All Hands on Deck!
Don't worry, the skittermanders are here to help!
Another successful salvage operation! You’ve just returned from an abandoned mining asteroid, and its spoils fill the cargo hold of your vessel, the Helping Hand—your very own ship! You’re still so proud of it and of the fact that your boss Nakonechkin trusts you enough to send you on lone missions.
You've been in the Drift for a little more than two days since you left the asteroid when an alert on your ship’s sensors lets you know that another vessel is approaching. You all gather on the bridge as a communication channel opens from the incoming starship. The view screen lights up with the image of a scarred, angry human woman.
“Attention, filthy vermin,” she sneers. “Prepare to be boarded by the crew of the Nova Warlock. We will take your cargo, destroy your power core, and leave you to float aimlessly through space until you die from hunger, thirst, freezing temperatures, or lack of oxygen. Whichever. It really doesn’t matter to me, as long as you die slowly and painfully.”
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Nik-a-Nik's eyes grow wide.
Oh no! It sounds like she is having a really bad day (or just got up on the wrong side of the bed).
He then smiles.
"You sound testy! Maybe you need to relax? I run a course on helping those in high-stress jobs to relieve their tension, and I should have some lovely .wav files around somewhere filled with soothing music..."
Nako recalls the bluster and force Nakonechkin responded to such commands from other angry captains. With one pair of hands crossed, another on her hips, and last set gesticulating at the woman on the screen she declares, "Bold words. I respect that sort of strength, but I agree with Nik-a-Nik, you should find something more relaxing to set aside with. I could play you a nice calming melody if you like. You can't take this ship as all the contents belong to our Nakonechkin, captain of the Clutch. He would also be very disappointed for us to be launched into space; was very clear last time he found us cleaning the outside of the ship when he took a nap."
"And I must add that as the on-board physician, our hygiene is most tip-top. There is nothing filthy about the Helping Hand. Perhaps you have the wrong ship, yes-yes? You are looking for someone else, and happened to find us instead! Perhaps we can help you find the ones you are looking for?"
"RELAX!? RELAX!? WRONG SHIP!? You don’t remember my brother, Abram Silazi,
captain of the Nova Witch? You humiliated him! It was a bunch of you that STOLE his rightful salvage only a year ago! While piloting a luxury cruise liner! I could not let such a slight stand, so I tracked you down. It wasn’t easy, but I'm here to avenge my brother!”
"Wait, your brother was the rude captain of that other ship that tried to attack the Emerald Empyrean after we rescued everybody? I thought that pirate's name was Sleazy. Didn't you say it was Sleazy, Nako? Yes, I am sure that was it, I remember it quite clearly. He hailed us, said his name was Sleazy, and that we were to surrender the cruse liner. We said we wouldn't He said he'd make us pay, and then he went and buggered off. Yes, that was most not-nice. And, if I remember, he was not very competent. You should be looking for him to train him to be a better pilot. Who ever heard of a pirate being chased off by a starliner?"
"Well MY name is Captain Anga Silazi. Let that name ring in your fuzzy ears, for it is the name of your downfall!”
Having taken a second to get the comms channel in the engineering that she'd been tinkering wit back together, Quonx gives a small cry into the tranciever. "Please don't touch the power core! I just got the thing running off a half-Thasteron mix and am not sure if it won't just blow up if you touch it incorrectly!" She takes a moment to listen to the conversation going on back and forth between the four others. "Wait was this that time last year with the cruise liner? I forgot most of that actually! But the name Sleazy rings a bell..."
"Well MY name is Captain Anga Silazi. Let that name ring in your fuzzy ears, for it is the name of your downfall!”
"Ohhh you're a Sleazy, too right? Well NuFriend Sleazy, I could augment your power core with my Quantum Reality Spanner, I've nearly got it working, and help speed up your ship! Though you can't touch my precious baby, our power core, if I do! Well, you'll have to promise to be real careful first."
"I'm sure I heard him say Sleazy Dakoyo. Maybe he changed his name?" Nako waggles one of her fingers at Captain Silazi. "Boss was there first for the salvage. He is very good at that. We found the people and were were already to help them. Sorry your brother got there too slow, but we aren't going to stop helping people just because we get a few guns pointed at us, thrown in a cage, launched into space, or fight spooky things I didn't even have a chance to name."
