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Performing another flying hop, Klysk makes his way onto the next rocky platform. Once there, he sets his feet as he brings his longarm to bear on the saurian beast. Attempting to aim past the nearby rocky outcropping, his weapon lets out a precisley aimed blast of sonic energy.
Deciding to move to a more advantageous position, the Drone will move to the adjacent platform. However, rather than risk the nearby rickity bridge, the Drone chooses to move through the shallow water. Sealing all of its outside ports, it shuffles its way through the narrow channel before scuttling across the rocky platform.
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The dinosaur starts chewing the meal so conveniently in its mouth... and then it drops Valikar, as if it he were something distastful!
- => Buzz
- => Dart
- => Hollis
- => Klysk
- => Valikar
- Dino
U = Unconscious S = Surprised D = Delay
Conditions:
Buzz: 49/49 sp 44/44 hp
Dart: 48/48 sp 46/46 hp
Hollis: 42/42 sp 40/40 hp
Klysk: 35/35 sp 36/36hp
Valikar: 1/50sp 41/41hp
Enemies:
Dino: -45
First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo addresses the Society through communication devices across the Scoured Stars: “Starfinders, thanks to your efforts, we have gathered a large amount of data about the whereabouts of several groups of survivors from the first mission to the Scoured Stars. We have analyzed the data and now know enough to start locating and evacuating our friends and allies. We still need more intelligence on other groups of survivors, however, and we must continue to run reconnaissance missions at the same time.”
First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo pings each of your comm devices. ” Starfinders have recovered a signal beacon from a steamy swamp on Agillae-2. Our analysis of the data indicates there is a large group of survivors on another planet in the same system, and we will soon be ready to commence the evacuation mission.”
Your comm device tune erupts, breaking the silence once again in quick succession as the dreaded group chats will. ”The results of your explorations are coming in fast. Our agents explored a starship graveyard on Agillae-5, where they found many more of our comrades kept comatose in stasis chambers. Our scientists are studying the strange technology so we can decide how to safely release them.”
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Valikar grunts in surprise at the dinosaur scoops him up in its jaws. Then after several annoying moments as it chews new dents into his armor, he lets laugh as it drops him after his upgrades sends a pair of jolts through the bigger lizard's jaws. "Don't like my flavor, huh? Give it another try, big fella." Then he tries to batter either side of the dinosaur's maw with a pair of strikes.
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Klysk will flap over the nearby ridge, before directing his drone to clamber up on top and fire at the large beast.
The drone will climb up onto the ridge, before scuttling along its length to get a clean line of fire. It then actives its laser rifle, firing a beam of intense heat towards the creature.
First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo's voice rings out with more news of hope on each of your comm devices. ”Starfinders have penetrated the defenses of an ancient automated city on Callion-2. They discovered that a group of Starfinders visited the city a year ago, trying to find a way to help other Starfinders stuck on the desert planet of Callion-1. We’ll begin moving resources to Callion-1 immediately.”
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With Dart and Valikar's strikes, the great beast goes down.
Reaching the beacon, you find bones, destroyed equipment, and other evidence that the Starfinders who left the beacon have long since died. However, the beacon contains information about a larger group of Starfinders that established an outpost on another planet in the Agillae system. The information is encrypted, and it will require time onboard one of the larger ships to decipher, so you can now carry on with the other missions.
Luckily for you, a group of landing craft has just become available and can extract you from the site immediately. You do not need to trek back to their starship on foot.
Missions available: (see slides 9&10)
Recon:
- Lifeless Spaces
- The Third Kind (probably closing soon)
Evacuation
- Last Outpost
- Cracked Mirror
- Sands of Oblivion
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You are briefed by Venture-Captain Naiaj. “Ah, there you are. Our scans detected a lone Starfinder starship, the Aeon Horizon, orbiting Bastiar-4. The ship looks fully operational, but we haven’t detected any communication signals. Nonetheless, the ship likely contains hints as to what happened here, so I’m sending you to investigate. See if you can find any survivors, or at least any data logs about the ship’s mission.”
As you approach the derelict ship, the science officer can make a Computers check...
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When the dinosaur collapses, Valikar seems far more excited and springy than worn out by getting chewed on. The messages from command wanting to send them off to another investigation gets the closest thing to a pout it could out of the giant lizard. "Aw, I wanted to go find another one... oh well. Primitive negotiations don't last forever." Then he'll take his time to drop into the comfiest seat possible in their transport and take a power nap while the rest of the team get them to their next destination.
"Wake me up when we get there."
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I would suggest that we approach the enemy ship with caution and some amounts of restraint. While these life signs are not humanoid, they might happen to be the original crew. They could just have been transformed by some process akin to that which occurred to Dart and I, as well as the Izalguun we encountered, just much more extreme. Giving a slight shrug as they continue looking over the information from the other ship, he continues. Nevertheless, we should still be prepared to defend ourselves if there is something hostile over there.
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Valikar mutters something unintelligible when Dart tries to wake him and doesn't fully come back to the moment until the group has docked the ship and Kemple is left repeatedly kicking the side of his head to knock some reality back to the big lizard's brain.
He rolls to his feet finally and lumbers after the rest into the Aeon Horizon, casually nudging anyone smaller out of the way so he can reach the front where he's most likely to take the hits. He's nice about it and never really shoves anyone, but is clearly intent on not being stopped. While Valikar is busy being obtrusive, his Ysoki companion is peering over one of the vesk's shoulders to keep an eye out for anything concerning.
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Moving into the cargo bay, you can see that he two doors leading to the access corridor have been barricaded with containers and other heavy items.
You also see noticeable dark stains marring the floor.
Buzz has not filled out either slide 2 or 3.
Hollis also needs to populate his saves on slide 2
The stains appear to be blood that dried up long ago.
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Hollis confers with Klysk over the source of the dried blood stains on the deck plating.
"Well, we need to get to the bridge to access the computer core, so I guess we'll need to move these crates out of the way. In the meantime, anybody not moving crates come with me to check out this other room."
Hollis moves over to the other door and examines it for intrusion countermeasures.
A loud shriek of audio feedback erupts from all communication devices across the Starfinder Society fleet and deployed teams. The feedback precedes an alert of a new threat: dozens of unknown starships are entering the Scoured Stars through the Drift!
Data screens across the fleet begin displaying a live feed of a chitinous, six-legged creature with a large mouth full of sharp teeth. Rings of glowing, unblinking eyes cover the upper and lower sides of the creature’s body, looking in every direction at once. The creature’s three-clawed forelimbs hold what looks like an alien plasma cannon, while its second set of limbs terminate in cybernetic augmentations resembling long sabers.
When the creature starts speaking, its words sound like a chaotic jumble of consonants, but soon the syllables turn into a sinister-sounding, digitalized voice speaking in the Common tongue: “We are jinsuls, and you are not welcome in our space. This is our ancestral home. You do not belong here. You will be removed.”
As soon as the ominous message ends, First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo speaks to the Society through the comm system: “According to our sensors, these creatures—jinsuls—are entering the Scoured Stars through a location near Bastiar-7. I need a group of volunteers, our best starship crews, to scout the area and keep these aggressors occupied. Meanwhile, I want everyone else to continue evacuating the survivors. Time is a luxury we don’t have, so make haste and be ready to be extracted at a moment’s notice!”
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Valikar, not one for examination or noticing subtle things, leaves that to the rest of the party as he moves over the barricaded door, passing Hollis on the way. "I'm good with moving things." He takes a small moment to examine the collection of containers as if considering the best way to systematically and safely move them. Then the big lizard nods once to himself, finds the biggest container at the base, and just tries to shove it and everything on top of it out of the way. "Give me a moment."
When the new communication from the Jinsul starts up he pauses for only a second to glance at one of the screens in the cargo bay, then just grunts under his breath. "I've killed bugs before. I can kill more. Not you, Klysk."
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At this point, the new RTEP protocol is enacted, and the team is whisked from the derelict ship. Moments after they are free, the team is surprised to see the ship explode!
Mission Choices
- Last Outpost
- Cracked Mirror
- God's Home
- Lava River Rescue
- Sands of Oblivion
- First Line of Defense (starship combat vs the Jinsul)
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The bleachling gnome Venture-Captain Naiaj points to a digital image of an ice giant planet labeled as Bastiar-8. She taps her finger on a barren moon orbiting the planet, zooming in on it. “We were able to analyze logs recovered from a medical research ship. According to the data, many Starfinder ships landed on a rocky moon of Bastiar-8. Our hypothesis is that they deemed the moon safe to land on, and perhaps they found useful resources there. The moon looks completely barren and inhabitable, but our scans indicate there is an air-filled cave system beneath the surface, which is where the Starfinders have presumably taken shelter. Your landing craft is waiting. Get down there and safely extract our agents.”
As your ship approaches the moon, its sensors confirm the existence of an air-filled cave system. After some searching, you find a giant cavern with a small freshwater lake in it and an entrance to what looks like a temple.
Two statues flank the entrance. Each statue depicts a six-legged and
many-eyed insectile creature wearing robes over a suit of armor.
The walls of the antechamber are covered in bas-reliefs depicting the same kind of creatures as the statues in the entrance hall. The creatures are depicted as worshiping a faceless, formless god, killing their enemies with many kinds of weapons, and sacrificing their prisoners on an altar.
The chamber at the far end of the temple contains a large statue and an altar in front of it. The statue resembles those near the entrance, except it is much larger and has dozens of legs and even more eyes.
A disembodied voice asks, "What are you doing here?"
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Darts normal joie de vivre has been reduced. He has even taken to hanging back from the front and does not get close to the statue. "This...This is a bad place." Dart has his mote out to shine light, but it too seems to follow Dart's mood and not be as radiant.
Mustering some of his normal will, Dart holds his glowing tankard aloft. "This is the holy light of Kaydin Kalin....The...Drink..less..god." His voice trails off quietly.
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"Y'know. I've always been more for show. Rather than tell." Valikar scans the room and huffs out a breath that causes smoke to trail from his nostrils when he doesn't see much but statues. A few heavy steps later bring him over to the statue, which he tries to rap on with the back of one hand. "Not sure your game. Milking information for your friends? Why don't you tell us where our's are?"
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Hollis, you are compelled to speak truthfully about the various weapons your team uses, in specific detail.
Hollis gets a glazed look on his face, and then he says, "Buzz uses a Liquidator Disintegrator Rifle... though he also has an Azimuth Artillery laser." He indicates who Buzz is.
"Dart empowers his tankard with the power of the suns... and fire! I use a rather weak static arc pistol, weak compared to their. Klusk here uses a Thunderstrike sonic rifle, while his drone uses a corona laser rifle. Valikar there, usually uses his hammer fist."
"We have reason to believe that our missing comrades are here. Can you confirm?"
"Yes, many of them. But you need not worry about them. They are mine now.”
As Valikar moves up and raps on the statue, everyone gets a feeling of doom, as a pair of demons appear out of no where!
The red demon attacks Valikar for his insolence!
Green attacks Hollis!
3
7
2
4
1
5
6
- => Buzz
- => Dart
- => Hollis
- => Valikar
- Demons
- Klysk
- Dino
U = Unconscious S = Surprised D = Delay
Conditions:
Buzz: 49/49 sp 44/44 hp
Dart: 48/48 sp 46/46 hp. 6/6 RP
Hollis: 27/42 sp 40/40 hp 9/9 RP
Klysk: 35/35 sp 36/36hp 7/7 RP
Valikar: 38/50sp 41/41hp 6/7
Enemies:
Red:
Green: