Hmm's Against the Aeon Throne -- The Adventures of The Teapot!

Game Master Hmm

Coming to a galaxy near you in February!

If selected for this campaign, please ninja-dot this thread. Post, then delete your post, to put it in your campaigns .

About two years after your friend Cedona left for Nakondis colony, you all receive an invitation:

Hey there!

Yours,
Chari Poshkettle

Yeah, you remember Charli. She was the pink-haired gnome who served all the weird tea, and she did some show with Zo! a few months back that made her something of a minor celebrity. The address is a nice area in the foreign quarter, and you realize with a pang that it is indeed right next to Cedona's old place.

What do you do?

"Statement: Intriguing, a party to attend by our good friend Charli. No strict dress code either, so keeping you calm will be easier." The AI says to its host. In response, the Wrikreechee makes some clicking noises and shakes its head in appeasement.

"Inquisitive Observation: I wonder what she requires us for though? And on such short notice? Perhaps something is wrong."

"Recommendation: Lets go Rush. We can put the ship repair job on hold for now."

In the vat gardens sits a tall nuar among collection of ysoki children. He seems to be chittering with them in their native tongue. At times he expounds at length, only to get interrupted with a question from one of the listeners. Then he changes and starts down some tangent suggested by the question. Some older ysoki pop in to the circle from time to time and seem quite happy that the younguns are being happily kept out of the way.

At one point another ysoki gets the nuar's attention. "A Message, no I have not gotten one yet." He then actually looks at his comm unit. "Oh. That message. It seems friend Chari has requested my presence. Children. I must go. You all remember Chari the tea merchant. She has a fine collection of teas. Did you know Akiton Red is not from Akiton itself. It is grown on the Idori. Katashas tea is meant for contemplation. Ibra is stated to have created many teas for their followers. "

The older ysoki clears his throat. "Storyteller Minos, It is 1745 Station time. You need to be there in 15 minutes"

Pulled back to the task at hand, Minos collects his pack of tools and heads topways on the station.

Taking the stations tubes up his mind wanders on his last expedition with Cedona to Aposte. And the tomb, and the artificats. The symbol of Ibra found there. Stars orientation. Finding mazes. Tubes of the station. Sausage. I Hope she has something to eat. When was the last time I ate. Oddly the prevalence of yeast in the galaxy. But that beer is just liquid bread....the station elevator dings. He has reached the
foreign quarter.

The coat and bags of tools and supplies klink as moves towards the address.

"Friend Chari, it is good to see you again. Pray say you have another new tea for me to experience. And see if what I can discover from it"

Dalinar selects his finest suit to wear to the meeting, his only remaining suit. It's a little worn but only the most fashion conscious would notice. He also belts on his sword. Most people wouldn't be able to pull off modern fashion with such a weapon but Dalinar manages it somehow. It helps that the sword looks ceremonial, although it decidedly isn't. The scabbard for his weapon is green and covered with gilded vines and leaves. Sticking out of the end of the scabbard is an ancient looking handle and pommel in the shape of a tree. The crossguard makes up the branches of the tree but look a bit like deer antlers.

As he walks up to the appointed place he seems a little surprised that others were invited as well. "Good evening Chari. To what do I owe this honor?"

"Minos, so good of you to come! Of course I have new tea!" The little pink-haired gnome grins up at the nuar. "I won't offer you the Akiton Red or Brethedan Bubble this time, though goodness knows they're my best sellers. I have Prrrt-Prrrrt, which translates to 'Music of the Morning', and comes from Vesk-6. The pahthra grow it, and it has some flavor notes that can only be appreciated by a discerning palate like yours!" The Prrrt-Prrrrrt smells floral, with delicate overtones that remind Minos's nose of tropical jungle fruits, but the tea itself is not sweet. As Charli pours a cup for herself, she notes, "They say that it is called 'Music of the Morning' because it sings in your mouth. What do you think?"

Charli has a little squox hanging around on her shoulder, and she gently moves it onto one of the shelves in the room. The squox climbs down and starts to sniff Minos's feet.

"Dalinar!" Charli stands on a step stool to give the tall half-orc a chaste kiss on the cheek. "My, you look dashing! And here all I did was put on a clean apron!" It's not quite true. Charli is wearing a pretty kimono under that apron, and has her pink hair up. "What'll you be having for tea? Castrovellian Contemplation? White Dragon? Or do you favor black teas? I have a lovely Black Tea that I've decided to call 'Second Seeker', after Jadnura. It has some bergamot in it, so it's a bit perfumey, but good."

