Hmm's 1-14 Star Sugar Heartlove! (Inactive)

Game Master Hmm

“Strawberry Machine Cake is the name of a band of musicians. They will be performing tonight!” Smiling at the thought, Mikkazuki adds “They are very energetic!”

Gesturing in the direction of Sebrir, she adds “They can explain it much better than I.”

Continuing to focus on the instrument panel, she then asks “Now what are we looking for that is unique in these reactors?”

Sparks looks at the Hesper and says: "Well, I think it actually looks like me!", as she stands there, a ball of super-fuzzy pink-fur standing out due to supercharged static electricity.
"I am Strawberry Sparks!", she waves her hands around, leaving trails of sparks.
"But," she adds, "if you want, and open your mind to me, I can convey the emotions and sound and feeling of Strawberry Machine Cake to you".
Sparks moves her hands forward, offering to touch the Hesper: "I would cast a spell, that you should accept and let flow into you."

"OoH! oOh!" The hespers willingly submit to both Chik-Chik and Spark's spells, as both casters help them change colors and start to understand Strawberry Machine Cake. All four of them have tears in their eyes. "wHeRe CaN wE fiND mOrE mUsic?" They are rocking back and forth and dancing, absolutely entranced.

★--- ★ --- ★ --- ★

All of this distraction finally gives Mikka the chance to look inside the reactor. She realizes that there is something very wrong in the reactor's control panels. There is a malicious piece of code that is replicating in there, but she can pull out a sample to analyze.

May I have your Take Ten computers skill?

Mikkazuki announces “Looks like there is a computer virus in there...” as she connects a cable to a socket under her neck ridge. She then plugs the other end into the console.

“I would welcome anyone who wants to help me analyze it!”

Computers, HD Datajack: 10 + 12 + 1 = 23

Sparks moves over to help Mikka, but decides connecting sparky paws to a console might not be the best idea.

Sebrir just stares in fascination at all the goings-on, confused as to why Sparks and Chik-Chik would allow the fey creatures to mutate their cells dangerously.

Then processing that the fey are interested in the music, Sebrir smiles broadly. "Why, there is a concert about to start right here on this very station, my friends! The music will flow, there will be dancing and singing and pyrotechnics and beauty all around! Perhaps you'd like to attend and see the performance? You'll need to promise not to mutate anyone who isn't willing to be mutated (such as myself), though!"

"Oh heavens! Ow! Why's everything so darn loud? My head feels like it's about to split." His paws dart to cover his ears, and discovers that the pain is in the secondary pair that has sprouted. "Well that explains that. Guess I'll save some money on hearing aids, though! How about everybody just keeps their voices to a dull roar, then alright?"

After hearing the ear-splitting invitation from Mikka to help with the reactor control panel, Chikasa moves over and lends the benefit of his experience.

Auto-aid with Computers.

Sparks whispers:"Chik-Chik, you are so lucky! You get one ticket, but two pairs of ears: you can listen to the concert double!"

She will see if she can help without touching anything too much.

If Sparks can aid another w/o giving the broken condition:
Computer DC 10 for a +2: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

Buster continues eyeing the Hesper's nervously.

"Mikka, ya' think ya' can hurry that up? We don't wanna miss anymore of the show."

Noticing Sparks’ approaching the console, Mikkazuki throws some sections of the code up on the display. “Look, but don’t touch!” she tells the young Ysoki.

She clenches a fist when Buster tells her to hurry, but make no other reply.

"tHe CoNcErt iS upStAiRs? tHaNk YoU. wE WiLl cHeCk iT OuT." The hespers as a group float out of the reactor room, presumably to head upstairs to the concert. They are humming a song as they leave, and several of them have added pink highlights to their hair.

♫ Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Turn and face the strange
Ch-ch-changes ♫

Meanwhile, Mikka and Spark manage to decrypt one of the program’s subroutines and realize that it is programmed to vent all air in a certain housing unit in the station’s residential area. Double-checking against other notes, they realize that it's Lanzio’s residence.

Sparks hums along with the Hespers--
♫ Don't want to be a richer yoski
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
--before realizing what has been reprogrammed.

