First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo steps forward to her podium addressing the Starfinder fleet. “Starfinders, after two years of hardship following our devastating first foray into the Scoured Stars, we now stand taller than ever and are back to fighting form. Today, new recruits rally beside experienced agents and rescued veterans, coming together to form the most resourceful, prepared, and skilled organization the Pact Worlds have ever known. This newfound strength comes not a moment too soon, for the threat within the Scoured Stars is unlike any we’ve ever faced: a hostile military force known as the jinsuls, committed to our complete destruction. Stopping the Jinsul Hierocracy will challenge us more than anything we’ve done before, but what I’ve seen from our agents these past two years assures me that we are more than up to the task! Your orders will arrive shortly; for now, gather your equipment, finish your preparations, and send any messages you wish before we reach the Scoured Stars.”
|
Hundreds of Starfinder agents hustle throughout the loading docks aboard the ever-impressive and newly refurbished Master of Stars, the pinnacle of the Starfinder fleet. Junior agents hastily pack every docked starship with weapons, armor, spare parts, and provisions, while technical staff runs diagnostics on starship armaments and senior officers finalize flight formations and supply routes. Many Starfinders’ faces are dark with uncertainty, but the fiery resolve burns in their eyes.
Venture-Captain Arvin, a damaya lashunta man, emerges from the shifting crowd of activity, his expression hard with repressed concern. “It seems fate has made soldiers out of explorers. We’ve always prepared our agents to navigate danger and violence, but never anything like this. Still, there isn’t another organization in the Pact Worlds that I would trust more with this daunting task.” He pauses for a moment, then shakes himself back to attention. “Right, much left to do! There are still a few specialized tasks remaining that you might be able to help us complete.”
A description of each preparatory mission is listed below. For any that you wish to help with (no limit on how many you can do), please reply to the relevant post with the following:
I will then put all the pieces together and tell you what benefits you've earned.
|
|
Fitch, leader of the Wayfinders, walks you to an airlock leading out to some of the scaffolding on the ship’s exterior. “It’s strange to not have my children aboard, but this is no time to be bringing the young ones along. Last time, the jinsul capital ships chased away our carriers. I’d love to see how their flagship holds up against ours, but we’re still not quite finished with renovations. Try to wrap up the finishing touches on this gem of a ship— I want the last thing those jinsuls see is just how brightly it shines.”
|
|
Iteration-177, the enigmatic android, meets with you in a conference room, as charming as ever. “It appears I finally get to participate in a famed Starfinder adventure! I suspect you still have some desire to seek solace with the divine before heading into battle? I too, know this desire. I’m more than happy to converse, if you’d care to sit and chat.”
|
|
Venture-Captain Arvin looks over a group of anxious recruits in the mess hall. “Those green agents are not ready for a battle against an organized foe. Sadly, they’re liabilities when they’re frightened. Talk them through some of your experiences, set them at ease, and help them prepare for the challenges they’ll face ahead. We need them primed and ready for combat if we’re going to win this.”
|
|
Celita, leader of the Dataphiles, feverishly works on the mainframe in the command center of the Master of Stars. “Greetings, I’m Celita of the Dataphiles. You may have known me as Historia-7, though I’ve since stopped using that name due to reasons we don’t have the time to discuss. I think I’ve devised a way to artificially replicate the resonance effects of the Tear relic to help our ships stay in communication and traverse the Drift more precisely. I need you to double-check my code for errors and then see if you can shield the network from detection by jinsul sensors.”
|
|
Zigvigix, leader of the Exo-Guardians, sits before an immense cargo bay filled with crates of supplies. “They say an army marches on its stomach, but it also fights with guns and ammo! Can you take a look at all our gear to make sure it works and then load it onto the ships? Just try to keep the explosives separated from the food, please. We don’t want to have that mistake happen again!”
|
|
Radaszam, leader of the Acquisitives, overlooks a large holographic map of the Scoured Stars system, overlaid with smaller, more detailed maps of terrain on specific planets. “I don’t know about you, but I’m keen to take this fight to the jinsuls on their home turf. We have topographic data collected from our last foray into the Scoured Stars, plus some information on fighting styles our agents have reported from past jinsul encounters. See if you can make sense of it all and formulate a plan of attack.”
|
The android with a laser rifle Azimuth on his shoulder knows that his time he has no question to ask, simply to follow what is happening.
My name Mec-01. Go to prepare.
Fitch (Master of Stars Touch-up)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of : 1-12 Ashes of Discovery
Iteration-177 (Prayer and Reflection)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of: -
Venture-Captain Arvin (Rookie Training)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of: 1-07 The Solar Sortie
Celita, Leader of the Dataphiles (Starship Priming)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of: -
Zigvigix, Leader of the Exo-Guardians (Supply Run)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of : 1-10 The Half-alive Streets
Radaszam, leader of the Acquisitives (Tactical Preparations)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of: 1-18 The Blackmoon Survey
|
|
The lashunta present himself as being Kaeon. But the time to talk is very short. Then they have to go to prepare the things.
