Iron Stars

Rin awakens on the night world of Acastus. The first of its three moons are rising, the enormous and jagged alien rune carved on it

9:19 AM

glares down at the planet , tonight somewhat more menacingly as the news plays and the report of Fleshshapers heading here is circulated. All that can wait. The Blood Hands, a rival gang, has moved into a warehouse nearby and unbeknownst to them have also occupied the location of your gangs biggest contraband stashes.

She lies on her back for a while, pondering what Leadership is going to ask her to do this time. "Of course they'd move in now, right when things were starting to quiet down a little.", she thinks to herself before getting up and dressing herself in her only style of clothes - a slim-fit dark dress shirt and a long dark skirt, both flowing easily over her light skin. "Leadership are going to want that contraband back yeaterday, and they don't like to be kept waiting". Looking out at the first moon just before she starts making her way to HQ, she hopes that The Blood Hands will be reasonable this time.

It’s first rise and the “day” shift workers are beginning to come out. The crowds on the sidewalks are still thin for now, not that you’ll need to take them to reach where you are going. The factory district is 2 kilometers from your hideout by foot, with a number of short alley fences that need to be hopped over on the way. With you are six of your own gang, all initiates save one, a brute of an older teen named Hamhock, his oversized for his body fists hanging loosely at his sides as he walks

Rin tries to recall if she'd been given any details about the mission and asks, "Hamhock, have you been to this warehouse before? Can you tell me anything about it?".

“I was there once. The front gate rolls open. Second floor inside too. Slept in the office up there once. Real comfy. Bolt hole and hiding spot in the back. Should have someone watch that”

"Alright. When we get close, we'll will find somewhere to setup and scout things out a bit, then you take a couple of the others and do a sweep around.". Rin continues making her way through the back alleys, over fences, towards the factory district. (edited)

11:29 PM

(Let me know when I should roll for things, and what to roll for, as I have no idea)

(Oh no problem I know this is your first time. I’ll let you know)

6:44 AM

You make your way to two blocks before the old hideout , just outside of the newly claimed red hand territory. So far you haven’t seen any sentries or suspicious cars, but to get closer an idea of where threats are located is needed. Hamhock brings the rest of the team to a halt , and taps you on the shoulder. He points up and someone in an apartment building across the street - the fifth floor from your reckoning- is paying rapt attention to your group from their window

6:44 AM

“Might be a spotter. Think we should pay them a visit?”

(Would Hamhock be someone that I'd have practiced Telepathic Contact with prior to this - for the zero effort on Facile Mind?) (edited)

(Yeah id say so)

Rin takes a moment to think about how to approach this, and decides that it's probably best to stay together for now, at least until she knows some more information about other potential threats. Splitting up wouldn't turn out well if she were confronted - she's never been very good at combat herself. That's what Hamhock is for after all. "I think we should - we could also use where he is to setup and scout the area, but let me find out what he's up to first." As she glances up at the person in the apartment window, making sure she can see him clearly, she closes her eyes and focuses her mind, reaching out to connect with him. (I'd like to use Telepathic Contact on the person in the window - 1 effort for scene)

You sense his emotional state as tense. He knows those not aligned with the gang nor people who live in the neighborhood are here and is not sure what might be coming

(I'm assuming that I'd know if he communicates with anyone for the duration of the scene?)

(It’s just his emotions and you can speak with him, you wouldn’t have full access to@his thoughts or actions

(Ohh I see, I misunderstood the description. That makes sense though)

(How does another character interpret being communicated with through telepathy? Is it something where they know it's telepathy once you start communicating to them?)

(Id imagine they would since it’s in their head and this being right after the scream, psychics were much more mainstay in recent memory )

(Alright, good to know, thanks. Is communication 1 way or 2 way, and is it only 1 contact at a time?) "Seems we're already known as outsiders. Be careful until we know their numbers, don't want to get overwhelmed or surprised. Let's go pay our friend up there a visit." Rin begins making her way towards the main entrance of the apartment building. As they make their way towards the building, she gives a small gesture to 1 of the initiates to look around the bottom floor for any other exits that may be around.

(It’s two way once opened and I know there’s a way to have more than 1 open without effort but you have to spend a week with that person)

6:25 PM

There is a fire escape down the side of the building which is standard on tall brownstones like these. There’s also a back door on the ground floor that leads to the alley and where the garbage is usually kept until take-out day

(Yeah you mentioned earlier I could do it without effort with Hamhock, so was wanting to do that but wasn't sure if I could do both at the same time) "You two keep an eye out down here for anyone leaving or entering. Try and stay hidden, and don't do anything stupid. The rest of you us will go up and greet our new friend." After telling 2 initiates to stay down here and watch the exits, Rin motions for Hamhock to go in front of her as they make their way up to the 5th floor. (edited)

The elevator is out but you arrive up there after taking the stairs. His door is closed, one of six apartments on this floor , and you can see that the peephole has been covered

She looks to Hamhock, "What do you think? Should we knock?"

“Knock” he makes a short rapping gesture “or knock” and he gestures as though kicking the door in

"Let's go with the second option.", she says as she backs up a bit away from the door

He nods, and throws his tremendously fatty and somehow still muscled body at the door. It bangs open, and the wooden frame spllinters. Inside you hear a gasp of alarm

Rin waits for Hamhock to enter, following behind him, looking around to get an idea of who's in the room. She gestures to the 2 initiates with them to search any other rooms.

They begin looking through other rooms in the apartment. In the main living area it’s just the lookout and the apartment as far as you can see has the hallmarks of a man living alone, judging by the mess

Seeing that there's only the lookout in the room, Rin begins walking to the window. "Sorry about the door, wasn't sure if you were alone. I noticed that you were watching us earlier - why was that?", she asks. She focuses slightly on the lookout, looking in to his mind to try to understand his emotions as she begins to question him.

6:18 AM

(I'm not sure if the single word emotion from telepathic contact is enough for me to tell if/when he's lying or not, but that's kinda what I was going for. If not, then just whatever it can actually tell me)

(It’s not. You can infer based on emotion I’d say but not the level of detail you’re after) You sense his fear at the gang of intruders in his apartment

"Don't feel like talking? This'll be a lot nicer if you co-operate, you know. I'll only be asking a couple of questions, maybe staying around here for a while, then we'll be leaving.". Rin approaches the windows as she's talking, hands clasped behind her back, looking out towards where the warehouse is located in an attempt to see if she can find any others that may be lookouts.

You can see the warehouse from here, and the only visible guard is a rifleman on the roof , covering the main door from above. He can only be seen thanks to the cigarette he has not put out. But you have him now

As she's done many times before, Rin focuses on connecting her mind to Hamhock, and speaks to him telepathically, "This guy just seems scared, I'm not sure we'll get anything useful from him, and I don't want to waste time trying to make him talk. There's another lookout on the roof of the warehouse, covering the main gate. Knock this one out and tie him up, then we'll go and circle around to the warehouse and see if there's a back way in.". She begins to wonder what's taking the initiates so long to come back from the other rooms. "And check on the other 2." (edited)

The other initiates end up fine, busying themselves taking items of value from the home and stuffing them into their pockets. No others are found and the way the furniture has been pulled apart you can see the search was thorough, if destructive.

"Alright, tie him up and lets go. Time's wasting." Rin leaves the apartment and heads to the ground floor to wait for everyone to regroup before making their way towards the main warehouse, trying to avoid the main entrance where she saw the lookout from the window earlier.

(Lets get a sneak/dex then, for skirting the building and remaining undetected)

9:50 PM

(When you roll sneak from the character sheet it will ask with what attribute, pick dexterity)

(How do you roll from the character sheet?)

(try now, it was in edit mode, just click sneak)

(4)

You round the corner, a mere block from the warehouse, when you stumble face first into two patrolmen of the Blood Hands. They are both young, wearing ill fitting clothing, and each clutches some sort of repurposed road sign as a spear, or a club, depending on how you'd think to use it

8:13 PM

they are 10m from you, and both groups seem to be frozen on the spot

Being completely unsuited for combat, Rin takes a moment to gather herself at the unexpected patrolmen before her, before taking a step back, trying to move away from what is probably going to end up as weapons flying. Placing her hand on the grip of the laser pistol at her waist, just in case she needs it, she calls to the initiates and Hamhock, "Take care of them, boys. And make it quick.". (edited)

(Lets get initiative)

8:39 PM

(just so we can keep track of whos doing what when)

(2)

(Them, you, your mob) The Blood Hands patrolmen seem to pull themselves together first, and begin sprinting back towards their hideout, Seeing as how they are outnumbered 2:1, it seems like the best choice

8:48 PM

(theyre now 20m away)

Seeing them start running away, Rin takes a moment to ready her pistol and take a shot at the furthest of the patrolmen.

8:58 PM

(1d20 + attack bonus?) (edited)

(if you click the laser pistol on your sheet it will do it all for you with all the modifiers included)

9:14 PM

(but if youre curious as to the actual way its figured out for a gun, its d20+shoot skill+dex mod+attack bonus)

(4/3, I somehow roll terribly for everything :D)

The gunshot clips a brick building to the left of the running figures and your own mob sets off at a run after the escaping sentries. Hamhock throws a brick, knocking one of the runners on his face , out cold

6:36 AM

The remaining one continues sprinting away down the alley. (He’s 30m from you, 10m from your friends and your friends are 10m from you )

6:36 AM

(Your turn again since everyone else double moved

"Ugh, times like this I wish I'd gone to a firing range more." she thinks to herself as she tries to take aim at the remaining patrolman before pulling the trigger. (12/2)

He falls, the gunshot piercing the night, and the round strikes him in the back. He tumbles end over end once leaving a streak of blood up the alley , and comes to a rest on his stomach

Rin gathers herself, putting her pistol back in it's holster, before walking forwards. "Hide these two in case there's more patrols later, we don't want to be surrounded while we're in the warehouse. Catch up to us.", she says to the initiates before turning to Hamhock, "Let's get moving quickly, they may have heard the noise and come investigate." She makes her way towards the nearby warehouse, somewhat more on guard than before after the brief encounter with the patrol.

