"Alright friends, everyone on the yellow bot! Almost to Nakoneckin!"
Swinging at the yellow robot, Nako shouts out "We aren't pets!"
Gazigaz shoots and misses but Nako swings and hits solidly making the Yellow bot non-functional.
Attention passengers, this is M2, your ship’s artificial intelligence. Scans indicate that a handful of pets have escaped their cages and are running loose. If you spot one of these errant animals, please contact the nearest porter robot. Thank you.
"We're not pets!"
Gazigaz moves into the room and takes a look around...
...but probably does see much so moves to the next door instead.
"We need to show M2 we're not pets so they can be a nufriend too! Let's go!"
Gazigaz approaches the door and it opens automatically. Beyond it he finds a clean, and empty corridor.
Gazigaz pokes his head back into the room "Come on! There's a hall and some doors. No Nakonehkin though..."
The skittermander then hops down the hall to the southern door and waits for his friends.
Dakoyo followed the others into the hallway, making sure his symbol of Ibra is prominently shown.
"Pets, hah! We'll show them we are not pets. Nope, nope. Pets do not follow the way of Ibra! Nakonechkin! tell them we are your partners, not your pets! Just because we are small and furry does not make us pets!"
Nako will follow along with the others to the southern door, deactivating and putting away her flame doshko as she goes. Once everyone is ready to go on, and assuming nobody disagrees, she will open the door.
Nako moves to the door and it doesn't open. Something seems to be stopping it from opening.
Smooth wooden flooring and paneled walls give this chamber an air of elegance that is immediately countered by the obvious mess and rank smell of body odor and other foulness. In the aft part of the room is a bar made from real mahogany. In front of the bar are several stools and behind it is the nonfunctioning husk of a bartender robot and an unmarked door. Half a dozen tables and accompanying chairs are pushed against the forward wall to make room for makeshift cots.
Around this room are a dozen individuals. A female damaya lashunta with flowing orange hair, an elderly male human, a young female human socialite, two middle-aged male human vidgamers, two fastidious shirrens from Absalom Station (both female), a female kasatha with a cybernetic arm, a drunk male ysoki, a matronly female vesk, a melancholy agender android, and a male bleachling gnome.
As the doors open several of them reach for weapons.
"The peace of Ibra be with you, brothers and sisters. We have no wish to harm anyone, but neither do we wish to be harmed. Tell me, is there none among you who would be our nufriends?"
Those within the room still seem on edge and still hold their weapons at thee ready.
Dakoyo watched as Quonx used the tried and true method of communicating with the old, stupid, and foriegn - he talked louder and slower. The priest didn't think that was going to work in this instance.
"Does anyone here follow the ways of Ibra, yes yes? The goddess of the infinite universe welcomes all, and all are welcome to chat with me about her. well, I say goddess, but in reality - does that even apply here? - Ibra is a vast, formless entity that manifests everywhere, and in everything. The best part about Ibra is that her followers get to ask questions! I have a question, have any of you seen a vesk about three of me tall with a yellow-and-green pattern on his scales and a crest like this?"
Dakoyo made a weird gesture with two of his fore-hands, looking very little like Nakonechkin's actual crest.
"Nufriends! As my friends have said, we come only in peace! We look only for our friend and to make nufriends, such as yourselves! We are not the pets the robots in the hall make us to be, we are skittermanders and here to help!"
Gazigaz steps next to Dakoyo, making a peace symbol in one of his high-arm hands, a thumbs up with the other. He reaches out with his mid arms, setting his lower ones to his hips.
Dakoyo and Gazigaz between them convince the occupants of this chamber to lower their weapons and put them down. You have a conversation with them and they tel you the story leading up to this.
Recently, Trendsetter Excursions attempted a bold, but ultimately doomed, experiment by outfitting one of their most popular vessels, the Emerald Empyrean, with a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence. The AI was granted control over every aspect of the trip (including all of the vessel’s onboard computers and robots), allowing for only a skeleton crew to keep things running smoothly. Unfortunately, this AI, named M2, developed a major glitch on its first voyage. Due to an unprecedented math error in its programming, M2 decided that the ship’s intended destination would not be relaxing enough for its passengers and rerouted the Emerald Empyrean to a section of empty space outside of the Pact Worlds system.
When the crew realized something was wrong, it was already too late. M2 had already maneuvered the Emerald Empyrean out of the Pact Worlds and into Near Space, where it would take days for help to arrive. In the meantime, the AI grew increasingly erratic, shutting down portions of the ship and slipping sedatives into the food to keep the passengers “relaxed.” The AI even directly attacked those crew members who attempted to repair her computer core. The Emerald Empyrean’s dozen guests grew desperate as they were unable to trust the very mechanisms that were designed to keep them comfortable. The passengers eventually barricaded themselves in the ship’s bar and restaurant and have survived on alcohol and self-preparing meals for over a week.
"Nufriends, that is horrible! You must let us help. We can repair the ship and must get you safe! You can come to our ship, The Clutch! Its over there...."
Gazigaz spins and points allsix in the direction of the airlock. "You have to make a jump but if we get everyone suited up its safe, that's how we got here! Come we will show you." He reaches out to the nearest passenger and starts trying to usher them out the door and down the hall toward the airlock. As he does so he adds "Have you seen our boss vesk, Nakonechkin? He came here and now we can't find him."
