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Early December 2015 Wolf 359 Aquaria didn't know much about space - but she could tell the space-house (or space station, as Ruby called it) orbiting the tiny young star was old and busted. The metal plates that made up the walls and the ceiling were obviously corroded, turning green like copper instead of orange like steel around their dark grey edges and the air had the smell of something alien and old burnt away in the ducts, long ago. The humanoids in the station were exotic and strange, even stranger and more exotic than the Surfacers of Freedom City, their hair, clothes, and skin all strange colors and textures - but at least they ate good food, including a delicious flying insect as big as her fist that both she and Bliss had developed a taste for. She spent most of her time in the station's small garden, taking advantage of the high humidity (and even small pond!) to bask in the comforting wetness without her suit. She earned her keep by tending the plants, a skill she'd learned at the home of Jessie's sister and her mate, and did her best to get Jessie to come by and help her. It was less stressful than being on the ship. There had been some sort of dispute over repairs to the Voidrunner (she hadn't really followed the conversation) - and it was a high-stress time on-board for everyone. We just have to make it home, Aquaria assured herself as she ducked down to the bottom of the pond (which was just deep enough for her to completely immerse herself in), the ever-present hum of machinery reminding her that this was no ordinary body of water. And they will have all the gold the ship can carry! Reaching down, she cut a few fronds of pondweed with a knife - the stuff was vile to her, but some of the local people on the station loved it in their stews. In just a day, or less, she'd been assured, the repairs would be done and they'd all go home - but now, everybody pulled their weight, Luckily, she and Jessie were both very strong indeed. - It had been a tough few weeks for the Horizon crew and their Star Knight companion. They'd tracked the fugitives to a remote swampy world, and even found the ion trail of the vessel that had picked them up there, but they'd found no clues about the identity of the vessel they were chasing. Whoever they were, they were fast and good, sticking to high-traffic lanes to blend in (but not the ones still regularly patrolled by the Lor), running their engines so fast they must be risking needing to scrub out their coils, and not staying in any one place long enough to be positively identified by eyewitnesses. If not for the unique energy emitted by Aquaria Innsmouth's suit, which noticeably warped extradimensional space while in hyperdrive, and if not for the further n-dimensional changes caused by the fact that the other passenger was from some other dimension entirely, they'd have lost the scent long ago. But now they'd caught the scent. Station K-7 was old and tired, a collection of habitat domes welded together centuries earlier, with a mostly transient population in the hundreds. It was widely known to be a den of smugglers making the potentially profitable run to Terra now that Lor border patrols weren't what they used to be - or even there at all, most of the time. As the ship approached the station, their sensors jangled with news - their two fugitives were _on that very station_.

Altinak C The Grand Shipyards are among the most impressive works of Lor civilization - a Dyson shell of solar panels and high-end lasers, surrounding the blue-white star and providing the fantastic energies that drive some of the largest energy-matter converters in Lor space, using material from the star's corona and what remains of its systems to build starships. The converters, massive skeletal spheres that dot the space around the star, each as large as a planet's moon, can't run independently; the Shipyards still need to import certain exotic minerals to build certain instruments of high technology like artificial gravity units and jump drives. But for the most part, the vast shape of the Shipyards, enclosing an entire star in a spidersweb of humanoid-built technology, can build a fleet all on its own. As the Horizon came out of warp in the Altinak system, it was clear a fleet was indeed being built here. Row after row of brand-new starships were in orbit of the system's few small rocky planets, a fleet-in-being as large as anything they'd seen during the war, not to mention the new ships still under construction near the converter complex closer to the vast blue bulk of the star. But the Horizon crew wasn't there for the view - they were there to meet an old friend. "Greetings, Horizon," came the military-sounding voice on the comm channel. Cavalier is waiting for you in the Grand Nauarcus's command center." - Cavalier's translator had given the Grand Nauarchus, the highest-ranking officer in the Lor Star Navy, a Mid-Atlantic accent - something that fit her short puff of bone-white hair and short stature that barely reached five feet. He could immediately see why her nickname was 'Grandmother Frankan.' She watched the holo again, the recording of the murder of a Star Knight, with a steely demeanor that belied her otherwise matronly air. "They put him down like a dog, didn't they? Barbarians," she muttered to herself before looking at Cavalier. "And you're sure these two are from your planet? That one there, with the tongue, doesn't look like any Terran I've ever seen."

Lor Space The Unseen Ocean - interstellar transport vessel All was quiet on The Unseen Ocean - and, really, it had better have been for what people at this end of the massive vessel paid for the trip. The middle-class got the midship and the proles got pods and benches back by the engines, but this section, near the bow, was all high-rollers and corporate contracts. In fact, even the halls outside the multi-room suites were silent and nearly empty - a lone few employees, impeccably dressed, made their way through the smooth metal and plastic archways to keep everything invisibly supplied and anonymously clean. All of which, unfortunately, made the woman who stepped out of one of the corporate suites stand out like a sore thumb. A bellhop stopped cold, fins along the side of his head extending in surprise as he stared - her already unacceptably-dyed hair was disheveled, her would-be faultless uniform torn in places and discolored near the shoulder in what could have been her own blood if she'd had any visible wounds. A slow clicking sound drew his attention downward, to the segmented tail that was slowly curling out from between the door and its frame as she flashed a winning smile and tried to close the door. The door stopped short of its frame, stuck on the arm of someone who - at the sudden sensation of their limb getting hit by a closing aperture - made a disoriented and not-quite-conscious groaning sound. "Ah - no tickets," the woman explained, flashing her smile again and none-too-gently kicking the hand out of the way so that the door would shut. She picked up a heavy, ornate case from where she'd set it down, quickly brushing past the young man on her way aftward. The bellhop reached for his commlink. "I've got the cabin package, Rock, but we're probably blown. We've only got a few minutes before an alarm gets hit and security starts crawling out of the walls." Eclipse tore what was left of the uniform off, exposing a far more practical jumpsuit underneath and putting some extra energy in her stride as, all around her the lights went red and a low klaxon sounded. She reached up to her ear with her free hand to adjust the volume on her communicator. "....maybe less. Please tell me things went cleaner on your end."

Rock Power Level: 12/13 (199/217 PP) Trade-Offs: -5 Attack / +5 Damage; -5 Defence / +5 Toughness Unspent Power Points: 18 Theme: Rock and Roll Band by Boston In Brief: Rock. Birthplace: Some Rock Residence: The Horizon Occupation: Rock for Hire Affiliations: Captain Eclipse, Nae-Dae Family: Rocks Description: Age: Old as Rocks Gender: Rock Ethnicity: Rock Height: 8'7" of Rock Weight: 1.5 Tons of Rock Eyes: Molten Rock Hair: Rocks At first glance Rock appears to be a crude humanoid statue pieced together from ill-fitting stones, a towering stack of grey and brown punctuated by patches of faded green moss and veins of ferrous ore. Two spots of glowing molten rock set in cavernous eye sockets are the first signs of life, followed by an uneven though surprisingly expressive maw similarly lit from within. Although he has little need for clothing Rock does wear a broad sash across his chest which supports a saddlebag, a concession to the practical need to carry various items and woven from green fibers with the texture of reptilian scales. All of his movements are accompanied by the scraping grate of stone against stone, even changes in expression. Power Descriptions: Rock is every bit the pile of stones that he appears. An internal core of molten rock provides him with noticeable body heat and functions similarly to connective tissue. He does not have any internal organs as such, brain included, animated instead by some diffuse intelligence. This allows him to daily reattach severed limbs or even rebuild his entire body provided raw materials. Unbeknownst to Rock himself, he is in fact the juvenile stage of an intelligent living planet with a life cycle billions upon billions of years long. Given enough time he will continue to accrue mass, likely spending millennia as an island then continent on a more mundane world or perhaps as an self-propelled asteroid before reaching maturity. History: Rock doesn't entirely remember from where he came. He doesn't consider himself particularly old on the rare occasions he's inclined to consider the matter. He does know that he's outlived every friend and every enemy he’s ever had, that he's seen great powers have risen and fallen only to be replaced by someone or something else often enough to have stopped counting. In all that time he's never encountered another being like himself. Non-carbon based life, certainly, even symbiotic stone creatures of a sort. They still were not whatever he was, nor he one of them. That uniqueness seemed to bother the occasional scientist or law enforcement agent who took an interest in him more than it did Rock himself but searching for answers was as good a reason as any to continue rolling from world to world. Currency is the axis upon which the galaxy spins, as they say, and while Rock has few material needs the adage still holds true. For the past few decades at least he's been finding work as hired muscle, or whatever passes for sinew in his imposing frame. Some of those jobs have been upstanding, many of them have not been but Rock maintains the same philosophical perspective on legality as most other topics. His dealings with the galaxy's criminal underworld introduced him to many for whom the day to day struggle for survival was a more dire affair. He watched time and time again as those with power took advantage of those without, surprisingly often with the law on their side. Relaxed as he was about his own concerns the fiery temper unleashed by harm done to others coupled with an inability to adequately explain himself earned him a lengthy record and a reputation as less than reliable. Things reached a turning point when Rock was recruited for a job by Talisyn Alar, better known as Captain Eclipse. The stony titan's strength was instrumental in getting past the security of the private art collection Eclipse had been hired to invade. When the crew reached their target, the final piece in a collection of ancient artifacts sought by their employer, a moment of clumsiness on Rock's part accidentally revealed it as a component of an alien weapon capable of creating a black hole. Agreeing that it was too destructive a power for anyone to possess, Rock and Eclipse destroyed the artifact, earning the wrath of their employer and the rest of the crew. Partnering up first out of necessity and then because of how well they found they worked together, the pair adopted a new policy. There was no reason doing the right thing couldn't also be profitable, after all, not when so many of the beings deserving of comeuppance had so much to steal. And if it also felt pretty good, well. Only a fool would accuse the battle-hardened cyborg and the towering pile of rocks of being sentimental. Personality & Motivation: Rock is generally happy to go with the flow, leaving most of the decision making to more vivacious allies such as Eclipse. He is rarely shy about making his opinions known, however, and his calm demeanour belies a fiery temper that is not easily cooled once roused. He feels generally protective of those smaller than him, which is a broad category, and strives to be helpful without expecting much in return. He is far more easily motivated by the mistreatment of others than slights against himself. Powers & Tactics: Rock is well versed in throwing his considerably weight around. In battle he charges into the fray with little regard for his own durable form, grappling or knocking about multiple opponents at once. He tends to target the most physically imposing target first given the choice, glad for the opportunity to let loose without needing to hold back. When fighting alongside allies, however, his priorities shift and Rock uses himself as mobile cover, attempting to place himself between his friends and the worst danger. If things do not appear to be going well he is not too proud to scoop them up bodily and beat a hasty retreat. When suitably enraged, Rock's molten core can erupt through any of his body's surfaces, usually either his mouth or the palms of his hands. The wave of liquid stone is scalding and indiscriminate and takes Rock a moment to recover from as he rebuilds his