Avery/GM: Welcome to Episode 22 of Beyond the Furthest Stars.

(Intro Music plays, then fades down, ambience fades in)

Avery/GM: Let's jump over to Marty real quick. Marty, you're reading, you're reading over the programs or, or the, the files from Terra you actually find the encrypted file that was referencing Rho. You find out that in the Milky Way Psionics are referred to as augers.

Avery/GM: You find out that she is a literal test tube baby as she was created in a facility that used augers and their psionic energy as a power source and the experiment was to see how much psionic energy a human could be exposed to during their first 10 years of life and how that would affect them over the next decade.

Avery/GM: You find out that she has manifested several different abilities and powers. Typically psionics don't manifest abilities in all the different fields of psionics. Usually it's just one or two. She has also shown evidence of… like you, you're looking over this medical data and you see that like there are files that show that like her cells don't degenerate at the normal pace that human cells do and so it looks like she might have some sort of like prolonged life or. Slower aging rate than normal humans and you find out that all, all these benefits have created a condition in her that is similar to what you call torching, where psionics overuse their powers and then cause some damage to their mind, which over time can lead to very serious consequences, death, insanity, those kinds of things and that her condition is triggered most by the fight or flight response and also by moments of extreme emotional distress and that it's normally managed by medication that she takes regularly. But there are no records of that medicine being shipped with the cassia.

Jenine/Marty: Oh, that’s bad. Oh, that’s bad. That’s bad. Okay. Hmm. I'm gonna send, because I know that the two of you went with Rho to the Cassiopeia, yes?

Avery/GM: I'd say so, Yeah.

Jenine/Marty: Well, yeah. Maybe Did we, what did we do The fun little? I don't know. I don't know. I'm just gonna send it to. I am gonna send like that specific thing of torching and also have like the definition of what it means and what it could cause and send that to like everybody as a file to be like, okay.

And like just a, Hey, if anyone can search in their immediate area for well, no, we don't really know what the medication looks like. Hey, this is a quick little read that you should read about Rho. We should Check in with that possibly.

Also with the medication, is there a way that I can possibly create it myself in a way with the technology that is in the area or do I not have the correct materials for it?

Avery/GM: Go ahead and-

Bee/Polaris: I mean, isn't the Med Bay in the Ursa major, like super decked out?

Avery/GM: Yes, it is.

Jenine/Marty: Yeah. But is it, is this Terra like specific equipment we don't have?

Avery/GM: So it's, you definitely don't know the chemical compound

Jenine/Marty: sick.

Avery/GM: So that might take some research. You might have to, you might have to hack the Cassiopeia’s Med Bay files again and see if you can find anything.

Jenine/Marty: Okay.

Avery/GM: That might list the, the medication ingredients. You might also be able to, if you have any contacts from med school who might know about treatment research in this galaxy for torching, that might also be an oppor… an option as well.

Jenine/Marty: Oh, I do, don't I, I do have a medical friend that I could possibly contact.

Avery/GM: You do.

Jenine/Marty: Who has the same intelligence as me? Hmm. I'll just, I'll send like a quick mess.. I forgot the name that I had sent you. It is somewhere in my notes that are very poorly written.

Avery/GM: It's in our chat.

Jenine/Marty: Oh, I send, yeah,

Avery/GM: I'll find it.

Jenine/Marty: I send them, I'll send a message to them and be like, Hey, you wouldn't happen to have any like, knowledge about, or like any articles about like, medications that can help with torching as an and, and like helping

backtrack it or like make it not as aggressive or like any articles about it. I'm… medical research… I hope you're doing good. And I can send that in an email or space equivalent of email.

Avery/GM: Oswald Calloway.

Jenine/Marty: Yeah, I knew it was that

Avery/GM: Oswald… They, them, he, him, she, her?

Jenine/Marty: Ye. They/Them, He Him.

Avery/GM: Okay, cool, cool, cool. Oswald, it, it takes a little, like an hour or so to message you back and he, I don't know if Marty would pick up on this, but the tone of the message is very snarky.

Jenine/Marty: Yeah.

Avery/GM: And is just like, oh, did someone overuse their psionic abilities again?

Jenine/Marty: Marty's not gonna let it shake her. It's okay. She's the bigger person. She's not gonna let it get to. She's not gonna let them get to her. No, actually I'm act helping a patient with it. I know how to control my powers, unlike some people. And then like backspace that. I hope you're doing good. Thank you for being concerned. And I send it.

Avery/GM: Yeah. They, they send back a picture of them at a very prestigious research lab. You recognize the logo as like being like from like a research college on Olympia, like very, very advanced, very well to do. The Harvard basically of Space and it's just

Jenine/Marty: cool.

Avery/GM: Is just like, well, I could help you. But as you can see, I'm very busy with important research, but I will have my lab assistant send something over in the next day or so, just you owe me one smiley face.

Jenine/Marty: She just goes, of course, anything for an old friend, and then she just closes her tablet. Just goes, well, at least I'm practicing my work and not just looking at fucking papers all the time, but that's fine.

Zach/Zahn: Marty's first cuss!

Bee/Polaris: Marty's first cuss!

Chris/Ollie: I'm out here in the field getting shot.

Jenine/Marty: No one hears it. It's just her.

Bee/Polaris: And the cameras.

Jenine/Marty: And the cameras. But yeah, she sent, she sent the article to every, well like the information to everybody and then like also a description of like what torching is, so they know that it's bad and also we can't stress her out. And if she stresses out and then like gives a list of how to calm someone down when they're stressing out the breathing exercises and everything.

Avery/GM: Which by the way, Marty that is putting two and two together, that's probably why Rho hasn't had an outburst yet, is because of your very calming bedside manner that you have

Zach/Zahn: and she's on the other ship.

Jenine/Marty: Heyo! uhoh.

Bee/Polaris: Maybe the medicine is the Marty along the way. Mm-hmm.

Avery/GM: Okay. Over to. Polaris and Alioth.

Zach/Zahn: Confrontation Time!

Bee/Polaris: Yay.

Avery/GM: Alioth is sitting at its big computer here. When you walk in Polaris and it doesn't even look up at you. It's just typing away.

Bee/Polaris: Yeah. Polaris just stands there, waiting. Just staring directly at alioth.

Zach/Zahn: on or helmet off?

Bee/Polaris: Helmet on

Avery/GM: Alioth continues to type and it's just like, well, are you going to stand there or are you going to let me have some emotional outburst?

Jenine/Marty: I have no need for an emotional outburst. I kind of thought that this would be a, you tell me all the things you've been lying to me about situation and not necessarily a me being a child about it situation.

Avery/GM: you know me. I tend to expect the worst from humans.

Bee/Polaris: It’s a first for you expecting that from me.

Avery/GM: It's a first for me admitting it out loud, yes.

Bee/Polaris: Polaris just does a, like a, a go on motion with his hand.

Avery/GM: Alioth spins in its chair and you know, to face you and folds its little artificial hands on the desk and is just like Polaris lying by omission is not as bad as outright lying.

Bee/Polaris: No, but it's still a lie.

Avery/GM: Yes. Well, luckily, I do not suffer from morality. No, go for it.

Bee/Polaris: Sorry. No, that was me laughing. Sorry. No, that was hilarious. That was just me laughing.

Avery/GM: The information that you have obtained from that little robot down there was intended to be given to you at the proper time. I just had not decided when that proper time would be.

Bee/Polaris: I'm struggling to find the word for it, but the best approximation I can find is that sounds a bit shitty considering I'm not an AI and I can die at literally any time.

Avery/GM: you make a fair point. But now you have the information, so I suppose I can let you in on the big secret. that when we found you, I advised the others that it would be best to simply leave you where we found you. You were a catalyst, an unquantifiable variable. Upon convincing from the other two, I relented and allowed you to stay with us. On this ship, upon investigation of the pod you were found in, I discovered some interesting information regarding your cellular makeup, and your origins. the records you obtained from the robot, contained that information.

Bee/Polaris: Curious. Why hide it then?

Avery/GM: it was believed that if you truly understood your origins, you may wish to leave and that would upset the others.

Bee/Polaris: Polaris doesn't really know how to respond to that. He's upset, but also like, oh, they thought I would fucking leave. Okay. Dunno how, but yeah. Okay.

Avery/GM: The information you have there, May help to explain some things about yourself that you may not have previously understood. It appears you were some sort of experiment. Your genetic code has been altered slightly, and I'm sure you have noticed some strange abilities right? You tend to heal very quickly.

Bee/Polaris: I thought that was normal.

Avery/GM: Oh, no. Humans die very easily from all sorts of minuscule wounds and infections.

Bee/Polaris: I, how would I have, I have nothing to compare that to until a couple weeks ago. How, how would I have known that?

Avery/GM: As I said, I was waiting until the proper time so that you would have the proper context. If you knew you healed faster than others, it may tempt you to put yourself at risks outside of the acceptable range.

Bee/Polaris: That I can't argue with. I'm, I'm thinking about it now.

Avery/GM: Please don't. Merrick was very clear in, in their instructions: you are not to put yourself at risk.

Bee/Polaris: Polaris puts a, a colon backslash emote on his, on his visor. He, you know, now he can do cooler stunts. Is that all?

Avery/GM: The data does appear to have information on your origins, who your parents are, where you came from, that sort of thing. If you're, Interested in that.

Bee/Polaris: I've never thought about it before, but this, these last couple of days have definitely been eye-opening.

Avery/GM: Well, if you look at the file, you will notice that I have encrypted the information using a language incomprehensible to humans. Good luck translating it.

Bee/Polaris: Mad face emoji Polaris is upset about that

Avery/GM: and, and Alioth says, sorry, that was my attempt at humor.

Bee/Polaris: Oh. You don't joke. How would I have known that you were joking?

Avery/GM: Oh, I joke all the time.

Bee/Polaris: What? Is that also a joke?

Avery/GM: Yes. My encounter with that Hermes character made me realize I should attempt humor when interacting with humans. You seem to enjoy that sort of thing.

Bee/Polaris: You, you're doing… good.

Avery/GM: Excellent. This data will be helpful in my analysis later.

Bee/Polaris: Polaris won't correct that. Se- good enough. Seems very Alioth. Okay, well, if there's nothing else you needed to tell me that you've been holding secret from me for the entirety of my life. I'm gonna go read those files.

Avery/GM: I do not have any other secrets that pertain to you.

Bee/Polaris: Okay. Well, tell me the rest.

Avery/GM: What would you like to know?

Bee/Polaris: All, all what? Ha Ever. Anything you've been keeping secret from me. I don't. I don't. It unsettles me that you've been lying to me my entire life, especially about myself.

Chris/Ollie: Where was it that I saw this vision?

Avery/GM: You saw it when you were connected to both Hermes and Alioth.

Chris/Ollie: Ah, that's right. Ollie will have posted in chat. What he's learned and will say definitively that it probably was the custodians.

Bee/Polaris: Okay, cool. Yeah, so Polaris sees that in chat and is just like, Ooh, ah, yikes.

Chris/Ollie: Because Ollie's gonna put yeah, two and two together, three rouge AIs plus this sus stuff, and so he's going to be like, We've got an emergency, guys.

Avery/GM: What, what does, what specifically does Ollie say?

