Rayjay leads Viridian, Ghent, Collyn and Taliesa to where the Life Support facilities are located. The deck plan of the Floating Palace is a giant oval. The Royal Stardock is on one side (port side if you put the Scholar's Tower at your back) while the civilian/repair dock is on the opposite side of the oval. Life Support is between the Stardock and the University (Scholar's  Tower).

Unfortunately it's also right across the Royal Stroll (walkway) from the Star Guard barracks. Fortunately, most of the Star Guard is in the outer system looking for an Aslan mining ship.

While the fastest route would be to take the perimeter Skywalk, it'd also be the most conspicuous. As long as you act normal, you should be okay.


Rayjay has probably walked past it several times without realizing it or paying particular attention to  it, but then that was the design. Rather than try to hide the sight and sound and smell of the Life Support systems, the admins back in the day embraced it... letting everyone know that this was part-and-parcel of their daily lives that kept them alive.

Thus, this wide section of building front looked more like a bank than an industrial work. It was a wall of floor-to-30-foot ceiling clear glass with colorful graphic displays of schematics, directions, information and reassurances. In the middle of the wall was a pair of doors that provided entrance. There are no guards here at the front, but the door has a badge-reader lock.

Two benches for seating flank the doors on both sides while planter boxes with blooming flowers provide the equivalent of end tables.

Beyond the doors, a walkway leads back to the rear of the facility and a crosswalk. To either side of this center walkway are a dozen shiny bright pipes of various diameters and colors. The pipes come up from below then head back under the floor, branching off here and there. Medium blue pipes are water, light blue pipes are air, and golden pipes are waste. Two workers dressed in goldenrod-colored jumpsuits move across these pipes cleaning and polishing them.

Another wall of glass separates the works and crosswalk from the rear office that has three desks--one straight back (the desk of the Head Honcho--the name plate says so) and two forward  and facing each other.

At each end of the crosswalk, though, there is a guard, dressed in the red-and-gold livery of the Royal Constabulary. They would to be security and limit access to the stairs that disappear into the floor at either end.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:56, Sat 06 May 2023.

Ghent’s eyes narrowed when he noticed the pipes and the workers polishing them. “In all my years on a ship, I don’t think I’ve ever sent two nimrods to polish the ship piping,” he said as he watched the two working. His eyes watched for signs that they were truly doing the work they were appearing to be doing. His hand reached instinctively towards his arc-field weapon, and pointed towards the pair so that others might see something he might not.

"Well, that's the place," Viridian commented after Rayjay led them to the Life Support facilities and continued past to the civilian stardock merely in the way of Recon.

"It's not the super-vault security Varca was expecting, but then again how much are we really seeing? As a paranoid Vespexer, I can see why he'd think that crime was running rampant here in the Palace. Still, with these factions going bonkers, I suppose anything's possible. On the surface, a concerted charge looks like it'd overwhelm those two guards."

He stopped at the cross path by the stardock and gestured around as if he was trying to decide something, all the while keeping his voice low.

"Do you know if there's another way in, Rayjay? There must be some sort of maitenance tunnels below deck, right? They can hardly haul tools and parts through the front door, can they?"

"Ha. Now it occurs to me that if Zhouth was here with us he could probably dig up some schematics for it. The alternative is to bluff our way in. We hardly look the part, but we can use that to our advantage. Got any juicy titles up your sleeve, Rayjay, that we can use?"

It's such an anomaly for Ghent that it takes him a minute to actually confirm that the workers are doing the work they appear to be doing. They dust, wipe, spray and polish the pipes, tap them with a small metal rod, and even run a small hand scanner over them now and then.

He also notes that there are no valves at this level.

He further realizes that though these two workers are really working and are dressed accordingly, they are also and more fit than they need or should be--they are an extra layer of security.


Rayjay is aware of the Underlinth, as it's called, which is a maze of access and maintenance tunnels that underlie the whole ground level of the Floating Palace. Generally, there is a two-story basement or sub-level to every structure on the Palace, used for storage. The Underlinth starts below that. It, too, is two-stories high, below which the true infrastructure and engineering begins.

While there is probably access to the Underlinth through the basements, the more common access point is through the courtyard/park/Commons of the University (Scholar's Tower).

"This is my first time here, Im here as muscle exclusively." he grins.

Ghent's manner relaxes slightly, meaning that his hand rests on the weapon's pummel, instead of outright wrapping his fingers around it and readying himself to draw it. He shifted his weight and waited for the group to decide their next move.

"Actually, I think those two workers are also part of the security team, Viridian" he said finally. "So if there was any actual trouble, they would likely join in and help defend the area. Interesting way to save money."

"You know the back way in RayJay? You know this place better than anyone."

"You don't say too much, do you Taliesa? Want to go for a beer when this is over?"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:57, Mon 08 May 2023.

"Great idea! We should all have a beer once this is over!" Ghent said slapping Collyn on the shoulder, his mood lightening significantly.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:21, Mon 08 May 2023.

Readopting his Palacer accent, Rayjay reminded Ghent that this was in fact a city, and a Royal capital no less. "Well polishing every last pipe is certainly a bit excessive on a ship with a crew of maybe a dozen or so, but in a city of thousands of people, maintaining the decor can be a means to employ and give meaning to your subject's lives. In between the occasional celebration or holy day of course. After all, have either of you spent your youth's disaffected by the greater powers that be? Well here at the Palace, no such thing can possibly be permitted to shame his Majesty's realm." He said with a bit of a darker tone near the end.

However, as the trio take in the modicum of security both visible and unnoticed, Rajay would answer the question asked in about as indirect a way as possible, should anyone be listening in. "Perhaps I should take you on a guided tour to the Scholar's Tower then? There I could certainly show you in person the magnificence of the Palace's heart and soul." He said giving them a wry smirk before checking his direction before leading the way.

All the while he instinctively inspected the water and waste pipes along the way, keeping one eye on the blue and gold as he urged them along.

"A beer always sounds good, especially if it's cold and someone else is buying," Taliesa replied to Collyn.

"I'm a marine... a person of few words and many actions. Besides, I have a speech impediment at the moment--I'm not carrying any weapons--they normally do my talking for me."
'
"So, it's tunnel-crawling, is it? Hope not literally. Lead on, MacDuff." She directs the last to Rayjay as he takes them on a 'tour'.