Fitch (Master of Stars Touch-up)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of : 2-05 Meeting of Queens
Iteration-177 (Prayer and Reflection)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of: -
Venture-Captain Arvin (Rookie Training)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of: 1-10 The Half-alive Streets
Celita, Leader of the Dataphiles (Starship Priming)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of: -
Zigvigix, Leader of the Exo-Guardians (Supply Run)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of : 1-10 The Half-alive Streets
Radaszam, leader of the Acquisitives (Tactical Preparations)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of: 1-18 The Blackmoon Survey
|
A kasatha woman wearing a surgical mask over her face scans people and equipment with some kind of portable analyzer strapped to one arm. "I'm Pamatea! I just got back from dealing with the most fascinating gravitationally locked planet...oh, but there's no time for that now."
Fitch (Master of Stars Touch-up)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of : The Withering World
Iteration-177 (Prayer and Reflection)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of: -
Venture-Captain Arvin (Rookie Training)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of:
Celita, Leader of the Dataphiles (Starship Priming)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of: -
Zigvigix, Leader of the Exo-Guardians (Supply Run)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of : -
Radaszam, leader of the Acquisitives (Tactical Preparations)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of: The Withering World
|
|
I am Xic, I am here to help my fellow Starfinders. I am a new Starfinder. Let us prepare. The shirren bows.
Fitch (Master of Stars Touch-up)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of:
Iteration-177 (Prayer and Reflection)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of:
Venture-Captain Arvin (Rookie Training)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of:
Celita, Leader of the Dataphiles (Starship Priming)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of:
Zigvigix, Leader of the Exo-Guardians (Supply Run)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of:
Radaszam, leader of the Acquisitives (Tactical Preparations)
Relevant past adventures to share a story of:
A woman with twinkling, mismatched eyes and a stylish scarf raises two fingers to her forehead in an informal salute. "Navasi! Fashionably late, as usual. Good to meet you all." She casts a lopsided grin around at all the bustling agents. "Well, let's get to it!" She rubs her palms together theatrically and strides off in search of work.
Fitch
Navasi traces wiring with a wrist-mounted personal computer and scrutinizes various piloting and navigational stations. "Not the keyboard format I would've used. Hmphh. But I'm not gonna mess with someone else's set up - not after the last time, anyways!"
Relevant past adventure: (Into the Unknown)
Iteration-177
Navasi shares an experience about a friend with mismatched eyes who disappeared under mysterious circumstances, but is more concerned with how others' understanding of faith can help them face a difficult trial.
Arvin
Navasi puts a lid on her swagger long enough to project confidence and trust to the new recruits. She does her best to impress on them the importance of the mission, but also to calm their nerves and make sure they know all the agents are in this together.
Celita
"Calibrate sensors, got it!" As soon as Navasi turns around her smile becomes an exaggerated frown. "Why did I say that? I have no idea how these things work on a ship this size!"
Zigvigix
"You know, this is the one time I've ever resented a snack called 'Flavor! Explosion!'" Navbasi frowns at a label featuring a mushroom cloud pushing some sort of fried confection along with its blast wave. She clucks her tongue at the offending ad, then tosses the can over her shoulder and into a waiting crate.
Radaszam
Navasi pours over the data looking for patterns. "If I can skim timetables and security logs looking for exploitable holes, I can do the same with, uh.. an extremely aggressive and fanatical group of purple antagonists. Yeah, that makes sense. Good one, Navasi."
As preparations wind down, a stillness settles over the crowd of Starfinders gathered on the command deck of the Master of Stars. First Seeker Jadnura, flanked by nominated First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo and the android Iteration-177, steps forward to an elevated captain’s platform and looks out over the assembled agents. Jadnura’s resonant voice carries across the assembly. “Starfinders! Today we gather not merely as explorers and scholars, but as defenders of the galaxy. Ever since the jinsuls ambushed our rescue mission into the Scoured Stars, they have assailed us and our allies at every turn. The danger the jinsuls present to our friends and homes cannot be ignored. We now know that they intend to awaken the divine being responsible for trapping our first expedition into the Scoured Stars. We know that this scheme threatens not only the Scoured Stars but all the space surrounding it. This leaves us with one mission: break the jinsul fleet and drive them from the Scoured Stars, putting an end to their depredations once and for all. Today we march to war!”
The Starfinders disperse to their ships and launch into orbit, assembling into either tactical strike formations or vanguards surrounding the larger vessels. The fleet’s synchronized screens flash to life, showing Luwazi Elsebo from her own command station. “We are ready to approach the Scoured Stars system from the outer orbit of the Agillae system’s star. The majority of our fleet will stay together to protect our supplies and support our ground troops, while our field agents are to scout the system and find the most strategic places to engage the jinsuls. Kadrical’s divine herald, Dhurus, is the head of the snake: find where he is hiding so we can direct our full forces against him. Once we close in on him, we can face down Dhurus on equal footing and end this conflict.”
