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Eli gives Ruuk a slap across the back of his head instantly when he speaks the word 'planet', and gives Albans a stern look after his response.
She sighs and grabs the bridge of her nose while her eyes are closed. "Culture shock is a thing, people!", she mutters under her breath.
"Whatever...", she turns to the natives. "Look - we were not meant to be dishonest. That's not why I reacted in such a way. We just wanted to give you some time to ease you into the fact that we're spacefarers. But now that it's out,", she looks at Ruuk and Albans again: "I want to make sure that you know this - we are peaceful, not here to conquer or enslave you or anything, okay? We discovered this world recently and we're just here to gather information."
"I understand that you might be frightened now that you know who we are. But I can assure you there's no reason to fear us.", she adds.
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Decising anything aggressive looking now would be taken horribly, Asier slowly takes off his gun and sets it down. He then leans over to Eli and whispers in a low voice. "Given their technology, I would doubt they couldn't have travelled the stars. Maybe that platform was keeping them trapped here? However I could be misinterpreting things here."
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The reaction among the ghirani is varied, some staring at you with wide-eyed wonder, some chattering excitedly with those beside them. But between respect you showed earlier in the Welcoming ceremony, and the peaceful words from the party, few if any looks alarm or worried.
Sister Alomir, looking rather starry-eyed, shares, "There's legends among our people that our people once reached out to travel among the stars, but the gods were unhappy with that and caused the Great War amongst us as punishment. I always thought that was just a story to tell around campfires! I mean, not the Great War but the travelling to stars part. But you're here! It is possible! Tell us about your ... world!"
Brother Koseemo gracefully adds. "Before, you had a number of questions for us, but it was not appropriate for us to speak further before the ceremony. But now, please ask away!"
Klarima looks at Alimony uncertainly. "Well, there is something. I would like to return home, to Arkeost, but the way is dangerous. The Husks have been kind hosts, but I couldn't impose of them further to escort me. But you are mighty warriors! And return, I can show you our city, and introduce you to my people!"
There have been two different words that she has been using that has been roughly translated in your mind as "people". Her earlier references of the ghibrani in the caverns and herself was one, but referring to those within her city was another, with the implications that the latter was a subset of the first.
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Albans gives a rueful glance at Eli and shrugs. "Sincerest apologies, captain. It seems that Ruuk and myself are rather direct by nature. Still, they seemed to have taken the revelation well."
To Sister Alomir, he says "We hail from a system of planets around a distant star. We call them the Pact Worlds, and we," he gestures around at the group, "come from all across that system. I was raised on a miserable red ball of dust called Akiton. If you're looking for cheap real estate, that's the place to be. Otherwise, I'd say visit anywhere else first."
When Klarima asks about escorting her through the wastes, Albans glances around to see what the rest of the group thinks. I wonder what Arkeost might have to trade. Dangerous roads, though. I'm definitely not taking the lead on this, I'm in enough trouble as it is. Besides, as long as it's someone else's idea, it isn't my fault when everything goes wrong and we all die horribly.
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Sister Alomir mutters in some confusion, "Real estate? What ... what is that?" She pauses and ponders, then come to some realisation. "Wait! You all from different planets, not just one? This uh... Pact Worlds are many worlds? How many.. how many occupied planets are there in total?" You are witnessing a mind very slowly being blown.
Klarima, however, is more concerned with Ruuk's query, and smiles as she describes her home city. "Yes, indeed! It's a shining beacon of civilization! One of the few left on this world, I’ve been told. With my injuries, it would not be an easy journey and your assistance would be wonderful. In return, I can show you around when we arrive."
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Eli attempts to dust off her knowledge of politics before speaking out. "The Pact Worlds is a bit complicated. It is a collection of independent nations, or planets rather, that formed a council after an invasion from a nearby solar system - Veskarium. Together, this organisation defended themselves against the attackers and formed a truce with them. The truce is bit fragile, but works for now. There are thirteen planets in the pact, I think. Give or take a few moons with colonies on them. If you require escort to this dome, I assume neither of my companions is against the idea. We can discuss your culture and answer any other questions you have on the way."
She pulls her rifle off her back and reloads it, then checks the sights with a barely noticeable nod.
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Asier scoops up his rifle and baton and dusts them off before putting them away. "I would find enjoyment in seeing another city of theirs and have no problems with being an escort."
