"Thanks loads, Sunny," Diedre says as she looks over the displayed data. "I think we're going to stick with real-space for this trip."
"Aye aye, Cap! Setting course." As Sunny guides the Moriko away from the chaos of Absalom, the engines settle into a gentle purr, giving a soft aural background to the absolute silence of interplanetary space.
COORDINATE
Activity: You spend the day training with at least one other creature who is performing the coordinate activity. Up to six creatures can train together this way, as long as each is using the coordinate activity.
Results: On the following day, when you grant a creature you trained with a bonus using aid another, covering fire (Core Rulebook 246), or harrying fire (Core Rulebook 247), you can increase that bonus by 1.
Multiday: For each consecutive day you spend coordinating with an ally, you increase by 1 the DC of Sense Motive checks to discern secret messages that you and that ally pass to one another using Bluff, up to a maximum of 7 higher. This increase lasts for the number of days you spent coordinating.
DRILL
Activity: Choose a single task of a specific skill (such as the balance task of Acrobatics) that takes 1 minute or less. If you are on your starship, you can instead choose a non-gunner starship crew action (Core Rulebook 322) that doesn’t require a Resolve Point. You spend the day practicing the chosen task or crew action. At the end of the day, attempt a skill check appropriate to the chosen task or crew action—if you chose the overpower crew action, for example, you’d attempt an Engineering check. If you drill a task, the DC for this check is equal to 15 + 1-1/2 × your character level. If you drill a crew action, the DC is equal to 15 + 1-1/2 × your starship’s tier. You can’t take 20 on this check.
Results: On a success, the first time the next day you attempt the chosen crew action or skill check, you can take 10, even if stress or distractions would normally prevent you from doing so. If you exceed the DC of the drill check by 10 or more, you can also take 10 the second time you attempt the chosen action or check.
EXPLORE FUTURES
Activity: Choose a creature and attempt a Mysticism check or, if you have access to a computer of tier 5 or higher, a Computers check. The DC of this check is equal to 10 + 1-1/2 × the target’s character level or CR. You can’t take 10 or 20 on this check.
Results: On a success, the character whose futures you explored can reroll one d20 roll during the following day. A given creature can gain the benefit of explore futures only once per day.
LOUNGE
Activity: You spend the day engaging in any number of easygoing hobbies and entertainments. You must have a comfortable space in which to relax, requiring access to at least good or luxurious crew quarters (Core Rulebook 298) on a starship, efficiency or suite-level lodgings in a settlement (Core Rulebook 235), or similar facilities elsewhere. At the GM’s discretion, you can lounge in other places—for instance, you might hang out in a tech workshop to do some low-key arts and crafts.
Results: On the following day, you gain temporary Hit Points (Core Rulebook 251) equal to half your character level (minimum 1); this effect ends at the end of that day. You also gain a +1 morale bonus to the first saving throw you attempt that day.
RESEARCH
Activity: You spend the day studying to gain working knowledge of a single specific topic. This could be a medium-sized corporation, a large settlement, a prominent individual or criminal organization, or something similar; the GM has discretion on what qualifies. Regardless of the topic, you must have access to an infosphere, downloaded data set, or similar source of knowledge that contains information on the chosen topic. You can’t choose a topic that overlaps with your theme’s 1st-level theme knowledge.
Results: For the next week, you can attempt Culture checks to recall knowledge about that topic untrained, and the DC of such checks is reduced by 2. Each time you study a topic in this way, you lose this benefit for the prior topic and gain it for the new one.
Diedre spends the duration of the trip relaxing and doing yoga. There are a few awkward moments as she and Aureum work out privacy schedules in such small quarters. And the half-elf has asked for privacy in the room on a couple of occasions.
The Lashunta is discovering that Diedre's definition of a 'neat and tidy' room is somewhat ... lacking. Any horizontal (or even partially horizontal) surface is a prime spot to pile clothes on. If there's a organizational method involved, it's not made clear.
