[SFS/Shifty] #1-32: Acts of Association (Table 2) (Inactive)

Game Master Nik B.

Diplo Aid: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

The guardians seem taken a bit aback at the forthright declaration of intentions, but also the politeness and friendliness in how it is delivered - they were clearly half expecting a confrontation but instead begin conferring...

Taka a squox and run, or schmooze some more? Or just watch to see what happens?

Elisan watches as the groundskeepers confer, awaiting their reply.

Ella continues to attempt to get the squox to interact with her and the Guardian. "See, she's a curious one. If you treat her well, she'll bond with you."

Move action to improve the squox's attitude.

"Would it help if we said we intend to get them to a good home? With rregularrr feedings and enough space to rrroam?"

Aid on Diplomacy if we continue to schmooze: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (19) + 0 = 19

(Oops. Tired brain. I totally missed the shmooze option. Sorry folks :s )

The wardens seem quite against the idea at first, but seem to warm.

"We dislike it when people claim animals as property, however we can see that you are good-natured people with good intentions, a if letting the dignitary have the squox would promote good relations with a distant colony then we can see that the squox would have a good home and be well looked after"

The wardens hang around to watch the antics, but eventually, a squox is secured.

The envoy is delighted "You negotiated a positive outcome and achieved the goal, this gives me hope that the Starfinders place value on negotiating instead of simply demanding"

Where to next?

"How about a little tour of the outside of this place? See the Armada up-close and personal?"

Delta-5 wants to do something he's good at for a change. Let's fly around.

"That sounds great!" Elisan exclaims. Turning to look at Shrani, he nods once before turning his attention back to Delta-5. "I only saw it from afar on my arrival. Do you know someone who could fly us there?"

"I'll drive." Delta-5 says with something like a cocky grin.

Elisan's eyes widen in surprise above his face covering before creasing in what must be a smile as he laughs, "I'll take that as a 'yes', then."

Charlie eyes the Squox the others are carrying with a wary eye while he mutters something about "..why did mine end up being defective and theirrs arrre worrking..."

Charlie looks up at the mentioning of going somewhere else
"Sure, let go"

before realizing that he doesn't know where we're supposed to go

"uhmm..go where?"

"Guardian, would you enjoy seeing the exterior of the Station now? Perhaps our new little friends would also enjoy some new sights," AMOSU continues to play with the squox it befriended.

"Yes a tour of the stars sounds ideal, I have already booked us all tickets on board a tour being conducted by Periphery Stars, it looked really good in the brochure. Perhaps you can point out key buildings and expand on any local stories and legends the tour might provide"

She seems really happy about the squox too.

Delta-5's excitement fades as he realizes he won't be flying. "Yes, let's do that..."

Glad that they have passes the event with the squox, Rahdokhama seems happy. "What a marvellous suggestion, I have personally never been on that tour myself since coming here - duty calls, you know? I have heard that the Periphery Stars are a must see on your time here - good choice. Shall we get going then?"

Not sure how i'll be able to help here, I don't have very good skills for this interaction. I don't know anything about the Periphery Stars myself out of character. Anything I can roll Proffesion Mercenary on, to recall a military story or something? What rolls can we make?

"Perhaps we can"
Charlie comments noncommittally

Before he settles in for the tour to commence.

Do we get to make up stuff? Or are there checks we need to make?

"See that over there?" Charlie inquires as he points at something

Ella nods. "A tour would be excellent. Is there anything you are hoping to see or learn about? We will do our best to show you."

"Specifically, I want to tour the Armada that orbits Absalom Station and to see station from the outside"

***

Culture/DC 12-18: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

As the team discusses the trip, AMOSU recalls some information about the Periphery Stars tours, "I believe that the company has converted it's older freighters into tour vessels, in an attempt to extend their profitability. My understanding is these vessels frequently experience difficulties during their tours. Perhaps we should pursue a more reliable agent?" Spoilers opened

"That does seem prudent. If we are paying for a tour, we should pick a reliable operator." Ella tries to pull up other tour operators on the computers.

Culture: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26

Elisan nods in support of AMOSU's statements. "I've heard that as well. From what I recall, the malfunctions were... unusual. But I can't remember exactly why."

He access the Infosphere through his comm unit and tries to search for more information about the reports.

The complaints are generally around breakdowns, glitches, and the unreliability of the old vessels in general. The tours are nice, if they happen to actually run properly...

