| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Jaraduk walks the team through the back entrance of his gym and lets out a
Mind the mess. Coffee's in the pot. Might be a little old.
He sets the team down here and heads out to the front to check on the customers. Random grunts and shouts can be heard through the break-room door.
Hey! Share the kettle bells! Take a turn on the Mechanical Me. Watch out for the horns!!
He returns shortly, hearing Guess?'s optimism.
Sure, we've dug out of worse. It does get a little tiring. And hey, why isn't this a perfectly good shop to setup in! We can get fit while we work it all out! Maybe if I... let Lenny convert it to a franchise of his chain it throw off our persuers... maybe... probably not.
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Melissa thinks while pouring the coffee out of the pot. Or trying to. She gives it a few shakes to glop it into the sink, sets the pot for a thorough soaking, and dissects and cleans the coffee maker like its a rifle thats been through the mud.
"There would be no point. If Shin jin cut us off from the undernet we could just buy what we needed from abadar prime. If the Kalistocrats shut us off we could just go underground for what we needed. This annoyance doesn't work at all until they both decided we were a problem "
Priority 0: Coffffeeeeeeeee
Push some weight benches together For del. Use the lat pull down machine to hold an IV pack and prop her feet up on an exercise ball.
Check the armor/loot for bugs, tracking programs, exploding ink packets, tracers, shut down modules
resize the estex armor to ysoki and nearly double her AC. Swipe an electrostatic and thermal armor upgrades for some DR. The purple force field will do till we find something better.
Figure out a straw buying "Guess? did you get anyone besides goblins into your course? Or like, one who would only take HALF the money if we sent them to buy something? "
"Hmm, now that I'm thinking about it. Even if it wasn't foolproof, if it was easy for the Kalistocrats to blacklist us they would have done it ages ago. Forcing us into black market work would hurt. Maybe doing what they're doing now is actually very expensive for them. In which case just waiting it out would probably take a shorter time than you'd expect." Akh mulls it over "One thing Kalistocrats definitely don't like is losing money."
"Guess? did you get anyone besides goblins into your course? Or like, one who would only take HALF the money if we sent them to buy something? "
"Oddly enough, not many non-goblins attended the courses designed to lift goblin tribes and goblin gangs out of poverty. It's not like non-goblins would've felt threatened in such a crowd... amirite?" Guess? winks.
Guess? investigates any possibility of acquiring UPBs and using a proxy to buy items.
|
Akh, correctly, points out that surely there's SOMEONE on this station who will buy from you. Melissa and Guess? think about the close friends and zealous supporters they gained through their charity work. Though less lucrative as Del, Jaraduk, and Akh's downtime, it did create some tight bonds. Melissa's ysoki "cousins" and Guess?'s goblin students will risk their reputations to help out, even during trying times. These supporters will buy 18,000 credits’ (each, so double that) worth of gear at market value (10% the item’s price) and will sell you up to 6 items of level 11 or lower at market price even while your group is burned. No markup at all! They also provide basic food and lodging for your group at no charge for up to 2 weeks.
Tarika stares into the corner, speaking almost to herself. “We can’t live like this. The Company has influence everywhere, and anywhere they don’t go, the Golden League does. But it all comes back to the Oliphaunt. That’s where it all started. If we find where they took yer latest ship, or maybe where your sister - sorry - took the Last Chance slash Oliphaunt... Reisora won’t be far away.” Tarika paces as she continues, thinking out loud. “But... even if we find it where it is, we’ll have to get to it. And to get to it, you’re gonna need a new ship. Or, at least, one that’s new to you, if ya know what I mean. Cause we can’t be buyin’ a brand new starship when we can’t even buy a cup’a noodles." She flicks a finger out to point righ at Guess?. "I don’t mean 'Reisora' one, we’re in enough trouble as it is! We need a starship, but there’s gotta be another way.”"