When Rushling come in, Charli smiles but does not rush into Rush's personal space right away. "Would you lke a salad of steamed seaweed and lemongrass? We have a spot for you right here, if you would like to join us."

Then she returns to Dalinar's question with a raised eyebrow. "As for the honor, it's not to a what. It's to a whom."

Charli lets that statement hang in the air. "We'll talk more about that when the others arrive. Meanwhile... have you met Minos or Rushling?"

"White Dragon sounds interesting."

Dalinar takes in the other two as Charli mentions them and begins to think that maybe this isn't going to be all about tea. "I have not. Dalinar Theodrin, a pleasure to meet you." He stands ready for a handshake if anyone offers but has learned that not all cultures recognise the gesture.

The visitors to Charli's apartment hear a rapping at the door coming from down the hall, followed by a warm, sonorous voice declaring "Hello Hello! Oh my!~ Charli, you look nothing like I remember you!" followed by an awkward pause and a "Ah-he he he. Two doors down. Got it. Thank you. Really sorry."

A second set of knocking is delivered to the appropriate door, and once the door is opened, the occupants see the flushed face of Prosper Starr! A young human male with flowing auburn hair tied back in a loose ponytail, a chiseled jaw with just the right amount of stubble, and brilliant blue eyes. Eyes that are currently darting around the apartment in embarrassment.

"Uh, hi! This is the apartment of Charli Poshkettle, maybe? I uh, just had a great introduction to one of her neighbors. Wonderful old lady. Not a gnome, of course." He steps on in, running a hand through his hair, and looks down at Charli. From the vague expression of panic on his face, he's currently frozen in indecision over whether this is the person he's here for.

Hoping that somehow someone will cover for his cluelessness, he adjusts the collar of his blue dress shirt.

A deep red skinned human walks up behind Prosper as he steps through the door. He is pretty wheedley and quite dirty with a starship mechanic's jumpsuit and a jangling large tool bag. His unkempt black hair looks greasy and everything about him is nervous and awkward.

"Umm..e-excuse me, " he says in a fairly falsetto tone for a male and an obvious Akitonian accent as he pulls out a personal comm unit, "I am Freen and I got a message from a Ch-charli?"

Deep in the bowels of the Arcanamirium, a comm alert has been echoing down a maintenance corridor. Tucked away at the furthest end of the corridor is the source of the alert, a small office that has often been jealous of the interior volume afforded to the average broom closet. Wedged into the tiny space are a pair of tiny desks, each hosting a tiny occupant.

The sapling-like occupant of the rear desk abruptly hurls a datapad at the barely visible feathered cranium of the forward occupant while snarling ”Spectrum!! For the love of Yaraesa, if you don’t silence that blasted alarm and get to your little party I swear on the Lady that the next one is coming a whole lot faster!”

”Oh slime-cookies!” Spec exclaims while rubbing the new sore spot between his eye-tufts. "I’m ever so sorry Professor Bambu, but I have somehow rendered myself tardy for a pressing social engagement, and must really take my leave!”
The little owl hops down off of the chair, nearly disappearing into the academic detritus littering the floor before bursting all of his 3’ 50lb bespectacled and tweed-coated glory out and hustling through the door and down the corridor … alert still sounding… mumbling "Fooseballs and feet, oh how I hate being late…"
*******
Charli’s guests have barely seen the door close after Prosper and Freen entered before there is a rapid tapping noise on the door. It opens on a very out-of-breath birdman who wheezes out “Good .. Evening … Madame …. Poshkettle!” He sucks in a few deep breaths and continues. "At my age, I occasionally forget names here and there, but I could never forget your amazing teas! I am terribly sorry for my appalling tardiness, have I missed anything important yet?"

Minos spends a moment allowing the tea to go though him. "I taste the music of dreamers. Yes. With it seems just a hint of Vesk throat singing. Both the angular and the disused at once." The nuar sways a bit with some rattling from his overstuffed tool bag. "And it is if my toes are being licked." He looks down at the squox. "Ah that is not the tea." He sets down his hand for the squox to sniff and allows it to climb up on him.

He turns to the others. A tall figure though for those that know nuars, his is actually small for one his race. He is in a what at first seems to be a fairly simple utility harness, with many pouches, containers, and tools hanging about him. But it does seem that it would offer some protection in case of need.