Luwazi nods to the camera. “Stick together, support each other, and stay the course. We live or die as one today. Good luck, Starfinders. Fleet—activate Drift engines now!” The screen shuts off, and each formation of starships surges forward as a unit, vanishing into the Drift.
★ ---- ★ ---- ★ ---- ★
The Starfinder fleet emerges from the Drift as a single force, the three suns of the Scoured Stars burning brightly against the surrounding void. Moments later, onboard computers ping with streams of incoming data detailing nearby jinsul ships, planets with concentrated industrial activity, and further commands from the First Seekers. Several files emerge on the captains’ screens: briefings of locations where field agents could find useful information about how best to target the jinsul fleet’s weak points.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Fitch
As you help her, Fitch shows you some of the inner workings of the Master of Stars, which helps you to better understand other ships as well. You gain one of the following (chosen at time of use):
---
Iteration-177
As you converse with the enigmatic android, you gain a significant insight into Iteration-177’s unique understanding of the divine, and share a portion of their intuition. You gain one of the following (chosen at time of use):
---
Arvin
Despite Pamatea’s less-than-reassuring story, you manage to put some of the more junior agents at ease, making them more reliable in the extremely unlikely event of combat. You gain one of the following (chose at the time of use):
---
Celita
Pleased by the progress made by Navasi and Mec-01, Celita outfits the fleet with better weaons-tracking software for targeting jinsul ships. You gain one of the following (chose at time of use):
---
Zigvigix
Inspired by Mec-01’s story and Pamatea’s competence, Zigvigix grants you priority access to some Starfinder Society equipment. You gain both of the following:
---
Radaszam
Kaeon and Pamatea impress Radaszam as you assist in reviewing the default plan of engagement. You gain the following:
You also gain one of the following (chosen at time of use):
Navasi taps rapidly on the map of the Scoured Stars displayed on her wrist computer, her finger striking Agillae-2.
"Zig says an army marches on a stomach full of snack grenades, but I say it needs intel to not march into... quicksand? Or hostile creatures or whatever. Point being, let's see what information we can dig up."
|
|
A message appears on your comm units, inviting you meet with Zigvigix, the shirren faction leader of the Exo-Guardians. When you arrive, they offer you a piece of rice candy from a small bowl, the point at a screen depicting a green planet blemished by stretches of brown and ashen land. “Our scans show lots of jinsul activity here on Agillae-2. The planet is habitable, but it looks like the jinsuls stripped most of the vegetation to fuel their war industry. If I were a jinsul, I’d use the cleared terrain to run formation drills and test ground vehicles.” The shirren’s antennae bounce with glee, at odds with the seriousness of the moment. “But of course, I’m not a jinsul, so you’re going to see if I’m right! I’ll scramble their sensors long enough for you to sneak down there, find whatever you can about their troop organization, and get away as fast as you can. Don’t attract too much attention, or you might have to fight the whole army by yourselves!” Ziggy provides you with coordinates to a clearing within the remaining marshland where you can land without being noticed. ”Good luck, Starfinders!”
-----
Once you’ve landed, you’re able to make your way westward on foot to the outskirts of a massive jinsul war camp.
Navass, her colorful scarf noticeably absent, creeps forward alongside Kaeon. She exchanges hand signs with the stout man before breaking off to survey the assembled jinsuls.
Alright, so who's wearing the shiniest stuff and looks the most pompous...
Closer Look, normal edition:
|
|
Navasi is a tricksy sort, and she successfully sneaks up to a low ridge, where she can get a clear look at the Jinsuls. Unfortunately, what she sees is an officer point a leg blade at a nearby patch of trees where Kaeon is trying to do the same. The Lashunta ducks out of sight, but not before a jinsul, accompanied by what looks like a large fuzzy cross between a spider and a hermit crab head your way to investigate .
Meanwhile, Pamatea completely fails at surveying the jinsuls' earthworks, accidentally stumbling into a patch of sticky, clinging leaves, which obscures her vision .
Xic and Mec-01 study the fallen trees, with Xic gaining some valuable insight into the jinsuls' weapons.
-----
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Navasi yelps as shots crackle through the air and the strange creature skitters forward. "I'm not letting some spider crab steal my armor - shoot it!"
|
|
Navasi draws her pistol and directs her allies on the finer points of attacking a jeskraal, while Xic similarly arms himself and fires. His shot at the Jinsul goes wide, however, nearly hitting Pamatea!
The jeskraal moves up and positions itself between you and the jinsul, ready to defend its companion .
-----
Navasi continues spouting defiance at the jeskraal; this time she adds lasers to the barrage!