[SFS_Aerondor] 02-04 Future's Fall (7-10) (Inactive)

Game Master Aerondor

Charli feels a chill as Vex tells her that a Starfinder named Nelli was lost; when Nelli then shows her subdermal implant, Charli feels herself go numb. She types to Vex, Nelli's the real deal.

To her team, Charli says, Nelli isn't just a local. She's a Starfinder who disappeared, and was reprogrammed. Salvation's End is kidnapping Starfinders.

Charli takes Nelli's hand. Yes, we're Starfinders, and you've just been recruited to our team. I'm not letting you out of my sight if I can help it. Charli pulls out a starfinder insignia, and lets the light glow for a half-second from her subdermal implant. Welcome to the team. To Nelli she offers the other half of her sandwich, her own food needs forgotten. Now. Tell me everything that happened when the data plague hit. I want it all.

Charli will also gently probe Nelli for other memories and capabilities. What class / skill set / abilities does she bring? Is she feychild, driftborn or bleachling (which I should be able to tell by looking at her.) Where was she born? Charli has met so few other gnome starfinders that she feels as protective of Nelli as she would a little sister.

To her team, Charli asks, This scenario isn't set in our past, or even our present. It's set 30 years in our future, in a future that starts two years from now with the Data Plague. They're playing a scenario to bring down the entire Pact Worlds, and they've got a kidnapped and reprogrammed starfinder as one of their pawn pieces. Do you find this as terrifying as I do?

Then another thought occurs to her. What if Diniel is a real Steward officer? Where are they getting all the people they use as pawns?

Goose will attempt to talk to the adult ysoki working on the repairs to the vest equipment. He'll approach and begin using his engineering skills to help the others quickly conduct the repairs. While working and gaining their trust, he will ask about their role in the camp, what the hubbub is about with the pending attack, how they are treated, and try to get the lay of the land. Specifically, what is off limits and why.

"Hoi. How goes the struggle?"

Once he gets the jist of how the ysoki are treated and what their role is, he'll continue poking around this area, looking for hidden or restricted areas.

Using telepathy (perferably) or comms, Goose will check in with the team and update them.

Quirk sends a quick comm message to everyone in the group that he is heading for the ysoki encampment, and will start with the hydroponics lab.

Excusing himself from the barracks, and perhaps taking a quick break for some victuals, he packs up any gear he had out and heads that direction.

Entering the lab, he takes it in and looks for someone working in the area.

Isn't Knowledge (Religion) the Mysticism skill? On the other hand, Aerondor called for an Engineering or Mysticism check here, and your engineering is the same as your culture.

Right, lots of posts for me, apologies if I miss something, just give me a nudge

Garrison
"Oh... laser beetles! I've never heard of them. Although, maybe the swarm would count..." the voice trails off as if wondering whether bringing up the Swarm is in poor taste.

Vex sends back a I'll look into it message to Ivok's request for an update on the [/i]Kraal's Oasis[/i] cast.

Shrine
Neon does a quick assessment of the shrines, but finds no type of electronic storage hidden in them.

@Neon I think you have done everything you can, although if you are trained in both mysticism and engineering, I don't see why you shouldn't try both checks rather than just one

The mines
The two gnomes give each other a high-five as they share subdermal glows. It turns out that Nelli is feychild gnome.

"Well.. " she starts [/b]It was so sad. I was on Absalom when the data plague struck. It attacked Guidance.... all the Dataphiles did what they could to help but...[/b]".

Nelli bursts into tears as she describes Guidance being devoured by the Dataplague.. "I really think the plague had some type of wicked sentient to it... it's like it wanted payback or something."

As the offer to accompany the group, she nods eagerly. "I can help, I'm almost as good at helping as a skittermander!"
No combat ability but she can automatically aid anyone in the same location she is during the investigation of the town. If you end up in combat with her around, then she can use improved get'em and inspiring boost once a round as well.

Yoski encampment
In the repair shop goose asks around. "Good business at the moment. The vesk have been fighitng invaders on the outskirts of town. No idea who they are or where they come from though."

There is also the cantina, the VR parlor, and the hydrophonics facility

Speaking of the hydroponics facility, Goose sees Qurik head into it. Within in another yoski "Howdy ? Looking for food? You'd be better off checking out the cantina." says a friendly yoski. "I'm Quina, what can I do you for?"

