Elective Surgery

Mar 17

Sibylen Exosite, Part V

The surgical bots are awake, and the crew of the Scapegoat did not schedule an appointment. What follows is the least dignified combat in the history of the Viridian Expanse - and that's before Robert gets involved.

Then the pylon activates. And things stop being funny.

Meet the Crew:

Jeff as Star Master (Game Master)
Brian as Captain Thorn
Stephanie as the warrior Haley
Doja as the wildcard pilot Robert
Scott as the transhuman hacker Felix

[00:00:00] Star Master Jeff: Welcome to the Dark Star Adventure Cast where the stars are cold. The void is endless and dangers lurk in every shadow out here. Trust is a gamble and survival is never guaranteed. On tonight's adventure cast,
[00:00:18] Thorne: Felix is directly disobeying orders, so I'm just gonna let him get dissected if that's what he wants to do.
[00:00:25] Haleyy: Yes, I reloaded my
[00:00:26] Felix: hands. Did you do that or I lower the suit? In and kill all of us.
[00:00:32] Robert: I am definitely going to ride this thing like a bucking broco,
[00:00:38] Star Master Jeff: and that's just the start of the insanity we have for you tonight. So sit back and enjoy tonight's episode of the Dark Star Adventure Cast
[00:00:52] previously on the Dark Star Adventure Cast. Deep beneath the sands of Silan, the crew of the scapegoat descended into a [00:01:00] basement level of the alien Exo site, 30 feet of Go caked tube, a panicking froggy and Haley taking the express root down. What they found was a room built around a spiral, a Nautilus pattern carved into the floor, and at its very center, a forked black pylon.
[00:01:19] Utterly alien, yet eerily familiar. Adjacent chamber holds two enormous vats and above them suspended from the ceiling. Mechanical spider like beings bristling with blades. Felix puts his hands into the wall and the facility starts listening. Lights come on, rooms shift, and when Haley opens a vat, aperture, nano fluid pours into the spiral and fills it rushing towards the center like it had somewhere to be.
[00:01:48] And that's when the spiders woke up. For combat listeners. Here we go. So it looks like the initiative's gonna be thorn, one of these Spider [00:02:00] bots, Ailey another Spider bot, Robert Ross, and then Felix. So we're gonna kick it off with Thorn. This great mechanical spider, words to life. Clicks around trying to do some sort of like weird operation or slicing on something that is in the back, but there's nothing there.
[00:02:15] And then it sees you, it detects you, and boss yells out a warning. What would you like to do?
[00:02:21] Thorne: Well, the first thing I'm gonna do is I'm going to call out an alarm. Paley, Robert, we, we got, we got a problem in here. Felix, you're gonna want to get your hand outta the wall. We are gonna need to move like now, like probably now, like five minutes ago.
[00:02:35] And while I'm saying this, I'm like patting myself down, trying to find my laser pistol, which I then start firing lasers at these guys as I try to pull Felix, like I'm backing outta the room, but I'm also not really letting go of Felix. I'm not abandoning Felix in here, but I am. Trying to make it very obvious to him that we're getting out of this room while shooting.
[00:02:55] Star Master Jeff: Okay, so you're not actually moving yourself out of the room until Felix also goes and moves outta the room.
[00:02:59] Thorne: [00:03:00] Right. I just grab him by the arm and I'm like tugging him and I'm like trying to back outta the room and being like, okay, Felix, like you're the reason I can't back out of the room. Meanwhile, I'm just shooting laser blast after laser blast at the close.
[00:03:11] This spider bot.
[00:03:13] Star Master Jeff: I like how you said Felix is the reason
[00:03:15] Thorne: I found the reason
[00:03:16] Star Master Jeff: it's me. It
[00:03:17] Haleyy: it's me, it's you.
[00:03:19] Thorne: And the reason is you. Okay, so I'm gonna roll a laser pistol attack. I knew I should put that skill point into shoot. Pew p Pew 12. Maybe that's at least not terrible.
[00:03:30] Star Master Jeff: Did you maybe roll a 12 or does 12 maybe hit the AC
[00:03:33] Thorne: I roll a 12?
[00:03:34] Does it maybe hit that
[00:03:35] Star Master Jeff: does not maybe hit. That is not in the realm of possibility.
[00:03:40] Thorne: Unfor,
[00:03:40] Star Master Jeff: you shoot and you hit and ping off of your metallic side. You got a couple bad asses here. One of them is now gonna go. It slides along the wall to get a little bit closer to you and reaches down to one of the two of you, thorn or Felix.
[00:03:57] I'm going to roll randomly. I'm gonna roll. [00:04:00] Wendy, two of one. That Felix hit two. So it's going after Thorn
[00:04:04] Thorne: no
[00:04:04] Felix: good. He, he shot at him.
[00:04:07] Thorne: Yeah, but you can still use an instant defense action. I can't.
[00:04:11] Star Master Jeff: That's true. Yeah. And it slices down on you with its big surgical knife.
[00:04:18] Felix: Oh, you haven't been knife in a while, thorn.
[00:04:19] This could be exciting for you.
[00:04:20] Thorne: Oh, I'm psyched.
[00:04:22] Star Master Jeff: Well, it's used to. That are staying super still and you are being very slippery. So I'm assuming a six does not hit you.
[00:04:28] Thorne: It does not, but unfortunately I'm not heavily armored. So that shock damage may apply.
[00:04:33] Star Master Jeff: Yeah. So you'll take two shock damage if you have a 15 or less ac.
[00:04:38] Thorne: I do.
[00:04:39] Star Master Jeff: I should use melee weapons more often. This is great. Now I know why Hailey does this.
[00:04:42] Haleyy: It's so
[00:04:43] Thorne: great. Yeah, dude. Unarmed combat is absolutely busted. I just wanna say that.
[00:04:48] Star Master Jeff: Speaking of Hailey, now Hailey's turn Hailey. Time to get down to the guns.
[00:04:53] Haleyy: I know. I was like, I don't wanna go over there and punch it even though they're stationary.
[00:04:58] 'cause I'm scared, but there's [00:05:00] two of them. So I, yeah.
[00:05:01] Felix: Punch in a knife rack.
[00:05:02] Star Master Jeff: Wait, earlier you're like, I'm trained for this, and now you're in combat and you're like, I'm scared.
[00:05:07] Haleyy: Yeah, I'm, I'm, that was the fall. That was. Cool moment.
[00:05:11] Thorne: They can't move at all.
[00:05:13] Star Master Jeff: No, no. They split along the ceiling to you?
[00:05:15] Thorne: Oh yeah.
[00:05:15] Okay, great. I was gonna say, I hope I wasn't just standing next to this stationary enemy.
[00:05:20] Haleyy: So they're able to move around on the ceiling?
[00:05:22] Star Master Jeff: Yes.
[00:05:23] Thorne: Yeah.
