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With noone protesting, Da'at chugs down another serum.
"I think the word these tin cans are looking for is "Thank You". Technically two words, yes" he says, grabbing onto his homemade grenade and lobbing it at the other robot.
And casually, Da'at lobs a contraption that looks to consist of a resin repair bomb, an electrical lighter, some nails and a lot of duct tape. The device explodes on the robot painted red, engulfing it in epoxy resin.
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While Sparky's cannon misses the guardbot, it gives Lucky ample time to get a bit of cover behind the generator. Lining up his shot, Lucky puts a fresh hole right in the chassis.
Da'at tosses a small grenade right underneath the second guardbot. A small pop sounds and a thick foam surrounds the bot.
Domaya fires her pistol at Lucky's target as they synchronize their fire. Another bullet strikes into it, cracking a circuit board.
Kai closes her eyes and hopes for the best it seems as bullets start flying in all directions.
Argon-42 takes a shot as a small injectible need sticks into the metal exterior.
Conrad fires his laser into the green tinted guardbot. The heat begins to melt several solder joints as wires disconnect. the bot's arm swivels around before hanging loose.
The red guardbot struggles with the sticky mess but manages to move a short distance as the pair of guardbots use the generators as a means of cover against the assault.
They fire a red beam from their eyes.
The eye laser strike Kai's shoulder plate on his armor as Domaya slams his back into the generator, avoiding the second laser.
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Security Bots (Green -14)(Red-1; entangled 4 rounds)
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Lucky Sevens
Da'at (SP 8/8; HP 10/11)
Domaya (SP 7/7; HP 7/10)
Kai (SP 3/7; HP 10/10)
Argon-42
Conrad
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Lucky's bullet continues to wound the guardbot from around the generator as Sparky's laser cannon continues to miss.
Da'at's weapon sears the wounded and useless arm from the robot as the appendage falls to the ground.
Domaya's pistol misses as the bullet strikes the nearby console, embedding in the frame.
Kai's pistol doesn't come anywhere near the robot as the bullets clang off the metal floor.
Argon rushes the door. Striking the pad it slides open revealing the access terminal. The temperature of this narrow room is a few degrees warmer than the previous chambers. Racks of computers line the walls, with tiny lights blinking and hard drives audibly whirring. A single terminal stands opposite the only door to the west, an input prompt flashing serenely.
Conrad tries to get the group together and on task as his shot only manages to scratch the hard exterior.
The robots turn and focus they eye lasers on Kai. He is completely trapped in their crossfire and severely burned in the process.
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Security Bots (Green -18)(Red-1; entangled 3 rounds)
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Lucky Sevens
Da'at (SP 8/8; HP 10/11)
Domaya (SP 7/7; HP 7/10)
Kai (SP 0/7; HP 2/10)
Argon-42
Conrad
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You might want to find some cover Kai. I know well-done is all the rage these days, but most real connoisseurs agree that you really shouldn't let your humans get past medium-rare.
Lucky puts another shot into her target, while frantically beaming over a patch to Sparky's targeting software.
Filename Everything_Counts_in_Large_Amounts uploaded.
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Lucky quickly disables the green guardbot with a well-aimed shot. Sparky fires it's cannon right into the central board on the remaining guardbot. Large sparks fly as a small fire ignites.
Da'at strafes his laser around the platform. The precise beam cuts the bots leg clean off. Domaya fires a single round into the bot.
Kai gets fancy with his pistol, but ultimately misses his shot as Argon works feverishly at the computer's controls. Still under the effects of the shared language makes the chore simple enough as he is able to access the screen and log into the terminal.
While Argon doesn't find controls to turn the bots off he does find several recordings and confessional clips from several generations ago made by the Gibrhani.
Conrad rushes over and inspires Kai to stay in the fight.
The flames overtake the robot as it shudders and falls still.
***
With a bit more time Argon has time to review the files he found. The truth behind the Gibrahni's!
Just over 300 years ago on a planet in the Vast, a race of insectile humanoids called ghibranis engaged in a brief but deadly nuclear war between several of its nowforgotten nation states. Prior to their cataclysmic conflict, ghibranis paid their respects to an aspect of Damoritosh—a god of war most commonly worshipped by the vesk in modern times. This worship shaped the race into a strong coalition of militarized states, with religious servants of Damoritosh in key advisory positions. The war that destroyed most of the ghibrani race occurred only decades after the Gap, as the addled state of the world’s leaders in the Gap’s aftermath only exacerbating existing tensions.
A small percentage of ghibranis survived the devastation. A powerful force field spared the metropolis of Arkeost the brunt of the nuclear war, but subsequent radiation carried by shifting wind currents wracked the city. Many died, but a sizable population endured. The ghibrani leaders knew the city didn’t have sufficient resources to support all the survivors, so after much discussion, they purposefully engineered several additional minor disasters to trouble the populace. The leaders then seeded rumors that an angry Damoritosh was responsible for this “divine” punishment and devised the creation of a false deity—Mother Touloo—who promised salvation to those ghibranis who gave up the comforts of civilization. Agents planted within the populace spread this false religion, leading a sizeable contingent of ghibranis into the wastelands. Meanwhile, the leaders of Arkeost and their closest family and friends remained behind.
