"Two Minds"

**"Two Minds"** is the tenth session of the first chapter of Convergence. After recovering from a hard battle, the party enjoy some much needed down time at a local casino. However, happy times are cut short by several revelations that bring the party to blows.

## Synopsis

### Limb "repairs"

Following the events of the previous session, the party try to come to terms with what they have just been involved in. The party get some much needed rest. H0W-D33, who decided to remain on the bridge, was struggling with the fact that he is now missing limbs. This panic spurred him to go and talk to Arthur about it. Steele was sleeping and was awoken by the sound of H0W-D33 banging on his door. He reluctantly opens the door and hears H0W-D33 talk at a million miles per second about how he really wants new limbs to replace the ones he has lost. Steele tells H0W-D33 that in order to help him, he will need some high grade scrap metal in order to help synthesise new limbs.

H0W-D33, understanding the need for scrap metal, rushes to the bridge to talk to Del Rio and see if he knows where he can find some. H0W-D33 manages to convince Del Rio that Steele gave the go-ahead to scrap the shuttle for salvage. Del Rio gets to work on taking the shuttle apart and giving the high grade scrap to H0W-D33.

H0W-D33 excited about this, rushes back to Steele and hands him the high grade scrap. Steele, suspicious of where she recieved it, headed to the shuttle bay to discover the shuttle in pieces. Although irritated, Steele attempts to utilise the scrap to allow H0W-D33 to grow new arms. However, in Steele's agitated state, the arms do not generate successfully, and H0W-D33 is left with arms similar to penguin flippers.

### The Casino

After reconvening after a deserved rest, the party discuss briefly the events of the previous day. They decide to proceed on with their mission and leave the beacon and Damoclese behind.

After some travel, they arrive at the next beacon. At the heard of this beacon is a commercial station. Weary of the supply situation on board and sensing a need for his crew to have some time away from the Eastwood, Steele orders that the Eastwood docks with the commercial station. He tells Arbo to take the lead and head over to the station with the others. He asks Arbo to take 12,000 credits and buy some essential supplies. In the meantime, Steele will stay behind and monitor the two patients who they recovered from the Vault.

The remainder of the party besides Steele and Del Rio head through into the station. They quickly discover a large open floor casino with many individuals gambling and drinking. The party soon get to work and split up.

#### H0W-D33's adventure

H0W-D33, disappointed with how his new arms have turned out, seeks to try and amend his situation by acquiring new ones. He sees the gambling that is going on around him and knows he is far above simple slot machines and games. He makes his way to the high-roller room via the elevator at the end of the main room. At the high roller table, he encounters a number of individuals making large bets.

After finding a great deal of success on the table with extremely lucky dice rolls, he quickly finds amniosity from the other patrons of the high-roller table. He asks a patron whether he is selling anything exotic in the pet variety, and whether he might have robotic arms to purchase. The patron, who notes that he sells all kinds of merchandise, confirms that he has some items that H0W-D33 would be interested in.

He takes H0W-D33 into the back and presents H0W-D33 with two new arms, one large blue arm and one much thinner pink arm, both encrusted with a "substance" and revealed to be arms formerly belonging to robots designed for a "certain kind of pleasure". H0W-D33, satisfied with the arms he has recieved despite them being disproportionate, moves on to his next request. Missing his first "son", Huckleberry, the Solar Chrysalys Egg, H0W-D33 feels the paternal instinct and wants a new son to love. He seeks a small and cute animal to raise as his new son. The man disappears into his wares for a brief time, then returns with a small, green creature with two large black eyes. The man refers to the creature as a Squiffler. H0W-D33 falls instantly in love with the creature and lovingly names it "Huckleberry 2".

#### Bunka's POV

Bunka decides to spend her time exploring what the Casino has to offer. She starts at the regular slot machines, managing to win some and lose some money. She doesn't find much enjoyment from it and decides to explore the casino to find some more games. She discovers a game of dice nearby where she finds some small success.

#### Petra's Toy Collection

While the others are away, Petra looks around the Casino for something to do. She finds a strange looking device near the entrance. The device contains plastic balls with toys within. Petra places credits in and begins collecting. After spending a large amount of credits and amassing a pile of toys, Petra eventually gathers the full collection. But she has many spare. She begins to distribute her toys to other willing members of the party. The full collection ends up being:

* Pirate Zhen'kethi figure
* Zhin'tuk Medieval King figure
* Aquian in a suit lawyer figure
* Zultan Medieval Knight figure
* Zhin'tuk solid gold figure
* Human chef outfit figure
* Floran gardener outfit figure
* Empath Cowboy figure
* Keshyyk Empire State building figure
* Unified using computer figure
* Tall, buff, silver Superhero Human figure
* Zultan Barbarian Outfit Figure

The other members of the party have mixed reactions to being given one of these toys, some expressing gratitude, while others such as Steele flat out rejecting them.

### The debris field

After gathering back together, the party are happy with their time at the Casino, and decide to leave. They return to the Eastwood, and jump to the next beacon. As Steele gives the order to jump to the next beacon, The Guide appears and gives an affirmative nod to him, which causes him concern.

When they arrive, they are greeted by a large debris field. The debris hosts the remnants of Union and Zultan warships that were engaged in battle during the war. At the center of the field, is a large structure. The object is like nothing that the party has seen before, being much larger than any station they've been on. After performing a scan on the object, it is revealed that there are no lifesigns onboard, but the power signature it is giving off is off the scale. The party speculate that the site may be Precursor in origin.

Calli laments about her acquaintance, Lazarus. The Party inquire who he was, but they learn he is simply a colleague of Calli.

The party decide to investigate the site. H0W-D33 pilots the Eastwood in closer, and docks with the station.

### The Precursor site

The station is a bright silver in colour, with a unique architectural design. The silver is often accented with a blue neon that is prevalent throughout the structure. As they enter the station, they divide into two teams to investigate the station.

As they start to make their way through, they encounter two corpses blocking a doorway within. After identifying one of the corpses as Zultan, they realise that the corpse is badly decayed.

### The rift forms

-Holographic screen with unkown text written on it.

-Steele feels like he has seen the language / glyphs before.

-Can just about read out "slaves" as one of the words.

-Arbo contacts Steele, says they've found a device.

-Words "Precursor" and "Access" made out on terminals

-Room with force-field cutting it in half. Many bodies of Zultans behind the field.

-Particles stuck in mid-air. Blood, dust etc.

-Time seems stopped behind field.

-Guide walks alongside Steele, whistling.

-New Terminal. Guide translates by placing hand on shoulder.

-"Precursor luminator access to unified and human slaves permitted."

-Met up with other party.

-The Guide begins typing at the large devices console. Too fast to read.

-Large Device is Luminator (Tower, rising to roof with blue accents.)

-Luminator "To Guide The Way".

-The Guide is accessing maps. Records of every part of the galaxy.

-The Guide offers his hand. To guide Steele.

-Steele takes hand. Sees visions of stars, screams and technology.

-"Arriving" is the one word that he could hear.

-Suffered a 'Mental Shock' according to Arbo.

-Entire Device "Luminator" turned off.

[23:34]

-Steele stepped on Zultan skulls as he walked past. They turned to ash at the slightest touch.

-Petra found a room that contains a device that has the same signal that's broadcast across the galaxy.

-Petra also shows more of the strange glyphs he downloaded.

-The Guide seems to be nodding towards the others in the party. Asking for privacy.

-Steele asks what the glyphs translated to. Supposedly collecting a call from far away.

-We're the "Main event" to the prequel. Now we're on the way to collect the "Main Guy" of the movie.

-Able to touch The Guide as if he's physically there.

-H0W-D33 tells Steele about the voice in his head. (AI Supercomputer).

-Steele reaches for H0W-D33 in anger.

-H0W-D33 says he told Arbo, who said not to tell anyone.

-Steele orders them to the bridge in anger.

-After some arguing on the bridge between the party as H0W-D33 tells them the story, H0W-D33 storms out.

-Steele follows along with some others, but H0W-D33 locks himself away between a shield and the others.

-Seeing he can't get in, Steele allows Bunka to try and talk to H0W-D33.

-Kalli also talks to H0W-D33. Is convinced by H0W-D33 to keep the voice.

-Steele tells Kalli to let them know they can keep the voice, but if they seem to be controlled by it at any point, he'll kill H0W-D33.

-Steele and Petra speak of killing H0W-D33 if they ever act out.

-For now, Steele wishes to approach H0W-D33 when he's calmer, and try to help H0W-D33 build a firewall around the AI.