[00:05:23] Haleyy: Okay. I'm gonna wait for them to come to me, then I'm gonna try and shoot the same one that Thorn did.
[00:05:29] Star Master Jeff: Okay. So Thorn and. There's one in Melee Combat with Thorn, and there's another one that's further back.
[00:05:36] Haleyy: I'm gonna try to shoot the one in Melee Combat with Thorn.
[00:05:38] Thorne: That's a great idea.
[00:05:39] Star Master Jeff: Assistant gm, is there any sort of cover or anything like that from being in Melee Combat?
[00:05:43] Thorne: No, there's no penalty for shooting into Melee. There's only a penalty for shooting while something is adjacent to you.
[00:05:50] Star Master Jeff: Okay, cool. Hey, roll 'em up.
[00:05:52] Thorne: Roll 'em up.
[00:05:53] Star Master Jeff: Roll 'em up.
[00:05:54] Haleyy: GM Question Burst Fire. That's an option [00:06:00] I have.
[00:06:00] Thorne: It's true. It is.
[00:06:03] Star Master Jeff: I have gm, uh, quick question Burst Fire
[00:06:06] Haleyy: because I think
[00:06:09] Felix: you get a plus two bonus to hit and damage against the target.
[00:06:13] Haleyy: So why would you ever not use Burst Fire?
[00:06:15] Thorne: Ammo.
[00:06:16] Felix: Yeah. Ammo. It uses three rounds of ammunition.
[00:06:19] Haleyy: Oh. Oh.
[00:06:20] I'm, uh, really low on ammunition on this thing too, so I am not gonna use Burst. Oh. But then I get the plus two. You know what? I'm gonna use it and then I'll punch it if it doesn't work. Perfect. Okay. Haley uses her laser rifle with Burst fire.
[00:06:35] Star Master Jeff: Okay, here we go.
[00:06:36] Haleyy: There's a 24
[00:06:38] Star Master Jeff: kids. Jesus Christ. It better hit you guys are only level three.
[00:06:41] Imagine it didn't
[00:06:43] Haleyy: guy.
[00:06:44] Star Master Jeff: Yeah. I think that's gonna hit this little spider
[00:06:48] Haleyy: box.
[00:06:48] Star Master Jeff: Yes. It's a surgical implement. It's not heavily armored. Geez.
[00:06:52] Haleyy: Mm-hmm. I messed it up for five damage.
[00:06:57] Star Master Jeff: Nice. That's like weird for [00:07:00] you. Shooting your gun?
[00:07:01] Haleyy: Well, I, what I've been doing the past, like, I think two combats, just scared to get close to things.
[00:07:07] I'm much better at fighting humanoids.
[00:07:09] Felix: I, I mean, yeah, to be fair, punch in a robot, like
[00:07:12] Star Master Jeff: yeah,
[00:07:13] Felix: it's not an attractive prospect.
[00:07:14] Star Master Jeff: A lot of them are hardened or, or whatever it's called. They don't take any shock damage.
[00:07:18] Haleyy: Well, no, I'm not. Really, it's not necessarily that, it's just that they seem to hit a lot harder than other people.
[00:07:24] Thorne: Yeah.
[00:07:24] Star Master Jeff: Oh, you guys are at level three now? Things are gonna start hitting real hard.
[00:07:28] Haleyy: Well, if they have more than nine hp. I still
[00:07:30] Thorne: feel like combat rifle is the scariest thing. Like it's like 1D 12. That still kills me in one hit.
[00:07:37] Robert: Yep. That's why. Why do you think
[00:07:39] Star Master Jeff: I, it's funny that you say now you have more than nine hp.
[00:07:42] Finally, Felix and Thorn both have 12. They're not much better. Yeah. But Robert and Haley, 21 hit points and 19 hit points. Oh God. It's, there could not be a larger disparity between the intellectuals and the punchy Cs. Uh, it is [00:08:00] now time for the second surgical bot. It slides along the ceiling directly next to Felix, and they don't, it doesn't feel like they're malicious, like they're being controlled by something else, or they are an alien entity onto themselves.
[00:08:16] They're just doing their jobs, man. They're surgical bots. They've been activated. Now they will do surgery. Two organic beings are right here, so surgery shall be done where the surgical saw blade comes down upon Felix's head and I rolled a five. And that's a miss.
[00:08:34] Felix: That's definitely a miss.
[00:08:35] Star Master Jeff: Well, what's your race, Steve?
[00:08:36] Hold on, hold on, hold on. What's your race?
[00:08:38] Felix: 12. So I still take the two shock.
[00:08:40] Star Master Jeff: Just wanted to make sure. Just wanted to make sure.
[00:08:42] Felix: Yeah, yeah,
[00:08:42] Star Master Jeff: yeah. So enjoy your two shock, man. Mainly damage is great. We gotta do this more often on the enemy side of things. Robert Ross, what would you like to do? You are still in the spiral room next to Hailey with two Ys.
[00:08:54] Robert: Do I have current visual on the enemy? [00:09:00]
[00:09:00] Star Master Jeff: Yes, there is a six foot tall by two foot wide door. Through that you can see one of the two surgical bots, the one that is attacking Thorn,
[00:09:08] Robert: uh, then I'd like to fire at that one and then afterwards move into Melee combat with the one that's left. 'cause uh, I'm about to absolutely murder.
[00:09:23] Stuff.
[00:09:24] Thorne: Please let that be true.
[00:09:25] Robert: That's gonna be a 21 to hit for a nine dash
[00:09:29] Star Master Jeff: pH. There could not be more light between the intellectuals and the punchy ties 'cause the 21 is actually disgusting. I feel awful for this poor surgical bot. Who's already been hit once for five damage and is now hit for an additional nine damage.
[00:09:45] You shoot it and you straight up just destroy like one of its surgical limbs. It flies off and a bunch of like GU starts to drip out from its inside chassis. Whatever these things are, however these bots operate, it ain't off any sort of electricity you've ever [00:10:00] seen.
[00:10:00] Robert: And with that, I'd like to run up to the doorway and into the other room and see if I can distract.
[00:10:08] Engage, show off my Afro. I don't know. Just intrigue this, uh, this second surgical bot.
[00:10:14] Star Master Jeff: Okay, so Robert, you run into that room and you run a comb through your Afro and you do a little Johnny Bravo. But these surgical arachnids don't necessarily care about you, Felix. You have a Nicole Spider robot directly in front of you hanging off the ceiling, ready to pounce once again.
[00:10:31] What would you like to do?
[00:10:32] Felix: I'd like to get crazy with it. Can I, like, I've gotten good at this bulging action. Can I bulge the ceiling to like,
[00:10:40] Star Master Jeff: oh,
[00:10:40] Felix: move the spider away from me and kind of slam it into the wall on the opposite side of the room.
[00:10:44] Star Master Jeff: Okay. So yeah, both of your hands are still in the glob, right?