Status, Evening- two hours to curfew.
Quirk - Yoski encampment.
Charli - 91/91SP; 54/62HP; 7/10 RP; Mines
Goose - yoski encampment. Still at first place
Ivok- 81/81 SP; 69/69 HP; 7/10RP; Garrison
Rakdon - Garrison
Neon - 54/54SP; 47/47hp; 8/10RP; Shrine

Locations
Yoski encampment (Goose - first hour)
Shrines (Neon - second hour)
Mining facility (Charli, second hour)
Garrison (Ivok and Rakdon, second hour)
Infosphere
Chatting with locals.
Yon's Diner (already investigated)
Barracks (already investigated)
Clinic (already investigated)

Goose engages with Quina as Quirk heads into the hydroponics facility.

"Hoi Quina. I am a bit peckish. Would you care to escort me to the cantina? My treat." offers the ysoki.

"It's been a long day and me and my team are just trying to get the lay of the land. I would very much appreciate a guide." continues Goose, trying to be disarming.

"Any idea on what to expect? The garrison is in quite the flurry of activity. Oh, and where are all the other ysoki? Are they all confined here to the encampment?"

Goose continues to ask more information as permitted by Quina, although continuing to be tentative and not direct. Are the ysoki free to come and go? Who is the enemy expected later? What else goes on in the camp? Is there a resistance?

Goose also looks for telltale electronics such as inhibitors or slave collars or something like that. He has several kits in his possession that could scan with, pulling them out and cleaning them while talking.

Engineering: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (16) + 20 = 36 +4 for LC if Recall Knowledge

Neon’s meditations lead him to consider his training as an Engineer.

Continuing in Hour 2

Charli turns to Nelli. So... Thirty years ago, you witnessed Guidance's death. Charli pauses. Nelli, I am going to tell you something that will blow your mind.

Charli brings up Vex as backup for this conversation on the Com Unit, and links Nelli in.

This is Venture Captain Vex. He's stationed in a moon called Salvation's End. It's a pretty interesting exploration site, filled with hundreds of vaults, each one running a different simulation on entrapped humanoids. I was on the expedition to the first Vault. It was pretty exciting, because Zo! was filming it. Do you remember Zo!? He filmed us exploring, and we discovered a bunch of dwarves who thought they were on Golarian, rising up through Torag's quest for sky. The second time the Society explored a vault, we discovered a whole bunch of people in an uneasy battle with one another. There were partying yetis, and gardening gnolls and a somewhat anti-social unicorn. But we prevailed in negotiating a peace, and we established a lodge, here on this moon.

Charli pauses, holding Nelli's hand.

Yes, this moon. We're NOT on Akiton or Vesk XX. We're on Salvation's End. Did you notice the name of this mining station? 01ERROR01? Charli allows Nelli to absorb that before continuing. That's not a normal name, right? When Spoons went into that mine, he discovered not ancient ruins but a facility that is mining already refined Thasteron. More weird, right? Now, let me explain more. The current year is not 352 AG. It's 320 AG, and you, Nelli, are a Starfinder who has been missing for only six months.

Charli continues. I think one of the drones on this moon kidnapped you, and partially wiped only your most recent memories, adding in thirty years of a nightmarish timeline. But you are a Starfinder still, and now you are part of our team. Guidance is not dead. The Pact Worlds have not fallen. There has been no Data Plague. This horrible world -- it's a simulation, playing out a horrible possible future that you and I and the rest of the Starfinder are going to do our best to prevent.

Going back to mind to mind conversation, Charli says, I don't know about you, but I plan to personally kick the ass of whomever is in charge of this place.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (17) + 20 = 37

Spoons continues his conversation with Gigigentenk, "Naw, I don't have any bioluminescent beetles on me, but I would be happy to share some photos with you."

Then he pulls out some of his Poshkettle Tea samples out of his pack, and pours Nelli a spicy cup of what he thinks will be their new best selling blend.

Gentle Sentients, when you have been kidnapped and mind-washed by drones, you know what can bring you to your right mind? A Steaming hot cup of Poshkettle Tea! Now available in Charli's favorite new kickass flavor, 'Eat Pike and Die!'

Ivok grimaces as he struggles not to roar at the sky at this simulation. I don't like being toyed with like this and don't like whatever is out there playing out this show. If this is supposed to be a future, beforehand I might have thought that whatever was running this place had abandoned it and left to just run, but this feels more like something that has a problem with the Pact Worlds and is planning on hitting hard.