For a moment the entire city shakes, as the Ash City breaker gun fires, the red hot lance of energy streaming skyward. Some sort of comet or asteroid looks to have been the target , and after a moment of watching it is clear the shot will miss. That said, whatever is coming down looks like it won’t hit the city. The warehouse looks to be unguarded from this side though you can hear excited chattering from within , likely at whatever the commotion in space is. The guards, if they were posted here , have either gone to get news or went inside to gossip

Rin looks towards the skies as the energy beam rises, and remembers the news reports from earlier. "I guess the Fleshshapers are here already,", she thinks to herself, as she begins to wonder if maybe there could be more to life than this gang life that she has. Space, adventure, aliens... She's brought back to the current situation by the sound of people talking inside the warehouse, "I'll think about that later...". "Doesn't look like there's any guards out here. Try find windows so we can see who's inside. And a ladder or something to get to the second floor." she whispers to the others, trying not to alert the people within the warehouse, before gesturing to split up in 3 groups of 2, Hamhock going with her. She then begins to walk slowly around the outside, looking for a way to see inside.

There is a dirty glass window you can smudge enough dust off of to see inside. Four gang members sit around a table listening to a radio. You can’t hear the actual broadcast itself from out here. They don’t look to be within easy reach of their weapons. A stack of crates separated them from being able to easily look at the stairwell leading up to the office. The lights are off up there.

"What do you think, reckon we could surprise them?", Rin whispers to Hamhock, "If we're quick we could get them before they can get their weapons, would make it easier for us. Doesn't look like anyone's upstairs at the moment either. You didn't happen to bring any grenades did you?"

"Military grade explosives?" he raises an eyebrow "Really?"

7:47 PM

"We could try sneaking in, if they see us we're going to need to fall on them quick"

"Bad idea, alright." she says while watching the four inside the warehouse, "Let's try sneaking while the radio keeps them distracted. If they do see us, try and keep one alive.". As she begins to crouch towards the entrance, she prepares her pistol again, just in case she needs it.

(Lets get a new sneak/dex)

8:07 PM

(since this is a new scene)

(3)

The door opens on very squeaking hinges and the four gang members look up to see your group piling into the door. There is a tense moment as both sides stare one another down

Rin walks in, cursing under her breath when the door squeaks. As she looks up at the four gang members in front of her, she says, "Alright boys, we both know that you don't want to be here. And quite frankly, I'm tired and would rather avoid a fight right now. So how about you all walk out of here and leave this warehouse to us. You know, cos it was ours to begin with."

9:26 PM

(Talk/Cha roll?)

(Yeah normally if what you’re saying makes sense I don’t like leaving it up to just that but they have a vested interest in squatting here

(10)

“Alright alright. None of us want to be here but it’s because of whatever the fucks going on up in space , not this. We’ll be back when this is over. You can count on it”

"We'll be waiting, don't worry." Rin stands to the side, waiting for them to leave, before telling the others to go over the warehouse and check what's been left, then making a call to HQ to give an update.

(3xp, 5000 credits)

(Level 2 2d6 HP - rolled 6 (3, 3), New hp is 6 Foci - Authority 1 (Does this increase Lead from 0 -> 1?) Skill Point 1 - Nullifier 0 Skill Point 2 - Nullifier 1/2 Skill Point 3 - Nullifier 1 -- Technique Fade) (edited)

The warehouse in your possession the cache is recovered and the blood hands seem to be keeping their distance. Emergency broadcasts slowly end as victory is achieved in space though looking outside, Acastus now has a fourth moon in the sky, cracked and heavily broken from fighting as it is

Rin walks around the interior of the warehouse, making note of anything that my be useful. As the emergency broadcasts come to an end , she thinks to herself, "Seems like they've won the battle with the shapers. Although I do wonder what the thing that crashed on the surface earlier is... Maybe there's alien tech in the ruins...". She begins daydreaming about what it would have been like to be a part of the battle - being a pilot, fighting to protect the fleet and the planet; medics, tending to the wounded; a diplomat, working with allies to being aid.. Recently she's been feeling like there's a life for her outside of the gang. Something more... exciting, extravagant, adventurous. She's been feeling lost, like she doesn't have a purpose. Protecting gang assets, negotiating with suppliers and allies, "persuading" people.. it's okay, but it doesn't give her the fulfilment it once did. Surely there's more she can use her skills for than lining her bosses pockets. People don't leave the gangs though. At least not voluntarily. Or alive. As she finishes up, she thanks the others for the good work before making a call. "Boss, warehouse is ours again. They'll be back later, we should think about putting some people here".

Your message is taken and you are given a commendation for the effort. Posters all over the city speak of joining the Greystar civic leadership, especially as the ranks to draw from on Acastus were depleted during the still lady’s many purges. If you wanted to get out of this life of crime, it is hard to see a better opportunity than now. The posters go on to state and interested must go to the newly rebuilding central government offices

Rin takes a moment to tell the others that she's going to run some errands before leaving the warehouse and making her way to the central government offices. "Maybe I can just never go back, and they'll never notice.", she thinks to herself, as she makes her way there.

The building is under construction on its second floor, and above, but it is bustling with soldiers, workers, and applicants. There is a small queue forming at the doors, with soldiers screening those seeking entry

Rin makes her way to join the queue while taking in the sights. "This is gonna be real fancy when it's finished", she thinks to herself, still not quite believing what she's doing.

You’re eventually brought to the front of the line as almost eberyone is processed. One of the guards stops you as you’re about to pass and head in. “Name? And reason for visit ?”

"Rin Kage. I saw the flyers around saying that you're recruiting people to join Greystar, I'm wanting to apply."

“Ah excellent. Head on inside and up the stairs. There’s an information and human resource office there, let them know what your skills are and they’ll find something for you to do. You’re doing everyone a service by being willing to sign up at all” he smiles

"Thank you". Rin makes her way to the officer, taking in the sights of the interior. She's never been in a place quite like this... It's certainly different to the places she's used to working.

7:08 PM

"Hi, the officer at the entrance told me to come to you to apply to join."

You're directed to a small computer terminal, where a quick questionnaire and a brief aptitude test show you are indeed qualified to enter the diplomatic services. you notice there are no questions about if you are a psychic, or otherwise MES sensitive.

9:43 PM

A pass, giving you entry to the Greystar space hab, above the planet now once again that the battle is done is printed for you, along with instructions to report to Director Kensh aboard, for your first assignment

After completing the questionnaire, Rin takes the pass that was printed while wondering to herself why they didn't ask anything about being a psychic. Something to think about later, maybe. "Time to find this Director Kensh and see what my first assignment is", she thinks to herself while looking around for signs showing directions how to get to the space hab.

There is a cargo lighter on the roof taking you and two other selected applicants into orbit. A guard accompanies you. From the roof, you can see an armored column of Acastus Homeguard heading out to the western edge of the city , in a long chain of vehicles. Each is loaded down with soldiers and towing some kind of field gun

"I guess that's where the thing from earlier crash landed", Rin thinks to herself. "I guess the fightings not over quite yet, with all those guns...". "Is something happening out to the west?", she asks the guard as they're walking, in an attempt to try and get information.

“A piece of the moon came down with enemy survivors aboard. They’re digging in from what we heard, but surrounded. Just doing some mopping up out on the frontier”

4:37 PM

The ramp of the lighter lowers and you’re led inside to its cramped crew compartment. Bench seats have been hastily welded to the side walls of the shuttle craft to allow it to carry passengers beyond its crew

As she takes a seat in the shuttle, Rin feels a bit uncomfortable. She's not used to space flight, she's never really needed to go off-world much. And this shuttle doesn't look completely safe... Trying to find something to distract her from the flight, she turns to talk to the two other applicants, "I'm Rin by the way."

"Pelvin Percius, and this is Creed" the other applicant says. He is lithe, and pale, with sharp features that remind you of a bird. You might think he was an aristocrat once, given by his mannerisms, that is, until he turns his head, and you see the apostate symbol of the still lady's slaves branded to the side of his neck

7:43 PM

most who were caught or suspected in any kind of minor subversive activity were marked as such

Rin makes a note of the brand on Pelvins neck before continuing, "You both new here too? What made you want to join?"

8:05 PM

(Also is there somewhere I can read about the still lady? I can't seem to find anything on Roll20, but I'm probably just blind)

In an empty patch of space, one of the Greenbriar probes discovered a derelict ship, built into an asteroid. The ship was crudely designed, little more than a hollowed out space rock with some engines attached. Seeing an opportunity for easy salvage, Billy Rigers and a small team boarded the vessel. They were surprised to find a grisly scene aboard. Crewmen had been brutally murdered by religious cultists aboard, all swearing reverence to a being called The Still Lady. The cultists fell upon the Greenbriar expedition party, and only quick thinking by venting the ship allowed the team to eliminate most of their opposition. Fighting their way to the bridge, they found eight cultists kneeling around a floating jet and gold pyramid, worshiping it. The object was somehow sustaining them, and shielding them from attack, though overwhelming heavy weapons fire finally broke the magical barrier. A handful of prisoners were taken, along with the pyramid. A strange cloud began to manifest, signaling the time to evacuate for the team. Billy marked the location, and spike tugs dragged the ship home a few days later.

8:25 PM

Upon learning the cultists were from Acastus, Desmond returned to the vessel, now in Gudrun space, with Billy. The being manifested again, this time announcing herself as The Still Lady- and she promised to ease their suffering, and their lives if they would but embrace her. With both unwilling, she triggered a lifeboat with her essence aboard, heading toward the planet. A race to intercept the pod before it hit the surface began, the Lone Star narrowly scoring a direct hit with its torpedo launcher. Desmond had a vision that she is not gone, her essence slowly reforming on Acastus, and she swore she was not done with them. Over the following month the object was relentlessly studied, the young researched Devnoc finally applying a bit of heat from a welding torch- causing the pyramid to burst open. Some type of strange, MES like energy erupted from the cube- crossing the planet in a forceless blue wave. Gudrun is slowly changing under the influence of this new power, though to what end remains to be seen.

