Please dot and delete.
You have heard a rumor that there is a job available at the visitor's center for brave and skillful individuals interested in helping the city, though the rumors contain no further details. Arriving at Thamal’s recently constructed visitor’s center on Verces, you find a beautiful area, surrounded by a mix of trees, older buildings, and new construction. The surface of the visitor’s center’s large silver dome is covered with thousands of small colored lights that display the message, “Welcome to Thamal.”
An 8 foot tall humanoid with delicate features and long limbs strides out of the building to greet you. Her black protruding eyes show in stark contrast to her brightly colored and patterned skin. She introduces herself as Councilor Kirslin Auganir and greets you, grateful that someone has answered her call.
“Thank you for coming,” Councilor Auganir says, “I’m sure you’ve noticed the city’s recent power troubles. It’s a problem the city council would like remedied as soon as possible.”
The lights flicker out, along with the lights and displays of nearby buildings. After a few moments, the lights flicker back to life.
Councilor Kirslin sighs heavily, her skin paling to a dismal gray. “Did you see that? This city’s about to be named a top Verces travel destination for the first time in its history, but nobody’s going to want to visit us if the power won’t stay on. I can see the next story now: ‘Thamal’s future is looking dim. Literally.’ Luckily, that’s where you come in.”
“The city council managed to narrow the power issue down to a single plant. Station Green has gone completely offline, and the other power plants can’t consistently compensate. We sent in repair drones three times, but they went dead upon arrival. So now I’m sending you, if you’ll take the job, that is. And please, keep it quiet? We’ve got a reputation to maintain.” She hands you several tourism brochures, logs from the plant and repair drones, and a map to Station Green. ”Now, do you have any questions before you head out?”
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An ikeshti eyes up the otheres present, then mutters, "Looks like the buffet has a little bit of everything."
"The name's T'Krunch," he says by way of introduction in a decidedly louder tone. "Hailed from Akiton before striking out on my own. I thought joining the Starfinder Society might give me a taste of what the Pact Worlds have to offer."
"Which reminds me, would you mind if I took a few samples from each of you?" T'Krunch inquires of the party, pulling out a small, handheld device, which includes an extendable wand tipped with a sampling nozzle. Attached to the device is a series of small, empty vials. "Don't need more than a pinch of each of you."
Once he has finished his collecting, the reptilian turns to Councilor Kirslin and inquires, "What do you mean by 'dead upon arrival'? A malfunction? Total destruction? Do you have any pieces we could take a peak at?'
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Glaukos eagerly takes the logs and begins studying them. As he does so, the others can clearly see that despite his heavily customized armor being humanoid in shape, the suit is entirely filled with water, with a diminutive cuttlefish-like creature swimming inside the helmet.
The stellifera's skin briefly blanches in embarrassment as he finds the logs nearly inpenetrable, and he seizes upon T'Krunch's request as a welcome distraction. The ikeshti hears a curious voice in his head: What's that for? Will it hurt? I am a very small creature, after all.
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A medium sized, red colored dragon emerges and strides forward. As it comes closer, it can be recognized actually as a mechanical four limbed drone construct. It stops before Councilor Auganir where a small, red scaled Kobold sitting in a saddle on its back says with a slight hiss, "I am called Korth Kothar and thiss iss Gaulendor. We ansswer your ssummonss."
He sees T'Krunch, "Ah, sso good to ssee you again, T'Krunch. Gaulendor and I greet you. Do you need a fressh ssample?"
He also pours over the logs. But at the mention of the drones going "Dead" he gets distracted and disregards what he was reviewing.
"What do you mean "Dead"? Iss there ssomething immediately draining their ssource? Iss Gaulendor going to be drained too if he goess insside??"
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Volitare looks rather nervous as T'Krunch approaches. After all he had been considering Volitare as a salad.
Don't you still have the sample from last time?
Volitaire is a rather nervous flowering Raxalite who has ambitions of joining the Xenowardens.
I am a Xenodruid mystic. I guess I misinterpreted what you meant by plant
"Greetings, I am Iseph," an android introduces themself to others. They are quiet but have a question to ask. "How long has this been happening," they ask flatly as they begin to scan the logs available.
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A square-jawed human wearing a crisp Steward's uniform - looking like he just stepped out of a recruiting poster - steps into the room. He stands near the other agents and takes up a parade rest stance, announcing formally, "Tactical Officer Kalhoun, reporting for duty."
He listens to the councilor's request, then states plainly, "Although my training is in strategy, I do have familiarity with electrical systems. You can rest assured that, whether your difficulties are caused by malice or malfunction, we will locate and correct the problem."