He takes the offered hand of Dalinar, "I am Minos of Absalom. Storyteller. Finder of things. Seeker of paths." His eyes look at the squox climbing him. "And today, Cat Tree to Squox."

He glances at the quiet Wrikichee, but before he says hello, it seems others have made there way. Minos then surveys the others. "It seems to be quite the gathering." He nods to the xaursi. "Do not fret. I am fortunate enough today to be somewhat on time. Well at least when others requested me. But in the end I find that I am always on time. Just not the time that may have been originally expected. But it is the time that happens to be."

Charli giggles as Prosperity attempts to walk in on Ceren's apartment. When she had to resettle Ceren and her grandson, it was nice that Cedona's old place was available. "I'm sure my neighbor's fine," Charli says to Prosperity.

Funny that he acts like I might change at a moment's notice. It's not like I'm a reptoid or astrozoan or something... Then Charli gives herself a shake as the others arrive, only portraying a moment's surprise at the name Pon uses. "Yes, good to see you again... Freen." Then she grins at the professor. "No, you haven't missed anything yet!"

"Cat tree to squox is a role that suits you, Minos," Charli says, looking oddly pleased.

Charli serves a nice meal to everyone, though there are numerous different dishes to cater to everyone's tastes. She keeps up some idle chatter for a while, letting her guests introduce themselves to each other.

Please feel free to start those introductions if you would like, and don't worry about post timing here.

Wint is at home, frantically trying to find SOMETHING to clean, when the message comes in.

He manages, somehow, to pass the time until 43:45 Vest Time. Largely by polishing his boots, his second skin armour, and his boots again.

"Should I go armed? Seems a bit rude. But there may be VESKS around. Yes, better to take a weapon. Or 2. Maybe 3. I'm sure nobody will notice"

He dresses for the occassion in his finest second skin armour (truth be told, its a bit worn. But CLEAN). He wears a sort of synthosilk poncho over it to "conceal" the weapons. And, since this is a special occasion, he puts on a bright purple bow tie.

As he gets to the door, he bounces up and down on his feet as he sends the signal to let Chari know that he is there.

As Charli opens the door
"Hello there. Its nice to see you again. Wait. Is that a squox? It IS. Did you know that I have Cubber? And SHE has had kits!!! Here, let me show you some pictures!"

With that, he holo-projects a whole series of pictures of incredibly cute (are there any other kind?) squox kits playing with each other and with Wint.

At some point, he probably notices the other people.
"Hello everybody. I'm Wint. Are you all friends of Charli too? Of course you are. You wouldn't be here otherwise would you? Do you all want to see pictures of the squox babies too? Great!!!"

He does try and put Charli between him and the scary looking aliens

Charli does what any self-respecting gnome host would do. She makes Wint feel at home by squealing over the baby squox pictures. "Ooooh... They are adorable!" Then she seats Wint next to the gentle Minos and the unimposing Professor Spec. "Minos, have you met Wint yet? How about you, Professor?"

"Oh...umm..hello.." Freen says as he steps more into Charli's place and give a small wave to the individuals already inside.

Wrikreechee, nuar, xaurisi, human, half-orc.

The nervous looking red human takes a seat next to Dalinar. "Umm...excuse me, do you happen to know why we are here?" he asks both nervous and awkwardly.

Dalinar winces at Minos' orcish greeting. He starts a sentence but stops himself. Instead he replies,

He then excuses himself quickly, taking a seat in what can only be described as a stiff posture.

He replies to the red...human? "I do not. I have an inkling however. A motley crew such as this is usually gathered for only one type of thing in my, admittedly limited, experience."

"Ohh...uhhmm...ohh.."Freen says as he looks down at his figiting hands. "So..uhh..what do you do?"

The nuar seems to some sort of mechanical skill.

When Wint arrives, Freen jumps at the knocking, his eyes darting to the door. After he watches the skittermander's entrance he turns back to Dalinar. "I'm sorry...please excuse my jumpiness...you were saying?"

Interesting a skittermander with pistols.

Prosper takes a seat at the table and looks wide-eyed at the incredibly diverse range of aliens that had been invited. "Quite the party here, huh, Miss Poshkettle." He beams at the gnome, happy that his confusion around her identity has been conveniently resolved.

"So nice to meet all of you. Prosper Starr is the name!" His smile is all white teeth and sparkling eyes. "I'm a trainee with the Skyfire Legion. We're all here for tea, I think, is that right?" He waits to see that no one is contradicting that statement.

