>>2870658
From what you can tell it looks like a newer line ship, something for quick and small packages, but you’re not even sure anything on it would be sellable or if there was even anyone still alive. You could try turning everything back on and do a scan but if there are pirates there then it would be dangerous. There’s nothing you can immediately see but it’s still a chance you’re not sure you’re willing to take.

→ Space walk to the ship and keep your ship dark.
> Engine side, quickest to the cargo but if you go through the left engine then it could space what little oxygen and atmos still in the cargo. Could kill anyone still in it, but..
>Through the residential rooms. Cut through the already torn up hull and get into the room. There’s doors between the cargo and the dorm hallway so you wouldn’t have the chance of spacing the atmos once you open everything up.
>Through the bridge. It’s through heat-resistant, extremely thick, enviro-space age glass but you could cut through it faster than hull plus you’d have access to the black box on the bridge to see flight paths and what it was doing when it started drifting.
>[write-in]

→ Stay on the ship and turn on the lights.
>Do a scan of the ship and see if there’s anything on the ship or within the radius of the scan.
>Try to get comms up with the ship. If anyone is still on the ship, they could probably get a message back to you.
>Dock with the right port. It still works and is probably how Coraline’s aggressors got onto the ship.
>[write-in]

→ Time to get the hell out of here.
>Just turn on the lights and flash your ass on your way out. You got here and say that the crew is dead. It’s time to leave since you have no way to help the dead. Salvaging will only piss the dead off, or even worse -- the living. Staying here is more hurt than the good you could even do.
>[write-in]

____________________________________________________________________

Welcome back to For Hire. Last week was a mess and yesterday I wasn’t able to make the time so I’m starting the thread late as hell. Sorry for the delay and the slow days since last week. I’m getting pretty settled now though so everything should be peachy this weekend. I do hope you all enjoy the quest.

Twitter: Kov_QM
Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=FHQ
Discord: https://discord.gg/QznmEus
Schedule: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aSiHTqvMi8RuNlho-jxREmw7vczlofoLYuxITumc0kA/edit?usp=sharing
____________________________________________________________________

>>2870659
>>Through the bridge. It’s through heat-resistant, extremely thick, enviro-space age glass but you could cut through it faster than hull plus you’d have access to the black box on the bridge to see flight paths and what it was doing when it started drifting.

>>2870659
>→ Space walk to the ship and keep your ship dark.

>Through the residential rooms. Cut through the already torn up hull and get into the room. There’s doors between the cargo and the dorm hallway so you wouldn’t have the chance of spacing the atmos once you open everything up.

>>2870755
+1

>>2870755
>>2870757
2 for space walk and hallway.

give me three 1d100s. Roll under.

>DC Medium = 70
>Engineering Certificate +10
>Competent Engineer -5
>Standard Quality Tool +/-0
>No Saved Crits
>DC = 75

0 - You're unable to cut through the hull and your laser cutter's condition goes down one point.
1 - You're unable to make significant progress through the hull.
2 - You're able to cut through the wrecked hull and get into the room after an hour of work.
3 - You're able to cut through the hull and get into the room under an hour.

Rolled 10 (1d100)

>>2871036

Rolled 73 (1d100)

>>2871036

Rolled 10 (1d100)

>>2871036
ay lmao

Rolled 64 (1d100)

>>2871036

>>2871046 10
>>2871052 73 (Close)
>>2871067 10

Seems we got a double here too

>Three degrees of success, zero criticals.

0 - You're unable to cut through the hull and your laser cutter's condition goes down one point.
1 - You're unable to make significant progress through the hull.
2 - You're able to cut through the wrecked hull and get into the room after an hour of work.
>3 - You're able to cut through the hull and get into the room under an hour.

Writing!

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>>2870659
You detach a small black box from the side of your suit before extending an arm to hand the box to Naomi, still staring out into the black. “Naomi, I’m about to head out there. Here’s a radio if you see anything out there. I’ll be close. Keep the ship dark but if you see anything radio in and we’ll leave. Alright?”

She doesn’t say anything and just accepts the radio as you turn away and push off. Checking the clasps once again as you float toward the airlock, you can’t help but think about all the possibilities. Again and again, scenarios play out in the back of your head. It’s hard enough this is a weird situation but you have no clue as to what to do if anything goes pear-shaped. You guess you’ll just have to be quick on your feet and think your way out of whatever situation you’re about to get yourself in.

The airlock opens slowly as you crawl into it and without a second thought or regret, you close it behind you and count to ten as you feel the magnetic locks make their way as the vents pump out the air from around you. You calm your breath as you turn to look to the exit door and open it. The metal door raises upward as you stare out into the blackness. It envelopes everything it touches with the small dots in the distant past flaring in defiance as you watch on and witness the divinity that is the great endless black sea before you. It sits still as do you, watching each other's movements as you sit indecisively, perched at the edge of the exit, staring in all directions as it expands farther than any horizon and farther than any light is able to reach.

Pushing yourself off, you float out of the circular exit and enter into the endless sea. Looking down at your feet, you watch as the ship slowly passes away under the soles of your thickly padded boots. Turning your neck forward you watch the derelict ship approach closer and closer. The bent and broken metal twists outward and inward like a mangled mess of poorly folded paper -- everything on the left is scarred by whatever or whoever hit it. Black marks the burnt metal from what you could guess to be an explosion. Might be the cause of what made everything turn into a pile of scrap.

As you approach from free floating across space you can see the details come into view. Above the engine and near the front side of the hull is a white lettering “Tarta--” the end of the lettering is either burnt or scratched off from the explosion with the remaining white marking like a shredded piece of paper. You look down to your display as it glows a dull blue back meeting your glass faceplate. Finding an opening large enough and makes its way into the ship.

(1/2)

>>2871297
Making contact to the ship you turn yourself by using the metal bars and climb toward the entrance wound. The ship’s mutilated hull bends inward as you make your way into the resident home. You light the laser cutter and the bright green flares alive as you turn it toward the ship as you try to carve a way into the clearly open room. You can see the bed and the other room amenities as you open the broken hull outward. As you cut you notice your knife float out of your pocket before catching it with an unoccupied hand. You can feel the fluctuations of the gravity generator as it seems to be cutting on and off at seemingly random intervals.

The metal glows brightly red before soundlessly breaking apart as you carve a hole through the sharply torn hull. Pipes, wires, and metal plating all meet your cutter and you simply pass through almost like butter. After a short time you’re able to gain entry into the ship. The room is bigger than your entire inner part of your ship. Honestly you’re a bit jealous, though that jealousy is quickly stifled as you remember where the crew is right now. A bed sits to your right and the sink and shower room is to your left. Shelves and other storage is lining the walls and you can assume that’s what lined the back wall. The metal door separating it from the rest of the ship is still cracked open, propped up by the small bent metal pipe. Probably what depressurized the entirety of the rest of the ship.

>Go to the cargo room. First thing’s fist. Make sure there are no survivors and if there are you’re going to help them. You’ll have to weld all the rooms doors shut to make sure the cargo doesn’t depressurize though.
>Go to the bridge. Explore and find the black box. See what happened before you do anything else. Might be able to get access to the PA system or other administer systems.
>Explore the rest of the residential areas, you know there’s a medical room near the end of the hall.
>[write-in]

____________________________________________________________________

[Going out for two to three hours]
____________________________________________________________________

>>2871301
>Go to the bridge. Explore and find the black box. See what happened before you do anything else. Might be able to get access to the PA system or other administer systems.

>>2871301
>>Go to the cargo room. First thing’s fist. Make sure there are no survivors and if there are you’re going to help them. You’ll have to weld all the rooms doors shut to make sure the cargo doesn’t depressurize though.

making sure if there is someone alive should be our first priority

>>2871345
Cant we do that from the bridge once we get the systems running again anyway? You know, PA system and all that. Additionally we don't know if the crew would be hostile to us, which the black box may answer.

>>2871301
>>Go to the bridge. Explore and find the black box. See what happened before you do anything else. Might be able to get access to the PA system or other administer systems.

