Iron Stars - einer

Einer awakens in the central mountain fastness on Bergasa, home of the Sovereign Colonies Armed Forces. This is the longest he has ever remained in one place, especially now that the Shaper incursion has come to an end. Even confined to a planet, there is more than enough to wander to and explore- especially on a world where the entire ecosystem has been sculpted by a psychic bordering demi-god like power. Silvano himself rarely leaves his reflection chamber lately, truly exhausted from the fighting. For now, he is content to let his followers explore their new home, and develop things accordingly. Occasionally, a runner will come down from the mountain peak with small adjustments in how things should be done.

Einer stares at the ceiling from his bed, trying to still the restless energy in his limbs. It’d been too long since he had felt genuinely accepted in a place, but old habits die hard. After a quick check of his chronometer, Einer rolls out of bed. After splashing his face with cool water from the stone basin to wash away some of the grogginess, he makes his way to his favorite isolated outcropping. The sky is still dark, and Einer sits cross legged facing the direction of the approaching sunrise.

2

The sun is a brilliant yellow-orange and slowly creeps its way up the mountainside, and its warmth quickly follows. Out in the bay, two patrol craft begin their morning rotation, keeping the seas surveyed and safe

Einer enjoys the warmth as it loosens his muscles, but meditation stays out of his grasp. The restlessness had invaded his thoughts. Finally, he exhales in frustration and stands up. “I need something to do,” he says to no one in particular. He leaves the outcropping, looking for any of the SCAF runners or leadership.

A runner is heading into the lab, arms laden with sample jars, and he swerves on his heels to avoid running into you

“Hello there!” Einer calls, reaching out to stabilize the runner and keep him from falling, “Want some help?”

"Ah thank you! Heading into the lab, clean room only beyond the doors. Everythings so busy with the scouting expedition about to take off"

Einer grabs a few jars, “Scouting expedition? Where to?”

"Balquis, we're going to be recovering some parts. There's a plan to build some kind of big lighthouse or beacon at the top of the mountain, and some satellite pieces there for a more permanent navigation system"

He holds a door open for the runner, “Are they still looking for people to help?”

"They are, I think the expedition is meeting in one of the mid mountain planning rooms, they're just briefing while their ship finishes fueling"

“I’ll have to go toss my name into the hat. Thank you,” Einer stays with them until they don’t require his help, then heads off to find the planning room.

(Hagen is going too, so I'll get the two of you together)

(Sweet)

Einer collects his sword, shield, and few personal belongings to prepare for the mission. He’s relieved to be stretching his legs and doing something more than meditating on his teachings.

Einer an @Hagen Emeric are both assigned to the mission, or at least the briefing of it, and the meeting is set to take place in the mid level planning chambers of this mountain. Silvano is not expected to attend, but several of his more senior Lieutenants are present.

Einer arrives at the briefing, and stands towards the back of the group, content to listen for now.

21:40

(If I’m not jumping too far ahead)

(all good)

The door opens, and a big man in his forties enters, looking like he just left a welding rig or climbed out of some maintenance tunnel. His chin shows some stubbles and his curly hair appears to have a fading maroon. He carries a small bowl with the last drops of some earthy smelling fungus stew and a plastic cup smelling like coffee. He sets his back worn toolkit next to a chair and sits down. He glances around, sees unfamiliar faces and quickly takes out his dataslab. After a few seconds, a small holo projector on the man's bright orange vest springs to life, and the words Hagen Emeric ~~Maintenance Crew~~ Freelancer appear in a faint blue on its chest and back.

(Amazing)

(thanks)

“Alright everyone. We will keep this short I know you all have things to do before we head out Balquis is a world a jump from here. One day of quiet time in the void. The world has the wreckage of a failed colony and failed trade hub there. We know there’s some cargo rockets and other wreckage on the ground that we can try to grab what we need from”

01:23

“The end goal is to get a permanent satellite constellation up since we as yet have no space platforms “

Einer raises a hand, “Are there people living there that we’re taking this equipment from?”

“Not that we know of. All previous scouting missions have not seen any other signs of human life”

He nods in acknowledgment and sits back in his seat.

"Do we know of any hazardrous environment?"

"The environment is not considered harmful, there should be no environmental factors to deal with aside from possible stormy weather when we arrive"

“Will we have schematics for what we’re looking for? I’m Uh, not the most technically inclined,” he says a bit sheepishly.

"Mr. Emeric here knows what we're looking for and will be guiding the expedition in that regard"

“Oh, excellent. Thank you.”

"We only know what kind of tech and parts they had, but nothing about specifics or condition, so... Consider this a salvage run. Worst case is we dig around for a week and leave empty handed"

“Anything to stretch my legs.”

"Plenty of opportunity for that, I reckon. Just be careful not to pull a muscle", Hagen says, and winks

"That's really all we can say without knowing how things are on the ground. What do you all think, everyone still wanna go!?"

“Absolutely.”

A free merchant has been set aside for use, stripped down to maximize cargo space. The ship is comfortable though the cargo hold is cavernous, and capable of bringing back almost anytihng you might find. It does not have a name, and is painted a unreflective matte grey, with the supernova symbol of SCAF on the side of its hull, in a dull halo of white

"Why hasn't it been named? First flight?", Hagen asks.

"holdover from the shaper fight" the crew chief says, standing at the ramp "We tended to lose ships like this fairly quickly. It was easier to just kind of move on if there wasnt anything attached to them"

“First Flight isn’t a terrible name. It is a new age,” Einer says while walking pass the pair. He goes off to look for some quarters.

There are enough bunks aboard for everyone to have their own small room, even if they are very small , little more than storage closets

“Cozy,” he says with a smile. He tosses his small bag on the bunk and continues to wander the ship.

Hagen stows his toolkit and backpack in his room. The pilots words are still in his head; It was easier to just kind of move on if there wasnt anything attached to them. That struck him as cold; the people on those ships had names. Not giving a ship a name because it's flight was condemned seemed cruel to him. He steps out of his room and follows the yellow lines on the floor to engineering. These lines are usually on the walls, but given there were not that many walls left, someone seems to have painted them on the floor. The green line towards the galley cuts the yellow line, and Hagen decides to follow it instead. In front of him, he sees Einer Stjerne walking and looking around. "Hey there", he says to the man wandering in front of him. "First time on a ship stripped down to the point where it reselmbles a steel air bubble more than anything else?"

Einer grins, “Not necessarily. This one isn’t the worst I’ve ever been on, at least I don’t have to worry about getting lockjaw if I cut myself on the bunk here. I’m Einer, by the way.” He extends his hand in greeting. He’s average in height, with an unremarkable build. The only notable part of his appearance are the starburst tattoos on his face, and the sword and shield strapped to his body.

"I'm Hagen. Nice meeting you", Hagen says, shaking Einers hand. "Nice tat.", he adds as he sees it, and smiley. "Were you part of a gang in a former life?"

