Dash examines the situation with narrowed eyes, his brain calculating the odds. Kcectic seems to be a better pilot than their enemy, and Abe is doing just fine with ship systems. He considers running a scan from the science station, but he already knows what is needed to win this fight - an advantageous position and all guns firing accurately.
”Abe, K, keep us flying. Vetch, I need you focused on the turret, I’ll take the motherf@#%ing flak thrower.”
Leaving the captain’s chair Dash ducks into the second gunnery pod and assumes control of the Flak Thrower.
Round 4
Vetch fires again.
to hit; (piloting,dex,distance)
damage
to hit;
damage
”Sh!t. This flak thrower has limited range. Vetch, this is all you!”
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Dash tries encouraging Vetch, which only seems to distract the Ysoki as his shot misses by what looks to be space inches.
Abe continues working on the ship's remaining shields as he diverts more power.
Kcectic tries to keep the torpedo directly behind them so Vetch can at least get a decent aim on it by releasing a wave of flak into it's midst.
The torpedo rockets through space.
The torpedo remains on target and hurtles towards the aft shields of the Sunrise Maiden. Vetch releases the flak. The torpedo veers off into the flak and explodes, missing the Sunrise Maiden.
A second torpedo is released from the Iron Rictus and almost reaches the Sunrise in a single go, though it must have malfunction as it jerks through space and flies into a nearby asteroid.
"We need more firepower to get through their shields!" The hollow voice orders in the background.
Engineering works on the Captain's orders to divert all power to the Guns.
Engineering seems far more effective than the Captain as the ship continues to slowly close in.
Another torpedo locks on. On Dash's radar he picks up several more ships. After a moment of panic he realizes they seem to be coming from Absalom Station and look to be Security Forces. Though they are still a little ways out.
Iron Rictus (Red)-(Shields Fwd 9|Port 8|Aft 1|Starboard 8) (Dam 1=2)
Sunrise Maiden (Green)-(Shields Fwd 15|Port 12|Aft 14|Starboard 15)
Captain (Dash)-May act on any Phase
Engineering Phase (Abe)
Helm Phase (Kcectic- pilot)
Helm Phase (- Science Officer)
Gunnery Phase (Vetch)
Satisfied the shields are in about a good a space as they can be, Abe concentrates on the guns, pushing power to their supply.
vs DC 14
”OK folks, this is our time - let’s light them up! We may only catch their starboard side, but maybe we can weaken their shields there as well and drive up their rear next round!”
”Swing us around to starboard K, and get us closer!” Dash calls, hoping the ship can make the turn and get to better range.
As a second torpedo flies harmlessly by Kcectic finally spins the ship around to face their foe, providing an opening for their forward weapons.
Round 5
Now up close, Vetch fires again...this time with two weapons.
to hit; (piloting,dex)
damage
to hit; (piloting,dex)
damage => 7 damage with Abe.
”Wait for it... wait for it... now Vetch! Fire!”
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Dash is able to encourage Vetch as the Ysoki pours the extra energy supplies by Abe into the Iron Rictus' starboard side.
A coilgun returns a few rounds as it looses everything it has into your shields.
The shrapnel hurtles through space but Kcectic is able to dodge it with ease.
The comms go silent as the Iron Rictus surely has picked up the incoming Security vessels as well. "This will not be the last you hear from the Iron Rictus Sunrise Maiden." The skeletal frame puts all it has into the engines and flies right past your starboard side to retreat.
Iron Rictus (Red)-(Shields Fwd 9|Port 8|Aft 1|Starboard 1) (Dam 1=2)
Sunrise Maiden (Green)-(Shields Fwd 15|Port 12|Aft 14|Starboard 15)
Captain (Dash)-May act on any Phase
Engineering Phase (Abe)
Helm Phase (Kcectic- pilot)
Helm Phase (- Science Officer)
Gunnery Phase (Vetch)
Vetch seems ready to hit the ship again if the Head Clank in Charge decides to pursue.
"Let's get them. Otherwise they will just be back."
Knowing they are slower than their opponent, Abe pushes power to the engines to try and increase their speed.
vs DC 14
”I agree, hunt them down if we can manage it. Our shields are still good - do what you can!”
Dash flips the comms on to reply to the enemy ship. ”Unless you have two ships of the same name I wouldn’t be so f@#%ing sure.”
Then to Vetch, ”Fire away.”
Listening to his captains orders and taking advantage of the added speed boost, Kcectic pulls a quick turn and burns hard toward the enemy ship, lining up a shot for Vetch.
