Heroica: Glory Amongst The Stars - Mission #6: We Now Interrupt This Broadcast

[The Legonater]

7 hours ago, Endgame said:

"So. You did your tour around the wastes." Glenn says, addressing the party whilst stroking his beard. "How did it go, what did you see?"

There was some creature at the sub, damn tough. Damn mouthy, too. 'Called itself a Progg, but I've never heard of anything like it before. Are they native to these parts?

[Endgame]

16 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

Valesia waves farewell to the officer and settles back into the skiff thinking upon the robotic message as they return to Glenn. Upon meeting up with the undead and packing up for their final journey she comments to their employer, "Plenty. Interacted with a bunch of wastelanders, not bad once you get them to lower their rifles and actually have a conversation. Nothing too difficult in our negotiations, though if we leave that antennae there for too long it might get picked apart for scrap. The submarine was a bit of a different matter. Came across an infestation of Enchidirus and a wasteland recovery officer duking it out. After helping him out we were able to get the second scanner in place and then high tailed it back here. I trust things have been uneventful? Also, do you know anything about the co-ordinates we're driving too?"

"The wastelanders, well. I don't think I'd get along with 'em at the dinner table but I don't think they're bad folk deep down. They don't lead easy lives, and they might just have a valid grudge or two. The ones from bigger towns are usually more even keel. The tiny roaming bands though, the nomadic tribes that are maybe only a dozen large... A Savior City officer and a tribe like that cross paths and there's gonna be bullets exchanged no matter what. And that's no good.

Mostly uneventful back at camp. Enchidirus, are those those... gooey, fanged things? One came skulking by camp and I had to ward it off. A warning shot kept it away.

Our destination, no clue. I had access to some of the Savior City atlas files on the Aethernet back at the office. That's how I was able to research your first two destinations. These coordinates are brand new to me... didn't get a chance to plug 'em into the database and learn. No choice but to go in blind."

12 hours ago, The Legonater said:

There was some creature at the sub, damn tough. Damn mouthy, too. 'Called itself a Progg, but I've never heard of anything like it before. Are they native to these parts?

"Proggs? Out here? Guess it's not impossible. No, they're not native. They mostly live on Kharza' Fal nowadays as far as I know. Years back we flew in a colony to help us run data cables beneath the Savior City. They're damn fine tunnelers. There's a community of them still living under the Savior City today as far as I know.

And, hah, yeah. They talk. Imagine my surprise when this armored mollusk, big as a damn horse, shuffles over to me and unrolls blueprints, starts talkin' to me in a Nendaran accent. They're no mere beasts of burden.

You didn't tussle with an adult Progg, did you? If you did I'm glad you're not worse for wear."

The skiff chimes as the agents ride on.

"We're halfway there, to the source..."

 

[Waterbrick Down]

“So supposing we find the source of this frequency hostile? What’s our plan, retreat and report to the space police or deal with it ourselves?”

[Endgame]

1 hour ago, Waterbrick Down said:

“So supposing we find the source of this frequency hostile? What’s our plan, retreat and report to the space police or deal with it ourselves?”

"I've given some thought to that. Ideally we shut this thing down ourselves. I filed a half dozen reports to the Savior City police and zero calls back, so I don't know how amenable they would be even with concrete evidence of something bad afoot."

 

"All that being said. I'm not going to ask you three to get yourselves killed over this. I trust you to assess the risk. If you have to bail out of there, as long as you have info on the source itself, I'd be fine calling it a job done."

[Alix]

On 11/25/2021 at 11:41 PM, Endgame said:

And, hah, yeah. They talk. Imagine my surprise when this armored mollusk, big as a damn horse, shuffles over to me and unrolls blueprints, starts talkin' to me in a Nendaran accent. They're no mere beasts of burden.

You didn't tussle with an adult Progg, did you? If you did I'm glad you're not worse for wear."

"Our surprise was just as great when the thing suddenly started talking. Good thing it did though before we shot it to pieces. This one has to have been quite young then, as it was quite small, wouldn't want to annoy an adult one if they grow so large."

