""Disclosure: I am a versatile protocol and combat droid, fluent in verbal and cultural translation. Should your needs prove more... practical, I am also highly skilled in personal combat. My programming has not however, yet revealed to me the reasons for my being here. I presume we are to meet with others who possess more information than us."
Doc says, 'So, what are you? The messenger boy? You know the next part of the mission or the target?'
Doc says, 'Well ain't you the fancy pants. As the name Doc implies, I sew and shoot when I have to. Well, I'd hope someone knows what this shin ding is about cause otherwise this is going to be one short mission.'
Feeling a mixture of shock and relief at what she sences from the duros Vash'elie steps out of the shadows and rattles he stuffed toy to get his attention. Gesturig for him to follow she goes to join the human and the droid.
Showing the stuffed toy as she approches she says; "I have a feeling your not sure why your here either."
Gol looks at the stranger with the bear. His face shows obvious relief. "Something happened at the gift shop. They closed down early and security is monitoring the area. I figured I would spot those with the bear and explain my situation. Do you know why we are here?" offers Gol to Vash'elie.
Considering deeply, Kol shakes his head and puts the plasma torch away. A distration would only attract more attention and security.
Maybe... If approached at the right angle and the right timing, he could just sneak in, grab a bear and out again. Hell, even if he was spotted, he's just a repairman on a call. he exits the stall.
Kol studies the timing and movements of the guards, security systems and civilians and calculates the odds before making his move.
Making a deliberate approach at the right angles are concealing his movement from cameras and police and timing it so that they are looking the wrong way and no civilians are present:
Knowledge (Tactics): take 10 = 17
Sneak in, take bear, leave 10 creds.
Stealth: take 10 = 17
"No." she says giving him the feeling she is scrutinizing him from behind her solid white visor. "I just know that your feelings match mine and you are trying to disguise yourself much like I disguised myself in the shadows." she says conversationally, "I sence you are as confused by beeing here as I am. I am Vash'elie, let's join the others. Maybee they have answers." she says gestureing to the human and the droid.
"No." she says giving him the feeling she is scrutinizing him from behind her solid white visor. "I just know that your feelings match mine and you are trying to disguise yourself much like I disguised myself in the shadows." she says conversationally, "I sence you are as confused by beeing here as I am. I am Vash'elie, let's join the others. Maybee they have answers." she says gestureing to the human and the droid.
"Sure thing lady." states Gol matter-of-factly. "My friends call me Gol."offers Gol - succint as ever.
He pushes his custotial skid along with Vash'elie to the others holding the bear.
"Correction: I am a droid organic, I do not wear pants, and if we do not receive further instructions there will be no mission. Statement: You are a repair man for the organics, if those are the only skills you possess I have no use for you."
Kol studies the timing and movements of the guards, security systems and civilians and calculates the odds before making his move.Making a deliberate approach at the right angles are concealing his movement from cameras and police and timing it so that they are looking the wrong way and no civilians are present:
Knowledge (Tactics): take 10 = 17
Sneak in, take bear, leave 10 creds.
Stealth: take 10 = 17
You succeed at getting the bear with few problems. It starts to sing when you pick it up but you since the toys do that periodically anyways, no one really pays much notice. You are able to move along after the song has stopped.
You head to the meeting place and see a droid, two humans and a Duros. The droid and the humans appear to have the Blue Sullustan Sea Bears.
One of the humans appears to have opened up their toy and taken something out. You can see bits of leaking stuffing.
Along the floor, you can see a small sort of mouse droid has been activated by the room sensors and is busy circling around picking up bits of stuffing and any other litter if finds.
"No." she says giving him the feeling she is scrutinizing him from behind her solid white visor. "I just know that your feelings match mine and you are trying to disguise yourself much like I disguised myself in the shadows." she says conversationally, "I sence you are as confused by beeing here as I am. I am Vash'elie, let's join the others. Maybee they have answers." she says gestureing to the human and the droid."Sure thing lady." states Gol matter-of-factly. "My friends call me Gol."offers Gol - succint as ever.