[00:10:47] Felix: Yep. Yeah. I've not removed my hands from the glob.
[00:10:49] Star Master Jeff: So you want to punch the creature? With the ceiling.
[00:10:53] Felix: Correct.
[00:10:55] Star Master Jeff: I will let you roll something. Hold on. Hmm. [00:11:00]
[00:11:00] Thorne: Program dexterity.
[00:11:01] Star Master Jeff: Felix, go ahead and roll your programming decks.
[00:11:06] Felix: Okay.
[00:11:07] Star Master Jeff: And I'm gonna have that be contested against these surgical bots exert decks.
[00:11:12] Felix: Okay.
[00:11:12] Star Master Jeff: If you win the contest, you hit and then we will deal with damage.
[00:11:17] Felix: I'm gonna use my expert check or my expert skill and roll that again. 'cause I rolled a four.
[00:11:24] Star Master Jeff: Yep. Once per scene.
[00:11:25] Felix: Let's try that again, baby. Oh, that's a bit better. That's a nine. Oh,
[00:11:29] Star Master Jeff: nice. Okay. It got a seven, so you beat it by two. So you bulge the ceiling out and slam hardened nano fluid against its upper chassis.
[00:11:39] So let's deal with damage now. So hitting us. Ceiling into this creature against this will, I'm going to say is 1D six damage. Does that make sense? Are you guys happy with that?
[00:11:50] Thorne: I was gonna do what I was gonna say, so yeah.
[00:11:52] Star Master Jeff: Yeah.
[00:11:53] Felix: Alright. So one B six, five points of damage.
[00:11:59] Star Master Jeff: Hell yeah. [00:12:00]
[00:12:00] Felix: Did you do that or I lower the ceiling and kill all of us.
[00:12:02] Star Master Jeff: That'd be interesting. Yeah, I thought about that. I was like, well, he can't crush them because he can't do that while
[00:12:09] Felix: I'm in the room.
[00:12:10] Star Master Jeff: He has to be in the room to crush everything.
[00:12:12] Felix: Yeah.
[00:12:12] Star Master Jeff: So the mechanical spider takes five points of damage and we go back to the top of the initiative Thorn. What would you like to do?
[00:12:20] Thorne: So the one that was closer to me is still close to me.
[00:12:23] Star Master Jeff: Yes,
[00:12:23] Thorne: but Robert's here trying to get between us it seems like.
[00:12:27] Star Master Jeff: Yeah, so to explain where everyone is, Felix and Thorn and Robert are all in the VAT room. There are two mechanical spiders, one directly in front of Felix, one directly in front of Thorn.
[00:12:38] Hailey is still in the spiral room, gun drawn.
[00:12:41] Thorne: Okay, well Felix is directly disobeying orders, so I'm just gonna let him get dissected if that's what he wants to do, and I'm just going to make a fighting withdrawal to get back into these spiral room and out of the immediate stabbing range of these horrible [00:13:00] machines.
[00:13:00] Star Master Jeff: Okay, so you do a fighting retreat and you back in. And before we move on to the next piece of the initiative order, I want to do Froggy's turn real quick.
[00:13:08] Thorne: Okay. Well, just to be clear, I get behind Hailey, I just wanna make that clear.
[00:13:12] Star Master Jeff: So when you run in there and you get behind Hailey, you spot froggy and he says Kill it.
[00:13:17] Kill it. Oh, I knew we should have,
[00:13:19] Felix: I knew we should have
[00:13:20] Star Master Jeff: left. I knew we should have left. We should have left. We should have left. We should have left. We should have left. This isn't normal. This isn't normal. This isn't normal. And now it's time for the surgical bot. With, its very weird, not normal body.
[00:13:31] There are only two people left in the room. Its main target. Thorn has left, but Robert Ross has stepped up to the plate so it moves sliding, all slippery and mechanical like along the ceiling until it's next to Robert Ross and it tries to slice him down with a surgical. Oh, a nine is definitely gonna miss you.
[00:13:52] Do you have an ac higher than 15?
[00:13:54] Robert: Oh, 17. My good sir.
[00:13:56] Star Master Jeff: Ah, this bad boy doesn't even take any shock damage. Wait, thorn, get back in here. [00:14:00] This is less fun.
[00:14:00] Thorne: Yeah. See, I'm glad we traded out. This is better.
[00:14:02] Star Master Jeff: This is bullshit. This is bullshit. I'm taking this all the way to the Supreme Court.
[00:14:09] Felix: Your, your attack rolls are trash tonight.
[00:14:11] Star Master Jeff: You're trash. I don't want to hear it. I'm trying my best to over here. Uh, Hailey with two Y's.
[00:14:19] Haleyy: How close is the closest one to me?
[00:14:22] Star Master Jeff: Three meters.
[00:14:23] Haleyy: I'm gonna go punch it. The one, this one, sorry. I am gonna go into the room and punch whatever's the closest to Felix.
[00:14:32] Star Master Jeff: Okay.
[00:14:33] Haleyy: And. Wave. The one that I don't punch between it and Felix.
[00:14:36] Yeah, I'm running up to it and I'm punching it. Finally,
[00:14:42] Star Master Jeff: you could have punched many things, but you keep,
[00:14:44] Haleyy: I know, keep
[00:14:44] Star Master Jeff: not wanting to punch non-human.
[00:14:46] Felix: She only likes punching people. She like to see the look on their face.
[00:14:50] Star Master Jeff: She wants to see the fear in their eyes.
[00:14:53] Haleyy: All right. This is my first punch since my level up.
[00:14:57] So
[00:14:58] Felix: did you reload your hands?
[00:14:59] Haleyy: [00:15:00] Yes, I reloaded my hands
[00:15:01] Star Master Jeff: like from Mission Impossible. He like reloads his hands.
[00:15:04] Haleyy: Oh yeah.
[00:15:04] Star Master Jeff: Ch ch. Did you just say
[00:15:07] Haleyy: Chuk? Chook. I definitely made the sound myself because they're my fists. Does a 14.
[00:15:14] Star Master Jeff: A 14 does not hit
[00:15:17] Haleyy: What's their ac
[00:15:18] Felix: You
[00:15:19] Thorne: can make it hit.
[00:15:20] Haleyy: I could
[00:15:20] Star Master Jeff: now, before I
[00:15:22] Haleyy: actually, I wanna make it hit.
[00:15:24] Star Master Jeff: You wanna make it hit?
[00:15:25] Haleyy: I wanna make it hit for 11. Damage.
[00:15:27] Star Master Jeff: Well, we can't all get what we want, Hailey.
[00:15:29] Haleyy: Uh, yeah, we can.
[00:15:30] Thorne: But if you try, sometimes you might just find.
[00:15:36] Star Master Jeff: You have the warrior ability to get what you need people
[00:15:38] Haleyy: to me, yes.
