The proprieter of the shop looks around at you all nervously.
"Look," they protest with their hands still raised. "Agavana took me to a hidden base, but she made sure not to tell me where we were going, and I have no idea where it is!" They look from one smoking pile of bot wreckage to the other. "And I don't know why you're after her in the first place. She's a passionate rebel and follower of Weydan. She had me steal the zayapedes but she said she wants to help people. She even sent me those two bots to protect me."
"You aren't familiar with hellfire toxin then?" Katherine says. "It burns, down to the cellular level. You feel your body being consumed at the smallest possible level and it cannot be doused. That is what she's going to be making with the zayapedes. There is no logical reason for her to have only taken those particular zayapedes. So whatever you may think of her Agavena is not as altruistic as you think."
"If ... If I knew she was going to hurt people, I would have never stolen the things in the first place. I would never hurt anyone; I am a pacifist. She said ..." they shake their head. "It does not matter what I think. As I've said, I don't know where she's at."
They turn to gaze at the remains of the destroyed bots.
"She sent those to me, though. Perhaps they know where she's at. If the cores are still intact, that is."
"Lessee what these bots be havin' to tell us." Talah says, crouching down and rummaging through the scrap to locate the core.
Chase searches the other robot, but she doesn't have any better luck.
Ben has the advantage of Carrie whispering in his ear to help him out which makes finding an intact core in the second bot a trivial matter. He is diplomatic enough not to flaunt his success though, which might be why he is the captain...
From the bits and snippets of data that Ben can pull from Charity mk 4's still intact core, he derives the following; Agavana has been living with Charity mk 5 in an abandoned temple of Weydan known as Liberator’s Sanctum. The ruins lie on a small coastal island several hundred miles northeast of Gaskari.
Further research on the local info-sphere reveals that Liberator’s Sanctum served as a temple of Weydan for those who aimed to right the wrongs of the Veskarium. Gaskar’s original peoples built it atop a small coastal island called Yul, named for the vesk prophet Gaskar Yulalov, who preached against the Veskarium’s growing tyranny until his arrest and execution. Seeing's how the terrain on the island isn't conducive to landing something the size of the Oliphaunt on it, the only way onto the island would be to land nearby and cross Renunciant Bridge, named for radical disciples of Yulalov. A massive statue bearing Yulalov’s likeness still stands at the eastern side of the span.
"So you've found what you seek, no?" the formian asks. "You have no further need of me. You'll leave me to try to recover my humble shop?"
Penny raises her eyebrow toward Ben at the formian's question. Touching his arm lightly, she speaks to his mind directly ++If we leave him, there is nothing to keep him from alerting Agavana that we are coming. A prudent approach, and one I'm sure you are considering, is taking him prisoner until the mission is over.++
Penny knows Ben has this thing called morality, so doesn't push toward silencing him permanently, which would be much cleaner and easier.
"I'm afraid not." Ben says firmly. "We have been requested to deliver you to Captain Fireheart. He wishes to speak with you personally. Still I understand the inconvenience so you are welcome to close up your shop for a few days. We can wait a short time." He inclines his head slightly to Penny, acknowledging her wisdom and gesturing to Chase to stay near the proprietor. He has any intention of letting the formian out of his crews' sight.
Motioning towards the man, Boots says "Whoa-whoa-whoa. Where ya think yer going? If ya wanna take a ride on ma ship, we gonna need to search ya first. Why don'tcha go ahead and slip outta them there clothes so I can make sure ya ain't hidin' nothin'." With a wink she adds "I'll be gentle."
Looking over at Katherine, she says "Kate. Come do a scan-thing on him an make sure he ain't chipped-up-like."
Chase pounds her Fistigons together for emphasis as she ensures the formian doesn't attempt to escape justice.
++The added benefit of a prisoner is to give those two someone to play with.++ Penny mentally says with a smile, then drops the mental communicaiton with Ben.
