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It takes all of his shots, but John eventually disintegrates the projector, causing the Hologram to immediately wink out of existence.
Two competent-looking security guards show-up immediately thereafter, weapons drawn, but quickly assess the situation, and stand-down, replaced by several Verthani staff, two of whom set up a portable projector where the Ksarik originally was, which displays the hologram of a waterfall cascading down onto the plinth.
Another Verthani staff member comes over, and addresses the crowd.
"Well, that was certainly exciting! On behalf of the VGC, I am happy to be able to offer everyone here a complimentary stay in an Ukulam suite, along with 1,200 complimentary chips. These gifts can be acquired at Guest Services, when you check in."
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Jannik, the human concierge at Guest Services, explains that guests must register their biometrics for access to areas of the casino and to check weapons. An automated system securely handles and stores checked weapons; no person comes into contact with them. Jannik directs guests to give him their comm numbers and place weapons to be checked onto flat-black panels on the counter. For each weapon, he presses a button, and the item disappears into the counter. At the same time, the casino’s scanners register the guest’s biometrics, and the computer sends the guest an encrypted code that can be used to retrieve the weapon. The computer accesses security-scanner data to pair with the code, as well, so a person who somehow loses access to their comm unit can still retrieve weapons after a short security check.
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John's weapons disappear into secure storage.
He is then handed a special cred-stick.
--------------
John is able to take a lift up to his suite .
It is a lush affair with a spacious bedroom, a hot tub, and windows that look out onto Verdeon. These windows are 100 feet above a plaza in front of the gaming complex.
Waiting for John when he first arrives at the room is a rich assortment of complimentary, pre-packaged gourmet food and drink worth 100 credits.
--------------
Heading back downstairs, John is free to explore the gaming complex.
Skimmer card tables fill this room. Each is a brightly lit arc in the otherwise dimly lit space. People crowd around, playing the card game in quiet concentration. Each table has a dealer seated at the center. Most are human or kasathan, but a highstakes table near the center features a skittermander dealer who expertly deals six cards at once.
A polished wooden bar with gold fittings encircles an ovoid pit here. Cheering patrons lean on the outer edge of the bar, looking down at a high-definition holographic projection of a zero-gravity enercycle race. Streamed live from the racing venue in Chroma, the race has three-dimensional models of each enercycle in its real-time position on the sloped walls of the racetrack. Each cycle’s statistics, including its driver and win percentages, circle it in rotating halos. Gamblers use touchscreens and chip slots in the bar’s surface to place bets and order drinks, while several drones serve beverages.
A rock wall stretches to the ceiling, various paths to the top marked with glowing, colored tracks. At the top, a leaderboard displays the best times for recent climbers and the heights they reached. A nearby kiosk plays a looped vid, showing that the wall is composed of billions of hair-thin, high-strength, retractable rods, allowing it to configure itself into any surface. The wall’s database allows it to reproduce climbing routes of real mountains. Its current display is a difficult stretch of the Pact Worlds’ tallest peak: Ka, Akiton’s Pillar of the Sky.
A bright digital sign reads, “Beat Darius and Win 8,000 Chips!” Below the sign, a lifelike, two-foot-tall rotating hologram displays a muscular female kasatha wearing climbing gear and a black face mask. In a looping animation, she dips her hands into a container of chalk and then claps them together before flexing and crouching, as if ready to leap.
John knows the kasatha is Darius Pelata, a climber renowned for being the only one to summit each of the four highest peaks in Castrovel’s Singing Range without magical or technological assistance. The Vestrani cartel lured her to their casino with promises of funding further climbing expeditions, but they require her to compete against other clients, some of whom spend small fortunes training to beat her.
Banks of holographic slot machines produce a cacophony of chimes, music, and spoken enticements. Dozens of different models make up the array, each holoslot themed differently, from ones featuring colorful reptilian renkrodas to a game about matching different castes of ant-like formians.
A particularly popular model, Kaukariki Surprise, features Castrovel’s venomous bat-monkeys adorably rendered as cartoons with expressive eyes and softened features. The chittering creatures celebrate each win.