[00:15:40] Star Master Jeff: Yow. Okay. So yeah, you use the Warrior ability, you auto hit and you hit the one that is directly next to Felix.
[00:15:47] Haleyy: I hit the spider. Yeah. So I shoot directly at the spider next to Felix, you know, and I think it's not gonna hit, but then my belief in myself makes sure that it does. Which is cool. I [00:16:00] don't think I'm gonna be able to do that again anytime soon. But it was nice that it worked in this one situation
[00:16:05] Star Master Jeff: once per scene,
[00:16:05] Thorne: probably not till the next scene,
[00:16:07] Haleyy: and I hid it for 11 damage.
[00:16:09] Star Master Jeff: So you sprint into the room and you haymaker the mechanical spider on the ceiling directly next to Felix. For an 11 points of damage. God damn. Can we just keep Felix and Thorn on the front line Alien, Robert, go get some ice cream or something. Come on. Why do I come even
[00:16:26] Thorne: carry a gun? Like that's what you two are for
[00:16:29] Star Master Jeff: personal protection.
[00:16:30] Haleyy: Exactly.
[00:16:32] Star Master Jeff: Just in case Hailey and Robert are getting outta hand, you can shoot them.
[00:16:35] Haleyy: I don't think I've ever
[00:16:36] Thorne: Oh, shoot them. Okay. I guess that makes sense.
[00:16:37] Star Master Jeff: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
[00:16:38] Thorne: I don't think I've ever hit. An opponent with this gun. So
[00:16:41] Felix: this room is my weapon.
[00:16:43] Thorne: What'd you get outta there?
[00:16:44] Star Master Jeff: All I'm saying is that Mal carries a gun, even though he has Zoe and Jane.
[00:16:51] Haleyy: It's true.
[00:16:51] Star Master Jeff: It's like an
[00:16:51] Haleyy: alarm if you need help. Yeah. But he's also a crack shot, so I don't think Wash carries
[00:16:56] Star Master Jeff: a gun. Definitely does use a, yeah. Wash. Wash carries [00:17:00] dinosaurs in his pockets.
[00:17:01] Thorne: I'm more like Simon, but without the medical skill.
[00:17:06] Star Master Jeff: I think you're more like that guy that gets kicked into the engine.
[00:17:09] You know that guy
[00:17:10] Thorne: great?
[00:17:11] Star Master Jeff: Yeah. Or the guy that wakes up from the coffin in the The war memory
[00:17:14] Thorne: episode. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:17:15] Star Master Jeff: Anyway, the mechanical spider that just got hit, it's now his turn and he's looking for a revenge. And by that I mean. He's a non ascension being who's gonna continue to just attack Felix?
[00:17:24] Thorne: No.
[00:17:25] Star Master Jeff: So the mechanical spider slices down with a surgical ineptitude of a clumsy 12-year-old and misses you with a seven, but you take two shock damage.
[00:17:34] Felix: Yep.
[00:17:35] Thorne: Shocking.
[00:17:35] Star Master Jeff: I'm gonna whittle you down with shock damage just like Hailey does to every other person that she's caught this campaign. Oh, I miss. But uh, trust takes eight. Shock damage. Yeah, he's dead. End of episode two, I said end of episode two. Robert Ross,
[00:17:51] Robert: how does attacking a opponent that is not next to me?
[00:17:58] So if I shoot the [00:18:00] surgical robot farther away from me, do I take a negative? Should I just shoot the one right next to me? And it's the same negative because it's already taken damage that we've my preferred target? Just curious about how the damage goes.
[00:18:12] Felix: You can use a one handed range weapon with a minus four two handed.
[00:18:15] You cannot use at all if you're within melee.
[00:18:18] Robert: Gimme one second. I'm looking at what the damage of that looks like. No, I'm gonna take my, 'cause it's a a D four D versus a D six. I don't really care. I'm going to take up my knife and try to cut away as many wires from the base of the surgical robot. I just, I just mount that thing and rat it like a little, like a little bolt.
[00:18:39] Star Master Jeff: Okay. Okay. So you're gonna draw your knife, I'm assuming it's readied.
[00:18:43] Robert: It is indeed.
[00:18:44] Star Master Jeff: Okay, so you can draw it. You're just gonna drop your rifle, which is on a strap across your chest. So you don't drop it on the floor.
[00:18:50] Robert: No. Yes, sir.
[00:18:51] Star Master Jeff: And then just to be clear, you're going to slash at the wires on the top of the bot, which you can reach because the ceiling has [00:19:00] been raised going to eight feet and you're, you're tall, but then you also want to ride it like a bowl.
[00:19:05] Are you saying you're also going to. What do you exactly are you saying you're going to do to this poor robot?
[00:19:11] Robert: Yeah, I'm, I'm just gonna give it a, a very, a very nice chance to see if I can tame it, see if I can make friends with it. By jumping on top of it and trying to strangle all the arms with my arms.
[00:19:22] It's mostly just moving on to it to a distract.
[00:19:25] Star Master Jeff: Okay. So I love you. I don't know what to do about this, but I love you.
[00:19:29] Felix: I don't know if you could do that and attack it with a knife in the same round.
[00:19:32] Star Master Jeff: Yeah. I think you have to choose one attack or ride it like a bun.
[00:19:36] Robert: Yeah. You know,
[00:19:37] Star Master Jeff: I, I will say my preference is that you ride it like a bunky Bronco, but you can choose whichever one you want.
[00:19:42] Robert: I am definitely going to ride this thing like a bucking bronco.
[00:19:46] Star Master Jeff: Okay. Go ahead and roll. Exert strength or dexterity, whichever you prefer to pull yourself or jump a top. The creature. I don't really know what else to say. Okay. A nine is a great [00:20:00] roll. It beats what I thought the DC of eight would be. So you kind of belly flop on top of this thing.
[00:20:06] There's only 18 inches of space between the top of it and the ceiling. So you jump up, you get on top of it and you feel the like connection. It has with the ceiling starts to strain and it starts to like whir back and forth as you're on top of it. And you raise up your knife, I'm assuming, 'cause you're gonna start stabbing it on your next turn.
[00:20:25] Robert: Oh, yes, sir. I'm, I'm trying to get right, trying to find just where the, the saw blade comes out of the wall. If I can find a joint in that carpus, I'm gonna try to jam my knife right in there.
[00:20:38] Star Master Jeff: Okay. And for clarity's sake, I did roll and exert dexterity for the, the robot. It only rolled a five. You rolled a nine, so you jump on top of it, it tries to throw you off, and you stick to it like glue.
[00:20:51] You are a regular old cowboy right now. You're a, I don't know what to say, man. You're on top of this robot. What do you want me to say about that? It's [00:21:00] spinning around like a mad beast, and you're hanging on, and I'm assuming you're saying wahoo.
[00:21:04] Robert: All I'm going to say is I have ridden a bull before in my lifetime and my thighs were very, very sore afterwards.
