After the cheering subsides, Elisa inputs a few commands on her tablet and says, "I contact the captain."

A floating head projects on top of the scene. The captain is missing an eye, replaced by a red-glowing cybernetic prosthetic. His messy black hair looks nearly foreign when compared to his meticulously groomed beard. The magnificent facial hair is braided elaborately and adorned with gleaming metals and jewels.

The captain says, his voice deep and rumbling, "Are you the ones responsible?" Then he smiles widely and continues, not letting the players answers, already knowing that they are, "I'm afraid you're already dead. Either you overload the reactor and send us all below the stellar waves, or my men tear you to tiny, little pieces. There's only one thing left to see. Are you deluded enough to believe you can get away with your lives?"

Khi addresses the floating head, her voice full of practiced authority, "No one has to die. Release the people you've captured, we release your ship."

The captain's eyes move to her. "A soldier? Tell me, madam, if you have certain death waiting for you, and less certain death ahead, which path would you choose?"

Elisa mutes the call. "The bridge was isolated before I could do significant damage."

Nexen chimes in, "Do they have any automated defenses?" Elisa shakes her head.

Erysis asks, "Why are they kidnapping people? Captain Glinty Beard—"

I correct her, "His name is Captain Goldbeard."

She emphasizes the first word. "Glinty is definitely scared of something, but why would he need people? A bunch of individualistic rejects make for terrible slaves."

Khi answers in character, "Doesn't matter. We need to focus on getting out of here."

Erysis protests, "And let everyone die?"

"We first need to not die ourselves, kid," Khi says. Erysis giggles silently again.

I speak up, "The captain is growing impatient with your stalling."

Elisa unmutes and asks, "What's in room H-493?"

The captain's eyes go wide. "I'm done with you." The connection is forcibly closed.

The augmented elf turns to the rest of the group. "That's the one room I can't access. And the one room that has no information associated with it. No cameras, no logs, nothing."

Erysis cheerfully asks, "Grab the secret thingy, and go from there?" Then she remembers her character, her voice turning way too serious, making it have the opposite effect. "There's something there he doesn't want us to find. A weakness perhaps? Precious cargo that might change his mind? It's worth looking into." She turns to Khi. "An advantage we can leverage?"

Khi nods. "Agreed." The beastfolk then turns to the elf. "How far away is our company?"

Elisa answers, "I've closed and locked all doors, but that won't hold them for long. Less than a minute."

Nexen issues an action, "I check up on the bartender." Erysis perks up and approvingly nods at his idea.

As the projection moves, I narrate his discoveries, "You approach the body. With a surface-level exam, you determine that all his vitals are normal. Now that you have some time, you also recognize the gas used. An incapacitating agent that could last for days. These people are in it for the long haul."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"I pick him up in a shoulder carry," Nexen says.

Elisa opens the cell's door, and the party carefully files out in the corridor connecting to all the other cells.

There's a loud bang, metal bending, and then shredding apart. A door is breached. Two power-armored figures walk into view. The equipment makes them look larger than normal humans. The metal is painted in bright colors and menacing images, trying to appear intimidating, and showing their experience with the myriad scars of battle on it.

I say, stopping the party's actions, "Two pirates lock onto you. Roll for initiative."

Elisa is first. "Do I know what they're wearing?"

"You recognize the suits, yes. Modified void mechanic power armor, the 'Grease Boy' by 'ChromeWorks-Sato-Schwarzpresse'. Older models. One is edition 12'425-C, the other is 12'478-A. You also remember that the 'A' version has a defect in the wiring that runs through the elbow joint. How do you proceed?"

"I share the info and hide back in the cell."

"Alright. Erysis, you're next."

She giggles, not silently this time. "I throw one of my directional grenades at the first pirate."

Her character reaches within her enveloping cloak, grabbing a relatively small metallic cylinder, easily fitting inside her palm. With a whipping fling, the cylindrical grenade flies for pirate number one. When it approaches the armored figure, it magnetically snaps to his metal chest. There is a muted pop. The pirate staggers but does not fall.

"Khi, it's your turn," I say.

"What did Erysis' attack do?" the beastfolk asks.

"Hmm... The armor is punctured. You don't know why the pirate is still alive."

Khi hums, deep in thought. Then she eyes the battlefield. "I move next to the wounded enemy and strike the hole." Her character follows the command, cybernetics propelling her forward with impressive speed. A metal hand impacts the compromised power suit. The pirate reels back but once again does not fall. "What the fuck are these guys made out of?" the princess asks.

"Pirate One melee attacks you, Khi. Roll for reaction... Okay. You dodge the strike and counterattack." Her character ducks a powered fist and digs inside some more. "Pirate Two kicks at you. You're hit and thrown back." Her character slides on the metal floor, remaining prone. "Nexen?"

"Why is the pirate still standing?" he asks.

"You catch that there is no blood. It's possible that both individuals are heavily augmented, meaning only critical damage would be enough to kill."

"I draw my sidearm and shoot at the helmet of Pirate One."

"Hit." A tiny hole appears in the center of the pirate's armored forehead. "Elisa?" Nexen softly groans.

"I attempt to gain access to Pirate One's suit," the elf says.

"You are partially successful. The diagnostic data of the suit becomes available. Read only."

Elisa studies her tablet for a moment and then says, "I send the others a precise location."

Erysis flashes a thumbs up. "I throw another grenade."

"Ooh... You fumble." Erysis' character reaches back again, but she is too hasty to rid herself of the primed explosive. The cylinder sails awkwardly through the air, and when it approaches the intended target, attempts to magnetically lock on again. Unfortunately, the arc is a touch off. The grenade attaches to the wall and explodes harmlessly.

Erysis checks over her character sheet, trying to find a way to overcome that weakness going forward.

I turn to Khi. "Give me a roll." She does so. "You manage to stand up." Her character coils and springs up.

The beastfolk chuckles. "Let's try that again. I target the weak spot." A punch caves in the pirate's reinforced abdomen. The enemy crumples to the floor. "Finally."

"Pirate Two tackles you to the ground. Roll for reaction again."

"Yes!" the beastfolk exclaims at her successful roll. "Elbow joint."

The remaining pirate throws himself on top of her character, driven by the loss of his compatriot. The two tumble down. But just as the pirate brings his arm up to strike down, she grabs the elbow and squeezes. The arm slackens in her grip.

Nexen says, "I shoot at the helmet again." His bullet impacts the top of the helmet. The power-suited pirate collapses on top of Khi's character. She throws the gigantic body aside like it weighs nothing.

"Good job, everyone," I say. "You managed to defeat them both without suffering any significant damage."

Elisa scoffs dismissively. "Don't try to work us, buddy. We all know we're about to get the real first encounter very soon."

"I have no idea what you mean," I reply.

Erysis chimes in, "Is it the captain? You are weirdly obsessed with him for some reason."

"I'm not obsessed," I say a little too defensively.

Nexen adds with utmost surety, "It's in the mystery room." Khi nods at that.

"Guess you'll see," I say.

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