Zetara goes to look in the cab of the truck.
The door to the truck opens with a rusty CREAK. A rather disheveled android sticks their head out. "Is it save to come out now?"
It is safe. Are you Vari-13? If so, we were told you had an employment opportunity we might be interested in.
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"Yes...I AM Vari-13. How did you find me? Who sent you?"
"Way to go, Locket!" Sen cheers. "Like somethin' straight out of a martial arts trivid!"
Breathing hard following the rumble with the khefak, Locket turns, ears raised, at Sen's outburst.
The pahtra regards her with his bright eyes, flicking an ear. "Not a very good one," he murmurs. Wincing, he adds, "You were very... energetic."
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"Great work, Locket! Can you teach me to kick like that some day?"
"Riddle sent us. She was worried about you. What were you doing out here?"
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When asked how they found the android, Zetara is about to detail all of the different research strategies and battles they went through in order to find Vari-13, but when Gath says "Riddle sent us" she realizes that is a much more efficient answer, and doesn't add any detail.
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"Way to go, Locket!" Sen cheers. "Like somethin' straight out of a martial arts trivid!"Breathing hard following the rumble with the khefak, Locket turns, ears raised, at Sen's outburst.
The pahtra regards her with his bright eyes, flicking an ear. "Not a very good one," he murmurs. Wincing, he adds, "You were very... energetic."
"Thanks!" Sen replies with a thumbs-up.
"Yes...I AM Vari-13. How did you find me? Who sent you?"
"Hey, Ms. 13!" Sen calls, pulling her zoomboard over and waving. "It's me, Sen! The delivery girl. A few of my friends from Absalom Station decided to show up on Akiton and I found out they were lookin' for you!"
Janebok smiles thinly as the khefak finally dies. It had taken long enough.
Then she walks over with the others to greet Vari-13, standing back somewhat and eyeing the android. Finally, she speaks up "Have you sssussstained much damage?"
Vari-13 replies to all of you. "Riddle, huh? I knew I hired her for a reason. I'm lucky she decided to check up on me, I guess. Are you all employees of hers? I thought I met everyone."
To Sen they reply, "Oh sure, I remember you! Next time you make a delivery, I'll make sure your tip is a little higher. Actually, if you play your cards right, it won't just be tip money you'll be making."
Finally, to Janebok they say, "I am just a little banged up. That thing wouldn't let me out. Every time I opened the door it crawled out of the chasm and attacked. Since I lost my comm device, I'm lucky you all came for me. Why don't we all head back to Riddle's office and have a talk. I could use some nourishment and a comfortable place to sit."
Zetara gathers up khefak carapace/shells on the way back so that they are all in one place and ready for them to take and sell.
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Janebok nods to Vari-13. "Accsseptable. We can essscort you. Most of the hazards have been resolved."
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To Sen they reply, "Oh sure, I remember you! Next time you make a delivery, I'll make sure your tip is a little higher. Actually, if you play your cards right, it won't just be tip money you'll be making."
"Just glad you're okay! Though I certainly DO like the prospect of profits...since profits mean parts and parts mean a faster board!" Sen replies.
You escort Vari-13 back to Khefak Depot. As you near Adventures in Junk, you are intercepted by Riddle.
She leads you through some back alleys, then into her business via the back door. "We can't be too careful. Dotrulo's gang has been keeping a close eye on things lately. Vari, it's good to see you!"
As all of you get comfortable, Vari-13 tells their tale.
“First of all, let me thank you once again for rescuing me.
I knew I chose correctly when I picked Riddle’s agency to
help me in my task.” The ysoki starts to interrupt, but Vari-13
waves her down. “No, no, don’t be modest. Your employees
are to be commended, and you, for your management.”
Riddle shrugs with an apologetic look on her face.
“I shared some of this with Riddle, but I think you should
all know how I came to Akiton. As you may know, sometimes
when we androids die, our mortal shell becomes home to a new
soul. This is especially true if the android chooses to relinquish their life, but it also occurs if the body is relatively intact. This
was the case for one of my progenitors, Vari-8. They were an
engineer aboard a scientific research vessel called the Stellar
Flare in the years shortly after the Gap. The crew engaged in
experiments to develop a new source of power drawn from the
then-recently discovered Drift. They believed that technology
similar to that of Drift engines could provide energy for all,
without the need for batteries. Unfortunately, their research
ended abruptly when an accident caused them to crash.” They
pause for a moment. “Here, on Akiton!”
Vari-13 smiles as if they’ve just solved an ages-old mystery.
