/dot in
The past few days have been a whirlwind of excitement! Zhane managed to land a spot in the biggest music event this side of the galaxy: the Out of the Nest festival at Songbird Station. This could be Neon & Noqual’s chance to finally make it big! But there is one problem—the band’s only means of transport, an old clunker of a starship called Mama’s Little Helper (nicknamed MLH), lacks a Drift engine for the long trip. Luckily, if the band dropped everything, packed up MLH, and left right away, there would be just enough time to make it to the Diaspora and reach the concert hall with a tiny bit of time to spare... so that’s what you did!
A few days of travel into the trip—just as the cramped quarters of the Mama’s Little Helper begin to grow close and stuffy—you enter the Diaspora. The journey to Songbird Station seemed close to an end, that is until MLH began to rattle and gurgle, spewing smoke that looked much thicker and smelled far more foul than normal. Not long after, the ship’s engines failed dramatically. With a few well-placed kicks, Nuya was able to restore maneuvering thrusters long enough to land on a nearby hunk of rock just outside a fuel pump and an ugly little diner named Buzz’s. MLH is out of commission, but the show is scheduled to start in just a few hours!
MLH’s computers reveal that the ship’s quartzoid manifold coil broke during flight. Due to the rush in packing the ship, and since space for instruments, gear, and food was a priority, Nuya didn’t bring any spare parts to fix MLH and it doesn’t look like there’s a starship mechanic on this asteroid. A handful of other starships have landed nearby, though with a glance, Nuya can tell that none of them would have a manifold coil that would fit Mama’s Little Helper. The few people outside the diner remain uninterested in talking to the band members as they enter or leave their vehicles.
It is clear that there's not a lot of help outside — going into Buzz’s might be the best course of action.
"Well, no help to be found out here. Let's head into Buzz's diner. At best, we find a way to fix the ship or Zhane sweet talks someone into giving us a ride. Worst case, Zhane gets a buzz cut and loses his hair! Ha!" chuckles Nuya as she winks to the group and starts heading toward the diner entrance.
Zhane runs a hand through his sparkling mane of silver hair, then raps his knuckles on the rusty outer hull of Mama's Little Helper. "Alright babe, you did good to get us this far. We'll take it from here. You just rest a 'lil, yeah?" He beams at the rest of the band, trying way too hard to look more confident. "Don't worry gang, we'll get there on time and in one piece, or we wouldn't be Neon and Noqual. We're gonna stride in there, strum a chord or two, and some good samaritan's going to pull through for us, I just know it."
He puts on his polyphonic guitar, letting it rest across his back. "If I've got to lose the hair to get us there, I'll do it Nuya. Though,-" He fiddles with a frizzed end "-I'd miss the heck out of it."
Inside, the band finds a less-than-welcoming scene—Buzz’s is a dingy place filled with similarly grubby patrons. The asteroid serves mostly as a refueling station, and the diner is more a glorified showering center and vending machine site than a proper eatery. Only a handful of people remain inside, each seated at their own table. Most patrons sip alcoholic drinks and munch on stale snacks from a vending machine.
A constant, cheery jingle plays throughout the establishment, courtesy of the jukebox at the far end.
Every patron in the diner exudes a general sense of malaise and agitation.
The diner has no staff save for a single android standing in the middle of a circular counter in the center of the building. This is the titular Buzz, an older man covered with scrapes, scars, tattoos, and a few augmentations. As the band enters, Buzz looks in your direction, gives the slightest of nods, and returns to pouring a drink from one of the three taps at the counter.
"Seems to me this place can definitely use some music, eh?" remarks Nuya as she walks over to the vending machine to look it over - instinctually drawn to anything vaguely technological.
"It's as dead as Eox!" grumbles Sem, a little too loudly, as she absent-mindedly drums on every surface within reach. "I blame the jukebox. Zhaney, we oughtta give 'em some real music!"
The Vending Machines
You visit the vending machines in the hall leading to the showers. The machines are old and worn, matching the rest of the diner’s decor. One
machine sells all the classic snacks: Nutri-Chips, Replenigel Gummies, Drift Divers, Star Mix, and some snacks that have been out of production for years. Another machine looks like it’s intended to hold a variety of drinks, but a notice advises that patrons can “Get drinks at the counter!” and the machine itself is empty.
