[SFS]1-13 On the Trail of History (Author Run), Table #1
A hovering service drone leads the way into a small but comfortable waiting room in the Lorespire Complex. A sliding door in the side wall stands shut, a yellow light glowing over the frame. A side-scrolling text bar over the door reads: Make yourselves comfortable. The First Seeker will see you in a moment. Please enter when the light turns green.
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A grinning, cheerful little ysoki in the room says, "Hello everyone!! My name is Arratoi! I'm a writer and I find inspiration working various missions for the Starfinders and travelling the stars. Someday, I'll write the quintessential space novel that will be read across the entire galaxy!!
"Now I know that some may struggle to pronounce my name, but that's okay. It's pronounced ARA-TOI. But honestly, if you cannot say it, just call me 'A Rat'! I know you were thinking it! So now you can say it without fear of causing me any offense!
"Oh and by the way, I have quite a few dwarven novelist colleagues who've taught me how to throw insults like a dwarf. It's quite an art! And I daresay.... addictive!
"So if I say things such as, 'Why won't that incompetent harpy-faced decrepit fuzzpot light turn green already?!?!' then please don't take offense. I just get carried away now and then!"
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"Hi" says a shy looking lashunta woman. A holy symbol of Weydan dangles from her neck.
I will sometimes communicate with you like this; you can reply after I do and I will hear you, says the same soft, gentle voice in your mind. It also sounds like it is requesting permission to be in your head, rather than just barging in.
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After making himself comfortable in a corner of the waiting room a skeptical looking Ysoki male starts tinkering with some electronic components he takes out of various pouches and pockets from his clothes as he occasionally spits some precision tool out from his mouth and uses them before stuffing them back into his mouth pouches. You can't be sure what he's working on..but you are almost certain is high unstable and possible explosive.
After he spits out another tool he seems to have noticed that other people are talking and says:
"Name's Rocket" before continuing on his task
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An attractive and lithe woman slips into the room quietly. Taking a seat in the corner she checks out the other members of the crew for a moment or two.
After a moment she gets to her feet "Y'all can call me Gunnz. I specialise in getting into places folk don't wanna have me, and then gettin out again before they know I have been there."
She looks hard at Arratoi..."Did you write 'The Half Dead Streets?' Oh my goodness.." as she gets excited the drawl drops away and she fumbles around in a backpack for a book. "Could you sign my copy. Sent the shivvers right up me.. well"
She offers a nod to Rocket. Well, he seems competent. Like the name too
Then looking at the follower of Weydan she thinks Can you really hear me? Can you read my mind...oh and what is your name?
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Turning to Gunnz, Arratoi says, "Half dead... OHHHH! You mean my most recent novel, 'The Partially Alive Avenues'!!! Wow, I wish I had met you before that book went to print because 'The Half Dead Streets' is a much catchier title!
"And of course I'll sign your copy! Anything for a fan!"
Arratoi signs her book: To Gunnz, I hope you have tunzz of funnz reading this under the sunnz! Arratoi
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The android that enters looks at the others and then bows from his middle "Hello, I am Iteration 5, or I-5 for short. It seems our fates are intertwined for this period."
His body is clad in a black outfit that is so devoid of light that it would even stand out in darkness. Over his shoulder the handle of a sword sticks out "I am one of the Lady's blades. She guides us all"
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A some what short shirren walks in, though late although they speak calmly, you can get the tell of slight nervousness and apologetic. "Please accept my apologizes for being late. Julzakama's books were very much out of order and needed quiet the looking over and adjusting. However, he should be able to pay his taxes properly now."
"I am Ba'hob" "I was hired into work with Ms. Elsebo in getting the society funds in order, but it seems that she felt I was good for more aggressive field work. It seems my talent for finding the smallest detail in numbers has practical uses outside the accounting ledger. "
The light over the door suddenly turns green, and the doors open with a whoosh. Four venture-officers walk out, one of whom makes eye contact for a moment before smiling and giving a short nod.
Inside, a massive table-like hologram projector rests in the center of the darkened briefing room, its surface generating a three-dimensional depiction of the galaxy. Nominated First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo stands cross-armed while surveying the starscape before her, her frame illuminated by the hologram. “I appreciate your punctuality, as the lives of many Starfinders may depend on you. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you about the Scoured Stars incident.” Her eyes turn toward a large golden field in the hologram within which most of the Society’s agents are believed to be trapped. “But I’m glad to share that we’ve finally found a lead. Evidence from the library world of Athaeum suggests that eight groups departed the Scoured Stars in ages past, and that eight relics were removed following the same trajectories. My predecessor’s studies about one of these relics is what led us into the Scoured Stars, but I think if we can track down some of the people connected to the other relics—or, better yet, get our hands on a relic ourselves—we might find a way past this barrier.”
Elsebo waves a hand over the projector, and the entire hologram rotates; she then fans both her hands out to zoom in on a planet in the Vast. “Our closest guess as to where we might find some answers is here. Based on what I could find, it appears to be an unclaimed planet the Pact has labeled Icefront. There are no known civilizations affiliated with this planet, but its atmosphere supports life and it’s not far off the likely flight path of one of the eight escaping groups. I want you to take a ship to Icefront and find whatever you can about where this relic might be hidden. More importantly, see what you can dig up about the people the relic seemed to be chasing. Any questions?”
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Rocket puts a finger inside on of his ears and scratches the inside
"I've got one..what's this relic you want us to find? It's kinda difficult to go to an unknown planet and look for something we don't know anything about to track it to the people who were after it. Something like what it looks like would be a great help for something like that. Seems that otherwise we're stuck to going door to door kicking stuff and people till one of them fesses up to having a relic or we stumble over one - and that happens to be the right one we're after."
Rockets scratches some more..going real deep this time
"Unless...the relic is hidden somewhere and you just want us to find the location it's hidden, in say a cave or something..or buried beneath ice..but then again, anything we find that sorta looks like it could be a relic would be good enough for us..seeing we don't know what we're looking for..we might just return with something else..."
Rocket has a puzzled look on his face as he continues to scratch.
Elsebo appears somewhat distracted by Rocket's scratching, but ultimately she responds. "If you can actually find a relic that would be a spectacular leap forward for us, but to be honest I don't expect that to be the case. As you said, we have no idea what this relic might look like, where it might be stored, or what powers or dangers it might possess. We don't even know if it's on Icefront at all.
"What I want you to look for is any information you can find about the relic or its potential whereabouts. If there are native, sentient lifeforms on the planet, then they’ll probably be your best bet for a lead. On that note, you might want to make sure you have some means of communicating with a new species. By this point in your careers, I assume you’re capable of that."
Elsebo shakes her head at Delea and Gunnz. "Don't assume the Pact's planet naming system is always consistent or systematic. Corporate or personal interests can sneak in sometimes, so a name besides 'Colony XYZ' doesn't necessarily mean anything."
She detaches a tablet from her utility belt and starts scanning its touchscreen. "The Pact Worlds’ databases didn’t offer much, since Icefront is so far off anyone’s sensors, but we have some basic specs from astronomers' reports. The planet has a standard atmosphere, lots of fresh water, and abundant plant life. No record here of intelligent life, but the file doesn't have a preliminary exploration report, so that doesn't really mean much. It spins and orbits its sun slowly, so I’d guess that it has extreme seasonal temperatures, which might be how it got it's name. Otherwise, I don't see anything particularly noteworthy. The file even states that there are no likely deposits of valuable mineral resources, which makes sense since that’s what Pact Worlds surveyors tend to focus on. I’ll forward the file to you so you can prepare."
Elsebo taps the touchpad a few times, and all your comm units ping to indicate new mail.
Dear Starfinder Friends,
Some of my Society contacts let slip that your leadership has been doing homework on Icefront. You’re not the first to take an interest in that planet. My colleagues at CeriCore Labs recently looked into applying for corporate research rights on Icefront, but we had to delay the project because lobbyists from Frozen Trove Labs pushed us out. Frozen Trove is a leading competitor of ours in the field—although they work more with genetics than cybernetics—and they are pretty ruthless, even by dragoncorp standards. Their science is top-notch, but lots of our R&D folks say that nobody stumbles upon that many “breakthroughs” doing honest work (I know our legal department hates dealing with them). If your travels take you to Icefront, keep an eye out for Frozen Trove: their scientists are some of the best, but their management is hostile and very protective of their property.
