Happily, this second ship does seem to be intact enough to still hold some data logs. You're quickly able to begin the process of transferring them over to your ship's computer, but as you do, the comm crackles and a voice, nearly choked with distortion and static, rings out.
"**hsssssss**This is Captain Kat**zzfdafdx** Mathius of the SFS Empyrean Eye. **kwrzt** Identify yourselves. What is your purpose here? **fzzzt**"
No ship appears on your sensors.
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Gary suddenly becomes aware of himself sitting at a computer on some spaceship...I feel like I've been on a week long bender! What am I doing here?
He looks over to Naboh who seems busy at work doing something. Umm, what are we doing again? Gary says rather confused trying to recover from the apparent fugue state.
Nothing you can do is finding the source of this transmission!
"I say again, this is Captain Katryn **fzzzt**thius of the SFS Empyrean Eye. Identif**kwrzt**ourselves. What is your purpose here? **krrrrr**"
She snorts, "Okay, you sound like Starfinders at least." Her voice turns wary in an instant though, “How should I know why you can't see me? It’s your ship that looks suspicious! Our sensors indicate you’re phased out of the Material Plane. What is this technology?”
Naboh comes up with some likely sounding explanations that should satisfy Captain Mathius, but there's nothing that explains why she thinks you're the ones who are out of phase with reality.
It would take powerful magic indeed to phase shift an entire ship, especially without you noticing. You think it's more likely that this isn't the work of a spell, but rather some other reason that your ship or hers has become otherworldly...
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"So, you can see us, but we cannot see you...?" Azara questions, trying to make sure he understands the issue as much as trying to get more information (he keeps having bouts where it feels like he is out of phase for days at a time and it's influencing his memory...)
"Can you tell us where you are relative to our position? Does anything seem out of place?"
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Quig has a bright idea, and with cuts into the com feed. "Captain Katryn, this is 'Crash Override' Science Officer of Yosoki's Pride, can we link computer systems, I understand you might be wary to link to an unknown vessel, but we can use a starfinder encryption key and only link entertainment systems" he makes the motion to cut the feed and suspends the comm. "The time stamp should let us know if we are looking at both a time and space anomaly"
'but if they are out of time sync how am I going to get that encryption to work...
"Why do you need to know our exact position?" Her voice is harsh with suspicion, "If whatever you're doing to try to sneak around is making it hard for you to see us, that's your own fault."
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Whoa Captain Katryn, it's okay It's Gary King, You know Gary King right! So like a year ago or something you went with a bunch of other Starfinder ships to the Scoured Stars. Well you all disappeared in the Scoured Stars, we are the rescue squad we came to find you. Now don't freak out, but we can hear you, but not see you. That's why we are asking where you are. Gary says frantically as if he is making up for lost time.
Despite the word of the ever reliable Gary King, Captain Mathius does not seem soothed, "I think I know what's going on. Did you come to kill me like the others did?"
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Gary voice goes from frantic, to dead calm as he realizes the strain in the Captain's voice. Listen Captain, this may come as shock to you, but we think you are stuck in an inter-dimensional wormhole. It happened when you entered the Scoured Stars. Now we have our top scientists and engineers working around the clock to bring you back and they are very close. But we just need a little cooperation on your end, you know cooperate that's what we do. They are now telling me we can see you, but the wormhole makes thing distorted, we want to get you back safe, so you are going to have to help us by relaying your exact position to us and linking computers with us if possible. Now we can probably get you back safe without assistance, BUT if you help it will be MUCH safer. After all it's Gary King Ba-Bay. Gary has no idea what's going on, but he tries to seem like they are completely in control...when you know they are not!
Particularly mollified by Azara's efforts, Captain Mathius relays what coordinates she can, "**ssfzz**'re holed up in the ice ring. The rest of the Starfinders, the ones who didn't lose their **gkk**ing minds tried to make it to Bastiar-2, but we had to stop **krrrrrr** make repairs."
There's still no discernible source for her transmission, but as you approach the coordinates she offered, the wreck that looms before you is clearly emblazoned as the Empyrean Eye. The bridge has been completely destroyed, and there are no life signs, or any sort of back up transmitter that could be broadcasting...
The bridge is very quiet in response to Exemplar's last question.
Still, you've been able to download the ship logs you were looking for, and even received additional information, despite any lingering questions about the true nature of the source.
The imposing vesk Radaszam, leader of the Acquisitives takes charge of this briefing. Standing near a large screen, he points at the display of a tidally locked planet labeled as Callion-2. “Starfinders,” he greets you, in his pleasantly low voice, “I’m sure you’ll find this mission interesting. Our sensors have detected numerous communication signals broadcast from Callion-2. Because one side of the planet is always facing the sun, only a narrow habitable zone exists, but here’s the interesting part: the entire habitable area is covered in one big, technologically advanced megacity. Finding survivors, or at least useful information in the city, seems likely. I’ll upload mission data on your ship’s computer. Good luck and come back safely!”
***
It's easy enough to find a suitable place to land on a rooftop near a variety of intriguing looking locations: a factory district, an enormous library, a military base, a residential area, and a shopping mall. They're all within about 10 minutes of one another.
Despite what Radaszam might have hoped, the city so far is quiet, though not quite silent. An oddly distorted music is barely chiming from assorted speakers nearby you.
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Azara is a bit disturbed that they were not able to save the crew of the Empyrean Eye but he realizes that they may not be saveable...or even alive.
When they get to Callion-2 he nods in response to Naboh's suggestion.
"If my viewing of zombie holo-vids has taught me anything, it's that survivors of cataclysms end up at malls."
The weirdly artificial music is louder at the mall,and it's there you see some signs of life. Assorted robots move among the stores shelving and reorganizing useless, deteriorated products.
After a short while, you notice something else, a human looking creature watching you from afar!
What do you do?
As you get closer to the mysterious humanoid, they simply vanish, but the feeling of being watched isn't going anywhere.
The base is locked down pretty tight, only assorted drones making any movement as you walk along to the muted sounds of discordant music.
As you arrive however, the same creature appears, looking like an androgynous human dressed in typical stationwear.
"Greetings, I am A-1. I am afraid that this location is reserved for authorized personnel. Please state your business."