[SF] Fly Free or Die AP - GM Ewok

Game Master EwokBanshee

Telling Tarika that we're resigning...

Due to the years Guess? has spent working with Tarika, Guess? speaks with a tinge of sadness in his voice, "I've got some good news and some bad news. The bad news is we're resigning. I know, I know. I know what you're thinking: 'How could you Guess? But we've fought through so much together at EJ, Guess?. We've stuck together through thick and thin, Guess?.'

"BUT that's where the good news comes in! Even though we're resigning, this crew is sticking together! An interesting new opportunity has sprung up for us. Now, I can't really go into it right now. But you betcha that once we've had a chance to milk this one for what it's worth, well, y'know that fancy restaurant over in The Eye that all the execs would go to where a single meal cost more than two years of our pay?"

Guess? thumb points both thumbs at himself, "Well guess who's gonna take you there? Guess?!!!

"Anyways, thanks Tarika for everything and we'll be back in touch real soon!!!"

-------------

GM Ewok, I've got a question. Would the profession check rerolls from the free trader archetype apply here?

Gaah! I've been on the line with these people for hours!

Diplomacy, DC13: 1d20 ⇒ 10

Guess?, you definitely get your rerolls on that. And no, I didn't add the 2400. Everybody can just get 400 credits from Sinjin.

That's the credstick he handed out above, right?

Thanks for the confirmation, GM Ewok. Jaraduk, yep, that's the one Sinjin handed us earlier when Guess? originally asked for 10,000 each. At least, that's the one I'm referring to. Hehe...

Per the rolls and rerolls...

After arguing with the SR officer regarding the proper amount of credit and ship voucher severance to be received and getting no where, Guess? exercises a little-known right to restart the process with a new, unbiased SR officer.

And when that second officer explains, incorrectly, why Guess? is entitled to next to nothing, Guess? again demands another new SR officer to speak with.

"I can do this all day." says Guess?, arguing/negotiating until this third officer relents...

Tarika responds well to Guess?'s exhortation. "Yes, that's true! I'm so happy for you all! That's it, I'm going independent." The brenneri begins typing on the terminal, already working on it. "And if you go freelance after this job is done, I can help you find jobs! Though if you can afford that restaurant... you won't need to work ever again!"

---

I'll let Del roll her own Severance roll!

While the majority of the group is stumped by the brutal pressure of legal complications and Sentient Resources trickery, Guess? manages to push through to get what he is owed. It takes all of his professional expertise but he manages to get 750 credits and 3 Build PointTM ship vouchers. Tarika calls you up, inquiring how it went. "Ah, they stiffed you, huh? I had some better luck. Maybe cause I was a dispatcher, our contracts are probably different. Here, I'll send you my vouchers; I'll never use them!" Your datapad pings, Tarika has sent you a fortune in ship parts - 6 Build PointTM ship vouchers! “Looks like whatever happens, we’re in it together!” she says, with characteristic optimism. “Once we finish this opportunity, we’ll be independent at last! No one’ll tell us what to do. I’ll find you all the work you need — for a modest administrative fee, of course — and the universe will be your open road.”

Once you've all finished speaking to the SR call representatives, you head back to the BD514. But once you get to the spaceport terminal, you are surprised to see and empty landing pad! Well, nearly empty. The only items on the pad are a stack of cardboard boxes with your personal belongings in them. The port manager, a beetle-like Ghibrani, looks up from his desk with a sigh. "Yepp, the EJ grunts came in a few hours ago. Bunch of androids, used a Master Key to get in." His wings begin to buzz, perhaps in frustration, distractingly. "They packed up the inside of it, dropped the boxes, paid the bill, and took off." They go back to work. "Sorry 'bout it. Corps do be like that sometimes." Everything but your personal possessions is gone, including the hovercarts and Company rig, reclaimed by EJ Corp.

It's time to get your next payday, it definitely won't be coming from EJ Corp. You book no-frills ticket to Aballon on a passenger liner that costs 50 credits per day of travel, and travel time is 1d6 days. Whoops, I read that wrong before. It's 50-300 credits apiece! lol, this is a brutal deal. It's cost depends on the time it takes. More luxurious accommodations are available, but not in your price range. On the way to the liner you pass an aisle-side popup booth selling downloadable "emote-mods".

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 + 1d6 ⇒ (7) + 7 + (5) = 19

"I bet chefy would have loved one of these.. I'll get you back chefy!!!! "

Looking at the empty landing pad, Guess? says with a shrug, "Huh. I wish they were this efficient in paying us. Oh well."

---------

Culture: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
Everyone feel free to read the spoiler - Guess? would explain what those emote mods are.