Best of luck,
Ykris
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"Guys, I got a heads up from Ykris, a corp contact of mind. It seems a corp that rivals his named Frozen Trove Labs has been interested in Icefront. They are a Triaxian genetics modification corporation that is a leader in their field. But get this, their CEO is a dragon! The dragon's name is Aralydio.
"Also, they're rumored to be unethical, dishonest, crazy ruthless, and extremely hostile and protective of their property. Kind of what you'd expect from a corp run by a dragon. But especially so because Aralydio is known to throw employees under the bus if they screw up - which just promotes employees to be that much more cutthroat or undertake last ditch, desperate actions.
"I figure if we encounter any of them on Icefront, then one, they'll probably be pretty hostile, but two, they may be desperate enough to help us if it would also somehow advance them on their own corporate ladder."
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Gunnz nods. "Hostile corporate folk, who likely as not are after the same artefact as us. Great. Lets try to avoid notice."
She thinks "I really like the Pegasus. It just handles much better than the Drake. Making sure we are away from the enemies guns is, long term, much better than just having an extra laser."
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I-5 reads through the articles Luwazi Elsebo send "It seems fresh water of all phases covers the planet, likely supporting robust ecosystems year-round. Given the widespread availability of food and water, it's unlikely that most native creatures would interact with strange humanoids unless they were blatantly aggressive or edible. Non-native plants, however, might entice herbivorous fauna."
"In starships I am best with the guns" he adds
Ally: High Society Influence
Faction: Exo-Guardians Champion
Personal: NA
Promotional: Promotional Record Keeper - Starfinder Player Character Folio
Social: Faction's Friend
Starship: Automated Defenses
Slotless: All that I have, see profile
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Ba'hob nods. "Information. That should be simple enough. Though I am not versed in first contact languages, I have picked up a few after the fact. But I can usually navigate around and quickly pick up customs and manners"
"I have read many notes regarding Frozen Trove Labs. In brief, they seem to be very...efficient. " Ba'Hob share the details with all the culture checks.
"The plant in question seems to share a similar orbiatal and seasonal cycle as Triaxus, I can see why this dragon run corp may find this planet of interest. "
"I am comfortable in any role required on the ship and have training in all positions."
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I-5 looks Delea in the eyes "As you might have noticed I am an android. It is tough for me to fully comprehend he nuances of not-entirely logical beings. No insult intended there. It is even harder when people talk telepathically to me, as I find it difficult to parse out the underlying meaning from the words when I can't see your face."
He smiles "So yes, I am uncomfortable with telepathic communication and I would prefer if it was saved for emergencies."
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"I too am ready. If someone else wanted to pilot, I could hit the gunnz.. it's how I made my name after all. But really... I've not flown a mark 4 Pegasus before, and this baby looks sweet. I'm itching to get behind the controls."
She thinks for a moment.
"Just make sure you harness up and keep your barf bags handy. Nobody who has flown with me in combat has ever volunteered to do so a second time. But I've never lost a ship either."
Medium explorer
Speed 10; Maneuverability good (turn 1); Drift 1
AC 16; TL 17
HP 65; DT —; CT 13
Shields light 60 (forward 20, port 15, starboard 15, aft 10)
Attack (Forward) light particle beam (3d6)
Attack (Port) laser net (2d6, point +10)
Attack (Starboard) light laser cannon (2d4)
Attack (Turret) light particle beam (3d6)
Power Core Pulse Red (175 PCU); Drift Engine Signal Basic; Systems advanced medium-range sensors, crew quarters (good), mk 2 duonode computer, mk 3 armor, mk 4 defenses; Expansion Bays cargo hold, escape pods, science lab, tech workshop
Modifiers +2 to any two checks per round, +4 Computers, +1 Piloting; Complement 4–7
Boons: Automated Defenses (reduce speed of a tracking weapon by 50% for 1 round; 1/combat + 1/science officer RP), Hero of the Stars (automatically regain 20 Hull Points if reduced to 0), Solar Powered Weapons Systems (2) (+1 damage to a single laser weapon, increased to +4/gunner RP 1/round)
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"If it is okay with everyone else, I'll just make sure that one of those nodes is always active in the pilot's chair. Best never be in troubles way, eh?"
"Ba'hob, if you can quickly sort out any angles that anything we come across doesn't have weapons... I'll try to stay off that quarter of them. Otherwise I'll try to stick to where ever their defences are lightest. I'm guessing we want that particle beam at the front on target as much as possible as well."
Elsebo smiles at the exchange between Delea and I-5. "It gives me hope to see our agents collaborate so effectively. All the more reason we need to get our people back from the Scoured Stars. Let's hope this mission brings us closer to a positive end to this travesty. Good luck, Starfinders."
You board your Pegasus-class ship, plug in your coordinates, and depart Absalom Station, powering up your Drift engine once you're comfortably far away. The voyage through the Drift takes about 19 days, and is mostly uneventful. Towards the last leg of your journey, however, some of the swirling colors within the Drift become unusually vibrant, and some of the ship's non-Drift technology begins functioning erratically.
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Ba'hob settles in and every day runs though the ship manual checklist for all the systems. He takes detailed notes of fuel consumption and rations used, as well as all other consumables. When asked, Ba'hob mentions that the keeping good receipts will help keep costs down for the Society Expenses. Also aid in better planning in the acquisition of ship resources. Ba'hob does show that he is not recording or tracking specific crew members but just the over all time and rate of consumption.
Ba'hob happily converses with Delea telepathically and would be willing to spend the flight time discussing various esoteric topics.
Ba'hob settles in and every day runs though the ship manual checklist for all the systems. He takes detailed notes of fuel consumption and rations used, as well as all other consumables. When asked, Ba'hob mentions that the keeping good receipts will help keep costs down for the Society Expenses. Also aid in better planning in the acquisition of ship resources. Ba'hob does show that he is not recording or tracking specific crew members but just the over all time and rate of consumption.
Ba'hob happily converses with Delea telepathically and would be willing to spend the flight time discussing various esoteric topics.
Ba'hob identifies the anomaly as a Drift storm, a chaotic mass of overlapping planar activity in the transient plane. The shirren scans the surrounding space for routes that would avoid the storm, sending the data to Gunnz and allowing her to easily circumnavigate the hazard. Ba'hob even gets the fritzing ship tech back online, and entertains the rest of the crew by bringing up a stunning visual of the storm on the holoscreens.
While adjusting the ship's scanners to compensate for the strange Drift activity, one of the sensors pings for a moment. Ba'hob slides over to investigate, but by the time the shirren reaches the station, the pinging has stopped. Curious, the shirren checks the device records and finds an automated notification indicating the signature of another starship far in the Pegasus's rear quadrant. Ba'hob crunches the code as the storm passes; although the storm's disruptive activity interfered with some of the scanner's basic functioning, the device's history contains fragmented data that suggests that another Drift-active starship had been following you for some time.
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Your ship closes in on the coordinates, and the Pegasus lurches out of the Drift facing a small planet with an atmosphere shrouded in clouds. Gunnz brings the ship into the planet's orbit, close enough for Ba'hob to complete some preliminary scanning.
Immediately following Ba'hob's scan, your ship's helm receives an incoming transmission from an unknown source. Captain Delea must decide whether to accept the communication, or ignore it.
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Ba'hob runs though the preliminary scans of the planet.
Not getting too much from the sensors. "There seems to be strong storms across the planet. In the southern 'winter' zones it is snow. The the currently temperate north lots of rain. But lots of flora and fauna across the whole surface regardless of the temperature"
The verthani grins. "Starfinders, huh? I guess that makes sense, lots of stars to find this far out in space. Sorry about what happened to your organization, by the way. I'm surprised you're still sending people out this far after what happened. Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Delea. My name's Dr. Monsylkis."
She seems to lose focus for a moment as she types into a keyboard off-screen, then she looks back into the camera. "Judging from your orbit pattern, it looks like you're circling my neck of the galaxy. I didn't think Icefront was on the Starfinder Society's radar, or anyone's radar really. Why the interest in this planet?"