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The date is Monday, May 13, 319 AG, and you are on Absalom Station.
AG stands for After the Gap.
Some cultures collapsed in fire and famine, but most societies, faced with no other choice, simply gritted their teeth and carried on, either attempting to piece together their traditions from the unreliable shreds of the past, or else using their amnesia as a chance to reinvent themselves, unshackled from whatever they might have been before. Those races that reproduced faster had the advantage, as children born into a world without recent history accepted the fresh start as natural—new historical records and memories held firm, and that was all that mattered. Gradually, order reestablished itself.
Today, roughly 3 centuries after the obscured period now referred to as the Gap, most societies view the historical cataclysm with little interest, save for the cryptoarchaeologists, salvagers, and scientists who attempt to unearth and reverse engineer wondrous artifacts from the lost age. For everyone else, the focus is on creating new history, moving ever onward and upward.
No one has ever been able to say for certain what caused the Gap, as even the gods themselves remain steadfastly silent (or ignorant) regarding the matter. Nevertheless, theories abound, the most popular being that the Gap was a quantum ripple effect caused by the discovery and use of Drift technology, a hole torn in history and traveling backward in time, possibly entangling our timeline with those of alternate universes. Others argue that the Gap was caused by whatever magic whisked away the planet Golarion, a magical resonance that stretched forward and backward, its tremors gaining strength until they eventually shattered the fundamental structure of time.
What is known, however, is that while the Gap is universal— and a combination of carbon dating and astrochronology suggest it lasted several millennia—its edges are geotemporally inconsistent. Where one star system might have accurate records stretching back 300 years from the present, worlds in different parts of the galaxy might have 310 years of history, or only 275. Some scholars have even uncovered rare “caches” within the Gap—places where accounts seem suddenly consistent for a given period or topic. For an organization like the Starfinders, locating these scattered bread crumbs and syncing them up with ancient pre-Gap records may yet hold the key to unraveling the greatest mystery of the universe.
The ascension of Triune changed all that. While the solar system had always had gods dedicated to machines, even back to confirmed antiquity, they’d always remained relatively minor. Yet exactly 3 years after the end of the Gap in the Golarion System, a new deity revealed itself: a divine network integrating Epoch, the machine-built deity of Aballon; Casandalee, the god of androids; and Brigh, the clockwork goddess. Calling itself Triune, this new collective consciousness vaulted to prominence by providing mortals with access to a heretofore unknown hyperspace dimension called the Drift, reachable only via technology and granting easy travel to distant stars. For a relatively low price, ships could now acquire a Drift engine that let them slip quickly between star systems.
In the wake of this revelation, a land rush began. The adventurous and disenfranchised sought opportunity in new colonies. Corporations sought resources and freedom from regulation. Governments sought to expand their territories. Yet as quickly as it began, this exodus hit its first hurdles, for many “new” worlds were already inhabited or bore strange contagions inimical to life, and predatory civilizations both vast and incomprehensible lurked in the dark between the stars. New races flooded the Pact Worlds in turn, coming in peace and in war, forcing the worlds to come together for mutual protection and in shared appreciation for all they held in common. Today, space exploration remains rampant and lucrative for citizens of the Pact Worlds, but it’s still a romantic pursuit and fraught with danger.
For the next 250 years, the two systems would remain each other’s greatest threat, skirmishing over planets outside the direct authority of either autonomy, or else engaging in limited space battles along the cordons between their systems, too evenly matched for either to commit to a full-scale assault. This so-called Silent War finally came to an end in 291 AG, when a vast, world-devouring entity called the Swarm attacked both systems simultaneously. In danger of being completely overrun, the Veskarium—as the reptilians call their empire—and the Pact Worlds signed a formal alliance, together managing to force the Swarm out of their region of space. Yet while the alliance put an end to active hostilities and opened both systems up to trade with one another, citizens on both sides recognize that the alliance was one of convenience and could fall apart at any moment.
Fortunately for the Pact Worlds, not all extrasolar contact was so violent. The insectile shirrens arrived in 83 AG, bearing nothing but goodwill and quickly integrating into Pact Worlds society. Kasathas, who appeared in 240 AG on the massive worldship Idari, proved less willing to be assimilated wholesale, yet they quickly established themselves as valuable allies. Although other sentient creatures hailing from beyond the Golarion system occasionally arrive, brought back by Pact Worlds explorers or homing in on Absalom Station’s powerful Drift beacon, the already incredible diversity of life-forms in the system means that most such creatures can easily blend in and take up residence, provided they don’t stir up too much trouble.
