10/26 Session

The party prepares to take Professor Karmichael and the sick people at Wigdala to Solaria. They call forward to the city to let them know that they are arriving, and load up U.R.M.O.M. and additional ships to travel there.
Corrin, Callow, Tank, and Jeb go to the Lighthouse to get Adala so that she can do upgrades on the ship.
Tank and Jeb visit the Beast Brigade, but the place seems to be in disarray. Callow goes with them since Tank and Jeb have an odd habit of getting time-travelled whenever they're on their own, and Corrin and Callow agree they shouldn't be left unattended.
 
Tank: What happened here?
NPC: You're back... sorry, but right now we don't have any missions for you
Tank: Oh, that's alright. We were actually looking to start out on a mission of our own and see if anyone here needed some work.
NPC: So at the moment, no. I'm not sure if you know, but we've suffered a lot of people getting sick--most importantly, our Commander Marzak fell ill.
Tank: Oh no, he did?
NPC: Yes, so uh, we're kind of running on a skeleton crew.
Tank: Well, the last thing we can do is let this last bastion against the darkness fall down.
NPC: Uh... yeah, I appreciate the sentiment. Besides personnel, though, is there anything we can help with?
Tank: Listen, we're... trying our best to hunt down the source of the sickness and find a weapon against it out in Galia. We have a ship, but it ain't too fast. If there is anything you could maybe find a way to help us out where we ain't got our magic, that'd be fantastic,
NPC: Well... I have someone, but they're a bit on the mad scientist side.
Tank: With the way things are going, someone mad might be just what we need.
NPC: I'll give them a call, just don't... look her in the eye.
 
Lieutenant Celai Novil arrives at the Beast Brigade. Tank pretends to be blind so as not to look her in the eye.
 
Celai: You got one jacked-up eye.
Tank: Oh, really? Well, I can't see them well, but you must have some nice ones, and judging by your voice, a lovely figure as well.
Celai, blushing; Ah, uh... um.... ahem... who are you, and what do you want?
Tank: Oh, well, I'm Tank, and this is my brother, Jeb, and we've been working here for a while and could really use some help from someone with some mechanical skills. Does that sound like you?
Celai: Honestly? That sounds more like Lieutenant Bazoni, but I don't know if you knew she croaked. Like, badly. Someone assassinated her
Tank: Oh dear. That's terrible.
Celai: It's fine, it happens in this line of work. so, uh... I guess you want me to do something mechanical for you?
 
Celai tugs at Tank's arm.
 
Celai: I mean, I guess I could replace it for you
Tank: Oh, uh, not that.
Celai: Oh, your brother, you mean! Which leg were you thinking?
Tank: Oh, it wasn't really anything about him or me. Or a him, or her, or even a they, really...
Celai: Oh, so not your leg, but... oh, your eyes! Since you can't see! I haven't really done eyes for anyone, but-
Tank: Do you work on non-living things at all?
Celai: Oh, you want to bring someone back to life the non-clerical way? I can do that. You have the brain still?
Callow: I mean, we have Pip's brain at the lightouse
Tank: You're telling me that person's body at the Lighthouse is dead?
Callow: Yeah, I guess they're in some kind of decay suspension because of the lighthouse, so yeah, we do just have a dead body at the lighthouse
Celai: I can work with that
Tank: Let me explain what our situation is to see if it's in your wheelhouse. We have a ship and-
Celai: Oh, so you want to put a brain in a ship. I've never done that before.
Tank: I mean, if you think it would work....
Celai: I'd need more than one brain.
Tank: How many brains have you got, Callow?
Callow: I think that's more of a Corrin question. What's the brain-to-square-footage ratio?
Celai: We're gonna find that out.
Tank: Oh, wow, we're really doing this
Celai: So you want to put a brain in a ship?
Tank: Are there other parts that could be useful to it?
Celai: I mean, I'm assuming your ship has wings and wheels, right? So it has other useful ship parts. I can do this, but it might make the ship crazy.
Callow: I mean, we can just mind control the brains to get them to cooperate, right?
Celai: No, there's no such thing as a "control ship" spell.
Callow: We'll cross that bridge when we get there.
Celai: Take me to the ship and bring the brains.
 
Celai, Tank, Jeb, and Callow return to the Lighthouse.
 
Callow: Hey, Corrin. We're gonna revive Pip. Or, the brain at least. Do you have any more brains?
Corrin: Slow down a little bit. Why are we reviving Pip? Can you revive Pip?
Tank: Did you know this person?
Corrin: No.
Tank: So you're telling me no one knows this person?!?
Corrin: I'm not allowing this.
Celai: You want your ship to be better, right? I can make it better. I just need brains.
Corrin: Have you done ship upgrades before? Because that's what we're looking for.
Celai: No, but there's a person for everything.
 
Corrin recalls that she had Celai in her class before, but when she looked into Celai's eyes, Celai flipped out and had to be escorted out.
 
Corrin: I think it may not be the best idea, given what we need right now.
Celai: Alright, well, if you guys don't tell me what you want me to do, I'm still gonna charge you the consultation fee.
Corrin: The what?
Celai: The consultation fee? You guys came and consulted me.
Callow: I thought I remembered you saying you'd waive the fee.
Celai: I said I'd consider it. Maybe like a 60% discount.... 70%.... Wow, you drive a hard bargain. 80%.... Okay, 90%... 100... 110%! Final offer!
Corrin: So we're going to get paid ten percent of her final fee.
Celai: 120%.
Corrin: Can we get to 200%? Can we get her to pay us the full consultation fee?
Tank: Now listen. Aren't we desperate? Are we not gonna accept this help?
Corrin: Well, I don't know how anyone would put a brain in a ship, first of all. And second of all, I'm not sure how it would be beneficial.
Tank: What if it wasn't the ship the brain was getting put into? What if we could make an army of loyal soldiers that could help us? Ones that wouldn't get sick?
Callow: Isn't that what Neox was doing?
Corrin: Yeah, Neox really are the ones that do the construct things.
Tank: Well... it seems that the powers that be don't accept your kind offer, m'lady.
 
Celai looks devastated. Callow looks at Corrin pointedly.
 
Tank: Maybe, you can prove the worth of your work to Corrin by making us a little, uh, somethin'-somethin', while we're gone, and that'll show you how necessary your work is to our mission. Not for free, of course. But uh, it could be under the table.
 
Celai is beet red at this point and runs out of the Lighthouse.
 
Corrin: What on earth just happened?
Tank: Did I say something wrong?
Callow: We went to the Beast Brigade to see if we could find someone who could help with the ship, but the only person who could was assassinated. We wanted to see what she could offer, but it seems she's only really worked in biotech.
 
Celai returns, struggling to carry a giant weapon.
 
Tank: Oh my! What's this?!
Celai: You said to prove my worth, and, um--
Corrin: What kind of weapon is this?
Celai: It's one I made. Have you ever played Abyssinian Adventures?
Corrin: Yes.
Celai: You know those laser cats that are in the game?
Corrin: I do.
Celai: Think of that as a gun.
Corrin: That is insane. You built that on your own? How long did that take you?
Celai: Like, six years?
Corrin: Dang.
Celai: So, uh, yes... It's supposed to be used on a carriage, but you could probably meld it to a ship. Though it might not work as well since it's so much bigger.
Corrin: What's it do?
Celai: It makes it look like you're in another location when you're not there.
Tank: That kind of deception could be good for us right now...
Celai: You said if I prove my worth, we could do it under the table, so...
Callow, elbowing Tank's ribs: Looks like you have your night cut out for you.
Tank: What do you think, Corirn? It might be worth giving them a chance.