"What the heck? I imagine this Lanzio did it or had it done himself. What's he doing that heats so much he needs all this air ventilated?"

“Not sure at this point.” Mikkazuki replies to Sparks’. “If it were someone else I would expect it to be an attack against them. ”

“The thing is with modern designs, it isn’t anything beyond a minor inconvenience to most people. Someone like Lanzio is probably rich enough to have a top end suit that provides all the life support they need.”

Frowning, she adds “I think we should deactivate it in any case. It is interfering with power systems all over.”

Looking to Chikasa, she notes “Do we attempt to dig deeper?”

At this point, your comm units buzz. It's a text from Ziggy!

Do you have any updates on what's happening with the power?

"Yah, I think we got it about wrapped up down here. Ya' enjoyin' the show up there?"

I'm wondering about the air being vented into Lanzio's room. Does that mean that air is being *cut off* from the rest of the stadium?

Mikkazuki checks her own comm. Probably should give a little more information than that.

She types in “Looks like someone planted a nasty virus that has invested the controls of the reactors.”

She then sends off an update to Historia-7 “The control systems for the reactors have a virus. At least part of it was meant to evacuate all the air in Lanzio’s residence. I am about to attempt to deactivate it.”

After sending the second message, she waits about half a minute before doing anything more with the virus.

"So, Mikka, you're going to set the ventilation back to normal, stopping the major problems. But then we have to rush over to Mr. Lanzio's quarters, to see what this change is going to do over there..."
Scratching her puffed up bright-pink furry head with her paw that showers sparks, she adds:"I advise we move in discreetly..."

"So, Mikka, you're going to set the ventilation back to normal, stopping the major problems. But then we have to rush over to Mr. Lanzio's quarters, to see what this change is going to do over there..."

Scratching her puffed up bright-pink furry head with her paw that showers sparks, she adds:"I advise we move in discreetly..."

"Good luck with that." Sunny will smirk.

Mikka looks at her glowing scales, then Sparks’ electrified pick fur.

“If that is the case, I hope someone is really good at disguises. I don’t think there is any way I’m going to sneak up on anyone,”

"Consequently, I am very well-versed in creating disguises. Let me see here..."

Sebrir attempts to reduce the outrageousness of his allies' new afflictions.
Disguise Mikka: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15
Disguise Sparks: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (1) + 12 = 13 LOL those were some baad rolls.

Sparks touches her disguised, electrifying everything.
Nat' 1... ha ha! You cannot curb the Pink!

Buster pulls back the bolt on his reaction cannon and checks to make sure he has a round chambered. He lets the bolt slam back loudly.

"I ain't worried about hiding. I want Lanzio to see my face."

"Fascinating." Historia-7's cool voice comes over the comm unit. "It's designed not to bring air to his residence, but to vent it out. Perhaps our quarry Lanzio did not know all the details of the code he was installing. Perhaps those who hired him were cleaning up after themselves by finishing him off after his job... And that was one of the subroutines, you say? Mikka, why don't you and the others investigate Mr. Lanzio, while I poke more at this code?"

Though framed as a question, it's quite clear from Historia-7 that she wants to investigate the code while you corner Lanzio as your most discreet glowy, sparkly, quadruple-eared selves.

As you're about to leave, Diwata pings you. "Hey guys, I got your lunch ready! I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I ordered some of everything from room service! Are you headed over here yet?"

"Any strawberries or strawberry flavored things?!", Sparks tells Diwata. "We're one our way!"
Looking at her comrades: "We are, right? Off to check out that Lanzio guy?"

"Yeah, I'm more than ready."

On the way to Lanzio's room, Buster leans over and taps "Chik-Chik" on the shoulder. He whispers into his ear, "Hey ole' timer, this has been killin' me. What are these strawberry things that everyone's always talking 'bout? Is it some kinda animal small animal or somethin'?"

"Yeah, I'm more than ready."

On the way to Lanzio's room, Buster leans over and taps "Chik-Chik" on the shoulder. He whispers into his ear, "Hey ole' timer, this has been killin' me. What are these strawberry things that everyone's always talking 'bout? Is it some kinda animal small animal or somethin'?"

"Gah! Not so loud, youngun! No, a strawberry's not an animal. Where ya been livin', under a rock? It's obviously some kinda experimental energy. That's why the band's named after a strawberry machine!"

The elder ysoki turns to the rest of the crew and calls out as loudly as his newly sensitive hearing will allow, "Right, let's go visit our new friend, shall we?"

Mikkazuki makes sure Historia-7 has the access channel she needs along with what the group found in the code. She then signs out and unplugs from the console.

“Sounded rather like an order. We best get going.”

On the way, she starts fiddle with the Holoskin, trying to find a setting that will allow her to fit in with the rest of the fans. As she is dong this, she suggests to Sebrir “I think the only thing we really have to be concerned about is not looking threatening and not sticking out.”

Looking towards Sparks, she admits “I doubt these are mil-grade hardened.”

Tsuchi-ko setting most likely, especially if it can do the cobra head.

Before departing, Sebrir steps back to admire his work at disguising his friends, but something feels off, and they don't look very convincing. No matter.

"Sounds like we should get moving. Try not to bring attention to yourselves, my friends."

The SMC fans think nothing of the hot pink sparking Sparks other than to give her thumbs up as she passes. Meanwhile, everyone ooha and awws over Mikka as Tsuchi-ko. Withyour invites to Diwata's for lunch, you all make it into the residential sector.

Do you stop by Diwata's, go directly to confront her next door neighbor, Lanzio first?

As people give the thumbs up to Sparks, she in return raises her thumbs-- and makes showers of sparks!

"Let's check out Diwata's first, okay?"

"Yes, I think the indirect route is probably the better one here," Chikasa agrees. "Plus, I'm gettin' a bit peckish."

"Oh, you came!" Diwata says. There are about eight room service carts in here, filled with sandwiches, fruits, oddball cheeses, popcorn, sweet treats and little meatballs on toothpicks. Diwata welcomes you all in. "Wow, you look different!" she exclaims to Sparks. She gets out a comfy chair for Chik-Chik and hands a gigantic sandwich to Buster. "Someone as cute as you should keep up your strength!" Then she looks up at Sebrir, Sunny and Mikka. "Is that a Tsuchi-ko costume, or did you get a band member to come out here?"

Out the back, there is an open door to a garden that leads to another glass door beyond.

"CHEESES!!!", yelps Sparks.

Looking at the garden and glass door beyond, she asks Diwata: "Where does that lead?"

Chikasa takes the seat offered to him and nods to Diwata, "Thank you very much, my dear. That's very kind of you. I do wonder about that lovely garden as well, though. Perhaps you could show us around?"

Chuckling, Mikkazuki says “Strawberry Holoskin.” She switches it off for a moment, then turns it back on.

Looking over the banquet, Mikkazuki gets herself some of the meatballs and a roast beast sandwich. Nodding to her plate before she begins to eat, she says “Thank you for this.”

Buster sniffs the sandwich curiously before taking a bite. "Normally I don't let people get away wif' callin' me cute, but I'll give ya' pass 'cause this this is a pretty good sandwich. Is dis real Castrovelian soylami?"

Buster pulls the flash grenade out of his cheek pouch and sets it on the table before taking another huge bite out of the sandwich. "Nobody touch 'dat."

"That's my neighbor, Lanzio's place. We share the garden along with a number of other units." Diwata points her head outside. "Isn't this pretty? So lush, you'd never know you were inside an asteroid."

Mikka realizes that because this whole area was interlinked, the malicious code would have vented this entire section, gardens and all.

Diwata happily steps outside with you when her computer starts beeping. "Bah, another work crisis that I have to deal with! Why don't you guys enjoy the gardens and the sandwiches, or take a walk? If this is like the other problems I've had today, it'll take me some time to work on it!"

Reluctantly, she waves you off and reconnects to her work.

The map is now on SLIDE ONE. Hira Lanzio's kidney-shaped lavish suite is just next to you, up the stairs from where you are in the garden. You may have to scroll down to the bottom of the map to see it.

