By now determined to shut off the annoying AI, you all tromp down the stairs to the lower level of the ship.
Three sparse cots occupy the three niches in this room, each with a locker built into the wall at one end. There are images of family members on the lockers. A cheery poster of the Strawberry Machine Cake band adorns the second locker door. Two lockers hang open, emptied. The third is locked.
This sparse chamber has functional steel walls that are slightly scratched and dented. A large airlock door leads starboard. A display panel next to the door flashes red. The display reads, Security Measure, Code Red, Ship Lockdown. There's passenger baggage in here, but they mostly contain stuff like formal dresswear. As you examine the air lock, the computer says sweetly, "You weren't thinking of leaving yet, were you? We haven't finished yet."
All these cabin doors appear to be locked, but they pop open easily to Quonx and Xnouq's clever fingers. Cabins three and four are identical -- attractive passenger cabins in soothing color palettes of sea foam and pale blue, each with their private bathroom. Both rooms contain the passengers’ personal effects, little of which is of any value, and both have been stripped of their blankets, pillows, and sheets.
As you enter room 3, the computer exclaims, "Such naughty passengers you are, breaking into other passenger's cabins! Then again... those ungrateful room residents aren't even sleeping there any more. They've taken their blankets and pillows and are having a messy and completely unauthorized slumber party in the bar."
"Are you looking for a place to rest and relax, little ones? There are still comfy looking mattresses here. And scented soap and body wash to use in the warm water showers. We want nothing but the best for our guests. You do want to relax, don't you?"
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
In room 4, the AI says, "There was a perfectly nice queen sized mattress in the previous room. I don't think you want to relax at ALL."
Oh no!
None of you hear the slight hiss of gas coming from the vents. Gosh, those mattresses look good. So does the soft plush carpeting. Laying down for a nap seems like such a good idea.
Make a second DC 14 Fortitude Save to avoid the Secondary effect!
Secondary Effect unconsciousness for hours; Cure 1 save
At least one skittermander has survived the noxious gases! Quonx manages to shake off the gas seeping through the vents. Quonx, do you want to do anything else? As an engineer, you might be able find a way to block the vents.
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After all the excitement on the upper deck, Gazigaz quickly finds himself bored with no obvious people to help. By the baggage airlock, he's pulled out his hand mirror and is making minute adjustments to his magnificent beard.
Continuing his abysmal streak of rolling, just the sight of the beds has Gazigaz hiding a yawn. "Hey, maybe if one of us... relaxes here," he begins, soft voice dreamier than normal, "then the computer won't... bother you any-" THUD!
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Dakoyo walks into the room and says in response to the computer, "WE'RE naughty?!? You attack us and WE'RE the naugh....." THUD!!
Dakoyo falls forward and faceplants onto the ground right next to Gazigaz!
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Dakoyo gets up and brushes himself off. "Well that was odd. Must've been a sympathy fall..."
Dakoyo shakes Gazigaz. "Get up! No time to sleep!!"
Quonx and Xnouq made their saves on the first try. Nechkin and Dakoyo each lose four hit points and have a minus one to their con, but they are still awake, Gazigaz lost four hit points, has the minus to his con, and is unconscious.
Dakoyo, with that medicine check, you figure out that you need to get Gazigaz out of the gas somehow before you can even attempt to wake him up. Sealing his suit, or getting him away from those vents might be a good first step!
Nako shakes off the gas attack as if nothing happened!
The gas is still pouring out of those vents! What do you do, Nufriends?
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Brushing of the zombie bits that seem to have clung to his fur Xnouq goes about seeing what parts and pieces he may be able to salvage giving a shrug when another member of the crew gives him a funny look "Hey never know when one of these pieces will help."
Making his way down into the deeper recesses of the ship Xnouq looks down the hall way thinking about which way the party may go and Dakoyo mentions a general way to get to all the doors quickly that Xnouq nods and follows along.
Seeing the inside of what could only be a place for crew members to sleep Xnouq remarks "Wow its so roomy in here! I bet all six of us could sleep comfortably without any problems." an idea comes to the little skittermander's mind. "Wait! What if we talk to Nakonechkin about giving us a bigger place like this?!?"
Seeing the lockers as a wonderful puzzle for he and his sister to work on Xnouq points and see that Quonx is already there trying to open the lockers.
"You are very right sister! They are just begging to be opened." Seeing her attempts fal short Xnouq tries his hands at it... all six of them.
"Gah!!! So close! I can almost feel it wanting to unlock...." Looking dower he begins to walk to the next room.
