Episode 9: Brother's Keeper - Felix's Story
Relaxing on the 'goat after their escape from Wafisa, the crew convinces Felix to share a story from his past.
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
Support on Patreon
Special thanks to Brad and Holly, our first Scapegoat Syndicate members on Patreon!
They're keeping the lights on and the airlocks sealed.
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Episode 9
Felix (Scott): [00:00:00] Welcome to the Dark Star Adventure Cast, where the stars are cold. The void is endless and danger lurks in every shadow Out here, TRUS is a gamble, and survival is never guaranteed. On tonight's adventure cast,
Jet the Viper (Doja): I was told to shoot a thing and I want to shoot a thing. Now if those drones come a calling and don't hesitate, pull 'em
Petey (Brian): outta the sky.
Petey (Brian): I don't think that this guy's gonna wait for me to make a phone call.
Nyx (Stephanie): Nix takes a breath and pops in her earbuds. She likes music when she works. Gravity well, Redshift Revelry.
Felix (Scott): Now let's get out there and hack the galaxy.
Star Master Jeff: The crew of the scapegoat has put a few days into their journey and rewarded themselves with a well-earned rest. The Spike Drive course is set and they're underway to the hidden Promethean station deep [00:01:00] within the sector. Bfia was tough and the break is welcome. Routed around the long table in the kitchen.
Star Master Jeff: They pass around a bottle of whiskey while listening to Robert's favorite playlist. And swapping war stories from their past.
Jet the Viper (Doja): And he says, death or bunga. I had to choose Bunga. Bunga. Oh, what a guy. God, Robert. Uh. What about, uh, what about you Felix?
Felix (Scott): What about me, Robert?
Jet the Viper (Doja): I mean we all have reasons for being here, but honestly seem to have joined the mission just per chance.
Felix (Scott): It's not just by chance. Like you said, we all have a reason to be here. I've got a story. All right then. Let's hear it. What is it? Well, thorn just 'cause I have a story doesn't mean I wanna tell it.
Nyx (Stephanie): Well, we have 10 months. If you tell us your story, I'll tell you guys mine
Felix (Scott): shit, man. Mine.
Petey (Brian): Sure. I'll tell you.
Petey (Brian): Mine.
Nyx (Stephanie): Haley pours [00:02:00] SA glass of whiskey and slides it on over.
Felix (Scott): I pick up the glass of whiskey. Thanks and fine. Fine. Do you wanna hear it? I gotta warn you though, it's not all rainbows and sunshine.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Oh, oh no. That sounds like a good one. Let's have it. Let's hear it.
Felix (Scott): I knocked back the whiskey set on myself in my chair and lean back and my brother Pete is, uh, is a journalist, made a name for himself, exposing Corporal lies and crimes.
Felix (Scott): Now one day, omnitech hopped up on his radar. Turns out they were buying up prisoner contracts like they were stock options. And man, once they signed on that dotted line, those poor bastards were never heard from again. He worked himself to the bone for months on that story. Even going so far as infiltrating Omnitech itself to uncover what he could.
Felix (Scott): Finally, he learned that the proof he needed was stored way up in their orbital data vault. But no sooner did he learn this. Then he heard the entire prisoner operation was moving off world vault in awe, and he was devastated. [00:03:00] This was Pete's one shot before the vault disappeared to God's nose, where to expose, omnitech and break the story of his career.
Felix (Scott): So, of course he came to me for help and well, I'd do anything for my little brother. Here's how it went down. I started work putting together a little crew for the job. It was me, obviously the one who actually knows how to crack a system, a real ghost. This Nick's silent, pover Hoven, and she moved faster than anyone I've ever seen.
Felix (Scott): She had instincts to match the muscle on the job was gonna be Jet, the Viper Harlow, he was all nerves and gun metal, and he was just looking for an excuse to shoot something. And finally, Petey, my little brother, idealistic journalist, former field medic who proved himself in the Doppler skirmishes, and the only one of us who still believed in a happy ending.
Felix (Scott): While I was getting the crew together, Petey worked his contacts. He greased some palms, managed to get seats for us all on a refueling shuttle bound for the vault, and he could always do that, make friends with anyone and get what he wanted. [00:04:00] So it's the night of the job, right? Shuttle launches. Nice and quiet.
Felix (Scott): No arms, no warning. We're getting ready. We suit up, checking our gear, and as I'm sliding my laser pistol into my holster, I finally realize, man, we're about to break into the most secure data vault in orbit with nothing but mag boots, a few laser pistols, and good intentions. It was gonna be one hell of a night.
Star Master Jeff: So in this very special episode of the Dark Star Adventure Cast, all of our actors will be playing different characters. Brian, you have the honor of playing Felix's younger brother PD Chaplin. A inquisitive, fast-talking news reporter. Bad with names, great with faces. Stephanie, you'll be playing. Nick's silent Paul Ver Hoven.
Star Master Jeff: A cat burglar, mischievous, a perfectionist, and always lands on her feet. Doja, you'll be playing Jet The Viper Harlow. A gun, Slinger does it for the credits and because Nick said so, he's deadly calm and keeps his guns [00:05:00] immaculate at all times. And here we go.
Star Master Jeff: As your shuttle draws near the orbital data vault, looms ahead a massive three story pyramid, drifting in the void. Its dark surface, etched with glowing lines and crisscrossing tracks. Slowly it rotates on its axis, a monolithic structure in the cold silence of space, occasional bursts of light flicker along its edges as unseen.
Star Master Jeff: Systems hum. With activity, thin rail lines run along its faces like veins, carrying maintenance, drones that skidder along in programmed routines, patching the dings and dents made from passing debris. The fault surface is sleek, almost seamless, except for the reinforced docking ports and security nodes jutting out like watchful sentinels.
Star Master Jeff: Beyond it, the night world poly fin blows, faintly casting long shadows across the vault, [00:06:00] rotating form. Poly Finn's Hyper urbanized surface is a pulsing patchwork quilt of civilization. Its neon streaks and suborbital skyways humming with life. The shuttle jolts as a mixed contact with the vault. A refueling arm extends and connects with a hiss.
Star Master Jeff: As it begins its fuel transfer. The access hatch to the inside of the pyramid is less than a hundred feet away along the vault surface and somewhere inside, locked behind layers of security lies the truth. You came here to steal.
Nyx (Stephanie): Felix, I am very indebted to you and that is why we are here. Just before we get started, I want you to know that I did my best with this plan.
Nyx (Stephanie): You give me a lot of time. We've got Jet here, I trust him. Not sure what to expect once we get over to that hatch a hundred feet away, but we're gonna get in and out of this place. I'm good at what I do. Jet the Viper good at what he does and then yes.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Um, are amazing at what you do. But, um, what [00:07:00] is it that you are here to.
Jet the Viper (Doja): To do. Listen.
Felix (Scott): Listen guys, we've been over this on the flight up. Nick, I know you wanted it all to be perfect and I am sorry we couldn't get more details, but that's, we have you both here for your unique skill sets so we can encounter and overcome any obstacle. Right now, our obstacle is some open space between us and that hatch, so I suggest we all save our air.