[00:21:11] Star Master Jeff: In real life.
[00:21:12] Robert: Yeah. Actually that's a legitimate thing.
[00:21:15] Star Master Jeff: Wait, hold on. Wait. Let's hear this story real quick. Just want a quick intermission. Uh, let's put some cowboy music on.
[00:21:25] Robert: So it was a mechanical bull. I went to the stockyards with an ex-girlfriend of mine and I looked at the guy and I said, make me look like an asshole. And he said, yeah, I got you. And he bucked me off so hard in like. Th like, not even two seconds, I was just thrown from this thing, but I tried to grip it. I tried so hard and I, my entire thigh from knee to groin was completely bruised.
[00:21:54] Star Master Jeff: Wait, are, wait, what? Why did the guy, what are you talking about? Does he control the bowl? [00:22:00]
[00:22:00] Robert: Yeah, that's,
[00:22:00] Star Master Jeff: yeah.
[00:22:01] They can change
[00:22:02] Robert: how
[00:22:02] Star Master Jeff: Like, I thought it was like programmed.
[00:22:04] You didn't know that?
[00:22:05] Thorne: No, it's PVP.
[00:22:06] Star Master Jeff: It's PVP.
[00:22:08] Thorne: Yeah. No. The guy tries to throw you off.
[00:22:11] Star Master Jeff: Yeah. Wow. I didn't know it was so
[00:22:12] like,
[00:22:13] Haleyy: that's why the girls always last longer on it.
[00:22:15] 'cause they change it, you know?
[00:22:16] Felix: Yeah.
[00:22:17] Star Master Jeff: I didn't know the girls lasted longer.
[00:22:19] Felix: They tried. They tried to make them bounce in ways.
[00:22:22] Star Master Jeff: I think we should have an adventure cast outing and we go and we all try to ride a a bucking bronco.
[00:22:27] Haleyy: I'm not going to
[00:22:28] Star Master Jeff: but you'll last longer.
[00:22:30] Thorne: Wait a mechanical bull though, right?
[00:22:32] Not a bucking bronco. 'cause there's a huge fucking difference.
[00:22:36] Felix: But it has to be, Brian. I'll try to ride
[00:22:38] Thorne: Brian. Am I mechanical in this situation? Yeah.
[00:22:41] Star Master Jeff: I think this is getting away from me. I just want us to have a, who's the
[00:22:45] Haleyy: operator?
[00:22:46] Star Master Jeff: Let me rephrase it as something that Stephanie May go to and Scott won't get on.
[00:22:53] Brian's back
[00:22:54] Thorne: it wouldn't.
[00:22:55] Star Master Jeff: How about we go for a dinner at Longhorn sometime?
[00:22:57] Thorne: Scott will jump on my back the minute he sees me. I [00:23:00] just know
[00:23:00] Haleyy: what if
[00:23:00] Thorne: we
[00:23:00] Haleyy: did Texas Roadhouse?
[00:23:03] Thorne: Yeah.
[00:23:04] Star Master Jeff: Yeah. Okay. Let, let go to Texas Roadhouse sometime.
[00:23:07] Felix: Yep.
[00:23:08] Star Master Jeff: So we've removed the bull from the equation entirely.
[00:23:11] Thorne: I can't believe how long it's been since the last time I carried you on my back.
[00:23:14] Felix: I, it used be a regular occurrence that I would ride you around.
[00:23:18] Thorne: I know.
[00:23:19] Star Master Jeff: I'm gonna move on to Felix's turn now. Felix, what would you like?
[00:23:25] Felix: What I was planning on doing was raising the ceiling as high as I could to get these things away from me, but Robert is now attached to one of them.
[00:23:32] Star Master Jeff: Yeah. You wanted to do that before at least hu hu Bronco talk.
[00:23:36] Felix: Yeah. Well,
[00:23:36] Thorne: they'd be away from you.
[00:23:37] Felix: I'm, I'm still gonna do that and let him deal with falling.
[00:23:40] So I'm going to basically try to as, as quick as I can, raise the ceiling as high as I can to make it so these things can't reach me.
[00:23:47] Star Master Jeff: Okay. Go ahead and roll your program Strength. Using both hands. Struggling as hard as you can.
[00:23:56] Felix: Oh, that's a 13. That's a 13.
[00:23:57] Star Master Jeff: That's a great rule.
[00:23:59] Felix: Oh my goodness. [00:24:00]
[00:24:00] Star Master Jeff: Okay, so these two creatures are resisting the pole of the ceiling as you're trying to raise it up.
[00:24:05] They're trying to keep it down.
[00:24:07] Felix: Oh, they got some control over it.
[00:24:09] Star Master Jeff: They do seem to have something, something connected to it. So the first one's gonna make its exert strength roll. To assist the second one, it succeeded on the roll with a six. So the second one is gonna have a plus one. It rolled a three, you rolled a 13.
[00:24:26] So that ceiling goes right to the moon. By that I mean another 10 feet up, well actually, sorry, another 20 feet up, 22 feet up. 'cause you have an eight foot ceiling. Good. 22 more feet up before it hits against the barrier. That is the first floor because you guys are about 30 feet down. So you raised the ceiling 22 feet.
[00:24:46] Sorry,
[00:24:46] Robert: Robert.
[00:24:47] Star Master Jeff: Robert rockets up to the highest. You're in a cathedral now. And Robert, uh, are you afraid of heights?
[00:24:55] Robert: I mean, I'm not, not afraid of heights.
[00:24:57] Star Master Jeff: Uh, why don't you go ahead and roll a mental [00:25:00] saving throw for me, because this shit is mental.
[00:25:02] Robert: And, uh, that's gonna be an 11.
[00:25:05] Star Master Jeff: Yeah. Looks like you failed 'cause you have a 13, so you start to freak out a little bit.
[00:25:10] All you can really do up there is hang on for dear life. You are unable to attack or do anything else on your next turn, but on your next turn, I'll let you roll again, Felix. Why? And then we passed the turn to Thorn.
[00:25:25] Thorne: Uh, so there. I mean, even if I go in that room, they're 30 feet up, so I don't think their arms are long enough to slash at my flesh anymore.
[00:25:33] So I will cautiously move up to where everybody else is in the doorway, pistol in hand, and I take aim up at the ceiling. I see Robert flailing about on on top of the Spider Pot.
[00:25:49] Robert stay still. I gotta, I gotta aim. So stop moving. Don't,
[00:25:53] Robert: don't shoot at that one.
[00:25:55] Thorne: Uh, fine. Yeah. So the other one is, that doesn't have Robert on it [00:26:00] seems to be easier to hit, so maybe I'll fire some laser shots at that.
[00:26:03] Robert: Appreciate that choice. That's, that's real kind to you. Poor Robert.
[00:26:08] Thorne: Oh my goodness.
[00:26:09] That might, that might actually hit, I got a 20, a 20 hits.
[00:26:14] Star Master Jeff: Wow. You probably did a lot of damage with that.
[00:26:17] Thorne: I did. I did. One damage.
[00:26:21] Star Master Jeff: One, one
[00:26:22] Felix: damage. They probably have like armor plate in. I gonna break through that.
[00:26:26] Thorne: I know, right? That's actually zero.
[00:26:29] Star Master Jeff: No one point of damage. They're surgical bots. They're not like war machines.
[00:26:33] They just happen to have a bunch of saws and stuff, and you guys happen to be having a lot of difficulty. It's the bot's turn. This bot is going to try to hit Robert Ross, who is on its back.
[00:26:45] Robert: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
[00:26:46] Star Master Jeff: It's going to have a minus two to do so. So the surgical blade warrant goes off to its back. 13 is gonna miss you.
[00:26:54] You have higher than an AC 15, so you take no shock damage as the saw blade fruitlessly [00:27:00] grinds away at your advanced armor Hayley with a punching fist. You are 30 feet below these two spider creatures.
[00:27:08] Haleyy: How far below them?
[00:27:09] Star Master Jeff: 30 feet.
[00:27:11] Haleyy: Fuck
[00:27:13] Robert: yeah. They put my ass up in the ceiling.
[00:27:15] Haleyy: I shoot a laser rifle 'cause they've gone up so high.
[00:27:18] Star Master Jeff: Uh, were you shooting at the one that Robert Ross is a stride or you shooting the one next to him?
[00:27:22] Haleyy: The one next to him.
[00:27:24] Star Master Jeff: Smart.
[00:27:25] Thorne: Wicked smack.
[00:27:26] Haleyy: So I am attacking with my laser rifle, which has pretty sure one piece of ammo left in it, unfortunately. So no burst fire this time it does a 15 hit.
[00:27:36] Star Master Jeff: 15 hits
[00:27:37] Haleyy: for six damage.
[00:27:39] Star Master Jeff: Oh, six points damage. So you sued up at the one that was attacking Felix. It's next to the one that Robert Ross is currently riding like a bug and bronco. Boom, boom, boom, boom. What kind of gun is it? Is it a laser rifle or what?
[00:27:51] Haleyy: Laser rifle.
[00:27:52] Star Master Jeff: The laser bolts. Strike through the scoring the ceiling [00:28:00] behind it, destroying whatever innards it has, and it deactivates as goo flows out of the newly created holes dripping upon your brow,
[00:28:12] Haleyy: not.
[00:28:12] The goo, but yeah. Victory.
[00:28:16] Star Master Jeff: Robert Ross, go ahead and roll. Your will save. Yeah,
[00:28:21] Robert: I'm just holding on for dear, dear Sweet Wife. Is that mental evasion physical?
[00:28:28] Star Master Jeff: Yes. Roll your mental save.
[00:28:30] Robert: And I, I, I, hold on for, for, for life if I can. Oh God. Oh God. Why? Why is it turning that way? Why is it turning that way? I roll the stakes
[00:28:40] Star Master Jeff: and you're squeezing your eyes shut, and you just hear laser bolts rocketing all around you, and then you hear like laughter from below you.
[00:28:46] I. Haley's at least having fun. Felix Champlin.
[00:28:50] Felix: Well, now I don't know what to do. Mm. I'm gonna try to bring the ceiling down to like 15 feet and tell Robert to jump off. [00:29:00]
[00:29:00] Star Master Jeff: Okay. Go ahead and roll your programming strength because now that the mechanical spiders up there, it wants to stay. It's working on Robert.
[00:29:10] Felix: Oh, that was a bad one. Seven.
[00:29:12] Star Master Jeff: So it got a three. You got a seven. So you pull the ceiling down 15 feet quite easily, but you do feel some resistance.
[00:29:20] Felix: Robert, jump off
[00:29:22] Star Master Jeff: The creature, Robert is they're a mere 15 measly, 15 feet from the floor. Thorn, drax this air to drax, this trading company. What would you like to do?
[00:29:31] Thorne: That's drax this goods. Thank you.
[00:29:33] I'm going to wait. Did Hailey destroy the one? Yeah. So now it's just the one with Robert on it. I am going to just hold my action until Robert is clear. 'cause if I feel like I can't really get a good shot on it or do you feel like I could just get a good shot on it?
[00:29:49] Star Master Jeff: I know, I know.
[00:29:49] Normally when you're in Melee comment, there's no minus, but they're literally sharing the same space.
[00:29:54] Thorne: Well, if he's providing it any cover, that might give me a penalty. So
[00:29:57] Star Master Jeff: yeah, he has like his arms wrapped around it, so [00:30:00] minus two.
[00:30:01] Thorne: Yeah. So I, I'll hold my action until I have a clear shot
[00:30:03] Star Master Jeff: for anyone interested.
[00:30:05] It's a minus two if you miss. By one or two. You hit, you hit Robert instead.
[00:30:11] Robert: Oh, definitely. Shoot me in the butt. Do it. We're at the risk.
[00:30:17] Thorne: No, I'm just gonna wait. Can just wait. It's not that hard to wait. Also, what do you guys want me to just shoot it for one damage or just miss it anyway? You know? Just gimme,
[00:30:26] Felix: yeah, right.
[00:30:26] I'm
[00:30:26] Robert: brutal.
[00:30:27] Thorne: Let, let me just wait.
[00:30:28] Robert: Yeah, because you shoot me in the butt for one damage and I will remember that forever. It'll be a glorious moment.
[00:30:34] Star Master Jeff: Why are you roasting yourself?
[00:30:38] Robert: Listen,
[00:30:39] Star Master Jeff: just trying to get ahead of it. Okay, so the surgical bot is going to attack Robert Ross. It's gonna attack Robert Ross at a minus two
[00:30:48] Robert: oh oh
[00:30:48] Star Master Jeff: oh minus two 15 misses you, oh, I rolled a 17.
[00:30:52] That would've hit you, right?
[00:30:52] Robert: Literally would've. Would've at. Perfect. Hit me,
[00:30:55] Star Master Jeff: but I rolled a 15, which misses you. And the shock damage is only on a 15 and you have higher than [00:31:00] 15. So FMLI
[00:31:03] Robert: just keep, I, I keep holding on. I, I'm, I'm using, using my legs. I keep swirling. I, I'm, I'm seeing stars. At this point I might pass out.
[00:31:12] Felix: Just let go.
[00:31:13] Robert: Please somebody kill this thing.
[00:31:15] Felix: And while we're down now it's fine. I can't get a clear shot
[00:31:18] Star Master Jeff: now that Hailey's level three. Do you think she should be Hailey with three why's?
[00:31:23] Haleyy: No.
[00:31:23] Star Master Jeff: Just keep increasing the why's every level.
[00:31:25] Haleyy: That's her younger sister.
[00:31:27] Thorne: Yeah, obviously. Yeah.
[00:31:29] Star Master Jeff: Right.
[00:31:30] Felix: Her parents
[00:31:31] Thorne: are not innovative.
[00:31:33] Star Master Jeff: Hailey with one y older sister Hailey with two Y's younger sister. Well, I mean, what would Hailey's daughter's name be?
[00:31:39] Thorne: Hailey with two H's. Yle
[00:31:41] Star Master Jeff: Hayley with two Hs and two Ys.
[00:31:44] Thorne: Hailey.
[00:31:45] Haleyy: Hey, um, um, Hailey. Hey. How high up is the ceiling again? Is it 15 feet? 15 feet?
[00:31:52] Star Master Jeff: Time to get down to the guns,
[00:31:53] Haleyy: except I can't really do that because I need to reload my gun, which is a main action.
[00:31:58] So I'm spending this [00:32:00] action reloading my gun.
[00:32:01] Star Master Jeff: So you, you kneel, you do like a cool pose and
[00:32:03] Haleyy: you Yeah.
[00:32:04] Star Master Jeff: Take out a, a new battery mm-hmm. And you slot it into your laser rifle.
[00:32:08] Thorne: I wonder what kind of noise that makes. Of course,
[00:32:13] Star Master Jeff: Robert Ross, go ahead and roll your, your mental. Actually, no, you're 50. You're only 15 feet from the floor.
[00:32:20] Now. Don't even bother rolling it. You're not so high up. You're on this bucket Bronco, you know, you can safely drop to the floor. So the fear has subsided. What would you like to do with your turn?
[00:32:29] Robert: Uh, I'd like to use my movement to drop to the, do I question? Do I have enough movement to stab it? And then let go and try to superhero pose, but most likely fall in my face.
[00:32:43] Star Master Jeff: I'm gonna say
[00:32:44] Robert: yes. Then I'd like to grab any loose cords that I can and slash it with my knife. I. Ooh. And after that, fall to the ground and potentially make [00:33:00] a superhero pose that was almost as cool as Haileys.
[00:33:04] Star Master Jeff: Okay. The man rolls a 12, but it turns into an 18 because of course it does. The old soy punchy crowd is
[00:33:11] Felix: so
[00:33:12] Star Master Jeff: good at combat.
[00:33:13] That's it. No more combat ever again. No, I'm just. So, yeah, 18 definitely hits that does three points of damage and then you're going to, you drop off, you go 15 feet,
[00:33:23] Felix: which, which is, which is still, it still might be a D six of damage.
[00:33:28] Star Master Jeff: Yeah. So 15 feet to, to meters is 4.5 meters, so it's still gonna be a D six of damage.
[00:33:36] But actually, wait, we're in 0.8 gravity, so it. Oh, it's 3.6 meters. So you're still gonna take a D six of damage.
[00:33:43] Robert: That's too damaged for me and I take too damage. Yeah,
[00:33:48] Star Master Jeff: yeah, absolutely. Then so you drop and you land like a superhero and it rattles your body. Are you trying to pretend like it didn't hurt?
[00:33:54] 'cause if so, I need you to roll perform con.
[00:33:57] I
[00:33:57] Robert: absolutely am because it [00:34:00] definitely, definitely didn't hurt. Maybe it hurt a little bit. Oh sweet. God, that's a three.
[00:34:06] Star Master Jeff: You rolled a three, which sadly means that everyone thinks you're a giant wuss now.
[00:34:13] Thorne: Oh, come on Robert. It wasn't even that big of a fall.
[00:34:16] Robert: It like kind of knocked the wind out of me on the way down.
[00:34:19] Uh. Okay.
[00:34:22] Thorne: Now that there is a clear shot to the machine, I would like to use an instant action to, to take that held action I was holding onto.
[00:34:29] Robert: Okay.
[00:34:30] Thorne: So as soon as Robert drops and I quip about him feeling pain, I shoot a few lasers at the,
[00:34:37] Star Master Jeff: the way that he dropped off the robot. And you're quip. I really hope this isn't like the Marvel ation of this game.
[00:34:46] Thorne: I rule a four. I think we have to go back and look and see if that hits. I actually don't remember.
[00:34:51] Star Master Jeff: Let me check the, oh
[00:34:54] Thorne: no, it's on the other.
[00:34:54] Star Master Jeff: Oh no, that hits, that. Hits that hits.
[00:34:56] Thorne: Check, check, check the other page. Yeah. Yeah. I thought,
[00:34:58] Star Master Jeff: oh, the other page. No, that misses, dude. I'm
[00:34:59] Thorne: [00:35:00] sorry. Oh no. Shoot. Darn. Okay.
[00:35:01] Star Master Jeff: Yeah, so Thorn continues, but I'm glad you made your character to be really good at like trading things.
[00:35:06] Thorne: Oh yeah. I'm great at that. So thorn fires a bunch of lasers at the fighter ball until the gun starts clicking. And that my battery is dead. I'm gonna have to reload it soon, but unfortunately that's it.
[00:35:20] I'll just get this one action.
[00:35:21] Star Master Jeff: Okay, Felix, show him how it's done.
[00:35:24] Felix: Uh, I'm gonna push it all the way back up again and just get it out of our hair.
[00:35:27] Star Master Jeff: Okay. Roll strength.
[00:35:29] Felix: 11. Oh, you did better that time. Still not, not good
[00:35:32] Star Master Jeff: enough. Yeah, you did really good. You got an 11, it got an eight. It resists, but you pushed the ceiling all the way back up.
[00:35:38] To 30 feet and it whis and chugs and is completely useless now.
[00:35:44] Felix: Alright. That wasn't so bad. Was it both? Not you two. Okay.
[00:35:49] Haleyy: No, I'm fun.
[00:35:53] Star Master Jeff: Froggy says from the next room. I'm doing okay. Thanks for asking. I'm very shaken. [00:36:00]
[00:36:00] Haleyy: Well, are you covered in goo froggy?
[00:36:02] Star Master Jeff: No. Should I be
[00:36:05] Haleyy: No, no. Froggy. You're fine. Stay out. Just stay away. Sorry. Hailey is currently just running her hands through her hair being like, Ugh.
[00:36:13] Felix: Get it all off. Yeah, you have to like detach it.
[00:36:16] Well get it into the grooves, Hailey, if you're gonna get rid of it, get it into the grooves in the other room.
[00:36:20] Star Master Jeff: Ring your hair out into the grooves.
[00:36:22] Felix: Yeah, we need as much as we can get.
[00:36:23] Haleyy: Okay, I can do that. I can do that much.
[00:36:26] Felix: All right, now that we're out of immediate danger, I'm going to resume my administrations and manipulate the ceiling in the other room to move the vat to the other apertures to release the nano fluid from above.
