Sovokolok-Asnari goes all photon, moves up and takes cover behind the forklift, then takes a shot with his laser pistol and hits!!
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In response to Telwyn and Sovolok's attacks, the stalker launches a feather back at the two of them. The first hits Telwyn despite the cover! The second finds a gap through the forklift and hits Sovolok-Asnari!
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The following characters in bold may take their action:
Myr’iad
Azanar Kroi
Hirix (-8)
Feather Stalker (-10)
Sovokolok-Asnari (-11)
Telwyn (-5)
Brezaki
The party is finding its rhythm as it lays down a vicious round of attacks at the overgrown but deadly feather duster!!
Sovokolok-Asnari unleashes a couple laser bolts and the second shot hits! Aaz gets within comfortable throwing range and hurls a spear at the target, just managing to hit it! Telwyn curses the lack of lighting in this place as her shot goes wide but Myr'iad, getting the various voices in her head to work together, manages to place a shot on a particularly singe-prone feather!
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The following characters in bold may take their action:
Myr’iad
Azanar Kroi
Hirix (-8)
Feather Stalker (-10-3-8-8 = -29)
Sovokolok-Asnari (-11)
Telwyn (-5)
Brezaki
Hirix's shot injures the stalker while Bonesaw thrusts nightmares of being turned into a feather duster into its head. Overcome with depression at the thought... it dies.
Moments after the stalker goes down, a contingent of station security moves into the warehouse to start removing cargo and freeing up space for the Exo-Guardians. They state that they saw your kill via security cameras and thank you for your assistance. They'll wrap things up and your party may move on when you're ready.
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You arrive at the closest mall that is selling the limited edition physical copy of Stawberry Machine Cake's albulm, Star Sugar Heartlove. As you approach, there is a very audible, very loud din and as you get closer, you realize it is from the massive crowd, formed into a line that snakes all around the mall. The line consists mostly of kids busy making duck faces while taking selfies. Scattered here and there, are some kids even younger - brought here by their obviously horrified parents beside them who did not know what they were getting into. Aside from the parents, you notice NO ONE in line is your age - they're all at least half or less. As you walk towards the end of the line, you get nothing but stares from the kids who then giggle at each other saying things like: "Oh my gods! What are they wearing?!?!" "Wow, look at them, they're ancient!!" "Whatever! As long as they don't stand next to me!"
When you find the end of the line, the music shop isn't even visible to you as it is in an entirely different wing of the mall. That's how long the line is... you poor sods.
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Hirix spins and holsters her laser pistol. "Tough critter. Haven't seen a fella take a bunch of slugs like that without lagging before. Bones, whatever you did... keep that for next time too, yeah?"
She takes a short break to recover from the fight.
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Upon spotting the line, Hirix's shoulders slump and she immediately pulls out a new cigarette to light. "The hell I'm going in there. What do you wonder Telwyn? You got a plan to deal with these runts?"
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Sovokolok-Asnari takes a moment to seal up any tears in his second skin suit being completely quiet about the fight that just occurred.
He remains this way even after they reach the mall and are foced the mobs of young whelps. With grim determination he makes for the back of the line but stops when he sees the others planning on how to move to the front.
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"You all get in line, I'm going to try to thin the crowd. Hirix could you give me a hand? Aaz, in a few minutes one of the strawberries is gonna come through here. I want to to act as excited as if I was the real thing and give chase to get an autograph or something. Hopefully we'll start a stampede and won't get caught in it!"
Telwyn nabs the poster and moves to a more secluded spot, and with Hirix's help tries to recreate whatever this look is.
Telwyn's plan is to then pass by Aaz and shout back at him "OMG I said like no autographs, I'm like late for our totally bae secret launch concert! It starts in like 5 minutes! Strawberry sweetness forever!"
Then she takes off somewhat alongside the line, and will start running if anyone (Aaz, kids, whoever) start to follow.
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In interest of making the disguise as convincing as possible, Hirix searches up information about Strawberry Machine Cake and their members on a public terminal.
Holding a cigarette in her mandibles, she adjusts the eleventy-thousand bows on Telwyn's disguise "Its a wonder these birds can stay standing, much less flit about on stage, with outfits like these."
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"I see a few bruises, but it doesn't look like any of those nasty feathers broke through anyone's skin. That's good."
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Brezaki shakes her head at Myr'iad, Telwyn, and Hirix's attempts to sneak to the head of the line and mumbles to herself "I hate when people jump the queue like that. I'm just going to get in line like everybody else."
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Several hours later.
Man, my dogs are a barkin'. Kind of wish I tried to jump the queue like those other guys. I never get away with that kind of stuff though. Ughh...is this line even moving?
Telwyn dresses up as a band member and with Hirix's help and does a fairly decent job. It won't hold up to close inspection, but is convincing enough for Telwyn to pull off her plan. With Hirix's coaching on how to act like one of the band members and with Aaz pretending to chase after Telwyn, she manages to fool a good chunk of kiddies in line to chase after her. Telwyn and Aaz end up running through the mall away from the music shop with a HERD of tweens behind them.
Meanwhile, the distraction and reduced crowd size gives Myr'iad a chance to slip into line far ahead of where the party would've been if the party had not attempted to 'engineer' a better position in line.
Brez, however, politely gets into the back of the line, although it has already been significantly shortened by Telwyn and Aaz's antics.
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'Well done, Myr'iad, a little sloppy, but well done nonetheless. Standing around in this queue is a very inefficient use of our time; however, if we want to impress the Starfinder hierarchy, then we will do what we must.'
'Thank you. We agree. We truly hope this is more than a simple run for a music album.'
'We all do as well!'
Myr'iad suppresses a light chuckle as the chorus of inner ghost resound their utter agreement!
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Hirix sends to Myriad "Could you do me a favor and get one of those records for me? I'll go help our little impostor."
She runs parallel to the crowd to spot where Telwyn and Aaz are running off to and then sends a loud "They went that way!" in undirected telepathy to split the crowd into less dangerous chunks.
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As the heard of tweens and young teens chase after Aaz (who was ironically 'pretending' to chase Telwyn but has now placed himself in mortal danger from the stampeded) and Telwyn, Hirix mentally broadcasts his message to a chunk of kids towards the back who can't actually see Telwyn. That secondary stampede now rages on in a different direction... right towards Hirix!!
Fortunately, Hirix manages to dodge out of the way, suffering no ill effects.
Meanwhile, Telwyn and Aaz are running for their lives, weaving in and out of the mall, dodging and jumping or ducking underneath obstacles such as On Sale signs, cardboard cutouts of icons selling products, mannequins displaying clothes, etc!
As Telwyn and Aaz keep running, Aaz slips on some slushy drink spilled onto the floor, then gets trampled by dozens of little kids that were right behind him as they continue to chase Telwyn. The pounding of little feet does bludgeoning damage to Aaz but the kids eventually pass and Aaz is in the clear but prone on the floor, in a puddle of slushy drink, small little kid-sized footprints all over him.
Telwyn continues to run, turns a corner and spies an instant photo booth. Before anyone can see, she ducks in, rips off her disguise and stuffs any evidence of the disguise into her pack. A few of the kids think they saw the Strawberry band member enter that photo booth so they excitedly wait until the stampede has moved on, then walk up to the booth and quickly throw the curtain open!! But when the only person they see is Telwyn, they groan in disappointment, "Oh... darnnit. It's just some old lady..." and they walk away. Telwyn exits the booth and walks off, mission accomplished. However, the ordeal has left her fatigued.
Sovokolok-Asnari stands there, looking at Myr'iad's position in line, then look at Brezaki's position. Then looks again at Myr'iad and then again at Brezaki.
Sovokolok-Asnari thinks to himself, 'Screw this, vesk do NOT wait in line more than is absolutely necessary!!' and he joins in line with Myr'iad, cutting in front of a significant number of kiddies. As a few of those kiddies immediately behind Myr'iad and Sovokolok-Asnari begin to protest, Sovokolok-Asnari turns and growls at them. The kids immediately silence themselves and look down, tapping away at their datapads - no doubt posting complaints about vesk on the station's social media segments of the infosphere.
Brez sees this happening in line waaaaaaaay ahead of him and facepalms, thinking to himself 'And that right there is why most of the universe thinks we're a bunch of psychotic bullies'
Three hours later, Myr'iad and Sovokolok-Asnari finally reach the shop and can make their purchase. Another three hours after that, Brez reaches the shop and can make additional purchases.
However, the whole ordeal of waiting in line has left Myr'iad and Brez fatigued. In addition, after making the purchase, Myr'iad and Brez are able to dodge the surge of kids storming out of the store but Sovokolok-Asnari wasn't quite as nimble, suffering points of bludgeoning damage.
With the money Ziggy gave you, you buy a copy for Historia-7. You also have the option to buy this limited edition, physical for yourself for 50 credits.
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A cute little kid walking by sees Aaz still on the ground but sitting up and in distress. She says, "Mister, you look like you had a bad day. My mom always said that if someone has a bad day, you should lend them your towel. Here mister, you can borrow my towel." She holds up a towel with the words 'Don't Panic' emblazoned on it in bright yellow letters for you to use.
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Telwyn shouts after the little brats as they scurry away. "Watch who you call old you little bastards! Your mothers all wish you were cuter!"
Telwyn pulls a towel out of her pack and cools it in a water fountain, draping it over her neck as she catches her breath. "Don't forget to bring a towel." she remarks to Aaz as they meet up.
Telwyn isn't very interested in one of these strawberry shortcake music box machines or whatever these kids are listening to. She just wants a nap.
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What an ordeal! I think this was actually worse than that vesk eating bird monster. I might as well pick up an album for myself. Think of it as a war trophy.
Brezaki buys an album for herself and stumbles back to the Lorespire Complex to brief the Venture captain and see if any of her comrades had survived.
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Sovokolok-Asnari now in the store gives a guttural hiss as he purchases an extra copy for himself. He hates the sounds but he is a xenoseeker and knows that it is important to understand culture...even starpop culture.
As he is trampled coming out of the store he gains more respect for this mob
"I shall mount this record and remember the mental pains it took to attain it. Now MOVE FROM ME whelps!"
You all regroup at the Lorespire Complex and walk triumphantly into the archives, seeking Historia-7. You find her studying some manuscripts displayed across several datapads on her desk. Proudly, you present her with the limited edition, physical copy of the album, explaining that it is from Ziggy.
She looks down at it with an unreadable stare, then looks back up at your party with an even longer unreadable stare. She looks down at it again, picks it up, turns it over, puts it back down. She looks up again at your party with the same blank stare. Finally, she calmly states, "I will enter it into the archives." And with that, she turns back to her datapads.
Your party exits the archives and are intercepted by a courier from Ziggy who informs you that Ziggy has a few items for you and that he also had a message: "Sorry for the small amount of credits but have fun with the grenades! Don't blow yourselves up though - I like you!"
The courier hands you a set of basic iridishell armor, a pair of incendiary grenades I, and 400 credits.
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'This is ridiculous, we are not listening to this dribble.'
'Says, YOU, we on the other hand rather enjoy this dribble.'
'We care not either way.'
'Pick up a copy, then sell it on the Black Market for quadruple the profit!'
'That is something I can get into. Profit.'
'All of you, be quiet! We will purchase a copy simply because of the amount of time we wasted in this endeavor.'
After dropping off the album
Myr'iad looks at the others. "That was... interesting." They look over the grenade with a shrug. "We prefer less obnoxious weapons. Perhaps Sovokolok would like them?" They give the Vesk a wry smile.
"We should all get some rest before our next mission. We are exhausted."
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Deftly escaping from the rush, Hirix makes her way to the trampled lashunta and brushes off dusty kid footprints from his non-soaked areas. "You look like you were ground through a drift engine kid. But you'll survive." When Telwyn arrives she gives her a thumbs up and sends "Put on a real show there doll! Now lets get those albums and blow this joint."
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Later, Hirix takes a grenade and her share of the credits, stowing them in her pack next to the album and celebratory racetrack photo. "Just Wayfinders left, yeah? I'll be on call whenever you folks are ready."
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Sovokolok-Asnari looks at the courier and dismisses him with a menacing glare. "Do what you will with the trinkets they have no value to me. I will head for my quarters and rest until we leave tomorrow." With that the vesk leaves and upon reaching his room mounts the limited edition copy on his rather empty wall. He stares at it for a bit and then nods approvingly.
"The first of many...For veskarium!" he says to himself.
While her teammates were in line, Telwyn ponders. 'Hmmm... A limited edition, physical album? No one makes physical albums any more... It's all digital nowadays and has been since I can remember. I wonder if it'll be worth something someday...'
The Wayfinders operate out of the Master of Stars, an enormous starship that is part of the Armada orbiting Absalom Station. The Master of Stars is currently undergoing extensive repairs, obsessively overseen by the Wayfinders’ leader Fitch. A Society shuttle takes the your party out to the orbiting ship.
The station’s Armada can be seen from the shuttle’s view screen as it takes off, gleaming figures standing out against the emptiness of space. The Master of Stars immediately stands out from the rest, as layers and layers of scaffolding obscure its hull. Tiny lights flicker among the metal beams as distant figures weld plates and heat shields to the ship’s exterior. The shuttle smoothly glides closer until it reaches the starship’s docking bay, slipping through the magic field that keeps the hold pressurized with breathable atmosphere. As the shuttle doors open, a small drone flies in and pops up a holoscreen, displaying a harried-looking ratfolk.
“Finally, fresh meat!” the ysoki exclaims over the screen, sounding pleased. “Name’s Fitch —pleasantries over, time to get to work! I had some trouble earlier with the lights flickering on the ship, and now both the lights and computers have suddenly gone out on E-Deck. No idea what’s causing it, but you work this job long enough and — ” Fitch’s attention flicks to something offscreen, and she shouts “Kirkath! The welding torch is not a toy! You wanna go in the toddler’s pen with the other kids?” She snorts dismissively before continuing, “Sorry, some of these little ones would cut off their own heads if I let them. Anyway, it could be some lunkhead screwed up the wiring, but that’s a pretty big system failure for a simple electrical short. I’d prefer to send in some people with combat training to scout it out, just in case someone or something is sabotaging the ship. If it’s nothing, great, get the power back on if you can. If there’s something suspicious, use your comm units to report in to me. I’ll give you the access codes, so — Selicha! If you touch that panel I will staple you to the hull!”
The screen on the drone cuts out, then flashes to display the ship’s schematics and the passwords for the computers on E-Deck.
Your party is able to use the working lifts and maintenance tunnels to reach E-Deck. The doors to the deck are closed and don't automatically open without power but since the magnetic seals on the doors are also disabled due to the power loss, your party can force your way through and onto the deck. This area is in complete darkness when you arrive aside from whatever light source you've brought with you.
Looking around with your light sources, you see exposed wiring to and from the lights, security cameras, and computer terminals.
Upon examining the wiring, it appears not to be damaged - it was probably left exposed due to the ongoing repairs occurring throughout this ship. You are able to determine, however, that some of the wiring is powered and some of it is not. The wires leading to the lights and the cameras are not powered.
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Sovokolok-Asnari turns on the light from his comm unit attaches it to front of his shoulder and moves up to Telwyn.
"Myriad come. Tell us if you can do the repairs from here or do we need to journey further down these tunnels? As soon as this is done I can rid myself of these meaningless tasks and find true purpose among the stars."
At Sovokolok-Asnari's insistence, Myr'iad looks over the state of the systems. It appears that power can be re-routed to start up some of the lights and cameras immediately here around you.
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Brezaki lights up her lantern and holds it high. "Oooh, that's better. You're not afraid of the dark, are you Sovokolok? You can tell me, I won't judge you."
Brezaki looks at the exposed wiring. "I'm kind of a beginner when it comes to electrical work. I can do the basic stuff, but I think it would be better if someone else took charge of this. I can stand back here and hold the light, hand you tools, be a second set of eyes on things."
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Hirix peers through the dark as they arrive and sends "Wayfinders must be stretched real thin. This place is a dump. All these open panels and loose wires, well, I wouldn't be too surprised if it IS sabotage." She makes her way to a terminal and tries to reconnect the wiring so that the lights and cameras can be rebooted.
Bonesaw and Hirix talk about how they can help someone re-route the power to get the lights and cameras working. As they debate... and debate... and debate the best way to assist someone with that, Telwyn takes a look at the computer console, hits the power button and the console screen lights up stating, 'Power Re-routing...please standby.' Two seconds later, the lights and cameras in your immediate vicinity come on!
Looking at the live security camera footage displayed on the console screen, you see two human children hiding behind some barrels in a mostly empty storage room just around the corner and down the stairs from you.
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Sovokolok-Asnari groans as once again he see more whelps creating dysfunction. "Why do your races not contain your young to a proper nesting chamber?! They will be the end of every station if you let them run a muck. Let us find them." Sovokolok-Asnari wastes no time and heads off towards the location of the children.