Into the Void

Game Master Peet

Dawn swivels the energy weapon to set her sights on Nyizin. She fires, but the shot goes wide!

Kinetic Weapon: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (10) - 1 = 9

Thuldas runs a quick and dirty asymptotic translation on the telemetry data pulling from the race's cameras, hoping to fool Ratrod into thinking that he's ten feet further left than he actually is.

Computers check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

You can do it Wint. You CAN do it. Its for Laboni. You MUST help!"

Wint again fires at Ratrod, this time determined to hit and help his good, dear friend Laboni.

attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23

Seeing his shot making a very. very palpable hit

"Woo hoo!!!!!!!!!. I mean, NICE SHOT LABONI!!!"

Seeing Ratrod just in front of them, Iolas grits his teeth. Come on, can't fail now. We gotta do this. Besides, if we lose at a junkrace I'll never hear the end of it back home.
Fortunately, his racing expertise pays off. Rounding a curve, he manages to slide the racer and align it so the craft will be able to avoid most acute slowdown of the turn.

Piloting: 1d1d20 + 15 ⇒ (9) + 15 = 24

As Dawn lines up her shot she thinks to herself, if he swerves, I'll miss for sure. But remarkably, Nyizin steadies her Junkracer and flies straight and level, preparing for a boost in speed, and her shot hits!

"Looks like Nyizin is preparing to go flat out and leave Ratrod in the dust- Oh No! Nyizin takes a hit from Laboni, then Lemgem, and then Velocity! Nyizin is losing control... Nyizin Crashes!!! "

Nyizin veers off and strikes a clump of debris a the edge of the track! (no progress this round)

"With Nyizin out this leaves Ratrod with a clear lead! Ooooh! That was a wicked hit from Laboni, but Ratrod keeps control! He fires back, and hits! But Laboni is still following him closely! Followed by Lemgem - no wait! As Lemgem swerves to avoid some debris, Velocity shoots ahead! Orsis is still struggling with his control after that last hit, but he's coming up on Nyizin now!"

PROGRESS ROUND 2
LABONI - 1000 feet
LEMGEM - 750 feet
NYIZIN - 550 feet
ORSIS - 500 feet
RATROD - 1100 feet
VELOCITY - 800 feet

Okay. time for round 3! Gimme some more rolls!

Thuldas: You can try to mess up one of Ratrod's rolls, either piloting (by trying to deceive him about the track ahead) or attacks (by deceiving him about your junkracer's position), and I will normally assume that your priority is his piloting roll (since even if he hits you your piloting check is really good) but if you would rather screw up his attack let me know. If you really want you could do both like a full attack with a -4 to both rolls.

Edit: I corrected something off on my first post.
Our astounding luck keeps on rolling; nothing above a 10 on the first round. Bit better on the second. :)

The dizzying speed at which things happen on the track makes it hard for Stell to react in time. "Remember, if Ratrod gets hit with an energy weapon, it actually helps him go faster. I think Wint is the better shot. Maybe he should fire the k-gun at Ratrod and Dawn and I can try to aid him. Just one hit and he'll be eating our dust."

Stell focuses, determined to provide something useful for the kinetic weapon attack on Ratrod.

Attack Aid: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12

"Bazz Fazz!"

Dawn switches her computer's display to the vidfeeds, studying Ratrod's movements to aid Wint's attack.

Aid Another Wint: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (20) - 1 = 19

If two people can aid, that is. If not, I'll just use that roll to take a shot at Velocity with the energy weapon.

You can try to mess up one of Ratrod's rolls, either piloting (by trying to deceive him about the track ahead) or attacks (by deceiving him about your junkracer's position), and I will normally assume that your priority is his piloting roll (since even if he hits you your piloting check is really good) but if you would rather screw up his attack let me know. If you really want you could do both like a full attack with a -4 to both rolls.

Full attack? The gods have been generous to me! I might try that later.

Thuldas attempts to manipulate the race telemetry again by adding an artificial obstacle, hoping to force Ratrod to swerve around nothing.

Computers check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

Whelp, there goes my one mulligan.

"I did it once, I can do it AGAIN!"

Wint carefully aims as the cars careen around the track, waiting for exactly the moment when Ratrods attention will be slightly diverted by the track and when a shot will do its best.

Only 1 aid in there, add 2 more if both Stell and Dawn can aid

attack: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 3 + 2 = 12

never mind :-)

He says, far less loudly than last time
"Just trying to make her overconfident"

"Keep cool, everyone," Stell cautions. "We're only one third of the way. Ratrod is only a little ways in front and everyone else is already falling behind us."

