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I think I'll drop this one off my radar, as the GM has been gone for almost two months now. Too bad, I was enjoying this campaign. :( I think I'll make Orlam one of my official SFS characters though and maybe I can get him into an official Dead Suns campaign at some point. Enjoyed playing with you all, I do hope our paths cross again!
Darn, did we lose our GM?
Orlam is ready to head out, after what seems like two weeks of rest...
Just a heads-up that I'll be on a week-long vacation beginning tonight. I will endeavor to check this thread every couple days or so on my smartphone and post if needed. If you need a response from me and I've not done so within a day or two, feel free to bot me. Thanks!
Orlam slaps Valius on the shoulder. "That's why you're captain. Nice thinking." The soldier turns to Mysterra, who is the engineering expert. "Can it be done?"
"They damn near did." Orlam growls in response to Valius, but a moment later when Xera offers him healing the kasathas is more like his usual self. "I'll be fine. Just need to rest for a bit. Maybe I'll let the rest of you search around and I'll just... sit here and catch my breath." After making sure his armor is not damaged enough to put its life support functions in jeopardy, Orlam does exactly as he suggests and takes a short rest.
Orlam is finding it difficult to focus on his enemy through the haze of pain, but the kasathas continues to fight as best he can. vs DC 10 = Success! vs KAC (Red)
"Does it really matter to us whether they're mated or not?" The soldier growls in response to Xera's inquiry. Even as he fights, Orlam's body tries to fight off the effects of the creatures' venom that courses through his blood. vs DC 10 = Success!
Orlam reacts on instinct, slashing at one of the creatures with his heavy doshko, trying to ignore the pain that flares through his body. vs KAC (Red)
Orlam takes a brief look down the northern passage before moving after Valius, then passing the human in order to protect the group. The kasathas sees Mysterra remain vigilant at the rear of the formation and nods at the android when he moves past. The soldier tries to be stealthy, but with the armor it is difficult to do so. Approaching the door, Orlam pokes his head cautiously through, searching for danger among the flickering shadows before moving in.
Orlam glances at Xera. "There are more rooms to the front of the ship than there are in the back. We can clear that sector much more quickly." The kasathas shrugs. "It is only my suggestion. If we decide as a group to move forward, I will lead. But whoever guards the rear should stay alert."
Orlam nods distractedly. "I had forgotten that you'd already handled the airlocks aft. For myself, I want to make sure that none of those creatures could be lurking behind us when we move into the forward section of the ship."
Orlam nods at Xera's observation. "That might explain what happened here. Maybe there are more of these cocoons in that huge rock out there. The crew brought them aboard to study them, as you said, and the creatures hatched, killing the crew. The goblin corpse might have been a scavenger, perhaps it happened upon this ship as it drifted aimlessly and thought to pluck some valuables from the hold and any bodies it found. Instead it found only death dealt by the same creatures that killed the crew." The soldier knows that all of this is conjecture, and based on only a bit of evidence they've found so far. But it feels right to the kasathas. When the others are finished exploring, Orlam calls out to them over the comm as he moves back out into the corridor. "Come, let's clear the aft section of the ship and seal those airlocks. Then we can move forward toward the bridge and see if there are any survivors to be found. Whether of the original crew or goblins."
Orlam has no immediate answers to the questions posed by the others and keeps a sharp eye out as they conduct an investigation of the room's contents.
Surprise trips are always good! Hope you had fun, and welcome back! :)
Thanks for the clarification, GM - I'd forgotten about the block/group initiative thing.
Do the rest of our attacks in Round 2 go off before Eye's ranged attack? If we're lucky, maybe we finish off the creatures before Eye gets takes the AoO?
vs DC 10 = Success! Orlam winces as the razor-like teeth of the creature penetrates his armor, grazing his flesh. Though he feels the sting of the creature's venom, his body fights off its effects for the moment. Orlam is more concerned at the moment with the self-sealing capabilities of the armor's environmental protection system, but the soldier finds to his relief that it functions properly. Somewhat surprised as the other akata crawls above the roof to get behind him, Orlam thrusts his heavy weapon upward, hoping to impale it before it can reach Valius or the others. vs KAC (Orange Akata)
Then he focuses on the one in front of him, and Orlam swings his doshko at the wounded beast. vs KAC (Red Akata)
Orlam blocks the doorway with his body, intending to bottleneck the two creatures here. He fires his light cannon at the one directly ahead, then turns to Mysterra. "Xera warned us against using lasers, I think they are immune to fire." The soldier is ready and waiting with his heavy doshko if one of the beasts rushes his position, intent on keeping the pair out of the hallway where they might attack the others.
