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Lola was walking with a purpose. As far as a ysoki was able to do that. Or as far as a citizen of Akiton's wastes could without constantly admiring the spotless and shiny floor.
Her ceremonial robe clearly marked her as a priest of Pharasma, while her staff hitting the floor while she walked conveyed a sense of restlessness that usually was not associated with a servant of the Lady of Graves.
Lola though was ready, ready for another chapter. And the society promised just that. As she walked towards the Lorespire, she looked around.
Interesting company you keep, first seeker, she thought as she tried to get a read on the others walking next to her.
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The four-armed kasatha followed a step behind the ysoki mystic, just as curious of the surroundings as they walked towards the Lorespire.
"I am Chirrk. I do not believe we have met, although we are both newly graduated." Chirrk extends an arm, a main limb and not one of the shorter ones, to the female.
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Lola turns to Chirrk and offers a big smile while accepting the hand offered.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Lola. Or you can call me Gravelight, but that usually comes later...
I have to confess with all the new faces coming in constantly it is hard to remember people. But I guess it is a good thing nonetheless."
Lola looks at the people on their way to the complex. A large Vesk stands out from the rest checking his computer, it seems like.
Lola turns back to Chirrk. "So, what brought you to the society?"
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Chirrk replies, "This was my best opportunity to learn about new and different places, people, and customs. I come a very strict clan, whose idea of exploring new concepts was to wear an outer robe that wasn't gray or darker gray...I had to get away from them. If not, either they would have shunned me, or I would have gone slowly insane. What about you? What brings a ysoki this far from her warrens?"
With the mask covering his face and his flat intonation, it is difficult to tell if he was completely serious or attempting humor...
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Another Ysoki joins the group, this one a male, also in a robe but less of a formal one than the priestess. His fur a little greying, he wears a faintly glowing eyepiece on one of his eyes.
Looking around, he sees at least one other Ysoki. "Ah good. I see the fur is strong in this group...ah ha...er, yes well quite!" As his joke inevitably falls flat on its face he quickly proceeds to fill the awkward silence with an introduction. "A pleasure to meet you all. I'm Prof. Lenik Fleest." His whiskers twitch a little as he seems quite proud of his title. "Professor of the Physical Sciences that is, and by the physical that is not just what you can touch...er well you can, when you, or at least sometimes...ah, but it is so much more than the touching but the er...well the forces within, yes the physical forces...ah, oh, and the magic. Yes the magic...although not just the magic, it's...er, more the powers. Yes, the powers. Prof. Powers that's me...er, no Prof. Fleest! Lenik!...oh, ah yes, well they usually just call me 'The Prof!'" He extends out his hand in greeting.
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Lola turns to Chirrk while walking: "The color of the robe was a new concept?" She giggles, fully believing what Chirrk just told her. "Well, I guess you have to start somewhere. Me, let's just say the red desert did no longer agree with me. On the other hand the Hivemarket is a lot more colorful, especially where my warren..."
Suddenly...a voice.
Lola turns around looking at an older ysoki appearing seemingly out of nowhere. After he introduces himself, Lola shakes his hand offering a disarming smile.
"An honor to meet you Professor Pow..ah, Professor Fleest."
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As you make your introductions while you make your way to the location where you were summoned you arrive at a pair of closed doors.
As the doors to the Lorespire Complex slide open, a green holographic image of a middle-aged human woman shimmers into view at the center of the room. “Greetings,” it says. “I am Guidance. Please use the cheek swabs in the open receptacle to provide a genetic sample for Starfinder Society identification purposes. If desired, you may place your hand on the glowing panel to receive a subdermal implant further marking you as a member of the Society.”
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The quiet vesk pauses for a moment to give the glowing panel an interested look before stepping up, pulling off his gauntlet and accepting the implant. He steps aside to clear the room from his bulk, watching that his tail not threaten any other members of the group.
He holds his hand up to the wrist computer rig on the other arm and examines it with a "Hrmm." of interest.
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The Prof's ear's prick up at the curious offer but his innate curiosity takes charge and he barely hesitates at all before stepping forward and extending the same hand he'd just used to shake Lola's.
"Yes, most curious indeed...fascinating in fact." He sniffs at his wrist after the procedure. "I'm sure I can feel something different, but I'm not exactly sure what." He turns to the others. "One musn't be afraid of experimentation my new friends...it's the first law of science!"
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As you make your introductions while you make your way to the location where you were summoned you arrive at a pair of closed doors.
As the doors to the Lorespire Complex slide open, a green holographic image of a middle-aged human woman shimmers into view at the center of the room. “Greetings,” it says. “I am Guidance. Please use the cheek swabs in the open receptacle to provide a genetic sample for Starfinder Society identification purposes. If desired, you may place your hand on the glowing panel to receive a subdermal implant further marking you as a member of the Society.”
"I'll pazz on zee zubdermalz" Says a third Ysoki in less than formal wear, accompanied by a buzzing late-model junkyard drone. He sticks a bare fist into one of his cheek pouches with one of the swabs and pulls out a sample for the reader.
"Pleazed to meet you all. I am Onda Fritz. And thiz iz CRUD." Onda Fritz says. He extends a damp paw to everyone.
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The kasatha steps up to an open receptacle and picks up the swab, turning his back to the others and facing the wall before quickly moving his mask and swabbing the inside of his cheek. He ensures that the mask is firmly in place before turning back to face the others...
He looks at the newest arrival, then around the room at the group, and mutters something about this group sounding like the opening line of a bad joke he once heard on the worldship IDARI...
KA-POW! KA-POW!
CRUD backfires twice.
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As Vazougal studies the computer he is very impressed by the quality of it's processors, graphic cards and diodes. It is truly an impressive work of engineering marvels.
This implant rests underneath the skin of the palm of one
hand (or at the end of a tentacle or similar appendage in
species that lack hands). The augmentation can be activated
or deactivated mentally as a swift action. Activating the
implant causes a rendition of the Starfinder Society’s symbol
to glow underneath the skin. This augmentation acts as a
mark, letting others know you are a member of the Starfinder
Society. It also increases the light level within 5 feet by one
step while active.
After you are done providing swap samples and deciding to get implant or not the glowing panel stops glowing and retracts itself.
The hologram continues;
“It is our pleasure to officially welcome you into the Starfinder Society. Today is the commencement of your new role as a Starfinder field agent. It is our tradition, at the end of the graduation ceremony, for new graduates to present themselves to the heads of our most prominent factions and complete a task at those leaders’ behest. This allows the leaders of these groups to become familiar with all new Starfinder agents, and it provides a constant supply of agents for handling situations in our holdings on Absalom Station. While these tasks were formerly symbolic, the heavy loss of Starfinder agents in the Scoured Stars necessitates that these missions become something more. Please treat any tasks given with the gravity you would grant any other Starfinder assignment.”
At this point all your personal data holders receive a message
Faction Summary
Once you complete the faction leader’s desired mission, that leader will signal Guidance to indicate the mission is finished. Once all missions are complete, you can return to the Lorespire Complex to finish you commencement and prepare for future missions.
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You might know somethings about Absalom Station. You know all of the information with a DC less than or equal to the result of your culture check.
on lost Golarion, can be found on the station.
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Lola bows to Vargouzal. As she turns her attention back to the hologram she is momentarily distracted by CRUD backfiring.
"Wow, did not expect that." She looks at Onda, a little insecure. "Your drone seems to have a mind of its own."
The hologram continues to give his instructions. Lola listens attentively.
"Well, where do we start?"
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Cirrk talks with Lola about Absalom Station, comparing notes and interesting areas as they review the Faction notes.
When Vargouzal mentions the Acquisitives, Cirrk merely shrugs his shoulders and says."I am amenable to any order of accomplishing these tasks. I have had no dealings with any of the factions and so defer to your experience."
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You make your way to an office in the Nyori Palisades, a luxurious neighborhood located in Absalom Station’s transparent central dome.
The plain white doors of the office slide open to reveal a stark, dimly lit room. The chamber is bleak and expressionless in its emptiness—no vanities line its smooth black walls, and no signs of use mar its smooth black furniture. The only occupants of the suite are a bug-eyed tadpole wriggling in a glowing blue aquarium and a reptilian vesk seated behind an onyx desk. The vesk gestures to a number of chairs in front of him, his features sharply illuminated by the light of his desk’s green holoscreen.
“The new graduates,” he greets, in a low and pleasant voice. “Good day. I am Radaszam, though since you are here, I should hope you already knew.
“I trust you are aware of our Society’s traditions, so I will cut to the point. I have a minor situation that needs resolution. One of our members, a human named Laboni, had a rather public altercation with a junk scavenger from the Spike. You might be more familiar
with the scavenger than I, actually; he is a ysoki who fancifully calls himself Ratrod. I am told he runs a popular racing competition
that has, hmm, several hundreds of thousands of viewers on the station’s infosphere. For some reason, Laboni felt the need to tell him that any ‘real’ mechanic could easily beat the garbage that Ratrod and his associates slap together. Now that Ratrod has issued an infosphere-wide demand that she race him and prove it, Laboni doubts she can back that claim up.
“Embarrassing, isn’t it? Not really the sort of troublemaker that suits our Society. Perhaps she would be better suited to the bottom of a trash compactor... Well, we cannot afford to throw her out, not after so many Starfinders were lost in the Scoured Stars. Besides, we can’t let people think we are so weak that we can’t control our own members, or that we cannot stand up to a scrapyard junker. No, I would like you to assist Laboni in winning this race. Show our detractors that even the least of our Society is not someone to be trifled with.”
Radaszam gives you directions to the race’s location in Botscrap and hands you badges marking you as Laboni’s official pit crew.
"I suggests you do not delay, as you'll need as much time as they can to help with the race."
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"Is there any other information you can give us about Ratrod? Something we could use to our advantage? And do you have any directions should Miss Laboni fail to win this challenge?" Chirrk asks impassively, the pitch-black mote of stellar energy hovering near his head lending a menacing air to the questions.
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Radaszam turns to regard Chirkk "Seems to me that getting information like that is something you should be doing."
"I think you should be more worried about me getting a good opinion of you than any glory there might be found from a mere racing victory."
He has a showman’s personality to match his icon status. People in the Spike consider him something of a hero to the ysoki-dominated Scrap Union.
He then turns to Vargouzal
"That sounds like it would be useful in your upcoming task"
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The Prof tut-tuts at the story. "Impetuous youth!" The greying Ysoki reaches out for his badge, eyeing it a little skeptically at first but then putting it on. "Ah, but I suppose I too may have dabbled a little with similar follies when I was his age...not that long ago mind you, but long enough, yes quite long enough. Not my preferred field of study these days but I may be able to help a little as well. Yes, I'm sure it will all come back once we have a chance to look at this contraption."
He straightens up the badge, suddenly seeming quite chuffed with it. "Right! Shall we go then?"
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As you make your way following the directions you were given you arrive without any trouble at your destination.
Ratrod’s racing circuit is a hollowed-out section of a mountain of spare parts in Botscrap, the track specifically sanctioned by the ysoki-dominated Salvage Union that controls most of the yards.
When you arrive at the competitors’ entrance, a small robot informs you of the basic rules of the race: racers and their pit crews are to build and improve their vehicles from the available scrap around the racetrack. Vehicles built at previous junkraces can return. Racers can fire upon other competitors during the race, but firing into the audience is grounds for immediate disqualification; racer weapons must be nonlethal and may affect only opponents’ vehicles.
Laboni (female human) is easy to find in the crowd due to her paisley clothes and bright white lab coat. She is in her late teens
After you introduce yourselves;
"I am incredibly grateful to you for showing up to support me, as I know there is no way I win the race on my own."
Laboni, to her credit, is a skilled mechanic and has worked hard to pull together a decent racer from the piles of junk in Botscrap.
Unfortunately, despite her heroic efforts, Laboni’s machine is not a match for vehicles that have been tested and improved over the course of multiple junkraces. She is not a pilot and has no experience with weaponry. If Laboni is going to have a chance, you must help improve her vehicle.
BASIC JUNKRACER
Speed 40 ft., full 400 ft.
EAC 10; KAC 12
Attack energy weapon (–4 to Piloting)
Modifiers +2 Piloting, –3 attack
Passengers 1
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Remote Control Laboni’s junkracer and weaponry can be remotely controlled by the PCs, allowing them to make attack rolls and attempt Piloting checks in her place.
She does not want to apologize to Ratrod until she has won and saved face, even though it would remove a fair amount of bad blood from the proceedings her pride won't let her.
You feel you can't reason with her on this, but you might be able to intimidate her into it if you choose to try.
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You arrive with enough time to each do 4 things, things you can do include (but are not limited to - if you somehow come up with something you want to do that's not listed we can be a bit flexible I think)
Improve Laboni’s Junkracer: PCs can spend an action to attempt for example a Computers, Engineering, Perception, or Physical Science check to find parts in the scrapyard and install them in Laboni’s racer.
Weapons installed on the vehicle do not cause damage, but instead impose penalties to the target’s Piloting rolls for 1 round on a successful hit.
Every successful check allows the PCs to pick one improvement from the list below to apply to the vehicle’s statistics; these bonuses are cumulative.
• The vehicle’s base speed increases by 5 feet.
• The vehicle gains a +1 Piloting modifier.
• The vehicle gains a +1 attack modifier.
• The vehicle gains a +2 bonus to its EAC.
• The vehicle gains a +2 bonus to its KAC.
• The PCs install a basic energy weapon on the vehicle (imposes a –4 base Piloting penalty on a hit).
• The PCs install a basic kinetic weapon on the vehicle (imposes a –4 base Piloting penalty on a hit).
• The PCs upgrade a weapon to impose an additional –2 penalty to enemy Piloting checks on a successful hit.
Investigating the Enemy PCs can scout out their opponents with a Sense Motive check, or examine their opponents’ vehicles with a Engineering check. A PC can do this as part of making a prerace improvement skill check—the PC can take breaks during the improvement attempt and casually investigate one of the other racers. Otherwise, it costs a PC one of his prerace actions to converse with or examine all members of the competition.
On a successful check, the PC can ask one pertinent question about the pilot’s skill or about the vehicle the pilot is driving (or receives similar relevant information, if a player is unsure what he or she should be asking about).
Sabotage PCs can attempt to sabotage the other vehicles, but they must dodge the eyes of everyone in the ramshackle stadium by spending a prerace action and attempting at a Stealth check. A PC who succeeds at this check can then attempt a Engineering check on one of the opposing vehicles to either reduce the vehicle’s speed by 10 feet or to impose a –4 penalty on one of the vehicle’s modifiers.
Socializing PCs may also take this time to speak to the other pilots.
During their prerace actions, they can forgo making an Engineering or Sense Motive check to examine and socialize with their opponents.
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Grinning a very large and toothy smile Vargouzal proclaims. "Hah, mini-tank racing. Very nice!" The large Vesk examines the small vehicle closely. "A targeting laser to compliment the energy weapon should be a good start." he notes disappearing into the piles of junk. Pausing on his trip for the components to look over another drone for a comparison.
(Action)
(Bonus single investigate)
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As you make your way following the directions you were given you arrive without any trouble at your destination.
Ratrod’s racing circuit is a hollowed-out section of a mountain of spare parts in Botscrap, the track specifically sanctioned by the ysoki-dominated Salvage Union that controls most of the yards.
"It remindz me of home." Onda says wistfully.
When you arrive at the competitors’ entrance, a small robot informs you of the basic rules of the race: racers and their pit crews are to build and improve their vehicles from the available scrap around the racetrack. Vehicles built at previous junkraces can return. Racers can fire upon other competitors during the race, but firing into the audience is grounds for immediate disqualification...
"But a little akzidental fire iz alright, yay?"
Laboni (female human) is easy to find in the crowd due to her paisley clothes and bright white lab coat. She is in her late teens
"You are our kontact? HAHAHAHA! But you are barely old enough to not be akzidently eaten by your parentz. HAHAHAHA!" Onda has to wipe tears away he laughs so hard.
"I am incredibly grateful to you for showing up to support me, as I know there is no way I win the race on my own."
"Waitaminute! You are being za 'for real'!?"
"You apply the synthetik butter to za ving strutz like zo."
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The Prof leans in to examine the racer, his eyepiece glowing noticeably brighter as he concentrates on the contraption. "Hmmm, not bad...well, not exactly good either, but bad would be a bit harsh. Let's see, what's lacking? Ha! Some kinetics. Yes, the primal forces of movement...a little bit of this, and yes a fair bit of that..."
The technomancer tries to graft a new weapon on to the vehicle.
In between his tinkerings he attempts to learn a bit about one of the other racers as well.
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Chirrk joins in the greetings and discussions, then takes a short wander around the piles looking for something that might improve her chances of surviving a hit by another racer.
Unfortunately, the solarian's lack of knowledge about anything mechanical or computer related means he wanders about aimlessly, picking up random items of no real use whatsoever.
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Vazougal tries to scrounge up a targeting laser to compliment the energy weapon as he walks around through the junk yard he tries to get a good look on some of the drones from the competition scavenging around but he can't get a good read on them as he's distracted by an almost complete weapon system that just needs a new battery and maybe replace a wire or 2.
Onda tweaks the engine of the racer a bit and finds out that if you take out some of the metal parts that are not needed..it's lighter, and should go faster
The Prof manages to locate a kinectic weapon which should fit nicely on the racers frame and on his way back he sees a competitor tinker on it's racer and strikes up a casual conversation about engines.
