Unity keep up their attack, sparing no more words. They swipe with both forepaws, frustrated at how long this has been going.
"No! Don't touch! We can't!" cries out Mother, who is cowering behind a bookshelf.
The grumpy librarian lifts a trash can and holds it towards Henri, saying nothing, but clearly intending for Henri to drop the book in the trash can. "Would you like to look at another book?" he asks.
☀️
“Don’t be jealous.”
Nissa lights up her fists and gives her evil twin a fiery punch!
While the nano swarm feeds on her fire, Nissa says to Hamel, “Now’s your chance!”
The Entity is churning as it begins to increase its mass again, drawing in Nissa's scrap of heat. Nano-Hamel doesn't need to be told twice. He puts more and more of his mass towards his mouth growing a gigantic maw. Even Nissa is unlikely to recognize that the shape he forms resembles an early video game protagonist named Pacman.
The maw snaps shut around the churning mass and the churning mass of nanites struggles inside of the mouth as Nano-Hamel-Pacman retakes a humanoid shape. He struggles to stand, holding his stomach as the churning mass is digested.
He burps.
The fight is done.
Henri is still able to focus on the virtual world, but is aware of things in the actual world and would know the fight is over.
What now?
Theo swims behind the others to recover.
He turns to Mother. ”The door is passed. What do we need to do now?” He thinks about the mental map she had uploaded to his consciousness, looking for their destination.
Henri continues to watch things that aren't visible and speak to people that aren't in the room with the rest of you. He appears to have something bulky held in both hands and says, "Maybe not this one. I will come back later, thank you," before opening his hands and dropping whatever it was.
He looks directly into a bulkhead and says, "The door is passed. What do we need to do now?"
Theo swims behind the others to recover.
While the floor is wet, most of the water is gone now that you've gained entry.
"How you doin' Theo? That sludge sure smacked ya one or two." Looking around the area. but not walking past Henri, or Nissa's flame trail. "You gettin that telecall too Nissa?"
Nissa replies, “I don’t know how to speak to Mother as Henri does, and I’ve got nanites crawling around inside me!
“Hamel, is there a way to get rid of these things? I feel so… tainted.”
Nissa replies, “I don’t know how to speak to Mother as Henri does, and I’ve got nanites crawling around inside me!
“Hamel, is there a way to get rid of these things? I feel so… tainted.”
"Je ne sais pas," replies Hamel.
Mother shares with Henri a map of the complex. A large room just down the corridor is highlighted. Henri understands it to be the 'library' he was just in. Beyond that room, is another even larger room Henri understands to be Mother.
Nissa groans, “Merci anyway, Hamel. I guess I’ll ask mon père. Il sait everything!” —when he drinks.
She turns to Theo, and makes puppy eyes like a daughter about to butter up her dad because that’s how you get the keys to the Rolls for the weekend—
“Are you okay, Dad?”
—she is actually worried about Theo, given the beating he just took for her. And so whatever she was going to ask, she decides, is not that important right now.
“Henri… can we afford a few minutes to catch our breath? Mother’s waited nearly seven centuries so another ten minutes won’t hurt… unless our attack drew unwanted attention, hence my asking.”
She turns to Theo, and makes puppy eyes like a daughter about to butter up her dad because that’s how you get the keys to the Rolls for the weekend—
“Are you okay, Dad?”
—she is actually worried about Theo, given the beating he just took for her. And so whatever she was going to ask, she decides, is not that important right now.
“Henri… can we afford a few minutes to catch our breath? Mother’s waited nearly seven centuries so another ten minutes won’t hurt… unless our attack drew unwanted attention, hence my asking.”
Theo smiles wearily at his hand-birthed daughter. "I'm okay, Nissa. Really. I just wanted to make sure the nanites were broken before I did this.."
A wave of positive energy radiates from The Olympian, healing his wounds and those nearby.
Henri's eyes focus on the his favorite firefly as he retreats from the virtual world.
"I'm not aware of any threats, but I couldn't see the nanites in the lock until we were looking at it closely, either. There's a room down the hall that Mother is telling me we need to go to next. She says the nanites are within her 'bones' - I think she means her very basic structures. Beyond that... beyond that room is Mother herself, I believe."
