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A stately damaya lashunta walks into the room and glances down at his handheld computer. He looks back up and nods. "Ah, I wondered what this appointment was that suddenly appeared on my schedule. Excuse me, one moment." He taps his comm. "Feg, please clear my schedule for the next couple of days. I think I'll be occupied. Yes, yes. Tell the Senator I'll reschedule. I'll be in touch."
He turns back to the others. "There we go. Apologies. I'm Doctor Taeon Dolma. Perhaps you've attended one of my seminars? Or read my book, Exploring the Inner Perfection?"
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A large human in black heavy armor with digital flames dancing around it walks in the room and open up his helmet, revealing a bold head, and a stern full of scars face with blue cold eyes.
In a baritone voice he says Hi, Ash Beshisda to report.
On his back he wears an heavy laser and some lighter weapons on his flank.
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A young human strides into the room, a faint smile on his lips and his long dark hair askew as though he just woke up. A tiny micro-screen covers his left eye, apparently giving him access to readouts or the like whenever required. An energy blaster hangs at his left hip, a standard pistol at his right and a sleek sniper rifle is strapped to his back, along with a form-fitted backpack.
"Hello, I've heard there's a bit of excitement to be had? This looks like the right place." He taps the side of the screen, turning it clear as crystal so his light brown eyes can be better seen. "I'm Stiehle Darkwing."
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Ooh, Darkwing. That sounds really cool. Zoey says with what seems like genuine honesty. She then makes a cute face and says I'm a strawberry!
She turns around, does a little almost-a-dance skip with the feet and then turns to Taeon, No, I'm sorry mister. The Manager doesn't give us any time to read books. What is it about, is it a romantic adventure? I like those!
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"Romance novel? Heavens, no. You've never seen it? Ah, perhaps I can give you a copy after we're done. It's a book to give people insight into their own selves. You see, I'm a psychologist and counselor in addition to being a medical doctor. I was brought in to the Starfinders after that nasty business with the Soured Stars to help morale and ease some fears."
He glances at Ash and steps away slightly from the intimidating flames. He continues talking to Zoey. "Now what about you? You seem like a dancer."
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"I don't think any of us came here to exchange pleasantries or to expand our social network" - says the android, still leaning by the wall and with his arms crossed. - "Does anybod..." - His eyes shine bright blue for a second and his gaze gets missing, as if interrupted with an inside monologue.
"Fine!"- he sighs and whispers to himself - "Does any of you have any idea why are we being summoned here?".
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Stiehle grins at the discussion between the strange strawberry girl and Taeon and joins in. "You've got that right, doc. Not so long ago I spent several weeks on board a ship with a ysoki fond of sugar pop music like the kind Ziggy is so fond of, and he played it so often on the open comms that I thought our Haan soldier was going to tear him apart. Still, by the end of the mission, I could have sworn I heard Grinds humming Star Sugar Heartlove when he didn't think anyone was around. Hell, I think we all had that song stuck in our heads by the time we got back to Absalom Station." He chuckles at the memory, recalling that Raatchet's peculiar humor turned out to be a much-needed distraction on that particular mission, which took quite a dark turn when they'd reached the kasathan ship that had been their destination.
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When Stiehle mentions the SMC song, Zoey reflexively does the point dance to Star Sugar Heart Love, ending with her hands in a heart and winking at the still unnamed android A happy virus!
Oh, Zigvigix is the best! I knew he was going to like the album... I gave a copy to him, you know. ()
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Taeon chuckles. "Sometimes, a tune can be an earworm, that's true. But consider soothing music or orchestral music. Then think about a marching song or patriotic music, or just something to get you amped up. They all make you feel something and that can be part of a therapy. to help people deal with problems."
He looks at Darkwing and smiles. "I did love that Star Sugar Heart Love song! It seemed like everyone was listening to it a while back."
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Just wait until you hear the next release! Zoey says sideways to Taeon, and when she realizes that the android isn't going to shake her hand, she slowly retracts it and instead flicks her hair with it.