"Let's pick up as many of these emote-mods as we can. We'll turn over a nice little profit!"

GM Ewok, would this roll from before count as Guess?'s roll towards the number of emote-mods available for purchase?

I've also gone ahead and added the 750 credits and 9 build points from severance to slide 4 so we don't lose track of them. Perhaps we should sell the weapons and distribute the cash/UPBs before we depart for the Horse Eye?

If someone could post the total credits we're each getting, I keep a spreadsheet going that links to the posts where I either earn or spend money.

Diplomacy, Aid: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (19) - 1 = 18

Strek picks through the sold-out options, out of curiosity.

"Huh. First Strawberry Machine Cake Concert. Snowboarding on Vesk-8. Vracineac Hallucinations. Participating in Live Adventure Extreme!..."

"...I think we need to get out more."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

*facepalm*

Del slams the phone down for the ump-teenth time. "I swear, it's easier flying through an asteroid belt that getting my shares!"

Sorry, I'm having trouble figuring out how much money Del has from the loot sheet. She has 400 from Sinjin plus... 817?? or... I'm not sure.

"Ah, they stiffed you, huh? I had some better luck. Maybe cause I was a dispatcher, our contracts are probably different. Here, I'll send you my vouchers; I'll never use them!" Your datapad pings, Tarika has sent you a fortune in ship parts - 6 Build PointTM ship vouchers! “Looks like whatever happens, we’re in it together!” she says, with characteristic optimism. “Once we finish this opportunity, we’ll be independent at last! No one’ll tell us what to do. I’ll find you all the work you need — for a modest administrative fee, of course — and the universe will be your open road.”

Jaraduk smirks at Tarika's positivity and chuckles. "Modest fee." You're one of us through and through Tarika. We'll take care of you just as you take care of us.

He signs contentedly, seemingly becoming more at peace with their path forward.

I know we were walking dead, but if she hadn't quit along with us it would have made the decision harder, or at least a nasty loose end that would have lingered in the back of my mind...

---------

Jaraduk closes his eye and exhales. Yup, they sure work fast. He walks over to the boxes and starts taking stock of whether all of his personal effects are present. Out of habit he checks his pocket and jingles a particular keychain.

At least they didn't dump our stuff at some auction or reclamation station.

At least they didn't dump our stuff at some auction or reclamation station.

A tail pokes out of a nearby garbage bin, followed by several items being thrown out and some angry chittering in ysoki.

"Mine, mine, trash, not mine, my trash needed to throw that out anyway, HEY! this is only slightly rewired..oh hey is this anyones? "

Melissa will offer Akh a good polishing with an emery cloth, some jewlers rouge, and a mini floor buffer.

"We didn't have any toa..serm. Synthetic Workers in my mine. Whats a restraining bolt and how's it work? I'm not sure of about half of what I heard but "no free will left" didn't sound that great but Rescue sounded like a complication. Maybe a worthwhile one... "

Guess?, you do get to use that roll! Thanks for the reminder, I forgot about it. That with the Aids lets you break 33. So that would be... 6 emote mods available for sale! 600 credits down and 3000 credits once you arrive.

You sell your loot aboard the Station and pick up some new gear. With Del's rejection note in hand, you get on board the passenger liner.

Days in the Drift: 1d6 ⇒ 1

You just settled into your poor accommodations on the ship (20 beds to a room, really? Who can sleep when you have a vesk snoring on the bunk above yours?) and were digging into a breakfast that was spiced significantly better than your usual fare when the ship lurches out of the drift. You look at the monitors showing the external cameras and see Aballon, a small gray planetoid covered in enormous high-tech metroplexes separated by mountain ranges and the occasional crater. The sun looms larger than ever in the distance, closer here than in the majority of the universe. It takes a few hours to reach the Horse Eye Orbital Plate, a miles-long floating factory with a flat upper surface covered in solar collection panels forever angled toward the sun. Starships in various states of construction — most of them barely visible among scaffolding, robotic cranes, and a swarm of workers — hang like bats from the shadowed bottom of the facility. Among these vessels is a colossal bulk cruiser plated in gold—one of the legendary commerce barges manufactured by followers of the Prophecies of Kalistrade.

A ticket taker stops by during that time, punching your ticket and charging the associated account. He mutters the same phrase to everyone he greets. "Only one day in the drift, 50 credits is your gift." 50 credits lost each! Your passenger liner docks in the middle levels of the plate, where workers and guests are housed. An anacite worker briefly inspects your identification against a database of authorized visitors. You hold your breath as Melissa's copy of Lars' ID card gets scanned, but Sinjin's work comes through. As each of you is cleared for entry, the anacite checking the credentials informs you, “Shareholders are authorized to travel freely in the Horse Eye Orbital Plate, but some corporations maintain restricted areas. You must secure separate authorization for entry to each of these regions. The Horse Eye Orbital Plate is not responsible for injury or inconvenience resulting from failure to obtain this authorization. Do you understand?” Once you indicate yes, the anacite issues you a guest room in the middle levels of the facility.

