[SF] Fly Free or Die AP - GM Ewok

Game Master EwokBanshee

" How does a GOBLIN of all people not pick up on the fact that when she wants you for dinner she wants you for dinner.. like between two slices of bread? Shouldn't you be shooting her for.. I don't know. Species appropriation or something? keep focusing on that and not the guy she just may have killed right in front of us... "

"PRECISELY! She wants a Guess? meat sandwich for dinner. Perhaps a bit of mayo, pickles, lettuce, tomato... I can respect that! Can't imagine anything tastier in the universe than ME!

"Besides, I imagine you in a sandwich. Every. Single. Day. And I feel about you the way..."

Guess? ponders for a fleeting moment. "No wait. Nevermind. Not the same."

CHUNKCHUNKS the eels back in the chamber and decides to try that shot she tried before on a much smaller target.....

Del pointedly ignores the horrible discussion going on around her—that is definitely NOT food!—as she casts a spell at the blue drow. She lobs a ball of caustic spices at the drow, which gets in his eyes and open wounds, stinging terribly!

Casting caustic conversion.
Ranged Attack vs. EAC: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 7 + 1 = 26
Acid Damage: 4d4 ⇒ (3, 2, 1, 4) = 10
If it hits, the drow also takes 5 acid damage at the end of its next turn.

Then she turns and does the same to Deminda, getting pepper in her eyes. "EAT THIS!"
Ranged Attack vs. EAC: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
Acid Damage: 4d4 ⇒ (3, 3, 4, 2) = 12
If it hits, Deminda also takes 5 acid damage at the end of its next turn.

Strek strides out of the alleyway and weaves his way through the melted plastisteel chairs to get a clear shot on the drow with the blue streak in their hair. He aims right at their center mass, but holds back on making an "unevenly cooked" joke.

Called Blaze Agitator vs EAC: 1d20 + 7 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 7 + 2 + 1 = 20
Damage (F): 2d6 + 5 ⇒ (3, 4) + 5 = 12
Overcharge: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Melissa's encouragement is more helpful than her misbehaving eels this time. Following this, Jaraduk punishes the drow for ignoring him, cracking open the back of his armor with the first blow and earning a snap of the spinal column with the second.

Guess?, his eyes to full of cartoon hearts to shoot straights ends up shooting a tile off the ceiling. Del tries to stay focused on anything but the potential meat sandwiches being made after this fight, tossing ball after ball of acidic spices at Deminda. The drow flinches in pain, trying to stay focused. Strek, despite his target now being dead, manages to spin and bake Deminda's wounded armor. Stumbling from the grievous wounds, Deminda takes another step backward and leans against the wall. "Sinjin won't forget. He never loses on a deal." She slings a shuriken with her off hand, which sinks into Akh's exposed wiring.

Trick Attack: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (1) + 18 = 19
carbonedge shuriken @ Akh: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (17) + 15 = 32
P Damage: 1d4 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

The drow officer takes a deep breath in, preparing to issue another verbal assault. But all that comes out are gurgles as Del's acid finishes her off. She slumps to the ground, dead.

Combat over! Status!
Strek SP 33/40, HP 36/36, RP 4/4
Akh  SP 0/50, HP 8/39, RP 4/4
Guess? SP 21/30, HP 27/27, RP 6/6
Del SP: 25/25, HP: 29/29, RP: 5/5
Melissa SP 3/31, HP 33/33, RP 5/5
Jaraduk SP 22/40, HP 41/41, RP 5/5

Red Deminda 64 Damage
Yellow Drow Thug 44 Damage (shotgun)
Blue Drow Thug 48 Damage (lance)

Melissa immediately checks the collapsed citizen, who is well and truly dead. A few others were wounded in the fight, but they seems to have already fled seeking medical attention. The rest of the group gravitate towards either their still warm noodles (can you believe it's only been about a minute since you paid for them?) and the still warm bodies. Deminda is wearing Lashunta tempweave basic with carbonedge shurikens (5), but her most valuable weapon is her Astute inferno knife. One thug had Hardened Resin armor and a Radioactive Thasteron Blunderbuss while the other used Defiance series squad armor and a Radioactive Acid Lancer, Corroder-Class. Loot updated on Slide 4! Claim what you'd like, it's some decent gear.

Looking around, you don't see any more threats hiding in the shadows. It seems the coast is clear to continue on to Tarika to see what the next job, and her mysterious favor, will be.

Oops, looks like I'm late in updating. Akh mitigates the previous round, then mitigates the final attack from Deminda! That's 10 damage saved and back down to 0 EP.

True to his word, as one last shuriken starts ricocheting hollowly inside him, Akh swooshes up into the air and dramatically falls on top of the drow enforcer. For a moment he lies there, considering whether or not his internal damage is life threatening. When he realizes they aren't, he switches to considering how very easy it would be to just flop out his tongue and pretend to be dead when the inevitable third wave of assassins arrive.

