Hi, bigboom, I saw your recruitment ad on Flaxseed Station. I don't have any level appropriate characters, but would be very happy to play a pregen, subject to your approval and not messing up the tier for the other players.
An attendant escorts you into a meeting room in which you meet First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo. She rises from her chair and proclaims, “Ah, these are the agents I spoke about! Starfinders, may I introduce to you Ulyapses, a new friend from the Vast.” A massive, six-limbed alien rises from its chair, barely avoiding a collision with the ceiling. She clears her throat, and in a deep, bellowing voice begins, “I am honored to stand in the presence of those as accomplished as you. I am Ulyapses, and it seems our past and your present have come together.” As she speaks, she retrieves a holographic projector from the folds of her simple robe. “This is our history,” Ulyapses continues, gesturing to the images appearing from the projector.
Over the next several moments, the projector displays an advanced society of creatures shaped like Ulyapses laboring under an opaque golden sky. The creatures toil with obvious dissatisfaction, creating monolithic tributes to an unseen entity. At times, the shield fades, and in these moments the aliens quickly turn to the frantic design of rockets, starships, and other methods of leaving their world. Each time, the aliens fail to pierce the golden sky and must return to their toil. As the playback accelerates, the images speed past a myriad of failed escape attempts before suddenly slowing as the glimmering shield winks out of existence. As the barricade vanishes, the subjugated aliens swiftly escape aboard their highly sophisticated starships.
The images then show the aliens arriving upon a fertile planet. They bury the majority of their ships and load the remaining few with relics that remind them of the world where they had been held hostage. A small group of custodians flies these ships, laden with reminders of their grim history and other technological advances, to a nearby, heatblasted moon. On the newly settled world, the aliens live a peaceful, agrarian life for generations. Suddenly, a short golden obelisk descends from the heavens, igniting panic among the people.
With obvious sadness, Ulyapses shuts off the projector. With a tremble, she stammers, “Your brothers and sisters wait trapped behind the same barrier that once imprisoned us—Luwazi calls it the ‘Godshield.’ For us, escape took many generations and considerable luck. For you, perhaps, we have another path. We call the golden relic deposited on our world the Tear. We fear it heralded a return to our captivity, so we quickly deposited it on the same rocky moon where we sent our unnecessary technology and unpleasant reminders of our past. We call that facility the Repository. Perhaps the Tear is a key, or a beacon. But if it has answers, we don’t want them.” Ulyapses collapses back into her chair with a thud.
Elsebo steps forward. “We have permission to access the Repository and claim the Tear, on the sole condition that we take it far away from Ulyapses’s people and never bring it back. The key to pierce the Godshield awaits, and the Society needs you to retrieve it.”
Replying to Obozaya, Luwazi says, "The izalguuns have been dumping technology and unwanted relics — godgifts, they call them — at the Repository for some time. However, they know very little about the Repository, as it was the purview of several izalguun custodians to store and study the materials sent there. Ulyapses knows which silo the Tear was sent to, but nothing more — communications with the izalguun custodians stopped decades ago. I’d be prepared for anything: advanced technology, radiation, or even strange magic."
"Ulyapsesh, I am pleaset to meet you desp in dese unfortunate circumstances. I, Keskodai, choose to do all I can do help your people and remove de Dear."
The shirren who rises to speak is tall and gangly. Large yellow spirals adorn the chest and back of his black d-suit armor almost like targets. Yellow stripes also spiral up the armor's limbs. An unusual titanium and crystal container is strapped to his abdomen.
"I beg your parton. Spoken speecsh is difficult. May I mind speak to everyone?"
I do not mind at all a reply echoes in Keskodai’s mind as a floating Barathus advances towards Luwazi and the izalguun. With Lashunta ringwear armor carefully arrayed around the flying cephaloid’s shell, he glistens with a variety of colors as he drifts. The point of a pike sticks out from a pack wedged between its armor and shell, and the keen-eyed among you notice occasional red vein-y tendrils licking along the barathu’s soft limbs. And it is good to see you aain Obezaya. And you Keskodai. How is the child?
It is good to meet you Ulyapses. I am a series of dozens of strange and elongated syllables and melodies echo in the heads of each in the room before coming to a halt. But for those not of Bretheda, I am known as Bluuu
You say that you have not heard from your people’s ‘custodians’ for many decades. Is there a chance they may still be alive? I am uncertain of your species’ lifespans.
And Luwazi: what did we learn about the sister-object to this ‘Tear’? the one the Societyt found to enter the Scoured Stars last year? Is it dangerous? Beneficial?
Ulyapses responds, "I too do not mind telepathic communication.
"As to your question, Bluuuuu, I do not know. If not, then perhaps their offspring survived to continue acting as custodians. If you come across any surviving izalguun, my people would very much appreciate any assistance they may require."
Turning to Reynold, Ulyapses continues, "Yes, human, you may take what you wish. But please ensure any items you recover do not find their way back to my people. We sent them away for a reason."
Luwazi speaks up, replying to Bluuuuu and Spanner's questions, "The 'sister object' as you call it was uncovered by First Seeker Jadnura and it operated as a beacon linked to the Scoured Stars. It was found to be neither innately dangerous nor beneficial. It was simply what it was. However, it did lead to First Seeker Jadnura's ill-fated task force to the Scoured Stars, leaving them trapped behind the Godshield. So in that sense, it was dangerous.