She just stares at the android, baffled, for a while.
Mister is so cool...
Once she snaps out of it, she says to the android: I like your cape!
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You begin the adventure on the Exemplarion, Zo!’s personal starship and luxury space-yacht. You've just arrived aboard a far more modest Starfinder starship, giving you a brief window to tour the larger craft’s six decks, casino, spa, trio of restaurants, and other extravagant amenities that accommodate the hundreds of guests on board. After a while, one of Zo!’s skeletal assistants intercepts you and escorts you to the production studio on Decks 4 and 5.
The studio is a large, multi-tiered auditorium with an immense window that looks out over Salvation’s End. Dozens of professionals rush about the studio, adjusting lights, testing holographic displays, pulling clothes from wheeled wardrobes, cleaning the hundreds of tiered seats, and more. The elebrian media mogul Zo! sits on the stage with the Starfinder Society’s First Seeker, Luwazi Elsebo, animatedly telling a story while Luwazi marvels at the ongoing activity. When the First Seeker spots you, she waves for you to walk down the aisles and join them. Assistants immediately rush out with additional chairs to accommodate the new arrivals.
“Yes. Yes! You’re everything I was hoping for,” exclaims the undead showman while looking over the new arrivals. “Oh, Luwazi, you’ve truly outdone yourself. They’re so exciting, so energized, so—”
“—alive?” finishes a ghast woman wearing well-tailored clothing as she steps onto the stage. Zo! frowns at the blunt observation and tries to respond, but Luwazi intervenes.
“Starfinders, no doubt this is all happening a little fast, so let me explain. After the Scoured Stars incident, the Society struggled to support new expeditions. I reached out to numerous people and organizations for grant money, and our host was eager to help. He financed more than a dozen missions, including the one to Salvation’s End. There was one big catch.” Zo! visibly bounces in his seat with excitement as Luwazi continues. “If we found anything especially exciting, we’d need to cease exploration long enough for him to get a film crew out there to document whatever we found next. Well, Salvation’s End may look like a moon, but our initial survey of it found there’s something built inside—the whole thing might be artificial. That qualifies as especially exciting, but that was also several months ago.”
The skeletal mogul waves his hands. “Oh, but Luwazi, I couldn’t just send a single crew. No, the Starfinder Society’s greatest triumph deserves far more production value.” He hops up from his chair and gazes out at the moon as he paces and gesticulates. “Imagine: heroes from the Pact World, a mysterious planetoid, untold secrets, limitless adventure—all broadcast before a live audience in our greatest production yet!” He spins to look back at the group, his lipless mouth smiling gleefully. “Live Exploration Extreme!”
The ghast claps politely before interjecting. “To translate, you’re scheduled to explore part of Salvation’s End accompanied by a professional camera crew and production team. You will find exciting things and be thoroughly entertaining. Any questions?”
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”Yes! I mean, your book’s sales is the reason why all of us are here in the first place!” - says Diamond Blue - ”In case you haven’t noticed by my tone of voice,” - he adds after a few seconds - ”I was being sarcastic. Is there any data we already have about what we can expect at Salvation’s End?” - the android asks, now addressing Luwazi.
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What's the deal with the camera crew? Will they listen to our directions? What if a gun fight breaks out? What will they do?"
"Well..." Zo! doesn't quite seem to understand Eevee and Ash's concerns. In fact, he looks a bit crestfallen. "The crew should stay out of the way, especially if a fight crops up. Their protection shouldn't be worried about unless necessary."
"Oh, that will be excellent. Perhaps Zoey and I can narrate for the audience as we go. This could be our big break, everyone! Imagine what this might do for sales of my book!"