He gently gestures to the doorway and starts heading that direction himself, as he starts to leave the room he picks up the thread of the conversation again. "But I do have one question. Apologies if this is rude of me to ask, but I happen to notice you have wings where most of your companions don't. Are you a different subspecies or is this a different gene expression?"
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Albans smiles and addresses Klarima, "It seems you've got yourself a handful of bodyguards. Before we strike out, may I ask about those wounds of yours? How did you get them? And will they impede your ability to travel?"
He reaches around and pulls a serum of healing from his belt. Offering it with one hand, he says "We have some medicine which may be able to help, if you wish?" And if it ends up agreeing with your physiology, we could probably import it and sell it with a slight mark-up...
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"Thirteen... That many..." Sister Alomir mutters to herself, trying to wrap her head around the idea that not only is their planet not the sole inhabited one, but that there are dozens more.
Klarima, while similarly impressed, seems better at keeping her head on her shoulders as she replies to Asier-23-7. "Ah, many generations ago, after the Great War, a faction of my people received protection from a divine power named Mother Touloo. They struck out into the wastelands at their deity’s behest. In doing so, they eventually lost the use of their wings. These ‘husks,’ as we call them, are those you see before you." She gestures around the cavern. "Those of us who retained the power of flight are known as ‘membranes’ by these people. We live within the city of Arkeost."
Brother Koseemo cuts in here. "The membranes are always welcomed to join us out here under the protection of Mother Touloo, instead of binding yourselves under the lifeless cage." You are not familiar with the expressions of the ghibrani just yet, but this seems to be said rather good naturedly. Sure enough, Klarima interjects, "And the husks are always welcomed to join us in the safety of the dome away from the harshness of the environment." Despite the amiable back and forth, you can sense from how the husk ghibrani react the idea of doing so is rather abhorrent to them.
Klarima then turns to Albans, kindly rejecting the offer of the serum. "Please, there's no need. Although my injuries slow me down, they are not life-threatening. I would be fine after a few days of rest back home. I only have myself to to blame. Those in my city rarely leave it; our ancestors made sure we would be provided with everything we would need. However, I have been afflicted with a case of wanderlust. A near terminal case, it would seem, as my explorations outside the city found me stumbling into a tangle of soarnettles. They scratched me quite a bit and thanks to the pain, I lost my way. Luckily for me, I crossed paths with these kind husks, who bandaged my wounds and gave me a place to spend the night." She pauses, then quickly speaks up again. "Oh, soarnettles, I think I need to explain that. They are a dangerous piece of local flora — razor-sharp weeds that can catch the winds. They aren’t hard too avoid, unless of course, you’ve got your head in the clouds." She smiles at her own foolishness.
"I thank you for your offer. Shall we be on our way?" As Klarima, escorted by the Starfinders make their way out of the cavern, the mass of husk ghibrani follow all the way to the entrance. Sister Alomir and Brother Koseemo shakes each of your hand before you leave. "Please take these farewell gifts on behalf of our people. You have given us a gift of knowledge that is unsurpassed in value, but we hope that they would still be of value to you." Brother Koseemo then presses one of their ritual weapons into your hands, explaining its use. Sister Alomir also hands over three vials of dark liquid, which on sipping tastes like black licorice. She explains that these have been blessed by Mother Touloo and would heal the wounds of its drinker .
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Klarima leads the Starfinders through the badlands toward the shining metropolis in the distance. Along the way, she gestures at the barren landscape, sharing that their legends state that the lands was once blanketed by lush greenery, animal life scurry everywhere, and rivers of sweet water runs through about. The invisible fire rained down by the combatants of the Great War destroyed most living things, a punishment by the gods.
The journey takes only a few hours and this time, the trip is uneventful. Elytrio’s sun is beginning to set as the group approaches the edge of a visible force field half a mile outside of the city. Klarima retrieves a clunky and ancient-looking datapad from her pack and presses a few buttons on it. There is a brief pause when nothing happens and, a little frustrated, she touches the same sequence of buttons on the device. This time, a circular portion of the force field opens like a door. Klarima steps through and gestures for you to follow. When all have passed through, Klarima presses another button on her datapad and the force field closes again.