"I suspect that next room is where the next batch of nanites plaguing her can be found. She seems to think there is urgency, but going into another fight unprepared is unwise, I think."
Henri does think he can open channels and communicate mentally directly to Nissa and Hamel. The communication functions like telepathy and does not require you to share a language, much like the telepathy the Utopian Communicators use.
Henri tests the theory, sending thoughts to only Nissa and Hamel, ”Mother says the nanites are in her teeth and her bones. Mother, show us where to go.”
Mother does not respond.
Unity consider the situation for a moment.
"Let us be in front," they growl. "Those nanites hardly scratched us with their attack. If we can hold their attention, we can take the attacks much better than the rest of you."
They walk toward the exit to the area. "We'll stand watch while you rest, if you need to."
The hallway is 20 ft. wide. It is likely built to move equipment in, as this size is excessive for humanoid forms.
"mmm. I'll watch the way we came in-if it suddenly pops I can block it. Tho I can block most of tha other passage too~" waviing at the big sealed entry ways.
"Speakin o a big fight. Theo. Ya know how to use a shotgun? Wanna borrow mine? I gots me magic blasts."
Legato also has 21 shells left. Has 4 shots per reload (move action). Theo would add his Level to damage but does not add a stat (unless his class has an effect) (so 1d10+7)
Breach is a special attack vs breaking. Penetrating ignores 4 hardness.
Breaching Gun, Utility
Source Starfinder Armory pg. 43
Level 4; Price 2,350
Hands 2; Proficiency Longarms
Damage 1d10 P; Range 20 ft.; Critical knockdown
Capacity 4 shells; Usage 1
Bulk 1; Special analog, breach, penetrating
Unity return to their true form as they take up their position by the exit to the room.
"Speakin o a big fight. Theo. Ya know how to use a shotgun? Wanna borrow mine? I gots me magic blasts."
"You SURE you don't need it, Leggy?" The Olympian asks, unconvinced.
Legato snaps his finger creating motes around his hands that he compresses into a flat spike, a blade, and then solid looking spheres. "Yeppers. I'm wonderin' how far I can take this new idea." Legato is genuinely happy he's figured out a new method to use his abilities. From their recent stenious activities.
"Lessin ya just don't like guns. Thats fair bud."
"I don't like guns", Theo admits. "But a sword, even as awesome as The Angel Sword, doesn't cut nanites very well."
"Who knows if a truck gun'll do well...Ain't magic on its own-just in my hands. but hey. Options are good ya? " Legato will show Theo the finer points of his old beater shotgun. Where it sticks, how the short stroke happens when one doesn't rack with authority. As well as the care concerning the ejections. "Yep. It pops hard n' hot. Don't let it pelt someone in the eye-or trip 'em up on the floor. I pulled a cartoon and fell on my own shell when I was a munchkin."
"mmm. I'll watch the way we came in-if it suddenly pops I can block it. Tho I can block most of tha other passage too~" waviing at the big sealed entry ways.
"Speakin o a big fight. Theo. Ya know how to use a shotgun? Wanna borrow mine? I gots me magic blasts."** spoiler omitted **
Yes, 20 ft. wide by 20 ft. high by 100 ft. long.
Are you taking a rest in the hallway?
Nothing rushes your rest.
Unity stand guard for the others until they seem recovered.
"If you're all ready now, let's not keep 'Mother' waiting," they say, turning towards the way onward.
Ta-Hashar begins the rest period contemplative, perhaps thinking about how he stood there helpless for the entire minute or so of the fight. Soon he starts making excuses for his cowardice. By the end of the rest, he has convinced himself he was studying the door panel and gotten a better understanding of the neo-Atlantean script used on this structure. This is probably just an excuse as he seemed to be able to read it before.
Time to go? The corridor is carved right into the stone and otherwise featureless. At the end of the corridor is another large door with a security panel beside it. The last one you encountered was infested with nanites.
"Think one of ya'll wifi folks can talk that door into opening..sans monster bits?" waving at the doors, and then at the pile of nanogoop-friendly and his two cohorts.
