She ignores Arc's prying question about her parents. Told him I was an orphan. Must be so proud of himself to have a dad. Thinking about her childhood in the red dust planet left a bad taste in her mouth. She reaches for a cheese curl, her moodiness slightly more elevated than normal.
Sydney, all about the finger food, sucks the gravy and cheese dust from off her fingers. The spice from the chicken left a pleasant tingle on her hands. "I got the ship loaded up with snacks and the batteries recharged. I say we head out tomorrow morning." She narrows her eyes, "and by morning, I mean a soft 10 a.m." Sydney doesn't throw any accusations at a particular party member, but it was no secret the ace pilot operative was a night owl.
"They got any interstellar dive bars worth checking out, Grix?"
Near the end of the conversation, Sydney threads her fingers behind her head and leans back, lifting the two front chair legs off the ground. "So, we ready to head out? ...Unless we wanna upgrade the ship. But with my piloting and someone half-decent in the engineering chair I'm sure we'll be fine. We don't wanna look too flashy if it's pirate territory. F^@&!# thieves."
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"I think out of us Isu's the only one who's upgraded their gear substantially. I'll take a look around as well, and it might be wise to spring for an upgrade or two on the Maiden. I imagine it's been feeling a little neglected with our jungle expedition, so I wouldn't begrudge you giving it a little extra love and care, Sydney."
Grix droops a bit at the mention of Ralkawi. "Ehhe... khults? I had some bad ekhsperiences with people who said they weren't in a khult any more. They uh, relapse? Or worse... they bekhome multi-level-markheters!" But at Arc's insistence, he offers "Okhay, I'll kheep an eye out for her."
He also fills Sydney in on the locations of half-a-dozen Ring bars he found out about during his Pirating days. After mentioning the last establishment, he adds "-But you don't really want to go to that one. The drinkhs are all for vesk guts, or maybe androids? All I remember is choosing a pinkhish cokhtail and wakhing up in a dumpster four floors away... hehe."
As you're getting ready to leave, Grix adds "If you see any pirates out there, remember the khraft is 90% bluster and 10% laser khannons - or that's what my old khaptain would say. They're not so bad once you get them talkhing!" He waves the group of you off and returns back to finish his last couple of neon worm snacks.
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The following morning, you all have a chance to pick up last minute purchases while Sydney recovers enough to show herself . Once she does, you pile on into the revised and remodeled Sunrise Maiden and set off for the Diaspora!
Solaria splutters and coughs as Arc explains her position on the craft, her cheeks grow intense in colour as she tries to gain control of herself again. She splutters out, "I'm only captain because I can't do anything else, not like the rest of the crew, they really are good. We're in Sydney's hands really." She cracks a weak smile and continues to eat some kaduu steak, a lashunta speciality.
Between mouthfuls she repeats the known adversaries they may meet, "Parates ... talk if we can..... Eoxians...just trouble...Devourers...devils incarnate .... nothing much then ..." She shrugs her shoulders, hoping that she can be of some help, but not confident.
The journey out from Absalom Station towards the Diaspora proves surprisingly uneventful. No 'Rebel Eokhsian' vessels appear out of nowhere to bar your way, and within four days of travel you arrive at the Field of the Lost.
You drop out of the Drift and a bleak sight greets you from your viewscreen. The Field of the Lost is massive, a staggeringly enormous mass of irregular chunks of rock and ice along with the occasional ominous field of blue or green vapors floating through the empty void. You check the coordinates you retrieved from Tahomen's industrial communicator and find that they now correspond to an area far outside of the Field - the Field of the Lost has drifted significantly since the messages were exchanged.
Spectre sets the ship's computer to working out where the coordinates would correspond to, given the new location of the Field of the Lost. In the mean time, Sydney brings you into the Field, carefully navigating around the rocky and icy debris.
You notice it firing its engines up and starting to slowly sneak towards you.
Sydney flexes her grip on the piloting controls. "Hey, someone's on our tail." She turns to glance at whoever is sitting in the engineering or computer chair. Even though she makes the announcement, Sydney doesn't make any changes to the Sunrise Maiden's current course, not wanting to alert the mystery vessel.
"What, but we only just got here? Can you make out what type of craft it is? Do they appear aggressive? Should we hail them and have a little chat?" Solaria asks, somewhat confused by the attentions being given to them already. She wanders around opening her datapad to find out more information, "Can you put the visuals on the screen." Soloria asks as she starts the sequence to activate shields, her fingers nimbly entering the codes required to activate the voice overrides.
"It might be best if we know what we're dealing with, before we start a conversation, then at least we might not put our foot in it and suddenly make them come at us." Solaria asks the more scientifically able members of the party, Perhaps I should have taken more notice of the spacecraft types when I was at the learning centre, but then there were the model makers who created those holomodels. They always seemed to know stuff straight of about the different craft, Oh well she sighed.
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Solaria splutters and coughs as Arc explains her position on the craft, her cheeks grow intense in colour as she tries to gain control of herself again. She splutters out, "I'm only captain because I can't do anything else, not like the rest of the crew, they really are good. We're in Sydney's hands really." She cracks a weak smile and continues to eat some kaduu steak, a lashunta speciality.
Between mouthfuls she repeats the known adversaries they may meet, "Parates ... talk if we can..... Eoxians...just trouble...Devourers...devils incarnate .... nothing much then ..." She shrugs her shoulders, hoping that she can be of some help, but not confident.
"You're certainly more use on the ship than me! My connection to the cycles of the cosmos really only helps me when fighting planet-side or in the rare event that we're boarded. Otherwise I'm just another pair of hands on one of the guns, and target shooting was never my strong suit."
He finishes his noodles and pays for them, leaving a generous tip.
[b]"You'll do fine. You've led us this far."
Spectre seems glad to be back in civilization and out of the jungle. "If we encounter pirates, perhaps we could find some allies. Pirates do not usually have very high moral standards. This separation from arbitrary customs makes them ideal allies in pursuing business opportunities."
Arcalinte frowns and shrugs.
"Yeah. I imagine after that meeting with the smugglers on Castrovel went bad and the opal incident you were frustrated. For what it's worth, I apologize for getting too aggressive in policing your actions. If we can somehow talk down any pirates we encounter, I won't stand in your way if you want to bargain with them...And you really should consider reaching out to the Acquisitives before we leave or when we get back: they're the kinds of Starfinders who'd REALLY appreciate your style."
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"What, but we only just got here? Can you make out what type of craft it is? Do they appear aggressive? Should we hail them and have a little chat?" Solaria asks, somewhat confused by the attentions being given to them already. She wanders around opening her datapad to find out more information, "Can you put the visuals on the screen." Soloria asks as she starts the sequence to activate shields, her fingers nimbly entering the codes required to activate the voice overrides.
"It might be best if we know what we're dealing with, before we start a conversation, then at least we might not put our foot in it and suddenly make them come at us." Solaria asks the more scientifically able members of the party, Perhaps I should have taken more notice of the spacecraft types when I was at the learning centre, but then there were the model makers who created those holomodels. They always seemed to know stuff straight of about the different craft, Oh well she sighed.
"Most likely they were already here before we arrived and were waiting for someone to fly into the area. This screams 'pirate ambush' to me. Raiders back on Akiton operated similarly, staking out a good location along a caravan route and waiting for the prey to come to them."
He makes his way to the flak gun.
"If they don't open fire on us, we can try to talk to them, maybe convince them we're not worth the effort of a dogfight or boarding action."
Sydney continues to scan the ship as it approaches slowly. It's clear that it doesn't realize that you've spotted it already. Sydney runs through the information she's getting from the ship's computer and realizes that the mystery ship is a Nebulor Outfitters Starhopper, a light and scrappy middle-of-the-road starship model that is in wide use throughout the Pact Worlds. From the various readouts, she recognizes that it shows signs of having been scrapped and repaired many times, a condition that makes her think its more likely to be a Free Captains aligned vessel than one belonging to the Devourer Cult or the Corpse Fleet.
She also notices the ship charging up its weapons, likely with the intent of ambushing the Sunrise Maiden. If you want to hail them, you have precious few moments to do so.