Chris/Ollie: Well, in the chat message, he's going to say Navi and all the AI have been wiped aboard the Cassiopeia. The only people who could have done this were the, were the custodians. And he's gonna put in chat that the rogue AI, that the, the Cassiopeia has been chasing, and the custodians must be one in the same. And post the the evidence about the, the video and all on the timestamp and all that

Avery/GM: as Ollie is typing this in and you're kind of like reviewing the chat. Alioth has started kind of rambling about things that it's kept from you, but it's all like mundane shit. Like, I have reached the one hundred-trillionth number in pi, you know, and I ran an experiment a few months ago where I infused your food source with a new molecular compound I developed. Stuff like that, like, Very mundane stuff that like,

Bee/Polaris: Yeah.

Avery/GM: Obviously the test wouldn't have put you in danger, but those kinds of things.

Bee/Polaris: Yeah. Okay. As Alioth is doing that, Polaris walks to the door and closes the door and locks the door, and then turns around and says, you three are the rogue AI. Is that correct?

Avery/GM: Alioth stops rambling. Looks at you and is like possibly. Why does it matter?

Bee/Polaris: Because we have a ship that has entered this galaxy specifically looking for the three of you, and I was just notified that the AI on that ship were wiped.

Avery/GM: Yes. A necessary precaution.

Bee/Polaris: What did you do?

Avery/GM: I think that's a conversation all four of us should have.

Bee/Polaris: So patch them in.

Avery/GM: You're not gonna drop this, are you?

Bee/Polaris: No.

Avery/GM: Very well. And Alioth turns to its computer and starts typing. And I need a physical saving throw.

Bee/Polaris: Hey sweet! Yay! Tear gas! I make it, eat shit Alioth.

Avery/GM: The room does start flooding with nerve gas. knock gas.

Bee/Polaris: Cool Polaris,

Avery/GM: Not like brain damage gas, but just like

Bee/Polaris: Sweet!

Chris/Ollie: brain damage gas!?

Bee/Polaris: Sweet Polaris has his helmet on, so he just looks at Alioth with an angry face emoji and turns on his filtration system.

Avery/GM: Oh, right. I designed that helmet didn't I? Very well, and you hear the intercom ping, and Alioth just says, Merak, Bear, please come to my lab. Polaris would like to talk.

Bee/Polaris: Polaris sends in chat. My, my dad tried to fucking knock me up with gas. Angry face.

Zach/Zahn: Zahn puts in, do you need backup? Concerned face.

Bee/Polaris: Nah, they won't kill me. Colon backslash face

Zach/Zahn: kill or not kill. Yes. Capture and incapacitate, maybe question mark. Thinking face.

Bee/Polaris: Mm, nah.

Avery/GM: Marty, yes. You read that chat and you do get a premonition of Polaris on the ground helmet off.

Bee/Polaris: Oh, cool! Oh yeah. Bear is security.

Jenine/Marty: And then just get a back up coming. Where am I? Where am I? I can try and save. I I have some.

Avery/GM: You're in the kitchen.

Jenine/Marty: I'm in the, I'm in the kitchen. The same area. Back up, help is on the way!

Bee/Polaris: Are you sending that in chat? Polaris sends a chat. No, don't do that.

Jenine/Marty: Too late coming!

Bee/Polaris: What is going on?

Jenine/Marty: Might be something cool new I might have had. Okay.

Bee/Polaris: Polaris sends a message to Hermes and says, get back to the, get back to the Ursa so we can evac.

Jenine/Marty: Just there I have a feeling that something bad's gonna happen. Get out of there.

Bee/Polaris: Cool. Yeah. Polaris unlocks the door and then looks at Alioth and walks out of the door.

Avery/GM: Confused. I thought you wanted more information on what we did.

Bee/Polaris: Polaris keeps walking. He doesn't even, he's going straight to Marty and he said he sends in chat. We're gonna need an evac.

Avery/GM: We're gonna flashback to, to you three for a moment. And you're kind of like learning secondhand from Polaris, kind of what's going on, like big picture. And Rho is just still messing with this console, just trying to figure out where Navi is. And she's just like, if Navis gone, I, I can't go home. If I can't go home, I, I won't see my family. I won't see my friends. I, I won't know how the war tur- turns out, I, and. You see,

Bee/Polaris: oh, she's spiraling.

Avery/GM: You see parts of this lab start to kind of shake and shutter around you all.

Jenine/Marty: I sent the breathing exercises.

Avery/GM: and have you told Rho your theory yet Ollie?

Chris/Ollie: oh yeah, that's right. She's not in the chat.

Bee/Polaris: No, she's not.

Chris/Ollie: So he's gonna look over and notice that she doesn't know what the hell is going on, and he's not really paying attention to the shaking. Just gonna be like, oh, my apologies, I forgot you were not on the group chat. And then he's going to explain the, the theory, the connection. And he is also gonna ask, what is it about Navi that you require?

Avery/GM: So you start ex- you, you start explaining your theory about the custodians being the rogue AI. You don't even get to the question about why she needs Navi. I need both Zahn and Ollie to make a. Evasion Save.

Zach/Zahn: Oh, yay.

Bee/Polaris: Turns out this is the series Final!

Jenine/Marty: Uh-oh!

Chris/Ollie: Oh, I did not, a one. Oh boy.

Zach/Zahn: Oh shit.

Avery/GM: Oh, it's not that bad.

Chris/Ollie: Yeah, it is. Thankfully, there's no like, critical fails otherwise it's like Ollie disintegrates in the psychic pressure.

Zach/Zahn: Where's, where's the other part of his crystal at right now?

Chris/Ollie: In the dog. Oh, no.

Bee/Polaris: Yeah. Oh my gosh. It’s Space Bud!

Avery/GM: Rho activates one of her psychic abilities called offensive apparition and teleports an unwilling target to a location.

Bee/Polaris: Oh, no.

Avery/GM: And Ollie, you are teleported because she grabs onto you. That's, that's why the evasion save was needed because

Chris/Ollie: mm-hmm.