More info' page 428 of the Core Rulebook
Founded shortly after the Gap, the Starfinder Society was inspired by incomplete tales of a similar pre-Gap organization called the Pathfinder Society. The Starfinder Society originally aimed to map the temporal edges of the Gap and piece together the history of what transpired during that tumultuous event, ambitiously endeavoring to find lost Golarion. Since the Society’s inception, its mission has changed to focus less on the Gap and more on exploring a galaxy made accessible due to the spread of Drift beacons.
The heroes of the Starfinder Society travel the breadth of the galaxy—from verdant jungle worlds where even a fingernail-sized insect is deadly, to seemingly abandoned space stations filled with unspeakable horrors, to ruined temples of dead gods hidden amid the ruins of similarly dead worlds, and to the bustling streets of the metropolises of the Pact Worlds. Starfinders work in small but efficient groups to explore the known and unknown, recording their findings and bringing them back to the greater organization for dissemination.
Most Starfinders operate out of scattered regional headquarters called lodges, which dot the galaxy. Each lodge is home to a venture-captain and that officer’s staff, who provide direction and support for field agents and manage the day-to-day operations of the Society. The Lorespire Complex stands apart from other lodges. Located in Absalom Station, the Lorespire Complex is always accessible to even the farthest-flung Starfinder expeditions due to the unique ability for ships to quickly travel the Drift to reach Absalom Station. More than a single building, the Lorespire Complex is a campus of structures built around the eponymous spire. The Archives, the Hall of Discovery, and other edifices integral to the Society’s ongoing existence fill the grounds of the Lorespire Complex.
The First Seeker is a Starfinder elevated above her peers. This Starfinder is elected based on the merit of adventuring experience and personal field of focus. Each First Seeker uses her appointment to prioritize the Starfinder Society’s primary research focus, using the position to advance a personal scholarly pursuit of value. Once a First Seeker’s term has ended, that First Seeker can never again serve as a leader within the Starfinder Society. The thrust many of the Starfinder Society’s missions are the result of the First Seeker’s goals—luckily, those same agents who perform these missions are integral in deciding who receives the honor of ascending to the rank of First Seeker.
The Forum is an elected body of Starfinders who work to coordinate the Society’s many operations. Integral in drumming up the necessary support to elect a First Seeker, the Forum also assists the elected First Seeker in completing her personal mission. Any Starfinder can ascend to become a member of the Forum, and membership does not stop one from partaking in other activities. In fact, many faction leaders and venture-captains are active members of the Forum in addition to their other duties. Many other Forum members are experienced Starfinders who hold no title beyond their appointment to the Forum.
The third pillar of the Society’s leadership is Guidance, a network of uploaded personalities of exemplary Starfinders. Most First Seekers are invited to upload their consciousness into Guidance, and only those deemed unworthy or who perish in their mission fail to become part of the Starfinder Society’s spiritual anchor. Guidance functions in two major ways: it’s the first entity to formally induct new Starfinders into the organization, and every new Starfinder begins his or her careers by receiving a commencement address from Guidance. The uploaded bank of personalities also confirms the election of new First Seekers, and while historically Guidance agrees to the democratic decision of the Society, there have been a handful of cases where Guidance has not approved an elected First Seeker.
Every Starfinder contributes to the overall success of the Starfinder Society. Some do so through diligent research, rarely leaving the teeming Archives of the Lorespire Complex. Others prefer to explore the relative safety of the Pact Worlds or the appropriately titled Near Space, where civilization remains only a short jaunt into the Drift away. The bravest Starfinders travel to the other ends of the galaxy, using the Society’s starships to explore the endless expanse of space known as the Vast.
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So, as I said, the date is Monday, May 13, 319 AG, and you are on Absalom Station and all on your separate ways to the Lorespire Complex, which is the headquarters and primary base of operations of the Starfinder Society, of which you are all members already, or on the verge of becoming members after your initial training period.
Quite excited to see why you have been called for, you are suddenly surprised when you see that you are diverted from your normal trip.
