over the vending machines , curious to see if they were operational or even stocked. They seemed to hold various prepackaged beverages and foods in a not quite completely clear film. He arched his other brow. He had travelled a fair deal, but he didn't recognize anything. Even more surprising, there was a panel clearly meant to accept a wide range of physical or digital currency, but it didn't seem it would accept his credstick. The design for credsticks in the Pact Worlds were generally standardized.

"This is interesting, guys," Jordayn said, giving a vending machine a rap with his knuckles. "It doesn't seem to accept credsticks, not any I'm familiar with at any rate. Suggests whatever this place is, it isn't of Pact Worlds manufacture, not contemporary at least." He gestured down one of the halls that curved out of sight. "Anyone else want to take a look around while the Solenya gets serviced? Who knows how long since this place last had visitors."

[Sunshine]

Upon seeing the vending machines, Sunshine disappeared, leaving a Sunshine-shaped cloud of dust where she had been standing as she dashed in the blink of an eye to the vending machines. She peered at the display, seeing if she recognized any of the snacks, or if any of them had gone bad, or if - assuming she couldn't get a currency converter to work and they didn't accept universal polymer base - they were easily cracked.

[STARFINDER GM]

Like Jordayn, Sunshine couldn't read the names or anything on the packaging but due to her expert snack knowledge she could recognize several of the foods as being the same or at least closely related to snacks she was familiar with. She frowned when she looked at the mechanisms for payment. Jordayn had just looked at them and hadn't seen any slots that would fit a standard credit stick, but Sunshine found herself staring right at a slot which was a perfect fit. And not on one machine but a quick check showed that all of the machines had a central slot.

"Hey Jordayn come look. Didn't you say our sticks wouldnt fit?"

[Evana]

"Careful," Evana mentioned softly in her smooth accent.  "I'd not trust a single 'snack' in that machine. Gods only know how long it's been there."

She paced about, her heels echoing faintly with every step, impatiently and afraid to sit down on anything for fear it may stain her pure white outfit.  "And for the love of all that is holy, what is that smell?  I'm already hating this..."