You've been summoned for a briefing inside the lodge on Salvation’s End: an artificial moon that contains a sophisticated artificial gravity generator and a number of sealed-off vaults. Previous Starfinder Society expeditions have explored two of the vaults and found one containing a pre-Gap dwarven culture and the other a test of group dominance behaviour.
A cheerful verthani technician is finishing the installation of a holographic display in the meeting room; outside, through the meeting room’s primary window, a pair of gnoll gardeners tend to part of a sprawling hydroponics facility built around a crashed cargo pod.
In the larger ship landing area, an excited yeti with grease-caked fur leads a group of confused mechanics through trust fall exercises.
As you wait for the arrival of your Venture-Captain, it seems like a good time to introduce yourself to the other assembled Starfinders who will form your mission team.
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A lovely golden android saunters into the room. Her smile is radiant, and apparently genuine. Trailing behind her is a tall woman dressed in a white lab coat and armed with a clipboard.
"Hello everyone!" smiles the android. "I'm Kultanien Vaimo, and this is my assistant, Jopsie."
The scientist blushes a little and hides slightly behind her clipboard. "hello"
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Sitting in the room where the group has been told to gather, Klysk waits patiently for the rest of the group to arrive. He is tall and slender for a shirren with a dark green exoskeleton featuring a number of lighter green patterns across it. He has a rifle across his back, and a pistol and knife at his belt. Poking its head up out of his pack is a small animal with tentacles and vaguely shark-like features, which is idly playing with a small piece of string. On the wall beside him sits a vaguely scorpion-looking robotic figure, blending into the wall as it sits there.
Noticing Kultnien and Jopsie walk in, Klysk gives a shirren smile and waves at her. Sending a telepathic wave out to the two. {Greetings to both of you, it is nice to meet a pair of new faces. My name is Klysk. I feel that it is prudent to let you be aware of the fact that I am completely deaf, and as such would like to request permission to contact you telepathically throughout the duration of our time working together. If this doesn't fully work for you, Scatter here can work as a go between.} He pats his drone when he says its name, and you may notice that the drone has been using a (currently non color-changing) pair of hands to sign everything verbally said to Klysk.
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A sharply-dressed ysoki walks into the room. He smiles around. "Hello there, everybody." He notices Klysk, and then begins speaking and telepathically communicating at the same time. "Nice to see you again. It was the mission where we took the fight to that Jinsul herald, right? Glad to see you're still fighting..." He continues to anyone else in the room. "I'm Gabbers McTalkington, but you can all call me Gab. All my friends do. You may have seen some of my comedy specials, or my cooking show - Grub with Gab - but hey, if not, that's fine, too. Just looking forward to seeing some more action. I'm not a front line guy, if you know what I mean, but am more of a people person. Great at distractions or otherwise throwing our enemies off their guard."
A vesk wearing heavy armor and with a doshko leaning on her shoulder follows Gab into the meeting room. Looking at the three of you, she nods. "Good. Few of us. More glory to share in the battle to come!"
A moments later, Venture-Captain Kunoris Vex, a drow male, arrives and ushers the verthani technician outside while motioning for you to sit.
“Starfinders! Please, have a seat. We’ve almost got this place set up. It’s starting to feel like a proper lodge and not a war zone!”
Vex smiles warmly and offers to shake everyone’s hand or equivalent appendage before gesturing to the conference table. He then activates his wrist-mounted comm unit to activate a display on the table, first showing Salvation’s End and then the long hall of vault doors contained within it.
“We’ve continued our exploration and examination of the numerous vaults contained within this moon, but the guiding intelligence behind them remains an enigma. To date, the vaults have contained different social experiments involving simple or ancient societies, but recently we interpreted signals from a vault and detected the presence of Pact World and Veskarium communications.”
“The transmissions use encryption patterns our people did not recognize. I’d like to review them, if any of you have skills at deciphering such things. I'll transfer them to your datapads.”
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In response to Kultainen's question, Klysk sends back {Yes, there would be a slight delay however. And thank you.}
Seeing Gab enter the room, Klysk sends a telepathic greeting that gives the feeling of a mental hug along with it. He then greets the vesk as she enters the room as well. When Venture Captain Vex enters the room, he greets them politely and 'listens' carefully to what he has to say.
Klysk looks over the data, but isn't able to tell as much about it as Kultainen or Gab seem to.
Working together, you're able to decrypt the transmissions!
TRANSMISSION ERROR
BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS ACCOUNT: YON-0512352
TO: ERROR RECIPIENT NOT FOUND ERROR
Erith,
I haven’t received that shipment you promised me. With all the chaos around here, the folks in town could use their spirits
lifted with the best ingredients. Honestly, this part of Akiton FLAGGED FOR REVIEW is looking bleaker and bleaker every day.
