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It has been 6 months since the Swarm first touched down on Suskillon in a bloody conflict named the Battle at Stone Sea. After the Swarm punched through the planet’s aerial and orbital defenses, its components landed near the Stone Sea, a large freshwater lake surrounding a dormant volcano. The Fifth Battalion of the Suskillon Defense Force (SDF) was closest to the site of contact and held the Swarm back long enough for the SDF to mobilize other battalions to the area. Stories of the battle have already reached near-mythical heights, as most members of the Fifth Battalion were killed in glorious, terrible combat. Since then, the SDF has fought a losing battle against the Swarm. Though Suskillon is a friendly trading partner with the Pact Worlds, the planet’s government has yet to officially request aid, with many afraid that the Pact Worlds will claim their planet as a protectorate in “payment” for such help. However, that hasn’t stopped volunteers and mercenaries from other systems (including the Pact Worlds and the Veskarium) from journeying to Suskillon to join in the fight against the invasion. The Swarm is relentless, though, and it has already overran and taken nearly half of the planet.
The adventure begins in the middle of one of the planet’s Dead Winters, a time of extended extreme cold weather in the planet’s southern hemisphere. Over the past few weeks, Suskillon has enjoyed something of a respite, as the Swarm appears to have ceased its near-daily attacks. Some believe the Swarm’s numbers are dwindling, and that the tide of the war will soon turn.
In an effort to replenish the ranks of the Fifth Battalion, the SDF has recruited mercenaries and offworlders, made deals with prisoners and pirates, and accepted nearly every volunteer who can hold a gun. These new soldiers — which include YOU — are being trained and outfitted at Camp Cavalier, a small encampment just outside of Brinnoa.
Today, you have been summoned to meet with your new commanding officer, Major Jaldamarrak.
The vesk officer is one of the most stalwart and feared commanders in the SDF. He is over 60 years old and has had a storied career. He has worked for the Veskarium military, the Stewards, and as a private military consultant in the Pact Worlds.
Jaldamarrak was one of a few vesk given the Starstone Medal — one of the Pact Worlds’ highest military decorations — for fighting the Swarm during its attack on the Pact Worlds and the Veskarium. Credible rumors say that he turned down an offer to join the Knights of Golarion after the hostilities ended.
When Major Jaldamarrak joined the SDF at the beginning of the Swarm invasion, he insisted on being given the rank of private and has worked his way up to his current position in a short period of time. He has been heard to say that fighting against the Swarm is his true purpose in life.
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You, along with two other buck-privates (John Smith and Rico Sanchez), meet Major Jaldamarrak in his ready room.
Jaldamarrak is a vesk veteran of several battles with the Swarm in both the Veskarium and the Pact Worlds. The vesk’s scales are dark green, and the spikes on his jaw point forward to form a sort of beard. He sports a large cybernetic eye.
As you enter, he inspects you and your kit for a moment and then begins to lecture:
“I am your new commanding officer, Jaldamarrak, and I was killing Swarm before you were clutching your mother’s tails. I know more about this enemy than every soft-skin general in this system, and I know for a fact we are losing this war. You’ve probably heard that over the last seven days, the Swarm has retreated from three smaller cities to the east of Brinnoa, and the media and the SDF alike are calling this a turning point for the war, but I know better. Those vexers are up to something, and I’m not letting the Fifth Battalion get caught with their spacesuits around their ankles. You’re now part of what I’m calling the Midnight Squad. For your first assignment, you’ll patrol the Delta Escarpment a few miles west of Camp Cavalier from sundown to sun-up and report back with any unusual activity. Any questions?”
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DRACOS easily follows the lay of the land and, within about 2 hours, reach the area that Jaldamarrak requested they patrol.
The sun has fully set when you reach the escarpment, but the stars above
provide dim light for the remainder of the night.