Aiii, first things first.

>>2871301
bridge
Maybe a map or list of potential safe areas

Alright guys, I'm back from normie duties.

>>2871325
>>2871462
>>2871508
Three for London Bridge is Falling Down

Writing!

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>>2871301
The inconsistent stuttering of the gravity generator keeps every other step onto the floor of the ship while the other makes you float as you place too much weight onto the other leg when you push against the metal plating. The room’s blocked door slides away as you put some pressure against it but the gravity shuts it every time it comes on.

Quickly you push it open and jump through knocking yourself against the hallway wall before hitting the floor and floating back up due to the gravity. The door shuts behind you as you struggle to fix yourself upright. Adjusting yourself you snatch the floating cutter and attach it to your side before looking around the dimly lit hallway. The emergency lights partially light the way to the ladder at the end of the hallway. The only other way to get upstairs would be from the cargo space though since that’s a non-option as of now, you decided to follow through to the ladder.

This gravity stutter seems to be a pretty big issue, you’re not sure to what extent the damage is but you know some of the older missive drives like to have the tendency of exploding every now and then. This ship seems pretty new but it could just be a refurbished old model that uses the old missive drive since this seems like a fairly standard setup. Though, as you approach the medical facility, you notice how nothing about the that room seems standard. The thick glass covering it reveals the most sophisticated and complicated looking medical room you’ve seen. Several beds are lined up and a large pair of arms sit on rails above each bed. Seems to be something special about this ship other than it carrying a cargo bay full of weirdos.

“Might be the room for processing the sleepers. Reckon that they’d need some time or something after sleeping their way here,” you say thoughtlessly.

“Huh?” Naomi statics from your radio, breaking your thoughts.

“Oh, nothing. Just talking about the medical bay,” you reply.

“I--” she cuts out, “C-- --re ---oo,” her words cut to static. Might be all the hull between the two boxes. Damn.

Taking a moment to look press yourself against the medical bay window to try to see what the rest of the medical bay looks like before you give up and turn to the ladder. Walking awkwardly, you make your way to the ladder and push yourself up, holding the top rung for a second as the gravity pushes against you again. You dangle aimlessly for a second before the gravity cuts out again and you push yourself up through the open hatch at the top of the ladders.

Seems to be another connecting hallway behind you and the dining room in front of you with the bridge further beyond that. The table looks as if a tornado, or rather a large gust of escaping air, ravaged the entirety of the room. The shelves, food, and anything else is scattered across the room and floating. You could guess they were having diner when it happened but that would be imagining things.

>>2872646
You walk with the crunching and falling of the food items underfoot as the gravity cuts in and out every now and then, destroying the frozen, icey, foods. Everything is black with the emergency lights only partially highlighting some things directly in front of them. Your suit headlamp illuminates most of what you’re able to see but the rest of the ship is enveloped in the black shadow of the emptiness. Out in the black, looking for survivors on a derelict ship. Feels like something I read before. You’re right, it feels like a movie or a book you read about a hero -- but you’re no hero, you’re a farmer boy.

You take a breath as you approach the bridge door and with all your might tug against the opening with no avail. The lock itself seems to be magnetic, though that doesn’t seem to have helped given the large set of holes that punctured the side of the ship. You’re not sure if they’re bullet holes or just rocks that seemed to find their way through since they seem irregular though you know for sure that the metal bends toward you meaning the exit was on your side. Whatever did it must have went through the glass in the front and went clean through the mag-doors.

Lighting the cutter, you use the holes as a guide to cut through the several centimeter thick door. It takes half the time as it took to cut through it as it did the mangled hull. In the bridge you still see some emergency lights on as it flares up and highlights the two bodies sitting still as if they were model airplanes strung to the ceiling. Behind them are the screens and the broken bridge glass which you can see your ship through it, hovering still a few meters away. The ship has two stations, one on the right and one on the left, before a set of stairs goes downward and opens up into a observing station.

>Check the bodies. They’re probably important people with important information on them given they’re on the bridge of the ship.
>Find the black box, you’re here to try to understand what the hell happened and you will find out.
>Look through the screens to try to bring up the PA system to try to contact the cargo bay.
>[write-in]

>>2872657
>Check the bodies. They’re probably important people with important information on them given they’re on the bridge of the ship.

Then since that shouldn't take too long...
>Find the black box, you’re here to try to understand what the hell happened and you will find out.

>>2872745
This

>>2872745
>>2872753
two for corpse tango.

Writing!

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>>2872657
The bodies float motionless as you stand in the doorway, the headlamp illuminates their silhouettes as you stare forward. The room is pitch like the rest of the ship, covered in the darkness of distant stars while you watch the bodies hang in the void sea. It’s unnerving to say the least, though you steel yourself as you approach the bodies. “I --aw --ight in the front of the ship, are you near the front?”

“Yeah,” you say noticing the static lessening. “Yeah, no, I’m, yeah, at the bridge. There’s-- well, there’s some b- uh, bodies here..” you trail off as you look at the frost covered pale skin. The veins look as if they had popped from the inside out though, as far as you can tell, they hadn’t and the body just became bloated as their blood gathered and expanded outward. Helluva way to go. It’s not a pretty sight, and not one you’re keen on being glued to as you approach the bodies.

The first one you approach is a woman, you’re not sure if she was old or young but from the blue-colored name tag on the chest of her grey flight-suit reads out “Sarah Ann Roberts” seems to be a flight technician, probably a systems expert that sat by the pilot, which you’re guessing is the poor soul to your right.

Their uniforms seem to be void of any company logo or patches of any sort but everything reads as if they were a part of some organization. Matching uniforms, matching name tags (really the use of name tags in general), and the way the ship is organized. On the bottom of her name tag is a small barcode, probably administration or other sorts of access for the ship. You take it and clip it to the pocket with the knife.

You make your way to the guy to your right. “Colby Winslett” reads his gold name tag, the pilot and captain of the ship. You take the tag and clip it near the other one, went down like a captain should, with his ship and two holes through his chest. His frostbitten, bloated face betrays no emotion of regret or disappointment and looks as stoic as you could think a man could look when he’s dead and frozen over. “I have a Colby and a Sarah on board. Captain and a tech, seems to have made it to the bridge but I’m thinking they got here after the glass broke since they didn’t get sucked out like the rest of the bridge did. Colby seems to have gained a few more wounds though so I’m not sure. Probably the guys who activated the beacon.”

“They died with a hope someone would come,” Coraline says over the radio. You take a moment as it seems like an oddly profound thing to say about someone she didn’t want to return to.

>>2872973
“Yeah,” you reply before releasing the captain, his greying military-cut hair glistening in the light of your headlamp. You turn away from the two bodies and make a sweep over the ship’s consoles. Everything seems as dark as staring into a night sky if it didn’t have stars. The ship’s black box is usually located under the flight console, or where the pilot controls the ship. It records the data from the pilot’s maneuvers as well as flight path information and systems data which means diagnostics and other information should be stored inside.

If it’s some military or government or some high-end corporation operation then the black box could be.. you think as you crawl your way under the console to find the panel underneath slightly opened. Encrypted. Moving the panel you see a small black box with a white series of numbers and a four digit code along with a white triangle, probably meaning UGE standards though you’re not sure. So Coraline’s not Imperialist at least. you think as you pull out the box and disconnect the wires from it. As you pull it out, you notice something attached to the side of it with a handle. Pulling it off, you realize it’s a large magnet. “Fucking hell.”

____________________________________________________________________

That will be the end of today’s session. Thank you for reading. I’ll be running tomorrow at 1pm.

Twitter: Kov_QM
Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=FHQ
Discord: https://discord.gg/QznmEus
____________________________________________________________________

>>2872979
>>2872979
thanks for running

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Seems like normie shit is taking over today too. Fuck I thought I could run this weekend but between the internet being down and this bs, I'm out of commission for a hot second.

