/dot in
You are all aboard a Veskarium transport ship, Kagzala’s Jewel, on the final leg of a tour through several remote worlds in Near Space. First Seeker Ehu Hadif has requested you join him for an emergency briefing in one of the starship’s meeting halls...
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First Seeker Ehu Hadif springs to his feet excitedly and gestures for his guests to choose one of the comfortable seats available inside the cozy meeting room. “Thank you for responding so promptly. I know you’re all tired and looking forward to returning home, but starting now, our tour won’t be proceeding as scheduled. A few minutes ago, we received a transmission from a nearby planet that we believed to be uninhabited. I’ll play it for you.”
A flickering holovid of an aging dromada appears over Ehu’s datapad. The dromada’s fur is speckled with gray, and he speaks in a tired but firm voice: “I am Colrid of the Star Treader herd. We took refuge on Zrulik-3, but now many of our herd are—” Colrid’s image stutters as the message fades into garbled static. After a moment, the message resumes. “—attacks. If anyone can hear this, please help us.” Ehu paces anxiously as the message plays, his brow furrowed with concern.
“This is truly a strange coincidence,” Ehu explains. “Colrid is a retired Starfinder and an old friend of mine. We can’t always assist former Starfinders, but since we’re already here, I’d like to help him however we can. We’ve already changed course for Zrulik-3; we’ll reach orbit in a few minutes. Please prepare to board a shuttle and find out what’s going on planetside.
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gives the First Seeker a crisp salute from his seat at the conference table. Dressed in his clan's ancient heavy armor, he looks like he is ready for the parade ground with his chest decorated with numerous campaign medals and rank insignia.
"Sir, what intelligence do we have on the planet Zrulik-3?"
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Chorizal rubs his throat absently as he watches the video. Anyone looking close can see a faint surgery scar there. He leans his other elbow on the table and drums his talons on the surface.
"I never mind helping people...so long as it helps me," the vesk says.
His heavy armor also looks like its for display almost as much as use, though it features the insignia of the Order of the Pike.
He hasn't brought them to the briefing but anyone who has travelled with him will know he rarely leaves the ship without an artillery laser and a doshko strapped to his armor in convenient locations.
"Sir, what intelligence do we have on the planet Zrulik-3?"
“Not much, to tell you the truth. It’s a remote world covered by thick forest. The Jewel’s crew say that landing might be tricky and scanning from orbit is nearly impossible. Pirates used the rock as a hideout in the past, but the High Despots put a stop to that after they began targeting vesk ships. I’m not surprised Colrid chose it as a hiding place.”
“The apex predator on Zrulik-3 is the zrulicat. A zrulicat can see in all directions at once and has a prehensile tentacle it uses to drag prey into its mouth. The beasts are solitary hunters that live deep in the forest, however, so you may not even encounter them.”
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A halfling with straight black hair cut in a short bob cut and a red streak, strides into the room with the utter confidence of someone who knows who they are, where they belong and knows how to handle themselves. Her face, light on the makeup, shows at least a good thirty or forty years, but her eyes are sharp quick and could probably cut butter at fifty paces. She quickly sizes everyone up, Hellknight vesk, heavy weapons, broad, likely packs a mean punch. Kasatha, Weydan guide, does he have all of his insignias on? Good grief, looks like he's going to be a stick in the mud and a bother. Oi is that another halfling? I haven't been on a mission with one in forever!
She drops her pack near the door and calmly strides over to the rest of the group. "Vyviane Isafira, corporate recruiter and one of the best starfinder infiltrators you're likely to meet. At least openly. You need someone to get in and out with something, I'm your woman, or man if that's what it calls for. I'd recount some of my most notable exploits but quite a few are classified or could get me arrested."
