A fleeing festival-goer bumps into Quonx just as she pulls the trigger, throwing off her aim.
Initiative (Round 6)
Gazigaz
Animated Armor
Dakoyo (21/28 SP, 26/26 HP, 7/7 RP)
Stra-Der (8/36 SP, 30/30 HP, 6/6 RP)
Quonx
Bold should go!
Gazigaz looks at the armor and says a bit let down
"I don't think you are listening to me, I said get that armor! Take it down!"
Gazigaz' electrical burst dissipates harmlessly before reaching its intended target. The animated armor continues its assault on Dakoyo!
Initiative (Round 6)
Gazigaz
Animated Armor
Dakoyo (0/28 SP, 16/26 HP, 7/7 RP)
Stra-Der (8/36 SP, 30/30 HP, 6/6 RP)
Quonx
Bold should go!
Stra-Der slams her singing disk into the animated armor's "back", and the sonic reverberations nearly shake the foe apart!
Meanwhile, Dakoyo invokes the mysteries of Ibra to heal some of his wounds.
Quonx's rifle literally glows with energy as she overtunes it, but the resulting electrical blast blows the animated armor into fragments!
All around the Central Common, much of the panic subsides as the nanite-animated decorations are destroyed or run low on power, though the festival-goers are still nervous and on edge as they wonder what caused the disruption, and if it'll start up again.
"You should take some rest. I will keep watch for other walking armors." Says Gazigaz as he approaches a standing armor and starts poking it
"Hey Stra-der, do you want that thermal capacitor?"
Festival-goers are just starting to relax and enjoy themselves again, when, barely ten minutes later, an unfamiliar voice comes booming across the Common’s sound systems. The voice laughs sinisterly and, in an arrogant tone, proclaims My fellow skittermanders, I can only hope you heed-heed this wake-up call. Terror descends upon Reetamander as we gather peacefully to ring in the Great Rebirthing. And where is your desire to help-help now? Why do you only save yourselves from this bedlam? Could it be, could it be your entire worldview, your so-called community-mindedness, is-is a lie?”
The voice pauses to clear their throat: “Look around you now and I am certain you see it too. You can’t deny that each skittermander is out only to help-help themselves. Cast off your aspersion, my friends. Admit your true ways--or suffer the consequences!”
Just as the voice’s monologue begins to fade, the festival-goers’ murmurs of confusion turn to shouts of terror: “A bomb!” screams one skittermander, pointing toward the skittermander statue near the central fountain. “There’s a bomb on the statue’s hand!”
When the monologue happens Gazigaz listens to it carefully frowning on what he hears.
After hearing about the bomb he rushes towards that place.
"Quickly we need to all-six this!"
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"Hey! That's no fair! Stra-Der went all six and saved that vesk and the other Skittermanders! I mean, wait, a bomb! Uh, go Gazigaz! Stra-Der doesn't know how to deal with bombs!"
[ooc]Stra-der did not take the jetpack. She will run with the rest of the group by I doubt she can help with a bomb other than provide moral support.
Racing closer to the area, you see the skittermander concerned about a bomb is pointing in the direction of Comananner Fountain, which is shaped like like a massive aquatic predator found in the deepest waters of Vesk-3.
About ten feet away from the fountain, a tall floral arrangement of Reetamander personified as the Great Mother, arms outstretched, holds a metal cylinder with wires sprouting from both ends and other electronic components welded to the side--the device is audibly beeping!
On the edge of the fountain, holding a wireless microphone, is the obvious source of the voice over the sound system: a skittermander with bright orange fur and an eye patch! "Helping . . . is a LIE!" he intones over the microphone.
Gazigaz looks at the big square and the statue. He watches skittermander with the mic and takes a step forwards saying
"Well hello, I am Gazigaz and we came here to help you. " He lets his cape move on the wind and makes sure that his armbands can be seen from afar.
"How about you tell us, what is wrong and we all-six the situation and make it all better. " tries to calm him down and convince about their good will.
The skittermander looks surprised. "Oh! You don't know who I am. You must've been off-planet last month. I'm Zerastorfen. You know, Toraforsten's brother? A lot of good 'helping' did him!"
The orange-furred skittermander seems angry at Stra-Der's words. "Helping hurts! My brother took that space walk to fix the leak and save the crew of his ship, but who helped him as his oxygen ran out? NO ONE! Everyone has to learn the truth. And in exactly two minutes, they will." He presses the button on the detonator to start the countdown.
