--We are looking for your supply ship with our scanners now.-- Phelar said to the concerned Gnome. --Also we are sending help, they have some food with them as well. How many of you are there?-- She continued to try and keep him calm, and reassure him that help is here.

"That would be nice. I am Gerbo, head engineer at this site," now that you've heard him twice now, his voice is. . . . flat (?). He seems neither excited nor worried and it's different from the first voice that came over which had a bit more animation to it.

"Well," the voice responds, "there's only two of us if you don't count the various rock animals that have made homes around here."

"I think I hear them now. I'll send Boddynock to greet them."

No, the 'asteroid' is far larger than that. It's about the size of Nebraska and even flatter.

It's several miles thick, particularly since the other side had mountains on it.

Further consideration, with your current orientation, it's almost like the underside is the ceiling of a cavern with stalactites hanging down. Except for the scale.

The Starhawk's sensors determine that the Gnome ship is running on emergency power and that most systems have been shut down. Only those systems that don't require much power are still active.

The sensors register 7 life signs, all showing as Gnome.

Revonoss shows Phelar his readings without a word pointing out the 7 life signs as the Gnome tells there are only two. He tries to pinpoint their location and tries to get a fix on the crew as he radios them.

++Advance slowly and stay together. Something is not right here.++

ooc: Do i need to make another roll to get their general locations or is that visible from the  scans?

Not relaying the information in the other thread as it might not be received

"By the noise, I think he's found them." The voice sounds a mix of relief and annoyance.

If sensors register the presence of some type of energy, they usually can determine the source. Certainly direction if not always the range.

Life signs aren't actively emitting energy, so an active sensor is used to scan a location for life signs.

Two of the Gnomes are on the bridge; the other five are amidship, though you don't have a clue what part of the ship that would be.

He adresses PHelar and the captain.

"Right at this point its clear our neighbour isn't telling the truth. There are 5 more life signs on the ship and our away team is going in blind. Then there is a signal on the other side of this rock that might be the missing supply ship but still needs investigation. But most improtantly i think we need to recall the away team and join them and enter that ship under the assumption that it might be hostile.

What are your thoughts?"

"Captain, I must say I agree. Something about this does not seem right, however I must also say that whatever trap that their is is already in motion and sprung by now." She considered for a moment. "We may wish to consider launching a drone, or going ourselves to investigate the other signal. If it is the other ship, and this is a trap, it could be possible the 'Gnome's' stashed it there."

--Rock animal's? Please elaborate?-- She asked the Gnome, to keep him talking, but still not apprise him that they suspect him yet. --Good, I'm glad that they have arrived safely.--

"Oh yes," a tinge of interest enters his voice, "this rock must have come from the elemental planes for there are small animal life from there. Nothing to large, mostly rock cats, rock mice, and a few others. They are interesting creatures and a pet project of mine. I'm writing, well I was righting, a paper on them."

"Oh, we sent out a large portion of our crew to try and forage anything that might be useful an hour or so ago. With our low power, comms have been limited to the distress beacon. Hopefully they'll return soon, but if you can find them, then they could return."

"I think you are a bit too suspicious," Captain Zenith says to Revonoss. "Not that a healthy dose isn't warranted under all circumstances."

"It sounds like the scavenging team came back aboard and just haven't let Gerbo know they are back."

"It also sounds like the supply ship may have crashed on the other side of this planetoid. That would explain why it is late."

"We'll need to investigate that... once the our away team is back aboard. I don't want to risk abandoning them here to investigate that signal. Not even to take the shuttle."

"If you say so captain. Do i understand correctly that you want to take the ship instead of the shuttle to investigate? Isn't it wiser to have the ship stay here and offer aid to the Gnomes while we go and inspect whats there with the shuttle?"
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 01:29, Thu 27 June 2019.

"So far, the only thing the Gnomes need that we know of it fuel, and we don't have any," Captain Zenith responds.

"So how else can we help them?"

"If we take the shuttle to investigate the other side and something happens to it, then what? Do we just write it off along with the crew that went? Or do we go and investigate with the ship? How is that any different from just taking the ship?"