He lies there for a good minute doing exactly that, just in case. When the coast seems to be clear, he floats back up. "Hmm. It looks like, pals, you saved me. I kind of feel bad for Sinjin. Where's he going to find a new right-hand woman now that we killed her?" He rolls Deminda over and starts lifting her stuff off her. Once he's done he tucks himself into a safe looking balcony overhead and takes a quick breather. (10 min rest)

That thasteron blunderbuss seems to be a small arm on Aonsrd. I'm guessing that's a typo? Otherwise it would be super strong for a 4th level weapon. The acid lancer seems really sweet for people who can use heavy weapons.

Even melissa isn't interested in taking anyone alive this time. Unless stopped with a good neck scruffing She's going to punt Demindas head like she punted the helmet. She takes a few credits from the mercenaries and limps over to the noodle place.

"Hi..." she says with a paper thin veneer of normalcy people keep up juuuust before they crack. "I need another Ysoki specialI think i spit mine out when I got hit in the stomach... 5 insulated Delivery bags, A bucket of ice, and one extra large of whatever is your fishiest dish. "

diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 + 1d6 ⇒ (16) + 11 + (6) = 33

Limping back over with (or without the supplies, if they just lowered the grate) the supplies she asks "You can't bring someone back without their head right? " Looking up at Del. "She STAYS in hell."

Find an incinerator or pile of really hungry rats or something for the head. Whichever deity peeps up first can have this one she's past caring. But she's not just going to leave it somewhere one of whoever's cronies can just dig it out. "The ONE time I wish BIG sis was around... "

try to get Soup guys name off his phone or whatever.

Later, use the armor/com units on the bad guys to leave good reviews for this place.

Seeing Deminda go down, Guess? cries out, bent over in grief, "Oh my sweet, sweet fellow sentient-eater! We've only just begun! We started out walkin' and learned to run! Shared horizons that were new to us! Workin' together fight by fight... together. Together! So much of life ahead we had left. How do I move on??"

Then Guess? notices a glint amongst Deminda's possessions. "Oh wait, is that an inferno knife?"

Guess? picks it up, examines it, stands back up to his typically confident self and declares, "Welp alright. I'm good! Gotta move on! Hey, did any customers run away, leaving behind uneaten noodles?"

Guess? looks around for any unattended bowls of noodles that he can appropriate.

With his mouth full of someone else's noodles, "Bwe breally dwneed to go seeb Taribka. Bwefore bwmore bad gwuys go abfer her orb us."

Unless someone else wants, Guess? will pick up the knife. Otherwise, Guess? is ready to move on and meet with Tarika.

Okay... that has to be all of them, right? Does Sinjin himself appear next?

Jaraduk glances at the acid lancer, pondering if it fits into one of the weapon slots of his new powered armor.

That could be pretty wicked!

If someone else has a strong desire for the acid lancer, let me know.

Strek scrolls through his digital copy of the Ysoki cultural history book that he's been using to learn the language.

"You know I was initially confused why the Ysoki word for 'female assassin' was the same as 'mother' but I guess those really are the only two career options you get."

Strek will help loot (again), but he doesn't seem interested in any of the items.

"I appreciate a good stream of acid every now and then, but I really need to cut back on the radiocarbs."

To which he pops open another can of Slurm and innocently takes a very long siiiiip.

"Bwe breally dwneed to go seeb Taribka. Bwefore bwmore bad gwuys go abfer her orb us."

And I thought Ysoki romance was brief... She'll hand the goblin whatever container she's managed to scrounge up "Congrats on the new knife. I'll be over there not having a nervous breakdown while you get the head.. Your accent is already better tham Strek's " speaking of which..

"You know I was initially confused why the Ysoki word for 'female assassin' was the same as 'mother' but I guess those really are the only two career options you get."

"Its literally "grandmas daughter" so yes that would be mother. Also applies to male assassins too. I wouldn't laugh at them about it though. Gendered humor doesn't translate well. Also you'll be stabbed in the knees. Or the Chitter. That's within reach. "

Melissa sadly doesn't see much in the way of armor to use. The thasteron..sawn off shotgun? Would make a good backup weapon for running out of ammo, fighting a lightning elemental or to toss to someone else in case of swarm. Its moderately more useful in the party than 135 credits divided 6 ways. Someone else that wants it > melissas backup weapon> throw it in the UPGrinder

Will happily bolt the acid launcher onto Jarduks armor as soon as we hit tarikas waiting room.

After watching Deminda die from her own secret spice blend, Del sighs heavily, plops down in a nearby chair and sits for a moment. Slowly, she opens her noodle box and eats, while the others rest and loot the dead.