There are several other operators that offer charter vessels for about 800 credits.

***

Shrani seems a bit engrossed with her squox.

"Really looking forward to this, I saw the brochure earlier and was really taken with the tour operator, this will be great!"

Pondering the costs of chartering a new tour, "Perhaps we can contact Chiskisk regarding funding support or alternatives?" AMOSU will also begin searching for similar tours (with better ratings) through the infoshpere.

Any rolls to find a new tour?

It seems like our options are either pay 800cr to bypass the problem or play through it. Maybe an opportunity to use engineering and piloting skills if there's a malfunction.

Ella turns to the others. "Perhaps we should take the Periphery Stars tour. I'm sure with us onboard, we can take care of any malfunctions. None of the complaints seems to have been dangerous."

Delta-5 looks back and forth between Shrani and his companions. Did she hear anything we just said? After a moment he slowly nods at Ella. "Yeah... We can figure it out."

This day gets stranger by the minute, Elisan thinks doubtfully, looking from Shrani to his companions. Still, I may have been a little hasty to judge earlier, he concedes following the group's handling of the squox situation.

"Unless Starfinder command agree to release more funds to cover the charter, I think we'll have to take our chances with Periphery Stars. I think that between us, we should be able to handle anything that might arise," he agrees with Ella and Delta-5.

Looks like the consensus is to board the charter... :)

You arrive at the station and board the Periphery Stars’ outdated starship for a tour.

The first thing you notice is that your group are the only ones onboard for the automated tour. A robotic voice comes over the ships PA "Welcome esteemed guests to this most magical experience, the ship is scheduled for a 2-hour flight that takes it around the nearby Armada and then several close fly-bys of Absalom Station. Don't forget to take photos as a keepsake of your amazing journey!"

Security is lax aboard the starship, Those trained in Computers, Engineering, or Piloting immediately recognize that key control systems have been covered up by by rudimentary plating, removable without much effort, that would give access to primary control over the starship.

Delta-5 resists the urge to immediately take control of the ship. At least we should be able to fix anything that goes wrong.

"It seems we have the whole vessel to ourselves. Do you have a preference for your seating, Guardian? Elisan inquires of Shrani.

Charlie enters the vessel and takes a seat a few down from the Guardian so there is plenty of space for more verbal savvy people to sit near the Guardian but close enough to weigh in on any conversations

And please, let us know if there are any more things you d like to see in more detail on the way.

We should hack into the systems if th3 opportunity arrises to get bonus points?

"A window seat" she replies with a bit of a humorous tone to Elisan, "Rahdokama I am very interested in the Armada, it seemed fascinating in the photos, and the idea of it fascinates me"

The ship eventually leaves (mostly on time!) and begins its tour. It takes in a few passes of the more interesting landmarks before passing the Armada, a flotilla of spaceships, many of them semi-permanent structures comprised of several ships rafted together, that form a transient and chaotic neighbourhood surrounding the station.

"This looks different to the colony on my world, however, the essence of it is very much the same - a community that has come together and made do with what they had to build a new home" she looks on, taking the occasional photo... "What would you say is the strength of living in such a place, is it better to bond over a common goal and shrug off external control? Or is it better to accept that an older ancestral homeland should have a claim to a new settlement and simply consider it a satellite colony?"

AMOSU considers the Guardian's question carefully, "I feel the strength of the station is less about its leadership and more about its diversity. Many species under may forms of governance have come together not for the common goal of unified rule but to improve the systems around them." To the second half of the question, "Is it not possible to both be a new entity while keeping the culture and customs of your ancestors? To build something incorporating both?"

That's some deep shit. I got nothin'

Delta-5 opts to just listen to this conversation.

Rahdokhama listens and nods at Amosu's response. "Mmm, yes quite right there, Amosu." The large green vesk takes some time to figure out his own response. "The Veskarium Empire knows no different. We all come together over a common purpose, there is strength in numbers. Hmmmph, although we also value the ancestral values of the land which we colonise. Why cannot you have it both ways? If it's one thing I've learned from working with the Starfinders, is that both the past, and the future are things worth considering when building a civilisation. I am proud to have worked here, and to serve."

He relaxes just a little, "Guardian, would you care to tell us a little more about where you come from, and your experience? We would love to hear."

