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Venture-Captain Naiaj stands sternly next to a small sentient robot—an SRO—bearing the holy symbol of Triune. “Greetings. I have called you in for a pressing matter related to a piece of the Society’s past. In 160 ag, former First Seeker Lanrah decided to make it the Society’s priority to research the Gap, using much of the Society’s resources in the pursuit of this quest. One vessel the Society deployed at that time was called the Amber Reconnoiter. That vessel disappeared under mysterious circumstances on a mission in the Drift. While it has been lost since then, the Amber Reconnoiter has become of interest to the Society yet again. MP-8 here can explain the details.”
The SRO wheels forward on treads, its single, focused lens looking around the room, and performs some semblance of a bow. “I am MP-8, a priest of Triune and native of Aballon. It is an honor to meet you all. A few weeks ago, I received a vision from Triune itself regarding a precise location in the Drift. From this vision I deciphered a set of coordinates: a beacon code. Triune provides these beacon codes only in instances of the utmost importance, so we in the church knew we had to take action right away. I formed an expedition to travel to the beacon code’s coordinates, whereupon we found the wreckage of a starship from centuries ago. The ship still bore insignia of the Starfinder Society.” MP-8 rolls over to the Starscape unit in the center of the room and attaches an adapter cable to its datajack. The lights in the room dim, and the unit projects a holographic image of a ruined starship floating in front of the colorful backdrop of the Drift. “Naturally, we assumed there must be something of great consequence on that starship, so we approached. However, much to our surprise, the ship opened fire.” The Amber Reconnoiter’s hologram begins silently firing its weapons, projectiles exploding harmlessly and then fizzling out. “While we could have retaliated, we did not want to risk damaging what Triune considered so important. Seeing that the ship used to belong to the Starfinder Society, I have reached out to Venture-Captain Naiaj for aid.” MP-8 disconnects from the projection unit, and the image of the Amber Reconnoiter flickers and then disappears. “Whatever is on that ship is of the utmost importance to Triune, so you must recover it for us.”
Naiaj nods to MP-8. “We will help in any way we can, as this find doesn’t just interest Triune’s church but also the entire Pact Worlds.” Naiaj turns from the SRO. “I believe we have records of the Amber Reconnoiter along with the corresponding access codes that should allow us to disable the ship’s defense systems, allowing for safe exploration." Naiaj pauses. “This vessel is also of interest in our matters. This ship was one of ours, from over two centuries ago, that disappeared during a mission in the Drift. The Society has been unable to ascertain what happened to the ship and its crew, and we would certainly like to find out. If you could, investigate the ship to see if there are any clues or records as to what happened to the crew.”
"We have two potential leads among our records that may help you on this assignment. One is the Communion Vaults, where an ally of the Society—the Liavaran Dreamer called Whisperer of Solar Winds—has supposedly had a vision that may pertain to this mission. The other is the First Seeker Ilyastre Memorian Museum, where you can find some details about First Seeker Lanrah's failed missions that may inform your approach. Chiskisk, one of our Forum members, can help you there. Any questions?"
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Remi, a tall and graceful lashunta wearing an array of pistols on her belt, listens intently to the briefing. She finds the discussion of the Starfinder Society's history to be quite interesting. She nods to the SRO. "I'm impressed by your restraint, to be honest. If an unknown ship were firing on me I would probably fire back. We'll do our best to honor your faith in the importance of this ship."
At Naiaj's prompting she asks, "Do we know what the mission was for this ship in particular? I wonder if it succeeded in finding whatever it was looking for, that might have caused it to be lost for so long."
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Seated in the corner, is a shortish damaya lashunta woman, dressed in an outfit that would be worn by a typical magician's assistant - having actually come straight from helping her best friend practice her act.
Seems fairly clear to me too. she spoke up. Find these access codes, go to those co-ordinates and retrieve this .... whatever MP-8 here is looking for .. and the ship's logs. Doubt there'd be any survivours after all this long unless they had stasis pods on board
She paused for a bit. Did the vision you received give any indication exactly what it was that Triune wants retrieved? - or are we supposed to retrieve the entire ship?
