The tech is beyond R1G5. It can easily be removed, but the android is at loss for how to undo the biometric lock.
Booker comms for Gig. "Hey Gig, when you're done makin' lungs, we could use a hand by the airlock."
Janzi sounds over the comm. His solo's done. He'll be there shortly, now that the other overgrown rat is stable. Well, stable-ish, anyway, he thinks, after switching the comm back off.
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Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.
Hack-It's lungs suck air in, filtering out impurities before sending oxygen into his system. The cadence of his breathing is perfect. Too perfect to be organic.
Something is wrong. Where am I?
He opens his eye, and is presented with the ceiling of his quarters aboard the Sunrise Maiden. Eye, singular. The other doesn't seem to want to open. It messes with his depth perception, but memory tells him that he's laying down on his bed.
I'm back. But what's messing with my eye?
The mechanic moves to sit up, but is immediately engulfed in agony. His breathing, which should be labored from the pain, continues its rhythmic operations. After a full minute, he slowly moves a hand into his limited field of vision. What he sees is burnt fur and scarred flesh.
Looks like I'm out for the next Mister Absalom beauty pageant.
It takes the Ysoki a solid hour before he's able to move about his quarters and take stock. The usual jumble of parts litter the room, as does a thoroughly battered Estex suit, remnants of several firearms, and other items that fall under the "got blown up by a spaceship" category. All of it is enough for him to keep busy.
On his first day of re-life the ysoki does his best to get his affairs in order. He disassembles an engineering toolkit to kitbash a new custom rig then sets about repairing the rest of his gear. It's a messy process with wires, circuit boards, and tools littering his quarters. It takes longer than normal too for him to do this with his limited vision, but he gets it all done.
At no point does he communicate with the rest of the crew. He stays in his room and never even tries to open the door.
When Hack-It wakes the second day, he starts building a new drone.
Turning on his comms through his custom rig, he calls Dunklezahn. "Hey bud-" he stops himself, surprised a how different his voice sounds. The vibrations of the vocal box don't echo in his head like organic vocal chords do. "Uhm, Dunklezahn. I know you have a rifle to spare. Wondered if you minded bringing it to me. I'm in builder mode, and am tied up."
When he gets the Frostbite-class Zero rifle Hack-It takes the weapon apart and retrofits it the the new drone.
The drone itself looks significantly different from Sputter. When he punches a few commands the sophisticated hover drone takes flight. It lets off a barely perceptible hum, being far quieter than his previous drone ever was. He looks at the sleek machine, the white and grey paint on it gleaming, and says, "Well aren't you a pretty little thing."
”Just a minute. Just a minute. I can give a hand, but I’ve only got two.”
Gig takes out his tool box and gets to work on the air lock.
——
With Hack.
How’s the new lung? I know, it sucks.”
Gig offers his ysoki friend the gift of a sprocket.
”I’m so sorry that you were not able to save the ship, but somehow we saved you and that is more important. Here, this is for you. Its not much, but you can use it on your very own spaceship some day.”
Gig, despite doing a LOT of guessing, manages to uncouple the biometric-locked gear! It's not easy, but it was definitely worth the effort.
Two each of:
Hack-It is a bit surprised by the kind visit from Gig. I don't know why he's like this. Probably the only really kind person aboard the Maiden. He nods in thanks to his fellow Ysoki.
"I appreciate that, though I think I should remind you that I already have a ship. You're all flying it with me. But one day... I'm going to have a fleet. People will call me Admiral Hack-It, like I deserve. That'll be a good day."
The Sunrise Maiden exits the Drift very close to the sixth planet of the Nejeor system, a nine-planet system with a yellow dwarf sun. The first two planets actually share a single orbit, though one is always on the opposite side of the sun from the other; both are hot, rocky wastelands. The third, sixth, and eighth planets are gas giants, each swirling with a different color of gas. The fourth planet is dotted with petrified forests, and the fifth planet has a multitude of active volcanoes constantly spewing ash into the air. The seventh and ninth planets are both cold and lifeless rocks. The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh planets are the only ones with moons, which have varied compositions.
Unfortunately, you don't have any more specific than the system. The Cult of the Devourer, followed by the Corpse Fleet, could be anywhere in the system.
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Turning on his comms through his custom rig, he calls Dunklezahn. "Hey bud-" he stops himself, surprised a how different his voice sounds. The vibrations of the vocal box don't echo in his head like organic vocal chords do. "Uhm, Dunklezahn. I know you have a rifle to spare. Wondered if you minded bringing it to me. I'm in builder mode, and am tied up."
Dunk comms back, Yeah sure, Hack-It. One sec.
He pops back to his quarters then makes a stop in the galley before buzzing the door to Hack-It's room. He steps in as soon as the door slides open.
With a wry grin, he props the rifle against a nearby wall. Here ya go, Capt'n.
He places a tray on the table nearby, keeping it clear of the parts, circuit boards, and wires scatter about. On the tray is a bowl with a warm ginger-carrot soup, a plate of sweet potato gnocci in a currant-thyme sauce over a bed a wilted kale and carmelized onions, and a glass with lemon posset on a plate with sugared-almond shortbread.
Brought you some food, too. You haven't been to the galley for a proper meal yet. Figured you might be hungry. Got to get your strength back.
He then pulls out a couple of vid chips and sets them on the table next to the tray.
These are just some vids I really like. Thought that while you're convalescing, you might want something to take your mind off things. This one's [i]Cchesk Irth Yek Ttheshkiss[i/]. Ummm... it translates to something like Five for the One Who Returns. It's about a young soldier who returns home from the battlefront to find out his mother has rented out rooms in their home to five female university students. It does a great job of showing how the battlefield can change a young Vesk's outlook on the world and how he deals with returning to civilian life. They did a great job with the sub-titles. I have all three seasons if you like it. It's one of my favorites. These others are great, too. I've got lots more if you want. Just ask.
Seeing Hack-It eager to get back to work, Dunk turns to leave.
Just leave the dishes outside the door when you're done. I'll grab them later. And just so you know, when that ship blew, the whole crew moved faster than a tungsten slug through a rail gun barrel to find you and bring you back on board.
Dunk heads out of the room and to the galley to clean up.
Gig eyes the Corona Laser Pistol and calls out, ”Hey, do you guys mind if I keep this Pistol? It looks much better than mine!”
Just leave the dishes outside the door when you're done. I'll grab them later. And just so you know, when that ship blew, the whole crew moved faster than a tungsten slug through a rail gun barrel to find you and bring you back on board.
"Thanks bud," Hack-It says, never turning his attention from the work. He waves his hand absently as Dunklezahn leaves.
Thirty seconds after the door closes the ysoki drops his tools and devours the delicious food.
===========================
Not long after the Maiden exits the Drift Hack-It emerges from his quarters, arriving at the bridge. A new, far more menacing looking drone hovers behind him, its propulsion system emitting a quiet thrumming noise. When he sees the others looking at him, the mechanic gestures to the drone and says, "That's Hum. It don't talk much."
He then strides over to his usual computer console, swipes through a few of the vid screen panels, and idly comments, "We're still after the Corpse Fleet or the Cult of the Devourer, right? Well, you'll never find them without running a few locational algorithms against targeted burst scans. Need to narrow down the likely areas ships could be while sorting through the false positives against all the likely debris the system has to offer. Here, let me..."
And with that the ysoki gets back to work.
Hack-it the Exploded makes a scan of the system. The readout of the system’s planets reveals that only one of them shows any signs of life: Nejeor VI, the planet you are currently closest to. It takes you reach the gas giant and enter orbit.
Getting blown up doesn't seem to affect the ysoki's computer skills.
His scan seems to be spot on. He pinpoints the signs of life on a floating metropolis in the stratosphere, sitting just above the churning clouds of Nejeor VI. The city is crumbling in places, while other areas are overgrown with trees and other plants. He notes that the energy signatures that would normally come from a settlement of that size (energy from a power plant, wireless signals, and so forth) are weak and erratic. And furthermore he can tell that this city is millennia old and that age is the cause of much of the decay (as opposed to it having been destroyed by some outside source). Everyone can see that there is only one safe place where they can bring down their vessel: an emerald-green landing pad on the outskirts of the city. All other possible landing areas in the metropolis are either unstable or are covered in impenetrable thickets...
When Hack-It wanders onto the bridge, Janzi rushes up to him and gives him a slug on his (good-ish) shoulder as hard as he dares. That's for being STUPID — another whack — and GREEDY. Hum looks on in silence.
After a heartbeat, Janzi cracks a smile, suddenly realizing what will upset the ysoki even more — he reaches down and gives Hack the biggest hug. Janzi holds on tightly, even as Hack squirms uncomfortably, then abruptly lets go, whirls back toward the captain's chair, and calls over his shoulder, Why don't you get to work?
Booker glances behind him from the pilot's chair as Hack-It enters the bridge. "Well well well... looks like someone let the rat outta his cage. Welcome back to the land o' the living, you pompous ass. Already forgotten about your first drone, have you?"
He turns his attention back to the navigation, and sets the Maiden down on the available pad.
Hack-It gives Booker the dirtiest of looks at the mention of Sputter, but says nothing else. To anyone else in the room, it's obvious that that comment stung.
"Land us, Booker. Let's get this over with."
Booker takes about hours to find a place to land. You touch down on an emerald colored landing pad, one of a few landing pads that jut out into the clouds in the southeastern corner of an ancient city, but the only one still usable. Like much of the rest of the city, the pad appears to be made of a thick, barely translucent crystal.
A vibrant-green lichen grows along the underside of the pad, which is what makes the lone intact pad resemble an enormous slab of emerald. The pad can accommodate the Sunrise Maiden.
The majority of the pad is open to the sky; the thick clouds of Nejeor VI swirl lazily below. An archway stretches above a 10-foot-wide walkway that joins up with walkways from other landing pads, leading into a building. A holographic sign stretches across the archway. The language is utterly, and literally alien to you.
Booker chooses his sniper rifle and squad gun (plus sidearm and survival knife) for his weapons loadout, stowing the rest of his heavy weapons in his null-space chamber. He leads the way down the ship's ramp, rifle at the ready, and pauses at the bottom of the ramp to consider the holographic sign.
The sign looks permanent.
Dunk pulls up the scan summary before heading out. Looks
READ OUT:
Diameter: ×12 GU
Mass: ×110 GU
Gravity: ×1 (only read at the cloud tops)
Location: The Vast
Atmosphere: Special (Nitrogen Oxygen mix at cloud top, unknown below)
Day: 18 hours
Year: 10 years
The sign looks permanent.
"Look at the sign all you want, it doesn't change the fact that we're going forward. But if you want to live under the false belief that you are safe, allow me..."
Hack-It sends Hum forward to scout. The drone quietly flies up 20ft and then does slowly widening circuits around them, returning after having scanned 100ft out in all directions.
Hum doesn't find much .
(Darkvision 60')
(Darkvision 60')
(Darkvision 60')
--->
As the party emerges from the Sunrise Maiden the rebuilt ysoki sends his new drone out to scout. Nothing of immediate concern pops up. The party begins to move forward to explore when a quartet of strange alien creatures with archaic weapons suddenly appear on the edge of the landing pad. They are tall humanoids with three eyes and long, powerful limbs. They have sharp-toothed mandibles and smooth, hairless heads. Their skin color ranges from gray to sky blue, with gradations in hue across their bodies. They're armed with bows and arrows.
They begin shouting in a strange language and launch a surprise attack! Map is updated
Round 1:
Booker: Go
Dunklezahn: Go
Janzi: Go
Hostiles: TBD
R1G5: TBD
Gig: TBD
Hack-It: TBD
Booker lowers his arms and points his rifle at the ground in an attempt to indicate that he means no harm. However, he remains alert and ready to return fire should one of the natives actually attack.
Booker prepares to shoot...
Round 1:
Booker: Readied
Dunklezahn: Go
Janzi: Go
Hostiles: TBD
R1G5: TBD
Gig: TBD
Hack-It: TBD
Dunklezahn's charge is met with surprise. The natives begin shouting in a language no one understands. He punches the creature with a lot of force. The look of surprise on his foe's face is replaced with one of anger, even as a purple blood drips from his mouth.
Round 1:
Booker: Readied
Dunklezahn: Go
Janzi: Go
Hostiles: TBD
R1G5: TBD
Gig: TBD
Hack-It: TBD
Green: 15
Round 1:
Booker: Readied
Dunklezahn: Hit
Janzi: Go
Hostiles: TBD
R1G5: TBD
Gig: TBD
Hack-It: TBD
Green: 15
Janzi is about to stride forward, smiling and arms outstretched with palms down, when the Vesk leaps into action, startling the lashunta. He watches in disbelief as Dunk slugs Green, then a split second later races forward with something of a sigh, focusing on Black in an attempt to addle its mind.
Janzi scrambles the native's mind and he: immediately begins beating himself in the head with his bow for
The native toe-to-toe with Dunk drops his bow and takes out a unique looking axe, trying to hack at a weal looking spot in the armor. , but it just barely misses.