Seeing the guests bag and cases Xnouq looks about seeing if anyone will notice and then dives in digging thorugh all the cases looking for what ever he can find eventually he finds nothing more than some fancy clothes... and a brand new cumberundt Wrapped around his head.
Listeining to the taunting of M2, Xnouq has about had enough and blurts out "You got that wrong! You're the one who is going to be finished."
Jumping down from the nice pile of bags and crates Xnouq stomps out of the room following the rest of the group.
Xnouq looks distastefully at the beds thinking Who would sleep in these? the Lavish and luxurious beds are much to soft for the Mechanics tastes. Rolling his eyes at the AI's mental scrubbing that it is attempting "I'd Rather sleep atop the Stardrive then in those sorry excuses for a bed!"
Looking to the vents Xnouq tries to seal them before the gas fills the entire cabin.
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Dakoyo drags Gazigaz out of the gas filled room and into the hallway... Probably bumping his unconscious mass into various fixed features of the room: the foot of the bed, the corner of a cabinet, the edge of the door frame, and so on.
*bump!* *knock!* *clank!* *thud!* *boing!*
Once out of the room, Dakoyo tries to wake Gazigaz!
Gazigaz wakes, coughing somewhere during the 12th or 13th bonk. Meanwhile, you have all had the opportunity to seal your suits, even if the gas keeps pouring out of the vents. The various other rooms offer more of the same. Eventually, you find yourselves in front of the secret door to the Engineering deck that Locke Linler told you about.
Dakoyo, Nako and Nechkin all find it! It is locked.
Is there anything you want to do before you open this secret door?
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"Well? Nufriends? Are you going to pick the lock, or shall I... SMASH IT!?" Nako wields her doshko threateningly at the door, entirely ready to smash it - just give her the word!
To her fellow skittermanders, Nechkin says, “They were so scared of the AI they couldn't even get the pictures of their families to hang up by their beds! No wonder Nakonechkin had trouble here!” When she sees Quonx fail to pick the lock, she says reassuringly, “I bet that AI made that locker extra-super locked! Or maybe it has advanced biometrics.” To Xuonq’s idea of requesting better quarters, she says, “Oooh, that would be nice! Plenty of space to stretch out our arms like beetles.”
In response to the AI’s sweetly stated comments, Nechkin scowls, “Don’t worry, we’re not leaving until we’ve searched this whole place top to bottom and rescued whoever else you captured! Even if I agree that Nakonechkin could learn a thing or two from you about fun nail polish, that doesn’t give you the right to hold people here when they want to leave. If you keep that up, you’ll turn into a prison ship. That’s not who you want to be, is it? How is anyone supposed to relax when you keep blabbering on about ‘relax or be eliminated?’ And I thought yelling at someone to calm down was the worst way to help them relax, but death threats really take the nova-diving cake...”
In spite of herself, with the disgusting state of her fur, the thought of a hot shower captures Nechkin’s imagination for a moment. She pictures herself in Silky’s humming and singing in room full of steam, and the finest scented soaps. A place like Silky’s would surely have only the finest combs and the fluffiest towels. But then she thinks about what kind of shower the AI might be offering, and imagining water that is hot enough to scald her skin falling down from the ceiling snaps her out of her fantasy.
As the poisonous gas takes effect, Nechkin calls out to the AI, “Well, that’s just rude ! Gazigaz was trying to talk to you and you just made him fall asleep. That’s not how you’re supposed to take turns in a conversation, not at all!
“Can we wait a few before we move on? It could be dangerous!”
Nechkin, and any of her other wounded colleagues who wish to do so, rest for a few minutes to refresh their stamina before opening the secret door.
Seeing no traps, Xnouq easily opens the locked secret door. The ship's power core hums pleasantly in the center of this wide room. To the port and starboard, banks of conduits and wires line the walls. The tang of ozone fills the air and the lighting overhead makes shadows dance across the floor.
As you look in, the source of the ozone scent becomes obvious. You see the slumped body of a female crew member, with electical burns and a hole right in her head. You also see a large beefy looking robot patrolling this area. As it notices you, it slowly starts to raise one of its arms -- with an integrated weapon -- to point right at all of you.
YOU ARE TRESPASSING IN A RESTRICTED AREA. The robot pauses, scanning you. PLEASE RELAY YOUR NEXT OF KIN AND BURIAL PREFERENCES.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Round 1
Active conditions:
Nako
Xnouq
Gazigaz
Dakoyo
================================
Robot
================================
Quonx
Nechkin
================================
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Eager to cover his embarrassment at napping on the job (and freshly energized after said nap), Gazigaz rolls his eyes dramatically at the patrolling bot. "You tin cans are really rude, ya know? No warnings, just straight to the pew-pew. Soooo not Drift." His five empty hands indicate his friends. "If you insist, though, my next of kin and I will just have to oblige! For Nakonechkin!"
