Ed gives a double shrug with four hands up. We were just going to look at the big rock. I think there is something bad over there so even an underwear goblin could help.
Speaking of bad things, you dont know anything about the undead guy in the crate, do you?
Yes we have a way off this ship, and now some people to help us. Things are going great. And the goblin smiles at the big person in front of him.
He cocks his head to the side and looks blankly at the big man now utterly lost, wondering if this is a joke or not.
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"Rotgrub's missing? Well he sounds like a resourceful fellow. I'm sure he'll be fine."
To Ed:
"What undead guy? What have you 'starfinders' been finding? Any sign of what happened to the crew?"
Paeon shrugs as well. The more the merrier
To Edshirren he opens a link,
{Best not divulge too much information they seem to be on our side for now Ed}
The Lashunta beckons to the others to follow and heads toward the Crew Chambers.
Ed rubs his chitinous palms together nervously as he seeks to redirect the Nipper's question, Oh, I didn't say "undead guy", I said "underwear pie" in the crate. I was joking, see... haha.
I'm more worried about the assassin really.
Noah looks in frustration at Startoad stating I fear I will never get useful information from this creature. Turning to Fingernipper he offers I took your initial contact with us as hostile and unreasonable. Now that we have saved your life and offered rescue, do you still believe ill of us without provocation or evidence? If so I recommend you wait here and we will come back for you after our work here is done.
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As Noah speaks to the little Ysoki Paeons antennae focus in his direction.
{If you accept Fingernipper, I can reach into your mind and detect your thoughts for the time being, in order to remove Noah's fear. He is new to the world.}
2nd Round: You detect the number of thinking minds and the Intelligence score (or modifier) of each. If the highest Intelligence score is 26 (or a modifier of +8) or higher and at least 10 points higher than your own Intelligence score (or 5 points higher than your own Intelligence modifier), you are stunned for 1 round and the spell ends. This spell doesn’t let you determine the location of the thinking minds if you can’t see the creatures whose thoughts you are detecting.
3rd Round: You can read the surface thoughts of any mind in the area. A target who succeeds at its Will save prevents you from reading its thoughts, and you must cast detect thoughts again to have another chance. Creatures of animal intelligence (an Intelligence score of 1 or 2 or an Intelligence modifier of –4 or lower) have simple, instinctual thoughts.
{Let him accompany us for now Noah. You can keep an eye on him.}
Looking down to the crawling bio-luminescent wound on his arm, and back to the zombie...
{I wouldn't want to leave anyone to that fate...We can drop him off at the Station when were done. Or leave him on the rock if he tries anything funny.}
Ed's words resonate with some awkward exchanges between the motley crew. Everyone's comms reverberate with Retisji's rumbling voice as you enter the next Crew Chamber...
"You lot still kicking? If so want me to load the... cargo... onto the Hippo?'
C7 - CREWCHAMBERS
Each of the other chambers open easily through the door keypads. Inside you find identical cabins that served as shared living quarters for the Acreon's crew. Each contains two simple bunks, a pair of lockers, a small sink, and a collection of miners’ personal possessions.
After trolling through the areas you do manage to identify the crew, and some basic knowledge about them (which can be corroborated or expanded upon by accessing the ship's systems on the Main Bridge): ΔCREΘN CREW
As we pass our stalwart sentinel Paeon calls back out to Retsiji,
{Load it up Retsiji, we won't be too long.}
Paeon is no longer interested in stealth, feeling the place is relatively secured he moves with purpose.
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Startoad follows along the group slightly melancholy at the harsh tone the metal man used, CIC whirring away in his skull.
we may be with them but it seems they are not very open with us maybe a display of loyalty will help. We must wait for a chance to prove ourselves comes up then we can show them how useful we are. Startoad physically nods his head, which must seem odd for anyone who is looking.
As they reach the hold startoad jumps to the front, I search this, I find exploding cans! he opens his bag showing several grenades of various types.
Re: Ed:
"Underwater pie, sure."
"Wait...What assassin?"