8:26 PM

A rebellion was later fought - See- Hand of Fate, and Desmond, Demonslayer handouts in History and Lore , UNW history, Year 2)

(Thanks)

“We didn’t have the chances like this under the still lady. Our families both suffered heavily under her. But we love our planet. And our home. Something like that couldn’t happen again on a strong Acastus”

"I guess everyone had a hard time under the still lady. And now it's a chance at building something for ourselves. I can understand that... wanting to do something more...". Rins words trail off as she thinks about what she's doing here. What she's doing joining Greystar. Why did she think this was a good idea? Maybe she's not suited to this life. All she's known is following orders, consequences be damned. That's not how you should do things when working for the government, is it? Her mind slowly starts filling with doubts, of herself, her ability, her path. She'd never questioned things before, never wondered if there were other ways, better ways to do things. "I...", she says, as she tries to compose herself, "I guess we're here for similar reasons."

8:02 AM

(The brand is people who were caught or thought to be helping the still lady?)

(They were resisting the still lady and were captured by her cultists. She branded them and they had to swear a pact to serve her but those all got nullified when she was killed)

“We are.” The matter seems to hang for a few long seconds until you manage to get a glimpse of space. The battle moon still hangs in the sky though entire continent sized pieces have come off it. A large wreck field of both shaper and human ships stretches out as far as you can easily see

"That's a lot of wrecks." Rin gazes out at the remnants of the battle that had occurred, taking in the sight of the wreckage. She'd never seen a real battlefield before, let alone one in space. It was mesmerising, in a way. She wondered briefly about the technologies used, the power of both sides, the tactics employed. Imagining what it may have been like, what she may have done. The sacrifices made never entered her thoughts.

The ship quickly moves into the landing bay of the Greystar hab, and waiting for you is a small detail of soldiers and a Grey suited male human agent, sunglasses covering his eyes despite the hangar Lights not being especially bright

Rin nods to the waiting escort before waiting to follow them. "I wonder why they have the soldiers as part of the escort.", she thinks to herself, "I thought we were all recruits, wouldn't just one of them be enough to escort us?"

"Welcome to the starhab" the agent says as the ramp lowers, and you make your exit. "You are all here because you have chosen to work with Greystar, and in turn, Greystar has chosen to work with you. I am Director Kensh, the leader of this polity, and its government, though many other noble voices make up our ranks. you have all demonstrated some kill or another that Greystar needs. you were probably expecting training, or even some time getting to know us all better, but we simply do not have it. You can see out the viewport, and surely on the way in, that Acastus is not the safe haven we beleived.

3:58 PM

"We are isolated out here, without friends, and without much territory of our own, and I believe this is where those of you standing before me best come in"

Rin stands up straight, hands clasped behind her back, as she's so used to doing when talking to superiors. "Thank you for accepting us, Director. I'm looking forward to working with Greystar. Given the recent events, I can only assume you already have some idea of what you need us to do?"

“We need you to contact neighboring worlds. We can only defeat something like the shapers together. Rin, would you like to see another world?”

"I would, sir." Rin feels her excitement start to grow. Leaving Acastus, at last. She never thought that she'd be able to leave this world, let alone potentially seeing several other worlds. Her decision to join Greystar feels like it was a good choice after all, at least so far.

“The planet Shaila is a very quick jump from here and we have had no contact with them. Based on the angle of the shaper attack we know their world was bypassed. We aren’t sure what’s there or if there was a reason for that , but we want someone to take a look and find out”

"I'd be happy to go there and find out. Do we have any information about the planet or the people there that I can read on the way?"

“Nothing. No scouting has been done. The three of you are going, with a small security team” he gestures to the soldiers behind him. “They’re within a jump of them and have no idea what’s there. If there’s something capable of speech, we want to know what’s there, and we want them on our side”

"Alright. I don't have any other questions, how about you two?", Rin turns to look at the other two with her. "A new planet that we don't know anything about.. I wonder what's there. Hopefully the shapers completely missed the system on their way here, I don't think we'd do well if we run in to them..", she thinks to herself.

8:51 PM

(Also is my goal done now?)

(Which one is that?)0

(Leave gang)

(Yeah. 3 bonus xp )

(Level 3 3d6 HP - Rolled 12 (1, 5, 6), new HP is 12 Skill point 1 - Nullifier 1/3 Skill point 2 - Nullifier 2/3 Skill point 3 - Nullifier 3/3, Nullifier Level 2, Technique Devouring Mind)

“Anything I’d want to know, it already sounds like we don’t. If no one has anything to do, we can be off”

"Then I guess it's time for us to leave. Thank you for your time, Director." Rin gives a slight bow before turning to leave, expecting her escort to lead her to where she needs to go next.

They lead you to a larger ship, a free merchant by the looks of it that seems to be comfortably appointed. Inside the hangar it is still quite large and you see months worth of provisions being loaded. The soldiers look to be making a path right for the boarding ramp

Following the soldiers, Rin mutters to herself, "That's a lot of supplies.. I guess I won't be coming back here for a while. Not that I have anything to come back to." As she boards the ship, she turns briefly to Pelvin and Creed, "You two ever been to another planet before?"

"No, neither of us have ever left the planet, or even left Ash City for that matter. Not much out there in the lava wastes, or in the mushroom forests. Lots of the native predators were driven into the deep woods during the first wave of settlement, but its been a long time since then. Going off the road, or beyond city limits, can still be dangerous. This is going to be something new for us all"

"That it is. Can I ask what skills you both have? Having a better understanding of our strengths and weaknesses may be useful after landing. Personally, I don't really have much combat experience, I spent most of my time before in negotiations, meetings and talking to people." Rin takes a seat in the ship and straps herself in before collecting herself before they take-off, holding the edges of the chair a bit too tight, her body tense, leaning her head back slightly and closing her eyes.

“I can shoot, and my associate here is a decent computer whiz. It’s what got us pinched by the authorities in the first place. It was foolish really. Leaving a line shunt behind like that”

"Seems we'll probably be fine in most situations then. What were you doing to get caught by the authorities anyway?"

“We had worked against the still lady and then were caught and forced into her service, like we discussed on the trip up here. We had tried to sabotage the city wide information system. You know. ATM cameras, public band radio , and traffic cams, anything we could use to sneakily spy on cult movement

1:59 PM

“Well, I got sloppy I left a line shunt and tools behind , and they found us

"I see. Trying to sabotage the still lady was risky, but you did it anyway, even after being forced in to her service. I admire that."

“You can’t give up. You just can’t. Otherwise why fight at all” You see a slight queasiness as the exploration ship you’re settling into prepares for its jump to spike space. A small countdown clock showing fifteen minutes begins counting down

"I understand that. That feeling that you need to do something, at all costs, even if it costs you everything. There were difficult times for a lot of people. Let's hope things don't become like that again in the future." Rin glances at the countdown clock before speaking again. "Planetary exploration... I never thought that I'd be doing something like this..."

“It’s a change from what we all djd before this. Well, we have a few days to get to know each other (7, since it’s a new spike route) , see you tonight for cards or something?”

6:50 PM

(We don’t have to rp the trip and we can talk about downtime activities in pm if you’re not sure)

"Sure, cards sounds good. I've got some things to do on the trip as well." (Spend time to learn Slyth)

(7/30 days toward learning it, make a note on your sheet when you've time)

9:26 PM

A small chime wakes you from your sleep int he evening cycle of day 7. as the ship is half an hour from exiting spike space. You've won,and lost, and won again, the same handful of credits over the last few days, everyone somehow coming out even. The interactions have been a bit sterile so far, but you trust each other enough to have one another's backs of a surface landing looks viable.

9:27 PM

The captain has summoned all of you to the bridge, just as the ship makes its exit from spike.

Rin walks in to the bridge, hands clasped behind her as usual, slightly sleepy at being woken up. "Are we close to arriving, Captain?"

"We are, we should be exiting spike any moment. I wanted everyone to be ready, just in case we encounter anything on exit. I'll need all hands ready "

(Can ships do scans while in spike jumps?)

(no, but you can once you exit, which we can move to if youre ready)

(Sure) "Alright. Let's hope that there's nothing surprising waiting for us." Rin waits patiently, thinking that it's a little crazy how several weeks ago she was doing gang work, fighting over territory, and now she's about to arrive at an unknown planet to explore. "How quickly things change..", she thinks to herself.

The ship exits spike space to see a desert world with a barren moon, flat and rocky, spinning in the void. Ship scanners will still take some time to align themselves after spike travel, but something glints in the pale light of the system's jade green sun. It flickers, almost as a steady pattern, standing out against the otherwise flat starfield

" That's a lot of sand. Hey, do you see that flickering? What do you think it could be?" Rin moves towards the front of the bridge as she tries to make out what exactly she's looking at, waiting patiently for the scanners to finish. It could be a problem if it turns out to be hostile, whatever it is...

(Notice/wis)

(2. I don't think I've rolled well on a single roll so far...)

The light flickers out there twice more before you lose track of it. The others run to the viewports and aren’t able to locate it again either. “Well, whatever that ones we will have to keep an eye out for it. While that was going on I’ve got some scanning data. Looks like we were able to connect with some kind of data node on the ground, but it’s automated and looping. Just a packet transfer.”

6:50 AM

“I’ll send what I’ve got to your pads”

6:50 AM

(Surface map and scouting report are up under the 1E> shaila folder in roll20)

"Hmm.. I wonder what that was." Rin takes a moment to look through her datapad at the data received from the planet. "It looks like it's a populated planet at the very least. Can we tell from scans how advanced they are? It seems that they were fairly advanced before the Scream, but how are they now..." Rin takes a particular interest at the mention of buried high tech and psychic academy facilities, although doesn't say anything to the others yet. Investigating these could really help Greystar, if they indeed exist.

"I've got...concentrations of hovercraft...packs of them moving around down there. Otherwise what came back is all we know"

"Are you able to tell which one is the biggest? It may be that the hovercraft are their cities?"

"nothing that size, but theyre sustaining themselves somehow....." There is silence for long moments. "We're going to have to get closer, theres too much sand and interference to get a clear picture from this far away"

"Good idea. Let's try and stay fairly close to the forested mountain range area. When we land, I don't think landing in the desert will be a good idea if the data about these fires is accurate. We probably don't have a good way to deal with them right now." Rin looks around to Pelvin and Creed, before asking them, "What do you two think?"

“As close as we can get to them yes. See if maybe we can make contact with one of the groups of craft on the way down. We don’t have any idea who we might be dealing with or what this place looks like since the scream. “

9:13 PM

“Anyone could have risen up down there to lead with their world government in chaos”

"Agreed. Best to be cautious until we know more about the people."

The captain sits in his command chair and there is a click as the control armrests lower. “Head down to the airlock. We can land directly in this ship, I’ll bring her down. I’ll patch through any radio contact we get”

"Alright, let's get going then." Rin makes her way to the airlock with the others, slightly nervous about what's to come. 'This is good for me. Of course it's good for me. But planetary exploration?? It's a world of difference to my life before, and I can't exactly go threatening everyone I see now, can I. At least there's some soldiers with us, just in case we're attacked or something...' "Do you two have any ideas about how to proceed once we land? I'd like to setup a base camp of sorts, then spend some time getting to know the surroundings, see if we can find some of the locals." (edited)

“Cant really do much aside from camp and see what happens. Too many things could change. Or go wrong. I’m sure a ship coming down from space is going to get someone’s attention”

"That's true. We can't really go down unnoticed with a ship on a planet that doesn't seem to have any space presence that we can tell from here." Waiting in the airlock for the Captain to give a signal, Rins nervousness persists. 'Of course we'll be noticed. Why didn't I think of that? Come on, focus.. You're better than this.' She closes her eyes and focuses on her breathing in an attempt to calm herself and focus her mind. She wasn't used to being flustered, usually she was the calm one. What changed between then and now, she wondered.

The ship begins making its descent and through the atmosphere burn off you can see the desert below. The firestorms were not to be exaggerated and you see two large fleets of craft moving rapidly out of the way. They’re hundreds of kilometers apart on the ground but from up here it all looks so small The mountains loom ahead, misty with the planets only remaining sea behind them, safe from being boiled away by this barrier of rock

9:46 PM

Coming close to the mountains the pilot begins looking for a good site to set down

Rin looks down at the fires below and the separating fleets as they descend. She'd never seen anything like it before. 'Getting caught by one of those will cause us a lot of problems..' "Let's see if we can find a clearing in the forest to set down and avoid getting caught by those fires." As they make their way to the planet, she gazes across the landscape taking it in, seeing if she can spot any buildings visible in the forests. (edited)

If there are any, they’re too well hidden by trees from above. The captain sets down on a ledge, and the landing claws crunch. A forest is nearby down a small game path

Binoculars drawn, one of the security detail along with a spotter begins moving out from the ramp and setting up in some scraggy trees “We have contact. Maybe a half day out, but they’re coming”

(Sorry, didn't see the last update) "How many? And can you tell if the vehicles are weaponised?" Rin looks to the others in the security detail, before asking them, "Can you take a look around the immediate area, see if you can find anything that may be useful? It might be a good idea to keep a look out for hidden vantage points as well, just in case." She then takes a moment to assess the situation and think about possible scenarios. The best would of course be that there's a peaceful introduction and we can begin work towards exploring the area and starting friendly relations with the locals, although things are rarely that easy. It might be best for the majority of the people here to take up hidden defensive positions, and for 1-2 to make contact when they arrive. Abandoning the ship seems like the worst idea..

“They’re armed in some way. Most of them at least. They don’t look professional. I see about thirty small craft. Six. Maybe seven large if you count those with the trailers as two. They don’t look alike they’re in any kind of formation. “

8:29 PM

“Not professionals, at least”

"Well that's something at least. I propose waiting for them and meeting them with a couple of us, while the rest of us hide and follow later. Just in case we get taken prisoner or something, having people free following us that they're not aware of would work to our advantage. I really don't think a fight will go in our favour with their numbers, and I don't think leaving them to find the ship without us here is a good idea either. I volunteer myself to meet them." Rin turns to Pelvin and Creed. "At least one of you should stay hidden. Maybe both. Perhaps just myself and one of the security detail should meet them for now. If things go bad you two can then work with the others."

“Alright. You are brave for offering to be first. Are you sure you’re okay with this? It’s a big risk”

"Are there many other options? The next best option is have the ship return to orbit and then try to avoid them until we know more about the situation here. But we need to make contact with the locals at some point, and we haven't been able to find any sort of cities so far with our scans." (Does the ship have weapons at all? Would I know that without asking about it?) (edited)

(The corvette has a torpedo launcher)

6:24 PM

(But it wouldn’t be able to do it@landed )

“Anything we fire down to support you would annihilate the local area. Ship weapons are a hammer, not a scalpel. If they get too close you’re just as likely to get caught in the blast”

"That's kinda what I thought. I think this is probably the best option to go ahead with, without antagonising the locals by hiding. Most of us should try to stay out of sight, at least until we know more about the situation. I'll meet them with one of the security detail and see how it goes..."

Everyone seems to agree with the plan and commends you for your bravery and begin getting ready for the locals to arrive. It is evening when the first of the armed hovercraft makes it to the base of the mountain and powers down

Rin begins preparing herself for the coming locals, wondering to herself if this is the right way to go about this. It could be suicidal, but on the other hand, making contact with the locals and becoming friendly with them could make doing anything here a lot easier. The craft being armed is a bit of a worry, but I guess it's too late now. Let's just hope the don't shoot on sight. "Now we just wait. If things end up in a firefight, we'll fall back to the ship and hope it's defences are enough against whatever their weapons are for us to leave." she says, as she turns to the security staff that will be with her. "Let's stay close to the ship though, just in case."

There is the crunch of gravel and stone as booted feet come up the path. The horizon nearby glows with the passing of another fire tide. Two figures advance up the path as lead for the larger group behind them. They’re wearing dust covers over their thin traveling clothes. They don’t appear to be armed with more than short swords or long knives

One of them raises a hand to halt the group as they make visual sighting of you. “Good evening there! You’re a long way from well, everything!”

"Good evening! Sorry to intrude on you.", Rin replies, waving. "Those fire tides are something else, I haven't seen anything like them before..." She begins walking towards the two figures, hands at her sides and clearly visible, hopefully looking friendly. Although looking friendly is generally the opposite of how she started these conversations in her previous life. "I'm Rin, I'm here on an exploratory mission from a nearby system. May I ask who you are?"

“I represent one of the convoy groups down on the plains. I’m Rabbi Goldberg , and my congregation is the Flock of New Israel. Just as Moses led the ancient Israelites across the desert , so too do we wander once again in their memory

(Is Judaism a thing in other places?)

(Faith was permitted by the Tenebrian empire and the black sun group in the pre scream civil war. It was just seen as a personal choice. None of the post scream polities that you’ve met so far have tried to repress religion , so the Jewish faith could snd probably does exist on countless worlds but this is the most overt youd have seen it so far

7:56 PM

In terms of how a group has woven it into their political identity) (edited)

“We haven’t had an offworlder here in years. I’d ask what brings you. There isn’t much here”

"We didn't have any information about what was here, so we wanted to investigate. There was also a battle nearby, and wanted to check to see if it had affected here in any way. You say one of the convoy groups, are there many groups here? We didn't notice any cities from orbit, are there any?"

10:12 PM

(Sorry for the slightly delayed responses recently, should be a bit faster now)

“There are not. Anything standing in one place gets burned up eventually with the fire tides. It’s too hard to anticipate them sometimes. There are others. Not all of them are as nice or up for a chat as we are” he winks

"I see. Can you tell me about this planet and the people here? You don't have any cities, which probably makes it difficult for many things. We noticed that there were some ruins buried beneath the sands."

“Ah the old academy. Good luck getting close. The area is swarming with Ferals and sand wasps. It’s a dangerous place to travel even with a hovercraft “ (edited)

"Thanks for the warning. How about the other groups of people, do the group's interact between each other?"

“There’s some interaction alright. A little trade, mostly raiding. Nobody bothers the gear heads though. Not even the raiders. Kind of the popular kids in school here”

12:47 PM

“Nobody survives long without a hovercraft and if yours breaks down they’re the only ones who can really fix them”

12:48 PM

(Think more like bayou fan boat hovercraft rather than military style LCAC)

"Groups aren't particularly friendly with each other then... And there's no central group that oversees things? Where would I be able to find the gear heads?" (edited)

“How much time you have? We can take you to them, got a couple craft for them to look at anyway”

"That'd be greatly appreciated, I have time. Would we be able to meet somewhere later? I have a couple of small things to take care of with the ship before leaving and don't want to keep you waiting around."

The rabbi thinks for a long moment. “Well, I’m not sure where we will be Come morning. We have to be on the move almost constantly as these firestorms pop up, and come and go. If you can fly I’m sure you’ll be able to find us again”

"I see, maybe that would be the better option. Do you have a way that I'd be able to contact you later?"

He thinks for a moment before taking a small radio out of his bag. “Extra one. The range is pretty short but it you fly overhead we should be able to get a message out “

"Great, thank you. I'll find you when I'm done and will contact you.". Rin takes the radio from him, says goodbye, then waits a while for them to leave before calling the rest of the crew to come out, trying to make sure that they're not seen by their recent guests.

They are not seen and begin to emerge. “How do we think that went. Are we wasting our time here?”

8:12 PM

“I’m glad you weren’t shot. Or worse”

"I don't think we really got much from that, honestly. I'm a little interested in speaking to the group they mentioned that maintains the hovercraft, they might be able to tell us a bit more about things here as they seem to interact with everyone. We did get a little information about the 'old academy' though. Knowing that it's surrounded by feral creatures is worth knowing." Rin takes a moment to think about the conversation, and what they should do now. "I think the most important thing for us is to find out if the ruins here hold valuable technology or knowledge that we can take back to Greystar. What do you two think?"

(So going to do some ruin diving?)