"Hey, fans!" Diedre says as she waves at the camera. She's broadcasting from the bunk in a small ship's quarters this time. She's wearing a cropped blue t-shirt that just barely covers her breasts - the top portion of them at least. Her hair has been restored to its natural color and hangs loose, curling around her ears. "Diedre here again for another update. As you may already know, my first expedition under the Starfinder banner was a success. I'm now a bonafide Starfinder." She leans forward into the camera, displaying the iconic emblem hanging from the thin material of her shirt.
"Along with that success," she continues, leaning back so her face is in the frame, "came a ship! I ... We are now the proud owners of the beautiful Moriko's Legacy. And it's managed by the ever cheerful, Sunny! Say 'Hello', Sunny."
"Not sure who a'm sayin' 'Hello' to, but Howdy, Y'all," a cheerful voice offers up.
"She's such a sweetie," Diedre says with a smile. She pushes back from the camera and her chair rolls back to her bunk where she retrieves her guitar. With a wider view, it can be seen that she's wearing a pair of dark-blue boy shorts and light gray knee socks with Salena the Skittermander on them. She settles the instrument into her lap and pushes back to the camera. She picks out a reasonably clean riff on the strings - showing significant improvement over the last episode. "We're on our next mission now and we're headed to Castrovel. We're going to stop in at Qabarat University."
Edit Break
"A couple of notices. The next new feature is available in the Members Section. So head on over there to see how flexible I can be. If you're not a member, why not? Sign up and see what I can't show you here." She shakes her chest a little and her breasts threaten to fall out from under her shirt.
"Oh, a shout out to BiddleBow888 for the cool socks," she says, raising one of her feet to give the camera a better view of the items in question. "I also need to point out again that while I love private requests and I'm happy to do them, my hard-limits are outlined quite clearly on my bio page. Continually asking for something that's on there will not put you on my good side. Let it go, already."
Edit Break
Her expression is more introspective. "In answer to the question that a lot of you have sent me; Yes, I have met someone." Her eyes shift for a moment to the other bunk in the small quarters. "But it's still way too early before I know if there's anything there. And, no, I am not asking them to appear here."
She waves at the camera and then blows it a kiss. "Later, fans!"
Lauren spends her three days researching the downloaded videos of the Drift Rock, especially the parts of the exploration that took place inside the alien facilities and dealing with the alien computers and language.
For the most part, Entiren will spend the first two days of the journey resting and relaxing. However, over the final day before they land, he will spend a fairly significant time thinking over what the next day could bring for him.
Before boarding for the trip, Miraj searches for news stories from Triaxus relating to activities of Dretchnyliax, the dragon head of the organized crime syndicate that made his escape and change of identity necessary. He wants to keep up with what is going on at his former home planet.
He also downloads some books about the history and cultures of Castrovel. He picks books in Castrovelian so he can also brush up on his language skills.
Before boarding for the trip, Miraj searches for news stories from Triaxus relating to activities of Dretchnyliax, the dragon head of the organized crime syndicate that made his escape and change of identity necessary. He wants to keep up with what is going on at his former home planet.
He also downloads some books about the history and cultures of Castrovel. He picks books in Castrovelian so he can also brush up on his language skills.
After a couple days of cruising through constant, ever-brightening sunlight, the blue-green marble that is Castrovel becomes visible from the bridge. Over the next several hours, it grows until it fills the screen, tempestuous seas and lush forests gliding underneath the Moriko as she hangs suspended in orbit. With little delay, the Starfinders receive permission to approach from the Qabarat Port Authority, and Entiren initiates the de-orbiting sequence.
As the Moriko rockets down through the atmosphere, the serene flight turns rocky as the nuar guides the old vessel around towering thunderstorms and jagged mountain ranges before finally setting her down on a landing pad in Ship's End, Qabarat's main spaceport.
Lauren: You spend hours pouring over the alien language and computer code you found in the Drift Rock. It still looks fantastically strange, but you begin to pick up a sort of rhythm in the symbols.
Miraj: There is little news coming out of Dretchnyl, but rumors of Dretechnyliax's desire to expand her territory seem to be more abundant than ever. To stave off worry, you bury yourself in A Dummy's Guide to Castrovellian Culture.
Entiren: You spend the final day of travel in meditation, but creeping thoughts of internal parasites prevent you from focusing on the future.
