Heroica RPG 2.0 - Mission #0: Last Of Its Kind

[Endgame]

A traditional scan from conventional tools yields nothing but white noise from the... holo crystal? It was hard to tell if that was even what is was. Most were much smaller, and far more crudely shaped. Whatever this thing was, it was no traditional holo-storage device. At least, its security measures were anything but normal.

The scan failed, but closer inspection of the device with the naked eye made it look like the panels on the side of the base can be interacted with, and possibly opened. It all looked rather delicate, though.

[Classic_Spaceman]

Just now, Endgame said:

A traditional scan from conventional tools yields nothing but white noise from the... holo crystal? It was hard to tell if that was even what is was. Most were much smaller, and far more crudely shaped. Whatever this thing was, it was no traditional holo-storage device. At least, its security measures were anything but normal.

The scan failed, but closer inspection of the device with the naked eye made it look like the panels on the side of the base can be interacted with, and possibly opened. It all looked rather delicate, though.

If even my visor can't get a read on this thing, it must be extremely important. We need to be careful - I'll take a closer look at those panels. 
 

[samurai-turtle]

3 hours ago, Endgame said:

 

Sabrillo Egg: A lukewarm, scentless egg - even unhatched, even uncooked, it smelled delectable.

Cydonian... Holo... Crystal? Strange holocrystal-esque device, but substantially larger and more intricate than standard. Current function and purpose... unknown.

/// I might as well, unless someone else desperately wants to hold the egg. 

Attempts to put a tracer (or tracker) on / in the Holo Crystal. 

[Classic_Spaceman]

13 minutes ago, samurai-turtle said:

Attempts to put a tracer (or tracker) on / in the Holo Crystal. 

Be careful! 
 

[samurai-turtle]

1 hour ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Be careful! 
 

/// It will be a simple signal bouncer, I doubt anyone will notice beyond an occasional odd signal spike. 

[Duvors]

5 hours ago, Endgame said:

Sabrillo Egg: A lukewarm, scentless* egg - even unhatched, even uncooked, it smelled* delectable.

While everyone else was distracted by the odd crystal Enson reached out and gently picked up the egg, turning it about in one hand and examining it dispassionately.

"You know," he said after a moment of quiet contemplation, "something's been bothering me. Even if we return the egg successfully to Vannoy and it hatches and generally goes on to live a long and fulfilling life, that's not going to save the species in the long run. I mean, it's the last of it's kind isn't it? Who is there for it to breed with? And even if there was another Sabrillo for it to breed with you still wouldn't get a stable breeding population out of that. At most you'd get a couple generations of one or two individuals before the inbreeding catches up to them. You can't clone this one either, Mr Vannoy already explained the difficulties with that. And even if you could you'd still only get a bunch of copies of the same individual."

He healed the egg up so he could examine it from below, the same hard expression on his face that he'd had since Jek was killed. "In fact," he continued, "it's not as if it would have much of a life anyway. It would have no other members of it's kind to interact with (though if it's solitary in nature that point is moot) and it would probably be kept in captivity it's entire life to ensure it's safety. It would live alone in an enclosure far away from the planet of it's birth. And when it dies there will be no more Sabrillo's, making this whole thing an exercise in futility. A bunch of fools trying to save a species that's already extinct."

He turned to look at his companions, seeming to notice their presence for the first time.

"So tell me," he said, "why is this egg's life so important?"

 

 

*Ahem.

[Kintobor]

3 minutes ago, Lord Duvors said:He turned to look at his companions, seeming to notice their presence for the first time.

"So tell me," he said, "why is this egg's life so important?"

Dunola, who was still trying to get the vision of Jek’s splattered brains out of her head through intensive use of her e-pipe looked to Enson and shrugged.

”Because we don’t get paid if the egg doesn’t get returned to the buyer.” Dunola took a drag off of her e-pipe, blowing happy little clouds into the air.

”I’m no philosopher, Enson. I like watching things explode in a controlled environment and saving the day like a badass. So far, today’s been... interesting.” Dunola nods.

[samurai-turtle]

10 hours ago, Lord Duvors said:

So tell me," he said, "why is this egg's life so important?"

/// ...That should do it... In the long range of things, it is not important...