"Noodles are still hot," she remarks to no one in particular. "Tastes good."

She doesn't want any of the loot.

"Let's grab an order for Tar—"

*hears the distant sound of EMS drones getting louder, sees that the noodle shop security gate has dropped*

"—you know I think there's a Fish 'n Chips place on the way there instead."

While Guess? is analyzing Deminda's biometrics, Strek hacks into her comm unit looking for any recent communications, as well as any named contacts.

Computers: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 13 = 28

Unlike most of the opponents you've faced in combat, Deminda is a proud professional. She, nor her grunts, have any datapads on them. It seems they will vanish from your lives as quickly as they entered. The rest of the group turns away as Guess? "obtains" enough DNA from the drow for future disguises. Unfortunately, there are enough street and shop cameras pointed at the melee that it's unlikely you will be able to hide her death or your involvement in the battle from authorities or Sinjin. Thankfully, the video should prove your innocence in the interaction and Station police aren't known for following up on unnecessary leads.

Melissa, or anyone else, do you want to take 10 with Akh to regain SP?

Within a few minutes, life begins to return to the streets with civilians getting back to business and walking around the chaos and the bodies. Absalom never sleeps, and this neighborhood isn't THAT far above the Spike. Nevertheless, you decide to get out of here before Damage Control arrives. You head to the location Tarika sent you, in a neighborhood one over from her office. It seems she's a bit more aware of the possibility of Grey or Nuar assassins this time... A small one-story building with a single narrow doorway occupies the space between a red-tea stand and a used holovid shop. It falls within a working-class neighborhood just above the station’s Spike. A handwritten note hanging from the building’s door reads, “Church of Hylax Meet-and-Greet Downstairs, Every Thirday!” Underneath, a hasty scrawl in a different color adds: “(DO NOT use upstairs restroom.)”

You head down to find yourself within a "Friendship Hour". An extremely friendly and overcurious shirren who introduces himself as Tikchas seems to have appointed himself the one-bug welcoming committee for any newcomers to the gathering. He immediately greets you when you arrive, handing each of you a tag that reads Hello, Friend, My Name Is with a space to write in a name. Tikchas asks an endless stream of questions as you write your names and take in the scene. "Hi! Hi! Hi! Welcome! So, what brings you to the gathering? Why are you here as a group? How did you meet?' He takes a huge overly dramatic breath in. "What was your first experience with Hylax’s power? What is your favorite friend you have made this week?" Peering past the madness of this energetic encounter, you see Tarika on the other side of the room. She shakes her head subtly at you and pointedly ignores you. It seems she wants you to lose the interest of the greeter before approaching. You feel like you could direct the energetic adherent of Hylax into conversing with someone else, though it could be difficult. You must succeed at a Hard Bluff or Diplomacy check. Alternatively, someone can fully engage the shirren in conversation by succeeding at a easy Bluff check to create a diversion, allowing the rest of the party to sidle off and meet with Tarika in relative privacy.

Once he rejoins the group, Akh asks "What I don't understand is how Deminda and those previous assassin slash thugs were related. Both connected to the Xun, but it didn't seem like they were working with one another. From one of Deminda's comments, it sounded like she was maybe working for or alongside the hobgoblins that we kind of slipped away from." He peeks over Strek's shoulder only to be disappointed when there aren't any answers to those questions on any of Deminda's personal equipment.

Akh picks up a red tea on the way in to Tarika's meeting place. He sips it by placing the whole can inside his mouth and rolling it about. When the aggressively friendly shirren starts handing out name tags, he looks to the others for guidance "Did we get the right place? She's looking a little more shirren-ish than the last time we saw her. And a little more religious too. Oh." He spots Tarika across the room, but gets nothing out of her subtle mannerisms (thanks to his delightful -1 Sense Motive modifier) "Should we just have this guy hold onto the head while we go over? That should keep him busy."

"Knowing drow. Which I have to say, she has confirmed everything from the holovids, She was hoping the assassins would finish us off. And then she'd kill the assassins while they were hurt rather than pay them. Or failing that she'd attack us while we were hurt and finish us off. Surprise... the last four people trying to kill us made us a little over prepared for that sort of thing. "

Find an incinerator or pile of really hungry rats or something for the head. Whichever deity peeps up first can have this one she's past caring.

"What was your first experience with Hylax’s power? What is your favorite friend you have made this week?"

Melissa is pretty sure she could get rid of him with showing him Whats in the bag. "Ok grandma that was Kind of funny..." tittering is entirely inappropriate but not really voluntary.