Einer laughs loudly, “I guess. Gang, cult, monastic order. Any would work. But it’s part of my current life as well.” His laugh subsides, “What did you do before joining Silvano’s experiment?” (edited)

"Kept other people's shit running. I've been a Grease Monkey most of my life. Until the scream, I worked in a biodome yeast lab on a small moon, then I got here as part of Maintenance. What about you?"

“That sounds incredibly fascinating. You’ll have to tell me more about it, I haven’t been to a biodome before. As for me, I spent my time studying and learning. I moved from place to place with my mentor until I,” he pauses a moment, looking for the right word, “graduated. Overall, I kept my head down. I may be one of the few people in the sectors who finds the current situation better than what I was in before the Scream.”

"Well, if it weren't for the Scream, we probably couldn't take these parts we are about to get, plus I'm not psychic, so I guess the Scream benefits me right now, too. Sounds like you are on some kind of getaway"

“More like something between a pilgrimage and sabbatical. I finished my theoretical portion, and now I’m working on the practical side of things.”

03:10

“I don’t mean to sound obtuse, it’s just not something I’ve had a lot of experience explaining before.”

"Whatever your field of expertise is, a colony like this one has need for it, and for you, and is a great way to start over, or start at all. My guess would be that the practical side involves that sword of yours. Are you some kind of monk?", Hagen says, scratching his stubbly chin.

“I am!” He says grinning widely and hands outstretched, “I adhere to the teachings of the First Facet, Eir. She founded our Order. As for expertise, I’m a middling medic, and decent enough swordsman. Otherwise my main specialty is being convoluted about simple things, my mentor called that philosophy. I try to be more honest.” (edited)

Hagen waves it off with a smile. "There is no dishonesty in having everything pulled out of your nose. Come on", he says and claps Einer on the shoulder. "I'll show you how the galley works" Hagen walks the few meters to the galley and runs Einer through the food dispensers process by letting the machine make a can of coffee. He offers Einer some, pours a mug for himself and takes a sip. "I'm curious. As a... " He pauses, then rephrases. "You said you are on a pilgrimage. What do you seek?"

“Thank you!” He takes a sip of the coffee, and let’s the smell waft over his face. “I’m embarrassed to guess at how long that would’ve taken me.” He sits back, holding his mug, “I’m looking for enlightenment. Eir teaches us we can find understanding of the universe by understanding the people we live side by side with. The more people you live alongside, the more comprehensive your education is. Before the Scream, it was harder for Facets to finalize their education this way. We had to hide our intentions, and our abilities or risk persecution.” (edited)

"I see", he says. After half a minute of silence he nods and adds "I get the concept. I had an uncle who said similar things. He, Um... Well, he was polyamorous. Got stabbed by one of his eight wives in the end."

Einer chokes on the coffee, and coughs out a laugh, “Maybe he should have stopped at seven then?”

2

"It was his second wife, Melany, who stabbed him. But I agree, he should have stopped at some point. Rather, he should have focused on what he needs, not on what he wants"

“It’s not easy to find a balance between wants and needs. Hopefully our own wants don’t leave us broken.”

(I'm good whenever, just dont want to bring the scene to a halt)

"I don't want eight of most things. Eight wives are too many", Hagen says after another sip. He finishes his coffee. "And probably too much", he ads, and grabs the can. "Concerning needs and wants... I need to hit engineering because I want to be present with the pre flight check ups, maybe I can help, or learn a thing or two. I'll tell you all about my time in a biodome once we are in spike, if you like"

“That’d be great! Thank you for the coffee, and the conversation.” Einer remains in the galley, sipping his coffee. (Ready when you guys are)

"My pleasure", Hagen says over his shoulder. His footsteps are audible for a couple meters. A semi-distant "Coffee, anyone?" is followed by the metallic clanking of a shutting deck door. (yeah im ready as well)

The one day jump to Balquis is a myriad of sensations as the Free Merchant plunges into spike space, and then back out over the failed planet below. There is evidence everywhere of a colony and mercantile culture that had fallen into collapse, even before The Scream. SCAF scouts have been to the failed trade hub a few times, hunting for prized materials in the wrecked vessels below.

21:58

The First Flight is fitted for operating in the atmosphere, and begins its approach

Einer stands in the cargo bay with the others, staring out of a porthole at the approaching world.

Hagen reads the scouts reports, mainly to get an idea of where they should search first. As the ship enters the atmosphere and begins to vibrate from all the micro collisions, a smile slips on Hagens face and he puts his dataslab away. He closes his vest over his overall, puts his helmet on and joins the crew at the ramp.

(so we have the ruined colony, and ruined trade hub as potential salvage sites, which one first?)

(trade hub)

(+1 for trade hub)

Landing at the trade hub you see evidence that another ship was here recently along with what looks like two bodies out in the shipyard area. The merchant circles once before coming in to land just There is a thunderclap of sound and a wall of blown dirt as the three of you materialize at the edge of the trade hub. The wrecks of small system craft, large cargo planes, and the large warehouse row itself are in various states of disrepair. The runways and rocket launch pads are likewise rusted over, exposed to years of the elements without being maintained

Einer shakes off the discombobulation from the teleportation. “Have we landed expeditions here before? Those bodies are a little disconcerting.” His hand is resting on the pommel of his sword.

"Yes, Bregusan scouts have been here, but their reports did not mention anything about bodies. Anyone who knows of this place can come here and grab stuff, it's absolutely plausible that someone not from SCAF came here and left these bodies. You're a medic, right? Maybe you can tell us more about them once we took a look" Hagens eyes rest on the dark shapes while he speaks. He takes slow steps towards the bodies, now scanning the horizon and larger shadows for movement.

“I’ll do what I can. Did you hear if our ship scanned anything in the system?” Einer moves slowly, watching opposite of Hagen.

"I wouldn't know, I was not on the bridge." Hagen turns to Einer. "Tell me... how would you lie a trap out here?"

Einer pauses, and thinks, “I see what you’re getting at. More disconcertingly, a trap implies something is out here with intelligence, and that we’re potentially worried about something worse than local fauna.”

"I'm thinking pirates, smugglers or scavengers, like we are. But then again, I can imagine a lot of scenarios where pirates, smugglers or scavengers piss off in a hurry and leave a couple of bodies behind"

"I agree. Let's be cautious, and let the First Flight know about what's going on in case we get into trouble." He slides his shield off his back, and settles it onto his arm. The sword remains sheathed.

Hagen nods and comms the ship to give the update. (neko you said we are three people? Who's with us?)

(I copied the description from johns thread , so it’s just the two of you)

22:31

(That must have accidentally come with it)

22:31

Approaching the bodies you see one of them is headless. It has been dead for a few days and wearing a combat harness belonging to the Elysium Protectorate (edited)

"Not to speak flippantly of the dead, but I think we know how they died." Einer crouches next to the more intact body, looking for any clues.

