Although Lapodie isn't feeling too well, the stellifera still manage to find a path higher up the peak, mostly because of Koob helping from up above, shouting directions. Twila is having a harder time, the altitude really getting to her. Fortunately Tocti is there to guide the group to the rocky outcropping where the summit starts.
Well, that's the good news. The bad news is that two summit cats went ahead of you, and are now trying scare the group out of their territory, baring some very sharp looking teeth.
---Getting to the summit!---
Koob
Tocti
Twil
Lapodie
---
Tocti makes an attempt at scaring of the cats, but these ones have sharper teeth and home advantage, and it isn't until Lapodie comes in that the cats finally decide this prey is too tough.
The group is well out of reach of the 'princess of peaks', but the peak itself also feels slightly out of reach at the moment. The distraction of the cats means the is not making any progress. And still no sign of Envar, so he must be at the top...
---Getting to the summit!---
Koob
Tocti
Twila
Lapodie
---
Koob
Tocti
Twila
Lapodie
---
Twila feels her energy run out, and doesn't really have the strength to get any higher.
---Getting to the summit!---
Koob
Tocti
Twila
Lapodie
---
The group is almost there... just one more small piece to the summit, you can almost touch it...
---Getting to the summit!---
Koob
---
Koob
Tocti
Twila
Lapodie
---
After catching a... moment, Twila manages to make one final push to the summit.
The lashunta doesn't seem to be here, and there is also not frozen body to say hi to. Close to the summit, there is a data tag however, with another holographic recording:
A lashunta man in brightly colored climbing gear, his helmet tilted at a rakish, impractical angle, waves as the hologram activates. “Hello hey, Envies and future fans! You’ll never believe what I’ve been up to: scaling the tallest peak in Near Space! That’s right, on an all-new episode of Envar’s Expeditions, I reach the heights of Spinebreaker, and I’ve gotta tell you… it’s a hell of a view. Catch the show as soon as it drops by subscribing to my channel!”
Well, fortunately going down is easier than going up...
Zoology
Gastronomy
Metereology
Astronomy
Geology
Arts
There is one destination left, the Bustling Waterways of Peace of Varturan. A little sorer and back on firm footing, the group takes a rest from mountaineering aboard their ship, as a greenish-blue planet comes into view.
The data tag signal leads to the seaside town of Gruddonar. Gruddonar consists of hundreds of buildings on stilts hundreds of feet above the shore, connected by swaying rope bridges.
The signal can be tracked to a large plaza, which stands on two-hundred-foot-high stilts at the center of a network of rope bridges, connecting it to other buildings and plazas that spread along the coast.
Music fills the air, shifting from one genre to another as the musicians around the plaza alternate performances. Tourists in beach garb sun themselves on the hammocks lining the plaza’s edge. To the east, a massive twine ball sits on a pedestal at the other end of a bridge, with a holographic sign reading “See the Galaxy’s Largest Ball of Twine!”
There's no sign of the data tag. Some person must have taken it, which is going to take some asking around.
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Concerned for the safety of any stupid fans that would try to find Envar's datatags, Twila-5 brings this one down to the base of the mountain and stashes it behind a gimmicky gift shop that appears to be selling nothing but cheaply made imports of the sort that can be found just about anywhere in the galaxy.
Twila-5 begins to ask around, ready with an image of Envar loaded up on her datapad if someone is fortunate enough to be ignorant of his irritating existence.
All signs rather quickly point to a busking brenneri on the town square, who is playing soothing note on his saxophone. The name of this guy is well-known: he is Dako “Bluepaw” Seiriss, a local talent on the saxophone who is busking on the plaza so often that he is considered part of the furniture. The brassy humming of saxophone notes carries far over the plaza, where Dako is playing a song in one corner. Once he finishes, he stop for a break and a breath of air, and with a laid-back, quite brassy, voice says “What’s flowing, anemones?”
When asked about Envar, he says “That dude’s a wild cat. Bounced off the Civic Center roof like he had wings.”
A real cool hopper that one, and in tune with the music he plays a couple of notes to accentuate what he just said (or to demonstrate what music is). At any rate, it is really smooth Had no money, but gave me his bluey thing to show his appreciation.