You don’t know exactly where the Oliphaunt is being kept, so discovering its location is your next objective. Once you know where the ship is, you’ll need to infiltrate the facility and steal it. On the way to the guest room you see check-in points for tours around the ship. Seems like there are a few tours that visit the EJ Corp facilities. While the tours don't go inside the restricted zones, they provide a convenient alibi for reconnaissance of Company facilities and, potentially, access to computers that might provide more information if hacked. Alternatively, you could use any of the Plate's public computers to hack into EJ's systems to get a map of the station and learn the location of the Oliphaunt.

Earlier:
Akh peers over his few belongings, then opens his mouth and tosses them in for storage. "This decision to quit EJ is looking better and better. If we didn't have another plan, they would have pulled the rug out from under us like this eventually - and then we would have really been in trouble."

He gladly accepts the polishing gear from Melissa "Can never hurt to look good while doing your job."
----
Now:
I guess each person pays 100 creds then for each emote mod?

Akh confidently weaves his way out of the ship and shows his ID. From his experience working with Sinjin before, confidence usually got you at least 90% of the way in almost anywhere, and the last 10% was by wearing a reflective vest and holding a clipboard. This time of course, their shares would be the clipboard, but the idea was the same.

He nods to the anacite, but asks "Which corporations are currently maintaining restricted areas? Do you have a map for us?"

Melissa finds the accommodations spacious and lets one of the larger party members swipe her bunk. She hops onto the cot at the feet of the snoring vesk pulls the blanket up over her head and passes out. The Dulcet tones remind the ysoki of the mining equipment which would run non stop throughout the night. It's even the same volume!

"I got these free tour coupons. I love seeing how things are made. Want to take in the sights before we get to..erm...work? "

She oooos looking out the window at the rather ordinary site of seeing the world from space. "It's so black and so bright at the same time. It's amazing how everything is just hanging there with nothing holding it up. Tiny pinpricks of light in a vast eternal void. "

Jaraduk has a miserable time for that one day in the drift. Not only does the vesk above his bunk snore, but the nuar himself turns over in his sleep and his horns poke through the the bunk above. Then he and the vesk fight and he goes back to falling asleep second, to the sawmill of snoring. It's a whole thing.

Prior to arrival, Guess? switches to his usual non-descript goblin face/body and if anyone asks, he introduces himself as 'Lewis'.

"Guys, can you all figure out our first move while I do a bit of 'business'? But call me back before you head off on any tours - I don't wanna miss out on those!"

Guess? will spend some time selling the emote-mods and looking for other goods to potentially purchase/trade/smuggle (assuming it is okay for him to do so at this time). He figures better offload the trade goods and pick up any other deals before we need to run away and escape off this station!

Profession (merchant/smuggler): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

Strek was visibly distressed at the cramped quarters. The noise didn't bother him, but he preferred sleeping in BD514's engine room where he could stretch out comfortably. During the night he tosses and turns, his limbs reflexively stretching and shortening and knocking into the adjacent beds, much to everyone's annoyance.

"This is why I prefer a hammock."

When they're on board the Orbital Plate, Strek gets a feel for the software by checking out the public infosphere.

Computers (2 ranks): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

"Hammock? You mean little sibling slingshot. As one of the little siblings those were a nightmare."

The anacite stares down Akh, just the subtle vibration of his processor filling the silence. "Yes, tour maps are available. Please scan this code to download. List of corporations is included at the bottom." You download the map and confirm what Melissa had heard on Absalom Station. The map shows a number of corporations that are leasing space on the Plate. There are five areas on the Horse Eye Orbital Plate that are both Company-controlled and have restricted access. This information is publicly available to ensure guests do not try to enter areas for which they are not authorized. The only problem is... Which restricted facility is the Oliphaunt in?

Guess? runs off, a briefcase of jangling USB drives in his hands. He manages to sell the lot of it, bringing each of you a profit of 400 credits! (After counting the 100 you paid. So 500 credits if you already subtracted the 100 per person.) Unfortunately, he does not manage to get another load of trade gear. Everything flippable he finds is too large to hand carry. If only you had a ship of your own!