Diniel is probably a probably a real Steward roped into this mess. Still don't know how and where they were pulled from. Nelli was here on the moon, but how did so many others get wrestled into this station? Hard to tell when people got pulled into this show.

Looking where the station in the simulated sky might lie Ivok wonders, the details given feel too real. Like something really has it in for Guidance. There isn't a reason for that sort of detail aside a powerful hatred behind pushing to the surface."

Sharing over the comms with Nelli, we may be slow to start on this, but we will make sure to get you out of here. We are going to same for everyone. We need to find out more about what has been going on.

Neon projects into the telepathic conversation I wonder if all of them started at the same time. It may be reacting to us having disturbed these abominable experiments. It will be important to try to figure out if this one started before or after we broken into the first chamber with the dwarves.

He does update Vex on these observations as well, adding that more defenses are likely required around Salvation given what was the team is finding out here.

Charli nods as Ivok sends his message, and then realizes that he can't see the gesture. She's about to reply, when Neon adds his theories. I know right? Giving Nelli the memory of Guidance being murdered... That was vicious. Then there was that picture of the Master of Stars. It does feel personal, and makes me wonder if Neon's right. Did our interference with the dwarves' journey on Zo!s show paint a target on our backs?

Also, what about that little detail of the Starstone getting extracted out of Absalom Station? Did you know there were ancient tales that the Starstone could turn mortals into gods? Those that it didn't disintegrate? Iomedae was one of those. Now... Maybe they just want a kickass energy source and drift beacon... but I can't shake the feeling that the ability to create new gods is part of their goals.

Quirk takes a look around the hydroponics lab. He tries to keep the conversation light, at least at first.

"This is an impressive set up! Have you managed to efficiently feed this outpost using just this lab, or do you augment it with other supplies?"

Quirk attempts to draw out Quina so he can start to learn about what is really going on back here.

[ooc perhaps a does of old-fashioned Shirren diplomacy could help.[/ooc]

diplomacy: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (4) + 17 = 21

Neon projects into the telepathic conversation I wonder if all of them started at the same time. It may be reacting to us having disturbed these abominable experiments. It will be important to try to figure out if this one started before or after we broken into the first chamber with the dwarves.

He does update Vex on these observations as well, adding that more defenses are likely required around Salvation given what was the team is finding out here.

Ivok muses for a moment and closes his eyes to avoid the simulation for a moment as he responds to Neon, Not sure what is in Dineal's records, but it might be helpful figuring out when this started.

I don't put much weight behind anything in this simulation, but if she was making more records along the way, you might be able find where the simulation's notes stop and hers begin.

As Charlie raises questions on the Starstone Ivok groans and rubs his temple as the reality of the simulation presses down upon him again. You might be right on all of that, but it also might be the simulation guessing that the Veskarium would try to take the Starstone for the empire. I can picture them doing it even without the simulation giving a hand.

With everything else wrong in this simulation, I rather think that it doesn't know anything more about the Starstone than us. I rather have another enemy seeking to strike back at the Society than one looking to get the Starstone.

Yoski encampment
Goose sees no signs of slave collars or similar technology in the area. Quina gestures out the door "Cantina is just over there, I have far too much work to be doing at the moment that to want to eat any more of Triss's food. Good though it is. You should totally try it."

As he asks about the others Quina gestures toward the workshop. "All pulling overtime shifts. The vesk are as hard on their equipment as they are on the rest of us, harder really. Something has been chewing into them badly."

As he probes a bit more, the yoski looks a bit suspicious "Of course we are free to go, but go where? There ain't no stage coach taking us anywhere else."

As Quirk arrives, Quina smiles with pride. "Yes... not easy feeding fold on this desolate planet, but a bit of yoski ingenuity and I could feed them on a frozen moon!"

Shrine

As he prays, Neon starts to feel calmer, After a short while he realizes there is some subtle manipulation going on. Poking around, he discovers some hybrid tech. It is hard to tell exactly what it does, but it looks like it subtly interferes with divination, but bolsters enchantments. Especially ones that deal with memories.

Mines
Charli does her best to convince Nelli, but her fellow gnome looks highly skeptical.
"Sure... it could be like you say. But how do you know it is not *your* memory that was altered and then you were dropped here on Aikton..." she asks after a moment.

"I'm going to need to see some evidence."

