Magnus bounds back up the stairs, spits out a grenade and tosses it into the fray, but the blast is mostly absorbed by the shrubbery.
Magnus' grenade explodes to good effect, causing everyone to duck and pause for a moment mid action.
The mercenary attacking him, follows him up the stairs, "Come here you slippery rat!" and attempts again to flatten him with his hammer.
Magus staggers under the blow.
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I think Nevynxxx is questioning whether what a Solarian can do is general knowledge - and therefore her allies (and possibly enemies) would know to keep away from her as her glow increases.
I have been assuming the other characters either are not aware of a typical Solarian's abilities and/or they don't know exactly what she's going to do and when, so have had Latheera warning people telepathically to stay away. So far Magnus has kind of ignored or not understood, and I have probably left my warning to Tofana too late - didn't have the foresight to post before you took your turn.
With Tof's thrust, merc one falls in a gargle of blood.
The mercenary attacking Magnus shakes his head...
Merc two again swings her large hammer at Latheera.
this time finding a hole in her defences.
Exegara takes another shot with her pistol, this time at Tofana...
Exegara's shot at Tofana goes wide of the mark, and leaves a blackened mark on the wall behind.
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“Thanks,” says Latheera, nodding to the downed mercenary as she steps over him. “You’re not much of a sweet-talker though are you?”
The glow of Latheera’s solar armour has increased to an almost blinding intensity as she dashes around past her other attacker.
Suddenly a small star explodes, centred on Latheera’s location as a wave of superheated plasma sweeps out in a sphere around her, encompassing the mercenary and the Eoxian.
When the stellar fire fades, Latheera stands unharmed, her solar armour now reduced to a dull glow.
Both the Merc and Exegara struggle to react to the sudden burst of energy, but the Merc manages to hide partially behind some plants.
Magnus opens fire even as the nearest mercenary bears down on him.
"Have some, punk!"
The Merc sees Magnus raise his weapon, and takes the chance to thrust out his hammer, smacking Magnus right in the middle.
The Ysoki's shot though is unaffected, and a blast of energy goes right through the center of the man's head, hleaving nothing but a corpse on the floor.
Magnus leans over heavily as the mercenary falls, winded by the blow.
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"Communication need only be clear. Not pleasant."
Tofana steps out of the weeds and walks up the path toward the mercenary, her arm fully extended, pointing the pulse caster at him. Just short or the sweep of his hammer, she fires at the mercenary.
...
If Korskal somehow takes out merc 2, then move to J6 instead, or I6 if Latheera's in J6. Ready action to shoot if Exegara attacks.
As Korskal takes care of Magnus, Tofana moves to shoot the remaining merc. Her shot misses, but the Merc looks around at the state of his fellow hirelings, and decides better of the fight. She ducks and runs for the South.
Exegara looks at the carnage, and her fleeing minion, and signs. She drops her weapon, and raises her hands.
"Ok, ok. I surrender."
Feeling much better, Magnus picks up his shotgun and trots down the stairs, his pistol trained on the Eoxian.
Korskal moves to each of the mercs to determine their condition. Seeing the forehead shot, he shakes his head and closes the corpse's eyes, moving to the other.
unless you start using non-leathal damage.
We appear to be at an impasse until someone starts talking.
"Ok, punk, now we've been introduced," growls Magnus, pointing his gun at the undead woman's skull, "Those Starfinder insignia you sold to the vesk - where did you get them? Answer quick or you might find out what it's like to really be dead."
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Latheera wipes blood off her sword onto some nearby leaves, then rests the still naked blade on her shoulder and saunters over to stand to the left of Magnus. “I’d listen to the ysoki if I were you,” she says conversationally to the Eoxian. “He gets pretty mad when people try to kill him, and he really likes shooting fools. Now … you’re not going to be foolish are you? Come to think of it I don't much like people trying to kill me either ... Telling us where you got the insignias from seems like the real smart choice at this point.” Despite the seemingly pleasant tone there is a hard edge of threat in the solarian's voice.
Up close it is obvious that Exegara is a ghoul. She stands impassive, her grey, semi-dead skin glistening with condensation. She is not easily intimidated. But she knows when she is beaten.
"I was aboard a ship, called the Endless Threnody. I was not on the bridge, so I do not know all of the details. But we went to salvage from a ship. The insignias were something we found on the crashed ship."
"What ship? Where? Quick!"
"Presumably, it was your Pathfinder's ship. I have no idea where it was. As I say, I wasn't on the bridge. I just know it was a desert world."
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Once it is clear that combat is over, Wayf will return the autopistol whereupon they very obviously drop out of combat mode.
"Wow that was scary, but you were all awesome. That was fantastic Latheera. Magnus, do you need some help?" Wayf starts to take out some medical supplies.
"So are you really undead? How did you know about the ship? Was there some sort of beacon? A desert world. Not very hospitable. I guess if you are dead then it wouldn't be too awful, would it?"
"So you just happened to be on a ship? You just happened to pick up some insignia? But you don't know where you were, and somehow you just didn't think to ask? You're either holding out, or too dumb to live. Neither is smart." He straightens his arm and takes careful aim at the Eoxian's head, finger tightening on the trigger.
The Ghoul looks at Wayf as they whitter on, and ignores most of the questions. It's not obvious if that is becasue there were too many for the undead to process, or if it just doesn't recognise the machine as something to respond to.
"Were there bodies to go with those isignia?"
"There may have been, I really didn't take much notice, dead flesh is useless to me."
"So you just happened to be on a ship? You just happened to pick up some insignia? But you don't know where you were, and somehow you just didn't think to ask? You're either holding out, or too dumb to live. Neither is smart." He straightens his arm and takes careful aim at the Eoxian's head, finger tightening on the trigger.
"You do not understand military service, do you rat? I have not been with the Dread Fleet for long. I do not rank highly enough to be entrusted with information unnecessary to my mission. I was set down on a planet with a mission to recover useful objects. I know the system, my mother-ship is still there. Awaiting the parts I am retrieving to repair it."
The insult riles Magnus. "I've been fighting all my life, you undead freak! Don't tell me about military service! Or did you fail to notice you lost this battle while you hid behind your hired muscle? So what system? And what's the name of you mother-ship, its type and the parts you're here to pick up?"