9 hours ago, Kintobor said:

 

”Because we don’t get paid if the egg doesn’t get returned to the buyer.” Dunola took a drag off of her e-pipe, blowing happy little clouds into the air.

 

/// That is the main reason to return the egg. 

[KotZ]

“In addiction, it may be possible to clone the egg. If enough clones with slight genetic modifications are made, the species can have a stable repopulation rate.” Klerk shook his feathers to keep warm. “Besides, do you really want to be known as the one who doomed an entire species? The singular being who essentially murdered an entire race?”

[Yzalirk]

22 hours ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Jek was greedy and stupid, but there were other ways to deal with him - I'd advise keeping your murderous altruism in check for the rest of the mission. 

"Like what?  Ask him questions until he eventually died?"  Igaz says sarcastically while shooting little miss know-it-all Yelana a dirty look.  By the tone of his voice, you can tell it was not playful sarcasm.  "Don't think I haven't been paying attention.  You ask too many questions.  Quite frankly, I'm surprised we got here without our cover blown.  Asking everyone we come in contact with about Jek and the underground criminal auction.  You are in no position to give me orders.  You're careless.  Anyone else that is a threat to us and this egg will be shown no mercy.  Don't like it?  Go back to daycare and color pictures."

He snatches the Emerald Blaster from her hands while still scowling.

[Endgame]

23 hours ago, samurai-turtle said:

/// I might as well, unless someone else desperately wants to hold the egg. 

Attempts to put a tracer (or tracker) on / in the Holo Crystal. 

Tester-Three does not own a tracker, and does not have the materials - nor the technological proficiency - to make one, especially not out of what was currently at end. The Cydonian artifact remains unaffected for now.

To the left, a draft whistled through the vault... the exit tunnel, back to the surface.

To the right, the hum of the crowd was starting to become apparent, even through soundproof walls. They could pass right through and enter the main auction hall, if the party felt it appropriate.

And above, yards above their heads, the party could hear the sounds of synchronized march, mingling in with the telltale sound of an ambling crowd. Almost akin to the sound of a parade, but not quite. Perhaps ceremonies were under way.

Would the party continue to tinker with the Cydonian device? Return to Kayarr in the Initium with their objective in hand? Or take some other action?

[Classic_Spaceman]

22 hours ago, samurai-turtle said:

/// It will be a simple signal bouncer, I doubt anyone will notice beyond an occasional odd signal spike. 

I was more concerned about you damaging it. 
 

9 hours ago, KotZ said:

“In addiction, it may be possible to clone the egg. If enough clones with slight genetic modifications are made, the species can have a stable repopulation rate.” Klerk shook his feathers to keep warm. “Besides, do you really want to be known as the one who doomed an entire species? The singular being who essentially murdered an entire race?”

Oh, it's definitely possible to clone the egg - GLESP just doesn't have the capabilities, or perhaps the desire, to do so. Personally, I think Vannoy just wants to have the last of a nearly-extinct species - He always struck me as suspicious. 
 

 

2 hours ago, Goliath said:

"Like what?  Ask him questions until he eventually died?"  Igaz says sarcastically while shooting little miss know-it-all Yelana a dirty look.  By the tone of his voice, you can tell it was not playful sarcasm.  "Don't think I haven't been paying attention.  You ask too many questions.  Quite frankly, I'm surprised we got here without our cover blown.  Asking everyone we come in contact with about Jek and the underground criminal auction.  You are in no position to give me orders.  You're careless.  Anyone else that is a threat to us and this egg will be shown no mercy.  Don't like it?  Go back to daycare and color pictures."

He snatches the Emerald Blaster from her hands while still scowling.

We could have interrogated him for more information on GLESP and Vannoy, and if he became a problem, we could have simply turned him over to the Cydonian authorities. 
And don't think I haven't been paying attention either - You are rash, impulsive, aggressive, and arrogant. Your little stunt in the shiplot endangered our mission far more than anything I've done. Bounty-hunters are common, and outside the Core, they don't have to be registered. Someone asking questions about a criminal fugitive and attempting to coordinate with local law-enforcement doesn't raise much suspicion on planets like this. 
About questions - You ask too few of them. Have you never considered why the holo of Vannoy was scuffed? Why he scrambled to send a mercenary team to retrieve the egg, instead of contacting the Gnorran government with a legitimate claim? Why he seemed to have enjoyed that Sabrillo-egg omelette a bit too much? I'd thought that someone who was alive while the Ring was still under construction would posses a more insightful and nuanced worldview. 
 

