"Haha! If that mage was really so smart, he'd have legged it! And nice shooting, Elth!"
Trosvod grins while waiting for the trap to be shut down.
"It was the gods' will that did it." He replied. "Now, let me see if I can do something about this too..."
"...and that should disable it. That was much harder than what I am used to." Elthaeron said, surprised at the difficulty of the device.
Nosmo moves to disable the traps, but he stops awkwardly when Elthaeron beats him to the feat. Instead, he busies himself with examining the technology left behind by their slain foes.
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Once freed Mandelon shares some information as the trap is being dealt with. "That Azlanti you just killed was second in command, his commander was a woman called Sharu. I don't think they are in the building."
This tidy ofce has a wide desk made of pearlescent material that’s polished to a reflective sheen. A computer sits upon the desk, but it is otherwise bare. A curtained alcove stands in the northwest.
In their arrogant assumption that they could single handedly repell your group the Azlanti officer stayed logged into their computer. Mandelon has picked up the Azlanti tongue while captured and can get you the general idea of what information is held there.
The identity currently logged on to the computer is Master-at-Arms Olaraja, who is a member of the Imperial Fleet. He is currently working on a temporary basis for Lieutenant Sharu, a member of the Aeon Guard.
• The Azlanti have come to the planet because a crashed probe relayed the location of ancient aeon stone technology. An Azlanti named Zolan Ulivestra ordered Olaraja’s vessel, the Barazad, to investigate. The reports refer to Zolan Ulivestra in many places as a sardat.
• The Barazad is an Imperial Fleet vessel that happened to be transporting Lieutenant Saru and the Aeon Guard cadets under her watch. The Barazad is currently off mapping the rest of the system and will return for resupply shortly.
• The Azlanti were surprised to find a small Pact Worlds colony already on Nakondis. Lieutenant Sharu commandeered the expedition and she and her cadets successfully subdued the colony and established a
presence in Madelon’s Landing.
• Sardat Zolan Ulivestra believes the strange readings are from a lost starship called the Royal Venture. The personal vessel of a pre-Gap Azlanti noble, the Royal Venture carried an experimental technomagical device called a rune drive that would allow interstellar flight without use of the Drift. Scans conducted after the victory over Madelon’s Landing revealed these theories
were correct.
• Investigation uncovered that an android colonist had already entered the Royal Venture crash site and stolen the rune drive. The android and the rune drive were both picked up by a fast courier vessel called the Silver Needle and returned to the Azlanti Star Empire only a short time ago. Lieutenant Sharu arranged for this transfer, but the destination isn’t listed on this computer.
• The android shared some information about the rune drive with other colonists—now prisoners in the garrison—but questioning has revealed that none of them entered the Royal Venture and none have anything more than passing knowledge about the rune drive. Lieutenant Sharu wants these colonists killed; Master-at-Arms Olaraja has been putting this off to arrange for public executions in order to keep the rest
of the settlement in line. In the meantime, Olaraja has been keeping the colonists in the brig.
• Lieutenant Sharu took a group of senior cadets in training for the Aeon Guard with her to the Royal Venture’s crash site to see whether she can recover any additional information. Olaraja isn’t sure when to expect Lieutenant Saru to return.
Trosvod chuckles.
"Odds are pretty good that we know the 'android colonist'. Let's clean out the rest of this joint before we run off."
Trosvod chuckles.
"Odds are pretty good that we know the 'android colonist'. Let's clean out the rest of this joint before we run off."
"Agreed" - AXL nods - "Yet we should allow those which were captive to escape outside first?"
”We should. More allies, and the ensuing chaos will give us cover.”
"Oh yeah, let *everyone* out. And there's a bunch of dead Azlanti who don't need their guns any longer."
As you begin to sweep the building two cadets stand ready to repel your search.
AXL23
Elthaeron
Trosvod
Monster
Nosmo
Trosvod spits out the foul cigar that he had just lit, and yells:
"Time to blow out some eardrums!"
His sonic weapon hums on his shoulder, before unleashing a blast of howling, concentrated noise forward at the cadets!
Trosvod wasn’t kidding! The sheer amount of noise made Elthaeron nearly drop his weapon in surprise.
AXL tries to find some cover, and fires off a shot from his pistol.
AXL tries to find some cover, and fires off a shot from his pistol.
Trosvod wasn’t kidding! The sheer amount of noise made Elthaeron nearly drop his weapon in surprise.
Trosvod spits out the foul cigar that he had just lit, and yells:
"Time to blow out some eardrums!"
His sonic weapon hums on his shoulder, before unleashing a blast of howling, concentrated noise forward at the cadets!
The now lone Azlanti cadet fires at Trosvod before starting to withdraw.
Nosmo
AXL23
Elthaeron
Trosvod
Monster Red -5
Nosmo is on the verge of panic, both from the surprise appearance of yet more enemies but more so from the hellish din of Trosvod's weapon. Almost as an afterthought distracting him from shielding his ears, Nosmo fumbles with his new arc pistol. He makes sure the battery is loaded properly, holds the weapon up, and fires almost blindly.