By the time you enter the city of Arkeost, lights have come on with the approaching night. This strange metropolis sparkles like a jewel in the gloom of dusk. In stark contrast to the desolation surrounding it, the city is a bustling center of activity, with dozens of winged ghibrani going about their business, flitting from one high doorway to another. The streets below seem almost like an afterthought, used only occasionally by small automated machines. Several overgrown flower beds and shaggy trees fill the spaces between the roads and hug the sides of the tall buildings. Though the structures still look sturdy, obvious patches of rust and other disrepair indicate that they haven’t been very well taken care of. As Klarima lead the Starfinders down the main street, most of the ghibrani citizens stop what they are doing and stare at the strange sight of carapace-less humanoids. Looking back in return, you only see what Klarima had names the membrane ghibrani, and no husk ghibrani are in sight.
In short order, a contingent of ghibranis wearing formal armor and carrying weapons that look like taclashes flutters down to confront the group.
Klarima quickly steps forward to defuse any potential conflict, explaining to the guards that the Starfinders are her guests. After a few moments spent conferring with the guards, Klarima turns to the PCs and says, "Good news! You are going to be allowed to speak to the Most Elevated! They are the city’s council of rulers, the wisest and most learned membrane ghibranis who work in harmony to ensure the safety and comfort of the city’s residents."
With the newly acquired honor guard, Klarima leads you to the tallest, fanciest building in the center of the city. The guards flit their wings and fly toward an opening in the structure 40 feet off the ground. Klarima appears to be about to do the same, when she suddenly realizes that you don’t have the ability to fly. Using her datapad, she summons forth a table-sized hovering drone for each of you. These drones are clearly meant to only haul cargo and have no real safety measures for carrying living creatures. Nonetheless, you see no other way to reach the opening (there are no stairs in existence), and it is onto the drones you go. On the way up, Albans' drone's hoverjets momentarily give out and it nearly brings him crashing to the ground, but it powers back on just in time. In the end, the robots slowly but surely raise up the Starfinders to the height of the entranceway, where you step inside.
The guards continue to usher you to a large central chamber with vaulted ceilings. A large table occupies one end of the room, behind which sit five membrane ghibranis dressed in elaborate robes. It seems that they have received word already of your arrival but they nonetheless still study you curiously. They stand, bow, and beckon you to approach.
Klarima introduces the Most Elevated council, who then offers everyone is offered a chair. Like the husk ghibrani, they start peppering the Starfinders with similar questions of their origins, and are similarly amazed of the existence of inhabited planets far away from their own.
The ghibrani sitting in the centre who appears to the leader of the council and whom Klarima introduced as Tameezo raises his hand, and the rest of them fall silent. "Apologies for our enthusiastic questioning, but let's not pester our guests when they have barely time to rest their feet! You have spent some time with our cousins and they have shared some of their knowledge with you. But of course, they have chosen to lead a more primitive life, and their knowledge is limited. It would behoove us as guests if we simply left your learning to them. Would you have any thing you would wish to learn from us?" While there is no outright antagonism when he speaks of the husks, there is clearly some level of affectionate condescension.
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Eli spends some time observing the mannerisms of the ghibrani both on their way and inside the meeting room. She makes a few attempts at replicating the gestures of their hosts before speaking.
"I apologise in advance - I am not exactly sure how to address you. Is there some sort of protocol to follow, or titles we should be using? We are visitors, after all. Speaking of which, thank you for finding the time to see us. I am sure you are all quite busy."
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Alimony isn't too surprised when Albans' platform nearly pancakes him, though it is still rather gripping. "Doesn't seem like too many visitors come here."
He answers questions the Most Elevated have as best he can, still trying to water down the universe's size a bit. Should they provide titles to use, he does so.
When bidden to ask questions, the ysoki feels another tidal wave of curiosity welling up, but confines himself slightly for the time being. "So, the husks left some time ago. You two tribes seem to get along all right. I doubt they come here often, they don't seem to like the idea. Plus I haven't seen many stairs or elevators."
"But do you trade with them? How does this city sustain itself? There does seem to be a lot of automation, which'd be my dream come true."
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Walking toward the city, Albans ponders Klarima's stories. In Common, he says, "Invisible fire from the sky, eh? Sounds like a radiation storm to me. I wonder, could it have been a solar flare, or perhaps tac-nukes detonated in low-orbit? That would also explain the genetic variations in the locals."
Seeing the guards approach, Albans' fingers twitch in indecision as he considers reaching for his sidearm or if a spell would be more appropriate. However, his companions are more level-headed than him and he follows their lead.
He shows a fair amount of apprehension climbing aboard the hover platform, and his paranoia is rewarded as its thrusters temporarily fail and he lets out an undignified yelp. "I am not riding that platform on the way back down," he says.
