”Good work indeed,” Quitch says to the others as the Stewards appear. He lowers his pistol, but doesn’t holster it. ”But there must be thousands of robots on the station. This isn’t over.”
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”Are we sure this is related to our incident? It most likely is, but we need evidence.” Quitch pulls out his semi-automatic pistol and aims at the robot the others are targeting. Both hands on the grip, feet planted firmly, and whiskers spread wide.
Quitch nods in understanding and acceptance of Historia 7’s answer concerning the script. ”I’ll help prepare the starcraft,” Quitch says. ”We’re taking the same one, I hope.”
Except for a brief game that was a modified version of Iron Gods (book 1) I have not played the AP. I think I know a little about the adventure’s conclusion from reading the Starfinder Core rule book.
Quitch’s ears and whiskers tremble for a moment as he grabs fistfuls of fur on the top of his head. ”Responsible?” he asks.”Are we legally responsible for any financial damages? Oh this bad! This is really bad.” After some nervous laughter, he takes a deep breath then exhales slowly. ”Okay, okay, sorry for the brief panic. Hmm. Unity. In this context it sounds ominous. Engineers are working on the armor and weapons? Were they able to decipher the script we recovered in the spacecraft?”
Satisfied with his location, Quitch takes another shot at their opponent.
Quitch draws his pistol as he continues to create space between his companions. Planting his feet, he aims the pistol and squeezes the trigger.
”No offense taken from you or Observe Bot,” Quitch says to Mira with a laugh. ”On my home, cameras are everywhere so none follow us around.” After getting on the headset, Quitch looks around the VR-environment, wondering what to do when the being appears. A feeling of dread settles in his stomach. The moment it grabs the sword, Quitch begins to move away from his companions. For a moment he ponders if arcane forces can be rendered in this virtual environment. His hands motion as if gathering from the air around him as he chants. His right hand hits his left’s open palm then shoots a beam of white light at the four-winged being.
Quitch takes two steps back after the bot speaks. Chuckling, he straightens his shirt and preens back his whiskers. ”You should film over there...her, her,” the ysoki’s hands motion towards Mira. ”Observe the adaptation of pre-Gap technology (probably) to current...uh...technology.”
I like having 5 PCs in PbP games in general. Also, I wanted the group to know I wouldn’t mind having Elbow’s Ace Pilot Technomancer become the pilot. Quitch would be an average gunner, but I like Elbow’s character. Interesting roleplay possibilities with a chaotic neutral pilot and technomancer running around.
The sound of Historia 7’s alarm stops Quitch from asking more questions. In the Archives, as Krizen and Mira help modify the 9V8M adapter to interface with the crystal, Quitch watches them intently. He’s to the side of Observing Bot so not to interfere with Mira’s holo-video recording. He whispers ”DBMS?” to himself then takes another step away form Observing Bot.
I’m sorry for any delay that I caused for disappearing. This game is really fun and I want to commit to it. Welcome aboard Mira!
Quitch extends his hand to the new human. ”I am pleased to meet you, Mira,” his accent marks him from the Vast. His whiskers twitch as he says, ”My name is Quitch.” The ysoki looks over ‘Observing Bot’ by circling it and then stepping closer. ”What do you do with the holos? Is it recording right now? Does it record strictly in visible light or does it extend into infrared? How well does the microphone pickup snacking at 15 meters?”
Quitch’s nose whiskers twitch and vibrate as he adjusts the controls for another set of evasive movements. He exhales slowly trying to remain calm, knowing too much tension will hinder his actions.
”Run first ask questions later,” Quitch says. ”Apparently that motto isn’t always the best. Great ideas Krizen and Bravo! Prepare for the turn. We’ll do a flyby, possible strafing fun. SET can you read the sensors and tell us if it has weapons?”
”Hold on to loose items!” Quitch says as he attempts to pilot the ship with quick lateral thrusts to avoid laser fire but not so much that he interferes with Bravo’s targeting. ”Any idea how fast that ship is compared to us?” he calls out, eyes focused on the telemetry information for piloting.
Yeah, S.E.T should still be the captain.
”Engines online,” Quitch says. ”Accelerating rapidly...”
”You don’t have to tell me twice,” Quitch pants getting into the pilot’s seat. The metallic clicks of his seat restraints punctuate his words. He quickly scans the screen for the status of the engines and the telemetry of nearby asteroids. ”Secure your restraints, we’ll be experiencing some heavy G’s,” Quitch says. ”Are we fleeing Captain? What are your orders?”