Those in the big elevators moving up through the Spike suddenly receive a message asking them to exit at the next stop and take a checkered RoboCab.
Those walking through the Arms or the Ring suddenly see a RoboCab stop in front of you, with a door opening so you can get in.
And those already in a RoboCab, suddenly see their mechanic driver swerve and change routes.
To your questions, the only answer is: "Emergency Summons #274-B-Q1, Override of all previous orders. Emergency Summons #274-B-Q1, Override of all previous orders. Emergency Summons #274--". At which point you just shut the darn robot up.
After a short ride... where the robo-driver has the gall to request a tip!
You end up at Docking Bay 94, in the Arms of Absalom Station.
Those who left from here are quite upset of having returned to their starting point.
The place is full of activity, as engineers and mechanics work on all sorts of space ships, and teams of glamorous Starfinders climb into sleek and lethal looking starships.
You wonder which great vessel you will be taking.
When a message arrives on your comm' unit, directing you to a tiny old half-rusted and very badly battered shuttle.
Ooohhh (((
As you get on board, you see that you are not alone, but that there are a half a dozen of you.
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You are all on this shuttle, and see that it is plastered with several Absalom SpaceAuthority notices: Unfit for Use - Grounded - To Be Destroyed.
And it is true that only one of the engines seem to be working, which makes you all tilt to the side as you fly on a lopsided curve towards--
--an .
You see the name on that vessel's hull: the Master of Stars.
You gather that you must have been summoned by the Wayfinders faction, maybe even by their leader, the illustrious Fitch.
Just as you smile in anticipation--
--the last enginesputters and gives out.
Your vessel simply keeps on going in a straight line, aimed right at a giant welder-bot, with its plasma arcs!
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You can see a medium height Ysoki wearing a military uniform of unknown origin, on his back you can see a laser rifle but more distinguish thing is his medical bag and a patch on his arm of a field medic. After looking around with his dark eyes he sniffs air really quickly and speaks in pitched voice:
"Welcome Gents and Ladies" he bows and continues
"My name is Spike I am a merc fighting for whoever pays for a job, this time the highest bidder was Starfinder Society. My primary assignment is to make sure that you come back in one piece back, or in few of them that can be stitched together later." He burst into laughter.
"I treat it seriously so I will not let you die on me. My second assignment is to mess in enemies head. I see things and I know things, I can try to convince or trick people into doing actions, I know a bit about engineering. My best bluff was when I tried being a gunner on a ship, the enemy was thinking that he was fighting with blind halfwits." He again burst into laughter.
"Friends call me Croaker, and while on the mission you will be my family."
With saying that he sits down.
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This red head of an android stands from her spot and, with more emotion than one would ever expect from an android, introduced es herself
I am Cashara A3ion, there is very little I do remember she seems to show some shyness with these words my role on this mission as I understand is to give cover fire and take down heavy targets. I may also be the best hacker here as well.
This oddly emotional android seems to really like red and black for she wears a nice flattering red shirt with a black jacket and jeans as well as good black boots. Her red circuits flash a little as she speaks and seams to move with her words and feelings.
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A young Lashunta of average build strides into the room. His features are pleasant, if slender for his height. He wears the uniform of the Stewarts, the silver bars on the lapel mark him as an officer of some degree.
As he introduces himself what is most striking is the control and firmness of his voice, which is matched by his eyes as he inspects the team, "Hello everyone. I am Lieutenant Baròleg Konstantu, crisis intervention and negotiations specialist. I have the good fortune to serve both as a Steward and Starfinder through support and exchange program."
He gives the group a formal bow before relaxing, "In past exchanges some Starfinders have expressed concern with having a Steward present. My only goal is to assure the success of this mission, not apprehensions." He smiles warmly and takes a seat for the briefing.
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Pyksi steps out of her robocab, already grumbling and halfway to her Mo. BS-1 Space Wyvern when the unit on her arm starts buzzing powerfully enough to hurt.
Sighing, she about-faces, marching up to...
Oh, even Arshea knows this thing is ugly.
Boarding the shuttle, she moves to the driver's seat, holding up her Acquisitives badge for authentication. When the rusty brick hums to life (or undeath, as may be more appropriate), she makes a face at the sound of the engine.
"Senior Airman Pyksi Syfer," says the halfling, pressing the button in her seat to swivel the controls and seat closer together-- designed with halflings and ysoki in mind. There's a crunching, whining sound, and nothing happens.
"The robo-driver's already been removed from this thing, so I'll be steering us toward Master of Stars today."
Usually not prone to bursts of anger, by the time the engine goes out, the halfling is shaking with barely-contained rage.
"We may want to evacuate. Activate your environmental c-- oh, never mind. They picked us up. Fitch had better have a damn good reason for this."
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A Ysoki wearing his trusty trademark goggles on his forehead occasionally checks his custom rig built into his arm or the subdermal implant in his hand, other times he pulls out some sort of controller to make sure its still charged. For the most part, his gear looks cobbled together scraps of metal, but somehow still functional.
"Yo! The names Gogglez after my goggles I always wear when I'm working." he says as he pulls back out the controller and presses some buttons causing a tiny flying drone to come out of a hidden compartment in his armor, "This is Hole Puncher...version 2. My last one got integrated with my junkracer after I took a break from the society to be a racer. This one flies and has TWO guns instead of one, yo!"
A recorded voice comes out of the drone, "Ready for combat. Weapons charged...TIME TO KILL SOME BAD GUYS, YO!" it says as its voice switches from robotic to a recording of Gogglez. After it finishes, it begins player Star Sugar Heartlove!!! on its speakers before returning to Gogglez's armor slot.
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Pyksi takes over from the autopilot, and flies the shuttle from Absalom Station to the vessel you are headed to, moving right through the Armada, passing by all kinds and all sorts of spacecraft, big and small, common and super alien.
As you arrive, pulled into the Master of Stars by the tractor beam, you see that the repairs are almost finished on the massive ship, and although a few rings of scaffolding remain visible around sections of the ship, its armor-plated hull, powerful engines, and sleek lines are almost complete.
You know the Master of Stars is the largest starship in the Starfinder Society’s fleet, and the current base of operations for the Wayfinders faction.
The shuttle comes to a clanky landing in a spacious hangar bay, and, suddenly, the door just falls out of the frame-- well, at least it is easy to exit.
Actually, once you have exited, the entire frame of the shuttle simply falls apart!
Seems like you'll be leaving some different way...
A small hover-drone appears before you.
It has been painted yellow to look like a piece of cheese.
"Starfinders, I hope you had a pleasant flight? Please follow me. Ma'am Fitch is waiting for you."
You follow the drone done some corridors, up an elevator, down another corridor, down some stairs, down a corridor, and back up a small elevator, up to what appears to be the door to Briefing Room B-7, on an upper deck of the ship.
The drone tells you: "You may enter, honored guests."
And flies back away down the corridor.
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As soon as Pyksi opens the door--
--she is hit, right in the face.
Red starts to trickle down her face.
Blood?!
You are under attack!
Is she hurt bad?
You are not the only ones under attack: you recognize Fitch, in some sort of melee battle with three small assailants!
But, as you go for your weapons, Pyksi realizes that is not her blood, no: it is a big blop of synth-cherry jam!
And Fitch is simply trying to fight off three youngster Ysoki!
These little ones are wrestling her to get at the plate of bread, jams, and sweet pastries.
"Those are for the guests!"
The little ones are not calming down: "I'm a guess! - Me too, I love to guess!"
Having ransacked the plate, the three young Ysoki flee right past you, slipping between you, under your legs, and out into the corridor, giggling and stuffing their mouths.
Fitch hurls a doughnut to chase them off--
--and the last youngster nimbly snatches it, takes a bite out of it, and grins triumphantly at Fitch!
Fitch performs an exaggerated scowl.
As you all enter, and the door closes, Fitch's face exudes smug pride in her cunning descendants: "My grand-kids! They'll be Starfinders yet!"
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The smell hits Pyksi's nose before she has time to scramble for a fighting position, and she freezes in momentary confusion that passes as stoicism.
As the youngsters skitter past the group, she wipes the jam from her eyes and sucks it off her fingertip. "Pleased to see you again, Fitch. Didn't think I'd have to follow engagement protocol when opening your door," teases the pilot.