Strek attempts to hack the computer terminal in the guest room, but is unsuccessful. Deciding to try again later, you head out on the tour that Melissa found tickets to. The tour, Commercial and Intergalactic Industry on the Horse Eye, passes by all five of the EJ corp secured facilities. Along the way, the tour group stops to look out a transparasteel bulkhead at an Abadarcorp freighter in construction. During the pause you catch sight of a terminal with a corporate logo bouncing around as a screensaver. Someone can use Computers to hack this terminal if they use a Stealth check to hide their attempt. Someone can lower the DC of this Stealth check by creating a distraction! Feel free to get creative with the distraction, there are a lot of skill checks that could be appropriate. Everyone else can Aid, either by performing a Stealth and Computers Aid check or Aiding the Distraction attempt.

After the stop, you pass by another secured EJ facility, located near the bottom of the plate. As you pass it you spot a human woman dressed head to toe in white, walking towards the facility and talking to an unusual, mantis-shaped anacite. Del immediately recognizes the woman as EJ Corp Executive Vice President Eline Reisora, her adopted sister!!! Reisora walks by, ignoring the tour group as simple tourists. (I suppose Sarcesians aren't that uncommon...) Her anacite companion says to her, “After so much overtime, employees are discontent and are beginning to pose a security risk.”

“Give everyone a few days off,” Reisora replies in a lofty and well-heeled accent. “We’ve come in on time and under budget. They deserve a chance to celebrate.” Monitor 77B answers, “This is satisfactory,” as they exit through a secure door into a restricted area marked with the EJ Corp logo. This is all you need to confirm that you’ve found where the Oliphaunt is being kept. If you successfully hack into a terminal, you can get a map of the interior!

Stealth and computers looks like melissa, unless Strek and Guesse? Have another trench coat...:)

trusting Guesse to be a distraction no matter the circumstances, Melissa "Accidentally" drops the pen she's been using to take notes, looks left and right very quickly and drops flat on her back. She bites a few wires, crosses them, and tap tap taps them to try to get the computer to boot in admin mode.

I'm glad you picked up Computers. Strek is Engineering-focused, whereas Lars was better with Computers.

Culture (2 ranks): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

Strek shrugs as the Kalistocrat snubs them. After she's out of earshot, he quips, "I hear rich people develop blindsense, but only against blue collar workers. Even then, they pretend they're unaware of your existence."

Guess? attempts to distract anyone nearby while Melissa (and anyone else assisting her) attempts to hack into the computer...

Along the way, the tour group stops to look out a transparasteel bulkhead at an Abadarcorp freighter in construction.

Guess? squints out at the bulkhead that everyone is looking towards, then begins waving his hands around trying to get everyone's attention. "Guys guys!!!!"

Guess? then points out towards the bulkhead, "Look! Look!! Do you see what I see???"

With there truly nothing to see, Guess? waits until it appears people start losing patience and are about to stop looking at nothing. Then at that point, Guess? tries to hook everyone's attention again by saying, "If you stare real hard... and focus real hard... In the distance... ohmigosh!! How embarassing!! Y'all see it?!?!?"

Guess? continues to try and draw out everyone's attention for as long as possible and when people look as though they'll begin looking away, Guess? says, "Right there! At that tansparasteel bulkhead! I mean, yes the bulkhead is transparent but it still fuzzes out a bit what's going on!!! Squint real hard and you'll see it!!!"

And finally when people really are exasperated and about to give up, Guess? makes one final attempt to keep people distracted by saying, "I really didn't wanna say out loud since this is a family-friendly tour, but look! There's a couple ysoki in there! I'm guessing they don't realize people can see 'em through the steel! They're breeding like mice!!!!

"I'm shocked.... Yet I can't look away..." Guess? stares intently out at nothing, hoping this his intense staring will also keep others focused on staring out at nothing...

Bluff: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 21

With Melissa scurrying over to sneakily break into the terminal, Akh realizes he needs to give her a bit of cover. He leverages his own knowledge of sneaking around to quickly identify the most critical angles for any security cameras, and then lazily stretches out his coils to block them.

Stealth (aid): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

As soon as Melissa is done, he bounds back to his normal compact arrangement with a "Good stretch. I see why you like this, Strek." before catching up with the tour party.

Culture: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Do I also have to roll Stealth to Aid Melissa's Computers check? If I do, then nevermind. Strek is +0 Stealth. If I don't, then here's my attempt to Aid:

Computers (Aid): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

Dunno if this is going to work, but...

Piloting, aid Bluff?: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

Ewwwwwwww! I can't see it, but I know how much room there would be there in the bulkhead at this phase of construction and now I can't stop imagining it. Guesssss?!!! You didn't have to point it out...

When any of the other tourists begin asking for details, Jaraduk expands on the layout of ships and possible "breeding nooks" in hopes to lend expertise to the narrative.

Like, it totally happens all the time, you just don't know it.

