Game Master S's "Scoured Stars Invasion" [Tier 3-4] (Inactive)

Game Master Chris Marsh

Log on to the Infosphere here.

Gunnz sits in the louge an Absalom station, telling of her most recent exploits... some of which she still has the scars from.

Reporting in

REPORTING FOR NEXT ASSIGNMENT.

Nominated First Seeker Elsebo Luwazi speaks, “Starfinders, we stand at the precipice of momentous history, and I want to thank you all for making it possible for us to be here today. The Starfinder Society has spent the last year recovering from the Scoured Stars incident, our greatest defeat in recent history. We are finally ready to return to the Scoured Stars, find out what happened to our missing colleagues and friends, and rescue any survivors we can find. Report to your stations and lend your assistance to our fleet by performing the final preparatory tasks. More instructions will come shortly.”

T-6 Days

Gunnz hurries to the flight deck, keen to see what she can do on a bigger ship!

"Woo. Check out the engines on this beauty!"

PERFORMING TELEMETRY DIAGNOSTICS. ALL SYSTEMS APPEAR NOMINAL. NEW CREW INTRODUCTION REQUIRED. I AM A BUFF-BOT 9000 SERIES ANDROID, DESIGNATION M DOT A CROSS { }. ADOPTED SOBRIQUET: MAX. YOU MAY HAVE SEEN MY WORK ON COMMERCIALS SUCH AS...

The android swallows, then suddenly changes his demeanor. "Heal-Bot 9000 medpacks! The preferred medpack of Absalom Station's Starfinder Trauma Center, available for purchase anywhere medical equipment is sold."

OR MY WORK IN TRAINING VIDEOS SUCH AS...

"Avoiding violence in the workplace: Your life depends on it!"

OR

"Proper chronicle reporting: Your promotion depends on it!"

OR PERHAPS FROM MY GLADIATORIAL DEBUT AS

"WAR-BOT FROM ACCOUNTING!!"

And so it begins!

First Seeker Elsebo Luwazi clears her throat and makes an announcement to all of the gathered Starfinders as they slowly trickle in. “Starfinders, we stand at the precipice of momentous history, and I want to thank you all for making it possible for us to be here today. The Starfinder Society has spent the last year recovering from the Scoured Stars incident, our greatest defeat in recent history. We are finally ready to return to the Scoured Stars, find out what happened to our missing colleagues and friends, and rescue any survivors we can find. Report to your stations and lend your assistance to our fleet by performing the final preparatory tasks. More instructions will come shortly.”

Table GM's. You are good to go on the introductions and preparation.

Hawthorne arrives at the hangar in full Triunite ceremonial armor. A pendant fashioned to resemble the face of the Precursor matches the articulated helmet that currently hides his face. Two rifles rest in their holsters on the sides of his industrial pack.

'Quite the endevour, isn't it,' Sophia, his integrated AI comments.

"Indeed. This is what they've been training us for," he replies out loud while sifting through the data flowing through his overclocked rig.. "Now, where is my squad?"

After a long voyage through the Drift, the bulk of the Starfinder fleet has arrived at the outer reaches of the Scoured Stars system. Several immense carriers form the core of the fleet and contain docked transport ships, fighter craft, and scout vessels. Each of the stored ships contains armor, weapons, provisions, and other equipment. There is an almost palpable feeling of tension and excitement as hundreds of Starfinders aboard the central carriers prepare themselves for the mission. Ahead, a shimmering veil of golden energy conceals the three stars known to be within.

Venture-Captain Naiaj, a no-nonsense bleachling gnome, approaches with a datapad in hand. “Do you have all your gear? Are you ready? Good. Now let’s help our fleet get ready for the final journey into the Scoured Stars. But first, tell me your names and what special training you have so we can assign an appropriate task for you to assist with.”

Now is a good time for introductions and any last minute purchases. Also take this moment to slot your Boons. It is recommended to slot the First Skirmish Boon from Starfinder Society: On the Trail of History if you have it.

Venture-Captain Naiaj, Venture-Captain Arvin, and the faction leaders Fitch, Historia-7, Radaszam “The Dealmaker”, and Zigvigix can be seen gathering groups around the ship, assigning tasks to help with the preparations.

You may each visit with each of the leaders if you wish. You can split up or focus on one or two with aid another checks. Don’t roll just yet. This is just to give an idea what skill checks will be helpful.

"Triune Innovator Hawthorne and Sophia, software and hardware specialists, reporting, Venture-Captain," the rust-skinned Akitonian answers Naiaj. "Good to see you again."

She nods at Hawthorne. "Excellent! Good to see you too agent."

Venture-Captain Naiaj takes you to the hangar bay. “All right, let’s get to work. See all these ships here? Work with the chief engineer to check the engines of these transports, fighters, and scout ships, and help her make any necessary adjustments.” I'll take a Engineering, Piloting, or Profession (Electrician or Maintenance worker) check to get the work done.

"Will do," Hawthorne answers the Venture-Captain.

He seeks out the chief engineer within the hangar. "Point me to the next job on the queue, ma'am."

Once directed to a ship requiring inspection, Sophia begins to collect and analyze physical data as Hawthorne moves through the various systems, guiding to him to areas in need of maintenance or in danger of faulting.

A android who identifies as male, wearing an altered Hidden Soldier Armor walks up. Medrick reporting for duty. I am a experienced combat medic who is currently in school to become a doctor. I hope my services will be of use.

I would ideally work with Radaszam since Medicine but I can work with Fitch if that works better for the group.

An arthropod creature saunters over to the group. Glancing down at it's datapad and back up, it's mandibles seem to shift and stretch...into something similiar to a smile. The thing observes the human and android for a moment before jotting down some notes. A pulsating gauntlet is secured to it's hand, while a pistol hangs at it's side.

'Hello there, I'm Xochitl T'zek!' rings out excitedly in your head. 'Don't worry. I don't expect you to say that...I've been told it's hard for your mouth things to pronouce. Feel free to call me Xo.'
(Xo pronounced 'Show')

'I'm good at talking with lifeforms.' it explains. 'That and stopping my friends from getting hurt with my face...the seem to shoot opponents better when I stand close to it. I've even begun to excel at making decisions!'

'I study the strange beasts of the black and channel the cosmos!'

Ideally, I would likely work with Venture-Captain Arvin to boost moral.

At work - will try to get slotted boons confirmed asap: my standard are still up from my last session.

ALL NECESSARY EQUIPMENT HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY PROCURED AND CHECKED FOR OPTIMAL FUNCTION.
NAME: BUFF-BUT SERIES 9000 DESIGNATION M DOT A CROSS { }
ACCEPTED SOBRIQUET: MAX
SPECIALIZED SKILLS: DIPLOMATIC ENTREATIES, VERBAL AND VISUAL MISDIRECTION, ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS.
NOTE: ALTERNATIVE DIALOGUE OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

(Diplomacy, Bluff, Disguise, Engineering, and Computers are probably my best skills). Would probably prefer to speak with Historia-7 since Max is primarily a Dataphile, but his skills would be well suited to Arvin as well. Will slot boons tonight.

Hawthorne sets to work, and does a marvelous job of it. Thankful for the help, the chief engineer installs a special boost switch in your ship! Once during the adventure, you can force the crew of an enemy ship to take a –2 penalty to all Engineering and Piloting checks made during the round. The use of this ability must be declared at the start of the starship combat round.

Medrick heads over. Radaszam, leader of the Acquisitives, waits for you in the cargo bay. “As you’ve probably surmised, things might get hairy once we’re in the Scoured Stars. Ain’t no glamor in this task, but it’s important—check these weapons, armor, medical supplies, and survival gear, and replace any faulty gear so we all might just make it back home alive.” I'll take a Engineering, Medicine, Perception, or Survival check

Xochitl T'zek heads to Venture-Captain who Arvin briefs you in the access corridor just outside the bridge. “Many Starfinders, especially newer recruits, fear what might await us in the Scoured Stars. Talk to your colleagues and see if you can lift their spirits. You have my permission to be creative— pep talks, jokes, or playing some music through the comm system are each valid options.” I'll take a Bluff, Diplomacy, Profession- relevant skill, or Sense Motive check

Buff-Bot 9000 to Historia-7, leader of the Dataphiles, who shows you the carrier ship’s science station on the bridge. “Thank you for your assistance. Once we jump into the Scoured Stars, we will need to scan the system to locate any survivors from the previous expedition. Please check connections and run tests on the ship’s computers to ensure the sensors, comms, and other critical systems are running without glitches.” I'll take a Computers, Engineering, Perception or Profession (Electrician) check

These boons can be tracked on the HANDOUT LINK

ACKNOWLEDGE. TELEMETRY AND COMMUNICATION SELF-TEST SEQUENCES WILL BE PERFORMED ACCORDING TO RELEVANT STANDARDS.

Computers: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

Buff-bot does a competent job with the diagnostics. Thankful for the assistance, Historia-7 shares a priority code that allows you to divert CPU power from a carrier to your starship, When you fail a Computers check,activate the reward to reroll the check with a +4 bonus.

Once he has finished with his work in the hangar bay, Hawthorne heads to the science lab to receive Fitch's assessment of the telemetry and long range scan data from the Scoured Stars.

0689 walks into the lab to assist fitch with threat analysis. He sits down by a computer and jacks himself in. He begins to run scenarios through his processing unit, back up and increased by his exocortex.

engineering: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19

"Are these the schematics of the archaic starships discovered within the trinary system prior to the event?" Hawthorne asks the android. "They nay provide some insight into current technological threats."

Engineering (Aid 0689): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21

"Hellow eveyrone" pants the lately arrived Gunnz. She is a young, human, woman with a quick grin and friendly attitude.

"Sorry I'm late Captain Naiaj " she pants. "Gunnz reporting for duty... To be honest if I'm going to be flying this baby I'd like to get a good inspection of those engines done first..."

Smiling at the rest of the group she says. "I like flying... but I'm pretty good with the big guns... that's how I got my 'name' afterall!"

Medrick begins the well practiced job of testing the medical supplies. I could test these in my sleep, heck I remember when I was T.A. I am pretty sure I did! Medrick laughs, even if no one around is paying attention to him. He begins checking the supplies.

Medicine: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 23

Max will make his way to VC Arvin to see if his inspiring personality could be put to good use. Can we attempt more than 1 or is it 1 check/PC?

With a nod, Xochitl turns to look at the crowd. Sitting in front of them, it closes its eyes and concentrates for a moment...before suddenly leaping to its feat.

"Men, Women, and in between! We are here to honor our lost loved ones! We owe it to those that went before us to succeed where they did not. Did we not join the Society to explore? To learn?"

"What better way is there than to EXPERIENCE the unknown ourselves?"

Pausing a moment to let its words sink in, the shirren presses forward. "Before I joined the society, I knew not what was beyond the hive. Now, I make decisions every day. I've seen small humans out match the might of a Vesk. I've seen ysoki out-wit androids. I've seen beasts of all sizes and strangeness and....ITS BEEN GLORIOUS!"

"Who knows what lies in the darkness out there. Who knows what wonders and glory await us in the beyond? Should we sit here and stagnant? Should we return home to a mundane existence?!"

"I say NO! Let us not go quietly into the night. Let us go forth and see the wonders that await! let's choose together! LETS EXPLORE THAT GREAT BEYOND!"

Gunnz checks out her communicator and then blinks at 'Buff'.

"You've met Envar too? Awsome. Great guy, but a bit of an air-head if you ask me."

A shy smile creeps across her face. "Sure knows how to show a girl a good time though."

Her nose and whiskers twitching, Fitch, leader of the Wayfinders, reads something on a large screen in the science lab while her children operate other consoles and devices. “Hey, can you help me with something? What we have here is a database built from references to creatures in travelers’ logs and fragments of communication signals that were sent from the Scoured Stars before the force field appeared. Sift through the info and take notes on what kind of threats we might face.”

Fitch then pats one of her nearby children on the shoulder. “See this red guy here, Kirkath? Your notes should be: This is a balor demon, if you see one… RUN!”

0689 begins work with Fitch, and solid progress is made. Hawthorne's help is enough to wrap it up quickly.

Going through the information gives you a good idea of what type of monsters they might face: misshapen abominations, carnivorous plants, dead things, megafauna, robots, terrible extraplanar beings, and worse. You can reroll one check to recall knowledge about any creature they encounter within the Scoured Stars, OR once during the adventure, the you can instead activate this reward to gain a +4 bonus to each of their initiative checks for that encounter. Unlike most rewards, you can choose to do this after rolling initiative but before the combat begins.

Apologies, something came up, so I'll be AFK for a few hours. When I get back I'll wrap up the other posts. You guys are rocking it now, so we're well ahead of schedule.

Indeed, Gunnz's conversation with Naiaj gets a pointed reply, "We need to be ready for anything. Anything. The last thing you want to be doing when things go south is figuring out who does what." Use the Discussion Tab to pick your starship roles.

Medrick makes efficient work out of his task, as the party continues to impress. Radaszam thanks you for your help. Once during the adventure, each PC can requisition a weapon with an item level up to your level + 1 for the duration of one mission. The group must use this ability prior to starting a new encounter. The weapon comes with a fully charged battery or full magazine. Additionally, you can also requisition a single consumable item with an item level equal to your level. These consumables cannot have permanent effects, and PCs who do not use them during the course of the scenario must return them at the end of the adventure.

