Cutting the Power

Dear Phoebe,
 
I’m so frustrated with myself I could scream. In our search for easy booty (Get it? Because we’re pirates?), we followed a distress signal to a derelict space station. It had all the appearances of an abandoned facility, so we boarded it, thinking it would be a quick in and out.
 
It was not a quick in and out.
 
As soon as we docked, our ship’s power was cut, so we ventured forth to find out how to undo the lockdown, loot, and leave.
 
I don’t even know how to describe what we encountered without sounding like the summary for a cheesy B-movie.
 
The station was infested - and INFECTED - with the undead. Some aspect of Myrkul had gotten into the station’s computer system hundreds of years ago when the planet the station was orbiting was destroyed, and it had been festering in there ever since. Our presence, it seems, caused the infection to come to a head and spill over. We spent four days in that hellhole and barely made it out alive.
 
At the end of it all, after we had finally managed to gain access to the station’s control tower to undo the lockdown and return power to our ship so that we could leave, the Shade of Myrkul confronted us. And this is where I’m kicking myself. It was only interested in talking to me and ignored my companions. I wish it had talked to Galva or Eo, who we’re both far more level-headed than I could hope to be at that point.
 
Phoebe, I was so tired, and disgusted, and ANGRY. I was at the absolute end of my rope, and couldn’t think straight. This aspect of an evil god was right in front of me, and it wanted so badly to gloat and to lord it over me, the pathetic, idiot disciple of a missing god. And instead of letting it, I shut it down. It claimed to know what happened to Kelemvor - it claimed to have killed him! I could have asked it where it had done so, at the very least, I could have gotten SOME clue. I could have swallowed my pride and groveled a bit, because it was so clearly looking to be entertained, and we both know the kinds of behaviors that entertain bullies the best. I’m certain doing so would have gotten me SOME answers. But do you think I did? Of course I didn’t.
 
I don’t know if that aspect of Myrkul is still out in the void of space, or if it was killed when the station exploded. I hope it’s dead. Even if that Shade was just a drop in the bucket, one less drop of evil in the galaxy will do good for someone, somewhere.
 
I can hear you now, telling me to stop dwelling on the bad and to focus on the positive. So, I will attempt to do so, and share that with you as well; an uplifting closer to a truly depressing letter.
 
Zellias has improved somewhat with his aim. Although he DID cast Fireball centered on himself a couple of times while we were trapped, he centered the majority of the Fireballs he cast on OTHER targets. My constant nagging must be having some effect at last.
 
We encountered a Revenant in one of the staff break rooms in the station’s hospital. Somehow, by some small miracle, the DDR machine in that room was still functioning, and by a very lucky coincidence, Eo is a DDR pro. She challenged the Revenant to a dance-off, and won! She beat his high score, he was able to pass on peacefully, and now we have a DDR cabinet for the ship.
 
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Lifting the physical lockdown on our ship also somehow freed the hundreds of souls who had spent the past few centuries trapped in that hell. The station-destroying explosion I mentioned earlier was of course the work of the captain. It took out an entire colony of undead abominations along with - I hope - the Shade of Myrkul. The destruction of the god that had stolen their lives was the closure those hundreds of souls had needed, and they were all able to pass on.
 
…Honestly, as I write that, I DO feel a little better. You’re right, as always. If I find myself dwelling for too long on the abysmal performance of my exhausted brain, I will try to remember the feeling of helping all of those poor souls, instead. I could certainly have done a lot better, but in the grand scheme of things, I could have done worse.
 
I miss you so much it hurts.
 
Please take care of yourself. I shall endeavor to do the same.
 
All my love,
Finch