"You DO realize I'm not going to hold your past as part of a pirate crew against you, right S.E.T.? You're not your past. Far as I'm concerned what you suggested was just smart tactical thinking, nothing more or less."
He shrugs and begins making his way to the port side as S.E.T. suggested.
The iris within the SRO's ocular sensor twirls inward as it stares at Bravo. "That is just what a Steward would say to try to entrap an innocent pie-eerson accused of piracy. Ingratiate yourself with compliments and promises of amnesty. This one will not be tricked... not that it did anything... to be tricked into admitting." The iris opens back up. "There are no records," it concludes, before heading towards down the hall leading to port.
"Then it's a good thing I'm not a Steward, and I'm just trying to be friendly."
Krizen laughs softly to himself as he listens to S.E.T. The Azlanti military is not a place to develop friendly feelings for pirates, but any Gosclaw appreciates independent thought - and in his time in Pact Worlds space, Krizen has come to understand that it takes all kinds. As long as you are committed to your crew, Captain, I can’t say I’m too bothered by your past. It’s given you many valuable skills. As for the next steps, I’m itchy about the idea of an unsecured armory. Our foes have not shown an inclination ... or need... for weapons, but I’d feel better knowing they don’t have that option. Assuming any more foes exist.
The hallway is lined with several doors. Upon opening them, they are revealed to be crew quarters. Most are empty, but a series of rooms, likely the captains cabin, has a large storage locker, tightly shut.
Bravo cautiously checks each room.
Nothing stands out except for the storage locker.
Noticing this, Bravo approaches the locker.
"Who wants to do the honors?" he asks, leveling his gun at the door in case something hostile popped out.
Wait a moment... I don’t know about you beings, but I can think of many ways to make a storage cabinet more secure. Let me check for ... surprises... first. Krizen has had too much unstructured free time spent on imagining traps and security measures, informed by his time in the military. This has led to an overdeveloped sense of paranoia where locked cabinets and containers are concerned...
Krizen manages to pop open the locker. There are no skeletons in this closet. There are however, two rifles and a pistol. While Krizen isn't able to exactly identify the natures of the weapons without a more thorough inspection, but the pistol and one of the rifles seem to be laser-based, and the other rifle is unlike any weapon Krizen has seen. It seems to use masses of nanites, microscopic robots, to eat through flesh and metal alike.
Looks like this was the armory... I think those two are similar to a laser weapon... Krizen points towards the pistol and one of the rifles. However, I have no idea what that one is... but judging by it's components, you do NOT want to be on the receiving end... His look lingers on that rifle. If we could figure out how to use it, that would be very handy to have on our side... These look like they would be upgrades to our current equipment, if we could figure them out - and find a suitable power supply and ammunition. Does anyone see a likely candidate?
The SRO's ocular sensor goes wide and glows a bright green as it looks at the weapons. "Very nice booty. Lets bring them along and grab anything that looks like ammunition. Battery packs tend to be universal but those may require some retrofitting." It looks about to see if it sees anything that was purpose designed but, failing that, is ready to head towards the vessel's presumptive bridge.
Bravo looks the guns over with a critical eye.
"Interesting. Should probably have the labcoats at Lorespire take a look at these too. Probably will give us a few creds for 'em too."
He follows after S.E.T. and keeps an eye out for trouble before preparing to move on the bridge.
Quitch glances at the newly discovered weapons, but he’s not interested in carrying them, so he examines the room for hidden compartments. After seeing SET listening at the door, he makes sure he’s making as little sound as possible. Slowly he slides his feet along the floor to reduce any noise he might make.
He nods at Bravo, signing agreement with his hand. He falls in behind the human.
The other door opens into a short hallway. There are no traps that S.E.T. can find, nor sounds on the other side of the door. Quitch finds no hidden compartments. Lexie's guarantee doesn't seem to have carried over to this ship.
As quietly as it can, Set “whispers” to the others, ”No traps and no sounds on the other side. Go in quiet or loud?” It looks at Bravo a bit pointedly.
Quitch raises his hand. ”I vote for quiet,” he says. He looks at the next door expectantly.
"Always go in quiet if that's an option," Bravo replies.
The SRO tips its head in a slight nod, then moves to open the door. Provided it doesn’t forcibly open under its own power, Set opts for slow ad quiet movements.
The door slides open quietly. A strange sight sits inside. A skeleton sits in the control chair dressed in a space suit of unknown design. As they enter, the party's comms with the outside immediately shut off.
"Always go in quiet if that's an option," Bravo replies.
Krizen nods, quietly, at Bravo's comment. As the door opens, Krizen's attention is drawn to the space suit and the controls around it, curious as ever about other technologies.
As soon as their comms go off, Bravo tenses and readies his weapon.
"Comms' cut off. Check six and stay frosty."
More intrigued than alarmed, Set briefly steps back outside the bridge to see if the comms disruption is localized to the bridge or has been triggered shipwide. ”Lexie, do you read this one? We seem to have encountered a communications countermeasure of some sort when we entered the bridge. Any change in status to report?”
S.E.T.'s comm is answered with silence. However, the ship is still visible through the screen of the bridge. The investigation is interrupted by the skeleton's head snapping toward the party, it's eye sockets burning with a hateful light. It slowly stands up and says in a hollow, wheezing voice, "You...you abandoned me. You must paaaaaaaaay. It's voice trails off into silence as it advances, bony hands almost like claws.
"Knew it," Bravo deadpans as he shoots the skeleton.
Bravo misses the skeleton, his shot going wide. The skeletal humanoid advances and scratches at Bravo, the bony claws ripping into the man.
Quitch rushes forward ten feet to stand next to SET. The ysoki says, ”A skeleton! Without a mind to daze.”
He wields his pistol with both hands, pointing it towards the floor. He could attempt to shoot the skeleton, but doesn’t want to accidentally shoot his companions. ”I can heal you Bravo. Keep fighting strong.”
"Thanks, Quitch," Bravo replies. "And thank Iomedae for automatic environmental seals."
He fires at the skeleton again, hoping the point-blank range wouldn't hamper the shot too much.
Krizen moves out of the line of fire and sights down the barrel of the pistol as he fires.
Set sees the bridge filling up with bodies and tries to distract the undead crew member before firing off another shot.
The skeletal humanoid steps backward before raising its hands and beginning to rattle. The party finds the gravity of the ship decresing as they begin to float upwards into the air.
Krizen grins at the feeling of weightlessness.
The lack of gravity hardly seems to slow him as he aims and fires again.
Krizen's grin grows into a wide smile as the skeleton fills his sights, feeling the moment of connection between trigger and target as he fires.
Bravo spins in the low gravity as he tries to right himself.
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As the gravity seems to go out, whether due to mechanical trickery of the deceased or undead magics, the SRO slowly finds itself lifting from the deckplating. Rather than use inertia to shift and align itself for a shot, it flails out in vain to grab a handhold of something and misses.
Bravo finally rights himself and takes a shot at the monster.
"Every marine a rifleman, every rifleman zee-gee certified."
As the gravity seems to decrease, Quitch actually feels a greater sense of freedom in the combat. He’s no longer constrained as a short being peering around others’ legs. Now as luck would have it he has a better shot at the skeleton. He aims his pistol at it and squeezes the trigger.
Krizen and Bravo's shots hit the skeleton and it recoils before saying in it's hollow voice, "Finally, it is over." It then collapses to the ground in a heap, whatever fell energies keeping it animate having vanished. The gravity seems to come back to normal, the effect having worn off.
Bravo flops to the floor in a rather undignified manner.
"I'm okay!" he reassures the group as he gets to his feet.
Quitch rolls as he drops to the ground with the return to the ship’s normal gravity. As he approaches the skeleton, looking for insignia or identification markers on the suit, he says ”I’m happy to hear that Bravo.” His whiskers twitch over the skeletal remains.
”Its final words sounded more like relief,” Quitch says. ”I wonder how long it was here.”
"Too long," Bravo comments. "Hope their soul is in a better place, though I imagine anyplace would be better than being stuck here."
He joins Quitch in searching the area.
Quitch finds little of interest. However, he finds something sitting on the command console. It is a length of crystal, a few inches long with a metal cap at one end with several prongs protruding from it. Inscribed on it is more writing in the unknown the script the party has found throughout the ship.
S.E.T. manages to land on the deck with a bit more grace than the soldier, but says nothing of it. "This one is glad everyone is okay. Lucky Jake said no one escaped a ghost ship without at least one joining the crew. It appears we are a bit more... lucky." It then proceeds to examine the bridge.
”This crystal looks fascinating,” the ysoki tells the others, pointing to it on the console. ”A strange cap. More writing. I’m not sure what the crystal's purpose or function is.”
Quitch mumbles under his breath and casts Detect Magic at the mysterious crystal. He stares at it intently as the ability to see magic auras and emanations flares to life.
Bravo watches Quitch and S.E.T. examine the crystal, and then checks his comm to see if he can reconnect with Lexie and the Pipe Dream.