Despite the hit from Ratrod, Iolas manages to control the vehicle, his instinctive talent for spatial relations helping to compensate for the damage to one of the rear stabiliser fins.

Piloting: 1d20 + 15 - 4 ⇒ (10) + 15 - 4 = 21

If two people can aid, that is. If not, I'll just use that roll to take a shot at Velocity with the energy weapon.

Hmmm... well, I hadn't considered that originally. Since Stell is using her own computer that is not a part of the remote rig you are using, I'm going to say no. So that's a crit on Velocity.

Despite the hit from Ratrod,

FYI Ratrod hit you last round, and the penalty was already deducted from last round's roll. I haven't rolled yet for enemy attacks this round.

"Looks like Ratrod is hanging on to the lead and just going flat-out... but that was a nasty hit by Lemgem! Ratrod ricochets off a piece of debris! He really lost some ground there! Laboni is coming up from behind, hoping to overtake Ratrod... Wow! Velocity pumps both barrels into Laboni! Laboni is wobbling, but gets off a spectacular shot against Velocity!"

Dawn's energy weapon strikes, and sprays sparks all over Velocity's junkracer!

"That's mutually assured destruction, folks! Laboni and Velocity both lost some ground there. Lemgem manages to pull ahead of Velocity! Nyizin pulls away from Orsis, but a parting shot from Orsis slows him down! Orsis has managed to get clear of the wreckage, and is picking up speed again, but he'll have to really burn it to get back in the running!"

PROGRESS ROUND 3
LABONI - 1250 feet
LEMGEM - 1050 feet
NYIZIN - 925 feet
ORSIS - 750 feet
RATROD - 1375 feet
VELOCITY - 1000 feet

Okay. time for round 4! Gimme some more rolls!

A lot of hits got spread around there and everyone only moved 1/2 speed that round.

Determined to keep Velocity off Laboni's tail, Dawn fires on their racer again.

Energy Weapon vs. Velocity: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (6) - 1 = 5

Okay guys, Just realized I need to Retcon something.

Iolas rolled a 21, and I then deducted -8 for the two hits that Velocity scored this round for a total result of 13. This was enough to go half speed but not full.

But I forgot that Iolas had included the penalty for the hit you took the previous round by mistake. So that -4 modifier should not have been there and Iolas actually rolled a 25. 25 - 8 for the two hits you took this round equals 17, which is enough to go FULL SPEED. Woot!

"Laboni takes the lead!!! Ratrod is struggling to catch up!"

Sorry for the mixup. Here's the corrected progress table:

PROGRESS ROUND 3
LABONI - 1500 feet
LEMGEM - 1050 feet
NYIZIN - 925 feet
ORSIS - 750 feet
RATROD - 1375 feet
VELOCITY - 1000 feet

Okay. Still in round 4! Everyone except Dawn, gimme some more rolls!

Watching Laboni surge ahead on the video feed, Thuldas pumps his fist into the air.

"Bru-ha! Let's do this. Go go go go go!"

Excitedly, the dwarf extracts velocity and position metrics, alters Laboni's apparent speed to make it look as if Ratrod is about to crash into her racer, and then streams the data to Ratrod's HUD, hoping to cause him to swerve needlessly.

Computers check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

"We're in the lead!! We've GOT this!!. Yay us!!!"

Jumping up and down in excitement at being in the lead, Wint is barely looking when he pulls the trigger while shooting at Ratrod.

Which is obvious when his shot goes very, very, very wide

"Sorry. I'll try and calm down and do better next round"

attack on Ratrod: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

I hate my dice rolls. I really do. At least I wasn't piloting :-)

Stell begins to consider ways to help Iolas with the piloting by watching for obstacles ahead and helping him avoid attacks. She tries one last time to aid the gunners.

Gunner Aid: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

Next round, if Laboni is still in the lead, Stell will aid piloting, otherwise she'll continue to try to aid whoever is shooting at Ratrod.

Iolasbot cranks the throttle to full and swerves around a piece of debris.

Piloting: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33

"BOT-A-TRON IS FRIENDS WITH THE R.N.G."

"Laboni is holding the lead... a flurry of blasts going everywhere... looks like everyone but Orsis was hit at least once! Most of our racers keep on going... but Lemgem falters and Velocity speeds past her! Now here comes Nyizin! She's flying straight and level, always a risky move in SCRAP BATTLE! But she's eating up the track like there's no tomorrow! She shrugs off a hit from Orsis, she passes Lemgem, now Velocity, and she's coming up fast behind Ratrod! Looks like she's not out of the race yet!"

PROGRESS ROUND 4
LABONI - 2000 feet
LEMGEM - 1300 feet
NYIZIN - 1675 feet
ORSIS - 1250 feet
RATROD - 1875 feet
VELOCITY - 1400 feet

Okay. Now for round 5! Everyone gimme some more rolls!

Just a reminder: You have the ability to double your speed for 1 round, but this could potentially permanently reduce your speed by 50% afterward (50% chance). You could wait until next round, but if you use the ability now and make the piloting roll you hit the finish line this turn.

Dawn shifts her aim to Nyizin and opens fire!

Energy Weapon: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (20) - 1 = 19

Lol, so many crits!

Stell uses the media feeds to scout out a good fast path through the scrap piles ahead and gives Iolas suggestions for a fast route to the finish line.

Piloting Aid: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

Can Bot-a-tron put in a good word with the RNG for Stell? She's got an average of 6 on her past 4 rolls. Sigh.

"BOT-A-TRON IS FRIENDS WITH THE R.N.G."

I like to imagine them having coffee together in a quiet coffee shop, yelling a pleasant conversation at each other.

Holding his computer close to his face, Thuldas does a little dance in place as he watches Laboni maintain her lead.

"Oh oh oh oh oh! C'mon! C'mon! Go go go go go go!"

He splits off a copy of the feed, violently tapping the holographic edges with his thumb and pinkie, creating a stuttering video that mirror-flips at random. Extracting the corrupted metadata, he feeds the results directly to Ratrod's racer.

Computers check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

He splits off a copy of the feed, violently tapping the holographic edges with his thumb and pinkie, creating a stuttering video that mirror-flips at random. Extracting the corrupted metadata, he feeds the results directly to Ratrod's racer.

Are you trying to mess up his piloting roll here or his gunnery roll? I can't tell from your description.

Are you trying to mess up his piloting roll here or his gunnery roll? I can't tell from your description.

Oh, I should have mentioned that. I'm targeting his piloting role.

Do we want to take the chance with the speed boost? I’m inclined to think we should.

Iolas flips the boost switch on his piloting display and guns the engine. The racer tears towards the finish line, jets of plasmatised flame shooting from the engine. Whether that’s an indication of the racer’s power or the instability of the engine isn’t apparent. He mutters, ”Come on, come on, come on! We can finish this!”

Piloting: 1d20 + 15 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 15 + 2 = 35

I’m goin for the boost. With how high my roll is everyone in the match would need to fire on us and hit for us to fail the roll.

Because you just hit the finish line I'm going to bot Wint so we can wrap this up.

As Labonis' racer pulls ahead of the pack, Wintbot takes one last shot at Ratrod.

Wint vs. Ratrod: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

"Laboni pulls ahead... in a huge burst of speed, leaving Ratrod behind! Oh, no! Nyizin comes under a withering barrage of fire and crashes again! Orsis and Lemgem are having trouble, but Ratrod and Velocity are still coming on strong... but none of them can catch up to Laboni! She's flying like a sun-diving asteroid straight for the finish line... here she comes... it's Laboni! Laboni wins the race!!! Laboni is the winner of SCRAP BATTLE!!!"

PROGRESS ROUND 5
LABONI - 3000 feet Winner!
LEMGEM - 1550 feet
NYIZIN - 1675 feet
ORSIS - 1500 feet
RATROD - 2425 feet
VELOCITY - 1800 feet

Just for fun:

PROGRESS ROUND 6
LABONI - 3000 feet Winner!
LEMGEM - 1850 feet
NYIZIN - 1675 feet
ORSIS - 2000 feet
RATROD - 2975 feet
VELOCITY - 2200 feet

PROGRESS ROUND 7
LABONI - 3000 feet Winner!
LEMGEM - 2350 feet
NYIZIN - 2425 feet
ORSIS - 2500 feet
RATROD - 3525 feet Second Place
VELOCITY - 2600 feet

PROGRESS ROUND 8
LABONI - 3000 feet Winner!
LEMGEM - 2850 feet
NYIZIN - 2800 feet
ORSIS - 3000 feet Tied for 3rd place
RATROD - 3525 feet Second Place
VELOCITY - 3000 feet Tied for 3rd place

The crows goes wild as Laboni pulls the racer back to the pit, waving at the cheering crowd. You rush out of the maintenance shed to meet her.