“We got a way to mark this location in case the Society does wanna come back and get it?" ”That’s a good idea, Bravo” Quitch says. ”I’m glad there are no more undead,” the ysoki says. ”I do think the skeleton should be brought back to Absalom. It spoke Common and deserves some sort of cere--” his words are cut off by Lexie’s announcement of an approaching ship. He begins to pick up the skeleton but realizes he can’t carry it on his shoulder and run to the exit with ease. Dropping it he whispers ”Sorry, stranger,” and then follows the others at a run.
Quitch grins when he hears Lexie’s voice over the radio. ”That’s a good report.” He fills his clip with rounds. ”Yes, let’s keep exploring. Who knows what else we’ll find. Perhaps something of great financial value. Keep your backpack ready and open, Captain.”
”Not pre-Gap,” Quitch says focused on the crystal. ”Still, fairly old. Impressive.” Scratching his cheek, the ysoki thinks for a moment. ”There was an abjuration aura, centered on the crystal,” Quitch says to the group. ”It quickly dispersed.” He looks at Krizen. ”Do you think you could read any data on this using our ship and Lexie?” He pauses waiting to see if Lexie responds to Bravo’s hail.
”This crystal looks fascinating,” the ysoki tells the others, pointing to it on the console. ”A strange cap. More writing. I’m not sure what the crystal's purpose or function is.” Quitch mumbles under his breath and casts Detect Magic at the mysterious crystal. He stares at it intently as the ability to see magic auras and emanations flares to life.
Quitch rolls as he drops to the ground with the return to the ship’s normal gravity. As he approaches the skeleton, looking for insignia or identification markers on the suit, he says ”I’m happy to hear that Bravo.” His whiskers twitch over the skeletal remains. ”Its final words sounded more like relief,” Quitch says. ”I wonder how long it was here.”
As the gravity seems to decrease, Quitch actually feels a greater sense of freedom in the combat. He’s no longer constrained as a short being peering around others’ legs. Now as luck would have it he has a better shot at the skeleton. He aims his pistol at it and squeezes the trigger.
Quitch rushes forward ten feet to stand next to SET. The ysoki says, ”A skeleton! Without a mind to daze.” He wields his pistol with both hands, pointing it towards the floor. He could attempt to shoot the skeleton, but doesn’t want to accidentally shoot his companions. ”I can heal you Bravo. Keep fighting strong.”
Quitch raises his hand. ”I vote for quiet,” he says. He looks at the next door expectantly.
Quitch glances at the newly discovered weapons, but he’s not interested in carrying them, so he examines the room for hidden compartments. After seeing SET listening at the door, he makes sure he’s making as little sound as possible. Slowly he slides his feet along the floor to reduce any noise he might make. He nods at Bravo, signing agreement with his hand. He falls in behind the human.
”Oh I understand now,” Quitch says. ”I didn't hear it say that. I must have been too intent on my prayers or...” he looks around the area vaguely and shrugs. The ysoki takes two of the packets and puts them in a cheek pouch. ”I don’t plan on eating them, but analyzing their food would teach us more about them.”
”Lexxie, can you hear me? Are there any vessels approaching?”
Quitch’s whiskers twitch, ”Who is Poster Boy?” he asks as he surveys where the extraplanar beings disappeared. ”What would you call those? When I write up my report, it will help if I know their name. Maybe Lexxie can help. It must have some files detailing species and beings.”
Craning his head around SET’s body, Quitch casts Daze on the remaining creature. The risk of crossfire outweighs the potential lethality of this enemy, he thinks. His left hand gestures at the creature while his right hand grips his pistol.
Quitch moves to the side of SET and fires once at the closest green-coiled humanoid. ”What are they?”
Quitch nods in understanding to be quiet. He keeps his pistol pointed at the ground, but now holds it in both hands.
”Understood, Bravo,” Quitch replies to his question’s answer. He watches the human pass through the double door, followed by SET and Krizen. He waits a moment then follows about three paces behind. He carries his pistol pointed at the floor. He puts his left hand on the wall, feeling for vibrations. At the power generator, he casts Detect Magic wondering if the device is at all magical.