“Don’t you see? If we can salvage some of the technology from
the Stellar Flare, we might be able to restart that research! It
could change the galaxy!"
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Riddle pays all of you. You all receive the promised 500 credits each. As a bonus, you each receive a Mk. 1 serum of healing.
That seems like a worthy endeavor. Do you know more specifically where the ship crashed?
"So we'd be looking for salvage? That sounds more interesting than warehouse work."
”Well, it’s less fun than raiding convoys but salvage is good work.”
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Janebok listens with extreme interest as Vari-13 shares her tale. "Not only that, but it could give a much-needed advantage against the Ssswarm!"
But her excitement gets distracted when Uchurtai speaks up about raiding. "How do you jussstify such anti-sssocial behavior? Do you not know that we are all together in a war for sssurvival?"
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Riddle pays all of you. You all receive the promised 500 credits each. As a bonus, you each receive a Mk. 1 serum of healing.
Sen receives her cut of the pay and secures it in her pack. These were gonna be great for upgrades, both personal and her for her zoomboard!
"So we'd be looking for salvage? That sounds more interesting than warehouse work."
"OoohoohooHOOOO yeah!" Sen telepathically laughs as her antennae wiggle in delight. "You're ace, Big Guy! Not only would we be doin' some real good for the neighborhood, but there's a chance of finding primo parts along the way! And a new source of juice?! You had my curiosity then, but NOW you've got my attention!"
Sen's mandibles spread in the shirren equivalent of an excited grin.
"How do you jussstify such anti-sssocial behavior? Do you not know that we are all together in a war for sssurvival?"
”How do I justify it? Offworlders suck dry the lifeblood of Akiton, the gifts given to us by the Great Father Ka. We once roamed wild and free across the deserts, living as the maker spirits intended us to.” He spits on the ground before saying, ”Now, the powers of the Pact Worlds force us out of our lands and way of life. We raid to take back what is ours.”
He sighs, much of his normal bombast absent as he speaks, ”I would not expect you to understand. Those who harvest my people’s sorrow rarely do. I digress. That battery seems like it could be a powerful tool. I will help to find it.”
The money puts a smile on Uchurtai’s face. He could upgrade his gear, maybe even send some money to his clan if he had any left over.
"That should take some of the sting out of that beating," Locket murmurs, accepting his share of the credits.
After listening to Vari-13's recount, the pahtra shrugs. "I go where he goes," he says simply, hitching a thumb in Gath's direction.
Locket nods his head in support of Uchurtai's speech. "Can't speak on what it's like to lose your home," he says, absently touching the pendant hanging from his neck. "But I get what it's like to be put in a situation through no fault of your own and having to adapt - to make ends meet for you and yours."
He nods again, emphatically. "I respect that."
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Zetara tends to agree that the Swarm is a bigger existential threat to all life, but she doesn't comment, just adding a note in her private log for her next report to the Stewards that Uchurtai appeared to be part of an organized raiding group.
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That seems like a worthy endeavor. Do you know more specifically where the ship crashed?
Vari-13 explains that they recently began to remember
snippets of Vari-8’s life—a rare consequence of sharing thesame android body. Thus, they began their examination of
their past, but they don’t recall everything. One particularly
vivid memory is of their progenitor making it to an escape
pod on the Stellar Flare before it went down.
Vari-13 believes that the escape pod was damaged and that it didn’t make
a safe landing on Akiton. Vari-8 likely incurred their fatal
wound in the crash, but they managed to embed a portion of
the pod’s distress beacon into their upgrade slot in their last
moments. Vari-13 suspects they intended for one of their
descendants to find the escape pod and, thus, the wreck of
the Stellar Flare.
Vari-13 was able to trace the beacon’s signal to Akiton,
then to Khefak Depot and the Caryards, where they found
what was left of the escape pod buried amid the junk. They
managed to download a copy of the Stellar Flare’s transponder
codes before khefaks noticed them and forced them to flee
and take shelter in the abandoned truck. “I presumed,”
Vari-13 says, “I’d have to somehow trace these codes to the
starship because the Stellar Flare’s transponder must surely
have been destroyed or lost power. But somehow, the Stellar
Flare’s transponder is still broadcasting! We should be able
to find it with only a few hours’ work!”
If the transponder is still broadcasting, surely other people can find it as well? I wonder if it will be a thoroughly looted pile of junk. Do you have reason to think that would not be the case? Is it broadcasting on an unusual wavelength or is the message encrypted or obscured in some way where people wouldn't be able to find the source? There is also the fact that it is still broadcasting when it is unlikely that it would have survived. A circumstance like that seems to be one to be wary of.