She doesn't need to fake tensing up at the cheery shirren. "Ahem. Oh I'm sorry. We. Uhm. Just lost someone. Its kinda complicated. If we could get a moment alone? My thoughts are kind of all over the place and I could use a few minutes of quiet to think. I'm about this close to a break down and I'm honestly slightly worried I'm the only one. I'll come back once I'm sure I won't be an incoherent pile of goo."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 + 1d6 ⇒ (16) + 11 + (5) = 32

Melissa was a little busy running around at the noodle shop to rest, but is planning on flopping down on the next horizontal surface once they get inside. Assuming the coffee maker doesn't want to kill us. Peers at suspiciously.

Since others are resting, Strek may as well, too. He doesn't use Resolve for anything else. And he's up to 5 RP now, so he'll have the same total after resting as he did during combat ^_^

"Actually he seems like just the kind of company you need right now."

"IF he's qualified he might be the kind of help i see in like, half an hour or a few hours. Religious doesn't always mean...I mean.. Hylax SHOULD be ok...but priests don't always make the best ..grief?..Anger?...something. Counselors. Is facepalm an emotion? I mean, part of the family would start "Forgive me grandma for I have sinned, my works were seen on camera" Your bit about ysoki career paths is only wrong insofar as it doesn't have to be an "Or". "

" I'll just be freaking out about the other thing anyway. After we deal with that. And assuming the coffee maker isn't an SRO assassin i'll get back to him after. "

Del tries to converse with the shirren about Hylax for a moment, but is grateful when Melissa swoops in to buy the group some time. Thankfully, Del's dazed, shell-shocked demeanour lends some credence to Melissa's excuses without her having to try too hard.

Mysticism (to know about Hylax): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13
"Hylax? Oh, yeah... that... god... thing... I'm sorry, what did you say..? I ate some noodles. The spices. ...Watch the spices."

Guess? chimes in to back up Melissa, "Yah, we appreciate your friendliness but we could really use some quiet time during this period of mourning."

Diplomacy, assist: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (8) + 16 = 24

Guess? also searches his memory for info of Hylax.
Mysticism: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Del is only vaguely aware of Hylax as a diety, but Guess? knows that she is a goddess of diplomacy, first contact, friendship, and peace. Originally a shirren god, she teaches her followers to consistently use diplomacy in their dealings with others, to constantly strive for fellowship and harmony, and to always seek allies rather than conquest.

Tikchas is suitably humbled by Melissa's display of emotion. The shirren shifts into telecommunication. "Of course, I appreciate that you came to this safe place in your time of hardship. I'm sorry for your loss. Take your time, and let me know if you need anything." You break off from the shirren and find your brenneri friend. Tarika looks relieved. "Ah, you made it. I was afraid, after last time, that you would be waylaid." Her typical smile, a bit smaller than normal, softens as she eyes Akh and the rest of you. "Say, why are you so beat up? Is that noodle on your armor?" After you explain, she takes a deep breath. "Of course. Well, the idea was we’d blend in with all the weirdos so that wouldn't happen. I didn't think about them tagging you from your ship. And I guess I didn’t think about the weirdos blendin’ in with us...” She casts a sidelong glance at Tikchas. "I called you here for a couple things. First, I recovered some data when you—” she lowers her voice even more, “—acquired the Oliphaunt, now Last Chance. I’m still workin’ on decryptin’ it, and I think I found the right angle to hack in.” Tarika sighs. “But I’ll need more time. I’ve been a li’l distracted. That... that brings me to the second thing: I need your help.” She pauses, then coughs. "That's important, but let's get some business done first. Since you're on the Station anyway, I've got a job for you. There's a kasatha mechanic nearby, Mehvisa Pau Riojin. Terrible with people, a wonder with machines. Used to work for The Company too. Good people. She doesn't work in the nicest neighborhood, and has been having trouble with her deliveries getting jacked. Now her favorite part supplier won't even work with her!" She chuckles. "I know this isn't your normal cup of tea, lacking the usual light years between destinations. But a delivery is a delivery. She's hoping that a real professional crew can make a delivery to prove that there's nothing for the supplier to worry about. And if you run into trouble, you'll be able to actually handle it and maybe solve the problem at the root unlike these yahoos who normally move the goods." She flips her favorite wrench between her paws mindlessly. "Do this real quick, make a few thousand credits, and meet me in the park next door tomorrow night. We can talk more about my personal matter then." She sticks out a paw and forces a smile. "Deal?"

"ACK. More people up here. Wait. Can he hear whats going on up here? Grandma.. BEHAVE we may have company.... A counselor reading your brain just seems like cheating. On the other hand it has to be more effective. On the other hand how would a shirren know whats normal for ysoki? on the other other hand why don't shirren use all four....