He grills the councilor and others nearby about the source of the disturbance.
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A small, hovering robot with a single, gleaming red "eye" and a number of attachments that look like surgeon's tools floats out from behind Kalhoun.
"*beep* GREETING: HELLO AGENTS AND ALLIES OF KALHOUN.
"*beep* DESIGNATION: MK I STEWARD AUTONOMOUS MEDICAL DRONE K3-ᴎ⋊∅. ALTERNTE DESIGNATION 'KEN' FOR EASE OF COMMUNICATION.
"*beep* PRIMARY FUNCTION: MAINTAIN HEALTH AND WELLNESS OF KALHOUN AND ALLIES."
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The stellifera's skin briefly blanches in embarrassment as he finds the logs nearly inpenetrable, and he seizes upon T'Krunch's request as a welcome distraction. The ikeshti hears a curious voice in his head: What's that for? Will it hurt? I am a very small creature, after all.
"Just a small pinch and it will be over faster than you can say, 'calamari'," T'Krunch offers as assurance.
He sees T'Krunch, "Ah, sso good to ssee you again, T'Krunch. Gaulendor and I greet you. Do you need a fressh ssample?"
"A fresh sample is preferred, my friend," the ikeshti replies. "Ooh, and have you put on weight?"
Volitare looks rather nervous as T'Krunch approaches. After all he had been considering Volitare as a salad.
Don't you still have the sample from last time?
"Not anywhere, er, accessible," T'Krunch replies with a slight belch. "Besides, you look rather seasonal to me--or is it pronounced, 'seasonable' in common?--either way, there may have been some nutritional changes that may need to be accounted for."
T'Krunch looks a little disappointed to see the android and metallic drone appear, but shrugs it off. Anything for culinary excellence, he concedes.
"Although my training is in strategy, I do have familiarity with electrical systems. You can rest assured that, whether your difficulties are caused by malice or malfunction, we will locate and correct the problem."
He grills the councilor and others nearby about the source of the disturbance.
T'Krunch licks his lips as he begins to imagine himself grilling the councilor and others nearby.
The councilor shrugs at the questions, her skin flushing slightly. "Unfortunately, dead means we don't know what happened. We know they arrived and then they stopped all transmissions. No one has been able to find out what happened, which is why we turned to you."
After reading the logs, Iseph shares what they infer, "The logs from the plant are unnaturally consistent, as if they’ve been doctored. This oddity goes back to the earliest days of the plant, long before the outages began. What do you think, Councillor?" they ask her of their finding.
"That's very interesting and news to me. I will need to take that information back to our team and see if there's anything else they can divine."
She gathers up her robes and prepares to depart. "Do you have any more questions for me? You are welcome to shop at the bazaar for anything you might need, but we need to smooth out our power situation as soon as possible."
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C-cala--? Glaukos replies, startled, then after a moment, adds timidly, I normally enjoy new experiences, but I am afraid I will have to decline this one, thank you.
The stellifera takes a wary step or two away from the ikeshti, and turns his attention back to the verthani--though one eye glances back at T'Krunch from time to time. I am eager to be underway and to be of use, Councilor, he projects to Kirslin, while displaying the same message as text on his comm unit for the other Starfinders' benefit.
"Thank you for volunteering to help us with our little problem. Please check in when you return so we can talk about what you find." Councilor Kirslin bows slightly, her skin returning to its usual brightly patterned colors, and returns to the visitors center.
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Travel across the city is straightforward with the map that Councilor Auganir provided. Station Green stands in a paved clearing decorated with a tile mosaic of a forest against a city skyline. Grass grows in the spaces between the tiles in the 10 feet immediately surrounding the plant, edging onto its outer wall and the exterior door is ajar.
The entryway to the power plant is lit by sunlight coming through the plant’s open front door, though emergency lights in the ceiling also flicker dimly. Pieces of metal and circuitry are scattered across the floor, some sparking erratically. The sound of dripping is accompanied by faint squeaking and skittering.
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En route to the station, Glaukos takes the opportunity to introduce himself properly to the other Starfinders. Except for T'Krunch, they each hear Greetings! I am Glaukos, one at a time, in their heads. Meanwhile, all of the team's comm links receive the following message: Please pardon the limits of my telepathy. I have not yet mastered how to talk to many minds at once. I am Glaukos, a stellifera and a newly-trained recruit to the Starfinder Society. My skills primarily lie in using and repairing computers and other machinery, which I believe is why I was recruited for this mission. I also enjoy studying other species and cultures, and hope that you will teach me more about each of yours.
When they reach the plant, Glaukos looks around warily, but lets his more combat-focused teammmates take point entering the site.
The door into the plant is ajar and untrapped.
You also can see wires sparking in a few places around the room.
Physical Science to ID the fluid
Engineering to ID the wires and scrap
You all move gingerly into the room following T'Krunch's lead. The floor is shinier than you would expect and pieces of equipment lie scattered about (Engineering to ID the wires and scrap).
Particularly worrisome are the puddles where the equipment is sparking. (Yellow boxes) You can try to move the equipment out of the way (Engineering) or just walk around them carefully.
The fluid is an oil used in power plant operations; it is clear, biodegradable, and conducts electricity.
The scraps appear to be the remains of a drone which has been ripped apart and is missing key components now. (Life Science to ID what did this)
The drone was taken apart by something with sharp teeth and claws.
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The clear fluid is oil used in power plants. Be careful, it conducts electricity, and there are live wires about, Glaukos warns the others, using a combination of telepathy and messages through the comms. Some of the metal scraps are drones that were ripped apart by something with teeth and claws.
The stellifera moves gingerly towards the puddle in the center of the room, hoping to move some of the equipment out of the way so they can get access to the doors directly opposite, but slips almost as soon as he enters the lobby.
Glaukos flails wildly trying to catch their balance, landing on their face ( ) a little further into the room. A puddle sparks dangerously close to them.
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T'Krunch watches with great interest as the squid-like creature takes a dip into potentially hot oil. "Glaukos, pay more attention!" he warns. "It would be best if you don't enter the oil until its been properly heated to between about 190 and 205 degrees. Otherwise, you may come out of this too soggy or greasy."
The ikeshti follows.
His mind on other things, he slips himself.
he tries to move one of the dangerous equipment away from his stellifera ally.
"This oil is used in power plant operations; it is clear, biodegradable, and conducts electricity," T'Krunch says with disappointment. "Edible, sure, but not as good for cooking."
"These scraps appear to be the remains of a drone which has been ripped apart and is missing key components now."
Kalhoun tries to enter and falls, skating ( ) back out the door. T'Krunch, having seen his companions fall, follows their lead, but manages to catch himself before ending up in the oil. Tuirk successfully keeps their feet underneath their center of gravity. For now.
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Glaukos's skin rapidly changes color as he has a scare of landing near the electrical sparks, and again as he hears the ikeshti's latest culinary comments. Thinking of me as food is clearing distracting you from the task at hand. Please cease and desist, he projects to T'Krunch, sounding annoyed--and perhaps a bit smug that the biohacker fared no better.
Regaining his bearings, Glaukos attempts to pull his hydrobody up to a sitting or kneeling position, so that he can move the hazard away from the central puddle that he is lying beside.
Iseph carefully walks the slick room with ease.
They then pull out the sparky pieces with no problem too. "Might need this for the repair?"
Between all of you, the sparking pieces have all been removed from the puddles.
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Glaukos's chromatophores display a more calm, contented pattern as he regains his composure by solving a problem with his technical skills. He then gingerly attempts to regain his feet and cross the room.
He does so handily enough to surprise even himself! Once he reaches the central door, he begins examining it for locks, traps, and any further clues to what happened here.
You don't see any hazards associated with the doors and they all appear to be unlocked
A large, circular generator sits dormant in the center of a room filled with plant life. Vines curl up and around pipes and wires, ferns hang from ceiling lights, and thick, gray moss covers the walls. The only light comes through the doorway from the previous room.
It also works against technological items. After 10 minutes of exposure, all non‑analog weapons and technological items of 1 Bulk or lighter have reduced effectiveness. After 1 hour of exposure, such items additionally gain the broken condition. After 24 hours, such items cease functioning. If an affected item is away from sleeper moss for at least 10 minutes, it returns to standard functionality and is no longer broken.
Sleeper moss is fragile and can be destroyed by any concerted effort, such as damaging or pulling off the moss. Removed (but not damaged) moss may be transplanted elsewhere within 8 hours if the planter succeeds at a Life Sciences check.
The southern door opens up into a hallway which curves to the left to another set of double doors.
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"The moss covering these walls is called sleeper moss," notes T'Krunch. "It does what it says, makes you sleepy. It can also mess with exposed tech. Worse still, it has little nutritional value and tastes awful."
"We had best clear it." The ikeshti takes a clawed hand and starts to slowly pull off the moss and dispose of it.
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Glaukos comes to the same conclusion as T'Krunch, and begins pulling down moss that the small ikeshti can't reach as easily. Given that they only have a brief window before it starts to affect them, he works with somewhat more haste than the biohacker does, but does attempt to preserve some samples safely for later study.
