Starside

[Recaiden]

[Dyson Sphere]

Yone leans up against the door and listens for anything on the other side. But if it seems quiet or she can place the sound, she goes on to push the button.

[Moon Lander]

Chevin fiddles with the controls and sets them on their way of falling in a long fast arc down to the moon.

"Mostly stealing pirates. They were part of an armada of alien invaders who got left behind and raid travelers to get by. But they do capture people who look useful or delicious. They're about to be on their way back from hitting a freighter at the nexus-moon L2 fuel depot; we're going to spot them going by and follow the ship back to their hideout."

[Reinholdt]

[Dyson Sphere]

Reinholdt takes the standard flanking position once more, this time preparing to shoot immediately if he sees a giant insect in need of being put down.

[Felandria]

[Moon Lander]

Chevin fiddles with the controls and sets them on their way of falling in a long fast arc down to the moon.

"Mostly stealing pirates. They were part of an armada of alien invaders who got left behind and raid travelers to get by. But they do capture people who look useful or delicious. They're about to be on their way back from hitting a freighter at the nexus-moon L2 fuel depot; we're going to spot them going by and follow the ship back to their hideout."

Fel nods.

Okay, gotcha.

So we’re not just fighting pirates, we’re fighting alien pirates.

Do we know what kind of weaponry they might have?

[bc56]

Dyson Sphere

The door is silent. When the button is pushed, the door opens. The room beyond is smaller than the last two and furnished quite differently. Along the curving walls are racks containing several items. Many seem to be falling apart with age, but the few that are intact are recognizable as guns, astonishingly advanced looking weapons. No two are quite identical, and each is printed with alien writing like wat was on the door.

[Recaiden]

[Dyson Sphere]

An armory!? Yone rushes in and looks over the guns - there's not enough space in here to think testing them is a good idea, but she can examine them all. All different from each other, curiously. Maybe this was a place to keep examples, or a workshop. Definitely the work of the same people who built the place...do the items give any more clues about them?

[Moon Lander]

"Well, you're also an alien, sir." Most people are, here in the Nexus.
Chevin shrugs and watches over the lander's controls as the landing thrusters start up.
"I think they had swords, laser pistols, some harpoons."

[Reinholdt]

[Dyson Sphere]

Oooh. Ranged weapons. Better go through to find the smallest weapon that looks to have stood up the best against the ravages of time. Rein's going to steal that one and keep a hold of it until the time comes to unload it on some unsuspecting insect alien.

[bc56]

Dyson Sphere

Each gun appears to have started with the same basic design and been heavily modified. Each has a basic trapezoidal stock with a barrel protruding from one side. One has a wider barrel and is much heavier than it appears. Another has a wider stock and four barrels in parallel. A third has a complex lens over the end of its barrel, and the last has a longer barrel and a large telescopic sight.

[Recaiden]

Yone picks up the one with four barrels and tests its weight. Clearly made for someone with a different arrangement of limbs and vertebrae...but it'll do.
Otherwise, this room looks like a dead end, so it's back to the chamber with the lizards and the trees, isn't it? Looks like they'll try the darkened passage after all.

[Felandria]

[Moon Lander]

"Well, you're also an alien, sir." Most people are, here in the Nexus.
Chevin shrugs and watches over the lander's controls as the landing thrusters start up.
"I think they had swords, laser pistols, some harpoons."

Right.

I gotta be careful around harpoons.

So, are we looking at a direct approach or we wanna sneak up on ‘em?

[Reinholdt]

[Dyson Sphere]

Reinholdt grabs the one with complex lens for variety and the one with telescopic sight for consistency. He's definitely more experienced with the latter.

This was the darkened passage wasn't it? They didn't go particularly deep into the carnivorous raptor baby lizard tunnel though. Time to head back there.

[bc56]

Dyson Sphere

Yone will find that the four-barreled rifle is quite heavy, probably because of some complex internal mechanism. Inspecting the trigger area reveals that the creature it was made for was probably smaller than a human, and had two fingers on each hand.