The first few hours pass quietly with little to no action, although DRACOS finds the tracks of a Suskillon brush stalker, a large endangered predator native to this region. The tracks are a few hours old; the beast is long gone...
Several hours later, as the end of the shift nears and a faint trace of the rising sun’s light can be seen on the horizon...
A loud atonal alarm is followed with an all-points emergency broadcast over your comm units. A hurried female voice says, “Attention all Suskillon ground forces, this is Spacedock Prime-1. We are under heavy attack! A Swarm armada has entered in low orbit and has begun to—” the transmission ends as abruptly as it began in a burst of ear-splitting static. Up in the sky high above Brinnoa, hundreds of small lights flash—the telltale sign of starship combat.
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Two creatures that appear to be mostly sharp, spiked insectile legs and heads that mostly consist of huge jaws, race over a hillock!
"Whoah man! Bugs at three o'clock!"
"Last one to get some has to buy me a beer!"
"Hells yeah!"
John and Rico prepare to open fire...
DRACOS (-)
John and Rico (-, -)
SD (-, -)
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With two well-placed shots, DRACOS pulverises one of the creatures.
The other one pounces on...
John and Rico both frantically fire...
...scoring a slight hit.
The remaining creature pounces upon John...
...delivering a nasty blow.
"Gah! I'm hit!"
"Hold it together, man!"
DRACOS (-)
John and Rico (-6, -)
SD (-4)
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DRACOS only manages a single hit, which causes ichor to bubble from the creature's flank, but it doesn't fall.
John and Rico try to follow DRACOS' example...
...scoring a glancing blow.
The remaining swarm component does its best to disembowel John...
...but misses.
"Damn dirty bug!"
"Heh!"
DRACOS (-)
John and Rico (-6, -)
SD (-11)
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DRACOS singes it slightly, but it remains mobile, and quite angry.
John and Rico keep firing...
...burning it down into the ground.
"Hell's yeah!"
"The only good bug, is a dead bug!"
DRACOS (-)
John and Rico (-6, -)
Suddenly, your comm units suddenly crackle to life and they hear Jaldamarrak’s voice saying, “—I repeat, all squadrons form up on Inter-Region Highway 12. Brinnoa is being fully evacuated, and we have to defend the civilians while—,” before the transmission cuts out.
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It takes an hour to reach Inter-Region Highway 12 and find the area where the SDF troops are gathering. The sun has fully risen, and hundreds of aerial and ground vehicles are fleeing Brinnoa both on and above the road in the early morning light. The sounds of weapons fire can be heard in the distance, drowned out only by the screeching of the ramjet engines of SDF fighter planes passing overhead to join the battle above the city. Even from this distance, Brinnoa looks like a disturbed hornet’s nest, with Swarm vessels engaging with the aircraft of the First Battalion.
Several SDF soldiers stand by the road, waving vehicles forward in a slow procession, curtly answering questions from evacuating citizens and repeating that civilians should proceed to Reos City, several dozen miles to the south. Moments after you arrive, you are spotted by Major
Jaldamarrak, who greets you gruffly.
“Glad you could join us, Midnight Squad! No time for rest, get your rears in gear and double-time it to the front! The Swarm is about to take Brinnoa, and we’re giving these evacuees as much time as we can before the critters come flooding out of the city.”
He directs you to head north and take up a defensive position far enough away from the highway that stray gunfire won’t endanger civilians. It takes about 30 minutes to reach an appropriate area, where large craters and hastily dug trenches mar the landscape. The sounds of battle are much louder here, closer to the city, and you can see several large Swarm vessels enter the airspace around the city and begin to land on the outskirts.
Moments later, as you make defensive preparations (or simply hunker down in a crater), you hear and see explosions to the north, as a large Brinnoan skyscraper is engulfed in flames and begins to topple over. Shortly afterward, a shadow moves across the landscape as a massive structure streaks across the sky above, billowing a trail of smoke.
DRACOS realises that this is one of Suskillon’s spacedocks, crashing down from orbit.
The huge station strikes the hills to the north of Brinnoa. There is a massive flash of white light followed a few seconds later by an ear-splitting explosion. A cloud of dust envelops the region for miles in a matter of minutes.
John collapses to the ground, his face white as a sheet.
"My kid brother was in Brinnoa..."
Rico grits his teeth, and puts a comforting hand upon John's shoulder.
"Hold it together, man! We'll make the Bugs pay ten-fold for every life they have taken!"
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John looks uncertain.
"I-I suppose..."
At that moment, the ground shakes, and four of the same spiky swarm components burrow up from below the ground all around you - it's an ambush!
John is furious.
"DIE!"
Rico has a slightly more measured response, but targets the same component.
Both manage to hit, significantly charring their chosen target.
John and Rico (-6, -)
DRACOS (-)
SD (-10, -, -, -)
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DRACOS fries the injured Component, the splatters another one.
The two remaining Components go for John and DRACOS...
John narrowly avoids a death-dealing blow, but DRACOS takes a slice to the flank.
"Get off me!!!"
John smacks at the Component with a survival knife...
...whilst Rico keeps shooting at it.
Unfortunately, neither manages to hit.
John and Rico (-6, -)
DRACOS (-7)
SD (-, -)
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DRACOS messes up the one on John, but it stubbornly refuses to collapse.
John's Component tries to disembowel him...
...spearing him through the chest.
The other Component chases DRACOS...
...but misses.
"John! No!"
Rico frantically shoots at the one that took down John...
...immolating it.
Rico (-)
DRACOS (-7)
SD (-)
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It takes both shots, but DRACOS manages to drop the final component.
Rico moves over, and cradles John's body.
"Damn it, man! Why did you have to do it!"
Suddenly, your comm units crackle to life with reports of thousands of Swarm creatures exiting the city in all directions. Jaldamarrak’s voice cuts in: “All SDF forces, this is a full retreat. Fall back beyond the Dethomar River and regroup at Fort Gallant.” His orders are followed by the sound of close-range fire from a semi-auto pistol before the signal cuts out.
DRACOS recalls that Fort Gallant is approximately 24 miles to the west of their current location...
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DRACOS pats Rico on the shoulder.
"John was a good soldier; he knew the risks, like all of us. It sticks in my craw that we can't give him a decent burial, but right now, my concern is for the living - we need to keep moving, so that we can survive to make the Swarm pay!"
He then nods to John's equipment.
"Still, we can at least take John's weapons - that way, even though he is dead, he can in some fashion still be taking the fight to the bastards that killed him!"
He then prepares to head out.
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After an hour of marching , you stumble across a field of dozens of Swarm corpses. Near the center stands Major Jaldamarrak, pulling his doshko from the wriggling carapace of a recently killed dredger.
When he turns to greet you, you can see that his armor has been slashed open at his torso and he has taken what appears to be a mortal wound; a strand of his innards hangs limply over his belt.
With a grimace, Jaldamarrak straps the doshko to his back and says, “You all fall back. I’ll provide covering fire.” He draws his pistol and checks the clip. “I aim to break two hundred confirmed kills before I die!” His eyes become steely. “That’s an order, soldiers! Cross the river before they drop the bridges, and I’ll see you on the other side!”
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The Major chuckles to himself before saying, “You’re well-trained, soldier. You’ll make the SDF proud.” With that he takes a medallion off his armor and pins it to DRACOS armor before pushing him away violently.
He then charges off into the ruins, breaking into a Veskarium battle song at full volume, drawing the chittering attention of the Swarm. The
last you hear of Jaldamarrak is several gun shots and the crunching sound of Swarm chitin...
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An unidentified female voice comes over comms: “This is an emergency transmission. A full evacuation is in effect for the Brinnoa region. Civilians east of the Dethomar River must immediately relocate west of the river, as the bridges crossing the river will shortly be demolished to halt the Swarm advance. SDF forces and civilians are to report to Fort Gallant for further orders. This is an emergency transmission...” The message then repeats.
At this point in time, Rico is looking half-dead from fatigue.
"I don't know how much more of this I can take!"
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As you make your way down a hill, you easily spot the corpse of a human man on the ground out in the open.
DRACOS determines that this man was recently killed by a wild animal; more specifically, he notes the tell-tale claw marks of a brush stalker,
a predator native to this region.
At this point in time, the afore-mentioned predator leaps out of a snowbank, snarling!
The Stalker charges forward, and tries to claw...
...DRACOS!
Luckily, it misses.
Rico curses, and opens fire...
...but also misses.
Brush Stalker (-)
Rico (-4; Fatigued)
DRACOS (-5; Fatigued)
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DRACOS' electrical discharge distracts the Stalker enough, that his subsequent bullet causes a *lot* of damage.
Snarling, it charges him...
...and slashes his flank.
Rico, green from fatigue, gamely keeps firing...
...but continues to miss.
Brush Stalker (-18)
Rico (-4; Fatigued)
DRACOS (-12; Fatigued)
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After the second hour, Rico injects the other Serum...
...but is still looking worse for wear.
At the end of the long hike, you begin to hear the sound of rushing water. As they crest a final hill, below, the Dethomar River runs from north to south, thousands of feet across at its widest point. It is spanned by a huge suspension bridge, a feat of engineering known as the Kerozan Bridge. Dozens of abandoned vehicles clog the highway crossing the bridge, and the only sound that can be heard is the ice cracking and breaking in the slow-moving river below.
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Crossing the first half of the bridge is fairly straightforward, but you need to navigate a maze of abandoned cars that clog the four lanes of the highway.
At the last moment, DRACOS spots deep gouges in the asphalt and in some of the nearby vehicles, suggestive of large claws...
...at which point in time, a pair of winged swarm components that are all claws and sharp beak, extrude from two ruined vehicles, and prepare to attack!
One tosses some poisoned barbs at Rico...
...wounding him, whilst the other tries to mess with DRACOS' mind.
SV (-, -)
DRACOS (-)
Rico (-5; Fatigued)
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It takes all three shots, but DRACOS manages to drop the Swarm Component targeting Rico.
Rico nods his thanks, and tries to return the favour...
...and he manages to scorch it slightly.
The Component, identifying DRACOS as the bigger threat, tries to affect his mind again...
SV (-3)
DRACOS (-)
Rico (-5; Fatigued)
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DRACOS' pistol shot misses, but his first bullet takes the Component down.
DRACOS notices a filled Starfinder backpack hanging out from a half-opened rear door of one of the nearby vehicles. Inside the backpack is a set of environmental clothing (cold climates), a gear clamp, a holoshroud, and two tubes of warming balm. Two mass-produced tents are strapped to the top of the backpack.
Before you can congratulate yourselves on your success, however, klaxon alarms in the distance begin to blare! Your comm units spark up again with a member of the SDF demolitions team saying, “Swarm army approaching. Proceeding with destruction of the Kerozan Bridge. We’ll give you as long as we can to cross, but if we don’t blow this bridge soon, none of us are going to survive!”
First Obstacle: A pile-up of land vehicles presents a maze of twisted metal. Each PC should attempt a DC 15 Perception check to navigate this tangle.
Second Obstacle: Bombardment from airborne Swarm vessels has weakened the bridge in spots. To find a safe route through, each PC can attempt a DC 20 Engineering check to assess the stability of the road or a DC 20 Survival check to find the tracks of other evacuees.
Third Obstacle: A large transport vehicle, jack-knifed and overturned, lies across both lanes of the highway. Each PC can attempt a DC 15 Athletics check to scramble over the wreckage or a DC 15 Acrobatics check to squeeze between the transport’s cab and trailer.