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Despite his wounds, Rex jumps in to help Jim.
Weakened by the blood loss, he helps Jim open the door but wouldn't have been able to open it without him.
He strides to the terminal and begins scrolling through, face lighting up in awe as he reads. "Guys, this... this is indicating that the dwarves aren't the only people in here, I think. And they aren't crazy for thinking it's the Quest for Sky... they're running a simulation on the dwarves here. Whoever... they are." He pauses for a few seconds before looking back at the camera crew.
"Really guys? No music cue for that?"
"Do not worry the audience got music there." Wazasha's voice crackles in Rex's ear.
Wazasha asks you all to quickly assemble for one final action shot, posing together like victorious explorers as the poisonous fog billows past you. The camera crew snaps dozens of pictures for promotional
Just after the camera crew takes the last set of pictures, Wazasha asks aloud, “How about we hear how they’re wrapping up the event in the studio?”
She pulls up a program on her wrist computer, which plays the live audio feed with Zo! shouting excitedly:
“What a discovery! What a destination! What a band of unlikely heroes! What could lie deeper in Salvation’s End? Find out on the next episode of LIVE EXPLORATION EXTREME! when the Starfinder Society returns to—”
“?” shouts Luwazi with alarm from near Zo!’s microphone. “That was not part of our deal, Zo! You can’t just add a sequel when we haven’t—” purposes.
Zo!’s voice insistently cuts back in. “Ha ha! And now a word from our sponsors!”
A booming add for Nova Solutions blares out of Wazasha’s computer before she closes the program, rolls her eyes, and orders the team to retrace their way to the surface.
Wazasha warns you that there are likely more deadly threats beyond, and that Luwazi Elsebo would want to give you a proper debriefing before sending any more Starfinders deeper into the unknown. Furthermore, there’s still the question of what to do with the Marbleheart dwarves. The gaping hole through which the party arrived and the open door into this chamber shatter the artificial existence in which the dwarves have lived for at least a century. Given the malfunctioning machinery, you are told, remaining in the simulation isn’t a viable option.
Back on the Exemplarion, Luwazi seems somewhat frazzled as she meets with you to hear your accounts of the expedition. She reports that Zo! is desperately trying to negotiate for additional filmed excursions, but so far she’s left him with a curt “We’ll see.”
Prior to dismissing you, Luwazi takes the opportunity, while your assembled, to ask you one last, important question. ”Having survived this ordeal, what do you think? Should Live Exploration Extreme! return for another episode or not.?” Luwasi asks, frankly.
Afterwards, once again aboard the Exemplarion, you are free to partake of the seemingly endless festivities, where you can each bask in the fame of your respective performances.
Back at Absalom Station, you arrive shortly after the live broadcast reaches the Pact Worlds. You find yourselves invited as guests to a host of programs, game shows, nightclubs, and other events. Sadly, the fame only lasts for about a week, after which the news cycle quickly latches onto new short-term celebrities.
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Rex walks up behind Delea and gives her a squeeze on the shoulder. "I dunno about that, there's a lot of stories about teams making silly choices even without the cameras rolling..." He gives a quick smile to indicate that he's kidding. "While I think the exposure was great for the Starfinders and for the overall cause of exploration and scholarship, maybe negotiate some stricter clauses on crew behavior? I caught one trying to make a snack out of one of the fallen dwarves - that can't be Starfinder-sanctioned, we'd get some real Pharasman conservatives very upset with us."
"While I think the exposure was great for the Starfinders and for the overall cause of exploration and scholarship, maybe negotiate some stricter clauses on crew behavior? I caught one trying to make a snack out of one of the fallen dwarves - that can't be Starfinder-sanctioned, we'd get some real Pharasman conservatives very upset with us."
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The shirren waits to hear his comrades responses before finally blurting out,” I want to make it clear, a sequel would be an absolute disaster...If Zo! Doesn’t invite me back for round 2!!!” He says excitedly,” I can’t wait to get back to the station and see this!”
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The screen initiates to reveal Ylda sitting in the booth looking curiously around at her setting before focusing on the camera pointed at her as a voice speaks in fluent dwarven. This voice is easily recognizable as Wazasha. As the voices converse in dwarven, subtitles translate the conversation, "Ylda, what do you think of the Starfinders? The group that was just here?"
a voice speaks in fluent dwarven.
"Ylda, what do you think of the Starfinders? The group that was just here?"
"The Starfinders?" Ylga repeats slowly, as the word is foreign to her and, furthermore, the word for 'star' does not translate easily in the language of the Darklands. “The Starfinders,” she repeats with more confidence. “I see now that, though you travel together, they and you, are very, very different. Not just in appearance, but also in deed.”
“These Starfinders,” Ylga continues, ”entered into the collapsed temple through an unstable fissure. These Starfinders fought off oozes and rescued Holsin. These Starfinders removed the stone that barred our place of worship. All the while you, and the others that are like you, stood by and did nothing to help us as we toiled in despair and distress. You seemed more focused on yourselves, as well as those magical devices of yours that capture both sound and light. ”
“By contrast, these Starfinders, were willing to put themselves at risk to save us. They are brave, skillful warriors.” the dwarven woman notes. “They inspire. Some of our clans-people are now talking about becoming more like them—they want now to… explore… beyond our caves, beyond the surface, as the Starfinders do.”
“Admittedly, I was not sure what to make of them at first. We were had justified concerns that any newcomers could well be invaders, like the short orcs. When we ordered them to put down their weapons and they refused to do so, I felt I had no choice but to give the order to fire. If only I had known then, what I know now. Poor Edrukk.” Ylga’s voice trails off as she recalls her deceased comrade.
Then, a flash of anger overtakes her face. ”Wait an ember-second!” Ylga cries.
“You...we... you conversing in Aklo!" Ylga says, her voice rising in anger. "Then, you knew! The Starfinders, they… they had no idea. But, you knew. You had known all along...”
Just then, Wazasha receives a texted message on her comm link, which states: “You can stop filming the dwarf. We’ve already cut to a commercial. Well done. I think we’ve got all the footage we need. The audience is going to love what we show them!”