The other two level a volley of arrows at Dunklezahn:
for
for
The first creature misses, but the second drills him in the visor!
Round 1:
Booker: Readied
Dunklezahn: Hit
Janzi: Confusion
Hostiles: ATK
R1G5: Go
Gig: Go
Hack-It: Go
Black: 11
Green: 15
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Booker curses and opens fire , but the first bullet has a factory defect and shreds itself in the blast.
A sliver of casing spears itself into the translucent platform at the soldier's feet. A tiny stamp in the metal reads, Inspected by J.A. Chapman.
”I hope you guys know what you are doing by attacking these creatures!”
Gig moves his hands in somatic gestures and casts Magic Missile at Green.
Gig's spell takes the native by surprise as he whips around to see the source of the missiles!
Round 1:
Booker: Readied
Dunklezahn: Hit
Janzi: Confusion
Hostiles: ATK
R1G5: Go
Gig: MM
Hack-It: Go
Black: 11
Green: 26
"Not even an attempt at charades? Sheesh!"
Hack-It then hustles forward, shouting to get everyone's attention. His arms are up in the air, the universal sign of 'I'm not trying to shoot you'. In both Common and Ysoki he says, "We come in peace!"
The natives duck as Hack-it is obviously casting a spell even more powerful than Gig's!
Round 1:
Booker: Readied
Dunklezahn: Hit
Janzi: Confusion
Hostiles: ATK
R1G5: Go
Gig: MM
Hack-It: boogaboogabooga
Black: 11
Green: 26
R1G5 uses an attack style that these creatures have never seen before. The android catches the local completely off guard!
Round 2:
Booker: Go
Dunklezahn: Go
Janzi: Go
Hostiles: TBD
R1G5: TBD
Gig: TBD
Hack-It: TBD
Black: 22 (FF)
Green: 26
Booker cracks off two more shots, muttering about 'first contact protocols' and 'unnecessary bloodshed' and 'defective bullets.'
Booker's muttered complaints don't affect the aim of his first shot. Whatever these are, they're made of stern stuff, as the target continues to shoot!
Round 2:
Booker: Hit
Dunklezahn: Go
Janzi: Go
Hostiles: TBD
R1G5: TBD
Gig: TBD
Hack-It: TBD
Black: 41 (FF)
Green: 26
Dunklezahn makes another solid hit, as he has an easy time striking the archaically armored native! Still, whatever this species is, they're made of stern stuff, and he doesn't give up the fight yet.
Round 2:
Booker: Hit
Dunklezahn: Hit
Janzi: Go
Hostiles: TBD
R1G5: TBD
Gig: TBD
Hack-It: TBD
Black: 41 (FF)
Green: 48
Janzi moves to the cover of the crates, trying to keep them between Red and Yellow, while he joins Booker in trying to bring one down at a time.
Dropping down against the crates throws off his aim, however. I mean, I could've talked to these guys... he says to no one in particular.
The battle rages. With the misses from the Starfinders, the natives still fight like they have a chance. They shout something to each other after Janzi misses, and they take a new tactical approach, though it's hard to tell exactly what they're doing. They continue to belt the party with arrows (except the one holding the axe.)
Their attack luck isn't any better.
Round 2:
Booker: Hit
Dunklezahn: Hit
Janzi: Miss
Hostiles: ATK
R1G5: Go
Gig: Go
Hack-It: Go
Black: 41 (FF)
Green: 48
R1G5 catches the enemy unawares with his technique and scores a solid shot, burning through armor and flesh alike. The creature drops his weapon and falls to the landing pad! The others don't seem to slow down at the loss of one of their own.
Round 2:
Booker: Hit
Dunklezahn: Hit
Janzi: Miss
Hostiles: ATK
R1G5: Kill
Gig: Go
Hack-It: Go
Grey: 63 (FF)
Green: 48
"So talk, Janzi!" Hack-It shouts, continuing to gesture his peaceful intentions. "Would everyone stop trying to shoot the natives?!"
Gig who wasn’t sure about this battle in the first place listens to the Ysoki and ceases his attack.
”We meant no harm. Umm, we come in peace.”
Hack-it's body language doesn't translate. Gig's words don't help either, even as he tries to show peaceful intentions.
The locals it seems aren't going to trust you no matter what!
Round 3:
Booker: Go
Dunklezahn: Go
Janzi: Go
Hostiles: TBD
R1G5: TBD
Gig: TBD
Hack-It: TBD
Grey: 63 (FF)
Green: 48