The stars beckon...
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.”
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Azara nods to Arvin, a fellow Lashunta as he begins to speak. He looks around at all the activity, seeming a little overwhelmed but also eager to get into the action.
"It's into the flood again."
"Trip we took back then."
"This time will be no mistakes."
He records his thoughts into his armor's memory before turning his attention to the task at hand.
"I've had to fight more than once in the name of the Society and this isn't the first time I've been to the Scoured Stars," he says to Arvin. "And if we don't fight them, there won't be a Society or anything for it to explore."
He turns to the team he's been assigned to. "I'm sure you already know from my poetry but I am Azara Thenason, warrior poet. I'm looking forward to working with you all. While the Master of Stars is undoubtedly our most valuable asset, we don't want to put all of eggs in one container. We should go help Celita get the other starships ready."
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An ysoki lounges rather haphazardly on the floor on his haunches. Speck is covered with rather nondescript brown fur. In fact, it can be rather patchy at places, as if implants had been removed rather carelessly, but he makes no real attempt to hide the unbecoming patches. Exposed across his forehead and down around his right eye is a cybernetic implant but what exactly it does is not immediately clear. Another newer one is exposed at the back of his head. Interesting, across his neck hangs a wood-carved holy symbol of Weydan. Occasionally, you notice him unconsciously touching the symbol, as if still getting used to it.
He looks around at the excitement with an air of nonchalance, but even the typically cynical Speck can't hide his anxiety. It's back again...
Otherwise, he does not respond to the rest of the group.
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A heavily armed and armoured shirren watches the bustle with approval. Antennae waving gently, he regards the collaboration of the agents with obvious pleasure.
Backpack, duffle and an array of weaponry hanging from shoulders or fastened with straps, the fresh arrival checks his comm unit one last time to confirm the details of the meeting.
Making his way over to the others gathered nearby, he nods his head in greeting. "Agent Chk'tarlsh reportinhk for duty," he says, mandibles clicking. Although many prefer to call me Charles, he adds telepathically, with a hint of amusement.
"Lucky that fate hash brought you ssome that were ssoldiersh lonhk before becominhk explorersh" he assures the Venture Captain. "Thish ish jusst what we Exo-Guardiansh are trained to deal with."
The shirren nods his agreement wiith Azara. "A wisse ssuggesstion. And then we should ssee to the logisstic and sstrategic preparationsh."
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Hef is a tall, four armed, grey skinned, black eyed Kasatha. Dressed very simply in what appears to be station maintenance gear crafted for zero g maneuvering with a heavy sledge clipped to his waist and a tactical spear slung across his back. Other than the spear, he appears more suited for manual labor than an exploration party.
Earlier that morning, he received a message that his back ordered item was finally in. Stopping by the exchange, he picks up his trapsmith tools and secures them in his pack before heading to his designated spot on the loading docks.
Finding his group, he nods to them, only his large black eyes visible between his traditional face wrapping and armored helm. He listens intently and then turns to his allies with a brief bow, "Greetings to you all, I am Hef Sadir. As a follower of Sarenrae, I am well versed in the combat arts. The order is not important, but I would like to check in with my Venture Captain Zigvigix before we leave."
He adds on a mental reply, "Hello Charles, I am pleased to meet you. Do you tend to prefer the honorable combat of melee fighting or just blast away at range?"
Knowing your assistance is required for a supply run, you head off to see Zigvigix, leader of the Exo-Guardians. The augmented shirren 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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"Old friends like familiar towns."
"Are always changing."
"What's important always stays."
"Safe and sound, sometimes despite myself, Patterson. How about you?" Azara answers the man, offering a hand to shake.
He nods to Hef, another familiar face.
Azara isn't much of one for figuring out what goes where, but he's pretty strong, so as soon as people start pointing crates towards destinations, he starts pushing and lifting and toting.
