1-28 It Rests Beneath (Inactive)

Game Master Saashaa

Culture: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
Mysticism: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28
Medicine: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
True Silver will perform a prayer over the body then do as the recording asks and tries to break through the calcfied shell and use his survival knife to try and cut out some the Kasatha's brain to preserve her memories. If any of his companions asks, True will explain, "This is what she meant by doing the work of the adata and preserve her memories." Hopefully there is something in his basic medkit that can be used to hold the material.

Majko watches in both awe and horror as True Silver performs surgery on the kasatha. ”You are stronger than I realized, Silver. What a task you are taking. “ The formian tries to help by handing tools and holding the vessel.

Medicine, Aid: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

Athletics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
Ko'Ka catches up and watches this surgery also. "Best I just stay back and remain on guard."

Silver successfully performs the ritual.

On the Kasatha body you also recover a suit of kasatha microcord I, spark polarity gauntlets, a frost subduer, jump jets, and a mk 1 ring of resistance.

You travel down the shaft for a total of about an hour as the temperature steadily rises. Eventually the tunnel, bending at a 45-degree angle, empties out into an enormous spherical chamber 120 feet in diameter. Dozens of tunnels like the one the PCs traversed lead up from this chamber, some directly from the ceiling and others ascending more gently around the edges. The temperature here is 120° F (which is hot enough to deal 1d4 nonlethal fire damage to each unprotected character every 10 minutes (Fortitude DC 16 negates)). The heat emanates from a massive, golden crystal about 90 feet in diameter that almost fills the chamber. It is suspended in the center of the chamber by many gray, shell-covered columns that each stretch across the 15-foot gap separating the crystal from the walls of the chamber.

"I have no need for any of Onorab's equipment," Umbro states in a flat tone of voice.

As the party travels deeper into the tunnels the stifling heat has no affect on Umbro as the temperature controls on his Vesk designed armor are set to maximum efficiency. Upon reaching their destination Umbro observes the crystal to see if he can identify if it is an actual life form.

Life Science: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22 Reduce the DC to identify creatures of the animal, plant, and vermin types using Life Sciences by 5.

He also sweeps his eyes over the immense chamber looking for any threats.

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

Umbro figures that it is a giant life form, but can make one way or the other about anything else.

Mora contacts you on your comm units and asks you to use their handheld geological survey scanners to analyze the crystal. She can process the data through the computers back at the research station, and together they can learn more about Big Mina.

After a few minutes, “Well, Big Mina is definitely not from around here. There are enough traces of cosmic particle decay that she must have spent a long time moving slowly through deep space. Our preliminary growth estimates suggest that was millions of years ago, and she must have been very small—maybe no larger than your fist. But it looks like Big Mina and my little one have something in common: a big appetite! This alien creature can consume anything: rock, water, organic material... it’ll take a while, hundreds or maybe thousands of years, but eventually Big Mina will consume the entire planet!”
Mora’s face appears on the computer screen. “I’m not sure if we should allow that to happen. Vabaimus has a rich ecosystem, and while there aren’t any sapient creatures here yet, it’s only a matter of time before these sloths, or something else, make that critical step. Can we sentence them, and every other species on the planet, to certain death? On the other hand, Mina is a unique life-form, and it doesn’t seem evil. It’s no more intelligent than a giant clam. Can we bring ourselves to murder it when it’s just doing what it’s evolved to do?
“Starfinders, you’ve taken the lead in so many of our recent discoveries, I would really benefit from your perspective. What do you recommend?”

Umbro turns to his teammates.

"If it will take Mina thousands of years to consume the planet I see no need to destroy it now. There is ample time to study the life form in great detail before making a decision on what needs to be done."

Every 10 minutes is 1d4 nonlethal damage, we better hurry then. Has it been another 10 minutes since the last constitution roll?
Guys I'm getting hot, we don't plan to stay here long do we?

Just activate the environmental controls on your armor and you won't be affected by the heat. Your armor has enough power to keep them active for an amount of days equal to its level.

"I agree with Umbro. There is time for this situation to be discussed perhaps even for Big Mina to be communicated with."

Darkrunner adds in, Not only that, but once the local species "turn the corner," so-to-speak, this may become their decision. It would be rightfully so.

"Mmmm I feel strange about killing a unique creature like this. I agree with Umbro on this one."

"Perhaps studying it for now is the best decision. If it takes this long for the planet to die and the creature to move on, then studying what to do about it and understanding if it is a galactic threat or just has a giant appetite would be best."

"Besides, this is the only one we know of for now. I would imagine scientists would want to know what can be done if ever in the event a threat were to pose itself from something like this. May as well keep the docile test subject for now, right?"

"The Starfinder society could reach out to the Xenowardens and inform them that we have discovered a new and unique life form on this planet. They may know what to do in a situation like this."

Majko nods. "The wild must have it's way. It is not our place to stop this creature when we are not threatened. Let the sloths defend their planet. Let the sloths be the judge." The formian smiles, happy the group is protecting the simple creature.

And I though my armor was Archaic, guess I misread.
All, with this armor, the heat doesn't feel so bad. Also the creature is way too powerful for us I think. Is there a way to stop it's growth by the way?

