Welcome to Your Prison - Auction, Part I

Apr 28

The crew wakes up in handcuffs on Sibylen with Viktor Strake holding all the cards. Before they can find out what he plans to do with them, Thorne cites a corporate policy clause from memory and walks everyone free. They have 24 hours before Strake can take them back into custody, and there's a $1.06 billion alien artifact auction to work.

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 Adventurecast, 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 Adventurecast, don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you.
[00:00:24] Thorne: 1.06 billion credits — with a B. I watched two megacorps nearly go to war over a hole in the ground.
[00:00:32] Haleyy: All that was rad-core, Captain Thorne. Rad-core.
[00:00:39] Star Master Jeff: She's not yours. Not yet. So sit back and enjoy. This is the Dark Star Adventurecast. Previously on the Dark Star Adventurecast, deep beneath Sibylen, the crew activated an alien device called the Fork. A window opened across space, and something looked back, and Haleyy collapsed screaming. They carried her unconscious body back to the surface, and straight into Viktor Strake's arms. He's Virodyne's chief risk assessment officer, and he's been hunting them for months, ever since Wafisa. Now they sit bound in Vera's office, waiting for an auction that could make them rich, or make them disappear. On the desk nearby sits Dr. Voss, the first human virtual intelligence contained in a steel orb, the most valuable thing in this room, if not the entire planet. And unfortunately for the crew, Strake has just figured that out.
[00:01:40] Thorne: And I told you already, we didn't steal your stupid ship.
[00:01:44] Felix: Yeah, it's just like we told your twin brother before I shot him in his fracking head. This is slag shit.
[00:01:51] Robert: And I told you — or a clone of you. I can smell the stench of recycled flesh from here. And who do you wreck a carbon copy?
[00:02:03] Star Master Jeff: Well, it takes one to know an ARR7. And he kind of has air quotes around ARR7.
[00:02:08] Robert: Charming, as always. Robert, is it?
[00:02:24] Star Master Jeff: Listen, I've done some research, and boy, have I figured some things out. Four pains in my ass, and each and every one of them a fugitive with a bounty on their head. First, you got RR7, or Robert, an expensive clone prototype sorely needing a memory wipe. Felix Champlin, professional hacker, who, amongst other things — grand crimes against all of humanity, I think we can all agree — also infiltrated our highly secure data vault. Come on, highly secure? Come on, it was not that hard. And then we have Thorndraxus. Not only is he an expert at crumbling his family's dynasty back on Zephyrus III, but also he refused to pay for his crimes. He sold his prison contract to Omnitek, and instead of actually going into employment with them, he went on the lam. Now, remind me, is that a normal felony or a system-wide felony? Well, either way, it's going to land you the death penalty.
[00:03:21] Thorne: Listen, we all know about Project Redwing. I was dead anyway, and I am not going back to prison. At least I won't be killed to enrich some stupid AI thing. Oh, God. Sorry, Felix.
[00:03:33] Felix: Felix has been gritting his teeth ever since he started talking about the data vault. He looks over at Thorne. It's fine, Thorne. We're going to get Petey back.
[00:03:42] Star Master Jeff: Apparently off in the corner, Haleyy is now regaining consciousness. Haleyy, you swim back to consciousness, extremely groggy, barely hanging on. You've been bound and sitting on the floor.
[00:03:48] Haleyy: Uh, hey guys, hello — why am I tied up? It's this guy. I thought we got rid of him on Wafisa.
[00:04:03] Star Master Jeff: Oh, not even close. Well, good morning, Haleyy. I see you already remember me, but I'm Viktor Strake, loss prevention — actually, chief loss prevention officer at Virodyne Laboratories. I'm really happy. In fact, I'm ecstatic to see that you're awake. I'm hoping you haven't suffered any permanent brain damage from your minor coma because, well, last time we met, I had no idea how valuable you were. But now that I do, now that I know exactly how much money you are worth, I think you and I are going to become fast friends. No? From outside, raised voices can be heard. A moment later, the office door swings open and a short, heavyset man with a white Hungarian mustache stomps in. He wears the red ceremonial robes of the Auctioneer's Guild and is followed closely by an Omnitek soldier. Vera, who's sitting next to you bound, struggles to her feet by propping up against the wall, and she says — Meer Prust! The man, obviously named Meer Prust, says, Yes, Dr. Corbin, what is the meaning of this? Viktor looks over at Vera and says, Is it? Ah, yes, the auctioneer, of course. There's going to be an auction here today. Great. We're all very excited for the auction. Listen, Meer Prust, these people are captives of Virodyne Laboratories, and as per intercorporate policy, section 326-98.456, under suspicion of having obtained stolen goods, they will be held in captivity by me until further notice. Prust listens to all this, his face unchanging. He seems to think for a moment, and then he says, well... Dr. Corbin is representative in the auction for Sibylen Exosite 34b later today. As you know from intercorporate policy, auctions take precedent. So I must ask, is she complicit in these crimes? No, she may leave. And a soldier steps forward and unbinds Vera. She staggers over to Meer Prust and stands behind him, rubbing her wrists, looking desperately at Froggy and the crew. Viktor smiles wolfishly and says, but I'm sure no one will complain if I keep the rest of them.
[00:06:14] Thorne: If I may — is it Meer Prust? And Thorne interjects, being an expert of corporate trade policies. Dr. Corbin entered into a legally binding contract as a representative of Laicar Research Incorporated with Scapegoat Solutions, LLC. And with my hands bound, I tried to gesture to everybody as though we're Scapegoat Solutions, LLC. Contractual terms were held positive by both parties. However, additional services leading through the auction are still pending. Per Intercorporate Policy Section 92-523.7, which overrides my good friend Mr. Strake's Policy Section 326-98.456, we are held as full Laicar Research Incorporated employees and must be allowed auction attendance.
[00:07:02] Star Master Jeff: The whole room goes silent for a moment, and Vera reaches into her pocket and pulls out a crumpled copy of the contract that she and Thorne both signed before entering into the Exosite. Prust pulls it from her hand and reviews it quickly before handing it to Viktor and saying, Well, Mr. Strake, you must release them, at least for 24 hours. Once the auction is done, you may take them into custody once again. Viktor's face falls for a moment, but his grin comes back a moment later, and he says, Well, very well, then. Very, very well. I've caught you twice before, and I will do so again. Well, Scapegoat crew, I guess we're not done playing yet after all. But I'm keeping this, though. It is Omnitek property after all. And he grabs Dr. Voss off the table, who, to her credit, smartly stays quiet and inert. Felix tries to struggle to his feet.
[00:07:58] Thorne: Like hell you are. Put that back down. Felix, Felix, it's fine, it's fine. That's fine, Mr. Strake, but per 452-8, you must leave that in holding until proof is acquired.
[00:08:10] Star Master Jeff: Viktor immediately puts his hands up and he goes, huh, your knowledge of bureaucracy is staggering. Thorndraxus says, fine, you are right. Let's leave it right here. And he puts it back down on the table. I can always come back for it later. You know, once you've been arrested again.
[00:08:26] Haleyy: Haleyy is just watching the scene unfold in front of her with limited understanding and can only look at this guy's back and just be like, bye-bye, Slagstan. See ya.
[00:08:40] Robert: Yes, sir. Don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you.
[00:08:45] Star Master Jeff: Viktor narrows his eyes at you, puts on his oxygen mask, and sweeps out of the room. The remaining soldiers uncuff you and then exit themselves. There's a moment of silence before Froggy pipes up and says, Thorne, that — that was amazing.
[00:09:03] Felix: Yeah, that was really calibrated thinking, boss.
[00:09:06] Robert: Yep, very dialed in. Now who knew corpo mumbo jumbo would be good someday? Not me.
[00:09:13] Thorne: Yeah, thanks everybody. If there's anything I learned from being a traitor and playing Loki Pond, it's that you gotta remember to always have a backup plan and always know all the rules. Now let's just focus on this auction and try and get out of here with our freedom intact. And remember, Vera — 0.01% of all the proceeds, as per that contract. We can't renegotiate it now that we found out the Exosite goo tubes are working.
[00:09:38] Star Master Jeff: No, no renegotiating, I promise, Thorne. I owe you so much. Crew of the Scapegoat, this is Meer Prust, second High Auctioneer representative on Sibylen. Prust runs a critical eye over the crew. It seems you have your hands full at the moment, Dr. Corbin. I will meet you in the auction tent later today. He refits his oxygen mask and steps back onto the surface of Sibylen.
[00:10:06] Thorne: Your rats are always a ray of sunshine.
[00:10:08] Haleyy: All that was rad-core, Captain Thorne. Rad-core.
[00:10:14] Robert: Robert gives her a hand back to her feet. Hey, damn, girl. You had all of us worried. How you doing?
[00:10:23] Felix: Felix also comes over while Haleyy's gaining her feet. His data slab is more configured for machines than people, but he gives her a once-over, checks her pulse. She seems fine. I guess a blast of void energy doesn't cause any immediate medical issues. Yeah, you know, other than a minor coma.
[00:10:42] Haleyy: Fine. You guys just feeling a little confused? Um, Robert — how long was I out?
[00:10:50] Thorne: So I think at this point, we all kind of just give Haleyy the full version of everything that went down at the Exosite.
[00:10:57] Robert: Hey, gentlemen, gentlemen, give her room, give her room. Help her up out of the table. Get her some coffee.
[00:11:02] Star Master Jeff: You guys look around a little bit, and you do find coffee. It's terrible coffee, but it's better than the terrible instant stuff that you are quote-unquote brewing on the go. At least this is a pour-over. So you all sit down with a nice, hot, steaming cup of sludge and walk her through everything that she missed. At some point, Vera heads out to talk to the auctioneer, but Froggy stays behind. He just, quote, feels safer with you. Vera does tell you to come out when you're ready, though. She still needs you as per the contract to help her with this auction. Which, by the way, is in six hours. All the interested parties should be showing up shortly.
[00:11:41] Felix: All right, well, Haleyy, now that you're all caught up, what is our plan? Viktor Strake is here. There's some kind of auction happening. I mean, Thorne, what are we even doing?
[00:11:51] Star Master Jeff: Froggy pipes up. Guys, can I have some coffee too?
[00:11:55] Star Master Jeff: Later. Okay. Only voices of the wasteland get coffee, Froggy. Okay. And he takes out a deck of cards and secretly begins flipping through them.
[00:12:05] Robert: That better not be Robert. That little slag sucker.
[00:12:10] Haleyy: Oh, Froggy, you're in for it now.
[00:12:12] Robert: We have things to do, but I'm going to ask you one time, Froggy. What's up, Robert? Did you touch my Loki Pond cards?
[00:12:21] Star Master Jeff: He looks at Thorne.
[00:12:23] Thorne: I just shrug at him like this. This is your hole that you've dug, my friend.
[00:12:27] Star Master Jeff: I got them from Thorne's stuff. Those don't look like mine. OK, great.
[00:12:34] Robert: You're telling me you went through Thorne's stuff and my stuff.
[00:12:39] Star Master Jeff: I'm just saying that Thorne left his stuff lying around, and we left Wafisa really quickly, so I don't have any of my own stuff, and you leave me on the ship alone a lot, and I get very bored.
[00:12:46] Robert: Oh, my God, I cannot deal with this guy right now.
[00:12:53] Thorne: All right, would you all calm down for a minute, please? Did you tell Froggy to go through all your stuff? No. Robert, everybody chill, all right? Relax. We got a big day ahead, and Loki Pond cards are going to be the least of our worries if we end up dead or imprisoned because Viktor Strake ends up taking us away and putting us in some kind of death-or-prison situation. So listen, here's what we're going to need to do. We've got basically two main goals today. Number one, don't end up dead slash in prison. That's a big one. But the other one is — we need to get to that auction. We need to schmooze all those fancy rich people and convince them that this site is worth crazy money. I mean, crazy money. You heard what the deal was, right?
[00:13:38] [UNKNOWN]: 0.01%.
[00:13:39] Thorne: So if they get 10,000 for the site, we walk away with one credit. Not great. They sell it for a billion credits, you do the math. So I think I have a pretty good idea of how we're going to convince these wealthy targets how to spend their money on this Exosite. But how are we going to get away from Virodyne? There may be some considerations we need to make.
[00:14:05] Felix: Oh, yeah, for sure. I mean, I'd like to go check out the Goat now. We're not going to find anything else sitting in here. Sounds like a plan.
[00:14:11] Thorne: So we leave the tent and head for the auction site.
[00:14:14] Star Master Jeff: Okay, so you leave the offices of Laicar Research and make your way back out onto the landing pad. You are relieved to see that the Goat is still there, and the Laicar ship is also still on the landing pad being loaded up by the little cargo bot that's just picking up all those crates and putting the remainder of Laicar Research's stuff onto a ship so they can finish liquidating this auction site. And unfortunately for you, you do see that there is a third ship here as well. This would be Viktor Strake's ship, which you know is called the Acceptable Loss — like, perfect name for the top risk management officer Viktor Strake — and it's sealed up, the landing ramp is up, and you see that there are two Omnitek soldiers guarding it. Looking around, you don't see Viktor Strake anywhere. Off to the side, on the way towards the Exosite, you see that a large auction tent has been erected, and through the transparent walls of the auction tent, which you assume has been pumped full of oxygen and atmo, you can see Meer Prust as well as several of his workers setting up chairs and preparing for the auction ahead.
[00:15:20] Thorne: All right, this seems to be the place. Looks like they're still setting up. I do see that same ship that we saw on Wafisa, though. My mind drifts towards sabotage, but maybe that's a conversation for later in the day. But it's something to consider.
[00:15:34] Felix: Yeah, and I don't see any Strake goons around here, so I'm going to go check out the Goat, Thorne, see if she's still spaceworthy.
[00:15:44] Star Master Jeff: Good plan. Sure. So you head back to the Scapegoat, you climb aboard, you go up to the bridge. Everything seems to be in order. Nothing seems to be awry at all.
[00:15:55] Felix: So I'm going to do as much pre-flight checklist stuff as I can, you know, without actually getting her flying, and then engage the security protocols and head back out to the group.
[00:16:04] Robert: Are the rest of us with him? Can I do the checks with him?