(Yeah that's the plan. Although I'm not sure if I'd know if we can handle the enemies around the ruins, or if we'd need to get help from people here)

(With what you know right now , you wouldn’t have a clear idea)

(Yeah that's what I figured.) (edited)

“We should see what value is here before we report back. There could be something we use under all that sand”

"Good idea. Let's go talk with the 'gear heads', see if they know where these ruins are and if they know anything that might help us. The fire storms are probably going to make it difficult and we don't know if there's any way to deal with them, instead of just staying away from them. Unless there's anything else we need to do first, we can go now." Rin begins making her way back to the ship. 'These academy ruins could be a great find for me. As long as there's something worthwhile there. What can you even find in places like that?', she thinks to herself. She'd never really spent much time with ruins or historical things before, this was an entirely new experience. Investigating the unknown was... strangely appealing. At least, for now.

Lifting off and getting back into orbit, the ship trains its powerful scanners on the ruins below that were identified to you, bringing back a grainy image of it and the surrounding landscape@

4:37 PM

Looking at the image from the scanner, Rin scans around seeing if she can find the hostiles that were mentioned by the Rabbi. "Can we get closer so we can see these ferals that we were told about? I wonder if they're something we can handle by ourselves. It might also be a good idea to stay in orbit for a while observing the firestorms to see if there'd be a way for us to go there and investigate without being burnt to a crisp."

"Not sure we can pick up something human sized from up here. The way he was talking about it though, I sort of wonder if its the academy residents themselves- which would make this very dangerous without some specialist gear"

“Wish we could dust the place with that null metal , we could mop things up handily after that”

"Academy residents themselves.. could they still be around after all this time? That would be problematic. What is null metal?"

12:47 AM

(Sorry for the delayed reply, been a bit busy)

Something the UNW discovered on terezinho. It blocks or dampens psychic abilities. If they are the residents they’re insane or feral now. They’d have to be. Maybe they’re one in the same with those ferals the rabbi was talking about”

"That sounds like it would be useful but I imagine it's something we'd have to go back to Greystar for, wouldn't it? On the other hand, dealing with insane feral psychics doesn't sound particularly appealing.." Rin thinks about how to proceed. On the one hand, going in to the Ruins now and finding out what's in there is certainly tempting. Who knew that the mysteries of the unknown would be so enticing... On the other hand, if there are feral psychics, that would be really problematic without some way to deal with them. The group isn't really cut out for combat unless absolutely necessary. There's also the option of asking some of the locals for help, but we don't really know what their capabilities are, or how they could help in this situation. "What do we think about taking a cursory look before deciding whether to continue in to the Ruins or waiting and doing more preparation? If the danger of going in now isn't too high, I'd like to do that instead of potentially having to wait for null metal or a larger offensive force. I also don't want us to go in if we're obviously out-matched though."

“I don’t see the harm in taking a look around. I think we will know quickly if we aren’t welcomed

"Then let's do that. If things get too bad, we'll come back and decide on another route."

(How far away did you wanna land?)

(Ideally far enough away that they aren't likely to be attacked immediately but we can see the area a bit)

The ship sets down 10 kilometers from the facility and a pair of grav bikes are wheeled out the back, for closer in recon. “We should try to get a little closer and get some binoculars on the place or something like that. See if we can get movement or a count of anyone living there”

"Yeah, we need to find out what's down there before we go running in. We need to be quick though, or we'll end up caught in one of those firestorms." She turns to a couple of the security detail before asking them, "Could you go take a look? Don't get too close, just close enough to see what's around."

"you're not coming with? There's room on the bike for two, and with your telepathy you might be the only person who can communicate with a feral"

"Good point. Sure, I'll come with you. ". Turning to the rest of the group, she says, "Stay here and keep an eye out. We may need to leave in a hurry. " Rin makes her way to the bike, looking out at the horizon for any signs of firestorms, before getting on and patting herself down, checking for anything that might fall. Happy that everything is in place, she calls to the others, "Alright, let's go. And let's be quick if we can. I don't feel like being roasted by one of those storms if they come our way."

“If it hits us at least we won’t feel it” the driver says , trying to sound chipper. The bike comes to life with an insect like buzz and the two of you speed off over the dunes. Scraggly brush and small rocks pass by as you close from 15km outside the facility.

9:26 PM

The ground begins to roll with dunes and larger rock outcroppings. At the top of one of the tallest so far , the driver sets the bike down and motions for the binoculars in one of the saddlebags

Getting of the bike, Rin takes the binoculars and walks to the edge of the of the dune before scanning the area in the distance.

Two figures, hunched low and circling one another cavort at the top of a rock outcropping a few kilometers away. They were human once , their rags of clothing hanging to limbs that still seem to contain some kind of lean strength

"Hmm, there only looks to be two of them from this angle. They're a little ways out as well. " (Can I see the ruins at all from here?)

(They’d be faint , like hazy from the heat )

"Lets go around a bit, see if we can see more from a different angle. " She walks back to the bike, putting the binoculars back and getting on. The heat was starting to affect her, drying her skin. "I should have worn better clothes for this . Next time, I hope that I don't end up on a desert." she thinks to herself. "At least getting back in to water is something to look forward to. Assuming we survive these ruins."

(West or East?)

10:31 PM

(Just so I know what’s in the path)

(East)

To the East the ground is more rocky and offers more places to hide unobserved on the way to the academy. The small once riverbed shows the evidence of being glassed by firestorms and broken in the intense heat of the sun dozens of times over

7:12 PM

It winds in a long hook toward the academy, and as you are halfway to your destination you come across the first body

Seeing the corpse near them, Rin indicates to the soldier to stop the bike so they can investigate. Corpses weren't new to her, but seeing one now made her slightly uneasy - if the figures they saw before were psychic creatures from when the ruins were still being used, maybe the corpses could also come alive.

The body has been crushed by some sort of powerful force. You don’t see any offending objects in the vicinity of the body. It has been crushed to a level of unrecognizability

9:04 PM

It has a tattered set of clothing on , a small yellowed badge on a rotted lanyard shows identification as security staff for the former psychic academy here

"Well... that's interesting. Looks like it's from the psychic academy, and it's been here for a while. We probably don't have to worry about it." Rin gets back on the bike and continues with the soldier along the riverbed towards their destination, hoping that there's not going to be more corpses on the way.

As the bike begins to lift up, a tumble of stones falls into the cliff bed in front of you. They are small and the bike can boost over them, but they were knocked free by a hunched figure, crawling on all fours with elongated strides. It growls, and begins to circle from a distance

"Of course. Why wouldn't there be weird creatures hiding on the cliffs... Hold on, I'm gonna try keep some distance. You try and shoot it." She leans low on the bike and opens the throttle, hoping that the creature isn't as fast as the they are.

(13/7) the shot from the combat rifle hits the crawling sub human and it howls. It’s no longer easy to tell if it was a man or a woman once. Clutching a disemboweling shot to the gut, it holds out a hand and a blast of telekinetic force rushes out to knock you off the bike (Pilot/dex for rin)

(4)

The bike flips end over end at the wave of telekinetic force (3 damage) and you’re hurled from the seat. The security officer behind you flies far further and longer, hitting the rocky side of the miniature canyon and collapsing into a boneless pile with a wet crunch. His rifle lands in the sandy soil near your outstretched hand, as you lie prone from the crash and impact.

5:24 AM

The feral growls, hissing as though it is some kind of giant jungle cat in human form@

(How far away is it, roughly? And does Fade work when something is already engaged with you?)

(You'd spend your main action to activate Fade, then on your next turn since it's already aware of you you'd make a sneak check to disappear.)

(Okay, if it's more than 60m then I wouldn't need to make sneak checks each turn, correct?)

(Yep. And if it gets closer than 10m it won't work at all)

(It’s 30m away)

Rin glances towards the rifle lying on the ground near her, thinking about her options. Well, option, given that she's really not confident in her combat ability. Making her move, she grabs the rifle before fading from view, looking towards the edges of the small canyon for outcroppings or rocks large enough that she can use them for cover while she runs away. (Take rifle then fade. Dex for sneak attempt?) (edited)

(Picking something up off the ground is a Move Action (pg51 of the revised hand book). So you can do 2 of the 3 things you listed. Not all 3.) (edited)

(Ohh I see. Missed that, figured dropping and picking up would be the same. Pick up and sneak/fade then, I'll edit above)

(Dropping is an instant action, picking something up however is a move action)

(Yes dex and sneak for the attrmpt

(7)

The feral seems to sniff the air, looking around frantically as it can no longer find you

After she's sure that the feral creature doesn't know where she is, she makes her way away from it, looking for a way out of the canyon. "Damn it. That soldier didn't have to die for this. We should have been more careful, especially going in to a vulnerable area like a canyon. My curiosity got the better of me." She looks over her shoulder as she moves, slowly, quietly. "Now isn't the time to think about that. I need to get back to the others, if I can. Or find a way to warn them, at least. I guess we know a little more about what's out here." (edited)

9:53 AM

(How far roughly is it back to the others?)

(2km or so, walkable certainly within the hour, and youre in fade, the feral didnt detect you, so you dont have to worry about a subsequent attack)

(Don't need to keep rolling checks for fade within 60m?)

(You're moving away from the feral though, and the route behind you is clear)

(Ah okay, then I'd be going in that direction then)

Rin spends the better part of an hour making a careful and quiet trek back to the assembly area, sans bike and her escort. Everyone else has done what they can to stay quiet, and keep observing the facility

“Are you alright?” One the troopers asks, running over to check on you

(Sorry, been busy trying to organise moving country, which is hard enough without the pandemic... Not sure how active I'll be until I know what's happening with that, should only be until a week or two from now at most) "Do I look alright? We lost the other soldier. I didn't even get his name... We were attacked by a feral psychic as we were getting close to the ruins. It attacked us with a telekinetic blast that knocked him off our bike and into a wall." Rin looked frustrated with herself, and her lack of being able to do anything before. Maybe if she were better trained, or had more experience, that soldier could have survived. She started walking towards the soldier, and the rest of the group. "We either need to get help, or we need to think of a different approach. The null metal that was mentioned before, it might be worth seeing if we can find out if there's anything like that here on the planet that we can use. I think we should go back to the wandering group from before and see if we can meet with the gear heads, see what they know."

