Farvenzi lunges out at Ruuk as the kasatha approaches, clipping him with her dragonglaive. Seeing that her enemies are closing in and that Buzz is firing at her ally, she lunges out with her long neck, landing two devastating bites on the small ysoki. Meanwhile Spinjack flies above the northern wall, points his laser rifle at Omen-Seeker, and fires an overcharged blast that hits her square in the torso, leaving a blackened smear on her armor.
Pilgrim
Buzz (-35 SP, -29 HP)
Omen-Seeker (-21 SP)
Round 3
Obozaya
Ruuk (-21 SP)
701
Spinjack (-33 HP, 35 ft. airborne)
Farvenzi (-50 HP, 15 ft. high, atop wall)
Pilgrim lands a solid shot on the armored ryphorian, which now appears to be drawing blood. Buzz raises his rifle toward Spinjack, but he's still within Farvenzi's reach, and the opportunistic dragonkin tears into him again, knocking him cold. Both Obozaya and 701's shots seem to bounce off Farvenzi's armor.
Spinjack's head vibrates slightly as Omen-Seeker's mental assault harasses him, but visibly shakes off the worst of the spell. Clearly perturbed, he overclocks his laser again and lands a devastating shot into the ysoki's belly, causing her to crumple over. He then turns his attention to Pilgrim, his eyepiece automatically readjusting. Meanwhile, Farvenzi trades blows with Ruuk, biting his shoulder but getting slammed with a tentacle in return.
Pilgrim
Buzz (-35 SP, -32 HP, prone, unconscious, dying)
Omen-Seeker (-21 SP, -20 HP, prone, unconscious, dying)
Obozaya
Ruuk (-27 SP)
701
Spinjack (-39 HP, 35 ft. airborne)
Farvenzi (-62 HP, 15 ft. high, atop wall)
Pilgrim lands another solid shot on the flying rhyphorian, and although Farvenzi initially holds back Ruuk's tentacle assault, one strand of light sneaks past her guard and lays her low. You can hear a scream from Spinjack over the generators' roar, and he readjusts his target lock and fires an overcharged laser right into Ruuk's side.
Pilgrim
Buzz (-35 SP, -32 HP, prone, unconscious, stable)
Omen-Seeker (-21 SP, -20 HP, prone, unconscious, stable)
Obozaya
Ruuk (-40 SP)
701
Spinjack (-54 HP, 35 ft. airborne)
Farvenzi (dead)
With the barrage of attacks, Spinjack's bodygoes limp. His laser rifle drops from his hands, jetpack sputters, and his body careens to the ground after it, crashing onto the wall and then tumbling onto the frozen earth with nauseating, wet cracking sounds.
As you catch your breath, a team of rhyphorian researchers rush past you to Spinjack's side, apparently having approached in the tumult from beyond the campus's borders. A handful of sercurity guards train their weapons on you, but seeing their commander's body slumped over the wall, they are visibly shaking and have no desire to engage. Dr. Monsylkis, dressing in an environmentally-sound field coat, pushes past them toward you. "What in the name of...what happened here?!"
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Buzz slowly staggers to his feet, still bleeding slightly from his numerous wounds, before weakly replying:
"What happened here, is that we were ambushed by your security staff, after we found out the impact your research has had on the local flora and fauna. I'll leave it to my more eloquent colleagues to explain things in detail..."
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"It's time to stop this experiment. We know you're aware of the problems of addiction, but it's worse out there than you can imagine," Obozaya rumbles. "Creatures are killing each other because they're so hungry because of your medicines. You said you didn't intend any harm, but your research is causing exactly that."
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"Buzz, could you please bypass the shell again? It seems Doctor, than while YOUR research had a beneficial purpose. Your employees had a different goal in mind, they were researching the addictive strands, not the medicinal ones. I believe that the non-profit could be a cover for larger misguided organization."
"Furthermore, the izalguuns have expressed their willingness to accept YOUR assistance to heal the noxious effects your experiment have had on their people. They could help you find a cure, as long as you agree that your team will leave the planet once that research is complete."
Your team alternates between sharing demonstrable evidence of the plants' negative effect on the local wildlife, rationally appealing to Dr. Monsylkis's better sensibilities, and intimidating her about potential legal and environmental repercussions should she continue her research. She appears crestfallen. "Clearly the evidence verifies that this research is not worth its cost. I'm not even sure our cause for being here is honest anymore. We will certainly pack up at once." She gives the order to her staff, who pause for a moment before setting to work preparing the site for consolidation and launch. The doctor looks back to you with a soft smile that betrays an obvious sense of helplessness. "I...uh...this research was my life, my career, my everything. Without it, I have no professional reputation, or leverage back into academia. You, uh, don't suppose someone like me might find some work with your organization, would you?"
Over several hours, the research team collapses all of the structures into star-travel worthy vessels, and your Pegasus has evidently been repaired to working order. Prior to departing, you return to the izalguun camp and explain your work to a grateful (but still reticent) Naarma. She gives you a hand-drawn star chart bearing a black "X" over a small moon four orbits away from Icefront’s sun. "You will find the relic you seek on a secret facility hidden inside this moon. I have included specific details on where the installation is located. Please know, however, the facility was designed to ensure that the relic was never found. Proceed with caution." After a pause, she looks to you and says, "I also hope that our people's technology can remain secret. We are comfortable with our lifestyle, and would rather not be probed further."
...
Your journey back to Absalom Station is uneventful. Luwazi Elsebo is elated that you discovered a new lead, rewarding each of you with a mk 1 electrostatic field armor upgrade. She prompts you for a detailed briefing from your mission, and ultimately fixates on the star chart, the mysterious starship, and the izalguuns. The star chart she immediately scans copies of and transfers to her navigation crew, using her tablet to begin preparing exploration teams with your names at the top of the roster. Concerning the starship, Luwazi expresses both curiosity and concern; she double checks all of Guidance’s known starship designs and can’t find any known blueprints that match your attacker. Fearing that there might be more of these hostile starships, Luwazi asks you to prepare a presentation on your encounter for the rest of the Starfinder Society, so future expeditions can be better prepared to challenge them.
As for the izalguuns: "It appears this species has lived in relative anonymity for millennia, and they’ve done so despite prior invitations to return to their home system. Although our responsibility as Starfinders is to share our findings with the Pact Worlds, doing so in this case might be a violation of a people’s wishes. I can provide counsel, but in the end, you are the only Starfinders to have interacted with this culture and studied them firsthand. What is your official recommendation?"
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"As much as I would love to share the Starfinder's vision with the izalguuns, I believe we may do more harm than good if we were to force them into the fold of the Pact Worlds. My advice, if plausible, would be to oversee Icefront to prevent further intrusions into their adopted planet and new way of life.
"If we are able to protect their seclusion, perhaps, eventually, they could become our allies, but I am certain that they will not hinder our objectives."
Luwazi listens to the vocal majority. "So be it: the Pact will not be told of the izalguuns' advanced technology. I don't think we can try to block others out of exploring Icefront...or 'Izalraan,' rather...without arousing suspicions, but I will keep an ear to the ground in case anyone else starts poking around their planet. I'll also send an envoy from the Society to reaffirm that they can communicate with us should they choose. Well done, agents. I cannot begin to describe how helpful your findings are for our mission!"