They are wearing EP uniforms and were killed by bladed weapons. There are four shell casings by the wreck of a crashed cargo plane and evidence on the ground of a scuffle , and discarded EP kit. There are also lengths of rope that were cut and evidently not used. Someone was clearly carried away

00:52

The rope is a few days aged , brittle from being in the sun and gently pushed into the dirt

“So much for no one being here. I don’t like the idea of leaving the bodies here, and I worry about the person they carried away.” Einer places a hand on each of the chests in turn, saying a few quiet words.

"You can dispose of them if you like, you have at least an hour to kill while I scoop around for the parts I might need", Hagen says. His shoulders untensed with Einers last sentence - who comes back after a kidnapping job? - and he, visually relaxed, begins to look around in the remnants of the trade hubs shipyard, already eyeing parts that peek his interest. "To be honest, I'm kinda glad they already took someone else", he half shouts from around a small heap of debris. "I don't think we can do much for them, but maybe you can find some tracks. Sure, they have a three to five day lead, but if you find something, feel free to search for more. Just dont wander off too far"

“I’ll keep my compad on.” Einer looks for anything that might suit for a shovel to dig shallow graves. He also grabs any identification off of the dead body that they may have.

01:51

(I assume that’d take up most or all of the hour if nothing else happens)

(yeah i would say so for you Einer. They'd have ID tags with their names, but they were ship NPC's so they didnt have any story significance aside from their jobs, and a clue now)

14:22

There are tracks heading west, and there is some flattened land showing a grav vehicle had passed through, laden down to almost touch the ground with people or cargo

14:23

(Hagen has a really good fix so i think a roll doesnt make sense with what he's doing) Hagen is not able to work with any of the materials in the crashed ships, but from a distance the rocket pads look to be fitted with a lot of the equipment this satellite constellation, and voyage beacon project might need.

14:23

With a little TLC, the rockets might even be able to be launched , and supplies can be picked up from space with a higher degree of safety (edited)

As Einer comes back to where he left Hagen, he only finds parts marked with crosses of chalk and half disassembled pieces scattered around. Hagens markings are easily traceable, and soon he can hear the man, who seems to have wandered off in his search for parts. "Busted as well. No wonder they all died! Can't even install a fucking floodlight", Hagen says, his voice filled with anger and frustration. He crawls out of the crashed ship and marks it with a big X as well. His face lights up as he sees Einer. "Ah, Einer. How'd it go?"

Einer wipes dirt and sweat from his brow, “Whoever was here took off in a gravcar so I doubt we’ll be able to find them on foot. Any luck here?”

He sits down heavily, leaning against a piece of metal.

"Gravcar? That's weird", Hagen says. "Well, at least you could find something" Hagen looks at the chalk markings around him and shakes his head. He puts a cigarette to his mouth and lights it. "Nothing useful down here. But I could make out some good looking support scaffolding over at the rocket pads", he says, pointing over his shoulder towards some sleek, high silhouettes in the distance. "I saw some solar panels as well. I'd say we take a look."

Einer stretches his arms and stands back up, “Sounds like a plan. Let’s get going.” He sends a quick message to the Flight letting them know that they’re moving.

The flight likewise moves closer to the pads, now with its doors shut after you disembark. Three pads stand before you, two of them have rockets that seem to be in decent condition, the third, on the extreme left, has fallen over across one of the runways, and its wreckage was likewise the site of a skirmish

"Do you think we can get those rockets to launch?" Einer is standing at the foot of one, looking up the towering cargo rocket.

"Both? If we're lucky. One for sure" Hagen begins assessing the craft. "Look at that beauty. You can still see the factory paint job! Has to look good on the inside, though", he mumbles to himself, his mind already at work.

21:15

"What's with that fallen one? Worth even taking a closer look at?" He searches for a way in the middle one.

“I’ll go take a look. I can probably tell you if it seems too broken to be of any use. Let me know if you find anything exceptional in these ones!” Einer makes his way to the fallen rocket, inspecting the area for indications of what happened during the skirmish.

Someone was shooting here, shooting a lot, before the grass, paving stones, and dirt are kicked up in a swirl showing the stomps and punches of many hands and feet. A figure lay prone here after a while, likley the victim of this bunches of punches

“Hagen,” Einer calls over the radio, “I’m starting to think whoever lives here may be more violent than we’re prepared to deal with on our own.” His voice is tight as he looks inside the downed rocket for anything useful.

The rocket itself is massive, its solar cells have shorn off in the fall and the receptors are broken. Its fuel tank was ruptured and the fuel contents have long since bled into the air or ground.

Einer tries to find any indication for a cargo hold.

(this rocket would be a total loss, whole thing just sort of tumbled apart, but you've got some clue that some prisoners were taken) On the rocket platform itself, the remaining two rockets seem to be fueled. There is a small bunker close to Einer, with an open but heavy looking door

1

"Better not get seen, then. Gravcar means they'd have some hq in the vicinity so they will probably hear the rockets launch. Both are fueled, I'll run diagnosis in a minute" (are they in flying/launching condition?)

Einer climbs on top of the downed rocket in order to keep a good view of the surrounding area while Hagen finishes inspecting the rockets.

(They look to be as good as you can tell)

Hagen comms Einer. "I can launch them. Will be very loud and will draw attention, if there is any to draw" (edited)

“Wonderful! We should probably hide out in the bunker while they launch. Then call the Flight down to pick us up before anyone comes looking.”

(the bunker presumably has the launch controls too, because there;s nothing on the pads themselves)

(Hotwire them rockets, boy)

(the plan is to disassemble the rockets later in zero g, right?)

(yeah, you're a lot safer from raiders in space)

04:23

(and you don't need to worry about a crane)

(Allright, perfect)

04:30

Hagen prepares the launch and comms the First Flight to explains the plan. "...so we're in need of a pickup soon after launch. We're in position now, ready when you are." He prepares a crude flight plan so the rockets won't collide with eath other, or anything else for at least a week and waits with Einer in the bunker.

He walks in to join the engineer, “Have you ever done anything like this?”

"Nope"

“Fantastic,” Einer’s eyes light up with excitement. (edited)

"The way I see it... If this goes south, at least no one can sue me", he says with a smile

04:34

"Have you done something similar?"

“I’ve been around things that have exploded before so,” he shrugs, “maybe that counts?”

"Then I have done this before", he barks in a laugh

Einer laughs as well, and also double checks the bunker’s seal. He waves a lazy salute at Hagen, “Ready when you are!”

"We wait for the FF to be in position for a quick pickup" Hagen mans the launch control panel and waves Einer over. "Hey, look at this" The console has a button for each rocket, and he points at one of them. "Might be the only chance in your life to launch a rocket from 40 meters off. Would be a shame not to take it", he says with a broad, excited smile.

“I- yea- thank you,” he’s obviously flustered but hurries over and rests his hand over the button. “Ready to countdown once we get the go-ahead from FF!” (edited)

(If all we need to do is press the button, I’m ready to light this candle.)

(same)

(yeah!) There are twin flashes of light as the rockets both ignite their engines, and loading gantries fall away. one of the ancient computers comes to life, showing in crude green and black lines where the paths of both rockets are expected to go. As the heat and pressure wave wash over you, each rocket clearing the pad, the Final Flight sets down as soon as the dust clears. The bunker front is scorched black as fire pours over the blast proof windows, but otherwise has completed its purpose (edited)

Einer slaps Hagen on the back and moves to throw the bunker door open. “That was incredible!”

(3xp, 5000 credits)

17:16

The twin comets of flame head into the air, as the two rockets make orbit, and the Final Flight lands, ramp down, to bring you up into space after them

"Yeah, it was" he says smiling, and follows Einer out of the bunker. Their steps disrupt the scorched ground, showing spots of glass where the combined heat of the two rockets had burned the sand, and bright footprints lead from the bunker to the FFs ramp, as both men step in and brace for take-off.

(if anyone has a level up, we can spend the points before we do the next stuff, since its new scenes)

(I’ll get to it in an hour.)

(no rush)

(Level 2 Sunblade 0->1 Notice -1-> 0 Healer Focus Heal -1 -> 1 Sunblade Skill Robes of Discipline HP 8->9) (edited)

(Ready for whatever’s next)

both rockets have made orbit, their boosters falling away back to the planet below, leaving just the orbital maneuvering thrusters, and the cargo capsules on each. Below, the planet continues turning, though you can now collect these objects with less risk of both gravity and raider

(do we do that now or do we check out the failed colony?)

(we can do things in any order you want, the rockets arent going anywhere up here)

Hagen arrives on the bridge, a fresh can of coffee in his hands. "Thank you for the standby and pickup", he says to the captain, handing him a mug. "And for the precise landing", he says to the pilot, handing him a mug as well. "I suggest we dismantle those rockets before landing again. It's hard to estimate how much cargo space that will fill up"

Einer follows in behind, he pauses to kick some charred dirt off his boots before stepping onto the bridge. “I’m inclined to agree. It’s our whole purpose for being here, anyways.”

"The rockets have a lot of what we need, but not everything. We still need a bright light." He pauses. "That's the most important aspect" He begins to talks faster, his voice growing with excitement to share his vision. "Image you are on an expedition away from Mount Home, and the moment your hydrofoil leaves the dock, a bright beam of light shines down on on the mountain, engulfing the peak in a cloud of reflections. Wherever you are on this ring shaped landmass, you can see the light, pointing your way home like a finger, until you return!"

“So, we’re covering Mount Home in mirrors?”

"What? No, that was just part of the description" He laughs "I only had the beam in mind, a really bright one. Mirrors could work, though. Maybe a bit risky to just scatter blindly, but we could maybe install a mirror and filter system for agriculture or something. Good idea"

“Just trying to figure out how it’d work during the day,” he thinks for a moment, “though I guess we could just look at the mountain.”

"I hope to find a bright enough light source for the day, but I take what I can get. I think I can upgrade it later" He turns to the captain. "What do you think, how long will it take to disassemble the rockets with the crew available?"

"A day, maybe two if we run into complications during the disassembly process, but not more than that"

14:29

"Doing this through spacewalks makes it both easier and more difficult"

"Looking forward for the easier part. Let's start with the hard one - the spacewalk and zero g welding. I did not plan for that, so I don't have my equipment. If you can help me out, I'll join the disassembling squad"

"Of course, there's plenty of supply in the ship stocks. There shouldn't be a problem getting you out into space'

“I’ll keep the coffee hot for you, this is beyond my personal expertise.”

(if we want to split up while Einer checks the hub, we can do that too)

(I’m cool either way)

(You wanna go back to the hub? I'm good. But i'd like to check out the failed colony)

(i think i meant the colony, i was either about to go to bed or just waking up when I typed that)

(Id also like to look at the failed colony and I’m willing to wait for Hagen to break down the rockets)

(we don't need to go by meta here or skills either, Einer could still be useful in a spacewalk just by being stronk)

(Sure! Happy to help)

"Have you done a spacewalk before, Einer?" Hagen asks on the way to the locker room, remembering the vertigo and euphoria he felt the first time he 'stepped' out of a ship. (edited)

“Never one this technical,” he still seems eager, but more nervous than you’ve seen him.

"Oh don't worry, you won't have do any welding or disassembling," he says with a reassuring smile, and claps Einer on the shoulder with one hand, just to push a helmet into his arms with the other hand. "We are currently matching the rockets momentum and we will attach several lines to the one we're first working on." He sits in the locker room, showing the steel and rubber cables to Einer. "One of these, this orange one, is the hauling line. It has a parallel line to it, and that's where you'll be. Your job is to accompany the parts along the hauling line towards the cargo bay, and make sure they don't get unwanted momentum. Taking the scrap into the bay is where the most severe injuries occur, and steady moving parts limits this risk immensely"

Pleased with having a legitimate way to help, Einer nods firmly, “You got it, Hagen. Give me a minute to suit up and I’ll be ready.” Gingerly, he sets his sheathed sword in a locker, and lays his shield across the front of the door after removing loose clothing. Then he dons the vac suit with practiced ease.

outside, you can hear the ship judder and shake as something like mooring harpoons are fired, and anchored onto the first of the rockets youll be working on

Einer stands with the work detail in the depressurized cargo hold. As the door silently opens, he stares out into the star filled void. He silently breathes out, “Eir guide my steps, and light my way.” Then louder, “Let’s get to it.” He steps out into the void, seeking the lines Hagen directed him to.

The two lines are color coded, a transit one runs from the airlock to the rocket, while the color coded cargo lines run from the cargo bay to the same rocket. A small handheld motor lets you run up and down the line with ease, though can only be clipped into one at a time. No other workers are outside yet, and Hagen is also not currently out on the wreck, though based on how he was dressed when you saw each other, should be along shortly

Hagen exits the air lock and hooks on the transit cable. Einers speaker crackles. "You already found your line, that's great. Get familiar with that pulley, your body has a slight wind up delay because you are getting, well, pulled" Hagen prepares his launch, pausing for a moment. "There is a saying for these kind of jobs. Don't kiss raw space. It means good luck and don't crack your visor. Einer, welcome to your first zero g salvage gig. Don't kiss raw space." He launches himself off the ship, darting grinning towards the rocket. (edited)

"Seems like sound advice, I'll keep it in mind." Einer runs himself up and down the line to get a feel for the motor.

There is a half second delay and you’re jerked along it at first rather than actually pulled. After a moment you’re at the site of the rocket and the mag locking boots you’re wearing signal in your visor that they’re capable of latching on if needed

"I think I got the hang of thi- whoa! Okay now I got it."

There is a gentle thud as Einer clambers onto the rocket hull, and everything locks into place. The sunlight glints off the bodywork, though the National flag and former agency name has been abraded off by swirling wind (edited)

Einer checks to make sure the hauling line is secured to the rocket, and waits for Hagen and the crew to arrive.

Hagen walks mag locked on the rockets outer hull and checks the lines in his vicinity. His suits exterior lights flicker on. "First Flight, this is Emeric. Stjerne and I are in position"

"Very good. Cargo team is ready for work. There should be a panel close to you, on a control arm. Solar collectors on the end. There are two very large bolts, about 3m each, keeping the control arm secured to the rocket body. We're going to remove that first, and once it is out of the way, we should be able to cut into the cargo capsule itself"

Hagen looks around for the panel. "Roger that", he says on the open channel once he finds it. He mag walks over to the first bolt and begins to place glowbugs in the darker, shadowed parts of his current workspace.

Einer follows suit, moving to stand beside Hagen. He grabs the large breaker bar tied with a cord to his suit, and unfastens it. “Does it go here?” He asks, gesturing it towards the now lit up bolt.

(If it is, let's start cranking!)

20:49

(Also I assumed we'd have kitted ourselves out with toolkits or something in anticipation for having to take things apart)

(yeah, or one would be floated out to you, so me sayying no no no naughty boys because you dont have xyz tool doesnt make sense)

"Indeed", he answers, stepping aside to make room for Einer and his bar.

23:36

(yeah lets crank it)

(exert/str good buddy)

(6)

(dang)

The bar cranks hard, loosening the panel arm cleanly, (and since you've got the knack for it, we dont need a check for the second one, all we're opening you up to is a repetitive motion injury)

(Tennis elbow, in space)

2

“Do we want to keep the control arm?” He has a firm hold on the now released component.

"Yes" Hagen points to the end of the control arm, at the solar panels. "It's got a lot of the wiring for those in it" He turns his head to look for a hauling line, and his suit light reflects from the steel cable of one nearby. "Can be hauled as is"

“Got it.” Einer begins securing the line to the arm. When ready, he’ll haul it back to the ship.

This time the grip and winches are easier to control and your gliding is comfortable. The control arm and related component parts are grappled by the cargo crew and hauled aboard for storage.

After the hand-off, he glides back to Hagen, “Time to cut?”

Hagen gestures a yes and takes out the marking spray. He marks where to cut, and soon, about half a dozen crossing lines are on the side of the now accessible cargo hold.

"Let's cut this can open." Einer holds his cutting tool, waiting for Hagen to make the first cuts.

(Fix/int)

"FF, beginning the first cut now" Hagen hovers parallel to the hull, hooked to a safety line, arms at chest level. He flicks a switch, and the power tool lights on. Sparks begin to fly as the soundless work progresses.

04:42

(14)

2

The hole takes a few minutes to cut but is done expertly. A perfect rectangle panel floats free, no longer held to the rocket. Inside, additional fuel tanks, rations, spare parts, and motors along with a few components you can’t identify are packed neatly , never having made it to their destination

Einer peeks around Hagen, their helmet lights illuminating the trove inside, “Wow. Everything being packed up so neatly should make the transfer easier.”

Hagen moves aside to let Einer see. "Not only that - I can use a lot of this stuff." The unidentifyable parts peek his interest, and he releases his hook to enter the cargo hold. What is this?, he thinks, as he examines the components. His suits sensor registers the change of brightness around him, and the interior light illuminates his confused face, casting a dim reflection on the inside of his visor. The visor is still configured for outer ship work, but now, inside the rocket, the UV filter would only darken his vision without a benefit. He changes the setting, and his reflection, along with his immediate curiosity, fades as his visor brightens. You can figure that out in the First Flights cargo hold, not in this one. Back to work While releasing the crates and components from their transport clamps, Hagen activates his radio to talk to Einer. "Most of this does not need your company as a hauling guide. Rule of thumb is, if its not packaged or bigger than you, you guide it. Else, secure it to a line and give it a good push." He begins to chug crates at Einer (edited)

Einer gestured an affirmative, and begins catching the crates. He secures them to the cargo line before sending them back towards the ship. The awkward pieces he sets aside just on the interior side of the cut to keep the flow moving. “Any guesses as to what they were trying to haul into orbit?”

"I don't know. But there's a lot of useful stuff for a colony like Bregusa. Maybe this was a shipment for another colony? Maybe a collected order from another system? MAybe a construction site? I couldn't find a cargo manifest. Didn't look for one, though"

"But here are components I don't recognise. Finding out what that is" he motions towards the parts "could shed some light"

“I’m sure it’ll be interesting regardless. Be back in a moment, first load that needs a chaperone is up.” Einer holds tight to the bundle of equipment, and pushes off towards the First Flight.

Hagen prepares the next guided launches for Einer while he is gone. (cue montage for rest of the cargo hold?)

(works for me!) The Final Flight holds station over the next few hours as the supplies and component panels of this cargo rocket are transferred. Some of the containers barely make it onto the deck before splintering, such is their age, but you've been able to keep everything together for the difficult part of the journey. As rocket 1 is stripped down to just a few pieces of floating space junk, the Flight begins signaling for everyone to come back and refresh before tackling the second

Hagen exits the airlock and opens his helmet. The soft blow of air turbulences from different, now equalizing air pressures, brushes his face. The ships air is less oxygen saturated than his suits air, and his vision begins to blur. He sits down and lets out a heavy breath and begins to undo the straps of his suit. He looks to Einer, exhaustion showing on his face. "You did very well. You looked a little pale going out, but now you're all red", he says, and smiles for a second.

Einer likewise removes the helmet, breathing out and spluttering his lips. "I think I started to outpace the suit's climate control toward the end there. Who knew breaking down a rocket into component parts would be hard work?" He throws a hand up in mock exasperation.

Hagen gives up on the straps and relaxes all his limbs, his body mirroring the benches shape. "I did" He chin-nods towards the wall mounted water dispenser tube and closes his eyes. "It's the core", he says while letting out a deep breath. "All the twisting and balancing", with another heavy breath.

"I can see that. You want a cup?" Einer pulls out one of the dispenser's cups and begins filling it. "I'm more used to twisting and balancing and how it applies to sparring. It's a different feeling doing manual labor like that. I don't dislike it."

"Certainly, thank you very much" He opens his eyes, one eyebrow suspiciously risen. "Zero G sparring?" He raises his arm to take the cup and sits up straight, accompanied by a semi-theatrical groan. "You do sparring in zero g?"

Einer passes the cup off, "Er, not often. An instructor put me through it a handful of times just so I knew what it was like. Otherwise it's all been gravity based. These past few hours are easily the longest I've spent in zero-g at a time, though." He begins filling his own cup. "It wasn't anything fantastical. Most of it is trying to leverage your oponent in such away that their boots lose contact or they're not able to find purchase. If you're both loose, it's-" he hesitates, "grittier."

Hagen takes the cup, and a sip. The cold water running down his throat vitalizes him, and he chugs down the cup. "Has it payed off?" He stands up to get another cup of water.

Einer holds his own cup, staring into it as he considers the question. Finally, he says, "I haven't been forced to use that part of my training. I've been in fights, especially after the Scream, but never in zero-G. Most of the time I've just found a way out and seperated myself from the situation. Thankfully it doesn't happen often. What about you? Have you ever had to fight someone without gravity holding you both in place?"

Hagen begins to shake his head, then finds himself in the position of staring into his cup. "I have to fight myself, sometimes. Space is scary. Kinda have to drown that in adrenalin or non stop work"

04:37

"While I'm out there, anyways", he adds

(ooc, those pieces you couldnt identify are pretech, but there's not time to add them to anything now)

(uh, that's cool)

(not really a dungeon clear screen otherwise right now since all the other loot is going toward the beacon tower and the satellite you want to make)

(That’s awesome!) “The battles we fight internally can require more courage than the external ones. Plus having a healthy understanding of what can harm you is usually a good idea.”

(second rocket then?)

The final flight moves into a better position on the opposite side of the second rocket and there is a whine and whistle as the grapples and lines are fired into it again. The connections are solid and the go ahead is given for work

"I don't know. I'd face a fight for my sanity any day, but engaging in a situation knowing I will have to fight for my life? Nope. Not dependent on myself enough. Not for a job, or as a lifestyle" Hagen takes a quick shower and a hearty meal with Einer and the rest of the crew before heading out again, for the second rocket

Einer is standing just before the airlock, wiping his face with a cool cloth. He smiles at Hagen, “Ready for round two?”

Hagen nods, and his visor darkens to block the sunlight as he pushes the button for the inner airlock door to open. (edited)

Einer puts his own helmet on, tossing the cloth into the he nearby bin, and follows Hagen through the airlock.

Outside, the second rocket looks like a fly caught in a web of orange and white cables. The lines have fired perfectly, anchoring deep in metal flesh, and the local sun has risen from behind the planet to a point where there is morelight available

“As scary as it is, you can’t deny the beauty,” Einer says while balancing at the edge of the external airlock. He takes a breath, and pushes out into the void towards one of the hauling lines.

Hagen takes a look around and nods. "It's breathtaking", he says with a smirk, and follows Einer

The rocket here is much the same, though there is a small air leak near the capsule where the cargo is stored. The ship is unable to determine what exact gas mixture may be leaking or what it might be doing to what is inside

“Should we put a seal on that before we start cutting?”

"Yes. Seems to be something else than air or oxygen"

(Do we have anything like an emergency hull patch or something that we could slap over it?)

(the Final Flight would probably have some stuff like that, for their own damage control purposes)

Einer radios back to the crew waiting in the hold, "Cargo team, recovery. can you send over some hull patches? This rocket has a leak and it's venting an unknown gas. We want to seal it up before we start cutting anything."

There is a crackle as the engineering coordinator aboard the ship sends a message back but its hard to hear. Regardless, a small box with a glowbug on it begins making its way down the mooring line toward you

After the radio crackle, Hagen begins to inspect the leak, mainly to prepare it for the sealing process. He sandblasts the edges and tries to cover the whole damaged part before applying the sealing components

Einer catches the box, and begins unpacking it. He waits for Hagen to finish before handing him the contents.

"A temporary seal will do. Hand me that mesh, please" Hagen takes the kits metal mesh sheet and places it to cover the leak, then he cuts off the excess. speaker crackle "There is a ceramic sealing spray in that kit. Just cover the mesh with it, it hardens after a couple minutes. Don't get in on your gloves, or on mine. It's a bitch to get off until it becomes brittle" (edited)

Einer double checks that the nozzle is pointing in the right direction, and begins spraying the mesh.

It goes on smooth, no WD-40 needed, which is surprisingly still in use. After several slow moments, the leak is no longer detectable. "Unclear how much gas remains inside, but the leak has stopped" the Final Flight reports

"Starting the cutting, then", Hagen replies, and commences to mark, then to cut the cargo hold.

(Can’t improve on perfection. WD-40 is important pretech)

There is a dull thump from within as the spark ignites the remaining gas, and when the panel is cut away, it seems that the cargo inside is singed, but not destroyed. Several small containers, likely to be installed in space craft life support, have different gas mixtures. 80% of them have been breached and likely have been slowly leaking or building up for years, though the breach was only visible in space

Einer laughs nervously, "Ha, that woke me up. You good, Hagen?"

Hagen nods, then remembers that his nodding wont be visible through the space suit he wore. "I'm good. Didn't think that would happen", he confesses

(the patch had it go inside, and not out, so we prevented ourselves being flung into space)

"At least we're still here! Let's start transferring the cargo." Einer moves inside the hull to start organizing the contents.

Hagen hovers next to Einer, sending off sealed boxes via the hauling lines. The scorched ones are nearly indistinguishable from the blackness around them. Had it not been for the glowbugs sticked to the crates, he surely would have lost track of three or four by visuals alone. (edited)

(Are we able to make out what kind of cargo this one was hauling? Also, are we able to guess which ones might pose a threat to the FF?)

(Not anymore with the labels scorched off)

03:08

(You’d be able to detect leaking tanks but it doesn’t look like the remaining ones are)

Einer radios to the crew, "Be mindful of the crates. They've already combusted once." Otherwise he keeps working, hoping to find a rhythm after clearing out the first rocket.

Removing some of the crates, there is a border cut into the floor, like a rubberized weatherstripping, suggesting a hatch

"Einer", Hagen says "Check this out" He points at the brim, and follows the hatches border with his eyes in search of an opening mechanism

There is a handle, set into the floor and the same color as the scorched floor tile. It looks like the sudden heat and minor miniature explosion earlier has deformed it

“Strange. Do you think we missed a hatch in the other one, too?” Einer stands by the hatch, tracing the edge with a hand.

(Is the hatch deformed or is the handle deformed?)

(the handle is deformed, but since the rest of it is flush with the floor, basically we need to either fix this, or make some other point where we can grab it)

Hagen has the impulse to scratch his chin, but as soon as he moves, he realises that he can't do that. "Possibly. We can go take a look once we're finished here" He looks at the handle. "It's crooked. I think I can get that straight again"

(we would need a fix for this, with int)

(11)

there is a muffled pop as the hatch opens, and light comes in. three tanks sit , with blue fluid in them, obscuring what is within

“Whoa,” Einer breathes, “what are those?”

(there would be ebough room for both of you to get down there, but we'd be within each other's personal space a bit for sure)

(Thank Eir for vac suits!) Einer moves into the compartment, and leans in close to one of the tanks to try and get a look inside.

"I don't know. Some chemicals, maybe for drugs? This whole compartement looks like a smugglers hold" Hagen hands Einer an activated glowbug. "Are they labeled?"

A dark shape , humanoid in appearance, but without detail, is floating inside the liquid, before fading away back into its depths

Every hair on Hagens body stands up, like metal filings in a magnet field . "Did you see that?"

Einer's face hardens, "I did. We need to get them out of here and back to Bergasa. Who knows how long they've been stuck in these tanks."

22:17

(Do the tanks look like they're under their own power and can be moved?)

(They're part of the module, but under their own power. I think not knowing if cutting into them or cutting them free is going to mess something up is a decision we have to make)

(Got it) "Hagen, what do we do? We can't leave them."

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the FF has a bioscanner, if you can operate that. There can't be a living human in there..." He shudders "Shit, Einer, you are the medic here."

(Would heal/int help us determine what the devices are? If they’re medical in nature)

(also does the tank look like professional equipment/something self-made?)

(the tank looks like professional equipment, certainly far more advanced than anything you saw on the ground or even te rocket itself)

“I, uh, I’m not sure how these would begin to work.” Einer tries to get a look as far around the tanks as possible, “and I really don’t think it’s a good idea to try and crack them open here. Considering, you know, the whole we’re in vacuum thing. I think we,” he gives a half grin, “by which I mean you, should figure out if we can hook them up to an external power source and transfer them to the FF’s hold. I’d feel better opening them up with a team of doctors rather than just myself and the ship’s medic.”

"That's something we'd have to ask the captain about. We can't just decide to get this on board, it may be a biohazardrous." He turns to look at the ship, then realises the FF could hear their conversation. "Um... First Flight, this is Emeric. Do we have a sealable compartment on board?"

“Only if we don’t plan on allowing anyone else to use the medical bay until we get home”

02:07

“It’s a short spike. The captain will approve if you think it’s safe enough to move”

Hagen looks at Einer, pale. "I am completely creeped out by this. My sweat desperately tries to glue the hairs to my neck, but I tell you, they might just rip trough my suit"

02:16

He gulps, his voice steadying. "Also, I'm dying to know what this is"

Einer’s brow is furrowed in something somewhere between concern and curiosity. He’s still looking into the depths of the tank, “If there are people in there, we can’t leave them. I think we have to cut the tanks loose.” (edited)

"I agree. Let me have a look" He makes room for Einer to leave the crawlspace and crawls in himself. (are the tanks integrated in the ship?)

(they're fitted for it but not directly tied in)

"I think I could get them out" He says after a short time. He shuffles around in search for the power source. He smiles as he begins to grasp the workings of this machine, and his mind wanders off during the process of figuring out both how to keep this powered up and make it transport ready.

THe cables each end at the base of the unit for each of the pods, and it seems like they're both part of shipboard power, and under their own for when the sunlight is not strong enough

(any indicator that they are powered/running rn?)

(nothing noticeable, but the people inside aren't decayed )

"I don't know how long it will take, but it seems doable" He begins cutting the tanks out, careful not to interrupt any power flow. He plans to use their build in power source for as short as possible, and disconnects them as late as possible, only if they are otherwise ready for transport.

Einer works on organizing the work detail. Each pod gets a pair of crewman to ferry it over to the First Flight. He’s not taking chances with potentially live cargo.

Its a long process to extract the three pods from the rocket and get them safely landed in the cargo bay of the final flight. The workers are keeping their distance, the technology here simply too strange for them to look at for long without feeling uncomfortable

Einer pushes down the unease about the pods, and gets a better view of them in the cargo bay. He looks for any markings he may have missed that would indicate what the devices’ purpose are.

(can they be hooked to the ships power supply once they are in the medbay?)

(yes, they can)

"Let's get them to the medbay first, Einer. They need juice"

17:04

He helps Einer move the tanks to the medbay and plug them to the ships power.

“If this works, and the ship keeps them powered, do we head back to Bergasa? I know you mentioned exploring some of the other ruins down on the planet.”

"I mean, we basically shut down the medbay with these things. I'd like to check the colony out, but I don't need to do that right now. I have plenty of material to work with. If you are confident you can keep us alive without a medbay, it'd be great to grab it all now. It's your call"

“If someone got seriously injured, it’d be difficult to keep them stable but I could manage it for the day trip to Bergasa. That being said, if I’m the one who gets hurt, I don’t know how we’d manage. I say we take these back to Mount Home. I don’t know what we’d find that’s potentially more important than these tanks.”

Hagen nods. "It's the right decision, I think. This" he says, and gestures at the tanks "changed everything" He sighs. "I'll go tell the captain, wanna come or stay and watch these creepy mfs?"

Einer puts a hand on Hagen’s shoulder, “At least the junkyard isn’t going anywhere.” He turns back to the tanks, “I think I’ll stay here and keep an eye on our passengers.”

So far, the tanks have not changed. The figures float silently within, the blue fluid lapping against their hazy looking forms

"Don't get eaten", Hagen says with a wink before leaving the medbay. He walks to the bridge to tell the captain about the change of plans.

The captain is in the middle of a hub of activity but waves his bridge officers away when he sees you approaching. Though the main viewscreen you can see they are working to get the cables retracted and the ship underway into a different orbit

Hagen approaches the captain. "Captain, we put the tanks in the medbay. They are currently plugged into the ships power, but we can't say anything about the people in the tanks. Stjerne and I deem it safer to return to Mount Home rather than touching down in the failed colony without a medbay available. Please plan a spike jump to Bregusa after everything is finished here"

“Alright. You’re going to be staying with them for the duration of the trip?”

05:37

“You and Einer. You worked well together and whatever is going on here, Lord Mazzio would want to have a look at them”

"I agree, and thank you. We will do what we can to keep those three alive until we are back"

(3xp, 5000 credits)

2

14:15

The Final Flight shakes gently, as the slow burn of its engines take it into a new orbit. Further preparations begin for the day long flight back home , to Mount Hope

(Level 3 HP 9 -> 20 Sunblade 1 -> 2)

(lvl 4 HP 9 -> 12. bank all sp) Hagen returns to Einer with a can of coffee and two mugs. "Well we're heading back now. Are you gonna stay involved in these when we returned?"

Einer accepts the mug gratefully, “Thank you. And most likely. Seems only fair to stay with them until I can pass them on to a physician. Plus, this might be the most interesting thing I’ve ever found.” His sword and shield lay against the wall next to him, he’d sent a runner to collect them while Hagen spoke with the captain. “What’s your next move?”

"I'll build what I can with the parts we got here. Atfter that? Maybe get a workshop close to port, fix hydrofoils and explorers gear. Depends on where the colony is headed. New places outside Mount Home will soon be built, there will be lots of opportunity and need for a mechanic. Or for a medic."

Einer smiles, “I hope our paths will cross again then. Kind of hard to turn down more adventures, isn’t it?”

Hagen chuckles. "Yes, it is. I'm sure we will meet again. Maybe you come with me to check out the failed colony, maybe you need a repair of some kind, maybe I need a monk in the future." He laughs. After a while, he looks into Einers eyes and speaks in a warm tone. "I wish you good luck on Eirs path, Einer. I hope her guidance leads you where you intend to end up"!

Einer shakes Hagen’s hand, “You too, Hagen. Her Light guides all of us. Let me know when you intend to take a look at the failed colony, I’d be happy to accompany you.”

"I'll tell you, then. Please keep me updated on these, maybe I can help with figuring this technology out, once the humans are taken care of"

“If they’re human,” he says trailing off a bit. “Can you have someone bring me a meal or two while I’m here? I don’t want to leave them until we’re back at Bergasa.”

He nods at that. If they're human, echoes through his head. "Yeah, I'll make sure you are well fed and have everything you need on our way back"

(I don’t have anything else I want to do on the trip back. Figure I’ll be busy watching the tanks and won’t have any downtime)

(correct, def not the 8 hours of free time you'd need to spend on it)

(Could I requisition a medkit or buy one on the ship? Otherwise I’ll just get one when we get to Mount Home)

(the ship has a locker, you could take one)

19:33

(lift and lazarus patches are out, as they are everywhere now, but the medkit works fine )

(Gonna do that. If not for now, for later)

19:33

(I’ll get around to making frontier meds at some point)

(Also I have some goals in the char sheet. I think only one is going to be relevant in the next few adventures but they’re there)

(I'll pop in and take a look now)

(I don’t have much specifically planned beyond helping with the tanks and then meeting with Silvano)

21:15

(Also would like to check these two places out at some point, or explore the shadow creatures)

(might be something we can combine, meeting sil and seeing if he can do something about the tanks)

(That sounds like a plan. See if I brought something interesting enough to pull him out of his meditation chambers)

(XP added)

1

The pods are carefully offloaded and brought to medical here, as the ship docks, though you're not met by anyone from administration high ranking enough to suit the gravity of the project. There is buzz around the tower that some kind of silent masked creature or groups of them have been appearing in random places around the planet

Once he’s positive the tanks are set up in medical and hooked to Mount Home’s power grid, Einer looks for whoever is in charge of the area.

There is a head doctor and head medical tech in the area and they seem to be consulting one another , casting sidelong glances at the rack of pods

Einer walks over, trying to smile disarmingly, "Hi, I'm Einer Stjerne and the one who brought the pods. Have you ever seen anything like them?"

"Nothing like this, we heard a bit about how they came in though. To think you guys almost didn't find them"

He suppresses a shudder, "The important part is that we did find them, thankfully. Who knows how long they've been in there for," he pauses, "or if they're even still viable."

04:11

"Do you think Lord Mazzio would like to be informed?"

"I think he needs to be, both to figure out what these are, and to know whats being brought into his mountain"

Einer considers the situation for a moment, then says, "I'll go inform him if you feel comfortable watching the tanks while I'm gone." (edited)

"Please do, there might be some questions if we're the ones going up there"

"I'll go pay our esteemed patron a visit then. Do you need me to bring you all back anything? Food? Coffee?" Einer stands halfway through the doorway.

they laugh, but overall, are just wanting to know what's going on with these pods, the sooner this is resolved, the better they'll all feel

He smiles, and starts making his way through Mount Home to Silvano’s chambers.

Silvano Mazzio's reflection chambers are guarded by two battle robots, each of them a former helldiver frame, rebuild with a drone core that its rumored he controls through his electrokinesis skills.

20:26

Their arms have bene replaced with void carbine chambered chainguns, and they pan back and forth slowly, forever manning their posts

The weight of his sword and shield are distinctly present in his mind when Einer walks up to the sentries. He takes a steadying breath and states, “Einer Stjerne. Here to speak with Lord Mazzio.”

There is a brief blast of some kind of wind up horn inside, before the large doors begin winching upward into an armored housing, to a dark reflection chamber beyond

I think the word I’m looking for is ostentatious, Einer thinks before striding into the room beyond. He pauses once he’s several steps inside, and waits to be addressed.

"That is close enough" a voice says from the darkness. "You've come with news from your expedition? (edited)

"I do," Einer says, adding, "Lord Mazzio. Emeric and I found enough salvage to get at least a working prototype of his project built, I think. Additionally, it looks like the Protectorate was on Balqis before us, and their expedition ran into trouble. We found dead, mutilated soldiers. But," he continues, "I think the tanks we found on one of the cargo rockets will interest you personally. They potentially contain people, or at least humanoid shaped objects in them. I didn't feel comfortable cracking them open on the First Flight without an equipped medical staff on hand. Plus, like I said, I thought you might take a personal interest in them. I've never seen anything like the tanks, and I'd appreciate your insight."

"Where are these tanks now? Are they still aboard the ship? I could just use my precognitive powers to figure it out but I'm feeling a bit drained today" he says still from the darkness

"I had them moved to Mount Home's medical department. First Flight's captain seemed eager to get them off their ship." Einer frowns, "Wouldn't using precognition ruin whatever surprise the tanks might offer? Personally, I'd be disappointed if the novelty of the tanks was so easily diminished."

"There's something of a debate there" he says stepping from the shadows. His goggles reflect the low light in the room. "Because although the surprise is gone, the surprise could be what kills us all"

“You make a good point. But I doubt you’d be part of the dead in that scenario. Would you like to see the tanks?”

"We should look, yes. I can teleport us there, please take my hand"

Einer does and attempts to hide his excitement at being teleported for the first time.

There is a tug of translocation as youre pulled from his sanctum to the medical bay, where the pods sit in a contained ward under guard from three SCAF stormtroopers

“Wow!” He says after a sharp inhale, “that’s a weird feeling.” Einer then walks over to one of the pods, and leans in close to try inside of it again.

“Anyway, here they are. Have you seen anything like them before?”

"Nothing like this, this is not like the cold sleep pods we came to Gudrun in. I don't even sense a life in there, but here they are, plain as day|

18:40

"Its possible they're just that heavily drugged though. I feel electrical power. A lot of it"

Einer looks behind the pods at the heavy power couplings, “From whatever’s inside or from the pods themselves?”

"Might be one in the same. They're well made, and a singular unit., and its putting out a lot more power than it seems to be using"

“What would you like to do, Lord Mazzio? Open one up and see what’s inside?” Einer does a poor job of hiding his eagerness.

"We're going to do just that. Seal the ward. Get everyone out"