Penumbra: Arc Kickoff: Strange Haven


 * Spaceport - Destiny : Deserata


 * Still relatively unscathed, the tarmac of this spaceport, as well as everything else, is obviously new. The spaceport appears to be able to accommodate anything from a shuttle to a cruise liner. Several vehicles are here, with one or more nearly always taxiing, landing, or undocking. Dozens of personnel scurry about, guiding ships and helping passengers with anything from baggage to customs. The roar of engines is one of the only consistent things about the pad. Several tracks lead away, towards Deserata's various attractions, and the Grand Hotel is nearby, enabling passengers to check in and rest before enjoying the planet's other attractions.

Urfkgar is ambling away from the shuttleport with a bag of carrots in hand.

Penumbra walks down the ramp that extends from the hangar bay of the ISS Orphic, smiling faintly as he takes in the surroundings of the spaceport and the pleasant Deserata afternoon. Handlers and carnival workers follow after Ian Penumbra, rushing to fulfill the obligations required to keep the roaming cavalcade on the move: Refueling and resupply. But Penumbra himself moves with unhurried precision, pausing at the bottom of the ramp to look around.

Urfkgar eats his carrots as he wanders along. His progress grinds to a halt when he drops a carrot and it rolls under a cargo pallet. He goes down on his belly and scrounges around a minute to dig out the vegetable.

A small crowd begins to gather near the massive Orphic freighter as a two-headed Zangali and a furless Castori (climbing a tall ladder) work together to suspend a banner between the struts of the embarkation ramp. The banner reads: Penumbra's Roaming Cavalcade of Mysteries. Below that, in smaller lettering, are the words: Interstellar Oddities and Wide-ranging Amusements to Raise the Spirits and Pique the Curiosity.

Having saved his carrot for immediate consumption, the single headed Zangali continues to wander along, heading towards the crowd at the Orphic.

"That's right, ladies and gentlemen," the man in the dark suit and red carnation proclaims from the bottom of the ramp as Urfkgar gets within earshot. "Penumbra's Roaming Cavalcade of Mysteries. We've gathered the strange and unusual from one end of the Orion Arm to the other ... and beyond! So, step right up, climb aboard, don't be bashful! Admission's free, although we do charge for liquid refreshments and comestibles! Tips are, as always, appreciated! And the rumors are true! Yes, true! Penumbra's Roaming Cavalcade of Mysteries *is* hiring!" He gestures up the ramp. "Step right up!"

Fulton exits the public terminals and takes a moment to inspect the spaceport, the small gathering now forming due to Penumbra's announcement catching his eye. Goal found, he starts walking towards the Orphic.

Urfkgar pops his neck as looks away from his bag of carrots to regard the man in the dark suit. His attention shifts, just as quickly, towards the Zangali with the spare head and its furless Castori buddy.

Penumbra tousles a little boy's hair as his mother leads him up the ramp onto the Orphic. "Enjoy your visit!" Penumbra exults. He then turns his attention back to the growing crowd while the two-headed Zangali and the furless Castori start making their way up the ramp, mingling in the midst of gasping onlookers. Refueling hoses get hooked to nozzles along the belly of the Orphic by some carnival workers, while others load hoversleds with provisions. "Come one, come all! Welcome to Penumbra's Roaming Cavalcade of Mysteries!"

Fulton stops near Urfkgar. "You're just everywhere, aren't you? At this point, I doubt anything I'll see in there will impress me." He shrugs and resumes his walk up the Orphic's ramp and into the vessel.

Urfkgar shrugs, pockets his carrots, and joins those making their way up the ramp with Fulton.


 * ISS Orphic - Interlock D - Penumbra's Roaming Cavalcade of Mysteries


 * A dimly lit black-and-silver metal chamber that serves as an airlock connecting the hangar bay of the ISS Orphic - home of Penumbra's Roaming Cavalcade of Mysteries - and the segment of the ship devoted to Amusements.

The crowd bottlenecks as visitors start moving single file through the interlock between the Hangar Bay and the Amusements Segment. "No need to rush!" Penumbra informs. "We put no limit on your stay! The Orphic will remain on Deserata for the next three days! So, what you don't see today, you can always see tomorrow!"

Fulton frowns at two giggling boys a few steps ahead who appear overly eager to gaze upon the mysteries of the universe. "I hate kids," he states, walking on in line with the crowd.

