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Goose lets the faces of the group gather the info and jockey for position with the rights to the movies and press releases. He does, however, listen carefully and take meticulous notes about the information provided.
When the meeting concludes and he feels the right questions have been asked and answered, he simply nods his head.
As they pose for the team shot, Goose plays a funny trick and uses all of his quick disguise tools to make himself look like Big Jim. He gives a big thumbs up to the camera and says "Gonna be a big adventure boys, amiright?" while displaying a many-toothed grin. The vocal modulator works like a charm.
You gather your things and board the Drake that the bay crew have prepared for you. A few of the bay crew ask for autographs from Big Jim, Ivok and Antoine. The whole crew asks that Antoine take a picture of them and your group in front of the Drake before you leave.
You are nine days out from Absalom Station when you hit a rough section of drift space. Just as you get past it, you detect what appears to be a wrecked ship with an unfamiliar model of salvage ship alongside it.
You receive a communications hail from the salvage ship, identification is given as Tinkerer’s Path.
Antoine accepts the communication request from the Tinkerer’s Path.
An insectile beetle-like creature wearing a D-Suit appears on screen. It quickly introduces itself. “This is Captain Xizzvee of the Tinkerer’s Path. I claim rights of salvage to this wreck!”
“Who are you?”
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"Hey Buddy! Get up here! Who or what is that out there?
"That? That's a Fey creature known as a Bulabar. They are well known as the tinkerers of the First World, loving to take apart and reassemble devices in order to discover how they work and frequently fixing any broken devices they come across - probably the exact sort of guest you'd want on Jims Jams" the Goblin walks back away from the bridge with a frog on a leash.
***
"Well a big HOWDY there friend, this is Big Jim from Jim's Jams!" Jim fires a promo reel through the comms to the other ship "Everything ok over there, no one in need of help? Your salvage is your salvage amirite? I'm just curious as I don't recognise the wreckage, but most of all I don't recognise that really interesting recovery and salvage vessel you're are riding in. Need a hand? I have my tools and Buster with me too!"
Jim is excited by the idea of an interesting space-towtruck and has been bored in space too long.
Celebrity (6th)
You are famous enough that pretty much everyone has either heard of you or can quickly find information about you (it’s a DC 10 Culture check to recognize your name and a DC 20 Culture check for someone to recognize you out of context from your appearance alone). Among those who follow your iconic profession, you’ve built up both fans and detractors due to your celebrity. If you’re looking for a generic person like “a doctor who can treat this disease,” you can almost always find one who’s a fan and whose attitude starts as friendly or helpful to you; this takes 2d4 hours. At the GM’s discretion, fans might give you services (although not goods) for a discount or even for free.
“Big Jim of Jim’s Jam? The one always recommending Bamford tools?”
Xizzvee looks down at something, most likely a screen. After few seconds, they look back up. “I’ve heard of you! I like all the safety tips you give during the show — or at least you did on the three I’ve seen.”
Xizzvee is quite happy to talk about his ship and what he is doing. His crew consists of First World exiles and make a living by salvaging lost or destroyed vessels in the Drift. “Originally it used a First World drive, but with what happened we refitted it with a Drift drive,”
Right now his ship is in the process of stripping what was a civilian liner. The liner was destroyed after a long chase against pursuing vessels. “Would you like the flight data and scans?”
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The consoles give a bit of a shudder as Ivok vigorously goes to work looking over the readings from the liner. As he does so he gives a call out to Xizzvee, "Glad to not get in your way. Just looking to see, and happy to here that everyone is in as top shape they can be. I haven't seen many of the configurations myself, but what is a First World drive? That would be a new engine type for me."
Ivok recognizes the damage as being the result of hits by Jinsul boring torpedoes. The bore patterns are distinctive.
“It is a type of planar drive that shifts through the First World in order to exit at a distant location in this plane.”
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Seeing the readouts Ivok quickly rises and grips the console, seemingly ready to wrestle it down seeing the bits of the reoccurring adversaries. He releases his hold for a moment as he calms and sends a suggestion to double check the long range sensors. "Jinsul weapons did this. I've seen their damage first hand a few times. I'm used to them attacking military ships, not civilian vessels. I've always wanted to train people to be strong and fight against attackers like this, but they never stood a chance in this ship."
Again Ivok barely holds back from smashing the console. With a few commands he logs the data into the system. "Are you able to find anything from the flight path T'kai? I'm sure data delvers back on station to know about. Might reveal something the jinsul are hiding."
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"Wow Ivok, remember when we were on that Jinsul ship? They had a bunch of experimental weapons they were developing - what a shame they spend all that time and ingenuity simply on working out how to destroy other civilisations."
***
cuts to video
"Howdy folks at home, howdy kids! We're out here in space and we've just come across my nufriend Captain Xizzvee of the Tinkerer’s Path, they are a Bulabar, known as the tinkerers of the First World, loving to take apart and reassemble devices in order to discover how they work and frequently fixing any broken devices they come across which I think is an amazing way to live life"
"Anyhow, as you can see, the Tinkerer's path is doing a salvage mission out there in space so I don't think Captain Xizzvee can let is come aboard, but hey that ship had a First World Drive which is a really cool piece of magical technology, it has been replaced now, but I reckon when I get back from this next production we need to have a Jims Jams special talking about First World tech - maybe Captain Xizzvee can do an interview and maye even give us a tour of their wreck-recovery vessel. Let us know what you think in the comments below. Use promo code XIZZVEE for 10% off your next Bamford order!"
***
"Thanks Xizzvee this is some really interesting stuff, but the nature of the torpedos seems a bit concerning - we're just doing our analysis over here. Let us know if you find anything strange or need a hand - and keep a lazy eye on your radar, I just feel uneasy about it all"
T’kai is quickly able to trace the stellar coordinates where the chase began as being close to a mostly uncharted world in the Vast called Icefront.
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“My science officer is on it!”
Looking towards Compucast, Xizzvee explains “In order to effectively use a First World drive, you need to be on good terms with one or more of the Lords of that Realm.” Clicking his mandibles, he then adds “As I said, we needed to replace our drive.”
You chat a little more with Xizzvee and then are on your way.
It takes another eleven days through the Drift for you to reach your destination of Arat. According to the map fragment, Rasheen's planned first stop was Aratros, an immense gas giant which is relatively far from the system's star.
Goose doesn’t find the beacon’s signal, but he does find the wreckage of a crashed starship on the moon Aratrosim. This is a large moon of Aratros that matches the map description.
He also detects a signal from another one of the moons which immediately vanishes. Someone less skilled might have mistaken it for a sensor glitch, but Goose recognizes the frequency as one used by the Corpse Fleet. The signal disappeared too soon, there was no time to get any more information.
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"We might want to grab battle stations team. Just sighted a Corpse Fleet vessel but it disappeared. We may have company. Oh, there's also a crashed ship on one of the moons. We should check that out when we confirm the threats are clear." offers Goose while simultaneously tapping out more instructions on the console.
Goose tries to recall what he can of the moon.
The operative then shares all of the details of his findings on the starship displays.
Aratrosim as a cold moon with an icy crust over its large oceans. The crashed ship is located on a rare rocky outcrop that rises above the ice crust. The planet is cryovolcanic, the surface can erupt with a combination of freezing liquids and ice that can be deadly, especially if the victim gets caught in the middle of such a blast. Goose realizes that the moon is not cold enough to produce this activity naturally.
The moon is low gravity with thick cloud cover, icy terrain, severe cold and a thin atmosphere. The environmental systems in your armor will be able to protect against the cold and provide breathable air.
Goose thinks about it a little bit, and double checks a couple of scan readings. He realizes there must be some sort of elemental planar connection causing the cryovolcanic eruptions.
Light from the distant sun and the dark turquoise gas giant Aratros cast the planet in blue-green twilight. It reflects from deep cracks in the icy crust so that in places the moon appears to glow from within. Stars shine in the patches of sky not obscured by blue-gray clouds. Fog wafts in a column from a distant hill. The thin air is eerily quiet, with no wind.
Big Jim unloads his truck while the rest of you prepare for the journey.
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Goose is mildly proficient when navigating strange new worlds.
His skills are passable, but he'd rather not put the burden of the team's survival squarely on his shoulders, especially if others are more capable.
While preparing to depart the relative safety of their starship, Mon pushes his senses outward, letting his instincts and training alert him of any potential dangers.
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Ivok shifts within the truck as it moves along the frozen landscape. Ivok takes a few moments on the journey to stretch and try to move in the cold weather.
"As much as I enjoy your vehicle Jim, it makes me miss all the long distance hiking and running I get without out. I'm out of my seat of the ship and into the car. You are making me hope we get attacked sooner than later so I can get some exercise in."
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Jim unpacks the 'Big Jim Truckster™' and grunts in appreciation as it hums to life and hovers off the ground on its anti-grav engines. Once he has done a last radio check on the planetary comms he gives the thumbs up. The beefy truck has sufficient room for Big Jim and a whole entourage.
"This sure beats walking. Really amazing how the Starfinder Society keeps sending us to annoying planets where the only decent place to touch down our space transport is always 20 miles each way in the snow away from where we need to be - and besides I needed a promotional vehicle, hence the truckster. Parts cost me a bit, but I bulit it with my own hands, oh and Busters hands too of course. Can't wait until I save up for a helicopter."
Survival
Perception
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Compucast peers out from the relative comfort of the back of Big Jim's mobile parts emporium.
"Now this is travelling!" he says, while trying to make out what he can of the elemental connection that the moon has.
However the technomage is a little too distracted by his combination of ongoing magical and technological scans of the moon to really notice much else.
T’Kai looks over the map created from Goose’s scans and charts a course. After some discussion, the rest of you agree that is the best route across the cryovolcanic field to the crashed ship.
While Big Jim is driving he, Goose and T’Kai each see instances of glowing blue lights beneath the thick ice. T’Kai actually spots it on two different occasions. Other than the color, you really can’t tell anything more. You have no reference points to judge size nor luminosity and the ice obscures any details.
After about 30 minutes, the ice below you suddenly erupts!
Status:
Antoine-13
Big Jim -6
Compucast -8
Ivok -13
Mon -1
T’Kai -6
Truck -7
The geyser hits the center of the truck, flooding much of the passenger compartment with cold. It hits Ivok and Antoine the hardest.
Fortunately nothing is broken and Big Jim can continue on course.
You have another hour and a half to go, almost all of it over the ice field.
You move out without resting. You only travel for about 30 minutes before you get caught in another geyser! This one is much bigger.