"Lord Sinjin... I guess you didn't do anything to him, not really. But you did embarrass him pretty badly by defeating his second in command. You know, whatserface? The Drow lady with the knives? Scary, that one, even through a holo-screen." The brenneri shakes her head. "Maybe he's mad, maybe he's trying to regain the riches he imagined before you snatched them away. EIther way, he lives at Rendalairn, his impregnable fortress on Verces, surrounded by hundreds of bodyguards, soldiers, and Xun assassins. Trying to strike him there would be suicide." Tarika lets out a big sigh then adds, “He just wants the ships to make a fortune. The new treasure barge has the bigger-on-the-inside hull, you stole that one then gave it away. The old treasure barge is loaded with cash, he seems to have stolen that one. But Reisora... she needs them both. I bet her bosses at the Company were wonderin’ where the hell it’s been all this time. And her temple leaders could have been wondering how she's connected to this most recent theft... She’s under pressure, and that means we’ve got leverage.” She also notes that gathering information on Eline and the Company is simply easier than trying to do the same for Lord Sinjin and the Golden League, so the crew should focus on lifting the legal and legitimate aspects of their burned status first. They can worry about their underworld contacts later.
Akh stares down Tarika. The otter had been behind some of the biggest traps the group had ever gotten sucked into, had suggested most of the worst ideas, and had cajoled the team into problem after problem. And now she was finally suffering the consequences. Maybe she wasn't doing it on purpose to torment them after all...
"So, I'm not sure where you're going with this Tarika. Even if we found a ship, and somehow tracked down the Last Chance, and made it over there without any further trouble, what would we do? If giving the other Reisora back her ship wasn't enough to convince her we weren't trouble, I'm not sure what is. And if we just off her (like I suggested previously) her bosses will probably still go after us for the same reasons." He coils back and forth "Doesn't it make a lot more sense to just head out to the Vast somewhere?"
I know of some places in the Diaspora we could hide out. Perhaps I still have a little pull there. It's a decent living. Probably not this exciting. Jaraduk offers half-heartedly.
"Why the ysoki house? Lil screamin b-rats everywhere!" quips Guess?. "Honestly, there's more space where goblins live. The furnishings may leave something to be desired though. And uh, use the lockboxes in the bedrooms - they ain't for decorative purposes, y'hear?"
Guess? replies to Melissa, "As for Del, she'll sleep the stuff off in a couple days. I say don't bother spending the money, she'll be fine. And considering the situation we're in, she'll probably WANT to stay asleep those extra couple days while we figure out what's what. It'll be less stress on her and c'mon, let's be honest. Del isn't exactly the greatest at handling stress. The longer we can put off the news that her sister is trying to kill us again, the better for her sanity, amirite?!?"
Guess? thinks for a moment, then says, "You know what we should do? We should send Eline a series of threatening messages pretending to be Sinjin. Cause some cracks in their alliance then exploit it somehow...
"And y'know, I don't think reisora-ing another starship is THAT bad an idea. We should play to our strengths and that's certainly one of 'em!!"
|
|
"Ours are corner trained by 1 not...never?" Buying 3 buckets of purelle shouldn't be any red flags?
" You volunteering to look after her whi...Nope. nope nope on so many levels " melissa will send a minion out with UPBs to a temple of weyden or calden cayden "Look, 3 days we prop her up on the beach for 1500 credits? Ehhh thats a maybe. 3 days of hauling her around goblin tunnels HOPING sin jin doesn't show up? "
1 spell gem remove affliction
2 spell gems prestidigitation
3 buckets purelle.
"OK ok ok. Fair enough. But let's at least be smart about waking Del up since resources are gunna be tight for a while. I know a guy.
"A goblin shaman actually.
"You'll love him.
"Great guy.
"Trust me!"
Akh offers a credstick "I do have some left over for waking Del up. I hope that goblin shaman wakes people up by smooching them. I saw that in a vid before. I think Del will appreciate the fairytale flair."