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>>2872979
“Wha- what’s wrong?” Naomi stammers out as you crawl out from under the console.

“Box’s useless. Ain’t nothing I can get off it with it being wiped n’ all. Whole thing’s humped,” you say dismissively while shaking your head. The magnet on the black box being the thing that wiped it and you assume the two floating are the cause but the reason... you’re not sure. “There’s barely enough light to keep the console running to boot. Most that’s here is either fried, scrap, or barely on.”

Naomi doesn’t reply, probably because she doesn’t know what you’re talking about. There’s not much else for consideration with the only thing you knew for a fact to hold any answers at all is overpriced scrap. You hold onto the corner of the console as you stare out through the broken shards of glass. A feeling of a cold creeps across your back as you hair begins to stand on end. The frost of the floating corpses begins to float away and into your view, obscuring the now moving specks past the scrap and your ship.

“Hey Naomi, you see that?” you ask as you watch the specks exude an aura of blood red light as it’s shrouded in obsidian void. It glows like a small star, fuming with power yet smoldering in the distance and fighting to remain visible. You’ve never seen anything like it and you’re having a hard time placing what it is -- a ship obviously but what kind. “Naomi?”

“What?” she replies, “I don’t see anything, what’cha talking about?”

You blink and the image clears from your vision, “Oh, uh, nothing I think it was just.. Uh, Nothing. I’m uh, going to search the bodies to see if I missed anything. Might have something useful at least.”

“Uhh,” she snorts a laugh, “Alright.. I was kidding about the ghost ships, you know?”

“You seriously didn’t see it? Like a star moving or somethin’,” you say as you waddle with the gravity every now and then kicking in and out. The bodies being the only lead you have on what or who this ship was for. Nothing else seemed to help or even give you anything useful other than it probably was a pretty ship back when it wasn’t swiss cheese.

“Think you’ve been out there too long, Sammy. Don’t scare me like that, you know? If there was something out there then we probably should leave soon,” she replies over the staticing radio. You nod to yourself as you turn over the captain’s bloating body and search for pockets. It would probably be worse if your gloves weren’t so thick and if you could smell any of it. A more graceful way to die, in a morbid sort of way, you think to yourself.

“No no no..” you reply, “I think I’m just peachy. Less, that is, you’d rather be out here searching these poor souls.”

“Ahh..” she trails before quickly saying, “No thanks.”

>>2877542
“That’s what I thought princess,” you joke as you look over the body. It’s odd making jokes while handling something like death or maybe it’s just a way to keep your nerves from overworking themselves into a panic. There’s only so many ways to go out and you’d probably think this is one of the worst ways -- neither die pretty nor do you die gracefully. Just ice and void violently tugging at you with its invisible tendrils. You sigh to yourself as you release the captain and pull out a bent in half display.

Taking it into your hands, you look it over to see the entire display would probably be useless to anyone else -- but not you. Pocketing it, you waddle your way toward the late Sarah Ann who remains motionless for the most part. Searching her, you find nothing but a bent, old, card photograph with “My Dear Husband, John Gabriel Roberts” handwritten in black ink. The front was a tall man and what you assume a normal looking, living, Sarah. Looking back to her, you nod your head and pocket the photo. Someone out there knows, if he was here then he’d actually be here with her. Nothing else on her except the clothes on her back and the hairbands keeping up her hair. “Good God have mercy my soul,” you sigh as you turn around to face the bulkhead door.

>Go to the Cargo Bay and seal up the the rest of the rooms.
>Try to get the PA system online, the battery on the broken display would probably keep the system alive since the lights don’t work. Though getting the battery almost sacrifices this model.
>Time to get out. You have what you came here to get, answers -- though you’d be leaving with more questions than anything else. With the display you could probably salvage something from it.
>[write-in]

>>2877544
>>Go to the Cargo Bay and seal up the the rest of the rooms.

it's what we are here for, I hope we can give Srah's husband some closure later

>>2877544
>Go to the Cargo Bay and seal up the the rest of the rooms.

>>2877544
>Go to the Cargo Bay and seal up the the rest of the rooms.

>>2877544
>>Go to the Cargo Bay and seal up the the rest of the rooms.

>>2877575
>>2877578
>>2877602
>>2877608
four for Cargo Coalition

Writing!

some things I'd like to point out for later reference guys

why kidnap the girls in mid space travel and not only get them in batches at some colony somewhere
That's bugging me, why kill/kidnap mid flight
Why create that pattern
Why is it necessary?
Is it isn't necessary and we are ignoring all the other missing girls' reports that went missing inside Leo or Mino after contacting Arcady
One theory I have for only kidnapping after contact is that they maybe run a test or need to see if she has a trait or something needed for their nefarious doings
And since Naomi's sister was kidnapped it's probably safe to say that Naomi has that trait they are looking for
That's why she got an interview with Arcady, she was putting herself as bait because she thinks she has the same thing they were looking for in her sister, and the fact that they started the interview by promptly offering her a job makes me believe that yes, she has what they want, whatever it is


now, how do we find what they are looking for, and how do we stop them from doing again? that's a whole new problem

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>>2877544
Taking the freshly cut door arch, you pull yourself out from the bridge and float forward before the gravity pulls you down onto the metal floor. Each soundless step echos in your mind as you find your way back to the ladder. The hatch and rungs are covered in a dusty frost which sticks to your hands as you climb back down thudding to the ground.

The only part of the ship that’s pressurized is behind the fairly thick metal door separating the cargo bay and the residential area. You know for sure if you crack it open you’ll space all the air and anyone past it for sure. Turning back to the hatch you sigh as you pat your left side, finding purchase on your torch. The only way to make sure that the ship doesn’t either tear itself apart from the sudden pressure and stress of the atmos releasing from the bay is to cover the hatches and seal the doors.

Reaching up, you pull down the hatch and turn the lock to get it into place before feeling the vibration of it hitting against the metal locks. The gears slowly turned before locking itself mechanically as you raise your torch and press it against the lips where the hatch and the hole meet. As the glowing plasma touches the metal, you watch as your vision turns black and flare up as your EVA suit adapts to the plasma torch reacting and melting the hatch shut.

Bringing it back, you see the spotty welding work you did before shaking your head. Hatch’ll hold fine. It’s been twenty good minutes since you landed and entered the ship. Most of your time being spent walking and in the bridge, nearly an hour since you arrived at the ship maybe more, maybe less -- you’re not sure but you don’t like sitting out here in this floating tomb. Hopefully whoever or whatever lies beyond the cargo door will hold some kind of answer, something with more sustenance.

You make your way to the door before the one you arrived in and begin to put it to the torch. The plasma flares out and binds the metal together as if reforging it. The hull and door meets itself in unison as you make your way around the oval arch of the door and bulk. The sparks of metal float harmlessly off before fizzling out unceremoniously as they stray from the light -- like blinking out fireflies.

The door’s weld looks as shoddy as the first one but it beats staring out into the pitch like it had. The hull damage doesn’t reach far enough into the ship to propose any danger after the seals are made. “He-- ---re’s a--- --t”

>>2877697
Naomi’s voice statics over the radio, blaring loudly into your ear. You drop the torch still lit onto the floor as you instinctively raise your hand to your ear. “Good lord--”

>”What did you say? Naomi I can’t hear what you said, can you repeat that?”
>Ignore her, finish the weld and get the cargo bay open. There’s no reason to stop now that you’re so close.
>Leave the ship now, whatever she’s trying to tell you it’s damn important since you asked for her to radio if there was something out there. Dash out, something’s amiss.
>[write-in]

>>2877701
>>Leave the ship now, whatever she’s trying to tell you it’s damn important since you asked for her to radio if there was something out there. Dash out, something’s amiss.
Better safe than sorry.

>>2877701
>Leave the ship now, whatever she’s trying to tell you it’s damn important since you asked for her to radio if there was something out there. Dash out, something’s amiss.

>>2877701
>Leave the ship now, whatever she’s trying to tell you it’s damn important since you asked for her to radio if there was something out there. Dash out, something’s amiss.

fuck, I knew a ship was coming but I thought we were doing everything fast enough

>>2877704
>>2877712
>>2877718
three for dining and dashing.

Just came back from dinner, sorry about the wait. Writing!

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>>2877697
“Naomi?!” You shout over your radio, static and a garbled mess of words replies in what sounds like Naomi’s voice but you’re unable to make out anything. You bend over and grab the torch that slowly bounced around before awkwardly shuffling toward the still ajar exit. Pushing yourself against the wall, you time the constantly shutting door and jump through and pushing yourself out from the ship. Reaching out you snatch part of the bent metal and turn yourself onto the ship. You allow yourself to slow down before turning yourself to aim toward the back end of the ship. “Naomi?”

“Sam!” she replies breathlessly, “Go- well, Get in the ship now!”

“What-- ahm, okay,” you say before kicking yourself toward the still ship. As you near it you see a small blink of light and then several more before five lights blink into view. “Vultures.”

“Wha-?” Naomi says as you find purchase on the back hatch of the ship. You thudding against the hatch breaks her already weak concentration as you input the code and unlock the airlock hatch. You quickly close the hatch door behind you as you crawl into the airlock, slamming a hand against the vent cycle button. Air, sound, and yelling all meet your surroundings as the cabin door opens up.

“What’s going on? Who the hell are they?” You shout as you unlatch the helmet.

“I don’t know, they just showed up?” Naomi says as you discard your helmet onto your bed. Coraline catches it as you slowly float past her and the bed. Floating toward the pilot’s seat, you tap Naomi’s shoulder and thumb upward.

“Here, have they hailed us at all or something?” you say as Naomi unbuckles and floats out.

“No, they just appeared.”

“Damn, alright, well there’s a fifty-fifty chance they spotted us already. I ain’t too sure though since they’re not coming in hot,” you explain.

>”Well time to go live and get out of here. Whoever they are, they’re not here for us.”
>”We’re going to sit tight, they haven’t spotted us and if we make a move all it’ll do is attract them.”
>”Bring us up. We’ll hail them and talk it through. Now I don’t know how vultures fly but that there formation seems like proper work. Military, company, whatever.. seems professional.”
>[write-in]

>”We’re going to sit tight, they haven’t spotted us and if we make a move all it’ll do is attract them.”

if they really are military, they probably wont take kindly to some ship trying to escape or us trying to contact them on their (probably top secret and confidential) mission

>>2877956
>>”We’re going to sit tight, they haven’t spotted us and if we make a move all it’ll do is attract them.”

>>2877956
>>”We’re going to sit tight, they haven’t spotted us and if we make a move all it’ll do is attract them.”

chances are they are faster and have weapons since our ship is a garage made rust bucket, our best chance is to turn off EVERYTHING, even life support and pretend to be some debris or something. how much oxigen would we have in the cabin without cycling?

>>2877965
>>2877985
>>2878018
three for get the popcorn

writing!

>>2877956
“Sit tight. We’re going to drift for now, hand me my helmet,” you say as you lower everything and turn off the life support. Clipping the helmet on, you watch as the dots approach in a V shaped formation. “Turning off life support so.. we got a little bit more than an hour or so of breathing time before we’re going to have to leave. Let’s just hope these guys have less time than we do.”

“Hope? What do you mean? Let’s gooooo, it’s not like sitting here and watching makes any sense if we all suffocate. There’s no need to stay, let’s just get out of here,” Naomi protests but you hear Coraline make her way from the bed to the chair.

“Stop arguing,” Coraline says plainly.

“Yeah, listen to the captain of this boat,” you say looking backing to the two of them and giving them a wide toothy grin.

“No, she’s going to waste oxygen,” Coraline says looking straight back at you.

“Ah well.. yeah, that too,” you say fixing yourself in the chair. “Anyways, we’re going to watch them for a hot second. They’ll probably pass on by, looks like military uhh small craft, probably fighters. Not sure though.. Seems like they’re booking it though. Hey, Coraline you know anything about this, why would the military be interested in the ship?”

“Maybe they’re humanitarians,” she replies coldly.

“Yeah maybe..” you reply, narrowing your eyes at the dots. They’re certainly trained pilots from the looks of it -- better than you are. As they get closer, everything starts to become clearer, their ships are a white with a long yellow stripe going down the top of it off center. Each ship seems to be carrying the same sort of standard weapon, some forward facing rotary gun from the looks of it. Now you’re positive they hadn’t spotted or seen anything of yours. If they do a deep scan that tracks heat then you’ll probably be in some sort of trouble but from the looks of it, you’re fairly certain they haven’t.

The V formation breaks as the center ship continues while the others veer right and left respectfully. “Say.. I’m fairly certain that these ships here aren’t FTL capable. They’d probably have to dock somewhere close before..”

In the distance, you spot a slow moving behemoth of a ship. It looks like a large black tube from your perspective since it’s so far out but the distance only builds its size.”There she is.”

“Well?” Naomi says.

“Well what?”

“Are you done yet? Those fighters flew past us and you said it yourself, that the--”

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>>2878160
“This is the U.G.S. Doctrine. Any and all frequencies, this is the U.G.S. Doctrine of the U.G.E. C.I.T.F. If you are found trespassing on this official government investigation then you will be terminated with extreme prejudice. I repeat..” The message blares on the radio as it picks the signal up and replays it a few more times.

“The C.I.T.F.? Why are they here..?” Naomi slowly thinks out loud.

“I think I read something out them recently.. Something about them being at.. Unity?” you say though still not remembering it, “That wack job reporter said something about it. Personally, I thought he was a bit loose up there but I guess.. well... I guess I’m wrong.”

>”Well enough sightseeing.” Kick it online and flash your ass. Time to leave. They can’t possibly follow you.
>Turn the ship on and hail the U.G.S. Doctrine. If you state why you’re here, maybe they won’t blow you out of the water.. Maybe.
>Stay dark. No need to be hasty. They haven’t spotted you yet but maybe they just don’t have those kinds of scanners on board a state of the art military vessel like that.. surly.
>[write-in]

>>2878164
>”Well enough sightseeing.” Kick it online and flash your ass. Time to leave. They can’t possibly follow you.

Fuck it

>>2878164
>>Turn the ship on and hail the U.G.S. Doctrine. If you state why you’re here, maybe they won’t blow you out of the water.. Maybe.

>>2878351
>>2878324

I support both, power up, turn the ship and then hail them, if they hostile it up we bail out of here

>>2878359
Ok , i'm with you

Sorry forgot to say I’ll start back up tomorrow around the same time

>>2878324
>>2878351
>>2878359

three for Watching With Hands on The Trigger.

Writing!

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>>2878164
It’s dark, your ship, and sits quietly like a scared rat hiding from a bird of prey. You watch carefully as the oxygen counter barely visibly moves while the U.G.S Doctrine sits perched just beyond the horizon. Like a powerful beast, it moves slowly through the sea of stars, it’s presence bending and warping light around it. You take a moment’s breath as you stare forward before resigning to placing a hand against the beginning of the startup sequence. “Let’s see if they want to talk then.”

“T-talk?” Naomi stammers out as you start flipping switches on, “What do you mean talk? They’re C.I.T.F. they’re not in the business of talking.”

The ship slowly comes back to life as you start lighting the fuses, it’s methodical and almost second nature to you at this point. If anything talking will give you enough time to get the missive drive online and running. “-- Unidentified craft, identify yourself or be destroyed.”

The Console lights up with received signals as it slowly turns to life. You feel the weight of the gravity returning and pressing against your body as the vents begin to pump air back into the ship. Not only actual gravity but the gravity within the voice. His command felt non negotiable and demanded to be answered regardless if you felt the need to. “I- I’m the captain of this ship, my name is uh..” you trail off. God dammit.. “Th-uh.. th- this is a personal transport, model: PD Lakka, Class: Paxos, Polyhedral Dynamics. Serial number, Five five one six three eight nine nine four three eight two.”

“State your busi--” the voice cuts out as if someone else was talking to the officer, “--Are you armed?”

“No, this is a personal transport. It’s not armed.”

“State your business and prepared to be boarded or transported onto the U.G.S. Doctrine for further questioning.”

>”I was traveling toward Unity-Point toward Leo when I came across this distress beacon and I came to assist in any way I can. I boarded and you arrived before I was able to enter the cargo-bay.”
>”I’m the lead scout of a rescue team sent from Milo. We got word of a ship driftin’ out here, tryin to help folks out.”
>”Just passing through here, officer.”
>”I’m a private detective investigating this scene independently. What may I assist you with?”
>”I thought I would go sightseeing. You know, meet some people, see some space dust, the whole shebang.”
>[write-in]

>>2879768
>>”I was traveling toward Unity-Point toward Leo when I came across this distress beacon and I came to assist in any way I can. I boarded and you arrived before I was able to enter the cargo-bay.”
Why lie?

>>2879768
>>”I was traveling toward Unity-Point toward Leo when I came across this distress beacon and I came to assist in any way I can. I boarded and you arrived before I was able to enter the cargo-bay.”

>>2879789
also, add, k thnx bye

>>2879768
>”I’m the lead scout of a rescue team sent from Milo. We got word of a ship driftin’ out here, tryin to help folks out.”

>>2879768
>>”I was traveling toward Unity-Point toward Leo when I came across this distress beacon and I came to assist in any way I can. I boarded and you arrived before I was able to enter the cargo-bay.”

>>2879773
>>2879789
>>2879822
three for three. Time to dine.

Writing!

>>2879830
actually wait one, getting dinner

if they are looking for something like Coraline they might not even care what we are doing and just try to grab her if they board us
the ship was blown apart some time ago, it all hangs on if they know what was inside or not
I don't like our odds either way
I'm voting to bail if they try to board

>>2879854
They have no evidence she came from that ship, we have evidence she was with us from our disembarking from the docks.

File: An Impass.gif (1.79 MB, 500x468)

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>>2879768

“I- uh, well I just heard the distress signal coming from the ship. I was head’n to Leo from back in Milo, you see, an I was just drifting on by when I heard the call for help and I did what anyone else would do. I came to see if I could help,” You explain to the officer. You remember Naomi talking about the C.I.T.F. a few days ago, Counter Insurgency Task Force, something to do with the Oberon incident or something along with imperials.. You’re not too sure. But, you do know one thing.. “Last I heard, y’all weren’t supposed to be out here with it being a memorial and all.”

“Not your concern, this is an official government government investigation.”

“You know,” you say as you lean toward Naomi as she listens into the conversation, “I don’t think they really know what that means with them using it all the time.”

Naomi exhales sharply as she shook her head before narrowing her eyes at you, “We should have left.”

“Eh, shoulda coulda woulda,” you say as you return to the screen. Naomi didn’t like that answer and seemed to rolled her eyes behind you but you can only guess. She seems more agitated than just mad at you though. Her nonverbal expressions of discontent are sure signs of that. You sigh, the C.I.T.F. aren’t supposed to be out in memorials like this. You’re not sure why they’re not supposed to be here, you just know that it was something about a treaty to pay respect to the ones who had laid their lives down for whatever conflict -- Naomi probably knows.

Whatever the reason is, you know if there were people out here that could prove that the C.I.T.F. were here then there would be political consequences and a backfire you would probably not be able to calculate. There’s something off here, either they’re here for the ship or it’s one big consequence. You arrived here first and they arrive only a few moments later, either they were trying to find the person who did this or they were just that slow since this ship itself has went dark weeks ago.

“Since you have arrived,” the commanding voice breaks your thoughts, “prepare to be transported onto the U.G.S. Doctrine to be questioned on the connection to this ship. If you or any members of your ship’s crew be found guilty of any illegal activities your ship will be moored and you will be detained. We will arrive in ten minutes.

You listen as you watch the screen start to tick off the last remaining preparations for the missive drive -- it’s ready.

>”Well, it’s been nice chatting with you but I’m on a tight schedule that I need to hold.” Time to leave.
>”We’ll be waiting.” No need to get hasty. Just stay cooperative and listen to their instructions. This will probably help Coraline figure out what happened.. Then again she did..
>”Can’t we just talk like this? I mean, my ship’s pretty small and I’d rather not uhh join you guys on yours.”
>[write-in]

>>2880159
>>”We’ll be waiting.” No need to get hasty. Just stay cooperative and listen to their instructions. This will probably help Coraline figure out what happened.. Then again she did..

>>2880159
>”Well, it’s been nice chatting with you but I’m on a tight schedule that I need to hold.” Time to leave.

Fuck this noise, they are not supposed to be here so it means they will not allow us to tell anyone they were here. They'll airlock us.

Tjis is a fucking huge conspiracy fuckfest from the begining, cooperating with the player will get us killed to keep quiet

>>2880159
>”Well, it’s been nice chatting with you but I’m on a tight schedule that I need to hold.” Time to leave.

Ah shit, we can't run from them and become fugitives; they know the ship serial number... but Coraline is an insta-kill for us so... we better become fugitives either way!!

>>2880159
wait 5 minutes before leaving, to give some time for coraline to try and remember something

>”Well, it’s been nice chatting with you but I’m on a tight schedule that I need to hold.” Time to leave.

>>2880159
>>”Well, it’s been nice chatting with you but I’m on a tight schedule that I need to hold.” Time to leave.

>>2880215
>>2880224
>>2880231
>>2880236
four for dipping out

Roll me three d100s. Roll under

>DC Hard = 50
>Ins N' Outs +25 - Ability earned from Mastery + of PD Lakka
>Novice Pilot -10
>Novice Navigation -10
>No Saved Crits
>DC = 55

>0 - The ship stalls and doesn't move.
>1 - Your ship starts to get away but they still catch up to you.
>2 - You're able to make the escape
>3 - You escape cleanly and increase Navigation to Competent.

Rolled 40 (1d100)

>>2880346
AIIII SCARES.

Rolled 1 (1d100)

>>2880346

>>2880357
criiiiit yay

Rolled 2 (1d100)

>>2880346

Rolled 59 (1d100)

>>2880346

Rolled 33 (1d100)

>>2880346
We're screwed

>>2880386
It's roll under.

File: Sir_Prise.gif (3.51 MB, 500x250)

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>>2880357 1 CRIT
>>2880374 2 CRIT
>>2880353 40

Five degrees of success. Holy shit.

>0 - The ship stalls and doesn't move.
>1 - Your ship starts to get away but they still catch up to you.
>2 - You're able to make the escape
>3 - You escape cleanly and increase Navigation to Competent.
>4 - You escape perfectly, increasing Piloting and Navigation to Competent
>5 - Your escape is legendary, disappearing almost entirely. Increasing Piloting, Navigation, and Mechanical Engineering to Skilled.

You can bank both or one of the crits to be used later but masteries effect dice rolls later. Raising them up to skilled removes the negatives to the DC.

Current Character Sheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1z3WwwCvkilVxWx6uAuIThapoTypzZ_X9zP8OgdH3XMY/edit?usp=sharing

Dice rules on Masteries:
- ▲ 0 - Not (-20)
- ▲ 1 - Dabbling (-15)
- ▲ 2 - Novice (-10)
- ▲ 3 - Competent (-5)
- ▲ 4 - Skilled (0)
- ▲ 5 - Talented (+5)
- ▲ 6 - Adept (+10)
- ▲ 7 - Practiced (+15)
- ▲ 8 - Proficient (+20)
- ▲ 9 - Expert (+30)
- ▲ 10- Master (+40)

AMAZING ROLLES.
Do we save the crit and get only two sucess or use the crit.... QM how does it works?

>>2880420
don't save, those masteries are pretty useful

we escaped so hard the guy doesn't remember our serial number and think we were probably a mass hysteria caused by the ghost ship

>>2880425
Crits count as a +1 to the rolls where as just base roll would be a +1. If you bank both crits you will still get >3. If you use a crit on another roll it will just add a bonus to raise it to the next level. Think of it as an extra degree of success.

>>2880445
+1 When in doubt keep it simple.

>>2880460
>>2880445
Everyone okay with using the crits then?

>>2880502
Sounds good to me.

>>2880502
Do it.

>>2880512
>>2880522
>>2880502
>>2880445
Alrighty,

Writing!

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>>2880159
“Well,” you reply as you take off the thick gloves slowly before folding them and placing them against your chair arm rests. Taking the controls into your hands, you begin the sequence. The ship responds instantly to your commands as you swiftly input and engage the missive drive. “It’s been fun having a chat with you and all, but..”

“Craft number Five four six eight uh.. shi--” the voice cuts off as your ship begins to rumble and the stars outside your glass viewing port begin to warp and distort under the pressure. “Captain of the PD Lakka, your ship is now under the legislation of the U.G.E. and you are hereby--”

“Negative U.G.S. Doctrine, I am free to fly,” your final words echo as the light bends violently as your ship stretches and shakes under the pressure of the gravity expanding and bending space itself. You watch as the sky splits and accepts your ship as if disappearing behind a veil of black pitch entirely enveloped within the dark sea. You’re not sure what the others are seeing but you feel like this is entirely different from the previous times you’ve flown, it feels like there’s..

You feel the cold icy touch along your spine as your hairs stick up on end. Something seems different, feels different, a kind of power that you’re unsure of but it’s not unwelcoming or betraying any senses. You watch as the viewport flares blindingly red before disappearing into the black that is space travel as if you were one of those ghost ships. A mirage, a simple wayward spirit passing through the sector.

The metal surrounding you shakes and moves for a moment as the three of you sit wondering what happened. You’re not sure what happened but it feels like an accident, something that you didn’t do. You look to your hands which betray the nervousness of your mind and the shock of your face -- they sit still like an immovable rock. Clenching your fist, you steel yourself and shake off the strange feeling before turning to Naomi.“Uh--”

“D-did you hear that!? They didn’t even know the serial code!” Naomi explodes all in a single moment as if she was sitting on edge waiting to be pushed over. She laughs nervously as she calms herself down, “Wow, that was something else. I knew the C.I.T.F. were incompetent and all but, woooow, they’re like dumb. Like reaaally dumb,” she takes a moment to breathe deeply before resuming, “That was really great. Wow, Sammy, like, wow. OH! D-did, you, you know, get anything on the ship? I know you said you didn’t get to go into the cargo hold, and well, yeah, but did you find anything out in the bridge like earlier?”

“I--” you slowly stammer out, “Yeah, umm, yeah, uh, thanks I guess,” you pause, taking a moment to breathe and look at the lowering blast screens that protects the glass, “I, well yeah.. I, um, found some stuff but not..”

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>>2880672
“I told you,” Coraline speaks up, breaking her usual silence. You’re pretty sure you saw what you saw and you’re not sure why they’re acting the same. Feels as if it’s those ghost ships or something beyond that, you’re not sure. You heard of people seeing things that aren’t there, but you’re not sure about being something that wasn’t there.

>”Yeah, uhh, Naomi I found a few things. Namely this personal mobile on the captain.” stow your paranoia for a moment and work on something at hand. Think about something else at least.
>”Yeah.. Yeah.. uhh.. I’m going to take a shower and get this suit off..” take a shower and think things over for a moment. What the hell just happened?
>”Good lord, you know what? I’m starving. I think I’m going to get something to eat.” Act normal, nothing happened, nothing’s different. You didn’t see anything, nope, it’s perfectly normal. Yep. Just a normal jump.
>freak out.
>[write-in]

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>>2880674
here's a better picture for this.

>>2880674
>freak out.

What was thaaaaaat. I don't get iiiit

>>2880674
>>”Yeah, uhh, Naomi I found a few things. Namely this personal mobile on the captain.” stow your paranoia for a moment and work on something at hand. Think about something else at least.

>>2880674
>”Yeah, uhh, Naomi I found a few things. Namely this personal mobile on the captain.” stow your paranoia for a moment and work on something at hand. Think about something else at least.

>>2880674
>>”Yeah, uhh, Naomi I found a few things. Namely this personal mobile on the captain.” stow your paranoia for a moment and work on something at hand. Think about something else at least.

>>2880700
>>2880714
>>2880715
three for understandably shaken

Writing!

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>>2880674
You breathe deeply, digesting the moment of unnerving confusion before taking another breath. “Yeah, yeah, uh, hmm..” you trail off, stammering again, “Yeah, I, uh, found a few things in there.”

“You said something about the black box being a bust or whatever though, right?”

“Yeah, no, yeah the, uh, the whole thing was wiped when I got there,” you shake your head as you unbuckle yourself from the cushioned pilot’s chair. Taking the gloves in hand, you push yourself off of the chair and climb back into the cabin. Unclipping the two name tags from your suit, you toss them onto the desk, “There ain’t much up there, just some names and I guess codes on the tags but there’s this one thing,” you take out the bent personal display, “A gift from the captain himself. Practically useless but I think I can salvage something off of it. Shouldn’t be too difficult I reckon.”

“It looks kind of uh..” Naomi whispers to Coraline, “Kind of like junk.”

“Yes,” Coraline replies nodding her head slowly in agreement. “Yes it does.”

“Well you know the saying, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” you say as you loosen the heavy boots.

Naomi narrows her eyes and sticks her neck out a bit before making a disgusted face, “Uh, no? That’s some colonist thing isn’t it? Trash piles and stuff like that, right?”

“What-- what, uh, what’s that supposed to mean?” you say taken aback before looking to Naomi who just replies with a devilish smirk and a slight tilt of the head with closed eyes. Her nonverbal answer gives way to a short laugh and a pat on your back.

“Whatever you want it to mean, Sammy. I know recycling is good for the planets and all,” she says as you shake your head dismissively. It’s as if the three of you hadn’t just almost got stopped by a secretive military organization known for their unorthodox methods of getting what they want. You’re not sure if you believe Naomi’s previous mentions on them being corrupt, but you’re confident you would rather not get involved with them. The return of normality gives you some peace of mind from the stress of worrying about whatever else there’s out there.

You’re nearing your destination, a destination which revolves around answers. But, from what you’ve been able to gather from the past few days of living out in space, there’s always another question around the corner. The people out here are strange, the rules stranger, and you’re just now starting to sit at the kiddies table. Arcady, BioTyk, C.I.T.F., Coraline, Naomi, the missing girls, The Sons, The Vultures, the government, imperialists, everything out there and more piles on as you’d expect it to -- like a mess. A tangle of webs woven by something unclear and unknowable, perhaps a horror of mankind or an organization unbeknownst to you and existing entirely for self gain and self seclusion. Maybe it’s all unconnected, maybe it’s not.

>>2880794
You lay out the broken display, looking at it’s simple machinery and the complexities of its build. The back panel and flexible glass placed on the top are bent inward as if the glass was placed on a knee and bent over it or bent between two things. Mostly made for durable, quick, and reliable access to information, the displays are really just small computers that can integrate themselves onto your person, through equipment or simply carrying them.

→ It is now Noon

>Start trying to crack into it.
>Take a shower, get yourself clean and comfortable. You didn’t take one this morning and you’d rather mess with stuff while clean.
>”What do you know about the C.I.T.F. Naomi? They weren’t supposed to be there, you think they’re looking for something?”
>”There was also something else, the crew all wore a uniform but they didn’t have patches. Ever heard of something like that, Naomi?”
>”Coraline. You have some explaining to do. How did you know they were going to be there?”
>[write-in]
____________________________________________________________________

That will be the end of today’s session. Thank you for reading. I’ll probably not be running again tomorrow but I'll run thursday.

Twitter: Kov_QM
Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=FHQ
Discord: https://discord.gg/QznmEus
____________________________________________________________________

>>2880798
>”Coraline. You have some explaining to do. How did you know they were going to be there?”
>”What do you know about the C.I.T.F. Naomi? They weren’t supposed to be there, you think they’re looking for something?”

They are about the same topic so let's discuss it among ourselves

>>2880798
>”There was also something else, the crew all wore a uniform but they didn’t have patches. Ever heard of something like that, Naomi?”

>>2880798
>>”What do you know about the C.I.T.F. Naomi? They weren’t supposed to be there, you think they’re looking for something?”

>>2881200
This

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>>2880798
“So..” you clear your throat as you look away from the mangled display. Two sets of eyes meet yours, one hazel, the other a greyish blue, but each focused and hesitant. You wait as you gather your emotions, confidence and thoughts as you begin to parse through the recent information. A strange relationship that fear and curiosity has, juxtaposed against each other yet a feeling not wholly dissimilar. Something of the two were mixed within you since you’ve left Milo, and Haven before it. Not because of the exact position but the unknowables lurking just outside. Something lurked close, too close. Something you’re not entirely sure you’re capable of handling, but it’s something you’re sure is there.

“I’m a pretty open guy, or well, I try to be at least,” the stumbling of your words were once greater but finding some kind of connection, found footing, you’re beginning to feel comfortable. Safe -- but not entirely. “Coraline,” you say, letting her name hang in the air a moment’s second before continuing, “You got some explaining to do. I know, I know, you’re a bit- a, well, you’re not all there right now but still. -- How’d you know they were going to be there? You said it wasn’t vultures and it wasn’t no problem with the ship and I surly doubt you were worried about me.. so how did you know?”

Coraline sits, watching you as if she had no way to answer. For once, she doesn’t have an answer. For once, she seems confused. For once.. she’s.. You turn your eyes away, keeping them at a distance. “I-” she pauses uncharacteristically, looking down at her hands and legs before returning, “I don’t know.”

“What.. do you mean?” you say somewhat slowly.

“It was just a feeling,” she says, returning to her usual posture and rhythm, yet she turns away for a moment before looking back down, “I don’t know,” she repeats, “A feeling.”

A feeling. Her usual austere and distant look is kept yet you can’t help but feel something was different, not just her composure, but the way she felt. Still distant, yet like the midnight sun -- warm somewhere. Her silence is unbroken for some time as the three of you sit in a sort of semi-circle. You watch as Naomi fidgets slightly adjusting herself either for comfort or nerves, you’re not sure. After a moment too long, she returns your gaze with a raised brow.

>>2887509
“Naomi, who--” you decide to break the silence, “well, what were they, the- uh- COIN guys, doing at Unity? Last I heard they weren’t supposed to be flying so close to a place like that. Somethin’ about the whole rebuilding and keeping it for the colonists or..”

She raises both brows before leaning back, holding her crossed legs with her hands, “Yeah... not sure.. Honestly, uhm.. They said they were on some kind of investigation, think they were looking for the girls?”

>”I doubt they’re connected to Arcady or anyone right now. They probably got a signal about the drifting ship and came here to see what’s what.”
>”Might be looking for those Sons guys since you said something about them bombing the politicians and such. Since they’re government and if anything bombing a building with a lot of government types tend to sound like Insurgency to me.”
>”Definitely working with Arcady. Now that I know they’re here, they’re probably trying to cover something up and have been responding to all distress signals. If they were there before us then I doubt they’re actually there to help.”
>”Thinking BioTyk. Dunno why, just seems pretty convenient given whatever.”
>[write-in]

>>2887512
>>”Might be looking for those Sons guys since you said something about them bombing the politicians and such. Since they’re government and if anything bombing a building with a lot of government types tend to sound like Insurgency to me.”
but

>”Thinking BioTyk. Dunno why, just seems pretty convenient given whatever.”

>>2887528
+1

>>2887528
>>2887696
straight up fell asleep,
two for sons

Writing!

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>>2887512
“I ain’t so sure about that. Might just be that they’re round here for those sons guys,” you say after looking toward your hands as they idle against your padded knees, still sitting in the EVA suit from before. “You said something about them bombing those politicians, sounds like insurgency to me.”

“You know what..” she pauses, “you’re probably right about that,” she gives a half smirk, “For once.”

“I mean it sounds right.”

“Yeah, no, I know. It makes sense. Feels like that’s probably what’s going on since, like, the sons are starting to be more active in unity. C.I.T.F. tends to walk the lines on what is and isn’t legal so I don’t think they care even if half the universe would get up in arms if there was solid proof of them actually breaking the bonds like that..” she pauses and sighs softly, “Just.. just don’t like seeing them around, you know?”

“Not really, though it’s not like I was ever in love with the government,” you say before turning back to her.

“It’s just.. Nothing,” she drifts to silence as her last words hang in the stale air. Coraline and Naomi both have stopped talking. Coraline being silent isn’t something unusual since she seems to keep to herself more often than naught but Naomi being quiet is something new. Her often amusing and cheerful smile slips away as she continues to stay quiet for the next few days.

Silence fell on the cabin for several days as you made it toward your midway destination. While you worked on the broken display, the two girls seemed to keep to themselves. You’re not sure why or for what reason but after Naomi finished talking she would only give short answers for the next few days. In fact it wasn’t until made it to Unity when anyone talked.

The display itself wasn’t difficult to get open and separated apart. Prying through the hard drive, you were only able to get small snippets of uncorrupted data which often felt like putting a puzzle together without half the pieces. The information felt garbled and disconnected. There was something about a disease, something that kept repeating about numbers one through ten, and the consistent note that stated something about a vacation. It all felt like reading static.

Keeping the desk clean was something of a silent issue though no one spoke against your scattered workplace even if Naomi only casted disdain looks at it. Every now and then Coraline and Naomi would watch something or talk quietly together but none would bother you. The change wasn’t unwelcome for you, though you can’t help shake the feeling of something being off with both of them. Nothing was drastically different. You’re not sure if you said something or something happened, it’s strange. You kept your distance as well and found yourself something to do other than talk. Whether it be the display, or looking over manuals, or even just keeping track of time as it passed.

>>2889288
It’s morning -- the day you reach Unity-Point. You’ve been constantly waking up before the two girls, a routine you’ve built from home that doesn’t apply anywhere else. A clock that ticks without an observer is a useless clock.

>Wake up and take a shower. The routine. Shower, eat, work, eat, work, eat, sleep. Consistency.
>Today you’ll have to fly through Unity-Point, something you’ve been worried about the past few days. It’s time to start working on a plan to get through it. Naomi said it was a simple straight shot, you’d like to make sure.
>Take the time to relax, you’ve barely made any progress with your display and you’re not about to worry about anything else. If no one wants to talk then you’re fine with the silence.
>[write-in]

>>2889313
>>Today you’ll have to fly through Unity-Point, something you’ve been worried about the past few days. It’s time to start working on a plan to get through it. Naomi said it was a simple straight shot, you’d like to make sure.
also, the numbers one through ten refer to the pods and that disease might be what is affecting Coraline and the reason why she needs that medication with a difficult name to remember

>>2889313
>Today you’ll have to fly through Unity-Point, something you’ve been worried about the past few days. It’s time to start working on a plan to get through it. Naomi said it was a simple straight shot, you’d like to make sure.

>>2889313
>Take the time to relax, you’ve barely made any progress with your display and you’re not about to worry about anything else. If no one wants to talk then you’re fine with the silence.

Sorta... stuff is complicated

>>2889333
>>2889401
two for preparations

writing

>>2889313
It’s understandable that anyone would want to seek solitude though the longevity of that would come into question eventually due to the lack of actual space to give or take. You sigh, feeling the semi-soft quilt like blankets covering you and your bed. The warmth ever so enticing with solace taken in its simplicity -- a routine. A standard way of keeping track of what is and isn’t. You’ve had some time to yourself in the past days, something you’re glad of yet concerned of. Complexities of emotion beyond your understanding sitting idle, awaiting the autumn breeze to push against.