"So you can remember pieces of past lives? Goldenarms never said he could do that. Is it like ghosts, or is it like reincreation?"
It would seem Vari's metaphysical experience is more important than the battery to Gath.
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Janebok considers Uchurtai's response about raiding but does not comment as the Shobhad moves onto the battery. She nods at Sen's exclamation regarding the signal. "Indeed. Is the sssignal particularly weak or sssomehow difficult to triangulate?"
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If the transponder is still broadcasting, surely other people can find it as well? I wonder if it will be a thoroughly looted pile of junk. Do you have reason to think that would not be the case? Is it broadcasting on an unusual wavelength or is the message encrypted or obscured in some way where people wouldn't be able to find the source? There is also the fact that it is still broadcasting when it is unlikely that it would have survived. A circumstance like that seems to be one to be wary of.
"It is my hope that only I have the information needed to track this signal. Due to the innate memories that only I have, I was able to locate the escape pod in the Caryards, and from that the transponder codes. While it wouldn't be impossible for someone to randomly scan for the frequencies that the transponders are broadcasting, it's unlikely for them to actually find the Stellar Flare without the information that only I have."
Riddle recommends all of you get some rest, and makes beds for you all wherever there is extra space in her shop or in her upper-floor dwelling. When you wake up the next morning, you find Vari-13 hard at work at a terminal.
“I’m glad you’ve decided my cause is of interest to you.
Exhausted as I was from my travails in the Caryards, I have
nevertheless worked all night examining the Stellar Flare’s
transponder signal. I even tried sending a message to the
starship, but alas, I received no reply. However,” Vari-13 says
with a smile, gesturing to the computer, “I believe we can
pinpoint the Stellar Flare’s location with reasonable accuracy
if you’ll be gracious enough to lend me a hand.”
Zetara attempts to lend a hand.
With help from Vari-13 and Zetara, Sen is able to triangulate the signal. Riddle produces a map to show exactly where this signal is coming from. It indicates that it is from an area that has many of the oldest crashed starships in Khefak Depot area called the Outer Junkfields. Riddle is not pleased about this revelation.
“Oh no, no, no way. I’m sorry Vari, but the Outer Junkfields
are a death trap, have been ever since a bunch of space
goblins and ikeshtis moved in last year. They turned the
place into a war zone! The goblins and ikeshtis each think
they should be in charge, and neither side will budge.
They’re constantly trying to kill each other. You’d think one
of them would gain the upper hand, but they’re all a bunch
of tenacious—” she stifles an expletive. “So no, sorry. It’s
just too dangerous.”
Vari-13 objects. “Nonsense! You’ve got some of the
bravest and most clever guides right here!”
"Uchurtai's a mighty son of Ka. Locket's just about the best fighter around. I'm sure they could keep us safe."
There's a little edge to Gath's tone, like a child whining to Riddle for a treat.
We are all in need of employment, so provided the pay is commensurate with the risk, we could attempt this. Perhaps we could get some of the money up front in order to provide ourselves with better gear, therefore giving us a better chance of accomplishing your goals?
Janebok hisses in frustration at talk of the Outer Junkfields. "An utterly disssreputable region rife with those who cannot see the need for unity." She considers a while. "But thisss artifact mussst be procured."
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"Got a moment?" Locket asks Gath as the group prepares to get some well-deserved rest. He leads the shobhad off to the side.
"Just wanted to thank you," he says, rubbing his nose, uncomfortable with the vulnerability. "Turns out that meditation was just what I needed. Reset the compass."
"Hadn't felt quite right since setting out from Yon's,' he explains. Shaking his head, he continues, "Stuff's been harder than in the dojo or competition, but it was more'n that - like something was missing. My spirit."
He clears his throat, embarrassed. "So, yeah. Thanks," he murmurs.
Locket wakes still looking a little worse for wear from the previous day's beating but feeling much better.
Finding the others hard at work pinpointing the location of the transponder signal, the pahtra perches cross-legged on a nearby bench top and - unable to provide much in the way of assistance - shuts his eyes as he relaxes into meditation.
* * *
Locket moves closer to watch as Riddle points out locations on the map.
"S'a fair way out," he mumbles.
"Not quite what I signed up for - not some adventurer," he says with a sniff. "But after getting themself penned in that truck by some bugs, Vari-13 will need some help."
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"Lock, you went all in to save those kids from that weird cult back on Absalom Station without a second thought, and even pulled your punches so you didn't kill the weird cult guys either!" Sen comments. "By that metric, yeah, you aren't some adventurer, you're a hero!"
