The rest of the trip is uneventful, fortunately. Oh, I take time out to ‘play’ with Cowbird (using her as furniture, chopping bits of her off and watching them grow back, sticking pointy things in her holes, having her lick her moisture trail up off the floor, whatever other bits of sadism occur to me), as she LIKES that now.
I even re-arm her, but I do skip the armor. She doesn't need it anymore, and it doesn't fit anyway… although that last bit would be fixable if I wanted to do so (I don't).
And I also come up with a use for the summons: Running the Industry, and crafting magic items the old way: Enable Function grants feats, and the Lillend Azata from Summon Monster VI has bardic spellcasting, which qualifies her for Craft Wondrous Item, Forge Ring, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Brew Potion, Craft Wand, and a few others; I can negate their need to breathe so they don't tax the ship's life support, and there’s plenty of space for them to work in the hold. I can also make crafting materials thanks to Fabricate as a spell-like ability. A few buffs to their skill checks, and they can successfully make an Orange Prism Ioun Stone (which boosts my caster level by one for as long as the tiny pebble orbits me), a Strand of Prayer Beads (which can boost my caster level for ten minutes, by four), a Wayfinder of Passage (which holds up to three ioun stones and lets me put them in my pocket while they still work, so as not to advertise my ioun stones… it also lets me use some spells, but I can do those anyway; it's the ioun stone capacity I'm after), a Headband of Mental Superiority +6 (it adds six to all my mental ability scores, and comes with some bonus skills at full ranks), two advanced to six points Scarlet and Blue Sphere Ioun Stones (they increase intelligence: No, they don't stack with the headband, nor each other, but they come with associated skills at full ranks, which the creator selects… and THOSE stack, because they're different skills… but between those, the headband, and my actual ranks… I get all the Starfinder skills except Profession, which is open-ended… and I use my floating skill for that), Belt of Physical Perfection +6 (as the headband, but for physical scores), a Cloak of Resistance +5 (makes it easier to resist things), a Ring of X-Ray Vision (which lets me see through objects), a nice little item from Spheres of Power: A Keyhome (it's a little key; when you stick it into a spot in the air and turn it, it opens up a 10x10 door to an extradimensional space - of ten cubes of space, each ten feet on a side, arranged however the key maker desired at the time of crafting - which persists between uses, travels with the key, and is good for storage - I get four of these: One set up as an apartment, one set up as storage, one decked out as a meeting room, and one as a garage… because a ten by ten door will fit a car, no problem), and several other things.
Of course, it takes them a while to craft those… but I don't need to pay any attention to them after I start them on their tasks, and when I'm doing survey work, there's a lot of time available. Seriously: We had two weeks of flight time between when I came up with the idea and when we arrived, a week while the sensor drones scoured the system, a day for me to map the major gravity wells from the drone data, twelve days for the ship's computer to churn through the data to identify the type of each gravity well (for the record, there were four gas giants, three earth worlds of roughly Earth's size, five extra large asteroids, and quite a few moons), then a few more days for each to actually visit them and scan for valuable minerals, life forms, and basic mapping data (continents, major lakes, rivers, oceans, et cetera). All told, my minions had seventy four days of crafting time before I had all the information my contract at Absalom Station required… which, thanks to skill buffs, Pathfinder's half time for an increased skill check difficulty, and having a separate minion for each item, was enough to make them all.
As I collect my gear, though, I find a problem: It's all neon pink. That's easy to fix with an illusion, but there’s a deeper problem: Patricia's influence resulted in them being cursed…
“Blessed,” my pink companion interjects.
Not everyone wants to be a woman, Patricia, and anyone using these becomes one, whether they want it or not. So I can't in good conscience sell them… which is okay, as I made them for myself anyway… and the curse doesn't affect me (I'm already medically female at this point), so they're fine.
And of course, Stephanie is pregnant again; I find the little gem growing between the inner and outer hulls just before we actually arrive at the system we're mapping. By the time we're ready to leave, I can tell what it is: another fighter. It should be an easier “birth” this time: Stephanie is a lot bigger, but the ‘child’ is going to be about the same size as the first.
As I'm contemplating landing on one of the planets (it has life, and things that look like villages) Stephanie asks me an pertinent question: “Why are you working for anyone else?”
Umm. What?
While I'm thinking, she continues, “You can create servants from nothing and materials from nothing. Your servants can then make more complex things for you. Why do you have any need to work for anyone?”
Huh. Why do I? With the level of spells I can get now that I have my gear, I could even make my own little world to retreat to, if I wanted (the Create Demiplane line of spells does that very well). But… “I dunno. Part of it is just a habit: Doing jobs for people is what I'm used to doing, most of the time. Part of it… I don't have a place here, not really. I was stranded here by circumstances, and don't have a way to reach my family or friends… so… it's something to do, a way to fit in, and a borrowed purpose.” I pause a moment, “Also, it's the only way I have to live in a world where not everything is bloody pink.”
