Following instructions sent to your personal communicators, each of you has arrived in the lobby area of the Lorespire Complex, the headquarters of the Starfinder Society on Absalom Station. You arrive as recent graduates of an accelerated training course that has prepared you to become agents of the Starfinder Society. Now, only the final Commencement remains to be completed before you formally become full agents.
The meeting spot in the massive central hall of the Lorespire Complex is perfectly positioned to allow you to observe the foot traffic entering and leaving the building. Though many of you have only heard stories of the Starfinder Society's heyday, the signs of its current low manpower are obvious. The few hurrying agents, and the mercenaries that seem to outnumber them, are dwarfed by the sheer size of the lobby you now wait in.
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A striking female android wanders in, a bit distracted by a computer readout she's carrying. He looks up and sees the formian. "Greetings. I am designation LA6439F. Many organics, however, prefer to use the designation Elle or Ella."
She cocks her head to one side, looking at the ant-creature. "You are a formian, a formidable race. Have you recently completed your training?"
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The formian soldier turns toward Elle, capturing the android with her multifaceted eyes.
A voice pushes itself inside of the techno-organic mind, registering simultaneously as Common and Castrovelian, and sounding as though it is spoken within an echo chamber, "I have. And you? Are you a fellow graduate or a guide?"
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A shorter male Shirren walks into the lobby. Tentatively approaching the Formian and the android, he speaks aloud in Common. "Hello, my name is Kalkan Toprak. I have just arrived here on the station. I'm told I'm in the right place to begin my mission. " He takes off the dark green cap from his head and points at a dull metal plate which covers a third of his skull. Instinctively, he switches to telepathy, still coming off as common. "Roger, my personal computer. I'm from Verces, of the Augmented. " Turning to Solenopsi, he communicates directly to the Formian. "Heliax's blessing on you. My true name is Inanckalkan-Uzununutulmus Anavatan-Topraklarinigeridebiraktik. But you can call me Kalkan, for our speaker-friends' sake. "
To both, he sends, "I must confess, this is my first outing as a Starfinder. I was trained as one of Verces' Stewards, so they decided to skip my training and see if I can cut it today. " He looks at the floor, quiet. I hope that I can.
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"I have chosen the name Solenopsi since my hive-queen's demise," the formian presses into both the android's and the shirren's mind. The telepathy is likely a markedly more aggressive technique--as though she is forcing the words upon you rather than offering them--than the shirren is used to experiencing with his fellows. "It is my eagerness to work with you both."
The unusual trio, android, shirren and formian, attract more than a few appraising glances from the veteran Starfinders passing through. One more junior member even stops to take a quick (and highly impolite) picture of Solenopsi with their datapad.
As the remaining members of the group of newbie recruits assembles, a set of projectors in a nearby pillar hum on. The green light emitted condenses into a shimmering holographic image of an elderly female halfling. Despite the deep wrinkles on her face, she beams at you with infectious enthusiasm.
"Greetings, aspiring Starfinders!" Her voice is far more energetic than her appearance would indicate "It is wonderful to see you all assembled here today for your Commencement! For some of you-" She seems to turn to face Twik and Ella. "-this is long overdue. I am Guidance. Before I explain the final steps towards becoming a full agent, there are a couple of important formalities! Please use the cheek swabs in that little box there to give us a genetic sample for Starfinder Society identification purposes." Guidance nods to one side as a panel opens up in a pillar, exposing a small bundle of cheek swabs and a narrow slot to deposit them afterward.
"Second, as you will soon be official members of the Starfinder Society, you will be authorized to display our mark on this mission and beyond. You can place your hand on the glowing panel to receive a subdermal implant that will mark you as one of our agents. This is not compulsory, but you may find that the Starfinder Society symbol opens doors for you on this station... figurative ones that is. We think you'll find most normal doors open just fine without it.” Her wrinkled face crinkles with digital amusement. She waves a holographic hand to her right and a pedestal slides upward from the floor. A panel on its tip begins to glow a pale green.
SYSTEM:Hand
MODEL: Single
LEVEL: 1
PRICE: 150 (though if you accept it now, it has no cost to you)
This implant rests underneath the skin of the palm of one hand, or at the end of a tentacle or similar appendage in species that lack hands. The augmentation can be activated or deactivated mentally as a swift action. Activating the implant causes a rendition of the Starfinder Society’s symbol to glow underneath the skin. This augmentation acts as a mark, letting others know you are a member of the Starfinder Society. It also increases the light level within 5 feet by one step while active.
Once each member of the group has provided their sample and no one else seems to want to the implant, the panel for the cheek swabs seals up with a whirr. Guidance continues "It's our pleasure to officially welcome you into the Starfinder Society! Today is the Commencement of your new roles as official Starfinder field agents. It is our tradition, once new members have completed their training and are ready to become full agents, for these new graduates to present themselves to the heads of our most prominent factions and complete a task at those leaders’ behest. This allows the leaders of these groups to become familiar with all new Starfinder agents." In the air around Guidance, holographic busts of four of the faction leaders spring into existence.
For a moment, Guidance's image blurs and refocuses, replacing the jolly-seeming halfling with a serious, but equally old, human woman. The voice continues in a slightly different tone with no interruption. "In addition to allowing you to meet the leaders of factions beyond the one you are already closest to, this tradition serves a more utilitarian role. It provides a constant supply of agents for handling situations in our holdings on Absalom Station. While these tasks were formerly symbolic, the heavy loss of Starfinder agents in the Scoured Stars incident necessitates that these missions become something more. Please treat any tasks given with the gravity you would grant any other Starfinder assignment.”
Guidance pauses to allow you all to take this in, and then says "Once you have completed missions for each of the four factions represented here, you will return to the Lorespire Complex to complete your Commencement. If you have any questions about this whole process, you may ask now."
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" Ah, so the Society also believes in the power of augmentation. Excellent. " Kalkan raises his arm, eagerly accepting the implant.
Kalkan lifts his head, as if listening to something. Thank you, Roger. He turns to his companions and thinks, "My implant tells me that there is an alien disturbance in the Downlow. I imagine we will be dispatched to clean it up. " The Shirren looks down at his rifles, ensuring they are loaded.
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Quietly stepping in behind the other three, a large armored Vesk with orange and blue colored scales joined the other Starfinder recruits as they watched and listened to the beginning of the Commencement.
As soon as requested, the over 7 foot armored figure provided the cheek swab. Then she followed up by quickly and quietly accepting the Starfinder subdermal implant.
The sudden and vocal arrival of the small half-sized human drew her silent attention.
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Ella tries to engage the social media-verse, but finds that very few really want to engage her in conversation. She does find out one things, however. "All I can find out about is the upcoming junkrace. It seems the reigning champion has taken offense at a verbal slight. It's peculiar how words can cause strong emotions in organics."
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Solenopsi slides the swab between her mandibles, twists and then deposits in the receptacle. Following the others, she places a hand upon the pedestal. The formian soldier draws her hand back and looks at it, activating the luminescent symbol of the Starfinders.
While she interacts with the implant, she presses into each of your minds telepathically, "We must attend to each. I see no advantage to performing any one over another. In the order on the list, then."
She then looks at the diminuative halfling with her unexpressive, multifaceted eyes.
Guidance watches the group of you discuss with a kind, doting expression on its lined face. The panel for cheek swabs and the pillar for implants both remain available.
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Standing near a small collection of large weapons and other equipment, the armored Vesk announced,
"I am Haastaskin of the Vesk, Clan Daikaishu, House Koshira! I care not which target we chase first. Only that we engage quickly soon so the glory of battle, the capturing of victories, and the earning of honor can begin."
As your group seems to come to agreement, the swab panel and implant pillar recede back into their hiding places. Guidance itself utters a "Good luck recruits." before similarly vanishing.
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Your group makes its way out of the Lorespire Complex and takes an elevated tramway a few stops away to the Nyori Palisades. This luxurious neighborhood lies in Absalom Station's central dome and houses the public facing office of the Acquisitive's leader, Radaszam "The Dealmaker".
The plain white doors to his office slide open to reveal a stark, dimly lit room. The chamber is bleak and expressionless in its emptiness—no vanities line its smooth black walls, and no signs of use mar its smooth black furniture. The only occupants of the suite are a bug-eyed tadpole wriggling in a glowing blue aquarium and a reptilian vesk seated behind an onyx desk and working on an integrated terminal.
The vesk immediately gestures to a number of chairs in front of him, his features sharply illuminated by the light of his desk’s green holoscreen. "I've been expecting you all. The local Society info-sphere is already buzzing with mentions of Guidance showing one of it's rarer facets for a new group of recruits. You're quite lucky." he greets you all in a pleasant, deep voice. “For those of you who I haven't met, I am Radaszam, director of both the Acquisitives and the Obsidian Spiders."
“Solenopsi, Haastaskin, and Kalkan, I'm pleased to see that you have your priorities in order and have come to help me first. I'll take that into consideration for your next performance review." He barks out a rich laugh as he regards the three novice members of his faction. "So, to cut straight to the point. I have quite a pressing situation that needs resolution. One of our members, a human named Laboni, had a rather public altercation with a junk scavenger from the Spike. Seeing as you are closer to the ground than I, you may be familiar with him. He goes by the name Ratrod. I am told he runs a popular racing competition that has, hmm, several hundreds of thousands of viewers on the station’s infosphere."
He glances at the screen of his terminal for a moment, nodding at something he sees. "Laboni, for some reason that mystifies me, decided to publicly announce, and I quote 'I could make a better racer if I was drunk, blind and polymorphed into a bantrid!'. In response, Ratrod issued an infosphere-wide demand that she race him and prove it. Of course, the girl came crying to me as soon as she regained her senses. She doesn't think she can back it up without my help."
The vesk gives a weary sigh at this predicament “Embarrassing, isn’t it? Sometimes I wish I could just throw her and all the other halfwits into a trash compactor and replace them with someone better." Radaszam gives a wry, toothy smile "Alas, we can't afford to throw anyone away, not after so many Starfinders were lost in the Scoured Stars. Besides, we can’t let people think we are so weak that we can’t control our own members, or worse, that we cannot stand up to some scrapyard junker. No, I would like you to assist Laboni in winning this race. Show our detractors that even the least of our Society is not someone to be trifled with."
Radaszam gives you directions to the race's location in Botscrap, and hands you badges that mark you as Laboni's pit crew.
"Do you have any questions? If they're about junk racing, I can't help you. The 'sport', if you can call it that, is good for views and precious little else. I have an associate looking for sponsorship options, but have little interest in it myself."
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Solenopsi's centaur-like body prevents her from taking advantage of the offered seat. However, she does not seem uncomfortable standing. She freezes in place in such a way that to the casual observer, one might think she had simply died as she does not fidget the way many endoskeletal beings do.
"Do not recycle Laboni. Assist in completion of racer with enhancements," Solenopsi presses into everyone's mind in confirmation of the mission.
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"I agree, Solenopsi. We can help this wayward agent. Everyone makes mistakes. Especially the young ones." Kalkan nods, in agreement with the mission. He seems distracted, thinking of his young one on the way. Finally, he comes back to reality. "Do we need this Laboni to race, or can we race in her stead?"
Radaszam folds his claws together and leans back in his chair. To Ella he says "I understand she's a half-decent mechanic, though relatively new to building these junkracers. Best with electronics, I hear. That's the reason we let her into the Acquisitives in the first place."
To Kalkan, he responds "It'd be best for our image if Laboni is the one to win. After all, she put all our reputations on the line with her boast. Make sure she's up there on the podium."
To Haastaskin, he grins his relaxed, toothy smile "Enthusiasm! I like it. Laboni will be down there at Botscrap, sweating over her machine. She or the support staff at the circuit will be able to fill you in on junk racing. And as far as I know, junk racing is completely above board, though it wouldn't surprise me if there's some measure of illegal activity going on on the side."
Once you've asked any other questions you have, his comm suddenly beeps "Ah. There she is again." He chuckles, a rumbling sound "Your cue. Head on down to meet with her, I'll let her know you're coming."
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You make your way to Ratrod’s racing circuit, a twisty, looping track through a mountain of spare parts and trash in Botscrap. When you arrive at the competitors’ entrance, a small hovering drone pops out of a side alcove and chirps "PIT CREW DETECTED - PLEASE FOLLOW ME - I WILL DIRECT YOU TO LABONI'S SALVAGE AREA" It floats its way through tall stacks of parts and brings you to small shed set up in an oily smelling corner. "BZZZT - PLEASE OBSERVE THE FOLLOWING BASIC RULES TO THE RACE:" Its voice changes to that of a prerecorded message, a confident male voice that squeaks a little "Alright, Racers and their pit crews are to build and improve their vehicles from the piles of scrap around the racetrack. Vehicles built at previous junkraces can return if they weren't destroyed. Racers can fire upon other competitors during the race, but firing into the audience is grounds for immediate disqualification; racer weapons must be nonlethal and may affect only opponents’ vehicles. That's the basics. Ratrod out."
The drone floats off and the door to the shed opens, revealing a human girl in her late teens wearing paisley clothes and a bright white lab coat with a couple of black streaks of oil. She has a frantic, harried look on her face but relaxes noticeably when she see you approach. "Oh thank Sarenrae! When Radaszam stopped responding to my messages I thought he'd given up on me! Thank you so much for coming! I'm Laboni, uh, of course" She laughs nervously "You probably already know, but I'm in so much trouble here. Ratrod's got me in a pinch what with the things I said... but there's no way I can back out anymore. And Radaszam said I have to win or I'm getting compacted. I'm not even sure that he's joking." She shakes her head "Well, I've got to win, and I could REALLY use your help. My racer runs, and it runs pretty well, but it hasn't had the weeks of improvement that the other racers have had. It could really use some upgrades and fine tuning, but with only four hours before the race, there's no way I can manage alone!"
"Come in, I'll show what I've got so far. And sorry for being a burden..." The young mechanic really does look contrite over the mess she's placed the Society in. "I was really hoping I'd show off for the Society and prove myself. This just got out of hand." She sighs.
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Kalkan's voice enters your head. "Laboni, we are here to help you out. What was your plan for this race? How can we help?"
He looks around the group and 'speaks' again. "I am good at engineering, I studied it while on Verces. I can help build up the racer to be more prepared for the spectacle ahead." He taps his exocortex and starts analyzing his surroundings.
Laboni brings you into an enclosed workshop where her racer sits as the centerpiece. The machine is compact, having space for only a single combination driver + gunner. It sports some light armored plating on the exterior and a single modified azimuth artillery laser affixed to the roof.
Laboni tugs at her lab coat nervously for a moment and then seems to pull herself together. "It's pretty good for a newcomer, right?" Twik can tell that she's saying it more to reassure herself than anything else.
She nods and smiles gratefully at Kalkan's comment. "The race is in four hours, which doesn't give us a lot of time to do more work to soup her up. What I'm hoping you can help with is really tuning and upgrading... if you're good at engineering, maybe you can add some more weapons to use, supercharge the engine, or tighten the steering. Whatever you think would give us the best shot at winning." She nods, building up confidence as she talks. "There's tons of useful junk all around us, so if you can find working components that can help too. I'll install them!"
When Solenopsi makes her comment, Laboni looks startled "Um, please don't! They can be mean sometimes, but none of them deserve that! Plus that'd totally get me disqualified!"
--Improve Laboni's junkracer & scout one opponent or vehicle. Taking this option lets you do both in one round. Improving the junkracer requires any one of the following checks: Computers, Engineering, Perception or Physical Science. Scouting an opponent requires a Sense Motive check and scouting an opponent's vehicle requires an Engineering check. See the list below for what improvements are possible on Laboni's racer. So if you select this action, identify an improvement, make an improvement roll, select an opponent or opponent's vehicle, and make a scouting roll.
--Scout all opponents. This will allow five sense motive checks to scout all opponents.
--Scout all vehicles. This will allow five engineering checks to scout all opponents' vehicles.
--Sabotage. First a stealth check is required to get close to an opponent's vehicle unseen. Then an engineering check is needed to sabotage something - either reducing the vehicle's speed or making the vehicle harder to pilot, or making the vehicle harder to shoot with.
--Socialize with opponent. Anything from asking them to drop out to offering alliances, etc etc. Sky's the limit on this one, but be sure to include your diplomacy, intimidate, bluff or other check.
Possible improvements to Laboni's racer (all options can be repeated to further improve the vehicle):
--Increase base speed.
--Improve handling / make the vehicle easier to pilot.
--Improve weapons handling/targetting to make it easier to shoot the weapons.
--Improve vehicle shielding vs. energy weapons.
--Improve vehicle shielding vs. kinetic weapons.
--Add a basic energy weapon.
--Add another basic kinetic weapon
--Upgrade a weapon to make it more disruptive to enemy vehicles.
|||ROUND 1 Actions|||
Twik
Kalkan
Solenopsi
Haastaskin
Ella
Iseph
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Kalkan gets right down to work on the racer. "We can make this guy a little faster! Perhaps it would help if the fuel hoses were a little shorter... " He taps his exocortex and gets to work.
Afterwards, he heads go the bathroom and takes a stop along the way by another racer. Interesting.. perhaps there is something we can use there...
As you all made your way through the mounds of junk towards Laboni's pit area, you noticed the following other competitors:
- A blue-haired female gnome covered in piercings, tattoos and augmentations.
- A scarred ryphorian that looks particularly intensely focused.
- A stoic, dark haired lashunta in an elegant black and gold suit, surrounded by adoring fans.
- A beautiful android with silver hair and skin, bother imbued with bright and colorful patterns.
- A straight-backed ysoki with mottled gray and white fur and a very loud personality.
|||ROUND 1 Actions|||
Twik (Scout all opponents)
Kalkan (Improve base speed SUCCEEDS, scout Ratrod's vehicle)
Solenopsi (Improve KAC FAILED, unused scouting)
Haastaskin
Ella (Scout all vehicles)
Iseph
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Distracted as she is, Solenopsi can't find any suitable armor plating for the racer.
Kalkan on the other hand shortens some fuel hoses (a move that initially alarms Laboni, until she sees how exactly it'd work) and manages to improve the racer's speed in the process. A little later he walks by the ysoki's workshop and catches a glimpse of a racer before the ysoki in question slams the door of the workshop shut to protect against prying eyes. From the looks he got, Kalkan can tell that the ysoki's racer is a well constructed machine. It has better armor, a much more powerful engine, and higher tech navigation equipment than Laboni's racer. It sports a single energy weapon.
Ella does a full circuit of the pit area, snooping around each competitor's workshop to catch a glimpse of their equipment. From what she can tell:
Twik similarly does a full circuit of the pit area, but focuses on the individuals working on their machines rather than the racers themselves.
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" The race runner, the Ysoki. His racer is finely made, and faster than ours. I will see what I can do about these old tires... " Kalkan's voice echoes through your head as he passes, searching amongst the junk piles.
Not having much luck among the piles, he heads back to the Ysoki's garage to try and get a read on the driver.
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Ella approaches the android, interested in one of her fellow kind. She observes him fumbling with the engineering. "Your choices for this race seem odd. The race is about speed, ultimately. Yet you choose a craft which seems slow and heavy. It does appear to be well armed. Is it your intention to destroy all the others racers before they can speed past you?"
Twik (Scout all opponents)
Kalkan (Improve base speed SUCCEEDS, scout Ratrod's vehicle)
Solenopsi (Improve KAC FAILED, unused scouting)
Haastaskin (Improve weapon targeting FAILED, scout Lemgem)
Ella (Scout all vehicles)
Iseph (No action)
|||ROUND 2 Actions|||
Twik
Kalkan (Improve base speed FAILED, scout Ratrod)
Solenopsi (Improve KAC FAILED)
Haastaskin
Ella (Socialize w/ Velocity)
Iseph
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Haastaskin joins the Formian in combing through the junk piles for useful components, but the piles yield nothing but burnt out computers, torn pieces of rubber, and twisted scraps of metal.
Solenopsi persists on searching the junk piles for armor plating components. As her frustration builds, she starts feeling like one of the other competitors (or their own pit crews) must be one step ahead of her, stripping everything useful out of the junk just before she gets there! As another hour elapses, her search continues to be fruitless.
Kalkan eyes some decent looking tires to replace the ones Laboni already had on her racer. He tests a couple of sets on Laboni's racer, but finds that they're no better than what she already has. When he wanders off to check what Ratrod is doing he finds the ysoki hard at work on tuning his racer.
Ella heads over to Velocity, who seems to be struggling to loosen a bolt as she approaches. They pull themselves out from under their vehicle and train a flat gaze at Ella. "I have tried to make faster racers before, but it is as futile an effort as attempting to get Ratrod to calm down and speak at a normal speed. This time I've chosen a design that maximizes weaponry. At least this way I can cause some carnage out there, from the back." Your familiarity with the subtleties of android emotion lead you to believe that Velocity is feeling somewhat frustrated. "If I could somehow..." They shake their head "A pipe-dream. Now, you're one of Laboni's hirelings, right? What do you want?"
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Ella cocks her head to one side. "You began a conjecture, but stopped. Why?"
"You are correct that I am part of a team working for Laboni. You may have heard of the boasts between her and Ratrod. We are attempting to help her save face. However, Ratrod seems to be a superior racer with a superior vehicle. Do you agree?"
Twik (Scout all opponents)
Kalkan (Improve base speed SUCCEEDS, scout Ratrod's vehicle)
Solenopsi (Improve KAC FAILED, unused scouting)
Haastaskin (Improve weapon targeting FAILED, scout Lemgem)
Ella (Scout all vehicles)
Iseph (Improve Base speed SUCCEEDS)
|||ROUND 2 Actions|||
Twik
Kalkan (Improve base speed FAILED, scout Ratrod)
Solenopsi (Improve KAC FAILED)
Haastaskin
Ella (Socialize w/ Velocity)
Iseph (Improve base speed SUCCEEDS)
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The junk piles continue to buzz with activity as members from each of the pit crews scavenge last minute components.
Ella continues to question Velocity. He responds to her first question with "An affectation I picked up. I am simply not yet a good enough mechanic to produce the kinds of results I am looking for. It would be good to lead the pack out there, just once." To her statement about Ratrod, he gives a perfunctory nod "His results speak to his skill at racing and engineering."
Arnold shows up with a frenzy of activity, in quick succession attaching new booster jets to Laboni's racer and adjusting the fuel injection system. Laboni is left speechless at this sudden additional helper!
Twik (Scout all opponents)
Kalkan (Improve base speed SUCCEEDS, scout Ratrod's vehicle)
Solenopsi (Improve KAC FAILED, unused scouting)
Haastaskin (Improve weapon targeting FAILED, scout Lemgem)
Ella (Scout all vehicles)
Iseph (Improve Base speed SUCCEEDS)
|||ROUND 2 Actions|||
Twik (no action)
Kalkan (Improve base speed FAILED, scout Ratrod)
Solenopsi (Improve KAC FAILED)
Haastaskin (Improve piloting SUCCEEDS)
Ella (Socialize w/ Velocity)
Iseph (Improve base speed SUCCEEDS)
|||ROUND 3 Actions|||
Twik
Kalkan
Solenopsi (Improve KAC SUCCEEDS!)
Haastaskin
Ella
Iseph (Improve speed SUCCEEDS!)
Improved KAC x1
Improved piloting x1
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Haastaskin scrounges up an intact and functional auto-nav module. When she brings it back to Laboni, the young mechanic's eyes sparkle with excitement. "Now THIS is good stuff! I'll add it right in!" She quickly incorporates the module.
Ella finds Velocity weighing her offer for a good couple of minutes "A secret partnership is quite the risk. I would accept on only one condition, that one of Laboni's best engineers improves my vehicle's speed to match or exceed that of the other competitors. If that can be accomplished, I will agree to avoid targeting Laboni in the race with my significant arsenal of weaponry unless she is the only one ahead of me."
Solenopsi finally finds the perfect piece of deflective plating from the junk piles and returns victorious to Laboni. "I like the way you're thinking there. I'd rather stay as safe as possible out on the track" She gives the formian a grin and quickly gets the plating attached.
Meanwhile Arnold overclocks Laboni's racer's engine, further improving its maximum speed. This racer is starting to get EXTREMELY FAST!
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With her comrades working with some of the other racers, Twik goes to speak to Orsis figuring that a local celebrity would be a good person to make friends with.
"Orsis! It's good to see you. Your racer is looking in fabulous condition! Almost as good as Laboni's! In fact, you look in top physical condition as well! I wouldn't be surprised if you managed to come in second! Behind Laboni of course. Perhaps we can come to some sort of deal to make our 1-2 finish a reality?"