|
The metal blinds automatically flicker open at the time you had set the earlier night, allowing sunlight to enter the room and eventually wake you, no different any other day that you've spent at Absalom Station. However, you soon notice your comm device blinking, indicating a message waiting for you. It was a short and simple message, to meet at the Lorespire Complex that very evening at the 5th hour after noon for a mission briefing, signed off by the First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo herself! Might it have anything to do with the rumours you've heard of some important Starfinder event that evening?
At the requested time, you report to the complex and are shown to a briefing room, a room you have seen countless times. Soon, the rest of the team gathers as you wait for the First Seeker...
|
Stewart arrived early as usual. Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable, he thought to himself. He was nervous about being summoned by the First Seeker. Most of his mission briefings so far had been with Venture-Captain Arvin. The young lashunta took a seat in the still empty room and began browsing the infosphere to pass the time.
|
Even on Absalom Station, Azara can feel the cycle of the sun. He knows when it is time for his meeting without having to check his chronometer.
Though not as punctual as some, he still arrives somewhat early, in fact, second.
When he sees Stewart, he nods and resorts to the proper way to communicate with a fellow Lashunta.
|
The ysoki arrives as usual without stress, having prepared the day in advance. He's smart wearing nice clothes and having a wallet in the hand. But someone with a good sense of perception can notice that the object could be placed like a bandolier.
Hello, I'm Twisted Nicknick, lawyer. Do we know already the case?
|
|
As a next person walking in is Android, you can see that clearly as his circuits are glowing with blue light from under his skin. On his head, he has green hair that is present on top and back of his head.
His clothing is simple and comfortable for travel, dark trousers made from thick material, t-shirt, and a jacket. On his back, he wears a backpack and a laser rifle. After entering a room he looks around Ysoki and 2 Lashuntas and says:
"Oh, welcome. My name is Hellih it's my first day working for Starfinder Society and even on Absalom Station, so I didn't even have time to unpack. I came here from Akiton where I worked as a mechanic."
Hellih voice is very monotonic, he would not be a good speaker at least for now. After a few second break he continous:
"I hope our mission will go well, however, I do hope that it will not require me using my social protocol which is far from the level of my other skills."
After saying that he moves toward the group but sits a 2 meter away not knowing how the rest of the group will take him.
|
|
"Well met." Stewart returned the telepathic greeting. Solarian probably by his choice of words. He thought to himself. "Greetings Nicknick." Stewart wondered how the ysoki came by the nickname 'Twisted'. "Welcome to the Starfinders, Hellih, and the Station. I had my commencement into the Society only a month ago myself. They've been keeping me busy off station most of the time since though. I'm from Akiton originally too." Stewart brought up the service record of each as they came in to familiarize himself with his teammates for this mission.
|
|
Azara nods a greeting to the ysoki and android as they arrive. "I don't know what the current mission is, yet," he answers the former.
"I don't mind doing the the talking. I've had plenty of practice with my fans," he replies to the android.
"My commencement was a journey to the Scoured Stars, but I got a lot of experience there. After that, I went on a mission for the Dreamers and went to the Diaspora, Liavara, Aballon and Verces. And my last one sent me out to a far off world. You can read all about them in my poems, the latest one is titled Scions of the Broken City."
"I grew up on Castrovel until the sun and stars called me to my true path. I studied at the Burning Archipelago until the Voice got to be too much for me. I came here to continue and got recruited by the Wayfinders."
|
|
"Time is a construct, even more so on a space station where day and night is artificially induced. It is sentient being's attempt to align their own inherently limited existence with the eternal and endless cycle of the stars," Azara comments.
He turns to the newcomer. "Welcome. We're just waiting for the briefing to start."
He scans the group and counts. "6. Probably everyone, right? It seems like they rarely send more than 6 agents on a mission."
|
|
"Technically time is is no more a construct than distance. Time is the space between moments, just as distance is the space between points. It is our units of measurement that are arbitrary constructs.
Four to six is standard operating procedure yes. Another arbitrary construct perhaps, but they rarely assign more to a team."
|
|
Well I suppose that 4 to six people should cover the specter of the necessary skills and that should be the reason of this number choice, shouldn't be? Anyway I hope we won't have to fight. I hate weapon and don't have any on me.
|
|
"One of the differences between time and distance is that is that I can easily build a vehicle to travel quickly and in different directions across the plane, yet time goes by with a certain speed and only one way. Some more emotion-driven live forms state that time flies faster when you are doing something pleasant, but I consider it false. No matter how amazing construct I build a second is a second."