"We won - I can't believe it! That was amazing!" she shouts over the roar of the crowd as she runs towards the group. "That wasn't even close! We left everyone in the dust, even Ratrod!"

"You guys were the greatest!"

Soon you and Laboni are swarmed by officials, reporters, and cheering fans. As Laboni is dragged off she calls back to you:

"I think this is going to be a while... talk to me after!"

Shortly after Laboni is carried off for the winner's presentation, interviews, and other ceremonies, you get a call from Radaszam. The stadium is too loud so you return to the maintenance shed to take the call.

"Well, I have to say congratulations. It seems you pulled it off after all! I appreciate a job well done. The reputation of the Starfinders is untarnished, and the operation has paid for itself in the form of prize money. Operations that pay for themselves are the best kind! The Society needs all the resources it can get right now. But don't worry... I've authorized Laboni to issue you a share of the purse."

"The show's producers have already contacted me about making Laboni a regular figure on the show. This wasn't what I had in mind originally, and I have to wonder how long that will last. But Laboni may be able to make good contacts within the scrap union while she is here, so it may be worth taking her off the field agent roster."

"Stick around until Laboni is able to see you off properly. And then I understand your initiation has only one task left, so I will wish you good luck. I'm sure I will be seeing more of you later on."

Iolas is grinning from ear to ear, or at least the closest that a nuar can. ”We did great! I would’ve loved to be in the cockpit, but I’m sure there’ll be other chances. Besides, we won, and that’s about all that matters right now.”

So, the trick is to let the GM roll for me, eh? :-)

Wint bounces around like an excitable ... uh, Skittermander :-). NOT at all like a hyperactive 12 year old on a sugar rush. Nope, not like that at all. TOTALLY different

"Yay us, we did it!! I mean, yay Laboni, SHE did it. With a little help from her friends"

Later, when talking to Radaszam

"Sir, it may be better for her to quit as a winner. We DID help her fair bit. Without us I think Ratrod will win the next race. Especially since we might have blown her engine"

Dawn can feel the group's excitement wash over her. She smiles, letting herself get caught up in it as well. "We won! Praise be to Sarenrae! Well done, everybody! I quite enjoy bot racing!"

Thuldas runs off very briefly, coming back with an armful of celebratory beverages from a nearby concessions stand and passes them out to whomever takes one. "Let us remember this day, for it's a fine day to be rememberin'!" He grins as he takes a deep pull. "M' Ma used to say that whenever she had a good day in th' shop. This feels a touch more excitin', though!"

Stell watches as Laboni tears away toward the finish line, getting more and more excited the closer she gets. Once the racer has crossed the finish line and safely decelerated, Stell removes her earbuds and jumps up and down hugging anyone nearby.

As the celebrations begin, Stell pulls out her violin, knowing a great media opportunity when she sees one, and begins an impromptu concert, dancing as she plays and even getting ideas for a new song.

Profession (Musician): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

As things wind down, she reminds everyone, "Let's keep our eyes open, in case Ratrod carries a grudge that he wants to settle off camera."

"Sir, it may be better for her to quit as a winner. We DID help her fair bit. Without us I think Ratrod will win the next race. Especially since we might have blown her engine"

Radaszam chuckles.

"I am inclined to agree, little one, and I fear this episode has gone to her head. But even losing can have its advantages, as long as the Starfinders' reputation is not on the line. Her goal won't be to win, even if that is what she wants to do. It will be to develop contacts there in Botscrap."

"If there's nothing else I'll wish you good luck. We'll talk next time I have a mission for you."

Radaszam logs off.

The group is able to watch much of the closing ceremonies on the vidscreens around the track.

The Scrap Battle Cup is a shiny ceremonial cup that looks like it was made out of chrome automobile parts. Nevertheless she gushes when she is awarded it and shows tears of appreciation.

She apologizes to Ratrod for her earlier comments that sparked the feud, and acknowledges that he is a prime racer. The two shake hands as they share the victory podium.

It takes the better part of an hour after the broadcast is over before Laboni returns to the pit. She has a happy look on her face and though she seems tired she still has the glow of victory about her. She is carrying a large duffel bag.

When Laboni returns, Stell plays a victory song for her before the group departs.

Stell plays the Pact World equivalent of "We are the Champions."

"Hey, guys! God, that took forever," Laboni moans, laughing.

