[SFS] GM Bigrin's PbPGD Table 1 - Fugitive on the R-e-d Planet (Inactive)

Game Master bigrin42

Players, please phantom dot in here while we wait for the game to start

Okay folks, here we go!

Your day started with a message from the Lorespire whose header meant you had another mission awaiting. Less than an hour later you find yourself in a small meeting room in the Lorespire with several other fellow Starfinders and Venture-Captain Arvin. Arvin is in a call as you arrive, and he motions for you to come in as he listens to whoever is on the other end of the call. He put a hand over the receiver and spoke.

“Apologies, please come in. Be seated if you like, although this shouldn’t take long.” Arvin taps a button on his console and murmurs to his assistant, “Croyd, put everything on hold for a few minutes. If anyone calls, please explain I’m in mission briefing and I’ll get right back to them.” He then darkens the display to give you his full attention.

“Right. I have an assignment for you. This one is a little a different than others you might have received.” He pauses before he explains, “It’s an internal matter."

“You’re probably aware that after the Scoured Stars incident many of our colleagues elected to leave the Society. That is unfortunate, but not surprising. We hate to lose good field agents, but no one is conscripted into our ranks. Normally we wish them well and that’s that. In this case, the defector, former field agent Reynald Talbot, stole an artifact from the Lorespire Complex before departing. Theft is where the Society draws the line; I need you to get that artifact back."

“Unfortunately, Talbot left weeks ago and we only discovered the theft in the last 24 hours. We launched an immediate investigation to determine the identity of the thief and their last known whereabouts. It’s our bad luck that Talbot was smart enough to get off the station and head to Akiton, where there’s no central government or law enforcement to easily call upon. I need you to track him down and recover the artifact. We know Talbot caught a shuttle to the Akitonian city of Maro, so that’s a great place to start. The Society will, of course, cover your travel expenses.”

"I'm sure you have questions, so let's get them out of the way so you can be on yours."

Ask away! And don't forget to give a little intro to your character while you are at it.

At the mention of Akiton, K'zict perks up...well, as much as a Shirren can. Xe listens carefully and then reaches out to VC Arvin through telepathy, "Excuse my intrusion, but the common tongue is not meant to be uttered from Shirren mandibles. What can you tell us of Talbot. If we are to confront this individual, it is best to be prepared. Is it not?"

Kat arrives early to await the briefing from Venture-Captain Arvin. She stands just over 5 feet tall with a solid looking muscular frame. She is adorned with a tattered leather jacket, open to reveal a band t-shirt underneath, and dark purple tight fitting second skin armor. The organic tissue of her skin is covered in tattoos, both ink and the glowing-blue circuity she has modified into patterns across her face (and would be safe to assume everywhere else as well.) Her now-white mohawk is standing at full attention.

She listens intently during the briefing, and asks "What kind of artifact did he steal? What are we looking for?"

"That's just what I was about to ask," remarks a small, wiry halfling woman from over by the wall. Dressed in a simple gray flight suit, her blonde hair is pulled back into a loose ponytail behind her head and she casually leans against the wall, posture relaxed but expression quite curious. "It must have been something pretty valuable or meaningful for him to just up and run off with it! 'Specially since he knew we'd have to come hunting for it."

A fairly nondescript human with light brown hair and green eyes built compactly and solidly emphasized by his suit of light armor, along with the battered auto-pistol plus the sharpened longsword slung at his hip, sprints into the meeting room. "Sorry I'm late. Traffic held me up."

After the briefing he shakes his head slowly, "Where would you go to hock a hot artifact on Akiton? Seems like the most likely place to find him I would think."

Harrac nods along as VC Arvin briefs them. He keeps looking around for his buddy Talc but apparently he didn't make the cut for this mission, guess there's nothing to pilot. "Sir, what are our rules of engagement for this mission? And what was Talbot's role previously? Is our focus only the artifact or should we attempt to bring him back as well?"

The bleachling gnome listens carefully, taking notes on his wrist computer. Though his skin is white, the colorful flair of the gnomish people is evident in his clothing. He wears a bright green suede suit, the jacket having purple elbow patches. He adjusts his glasses. His right leg vibrates impatiently, as if he has difficulty sitting still for too long. "Yes, we will want full information. A dossier on him and his skill set, perhaps?"

