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You are led to the tallest, fanciest building in the center of the city. The guards flit their wings and fly toward an opening in the structure 40 feet off the ground. Klarima appears to be about to do the same, when she suddenly realizes that some of you probably don’t have the ability to fly. Using her datapad, she summons forth a table-sized hovering drone for those without flight. These drones are clearly meant to only haul cargo and have no real safety measures for carrying living creatures as demonstrated when one nearly crashes to the ground when it is stepped on as the hoverjets fail. It powers back on just in time. In the end, though, the robots slowly but surely raise you up to the height of the entranceway, where you can step inside.
The guards continue to usher you, leading you to a large central chamber with vaulted ceilings. A large table occupies one end of the room, behind which sit five membrane ghibranis dressed in elaborate robes. They stand, bow to you, and beckon you to approach.
It is soon apparent that the Most Elevated are as eager to learn about you as you are to learn about them.
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Oh, this is my kind of ride Top Down says as he looks at the unsafe cargo hauler, but then immediately gets disappointed by the slow speed and its inability to do corkscrews.
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In the chamber, Top Down approaches when beckoned, and makes an elaborate bow that involves swinging all four arms backwards. Well, hello Arkeost! Thank you for the warm welcome! As Niobrar said, we're not from here... and also looks at Xagyg ...at all!
I think my friend is asking about your orbital defense platform because we had some communication difficulties with it. But no worry, that's fixed now! And we still come in peace!
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Xagyg has had a rather faraway look on his face the entire time the group has been travelling through the city.
Intermittently, his wings buzz, and he lets out a barely perceptible trill, as if he is humming to himself.
It looks so familiar... and yet so different to what I remember.
When the time comes meet with the Most Elevated, he puts his hands together, and bows politely, before greeting them in Ghibrani.
"Greetings from beyond the City, Most Elevated. I came, once, from this great city... but I fear that it was some time ago."
He looks at one of the Most Elevated quizzically.
"Did you have a great-grandparent named Xencho? No matter for the moment. I have brought some aliens from beyond the sky. They have much to share that will be of great value to all of you."
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Imyathravolif, Top Down says, mentioning his true name for the first time, Callsign: Top Down!
I'm a kasatha, just count the arms. Most of my people live on the Idari in the Pact World, but I live in the DRIFT he explains, leaning sideways are if to indicate taking a tight curve if you want to go fast, I'm your man. He fails to add that if you want to have soft landings, he's not.
So we're with this club called the Starfinder Society. our motto is Explore, Report, Cooperate. I think the reporting part is a boring, so let's just move straight onto Cooperate, shall we?
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Before you can ask too many questions about the city, a gentle tone rings throughout the room. Klarima visibly perks up. Dinner! she explains. It feels like ages since I’ve had a proper meal. The guards, who had been standing at attention near the door to this room, pull chairs up to the table and a handful of hovering drones enter from previously hidden hatches in the walls. The drones place ceramic plates and utensils in front of each person; the utensil each person receives is a flat piece of metal with a slight indent at one end—almost like a spoon. Each person is then given a serving of a thick, light tan liquid in which floats irregular chunks of protein. The food has a smoky, cheesy odor. As the ghibranis begin scooping up their meals, Klarima explains this is a traditional dinner of “kahlgee,” a word that doesn’t really translate into Common.
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Niobrar and Tuek manage to keep it down but Top Down ends up spitting the stuff back onto his plate. At the same time the power suddenly goes out. The lights snap on a moment later and the ghibrani don't seem to be too worried about this, saying “the Mainframe acts up occasionally, but it always self-corrects after a few seconds.”
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The Most Elevated explain that the Mainframe is the heart of the city, constructed by their ancestors to provide continuous power and to house the many drones that cater to their whims. Unfortunately, they can’t say much more about the Mainframe, as it is taboo for ghibranis to enter the area of the city where it is housed. They don’t seem very concerned by the implications, and have rarely questioned the tradition. The council thanks you for your generosity, but lightly comment on nothing being wrong.
This statement is punctuated by dinner chime ringing once again, followed by drones placing clean plates on top of the dirty ones and inaccurately squirting kahlgee across the table. The ghibranis smile awkwardly and attempt to act as if nothing is amiss, although no one eats a second time. A minute later, the drones sweep in again to clean up the mess.
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(To the other Starfinders.)
"I think that this is what you would call cultural drift - I seem to recall that only technicians and those associated with the computers were allowed in there; I guess, with time, and a lack of understanding, that shifted into a general taboo, since no-one amongst the general populace knew how they worked...?"
He then shrugged.
"I mean, *I* was never a tech person, so I don't know the details."
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The Most Elevated are happy to point out where the Mainframe resides and, after a moment of discussion among themselves, note that nothing in the tradition mentions anything about non ghibranis entering the area, so you won’t be stopped if they wish to go there.
As the meeting wraps up, Klarima informs you that while you were eating, she requested some drones convert a few ground-level warehouses into sleep quarters for you. She offers to lead you there so you can rest for the night.
the membrane leaders present you with a dark blue metal crown embossed
with silver thread that acts as a mk 1 mindlink circuit. Along with this, Klarima offers you her membrane holdout pistol to help with your expedition into the Mainframe.
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I love their style Top Down says to Nio strangers not allowed near the mainframe, but when they are, give them a potentially malfunctioning cannon to bring along.
Top Down, of course, doesn't say no to another gun. It has a nice heft to it he says, sizing it up and checking it there's anything fancy about it Do we expect any cats down there?
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Oh. We call those Sand Brutes ... and no .. the ground is too dense for them
Next day ...
The building housing the Mainframe is near the outskirts of Arkeost, on the opposite side of the city that you entered. You see an increased concentration of drones and other hovering robots in this neighborhood, though none seem to pay any attention to them. A large doorway leads into the structure and a ramp descends a bit into open garage-like space where thousands of drones are stored. Many are powered down and others are being repaired by other drones, leaving you to walk through patches of dead silence followed by stretches of frantic activity as you descend on curving ramps farther and farther below.
As you continue, you spot the several signs in Ghibrani that read “Taboo Area,” “Keep Out,” and other warnings with similarly grave images to accentuate the point. Eventually, you reach a hallway that branches off from the garages.
The hallway opens into a rectangular room of white plastic, a stark contrast to the smoky, grease-stained garages that led up to this place. Fans whir quietly overhead. Track lighting along the floor illuminates much of the chamber. Several white coveralls hang on the wall behind a bench to the north. A door leads to the east.
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Hey, that's cool. Even has the right amount of holes for limbs. Better than those diasporan flight suits, always have to fold two arms for those. Glad they're stretchy, though... it's a bit tight on the crotch.
Top Down wears the coverall Am I pulling this off? The answers is a clear no, the coverall looks ridiculous on him...