High stools surround oval tables here, each table with a casino employee standing at one end. Hovering above the center of each station is an electromagnetic sphere painted to look like a nonspecific jungle planet, spinning lazily in place. Each table has a grid of available bets that correspond to numbered continents, oceans, and islands on the planet. Players place bets on various squares of this grid. Groupings of markers allow a player to bet that the meteorite hits water (represented by 2–10) or land (11–19). Each round of betting, the table’s operator calls “no more bets” while lobbing a stylized “meteor” into orbit around the larger sphere in a direction opposite to the planet’s spin. The meteor’s orbit decays until, after several seconds, it strikes the planet, sticking to a location through electromagnetic force. Winning bets are paid out, losing bets are collected, and a new round begins.
A bright, clean spa sits atop a raised circular platform surrounded by deck chairs. An array of pools takes up most of the space. Each can be modified in temperature and chemical content to match a wide variety of preferences.
Serving varied cuisine any time of day, this massive eatery also boasts a different celebrity chef each month.
This month, the celebrity chef is a korasha lashunta named Lassa Beni, best known for pioneering formian-lashunta fusion cuisine.
The walls of these well-appointed, all-species restrooms can’t talk, but their dutiful attendants can.
Each elevator’s walls are floor-to-ceiling vidscreens that display a 360-degree view of Castrovel’s jungles, as though the elevator’s occupants were in a glass elevator on the planet, with the view changing as the elevator ascends or descends. Floors above the gaming complex hold hotel rooms, with the topmost floors reserved for enormous single suites.
As John is wandering around the VGC, he spots a woman who looks like Lurian, grimly playing the holo-slots, although it is obvious that she is not enjoying herself...
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John is impressed with the scale of the casino, but refrains from gambling.
No matter what happens, the House *always* wins...
When he spots Lurian, he waits for an opportune moment to interrupt her, and introduces himself.
"Greetings. My name is John? I believe that you are Lurian? I was hoping to discuss renting your ship - I understand that it has some rather... unique properties..."
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Lurian pockets the bribe, and smiles at John.
"Right. You can call me "Lu" - all my friends do. I am happy to talk with you, but not here..."
So saying, she leads John out of the casino (after depositing her chips with the concierge), and takes him to a smoothie stand near the complex
that sells drinks made of fruit from the trees that grow in Verdeon.
As she sips a brightly coloured drink, Lurian starts talking.
"Yes, the Sun Diver is pretty special, but I am afraid that I don't have access to it, right now..."
Lurian rubs the back of her head with one hand. “You see, I came by the complex to celebrate my recent success, and I got on this huge roll! I could not lose! It was incredible. I had a good tip on an enercycle race, so I put up the Diver for 75,000 chips, y’know, so I could really cash in. But the racer piloting my cycle pushed too hard, blew the core, and lost. So, sure enough, those bastards took my ship. And if I don’t get it back, it’s as good as gone.”[/b] She starts to tear up a little before snorting at her own sentimentality and taking a long drink.
She then gives John a calculating look.
"However, I bet that those lunk-heads don’t know what to do with it. I reckon that if I can pay off my debt, I can buy it back from them. With the luck I’ve been having, I’m due for a big win. Hey, if you want to help me, we can own it as partners!” The idea occurs to Lurian as she speaks it, a wide smile crossing her face.
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John winces.
75,000 chips? That is... a lot.
He then nods, thoughtfully.
"I think that that is a deal that I can get behind. We will have to approach this carefully, though..."
John decides to play the holo-slots (going for max-bids every time)
After three days, he is at 9000 chips.
He then enters the climbing tournament.
John easily succeeds at every climbing check.
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The competition takes place one evening with great fanfare. Hundreds of spectators attend, and the event is recorded and streamed across the Pact Worlds. The wall divides itself into identical sections, one for each contestant. Holoprojectors display live stats behind each climber.
There are a total of four competitors - John, Darius, and two other rich dilettantes, who appear to have been training for this for months.
John - 30
NPC #1 -
NPC #2 -
Darius -
John - 20
NPC #1 -
NPC #2 -
Darius -
John - 27
NPC #1 -
NPC #2 -
Darius -
John - 24
NPC #1 -
NPC #2 -
Darius -
John - 21
NPC #1 -
NPC #2 -
Darius -
John - 18
NPC #1 -
NPC #2 -
Darius -
John - 32
NPC #1 -
NPC #2 -
Darius -
John - 25
NPC #1 -
NPC #2 -
Darius -
John - 21
NPC #1 -
NPC #2 -
Darius -
John - 26
NPC #1 -
NPC #2 -
Darius -
Darius, as expected, wins, but John comes in a respectable second, earning him back his entrance fee.
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At the end of the 8th day, John is approached by some members of security, informing him that the Vice-President of Gaming for the VGC, Taza Nepobo, would like to speak with him.
