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Laniakea encourages Chetna, who fires and hits!
You have the impression that you hit a critical part of the shark--
--but you do not have time enough to actually see what - was it the nose? Who knows? -, because the shark suddenly conjures up some extra energy and speeds off away from you as fast as it can.
You see blood dripping from its claws and mouth and another place.
Do you give chase, or let it go lick its wounds in Deep Space?
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As the Besmaran Whelp flees, you are free to continue to the planet, you Star Monster Slayers.
As you approach the planet in your starship, you notice a dangerous storm that interferes with your ship’s sensors.
The storm’s erratic movements and intensity make it too dangerous to land inside.
It is a crazy storm: burning fire, pure hellfire!
Your shields would not be able to resist long enough in this.
To continue with your mission, you must land several miles away from the structure you are coming to inspect, and approach the site on foot.
Having landed, exited the ship, and secured it, you set out to make your way to the coordinates provided for the abandoned outpost.
As you travel and approach your goal, you suddenly stop.
You have spotted a... village!
About 40 basic structures made out of basalt, with extremely thick roofs, that are made of layered stone: to resist the hellfire!
You hear and then see a couple basic gas-powered vehicles moving.
Then, still a little aways from this village... two small-ish balls roll right towards you!
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Smek activates the environmental systems in his armor. "Agreed Elwin. That hellfire falls naturally, and that the make-up of the stone is resistant. I see why the Hellknights were interested in this planet."
Smek tries to figure out what the spheres rolling toward the team are... "Looks like a welcoming committee might be coming. Anyone good at hello's?" Smek draws his pistol...
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As you wonder at living under hellfire storms, and then react, by getting ready or pulling out a weapon or raising hands peacefully to the two approaching balls...
You see these balls stop, a few yards away, and unfurl.
These are actually two aliens.
They are small, about the size of Ysokis - but they do not look like Smek -, and you imagine they must not have bones, or at least very few, allowing them to squeeze, and roll up.
They are like little humanoids, with smooth thick red skin, and no hair at all.
They look at you with their big red eyes, peering intently from one to the other.
Then they make buzzing sounds, and wiggle their long fingers, as though indicating many buzzing things that attack them.
All this with a questioning look.
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Yes, you feel they are trying to communicate, for sure.
Since you remain peaceful, if you let them, they come up close to you, and try to look under your hats, helmets, caps...
By their gestures, they seem to want to know if any of you have bug eyes and antennae.
Smek and Chetna do not really understand what they want, only that it seems they fear a swarm of things that fly and bite, and you do get they use the word kucharn a lot when mentioning this.
As for Elwin, well, is that not the name of the goddess Hylax they repeat with fear?
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"Ok, so maybe not hello... Anyone have a translator?, Smek questions the group as he continues to establish a base of communication with the creatures. As he lets them look at his head and face he tries to reassure them that he and the group do not have any insect features.
Smek tries to mirror some of the friendly gestures and develop rudimentary means of communication...
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Though they marvel at how tall the Sarcesian, is, one ball-Alien climbing on the other ball-Alien to get a better look, they are sad none of you have antennae or insect eyes.
Smek sees that by using his knowledge of places and languages he finds out how to make suitable gestures that can convey simple ideas, such as your names and how you arrived and such.
Soon, the two are visibly asking questions such as “Who are you?” and “How did you get here?” and “Do you know what happened to the space creature?” and “Are you enemies of the Swarm?” and “Is the Swarm close by?”.
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When they understand you battled and bested the space creature, they turn into balls and bounce up and down and roll all around you, before popping back into humanoid form and leading you towards the village, singing and praising you!
You understand the space whale was part of a prophecy that foretold hero-gods would one day overcome the creature and teach the natives how to reach the stars.
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Smiling at Elwin, "I'm more of a hard negotiator than people person, I supposed I can make due. Though I could get used to hero-god."
Following along behind the creatures, Smek tries to learn what they call their people and other simple terms in their language that could help wiht future communication.
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The beings explain that they are The Beings, but also call themselves The Survivors.
As you arrive at the settlement, your guides chatter with the other ones present.
You see your guides are a bit smaller than the others, probably juveniles.
The others understand you are the prophesized saviors, and start bouncing up and down, and rolling around.
Other than a few basic projectile weapons, they have no armor or martial elements.
And they truly adore your arrival.
They start some sort of organized dance, forming balls and circling in elaborate patterns that interconnect.
While singing about the ones that came to kill their foes and take them back to the stars: "You are our saviors, you are our kings!
You´re our providers, our everything!"
They joyfully urge you to take part!
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Numina wanders along behind the group, flicking through a selection of vid games. These creatures are bizarre and she is not really sure what the hell they are doing.
When it becomes apparent they venerate Hylax she gives a snort of derision, No wonder this planet is so underdevloped, war is the forge in which true change and devleopment takes place. Maybe I should introduce them to Damoritosh
She does not get involved in the dancing but she will provide a projected backdrop of the Veskarium invasion and the Battle of Aleda.
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Addressing the team in common, and short snippets to avoid the Survivors understanding, "Ok, maybe we should play down the divine saviors a bit... But let's not lose the advantage this give us to learn about these people and the planet."
Smek then joins in the dancing and celebrating, trying to determine why the Survivors want to leave and trying to explain that the team is happy to try and help that they are not gods.
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The People get super excited when Numina 6 shows the battle of Aleda, and they start "flying" around like starships, trying to reenact the battle themselves, calling out to Numina to be their strategist...
Chetna sees no swarm coming, only hellfire raining down and burning the soil pretty close by.
You wonder who the heck would come hide here to be safe... but, the Swarm must be terrifying.
You all dance and move around, and it is okay, but they seem more interested in Numina's show.
They actually start to tug at you all, asking that you mimic the battle with the space-shark.
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Smek continues in the fun, trying to determine who the leaders or elders are, engages in the battle pantomime with the Survivors. By size and dourness, Smek uses Kei as the perfect model space shark...
[ooc] Whichever is appropriate... [/dice]
And tries to gauge what if any, other "goals" these prophesized heroes are supposed to accomplish...
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Laniakea tries to bond with the locals by joining in the singing.
Once Numina provides them with a new ritual, he joins in the child-like game. He spreads his gangling arms wide and follows the Beings around in their pattern--doing his best to follow Chetna's 'direction.'
He nods to Chenta's question but waits for an inoffensive time to interrupt with the question: "Is fire from sky danger to us here?"
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Not super enthused by your dance, these little People just love reenacting your fight with the space shark!
They are so happy, and you can see how they will start some sort of Festival...
"Fire always fall from sky when storm!"
They joyfully invite you to stay in the village, and are willing to share food.
Also, they make many gestures, telling you not to go towards some old building.
Obviously they are warning you about where you are about to go!
"Haunted. It is “haunted” outpost. Shoots fire at those that approach."
Understanding you still want to go, they beg you not to.
"Stay play Vesk battle!"
They confess that the Exile has gone to the "haunted" place, and that he uses forbidden magic! Mystical, forbidden, magic.
The Exile is a devout follower and worshipper of the space-shark.
The space-shark used to come down and attack the village now and then.
The Exile loved that.
Now the villagers are pleading you not to antagonize the exile... do not go! NO!
But they point to the shortest way to get there, and give you a hopeful look...
So, you know exactly how to get there easily.
Actually, they are happy you might go, because one of theirs left to go speak with the Exile a while back, but has not returned.
"Before he come back, can we play space battle again?"
They point at Kei': "He big battleship!"
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As he preps his gear to leave, he tries to ask the Survivors what they meant, "How does it shot fire, and what happens that makes it haunted? Why did the Exile go there, and why did a Survivor follow?"
Once he's prepped and seems to have all the information he can garner from the Survivors... Smek takes Numina by the arm, "There will be time to play galactic admiral later, right now we're play hero-gods."
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The People are really excited and chant: "General! General! General!" as they 'fly' around Numina 6, to take up their battle formation.
"Exile go long time ago, many months. Say he go to be closer to Shark God. Survivor go when we see battle in the sky. Just hours ago. Survivor go to tell Exile Shark God defeated and true Gods must come. Like General!"
Your feeling is that the fire coming forth from the outpost is most likely laser shots from some automated defence system.
As for haunted, they explain it is haunted because there are ghosts.
And that there are ghosts because it is haunted, silly!
Numina 6 is obliged to give the last battle-orders, to catch up with the others, and you all set out for the outpost.
You see the Beings continue playing out the Veskarium invasion and the Battle of Aleda, some dropping and going all flat when they are 'shot down', other bouncing up high, all 'flying' around and making 'pew pew' sounds...
You march on, eventually losing sight of the battle... will the Vesk win or loose in this version?
And you follow the indications, and your tracking devices, and see that it will take a few hours.
You soon come to a place where you see that the hellfire storm is beating down around the area where the outpost is located.
You skirt around a bit, and then wait some, but, clearly, this is some kind of ongoing phenomenon that cannot be waited out.
So, you prepare as best you can--
--and trudge off into the storming hellfire!
Drops of burning fire plummet down from the skies, and strong winds blow.
It is a crazy trek... for several hours.
Finally, you make it to where you know the outpost must be, and reach a notable gorge that crosses the path to the outpost.
Dilapidated circular buildings dot the landscape.
A tumultuous storm of hellfire rages all around, strong and fierce, still without any sign of slowing down.
A crumbling stone bridge crosses a broad gorge, offering a pathway directly into the heart of the turmoil.
You spot the squat shape of what must be the outpost, up past the bridge.
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Remembering the storm they saw when landing, Smek looks for sheet of stone (or any material that seem resistant) light enough to carry but broad enough to provide some shelter from the storm. He confirms his armor's environmental systems are engaged, and then dashes as quickly as he can through the flames.