Just over two weeks in the Drift passes relatively quietly -- discounting Lasereater's random surprise grenades -- and you reach Nakondis without incident. You arrive just outside of high orbit. The planet is a mottled dark green and gray -- dense forests thoroughly blanketed in fog.
Alarms sound as soon as you emerge from Drift space!
Your sensors detect four small orbital drones circling the planet in lower orbit. They have not yet detected you.
Blax-9 takes a closer look at the sensors.
Val'nor tries to help decipher the sensors...
...and Checks the Science instruments
Blax and Lasereater both identify the drones as automated craft, likely pre-programmed for an orbital sentry function. However, they are not of any Pact World or Vesk design.
Val'nor also checks the science instruments, and they are in good order.
"Jus' Azlanti stuff. Saws dem on TV smashin Pact World shipses"
Blax-9 moves back to the gunner seat and begins arming the weapons. "Well, guess we're going to have to destroy them."
Val'nor asks "Can we try to avoid them?"
"Can youz hacks dem? Sees what dey seez?
"Val see if you can pick up anything on the planet from any of our people as well" Bast readies himself in the pilot seat waiting to see if Val can hack them or if we need to engage "If we can avoid a fight we should, see if you can find us a way through them without their sensors picking us up"
Anyway to know what they are capable of as far as combat? Not sure we want to dive into a fight with 4 of these things if they can be avoided
Blax-9 takes aim on the drones. "Avoid a fight? Why would we want to do that? You know, that dust up with the pirates showed we all could use a little target practice. I say destroy them!"
Observing the drones' orbital pattern, you see they are arrayed in such a way that all approaches to the planet are covered.
<- Hack a drone
<- Scan the Drone for Stats
<- Scan the planet for our Peoples
Bast edges the Loreseeker closer to the drones' orbit, careful not to approach to quickly and isolating one from the others. Val'nor fires a burst of disorienting information subtly disguised as solar static -- the drone spins twice then shuts down for a brief reboot. Bast punches the thrusters and sprints past the sentry, slipping into the cloudy atmosphere of Nakondis before the drone reawakens.
Val'nor makes a quick scan of the drone technology as you fly past.
Tiny racer drone
Crew: 0
AC: 15, TL: 15, 20 hull points
Shields: none
As you descend towards the planet, you get more information about the colony and its environs. The surface of Nakondis is a forest perpetually draped in thick fog. Due to the fog, you cannot gain a visual readout of the colony, but you pick up the general layout of the settlement and determine that it contains just over 100 humanoid life forms, most of which are human. A large, incongruous structure is set in the middle of the settlement. The structure is a prefabricated building with sweeping curves that resembles a fortress more than the blocky colony dwellings that surround it. Two starship-scale heavy laser cannons are mounted on the building’s roof, positioned to defend against approaching starships.
A field of powerful modulated static is blocking all communications around the colony.
Culture -
"It looks like the central structure design is similar to the orbital drones, and honestly it matches the types of designs used by the Azlanti Star Empire"
General knowledge of the ASE...
They are a human-dominated collection of systems in the Vast, supposed to be descendants from the ancient Azlants of Golarion.
A Starfinder Society scout ship exploring the Vast made first contact with the Star Empire in 269 AG, and the Star Empire promptly destroyed it. Every interaction between the Pact Worlds or the Veskarium and the Star Empire since then has ended in similarly efficient and overwhelming violence — no ship has survived direct contact with the Star Empire, including two Pact Worlds diplomatic envoys.
In the years since, both parties have avoided the other.
"I suggest we find somewhere away from those canons to put the ship down and move in on foot" Do we have a rover of any sort?
"I can't figure out what the hell Sarigar and Meico would be doing even coming to this planet, but if they haven't checked in, I am willing to bet they got themselves into trouble."
"Val can you scan for their ship? It may be outside of the modulated static blocker around the city"
Attempting to scan for any Starfinder Ships:
”Lands the ship ins woodses. Hides in smoke water and sneaks in like famous goblin commandos.”. Lasereater suggests strapping on his pistols and grenades.
Val'nor does not detect Sarigar's ship anywhere on the surface. For that matter, he finds no ships on the entire planet (apart from the drones).
Bast takes a circuitous route, descending to the back of the planet and then approaching Madelon's Landing from a low altitude to avoid ground-based sensors. The forest canopy is thick but you identify a clearing just large enough for the Loreseeker a few miles from the colony.
As you make the final descent, you plunge into the thick fog that blankets the planet. Bast cuts the engines and opens the hatch -- the air is breathable but has a distinct metallic tang. After the engines wind down, the forest becomes quiet but for the droning chirp of insects and an occasional hooting call from something larger.
Val'nor gathers his equipment and gets ready to leave the ship. His new magic doodad spinning around his head.
Pistols and grenades ready, Lasereater leaps into the forest with a gleeful giggle.
Blax-9 dons his gear and arms his weapon before hopping out of the ship. He takes a second to scan around the forest for any tracks or signs of danger.
You gather your bearings and start out for the colony. The fog remains thick so that you can only see 20 to 30 feet. The shroud gives the forest a seemingly unending quality, and if not for your personal sensors, you'd become hopelessly lost in minutes.
The fog also makes it nearly impossible to scan ahead for threats. Less than twenty minutes after leaving the ship, you almost literally bump right into a patrol of armored humans. They make no attempt to parley -- upon seeing you, one shouts something in an alien tongue. The three immediately draw and and open fire!
Init -
Bast 5' steps to his right to try and find some cover and fires his forked pistol twice at the armored human to the far left
Trick Attack (Sleight of Hand) -
To Hit -
Damage -
To Hit -
Damage -
Bast's reflexes kick in and he snaps off two quick shots before taking partial cover behind a tree. He tries to trick them with a feint, but they either don't notice or aren't fooled. Still, he hits his mark twice, leaving smoking holes in her armor.
The humans attack. One draws a long-bladed knife and closes to melee while the other two fire their rifles and take partial cover at the edge of the forest.
;
;
;
Blax-9 takes a 5' step back and then fires on his attacker.
Lasereater tosses a frag grenade to hit the 2 northern assailants.
Val'nor tries to make a trick attack on the one Blax shot
He hides, then fires
He misses badly, like REALLY badly...=(
Blax-9 backs away, firing his gun wildly. Lasereater hurls a grenade -- its explosion echoes throughout the forest as fragments barrage two foes. Val'nor ducks behind a tree then leans out to fire, hitting a second tree a few feet in front of him.
Val'nor says "oh! for the love of Desna, I hate trees"
Bast will fire at the nearest one
To Hit -
Damage -
Can trick shot be used every round or just once an encounter?
Bast hits the close enemy with a blast from his forked pistol. She grunts and switches focus to stab at Lasereater. The other two continue to fire from cover.
;
;
;
on his turn, Val'nor attacks AGP1:
Blax-9 turns and returns fire on the soldier who hit him.
"Owww!"
Lasereater takes a step to the west and fires his pistol at his assailant spraying fire in the air.
Blax-9 spins and fires, hitting the southern enemy in cover with a well-aimed shot.
Lasereater retreats into the undergrowth at the slope's base, firing his weapon wildly.
Val'nor hits the close foe in the head, shattering her faceplate. She drops in a spray of blood.
Trick Shot Sleight of Hand -
Bast will Boost his Forked Pistol and fire at the far human
To Hit -
Damage -
Val'nor moves to the SE of blax, and fire at the AGP hiding there.
Bast makes like he's going to reload, but instead charges up his plasma pistol and blasts his target with a powerful shot. The human drops with a smoking hole through his chest plate.
The last soldier shouts something harsh in his tongue, fires at Bast, then moves behind the trees ahead.
;
Boosting expends charges from the weapon equal to its usage value. This increases the weapon’s damage and is multiplied on a critical hit.
That doesn't matter on this attack but it might matter in future attacks
Val'nor tries to feint one way and moves the other...
extra die, if bluff succeeds.