"Those f^@$*&$ are charging up their weapons!" The ace pilot operative turns to look at the lashunta sitting in the captain's chair: "They'd better stand down or we'll give them a taste of our turret gun." She shakes her head to brush a lock of hot pink hair away from her eyes and sits up straighter in her chair. Sydney doesn't offer to be a diplomat, choosing instead to use her brainpower to recall information from her many, many starship and pod racing magazines.
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"Yeah. I imagine after that meeting with the smugglers on Castrovel went bad and the opal incident you were frustrated. For what it's worth, I apologize for getting too aggressive in policing your actions. If we can somehow talk down any pirates we encounter, I won't stand in your way if you want to bargain with them...And you really should consider reaching out to the Acquisitives before we leave or when we get back: they're the kinds of Starfinders who'd REALLY appreciate your style."
"I am glad we are coming to an accord," Spectre says. "When we return, I will surely speak with the Acquisitives--this sounds like my kind of scu--"
Spectre turns to his screen.
"A hidden vessel? I will run a scan on it now..."
Spectre and Sydney join forces, Sydney wracking her brain for what she remembers of the Starhopper model while Spectre scans the approaching ship. While Sydney doesn't know the particular loadout this ship has, she's able to really some of the possible configurations of compatible systems. Meanwhile Spectre dives deep into scanning!
The classic and widely manufactured Nebulor Outfitters Starhopper is a light and scrappy middle-of-the-road spaceship model with all of the fight and many of the luxuries of a larger ship. In service since practically the dawn of Drift travel, the Starhopper is a tried-and-true starship that is still widely flown throughout the Pact Worlds, where it serves as a commuter vessel, hauling rig, long-distance transport, packet smuggler, and even pirate raider. The Starhopper is especially reliable in close-space systems such as the Diaspora and smaller asteroid belts; it is as capable in dodging space debris as it is in fending off unwanted pursuers.
Details
Free Captains Starhopper
Medium explorer
Speed 10; Maneuverability good (turn 1); Drift 1
AC 15; TL 15
HP 65; DT —; CT 13
Shields light 60 (forward 15, port 15, starboard 15, aft 15)
Attack (Turret) chain cannon
Other unknown weapons in forward, port, and starboard quadrants.
"Spectre, if you can run any sort of program that would activate some anti-scanning device, it sure would be helpful. Oh, and shields up, as they say. Get ready to fire on these vagabonds"
Solaria opens up the communications channel to the other ship, "Good day fellow independents, have you come to help us take on the Eoxian threat and share the spoils? There are sure to be riches enough for a couple of captains. We are going after some Eoxian renegades that were last reported in this sector. You haven't come across any on your scanners have you?" She puts her feet up on the console, Sydney style, but without the panache, looking at the comms channel visuals to see who answers the call. As the visuals are shown, Solaria's antennae twitch as she telepathically gets Spectre's attention asking him if he recognises or knows the captains on the screen
Before continuing, "I know you don't mean your actions to be aggressive, but some captains might take them that way, so I suggest you behave more reasonably and stop skulking in the shadows and power down your weapons, and allow a parlez. It would be a shame to destroy an ally, but we WILL do it if you persist."
After the initial preamble, the other ship switches as well to visual comms to respond to Solaria's question. The hologram you receive is flickery - likely the other ship has some shoddy comms equipment - but you're able to see a straight-backed eyepatch-wearing woman looking down at the camera.
<"Hellooo strangers! I don't fancy the idea of tangling with those big ol' bone husks, all up an' bristlin' with guns as they are. But you lot?"> She smiles toothily and waves a hand through the air <"You lot look like a nice, soft, wealthy kinda target!">
She points a thumb at herself <"The name's Alera Okwana, and I'll be your host for today's deinventorying of your little ship. Say hi everyone!"> She calls the last bit out to people outside of your comms line of sight, but you hear a rousing cheer from the rest of her crew. <"Any last words 'fore we get to it?">
In the background of Solaria, Sydney fumes at the insult of being called 'soft.' "Hey! F^@%!$ you, man!" Sydney curses. "I got the better ship! AND I'm the better pilot!" Besides, I didn't spend weeks in a muggy forest to get my Cheez Wiz nicked!