Gazigaz throws angrily look towards Stra-der
"How about you run towards that statue and see if you can aid Quonx to fix that."
Turning to Zerastorfen
"I am really sorry for your brother, and you can be assured that if I would be on that ship I would have helped him, just like Dakoyo, Quonx, Stra-Der, and hundreds of others. I understand your anger at the ones that did not help your brother, but don't you think that blowing up a bomb at such a square will hurt hundreds of innocent furry Skittermanders... " tries to convince Zerastorfen
"I . . . maybe you're right. I don't really want to hurt anyone. I just want people to realise that my brother mattered!" Zerastorfen's shoulders slump. "I guess it doesn't matter now. I can't stop the countdown anyway . . ." He sits down on the edge of the fountain and covers his face with his hands, but tears drip through and onto the pavement.
Up in the floral arrangement's hand, the explosive device is still beeping!
Gazigaz runs after Dakoyo this time his cape flipping on the wind no matter what as he attempts to aid with moving it.
The skittermanders work together well to get the ladder to the base of the statue. But now comes the hard part: disabling the bomb!
"Quonx, quickly go up and try to disable the bomb. As we seem to not be using jetpack maybe we strap the bomb to it and send it up?" propose a different solution
Then he turns towards bystanders
"Fellow nufriends! Please evacuate from here quickly, we should be able to control the situation but accidents happen to even the furriest of us! "
With help from his allies, Quonx scurries up the ladder and carefully examines the blinking, beeping device. Removing the outer shell is a snap, as is snipping an anti-tampering device. But which wire to cut--red or green!?!
"Quonx, you should not feel the pressure, but you should not screw this up!" says Gazigaz being completely useless...
With a bit of a tremble and some last-second indecision, Quonx cuts a wire and . . . it works! The explosive device stops beeping and flashing.
Applause breaks out as word spreads of how employees of Nakonechkin Salvage (and their Starfinder friend) saved the festival! Zerastorfen is escorted away to get the help he needs to properly grieve his brother's death. Dozens of tiny furred hands pat you on your backs, and you're escorted to the best position in the Central Common to witness the remainder of the eclipse.
There’s nearly an hour of chants and songs before the Firstborn appears one again, followed by a feast that leaves everyone’s bellies full near to bursting. And even better, the festival's organisers treat you all to five-star accommodations within the city to sleep off the night’s excitement.
Gazigaz is first to pat Quonx on his furry back
"I never doubted that you can do it Quonx. Well done!" says Gazigaz as he turns and begins walking through the crowd to enjoy his time during the festival.
He hugs and pats others at their backs
"No need to thank us!"
"We did what we always do!"
"Was I afraid? Yes, but the greet deeds had to be done!" and those responses are said in circles with few others equally cheesy
**Some Days Later**
The high walls and gun turrets surrounding the fortified city of Ewagadravona give it a sense of both safety and claustrophobia. The buildings within resemble vesk architecture more than skittermander, with sharp angles and concessions to practicality.
At street level, the structure’s windows are protected by steel shutters that can come crashing down at a moment’s notice. But despite the dour designs, the people here seem as friendly as those in any other major settlement on Vesk-3.
You’ve come to Ewagadravona at the behest of your boss, the vesk Nakonechkin, who wants to participate in one of the hunting parties that descend into a nearby cave system named Gadraveech to cull the dangerous creatures that sometimes emerge from it. Nakonechkin has booked a spot in a hunting party arranged by a local hunting lodge, and brings you there with many exhortations of “This’ll be fun!”
The headquarters for Gadraveech Tours--a commercial hunting lodge--are located in Ewagadravona on the third floor of a five-story building shared by several companies.
When you all step off the elevator, you’re greeted by a worried-looking ebony-furred skittermander receptionist. "Do you have an appointment? Well, I guess it doesn't matter either way. All the day's expeditions are cancelled. Sorry for your trouble."
The receptionist, whose nametag reads "Biconiamaca", answers Stra-Der. "Unfortunately, we've lost communication with our last outing, a group of four pahtras led by our most experienced tour guide, Sylvatsolex. We're trying to assemble a rescue mission, and we're just too short-staffed to offer any more tours until it's over. I'm very sorry."
Gazigaz listens to this awful news and looks at his fellow skitters
"Maybe... we can help you find the lost group and then the hunts will continue. If we hurry up, Nakonechkin will be able to go on his hunt! Gree?" says Gazigaz clearly excited