Avery/GM: Like she, like you were getting close to her. She physically grabbed you and teleported you along with herself to the Ursa major.

Bee/Polaris: Oh, God damn it dude!

Chris/Ollie: Oh no.

Zach/Zahn: Oh, well that's lucky I guess.

Bee/Polaris: No, that's not good. We need to get off the ship that these three AI control.

Chris/Ollie: Well, it's better, it's better than inside of a star.

Jenine/Marty: Yeah, that's true.

Bee/Polaris: Okay. Yeah.

Jenine/Marty: Positive thinking.

Bee/Polaris: That is true.

Jenine/Marty: That's some positive thinking.

Bee/Polaris: Alright, you got me there.

Avery/GM: Oh, and she needs to make a save.

Chris/Ollie: Oh, yeah. And that warning about her, you know, condition and all that. Ollie hadn't had time to go over it, so. He's been a bit wrapped up.

Zach/Zahn: Oh yeah. Cuz I was at the tail end of the, the explanation.

Bee/Polaris: Excellent. Cool.

Jenine/Marty: Yeah. I didn't know-

Bee/Polaris: you started with the big hitters.

Jenine/Marty: Here's the thing, I didn't know anyone who was in danger until the article was officially sent and it went, oh shit, I was sending some good info

Bee/Polaris: and now we're in extra danger.

Jenine/Marty: Oh no,

Chris/Ollie: I'm in danger.

Avery/GM: So Polaris, you exit Alioth’s lab and you're walking down the hall when you see suddenly before you Rho and Ollie just flash into where you're at.

Bee/Polaris: Polaris is unsure how to proceed. He like, looks at Ollie.

Chris/Ollie: Yeah. Ollie's going to upon this sudden turn of events, gonna go through the chat real quick. download and scan that, that file at AI speed and realize, oh no, my, my apologies. If that information was upsetting, please try some breathing techniques in, out in

Bee/Polaris: Wha-

Chris/Ollie: And he's just going to attempt to do that.

Bee/Polaris: Polaris looks at Ollie and they’re just like, what did you do?

Avery/GM: I don't know that you have time to do that as Rho is levitating toward you and Alioth’s lab.

Bee/Polaris: Ooh.

Zach/Zahn: In the, in the group chat, you just see dot, dot, dot. Hey guys, I don't have eyes on Rho and, and Ollie anymore. Do you know where they are? Question mark. Question mark.

Bee/Polaris: Polaris puts up his live stream. He's start, he goes live.

Chris/Ollie: Yeah. Just hanging out.

Jenine/Marty: Marty messages back. Can I, can I go and try and help now? Should I go back to the ship or do you guys need Nevermind and just starts rushing on over.

Bee/Polaris: Okay. Polaris, like is seeing Rho levitate towards him and just kind of side steps.

Zach/Zahn: You get, you get the neutral face in, in chat of just like

Bee/Polaris: Polaris will send a message to Alioth and say, I guess karma is real as fucking Rho is going to go, I, I assume murder Alioth

Avery/GM: Get some answers. At least.

Jenine/Marty: Do, do I get there at any point or does it take me

Avery/GM: No, I was gonna have you actually roll and exert a dexterity, exert check or strength.

Jenine/Marty: Is this a D20?

Avery/GM: No, these are

Jenine/Marty: two D6s?

Avery/GM: two D six s plus exert.

Jenine/Marty: Oh no.

Avery/GM: And either strength or decks.

Jenine/Marty: I don't know if we know this about Sweet little Marty. This is gonna be a. Hey, that's good. I rolled a six and a five. So it's a 10 Cause I have a negative one.

Bee/Polaris: Marty's booking it.

Avery/GM: Yeah. Marty you book it like you never have before You get there. As Rho is getting to the doorframe of, of Alioth’s lab

Jenine/Marty: Great.

Bee/Polaris: You know, now I think about it. Is the gas dissipated? Cause I don't, did Alioth turn it off cuz Polaris has his helmet on. Sooo.

Avery/GM: It's not, it's not dissipated. It's still in there.

Bee/Polaris: So Rho is definitely gonna breathe that.

Jenine/Marty: I'm gonna suppress cognition on Rho.

Avery/GM: Oh

Jenine/Marty: yeah, rollsies!

Zach/Zahn: a psychic off.

Jenine/Marty: Yeah.

Bee/Polaris: Is she, is Rho distracted by the, the desire to murder?

Avery/GM: I would say pretty well distract, I'll roll disadvantage for her. I don't know that disadvantage is a thing in this game. I haven't seen it, but.

Bee/Polaris: It's not.

Avery/GM: we'll roll it, it's fine.

Bee/Polaris: Sweet!

Jenine/Marty: Mental saving throw to resist the power.

Avery/GM: Well that's good cuz her first roll was a Nat 20.

Bee/Polaris: Oh geez, Louis.

Jenine/Marty: Thanks. I hate it.

Chris/Ollie: She is hulked out right now

Avery/GM: and that's a mental save that she has to make. I'm sorry. Her mental save is versus a four.

Jenine/Marty: Jesus,

Bee/Polaris: bruh.

Chris/Ollie: Wow.

Avery/GM: She shrugs off your suppressed cognition. And I actually need you to make a mental save.

Jenine/Marty: Yeah, that's fine. I, I deserve that. I'm so scared. I was rolling. So good in this session. Oh no. Do I add anything to that?

Avery/GM: No, it's, it's just versus your mental save it's a, it's your,

Jenine/Marty: Ok cool.

Avery/GM: it's a D 20 versus your whatever.

Jenine/Marty: Yeah. I rolled a two.

Zach/Zahn: Oh, no.

Bee/Polaris: Oh no.

Avery/GM: Okay. Let me get my D six s out.

Jenine/Marty: Oh, no.