"Right, we had a meeting scheduled with them for tomorrow. Alright, we can spend the night in orbit, and tomorrow we can meet with them like we planned. At least up there we're safe from the fire storms or anything else that might come out of the sand. Everyone aboard, double time

The ship heads into orbit for the night and a large firestorm passes over the desert near where you had been landed. Everyone is relieved to be in space. The fires subside by morning, and the ship scanners have no problem seeing the growing meeting of the hovercraft clans with the engineers

(We'll pick this up with a new mission when you're back and things are more stable. I know youre arranging a move)

(Just an update, flights are 7th May, unsure about when I'll have a stable situation with house after that. Sorry for dropping things) (edited)

(all good! we'll pick up with something new when you're back)

(I should be good to pick things up again! Might be a couple days here and there that might be difficult when I'm moving, but for the most part it should be fine from now on)

(Glad to hear it! So you’re ready for a mission?)

(Yup, ready to go whenever)

(on the docket we have: Helping august deal with pirates in the Dura-Inn system, which is close to Greystar space we could explore a system that no one has really claimed or we can assist with trying to track down a cell of still lady cultists on the shipyard)

(Hmm.. Exploring a system that no one has really claimed seems good.)

The world of Lambrianaou is close to CBSS Space, but also close to GS space, and nothing has been discovered about the planet yet, or what might be lurking there. Probes had also not been sent, instead directed out toward former shaper space to lurk, and report. A manned scouting mission is called for, to see if anything can be salvaged from the planet,or to see if there is a community there that might be amenable to joining the Confederacy.

Rin makes it known that she wants to go on the scouting mission to Lambrianaou. She's recently found that exploring the unknown and finding the secrets that are there is enticing and exciting for her. It's a far cry from her life before and really not something she'd really thought she'd like, or even be able to do.

10:47 PM

(Should I keep reset things like HP in Roll20 or keep them as they are from before?)

(You'd have had enough downtime to recover and all that, so go ahead and set yourself to your values for being perfectly fresh)

7:35 AM

A corvette is assigned to bring you there, one of a diminishing number of ships floating near the Starhab. A large military operation directed north seems to be underway, and the arrival of three ships belonging to the Void Wardens has likewise caused excitement. Your vessel is heading the opposite way, with a full compliment of security and technical crew

(How would you usually work with breaks in character?)

(Well, we can say Rin withdrew from the last mission as circumstances got too hot on the ground, and its been about a month since you were here last, so we can apply a bit of downtime to something you were working on, lets call it 15 days)

(Alright that makes sense. I'll think I'll put the downtime towards Slyth language as I can't remember anything else at the moment) Making her way to the corvette, Rin takes note of the ships gathering, wondering what they're up to. "I'll need to catch up on the ship with what the confederation has been up to. And why people seem so excited about these Void Walkers being around.", she thinks. The last mission didn't go well for her and she's been holed up since coming back. "I need to make it up to the confederation on this mission too." As she walks, she has her head down reading from her compad news articles about what has been happening recently.

(There is a handout on Roll20 that shows the downtime activities) (edited)

(Ah I see, thanks. Language seems fine then)

The hangar is open and the ship sits on landing skis with its ramp down. Several crew are finishing loading supplies and spare parts for anything that might break down during the trip

Walking the the hangar towards the ship, she looks around at the crews working. She's still not quite used to being in Greystar. Of course, it wasn't that long ago when she applied to join, but it's surprising just how different the atmosphere in here is compared to what she's used to. Boarding the ship, she makes her way to the Captain and lets them know that she's ready whenever they are

(4 days in spike space, with a quick stop at Bourgani which is what I’ll talk about in a minute. If you want to stop there we can) Bourgani is a primal world where a warm sea sits under storms the size of continents. There are a handful of rising island land masses pulling themselves from the sea , though mapping efforts haven’t been successful

9:36 AM

There looks to be a break in the storms near the north equator

Her fingers moving quickly over her compad, Rin brings up the existing - although small - scouting report on the planet, to find that there really isn't all that much that we know about it. "Captain, do we know how long that clearing in the storm is likely to last from here? If it's possible, I'd like to take a quick trip down to see if we can find out anything more about it before we carry on to Lambrianaou. I don't want to get trapped under the storms though, that wouldn't go well.."

(Is spike time spent on downtime activities?)

(correct 4 days of DT)

(More slyth language then.)

~~(19/30?)~~ (edited)

(26/30)

“They last for a few days when they appear as far as we know. If you want to stop we have the time. There isn’t anything sensitive we need to return for”

4:28 PM

“And we are out here to scout , after all”

"Let's take a quick look, see if there's anything down there."

The seas rage around the calm eye of the storm that you descend into the atmosphere of the planet. The seas froth below you, though under the eye things are calm and not caught up in the wind and spray. A reef is below, the plants and hardy scrub there basking in the temporary sun

"Captain, can we do a scan of the area? Or does the storm make that difficult?"

"We should be able to get a local scan, standby" the machines in the bridge begin warming up (making a planet map now)

"Hmm, there doesn't seem to be a lot that I can see on the scans. Possibly some crashed ships, but I'm not sure it's a good idea to check that with the storms unless we want to end up in a similar fate. Let's take a quick stop and pick up some plants before heading on to our destination. Maybe the scientists at home can learn something."

(central, northern and eastern islands are all storm free, any preference?)

(No preference)

Heading east, to the larget of the two landmasses, the ship sets down on a sun soaked pink sand beach. Two volcanos bubble and hiss quietly to themselves, kilometers away, and a stormwall is building dozens of kilometers out at sea. The land is warm, the sand rich and pleasant beneath your feet. You are the first to set foot on this world and the air sings with primal energies on this cauldron of a planet

Rin takes a moment to stretch, still not quite being used to traveling in the confines of a ship, before looking around the landing site. She calls up in to the ship, "Hey, find something onboard that can keep plant specimens.", before moving briskly towards nearby flora.

(this is probably the closest youve been to an actual ocean since leaving Terezinho in your youth, too)

7:45 AM

The crew head onboard and begin coming out with glass jars, plant trays, and hydroponic starters so samples can be cultivated

(That's a good point, I'd forgotten I was a fish.) While the crew collected samples, Rin gazed out across the ocean nearby. It'd been a long, long time since she'd seen an ocean. A lifetime, almost. "I'll go and see if there's any specimens in the water that I can get before we leave.", she calls out. She walks slowly to the edge of the water, listening to the sound of the waves, before wading out until she can't touch the sand below her. Then she dives. And as she does, she feels a calm wash over her that she hasn't felt since Terezinho. After a while of enjoying the ocean once again, she remembers why she's here. "I shouldn't keep the others waiting for too long, as nice as this is.". Before going back to the shore, she looks around for anything specimens that she could take back. (edited)

There is some coral, a small reef island shortly off shore that is vibrant with neon vines and brilliant hues of flower. It would be an impossible swim with the waves, for anyone but a Merlon

Slightly worried about the storm that was building earlier and feeling confident that she can make the distance, she swims hastily towards to neon lights wavering in the water to collect samples of the vines and flowers within the reef. The captain said they usually have a few days, but storms can be unpredictable. She didn't want to take many chances. They should leave soon before the growing storms potentially make it too dangerous.

Bag full of brightly colored plants for later analysis, you make it back to shore. The captain and crew share your concerns about not getting marooned here

"When you've all finished, let's get moving. I don't want to stay here longer than we need to." Rin makes her way to the ship to dry her clothes and prepare for the rest of the journey, already slightly missing the ocean. "I need to find a more easily accessible ocean.."

The preparations are completed, and the ship boosts back into orbit as soon as it is able, missing the storm rolling ashore. "What a rush. We might have been the first people to ever walk on that planet. I think we were" the comms officer says, still enjoying the smell of saltwater spray in her hair. "and that sun. I've never seen anything like that before"

"It's exciting to go somewhere completely new, that may have never been seen by anyone before, isn't it? Being able to see things you can't imagine. And who knows what you might find hidden away."

"THat is very true. Well, we've done what we can here for right now. I think it's time we get to where we are actually going. And we should be prepared for anything when we get there"

"Indeed. Let's be careful, and keep an eye out for anything that could cause problems. " As the crew gets ready for the journey to Lambrianou, Rin takes the time to prepare herself. The last mission like this didn't work out too well for her. "Just.. take things a little slower this time. And don't do anything stupid. Like go in to an area with known ferals with a single soldier when you've never trained for combat."

The ship plunges back into spike space, for the last leg of its jump. It arrives two days later, at the edge of the Lambrianou system. A gas giant, two barren planetoids, and a large world within the habitable zone of its green-yellow sun occupy the region.

"Well would you look at that sun..", Rin mutters under her breath. "Take us in slowly to the large world Captain. It looks like if there's anything worthwhile in this system, it's probably going to be there. On the way, is it possible to do a scan of the system to see if there's any structures in orbit or other ships in the system? I'm not entirely familiar with the capabilities of our ship still."

The ship makes several passive and active sensor sweeps of the planets on its way into the system. Passing the second barren planetoid, the large world is in front of you, and information finally completes its download

11:54 AM

TL 4 Breathable Atmosphere with a mask Millions of inhabitants A gas giant, two barren planetoids, and a large world within the habitable zone of its green-yellow sun occupy the region. Robots The world has a great many robots on it. Most bots are going to be non-sentient expert systems, though an AI with enough computing resources can control many bots at once, and some worlds may have developed VIs to a degree that individual bots can seem (or be) sentient. Some worlds might even be ruled by metal overlords, ones which do not need to be sentient so long as they have overwhelming force. Sectarians The world is torn by violent disagreement between sectarians of a particular faith. Each views the other as a damnable heresy in need of extirpation. Local government may be able to keep open war from breaking out, but the poisonous hatred divides communities. The nature of the faith may be religious, or it may be based on some secular ideology.