Mora responds, "“Eventually Big Mina will consume the entire planet. The bigger she gets, the faster she’ll grow. She’s already 85,000 square miles. Projections show she could finish the job in as little as a few centuries, but it might take one or two thousand years. “I’m not sure...Perhaps if enough damage were dealt to the correct parts of Big Mina’s crystalline brain, the creature would stop growing. Damage to the crystal might never heal, so this would permanently cripple Big Mina, but the plateau would never grow any larger. The current species that live on the plateau could continue to do so, and the other species on Vabaimus would not be in danger."

Darkrunner queries back to Mora.

And how close are the species here to being able to make that decision for themselves? Would a few years make this realistic? We're looking for ways to avoid intervening, if possible.

"What would we have to do to Mina's brain to stop her from growing and is there a risk we could kill her in the process?"

"A few centuries is enough time for greater minds to consider the situation and form a decision. There's no need for us to do any damage to her right now."

We should do this for real guys, stop its growth. See discussion

"How about whatever you do to her we do to you?"

Majko chuckles at True Silver's comment, then shrugs. "Yes, if society chooses to end the growth, they can come back in a hundred years. The wild is beyond our control. Beyond our choice." The formian begins to walk away. "I will not partake in the harming of a beautiful life."

Umbro interjects, "The Starfinder Society is an organization dedicated to exploration of the galaxy. Any new life form we discover deserves a fair chance at life. If we destroyed everything we encountered before really knowing what they are we would be no different than the Jinsuls. I vote that we continue to observe Mina and find out as much as we can about this new life form before we act."

Alright, leave it alone I guess, hopefully in the next century technology finds a way to teleport a creature that big off the planet.

“No. It could take tens of thousands of years for them just to develop a language or agriculture, much less combat a global threat. Mina will consume the entire planet long before then.”

Then we await the Starfinder's own technology to catch up and deal with this problem. It still seems we have many years to determine if that can yield a resolution. In the meantime, I suggest your lab study the near-term effects of this organism so that we can be more certain of the actual timeline at hand.

Umbro activates the teams' secure channel on their comms, "Do you think Dr. Montressi has an ulterior motive in trying to get us to cripple this creature?"

Darkrunner thinks on this a moment.

We don't have a clear reason to believe that right now. While I would expect a scientist to err on the side of not intervening, she strongly favors the many species on this planet over the one that is very out-of-place, and all of those opportunities that might be lost in the future. I can understand this in the long run, and that a solution must be found, but not today. Perhaps she just needs a bit of time to take on that perspective.

"She sounds like she is very emotional right now. This is not the type of decision you make based on emotion. We have time to consider all the options available and we should use it."

Majko nods. "I agree, Darkrunner. This need not be completed today. Let the people study this creature, and decide. We cannot rashly dominate nature like many civilizations often do."

"Our decision is made. Let us return home and report our findings."

You safely return to the surface, where you take your vehicles back to the research station. Little Mina, who has overheard much of the conversation between you and her mother, has realized Big Mina is alive and she asks you what they decided to do about her “Big Sister.”

Dr. Motressi thanks you for all they have done and expresses sympathy for the difficult decision they were confronted with. She reveals that she has begun plans to save as many of Vabaimus’s native species as possible. She expresses her own doubts and confusion. “I don’t know what we’re going to do now,” she admits. “I guess you should kick this up the chain of command. It just feels wrong to let some bureaucrat light-years away make a decision about something you all discovered.”
Regardless, Dr. Motressi and Little Mina bid you goodbye, and you all return to Absalom Station. Your journey through the Drift takes only 3 days. Once you arrive, you are contacted by Fitch, who asks you for a report. Fitch is startled by the revelation that a massive geological feature turned out to be a single living creature. “I didn’t think this was going to be a first contact mission when I asked you to take it,” Fitch admits. “It sounds like you all did the best you could in a really difficult situation. The Wayfinders will back you up on this, don’t worry.” Fitch asks you each for your opinion and tells you she will consider all your comments before making an informed decision. She thanks you for all you have done and promises to assign you future missions to discover alien life-forms and explore unknown regions of space.

Umbro addresses Fitch, "I don't think there is much more to say venture captain. I think we've only uncovered a fraction of the life forms in this universe. They'll be more situations like this in the future and it will be up to the Wayfinders to be there at the forefront so those new life forms aren't exploited. I'm just a little disappointed you didn't have doughnuts for us this time."

And now to show how 'normal' Ko'Ka is.

Ko'Ka is eating a bag of chips while talking to Fitch. "Yeah, I don't feel right being paid only a few months rent in a dingy apartment run by 'mama' and her kids to kill something I don't understand." Ko'ka stuffs another handful of chips in it's mouth. "Aside from that," Koka gulps the food down and continues, "It sounds more interesting to be watching Discovery Sphere shows on it rather than the news about how a bunch of pissed off protesters would be sitting outside my apartment chanting death threats."

Darkrunner makes one last comment to Fitch on the matter.

Our choice is not a foregone conclusion for the other life forms on that planet. Our technology advances quickly. It's worth seeing if an idea rises up to meet this challenge and preserve both sides of this struggle. You never know.

"Always choose life."

Majko agrees with the others' sentiment. "We must protect the wild, even when it threatens us. Castrovel has proven how successful that can be."