He pushes his custotial skid along with Vash'elie to the others holding the bear.
Gol and Vash'elle arrive with the singing bear to where Doc and HK are standing looking at the coastal exhibit.
HK looks up at the approaching pair, watching the bear-less Duros particularly carefully.
"Observation: We appear to have company, one does not possess the Blue Sullustan Sea Bear," he tells the Doc aside in a lowered tone. "Advisory: We should exercise caution."
"Greeting: I am HK-33, protocol and translation droid," the droid announces to the pair, turning to face the newcomers and pausing momentarily to gauge their reactions before continuing. "Inquiry: You stand besides the coastal water exhibit, but one of you does not possess a Blue Sullust Sea Bear. Explain."
Pausing before them Vash'elie takes a moment to come to terms with her sences.
Unable to read the droid she states, "It is a strange protocol droid who goes around with a blaster in it's hands."
Raising her bear she says, "There was a ruckus by the gift shop so the vendor whent home and security was called in. I vouch for Gol, my sences tell me he is like me. Leading a double life he didnt know he was leading and rather confused and suspicious at his recent knowledge of meetings and missions."
"Mockery: Simply because I serve as a versatile translator does not make me incapable of fulfilling more... practical needs. I am however aware of the gift shop's troubles, so your story is credible."
"Inquiry: What do the two of you know of Black Valkyrie, and what skills do you possess? Much of my hidden programming containing the details of our task has yet to be unlocked to me."
"Mockery: Simply because I serve as a versatile translator does not make me incapable of fulfilling more... practical needs. I am however aware of the gift shop's troubles, so your story is credible."
"Inquiry: What do the two of you know of Black Valkyrie, and what skills do you possess? Much of my hidden programming containing the details of our task has yet to be unlocked to me."
Gol tries to hide the scorn both in his facial expressions and his speech. "We can do without asking for trouble. It is bad enough we are here without knowing why. My belief is we will have more revealed to us when we are together. It's not like I was sitting around expecting this invitation." offers Gol, directed mostly at the droid.
He purposefully doesn't answer more of the droids questions about skills. When the time is right, he will reveal himself. Until he is sure of what is going on, he will keep his cards close to his chest.
"Damn unthinking clankers. Don't give a womp rat's a$$ about anyone but themselves." Gol thinks to himself, musing over the upcoming partnership with the droid.
The five of you are now within sight of each other.
You feel a twinge of pain in your brains and again you feel the start of a memory surfacing. Again, the memory of some icy planet. You aren't sure when or where. You feel like you know the people around you are attached to this memory. You can see yourself and others, siting around a fire using emergency gear to keep warm.
Almost as soon as the memory tries to form it is blown away in a flurry of wind driven snow.
After that, you know what you must do next. You must take the six cipher chips out of the Blue Sullustan Sea Bears and feed them into the HK droid. The droid will compile the cipher keys and give the first stage of the mission.
A brief moment of static clouds your sensors. You then get a blinking light showing new information has uploaded to your memory core. There is a security code that has been placed on the information.
Mission Update: Assemble cipher code Valkyrie Theta Kappa Mu - portions A to F.
Flinching at the stab of pain Vash'elie looks at the stuffed toy before wordlessly ripping it open to retrieve the datachip and handing it to the HK unit.
The five of you are now within sight of each other.
You feel a twinge of pain in your brains and again you feel the start of a memory surfacing. Again, the memory of some icy planet. You aren't sure when or where. You feel like you know the people around you are attached to this memory. You can see yourself and others, siting around a fire using emergency gear to keep warm.
Almost as soon as the memory tries to form it is blown away in a flurry of wind driven snow.
After that, you know what you must do next. You must take the six cipher chips out of the Blue Sullustan Sea Bears and feed them into the HK droid. The droid will compile the cipher keys and give the first stage of the mission.
** spoiler omitted **
"Wow, this is getting strange to the point that I don't like it." muses Gol.
Gol looks uncomfortable. "I did not purchase a toy. The shop was closed and security is milling about. Plus, I see only five of us. We must devise a plan to get a couple more of them then. Any ideas?" he drawls.
