To The Stars

Cibo: Elevator Terminal

Thankfully, Ruri had recovered, at least for the most part. She'd run into the elevator as soon as she could stand up, but she was better than she had been. Cibo decided to leave her in the hands of the others, given that she wasn't a dedicated medic. The sciences of transhumanism did have some crossover with medical science, but she had always been more focused on the digital side of things. She wasn't even sure of the last time she had seen a fully organic human. Perhaps it had been eons, or even beyond that.

"I think I'll stay with Everett. But I'll research Ridley. I don't know much about him," she admitted, deciding to hook up to the local network in an effort to search information on Ridley and his Space Pirates. "If we cross paths, at least we'll know more about what we're up against. I doubt I'll fight him directly. I'm a scientist, not a warrior... an armed scientist, but still. Hmm..."

She went into a brief daze as she focused on searching through digital archives and sites for any information on their mysterious pursuer, hopefully detailing more about his nature.

Don - In His Own Head

The party splitting up was never a good idea. Hadn't any of them seen horror movies!? Then again, having too many people escorting one person was screaming 'attack us!' Still wouldn't it be better to work as a cohesive unit than a group of fledgling weirdos? Don found himself lost in his own mind as he headed to the elevator.

"Y'know, maybe we should all stick toge-"

Without knowing, he ended up waltzing right into the elevator full of Ridley-hunting psychos.

"EEEEEHH!?"

Himeno - Plans

"So, what's the plan, little king?" She asks Everett affectionately. It was partly an act to ease the stress, especially since Mr. Local Alien next to them looked like he was on the verge of a migraine.

Elevator Terminal

While Alia didn't particularly like that the party was splitting up so readily, she knew that the reasoning made at least some amount of sense. On the off chance that Ridley or his troops had an interest in Everett, the team of fighters making noise might allow the other team to make their pilgrimage unimpeded.

"We can discuss exact formations once we're at ground level, but at the very least, one of us ought to be at Everett's side at all times. Or, well, close enough that we can act if need be."

Bastion, Planet Centerra - Elevator Terminal (You Snooze, You Lose, Suze)

It seemed that Susie had successfully managed to calm their client down (admittedly with some help), but before she could really appreciate that fact, a lot happened, very quickly.

First and foremost was the Imperium thug's suggestion that she was planning on using Everett as bait. She turned to face him, her hands balling into firm fists, and she shot him a glare. That was just projection of the highest order, and would not fly here, no room for such toxic thinking!

"No," she said, firmly but without exposing her indignation, "I am aware such tactics may be commonplace in your part of the universe, but at the Company we value our clients. I had no intention of using Mr. Everett as 'bait'. I was merely going to propose a plan to eliminate Ridley, should we encounter him. I believe Giegue has a point," as much as I hate to admit it, she mentally added, "Ridley is exactly the kind of savage that would attack a defenceless VIP over a well-armed team of problem resolvers. Therefore, I'd like to put that idea on hold before we-"

Before she could finish, she trailed off, noticing the... look that Giegue was giving her. While she'd become very familiar with the alien's... eccentricities in such a short time, this look was different. There was something recognizable in it, something she'd seen on her own face. If only she had an idea of why. She just praised him, right? What, was it not good enough for him? What a fickle little creature.

Then, before she could dwell on that, another item was added to the cue as a GIGANTIC BLACK SPIKE just burst out of the mercenaries' hands and towards the alien. As if on instinct, her hand darted for her Blaster and she whipped it out, aiming it at the assailant. Just as soon as she'd done so, the whole episode was already over, from the looks of things. Still, she didn't put away her blaster immediately.

"Now, forgive me, I don't recall who you are," she said, her mask managing to slip for a moment, "but there'll be none of that in my team. All things considered, I've been extraordinarily accommodating. Hehe, some of my boss' other subordinates wish they could get away with what you're doing! So pretty please, cool it," she said, trying hard to keep her lighthearted tone even now. All the while, she - perhaps frantically - began tapping at her tablet with her free hand, trying to summon her Business Suit over, but to her frustration, it wasn't responding.

And then came the scream. Stars, this was going to be a long day...

Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long before the others were already rushing to silence- sorry, assuage the source. That Ruri lady, the one who could establish technopathic connections with machines. She perked a brow, looking back at her Business Suit. She'd admit, she caught a whiff of undeserved superiority from that one, and the way she'd been the only one to - quite audaciously - object to her management of this assignment raised an alarm bell. She had a hunch, and she didn't have to wait too long for it to be confirmed.

She turned to face Aquarius, addressing him while trying very hard to disguise the mixture of anger and fear she was feeling. "My Business Suit is property of the Haltmann Works Company," she said officiously, clasping her hands like she was a prosecutor politely laying out her case, "and as such, it is connected to our Mother Computer. As I'm sure you can guess, any sort of tampering with Company property is prohibited, and the Mother Computer is well within its rights to defend itself."

She turned to face Ruri, "...It looks like you've learned your lesson well enough, so I'll let it slide just this once. Just please don't mess with our equipment again? Thank you!"

Now, having finally gotten a relatively quiet moment, she hopped back into her Business Suit and once again assumed control, before trundling ahead to address everyone before the elevators descended.

