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Rimmer zaps the undead creature a few times, causing some minor damage.
It moans, and Rimmer starts to feel something pulling at him...
...and Rimmer can feel himself being pulled apart at an atomic level, once again.
Konkrud fires a shot...
"Yay! Konkrud hit! See Boss! I can do good!"
Rimmer (-15)
DD (-18)
Konkrud (-)
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In stark contrast to the caverns elsewhere inside the Drift Rock, this chamber looks more like a room on a space station or starship (more importantly, there is also gravity, but still no atmosphere). Rather than the unfinished rock of the asteroid, the walls, floor, and ceiling are clad with finished sheets of some polished, metallic substance, along with components of unrecognizable equipment. Panels on some of the walls flash with lights and mysterious symbols, and an almost infrasonic hum of unseen machinery pulses through the walls.
Rimmer realises it is an advanced hybrid technology of a type not seen in the Pact Worlds system and that it seems to primarily deal with monitoring the status and operation of larger, unknown systems located elsewhere...
He has no idea what the symbols mean, though...
Whilst Rimmer is pondering that, Konkrud pipes up:
"Hey Boss! Me think dere is a secret door over !"
He then starts levering away at a pnael on the wall.
As soon as he does *that*, a different panel slides open, and an ancient-looking, quadrupedal robot of unknown design steps out... but the gun it is pointing at Konkrud looks decidedly unfriendly.
"Oopsie!"
Rimmer (-15)
Konkrud (-)
DSR (-)
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After the first few minutes, Konkrud gets bored, and tries to 'help'...
"Konkrud good helper!"
Eventually, the panel is dismantled.
Inside is a small chamber containing nothing but, surprisingly, the void-mummified body of a human!
In the recording, Moriko Nash identifies herself as the captain of the independent starship Sunrise Maiden, and briefly relates her discovery of a strange asteroid in the Drift. She landed her ship in a cavern on the asteroid and began exploring other chambers inside it, but she was attacked by a terrifying monster that seemed to consume life energy and could walk through walls. Wounded and unable to escape the monster, Moriko managed to modify her armor’s force field to extend in a bubble around her, as the monster seemed unable to pass through the force field.
Nevertheless, Moriko realized her force field would eventually run out of power, and the monster would finally be able to reach her. She ends the recording with the following:
“I think I’ve come to terms with it. I won’t survive, but at least I’ve explored strange worlds and seen wonders I would never have dreamed of as a child. I guess everything comes to an end eventually. I’ve always been the master of my own fate, and I’m not going to change now.” Captain Nash holds up a pistol. “When my force field goes down, I’ll fight. But I’m saving my last charge for myself. My life, my death.
This is my last will and testament. To whoever finds this recording, I leave the Sunrise Maiden to you. It’s a good ship, and no matter where I’ve gone, it’s always brought me home... until now. If you treat it right, it’ll do the same for you. Leave my body where you found it — we came from the stars, and to the stars I’ll return — but the Maiden deserves to keep flying.”
Nash takes a deep breath and ends the recording.
Rimmer recognises the Sunrise Maiden as the name of a starship that was reported lost in the Drift in 242 AG . The ship and its crew were never found — until now...
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With its vaulted ceiling and smoothed stone floor, this sprawling cavern has the appearance of a primitive shuttle hangar or landing bay—an impression reinforced by the presence of a starship taking up the majority of the space.
Only the western wall is finished with the ceramic-metallic plating found elsewhere in the complex; the remainder of the cavern is hemmed by natural rock walls. Huge doors stand in the eastern wall of the chamber—doors easily big enough to accommodate the starship parked in front of them. Of more immediate interest, however, are the two human bodies splayed on the floor just inside the western doors, their internal organs spread artfully on the floor around the corpses.
Standing in front of the bodies is a strange creature:
Mostly humanoid in form, with rubbery, yellowish skin, translucent wings, a long reptilian tail, and a head that is little more than a gaping, lamprey-like mouth filled with curved teeth.
Wonderful! Two new types of flesh to sample! Such a bounty!
Rimmer (-)
Konkrud (-)
G (-)
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Rimmer misses with his pistol, but the cannon strikes true.
Konkrud also takes a shot...
...but misses.
The creature now looks mildly annoyed.
Struggling will only make things worse for you... after all, it makes my appetite all the stronger!
It flaps over, and tries to bite him...
Delicious!
