The atmosphere inside the orbital research hub is thick with the scent of ozone and cooling lubricants. Flickering emergency lights cast long, frantic shadows across the corridor walls. Nahuli keeps his head low, ears pinned back against the vibrations of hull impacts echoing from the outer airlocks.
Nahuli
These tremors mean they are breaching the outer ring already. If they find the artifact lab before I can secure the drive core, my contract is as good as dead.
A sharp clatter of metallic boots interrupts the silence. A woman in a charcoal-colored tactical vest steps out from behind a bulkhead, her plasma rifle leveled at his chest.
Zoya
Keep your hands where I can see them, little engineer. I do not know how you got past the automated sentries, but you are not leaving with that prototype.
Nahuli
She is wearing corporate colors. If I reach for my diagnostic scanner too fast, she might pull that trigger.
Zoya’s eyes narrow, and her finger tightens on the trigger guard.
Zoya
I asked a question. Are you with the security team, or are you just another scavenger looking for a payday?
+ Scene Quest Added
Secure the drive core from the artifact lab
“I work here right?”
NO (Unlikely, rolled 46)
Zoya stares at the identification badge clipped to Nahuli's flight suit and shakes her head with a cold, dismissive smirk. She clearly recognizes that he holds no legitimate clearance for this sector of the facility.
“The core is the prototype?”
YES (Likely, rolled 41)
Zoya shifts her grip on her weapon, her gaze flicking toward a reinforced containment unit behind Nahuli that pulses with a distinct, high-frequency hum.
Nahuli
The energy signature matches the prototype schematics perfectly; this is the core I was sent to retrieve.
Nahuli
You are looking for the prototype, but you have no idea how unstable it has become.
“Perhaps I do, and have better knowledge on how to keep it from killing us both?”
EXCEPTIONAL NO (Likely, rolled 95)
Zoya scoffs at the suggestion, her expression hardening as she gestures toward the containment unit which begins to vent volatile, ionized gas.
Nahuli
My technical knowledge is completely insufficient to stabilize this level of catastrophic energy decay.
Nahuli
Your arrogance is going to be the final thing that kills us both.
“Perhaps I do, and have better knowledge on how to keep it from killing us both?”
NO (Likely, rolled 79)
Zoya remains entirely unconvinced by the claim, her gaze fixed on the flickering containment unit as she maintains her defensive stance. The volatile energy continues to vent into the corridor without any sign of stabilization.
“Perhaps I do, and have better knowledge on how to keep it from killing us both?”
YES (Likely, rolled 17)
Nahuli notices a subtle, rhythmic pulse in the containment unit's venting pattern that suggests a manual override sequence hidden within the diagnostic port.
Nahuli
If I can bypass the primary safety lock, the venting will cease and the core will stabilize.
Nahuli
If you truly have a way to stop this, you have exactly five seconds to prove it before I seal this corridor and leave you to the vacuum.
“Try to stabilize the core”
SUCCESS (Superb Engineering, rolled -1)
Nahuli
Stand back. This isn't a malfunction, it's a sequence.
Nahuli
My fingers dance over the holographic interface, syncing my multi-tool with the pulsing blue rhythm of the port. The code isn't just a lock, it's a heartbeat, and I'm matching it.
The venting vortex shudders. With a final, precise pulse from the multi-tool, the ionized gas snaps back into the core, the containment field locking into a stable, steady violet glow.
Nahuli
You actually did it. I suppose that makes you useful for more than just target practice.
Nahuli
The core is quiet now, but the corridor is still cold and the alarm klaxons are screaming behind the bulkhead. Zoya's weapon hasn't wavered, and the silence after the venting is heavier than the noise was.
Nahuli
Now, start talking. Who sent you, and how much is this drive core actually worth?
Quest Complete
Secure the drive core from the artifact lab
Fault Removed: Corporate Debt