Round 6
Now closer, Vetch fires again...this time with two weapons.
to hit; (piloting,dex,+capt)
damage
to hit; (piloting,dex,+capt)
damage
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Deciding to give chasethe Sunrise Maiden pulls right into the Iron Rictus' weak spot allowing Vetch to do actual hull damage as his light laser cannon burns a hole in the starboard side.
"So be it." The Captain calls back to the Sunrise.
Engineering works on the Captain's orders to divert all power to the Guns.
Iron Rictus (Red -7 HP)-(Shields Fwd 9|Port 8|Aft 1|Starboard 0) (+2 Gunnery; Dam 1=2)
Sunrise Maiden (Green)-(Shields Fwd 15|Port 12|Aft 14|Starboard 15)
Captain (Dash)-May act on any Phase
Engineering Phase (Abe)
Helm Phase (Kcectic- pilot)
Helm Phase (- Science Officer)
Gunnery Phase (Vetch)
Now that they’ve closed, Abe diverts power to the guns, hoping Vetch can blast a hole in their armor.
vs DC 14
”Watch for their counter fire!” he worries, even though this is what they wanted.
Hold on!
Kcectic pulls the Sunrise Maiden in real close to the Iron Rictus, nearly colliding with the enemy ship as he moves through their flight path, giving Vetch a number of opportunities to fire on the enemy before pulling out ahead of the enemy ship hoping to cut it off.
Round 6
Now closer, Vetch fires again. One weapon. Starboard with the flak.
to hit; (piloting,dex)
damage => 8 damage w/Abe boost
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”K? What are you doing? This is not a good idea!”
Dash grips the armrest of his chair as Kcectic buzzes the Iron Rictus.
When it becomes clear the risky maneuver has paid off, and Vetch decorates the other ship with the flak thrower, he gives out a victorious “Whooo! That was awesome! Next time though, give a little more warning. I almost chipped my pants.”
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Dash attempts to continue to help Vetch but it is no use as Kcectic sends everyone for a spin. With the vastness of space the Shirren decides to bring the fight in as close as possible.
Vetch couldn't possibly miss as he sends flak into the undefended starboard side. Vetch's attack hits something critical on the skeletal frame.
The Iron Rictus sends it's thrusters into reverse, lurching the ship backwards.
"FIRE!"
Another torpedo arcs out and rockets into the the starboard side draining the shields as a light particle beam cuts into the hull.
Engineering works on the Captain's orders to divert all power to the Guns but the glitching power core is making things a bit more difficult.
The iron Rictus attempt to do a barrel roll but the controls lock up and it instead floats forward a small portion.
Iron Rictus (Red -15 HP; Power core-Glitching)-(Shields Fwd 9|Port 8|Aft 1|Starboard 0) (+2 Gunnery; Dam 1=2)
Sunrise Maiden (Green -5)-(Shields Fwd 15|Port 12|Aft 14|Starboard 0)
Captain (Dash)-May act on any Phase
Engineering Phase (Abe)
Helm Phase (Kcectic- pilot)
Helm Phase (- Science Officer)
Gunnery Phase (Vetch)
”Keep ‘em off our starboard if you can, we’ve lost shields! I’ll do what I can to patch the hole!” He slides quickly to the science officers chair, and rebalances the shields evenly across the ship.
(ship bonus) vs DC 14
With the computers help he's able to pull it off, but only just. "Got it!" he shouts.
"Rip the bastard a new one!" he has high hopes for their counter offensive.
"Better hold on Dash, we're going in again!" Kcectic says as he pulls the Sunrise Maiden close to the rictus for a second pass, flying close passed the enemy and pulling around to their flank and leaving their port side exposes.
Round 7
In a different spot, Vetch fires again. One weapon. At the starboard shields.
to hit; (piloting,dex)
damage
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Kcectic's maneuverworks brilliantly as he flips back past the Iron Rictus. Vetch continues to batter the weakened starboard side with his light particle beam. The beam cuts clean into the skeletal hull and slices a chunk off the Rictus. The blow effectively glitches out the sensors and disables the torpedo launcher.
The lights on the vessel go dark as the power core drains low and the ship simply drifts lifelessly in space. One final weak and crackled transmission comes over the comm. "You may have one this but you will get nothing from us. Safeguard black."
A moment passes as safeguards are set on the Iron Rictus and it suddenly splits open wide from an internal explosion. The damned Captain must have ordered the power core to be overloaded to explode, taking the entire crew with it.
***
One by one other starships begin to close in on the scene of the wreckage. A ysoki wrecker ship hails the Sunrise Maiden. "You heroes need a hand getting back to the Station?"