She plops herself gracefully into a chair, an exceedingly practiced air of passive indifference on her face until the briefing proper starts and she refocuses on the information. She frowns as the static cuts in and out. "Hrmm, I hate working with incomplete information. Especially things that people found important to tell us... There could be all manner of useful things buried in that static. But, the call for help is clear. We should go and see. Any ideas what could have caused him to come and hide here? Any dangerous or abnormal readings yet? "
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J'Shun snaps off a by the book salute towards Vyviane as she takes her seat at the conference table. Late for the briefing. Not the first impression you want to make I'd say.
"Sir, my understanding is the dromadas are a cowardly race, prone to retreating in the face of the enemy and waving the white flag at the first sign of danger. What makes you think Colrid is truly in danger?"
“When last we spoke, Colrid confided in me that he dreamed of forming a herd for other exiled or lost dromadas. He must have succeeded.”
“Dromadas are often skittish and rarely leave their herds, but Colrid was brave and independent. He once told me that he left his own herd in anger and sometimes regretted it. He wanted to fight the poachers that hunted them, but the others refused to stand together. He served as a Starfinder for many years, but his missions were often complicated by those who wanted to murder him for his meat—a despicable practice that still goes on today. He decided to retire after one of those monsters captured him and put his entire team in danger. I tried to talk him into staying, but he’d hear none of it.”
"I am sure he didn't just send out this signal because he was bored"
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"Then there isn't a moment to waste. Team, I want weapons inspection in 5 minutes. We'll muster in the hangar deck in full battle dress. Captain Chorizal prep the drop ship for launch. Private Mars gather all intelligence data we have on the planet and input it onto our integrated tactical network. We have no time to run any simulated combat drops, but I trust all of you are highly trained and disciplined Starfinder agents. We'll find Colrid and take care of any threat that he and his herd may have encountered. You can count on us to get the job done venture captain."
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Chorizal is officially bored with the briefing, a status he achieves at almost all of them.
The idea of flying a ship, even a drop ship, is far more appealing.
He gives Space Admiral J'Shun Kay, first son of Clan Summersword, House Davion, line of Atsu, born in fire! a crisp, Hellknight salute (more for practice than anything) then saunters down to the hanger after stopping off at his barracks to pick up his doshko and artillery laser.
He actually is serious about flying though and gives the ship a thorough pre-flight check.
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Vyviane gives a sharp look at J'Shun when he inquires about the possibility of this being a false alarm. But does relent as dromadas do ahve a repuatation. She does respond to his calls for people to start moving. Gesturing with the cane in her hands, she cocks it towards the kasathan. "Wait, wait, Mr. J'Shun, you're not mixing up the Starfinder Society for a military oprganization are you? First Bodo here doesn't have a rank, and certainly not private. You will not be inspecting my weapons, thank-you very much. And the shadow plane does 'Full Battle Dress' even mean. I've got all my gear and armor on currently. Seriously it's attitudes like these that gave Datch such good ammunition to use against the society last year and if you act like this anywhere near the public then we'll have an up hill battle to earn back any trust."
The cane Vyviane is carrying is actually a sword cane, with a blade hidden into the handle. It's also the latest Absalom Station fashion
Vyviane has a static arc pistol tuck into a hidden holster on her right side.
She turns to Bodo, and adds "Don't worry about following his orders, he has no ranking above any other agent in this Civilian Organization. Anyways, I've already transliterated the information the First Seeker gave us and added it to the file system I set up for this mission. Hold on I'll get everyone tied into the system in just a moment." With this she sends off a link to everyone in the room, including the First Seeker, if he wished to keep an eye on their mission.
"Right let's get moving then. I guess meeting in the hanger in 10 isn't a terrible suggestion, Mr. Kay. Chorizal, seems you're satisfied with piloting the drop ship, but please don't encourage his military misconceptions. Wait a second, from what few preparatory documents I got, I think we are still waiting on one more person. We might have to track them down. Bodo, do feel like you could handle that?"
The small shuttle descends towards the planet with Chorizal at the stick.
The forest canopy is astonishingly dense. Colrid’s distress message broadcasts repeatedly but, true to Ehu’s warning, the signal is spotty, and the shuttle’s sensors have trouble penetrating the thick canopy.
