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Another successful salvage operation! You’ve just returned from an abandoned mining asteroid, and its spoils fill the cargo hold of your vessel, the Helping Hand — your very own ship! You’re still so proud of it and of the fact that your boss Nakonechkin trusts you enough to send you on lone missions.
You've been in the Drift for a little more than two days since you left the asteroid when an alert on your ship’s sensors lets you know that another vessel is approaching. You all gather on the bridge as a communication channel opens from the incoming starship. The view screen lights up with the image of a scarred, angry human woman.
Attention, filthy vermin, she sneers. Prepare to be boarded by the crew of the Nova Warlock. We will take your cargo, destroy your power core, and leave you to float aimlessly through space until you die from hunger, thirst, freezing temperatures, or lack of oxygen. Whichever. It really doesn’t matter to me, as long as you die slowly and painfully.
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As usual when in the Drift, Bleu is wearing his janitor outfit and cleaning the ship. The blue fur skittermander has joined the crew recently. He is just of age, and he’s known by the crew to not known or be able to do much asides from cleaning, discussing with people and defend the crew.
When the alert started, he went straight to the bridge. Listening to the Nova Warlock’s captain, he wonders how he could help her, but he would prefer to avoid having his fellow Skittermanders die in the process.
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"Hey um.... so like... That drink I made earlier? So I thought that Quonx ordered four of 'em to bring to the bridge crew... Turns out she drank 'em all and is passed out drunk in the bafroom. So uh... she said I should take over the scanners for a bit while she ummm... I dunno if I wanna repeat the rest."
He flips on the comms to respond to the angry woman. "Heya! Dinnit catch your name! Wanna talk about it over a drink?"
Flipping the comms back to mute he adds, "So uh... anyone else thirsty?"
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"Uhh, who ate jam out of her donught?" asks looking at the screen. Who is standing there is another blue skittermander with a crest of green hair on his head. He carries a doshko and two heavy rifles on his back, while in space Buddy was recording drumming videos for his fans. He hopes to get enough popularity to begin to play with some serious band
On the first day, Buddy would definitely hug each and every one of you.
"Garcon? Is that you? We haven't seen like for ages!" Hugs him again Buddy.
A red furred skittermander with slightly wet fur hums as she enters the bridge. "Nothing beats a hot shower after some exercise. Hello all! How's it going?"
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"She looks like she needs some music. Shall I put on some hard rock or just blast their ship to smithereens?" she asked the others.
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My name is Captain Anga Silaza. You killed my brother. Prepare to DIE!
It looks rather bad for the furry crew but, before the other ship opens fire, the Helping Hand’s sensors begin to screech wildly as a swirling cloud of multicoloured energy suddenly surrounds both ships. There is a vertigo-inducing wrenching sensation as your vessel is teleported somewhere, the strange but familiar backdrop of Drift space replaced with an unknown configuration of stars. However, alarms are still blaring, signifying total engine failure and countless other problems. To make matters worse, the computers indicate that the Helping Hand is high above an unidentified planet and plummeting rapidly.
What do you do?
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"Heya Buddy! Wait... you can eat the jam outta someone's donut without eating the whole donut? Would that make the donut drinkware?"
Garcon turns back quickly towards the screen. "Whoaaaaa.... so pretty..."
She starts tabbing through the sensor data trying to make heads or tails of what just happened.
"So uh... where are we? I really dun like to land 'til I know what the natives like ta drink. And uh... we're falling really fast so I think imma only have like... a few minutes to check my notes."
"Aballon... nope. Akiton... nope. Apostae... nope. Aucturn... nope. Bretheda... nope."
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"Donut Drinkware? I think that would be, yes! Oh, can you imagine the new opportunity that it creates!"
Buddy listens to captain Anga and wonders for a moment
"Hey I watched that movie: 'My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.' "
He looks back at the screen "Do you rehearse a play?"
Buddy says before he spots the oddly looking cloud.
He eyes Garcon trying to get something from the sensors, so he takes a sit and punches buttons at random trying to look like he is doing something. Then he looks to the side trying to spot which buttons to push.
Panicked at the sudden displacement Nako tries to make sense of her screen.
A skittermander with a luxurious green beard finally chimes in, trying to take control of the situation. "What... where are we? You -" he points at Garcon, "Tell me where we are! Are you able to save our ship?"
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Bleu is starting to panic as the ship seems to be out of control “The ship is going toward that planet, let me try to help!” He starts mashing at button randomly, clearly not understanding what he’s doing. Then he seems to have an idea. “Maybe we should shoot toward the planet, that might make us go back in orbit? Or maybe shot toward where we are landing to soften our landing? It would be good to know if the planet is inhabited.”
Bleu is also taking a look to see if he spots the other ship, maybe they are also moving toward that planet.
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Garcon comes to the realization that they're not in the Pact Worlds. Also the other ship is missing. Upon examining the readouts it appears that the Helping Hand has doubled in in size in all three dimensions as well as it 's mass, and this is not due to relativistic effects. Garcon quickly comes to the realization that the two ships have somehow been fused together.
The readouts indicate an extra dozen lifeforms aboard and they are most likely the crew of the other ship and are heading for your cargo hold. The engines are very badly damaged but, in the cargo hold is a zero-g mining vehicle that, if ejected from the cargo hold, could withstand reentry and impact.
The cargo hold is just a short distance away from the Helping Hand’s bridge.
But the space pirates are racing that way, so there’s little time to waste!
Nako jumps up from her seat and unlocks the weapons cabinet before arming herself. "Arm up! We have boarders heading towards the cargo bay!" she says to the others before making her way to the cargo bay.
"They're space pirates. The only 'help' they need is help to the grave.". Gazigaz lets out a deep laugh.
"But let's go check it out."
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Unfortunately that vehicle is barely big enough for all the skittermanders together.
The Helping Hand’s bumpy return to the Material Plane has thrown the cargo hold into disarray. Crates—some cracked open and spilling their contents across the floor—have been flung out of the cargo webbing and are scattered everywhere. A small vehicle festooned with claws and drills sits on a quartet of thruster nozzles near the airlock door.
"Locked and loaded." Nako declares as she checks her pistol.
Gazigaz slowly sneaks up to a crate and spots the one that shot at Garcon. The emerald green skittermander looks back at his team. "Get 'em guys! You know what to do!"
Nako finds cover behind one of the boxes and aims at red.
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... and misses ...
The other two pirates throw grenades at the skittermanders
15ft explosion dc 10 ref for half.
15ft explosion dc 10 ref for half.
One grenade was aimed five feet behind Bleu and Nako, the other one was aimed to land between Garcon and Gazigaz. (where the little clouds are)
Buddy and Garcon are up.
Nako jumps as the grenade explodes and manages to avoid teh blast.
Deciding Red to be close enough Nako sprints around the box and attacks using her doshko.
"Got you!" she shouts.
Gazigaz scurries across the room and looks at the red one. "Get 'em guys!"
Gazigaz moves up silently behind Garcon. He whispers into the other skittermander's ear, "Get 'em."
Nako moves behind the shuttle to flank yellow and shoots at the human.
Nako closes in with a yell, swinging her doshko at yellow.
"Got you!"