Trade Era 1235, Day 164. 22:49 UTC
Celestial Voyager, orbit of Zyronis
Back to the Celestial Voyager,
Mercer and Peter stood before a holoprojector, waiting for the transmission to connect. The projector flickered to life, and the image of
Talia, their harried engineer, appeared. Her usually sharp eyes were tired, and her face was smudged with grease, but there was a spark of excitement in her voice as she addressed them.
"
Thank you for accepting this mission," Talia began, adjusting her goggles. "
As you know, I’ve discovered something extraordinary. It’s a partially-complete schematic for an ancient refinery unit, capable of producing vast amounts of edible compounds."
Mercer, considering the recent events with VIREN, wanted to be sure. "
How ancient are we talking here?"
Talia pointed to a holographic projection on her end, showing a complex blueprint. "
Elders' tech. We’re talking millennia old. But here’s the thing: the schematic isn’t complete. We need four crucial parts to finish the device. And I’ve found clues about where we can find them."
Peter, younger and always eager for a challenge, interjected. "
Where do we start?"
Talia’s projection shifted to a map of the planet, highlighting the underways. "
You need to navigate these underways. They’re inter-continental subterranean tunnels filled with hazards and possibly hostile creatures. But these tunnels are also where we’ll find the parts."
She brought up an image of the first part. "
The first part is a Quantum Catalyzer Core. It’s a cylindrical device, about the size of a human forearm, with intricate patterns that shimmer and shift. It emits a faint blue glow and is cold to the touch. Areas where it’s found might have unusually lush vegetation or strange, luminescent fungi due to the residual energy it emits."
Peter nodded, absorbing the details. "
So, we look for lush vegetation or glowing fungi."OOC:
This will be visible for the players in the map, even if you just move nearby, without searching the square where the part is located. The "search" action is necessary just to confirm and extract the part.
"
Exactly," Talia said, then switched to the next image. "
The second part is a Neutron Flux Regulator. It’s a large, hexagonal prism with various wires and tubes, made of a mix of polished metal and an unknown crystalline substance. It gives off a low hum and slight vibration. Nearby metallic objects might have a slight magnetic pull towards it, and you might see minor electromagnetic interference affecting electronic devices."
Mercer frowned. "
That sounds tricky. We’ll need to be careful with our equipment."
OOC:
This will also be visible for the players. As soon as you enter the same grid, electronic devices will suffer from this interference.
Talia nodded. "
Indeed. Now, the third part: the Plasma Infusion Module." She displayed a rectangular device with a sleek, black exterior interspersed with glowing red lines. "
One side has a transparent panel through which you can see swirling plasma. The area might feel warmer, and you could see occasional sparks or static discharges nearby."
OOC:
Also will be shown in the map
Talia continued, "
The last part is the Nano-Assembler Array. It’s a sleek, metallic panel about the size of a large book, with multiple ports and connectors on one side and a reflective, mirror-like surface on the other. It feels unexpectedly heavy for its size, and the ports and connectors won’t match any known contemporary technology. Scanning it will show incredibly complex internal structures."
Mercer raised an eyebrow. "
How do we identify it?"
Talia tapped her display, causing a detailed schematic to appear on their end. "
Its smooth, almost frictionless surface is a giveaway. Its also part of an exceptionally advanced 3D printer device. Trust me, you’ll know it when you see it."
Talia’s image flickered as she handed them a set of schematics and told them where they could get a pair of advanced scanners that she bought for them in Zyronis. "
These schematics will give you detailed information about each part, and the scanners will confirm when you’ve found the right components. They’re calibrated to detect the unique energy signatures of the parts or other Elders' tech from Zyronis. Unfortunately nobody has a detailed up to date map for the underways, but I can give you the coordinates for one of its entrances. Any questions?"
OOC:
Any IC questions? The map will be given in my next post, as you enter the underways.
