"Has nice stuffs buts not shoppy times. Needs go moons and finds Mee-ko"
Sayonsi adds, "This one is leaving the system momentarily, but if you are seeking a place of relative refuge, Outpost Zed is nearby. It is a space station, independent of the Azlanti Star Empire -- well, not entirely -- but they tolerate its presence for the most part. You could find supplies there, some respite, and perhaps information for your search, should you wish it. Talmrin, for example, is an expert in starship modification..."
"Best of luck, friends. This one hopes you find your visit to the Azlanti Star Empire to your liking." She bows graciously and ends the communication.
Val'nor says good bye to the blank view screen. Then turns to the others and says, lets go find the Moon. Hopefully the ruse will continue to work.
Heads to Outpost Zed firsts.
Fine with me, get more information.
You plug in the coordinates Sayonsi transmitted and fire up your sublight engines. Outpost Zed is located within the Nys system, but it is a quarter the way around the star's orbit, on the the periphery. It takes two days to reach it, which pass in relative quiet.
Sarigar sets up a watch schedule to keep the sensors monitored 24/7 and ensures everyone stays frosty.
As Outpost Zed comes within visual range, you see a heavily-modified asteroid mining platform that has been transformed into a hub of traffic. Several starships come and go, with other\s either docked on the station or parked nearby. The ships are of myriad designs but you don't see any Azlanti craft in the mix.
The comms crackle, "Welcome to Zed, ship uh... Barazad. Will you be needing a docking port?" the voice asks in Azlanti. "The standard fee is 10 credits per hour. It hikes up if you want any special services."
Blax-9 raises an eyebrow. "What kind of special services are we talking about?"
Val'nor Scans the station to see if he can discern the "special services" at the station.
"Cleaning, retrofitting, repairs, that kind of thing. Of course, if you have some kind of exotic vermin infestation that needs exterminating, it might take some time to arrange."
Val'nor does not find anything exceptional on the scan.
"So, you want the dock or not? If you're on a budget, you can park out there and shuttle over. Its your call."
"No shuttle sadly, we'll come in. No special services needed"
Blax-9 starts packing up his gear in preparation to debark. "Don't we have some sort of bug on this ship that you all were worried about? Something about it eating wires. This could be your chance to be rid of it."
"Val took care of it before we left"
"Very well, Barazad, the deck officer acknowledges. "Docking bay 004." You circle the station and find the hangar marked with faded orange lettering. Designed for mining haulers, the bay is large but functionally sparse. Several other ships of unfamiliar design are also parked here in haphazard array, but you are able to find a spot for your transport.
The ship’s airlock doors open to a blast of hot, muggy air and the heavy scent of nickel. A nearby catwalk runs adjacent to a wall covered in thick pipes, both leading to a massive pair of automated doors that lead further into the station. Beings of all shapes and sizes move along other catwalks from their own vessels toward the entrance, conversing with each other in unfamiliar tongues. The sounds of scrabbling feet and other curious voices seem to echo from within the pipes.
Val'nor grabs his pack, stops at the doors when the crew mentions the space herpies monkeys, and says "We better lock the ship up tight, just in case. The doors will be keyed to your Comms, don't lose them."
"ughs ... feels like ass swamp heres."
Lasereater moves out, looking around wide-eyed, "Wheres we finds somethings to tell wheres Mey-ko at? And nom noms. Stupid ship food getting olds."
Blax-9 nods at Lasereater, "Yeah, let's see if we can find some information. From my experience, the local bar is a good place to start. And besides, I could use a drink."
He stows his weapons and looks around for some sign of directions in the hanger.
You lock up your ship and follow the other visitors towards the massive automated airlock doors. As you filter into the line, you see the doors open and shut with the hiss of hydraulic actuators for each individual or group that approaches them.
When you finally reach the doors, they fail to open for you. You instinctively step back and then try again, but the doors remain solidly closed.
You hear annoyed grumbles from those in line behind you.
"Izza stoopid doors!" Lasereater charges forward and head butts them.
Lasereater impacts the doors with his skull, creating an echoing thunk. They remain securely closed.
"'urry up!" someone or something growls from the queue. You hear a few grumbles of agreement from the crowd.
Blax-9 turns quizzically to the nearest pedestrian. "I guess we're not welcome. Who do we need to pay to get in?"
Goro will turn and glare and growl at the closest riffraff
Intimidate -
He will then brace himself and see if he can force the door open from this side, as long as it won't you know, kill everyone.
Str check -
Val'nor does a quick glance around - Does he see a access pad, or a terminal nearby?
Goro looks menacing then tries to pull open the doors with his four arms. The doors remain solidly closed.
The alien gives Blax-9 a skeptical look, clearly not able understand the Pact World common tongue. It mutters something and then shoves past. As it nears the doors, the doors unlatch with a click and open wide.
Watching them operate, Val'nor determines they are triggered by a biometric sensor. One that apparently does not recognize you.
Val'nor motions for the others to move aside "We need to regroup" He tries to notice the bio scanning devices that the passersby are using. Is it an Implant, or something they are wearing?
Val'nor doesn't see anything worn that would be triggering the doors.
Goro grunts and gives the door another attempt. His four arms flex and the doors finally pry open with steady hydraulic pressure to close.
Laswreater walks through nonchalantly like he owns the place ducking under Goro's arms.
"Needs to fix door, station longshanks do"
Val'nor enters cautiously, he looks around for any security forces.