I think it is time to move on to hour three, you are picking up most of the clues at a good rate. Qurik and Goose can continue where they are, and pick up any extra duties that are left once they finish up. There is quite a bit happening at that encampment.

Status, Evening- one hour to curfew.
Quirk - Yoski encampment. - still at hour 2
Charli - 91/91SP; 54/62HP; 7/10 RP;
Goose - yoski encampment. Still at first place
Ivok- 81/81 SP; 69/69 HP; 7/10RP;
Rakdon -
Neon - 54/54SP; 47/47hp; 8/10RP;

Locations
Yoski encampment (Goose - first hour)
Infosphere
Chatting with locals.
Yon's Diner (already investigated)
Garrison (already investigated, awaiting invitation to governer)
Mining facility (already investigated)
Shrines (already investigated)
Barracks (already investigated)
Clinic (already investigated)

"Null perspiration Quina. Last place we were in, us types weren't treated real nice is all." offers Goose, hoping to allay any suspicion. He saunters off to the cantina to get some grub and hopefully learn more about this strange place.

Neon projects Interesting! Shrines have some hybrid tech installed to interfere with divinations and enhance enchantments — just the sort of thing that would help them mess with memories.

Thinking ahead, I’m going to the mercenary camp. That way I am less likely to be disturbed by someone insisting I get to where a I belong as curfew starts.

Send the gnome my way if she wants evidence. Nothing like helping dig some out to yourself to convince a person.

Neon heads to the mercenary barracks and plops himself down on one of the small bunks. Then he starts concentrating on picking apart the fake infosphere, knowing the whole thing is a fake shell over the system controlling the simulation.
Will you allow me to use the roll I already did or do I need to do a new roll?

I have Improved Dataphiles faction slotted. Should allow me to recover a resolve point.

Rakdon goes to the barracks. Need a hand there? This is how you get past the firewalls.
computers or aid: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (12) + 16 = 28

“I will always accept the help of others. Do be careful though, Rakdon. Some of the things here are likely traps.”

Quirk will see if he can chat up any of the locals. Perhaps he'll start in the diner, and then make his way outside to talk to anyone milling about.

"Hello, I'm new around these parts. Any advice on what I should order here? I'm famished. How long have you been around here? Anything I should watch out for? I may be doing some security work for the camp as soon as I can get my feet under me...."

Ivok moves to meander along with Quirk but still has trouble playing the fierce soldier in this camp as he makes way for others and can only maintain small bouts of superiority.

Still the soldier does his best to help to ask questions, standing ready to support Quirk with anyone as necessary. "Hey, I've have barely been here long enough to get a decent workout, but it seems like everyone else knows this place like the back of their hand. If you give me a hand with getting settled in I will throw my muscle to helping you out. Is there anyone else that has come to town in the last few years?"

Mercenary camp
Happy to keep your initial roll
Neon heads off to the mercenary camp where he collapses on his bunk for a rest. Rakdon joins him and they play a couple of online games together. Well, that is what they claim anyway. Much of what they discover Charli had already learned, but he does find out a little new stuff.

The Data Plague seemed to originate from within the Pact Worlds, beginning on Absalom Station and quickly spreading to the surrounding worlds. The effects never reached the Veskarium. The initial Veskarium invasion was tentative probing to see if the reports were false and eventually evolved into a complete annexation of the defenseless Pact Worlds.
You can also make a culture check.

Cantina
Q!uirk sets himself down to a conversation with some of the miners. They are a hard working bunch, who seem equal parts annoyed with the vesk, happy that someone else is dealing to them, and worried about what will happen if the vesk are defeated.
Diplomacy check, and a culture one too please

The Yoski cantina itself is run by an android called Triss-5.

All the functioning equipment in the cantina is Veskarium design. Triss-5 points out a broken-down Pact-made holodevice that used to play music programs, but now plays only four separate clips from four songs saying “This. Is. The. End.” though the last word changes to “Beginning” every four verses through the eerie tune. You could try to have a bit of a look at it with an engineering or computer check

In the background the music has shumka beats playing, keeping the ambient volume quite high.
And you can give me another culture check

The miners that Ivok talks with all shuffle around, not really wanting to engage with the vesk. A few mutter that he is the first newcomer in a while... outside seems to be getting more dangerous.