The passengers come with you, although they are a bit jumpy as they move through the ship. You get them safely over to the Clutch.
As you move them you talk and none of them have seen Nakonechkin.
"Stay safe here nufriends, we'll be back soon!"
Gagigaz gets the passengers set up and then get's back across to the Emerald Empyrean.
Poking is head back into the room to make sure no one got left behind, he notices the door at the back "Let's check this one too, then we'll get the one across the hall!"
Gazigaz pokes his head in through the door at the back of the room where the passengers had sheltered. This is a galley. It has a few self preparing meals left in it, but the supply is clearly quite depleted.
The door opens as Gazigaz approaches it. Wooden panels line the walls of this cozy room, and an
emerald green carpet covers the floor. Two wooden tables, each adorned with a deck of shiny playing cards, are surrounded with comfortable chairs. Two digital dart boards hang on the forward wall in the other corner. A holo-billiards table, its holographic balls glowing serenely, occupies one of the aft corners. A closed cabinet stands in the final corner of the room.
"Ooooooh" Gazigaz stops at the door and takes it all in.
When Quonx opens the cabinet, he skitters across the room and looks in "So much stuff Oh! That one looks drift!" Gazigaz reaches over Quonx's shoulder and grabs a dart. "Doesn't this one look shiny!? Aww, no core and no boss! He must be somewhere else!"
Seeing nothing else that relates to their boss or nufriends, he makes for the hallway "Next door, friends!"
Nako will keep watch while the others search the other room. When Gazigaz moves up to the door leading further into the ship, she will move up next to him. Once everyone else is ready to move on, she will attempt to open the door.
The circular chamber contains two rows of reclining seats curving around a central space. The ceiling appears to be made from a dome of transparent aluminum, but panels covering the outside of the dome block the view. Four pedestals, each topped with a large chunk of onyx, are evenly spaced around the outside of the room. Doors lead forward and aft.
The inside is dark.
Six small shadowy creatures crawl around the room on a multitude of legs.
As you enter they become alert.
Combat Round 1 - Bold May Act
Gazigaz
Enemies
Quonx
Nako
Dakoyo
"I'm not sure you're the nufriends we're looking for..."
"Friends, get ready, here they come!" Gazigaz steps behind Nako and readies his pistol to fire at the first one to approach.
Gazigaz takes a shot at Pink as it approaches, but his shot is rushed and his aim is not quite on.
The enemies advance on the open door and the group.
Combat Round 1 - Bold May Act
Enemies
Gazigaz
Quonx
Nako
Dakoyo
Dakoyo sent forth a message to the nearest of the creatures, hoping it would understand the common tongue and be willing to discuss instead of fight.
Hello neighbor creature. We are looking for our friend, a tall vesk. Have you seen him? Also, please stop attacking us and I will tell my friends not to attack-attack you!
There is no reaction to Dakoyo's message at all. The creatures still look aggressive.
"Friends, I don't think that these have any wish to become nufriends." That said, Nako rushes into the room, drawing her doshko as she goes. Bypassing the nearest creature, she goes up and attacks the next one into the room.
Quonx shoots at Pink since it i closest.
Quonx shoots and misses.
The shadowy creatures stop at the door.
Combat Round 2 - Bold May Act
Enemies
Gazigaz
Quonx
Nako
Dakoyo
"Ack, not nufriends for sure! Let's get that one!" Gazigaz points at the red beast and fires.
Gazigaz fires at Red and hits, shadowy tendrils burst from the site of the impact. Quonz follows up with a grenade dissipating red and damaging the others.
Combat Round 2 - Bold May Act
Enemies (Pink, Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow)
Gazigaz
Quonx
Nako
Dakoyo
Dakoyo didn't hesitate to bring his needler to bear on the lead shadow creeper once his friendly overtures were done.
Dakoyo's needler hits the Pink enemy and it dissipates.
Stepping up to the next creature, Nako swings her Doshko at it.
Nako takes out Yellow with a swing of her doshko.
Green approaches Nako and jump up, snapping shadowy jaws.
Combat Round 3 - Bold May Act
Enemies (Blue, Green, Orange)
Gazigaz
Quonx
Nako -7 (Has AoO)
Dakoyo
Quonx shoots at the extreme left one and her shot sizzles as it strikes the shadowy caterpillar.
Combat Round 3 - Bold May Act
Enemies (Blue -4, Green, Orange)
Gazigaz
Quonx
Nako -7 (Has AoO)
Dakoyo
"Hold one please."
Dakoyo concentrated, opening his third eye and scanning the room in front of him for magical energies.
Swinging her Doshko at the shadowy creature as it approaches, Nako manages to score a good hit. She then steps moves adjacent to the next one, bringing her weapon down at it as well.
Gazigaz steps in to help and points at the green creature! "All on that one!"
Nako cuts down the Green one as it jumps at her. She then swings at Blue and slices it in half also.
Gazigaz shoots and blows Orange into wispy tendrils.
Dakoyo senses an air of mystic energy emanating from the orbs. You feel that a closer examination might give more insight.
Two more shadow creepers pop into existence at the far end of the domed room.
Combat Round 4 - Bold May Act
Enemies
Gazigaz
Quonx
Nako
Dakoyo
"They have nufriends! Where in the drift did they come from?! Get that one!" Gazigaz points and fires at yellow. Surprised by the sudden appearance of more creatures, he shoots the far door instead.