---

"Hi there Cattree!" He reaches over the table to extend a hand for Minos to shake, knocking over a (thankfully self-sealing) milk tureen in the process. "Is Tuskwox your last name? Or a title? You don't happen to have any relation to the Squoxes that Charli here is keeping, do you?"

He leans over Wint's shoulder and peers at the pics. "Very cute! But Wint, don't you think they're far more beautiful once they're fully grown?" He holds Charli's squox in his hands for a moment, stroking it, before it wriggles free and runs off.

"I love them as babies AND when they're full grown!!!!"

"Hello Minos. And hello professor. Professor of what? Don't professors all have to profess in something?"

To Dalimar

"Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing you. Why would somebody gather a, what did you say, muttly crew for?"

He surreptitiously types into his datapad "muttley crew" but when he gets several references to dog services he is very confused
That was the first few google hits for muttley crew :-) :-)

The professor stares at the the furry blue ball of energy next to him for a half-second, briefly taken aback, before breaking out in a large beaky grin ”Well hello there Wint my boy, I must say it is an absolute pleasure to see young people so full of curiosity! As it so happens, I am a professor of xenoneurology at the Arcanamirium, and as excited as I am about the subject I tend to find that others rarely share my enthusiasm. And as far as professing… he mumbles distractedly for a moment I’ve never been asked that question before, but I do believe you are right… we all must profess something, and I am rather partial to the truth… even the truth that doesn’t want to be seen.. ahem…”

He turns to Minos ”That is quite the enlightened viewpoint good sir, and I for one, appreciate it.” He reaches up to try and shake the large philosopher’s hand. ”If we by definition can only exist in the present moment, then we must always be on time, because the time we get anywhere is the only time we could be there….. Did that one get away from me? ” He trails off, gazing quizzically around the room to try and gauge the audience, returning to Dalinar’s oddly aristocratic presence.

"Why so nervous friend? I won't bite you," Dalinar says as he pats Freen on the back, his actions a little more awkward than his words. Dalinar gives him an odd look as he jumps at the new arrival.

"I'm sorry...please excuse my jumpiness...you were saying?"

"Ah yes, I am a Starfinder. Which means I do many things. Mostly I am put to use swinging Stag Render here though," he finishes with a pat on his sword's pommel.

"Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing you. Why would somebody gather a, what did you say, muttly crew for?"

"Well, it would probably be best to let our host explain. Besides, if I'm wrong it wouldn't be the first time. Nor the last I am sure."

Charli nods at Dalinar, and then looks to the rest of you. "You're right, there's usually one main reason to bring a group as diverse as this together -- and that's a mission. Everyone in this room shares something, or rather someone in common. You all were people that Cedona counted as friend."

The pink-haired gnome looks around the table. "Cedona has always been an interesting person to know. Do any of you know what she did for a living? I certainly didn't, though she kept mysterious hours and had connections everywhere. I always assumed that she was some kind of law enforcement, maybe with Bluerise, or maybe with the Stewards or something. I guess that doesn't matter. What does matter is that I haven't heard from her since a few months after she settled in Nakondis. Have any of you?"

Charli waits as the muttering goes round the table, and then silences it with a raised hand. "So. None of us have. I think that Cedona would have sent a message by now. When I was first starting out with Poshkettle Tea, I had to travel through some really dangerous places, and Cedona found me my first ship, The Teapot. Cedona had the listing from the impound lot before it went public. The Teapot had formerly belonged to smugglers or Free Captains, because she's bristling with guns. Not the most posh ride, but she's sturdy, well-shielded and drift-capable."

"Poshkettle Tea has been doing really well since my appearance on Zo!'s show. So I've decided to finance a mission to put my mind to rest, and make sure that Cedona's okay." She raises an eyebrow. "Besides, money's only good if you use it for something that matters."

"Poshkettle Tea bid on the rights from Abadar Corp for the colonist supply run to Nakondis. So you'd all be shipping needed supplies to Nakondis, and installing equipment when you get there. A perfect chance to meet up with Cedona." Charli looks down at her feet. "The only issue is that I cannot go. Between the business and my work with the Manifold Host committee, everything is nuts for me right now. So I'm putting on that mission people that I trust, because Cedona trusted you. Are you in?"

Ninja'd

"Oh..uhh..no..I'm sorry.." Freen mumble rambles "I am just uncomfortable at large gatherings."