With the, he actives Get 'Em, and squeezes off a shot...
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"This hasn't worked yet but it's gotta hit sometime....right???"
Dakoyo casts telekinetic projectile, grabbing some loose odds and ends, flinging them at the robot!!
"Curses!!!"
Because the robot is flat-footed, Gazigaz's shot hits!
Alas, the tools that Dakoyo flings shoot fairly wide of the robot, hitting the far wall. Still, he can fling them again next round!
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Round 1
Active conditions:
Nako
Xnouq
Gazigaz
Dakoyo
================================
Robot (-2, GET 'EM!)
================================
Quonx
Nechkin
================================
Xnouq looks the robot up and down trying to figure out what it is and the snaps his fingers "A-ha! It's a Patrol Class Security Bot! Hit them with electricity and heavy hits and it will fall. Plus, it also has nanite's that it can use once every 24 hours to repair it self quickly." pursing his lips together he adds a final statement "I need to see how it does that!"
Pulling our his azimuth laser rifle and taking a few steps forward Xnouq takes aim and fires a shot at the bot.
Why yes, it has a special attack!
It has a jolting arc! Once every 1d4 rounds as a standard action, a patrol-class security robot can shoot an arc of electricity at up to four creatures within 40 feet (no two of which can be more than 30 feet apart). This arc deals 1d8 electricity damage to each target (Reflex for half.)
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Xnouq knows everything there is to know about robots, but in his excitement he misses with his attack!
Click. Whirr.
"Stop dreaming, Nechkin! It's time for an all-twelve Skittermander attack!" Nako uses her once a day hyper abilitiy to position herself to make it easy for Nechkin to flank!
Nako gets a clean slice on the robot!
Then it's the robot's turn. It aims its tactical arc emitter, trying to arc to as many skitters as it can!
It lets loose with a jolting arc at the skitters clustered around the doorway: Xnouq, Quonx, Nechkin and Gazigaz!
This provokes an attack of opportunity from Nako!
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Round 1
Active conditions:
Nako (+ AoA!)
Xnouq (DC 13 Reflex save needed)
Gazigaz (DC 13 Reflex save needed)
Dakoyo
================================
Robot (-8, GET 'EM!)
================================
Quonx (DC 13 Reflex save needed)
Nechkin (DC 13 Reflex save needed)
================================
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"Burial preferences? Why does every robot on this ship have its own way of telling us it wants us dead? Can't we find a friendly one for once?"
Nako shouting her name grabs her attention. "Shocking All-twelve murderbot flamepummel!"
She leaps over the arc of electricity. It singes one of her arms, but she avoids a direct hit. Undeterred, she continues her charge forth with her doshko.
In fact, the surge of electricity causes her arms to jolt, bringing the doshko crashing down with great force!
, DC 16 vs. wound
"See, I wasn't distracted. I was just charging up my super-mega attack for when you were ready, too!" Nechkin claims. But Nechkin's never been good at lying. It makes her thumbs twitch.
Quonx's acrobatic leap unbalances her shot, and she misses. However, Nechkin's attack slices a big crack right in the casing of the robot!
The robot totters back and forth, but it's still standing!
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Round 1 / 2
Active conditions:
Nako (+ AoA!)
Xnouq (DC 13 Reflex save needed)
Gazigaz (DC 13 Reflex save needed)
Dakoyo
================================
Robot (-33, GET 'EM!)
================================
Quonx (-3)
Nechkin (-3)
================================
"Burial preferences? Why does every robot on this ship have its own way of telling us it wants us dead? Can't we find a friendly one for once?"
M3's feminine voice over the intercomm is indignant. "Now you cannot blame me if you furry menaces refuse to relax and enjoy yourselves. I was friendly, but you lot seem determined to work yourselves to DEATH. Don't blame me for your poor -- and may I say 'short-lived -- life choices?"
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Nako strikes opportunely!
"And if that's not enough, this furry menace is about to set your metal butt on fire!"
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Nako provides two more smashes with the ember flame doshko, putting more flaming dents in the robot. It barely looks like it's still functioning!
ERROR. ERROR. ERROR. The robot calls out, limbs flailing wildly.
Meanwhile, M2 states sweetly, "I'm an AI. I don't have a 'metal butt'. Clearly you furry menaces know nothing of advanced intelligences like myself. It's too bad I don't have time to educate you, but your ultimate relaxation is my primary goal now." The AI pauses. "But you seem insistent on sabotaging my equipment. I'll have to find some other solution for you."
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Round 1 / 2
Active conditions:
Nako
Xnouq (DC 13 Reflex save needed)
Gazigaz (DC 13 Reflex save needed)
Dakoyo
================================
Robot (-50, GET 'EM!)
================================
Quonx (-3)
Nechkin (-3)
================================
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The green-furred skittermander's teeth grind as the wave of electricity courses through him. As it fades, he lets out a wheezing gasp. "Hi, An AI. Can I call you Ann? My name is Gazigaz, not furry menace. Only our captain, Nakonechkin, calls us that. Anyways, Ann, have you tried asking people if you're helping them relax? Sensors are great, and all, but having a nufriend's permission is super drift, gree?"
"While you ponder on that, I hope you'll forgive us for helping to stop this metallic brute squad from not knowing its own strength."
"Whoo! Looks like that whack did the trick!"
Meanwhile, M2 states sweetly, "I'm an AI. I don't have a 'metal butt'."
"Well AI, I'm sure we can find a way to grant you a metal butt and then we'll promptly hand it to you!! In fact, we'll start with this!!!"
Dakoyo spots a metal bucket and flings it at the robot!!
PLONK!
Gazigaz brings the robot down, and Dakoyo makes sure that it stays that way!
Alazea Dawnt's body is clutching a datapad.
What do you do?
Dakoyo looks all around the room. "Hmmmm... Where do you guys think we should go next? This room looks like a dead end to me!!"
Utterly oblivious to whatever there was to notice--including the existence of the datapad with that roll--Nechkin stows her doshko and brushes allsix of her hands together, as if to wipe them clean.
"Whew! Good work, team. I think that's the whole ship searched now, isn't it? Let's go back to Nakoneckin and report our victory. Then we can help all our other nufriends on this ship get to safety too!"
Gazigaz and Xnouq say, "Hey look! A door! I wonder if it leads to the super-secret tunnels and accessways that we can use to shut down M2!"
Meanwhile, Quonx looks at the Datapad!
"Hey, it says here that M2 has a decentralized core, split into several nodes distributed across the ship. Shutting down three of these nodes will completely destroy the AI. Let's do it! Yay!"
You all climb into the super secret access tunnels!
Meanwhile, M2 chimes in... “Attention passengers. My sensors indicate that the ship is infested with small, furry menaces. But do not be alarmed, your crew has it under control. In just a few minutes, we will be venting the interior of the ship out into space to deal with the problem. You may experience a slight loss in cabin pressure, followed by the thrilling sensation of zero gravity and unparalleled views of the surrounding star field. That is all.”
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Yikes! It's time to find those nodes and shut them down!
Quonx and Xnouq, give me three engineering rolls to shut down nodes!
Everyone else, give me three perception checks to help find nodes!
We can do this!
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As Nechkin searches for the nodes, she mutters, "Oh c'mon AI lady, do you even hear yourself? Ahem...'Attention, everyone on this ship. One awesome vesk didn't like my nail polish, and when his nufriend skittermanders told me that, I realized I was so insecure I'd rather kill them.' Time to shut you down, for all of our sakes."
Dakoyo laughs, "Furry menaces?? Quonx and Xnouq, the AI is talking smack about you!!"
Dakoyo looks all around, trying to find the nodes...
"Find a node, smash a node. Sounds easy enough, right nufriends?"
Gazigaz starts to chime in with his own retort to the voice's announcement, but his friends' comments send him into a fit of musical giggles as he helps them search.
Your group dives into the underbelly of the ship with amazing enthusiasm! The group works together to find nodes while both Quonx and Xnouq work madly to shut them down!
After the first node goes down, M2 fills one of the spaces with deadly radiation, and you have to all go hyper to get out of there! Then M2 start playing nasty tricks, like shocking skittermanders who approach a node!
Dakoyo gets shocked! Barely standing (unless he makes an awesome reflex roll) he works on healing himself while M2 cackles madly in the background as she prepares to open vents all over the ship!
But... Before she can do that, Quonx deactivates one final node, and all of a sudden, there's nothing left of M2 but a tinny announcement that plays on the intercom. “We thank you for choosing Trendsetter Excursions and hope you will fly with us again in the future.”
Asserting your control over the ship, you seal the vents and prevent all the passengers from being spaced! Far from being furry menaces, you are the heroes of the day!