[SFS]1-13 On the Trail of History (Author Run), Table #2 (Inactive)

Game Master Christopher Wasko

[SFS]1-13 On the Trail of History (Author Run), Table #2

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.

Please introduce yourselves and use this chance to roleplay a little before the mission begins!

A slotted helmet shows only black orbs for eyes as a rebreather lets him keep his face completely covered. A ceramic breastplate, shoulder guards, bracers, and greaves protect him while facilitating the graceful kasathan close-combat style. as the red and gold scheme glint in the bright lights. The well-known colors of the Space Pirate Wraith Clan.

He crosses all four of his arms together in a criss-cross pattern. More out of annoyance as he left his ship and his crew once again to the beck and call of the Starfinders. He waits for others to arrive.

An imposing looking Vesk in scarred armor, but with an array of immaculately cleaned weapons hanging off her, gives a toothy grin.

"Ceramics, huh?" she rumbles. "I like a little more protection when I'm in a fight, just in case they get in a lucky shot."

She adjusts the flame doshko to make sure it's not in her way as she leans back against the wall.

An Ysoki that appears to have gone out of his way to replace as many of his organic components as possible with cybernetic upgrades (to the extent that he is now more machine the organic being), including a massive cerebral aug, stuck like a huge limpet behind his left ear, and with a comedically large artillery laser strapped to his back, strides into the waiting room.

In an overtly synthesised, atonal voice, he notes:

"The name's Buzz. I'm a hot-shot pilot, and a dab hand at tech - anything computational or electrical, and I'm your rat."

"Nice laser," Obozaya notes. " ... but you're sure you're a rat and not an android? Kind of hard to tell."

Ruuk snickers a bit at the mechanical rat. He carries two pistols, one on either side of his hips. Neither as clean or well maintained like Obozaya's weapons. The one on his left hip is an obvious laser pistol and the second is a foreign and strange weapon not seen around most of the Pact Worlds. He places one hand on his chest, in the form of a fist. "I am Ruuk, a member of Clan Wraith." He makes his position well known.

"Oh, yeah," the vesk says, shaking her head. "Obozaya."

Duh!

Buzz grins.

"Thanks! No, I am no android - I have just been steadily replacing as much weak flesh with reliable cybernetics as I can. Past a certain point, it becomes quite addictive..."

He then grimaces.

"Sadly, there isn't anything on the market in terms of torso replacements, but I have had my eye on some nice dermal plating..."

Obozaya shakes her head.

"I guess when you're ysoki, you need to do that. Fortunately, us vesk are pretty tough the way we're built..."

Soft steps could be heard just before the doors went open. In walked a young woman, dressed in a form fitting armor and carrying over her shoulder a large sniper rifle, she flashed everyone a wry smile before making her way to one of the walls and then leaning back at, adjusting the rifle for a moment to make herself a bit more comfortable. "The name is Maritza Blackbird, callsign Pilgrim..." Waiting for just a moment before continuing "I will be your long range support and scout when and if the need is for that, most teams seem to want to charge in and flex a few muscles because it seems to be more impressing..."

Entering the room just in time to hear Maritza's introduction, and android says"Pilgrim? It's been a long time since this unit has heard that call sign, I believe it was around that time with all the excitement about the news of recruitment possibilities... You know, after the Scoured Stars Incident and all that...

"This unit's name is Seven-Oh-One, it won't be your pilot this evening and the emergency exit is located right behind this unit. Just joking, I don't identify as this unit. So.. a kasatha, a vesk, an ysoki, a human and an android walk into the First Seeker's office, can't wait to hear the end of this joke. Are we missing anyone?"

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, thanks to the work of some of our keenest operatives." She smiles and nods at 701. "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?”

Everyone except Ruuk, please make sure you put your initiative, Perception, and marching order on the first slide.

"What was the nature of the previous Relic that was discovered, and can we expect the one we are looking for to be similar in nature?"

Not quite sure what position is where in terms of marching order, but Obozaya wants to be in the front.

Obozaya nods as she takes in the information, adding to Buzz's questions.

"Can you tell us anything about the relics, or if you know what we might be looking for on Icefront? Or the group that you think might have gone there?" she asks.

She thinks for another moment.

"And any idea of conditions on the planet's surface? I assume it's icy, but any other details?"

I also assume our standard spacesuits -- or at least my Lashunta ringwear 1 -- will protect me from cold? Do I need any other cold-weather gear (sorry, not as up on my Starfinder rules as Pathfinder).

Put you in front, Obozaya.

Elsebo shakes her head sadly in response to the ysoki's question. "You'd have to ask my predecessor that question, it was the main focus of his research. Of course you won't ever get the chance if we don't get past the Godshield, and I don't plan to go in unprepared.

"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."

She turns to the muscular vesk while detaching a tablet from her utility belt. "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 her tablet's touchpad a few times, and all your comm units ping to indicate new mail. You may now attempt Life Science or Physical Science checks to discern information about the planet based on Luwazi's specs.

Upon making your checks, you may ask Luwazi any remaining questions you have, slot your boons, and select your ship.

Obozaya frowns at the mail.

Nothing about things to kill. A planet with nothing on it that no one knows anything about isn't likely to win me a lot of glory, she grouses silently.

Don't think there is a whole lot we can do about the language situation if we don't speak it. The only thing I know around that is a mystic spell. So we can buy Spell Amps: Share Language (300 credits). I am willing to chip in on a few, though I only have about 272 credits left over.

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."

With one of his free hands Ruuk opens his account on his comm device. "Low again." Though really he didn't expect there to be much anyways. That is why he was hired out by the Starfinders of course. That and he produced results, though not always in the strictest or kindest measures.

Physical Science: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

"Sounds easy enough. Head down to the frozen wastehole. Look for information on a planet and if we find any intelligent lifeforms then interrogate them on the relics whereabouts." He smiles beneath teh mask that covers most of his face. "This evidence from the library happen to say what the relic looked like? Going to get some weird eyes if we just start asking about a relic we can't explain."

Physical Science: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17.

Buzz looks through his messages with surprise.

"Huh. Apparently my contacts at CeriCorp Labs have heard about our little adventure, and have passed on a friendly warning - apparently, a DracoCorp competitor of theirs, called Frozen Trove Labs (which specialises in genetic manipulation) has an interest in the planet. Apparently, they are ruthless, and resort to less-than-perfectly-legal means to achieve the ends that they want. If we encounter them, we should be on our guard - they can be extremely hostile, and protective of what they see as 'their' property..."

Life Science: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
Physical Science: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Culture: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

Taking in the information from the First Seeker she crosses her arms right up until the data comm unit bleeps and she scans over the mail, digging into it she silently snaps her fingers as Buzz speaks up "Aralydio is the CEO of Frozen Trove, an old ancient dragon, also the company is under investigation by several ethics groups, but thus far the company’s legal team has insulated them from any formal charges or scandals. Seems like the old dragon is easy to cut ties as well..." Glancing at her account she shrugs for a brief moment before nodding to Ruuk. "I will purchase a few of them so that the language won't be an issue..." Frowning for a moment she also made a note to check for some cold weather gear as well before heading off to the cold desolate wastes...

Elsebo's face saddens in response to Ruuk's question. "My predecessor could have told you that. Apparently studying these relics was the crux of his research. Unfortunately I don't know the answer to that, so you'll have to get creative in how you pursue information about it. I'm certain you're up to the task."

Obozaya grins at Buzz's comments.

"Excellent. I was worried this was going to be boring. I can do extremely hostile," she says, her voice sounding more like she's looking forward to greeting an old friend than a potential life-or-death battle.

"A dragon?" Her eyes widen. "Even better!"

I have 169 credits. I'm also running a pregen, though, so don't know if that matters.

Culture: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (9) + 14 = 23

"Buzz and Miss Blackbird have covered what little knowledge I possess regarding Frozen Trove Labs. I'll buy a couple of Diplomat Serums to share if needed, my purchasing license is not high enough to get Tongues Spell Ampoules yet, even if I can afford one." You can hear a small tinge of disappointment in his voice.

"First Seeker, are we borrowing a starship in order to get to Icefront?"

Elsebo nods at 701. "Yes, you may take a Pegasus or Drake model ship. Going to an unexplored planet to gather information seems like a science mission to me, which makes the Pegasus the better option. That said, this planet is deep in the Vast, and who knows what’s lurking that far out in space. If you think you’ll need some extra firepower to be safe, take the Drake. As always, I leave the choice in your capable hands."

Art for Luwazi and each starship model is in slide #2. Slides #3–8 have some starship encounter cheat sheets with errata. Starship stats are in the Guide, but I'll repost the stats for the ship you choose in the Campaign thread.

Knowing the Vast holds many deadly secrets Ruuk opts for more firepower. "Who knows what we'll find. Let's go with the Pegasus." The Kasatha suggests as he taps his pistol.

He then flips his account over. "I am willing to front 250 credits to a spell amp to share languages if anyone else wants in." He had been in a situation where meeting an alien race, not part of the Pact Worlds was significantly harder when they couldn't talk.

@Ruuk: If you want more firepower, take the Drake. The Pegasus has better scanners and maneuverability, the Drake has better guns.

Looks like we have one vote for the Drake(?). Be sure to post which ship you'd prefer today, as well as any other purchases you want to make (@Ruuk: I'll let you share credits with Obozaya to buy the spell amp if you'd like, but since you're splitting the cost with a pregen you couldn't keep the item at the end if you don't use it. It also looks like Pilgrim has language covered, although @Pilgrim let me know how many amps you're buying). I'll post the next plot development at the end of my work day today.

"More firepower is always better," Obozaya agrees. One vote for the Drake, though that's based more on character preference than player confidence. :)

Ruuk looks back down at his comm device and swipes right. "Er... the Drake is what I meant. Someone changes my language settings."

Either way GM. If Pilgrim has us covered then we should be good. I will leave it up to Pilgrim as I would be glad to help out where I can.

post coming when I get to work in 2hrs, my current life turned upside down as I am prepping to move to Ireland in 3 weeks... Panic? Neah!

I will buy 3 of them

No rush, I couldn’t post the development before I had to leave. I’ll post it tomorrow. Good luck with the move! Ireland is my favorite place in the world.

Taking everything into consideration she regarded the team for a brief moment. "the drake will be the best one I would say for now..." Then looking to Luwazi for a moment with a quick grin "If possible, I would like to do a bit of shopping before we are heading off there, would like to buy 3 spell amps and some cold winter clothing just in case" Giving the seeker a grin before a brief nod.

"Cold winter clothing? What's wrong with the frigid touch of the void finding it's way into your innards, contracting wires and making every single mechanical bit even more efficient! -after a brief awkward silence 701 realizes that he IS the only android on this crew- RIIIIGHT... you DON'T have mechanical bits, and Buzz could get frostbite where bio meets tech...

Sorry about that... Now, back on topic, the pegasus would be my ship of choice, slender and agile, what's not to love? But I'm outnumbered already and our pilot; you are our pilot, right?, has a preference for bulky, resistant vessels."

Three for Drake, one for Pegasus. Drake it is!

Elsebo nods to you as you board your ship. "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."

STARFINDER SOCIETY DRAKE (TIER 4)
Medium transport
Speed 8; Maneuverability average (turn 2); Drift 1
AC 19; TL 19 (including 701's 5 ranks in Piloting)
HP 85; DT —; CT 17
Shields light 70 (forward 20, port 15, starboard 15, aft 20)
Attack (Forward) heavy laser cannon (4d8), coilgun (4d4)
Attack (Aft) coilgun (4d4)
Attack (Turret) coilgun (4d4), high explosive missile launcher (4d8)
Power Core Pulse Green (150 PCU); Drift Engine Signal Basic; Systems budget medium-range sensors, crew quarters (good), mk 1 trinode computer, mk 4 armor, mk 4 defenses; Expansion Bays cargo hold, escape pods
Modifiers +1 to any three checks per round; 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 System (+1 damage to a single laser weapon, increased to +4/gunner RP 1/round)

You board your Drake-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 24 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.

@Pilgrim: As science officer, you might be able to figure out what's happening and stymie the effects. Roll me three successive Computers checks.

Obozaya paces fitfully during the downtime, frustrated at the boredom and lack of action. She practices various sword forms.

Finally, as things begin to happen, she perks up.

"What's this?" she asks.

Computers: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18
Computers: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23
Computers: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

sitting in the science officer chair while flipping through the latest magazine of "the Vast, Guns and you" whisteling a few times at some of the latest new hardware before ship starts to acting up. Turning her attention to the console she starts to see if she can make any sense of it

Pilgrim identifies the anomaly as a Drift storm, a chaotic mass of overlapping planar activity in the transient plane. She scans the surrounding space for routes that would avoid the storm, sending the data to Buzz and allowing him to narrowly circumnavigate the hazard. Pilgrim 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. See Slide #9 for a visual.

Your ship closes in on the coordinates, and the Drake lurches out of the Drift facing a small planet with an atmosphere shrouded in clouds. Buzz brings the ship into the planet's orbit, close enough for Pilgrim to complete some preliminary scanning.
Pilgrim may attempt an additional Computers check to use the Drake's sensors to remotely scan the planet.

Immediately following Pilgrim's scan, your ship's helm receives an incoming transmission from an unknown source. Captain Omen-Seeker must decide whether to accept the communication, or ignore it.

Ruuk stares out the port hole window at the swirling colors "No matter how deadly the drift and space are, they hold wonders like this." He waves a single hand at the horrific scene before them.

Suddenly the speakers begin to sound as a transmission comes in. "What now?"

Computers: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

With the camera's of the Drake she takes some pictures and sends them over to the rest of the crew while whisteling a tune in amusement. When dropping out and scanning the orbit she shrugs for a moment to Buzz. "Nothing on the scanners, seems like all is good there!"

Obozaya nods.

"It is impressive, I can't argue with that," she says as she waits for Pilgrim to give them the all clear to descend to the surface.

She waits to see what the captain plans with the communication.

"If nothing's on the scanners, what's trying to talk to us?" she asks.

Turning to Obozaya she gives him a wry grin while pointing to the console. "tech doesn't lie... I might have missed something ofcourse, but those 0's and 1's say nothing is there... Maybe a ghost is trying to communicate with us? No idea untill someone answers it..."

"Systems are still stable, we had no damage from that 'storm. Captain Omen, we still have an incoming transmission to respond to."

If Omen-Seeker doesn’t jump in by tomorrow, we’ll have a stand-in deal with the communication. Any volunteers?

IF no one wants it (opposes), 701 can be a good diplomat... he prefers lying though =P

Sounds good to me.

Works for me.

I'm so sorry! This never showed up on my active threads and I blanked on it. I can jump in or out, whichever works best.

Omen go ahead and take over comms as soon as you're ready, I'll get the ball rolling.
Culture (to ID the verthani?): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27
Diplomacy (to avoid insulting the verthani)?: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (4) + 14 = 18

Waiting for his captain's to take over the incoming hail, 701 begins the call on his screen, obviously the verthani was able to see Buzz in the background and speaks in near perfect vercite, "Ọ bụ na anyị niile anaghị ala n'ụlọ mgbe anyị na-eme njem na enyi m Vast? Kedu ihe anyị na-eme ebe a? Ajụjụ siri ike, nke kacha mma maka onye isi m. Olileanya na ọ gaghị adị mkpa ka m sụgharịa, mana enweghị m ike iguzogide ohere ikwu okwu n'asụsụ nke ndị dị udo na ndị na-enye aka." After that he keeps making some small talk to buy more time for Omen-Seeker to discern the right attitude to respond with.
Bluff (to buy time with the small talk?): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (18) + 16 = 34

Omen-Seeker, previously lost in thoughts that seem to vex her, straightens up and nods to 701. "Greetings, fellow traveller. I am Omen-Seeker and we are agents of the Starfinder Society on a mission of exploration and discovery. It is a pleasure to meet another traveler in the Vast. May I inquire as to what you are called?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

The verthani brightens up as she hears her home planet's tongue, and she begins to reply when Omen-Seeker takes over the comms. Still, she smiles. "Starfinders, eh? I guess that makes sense, plenty of stars to find out here. That's a heck of a crew you've got there, Captain, I know I'd want to bring a Vercite on any kind of discovery mission. You wouldn't happen to be in our orbit to study Icefront, would you? It's been a long time since I got to chat with some Pact natives that aren't part of my team."