Gameplay thread. We'll kick off shortly.
It began as a dull day aboard the Clutch, Nakonechkin Salvage’s only ship and your home for the past year or so. Your boss, the vesk Nakonechkin, brought the ship out of Pact Words space and into some of the void beyond, looking for derelict space stations or the remains of forgotten starship battles to pick through.
Suddenly, with a buzzing chime, the ship’s computers registered a starship drifting in the region. Nakonechkin rushed to the captain’s console and initiated a scan. An image of the target ship appeared on screen: a large, ornate green starship with brass accents. It looked abandoned and ill-suited to be so far from the Pact Worlds.
Nakonechkin quickly pulled on his space suit and grabbed a set of all-purpose tools. This looks like an easy enough job. You lot stay here and keep an eye on the Clutch. Try not to ‘repair’ anything while I’m away. I should be back in a couple of nanoseconds. He nodded curtly and cycled the airlock to float over to the derelict ship.
Two hours have passed since Nakonechkin departed, and he isn’t responding to your communications. Something must have gone terribly wrong—and Nakonechkin might need help!
"GREE! Big Nako will help little Nakonechkin!"
There is a computer on board equipped with short range ship scanners.
"Nakonechkin can usually handle himself. Maybe there is something else there. Let me scan the ship and see." Quonx's fingers flutter over the console for a second
"And...
A bit late, or as Gazigaz likes to say: fashionably late, Gazigaz comes to the deck.
"Sorry for that, needed to get my fur in order. Where this Nakonechkin-bear went?"
He looks on the ship and his face shines with a smile and throws a lot of words in a short duration of time:
[b]"Are there any nufriends on that ship? Quonx what did computer say?
Nako go and fetch some gifts, nufriends love them. Oh let me help you Quonx."
With that Gazigaz rushes towards Quonx and starts clicking Enter to speed things up.
You know very well that Gazigaz is an expert in many things, but computers are not one of them.
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When Nakonechkin pulled on his space suit, Nako was busy doing her daily calisthenics, but still called out:
"Wait, First Mate Nako will accompany Nakonechkin on the salvage mission, gree?!"
Nakonechkin just cycled the airlock to float over to the derelict, saying it would be fine.
Nako finished her work out, and then put her armor back on, and gathered her gear:
"How will Nakonechkin manage without Nako? Normally Nako accompanies him. Nakonechkin should have waited for experienced First Mate to go with, gree?"
As the time goes by--
"Nako for Nakonechkin, come in. Nako for Nakonechkin, come in!"
--without any response to our communications, Nako is getting more and more nervous.
She pulled her set of mvindee fingerdrums around her upper arm, and starts striking the drums to try to relieve her stress, but is only banging them faster and faster... not soothing at all!
When Quonx starts scanning, Nako skitters over:
"No, no, no, Nakonechkin cannot usually handle himself. It is always fine because Nako goes along!"
Nako peers over Quonx's shoulder... and then, when Gazigaz rushes over and starts clicking Enter, Nako nods, and starts clicking Enter as well:
"Like this, to help, gree?"
The vessel’s transponder identifies it as the Emerald Empyrean, a pleasure barge owned by a Vercite company called Trendsetter Excursions. The only ways to enter the ship are through two airlock doors, one on the port side near the aft and one on the starboard side near the fore. The forward airlock is completely sealed shut, but the aft airlock could be
forced open.
The Emerald Empyrean is a modified heavy freighter with a forward-facing heavy weapon and a small turret weapon, but plenty of room for passengers and recreational activities. Though its thrusters are active, they are currently idle, and the ship has enough power to provide artificial gravity, interior lighting, and life support.
Further scans reveal over a dozen life signs aboard the ship, which Nakonechkin missed on his initial scans. Most of these life signs are concentrated in an area in the ship’s aft, on the starboard side. Nakonechkin’s life signs are visible, but the vesk is currently in a semi-conscious state and his location cannot be pinpointed. An additional anomalous energy signature is detected in the ship’s center.
Smug Gazigaz, that Nako and his actions helped get the results from the computer, wonders
"Hmm, I don't understand. Nakonechkin should have welcomed those nufriends and offer them help. I am certain it is a misunderstanding. We should go there and meet those nufriends, and see what has happened to Nakonechkin. Quons take some tools with you, their ship might need our help."
Saying that Gazigaz is stroking his beard.
"We need to dress properly, gree? The first impression is crucial when meeting nufriends! I am so excited!"
He walks away and heads towards his quarters to dress up, brush his fur and later on heads towards the airlock.
"No, no, no, no, no. Stop it!" Quonx says using her lower 4 arms to slap away the others. "Nako. Last time you started messing around like that you got us shot by a space bug. Leave my console alone."
Glancing at the results, she says "You are right Gazigaz, Nakonechkin probably needs help with all those nufriends. he only has two arms after all."
Getting in her space suit and grabbing her gear. "I'm ready when you are." She says rushing toward the airlock.
"Oh dear. Do you think Nakonechkin is broken? Is his fluid leaking out from his head? Is his leg trapped and crushed under debris? Oh dear, oh dear." Dakoyo rubs his hands in worry imagining the worst that could have occured with his employer.
Dakoyo quickly gathers up all his vials and serums, and of course his stethoscope. "Quick, quick, we need to move quick!"
Batted away by Quonx, Nako frowns, and wonders if smashing her doskho into the console would solve things.
She mutters: "Space bug, space bug... that was an adventure!"
Nako closes the environmental seal on her armor, and moves to the airlock:
"So, we are going to be entering near where all these life signs are detected?
And, is there any way of detecting what that anomalous energy signature is?
It would be good to know, gree?
You scanners cannot determine what the anomalous energy signature is. You might just have to go investigate yourself. Besides all of those nufriends might need help, gree?
"Gree!"
Smoothing his beard "Gree!"
"Gree?" Dakoyo looks around in confusion standing by the airlock.
Nako pushes Dakoyo into the airlock, rushing in after him.
"GREE!!!
Once all are in, Nako gets the cycle going, so all the crew can move over to the maybe not so derelict.
Gazigaz floats in the space saying:
"Can you see my new drift cape? Have I told you that it was designed and made by famous Atargatis Lagyune? Apparently, most parts were sewed by cheap Ysokis workforce on Akiton, but Atargatis has supervised the whole process and made few corrections himself! It looks so great in the vast space."
After looking away from his clothing he fixes his sight at the ship:
"Wow, that is one drift ship. Recently I read an article analyzing personality type based on the kind of ship that one is flying. Such long and sleek hull indicates friendliness of the crew. Large recreational area indicates that they like to host guests. We are going to befriend those nufriends!"
Obviously, Gazigaz is very excited by this encounter.
"Sleek, huh, what? Oh, maybe. But think about the new computers and electronics I could tinker with." Quonx says with a dreamy grin, then thinks about what she said. "I mean WE can tinker with."
The airlock on the Clutch is open. You look across and see that the Emerald Empyrean is only a few hundred feet away. You could easily float from your ship to the other in just a few minutes.
A large golden rocket blasting out of a glass of sparkling wine adorns the side of the ship marking the air lock of the cruise ship. Beside the hatch is a small access panel.
"That IS a nice cape, Gazigaz, gree! Even if it not very practical for adventuring."
Nako pushes off towards the Emerald Empyrean.
Nako floats out into space in the direction of the Emerald Empyrean.
Pushing off towards the Airlock eyes on the Wine glass. "Wait for me." Floating off she says "You think Nakonechkin will let us decorate the Clutch like that?"
Like a small, 8 limbed rocket Quonx follows Nako into the expanse between the two vessels.
Knowing that it is important to "swim" over, Nako has her legs kick up and down, but uses her three sets of arms to perform, at the same time, crawl movements, breaststroke ones, and the butterfly stroke... the Castrovelian butterfly stroke, of course.
Perspiration fogs her armor's view plate ever so slightly.
Gazigaz starts swimming using front crawl towards Emerald Empyrean. His legs are almost not moving so he tries to compensate that with his 6 arms.
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Once Dakoyo steps out into the void, his eyes practically start to glaze over and he stares in wonderment at the pinprick of stars spread across the void.
"Oooh... Look at that group of stars and galaxies. It is known as the Big Bucket. Legend has it that Ibra put that arrangements of stars to teach early civilisations how to create vessels to collect water so that they don't have to camp out at water sources. Imagine if it wasn't there, we might never have travelled to the stars!"
Eventually, the large ship drifts into his sight, and he remembers his mission. "Oh oh, we need to save Nakonechkin! Quick, quick!"
All four of you are drifting between the two vessels. AS you float doing your various swimming strokes to propel yourselves along you begin to see small rocks shooting through the area as well. This is a small micrometeoroid storm that is coming through.
"Look out!!" Quonx yells as she attempts to swivel around the tiny rocks.
Narrowly avoiding the rocks she says "Do it just like a graceful dancer like I did."
Quonx avoids the shower of pebbles and arrives at the ship's access hatch.
Dakoyo, with his head in the stars, does not notice the asteroids until it is too late and is pummeled repeatedly as he cowers. "OW!"
A little battered and bruised Dakoyo joins Quonx at the ship access panel.
Nako is moving along, and out of the corner of her eye she spots something that seems to be coming straight at her.
Just as she is about to change course and avoid the collision, she hears Quonx calling out--
--Nako turns to stare at Quonx, wondering what she going on about... and is battered by some small micrometeoroid storm.
"Ouch!"
She mutters to herself: That was stupid, gree?
Then, seeing Dakoyo getting hit too, Nako calls out: "Careful! You have to be more careful, Dakoyo! You must learn to... to... just like a graceful dancer!"
Nako tries to swim up to the ships' access panel.
Nako makes it to the access hatch with a couple of small pebbles having bounced off her head and shoulders.
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Gazigaz keeps swimming through the vast space and suddenly you can see that he is terrified and yells:
"Not in the cape, just not in the cape!"
With that Envoy uses his 4 hands to capture the cape and hide it by pulling it close to his body. At the same time, he uses hir remaining to arms to try to dodge the incoming pebbles.
"Ouch!"
All 4 of you are on the outside of the Emerald Empyrean. You are at the large company logo on the access hatch. Beside it is a small access panel that operates the door, presumably.
Nako points to the access and waits for it to open.
"Okie dokie" Quonx says as she works on the panel. "You all really should learn this stuff you know. What happens if I got taken out but a flying rock? You all would be stuck out here."
Quonx works for the briefest of moments and the access hatch opens to the Emerald Empyrean.
"I pointed my finger... and then you could open it!
So, let us enter."
Nako looks around--
--with a keen eye!
And then enters.
Gazigaz enters the ship and fixes his cloth.
"Oh dear, that was a bit rough. Fortunately, my cape is ok. I could use a bit of rest, gree?"
Gazigaz comments while looking around.
"Gree!
But... out here, or at least get inside the vessel?
Id feel safer where no rocks hit you on the head."
"Gree! Inside is better than outside!"
"No, no, Quonx. If you're taken out, I'll make sure to bring you back!"
Dakoyo steps in gingerly, eyes wide open. "Nakonechkin?"
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You are in the airlock.
"Airlocks are nice places to rest, gree?"
Nako is ready to take a rest here--
Gazigaz enters the airlock and looks around, very quickly his attention turns towards the cape "The cape is all right!"
After that, he finds a spot next to a wall, sits on the ground and starts brushing his beard, very quickly he falls asleep and starts snoring.
"We're not going after Nakonechkin? What if ... what if he's hurt?" But Dakoyo is not so brave to go off on his own, so he settles down in the airlock to rest. Soon his attention is captured by the stars outside the porthole.
Pacing back a forth eager to do something. Quonx suddenly gets an idea. "Maybe there are camera's or something we can see whats here Gree?"
Looking for a computer panel to bring up security cameras or logs for more information.