“Talbot's smart, capable, a bit brash, and a reasonable field agent. Talbot is also self-entitled and ambitious. After the Scoured Stars incident, he expected to be promoted to venture-captain, but the Forum felt he needed more time. He got angry. We think this theft is retaliation.”

“As to the artifact, good question, but the answer is complicated because it’s actually two questions: what the artifact is and what Talbot thinks it is. We’re operating under the assumption that Talbot thinks he’s stolen an object from old Golarion called a philosopher’s stone. Legend has it that the stone could transmute matter, among other properties. What Talbot actually stole was recently re-cataloged as a charlatan’s stone. It does something similar, except the effect is a potent illusion and only temporary. We think ancient con artists used to make false gold.”

“I want the stone back. Talbot’s not worth the expense of dragging back here, so you can do whatever you think is necessary with him. That said, you don’t have a license to go on a mass killing spree. Don’t make the Society look bad. It might be tough to do on Akiton, but don’t take that as a challenge.”

Any other questions? If not, go ahead and slot your boons and make any purchases before you head off station. There are no suggested boons for this scenario.

K'zict nods at the information given and reaches out once more to the Venture Captain, "Once we get to Maro, is there anyone expecting us or any specific place that you feel we should start?"

No shopping needed and ready to move on.

"Interesting" Kat muses to herself as she runs some possible scenarios through her security subroutines. She adds to her new crewmates; "Could be trouble for Mr. Talbot if he's out there paying his way with fool's gold."

She returns her attention to Venture-Captain Arvin. "Are we crewing a ship to Akiton, or catching a transport? I'm ready to leave as soon as everyone else is"

I do not need to make any purchases. Ready to go.

"If Mister Talbot is using fool's gold to pay for his way there then it should leave a trail we can easily pick up." He picks up his rucksack full of equipment. "I am ready to depart when you are."

The bleachling gnome in the loud suit stands up. He sways slightly, grabbing the table a moment as he stills. He smiles around at you. "Greetings. I am Professor Thaddeus Glimgletch, known to my students and colleagues at Absalom University as Professor Gletch or, if you will, merely Gletch. It is a pleasure to be serving alongside you fine, intrepid adventurers today on this adventure." He taps the table. "Let us catch this briggand!"

"No one is expecting you on Akiton, at least I hope not. There is a shuttle waiting for you at Docking Bay 53. Good luck, Starfinder."

Akiton Culture or Computers rolls

Once you have boarded your shuttle, it takes less than a day to get to Akiton.

Outside the observation windows floats Akiton, a world the color of blood, rust, and red clay. A thick shell of white caps both poles. The shuttle descends toward the planet, and a barely perceptible shift in gravity occurs as the ship’s artificial gravity begins to lessen and the planet’s natural gravity begins to take hold.

From suborbital heights, a handful of small towns, large complexes, and industrial sites that spew noxious fumes into the thin atmosphere surround the trench city of Maro. A spidery web of dirt roads scratched into the rust-colored ground by regular traffic connects these sites to the metropolis.

Maro, the so-called City of Lights itself, comes into view as the ship begins its final descent. The city occupies more of a vertical space than horizontal, built into a six-mile-long section of trench that is half as deep and a half mile wide. Entire neighborhoods and business districts are built into the walls, accessed by patio entrances. Lights, neon signs, and holographic advertising bejewel either side of this urban canyon, while an active spaceport and industrial zones occupy the ground level. As the shuttle lands, it does so beneath the backdrop of an immense mural of brightly glowing neon-green graffiti that reads in Common: “Git Out! Planet’s Broke!”

How do you want to go about finding Talbot? Roll checks to support your actions.

Computers (untrained): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12

Hank quickly checks the public records about Akiton and fills in the basics. "This is a lighter world so we can jump higher here, but we'll get tired faster as well, unless you have armor on. Akiton suffered an economic crash when the revelation of Drift technology rendered the numerous pre-Drift fuels mined on Akiton virtually worthless." He closes the connection and shakes his head, "Peope here will be desperate to strike it rich here...easy marks for Talbot."

Before leaving, Kat greets Gletch as he introduces himself and returns with an introduction of her own.

"Pleasure to meet you, Professor, and the rest of you. You can all call me Kat."

computers: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8 Well, had to get that 1 out of the way. Kat must not have the Lorespire's Wifi password. She nods at Hank's information and doesn't add anything else, taking his word on it.

