Dark Places

"You’ve caught me at a time when I’m material poor. I don’t have things to trade aside from my service- what I mean by that is maybe someone from our town may have interesting things for you to trade." Lyle starts to sweat a bit, realizing that he should probably talk less and listen more.

"You can have the portal on the back of this ship?" Y'breq offers.

Silence falls. Even the hum of electricity cracking in wires ceases with the offer. The aliens converge, their strange language bending sounds.

They stop. They face you. When the spokesman speaks this time, his voice is clear of still oddly cadenced.

"For the portal, if it is functional, we will fully repair your ship and upgrade it to the extent we can, including weaponry and navigation charts. Of course, you will also no longer need make the delivery we previously discussed."

Lyle whispers to his companions "don’t we need the portal to get home? Should Cooper know about it?"

Turana nods to show she agrees with Lyle while using a hand to do a "wait,wait" gesture and decides to participate in the conversation I'm sorry if you do get the portal of the back of the sheet, would we be able to return to our planet or the station in which your comrades fell under the attack of the 5 legged creatures?

Jaz nudges Y'breq and whispers, That's a bit too much to offer.

"I guess that's why I'm not usually a negotiator. Aren't we using the ship to get home? I mean we're kinda trading the portal for a ship, which seems a net win to me."

Lyle shrugs, remembering his failed attempts at haggling at the Cooperstown market. He didn’t seem to have the shrewd knack for it- or he was too lazy to argue over a coin. He’d said enough already and he was sure anything he had to add would derail any hope the group had at an acceptable compromise between the two groups.

Responding to Turana, the drifted-human says, "Your ship will take you home, and to your friend Cooper. We can likely figure out where the portal is connected to, and share those locations with you."

"Weaponry, charts and a navigation system would be a boon…" Lyle says to his friends. "What say you all?" Turning to the doughy humanoids he says "I’m curious about the delivery you’d have us make- what in addition would you offer should we help you?"

"We might have information you could find useful. What are you interested in? Something strange and wondrous to explore? A space hulk to scavenge? An asteroid rich in valuable ore? A community of your own people to contact?"

Lyles eyes grow large at the prospect of all those possibilities. He seems at a loss for words (but no telling how long that will last).

Inside the craft, Emmett sees the Adiutor begun to show him the prioritised upgrades to the craft from the alien drifted-human slugoids, the Craadians. Replacing the hull with a choice of shapes; servicing the engine and powerplant; navigation chart updates; options for the interior such as new chairs and surface coverings throughout in a variety of styles and materials, folding bunks, food preparation, and storage lockers; and an energy weapon turret on the rear top of the craft.

"They wish to know what options your team would prefer."

Emmett lets out a low whistle, clearly impressed, though way out of his league. He still believes himself to be a capable pilot, even if he's accomplished his feats thus far through pure luck.

"It sounds mighty attractive, I must say. But as much as it sounds like the gravy on my chicken dinner, we still have a job to do. I'm not one to promise something and then abandon my word. Adiutor, can you ask 'em how long it would take us to get from here back to Coop'? We still owe him some work, and if we give 'em this portal we'll have to use his."

He turns his head in towards the others, and whispers, "I also gotta wonder why they want this portal bad enough to give us all that tack. Could be that it's worth more than they're lettin' on. Then again, it's not like we've got the thing at market with six people biddin' or nothin'. Hell, if we can get back to Coop', might as well let 'em have it."

Emmett turns back to Adiutor.

"Before we get off the subject, what's in them boxes, anyhow? Not sure I'm willin' to move gear around that I can't lay eyes on first."
That's fair. Emmett is still on the fence about it.

"The journey to Earth will take approximately 30 hours. If I might suggest, the portal can be activated at any time, it is adequately wired to the ships power."

Turana scratchs her head meditating on Emmet's words, she then addresses her colleaguesSo the mission was at first to see my men dissapeared, it seems it was because this portal was letting those quintpods get in.. if we give the portal another kind of things might get into the mine from whatever the craadians leave the portal.. hmmm, but to go back with portal and a working ship we must do something for them... hmm

Jaz nods. "I'd rather control the portal, and I like the ship. I say we do their errand. "

Y'breq shrugs. She's in it for the sense of discovery and possibility of finding new numenera or plans.