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You find yourself in Absalom Station, where the Exo- Guardians faction leader, Zigvigix, asks you to meet at the faction’s warehouse headquarters in the Downlow that many Starfinders have affectionately nicknamed “the Nest.” Ever since it was cleared of hostile alien life-forms by neophyte Starfinders. The Exo-Guardians have worked tirelessly to turn it into a training gym and engineering workshop. The site buzzes with activity when you arrive.
Past several holographic combat-simulation chambers and an open sparring area, resides an office made of portable prefabricated walls painted a dark maroon. Inside, the augmented shirren, Zigvigix, sits behind a small desk plays a vidgame involving matching different colored orbs. “Have you tried this game yet?” they ask a few moments later after they fail a level. “It’s called Congruenz, and it is most enjoyable! But that’s not why I called you here, Starfinders.” They switch the holodisplay to show the three-dimensional image of a desolate planet. “As has become evident in the past few months, the Starfinder Society lacks the means to protect itself should we encounter a large threat, such as the threats within the Scoured Stars.” Their antennae twitch. “Of course, we aren’t looking to start any fights, but we want the galaxy to know we are ready to finish them. As such, I believe that this planet, Elytrio, might have the resources to aid us."
"Most of you had a contribution to that mission and if you would like to share you experience that would be most helpful."
Elytrio is a planet in the Vast with two moons. The first time a Pact Worlds ship approached, the ship was nearly destroyed by an automated orbital-defense system. Later, a Starfinder team was sent to explore the planet and investigate a large energy signature that turned out to be an inhabited city named Arkeost. The Starfinders made peaceful contact with those that lived there: the descendants of survivors of a great nuclear war that ravaged the planet.
Elytrio’s inhabitants are a dimorphic race of beetle-like people known as ghibranis. The husk ghibranis have sturdier frames and climb with ease, while the membrane ghibranis are slenderer and have wings that let them fly. The husk ghibranis eke out an existence in the planet’s wastelands, while the membrane ghibranis live comfortably within a city protected by a force field, with robots providing for needs.
The Starfinders discovered that in the years after the war, the leaders of Arkeost enacted a plan to create a false deity named Mother Touloo to trick some of the survivors into leaving the city. Without this plan, Arkeost would not have been able to sustain its population for very long. The husk ghibranis are the descendants of those who left the city and still worship Mother Touloo to this day. The current membrane ghibranis had no knowledge of this shameful history, and the two groups aren’t hostile to one another. The Starfinder Society decided not to divulge this information to any of Elytrio’s inhabitants.
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"Well, the planet was a bit of conundrum. There were automated orbital defense systems in place attacking any ships approaching the planet. However, a Starfinder ship managed to blast their way through to the planet and discover a dimorphic race inhabiting the planet.
"The sturdier tougher version live a tough life of survival in the wastelands while the less sturdy version lives in a fully automated city protected by a force field.
"These two versions of the same race are survivors of a nuclear war the ravaged the planet in the distant past.
"Ziggy,what resources do you believe are on this planet that would be helpful?"
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"Not that simple though. One lot of the Ghibranis sold out the other, sending them into the wasteland whilst they themselves lived like kings. We never mentioned it though, we made friends with both sides and felt it imprudent to meddle in their politics. Not too bad a planet overall. A few hostile lifeforms"
Culture
Shelldrake backbriefs her comrades on Elytrio in her polite but slightly distant tone.
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"Chivix remembers the Ghibrani very well. It seemed odd to Chivix that two divergent races of the same species could develop in such close proximity to each other. Chivix hopes that the Husks and the Membranes are moving towards reconciling the past...but Chivix is doubtful. Gravy has an entire catalog of data on the Ghibrani from our time there, if anyone cares to review it."
"And yes, Zigvigix" Chivix pronounced the shirren name with the appropriate palp-burrs suitable for a junior recognizing a senior, "Chivix and Gravy would also be interested in knowing what resources the Society thinks are available there. Did this information come from scans from one of our previous missions? Or is this something new?"
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“Our scans and contact with the surviving inhabitants have uncovered the presence of abandoned underground bunker at a ruined military base that we believe might hold a few stockpiles of unused weapons. We’d like you to head there, explore the facility to clear out any dangers within, and mark any weapons you find with these.” Zigvigix places a small stack of plastic disks on the desk. “Once you believe it is safe, the Society can send a larger vessel to pick up and transport any weapons you find. You will also be meeting a local contact on the ground to provide you with translations, if you need help.”
The shirren explains further "These devices are locator disks and function similarly to homing beacons, putting out a faint signal that someone tuned to the right comm channel can easily find. They require no skill to activate, simply the press of a button. Once activated, they have a range of 1 mile and use very little power. A disk’s battery life is measured in months, not hours, so you are in no rush to complete their mission and return to Absalom Station."
There are six locator disks. "Questions?"
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"With only a mile of range, Chivix thinks these will be limited in their use for external pickup. Chivix assumes that the pickup vessel will be equipped to land near to the bunker facility?"
"Also, do we have any information on what we may find in the bunker and surrounding environs? Chivix remembers well the strange creatures on that world, many of whom seemed to find shirrens to their particular taste."
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"Who is the local contact? We may have met her before..."
“An old friend, perhaps.” Otherwise, he says, “One the locals who met our representatives earlier has agreed to accompany you on this mission. She is a bright and eager woman named Klarima, who might be interested in joining the Society one day. Please do keep her safe.”
"Also, do we have any information on what we may find in the bunker and surrounding environs? Chivix remembers well the strange creatures on that world, many of whom seemed to find shirrens to their particular taste."
“Information on the ground is very thin, I’m afraid. We’ve failed to penetrate the compound’s exterior to scan it for life. We know the base above it was a military one, so there might be automated defenses inside, but we don’t even know if the area is still receiving power. In short, expect anything!”
Seemingly ready to depart Zigvigix gives you Elytrio’s coordinates, as well as the coordinates of the meeting spot on the planet.
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A fierce looking vesk with horns circling the top of her head like a spiked crown stalks into the room. Her scales are a mix of mottled black that never reflects light and bright white that almost seems to glow. She is well muscled and just under seven feet tall. Clearly a warrior! Curiously, the only weapon she seems to bear is a small laser pistol. On her back is a simple backpack, and attached to her belt are a wide array of healing serums. A glowing orb of bright white light orbits her head, following her wherever she goes.
With a wide, reptilian smile, the vesk stalks forward. "Greetings! I am Julakesh Starfist, a LEGEND among Starfinders!" Her white scales seem to glow with pride. "The honour is YOURS!"
She looks around at the other Starfinders, then places her hands on her hips. "You look at least half-competent! Good! If you're a quarter as capable as I am we'll be a formidable team!"
Apparently she considers this a compliment.
"A-HAH! A-HAH! YES! I remember Elytrio well. Some things tried to kill me, but they could not!" She lets out a deep belly laugh and places her hands on her hips. "A-HAH! A-HAH! I AM UNKILLABLE! A-HAH! A-HAH! Then I befriended the meek and feeble ghibrani. It was great fun!"
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"Klarima? Chivix recalls this one! She was the membrane ghibrani that we met in the husk village. She was a good guide then, and Chivix is certain that she will turn out to be a good guide this time. Chivix recalls that Klarima was a bit of a wanderer, and is likely to have many stories to share about this place."
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Chivix spends much of the time in the Drift tinkering with the starship's systems. Specifically, he has heard many spacers' stories about voices coming over the aether of the Drift. His hobby is listening for these voices and trying to record them with ship sensors. Chivix feels that the ambient noise in the Drift is as soothing as music is to other creatures, and will offer that opinion to anyone that sits still long enough, along with a special set of headphones he has cobbled together to convert background radiation into sounds.
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"Ah! Klarima! It'll be a joy to meet with her again!"
Looking over towards Julakesh, Arratoi says, "Unkillable? Why, that's always a handy skill to have on the team!! I'm looking forward to seeing you put that particular ability in action!!
"I'm a novelist and find any such extraordinary abilities inspiring for my future novels!"
Turning to the rest of the party, Arratoi says, "I'm please to meet all of you and I'm sure we'll have a very successful mission attempting to locate weapons of mass destruction to be used for our own almost certainly benevolent use! Correct???"
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An android with androgynous appearance listens attentively to the experiences of the others. "I have not been to Elytrio myself, but I have heard about this mission and studied their language. I am pleased to have been selected to join you and see it for myself. I will endeavor not to slow you down."
Before they leave he buys some armor and weapons to resupply himself, wondering what sort of dangers they will encounter on the military base. During the journey he indulges Chivix's hobby and finds the theory of voices in the Drift quite fascinating. He spends some time wearing the radiation headphones with his eyes closed, and though he doesn't hear any particular meaning in it, he finds it pleasingly meditative.
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Julakesh stalks up in front of Yuta, crosses her arms, and scrunches up her face in concentration. After a few moments it's obvious she's thinking about something very hard. Suddenly she grins. "A-HAH! A-HAH! YES! I KNOW YOU! We have killed together!" She claps her hand on Yuta's back, apparently considering them good friends. "Have you performed any great deeds since our Commencement? I want to hear of the epic battles of my kin-in-arms!"
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Yuta lurches from the unexpected slap, and then blinks up at the vesk. "Ah, yes, Julakesh. It has been a while since then. I am glad to see you well." He mentally reviews the missions he has undertaken in that time, and tries to pick out a highlight that would sound anything like an 'epic battle'. His eyes light up at one particular space encounter. "Oh! We encountered a vesk salvage ship out in the Drift and defeated them in an honorable duel. The crew of the Honorbound told us we fought bravely. It was my first time off of Absalom Station." He stands tall, genuinely proud of this accomplishment. "And you, have you been spreading your name among the Society?"
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The journey to Elytrio through the Drift takes nearly three weeks. You travel through the swirling purple clouds until about the halfway point in the journey. At this point, you come across a battered freighter limping through the Drift at suboptimal speeds. You begin to receive a call from the freighter.
"This is the Numinous Canticle. We have over two dozen refugees aboard. We fled a moon based mining and trade hub operation out in the Vast. We are trying to make it back to the Pact Worlds as it was annexed by the Azlanti Star Empire. Please respond."
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Yuta lurches from the unexpected slap, and then blinks up at the vesk. "Ah, yes, Julakesh. It has been a while since then. I am glad to see you well." He mentally reviews the missions he has undertaken in that time, and tries to pick out a highlight that would sound anything like an 'epic battle'. His eyes light up at one particular space encounter. "Oh! We encountered a vesk salvage ship out in the Drift and defeated them in an honorable duel. The crew of the Honorbound told us we fought bravely. It was my first time off of Absalom Station." He stands tall, genuinely proud of this accomplishment. "And you, have you been spreading your name among the Society?"
Julakesh grins. "Well done, Kin-in-Arms! You should be proud!" Suddenly she laughs. "A-HAH! A-HAH! A-HAH! Of course I have done much to be proud of! I saved millions of people just last week at the greatest concert in existence! There was a and I PUNCHED IT DEAD! A-HAH! A-HAH! I AM AMAZING!!"
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At hearing the message Julakesh scrunches up her face in confusion. Noom and us? Can tickle? What are these big dumb words? Oh! Annexed! Refugees! Suddenly she grins. "Ah, yes! I know this! They are meek and have lost at war!" She looks very proud of herself. "This Star Empire sounds formidable! Ask the losers where this Star Empire is, that we may destroy them!"
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A scan of the vessel shows it to be extremely battered and the power source damaged within. You are quickly giving the authorization to board the vessel. Inside you see just as expected. Over two dozen wounded miners and refugees. Not a Soldier among the group, nor anyone that is able to help repair the ship to further speed it along. One of the men looks up to you from his crouched position, he looks scared.
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Yuta asks the man in a straightforward manner, "How can we assist you? Does your ship need repairs to reach the Pact Worlds safely?" He takes a look at the vessel from the inside to judge the state of its damage and whether they could manage any repairs in a reasonable time frame.
As if as an afterthought, he turns to the huddled mass of refugees and casts Detect Affliction to see whether any of them have diseases that need to be treated immediately. His manner of triage is the same as when he examined the ship.
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"Do you believe that there could still be enemy tracking you through space?"
"No they seemed preoccupied with something else." A small group of the refugee's watch curiously as Yuta helps repair their ship. "The Azlanti arrived within hours after a mysterious ship crashed on the moon." One of the younger men grabs at a small comm pack. "I picked up a transmission as we were leaving." He shows you the transmission on his pad. "We weren't able to make out what it was."
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Arratoi runs the transmission through his tetrad certified translator.
"This seems important. We'd better send word back to HQ."
Arratoi will send a message through the drift back to Naiaj informing her of what we've uncovered.
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"Indeed, that sounds significant." He turns to the refugees and says, "Thank you for bringing this to our attention. May Triune guide you safely to the Starstone."
Once he is sure the ship won't fall to pieces before they make it out of the Drift, he returns to their own vessel to continue the mission.
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Julakesh paces among the refugees. "Ah! Worse off than I thought!" Being completely unable to help repair the ship, Julakesh instead sifts through their gear and equipment, helping polish and maintain any weapons, providing extra bullets, and even pointing out the many ways in which you can defend yourself with the mundane items on a starship. If there is one thing she is good at, it's teaching people how to fight.
"You are weaker than a newborn vesk! Come! Let me train you! You will suffer bruises and pain, but in the end you will be slightly less weak and defenceless!" She grins as if this is a compliment. "The honour is yours!! BEGIN!"
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With the ship repaired, at least enough to travel the Drift you leave back towards your own destination, passing the message along to Zigvigix.
After another couple days of travel you receive a reply. "You are not authorized to explore this situation at this time. Upon completion of your mission I promise to raise this issue with the Forum and First Seeker."
***Another week passes uneventfully***
A few hours after you exit the Drift, you approach Elytrio and can see, even from orbit, that the world isn’t much more than a massive wasteland, with nary an ocean to be seen. There is a moment of turbulence as your starship enters the atmosphere, but it passes quickly, and you can land at the coordinates provided to them by Zigvigix, which are within sight of the ruined military base.
Exiting the vessel, you are met by none other than Dystane, the most competent hunter among the husk ghibranis of the settlement known as Shelter! Seeing at least three of you that she knows her mandibles click excitedly as she speaks broken common. Though she doesn’t speak fluent Common, she has learned a few words since the Starfinders first contacted the planet. "Julakesh, Chivix, Shelldrake. You back!" She taps one of her clawed hands against her carapace. "I be guide."
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Chivix bowd his thorax slightly and flared his hand-palps in greeting. "Hello again Dystane. Chivix and Gravy are happy to see you once more. You are to be our guide? Then Chivix knows we are in good hands. Chivix hopes that things are well with you and your people. What can you tell us of this bunker we wish to explore?"
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Dystane takes a moment as she soaks the words in, still having some difficulty understanding as she is still learning it. "Kin good. Thank you for asking." She says each word slowly. She once again places a clawed hand against her carapace as she senses confusion in Chivix. "Yes, I be guide."
She then raises he hood over her head to block out the glaring sun. "Building not far." She points in the direction.
The Guide takes you into the ruins of Egoret Base, less than a mile from the landing site. As you travel, the clouds above darken ominously, which provides a brief respite from the merciless sun.
Past the barest remnants of a stone wall with a missing gate, several bombed-out shells of buildings ring a central open space paved with crumbling tarmac. Heaps of rusted metal that might have once been vehicles dot the area, and the occasional gust of wind stirs up clouds of grit.
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Chivix looks into the compound at the rusted out vehicle hulks and tries to make sense of what he is seeing.
"Chivix hopes that whatever we were sent here to find is in better condition than these ancient wrecks. The wars that destroyed this place must have been long ago."
Chivix does his best to be diplomatic, but he was himself after all.
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Dystane shrugs. "Not been inside..." Chivix takes a look around the area. A quick search of the area reveals that anything of interest in the base’s above ground buildings has either been scavenged by husk tribes or rotted away into nothingness.
However, sifting through the debris, his foot catches a metallic hatch buried beneath a large pile of debris in the largest hangar. This must lead further down into the underground bunker.
Before Chivix is able to clear the rubble from the hatch and open it, the wind suddenly kicks up, bringing with it a storm of soarnettles. Soarnettles—weeds with razor-sharp thorns that are carried on the winds—are one of the few types of flora to thrive in Elytrio’s postwar ecosystem. Dystane speaks up over the wind. "Soarnettle squall, find Shelter! If caught you be sliced to pieces."