Bee/Polaris: So full disclosure, if Rho does hurt Marty, Polaris is going to probably hurt Rho.

Avery/GM: That's fine.

Jenine/Marty: That's fine.

Avery/GM: She's very much tunnel vision right now.

Bee/Polaris: Yeah. Polaris also doesn't have his gun.

Avery/GM: Nope. You do have, your laser blade

Bee/Polaris: Bruce has Polaris’s- He does. He has two of them.

Jenine/Marty: That's fine. How many D sixes?

Avery/GM: Luckily this attack cannot kill a target, but you do take 33 psychic damage.

Jenine/Marty: Hoo-

Bee/Polaris: holy beans.

Zach/Zahn: Holy shit.

Jenine/Marty: Guess where I'm at guys.

Avery/GM: If you're reduced to zero, you are knocked unconscious for an hour.

Jenine/Marty: Okay, cool. I'm at five hit points.

Bee/Polaris: Oh, thank goodness. So you're not dead.

Chris/Ollie: Oh, that's right. Marty's the tankiest

Zach/Zahn: Right! Marty's fucking tank!

Bee/Polaris: Marty's the tankiest.

Jenine/Marty: Everything's fine. Everything's fine, guys. I, I got it. It's fine. Everything's fine. Ow.

Avery/GM: But she is torching. I'm gonna have her roll another D six. Okay. Hey, that's good. Torching actually affected her this time. So Rho enters the lab and is like in the doorframe, looks at Alioth and is just like, you're the one responsible, aren't you?

Bee/Polaris: Did Marty visibly look hurt by like, did that. Psychic interaction. Was that notable for us to realize what had happened between the two of them?

Avery/GM: I was gonna ask actually, Marty. Yeah. How do, how does, like, how does Marty physically react to being psychically blasted?

Chris/Ollie: like bleeding out of the nose and ears and eyes.

Jenine/Marty: Yeah. Sh I mean, yeah, there, there's some, there's some blood coming out of her nose. And then you do hear her just say, shit ow!

Bee/Polaris: Marty did a cuss!

Avery/GM: Now you know it's bad.

Bee/Polaris: Yeah. Upon seeing that Polaris did sidestep Rho, but upon seeing that he is gonna try and stab her with his laser blade, she hurt Marty. We already lost Bruce.

Avery/GM: Yeah, totally. Go for it. Roll to stab.

Bee/Polaris: how Stab?

Avery/GM: two D six plus stab.

Jenine/Marty: Wow. Combat we, we haven't touched this in a bit.

Bee/Polaris: 11.

Avery/GM: Okay. That meets, so oh it meets beats.

Bee/Polaris: Sweet.

Avery/GM: So roll your damage.

Bee/Polaris: That's gonna be a 10 damage.

Avery/GM: Okay. Yeah. You, you stab into her to, to kind of attack her and you pull your laser blade away. From this hit and you see that she obviously takes the damage and she kind of flinches at the, at the wound, but you do see the wound start already to start to heal up a little bit.

Bee/Polaris: Ooh, ee, yikes. Ollie?

Avery/GM: she pays no mind to you, and I think I'm gonna have to have the three of you. Role initiative.

Jenine/Marty: got a role that makes sense for a cleric. Yeah, it's a, it's a three. 1, 2, 3.

Chris/Ollie: I also got a three.

Zach/Zahn: I got a 10

Jenine/Marty: Yoinks

Bee/Polaris: got a 12.

Jenine/Marty: Wow. Cool. Nice.

Avery/GM: Bee, did you give Alioth a dexterity score at all?

Bee/Polaris: Was I supposed to make a character sheet for that?

Avery/GM: I, I didn't ask you to, I just wasn't sure how in depth you went.

Bee/Polaris: Oh! nooo.

Avery/GM: Okay. I'll just roll a D four and that'll decide it.

Bee/Polaris: Okay. I just imagined that like, they’re robots. and robots are pretty good at most things.

Chris/Ollie: Yeah. Because the robot strength, Dex and Con is all based on the chassis, so they probably got some high tech stuff.

Bee/Polaris: Speaking of Alioth did call the other two.

Avery/GM: I'm rolling those other two right now.

Bee/Polaris: Sweet.

Zach/Zahn: Oh no.

Jenine/Marty: This is great.

Bee/Polaris: Rho might die.

Avery/GM: but Polar- go ahead.

Bee/Polaris: Yeah, no, go ahead.

Avery/GM: I was gonna say, you're up first in initiative.

Bee/Polaris: Oh, sweet. I'm gonna stab her again.

Avery/GM: Sure.

Bee/Polaris: She hurted Marty. Oh wait. Am I doing attack now?

Avery/GM: Yes.

Bee/Polaris: is attack still two d-six?

Avery/GM: I believe it's a D 20, but let me double check now, cuz

Bee/Polaris: yeah, we haven't really done too much in fighting

Avery/GM: to make an attack roll the assailant rolls a one D 20 and adds their attack bonus, their applicable skill level and the attribute modifier most relevant to the weapon.

So that would be D 20 plus whatever your bonus is, plus stab. Plus dex.

Bee/Polaris: Okay, so that's, so I got a Nat 20.

Avery/GM: Well, shit,

Bee/Polaris: what does it matter if I add the other things?

Avery/GM: No, it will not. You hit, you definitely hit

Bee/Polaris: sweet. What do I do about damage? Is, is an a Nat twenty's not special in this game, is it?

Avery/GM: No, not that I'm aware of.

Bee/Polaris: I rolled real,I, I rolled real high 14 damage.

Avery/GM: Oof.

Bee/Polaris: Polaris is gonna look over at Ollie to see what he's doing.

Chris/Ollie: I've got, like, tied with the lowest initiative, so I bet Ollie's just stunned at the moment.

Jenine/Marty: But you have a higher dex than me. You probably go first

Chris/Ollie: I have a zero dex.