Starfinder, melee specialist. Hmm..Arcanamarium and xenoneuroloogy. I suspect...we shall see. A dense skittermander with pistols. A nuar who seems to have some sort of technical expertise, but is likely not a mechanic, too refined. The other human seems odd, as if younger than he appears. There is something more. Also, a very quiet Wrikreechee. More information is needed on it as well. Also this host...

Freen nervously looks around to each of the inhabitants of this residence and to the residence itself. His body language and facial expression screams "Help me!", but he doesn't say another word.

The half-orc is seems to be correct about this gathering. She doesn't appear to be waiting on anyone else. So our mingling is important. Our one supposed connection with this host is Cedona. There are not an exorbitant number of pictures of her, nor one large prominent picture, so her having died is very unlikely. Judging by the demeanor of the residence, I suspect that the host isn't planning on going anywhere. So we will likely be propositioned about something pertaining to Cedona and/or Nakondis, where she supposedly is. A crime/heist is right out. Cedona does't seem the type. I did promised the captain that I'd take a vacation. And technically I won't be working for the Stewards. Yeah, I think I will take the job, whatever it is. Now to just get more information...

Well that solves that. She suspects danger.

"It..uhh..sounds like you think there might be danger. I just fix things." Freen says a little louder, but still nervously. He also jingles his bag to accentuate his point.

The professor emotionally moults a few feathers before guiltily scooping them up and cramming them imto a tweedy pocket. "Madame Poshkettle, if my humble skills would be of any assistance whatoever in such a noble endeavor as ascertaining the well-being of such a one as dear Cedona.... wellthen I would be most remiss if I did not immediately volunteer! .... and I never liked grading term essays anyway..."
He looks around the room "If everyone here is willing to go on the ........Teakettle?... well, such diversity in culture, skills, experience, and neurofunction...ahem...apologies ... it should be quite interesting to say the least. when do we leave?"

"Yes I'm certainly in!! I can take Cubber and her kits with us! Cedona would love to see them."

A squox and a litter of kits on a starship bristling with weapons. What could POSSIBLY go wrong? :-) :-)

"I'm a pretty good pilot if we need a pilot. Probably not as good as some of you but I'm fairly good. Dodged an asteroid coming RIGHT at us once and the captain said that was a lot harder than it looked!. She even gave me a letter of recommendation if any of you want to see it!"

With that, he briefly types in something to his datapad, and everybody elses open datapad shows an incoming email with an attachment
See discussion

"I can also shoot the guns pretty well. It was really, really scary but we were attacked by pirates that one time and I did pretty well"

"Who is going to be captain? Do we vote? I vote for NOT me!. The Professor seems really smart!"

At this, he starts to wind down. A little.

"Teakettle! That is a GREAT name for a ship. Teakettles are all nice and shiney. And so the ship will be"

"Making sure Cedona's okay?" Prosper leans onto the table, face flushed. "I can do that for sure!" He blinks, embarrassed by his over-enthusiasm.

"I mean, sure, that sounds like a good plan. Uh, I don't know much of anything about installing equipment. Maybe Freen can do that part while I find Cedona? Well, while me and the Professor here find Cedona." He stares at the xaursi with open curiosity, having never seen such an exotic alien in his (thorough) perusal of the infosphere.

"Wint, do you want to do the hard work with Freen, or are you coming to-" He runs a hand through his hair awkwardly. "I mean, do you want to join me and the Professor in the very, uh, mission critical task of finding Cedona and apologizing to her?"

"It..uhh..sounds like you think there might be danger. I just fix things."

Charli meets Freen's gaze dead on. "Well, that's good, because the mission may need a 'fixer'." She lets the double meaning of her words sink in, and then continues. "Look, Cedona had the habit of collecting interesting and very capable people. Starfinders. Smugglers. Professors. Ex-convicts. Mercenaries. Undercover agents. Even a royal prince," she says, nodding in Dalinar's direction. "Freen, chances are good that if you were friends with Cedona, you have hidden talents. She saw something in you -- in all of us. Besides, it might be that The Teapot might need a skilled mechanic or two."

Then Charli shrugs. "But... if you don't think you're up to the task..."

Minos holds up hand and small colorful piece of fluff appears, it floats in front of the squox to get its attention then floats off, taking the distracted pet with it. Now with the distraction out of the way. "Yes Cedona. I have not heard much from here, but I feel like I still owe her something for showing me the abandon temple on Aposte. I am still going though the notes. I feel honored Friend Charli that you trust us to help expand your business. Though investigating the quietness of Friend Cedona is also a worthy mystery."

"I am good with things. Somewhat good with people, but mostly if they want to listen. I am not one to force anyone to learn. And since it seems that she is lost, then that may be the skill I bring. As for ships, I am a fair hand as needed. For long distance navigation, I am told I have good luck in finding shorter hops. But in the quick reaction, I leave that to others."

"It..uhh..sounds like you think there might be danger. I just fix things."

"When the only thing between myself and the vaccum is a single wall having someone who can fix things is the first person I want around when things get dangerous."

Dalinar winces once again when Charli outs his royal lineage but continues as though he didn't hear, "I have not heard from Cedona either. If she is in trouble then I will absolutely be on board." With people already divvying up jobs he adds, "I can point a gun in the general vicinity of our enemies, should it come to that. On a ship my best role is as a passenger however."

Note: Dalinar's best role is as captain. At least his skills are set up that way, he may not be better at it than one of you guys. In any case, he won't volunteer for the job but would take it if offered.

What better captain than royalty? :>

Freen meets her gaze and, for a split second, there seems to be acknowledgement and understanding and then he looks down at the table awkwardly. "Okay..."

Starfinder, smuggler, professor, ex-con, mercenary, royal prince. Hmm..starfinder and royal prince. Professor and what seems like another one. Maybe I'm reading too much into that list..

Minos looks over the assembled group. "It seems we have should have the techincal in hand." Nodding towards the Wrikreechee and Freen. "Nufriend Wint looks to be energetic enough to handle the quick reactions of the combat piloting. So I suspect Prosper, Dalinar, and the Professor can determine who of you can be the better voice of captain as needed. Or take a gun as needed"

"When we get there I can help with installing stuff. Well, you'll have to tell me what to do. I've never done anything like that before. But I'm certainly willing to try!! I'm sure that I'll figure it out!"

"I've got your cargo assembled. How long do you think it would take you to get ready to fly out? Do you have shopping you need to do?" Charli asks.

"The mission pays 7000 credits for the supply delivery, plus I'll be gifting you all with joint title to The Teapot. There's an unlimited comm unit for emergencies on all Abadar colonies. I know Cedona knew how to use it. If you can send me a short message that would be great -- even if you have to code it."

"No..I..uhh..keep everything I need in this bag should I need to leave because someone wants me as their ship's mechanic.." Freen says fairly quietly as he looks down at the table still.

Spellcasters: Nuar and probably Xaursi. What is wrong with that human?

"I need to buy some supplies for the ship. Can I put that on the ship account? Only the essentials, of course"

"Umm, a small confession here ...." He looks around uncomfortably "While I am not unwilling to assist in any way possible in operating the ship, I do not believe I am actually qualified to do much at this point. The last time I was on a ship was almost thirty years ago ... and then I wasn't allowed to touch anything... I'm sorry..." He retracts his head such that his little orange eyes are barely visible through the feathers.
In a subdued and muffled tone "Maybe I can help Wint gather supplies?"

Charli grins at the Professor. "You'll learn as you go! I did!"

And someday may become an amazing gunner....

Then she looks at Wint. "How much in the way of supplies are we talking? I'll let you charge to Poshkettle Tea within reason." She looks between the skittermander and the Professor, and decides Spec is the better bet to hold the purse strings. "Maybe it's better if you're the one with access to the credit line."

Assume that you can purchase any non-combat fluff you want, so long as it amuses the GM. Nothing that would effect game mechanics, please.

Prosper hops to his feet, waving a tea cup in the air as he gets excited about the trip. "A starship! Danger! Adventure! Beautiful aliens!" He looks at the rest with childish glee that stands in sharp contrast to his rugged good looks. "I'm ready when you all are!"

"Actually... on second thought maybe I should grab some snacks first."

"Oh and Professor, you'll be great on guns. I'll show you the ropes. It's SUPER easy if you've ever played a vidgame before."

She looks between the skittermander and the Professor, and decides Spec is the better bet to hold the purse strings.

Hey, I COMPLETELY RESENT that. How can you POSSIBLY think that Wint isn't TOTALLY reliable ? :-) :-)

With the Professors help Wint goes to get the necessary supplies.

Several tons (for some reason, only a crate or so actually "arrive") of AbadPureen Squoxchow, an absolute top of the line SpaceExpressoMixerMachine that somehow got downgraded to a coffee maker, a huge mixed assemblage of cleaningNanoCloths, of Supernova (the cleaning agent that can erradicate ANYTHING), and VoidBleach (the bleach that takes dirt into the drift).