"Stupid softskins," agrees the Zangali as he takes another mincing step forward.


 * ISS Orphic - Amusements Segment - Penumbra's Roaming Cavalcade of Mysteries


 * Built within the hull of cargo-hauling module, this portion of Penumbra's Roaming Cavalcade of Mysteries is predominantly taken up by a carnival midway featuring fortune telling, games of skill and chance, and thrill rides and simulators. The air is often thick with the smells emanating from kiosks tended by food vendors, from the pungent vinegar that douses deep-fried potato wedges to the stick sweet odor of puffy bear claw pastries. Hatches lead to the interlocks that connect to other portions of the carnival ship.

The little boy walking along with his mother - the one who got his hair tousled by Penumbra before clambering aboard - shrieks in horror as he points at a tall being who seems to be made of colorful stone orbs, with hue patterns reminiscent of worlds such as Jupiter, Saturn and Demaria. One glittering silver eye gazes from what would otherwise be the Great Red Spot of the former Jovian world - now a second star in Sol System. Penumbra quickly moves to comfort the lad, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder and saying, "Now, now, this big fellow won't hurt you. We call him PlanetMan." The proprietor turns a baleful gaze to the strange stone-cobbled man. "And he usually keeps himself to the oddities segment. Perhaps he would be so kind as to shuffle back to where he belongs?"

The "PlanetMan" bows its massive head and then walks off toward the interlock that leads farther on into the ship.

Fulton's eyes follow the PlanetMan as it makes its way out. "Where, exactly, did you find it?" he asks Penumbra. "Or is that a secret of the trade?" He takes a moment to survey the whole segment area, making a clear effort to avoid actually looking at the food stalls.

Urfkgar's normally indifferent glower flickers briefly into a more baffled expression as he eyeballs this 'PlanetMan' character. He says carefully, "Urf think. Stupid softskin see morerer stupid stuff. No seedededed no now."

"We find members of our happy little family all over the cosmos," Penumbra says to Fulton as he turns to regard the man with a broad smile. "PlanetMan was found as an orphan on the planet Quaquan. His parents were killed by space pirates. After he was rescued, he was wrapped in blankets that apparently contained a toxic agent that caused his skin to bloat, harden and discolor, leading to the condition we see today. Most tragic. Most tragic, indeed."

"Tragic," Fulton agrees apathetically. "I suppose in a way you saved him. That couldn't have lasted very long out in the universe of today." Urfkgar grunts and shakes his head. He grumbles, "Stupid fake softskin thingy. No stuff do morerer bad stuff stupid softskin. Make morerer mudstuffeded."

"I am pleased to say that Penumbra's Roaming Cavalcade of Mysteries provides a safe haven for PlanetMan and many other unfortunates like him," Penumbra says, nodding at Fulton and apparently dismissing without comment any indication of apathy on the visitor's part. A tentacle-fingered Castori in coveralls, carrying a toolbox, waddles toward one of the simulator rides. "We give him a place to live, food to eat and a life of acceptance among others who, while not quite like him, are like him enough in that they too are strange to others in some way."

"And if you ever go out of business?" Fulton asks, honoring the Castori with a fleeting glance. "Well, I'm sure that won't happen. It seems like a rather lucrative endeavor."

Urfkgar doesn't seem to notice the Castori. He digs the bag of carrots back out of his pocket.

"Quite," Penumbra agrees. He pats Fulton on the shoulder and says, "Be sure to tell your friends to stop in! Enjoy your visit!" And, with that, Ian Penumbra wanders off toward the interlock that leads to the mysteries segment.

"Right," Fulton says and follows after the ringleader. To the Zangali, he comments, "Perhaps we'll meet a cousin of yours who is as entertaining as you were when you could actually speak properly."

"Urf say Zangali smart stuff," says Urfkgar as he lumbers along after Fulton. "Stupid softskins stupid. No hear Urf."


 * ISS Orphic - Oddities Segment - Penumbra's Roaming Cavalcade of Mysteries


 * Within this refitted cargo hull, fitted into Penumbra's Roaming Cavalcade of Mysteries, Ian Penumbra has gathered a wide assortment of sentient beings who exemplify the strange and unusual of the cosmos. They are on display within giant cargo crates that are set up as combination exhibit spaces and personal quarters.