Aureum and Diedre: You spend the majority of your time adjusting to your new (somewhat cramped) cohabitation and decompressing from the last few hectic days.
After a modest wait to get through customs, the Starfinders find themselves with free access to Qabarat, one of Asana's premier city-states.
"I'd love to find out what the night-life here is like," Diedre says as her eyes move all around trying to take in all the sights the city has to offer - the stereotypical tourist. She then smiles at Aureum and leans in closer. "I've heard that the Uni students here get really wild."
"But we really should probably head right to the university. Once we find out whatever we can from Halkueem Zan's writings, then we can par-tay."
"Par... Tay?" Lauren says from the back, bobbing her bell up and down and twisting attempting to take in everything.
"Yeah, do an info-search on parties or celebrations, narrow the selection down to university students," Diedre says with a grin as she continues to look around. "The term 'Par-Tay' would be classed as a verb to partake of such celebrations in an exuberant fashion - usually with lots of alcohol involved."
Miraj enjoys watching Castrovel from space and keeps glued to a window as the Moriko enters the atmosphere and flies over the lush landscapes. Having grown up on Triaxus during the winter apogee, sights of rich forests and jungles were only available in TriDeo recordings. He looks for features he read about in his studies of the past six days. He snaps pictures and records short video shots of some of the spectacular sights.
Diedre's talk of parties gets him thinking about possibly having some fun after the Starfinder duties are past. He has not had much fun since things got serious on Triaxus. The events on Absolam Station were exciting but they left little time for anything resembling fun.
During the flight down to the landing sight from orbit, Entiren isn't particularly able to take in the sights that this new world has to offer. As such, once they leave the ship, he will let those more familiar to the city guide him. Having spent almost his entire life either on Absalom Station or aboard several different spaceships, the vast open sky and sprawling city around him is much different than what he is used to. For now, he is content to take in the views that Castrovel has to offer along their route.
"I agree that we should probably head to the university before exploring the city."
The Starfinders' comm units chirp, buzz, and/or telepathically pulse in unison as they receive an interplanetary missive, automatically forwarded through Sunny.
<I've been notified that you made it to Castrovel in one piece. Good! Glad to know that that old ship is still space-worthy.
During your flight, I reached out to the head of the linguistic anthropology department at the University, a Professor Muhali. She seems willing to help, but I haven't heard from her in a couple days. Perhaps a face-to-face visit will be more productive.
Best of luck! Please keep me updated.>
The group hails a robo-taxi to carry the group into the heart of Qabarat and to the university. As the taxi wends its way deeper into the city, trees give way to elegant towers of carbon fiber, glass, and steel, each artistically sculpted to create a stunning forest of dazzling skyscrapers. The Qabarat University of Xenoarchaeology and Xenoanthropology is just north of the downtown commercial district and consists of about 10 buildings scattered over a campus of groomed lawns and gardens.
A cursory infosphere search reveals that Professor Muhali's office is in Alsima-Karei Hall, an eight-story building near the center of campus. As the Starfinders enter the lobby, their senses are accosted by an overload of sights and sounds - a small army of journalists and reporters are arguing with the sole receptionist, who stands in front of the elevator with a stern yet mildly panicked expression.
Diedre looks over the pack of journalists and sees that the suffering receptionist is at the end of their rope. She gives a quick nod and, after adjusting her second-skin suit to show a little more cleavage, calls out over the hub-bub.
"Hey, boys and girls! Be nice to the staff or you'll never get what you're looking for!"
Once they turn to her, she steps closer to the nearest one. "What are you after?" she asks in a quieter voice as she flashes her best public smile.
"Hey, boys and girls! Be nice to the staff or you'll never get what you're looking for!"
A few heads turns in Diedre's direction, but she apparently isn't who the crowd is waiting for, and they return to their work.
"What are you after?" she asks in a quieter voice as she flashes her best public smile.
"Hm?" A middle-aged korasha lashunta looks at Diedre, a pencil stub dangling from the corner of his mouth as he fiddles with some recording equipment. "Oh, some professor gave an, ah, incendiary lecture that could be interpreted as a defense of violent xenophobia." He gestures at the crowd at large. "Every local outlet seems to be looking for some sort of statement from the university brass, but I guess they're in hiding."