She flashes a "peace-sign" by one of her compound eyes to emphasize the statement.
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We are all in need of employment, so provided the pay is commensurate with the risk, we could attempt this. Perhaps we could get some of the money up front in order to provide ourselves with better gear, therefore giving us a better chance of accomplishing your goals?
[dice=Diplomacy]1d20+7
Vari-13 addresses the matter of payment.
"Ahhh yes. Of course it's my belief that all of you should be paid well. I would be willing to offer 1,500 credits to each of you, 500 up front, and the other 1,000 credits when this mystery is solved one way or another--hopefully after we find the Stellar Flare." Vari pauses, then continues, "1,500 credits is a pittance compared to what this find could potentially be worth. With that in mind, how does a 25% stake in the find sound to the six of you?"
Riddle asserts herself into the conversation. "And I get a 5% cut of the find for my fees!" Vari-13 smiles and is in agreement.
Janebok nods as Vari-13 addresses terms. "Accsseptable, for my part."
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Of the gear from the scrapyard he takes a pistol and a survival knife.
Uchurtai heads out on the town to gear up for the trek into the desert. At a shady armor shop on the edge of Khefak Depot he gets outfitted with a set of armor that just screams, "I am a raider!" With the scrap spikes on it, he looks positively villanous. Not that he cares much.
With his appropriately heavy metal armor he heads into town proper, picking up a survival kit, an assortment of survival gear, and a couple weeks worth of field rations at one of the exploration outfitters. Two weeks of food and the other gear may have been overkill, but when it came to survival in the cold wastes of Akiton, nothing was overkill. Two hip holsters held his knife and pistol, back holsters with his cannon and spear. Backpack with food, survival gear
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Sen hops on her zoomboard and tools around Khefak Depot's shops for a few hours, outfitting herself with sturdy, if boring-looking, new coveralls that her jacket fits nicely over (and obscures the obvious Evgeniya-Jaimisson logo on the back), as well as some necessary survival gear like a canteen, a bedroll, repair materials like ion tape and a zipstick, and a backpack to carry all of it in.
She's surprised when she's flagged down by one of the vendors she's run delivery for, who explains that her family back on Absalom Station had sent a care-package for her, with this vendor as the closest thing resembling a forward address, so he'd been holding the package for her since that morning. Sen takes it and eagerly opens it, revealing not only a few days worth of R2Es but a warm and comfy blanket, hand-made by her host. She hugs it to herself for a moment, realizing now that she'd left home for the first time she kind of missed it. Not enough to ditch the gang and return, mind you, her curiosity of this new power source and possible salvage she could recycle into upgrades outweighed that by far.
She poses with the gear when she returns to the group, but the impression she gives off is more a Star Scout going on a weekend camping trip than a hard-bitten survivalist.
"Camping! My grandsire used to take me out when I was very small, but I haven't been on the plains for years. "
Gath excitedly follows the others in search of gear. Along the way he stops to talk with people, anyone who looks interesting, including at one point an old, shabbily dressed shobhad sitting on the edge of the street. after a few minutes they walk off down a dark alley.
Zetara is pleased that she was able to get enough credits for a sniper rifle. Hopefully she could start picking off some of their enemies before they got close enough to harm the group. She goes with the others to gather some more mundane supplies as well, hoping they were up for the new challenges that awaited them.
Gath reemerges from the alley some time later wearing an oversized back pack.
"Guys, you won't believe it. That old shobhad was Toskai Spearhunter, a hero of the plains wars. He told me lots of great stories, just like my sire and grandsire. But now he's down on his luck, and kind of sick now, and needs money for someone called Molly. He didn't want to sell his old kit, but he liked me and we made a deal. I got this really great harness, and a radiation suit, and this awesome backpack, it can carry so much!, and look at this great tent, and blankets, and sleeping pad. And it was all only about 2000 credits."
If you examine the gear it's worn, but still quite serviceable.
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Sen cocks her head a bit.
"2,000 credits is a lot to dump on a guy, Big Guy...you scope the manifest first to see it was all green? You say he's an old mate of yours, but how do you know he wasn't playing you for a null-unit? You're nice, Big Guy, but sometimes I worry you can be a bit TOO nice, chek-chek?"
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Uchurtai shoots Gath a quizzical look, ”I’d be most impressed by that claim if not for the fact that, well, Toskai Spearhunter died a few years back. My clan attended his funeral pyre and deedspeaking. So either you purchased camping gear from a ghost or that was not Toskai.”