Is probably going to have half the internet downloaded before the lookie loos stop staring out the window at this rate.

"Why's the ten year old the one that has to tell them to grow up? Stupid species hangups.. "

Ha, we'll combine Akh and Strek's rolls to make one Aid! It's a weird one, you need to be stealthy and hackery to pull it off.

The combination of Guess? and Jaraduk's antics open up an opportunity to hit the terminal. Melissa gets into the terminal with ease, then breaking through the corporate firewall. With the opportunity ticking away, the ysoki finds the appropriate folder and downloads a map of the target facility! You can't tell what the rooms are, but the furniture does seem to hint at their intent.

Map is on Slide 1 and 2! The entrance to the facility is on the south end. I split the map in half since it's so tall. The little yellow/blue shape marks the door that connects the two slides. Also, photos of Elise and her anacite companion on Slide 3!

You pass by some android guards on the way out of the area, patrolling the Plate. The facilities seem to have one entrance, which is locked. Though there are security cameras throughout the station, you doubt they don't seem to have caught Melissa's hacking adventure. Alright... Do you have any tactics, prep, or game plan for breaking into this facility? If you have any questions or investigation you want to do, give me a Diplomacy, Computers, or other appropriate check.

When the crew gets together to discuss ideas and plan out how to pull off the heist, Guess? says the following...

"I'm thinking when we break into the place, I'll be disguising myself as Eline. That way, if we get caught, perhaps we can bluff our way out instead of shooting our way out. As for getting in, I'm guessing we'll be relying on mechanical and hacking skills to break in and bypass security? Del, I know you don't like the idea of me impersonating your sister, but if we are found out, me pretending to be your sister might help avoid people getting hurt."

Guess? pauses for a moment to gauge everyone's reaction but continues, "Now, I've got another idea on top of that one for breaking in. Word of warning - Del, you're REALLY not going to like this one. It involves Del reaching out to Eline under the pretense of coming for a visit. While the two of you meet over dinner or drinks (preferably getting Eline smashed), Jaraduk and Akh cause a little distraction. Nothing major, nothing big that will draw the attention of security. Just a little something.

"Whaddaya'll think?"

Shall we Ocean's 11 this heist? Of course I fully expect something to go wrong midway!

-----------

As for investigation / questions, unless the party's discussion veers off in a drastically different direction, Guess? will attempt the following if allowed...

Guess? will go out for drinks, chat up the locals, ask around about the 'corporate big wigs', grease the palm of the bartenders and generally keep an observant eye out to spot people first hand. Guess? is trying to determine what is Eline's typical schedule - when is she in the offices/labs, when is she out socializing, and when does she retire to her living quarters. The idea is that Guess? wants to avoid running into her in the offices/lab itself when our crew breaks in and Guess? is disguised as Eline.

In addition, if possible, Guess? will try to pick up similar details for other EJ higher-ups besides Eline. Perhaps there are other people Guess? can disguise himself as if impersonating Eline is removed as an option.

Rolling diplomacy for the information gathering and perception for observing / keeping an eye out while out gathering info.
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

Perhaps there are other people Guess? can disguise himself as if impersonating Eline is removed as an option.

I just realized the above sentence is potentially confusing. Let me rephrase to: If impersonating Eline is removed as an option, perhaps there are other high-up EJ people Guess? can disguise himself as.

"I don't think I've had to plan anything this complicated since mom got that package of veskarium thin mint cookies. Jessica still owed me for my cut.... "

"I think we should have Del meet her sister for real, so that way she's not some random sarcasean interacting with "Eline" when the crew sees her. That would make a good opportunity to swipe the credentials. I also think someone less puntable..erm. that she knows better should float the idea. " Applies coldnose tm to the back of the goblins neck to volunteer them.

Guesse? does the initial swipe, hand off to Strek to copy, hand off to me I'll put it back. People will be skeptical of a Ysoki returning a card if i get caught but they'd never believe a goblin putting something back. If Guesse? gets caught just change persona's and call it off.

engineering: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19 Melissa has blindsense (scent) so is going to try to get a good sniff off the anacite to see if it smells any different than the rest of the station now, so she can recognize the smell later when its lurking in the shadows. "If we have or can get a signal jammer to stop him from calling for help that might keep us to fighting one robot. "

Robots are immune to non lethal damage. Is there any way to drop a toas..erm. Synthetic worker without killing them? Or drop them to 0 and use engineering to "stabilize" them

and no oceans 11! Multiple realities are hard enough without time travel.! :)

Del picks up (I will post this in discussion when I have time to shop; definitely some healing serums!) on her shopping trip.