"My people, the damais, are survivors of a shattered planet. Life on Daimalko, our dry, rocky planet in Near Space, transformed when an event called the Awakening wracked the land with earthquakes, evaporated the world’s oceans, and withered its greenery. Worse, the cataclysm awakened the terrible colossi at the heart of our myths and legends. Some of these monstrosities were kyokors -colossi that rampage like a living apocalypse who target population centres, though many were other, equally horrific beasts, and all rose from their slumber beneath the seabed to destroy most of the planet’s inhabitants in short order."

"I represent the damai of Talosin-3, an offshoot damai settlement founded by a group of wanderers who saw the potential of the moon and decided to lay down roots and colonise. Whilst the establishment of any settlement is a laborious process and often clumsy at the start, we now specialise in a variety of industrial endeavours, particularly in our engineering capabilities"

"We see Talosin-3 as an independent nation apart from the Daimalko, and I believe that Talosin somehow holds the key to explaining the catastrophe which ravaged Daimalko. Obviously, I see the value in exploring the moon further, and it is an exploration agreement of the moon’s ruins and active geological site that I am here to talk to the Society about. Dailmalko may well have rather contrasting views."

The ambassador continues her pleasantries and continues to take in the view of the Armada, but after an hour the Periphery Stars ship moves from the Armada and back to the station, the ship begins to judder and shake as though it were experiencing turbulence.

Engineering: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27
Computers: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

AMOSU glances at the control systems as the ship jostles about. "This is odd, turbulence of this sort is unusual so near the station... The readings would indicate a series of malfunctions occurring in the fore cargo pods. Perhaps we should investigate?" Spoilers opened.

piloting: 10 + 9 = 19
computers/engineering: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

No shit Sherlock.

"The fore cargo pods you say? I'll check it out."

Once out of sight of the guardian he draws his rifle. With my luck it will be some kind of critter.

if the swearing and attitude bothers any of you let me know and I'll cut it back

Is it possible for AMOSU to route all controls to a panel near him and lockout the other panels? Also, no forking worries about the mock swears here.

Oh, I'm not f!@$ing censoring myself; Paizo is doing that shit. :)

Charlie gets up and follows after Delta-5

"Please stay and enjoy the ride. We'll be right back"

"...I hope.."

Rahdokhama flares up, turning to glow a bright green. Excited, he joins the group, "Before we leave to investigate, is there a way we can lock that system or part of the shuttle down? I don't think it's a good idea to leave the Guardian unprotected. ...unless, the Guardian would like to accompany us and see the Starfinders in action?"

Ella tries to access the ship schematics to gain more information about what might be held within the cargo pods. "I doubt it's necessary to lock the Guardian up. if needed, I can remain here to monitor ship status."

Computers: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

"I can also stay with the Guardian and LA64397F. I shall see if I can route ship functions to this console, to prevent any further difficulties in the tour." AMOSU will assist Ella in trying to access any information about the cargo pods.

Computers is +10, auto-assisting, +2 to Ella's roll.

"I'm sure it is probably something mechanical - I'll wait here and catch my last views of this station, at least until next time I come back"

***

AMOSU and Ella believe they could probably take control of the ship, though the autopilot system would need to also be disabled (resulting in someone needing to fly the ship). The cargo holds are showing as 'empty' however the sensor readings are really strange.

Delta-5, Charlie X, Rahdo set off to investigate, meanwhile Ella and Amosu remain behind.

Map up

Just awaiting Elisan, and any updated actions before you arrive at the cargo bay

"I won't be of much help when it comes to computers or piloting," Elisan admits to Shrani, Ella and AMOSU. "I had some basic training in systems maintenance aboard the Idari. I might be more useful helping inspect the cargo pods for breaches or malfunctions."

Elisan accompanies the investigation team.

Sorry to hold everyone up.

"I am an adequate pilot, provided combat is not involved. +5 Pilot I can maintain our current flight path and dock until a more skill pilot can take the helm." AMOSU moves to the panel and begins routing all functions to this area. If its able, AMOSU will also route control to its personal computer (incase we need to move, control can come with us).

Computers: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

"I will also try to route control to my AI, in case we need portable control of the ship. Please, sit back and enjoy the remainder of the tour Guardian."

Ella tries to run a diagnostic on the sensors in the cargo pod. "Be careful examining it. If the sensors are malfunctioning, there is no way to know how long whatever is there has been neglected."

Computers: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12