Xochitl rounds things off with a tremendous success. The overall morale improves, and you can rely on your allies to help when the going gets rough. Once during the adventure, the group can gain the benefit of aid another (+2 bonus) to all skill checks and attack for 1 round. In place of the reward above, once during the adventure, when the table uses an Aid Token, they get two benefits instead of one, but cannot choose the same effect twice.

-------------
You can aid, though it must be the same exact skill, not merely the same goal. By my count the only one remaining is Zigvigix.

"We do not want anyone to falter in a dog fight due to a rusty missile tube," the Triunite priest says prepares several tools. "We'll go find Ziggy. Who's coming with?"

Suddenly, every screen aboard the Starfinder fleet switches to show nominated First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo standing next to a golden obelisk about two feet in height. Behind her, a large observatory window showcases the Godshield, a shimmering force field surrounding the Scoured Stars system. Luwazi Elsebo slowly lifts her eyes from the artifact and addresses the Society.

“Starfinders, this is the Tear, an ancient artifact some of our most skilled agents recovered during a recent mission. The Tear is our key back to the Scoured Stars—our key to liberating those who were lost a year ago. We are ready, so let’s not waste any more time.”

Luwazi Elsebo speaks a few words in an alien language and the artifact start humming softly. She then traces her finger along the artifact’s surface, and a set of glowing runes appear around the obelisk. The golden field surrounding the Scoured Stars starts twisting upon itself, and massive gashes appear as the force field starts tearing itself apart. As the final shreds of the shimmering field evaporate, Elsebo speaks: “It is time. Good luck, Starfinders. Fleet—activate Drift engines! Go!”

One by one, the ships of the fleet pierce the veil between the Material Plane and others, splashing through space like it was water, and then vanish into the swirling depths of the Drift.

*****

Whisked away through the Drift, the Starfinder Society fleet spreads across the three solar systems that form the Scoured Stars. The ships begin scanning the planets, asteroids, and other objects orbiting the three distinct stars. The fleet’s long-range sensors soon start picking up communication signals, energy signatures, and signs of life. After a quick analysis, the Society has identified a few locations where information on the lost Starfinders is most likely to be found. After nearly a year of waiting, the search for survivors can begin!

Table GM’s conclude your preparation phase and you are now set to start Part 1.

Max, having little experience in the pilot's seat, and also dreading the possibility of 'Star Sugar Heartlove' related head trauma, opts to double check his work with Historia-7 instead. Upon hearing the announcement from Luwazi, he quickly moves to meet back up with his compatriots.

Gunnz secures herself in the pilots seat.

"Those of you who have flown with me before.. you know the drill. Harnesses on. Double check your neighbour. Please ensure your tray table is folded away, and check your complementry sick bag is at hand."

A moment later everyone is pressed back in their seats as the ship engines red-line with Gunnz hitting max acceleration, perhaps a tad sooner than strictly speaking is needed.

"Yee harr!"

Feel free to make a quick post to wrap up a visit to Zig before continuing!

-------------------------------

Alarms and scanners begin to go off all at once as they try to keep up with all of the information. The Starfinder Society’s fleet has identified five locations where clues about the whereabouts of surviving Starfinders are most likely to be found.

Please refer to Handout #2. You can complete and visit in any order.

While in the Scoured Stars system, the Tear resonates with the Drift engines of the Starfinder vessels in unexpected ways; as the massive ships spread out across the trinary system, they create a network that allows individual ships’ Drift engines to make short jumps in a matter of hours.

The Scoured Stars system consists of three star systems, Agillae, Bastiar, and Callion, which revolve around a common barycenter. There are one or two missions available in each system as detailed below.

• Agillae: Agillae is an orange dwarf star with five planets, all of which are terrestrial planets in the star’s habitable zone. Recon and evacuation missions 1 and 2 take place in the Agillae system.
  
• Bastiar: The largest, brightest, and most massive of the three stars, Bastiar is a yellow dwarf star with eight planets—five terrestrial planets, a gas giant with more than three dozen moons, and two ice giants. Recon and evacuation missions 3 and 4 take place in the Bastiar system.
  
• Callion: The smallest of the three stars, Callion is a red dwarf star with two small, tidally locked planets whose orbits are synchronized so that they are always on the opposite sides of the star. Recon and evacuation mission 5 takes place in the Callion system.

As soon as two people pick a mission, we go. I recommend going with your strengths first as time is of the essence!

"Wait. Shouldn't we know where we'r--" Hawthorne bites his tongue as he clicks his harness in place just in time and the ship accelerates.

'Pilots. Always so showy,' Sophia comments inside the Triunite's head.

Also... which ship are we taking? I vote Pegasus unless you want to use the Sunrise Maiden. I could swap out my starship boon for that ship.

Once Hawthorne's body catches up with the ship's acceleration, he begins to read the analysis that Sophia has made of the sensor data. "There. Agillae-5. I think we're well equipped to deal with the technological debris and data recovery that site likely entails."

"I concur." 0689 comments as he settles into the engineering console. He begins to adjust the controls to his precise liking.

Correcting the link. Please refer to Handout #2. You can complete and visit in any order.

Plugged into a nearby communication station, the Historia- 7’s eyes blink rapidly as she collates data from many teams across the Starfinder fleet. She snaps out of her technological trance and fully opens her eyes. “Greetings, Starfinders. I have assigned your team to a mission on Agillae-5. Our scans indicate that many Starfinder starships from the previous expedition crash-landed on the same spot on the planet, forming an enormous concentration of wreckage that spreads out for miles on the otherwise barren planet. Investigate the ships, locate any survivors, and retrieve any useful data from the ships. We don’t know what caused so many ships to crash-land on the planet, so exercise caution during the investigation.”

Communication Request: Shortly after you begin the descent to the planet’s surface, you receive a communication request from Venture Captain Whiskan. ”There are…….gravitational anomalies…...Turn back now…..”

Hawthorne swings his seat toward the console as the communication request pings their starship. He jacks into the workstation and begins to sift through the digital background.

"Crew, this message is nine months old," Hawthorne informs them as he unfolds the metadata. "I don't think this was aimed at us from the lost Venture-Captain Whiskan."

'It's probably a trap,' Sophia comments.

"It's probably a trap," the Triunite says simultaneously with his AI's thoughts.

Can not possible make that sense motive.
computer dc 20: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
culture dc 20: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16Darn dice!

That sounds serious! The anomalies would explain all the crashes. Maybe we should take the advice...

"I wouldn't trust the message. At best the signal is caught in a temporal loop or time dilation," Hawthorne cautions. "Either way, you're right, we should be alert."

He shifts through the long and short range sensor data.

My vote is either for the Pegasus, I am a big fan of strong maneuverability.

Ahh, I see. I missed that information. I believe that we must move forward to understand what is going on. Clearly something odd is happening.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 3 + 1d6 ⇒ (7) + 3 + (5) = 15
Computers: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
Culture: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Rats!

Max looks up from his console and arches an eyebrow. IS THERE ANY INDICATION REGARDING FOR WHOM THE MESSAGE WAS INTENDED? GIVEN THE SIZE OF THE FORCE SENT ON THIS EXPEDITION, IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT IS EITHER AMONG US OR AMONG THE MISSING.

SM: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
computers: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19
culture: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

Gunnz looks a little disapointed at not visiting the starships. "Maybe we can try to get onto Bastiar-7 next?" she asks hopefully.

She listens to the message. "She doesn't sound very formal, maybe she was sending it to someone she knew well? Lets take care in our approach."

She double checks her harnesses and then takes the Pegaus in closer to allow the scanners to see what is happening.

"I'd say among the missing, given the age of the message," Hawthorne says over his shoulder at Max.

I vote for pegasus as well. Also a big fan of maneuverability.
Culture: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

Haphazardly snapps in it's harness, Xochitl quickly tugs out it's data-pad and furiously jots down notes about the hoo-mans and bot-man as they interact.

'I don't mind any of them. I just REALLY hope we get to see some new type of sentient life. I soooooo love meeting new people.' it broadcasts. Looking over their pilot, it shrugs. 'Message could be invalid, could be a trap. If it's accurate, are you comfortable landing this thing?'

The shirren anxiously awaits the response, data-pad at the ready.

"Hopefully they have some artificial gravity projector or the like. I am not that experienced in floating through space."

"Either way, lets head in and get a closer look"

The crew continues to discuss as Hawthorne checks the sensor data. There's... something wrong though.The ship’s sensors indicate nearby gravitational anomalies, and the ship starts gently shaking.

computers, take 10: 10 + 12 = 22
physical science, take 10: 10 + 11 = 21
perception, take 10: 10 + 10 = 20

"This data is false, we can get more accurate information. We may have to do this ourselves."

"I am going to head down to the engine room. This shaking feels like it coming from there." He looks around the room, " I may need a second, can one of you all come down with me?"