Oh. I'm Luci Stellarum Lumen but you can call me Luce or Stella. I'm a Star Shaman Mystic of Desna as well as a theoretical physicist
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A flamboyant little ysoki struts into the room. She looks around with beady little red eyes and smiles broadly, revealing shiny white teeth. Her white fur is meticulously groomed, and the hair all atop of her head is died a riot of colours and styled in a short, wild hairdo. It's the hippest hair-do on Absalom Station, but clearly took at least an hour to style just so. The fashionable little ysoki stands tall, places her foot up on a nearby chair, and puts her hands on her hips. Her shiny silver hoop earrings jingle at the motion, and her stylish blue and gold jacket is so clean it seems to shimmer in the artificial lights of the ship.
"Hello, there, comrades!" She squeaks grandly. "Aurora Vim, at your service. But you might know me better as..." she pauses dramatically, with glittering eyes and a wide smile. "RORA!"
She preens. clearly expecting at least some of you to recognize her by name and reputation. She winks at the group winningly, then flips her bangs out of her eyes with a toss of her head.
"And who has the honour of joining me on this mission, today?"
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"Interesting... Yes. A worthy mission!"
"Do we know what the mission was for this ship in particular? I wonder if it succeeded in finding whatever it was looking for, that might have caused it to be lost for so long."
Naiaj replies. "I'm not sure what the crew's original mission was, but I imagine it was documented on some of the mission logs. See if you can find out as part of your preliminary research."
Did the vision you received give any indication exactly what it was that Triune wants retrieved? - or are we supposed to retrieve the entire ship?
MP-8 responds. “We have no reason to believe the wreckage itself is of particular meaning, so there must be something on the ship that Triune wants us to find. It must be fairly well hidden for scrappers to have not discovered it yet.”
Naiaj addresses the party. "So where will you go first? The Communion Vaults, or the Museum?"
The pristine and cavernous halls of the First Seeker Ilyastre Memorial Museum contain holographic displays depicting Starfinders meeting new people, exploring breathtaking planets, fighting alongside one another, and discovering fantastic relics. Strange artifacts recovered during Starfinder missions fill glass cases in some rooms and are mounted to the walls in others. Quiet throngs of people move throughout, filling the space with the susurrus of shuffling feet and quiet discussion.
A host shirren whose headpiece displays the Starfinder insignia appears deep in thought, gazing up at a tableau of First Seeker Lanrah proudly looking over a crowd of elated Starfinders . Upon the arrival of company, they look away from the display. Ah, hello! I am Chiskisk, of the Forum. I hope you are all enjoying the exhibits here. It is certainly most important that we remember the accomplishments of our predecessors. Chiskisk gazes up at the scene of First Seeker Lanrah, and shakes their head. And learn from their failures. But that is not why you are here, of course. I understand that there may be information of interest to you at the museum. The storerooms of the museum are filled to bursting with items related to Starfinder missions throughout the Society’s history, and I believe you might be able to find a relic from that era that could provide the information you seek.
Chiskisk guides you through the halls, eventually leading you to a small research room that is lined with computers fitted with hand scanners that are used to track the museum’s impressive inventory. Chiskisk explains how you can use these terminals to search the museum’s inventory list for items related to the Amber Reconnoiter,then excuses themself. The cursor on the desktop's search bar blinks, waiting for a search term to be put in.
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On the way down to the museum. Stella turned to Aurora and asked I'm fairly sure I've seen you on the Infosphere but, to be honest. I cannot remember the context. I'm Stella, Theoretical Physicist, currently studying the Drift and how it interacts with normal space/time. As for reading about us, well, I guess it depends on who is doing the writing
Once in front of the terminal, she thought about it a bit and typed in Amber Reconnoiter. However, if this didn't work, she'd have to yield the terminal to someone else more experienced. All she knew about computers was how to turn them on, access public information and use common apps like spreadsheets and word processors. The only programming she knew about is the application of the large axe (or the azimuth laser pistol) when things go wrong - or get a friend to do it.
Searching the ship's name yields no results, likely because that search tag hasn't been properly indexed.
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Rora grins proudly at Stella. "Ah! A person of good taste, I see! Wonderful! Well, you may recognize me from my stint on Live Exploration Extreme! My face and name was in images, videos, and memes across countless media platforms. Of course, my face was also all over the news here in Absalom Station after I saved the First Seeker and a bunch of dignitaries during . Or there was that time I retrieved a sensitive object and revitalized the economy of a whole town in I've also been in three commercials since then. One for grenades, one for a line of high-fashion armour, and one for a bomb disabling company. And now... Well, I'm not even sure what my publicist has cooked up next. Point is, I'm a media celebrity. You know me -- even if you don't know it." She gives Stella a wink, then hops onto the console.
Clicking away at the console, Rora runs a search for all of the Starfinder ships deployed on missions to the Drift by First Seeker Lanrah during the year 160 AG.
Rora's search pulls up a massive list of hits, referencing ships, missions, and recovered treasures stored in the museum.
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Stella replies to Remi Yes. From what I understand, the mystery of the Gap was ... well ... a lot of people were trying to solve it and figure out what happened to Lost Golarion at the same time. Plus Drift Travel was fairly new back then so there was this burst of exploration and ... um ... acquisition. These days, we have to accept that somethings may well be ... unknowable. Still, that doesn't stop some folks from trying
Stella replies to Rora Oh yeah! Now I remember. I saw Live Exploration. It was SO cool. My best friend Tricsie, is so hoping another Vault opens up and Zo! is allowed to do a sequel cause she wants in. You might have seen her act actually. She's a stage magician, goes by the byline, "The Great and Powerful Tricsie". I'm her assistant in my spare time when I'm not doing research on the Drift and how it interacts with the normal space/time continuum and why we can't use it to cross the void between galaxies. Personally I think it's the lack of Dark Matter in the intergalactic void.
She then grins. And, if you ever hear of someone managing to crash into a hotdog stand with a Pegasus starship, I'm going to deny everything
Ash picks out a listing for a crate with the ID “TNB-0108,” containing items from missions in the Drift that dated back to Lanrah’s tenure as First Seeker, located in Storeroom #9. You follow signage to storeroom #9 at the end of the hall, easily finding the crate with its ID number printed on its side. Among the assorted technological items in this crate is a holographic projector labeled “Drift Exploration Vessel #23.” As you turn it on, the projector displays a holographic schematic of the Amber Reconnoiter, with various starship statistics. Alongside the deck plans, four portraits of the crew members are displayed in a grid, with biographical information on each: Berkal, a vlaka engineer seeking answers to his homeworld's inevitable doom, renowned for his stable temperament and reliable friendship; Dayn, a haan science officer enamored with technology, known for being brash and outspoken; Jarzi, a hot-pink skittermander who, despite her overt enthusiasm and friendliness, was an outstanding gunner; and Captain Red, a party-loving Akitonian ysoki bent on light-hearted exploration.
The hologram contains information regarding the crew’s various missions, with the last one listed being the one they were on when they disappeared. The ship’s access codes are listed as part of the statistics, but the unit is damaged, rendering one of the codes unreadable. You suspect you'll be able to find a complete code in the Communion Vaults.
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In this stark chamber sleeps the Whisperer of Solar Winds, a jellyfish-like being whose glowing body slightly pulsates as it floats in midair . Beside it stands a nervous-looking halfling with shocking purple-and-pink hair, wearing a Starfinder insignia and a Starfinder backpack. “Uh, hello there! I am Kaeri, the, ah, current trainee interpreter for the Whisperer of Solar Winds. It is nice to meet you all.” Kaeri then winces slightly and resumes speaking in a softer tone. “I’m still not exactly sure what wakes the Whisperer, so I try to stay quiet. I hope I’m doing this right...”
Kaeri pulls out a datapad from her backpack. “The Whisperer presented a vision to me that it wanted me to communicate to you. I believe it wants to welcome you to its home and to show you how to find your own vision." She shows you her datapad, which presents a movable image of a strange, glassy white, 3-foot cube engraved with light-red lines that divide differently shaped panels.
As Ash and Stella with Kaeri, the Whisperer of Solar Winds suddenly snaps awake, bombarding them with a vision. The two suddenly see themselves alone in the chamber, holding the relic in hand. Both see in the vision every permutation of the relic overlaid atop one another, and every version of themselves solving every permutation, the relic whirring to life as its white panels shift and red lines flicker with energy. The vision then cuts out, and the Whisperer resumes its slumber.
Ash IDs the contraption, but someone must still use it correctly .
You are psychically transported into the deck of the Amber Reconnoiter, the shifting colors of the Drift spiraling beyond the windows. A pink skittermander works at some of the kitchen equipment in the mess hall, while a vlaka and a haan sit at a table playing an analog version of Imperial Conquest, a popular strategy game. Up by the helm, a gray ysoki with a red streak down her snout flips the ship into autopilot, then enters the defense access code into a datapad. You clearly catch glimpse of the code from your angle, and overhear the crew discussing their mission: to explore ruins and gather artifacts from the planar bubbles that crop up throughout the Drift. The crew recounts stories of their numerous close calls with alien creatures native to the Drift. Gradually the colors and sounds melt together, then snap back to your surroundings in the Communion Vaults.
With the complete codes in hand, you have all you need to safely approach the wreck. Upon returning to Naiaj, she acknowledges your good work and shows you how to use the codes to remotely disarm the ship's weapons. She recommends you take a Pegasus on the mission, given the improbability of major threats in the area, but ultimately leaves the choice of your starship frame to you.
You board your vessel and warp through the Drift to the coordinates, but surprisingly you emerge directly into the midst of several immense roiling clouds of debris drifting about the surrounding space! The clouds flash with active electrical activity, a doubtless threat to your starship. Dead ahead, a swirling vortex of lightning fast approaches!
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Remi nods in approval at their ship choice. "I've always had good results with the Pegasus models." If no one objects, she will take over the pilot's seat for the trip through the Drift.
She starts in surprise at the lightning that appears when they come back out into the material plane. She quickly realizes the danger. "That vortex will ravage half of our shields if we don't do something quickly. Could someone hop onto the Science Officer console to mitigate that? I'll do my best to avoid it!"
Remi masterfully steers the ship around the cyclone of electricity, but several other pockets of lightning quickly begin closing in around your metallic vessel!
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Rora claps Stella on the back. "Manage the computers." Then she scampers back to the camptains chair. "Strap in, folks! This is going to be a bumpy ride!" While she buckles up her seat belt she grins like a mad woman and gives her hair a very fashionable flip -- if only there were camera to see it... "Let 'er rip, Remi! Show her what old Peggy here can do!"
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Aye AyeStella replied with a wide grin, feeling really encouraged after that pat on the back. She then set the computers to gather data on their immediate environment, in case something else turns up.
She also thought that maybe learning more about operating starship computers would be a very good career move as well as getting better with her piloting. And to top it off, maybe she should get one of those short skirts she remembered seeing in an old SF TV program a while back she used to be a fan of, the original Trek ... not this new stupid stuff. Yes .... a uniform in science blue. Not red ... that tended to get one killed. Yes ... definitely blue .... or gold.
Anyone picking up stray thoughts from Stella would quickly come to the conclusion she was a closet cosplayer.
Remi again narrowly avoids the closing clouds, but flies through with one large orb of electricity directly ahead of the ship in an unavoidable position. Good thing Ash positioned herself, because you'll have to shoot your way through it!