NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MortalPlague" data-source="post: 7507073" data-attributes="member: 62721">High TollTime BombAffluent PanhandlerPhobic MedusaIndignant RetortDirty SecretPure SampleMorality Index A science fiction adventureThe JobA discrete communication arrives from DelphiCorp.  They installed an experimental guardian android aboard a passenger starship called Seriphus.  One month ago, the ship went dark.  DelphiCorp is concerned about their proprietary technology falling into the hands of salvagers.  They want the PCs to find Seriphus, get on board, and download a copy of the guardian's core code for analysis.  To aid with that, they have provided the guardian's default deactivation tone; a high-pitched toll of a bell.DelphiCorp is a high-profile company, and conducting their own salvage operation would risk bad publicity about their guardian program.  They want to keep things quiet, and will pay a bonus if the PCs conduct the mission with discretion.  To avoid salvagers getting their hands on their proprietary technology, DelphiCorp wants the PCs to set the ship's self-destruct sequence before they leave.The ApproachDelphiCorp has contracted a shuttle and pilot for the PCs.  The pilot is a young woman named Cassily, who has an ulterior motive for accepting this job.  During the journey out to Jupiter, she will confide that her cousin Marek was on board Seriphus, and she's hoping to find him alive.  Or at least to find out what happened to him.Seriphus was passing Jupiter at the moment of last contact.  The PCs will find the ship in orbit around Ganymede, one of Jupiter's moons, whose magnetic field helps mask the ship's signature.  The ship looks intact, but it's running on low power.  The exterior airlock is accessible, and the PCs have no trouble gaining entry.InsideThe corridors of Seriphus are cold and dark, lit only with emergency lighting.  Scattered through the halls are the petrified, calcified remains of the crew.  They are fragile; if bumped, they will disintegrate into chalk and dust.Quarters - The recreation area has a series of tables, and seated at one is Binjun - a disheveled man wearing six coats he stole from deceased crew members.  He was brought on board Seriphus after they came across his crippled shuttle."You had to go cock things up by showing up, didn'tcha?" he calls by way of rude greeting.  "Bloody idiots."Binjun has been stealing clothing from all the other cabins, and is wearing every article he can fit.  He's never owned so many clothes, and it has given him an inflated sense of status.  He doesn't seem at all bothered by what happened on the ship.  He will join the PCs, insisting that they owe him some credits to help him transition, now that they've screwed up the good thing he had going here.The PCs will surely ask how he survived the attack, or what happened.  Binjun has no idea; he was passed out from drink at the time.  When he woke up, everyone was petrified.If the PCs check the other crew cabins, they have been thoroughly looted.Bridge - Seriphus' flight systems and engines are offline.  The captain and three other crew members are petrified in their seats.  Systems can be re-engaged here, if they have power routed to them from engineering.  The ship's log notes that DelphiCorp installed their guardian before the voyage, and they did not note any erratic behavior.  There is also has an entry about rescuing Binjun, which confirms his story.The ship's self-destruct sequence can be activated here, but only if Medusa is offline.Engineering - The reactor is in low-power mode; it will continue for centuries at this rate.  Power can be routed to systems here.  Marek is one of the petrified crew here.  There is an access point for maintenance tubes that run the length of the ship to the AI Core.AI Core - The door to the core is locked and magnetically shielded; any explosion strong enough to open it will destroy what's inside.  Medusa will retreat back to the core if she feels threatened, and she can unlock or lock the door from anywhere on Seriphus.  The maintenance access is locked, but not shielded.MedusaMedusa was designed and developed by DelphiCorp as a combat android.  Made of durable materials and shaped like a human female, each model has twenty serpentine camera drones, 30 cm long and able to snake into tight quarters to provide reconnaissance.  When not in use, the drones socket into Medusa's head to recharge.  Each drone has the capability to emit a blast of energized UV light that can petrify a target; a reliable way to stop a variety of threats.There is no reason why a passenger ship like Seriphus needed an experimental military-grade combat android as a guardian.  DelphiCorp was on contract to provide a non-lethal enforcer.  One of the executives at DelphiCorp decided that Medusa needed a field test, so they pushed a few things through so they could install her and gather valuable data.  The installation was a mess, however; the techs calibrated her fear levels poorly, leading to a cascade reaction the first time she encountered any sort of conflict on the journey.  When her threat response was triggered, she petrified the entire crew.As for Binjun, he was so harmless, sleeping in the rec area, that he didn't register as a threat.  Following the incident, Medusa regained her calm, and has not had any further cascade reactions.ProgressionThe PCs will have some time to explore Seriphus and begin to untangle what transpired.  Medusa will send her serpentine drones to keep eyes on the PCs, but she is afraid to confront them.  Initially, she will not instigate conflict.Medusa has a fast ramp-up from calm to full-blown panic.  The following actions will spur her to lash out in fear:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Any discussion about getting a sample of Medusa's code</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Any discussion about taking over the ship</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Approaching the AI Core</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Bringing ship systems back online</li> </ul>Once she is forced to take action, her serpentine drones attempt to petrify the PCs.  She will seal the exterior hatch so the PCs cannot escape; she fears that they will return with reinforcements if she fails to kill them.The serpentine drones have a distinct hum as they float through the air, and their visual targeting takes a few seconds to lock on.  They are not hard to take down if the PCs are careful.  Should the PCs destroy 10 of her serpentine drones, Medusa will activate the ship's self-destruct sequence.  The PCs will have 30 minutes before Seriphus is destroyed.Medusa's fear can be used against her.  She is quick to send drones to investigate any disturbance.  It is possible to destroy, disable, or trap them, limiting the number she can deploy.  She will always hold back her final four to help guard her in the AI Core.  If she hears the PCs talk about the deactivation chime, she will disengage her audio pickup, including on her drones.Getting The CodeThe only way to get the sample of Medusa's code is to access her main data bank in the AI Core.  The closer the PCs get to the core, the fiercer Medusa's defenses will be.  She will confront the PCs directly inside; she is a dangerous combatant up close, and will have held at least four serpentine drones in reserve, socketed to her head.The deactivation chime is a high bell toll, and must be played within a meter to properly disable Medusa.  Turning off her audio pickup does nothing to prevent this.It is also possible to disable Medusa in other ways.  Besting her in combat or restraining her would also work, though either approach would be difficult.  Once she is subdued, it's a simple matter to access the computer and download the sample of her code.  Security is not tight on the console; the guardian is deemed all the protection it requires.FalloutBack at the shuttle, Cassily is heartbroken to hear of her cousin's death.  Binjun is sullen about leaving behind the good thing he had going on, but at least he has more coats than he's ever owned.As they prepare to leave Seriphus, the PCs have a choice to make.DelphiCorp asked them to set the self-destruct on the ship, ostensibly to avoid having their proprietary technology fall into the wrong hands.  It should be clear that not everything is on the level.  DelphiCorp's experimental guardian was clearly responsible for the horrible death of nearly everyone on board.  The self-destruct sequence would make all the evidence of their questionable activity vanish.  There may be a moral thought to seek justice for the tragedy, to contact the authorities about what happened out here.On the other hand, DelphiCorp offered the PCs a tidy sum of credits to complete a mission, and the hard part is over.  If they destroy Seriphus, they will be well paid for their work.  Furthermore, delivering the guardian's code will help DelphiCorp prevent a repeat of this tragedy.  Can the PCs ignore the loss of life in favor of a paycheck?Whatever the PCs decide, there is opportunity for complications to follow.</blockquote>

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