The light fades from HK's photoreceptors momentarily as the hidden protocols are activated, before flickering back into life shining brightly with an awareness of what they must now do. Taking the datachips from Vash and tearing his own out of his bear, the droid feeds them into his card reader.
"Irritated Statement: It seems we are in need of the remaining bear within the gift shop. Shall I dispose of the guards now?"
"Addendum: We also seem to be missing four chips rather than one. I would surmise that we are still waiting on two more associates, in addition to needing to recover the lost chip." HK adds, nodding to the approaching man with the bear. "Retraction: However, it is odd that our instructions would trigger when only the five of us have met. Perhaps, it is down to us to retrieve the final chip."
Flinching at the stab of pain Vash'elie looks at the stuffed toy before wordlessly ripping it open to retrieve the datachip and handing it to the HK unit.
You find the chip inside the toy's voice unit. A small letter D is on the chip.
A mouse droid chirps happily having cleaned up the floor and goes zipping off to either recharge or find more litter to clean up.
The light fades from HK's photoreceptors momentarily as the hidden protocols are activated, before flickering back into life shining brightly with an awareness of what they must now do. Taking the datachips from Vash and the Doc and tearing his own out of his bear, the droid feeds them into his card reader.
"Irritated Statement: It seems we are in need of the remaining bear within the gift shop. Shall I dispose of the guards now?"
"Addendum: We also seem to be missing three chips rather than one, I would surmise that we are still waiting on two more associates."
Doc looks at the Bear he has in his hands and realizes that he ripped out the voice unit as he was leaving the gift shop.
You head to the meeting place and see a droid, two humans and a Duros. The droid and the humans appear to have the Blue Sullustan Sea Bears.
Kol strides up to the group.
"OK, which one of you IDIOTS..." He grabs his head as the pain hits.
You feel a twinge of pain in your brains and again you feel the start of a memory surfacing. Again, the memory of some icy planet. You aren't sure when or where. You feel like you know the people around you are attached to this memory. You can see yourself and others, sitting around a fire using emergency gear to keep warm.
Almost as soon as the memory tries to form it is blown away in a flurry of wind driven snow.
After that, you know what you must do next. You must take the six cipher chips out of the Blue Sullustan Sea Bears and feed them into the HK droid. The droid will compile the cipher keys and give the first stage of the mission.
"AGH. Uh, ... got the gift shoppe closed and guarded by security? 'Cause I'd really like to find out you're a threat to the mission." Kol rips out the chip in his bear and gives it to the droid.
Realizing there aren't enough bears; Kol remembers vaguely, wasn't there one bear left at the shop? Or was it two?
"Oh no, don't tell me. We have to go BACK to the damn shop?
"Statement: You are an agent of Black Valkyrie," HK tells Kol bluntly, ignoring his complaints about the gift shop. "Do you possess any knowledge as to the whereabouts of the sixth chip?"
"Statement: You are an agent of Black Valkyrie," HK tells Kol bluntly, ignoring his complaints about the gift shop. "Do you possess any knowledge as to the whereabouts of the sixth chip?"
Pointing at Doc's teddy Vash'elie ask; "Whers your vocal-unit?"
Pointing at Doc's teddy Vash'elie ask; "Whers your vocal-unit?"
Doc glares and says, 'It annoyed me. I tossed it. Probably that stupid droid picked it up.' Doc points at the vanishing mouse droid when he says 'stupid droid'.
"Great!" she says dripping sarcasm. "We'll need to cath it then," Vash'elie sighs.
Tearing a leg of he bear she tosses it at her feet and steps back and waits for the mouse droid to approch. When it stops to clean up he mess she reaches out through the force and flips it on it's back. "Try not to damage it." she says with some concern.
Use the Force: Move Light Object, take 10 = 17.
"Great!" she says dripping sarcasm. "We'll need to cath it then," Vash'elie sighs.
Tearing a leg of he bear she tosses it at her feet and steps back and waits for the mouse droid to approch. When it stops to clean up he mess she reaches out through the force and flips it on it's back. "Try not to damage it." she says with some concern.