"'Cause those doors suck."
Unity pad up to the door and sniff cautiously at it, wary for signs of hostile nanites.
If Charles can’t force the door, Nissa offers, “I can get through any molecular structure.” She asks Henri, “Shall I?”
The ice on the pad tells Unity all they need to know. This security pad is infested with nanites as well.
Nissa says, “Same plan. I melt it. I feed it. It feeds Hamel.”
☀️
She lights up her body…
…she kicks the security pad!
The millions of nanites under the ice inside the security pad turn into hundreds of millions of nanites. This time, they don't grow into a mass that you need to fight, at least not yet. Instead, they grow by spreading out from the pad and onto the door in a strange black cursive writing.
Nissa can read it as she has seen it before.
Ta-Hashar translates for the room, "Mother. Must. Die."
The door, so far, remains closed.
☀️
Nissa flutters back from the Nanite lettering.
“Okay… I guess you guys just press buttons and stuff while I watch them.”
Unity listen to the translation. "Maybe we can convince them their old mission is no longer necessary."
They look to the nanites, trusting Ta-Hashar will translate... if they can hear. "Mother, and the civilization she supports, has changed over the course of centuries," they explain. "The people on the surface are like... children, almost. Innocent, for they hardly know how terrible a world can be."
"They're not the people who were so awful that blotting out the sun was a preferable course of action" they plead, hoping they aren't just talking to an unintelligent clump of metal. "They're not guilty of the sins of their creators. They deserve a chance to make their own life here. Not to mention all the plants and animals that never did anything to deserve this."
Nissa attempts to telepathically communicate with the nanites, using the nanites inside her, repeating Unity’s words.
Legato clenches his hand and gently open and blows. Sending magical glittery particles towards Nissa, ac·cen·tu·ating her charisma
Nissa feels a connection with the nanites. The nanites don't make it clear whether they hear Unity or receive the telepathic message. They split into three groups of nanites.
The first group of nanites spells out these symbols, which Ta-Hashar translates.
"Mother bad. Mother dreaming. Mother bad code wake = Mother bad."
The nanites shift to the next symbol as soon as Ta-Hashar reads each.
The second group of nanites forms a diagram of the complex including two rooms beyond, neither of which you have entered.
The third group of symbols forms the number 66 in the neo-Atlantean number system the Utopians use. The nanites rearrange themselves to form 65. 64. 63.
The second group of nanites continue to show a diagram of the complex, but they add an animation that shows what would happen if the outer airlock doors were to be opened now.
62. 61. 60.
In case the animation wasn't clear, it replays. This time, some of the nanites mark the spot on the map they've drawn to show where you are standing now. You can see the little blobs that represent you get smashed against the door when the flood water comes in.
59.58.57
Pointing at the lil diagram "That's bad ya?" Taking a gander at the area [/b]"I can make a small structure.. but I thinkin this is too wide maybe? N'...how heavy is the water ya thinks? maybe that'll be plan "oh s+~*" ya?[/b]
Legato moves back to the interior apeture they entered from and looks around. "Its a bit o brute force... but thinkin we can bust this closed.. or mayben slightly open? It'll bust in and break the doors mayben I'll give a bit of reinforcement on the hole- but then slower fill up where we are? Slong as we don't get dashed like drunk cashews. I think we'd be good.nah?"
56.55.54
Nissa tries to be encouraging. She is technically least at risk, since subatomic size allows her to escape. It’s her friends who are in grave danger.
”’Oh S~*#’ Plans are good to have, but I think the simplest solution is for someone to try this security pad. Probably someone other than me, or, no offense Dad, but, or Dad.”
She looks over the keypad anyway. Maybe there’s a pattern…
Theo looks over Nissa shoulder, trying to discipher the code.
"We could have negotiated if you hadn't immediately resorted to threats!" Unity complains at the door.
"The status quo isn't sustainable. It's condemning this world to an eternal slow death. If you can suppress the 'bad' parts of Mother, why can't you just permanently remove them?" They question the nanites, assuming Ta-Hashar is still translating. "Or do you need someone to do that for you?"