As he was a bit ensconced in his great idea, Zo! takes a bit to notice the identities of the Starfinders. "Hold on. Is that...Eevee? Stiehle? Oh, it is delightful to see you! If this opportunity was a special treat, I have an extra special one in store for you two...ah, my good friends!"[/b]
The ghast's job seems to be keeping the skeletal showman on track, as she does again. "We will be recording the show on the ground with you. The footage will be seen live by 408 lucky passengers who bought or won the privilege randomly. They will review it from orbit and may influence your actions via poll. Once we're done down there, we'll splice in breaks, advertisements, and other effects, and in a few days it should reach the Pact Worlds."
Her 2-foot-long tongue slips out of her mouth at this protracted speech, and she pulls it back in annoyance. "By the way, I am Wazasha Kevir, Zo!'s associate producer. I will be accompanying you with the rest of the Eoxian film crew."
Is there any data we already have about what we can expect at Salvation’s End?” - the android asks, now addressing Luwazi.
Luwazi explains, “I hired a team to perform a surface survey, and it was they who discovered a hatch that led much deeper into its interior. We also know that a tribe of goblins calling themselves the Exhaust Drinkers live on the surface, and we’ve clashed with them in the past. Most recently, we undertook a concerted effort to clear the tribe out from our landing facility on the moon’s surface. The moon’s gravity will feel about normal, but we’ve detected that the gravity is artificially maintained and even seems to reorient itself in some areas.”
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Ally: High Society Influence (Zo!)
Faction: Datafiles Champion
Personal:
Promotional:
Social: Honorary Spider (Sense Motive +1)
Starship:
Slotless:
"Indeed, it is me. I have to say, I think my boss would be a better fit for this, but he's off station on a mission. Anyway, I suppose I'm looking forward to it. Let's do this."
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Zoey bounces up and down Yeah, me! Me! she says as Taeon makes his suggestion. I've always wanted to be an MC, I'm a big fan of Zo!
She then turn enthusiastically to Zo!, makes a deep bow and says Of course, mister, we will work very hard! Please show us lots of love!
She then turns to an imaginary audience, hold an air microphone in front of her face and starts presenting Good evening ladies, gentlemen, binaries and composites, and welcome to Live Exploration Extreme. I am bright and sparkling Zoey, and this is my co-host, Taeon 'the Doctor' Dolma. Tonight we will be showing you the exploration of the artificial moon of Salvation's End. MOON POWER!
She waits a moment to catch her breath. Hands behind her back, and rocking her shoulders, she nudges Taeon to join in.
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Taeon chuckles at the young woman's enthusiasm. "That's right, Zoey! We'll be bringing our audience right into the action. You'll see Starfinder exploration first hand alongside the remarkable team of Eevee, Stiehle Darkwing,..." He voice drops low, as he riffs Darkwing's name. "..., the formidable Ash, and the indomitable, Diamond Blue!"
"Zoey will show you the action, and I'll walk you through the mind of a Starfinder, show you what they may be thinking and how a band of experts deals with the dangers they find! Plus, if anyone gets hurt, my services as a psychologist and surgeon will be at their disposal." He looks at Zo! to see if he's impressed.
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As the big fancy ship hoves into view, Stiehle gazes it at curiously, an uneasy feeling in his stomach. When they are shown into Zo!'s presence, the young pilot groans inwardly. "Oh, perfect. I should have known." He mumbles to himself.
As Luwazi launches into her narrative, Stiehle listens attentively, but with growing concern. When Zo! recognizes him, the young pilot gives the undead celebrity a polite nod and a slight smile, hiding his true thoughts about this endeavor. The operative can only imagine how much more difficult this mission will be with a camera crew underfoot! At least they're likely to be undead, so protecting them from harm won't be of particular interest to him. Though the creatures are considered Pact World citizens, the human finds the undead to be sinister and disturbing in appearance, light years more than any of the other aliens he has encountered in his life.
Despite his reservations and concerns, Stiehle is intrigued by the proposition of exploring this artificial moon. He has heard a bit about it, and wonders what secrets it might hold. Even as Zoey and the celebrity doctor speak glowingly of the mission, something that the hideous ghast said in passing triggers in the operative's mind and Stiehle barks out suddenly, holding up one hand to stop further conversation. "Whoa! Did you say that the audience is going to be giving us our orders on how to carry out our exploration?" The eyes of the operative are incredulous as he stares first at Wuzashi and then at Luwazi.
Ally: High Society Influence [Zo!]
Faction:
Personal:
Promotional:
Social: Honorary Spider
Starship: Hero of the Stars
Slotless: Protector of the Future; Claimant to Salvation, Marked Field Agent; Starfinder Insignia
Unidentified: Journey to the Scoured Stars [Segment 1]
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So, basically, we are going into uncharted territory, possibly filled with traps and with, at least, a tribe of feisty goblins that we know of, with an inexperienced combat filming crew... Oh! And the ones taking decisions about how to proceed once we are inside will be viewers from the comfort of their seats. What could possibly go wrong?”
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Zo! seems to rock in his chair, beaming with excitement as Taeon and Zoey begin to rehearse. The The ghast producer looks far less excited as she mumbles out of the corner of her mouth. :The cameras aren't even on yet..."
"Whoa! Did you say that the audience is going to be giving us our orders on how to carry out our exploration?"
Zo! chuckles. He looks to assuage the living human as it becomes slightly downhearted. "Worry not, Stiehle you're the heroes! Of course you'll be making most of the decisions. But sometimes, we want our audience to show their preference. It's how they get to know you and make a better show. And you needn't always follow their verdict; there can always be an antihero, a darker character who goes against the tide. The crowd loves to hate 'em! No need to conform."
Zo! leaps from his chair. "Eevee! Stiehle! Come with me." He waves a skeletal hand for the two of you to follow him.
Once inside he shuts the door. He leans in to whisper so as for others not to hear. "On-screen sponsorships undermine the immersive oeuvre that I am looking for, but I like you two. Sponsors have sent in brilliant new gear that my “close friends” are welcome to test. While the others are preparing to board the shuttle you can each choose two pieces of gear from the crates."
One main sponsor is Nova Solutions LLC, a family-owned half-orc company that specializes in frontierready weaponry able to stop even the toughest alien life form in its tracks. It’s sent in several new flame, laser, and plasma weapons from its new Scorched Earth product line, advertised with the motto “Why end a fight when you can end a planet?” The other main sponsor is Clashwear, the Verces-based producer of comfortably armored clothing that’s on the bleeding edge of Pact Worlds fashion. The high-end stationwear sent covers everything from the stylishly casual to the glamorously eccentric, all created by the wildly popular shirren designer Neshkuay I with the tagline “Dressed to Express.” Additional equipment by less noteworthy companies is also available.
- Basic iridishell (heavy armor)
- Business stationwear (light armor)
- Ember flame doshko (advanced melee weapon)
- Ifrit-class flamethrower (heavy weapon)
- Red star plasma kukri (level 5 one-handed basic melee weapon that deals 1d4 E & F damage, has the wound critical hit effect, has L bulk, and has the operative and powered [capacity 20, usage 1] special properties)
- Static arc pistol (small arm)
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"Well they certainly know how to treat a girl. I won't say no to this." She strips down and puts on the stationwear. She also grabs the static arc pistol. "I can definitely get used to this."
Dressed in new digs, and holstering a second pistol, Eevee walks over to a camera with a smile, "Is this thing on yet? Let's find some stars." she winks and walks out...
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Stiehle grins at the advertising slogan of the Scorched Earth weapons. He glances over the rest and sees nothing superior to his own, so selects the Ember flame doshko (advanced melee weapon) and the Ifrit-class flamethrower (heavy weapon). Both of them are heavy and unwieldy as all hell, and though he knows how to use the two weapons, Stiehle figures Ash will likely appreciate one or both, and perhaps the odd android might if not. "Thanks, Zo! I'm sure we'll give you and your audience a good show." The operative is diplomatic when addressing the undead celebrity, but inwardly he has some doubts about how this mission is going to be handled with a camera crew tagging along and unwanted advice coming from a crowd of thrill-watching junkies who don't know the first thing about operations such as the one they are embarking upon.
Stiehle joins the others, holding a pair of formidable looking weapons. He grins at Ash and holds them out for the big soldier to look over. "Saw these, and I thought of you. Will probably boost the ratings through the roof when the audience watches you mow down a tunnel full of vicious aliens with a flamethrower!" The operative's tone is fairly dripping with sarcasm aimed at their present situation, but the offer stands true, if Ash is interested.
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Once you are ready, you pile into a clean shuttle with Wazasha for the 15-minute voyage to the false moon’s surface. The camera crew and production team are waiting, and Wazasha allows you a brief opportunity to meet each other while Zo!’s special effects team plays an opening montage to build the audience’s excitement. You can follow along on the local infosphere (connected to the Exemplarion), even seeing the overly dramatic renditions of your personal bios to introduce viewers to the show’s stars.
Two teams accompany you. The first is the production team, consisting of two ghouls, two androids, and a hexapodal robot, that carries refreshments, portable seats, makeup, the bubble projector Booth, a pair of heavy-duty broadcast relays, and other equipment necessary to keep the operation running.
The camera team consists of 10 ghouls bristling with holocord cameras, boom microphones, reflective screens to amplify natural lighting, and other equipment for properly recording your exploits in several multimedia broadcast formats.
Several other Starfinders are repairing the starship dock featured at the base. The dock is in the process of being retrofitted into a more permanent structure, and some of the Starfinder Society repair crew casually explain that the location might become a new lodge depending on your findings.
A network of service tunnels crisscrosses this outermost subsurface layer, providing avenues for repair drones to service the simulation chambers deeper inside. "Feel free to voice whatever thoughts you have," Wazasha notes in a businesslike manner. "They'll likely be about done with intros in orbit; we'll start recording soon."
A few minutes later, the large film crew power on their instruments and assume positions , mostly following behind you. Their lights bring the passage from flickering dim to uncomfortably bright. Further in, a small cave-in widens the tunnel slightly. You find broken and incomplete robots and drones of unknown design at irregular intervals along the worn steel hallways. Almost every light fixture is broken or malfunctioning, making the 15-foot-tall tunnels dark but for the occasional, haunting flicker of light from the distance. In the few places where it seems signage once hung, someone has purposefully defaced or removed the analog signs and torn out any digital displays.
Farther down their chosen tunnel, the PCs also find a midden containing both refuse and excrement.
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looking around him, Ash recognize the technological elements in these tunnels as roughly comparable to Pact Worlds’ technology but are of a design never before documented.
Farther down, he adds. Looks almost familiar, but the design is specific to this place, never seen something like that before.
Look! This trash is of low value but could come from something more valuable.
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vs DC 12 = Success!
vs DC 10 = Success!
vs DC 14 = Success!
Stiehle is able to block out the extraneous activity, for the moment at least, focusing on the task at hand. The operative readily agrees with Ash's assessment. "I've never seen it's like either, though the technology is equal to that of the Pact Worlds. I wonder what these scraps might have belonged to..."
An indentation in the midden catches his eye, and Stiehle warns the others to stand clear while he crouches nearby and looks it over. A moment later, he nods and rises to his feet and speaks in a more hushed tone. "Something was here in the past hour or so, several somethings, as a matter of fact. Not sure what exactly, but they've left behind a trail we can follow. Could be those goblins we heard about. The graffiti and vandalism we've seen is to be expected of such creatures, after all." The operative draws his tactical pistol, his eyes searching ahead for further signs of the tracks he'd spotted.
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”Yes, yes, this is very obvious and frankly, really expected”- adds Diamond Blue to the comments of his 2 colleagues - ”To add to their analysis, I must point out the clear signs warping and buckling on the visible surrounding rocky matrix on the places where the tunnel has been damaged. It seems that this moons experience periodical strong forces... I’m inclined to think that either gravitational or the large scale movement of something towards the core....
”If something has been through here recently, we might as well be prepared” - he says while takes his azimuth laser rifle and gives it a quick check.
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Zoey sees that the android - whose name she finally learned through the intros - and Stiehle have the situation well in hand. She hangs back and smiles to the camera while Diamond Blue talks.
As she looks at the midden she says Well, it's a good thing the viewers can't smell what is going on here, or we'd need a long commercial break to vent the room. Eww.
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Taeon nods at Zoey and speaks into the camera. "Starfinders must have wide ranging knowledge in cases like this. See how Darkwing found the trail of something recently? And Diamond understands how the gravitational forces have shaped this tunnel. You never know what you might run into as a Starfinder, so it helps to learn bits of knowledge and lore on lots of things from geology to cultural facts to computer code."
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The entire cavern shakes. An explosion shakes the walls and echoes from ahead. The camera crew quickly fans out to check your reactions. As if you needed more incentive to go that way Wazasha eagerly ushers you down the tunnel.
A team of space goblins sifts through the wreckage left behind by the explosion. This is not the first simulation chamber they’ve broken into, and an alien creature. resembling a large, six-legged armadillo with compound eyes, iridescent banded armor plates, heavy digging claws, and a pair of rasping tongues with which it consumes a wide range of foods like carrion and tubers.
As the goblin sees you, he raises a junk pitsol and screeches behind him. "This be Exhaust Drinkers cave!" The goblin points to them. "Kill it. Kill it good..." The creature shrinks back a bit but prepares for a fight as the goblin dives behind a wall.
Due to the poor lighting conditions, the camera crew turns on an array of bright set lights that several ghouls turn toward the action. This creates an area of bright light in a 30-foot radius around the camera crew, and the light level decreases to normal light for 30 feet beyond that.
[spoiler=DC 11 Mysticism]
This creature is a spicodranth. They are omnivorous, and are sometimes tamed (though the goblins don't seem to have done so gently). They can absorb awry fire- and electricity-based weapons and blind their attackers. The brighter the room, the more this is likely to happen; and your crew is projecting quite some light in there!
Stiehle
Ash
Zoey
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Strange Beast
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Eevee
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Space Goblin Zaperators
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Diamond
Taeon
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Even as the crew shines their bright lights, exposing the group quite nicely to the enemy, Stiehle is already on the move - mentally cursing the undead light operators. Moving stealthily toward a jagged section of wall that will both give him cover and allow him an open shot at the northernmost goblin, the operative fires his tactical pistol at the creature.
vs KAC [Red Goblin]
vs DC 20 + CR [Red Goblin]
piercing + damage
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Zoey covers her ears during the explosion, then somewhat non-plussed turns to the camera: That was a loud bang, and it looks like we are under attack. Let's show these goblins lots of firepower!
It seems like Stiehle is already moving in, so our more sensitive viewers may want to look away now.
Holding her ground, Zoey draws her arc pistol and starts singing while she moves for cover.
Na-na-na-na-na I'm a rocket girl
Na-na-na-na-na I'm a rocket girl
Five.. four... three.. two... one
And fire!
Radio check and
Here we go, ooh!
The night is bright
The sky our goal
So long, oh, ooo-oh
Beep-beep-beep-beep
I'm a rocket girl!
Beep-beep-beep-beep
I'm a rocket girl!
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The little goblin yelps as the bullet pierces it's torn spacesuit. Ash moves in, boldly at the beast. His laser burns into the creature's plates. It squeals in distress and recoils. Zoey skips into position signing a rousing tune for the cameras.
The armadillo-like beast trudges in and claws at Ash.
The wounded and scared creature doesn't seem to want to put up a fight but is further urged into by the goblins. The space goblins cackle with glee as they torture the beast with taunting and stray laser blasts.
Stiehle
Ash
Zoey
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Strange Beast (-8)
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Eevee
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Space Goblin Zaperators (Red -4)
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Diamond
Taeon