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After Vyviane's outburst, J'Shun, eyes her up and down, quickly noticing all the concealed weaponry on her.
"Corporal Isafira, we don't have time to discuss this as a committee. Lives are in danger and we are the only thing standing in the way of their certain death. To the drop ship!
"Captain Chorizal give me a slow orbit of the area where the distress signal is located. Corporal Isafira, begin broadcasting on all available communication channels: Starfinder agents inbound. Hold your fire and advise us of your current situation."
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Vyviane gives J'Shun a flat and very sharp look. "Again, not a military organization. Doesn't have to be a committee, but you need to realize this is . I am NOT a corporal. I am a civilian in a And I would be moving with or without your commands."
Vyviane, having taken the captain's seat on the shuttle, continues cleaning her nails as she cleans her nails and looks over the readouts of the ship's status. She stops for a second and realizes what J'Shun has said and looks over at him. "Wait did you ask me to do something? I'm sorry, I've never held nor earned a military rank. Calling me Vyviane or Mistress Isafira would get a faster response. But if you were wanting someone to recalibrate the sensors for the atmospheric and canopic troubles, then I'm already on it. I won't be broadcasting anything about who or what we are until we have a clue of what is going on down there."
Vyviane manages to triangulate Colrid’s location based on radio frequencies being broadcast under the canopy.
The nearest clearing large enough for the shuttle to land is 2 kilometers from the suspected dromada settlement, but it looks like it is going to be a tricky landing.
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"I'm not sure who's more hung up on this, J'Shun of Vyviane. Just so long as you use my name and tell me who I need to cut it doesn't matter what you use around it."
He doesn't warn anyone about the trickiness of the landing because...well, he's so good he's sure they're not going to notice.
Well, maybe he's not THAT good...
Chorizal turns to see what is going on with all the yelling - unfortunately he chose the wrong time to do so and the shuttle snags a tree - lurching heavily into a rough landing.
You look outside the shuttle as things calm down. It’s afternoon, but the light level beneath Zrulik-3’s canopy is rather dim. The thick underbrush throughout this part of the forest looks like difficult terrain to move through.
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Not a Military organization? I'm disappointed. I had hopes of moving up to the higher ranks. Not that I know what the ranks mean.
Vyviane gives a small sigh, "There are ranks in the Starfinders, but I think Mr. Kay is underestimating you there as, as far as I know, 'Private is an extremely low rank."
"Ignore the puffed up jackanapes, Vyviane. That's what we all did last time. He lives in his own little world, but he's at least not afraid to get it stuck in unlike some military types."
"Name's Rastar, by the way. Sorry for spacing out there for a bit. Had a lot on my mind."
Vyviane extends a hand, shaking one of Rastar's. "Pleasure to finally meet you. I was wondering when you'd stop spacing out like that, you had me worried when we found you at the drop ship and clearly out in the vast. " She then frowns at the kasatha's suggestion. "Mostly if he stopped calling me 'Corporal Isafira' and acting like he could boss me around, I'd be happy. Glad to hear he isn't one of those 'lead from the rear' types, had me worried for a moment."
"I suppose your are correct Corporal Vyviane; we are a civilian organization.
Vyviane sighs slightly, "I'd wish you'd drop the rank as I've never earned one and calling me one is rue to those who have actually worked for it, but that is better I guess. As far as civilian organizations with ships, trained operatives and guns'n'pointy things, we're barely a drop in the bucket compared to the Stewards. And you don't want to know how bad the Abadarcorp and some other company black ops are." Vyviane gives a small shudder at some clear memories, before the ship gives a giant shudder as it snags on a tree.
She checks the ship status, position and current stability, and then the atmosphere makeup and need for environmental protections in quick succession, before checking what any visual sensors on the ship might catch of the outsides.
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"Evasive maneuvers, brace for impact!"