"Ah yeah," Vetch cries happily as the other ship is destroyed. "You don't bet against a ysoki in a shooting contest. Ha! Take that you gapborn goblinlovers!"
Vetch gets up from his gunnery station and goes to offer a Lastwall fist bump to Abe, Kcectic, and even Dash.
"Oh yeah. We rocked that s@$% out of the gap." Vetch places an iron star mark next to his station to recognize his first kill.
Vetch takes a moment to celebrate before asking a question that occurs to him
"Say, is there anything in that wreckage of value? Anything that we can use? Abe? Do you know?"
”F@#% yeah!” Dash celebrates with a victorious fist pump, then a Lastwall fist bump, followed by an android fist explosion.
Flipping on the comms, he replies to the ysoki wrecker’s offer. ”Captain Dash Arcbright of the Sunrise Maiden here. Thanks for the offer, but it seems they only scuffed the paint here, so let’s save the hand jobs for later.”
To his crew, he says, ”Nice work everyone. Looks like we’ll get to keep this ship longer than the last one.”
At Vetch’s prompting, he runs a scan from the science station to see if the enemy wreckage had anything worth salvaging.
Abe too cheers at their success. "Well done everyone. We have a little damage, but nothing a day or two in dock won't fix. We have some supplies already, I just need some time." he grins, looking forward to the work.
He'll slide back into the science officer seat when Dash is done, and watch for ships as they re-enter the save zone around Absalom Station.
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The scan shows little of importance or value as every component is fairly shredded and not worth salvaging from the explosion.
The Ysoki wrecker radios back as he chuckles little. "HA! Well welcome back to Absalom Station Heroes."
***
The trip back to the station is not nearly as eventful as the trip to see the Drift Rock. Though as Dash calls in for clearance the flight operations center seems a bit more elated and jovial as they dock you in at a far fancier dock.
As you open the hatch you are all quickly bombarded with a small crowd of onlookers and reporters.
"Do you have a statement about the Drift Rock?" A reporter jams a microphone in Vetch's face.
"Can I have your autograph?" Another onlooker holds out an excited hand to Dash.
Another pair of reporters with the Globe gossip magazine look to Abe and Kcectic. "Can you confirm the conspiracy theories pertaining to the Drift Rock and the creature inside?"
Several photos are snapped and not quite sure what all the attention is about Abe quickly notices footage scrolling across several of the public displays. You fame seems to have preceded you as the screens show you clearing out the derelict ship of Akata's and goblins. It also shows the outcome of the deceased crew as well as the climatic battle with the energy sapping Garaggakal!
Seems something recording the entirety has also been broadcasting it live to the entire Station.A message flashes across all of you comm unit's. It looks to be from Chiskisk. Meet me at the Lorespire when you get back. I would like to hear everything.
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Abe is startled by the sudden attention. He knows when to keep his mouth shut though, and he uses this time to do just that. "No comment." he hears himself say, more than once as the press presses in.
He watches the loop on the vid and can't believe it. "I knew we were being watched... but I didn't know we were being watched! This is crazy."
"I'm not sure I'd have signed on for that." he adds a little angrily. "I mean sure, show our video in court or something - in context. Not just out there" he spreads his arms wide and frowns.
"We'd better go give our report to Chiskisk. Get it out of the way." If the group agrees, he heads to the Lorespire and looks for Chiskisk.
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Dash basks in the glory of fame like a vesk on vacation under a warm Castrovel sky.
”Captain Dash.” He smiles, shaking hands and making sure the reporters get his name right in print, and his good side on vid. ”I’d make a statement, but that video is doing a good enough job for us at the moment. We’ve got to meet with the interested parties, but give me your comm data and I’ll get in touch with you after.” As he talks Dash is more than happy to pen a few autographs, scrawling a few words for his fans.
Rock on motherf@#%er!
~Captain Dash Arcbright
Drink, f@#%, and do drugs!
~Captain Dash
Stay in school!
~Dash
For a good time call 1-800-RAT-FCKR
~Dash
Moons of Sleep, Suite 7
~D
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Vetch seems a bit stunned at the reception as it doesn't make too much sense to him. He's never, ever had fame before...and it boggles his mind that this little expedition would create such a stir. Surely, with interplanetary communications, there would be vid feeds of things like this everyday and in every way.
"Do you have a statement about the Drift Rock?" A reporter jams a microphone in Vetch's face.
Vetch recoils, nearly putting his paw on the microphone to push it away from his face. "Yes," Vetch pauses, his mind thinking of what to say.
Vetch gains a bit of backbone as he finds an answer.