I suppose the town lives up to its name.
Hopefully see you soon. If you don’t respond I’ll have to take the rail over to Maro to see the kids.
Yon
END TRANSMISSION
BEGIN TRANSMISSION
TO: Yon
FROM: COMMUNICATIONS ALGORITHM 14X-2YL5-Hylki-Akiton-Erith
Yon,
Do not worry. Everything will be fine. Remain where you are. Leaving could be dangerous and danger should be avoided. Better
to stay safe in one place and do as we are told. The requested items will be arriving ERROR DATE NOT FOUND ERROR. I have
attached an image of the juvenile humanoids (Hylki human) to increase your happiness ERROR ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND
ERROR.
Erith
END TRANSMISSION
DATA ENCRYPTION PROTOCOL 17D-X04
ROUTE: AKITON RELAY -> DIASPORA 7 -> VERCES -> THREQ
ERROR ROUTE NOT FOUND ERROR
REROUTING TO NULL
DINIEL TO NEW BASTION
OPS ID 673219S
Unknown forces are attacking the garrison here in Buyer’s Remorse. If retrieval is possible, I will attempt rendezvous.
Otherwise provide a secure data connection and I will provide my records.
Remember the Pact.
Steward Diniel
END TRANSMISSION
RESTRICTED
OFFICE OF ENKTUYA SHIPBREAKER, GOVERNOR, VESK-XX MINING STATION 00ERROR01
MEMORANDUM
TO: PLANETARY COUNCIL
Attacks from unknown enemy continue. Morale is high and my soldiers fight with skill and valor. Casualties are approaching
50% of existing garrison. I am repeating request for reinforcement and orbital tactical support.
Addendum: I can see you in the sky, you lazy dreck! Turn those guns around and help or I’ll come for you after I’m done here!
END TRANSMISSION
Venture-Captain Vex speaks after reading the decrypted transmissions. “We haven’t seen anything this modern coming from a vault before. We’ve also picked up increased activity from the facility’s automated drones around the areas of this vault. We need to find out what the facility’s intelligence is doing and what’s happening in that vault. I don’t want to find out too late it’s been simulating attacks on Pact Worlds facilities.”
He gives a broad smile as he brings up a display of the lodge’s signal facilities:
“Fortunately, I can send you in with support this time. We installed a new communications array, and it should be powerful enough to function within the vaults. If you need information, advice, or emergency support, you can reach me on your comm units. For now, head into the vault, find out what’s going on inside, and be ready for anything!”
“If you need gear, the lodge’s storerooms are available. Any questions?”
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Gab frowns. "Why would signals from Akiton, Verces, and Vesk-XX be showing up inside one of the Vaults. I mean, there were dwarves in there who thought they were still on Golarion ... maybe this is a vault with people who think they're still on Akiton?" He strokes his whiskers contemplatively.
At the mention of the lodge's storerooms, he begins going through his inventory of supplies. To his wrist computer, he says, "Lucy, there anything on the shopping list that I'm running low on?"
Venture-Captain Vex shakes his head at the names. "I've never heard of them." Frustratingly, a thorough search of available SFS databases also turns up no mention.
Vex nods at Klysk. "That's a smart question. The signals have all come from the same vault, and they started only a few days ago. Given the nature of the signals, I decided we needed to move quickly on this one. Unfortunately that means we haven’t had a chance for preliminary scouting.”
"Well, good luck! There’s ground transport waiting below in the tunnels. Keep those comm channels open and transmit visual data if you can; I’ll be actively monitoring your progress. It’ll be almost like getting to do field work again. I’m so excited!"
Once everyone is ready, an all-terrain transport piloted by a dwarf driver navigates the main hallway of Salvation’s End and drops the group at an open maintenance hatch. There seems to be a lot of activity in the area, with hundreds of drones performing maintenance tasks on the vault’s exterior panels.
The driver just shrugs. "No idea," he grunts.
"Everyone ready to go? Be ready for anything--these vaults are always full of surprises."
Proceeding further down the walkway, the Starfinders find a large, open airlock. Hot air drifts through from the other side, and an enormous array of holoprojectors line the far wall, rising hundreds of feet into the air.
Passing through the opening, the Starfinders find themselves in a vast desert! Rocky, red desert terrain stretches to the holoprojected horizon, and you feel a bounce in your step as you’re clearly in a low-gravity environment.
The familiar stars of the Pact Worlds system sparkle in the evening sky, mixed with the twinkle of light on enormous starships and other manufactured craft orbiting above.