[00:16:08] Star Master Jeff: Yeah, sure, definitely. Robert, you have been with him the whole time. And the two of you go through the pre-flight checklist. Meanwhile, outside of the Scapegoat, we have Haleyy and Thorne heading off towards the auction tent. I assume you guys don't want to just stand outside all day wasting oxygen, so you go inside?
[00:16:20] Thorne: Yeah, I want to head into the tent.
[00:16:26] Thorne: I'm looking for Vera and possibly Prust as well. I have some questions for them.
[00:16:31] Star Master Jeff: Yeah, so they're both in there, along with a host of Auctioneer Guild workers. The main difference between them and Prust — Prust is wearing a deep scarlet robe. It looks like a judicial robe, a robe of a guild master, with a heavy gold chain around his neck. Surrounding him in a flurry of activity is around ten workers wearing reddish-brown robes with no chains of the guild around their neck, and they are setting up chairs and putting refreshments out and stuff like that. Prust is at this big circular desk in the middle, still organizing his paperwork. But Vera sees you, comes in, and she gives you a wave.
[00:17:11] Thorne: Hey, Vera, Mr. Prust, don't mind us intruding. I just thought I'd pop in, ask you a few questions about this auction while we still have time.
[00:17:19] Star Master Jeff: Prust gives a heavy sigh and puts down his papers, and he looks up at you, and he says, I'm attempting to prepare for it right now. Young Master Draxus, how can I help you?
[00:17:30] Thorne: Yes, Mr. Prust, Thorndraxus at your service. I just want to thank you again, you know, for respecting the ancient bureaucratic traditions of intercorporate policy back there. I'm sorry about all the trouble with Virodyne. I will be sure to make sure it doesn't besmirch this auction. But Vera — or maybe you, Mr. Prust — I'm looking for maybe a list of attendees. I'm trying to find out who is most likely to make a purchase here. You know, the people with the longest bankroll, if you catch my meaning. He looks over at Vera.
[00:18:04] Star Master Jeff: She says, yes, they are part of everything I'm doing with the auction. I so validate them. Well, okay then, they are so validated.
[00:18:13] Thorne: Trust me, Mr. Prust, we intend to increase the value of your site substantially.
[00:18:20] Star Master Jeff: It is not a matter of trust, young Master Draxus. In fact, I have a flat fee. I do not particularly care how much it goes for. I only care that Intercorporate Policy 422 is adhered to in this case, and it sounds like you have permission to the list. He goes into the sack of papers, and he produces a list. And on that list, you see that there is a number of companies attending. You quickly scan over them, and most of these companies are very minor and don't matter at all. However, then you see three companies that shock you. It can't be. One — Nexus Trading. I knew it. The trading company that bought Draxus Goods, or tricked you out of owning them. Two — NovaCrypt Solutions, the second largest company in the sector. They create encryption solutions, but they own a myriad of other companies below them that range from building starships to AI technology. They are actually the direct competitor to Virodyne, which just happens to be the last company on this list.
[00:19:27] Thorne: As I get this paper, I am quickly trying to get it into my pad and send it all over to Felix for later, because I'm going to maybe have him do a little bit of research, but it sounds like most of the information is here that I need. I look over at Haleyy. Haleyy, how are you doing?
[00:19:40] Haleyy: I'm trying to figure out... There's been a whole lot that's gone on for me in the last 24 hours, so I'm going to do what I can with you, Captain Thorne.
[00:19:51] Thorne: And I'm going to do my best to make sure that things don't get too crazy, try to take it easy. I feel like you've been through a lot and I still have a lot of questions about what went on with you and Robert, but that's for another time.
[00:20:02] Haleyy: Yeah. And honestly, like, at this point, I'm a little bit concerned how every planet we go to continues to have issues.
[00:20:11] Thorne: It's like trouble follows us. Vera, do you know when — I'm sorry, Dr. Corbin — do you know when folks are expected to be arriving?
[00:20:19] Star Master Jeff: Oh, they should be arriving quite soon. In fact, I have received a message from Ms. Rynn Kade of Nexus Trading that she should be here any minute.
[00:20:27] Thorne: Excellent, excellent. Well, this has been great. I think Haleyy and I have a lot of work to do, and it seems like you both do as well. So we'll talk to you again soon.
[00:20:36] Star Master Jeff: So, Thorne and Haleyy, it sounds like you're going to spend some time here in the auction tent. And over the next two hours or so, all of the representatives for the various corporations show up and make their way into the auction tent. Most notably, a silver-white cargo ship is landing on the pad directly next to the Scapegoat. Thorne, even from this distance, you can make out a clear sigil of Nexus Trading on each of the silver wings. It makes my blood boil just seeing that logo. Do I recognize it? Oh, yeah, you definitely do. So back on the Scapegoat, you're looking out through the angled windows at the landing pad, and you definitely recognize the insignia of Nexus Trading because you used to work for them. Or at least your memory is of you having worked for them before, but now you're not quite so sure if your memories are yours or if they're fabricated clone memories. Ah, doesn't matter. Anyway, you recognize Nexus Trading.