The formian meekly follows you to your ship where Carolyn-5 informs you (with no little sense of relief) that your goblin 'passengers' have departed into the city - assumedly for good. Securing Jassk in the quarters no longer used by the goblins, you set course for Agavana's last know whereabouts - Liberator's Sanctum.
An hour's worth of ship travel has you setting down on the mainland near the island the ruined temple is located. Making your way across Renunciant bridge - and the predator that you noticed lurking under it - you find the ruins of the temple.
Infosphere information indicates that the temple-proper was entirely destroyed by a cyclone and holds no refuge for anyone. Building plans, however, indicate a lower level that may have survived the devastation. Searching around, you find a pile of boulders that block a set of stairs that descend below.
Penny notes a magical aura covering the boulders.
"There are magical auras covering the boulders." Penny tells the others rather unhelpfully.
”Even magic boulders are no match for me!” Chase declares. She stretches her arms, then puts her shoulders to the stones, grunting, sweating, and cursing as she eventually shoves them out of the way.
It only takes a few moments before Chase manages to shove the boulders clear of the stairs and everyone descends below. The hall below is lit by functioning luminary strips along the ceiling which look to be recent additions. At the bottom of the stairs, the passage heads both to the left and to the right ending in a door about twenty feet away in both directions.
Seeing no difference in either direction, the crew moves to the left-hand door and opens it carefully after checking for magical auras and security systems.
On the other side of the door is an infirmary. Portable medical pods that provide automated care to sick patients crowd this long room occupied by species from throughout Near Space. Nurse drones fly back and forth monitoring patients. Their bodies appear covered in charcoal gray bulbs that burn with an inner fire and ebb and swell as if breathing. The room smells like a campfire. The nurse drones show no reaction to the crew's presence and there's a door on the far side of the room.
”Even magic boulders are no match for me!” Chase declares.
Talah laughs to herself and turns to Penny. With a nudge of her shoulder against the mystic's she remarks, "Pfft. Nothin' ain'ta matcha for Chase, eh??!"
She raises her eyebrows twice in rapid succession with a telling smirk.
Once past the boulders, she cautiously inspects a sick patient from afar. She takes a step back and says "I aint'a dotcta, but damn, I think they are sick with the Crinsies!"
It's quite evident Boots has no idea what she's talking about.
After another step back, she looks to the science lady and asks "Kates! We be inoculated for Crinsies, right???"
"That's Hellfire Toxin." Ben says with a frown, having done his reading on the trip over. "We need to be careful, there are clearly experiments with it going on right now."
Penny's eyebrows raise in response to Talah's nudge "Is that even Common?" she feigns ignorance of the other woman's use of words.
In the infirmary "Maybe... we should leave?"
From what Katherine knows (and Ben has read), the Hellfire Toxin isn't communicable. One would have to be directly exposed to be affected.
”Just keep your hands to yourself, Pen,” Chase says with a smirk. ”Let’s keep going.”
"We'll be fine as long as we are not directly exposed." Ben says eventually, after consulting with his doctor. "Let's press on."
Penny scowls but follows the others, trying to stay as far away from the sick as possible.
Katherine, on the other hand, goes to have a closer look - attempting to divine whatever she can about what exactly has happened to these patients.
"I recommend covering your nose and mouth." She says, "Ingesting the weapon would be most unwise." Because Talah probably would try and eat it if it was sitting around and colorful.
From what Katherine has researched about Hellfire Toxin, it's either dispersed in an aerosol fashion over a wide area and absorbed through the skin - or more rapidly through the mucus membranes of the nose and mouth. It can also be transmitted through a contaminated water source. Those afflicted by it are unable to pass it to others, so, unless it's present in the air of the complex, you should all be safe - for now.
Moving through the door on other side of the room, you enter what appears to have been the former sanctuary of the temple as it bears Weydan’s symbol on the floor. It now functions as a command center; dozens of displays track creatures around the galaxy. Several maps, carefully tagged and pinned, hang about the room. Blue crystals on the walls emit a strange but pleasant hum.