Use the Force: Move Light Object, take 10 = 17.
Okay, the little mouse droid does an about turn like a Roomba robot and heads for the offending litter.
It sweeps forward until it finds itself on its side with the wheels spinning in the air.
It squeels concern and indignation at the problem.
'Help. I've fallen and I can't get up.'
Kol will hustle up and use the toolkit from his utility belt to open up the collection bin.
Breathing in and out to calm himself, and moving at a delibarate pace in order to make no mistakes...
Mechanics: (take 10)+7+5=22
Once done, he will reassemble the driod to the same spec., and leave as little trace as he can.
"Observation: I see you have some skill with technology organic," HK adds as he watches Kol and Vash go to work. "Excellent, along with our sightless force monkey you will be of great use. Inquiry: Where to next? Shall I blast the security guards?"
Looking at HK-33, Kol replies; "No, somebody besides YOU will distract the guards with conversation while I go back into the store to get whichever bears remain. Maybe if you had any skill with computers you might be able to tap into the security feed and see if there is a bear floating around the Aquarium somewhere. Let's keep one of these bears intact. If it was sold to a kid we may have to make a slight of hand switch."
Kol proceeds to fix one of the bears voicboxes so that it can operate without the chip that was removed.
Mechanics: (take 10)+7= 17
"Correction:" HK answers smugly, "I am capable of performing that task. However, we will require access to some kind of system terminal - they are unlikely to be readily accessible."
You found the voice unit in the collection bin. You extract the chip marked A from the voice unit.
It is a fairly easy fix to get the unit to function without the chip. The chips don't really provide any function to the original design and appear to have been an after manufacture alteration. The change to include the cipher chips appears to be fairly recent (within the last week is your best guess so it likely occurred either on the station or on a ship bound for the station).
When Kol fineshes re-asembling the mouse droid Vash'elie will turn it back over, 'Alright now little one. You can get back to work now.'
"Your a cheerie bucket of bolts. I can see just fine thank you. Maybee you need a memory whipe to recalibrate your obviously malfunctioning prosessor." she replies turning to HK.
"If we can find a soccet I can plug in with my brace computer and see if I can access the feeds."
"Correction:" HK answers smugly, "I am capable of performing that task. However, we will require access to some kind of system terminal - they are unlikely to be readily accessible."
Kol will hustle up and use the toolkit from his utility belt to open up the collection bin.
Breathing in and out to calm himself, and moving at a delibarate pace in order to make no mistakes...Mechanics: (take 10)+7+5=22
Once done, he will reassemble the droid to the same spec., and leave as little trace as he can.
No problem, the mouse bot beeps a couple times as it does a quick diagnostic to make sure that it is still functional. It then spins a 360 to get its bearings. Then it zooms off beeping.
RMBA BT-4567 reporting for duty. Clean, clean, clean.
Looking at HK-33, Kol replies; "No, somebody besides YOU will distract the guards with conversation while I go back into the store to get whichever bears remain. Maybe if you had any skill with computers you might be able to tap into the security feed and see if there is a bear floating around the Aquarium somewhere. Let's keep one of these bears intact. If it was sold to a kid we may have to make a slight of hand switch."
Kol proceeds to fix one of the bears voicboxes so that it can operate without the chip that was removed.
Mechanics: (take 10)+7= 17
It will require a DC 20 Mechanics task (1 min of time) to open the panel to get at the connection spots (The terminals are built tough to survive children and teens opening up panels and causing problems).
Alright, let's see if I can open the access first.
Mechanics:"Dammit! Can't... quite... get it."
'Hang on. Try going around that power coupling so you can get to that relay.'
Aid another machanics
"Confident Statement: I think you'll find you require my memory for the mission organic," HK replies to Vash self importantly. "Mockery: Wiping it, if you could disable me to do so, would prove rather counter-productive."
HK will take ten to give a use computer assist to Vash, as and when she needs it.
"Observation: It appears I could be of assistance, organic." HK mutters, plugging into the opened terminal as Vash connects up.