Lasereater and Val'nor both walk underneath Goro's arms as he keeps the doors from sliding closed.
Inside is a short walkway leading to a wide, open plaza. The air is uncomfortably hot and sticky with humidity. The lighting is dim and shadowy throughout.
Many beings bustle through this large portion of the station. A lowered segment of the floor in the center of the room, fifteen feet deep, contains the remnants of ore refining machinery. Gears, containers, and pipes are scattered everywhere, no longer connected to anything that would make them functional. Large doors exit to the west, and a trio of short corridors lead east.
Mist shrouds the western doors and you can hear tinny music from that direction. Many of the station's visitors split off towards the east, but a few go through the western door.
Blax-9 walks through smoking his cigar. He cocks his head when he hears the music. "That sounds like the direction we should be going, fellas."
Goro nods at Blax and follows him towards the music
Val'nor follows the group.
You pass through the mist around the western doors. The temperature plummets compared to the rest of the station. A large bay has been converted into the station's cantine. Machinery once lined the western wall here, but it has since been stripped away, leaving only holes and bits of metal embedded in the walls. A series of raised platforms have been repurposed into tables with makeshift stools pushed near them. A dented metal grate covers a large portion of the floor.
A short ramp to the south leads to a pair of huge, blinking machines. Abandoned bins have been shoved into the western half of the chamber, their insides still crusted with solidified rivulets of metal. A large cluster of pipes juts from the wall five feet above the ground next to the bins.
Jazzy music plays through a couple of converted intercom speakers. Several beings of myriad races sit and stand around the room or at the tables, filling the room with a low din of chatter in unfamiliar tongues.
"Oooooh! Gets drinks for all!"
Lasereater wanders up to a table hops on it, looking around with a crunched face and then yelling aloud "Where bartending shanks? Lasereater needs SPICY drinks!"
There is no bartender. After a minute, you see one of the other patrons walk up to the big machines to the south. They punch in some commands to the terminal and it dispenses a pair of drinks a few moments later.
Blax-9 will order the first round for the group. He scans the clientele while he does so.
Val'nor will assist Blax in carrying the drink and tries to find a table in a corner. He also avoids the grate in the floor, if possible.
Grumbling, Lasereater looks at Blax-9. "Stoopid machine make dem SPICY?"
Blax-9 and Val'nor head over to the machine, a culinary synthesizer of archaic design. It takes UPBs and converts them into food and drink, like you're familiar with in Pact World tech, but the menu is rather exotic.
While pondering the menu, you notice a figure sitting at a table in the corner not far from the machine. This chitinous humanoid sits forlornly by himself. Gauzy black veils are draped over his arms, and he dips the baleen hanging from his appendages into a plastic container holding a cloudy red substance.
As he walks by, Val'nor thinks he might remember what that creature is...
Blax-9 carries the drinks to a table next to Hasshachir. He nods to the alien as he passes. "Friend, you shouldn't drink alone. You're welcome to join us."
Val'nor remembers seeing a picture of the species before, but cannot remember any details about it.
The insectoid looks up and replies to Blax-9, but its voice is barely a whisper and garbled in static. "Thanks, ***** is Hasshachir. But ***** **** *****...". He makes a frustrated grunt and taps a voice box attached to his neck. It spits out some more static and a spark. Hasshachir shakes his head and gives you a gesture analogous to 'thumbs down'.
...at the sounds of the static, Val'nor shows his empty hands, then points to himself then to the voicebox. Then he looks at the box and attempts to see what is wrong.
Val'nor identifies the box as a biotech voice enhancer. It is damaged and malfunctioning.
Up close, Val'nor also notices several tiny spider-like vermin crawling around Hasshachir. They jab long tongues into the exposed flesh of his open sores, causing him to twitch in pain.
Val'nor says to the Hassachir: "I can attempt to fix the Voice Enhancer." He then looks at the others, and he says to them "I'm not sure how to deal with the spiders" Then Val'nor considers how to touch the Voice Enhancer without getting spiders on himself...
If he can grab it, he'll start working on it.
Lasereater finishes selecting his overpriced drink and joins Val'nor and the rest.
"Lookie dere! Nuther bugman. Mebbe Goro daddy!"
Lasereater falls down and rolls about laughing until he realizes he's covered in the drink he just bought.
He turns it upside down and grabs a couple drops and then chucks the cup.
"K, Lasereater help stoopid longshanks."
"Spiderz?" Lasereater leans in close, waay invading this guy's personal space as he crawls on the table to do so.
Hasshachir nods to Val'nor, seemingly more resigned to his fate than actually trusting of a stranger. Val'nor quickly spots the problem and hooks up a functional patch. A few moments later, Hassachir's voice enhancer crackles with static but you hear his voice clearly. "Thank you, kind strangers," Hasshachir nods again. His voice and demeanor are weary. "How can I repay this kindness?"
Lasereater makes an uncomfortably close examination and determines that Hasshachir is infected with a shell rot disease, contagious only to the wrikeechee species, that weakens his shell and causes it to flake away. It is painful, debilitating and often fatal if untreated. The odheo vermin are taking advantage of the flesh exposed by the disease, licking at the wounds like parasites. Hasshachir is too weak to fend them off.
Val'nor takes the information Laser shares with the group (because, of course he does). He will ask the group if any of them has a med-pack If we can find one, Val'nor can attempt to treat the disease.
He will ask Hasshachir "Is there a vendor nearby that might sell med-packs?"