Annoyed, Sydney glides the Sunrise Maiden like a hot knife through butter. She takes evasive action, but turns the vessel so the forward, sporting the nuclear missile launcher, is facing the Starhopper.
While Sydney runs the Sunrise Maiden through some impressive evasive maneuvers, Spectre relays some statistics about typical space pirating profitability rates. The link to Alera goes silent for a couple moments. When she reestablishes the comms link, she looks ticked off, but says <"These yellow-bellied space whelks o' mine think we'd be better off hearing what kind of deal you have to offer."> She looks off camera and shouts <"Yea yea, wipe that snotty nose, you coward! Lady brags she's a better pilot than you and you just fold like a stack of cards. The hell's up with that?!">
Her mouth twists to the side as she looks back at you guys. <"Sorry, breaking some of them in still. So, you think there's something better than looting your ship in here for us. What have you got?">
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Spectre takes the com for a moment. He considers his words carefully, thinking of some disreputable types he had encountered before and remembering how they spoke.
"Ahoy! Thank ye fer this opportunity t' parley--ye won't regret it.
We be on a mission fer th' Starfinder Society. I be Spectre, a crime cap'n wit' loose affiliations wit' th' Society--these scallywags know how t' earn credits! Thar be a cult operatin' in this system, one wit' bottomless resources 'n knowledge we can leverage fer untold earnin's. Team up wit' us, 'n a share o' th' reward be yers.
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Spectre nods. Isu had long-ago convinced him that such an operation could exist. If so, it sounded like a lucrative endeavor.
"I am not a pirate, but am well-versed in their form of communication."
Pressing the com again, he says "One more thin'. We be aware o' a halflin' gamblin' operation operatin' galaxy-wide. We seek t' infiltrate thar operation, 'n any help locatin' them could earn ye an additional pro-rata share o' said operation."
The Free Captain looks awfully skeptical as she leans in to stare at her viewscreen. "What in the HELLS are you lot feeding your protocol droid? Fella's talkin' like an old fashioned vid!" She leans back and lets out a deep, throaty laugh. "I love it!"
She sobers up, still grinning "And yeah, we're up to our ears in cults out here. But I figure you're talking about the Devourer bastards? Higher ups set some raids on them a while back - all we earned was a bunch of hull damage and some scrap for trade. They're a suicidal lot. Blow themselves up if you so much as breathe in their direction."
"Earning credits from raiding them'll be like squeezing tycheade from a stone."
"As for your gambling operation, there's plenty of gambling to be had at Broken Rock, if you're looking to lose some creds. I'm sure there's some gambling halflings there if you're lookin for them."
Solaria's antennae flap around as she stops herself falling about laughing as Spectre takes the reins of the negotiations, "To be fair the last members of the Devourers cult we met, have gone to meet their god, even though they didn't seem quite ready to do that. It seems they are on a mission to destroy the galaxy and may have the means to do it. We're here to stop them, because this is where their signal was sent. So we might expect to find them here soon, so if you have information that might help you can, of course you could give us the information to speed us on our way and then just follow us to pick up the pieces, should we meet an unfortunate end." She smiles at the captain, her face full of friendliness.
"I'll tell you what we've got, we have a fully armed weapon trained on you, and some tough old fashioned veterans ready to unleash hell!! Solaria winks at Sydney. "So as has been explained by our friend, your pirating days are over or you leave now and don't bother us again Captain Alera Okwana. Fire when ready!!"
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"And besides that, de-inventorying our ship would only get you some university textbooks and our pilot's snack stash, so unless you're hungry, emptying our hold would be wasted effort. And besides, as you've seen, Sydney is FIERCELY protective of her favorite snacks. We just survived a month travelling through the jungles of Castrovel, and she's NOT happy to have been deprived of processed foods that whole time," Arcalinte adds.
When Spectre asks about the halfling pizza conspiracy, he facepalms and groans.
"Everyone, don't flaring encourage Isu's conspiracy-mongering!"
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"Ahoy! Thank ye fer this opportunity t' parley--ye won't regret it. We be on a mission fer th' Starfinder Society. I be Spectre, a crime cap'n wit' loose affiliations wit' th' Society--these scallywags know how t' earn credits! Thar be a cult operatin' in this system, one wit' bottomless resources 'n knowledge we can leverage fer untold earnin's. Team up wit' us, 'n a share o' th' reward be yers."