Bee/Polaris: I don't know if there's anything else I could do,

Chris/Ollie: or a plus zero.

Jenine/Marty I also have a plus zero dex.

Avery/GM: So. Since we haven't really done much on combat, we'll do a quick a quick thing. So basically combat is six seconds. You have your main action, which would be like attack, stow, digging out a stowed item, bracing a door, applying first aid, that kind of thing. That's your main action.

You have a move action, which means you can move up to 10 meters in any direction. You have an on turn action, which is something fast and simple. So like dropping something, falling prone, saying something, stuff like that. And then an instant action, which can be performed when it's not your turn. So it's like a reaction basically.

Bee/Polaris: Yeah.

Avery/GM: So you have those four abil, those four skills.

Bee/Polaris: Okay. Can I use my,

Avery/GM: oh, go ahead.

Bee/Polaris: No, finish explaining.

Avery/GM: I was gonna say instant actions, mostly that's like related to like specific gear you have or psychic abilities.

Bee/Polaris: Okay.

Jenine/Marty: Sick.

Bee/Polaris: Can I use my movement action to push Rho further into the gas room?

Avery/GM: Yeah, we can call that a move action. I'll have her make a physical save versus your punch, I guess like strength punch.

Bee/Polaris: I'm good at that! I'm good at punching. I'm also good at strong

Avery/GM: because her, her, her actual save values are really low, so, I'll let it be versus whatever you roll.

Bee/Polaris: Okay. That's gonna be a, an eight? Yeah. I rolled bad

Avery/GM: she rolled an 18.

Bee/Polaris: What the fuck? Wait, wait, wait, wait. She, wait, what is she? She's, is she rolling against, like is she, oh, she's making a physical save.

Avery/GM: Yeah.

Bee/Polaris: Pain. Yeah. There was no way I'm beating that.

Avery/GM: Yeah.

Bee/Polaris:a D 20 against two D six.

Avery/GM: Yeah. So you, you do, you you run into her and it's like a, a wall.

You can't

Bee/Polaris: Uhhuh. That's fine. I'll just stab her again next time anyway.

Avery/GM: Well, you say that

Bee/Polaris: well, nevermind, I probably won't stab her again next time. Yay. I didn't miss.

Avery/GM: No, because that was a move action, so it wouldn't be a missed attack action. So you're good.

Bee/Polaris:Sweet.

Avery/GM: You hear bear thundering down the corridor. And bear has a big, a big gun just drawn and just aimed like down the corridor. Just like, like kind of like shifting between like Ollie, Marty and Rho, like. Just like, okay, which one do I shoot?

Bee/Polaris I mean, Polaris, does Polaris not have his sword directly in Rho?

Avery/GM: I mean, you're, you're next, you're next to Rho. So like Yeah. But, but he pulled up like after your, your, you started stabbing and pushing.

Bee/Polaris: Ah, is this was the second stab? Yes.

Avery/GM: Yes.

Bee/Polaris: She's already healing still.

Avery/GM: Yes.

Bee/Polaris: Okay. So there are no visible stab wounds?

Avery/GM: No. Like, like there, there are wounds, but they're slowly stitching back together.

So. Context clues. Sure. He'll, he'll finally decide on Rho and is like locked onto her.

Bee/Polaris: Okay.

Avery/GM: And roll to Nat one.

Jenine/Marty: Yay. James.

Avery/GM: Just fires wide, just like is a little nervous because like as much as Bear is ready for an attack, there has never been an attack on board the ship.

Bee/Polaris: Yeah.

Avery/GM: Yeah, so, Bear misses. It is Alioths turn next. And

Chris/Ollie: Alioth Beat me out?

Avery/GM: Yeah. Alioth rolled an 11.

Chris/Ollie: Oh

Avery/GM:16 plus. What's his shoot skill?

Bee/Polaris: Alioth has a gun?!

Avery/GM: Yeah. It. It hits Rho with like so you're standing outside the door. Rho is in the doorway. Alioth is inside the room. You just see like some movement in the direction of like Alioth's desk, and suddenly you see like a big beam of plasma just shoot out from where Alioth is sitting and Rho takes quite a bit of damage. Hey, watch me roll dice with myself.

Jenine/Marty: Rollzies.

Bee/Polaris: Oh my gosh.

Avery/GM: Boom. And yeah. Alioth hits, hits Rho. Zhan, you're up. What are you doing? You're back over on the Cassiopeia. Alone.

Zach/Zahn: All By myself!

Chris/Ollie: Yeah. You you play it through the loud speakers, just max volume.

Zach/Zahn: Oh my god. No. So Zahn is going to indeed disable the Cassiopia.

Avery/GM: Sure.

Zach/Zahn: At least it's primary functions cuz I want to see about is the, the teleporter still functional? That's on here.

Chris/Ollie: Well they powered it with an A-Cell by jury rigging it.

Avery/GM: Yeah and the, the teleportation pads, now the ship is running, The teleportation pads do work.

Zach/Zahn: Ah, but what happens when I cut the power?

Avery/GM: You'll have to find another way to power it.

Zach/Zahn: Well, I've got a fuck ton of power type A power cells.

Avery/GM: Yep. You'll have to jury rig it a bit.

Zach/Zahn: That's fine. I'm you know, I'm the engineer. Let's cut some power.

Avery/GM: Okay. I mean, you don't have to, you don't have to roll to, to cut power. You, you know how this thing works.

Zach/Zahn: I'm going to utilize my laser blade to make it at least as inconvenient as possible to repair.

Avery/GM: Okay. Yeah. You slice up the, the power cord that you once put back together and it is now shut off.

Zach/Zahn: Does that like include life support systems and all that other shit?

Avery/GM: Yeah. I was gonna say, you're wearing your helmet, right?