A bot that looks remarkably similar to Charity mk 2 and mk 4 is speaking with a large figure concealed by a blue and silver cloak that has their back to you. They both stand in front of an altar at the room’s northern corner littered with maps and charts. The figures aren't unaware of the crew entering the room and the bot turns to you.
"Well, if it ain't the scamps that turned the other 'mes' into scrap metal! But seein' as how I know how to fix myself up pretty good, I'll let that go. Now, are we all gonna throw down while my friend here melts your brain, or are you gonna listen to what the lady has to say?"
"Conversation always seems the wise course of action." Penny advises, while slipping a mental message of ++and allows Chase to get closer before we attack++
Talah looks at Penny strangely, leaning and whispering to the mystic while still keeping her eyes on the creature at the altar "What? It is? Why don't we just melt them instead?"
The other figure turns around and lowers their hood. The revealed vesk has pale and cracked skin, marred with circular scars that would be produced by hellfire toxin.
Borais are an unusual form of corporeal undead. Instead of being a dead body animated by negative energy, a borai has a mostly dead body that retains the smallest sliver of its soul. The two are inexorably bound, as the body draws vitality from the soul while the soul uses the body to remain on the Material Plane. Some borais are the results of partially botched resurrection attempts, either magical or technological, while others were people who were simply too stubborn to fully die when their time came.
"I do not know you," she says, "but I suspect you have been sent here by some imperial agent who calls me Oathbreaker. But I don’t answer to that name. Through life and death, I have held my oath to the Veskarium. I remain Agavana Stoneblood.
"I was stationed in Burandamana, which served as a testing ground for hellfire toxin. The toxin didn't kill me right away, but the Adamant Scale agents that released it did while cleaning up loose ends. I awoke in the morgue, a vision of Weydan before my eyes. Since my return, I have been investigating them and have become a threat to them."
"The Adamant Scale," she explains, "is a faction within the Veskarium so well-hidden that even the Council of Despots does not know of its existence. They claim to protect the empire and strike at its enemies, but its members answer to no one save themselves. It was the Adamant Scale who turned the humble zayapede into deadly hellfire toxin — a poison I have experienced firsthand, as you might see. They toil tirelessly for the perfect bioweapon, and when I find their victims, I bring them here for treatment. However, experimenting on small populations will never be enough for them. I believe they are preparing another large test on the scale of Burandamana, and I persuaded Jassk to steal the zayapedes so I could find an antidote in time."
"Instead, you have found me. Can we avoid violence? I need more time, and I have already hired a starship to transport me somewhere far from here. Simply let me go That is all I ask."
Penny is leaning over to Talah to whisper that villain monologuing is a perfect time to position oneself for the inevitable death match, when the Borai starts talking.
And talking... and... Penny blinks. She expected a threat, or even better, a counter offer. But no, nothing other than Let Me Go, I'm a good person, and will do good things with my life.
She almost laughs. Almost. Instead, her eyes drift to their captain. And she groans.
"One moment." she says, holding up her finger before turning her back on the scarred vesk.
"A'ight, look it. She has the scars and the look down to match her story, so she got that goin' for her."
"But I mean," Talah continues, looking around at her crew, "I ain't sayin' she ain't lying 'bout her big ole story and everythin'. But y'all, she is called Oathbreaker, right?"
Looking to Ben she asks, "What we gonna do, Cap?"
"You have some sort of proof of course?" Ben asks, his tone neutral. "Since I'm sure you understand that, given your name and... current state it might be difficult to believe what you're saying. You could show us around, make the lack of weapon facilities clear. Show us the zayapedes perhaps? Or give my doctor a look at your research on antidotes. I am willing to be convinced, but I am not. Yet."
"I would be very interested to take a look at your work." Katherine adds, trying to be polite. "I might be able to offer some improvements as well." A little condescension sneaks in... but that's a good effort from the doctor all things considered.
"While I would appreciate any assistance that you could offer, what I don't have is the time," Agavana says with a nod towards Katherine. She taps at the console near her and some of the displays change. The doctor recognizes the information as a not-quite-complete treatment protocol for a complex toxin. It would take more in-depth study to determine the exact nature of the affliction treated as well as how close to completion the effort is.