"Hopefully, none of this stuff is experimental. Not too long ago, I ended up at an Abadar facility with some experimental tech trying to kill me. I'll take an old fashioned laser gun over a maniac robot any day," the Lashunta comments as he shoves a crate into a ship.
The strength of the korasha lashunta makes short work of the supply run.
Zigvigix is quite pleased, his voice buzzing with excitement. "Well done! Well done! We should now have sufficient firepower to see the job to completion."
Pointing an antennae towards a few of the packed crates, he notes, "The really good stuff is kept in there. Should you need any once we have reached our destination, let me know and I will have it requisitioned to you promptly!"
Their work in the cargo bay completed, the party moves swiftly to meet with the enigmatic android, Iteration-177.
Iteration-177 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.”
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Patterson grins at the android. "As it happens, I've just returned from a voyage that touched on the divine. It seems that there's a world called Enereth-7, held in a delicate gravitic balance 'tween a black hole and a sun. The Cult of the Devourer was trying to unbalance it, and force the planet to fall into the black hole. The team I was on put an end to their attempt, fighting the cultists in space and dirtside. The effort--and our success--caught the attention of the goddess Yaraesa. She's vouchsafed some small portion of Her wisdom to me and to the others who worked to preserve Enereth-7, and I'm grateful for that."
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Chk'tarlsh deposits his backpack, duffle and rifle to the floor, ready to lend a hand. Now that he has offloaded his cargo, the hilt of the longsword protruding over a shoulder, and the assault hammer and semiautomatic pistol at each of his hips are more readily visible.
He turns to Hef, his antennae twitching. Well met, Hef Sadir, It is always an honour to meet a fellow sword that seeks the darkness, he returns telepathically. He continues with a slight shrug, It depends on the situation at hand; I like to keep my options open. I am a more than competent marksman, but there are certain situations where it is best to get up close and personal in a hurry.
To Azara, he sends in reply, I agree. It is far more efficient. However I find some individuals are not comfortable with communicating in this way.
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Kai takes a seat facing Iteration-177. "It is good to see you again! I enjoyed our conversation at the First Seeker's gala about culture and religion, though it has been a while. I was able to return to Elytrio, where we..." he then recaps his mission there.
Kai continues his conversation with the well dressed Android. "Well, on the planet Elytrio, I discovered..." he launches off into a story about the Ghibrani people on Elytrio, their differing cultures, a particularly uncomfortable meal, some ethical delimmas he encountered there, and even a few snippets of the language that he has since mastered
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"A pleasure to meet all of you. I think my friend Hadir mentioned working with a few of you before. My name is Kai Starchaser. I'm starting to learn my way around this little number" he pats the arc pistol on his belt "but my main skillset is in tech and research--I'm interested in all kinds of lore, history, and other knowledge. And I've been flying ships around Absalom Station as long as I can remember. At this point I've been in a few dogfights and always come out on top." He talks a little fast; perhaps his confidence is masking a little anxiety about the scope and import of their next mission?
Kai struggles a little with Chk'tarlsh's name. Well, I guess I know which language I should learn next...
Iteration-177 appears to delighted to hear the tales presented by each of the Starfinders, but it is Kai who best discerns that there is more to Iteration-177's own story that seems to be driving the android's inquiries.
"I look forward to...sharing more with you... in the near future." replies the enigmatic android, enigmatically .
With time for mission departure growing shorter, the party heads to Master of Stars, where Celita, leader of the Dataphiles, works feverishly works on the mainframe in the command center of the Starfinder Society's massive vessel.
“Greetings, I’m Celita of the Dataphiles." says the android. "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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Azara is surprisingly quiet when they meet with Iteration-177. Perhaps it is because he embarrassed himself in front of the android the last time they met.
He's quite fascinated by the non-story of how Historia-7 changed her name but now is not the time to ask about somethings.
The way he blinks and stares blankly suggests he doesn't particularly know what she's talking about, but he does know a little code and can check for misplaced commas and semi-colons.
"Oh, yeah, those Jinsuls are far too dangerous to leave anything up to chance or miss out on any advantages. Why, the Society's last foray into their space, to save the previous mission, was my very first mission. I remember at one point..."
You are called to aid Radaszam, leader of the Acquisitives. When you find the vesk, he is overlooking 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.”
Finally, the ysoki grins, although somewhat maniacally. "That I'm with you. The hordes of jinsuls almost overwhelmed my team completely, and I'm more than ready to give them a taste of their own medicine!"
"We'll be ready for the hordes, then." Radaszam responds with a toothy grin as he reviews your work. "Now, go see if you can lend your experience to some of the new recruits. Some of them are having trouble keeping it together. Probably, why they've put them in the 'mess' hall."
Once in the mess hall, you find Venture-Captain Arvin looking over a group of anxious recruits.
“Those green agents are not ready for a battle against an organized foe." he confides in you. "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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If they're that nervous I won't bring up the lava river rescue debacle. "Here's a tale of how we once had to find and protect a skilled but slightly dotty hacker. She'd gotten some highly useful information out of Bluerise Tower, and the corporations there took the matter with the equanimity one would expect from them. We were one step ahead of their assassination squad when we found her and packed her off to--well, she goes by Celita now. Then we suckered the hit squad into following us, and generally shot faster and harder than they did. All in a day's work, hey?"
"Thanks, Hef and Patterson!" cries out one of the recruits. "I hope to be just like you two some day!"
Venture-Captain Arvin manages to form an expression that somewhat resembles a smile.
With only one more leader to see, the party heads to Fitch. The ysoki 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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Patterson is quite impressed with the stories Kai and Hef tell. He adds, "After an experience I had in an unstable asteroid field, I learned that you should always scan the area you're fighting in. Most of the time when we fight in space it's dead empty, but every now and then there's something there you can use. So let's make her look impressive and dangerous, and while we're at it make sure that the sensor suite is as good as it can be."
"Good advice." notes Fitch. "You know, if we make it back in one piece, I could always use a few good pupsitters."
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.
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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.
Celita has equipped the Starfinder fleet with a code that allows its starships’ Drift engines to replicate the mystical resonance effects of the Tear relic from their previous mission into the Scoured Stars. The widespread network of starships allows individual ships to make short jumps through the Drift in a matter of hours.
Thanks, in part, to your efforts, the location briefings are transmitted swiftly throughout the fleet and arrive at a rapid pace.
Orders for the first phase of operations, scouting certain locations likely to hold intelligence about weaknesses in the jinsul forces, are processed by the fleet commanders. Five potential targets are uploaded to your team's coms, and you are free to pick from them based on the strengths you all possess. The locations listed are:
Agillae-2 :
Agillae-4 :
Agillae-5 :
Callion-1 :
Callion-2 :
Preparing for the scout mission, you arrive at the aftermath of a skirmish with jinsul starships in the space surrounding Callion-1.
Bursts of energy light up near space as several jinsul starships self-destruct. A flight of victorious Starfinder ships darts between the jinsul wrecks, as if dancing on their proverbial graves.
Venture-Captain Arvin’s image suddenly appears on a communications screen, his face furrowed with concern. “We just defeated this pack of jinsuls, but one of their scout ships escaped into the Drift. We can’t let it report our fleet’s position back to its superiors. Enter the Drift and stop that runaway!”
The communication systems of your chosen vessel scream with piercing feedback as you enter the Drift—the telltale shrieking that often accompanies jinsul attacks. The horrific sound indicates that the fleeing jinsuls are nearby.
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"Just get us close enough to let our gunners get their hands on them, Kai and we'll change your name to 'Jinsulchaser,'" Azara says, standing ramrod straight in the middle of the bridge with his hands clasped behind his back.
"I have no doubts we're going to make those Jinsuls wish they'd never been hatched.
The jinsul fly forward at considerable speed using evasive maneuvers. In the distance, ahead of them lie the swirling colors of the Drift.