After that Hellih scratches his neck and nod to the newcomers.
|
|
"Ah but physics says that time is relative and does pass slower, relative to the outside observer, as one approaches the speed of light or a large enough gravity well. Drift travel of course defies the laws of physics, as magic often does.
Combat is often an unfortunate but necessary aspect of Starfinder missions. Your policy on weapons may be worth reconsidering in the future.
A mechanic who does not wish to talk, and a lawyer who does not wish to fight. I suspect that you will both be disappointed on many missions. As Nicknick suggests though I suppose that is why six represents a spectrum of skills, to complement the strengths and weaknesses of each member. I myself like to be prepared for anything, whether it be a discussion on physics such as this, building amazing constructs, social protocols, or the occasional need for a good blaster at your side."
|
|
No problem, I will assure your defense during the trial if you kill somebody. I will do it for free as my contribution to the Starfinder Society.
|
|
"When you're sitting next to a hot woman, an hour feels like a minute. When you're sitting on a hot stove, a minute feels like an hour. That is relativity," Azara comments.
"I suppose we are a good example of why 4 to 6 is a good number. There are enough of us who are willing to fight to deal with fighting when it comes and enough of us who are good at talking to deal with the situation if that arises," he continues.
"Some problems cannot be cured with a laser rifle. Some problems cannot be cured without one," he points out.
|
|
"Well, I certainly hope that no laser rifles would need be wielded for the task that I am going to assign you." First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo steps gracefully into the lavish meeting room, clearly having heard the last bits of your conversations. She appears uncharacteristically extravagant, having exchanged her typical stationwear for a sleek, fashionable suit in a shade of copper that matches the Starfinder Society logo emblazoned on the meeting table. Behind her stands the towering vesk leader of the Acquisitives faction, wearing a suit of ceremonial armor.
Luwazi smiles and moves to stand behind the table even as the vesk takes his place beside her. "A pleasure to see you all. And glad that you've had time to get acquainted. I trust you’ve heard about tonight’s gala? I have a rather important announcement to make, so we’ve decided to use the opportunity to entertain and impress representatives of the various interests who have helped the Starfinder Society through our setbacks with the Scoured Stars Incident."
"That’s where you come in. As some of the shining stars of the newest Starfinder Society agents, I’d like to have you mingle with the guests so they can see for themselves what we’ve been able to accomplish. It’s nothing too fancy; I’d just like you all to be polite and talk about some of your experiences with the Society so far. We’re expecting some government dignitaries, investors, corporate interests, and the like, so be sure to stay on your best behavior. Also, don’t be afraid to brag a bit—it’s our goal to impress them."
"But don’t be stupid," the armored vesk breaks in.
Luwazi Elsebo glances over her shoulder and grins. "Have you all met Radaszam? He’s certainly someone else you should be trying to impress."
Radaszam scowls. "Events like this never go as planned. Luwazi’s contracted one of my merc outfits, the Obsidian Spiders, to provide security for the night. I want to make sure that if anything goes down, you’re working with my agents, rather than us all tripping over one another. So stay alert, but if anything happens, make sure you’re talking to me about it rather than jumping in blindly."
The First Seeker nods and picks up the datapad. "I’ve singled out five guests who I would really like to make a good impression with. These folks should be your priority tonight, so I’ve compiled basic information about each of them here. Things will start up in about an hour in the Skyreach Room. Any questions before we go?"
Luwazi taps the datapad a few times and transmits something to each of you comm unit.
|
|
Stewart takes the opportunity to ask several questions:
"These notes are indeed very basic," he comments reviewing the information on his comm unit. "What else can you tell us about these guests, any suggestions on how we might make a good impression on each?"
"Are you expecting trouble?"
"What is the dress code for this event?" He asks noting both leaders' choice of clothing. "Should I purchase a new suit?"
|
|
As Theshe pulls up the data on the comm unit the vesk glances at Radaszam and asks:
"So if I see a guest about to use a knife to murder another guest....just as an example....should I ask them to wait while i come find you or can I break their hand and then come talk to you about which bones were permissible?"
|
|
Hellih displays sent files on his right arm where he has some technological implantation that mechanics use to call custom rig. He turns towards Radaszam: "I understand that Obsidian Spiders are aware of our presence at this gala and that we will be carrying guns?"
After saying that you can clearly see how on Hellih left side of head circuits starts to glow rather red than blue. His left eye also gets this red dots on it and he starts to look around the room. You can hear Hellih now speaks in a more distorted way, with moments of noise in it:
".... oh how wonderful." more noise "...a gala. On Akiton this was the perfect occasion to do assassinations... or simply mayhem..."