"You're welcome to a copy of the data - more minds working on a solution is always better," she says and a tone from everyone's personal comm units indicate a local set of files available to download. "But in the meantime, my ride is almost here." She taps again on the console and the systems begin shutting down.
Agavana turns back to you. "So are you going to let me continue working on this or ...?" she says. "Or are we gonna throw down right here?" Charity finishes for her, the bot's fingers drumming on her rifle.
Penny wants to scream 'of course we're not letting you go. Not unless are offering to PAY US JUST AS MUCH AS THE MEGACORP!!'... she practically has to bite down on her tongue to stop herself. Instead, she touches Ben's arm. In his mind, he hears, ++The cracked oozing Heffer... ... ... ... believes what she is saying. Not that it should MATTER... but she does.++
Ben sighs quietly - he didn't really want to get involved in this job in the first place and now the moral dilemma makes the whole thing harder.
"Yes or no everyone, quickly." He says, their potential foes are ready for a fight anyway so giving them any more warning doesn't hurt much.
Penny folds her arms under her breasts and says with firm irritation "You know what my answer is." but if he insists "We took a job, we should continue it. If it helps, you could publish this.... lady's work across the verse to make sure it doesn't go to waste."
"I don't know. This toxin thing seems bad. Maybe the galaxy would be better off if the vesk didn't have access to it?" Chase says with a shrug. "I say we let her go."
Boots listens to the others and places her hand on her chin, thinking "Hmmmm. Tough one."
She looks over at Agavana and studies her. "She's offerin' up her data, maybe she ain't lyin' afterall. I guess we let 'er go?"
"Go then." Ben says with a nod, "And good luck to you. If you happen to have any proof of your claim we can act as messengers for you, maybe get the news into some of the right channels."
Agavana nods at Ben's choice. "You are serving freedom, Weydan, and the people of the Veskarium," she says. "Charity will stay here and show you more of what I've been working on. Come." She leads you through another door into what Katherine can tell is a fairly advanced vaccine lab. Various medical bots hover around tending to different stages of the process. "I haven't yet come up with a solution, but perhaps with your expertise, the final treatment will reveal itself." Out the other side of the large room brings you back to the stairway that you first descended. Climbing up into the sunlight, Agavana's non-living state is emphasized.
"Again, I thank you," she says as the sounds of a starship's atmospheric engines grows loud and a shape lifts up from the edge of the island - the Wintermourn. It hovers at the cliff-side and extends its boarding ramp. "Fancy meeting you folks," you hear over your comms as Niva waves from the bridge window. The red-skinned woman, Nemelith, descends the ramp and waves as well. "Come along, Darling. Your chariot awaits. It's time to go," she calls out. Agavana mounts the ramp and turns once more to bow her head in your direction. "Thank you," she says one last time before the ramp closes and the ship climbs slowly into the atmosphere.
Charity mk 5 leads you back towards the ruined temple. "Well," she begins, "that was all in a good day's work-" she begins before exploding in a blast of plasma as two BMC Maulers scream by overhead. They loop back around and fire more shots as you dodge behind the cover of the ruins. Apparently satisfied with their strafing run, the two small fighters turn and climb into the air towards the Wintermourn.
"Dammit!" Niva's voice echoes over your comm units. "I thought we finally lost those lizards in orbit! Hey, if you can get these two off our backs, I'll owe ya one."
"Captain," Carolyn 5's calm voice also speaks up. "I've detected hostile ships in your vicinity. Should I bring the Oliphaunt in for a retrieval?"
"great, not only are we not going to get paid, but now we are going to risk our lives while NOT getting paid." the blonde quartermaster complains quietly but venomously.
"Sure, but it will be fun!" Chase whispers to Penny. She sneaks a quick kiss on the quartermaster's cheek when she thinks nobody else is looking.
"Yes please, Carrie." Ben replies, keeping his cool. "Make sure we're running hot as well. There's going to be some combat I think."