----

Del's eyes widen as she spots her sister. She turns and looks the other way, looking super suspicious. As her sister passes by without noticing her, she lets out a sigh of relief. "That was her," she points out. "My sister. The oliphaunt's through there."

When Strek comment's on her sister ignoring them, she shrugs. "Be happy she didn't pay us any mind. She has a good memory. We don't want to be remembered."

Del nods at Guess?'s suggestion of impersonating her sister. "You're right. It's a good idea." As he finishes his plan, she pales. "You're right again. I don't like this plan. You want me to try to reconnect with my sister—who probably hates me—so you can pickpocket her. Then we steal her fancy ship. Uhhh.... I can try. But if this goes sideways, I won't be a faceless person she might poorly describe to someone. I'll be known and identified. If that happens, this crime will stick with us. We won't be able to rely on anonymity." She rubs her head and sighs. "So much for not being remembered.... Are we sure?"

I think its a good plan, btw. But Del has her doubts.

Jaraduk's finger darts back and forth in the air like someone trying to do some mental math as he tracks Guess?'s plan.

Where is the best place to cause my distraction? Also, how drunk is your "Eline" getting? That seems like where the plan could unravel if you... enjoy yourself too much. The real Eline remembering us sounds bad too...

Reacting to the point about Del's identity being exposed if things go sideways, Guess? says, "That's true and a good point. But I'm sure it'll be fine! Just fine!

"Or we can completely drop the idea of this subtle approach and go straight into breaking and entering. But I'd prefer breaking and entering be backup plan B if possible."

" For That I think we'd need to see who has the access.It doesn't need to be a higher up either, there has to be a janitor or an engineer or your sister has an Igor or someone that can get in and out. I had run of the mines including the explosives room just because I had to clean the place. "

" Hopefully one of us would make a good match without any changes the holoskin can't cover. Or they want to have board game night or something"

Ysoki ideas of romance aren't dead per say but they could probably fit in a tiktok video....

...Robots are immune to non lethal damage.

huh. Today I Learned. Yeah, I would say an Engineering or Heal check would be able to revive a downed robot to prevent it from "bleeding" out.

Guess? asks around, schmoozing up to a few well-placed administrative assistants. He finds out that Eline Reisora will be heading off Plate on a shuttle to Absalom Station to meet with representatives of the Kalistocracy, tomorrow morning! It seems she just ordered a furlough for most of the facility’s employees. Only a handful of security personnel remain inside for the interim. Your original observation was correct, the lone entrance to the facility is controlled by employee ID cards.

As Guess? is asking around, he eyes up the station security. Travelling in threes, the patrolling android security guards seem to be packing some seriously powerful nonlethal weaponry. If you end up causing a commotion in the public areas, they'll arrive quickly.

I'm going with the Del meeting up with Eline herself plan because... it's the most fun story-wise. And I'm a sucker for a good story twist. Also, because I can't unsee your characters bouncing around in an Oceans 11 pre-heist scene.

Guess? and Melissa, give me some Diplomacy and Bluff checks! And probably a Sleight of Hand roll too. Jaraduk, Strek, Akh give me some Aid rolls! And Del... talk to your sister. :)

Or you could just break and enter. But that would be less fun.

"Wait, drunk?" Del asks. She shakes her head. "No, Eline's a Kalstrocrat and Kalistocrats follow very strict dietary restrictions. See, Kalistocrats classify foods into two categories: forbidden and clean. Forbidden foods include anything that has a strong negative effect on the body, including alcohol, drugs, toxins, and so on. The remaining foods are then classified into either clean or unclean based on health and cleanliness of obtainment, preparation, and consumption. Food harvested from filth, with poor nutritional value, or that are messy to eat are unclean and must be avoided. Foods that are easy to consume and provide high sustenance are considered pure. The rest are categorized on a sort of sliding scale from unclean (and therefore inedible), to clean, and to pure." She pauses, takes in her audience, and decides to cut her spiel short. "Basically, she doesn't drink alcohol, do drugs, eat sweets, and is very unlikely to eat anything at all in a restaurant, unless prepared by a chef trained in Kalistrocratic dietary restrictions." She waves her hand through the air, adding "It's a whole... thing."

@GM: I assumed I didn't have to roll to figure out how Kalistrocrats eat, since she ate that way for the majority of her life and it was the impetus for her abandoning her philosophy and being disowned.

Ninja'd while I was posting! I'm going to give the group a chance to weigh in on Eline definitely not getting drunk before continuing too far. I think we can go on with that plan anyway if someone's got a good way to distract Eline during the meet and chat over.... very clean and healthy water. If we do proceed:

Del stares at her comm unit for a long time, absolutely terrified of reaching out to her sister and willing the comm unit to lose all its charge or suddenly lose its connection.

She was being absurd. She could do this! ...Couldn't she?

Her sister totally wouldn't screen her call. Or flat out shut her down. ...Would she?

Del reaches for the comm unit, palms sweaty and heart fluttering. She dials a number she knows by heart. Waits for it to ring.

"Eline!" she exclaims when (if) her sister answers. "Hi! It's me. Del. Or, no, sorry. Ordellia. I shortened it after I left, but you can still call me Ordellia. If you want. Do you want? I... We..." Del sighs. "Oh, gosh, I'm ruining this. Sorry. Look, I. I don't know if you know, but I've been working at EJ Corp for a long time. Nothing important. Just a long-haul trucker, you know? I know you work there to and I... Well, I'm leaving soon. I had a few unlucky runs and just need to try something new, you know? Anyway, I know we haven't talked in a long time. Years. A decade. Since I left, I mean. But, I've always taken comfort in knowing we worked at the same place. A connection, you know? And since I'm leaving, again, I'm about to lose that. Connection. Your secretary or whatever told me you were at the Horse Eye Orbital Plate so... surprise! I came out to see you and say hi. And goodbye. And... did you...? Did you have time to meet for a spring water and fruit salad or something? I hear they have a restaurant on this thing and... I don't know if they've got anything good for us to eat, but we could at least meet. Maybe...?"

"Ya know, I knew there was rich but I didn't know there was SO rich you could afford to be that picky about food. WHY would anyone get rich enough to enjoy every food in the galaxy and then NOT eat it? "

bluff: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10 The Saranite is going to have to have a crash course in this. Hopefully with the other rolls this won't matter

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 + 1d6 ⇒ (18) + 7 + (1) = 26

Sleight of hand: 1d20 + 7 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 7 + 4 = 15 grifters kit is the +4

Culture: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
Guess? gets -5 to the DC for Culture checks to recall knowledge about corporations and their executives. But still not good enough for that Culture spoiler.

GM Ewok: Given that the setup between Del and Eline hasn't occured yet, I'm not yet sure what actions to describe that will go with the diplomacy, bluff and sleight of hand rolls - but happy to pre-roll them! However, before rolling those, I'll first roll disguise because when it is go-time, Guess? certainly isn't going into the field looking like a goblin! Hehehe

Guess? disguises himself to look like a non-descript female of a race that seems most common on the station (I'm guessing human?). He'll try to appear as a waitress at the restaurant if the restaurant is a large-ish establishment with a lot of staff. But if it is a smaller, more intimate type of place with a small waitstaff, then Guess? will go with looking like a fellow customer instead of a waitress.
Disguise: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 16

Culture (2 ranks): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

Similarly clueless, Strek leaves the talking to the talkers.

I can't unsee your characters bouncing around in an Oceans 11 pre-heist scene.

Speaking of...

When someone mentions the anacites use shortwave radio, Strek lets out his signature hillbilly giggle.

"This's why I prefer payment in UPBs. Gimme 4 hours and I can jury-rig us a Signal Jammer so they can't overwhelm us with security."

Strek can Craft either a Level 1 for 100 UPBs, or a Level 2 for 400 UPBs. It only delays communication for 1 minute, but Strek needs a cutscene in this montage ^_^

Engineering (2 ranks): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (11) + 13 = 24

It only delays communication for 1 minute

To elaborate, it's possible the jammer can last for 2 hours (12 charges, 10 minutes each), but it only takes a minute for the opposed Engineering check to disable (which Anacites are probably good at).

Melissa sniffs hard at the monitor anacite as it walks behind Eline, but she isn't able to get a great read on him. At least she's learned the smell of anacite fluid, but not this specific one.

---

I love the signal jammer idea, Strek!

---

Much to Del's surprise, Eline picks up the com. She is confused by the call, and a bit hesitant, but willing to meet. She speaks with a high class accent that was trained into the kalistocrat children. "Ordellia, yes, let's meet. After all, everyone needs to eat. Though not a lot, of course!" The woman laughs lightly, her mirth completely fake. "You may be a heretic but I hope you've been keeping up with your exercise regimen. The Golden Salad Plate has a BMI restriction, after all." She sighs. "Need to keep the riff-raff out since that terrible religious tolerance law was passed on Aballon." The intolerant rant, similar to many Del heard in her childhood home, goes on for another minute before she comes back. "Yes, connection. I've always had trouble with the church's ruling on excommunication. How can one achieve enlightenment with limited business contacts?" She scoffs. "It's silly, really. Yes, please get me dinner reservation information from my secretary. Then tell her she's fired. You just can't find good help these days."