Sydney makes an expression like the android has just ripped a loud, stinky fart. Who talks like that?
"And yeah, we're up to our ears in cults out here. But I figure you're talking about the Devourer bastards? Higher ups set some raids on them a while back - all we earned was a bunch of hull damage and some scrap for trade. They're a suicidal lot. Blow themselves up if you so much as breathe in their direction."
Sydney leans on the arm of her chair and covers her mouth with her hand on the side facing the vid screen. "Can we wrap it up already? I don't like all this diplomatic $#!%," the ace pilot operative hisses. She turns to the captain of the Sunrise Maiden and continues: "Soloria, tell these thieving bastards I'd be happy to kill them here in the cosmos or in person. I wanna get a move on."
"And besides, as you've seen, Sydney is FIERCELY protective of her favorite snacks. We just survived a month travelling through the jungles of Castrovel, and she's NOT happy to have been deprived of processed foods that whole time,"
"Screw jungles!" She crosses her arms over her chest and looks broody.
At Solaria's initial diplomatic overtones, Alera eyes your group with a more evaluating gaze. "So you lot've got nothing worthwhile and you're about to suicide yourselves against that stupid cult. Huhhh, sure." She half-turns to her crew off-screen and calls out "Q4, Spikesmasher, what's your take on this?" She pauses a little as they respond to her - though their voices don't carry to your ship.
Alera turns back to you. "Alright. You be our guests. Here's where they're headquartered." She sends a file to your ship with a simple local area map showing the distribution of the nearby asteroids - with one marked in red. "Don't get yourselves too badly wrecked. We'd like to have something left to salvage."
At Sydney's prompting, Solaria decides to deliver some choice threats with which to end the parley. Alera raises a hand in mild alarm, quickly saying "Hey now, no need for that. We can see that nuke launcher well enough from here. You lot go on to your little cult-mission and we won't interfere." She coughs "At least not until you're a pile-a scrap."
She waves a hand at one of her crew "We're out. Besmara's luck with you." Her comm connection with you cuts out and you immediately noticing the pirate starship firing its engines and turning.
"Good." Sydney turns the Sunrise Maiden and continues the course, glad to have avoided scratching the ship's paint.
"Don't worry Sydney, we'll meet them again and next time I'm sure you'll get a chance to play with your skills, until then let's move on carefully to the burger joint and devour a few cultists and chips. Now let's just see what help they've been." she as the engineers to check the file for any malicious intent and then puts the map onto the visual panel. "Sydney, can you see the chart, can we scan the area before we announce our arrival? Let's not walk straight into a trap."
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With the pirates disengaging, Spectre turns back to the others.
"I, for one, am glad not to use our weapons on would-be allies. It has proven incredibly difficult to forge long-lasting criminal bonds. My former master must have excelled at that. I simply need to find three capable employees under me, who in turn will need three underlings, and so on. Let us refrain from destroying business associates."
Sydney runs a hand through her neon pink hair, making some of it stand up. "Yeah, that's cool. I'll navigate and scan for enemy ships while you all just sit back." Sydney complains, although she really doesn't seem at all upset. She taps the nav screen, keeping one hand on the 12 o'clock position.
Sydney spares Arc a quick glace. "Nah, I'll do it."
Sydney brings the Sunrise Maiden through the densely packed Field of the Lost, engaging the ship's computers in a scan even as she whips the ship around a cluster of space debris. It takes a couple of hours after your meeting with the pirates to complete the journey. As you come up close to your target, asteroid K9204, your scan completes and reveals some unusual readings.
There's no signs of any active starships in the area around the asteroid - neither Cultists nor Corpse Fleet. Curious. Your destination is less than a mile in diameter and is made up of treacherous rock- and ore-infused terrain. Jagged cliffs and spires cover the almost all of the asteroid’s surface. In fact, there’s only one relatively open area of any size on the entire asteroid, and its clear from the carbonization markings that some ships have used this spot as a landing spot in the past.