"I would give thanks to Triune for giving me the strength to kill the Garaggakal," Vetch says reverently. "Without the wisdom and knowledge off that All-Circuit we would not have succeeded. Also, death to all space goblins. May the next thing we wipe out is that species from the galaxy."
Good answer. Nice.
When waits to see if the reporter has any follow up questions before walking away. He will join Abe in reporting back to the Starfinder Headquarters.
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Kcectic stares at the vids of the battles on the drift rock and chitters excitedly. His antennae wave to and fro as he takes in the recognition from the people around them, though his multifaceted eyes take exception to all the bright lights.
Do you think they have footage of the last ship battle? He asks his companions, eager to see the risky maneuvers he'd pulled from an outside perspective.
He avoids answering any questions letting the rest of the crew take over, following Abes example as he broadcasts No comment.
When Chiskisk's message comes through, the Shirren eagerly agrees to head back to the Lorespire, still overwhelmed by their current situation.
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The reporter gives a startled look at Vetch's proclamation of riding the galaxy of an entire species but for the most part keeps her composure. "And what is it you have against the space goblins?"
Kcectic's question is almost answered immediately as a play by play footage is broadcast of the final ship battle. Though the footage is all from inside the Sunrise Maiden itself leading to believe that Ambassador Nor's recording robot was the one transmitting.
The crew pushes its way through the crowd and sets off to the Lorespire Complex where an even smaller crowd seems to have formed. While met as heroes on the dock this crowd seems a bit more disheveled as they pitch signs high in the air in some form of protest. Upon seeing Vetch they really amp up. "Goblin Lives Matter....Goblin Lives Matter!"
One woman screams out at Vetch. "We saw how you treated him!" Security guards form a route into the building for you and the receptionist gets right past all the waiting room, making sure you have direct access to Chiskisk.
High upstairs you find the amused Shirren waiting at their desk. Their mandibles clatter in excitement as they fold their hands. "So...what did you find?"
Vetch looks back at the reporter as if the reporter were a space goblin.
"What the @#%! is wrong with you? Why don't you have problems with the pests?!" Vetch leaves the interview in a huff, limping away on his toe-less feet. "What kind of stupid question is that? We didn't become heroes by embracing goblin love, for #$@@ sake."
He offers a gapborn middle finger salute to the Goblin Lives Matter protestors as he clanks on by with his club-cane.
* * *
Vetch slumps down into a chair in the Shirren's office. After taking a few moments to collect himself, we will tell the tale as best he can...starting from the moment they arrived a the rock, to the battle where he shot down the ship.
"...and that's where we came back to all this."
Abe laughs to himself as Vetch has an audience, keenly interested in what he has to say. He mumbles as they enter the building, "If they camp out at the apartment with their yelling, we'll have to do something about it." He chuckles.
When Vetch talks to the Starfinders, he adds in details that might be missed, but largely stays out of the narrative.
"We're the flavor of the month. Or rather day. Excepting those goblin-lovers, I doubt any of them will remember us in a week."
Vetch’s words and reactions gather more than the attention of the media.
Did he say Triune? He wonders to himself. Very curious.
During the meeting with Chiskisk, Dash let’s Vetch do most of the talking, adding in flavor to the report where appropriate. A “yup” here, a “damn right” there, peppered with a few “f@#% yeahs” for emphasis.
”In summary, I think we found a big f@#%ing trigger to a bigger f@#%ing weapon of some kind. Where does that fall in space mining contracts?”
I...I tried to make sure he didn't hurt them. Kcectic broadcasts to the group, antennae drooping as he follows his companions.
When they meet with Chiskisk Kcectic sends images or concepts to the Shirren to help them understand what the party, or at least Kcectic, was feeling during each moment that Vetch talks about, making sure they gets the full picture.
I am unconvinced that either side should be given the rock. Kcectic says after Dash summarizes. It seems like something that could not be intrusted to just a single entity.
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"The nature of it confuses me, though you should find out more of it's purpose. After all, this is an excellent opportunity to uncover an extraordinary secret, and the answer might both earn you fame as explorers and unlock hitherto undiscovered technologies that could better the Pact Worlds." Chiskisk punches away at a digital keyboard on the touchscreen. "After all we have access to the Starfinder Societies detailed database."
The Shirren uses the computer to search for any prior appearances of the language displayed on the Drift Rock’s displays. As the search concludes, Chiskisk energetically scans over the findings, bobbing their head appreciatively at first before their antennae droop dejectedly and they explain their findings.
“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.”
Castrovel.
Dash is uncharacteristically quiet when Chiskisk announces their next mission. He’d been to the planet before, and studied at the University. He couldn’t remember much of the the place, but there was a diploma among the documents he tossed in that fire on the black sand beach of Triaxus long ago. Evidence of memories sold off to be stored in a mnemonic data bank somewhere. Waiting to be downloaded by a tourist, or stuffed into the mind of a student cheating on exams.
But those lost memories weigh little upon his mind. It is the memory of something else, someone else, from Castrovel, that bothers him.
Vetch seems puzzled.
"Can you clarify more about the term 'disruptive expeditions'? What did he do and what was he accused of?" Vetch asks although he can certainly use his own comm unit to access some information as well.
Vetch ponders more.
"I had also thought that many of the experienced Starfinders perished recently...in the calamity. How is it there are alumni there?"
Abe wonders where the money is in research, but they've done pretty well for themselves so far, so he's willing to take a chance on the Society. He figures he owes them that much anyway.
He waits to see her response to Vetch's queries though before committing himself. That one's good in a pinch. If he has questions, they're probably good ones.
Kcectic tilts his head to the side as he listens to Chiskisk. He adds his own sense of curiosity to Vetch's questions while searching his own memory for any information about Zan he might have picked up along the way.
My female parent was a Starfinder once, not all have perished, just many. He says while waiting, wondering if these Alumni are similarly retired or just lucky.
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"Can you clarify more about the term 'disruptive expeditions'? What did he do and what was he accused of?"
“Different planets have different regulations for explorers. Zan wanted to explore a site on the restricted continent of Ukulam, but when the authorities denied him passage, he went anyway. I believe they confiscated most of his findings, and the whole incident spurred a decade of restrictions on offworld explorers.”
"I had also thought that many of the experienced Starfinders perished recently...in the calamity. How is it there are alumni there?"
"The majority of us perished, though not all thankfully."
Kcectic knows a bit about Halkueem Zan. Zan was a human explorer who did most of his work at about the same time the Starfinder Society formed, but was never directly associated with them.
"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 flips through some digital pages and sends you a digital copy of the “Pyramid People of Ukulam,” which is a tawdry travelogue that lauds the author’s bravery as much as it describes the culture that built the sites using ample nonacademic language such as “exotic,” “savages,” and “time immemorial.”
Chiskisk continues on. “The Qabarat University of Xenoarchaeology and Xenoanthropology is one of the foremost institutions of higher learning for explorers and galactic ethnographers in the Pact Worlds. In addition to training many great archaeologists, the university maintains a staggering archive of artifacts, recordings, and other findings from throughout the system.”
The shirren taps a few keys. “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.”
The Shirren looks back at you. "This is a strong lead. because you have been at the forefront of this investigation thusfar, it is only proper that you have first right to visit the University and learn more. In fact I would rather you do so in light of the recent broadcast of the Drift Rock exploration. It's only a matter of time before someone else beats us to the prize."
”I see, I see,” Vetch listens to all the replies from the Shirren, nodding along and tapping his club cane against his foot anxiously.
”So...you want us to go to Qabarat, then, to get and review the research on this language?” Vetch asks as he realizes that the Shirren seems to imply that he wants the party to go to Qabarat, but has yet to say so....but moreso to confirm that he has continuing employment with the Starfinder Society.
”Yes, I think we can do that. As long as we don’t get lost or lose our ship. We have some shopping and selling to do before we go though. I would expect that this shouldn’t be a dangerous mission, but you never know.”
Vetch scratches his whiskers.
”Do you have any idea why we were attacked on our return? Should we expect more threats against us now that we have offloaded the payload?”
”Oh, there are lots of folks after us Vetch. Including the whole of the goblin race before long.” Abe grins.
”I’m game. Give us a couple days to fit out the ship, and make a few transactions, and we’ll head straight over - is that OK? The ship took some damage in the firefight, and, well, it hasn’t been maintained in a while. We need to give it a good once over, just to be sure all the bugs are worked out.”
”Castrovel sounds like a yawn fest, but we’ll handle it, but before we launch into another snafu, what’s the deal with the Eoxians? The Iron Ricktus was from the Corpse Fleet, right Abe? They demanded their “cargo” which I assume was the package we delivered to Ambassador Nor.” Dash looks to Chiskisk. ”Was that sh!t broadcast to the masses or conveniently edited out? Does the Society have any idea what it was?”
Castrovel might be more fun than you think Dash, especially if there are any rival groups trying to beat us to this information. I'm sure we'll see more of the Corpse Fleet too. Kcectic seems oddly eager to face another Eoxian vessel in a dog fight, particularly with the ship in better repair.
By the way, has their been any word on the Hippocampus? It was stolen from us on the Drift Rock, maybe I can look into any rumors or sightings of it while we prepare for Castrovel.