Felix (Scott): Finish suiting up and launch our asses into the void. Goodness said it better myself, bro. Next we gotta suit up. Everybody ready? We don't have a lot of time here. This is our right home too. Ed is zipped up and ready to go. All right, here we go. So unseal the air lock
Felix (Scott): and jump
Star Master Jeff: towards the the pyramid. There's not a lot of air UR in here. You've all been suited up in your armored vac suits since the beginning because this is a refueling shuttle and it's not really meant for people. You've been crammed into sort of a small space in here. So [00:08:00] opening the hatch again. Out a tiny bit of air escapes whatever residual air there was from leaving PolyPhen surface, and you're able to easily step down onto the surface of the Great Vault pyramid and activate your mag boots, sticking you to the surface.
Star Master Jeff: Alright, I think
Felix (Scott): you're holding.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Come
Felix (Scott): on
Jet the Viper (Doja): everyone. What are you waiting for? All right, let's get going. I'm covering from the back. I, I, I'm, I'm making sure that those mag boots work as well as you said they would. Don't worry about it yet.
Nyx (Stephanie): I trust in our equipment. Everyone follow me. Walk where I walk. Don't mess this up.
Nyx (Stephanie): God,
Jet the Viper (Doja): you only bake for this.
Nyx (Stephanie): Next, we'll talk more about it later
Star Master Jeff: to the four of you. Leave the shuttle behind. Activate your mag boots and follow Nick's. Across the crisscrossing tracked surface of the vault. You do see some of those maintenance drones. They're essentially adhered to these tracks and they're moving along quite quickly, but they don't seem to like pose any actual threat.
Star Master Jeff: However, Nicks, nothing escapes your watchful eye and to the [00:09:00] far right. On the horizon of the vault, you notice that there is a flying drone that with its glowing red eye is scanning for unauthorized activity. You recognize even from this distance as a weaponized drone meant for defense of a location.
Star Master Jeff: You've seen them many, many times before. Chad,
Nyx (Stephanie): you see that drone over there
Jet the Viper (Doja): way out there.
Nyx (Stephanie): Can you get it?
Felix (Scott): Huh? Don't you know it? Nick's jet? We might be better off just hustling inside. If we take that one down, it might raise the arms across the whole system.
Nyx (Stephanie): Good point.
Felix (Scott): Better to lay low.
Nyx (Stephanie): I'm used to working alone so I wouldn't get caught in this situation, but I do have to think of the group.
Jet the Viper (Doja): I was told to shoot a thing and I won't to shoot a thing now. Later,
Petey (Brian): jet
Jet the Viper (Doja): Later there will be more drones.
Petey (Brian): Alright, bye. Be told. I hope you don't get your chance.
Star Master Jeff: I am now picturing Jet as Varus salt.
Nyx (Stephanie): I want to shoot it now. Debbie, [00:10:00] I wanna shoot it now. I was told I could shoot
Star Master Jeff: it and I want to shoot it now.
Star Master Jeff: I love it. Jet. You reluctantly lower your pistol and the four of you following nick's. Make your way the rest of the way to the access hatch. Here you find a closed and locked access hatch with no obvious. Manual, mechanical way to open it. Instead, there is a control panel that is next to it along with a port below it that a shuttle that is carrying passenger's maintenance or visitor would come and dock here and extend and connect to this port to pass a security clearance.
Star Master Jeff: You expected something like this to be here and you've brought your hacking tools in order to deal with it. However, knowing that there are security drones on this. Surface of this vault does give you some pause.
Felix (Scott): Alright, listen, I can get in here, but if something goes wrong, we might get swarmed. So I need the rest of y'all to be ready.
Felix (Scott): If those drones come a calling, then don't hesitate to pull 'em outta the sky.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Just, um, give me the, give me the, the go ahead. Uh, [00:11:00] at this point, my uh, kick of fingers is a bit itchy. Remember what I said? Keep PD safe. Is that between you and me? Is that my actual mission? To have? It's,
Felix (Scott): it's one of your main reasons for being here.
Felix (Scott): Yeah. Hey, big bro. Quit whispering and get to work. Time is of the, yes, I'm doing it. I'm doing it.
Star Master Jeff: Everyone could hear the whispers because getting closer in space, you're still just talking over your walkie talkie. So
Felix (Scott): yeah, it meant to be secret. It was meant to be emphatic, private, calm.
Star Master Jeff: Have you guys noticed Pete's gained a little weight?
Star Master Jeff: Pete's just a hundred meters away, like. Hey, come on.
Felix (Scott): Having said that, I'm going to pull out my data slab and plug in to begin trying to gain access.
Star Master Jeff: The moment that you plug in a flash goes over the screen that says, security alert, visitor identification, not recognized. What you kind of thought might happen, do you immediately start your hack?
Star Master Jeff: Go ahead and roll for that. [00:12:00] And next, nothing escapes your watchful eye off to your left, but a hundred feet ahead, you spot a security drone. It turns it's red, watchful eye sweeping towards you, and then you spot another off to your right and then another. It seems they're swarming on this location.
Felix (Scott): Wait, wait, lemme see.
Felix (Scott): I got an 11
Star Master Jeff: and eleven's a great role. You easily pass that first layer of security, you're able to give it a valid identification and it starts to cycle the airlock on the other side. However, while that's happening, it's asking for your second level of identification. If you have one to know how deep into the vault, you can actually go, and there seems to be an array of various crypto keys and questions that you have to answer whether you have these things or not.
Star Master Jeff: To gain access. The drones sweep closer.
Nyx (Stephanie): We are running out of time. We're gonna get in. This doesn't matter how far we want. Get in
Star Master Jeff: Jet. They're out of rains for everyone else, but you're a crack shot. Would you like to take a [00:13:00] drone out?
Jet the Viper (Doja): I squeeze Felix's shoulder. They're in range. They're going to spot us.
Jet the Viper (Doja): It's cycling. They'll waste a minute. Give me the order. I'm running it out. Felix. Nicks. Nicks. What do I need to do here? Nick, I can't miss you. What's going on? Make the call.
Star Master Jeff: Nicks, you feel a beat of sweat running down your face. You're used to working alone, not commanding a group.
Speaker 7: Um, uh, well, uh, well I
Petey (Brian): finally, I think PD feeling like this is sort of to be his mission interrupts the tension and he slaps jet on the back.
Nyx (Stephanie): Just take this. Jeff and Nick lets out the biggest sigh of relief.
Jet the Viper (Doja): That seems good enough for me to slowly, meticulously line up the best shot I can on this drone as it comes into my range. I specifically give it a minute and then pull the trigger as I hold my breath
Jet the Viper (Doja): might be a little bit better than terrible at [00:14:00] shooting. I roll a 16 for five points of damage.
Star Master Jeff: Boom, miss. 16 hits. So your laser bolt rocked across the void of space, struck this droid for five points of damage, which is enough to take it out in one hit. But when one falls, it doesn't fall 'cause it's in zero G, where one explodes silently and slowly drifts away from the vault, becoming a satellite of said vault.
Star Master Jeff: Two more, appear in its dead. Four are now totally aware of where you are and begin to rocket towards you. They're a mere 50 feet away, which is a distance that Nicks could probably hit and PD can almost hit
Nyx (Stephanie): Jet. You see the rest coming? We have to take them out.
Jet the Viper (Doja): I do. I can only shoot so many of them. I had to empty near a clip on that one.
Jet the Viper (Doja): I'll be with you
Petey (Brian): pe. He draws his pistol as well.
Star Master Jeff: What's the status of the airlock? So that was the first round. You can roll for your second round of hacking.
Felix (Scott): I keep working on this [00:15:00] program. Um, I'm gonna roll again using my skill as an expert because I didn't like that role.
Star Master Jeff: Six may or may not have made it.
Felix (Scott): Yeah, that's pretty bad. Okay,
Star Master Jeff: 10. Much better. So you succeed getting through the second round of security questions and cryptographic keys that it wants you to supply to it. Now it's getting into sort of the intense. Stuff. It's really trying to drill into what your access is and you know that you're gonna need the utmost access once you get in there that you keep working.
Star Master Jeff: The second round of combat starts, we're now at a point where both Jet and Nicks can comfortably shoot Ed. You can attempt to shoot at this distance, but you'll be at a minus one jet. You may go first.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Felix, I'm really going to need you to start moving on this. It's getting a bit hairy out here. I'm going to level another shot.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Oh my God, I think I sprained my, my trigger finger. I rolled a one. Oh
Star Master Jeff: no. So you go to raise up your pistol, but I'm used to [00:16:00] combat in zero G. You're not a spacer. This is maybe even the first time you've been in zero G. Off world of PolyPhen. You release your gun and it begins to drift away.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Shit. Shit, shit.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Shit.
Star Master Jeff: You're able to grab it just in time, but of course your shot and your entire attack is spoiled. Nix
Nyx (Stephanie): should have just done this on my own, taking a shot.
Star Master Jeff: I kind of love Nix. I'm loving the attitude.
Nyx (Stephanie): It's different for me. I'm trying. I'm really trying. No, you
Star Master Jeff: on that. It's good.
Nyx (Stephanie): I'm breaking out.
Petey (Brian): It's good.
Petey (Brian): It's working. It's definitely working.
Star Master Jeff: It's not a cleric and you're doing great with, it's
Speaker 8: a cleric. It's hard. I really like my sneeze. Hard,
Nyx (Stephanie): but jet, this is how you do it. She shoots a 12, takes out a drone, but with five damage,
Star Master Jeff: the drone explodes silently and drifts away. Like. The other, but you can see far off on the horizon.
Star Master Jeff: A hundred, 125 feet away, another [00:17:00] drone appearing. There seems to be no shortage of security drones here on the surface of the data vaults. Edie, would you like to take a shot at a minus one, which
Petey (Brian): turns out
Star Master Jeff: to be
Petey (Brian): wow, still a pretty great roll. I got a 16, but but only one damage
Star Master Jeff: It careens to the side and gets knocked off of Its.
Star Master Jeff: Path, it's gonna take it around to reconfigure itself and start moving towards you again. So you've effectively taken it outta combat for one round. There's only one drone left in that distance band. So the three of you have effectively destroyed those four drones that are coming towards you except for that last one.
Star Master Jeff: And it arrives. It flies up to it's about 20 feet away from you, and it opens fire. It's gonna randomly choose someone it randomly chooses. Pd, you gets hurt. I'm gonna be so mad at Jet. I rolled a two. So the laser bolt goes wide, almost hitting pd, but actually is much closer to hitting jet, but it misses both of them.
Star Master Jeff: The laser bolt flying off into the distance and probably killing someone on PolyPhen. [00:18:00]
Petey (Brian): This, the laser goes all the way to the surface.
Nyx (Stephanie): We cannot expect this luck to continue, Felix. I'm working on it. I'm working on it.
Star Master Jeff: Nix is a consummate professional who has been in this situation a million times. Alone.
Star Master Jeff: Felix, I need you to roll Hack once again. See if you can get through that third level of security.
Felix (Scott): I only get one roll this time. Come on, Felix. Your brother's here.
Nyx (Stephanie): We got this.
Felix (Scott): It's not good, guys. Oh my God, that's, that's only a six. That time for the third level,
Star Master Jeff: you've already used your re-roll for this.
Star Master Jeff: And a six is a failure. All of the drones that are in the distance move up another 50 feet and jet. There is a drone directly in front of you and there are three drones in the next distance band out. What would you like to do?
Jet the Viper (Doja): Uh, I'm going to go for the, the further out and while I roll that. I'm curious, do I have a warrior style re-roll as well?
Star Master Jeff: Yes. Once per scene. Beautiful. And it's not a re-roll,
Felix (Scott): it's an auto hit.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Right? Right. Of course. I was curious, so I, [00:19:00] I asked specifically, 'cause if PD got hit, could I re-roll a, a miss for pd?
Star Master Jeff: No. Only against yourself.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Yep.
Star Master Jeff: Perfect. This is stars without number, not stars without consequence. If Pete gets hit, fair, good one, good one gets hit.
Star Master Jeff: Petey going down, God damnit Petey.
Jet the Viper (Doja): And so I level my pistol. I shoot for not the closest of the drones, but something at the edge of my range band and roll an 18 with only two damage. At that distance
Star Master Jeff: you hit and you ricochet off the side of it doing more damage than PD did and. It spins off on its axi, disabled for the round, but it will be back.
Star Master Jeff: Nicks, would you like to take shot?
Nyx (Stephanie): Yes. I take aim at the drone closest to us. Hoping to ensure our safety. I rolled a 17. Thank God for damage [00:20:00]
Star Master Jeff: your laser bolt. Slides seamlessly between the chinks and the drones. Armor destroying its internal circuitry. It explodes with a small puff of smoke which drifts off into the void.
Star Master Jeff: There are four drones off in the 50 foot range band pd. You can try to shoot them at a minus one if you wish.
Petey (Brian): At this point, Pete is both hands on the pistol. He's got his mag boots locked and he's in like a crouching position on the surface of this pyramid, and he is just peppering these drones. 'cause he's not much of a shooter, but if he doesn't do something, they're going to close in.
Petey (Brian): So yeah, I'm gonna take a shot. Even though there is a penalty,
Star Master Jeff: ed rolls a 12. A 12 hit
Petey (Brian): nice. So it's only two points of damage. But his flurry of. Lasers manages to hit something.
Star Master Jeff: You hit the one that you hit before, and with the scorch mark that you gave it before, and the the tiny dent that you strike to it this time, it's enough to rock its internal circuitry enough that [00:21:00] it simply gives up.
Star Master Jeff: I got him. It listlessly flies away. It's it's guidance. Somehow interrupted by the pebble like laser assault that PD has brought onto it.
Felix (Scott): Great shot. Good. Now don't get cocky.
Star Master Jeff: Okay, Felix, your brother is doing something, but everyone's still in danger. Go ahead and roll your hack once again to bypass the third and hopefully final round of cryptographic security.
Star Master Jeff: I've been
Felix (Scott): furiously.
Star Master Jeff: Nine nine's enough, the drones begin to move forward as the access door slides open. On the other side, you can see that there is an airlock barely large enough for three people.
Speaker 8: Come on. We're in. We're in. We're gonna have to take it in turns, I guess. You welcome Pete. Get in there.
Petey (Brian): You.
Petey (Brian): You don't have to tell me. Pete's already. Scrambling in as he was probably right next to Felix when it opened. So I, I scramble in after Pete.
Nyx (Stephanie): Nicks, get in here.
Jet the Viper (Doja): I jam Nicks in as hard as I can.
Nyx (Stephanie): Oh, jet. I can hide
Star Master Jeff: Nixon. You're resisting. Yes. Nicks and Jet. Go ahead and give [00:22:00] me a strength roll. Somebody's gonna float it off in a void.
Star Master Jeff: Yep. You guys get the exact same role, so you lock into a grapple where neither one of you have any purchase trying to both shove each other into the hatch. Meanwhile, all four of the drones from the 50 foot range band move in and begin their assault. Oh no. Well, it takes their turn to move up. So go ahead and roll.
Star Master Jeff: Are you guys gonna do another tussle?
Jet the Viper (Doja): I, I figured I'd just give a shove, but then continue to shoot at the drones. You give a shove, but she's locks onto you. She does, and I'm going to di not disengage, but draw my weapon and shoot despite her clinging onto me.
Star Master Jeff: Okay. So the two of you are out there and beginning to shoot Felix, what do you want to do?
Felix (Scott): I'm in the hatch with pd. What do I see for controls in here?
Star Master Jeff: There's a control panel to cycle the air lock.
Felix (Scott): And do I see a way that I could open it again from the inside to open up? I guess I wouldn't know until I get through the air lock into the station. If I could open it for other two
Star Master Jeff: and it would barely fit three people, but four [00:23:00] people could definitely cram in here.
Felix (Scott): All right, so now that I'm in there and I look around, I look out. You do stop fighting. I think we can all fit in here. We, it's gonna be tight for a few minutes. Both of you get in here now. God, children. We're working
Jet the Viper (Doja): with, working with children.
Speaker 8: Jet.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Nick, do you continue to shove me?
Speaker 8: Fine. Fine. Get I, I, you know what, jet, this is your choice.
Speaker 8: Stop pushing. I'm getting in.
Jet the Viper (Doja): I, I stopped pushing Long go. Uh, I'm continuing to fire up the drones.
Speaker 8: I did hire you for your shooting and not your brains.
Jet the Viper (Doja): I, that's, which is what I'm doing currently is I'm shooting at things.
Speaker 8: All right, jet. There's room. We've confirmed it.
Jet the Viper (Doja): I, I go briefly battle rage blind as I continue to shoot things.
Jet the Viper (Doja): And Nick. Shoves me into
Star Master Jeff: the capsule,
Nyx (Stephanie): I think pulls it. I'm pulling now.
Star Master Jeff: Yeah. Nix is like, I'm going in first. I don't even care about you anymore.
Nyx (Stephanie): No, I care. I care
Star Master Jeff: get shot.
Nyx (Stephanie): But we have found a solution We can fit, grabbing him by the vest, some vest or something, [00:24:00] and like disengage him. Mac boots. We have to pull you in
Star Master Jeff: so you, you start pulling, him and his mag boots are still activated, so you just reach down, deactivate them and yank him through feeling you're ready on the airlock.
Star Master Jeff: So you cycle everything. The four of you can't exactly stand up in here, but there's zero G anyway, you're head to boot topsy-turvy, all intertwined with each other, just packed into a really tight space. It's like four people being crammed into a zero-G closet. You can fit, but no one's having a good time.
Star Master Jeff: No. One of good morals is having a good time in this situation. Oh, no.
Petey (Brian): Wait, why are you cackling What was
Petey (Brian): that supposed to mean?
Star Master Jeff: Yeah, what is Jet not good? Wait. woah wait a minute. Jet doesn't have good morals. Hold on. Wait,
Nyx (Stephanie): Felix,
Felix (Scott): it's opening. It takes a minute. to cycle.
Petey (Brian): Who's groping me?
Nyx (Stephanie): If any of you move anymore, I will leave you here.
Star Master Jeff: A good minute later, the airlock finishes cycling [00:25:00] and you sigh with relief. As the airlock door opens into the vault, you're able to take off your stifling helmets, but it's still zero G in here. You float in, reactivate your mag boots, but at least you can breathe. The room is dark but suddenly dim.
Star Master Jeff: Emergency lights flicker to life, casting long shadows across the room. The small room no more than 10 by 15 feet. Its center is an Android, just its upper half and it's hanging impaled on an iron rod. Its synthetic skin cracked and healing. It's an old model, but it's still active. Its eyes blink awake with a faint blue glow.
Star Master Jeff: Welcome, honored guests. Please present identification and state your business behind it. A heavy security door looms seamless and inert. The Android, despite its ruined estate, watches you. Like a host awaiting a reservation at a fancy restaurant, unmoving [00:26:00] yet in complete control.
Nyx (Stephanie): Just an aside, does Omnitech not replace these things?
Nyx (Stephanie): This is like the second one, third one we've run into that's just not doing that great. It's a
Felix (Scott): piece of crap. Yeah. Yeah. They're actually, they're actually very anti consumption, surprisingly so they, they use stuff to, it really can't be used anymore.
Star Master Jeff: They'd much rather exploit humans than expensive robots.
Star Master Jeff: Humans are just like, they're everywhere. You have to build a human. True. Welcome, honored guests. Please present identification and state your business.
Felix (Scott): Okay, so I'm gonna walk up to the Android and attempt to basically interface with it with my data slab to override it.
Star Master Jeff: Okay. So you go up to it and you pull out your data slab and you start looking for a port to hook into, and it goes,
Felix (Scott): I kindly ask you to step back.
Felix (Scott): Yeah, yeah. I just need, I'm running diagnostics. I'm here for some diagnostics. You're just, I just, hold on a second. Please provide identification with
Star Master Jeff: your
Felix (Scott): diagnostic code. Yeah, I did that when I was coming in. Didn't you get all that information? As I keep looking
Star Master Jeff: from next to the large seamless security door [00:27:00] behind it, a small panel open and from out of its slides, a turret, it's laser pointing directly at your chest.
Star Master Jeff: I'm gonna have to ask you once again to please provide your diagnostic code, okay? Okay. Okay. I step back.
Nyx (Stephanie): I think to myself, could I make it over to that turret without being caught and disable it with my laser? Pistol?
Star Master Jeff: You're unsure what the armor of the turret is, and it's about eight feet away, and you're unsure how quickly it would start firing.
Star Master Jeff: There's a lot of variables here. Darn. As you're thinking though, the turret slides back into the wall. Welcome, honored guests. Please prevent identification and state your business.
Felix (Scott): Anna, look side eyed at pd, who I know is. Always good on the spot like this, hoping he steps up for me.
Nyx (Stephanie): Yeah.
Petey (Brian): PD probably came to this mission expecting this sort of questioning, right?
Petey (Brian): Is this like a, like do I know what kind of dedication they're expecting? Is it a badge? Is it a code number? Is it like a digital interface? I don't understand what he's asking, but I'm sure PD would.
Nyx (Stephanie): Pd. [00:28:00] You had told me when we were preparing for this mission that you'd already talked to an omnitech maintenance operator.
Petey (Brian): Yeah. Who do you think got us on the ship?
Nyx (Stephanie): Can they help further?
Petey (Brian): I don't think that this guy's gonna wait for me to make a phone call.
Star Master Jeff: To answer your question, Pete, I'm trying to think of what knowledge you might have you worked at Omnitech. For a few months. Okay. And you only learned about this specific location maybe like a couple weeks ago?
Speaker 7: Mm-hmm.
Star Master Jeff: But very shortly thereafter, you were like, oh shit, they're relocating and that's why you guys are here with very little foreknowledge. You do have a little bit of info, and you do have a little bit of idea of what Omnitech uses for security. So pd, just to answer your question, every day when you went to the Omnitech offices for your job at.