The final machine has several small tech odds and ends that might be useful while on long trips, such as datapad charging cables, personal flashlights, and so on. Unfortunately, none of the machines have anything that would help get MLH up and running again.
Hit the Infosphere
You check the computer by the jukebox and find it is fully operational and in a surprisingly good state, considering the rest of the diner.
The computer links to the local infosphere network, which has only scant information about nearby asteroids, news that is a week out of date, and a simplistic trivia game. There is also the option to request starship repairs, but after several minutes of completing the nigh-inscrutable request form (made even more difficult by the incessant jingle from the nearby jukebox), the confirmation notes that the earliest available maintenance ship will arrive in 10 hours; this would be far too late to get to the show on time.
"Hey, even if we don't jazz up the place, that jukebox has got to have something better in store than what it's jingling right now." Zhane takes a step toward it before stopping himself "Right- getting to our gig."
He strides right up to Buzz, preparing his best winning glance. "Hey fella! I'm Zhane, and this here's my friends - Nuya, Dwinite, Sem. We've got ourselves a broken down starship and a dream in precarious balance. We need to get to Songbird Station within a few hours, and-" He turns on the puppy dog eyes "-we could really use your advice. What's our best way to get there from here?"
Nuya joins in on Zhane's conversation, "Yah, any assistance would be greatly appreciated! Perhaps we can play a song or two for you live? Or perhaps Zhane here will agree to get a buzz cut in your honor!"
Nuya, only half-joking, smiles playfully and winks.
Buzz looks up "Well anything has to be better than that idiotic tinkling from the jukebox - I supopse you can go have a look at it and shut it up for a while"
The jukebox is a standard Dek-Tones model, designed to connect to the company’s central servers and play any song anyone could request, assuming an active subscription. It appears Buzz was able to use the jukebox for years thanks to a hack that bypassed the subscription check, but unfortunately, a recent firmware update corrected this flaw, and now the jukebox only notes the end of the free trial period with a request to contact Dek-Tones customer service to set up a new subscription. This message repeats onscreen as the Dek-Tones company jingle plays on an endless loop. Setting up a new subscription would be pricey and
would probably require several hours of being on hold.
A rough looking vesk in weathered armour and sporting an eyepatch takes an interest - “You lot look like musicians. If you can play something to cheer up these lowlifes, I might be moved to help you out.”
"A song it is!!" says Nuya, obviously excited for a chance to perform. "This is a small price to pay if it gets us to the competition! And besides, this can be our pre-main show warmup!!!"
She pulls out her gyro-fixed bass guitar, which oddly remains fixed in place mid-air until she purposefully maneuvers it. To anyone in the crowd who remarks or reacts to this odd attribute of the guitar, Nuya will smile and say, "Yep, she's a beauty! Built her myself!"
Nuya then turns to the rest of the band and declares, "Ready when you are!!"
Sem starts laying down a sick beat using tables, the jukebox, and even beer bottles as his "drums."
As the Jukebox is yanked out of the wall, the percussion section has already begun, and Nuya starts dropping in the bassline. All eyes are on Zhane!
|
I can make this work! Let's Jam!
Dwinite uses his Fabricate Tech Magic Hack to create a basic instrument out of Magic on the Spot using a first level spell slot.
Zhane slips his polyphonic guitar around. It swings right into place in time for him to strum the first chord to partner with Nuya's bass. He raises a hand to his partners, showing three fingers, then five. He points out into his audience, sweeping his hand across them. "Hard-workin' souls out there, covered in space dust... we hear you. This is for you. We're Neon & Noqual. And..." He counts down with his fingers "Here's Wonderwall." "Here's Rockers of Absalom"
"You get a shiver in the dark,
Work's grindin' you down, but no mind."
"Out from the Spire,
You stop and you hold everything."
"A band is blowing Stardock,
Double four time."
"You feel alright,
When you hear the music ring."
The opening song captures a fair amount of attention and increases the interest of the patrons, as they begin to tap their feet and nod along to the music.
The number fo objects being thrown visibly lessens!
Sem starts really getting into it, twirling and tossing the drumsticks between her fours arms while keeping a solid beat.