Over the following centuries, very little contact occurred between the ghibranis who chose to live in the wastes and those who stayed in Arkeost, though both remained acutely aware of each other’s presences. The passing years, as well as healthy doses of lingering radiation, caused a physical division to occur between the two factions. The ghibranis in the badlands lost the use of their wings and developed hardier exoskeletons; they became known as “husks.” Those who lived within the surviving city kept their wings, but became thinner and more fragile; they are known to the husks as “membranes.”
Today, while the membranes have all but forgotten their true past, the husks continue to believe in the fictional Mother Touloo. They remain focused on survival in the harsh desert wastelands surrounding Arkeost, battling against vicious fauna, and view the membranes as keepers of the vast “metal graveyards” of the old city. Meanwhile, the membranes lead a relatively privileged lifestyle. Some of the ancient ghibrani technology persists, but centuries of indolence have left the membranes unaware of the treacherous deeds perpetrated by their ancestors.
A Starfinder Society starship briefly charted the ghibranis’ home star system, but they were able to obtain only a few samples of orbital satellite data before being driven off by still-active orbital defense drones.
This includes several confessional vidclips recorded by the ghibranis who originally orchestrated the creation of Mother Touloo, photos of the planet as it was before the attack, and information on the orbital defense system. You can download all this information onto your personal datapad.
Lucky Sevens
Da'at (SP 8/8; HP 10/11)
Domaya (SP 7/7; HP 7/10)
Kai (SP 4/7; HP 2/10)
Argon-42
Conrad
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"I don't know what the ethical choice is; I don't have a whole lot of ethics. That's how you have me in all of my glory" replies the Kasatha, spreading all four arms as he mimics a *taa-daa*. "But while the truth hurts, the truth will set you free. Or it'll cause genocide. Again. I think Klarima deserves to be told. And I think she can tell people who she thinks will be reasonable about it. Or, we could ask for her opinion and she'll tell us if this will start this world's next war."
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"Nobody likes being lied to. If the Husks find out, they might decide to seek redress, and I don't think they will just have their lawyer send a stern letter."
"There doesn't seem to be much contact between membranes and husks, but we know there is some. So if we tell the Membranes, sooner or later the Husks will find out. Maybe not for a while, but eventually."
"I'm inclined to leave it for a future mission. The situation is stable as-is. We barely know anything about the Ghibrani culture. Future expeditions to study them could determine how best to approach this, and will have more time to do so."
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I agree. There is no need to be hasty about it and make an ill considered decision without the required study. If Klarima decides to come with us then we can show her the confessionals. In fact it might be best for everyone if she agrees to be an ambassador for her people to the Society and the Pact Worlds
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One of the storage slots that held one of the ghibrani guardbots contains a set of equipment left over from the ancient living ghibrani soldiers who operated out of this area. The set includes an ember flame doshko, two shock grenades II, and a set of casual stationwear armor.
Ultimately deciding not to tell anyone on Elytrio and keep the information to themselves the Starfinders exit the Mainframe and return to their rooms where they find Klarima. She smiles and asks no questions.
Come morning Klarima opens a hole in the force field and escorts you back to your ship.
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If you are using a tactial pistol you do 1d6 damage, so hitting twice you would do 2d6. A trick attack will do 1d6+1d4, so slightly less damage.
(At third level the damage would go from 2d6+2 to 1d6+1+1d8, so the damage is roughly equivalent. At fifth level the trick attack damage gets much higher, and from then on you probably want to use trick attacks most of the time.)
However, the down side is that a full attack gives a penalty to hit. A trick attack uses a skill check and if that is successful, then you get a bonus to hit and the extra damage on a hit. So the to hit roll is easier than normal if you make the skill check, and there is no penalty if you fail the skill check, but it all comes down to the one roll.
So it depends on who you are shooting at. Against a single baddie fighting the whole party, I would do trick attack, because his AC will be higher. Against an ordinary goon though, I would probably full attack instead.
If you want to move and still shoot you use trick attack because you can't move and full attack.
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Da'at nods, adding: "You know, maybe if you have other friends who share your enthusiasm and your curiosity, we could bring them along too. Being a Pathfinder is fun, but being a Pathfinder with others you know? That. That is were the whole thing gets even better" he adds, perhaps not as eloquently as he could otherwise be.
Great, now we're complicit in this lie. Lets hope none of the Ghibranis get curious about how we did all this, or we're coming back to a cinder.
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"Pathfinder? What is a Pathfinder?" Klarima asks curiously.
Hopping on the Pegasus you make our way back to Absalom Station to report your findings to Venture Captain Arvin. He thinks deeply as he pours over the many details. "I applaud your efforts. Your decision must have been a difficult one to make regarding the ghibrani history." The Starfinder Society will have to decide what to do with the information.