All hands on deck...
First Seeker Elsebo Luwazi clears her throat and makes an announcement to all of the gathered Starfinders as they slowly trickle in. “Starfinders, we stand at the precipice of momentous history, and I want to thank you all for making it possible for us to be here today. The Starfinder Society has spent the last year recovering from the Scoured Stars incident, our greatest defeat in recent history. We are finally ready to return to the Scoured Stars, find out what happened to our missing colleagues and friends, and rescue any survivors we can find. Report to your stations and lend your assistance to our fleet by performing the final preparatory tasks. More instructions will come shortly.”
After a long voyage through the Drift, the bulk of the Starfinder fleet has arrived at the outer reaches of the Scoured Stars system. Several immense carriers form the core of the fleet and contain docked transport ships, fighter craft, and scout vessels. Each of the stored ships contains armor, weapons, provisions, and other equipment. There is an almost palpable feeling of tension and excitement as hundreds of Starfinders aboard the central carriers prepare themselves for the mission. Ahead, a shimmering veil of golden energy conceals the three stars known to be within.
Venture-Captain Naiaj, a no-nonsense bleachling gnome, approaches with a datapad in hand. “Do you have all your gear? Are you ready? Good. Now let’s help our fleet get ready for the final journey into the Scoured Stars. But first, tell me your names and what special training you have so we can assign an appropriate task for you to assist with.”
Venture-Captain Naiaj, Venture-Captain Arvin, and the faction leaders Fitch, Historia-7, Radaszam “The Dealmaker”, and Zigvigix can be seen gathering groups around the ship, assigning tasks to help with the preparations.
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A tall and well-built kasatha stands and looks around for his co-agents. He is dressed in dark clothing, in a traditional kasathan way his mouth are covered with a piece of material. He pulls out a spherical device turning it on saying:
"Hey Raven are you there? Some things are happening and I might need your help soon."
Vecro has a mote of pure blackness hovering over his head that looks a bit like a black hole. Its shape and dynamic can be mesmerizing to some, but it seems to have no impact on the surroundings. In one of his hands, he holds a long pike.
A somewhat muscular Lashunta approaches Naiaj.
Telepathically in Common <Thank you Venture Captain. I appreciate this opportunity to serve. Most beings have difficulty expressing my true name. So, please, call me Surge. I am fairly skilled at piloting as well as being able to smooth over tensions verbally, though I’m certainly not opposed to more dangerous forms of negotiation>
Surge taps his heavy armor and points to the small yellow glow nearby. Then bows to Naiaj and walks towards Zigvigix and eventually to VC Arvin.
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A lanky bright green skinned Shirren walks over.
Telepathically in common <My name is Andromeda, I am rather skilled in the mystic arts. I am also very good at keeping my eyes open and reading people and a rather good pilot if I do say so myself. Is there anything you need help with?>
Andromeda will try to with with the VC for Piloting, then will head over to Radaszam.
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A tall Android walks up to the VC. Whereas some Androids try to hide their mechanical heritage, this one clearly exhibits signs of his race; mechanical hinges can be made out beneath the translucent skin of his arms, and blue circuits glow faintly on his face. At his hip is hung a holster with a laser rifle.
When he approaches, it becomes clear that, although his appearance is clearly Android, his demeanor is very much unlike most. He is chewing gum vigorously, one hand in a pocket of his stained cargo pants, the other toying with a clockwork device floating in the air in front of him. He looks around with a bored look on his face, but a grin appears on his face when he comes in front of the VC.
"'Sup Cap'n." He begins, chewing gum all the while. "I'm Helios-4, work as a test pilot at Absalom Station." The small device stops floating, and he catches it before shoving it in his pocket and shrugging. "Quite familiar with magic, you might say. Imma go see Fitch, aight?"
Without waiting for an answer, he walks over to the Ysoki.
Vecro and Surge:
You meet with Zigvigix, leader of the Exo-Guardians, in the missile bay. “Hey! Thanks for showing up! I’ve got a special mission just for you! See those missile tubes? I need them checked to make sure that there’s nothing obstructing missiles from being launched, so could you climb or crawl in and have a look? I’m pretty sure it’s safe and we won’t accidently fire you into space!”
Andromeda:
Radaszam, leader of the Acquisitives, waits for you in the cargo bay. “As you’ve probably surmised, things might get hairy once we’re in the Scoured Stars. Ain’t no glamor in this task, but it’s important—check these weapons, armor, medical supplies, and survival gear, and replace any faulty gear so we all might just make it back home alive.”
