The lifts to E-deck were a short walk away, and in a matter of moments you were standing in a dark corridor. Immediately before you is a partially open door, and to your left is a computer terminal, inset in the wall.
DJ found that the computers were running on backup power. A few moments later he brought up a sensor trace of the power systems for E-deck. Apparently, somewhere beyond the door ahead, there was a power interrupt. It was only a few moments of work more to reroute the power, and the overhead lights came on. As they did, there was a beep and he looked to see a security camera rebooting. The computer interface had a section for security, and DJ found the video feeds for E-deck. There were only a few active cameras, but one of them showed two young children looking around, startled at the lights. They looked to be just beyond the partially open door.
In the room, you see two human children - a girl of about seven years of age, and a boy around five. They immediately start talking over each other.
"We didn't mean to do anything."
"We were just playing."
"He's really friendly."
"I think he was just hungry, being locked up like that."
"You're not going to tell our dad, are you?"
"Please don't be mad at us."
"Herbie is our pet, please don't hurt him."
Finally, their babble slowed and you could make out that they had snuck away from the other kids in the 'daycare' area and found some sort of creature here. While playing with it, it had done something to knock the power out, and they had been trapped in the dark, scared and alone, until you arrived.
"Father told us not to trust strangers, and you look as strange as they get!"
The two kids stopped talking and looked at you warily. The older girl pulled the boy behind her and started edging towards the door. When they saw that you weren't about to grab her, they bolted, disappearing into the hallway and the lifts beyond.
The kids froze as the halfling pointed a weapon at them. The girl's eyes were wide as saucers as she stared down the barrel. "I...I...I'm Kieu Lan, and this is my brother Kieu Si. We were just playing is all. It gets boring waiting for da to finish work, so we were just exploring. We found Blue and were just playing, but I think he was hungry and chomped on some exposed cabling. Please don't hurt us!"
"Daddy was right, strangers really are a~~$#@&s! Blue's just...Blue. We just found him today. Look mister, you better leave us alone or I'll tell da, an' he'll get all of the engineers in the drive section to beat you up with their spanners and plasma torches!"
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REMO glances at Bodo quizzically before turning back to the children. "I do not believe we have any further use for you. Run along now."
Once the children have left, REMO gives Bodo a deadpan look. "That seemed unnecessary."
He continues moving forward, searching for anything out of the ordinary and hoping to find a clue as to what this "Blue" is.
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Bodo looks at REM-0 when the children are gone Diplomacy wasn't working so I used threats to make them tell us what we want to know. Besides my air blaster only deals nonlethal damage, the children would only be unconscious, but they don't know that. And their parents and his workers, I don't see them around, nobody is coming to respond to my threats.
Bodo looks for clues as to where Blue could be
The search doesn't take long. The next room had a rudimentary trap on the door that DJ spotted easily. It looks like the kids tried to protect their pet with some fire suppressors attached to a pressure plate. It really wasn't very sophisticated, but in the dark it might have surprised someone.
Through that door was a room containing several stasis containers. Three of them contained artifacts of some sort, but the fourth was empty. A fist-sized hole in the bottom of the container showed where all of the cryo-fluis had seeped out, and drag marks through the liquid showed signed of something escaping the chamber. Following the trakcs, you saw an exposed power panel that looked as if something had been rooting around in its innards, and several torn cables. This was likely the primary cause of the E-deck power failure.
Further on, the room opened into a wide space with rows of desks and powered down computer terminals. Sitting atop one of these desks was what looked like an arm-sized bright blue centipede whose legs were pseudopods. The creature had a comical appearance as it reared up and looked at you. It was easy to see why the children had thought it a plaything. Then, it ran off, leaping from the desk to the floor and squeezing itself into one of the deck air vents. You can hear it scurrying about in the ductwork.
With REM-0's assistance, DJ managed to close off the ventilation system leading from this area. The creature make little 'kuk-kuk-kuk' noises as it tried to find another way out, but was eventually forced to return to the room. Its curious eyes peered out of a floor vent at the three of you, watching to see what you would do next.
While REMO doesn't recall anything about these creatures, he is certain that it is curious about his own. He talks to it, relating all sorts of information, and the intelligence behind that pseudopod-centipede's eyes show that it is trying to take it all in. Meanwhile, Bodo sneaks up behind the creature and snags it. The legs re immensely strong, and Bodo ended up with many bruises, but finally the creature was subdued. You carried it back down to where Fitch was waiting, and the ysoki sniffed.
"Fine, you caught the alien. Great job making first contact, and all that. I take it the area is secure now? I can send the engineers in to put things back aright? FENSIT, PUT DOWN THAT AUTOMATIC CABLE TIE GUN! IT IS NOT A TOY! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU ALREADY USED IT ON YOUR SISTER'S TAIL?"
"Damn kids. Look, I've got to go. Leave the alien in the room over there and I'll have the exo-experts come and pick it up for study. Here's a bonus for a job well done. Now, get out of here. I've got a lot of work still to oversee."
The ysoki heads back into her command center, holding at least two separate conversations on her comm unit, and yelling admonishments at the kids in the other room.
As you prepare to board the shuttle back to Absalom station, a harried-looking human man comes jogging into the departure area. He is breathing heavily, but says in between pants, "Name's Kieu Kein. You saved my kids, and I have something for you. Thank you." He handed you a ring on a chain, then waved and jogged off. Obviously the kids didn't tell him about a halfling pointing a gun at them. Must have been too traumatized. The therapy that will spawn later in life will cost far more than that ring did.
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As soon as you make it station-side, your communicators all alert you of an incoming message from Guidance. You are summoned back to the Lorespire Complex for a debriefing. This time, the holographic projection of the AI takes on the form of an elderly koratha lashunta male. He congratulates you on your success. He goes on to state that in the aftermath of the Scoured Stars incident, the Society needs competent agents more than ever. Guidance sees real potential in you, and welcomes you as fully-fledged members of the Starfinder Society!