Conical volcanic peaks rise up in the distance, one in particular dwarfing the other landmarks. But a closer peak only a short walk away stands out, as structures and lights dot its western slope.
There's really no mistaking it--you're on Akiton!
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"Wow... it is like we were teleported. Those stars look fantastic." sighs Kultanien.
"And the air... much better than I remember from my last trip here."
She breathes in deeply, obviously enjoying the scent.
Pointing to the lights the golden andorid suggests "Guess we should head in that direction."
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Klysk cocks his head as he looks around, antennae waving as they sample the air. {Hmm.} he literally thinks aloud, {That mountain over there looks to be the volcano Eeha. Judging from the distance and angle, we're probably about 300 miles to its northwest. And the air certainly does smell better than I remember it did last I was here.} He then looks up into the sky. Pointing at one of the orbiting structures overhead, he says {And that is something that I definitely don't remember from last time I was here. It appears that there is a Veskarium orbital defense station up there. Which is odd due to the fact that those aren't placed above planets unless they have been formally claimed by the Veskarium government. Perhaps the social experiment of this vault was to see how Akitonians would react to being conquered and absorbed by the Veskarium?} He continues muttering to himself in his mind, only small snippets of which are actually sent out to the rest of the group. He follows along behind the others, with his drone scuttling along beside him on six legs.
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Gab frowns. "Hey, Lucy," he says into his wrist computer, "Can you connect to the infosphere here?"
A flap on Gab's starfinder backpack flicks open, and a purple tentacle reaches out, to begin stroking his ear. Gab swipes it away. "Easy there, Fluffy. I'm workin' here ..." An amused chortle comes from the backpack.
Venture-Captain Vex responds to Kultainen's report. "Fascinating! Please proceed--but don't be reckless--even simulations on Salvation's End can be dangerous, something previous Starfinder teams learned all too well. Check in frequently if you need help--I've got the full resources of our databases here to assist you."
Obozaya looks around the area. "Get your heads out of the stars for a moment. Look at this! Very close to where you entered are skeletal remains along with some intact equipment: two combat rifles (40 longarm rounds each) and four frag grenades III.
As you're looking around the area, you hear a strange, alien howl from somewhere close by. Scanning the perimeter, you realise a pair wolf-like predators with glowing whiskers running down their backs are circling in to attack!
Initiative (Round 1)
Kultainen
Predators
Obozaya
Klysk
Gab
Bold may go!
Kultainen's shot singes one of the creatures an instant before they lope forward, flashing claws and teeth!
Initiative (Round 1)
Kultainen
Predators
Obozaya
Klysk
Gab
Bold may go!
"Looks like the party's come to us." Obozaya steps in close to the wolf-like aggressor and brings her doshko down hard on its snout. It cringes as its fur sizzles!
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Quickly recognizing the creatures charging them, but not quickly enough to react before they do charge, Klysk calls out telepathically {These things are Arquand drychens, and they are highly adaptable predators! They can shift their bodies to be able to fly, swim, or burrow through the ground, and can also project mental attacks of fear into your minds!} He then takes a careful step back, aiming at the one directly in front of him and firing a burst of sound from his new rifle.
He then sends commands to Scatter through his custom rig.
Scatter, still slightly further away from the charging creature, aims his newly improved laser rifle at the nearest one and fires off a single shot at it, knowing that doing any more could throw off their aim.
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Gab frowns at the creature as it attacks him. He hears Klysk and then smirks. "Clever beasts, then. Great, let's use that against 'em ..." His flips of its own accord out of his holster, into his hand. He brings the gun up as he steps away, pointing it toward the nearest beast, then at the last second spins and fires toward the yellowish one. "Try to adapt to Sonic, Fire, Cold, and bullets at the same time ..."
Klysk's and Scatter's combined attacks strike the drychen at almost point-blank range. But Gab has to pull his shot at the last second to avoid hitting a companion, and it goes wide.
Initiative (Round 2)
Kultainen
Predators
Obozaya
Klysk
Gab
Bold may go!
A message from Venture-Captain Vex comes through your comms: "I've run these creatures through our files--don't bother trying to hide--they can sense your thoughts from almost sixty feet away!"
The predators stab out telepathically, filling Obozaya's and Klysk's minds with fear and doubt before biting again! Obozaya's heavy vesk armor proves impermeable, but Klysk suffers a deep wound.
Initiative (Round 2)
Kultainen
Predators
Obozaya
Klysk
Gab
Bold may go!
Vex comms back: "Not that I can see--sorry!"
Obozaya brings the flaming doshko in low to try to burn the drychen's legs, but it senses the attack coming and leaps to avoid it!