After that, the red glow fades and all circuits glow steady blue:
[b]"Stay calm HK. We are no longer on Akiton. He is right thou, that it might be an opportunity for something to happen. We would have to see how it plays out."
|
|
Azara looks through the list thoughtfully, until he gets to the end when he perks up.
"Oh! Zo!! Delightful. I've been meaning to talk to him about creating a holovid adaptation of my latest work. I'm sure he'll want to hear all about it. I'll talk to him, first," he says.
"Speaking of which, what strategy are you wanting us to take? One-on-one or a mass of Starfinder to rock and awe them?"
|
|
"What else can you tell us about these guests, any suggestions on how we might make a good impression on each?"
Luwazi smiles at this. "Of course I have more information than that, I've interacted with a number of them personally. I mean, I've known Naiaj and Royo for years! But I have intentionally kept my information brief and factual. I want the guests to meet and know our latest and more promising Pathfinders, not just to hear my voice through you. My suggestion though would be to start by finding out their interests and dislikes, and work that into your conversations. For some, you can pretty much figure out based on their history but for others, you might need to probe abit."
"Speaking of which, what strategy are you wanting us to take? One-on-one or a mass of Starfinder to rock and awe them?"
"Well, I guess that would be entirely up to you. I do not think it is a good idea for all 6 of you to descend upon one person altogether, but you might find it useful to move together in smaller groups, especially those of you less confident. Definitely, like I mentioned, those with similar interests as your target, so to speak, might find it helpful to work together. But really, this is a social event. You would just have to go with the flow."
"Are you expecting trouble?"
"I’m always expecting trouble," Radaszam says, but a moment later he shrugs. "I don’t know of any plans specifically targeting this event, but my team and I have our eyes and ears open."
"So if I see a guest about to use a knife to murder another guest....just as an example....should I ask them to wait while i come find you or can I break their hand and then come talk to you about which bones were permissible?"
Radaszam rolls his eyes and sighs. He throws Luwazi a suffering look who simply grins back at him. "I'm a vesk, you're a vesk. I'm a mercenary, you're a mercenary. So let's not embarass each other by having me answer that, will you? If we expect Starfinders to only follow missions strictly to the letter, we might as well replace everyone with robots!" Luwazi coughs gently at this and Radaszam continues. "What? I said robots, not androids, did I?"
"What is the dress code for this event?" He asks noting both leaders' choice of clothing. "Should I purchase a new suit?"
Luwazi shrugs as she replies. "If you’d like, but it’s not necessary. You’re Starfinders, and there’s a certain air of excitement that comes along with the armor and gear."
"I understand that Obsidian Spiders are aware of our presence at this gala and that we will be carrying guns?"
"Of course! My Obsidian Spiders aren't some incompetent amateurs."
"Stay calm HK. We are no longer on Akiton. He is right thou, that it might be an opportunity for something to happen. We would have to see how it plays out."
Radaszam stares with some concern at the android before giving Luwazi a quick glance. "But yeah, you might want to do less of... whatever that red eye thing was. Don't want to scare the guests."
|
|
Armor? Guns? Is it a party or a gunnery conv? At least they can be well dressed. That count. Always being smart.
As I've got no gun, I should speak to the kind of people that can appreciate that.
Culture:
|
|
Luwazi smiles and thanks the Starfinders for representing the Society. She reminds you to be in the Skyreach Room in about 3 hours as the gala begins then.
The team turns to the first order of business, digging up more information on the five guests. Some like Naiaj and Royo have little presence on the infosphere, others like Zo! produces thousands of pages in the search engines. In the end, you managed to cull out what might be pertinent.
|
|
With research on the VIPs complete Stewart is ready to attend the gala. He arrives outside the Skyreach Room prompt as usual. As promised, his armor and equipment have a shine to them, as if freshly cleaned and polished, but otherwise he is dressed the same as he would for any mission into the unknown.
|
|
"Three hours. No problem. By this time tomorrow the Society will have all the backing it needs and I'll be a massive ball of fusion powered by gasses," Azara boasts.
He hurries down to the supply depot of the complex and browses for a bit, eventually settling on some goggles to slot into his armor and something a little more...exotic.
When he returns, he looks every bit the warrior poet, his armor shiny yet scuffed in a couple places, his laser pistol hanging rakishly from his hip, a bandoleer that may or may not actually hold anything across his chest with his Wayfinder badge prominently displace, his solar mote slowly spinning between his antenna and a long, houndstooth scarf wrapped around his neck and trailing behind him.
As he sees his team for the night he pulls out a palmsized jewel that appears to have something living and glowing inside it. "Let's hope this does what they say it does," he says before he pops it into his mouth and somehow swallows it.
He winces and writhes for a moment, as though he'd swallowed a particularly potent shot of alcohol before looking at his fingers and touching each one to his thumbs.
"I guess I feel a bit more dextrous," he comments.
|
|
At the time that Luwazi requested, you report to the venue. The lift doors open into the Skyreach Room, a classy space made breathtaking by large windows set into the vaulted ceiling, providing a shining view of the Armada orbiting Absalom Station and the galaxy beyond. A low stage with black skirting and a sleek podium overlooks the room from the far end of the hall. Of course, Luwazi's assigned timing ensured that you are fashionably late. A dozen or so guests, representing a surprising array of races, are already present, mingling in twos and threes, while servers in sharp vests bring around a variety of bizarre snacks and drinks. A curly-haired AV technician arranges the wiring along one side of the stage, and Luwazi stands at the other side speaking with a damaya lashunta man. She sees you enter but does not approach, simply nodding at you to proceed to mingle with the guests. Very quickly, you spot the five of them scattered about the ballroom.
|
|
"I'll do some recon, er mingle with the VIPs. See if I can get a bead on how we can make a good impression on each. I'll keep in contact telepathically."
With that he approaches Iteration-177 and waits for an opportunity to insert himself into the conversion. "Greetings, I'm Stewart. I hope you enjoy our little gala here. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you personally for the Aspis Consortium's support. I assure you it is being put to good use. I am a little curious though, what is your interest in the Society?"
|
|
Hellih goes through the files about our guests and inputs things into his comm unit. After some time he sends you a graph containing our guests and what we know of them as well as the strengths and weaknesses of all team members. It presents a working algorithm that matches our skills and professions to the guests assessing the probability of success and failure of that interaction.
Hellih explains to others that he plans on using this graph and used algorithms to impress Naiaj on a way how to approach social interaction as an operation engagement were you manage goals and resources accordingly. Hellih plans to hide names and actual information to not tell her that we are doing it on this gala and that she is one of the Guests.
|
|
As a group, you make your way into the ballroom, quickly zooming your sights onto five guests.
Iteration-177 is not hard to spot. They wears their sleek dark hair pulled back, in a sharp contrast to their silvery skin and the android’s signature circuitry pattern shining nearly white. They wear Absalom Station’s latest fashions in shades of black, white, and gray. They are standing alone, observing the party and smiling to themselves.
Naiaj stands out as well, but for different reasons. She makes no concessions to the formality of this event; she wears her usual carbon skin armor, datapad never out of sight and wrist-based comm unit constantly blinking with updates. She wears her gleaming white hair cropped close, and despite her small size, she looks as if she could stare down a team of hardened vesk mercenaries. Like Iteration-177, she is standing alone, glaring around as if the party is a waste of her time.
Royo wears immaculate formalwear about 20 years out of date; his tawny fur is beginning to go silver around his whiskers and paws. He wears elegant spectacles, which is unusual for almost everyone with deficient eyesight would have undergone very low cost corrective surgeries. Tucked beneath one arm is a small folio of physical paper. He stands among a circle of scholars engaged in an exuberant discussion of seemingly esoteric topics.
Ykris is much harder to spot, but eventually you spot a clean-cut, immaculately dressed half-elf man bearing an iridescent, segmented insect clinging to his scalp. Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that many of Ykris’s spiny legs pierce the man’s skin and deeply into his flesh, particularly along the base of the man’s skull and down the back of his neck.
And of course, how could anyone miss Zo!. Originally one of Eox’s native elebrians, Zo! retains the characteristic appearance of that race even in undeath: an elegant build with refined features and an extended cranium. His face now bears a permanent rictus grin, which adds another level of enthusiasm to his exaggerated interactions.
Iteration-177 spots Stewart approaching them from a distance and smiles warmly to welcome him. "Starfinder Stewart! What a most interesting name. For a swap in a letter, and you would represent the two most illustrious intergalactic organisations. Well, in the Pact Worlds at least. I am sure the Azlanti Star Empire would disagree with me." They laugh aloud as their little joke. "Oh yes, I am enjoying the party tremendously. You Starfinders impressed me tremendously. I mean, practically decimated following the... um incident, but look at how you have bounced back!" They wave their arms across the ballroom and the participants. "Is that not reason enough? So please, regale me with tales of your adventures thus far." Then, the android drops to a conspiratorial whisper. "Or perhaps, you know of any rumors about the Society’s future plans?"