Melissa puts a ysoki brush into the Breneri's outstretched hand. "I'm making this a condition. I was shocked, acided, blasted with pieces of thasteron, and covered in noodles from my own cheek pouches. I'd have one of them help but... fur-less, hairless, hairless, burned his hair off with slurm, hairless Metal and.. well. You can see why I don't want Jarduk styling mine" She will have to apologize later.... "Also we come bearing noodles"

She sniff sniffs a bag. Opens it slightly to check. QUICKLY puts it back, opens the other one. Deminda really needed to use a different shampoo... hands the bag of Tunoodles over. "Mom always used to say don't let anyone see you with your fur ruffled...." And will wink wink at Guess? , who seems to have the longest relationship with our employer. Given Guess? usual ability to take a hint, she'll sign to Strek <push the goblin forward if he pretends not to take the hint>
Assuming all goes according to plan, Melissa will return the grooming favor with the breneri brush she just happens to have in the non noodled cheekpouch.

Attempting to assist Guess?'s diplomacy check to get the boss talking. We are playing dirty. There is a bucket of fish and a brushing.

assist: 1d6 - 2 ⇒ (5) - 2 = 3 +2 minimum 2

that is a very distracting ball of fluff. +5 to the check.

I'm getting some strong vibes that Tarika is about to die off screen during this next job.

Akh chimes in as Tarika explains what's she's been doing. "Data from the Oliphaunt itself? Or somewhere else? Because I think we've been doing surprisingly okay with the ship without any secret knowledge." He opens his mouth and fishes out the empty can of tea. "I hope the twist isn't that it had a cool user manual that unlocks all the good features."

When she explains the next job, he asks "Who's been stealing her deliveries? It she's willing to pay thousands of credits for help, it must be expensive shipments and some high profile thieves. Maybe we can look them up."

"Wait, so move something from one part of Absalom to another part of Absalom and earn a few thousand credits? That sounds waaaay too good to be true. How hard can that be? Unless someone or some group is specifically targeting Mehvisa. Any idea if that's the case?

"You've known a few of us (Strek and Guess?, I think) a long time and you know we'd always help you out with anything. C'mon, spill the beans. We're here for ya just as you've always been there for us."

Guess? is slightly concerned about Tarika, particularly as she's not mouthing a wrench as usual.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (7) + 16 = 23

"But look, if you insist on meeting up again tomorrow, then sure, we'll take this job in the meantime. Who am I to say no to some creds, amirite?!?"

Jaraduk has been plodding along behind the others at the Friendship Hour. He's entirely anxious to get to Tarika and figure out what's wrong.

As she explains the next mission he smiles warmly at her, but with a slight hint of dubiousness.

Her cheer is down 67%...

After all questions are asked, Jaraduk places his hand on her shoulder, asking Is everything okay? Maybe it would at least help to tell someone.

~"Terrible with people, a wonder with machines."
Oh let me sing you the song of my people.

"Tarika, we were jumped twice just between our ship and here. If there's more people tracking us, they probably know we're meeting with you. It's not safe bein' out here by yourself. Even if your friend Hippy Legs has a pistol hidden behind that giant peace necklace. Would you mind comin' back to the ship with us? Then we can find you a more secure office when we're done with this job."

Diplomacy to Aid: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (11) - 1 = 10

"Yeah, Tarika. You don't seem like yourself. You can tell us what's going on. And if you don't want to... at least come with us and let us make sure you stay safe in the meantime. Sorrow's always worse alone. We can help you shoulder the burden."

Diplomacy to Aid: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

"As long as the noodles aren't the ones you were storing in those mouth pockets..." Tarika sighs and waves away your concern as she starts to brush the dried acid from Melissa's fur. "Yeah, imagine if we can figure out the secrets to the whole bigger-on-the-inside bit! We could all retire for real this time. But those are just fairy dreams for now." She pauses, distracted. "It's a family thing I could use some help with." Her eyes glint a little and she sneaks a look at Strek and Guess?. "Tomorrow, in the park. There will be some more weirdos, should cover our tracks. Sorry to hear about today. Let's hope your detractors thought only two groups would be enough..."

"Mehvisa specializes in old machinery, like pre-Gap stuff. Her brain is a miracle I think, she can figure it all out despite it being lost tech. So the parts she works with are pretty spendy. They're not just something you can get from the local bodega, you know?" The brenneri smiles, caught up in the work. "I've known her for a little while, so it doesn't surprise me. Always been a little empty-headed when it comes to the non-mechanical. But when I asked her why her deliveries were disappearing, she couldn't say. Too busy with the work to bother. So now she's willing to pay a professional to deal with it, you know?" She laughs a little. "And I talked y'all up so much, of course she wants the best on it. Just go see her and see what's up. Should be easy credits, as far as I can tell."

