The skeptical Starfinders are awestruck when the area around them suddenly morphs into a forest. "Whoa! How did you do that?!" The shirren clicks. "Wait a minute.. You're right. For as long as I can remember, it's just been us, those guys with the leather jackets, and the other group having the picnic. They're always having a picnic. It doesn't make sense." The android scratches his head as he stares at the forest for a long while, and then something clicks.
"I'm.. Historia-6! I once lead the Dataphiles, but I don't anymore. If none of this is real, I fear someone is scamming us. You have to get us released from this fake world," he scowls. "And back into where we should be."
Mister Tin Foil Hat grunts. "Well, to me, Golarion will always exist!"
Historia-6 shows you a secret technique that allows you to see your enemies’ DR, resistances, and current HP as a free action.
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Six Starfinders—a dwarf, two kasathas, two humans, and a shirren—enjoy a picnic in the park. They wear fashionable clothes. The group marvels at the beauty of the natural world. "Ain’t it great to be outdoors, smell the flowers, feel the wind and sun on your face?"
The human puffs on something strong smelling while picking a daisy and holding it up to his face. "It sure is, man. I love this place!"
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Ehdd tips his cap to the others as they bring the group around "Well done ladies n gents!" He does a bit of a double take as Historia 6 announces herself. "You bet! Make sure you tell 'em who saved you!" He straightens his glasses and does a little wiggle.
As they approach the final group Ehdd has himself worked up We saved Historia 6! That's HISTORIC!
As the group starts spouting off at how awesome their picnic is and the smell of the flowers he scoffs. "You think flowers are great? Smoking things and that other stuff? Well, if you come with us you can have all that AND the pleasure of watching the GREATEST DANCER EVER!" He starts to bust out the moves...
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Faraeon looks down at the picnickers as they enjoy all the flowers and grasses and other plants around them. He scoffs loudly and points at the flower, "You call that a flower? I've seen flowers the size of a house back home, but then, only a real Starfinder would get around enough to see something awesome like that."
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Speck squats and plucks a stalk of daisy, taking a deep sniff. His face lights up, and he takes another deep sniff.
"Ah, what a fresh smelling daisy. So sweet-smelling. So uplifting," Speck grins as he addresses the group. He then pauses, scratches his head in mock confusion. "But you know, that is a strange thing actually, Yes, I know that 'fresh as a daisy' is a common expression. But any textbook botanist can tell you that daisies, while really pretty no doubt about that, aren't exactly the most aromatic flower in the world. In fact, they are often downright stinky. Almost like dog pee." He then waves the stalk in his hand and gestures at the one in the man's hand. "So, isn't it strange that here, and only here, they smell like perfume? Almost as if drawn from your mind what you think daisies should smell like." He gives them all a smirk.
Your comm device vibrates as Luwazi Elsebo echoes another reply. ”The Society has released a group of Starfinders whose minds were trapped in a virtual world, which released their bodies from stasis on Agillae-5. One of the survivors is Historia-6 of the Dataphiles!”
A message blips across your screen. ”Starfinder agents have evacuated a group of survivors who were trapped within a magnetic storm on the harsh, wind-blown desert of planet Callion-1.”
The Starfinders are enamored with Ehdd's dancing, and the guy stares through Speck as he goes on about daisies and their actual scent. "Whoa.. He's... right. This smells awful!" He drops the flower and wipes his hand on the grass. The dwarf had been listening closely, thinking deeply to himself, when something snapped inside of him. "Screw all this daisy-smelling, relaxing, fake wind and sun garbage!" He grumbles. "These guys are right. It ain't real at all!"
"I, Barakul, am the leader of the Starfinders' most elite group of explorers, rangers, and survivalists! And you are all part of my group!" He says to his posse. "That's right. Think harder and quit smoking that stuff, you might remember a thing or two!"
Barakul approaches and offers handshakes and smiles. "I get it. It's all virtual. I knew something was weird about flowers that never die!"
Barakul explains some kind of strange technique that allows you to somehow grow wings, providing you with a fly speed of 30 feet. (Average)
With all three groups of Starfinders convinced of their virtual existence and reality as Starfinders, Jodain approaches you. His expression isn't quite the same as it was. In fact, his face is twisted in anger. "You’re only here to cause trouble! I can’t have that!”
He flickers in and out of existence, and then his shape changes into... a robot!
-- Bold is up --
Ehdd, Ratatat, Faraeon
Jodain
Speck, Eevee
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"I knew you were a cattle rustler!" Bellows Ehdd in his cowboy persona. "Gettum boys!" He points at the robot as he draws out his 6 shooter and fiddles with the settings.
Get ’Em (Ex): As a move action, you can choose one enemy within 60 feet. Until the start of your next turn, you and your allies gain a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls made against that enemy. The bonus persists even if the enemy moves beyond 60 feet or out of line of sight or hearing. At 6th level, you can spend 1 Resolve Point to grant this bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls against all enemies who are within 60 feet.
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Faraeon, who tries to avoid killing whenever possible, also has his static arc pistol set to stun. He knows that the Pact Worlds can be a dangerous place, though, and that lethal force is sometimes required. So when RoboJodain appears and threatens the group, he is grateful that he put the arc pistol in his armor's quick release sheath. The weapon pops out from its holster on his thigh, and, with a quick adjustment, Faraeon is able to set the weapon to Robot Killing Mode. He raises the weapon as it whines with gradually building power, and squeezes the trigger.
A message from First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo comes in. ” Several Starfinders have located a group of survivors on Agillae-1. We’ve rescued these survivors from the creatures were attacking their outpost. Among the survivors is First Seeker Jadnura, who has now joined mission command to help us rescue other groups of survivors!”
Faraeon and Swirsz blast away at the robot's metal body, the shots managing to pierce through and damage Jodain.
A neon green number floats above Jodain's head: 31.
Jodain aims his sonic gun and blast a shockwave back at Swirsz Ratatat.
-- Bold is up --
Ehdd, Ratatat, Faraeon
Jodain (-9)
Speck, Eevee
Rapid Team Extraction Protocol quickly goes into effect as transport ships arrive picking up any remaining Starfinders on mission.
As more and more jinsul ships enter the Scoured Stars, First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo addresses the Starfinder fleet via all communication devices: “Starfinders, we have already rescued many of our comrades, but we can’t afford to stay here any longer. While our carriers prepare to transition into the Drift, we must ensure that all our transports get back to the carriers. I need all our best starship crews to fight the jinsul ships and buy our fleet some time. The rest of you should help organize a defense of our transports and carriers against jinsul boarding parties. Do not lose heart, Starfinders—there is hope for us if we all work together to get through this!”
Luwazi Elsebo once again addresses the fleet, “Starfinders, our choices are made. Whether you’re fighting onboard our ships against these invaders or taking the battle to their starships, may luck be on your side. Hold to your selected missions and play to your strengths; we shall make it out of this!”
Luwazi Elsebo shows up on the main screen of the Drake. "Attention, all starship crews! Jinsul ships are aggressively attacking our retreating transports. Deploy immediately and stop the attackers. There is a heavily armed capital ship nearby—do not engage! I repeat, do not engage the capital ship!"
Peering out the windows, you see the advancing Jinsul fleet, including the massive carrier ship, and two smaller assault crafts just at the port side of the Drake.
A drone flits through space and quickly docks with your ship. A small bot unfurls and holds open a box containing a tiny memory stick with a note attached. "With love from Starfinder Redelia. Use it wisely."
Both Jinsul crafts advance on the Drake, but then turn towards the Starfinder carrier.
Speck activates the sensors to analyze the assault crafts, and determines the following:
Complement 6, medium transport, speed 4 (average)
AC 11, TL 11, HP 45/45, no shields, 100 PCU
Weapon 1: (Turret) linked light laser cannons (4d4)
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Faraeon hops onto the turret and swerves the missile launcher into the forward arc, lining up the orange jinsul vessel in his sights. "Almost there...almost there....missiles away," he calls to the crew as he gets the his target between the crosshairs.
The missile fails to lock correctly, however, and Faraeon's disappointment is evident.
Ratatat hops up into the forward gunner position and fires up the coilgun. He zeroes in on the orange ship as well, now that Faraeon has opened up its shields, and takes his shot.
Both jinsul crafts launch tracked torpedos from their turret end, and the two metal tubes zip towards the Starfinder carrier...
They pass the fleet of Starfinder ships, and float off into the depths of space. Then, the Drake turns on the orange craft and fires a large missile with a happy face on its cap. The highly explosive missile slams into the Jinsul ship's starboard, blasting open a dwarf-sized hole in the hull. Ratatat open fires with the coil gun, and then the Starfinder carrier ship activates its massive weapon battery. Red light fills the area as a series of lasers tear open the Jinsul ship, its crew floating out into space as the ship comes apart.
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Ehdd hits the button to try hailing the other jinsul ship and does his best to sound intimidating.
"Yer next buddy! That next torpedo isn't gonna make it outta the tube! BOOM!"
Taunt (Any Phase, Push)
You can use the communications system to broadcast a taunting
message to the enemy vessel. You select an enemy vessel and
a phase of combat (engineering, helm, or gunnery), and then
attempt a Bluff or Intimidate check (DC = 15 + 2 × the enemy
starship’s tier). If you are successful, each enemy character
acting during the selected phase takes a –2 penalty to all checks
for 1d4 rounds; the penalty increases to –4 if the enemy’s check
is made as part of a push action. Once used against an enemy
starship, regardless of the outcome, taunt can’t be used against
that starship again during the same combat.
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Faraeon once again lines up a shot with the heavy missile launcher before calling out. "Get me as close as you can to that thing, Eevee! I've only got a few more of these missiles and it'll only get harder to land a hit if the target's way out of immediate range. You're doing great so far, though. Keep it up!" He slots another missile into the launcher, lines up his shot to lock onto the tinsel's vessel, and fires!
With the Drake in plain view, the Jinsul craft stays put, and opens fire with its linked laser cannons.
A bevy of laser fire rocks the Drake, yet the blue barrier outside the ship indicate the shields have absorbed all of the damage.
Faraeon and Ratatat take the weapons once more, and the highly explosive missile slams into the torpedo bay, sparks flying as the system goes haywire.
The starfinder transport continues to move away and towards the carrier as quickly as it can.
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"Ah! Who has the system running minesweeper! I don't have time for this!!!"
Ehdd slinks a bit lower in his Captain's chair and turns off the small side monitor... "Ahem! Fara, finish this thing off with that missile eh? Hit it square between the eyes!" He points a claw at his own face, adjusting his sweet glasses before he fiddles with that gifted pog again...
The assault craft stays where it is as the Drake zips back towards it.
Then the jinsul craft turns, now close enough to the Drake that you can see the crew in the front windows, and opens fire at the forward arc, the guns flickering with neon green laser light.
The Drake is covered in laser fire, the ship shuddering and a warning tone indicating the exhaustion of the front shields and subsequent hull damage.