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When the young Ysokis run past us, Croaker steps aside and smiles, you can notice a bit of orange light emanating from his snout and suddenly two small pieces of pastry float up from the plate and move slowly to Croaker.
Croaker looks with a smile how resourceful the small ones are.
Croaker smiles and laugh, resembling a bit one of those young Ysokis that run away with pastries. He catches the pastries and tries to divide them as best as he can and pass it among the guests and Fitch.
Spike moves closer to Fitch saying
"I was exactly like them, you couldn't hide food from me and my brothers and sisters from my litter."
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A lanky, spiny Vesk nods to all of the Starfinders now crammed into the somewhat functional flying tin can. "All, nice to meet you. All the Starfinder missions start like this?" Something passing as a smile quickly fades as the last engine cuts out. He grabs for the bulkhead to stabilize himself. "Seeing as it might be a short ride, they call me Korl. Sometimes Voidfist on account of the...well if we manage to land this you'll probably see."
Ugh, that was a ride. I figured the Starfinder's would have had better equipment than that... Korl briefly recalls his redirected flight as the group follows the cheese drone. His thought is interrupted by a young ysoki darting underfoot, Korl just spinning enough to watch them skitter away.
"Cute kids. So uh...something about an emergency? Or was the flight over the emergency?" Korl cracks a toothy grin at Fitch.
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Fitch looks up at the towering Vesk.
"Yes, yes, I asked for an action group as soon as possible, and it seems Guidance pulled you out of your current assignment, or what was to be one.
So, well, have some tea, while I explain.
[b]“Vabaimus is a planet in Near Space,” Fitch says, gesturing in the air as she paces atop her desk.
“Green, lots of water, bright sunlight, beautiful, if you go in for that sort of thing.
Plenty of animal and plant life, but the most intelligent species is a marsupial no bigger than my kids.
Look kind of like sloths. Yes, like my kids!
I like them, yes, my kids, I like them, but I mean the sloth-aliens, I like them too, but we’re leaving them alone till they advance enough to at least get a language.
Could take a while. But they might speak better than my kids in the end!"
Fitch checks that you all have tea.
“But there is a research station on the southern continent. The scientist in charge is Dr. Mora Motressi, a xenobiologist.
She and her people have been checking out the local flora and fauna, and they’ve just starting a geological survey.
Vabaimus is a resource-rich planet; we could do a lot with that, but we need to be careful to do it right. We don’t want to make decisions we later regret, disrupt the ecosystem, and create problems for ourselves and the locals.”
Fitch pulls a datachip from her cheek pouch and waves it around--
--until it falls into a cup of tea!
She frowns, fishing it out before it can be swallowed, and wipes it clean.
“I was reading the first report from their geological survey, and apparently they’ve got a weird landmass down there.
A plateau hundreds of miles across covered in a slick gray shell, like a giant lobster or something!
No water or plant life at all— maybe it got blasted by some kind of curse, I don’t know."
She smiles now that she saved the chip.
"Mora and her people, they don’t have the equipment to do a proper survey, so I figured we could give her a hand.
I’d like you to take some vehicles and survey equipment to Dr. Motressi and her people on Vabaimus, and help them get to the bottom of this mystery.”
Raising her hands and shaking her head, Fitch goes on:
“I know, I know. This doesn’t sound like the sort of thing a bunch of super-stars like you usually go in for.
There’s no first contact to figure out, no Swarm army to blast into smithereens. But this is how the hard work of research and science gets done, and besides, if this lifeless plateau is the result of a curse or a magical accident or something, Mora and those scientists will need help, maybe even an evacuation."
She sighs, and sits down, pouring some tea for herself.
Then, as an after thought:
“So, what do you say? Can I trust you on this one?”
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Korl covers his daintily held tea as Fitch is throwing her cheek pouch data pad around. He finishes his cup in one gulp and sets it down.
"What she said. I'm in, sounds interesting, so long as we make it to the planet in one piece. Has the doctor and her crew found anything on this landmass yet? Or just call it in?"
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Giving a nod of admiration to Croaker, Baròleg motions towards the plate lifting a few more pastries towards the team. "Clever."
Listening to Fitch, "The primary sentient life is pre-language then. Are there any other sentient or near-sentient species? What about the planetary conditions - gravity, atmosphere...?" Taking a pastry for himself, and floating the others to any without, "Have they been able to learn anything about the shell yet? Is it organic?"
