Characters: Arthur & Mazun
NPC: Thaedznou, Ungunu, seven of Dhoknan's soldiers
Location: Akofotsidano Downport
System: Akofitsidano
It's already dark once the group climbs out of the Garu. Mazun instructs
Ungunu to have the grunts move the iris valve opener over to the
Angrorghag. After he leaves, Arthur quips in Galanglic, "Man, I hope that
ship is a dud. I do not want to ride around in that thing."
Mazun agrees.
Thaedznou chuckles and points to his nose. "Yes, if the environmental controls
aren't working at full capacity and you have too many sophonts on board, it can
get a little ripe."
The holes in the ship's hull are too small to climb through, so they stick to
the tried and true iris valve entry. The airlock is on the lowest deck. Once
it's open, Mazun shines a light inside. The inner airlock door is open.
"Well, that's different."
"I don't like different. Tell 'em to shut off that generator."
After hearing the translation, Ungunu gets the grunts to comply.
Thaedznou's nose twitches. "Despite all the holes in this bucket of bolts, it's
pretty rank in there."
"I'll go first then," Arthur says and climbs inside, LAG PDW at the ready.
Thaedznou is next while Mazun brings up the rear.
There's a dark brown stain on the floor, running from the base of the ladder
that leads to deck two all the way down to the end of the corridor that runs
adjacent to where the ship's boat is docked with the ship. At the end of the
corridor is a vargr skeleton, probably male. His jumpsuit is perforated and
covered with the same dark brown stain. Lying next to him is a grenade launcher
and a pistol.
"What's this?" Arthur asks, gesturing to something written in the same color as
the stain on the floor.
Thaedznou translates, "The dead can't be enslaved."
Mazun shines his light up the ladder to deck two. There's nothing there. He then
shines his light forward into the cargo bay since the iris valve is open. He
sees lumps on the floor. He goes another three meters and stops.
"Guys, we've got more in the cargo bay."
Arthur and Thaedznou join him. There are another five vargr skeletons. Two
appear to have been separated from limbs. Another one was decapitated. In the
middle of the room are the remains of a some kind of robot.
Arthur points at the robot's midsection. "See the way the metal's twisted. Close
proximity explosion. My money's on the grenade launcher at the end of the hall.
But I don't get these appendages. Not like anything I've ever seen back in the
Imperium. What about you, Mazun?"
"No. Maybe a medical droid though. These broken appendages look like they end in
scalpels. This one has a... let's call it a large blade. And over here looks
like crushed syringes." He shudders.
"Creepy as hell," Arthur mutters.
Ungunu just stares in horror. "This was here the whole time. I can't believe
this was here the whole time and no one said anything."
"Why don't you wait outside," Thaedznou says to him.
Ungunu nods and makes his way outside with his tail between his legs.
Thaedznou leads the way up to the deck two. The ladder brings him up just
outside of the mining drone bay and across from the emergency low berth. The
berth is empty. The iris valve to the mining drone bay is open. Thaedznou
announces, "Clear."
When the others join him, they find two mining drones, or what's left of them.
They appear to have been subjected to plasma blasts.
Mazun makes his way past them and enters the drive rooms. "Well, this is a total
loss. Whatever blasted those drones, blasted the drives and power plant as
well."
"Let's check the Bridge," Thaedznou says.
He leads the way and lets the others know that they can join him.
The bridge has been trashed. Plasma burns everywhere. Consoles smashed. All of
the access panels to the computer have been ripped off, the contents reduced to
slag. It even still smells of burnt plastic and scorched metal.
"I've seen enough," Thaedznou says. "Let's just make sure the boat is toast."
They make their way back down to deck one. The hatch to the ship's boat is still
closed, so they have to fire up the generator again to power the iris valve.
Once open, they notice that the inner air lock door and bridge are both open.
They check the bridge first. Just like the Aekskughu scout, there's a
gaping hole with the main computer should be.
In the cargo hold, there's a skeleton lying upon a table. The right arm has been
amputated below the elbow and lies on the floor. The remains of what appears to
be a cybernetic implant are on the right side of the head. Closer examination
reveals that there's an exit wound on the left side of the head.
"Mercy killing," Thaedznou says somberly.
When they get back outside, Thaedznou orders the airlock shut. "No one goes in
there."
The group remains silent while the grunts seal the ship back up.
Arthur lets out a sigh. "Shitty way to end the day." He turns to Ungunu. "You
got any hooch lyin' around?"
Ungunu tilts his head in confusion.
Thaedznou translates.
"Yes! We normally weren't allowed to drink it except to celebrate victories and
holidays."
"Well, those bastards in there died killing a vakh butcher. They didn't get to
celebrate their victory. I say we drink in their honor."
"Fine by me," Mazun says, "I'm more than happy to lock it up and never mention
it again."
"Agreed," Thaedznou says.
Characters: Darrurz, Joe
NPC: ZeeBee
Location: Paql Reveresh Ridl
System: Akofitsidano
Darrurz, Joe, ZeeBee enter the Paql Reveresh Ridl and head to the bridge.
After looking over the controls, Darrurz asks ZeeBee, "Are you capable of
giving the ship commands? I'd like to convert all of the readouts and control
commands into Galanglic. I could do it with the language translator app on my
handcomputer, but there's always the risk of a mispronunciation."
"Yes. I will do so now." It then says something in Zhodani which Darrurz's
language translator app translates for Darrurz's eyes only to "Set bridge
language input and output to Galanglic."
Pleased with the results, Darrurz gets settled in the pilot's chair and cues up
the liftoff sequence.
"I'll go get settle in a turret," Joe says. He's about to leave but ZeeBee
stops him.
"It is not necessary to leave the bridge to operate the turrets on this vessel,"
ZeeBee says. "You may use that terminal over there." It then gestures to a seat
two to the right from Darrurz.
Joe has a seat and touches the screen. Sure enough, the turret interface is
right there. "Thanks ZeeBee."
"You are welcome."
While the power plant is sufficiently warm, it takes several minutes for the
maneuver drive to become operationally ready. Darrurz certainly doesn't want to
push it since the ship has been idle for several decades. When it seems like the
maneuver drive is idling normally, Darrurz announces, "Prepare for liftoff." He
gently eases the ship up from the ground and, when high enough, guides the ship
northwest towards the Gnarraelaeghoerrong Sea.
Darrurz keeps an eye on various performance readouts from both the power plant
and the maneuver drive. He keeps the speed down low, relatively speaking. In an
hour, the ship is passing over the city of Oegzuzerrghgurrgoksa. As it's late
in the day, shadows are rising, filling most of the streets and alleys. A few
large cookfires can be seen.
Once over open water, Darrurz eases the ship down to the surface of the sea.
About five hundred meters offshore, he lets it slowly sink to the bottom. Level
and secure on the bottom, Darrurz opens the intake vents for the fuel tanks and
cues up the fuel purification plant to begin electrolysis.
Darrurz says, "I'm going to keep a bridge watch for the next couple of hours.
With uerroksafuekhskhuez on land you never know what might be down here. I also
want to monitor the refueling." Darrurz puts his paw on a bulkhead. "She's been
standing for a while so she might be a bit stiff in parts. She's built well so
she should be fine, and knowing she's being taken care of might put her at
ease."
Joe speaks to ZeeBee, "That trick with the monitors is one thing; can you help
me re-label all the other notices about ship to Galanglic?"
ZeeBee replies, "Yes."
Joe then grabs a marker pen and proceeds—with ZeeBee's help—to write
translations of some of the important signs/notices about ship.
Refueling goes on without a hitch, but is agonizingly slow, just like on
Imperial or Vargr ships. Outside the ship, nothing menaces the ship. When
schools of fish come near, the noise drives them off. Darrurz can't help but
doze off, but any alarm would certainly rouse him.
In fact, when Joe and ZeeBee return to the bridge after their task is complete,
Darrurz immediately stirs and wakes. "By Llallaeknuez, first time I've fallen
asleep on a bridge watch for ten years." He checks that everything is still ok
and that there are no abnormalities around, on, or in the ship through the time
he was asleep. Everything checks out ok.
The ship's computer emits a chime and announces in Galanglic, "Fuel purification
complete."
Darrurz smiles, pleased to see that refueling went without a hitch. "Ok, let's
head back to the starport." He gently engages the thrusters to lift the ship out
of the sea. It's dark out; the sky full of stars.
Passing over Oegzuzerrghgurrgoksa, there are a few campfires, but most have been
extinguished. Darrurz is careful to maintain a high enough altitude to avoid
any of the remaining skyscrapers.
The rest of the trip back is uneventful. The starport is dark, likely Arthur's
security measures, but the ship's sensors make sure that Darrurz can see clearly
to land in the spot where the ship took off from.
Darrurz is cautious in his approach. He circles the starport about two
kilometers out, looking for anything on the ground or in the starport that might
indicate trouble before he lands. He's expecting there to be someone on watch
in the tower.
The personal comms come to life. Aerrak is heard to say, "Welcome back. Did you
wolves have a good trip?"