"Now, as I was saying, I'm not sure I approve of this plan to split our group. As Giegue correctly stated, all we would be doing is the exact thing Mr. Titus objected to - turning Mr. Everett into bait! However, upon reflection, this could work to our advantage. I know Ridley's profile - he's strong, and he's intelligent, but perhaps too clever for his own good. He likes to... what's the saying... 'flex on' his prey." she said with 'air quotes', "It would be of dubious practical benefit to split our party, but... if he thinks we've split, Ridley is sure to come to us. So I'll make an exception - we'll continue as is, but I want one of our groups to shadow the other! Trying to hunt Ridley will do us no good, and as soon as he knows a high-value VIP is present on the surface, there's a high chance he'll make himself known - and if he does, I have a, er... secret weapon," she said after a pause. "It's foolproof, really! Either Ridley shows and we're ready for him, or he doesn't, in which case, so what?"

And with that, confident there could be no possible objections this time, Susie trundled over to Everett's elevator. She still fully intended on taking out the delinquent debtor herself, but for her plan to work, she needed Ridley to think her client's current escorts were all he had, and for that to happen she needed to be present as the manager to sell the illusion. Having the VIP be accompanied by a bunch of disorganized misfits would just give the game away, and honestly at this point she wasn't confident they'd be enough to actually protect the poor kid if they needed a guiding hand to avoid killing each other first.

Edited by PresidentStalkeyes on May 15th 2024 at 3:15:54 PM

Elevator Terminal

When things got tense between Giegue and Seras, Lewa whipped out his sword and struck a battle stance. Fortunately, things got under control fairly quickly, and Lewa sheathed his sword once again.

He perked up at the mention of getting fresh air, only to be baffled as Seras dissipated through the floor. Lewa stepped over, tapping the patch where she'd vanished with his foot, then huffed and called her a cheater under his breath.

As the party divvied itself up, Lewa stroked his chin and pondered his options. "Well, no sense in heft-weighing one lift-pod over another," he said at last. "I'll join Everett's time for right-balance. Someone's got to keep an eye on brother space-cat, after all! That aside, Everett will be safe under our care-watch, and if the Ridley hunters need quick-help with a fight, I can wind-ride over quicker than anyone. See you down there!

With that, he stepped into Everett's elevator, positioning himself next to Susie. He felt most at home around the metal folk, at least for now.

Elevator Terminal - (Lieutenant Titus)

Titus' red lenses would survey the party as they started to divvy up. Silently considering his options, the blue giant would start making his way to where the Ridley Hunter Squad was forming. Galleus, being the Tech-priest that he is, notices Titus' movements and rushes to the Marine's side.

"Lieutenant, you aren't seriously considering hunting the Xenos? Lord Guilliman's orders were—"

"I am well aware, Priest. But I am certain that Ridley might prove to be a significant threat to this mission. So, I will go with the hunting party. You accompany Lord Everett and his party. I'm certain your expertise will become useful, but be mindful of your worship. It does seem to put the others off, frankly."

"...Actually, I was going to ask if you needed a last-minute blessing. It is tradition."

The two Imperium soldiers stop and face each other, the armoured Titus considering Galleus' suggestion for a moment, before raising a hand in decline. "No, I think I will be fine, Galleus. But I thank you. Courage and honour, Tech-priest."

As Titus walks away to the hunters' elevator, Galleus puts a finger up to his masked face before calling out, "May the Emperor and Omnissiah watch over you, Astartes." And with that, the Tech-priest joins the Everett party.

"I wasn't expecting this, but in hindsight, it is not surprising of an Astartes like Titus to volunteer for such a maddening idea..." the Tech-Priest mumbles to no-one in particular.

Elevator Terminal > Granet Landing

"I keep telling the kitty my name isn't 'Charlie'...huh?"

Enty seems to have distracted the purple-clad medium from her fuming, at least.

"Out of place? Oh, hold on."

She reaches into her...sleeve, withdrawing the snow globe again and giving it a shake. The young lady proceeds to stare into it for a solid, uninterrupted thirty seconds before giving an answer.

"...Nah, I don't think the planet's outta place. I think it's where it's s'posed to be. Whaddya think's wrong with it?"

Everett looks up from the floor upon hearing Himeno.

"Uhh...I didn't...have...one. I was hoping maybe we could salvage an old one from a scrapper down there, fix it up? Plenty of people do that, people who feel like they have to 'negotiate' for a whole ship in one conversation are kinda...I dunno, show-offs, if you ask me. My dad did that, but...I dunno, is it weird that I'd rather make it or even just fix it up myself than just convince someone to give it to me? That's probably weird, I'm probably weird."

The picture of confidence, this one.

Cibo's search of the extranet bears fruit...plenty of it. A...concerning amount of it. Ridley is an infamous space pirate, a member of an unknown species colloquially (though not officially) referred to as a "space dragon." Responsible for multiple atrocities including the raid and massacre of several Federation colony planets, Ridley has a price on his head as high as the Federation can legally set for a single criminal. He was also instrumental in the occupation of the Planet Zebes, where the Space Pirates attempted to experiment on a formerly-obscure species known as "Metroids" for use as bioweapons. Most recently, Ridley had been tracked to the planet Tallon IV in the FS-176 system, having reportedly been upgraded into a cyborg form using technology acquired, purchased and of course stolen from various sources. While the extent of this "Meta-Ridley's" arsenal is still unknown, it was noted that one of the Federation's deadliest bounty hunters, the renowned Samus Aran, needed to "exercise maximum firepower" to survive the encounter with him. His current whereabouts are unknown.