Taza turns out to be an attracting Lashunta woman, dressed in a finely-tailed Vercite suit. She nods when John enters the office.
"Ah, excellent. You have a arrived. Let's get down to business. I have been keeping an eye on you since the unfortunate incident with the hologram; my opinion of you was cemented when I saw how you went against Darius, and then you persistence with the holo-slots.
I have a job offer for you. Nothing illegal, you understand - I just want you to run security for a shipment of freshly minted Vestrani chips. The chips aren’t loaded with value, but a sophisticated rival could steal and reprogram them. Unfortunately, I have reason to believe that someone has tipped off outside forces about the next shipment; consequently, I can't trust our usual security forces with this particular mission. If the chips get here safely from the Brass Bazaar, your reward will be 8000 credits, or 36,000 chips, if you would prefer."
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When John arrives in the Brass Bazaar, Taza sends him an anonymous message on their personal comm units. She provides keyless ignition codes for a nondescript hover truck nearby. An extremely nervous human, Phillin, already occupies the truck’s driver seat. He refuses to give up the position and cautions John (unprompted) that he’ll have to answer to Taza if they “mess with” him. Phillin anxiously informs John that the truck is already loaded with “the goods” in a secure container in the back.
Soon after you take to the streets, you hear some revving engines, and you see that you are being pursed by two motorcycles, and an urban cruiser, all loaded with hostiles!
John (-)
BDC (-)
BDM (-)
BDT (-)
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John's electrical discharge leaves the motorcycle smoking, and barely holding it together...
...and then his first machinegun shot disintegrates it.
Unable to keep up on foot, the would-be hijackers are left far behind.
Phillin only relaxes once the chips have arrived at the VGC, and are being unloaded under the watchful gaze of security.
John, when he checks back in at the Concierge, is advised that his 'chip balance' has been increased by 36,000 chips.
...John notices that the lock to his room has been tampered with...
..and when he steps inside, he spots someone lurking near the stairs.
John (-)
Karlana Dask (-)
BDC (-, -)
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John singes the woman that he can see.
Cursing, she rushes forward, swinging a solar brand...
"For the Dragons!"
...but misses.
Two compatriots, Sulis, by the look of them, then rush forward, ready with wicked-looking survival knives...
...and one manages to land a blow.
John (-8)
Karlana Dask (-24)
BDC (-, -)
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John delivers several punishing blows to the woman, leaving her barely standing.
Cursing, she activates her Jetpack, then charges towards the room's window, shattering it!
Her two suli allies then pull out grapplers, move over to the window, and fire them, ready to escape...
John (-8)
Karlana Dask (-61)
BDC (-, -)
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John completely fries the injured suli, despite his energy resistances.
The final suli then legs it out of view.
rounds later, a security patrol bursts into John's room, but seeing that the situation has been resolved, stand down.
The VGC offers John their sincere apologies, and he is transferred to a new suite for the rest of his stay.
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Lurian is overjoyed.
"Oh, thank-you!"
She immediately arranges an appointment with Segal Vestrani the vice-president of facilities at the Vestrani Gaming Complex.
He takes the offered 75,000 chips with a raised eyebrow, but nevertheless, nods.
"Very well. You have cleared your debt... this time."
He then has Lurian's biometric access updated, so that she can retrieve the Diver.
Lurian eagerly takes John aboard, where he can tell that the starship contains a delicate system of interdependencies. This new technology,
based on siccatite and other fine workings, can channel stellar forces in a way that could protect and power the ship; this might *actually* work!.
With the Sun Diver secured, John can easily leave Verdeon. Cashing in his remaining chips (which nets him 2250 credits), Lurian cashes in her own, splitting the difference with John (which grants him 5,000 credits), noting: "Well, we are partners; you did get the Diver back!"
----------------------------------------
Nib contacts John soon after he acquires the Sun Diver. She’s excited and anxious for you to go to Noma, especially given the evidence from the previous adventure that others know about the site.
Lurian is offered a job at the DCI, something that she’s glad to do, now that the Sun Diver is out of the cartel’s hands. However, she’s uninterested in going on a speculative mission. Instead, she contracts with the DCI for a steady income, serving as a lead researcher on a team working to improve and duplicate the Sun Diver’s prototype technologies, as well as design similar vessels.
As John prepares to go to Noma, Nib lets him know that the DCI has supplies for him; he need only meet with an official supplier. Nib ushers John into the lower levels of the institute’s headquarters, where the business of storing and acquiring materials the DCI needs is taken care of.