Status, Evening- one hour to curfew.
Quirk - Yoski encampment. - still at hour 2
Charli - 91/91SP; 54/62HP; 7/10 RP;
Goose - yoski encampment. Still at first place
Ivok- 81/81 SP; 69/69 HP; 7/10RP;
Rakdon -
Neon - 54/54SP; 47/47hp; 9/10RP;

Locations
Yoski encampment (Goose - first hour; most of the team.)
Chatting with locals. (underway)
Yon's Diner (already investigated)
Garrison (already investigated, awaiting invitation to governer)
Infosphere (already investigated)
Mining facility (already investigated)
Shrines (already investigated)
Barracks (already investigated)
Clinic (already investigated)

Culture, Nelli: 1d20 + 18 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 18 + 2 = 35 Unlikely +4 for Library Chip applies.

As he is going through the Information about the Vesk invasion of opportunity, he tells Nelli “We probably need a soundtrack for this, something retro-glam-techno I suspect. Got any suggestions?”

Neon meanwhile Neon trawls the info sphere.
He detects placeholder text in records, and numerous computer-altered images that provide evidence of the manufactured reality.

Neon works to package up the most telling evidence and prepares it for presentation in case that becomes necessary. He asks Nelli’s opinions on some of it, since that allows him to judge how well it may be accepted by someone who has been made a part of the simulated reality.

Preparing power point holoslides as a STEMM Pundit, complete with footnotes for referenced information and a soundtrack.

I’m expecting that since Nelli helped find this information, by the end of the hour she has fewer doubts about the situation.

Goose elects to check out the Pact-made holodevice after ordering some food.

Goose checks in with the team so they know where he's at. He indicates he'll be checking out the cantina for the time being.

He hates to sit idle, so begins to inspect and poke and prod and dissect. What are toolkits for, eh?

Computer check: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (4) + 20 = 24

Not getting the results he wanted, he uses his 'reset button' and starts all over again, this time avoiding the first blunder. In reality, Goose pulls out his trinket and overrides the system.

Computer check, reroll: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (15) + 20 = 35

Rakdon sighs as we investigated most places. Well, I'm bad at chatting, so I can't go chat with the locals, unless someone needs an aid talking to people. Unless you got another task for me.

You did mention checks within the cantina, I'm not sure if I'm able to attempt them myself given the concerns a vesk might draw.

Ivok steps to a wall as the miners deftly avoid major conversations with the intruding vesk. He glowers at the scene while communicating over comms. The more I sit here, the more I want to find what created this mess. It has been a long time since so many avoided me. Before I built my brand. Seeing how they are treated they are right. I'll throw my life in the way before letting this future come.

Culture Miners: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (13) + 16 = 29

If Ivok is able to provide aid to Quirk to examine the holographic device, providing intelligence over the comms on what he finds, without drawing negative attention to him, I'll aid him on Engineering check. Otherwise I'll make my own check if that doesn't interfere with him.

Culture Shumka Beats: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (12) + 16 = 28

Neon chats with Nelli, who is slowly coming around. Also with others. A lot of the miners have suspicious gaps in their recollections.

Goose tries to extract some information from the duke box, but without luck.
Or if that idol is on a chronicle somewhere then... with success. Even with Nelli and Ivok helping he is not there... but feels he is very close.. very, very close.. who knows what he might find with even more assistance.

Ivok meanwhile identifies the shumka beats playing in the background as an algorithmically generated synthesis of several present-day performers.

Despite the fact that Quirk remains in a very dark, cold place, he attempts to be warm and cheerful with those he meets in and around the cantina. "The vesk may be annoying, but they are tough as nails. As they say in the military, the skills my group bring are 'force multipliers.' We will make them better, and it will be hard to breach this outpost."

Now if Quirk only understood a little more about exactly who might be attacking....

culture: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (1) + 22 = 23
diplomacy: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (1) + 17 = 18

Really? REALLY? I'm going to use my shirt reroll for the diplomacy roll. Maybe Ivok can pick up a little more culture.

diplomacy reroll: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (18) + 17 = 35

@quirk, save the reroll, you have everything you can get from that now. I think you have pretty much discovered everything. That duke box still might have a clue, and nobody has visited the VR suite in the yoski encampment yet, but I think you have done everything else. .

I think that Ivok would have a difficult time gaining access to the VR suite himself. There might be something missing so if anyone has anything you want Ivok to do, let me know.