Miraj pulls out his comm unit and searches for news on what the journalist mentioned, curious if it might be the one they are coming to meed.
The search options are unfamiliar to Miraj, so he struggles a bit. So he asks the journalist if he can refer him to a recording or transcript of the speech.
Miraj pulls out his comm unit and searches for news on what the journalist mentioned, curious if it might be the one they are coming to meed.
Miraj locates a listing of a lecture on campus the previous afternoon sponsored by the Linguistic Anthropology department titled, "Ingrained Sentimentality as an Historic Inhibitor of Cultural Growth", delivered by a Professor Ailabiens 21:2. Most previous lectures have attached transcripts, but this listing has a broken link.
There are few news articles referring to the event, and only bare-bones descriptions consistent with Miraj's understanding of what happened. It seems that most stories are still in the process of being written.
Miraj cross references Professor Ailabiens 21:2 with Professor Muhali and/or Halkueem Zan, just in case this incident has any bearing on the group's mission. He lets Diedre handle the job of getting past the crowd in the lobby.
Then, he takes out his camera and starts taking pictures of the reporters, just in case. With all the other cameras around, he hopes no one will notice.
Lauren spends the entire trip to the university watching The Asana Lampoon's: Fraternity House on the local infosphere, trying to understand the 'par-tay' reference. Still not completely understanding all the social or historical references, she turns off her comm unit as she enters the lobby of the building. As Diedre steps forward, she follows, rising to her full 7ft height and frilling out her feeder tentacles to seem larger.
Lauren spends the entire trip to the university watching The Asana Lampoon's: Fraternity House on the local infosphere, trying to understand the 'par-tay' reference.
Diedre can't help but notice the media that Lauren is consuming on the ride over and points to a character on the screen. "I tried out for that part," she says with a grin. "I figured I'd give mainstream media a shot." She rolls her eyes. "I guess one of them recognized me." She sniffs with a snooty air. "'Not what we're looking for,' they told me." Her eyes return to the display screen as the indicated woman divests herself of her top in a shower of cheap beer. "My boobs look so much better than hers," she says with a shake of her head and returns her attention to the city.
Subtlety not working, Diedre decides to resort to less refined tactics.
"HEY!" she yells out at the assembled throng with her hands cupped around her mouth. "Security is on its way! So unless you want a stun rod up your rear, you'd best be on your way!"
She decides to add a carrot to the stick.
"And it's your lucky day. My friends and I just arrived on Castrovel after exploring the famous Drift Rock. Yes, we were the Starfinders that ventured into it and returned. So if you're nice and civil about leaving, I'll give you a few choice words about it."
Miraj cross references Professor Ailabiens 21:2 with Professor Muhali and/or Halkueem Zan, just in case this incident has any bearing on the group's mission.
Miraj finds that Ailabiens 21:2 is an associate professor in the linguistic anthropology department, so Professor Muhali is likely his boss. Neither researcher is associated with the writings of Halkueem Zan.
"HEY!" she yells out at the assembled throng with her hands cupped around her mouth. "Security is on its way! So unless you want a stun rod up your rear, you'd best be on your way!"
She decides to add a carrot to the stick.
"And it's your lucky day. My friends and I just arrived on Castrovel after exploring the famous Drift Rock. Yes, we were the Starfinders that ventured into it and returned. So if you're nice and civil about leaving, I'll give you a few choice words about it."
Diedre's words cut though the room like a renkroda through a flower garden. Heads turn in confusion and conversations stop as reporters grab their equipment, not sure of which way to go or what to do.
Miraj opens the door to the outside, whistles to get their attention, and says, "Let's not obstruct the halls of learning with distractions. Come outside and we can tell all."
He glances at the door to see if it has a lock, hoping to get them to leave and then lock the door.
"Oh come on people!" Diedre says after a moment when it appears that the reporters are hemming and hawing. "It's not rocket science! Everyone goes outside and waits while we take care of a little bit of business and then you all get an exclusive interview with Diedre Lhashi and the crew of the Moriko's Legacy - the Starfinders that explored the Drift Rock."
How a dozen reporters can each get the same 'Exclusive' interview she doesn't explain and hopes they don't think about too much.
The crowd of reporters looks around, trying to figure out what exactly is going on. Is this half-elf serious? Who is that handsome human ushering them outside? Is this a hotter story than academic scandal?
Miraj guestures out the door again, repeating, "Come outside and we can tell all!" Picking up microphones and datapads, the crowd of reporters mills out the door, following the half-elf and the disguised ryphorian, hoping to get a better story than the one they're currently after.
As soon as the crowd's outside however, both Miraj and Diedre manage to divert attention away from themselves long enough to slip back into the lobby, where Miraj deftly locks the door. The space is now empty, save for the five Starfinders and one perplexed receptionist.
"Is we done good? I not understand questions they is askings. What is 'violent xeno... fob'?" Lauren seems perplexed and on her guard. She tries to stand a little taller in the hopes that noone notices how confused she is.
Diedre rolls her head in frustration at her own lack of finesse in dealing with the crowd of reporters. "I must be losing my touch," She shakes her arms as if shaking out the negative thoughts.
"We did fine," she says to Lauren before taking a deep breath. Turning her eyes on the harried receptionist, she steps up to the desk and gives the receptionist a warm smile.
"Hello there, we're from the Starfinder Society and we'd like to speak with Professor Muhali, please?"
"Hello there, we're from the Starfinder Society and we'd like to speak with Professor Muhali, please?"
"Um," the receptionist looks around, slightly dazed by the sudden turn of events, "I'm afraid that Professor Muhali is quite busy to-"
He stops mid-word, staring at the only other lashunta in the room. "Professor Ophir? What a pleasure to see you again! Trust me when I say that you've been missed here." A smile creases his face, and he sits down at his desk, accessing his computer terminal.
"As I was saying, Professor Muhali is quite busy today. In fact..." he pauses as a bout of efficient typing patters softly, "...she's just about to meet with an old colleague. You do recall where her office is located, yes? On the fifth floor?"
"Yes, of course, an old colleague," Diedre says, taking Aureum's arm with a smile. "Let's go, Professor," she adds with an eyebrow raised in question at her bunkmate.
She draws the woman towards the elevator.
Entiren will have been standing behind the others as they dealt with the pack of reporters, unsure of how best he could help deal with the situation best. He is about to try and help somehow, when Miraj and Diedre are able to deal with the situation themselves. Grateful that he didn't have to deal with the reporters, he looks back to the receptionist as Diedre walks up and begins speaking to him.
As he begins speaking to Aureum, Entiren glances over at her when he refers to her as 'Professor'. However, he doesn't say anything about it, trusting her to tell them what she feels is necessary. When the others head towards the elevator, he follows a few steps behind.
Miraj nods to the receptionist in passing as he follows the others up to the office. His detective’s curiosity is aroused to know more about what the reporters are here to learn. ”I wouldn’t trust those reporters to stay out there for long. One of them is bound to do an end run and get past the front desk.”
Diedre shrugs. "As long as we find out what we need to find out, I don't care if they hang from the chandelier and sing show tunes," she says.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Lauren's mind reals as she heads to the office. She vows to spend the next trip through space watching tri-vids to catch up on her idioms.
”Maybe, but given all zee attacks ve suffered just getting to und from zat drift rock, it makes me nervous zat someone might interfere again. A pack of news hounds might be good cover or maybe the irate prof is part of some scheme.”
"You read those conspiracy info-sites, don't you?" Diedre asks with a grin. "My favorite theory is that the singer, Magda-9, is really the front for a clandestine group that smuggles elf organs. My second favorite is that porn is really being used by the Swarm as a mind-control tool."
Aureum leads the crew to the fifth floor, which contains expansive conference room, wide hallways, and executive offices. Near the center of the building is one such room, bearing a placard that reads, "Department Head, Linguistic Anthropology: Muhali, Ph.D.".
The office is clean, roomy, and orderly. A large desk stands imposingly before a broad window that offers a charming view of a nearby park, and a small table in one corner has a quartet of chairs arranged evenly around it. Near the door is a wide examination table covered with broken fragments of stone, many of which bear incomplete words or letters written in a spiraling text. Several tiny fountains throughout the room burble soothingly and shimmer with soft light.
At the desk is Dr. Muhali herself. She is dark-skinned for a lashunta, with pale green facial markings and purple hair cut in an asymmetrical style. As the Starfinders walk in, she sets down a comm unit and briefly massages the base of her antennae.
"I'm sorry, I have a full schedule this afternoon, I can't... A soft ping emanates from the Professor's computer. "Apparently, I do have time. What do you need? Be quick." Her stern demeanor chills the room somewhat; she doesn't even pull her eyes from the screen in front of her.
Diedre glances at the unusually quiet Aureum before turning on her winningest smile.
"Good afternoon, Doctor Muhali," Diedre says, stepping forward. "My name's Diedre Lhashi. My companions and I are from the Starfinder Society." As she speaks, she approaches the desk and resting her hands on the edge, leans forward just slightly. "I can see that a busy woman like yourself doesn't have a lot of time to spare for simple agents such as ourselves. But we would be extremely appreciative if we could gain access to the writings of Halkueem Zan. We understand that he wasn't the most ... reputable ... researcher. But there may be information there that would help us in our current mission."
"But we would be extremely appreciative if we could gain access to the writings of Halkueem Zan. We understand that he wasn't the most ... reputable ... researcher. But there may be information there that would help us in our current mission."
"I have neither the time nor the inclination to discuss that showboating amateur’s exploits. However, my colleague Doctor Olmehya Solstarni has a strong interest in the ruins of Ukulam..." Muhali examines a screen and scrolls through several pages. "...According to my records, though, she departed on personal leave two days ago."
"Regardless, I’m not in any position to assist you or instruct my department to assist you — not until I can resolve the current debacle." The lashunta gestures out a window at the gaggle of journalists.
"Perhaps we could assist you," Diedre says with a smile as she turns a little and sits partly on the desk. "I'm very good with people. Tell us a little more about what has the pack of dogs all excited."
"Indeed, ve have a wide range of talents. Ve have successfully solved some mysteries on Absalom including recovery of artifacts predating zee gap. If you help us, I'm sure zee Pathfinders will share with zee university."
"Perhaps we could assist you," Diedre says with a smile as she turns a little and sits partly on the desk. "I'm very good with people. Tell us a little more about what has the pack of dogs all excited."
"You’re enthusiastic. And persistent. Maybe that could come in handy." Professor Muhali sighs and rubs her face. "What the university needs right now is to smooth this over quickly, and Ailabiens 21:2 is not listening to anything I say. He has not quite violated enough protocols to be dismissed; firing him would otherwise be good for optics. I think the media would settle for a public apology. If you can convince him to do that, I should be able to handle the rest."
Diedre's smile broadens. "Is he here at the university?" she asks. "If so, we can talk to him right away. And after we finish scratching your back ..." She trails off leaving the rest unsaid.
Diedre's smile broadens. "Is he here at the university?" she asks. "If so, we can talk to him right away. And after we finish scratching your back ..." She trails off leaving the rest unsaid.
"Fourth floor, east side. We can talk when you wring an apology out of him. If you can." Professor Muhali returns to her computer with a fatigued sigh.
A slight frown of annoyance at Doctor Muhlali's brisque brush-off flashes on Diedre's face before vanishing behind her normal smile.
"We'll be back soon," she says in a friendly voice and rises from the desk.
{"Let's go,"} she sends to the others.
”Perhaps give us a summary. Who is Ailabiens 21:2 und vhat did zhey say ... to who ... about vhat?”
While the others speak, Lauren quietly spoogles 'Ailabiens' on her personal comm unit.
”Perhaps give us a summary. Who is Ailabiens 21:2 und vhat did zhey say ... to who ... about vhat?”
"Ailabiens 21:2 is... a colleague of mine. He gave a rather incendiary public lecture last night in which he examined a war from nearly a millennium ago and used the cultural fallout from it to rationalize the genocide of the formian species. Even before the lashunta city-states and formian Colonies signed peace accords thirty years ago, such brutal conclusions would have been dismissed. Now he is fomenting hate crimes under the guise of ‘pure logic’ and anthropology. This is not what the university stands for, but it’s what the public now believes."