A real artist doesn't need any money Bluepaw says this gift is something I really cherish. You see, the blue tag and the blue note go together, like the fourth and the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift.
If you want it, you'll have to pay me in music! How about we have a little jam-off, he says, again interrupting his sentence to toot some notes If you can beat me in a duel, the trophy is yours!
Looks like an audience is already present to judge. There's some nerdy looking people on the plaza, with shirts that hold pocket calculators, pens, and the odd nametag badge that signifies this lot is in the area for a convention.
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Pocket protectors... What do nerds listen to?
"Team huddle!" Gathering everyone together, Twila-5 begins the planning session. "I think the crowd will like . Dr. Koob, looks like you're our best shot for the lead. Do you prefer vocals or percussion?" She produces her crow bar and some trapsmiths tools for a makeshift percussion set. "Unless there's a better option. I'm open to ideas."
Twila figures out that the scientists like celebral music with witty lyrics, and songs with scientific themes.
Bluepaw starts noodling some notes to buy time for the group, keeping the scientists interested. It seems that he's seeing this jam-off more as an amusing pasttime than that's he's actually interested in being competitive. Oh, and it looks like he has a friend, who is doing the singing for him. Is that fair? Does it matter?
♫ Should you be always
So rigid under stress?
Full of inertia
A center of mass ♫
♫ You go around charging
A drain as the source
You think you're immobile
But you're meeting
An unstoppable force ♫
♫ So just preserve your energy
There's no use to fight
It's like that in nature
The law is always right! ♫
♫ We are just opposite
A phase and a ground
You're locked in orbit
But what goes round comes around ♫
♫ Spooky and distant
Our spins have been tied
You're like a fermion
But this orbit is
Already occupied ♫
♫ So just preserve your energy
There's no use to fight
It's like that in nature
The law is always right! ♫
Tocti provides very appropriate backup dancing, augmented by the cool lighting from Lapodie. The crowd seems to forget for a bit that Koob is just mashing things randomly.
---(Round 1)---
X Koob
S Tocti
S Lapodie
Twila
---(Round 2)---
Koob
Tocti
Lapodie
Twila
----
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Twila-5 whips out her datapad and takes a moment to jot down some lyrics, cobbling together various ideas she's heard from multiple people during her travels, then hands it to Dr. Koob.
Heaven
Heaven's bodies
Whirl around me
Make me wonder
And they say back then our universe
Was an empty sea, until a silver fox
And her cunning mate began to sing
A song that became the world we know
Heaven
Heaven's bodies
Whirl around me
Make me wonder
And they say back then our universe
Was a cold black egg, until the God inside
Burst out and from its shattered shell
He made what became the world we know
Heaven
Heaven's bodies
Whirl around me
Make me wonder
And they say back then our universe
Was an endless land, until our ancestors
Woke up and before they went back to sleep
They carved it up into the world we know
Heaven
Heaven's bodies
Whirl around me
Make me wonder
And they say back then our universe
Wasn't even there, until a sudden bang
And then there was light, was sound, was matter
And it all became the world we know
Heaven
Heaven's bodies
Whirl around me
And dance eternal
---------------------------
Giving her brain a break, she switches to gross motor skills. She leaps, tumbles, and spins in time to Dr. Koob's rhythm.
Tocti dances like a pahtra on fire, while Twila woos the crowd with a composition about the origin of the world and the legends associated with it. ()
After committing the lyrics to paper, she spends the rest of the performance dancing, with lends a dramatic touch to the stage.
---(Round 1)---
X Koob
S Tocti
S Lapodie
S+ Twila
---(Round 2)---
Koob
P Tocti
Lapodie
S Twila
----
]A summer evening
He appeared with flash
It was a rainy thunder night
]I spoke to him
But him, not a word
A distant rolling thunder heard
]I don't know from where he came
He didn't have a word to say
Although I didn't know his name
His instrument gave him away!