In a long room abutting a storage area, a gray-furred ysoki inventories supplies while absentmindedly passing something back and forth between her cheek pouches.
“This is Beran,” says Nib. “She’ll get you set up.” Beran looks up. She blinks and pauses, then sighs and speaks wearily. “The DCI is willing to grant you five thousand credits for supplies. Tell me what you need, and I’ll acquire and log it. That way, we’ll have a record of what burns up with you.”
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After leaving the bubble-city, the Sun Diver must travel through the tunnel to Sunrise Station. Only then can the Sun Diver approach the sun and dive in.
With its course set, the Sun Diver faces the blazing corona of the Pact Worlds’ sun.
“Hold onto your butts, y’all!” says the ship computer’s gravely voice. “Here we go!”
Thrusters fire. Moments later, solar plasma surrounds the vessel, and a low, soothing hum fills the interior. Instruments show the Sun Diver is channeling stellar forces around and through its systems, siphoning a portion as extra power.
The Sun Diver’s computer says, “Well now, y’know, that is peculiar! Y’all, we got a prob...” The voice slurs and cuts out.
The vessel lurches suddenly and stops. Power to numerous systems shuts down, and the main lighting flickers off. Red emergency lighting comes on. Instruments show life support and artificial gravity still function under emergency power.
“Okay, y’all,” says the computer, “Something’s wrong, and I can’t see it, but the Sun Diver is heatin’ up fast. I figure we don’t have much time before we’re all crispy critters. Better suit up and check it out, quick-like.”
The Sun Diver’s interior has already grown hot...
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John easily identifies the problem, and starts to isolate it.
He then finishes the job with surprising ease.
John opens the hatches, and starts re-aligning the siccatite matrix...
...which takes more effort than he would have liked.
John heads down to the engineering deck, but is overwhelmed by what he discovers there.
Eventually, however, he manages to get a grip on the situation, and re-starts the power core!
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John readily determines that the shut-down was due to a computer virus that someone introduced to the system, but he is able to isolate it from the main system.
When the power core re-starts, the ship's shields flare back to life, and things get back to normal.
“Okay, y’all, that was a good job!”
A dim, round shape becomes visible on the Sun Diver’s view screens, partially obscured by the glare of the roiling sun.
“Well now, ain’t that something?!” says the computer.
The shape grows slowly larger until a polarized bubble is in full view, a sprawling cityscape barely visible within.
The ship’s scanners finds a fluctuation in the surface of the bubble much like that of the energy tethers of the Burning Archipelago. This “opening” is more than large enough for the Sun Diver to fly through.
As the Sun Diver nears the opening, the bubble suddenly balloons out, as though attracted to the ship, and begins to envelop it. Proximity sensors flash and a klaxon blares. The alarm quickly proves to be unnecessary, as a new, smaller bubble acts much like an airlock, wrapping a thin layer around the Sun Diver and shunting it inward. Soon, the starship is inside the main bubble. Scanners indicate a breathable atmosphere fully protected from the sun’s effects.
Within the main bubble, in the perpetual glow of the surrounding sun, made tolerable by the polarization, is a bizarre but clearly advanced city. Mismatched buildings stretch in all directions. Everything has a purplish tinge, accented by the contrasting solar light. Dry canals and pools can be seen along major thoroughfares, stained dark with the remains of something, perhaps a fluid they once contained.
As the ship flies in, John notices a nearby low, tiered building that has been burned in a manner that suggests another starship landed on the roof. A quick check using the Sun Diver’s scanners reveals this theory to be true. Scanners indicate the landing was recent, although the exact time is impossible to tell from this distance.
This building or a nearby plaza could make a fine landing point for the Sun Diver...
Scanners also show the city has no living beings within range. The area near the landing site is littered with debris. Although the structures within have ample power, none of that energy is being generated within the city. Instead, it all comes from the sun, channelled through the bubble and collected in solar arrays integrated into the architecture.
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The top of this irregular, tiered building has been scorched, melted, and scored. It’s clear a starship landed here and great violence followed. The battle-torn remains of small robots — their arms, torsos, heads, and treads — are scattered here and there. Near the northeastern corner is an open hatchway.
Suddenly, there is a loud buzzing noise, and a creature that looks like a cross between a robotic insect and a cannon lifts off the roof, and moves threateningly in John's direction!
John (-)
PED (-)