Wint places an order for a small army of CleaningDroids but, again, somehow they just don't arrive.

At no point does Wint question why the professor always settles up the bill alone without Wint actually present.

As for game mechanics, I ALREADY have (bought out of my own money :-)) the gear to give me a bonus to my profession - housekeeper roll :-) :-)

Seeing that is it decided, Minos sends a message to the ysoki in the vat gardens. "Been called away for a while. Please deliver one meter of the unsorted to The Teapot that I can work with on the trip."

Finishing the note, he turns to the others. "Let us go and take a look at our ship. I trust the friend Charli will have everything in order, so our pre-flight check should be uneventful." He turns to the skittermander. "Nufriend. I am having some assorted material sent to the ship, we could use a high pressure samovar or two. Oh and my alembic is a bit leaky, so a new one if you see one. Or a used one in decent shape. "

Gack! I almost forgot I'm supposed to have a mote of energy.

"Personally I could leave within the hour, I travel light." A pure white ball of energy floats up from beneath Dalinar's jacket collar and rests in his hand for a second before beginning an orbit around his head. "If preparations are needed then I propose we plan on leaving the dock first thing in the morning."

Worg's Catch Up Post!

When Rushling come in, Charli smiles but does not rush into Rush's personal space right away. "Would you lke a salad of steamed seaweed and lemongrass? We have a spot for you right here, if you would like to join us."
Then she returns to Dalinar's question with a raised eyebrow. "As for the honor, it's not to a what. It's to a whom."
Charli lets that statement hang in the air. "We'll talk more about that when the others arrive. Meanwhile... have you met Minos or Rushling?"

Rushling acknowledges Charli with a series of clicking noises, before saying in a calm yet broken voice "Friend... Pink.. Friendpink. Food good, Friendpink."

Charli serves a nice meal to everyone, though there are numerous different dishes to cater to everyone's tastes. She keeps up some idle chatter for a while, letting her guests introduce themselves to each other.
Please feel free to start those introductions if you would like, and don't worry about post timing here.

The Exocortex introduces both itself and Rush. "Salutations: Hello! I am LINGSTON, the AI programmed into the vitals and stability of my companion, Rush! Call us Rushling for short if you need our attention. It is a pleasure to be able to meet you all!”

At some point, he probably notices the other people.
"Hello everybody. I'm Wint. Are you all friends of Charli too? Of course you are. You wouldn't be here otherwise would you? Do you all want to see pictures of the squox babies too? Great!!!"
He does try and put Charli between him and the scary looking aliens

”Observation: I notice you have spaced yourself several spots away from Rush. Assurance: Fear not, for he is under control and will not be an issue.

Wrikreechee, nuar, xaurisi, human, half-orc.
The nervous looking red human takes a seat next to Dalinar. [b]"Umm...excuse me, do you happen to know why we are here?" he asks both nervous and awkwardly.

”Assurance: Fear not friend, there is no need to feel anxious. If you are a friend of Charli, then you are amongst friends entirely!”

"So nice to meet all of you. Prosper Starr is the name!" His smile is all white teeth and sparkling eyes. "I'm a trainee with the Skyfire Legion. We're all here for tea, I think, is that right?" He waits to see that no one is contradicting that statement.

Rush seems to respond to this, as he gets up from his seat to get closer to Prosper. ”Friend… Friend Man.. Good.. Skyfire Legion.. Good.” And surprisingly he does a salute.

"What does matter is that I haven't heard from her since a few months after she settled in Nakondis. Have any of you?"

This seems to get the Wrikreechee’s attention thoroughly, and his hand protrudes into a bone blade. "Friend... Danger... Help."

Rush grunts, and the blade sharply and swiftly goes back into his arm.

"I've got your cargo assembled. How long do you think it would take you to get ready to fly out? Do you have shopping you need to do?" Charli asks.

Rush answers this time. ”Ready.. Now.” He seems to be particularly angsty to go.

First thing in the morning, you all converge on The Teapot. You discover that the ship is a Blastwerks Sternbrecher transport -- albeit one with some modifications. As promised, The Teapot’s sturdy, well-armed but a bit cramped. In addition to the essential supplies that Wint purchased, it appears that someone made sure that there are Squox perches and habitrails all over the ship, high quality teas and other rations in the half-galley, and an eclectic digital library of fix-it manuals, planetary survey literature, scholarly classics, cookbooks, Castrovellian jungle adventure manga, and Strawberry Machine Cake’s songs.

