#2-06: The Stumbling Society, Part 1: Sangoro's Lament (Tier 5-8)
Tags: Faction (Exo-Guardians)
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A rhyphorian sits slumped like a vegetable in a chair, his collapsed posture belying the Scoured Stars Veteran badge of honor affixed to his armor. He responds to Kultanien in a monotone without looking up. ”Korvin. Friends called me ‘Sunshine’ before they all got eaten by bluethorns. Never confirmed if they were being sarcastic. Happy trails.”
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The sounds of a crowd clamoring for autographs and the flashing of recording equipment not-so-subtly announces the arrival of a brightly-colored Halfling that leaves a trail of sparkly glitter wherever she walks.
Overflowing with enthusiasm (whether practiced or genuine, it's hard to tell), she strikes a pose and exclaims, "Hi-yee! My name's Lily! I'm the voice of So-Lily-Quy! You've probably heard my comm-cast 'How to cause play with cosplay!' Are you excited for StationCon '20!? Message me SoooLily@InfoMore.as! #youcanglittertoo! BUH-BYE!!!"
Once the door closes behind her and the crowd disperses she turns her holoskin off, revealing an ordinary Starfinder Society uniform underneath.
"Sorry! Couple years ago I started this cover alias and it's simply EXPLODED in popularity. Name's Lily. Glad to work with you!"
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A grinning, cheerful little ysoki in the room says, "Hello everyone!! My name is Arratoi! I'm a writer and I find inspiration working various missions for the Starfinders and travelling the stars. Someday, I'll write the quintessential space novel that will be read across the entire galaxy!!
"Now I know that some may struggle to pronounce my name, but that's okay. It's pronounced ARA-TOI. But honestly, if you cannot say it, just call me 'A Rat'! I know you were thinking it! So now you can say it without fear of causing me any offense!
"Oh and by the way, I have quite a few dwarven novelist colleagues who've taught me how to throw insults like a dwarf. It's quite an art! And I daresay.... addictive!
"So if I say things such as, 'Why won't that incompetent harpy-faced decrepit fuzzpot stoplight turn green already?!?!' then please don't take offense. I just get carried away now and then!"
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Kultanien offers a smile and her hand to Arratoi.
"Why hello there Ara-toi. Insults like a dwarf? That must be helpful to know when you are dealing with the stout folk. I might get you to teach me some later on."
She offers a musical giggle to Lily as she tries to emulate a dwarven voice. "I think I caught a review of your show once. There was a vesk dressed up as a Panda bear. I must say the use of his claws was quite spectacular."
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"I prefer one to one interactions." smiles Kultanien.
"Don't get me wrong, the info-sphere is a wonderful place, but... lacks the immediacy of direct interpersonal communication."
Then, with an almost imperceptible sigh she adds "Sometimes I find it hard to understand what people really want. Even in person, but online... it is all but impossible."
Another woman arrives, this one with her hair tied back in a tight bun, and a white lab-coat. Her hands hold a clipboard.
"Oh hello Jopsie. Everyone, this is Jopsie, my personal assistant. Who also holds doctorates in science, medicine and theory of magic."
The pretty human offers Kultanien a beaming smile. "Hello" she adds, shyly smiling at the group from behind her clipboard.
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Kultanien offers a smile and her hand to Arratoi.
"Why hello there Ara-toi. Insults like a dwarf? That must be helpful to know when you are dealing with the stout folk. I might get you to teach me some later on."
"For sure. Once you get the hang of it, it just comes out whether you intended it or not!!"
Arratoi looks around. "Hopefully the rest of our team will arrive soon!"
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As if on cue, a much quieter roar of applause echoes through the open door as a korasha lashunta completes a long series of tumbles and lands in a perfect pose with finger-guns directed at the crowds.
"Hey there, folks! Good to see all my Jump-heads out here today! Make sure to tune in the Grav-Run quarter finals this weekend to see your favorite runner make his way to this year's championship race! Don't worry, though, you don't have to wait long to get more Faraeon-filled action. I'll be live streaming my next mission from the Starfinder Society on my Twitchwarper channel! Alright, folks, time to get to work! See ya on the flip side!"
The lashunta punctuates this final statement with a backflip, then turns and casually strides into the briefing room.
"Oh hey! Nice to meet you all! Name's Faraeon Star-jumper. How's everyone doin'?"
Faraeon turns and catches sight of Lily, and his jaw drops. "Oh...YES! Are you serious?! I'm on mission with So-Lily-Quy?! My ratings are gonna go absolutely supernova!"
As the attention draws away from Faraeon, the room notices a scrawny hyliki standing next to the now closed door.