"Oh?! We can go swimming!"
Sparks points to the little river.
♫♫♫Come to your river
I will come to your river
Wash my soul
I will come to your river
Wash my soul again

Pointing to the door to Lanzio's: [b]"We knock, or scout it out discreetly first!"{/b]

"Let's try a discreet approach first. Maybe I could turn these new ears of mine to our advantage and I could listen in to what's happening in there," Chikasa begins by waving a hand over the pendant hanging around his neck. A holographic interface appears, and Chikasa swipes across it to scroll to the spell he is looking for--an icon of an eye surrounded by light. He selects the spell and his begin to glow. He touches his glowing hands to his eyes and ears, then carefully and quietly moves toward the stairs and moves about halfway up before he should be easily visible from within Lanzio's room and puts his new ears to work.

Cast Keen Senses on myself prior to moving toward the door stealthily and listening to see if I can catch any snippets of conversation.

Stealth: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19
Perception, Keen Senses, mutation bonus: 1d20 + 1 + 2 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 1 + 2 + 4 = 18

Chik-Chik hears the whirring sounds of a security robot patrolling and someone else -- presumably Lanzio -- clickety-clacking as they type on a keyboard.

My, these ears are great!

The elder ysoki makes his way back down the stairs to rejoin his companions. "Seems our man has a security robot on patrol, and he's workin' at a computer. No conversations that I could hear, though. What's our next move, folks?"

"My, what a beautiful place! I could get used to living like this... what does this Lanzio do as a legitimate business, again? I'll need to look into that as a profession..."

Sebrir moves up to the door, placing himself in front if the others will allow it. To Buster, he says "My friend, please allow me to knock and introduce our group in the case that there are any persons behind the door. I will likely be slightly less... scratchy... than you may be in such a situation."

If there are no objections, Sebrir will knock or ring any sort of doorbell that there might be at the door.

What's our next move, folks?"[/b]

"Finishing this sandwich" Sunny says through a very full mouth. "It's really" swallows the last of it, "Really good!

Thinks a moment. "Some of us should probably make sure he doesn't leave through a back door."

So the plan is that Sebrir knocks and one half of you enter from one entrance, while the other half of you come through the other back door?

Sparks points to the sandwiches: "Sunny? Should we take some for your sisters? Maybe have Diwata order some more?"

I'm fine with the plan

Brutal!

Mikkazuki sends a quick message to the group and Historia-7, stating “That code would have vented the nearby apartments and an enclosed garden. Whoever built it wasn’t concerned with limiting damage!”

Mikkazuki pops one more meatball into her mouth, then sets the plate to the side and moves into the garden. She positions herself at the back exit while BOB follows behind Sebrir.

Then she just waits.

Chikasa follows along with Mikkazuki, then gets her "staff" ready for whatever fight might break out.

"My friend, please allow me to knock and introduce our group in the case that there are any persons behind the door. I will likely be slightly less... scratchy... than you may be in such a situation."

"I know my role, bub. Historia did't ask me to come with 'cause of my pretty face or ma' fast talkin'. But when tha' bullets start flyin' you get yerself behind cover an' let me handle it. Ya' hear me?"

Buster unslings his reaction cannon from his back and switches it to 'LETHAL'. He leans the weapon against the wall of the apartment, out of sight but close enough to grab if needed. He checks the flash grenade before carefully storing it in his cheek pouch. He shows his empty palms to the envoy. "See ma? No weapons."

Sparks points to the sandwiches: "Sunny? Should we take some for your sisters? Maybe have Diwata order some more?"

I'm fine with the plan

"Oh, they'd love that. Great idea. I'll have to ask her about the catering when we're done here. Speaking of... Sebrir, if you please."

Sunny is out of easy view from the door, wielding her artillery laser. As James remembers that being the Tank character and using heavy Ranged Weapons don't actually go together that well.

Once the door opens:
"Hello there, would you happen to be Master Lanzio? We have an urgent concert matter that just MUST be dealt with immediately. We will only take a few moments of your time!"
Bluff: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12 Dangit. Gonna use my reroll on that, I guess?
reroll: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18