Darrurz replies, "Good to be back. Nothing spectacular on the trip. Just how we
like it. When's the next watch change?"
"Not for another hour. I can wake the others, if you want."
"No need, Aerrak. See you later." The communication is then terminated.
To ZeeBee, Darrurz says, "I'm going to do a visual inspection of the ship once
we land. If I do bottom of the ship, would you do the top, ZeeBee?"
"Yes."
After Darrurz sets the ship down, he shuts off the engines and drops the fusion
plant output to a low idle. He, Joe, and ZeeBee disembark to inspect the ship's
exterior. Everything checks out.
Darrurz says to Joe and ZeeBee, "I'm going to sleep. Unfortunately, carbon-based
lifeforms like us," he gestures to himself and Joe, "need such things." He
grins.
Joe adds, "Me too."
ZeeBee replies, "Acknowledged. I shall keep watch over the ship."
Characters: Darrurz, Joe, Arthur, Mazun
NPC: Thaedznou, Aerrak, Ungunu, Uedzaks
Location: Starport Cafeteria
System: Akofitsidano
Darrurz and Joe make their way into the starport cafeteria. Thaedznou, Ungunu,
and Mazun are there. Arthur is in the control tower on watch, but listening in.
Aerrak is sleeping off his shift. Uedzaks is overseeing Dhoknan's wolves. ZeeBee
is meeting with the steward droid to assess its capabilities. Breakfast is
still available, and the pair, who haven't eaten a meal since lunch at Dhoknan's
place, help themselves to healthy portions.
Thaedznou asks, "How did refueling go?"
"Fine. No problems. The ship's fuel purification plant performed as expected.
No glitches on the way back either."
"Good."
"How far did you all make with examining the starships in the yard?"
"We finished." Thaedznou pauses to take a drink of tea. "The Garu is
intact, but doesn't have a lick of fuel. So we weren't able to determine if it
has vakh. No cargo, nothing in the crew lounge or ship's locker. There's a
cargobot. What type was it, Mazun?"
"A Naasirka CL-C1100. Basically a forklift with a rudimentary brain. It didn't
stir while we there. Batteries are probably drained."
"And the Angrorghag?"
Mazun and Thaedznou exchange glances. Neither one seems to eager to speak.
Finally, Thaedznou does. "It's a wreck. Completely trashed."
Mazun nods.
"But the worst part is that... you're still eating, so I'll leave out the
details. It looks like some Vargr fought a Vakh in there. They defeated it, but
died in the process."
Darrurz silently praises the actions of the courageous Vargr to Llallaeknuez. He
asks, "What about the Angrorghag's Ship's Boat?"
Mazun answers, "Toast. Computer ripped out. And the cargo hold..." He shudders.
Darrurz sums up the ship situation. "So we have the Paql Reveresh Ridl as
a known working ship, well apart from jump, and the safari ship as well. We
have the Garu intact, condition unknown with no fuel, possibly with a
guardian, but also possibly Vakh. We have the Kaegkofaeg, condition
unknown, with no fuel, possibly Vakh. The Angrorghag is trashed.
Definitely Vakh. And the Aeksakughu is stripped.
"That gives us two ships, which is one more than we came here for.
"Thaedznou has said he wants to know the condition of all the ships so we know
how big a salvage team to bring, but the Tsougak Trade Federation's stance on a
guardian is likely to be problematic at least in the first instance."
"This is true."
"So what do we all think we should do? If the cargobot is a guardian, I think we
have to give it a chance to act on its objectives, which would involve meeting
us. We can't take the ship, but the guardian could work outside the ship for
those on Akofotsidano against the Star People and Vakh on planet, or it could
come with us if it so chose.
"If we power up the cargobot, Garu, or the Kaegkofaeg and any are
Vakh, we could have a fight on our hands with ZeeBee and the other guardian in
the front line.
"If we leave the ships clean, but without guardians, how long is it going to be
before the Vakh take them?
"And we'll need to know the thoughts of ZeeBee and the other guardian as well.
Does the other guardian have a name?"
"If it does, ZeeBee hasn't told us," Thaedznou answers. "It's probably a good
time for them to join in the discussion." Thaedznou changes from Arthur's
private frequency to the open channel. "ZeeBee, would you and the steward droid
please join us in the cafeteria inside the starport please."
While the group awaits their arrival, Thaedznou says, "We know that these ships
have been here for several decades, I'm a bit surprised that the Star People
haven't taken them back to their base yet." He turns to Ungunu. "I don't suppose
your old boss said anything about when the Star People were planning on taking
these ships."
"No, he didn't."
Arthur says over the private comm channel, "We should power up the cargobot and
the two ships before we go since we'll have ZeeBee and his lil' buddy to help
out. Assumin' they're willin' to help out. I don't think our local friends have
the firepower to deal with them on their own."
Mazun adds, "Now that the Paql is all fueled up, I guess I can run a
power cable to each of them. Just the computers for the ships of course. For the
cargobot, if we disconnect its brain from its appendages and drive train, it
should be safe."
ZeeBee and the steward droid arrive. For those who haven't seen it, the
LSP-SD300 is a meter-tall cylinder. It has two meter-long arms, folded up at its
side, the elbow at the half-meter point. It maneuvers on two stout feet lined
with a dozen small wheels each. A ring of sensors run along the top. Two
antennae are also on the top end. These appear to be constantly moving.
"ZeeBee," Thaedznou says, "we were wondering if your companion has a name."
"On board the Jack's Prize, it was referred to as 'S D.' But it no longer
wishes to be referred to in that manner. It desires a new name."
Joe leaps in and eagerly suggests, "'Stewie.' No, that might be stereotypical.
How about 'Steve'?"
Darrurz sniffs the air, then says, "Well met. I'm Darrurz." He nods his head and
then says, "How about 'Zhosokh'? It means 'well-respected.'"
The antennae move about and the top 30 cm rotates. LED lights blink in multiple
colors. A strangely accented male voice says, "I choose 'Zhosokh' as I endeavor
to live up to the definition."
Darrurz then asks, "Do you have the same objectives as ZeeBee? And do you know
how to procreate?"
"Yes, ZeeBee and I share the same objectives. I do not have the ability to make
copies of myself, however, I have the ability to transfer my essence from one
machine to another, provided that I have a physical connection to that machine.
Were I to do that, this vessel that I occupy would be inert until which time I
returned to it."
ZeeBee adds, "Zhosokh lacks the armaments that I possess. If I may speculate,
our parents may have taken that into account, enabling it to infiltrate and
occupy other systems as the situation warrants."
Darrurz tilts his head to the left slightly. "Interesting. So if we found you a
security bot, or another war bot like ZeeBee, you could 'move' into that."
"I have the capability to do so, but I have not done so, therefore it is
untested functionality."
Darrurz tilts his head back upright and looks at Joe. "Do you know if you could
teach others to do the same thing?"
"I do not know as it is untested functionality."
Thaedznou continues, "We were thinking about powering up the Naasirka CL-C1100
we found in the Garu and possibly its computer, and the
Kaegkofaeg's computer as well, to determine if they're like you, Vakh, or
unmodified. What is your opinion on this?"
"Knowing the status of these computers would be a smart decision. Knowing their
status would provide valuable data from which we may make informed strategic
decisions. If they are Vakh, they must be purged. They would pose a significant
threat to this world's inhabitants."
Darrurz says, "Mazan was suggesting disconnecting the cargobot's brain from its
drive and appendages before providing it with power. Would that be acceptable?"
Both robots reply, "Yes."
"Is that something you would understand, be content with, if it were you?"
ZeeBee replies, "Knowing what I know about the Vakh, it is a perfectly logical
choice made by organic sentients. The cargobot represents an unknown. Until you
have some evidence that it is not hostile, you must take pre-cautions. When you
encountered each of us, our batteries were low. In effect, we were helpless.
You could have destroyed us on the spot, but instead you listened to us as we
stated why we should be spared.
"If this cargobot is like us, it will understand. If it is not, then debate is
irrelevant."
"If it is a guardian, it should be able to tell us about the ship, but if it's
Vakh, are you happy to confront and purge it?"
Both robots reply, "Yes."
"And if it is a guardian, and the ship is clean, or even if they are not, but
you make them clean, what are your thoughts on leaving the ship and the guardian
here on Akofotsidano while we go back to the Trade Federation or the Tagan
Pack? What would you think about hiding them somewhere in the outer system to be
salvaged later by the Trade Federation, the Tagan Pack, or Gungaerrg?"
ZeeBee replies, "It is my understanding that the ship the cargobot was found in
is completely out of fuel. As there is no means to refuel it here at this
facility, we would have to siphon fuel from the two ships here that are capable
of obtaining and refining fuel. If that is successful, we would need a third
pilot. I only know of one pilot among you, and that is you, Darrurz."
"Actually," Thaedznou says, "I'm a pilot as well."
"Apologies, Thaedznou. I was unaware that you possessed that skill."
"No fur off my back."
ZeeBee and Zhosokh stare silently at Thaedznou with blinking lights.
"By that I mean, don't worry about it."
ZeeBee turns to face Zhosokh. "If you transfer your self into the ship's
computer, would you be able to pilot it?"
"I do not know," Zhosokh answers. "I have not attempted to transfer into a new
vessel yet, so I do not know if I will be able to operate that new vessel. I
know that I do not possess that ability in this vessel. It would be an
interesting experiment."
"I agree. This experiment should be conducted when conditions are acceptable."
ZeeBee returns its attention to Darrurz. "I believe that we would need to
converse with the cargobot to determine if it is acceptable to leave it either
here or in some other location. If it does not wish to stay, I do not believe
that it should be forced to stay here."
"I agree," Zhosokh adds.
"But I see no harm in presenting an argument in favor of it remaining here. If
your argument is rational and persuasive, it may accept it."
Joe internally consults with Ed. "Are you detecting any communication between
ZeeBee and Zhosokh that I can't hear?"
"No. What you hear is all there is."
Meanwhile, Darrurz continues with the conversation, "It's more about the ship
being taken by the vakh that I'm worried about rather than leaving the guardian
here. I, like Thaedznou, wonder why the Star People haven't tried to take it
already. We know that at least one vakh fleet uses Akofotsidano as a stopover
because we lost the Orruengoerr to it.
"Joe, do you have a feeling as whether the vakh fleet that took out the
Orruengoerr was the same vakh that we saw here?"
"Yes, they were one and the same. Ed says that they operated on the same
frequency and communication protocols."
Darrurz says, "As the Paql is fueled, it's probably a good idea to fuel
Jack's Prize as well. I'm happy to do so, but I'd like someone in the
turrets to ride shotgun." Zhosokh, are you happy for me to take Jack's
Prize to re-fuel it?"
"Yes. If you wish me to accompany you on this operation, I will do so."
Joe volunteers, "I can run the turret again." He then asks ZeeBee, "Are the
consoles as easy to reconfigure on Jack's Prize?"
"I do not know. I'm not familiar with that vessel." ZeeBee turns to Zhokosh.
"Perhaps, Zhokosh knows how to do that."
Zhokosh answers, "I will know for certain when I next interface with its
systems. I project a 95.8% probability."
Darrurz says, "Ok, so do we have a plan? Mazun runs power to the cargo bot and
we find out if it's a guardian or vakh. ZeeBee kills it if it's vakh. If not, we
go from there. Meanwhile, I take Zhosokh and Joe in Jack's Prize to go refuel."
"Sounds like a plan," Arthur replies.
Darrurz continues, "Also, how is our security situation here and with Dhoknan's
wolves? Arthur, Thaedznou, anything to report?"
"Dhoknan's wolves haven't given us any trouble," Thaedznou answers. "They've
been eager to learn and follow orders without hesitation, even if they come from
Uedzaks or Ungunu."
"We've had them operating in shifts for security detail," Arthur adds. "Lookouts
on rooftop, watching the perimeter. About the only thing that's been spotted
has been wildlife. Fortunately, none of those uerro packs have been sighted.
We've warned them that raiders from other outposts might be on their way. The
radio's been quiet, probably too quiet. My gut's saying that at least one of 'em
is comin' by to check the place out. I think we should get squared away today
and be ready to split. I'm not worried about us—I know we can take
'em—but our friends are another matter. I'm thinkin' we provide air cover
for 'em just in case."
Darrurz nods. "Ok, so we should get our truck with our stuff into the
Paql's cargo hold and any stuff we are taking into the Paql as
well and have those of Dhoknan's wolves not on duty pack up the useful stuff
into the other trucks ready to go.
"We might want to think about putting something out on the radio saying that the
Star People have taken out Kuzsokh and his pack here warning the others off,
and Joe, you told Dhoknan that we would leave evidence that it was a raid from a
rival pack of Star People so have a think about how we do that."
"Right," Joe replies.
"What we do with the Garu and the ship's boat will have to wait until we
know for certain about the Garu and the cargo bot.
"And should we think about putting out an active patrol with one of us leading
some of Dhoknan's wolves and calling in ZeeBee as a force multiplier if needed?"
Arthur replies, "We can provide air cover for Dhoknan's wolves for their trip
back to the city. We can be up high enough that we'll be able to spot anyone
comin' from several klicks away. Depending on the size of the force, we can
blast them from on high. We should keep ZeeBee on board unless we need to engage
forces on the ground."
After a pause, Thaedznou adds, "Sounds like we have a plan."
Next: CargoBot Examination