[00:21:35] Robert: Okay. They're here. This is not gonna go well for Thorne. And I'd like to make sure I'm watching to see if, one, they get too close to our ship, if they can ID it, but two, who specifically is coming out of the ship, if I recognize anybody.
[00:21:56] Star Master Jeff: Yeah, sure, absolutely. So this silver ship lands, and the ramp goes down, and the hatch opens, and out of it comes a woman with silver hair and a navy blue dress. She is flanked by two serious-looking bodyguards that wear electro batons on their belt, but none of them seem to be armed in any other way. You don't recognize any of the three of them, but you do recognize the alertness of these two bodyguards and realize that they are probably very experienced soldiers.
[00:22:28] Robert: Oh, Felix, I spotted some shifty characters coming out of that Nexus Corp vehicle right there. Nexus Corp? Yeah, right there. That's them.
[00:22:39] Felix: Ah, damn. Now we got to watch out for Strake and Nexus Corp. I mean, come on, Robert. This is a lot. And top it all off, we don't even know where Strake is right now, and I'd really like to have eyes on him.
[00:22:52] Robert: I mean, Felix, I'm just telling you what I'm seeing. How are we going to... Do we want to be the sneaky beaky types and try to get eyes on him, or do we want to go back to the auction?
[00:23:02] Felix: I mean, I think we have to do a little bit of reconnaissance, Robert. That means look around.
[00:23:09] Robert: Just saying. Master of Disguise. Okay, okay. For now, we can look around.
[00:23:14] Felix: All right. So yeah, Robert and I want to kind of look around just outside, like around the dig site, see if we can figure out where Strake and his goons went if they're not in their ship.
[00:23:25] Star Master Jeff: Cool, perfect. So you and Robert leave the Scapegoat and do a quick reconnaissance of the Gloam Trenches around this particular Exosite. It's extremely hot outside and sandy and uncomfortable, and very quickly you realize that no one would willfully lay down in any of these trenches, and a very quick look into the nearby trenches doesn't pull up anything else either. The Acceptable Loss, Strake's ship, is still on the landing pad, and your eyes are continually drawn to it, but you see no activity nearby.
[00:24:01] Felix: Well, Robert, I don't think Strake is the kind of guy to go hiding anywhere uncomfortable, so I would bet Thorne's Loki Pond cards that he is on that ship.
[00:24:12] Robert: Wherever he gets a view of the most stuff — he seems like somebody that needs to be in control. And yep, his ship may be Vera's office. But I mean, yeah, it's a short list. I don't see him being in some crazy murder trench. I mean, he might be, but. What do you want to do now? Do you want to head on back?
[00:24:36] Felix: Well, I think so, because I mean, my plan was if we found him out here, I would try to infiltrate his ship somehow. But it's a risky move if he's on board.
[00:24:45] Robert: Is there any way — I don't know how them data pads work — we could do like a quick kind of drive-by, hey, how you doing, and you can jack into it real quick and see who's on it?
[00:24:56] Felix: No, I'd have to plug in, and usually those ports are right by the loading docks, and there's cameras all over the place. Yeah. Okay, I know Vera has some security cameras around here, so I think we should just go to the office and see if we can track Strake. Okay, that's the plan then?
[00:25:15] Robert: Yeah, let's do it. I'm actually going to go back on the Goat. Let me know if someone starts shooting at us.
[00:25:24] Star Master Jeff: Okay then, off to the offices. So you trudge over to the offices, Felix, while Robert, you go back to the Goat. And both of you are very relieved to go inside and experience cool HVAC air conditioning. Felix, there's a terminal in the corner. You spotted it when you were in here the last few times. It is off. You easily switch it on, go through some basic security checks that are not even worth a roll, honestly, and sit down and access the security camera footage. You find that there's eight cameras covering pretty much the entire Exosite area, with one camera pointed directly at the auction tent, which is then blocking a whole bunch of Sibylen desert behind it. But the landing pad and everything else is in perfect, clear view.
[00:26:09] Felix: So I want to scrub back through the camera that has the view of the office. I want to scroll back through to when Viktor Strake left the office and kind of try to follow his movement.
[00:26:21] Star Master Jeff: So you find Viktor Strake leaving the office with his guards. He immediately returns back to the Acceptable Loss. His guards stay outside when he goes onto the ship, and about 10, 15 minutes passes — he comes back out, and he and his guards go behind the Scapegoat. Now, you don't have a good video feed of this angle, so you have no idea what they're doing back there. During this time, you spot yourself and the rest of your crew leaving the offices and splitting up. Haleyy and Thorne go off towards the auction. You and Robert go back to the Scapegoat. Once you board the Scapegoat, you see Viktor Strake and his guards come back out from behind the Scapegoat with their toolbox. Viktor Strake goes back onto the Acceptable Loss, and his guards go off into the Sibylen desert, heading east. You scrub through the rest of the footage for the day, but Viktor never leaves the ship again, and the guards never return.
[00:27:17] Felix: That vac sucker did something to the Goat. Gotta get back there and check it out. And what the hell were those two guys doing walking off into the desert like that? Weird.
[00:27:27] Star Master Jeff: So Felix, you get your oxygen mask back on and you head to the Scapegoat?
[00:27:32] Felix: Yep. I'm going to go kind of follow his steps around where he went and see if I can figure out what he did back there.
[00:27:38] Star Master Jeff: You go to the back of the Scapegoat and go ahead and roll Notice — Wisdom. Sorry. Let's do Notice — Intelligence.
[00:27:47] Felix: Okay, I rolled a 10.
[00:27:48] Star Master Jeff: You notice that the command module to open and close the ramp — there's a port on the side, and the port normally has a rubber stopper on it. The rubber has been removed from that port, and it's dangling off to the side.
[00:28:03] Felix: That son of a... I'm going to go over to it and hook my own pad in and see if I can look through the systems that I know well after being with the Goat for so long. Look for irregularities, things like that.
[00:28:20] Star Master Jeff: Wow, good rolls, dude. So you climb up and down the system like a well-worn ladder. You know every rung of the Scapegoat. Something doesn't sit right with you. It looks normal, but you know that there's traces here — like footprints in the sand on a beach, and the tide is coming in. Over time they're getting washed away, but you think you're just in time. You're noticing the telltale signatures of an imposter in the syndrome, and then you see it. An unknown cryptographic key — something that you do not recognize, but that the Goat thinks is a key of the utmost importance. It goes into parts of the system that you yourself cannot even access, things deep within the kernel, and that is where your investigation ends. The cryptographic key granted access to Viktor Strake, to areas of the Goat's systems that you yourself have never accessed.
[00:29:17] Felix: So the damage has already been done. He's been in, done what he needed to do with this key and been out. So I'm going to create a copy of the key as best I can, so I want to do some further analysis on it later. And then I'm going to radio the team. Strake, he did something to the Goat. He got in her. Some kind of access key I've never seen before. Guys, I don't know what he did. I've got to figure this out before we can fly. It's going to take me a few hours. But she's not safe to run until we know what happened.
[00:29:48] Star Master Jeff: You wait for a beep, but no one answers. It seems like pretty much everyone has their comms off.
[00:29:53] Felix: No, I don't expect anything. I'm just getting status updates. If you need me for anything, holler. Otherwise, I'm going to be locked in. So I'm going to go on the Goat, get comfy in my hacker chair, pull out my two keyboards and my three monitors, and get to looking.
[00:30:07] Star Master Jeff: And you know, Felix, walking away from that party, trudging through the sand, you were kind of hoping you'd find a problem. And now that you're back on the Goat, hot cup of coffee, double keyboards, three monitors, big comfy chair, you think you're the happiest you've been since just before you landed at Scrapjack's.
[00:30:26] Felix: I did have a nice time at that goo pool, but this is pretty close.
[00:30:31] Star Master Jeff: This is the most alone you've been since the goo pool. Yeah. So going back in time a little bit — to every delegate landing on the landing pad, before Felix and Robert went out into the sands, and moving back to the auction, Thorne and Haleyy — you are seeing all of these ships land and all of these uptight corpos walk into the auction with their rich clothes and their perfect faces. They are served hors d'oeuvres and drinks, champagne, and it's more like a fancy gala in some ways. As each person comes in, you are able to match the representative name on the list to the person that came in. And as noted by you earlier, Rynn Kade of Nexus Trading is of special interest to you. And your chance to talk with her comes fairly early in this gala, as shortly after entering, an older woman with silver hair comes up to you, Haleyy, and Vera, and says, Dr. Corbin, very, very good to see you again. And Vera shakes her hand enthusiastically and says, Oh, Miss Kade, Miss Kade, so wonderful for you to join us.
[00:31:39] Thorne: And this here is — ah, yes, it's Tyson Fildar at your service. Goodbot Electronics. I've heard a lot about you.
[00:31:46] Haleyy: I'm Haleyy, not at your service. Sorry, sorry. Captain — Mr. President Goodbot.
[00:31:54] Star Master Jeff: Mr. Fildar, it's a pleasure. I've heard some things about you — good things. In fact, I own one of your products at one of my homes.
[00:32:03] Thorne: Really? I'm excited to hear that. You know, over at Goodbot, we actually look to Nexus as sort of a company that we strive to be like. Maybe we could talk more about that.
[00:32:13] Star Master Jeff: Well, if you're looking to ship your products anywhere in the sector, we've got you covered, and we would love to be a partner with Goodbot.
[00:32:22] Thorne: Well, I can see that we're gonna have a very exciting time at this auction. Thank you, Dr. Corbin. I think Ms. Kade and I have a conversation that we're going to have, so... And I tip my non-existent hat, and I gesture out of this area to Rynn Kade, like, let's walk and talk.
[00:32:38] Star Master Jeff: She takes your arm, and she allows you to lead her away to talk business. So, Thorne, you spend the next several hours working the room, talking to not only Rynn Kade, but all of the other auction-goers as Goodbot Electronics CEO Tyson Fildar. You introduce yourself that way to every delegation, feeling out their positions, testing their interest in Exosite 34b. And by the time Meer Prust calls the auction to order, you have a pretty good read on the room. So why don't you go ahead and make your final roll, and we'll see just how good Thorne is at schmoozing.
[00:33:14] Thorne: Okay, that's a great roll.
[00:33:16] Star Master Jeff: Don't know why I thought it would be anything less than that. This is your number one main skill. And so, without much further ado, you take your seat, flanked by Haleyy on one side and Vera on the other, and you watch the auction, and the bids climb fast. Three hours later, and the auction is over, and you are exhausted. You step out of the auction tent with Haleyy, pull on your oxygen mask, and begin to make your way back to the ship.
[00:33:50] Thorne: Haleyy, do you understand what just happened in there? I grew up watching my mother close deals for a living, and I have never seen anything quite like that. Look, my hands are still shaking. Two hours in, nobody's bid more than a few hundred thousand, and then that Virodyne rep finally speaks up. 1.1 million, just like that. Ecliptech, Astroforge, all the small players — they're done. They didn't even try to counter. And then Nexus Trading gets called out as being a subsidiary of Virodyne. A parent company and its subsidiary bidding against each other at the same time in an auction? Come on. Intercorporate Policy 872.3, Section C, expressly forbids it. It's crazy that they thought they could get away with it. Nexus was done after that. Serves them right.
[00:34:37] Haleyy: Yup.
[00:34:38] Thorne: Then, word got out that the Exosite was fully powered and online, and the whole room changed. The bids went from a million to a hundred million in minutes. NovaCrypt and Virodyne going back and forth. NovaCrypt hits a billion flat. The whole room holds its breath. I almost passed out. And then the Virodyne rep stands up and pulls the NovaCrypt rep aside. I couldn't hear anything, but I heard something about Aussie One and the Red Rice War. I don't know. But then the NovaCrypt rep said something back. I couldn't make it out, but I could see the look on that face. Not fear. Fury. They shook hands. Virodyne bid $1.06 billion. NovaCrypt didn't counter. He just went to the bar and got a drink like it didn't matter at all. And then it was over.
[00:35:28] Haleyy: Typical.
[00:35:29] Thorne: Oh, man. And the best part — that Meer Prust needed a witness. I signed my name. I had to. It's policy. And honestly, having my name on this is rad as hell. But Haleyy, that document ever surfaces, it's going to tie us to whatever comes next.
[00:35:46] Haleyy: Fantastic.
[00:35:49] Thorne: I'm sure it'll be fine. Come on, let's get back to the ship. The others are waiting.
[00:35:53] Star Master Jeff: And with that, you make your way back to the Scapegoat and up the ramp and onto the ship. You find Felix and Robert on the bridge. Robert is lounging in the pilot's chair, his feet up on his control panel, half asleep, as Felix types away furiously, an empty cup of coffee next to him at his own station.
[00:36:13] Thorne: Oh, Felix, you should have been in that room. 1.06 billion credits, with a B. I watched two megacorps nearly go to war over a hole in the ground.
[00:36:24] Felix: Yeah, yeah, yeah, great, listen. I have been trying to get full permissions to the Goat, and I am locked out of half the systems. Something is seriously wrong. Have you heard from Voss?
[00:36:31] Thorne: What? Why didn't you tell me this earlier?
[00:36:33] Felix: I tried! You turned off your comms for your slagging auction, remember?
[00:36:40] Star Master Jeff: Thorne, before you can respond, every screen on Felix's workstation goes haywire and red. His access is revoked. Every terminal, every subsystem, everything all at once just goes red. The ramp retracts to the Goat, and the exterior doors seal with a thwomp. A full security lockdown initiates across the entire ship.
[00:37:01] Felix: What the — okay, okay. Give me a second. I can reroute the backup from rolling by past the...
[00:37:08] Star Master Jeff: Nope. Sorry, Felix. None of that works. Every override you try hits the same damn wall. The system isn't malfunctioning in any way that you can find. You're simply just locked out. Thorne, Thorne, nothing's responding.
[00:37:22] Thorne: I am completely locked out. Fine, then open the doors. We're leaving.
[00:37:26] Felix: That's what I'm telling you. I can't.
[00:37:30] Star Master Jeff: We're sealed in. Out of nowhere, the comms crackle to life across the entire ship. Why, hello there, Scapegoat crew. Wow, thank you so much for all getting onto your ship finally. That auction just took forever, didn't it?
[00:37:49] Thorne: Strake. I should have known.
[00:37:51] Star Master Jeff: Now, I've been watching you so, so closely, waiting for all of you to climb aboard your little Scapegoat. And now that you're all here — welcome to your prison.
[00:38:04] Haleyy: Our prison?
[00:38:07] Star Master Jeff: Yes, and one more time for the cheap seats, Haleyy. Your prison. You see, I was originally very excited to have finally caught up to you, again, and I was gonna catch you, again. But then I ran into something that's a bit more valuable, and I figured, you know what? I'm not gonna wait for you in this 24-hour auction period. I'm just gonna take what I found and leave.
[00:38:30] Felix: I'm just fuming and still typing away, ignoring Strake, seeing if I can regain access.
[00:38:35] Star Master Jeff: You see, I went into the Exosite. Did you know that it's fully powered? Quite interesting! Well, I ran that right up the chain, and Virodyne just searched around, checked the satellites, hacked the camera system, much the same way you did, Felix, and they saw something very, very interesting. You walked right up to the door, and it opened. The Exosite powered itself up. Now, they couldn't really figure that out at all. Until I told them about this item I found in your possession. Virodyne has been trying to make a virtual intelligence for a long time. And now that I've got this little steel orb in my possession, we're gonna jump forward a century at least. I'll be a billionaire.
[00:39:23] Felix: She's not yours. Not yet. And I reach out to where she usually sits. Wait — damn it.
[00:39:29] Star Master Jeff: Oh, Felix, yeah. We left her in the office, buddy.
[00:39:33] Felix: Damn it!
[00:39:35] Star Master Jeff: Well, you left her in the office. I'm not afraid of the Auctioneer's Guild. So I have her now. And I'm on my ship.
[00:39:43] Thorne: Not afraid of the — even Virodyne must know better than to cross the Auctioneer's Guild. If I report this to them, you'd be found in violation of Article 629J.
[00:39:52] Star Master Jeff: So get comfortable. You're going to be on your ship for a couple of months. But this time you won't be traveling through space. You'll just be sitting there, on Sibylen, safe and sound, waiting for me to come back.
[00:40:05] Robert: When I get off this ship, I am going to fucking kill you.
[00:40:12] Star Master Jeff: And there's that legendary Robert Ross politeness. Listen, I noticed that you have enough food on there to keep you alive, and I graciously kept the environmental systems on for you. So just sit back and relax. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back. And then the comms cut. And out through the main window of the Scapegoat, you can see the Acceptable Loss lift up, climbing, accelerating, and then finally vanishing into the sky above Sibylen. But almost immediately, another ship appears on the horizon, descending fast. It's not the Acceptable Loss. It's boxier. Uglier. Cobbled together from different steel plating like five ships welded into one. A big antenna bolted to the nose. It swoops in on powerful thrusters, completely ignoring safety regs, and slams down on the far end of the landing pad. Through the angled windows of the Scapegoat, you can see directly into the cockpit of this new ship. Two spacers. Tall, pale, gangly — Void Cultists. The antenna on the nose of the ship begins to charge. Uh, can I get weapons online? Anything? Nothing. You're locked out of every system on the ship. Suddenly, the antenna splits at the tip. Two prongs. A fork. On the landing pad, the delegates are still shaking hands, still exchanging contracts, still schmoozing. They don't understand what they're looking at. But then the fork fires. And one by one, people stop. Mid-sentence, mid-step. Their eyes go blank. They turn towards the fork and stand perfectly still, at attention, as though waiting for orders. And among them, standing slack-faced in the sand, are Froggy and Vera. The Void Cultists exit their ship and walk towards Exosite 34b, followed by their newly acquired Unhallowed.
[00:41:28] Star Master Jeff: Well, that's all the time we have for tonight. Thanks so much to Brian as Thorne, Doja as Robert, Stephanie as Haleyy, and of course, Scott as Felix. And big thanks to me, Star Master Jeff, who plays everything and everyone else. And if you want to hear every episode two weeks early, head on over to patreon.com/darkstaradventurecast. A huge thanks to Brad and Holly, our Scapegoat Syndicate members over on Patreon. And next time on the Dark Star Adventurecast, the crew is locked inside the Scapegoat with no ship systems, no Voss, and a landing pad full of Unhallowed standing in the red sand outside. Strake is gone, the Void Cultists are headed for the Exosite, and getting off Sibylen just got a whole hell of a lot more complicated. Tune in to find out how the crew of the Scapegoat fares, and I'll catch you on the next one.
[UNKNOWN] note: The "[UNKNOWN]: 0.01%." at approximately 13:38 is an unidentified voice — likely Vera or a player aside reacting to Thorne's math. Flagged for Jeff's review.