@Noah: "Your concern for my well being is touching. Really is, but I think I'll just tag along anyways. If I don't observe, how can I put in a good word with my employers once we're done here?"
Fingernipper pokes through the personal effects, looking for anything out of the norm or that can provide insight into the missing crew..
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{Noah2 it appears that Fingernipper has steeled his own mind against intrusion. I do not have access to his thoughts. Given his actions as Old Jeb.. and against the bioluminescant zombie. He has my trust.}
Retsji acknowledges with a curt "No problem. See you on the Hippo."
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Ed's head swivels like it's going to come off his thorax. Wait. Wait. WAIT! I'm about to freak out.
First of all: Heyum, how about we distribute those cans, little goblin friend? He asks Startoad and follows with a broadcast to the non-goblinoids, Is no one else concerned about a goblin with a sack of grenades?!
He returns to the all inclusive transmissions and points at Fingernipper. Second, you were really 'Ol'Jeb'? How did you get out here? How did you get your legs back?
Noah nods to Paeon with an 'If you say so' feel and drops his concern for the newcomer, for now.
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Startoad smiles showing his jagged little teeth. “I help! If you wanna use, I can give you one.” he says as he reaches and and pulls out a stickybomb motioning for Ed to take it.
Ed peers closely at the cannister trying to figure out if it's actually sticky and why before touching it.
Startoad looks at the big big man and stops smiling, “do you want a different one?” he says before dropping it into his backpack and pulling out a shock grenade. He then tries to hand it to Ed slightly more vigorously.
Fingernipper, finishes with his perusal of the crew quarters and answers Ed,
"All smoke and mirrors friendo. As a character, Ol' Jeb, really felt like he needed some adversity to really sell the whole performance. As for getting on the ship, let's just say I know a guy who knows a guy and called in some favors."
"Anyways, I'm here to find the crew. Have you come across any sign of them yet?"
Ed flinches nervously at Startoad's incautious handling of the grenades, but quickly snatches up the shock grenade and carefully secures it in his fannypack.
He listens with interest to Finger's story, then explains. There may be survivors in the rock.
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Startoad smiles wide, “I helped! I like you Ed, you’re a good guy.” as he puts his backpack on he throws his flame pistol in and grabs the large laser rifle that was slung across his backpack. “let’s go find the crew” he says with a bit more oomf than before.
We need to complete our search of this ship first. There may be living or dead crew still here. Or clues to what happened. Noah adds sensibly.
Ed hops up and down with agitation. There were two lifeforms, Noahtoo. One, two. he points to the goblin and ysoki. Nothing living left here and I'm afraid if we don't hurry and you-know-who gets into the rock, there won't be anything living over there either. Let's go!
Set on moving from the Acreon to its towed payload of Drift Rock you complete a final sweep of the derelict tug, then return to the Hippocampus.
C6 - the Galley/mess area of the vessel nets little of interest save a spilled box containing 3 weeks worth field rations left inside it.
: & :
At C8 Ed easily clocks that the area has been jury-rigged with a trap of some description. Noah and Startoad recognise it as a single shot laser trap, which the android nullifies by disarming its motion sensor.
Inside is a storeroom containing the crew’s personal mining and prospecting tools along withthe ship's medical supplies:
▸ 1 Bulk's worth of Noqual (worth 500CR)
▸ Disruptive Fusion Seal
▸ 2 Mk 1 Serums of Healing
▸ 3 Medpatches
▸ 2 Head-mounted Flashlights
▸ Box of 8 Radiation Badges (bearing the Hardscrabble Collective - HC Logo)
▸ 1 Laser Drill
▸ Assorted Manual Tools (picks, hammers crowbars etc)
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Ed helps himself to several ration bars and a badge. He looks alarmed upon seeing that Retsi has loaded an ominous crate. What are we doing with that? he asks somewhat nervously.
Pausing in his loading, Retsiji's eye swivels to stare at Ed;
"Nor wanted the cargo. Credits paid. No cargo... no credits... There been a change of plan that you lot have failed to update me on? Beside's collecting a ratter and a gob?"