Rimmer (-32)
Konkrud (-)
G (-20)
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Rimmer hits twice...
...and then the detonation goes off.
Konkrud also takes a shot...
...and finally hits!
The creature, now looking quite badly damaged, snarls:
You are a little too spicy for me!
It flaps over to one wall, and then concentrates, trying to rip Rimmer's life-force away from him...
Rimmer (-32)
Konkrud (-)
G (-68)
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Rimmer manages to drop the beast with two well-placed hits.
N-no... I still had so many Epicurean delights to sample...
It then expires.
Searching the cavern, you find several unusual art objects that the creature has collected from myriad civilizations over the years while hunting in the Drift. Ranging from bizarrely unsettling to delicately exquisite, these examples of exotic fine art are worth a total of 2,000 credits.
Of course, the biggest treasure here is the Sunrise Maiden itself. Moreover, its cargo holds contain salvageable trade goods that are worth another 2,000 credits.
Rimmer easily recognises the Sunrise Maiden as a Sanjaval Vagabond, a common (though somewhat outdated) model of starship known for its toughness and dependability.
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Konkrud nods vigorously.
"Konkrud likes the sound of being an Officer, and being 'First'. First time Konkrud has been First at anything!"
The trip back to Absalom Station is uneventful.
Upon arriving, you find, much to your surprise, that docking fees are waived; apparently, Ambassador Nor made the feed from his Observer Bot public to all of Absalom Station. As a result, the station is abuzz with the news of the Drift Rock’s ancient origins, and opportunists are already maneuvering to find some way to profit off the discovery.
More importantly from Rimmer's perspective, thanks to his image having appeared on countless video screens, he has become a minor local celebrity — at least while the buzz lasts.
Once Rimmer disembarks, a small crowd of onlookers and reporters quickly tracks him down, asking for statements, autographs, and confirmation of conspiracy theories. Partaking in a few short photo opportunities and drinks on the house is fairly harmless...
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Ambassador Nor congratulates Rimmer on the success of the mission, and hands over the promised 1100 credits.
Nor also notes that he has had some techs look into the code that Rimmer saw: Apparently, the equipment was designed to operate minor subsystems of some larger structure. The exact nature of the missing structure remains a mystery, though references to systems such as “Backup Power Transmission,” “Maneuvering Thrusters,” and “Auxiliary Fire Control” hint that it may have been some sort of space-based weapon system. In addition, the data reveals that these systems and the control room itself are incredibly ancient—possibly even millions of years old. In fact, it appears that the Drift Rock is not just an asteroid that was repurposed as a control center, but that it was a part of the larger structure that was designed and artificially constructed at the same time as the machinery and controls here. And if all that is true, then the Drift Rock represents a find of major significance, for not only is it a piece of heretofore-unknown technology of exceedingly advanced age, but the larger structure it was once a part of may still be somewhere among the stars, just waiting to be discovered!
-----------------------------------------
Back at the Lorespire Complex, Chiskisk is incredibly excited!
“There is some good news. The Starfinder Society’s linguistic database recognized many of the symbols you found on the Drift Rock, because this is not the first time they’ve appeared post-Gap. The bad news is that the source is... highly unreliable,” Chiskisk notes, as segments of their chitinous body scrape together in agitation. “All that we have about these earlier texts comes from Halkueem Zan nearly three centuries ago, and it seems that no published studies of those texts have appeared since. According to these records, Zan’s original findings were donated to the Qabarat University of Xenoarchaeology and Xenoanthropology on Castrovel shortly after his—” The shirren pauses while contemplating how best to phrase the sentence. “—disruptive expeditions.
Fortunately, the Society has numerous alumni from that university, and I can readily secure you a contact there and forward my personal recommendation to a few faculty members. Perhaps they can show you Zan’s notes and even take you to the original site so that you can search for more clues about whatever this Drift Rock once was.”
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“As you know, the Starfinder Society is an organization dedicated to uncovering the secrets of the universe and its past. As in any pursuit, a sensational hero can attract new recruits, and a buffoon can tarnish the whole field. Halkueem Zan was both. He traveled throughout the Pact Worlds making a name for himself as an explorer and archaeologist, but his techniques were utter rubbish. He was a looter with a good press agent, and he published lurid gibberish like ‘Pyramid People of Ukulam.’ His articles were popular with the public, but for every diligent explorer they inspired, another two were unscrupulous treasure hunters who just wanted to blow things up and call it archaeology.”