"I'm sure though we could get you a whole new power core. One that would help you a lot in doing less angry salvaging and more helpful salvaging!"
The Captain on the screen looks like she is set to burst a vessel with you all Let you HELP ME?! Not a chance! Prepare to die!”
She seems super mad now.
Quonx shakes her head, "We'd also be willing to help you help yourself too! But I don't think we can go about dying right now! Too many people to help, things to invent and we really don't want to enrage Nakonechkin. I just feel like he'd not be happy we died on him."
The unsolicited offer of some 'life coaching' is the final straw, the Nova Warlock starts bringing weapons to bear and it looks like things are about to get rather spicy!
The Helping Hand’s sensors begin to screech wildly as a swirling cloud of multicolored energy suddenly surrounds both ships. There is a vertigo-inducing wrenching sensation as your vessel is teleported somewhere, the strange but familiar backdrop of Drift space replaced with an unknown configuration of stars. However, alarms are still blaring, signifying total engine failure and countless other problems.
To make matters worse, the computers indicate that the Helping Hand is high above an unidentified planet and plummeting rapidly.
Nako tumbles across the ground as space twists and shifts around her. He is back on her feet quickly trying to help the others into their stations. "What sort of attack was that? Her brother would have done much better if he did that when we first met!"
Quonx gives a small gurble as reality shifts around her. She quickly pulls out her quantum reality spanner and gives it a good look before sighing. "Dangit that wasn't my spanner." She glances at Nako, commenting, "You think it was NuFriend Sleazy? Dang I wonder what technology they used to do this!"
Fianlly catching notice of the blaring alarms, Quonx climbs back into the computers seat and presses a few buttons at random before hitting the big shiny red one.
Nik-a-Nik engages in some #topqualityhelping
Quonx examines the readouts and immediately sees that the Nova Warlock is missing, but the Helping Hand’s mass and dimensions have increased twofold, further, the plucky Skittermander realizes the two vessels are fused together, most likely by the energy cloud that brought the ships to the Material Plane.
Looking at the readouts also reveals a dozen additional life-forms aboard the Helping Hand — most likely the space pirate crew, and they’re headed toward the
ship’s cargo hold!
The readouts also tell you that the Helping Hand’s engines are badly damaged and the ship will imminently crash into the planet below.
Luckily, your crew salvaged a zero-g mining vehicle that, if ejected from the cargo hold, could withstand reentry and impact. The cargo hold is just a short distance away from the Helping Hand’s bridge, but the space pirates are racing that way, so there’s little time to waste!
"Nakonechkin is not going to be happy about this! But, friend-skitters, I think it is time to get to the mining vehicle! Ibra provides, and we would be rather ungrateful to ignore its provision. To the crgo hold!"
Dakoyo grabbed his battle staff and made sure his stethoscope was around his neck before racing off towards the cargo hold with the others.
"You are right, he isn't going to be happy. No time for me to stumble, lets get to the cargo bay. We can at least get ourselves and that back to boss!"
Nako grabs her blaathhorn and follows Dakoyo into the cargo hold.
Nako gets her knife and summons doshko to hand as she moves in front of the door. "I don't think they are going to want share room in the vehicle. Nakonechkin would be really let down if that happened so lets make sure to get in their first."
The Helping Hand’s bumpy return to the Material Plane has thrown the cargo hold into disarray. Crates—some cracked open and spilling their contents across the floor—have been flung out of the cargo webbing and are scattered everywhere. A small vehicle festooned with claws and drills sits on a quartet of thruster nozzles near the airlock door.
You all see three space pirates who seem really un-nufriendly.
Dakoyo
NikaNik
Nako
Quonx
PIRATES!
[R1]
Nako
PIRATES!
Nako rushes forward with incredible energy as soon as she see the weapons pointed at her. "Hey! You need to not be pointing weapons at me on our ship! This is boss's stuff and you need to ask permission first!"
At the end of her run she puts all the momentum she had gathered from her run into a powerful overhead swing of her doshko into the nearest pirate.
