CeeCee gets a couple of them correct, and she can tell that she knows enough to succeed... if she can get lucky with the order.
Unfortunately, Ceilidh's efforts aren't as strong this time.
The terrifying inamge flashes again, this time in front of CeeCee:
MISS
Then back to Obozaya:
MISS
Then back to Ceilidh:
for
ROUND 2:
Ceilidh (36/56): Fail
HAUNT (1 Success Against): ATK
Dae: Go
CeeCee: Fail
Obozaya: Go
******************************************
Obozaya continues to watch for something she can shoot.
Dae pleads with the captain, but it's no good. It looks like the ghost would be receptive (she does turn to look at Dae for a moment), but entreating with ghosts is even harder than exorcising them.
ROUND 3:
Ceilidh (36/56): Go
HAUNT (1 Success Against): TBD
Dae: TBD
CeeCee: TBD
Obozaya: TBD
******************************************
Despite his wounds, Ceilidh continues to try and bring the haunt to an end.
"Captain, I feel your pain, but we can heal the ship! We are here to. put the ship at ease."
Maybe it's the pain of the wounds, but something in the delivery matters
The Beast from Beyond vanishes, leaving only the captain. The captain's ghost takes a more solid, but still translucent, form. "Thank you. Thank you. I.... see that I am dead." Her face reads heartbroken but determined. "I am certain you have questions. What would you like to know?"
"I'm glad you now recognizer your position. I'm sorry that you don't have more lives left. Could you tell me what happened to this starship, Captain? How did these grubs get on board?"
"During a routine survey mission to a newly discovered dwarf planet in the Vast, currently known by the temporary identifier VDP-32074-S, we collected a variety of biological and environmental samples. After these samples were secured into the Bloom’s laboratories for further study, we departed, plotting a course through the Drift to the Pact Worlds to drop off their samples at the Verdant Paradise, a Xenowarden arkship that serves as a mobile research laboratory."
"During the journey, one of these samples escaped confinement. Originally a flatworm, Sample 62 is capable of rapid bio adaptions—the creature adopts the characteristics of organic materials they consume. At the time of the creature’s escape, Sample 62 was a foot-long, six-legged insectile creature with sharp mandibles. Now, Sample 62 is what you saw.... Although the crew attempted to recapture (and later to kill) Sample 62, we failed."
"Fearing the threat webelieved Sample 62 posed to the Verdant Paradise, the last remaining crew members hatched a desperate plan. I recorded a warning that I intended to dispatch to the Verdant Paradise. Meanwhile, Thast attempted to deactivate the starship’s engines, including its Drift engine, to render the starship adrift in space. Neither succeeded. My message was recorded but failed to send, as the Bloom’s communications array had been damaged during the crisis. Thast deactivated the Drift engine and damaged the engines but was devoured before he could fully scuttle the starship."
“Sample 62 knows you’re here. They psychically bonded with the Bloom after my death. I’m no longer in control.” The ghost frowns for a moment, lost in a glimmer of a memory, then refocuses on the present with a shake of her head. “Time is short. To kill Sample 62 and their brood, you must destroy the Bloom completely. Not even one of Sample 62’s hatchlings or eggs can survive to reach Bretheda or the Verdant Paradise.”[/b]
"The Bloom is a biomechanical starship and will self-repair in time. However, it’s highly vulnerable to radiation. You’ll first need to harvest the radioactive components from the Drift engine. With this material, climb onto the exterior hull and sabotage the starship’s weapons, so they explode when triggered to fire. Be sure to integrate the radioactive material. Then, you can flee back to your starship. I’ll trigger the guns myself, from the bridge—I retain enough of a connection to the Bloomfor that, at least. Once you’re away, send my final message to the Xenowardens on the Verdant Paradise. They’ll know what to do and will ensure that Sample 62’s home planet is quarantined. Can I count on you?”
Obozaya nods enthusiastically, pleased to finally have a problem that can be solved by blowing something up.
"Good luck, we're all counting on you."
As the captain fades away for the time being, you're faced with a choice, where to?
Returning to the engine room, the party stares at the biomechanical drift engine...
CeeCee successfully extracts the material, but there's no way around the radiation exposure.
CeeCee knows that was a bit too much radiation, but feels fine.... for now.
"This plan sounds good to me. The universe is not ready for these nasty grubs. Let's hope this plan works. Make sure you all check your fur and skin to make sure that no grubs are attached before we leave this place."
"I am certainly willing to help, but let's find some useful equipment to let me function out of the ship. Maybe. we should finish exploring the inside first."
Obozaya leads the way to finish searching the ship.
Ceilidh continues to look around for any dangerous infestations as she follows along.
The starboard cargo bay contains replacement parts for the starship, as well as UPBs and assorted inedible sundries. There may be some useful gear in here if you search around.
Ceilidh definitely goes about searching the chamber for something useful to help with the upcoming space walk.
"Everyone watch your step for the alien slug things."
"Maybe there's something useful in the cargo?"
Obozaya gets to opening crates and looking around.
Looking around you discover an advanced tank of petrol, an advanced incendiary grenade, a hacking toolkit, an infiltrator’s toolkit, and a tactical radiation buffer.
"This all looks like it has some purpose, but I am not yet persauded that I should go outside of the ship to start repairing systems with a can of petrol on my back. Where do we go from here?"
Much like the port specimen lab, this laboratory is a mess of debris and broken specimen containers. There's a weird combination of equipment on the floor here: an advanced flamethrower on the ground in the corner (fully emptied of petrol), an autograppler, 200 feet of cable line, and a commercial antigrav harness.
"This stuff looks like it will be useful. Let's stock up!"
"Let's check out this last door. Maybe we can find some more stuff."
|
"Alright, let's do this."
Cookie-Cutter starts rifling through the various bits of gear they've found. "Magboots for Obo, jetpack for me. Ceilidh nabs the spell gem of personal gravity. And Dae can use the antigrav harness. Attach the cable to the ship, and we can use that two hundred feet to hold onto so we don't accidentally drift off into space."
She slots out the force field in her armor to attach the jetpack.
"Someone should use that flamethrower, now that we've found fuel."
"Don't have to ask me twice!"
Obozaya puts on the magboots and loads up the flamethrower.
The party suits up, and heads outside to the guns.
Obozaya looks around at the void of space.
DEFAULT EXPLORATION MODE:
(T)
(T)
(E)
(T)
The task seems simple enough, but before you can make too much progress, the source of all this horror and death appears.
ROUND 1:
CeeCee: Go
Dae: Go
Sample 62: TBD
Obozaya: TBD
Ceilidh: TBD
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Sample 62: