Elven Navy Delta Squad: Thought Taker

[GoldenEagle]

Grillon keeps his distance from the Illithid and keeps a body count of the crew. is he getting hungry or ...

 

[perivas]

In a secret meeting of the members of the Elven Navy, Amanu speaks his concerns to the others. "Though I know the Thought Taker may readily intrude on this meeting, I still feel that it's important to address an issue that has been on the minds of many of us. Is Thought Taker safe for us to be around? He is certainly a member of a predatory race, but the Elven Navy seems to have trusted him enough to send us out on this mission. For now, I guess that we travel in pairs, if not even larger groups while aboard. Any comments?"

 

[Keia]

"Well, my suggestion is that we confront him on this. I know we're working on this assignment for him, but I am unwilling to jepardize anyone on my squad or any of the crew to him," Marcus said.

"If we need to stop and get him some . . . food . . . then that's what we do," Marcus added. "Anyone have any other suggestions?"

Marcus looked to Theryndil, his resident psion. "You can provide the best defense against him, so I'll need you with me. I'd like everyone, but I won't order it. I'm not really sure where this will go . . ."

 

[GruTheWanderer]

When you confront Thought Taker, the creature admits its hunger, but gives an oath that it will touch no member of the crew. It shows no remorse or embarrasment about disposing of the kobold's corpse. The only reason it dumped the remains in private was to spare the feelings of the crew, who apparently have different attitudes toward the care and feeding of food.

You start keeping double watches, and another problem makes itself apparent. The crew has also noticed the mind flayer's behavior, and it is having a serious effect on their morale. At first they talk about in private, but several of them approach you three days after you speak with Thought Taker.

"Banish the mind flayer from the ship immediately," suggests a large, robust man named Tinker.

"Anything with tentacles wouldn't think twice about breaking an oath," adds Jella, a thin, wiry woman.

"You're our only protection against him," concludes Robers, a bald dwarf. "If you don't do something soon, someone might have an accident."

 

[Mirth]

Talking aside to Marcus, Chjargal expresses his concerns about the crew and the flayer. "I don't like how this is beginning to turn. The thing won't be able to function without more brains and we won't be able to function without a crew," the bugbear looks cautiously about and pauses before continuing. "It's either time to call a meeting with the entire crew and our employer to sort this mess out, or we do ourselves a favor and turn this ship about and get out of this crazy mission."

 

[Keia]

"Delta Squad doesn't quit. Control had the confidence that we would be able to handle this situation and I for one, what to get this to work," Marcus said then thought for a minute. "Can someone check with our navigator or Henry and see if there is a nearby planet that we can stop at to provide Thought Taker with norishment."

 

[GruTheWanderer]

The phlogiston holds many strange things, but no inhabited worlds. There are some possibilities once you reach your destination shell, but that is several days away.

For now, something appears which delays the confrontation betwen crew and captain.

Thud!

Not a loud sound, but enough to catch your attention. Particularly out here in the Flow, where there should be nothing to thud against.

"We've struck something," Tinker sings out. You join him by the rail and look down.

You did strike something. Something interesting. Resting against your hull, right on the gravity plane, it looks like a statue, a six foot high statue with six limbs. Definitely insectoid, but something about it makes it seem disconcertingly man-like.

Several other crewmembers have gathered around to look at the curiousity as well. "What should we do with it?" Hector asks. "This is a new one on me."

 

[GoldenEagle]

Grillon takes a closer look at the statue. What does it appear to be made of? Was there magic involved (flesh to stone)? animation and ambush is on Grillon's mind. Is there any other movement in the Phlo that he can see?

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Akodo remains quiet about the Thought Taker/snack issue. Something in him still says that as long as the flayer snacks on the crew, he isn't snacking on Delta Squad. He feels horrible for the selfishness of the thought, but there's not much he can do about that.

When the eel strikes the statue, Akodo's eyes bulge. This is getting odder and odder.

 

[perivas]

"I believe we should secure it and study it at proximity. Let's try to retrieve that item with rope or some similar means", Amanu suggests to the others.