Star Master Jeff: As a research assistant slash mole, you had to present your identification in a variety of ways, depending on where in the building you were going. But the most common form of security when you first go into the building is voice print analysis.
Petey (Brian): Okay. PDs pretty good. That voice mimicry. Do I think that there's [00:29:00] anybody who, did I do enough research?
Petey (Brian): The type of people who are loud, like I I, that Nick's brought up? Uh, could I try to do his voice? I'm sure I know his name.
Star Master Jeff: His name's Henry Rollins. But you don't think that he's coming up into space. He's mostly like an, uh, a PolyPhen side maintenance person. But you've heard a lot of voices in the past few months, but none more.
Star Master Jeff: Then the voice of the CEO Victor Sen.
Speaker 7: Mm.
Star Master Jeff: If anyone has access, he probably does
Petey (Brian): okay with the prompt from Felix to step forward and do the thing. PD clears his throat and you know, pushes Felix a little bit outta the way. And he says, this is Albany tick, CEO Victor Sein, and our reasons are classified. You will let us through with his best impression that he can do and I can roll like a talk or something for that.
Star Master Jeff: Yeah, please. A talk. And also now if I ever have to do this guy's voice, I have to sound like that.
Petey (Brian): He has
Star Master Jeff: to sound
Petey (Brian): like a this, because that's what Pete [00:30:00] says,
Star Master Jeff: how good his rule is. Yeah. If your role sucks, I'm making him Australian. Ah, that's a pretty good rule. No, I wasn't bad. I got a nine. Dammit. Of course.
Star Master Jeff: CEO Victor Seran, thank you for identifying yourself. Could you please state your business here in the orbital vault?
Petey (Brian): I told you that information is classified, but if you. Must know. Then put down that it is a routine investigation.
Star Master Jeff: The Android kind of jerks back and forth, looks to the side, looks up it's lifeless, eyes dim, and then glow brightly.
Star Master Jeff: Once again, the security measures that I have logged states that I must have a more specific reason. In fact, Victor Sein yourself has visited this station multiple times and each time has reviewed the security protocol with me. In fact, I've failed multiple times
Petey (Brian): and it seems I'm going to have to put you down for yet another.
Star Master Jeff: It just stares blankly at you. Stare blankly at it.
Felix (Scott): Just tell her we're here to get to, to get some data. That's what [00:31:00] we're here for. She's gonna be watching this the whole time we're doing it anyway. Probably. Yeah. Thanks Felix. That's
Petey (Brian): real helpful. Uh, if it's just standing there, it is just waiting still for further input from me.
Petey (Brian): Or is it loading?
Star Master Jeff: I, it's honestly, it's hard to tell. Okay. It's either waiting for you, loading, stalled, or completely deactivated.
Petey (Brian): So a after just like a, a moment of waiting, continuing his best, victor San impression, PD size and says, ah, very well. And he, he, uh, pretends to log something somewhere and says, this is a data collection operation that I have personally authorized.
Petey (Brian): Will that suffice?
Star Master Jeff: Unfortunately with much regard, CEO Victor Seran, the vault is currently in migratory mode because it will be moving shortly. All security systems are currently active, including eye clearance required. I'm gonna need a bit more detail.
Petey (Brian): Well, we're going to need to collect some information [00:32:00] on the itinerary of this vessel as well as a manifest of all its occupants, operation Red Wing or Operation Red Wing.
Star Master Jeff: Confirmed Operation Red. Wing, you hear computational noises happening. Digital feedback. You hear the the theme song of the internet playing as this 56 K modem, boots Up Operation Red Wing requires top secret operational knowledge data gathering, and in fact, arriving here at this station requires top clearance as well.
Petey (Brian): Why do you think I had to come myself?
Star Master Jeff: Yes. Thank you. CEO Victor Saren. Much regards. The three keys of security have been turned. The Android turns a basic back. To you and then slumps over lifeless as the hatch in front of you opens to reveal a narrow thinning corridor. The air humming with energy, dozens of thin red laser beams crisscrossed the space before you rotating with the corridor and shimmering [00:33:00] dangerously.
Star Master Jeff: The faint scent of ozone fills your nostrils as you cautiously eye the door at the far end. It's just 30 feet away. A simple control panel is attached to the wall. Beside it,
Petey (Brian): Pete lets out a sigh in both frustration and relief, and he looks at his brother Felix and says, Felix, we deactivate that thing or something before we have to come back through here.
Petey (Brian): He's mostly kidding, but he's just very frustrated with this Android. Hey, Pete,
Felix (Scott): you did a great job, man. I, I'm proud of you. There's a lot of riding
Petey (Brian): on this, Felix.
Felix (Scott): Yeah. Now next, these lasers, uh, you get, help us out here. We should have brought Catherine Zeta Jones.
Star Master Jeff: Catherine Zeta Jones. Oh, so basically you're looking down a round corridor that's constantly turning clockwise.
Star Master Jeff: An attack to the walls are laser beams heading across the space in between, and of course, they're rotating as well as the, the whole corridor rotates, and Felix has just turned to you and demanded that you solve this problem. Next, what would you [00:34:00] like to do? Uh,
Nyx (Stephanie): Felix, do not take that tone with me. You know that I'm an expert here.
Felix (Scott): Yeah, yeah. No, I know. Sorry, I didn't mean to be short. You're right. I trust you. It's
Nyx (Stephanie): fine. We're all frustrated. Omnitech has terrible, terrible technology when it comes to their droids. Nick's is stretching right now as she's preparing to Yep. I can definitely get that hatch for you. I'll go,
Star Master Jeff: so next, you're familiar with these.
Star Master Jeff: They'll burn you and if you get hit a few times, you'll die. They're mostly meant to incapacitate people, but if you kind of get stuck in a web of them, you will die. Out of character. What that means is that every time you get hit by a laser, you take a hip point of damage.
Nyx (Stephanie): Oh, okay.
Star Master Jeff: Yes. You could very quickly die.
Nyx (Stephanie): How many rounds will I be going through this if I do this?
Star Master Jeff: Oh, you're talking about just jumping in there. So if you're trying to like, launch yourself in part of that is dependent on your speed. Or if you're trying to do like an acrobatic, make your way through. Yeah,
Nyx (Stephanie): no, I wanna dance through it using, you know, absolute.
Nyx (Stephanie): You do. I'm, I am dancing through [00:35:00] it, leveraging my mag boots to like. Change my angle as I go down the walls.
Star Master Jeff: Turning them off. Turning them back on.
Nyx (Stephanie): Yeah.
Star Master Jeff: Oh, okay.
Nyx (Stephanie): That's the, that's, you know, she's doing cool flips through this thing and looking for handholds to, I dunno, the enemy's gate is down, et cetera.
Nyx (Stephanie): She's doing the whole thing.
Star Master Jeff: Okay. Well I wasn't behind this plan until you referenced end's game and now I'm fully behind it. So it's, you're in a single scene right now. Mm-hmm. So you go, you can make a single role. And we'll see what happens. Cool. So go ahead and roll your exert.
Nyx (Stephanie): Okay. She just prepares herself to catapult dance through this room.
Nyx (Stephanie): She's, she studies it for a good 30 seconds to notice any patterns.
Speaker 7: Nick? Nick. Zero modifier. Okay.