1 hour ago, Endgame said:

Would the party continue to tinker with the Cydonian device? Return to Kayarr in the Initium with their objective in hand? Or take some other action?

I'll keep working on the Cydonian crystal - We need to know what it is before we do anything else. 
 

Edited February 17, 2020 by Classic_Spaceman

[Endgame]

The more poking and prodding was done by traditional technology, the more whit noise it threw back, even causing some diagnostic tools to go haywire long after they were removed from the crystal. Something thrummed deep within it... Something perhaps beyond the scope of tech and science, as we knew it. Whatever this Cydonian artifact was, current methods were insufficient.

[Duvors]

@Kintobor @samurai-turtle @KotZ

"You misunderstand me. I'm not asking why it's important to us, I'm asking why people seem to think it has an inherent value. What quality it possesses that other things don't."

35 minutes ago, Goliath said:

"Like what?  Ask him questions until he eventually died?"  Igaz says sarcastically while shooting little miss know-it-all Yelana a dirty look.  By the tone of his voice, you can tell it was not playful sarcasm.  "Don't think I haven't been paying attention.  You ask too many questions.  Quite frankly, I'm surprised we got here without our cover blown.  Asking everyone we come in contact with about Jek and the underground criminal auction.  You are in no position to give me orders.  You're careless.  Anyone else that is a threat to us and this egg will be shown no mercy.  Don't like it?  Go back to daycare and color pictures."

He snatches the Emerald Blaster from her hands while still scowling.

Only for it to be suddenly snatched out of his in turn. In the heat of his argument with Yelana he had failed to notice how close Enson was to him.

"Now now Igaz," he said, smiling in a rather uncomfortable way, "don't take things without asking for them. And don't be rude. Yelana may be bossy and impetuous, but you've hardly been any less gang-ho today. What with making major group decisions for everyone else and all."

Enson shifted the blaster to an hand on the far side of his body and head it at arms length, well out of Igaz's reach. And he still had that weird, frozen smile on his face.

"You know, it's somewhat fortuitous you've drawn my attention." he said, "After all, you're the only person here who's provided any answer to the question I just asked, even if it hadn't been asked yet. Do you remember killing Jek, Igaz? You should, it only happened about a minute ago after all. Well if you think about it, Igaz, Jek was a Fangreak, a species that isn't particularly rare compared to the Sabrillo. So obviously the rarity of the creature must make it's life more valuable."

He snapped the fingers of one of his free hands together, that creepy smile still beaming from his face. Suddenly the smile vanished, replaced by an exaggerated frown.

"Wait a moment," he said, "That can't be right. Rarity only determines monetary value, but everyone seems to place a moral value to preserving it's life, which is what I was asking about. And it's not a very good answer anyway because this egg is arguably more valuable dead then alive. In all honesty we'd probably make more money by selling it to some rich person then returning it to Mr. Vannoy."

He looked pensive for a moment, before snapping his fingers again. "Aha!" he said, with a return of that unpleasant smile, "I have it! Igaz, when you killed Jek you defended it by saying that he might come back for revenge, something that would've been a detriment to us. Whereas this egg could maybe possibly be used to revive the species, a species that produces more delicious, edible eggs! They could be farmed for their eggs like big lizardy chickens! Thus the value in the eggs life is it's utility!"

His face suddenly fell again. "Wait, no," he said, "that's even more of a stretch. If they could be farmed someone would've done so by now, and GLESP hardly intends to do so anyway. And besides, how would you revive them? Kleeck has suggested making slight genetic alterations to clones of this one, but without any other specimens there isn't anywhere to draw the necessary excess genetic material from. And you'd still need a stable breeding population's worth of DNA, otherwise the clones would just inbreed themselves back into extinction again. In fact it's more of a detriment to waste resources on keeping it alive. The most utilitarian thing to do would be to eat it ourselves, but we don't intend to."