Quonx pulls out her azimuth laser rifle that has clearly seen some customization work in oone hand and her quantum reality spanner in the other and trundles through the door. She gives a pause as the pirates swing into view.
"Oi! I swear if you shoot the power conduits or worse the pase matter loader unloader I'll have you pay for the repairs!"
Nako hurtles in and thwacks the pirate in the yellow jacket with a bonecrunching hit!
Red bandana pirate moves into position and shoots at Nako.
Attack
Damage vs EAC
Yellowjacket the pirate steps back and shoots at him with a pistol!
Attack
Damage vs EAC
Meanwhile, Orange pants pirate lobs a grenade
Attack vs DC5
Damage DC10 Ref for half.
[R1]
Nikanik
Dako
Quonx
Dakoyo dodged the worst of the grenade blast and then moved into the hangar. concentrting, he focuses his will on the one that had thrown the grenade, then released it in a spike of psychic energy that blasted into the pirate's mind.
Will
Nikanik rushes the room, and Dako gives orange pants a bit of gentle mind-probing. Unfortunately orange pants is the strong-willed type...
O 6
Quonx avoids the blast with easy, more worried that the people in the hangar would ruin her Matter loader/unloader than herself. She strides into the room and seeing no apparent targets, slides behind a barricade ready to shoot whoever prsents themselves.
Quonx gets into the room too - ready to help!
[R2]
Nako
PIRATES!
Nako takes the shots and pushes forward toward yellow jacket. "Those are some pretty good shots, but I can take it! Good job everyone dodging that grenade everyone!"
She whirls about and hammers down on the yellow jacket again with her doshko.
The yellow banana pirate gets thwacked again - and flat out stops participating in this whole 'combat' thing on the grounds of no longer being able to.
His two friends are a touch cross about this, and start shooting at Nako who they believe has created 'a bit of an upset'.
Attack vs KAC
Damage
Attack vs KAC
Damage
They then pull back!
[R2]
Nikanik
Dako
Quonx
R
O 6
Y Cactus
Dakoyo moved further into the area, bringing up his needler pistol and firing at the pirate to his right.
Quonx peers around the side of the box and starts her combat tracking on Orange pants. With her long rifle in hand she takes careful aim and tries to singe his orange pants in a non-leathal spot.
Nako looks with a bit of hesitation for the unfriend on the ground but with lasers still bearing down on her armor it only lasts for a moment. She rushes across the ground to get around to orange pants.
"You guys are solid shots! You are making me give all-six to keep up!"
NikaNik starts blatting away harrying the pirate!
Dako gets an accurate shot in, Quonx fires wide.
Nako does a dash and gets right up in the grill of Orage pants.
**
Orange pants steps back and tries shooting Nako!
Attack vs KAC
Damage
Red jacket chases Nako and tries shooting her in the back!
Attack vs KAC
Damage
R 3
O 6
Y Cactus
Dakoyo continued firing at his target, closing the distance to get within the needle pistol's accurate range.
Quonx fires again, hoping to take down not-so-friendly-orange-nufriend.
Nako doesn't let orange pants get to far as she closes the distance even as he lands another shot on her. "I rather not fight like this. Wouldn't you want to listen to some music? I have been listening to vesk opera. A bit loud, but a lot of people like it! Maybe you would as well?
Even as she tries to talk down the pirate she focuses her attacks and keeps them pushing the unfriendly nufriend into a corner.
NikaNik sprays some harrying fire.
Dako shoots Red jacket!
Quonx takes advantage of the harrying fire and shoots Orange pants!
Nako then smacks Orange pants into next week.
Red then runs back and shoots at Dako!
Attack Vs KAC
Damage
R 6
O Cactus
Y Cactus
"You are very persistent! That is a really good trait! Now you should stop before I need to hit you." Nako runs to the opposite end of the room starting to get to the fight with the remaining pirate.
Nako hoofs it to the staccato sound of gunfire - but the shots are too far away to worry the pirate!
Dakoyo stepped around the crates to get a better shot at the remaining pirate. The sound of the hull buckling around the fused ships threw him off, though, and the dart shattered on the deck at the pirate's feet.
"The ships are breaking up. We need to get to the shuttle fast-fast!"
Dako has no luck...