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Zeyram nods. “That does sound useful.”
“So once that is installed and we find out what the goblins did with salt water, we should be ready to explore the rock.”
Looking in the general direction of the cargo hold where Captain Eskolar is stored, he asks “Do we do anything special with the cargo and those casings, or wait until we have explored the rock?”
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Xyklik places the fusion seal onto his assault hammer and waits for it to attach.
"We should leave them here until we finish exploring the rock. The shuttle could be recalled remotely if we place the valuables in it. We don't know who could be monitoring us."
He shoulders and stows his weapons for travel in the vacuum.
|
While everyone gets settled, Hawthorne uses the ships communications array to Google search the infospheres for information on the void zombie state that results from death while infected with akata parasites.
"There's a good chance that the crew are void zombies, now," the priest comments. "I suspect their spawn will have similar resistances to fire and cold as the akata."
Sigamus-bot considers the silvery material.
Before you leave, the goblins come running up! “We has salt water!” They have salt water balloons that they have crafted from a supply of safety gloves that Big Jim had given them.
“Rat-a-tat-tat
Tossity toss,
Glove go Splat,
Melt Cat Flat!”
They have also jury-rigged a pair of broken-looking salt water guns out of the pipes from the galley sink. “We show you, see?”
SPLOOSH!
They spray Xyklik, shooting the shirren’s face full of salt water! “Look, we can shoot space cats for you! Go Drift rock now!” As you head to the Hippocampus, Red calls “Shotgun!” and attempts to sit right next to Zeyram. “Can I pilot?”
“Ooooh, scanners!” The goblin says, as he presses his nose against the window, looking for space cats. This holds his attention for about four minutes. “Pilot now?“
★ ---- ★ ---- ★ ---- ★
Despite about 20 goblin interruptions, Zeyram expertly pilots you to the Drift Rock! The Drift Rock is a rocky asteroid only a few thousand feet in diameter with an unremarkable, irregular surface. Having already completed all your scans of the Drift Rock earlier, you proceed in. You easily find a rocky overhang concealing a cave entrance that seems to lead inside the asteroid.
There is virtually no gravity here. The ceilings are fifteen feet high, dark and airless. Your batteries have all been recharged shipboard and are good to go.
Soon the tunnel has two branches that come off them, one sloping up and the other down. Do you explore one of them? Which way do you go if you do?
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Hawthorne's decorative environmental helmet folds into place before he disembarks onto the drift rock. His IR sensors flicker on.
"Goblins are hard to herd," he says to Cade. "I think they'll go where they want. At least they're only armed with salt-water guns."
He eyes the fork in the tunnel. "Lacking any data to guide us, I can't recommend one direction other another. Does anyone see any sign of passage?"
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When Xyklik is splashed with salt water, he calmly sloughs his pack from his shoulder, and removes a grenade from it.
"If you do that again, you will swallow this."
He looks at the others, then stows the grenade. Later, he tries to help Hawthorne discover a way forward by scanning the ground, looking for any recent foot traffic.
The tunnel opens up into a large cavern with a ceiling of thirty feet. Large chunks of rubble are scattered across this cavern. A large boulder lies to the west.
As you come in to the airless chamber, Cadence, Hawthorne and Xyklik all notice a slight vibration in the rock as you come in that indicates you are not alone!
That android pilot from the Stiletto appears from behind the boulder, and now there are two of her!
★ ---- ★ ---- ★ ---- ★
Hawthorne (surprise)
Cadence (surprise)
Xyklik (surprise)
================================
Clara (surprise)
================================
Hawthorne
Zeyram
Cadence
Goblins
Simagus
Xyklik
================================
Clara
================================
Big Jim
BOLD may act! It is a surprise round! When you shoot Clara, please roll a 1d2 to see if you hit her or her clone.
“Cold one?” Clara snorts. “My ambient temperature is fine. There is nothing wrong with the way my heating units were built, I assure you.”
Meanwhile, Hawthorne’s rifle pops an image!
Click. Whirr.
Despite the cover, Xyklik hits Clara with the laser rifle! “So we missed killing you last time? We won’t this time!”
She calmly shoots Xyklik. “Or perhaps I will get you first!”
Then the goblins go.
Green sprays Clara with salt water. SPLOOSH!
Red manages to keep his salt water gun from exploding on him, though some of the water leaked out!
The goblins look sheepish as they realize that all they sprayed was water. “Forgot we not have junk lasers!”
★ ---- ★ ---- ★ ---- ★
ROUND ONE
Active Conditions: Cover on Clara
Hawthorne
Zeyram
Cadence
Goblins
Simagus
Xyklik
================================
Clara (-4)
================================
Big Jim
Hawthorne hits Clara for four points of non-lethal damage!
★ ---- ★ ---- ★ ---- ★
ROUND ONE
Active Conditions: Cover on Clara
Hawthorne
Zeyram
Cadence
Goblins
Simagus
Xyklik
================================
Clara (-4, -4NL)
================================
Big Jim
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Xyklik growls at being hit dead-on. He breathes hard for a second, then surges forward while drawing his assault hammer.
"You will die on this asteroid," he says as he brings the hammer down on the android.
Move up 5 ft. (not sure if he can draw a weapon combined with a guarded step? If he can, he will do that.)
Attack Clara
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Zeyram pushes off the wall upwards and towards the android.
On the open channel, he asks “Do you have a name? Any particular reason you have attacked us yet again?”
As he reachs a point above her, he shoots down at point blank range. So glad she is lacking in arms!
Unfortunately he misjudged the power of the push!
Xyklik shoots Clara back! Zeyram executes a fancy maneuver in Zero G, and then finds that he pushed a little too hard off the wall, which affects his aim!
The android looks up at Zeyram, who is now floating above her. “Of course I have a name. I’m Clara-247. I have been attacking you for the most logical of reasons. Someone hired me to kill you all. I failed in our space ship battle, so I had to make another attempt or risk voiding my contract.” Her voice is calm. “I bear you no personal ill-will.”
Then she pauses as she considers Hawthorne’s words. “What do you mean by Space Lions? I am unfamiliar with that species. Are they related to the Sand Brutes of Elytrio?”
Then she considers the rest of battle, like a chess player considering a handicapped game. “By the way, you are correct that you do outnumber me,” she says regretfully. “I was not expecting quite so many of you. Though two of you only appear to be wielding improvised water weapons, and my circuitry is water resistant, so that should not present too much of a problem.”
★ ---- ★ ---- ★ ---- ★
ROUND ONE
Active Conditions: Cover on Clara
Hawthorne
Zeyram
Cadence
Goblins
Simagus
Xyklik
================================
Clara (-11, -4NL)
================================
Big Jim
Click. Whirr.
Simagus pushes up over the wall to avoid cover!
Cadence just shoots from where he is!
Claire 247 considers her wounds dispassionately for a moment, and then says, “On second thought, it appears that this mission is also a failure. Surrender does seem the most rational course, especially if there are those akatas about. Very well.” She drops her rifle. “I surrender, and will chase you no more. Fair enough?”
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Zeyram collides with the wall and then has to grab it in order to steady himself.
“It is likely your best way off this rock.”
Holstering his guns, he then guides himself to the floor.
“I don’t suppose you could tell us who your former employers were, Clara-247? I do hope you collected half up front.”
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Xyklik stows his weapons and takes a moment to steady himself while the others talk with Clara.
---
After they are done talking, he asks the android, "Tell us what you have found in this place so far. Have you scouted any other areas?" He thinks for a moment, then adds, "If you try to kill us again, I will scatter you across the stars."
“That sounds fair,” Clara 247 nods to Xyklik, turning herself over for a search. “But of course I have not searched the place. It was clear to me that whomever hired me — and they did it through anonymous drops — wanted you dead because you were exploring the Drift Rock, when they wanted to do so. So I only waited here, near the beginning, so I could catch you when you came in. If I explored the entire Drift Rock, they would want to kill me. I thought it was the most logical avenue then NOT to explore.”
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Xyklik notes the burn scars on his armor. "Her rifle seems to work just fine."
Turning to Clara, he says, "You're a good killer. You can't kill us and take our shuttle now, so help us fight through whatever is in here, and we will let you go to disappear from your clients afterward." He turns to the others. "Agreed?"