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
You move into the goblin den, enjoying the lush amenities and only holding your nose for a small portion of the time. While Guess?'s minion goes to fetch a doctor-for-hire, you settle in to decide what's next.
Tarika stares down Akh and shrugs. "I mean, you could try and escape out into the Vast. Personally, I've gotten used to my weekly massages." She shakes her head. "I'm thinking that, hypothetically, if we were to Reisora another ship we should focus on the Second Chance, your treasure barge loaded with well itemized and pre-ordered goods, rather than the Last Chance. Though both are likely with Eline, or at least with her kalistocrat leaders."
While Melissa desperately sprays some hand sanitizer in the general direction of a goblin who just 'used' the corner, you focus on what's next. Tarika, helpful - or at least trying to be - as ever, speaks up. "With everyone, except for your acolytes or distant family members, treating you like you're radioactive then maybe you should try to reconnect with people you've encountered in your travels! Always nice to call in a favor... then we can focus on how to get a ship that flies off this station."
Guess? says to Akh, "No need to offer your creds. We picked up enough off those assassins to revive Del."
"Reconnect with our allies, eh? There's the Veskarium... Captain Fireheart or Agavana, there's the Skitter ranch, Rygan maybe will have appreciated us test driving his necrografts, the Marixah rebels. I kinda think if we can make it out to vesk space, we'll be in a better position.
"And it really hurts me to say it, but there's also the Wintermourne. We've been talking down on them but we haven't really done them bad... much. Not what they've done to us so I figure they still owe us. And they got a ship.
"Whaddaya'll think?"
|
|
"Akh no girl wants to be kissed by a goblin. Except goblin girls. Even that's a maybe. Especially for what might be her first kiss. We need to add some Rom Coms to the movie schedule..."
"It's almost like I said hey, I have more money than god, Why don't I by half a continent to start a farming colony in the vast in case I need to move to the vast. The massages or nice, or they've got this weird little ferret creature that can walk on your back. Its PROBABLY not venomous... "
spritz. twitch. Spritz.
"We might want to see if "Captain Ryoso" has gotten captain Ryoso burned. "
The Wintermourne... now that idea I like. They've messed with us enough to get their ship confiscated for sure. And did you get the feeling any member of their crew was ready to turn and join and enterprising upstart who cheat death and start over constantly?
"Captain Fireheart seems like a responsible and thoroughly honorable individual. The Skitter Ranch would be behind us too, probably. But they both happen to be very far away." He looks with alarm at Guess? "The Wintermourn! They turned us directly in to EJ last time, remember? Seems like they'd be some of the furthest away from helping."
"My vote is Fireheart. We give him a call and see if he has any trustworthy friends on the Station who can smuggle us out in high security rare-animal carriers."
He looks very much surprised at Melissa's statement. "Why? Especially if that goblin saved you?"
"We can always doublecross the Wintermourne crew and Reisora their ship before they doublecross us and hand us over to the Kalistocrats or Sinjin.
"After the two ships we already previously Reisora'd, how hard can it be for a team of special ops mercs like us to subvert a crew of mere cargo haulers? Not hard, I bet!
"Then we can easily make our way to Vesk space!"
"Oooh, 'borrowing' the Wintermourn! That seems like a plan." Akh rolls about "We can give it back afterward once we're done. That seems fair, after how they treated us."
|
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Melissa hits the infosphere, searching for the Wintermourn. She finds a short article and attached police report. STATION OFFICERS 'BOOTED' A CARGO HAULER ON DOCK 244 THIS MORNING. THE WINTERMOURN'S CAPTAIN HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF THEFT AND SMUGGLING BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL. AUTHORITIES ARE STILL SEARCHING FOR THE SHIP'S CREW, BELIEVED TO BE HIDING OUT IN THE SPIKE. IF YOU SEE THESE PERSONS, CONTACT STATION IMMEDIATELY. Below are several photos of the Wintermourn's crew, obviously pulled from social media. Akh and Jaraduk debate the pros and cons of contacting Captain Rovu and her crew on the private numbers they gave you.