]He is not the player of
The mouth harmonica
He doesn't play the drums
Or French Trombone
He's known simply only as
The guy with the saxophone
Bluepaw has no option but to admit the starfinders are their better when it comes to entertainment, so the Brenneri just plays his best hit
]I cannot tell you
For how long I waited there
My sense of time has long run out
The sun was gone
Leaving the front porch
And a star
And only silence sounding loud
]My feet were blue and
I was trembling like a reed
But from him not a single tweet
]I went back in
I closed the door
His silence eating
Through the floor
Peeked out the window
For an encore
]There, still standing still
Just like a statue of himself
Firmly gripping copper with his knuckles
He is like a genie
Granting wishes of good times
Only for a payment of some chuckles
]He is not the player of
The mouth harmonica
He doesn't play the drums
Or French Trombone
He takes a looong time to start
But still rocks very hard
So wait… for his part!
The brenneri proceeds to toot out an epic saxohphone solo, inviting the starfinders back on stage
And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is time to introduce this band of strangers that has kept up entertained this evening. Lights and drama, this woman does everything at once! Lapodie!
Dance like no-one is watching, but watching we were, the Pahtra of Polka, the Tiger of Tango: Tocti!!
Lyrics and text, the mastermind of this composition: Twila-5!!
And finally, on the mike, percussing with the sound of his wings, this guy is not a noob, Dr. Lakare Koob!!
]Then with a sudden crashing bang
The musical notes were done
The saxophone was gone!
With the loud crashing bang comes a bright blue flash and a puff of smoke. When the smoke clears, Bluepaw is gone, leaving only a small blue glowing device, one that the starfinders immediately recognise as a data tag.
The crowd goes wild, and shouts Encore! Encore! More! We want more!
The loud chanting, dancing and cheering of the crowd has another effect. Remember the Galaxy’s Largest Ball of Twine? Well, it's now also the Galaxy's Largest freely rolling Ball of Twine. It thas unlodged itself from its pedestal, and is now rolling precariously in the direction of a rope bridge connecting the plaza with the - now empty - pedestal.
Even worse, there are four tourists still on the bridge, who add to the cheering by screaming in utter terror.
---
Twila
Koob
Tocti
Lapodie
---
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Tocti’s eyes widen. A ball of string…that’s dangerous! Not fun! All of the pahtra’s instincts fail her for a moment at this unfathomable situation.
But just a moment - she’s a Starfinder after all. Quickly starting to sprint down the bridge she yells as she does so - Move! Move!!You can take yourr picturres frrom the other side!
Unfortunately even with some pointers it comes across as more of a ‘charging snarling cat hissing at you’
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Dashing toward the tourists, Twila-5 starts grabbing and shoving the nearest one toward safety. "Run!"
They're moving too slowly, and that ball's going to pick up speed as it approaches the center of the sagging rope bridge. Energy surges through her synapses, the equivalent of adrenaline in her system.
Tocti must be too distracted by the string to function effectively, but Koob is fast on his feet and creates a quite sturdy-looking barrier. Twila grabs a tourist, and gives the alarmed bystander a good shove.
---
Twila (grabbed #1)
Koob
Tocti
Lapodie
---
lapodie works on strengthening, and it looks like it will be effective enough to stop the massive ball of twine from rolling onto the plaza.
The rope bridge is still at danger of collapsing, though, and these tourist really need to get off it! Twila has already grabbed one by the scruff of his neck ready to be dragged out, but there's two more that look like they might be hit by the tangled mass soon, and a third that is still completely oblivious to the danger.
---
Barrier: OK
Tourists saved: 0/4
---
Twila (grabbed #1)
Koob
Tocti
Lapodie
---
The tourist is completely flabber-gasted by the pahtra yanking her by her arm, and just meekly follows along, only realizing the danger she was once on the plaza.
---
Barrier: OK
Tourists saved: 1/4
---
Twila (grabbed #1)
Koob
Tocti
Lapodie
---
Twila-5 certainly pulls her weight, as well as a tourist off the bridge. Her shouting even convinces a second tourist that loitering around isn't going to lead to very good holiday picture, and after taking a quick snap runs off.
Only one tourist remains in danger.
---
Barrier: OK
Tourists saved: 3/4
---
Twila
Koob
Tocti
Lapodie
---