Hope your weeks ahead are much better than the one you just endured, GM!
Orlam frowns as he regards the body of the goblin. "Could be that this goblin is part of a group that scavengers that came upon this wrecked ship after the fact. Or maybe they were part of the reason for it as Valius has guessed. Either way, we'll not find out standing here." The kasathas moves up the corridor beside the human solarion, pausing next to the door upon which Valius raps with his blade. If there is no response, Orlam gives the others a nod, then opens the door, if he is able to do so.
"What is that thing?" Orlam growls as he closes in on the dangerous-looking creature, slashing at it with the heavy blade he wields.
Orlam frowns at the large container, then shakes his head in response to Valius - though whether the human spoke in jest or in all seriousness, the kasathas isn't certain. "I know not, but you are correct, we have achieved one objective already. I suggest we leave it here and remove it on our way out. I don't think it is going anywhere, and I would investigate that body we glimpsed at the cross-corridor before deciding where to explore next on this ghost vessel."
Orlam nods and moves in, using the flashlight to brighten the areas into which he is pointing his rifle. The doshko he keeps at the ready, should he be attacked at close range from another quarter. The kasathas doesn't like the heavy shadows and numerous hiding places in this room, but the soldier knows it must be searched thoroughly before they continue on to examine the body at the corridor intersection outside.
We'd have to start referring to Valius as Captain Kirk, at that point... :)
Orlam activates the flashlight on his armor, as well as the one strapped to his heavy cannon. When the inner airlock slides open, the kasathas eyes the body dimly seen at the junction, then moves toward the nearby door. The soldier doesn't intend to leave anything unexplored behind their formation, and so silently points toward the door and signals he intends to open it, after giving it a brief lookover to see if there are any boobytraps.
If he doesn't spot anything and there is no immediate objection, he does just that, holding his doshko in a two-handed grip and the cannon with one hand, ready to bring the weapon to bear as soon as he opens the door, lighting up the interior.
Orlam should probably take the lead in the marching order and open doors both, putting himself in harm's way first. Heck, with four hands he can use one to open the door and have his doshko ready to attack with, and his rifle nearly so (swift action to ready it with both hands, I think?), so he's ideal for the job! :)
Orlam makes certain that Valius' suit is sealed correctly, then allows the human to return the favor before they head out into the airless vacuum of space. When Orlam learns that the aft airlock doors are both open, the soldier fears the worst and readies his weapons, his rifle carried with his lower arms, the heavy doshko in his upper. When the outside airlock is closed once everyone is assembled, the kasthas at Valius in response to his orders, then glances at Mysterra and gives the android a similar nod. "Go." He says simply, then levels his rifle at the doors and waits for them to open, revealing whatever lies beyond...
Orlam gives Valius a wry grin, or what probably passes for one on the alien face of the kasathas. "I will endeavor to be more successful at that than I was in bringing down that ship with the laser, captain." And in truth, the soldier is very confident in his abilities to do exactly that. He heads off to make sure his weapons are all in good order before they arrive at the Acreon.
Orlam nods distractedly, not even noting how badly Valius is estimating the damage to the ship, his mind clearly elsewhere. Finally, the soldier speaks. "Captain, it had to have been the Stewards. They were the ones who programmed in the coordinates of the Acreon, along with our heading. And the behavior of the soldiers in the docking bay…” Orlam shakes his head. “But why? Didn’t the ambassador say the upgraded ship was going back to the Stewards after our mission was complete? Seems like a waste of resources on their part. And that ship, it was Eoxian, wasn’t it? How does that fit in, when the ambassador who assigned us the mission hails from that very planet?” :)
Orlam frowns at the retreating ship, and does his best to send a parting shot in its direction, though his lock is almost negligible in strength. The kasathas shoves aside the controls in frustration. "Bah! Face me with a blade next time and we will see who is victorious!" He growls angrily at the fleeing vessel.
Orlam tries to track the enemy ship, but he loses it as they arc around, taking it out of visual.
No worries at all, loving the pace of this adventure!