Nyx (Stephanie): Oops. Boy. That's a good rule's.
Star Master Jeff: Great. Yeah.
Nyx (Stephanie): I roll to 10.
Star Master Jeff: Oh damn.
Nyx (Stephanie): So Nix is thinking to herself. She has been [00:36:00] dreaming of this moment. Every cat burglar looks forward to the day where not only do they get to dance through a complicated laser security system that just adds on levels and levels of extra difficulties, but now she has an audience.
Nyx (Stephanie): Nicks takes a breath and pops in her earbuds. She likes music when she works. Gravity well. Redshift Rebelly. She looks at Petey right about this. In the future, this is going to be worth remembering. She launches herself into the hallway. There's this subtle click of mag boots coming on and off. She dodges through the different laser beams trying to reach the end, working towards the end of the room.
Nyx (Stephanie): She enters the flow state. This is something that she's been training for. She's used to, it's beautiful. This is art. She reaches the doorway at the end of the hall and she goes to the access [00:37:00] panel to see how she can disable this.
Star Master Jeff: Stephanie, that was fricking awesome.
Felix (Scott): Yeah, that was great, Steph. That was really well described.
Felix (Scott): Thank you.
Star Master Jeff: Loved
Felix (Scott): it.
Star Master Jeff: So you're on the other side of this spinning corridor of laser burning death, and you've just expertly cat burglar your way acrobat through a zero G web of just insanity. You definitely land on the other side, activating your bag boots with a soft click of your heels. If there is an access panel next to you that should not only open the door, but should deactivate the lasers that are spinning wildly next to you, so with a couple depth presses of the buttons, you move through the menus.
Star Master Jeff: And turn off the lasers and the rest of the group is able to funnel down the corridor.
Nyx (Stephanie): So are we ready to continue?
Felix (Scott): Damn
Petey (Brian): Nicks well
Star Master Jeff: done.
Nyx (Stephanie): Thank you. Well done. Thanks for inviting me, Felix.
Petey (Brian): I'll [00:38:00] be sure to include in a section on your exploits in the video, Nick.
Nyx (Stephanie): I appreciate it. And remember to also mention my trademark, the Little Mice.
Nyx (Stephanie): That I like to leave behind.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Where did you leave the little mice this
Nyx (Stephanie): time? Oh, oh. I haven't left it behind yet. Once we get to the data, I have a spot picked
Jet the Viper (Doja): out. Yeah, that's the point. I I always clean them up behind you. You, you think I'm, I'm, I'm finally, I'm coming clean. Finally happening. I always steal the mice back because, because
Nyx (Stephanie): this why someone else was able to take credit for the WAA job.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Do you mean Waa or, or Waa, because we also did the job on Waa. Wafi it.
Felix (Scott): We don't have. This,
Nyx (Stephanie): I left it in the car in the storage unit.
Felix (Scott): That refueling shuttle is going to leave soon and we gotta be on it to get home.
Nyx (Stephanie): Fine, fine. We can can pick this up later.
Star Master Jeff: Let's go. Everyone is crowding around next and congratulating her when Felix, you note that the access panel that's next to that door, most obviously also open that door and [00:39:00] also reactivate the lasers if that is your desire.
Felix (Scott): It is definitely not my desire. So I will give Nick one last congratulatory Pat. On the shoulder and move over to the door and try to get that sucker open.
Star Master Jeff: Okay. For someone as adept at computers as you, it is no problem. To beep beep, the secure hatch slides open. The next room has no exit. It seems to be the end of the line.
Star Master Jeff: It's 20 by 30 foot room, it's dimly lit. Dozens of computer screens are haphazardly arranged on the far wall, but they're completely inactive below them. There's a long terminal that stretches the entire length of the wall.
Petey (Brian): Ah. Hot oec. This is it, Pete, and all we gotta do now is get that data and then we can expose Omnitech for the scum.
Petey (Brian): They are.
Felix (Scott): Yeah, that's right, brother.
Petey (Brian): High five.
Felix (Scott): All right, let me just log in, Pete, and then you can take over and find the data that you need. You're better at that. Pete just excitedly rubs his hands together, gonna move over to the terminal and begin trying to, to turn it on and gain access to it. [00:40:00]
Star Master Jeff: As you move into the room, you realize that there's a bunch of like cables all over the floor, so you didn't notice it because the, the room is so dim, so you.
Star Master Jeff: Go and you kind of trip over a cable and then make your way over towards the terminal. There's these probably like a dozen really thick cables, snaking from the terminal to various ports all along the floor and the walls. PDU follow 'em in. Suddenly the door slams shut, separating the group. Felix and PD standalone, surrounded by an eerie silence and the jumble of blank computer screens.
Star Master Jeff: Nicks and Jet are in the rotating corridor, utterly cut off from their compatriots.
Jet the Viper (Doja): What the hell was
Felix (Scott): that? Oh, dammit. Nicks jet. Are you there? I can hear you. Yep. Yep. What, what of it? What's going on on there? We just got closed off. Nick, can you reopen the door? Um, let,
Star Master Jeff: lemme try. You pressed the buttons, but nothing happens.
Star Master Jeff: Nope, nothing is opening. Are there any panels on this side of the door? There are not. And the next time you attempt to talk to your friends on the other side of the door, you can't get through. A [00:41:00] moment later, the blank screens crackle to life.
Star Master Jeff: Welcome to Omnitech Laboratories. What the hell is
Petey (Brian): that?
Star Master Jeff: The digital blue face materializes across the monitors. It's glowing eyes. Stare down at you. With cold unblinking intensity, the face distorts slightly. It features flickering like a corrupted signal before its voice booms out. Robotic and unyielding.
Star Master Jeff: You are not welcome here before either of you can react a half dozen long telescopic arms. Shoot out from the walls, their metallic surfaces, leaming in the dim light. They move with unnerving speed and attempt to entangle both helix and pd.
Petey (Brian): Now, get these things off of me.
Star Master Jeff: I could roll for an evasion here, but the truth of the matter is eventually they will catch you.
Star Master Jeff: You could evade for a little bit, but one by one, the arms latch onto an ankle or wrist [00:42:00] or rope. And with terrifying strength, they pull you towards the walls with a hit of hydraulic pressure. We normally pay a premium for test subjects, but yet to willingly come to us for free. We're not willing get off us.
Star Master Jeff: Who is this? I'm Victor Sein. CEO of Omnitech. Now that's that what you sound like.
Petey (Brian): I'm Victor Sein of CEO of Omnitech. Till
Star Master Jeff: I'm Victor sch, it's a bad connection. And listen, I should be asking who you are, who would come to my orbital data vault and think that you could simply steal from me, but I already know who you are. Felix pd Champlin. Pd Evan watching you for months. Do you think that you can simply infiltrate omnitech and get away with it?
Petey (Brian): I'm gonna bring this whole corporation to the ground. It's right, you sick freak.
Star Master Jeff: It might be difficult to do that while you're attached to this data vault [00:43:00] wall, especially since neither of you nor your two compatriots outside will be leaving here alive. But.
Felix (Scott): Struggling against the the restraints. Seeing if I can test or find any give in them.
Star Master Jeff: There is no give. And in fact, as you struggle, they tighten coiling around you like snakes. Damn you, you went with us. I don't want anything with you. But of course you came here, you tried to steal from me. I only think it's right that I steal from you. Instead, it's a type of poetic justice. Is it not Edie like
Petey (Brian): spits when he calls it justice?
Petey (Brian): Corporations like yours are stealing from people all the time. Think about the lives that you've. Stolen with your silly project, word will get out even if we aren't the ones who get it out there, word will get out. Omnitech is going down.
Star Master Jeff: My dear lad. Omnitech is going nowhere. It's bigger than any journalist, but I do wonder exactly how much you are able.
Star Master Jeff: To uncover. [00:44:00] Please tell me your theory. What exactly do you think is happening here?
Petey (Brian): Don't tell him anything, Pete. I'm sure that's exactly what you want. You have no way of knowing what I've already uncovered, and it's enough to put you in the ground for good.
Star Master Jeff: Like I said, you are going nowhere. And you're going to die.
Star Master Jeff: But I'll tell you what, if you can guess exactly what we are doing here, then I will let you go and you can print your story. But if you can't guess,
Felix (Scott): I look at Petey with panic in my eyes. Petey, what? What have you put together so far? What? Just talking about the contracts.
Petey (Brian): You're using all these prisoners as slaves.
Petey (Brian): You won't get away with it. Slaves
Star Master Jeff: interesting theory. And what
Petey (Brian): prisoners You mean from contracts? Yeah. You convince them that you'll give them some sort of way out of being imprisoned, but that way out is just another omnitech prison where they do what you want. Terrible working conditions and if they even survive, the life that they live is a miserable one.
Star Master Jeff: Very interesting [00:45:00] and that's your theory. You think that we're plucking them from prison to simply put them in a a work camp somewhere?
Petey (Brian): I'm sure the truth is even more horrific than I can imagine.
Star Master Jeff: Well, there you are. Not wrong, but not accurate enough to save your life. Young PD Champlain. And I suppose it's only fair to show you what is about to happen to you.
Star Master Jeff: Actually, the foreknowledge of your fates may be used. For us, the monitor in the middle of his face changes showing a man being chased by some shadowy creature. The man struggles tries to climb. A tree is unable to. The creature reaches him and rips him to shreds. Another monitor blinks on replacing his right eye.
Star Master Jeff: It shows a woman straining to reach a child before both tumble from a cliff face smashed upon the rocks below. Another monitor shows two groups of people desperately fighting each other over scraps of food. Another monitor. In another monitor in another. Each monitor flicks to life showing men, women, and yes, even children in dire [00:46:00] situations straining to survive.
Petey (Brian): So you torture them so you run experiments on them?
Star Master Jeff: Yes, indeed. But far more of. Efficient experiments that you might imagine a life can only be given once, but you like so many before you will be copied into our machine. Your consciousness will be converted to artificial intelligence where you will be made to participate in our tests for eternity.
Star Master Jeff: The data gleaned from your participation will be most valuable. You're sick? No, just sick bastard. Your fates are already sealed. Pleading does nothing. I must simply decide which of you goes first. Perhaps you have an opinion, you're both going to die. So which one goes first?
Felix (Scott): No, please just, just take me, I'll go willingly.
Felix (Scott): Just let him go. Felix, what are you saying? No Beatie. Just don't write about it.
Star Master Jeff: Just let it go. Just let it be young PD perhaps. I will show you mercy if you simply promise to not [00:47:00] write about everything that you've seen here today.
Petey (Brian): And I'm
Star Master Jeff: supposed
Petey (Brian): to expect that this twisted CEO is just gonna take me on my word, Felix.
Petey (Brian): People need to know Beat Beatie, but. You, you've gotta live. I promised mom I can't not search for the truth. Felix. You know that about me.
Felix (Scott): I know,
Petey (Brian): I know. That's why I'm so damn proud of you every day.
Star Master Jeff: Her brothers love how touching then I think you first younger one. In fact, like I've said before, I recognize you from our offices, a traitor.
Star Master Jeff: I'll try to make it as painful as I can. One of the telescopic arms produces a skull cap covered in wires. Its rims circled with. Blades. It places it upon Pete's head as he struggles to avoid it. A buzzing of the saws and Pete screams fill the air. A suction tube delicately dabs the rim of the skull cap sucking up blood.
Star Master Jeff: Pete's eyes. Roll into the back of his head as the wires on the [00:48:00] skull cap begin to glow. Pulsating with a hidden energy,
Petey (Brian): you can't hide the forever.
Star Master Jeff: And finally, Pete's voice is silenced as he slumps forward lips and lifeless.
Speaker 7: That's my brother, you
Star Master Jeff: bastard. The skull cap removes with a loud suction noise.
Star Master Jeff: The top of his skull comes with it. Holes in his brain are revealed. I'll kill you. Plugs from the skull cap unhook and snake tendring back into the skull cap. I'll kill you, you bastard. I'll kill you.
Felix (Scott): Whatever it takes. You're a dead man. One down. Wherever I am, whatever s measure consciousness I have left.
Felix (Scott): You'll never be safe.
Star Master Jeff: The arms remove PD from the wall. And a piece of the floor slides open to reveal pit full of dead bodies, many of which are wearing prisoner garb. The smell is the intense PDs dropped in unceremoniously and the chute closes. [00:49:00]
Felix (Scott): Hello buddy.
Star Master Jeff: A monitor Flickers to life. PD is on the screen.
Star Master Jeff: He's at a playground. He looks confused. There's a bomb strapped to his chest. The police, they have him surrounded. They fire, he explodes. The monitor shifts the EDI tied to a chair as a dog size spider skidders towards him. It begins to take out chunks of his legs and his arms. The monitor flickers back to the CEO's face.
Star Master Jeff: And now Felix Champlin, it is your time. The door bursts open in a gout of flames in chaos as jet and Nicks tumble through Laser pistols drawn. Get me down from here.
Nyx (Stephanie): I run over and take him down. I have to see my brother.
Star Master Jeff: So the two little mice found their way into the inner sanctum. After all, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised I was gonna deal with you in due time, but I suppose I'll take care of all three of you at once.
Star Master Jeff: I should make your way [00:50:00] towards Felix, the arms that once held PD snake towards you, Nick. It's not gonna be that easy. I'm gonna need you all to roll initiative.
Star Master Jeff: Next, you won the initiative. You are currently running up to Felix and there's just a bunch of telescopic arms that are pinning him to the wall. What would you like to do?
Nyx (Stephanie): I still wanna get him down as quickly as possible. Can I evade my way around? The arms coming towards me. Get to Felix.
Star Master Jeff: Yeah. So they haven't had a combat round yet.
Star Master Jeff: They're sort of starting to reach towards you, but you're able to reach Felix first,
Nyx (Stephanie): okay? Yep. And get to Felix and try to, um, free him.
Star Master Jeff: Okay, go ahead and roll. Strength.
Star Master Jeff: Oh nice. So you make your strength roll and you pry one of the three telescopic arms off of him, the one that's holding his neck in his right arm. His pry off and you toss it away from him.
Nyx (Stephanie): Felix, come on,
Jet the Viper (Doja): jet i'd. I'd prefer to shoot at the arm closest to [00:51:00] Felix, preferably right next to his head if possible.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Okay. Don't miss
Felix (Scott): Yeah. Least out right next to my head. Nope. Right next to the head. It's not a great rule.
Jet the Viper (Doja): And for, for that, right next to the head, I roll a six.