You continue to work her, trying to get her to open up. "It's fine, it can wait another day. I've always done right by you, and that's not going to change now. Go do the job, get the creds, then we can meet tomorrow and talk about Shan." She sighs. "You've got a point about safety, I know that. But the Station is my home. Can't be hiding out forever. But I think as long as I keep our meet-ups secret, that should help make sure the folks who got a fever for you aren't looking at me. Or at least it won't go down in front of my place of business... again." She smirks softly. "It's a tough life we've chosen. But I wouldn't go back to the EJ for anything. Besides, we make more creds and have more fun this way." She smiles, a piece of her normal self showing up again. She ruffles Melissa's hair and gives Strek then Guess? a quick hug. "Go get 'em. I'll drop you her address." Reluctantly, you pull away and rush past the rest of the Friendship Hour attendees to head to the hanger where Mehvisa Pau Riojin works. She's not eager to get into the personal stuff now. But you can ask more questions if you'd like.

After a short robotaxi ride, you come upon the hanger. A cardboard sign on the wall is the only indication you're at the right address. A kasatha woman opens the door and answers you curtly. "Heard you were coming. Come in." You follow her, as she reiterates what Tarika told you while walking. Though brusque, she isn’t intentionally rude. "...from the other side of the station, but my supplier has been reluctant to transport it. Don’t know why, my work has kept me too busy to retrieve the gear myself. Besides, people scare me. Sending you the address now. Pick up the equipment from Platform-2. No, not at Platform-2. From Platform-2. He's an android. He's a big boy, can't miss him."

"I hear you're the best. If you can grab the gear and bring it here, I'll give you a 6000 credit stick -" She pauses halfway through the sentence to point at Guess?. "Tarika told me to tell you that number was pre-negotiated. She said you could squeeze creds from stone." She shrugs. "Whatever that means. This cargo is going to be heavy. You're professionals, so I assume you have some sort of cargo lifter or powered armor." She eyes Strek's suit with a level of respect. "More than one pair, hopefully. If not, I've got an extra set of cargo lifter powered armor you can borrow." She takes a step back and points all four of her index fingers at your faces, one after the other. "But you better bring it back without a scratch, you hear me? I keep my stuff pristine - tech should be treated nicely. That's a fact." She pauses a moment, staring at you. "What? Go, do it." Feel free to ask any questions, or go shopping on the way to the destination.

Guess? opens his mouth but after getting preemptively shut down on price negotiations, he mumbles, "awwww gobbammit..." and shuts his mouth.

Then he simply asks, "Can you tell us a bit more about how big and heavy the cargo is? And will it be a standard wood/metal crate? And is it cube or rectangular cube shaped? Or something else altogether?"

Judging by the reply, do we think Strek's one set of power armor plus the lifting robot back at the ship will be sufficient?

sense motive: 1d20 + 4 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + 4 + (2) = 10

If not, there's Jaraduk's powered armor.

If you always keep it pristine, then it should be boxed with padding, no? Yeah we'll keep it nice! Jaraduk beams with confidence.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25

Guess? will later say to the rest of the crew, "Guys, don't take Mehvisa's rudeness personally. It seems to me that big brain of hers is constantly churning through how to handle some mechanical build or problem. So what's left of her brain power just cannot process how to be nice and get along with people.

"You can say that I'm one of the rare exceptions to the rule!"

Ah okay. I lost track there who has power armor.

I think Jaraduk is the only one who currently owns a set of Powered Armor; Strek is proficient, but just spent all his money on the new weapon.

Strek nods approvingly at the armor rack. "I appreciate a clean exoskeleton of gears and hydraulics, too." he then licks his fingers clean from the candied dinner mints he nabbed at the noodle spot.

He'll happily use it for the job, but I see its usage is 1 charge per minute, for only 40 minutes? With a 15 foot speed? Strek has 3 extra batteries so he can make it last nearly 3 hours but is that even long enough?

Melissa errrms.. when asked about the providence of the noodles. She doesn't think THAT bag wound up in the cheekpouch when they caught a trolly, or when she needed a free hand to hang on the strap, or when she put that baby pidgeon back up in the nest with her rocket pack...

"...the noddles never touched the cheek pouch? Also HEY! Its sanitary. Do you know how much trouble I have to go through to keep mouthwash on tap when Guess? is down to his three favorite bottles of alchohol? I have t..ooommmm...." derps out at the brushing.

She shakes her head and snaps to. She sighs "Sorry gotta go work called..." but does swap infosphere info. Strek might be right. Its happened before.

Melissa grew up with dwarves. This seems perfectly normal.

"Erm.. is it ok if it comes back without any scratches and a not suspicious amount of buffing in some areas? "

At the loading armors steam pink aesthetics...

"Sure you love exposed gears. They look cool, you don't have a tail, and YOUR fingers grow back..."

"Gears gotta be on the outside. Ever seen a saltwater taffy machine? Nightmare of nightmares."