Rakdon will enter the yoski encampment and visit the VR suite. If it is not an authorized visit, then here is a stealth check stealth: 10 + 18 = 28 Take 10
perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (5) + 14 = 19
VR stands for virtual reality, so engineering check to understand the advanced technology. engineering: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (9) + 16 = 25
Yes there were probably already checks being called, but as my character wasn't there, I wasn't paying much attention to the yoski encampment. If the VR thing you gotta pay money for, Rakdon pays it.

Ivok glowers at the speakers as he picks up on the music and rants to the party over the comms. Even the music is half-thought through. There is nothing new in it and only reuses the music out there now. I recognize bits of Strawberry Machine Cake in there and music I listen to while working out. I worked with a few of them and they would be livid to know how their music is being used.

After a moment it concludes, it all feels like it has been thrown out from a content farm.

Quirk twists his luck a little and extras a drive from the duke box. While there is no time to investigate it at the moment, he is pretty sure Vex will have a team that is interested in investigating the contents later on.

Rakdon has a peek into the VR parlour. He finds several miners blissed out inside the VR parlor. The proprietor, a yoski called Kib spies him. "A new customer! Would you like a free sample? What type of experience would you like? I have quite an extensive library."

what you got? skateboarding if possible

Goose elects to check out the Pact-made holodevice after ordering some food.

Goose checks in with the team so they know where he's at. He indicates he'll be checking out the cantina for the time being.

He hates to sit idle, so begins to inspect and poke and prod and dissect. What are toolkits for, eh?

[dice=Computer check]1d20+20

Not getting the results he wanted, he uses his 'reset button' and starts all over again, this time avoiding the first blunder. In reality, Goose pulls out his trinket and overrides the system.

** spoiler omitted **

[dice=Computer check, reroll]1d20+20

Goose continues to fiddle with the holodevice, trying to coax anything of value out of the device for the mission. Once that is done, he updates the team and moves on to the VR parlor.

At the VR parlor, Goose will look around for anything suspicious before trying out the system itself. Before venturing in, the operative does a bit of diagnostic work to ensure it won't fry his brain or turn him into a puppet. "You sure this is safe?"

After dropping Nelli off, Charli arrives at the VR Parlor. "Any good cooking shows or Tea Ceremonies for me to view?"

"Oh yes, perfectly safe. Many happy customer!" smiles Kib.

Rakdon vanishes into a VR booth.

Kib checks the catalog. "Tea... tea... yes, here, ancient tea ceremony? You want?"

"Yes, please! I love Tea Ceremonies!" Then Charli sits and watches as only a title sequence comes on. Well... That's interesting. My VR experience was just a title sequence and nothing more.

Charli comes out. "You're right! This was exceedingly peaceful! Um... Can I see your most popular VR offering?"

Interesting. Think about how much we could save on advertising if we only had to make a title sequence.

At the VR parlor, Spoons says, "Got any junkbot racing? Something really exciting?"

Rakdon gets on the skateboard and grinds the rails and does tricks and flips. I'm assuming the VR is rigged so that even if you sucked at it skateboarding, you could do it like a professional.

"I do... but only your first experience is free. 1cr for a ten minute session." says Kib. "Gota put food on the tale."

To Charli he nods "Your friend is watching our most popular show at the moment. Junk bot racing. Who would have thought it? Must be hard laboring away all day underground, they want a bit of excitement I guess"

Charli pays the 1 credit. Well, Spoons?

It's nothing but a blank screen with the opening credits, and these miners are watching it like they were seeing top flight talent like Ratrod or Lemgem.

Charli considers what she knows and asks Rakdon via telepathy, Rakdon, are you seeing anything other than the opening credits?

Goose, is there anything weird in this software? I am trying to figure out why they're all excited by a blank screen.

Is there some check that we can make here, to have an idea of what's going on?

Can Rakdon hear while he is in the VR thing, not sure if it is like he is actually sucked into it, or in a soundproof room or what.
Charli, what? As you can tell he is enjoying himself and well occupied, and doesn't know what you are saying.

I'm speaking to you telepathically, Rakdon. I should be able to reach you despite the sounds from VR. Wait? Are you getting actual sounds? A picture? Something other than a title page?

If he is, Charli is going to pay out a credit to view Rakdon's program.

No checks written in Charli, but if you want to make either a culture or a life sciences check (pick one) I might drop a hint.

And yes, you can all hear while in the VR booths. No sounds to distract you from that wonderful screen.