Outpost III - SFS 2-14 Data Purge (9-12) (Inactive)

Game Master Saashaa

"Mission parameter alteration noted. Subterfuge essential to mission completion. Query: is one ysoki, designate Datch, involved in infiltration of mainframe?"

Eddie stands perfectly still in the void of space.

Celita hands Valgard the datapad and a physical map indicating the entrance to the tunnels and several additional paths for you to follow.

Luwazi says, “I am afraid I don’t know who yet. Given the reports I’ve received from agents over the past half year, I have some strong suspicions. However, I don’t want to say anything until we’re completely sure of the culprit. Hopefully there will be some data leftover from Celita’s purge routine that can point us in the right direction."

“The tunnels beneath the complex are ancient and mazelike, but we have acquired some physical blueprints thanks to Forum member Royo’s meticulous research; he has quite the knack for finding physical schematics. According to these blueprints, Waste Chute II, a unused pneumatic tube for waste disposal, can transport you into the waste storage and recycling rooms. From there, you need to access Waste Chute IV, which passes the Perplexity training grounds and leads up into the cells of the Adamantine Prison—a holding site in the Lorespire Complex. Once there, you’ll need to find your way into the maintenance tunnels beneath the cells and access a maintenance-drone station. The tunnels connecting the maintenance stations should come out close to a secondary server linked directly to Guidance. Find Guidance’s hologram terminal on the server, and attach the datapad into it.”

"Ah, a physical map, just my style. I do like Royo, I'll send him my regards when this is over." Valgard said nodding approvingly.

"Well let's go, the existence of the Starfinder Society is at stake!" Valgard turns to his fellow companions, and then turns back to Luwazi and Celita, "So, how do we get back?"

Killik, having recovered his compusure quietly asks, You want us to go into the waste disposal system? What is the environment like down there? Wil we need to do a lot of clambering about? I suspect using my jetpack down there might be a bit noisy and possibly dangerous. I am not particularly athletic he says looking off into the distance.

If there is time and it is possible Killik will get his swimming fins replaced with some climbing suckers once we return to Absaom Station.

Rakisan looks around at the landscape.

"I suppose we should bring back some rocks from our geology school trip."

He collects some shiny-looking ones, takes pictures, does the whole provenance bit. It's not important whether the rocks are really scientifically interesting, just to have something to lug around. Sparkly rocks preferred.

Murco floats down and begins melding back into his harness. kAPP look up and says, "We are ready to depart. How are we to return to the station?"

Celita closes her eyes for a moment and, as if on cue, a small shuttle thrusts from over the horizon and lands next to the ship Luwazi and Celita got out of.

Celita then opens her eyes and says plainly, "This will be how you get back. It has changed owners 4 time over the last 3 months. Name it if you wish."

Luwazi says before she turns around to go back into her ship, "Remember, there is no need to permanently harm our people. Be safe and keep this hidden." Celita follows Luwazi. After a few minutes, their ship departs.

kAPP watches their ship depart with intent. He's followed Luwazi for some time and would hate to see anything happen to her.

He then turns hit attention to the group's shuttle and make a dash for it to check it quality.

Flavor check of the ship: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (4) + 23 = 27

He then looks back at this group, "I would prefer Murco does not pilot this craft. Anyone up for this task?"

kAPP's attempt to joke and lighten the mood

The ship is....okay..not great, but it'll work.

"Well let's not waste any time!" Says Valgard, walking into the ship and going to the Science Officer seat.

Killik hops into the cockpit of the dubious looking vessel. He grins, a rather disturbing sight given his large mandibles and drooling mouth parts. I can fly this if no-one else can, I can fly pretty much anything, I think we can get back to Absalom Station in 12 parsecs.

Piloting to get a better idea of what it is capable of: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (14) + 19 = 33
Killik is an ace pilot so -5 to certain DCs

Also, as he is doing so a small halfling emerges from a nearby crater and starts checking out the ship. Apologies for the delay sir, just checking out the engines.

Jeeves is my hireling tech specialist

Engineering: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (6) + 19 = 25

Rakisan looks around to see if the vessel has any guns.

Valgard boots up the computer to see what he's working with.

Computers: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (17) + 23 = 40

The shuttle is a bare bones ship. No guns. Cheap sensors. Basic everything else.

Is there anywhere you'd like to go before Absalom Station?

