”He is probably running around looking for ghosts, or some other paranoid endeavor.”
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The remainder of the crew muse upon August's whereabouts while they suit up after their breather.
"Let's clear out the remaining rooms here. We'll want to dock our ship to move the cargo over, and I don't want to bring back any of these creatures when we head back to the station. For that matter, it's probably a good idea to return to our ship and do a full survey of the exterior hull to make sure there aren't any of those pods stuck to the outside."
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"...For that matter, it's probably a good idea to return to our ship and do a full survey of the exterior hull to make sure there aren't any of those pods stuck to the outside."
As the solarian suggests this, a soft beep sounds from the console panel with a curious message displayed on the screen. 'Docking Departure Initiated. Proximity Alert.'
Everyone on board the Acreon (August included) hears a loud clunk.
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”I’m glad it’s not me that was signed for that ship. They will be taking chunks out of someone’s paycheck for a long time if it’s lost for good!”
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"You're currently on a ship called the Acreon. Gevalarsk Nor dispatched me and my team to investigate the ship once it arrived silent and retrieve you to get you to Absalom Station. Unfortunately it appears the crew was killed or driven off the ship by a collection of akata and the ship was placed in quarantine."
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The rest of their crew ponder their marooned status from the bridge, as well as August's location. The dronebot continues recording.
Telion hefted himself out of the chair and hurried after Idar, then took up his position in front of the sharpshooting kasatha.
”Just how fast do you think this tub can go?” Jaxom starts his own efforts towards seeing about getting the ship up and running...
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"Ma'am with all respect there's a serious situation on board this vessel. Given the quarantine status of the ship and the missing crew I'd be remiss not to ask you if you had any information about the whereabouts of the crew or if your mission could have led to the situation on board."
August sends a text to Telion to appear in his suit comm.
We've got trouble. That capsule had someone inside it - Eoxian female. Can you think of any reason an Eoxian couldn't get on the station in the open?
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Jaxom looks around to tell his crew about what he found, but finds that he's the only one on the bridge.
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The elebrian does not break her movement, but replies: "I am traveling to Absalom Station to serve as a military attaché assigned to the Eoxian diplomatic mission. I have no knowledge of what transpired on this ship or what happened to the ship’s crew for I was sealed in my transport cubicle prior to being picked up. I would prefer to return their and for you to honour your agreement with Ambassador Nor and deliver me to the Eoxian embassy." And with that, she closes the transparent top of her capsule and re-seals herself.
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Idar, Telion, and Diamaante move down an unexplored arm of the ship, the solarian in front, just about to open a door. Telion pauses.
Telion's further concentration is distracted by a scrabbling and high-pitched yammering coming from behind the door he's about to open. With a pop and a hiss, the door slides open, revealing, of all things, a goblin with a breathing apparatus strapped to its head aiming its gun at Telion.
It fires.
Frozen
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As the door pops open in front of Telion, a second door in front of Idar slides open, revealing a similar fishbowl-festooned goblin with a curiously smoking-gun.
Both Idar and Telion take blasts of super-cooled freezing gas from the screeching goblins.
The two goblins screech in Goblin into their fish bowls as they blast repeatedly with their cryo pistols.
Fortunately, the frenzied blasts of cold air miss - some wildly and some nearly.
Seeing he is alone, Jaxom activates his comms, ”Breaking the quarantine on this ship, or just about anything else is going to be impossible.”
Telion replied as he advanced on the goblin, "The quarantine is in place for good reason, we're getting attacked by more goblins back here!"
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Telion misses wildly as Diamaante restores his moxie.
The remaining goblin takes a shot at Telion before taking a guarded step back through the doorway from where he emerged.
The cold-compressed gas blasts into a panel near Telion's right shoulder. As the goblin passes through the doorway, the door slams shut.
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Telion was quick to follow the escaping goblin and stepped forward.
Jaxom heads towards the fight, ”why did you start a fight without me?” Drawing his weapon as he goes.
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Telion swings at the goblin as it fires its gun but the goblin ducks its fishbowl helmet just enough that the solarian glances his fingers off the surface of the helmet. The door slams shut behind the fleeing goblin and does not re-open.
Diamaante fires her pistol into the closed door for emphasis. August arrives on the scene to find Idar in one dormitory poking at a dead goblin with both of his rifles out. Down the hallway, Telion and Diamaante face off against a closed (and locked) door.
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Diamaante isn't sure what the goblin is saying, but with the door foiling their attacks, perhaps a different tactic is in order.
"We only shot back at you because you shot at us first!" she calls in Common, hoping the goblin speaks the tongue. "If you promise not to attack, we will extend the same promise to you. There are dangerous aliens lurking about, and if you want to survive, you would do well to trust us."
"Oh... I was going to suggest venting that compartment into space... And how did they manage to lock this door when the door earlier couldn't be? Perhaps the crew quarters have locks?"
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The goblin continues to speak to itself in Goblin for a bit, then switches to Common.
"You space zombies!! You with those shadow cats! You try trick Jagjug and eat his brains like you did Garpok! You go away!"
Diamaante continues speaking to the goblin, and over the course of the next minute....
"Ok, you not gone try eat Jagjug's brain. But you gone take Jagjug's loot and cool chilly gun! Jagjug not giving up chilly gun! It's so chilly! OUCH!!!" You can hear a hiss of super-cooled gas coming from behind the closed and locked door.
Ten minutes later, as Diamaante's patience has been tried to its breaking point, a metal clank is heard and the door slides open, revealing a frowning goblin holding his gun down at this side. One of the goblin's fingers is alarmingly blue and covered in frost crystals.
"You promise you no take Jagjug's chilly gun??"
Jaxom comes running up, gun out... ”what’s all this then?”
”There is an entire universe of people not actively trying to murder us, but many would if they had the chance.”
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”Jagjug help! You see. I am Number One goblin tech expert. Is why Garpok hired Jagjug. We blast shadow cat-dogs and loot ship now?” Jagjug seems ready to go, watching you all eagerly as he pets his gun.
He turns to Jaxom’s question. ”I hired by Garpok to loot ship, give tribute to Triune, Tech Boss! What is Acreon?” Jagjug’s face twists with the unfamiliarity of pronouncing the ship’s name.