Gol will travel with Vash'elie and provide cover for her and the team with her. He was not a "face" man and felt uncomfortable with too much trickery or subterfuge. Granted, it was downright useful at times, but he left that stuff to the others.
'Hang on. Try going around that power coupling so you can get to that relay.'
Aid another machanics 1d20+7
With Vash's aid, Kol manages to get the panel open. You and HK can now hook in enough to start hacking the system.
Gol will travel with Vash'elie and provide cover for her and the team with her. He was not a "face" man and felt uncomfortable with too much trickery or subterfuge. Granted, it was downright useful at times, but he left that stuff to the others.
Okay, with your perception you can work as a look out to keep people moving if they are going to wander into the Coastal Exhibit. Luckily, at this hour there are only a few people moving through here.
When Kol has the panel open and ready to hook up Vash'elie will hook her brace computer into the terminal and try to access the cameras.
'Let me see what I can do.'
Use Computer (+7 skill, +1 int fron brace computer, +2 aid another from HK)
"Commentary: Your skill is adequate, we have access to the core. Let us continue to access the security feed."
HK takes ten to assist Vash one again, if she also takes ten we should succeed on the DC20 check.
Seeing the others moving over to the terminals to work their magic, Doc looks annoyed. "I've got no gift with the electronics. I can rebuild a kidney, but computers either work or they don't for me. And, well, thanks for getting that damn bear chip back. I hate it when mechanical things talk, (glaring at the 'protocol' droid). But if we need a couple more bears, I can provide you a distraction. You, Duros. You any good at laying on the ground and flopping about?"
"Commentary: Your skill is adequate, we have access to the core. Let us continue to access the security feed."
HK takes ten to assist Vash one again, if she also takes ten we should succeed on the DC20 check.
Yup, the pair of you find that it is standard SoroSub computer architecture that is underneath the dedicated system. You use a pretty binary command and the terminal reverts to its basic structure. It now functions like a general information terminal with factory settings.
Seeing the others moving over to the terminals to work their magic, Doc looks annoyed. "I've got no gift with the electronics. I can rebuild a kidney, but computers either work or they don't for me. And, well, thanks for getting that damn bear chip back. I hate it when mechanical things talk, (glaring at the 'protocol' droid). But if we need a couple more bears, I can provide you a distraction. You, Duros. You any good at laying on the ground and flopping about?"
'Not so bad yourself.' Vash'elie mutters as she tries to get the computer to talk to her. 'Comon girl.'
(Take 10 with assist = 20)
'Not so bad yourself.' Vash'elie mutters as she tries to get the computer to talk to her. 'Comon girl.'
(Take 10 with assist = 20)
The system starts to feed out camera feeds from the various security cameras.
There are over one thousand cameras placed around the Aquarium covering hallways, public areas, entrances, exits, Aquarium tanks, and maintenance areas.
You can eliminate roughly seven hundred of those feeds immediately because they are trained on various Aquarium tanks. (You could use them to help with the search but it would require further dedicated software to sharpen the image of any reflected surfaces and more computing power).
You can eliminate another hundred cameras that deal with maintenance areas and areas that are not open to the public.
That leaves you around two hundred cameras for the system to process for the image of the bear. You start with a quick scan of the colour of the bear in an image of your group and then look for matching colour in the images.
The colour is popular as Bollto the Blue Sullust Sea Bear is the star attraction of the Aquarium.
You then eliminate any two dimensional 'printed' images and holograms that are being used in the Aquarium.
This leaves you around twenty images to process in the system.
You next eliminate elements of clothing like hats and shirts.
This leaves you four images. Two are of your group in the coastal exhibit and one is of the remaining bear in the gift shop. The last bear is being held by a Sullustan youngling sitting in the seats to watch Boltto the Blue Sullustan Sear Bear perform.
You can also note that there is currently another search in the system being processed for a rusty humanoid droid with a blaster. It looks like the search is being done by an outside agency.
"Uh.. guys? We've got trouble. Someones looking for HK.
"Irritated Statement: I should have known that kid would talk - should have blasted him."
HK continues to take ten for Vash's assist.