Strange magic infuses this asteroid, likely a remnant of the ancient struggle that created the Diaspora in the first place. Wisps of pale blue and white emit from the surface is places. Furthermore, the magical energies grant the rather small stellar object low gravity and a thin atmosphere.
As you come closer, you see that the landing clearing is ringed in tall cliffs. At the base of those cliffs are still-smoking craters covered in a scattered array of rocky and metallic debris. You turn your ship's scanners to them and find that the craters contain the remains of surface-to-space laser cannons - now reduced to slag. There's no signs of who was behind this destruction, nor are there any ships parked at the landing site.
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The longer you stay there scanning, the more it becomes clear that there's no obvious Devourer Cult base that can be seen from space. You'll need to go down to the surface of the asteroid to conduct an in-person exploration. Sydney brings the Sunrise Maiden down and settles it at the landing site.
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Isu does a weapon check and also does a final check of his suit.
"Environmental seals are in place. Weapons loaded and powered. Comms on-line. This one is advancing down the ramp."
With a hiss of hydraulics, the ramp lowers and Isu steps out on the asteroid, ready to take the brunt of whatever attack comes his way.
"Visually scanning the surface, Captain. No cult or halfling is obvious so far."
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Ted comes out of his cabin with a lingering tinge of yellow to his face, "I've got to make better choices of entertainment at Absalom Station."
While he suits up, his top weaves a bubble around him and the rest of the crew.
Casting Time 1 standard action
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Targets up to one creature/level, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart
Duration 1 day/level
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)
You surround the target creatures with a constant and movable 1-inch shell of tolerable living conditions customized for each creature. This shell enables the targets to breathe freely in a variety of atmospheric conditions (including in corrosive, thick, thin, and toxic atmospheres), as well as underwater or in a vacuum. It also makes the targets immune to harmful gases and vapors, including inhaled diseases and poisons as well as spells with a harmful gaseous effect. In addition, the shell protects targets (and their equipment) from extreme temperatures (between –50° and 140° F) without having to attempt Fortitude saving throws, as well as extreme pressures.
Life bubble doesn’t provide protection from energy damage, negative or positive energy (such as found on the Negative and Positive Energy Planes), or radiation; it also doesn’t provide the ability to see in conditions of poor visibility (such as in smoke or fog) or the ability to move or act normally in conditions that impede movement (such as underwater).
Spectre's last scan reveals little more than what you initially picked up regarding the surface. Signs of a fairly recent struggle with wrecked defensive laser cannons, carbon deposits where individuals may have been vaporized, and deep rifts and gouges in the landing crater. It's clear that the Cult base must be nearby for logistical reasons, but there's no sign of it on the surface. You notice that there are sparse mineral deposits across the surface of the asteroid, including one reading for cold iron to the south-west of the landing site.
As you exit the ship, Isu doesn't spot any ambushes or evidence of hidden halflings yet. You all see that the landing crater has two traversable exits, one to the northwest that seems to lead to a narrow chasm between high cliffs, and one to the southwest which slowly inclines in elevation as it heads westward. The southwest passage is rough and rock and would be difficult terrain to traverse.
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Isu does a practise jump in the low-gravity environment.
He takes a 10 feet running starting, and leaps!
As Isu sails through the air approximately 45 feet horizontally, he lets out a howl.
"Arrrrooooo! This one sails! The southwest passage may be rough going, but we can just jump it. Come on! Let us explore this rock!"
Sydney only jumps when necessary, following behind Isu. "The path less taken. I like it."
Solaria makes sure her suit is working as it should be, before she exits the craft onto this new rock in space. Watching Isu, she too starts to take gigantic steps, "Way to go Isu." As the first few fun jumps increase her merriment, it is soon clouded, This rock is just like the first rock where we found fame and fortune. As her mind darkens, But now we are star-jumps away from our friends, the Diaspora is black and cold and deadly. And we still have a bunch of suicidal cultists intent on destroying us and the universe. If that weren't enough we have pirates and undead playing silly games. Have courage Solaria, you can do it. A bead of sweat drips from her brow, as the hairs on her arms shiver with the cool of the rock.
Her voice quivers as she says to Isu, "I'll follow you Isu."