Melissa sprays the goblin shaman in the face with some hand sanitizer as he applies some lip gloss. Pouting, he wipes his bloodshot eyes and administers the medicine the old fashioned way. Without any fairytale flair or unrequested kisses,
You send off a pair of data packets to both Captain Fireheart and the goblin tribe at the ranch. Then, you call Rygan, but his line is dead. A quick infosphere search shows several articles about his "temple" mysteriously burning down one night. You move on in your rolodex, sending a message to Agavana "Oathbreaker" through the same pathway that she sent her thank you note after you escaped from the prison planet. Jeeze, that feels like a long time ago - only a few months of excitement and growth.
You spend a few days eating takeout and trying not to get flashbacks to your time stuck in a cargo hold of a treasure barge as you enjoy each other's company (as well as a few dozen goblins) in the tight confines of the manufactured warren. One day in, an elven man walks up to the door and knocks. He speaks in an elevated accent. "Hello, I believe you are one of the acolytes in the recent No Guesswork goblin redevelopment program. Our data analysts expects there is a 79% chance your teacher is one of a crew that helped out my master. Sevaranna Pilos' life was saved by them, and she never forgets a friend. Even if they've been burned." He pulls out the datapad, with surveillance footage photos of several of your disguises while on the kalistocrat station. "Do you recognize any of these people? We were told that there were a few non-goblins at your opening feast..."
Later, you receive a message from Captain Fireheart. "Esteemed Colleagues. May the Despots' grace shine upon you. I am sorry to hear of your predicament. I am afraid that I cannot break the rule of law. It seems you are wanted, both officially and unofficially, in every civilized sector. However, that's not to say that I can't lean on some of my friends in the Pact Worlds to make things easier for you. I have some contacts in local law enforcement. I will see if they can arrange for some of your enemies to end up on the local watch's radar. I'm sorry I can't do more. Best of luck, Captain F"
A few hours later you get a video message from Rattlesnarp, Fleagreeb, and Goog. The three goblins are knee deep in a muddy field, massive dinosaurs running around in a pen in the background. They keep tossing the recorder between the three of each other, finishing each other's sentences. "“We heard about what happened,” says Goog in a holographic recording. Fleagreab continues, “but we’re from Botscrap, and scrappers like us, we pay our debts." Rattlesnarp catches the datapad upside down, disorienting the recording. "Head down to the junkracer tracks and look for Ratrod. We put in a good word for you. Maybe he can help.”
"I'm leaning towards contacting Rovu. Worst case, we get in a firefight that we'll win. Best case, we work something out and get access to a ship. Whaddaya think?"
-----
Still disguised as Rovo (or using quick disguise to appear as Estriar), Guess? says, "Yep, that's me! Everyone else in the video is indisposed at the moment. How is Severanna? And any assistance would be appreciated. Lay it on me, buddy!"
-----
"Rat rod? What kinda name is that? Must be a ysoki!
"Sounds like an idol of yours, Melissa. And who's friendship does he value? Goblins! Just like you and me!"
Guess? gives Melissa a 'bro' fist bump to the shoulder.
-----
"Hey, you know who else we forgot to contact? Those two totally not government spies that we totally didn't pass state secrets to. They owe us one, amirite? Do we have any way of contacting them?"
I say we try it. And if we get the firefight and win, they are voluntold to become a focus group for goblin products and gym memberships! It's not really prison...
"Yes, lets see what we can squeeze out of those Wintermourners. Though unbooting their ship might be a bit tricky, at least we know they're here on the station and desperate." Akh thinks it over and then says "Actually... They're probably desperate to clear themselves, so they'll try to turn us in at any moment. We'll really have to be careful."
Akh leaves the representative of Severanna to Guess to deal with, and instead sends a message back to Captain Fireheart: I think some of your law enforcement friends might be taking money from the Kalistocracy. Could you politely suggest they don't? It's uh, probably more honorable to not serve as the mouthpiece for a big corpo-religious organization.
|
|
"Why don't we start with ratrod?" earflutter " We can see him legally, we don't need to tell him who we are, and he's apparently used to having a hoard of goblins with a bunch of junk show up. "
"I know we're going to have to bust someone out of police custody *again* but why not make that the LAST step? "
|
|
Watching the elf's video again, you see both 'Estriar' and 'Rovu' among the crew of a stone giant, lashunta, a serpent, and dragon. The elf man smiles at Guess?, and rummages in his bag. He chuckles awkwardly. "Well, uh, we heard y'all were in some trouble. Now, obviously, Ms. Pilos can handle some upjumped redneck aggravators. However, she felt some token of gratitude would be fitting." The agent hands off two Absalom affable Pact World serums to Guess? and quickly turns heel to go. Over his shoulder, he calls out "Good luck to you and your crew in reversing your misfortunes!"
Melissa knows that Ratrod Racing is located in Botscrap, a mountainous pile of discarded tech dominated by the ysoki-run Scrap Union. Word on the street is that the retired racer Ratrod still manages the track, which he closed for renovations a while ago. Ratrod put junkyard technology and an army of badly-paid laborers to work carving a new track outfitted with sharper turns and new environmental hazards, and it is set to reopen any day. As a self-proclaimed Botscrap oligarch, he likely has some resources that can help you get out from under this Burn.
You message the crew of the Wintermourn, and get a video message back right away. Judging from the urban background, it's coming from another part of Absalom station. Dizzy the dragonkin appears in the holo, way to close to the camera and whispering. “Hey. I guess you finally pissed off the Company bad enough for them to hit you where it counts, huh? Not gonna lie, Captain was pretty upset herself when she realized why the author-it-tees were after us. I mean, stealing all those corpses a few months back? Sure, makes sense. But no, apparently it was you guys!" Dizzy's drone digit flies into view and bonks him in the head. He raises his hands defensively. "Hey, I like a joke just as much as the next guy. But, uh, a little too far all the same. To be honest, Nem kind of went off the handle on that one. ANYWAYS... Well, I’ll never forget that business on Marixah. So when I saw the message come in I figured I should give you some help right away before the crew sees it. Go see Tsalu, he owns the Click-Clack Club. I can’t promise anything, but he won’t turn you over to the Golden League, that’s for sure." He reaches for the off button, then remembers. "Oh! And soon Niva will see your message and she'll know about your dilemma too. Not totally sure how she'll react, but you might be seeing us real soon.”
A well-known haven for augmented individuals, mechanical creatures, and social outcasts, the Click-Clack Club (or “C3,” as locals call it) welcomes those down on their luck… as long as they have something to offer. Named for the trademark sounds of its mechanical clientele, this bar and VR parlor caters specifically to mechanical creatures such as anacites, androids, and cybernetically enhanced folks sympathetic to the Augmented cause. Sometimes called “C3” for short, the club is run by Tsalu, a dragonkin, and his bond partner Barnaba, a ryphorian, both heavily augmented themselves. Though the two are notorious for running less-than-legal betting on their array of VR games, they’re quick to take augmented folks and anyone they see as social outcasts under their wings.
Angrily muttering after the call with Dizzy, "A little too far?!? TOO FAR!?! Niva backstabbed US after we protected THEM! As far as I'm concerned, we're now even! But if they wanna come at us now, then I'm ready to face them. LETHALLY!"
Guess? turns a dark shade of green red when he sees Del waking up. Still feeling angry, Guess? yells in a still-angry tone, "HI DEL! GLAD YOU'RE AWAKE! HOW ARE YOU FEELING??"
Later, after calming down, Guess? says, "I think we should still check out C3. But I'm happy to see this Ratrod guy first."
Guess? then describes C3 to everyone (in the spoiler).
Guess? puts on a new disguise - a nondescript looking halfling named Beaumont.
"Even? Definitely not. Their backstabbing will need to be repaid with a LOT more backstabbing for us to be even." Akh is absolutely adamant about that part. "I said it earlier, but they're probably angling how to trick us even now."
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
After a few days of being cooped up, you are thrilled to breathe fresh air. As you move towards Botscrap you feel the eyes of the public on you. That man in the sharp leather jacket, did his stare have a tinge of venom in it? The kasatha... was that doubletake at Akh's shiny behind one of lust, or murder? The pair of pale little girls in blue dresses, what were they muttering? Nah, you must just be paranoid! You continue on your way, grabbing a few snacks as you walk.
Suddenly you round the corner and see haphazardly spaced lampposts assembled from assorted machine parts that illuminate a colossal mound of scrap. A wide groove cuts a crooked path through the base of the junk pile, its curves bordered by rows of flattened steel that resemble bleacher seats. A distant echo and swirling dust make the junkyard seem lonely and deserted until the roar of an unseen engine or the crash of splintering metal shatters the quiet. A mottled gray-and-white ysoki stands in the front, yelling and pointing directions to the staff that crowd the track. Melissa recognizes the great Ratrod! As you approach, a small explosion lights up the metal ceiling far ahead and a spray of metal shrapnel scatters into the air. "Cursed drones..." The ysoki's voice is tense but he wipes a look of desperation off his face when he sees you. “Oh hey!” Ratrod exclaims, smiling broadly as he recognizes you. “You’re the dopes who got smoked by EJ Corp and the Golden League! I got a call from some old friends. Surprised they're still alive, to be honest." He waves his right arm in the air wildly. "Hey everybody, we got us some celebrities here! Introduce yourselves now, for everyone. Speak up.” He takes a step back, looking at you expectantly.
|
|
We should definitely use the holoskin and other disguises on the way there.
Melissa should probably fluffy ooze her way into the junkpile and scavange him something nice. It won't count if she buys/prints it.
"Oh. erm. Wow. HI! I'm ratro... I mean you're ratrod. I'm Melissa. "
"Yeah well... We busted some of their slaves out of..well enslavement. shipped a bunch of weapons to rebels resisting the bootheels of hobgoblin oppression, stole an impossible ship from sinjin, stuffed his lieutenents head into a to go bag with the catch of the day, Turned one of their CEOs over to the locals she was piciding for their justice, and stole their treasure barge so we could set up colony for refugees or... uplift the goblins. And we made a profit on it. And..we managed to keep SOME of the profit. We're the crew of The last chance and we're on ours... Nice to meet you. "
|
|
Ratrod doesn't even react as Melissa recounts your absolutely wild journey. Finally, he nods slowly. "I don't understand stuffy CEO types, but that Sinjin is no good. I mean, sure, some employees deserve TO BE BEHEADED." He stares daggers at a specific ysoki who has the heart to at least look ashamed. "But you don't actually DO IT. Bad for morale. So, you lost not one but two ships? Fair enough. Been there. Seein’ as how I’m such a personable, generous, and gracious guy,” he says. “I do happen to have a starship that would get you jokers back in action. And I’d be happy to loan it to ya, happy to! Just as soon as, you know, I’m sure I won’t go broke on account of these lazy slackers!” As he speaks, he gestures to his many overworked and underpaid employees and gives one of them a gentle kick. "I've got a few things that need to be done around the track. You comb my fur, I comb yours, you feel me?" He takes a step back, cocking his head. "First, a hairpin turn needs to be widened because the test vehicles keep clipping the inside bend. Second, the decorative flamethrowers on the track’s jump ramp need their spacing adjusted so they don’t incinerate quite so many racers." He puts just a touch to much emphasis on 'quite' but you let him continue. "Finally, the 180-degree bank turn at the rear of the track keeps shifting, and I don’t know why. Once these three issues are under control, and the track has a successful test run, then I'll be able to help y'all out. Deal?" You all jump in your boots as something like a loud gunshot cracks through the air. You turn and see an experimental hover-craft's engine struggling to start up.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Having been burned before, Akh is far too paranoid to rely upon holoskins. Instead, he sends out the party's helpful contacts to acquire some swatches of felt cloth and other goods. He sketches out his plans and passes them on to Guess to complete the disguise...