The sniper rifle Reinholdt picks up is also fairly heavy for its size. The scope is carved into a kaleidoscopic lens which is disorienting to look through, but with practice or compound eyes, using it will make spotting invisible enemies much easier.

[Recaiden]

[Dyson Sphere]

No no, this is the carnivorous baby lizard tunnel which Yone insisted they continue down. It used to be dark as well (though only further in than the lizards), but Rein got its lights back on. Here, check Yone's (angle-incorrect and overly 2-D) map.

Speaking of Yone, she thinks having four barrels is plenty of reason to be relatively heavy.
"It's such a cute little gun." Maybe it was big for the builders, but they were smaller than humans who are smaller than her. After aiming it here and there to get used to the heft, she follows Reinhold't lead.

[Moon Lander]

"I usually take the direct approach, but if I recall correctly, this time we're going to be sneaky."
As the thrusters finish their work, they touch down far on the dark side of the moon, just outside a small crater (that is still easily big enough to swallow up the moon lander).

Chevin tries to vault up out of the lander and do a cool flip- but shi didn't judge the light gravity correctly and is now tumbling through space out of control, about to flop onto the surface an embarrassing distance away.

[Felandria]

[Moon Lander]

"I usually take the direct approach, but if I recall correctly, this time we're going to be sneaky."
As the thrusters finish their work, they touch down far on the dark side of the moon, just outside a small crater (that is still easily big enough to swallow up the moon lander).

Chevin tries to vault up out of the lander and do a cool flip- but shi didn't judge the light gravity correctly and is now tumbling through space out of control, about to flop onto the surface an embarrassing distance away.

Felandria sees Chevin starting to float away and hustles over to grab hir.

I gotcha!

Fel helps Chevin to the ground.

Alright, since this is a stealth mission.....


Fel shrinks down to a mere 6’4”.

[Reinholdt]

[Dyson Sphere]

"Your standards seem skewed." What on earth is cute about guns? Oh right. They're off-planet. Well then Rein supposes it's an acceptable turn of phrase.

He'll lead the way back to the darkened passageway. He used up his flashlight batteries getting here though, so he'll just have to settle for the feline's ability to mostly see in the dark and let the others fend for themselves in some way.

[bc56]

Dyson Sphere
According to my map, you just explored the dark passage. I interpreted "Reinholdt looks back at the darkened passage" as going back to the first room and checking if the lights were back on there. Sorry for the confusion.

The other ground level passage leads back past the lizards and the circuit box, and continues for some distance beyond.

[Recaiden]

[Dyson Sphere]

((Well, looks like I got confused. Sorry.))

"Are you sure you aren't the skewed one?"
Yone likewise relies on her mundane vision. Surely the cadets have useful goggles and/or spare flashlight batteries for themselves.

"Do we have any clue where the little three-eyed thing got to?" she inquire while creeping along.

[Moon Lander]

"..."
"Thanks."
Chevin manages to say, bashful.

Shi looks up at the 'still 61% taller than hir' Felandria.
"Good idea, but...do you get any smaller?"

[Felandria]

[Moon Lander]

"..."
"Thanks."
Chevin manages to say, bashful.

Shi looks up at the 'still 61% taller than hir' Felandria.
"Good idea, but...do you get any smaller?"

Felandria nods.

Sure, don’t usually have a reason to bust this out, but.......

Fel shrinks down to the size of a pixie, and she has now sprouted wings.

Do NOT call me Tinkerbell.

[Reinholdt]

[Dyson Sphere]

"Positive." Reinholdt nods. "Don't know about the critter. Could have gone to that door up there. Or into any number of small vents we've ignored." Reinholdt motions at the door halfway up the wall as they pass back through the center area, heading for the area past the circuit box and beyond.

[Earl of Purple]

Lost in Space- Prisoner Transport Shuttle 67D-Thorn/Y "Tough Girl"

There's a warp in space-time as a quantum gateway opens. Through the gate flies a sleek, rather small bright orange spaceship, which slowly unfolds a series of solar sails and engine pods, before all movement stops. There's a series of explosions at the front of the vessel, flames flickering briefly before the vacuum extinguishes them. After the explosion, orange panels and metal struts float away into the void, followed by three human bodies wearing black insect-like armour. The armour is designed for use in zero-g, but not full vacuum, and their limited life support systems aren't designed for use in space itself.