His face resumed the flint mask it had displayed earlier. "So Igaz," he said in a stony voice, "why do we see any value in this thing's life? It's not a person, it's an animal. It's not going to do anything important with it's life. And even if it was a person that doesn't necessarily mean anything. People have repeatedly shown themselves capable of wasting their lives on stupid unimportant things. Like conquering planets. Or getting rich. But it's life can't have any inherent moral value Igaz, not unless there is something that makes it more important. Because otherwise, if life itself has value, then your killing of Jek is indefensible. Would he have wanted revenge? Probably, but it's unlikely he would have pulled it off or even posed a major threat to anyone. Was he nearly partially responsible for killing the last member of a dying species? Yes, but we stopped him, he didn't pose any more threat to them. He wasn't even going to pose an active threat to us anytime soon. Was he a tyrant with hundreds of planets beneath his heel and armies at his command? No, definitely not. But you Igaz, you were so full of self-righteous anger and fear of future harm to yourself, so full of self-perceived moral superiority, that you killed an unarmed man who was too weak to fight back. You didn't even stop to consider utilitarian concerns, such as the fact that our DNA is probably all over that room now. Or that his is certainly on your boots. I don't think the Cydonians treat murderers very well, do you?"

10 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

I'll keep working on the Cydonian crystal - We need to know what it is before we do anything else. 

"No we do not." said Enson rounding on Yelana, "whatever it is, it's completely irrelevant to what we're doing. The best thing to do is leave it and the off-market potions, and this gun too." he said, dropping the weapon to the floor and kicking it away. "they're all obvious contraband and we'll have enough trouble getting out without it. Better yet, destroy it all so no-one else can get their hands on it. The credits are fine however, I see no problem with taking thieves's money away from them. And Yelana? The Holo Crystal was damaged on our end, something I've already reminded you of. If you don't start paying attention I'm not going to bother listening to anything you have to say."

Yelana got the sense that Enson's brusqueness was more due to his anger with Igaz then any actual disinterest, but he probably wasn't likely to calm down soon.

Spoiler

To be clear, I do actually want to know what that thing is, but Enson is currently too mad to care.

 

"Now," he said to the group at large, "I suggest we leave for the Initium at once. Yelana has suggested that Tester-Three take the egg in for safekeeping and for once I agree with her. If any of you object you can say so now"

Enson will offer the egg to Tester-Three.

[Classic_Spaceman]

49 minutes ago, Lord Duvors said:

Enson shifted the blaster to an hand on the far side of his body and head it at arms length, well out of Igaz's reach. And he still had that weird, frozen smile on his face.

"You know, it's somewhat fortuitous you've drawn my attention." he said, "After all, you're the only person here who's provided any answer to the question I just asked, even if it hadn't been asked yet. Do you remember killing Jek, Igaz? You should, it only happened about a minute ago after all. Well if you think about it, Igaz, Jek was a Fangreak, a species that isn't particularly rare compared to the Sabrillo. So obviously the rarity of the creature must make it's life more valuable."

He snapped the fingers of one of his free hands together, that creepy smile still beaming from his face. Suddenly the smile vanished, replaced by an exaggerated frown.

"Wait a moment," he said, "That can't be right. Rarity only determines monetary value, but everyone seems to place a moral value to preserving it's life, which is what I was asking about. And it's not a very good answer anyway because this egg is arguably more valuable dead then alive. In all honesty we'd probably make more money by selling it to some rich person then returning it to Mr. Vannoy."

He looked pensive for a moment, before snapping his fingers again. "Aha!" he said, with a return of that unpleasant smile, "I have it! Igaz, when you killed Jek you defended it by saying that he might come back for revenge, something that would've been a detriment to us. Whereas this egg could maybe possibly be used to revive the species, a species that produces more delicious, edible eggs! They could be farmed for their eggs like big lizardy chickens! Thus the value in the eggs life is it's utility!"

His face suddenly fell again. "Wait, no," he said, "that's even more of a stretch. If they could be farmed someone would've done so by now, and GLESP hardly intends to do so anyway. And besides, how would you revive them? Kleeck has suggested making slight genetic alterations to clones of this one, but without any other specimens there isn't anywhere to draw the necessary excess genetic material from. And you'd still need a stable breeding population's worth of DNA, otherwise the clones would just inbreed themselves back into extinction again. In fact it's more of a detriment to waste resources on keeping it alive. The most utilitarian thing to do would be to eat it ourselves, but we don't intend to."

