The shuttle Omikoro is about to land on Absalom station. A furry six-armed creature that you might recognize as a skittermander sits on the edge of her seat. She turns to the person to her left "I am so exited, we are finally there! Have you ever been to Absalom station?"
She barely waits for the answer before continueing "I haven't, I heard there was a planet here in the past? How did that go away? Planets don't dissappear, do they?"
Erythril shrugs. Not sure if it's talking to me, but it might be... he takes a second look at the little being, trying to work out its gender, but it's so hard to tell with some races. He manages a smile at the skittermander. "Never been here before, no... I've heard it said that 'There is a first time for everything.' As for the planet, I've heard various tales blaming magic, blaming tech, blaming the gods, blaming extra-dimensional beings. Who knows which tales are true... maybe all of them to one extent or another."
I should probably ask its name, that would be the proper thing to do. It would probably want mine as well. I will have to remember to use my new alias. No mistakes here. It would be extremely bad if the family were to learn I still live.
"What is your name? I am called Allain." I know it will get easier the more I use it. He breathes a soft sigh...of relief? He turns to stare out the window at the station.
I wonder what this Duravor will be like. I've never met a free dwarf before... And will he be the contact I need to enter the Starfinder Society?
The skittermander extends one of its furry paws "Nice to meet you Allain, I am Dribble. I am so exited! We are going to join the Starfinder Society, Kotora and me." she jumps up from her seat
"Oh, where are my manners! Kotora, this is Allain, Allain this is Kotora."
Allain looks at the extended paw and slowly raises his hand to shake the skittermander's little furry appendage. "Well, the pleasure is all mine, Dribble. Nice to meet you as well, Kotora. I, too, am traveling to join the Society. I'm to rendezvous with a dwarf named Duravor when we dock and he will take me to the Starfinders. Perhaps we will have opportunity to work together sometime, eh?"
"Duravor? Duravor Kreel? We are also going to meet him! I am sure we will be the best of friends" she lets go of the hand and tries to hug Allain with all six arms
Allain lifts his arms slightly and stands stiffly while he's being hugged, then pats Dribble gently on the head. "yes, well... I'm sure too... "he says a bit tentatively, not used to such effusive offers of friendship.
Frowning as Dribble hugged their new friend first, she quickly brightens up as it's her turn. "Hi! As Dribble said, I'm Kotora!" exclaims the violet woman, diving into a six-armed squeeze with the man. "It's so nice to meet another friend.
"Oh, so you know Dribble's friend too? I haven't met him yet, but I"m looking forward to it. From what Dribble has said, he sounds like such a good guy. It's my first time away from home, but to be meeting so many new faces already?! It's just so exciting!"
The violet skinned, six-armed ball of fur nearly vibrates with anticipation as she speaks to Allain. A pack on her back seems to have plenty of room for more equipment, though she has a coiled piece of cord strapped to her waist and a stun gun on her hip. Neither weapon appears to have seem much use. A new pin clings to her shirt bearing the emblem of a starship venturing into the unknown.
"'Know' is a bit more than our current relationship bears. I know OF him. I too have never met him, only sent and received messages via comm link. Your first time away from home, eh? Apparently you find it all very stimulating," Allain says, noting her excitement. "I wish I could share your pleasure," he adds, looking at the others in the shuttle, one by one. He looks back to Kotora. "What's the insignia for?" he asks, nodding toward her pin.
The Skittermander's voices reach even the back of the cabin where Cah'Vishtyr sits quietly. His mandibles twitch with excitement as he hears the name Duravor Kreel.
Peering around the side of his chair, he props himself over with a clawed hand. Underneath his chair rests a battle staff and a flame rifle, though the petrol tanks are stored safely below with the stowed baggage.
Seeing the chittering and excitable Skittermanders the Shirren sits back in thought if he should engage in conversation. Truly he knew little of the race but Kreel's name popped up once again.
A soft voice enters into Dribble's mind.
"I overheard you are set on a course to visit A Duravor Kreel. I am as well!" His mandibles clatter together softly like a pair of twigs grinding in a soft breeze.
The shuttle's pilot makes the announcement that you are about to land on Absalom Station, and asks everyone to take their seats for landing.
Allain finds a seat and waits for landing protocols and procedures to be completed.
"Huh? Oh, this?" she asks, pointing to the pin. Grinning broadly, she replies "It's the emblem of my patron, Weydan. Isn't he great?! Not only does he encourage discovery and travel, he likes to become mortal to experience it with us."
Hearing the captains announcement, Kotora scrambles up into her seat and secures the harness. "Think he needs help up there? Landings can be tricky sometimes." she asks.
Dribble has just taken her seat again when she puts two of her hands next to her head, and focusses really hard
She seems to be completely turned into herself
Staying in his seat Ack was leaning forward, mumbling to himself, 'hungry, so hungry', as he cradled his custom rig; debating on weather he should gnaw on it or continue waiting.
After a little whimper he holds it closer and mumbles, 'okhay'
Allain, used to goblins as slaves and occasional allies and their insatiable appetites, smirks at Ack's mumblings. "Patience little green one... we're almost there, I'm sure there will be plenty to eat on the station."
One of the shuttle staff notices Ack complaining about being hungry. When she sees that he is even contemplating eating electronics, she fears for the shuttle. She gets down a jar from a shelf in the back of the shuttle and gives a piece of food from it to Ack. It is labelled 'emergency goblin rations.' When Ack looks closely, it is a hard biscuit.
WHAT, WHO IS THINKING IN MY HEAD?
"My name is Cha'Vishtyr. I am also seeking Duravor Kreel, to seek acceptance into the Starfinders. I believe I might be of aid young child." He chitters as his decision is made, though Only Dribble is able to hear him speak as the conversation is linked only between the pair of minds.
Cha'Vishtyr's bulbous eyes gleam out over the top of the seats as they watch the goblin chewing on the edge of the computer.
Vile creatures that remind me of the swarm. Though they might be harder to get rid of.
A small hiss emerges from his dark green mandibles.
Sitting back he waits contently for them to land at Absalom Station to meet the so called Starfinders.
When the goblin sees the biscuit he looks at it and eagerly licks it from the hand before chewing at it like a dog treat.
Stopping briefly the goblin looks up wide eyed as usual and, with the hard biscuit lodged deep in his mouth, manages to say, 'hahnk ouu oor ahh ooodah'.
The shuttle staff woman's eyes widen in surprise when Ack tries to be polite.
Dribble turns her head left and right to try to find the being that is talking to her.
Allain lofts a brow slightly as the goblin actually attempts to thank the woman for feeding him.... "Well, aren't you the soul of propriety, little one. You are a shining example to the rest of your race." While his words might sound a bit snarky and sarcastic, his tone is not at all, it is genuine.
Cha'Vishtyr, not wanting to be seen quite yet as he would rather watch Dribble from a distance. His compound eyes peer about like a wide viewed lens. His eyes are made up of thousands of individual visual receptors, called ommatidia. Each ommatidium is a functioning eye in itself, and thousands of them together create a broad field of vision for Cha'Vishtyr.
Though he doesn't try to hide, he just merely doesn't wave to make his presence known. His voice soothes back into Dribbles mind. "You do seek the Starfinders do you not? It is always best to move in a swarm."
Cha'Vishtyr does not cringe at the fact of his days in the swarm. He regrets his actions of course but the thought of a group makes him feel comfortable and less alone.
"Oh! Another friend perhaps?" remarks Kotora, glancing towards the goblin. "You sound funny short one." she calls out. "Hows about we grab a bite to eat when we get to the station?"
Poking Dribble in his uppermost left shoulder, she whispers "You're being rude. That thing over there was talking."
Annoyed with the pilot, she considers 'He better get on with the landing already! I haven't hugged my new friend yet!'
The door to the lavatory opens with a hiss as a third, bluish-purple skittermander scurries out. His bright smile and obviously excited demeanor do a lot to soften the hard military look his crew cut fur and large muscles give him. The multitude of weapons he carries jangle as he rushes into the main cabin. ”Did they just say we’re landing? Dribble, can we see the station yet!”
As he moves past the first few rows of seats he catches sight of Cha'Vishtyr, and stops short for a second, before rushing over to the shirren and handing him a small card. ”Oh, hello there! I don’t think I gave you one of these earlier! Sorry, I tried to get everyone!”
The card is on nice cardstock, with a large symbol of Pharasma on it and words printed in nice bold letters that read:
”Do you want to find everlasting peace?
Are you ready to meet the Lady of Bones, Pharasma, herself?
Do you want to die?
Well then look no further than !
I would be glad to help you leave this pain and suffering behind. :-D
On the back of the card is a hastily scribbled message.
The shuttle, for some reason, has strict rules against death, so I can’t help until we reach Absalom Station. :-(
After handing out the card that everyone else has a copy of, Jaxy gives the shirren a smile and a moment to read the card before continuing, ”Once we get off the shuttle, let me know if you’re interested!” He gives a small bow, a feat with the amount of stuff he is lugging and rushes off to meet with Kotora and Dribble and the new friends he had been making.
Cha'Vishtyr's communication with Dribble is cut short as another Skittermander leaves the restroom with toilet paper stuck to oneof its many feet, dragging loosely behind.
Silently and curiously he grabs ahold of the card and flips it over in his hands. One of his many guts sinks deep as this Skittermander holds death just a loose as the Swarm does.
He reaches out and opens a link to Jaxy's mind.
Your shuttle docks in Docking Bay 94 of Absalom Station. You hear various noises of checks being made and machinery operating as the shuttle finishes its landing procedure, and then the passenger door swings open.
The brightly lit docks of Absalom Station are abuzz with activity as travelers bustle by, preparing to board or disembarking from starships bound to or from any of dozens of worlds. Brash and swaggering starpilots, scurrying ysoki mechanics, and expectant colonists mingle with enigmatic kasatha mystics, hard-faced asteroid miners, imposing vesk mercenaries, and more, creating a microcosm of the abundance and variety of life in the Pact Worlds. New arrivals meet friends, loved ones, or business contacts, and are whisked away into the humming activity of daily life on the vast space station. Beyond them, ground crews tend to the docked ships, and dockworkers in mechanized cargo lifters load and unload freight and baggage. A sharp tang of ozone hangs in the air—a byproduct of electrical discharges from the docked ships—but underneath, the station’s atmosphere has a slightly used aroma. The docking bay’s deck plates thrum beneath your feet, though whether it’s from the passage of innumerable feet or the vibrations of the station’s power conduits and air recycling systems is impossible to say.
Leaping from her seat as soon as she hears the safeties click, Kotora finds herself pacing back and forth in front of the door. Darting outside the second the opening is large enough for her tiny frame to fit, the skittermander stops suddenly in the middle of the room. "OOOO Look! There's vesk, yso...yso...key guys... Kasatha.... Dribble! They've got everything here!" she exclaims.
Turning around and around in the middle of the bay she stares, awestruck, at all the sites. "It's like the port at home, but in space." she mumbles to herself.
'Weren't we supposed to meet someone here? A dorf, or something? I think Dribble said he had a beard...' Taking a couple deep breaths, the six-armed fur ball attempts to calm herself and locate their contact.
Allain gathers his gear and slips out of the shuttle onto the docking bay floor. He sighs softly at the familiar thrum of power in the place... As alive as any place he's ever been. "'Tis good to be here at last... "
He looks about for his contact, Duravor Kreel.
The goblin took his time to walk out of the ship; licking the crumbs of the biscuit from his teeth as he went. The docking bay was filled with with moving bodies towering over himself, as well as the sound of taller and heavier machinery moving about as well. He climbs up onto some nearby crates to get a better view of the docking bay.
"What?" Dribble says as Kotora tries to get her attention "Oh, hi, I am Dribble" she then says to the goblin, but it seems she is rather distracted.
At docking bay 94 Dribble keeps a sharp eye out for the people leaving the shuttle, hoping to get a glimpse of the person that was talking in her head.
When Cha'Vishtyr's voice starts echoing in Jay's head, the small creature starts cranking his neck around in all directions before he stops as a sudden revelation strikes him. His eyes slowly crawl to the ceiling before he drops to his knees with a clang.
He presses all six of his hands together in what might pass as an approximation of a Veskarian prayer pose, and starts speaking loudly. "Pharasma, is that you? I don't know what to say..." It takes the skittermander a few seconds to process what was said to him. "... But I don't what you mean. Don't you want people to travel to the boneyard? To be at peace? And I don't know how to heal wounds... " His religious moment is sadly cut short when the shuttle staff glares at the skittermander and forces him back to his seat and seat belt and Jaxy gets enamored with the rapidly approaching station.
On the flight deck, Jaxy pulls out a large stack of cards and starts crossing out the scribbling on the back about the shuttle. Once he finishes, he moves off and starts offering his gift to people with an innocent smile, the near existential crisis of earlier completely forgotten.
__________
As the shuttle lands Cha'Vishtyr disembarks with Jaxy as he continues to discuss morality with the Skittermander.
On the ramp, Cha'Vishtyr's antennae twitch as all of the senses get a bit overloaded, between the ozone tinge in the air as well as the constant vibration in the deck plates.
In the middle of the docking bay is a dwarf, who you can only assume to be Kreel. He is tall and lanky for a dwarf, with a bristly, iron-gray beard and deep-set eyes beneath bushy eyebrows. With his patched and stained coveralls, the dwarf looks like just another dockworker, but a badge bearing the symbol of the Starfinder Society stands out on his chest. Kreel checks the computer he’s holding and looks up to scan the crowd. When he sees you, he raises a hand in greeting and gives you a friendly smile.
There are two groups of people on the fringes of the docking bay furtively taking up defensive positions among stacks of cargo crates and machinery.
Before you can say or do anything, the air is suddenly filled with laser blasts as two groups on opposite sides open fire on each other. Bystanders
scream and flee in terror, diving for cover or milling about frantically. Kreel freezes, paralyzed with fear.
I need each of you to roll initiative, and also roll 1d6.
"What!?"
Before he can finish completely crossing out the scribbles on the back of his cards , Jaxy catches sight of the groups of people on the fringes of the docking bay. Scattering his cards, he quickly grabs for the large cannon on his back. "Oh, oh. I think I'm going to like this place! There are people who are looking for the afterlife already!"
_____
”No Jaxy, these people have let something get to them, I am sure they would be friends if they would just calm down.”
Jaxy cocks his head to one side, confused. "But they're attacking me. Doesn't that mean they want to die and are to afraid to say so?" After a few milliseconds to process the rest of Dribble's words he gives a broad and assured smile. ["I'm sure they already are our friends, if they want us to kill them! You can only experience death once and so it should be with friends, no?"
"Friends generally don't pull guns on each other... but technically I don't think they're shooting at us, but at each other... Kreel!!! Hit the deck!!! GET DOWN!!!"
Cha'Vishtyr is once again cut off from his communication with the Skittermanders as he spots Kreel. Before he can say or do much laser blasts begin to erupt all around him.
No.....
Suddenly, the sounds of laser fire fill the air. There are three people at opposite ends of the room shooting at each other. One of the shots brings down Kreel.
Cha, you may take one surprise round action.
Hylax protect the swarm. Cha’Vishtyr pleads to his god. As the laser strikes Kreel a small lump forms in the Shirrens thorax and a shimmering protective layer develops around his body.
Cha' prays and protects himself.
bold may post their surprise round action:
surprise:
red
Cha'
Allain
blue
Kortora
round 1:
red
Cha'
Ack
Allain
Dribble
blue
Jaxy
Kortora
Allain runs forward toward Kreel, arming himself as he moves, and activating his armor as a swift action... suddenly he is surrounded by an aura of inky purple-blackness.
The other side (the blue guys) fire, and two of them choose to fire at members of your party.
so Ack loses 3 SP as a laser blast slams into him.
The blast at Allain goes right over his head.
bold may post their surprise round action:
Kortora
round 1:
red
Cha'
Ack
Allain
Dribble
blue
Jaxy
Kortora