The kids sniffle and sob and nod, and follow Orianna's lead to the elevator. The team regathers at the door that Quiq and the kids identified, and open the door to go in.
This area consists of two adjoining chambers. Four large containment capsules fill the fore room, three of which hold stasis-locked objects, including a tablet, a strange curved sword, and an odd spiral of bioluminescent coral. A crack leaks fluid from the fourth capsule, which displays a foot-wide breach near the bottom. The aft room contains several desks, each hosting a deactivated computer terminal
As soon as you step through the door, your bodies feel uncomfortably heavy. Something is clearly wrong with the gravity in this section... everything you carry feels like it weighs a ton! YOU feel like you weigh a ton!
Radokama is able to identify that something has caused the gravity module to mall function... probably the fact that someone chewed on the side of it. Someone will have to reboot it (Computers check) or use some "Percussive maintenance" (Attack it!) to kill the gravity entirely.
Keyrock hits the reboot, and everyone feels suddenly lighter much to their great relief.
As Keyrock focuses on the computer, Rad spots something just past the computer. In places like this, thermal sensors are wired to fire extinguisher systems, and those trigger a bunch of quick hardening oxygen depriving foam. Someone has been chewing on the control panel... you think that if you had walked ahead, you would have gotten a face full of foam. Someone will have to disconnected it before you continue, or you all could get a faceful of spray.
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Orianna follows after the others, letting them handle the gravity, and the fire extinguisher. They were is talented! She had a lot to learn...
Seeing the broken stasis pod, Orianna approaches it. She checks if the pod is labelled, then heads over to the computer on the desk and tries to turn it on to look up information on what was once inside the stasis pods.
Orianna does some good work on the computers, rummaging through the files. It looks like one of the pods had been carrying a "Organic of unknown origin", that had been "Liberated" from black market seller during raid. It was a small scale mission that had taken place before the scoured stars, and the wayfinder who had run it must have been lost there, because their is no checkups on it after that date. It's easy enough to figure that at somepoint during repairs the stasis must have failed with no one remembering the creature had even been there.
As she works on the computer, the screen flickers for a moment, and listening closely, she can hear a... chewing sound coming from the wall behind the computer. Looking inside one of the holes nearby, she sees... what can only be Mr. Num Nums. About the size of her fists doubled up, covered in bright pink and green fuzz with great big eyes that bob on two eye stalks, and two stubby legs, the creature is adorable, in a terribly ugly sort of way. It turns towards a piece of dangling wire and opens a mouth that soon stretches wider than it's entire body, filled impossibly deep with razor sharp teeth, and bites down on the bundle of wires, chomping through it and munching the bits and pieces down into it's gullet, grinding the wires into powder as it chews with it's mouth wide open. It eats an impossible amount of material for it's size in one bite before making a squeaking sound and returning to the bundle of wires for another bite.
It's... probably a good thing Mr. Num Nums is not fond of meat.
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Asterion approaches the creature which Orianna has found. "Perhaps we can lure it out?" He picks up some of the electronic bits lying around the room, and offers it to Orianna.
"Does anyone see anything we could put it in?" He tilts his wide head in thought. "Assuming it won't just eat its way though anything we find."
Mr. Num Nums chews a piece of rebar as you talk, tilting it's head at the noises coming outside of it's hidehole. It makes a squeek and then grinds the rebar down a bit before swallowing.
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"What is this thing getting at?". Keyrock asks as he approaches and tries to make sense of the creature's posturing. He glances around the room at the others. He acknowledges his neophyte cousin, the bullish soldier, and the gaggle of mechanics.
His shoulders slump as he realizes, "I guess I am the zookeeper here."
He tries to match the creature's stance, then reaches into a pocket and produces a card with his firm logo on it.
The creature tilts it's head again and hops towards Keyrock. It's eyes tilt and look at the card for a moment. It leans forward and snaps the card out of Keyrock's hand with a "Slurp" and chews on it for a moment and swallows. It looks at Keyrock expectantly.
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"You have many of those cards, yes?"
"I may be an archaic dwarf, but I know the importance of advertising." responds Keyrock. He pauses for a moment, then seems to get a sense of where the vesk is going. He also eyes the android examining the pod.
"A trail of bread crumbs, leading to a trap, eh?" says the dwarf. His meaty hand rises to his chin and he subconsciously strokes his beard in contemplation. "It is crazy enough that it just might work."
In a few short minutes, the team has the stasis pod up and running! Meanwhile, Keyrock lays a long weaving trail of business cards, all the way up to the stasis pod. Mr. Num Num apparently has taken a great liking to them, and slurps up the bits of paper, one after the other, following him over, and hopping into the pod to get the last bits. A slammed shut door and a press of a button, and the now floating creature hovers in stasis, a satisfied looking on it's face, and a card between it's teeth.
The team returns to the bridge to let fitch know what happened, children hiding in tow. Fitch sighs in relief and sends engineers down to start repairing the work, and prepares to have the creature shipped off to the research teams to find out what in the pact worlds it is, and if it's intelligent or not.
Very well done Pathfiners Fitch quips as she taps something into a computer. All of you hear the lovely ring of creds being deposited into your bank accounts from your respective alert systems.
A bonus, for helping out.
