Round Four Summary
Engineering Phase
The skeletal engineer deftly repairs the starboard weapons array of the Endless Threnody, utilizing muscle memory left behind even after his soul had departed his body.
Aboard the Loreseeker, Levylissa, still manning the engineering station, diverts power to the drained shields.
Helm Phase
Encouraged by his captain, the skeletal helmsman brings the Corpse Fleet vessel, trying to prevent the plodding ship from being struck by the Starfinder’s fire. Rogers quickly follows the Endless Threnody, skillfully ensuring that the Starfinder ship stays safely tucked inside what he has identified as a blind spot.
Gunnery Phase
At the direction of acting captain Laniakea, Iseph fires two devastating shots at the undead ship, the projectiles penetrating deep into the ship’s hull, twisting bone and metal alike. Weapons
Due to the evasive maneuvers taken by the helmsman of the undead ship, Gamuzali’s shot from the forward laser cannon nearly misses its mark—nearly.
The Corpse Fleet ship, again, can bring no weapons to bear.
Starship Status after Round 4
Endless Threnody – 76 HP; glitching starboard weapons array; glitching port weapons array
Loreseeker – 15HP | Shields: 37 (forward 9, port 7, starboard 7, aft 7)
Which one to be determined later at random.
Beginning Round 5
Heeding the advice of their captain, Iseph takes a single, well-aimed shot.
The undead ship slowly and methodically turns about, bringing its massive, forward weapon resembling a bloody eye into full view.
At the undead captain's command, the skeletal science officer quietly targets the life-support systems of the Loreseeker, while the gunner, following the captain's directives, powers up the forward weapon.
A torrent of energy bursts forth from the terrible weapon, but it fails to strike its target.
Round Five Summary
Engineering Phase
The skeletal engineer repairs one of the weapons arrays of the Endless Threnody.
Helm Phase
Levylissa targets the engines of the undead ship.
Rogers backs the Loreseeker off of its prior position, but despite the encouraging words of Laniakea, he cannot get the ship to move nearly as quickly as he would like. Seeking to take advantage of the situation, the Corpse Fleet vessel slowly turns to face the Starfinders head on.
Gunnery Phase
Iseph fires the main gun, missing the enemy vessel, but Gamuzali manages to score a hit.
The Corpse Fleet ship, seizing an opportunity as the Starfinders are now dead in their sights, fires its main weapon. A torrent of energy bursts forth from the terrible weapon!
The forward shields on the Loreseeker collapse, unable to dissipate the full power of the necromantic weapon. The entire ship shakes as some of the residual energy thunders against its hull.
Starship Status after Round 5
Endless Threnody – 79 HP; glitching port weapons array
Loreseeker – 16 HP | Shields: 21 (forward 0, port 7, starboard 7, aft 7)
Beginning Round 6
"Apologies, Captain. You can reprimand me later, but I think their figurehead would make a great decoration for Pharasma's Boneyard."
Again, the undead ship turns about, bringing its massive, forward weapon to bear against the Starfinders.
Destructive energy pours forth from the Corpse Fleet vessel, ripping into the Loreseeker!
Aboard the Starfinders' ship, klaxons begin to blare, warning of failures in the life-support system!
Meanwhile, aboard the Endless Threnody, the hungry dead view the damage they have wrought in silence, waiting patiently in the anticipation of adding to the numbers of their crew.
Round Six Summary
Engineering Phase
Aboard the Endless Threnody, the skeletal engineer repairs the port weapons arrays.
While aboard the Loreseeker, Laniakea realizes that the shields presently have no power in their forward array. He tries desperately to restore the shields, but fumbles in her haste. Catching view of the Corpse Fleet vessel beginning its turn toward them, she realizes that the necromantic vessel is preparing to unleash its power at their naked hull.
Having maintained an air of confidence and control during his stint as captain, the woiko finds his commanding demeanor momentarily slip. "Oh no!" Laniakea utters aloud.
Helm Phase
Levylissa successfully targets the engines of the undead ship as Rogers executes an evasive flying pattern, attempting to bring the Loreseeker into his opponent’s blind spot. He, too, seems surprised to find the Corpse Fleet vessel turning to face him!
Aboard the Endless Threnody, the skeletal crew sets the ship’s targeting systems to zero in on the life support systems of the Starfinder ship.
Gunnery Phase
And then the undead fire their weapon of awesome power. Having been stripped of the protection of its forward shields, the hull of the Lorseseeker is struck with the full might of the weapon’s horrid beam. Destructive energy pours forth from the Corpse Fleet vessel, ripping into the Loreseeker!
Aboard the Starfinders' ship, klaxons begin to blare, warning of failures in the life-support system!
Meanwhile, aboard the Endless Threnody, the hungry dead view the damage they have wrought in silence, waiting patiently in the anticipation of adding to the numbers of their crew.
But, the Starfinders are not yet among the dead! Iseph fires a volley from the coilgun into the Corpse Fleet ship, which sends huge shards of bone and metal debris hurling off the enemy ship and into the Drift.
However, the loss of life-support and the accompanying dip in cabin pressure cause Gamuzali’s shot to go wide.
Starship Status after Round 6
Endless Threnody – 97 HP; glitching engine
Loreseeker – 32 HP | Shields: 21 (forward 0, port 7, starboard 7, aft 7); glitching life-support
Beginning Round 7
The Endless Threnody flies directly towards the Loreseeker, executing a fly-by attack before it veers off to try and bring it back around.
Iseph remains quiet, obviously focused on the task at hand.
Round Seven Summary
Engineering Phase
The skeletal engineer forgoes repairs to the glitching engine and silently diverts power to the engines. It is not the technological might of the Corpse Fleet that makes them such an imposing threat, but their relentlessness.
With sparks flying and systems failing, the Endless Threnody now continues forward with ample power to both make a devastating attack at close range and also to turn around to finish the fight, claiming the remains of the Starfinders as the spoils!
In an effort to keep her crew alive, Levylissa repairs the glitching life-support systems.
Helm Phase
Realizing what the undead have planned, Laniakea seizes the science station and rebalances the shields in anticipation of an attack.
Loreseeker Shields: 21 (forward 6, port 5, starboard 5, aft 5)
And it comes! The undead helmsman sets a course hurling the Endless Threnody directly towards the Loreseeker, executing a fly-by attack before it veers off to try in an effort to bring it back.
But, Rogers, quick on the stick, executes an evasive flight path, swinging the Loreseeker directly behind the Corpse Fleet vessel!
Gunnery Phase
However, despite his expert flying, Rogers cannot keep the Loreseeker out of the undead’s sites the entire time. As the Endless Threnody bears down on the Starfinders’ vessel, the undead captain gives his awaited command and the dreaded, forward weapon of the Corpse Fleet ship is unleashed.
The forward shield array of the Loreseeker cannot withstand the might of the powerful stream of necromantic energy. Once the shield energy dissipates, the remainder of the energy slams into the hull of the Starfinder vessel. First, sparks fly from the life-support systems, then the sensors.
Iseph returns fire. The first shot of the coilgun rips through the hull of Endless Threnody—the blazing light of its dreaded weapon extinguishes. The thrum of its engines goes silent. The Corpse Fleet vessel, set slowly a spin by the momentum brought on the by the impact of the coilgun projectile, lists to one side as its power core overloads, covering the ship with coruscations of negative energy.
Starship Status after Round 7
Endless Threnody – out of commission
Loreseeker –48 HP | Shields: 15 (forward 0, port 5, starboard 5, aft 5); glitching life-support, glitching sensors
As you survey the damage to the extensive damage to the Loreseeker's hull and its internal systems, you can nevertheless congratulate yourselves on dispatching a wounded—though active—threat to living creatures everywhere.
|
Laniakea's lanky form slumps back in his chair and exclaims, "I had no idea starship battles could be so tense! This was nothing like the simulations."
He looks at the myriad of alerts on his screen and frowns. "Maybe we ought to work a few repairs before we board the freighter. I am not certain that we could stand another fight if reinforcements eventually arrived."
The disabled Endless Threnody drifts just outside the forward viewport of the Starfinder Pegasus-class starship, Loreseeker. The enormous Corpse Fleet starship bristles with bone spurs, and a baleful red lens at its fore resembles a swollen and bloody eye. Crackles of dark energy leap across the bone spurs, discharging from the ruined ship’s necromantic power source.
