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"Hello all! It is my job to keep you all alive. If you die out there, so help Damoritosh I will kill you myself. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR? Now," a Large Uplifted Bear produces a grin, "Let's go kick some Jinsul ass!
Before you stands a Large Uplifted Bear, in Heavy Armour with an intimidating looking Red Star Plasma Doshko. He smiles as he looks around at the agents assembled here.
"Sorry, where are my manners, my name is Teddington, I'm a Guard Soldier, and the one designated to keep you lot alive and bring you back safely." He looks slightly embarrassed about having yelled so loud.
"I understand it's not your first rodeo, but I've not lost a Starfinder who I've worked with, and I don't want to start now!"
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"Woo, big guy!" says a slightly built human woman. She reaches out a hand, not to shake, but to run through Teddington's fur.
"That lot must keep you warm on cold planets eh? I'm Gunnz. I'm driving, once we get to our destination. They haven't let me sit in the pilot seat of hte 'Master' yet, but one day...."
"[smaller]Cau'se it probably handles like barge, so I'm not that disappointing.[smaller]"
Gunnz herself is wearing a tight fitting "Strawberry machine cake" tee-shirt and has some fan-stickers attached to her carray-all.
"I also have control of the music if the Jinsul turns up!" she adds with a tone of authority.
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.”
You can help prepare by meeting with:
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.”
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Gunnz, who for a moment appears to not have a suit on at all, slips into a maneouvering rig.
"These are awsome!" she squeals in delight.
Grabbing a set of tools she heads for the airlock, activating the almost invisible armor suit as an almost afterthought.
"These new G6 models are great!" she beams to the rest of the team as the does some cartwheels in zero G.
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A hulking formian scuttles into the room. Not quite as big as the bear, but bristling with big guns.
"Greetings comrades. I am Princess Dh'Qa. Queen Luwazi assigned me to this team. Together we will exterminate the Jinsul hive in the Scoured Stars!"
She moves over to inspect the Master's gun controls. "Let's see if this is all set up properly. The basic settings work well enough in most cases, but when you run up against enemies using abnormal tactics you need to have the full option suite available."
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A woman in her early fifties wearing a well-pressed officer's uniform steps out of the crowd toward the rest of the crew. "Well, it seems we're all here with one purpose. That's good. We will need to be united to defeat this enemy. I am Captain Desha Doash, one of the lucky few who returned from the Scoured Stars after First Seeker Jadnura's foray into that system turned into a trap that snapped shut on us. That means I know some of what we're up against here. Good luck to us all."
With her introductions over, Desha tries her best to stand over the shoulders of those working on the piloting controls, hoping to offer any advice she can. Unfortunately, her most recent experience in a starship was like a dream where she lived through another Starfinder's experiences as they encountered unknown dangers in the Drift.
Fitch is very pleased with the work you have done. She shows you some of the inner workings of the Master of Stars.
REWARDS
Level 1 Fitch shows the PCs some of the inner workings of the Master of Stars, which help the PCs better understand other starships. Once during the adventure, the PCs can gain a +4 bonus to any non-gunnery skill check during a starship combat.
Level 2 When using the reward above, all the PCs' non-gunnery skill checks made during the same round gain the +4 bonus.
Level 3 In place of the level 1 reward, the PCs can force the crew of an enemy ship to take a –2 penalty to all non-gunnery skill checks made during the round. The use of this ability must be declared at the start of the starship combat round.
Unless otherwise mentioned, using a reward gained from a preparatory task is a free action. If a reward gives a bonus to a check or otherwise affects a check, the PCs must declare the use of that reward before rolling. These rewards apply to the group, and the group must agree to use the bonus before a PC can gain the benefits.
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!”
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"Talk about explosives. Did you all ever hear about the time Radaszam and Historia-7 took a crew of Starfinders to a jinsul space station to deliver a bomb and blow the whole thing up?"
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Jackojare can't do much, so he aids Desha
All these cool items we found, bragging rights. basic lashunta tempweave (1,950; item level 4) caliginous shadow pistol (2,100; item level 4; Starfinder Armory 13) cardiac accelerator (3,850; item level 6) corona laser pistol (4,270; item level 6) elite defiance series armor (6,300; item level 7) estex suit III (5,550; item level 7) freebooter armor II (4,720; item level 6) hook knife (6,300; item level 7; Armory 8) industrial welder (3,100; item level 5; Armory 10) mk 2 dermal plating (6,950; item level 7) purple force field armor upgrade (4,550; item level 6) sable shadow pistol (6,750; item level 7; Armory 13) spell gem of logic bomb (450; item level 5; limit 1) thunderstrike sonic rifle (3,400; item level 5) wide-spectrum ocular implant (2,825; item level 5). And to add to it, we blew up the Jinsul Star base.