Another voice appears behind you as a tall man kneels down and hugs the kids.
And for finding my rotten little ones.
The words are mean, but the voice is sheer relief.
I was terrified when they went missing
He says.
Let me offer you this. It's the least I can do.
He pulls a ring, recognizable as a mk 1 ring of resistance, and gives it to the team.
Thank you for returning my children to me, safe and sound. Now come along kids, let's get you cleaned up.
With Fitch and the wayfinders complete, it's time to go visit the Exo-Guardian Leader, Zigvigix. A message from them asks you to meet them at a art park.
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Garbage litters the ground around the district’s largest art park—a cement lot filled with undulating metal sculptures and covered in graffiti of grotesquely adorable creatures. The sounds of music and chatter drift over from the nearby clubs, chronically interrupted by the roar of the local gangsters’ engines. A heavily augmented host shirren is sitting on one of the park benches, eating a simple meal of cold grub-noodles and rice candy. Their antennae perk up at the tremor of approaching footsteps.
“Welcome, new Starfinders! And congratulations!”
The shirren’s voice telepathically projects.
“My speech-name is Zigvigix, but feel free to call me Ziggy, if that would be easier for you. Have some rice candy to celebrate your graduation! Today is your big day!
The candy is inexpensive, but delicious.
“When you are ready, I have two assignments I could use assistance with. The first is to help me secure a new headquarters on Absalom Station. I’ve been in talks with our station’s protectors, the Stewards, and they were kind enough to give us ownership of a warehouse here in Downlow for that purpose! The current owners no longer want it because a
vicious alien took it over and kills anyone who goes inside.
For some reason, Ziggy seems completely unphased by this revelation, or worried about it in the slightest.
Once the alien is gone and the warehouse cargo has been returned to its owners, we can start installing desks and computers, so please go in and incinerate the creature! My second assignment...”
Zigvigix twitches their tooth barbs for a moment and then holds out a credstick.
“Please buy the brand-new Strawberry Machine Cake album, Star Sugar Heartlove!!!, which is out today, and give it to Historia-7 when you see her. She is the head of the Dataphiles, so you should meet her today! I wish to do it myself, but I... I have trouble standing for long periods of time. Thank you very much!”
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Radokama, trying not to laugh, turns to Keyrock. "Looks like you have found client, yes? Maybe should get new cards made, to advertise expertise as zoo warden!"
Radokama introduces himself to Ziggy and accepts some rice candy. After Ziggy has finished speaking, he says, "Have already met Historia-7. First task today was for her. Will get album." He pauses, and hefts his rifle thoughtfully. "But I suggest we deal with vicious alien first. Don't like putting off fight if can help it."
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Radokama, trying not to laugh, turns to Keyrock. "Looks like you have found client, yes? Maybe should get new cards made, to advertise expertise as zoo warden!"
Keyrock scowls. "Zoo warden? No way! My days of wrangling up potentially dangerous alien creatures on the loose are over. There is no way I'd ever be caught dead doing something like that again!"
"Besides," he huffs, "Someone is going to have to pay for those business cards. Its not like paper just grows on trees!"
When the content of the words that left his mouth finally reach his ears, he begrudgingly corrects himself. "Well, it's not like that... anymore."
When the children's father arrives, the dwarf laments that he has no more business cards to offer. Too bad, thinks the dwarf. I suspect those kids have a lucrative potential legal action against the man for wrongful endangerment of a minor. And then comes the lengthy emancipation action and proceedings.
Moreover, there is the potential action against the Society for apparent lack of compliance with family leave laws, not to mention that the maintenance of those pods constitutes an attractive nuisance. The dwarf's eyes seem to light up with credit chits as he contemplates further. Then there is the action against the shipyard maintenance contractor for inadequate maintenance, the manufacturer of the starship for defective construction....
And... finally, the matter of representation for the inevitable grievance by the dockers union. Keyrocks non-stop train of thought pulls into the station when the dwarf spies the shirren on the bench.
After listening to Ziggy, Keyrock notes. "Well, it is settled then. I will secure a copy of this album and you all get to play zookeeper!"
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"Abyss-head?" Radokama asks. "Maybe you tell me more about this later, yes? Always looking for ways to embrace Pact culture, but local music has been...particularly difficult. Didn't mind Aballonian synth, though."
To Quig and Keyrock, he says "Is scared? Do not be. Nobody going in so far has been prepared like armed and disciplined Starfinder squad." He somehow keeps a straight face. "Of course, vesk do not feel fear to same extent as most. Could be is suicide mission and am too foolish to see."
After parting with Ziggy, the team soon finds themselves outside a large warehouse. The doors are open slightly, though by the fact that a large hole has buckled them out where the lock should be, you get the feeling they aren't going to be able to be closed any time soon.
Otherwise, the world is still and quiet.
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Radokama checks his plasma-bolter, making sure the battery has a full charge and clean contacts. Next, he ensures that the spare battery and his healing serum are within easy reach. Finally, he flicks off the safety on his weapon and turns on the attached flashlight. When the rest of the party is ready, he lifts his rifle to his shoulder and enters the warehouse.
The lights flicker in the warehouse, giving off a dim glow that illuminates the hall, but lengthens the shadows.