After Eric's rifle flies from his hand, he darts forward around Imagine and Gorn and draws his combat knife, slashing at the Kish on the way
If the attack lands, the creature is off-target (-2 to hit)
"It's not honorable, but effective." Boreal comments, while all strike at Xavra.
"Ow!" Imagine calls out, giving EH-RK a glare. Trying to follow him with her eyes she gets dizzy from all the turning to follow him.
The tactics of Xavra doen't seem to pay off. Maxim lands a hit and EH-RK proves that he is dangerous not only from afar. Boreal keeps up the work of wearing him down too.
Xavra furiously attacks all around.
Maxim takes a hit to his armor, and is shocked that the attack did not cut him in half. He trades misses with Xavra.
"Gorn, put your f*+&ing dukes up and punch this guy already."
Even without getting the big gun out Gorn strikes down Xavra.
Boreal quickly moves on to the next victim.
The last kish goes down too.
Shelves holding a staggering array of datapads line the walls and stand freely around this room. A small desk sits in front of a shuttered window adjacent to the room’s only entrance. A balcony holding even more shelves stretches across the eastern, western, and northern walls.
Maxim looks himself over after the battle. He is surprisingly intact.
"A library! I dated a librarian for a while."
"There will be a catalog somewhere."
He sets about looking for a computer terminal that might be the catalog, starting in the entry room. Assuming he finds it, and EH-RK can power it, he searches for "Cult of the Devourer" and "Gate of Twelve Suns."
Maxim systematically searches for helpful equipment and ignores the slaughter on the floor for now. There is indeed a computer with the catalogue of the tablets. And with the search term one position on the library shelves is named that shall contain information about the Stellar Degenerator.
The fact that ruins the excitement about this quick success is the fact that the datapad found in the posiiton doesn't contain the promised Stellar Degenerator, but Quantum Fluid Dynamics.
Eric takes the batteries.
Eric queries the system with multiple queries as he plugs in his datajack to the system.
"My old girlfriend complained about this sort of thing all the time - circulation interns are always mis-shelving books. They get confused about when to order by author name or subject matter. It's probably just here somewhere else on the shelf." Maxim looks over the entire shelf where the Stellar Degenerator book is supposed to be.
"My old girlfriend complained about this sort of thing all the time - circulation interns are always mis-shelving books. They get confused about when to order by author name or subject matter. It's probably just here somewhere else on the shelf." Maxim looks over the entire shelf where the Stellar Degenerator book is supposed to be.
Eric says to the crew of the Sunrise Maiden
Humanoids: Please wait for my compilation of data from this library to finish. I am converting their fileset into something I can manage and search.
The library is huge. Not in space, but datapads need very little space and there are thousands of them. It's not misshelved within the next ten or so to either side. Checking them one by one would take days.
Does the Quantum Fluid Dynamics book look like its supposed to be in this area at all? Are there similar subjects in the grouping or is it clearly out of place?
Maxim goes back to the catalog to find where in the Library the Quantum fluid dynamics book is supposed to be. If it's nowhere near the Stellar Degenerator then he'll go check that area to see if they were simply switched.
EH-RK produces a list in a common format that makes searches much easier than handling the kish system. It for sure has its perks, but without a kish librarian to explain those benefits are lost to the group.
Maxim's approach works somewhat. From the results and checking the next positions he can conduct that a number of datapads was put back on the shelf by someone without a clue. Probably the Cult of the Devourer pulled everything out that was of interest for them during their raid and Xavra and company put them back in. With two more steps of following the misplaced datapads Maxim finally finds the one they look for.
Stored on the datapad is an extensive report that contains all the information known by the kishalee about the Stellar Degenerator, its history and eventual storage.
It is from the time when the kishalee’s war with the sivvs began. It raged for centuries, and the resources of Nejeor VI were vital in keeping the kishalee fighting. A weapons-research facility and factory, called simply the Foundry, was built in Istamak in an effort to find an edge against the sivvs that could end the hostilities. The sivvs created their own superweapon first—the Stellar Degenerator—but kishalee agents ended the war by capturing the weapon before it could be fired.
Bankrupted by the creation of a weapon of system-wide mass destruction, the sivv civilization collapsed soon thereafter. The kishalee then turned many of their civilization’s resources to studying and understanding the Stellar Degenerator. The Foundry was sent vast information about the weapon so it might participate in the study and analysis of the doomsday device.
In time, the kishalee decided that they currently had no need for the Stellar Degenerator’s massive destructive power, so it should be hidden away, in part to store it for future use and in part to keep it out of the reach of any other enemies. The best and brightest kishalee technomancers created a demiplane in which they would store the weapon—a place accessible only through a titanic structure called the Gate of the Twelve Suns, which was constructed far from the Nejeor system.
The study of the Stellar Degenerator in Istamak came to a close, and all information on it was archived within the Foundry.
It ends with a a warning that all research into this subject has been terminated. The datapad also holds the coordinates of the Gate of the Twelve Suns—an artificial megastructure deep in the Vast that acts as the entrance point to the demiplane holding the Stellar Degenerator-which allows to plot a course there. The Gate of the Twelve Suns consists of a dozen stars arranged in a circle, each orbited by a single planetoid; the devices that control the gate, further examples of advanced kishalee technology, are located on these planetoids. From the datapad, one can gather that only a small crew is required to operate the gate.
"Balls. We can guess the Cult of the Devourer is already ahead of us at the Gate. I kinda feel like we don't have the tech for this fight - weapons and armor - but we also can't waste a lot of time. What do you guys think we should do?"
Human Maxim Petrovich: Given enough time and raw materials, I believe I can fabricate high grade weapons and armor using the material printers in the Sunrise Maiden.
"What kinds of raw materials do you need? Maybe the Kish can help us out since we just solved their little domestic dispute for them."
Rather than buying mass-produced, mass-marketed equipment, characters with the right skills can construct their own equipment. This takes time, and due to the economies of scale enjoyed by multisystem corporations and shops with dedicated construction machines and drones, it does not save you any money. However, it allows you to acquire exactly what you need, as long as you can meet the construction requirements.
A player character can create all the items presented in this chapter as long as he has the skills, materials, tools, and time needed to construct it. He must have a number of ranks in the appropriate skill equal to the item level of the item to be created. For weapons, armor, vehicles, and technological equipment, the appropriate skill is Engineering. For magic fusions and magic items, the appropriate skill is Mysticism. For hybrid items, you must have the required ranks in both Engineering and Mysticism. For drugs, medicinals, and poisons, the skill can be either Life Science or Physical Science. For any food or drink, the appropriate skill is Life Science. For computers, you can use either Computers or Engineering, and you can construct a computer with a tier equal to half your ranks in the skill. For items that are not considered any of these categories (such as most clothes, tents, and so on) either Engineering or Mysticism can be used. At a GM’s discretion, an appropriate Profession skill can be used for a narrower range of items. For example, a character with Profession (weaponsmith) might be able to make technological, hybrid, and magic weapons and weapon fusions, but no other items.
Crafting items requires you to have access to tools and a workshop or similar space. Most starships have an appropriate area set aside, and such space can be rented at the same price as lodgings in major cities (with the size of the lodging being equivalent to the size of the workshop, which limits the size of items that can be constructed and how many people can work on a single item at one time). Creating an item normally has a base time of 4 hours. If your number of ranks in the appropriate skill to craft an item exceeds that item’s level by 5 or more, you can craft that item in half the base time. If your ranks exceed the item level by 10 or more, you can create the item in onequarter the base time. Objects larger than a Medium creature take twice as long to craft for each size category larger.
To create an item, you must have UPBs with a total value equal to the price of the item to be created. At the GM’s discretion, you can scavenge similar items for parts, allowing 10% of the scavenged item’s value to count toward the UPBs needed. Even magic and hybrid items are created using UPBs, as the Mysticism skill is used to form the materials into runes and specific implements for rituals utilized in the creation of magic devices.
Custom-built equipment has a few advantages over massproduced items. If you have a skill that allows you to repair an item you crafted, you can do so in half the normal time. When determining the hardness, Hit Points, and saving throws of an item you have crafted, treat its item level as if it were 2 higher. (For more about calculating these values, see Breaking Objects on page 409.)
Reading EH-RK's thoughts Maxim remembers that he saw something in the large production hall. Checking again he finds two pallettes with a large sacks of UPBs on it.
Cool. Once I get to level 9 I'll be looking for an upgrade.
Standing amidst the slaughter with the searched after information finally aquisited, the question arises, what to do next?
Maxim approaches Tzayl on their way out of the Temple, using the back door to exit the same as they had entered, and locking it with the same protocol. He presents him with Xavra's body.
"Now I don't want any of you hillbillies going in there. You have no clue how important and valuable that library is, and if you let it go to the way you let everything else go on this backwater planet, the genius of an entire civilization will be lost. It's best to just leave it locked up forever. And also, thanks."
To the Maiden with all possible speed!
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Tzayl receives the news about the death of Xavra in a stoic mood. The sadness for the loss is rather limitesd, as he was the one who got her exiled. But there's also no joy in his death as he was a fellow kish.
Tzayl would have loved to talk more about what happened and about what lebrary means exactly - at least before Maxim talked in such a condescending and rude way.
Later when she realized the true meaning of "leave it locked up" she curses him as being just as bad, but sadly not as dead as Xavra.
With all the goodies packed up, the crew fires up the engines of the Sunrise Maiden and leaves this "backwater hillbilly"-planet. The trip through the rift to Absalom station is much shorter than the journey out was. As always. And this time nothing noteworthy happens in the rift, as it should be.
At Absalom Station the group makes a visit to Chiskisk to report and ask for news and intel from things that might have come up in the meantime.
Boreal is broody all the way back to Absalom Station. Once at the Starfinder Society she finally tells what's going on. "I'll leave you. It was a nice time at the start, and that fighting the bad guys is a just cause."