Having recovered, Elthaeron snapped off a much more accurate shot.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!", roars Trosvod as he continues blasting howling , lethal noise at the retreating Azlanti.
From his hiding spot, AXL continues peppering their opponent with distracting shots.
The last cadet collapses to the ground...
Madelon congratulates you all as he readies the others to leave the building. "Thank you all for your help. I'm thankful that some strangers were willing to aid us... and that Nosmo has found hidden reserves of grit. I'm going to head to my home. I'd appreciate it if you could do a sweep of the colony for any remaining invaders. When you are ready please join me at my house."
Troop ceremonial plate x2
Imperial pacification rifle (functions as a hunting rifle) x2
23 longarm rounds
Survival knife x2
This tidy kitchen contains a sink connected to a large vat of water, an electric stove, and several shelves of prepackaged foodstuffs. The only exits are a door in the east wall and a serving window next to it.
The sink and the stove both bear circles of runes lightly carved into their surface.
These runes reveals that they enable a minor conjuration effect.
"No problem, and catch up with you later!"
******************
"Let's loot! Wait, what's that?"
The last cadet collapses to the ground...
Madelon congratulates you all as he readies the others to leave the building. "Thank you all for your help. I'm thankful that some strangers were willing to aid us... and that Nosmo has found hidden reserves of grit. I'm going to head to my home. I'd appreciate it if you could do a sweep of the colony for any remaining invaders. When you are ready please join me at my house."
"I believe for some it was a sense of mission and for others a matter of survival" - AXL reasons - "Regardless, you are welcome" - he adds to Madelon.
"I do not understand these runes" - he informs his companions, checking the kitchen for other valuables and supplies, then going to carefully peek out the service window.
Nosmo nods, proud at the praise he has received from Madelon - and oblivious to the subtle jab at his reputation. He is too relieved that the battle has been won, and the colony has been liberated, to countenance the dour side of things. Of course, given how loudly his pulse still pounds in his ears - competing with minor tinnitus - it is a marvel that Nosmo has any sense or reason left at the moment.
He pauses to catch his breath in excitement, using this moment to focus upon the ceremonial armor. Beyond puzzling at the alien Azlanti manufacture, he is awed by the art put into the craftsmanship. However, he is briefly distracted by the runes. Although they likewise fascinate him, Nosmo possesses little of the mystic inclination to fathom their meaning.
He turns away, closes his eyes, and tries to keep himself from hyperventilating.
"We won, we won," he chants the words like a mantra to calm himself rather than being any sort of celebration.
"I have pieced together that the Azlanti are looking for the technomagical relic Cedona recovered from an ancient Azlanti ship. Cedona was kept a prisoner in the garrison at first, but was removed for transfer to an Azlanti ship— I suspects she’s being taken back to the Azlanti Star Empire because of her small amount of knowledge about the rune drive. I'd recommend that you rest up and head to the crash site if you want to learn more about the Azlanti presence and find out where they have taken Cedona."
"Either way we'll be dismantling that monstrosity in the middle of town, some of the parts could be used to modify you ship."
"Sounds great! And no way are we letting those scumballs keep Cedona! Oh, and we have stationery and stuff for you. The original reason we came by the colony."
"Understood - it seems it would make sense to visit this crash site first thing tomorrow morning?" - AXL pipes in.
"They're much needed. I'll have some people collect them, they'll have your money. We'll help work on the ship, it's the least we can do."
[ooc]You ship is tier 1 now, when you increase it to tier 2 you get more build points. Within reason you can change components. This builder is a really handy tool. Below is your current ship... It'll have to stay as a medium explorer but everything else is negotiable. http://jamesturneronline.net/starfinder-ship-builder/[/url]
NEW SHIP (TIER 1)
Medium explorer
Speed 6; Maneuverability good (turn 1); Drift 1
AC 12; TL 11
HP 55; DT n/a; CT 11
Shields Basic 20 (forward 5, port 5, starboard 5, aft 5)
Attack (Forward) light laser cannon (2d4)
Attack (Turret) high explosive missile launcher (4d8)
Power Core(s) Pulse Gray (100 PCU)
Drift Engine Signal Basic
Systems budget medium-range sensors, crew quarters (common), mk 2 armor, mk 1 defences, mk 1 tetranode computer (tier 1)
Expansion Bays (4)
Modifiers +1 any four checks per round, +2 Piloting
Complement 5
A large starship that appears to have crashed many, many years ago in this clearing now resembles an overgrown hill. Only a few crumpled exhaust ports and a rear stabilizing fin jut from the ground, indicating that the bulk of the vessel must now be underground. The visible portions of the ship are all heavily weathered and corroded, except for a hatch between the exhaust ports and the fin. The hatch is currently open, and the inside of the hatch gleams with the shine of polished metal; clearly, the interior of the ship is in better shape than its weathered and overgrown exterior.