Kneeling on the deck, Quitch prays silently to himself. With the first two fingers from each hand, he touches the middle of his forehead. His slow and even respiration is loud through his nostrils. After about five minutes he rolls to a standing position. ”What is the custom for death in the Pact Worlds? I imagine we sould take the human corpse back to the ship. What of these two? Leave them here to float in the vacuum of space, exposed to the sun?”
”Here are the controls for the door. Is everyone ready to proceed?” Quitch turns his head to look back at the others.
”That’s impressive,” Quitch says at the expansion of the armor. ”I didn’t detect anything magical.” He looks at the cargo hold’s door searching for a mechanical release.
Quitch holsters his pistol. ”Could it have been undead as well?” He casts Detect Magic on the apparent corpse. The ysoki moves closer to the skeleton and examines the clothing, looking for bloodstains or other indications that it died and wasn’t reanimated. He pauses during his examination and points to the dead creatures. ”How did those two get on board anyway? We didn’t see another ship.”
Seeing that his spell has no effect upon the creature, he takes out his pistol and aims at the one that spit acid at Krizen. A single squeeze of the trigger can have such large results.
Modern ammunition has self-oxidizers and can fire in a vacuum? I never knew that. Thanks! Expanding your knowledge about the world is one of the great things about playing RPGs.
His left hand signs a Common greeting, along the lines of Not looking for trouble... but the motion of their mandibles, dripping with saliva is an unfamiliar sight for Quitch. He surprises himself by beginning to cast Daze without hesitation. Perhaps a small part of my subconscious foresaw this event, without atmosphere, where my pistol won’t work, he muses.
Quitch starts searching through the storage compartments, hoping to find extra bags, cables, or propellant canisters. ”Lexie, does the ship have an inflatable or semi-rigid structure that is used to connect ships together when one of the ship’s is damaged? Something that will lock onto the hull, and allow us to cut our way inside. Or if not, how close can we get to the other ship? I positioned us just under twenty feet away, but could we get five feet away?”
”Twenty feet,” Quitch mutters to himself focused and pleased. He maneuvers the ship closer to the derelict; rotating so their airlock is near the other ship’s extended ramp. ”Lexie? Can you maintain the Pipe Dreams’s position relative to the derelict? I need to get ready to board.” The ysoki gets up from the chair and double checks his pistol and the power level of his personal comm. From the storage locker, he retrieves his baton. ”Krizen, do you have a magnetic end to secure your line?”
”Captain, I’ll circle the ship and find an air-lock,” Quitch says. He positions the Pipe Dream to align with the derelict’s three axes and velocity, then fires their thrusters to rotate around the ship. ”Speaking of the life forms, what languages do we speak? Obviously I speak Common and Ysoki, plus Ejirian.”
Quitch keeps his eyes on the sensors as they near the thick asteroid field. He is looking for any outliers that might be going faster than the average asteroid or on a course that might collide with another one. As the density of the asteroids increase the ysoki lets out a calming breath.
”Greetings, LEX-13. I appreciate your assistance. I’m Quitch,” the ysoki says. He shifts in his chair, attempting to get more comfortable. ”What happened to your previous owners?”
”Systems are green, Captain,”Quitch calls out then pings the harbor master and places the ship in the departure queue. Course laid in,”[/b] he hits a key and the monitor shows a looping line running from Absalom Station to the Diaspora.
Quitch scurries up the ramp and into the ship. He touches the walls, knocking here and there as if he can’t believe he is going to fly this vessel. He finds a storage closet and stows his gear than makes his way to the bridge. Settling into the chair, the ysoki grabs a headset then starts a pre-flight check to makes sure the Pipe Dream is ready for flight. Satisfied, he cups his hands together, as if holding something tiny, and whispers a prayer that lasts half a minute. He hits the button for ship wide intercom, ”Is everyone ready for departure?”
As they talk about their responsibilities for the ship, Quitch says, ”Please call me Quitch. Ah well, to be honest, I only passed a piloting certification course about six months ago. It was one of the first things I did when I came to Absalom Station. I rarely have a chance to pilot a craft, except for the simulators.” Quitch is quiet a few moments. ”I think observing other pilots will help me become better, so you should pilot the ship human. I can work the weapon’s array if we’re attacked.” Quitch watches the door descend with excitement. When it halts and recovers, he clasps his hands and bows. ”Guide us and protect us from misfortune, Beashar.”
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