"But I've learned that it's not for me. There are two reasons for that. One, I believe that it is a mayor mistake to leave this important mission to a group of professional gatherers of historical knowledge. The universe as we know it might be at stake and we're after the bad guys in a hand me down space ship and no resources to back us. Neither in budget nor in other resources."
"The second... is more personal. This group always had the crazy. But the number of members who hold honor in high regards is dwindling. You might be effective in reaching your goals. But effectiveness isn't the highest principle for me as a vesk soldier."
"So I'll leave you - and the society - to visit my home planet and see if I can persuade some of my family and friends there, who are in the military to take action in this serious situation."
"Maybe our path's will cross again."
Chiskisk, knowing not to argue with vesks on personal matters, lets ehr fingers fly over her keyboard and a resignment form appears with a notification soudn on Boreal's handheld device.
Then she looks at the others. "I'll assaign you some agents of the Starfinder Society. That's a Starfinder mission after all, and as of now almost no one from the society is left on the team!"
"Suit yourself, Boreal. True allies don't skip out on their friends without notice when the action gets a little slow. And anyway, I won't miss introducing you at parties."
"Speaking of parties - Eric and Imagine, wanna get stinking drunk? Hey Gorn, you look like a man who knows how to drink! And if we get into a fight you'll be good to have at our side."
Imagine shrugs. The concept of honor never really appealed to her. "Have fun with your kin."
"You know a club worth visiting? I remember we knocked ourself out somewhere last time, but can't remember where."
One of the nearby lifts dings and opens, a wiry Vesk emerging, looking down at his handheld, nodding as if he just received a notifcation.
Looking up the Vesk spies Boreal stomping towards him, "Oh, Boreal....long time, friend!" he calls out, only to be ignored by Boreal.
With a shrug, the Vesk spies Chiskisk and walks toward her, hand held up in greeting, "Chiskisk, I was just coming to see about a new assignment, but you beat me to it!" he declares, holding up his handheld. He then looks more closely, then looks up at Maxim, Willow, Gorn and EH, "Ah, and there is is!"
"Greetings, I am Voxx, your new , shiny Society Vesk!" he says, chuckling a bit at his attempt at humor. He points a thumb back at the departing Boreal, "What's with him? Still a sour-puss, going on and on about honor?"
He crosses his arms across his broad chest and grins at his new team-mates....
Time I got out, when even the Vesk in this society are too degenerated to properly recognise - or maybe remember - the sex of their 'friends'. :P
She gives EH-RK a pat on the shoulder for goodbye and leaves.
"She is a great fighter, but socially she is more a stick in the mud. I hope you value a good drink after work." Imagine replies.
"Imagine. Tryer of 'societies'. You might want to stay on my good side. First because of my good looks, and second: Once I leave a society, the next one I join tends to go after the last one."
"Did someone tell you already, that we're after the Cult of the Devourer? And we had some undead a&!~&~+s from Eox breathing down our neck. I wonder when they show up again. But first we aim for some drunken stupor."
Maxim watches the revolving door full of Vesk happen, then gives a well-practiced grin to the newb.
"Those crazy Starfinders always have a spare Vesk to throw at stuff! Well, I for one am happy to have new fod--err--friends to work with! But hey, you look like someone who doesn't mind a drink, unlike our extremely bland ex-teammate. And say, since you're new with us, we'll even let you pick the watering hole we start at tonight!"
Then quietly to Imagine: "Did Chiskisk give us any creds? I blew every last sheckle the last time we were in Station."
"Why would I need credits, I have these." Imagine tells, pressing her boobs together. "They have FREE DRINKS written all over them. But maybe we can get a few coins for that strange stuff we brought from Nebulon. You know that kind, where you have to fix the handles first so you can use it. Documenting strange stuff is their business, isn't it?"
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"Victory is commemorated. Defeat, merely remembered," Gorn rumbles at Boreal. "Despite your flaws, you're a decent fighter, sir," Gorn says before turning away, having never really thought of the warrior as a woman.
Gorn takes a moment to approach Chiskisk. "The Order of the White Angel will have seen that my mission and priority data are in your files. If you require my inclusion a list of your members to prosecute this assignment, then let it be so."
Gorn is done with the bureaucracy, and troubles his brain with it no further.
"Greetings to you, Voxx. Are you of the same profession as Boreal? I do not mean to pre-judge you, but I have found your people to be...specialized.
And, yes, Maxim, I can drink enough to put you under the table twice over!
Imagine, maybe not."
"Challenge accepted! We only have one rule: whoever doesn't pass out, buys. Say, I know a great place in Old Town called the Pig & Whistle. Let's start there and Voxx can pick the next one."
"Her..." Voxx mumbles, scratching his head, "See, sometimes even us Vesk can't tell! " he says to the others, guffawing.
"Drinks sounds like an excellent idea!" he declares, then looking at Gorn, "Eh, I fight...Vesk fight, it's what we're good at! "
He then turns to Imagine, looking down at her cleavage, then back up, shrugging, "Devourer, eh....Eoxian bone-heads? Sounds like fun!"
He grins, "I like you lot already. Got your priorities straight..." he says.