Before heading to Botscrap, Akh makes sure he fits properly inside his brand new mascot costume. Once he's snugly inside, he's the spitting image of the mustachioed and bespectacled Doctor Noodle!, sentient noodle mascot of Mania Noodles: Triaxus' Favorite Slurpable Enriched Grain Product. It is, in his own humble opinion, the absolute perfect cover. No one ever suspects the advertising mascot.
He waves to all the kids he passes by in the streets, handing out plastic-wrapped packages of the "Hell Onion" flavored mania noodle without a word to passers by. When Ratrod recognizes the group, he feigns ignorance and thrusts a pack of noodles into the ysoki's hands. At the offer of a starship for a parade of seemingly innocuous tasks, Akh leans in to say "Is this a real starship or are you going to have us do a bunch of your chores and give us a scale model of a starship or some other clever trick? Because a whole starship for some landscaping and interior decorating seems an unusually good deal."
|
|
"It'll be a spaceship...or enough parts to build one Akh. Ysoki don't get sneaky with dragons. We don't like being lunch."
"We just came into some gently used flame throwers didn't we? Come on Akh, you do the ride by's I'll use magnets to temporarily hold hold them in place I'll work on the spacing " Looks for 4 roller skates so Akh can use his thruster heels to test the ramp.
(Semi joking work distribution proposal)
Melissa= Fire (you really don't want to mess that up)
Akh= track testing
jaraduk= track widening
Del: Physically restraining guess from "adjusting" the fire to "well done racer" ?
Guess? teaching the goblin work crew new curses?
Melissa WILL produce the set of brushes she keeps with her after a long day covered in rust soot and burned fur...
Guess? looks over the race course, clearly impressed. "This is quite the setup you got here! Impressive, impressive! Those flamethrowers are particularly delightful!
"I'm Beaumont! And my crewmate here pretty much covered what we do. I'll add that I... WE love appropriating from the rich and (sometimes) giving to the poor! Less our business expenses and fees of course!"
"Consider those tasks done! Piece of cake!"
|
|
Ratrod laughs with little shame. "You make a good point, 'Doctor'. Some would says that starships are priceless, more than credits could buy. But do not worry, it’s a starship!” he exclaims. “But not just any starship. A junk starship! I inherited it from my uncle Drillbit when he died 10 years ago. It’s the last of its kind! Pro’ly pretty dangerous, I admit. So I’ve been saving it for someone so desperate, so down on their luck, so hopeless, that they’ve got no other choice but to fly it. And guess what? That’s you!” Ratrod claps his hands in delight. "I'm so excited to see if it actually flies, and doesn't just explode on the pad. I keep the Rust Bug in a nearby vault, but I'll warn ya. I haven't checked on it in years. Don't know its current condition. Not to fret, not to fret, if it's a little rustier than usual then we'll just fix it right up and get you off and where you're goin'." He smiles a cheesey used hovercraft salesman grin and does a theatrical twirl for emphasis.
"Y'all can split up to get it done faster, or just do each task as a big old group. No hair off my back." He heads off to the shanty at the side of the track. "I'll be in here with a hot cup of joe when you're done!"
You take a brief walk around the track, getting a lay of the land. At the Hairpin Turn you see that the workers here struggle to move unusually heavy chunks of metal. These unathletic slobs...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Hmmm, I suppose if its more likely to explode than fly, we can also give it to our friend to use as an improvised grenade..." He eyes Jaraduk. "For... a thing we need to do after this."
