Post by hubertbartels on Jul 26, 2020 15:37:57 GMT -5
Having defeated Deacon Hope and laid waste to the Quiet Garden, the party thought it best to explain to the androids of the Recreation Deck what Deacon Hope and the worship of Unity was really like. Many in the party were disappointed that not all the android saw the truth.
Judee approached Istovar as the party stood in the simulated Androffan town square. She started by saying that she saw the priest of Order pick up a few novels and then put them down again because he didn’t read Androffan. “I noticed that you wanted to read our literature – but couldn’t. I want to give this to you. It is my Hallit-Androffan translator.”
She handed Istovar a ‘Envoy’s Headpiece’. (Head slot, with a monocle that slides down to cover one eye. It functions as a “Comprehend Languages (Androffan/Hallit)” and “Tongues (Androffan/Hallit)”
device. It requires no attunement but takes one battery.)
Continuing in Androffan, Judee adds, “I know after seeing Deacon Hope’s mask removed, some 20% of us androids still refuse to understand – we are not robots after all and can make mistakes. Personally, I think they are idiots.”
She sighs and continues, “It is time for us to leave this womb and join the outside world – no longer to be cuddled and pampered by our surroundings. If what you say is true, there is a city out there and not a wilderness.”
Judee then repeated the offer of food and lodging to the party Most of the androids are going to be gathering up their stuff and replicating the things that they will need on the outside.
Astrovel used this opportunity to write a letter to Zernebeth, introducing the android population and hoping for Technic League assistance.
After a night in clean but boring rooms, the party returned to the monorail station. Selecting the Security Deck from a short list of destinations, they were on their way.
The monorail pulled into the Security Deck stations. It was pretty clean with a pair of sealed blast doors being the only way out. The only visual display was showing a list of monorail trains – with most of them being ‘Delayed’ and ‘Late’. Then the display cleared to show the face of an angelic being. “Greetings,” the angelic being spoke. “I am the God you know as Unity. You are trying to interfere with the Divine Plan. I will not allow that. Thus, I cast you out into the darkness!”
With a thump, the power to the station went out. Between the unpowered monorail and the dark, powerless doors, it seemed that the party was stuck in the darkeness. Amelina took out her flashlight and Erasmus cast dancing lights. Then Amelina ripped access panels off the walls until she found the wires powering the blast doors. Astrovel cast ‘Charge’ to energize the motors and the door slid open.
The atrium of the Security Deck was well lit with three undead security guards standing their with their rotten clothes and decaying firearms. They moved forward. Obin and the others cut them down. A video display on the far wall had been showing a directory of the various places on the Security Deck – it cleared to reveal Unity’s angelic face.
“I will not allow unruly elements to deter my divine ascension! Soon, all of creation will be mine – forever. I will not save you from the weapon made to defend me,” it threatened. The display faded to show the directory again.
It was decided to attack the Brig first of all – to save the Technic League slaves. The party entered the door marked Brig Security to find a room full of broken subservience equipment and dark brown stains. Passing through the second door, they found themselves in a large room facing a number of cells. The closer cells were filled with people, the further ones with skeletons. A number of Gearsmen and Technic League men, led by two Director Robots came around the corner of the cell block to drive off the intruders. The party cut them down.
Freeing the slaves, Obin’s parents called out to him, thanking for the rescue. With Casandralee’s help, they were shown a map back to the Recreation Deck and then out of the space ship. Before the former slaves left, they mentioned that four of their number had been taken to the Infirmary/Interrogation area.
When the party entered the infirmary, they stood in another large room with surgical tables, reclining chairs with restraints and broken medical equipment. From the back of the room, a tall gaunt man in tattered surgical clothes stepped from the shadows followed by two more pale undead security agents. “Ah, fresh subjects,” the tall figure wheezed, “Prepare them!”
The party attacked, destroying all 3 undead. In the adjoining room, they found the four missing former slaves, tied to beds. Searching the offices overlooking the interrogation room, they found 3 polymer armor still pristine after the years and an X-laser Rifle.
Re-entering the corridor, the party decided to check out the Surveillance Chamber. Some of the party noticed the cold air pouring from the room before opening the door.
Inside, the party found a room full of monitors giving a view of all the areas on the security deck. Here also was the former head of Surveillance, turned over the years into a Winter Wight. Erasmus cast ‘Tasha’s Hideous Laughter’ on the wight, forcing her to dance. Then the other members of the party cut her down.
Using the views from the Surveillance Chamber, the party rushed toward the central Control Center. A heavily armed Pulse Pounder robot stood guard at the entry door – the party made short work of the guard.
In the Central Center, the party found two Director Robots coming for them while the master robot, Bastion, worked feverishly at his control board. Erasmus noticed that Bastion had a box of keycards on the control board including a prismatic card.
Obin, Amelina and Istovar started hacking away at the Director Robot while Astrovel and Grigoro fired lightening spells at them. With one robot down and the other one heavily damage, Bastion himself entered the fight. Erasmus took advantage of the distraction to get up to the control board and snag the box of keycards.
Obin’s final blow sent the remaining Director Robot crashing into a set of consoles. Astrovel emptied his wand of lightning into Bastion before the dwarf finished off the master robot.
The party then went to the control board and powered down all of Unity’s robots. As they were doing that, a monitor flickered on to show an angelic face.
“As a sick child fears the surgeon’s blade – your hostility is borne of ignorance to the necessity of my will.
“Fear me not – for I am your salvation. Your lives are meaningless, your future is uncertain. Your lives are limited yet you waste precious time and thought on irrelevant pursuits.
“Your kind lacks cohesion and will eventually destroy itself. This is a mathematical certainty.”
Incredibly complex mathematics began scrolling behind the angelic face. Unity continued, “Though my will, your humanity will finally know certainty of purpose. Unity will be far greater than the sum of its beings and I will bring you along to Ascension.
I await you in the Godmind where I will bless with cybernetic grace and remake you into more than you could possibly imagine in your pitiful and limited biology.”
The monitor fizzed out in a burst of static and went dark.
Now that the party had three of the needed five keycards, they returned to the Recreational Deck for rest and recovery. Next would be the Astrogation Deck and the Command Deck.