"I think there is something wrong with my targeting computer." The kasathas grumbles to anyone listening as his last shot goes wide. But then Xera maneuvers the ship perfectly to give Orlam another chance at firing on the enemy ship, and the soldier takes advantage, doing his best to track its flight and anticipate its movement.
If elemental resistance is easy to come by as armor upgrades, seems worthless to spend a feat on it. Maybe lower the DR to half-level?
The alarms sound, indicating their ship is sustaining moderate damage and the kasathas is eager to end this battle quickly. But first he needs to manage a decent shot! Taking a deep breath, Orlam fires again as Xera presses another close attack run on the enemy ship, but curses under his breath as his shots again go wide.
Orlam finds the enemy ship again in his sights and again tries to shoot it down with the laser cannon.
Orlam opens fire, trying to track the fast-flying ship, but having difficulty doing so.
Orlam grins as Xera sends their ship screaming toward the bone-white enemy vessel in an aggressive maneuver that allows both guns to fire on the damaged port side.
Though not particularly agile with the heavy guns, Orlam has some knowledge of weaponry use in general and does his best to bring the big weapon around to lock onto the target and blast it with the forward light laser cannon.
Orlam growls from his position in the forward cannon. "Looks like we get to give this ship a field test. Bring that ship into the forward arc so we can use both guns on it."
Orlam arrives bedecked in his heavy armor as usual, with a suit beneath that will help protect him from radiation, should it prove necessary. He gives the Eoxian ambassador a polite nod and takes note of the extensive modifications their skeletal sponsor points out, all of which matches up with what the kasathas notes for himself. Impressive, indeed he admits privately to himself.
As they approach the ship for the interior tour, the kasathas attaches the adhesive patch to the breastplate of his armor while taking note of the edgy Stewards. Orlam tries to determine if they are nervous about the presence of the ambassador, or something else entirely. Based on what Nor is telling them, the Stewards should be quite happy about the modifications done to the Hippocampus and their reactions seem... odd.
Putting the matter out of his mind for now, the kasathas takes special note of the coilgun and its controls, though it seems unlikely he'll get a chance to use it. Still, Orlam is trained not to take anything for granted, and familiarity with his weapons is second nature to the soldier.
Orlam looks over the manifest, picturing the people behind the names and wonders at their lives. Were they somehow still alive on board that ship? Or were they all as dead as Duravor? The soldier shakes his head, knowing that death could come swiftly and unexpectedly - especially in deep space - but it sometimes seemed so senseless. Did the crew of the Acreon find something that others would have kept secret? The asteroid perhaps? Or maybe even the 'trinket' that the ambassador asked them to retrieve? Was Astral Extractions behind the incident, somehow? All questions that they might soon have answers to. If they survived long enough to tell the authorities on Absalom Station. When Ambassador Nor's message comes through, the kasathas considers the instructions with an air of wry humor. "It seems we are being treated as very special persons. Or someone wants us well away from the public eye. Docking Bay 12 is a private-use docking bay, usually reserved for diplomats and other high-ranking officials." Orlam wonders if his concerns about this endeavor is becoming full-blown paranoia...
Orlam shrugs. "It could be. Thank you for the information. And my condolences about Duravor. He seemed a good sort, from what I have heard."
Nothing is jumping out at me on the equipment list that I don't already have. Orlam is ready to go!
Orlam moves to shake the hand of the red-skinned human, then asks on a sudden impulse. "Do you know anything about a package carried by the Acreon, bound for the Eoxian embassy here on Absalom Station?"
Heartened by his earlier success, Orlam takes a look at this contract as well and nods as Otal speaks. "I see nothing in here that gives any mention to portable locations or resources. The Acreon was contracted to explore the Vast, identify potential sites for future development, and report the findings to Astral Extractions. I am no lawyer, but Ithink you have a strong case here." The kasathas figures that it is likely because of this very fact that Astral Extractions has resorted to intimidation and murder to get what they want.
"What do you know of Captain Chimara and the Acreon's mission? We have not been able to learn much, despite our appointment as investigators of the drifting vessel." Having met Captain Otal now, Orlam intends to take his measure of the man before asking about Duravor, if they decide to broach that particular subject at all. He glances at the others, to see if perhaps they are thinking the same.
"So uh... how long have you worked for the company?" Orlam asks, trying to fill the awkward silence. The kasathas figures that the elevator could make good use of some music - something classical and soothing, not that horrible sugar pop stuff that seems to be all the rage these days.
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