"If the equipment isn't pushed to the point of failure how will they know we were working?"

If its heavy but relatively small, we might be able to use a Spell Gem of 2nd level Shrink. It works on up to 40 bulk, but not a lot of volume.

"A few standard questions before we go." Akh takes out a datapad. "Dimensions and bulk? Does it explode if shaken, or kept still? Is it full of small animals that have been wired to burst during transport? Is it potentially delicious?"

Separately from this discussion, Akh will reflect on the area of Absalom Station that the cargo is traversing and who the most likely candidates for stealing it are. Especially for previous cargos our client already lost.

Culture: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23

Whoops, I thought Strek had bought Power Armor... The kasatha stares at Strek with a flat stare. "... You would have figured it out. But... follow me." She turns in place and walks you around the corner to show a pristine set of Cargo Lifter powered armor. The simple metal frame sits atop slow-moving legs, and the whole thing is painted a striped fluorescent pink and yellow. Rather than having articulated hands, its arms end in specialized gripping tools meant to lift bulky containers. A homemade bandolier of sorts is strapped across the front, with a half dozen high capacity batteries in the pockets. She gestures at the equipment, not really looking. "When you stop moving, swap the batteries out. Don't worry about recharging them, I have a super charger." She looks over at Guess?, before picking up a few spare parts and fiddling with them. "Five big boxes. Bigger than you. Smaller than you." She gestures over at Akh. "A few bulk a piece. Should be ultra-foam packed, but probably a wood case. Cheap fools. I'm guessing they'll be rectangular. Easier to carry with two powered units, but one would do." Her eyes glare at you just a little. "If you're careful. Be careful. But they won't explode. Or... have... animals?" She looks at you, concerned. "Nor delicious... What did you say you normally transport?" You head out, after Strek has a chance to get into the armor. If you want. The shipment will be easiest to handle with two sets of powered arms. Guess? does point out that V1CT0R is back at the ship, and a Porter Domestic Drone could be quite helpful in the job. Jaraduk also points out that he left his power armor at the ship.

You walk a few kilometers, to the destination. Tucked into a strip mall is "PLATFORM-2 IMPORTS AND FINE GOODS". A small bell rings as you head into the store, and at first you think you are the only ones in the room. Then, a twenty foot wide countertop shifts and lifts a few feet off the ground. A deep voice emits from the flat steel front. "Whyyyyyy helloooooooo... Youuuuuuu havvvvvve the loooooooooook offffffff finnnnnnnnne shopperrrrrrrrs" He takes a few lumbering steps forward, only knocking a few items to the floor as he does so. However, once you state that you're just there to pick up a delivery, he grumbles. "Ahhhhhh, yessssssss." The android happily points out Riojin’s shipment, five crates of heavy equipment, each weighing 5 bulk. You open them up to take a look. Within bright green silicone padding are a bunch of ancient looking machine parts.

The android peers at you from across the shop. "Heavy stuff there. Big boxes, too. Not all freighters come prepared. I'll sell you a Cargo Lifter, top of the line, fully charged. You can use it today. All yours, for the low price of 2400 credits." He emits a low buzzing noise, almost like the purring of a cat. As you look into the boxes, he keeps talking. “I'm glad she found somebody to pick this stuff up. All my usual couriers are raising their rates, claiming something about hazard pay due to all the rats.” He laughs in a growling voice. "Rats. Imagine. Rats, scaring off grown adults. I doubt they were even Rodents Of Unusual Size..." He doesn’t know any more and simply shrugs when pressed. (Or you think it's a shrug... the left and right quarters of his box-like body moved up and down in a shrug-like movement...) If you poke around on Absalom Station’s infosphere for further information, you don’t discover anything pertinent. Akh's Culture check will count as an Assist for this Computers check.

engineering: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31

Melissa whistles through her teeth. "Pre gap burnished aluminum datapads. These were absurdly expensive when they were new. A game system thought to be designed by the gods of wind... you have to blow into it to get it to work. And oh, Mom had one of those. It just kinda spins for no reason.

"We kinda haul anything. Which makes it more interesting. Sometimes too interesting. We haven't lost a package that hasn't exploded. And we've kept a few that did anyway...."

"Rats we can deal with..." pick up some peanut butter.

Computers check: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (5) + 14 = 19 ""Hey, Big Sis. Where are you working these days.. uhm.. no reason.... No we're not there. Or there.. or..Already? Look it was just a robbery. No. No . You can't Thanks. I think. But we already did. Yeah yeah I'm fine when they have it coming. NO I'm not joining..I don't want to make a habit of it. HOW much?!?!? " " She signs to strek <familylongconversation unavoidable> ...which is only one sign in ysoki. Its hard to see, but unless she's using a dutch angle the pair of red eyes in darkness she's talking to would be enormous for ysoki.

Computers, with Assist: 1d20 + 13 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 13 + 2 = 17

Strek translates to the rest of the group, "I think that's the sign for planning a..."

*glances at the shop android*

"...side job"

This is just sheer curiosity, but is there any characterization of the "ancient parts" that would, e.g. make them analogous to modern day parts (car, trains, planes, whatever)? I see Melissa has voted for them being an NES and a Playstation (or similar) :P

I doubt they were even Rodents Of Unusual Size...

Jaraduk snickers and pipes up. Yeah, can you imagine if they had to pass through a Fire Swamp? Alas. The wonders of the gap, pre-gap, and Ancient Golarion are a mere echo now.

I haven't been playing it up that well, but that is in fact a particular interest of Jaraduk.

"Rodents of unusual size? I mean... Whats unusual? Last time I was here I had a three minute conversation with one of the trainport rats before realizing the part of my brain that tingles when the wildwise is going meant they weren't a ysoki. Still had some good food cart recommendations. "

"Now that you've invoked RoUS, we're bound to cross paths with some. That's just how things work for us." Akh morosely intones, then turns to the boxes.

"So we have our own power armor, plus the cargo lifter from our client. I think that should be enough with Strek and Jaraduk piloting so we won't need a third. I'll fly up and keep a dragon's eye view on the surroundings in case any rodents or non-rodents are trying to sneak up on us. Maybe we can also disguise the cargo as something extremely unappealing, like licorice, so that no one comes by to pick it up from us. What do you think Guess??"

Highly amused at Platform-2's appearance, Guess? mentions offhandedly, "Y'know, you'd do well in corporate espionage. Get shipped into a secret lab as a countertop, gather information, sell to highest bidder. Let me know if you find yourself interested - I'm sure we can work something out!"

Replying to Akh, "Well, even if we do come across some RoUS', it's not all bad. They make for some tasty eats!"

"We could disguise it as a pickle truck and have Guess? Ride in the back. "

Platform-2's body bends forward and back up, nodding. "Yes, I've formed by body to its purpose. Takes a surprising amount of work, that." It appears the equipment inside the boxes are mechanical in nature. Judging from the vehicles and industrial machines in Mehvisa Pau Riojin's workshop, these must be parts that the kasatha has figured out how to put together. You pick up the five boxes, loading them three high on the back of Jaraduk and two high on Strek's armor. Their mechanical spines don't even bend under the massive weight, enough to crumple any unsupported sentient. With this setup, both have their hands free in the completely unexpected and unrealistic case of ROUS's showing up.

Having to walk back, you take the station corridors underneath the main streets of the floor. Things are going well. You've been walking below the flickering neon lights, beside the venting steam from the hot water pipes, while hopping over puddles of oil spills. Not as glamorous as trips through the Drift, but the pay is good and you don't need to spend a few days eating Cheffy III's cooking. JUST THEN... a loud metallic creak comes from the roof. You look up and see several leathery bat-like creatures slither through a grate above. One looks right at Jaraduk and emits a loud hisssssss! They drop to the floor surrounding you, almost distracting you from a quick pneumatic swoosh and CLANK from behind you. A quick glance back reveals the fire protection bulkheads have slammed shut a few yards behind you! Photos updated on Slides 2 and 3, with the map on Slide 1! That blue bar is a heavy door with a serious lock that can be picked. Theoretically you could break through it as well.

Everyone but Guess? is up!

Round 1! Everyone but Guess? is up!
Strek SP 40/40, HP 36/36, RP 4/5
Akh SP 50/50, HP 8/39, RP 3/4
Del SP: 25/25, HP: 29/29, RP: 5/5
Melissa SP 31/31, HP 33/33, RP 4/5
Jaraduk SP 22/40, HP 41/41, RP 5/5
Guess? SP 21/30, HP 27/27, RP 6/6

Blue
Purple
Red
Pink
Orange
Green

Saranite summer camp don't fail me now: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21

...apparently Her hockey team was called the Electrovores...

Melissa looks at her bolted on. hard to swap out Electric gun..."Really grandma?.. Electrovores! DOn't use electricity or plasma, spread out so they don't tazer you all. " She'll take her own advice, scampering between the ones in back heading for the door. "Oi, call your pets off they're gonna get hurt! "

"Hey guys, want some Volts?" If she thinks they'd actually enjoy being zapped she'll zap purple and green , otherwise she'll just zap the air in front of them to ring the dinner bell. "Here flappyzappyflappyzappy...."

Dr Do little diplomacy check: 1d20 + 11 + 1d6 ⇒ (9) + 11 + (6) = 26

She does have to wonder how big of a gun she could make with THESE guys though.... just don't tell her eels.