Felix (Scott): You, you can make it an auto hit. As a warrior
Jet the Viper (Doja): I in auto hit i, I i, I do indeed make it an auto hit for seven points of damage. Woo. Six is a miss.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Auto
Star Master Jeff: hit is a success. You hit for seven points of damage. Your mist turns into a hit as you curve the laser and it slams into one of the telescopic arms. Seven points of damage instantly disables it. Falls off from around his neck, allowing Felix to once again breathe easily. Felix, you still have a telescopic arm around your waist, but your entire upper body is now free.
Star Master Jeff: What would you like to do?
Felix (Scott): I would like to put both hands on it and try to push it off of me. Okay. Real strength. I failed.
Star Master Jeff: Push as hard as you can, but your grief and your choking sobs are preventing you from utilizing your full strength. [00:52:00] The telescopic arms lance, towards you. Two of them go for jet. So the first one kind of crashes into you and is unable to gain purchase on your armored vac suit, which is a very smooth exterior, and the second one completely misses as you expertly dive to the side.
Star Master Jeff: The third one goes to nix Nix. This one misses just barely as a. Is your slippery nature. It grabs you when you simply vanish. The other two, one of them got destroyed and the other one got pulled off and is spending its turn reorienting itself. And the sixth one is currently around Felix's waist Nix.
Star Master Jeff: What would you like to do? Help me nix,
Nyx (Stephanie): help me. I run back up to Felix and continue to try to unravel him from these centrals.
Star Master Jeff: So a six beats your target of 11 on your strength. You easily. Fry the last of the telescopic arms off of Felix who falls to his knees off of the wall.
Nyx (Stephanie): Felix, are you okay Pete?
Star Master Jeff: They took him.
Nyx (Stephanie): Where's Pete?
Felix (Scott): He's gone. [00:53:00] Nicks, he's gone.
Nyx (Stephanie): Where'd he go?
Felix (Scott): That point up at the monitors.
Star Master Jeff: Isn't that sweet? Do you really think you will escape? You are an orbit and I have. Infinite arms, doja, what would you like to do?
Jet the Viper (Doja): I take a, a aim at one of the arms that is coming towards me or Nick's at this point, and take a laser pistol shot at it for 16 with.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Seven points of damage,
Star Master Jeff: 16 hits and seven points of damage instantly disables one of the arms, the telescopic arm, shutters, and falls to the ground, a scorched mark through it. And two more take its place erupting from underneath the terminal. The long cables that are along the floor that Felix noted when he first entered begin to arrive.
Star Master Jeff: And try to reach out and entangle your feet. Felix, what would you like to do?
Felix (Scott): I'd like to get to my feet and take a a, a split second. All right. We gotta [00:54:00] go. We gotta go and start moving towards the door and pulling Nicks behind me.
Star Master Jeff: Aw, what's wrong, Felix leaving so soon since the last you'll hear of me.
Star Master Jeff: Start,
Felix (Scott): I swear, you'll pay
Star Master Jeff: the mocking laugh of CEO. Victor Sein echoes after you as you retreat down the hallway through the spinning room back past the inert Android and out onto the surface of the vault. Here you are ready for a firefight, but no drones are in sight. Carefully and quickly nix leads you back to the shuttle.
Star Master Jeff: Make it inside just before the doors close. Felix, as was the plan, just in case you were found out. You hurriedly upload your hack to the shuttle's interface. Changing its landing zone from deep within Omnitech territory to a safer spot outside of one of [00:55:00] the major cities on PolyPhen, going back to the same world as Omnitech is headquartered.
Star Master Jeff: But that doesn't mean you have to make it easy for them to find you.
Felix (Scott): So that's about it, I guess. You know, Nicks jet and I barely made it out alive. And pd. PD didn't, at least not in any way that mattered. Yeah, his body was gone, but his consciousness had to been copied, digitized, and locked away inside that god damn fault. And he's still in there. And if I couldn't get him out, I knew that I had to find a way in.
Felix (Scott): I can't just leave my brother alone like that. So once we got back Planet side, I did the only thing I could. I burned my old life to the ground. It's time for a new, a new voice, a new face, a new name. Felix Chaplain stitched together a past, bribed the right people, and got myself a job at Omnitech, just [00:56:00] like I learned from Beat.
Felix (Scott): From the inside, I kept my eye on that vault, tracking its movements. It was far, far away. Now, way off of any known drill paths in the sector and some empty pit in the corner of existence. Even if I wanted to full impulse, it would take years to reach it, God's nose where it would move in the meantime. So I just had to wait and watch and keep hope.
Felix (Scott): Keep hope alive. And one day out of the blue, a job popped up on the internal job board, a signal investigation. The coordinates, they were close to the vault. A little too close to be a coincidence in my book. So I scrubbed the applicant list, made sure I was the only hacker on there worth hiring and just like that I was in.
Felix (Scott): But what I didn't know at the time was that old Dr. Voss there had set this whole thing up and now I'm back on omni tech shit list. But you know, it doesn't matter 'cause I'm with this team now and fuck Omnitech one way or another. I'm killing that damn CEO and I'm getting my brother back. And that's all I [00:57:00] gotta say.
Star Master Jeff: Well, no wonder there was only one hacker available for my job. Felix Champlin, you certainly are one of a kind.
Petey (Brian): Thanks Doc. Felix, that's a pretty heavy story, man. Really sorry about your bro.
Felix (Scott): It's all right, thorn. Thanks. Y'all wanted to hear it. So there it is. Now let's not make a big thing of it. Okay. We got a job to do.
Nyx (Stephanie): Alright Felix, but we're here for you.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Yeah. Felix, I starting to feel a little bit bad that, uh, I said you don't, you didn't fit in. You, you are certainly one of us.
Petey (Brian): Thanks Rob. Appreciate that. All right. Who wants pie? Hey,
Petey (Brian): thorn, Dr. This is personal log. So we had some story time tonight and I can't believe what I heard. Poor Felix. Every one of this crew has been really affected by these damn copos and it always seems to be some kind of family connection. Reminds me of Ma and the others back home. Can't help but wonder what those copos are [00:58:00] doing.
Petey (Brian): After I heard what Omnitech did, sick, I'm scared. I hope I hear from them soon. And transmission.
Jet the Viper (Doja): Robert Ross, I never heard so many actual. Deep truths from him. He, he's usually prone to, to sarcasm, to wit, but there's real loss. There's real depth behind it. I told some stupid lighthearted little story and Felix, you could tell he needed to get something off his chest.
Jet the Viper (Doja): I always knew he was one of us. I didn't know how much Robert Ross out
Nyx (Stephanie): Haley. Two wives reporting in. You know, it's been a pretty rough couple of weeks. Pretty raw from seeing some more about that mission. My sister and Robert, Robert Ross were on a few weeks ago, and then today hearing from Felix about what his own family has experienced 'cause of corporations out here, it's a bit, it's always been a little bit frustrating, but we really are in the [00:59:00] same boat ship.
Nyx (Stephanie): Yeah. I'll go with ship. Just trying to make sure that. We don't let them get away with this. All this crap they're doing, that's just going to hurt more people. Hailey out
Felix (Scott): personal log, Felix Chaplain. I knew they'd get that story outta me someday. I just didn't know it would be now. I hope they don't look at me differently.
Felix (Scott): Uh, god dammit, I need a drink. Where's that whiskey?