I don't need anywhere

Killik would like to acquire some climbing suckers from somewhere first. Have we searched the landing site for anything useful?

There was searching and nothing was found.

Eddie finds an outlet and hooks up to it, intent on having full capacitors by the time they arrive back at the station.

"I believe it might be wise of us to purchase some nonlethal weapons or, if you all would allow me to do so, purchase some merciful fusion seals."

I have enough for 1 seal and would like one if possible

"Pilot, I believe we need to stop by Akiton first for supplies if you wouldn't mind" Valgard yells up the front, at whoever got into the Pilot chair.

I also just realised I need to buy a Merciful Fusion, and a few grenades.

Do we need to divert to a whole different planet or can we just head to an out of the way bit of Absalom Station? the place is pretty big.

As he checks through his gear as part of his preflight checks Killik pulls out his recently purchased Plasma Bolter and sighs. He packs it back into his null space chamber, I think using this on our ownn people would not be in the best traditions of the Society. he pauses and pulls it back out, However, maybe these old tunnels will have lurking monsters or ancient security robots in them he says broadcasting a sense of happy optimism. Killik lays in a course and activates the drift engines to get them on their way.

Killik will pick up a merciful infusion and a targetting computer armour upgrade.

Your shuttle lands in docking bay 325 on Absalom Station. As the lift gate of your shuttle hisses open, the station appears just as you left it. The bustle and noise of so many peoples of different species. It feels a little surreal. None of them seem to know what has and is transpiring.

Valgard steps out and looks around, it all looks so normal. But he glances around just to make sure they weren't followed or being watched.

Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (20) + 14 = 34

He turns to the others, "I suggest we split up, but not stray too far, keep in vision at all times, just separate, go in 2's and 1's until we reach our destination, looks less suspicious that way. And try to act normal!"

He turns towards Rakisan, "Want to walk with me buddy?"

Killik emerges blinking into the docking bay. I agree, we should stay separate, I will meet you at the entrance in an hour or so

<<< Agreement >>> split up into pairs >> meet up again at Waste Chute II <<<

"Sounds functional..." he turns to ED-210, "shall we?"

"Affirmative." Eddie walks with kAPP.

You all split up and follow the blueprint map, which leads to a sewer-access panel in a back alley of Absalom Station in a back alley of Absalom Station roughly 30 minutes away from the Lorespire Complex. You do not spot anyone following you. A ladder leads down over 50 feet into maintenance tunnels, which wind deeper and deeper beneath the station, becoming difficult to navigate without the aid of Royo’s physical maps. After roughly 20 minutes of walking, you reach a pneumatic tube marked “Waste Chute II”. This tube has obviously not seen use in decades, and the hatch leading into the tube looks rusted.

"Let me take a look" says Valgard, examining the pneumatic tube.

"Time to activate the environmental protections chaps, gonna get smelly!"

Engineering: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (7) + 18 = 25

Eddie activates his powered armors protections and also looks it over [roll=engineering]1d20+16[/roll]

Killik also activates his armour seals just in case and peers at the jammed up hatch.

I am sure one of you can pop this open but, quietly perhaps. Does someone have some grease? he asks, glancing at kApp. I have complete confidence in you he says backing up a bit.

Rakisan also engages the environmental protections. Of course, we also still have that life bubble, but layered protection is just better.

kAPP thinks for a moment but a slight bit of emotion crosses his face as he realizes there may not be something in his tool box. Then he has a flash of inspiration, retrieving a case from his null space chamber and produces a small canister from a kit looking like it's used to clean guns.

He then proceeds to analyze the door, identifying potential pinch points and adding ample amount of high quality gun oil to them.

Engineering: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (18) + 23 = 41
A touch of Stealth, hopefully with a bonus to quietly open the door: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

Murco unmelds and begins to hover around the group with intriguing whistle quickly being hushed by kAPP who activates his armor.

The putrescent smell of garbage fills the air of this large room despite countless filtration systems. Four large chutes hang from the ceiling, all but one sealed shut with a metallic hatch. Beneath each of the four chutes stand enormous mounds of garbage, each dozens of feet high. The piles gradually descend, creating a small valley in the center of the room between the trash mounds. The only source of light in this vast room is a large crucible to the west, filled with molten plasma that illuminates the room with red light.