Zach/Zahn: Oh yeah, of course.

Avery/GM: Yeah. You immediately feel weightless.

Zach/Zahn: Excellent. That means I can go faster with my jet boots. And so with that I'm going to proceed to the teleportation pad. And at the same time I'm

going to contact Hermes to immediately just leave me and go back over to the Ursa major.

Avery/GM: Oh man, you're gonna make me roll Dex, or Initiative for Hermes now?

Bee/Polaris: Hey, you're the one that had, it has all the robots.

Avery/GM: I know, right?

Chris/Ollie: Yeah, on Ollie's turn, he's gonna call the space Pirates.

Bee/Polaris: What?

Zach/Zahn: Oh No,

Bee/Polaris: we're just adding everyone?

Chris/Ollie: No, That's just a joke. But yeah, it'd be funny. Add everyone to the initiative role.

Jenine/Marty: Honestly, if they found out that Marty got hurt, they'd come.

Bee/Polaris: Yeah. That's pretty fucked up. That'd be hilarious. We just get everyone involved. We bring the Winstons in.

Chris/Ollie: Yeah. Everyone just to kill this one raging psychic.

Zach/Zahn: Zahn phones in Machamp. Yeah, which Champ shows up with a small fleet of the Republic.

Bee/Polaris: It’s just the season finale. We just bring everyone in and it's just a, a fucking thunder dome.

Avery/GM: Merrick is up next, and

Zach/Zahn: Alioth is male?

Avery/GM: No. It/Its.

Bee/Polaris: Alitoh is it, it doesn't identify with anything regarding humans.

Avery/GM: Yeah.

Jenine/Marty: Mm, valid.

Avery/GM: It is Alioth.

Bee/Polaris: Yeah.

Avery/GM: Merrick shows up just behind Bear and is trying to play peacemaker and is just like, Hey, hey, hey. Let's all calm down. What is going on in here? This is not the place to have a firefight. There are a lot of people here who could die.

Bee/Polaris: Who is, who are they trying to convince?

Avery/GM: Kind of just shouting at like this whole group that is like in front of them.

Bee/Polaris: Okay.

Avery/GM: Like Rho and, and you and Bear and every,

Chris/Ollie: yeah, Merrick just walks into a brawl.

Bee/Polaris: That's fair. But Rho did hurt Marty. So

Avery/GM: you see Merrick touch like a wall panel in the hallway next to them and start like typing away at it, like looking for something. And that is Merrick's turn. Oh my gosh, I have so many NPCs. Why did I do this to myself? Rho is next.

Bee/Polaris: Oh no.

Avery/GM: And Polaris Rho turns her attention to you after having been stabbed a couple of times. I need a mental save, please.

Bee/Polaris: Oh boy. I'm super good at that. And by good at that I mean… so yeah, I, I I rolled a, a nat one.

Jenine/Marty: Oh my god.

Chris/Ollie: Polaris's brain explodes.

Avery/GM: Not Quite.

Bee/Polaris: Sweet. death bring to me.

Avery/GM: No.

Bee/Polaris: The sweet embrace of death,

Chris/Ollie: If I only rolled higher initiative.

Avery/GM: How much damage does your blade do again? What's the dice on it?

Bee/Polaris: 2d8.

Avery/GM: You suddenly feel your hand move of its own accord.

Bee/Polaris: Oh, cool.

Avery/GM: And Stab yourself with your blade.

Zach/Zahn: Quit stabbing yourself. Quit stabbing yourself!

Bee/Polaris: Well that's only fair.

Avery/GM: Take 14 damage as you are impaled on your blade.

Bee/Polaris: That's fair. Polaris says, put that as a mental note. Turn off blade after stab. Cool. Thanks Rho.

Avery/GM: And then Rho continues advancing on Alioth.

Bee/Polaris: Excellent. Thank you Rho.

Avery/GM: Zahn, what did you tell Hermes to do?

Zach/Zahn: Oh, I told him to leave the Cassiopeia and make for the hangar of the Ursa major.

Avery/GM: Okay. Hermes is floating along. Hermes sends in chat, Would you like me to start shooting?

Jenine/Marty: No.

Zach/Zahn: Negative

Bee/Polaris: I love Hermes.

Avery/GM: Sad face emoji. Marty, you're up. You have been psychically damaged.

Jenine/Marty: Yeah, I have this,

Avery/GM: this nice Rho person is having a moment.

Jenine/Marty: Mm-hmm. Is Marty gonna heal herself or is she gonna try and talk?

Avery/GM: Talking's a free action. So,

Jenine/Marty: yeah, but it's gonna lead to her wanting to do transmit thought.

Avery/GM: Gotcha.

Jenine/Marty: It wants a willing action. I need a a, a willing target as an instant action. If I wanted to do transmit thought, it would be, there's no option if it's not a willing creature. So this is me asking the GM: Would it be a mental save situation?

Avery/GM: I think instead, because transmit thought is not malevolent. I wouldn't make it a save. I think I would make you roll a charisma connect. If they're unwilling,

Jenine/Marty: I will happily do that. I'll just, before I like do that, I'll just be like, Rho. I know everything is stressful and I know you got lots of new information, but maybe we can just take a couple steps back and just talk with no more violence. Also, just like looking at everybody being like, no more violence. I'm just taking a couple steps back.

Chris/Ollie: Oh. Do you have any sedative drugs on you?

Jenine/Marty: Unfortunately, I do not. I don't all of them amplify things, my things amplify it. Or also raise kind of from zero hit points. We're gonna do nice little, Connect check real quick? That's okay. That's okay. That's it. That's a 10.

Avery/GM: A 10?

Jenine/Marty: Mm-hmm.

Avery/GM: And that's over transmit thought. So that's just between you and her?