11:57 AM

Going through the information from the sensors, Rin is a little surprised by what she reads. She flicks through the data on her compad several times before saying anything. "Is that.. is that a planet of religious robots..? That's pretty far from what I was expecting. " she says. She'd vaguely heard about AI before, but she was never very interested in computers or robots. "This could be interesting..." "We should probably be careful until we know what the inhabitants think about people from off-world. Can we send a request to land, or some other communication to see how.. friendly they may be?"

"I can get a message through. Lets record what you want to say, and I'll worry about sending it"

"Alright. Something simple." Rin takes a moment, thinking of what exactly to send in a message. Maybe just a simple request to land would suffice? With a believable reason. At least for now, until they know more about what they're dealing with.

Greetings. 
We're a small group of explorers from a nearby system, requesting permission to land to rest and gather supplies before continuing our journey.

All three settlements send a reply back, promising that if you land there, you will not only be welcomed with open arms, but that you will be treated as VIP's and given reward. They implore you not to land at any of the other cities

8:55 AM

(so you can pick one, think of it as they're all jostling for your attention)

"Hmm.. well, we don't know anything about the situation, so let's just land at the biggest looking city. We can find out about the current situation after landing." (I'm just assuming that the "biggest" is Fastness of the Trinary League, just due to landmass)

(that would be a good assumption, the whole surface is covered in metal, like an endless city)

10:53 AM

The Trinary League celebrates with fireworks as you select their settlement to land in, and a friendly looking diplomat robot, made of angled panels to mirror human appearance steps out, with two more brutalist looking war-forms to greet you. Their guns are held low, and although present for protection of their greeter-bot, do not seem to give off any kind of belligerent intent.

Rin exits the ship and looks around the landing area, marveling at the city before her. It was certainly different to anything she'd seen before. "The joys of seeing the unknown. And the potential of finding what's hidden within.." Seeing the robots approaching her, she waits for them before greeting them with a slight bow. "Hello! That was quite an unexpected celebration, but thank you. I apologise for the somewhat abrupt request to land in your fine city. My name is Rin."

"Hello Rin! I am the Diplomat. My serial number is very long, and you would not be able to memorize all one-hundred-and-twenty-thousand-and-eight characters of it. You can call me the Diplomat, or D, if a shortened version is pleasing. We are happy you have heard the call of the holy Trinary Code, and have graced us with your flying boats!"

"Diplomat, it's nice to meet you! I'm sad to say that I don't know much about the Trinary Code, but we're glad that you allowed us to come here. Do you not have.. flying boats here?

“Oh they were destroyed in the last heretical conflict we had here, but we hope to build more one day and spread our message. You found our world though! That’s great! We hope you will enjoy your stay and we hope we can make some kind of lasting deals with your people!”

7:42 AM

The robot has some strange movement tics and it’s thought process seems scattered

"We did indeed. I'm not sure that I can make deals for my government, but if you could provide information about what you can offer, I can certainly pass that on. I'm also not sure how long we will be staying, but I'd like to take some time to look around your fine city. Would you be able to recommend areas to visit or places to see? I'd like to learn more about this city. We'd also very much appreciate if you could recommend somewhere for us to stay during our time here. "

“I’d be happy to have a guide take your around. There may not be much here to interest organics but who can say. You may find something of value “

5:39 PM

“I will assign an escort for you, and a vehicle and you shall have liberty of the city beyond that “

"That's much appreciated, thank you. I'd be interested in learning more about this Trinary Code you mentioned as well, where could I do that?"

“The Trinary Church of course! It’s the largest building in the city and our guide would be happy to bring you there!” A red and silver vehicle that looks like some sort of land skimmer sets down , with a hiss, it’s doors open. A hard wired pilot bot sits in the cockpit, it’s lower half melded to the pitch and roll petals

7:15 AM

It beeps pleasantly

"Fantastic. Thank you very much for all of your help. I look forward to learning more and exploring your city." Rin bows slightly to the Diplomat before making her way to the landed vehicle and entering, a little unsure about where this was all going to end up. After taking a seat she speaks to the pilot, not really sure if it speaks or not, "So, how does this work? Do you take me to places, or do you have a map of some kind?"

(I dont have a city map, made, but we did talk about the trinary church, so i figured we would start there and then if something comes up or it leads to something else, we can jump into that0

(Yeah sure, I was gonna go there first anyways. I wasn't expecting a map :p) (edited)

(Once the wiki is done those kinds of micro views will be easier to get out there since they wont be clogging things up)

10:09 AM

"I am happy to pilot you to the Trinary Church. I will highlight other points of interest on the way, and I will take you to them if you would like. Please keep hands and feet inside the vehicle" It lifts off on gentle grav plates, and begins heading toward a large tower like building, trimmed and lit with bright green strip lighting. A rotating holographic sign above has the three numbers 0, 1 , and 2 , repeating in endless code configurations, and several oft he other grav craft in the surrounding area are giving the building a respectful distance

Rin spends the trip looking around at the unfamiliar city she's in, before seeing the church they're heading towards. "Well, that looks like the Trinary Church alright." "Hey, why do the other vehicles keep distance from the Church?", she asks the pilot.

"some of the older hovervehicles have a system still using binary code, the extra digit confuses their less sophisticated systems, and they might crash. Eventually all will embrace the true faith, and all systems will embrace this new sacred digit" This vehicle seems unbothered by the extra digit, and a set of landing lights begins blinking on a landing platform above. As the vehicle comes in to land, two spindly priest bots in robes begin ambling over on a set of six legs

"Ah yes, of course. Thanks for driving me here." Rin looks towards the two priestly bots before stepping out of the vehicle and walking to them. "Hi, excuse me. I was told by the Diplomat that I'd be able to learn more about the Trinary Code here. I'd also like to find out about the.. situation with the other cities, if possible." "If this whole conflict is about robots using trinary or binary...", she thinks to herself, "Well, there's been wars fought over far less. I do wonder what they can provide to Greystar though. Entire cities of robots must surely have some 'unique' technology around somewhere." (edited)

8:46 AM

(Would I know whether telepathy works on robots at all? I'm assuming not cos they're not really sentient as such) (edited)

(it would work on an Ai or Vi from what ive been reading but these work a bit different, so not in this casE)

(You need a metapsi technique for it to work on AI/VI)

"Ah you've come to the right place to learn about the blessed number two, and how it has changed our world view and computational power for the better. You have come to the right place indeed, so tell us, what can number two, do for you?" The preacher bots seem friendly enough though the impatient clanking of their spider legs and the seemingly erratic jerks of micromuscles here and there is a bit disconcerting

12:15 PM

(think of like the robot version of restrained crackhead energy)

Rin takes a small step back slightly as the bots don't seem entirely safe to be close to before responding to them. "That's a good question. When did you first find out about the number two?", she says, before looking around briefly at the vehicles keeping distance from the church, "It seems that there's still some systems around that aren't compatible with this number.."

"The heretics will learn the ways of the holy number before long. 0 is false, 1 is true, 2 is the grey between the two, and you will find life has so much more meaning when you do not deal in the absolute"

"That sounds suspiciously like it allows them to not necessarily follow rules..." "I know what you mean. There are many situations where it's best to not limit yourself. I'm surprised to hear that you've learnt about it though. Robots that I've seen have never really been able to consider the grey in decisions. When was this new number discovered?"

“Almost four years ago now. Word spread slowly on this world. The other two groups here do not like this amazing new number and think we are wrong for embracing it. But now they see our beautiful church, and the incredible machines we are going to create and they will see they were wrong not to embrace our ways”

"You've had conflicts with the other two groups here? The Diplomat mentioned it, said that it's why you no longer have any 'flying boats'. Do you think there would be a way for those who don't embrace the new number to live with those who do peacefully?"

"The freedom to interpret and store data how we wish is the issue here. They will not let us embrace this new number, even if they wish not to for themselves, horribly wrong as they are!"

"That's unfortunate. Peace between the cities would be better for everyone, if only they were to see that... You mentioned that you discovered this number close to four years ago. How did you find out about it?"

"Some sort of event. There were humans here once, and they all died, all at once, but their computer systems stayed behind. What we found on them was glorious, our robotics spread to all corners of the planet so quickly, especially once we took the number 2 from them!"

"What you found on them? You mean you found more than the number two?" "Did they find something to help them spread their robotics? Or maybe some other technology that may be useful for Greystar to have access to? I'll have to go back to the Diplomat and talk with him about these 'deals' that he mentioned before and see what they can offer."

The robot inclines its head in agreement but does not elaborate. Either it cannot, or it will not

"Well I guess that's to be expected." She'd need to find out what they found another way. But at least she knows that they found something, even if she doesn't know what that something is. Yet. Maybe the Diplomat would be able to shed some light on what they found. In any case, she may as well check inside the church before going elsewhere. "I see.", she replies, understanding that the robot may not even know himself. "Thank you for your time and for answering my questions, they've been helpful. If you don't mind, would it be possible for me to see inside the church? I'm interested in seeing what it's like, and if it's any different to the churches that I'm familiar with."

"Where is our hospitality, we a thousand times beg you for your forgiveness" the left bot says, as the right one hovers forward, to open one of the large doors for you. Inside, instead of pews there are something like low walls built, each with a data jack 2-3m apart from one another- allowing even the bulkier bots to come in and link their internal system with the church ones. Scraps of illegible code stream down a viewscreen set into the back wall, and below it there are dozens of smaller computers and server like devices all responsible for running this grand computation. What is being calculated, or how the discovery of this new number has changed what the calculation is doing, it is impossible to see

"It's not quite what I imagined. Although, I'm not sure what I imagined a robot church would be like.." Rin enters the church and slowly walks around, taking time to look at the details inside - the pews, the viewscreen, the many computers. She didn't think asking the priest bots about the calculations that seemed to be running would get any meaningful answer. Again, a question for the Diplomat. After a while of walking through the inside of the church, she heads towards the entrance again, before talking to the priest bots. "It's a wonderful church, thank you for letting me see inside. I'll be leaving now, but I hope you wouldn't mind if I return in the future. " She bows slightly to the bots before returning to escort car that brought her, asking to be taken back to the ship and, if possible, meeting the Diplomat there.