"Guess what? They offered me a regular spot on the show! Yeah, I'lll be running in this race every week! I've already got some neat ideas for upgrades, as soon as I clean up the engine. I'm gonna be a celebrity! And I couldn't have done it without you guys!"

She pulls a credit chit from the duffel bag.

"Radaszam already took most of the prize money, but he said to give this share to you guys."

The credstick has 400 credits on it.

"Also, I totally made up with Ratrod. He gave me this," she offers the duffel bag to the group. "Said his scrap guys found the parts and put it together, and he thought a Starfinder might be able to use it."

Inside the duffel bag is a battered suit of graphite carbon skin armor.

"So... yeah. I gotta get back... apparently there's a bunch of contracts I gotta sign. Radaszam is sending an agent over for me. So I'll see you later! Thanks for everything!"

Laboni waits a few moments for the group to say their goodbyes and then hustles back towards the main buildings.

"Congratulations, Laboni. May you have continued success in future races."

Once she has departed, the android turns to the others. "I believe this armor would be an upgrade for several of us, though it is a bit bulky. I will yield to any of you who might wish to claim it, though I would use it if nobody else wants to."

After the matter of the armor is settled, she continues. "Only one task remains before us. Let us return to the Lorespire Complex and meet with Historia-7 of the Dataphiles."

"Only one task remains before us. Let us return to the Lorespire Complex and meet with Historia-7 of the Dataphiles."

"Ready to head back to the 'Spire. I'm excited to see what th' Dataphiles have in store fer us!"

"Laboni, you ROCK!!! Don't forget us now that you're famous!"

...

"Yup, lets meet with Historia. That should be fun!"

Stell eyes the armor appreciatively. "Tell Ratrod thanks for the armor. It's a big jump up from what most of us have. And thank you, Laboni, for the credits. I'll compose a song about racing and post it to help with your ratings. If you like it, let people know about it."

Looks like Stell and Dawn have the lowest AC right now so perhaps we can draw straws for who gets to use the armor? But if someone who will be fighting in the front line wants it, Stell wouldn't mind waiting a bit longer for some better armor. Also, do we want to split all credit payments evenly or hold onto it and keep some kind of group fund and let people draw on it as they need things?

"Let's see what's next," she says to the group once Laboni departs.

Also, do we want to split all credit payments evenly or hold onto it and keep some kind of group fund and let people draw on it as they need things?

I've been taking a fifth of each cash price as we go, but that's undoable.

Stell Zee-Linn wrote:

Also, do we want to split all credit payments evenly or hold onto it and keep some kind of group fund and let people draw on it as they need things?

I've been taking a fifth of each cash price as we go, but that's undoable.

I've always liked the idea of having "the group" get a share. That usually gives it enough for healings, bribes, etc.

"Well, congratulations Laboni. Hope some day we can race against each other. Give Ratrod my thanks for the armour too. We'll make sure it gets used"

Once the group has finished up at the racetrack Iolas says, "Alright then, let's get over to Lorespire and see what Historia's got for us to do."

Once again you return to the Lorespire Complex, home and heart of the Starfinder Society, is a striking campus dedicated to knowledge. Communal labs and historical departments study the Archives’ massive collection of artifacts and texts, gathered by generations of agents from across the galaxy. A quick search of the directory indicates Historia-7 frequents the Archives’ Cortex, a computerized matrix containing digital records of the Starfinder
Society’s most prominent discoveries.

The android reclines on a raised chair and is plugged into the local infosphere when the doors open. The neural cables detach themselves from her neck as she swivels in her seat to address the new arrivals.

“Greetings, Starfinders,” she says calmly. “I am Historia-7. If you are seeking a mission from me, please be aware that my request requires both discretion and speed. Do not accept it if you feel incapable of working within these parameters.

“I discovered someone recently hacked into Bluerise Tower’s computer systems and stole a large amount of sensitive data from the resident corporations. I wish to be privy to this information. I managed to trace the hacker’s location through many proxies and erased the trail so that station and corporate security should be delayed in their pursuit. This deception will not fool them for long, so you must move quickly to retrieve the data before they can recover it. I will leave you to decide what to do with the hacker afterward, but should it be feasible, I believe that person would be an asset to the Society.”

“Here are the co-ordinates for the location the hacker used to make this infiltration,” Historia-7 says, as a file appears in your inbox. “There is no guarantee however that the hacker has remained at this locale.” It shows coordinates that are in a residential district of the nearby Drifter's End neighbourhood.

Sorry those should be culture checks.