With a burst of static and a flash, a blue-hued hologram of Venture-Captain Arvin appears at the Loreseeker’s communications station.
“Excellent work.” Arvin says. “The Endless Threnody is incapacitated, but not pulverized. I need you to board that vessel, access the main computers at the bridge, and recover the coordinates of the missing Starfinder vessel’s crash site.”
“That energy signature looks dangerous, and those discharges can damage your hull.” the Venture-Captain continues. “Dock at the cargo bay at the rear of the ship and make your way forward to the bridge. Wear space suits if your armor can’t protect you from vacuum—there are a few suits in a storage locker aboard your ship. Eoxian ships do not have life support and are often exposed to space.”
The Venture-Captain, then asks, ”Any questions?”
"Are Eoxian's susceptible to pulsecasters?" the woioko asks the hologram of their Venture-Captain before checking the battery on his pistol.
"I'd expect, as undead, that Eoxians would likely be immune to stun and nonlethal damage." Arvin replies. "I wouldn't expect a pulsecaster to do you much good."
|
An unexpected rift opens in space-time and a passenger shuttle exits the Drift between the two vessels. It pulls alongside the Loreseeker and flashes its hazard lights. In the middle of the front dashboard you see a glowing pink sticker that reads "DRYFT".
"*comm crackle crackle* -llo! Pardon the belated intrusion. Venture Captain didn't think I'd make it to you in time! Looks like you already did all the hard work. Mind another body to help you board 'em?"
Iseph smiles and turns to the group.
"I'll person the helm while you explore, just in case there's any trouble out here."
With a newly-added nuar to the crew, the Loreseeker docks with the undead ship, and the Starfinders depart from the damaged, but flyable Loreseeker, into the vacuum of the non-longer flyable Endless Threnody. The Endless Threnody has normal gravity but has no light. There are no doors in the interior of the ship.
You find yourselves in a mostly empty cargo bay. The cold of space feels even more icy aboard the ship, perhaps the result of the necromantic energies still surging through the vessel. You spy a small computer terminal here.
As you make your way further into the interior of the Corpse Fleet vessel, you find that the branching corridors inside the Endless Threnody are not made of solid bulkheads of metal and plastic, but of a lattice of enchanted bone and steel. A metal grating on the floor provides stable footing, but the walls have gaps large enough to fit a fist. The passages split and recombine in a manner eerily reminiscent of being inside a giant ribcage.
There are three corridors that branch off ahead of you, that you believe most likely recombine ahead. As you proceed, you should expect to encounter any remaining undead crew members that may be lurking the halls.
Taking point through the central corridor, the two nuar spot a computer terminal about 50 feet ahead of them. Then, suddenly, emerging from the darkness just beyond the nuars' fields of darkvision, two skeletal crew come charging towards them!
Surprise Round!
Levylissa
Skeletal crew
Gamuzali
Braford
Laniakea
Rogers
The necromantic aura now within the Endless Threnody is less powerful.
Initiative Order Round One
Levylissa
Skeletal crew
Rogers
Gamuzali
Braford
Laniakea
Two of the skeletal crew lunge forward towards the two nuars, grasping with the sharp, deadly claws.
The two undead tear each tear into the nuar before them as more of their kind emerge from the conjoining corridors.
Initiative Order Round One Cont'd
Levylissa
Skeletal crew
Rogers -5 SP
Gamuzali
Braford -4 SP
Laniakea
|
Though swung mightily, Rogers' doshku fails to connect.
Initiative Order Round One Cont'd
Levylissa
Skeletal crew
Rogers -5 SP
Gamuzali
Braford -4 SP
Laniakea
Eager to add to their number, the skeletal crew press their attacks on the two nuar.
The two skeletal crew reaching around the corners fail to injure the two nuar, but the undead before them claw them relentlessly, tearing into them viciously! The one having found a vital gap in Rogers' armor.
Initiative Order Round Two Cont'd
Levylissa
Skeletal crew
Rogers -8 SP | -8 HP
Gamuzali
Braford -3 SP | -2 HP
Laniakea