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Gunnz lounges, dancing around to some music only she can hear. When she notices a glare from the harder workers she shrugs. "Like, not long ago I was dealing with this situation right? Someone thought that an augemented arm would be a good idea, but they bought from the wrong person. This group well.. they..."
"they didn't source their components from the normal channels. And while they seemed to work okay to begin with... later on Bad things(tm) started to happen and well.. I think we should probably double check some of these spares here, in case corrupted parts made it to the fleet."
By the time you are done, Zigvigix is asking you please call him Ziggy.
He is so pleased with the work some of you did that he is willing to grant you priority access to some of the Starfinder Society equipment.
REWARDS
Level 1 Once during the adventure, each PC can requisition a weapon with an item level up to the PC's level for the duration of one mission. The group must use this ability prior to starting a new encounter, and this ability cannot be used during Part 4. The weapon comes with a full battery or magazine.
Level 2 In addition to the reward above, the PCs can also requisition a single consumable item with an item level up to the PC's level. These consumables cannot have permanent effects, and PCs who don't use them during the course of the scenario must return them at the end of the adventure.
Level 3 When using the level 1 reward, the weapon can have an item level up to the PC's level + 1.
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.”
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Gunnz has a look at the computer.
"Well... lets see.." she says, taking a look at the calculations.
"I remember when I first met one of the races that came from the Scoured Starts.." she says, talking conversationally as she taps at the console.
"We met these big six legged lizards. Nice folk, but they had forsworn technology. Still kept a bit to be useful, but generally they dumped it all. Who would have thought. "
She cracks a smile. "You should see the dance moves you can pull off with six limbs though... almost makes me wana be a Skittermander."
Pleased with your review, Celia outfits the Starfinder Fleet with better weapons-tracking software for targeting Jinsul ships.
REWARDS
Level 1 Once during the adventure, the PCs gain a +2 bonus to any one starship combat gunnery roll, and that attack does not consume ammunition in the case of a weapon with the limited fire property.
Level 2 When using the reward above, all of the PCs' gunnery rolls during that round gain that benefit.
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.”
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"New Recruits, when I had to look after an entire Formian meeting, do you think I shook in my boots? Do you think I felt fear? NO I DID NOT! And when you look into the Jinsul Menace, you better not feel fear either, otherwise it's me you'll answer to! ARE WE CLEAR?"
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.”
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.”
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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 key thing is to familiarize yourself with the weak spots in the hostile physiology, and choose your weapons to target them optimally. I happen to have fought Jinsuls before..."
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Desha looks past the venture-captain at the group of junior agents. She lays a hand on Arvin's shoulder and nods, "I'll talk to them."
Stepping in front of the loose gang of scared agents, Desha draws herself up and thinks back to her days serving with the Stewards, years before Jadnura saved her from her life of depression on Akiton after being discharged. She takes a deep breath and wears a stern expression as she barks out, "Alright, Starfinders, time to shake it out and form up! Now, I understand you all are new around here. And because you're new, you're worried what's going to happen to you out there. I can tell you, there is a chance you'll be changed forever on this mission. There's even a chance you won't come back. I was one of the lucky few who made it back after getting trapped in the Scoured Stars the first time we tried going there. But there's two things I can tell you after I went through all that: one, the Society is ready this time, we know our enemy, and we know what we have to do to beat them; and two, no matter what happens while we're out there, the Society will take care of you when you get back. I know most of you haven't seen our recovery facilities, but let me tell you, our organization does not leave you out to dry if you come back hurting. A while back I helped to make sure one of our own was taken care of..."
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Gunnz sighs as the backlog of important work...backs up.
"Right, I'm never going get to dance practice if you guys don't work faster." she sighs.
Iteration's mission
Gunnz eyes up the android warily. "If there was a god of dancing I think I'd be more interested in the divine." she says. "Otherwise priests always seemed to have a non divine interest in me."
Radaszam
"Well, did I ever tell you about the time that I was facing off against the Gideron Authority? That was a close one, let me tell you. Those hobgoblins were organised and they knew how to get the most out of their ships."
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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.”
Did I tell you about my mission on Absalom station, well, mostly it was humans we had to deal with, but one big cult and a big bad large sized alien at the end that would eat us, yeah they were up to no good.
And the other one to impress Iteration-177 Sorry I don't have any good stories to tell you, but I know how good of a technomancer you can be. And starts talking about how android technomancers are the best
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.