Nuya continues on her bass guitar...
But also finds herself struggling with the rhythm.
And Zhane smoothly transitions after a moment to catch his breath "Thank you fellas, ladies. Out here, doing long shifts trucking goods, it can be tough. That was the inspiration for our next song, Lonely Diaspora."
"On a dark lonely star field, stellar breeze at my back.
Warm aroma of coffee, rising up through the air.
Up ahead in the distance, I saw shimmerin' light.
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim,
I had to stop for the night."
"There it stood in the distance;
A sign blinkin' 'free fuel'
And I was thinking to myself,
'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'"
"Then I spied a curve of bone,
and a dim crimson glow.
There were voices on the local comms,
I thought I heard them say..."
"Another day in the Lonely Diaspora."
Despite the slightly out of tune efforts of Nuya and Dwinite (understandable in the improv unplugged setting) you manage to get everyones attetion and the mood sure is lifting.
The question is, can you close out strong?
Sem looks a little bit insane as she bounces and spins, her drumsticks slamming faster than the eye can see.
Realizing Sem and Dwinite are struggling a bit, Nuya attempts to cover for them as best she can...
...and then looks to Zhane to, hopefully, leave the crowd wanting more!
Zhane throws down a powerful chord to make up for the rougher start from everyone else, then vaults up onto the counter to draw all eyes to himself. "But you know, if you want to see what Neon & Noqual's all about, then get ready-" He flashes a wild smirk "To Drift Right 'Round!" He throws himself into belting out the lyrics to one of the band's best crowd-pleasers.
"If I, I get to know your name
Well, I could trace your private commset, baby"
"All I know is that to me
You look like you're lots of fun
Open up your lovin' arms
I want some, want some."
"I set my scan on you
And no one else will do
And I, I've got to have my way now, baby"
"All I know is that to me
You look like you're havin' fun
Open up your lovin' arms
Watch out, here I come"
"You spin me right 'round, baby, right 'round
Like the planets, baby, right 'round, 'round, 'round"
Zhane has a stellar performance and just nails it -the band becomes a hit with the diner patrons. They applaud, cheer, and even thank you all
for the music.
A gruff looking vesk and battle damaged armour stands up and congratulates you - "Never thought you'd be able to win over the locals, they're normally a bunch of sad sacks. I understand you are having trouble with your ship, I wanted to see whatcha were made of, but now I know I think I can help you out with a ride to Songbird for the big event - because that is where you are headed right?"
"Hell yeah we are. Thanks!" Zhane, flushed from the performance, hops off the counter and steps over to shake hands. "We'll be counting on you."
"That's right! We're off to Songbird so that this songbird..." Nuya gestures grandly towards Zhane. "...can croon! With some help from the rest of us, of course!"
Nuya winks.
"Well, I'm Kardyn" they introduces themself—the vesk wears scuffed powered armor that’s obviously seen some combat and a black eyepatch. Their tail had a chunk taken out of it long ago and the wound is now a mass of scar tissue. Kardyn’s rugged look matches their starship, named the Saint of Anger. The vessel sports several weapons and grim looking adornments that seem designed to inspire unease.
Kardyn helps the band unload the rest of their equipment from Mama’s Little Helper and place it on the ship. "No one will touch your ship, so it will be safe while you are at their show. You can come back afterwards and wait for repairs - when you are famous!"
The Saint of Anger’s interior is as austere and formidable as its exterior, but there are a few unpadded steel seats for the band members. Once everyone has settled (or perhaps a few seconds before!), the Saint of Anger lurches off the asteroid and into space.
"Won't take us too long. So tell me more about the band"
"Nice ship Kardyn!" Zhane jogs from ship to ship, carrying all the supporting tech that the rest of the band need to work their magic (including their actual magic). "Hopefully we'll be so famous we won't even need to wait. We'll be able to afford a mechanic to follow us back!"
Coming down from his performance high, Zhane is more withdrawn by the time he takes a seat on the Saint. He barely hears Kardyn's question, and leaves telling the vesk the details to the rest of the band.
