Rin managed to access the terminal and identify the areas on E-deck where interruptions to the power grid had occurred. Routing the power around those areas, he brought the lights up. A click and buzz heralded the coming of light, and once more everyone could see clearly.
Rin also saw a small thumbnail in one corner of the console spring to life with what looked to be security camera feeds. He clearly saw the corridor you were standing in, with all of you gathered around the computer terminal. The next feed that popped up must be that room ahead of you, and it showed a pair of human children looking about in a mixture of panic and relief.
Gravity and pressure seem just fine on the other side of the door, which is good because it is partially open. The door apparently was stuck about 3" open during the power outage. Returning power to E-deck was not sufficient to open the door. It must be pried open.
From the other side of the door, the kids are babbling.
"Thank you for coming to get us."
"Please don't tell Da we were playing in here."
"The lights went out and we were scared."
"We didn't mean to cause trouble, we were just bored."
"I wanna go home."
The two talked over each other, and it was hard to make out what they were saying. From the video feed you patched into your comm units, they looked to be a boy and a girl about 5 and 7 years old, respectively.
Adrion Core is much more comfortable with college-aged kids than spratlings, but he gets the sense that their panic and fright is real. They really do seem worried about getting in trouble.
The computers are still in rudimentary support and engineering mode, and Rin doesn't get anything about the kids out of them. If you want information about them, you're going to have to talk to them.
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Easy tigers, let's not crowd the poor things. she admonishes hthe team quietly.
Moving to the gap in the door she calls out to the children
It's all ok don't worry, we'll get you out! she speaks reassuringly.
Right then, I presume no-one bought a plasma torch? That would have been too easy...
she taps a finger on her chin as she thinks.
Right, lets run a bypass on the primary hydraulic systems on the door, if we cross-patch the emergency manual override and re-engage, it'll provide a sudden burst of power that should shift it open at least a few more inches. Enough for us or them to squeeze through!
She reaches out and lays a hand on the door circuitry, and seems to zone out for a moment...
The children seem to calm down as the Starfinders talk to them, especially once you have identified yourselves.
The girl said, "Wow, you're really Starfinders? That's really awesome. Thank you for coming to rescue us. My Da said most Starfinders are really just 'psycho drifters who kill sentient beings for money', but I'll tell him he's wrong cause you guys saved us!"
You get the feeling that the 'psycho drifters' phrase was something she picked up from her father, and that she didn't really understand what it meant.
"He's an engineer working on the Master of Stars' aft propulsion system. I'm Kieu Lan, and this is my brother Kieu Si."
The girls eyes grew wide when Kay and Rin shoved the door hard. With a grind of frozen gears being stressed, the door opened and you could see the scene. It was a room like many others, with scattered barrels and boxes stacked along the floor. The left wall of the room had a closed door, and was the only other exit from this room. The barrels and boxes appear to be in disarray.
"We always sneak away from the day care area. Ms. Fitch doesn't mind as long as we aren't too obvious about it and don't break anything or play where it isn't safe. We came up here a few days ago and found Blue. He was a lot of fun to play with, but he's always hungry and very curious. I'm sure he didn't mean to mess up the power cables. We were just playing around and all of a sudden the lights went out."
"When they came back on and we heard you coming, we locked Blue in the other room and set a trap. If you step on that plate by the door you'll get hit with a fire extinguisher. We didn't know you'd be nice and all. And we wanted to keep Blue safe. You won't hurt him, will you?"
"I dunno, he's just funny. He can crawl all over the place and get real flat and stuff. He's got lots of legs like a centipede, but they're all round and poofy like a balloon. That's why we called him Blue...like a balloon. We never saw any teeth, so I dunno about that."
"If you promise to not hurt Blue, we can get back to where the other kids are. We just got scared when the lights went out and we couldn't get the door open."
Kieu Lan held her brother's hand and they slipped past you to where the lifts were. A minute or so later and they were on their way (hopefully) back to where the other kids were.
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When the children have left, Kat turns to the professor. "Thank you, Professor. As I mentioned, I am unfamiliar with dealing with children, having never been one. Also, the establishments I frequented before joining the Starfinders had a... minimum age. I can't comprehend their actions, especially playing with some kind of mysterious creature."
Knowing that the trap is there, Kat5e was able to easily disarm it. After all, it was put together by a couple of kids. Entering the next room, Kat5e sees a large area that consists of two adjoining chambers. The room she entered has four large containment capsules, three of which hold objects in stasis-locked storage. The fourth capsule is empty. A pool of stasis fluid on the floor directs Kat5e's attention to a large crack in the fourth capsule, with a foot-wide hole in the vessel near the bottom. The farther room looks to contain several desks, each with a computer terminal on it.
You see small footprints leading from the pool of fluid on the floor over to the far wall. A small chittering noise draws your attention to the far room where a cobalt-blue creature looking like a 2-foot long centipede with bulbous pseudopods for legs hung on a wall near another control panel.
As Pon moved up, he must have startled the creature. It wedged itself under the panel, which popped off with a shower of sparks. Suddenly, you all felt heavier as the artificial gravity on the deck increased almost painfully.
With a lightning-swift motion the creature popped out from behind another wall panel and scurried to a floor vent and smashed through, squashing its jelly-like body into the small space. In moments you could hear it skittering around in the ducts.
You know if it is in the air ducts, you only have moments before it disappears into the rest of the ship and your chance to isolate and catch it will be gone!
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Freen, get into those ducts. Kat, find another access point and cut it off. Rin, I want you to help me find a bio containment unit. Everyone else help out were you can, although it would be nice if someone could get gravity back to normal Adrion fires these words in rapid succession and gets to work find a bio containment unit.
The air ducts were too small for Pon and Rin managed to get lost in the computer's access system. It was Kat5e who found the means to contain the creature, shutting down the dampers in the air ventilation system for the entire level. Adrion managed to find a "containment unit". It looked like a trash can with a lid taped to it, but he insisted it would work...and it did.
With a few shiny baubles, a jury-rigged box trap, and some amazingly enticing comments by Adrion and Pon, you manage to convince Blue to crawl into the trash can, which Seren closes with a snap. There is a furious thudding on the side of the crate, and then you can hear two of the metallic baubles clinking together. You have successfully contained the alien creature!
Lan and Si look at you disapprovingly as you come out of the lift with Blue in that trash can, but they cheer up again as Adrion gets their father on the comms. He asks you to take them back down to the day care area, where he will meet you. There is also a stern remark for the kids that if they strayed again, he would leave them downside with their aunt again. Both kids looked vaguely upset at this fact.
You march the kids, and your captured alien back down to a converted cargo hold, where you see Fitch directing the repairs and children at the same time, holding at least 3 conversations simultaneously while trying to reassemble something that looked like a burnt out power converter.
""Hey, you caught the alien. Great job making first contact, and all that. I take it the area is secure now? I can send the engineers in to put things back aright? FENSIT, PUT DOWN THAT AUTOMATIC CABLE TIE GUN! IT IS NOT A TOY! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU ALREADY USED IT ON YOUR SISTER'S TAIL?"
"Damn kids. Look, I've got to go. Leave the alien in the room over there and I'll have the exo-experts come and pick it up for study. Here's a bonus for a job well done. Now, get out of here. I've got a lot of work still to oversee. and have Guidance send up another kid herder. These monsters ran the last one off and I don't have time to ..."
The ysoki broke off as she handed you a credstick and headed back into her command center, holding at least two separate conversations on her comm unit, and yelling admonishments at the kids in the other room.
As you prepare to board the shuttle back to Absalom station, a harried-looking human man comes jogging into the departure area. He is breathing heavily, but says in between pants, "Name's Kieu Kein. You saved my kids, and I have something for you. Thank you." He handed you a ring on a chain, then waved and jogged off.
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The shuttle ride back to Absalom Station was smooth, as was the cab ride to the Lorespire. When you arrived in the office of Guidance, the android receptionist motioned you straight in. Guidance appeared to you once more - this time as a wizened male korasha lashunta - and congratulated you on your successful missions.
"In the aftermath of the Scoured Suns incident, the Starfinder Society needs skilled agents more than ever. We see great potential in the six of you, and look forward to following your careers in the years to come. Congratulations, Starfinders!"