The two elevators close around their occupants, suddenly dropping from the terminal at something approaching but a legally-regulated velocity slower than terminal velocity. Within what feels like minutes, the elevators approach a large, flattened out area on the edge of an admittedly-primitive-looking town. The buildings are mostly carved out of stone, and the inhabitants appear to mostly be using animal power to move their vehicles. Still, they seem not at all surprised by the sudden introduction of two large, metal elevators descending from the sky and landing with a surprising (yet relieving) lack of impact.

Seras, having leaped from the terminal, spots something on the way down that likely passed by the notice of her elevator-riding comrades. A pair of vaguely-reptilian, almost crustacean-looking creatures are flying away from their apparent landing sight, held aloft by packs worn on their backs. Those well-versed in recent Federation conflicts would recognize them on sight - Zebesian Space Pirates, just as Susie had theorized. One of them seems to be holding some sort of device or canister, while the other one is keeping watch as they fly away. The empty-handed pirate nudges his friend and motions towards the swarm of bats, but the one with the canister just waves his hand...claw...whatever, dismissively.

Town of Granet

Stepping out, the two groups may notice that their elevators have landed not too far from each other. They're certainly within sight of each other, but could easily be mistaken for two separate groups.

"And stay out!"

An orange-clad man with black hair is shaking his fist at...the sky. His compatriot, clothed in brown, is inspecting an odd, mechanical canister left on its side on the edge of town.

"Those freaks're gettin' bolder by the day. This close to town? What're they even doin', ya think?"

"Makin' our jobs harder, that's what. How's a guy supposed to punch out in time when the quarry's gotta get evacuated every five minutes 'cuz some flyin' whackjob comes in actin' like he's king of the system? I tell ya, every day I start wonderin' if those prima donnas upstairs had the right idea."

The pair finally notice the group with Everett arriving, the orange man waving.

"Oh hey, you guys don't look like the usual city tourists - 'cept the kid."

Everett just tries to fade into the crowd at that comment.

"Name's Frederick, I work in the quarry down here. Over there's Barnabas, we work together. Lemme guess - pilgrimage."

"Uh, y-yes, sir."

Meanwhile, the group with Zeemi landed closer to the other man, inspecting the canister.

"Anyone see the dragon?"

She's aiming her spray bottle like it's a plasma cannon...

"Just missed the lizard guys, if that's who you were lookin' for."

On A Distant Ridge (???)

A man peers through the scope of his sniper rifle, his gaze fixed firmly on the group that had just arrived in the nearby town. Hidden from sight, and the entire visible light spectrum for that matter, he considers this new development before speaking into his comm.

"...New variables. And they're with the kid."

"The hell do you mean, 'variables?'"

"An Imperium Space Marine. Cyborgs, a droid, a Reploid...others. Can't identify everyone."

"Oh, fuck, yeah those're variables. Let's keep an eye on 'em. Might help with at least one of our jobs around here."

"I'll keep my distance."

The man aims his rifle up to see the retreating pirates, before looking back down at the group near the discarded canister.

"...Unfortunate."

Edited by ZodanTheUnbounceable on May 17th 2024 at 10:06:26 AM

Mission Status: Begin (Aquarius)

"Oooookay," I mutter—that doesn't really tell me much, but it sounds relatively harmless as long as no one does anything stupid, so it's better than the alternative. Newly out of questions, I follow the others into Everett's elevator, and silently hope the inevitable awkward elevator moment doesn't last long.

Then the elevator drops.

I stifle a screech as we rocket downwards at a speed that makes the blood rush to my head and my feet feel weightless. My hand shoots out against the wall for support, nausea already swirling in my stomach, and I shut my eyes like that'll make everything better.

It feels like we're falling forever, and if it's in any way awkward, I'm too busy trying not to panic to notice. So when the elevator finally stops moving and the doors open, I'm nothing short of relieved.

I'm the first out the door, legs wobbling and breaths a bit shallow; I must look even paler than usual. For a moment, I just stand there, silently thanking Helios we made it out of there without getting pasted all over the ground—

What did these guys just say.

"The Space Pirates were here?!" Oh, my voice is a lot higher than usual, I'm gonna think about this and die of embarrassment later aren't I. "Which way did they go? We'd, uh, like to go the opposite direction thank you very much!"

Himeno and Don - Patterns

"Does this happen a lot?" Himeno asks, raising a hand to her chin.

Don meanwhile eyes the discarded cannister.

"Are they killing your crops or something?" He asks. "What's in there?"

Ruri — Team Zeemi

As the elevator descended, Ruri kept to herself. She'd heard Liam's plea, heard him call out. She knew he wanted to help. But she wasn't in the mood to be coddled.

"Go away."

She threw herself out once again, bringing the drone into the elevator before searching the net for their prey. Her information was doubtless the same as Cibo's, but she didn't care. She wanted to get far away from this cursed rock as she could. Somewhere she couldn't mistakes. Preferably without any people. If there weren't any people, she couldn't make a mistake could she?

She was back in her body as soon as they landed. She approached the canister, nearly poking it with a stick as she crouched. She stopped herself short, behaving with an abundance of caution, but that didn't make it less interesting.

"That's a good question. If it were up to me I'd stay far away, but I don't believe that's an option. Can you please tell us where they've gone? I'm also interested in this canister's contents....

She gave Zeemi a glance. She stopped short of calling her an idiot, but it was no less true.

"...please don't do that."

Edited by kkhohoho on May 17th 2024 at 6:29:11 AM

Elevator terminal->Granet

Giegue didn't object to Susie's plan, quietly watching everyone else settling in. He did looked at Everett, however.

   "No, you are not. But fixing or making a ship would be difficult without the resources or sufficient knowledge. From a logical standpoint, asking still makes the most sense. It is the fastest solution."    he said before sighing as the doors closed.

   "I must say... The lack of contact between this city and the surface is still baffling me. It's telling you do not even have a proper map of the region. Assuming you do succeed your father, you ought to remedy that. A planet is better off united. And-!!!"    he sternly added... Only for the elevator to drop down.

Poor Giegue, not used at all to such intensity, felt suddenly sick, his stomach dropping. He instinctively held on to the closest thing to him, that being Susie's business suit. He didn't scream only because he was trying his hardest not to. But judging from his grimace and his wide terrified eyes, he wasn't enjoying this either.

At one point he even wished for his mother.

Fortunately, the elevator stopped softly. Giegue stepped out dizzy, trying to act as if nothing happened, but he was forced to catch his breath, putting a hand on his head.

   "Ah... A-And please try to make those elevators less rough. An accident could happen."    Giegue said to Everett. Much to his annoyance, two humanoids, peasants likely given their accents, were already there. He had hoped he would have landed somewhere quiet.

So, the pirates were already here. How troublesome. At least it confirmed Aquarius's prediction.

   "Some of my... colleagues are here to wipe those pirates out. They will need to know what happened. On the other hand, yes, the boy is here for his pilgrimage. Perhaps you might be of help in that regard."    the alien said in a distant tone.

Edited by Scipion3 on May 17th 2024 at 6:16:32 PM

Seras - Town of Granet

She managed to match the pace of the elevator decently well, so when the others arrive the bats reconstitute into her humanoid form just as the elevator opens. Pip materializes at the same time, still chewing on his toothpick.

"No sign of the dragon himself, but some pirates went that way." He says, pointing in the direction of the escapees. "We saw them on the flight down. Much better view than an elevator."

"I could shoot them down," Seras adds, "But they were carrying one of those canisters, and I'm not sure if it's some kind of biological contaminant. Also, they've probably got back up. Call it a feeling, but I think they're still watching us."

Even with her inhuman senses, she couldn't detect anyone spying on them, but her instincts, honed over centuries of battle, had rarely steered her wrong. "Be on alert."

Cibo: Town of Granet

"I also sensed the two pirates," Cibo added, stepping out of the elevator as she traced the direction where the flying Zebesians had gone; regardless of whether or not they were still visible. They were still near enough for her to track, at least for now. "There aren't any systems for me to hijack, unlike topside. Unless I piggyback off of one of the systems in our posse, but I saw how that went with Ruri. If we want to steal back that canister, I'm sure we could work together for it."

She inclined her head slightly, following Pip's direction, before pointing also in a slightly different direction than he had just done.

"They've moved further since, but I'm tracing them."

She then turned her attention towards the two men near the canister, who she presumed were locals.

"Those canisters don't look like something you'd find just lying around the place. You mentioned a quarry: are they explosives? Or are they some kind of volatile material extracted from the quarry itself? If they're critical, then... I'm sure we can get them back for you."

BB & B, Bastion (Elevator Terminal —-> Town of Granet

Liam waited a good while for a response from Ruri, only to realize he wasn't going to get one anytime soon. He sighed, looking down at the ground somberly.

"Oh well..." he muttered, sounding considerably disheartened.

"Look, Blades, I'm really sorry, but you can't go fixing everyone's problems just by talking to 'em." Charlie grunted, moving a bit closer. "You gotta let them go sometimes. People need alone time. Trust me, I know."

As the two were talking, Enterprise entered the elevator, prompting Manon to enter as well. It seemed his determination to speak to the KANSEN hadn't wavered in the slightest. As Titus began heading for the elevator, Charlie noticed his presence, as well as picking up on what other people around him were saying.

"Looks like everyone who wants to hunt down the space dragon's following your lead." he informed him, though there was a definite strained tone to his voice, probably because of the space marine. "I'll stick with you for now, but if these guys get too rowdy-"

He stepped into the elevator just in time for the doors to shut behind him and the entire thing to start dropping at rapid speed, causing Liam to let out a shriek of alarm and the Rockman to similarly cry out in shock, though Manon appeared unfazed.

"Oh. How unexpected."

The elevator quickly came to a stop, releasing the trio out into the Town of Granet. As a nearby local informed them that they'd just missed Ridley, Liam let out an obscenity under his breath.

"Dammit, we were so CLOSE!" he hissed, slashing at the air a bit in anger and potentially startling anyone who happened to be nearby and were weak in terms of nerves. "We could have had him already!"

"Oi, calm down, Blades." Charlie replied, gently putting a hand on his companion's shoulder. "He can't have gone far. We'll get him, I promise."

"Probability Assessment: The space pirates are likely very close by." Manon agreed. Then Seras and Cibo spoke, and the Engi's screen flashed brightly for a few seconds before they responded. "Agreement: My calculations align with this data. Analysis of this planet's geography combined with known Space Pirate strategies and movement patterns indicates a 95% chance it is correct, with a 2% margin of error."

"Great!" Liam cried, immediately perking up. "Let's-"

"-However, there is also a chance that they have planned for our calculations, and are attempting to lure us into a trap." Manon suggested before the Mantis could finish speaking. "They are likely aware that there are individuals on this planet which wish to apprehend them, even if they have no knowledge of us specifically. We should proceed with caution."

"We've still gotta figure out what's up with this weird canister too." Charlie reminded them, gesturing at the object in question. "You guys think is some kind of toxin or something?"

"But, but..." Liam spluttered, looking once again flustered and incredulous. Charlie gave him a compassionate yet somber look, and Manon spoke up again.

"The probability of failure is much greater without an established plan." the Engi advised. "We should take our time before rushing into combat."

Liam looked like he was about to argue, then sighed.

"You're right." he agreed. He turned to Cibo. "So, you think these might be explosives? Would that mean that the pirates are..." he shuddered for a moment before continuing. "Planning on bombing somewhere?"

Don - Deep Breaths

The more people publicly speculated about what was in the canisters, the more Don's anxiety swelled that something was in the canisters. Especially since it sounded like they were coming from the clouds being yelled at by the local men.

Zeemi's commenting did not help.

"Not helping!"

Elevator Terminal -> Granet

"No, no, I don't mean the planet's literally out of place, I mean... uh, there's something wrong with it?" Enty clarified with a hand to her chin. "Or, not necessarily wrong, so much as... weird vibes, I guess...? Haha, sorry, I don't think I'm explaining it very well, since I don't really understand it, myself..." the white-haired woman laughed, scratching her head a bit.

For her part, having been expecting the sheer speed of the elevator from watching others arrive and leave, the Gray Ghost didn't show any alarm as they rocketed toward the surface. She simply smiled at the yelps of some of her fellow passengers, though her pulse quickened from the thrill of dropping so fast in spite of herself.

Soon enough, they all emerged onto good, solid ground, and Enty took a deep breath of fresh air. It was refreshing, really. Smelled something like farmland or the countryside, what with all the rustic animal labor nearby, and it was significantly warmer than the outside air in the sky city that had been so high up in the atmosphere. She decided she liked it.

"Good to meet you, Frederick and Barnabas! I'm Enterprise; Enty for short," the KAN-SEN greeted, offering first the orange-clad man a smile and a handshake and then the same to the crouching brown-clad man as she mimicked him and inspected the canister herself. "Like Giegue over there said, some of us are here to guard the kid during his pilgrimage, and some of us are here to get rid of the lizard guys who've been bothering you."

At the rampant speculation about what was inside the canisters, Big E snorted slightly, shaking her head. "Let's not work ourselves into a panic about what's inside these things until we hear from the locals themselves," she advised, then added to Barnabas, "So, what are these cylinders used for? I can see some kind of meter or gauge on the side, but I have no idea what it's measuring..."

Edited by darksidevoid on May 18th 2024 at 11:24:29 AM

Ratchet and Clank-Elevator Terminal—>Town of Granet

Before Ratchet gets a chance to answer Ruri, a lot of stuff seems to happen all at once. Team infighting, the vampire lady almost spearing the other felinoid, the blue haired girl screaming. Super reassuring.

Watching all this go down, Ratchet leans toward Clank and quietly mutters "Hoo boy. Staaaarting to think that maybe joining up with these guys is gonna be our biggest challenge yet."

"I am sure that things will work out," Clank responds, worriedly watching Ruri recover and run to an elevator. "Besides, did you not wish for a challenge?"

"Yeah, yeah I guess I did," Ratchet replies, bemusedly shaking his head as the two head to the elevator for the "Hunt down Ridley group".

While the other members of their team question the locals, Ratchet starts pulling up maps of the surrounding area to see if there are any landmarks or notable areas in the direction Seras indicated that the Space Pirates might be using as a base. Clank, meanwhile, walks over to the canister Barnabas is inspecting, and begins scanning it for traces of whatever the canister contains-or contained.

Edited by Dezmo on May 19th 2024 at 11:05:17 AM

Elevator Terminal -> Granet

However Alia had expected the elevator to work, getting dropped in such a fashion had not been on that list, and the sensation of falling had her look just a bit tense during the descent. Once the doors opened, she stepped out rather hastily, getting her bearings as she observed the landscape around her, performing an assessment of the environment for any potential threats in the process.

From the sound of things, the threats in question had just left, prompting Alia to relax just a bit as she took in a deep breath and exhaled. Even so, she remained on alert as she listened to the others. It wouldn't do to get blindsided and risk the client's safety.

"Let's see what we can learn from the locals here. That ought to help you make a decision." Alia told Everett, trying to get him used to the idea that he'd be the one making decisions during this venture. It was his pilgrimage, after all.

Granet

Lewa stumbled out of the elevator, and if his mouth had been visible there'd have been a giddy grin on his face. "Hooo, what a ride!" he exclaimed. "...and what a village, too! Reminds me of high-tree home, in a way." If nothing else, the dinosaurs reminded him of his people's NEW home on Spherus Magna.

As Seras and Pip arrived, Lewa folded his arms and approached them. "Well now, look who's quick-back," he said, in a tone that joked at being judgemental. "Nice trick-quirk of yours, quick-dropping through the floor like that. Have to say, I'm kinda jealous that you got to enjoy the drop-trip down from the open air."

Just then, the talk of canisters got Lewa's attention. He craned his neck to have a look, but soon slumped in disappointment. For a moment, he thought perhaps it had been like a Toa Canister from home. One of his clearest early memories had been bursting out of one such canister on the beach of Le-Wahi and putting himself back together. It was odd to consider being nostalgic about it, but there he was.

Edited by LizardOfAus on May 20th 2024 at 2:39:33 AM

Granet - A More Comfortable Planetfall than in a Drop Pod (Titus and Galleus)

Surprisingly enough, the trip down was like a Tuesday for the Ultramarine. There had been multiple missions where Titus would drop into battle with the use of the orbital drop pods that the Adeptus Astartes used to deploy into various engagements. Galleus wasn't as comfortable, but his enhancements at least dampened the discomfort.

"Apologies for the intrusion, citizens. Once we've conducted our business here, we will be out of your way," the massive Space Marine says before looking up and having his helmet's auspex survey the Space Pirates moving away from them. [[blue:"A shame. They're too far out of range for my weapon," he says, adjusting his bulky weapon as he does.

Galleus, meanwhile, carefully approaches the canister, kneeling in a praying pose in front of Barnabus, but also ignoring him, because he's facing the canister. "Please stand aside. I must commence a ritual to allow myself to inspect this canister."

He starts the ritual... by bleeping hundreds and thousands of times. To anyone who knows binary, they would parse this as: <"Omnissiah, Lord of the Mechanical Spirit, Great Machine God, Source of All Knowledge, advise myself on the nature of this construct before me. I pray to you, Deus Mechanicus, to allow us to help this Machine Spirit by surveying this object. Praise the Omnissiah, and may the Imperium and its allies find refuge on our quest here.">

Having completed the ritual, Galleus then uses his mechanical hands to move the canister over as he looks it over, his spare mechanical clamp-arms helping when necessary.

"How peculiar. This design makes no sense. According to what I know from the sacred texts, and what the Ordo Xenos can afford to say to us, this canister is a godless abomination. Several design disciplines, all from various locations, and they look like they were haphazardly put together. My fellow priests would never allow such a heresy to be done. Anyway, this is intriguing."

He tilts the canister up to show them while standing up. "Notice this valve? This tells me it's an energy canister. And its containment is only half-full. For gathering energy, perhaps, before they abandoned it?"

Gesicht stepped forward and held a hand out to Galleus. "Perhaps I may have better luck, Federation databases might have something similar to this."

He'd begin to inspect the canister, with the knowledge it was meant to hold energy, it'd narrow things down for him.

Granet, Planet Centerra (Surface Tension)

Susie may have seen and experienced a lot of technology some lesser minds would consider strange, arcane even, in her time as Executive Assistant at the Company. Yet all of the visits to the Cloud couldn't prepare her for the sensation of being dropped from such an extreme height. Sitting down in the Business Suit didn't help much - her eyes shot open and she felt a familiar, very not good feeling, the sensation of falling, helplessly, fighting a losing battle with gravity as your organs jostled around like they were trying to escape-

And just like that, before she could really start to panic, it was over. She took a deep breath, controlling her trembling hands. It's fine, she told herself. You are in control. You aren't falling.

First order of business once Ulysses gave her the go-ahead - fix these stupid elevators. There was no reason for them to be like this! If she could almost lose her composure (in front of her contractors, no less), imagine what someone with a weak mind could go through!

...Yet, it didn't seem as though the others were too bothered. Did that make her...?

Susie shook her head. No time for such thoughts. That could wait. Right now she had business to attend to.

Right away, as she took in the cold, too pure air and observed the (mostly) untouched wilderness all around them, she knew immediately that getting to work mechanizing this place would be so worth it. She can see vast surfaces of rock all around, likely rich with minerals the locals hadn't a hope of mining with whatever primitive implements they have - and, of course, plants, loaded with nutrients and chemicals for fuels, for pharmaceuticals, for food colouring... and where there's plants, there's water! Where there's water, there's power! Susie couldn't help but bring her fists under her chin and shake them with delight as her face went all ^_^, her near-breakdown completely forgotten.

Unfortunately, between that and her newfound excitement, she'd completely failed to notice the two locals arriving on the scene - looking shabby even by this world's standards - and her contractors stepping forward unprompted. This would not do - any longer and she can kiss goodbye to any hope of earning their favour (and thus, having them vouch for her the next time she asks for the rights to operate on the surface).

Susie trundled towards the two locals whose names she didn't catch. "Okay, everyone, settle down, settle down! Let me handle the introductions!" she called out, before lifting up her visor and temporarily releasing control of her Business Suit.

"Hi there, friends!" she addressed the two locals, cutting in front of Enty who she barely even realized was still in the middle of shaking hands, "I'm Susanna - or Susie for short - and we're here on behalf of the Haltmann Works Company!" she declared yet again, and just like last time, she pulled out another business card from her suit and handed it to them, apparently having an unlimited supply of the things. Although since she was so much taller in her Business Suit she had to reach down a bit to hand it over.

"Anyway - I'm co-ordinating our little assignment, and as our contractors here have no doubt already told you..." she said, a fleeting hint of irritation in her voice, "we're here to aid young Everett in completing his pilgrimage! So if you could direct us to the nearest ship if possible, that would be most helpful!" she clasped her hands together, "or if that's not possible, we'll settle for a scrapyard or mineral resource deposit! Actually, speaking of which - since you mentioned a quarry - what do you mine and what's your usual output? I'm interested to know! We're in the business of resource extraction, you understand, and I can already identify plenty of places we could work together to make significant improvements! I'm sure you'll agree!"

Truth be told, if she really wanted to she could just call up the Haltworkers and have them send her a transport for Everett to use - pretty sure there was no rule against that - but then she'd miss out on so many opportunities!

It was then she let the others discuss what to do of Ridley, who - annoyingly - had just been here, the slippery little jambinch! She disguised her annoyance as she listened in on one of the automatons - the blocky one, 'Mannon' or something? She also took a look at the canister - obviously some kind of energy storage unit, reminded her a lot of the batteries the Company uses. Really, what it was hardly mattered as long as it wasn't a bomb or a pathogen, and it seemed like the others had already floated such possibilities. As awkward as they've been so far, she could trust them to overcomplicate everything, which in this one instance could work in their favour.

"That one is right!" she declared, "whatever happens, we have to consider that here, we are in relatively safe territory. I bet you Creds to Haltmanns, they'll want to lure us into territory favourable to them. That cannot be allowed to happen! Instead, we go about our business like any other 'pilgrim'. That should frustrate the... uh, annoyance into coming to us!"

Having hopefully stressed the importance of keeping Ridley on his toes, she turned her attention to the canister, opportunity again entering her mind. "I am curious as to the contents of that canister, though. The canister itself, too! It doesn't match the local, er... tech levels," she put it as tactfully as possible, "so the canister clearly wasn't locally manufactured. But what of its contents? If the pirates have been raiding, either this is a weapon or it contains a locally-produced resource..."

She turned to face Ratchet, who'd come up close by her. "You're certainly right, this will be a challenge, but one with awesome rewards!"

And perhaps just to annoy the Imperium zealot who had to rattle off an entire prayer (which she did, in fact, understand) before even being allowed to touch such a basic piece of technology, she had the Business Suit bend over slightly so she could give the canister a nice 'tap tap tap'. If anyone asked, she was testing its construction. She did give the 'tech-priest' a Look, though. Stars help him if he's ever invited to the Access Ark. He'd be praying so much no-one would ever see him again.

Edited by PresidentStalkeyes on May 20th 2024 at 12:46:58 PM

Granet

Frederick practically covers his ears from the sudden high pitch of Aquarius's voice.

"Jeez, kid, settle down...they went thatta way."

He points in the same direction that Seras saw the Pirate Aerotropper fly in, which is also the exact same direction Cibo can sense the retreating lifesigns in.

Barnabas turns his attention to Don.

"Heck if we know, they just sorta showed up with 'em. We don't use anything like 'em, but far as I can tell, they haven't put any crops in danger or anything."

Frederick gestures in the direction of the retreating Space Pirates, looking at Ruri. They came from and ran in that direction. Ya ask me, that's where their base or...whatever, is.

Everett, to his credit, seems at least a bit less uncomfortable around Giegue.

"I'll...keep that in mind, if I go into politics..."

Frederick seems at least a little wary of the psychic creature, though he remains cordial.

"Ah, the pilgrimage, I remember mine...y'know, I think it's kinda easier for us down here than the city guys upstairs. Anyways, there's scrappers galore on the other side a' town, if there's anyone to ask it's those guys. Not a lotta use for ships down here, for the most part. We use the elevators to bring anything we wanna sell up to the cities."

"Scrappers, perfect! I've read up on spaceship repair, I can definitely fix up an old one with spare parts! ...I think!"

Frederick raises an eyebrow at Cibo.

"Explosives? Nah, we mostly use animal power down here. I haven't seen a bomb that'll break through cheap rock quicker than the beasts we use, at least without vaporizin' the expensive stuff. An' we don't extract anything volatile, mostly ore for the fancy cities' tech stuff."

Barnabas gets up from his position examining the canister, directly addressing Enty.

"I mean, we don't use 'em, but there's been a lotta stories about those lizard creeps just droppin' outta da sky and puttin' these things down like they own da place. They just kinda stand around guardin' 'em for a while, then gather 'em up and leave. Fred here threw a rock at 'em and they buzzed off."

"Sure did, Barn. Not in this town, noooo way."

Ratchet’s maps indicate a series of Centerran holy sites to the east, but it’s extremely unlikely that the Space Pirates would be able to occupy those. There’s just farmland to the south, but a series of canyons to the north that could easily hide a base, a ship or even just a sizable platoon if needed…in the exact direction the pirates are fleeing.

Clank's scans reveal some...concerning information. The canisters register an energy signature that is largely unaccounted for in most databases. The closest match would be that of the Wisdom Cubes used to create KAN-SEN, or even the very same Psynergy that Aqua utilizes for his clairvoyance, but even those aren't a perfect match. It has elements in common with both, but is different in other ways, as well. This energy also matches the exact form of interference that's permeating the Stella system overall, the mysterious energy that's disrupting long-range communications and making criminal activity harder to track down in the system.

Everett, to his credit, is keeping near Alia after her words of guidance without hiding behind her. Progress is slow, but it is progree.

"Right...I think I know what I wanna do."

Upon hearing Galleus's ritual, Zeemi bows her head and offers an "Amen" as if she understood a word of that.

The canister appears to be of Space Pirate design - its incorporation of various different materials, design concepts and mechanisms makes that apparent. On his close inspection, Gesicht can spot a serial number on the canister - M1-142. Meaning this probably isn't even the only one of these things the Pirates are utilizing in this area.

Notably, the canister exudes the same unusual feeling that’s permeated this planet - and indeed this star system - since you all arrived. Enterprise, Aqua and Giegue are the most likely to notice it if they venture close to the device.

Frederick and Barnabas both simply stare at Susie, blinking repeatedly in sheer confusion and surprise.

"...Ey, Barn, you hear somethin' that sounds like a corporate shill tryin' to squeeze info outta the little guy?"

"Nope, sure don't Fred."

Ouch.

Zeemi silently offers Susie a brownie in these trying times.

Edited by ZodanTheUnbounceable on May 21st 2024 at 9:04:56 AM

Granet

Giegue did look briefly at Susie as she stepped from the elevator with pretty much the same face he had earlier. He'd seen they both had very similar reactions, both during and after the ride as they tried to hide that helpless sensation they both felt. He could sympathize enough to just acknowledge it with a quiet nod at her, without any blame. The alien then focused back on the matter at hand.

   "That's rather obvious. You are used to this wasteland. The people up there, not so much, I assume."    Giegue said to Frederick, keeping the same distant tone. He still had the decency to nod at him before turning to his "client".

   "Good. Then our destination is settled. We find those scrappers, you get them to give you what you need, and you build your ship, if you can't get a working one straight away. Sounds simple enough, unless you have a better solution in mind?"    Giegue said to Everett. He found himself a bit surprised that at least, the escort part of the mission was going rather smoothly.

That wasn't the case with Ridley, though.

With so many people gathering to inspect the canister, Giegue didn't join them, just watching despite his curiosity, more intrigued about what it contained than the object itself. Indeed, he felt his PSI jolting again when he got close. There was just one person in particular who quickly grew on his nerves.

   "Is it really necessary to waste everyone's time with your lingering nonsense before inspecting a simple machine instead of just doing it normally like everyone else?"    Giegue hissed, annoyed by his endless beeping. And frankly, if he had understood, it wouldn't have made things better. Unlike Susie, he wasn't afraid to speak his mind. At least, Galleus brought up interesting information, alongside everyone else.

   "So... Now we know where the pirates come from, at least from which direction a part of their forces could be. We have a way to track them down through Cibo, and they may be using these machines to extract some kind of energy from the planet's soil. I can only assume the one the vampire spotted serves the same purpose. It would explain why they leave those here before getting them back later once the canister has filled itself. This energy... it exudes that same feeling I had when I first landed on this planet. We could keep this canister and what it contains for further study, but there is no telling the pirates may try to seize it back."    Giegue pondered, putting a hand on his chin, his tail slowly waving as he was thinking.

His train of thought got interrupted when he laid his eyes on the two peasants staring incredulously at Susie talking to them, breaking his concentration. As curious and... strangely familiar as she was, if he was going to claim that psychic anomaly or part of it for himself after the mission, he didn't need to have her company in his way. Something that got his PSI reacting was something he could not ignore.

   "Susie. I hate to break your enthusiasm, but we are not here to make mining affairs with locals, especially when they understand only half of what you said. We have an escort job to finish."    Giegue coldly, yet politely reprimanded. He then turned to the rest of the group

   "And besides... I know the dragon and his minions are concerning, and I admit I am intrigued about what they are looking for, but I agree our priority is Everett and his pilgrimage, and I doubt those pests will be the only threat around here. The quicker we make our plans and move, the better it will be."    he pointed out.

Edited by Scipion3 on May 21st 2024 at 1:33:20 PM

Granet Landing

The longer Enty observed the canister, the more certain she became about what she was sensing from it, or at least more certain that something was peculiar about what she was sensing. The fact that the pirates apparently planted them there and guarded them for a while suggested that they were harvesting something from wherever they brought empty cylinders to...

"Hey, Zeemi, over here!" the Gray Ghost beckoned to the fortune-teller, then pointed at the canister. "Whatever the weird vibes I mentioned I was picking up were, I'm feeling pretty certain they're coming from whatever the pirates were absorbing into this thing. Does this planet have some kind of unique energy, that you know of?"