50 feet up to the top of the northeastern garbage pile (a 20-foot fall to the garbage pile). According to your maps, this area should be a short stop.
Four mounds of trash rest beneath each of the chutes. Each mound is 30 feet high at its peak. The ceiling of the room is 50 feet high, meaning PCs standing atop the peaks of the mounds are 20 feet below the ceiling. The trash mounds are difficult terrain. Only a thin layer of trash covers the ground outside of the mounds, so these regions are normal terrain.

A metal cable descends 10 feet from the ceiling, suspending a 10-foot-wide circular polymer magnet (similar to the electromagnets commonly seen in junkyards) above the garbage. [the grey circle with pink border] The cable is attached to a track in the ceiling [the pink dotted line]. In the corner near the plasma light, is a computer console [the cyan X].

We are not in combat but I will ask you to give me what you do the first round.

kAPP sends Murco to the Chute II, all the while getting a cursory scan of the area.

He mentions to the group, "We could possibly skip the puzzle all together..." as he retrievs a grappler from his chamber and primes his jump jets.

Sorry, the hatch you just opened, opens above the white hashed square. 20ft ft from the highest point. You are in chute 2

Killik will peer carefully into the room, extending all of his senses. He can see in the dark and has 30' blindsense.

Pefception: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (12) + 23 = 35

He has his bolter out and reacdy just in case.

So are we coming down from chute 2, or looking to go up chute 2? I don't understand the setup of the scene.

You entered chute 2 and have been travelling through it. It ended in a hatch. The hatched opened to reveal a room below. Killk is peering down into the room to see a bunch of garbage.

Killik looks over at the big ceiling magnet and at the goup and their weapons and armour. Might that large magnet cause us any problems he asks to no-one in particular.

Sir, sir, can you hear me sir, please direct your visor towards the magnet, no Sir, towards the magnet, no I am not in the tunnel behind you. Remember the comm link Sir. Thank you, analysing now. The voice of an exapserated halfling comes across Kilik's come unit as his assistant checks things out.

My hireling does physical science, engineering and comouters

Any of them which might be relevant: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (1) + 19 = 20
+4 if this is to recall knowledge

It is a big magnet. It probably behaves as such.

Ok, I understand this, we are in Waste Chute 2, we need to get to Waste Chute 4, so I think I need to go to the console to work out which one is Chute 4?

Valgard also casts "See with Eyes" aka Perception (Darkvision 60ft),
Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (7) + 14 = 21

And because Valgard has Force Soles, he will gently take a couple of steps out into the thin air below the chute.

Also, we should avoid that big crucible of Plasma I think... Valgard telepaths to his fellow Starfinders

Rakisan uses his own force soles to walk down a little into the air, still 15ft above the heap but no longer in the chute, and observe the situation - scan for threats. He's got his favorite singing disk in hand.

Perception to look for hidden dangers: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (2) + 14 = 16

From here almost the whole room should in the area of my blindsense (thought, 90ft.) as well.

Killik will also emerge a little way beyond the hatch, employing his new climbing suckers to walk upside down on the ceiling.

Eddie scans the magnet, making internal plans to avoid being underneath at all costs. He considers how to disrupt the motion of the magnet track as well. engineering: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (16) + 16 = 32

He drops onto the pile of refuse, using his force jets to cushion the fall.

Then kAPP wills still send Murco down to survey the area and he'll jump down with his jump jets. He'll try to land on the top of the garbage pile and, once he had his footing, he'll start scanning the area.

Using Ralveen's Visor w/ Aura goggles and a Broad-spectrum scanner, searching for any potential threats or anything we could not see initially.

kAPP's Perception: 1d20 + 16 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 16 + 4 = 34
Murco's Perception: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (19) + 15 = 34

Eddie sees what looks like a magnet, but maybe something more. Maybe doing something to the track of the magnet might do something. But that would take a least a little time.

The magnet moves along the track clock-wise and then stops above the mound next to you. As it arrives in it's next location Valgard feels a little tug as items from the trash are pulled up and stick to the magnet.

Go ahead on your next round of actions.

Killik simply watches, not being very technically minded. Do any of you seee anything?

He delays

<<< danger >>> there are creatures in the nearby mounds >>> the magnet might disturb them >>> so might walking over them <<< Rakisan telepathically warns his teammates.

As a move action I focus my blindsense to blindsight so I can properly see them, and depending on what I see I may want to do something with my standard action.