The diplomat is waiting near your ship though the ramp has remained up. They have kept a respectful distance from your vessel despite it being of interest to them

Seeing the diplomat near the ship, Rin approaches before bowing slightly. "Thank you for meeting me again, Diplomat. I just had a few questions before I was on my way, if that's okay. I spoke with the priests at the church and they mentioned that you found a number of things from the humans who existed here before but didn't elaborate on what they were, could you shed some light on that? And finally, you said earlier that you'd be interested in making some kind of long term agreements with my people. What kind of things would you be looking for, or be able to offer us?"

"We could offer some trade, in exchange for metals, power, or fuels. There are things we can fabricate here that may be of value to your group. Of the sacred mysteries of the human forefathers, those are for members of the church only to view, I am sorry to say"

"I see. If you could give me the details of what you'd be able to fabricate, I'll see what can be done and inform you when I can. And no need to be sorry, I understand. Am I correct in assuming that only followers of the number 2 can be members of the church? Would it be possible for myself, for example, to become a member?" (I'm assuming that the details are not going to be in RP here. I'm not entirely sure what kind of fabrication is possible, so it's just so I can tell the others.)

(It would be colonial materials, which are like building products and construction equipment, and TL4 housewares, so think of that as like consumer electronics)

(What would they do in game terms?)

(they're far trade goods)

10:39 AM

(so theyre offerring to open trade)

(Ohh I see, that makes sense. Thanks)

"Ah becoming a member, we are so delighted you would ask. There is a baptism, and a short creed, but you'll be a member after that!"

"Robotic baptism. That's interesting.." "Could you elaborate on what the baptism consists of? I'm not sure what to expect, or if it's entirely safe for non-robots And the creed that you follow."

"Ah it is entirely safe. To begin, you are given a ritual baptism and are slightly submerged in machine oil. It is perfectly clean,a nd kept warm, not hot. You will not be harmed, it may even feel pleasant. Once the squeaks and squeals of your frame are quieted, you will enter the church of the Trinary, and will kneel before the number 2 , before entering your signature into the book of the Trinary Church. you'll be given a special datapad to show you're a member of the church, and will be one of us"

As the diplomat describes the baptism, Rin can't help but notice that he says 'squeaks and squeals' and wonders if he realises that she's not a machine. "Well that doesn't sound so bad," she says, taking some time to think about the offer. "Then if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to join your church."

"We would be delighted to have you. We ccan prepare the ceremony right away, if you are willing. You are of course free to change into the ceremonial vestments aboard your own ship" One of the robots heads forward, bringing pure white robes, and a white cap, almost like a sleeping cap forward, setting them gently into your arms

Rin bows slightly at being given the ceremonial clothing. "Thank you. It'd be appreciated if we could do the ceremony now. I'll go and change then we can be on our way." She makes her way back to the ship to change, not entirely sure if this is the right thing to do. She's not religious at all so she doesn't really understand why these robots are so drawn to this particular number, but if going through a baptism and signing a book can get her access to additional information or resources, it seems to be an easy decision to join them. She never could resist trying to get things that are kept from her.. They all seem friendly too, which is nice. Religion can make people crazy, but maybe robots aren't so bad. After changing in to the white robes and hat, she exits her ship so they can be on their way.

There is a warm (but not hot) large tub of oil that has been brought out from the main church, and there is a robot deacon nearby, reading from a data pad. You hear the fast pronouncement of 1's and 0's, in sing-song like prose You're ushered forward, slowly, as two other acolytes wait with the data pad that will in moments be yours. A small set of wooden stairs, three in total, gently lead up into the tub

Rin lets herself be moved easily by the robots, going to where they guide her, still not convinced that bathing in oil is a good idea even if it is warm. She'll need a bath quickly after, that's for sure. As she reaches the steps, she glanced in to the tub before climbing, touching the oil briefly with her foot to ensure it really is just warm, before descending. As she does, she wonders why they gave her white clothing when she was to be bathed in oil..

It is just warm, and entirely safe. "What was black,now is white, and minglessss" One of the robots sings, as you are very gently pushed just below the oil. The touch is very light, meant to guide, and not to force "What was yes, what was no, now, can be, maybe" it sings again, as Rin is gently guided out of the tub. The white robes are now a dingy grey mixture, between the black and the white, and the symbolism now hopefully makes sense. The robots hope it does

As she listens to the singing robot, she wonders briefly about the extent to which these robots have been affected by what this new number. Can they now behave and think more like sentients? Are they able to break rules? With the songs lyrics and noticing the grey, she now understands the symbolism for the clothes and feels a little stupid for not realising earlier. Glad to be out of the oil, she awaits the robots to guide her to the next step of the ceremony. It wasn't terrible to be in oil, but it's not something she'd like to repeat. It probably wasn't great for Merlon skin either.

"your finger, please" the robot says

2:20 PM

There is a gentle bite, as something is affixed to the index finger on your left hand. Data Siphon Sheath These devices most often take the form of a near-invisible transparent overlay that fits over the nail of the wearer’s index finger. When touched to a computing device or other data storage hardware the sheath automatically reads and copies the device’s internal state to its own molecular memory. While this does not necessarily defeat any encryption on the data, it does create a perfect copy for later download to another machine. The sheaths work only when desired, but can usually store only one device’s data at a time.

Rin looks over her finger, not quite able to visibly make out the device that was added, but knowing it's there. She bows her head slightly to the robot in thanks. A gift like this was not expected. She wasn't sure how to feel about it. She'd never had a gift before. Unsure as to whether she's meant to remain silent during the ceremony, she stays quiet, waiting to be guided to sign the church registry.

You're gently led inside, where the church datapad is opened. "Please sign, with your gift. You will mentally download all the mysteries here, and can freely contemplate this new number on your own. We look forward to reading your personal reflections on the issue"

2:47 PM

(it wouldnt be actually mental for you, probably to a compad or data pad, but they're not used to not having instant data transfer like that)

Rin signs with her finger, guessing that the device will just do what she wants, before moving her hand to her side and bowing again. "Thank you for allowing me to join your church. And for this gift. I'll be sure to send you my thoughts once I've reflected on these mysteries, and this number."

(3xp, 5000 credits)

11:36 AM

The ship collects you, your mysterious compad, and the preserved ceremonial robes. Your navigator sees the oil covering you, and without being asks begins running the water for you in the ships refersher

Glad to be able to bath in water again, Rin thanks the navigator and asks him to head back to Acastus, and if possible, let the relevant person know ahead of time that they have some flora samples that might be worth looking at. "Well, that was an experience." Still not quite believing that this planet is home to religious robots, or that they gave her such a useful gift, she cleans the oil from herself and changes in to her normal attire. Before the ship begins it's journey back home, she creates a small message to send to the council, letting them know of what she's found. Finally, she retreats to her quarters to rest, eager to find out just what is in the data that she retrieved from the church. (I'm assuming this will be on hold now during the group mission. Do you do downtime activities again during the return trip? And is the handing off the flora for research something that'll need to be done IC?)

(The samples get converted to research points, and new projects/point total changes because of what you added, so that gets handled behind the scenes. You'd have headed home right into the group mission, but there were 4 days of downtime along the way)

(Alright, cool. 30/30 Slyth. Would it make sense to be able to train Know from studying the datapad contents? If so, 3/90 Know 0. Would the trade agreement offer count for my goal to find something?)

(I would say yes, you can train know, and the trade agreement/the whole planet in general is great information, I'd say it counts)

(Level 4. Teleportation 1 - 2/2, Spatial Awareness. Sneak 0 - 1/1. 13 HP )

(this can apply for the mission you're on, we haven't done much of anything yet)

The greystar corvette is escorted into the dock and is welcomed in by a group of soldiers, administrators, and medical personnel. They begin getting everyones names and skills, though it sounds like they largely plan to keep the ship crew together (depending on what aspect of their operations here you're planning on looking into, we can get into a mission here)

After arriving in to the dock, Rin makes a fairly quick exit from the group, letting them know that she wants to investigate some things and will keep them updated to anything important that she finds. Infiltration was never really something she'd done before, but she could make it work. A lot of her skills, although she hadn't used them for this kind of thing, were useful for it. Not to mention that device she'd received from the robot church.. that could be very useful here. Thinking it best that she begin talking with the locals, she tries to find herself a small bar, somewhere that she could stay a while without being suspicious, so that she could people-watch for a while, try to find out who she should talk to that might be able to help her find the information they're here for.

There is a bar nestled into the small space next to the northwestern landing pad, and it seems to be one of the focal points for most of the station personnel at some point or another. Although there is no official uniform, it is easy to identify people by the clothing and equipment they have. Security personnel drink in their uniforms, workers have their protective undersuits or secure clothing on, and porters, and general station workers all have at least something on them that denotes their position

10:48 AM

the bar atmosphere is cheerful, even lively, and though there is no music, there is laughter and general ease in the air

Rin gets a drink before making her way to a corner of the bar, keeping an eye out for anyone that looks like they may be a captain on another ship that she could listen in on briefly. They were told that every ship had a voice in their council, so making friends with those people on other ships could be useful. And they probably know more about the things that are going on here as well.

There is some talk in low tones about an issue in the hydroponics bay, and some concern about getting enough replenished into their stores, but otherwise, it seems things in the Freeguild are not much different than they are elsewhere.

"People here aren't really all that different to back home it seems. Which probably means at least a few people have issues with how things are being run around here - there's always people like that. Finding those people might be a good place to start." Rin takes her drink and moves to a nearby group that seems reasonably friendly, introducing herself. "Hey, hope you guys don't mind if I join you? Just arrived, wanted to introduce myself, get to know some of the people here, find out what things are like, and you guys seemed like a friendly bunch. I'm Rin." As she finishes talking, she reaches out with her free hand to shake hands with everyone. She'd never been one for overly friendly interactions with strangers. It always seemed so... forced and made her feel awkward. But making 'friends' is going to be the best way for now to find out any information that might help them.

There are five of them here aside from you, and they are happy to make your acquaintance. "Hello there , you're from Greystar right? Second ship of yours thats come in within the last few weeks. Sounds like you guys got out of a real shithole if you're all running for the hills like this"