His face resumed the flint mask it had displayed earlier. "So Igaz," he said in a stony voice, "why do we see any value in this thing's life? It's not a person, it's an animal. It's not going to do anything important with it's life. And even if it was a person that doesn't necessarily mean anything. People have repeatedly shown themselves capable of wasting their lives on stupid unimportant things. Like conquering planets. Or getting rich. But it's life can't have any inherent moral value Igaz, not unless there is something that makes it more important. Because otherwise, if life itself has value, then your killing of Jek is indefensible. Would he have wanted revenge? Probably, but it's unlikely he would have pulled it off or even posed a major threat to anyone. Was he nearly partially responsible for killing the last member of a dying species? Yes, but we stopped him, he didn't pose any more threat to them. He wasn't even going to pose an active threat to us anytime soon. Was he a tyrant with hundreds of planets beneath his heel and armies at his command? No, definitely not. But you Igaz, you were so full of self-righteous anger and fear of future harm to yourself, so full of self-perceived moral superiority, that you killed an unarmed man who was too weak to fight back. You didn't even stop to consider utilitarian concerns, such as the fact that our DNA is probably all over that room now. Or that his is certainly on your boots. I don't think the Cydonians treat murderers very well, do you?"

Good points, but the Sabrillo can be cloned back into existence - I've had some experience with the kind of genetic extrapolation necessary. My theory on the egg's value is that Vannoy wants it as part of GLESP's collection, which would grant him both considerable social status and monetary donations. 

49 minutes ago, Lord Duvors said:

"No we do not." said Enson rounding on Yelana, "whatever it is, it's completely irrelevant to what we're doing. The best thing to do is leave it and the off-market potions, and this gun too." he said, dropping the weapon to the floor and kicking it away. "they're all obvious contraband and we'll have enough trouble getting out without it. Better yet, destroy it all so no-one else can get their hands on it. The credits are fine however, I see no problem with taking thieves's money away from them. And Yelana? The Holo Crystal was damaged on our end, something I've already reminded you of. If you don't start paying attention I'm not going to bother listening to anything you have to say."

Perhaps, but we won't know unless we examine it. If you want to leave, we can, but I'm taking the crystal with me. 
And, yeah, I know the holo was damaged on our end, but that still doesn't explain my other questions - Nor does it make the situation seem any less coincidental. 
 

50 minutes ago, Endgame said:

The more poking and prodding was done by traditional technology, the more whit noise it threw back, even causing some diagnostic tools to go haywire long after they were removed from the crystal. Something thrummed deep within it... Something perhaps beyond the scope of tech and science, as we knew it. Whatever this Cydonian artifact was, current methods were insufficient.

Interesting. . . Oh! 
Kleeck: See if you can communicate with this thing - I think it may be alive! Remember when I was trying to figure out what the Cydonian sigil represented? Drayfo said something about this being an idol, and 'Trips' said it was connected to the Sovereign - What if this is some kind of containment-unit for a non-Humanoid life form, and that's what the sigil represents? 
 

Edited February 17, 2020 by Classic_Spaceman

[samurai-turtle]

1 hour ago, Lord Duvors said:

Now," he said to the group at large, "I suggest we leave for the Initium at once. Yelana has suggested that Tester-Three take the egg in for safekeeping and for once I agree with her. If any of you object you can say so now"

Enson will offer the egg to Tester-Three.

/// I am not to sure where I am going to put this egg... 

1 hour ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

My theory on the egg's value is that Vannoy wants it as part of GLESP's collection, which would grant him both considerable social status and monetary donations. 

Perhaps, but we won't know unless we examine it. If you want to leave, we can, but I'm taking the crystal with me. 
 

Kleeck: See if you can communicate with this thing - I think it may be alive! Remember when I was trying to figure out what the Cydonian sigil represented? Drayfo said something about this being an idol, and 'Trips' said it was connected to the Sovereign - What if this is some kind of containment-unit for a non-Humanoid life form, and that's what the sigil represents? 
 