“But pink is perfect!” my ship objects, “Why would anyone ever tire of it?”
“She has a point,” my soul companion agrees.
“Maybe to you,” I address both of them, “but I like a little more variety. And I want the option of visiting people who won't arbitrarily do everything I say; created servants will obey… and that’s it. They're not PEOPLE like you or Cowbird.”
“Are you sure she's a person? You're using her as a chair…” Right now, even, but Stephanie, you really shouldn't throw stones….
“That's because she likes it after I ‘blessed’ her when she challenged me. Needs it, even. Also… this entire ship is your body, right?” I swing my arms around theatrically.
“Yes…” Stephanie seems hesitant about that.
I point out the obvious, “So in a sense, when I'm walking along your hallways, I'm stepping on you. When I'm sitting in the captain’s chair, I'm sitting on you. When I'm taking a bath….”
Stephanie stops the tirade, “Right. I get it. Pot and kettle. But I am literally built for such things. She's….”
My turn to interrupt, “Enjoying every moment of it, and I've taken steps to ensure she receives no permanent harm. I could cut her leg off with a hacksaw, and not only would she live, it'd simply grow back in a few minutes. In fact…”
Stephanie Steel sighs, “As I recall, you cooked up her leg, and had her eat it for dinner. You do realize how sick and twisted that is, right?”
Absolutely, “I find such things disgusting: I have no interest in causing pain. But: After Ebonwing challenged me, and shot me a few times, I used my magic on him in self defense. That inverted his sick, twisted desires, and amplified them. The kinds of twisted garbage HE used to do to other people, SHE now wants - needs, to a goodly extent - done to her, and worse. If I didn't do that kind of thing to her, she'd actually suffer. It's sick, it's twisted, it's disgusting: No argument there. But it's the least harm I can do.”
Stephanie is silent for a bit, “I suppose so. It's a really weird way to take responsibility, though.”
She's not the only one I'm doing that with… but I also find a use for you both, “Again, no argument there. But this is me…” I claw my seat, and Cowbird moans in pleasure as she heals, “taking responsibility for what I've done. Weird as it is. Anyway… work to do.”
Although investigating a planet is more fun than work… still. Work. Ish.
I have Stephanie quietly land a good six miles from the settlement I want to check out, cast Invisibility, and go for a walk….
The rest of the trip is uneventful, fortunately. Oh, I take time out to ‘play’ with Cowbird (using her as furniture, chopping bits of her off and watching them grow back, sticking pointy things in her holes, having her lick her moisture trail up off the floor, whatever other bits of sadism occur to me), as she LIKES that now.
I even re-arm her, but I do skip the armor. She doesn't need it anymore, and it doesn't fit anyway… although that last bit would be fixable if I wanted to do so (I don't).
And I also come up with a use for the summons: Running the Industry, and crafting magic items the old way: Enable Function grants feats, and the Lillend Azata from Summon Monster VI has bardic spellcasting, which qualifies her for Craft Wondrous Item, Forge Ring, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Brew Potion, Craft Wand, and a few others; I can negate their need to breathe so they don't tax the ship's life support, and there’s plenty of space for them to work in the hold. I can also make crafting materials thanks to Fabricate as a spell-like ability. A few buffs to their skill checks, and they can successfully make an Orange Prism Ioun Stone (which boosts my caster level by one for as long as the tiny pebble orbits me), a Strand of Prayer Beads (which can boost my caster level for ten minutes, by four), a Wayfinder of Passage (which holds up to three ioun stones and lets me put them in my pocket while they still work, so as not to advertise my ioun stones… it also lets me use some spells, but I can do those anyway; it's the ioun stone capacity I'm after), a Headband of Mental Superiority +6 (it adds six to all my mental ability scores, and comes with some bonus skills at full ranks), two advanced to six points Scarlet and Blue Sphere Ioun Stones (they increase intelligence: No, they don't stack with the headband, nor each other, but they come with associated skills at full ranks, which the creator selects… and THOSE stack, because they're different skills… but between those, the headband, and my actual ranks… I get all the Starfinder skills except Profession, which is open-ended… and I use my floating skill for that), Belt of Physical Perfection +6 (as the headband, but for physical scores), a Cloak of Resistance +5 (makes it easier to resist things), a Ring of X-Ray Vision (which lets me see through objects), a nice little item from Spheres of Power: A Keyhome (it's a little key; when you stick it into a spot in the air and turn it, it opens up a 10x10 door to an extradimensional space - of ten cubes of space, each ten feet on a side, arranged however the key maker desired at the time of crafting - which persists between uses, travels with the key, and is good for storage - I get four of these: One set up as an apartment, one set up as storage, one decked out as a meeting room, and one as a garage… because a ten by ten door will fit a car, no problem), and several other things.
Of course, it takes them a while to craft those… but I don't need to pay any attention to them after I start them on their tasks, and when I'm doing survey work, there's a lot of time available. Seriously: We had two weeks of flight time between when I came up with the idea and when we arrived, a week while the sensor drones scoured the system, a day for me to map the major gravity wells from the drone data, twelve days for the ship's computer to churn through the data to identify the type of each gravity well (for the record, there were four gas giants, three earth worlds of roughly Earth's size, five extra large asteroids, and quite a few moons), then a few more days for each to actually visit them and scan for valuable minerals, life forms, and basic mapping data (continents, major lakes, rivers, oceans, et cetera). All told, my minions had seventy four days of crafting time before I had all the information my contract at Absalom Station required… which, thanks to skill buffs, Pathfinder's half time for an increased skill check difficulty, and having a separate minion for each item, was enough to make them all.
As I collect my gear, though, I find a problem: It's all neon pink. That's easy to fix with an illusion, but there’s a deeper problem: Patricia's influence resulted in them being cursed…
“Blessed,” my pink companion interjects.
Not everyone wants to be a woman, Patricia, and anyone using these becomes one, whether they want it or not. So I can't in good conscience sell them… which is okay, as I made them for myself anyway… and the curse doesn't affect me (I'm already medically female at this point), so they're fine.
And of course, Stephanie is pregnant again; I find the little gem growing between the inner and outer hulls just before we actually arrive at the system we're mapping. By the time we're ready to leave, I can tell what it is: another fighter. It should be an easier “birth” this time: Stephanie is a lot bigger, but the ‘child’ is going to be about the same size as the first.
As I'm contemplating landing on one of the planets (it has life, and things that look like villages) Stephanie asks me an pertinent question: “Why are you working for anyone else?”
Umm. What?
While I'm thinking, she continues, “You can create servants from nothing and materials from nothing. Your servants can then make more complex things for you. Why do you have any need to work for anyone?”
Huh. Why do I? With the level of spells I can get now that I have my gear, I could even make my own little world to retreat to, if I wanted (the Create Demiplane line of spells does that very well). But… “I dunno. Part of it is just a habit: Doing jobs for people is what I'm used to doing, most of the time. Part of it… I don't have a place here, not really. I was stranded here by circumstances, and don't have a way to reach my family or friends… so… it's something to do, a way to fit in, and a borrowed purpose.” I pause a moment, “Also, it's the only way I have to live in a world where not everything is bloody pink.”
“But pink is perfect!” my ship objects, “Why would anyone ever tire of it?”
“She has a point,” my soul companion agrees.
“Maybe to you,” I address both of them, “but I like a little more variety. And I want the option of visiting people who won't arbitrarily do everything I say; created servants will obey… and that’s it. They're not PEOPLE like you or Cowbird.”
“Are you sure she's a person? You're using her as a chair…” Right now, even, but Stephanie, you really shouldn't throw stones….
“That's because she likes it after I ‘blessed’ her when she challenged me. Needs it, even. Also… this entire ship is your body, right?” I swing my arms around theatrically.
“Yes…” Stephanie seems hesitant about that.
I point out the obvious, “So in a sense, when I'm walking along your hallways, I'm stepping on you. When I'm sitting in the captain’s chair, I'm sitting on you. When I'm taking a bath….”
Stephanie stops the tirade, “Right. I get it. Pot and kettle. But I am literally built for such things. She's….”
My turn to interrupt, “Enjoying every moment of it, and I've taken steps to ensure she receives no permanent harm. I could cut her leg off with a hacksaw, and not only would she live, it'd simply grow back in a few minutes. In fact…”
Stephanie Steel sighs, “As I recall, you cooked up her leg, and had her eat it for dinner. You do realize how sick and twisted that is, right?”
Absolutely, “I find such things disgusting: I have no interest in causing pain. But: After Ebonwing challenged me, and shot me a few times, I used my magic on him in self defense. That inverted his sick, twisted desires, and amplified them. The kinds of twisted garbage HE used to do to other people, SHE now wants - needs, to a goodly extent - done to her, and worse. If I didn't do that kind of thing to her, she'd actually suffer. It's sick, it's twisted, it's disgusting: No argument there. But it's the least harm I can do.”
Stephanie is silent for a bit, “I suppose so. It's a really weird way to take responsibility, though.”
She's not the only one I'm doing that with… but I also find a use for you both, “Again, no argument there. But this is me…” I claw my seat, and Cowbird moans in pleasure as she heals, “taking responsibility for what I've done. Weird as it is. Anyway… work to do.”
Although investigating a planet is more fun than work… still. Work. Ish.
I have Stephanie quietly land a good six miles from the settlement I want to check out, cast Invisibility, and go for a walk….