The depressurisation is limited to the ship's bridge, though the engines and propulsion systems have been disabled. An automatic distress signal is broadcast on all bands, a pre-recorded request for assistance on all known radio waves. It plays for five minutes before an actual human takes over and starts giving useful information. "This is Lieutenant Simon Brown of the United Law Enforcement for Human-Aligned Systems. This transport shuttle has been disabled by a series of explosions, sabotage I'd guess, and the crew compartment lacks all life support. The cells are on a different system, which is how I have survived. There's five prisoners with me, all dangerous in their own ways. They're trying to get out. Please, if anyone can hear this, come help me."

[bc56]

Dyson Sphere

The path continues to another atrium. This one is slightly smaller and lacks the trees with glowing fruit, but vines hang from the ceiling. Strange creatures, like scaly monkeys swing back and forth high above, chattering to each other. A closed door stands to the left, and a staircase up to another is on the right.

[Recaiden]

[Dyson Sphere]

After a quick survey of the vine-filled atrium, Yone nods to the right and makes a suggestion. "The probe could climb stairs, couldn't it? I think the open path is probably the most likely one." But she keeps her eyes on the scaly brachiators.

[Piratehunters on the Moon]

Chevin's face breaks into a grin, and shi crouches down to pick up the tiny Felandria. (After all, wings might not help you when there's no air. Shi doesn't know the fine details of pixie dust). But shi can't resist making a joke.
"Wouldn't that be 'Tinkerfel', sir? That's much smaller than I was expecting, but it should be perfect for sneaking into the base."

[Felandria]

[Piratehunters on the Moon]

Chevin's face breaks into a grin, and shi crouches down to pick up the tiny Felandria. (After all, wings might not help you when there's no air. Shi doesn't know the fine details of pixie dust). But shi can't resist making a joke.
"Wouldn't that be 'Tinkerfel', sir? That's much smaller than I was expecting, but it should be perfect for sneaking into the base."

Fel almost throws a fit, but that was a good one, so she lets it slide.

Fair enough.

Alright, let’s go!

[Reinholdt]

[Dyson Sphere]

Rein shrugs a little. "Pretty sure probes can hover and get wherever they want for the most part. At least one of the three probably went for that high up door back there." Moving cautiously and slowly so as not to startle the scaly monkeys, Rein heads up the stairs and listens at the door to ensure no giant insects before attempting to open it.

[bc56]

Dyson Sphere

As everyone learned in the briefing, the probes can fly, just not very fast. One could've easily reached an elevated passageway.
The door seems quiet. As Reinholdt and Yone approach it, a curious monkey-lizard swings down, chittering something and pulling at Yone's fur with its tiny hand.

[Recaiden]

[Dyson Sphere]

It would have been too easy to just walk through.
"Hey!" Yone reaches back to try and brush the monkey away; she's still using that fur! Carefully, though. It doesn't seem aggressive nor particularly dangerous (yet).

[Dark Side of the Moon]

Chevin sets them off, racing across the moon in great bounding strides.
If one was looking overhead while they bounced through the moon-dust, one might see a few bright flashes from the approaching pirate-ship, heading to land somewhere in front of them.

...

It's a bit of a hike. They couldn't land too close without alerting the pirates that someone was onto them, after all.

[Felandria]

[Dark Side of the Moon]

Chevin sets them off, racing across the moon in great bounding strides.
If one was looking overhead while they bounced through the moon-dust, one might see a few bright flashes from the approaching pirate-ship, heading to land somewhere in front of them.

...

It's a bit of a hike. They couldn't land too close without alerting the pirates that someone was onto them, after all.

Fel will cast a protection spell around Chevin, and, therefore herself as well.

Yo ho!

[Reinholdt]

[Dyson Sphere]

"Make a friend?" Reinholdt pauses to watch the monkey business play out, but keeps an out above just in case. One curious monkey lizard is probably fine, if not favorable for the fur. A swarm of them could be dangerous.