During the audience with the Most Elevated, Albans lets the others take the lead and waits for the subject to move on to matters of either trade or technology.
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Albans takes some time to recall the multitude of husk ghibrani he saw in the caverns, and notes a significantly higher level of variation that is typical for stable population. Low levels of radiation could explain the higher rate of mutation, but the levels must be very low, or the Sunrise Maiden's scanners would have given warning. After doing some further computation, based on the approximate time that the ghibrani was able to give for the Great War, a thermonuclear fallout seems possible.
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"I apologise in advance - I am not exactly sure how to address you. Is there some sort of protocol to follow, or titles we should be using? We are visitors, after all. Speaking of which, thank you for finding the time to see us. I am sure you are all quite busy."
"No, no, there's no need for that," Tameezo shares. "I know that our cousins affectionately refer to their leaders as Brothers and Sisters, perhaps to indicate equality of status. We do not adopt some quaint ways. You may just address us directly by our names."
"So, the husks left some time ago. You two tribes seem to get along all right. I doubt they come here often, they don't seem to like the idea. Plus I haven't seen many stairs or elevators."
"But do you trade with them? How does this city sustain itself? There does seem to be a lot of automation, which'd be my dream come true."
"Yes, yes, we welcome our cousins to return back to the protection of Arkeost the Shining City, as we have for hundreds of years since they left, but none has ever taken up the offer. They are religious, I dare say almost superstitious, and their Mother Touloo dictates that they live among the wilderness. So the husks and membrane, though friendly, have little interaction, I'm afraid. No, we have no need to trade with them. The Mainframe controls the multitude of drones which supply everything we need. We live a life of luxury here, if only our cousins would shed their backward ways..." At this time, a gentle tone sounds out across the room. "Ah, speaking of food..."
Klarima visibly perks up. "Dinner!" she explains. "It feels like ages since I’ve had a proper meal." A handful of hovering drones enter from previously hidden hatches in the walls. The drones place ceramic plates and utensils in front of each person; the utensil each person receives is a flat piece of metal with a slight indent at one end — almost like a spoon. Each person is then given a serving of a thick, light tan liquid in which floats irregular chunks of protein. The food has a smoky, cheesy odor. As the ghibranis begin scooping up their meals, Klarima explains this is a traditional dinner of “kahlgee,” a word at doesn’t really translate into Common. The ghibrani looks expectedly at the Starfinders.
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"Oh? Alrigh then. When you speak of hundreds of years, however, this is no indication of time for us. How long is your 'year', exactly? Our lunar cycle lasts approximately 8765 hours. And when we speak of time, I am not sure about your average lifespan, to be exact. When you say hundreds of years - approximately how many generations is that?", she leans back as the food is delivered, and reluctantly smells the contents.
"Guys, do we have anything here that can detect poisonous elements or substances in this? We're not from around. From all we know, they could be eating arsenic on a daily basis.", she asks the Pathfinders in her native tongue, and pulls out her PDA to check for any subsystems that can could do that.
"Sorry - I don't mean to be rude. I am looking forward to sample your dish, but we are a different species after all, and the food you consume here might be harmful to us. I hope we're not offending anyone by checking. Back to the migration and the Great War - I am asking because we saw that the other natives we encountered are a bit different to you. In coloration and anatomy. They lack a flying apparatus, it seems. Is this an evolutionary change?"
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Tameezo replies, "Definitely, we can speak further, but let us eat first. You must be hungry. I am sure there is nothing dangerous about our food. Klarima said you offered some of yours to our cousins. Allow us to do the same in return. We can discuss more after our meals." A vague uneasiness settles among the Elevated Council and even Klarima at the resistance.
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Alimony first takes in the kahlgee's cheesy aroma, leading him to have a massive bite. His eyes bulge slightly. Only quick reflexes and a steel gut keep him from vomiting everywhere. Eventually, the ysoki manages to swallow. "Never tasted something quite like that before," he says neutrally. "What's it made of?"
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Albans smiles politely as the drones bring dinner for the group. He glances down at his bowl, then up at their hosts, then back down at the bowl. "Ah, lovely! That certainly does look like it could provide chemical nourishment to..." He swallows uncertainly, and finishes, "...biological entities!"