Chiskisk shudders.
"Fortunately, he wasn't a Starfinder.
As to whom you will be meeting with, there is a postdoctoral student named Whaloss who has worked with the Society in the past. I’ll ask him to greet you when you land in Qabarat.”
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Travel to Castrovel aboard the Sunrise Maiden take largely uneventful days, although Rimmer keeps having to update the security protocols for main engineering, to keep Konkrud out.
Castrovel is a vibrant planet of sparkling blue oceans, continents blanketed in vividly green forests, and swirls of clouds. As the Sunrise Maiden enters the atmosphere near Qabarat, the city-state’s aviation authorities hail the starship, ask for identification, and direct you to one of the landing pads at the city’s spaceport, Ship’s End. As a matter of course, a guard and a customs official briefly interview you about your business in Qabarat, whether you have local contacts, the expected duration of your stay, and whether you are importing any foreign life-forms — upon spotting Konkrud, Rimmer is given even *more* paperwork to fill out (apparently, Konkrud is being registered as a dangerous pet), including a waiver saying taht RImmer is liable for any damage caused by Konkrud during his stay.
After the customs process, the officers issue Rimmer travel papers to keep with him for the duration of his stay.
Your Castrovelian contact, Whaloss (a lashunta) is waiting to meet you just outside the spaceport.
Even for a damaya, he is tall and thin, almost to the point of seeming gaunt. His clothing is a stylish blend of local silks, though the overall ensemble shows considerable wear, as though he has relied on this nicer outfit for formal meetings for many years. Nonetheless, he positively beams with antennae-twitching excitement to meet Rimmer, and show him around Qabarat (although his antennae droop slightly when he sees Konkrud).
As an advanced student of xenoarchaeology, he has collaborated with members of the Starfinder Society before and he’s eager to hear about the Rimmer’s recent findings.
Meanwhile, Whaloss hails a robo-taxi to carry the group into the heart of Qabarat and to the university. As the taxi wends its way deeper into the city, trees give way to elegant towers of carbon fiber, glass, and steel, each artistically sculpted to create a stunning forest of dazzling skyscrapers. The Qabarat University of Xenoarchaeology and Xenoanthropology is just north of the downtown commercial district and consists of about 10 buildings scattered over a campus of groomed lawns
and gardens.
Whaloss does not have the background to decipher the Drift Rock’s writing and technology, but he offers to introduce Rimmer to Professor Muhali, the head of the linguistic anthropology department. Her office is in the Alsima-Karei Hall, an eight-story building whose lobby is currently home to a small pack of journalists insistently trying to convince a clearly out-of-his-depth receptionist to let them upstairs.
Whaloss is unfamiliar with any news that would warrant this level of attention, and when you inquire, a journalist conveys that Dr. Ailabiens 21:2 gave an incendiary lecture that some interpreted as a defense of violent xenophobia; the media is here primarily to secure interviews and comments from ranking academic staff.
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Several journos' eyes glaze over, but a few take notes, before nodding in satisfaction, and leaving, taking the rest of the pack with them.
Once the journalists are no longer clamoring to get upstairs, the receptionist, who introduces himself as Ikimsi, is amenable to helping you. He notes that Professor Muhali is currently very busy, but because you helped him with the media, he rearranges the professor’s schedule for the day and creates an official appointment for Rimmer.
Whaloss then leads Rimmer to Muhali’s office on the fifth floor.
This office is clean, roomy, and orderly. A large desk stands imposingly before a broad window that offers a charming view of a nearby park, and a small table in one corner has a quartet of chairs arranged evenly around it. Near the door is a wide examination table covered with broken fragments of stone, many of which bear incomplete words or letters written in a spiraling text. Several tiny fountains throughout the room burble soothingly and shimmer with soft light.
Seated at the desk is a dark-skinned lashunta, with pale green facial markings and purple hair cut in an asymmetrical style, who looks up when you enter.
"Yes? How can I help you? I am sorry to be so blunt, but I am rather busy right now..."
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Professor Muhali sighs and delicately massages the bases of her antennae.
“You’re persistent. Maybe that could come in handy. What the university needs right now is to smooth this over quickly, and Ailabiens 21:2 is not listening to anything I say. He has not quite violated enough protocols to be dismissed; firing him would otherwise be good for optics. I think the media would settle for a public apology. If you can convince him to do that, I should be able to handle the rest.”