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Fitch looks towards Korl and then Baròleg: "I have no information regarding the landmass. Not much information in all in all. I know the primary sentient life is pre-language, as you say, and that hey’re a long way from civilization, but from what Dr. Motressi’s written in her reports, they’re definitely on their way.
Check back with me in a few thousand years!
And I've not heard anything about any other kind of species, sentient, near-sentient, or non-sentient.
Now, as for the planetary conditions... the planet Vabaimus is located in Near Space, as I said.
It is a Verdant World with:'
She hands you the chip, while reading off some information: "Diameter: ×1; a Mass: ×1; a Gravity: ×1
Atmosphere: Normal; Day: 1 day; Year: 1 year
Vabaimus is rich in mineral resources and boasts diverse ecosystems with highly varied native life. A species of sloth-like marsupials on the northern continent are approaching sapience. A massive plateau on the southern continent is actually a strange alien organism."
The chip has this information, as well as the Drive Buoy coordinates as well as the Stellar Navigation coordinates.
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Fitch looks at Vosk: "Well, you'll be ferrying a lot of equipment. We’ve packed up some towers, high-intensity scanners, and computers which, once you put them all together, will give you a 3-D map of the plateau’s interior and do a complete chemical analysis of the ground. So you'll get answers to your other questions then. Oh, and I threw in some enercycles and buggies, to help you get around out there. You’ll have a lot of ground to cover.”
Turning to Cashara, she nods: "Well, I admit that the shuttle seems to not have had a check up recently, but we are running diagnostics on it as we speak. So, I am sure that it'll be ready to go, and haul all the freight, in the blink of an eye.
By the way, if you have your own personal vehicles, you can load them onto the containers."
She smiles at all of you: "I see none of you are Wayfinders. We would be happy to see you come to be with the most active and the most useful of the Factions, if you ever want to join!"
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"I'll keep that in mind. The brochure was 'come join the Starfinders!' and I got here and then there were more brochures! After that I kind of grabbed what was on top. You guys might want to look into that."
Korl awkwardly clears his throat "Ah hem. Anyway, sounds like we've got a bucket of bolts waiting for us, let's get to it."
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b]Gogglez grabs some scrap and begins welding it on to the nearest "bucket of bolts" transport ship, "Don't worry yo! I can fix this thing up so fast that it goes as fast as my latest junkracer with that hole puncher turret, BANG BANG BANG, right yo?" he says pretending to fire a turret off of the ship.
"WOOHOO, I GOT THIS THING ALL RIGGED UP AND READY TO GO YO!" he says cheering, not even sure if he patched up the right ship.
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You all make your way down to the docking bay, and find a couple pallets of spare pieces, including engines.
The workers who are supposed to get to repairing the shuttle are on their lunch break.
When they finish... they are stunned to see that Googlez repaired the whole thing all by himself!
The workers all look at one another... and then hand you your flight papers.
"What's your name? If you want a job when you get back, you're hired!"
You all pile into the repaired shuttle, being handed food and beverages and such.
The one piloting... starts the thrusters, and then moves you just outside of the mother ship.
There, you turn the thrusters off, and people fly small loaders over to attach the containers of gear to the belly of your shuttle.
Then your pilot fires up the Drift engine, and you make the switch, leaving the Material Plane and entering the Drift, this membrane that links all the Planes.
You then switch back to the normal thrusters, and start moving through the Drift, amidst the swirling kaleidoscope of purple.
You have time to talk and prepare.
Some eight days of boring rations later, you arrive at the level of the Drift beacon you are aiming for, and switch back to Drift engines, exiting back into the Material Plane.
You are in Near Space, and the coordinates indicate you are close to the planet Vabaimus.
Now you can fly in towards the planet and the landing area you were indicated.
days of Drift travel. This gives the PCs a chance to get to know each other a little, if they wish.
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Pyksi sets her to autopilot once they're safely in the Drift, coming back to join the rest of the party in the cabin.
"I'm going to have to let you take a look at my Interceptor, Gogglez," she says, looking reasonably impressed. "Either the Wayfinders are hoarding all the best shuttles, or you've got a good touch with mechanics."
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Korl stands at the nearest view port looking out into the Drift.