Xaric and Helios-4:
Her nose and whiskers twitching, Fitch, leader of the Wayfinders, reads something on a large screen in the science lab while her children operate other consoles and devices. “Hey, can you help me with something? What we have here is a database built from references to creatures in travelers’ logs and fragments of communication signals that were sent from the Scoured Stars before the force field appeared. Sift through the info and take notes on what kind of threats we might face.”
Fitch then pats one of her nearby children on the shoulder. “See this red guy here, Kirkath? Your notes should be: This is a balor demon, if you see one… RUN!”
Ardoc:
Giving Zixvigix a curious glance. ”Uh, sure thing boss.” Climbing up near the tubes, and engaging his infrared sensors. ”Hey, uh, Vecro, maybe you’ll fit better in this thing?”
Helios-4 makes a quick script to split the database into a few tables... 1 - Unlikely to encounter, 2 - Likely to encounter, 3 - Run like hell if encountered. Xarric gives a few pointers to refile the algorithm as well.
There's probably room for further refinement, but after 10 minutes, Fitch pushes the newly updated codex out to everyone's personal coms.
Andromeda makes a cursory check of the weapons. Nothing appears out of the ordinary, and after a short inventory find himself a bit out of his element.
Surge scrabbles up into one of the missile tubes and offers his hand out for a boost to give Vecro a leg up.
Venture-Captain Arvin briefs the Xaric in the access corridor just outside the bridge. “Many Starfinders, especially newer recruits, fear what might await us in the Scoured Stars. Talk to your colleagues and see if you can lift their spirits. You have my permission to be creative— pep talks, jokes, or playing some music through the comm system are each valid options.”
Xaric enters the room and begins to size up the new recruits. The Scoured Stars incident has been widely talked about but almost nobody has any details... and it's gained a life of it's own within the minds of the new recruits. Being sent to extract 'Grizzled old veterans' from the 'Greatest disaster in Starfinder history' (or so they seem to think) has them all quite nervous.
Historia-7, leader of the Dataphiles, shows the Helios-4 the carrier
ship’s science station on the bridge. “Thank you for your assistance. Once we jump into the Scoured Stars, we will need to scan the system to locate any survivors from the previous expedition. Please check connections and run tests on the ship’s computers to ensure the sensors, comms, and other critical systems are running without glitches.”
Finishing up with the missile tubes, Surge heads over to talk to Arvin.
He smiles and nods to the Venture Captain and to Xaric. With Arvin's words, Surge smiles and starts meeting with some of the other recruits.
"Sure is cold out there in the Vast. Still, I'm eager to get out there and see if we can find any of our people. With a bit of luck and Desna's blessing, maybe we can bring them all back safely. Greatest thing about being a Starfinder, we're like one big family. We look out for each other."
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Helios-4 slowly nods while listening to Historia-7. He blows a bubble of gum, and adds:
"Sure thing. Lemme see what I can do."
Helios begins to work on the consoles, rewiring and reapiring portions of the circuits and chewing gum all the while. When the repairs are over, he gives a satisfied smile.
"Aight, let's see how this fares now."
Ardoc wiggles his way up the missile tubes... clearly a lot more limber than one might guess based on his apparent age. A few of the missile tubes have some protruding bolts that could cause an issue. Or could have... were it not for Ardoc's inspection. A group of drones are dispatched to make sure they don't pose a problem later. Zigvigx takes Ardoc aside. "Hey um..." He looks around at everyone scrambling to get repairs done, then cranks up the volume of his 'Star Sugar Heartlove Single' before continuing. He quiets down a bit so only Ardoc and Surge can hear. "We don't have many of these... so I wanna make sure each shot counts." He hands the soldier a requisition order for some higher end ordnance. "With skills like yours I trust they'll be used well."
Surge heads down the hall to hand in the req order and meets up with Xaric. They palaver and and consider the concerns of the new recruits. A short pep talk rarely is enough to calm a bunch of rookies... but when you already know exactly what's bugging them... well, things go a lot more smoothly.
Helios-4: There are very few glitches in the system, and what little you found was fairly easy to resolve with a quick recalibration... which may prove to save your hides later, as you may find yourselves piloting these ships soon enough. You receive a priority code from Historia-7 that gives you a bit more control over power distribution on your ships. Don't use it often though... it's not... 'up to spec.'
Andromeda and Vecro: Several of the medical kits appear to have expired sterilization creams, and some of the weaponry has uncharged batteries. Andromeda and Vecro provide Radaszam and the technicians a detailed list of the deficiencies, and quite quickly they are addressed. Radaszam approaches the duo, "Thanks for getting that taken care of. This time we want EVERYONE coming back, and if someone found themselves armed with one of those guns or in need of one of those med kits... well... that could mean the difference between life and death. You seem like quite a resourceful group. If you need anything while you're out there, use my req order code."