/// Then take their money or don't, what do I care... 

/// How are you going to carry the thing? 

/// Their is the possibility it is a planetary shield generator... 

[KotZ]

"That's a good idea!" Kleeck pulled out his translator and attempts to communicate with it. "Hello? Does this thing work? Was my translator scrambled in the scuffle?"

[samurai-turtle]

14 hours ago, Lord Duvors said:

You misunderstand me. I'm not asking why it's important to us, I'm asking why people seem to think it has an inherent value. What quality it possesses that other things don't.

/// The possible answer is their is none. You do seem up set, I did process some evolution stories from the Terra Sol system on the third planet Earth, that might make you feel better... 

/// The first example is a fish called the Relicanth or the more scientific name Coelacanth. Now everyone thought this fish died out millions of years ago but then eventually local people found the fish in one of their oceans (the Indian). But now they are trying to keep what fish is left alive for the future. 

/// The second example is about a bird called Aldabra Rail. Looking at this thing you might not think much about it. But the story goes that it's ancestor the White-Throated Rail flyed to an island in the Indian Ocean (maybe someone should check this ocean out better). But the Rail bird become flightless becoming the Aldabra Rail, but unfortunately the island  sink to ocean killing off the bird. Then thousands of years latter the White-Throated Rail went off again to populate another island (or the same one) and again it becomes flightless remaking the Aldabra Rail. This process is called iterative evolution. 

Edited February 17, 2020 by samurai-turtle
Spelling

[Kintobor]

On 2/16/2020 at 11:02 PM, Lord Duvors said:

"You misunderstand me. I'm not asking why it's important to us, I'm asking why people seem to think it has an inherent value. What quality it possesses that other things don't."

"Now," he said to the group at large, "I suggest we leave for the Initium at once. Yelana has suggested that Tester-Three take the egg in for safekeeping and for once I agree with her. If any of you object you can say so now"

Enson will offer the egg to Tester-Three.

Dunola blew a cloud out into the air, forming a ring as she responded to Enson. "Eh, I find loyalty to be an honourable trait. Sure, we could sell this to any old rich, pompous fool, but then what does that say about me? No, as much as I enjoy money, I enjoy making my money honestly more.

Also, I guess being in the camp that wanted to end Jek I need to pipe in, but I was hoping for something a little less... um, messy? Keeping Jek alive is a loose end, a grudge coming back to potentially harry us when we least expect it. Jek could easily inform the Cydonians about our activities and they'd chase us across the galaxy. I, for one, would prefer if that wasn't the case, and we snuffed that grudge out before it could bloom. As much as I don't agree with Igaz's methods, he did what was best for the group."

On 2/16/2020 at 11:47 PM, Classic_Spaceman said:

Good points, but the Sabrillo can be cloned back into existence - I've had some experience with the kind of genetic extrapolation necessary. My theory on the egg's value is that Vannoy wants it as part of GLESP's collection, which would grant him both considerable social status and monetary donations.

Dunola, using her Engineering and Arcana, ponders on whether or not cloning is a something she's heard of.

[Endgame]

On 2/17/2020 at 11:12 AM, KotZ said:

"That's a good idea!" Kleeck pulled out his translator and attempts to communicate with it. "Hello? Does this thing work? Was my translator scrambled in the scuffle?"

Kleeck's translator was thankfully unharmed in the battle, and he manages to sit down and interface with the crystal. Against all the odds, whatever he does ends up being a success...

The crystal sparkles, then outright sparks, and then lets out a low-pitched burst of white noise. As the noise reaches its nadir, the sparks form into a bright white flash, dazzling the agents and blurring their vision. In the bright haze, a brief image drifts through their minds, perhaps projected via the crystal, perhaps planted into their mind, before their synapses fire up and cause the vision to be evaporated from their minds' eye.

When the ominous vision faded, the party found that the Cydonian artifact had lost most of its glow, the brightly shining crystal now dull and inert...

16 hours ago, Kintobor said:

Dunola, using her Engineering and Arcana, ponders on whether or not cloning is a something she's heard of.