As Pyksi enters the cabin "How's it handling after the repairs, captain? Should we be worried about randomly falling out of the Drift?"
He glances at Googlez "You did some fancy wrench work, not really my area of expertise...so just checking."
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During the flight, you have time to talk, and find out that:
• Travel In-System takes 1d6 Days: Jumping between two points in the same solar system is moderately faster than moving between them in real space, and is so short as to carry only a 1% chance of random encounters in the Drift.
• Travel to Absalom Station takes 1d6 Days: Jumping to Absalom Station always takes only 1d6 days, thanks to the Starstone.
• Travel to Near Space takes 3d6 Days: Near Space contains the Pact Worlds system and most of the worlds colonized and contacted so far by their explorers, but there are still thousands of Near Space worlds yet to be investigated. Jumps to Near Space worlds rarely carry more than a 10% chance of a random encounter while in the Drift.
• Travel to the Vast takes 5d6 Days: Largely unexplored, the millions of Vast worlds are significantly more difficult to get to than Near Space, and the risk of a random encounter in the Drift can be anywhere from 25% to as high as 50%.
• Travel beyond the Rim: While other galaxies are known to exist, the distances between them and the galaxy of the Pact Worlds are so incredibly large that there have yet to be any confirmed instances of intergalactic travel using Drift technology. Whether this is due to the extreme travel times involved, limits to the reach of the Drift itself, or dangers encountered in the Drift during such attempts remains unknown.
You know that every time someone uses the Drift, you rip some part of one of the Planes off, and send it into the Drift.
Is this a sad side-effect?
Or some master plan concocted by Triune?
Whatever it is, that is why you can find things floating around the Drift.
Be it a poor penguin ripped from some plane of Ice... or a half a dozen powerful Demons from Hell!
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After exiting the Drift, you fly towards the planet, and a cursory scan confirms what you have been told by Fitch: Vabaimus is a temperate planet with considerable surface water and a variety of native life.
It looks like a perfect colony world.
There is, however, a strange geological formation, a stony plateau which covers approximately 85,000 square miles on the southern continent This is the feature they have been sent to investigate, and the Wayfinders’ research station is situated nearby.
So you fly into orbit, circle around, and then move into atmosphere.
Astonishingly... the shuttle holds up!
You land on the pad, which is made up of a packed dirt and metal strips.
The engines have not even cooled off before you get an incoming message request.
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"Did anyone said something about cards? Of course, I have cards, dices
, and a set to play famous Ysoki, capture the cheese game."
Croaker quickly grabs all of the games that he has and put it on the table. You are perfectly aware that you can always trust a mercenary while playing cards:
"Don't you worry, these cards are not marked or anything, you are safe to play with me like a Desna nun is to travel with the Space Pirates!" He laughed at that comparison
"Not the most adequate saying but I like it. You have nothing to worry from me."
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"Hopefully we won't have to test that anytime soon...though it might have make the days in the drift a bit more interesting."
Korl sits down opposite Croaker and grabs a hand of cards "Yes, clearly."
"Your move." he says with the toothiest grin possible.
During the drift time, Korl often comes back to 'his' view port to look out into space. He repeats this as the shuttle comes into Vabaimus' atmosphere "That must be the spot, eh?" He straps in and prepares for landing.
Korl grabs his backpack and heads for the door "Uh...what's with that sound? Did the ship finally give out?"
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Baròleg wonders the ship taking time to talk with each of team, joining in Croaker's games (and washing the ink off his fingers from the marked cards). As he engages with each, he seems to be an in-astonishing individual. No tragic history, no maligned past. He seems comfortable, and genuine in his desire to leave the universe a little better and more ordered than when he arrived. The Starfinders and Stewards seem to be the best option for his goals.
He does appear to be a gifted speaker, and leaves each conversation with you feeling heard and probably giving up a little more personal information than you intended.
Baròleg moves to the ship's windows, observing the planet and the landmass. He records some notes into his comm, trying to remember anything that may be useful after landing.
Baròleg's demeanor becomes more business than social. He reviews, preps, and packs his gear methodically. Once he's got himself accounted for, he reviews the ship manifest and cargo before disembarking. "Here we are people, let's meet the research team and do some science," he smiles as the cargo bay doors open.