Episode 28 - Late Rendezvous

Intro
Matt: Hello and welcome to another episode of Celestial Expanse, my name is Matthew, I'll be your DM for the night, playing with me today is Rell, being played by Ben... Ben: Hello. Matt: Jason as Theran... Jason: How are y'all doing. Matt: Rebecca as Martle... Rebecca: The dog star doesn't laugh at jokes because it's too Sirius. Natalia: *laughs* I got that one! Matt: Ughhhhh. Boston as Juniper... Boston: I don't have anything clever, so glub glub motherfuckers. Matt: And Natalia as Z. Natalia: Ewo. Matt: So how is everybody doing today? Natalia: Good, good, it's almost Friday, yay. Ben: Yeah. Boston: I have too many fish now. Natalia: One too many? Boston: Okay, I have... I have... we have like, 20 fish - Jason: If you're struggling to remember how many you have way too many. Chorus: Yes. Boston: We have a five gallon, a 20 gallon, and a 29 gallon tank right now. Matt: Oh god.

Episode Description
The Crew are rescued thanks to Lelia but it soon turns into an escape with dangers they never expected.

Summary
The episode begins with a cold open. An old man in a clean suit sits in a dark room, only illuminated by a computer screen. Someone on a video call tells him they got a hit on the Torog, the people who assisted Master Ryu in a raid of their facilities. Someone from the Raiders of Central is willing to sell them and all their property, including the schematics for the Torog's new cannon. In return, they want 45% shares in Abaddon Systems. They want to meet at a moon in Zirco in the Gori system. A mentaru with horizontal tattoos across her face says she got the location, and asks if she should arrange the transfer of shares. The man laughs. He says he wants the Torog and its crew, but he won't parlay with pirates.

The scene ends with a high, echoing cackle.

We return to the crew where the last episode left off: Lelia has just opened Theran and Martle's cell and tells Theran he's late for their date. Martle pins Lelia against a wall and casts Zone of Truth, begging her to fail. Lelia doesn't, and Martle is frustrated. She doesn't feel she can trust Lelia, but Lelia and Theran convince her getting their weapons and getting out is their first priority.

As they make their way to the "armory", they hear guards searching for Lelia. Lelia kills them and Juniper hacks open a broom closet, where their equipment has been thrown carelessly among the cleaning supplies. Theran finds two stun grenades on the bodies, and Juniper finds a land mine and a gauntlet in the closet.

They come to an intersection with guards to the left and right. Lelia asks if they can stealth past, reminding Martle that she wasn't the stealthiest back home. Martle assures her that she'll be fine, after keeping up with Theran all year, and then proceeds to trip over Z, attracting the attention of the guards. They run, and Lelia leads them to a storage closet and busts the door control so they're locked in. Lelia directs them into a vent on the ceiling. Theran boosts Z up. Martle attempts to yeet Cassius up, but he struggles, and Theran boosts him and Phrowenia up as well. Lelia tells Martle she needs to work on her anger. Theran boosts everyone else up, then climbs up himself.

Z leads the way through the obviously uncleaned tunnels. Sometimes she sees pirates through openings below, but eventually she finds an opening that seems clear. She opens the vent, dropping it to the floor, climbs down, and is immediately faced with six pirates and a four-legged robot. Before the others can follow, she steps where they would need to land and puts her hands up. She talks loudly to the pirates, mentioning their number and the robot. Theran tries to throw his stun grenades past Z, but they land at her feet. Z dodges the worst of the fluorescent light that emerges, but one of the guards isn't so lucky; he's riddled with holes and stunned. Another guard yells for backup as the rest of the party comes down from the vent. The robot emits a shield to either side and trains its cannons on Martle. Theran and Rell kill a pirate each and Z pulls one of the robot's cannons out of position. Juniper kills the rest of the pirates with a fireball. Z dispatches the robot, and Juniper loots a battery from it and gives it to Z.

Once they kill them, they continue on, unable to communicate with Lelia's ship. As they approach the hangar, they hear creepy laughter and see someone in Abaddon Systems armor with a rifle on his shoulder. He's surrounded by bodies contorted as if in agony before they died. The episode ends as he turns and asks if they're the crew of the Torog.

New Information

 * Martle's horns have started growing back in in the past month, and small bumps can be seen beneath her headscarf.
 * Apparently Iming let her last prisoner starve.

Memorable Quotes
Ben: Can I quickly loot the guys she killed. Matt: Yeah, you - roll me Investigation. Ben: Can somebody else loot the guys I killed.

Natalia: Z's not even gonna argue with her. She's so fuckin intimidated by this bitch.

Rebecca: I will yeet the child.

Boston: Can we have the "yeet the little shit" button?

Lelia: Don't get too fresh now, Theran. Theran: Just helping, helping your... helping... helping

Natalia: I have rushing wavestance... I have not killed an enemy, fuck.

Trivia

 * Jason completely forgot Theran had a chameleon vest too.
 * Boston created a ranged attack called "yeet the little shit" in Roll20.
 * Z has a feat called Speed is Life.