The racer is a blue-haired gnome covered in piercings, tattoos, and augmentations who introduces herself as Lemgem. A short conversation reveals she is obsessed with continual alterations to herself and her racer, to the point where her vehicle modifications skirt the bounds of common sense.
Lola looks around at the other racers and sees there more then a dozen people running around all over the place..and that's not even including the drones helping out but while doing so she's too distracted on looking for the right type of equipment to increase the steering of the racer that she fails to notice if that blue haired gnome she met twice is a set of twins or just one very fast moving gnome or even if it's a racer or an assistant.
Chirkk takes a short wander around the piles looking for something that might improve her chances of surviving a hit by another racer but only manages to locate some bubblewrap..which has some rather large holes in it and as he returns it to the racer a sudden gust of wind blows it away.
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Round 2
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Pondering at all the weapons used in this 'race' Vargouzal jumps onto the fine control thrusters in an attempt to make the craft more sturdy, while pieces in the junk yard he observes the competitors for inspiration on what to use from here.
He also ponders on perhaps making some large sacrifices to the deity of luck for the group.
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The Prof gets back to the job of upgrading the racer, hunkering down and running his hands down one length and then the other of the machine. "Hmmm, no, no, no...this is an affront to physics. Whoever designed this got their drag mixed up with their lift. It's a wonder this thing can move at all...well I'm sure it can move but it's the direction that counts after all, oh and the relative speed compared to the ground...well not just the ground but one's fellow racers...ah and the air. Yes, the air...one can't forget about that. If the air moves faster here than here, then one will go up...much better than down after all. Of course the butter on the wings will do just nicely, but the rest..." He is clearly agitated at what he can see.
Continuing on in this way as he tinkers with the machine, Prof. Fleest tries to make Laboni's vehicle go even faster than Onda's well placed butter has already made it.
In between tinkering he once more saunters over to examine one of the other racer's machines. "This bit here...hmmm, ingenious...quite irresponsible application of Newkle's 1st law, but yes ingenious nevertheless!"
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Vargouzal does not find anything to make the craft more sturdy..he did manage to locate some pieces of cardboard..but after some consideration decides that it would most likely just slow the racer done instead of benefiting from it.
He tries to look at the engine in the racer of a beautiful android with silver hair and skin. They have self-modified to have both masculine and feminine attributes, and have decorated their clothing, eyelids, and lips with bright, colorful patterns for inspiration..but the android blocks the view of all the important parts of the engine and Vargouzal leaves wondering if prayer would be of help.
Lenik tries to make Laboni's racer go even faster then it already is but after taking some more extra weight out of the racer comes to to the conclusion that all the parts he took out are actually essential to the operation of the vehicle and places them back
In between tinkering he once more saunters over to examine one of the other racer's machines. Which happens to be of an android. Looking at the racer he comes to the conclusion that a rather large piece of the racer which could be used to house engine has been replaced with a rather large weapon
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Lola returns from her unsuccessful expedition into the scrap yard and feels a little useless. "My family definitely was right when they said 'Do not go into engineering'."
Lola observes the Professor, Onda and Vargouzal working tirelessly on the upgrades for the drone.
"There's got to be something to help the pilot in all the scrap!" She clenches her paw and starts looking again hoping to get some more information concerning the other pilots in the process.
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Lola goes through a pile of scrap and comes up with some gold plated wires..which everyone knows are far better then other wire types and should help with getting commands from the steering wheel to the engine a tiny fraction of a second faster.
But see does have problems getting a read on what drives the other pilots..must be that androids are hard to read.
Onda paints the racer in Citadel red..which makes it go faster, as is a widely know fact.
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Still up for round 2; Chirrk
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Chirrk realizes his mistakes and, after a brief chat with The Prof, he heads back into the yard looking again for something to improve the vehicles resistance to energy weapons.
"Hey, look at this! Will this help?" he asks, holding out a head-sized crystalline object wrapped in wires and set into a slightly bent base.
During this trip he also strikes up a conversation with another racer to see what he can discover...
...but his physical shape and the full-faced mask he wears seems to have a negative effect on his ability to make small talk with any other alien races.
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Chirrk manages to find some thing which might reflect some energy beams back..or at the very least scatter some of the beam on impact
But as he tries to strike up a conversation with a ysoki he doesn't seem to be able to get a word in before the ysoki just turns around and leaves
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Everyone up for round 3