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"What?!? Really? That can't be right! Let me see that!"
Another ysoki, presumably Arratoi, grabs the paper from Raatchet and announces, "Oh yah. Heh. I guess that really IS their name. Hopefully their performance in the ring is more impressive than their team name. Maybe they're just starting out. Y'know I've heard that before they became a smash hit, Strawberry Machine Cake was named the Cranberries. But once they changed their name (without dropping the whole fruity theme), their music really took off!
"But I digress! Give it up ladies and gents! For these five may very well be giving up their lives for your viewing pleasure!"
The crowd cheers as they turn their attention to the party's demonstrations of prowess...
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Tolmu holds up his staff, calls out authoritatively and a light appears from the end of the staff!
The crowd falls silent. Crickets are heard. Then a heckler in the rafters yells out, "Wait, did that guy think a light spell is impressive?!?!?" The arena erupts in laughter.
Pangea yells out declaring himself a weapon and pulls off some impressive feats of nimbleness! The crowd roars in approval. Then they begin chanting, "I AM A WEAPON!! I AM A WEAPON!! I AM A WEAPON!!"
Gamuzali puts his innate solarion powers on display and a hush falls over the crowd as the arena witnesses the frightful imagery. In the distance, a toddler is heard crying in response. Someone else in the crowd yells, "You made a kid cry... WOOHOO!!!!!" And again the crowd goes wild cheering in approval!!!
Nole walks up to the crest-eater and puts on a confident, convincing display of bravado! The already cheering crowd continues yelling its approval, now chanting, "Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!!!!"
Rin Jabo puts together a good speech but the crowd is already whipped up into a frenzy and doesn't quite hear his words.
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One of the announcers, Arratoi, comes back on the speakers and says, "Sounds like this group went with a last minute name change and are now called the... errr... Musky Marauders?? Welp, that's okay. They can always change their name again in the future. And what does it matter when the crowd is on your side?!?! Listen to them!!!!"
A crest-eater has an advanced metabolism that processes the minerals it consumes to grow a large protrusion—a cross between antlers and a shell—from the crest-eater’s head and back. This outgrowth isn’t just made out of bone, however; it contains tiny fragments of reflective compounds that act like thousands of solar panels, thus providing the remainder of the nutrients the cresteaters need to survive.
As they age, the beasts grow more and more elaborate protrusions, increasing their surface area in order to store reserves of minerals for lean times. Crest-eaters also produce a venom that liquefies minerals, which can strip natural deposits of these resources from nearby rocks as easily as it melts the bones of their prey.
The clamps holding down the crest-eater are released. It shakes itself free from the now unclamped restraining harness and it charges towards you!!!
Round 1
The following characters in bold may take their turn:
Nole
Rin Jabo
Pangea
crest-eater
Tolmu
Gamuzali
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"I'm a weapon! Kill kill kill! I'm a weapon! Kill kill kill! I'm a...", Pangea stops chanting as the beast is released.
Pangea had moved pretty far into the arena, and now, pistol in one hand and knife in the other, the android starts using and moving some mechanical parts on itself to distract the Bone Eating Monster's attention, and then shoots at it, while moving back to hide behind a pillar.
Having totally messed up its gears, the distracting does not work, and Pangea is a bit too excited, shooting straight up into the air, as it is bringing the gun to aim...
"I am a wea...pon
In the end, the android is rather amazed it did not trip while moving.
Rin fires off a shot towards the beast!!
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Pangea and Nole take cover behind the pillars and fire off shots at the crest-eater!
Pangea, caught up in the moment and excitement makes a rookie mistake as he prematurely ejacu... errr.. prematurely discharges his weapon!!
Nole, despite all the bravado and confidence previously displayed, is still feeling frayed nerves at the sight of this monstrous beast and his trembling puts his shot off-target!
Rin remains a bit behind Gamuzali and fires off his pistol and although his shot fares much better than Pangea or Nole, he doesn't find his mark either!
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The crest-eater moves forward and spits a huge, slimy, thick, off-green ball of mucous at Gamuzali!!
But the crest-eater's movements are far, far too predictable for the battle-hardened Gamuzali who sees the spit coming from a mile away and manages to side-step it!
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Round 1 cont'd & Round 2
The following characters in bold may take their turn:
Nole
Rin Jabo
Pangea
crest-eater
Tolmu (you may place your token anywhere behind the dotted green line)
Gamuzali
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The announcer Raatchet's voice comes back onto the loudspeaker, "Seems no one can hit anything at the moment! But you know what is SURE to be a big hit??? Why it's the latest and greatest from this week's sponsor!!
"Ever find yourself in need of transport but those dang taxis are just unreliable? And those friggin' ground-bound transport options just aren't gettin' you where you need to go fast enuf?
"Well, what you need my friend is a TESLA!! That's right! It's an automobile! It's electric! It flies!!! PLUS it's 70% legal!! That means you'll get in trouble with the law only 30% of the time! What a STEAL, amirite?!?!? (Just don't steal because if you do and get caught, you'll get in trouble with the law 100% of the time...)
"And there's more!! For a limited time only, head to your nearest TESLA dealer and tell them that the Brilliance Station Arena sent you and you'll receive a free synthetic wood massage bead seat cover!! So stylish, amirite!
"So run out after this arena match and sign up for a Tess' Electrical, Skybound, Legal Automobile today! At present, there's only 5.6 million sentients on the waitlist ahead of you!!"
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Delta moves to the side and concentrates to not let off too early, then, using some tech' to send distracting sparks on its own body--
--but then Delta realizes that doing so behind the pillar will not distract a beast on the other side!
"Duh!"
This time, Delta's shot is not a fumble, just a plain failure.
This time Delta waited too long... the android aimed, forgot to pull the trigger, yanked the pistol back up, and then fired!
"Oops..."
Pangea, Tolmu and Nole all open fire! Phew! Phew! Zap! Zap! Pow! Pow!! And once the smoke clears.....
Not. A. Single. Hit.
A heckler in the stands yells, "My cryin' toddler here can shoot better than that!!"
Rin decides it's time to take off the kid gloves as he conjures up three white beams of light and slams them into the crest-eater for 13 points of damage! Y'ouch!!
Cold as ice, Gamuzali steps up to the beast four times his own size and explodes for 16 points of damage!!!
And the crowd goes wild!!!! But after the dust settles, the audience realizes that Gamuzali is still alive. There are a few murmurs of disappointment but a moment later, the crowd cheers chanting, "Splodin' Vesk! Splodin' Vesk! Splodin' Vesk!"
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In a rage, the crest-eater attempts to take a bite out of Gamuzali and connects!!! It roars in triumph as Gamuzali takes 10 points of damage!
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Round 2 cont'd & Round 3
The following characters in bold may take their turn:
Nole
Rin Jabo
Pangea
crest-eater (-29HP)
Tolmu
Gamuzali (-10SP, DC11 Fort save or take 1 point of CON damage)
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"You certainly are, Raatchet!
"Now some of you newer employees to Arch Energy may be wondering why we have a gladiator arena on board a corporate space station. Well, it's all about you - the valued people of Arch Energy! Seeing how Akitonian gladiator matches have been catching on, our Chief Procurement Officer, Envar Tamm, has spared no expense in constructing an auditorium of blood sports just for you! Consider it a perk of your employment here with Arch Energy!"
Gamuzali feels his bones weaken and ache a bit but mentally pushes past the effect and the dull pain fades away...
Pangea's shot comes seemingly out of nowhere, dealing a painful blow to the crest-eater and while the large beast turns around to locate the source of the attack, Gamuzali swings at it with a painful looking one-two combo attack!
The crest-eater staggers a bit, trying to remain standing. It lurches to the right... then to the left... then falls!!
The crowd just goes absolutely wild!!! And the announcers' voices come back online...
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"Wow, I did NOT see that coming! These upstart gladiators took that thing down in less than a minute! I mean, it didn't even have a chance to bite one of their heads clean off! Sure, it got a nice lil chunk outta Splodin' Vesk! But after that, it was all over!!
"This was the easiest, shortest part-time gig I've ever had, ain't that right Arratoi?"
The announcers obviously cease speaking into the microphone but you can still hear them chatting, the two of them thinking their broadcast has already ended.
Arratoi says, "Hey don't a couple of those guys look familiar to you? I feel like I've passed them in the halls of the Lorespire."
Raatchet replies, "Nah, watcha talkin 'bout! A team of real Starfinders would be smarter than to have found themselves in a gladiator pit facing that thing!"
"Hmmmm....true.... But remember that time Ziggy sent us to...."
And their feed cuts out....
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As you bask in the cheering and adulation of the crowd, the gate opposite you where the crest-eater emerged from opens up and an attractive, muscular korasha lashunta with reflective glasses struts through the northern door. He casually walks over the remains of the defeated crest-eater, stepping over the carcass with a skip. He lowers his sunglasses to reveal dilated pupils and flashes a toothy grin.
“Stellar,” the lashunta man slurs. He glances at the floor and his smile changes to a look of disgust. He takes an exaggerated step over the bare ground as though trying to avoid an object there and trips, falling face-first into one of the metal pillars on the arena floor. He immediately springs back up and dusts himself off.
“You killed two of those things? That’s amazing!” The man holds out a hand in greeting. “I’m Envar—Envar Tamm, you’ve probably heard of me. I know, I know, I’m way more handsome in person. It’s a pleasure to meet me, I’m sure. Now, tell me all about you; I want to know all about my new best friends.”
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Gamuzali dismisses the roiling flames covering his hands with a flick of his wrists and a final corona of stellar force, then turns and offers a traditional vesk salute to Envar. "It is an honor to meet the patron of these great games, sir. I am your servant, Splodin' Vesk, though you may also simply call me by another moniker I earned during my military career--Starlord."
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"Greetings your most radical-ness. I am Elon Musk, one of the few primary sellers of the TESLAs that apparently sponsored tonight's match. When I get back I've gotta grill Tess on where she advertises. We've heard some wonderful things about you! Please, allow us to join you to a more private location. We wouldn't want another accident like, umm, that fall to happen again in front of your...esteemed...guests?"
Nole offers a confused look to the remainder of the party. The dude is literally high in front of all these people. Or is it drunk? Both? Dude's got guts, I'll give him that.
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"Envar! THE ENVAR! Himself..."
Pangea tries to look stunned and delighted and amazed.
The android shakes the proffered hand.
"That's right! It's your privilege to meet me!"
Envar steps over to Pangea and reaches out to shake Pangea's hand but misses. With Pangea standing still, hand outstretched, Envar says, "Woah, I see how you won... That's a neat trick phasing in and out like that!" After three more attempts, Envar finally connects with Pangea's hand and shakes it.
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Gamuzali dismisses the roiling flames covering his hands with a flick of his wrists and a final corona of stellar force, then turns and offers a traditional vesk salute to Envar....
Envar smiles upon seeing the salute and tries to return it but when his right hand reaches about eye-level, he loses his balance, stumbles backwards a few steps and falls down!
"It is an honor to meet the patron of these great games, sir. I am your servant, Splodin' Vesk, though you may also simply call me by another moniker I earned..."
He lays there a second, but upon hearing Gamuzali utter the word "earned," Envar's eyes close immediately and he starts snoring...
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"Greetings your most radical-ness...
Envar's eyes snap open immediately, massive grin on his face and he hops right up onto his feet!
"I am Elon Musk, one of the few primary sellers of..."
The grin morphs into a disinterested look as he turns his attention to a comm unit strapped to his wrist, obviously scrolling through the latest hit social media app: 'VanityBook'.
While Nole finishes his statement, Envar talks to himself, "Hmmm... that keg stand pic of mine is short a few hundred thousand likes..." He taps a button on the comm unit and says, "Debbie G! Babes! Rally the team and put another... say.... eight hundred thousand likes on my VanityBook pics from that party will ya?? Which party? Good point! How about this morning's, last nights, yesterday afternoon AND yesterday morning? Great! Best secretary....EVAR!!! Or should I say....ENVAR!!!!"
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Without looking up, Envar addresses Rin Jabo and Tolmu, saying "What about you, my friends?? Where are you from and how'd you become such powerful gladiators???"
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Tolmu looks confused, strokes his (fake) beard and says "Were we fighting again? I thought I was teaching class in the temple on Absalom Station. You seem familiar, young man. Weren't you in one of my classes?"
Envar looks up from his comm unit and stares quizzically at Tolmu, one eyebrow raised. He then walks up to Tolmu, places his right hand on your left shoulder, his left hand on your right shoulder, and looks at you face-to-face. Then says in the most serious, genuine tone you've heard from him yet, "My friend, I do believe you're high. You really need to lay off the hard stuff. It'll cause you brain damage. Please, if you don't have your health, what else have you got?"
Then as quickly as Envar's serious demeanor appeared, it disappears and he sways to and fro as he meanders over to the fallen crest-eater and takes a half dozen selfies with the carcass, striking multiple poses. "Oh! Gotta get the second one too!" He walks over to an empty patch of ground and takes more selfies with an empty patch of ground.
Next, he walks up to each of you individually and takes a few selfies with every one of you. However, in his selfies, you can see that he framed the pictures with himself front and center while you are all halfway cut out of the frame.
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Having met everyone else, Envar turns his attention to Rin Jabo, clearly waiting for Rin to say something. Their eyes lock onto each other in silence. They stare at each other... one second passes... two seconds... their eyes narrow as they eye each other... five seconds... things begin to get awkward... ten seconds...
A full minute passes when Envar bursts into a big smile, throws his arms out and hugs Rin! "Now that was a good talk! I really feel like you touched my soul, man!!!"
Envar picks Rin up and puts Rin on Envar's shoulders and begins walking towards the arena exit swaying drunkenly left and right as he moves forward.
He doesn't actually hold Rin steady and once he starts walking, he seems to forget Rin is on his shoulders.
As he walks, Envar casually states, “While you're here, do you wanna check the place out? My personal tour covers all the hot spots. If you want the VIP treatment, come with me. Just watch out for the space worms - they pop up now and then on the station. If you don't touch them, they'll eventually go away. The ones with three arms and one leg tend to stick around a little longer but they eventually disappear too."
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Rin had strayed a little too close to the combat and the blast from the gauntlet had his ears ringing. What the hell is this guy saying?
I can't hear a damn thing.
The seconds tick by and the ringing slows to a stop. By then, Rin has been hoisted up on Envar's shoulders and the ride was about half as good as when he flew drunk.
With a stumble, Envar is shaking wildly and Rin can't keep it together any further. Face down into the dust, Rin looks up. "Well aint this just a start to the night." Rising and cleaning himself off, he winks to the Yskoi "At least I hit something earlier, right? Hell I haven't done that in weeks except for a parked freighter or two."
"First stop on our tour - my office!" says Envar as he leads the party out of the arena and down a hallway to the elevator.
A holo-projection of Ilia Tamm pops up in the hallway as you pass, reciting a canned message: “Security is important to Arch Energy. Remember to reset your computer passwords once a week. Use a 16-character password that does not contain any recognizable words or patterns to increase its security.”
Envar rolls his eyes at the projection and sighs, “I told you, Mother, I can’t remember all those letters and numbers. That’s why it’s still - Wait, where’d she go?”
Envar shrugs and walks up to the elevator door and says to you, "We don't let just anyone into the VIP areas." He then swipes his key card through a reader and an apparatus on the wall scans his retina before opening. Envar then clicks his tongue and points finger guns at you all before entering the elevator.
The elevator is composed of gray metal with a glass window through which you can see employees at work as you descend. A holo-projection of Ilia Tamm announces each level as you pass, and a chime sounds as the glass doors slide open to reveal a dimly lit hallway ending in glass double doors emblazoned with a crescent sun and the word “Eclipse.”
Envar steps out of the elevator and beckons you to follow him. As the party approaches the doors, another holo-projection of Ilia Tamm appears and announces, “Your rest cycle and mental health are important to your productivity. Please enjoy your recreation time responsibly during your noncontracted hours.”
You walk through the doors into a small foyer which leads to a large open room furnished with hovering black marble tables and dark-orange leather booths. A semicircular bar occupies most of the eastern wall, its multiple tiers backlit in blue and purple neon where glowing, flaming, and frothing drinks are served. A small holoscreen above the host stand in the foyer broadcasts an image of a scowling shirren in a white chef’s hat accompanied by the text “Chef Ghornak personally endorses Eclipse with a five-nova review!”
Envar spreads his arms out wide and grandly proclaims, "And this.... is my beloved office!!! NO ONE ELSE can claim to have a five-nova office!"
A male android clad in a white suit and orange tie standing behind the podium says, "Welcome to the Eclipse. May I check in your coat and weapons?"
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Pangea follows along, quite amazed at such wealth.
Never having seen a place like this.
"Oh, great Envar the Envied, your hard work and fine intellect truly paid off. You created such a nice place."
Smiling to the other android, Pangea claps it on the back: "I have no coat, bro'. You are lucky to work for such a divine master!"
Nole begrudgingly hands over his weapons, knowing he can do other things in combat aside from shooting if things break out. "NIIICE PLACE DUDE! I'd LOVE to get myself an office like this." Nole then quickly runs in to the center of the room.
The android maître d' replies "Very good sir." He takes the weapons handed to him and locks them in a secure cabinet.
Smiling to the other android, Pangea claps it on the back: "I have no coat, bro'. You are lucky to work for such a divine master!"
Replying to Pangea, the android says, "Understood, sir. And yes... Very good luck..." You swear you saw just the slightest roll of the eyes.
Tolmu hands over his Azimuth laser pistol, but leans heavily on his staff..."Surely you won't ask an old man to relinquish his walking stick?"
"But of course not, sir. We here at the Eclipse have only your comfort in mind." The android takes the laser pistol and, just as he did with Nole's weapons, locks it in a secure cabinet.
Turning to Rin Jabo and Gamuzali, the android asks, "Would either of you care to check in your coats and weapons?"
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Gamuzali follows along and listens quietly as Envar takes the team on the grand tour of the station. As the group descends in the elevator, he watches for anything unusual about the workforce.
When they arrive at Envar's "office," Gamuzali taps his left heel on the floor twice, and the athletic garb he had worn into the arena is replaced with a sleek outfit composed of form-fitting black pants, a deep purple mesh shirt interspersed with threads of gold filament, and a long black overcoat, the interior of which is dotted with tiny glowing crystals designed to look like stars. He hands over the coat, as well as his pistol and his pulse gauntlet, then gives the android a wink. "Best not to go into such a nice place armed to the teeth, right?" He flashes a fang-filled grin, then begins making his way toward the bar. "Hey Envar, you want a drink? You look like you could use something to loosen up with!"
Observing your surroundings, however, you notice that practically every part of the station requires a key card and retinal scan to enter. Security is tight and without someone guiding you along, it seems unlikely you'd be able to go very far. However, with this being a corporate space station, tight security is not unusual.
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When they arrive at Envar's "office," Gamuzali taps his left heel on the floor twice, and the athletic garb he had worn into the arena is replaced with a sleek outfit composed of form-fitting black pants, a deep purple mesh shirt interspersed with threads of gold filament, and a long black overcoat, the interior of which is dotted with tiny glowing crystals designed to look like stars.
"Wooooaaah..." says Envar as he stares, mesmerized at Gamuzali. After staring for a few seconds, Envar taps his left heel on the floor twice just as Gamuzali did, then looks down at himself but nothing happens.
"Woooooaaaahhhh..." he repeats. Envar walks up to Gamuzali, throws an arm around Gamuzali's shoulders and pulls Gamuzali in for a bro hug. "BRO!!! We're dressed like twins now!!"
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The android receives both Rin and Gamuzali's weapons, placing them into a secure cabinet.
"Hey I'm all for a drink in a weapons free environment" Rin hands over his tactical baton and pistol but keeps his coat. He whispers conspiratorially to the android "I gotta look my best for the big man, can't have him thinking I'm the slouch I am."
Rin saddles up to the bar and looks for a drink.
"Best not to go into such a nice place armed to the teeth, right?" He flashes a fang-filled grin, then begins making his way toward the bar.
The android responds, "Oh you misunderstand, the Eclipse Lounge is not..." And he falls silent as the entire party walks away from him into the plush restaurant...
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"NIIICE PLACE DUDE! I'd LOVE to get myself an office like this."
Envar replies, "Oh you most definitely should!! It cost only one? Or two? Hundred thousand credits to build!! Or was it million? Billion? Well, whatever it was, it was worth EVERY cred! I can introduce you to the interior designer if you like! They said they'd offer a negative discount to anyone I refer to them. Ain't discounts GREAT?!?!"
"Oh, great Envar the Envied, your hard work and fine intellect truly paid off. You created such a nice place."
"Oh yah I did!! But no need to envy me! I'm just a regular schmo like all of you fellas! I put my million cred designer pants on one leg atta time. Each of the thirty diamond encrusted platinum rings goes on just one finger. The gold chains feel just as heavy to me as they would to anyone else. Y'know... I'm a regular guy just like all of you. But actually you all are the stars! You're the latest greatest arena champions!!!"
"Hey Envar, you want a drink? You look like you could use something to loosen up with!"
Envar says, "You said it!!! But no no no! Drinks are on me! Feel free to order anything you like! Well, it's on the corp, not me, but same difference!"
As you proceed in, you see an all-android waitstaff and a kasatha bartender catering to customers. The kasatha bartender has two additional cybernetic arms - she mixes and serves drinks to patrons with all six arms. She turns to your group and says, “Welcome back, Mr. Tamm. Everyone, my name is Tolara. Would you care for a cocktail, or perhaps service at our premium gas bar? We carry oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen — whatever suits your pleasure.”
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"I'll take two of Mr. Tamm's usual drink," Gamuzali tells the bartender, jerking a thumb back at the lashunta hanging around his shoulders. "Dress alike, drink alike, right bro?" The vesk tosses his head back in a long, exaggerated laugh, which comes off somewhat disconcerting, given Gamuzali's hoarse hiss of a voice.