Kat flashes her sub-dermal Starfinder hand graft at Venture-Captain Arvin in farewell as the crew leaves his office.

On board the shuttle, Kat socialises with the new crew, or spends time playing music into her own ears from her internal storage. When bored she drums her fingers along to music only she can hear, or quietly sings to herself things like "Triune points me to the rat's nest" She eagerly watches the city come into view at they descend. She takes in the views of the dust, neon signs, graffiti, and stacked urban sprawl. "God, what an awful place." she mutters, and turns to the crew with a smile. "I love it"

She will disembark the shuttle. Once on the landing pad she will turn to everyone and say "No welcoming party. So...now what? Should we keep a low profile, or just start asking around?"

Harrac spends the trip talking to the others. He doesn't quite go as far as proselytizing, but the others are weary of hearing about Star Sugar Heartlove!!! by the time they arrive. Harrac is just happy to have new potential converts and doesn't realize that Kat5e is drumming along to a completely different band, oblivious to his embarrassing fanboidom.

As they near Akiton, he agrees with Hank, "the planet is basically lawless to boot. Anybody new will probably be under light surveillance until the locals figure out if they're a threat or a mark. Somebody had to see Talbot, the trick will be getting them to tell us anything."
Culture: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

Computers(requested check): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25

Gletch nods as he listens to the others, perusing the screen of his own wrist computer. "Indeed. Given his background, it seems clear he has some sort of plan for choosing Akiton. The Akitonian economy is unstable, so it is possible he's looking to leverage that for a big score of some kind. Such a score should manifest in a pattern within the chaos of their economy, if we can only find it."

Can I create a smart search algorithm to begin scanning local news feeds and economic reports to try to "follow the money" and report any unusual trends?

Computers(follow the money check): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

@Hank -For future reference Computers is a "trained only" skill. But, for a DC 10, I assume it's a basic net query that anyone can make.

Gletch's algorithm found a number of news items that fit his criteria, but none of them pointed to a systemic fleecing of the local economy. one item did stick out, however. Apparently AbadarCorp, the largest corporation in the Pact Worlds, made an enormous purchase of Drift fuel from the nearby mining town of Tasch. This purchase is roughly equivalent to the last 3 years' of production from the small mines there. The article goes on to say that the discovery of Drift engine fuel in Tasch is significant, and a chance for the local economy to recover. The article finished with a blurb that said that the AbadarCorp fleet that took delivery of the fuel is still in orbit, 2 days beyond their initially scheduled departure time.

While in transit, K'zict mostly keeps to xyrself, spending the time drilling with xyr staff. Heading back to Akiton after leaving it not-so-long ago was not K'zict's idea of a good time. But xe did know that this mission could be the break xe needs to finally be rid of this planet.

Upon seeing the results of the professor's search, K'zict reaches out to Gletch telepathically, "So it seems we have 2 places to start our search: Tasch or the ships in orbit. While it is unlikely that if Talbot was involved that he would stay in Tasch long, I don't think the fleet will be there for much longer. It is strange that they have remained in orbit for so long. My vote is to start off planet."

Kat nods at Gletch's findings. "Sounds a little too good to be true, if you know what I mean. Let's check it out. Can we contact the fleet on route to Tasch?"

"As long as the fleet is on the way then yeah we can stop by there first. Sounds like the path Talbot would have taken here."

Gletch begins researching how best to travel to Tasch.

Can we fly there in our ship?

You guys basically took a chartered transport shuttle. There are no facilities at Tasch for that.

You guys doing anything else in Maro before you head out?

Gletch looked into how to get to Tasch, and apparently it was only an hour or two away by land vehicle. This part of Akiton had some ferocious air currents that made flying vehicles unsafe for normal use. The gnome found a number of vehicle rental places, as well as a daily shuttle that went to Tasch. The shuttle is scheduled to leave in about 3 hours.

"What's that Gletch? There's a shuttle in three hours? That would be my vote. It gives us some time to check out Maro too. I'm sure there's a cantina around here where we could put out some feelers."

K'zict shows xyr approval with Harrac's idea and reaches our to him, "I second your idea Harrac. Why waste the time we have?"

Earlier, During the Trip

"Primrose Montajay, but most folks just call me Prim," the halfling introduces herself as the group boards their transport to Akiton. "It's nice to meet all of you," she adds, her expression oddly relieved. "My first outing had me working with some, uh...really interesting characters, you might say. They weren't bad people just uh...flighty. Or antisocial. Not a lot of middle ground, you know?"