After the group's preparations, you arrive at the restaurant. Del (barely) passes through the guarded entrance, her height and weight being meticulously measured. The host eyes the terminal curiously after the sarcesian gives her name. "Not a kalistocrat. Interesting. Well, technically, you meet the legal requirements for entry. Enjoy your meal." Del enters, seeing her sister across the room at a small table set for two.

Heist time! Heist time! Feel free to describe your pre-pickpocket prep work (maybe some skill checks there can support the restaurant interaction?) or your role during the theft at the restaurant! Use skill checks where appropriate, if you haven't already.

All throughout the planning discussion, Akh chimes in with dry, skeptical comments about how unlikely it is that the group is able to pull this off without a hitch. From the initial swiping of the key card to successfully copying it, to actually getting through the secure wing even after the group manages to enter. He points out several security cameras "I suspect even if everything goes well, each step will be recorded. In the restaurant, the secure EJ wing, and on the ship." When it looks like the group is committed to the plan, he just says "Well, I had a good life. I will do what I can before we're all caught and dismantled for parts..."

-----
Later on:
Outside the restaurant, Akh confers with Jaraduk "Judging from the scrutiny Del got when trying to get in, I think either of us trying to enter the restaurant would probably get rejected. We could try to make a big fuss about it. Shout a bit. Put some restaurant employees half down our gullets. Not hurt anyone, but draw a lot of attention."

My previous Engineering check was for Crafting the Signal Jammer (and I'll just go for the cheaper option), so this one will be for the Key Card.

Strek STRETCHES his arm and snakes it under tables and around corners to retrieve the stolen key card, then slinks off to the nearest bathroom and hides in the handicapped stall.

**GRIIIIND**

**TINKTINKTINKTINK**

Engineering (2 ranks): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (18) + 13 = 31

And then he flushes the shavings down the bowl, and attempts to exit without being noticed...

...but another patron is waiting in line with a scared look on their face.

"Uh... Last guy did a bad plumbing job. Quit flushing those disposable wipes. They're not actually disposable."

And then he nonchalantly saunters back to the group to redeliver the key and the copy.

"If the goal is to have a low BMI, you're a robot snake with legs. Just stretch out as long as you can go. Same with strek. You'll both have the build they're looking for. Jaraduck.. you.. Uhm.. maybe nuar aren't in their system? Good point about the camera's though. We can either try to turn those off, or just look like we're doing something else... "

Melissa is, despite a week inhalng goop, actually too under weight for their ideal Ysoki. Attempting to suggest that their specs are off gets her the "I'm going to haul you out of here by the scruff of your neck" look authorities seem to have as a job requirement to keep ysoki out. (failed bluff check)

Guesse swipes card

Strek clones card

At some point get the hand off from Guesse?

Knowing that cooks and kitchen staff live off of the food they themselves make, and seeing that there's very little in this restaurant that would qualify as food, she orders a couple of pizzas and knocks on the back door with the kitchen staff.

"I always wanted to get onto the chow crew, they always snagged extra food from the pots. But ysoki usually don't. Ysoki in the food service industry usually wind up in the food service. They don't make hairnets that big... Say, My friend is out there starving, probably having a conversation with family while getting hangry. I don't suppose you have a little extra room under one of the service carts...Come on no one will see me " (the very high diplomacy check)

Melissa will get a ride out in the cart, hiding under the Apron. And attempt to put Eline's Cloned card back. While she's at it she drops of two slices of pizza to Del.

stealth: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29 +10 more if she can hold still under the cart and let the color changing fur do its thing.

Eline MIGHT not notice the 15 to put the card back if she's sufficiently distracted.

Pizza sleight of hand check: 1d20 + 7 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 7 + 4 = 30

The pizza of course arrives flawlessly concealed under a plantain leaf salad.

Later on:

Outside the restaurant, Akh confers with Jaraduk "Judging from the scrutiny Del got when trying to get in, I think either of us trying to enter the restaurant would probably get rejected. We could try to make a big fuss about it. Shout a bit. Put some restaurant employees half down our gullets. Not hurt anyone, but draw a lot of attention."

I have doubts that this will provide anything material to the operation on the inside. I suspect they know how to haul off troublemakers in no time. I suppose we can try though.

"Well if they served actual food here I'd be more worried about you winding up on the menu... "

I didn't think of it before but Guess? might have. Is it possible for Guess? to put disguises on Strek, Akh, Jaraduk and Melissa? Probably nothing as drastic as Guess? making himself look like a human female. But perhaps enough to change their features such that people will not accurately identify them after the fact?

------------

Considering how high-end the restaurant is, it seems entering as a customer is not feasible, so Guess? will try bluffing his way in as waitstaff. In preparation for that, he'll purchase a few items: