Starside

[Felandria]

[Shuttle]

Chevin asks the obvious question.
"What happened at Olympus?"
The shuttle slowly starts twisting and coming to a stop.

Fel watches as the shuttle docks,

Huh? Oh, just visiting my dad.

[Reinholdt]

[Dyson Sphere]

"I think I found the problem with the lights," Reinholdt calls back. "We're missing a wire." Or at least a piece that connects two wire ends. Hmm.

Reinholdt tries pulling a battery out of flashlight and sticking it in the gap to attempt to close the circuit. If it's a good size, he'll duct tape it in place and see if that works. Hardly safe, but it's the most he can offer.

[bc56]

Dyson Sphere

Yone can see the cadets doing their best to take measurements of one of the big lizards, but it keeps moving while they try to get their tape measure out.

The battery fits, but only just. The duct tape looks like it'll hold for now.

[Reinholdt]

[Dyson Sphere]

Rein didn't hear anything click on or spark, so he gives the box a hearty whack (hitting things always makes them work) before floating back over to Yone.

"Welp. Down one flashlight." Reinholdt stows that away. He peers back at the darkened passage to see if there are any changes.

[bc56]

Dyson Sphere

There's a big change. The lights are on. They're dim and flickering, but on. The passage forks a short distance in.

[Recaiden]

[Dyson Sphere]

"But you got something working."
Yone leaps over the lizard trap and heads over to the fork to look at both tunnels. If there's not much to see, she'll head cautiously down the left hand path.

[Shuttle Dock]

"Oh. The way you said it I thought it was some big deal that made you give up adventuring."
Chevin disembarks from the shuttle and waves at the vast diversity of people and vehicles to be found here. Though, living in Inside as Felandria does, it shouldn't be too surprising.
"I haven't adventured much recently either. Causes trouble, you know."

[Felandria]

[Shuttle Dock]

"Oh. The way you said it I thought it was some big deal that made you give up adventuring."
Chevin disembarks from the shuttle and waves at the vast diversity of people and vehicles to be found here. Though, living in Inside as Felandria does, it shouldn't be too surprising.
"I haven't adventured much recently either. Causes trouble, you know."

Well, it was kinda a big deal, but it’s not why.

I think I’ve just gotten comfortable here.......well, back there, and it’s not like I don’t have time to go back out there later.

Fel looks around at the various and sundry.

Wooooow!

This is space?

[Reinholdt]

[Dyson Sphere]

Reinholdt follows after Yone, but pauses for a moment in the main area. "Come on cadets. We've made some progress. We're here to find the probes remember." He waves them over. Measuring lizards must be fascinating, but there's so much left to do. That done, the space cat hurries after Yone into the left passage.

[bc56]

Dyson Sphere

The cadets hurry to catch up with the two felines. Here, the ground is bare dirt, the commonplace vines formerly unable to grow in the darkened passage. The sound of wind whistling emanates from ahead. There are two closed doors there, and the sound seems to be coming from behind the left one.

[Recaiden]

[Dyson Sphere]

"The probe probably would have taken an open path."
Yone opens the door with the sound behind it all the same!

[Shuttle Dock]

Chevin laughs.
"Well, it's one part of one station in space! This way, deck 4 doesn't have the artificial gravity."


"But, you're okay just retiring? There's nothing driving you anymore? I thought you were some kinda superhero, right sir?"

[Felandria]

[Shuttle Dock]

Chevin laughs.
"Well, it's one part of one station in space! This way, deck 4 doesn't have the artificial gravity."


"But, you're okay just retiring? There's nothing driving you anymore? I thought you were some kinda superhero, right sir?"

Retiring?

No, no, no, I would never!

I just haven’t gone down into any dungeons lately is all.

I’ve been trying to be a superhero, but I haven’t had much of a chance to actually have any major action in that regard.

[Reinholdt]

[Dyson Sphere]

"The path could have been open when it came through." Reinholdt prepares the rifle he picked up on the ship and takes a flanking position on the door that Yone opens in order to cover her.

[Recaiden]

"Well, you can't just rest and wait for evil to come threaten your city. You have to seek it out. Come on; we're gonna go fight pirates on the moon. You have a space suit?" Chevin asks of Felandria, drifting down the hallway.

[bc56]

Dyson Sphere

The room is fairly small and shaped like an egg, with a curved floor and . On the far end, a sort of rectangular alcove in the wall is the source of the sound, rushing wind coming from a large number of slits in its bottom. Several handles protrude from the room's wall in various places, but there seems to be no pattern to their arrangement.

[Recaiden]

"This looks to be a dead end, unless we think the probe went through that vent and put the grille back on behind it."

Pulling unmarked levers in a mysterious alien room is a great way to get yourself killed, so instead of doing that, Yone tries the right-hand door.

[Felandria]

"Well, you can't just rest and wait for evil to come threaten your city. You have to seek it out. Come on; we're gonna go fight pirates on the moon. You have a space suit?" Chevin asks of Felandria, drifting down the hallway.

Pirates!

On the moon!!!!!

Yay!!!!!!

But.....

Space suit?

No, I don’t have one of those, is there somewhere around here I could get one?

[Reinholdt]

[Dyson Sphere]

"It looks like one of those anti-gravity test chambers or wind tunnels. I wonder who was training here." The handles in the room are probably just for stabilization and not for pulling. "Might have reactivated the room by accident when we turned on the lights."

Probe's definitely not in there though. Door number 2!

[bc56]

Dyson Sphere

The door opens to reveal a massive stick insect clawing at the other side. The two cadets jump back in fright as the thing, towering over them, screeches. Behind it is a similar room to the last one, but strewn with refuse and bones. The stench of rotting flesh wafts out of it.

[Recaiden]

[Dyson Sphere]

Huh. Reinholdt warned them about this. But she still managed to miss the sound of it scraping at the door. Masked by the whooshing of the wind tunnel, probably.

"EEk!"
Yone does her best to slam the door shut again right away.

[Salmagundi Station - Deck 4]

"Yeah, they sell a bit of everything up here. I've got a suit¹ in a locker, but for you, let's see." Shi soars down the passage to a market district, where signs advertise "Cheap shuttles", "Refurbished space suits", "Quality blasters", "Shapeshifting spacesuits - one size truly fits all!", and other such products.
"Oh, uh, you need protective gear in space, because there's no air. So otherwise you'd suffocate, have your eyes explode, and freeze/burn to death (depending how close to the sun you are)."

^{1 The pressure actually isn't a problem, and Chevin may not need to breathe, but heating/cooling with no atmosphere remains a concern.}

[Reinholdt]

[Dyson Sphere]

"GAH!!" The completely cool and level headed treasure hunter fires his carbine rifle repeatedly at the terrifyingly huge insect while backpedaling at just enough of a pace to hamper his accuracy.

[Felandria]

[Dyson Sphere]

Huh. Reinholdt warned them about this. But she still managed to miss the sound of it scraping at the door. Masked by the whooshing of the wind tunnel, probably.

"EEk!"
Yone does her best to slam the door shut again right away.

[Salmagundi Station - Deck 4]

"Yeah, they sell a bit of everything up here. I've got a suit¹ in a locker, but for you, let's see." Shi soars down the passage to a market district, where signs advertise "Cheap shuttles", "Refurbished space suits", "Quality blasters", "Shapeshifting spacesuits - one size truly fits all!", and other such products.
"Oh, uh, you need protective gear in space, because there's no air. So otherwise you'd suffocate, have your eyes explode, and freeze/burn to death (depending how close to the sun you are)."

^{1 The pressure actually isn't a problem, and Chevin may not need to breathe, but heating/cooling with no atmosphere remains a concern.}

Felandria spots the fourth sign, regarding the shape shifting suits and squees.

Ooh! Let’s go in there, it’s exactly what I need.

[bc56]

Dyson Sphere

The insect's leg is wedged in the door. It strains against Yone to push it open. However, the closing door also blocks most of Reinholdt's shots at the creature.

[Recaiden]

[Dyson Sphere]

Yone might be stronger than your average hexapod space cat, but she's not giant-monster strong. Though she presses against the door as hard as she can, the insect starts forcing the door open and pushing her back.
"Cadets! Hit the leg and I can get this closed again! Hurry!" Surely the monster can feel pain and will retreat from the door if they can bother it a little. Right?

[Spacesuit Shop]

Chevin catches the edge of a sign and lands near the door.
The space-suit shop is a confusingly three-dimensional zero-gravity mess with sale racks of suits and components at all angles. Despite the sign they do also sell a variety of fixed-shape suits. But it shouldn't take too long for Felandria to find a suitably stylish 'helmet that generates a spacesuit for its wearer'.

[Reinholdt]

[Dyson Sphere]

Hopefully. Having recovered from the initial panic and Reinholdt regroups on the cadets. "Aim. Fire!" He says, attempting to lead them in a firing squad upon the leg. A much more precisely aimed one than what was previously going on with the trigger happy cat.

[Felandria]

[Spacesuit Shop]

Chevin catches the edge of a sign and lands near the door.
The space-suit shop is a confusingly three-dimensional zero-gravity mess with sale racks of suits and components at all angles. Despite the sign they do also sell a variety of fixed-shape suits. But it shouldn't take too long for Felandria to find a suitably stylish 'helmet that generates a spacesuit for its wearer'.

Felandria places the helmet onto her head and a form fitting spacesuit places itself over her body.

I like it!

Hopefully the pirates swords aren’t too sharp, I suspect holes in a spacesuit aren’t the best thing.

[bc56]

Dyson Sphere

The new onslaught is enough to drive the insect back into the room, and Yone can shut the door. You can still hear it scratching at the other side, but it seems trapped for now.

[Recaiden]

[Dyson Sphere]

Yone makes sure the door is securely shut and slumps against it, taking a few deep breaths before laughing briefly.

"I didn't see a lost probe in there. Did you?"

[Spacesuit Shop]

"It looks good on you." Chevin says with full sincerity¹, then heads towards the docks with their lockers and hir own suit, and before you know it they'll be in a little open-top moon-lander, about to leave the station.

^{1 Although shi does look in Felandria's direction, shi doesn't bother observing the suit itself. But if Fel likes it, it looks good. End of story.}

[Reinholdt]

[Dyson Sphere]

"Nope. No probe." Not that he could really see. If there was one further in and out of sight, it's lost forever. Reinholdt takes a moment to get his fur back in place and not standing straight up. "Let's try that other passage." After double checking his ammo, he'll work back to the fork and try the right hand passage this time.

[Felandria]

[Spacesuit Shop]

"It looks good on you." Chevin says with full sincerity¹, then heads towards the docks with their lockers and hir own suit, and before you know it they'll be in a little open-top moon-lander, about to leave the station.

^{1 Although shi does look in Felandria's direction, shi doesn't bother observing the suit itself. But if Fel likes it, it looks good. End of story.}

Felandria is like a big kid sitting in the moon lander.

Adventure!

So tel me more about these pirates, are they the stealing pirates or the kidnappy pirates?

[bc56]

Dyson Sphere

The other passage is much shorter, and ends in a single door, a label stenciled on it in an alien language, the characters jagged and highly detailed. There is no visible handle, but there is a button by the side of the door.