You listen to the soft breathing and the quiet vent blowing air as you stare above you. The metal scored slightly from the previous episodes of mismanaging materials. Taking a breath, you let yourself sit for a moment as you wander. There’s been only time to think, time to watch, and time to work. Today is no exception and it’s time to get up and prepare. You shuffle the sheets across yourself as you pull them off and swing your legs out toward the metal floor.

Landing silently, your bare feet pull you out as you slide awkwardly out from the bed toward the desk. Today you’ll be nearing Unity and entering into system. You look over to one of the many yellow square notes stickied against the back wall of the desk before checking your own display, you’ll arrive in four hours from now. You take a moment to appreciate the scattered mess of tools, wires, and metal as you look at the barely organized workplace you’ve claimed to be yours for the past five days.

In truth, it is organized but only in a way that makes sense to you. The hectic and inconsistent spread of disassembled displays almost looks like a form of modern art in a way. You nod as you take note of each part still being in the spot you left it before turning to the pilot’s seat. Naomi still sleeps quietly against the formerly unbearable chair.

You move yourself slowly as you make your way over to the chair. Slightly raised above the bottom of the chair, you peer over the head rest as you look to the console which showed a dull green and black representation of the ship’s flight path. It only reassures yourself as it displays the time but you still look at it, above Naomi. Her pink hair partially covering her face as she sleeps with her back facing the console in a ball. Her head is nestled beside the headrest as she slowly breathes.

>>2889732
Reaching out, you tap against her shoulder and softly call to her. She slowly starts to stir as you back away a bit, avoiding being hit by Naomi stretching her arms. “Hmm..?”

“It’s morning,” you say, “get up, I need to get on the console.”

“Okay..” she slurs slowly and sleepily before gathering her stuff. Stumbling out of the cockpit, she crawls across your lap before sliding into your bed as you get into the chair. Curling herself in the bed, she watches you from afar. “Hmm.”

After you crawl into the cockpit, you turn on the rest of the displays and watch as they slowly blink alive. The screens turn from black to static white before they slowly bring up the information. The flightpath drawn right now seems to cut by the star and turn to the left toward Leo. Most of the information seems like old scans of Unity-Point. Ships that seem more like debris and shredded paper than remains of titans that fought decades before. Though there are still plenty of ships, most of them surround the old failed colony planet -- a point of conflict. Your flightpath doesn’t cut close enough to glimpse it though so you’re positive that, if anything, you wouldn’t see any action from vultures from there.

>”Faceless Fin, Calamity Jane, Jack Goare. Naomi, can I get a refresh on what I can expect to see in unity?”
>Check to see if the flightpath runs into any large concentration. You would rather avoid everything and anything.
>Just watch the countdown as it happens, enjoy.
>[write-in]

>>2889739
>Just watch the countdown as it happens, enjoy.

>>2889739
>>”Faceless Fin, Calamity Jane, Jack Goare. Naomi, can I get a refresh on what I can expect to see in unity?”
some questions and then
>Just watch the countdown as it happens, enjoy.
it's the only chance we'll have to see this

>>2889814
>>2889848
two for talking and chilling.

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>>2889739

“Hey.. Naomi,” you say before pausing, “Naomi?” you repeat as you turn around to see her curled up in you bed, sound asleep. You sigh as you turn back to the console. It meets you with a dull glow as it blinks slowly. The speed of the ship is already slowing down, taking its time. Like a train, it takes time to slow to a stop though you’re not really able to feel it as acceleration and deceleration is almost made inert through the help of the gravity generators. It’s quiet again, the sound of rustling and breathing returns to mask the slow push of air.

You sigh as you watch the time tick by slowly. A moment stretched thin as you turn again back to Naomi as you reach an arm out and around to where she has her face rested against one of your pillows. Tapping against the pillow, you call her name again, “Naomi, wake up..”

She blinks for a moment before looking back at you as she brings the sheets closer and hugs them. She watches from the blanket fort as you move your hand back and turn around. “Naomi, you said something about those salvager gangs, vultures, you know where they are at?”

“North,” she says muffled from the blankets.

“Huh?”

“Jane’s in the North, Fin’s east, and Goare’s from the south,” she mumbles slightly as she pulls the sheets away from her face.

“Ah..” you drag out slowly as you watch the console. “Well? What else?”

She sighs, “Well, there’s others but I don’t know them. So I can’t tell you, obviously,” she says quickly, her tone aggregated.

“Alright,” you say simply, letting the conversation dry out as you sit. You did just wake her up, but you can’t help feel like there’s something else wrong. A moment passes as you sit quietly monitoring the dark screens. “Are you okay?”

He sighs loudly as you hear her move around on the bed, “I’m fiiiine,” she says dragging out the words, “Just- just don’t get us killed flying through Unity.”

>”Did I say something wrong?” Pry. You’re not sure what’s got her annoyed but it’s something.
>”Are you really though?”
>Ignore her, you’re just here to monitor the ship to make sure it doesn’t break itself apart.
>[write-in]

>>2890049
>>[write-in]
Aight
Then continue monitoring.

>>2890049
>>”Did I say something wrong?” Pry. You’re not sure what’s got her annoyed but it’s something.

hah! I always PRY!

>>2890074
REEEE
NO PRY

>>2890049
>”Are you really though?”

Soft pry

>>2890132
If the tie persist I change mine to Pry so you don't have to roll qm

More pre

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17 KB JPG

>>2890132
>>2890074
>>2890214
>>2890061
four for softy

Writing!

This will probably be the last update for the thread. I have things I need to take care of.

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264 KB PNG

>>2890049
“Alright,” you say, letting the words die as you watch the numbers tick down slowly. It’s going to take some time. The green against the black background of the screen contrast as it glows against the stale ambient lights of the cabin. You sigh as you look around the cabin. Even without the overhead lights, the ones on the sides of the mirror above, you can still see clearly. The first thing you see when you turn around is the curled figure of Coraline as she sleeps in her cocoon of blankets, the desk with scattered parts and notes, and then Naomi who lies with her back turned to you.

“Are you..” you mumble quietly before stopping yourself. She’s dealing with something and she hasn’t acted like this since the first day. It’s a strange thing to think about, how she had changed throughout the nearly two weeks to only complete the cycle again. You’ve helped Ben out when he needed it, but helping someone outside of the family is different. He always got on your nerves but you’d always be there for him, he’s your brother after all. You’ve only known Naomi for a few days but you want to be there for her, you want to help. Call it naivety or optimism, but you always try to help. You don’t know why, though, but you do know that you want to help her.

“Are you really though?” The words, your words, speak before you finish thinking. Settling outside of your control as they escape freely. Like small notes, they tap against Naomi though she doesn’t react immediately. You watch as she remains still for a moment before she stirs a bit but remain silent. “Are you really fine?”

Her answer isn’t immediate, it’s slow but not entirely emotionally strained. It’s neither methodical nor sporadic. It just is. “I’m fine Sam. Don’t have to worry about me, I’m okay.” A practiced response -- you’re sure of it.

Ghosts, the both of them are haunted by a past that one cannot remember and the other cannot forget. “Just don’t lie to yourself.”

Your words remain still like ice against the fire -- fragile.
____________________________________________________________________

This will be all for tonight. Anyways, I'm not going to post for next week since I'm not only going to be busy but I'm also going to visit family. Honestly there's been some shit that's starting to pile up and if left unkempt, it will only start to grow. As I said before, my posts may start to become sporadic and inconsistent due to lack of time and everything else starting up. I apologize in advance for being a bad QM.

Twitter: Kov_QM
Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=FHQ
Discord: https://discord.gg/QznmEus
Schedule: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aSiHTqvMi8RuNlho-jxREmw7vczlofoLYuxITumc0kA/edit?usp=sharing
____________________________________________________________________

>>2891388
Thanks for running

Mission issued: protect Naomi's smile

Oh... Naomi. How many layers of deep does this plot have

>>2891388
Been lurking this session, but really enjoying the read. Keep up the good work Kov!