[00:36:39] Thorne: Robert, would you make sure that that bite or V up there doesn't get any ideas or do any more moving?
[00:36:44] Robert: Yep. Up
[00:36:45] Star Master Jeff: eyes on it, sir.
[00:36:47] Thorne: Take your time, buddy.
[00:36:48] Star Master Jeff: Uh, you move the vat around in the other room and you start to empty all the goo that you can onto the floor.
[00:36:53] Robert: Okay.
[00:36:54] Felix: I got Hailey to push the button for me each time.
[00:36:56] Star Master Jeff: Yeah. Slo slo slo. [00:37:00] You move the vat. Hailey presses the, the glob slo Vos says,
[00:37:05] Thorne: it appears that I have enough nano fluid to actually activate the pylon Now. I think that we should, because then I can. Fill up our escape hatch. And what do you think?
[00:37:18] Felix: Do it
[00:37:20] Thorne: very well. Activating the pylon. Now
[00:37:22] Star Master Jeff: the goo begins to glow.
[00:37:25] Ripple back and forth as though there were an unseen force pushing it back and forth like an earthquake. Waves appearing in the goo, the pile on begins to glow with a cosmic purple and black energy, much like you saw back at the truck stop with a similar device mere moments later. It's as though a hole has been ripped in space time itself, directly in the middle of the spiral, right between the two tin of the rod, which is exactly what you observed at the truck Stop.
[00:37:54] As well, but this time, instead of seeing some odd tentacle monster, [00:38:00] you instead see space. This window is 10 foot cubed no matter where you're standing in the spiral. You can see through it at a different angle. You watch it as this cubed window hurdles across space, minute after minute passes. And you all stand entranced until it finally begins to reach a metal structure.
[00:38:20] One of interlocking rings, five rings total huge. A mammoth structure organized like a celestial gyroscope with a long rod piercing its heart. As the window approaches this object, its true scale comes into focus as a space station is shown orbiting at no more than one 10th its size. I
[00:38:43] do not believe it.
[00:38:44] That's Promethean Station.
[00:38:47] Haley, your head begins to throb. The gyroscope spins up as the window slowly approaches it, and then it gains speed moving faster and faster. The window going towards it quicker and quicker until it [00:39:00] passes through the event horizon of this gyroscope and seemingly slams into the central rod.
[00:39:07] The window goes black for a split second before slowly resolving to show a single blue light floating amongst. Stars. The blue light slowly resolves into a diamond shape. A diamond shape that then splits into two diamond shapes, and then four, and then eight. Suddenly, Haley screams as she falls to the ground clutching her head.
[00:39:27] Haleyy: Ah
[00:39:30] Felix: Haley. Oh my God.
[00:39:31] Haleyy: The blue light lie.
[00:39:33] Felix: Cut it. Cut it. Dr. Voss, get outta here. Hurt Hailey. Trying as much as I can disconnect. Hailey.
[00:39:39] Star Master Jeff: Hold on.
[00:39:42] Felix: I try to yank. Boss out of her socket.
[00:39:45] Star Master Jeff: No, no, you're full. Don't use the glob on the side, on the side of the pilon.
[00:39:50] Felix: I'm gonna get my hand into the glob to try to help Dr.
[00:39:52] Voss shut down this portal because Hailey's obviously in distress.
[00:39:56] Star Master Jeff: Okay, so when you reach your hands in there, you can see, you can feel how hard Dr. [00:40:00] Voss is trying to disconnect from this. Within this 10 foot cube window, you see that the blue light has taken shape into a tangled mass of black metal limbs.
[00:40:09] In each of these blue diamonds, a separate mass of black metal limbs. Each limb moving seemingly independently and with its own will. Felix, since you are connected to the glob, you and Voss both feel the desires of this creature. You have trouble parsing it, something completely alien. Its intentions are unfathomable.
[00:40:31] And then the feed cuts, Haley drops to the ground unconscious.
[00:40:38] Thorne: Haley, what the hell was that?
[00:40:41] Felix: Laura, we were supposed to fill this tube with the nano food to escape, not open a portal to some kind of, I don't even know what that was.
[00:40:48] Thorne: I'm sorry. I, I, I don't know what happened.
[00:40:49] Felix: You could have killed her.
[00:40:52] Star Master Jeff: From the east side of the room, the go tube that leads through the wall, your potential escape hatch begins to fill with goo.[00:41:00]
[00:41:00] A moment later, Dr. Voss lights up.
[00:41:03] Felix: I'm sorry to have to say this everyone, but it's a slow fill. We'll be sitting here for a couple of hours.
[00:41:09] Thorne: Take a look at my tank. How we doing on O2?
[00:41:12] Star Master Jeff: 60%. So you all buckle down knowing that you're gonna be sitting around for a couple of hours. You try to breathe shallow, you try to make your oxygen stretch as long as you can, and you hope that Haley will wake up before you have to climb into that nano fluid tube and make your way further east to who knows what.
[00:41:34] And so you've all hunger down. Robert sits right next to Hailey on the ground and rests a hand on her shoulder.
[00:41:40] Robert: I never wanted to go down like this, but I do know something about what's going on. I've seen this weirdness before. Black metal rods, crackling energy, the whole nine yards. Oh, I know it.
[00:41:53] Felix: Where Robert at?
[00:41:55] Back at the truck. Stop with the colus.
[00:41:57] Robert: No, no. [00:42:00] Before that. Few years ago I was with my squad iNOS. The tail end of the red rise wars. Damn, those are hot days. Hotter than civil. Even more humid too. Give me a dry heat over a jungle. Any day we could barely breathe. When we could, we choked on bugs and the swarms like a notion of little black dots.
[00:42:29] Thorne: You saw Alien tech on Vento. What's that gotta do with Hailey?
[00:42:35] Robert: Well, I suppose for you to understand, I better tell you about Hailey's system, Hailey, with one y.
[00:42:43] Star Master Jeff: But we'll have to hear that story another time. So tune in next time for Robert Ross's focus episode where he finally spills the secret about his and Haley's military past.
[00:42:56] Well, that's it for our adventure tonight. Thanks so much for listening. [00:43:00] Huge thanks to our cast. We have Doja as Robert, Brian as Thorn, Scott, as Felix, and of course Stephanie as Hailey and me as everything and everyone else. Whenever you hear Froggy, it's really just me being annoying. Oh, and once again, we have merch now all designed by my beautiful wife Casey, who also did all of our logo work.
[00:43:24] So if you'd like a pint glass from Rogers or a trucker hat from scrap jacks, we've got it all. So stop on by@darkstaradventures.com and check out our shop and some other news. I am now the moderator of the SWN subreddit, so stop on by and drop me a line. Say hi and share what's going on in your own corner of this.
[00:43:48] Sector. We'd love to see you there. Well, thanks so much everyone for listening, and as always, take it easy and we'll catch you on the next [00:44:00] one.