[Waterbrick Down]

21 hours ago, Endgame said:

"I've given some thought to that. Ideally we shut this thing down ourselves. I filed a half dozen reports to the Savior City police and zero calls back, so I don't know how amenable they would be even with concrete evidence of something bad afoot."

 

"All that being said. I'm not going to ask you three to get yourselves killed over this. I trust you to assess the risk. If you have to bail out of there, as long as you have info on the source itself, I'd be fine calling it a job done."

"Sounds good. Any more insight on the message now that it's clearer? We heard the decidedly more robotic tones, but who would be transmitting something like that?" 

[The Legonater]

23 hours ago, Endgame said:

"I've given some thought to that. Ideally we shut this thing down ourselves. I filed a half dozen reports to the Savior City police and zero calls back, so I don't know how amenable they would be even with concrete evidence of something bad afoot."

 

"All that being said. I'm not going to ask you three to get yourselves killed over this. I trust you to assess the risk. If you have to bail out of there, as long as you have info on the source itself, I'd be fine calling it a job done."

Soren shrugged, absent-mindedly making icicles in his palm and then crushing them.

I can't imagine we'll find anything that tough out there. Certainly nothing so tough that I'd be more inclined to bring in law enforcement than deal with it myself.

5 hours ago, Alix said:

"Our surprise was just as great when the thing suddenly started talking. Good thing it did though before we shot it to pieces. This one has to have been quite young then, as it was quite small, wouldn't want to annoy an adult one if they grow so large."

I still say we should have shot it to pieces regardless.

[Endgame]

On 11/26/2021 at 6:55 PM, Alix said:

"Our surprise was just as great when the thing suddenly started talking. Good thing it did though before we shot it to pieces. This one has to have been quite young then, as it was quite small, wouldn't want to annoy an adult one if they grow so large."

"A Progg whelp gave you three that much grief, eh? Guess I was right not to get on the bad side of the ones I worked with. Eh, they're like any other species out there. Some great, some not."

19 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Sounds good. Any more insight on the message now that it's clearer? We heard the decidedly more robotic tones, but who would be transmitting something like that?" 

Glenn furrows his brow, hand on his chin.

"That's what has me so stumped. I was hoping that clearer audio would let us discern tone, emotion, somethin', but no. It showed us the opposite. It's either really coming from a machine, or whoever is ranting about Invictus on the airwaves is using some program or voice changer to mask their identity. And this signal is at least somewhat knowledgeable, it seems... Mentioning the Paragon... That's the ship that Invictus apparently got blown up on during the Desolation. Only history buffs, ex-military, and maybe crazed Invictus cultists really know that off the top of their heads."

"I still don't get the why. Why all of this nonsense about things revolving around his death? If it's really the Conqueror's Kin, maybe they think they can bring him back somehow. I guess we're going to find out."

18 hours ago, The Legonater said:

Soren shrugged, absent-mindedly making icicles in his palm and then crushing them.

I can't imagine we'll find anything that tough out there. Certainly nothing so tough that I'd be more inclined to bring in law enforcement than deal with it myself.

Glenn seems a bit taken aback by Soren's aggression toward the Progg infant.

"It was a young'un, pilot. Relax. You made it out of that fight, let that grudge go. Holding on to 'em ages you faster, I would know."

"But at any rate I  hope you're right. You've been capable enough so far. Let's see this through."

The skiff's dashboard starts beeping incessantly.

"Park. We're here."

Although not had just about fallen, the headlights of the skiff illuminated the scene in front of the heroes. A strange bunker laid at the heart of the signal, with an entry just wide enough for the heroes to squeeze through single file. All around them rusted antennae emerged from the sand, half buried in the desert, dotting the terrain like graves. Metal ribs jutted out along the pathway to the bunker, various detritus scattered between each metal post. Among them were chunks of glass, thick and heavy enough to not get swept away in the desert wind.

Glenn walks up to one of the antennae, running his hand along it.

"If these are what they're using to broadcast the signal, no wonder why the the transmission quality is so awful. These are in such bad shape I'm surprised they can send anything. Why not fix it up...?" Glenn's eyes scan the scene again. "Wait... this far from what would've been the... Could this be..." Glenn trails off, mumbling.