Fortunately, the rec room’s decent. It’s a good place to exercise, let off steam, or play a game or two. The journey passes quickly, even though you often find chirping squox kits underfoot. Is there anyplace dangerous or unsafe or inconvenient that you haven’t found Cubber’s brood? The little balls of fluff have well-articulated paws, and can open just about anything. They seem to delight in mayhem, and chitter mischievously when dropping on you from a Squox perch -- or from Minos's horns. But they also like to cuddle in laps, and their little foxy faces are adorable while sleeping.

Your trip through the Drift is uneventful, even though there are occasional views of ‘drift-ruins’ -- palaces, towers and other structures that have been ripped from their own planes. Once, a whole forest of aquatic trees floats past your window.

Are any of you doing anything special on the journey?

During the flight things start out relatively slow for Rush and LINGSTON. At times Rush holds a manga in front of LINGSTON to have it be read to him. At one point though one of the squox ends up falling from the top of his shell head onto the book. In a frustrated response, Rush ends up chasing the little critter around until he wears himself out, the exocortex preventing him from hurting it.

Otherwise the Wrikreechee works on bits of scrap metal repairing the ship where the squox mess things up. LINGSTON keeps his vitals and mental state calm and engages in conversation with the team.

"Query: Mr. Starr, would you be aware of if the Skyfire Legion would have any records on MIA personnel within the last 8-10 Human Life form based years? It May be a clue to finding out more upon who Rush was."

Earlier:
While back at the party, Prosper's eyes light up with excitement that someone else might be related to the Skyfire Legion. He positively beams at the wirkreechee. "Wow, another trainee? Or were you a full Centurion!? Nice to meet you! And, well, no need to salute. Really, put your claw down!" He makes patting motions with his hands to encourage Rush to lower the salute, then looks around to see if anyone is impressed. "I just finished a course as a trainee. Not even one mission under by belt. Next year maybe?"

----
On the ship:
Prosper comes onto the Teapot with his arms absolutely mind-bogglingly full of a variety of snacks. This leaves him kicking his satchel of gear along with his feet, but its totally worth it! He stashes a portion of them under the control panel for a turret gun, then roams around the ship handing out colorful bags of Zit-ohs, Raspjelly Ultrabursts and sizzling Iguana-on-Stick. The last of which are still fresh from being picked up from a rather dubious street vendor.

He grins winningly at Rush Ling as the duo approach, excited enough to be sharing snacks to forget to be socially awkward. "Oh, records about MIA personnel? I don't know really? I didn't get to see much of the archives where they have that kinda stuff. I can check for you when we get back. Heck, you can come with me. If Rush here was part of the Legion before, they'll recognize him!"

Spec spends the first day of the flight perusing the digital library and attempting to stay out of everyone’s way. He woke up the second day to find out that squoxes enjoy using feathers to nest in… and they aren’t terribly picky on whether or not those feathers are attached. One kit in particular seemed rather keen on taking up semi-permanent residence in his breast plumage. The professor liked to teach, so he thought he’d teach the kit a new trick.

...As it turns out, squox can’t read…

After that little disaster, he decided to take refuge in science. He began thinking of his new teammates and which of them might let him study them. He has an awful time deciding until he sees Rush chasing a squox down the passageway.

He waits until there is a relatively calm moment in Rush and Ling’s schedule and nervously approaches them. From what he considers to be a safe distance ”Good evening Mr. Rush, Mr. LINGSTON.” bobs his head at them ”Mr. Rush sir, I couldn’t help but notice that you seem to be exhibiting behavior patterns often representative of historical neural alteration. And Master LINGSTON, are you providing real-time behavioral corrections to compensate for the stresses caused by these alterations?” The professor visibly reins in his excitement. ”If you are both willing, might I be granted access to a copy, redacted as you see fit of course, of your sensor logs regarding this functionality?”
Only now realizing how rude this might be, Spec prepares to flee if necessary.

Freen spends a majority of his time in the engine room, quietly working on things in a bit of an unorthodox way. It seems that whenever the job could call for it, instead of using a simple tool like a ladder or something, Freen seems to delight in climbing.

When not in the engine room or making food, he has likely disappeared into his room which he keeps well locked.

These next conversations don't have to be just Pon and the specific person named in the spoiler. But Pon will initiate the conversations when no one else is around.