Venture-Captain Naiaj takes Vecro to the hangar bay “All right, let’s get to work. See all these ships here? Work with the chief engineer to check the engines of these transports, fighters, and scout ships, and help her make any necessary adjustments.”
Vecro hops in the copilots seat and gets ready to run some diagnostics.
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His work with the Dataphiles leader done, Helios-4 spots Vecro with VC Naiaj, working on the ships.
"Hey there." He begins. "Lemme give you a hand." Without further ado, he hops in one of the cockpits and begins running tests.
"Oh yeah. Nothing beats trying out new fighters, amirite?" He reclines on a seat, legs crossed while he finishes working on the console.
Moving to meet with Historia-7 and trying to get their attention from the display screen.
"All good here?"
Suddenly, every screen aboard the Starfinder fleet switches to show nominated First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo standing next to a golden obelisk about two feet in height. Behind her, a large observatory window showcases the Godshield, a shimmering force field surrounding the Scoured Stars system. Luwazi Elsebo slowly lifts her eyes from the artifact and addresses the Society.
“Starfinders, this is the Tear, an ancient artifact some of our most skilled agents recovered during a recent mission. The Tear is our key back to the Scoured Stars—our key to liberating those who were lost a year ago. We are ready, so let’s not waste any more time.”
Luwazi Elsebo speaks a few words in an alien language and the artifact start humming softly. She then traces her finger along the artifact’s surface, and a set of glowing runes appear around the obelisk. The golden field surrounding the Scoured Stars starts twisting upon itself, and massive gashes appear as the force field starts tearing itself apart. As the final shreds of the shimmering field evaporate, Elsebo speaks: “It is time. Good luck, Starfinders. Fleet—activate Drift engines! Go!”
One by one, the ships of the fleet pierce the veil between the Material Plane and others, splashing through space like it was water, and then vanish into the swirling depths of the Drift.
*****
Whisked away through the Drift, the Starfinder Society fleet spreads across the three solar systems that form the Scoured Stars. The ships begin scanning the planets, asteroids, and other objects orbiting the three distinct stars. The fleet’s long-range sensors soon start picking up communication signals, energy signatures, and signs of life. After a quick analysis, the Society has identified a few locations where information on the lost Starfinders is most likely to be found. After nearly a year of waiting, the search for survivors can begin.
Helios, Andromeda, and Surge make a few last adjustments when all of a sudden the call to action is given! The list of missions is sent to all of your coms as you board your vessel. A small contingent of trainees accompany you, ready to assist where they can.
Plugged into a nearby communication station, the Historia-7’s eyes blink rapidly as she collates data from many teams across the Starfinder fleet. She snaps out of her technological trance and fully opens her eyes. “Greetings, Starfinders. I have assigned your team to a mission on Agillae-5. Our scans indicate that many Starfinder starships from the previous expedition crash-landed on the same spot on the planet, forming an enormous concentration of wreckage that spreads out for miles on the otherwise barren planet. Investigate the ships, locate any survivors, and retrieve any useful data from the ships. We don’t know what caused so many ships to crash-land on the planet, so exercise caution during the investigation.”
As you make haste to your ship, a technician flags you down. "Your landing shuttle is this way! Also, everyone grab one of these R-TEP beacons..." He passes out a badge to each of you. "If things go FUBAR, hit the button and we'll R-TEP you ASAP."
The badge says 'Rapid Team Extraction Protocol Beacon' on the back.
The tear acts as a beacon, and your ship is able to make what would normally take the better part of a day takes only an hour. Shortly after you begin your descent to the planet's surface however, the ship's systems begin to malfunction, and the communication systems start glitching. Suddenly you see an incoming message from... Venture-Captain Whiskan? "Stay away fr- <STATIC> Gravitational anomalies cau- <STAIC> -s. Repeat, dangerous gravitational anomalies, turn back."
Attempting to recall info about Whiskan.
Vecro recognizes the name Whiskan as the name of a Venture-Captain who was lost during the original Scoured Stars incident. Helios-4's quickly goes to work looking at the file signature and confirms that this message was actually sent 9 months ago.
Suddenly, just as the warning indicated, the sensors begin showing gravitational anomalies! The ship starts gently shaking...
Checking out any camera feeds to see how the ship is holding up
The scanner data makes no sense! The thrusters must be overcompensating for... wait a minute! Helios-4 is onto something... it seems as though there isn't really a gravitation anomaly, but your sensors think there is and the ship is responding accordingly... You'll need to guide this bird in by hand!