"Thanks for the ride," Sem says, strapping herself into the uncomfortable-looking seats. "Like this ship, Neon & Noqual are heading places! We're bringing the urban-synth vibe to the holowaves, and no sapien in the 'verse has ever seen anything like it!"
Nuya replies, "Well, Zhane here put the band together. It was his vision, I gotta admit. His passion for music is absolutely infectious! So I auditioned and when he said I'm in but he was having problems finding others for the band, I rung up Dwinite here!
"Dwinite, well, we met during night school studying the mechanics and science of acoustics. He's a friend and a fellow musician, so bam! Dwinite was in!
"As for Sem, he auditioned for the rest of us and it was a no-brainer (even for Dwinite)" Nuya smiles and gives Dwinite a good-natured nudge. "We welcomed Sem to the band on the spot!
"And here we are!"
Zhane follows on the verbal heels of Dwinite and Nuya "Eeeexactly. The corps have messed with us all for long enough, you know? They don't know how to live man. Suck your soul away."
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Kardyn nods in obvious agreement"I can appreciate that, working for the man, grinding your soul away for a paycheque that is always less than it should have been. All you want to do is fly free or die trying"
A light blips on screen and Kardyn tells you to hang on tight as the Saint of Anger suddenly veers off course, “I just need to make one quick stop before we get to Songbird to drop off a package with some friends. Momentary stop then back on our way"
Karyn dials in some new coordinates just short of (and mostly on the way to) Songbird.
Seeing as there's not much choice, Nuya shrugs and grins, saying, "Alrighty. Dropping off some muffins to childhood friends?"
Kardyn looks at Nuya quizzically until they realise it is a joke, "No, just a gadget they had been waiting on" - you get the sinking feeling there is probably more to it.
About an hour later, the Saint of Anger approaches an enormous derelict vessel with the name R. S. Shelter written across the side in bold block letters. It has clearly been abandoned for some time based on the state of its disrepair, such as holes in the hull and various scorch marks. A smaller starship featuring a large insignia of a fire-breathing mastiff is docked in one of the Shelter’s empty bays. Kardyn brings the Saint of Anger into an adjacent bay and shuts off the engine.
Kardyn stands from the captain’s chair and makes their way to the ship’s airlock. They open a locker and grab a flame doshko, which they point threateningly. “Suit up, kids, and don’t forget to grab your weapons. You’re coming inside with me. I want you to meet my friends.” As Kardyn makes ready to cycle the airlock they say, “Remember that I’m your only chance of getting to that gig, so either come inside or kiss your show goodbye.”
The two docking bays are devoid of gravity and connected by a large open door. Both are full of floating debris and empty supply crates. A group of well-armed individuals stands near the black ship, and one of them motions everyone closer. A comm unit crackles to life. “Well, Kardyn,” says a deep voice, “I hope you have the data module. I see you picked up some strays, though I don’t think they’re going to be any help here. Just hand it over, and we can call everything settled and go about our way.” Kardyn grunts and steps to the edge of the doorway. “No sudden moves, Morwal,” the vesk calls out asmthey toss over a small device.
“It’s about time you did something smart, Kardyn,” Morwal says and laughs. Morwal takes the device and connects it to his suit. Immediately, a small explosion sends him flying back with a scream of pain. Kardyn ignites their doshko and begins to charge at one of Morwal’s associates but is hit with laser blasts from another. Kardyn roars as they drop their weapon, grasping their wounded leg. “Alright, kids,” Kardyn yells out. “I guess we’re done here. Get me back to my ship. I’m the only one that can pilot it, so you better keep me safe!”
***
***
Dwinite
Nuya
Sem
Zhane
ENEMY
R1
Sem
Dwinite
Nuya
ENEMY
Sem shrugs. "I don't know what this is all about," she tells Kardyn. "But Neon and Noqual never miss a gig!" Drawing a laser rifle, she opens fire while floating in open space!
"Weird how getting to a gig always seems to lead us into things like this, huh?" Zhane tries to throw back his hair, only to have to stay floating in zero-g. "Right, anyway, hold on for a moment Kardyn, we'll get you out of there."
The outbreak of laser fire finds its mark, but the clap of the thunderstrike seems to just echo around after missing!
R1
Sem - acted
Dwinite - acted
Nuya
ENEMY
R
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