After a fruitful pondering session, Dunola concludes that cloning is something she's heard spoken of before. Some previously in her life, some recalled info from her talk with Vannoy; the process existed, but was outrageously expensive for a single clone, limited, and struggled dearly to reproduce things that weren't humans and lab rats. It was a human science made by humans, as far as Dunola knew.

The party exits out through the storeroom tunnel, leaving behind the dusty confines of the Umbra auction, the auction-goers outrage slowly brewing over the absence of the show. They would find out minutes later that one of the vaults had been compromised, a headline item snatched; by then, it was too late. And fortunately for the party, as they made their way out of the alleyways and back into the main streets of Haurbo, it occurred to them that those criminal types wouldn't have the chance to pursue them on the ground. Mostly because there was a deterrent in the sky...

Part of the Cydonian fleet. A number of dreadnoughts, led by a massive flagship... How many of these were already in atmosphere, and simply decloaked? And how many showed up when the party was below ground?

Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Cydonian soldiers were marching to and fro, scurrying to make final preparations for Gnorra's official inauguration into the Cydonian Collective. Amidst the organized confusion, a Cydonian soldier approaches the party as they try to make their way through the streets.

"We've had to close off some roads and streets for the event. Travelers, where are you trying to go? I can provide proper directions."

[samurai-turtle]

4 hours ago, Endgame said:

The crystal sparkles, then outright sparks, and then lets out a low-pitched burst of white noise. As the noise reaches its nadir, the sparks form into a bright white flash, dazzling the agents and blurring their vision. In the bright haze, a brief image drifts through their minds, perhaps projected via the crystal, perhaps planted into their mind, before their synapses fire up and cause the vision to be evaporated from their minds' eye.

When the ominous vision faded, the party found that the Cydonian artifact had lost most of its glow, the brightly shining crystal now dull and inert...

 

Part of the Cydonian fleet. A number of dreadnoughts, led by a massive flagship... How many of these were already in atmosphere, and simply decloaked? And how many showed up when the party was below ground?

 

"We've had to close off some roads and streets for the event. Travelers, where are you trying to go? I can provide proper directions."

/// Does anyone have any idea what "ghost" was? 

/// Yelana, do you still want to take on the Cydonian fleet? 

/// We are trying to get to the space port, our business is done here and we would like to leave soon. 

[KotZ]

43 minutes ago, samurai-turtle said:

/// Does anyone have any idea what "ghost" was? 

/// Yelana, do you still want to take on the Cydonian fleet? 

/// We are trying to get to the space port, our business is done here and we would like to leave soon. 

"I don't know what that was, but I don't like it. We need to investigate when we are safe. Or at least hand it to an authority who we trust that can investigate."

Kleeck bowed to the soldier. "As my friend here said, the space port is our destination."

[Kintobor]

Dunola considered relating the indie she remembered to Yelana... but it could wait. Her eyes caught ahold of the crystal before it transmitted it’s vision into her head. She clutched her forehead and winced.

”Ugh, well, that was concerning. Still, we need to leave.”

Reaching the surface, Dunola looked at the Cydonian in front of the group. She put her pipe away out of respect.

”It’s like my friend here said, we’re on our way to the space port. As much as we’d enjoy staying for the parade, we must be going.”

[Classic_Spaceman]

6 hours ago, Endgame said:

The crystal sparkles, then outright sparks, and then lets out a low-pitched burst of white noise. As the noise reaches its nadir, the sparks form into a bright white flash, dazzling the agents and blurring their vision. In the bright haze, a brief image drifts through their minds, perhaps projected via the crystal, perhaps planted into their mind, before their synapses fire up and cause the vision to be evaporated from their minds' eye.

When the ominous vision faded, the party found that the Cydonian artifact had lost most of its glow, the brightly shining crystal now dull and inert...

Whoa. . . I have no idea what that is - I'll need to play it back. For now, I'm bringing the crystal with me. 
 

6 hours ago, Endgame said:

The party exits out through the storeroom tunnel, leaving behind the dusty confines of the Umbra auction, the auction-goers outrage slowly brewing over the absence of the show. They would find out minutes later that one of the vaults had been compromised, a headline item snatched; by then, it was too late. And fortunately for the party, as they made their way out of the alleyways and back into the main streets of Haurbo, it occurred to them that those criminal types wouldn't have the chance to pursue them on the ground. Mostly because there was a deterrent in the sky...