internal reservoir. Complications: Faulty Hardware: Galactic civilization just isn't designed with giant rock people in mind. From squeezing through doors to trying to use tools intended for smaller, fleshy digits, his difficulties are multitude. Rock tends to leave a lot of shattered monitors and bent chairs in his wake. Geological Record: Not all of Rock's exploits have been strictly legal by local - or universal - standards. He has more outstanding warrants for destruction of property, disturbing the peace and more than he can reasonably keep track of and it's tough to remember where he might not be welcome. Making a Mountain: Rock is generally calm and contemplative by nature but when his ire is raised his temper is literally fiery. Tending to extremes, any perceived threat to his friends or a similar trigger will unleash a juggernaut with the strength and inexorable momentum of an avalanche. Rock and a Hard Place: Rock's willingness to use his body as a living bulwark for his friends often outweighs his awareness of his own limits. While he can take a staggering amount of punishment by most standards, he is not invulnerable and can easily overestimate his own durability. Taken for Granite: Between his appearance and limited vocabulary many beings underestimate Rock's intellect and insight. Apart from his Eclipse and Nae-Dae he has difficulty making others take his opinions seriously or even convincing some that he is a legitimately sentient creature. Abilities: - 10 - 4 - 10 + 4 + 8 + 4 = - 8PP Strength: 44/20/- (+17) Dexterity: 6 (-2) Constitution: - Intelligence: 14 (+2) Wisdom: 18 (+4) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 16 + 16 = 32PP Initiative: -2 Attack: +7 (+8 Base, -1 Growth) Grapple: +32 (+7 Attack, +17 Strength, +2 Density, +4 Growth, +2 Super-Strength) Defense: +7 (+8 Base, -1 Growth), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -16 Saving Throws: 0 + 5 + 8 = 13PP Toughness: +17 (+12 Protection, +3 Density, +2 Growth; Impervious 3) Fortitude: - (Immune) Reflex: +3 (-2 Dex, +5) Will: +12 (+4 Wis, +8) Skills: 64R = 16PP Bluff 3 (+5) Computers 3 (+5) Intimidate 11 (+15) Knowledge (Galactic Lore) 8 (+10) Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 3 (+5) Knowledge (Technology) 3 (+5) Language 1 (Galstandard, Phaesti [Native]) Medicine 1 (+5) Notice 6 (+10) Pilot 12 (+10) Sense Motive 11 (+15) Survival 2 (+6) Feats: 33PP Improved Grab Improved Pin Interpose Equipment 2 Sidekick 24 Startle Stunning Attack Takedown Attack 2 Equipment: 10EP = 2PP Binoculars; Super-Senses 4 (Visual; Extended 2 [1000' Range Increment], Infravision, Tracking) [4EP] Ship Communicator; Communications 5 (Radio, 5 miles; Extras: Area, Flaws: Limited [Other Crew Communicators]) + Super-Senses 1 (Communication Link [ship, Radio]) [6EP] Powers: 91 + 25 = 116PP Rock Person Physiology 18 (90PP Container [Passive, Permanent]; Power Feats: Innate) [91PP] Density 6 (+12 Strength, +3 Toughness [impervious], +2 Immovable, +2 Super-Strength, x5 Mass; Extras: Duration [Permanent, +0]) [18PP] Immunity 32 (Critical Hits, Fortitude Effects) [30PP] Immunity 10 (Electricity Damage, Fire/Heat Damage; Flaws: Limited [Half]) [5PP] Growth 4 (Large, +8 Strength, +2 Toughness; Extras: Duration [Permanent, +0]) [12PP] Protection 12 [12PP] Regeneration 10 (Recovery Bonus 5 [+0], Resurrection 1 [1 Week]; Flaws: Source [Rocks], Power Feats: Persistent, Regrowth) [5PP] Super-Strength 2 (Effective Strength 69, Heavy Load ~200 tons; Power Feats: Bracing, Countering Punch) [6PP] Molten Core 12 (24PP Array; Power Feats: Alternate Power 1) [25PP] Base: Enhanced Strength 24 [24PP] AP: Damage 12 (Extras: Area [General, Cone], Secondary Effect, Flaws: Action [Full]) [24PP] (eruption) Drawbacks: -3PP Geologuistics (Can Only Vocalize 'Rock' in Galstandard, DC 15 Sense Motive Check to Discern Meaning; Frequency: Very Common; Intensity: Minor) [-3PP] DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC32 Toughness Damage Eruption Area [General, Cone] DC22 Reflex Half Damage DC27 Toughness Damage [Secondary Effect] Totals: Abilities (-8) + Combat (32) + Saving Throws (13) + Skills (16) + Feats (33) + Powers (116) - Drawbacks (3) = 199/217 Power Points