We got another few feet before we were set upon by Corpse Fleet soldiers in Engineering. Future Widget hid in a corner, while current Widget managed to shoot a few of the soldiers. Four down, and….
wererat
Rae, NG Ysoki Mechanic Xenoarcheologist born on Akiton, lately of Absalom Station. Hover Drone named "Widget 2.0."
Rae arrived on station about six months ago. She's friends with a Vesk Soldier named Sresaka, and a Lashunta Envoy, Lexx. Tolerates the Pahtra Operative, Ash.
Gotta get back in time
We’ve gone over logs, and verified with future Widget as much as we can. He…knows things. And he doesn’t blame future me for leaving him behind, as he had to keep what remained of our ship from blowing up. In the future. The future I-9 is too fused to the section of wall to even attempt to wake him.
At least we know the Please Don’t Shoot Us survived the skittermander crew working on it right now.
We also found a report sent out by Venn, verifying his arrival here and authentication of our ship (though I wonder if he knew it was from the future). Worse, he said it looked like the weapon from L746 is somehow operational, and that there was possible activity at Osiris Station.
Our (future!) logs paint a horrifying picture, on 4 Desnus 325, in the Alder System. We had just departed High Station, when we suddenly got several incoming ships reported: a Corpse Fleet armada. Before we could so much as make a course correction, they shot at the planet. Not a single life sign remained. Just like that. Knowing they would turn on us, we plotted an escape to drift space. Nearly made it, but they got some missiles aimed at us before we were in drift. Looks like plasma damage and a resulting powercore instability. I think future Widget decided to stay with that. The Drift drive malfunctioned, so perhaps that is where the traveling back in time occurred. Poor future Widget had no way to get to my future self, if I was even out there.
The Stewards we are working with are fairly certain Venn’s ship went to Osiris Station. We were able to convince them to draft a message to their headquarters on Absalom Station to apprise them of the situation, and we left our future shipwreck alone. If we fix things, it won’t be there when we’re done. May not be there even if we don’t.
We headed to Osiris Station, taking six days in drift to get there. Then, so as not to alert anyone looking for interloper, we used passive scanning only, while hiding in the asteroid field. It took us three days, but we found the station and four ships: three Eoxian, and one Steward ship. Hoping the temporal energy we are sporting will keep them from noticing an additional ship floating nearby, we got close enough to float ourselves over to the asteroid Osiris Station is on. We set remote activated charges at each entrance.
We were doing pretty good! Then we found a ghoul in a tattered uniform. Luckily, he doesn’t really want to be a ghoul, and we have offered asylum if he helps us. Talis was only recruited to come here by Aries Industries due to an “industrial accident,” and turned into a ghoul when he got here. And he knows where Venn and his crew are….
Caught Somewhere in Time
I would not have left Widget behind! And I can’t believe he would stay behind on purpose. And, he is still conscious? After at least two weeks? He’s badly damaged on the surface, but I can fix him. The only real problem, other than the fact that he has a gravball collectable card from four years in our future, is that I already have Widget hovering beside me.
So, we had joined with the Stewards’ crew on the Arbitor to find our supposedly wrecked ship (while actually having left the ship on Absalom Station for upgrades). I enjoyed my time in engineering, and our bots had a good time getting into minor trouble on the ship too. But then, after a bit over five days, we found the wreck. There is no doubt in my mind that it is our ship. Same paint; same name on the side. Even with a few minor changes like locations of weaponry, I was able to go onto the bridge and found some recognizable claw marks from Brock. No Brock there, of course, as he was on the Arbitor with I-9 and their crew. Most of the bridge was wrecked, and there are holes from what looks like weapon fire. Ash was pulling data storage and other important parts of our computers, and Sresaka was checking the starboard side of the ship– what was left of it, while Lexx and I were going down the hall room by room, confirming our fears. And then we found I-9. He was embedded and fused with a corridor wall. They wanted me to wake him for a few seconds to find out what happened. And, I know he wouldn’t technically be in pain, but, our bots are my friends and I can’t do that to him without his consent. So, the guys are cutting that section of the wall out so I can deal with this later, back on the Arbitor. We moved on down to engineering. I had not felt anyone else on board, but of course, Widget wasn’t touching the floor or walls; he was caught up in some cables, and melted enough on the outside that he couldn’t free himself. I have him safely now. How could I have left him behind? I hope we can piece together what happened from what we bring back. Do I have two Widgets now?
And where is Venn?
Somebody Save Me
We started out the day meeting with Derp in Little Akiton, asking about those bonds we found, as the Triaxian company Vitaritech, who owns the old Triaxian company, is on Akiton. I don’t know if we will have time to pursue this, even though our ship will be out of commission for at least another week. Lexx decided to check with Amber at the Starfinder Society headquarters, only to have her assault him with a hug and say that she was told we were dead (the rest of us did not get hugs).
Apparently, a ship came through this station, telling authorities (and no doubt anyone in the various pubs he visited) that he saw the wreck of the Please Don’t Shoot Us floating abandoned and destroy in the Drift.
Then we found out why we were unable to meet with Venn. He took a ship into the Drift to search for us, or at least confirm the destruction of our ship. He was supposed to check in around the time we returned to the station. He needs our help, and we have no ship!
We talked to Venn’s boss Staff Agent Brubet, who immediately got the crew of the Arbitor on board (no pun intended) with a rescue of our would-be rescuer. We met, decided we’d suit, and combined crews for the journey to the area that supposedly contains our wreckage. It will be nearly six days by the time we can get there.
Hot Hot Hot
Triune help us, I thought the planet blew up! I think Ash tripped something, as one minute we see a computer room through an opening door, and then he’s muttering about “only 90 seconds,” then yelling “Run!”
I called the ship, knowing we couldn’t outrun the volcano we were standing on. Brock somehow got the ship close enough for I-9 to drop a rope. As we were most of the way into the ship, Ash comes zipping up the rope as we are yelling to Brock to take off. I-9 gets the door shut as we pick up speed, and the volcano blows about three seconds later. We didn’t head back to the village, as they told us volcanos blow pretty often– indeed, we noticed that when we arrived.
Thankfully, the six days in Drift Space were uneventful, though we were able to decide what upgrades the ship needed. That will likely take two weeks. We also had that little box of dragon stuff to give to the Triaxians. None of the embassies nor the Stewards could pass the stuff off anonymously, but someone reminded us the Click-Clack Club owner is dragonkin. We headed there and made arrangements to have it delivered. I hope no one needs to know how we got it. We also need to go to the Vesk, embassy. But first, we are letting our bots enjoy the club– they earned it!