You've all been summoned to the office of First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo, deep within the Starfinder Society's Lorespire Complex. The message delivered to your comms devices and datapads suggested simply that a "non-traditional" mission was in store for you, without too many specifics.
You now find yourselves right outside the First Speaker's office, waiting for your group to assemble as the First Speaker wraps up a meeting with representatives from a Veskarium armaments supply company. From the sounds behind the door, the vesk are a lot higher pitched than you remember them sounding...
An aide to the First Speaker nods her head as each of you arrive, offering an apologetic "She should be done shortly. In fact, this meeting was to have concluded half an hour ago. So... any moment now... I'm sure."
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The first to arrive, Cournae is a diminutive ysoki with gray fur marked with white flecks. Dressed in a dark, bulky cloak, she walks as if trying not to disturb or inconvenience anyone nearby.
An aide to the First Speaker nods her head as each of you arrive, offering an apologetic "She should be done shortly. In fact, this meeting was to have concluded half an hour ago. So... any moment now... I'm sure."
"That's quite alright, I'm perfectly content to wait," she murmurs with a soft smile. As she stands patiently, Cournae pulls a crumpled flyer for a local eatery out of one of a myriad of pockets. As she runs her thumb over the paper, the ink changes color, from red to green to blue to purple and then back to red again.
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Oh boy!
A white-furred ysoki skids across the hallway through the doorway to the waiting room. His claws give a small screech as the ratfolk grinds to a halt and looks around at the others. It's good to see some fellow Ysoki here! My last two missions were full of vesk: nice but its a strain on the neck to catch their eyes.
The new arrival pats down stray tufts of fur with one hand as his mouth contorts for a moment before spitting out a knife into the other. He unsheathes it and uses the blade to scratch an itch as he approches the Seeker's aide.
Zye. Am I on the list? It might be under 'j', for 'Just Zye'
Zye then looks at the other agents in a similar predicament. So: have either of you ever met the First Seeker before? What's she like?
The aide gives a light smile to the latest ysoki, clearly amused, but trained to hide his amusement. "Yes, indeed. Under "Just Zye". Along with-" Before he can list the other members, the door to the First Seeker's office busts open and a trio of bright and colorful puffballs in business suits scurry out carrying a bunch of paperwork. A closer inspection of their rapidly retreating forms reveals that they seem to be skittermander... businesspeople?
Before you have much of a chance to think about this contradiction, the First Speaker calls out from inside the room. "Come on in, I'll just take a moment to clean up."
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The First Seeker’s meeting room is a lavish space, with several lush couches and armchairs surrounding a wide, low table. First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo appears uncharacteristically extravagant, having exchanged her typical stationwear for a sleek, fashionable suit in a shade of copper that matches the Starfinder Society logo emblazoned on the table. Behind her stands the towering vesk leader of the Acquisitives faction, wearing a suit of ceremonial armor. As you come on in, Luwazi's gaze flits towards the open door and she smiles while slightly shaking her head "Sometimes you think you've seen everything, and the universe has a way of proving you wrong. Don't you think so Radaszam?" The vesk simply utters a short bark of a laugh.
Turning her attention now at you all, Luwazi gestures to the seats. "Welcome agents. A pleasure to see you all. I trust you’ve heard about tonight’s gala? With some of our upcoming plans, I have a rather important announcement to make, so it seemed appropriate to use the opportunity to do a little public relations for the Society." She nods at the concept "Over the last few months, the Society has received the aid of a number of important and powerful interests here in Absalom Station and beyond... individuals and corporations that have approved of our goals enough to help us recover from the setbacks of the Scoured Stars Incident."
"While we aren't beholden to these groups and have complete autonomy over our operations, it *is* important for us to show that their interest and support of our efforts has been worthwhile. This gala is an opportunity for us to entertain and impress the representatives of these organizations."
"That’s where you come in. As some of the shining stars among the newest Starfinder Society agents, I’d like to have you mingle with the guests so they can see for themselves what we’ve been able to accomplish. It’s nothing too fancy; I’d just like you all to be polite and talk about some of your experiences with the Society so far. We’re expecting some government dignitaries, investors, corporate interests, and the like, so be sure to stay on your best behavior. Also, don’t be afraid to brag a bit—it’s our goal to impress them."
Radaszam cuts into the conversation, a flat look in his eyes "But don't be stupid."
Luwazi glances over her shoulder and grins "Have you all met Radaszam? He’s certainly someone else you should be trying to impress." Radaszam scowls in response.
"No need, I've seen this crew's record. They're... fine." His scowl doesn't let up, but there's a spark of approval in there. "Events like this never go as planned. Luwazi’s contracted one of my merc outfits, the Obsidian Spiders, to provide security for the night. I want to make sure that if anything goes down, you’re working with my agents, rather than us all tripping over one another. So stay alert, but if anything happens, make sure you’re talking to me about it rather than jumping in blindly. Alright?"
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Cournae has put away her scrap of paper and focuses intently on the First Seeker's and Radaszam's words.
"Mix and mingle, sell the resume, report security concerns to Radaszam and his Obsidian Spiders. So far, so good. Are there any specific... concerns about tonight, or are the Spiders just a precaution?"
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Zye got distracted for a moment after Luwazi referred to him as a 'Rising Star' but eventually the ysoki gets back on track in the briefing.
A gala, sounds great! he cocks his head to the side, thinking. Who got invited? Is there anyone you think's really important to get to like us?
A tall, handsome lashunta walks in the room right as the Ysoki says this.
"Are my ears burning? Is there anyone really important that should like you? Well well well, not to fear, Mustachio has just met you and he already likes you! Yes, it is I, Mustachio Marino. You surely remember me from my upcoming role as Grax in "Guardians of Absalom"! Actually, that one hasn't been released yet, but maybe you have seen the trailers. Actually, they left me out of the trailer for some reason... strange thing to do to the leading man! So... what were we talking about? Right! Parties! I'm great at parties. People love me. This job will be a cinch!
Luwazi nods in approval for the questions raised, answering Cournae first with "You've got the right idea! I can't say I have specific concerns about tonight, but there will be many important individuals at this gala. Any would-be troublemaker would likely see it as a perfect target. And if anyone would want to try to discredit the Society, this is likely the most visible way to do so."
Radaszam follows up with "My team will have their eyes and ears open for anything suspicious. But I don't have any specific concerns... yet." He turns to Miss Chiff and answers her question with "We've done a detailed sweep of the area already, but you are welcome to do your own brief inspection. The first guests are to arrive soon enough, ready to drink fancy cocktails and chatter on for hours." He snorts dismissively.
Luwazi takes over and says "The event should be about four hours long, though such things tend to drag on for quite a while after that." She also nods at Donovan, answering "I'd say you're right! While the guests will be dressed up, they're expecting to meet Starfinder Agents of all sorts. Full gear will certainly make an impression!"
And finally she turns to answer Zye's question. "Now, there's quite the guest list to this little soiree, but I'd like you to focus your attention on five guests." She pulls out a datapad and taps a few times on it, sending some files and pictures to your own comms and datapads.
"Iteration-177, from the Aspis Consortium. Naiaj, from our own Society. Royo, from the Starfinder Society Forum. Ykris, from Cericore Labs. And Zo! from Zo! Productions."
"These five are the ones that we'd most like to leave this event with a positive impression of our latest Agents!"
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Mustachio nearly drops over from surprise. "Zo!?! The Zo!?! Head of Zo! Productions!? Be still my heart. Oh my. Oh my. I am going to meet Zo! I'm so nervous. This could be my big break. MY BIG BREAK! I wonder if he has seen "Undead Lover of Eox." starring myself as Bruno. Oh... of course he has right? I mean, it was set on Eox. I played an Eoxian. I'm sure it wasn't offensive to the Eoxian culture. Oh... Oh s+~&."
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"Now, there's quite the guest list to this little soiree, but I'd like you to focus your attention on five guests." She pulls out a datapad and taps a few times on it, sending some files and pictures to your own comms and datapads.
Cournae scans the list briefly.
"Alright, I know of some of these people, uh-huh..."
Her eyes widen as she reaches a particular entry.
"I've heard people refer to lobbyists as parasites, but I never thought they meant it literally!" She looks around the room at her fellow Starfinders.
"How does one refer to a parasite politely? We had better figure that out before we get there."
Luwazi raises her eyebrows at Donovan's comment "She's here for a similar reason to the rest of you, to talk to our supporters. But I'm hoping to take this opportunity to show her how capable our newer Agents are. She's a traditionalist after all... she values experience and seniority. Her opinion of the latest waves of recruitment is rather negative." She shakes her head. "I'd like you to show her that you're worthy of her respect."
Mustachio racks his brain for what he knows about parasitic isopods, and all he can remember is that Stellar Strife episode about Yyorks taking over human society in secret.
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Mustachio chuckles to himself as remembers that hilarious Stellar Strife episode when parasitic crustaceans take over human bodies. He opens his mouth to tell everyone about this but holds back. They are all so serious. Maybe once I get to know them.
Instead he goes back to thinking about Zo! If only he could make a good impression on Zo!, it could do wonders for his true love, acting, and also help out the group on this part-time, lesser job of being a Starfinder.
Forum, the Starfinder Society’s governing council. He's particularly passionate about science, magical study, and historical analysis.
Radaszam answers Donovan with "Nothing more you need to worry about. Unless you want to join the Obsidian Spiders, that is. We've got some Ex-Stewards in our ranks. More than ex-Starfinders, I'd say." He unleashes a toothy grin.
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That sounds alright I guess. Zye nods. I've done some piloting for the Society, and some computer stuff too. Maybe Naiaj would like to hear about that. Ooooh!!! the ysoki excitedly scrambles as hhe thinks of something. Or if she likes teamwork, maybe a few of us should go to her. We should come up with a story together, to be all consistent-like.
He glances at Mustachio. You seem to know who Zo! is -Is the exclamation point part of his name? - maybe he might have seen one of your videos too.
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"Oh, absolutely, Zye. I've seen most if not all of his work, and I am quite certain he has seen me too, in particular "Undead Lover of Eox" in which I saw as the titular undead lover. Some have criticized the film as being... how do I say... just a porno film... but they surely vastly underestimate the quality of my acting!"
"Anywhoo... I don't need any assistance on Zo! He and me, we are going to be best friends. I call dibs."
Dibs on landing the role of my life! This is the reason I joined the Society! All that blood and near death is about to be rewarded! A chance to prove to what a action star I am!
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"It makes sense that we partner up and approach each of the VIPs. Like Zye, I've been on a few missions, including one for Zo!'s people- and yes, the exclamation is part of his name."
Pairings
Donovan and Miss Chiff talk to Naiaj
Mustachio and Zye talk to Iteration-177
Cournae talk to Royo
then
Cournae and Zye talk to Ykris
Donovan, Mustashio, and Chiff talk to Zo!
That allows everyone to talk to someone using an area of their expertise and, if there's time left each of us can go back individually to talk to people.
Separating from Luwazi and Radaszam, the group of you mill about the Lorespire for a good while looking up the guests using the local infosphere. Miss Chiff also searches up the Obsidian Spiders, finding a slick website advertising the mercenary group's professional protection services. It seems they have a wide range of satisfied customers based on their Zelp rating. Their website currently states that they are currently on extended hire to the Starfinder Society.
After some additional strategizing and preparation, you resolve to head to the site of the party: the Skyreach Room!
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The Party:
The lift doors open into the Skyreach Room, a classy space made breathtaking by large windows set into the vaulted ceiling, providing a shining view of the Armada orbiting Absalom Station and the galaxy beyond. A low stage with black skirting and a sleek podium overlooks the room from the far end of the hall. Already, a dozen or so guests, representing a surprising array of races, mingle in twos and threes, while servers in sharp vests bring around a variety of bizarre snacks and drinks. A curly-haired AV technician arranges the wiring along one side of the stage, and Luwazi stands at the other side speaking with a damaya lashunta man.
As you take everything in, a additional guests arrive in waves through the elevators. After a quick check over from the Obsidian Spider guards, each group of dignitaries, businesspeople, or socialites make their way in to the room.
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Cournae's breath catches as she enters the room, staring out at what is possibly the best view in all of Absalom.
Nope - I'm not here to sight-see. I'm here to do a job, and look professional while doing it.
The diminutive ysoki does a loose perimeter walk, focusing on the guests who have arrived already and trying to pick up on anyone who sticks out.
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Mustachio walks in, perfectly groomed and with an even larger feather in his hat than usual.
"Ah! A wine-and-dine-chat-em-up party! Truly, my stint as Starfinder is paying off handsomely!"
Mustachio smooths out the several copies of his CV that he printed off for the occasion. The papers are printed in cyan blue and smell of cologne.
He looks at the early arrivals, wondering if Zo! is among them.
Donovan and Cournae don't find anything out of place, and while there are quite a few very unusual looking guests, no one looks furtive or suspicious. Meanwhile, Miss Chiff gets a very curt message stating "Reinforced transparent aluminum" in return from Radaszam.
Before long, its time for the event to begin!
Over the next few minutes, the guests of note arrive. Iteration-177 enters with a strutting walk, dressed in Absalom Station's latest fashions in shades of black white and gray. He immediately begins mingling with the other guests, proving to be a genial and charming presence in contrast to his android nature.
Naiaj enters from one of the side rooms with a bit of a scowl for the gathered visitors. She wears her usual carbon skin armor and frequently peeks down at her wrist-based comm unit to reply to important Starfinder business. She sticks to the side of the room, splitting her attention between brief greetings for the guests and the important business she has to monitor on her comm device (and later also her datapad).
Royo takes a seat at one of the small tables, pipe already smoking, and sets down a folio of physical files to peer through. His immaculate formalwear is more than 20 years out of fashion, and his elegant spectacles are an oddity in comparison to the other guests. Before long, other scholarly types begin to approach him, and he starts to engage them in animated debates about esoteric topics!
A clean-cut, immaculately dressed half-elf man moves from group to group, greeting the various guests of note. When his ponytail shifts to the side as he walks, you see an iridescent, segmented insect clinging to the back of his neck. Ykris and its host seem calm and reserved, but incredibly dignified.
And finally Zo! stands next to the stage, loudly making his truly "larger-than-life" presence known. He's dressed in a luxurious suit and followed by a small flying camera drone.
Each round, you can chat up one of the guests, rolling a skill check that you believe would be relevant to that NPC. For example, you could attempt to engage a guest in a conversation about the inscrutable nature of the god Ibra, in which case you would roll a Mysticism check. Good roleplay or a particularly insightful angle to your approach grants a bonus on the check.
Each guest has certain topics and certain checks that interest them. If you (as a group) succeed at enough checks for any particular guest, that guest is successfully influenced positively!
Instead of attempting to influence a guest, you can use your action for the social round to aid another player character in their own attempt. Alternatively, you can spend your round engaging in light conversation with a guest to determine which skills they are most receptive to (this requires a Sense Motive check).
||| Social Round 1 Standings|||
Iteration-177 - Neutral
Naiaj - Neutral
Royo - Neutral
Ykris - Neutral
Zo! - Neutral
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Mustachio wants nothing more than to fan-rush Zo!, but he remembers Donovan's plan. Turning to Zye, he says, "Should we go talk to Iteration-177? Remember, he likes stories. Starfinder stories! And I have been on four previous missions, each of which I was the primary leading man, the mover and the shaker! Piece of cake."
"Excuse, my good sir. The name is Mustachio Marino, and this is my colleague Zye. We are representatives of the newly reformed Starfinder Society, here to make your acquaintance. Indeed, the Starfinder Society may have struggled in recent history, but we are already doing some wonderful things across the Pact Worlds, and even here on Absalom Station itself. Why, I could tell you quite an interesting story about cybernetic halfling zombies!"
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Royo takes a seat at one of the small tables, pipe already smoking, and sets down a folio of physical files to peer through. His immaculate formalwear is more than 20 years out of fashion, and his elegant spectacles are an oddity in comparison to the other guests. Before long, other scholarly types begin to approach him, and he starts to engage them in animated debates about esoteric topics!
Cournae takes a seat at the table with a quiet, "Is this seat taken? Thank you!" and spends a few minutes listening to the lively ongoing conversation (not wanting to barge in ignorantly), searching for a subject she might be able to expound upon.
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"Excuse, my good sir. The name is Mustachio Marino, and this is my colleague Zye. We are representatives of the newly reformed Starfinder Society, here to make your acquaintance. Indeed, the Starfinder Society may have struggled in recent history, but we are already doing some wonderful things across the Pact Worlds, and even here on Absalom Station itself. Why, I could tell you quite an interesting story about cybernetic halfling zombies!"
Very nice to meet you! Zye extends out a pawed hand towards the android as Mustahcio introduces him (though the ysoki has taken the hours between the briefing and now to try and groom his fur to a nice soft sheen). And yes, I certainly haven't dealt with as many undead bodies as Mustachio here, but even us new agents have to be prepped for a scuffle. Why, my second, no first! time off station, there was this ghost ship we needed to investigate. With...dozens of ghosts!
Zye begins excitedly speaking to the android about his experiences aboard the Struggle's Scholar. And while knowing Starfinders may find his description of that mission to be a bit more grandiose than the official reports, the ysoki figures if they are there to impress to guests, why limit yourselves to the cold hard facts.
Mustachio and Zye approach the android, who turns from his current conversation with an easy smile and a dismissive wave to the corp employees that had been engaging his attention. "Ah, the real stars of the evening! An absolute pleasure to meet you, Mustachio and Zye. I must say, I've been hearing second-hand stories of the Society's exploits, and your organization's accomplishments never fail to impress!"
"Zombies and dozens of ghosts?" He gives Zye a coy wink, but you get a feeling that he's not impressed by your attempt at embellishment. "How positively frightening. But what about the actual missions you've undertaken? Surely you've had to put something more... exotic, in your sights before?"
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Naiaj squints at the pair approaching her and responds with a fairly cold "Hello junior agents." when you hail her. "I hope you've spent time preparing yourselves well for this event. It would be a shame if the Society's good name was dragged through the muck by another high profile blunder."
When Miss Chiff engages Naiaj in discussion over her comm unit, the small bleachling gnome slowly warms up to the ysoki. "Ah, this model? I've made some modifications to help it run more efficiently. Removed all the non-essential features." She nods severely. "I prefer to surround myself with reliable tools. Though I see you appreciate that as well." Naiaj seems to appreciate Miss Chiff's commentary on personal wrist-based computing.
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Cournae's position at the table goes entirely unnoticed by the animated scholars debating the value of secondary peer review in the field of Drift subspace topology. Royo in particular gets more and more red in the face (under his fur) as a particularly obstinate colleague refuses to acknowledge that secondary peer review would introduce an UNACCEPTABLE degree of risk to the scholars involved. It's only after both sides of the argument are chastised by other guests for their noise levels that they manage to calm down.
Its only after this argument has run its course (a 20 minute affair), that Royo finally notices that Cournae has joined the group. He looks awkward and uncomfortable that a non-scholar is listening in.
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||| Social Round 2 Standings|||
Iteration-177 - Neutral
Naiaj - Interested (1)
Royo - Neutral
Ykris - Neutral
Zo! - Neutral
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"Zombies and dozens of ghosts?" He gives Zye a coy wink, but you get a feeling that he's not impressed by your attempt at embellishment. "How positively frightening. But what about the actual missions you've undertaken? Surely you've had to put something more... exotic, in your sights before?"
Well, Zye says. I haven't been that far out in the Vast yet, except for that time. Mostly in Near Space and the System. But if some of our leads pan out I hope I'll get to help find the lost world.
As he sees Iteration-177 cock his head, the ysoki smacks his head lightly. Of course, you maight not have heard. There's a lot of lost worlds after all, and even more that were never found to be lost at all! Well some of the Exo-Guardians had a big fort, but it was sooo secret they didn't let many people know where it was. And then those people got lost, so the directions were taken with them. He pauses his quick staccato as he realizes this may not be painting the Society in the most competent light. But that was the old leadership! We're already making good work cross-referencing and searching it out again! I already found some info myself, and once we finish scanning the data we can use it too...
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"Listen closely, my new friend, of the adventures of Muztazio Howzer,M.D., premier medical investigator of Absalom Station! Starring me, based on a true Starfinder Society story."
"It was a dark and stormy night. The boss said to check out some promising augs down in the Freemarkets, so I headed down there with my hapless associates. But we quickly learned the augmentations were a sham, and what they really did was turn good folk into... the Walking Dead! Zombies to our left, zombies to our right. I pulled out my rifle and POW! BAM! SLAM! They died. I sent my minions forward to keep the walking meat from striking me. One fell. Two fell. It was near disaster. So I pulled out a grenade, and KABOW! Blew those f!*%ers to pieces. Only killed one of my men. And then the zombie himself exploded. BAM! Caught my other man, so it was just me there, alone. I went into the warehouse where the augmentations were made, and there was a huge cube of ooze! It was busy digesting its maker. So what did I, Muztazio Howzer, do? I picked up my dead minions flamethrower and PCKKKSSSSSSHHHHH! Flamed that cube to death. I stood back panting... and destroyed those fake augmentations. Never again will they pollute an innocent creature with such a curse."