Edited November 27, 2021 by Endgame

[Alix]

1 hour ago, Endgame said:

   "If these are what they're using to broadcast the signal, no wonder why the the transmission quality is so awful. These are in such bad shape I'm surprised they can send anything. Why not fix it up...?" Glenn's eyes scan the scene again. "Wait... this far from what would've been the... Could this be..." Glenn trails off, mumbling.

The structure before them send shivers down Max's spine. It was almost like something out of a horror story, which most certainly didn't seem good considering that a cult might be hanging around it. And the old undead mumbling really didn't help either.

With what he hoped was gentle but demanding voice he spoke:

"This far from what? Could this be what? We are soon going in there, we need to know if you think you have some info"

[Endgame]

2 hours ago, Alix said:

The structure before them send shivers down Max's spine. It was almost like something out of a horror story, which most certainly didn't seem good considering that a cult might be hanging around it. And the old undead mumbling really didn't help either.

With what he hoped was gentle but demanding voice he spoke:

"This far from what? Could this be what? We are soon going in there, we need to know if you think you have some info"

"...This info is supposed to be secret. But, if you're walking in there, to hell with it."

"The Nendara system was mostly a neutral zone during the Five Years war, but each of the war's major players - the League and the Empire - had blockades stationed to guard the Nendara Aethergate. Along with a few other smaller fleets. It was... technically illegal, but the Empire set up a few small military outposts on planets in the Nendara system. To help coordinate the ships, act as a comms hub, and distribute intelligence. After the dust of the war settled it turns out the League did the same thing. They were tucked away in locations away from the private eye. Up in the mountains, out in the tundra... under the seabed."

"Bottom line. What we're looking at right now, I think, is the entrance to what was once an sub-aquatic Empire outpost. I... worked on one much like this, back when I was enlisted."

Edited November 28, 2021 by Endgame

[Waterbrick Down]

"Subaquatic huh, so either someone's commandeered the place or we're looking at potential war veteran kooks?" Valesia inspected the corpse near the entrance trying to determine from a medical perspective how it might have perished and how long ago.

[The Legonater]

5 hours ago, Endgame said:

"That's what has me so stumped. I was hoping that clearer audio would let us discern tone, emotion, somethin', but no. It showed us the opposite. It's either really coming from a machine, or whoever is ranting about Invictus on the airwaves is using some program or voice changer to mask their identity. And this signal is at least somewhat knowledgeable, it seems... Mentioning the Paragon... That's the ship that Invictus apparently got blown up on during the Desolation. Only history buffs, ex-military, and maybe crazed Invictus cultists really know that off the top of their heads."

"I still don't get the why. Why all of this nonsense about things revolving around his death? If it's really the Conqueror's Kin, maybe they think they can bring him back somehow. I guess we're going to find out."

I don't know much about robots, but is there any chance that... I don't know, Invictus' "code" is floating in Ætherspace somewhere? Would an old war base like this have the ability to store that sort of thing?

[Endgame]

47 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Subaquatic huh, so either someone's commandeered the place or we're looking at potential war veteran kooks?" Valesia inspected the corpse near the entrance trying to determine from a medical perspective how it might have perished and how long ago.

"That was my thought. Ex-soldiers who threw their lot in with Invictus? No one should know about the base... But why the machine voice..."

Valesia goes over to the corpse slumped against one of the metal posts. Its time in the wastes had - quite literally - cost it an arm and a leg.

Valesia Medical Check - (4, 4, 5, 6) - Great Success

Valesia discerns that the body is somewhere between fifteen and twenty years old. Cause of death seemed to be several concussive wounds, plus radiation sickness.

26 minutes ago, The Legonater said:

I don't know much about robots, but is there any chance that... I don't know, Invictus' "code" is floating in Ætherspace somewhere? Would an old war base like this have the ability to store that sort of thing?

Glenn visibly tenses up, glancing over his shoulder as he looks back towards Soren.

"What?" Glenn's hand goes back to his chin. "So your theory is that the signal... IS Invictus? My gut feeling is no. That shouldn't be possible. Not what these bases were for. Plus, every part of him should've been vaporized aboard the Paragon when the Gate collapsed. We were never even 100% sure if he was an AI, or some sort of... biomechanical freak. If he had a backup, or something, why would it be here, why emerge now... But listen, boy. If you're right, and Invictus in some form is down there, my idea? Run like hell."

Edited November 28, 2021 by Endgame

[Waterbrick Down]

"Hmm, well it's not a recent body thank goodness." Valesia glances at her companions, "Either of you good at tracking, perhaps some signs of recent life around here?"

24 minutes ago, Endgame said:

"What?" Glenn's hand goes back to his chin. "So your theory is that the signal... IS Invictus? My gut feeling is no. That shouldn't be possible. Not what these bases were for. Plus, every part of him should've been vaporized aboard the Paragon when the Gate collapsed. We were never even 100% sure if he was an AI, or some sort of... biomechanical freak. If he had a backup, or something, why would it be here, why emerge now... But listen, boy. If you're right, and Invictus in some form is down there, my idea? Run like hell."

"Hmm, I've got no mind for such technological things, but to extend life via such means... I shudder to think of the effects upon the psyche."

[Endgame]

5 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Hmm, I've got no mind for such technological things, but to extend life via such means... I shudder to think of the effects upon the psyche."

Glenn nods gravely.

"For sure. Sometimes... Life finds a way to endure. Even if you aren't a fan at first." Glenn glances down at his hand and then resumes speaking. "You know, it was never confirmed that Invictus was really... truly sapient, but we kind of just assumed he was. He went aboard the Paragon of his own will is what the reports said. If the psyche of that murder machine got warped any more, well, I pray that I never cross paths with 'em. Cross your fingers that it's just some cultists down there."

"We can head down whenever you're ready."

Edited November 28, 2021 by Endgame

[The Legonater]

14 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Hmm, well it's not a recent body thank goodness." Valesia glances at her companions, "Either of you good at tracking, perhaps some signs of recent life around here?"

I don't suppose an insight check would do much good for that, would it?

14 hours ago, Endgame said:

"For sure. Sometimes... Life finds a way to endure. Even if you aren't a fan at first." Glenn glances down at his hand and then resumes speaking. "You know, it was never confirmed that Invictus was really... truly sapient, but we kind of just assumed he was. He went aboard the Paragon of his own will is what the reports said. If the psyche of that murder machine got warped any more, well, I pray that I never cross paths with 'em. Cross your fingers that it's just some cultists down there."

"We can head down whenever you're ready."

Life finds a way... mutters Soren, looking over the site. He didn't much care for the idea of living machines, but it seemed the simplest explanation for the way all the dominoes of this thing were lining up. This Invictus felt like an ominous figure, but Soren didn't see much point in fearing the thing until they'd confirmed his continued existence. Best to live in the certainty of the now.

Yeah, let's keep going.

[Waterbrick Down]

“Fine with me.”

[Alix]

"I'm ready aswell" 

[Endgame]

On 11/28/2021 at 3:16 PM, The Legonater said:

I don't suppose an insight check would do much good for that, would it?

MM Note: I'll crank up the DC because it's not quiiite a perfect fit, but I don't see why we can't give it a spin.

Soren Insight Check: (6, 2, 1, 3) vs DC 3 - Failed

Any tracks would've been brushed away by the desert winds, and Soren didn't have any other way of discerning who or what entered or exited the bunker.

"Then let's go."

Squeezing through the narrow crevice, the agents enter the abandoned(?) base single file. A set of creaky stairs guides them down into the depths of the planet, further below the former ocean floor. Every step creaked and moaned, as if the steps were going to give out from beneath them. A little starlight leaked through the entrance, but it vanished as the party went deeper... Leaving them with only the darkness and stench of mold as their company.

That, and the sound of static. Crackling, roaring, getting closer as they pressed forward.

The four move a broken down piece of pipe out of the way and press into the next hallway.

Emergency lights bathed the cramped hall in an ominous crimson. In the distance, a collapsed mound of earth and metal impeded their progress forward. Far too huge to move, and where would they move it to? The space was so cramped...

"No... No, no, no. We didn't come all this way to turn back at a dead end. But who is even IN here? How did anyone get past this, unless they sealed themselv-"

"<<Motion sensors tripped.>>"

And in that moment, the static... stops.

"<<Static possibly no longer needed? Please confirm presence before visual equipment is deployed. Assurance: No harm is intended to anyone in here.>>"

The voice was a dead ringer for the one they had been hearing all this time.

 

Edited November 29, 2021 by Endgame

[Waterbrick Down]

Valesia whispered, "Pipe and rubble is probably a good sign we're not dealing with anyone organic." The Cladrasith responded to the voice. "Presence confirmed, Hun. Simply performing preventative maintenance."

[Endgame]

44 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

Valesia whispered, "Pipe and rubble is probably a good sign we're not dealing with anyone organic." The Cladrasith responded to the voice. "Presence confirmed, Hun. Simply performing preventative maintenance."

"<<Presence confirmed. Attempting to deploy visual equipment. Please hold.>>"

Gears and pistons in the wall churn, springing to life for perhaps the first time in almost two decades. Finally, after some struggle, a panel slides away, and a rusty holo-projector arm clumsily swings out. It clicks once, twice, before finally sparking to life.

Staring back at the agents now was a single holographic blue eye. The picture stuttered every few seconds, but that could be chalked up to how decrepit the machinery here was...

"<<Visual contact established. Four individuals present? Confirm or deny. Self-identification: I am P-FI 01. You allude to preventative maintenance. Are you here to investigate the signal?>>"

Edited November 30, 2021 by Endgame

[Waterbrick Down]

3 hours ago, Endgame said:

"<<Visual contact established. Four individuals present? Confirm or deny. Self-identification: I am P-FI 01. You allude to preventative maintenance. Are you here to investigate the signal?>>"

"Indeed we have and yes, only the four of us. What is your function if I might ask, Hun?"

[The Legonater]

4 hours ago, Endgame said:

"<<Visual contact established. Four individuals present? Confirm or deny. Self-identification: I am P-FI 01. You allude to preventative maintenance. Are you here to investigate the signal?>>"

Soren keeps an insightful eye on Glenn, seeing if he reacts to the artificial presence. He debated mentioning Invictus by name, but perhaps this wasn't the time to play with such forces. Valesia seemed like the real people person, he'd let her handle this one.

[Alix]

12 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

Valesia whispered, "Pipe and rubble is probably a good sign we're not dealing with anyone organic." The Cladrasith responded to the voice. "Presence confirmed, Hun. Simply performing preventative maintenance."

Max turned to Valesia and whispered, "Preventative maintenance, now that's a good one"

[Endgame]

15 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Indeed we have and yes, only the four of us. What is your function if I might ask, Hun?"

"<<Function. Function would currently be defined as... Unknown. Protocols have been unclear in this scenario. Former function: Main Onboard AI of Pluravvian Flagship Paragon, of Blockade N-6."

14 hours ago, The Legonater said:

Soren keeps an insightful eye on Glenn, seeing if he reacts to the artificial presence. He debated mentioning Invictus by name, but perhaps this wasn't the time to play with such forces. Valesia seemed like the real people person, he'd let her handle this one.

Soren Insight Check - (6, 4, 4, 5) 4 successes VS DC 2 - success!

Glenn was trying to keep his emotions in check as the AI spoke, but Soren could pick up a few things. P-FI mentioning the Paragon only cracked Glenn's facade even more. Soren could only conclude the undead was terrified.

"You? You were the Paragon's AI? How did you end up here? Your host ship got vaporized!"

"<<Correct. The Paragon is no more. The two blockades guarding the Nendara system Aethergate opened fire on each other and damaged The Paragon minutes before the gate collapse. Due to this a black box protocol kicked in that began to upload my consciousness to an offsite location, in order to preserve the ship's data and flight log. The upload was partially complete before the Paragon got vaporized. I have been here, in this bunker, in an incomplete state. The blackbox protocol has proved... ineffectual. None predicted cataclysm on the level of the Nendaran Gate Collapse. Most unfortunate.>>"

The AI pauses.

"<<You followed the signal here. Then you must know of Invictus? Confirm or deny. This is a non-trivial matter. This galaxy may be in grave danger.>>"

Edited November 30, 2021 by Endgame