A dead Aeon Guard cadet lies sprawled on the ground in a pool of her own blood just outside the entry hatch, next to a partially dug hole. Her throat has been torn out.
It was done by several small, incredibly sharp objects, most likely
the teeth of some unknown beast.
"I think the Azlanti bit off more than they could chew."
Trosvod then proceeds to chuckle to himself.
"This is the furthest I've ever been from the colony, even when I was hiding from the Azlanti," Nosmo admits, his voice betraying the awe he feels as he surveys the lush, wild land before him.
"It's hard to believe how old this thing is," he gestures at the overgrown hulk. "It's also kind of irritating that this, this is what brought so much suffering to the colony."
Nosmo shakes his head as though to free himself from the nagging thoughts. He wants to lose himself in the thrill of discovery. He picks his way through the dense undergrowth surrounding the hill, stopping when he finds the dead cadet at his feet. He crouches down to examine the wounds.
"And now I'm suddenly reminded why I never strayed too far from the colony," the bioengineer says, his eyes widening and the hair on the back of his neck pricking up. "She was killed by an animal with a lot of small, sharp teeth."
AXL crouches down next to the hatch, trying to listen for sounds from within, and to understand how the door was opened
"It's hard to believe how old this thing is," he gestures at the overgrown hulk. "It's also kind of irritating that this, this is what brought so much suffering to the colony."
"Whatever it is they are looking for, they value it more than the life of the colonists" - the android reasons - "Do you have any more information on this technomagical relic Madelon has referred to?"
As Nosmo examines the corpse a three foot long azure creature crawls out from under a fin of the crashed ship snarling.
Axl23
Nosmo
Elthearon
Trosvod
Monster
"Ah! Mystery solved!" Nosmo screams as he scrambles away from the emerging creature. He jumps back and draws his new pistol. He squeezes the trigger and fires a crackling bolt of electricity at the blue beast.
"BANG!", yells Trosvod as he makes his obtained Azlanti rifle do the same.
AXL swiftly snaps off a shot as the creature appears.
"Ah! Mystery solved!" Nosmo screams as he scrambles away from the emerging creature. He jumps back and draws his new pistol. He squeezes the trigger and fires a crackling bolt of electricity at the blue beast.
Elthaeron levels his weapon and comes to the aid of Nosmo.
"BANG!", yells Trosvod as he makes his obtained Azlanti rifle do the same but the shot goes a little wide.
The creature darts forward and sinks it's teeth into Nosmo's flesh and almost manages to drag him to the ground.
Axl23
Nosmo
Elthearon
Trosvod
Monster -14
AXL lets off another shot at the creature.
"Get this thing off me," Nosmo shouts, flailing his legs in a futile attempt to throw off the blue beast. He drops his pistol in the process.
Nosmo reaches for his custom rig, and his fingers just manage to trip a red switch on the device. An energy shield is projected around the engineer, providing some modicum of defense against the needle-like teeth. He then draws his tactical baton, hoping to fend off the jaws.
You suspect this is a mindless vermin, looking at the damage to the Azlanti corpse it seems that is has some kind of projectile acid attack
"Seriously! Get this mindless vermin off me before it decides to spit up its acid!"
"On it! Hold still!", calls Trosvod as he continues to fire on the insect.
AXL lets off another shot at the creature.
"Get this thing off me," Nosmo shouts, flailing his legs in a futile attempt to throw off the blue beast. He drops his pistol in the process.
Nosmo reaches for his custom rig, and his fingers just manage to trip a red switch on the device. An energy shield is projected around the engineer, providing some modicum of defense against the needle-like teeth. He then draws his tactical baton, hoping to fend off the jaws.
"Seriously! Get this mindless vermin off me before it decides to spit up its acid!"
Elthaeron snaps off another shot.
"On it! Hold still!", calls Trosvod as he continues to fire on the insect.
Badly injured the worm withdraws back from where it came, the beast slinks away.
Trosvod fires another shot to the slinking vermin.
"Just in case!", he says cheerfully.
AXL double checks the dead cadet for valuables.
The synapse worm stops moving.
The dead cadet has the same armour and rifle as those seen previously.
There is an entryway onto the ruined ship that it looks like the Azlanti have used to gain entrance.
Trosvod also peers forward.
Nosmo stumbles away from the scene of the brief skirmish to compose himself. He reclaims his arc pistol, also holstering his baton.
"I've learned my lesson," he groans, still breathing heavily. "I'll leave taking point to you guys."
The entrance is unlocked.
This sleek hall is well lit by gold-trimmed sconces and the blinking lights of a wall-mounted terminal near an exterior hatch to the west. The eastern end of the hall is crushed and collapsed, leaving only a doorway in an alcove to the southwest and another doorway in the center of the south wall.