[bc56]

Dyson Sphere

After tugging on Yone's fur, the creature swings away, seemingly bored.

[Recaiden]

[Dyson Sphere]

"Flighty, but friendly enough. Not sure how smart they really are." Maybe the monkey has a sinister reason for coming up, trying to steal a strand of loose fur. Maybe it's exactly what it seems like.

Anyway, Yone tries the door, since it did seem quiet.

[Dark Side of the Moon]

Eventually, the vast crater that they're headed towards comes into view. A few thousand feet deep at the center, and appropriately broad, the pirate hideout is dug into the slopes on the right-hand side, where the glittering lights of the docks and shuttles can be seen. Chevin starts skirting around to the side; they'll want to drop right down on the pirates. Meanwhile, one can clearly see the dark shape of the pirate ship interrupting the stars as it sweeps down to land at its base.

Lost in Space- Prisoner Transport Shuttle 67D-Thorn/Y "Tough Girl"

There's a warp in space-time as a quantum gateway opens. Through the gate flies a sleek, rather small bright orange spaceship, which slowly unfolds a series of solar sails and engine pods, before all movement stops. There's a series of explosions at the front of the vessel, flames flickering briefly before the vacuum extinguishes them. After the explosion, orange panels and metal struts float away into the void, followed by three human bodies wearing black insect-like armour. The armour is designed for use in zero-g, but not full vacuum, and their limited life support systems aren't designed for use in space itself.

The depressurisation is limited to the ship's bridge, though the engines and propulsion systems have been disabled. An automatic distress signal is broadcast on all bands, a pre-recorded request for assistance on all known radio waves. It plays for five minutes before an actual human takes over and starts giving useful information. "This is Lieutenant Simon Brown of the United Law Enforcement for Human-Aligned Systems. This transport shuttle has been disabled by a series of explosions, sabotage I'd guess, and the crew compartment lacks all life support. The cells are on a different system, which is how I have survived. There's five prisoners with me, all dangerous in their own ways. They're trying to get out. Please, if anyone can hear this, come help me."

A few minutes after the actual spoken message sounds, a rather small mirror-bright egg-shaped spaceship appears a relatively short distance from the Tough Girl, drifting in sync with it, emitting a brilliant flash of blue light with its arrival. The jump complete, its spars retract into the masts, the masts fold down into the egg, and the ship twists around to train its starboard gun turret on the transport shuttle. Just in case.

Then, they radio back. Wouldn't have been much point in signalling early, when they would have beaten the message here. "Singer Ship 'Mote' responding to distress signal. What is the situation in the cell block?" If they can just nip in and pick up the Lieutenant first, that's one thing. If they'll need to fight past dangerous space prisoners who may have already killed all their jailers, that's another. And they had considered that this might be a trap, though the Tough Girl does look pretty disabled.

[Earl of Purple]

Lost in Space- Prisoner Transport Shuttle 67D-Thorn/Y "Tough Girl"

"The forcefields are up, and powered by the same subsystem as the life support and gravity in this section. It's designed so in an emergency the crew can turn it all off and vent it to space, though, ah... In this case it's prevented the prisoners dying with the crew. I rather think that's a design flaw, albeit one which has, so far, saved my life." He hates to think what might happen if it was just the prisoners alive. They haven't gotten out yet, but then he's been doing things they want him to do, to an extent- call for help, and talk to rescuers. "We've got power enough to supply gravity, air and forcefields for three days. After that, gravity is switched off, to lengthen air and locks span, for three more days. After that, I've got two hours of air in which the prisoners will be loose in here with me, though it won't matter because the food is in the crew compartment and that's sealed. Access is the airlock in the roof. Um, I'll turn on the transponder so you can identify it. I don't have a view outside, so I don't know where you are in relation to me." The lieutenant (and as I forgot to mention, he's pronouncing it the British way, lef-tenant) does as he's said, and a radio homing beacon in one of the vessel's three airlocks starts beeping (the prisoner's airlock, a larger crew's airlock and a much larger cargo airlock for supplies).