Odrin Vale wants the party to save the research notebooks because they may prevent another engine disaster, but he will accept destruction if it is the only way to save the technicians.

The party controls whether the research survives; Vale knows the station sequence, while the technicians can each provide one useful hint before psychic backlash overwhelms them.

• Promise Vale the notebooks will be copied before the lattice is destroyed.
• Offer to save the technicians first, giving Vale a reason to cooperate.
• Point out that preserving corrupted research may endanger every future engine.
• Use the shard’s earlier resonance to prove the party can stabilize the core.

• Arcana DC 17: recalibrate the runic matrix where interference patterns overlap.
• Tinker’s Tools DC 16: realign the steam vent before securing the broken gear.
• Sleight of Hand DC 15: sever three conduits in rhythm, one check per conduit within three rounds.
• Wisdom save DC 15: bond with the shard and stabilize the falling islet.
• Make the final research choice: preserve the notebooks or destroy the corrupted lattice.

• If the party protects a technician, Vale gives the next station’s key instruction without asking.
• If the party ignores the workers, Vale becomes HOSTILE and withholds the station sequence.
• If the party argues for destruction with clear evidence, Vale reluctantly agrees.
• If the party saves the notebooks, Vale swears to seal them under the party’s name.
• If the party destroys the lattice, Vale grieves the lost research but helps lead the evacuation.