At the Hairpin Turn, he floats up into the air and looks at the angle of the track to see if he can work out why everyone's crashing here. Unfortunately, he isn't any kind of track engineer, so he's limited to looking for anything that might be particularly distracting to drivers.
Oooh! I bigger grenade.
He definitely digs the idea.
That wouldn't get us very far though. Anyway, track widening? Sure, I can give it a shot. Somehow I don't think this holds the same potential for excitement that the auction did.
"Well let's see here. It appears the electromagnetic propulsion systems of racing vehicles has, over time, magnetized these metal bulkheads. This force has bound them to the surroundings, making them far harder to remove as these workers are struggling not only gravitational forces but also magnetic forces.
"What we'll need to do is demagnetize the metal chunks. Then the plebs should be able to clear the area!"
Hmm, yeah, how would we go about doing that? There's got to be spare magnets, batteries, solenoids, coils, and other related tools in this junk heap.
You know I'm fond of mazes, but usually the more orderly type. This is more of a haystack of needles.
Guess? begins moving/helping to move the metal slabs. "Never said I ain't above pleb work! I'm just usually not very good at it."
Guess? chuckles.
|
|
Guess? channels the powers of his courses, identifying the problem, the solution, and the power required to do so. He reverses the polarity of the magnetism so that not only is the area easier to repair, but vehicles that pass through the turn are actually going to be accelerated. Ratrod's workers stand back, morale low, and emit an impressed sigh as Guess? leads your team to shift the metal slabs out of the way.
You move down the track, walking slowly and enjoying the absurdity of the patched together junktrack. You've seen technomancers piece together junk weapons, junk shields, junk armor, and junk servants... but this track is something altogether. At the next turn, the flamethrowers go off erratically. Some of you get flashbacks to that burning hotel penthouse, but you soldier onwards. Though they should be firing in a specific order and timing, just ahead of an oncoming racer (adding the illusion of danger for the crowd)... they are firing in the wrong order and in an unpredictable pattern. With the proper Dexterity, anyone could reset and realign the three flamethrowers. Of course, a mistake might have you looking a little well done...
Alternatively, in lieu of adjusting the spacing, you recognize that the flamethrowers could be integrated into an automated firing routine, which would spare the racers while also looking more dazzling and impressive to the audience. This would require both the Computers skill to fix up the program but also a Diplomatic tongue to convince the pyrotechnics staff to allow this change.
Two racer engines backfire in the far distance, so you assume. BANG! BANG! Totally unrelated, Jaraduk cries out in pain as his shoulder is slammed into by... a bullet? Several spaceball fields away, at the top of a building across the street from the track, you see two figures standing with shiny metal items in their hands. Just to be safe, from any more "backfires", you note some cover between you and the two distant figures.
Melissa SP 55/55 HP 57/57 RP 10/10
Akh SP 99/99 HP 67/67 RP 8/8
Guess? SP 54/54 HP 47/47 RP 10/10
Del SP: 45/45, HP: 49/49, RP: 5/5
Jaraduk SP 53/72, HP 69/69, RP 10/10
Guess? moves into cover, drawing his rifle.
Then he takes a look at the flamethrower situation.
"Instead of fixing those flamethrowers one by one, we can do it better by automating them all with a single centralized algorithm! I'm sure the pyro team will agree! Just a little reprogramming and a little convincing will do the trick!
"Honestly though, I personally think it's working great the way it is! kekeke!"
|
|
To realize we should automate this better than mashing the buttons...
"Maybe we could make a video game out of this? You could even let a lucky audience member run the controls"
"Look I like physical solutions as much as the next rat, but we're talking about fire here. In close proximity. To people you might care about. Close enough until the selinoid breaks and then who knows isn't gonna cut it..."
Okay, but I'm also being fired on!
He ducks for the nearest cover. There, he eyes the next flamethrower he could work on without getting shot at.