The hyliki is dressed in a dirty orange flight suit that hangs on his body bespeaking a thin frame. His short, black hair is unkempt and he carries a large tool bag to his chest like a child with a treasured stuffed animal. The hyliki's posture is that of anxiety filled and timid. Slowly his hand raises and waves. "Umm...hello...I am Freen....I fix things...," he says timidly.
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"Great to have you aboard, Freen! My Key Grip has been absent, and the background lighting just isn't the same without him!"
She then grins at Faraeon, winks, and starts humming to herself...
You have all been summoned the Nest, the renovated warehouse that serves as the Exo-Guardians’ headquarters on Absalom Station, by Zigvigix the leader of the Exo-Guardians.
The heavily augmented host shirren gazes out on as crews put the finishing touches on a fully restored warehouse. Their antennae quiver with pride as Starfinders of all walks of life use the extensive training gym, workshop, and recreational facilities. They turn away and telepathically greets their guests. Welcome! Sorry, I was distracted. These renovations were worth the effort! The shirren leads the way to a conference room and brings up a holographic star chart. Check this out! This shows the location of—you guessed it—Sangoro's Bulwark!
The Bulwark was our headquarters until we lost contact with it shortly after the Scoured Stars incident. First Seeker Luwazi restricted us from investigating, since we had suffered extensive losses. But now we know the Bulwark's location. Some Starfinder agents recovered data from a ship, the Struggle's Scholar, that fled the fortress. It's taken a long time, and extensive help from the Dataphiles, but we've finally unscrambled the data!
With this new data, we can go back to the Bulwark! Well, not exactly. The main fortress is shrouded in darkness by some unknown force. It sounds neat, but right now it's annoying! However, the Dataphiles found something fun. Before we lost contact, the Exo-Guardians at the Bulwark moved their most sensitive equipment to the vaults of a nearby satellite facility called the Arsenal. It's outside the shroud of darkness, so it's open for business! We can't mount a massive assault on the Bulwark—the Society can't afford the negative press, what with the smear campaign going on—but a small mission to take back the Arsenal's weapons seems wise. We wouldn't want them falling into the wrong hands.
Zigvigix points to a dim red star on the chart. There's a planet, Mazdrun, orbiting this star. That's our destination. I’ll accompany you to Mazdrun. You'll explore the Arsenal, learn what information you can, and recover the caches from the lower levels. Got it?
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Arratoi checks his datapad, looking up a few items. Then he makes a couple quick calls on comms, saying, "Yep. I need some info. Sent you the file. Oh really? Is that so? No way!! That can't be right. Okay then. I owe you a beer and a hunk o' cheese."
He then turns to the party and says....
"Oboy. The Bulwark on Mazdrun. Well, this will certainly make for good material in my next action adventure novel. Our mission will NOT be a walk in the park though!
"The Bulwark is a crazy big abandoned alien fortress that an old Starfinder named Sangoro found and donated to the Society. He eventually started up the Exo-Guardians and they stationed their base at the Bulwark.
"No one knows why but up until now, Guidance wouldn't say jack about where the Bulwark is located even though a ton of resources are located there that we'd find useful. I guess Guidance has just been feeling grumpy. In fact, it reminds me of my fifth wife. Woooboy! Y'know how some women always feel cold? Well, her paws were icicles, I tell ya! And as she was always grumpy towards me, she constantly caught me off guard and laid her ice paws on my tummy. GAH! Makes me jump outta my chair even now just thinkin bout it!!
"But I digress.... So the planet the Bulwark is on, Mazdrun, is crazy weird. Strange mystical anomalies make the space around the planet hazardous and as for the planet itself, it ain't no beach resort! You go, you don't got a suit on, well, then you die! You got a suit on but hang out there for too long, well, you still die!
"BUT the Bulwark is in a crater and that crater has normal atmosphere that can sustain life. It's kind of like the opposite of my cousin Stank... He's got an odor soooo bad that all life within 3 feet of him just shrivels up and dies if ya know what I mean!!
"Anyways, the last bit of weirdness is rumor has it that the Bulwark is guarded by a battalion of angels. And you know what? I believe it. You know why? Because EVERY time I go on a Starfinder mission and one of us hears some kind of far-fetched rumor, it ALWAYS turns out to be true, amirite?!?!"
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Turning back to Ziggy, Arratoi says, "So what you're saying is that we're on an arms run? Go someplace that is probably dark, dank, underground and dangerous. Find a whole mess of guns, weapons and equipment designed to kill and maim. Then bring it back to the Society so that we can use said resources to, well, kill and maim? I think I got the gist of it.... kekeke.
"Any specific dangers we should know about? Or any specific prep or gear you'd recommend, Ziggy? Aside from our Strawberry Machine Cake playlist of course... (which I'm sure will be blasting on our starship non-stop 24/7 till we get to Mazdrun)."
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Faraeon looks up from his own comm unit after looking up some data on Mazdrun. "Whoa, this place does look extreme! Betcha Zo! would love to run a show out there, what with the frozen dust storms and radioactive volcanic fallout. Good thing the Bulwark found the one nice spot one the planet!"
Turning to Zigvigix, the operative scratches his head thoughtfully, "Actually, come to think of it, sounds like we're not headed to the Bulwark itself, right? So where is this satellite facility? Is it off-world someplace? Or do we get the distinct pleasure of finding our way through the worst of what Mazdrun has to offer to get to the Arsenal?"
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She then grins at Faraeon, winks, and starts humming to herself...
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"I'd heard similar things. Although word on the street is that your fourth wife had temperature issues too. Too Hot To Handle." grins Kultanien.
"While I'd not discount the rumours entirely, they often show only a facet of what the truth really is. If there are legions of angels there, they are presumably protecting something. One day I suppose I will meet one first hand, but from all accounts they are quite fearsom."
Quietly she slips over toward Lilly.
And then over toward the drinks table.
"Fair question about things we might need. I should probably upgrade my armor and weapons, they are starting to get a little out of date."
Freen continues to stand in the corner, his face paling as the danger is described. "Uhh...umm...is it really going to be that dangerous?...Uhhh...."
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Absolutely oblivious to the plot brewing right before him, Arratoi focuses solely on Ziggy's response to the team's questions until Kultainen and Lily spring their trap, turning Arratoi's day from just another mission briefing to... quite something else.
The simultaneous feeling of unpleasant cold hands on his tummy together with the sudden visage of his 5th wife shocks Arratoi into losing any vestige of sanity.
Arratoi stumbles in shock, falling off his chair, smack right into the ground face first . He clumsily half-clambers to his feet, half-scoots across the floor away from Lily, exclaiming, "OHMYGAWD! OHMYGAWD! That peach-fuzzed jelly-boned moss-bearded legless gobshyte is stalking me!!!!!"
The moment he (awkwardly) gets to his feet, Arratoi bolts towards the door, yelling, "You pigeon hearted nit-picking frozen handed elf! You've already taken three quarters of my cheese collection and half my future book royalties!!! Can't you leave me be?!!?
Arratoi rushes out the door at top speed and once the loud, blabbering ysoki exits, a deafening silence descends upon the room.....
Unaware of the antics of the others, Zigvigix addresses Arratoi and Sunshine's questions about the Arsenal. We don't really know what we will find there. It was all classified you see. We do know the facility was used for research as well as storage. Whatever is there, it will be interesting!
Turning to Faraeon they add, Right, we will be avoiding the Bulwark for now - too risky. The Arsenal is an outbuilding, also located in the crater but outside of the shroud of darkness protecting the Bulwark.
At Arratoi's outburst, Zigvigix swings around quite startled. What?! What happened? They spot Kultanien and Lily, and quickly figure out what happened. Giving them a stern look, Do behave yourselves, and go apologize to poor Arratoi! but everyone catches the undertone of amusement in their thoughts.
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When everyone is ready, you assemble at the docks where Zigvigix invites you aboard the Thunderous Transgressor. TT is an old, quite rusty, starship that bristles with scanners and laser weapons.
The trip out will take 22 days, so plenty of time get to know each other better (or get revenge...) Zigvigix seems more withdrawn than usual and spends his time playing a vid game or obsessively checking the ships scanners. They do show off new high scores from time to time.
Thank you Lily, but we want to try and keep this trip quiet. I don't think a Corpse Fleet ship will ever not attract attention.
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"In my reading, I have determined that humour can be a fine way for groups to engage in bonding activities." expresses Kultanien. "Perhaps this was an in-advised foray into such endeavours." offers Kultanien with an almost forced 'android' tone of voice.
Then with a shrug she calls after the retreating Arratoi "Quick come back, she ran out the other door to try and head you off.
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Kultanien does a quick trip to the stores office before heading to the TT. On the way, struck by inspiritation she also looks up a Celestial translation program.
"Although presumably most celestial creatures will be able to speak with us.."
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Over the course of the journey, Lily will spend some time attempting to cheer up Zigvigix by showing him how the various members of Strawberry Machine Cake designed their costumes (which, of course, she has an episode on her vlog about).
To make amends with Arratoi, she surprises him with a free 90-day subscription to Squeakr.
"If we encounter Angels, I can help translate. Going to CelestiCon for all these years you pick up a few things."
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"Nice!" says Kultanien.
She too spends some time trying to make ammends, having gone out her way to borrow a yoshi refractor suit for the trip.
Hardly inconspicuous, the suit makes the golden android appear pretty much like some type of SMC wanna be.
During the trip Freen keeps to himself in the engine room.
On one occasion however...
Later in the evening one of the first few days Faraeon hears a bleep at his quarter's door. The door identifies the summoner as Freen.
Upon opening the door Freen starts, somehow surprised by the door opening. His shoulders hunched and head lowered, he looks like a child knocking on their parents door for something.
"Umm....Mr. Star-Jumper..?" he begins quietly. "I have a question about your stream..."
Something is off about Freen.
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"I think that is a great idea."
The lovely android spends an afternoon making bunting and decorating the lounge of the old spaceship. The smell of cooking can soon be smelt wafting throughout the ship.
While no feast "I mean, there is only so much you can coax out of these old machines.." there is a nice selection of delectable delicacies ready for the Starfinder crew that afternoon.
"We should try some party games! And no, pin the apron on the android is not an acceptable party game."
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"Oooo! How about magnetic darts? There was always a dart board when I was growing up. Or hoverdiscs. Or cometball. Hmm. Come to think of it, I guess all of my childhood games involved throwing something."
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Sunshine works in the food bay. "Making some stewthorn. It's a stew made from bluethorns, which regularly attacked us behind the Godshield. It's pretty tasty, like a vegetable broth mixed with eating your fallen enemies. Reminds you why it's good to be alive most of the time."
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Faraeon spends the majority of his time in the Transgressor's exercise facilities, training with his idaran force baton and sparring with the holo-trainers. The rest of the time, he's hanging out with his crewmates, spreading the word about the burgeoning sport of Grav-running, of which he is a semi-professional competitor.
One day, while he is lounging in his quarters after a particularly exhausting training session, Freen stops by his room to chat.
"Well...uhhh..," he begins again quietly looking down and rubbing his hands, "I..uhh...have never been on video before, sir. It's kinda scary. Do you have to stream it? I-is there a way you could not?" Freen raises his head at the end and looks at Faraeon pleadingly.
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"Okay, here's what I can do. I'm turning off the stream capabilities on this thing, so there's no chance that'll happen. I'm also not gonna record any general video or audio for later upload. I do want to have the camera handy, though, cause it can help me out if we wander into any settings where we don't have lights available. If we absolutely have to record some video for some reason, I'll make sure you're out of the shot. Does that sound okay?
"In any case, thanks for asking about it! My fans will totally understand. This won't be the first time I've gone on a mission where the stream hasn't worked after all." Faraeon gives Freen a wink and a smile, then offers a hand to him. "Come on, I'm starving and I hear Sunshine is cooking up something special tonight!"
Faraeon and Freen emerge from his quarters together, and the pair turn to head down the corridor toward the mess for some of Sunshine's famous stewthorn!
As he walks with Faraeon, Freen looks less anxious than he has been.
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Once Kultanien is able to catch up with Arratoi and bring Arratoi back to the briefing, Arratoi says to Kultanien and Lily, "Oh! I see what you did now! Well, no hard feelings. The two of you pulled that off quite ingeniously, I must admit. In fact, that has inspired a possible scene in my next upcoming novel!
"And don't you worry! I'm not the vindictive type who would seek revenge. Oh not. Not. At. All......" Arratoi grins broadly.
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While on the journey, Arratoi confusedly plays with the Squeakr app Lily had acquired. "I don't understand what this is for," says Arratoi as he rapidly swipes picture after picture to the right. "What's the purpose of an app that displays random pictures of people trying to pose like a duck? Is there any point to this??" Arratoi keeps swiping to the right, faster and faster figuring that he'll eventually get to the end and something significant will happen.
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After hearing that Freen is down, at the party, Arratoi decides to push Freen out onto the dance floor, then Arratoi breaks out in song!!
You got that sunshine in yo pocket
Got that good soul in yo feet!
I see that hot blood in yo body when it drops!
OOOOOHHHHHH!!!!
We can't take our eyes up off ya, movin' so phenomenally
Decks on lock, the way you rock it, so dun stop!
And under the stars when 'verything goes
All are feelin' high when you strikin' a pose
When you move, we already know
So just imagine, just imagine, just imagine
Nuthin' to see but you when you dance dance dance
Feels so good its creepy creepin up on you
But just dance, dance, dance come on
All those things you shouldn't do
But you dance, dance, dance
And ain't nobody lettin you leave soon, so keep dancin'
U can't stop the feelin!
So just dance, dance, dance
U can't stop the feelin!
So just dance, dance, dance...
'If some spontaneous solo dancing in front of his co-workers while being sung to doesn't set Freen at ease, then nothing will!!!' thinks Arratoi to himself as he continues to serenade Freen....