Startoad looks at retsiji and waves “Hi! I’m Startoad.... and this” points to his head “is CIC.”
There's a... um, orpsecay eetflay ommandercay in there!
Noah helps search the rest of the ship while keeping an eye on Startoad and noting what Fingernipper is doing the while.
The big Vesk pauses, eying the goblin, then peering at its cybered noggin;
"Seen something like that before... Chromescale Death Commandos... cyber shoc troops..."
Retsiji nods;
"So we got ourselves a gobbo killing machine. Could be usef.. Wait... What's the cargo Ed????"
Ed backs up as far as he can from the crate of horrors. A Corpse Fleet Commander..., he wimpers.
Paeon looks around at the newly assembled crew and cant help.but give a chuckle.
"We signed up to help out Nor. That's the help he needs it seems though. I still think that Corpse could be more valuable on the 'market'"
Startoad beams up at the big vesk happy that another person enjoys him being there. “She helps a lot, she’s really smart. And good with all sorts of gizmos and cool shinies.”
His head lights up a bit as CIC stirs in startoad’s head, cyber shock troops? Chromescale death commandos? Ask him about these things, maybe thats what they were working on in the labs?
Startoad hesitates listening to the voice in his skull before he starts to talk again, “What are these commandoes, and shock cyber troops.”
Retsiji pauses, mulling over the news;
:
"Corpse Fleet Commander? Likely a Bone Trooper... The Corpse Fleet makes substantial use of 'em. Elebrian Bone Troopers far outnumber all other types of undead in the exiled navy’s ranks...."
The big merc eyes Paeon as he moves to carry on the loading;
"You not in deep enough with Curney Tel'domah? Corpser likely a damn fine bargaining chip to crime lord, but its also a can of blood-wyrms we don't need."
At Startoad's question he rumbles a chuckle;
"Some merc companies use Vesk augmented with chrome tech. Makes us nastier in a scrap. Maybe they use little gobbers like you as test subjects..?"
Retsiji tips a nod toward the cyborgoblin;
"More like Curney take credits for the little death machine there! Har!"
“The big uns were really mean, they poked and prodded me, and they put CIC in my head, then said something about test trials finishing”
that would make sense they did place me inside several different organics.
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He said he was a commander and he sure didn't look like a trooper. Ed responds with a touch of annoyance at Retsi's dismissive tone. I say we load that container with Startoad's grenades and a detonator and drop it off at the Eoxian Embassy. Nothing good is coming of this.
It looks like he'll wait until we check on the Rock and Clara though.
“Oooo that’s sounds fun let’s do that I wanna blow stuff up” startoad starts to get a little giddy as he hears the idea of blowing something up with his stuff.
Noah looks concerned. I would not alienate our ambassador benefactor. It is leverage enough that we know what the cargo is, and that might be worth something.[/] he offers. [b]We've trouble enough with the corporations and all. Lets not anger an entire space faring race to boot.
A deserted ship named the Acreon arrives at Absalom Station from hyperspace, towing behind it a mysterious asteroid dubbed the Drift Rock.
The PCs come to Absalom Station to join the Starfinder Society but soon find themselves caught up in a gang war instigated by two factions—the Hardscrabble Collective, the scrappy mining clan that owns the Acreon; and Astral Extractions, the large corporation that hired the ship. With both factions vying to claim the ship and the asteroid, the Starfinder Society charges the PCs to investigate the death of one of its members caught in the gangs’ crossfire.
After exploration of Absalom Station and dealing with the gangs, the PCs are hired by Gevalarsk Nor, Eox’s ambassador to Absalom Station, who is serving as a mediator between the factions. The PCs’ job: to explore the Acreon and the Drift Rock and learn what happened to the crew. He supplies them with a shuttle and they travel to the Acreon to begin their investigation.
Startoad will go with whatever plan the party wants to do, though a mention of a spacewalk makes him extremely excited but won’t push for it.
Ed definitely has misgivings about delivering the Corpse Fleet commander to Nor, but seeing as the container appears locked tight, he takes his seat in the Hippo and prepares to fly to the Rock.