During the day it takes them to reach Akiton, Prim is more than happy to make small talk with everyone in order to get to know them a little better. In particular she quickly discovers that she and Harrac share a mutual appreciation for Strawberry Machine Cake and greatly enjoys fangirling with the chatty vesk.
______________

Present

"Oh yeah, that's a fine idea," Prim also agrees. "Any information we can get before heading out to Tasch would be handy to have. Any of the local watering holes should have folks willing to talk, either for a price or if we can make a good impression."

"We just got to this dump, it would be a shame to leave so soon. Stopping at a pub and asking around sounds like a great idea"

"A stiff bracer will do me a world of good!" Hank nods enthusiastically, "Let's go!"

Harrac nods and taps his arm, "Deep Thought, where's the closest karaoke bar?" He winks at Primrose.

Remember, if you have an action you'd like to do, please roll for it without being prompted. It will help move things along (e.g., if you want to ask around at a caftap for an offworlder who came through here 12 days ago who might have been throwing credits around freely, you'd post that, along with a Diplomacy (Gather Info) roll

General posts that don't prompt actions or response are fluff that don't really move things along. Always be pushing!

Harrac follows the voice in his head to a gaudy structure a third of the way down the trench. He points and laughs with Primrose, "this should be the place, look at that hologram of Tsuchi-ko wailing on the bass!" He leads the group inside and sits at the bar, "what's good today, keep? My friend told me to stop by here, said you had some rare SMC B-sides we could do. Did he come in last night? You may have just seen him walking around, trying to hide. He's pretty shy but once you get some Graphnel in him he thinks he's the next Dalan the Destoyer!" Harrac laughs loudly and goes on to describe what they know of Talbot.

Diplo: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Prim shrugs and tags along; it was actually her first trip to Akiton so she was content to let Harrac lead the way - at least for the moment. She can't help but grin as he beelines for a gaudy karaoke bar and nods.

"Oh yeah, this looks perfect! Have some fun and do some checking around; like killing two birds with one stone," she nods as she follows him inside. Prim does pause though, to glance over her shoulder at the rest of the group. "Hope you guys don't mind some singing," she chuckles.

Once inside, Prim also ambles up to the bar. "Howdy! I'll take a Fox Mulder with an extra squeeze of pineapple juice please," she says amiably. "And yeah, with the pics he was posting on Intergalactagram of this place, we just knew we had to check it out!"

Diplomacy (Aid): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

Gletch, not being particularly social, stays back and let's the others handle the information gathering. He says erratically to the music, though.

Kat will join them in the bar, but sighs heavily when she sees the S.S.H.L. theme of the bar. With a thought, she mentally sets her audio receivers to 10% capacity.

As the group approaches the bartender for information, she positions herself with her back to a wall where she can see the crowd gathered, keeping an eye out on the clientele as she is used to doing in her previous life.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

She's looking around to see if anyone's ears perk up at the conversation between Harrac, Prim and the bartender, incase the bartender doesn't know Talbot, but someone else there might.

Hank sidles up to the bar and orders a shot of whisky, straight chaser. On hearing the sickeningly saccharine tunes of the latest Pop tunes from Strawberry Machine Cake he decides to make it a double.

Gahhhh...what makes that so freaking popular?

Trying to take his mind off the music, he decides to join the android in seeing if anyone else has taken an undue interest in the group.

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 11

*Gletch sways erratically to the music.

Not says. Sways.

K'zict follows along and enters the bar with the others. Xe has never heard of this band before and, along with Hank and Kat5e just doesn't get it. Xe heads up to the bartender and reaches out, "Think I can get a Trench Greaser...extra dirty. And do you have a vid set that I can watch a glad match on? Been out of that world for awhile now and need to keep up with it."

While he waits for his drink he keeps an eye on Harrac and Primrose, thinking their boisterous ways are sure to get some attention.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

"Last night? Nah. You're buddy ain't been in here fore a couple of weeks. Heard he was headed out to Tasch, though I don't know why anyone would. Miserable little place. Course, if those rumors are right that they found a new stash of Drift fuel, could be a hopping place. If you're headed out that way, why not stop back by here and give me the lowdown? A fellow who got in early on a fuel rush could make some serious credits, you know? I could make it worth your while."

Harrac grins, "that sounds like something he'd do! Always looking for an angle. Let me beam you my info. We can talk again when we get back - see if we can't get a jump on the easy credit bandwagon, eh?! And if you see him, shoot me a message. But don't tell him you saw me! haha We want to get some of that action too!"

Harrac exchanges information and leads Primrose out. He turns in the door and calls back, "say, see if you can downlink the new PonPonPon release! Thanks!"

Outside, Harrac confers with the others, "sounds like Talbot has been planning this for a while. On to Tasch?"

"Oh...I thought we might actually have time for some karaoke," Prim sighs as she quickly gulps down the rest of her drink and hurries after Harrac. Her expression quickly brightens, however.

"Ah well, we need to stay on task anyway. Karaoke after we find what we're looking for," she grins. "It'll be grand!"

Once everyone has reconvened outside and in a space that's more or less out of earshot of anyone wandering by, Prim nods. "Yeah, the time matches up to when VC Arvin said the actual theft happened. Talbot must've busted a hump to get out here and on to Tasch."

"I don't like feeling so far behind on the trail even though I know there's not much to be done about it," she frowns. "Hopefully this Drift fuel stuff kept him grounded long enough for us to get a better lead...or even catch up to him."

"Next time for sure! I wanted to get out of there before he asked too many questions. Even in Maro, I think a singing Vesk and halfling duo would stand out. Plus I don't think the rest of those squares were interested." He briefly looks disdainfully at the others before cracking a big grin, "We'll get them to come around though! They just don't know what they're missing!"

Gletch skips down the street alongside the group, as they head for the transport station.

I assume there's a cost for the tickets? Reasonable, or do they stick it to us in this backwater?

As the group leaves the bar, K'zict comments to xyrself, out loud:

Xe then reaches out to Harrac, in common, "On to Tasch. Better keep an eye on our backs when we get there though. I'm sure Talbot will be expecting something."

The journey to Tasch took about 2 hours, after a slight delay from a disarticulated steering arm. The driver was also a mechanic, and had the spare parts in the stowage - making you think that this wasn't the first time this particular shuttle bus had broken down. Still, you pulled into Tasch in the mid-afternoon local time.

A long dusty road, lined with single-story dwellings, runs through the town of Tasch. Some powered vehicles rest chained to their owner’s homes. A small general store stands near the center of town, illuminated by flickering white lights. Another building, full of locals, hosts a signpost that reads “Digger’s Dive” — clearly the town bar. Although the sun beats down on this desert town, its citizens meander around the bar in good cheer. Most are ysoki and humans, with the occasional lumbering four-armed shobhad mingling among them.

Where would you like to start looking for Talbot? Unlike my last last group that played this, please do not say "the nearest shopping mall". Talbot is a person, not a purse!

"Let is begin at the store, perhaps? Less likely to run into drunken ruffians there. Also, if AdabarCorp representatives have been through, the owner will likely be aware."

Having decided to xyrself that Harrac is the defacto leader, K'zict reaches out to him telepathically once they arrive, "It seems like the Digger's Dive would be the best place to start our search. At the very least, the locals could provide us with useful information and perhaps a timeline. That is just my opinion. I welcome others."

"I agree, let's check into the store. They usually have the lowdown as to what is happening around here." Hank agrees.

"Drunken ruffians are my people, Gletch. But I agree, the shop keeper might have more credible, and sober, Intel. We should see what we can find out about the drift fuel deposit as well, if it is connected to Talbot's stone"

"Seems like the store's got the winning vote for now," Prim grins as the group mulls over where to go. "Probably for the best; it's still kinda early out here so the Digger's Dive probably isn't as busy yet. We can hit it in a bit, once more folks start getting home from work."

Assuming everyone is more or less in agreement, Prim makes her way down the town's dusty street to the Circle H General Store. As she steps inside she looks around for a moment before heading towards the refrigerator at the back, where the drinks are kept. A few moments later she comes ambling back up towards the counter with a small bottle of Cosmic Mocha.

"My favorite," she grins to the others before stepping up to the counter to pay. "Busy day today?" she inquires of the clerk, offering a smile. Prim waits for a response before adding, "Everyone we've seen looks like they're in a pretty good mood! Some sort of party happening tonight or something?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15