He waits to see if Eli manages to save the day, but when their hosts prove insistent he decides that desperate measures are called for. He places a napkin on his lap, holds the bowl near his face, and uses the provided spork to scoop the kahlgee into his mouth*. "Mmm, mmm! What a delicacy!" It has to be a delicacy somewhere, right? For a otyugh, perhaps?
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Sensing no overt ill intentions, Eli obligingly swallows a spoonful of the greyish blue... substance. The Elevated Council hushes in anticipation, watching her response. The pungent taste immediately slams into Eli in her skull, right in the area between the back of her eyes. To her credit, she only tears slightly, and forces the food down. Her ironclad stomach grumbles badly, but forced to comply, gamely keeps the food down and quiets down somewhat, only for her to continue stuffing down a few more spoonfuls. Her poker face was good, for the ghibrani looks pleased that she seems to be partaking the food well, and they dig in as well with relish!
Alimony and Ruuk do slightly better. Perhaps the ysokian and kasathan digestive system are wired somewhat differently, and although the acridity immediately calls up their gag reflexes, they seem to take it better than Eli, and more calmly, at least outwardly, consume their portions.
Albans can see behind the facade of his teammates, however, and looks desperately for some way out. That is difficult, however, for the ghibrani are looking closely in innocent anticipation. The gods must have been watching, however, for suddenly, the power suddenly goes out, plunging the room in faint lighting. In the distraction caused by this, Albans feeds a few LARGE spoonfuls of the kahlgee to his napkin. By the time the light restores and the attention is back on the Starfinders, his bowl is largely empty.
The ghibrani only look faintly annoyed at the interruptiong, but not particularly worried, as if this is not an unexpected occurrence. "The Mainframe acts up occasionally, but it always self-corrects after a few seconds,"Tameezo explains.
Now that they see the Starfinders zealously digging in, the ghibrani warm up even further, smiling and nodding happily, only mildly puzzling why none have sang praises of the food. A faint whisper drifts over, "Perhaps it's their custom not to discuss their meals. But they must like it. Look the one with white fur on his head has almost finished his! Should we serve him another?"
Now more willing to talk, Tameezo turns to Eli. "You were asking about our cousins and us. I'm not sure what this 'ever-lution" is. What I understand is that we were once one and the same. But hundreds of years ago, they decided to leave under the behest of Mother Touloo. We did not cross paths often, and since then, we've looked different."
Turning to Ruuk, he sharers, "I apologise but I know little about Mother Touloo other than that our husk cousins worship her. The membranes have little to do with religion."
Klarima jumps in here. "Tazeemo, I've heard that even the membranes used to venerate a great god of battle and conquest?" Tazeemo nods in agreement. "Indeed, I trust even we were primitive once. But now, there is no need! The Mainframe and its drones provides everything we need!" He turns to Alimony as he says this, as if that answers the question about what kahlgee is made of. Also, despite his claims of being non-religious, he seems to speak of the the Mainframe with some reverence.
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Asier, still taking video, looks at the drones with a high-level of interest, but keeps not having the time to examine one from close up.
When the food is brought out, Asier takes a bite without hesitation, feeling his body should handle anything that is edible, and some things that aren't.
He is able to down the grey stuff, "It has... a lot of protein, I can tell..." Senseing a chance pops up in with a question, he finsihes of the nutrient rich of terrible tasting paste before popping the question that had been plaguing him from the entrance of the city. "Can I take a look at one of these drones? I'm really curious as to how theiy are constructed... Also how long have these 'Mainframe' glitches been going on?"
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Relieved that his ruse has paid off, Albans pats his belly and says, "I do believe that I've never tasted anything like your cuisine before." And I hope I never will! Hearing talk of seconds, he quickly adds "I for one am quite satiated. And I wouldn't want to impede on your hospitality. Besides, you should never have too much of a good thing!"
God of battle and conquest? They must mean the old Golarian god Gorum, I'm sure. Maybe we should inquire about it later, the eggheads back at H.Q. might be able to glean something of the planet's disappearance from these people.
"This, ah, Mainframe? Did it happen to control those hover-platforms we rode here on?" Albans suddenly gets nervous as he realises that the entire city may be just as dangerous. "I'm sure it would never be permitted for outsiders like ourselves to be in its presence? Just to look? We have much to learn of each other's cultures, and I feel that we could obtain great knowledge from a mere glance."
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"Glitch? The Mainframe never glitches!" Almost on cue though, the dinner chime rings once again. The ghibrani look up in confusion, which almost immediately turns into one of chagrin. For immediately what follows is the group of serving drones filing into the dining room, carrying a stack of clean plates. They then methodically start going around the dinner table, placing the clean plates right on top of the plates that everyone is still eating from. With most of the plates stilled half-filled, save for Albans, this ends up squirting kahlgee all over the table. Silence descends in the room as the ghibranis smile awkwardly and attempt to act as if nothing is amiss. No one eats a second time though. Whatever was in their plate has squirted all over the table, and no one quite seems to think it appropriate to scoop new servings into the fresh plates messily stacked over their soiled ones. Well, at least this saves the Starfinders from finishing whatever was in their plate.
An awkward silent minute later, the drones sweep in again to clean up the mess. Tazeemo looks at Albans with discomfort. That probably answers his first question better than any words could.
"To see the Mainframe? Study its drones? But that is taboo! From time eternal, it has been forbidden for any ghibrani to enter its district. To enter is unthinkable," Tazeemo protests.
The ghibrani on his right pipes up here, "But Tazeemo, our statutes is that no ghibrani may enter. Whatever they are, they are definitely not ghibrani."
Tazeemo seems to consider this seriously. "Ah, I've never thought about it that way before. In this you would be right. There's nothing in the tradition that mentions anything about non-ghibranis entering the area. Hmm, I'm sure there's no harm to that then." He turns to look at the other members of the Elevated Council, who all nod in agreement. "That is fine then. It is late now, so please rest for the night." He then gives you rather detailed instructions for how to access the Mainframe.
"Your presence in our city is unexpected, but I trust we can convert some unused apartments for your use. We will send the hover platform drones over shortly to fly you there." That announcement sends chills down your backs as you recall what happened with Albans' ride. Thankfully, Klarima leaps into the rescue. "Tazeemo, no worries about that. In gratitude for escorting me back, I have already made arrangements to convert some of my family's very spacious warehouses for their use. The drones are in the process of refitting them now and should be done by the time we arrive. They're on the ground floor." She turns to Albans with a grin as she says this.
"Ah, that is fine then. Now, before you take your leave, allow us to make you a gift as a symbol of new friendship between the ghibrani and the Pact Worlds. Just as the wearer of this forges a strong telepathic bond with those around, I hope this initial contact would lead to close bonds between our people." Lifting a circlet that he had been wearing off his head, Tazeemo walks over to Eli and hands it over to her. "Farewell for now. You are free to remain in our city however long you wish. I now leave you in the care of Klarima."
As she leads you to your lodgings for the night, Klarima is clearly excited that you are visiting the Mainframe. "No one, and I mean no one, has any idea what is there! The taboo holds us back, and of course, the guards posted there to ensure the restriction is adhered to! When you return, you must tell me everything you find there." She pulls out a pistol on her side and passes it to you. "Here, please take this. No one has any idea what dangers you will find there. Hope you'll find this useful. And of course, in appreciation for escorting me back home."
The quarters that Klarima has arranged for you is surprisingly comfortable considering it had been used as a warehouse. The high ceiling gives it a airiness that is refreshing, and strong lighting brings cheer to the place. Piles of cushions and mattresses have been placed in five separately screened off areas, to be each of your sleeping quarters for the night.
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Next morning, the Starfinders set out to find the Mainframe. As you walk along the streets, flying membrane ghibrani look down curiously at you, but none disturb you. It seems that word has spread of your arrival, but like good hosts, none accost you.
The building housing the Mainframe is near the outskirts of Arkeost, on the opposite side of the city that you entered. You see an increased concentration of drones and other hovering robots in this neighborhood, though none seem to pay any attention to you. A large doorway leads into the structure and a ramp descends a bit into open garage-like space where thousands of drones are stored. Many are powered down and others are being repaired by other drones, leaving you to walk through patches of dead silence followed by stretches of frantic activity as you descend on curving ramps farther and farther below. As you continue, you spot the several signs in Ghibrani that read “Taboo Area,” “Keep Out,” and other warnings with similarly grave images to accentuate the point. Eventually, you reach a hallway that branches off from the garages.
The hallway opens into a rectangular room of white plastic, a stark contrast to the smoky, grease-stained garages that led up to this place. Fans whir quietly overhead. Track lighting along the floor illuminates much of the chamber. Several white coveralls hang on the wall behind a bench to the north. A door leads to the east.