"For that matter, what if it is the crashed supply ship? If it has any fuel left, how would the shuttle bring it back? Once again, we' have to take the ship over there."

"Anyway, Phelar, we are in The Drift. Nothing is ever right here. Just remember, magic dosn't work here in The Drift, so, right away, that's not normal."

--Our sensors indicate several more Gnome's are at your ship. It is likely that they have just returned just before or after our arrival. They show 5 additional one's, is that the foraging crew?-- She asked Gerbo.

"Captain, what about some form of ground transport? And flight or hover gear? Myself and Revonoss could go on ground to the edge, then use the flight or hover gear to flip to the other side and move to the prospective crash sight. When close, we use his drone to scout it in more detail." She said, offering. "That leaves both the ship and shuttle here, and uses minimal crew to look into it."

OOC: Hoverskates for the win! :)

"I admire your enthusiasm and spirit, Phelar, but I think your proposal is rather impractical," the Captain says.

"This slab is over 400 miles long, 200 miles wide and about 10 miles thick."

"It would take you days to just reach the edge and then you'd have to negotiate over the edge. I'm guessing that the gravity on the opposite side is the reverse of here, but I wouldn't swear to that."

The captain receives a telepathic communication from Soneau:

~~There is nothing mechanically or electronically wrong with the ship, Captain. It's just out of fuel.~~

Phelar deflated at his answer and simply remained silent. She then looked over to Ravenoss as if for him to say something.

As Revonoss was debunked for being to cautious and the captain having already decided to take the entire ship to the other reading just shrughs at Phelar. All they could do now was wait for the away crew to return and then get ready to go to the other side. He just hoped the captain was right and his caution that came from living among hostile megafauna was unfunded.

"Well i guess we'll await the return of the away team then and prepare for liftoff as soon as they are back?"

Gerbo says over the coms, "I'm going to head down to your away team and send one of my crew with you, with your permission of course, to help with the search. This will also avoid the supply ship thinking you're just some brigands. Thank you for all you are doing and are going to do."

"Seems we'll have a guest on board while we check out the signal." Phelar said to the Captain, and Ravenoss.

"Is there anything you'd like me to relay to Gerbo in reply Captain?" She said, looking towards him. When given any message to relay to the Gnome captain, she will do so.

Phelar picks up some odd noises and then Gerbo yelling how crew. Seems like he's sending someone without actually getting full permission.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:31, Sat 13 July 2019.

"I see the Away Team is returning," the Captain answers Phelar. "That's good thinking on his part."

"Tell him we'll leave a cache of additional supplies outside the ship."

Phelar nods to the Captain then relays his message. "I am not sure I like being telepathically linked to a Gnome. I am unsure which is more exhausting, using the ship to do it so everyone can hear, or the act of being tied to a Gnome itself."

Gerbo in his mind hear's. --Gerbo, before we leave to see if the signal we are reading is your supply ship we are going to leave you a cache of additional supplies outside of the ship to get you by.--
This message was last edited by the player at 21:30, Mon 15 July 2019.

The Away Team gets back to the ship along with their guest without any problems.

As they settle in, the Captain has the ship lift off.

It'll take a few hours to reach the other side, so the Away Team can get some rest before they may be needed again.


Once the ship transits to the other side, it's like a whole new world. What was originally perceived as 'mountains' now look like the stalactites of a giant cave! The scale is huge, though, and while there may not be much of a distinction between them and mountains, there is one big difference: mountains usually have places to land. Here, not so much that anyone can see.


Suddenly, just about the time that the sensors detect it, the Starhawk is fired upon by another ship! The other ship was hiding among the stalagmites (as they now appear when flying over them).

"What the frack?!!" the captain exclaims at the helm even as he takes evasive action.

The other ship has cover from the jagged peaks while the Starhawk is a sitting duck!

"Need an even playing field... if the bogey won't come out and play tag, guess we'll have to go in and play hide-and-seek!"

A half-barrel roll changes the ship's vector and lets Zenith dive down amid the peaks before another half-barrel roll turns the ship right side up again.

"Sensors! Got any data on the bogey? What are we fighting? Is it the Gnomish supply ship? Hell, for that matter, is it moving?"