Penumbra steps into the oddities segment from the interlock, following not too far behind the little boy and his mother who so recently had their encounter with PlanetMan. They're walking toward one of the large rust-hued cargo crates when the boy spots a chair sitting next to the door. "Can I sit for a minute, Mom? I'm tired." His mother nods. "Go ahead, Jason." And so Jason does, plopping down on the chair to rest his feet for the moment.

Fulton steps in with the crowd, eyes leaping from crate to crate. He actually whistles with appreciation. "Forget the articulate Zangali. With things like these, something like that would be used as a visual warm-up."

"Morerer stupid stuff," says Urfkgar as he looks around. "Urf no know stuff."

The chair is quite comfortable, but after a few moments, it seems to get a mind of its own. The legs get longer, and very realistic human feet form on their bottoms. With a start, the chair is off, not moving too fast, but it starts walking around the room in random patterns. A voice then seems to come from the chair itself. "Round and round and round she goes, where she stops, only I know!"

"Gah!" exclaims the boy as he's hauled around by the living chair. "MOM!" She starts scampering after the chair before Jason hops off and clings to her leg. Penumbra clasps his hands behind his back and sighs. "Some people," he concludes, "might be happier if they kept to the safety of the simulators. Perhaps I should post a warning sign for the easily excitable?"

"See there," Fulton tells Urfkgar, motioning towards the recently spotted oddity, "that's a Moving Chair. Very rare nowadays when most of us just want to use them to stay put." He turns to Penumbra. "Excitement is still the name of your game, is it not? So what have we there?"

"Stupid softskin no like. Scram," grunts the Zangali at Jason. The chair gets a second and third look before he announces, "Stupid softskin fake stuff."

The chair comes to a stop near the group. "Hmmm. How about a nice tree to climb, sonny?" The chair becomes quite translucent, then collapses into a ball of what appears to be light blue tinted jelly. This form isn't kept long, as the blob reshapes into what looks to be a young oak tree, complete with acorns.

Penumbra smiles. "May I present Y'darin? He is a Yoridini. His kind originated beyond the Multiverse Nexus. In Hiverspace, to be exact. He returned with Sanctuary to normalspace after her voyage."

"How is it no one noticed it?" Fulton inquires before he notices the new shape the blob has taken. He leans over to Urfgkar. "Unless you're flexible enough to match that, I doubt it's a hoax. Really now. After Sanctuary is that Y'darin that impossible to fathom? Maybe you should go say hello. The two of you might get along." Once more to Penumbra, he asks, "Can he change into anything?"

"Urf no seededed thingy," says the Zangali. He continues, "Urf Sanc. Stupid fake softskin stuff."

Penumbra shrugs at Fulton. "Y'darin can tell you for himself."

Y'darin lets out a chuckle. "Ah, but it should be obvious why I wasn't seen. Disguises are my specialty! Allow me to demonstrate." The tree collapses once more into the blob, then reforms into a rather good likeness of Fulton. "I've had a lot of practice with humanoids lately." he says with a smile. "As for your question, be it rocks, clocks, blocks, you name it, I can become it."

Fulton nods toward Urfkgar. "My chum here is not exactly a believer. I, for one, would love to know why you would stay hidden so long and not tell anyone. Seems like a long time to be alone. How about food?"

Urfkgar looks from one Fulton to the other and grumbles to himself, shaking his head.

Y'darin smiles, then collapses back into his blob form yet again. Rolling across the floor, he stops at the doorway of his quarters. An appendage forms and snakes into the room, then emerges with a chunk of quartz crystal. This is then pulled inside the blob, where it rather quickly begins to break down and be absorbed. "Ahhhh... quite filling, and not as hard to find as you think. You just have to have the senses for 'em." Finished, he rolls back to the group. "Why did I remain hidden? I'm not exactly a normal sight for your kind, and if I've learned one thing, it's that many times you fear the unusual. Except here." he says, a curve on the blob forming into a rather good approximation of a smile. "People who come here, expect to find the strange and unusual."

Penumbra chuckles. "Indeed." He glances toward Fulton and Urfgkar. "Thank you again for your interest in Penumbra's Roaming Cavalcade of Mysteries! A pleasure to have been your host." Penumbra nods his head at Y'darin and then strides toward the interlock leading to the command section of the vessel.

‘’A short while later…’’


 * ISS Orphic - Penumbra's Office - Penumbra's Roaming Cavalcade of Mysteries


 * A rather spacious office built into an air-filled steel bubble that pokes like a blister off the side of the forward hauling hull of the ISS Orphic, this chamber serves as the day-to-day working office of Ian Penumbra, proprietor of Penumbra's Roaming Cavalcade of Mysteries. The gunmetal gray bulkheads are adorned with holographic images of vistas from every planet in the known worlds - and some strange sights from beyond the multiverse nexus, if the legends of plaques beneath the images are to be believed. The man's desk itself is made of rich, dark-hued mahogany and the surface is cluttered with datapads, a chronometer, a holovid broadcast unit, and a mummified-looking Qua head under a clear transparisteel jar. Automated doors lead out into the main corridor and into Penumbra's personal sanctum.

Penumbra is sitting at his desk, currently viewing a holovid broadcast from Waldheim that shows patients undergoing examinations in makeshift clinics in a park in the middle of New Berlin.

Fulton steps into the office and glances at the holovid. "I suppose that won't be one of the stops in your tour," he comments. "I was told to come see you in here to discuss the possibilities of employment."

Penumbra frowns as he switches off the holovid. "Waldheim had, in fact, been my next intended stop. Looks like plans need to change." He shrugs, then gestures to a seat across from his desk, with a view of the bottled Indian head. "Make yourself comfortable. That chair won't walk away on its own."

Fulton nods and sits down, taking a moment to look at the assortment of pictures and rarities. "I know you're probably interested only in hiring acts and such for your ship here, but bear with me for a moment. These are troubling times. With the recent Nall threat people have been left anxious and nervous. The unusual might appeal to some, but others will feed off paranoia and nurture the idea that you and your shows pose a danger. Such a line of thought could create trouble for you. I am rather skilled with my hands and even better with a gun in them. Perhaps you might consider some extra security elements for your vessel. I could mingle with the crowd and make sure that, in the event of any unwanted activity, things get quietly -- or at least effectively -- settled. In fact, my friend out there -- that Zangali you saw -- is as good as I am and he might be interested in such a working opportunity."

"Security, eh?" The proprietor considers Fulton for a few moments in silence and then leans forward, tapping the fingers of his right hand on the desktop. "Now, I'm not saying yes and I'm not saying no. The way I see it, we can't have enough security around here. Like you said, these are weird times. People get paranoid, people do crazy things. But you're walking in fresh. We've never met until now. I don't know you or your Zangali friend from those poor miserable saps in New Berlin. So, why should I trust a couple of strangers with that kind of responsibility? Hell, for all I know, you two are a couple of confidence tricksters looking to make a heist at my expense."

"The Zangali has records you can verify. He's a bloody hero and used to work for the Vanguard. Not the current one, mind you, but the one that came with us aboard Sanctuary. I'm not sure on the details but I have no doubts some inquiries will provide you with sufficient results," Fulton answers. "As for me, well, perhaps you've heard of the Faux? That ship makes the news once in a while. Done my time there and the owner would be more than happy to vouch for my abilities. Look, Mr. Penumbra, in all fairness -- I am not that bright a fellow. I can't think of a single thing I could do here to my advantage. If anything, I just want to make sure those like PlanetMan are not meant to pay for crimes they never committed. Being alive, after all, should not be a crime."

Penumbra ponders, scratching his chin as he leans back in his chair. He then stands and walks around the desk. Leaning against the desk, he rests the palm of his left hand on the upper arc of the jar containing the mummified Indian head. "What do you think, Chief? Should I give them a chance?" Penumbra leans over closer to the jar, as if listening for a reply. "Hmm? You think? Yeah, that's probably a good way to go." Straightening, he looks over at Fulton and says, "Come back in a few hours. Bring your friend. We'll all sit down with Ora. If Ora likes you, you're in."

"Ora? Sounds like a charming woman," Fulton states, rising from the chair. "Thank you, Mr. Penumbra. The name is Joe Fulton, by the way." He offers his hand. "You will not regret this."

Penumbra shakes the offered hand and nods. "I don't believe in regrets, regardless, Mr. Fulton." He smiles thinly. "Why regret, when you can exact retribution? See you in a few hours."

Fulton inclines his head in a respectful nod and turns, walking out.