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Albans sits and watches the drones' dinner disaster with a pleasant smile on his face. Well, I guess that means I won't have to try to hide the kahlgee I didn't eat in anyone's pack.
During the discussion of taboo, he chimes in "Always pays to follow the letter of the law. They wouldn't leave loopholes if they didn't want them to be used." He nods gratefully to Klarima when she offers lodgings on the ground floor.
Albans looks around the little room.
Not seeing anything other than the overalls, he takes a closer look and tries to determine if they serve any purpose other than keeping grease off one's clothes.
He also takes a moment to consider whether they are tailored to ghibrani or some other body type.
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Not noticing anything in particular in the room, Albans moves to study the overalls. They are tailored for ghibrani anatomy, though after playing with them for a while, he figures they can be stretched onto any humanoid body. Running his hands through the fabric, they seem to made with some kind of electrically resistant material.
Alimony wanders around the room, first checking out the overalls then towards the door. With his pistol drawn, he gets ready to enter when his sharp eyes note something strange with the door, and he quickly pulls back his hand. It's a trap! There is what appears to be a shock emitter wired to the door handle that activates on touch, sending an arc of electricity to all standing near the door. Other than disabling the shock emitter directly, there is a key card reader by the door. There could be some way to deactivate the trap temporarily through its control.
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With the nasty aftertaste of the 'food' they were offered, Eli thanks for the gifts before moving onwards toward the mainframe with the crew. She seems in thought the whole time, and barely speaks at all, if she is paying attention to begin with.
She does offer the midnling circlet to Alimony, however, with the justification of him knowing the local language.
She snaps out of her daydreaming as Alimony winces when almost touching the door. "I'm sorry, guys. I was thinking about why are these creatures even here and got lost in thought." When Alimony points out the device, she decides to take a look and dismantle the thing.
"I honestly thing they're just some sort of experiment or 'preservation' initiative.", she thinks out loud. "Look at this city - they are basically pampered by these machines. Maybe someone burned their planet by accident and took pity on them, so they built this dome?"
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With great care, Eli slowly dismantles the shock emitter, finally removing the critical spark plug, disabling the trap altogether. Certain that there are no other traps, she then finds the door locked, but she easily disables the lock as well. Getting ready for whatever might be on the other side, Eli carefully slides the door open, revealing a large chamber.
Four pillars , each covered in glowing circuitry, break up the floor of this chamber. Though slightly out of date by modern Pact Worlds standards, the four power generators in between the pillars nevertheless hum with energy. The room is illuminated from below, and opposite from where you entered is another door.
When you enter the room though, the closets in the northeast and southwest corners open and two robots shaped like ghibrani step out. They call out threateningly in Ghibran.
When you show no intent of retreating, they move to attack!
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Asier stays focused on collecting as much information about the Ghibrani and their city that he stays out of it for most of the night. I wonder how much prestige this is going to bring the Asier name, only 5 of my predecessors ever made a first contact this intriguing!
He Snaps out of it for as second as he sees Eli and Alimony pondering over the door. The android approaches and happily eyes the machinery. OOOHHHHHHH! UNKNOWN TECH! Can I help!" Wiuth out even waiting for the answer he dives into helping Eli with the engineering. handing parts and marveling aloud at the innovative and unusual wriing and circuitry. "Here, take these pliers!"... "Wait does this run off a tertiary system?" "Just look at that power nexus, it's so intricate!"
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Asier looks up and around the room in great curiosity, starting his almost constant recording up again. He trains his sights on the security drones as soon as they make their prescience known. "Oh, now those are a thing of beauty, look they combine the traits of both ghibrani morphologies. That thick shell is very reminiscent of a 'Husk' ghibrani, but these creatures also have wings!"
After a moment more of observation the Android realizes something else. "These obviously haven't been well maintained..."
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Asier-23-7 studies the robots more closely, and that's when he notices the reddish glowing glint in their eyes - they can fire lasers from there! In fact, he has seen similar models of lasers. Their range is not good but they can lay harrying fire not just to one target, but to two adjacent targets.
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Eli moves in to engage the nearest robot. Although she fails to catch it by surprise when she tumbles in, she still manages to slam her baton across its head. Meanwhile, Ruuk moves forward to pin down the other bot. Albans move further into the room and draws his weapon.
The insectobots swing their metallic hard claws at Eli and Ruuk. Eli is slam across her side, and Ruuk takes a very punishing blow to his head.