The party opens the door, and immediately the hallway begins to flood. Conduit pipes and maintenance gear clog this cramped corridor.
SUCCESS
Kaz gets the door shut fast enough that the water is ankle deep, just enough to only be aminor inconvenience.
There are three doors out of here. Where to?
Chip pockets one of the datapads with incriminating evidence against EJ
left door looks promising...
As Chip approaches the door...
"I prefer walking to swimming."
Perception
You pick up on a weak and wordless telepathic plea for help coming from somewhere southwest Kaz doesn't notice it, but Chip and Aldo do.
There are doors NW and SW
Kaz gives Chip and Aldo a strange look as they quickly explain the telepathic message they hear
The vesk’s reptillian “lizard face” is difficult to read sometimes. Tough to say if Kaz thinks they are a little crazy and he doesnt 100% believe them. Or maybe he is jealous that he couldnt sense the mental message.
But none the less he hefts his weapon and approaches the SW door. He pauses a moment for the others to get into position than he opens the door and quickly steps through and slips to the side to avoid the fatal funnel.
”We’re right behind you, Kaz. Let’s see if we can find our target and get out of here!”
This sleek, well-appointed laboratory has a variety of research and analytical equipment. Built into its curved exterior wall, several aquariums host a myriad of life— including coral colonies, small glowing fish, and a large eel with feathery fins. Large, rectangular metal tanks topped with nets of fine mesh rest below each aquarium. Dissection tables, scales, and waterproofed computers sit in organized rows in the middle of the room.
Each aquarium has a control panel that opens either of its sides; it can open to Terra 5’s interior and exterior, but not both at the same time, forming a sort of water lock with the ocean outside the lab. The metal tanks reclaim the water, and the nets catch the contents of the aquariums when they empty into the interior.
You can tell the approximate origin of the telepathic message, enough to a specific tank...
”Look here, my friends. Each aquarium has a control panel that opens either of its sides; it can open to Terra 5’s interior and exterior, but it looks like not both at the same time. It must be some sort of water lock with the ocean outside the lab. Also, look here. The metal tanks reclaim the water, and the nets catch the contents of the aquariums when they empty into the interior.
”I think we can figure out where that telepathic message is coming from!”
It looks like it's the entire school of fish. But they're not fish, they're something more. they're message seems to be a request for freedom.
You're snapped back to reality as the station continues to buckle. The water lock containing reef fragments shorts out in a shower of sparks, and both sides of its aquarium, interior and exterior, begin to open simultaneously!
What's worse, it's in this moment you realize that some of the scientific equipment in here is worth a fortune!
Water level 1: ankles.
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Chip! Angel! FIX IT! the vesk angrily snaps. Annoyed by them freezing for a sec.
He turns to Aldo Can you telepathically ask the little eel school if they know anything about Shan, or any otter person?
Chip! Angel! FIX IT! the vesk angrily snaps. Annoyed by them freezing for a sec.
Chip immediately states loudly EMERGENCY CLOSE! but when that doesn't work, the 'droid detaches the drone to try to shut the doors.
<--really Dice Bot? Really???
He turns to Aldo Can you telepathically ask the little eel school if they know anything about Shan, or any otter person?
While furiously punching buttons, Chip glances up at Kaz. Perhaps they can find Olive, the Other Reindeer as well
Aldo tries to communicate with eels. "We are happy to free you from your prison, but we are looking for Shan. Do you know her?"
While trying to talk to the eels, Aldo looks for ways to release them.
"Was never a fan of schools, but I can make an exception for fish I guess."
Ouch. The dice robot hates us.
"No, but we need freedom. Freedom!"
Chip begins adjusting his button-punching. I will free the captives. There is a great deal of valuable materials here--can the rest of you see what you can recover?
”Good plan, Chip! Grab what you can!”
Aldo looks for anything of value to grab before they make their hasty departure.
The vesk quickly looks around for something valuable to grab.
Perception
Angel spent enough time in prison to agree that freeing them is worth it. She grabs whatever she can of value, especially electronics.
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The party works quickly to salvage about 10,000 Credits worth of equipment! The strange eel creatures flee to the waters. They leave with a strong push of one final - rather clear thought: The Aglian give thanks.
The chamber quickly floods, and you seal it off behind you. [ooc]Now where?
Kaz listens at the door
perception
”Do you hear anything, Big guy?”
Aldo joins in and listens at the door.
The western connecting hallway is dry for the moment. The door to the west gives no hint as to what's on the other side, so Kaz opens it.
Machine parts are strewn about this dark, crowded workshop. The only light emanates from a control console showing a video feed of the terraforming base as seen from right outside. The smell of oil and grease fills the air. There's a human in here, unconscious and slumped over in a folding chair.
Chip quickly examines the unconscious human (which, a bit disconcertingly, includes his drone crawling over him taking certain measurements)
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Chip confirms that the man is not, in fact, dead.
Aldo gives the human a Mk1 Serum of Healing to try and revive the body.
The man comes to, but he's really groggy - most likely concussed. "What... what happened? There.... There was an explosion... Wait? Who are you? Am I dead?"
”Not at all, my friend. Aldo Cygnaurius at your service! You looked like you were having a rough day, and I suppose we were fortunate enough to find you.”
Aldo gives the man a moment to recover before asking further questions.
”Would you happen to know a Brenneri named Shan?”
"Ah who? Wait.... Aldo? Aldo, the station was just ... we... BLEW UP! I need to get to the ROV to get to work. I can make it safer for us to..."
He gets up to move to the vehicle, but stumbles and falls along the way, just two steps after getting up.
”Slow down, my friend. First, tell us who you are and what you’re doing here. Perhaps we can help each other.”
"I'm... structural engineer. I... my job is repairs. We... We'll die if we don't fix ruptures."
Aldo doesn't see a reason to doubt him.
Chip's drone flies back to hover near him.
We will want to get some additional data on the nature of the "station blew up" statement, but for now we would be wise to defer to your expertise and affect repairs as quickly as possible. Please use me and my colleague Angel here to assist you, we are both also skilled in computers and engineering.
"Oh good. You can pilot it. I'll tell you how. I don't think I'.... ready."
Chip begins receiving instruction...
Chip jumps in the ROV and starts making some quick critical repairs
Based o nthe conversation between Chip and the groggy engineer, it seems like the station was rocked by an explosion by its main drill. Likely a gas deposite.
The vesk is a little out of his depth. He scans the surroundings for danger, loot, or maybe something that looks like a useful tool for repair.
Perception
Kaz looks around, and like any good soldier, focuses in on helpful opportunities.
Secured to the wall are three advanced emergency repair kits, each full of limited-use nanites designed to adapt to and repair a variety of machinery.
Kaz looks around, and like any good soldier, focuses in on helpful opportunities.
Secured to the wall are three advanced emergency repair kits, each full of limited-use nanites designed to adapt to and repair a variety of machinery.
The soldier grabs them and quickly secures them to his pack
”Good find, Kaz. Now let’s keep going and see if we can find Shan before it’s too late. Thanks for your help, Mr. Structural Engineer. Do you have a name that we may call you? Do you have any suggestions on where to go to stop all of this flooding?”
"I'm Dev, and your friend out there is doing the only thing I can think of... though to be honest, I'm not even sure I'm thinking clearly."
The scrawny mechanic jumps into action trying to help stop the flow of water.
Engineering
The ROV allows only one pilot at a time as it's super small. I'll let that be the second roll for Chip.
Chip continues to work. It's harder to find key spots now, but not impossible.
He then returns to the bay. Dev is better now, but clearly not a Company Man nor a compatant. With the station not nearly in danger of colapsing, he opts to stay tight. If things go bad, he'll escape in the ROV.
So, where to now? You've explored about a quarter of the facility, with no sign of Tarika's daughter, Shan.
So, where to now? You've explored about a quarter of the facility, with no sign of Tarika's daughter, Shan.
The party moves on. Kaz sets up on another door w/ his doshko in hand ready for violence. He opens the door
Angel snaps out of her momentary state of distraction and joins Kaz.
”Go for it, Kaz! We are right behind you!”
This cramped, damp-smelling room hosts ten bunks, five above and five below. Each bunk has a simple vidscreen built into the wall next to it, along with a shallow recess that holds personal items, most of which have scattered across the room.
Atop one of the bunks is a terrified shirren. "WHAT NOW?! CORPO ASSASSINS! GAHHHH!!!!!!"
the shirren looks like they're about to flee, but they are also armed and look like they're going to shoot their way out.
INITIATIVE:
ROUND 1:
Angel: Go
Chip Go:
Shirren: TBD
Aldo TBD:
Kaz: TBD
******************************************
Location: Underwater Combat
Jelly: 62
DMG to the boat: 30