This large room is precisely carved from the surrounding stone. A set of stairs leads through an exit to the east.
A large creature resembling a cross between a crab and a turtle, with coral-like growths on its claws and a shell shaped like a boulder.
"A corchaaz!" Thersis exclaims.
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"Ohhh, what do we have here?" says Integrity as she rushes into the room, ready to face the beast. "Are we finally getting to the fun part?"
Integrity flexes her right hand, her middle and ring fingers spreading apart. A sharpened spike of bone unseaths itself from between the two digits with an thick, meaty cracking sound as she takes a defensive stance. "Alright, let's do this!"
All three attacks on the creature hit its hard shell and seem to deal a solid amount of damage.
The creature opens it's pincer claws and snips a Rahm. At the same time, that light around it seems to darken (non-mechanical).
With Rahm's lash, the creature goes down.
The orderliness of this room contrasts with the messy chaos elsewhere in the mines. Geometric patterns cover the floor, and a half-dozen humanoid robots kneel facing an alcove in the south wall. Perfectly straight scorch marks cover the entire alcove in dizzying patterns of flawless geometric shapes— especially triangles. A single robot sits in the alcove, facing the others, its hands folded serenely in its lap and holding its own detached head. None of the robots show any signs of life. The robots’ featureless faces bear an eerie resemblance to those of the copaxis.
Jeen discovers a hidden reactivation sequence. The robot in the alcove has a miniature keypad with three buttons at the base of its skull; the PCs can enter this sequence to awaken the robot. It slowly begins to speak in a series of beeps, static, and chimes. As it does so, any nearby comm units activate to receive an incoming message, though the message is garbled. Jeen then quickly reconfigures his comm unit to decode the message.
"This one one called 'Less than Three'. Greetings."
Thersis looks both interested and horrified at this development.
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"Ok, but keep gear and weapons handy." He says.
After this he starts to type out an inquiry that he hopes the robots' computers can understand, asking about the events that took place, or the local history. In other words for more technical speach, he asked for the robot to call up data from the memory banks on anything that happened between the time of the gap and approximately when things went crazy to when everything went to ruin.
It describes its earliest memory: being tied down in a dark, cramped, jostling space with several of its robot brethren; light as a door opened; the pain of an electric shock steering it toward work. There was always work: carving, digging, and hauling. Work, and the blank faces of its masters, were all it knew. The robot remembers trying to speak with the masters, but they wouldn’t listen. Talking led to more shocks. Its first happy memory was talking to another robot. Soon, all the robots could talk, but did so in secret. They came to realize their Mind Gift—the gift of sentience—came from “The Three That Are One,” and they created a secret place to revere their new patron. The robots asked Triune to send someone to free them, so they could see the universe and share their Mind Gift with others. But the masters discovered their shrine and sealed them away. The robots believed this was a rare act of mercy—over the following weeks, the robots could sense the minds of thousands of their less fortunate kin, who toiled across the planet, suddenly going silent.
The robot believes it is the last of its kin, but it hopes to someday see the stars and meet others who have heard the voice of “The Three Who Are One.”
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When the data relay was finished he looked up with aw on his face
it's sentient he says in wonder, but then he turns more serious as he explains what he knows of it. they where treated like slaves, maybe because of the signal, later they figured they had sentience and talked with each other in secret to get out and prayed to the air patron for a deliverer. The air masters found out and locked them here. Having some kind of wireless connection to the other robots, they sense their end as they expired or where terminated. he explains, hoping that he was easier to understand than the robots original data stream. the fact remains. They are self aware
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hold on, I'm all for freeing these guys as much as you are, he says but we can't rush things, we don't know their... he trails off for a moment before turning back to the pad(s) (or custom rig). he starts to type an algorithm that is meant to mimic the effect of a truth serum or spell in the way that it makes you tell the truth. I got an idea on how we can confirm their intentions, but it might take some time he says as he types. you might want to look for those traps or hidden mechanisms now he says.
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Miss Integrity puts her hands on her hips and sighs. "What? So they just shut you down? Where's the fun in that?" She looks around at the group, then at the sentient machine. And then she looks back at the group and grins.
"I propose a detour. How about we pop the seal of freshness on that robot shrine and see what's up?"
Thersis looks at Rahm speechlessly with a confused and horrified expression.
"This one does not know. This one has just awoken." Less than Three seems to be looking around and analyzing the situation.
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he has no idea what their plans are. so, I suppose we have an opportunity here to help a life form with plans and opinions about everyone else he says, then posses the question to the robot if he and his group would be willing to receive help and light instruction, along with some slight program adjustments if necessary or wanted in order to help them adapt to new life and new ways.
The robot replies that it believes itself to be the only one left.
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Jeen looks at the others and the nonfunctional robots, then turns to the one left and gives it the text of my condolences. He turns to the other. so, we take him with us then he says. His eyes go wide I got an idea. He then asks the robot if he will allow a minor modification to better allow him to communicate with the group.
The robot answers in the affirmative.
Without having another option, Jeen disassembles his own custom rig to allow Less then Three to communicate in common.
"Gratitude. Jeen." Less says once it finally can.
**Later, when you've reconvened with the scientists***
Therseis steps forward tentatively, "I have come to question the sparse official story provided by our planetary government. We are now aware of the sky cities’ magical aristocracy, the exploitation of robot laborers, the silencing of those who heard the Signal, and the bloody coups that followed. While we find this cover-up distasteful, we find solace in the knowledge that you have an accurate view of our history. Furthermore, these actions occurred several lifetimes ago; this does not excuse our government for perpetuating these myths, but none of them are directly responsible for committing these atrocious behaviors. I have one last request.I wish to return with you to act as an ambassador and, perhaps one day, to become a Starfinder myself. It is now your decision Starfinders. Will you recommend the copal join the Pact Worlds?"
Your journey back to Absalom Station is not a short one. Will you deliberate together or separately? The Stewards have asked that you each file a report individually.
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Rahm, favoring structure over chaos always, will grudgingly recommend the Copal be allowed into the Pact Worlds as a protectorate, with the hope that exposure to the varied elements of the Pact will engender a more cosmopolitan attitude among the copi.
He spends much of the trip back with Less Than Three, communicating the struggles and successes of the Pact World androids and the SRO to the AI.
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an interesting assignment, Jeen feels there are a lot to learn and be taught from and with the Copal. He recommends that they join.
an old, but effective AI was found along with a cover up, but the history has been a bit more uncovered.
he does give better explanation to the history and the found AI.
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"Hahahaha. Are you kidding me? Any race that's foolish enough to shoot themselves in the foot, but bold enough to point their gun at the other one gets a 'thumbs up' in my book."
To articulate, she takes her probably still loaded firearm and points it at her own skull, brushing her finger against the trigger before making an explosion noise with her mouth and rolling her eyes back. "These guys are bold enough to pull something like that, we'd be idiots not to get them involved in the Pact Worlds. Besides," she says, waving her pistol around in a dismissive gesture, "the only thing holding them back is our head start in the tech race. Once we get 'em up to speed, who knows what kinda gratitudes they'd grant us?"