Part of the Cydonian fleet. A number of dreadnoughts, led by a massive flagship... How many of these were already in atmosphere, and simply decloaked? And how many showed up when the party was below ground?

Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Cydonian soldiers were marching to and fro, scurrying to make final preparations for Gnorra's official inauguration into the Cydonian Collective. Amidst the organized confusion, a Cydonian soldier approaches the party as they try to make their way through the streets.

OK. I think I'm starting to put this together. I've been reviewing the footage since we left the vault - That. . . image. . . looks avian, and those flagships have a definite birdlike design. Also, I just realised that the Cydonian sigil could represent some kind of winged creature. I'm not sure this means about the Cydonians, though. 
By the way, does anyone else think it's ironic that the Cydonian flagship is called the "Iconoclast"? For a regime so interested with formalities and symbols, it's something of a contradiction. I mean, it could be a reference to the destruction of others' institutions, but, considering what we know of the annexation of Gnorra, that's unlikely. 
 

1 hour ago, samurai-turtle said:

/// Yelana, do you still want to take on the Cydonian fleet? 

I never did - I just wanted to understand them, and know what we're potentially up against. 
 

47 minutes ago, KotZ said:

"We need to investigate when we are safe. Or at least hand it to an authority who we trust that can investigate."

Agreed - And I think I know who to contact. When we first arrived here, I talked to a Cydonian soldier about our mission. Since the Cydonians have been trying to shut the Umbra Auction down, I told him I'd inform him when we had more information. His name was 'Bailey' - If we can find him, we can turn the crystal over, along with our other intel and evidence. 
 

6 hours ago, Endgame said:

"We've had to close off some roads and streets for the event. Travelers, where are you trying to go? I can provide proper directions."

Officer: As my companions have said, we're on our way back to the space port, but we do have some unfinished business here on Gnorra. Do you know a Cydonian officer named 'Bailey'? If so, please let him know that Yelana Fennix has more information - He'll know what I'm referring to. 
 

Edited February 19, 2020 by Classic_Spaceman

[Duvors]

On 2/18/2020 at 12:36 AM, Kintobor said:

Dunola blew a cloud out into the air, forming a ring as she responded to Enson. "Eh, I find loyalty to be an honourable trait. Sure, we could sell this to any old rich, pompous fool, but then what does that say about me? No, as much as I enjoy money, I enjoy making my money honestly more.

Also, I guess being in the camp that wanted to end Jek I need to pipe in, but I was hoping for something a little less... um, messy? Keeping Jek alive is a loose end, a grudge coming back to potentially harry us when we least expect it. Jek could easily inform the Cydonians about our activities and they'd chase us across the galaxy. I, for one, would prefer if that wasn't the case, and we snuffed that grudge out before it could bloom. As much as I don't agree with Igaz's methods, he did what was best for the group."

Enson looked at Dunola with an expression of barely concealed fury.

"You don't get it, do you?" he said, visibly restraining himself from doing something, "The entire point of that was to frame an argument about the inherent value of life. It was a rhetorical question to begin with. But apparently you're more concerned about 'grudges' and other uncivilized nonsense like that. I had quite enough of that garbage on Vin'quo to-"

23 hours ago, Endgame said:

Enson stopped in the middle of his (somewhat condescending) rant as the bizarre image entered his head. He was enraptured by what he saw, seemingly forgetting what he was saying or even that he'd been talking at all. Following a strange intuition, he attempted to see if he could recognize any part of what he was seeing.

Enson will attempt a religion check to see if he can recognize the image.

23 hours ago, Endgame said:

Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Cydonian soldiers were marching to and fro, scurrying to make final preparations for Gnorra's official inauguration into the Cydonian Collective. Amidst the organized confusion, a Cydonian soldier approaches the party as they try to make their way through the streets.

Enson had followed the others to the surface, seemingly lost in thought and not responding to anyone if they spoke to him. He was still pondering what he'd just seen and felt that perhaps he wasn't in the best position to talk to anyone at the moment. He decided to take a back seat for the moment and let everyone else talk.

Edited February 19, 2020 by Lord Duvors