"We don't know if this Tear now residing at the Repository can truly pierce the Godshield but we want to find out. The Tear sent to the izalguun is a near-perfect replica of the relic that led First Seeker Jadnura to the Scoured Stars. I hypothesize they are related, and the Tear’s arrival among the izalguun was an invitation for reentry into the Scoured Stars. I intend for us to accept this invitation."
We will do our best to be careful within your people’s traditional chambers. Bluuu thinks to the Izalguun. Are there any words or signs of greetings amongst your tribe? So that if we encounter any of the missing guardians we can show that we mean no harm?
Chk Chk is doing well. His cognitive abilities are developing very nicely, although my judgement may not be entirely objective. I thank you for asking.
And how are you?
Ulyapses, your species determination and effort in escaping the Golden Shield is inspiring. Your desire to avoid being trapped again is commendable and understandable. Freedom and choice are essential to life.
First Seeker Luwazi, are we to merely retreive the Tear, or to test it after removing it to a safe distance?
Ulyapses looks at Bluuuuu, lifts her rear right leg, front left leg and right arm. While holding her balance in this odd pose, she says, "Boom shaka laka laka boom!" She then resumes her normal standing position.
A second later, she chuckles and says, "Just kidding. A simple, generic 'We come in peace' statement will suffice." She teaches you how to say this in izalguun.
Smiling in amusement at Ulyapses' attempt at humor, Luwazi raises an eyebrow at Keskodai's question. "Simply retrieve the Tear. Do not... I repeat, DO NOT travel to the Scoured Stars on your own to test whether it can bypass the Godshield.
"Remember that we've lost eighty percent of all Starfinder Society resources when that Godshield went up, trapping First Seeker Jadnura and his task force. Once you retrieve the Tear, bring it back to Absalom station at once so that it can be studied.
"Am I clear?"
With luck, this mission will be less perilous.
Bluuu's drifting mass adjusts its height ever so slightly in the barathu's best attempt at a nod towards Luwazi. He thinks to himself as he considers the group around him Eighty percent. That would leave one of us left and...an arm???
Luwazi nods and says, "Very good, Bluuuuu. Reynold, that may be prudent, given that we don't know what you'll encounter at the Repository.
"Remember team... Retrieve that Tear, take every precaution and return safe. You're some of my top field agents and losing you would be a great blow to the Society. Good luck, Starfinders."
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The journey to the Repository is uneventful and when you arrive, you find thick nanocarbon walls sheltering the silo Ulyapses identifies. The silo is a deep, conical depression in the moon’s surface into which passing spacecraft could dump their payloads. The silo’s retractable roof is jammed closed with age and disuse, sheltering the interior from the heat, but this means the you can only access the silo through an airlock door at ground level and must descend a long, curving stairway around the conical depression to access the Repository complex itself.
Steep stairs curve around the interior of the cone beneath the silo, descending to a small platform that overlooks a smog-shrouded region below. The platform ends with jagged metal and torn struts, obvious clues that it once anchored a bridge to an airlock across the cone, dozens of feet away. Only a single small ledge remains in front of the airlock. Next to the airlock is an unlit computer terminal.
That is a well-thought idea Reynolds Bluuu thinks to the human. It would be best to be cautious, especially as others have already gone dark within there.
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As the party descends into the metal silo, Bluuu keeps one tendril on his tactical pike. But the barathu looks around, impressed at the structure even in spite of its current state of disrepair. Sturdy construction, but well-built to be camouflaged into the moon. I see how the izalguun were able to hide their advancement from so many observers over the centuries.
Reaching the edge of the stairs, Bluuu glances down below into the void when a walkway long-since fell. Unfortunate. But if a dropped bridge is our biggest challenge, this mission should be a success. He turns towards the others. I can fly over and attempt to affix a cable to the other end, to make it easier to cross. Or can others of you fly?
Giving one last glance down into the smoky depths. I wonder how much further down it goes?
The barathu points with a tendril down below. It seems that the bottom there is not too far. At least assuming it is solid and stable. With your cable Spanner you could climb down below, and then I could fly up to move it to the other side to be climbed up there.
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Having installed his radiation buffer, Reynold had to disengage his infrared sensors, so the area is wholly dark to him. He uses the flashlight on his comm unit to see at least a ways in front of him. "No cable from me, sorry. Maybe Bluuuu can carry our tech person over to handle the door, then come back and ferry us all across?"
I can certainly try. Bluuu thinks to Reynolds. But given the narrowness of the ledge, it could be complicated to balance if there is trouble opening the door. Keep the flashlight on me however: I will see if there is a passage or perhaps a cable or span down below.
With pike out and eyes open, Bluuu descends down below to examine the silo core.
As Bluuuuu floats down through the pitch black darkness, you see what is obviously a junkyard. Several hills of trash crest above the refuse foor and emit the stench of grease, rust, and old medicine. Miasmic vapors swirl in clouds around the garbage piles.
Bluuu ‘calls’ back up. The terrain down here is not fully level, but it is passable. It appears to be a junk repository. If you can climb down, then back up, the walls could be braces against. The barathu thinks Though perhaps making sure than door across can open would be an important first step.
Re-ascending back to the others, Bluuu asks for help having his ringwear dismantled from his outer shell. Then, the barathu clutches Spanner tightly and flies his over the void towards the door.
Keskodai watches the operations, feeling quite useless.
Bluuuuu floats Spanner across the...well...span and drops Spanner off. Spanner attempts to remain steady on the narrow 3 inch ledge while working on the airlock controls.
After a bit of work, Spanner expertly hacks the controls and the airlock door springs open! Suddenly a wave of energy washes over EVERYONE!