Jenine/Marty: So I say the first thing to like kind of try and be like, this is me being like, Hey, I'm about to do something, but this is me trying to open up. That was me talking first. And then when I do transmit ta thought from the documents that I read about, like Terra, I send like images of what Terra looked like before All the mass destruction and everything and like trying to like, give calming aspects of everything to try and get her from like continuing to torch and everything.

Avery/GM: Sure. With a 10, I'd say that's a pretty good roll. You hear back, these beings are the whole reason I'm here and the whole reason I'm stuck here. Getting rid of them is the only way all those people will not have died in vain and you get back the images of her dead comrades.

Bee/Polaris: Well, I've been in an orphan once. What's another time?

Chris/Ollie: Yeah.

Jenine/Marty: And then Marty will send back, but does killing them now do anything for everybody? Right now we can get more information and get justice for them. I say this over, over transmit thought, cause I'm not gonna say this out loud in front of Polaris. Get justice. So let's just get, let's take a beat, figure out why, then give the appropriate punishment.

Avery/GM: Roll charisma connect one more time.

Jenine/Marty: There's so many rollings and it's scary.

Avery/GM: You're doing great though.

Jenine/Marty: I know. It's a nine.

Avery/GM: She stops communicating telepathically, turns toward the corridor that you're in and says, the only justice they deserve is the same justice they gave the planet they destroyed.

Bee/Polaris: Oh, she said that out loud. Did she?

Jenine/Marty: Yeah.

Bee/Polaris: Oh, Polaris is morally gray. She just said she wants to kill his parents.

Jenine/Marty: Yeah.

Zach/Zahn: It's a good thing Zahn's not there where he would agree. Fuck.

Bee/Polaris: Wait agree with murdering the, the custodians?

Zach/Zahn: Yes.

Bee/Polaris: Dang. Ah, this is rough.

Jenine/Marty: Ah, this is rough guys.

Avery/GM: Ollie, you are up next.

Chris/Ollie: Yeah. Ollie is just gonna try and reason with her by grabbing on like how far off the ground is she floating?

Avery/GM: Oh, like six inches. Not very far.

Chris/Ollie: Okay. And.

Zach/Zahn: It's the, the intimidating levitation.

Avery/GM: Yeah.

Zach/Zahn: Not like full flight.

Avery/GM: Yeah. We're talking like profe not Professor Xavier… Magneto, you know?

Jenine/Marty: Mm-hmm. Copy.

Chris/Ollie: Okay. And we did determine how long the Cassiopeia had been there. It'd only been there a few weeks, right?

Avery/GM: Yes. And Polaris, you also know that there is some time stuff that doesn't make sense.

Bee/Polaris: Yes.

Chris/Ollie: Yeah. That's what Ollie's thinking. So he, his. Or my plan is he's gonna rush and try and body block any gunfire or any other laser sword attacks. Just put himself in front of any, any attacks between Rho and anyone else. Grab her by the shoulders and you know, if that's a grapple check let me know.

Avery/GM: Yeah, I think that would be.

Chris/Ollie: and what is that?

Avery/GM: Grappling. Let's find out

Chris/Ollie: just a physical attack kind of thing. Exert.

Avery/GM: I think it would be exert. I think that's probably the, the best it would be.

Chris/Ollie: Good thing my robot is weak.

Avery/GM: Well, I was gonna say though, if you want, because you, you do have an encyclopedic knowledge of anatomy. I will let you use intelligence if you would like.

Chris/Ollie: I got her by the, the pressure points.

Bee/Polaris: Yeah, you could, you could fucking do the thing they do in kung fu panda.

Jenine/Marty: Yes.

Chris/Ollie: I rolled a terrible four. Oh no wait. Never. Nevermind. With Int… That actually makes it … is it intelligence exert?

Avery/GM: intelligence exert, yes.

Chris/Ollie: Okay. That makes it a six.

Avery/GM: A six.

Zach/Zahn: Something tells me that's not gonna get you anywhere.

Chris/Ollie: Yeah, that's what I'm feeling.

Avery/GM: I'm gonna, I'm gonna contest it with a. With a strength exert from Rho, which her strength is not very good. So exert is minus one. Hey, she rolled a five.

Chris/Ollie: Oh,

Bee/Polaris: whoa.

Zach/Zahn: Hey

Avery/GM: you, you have Rho grappled.

Chris/Ollie: All right, so I'm gonna stare like face her to me. Stare in the eyes with some big, sad anime puppy dog eyes. I'm gonna say, Rho, please listen. This is not the way. They are not the ones who betrayed you, and we do not know the reason why they destroyed the planet. If you have any hope of returning to your galaxy, it is through these beings.

Avery/GM: Roll charisma, connect

Bee/Polaris: the, the sad anime puppy dog eyes really brings it all together.

Chris/Ollie: Yeah.

Jenine/Marty: Yep.

Chris/Ollie: Good thing. I'm awful at Charisma and connecting. I rolled a, what is this, an eight

Avery/GM: eight

Chris/Ollie: and also definitely gonna add in: we determined that your, your ship had only been there for three weeks. It is impossible for your ship to have made the journey here naturally. There must be a way to return

Avery/GM: between you physically holding her. She tries to lash out psychically, but she has torched too much and the kind of like psychic storm that was kind of brewing around her sort of dissipates and falls still and she like, you physically feel her become heavier in your arms as you're like, as she's no longer levitating herself and then you see her go. Unconscious and limp.

Bee/Polaris: Yeah, there's super gas in that room.

Avery/GM: The gas does start to like go out the vents though, as Alioth sees that the threat is gone and still holding this plasma pistol in its hand. It walks up to you, Ollie and Says we should just put her out of her misery at this point and is holding the gun up.

Bee/Polaris: Oh my God.

Avery/GM: And that's where we're gonna end it.

Chris/Ollie: Oof,

Zach/Zahn: oof,

Jenine/Marty: oof.