The space admiral's superior combat reflexes cause him to barely flinch as the drop ship hits a tree.
As soon as the shuttle touches down J'Shun springs in to action, seemingly forgetting the interplay between the team just minutes ago. Peering into the gloom under the thick jungle canopy, J'Shun activates the light projector on his armor an a 100' cone of light floods the area in front of him.
The sharp eyed amongst you notice an abandoned shuttle partially concealed by vines off in the foliage. A quick investigation shows that the comm equipment on this ship is the source of Colrid’s message, though there’s no sign of him here now. A set of hooved tracks meanders around the clearing and appears to lead south to an overgrown trail.
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Rastar hefted his assault hammer and clipped it into the fast-release on his back, then checked his ranged weapons to make sure they were easily accessed.
"Fine, let's track him down, but keep a wary eye out. We don't know what this world has in store from us. You know the other Starfinder motto. Travel to new worlds, meet interesting creatures, and try not to get killed by them!"
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"Think how much worse it would have been if someone else was piloting," he says.
Vyvine, having braced herself in the captain's seat, nods at Chorizal. "Couldn't have done better myself. That was a hard position to be in, but you got us and the ship on the ground in one piece. Nice job!"
"The Stewards are hardly a 'civilian' organization. And both they and AbadarCorps' security organization use ranks..." he points out to Vyviane.
Vyviane pauses for a second as she considers the points. "Hrmm, some good points. First, AbadarCorp and the Stewards both have ranks, but that wasn't why I brought them up. You do know that the Starfinders are an unusually flat organization. There's, what, like 5-6 possible titles one can hold? The First Seeker, venture-captain, faction leader, member of the Forum (which can be anyone really), operative or agent, and perhaps trainee. For the number of members in the society that is extremely flat."
"Secondly, I'd say that the Stewards aren't a 'military' organization, either. They aren't there to fight wars or defend against outside invading forces. They are there to enforce the laws, and patrol the Pact Worlds internally, which is typically seen as a 'civil' issue. They may be paramilitary in their weapons and powers but aren't truly military or an army. But I could just be cutting hairs here."
As she starts to leave the ship, Vyviane's hair lengthens and turns a pale blond, her normally sharp angular nose and chin blunt some, and her eyes widen some as they take up more real estate on her face. She pulls out a blue band and ties up her new hair our of her face, braiding the rest in a simple pleat. On the outside of the ship, she gives a few swings of her arms and stretches getting used to the new centers of balance. Settled she looks around, and in huskier voice than before comments, "I'll admit, the wilderness is one thing I'm not proficient in. I can get you almost anywhere in a city with some time, but drop me in the woods and I'm lucky I don't starve. But, we should find Colrid. Any ideas as to which way he could have gone?"
The eagle-eyed trackers are right on the trail!
A massive old-growth forest stretches unbroken for miles beyond the clearing. Trees with vibrantly pigmented bark form a nearly impenetrable living wall. A chorus of hoots and screeches reverberates through the humid air, and thorny vines grasp and tear with every step. Suddenly, all the cacophony dies away, and an uncomfortable silence settles over the trees.
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From his position at the front of the team's line J'Shun holds up a fist and goes to one knee. Straining all his senses he tries to make out if something is approaching them. As he does this he draws his tactical pistol in one and hand and secures his grip on his tactical shield and longsword in his other hands.
With everyone so focused, no one is surprised as a bunch of cat-like creatures emerge from the underbrush.
J’Shun
Rastar
Vivyane
Bodo
Chorizal
ENEMY
R1
Vivyane
Chorizal
Rastar
Bodo
J'Shun
ENEMY
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"Say what you will about him, but he's pretty inspirational when the barathu poodoo hits the turbo jet," Chorizal comments to Vyviane with a grin before marching up toward the action.
He stops a few yards away from the white cat and attempts to add some lethal damage to the nonlethal damage Rastar inflicted.
There are several blasts as the Starfinders kick off in earnest - one of the cats is struck twice!
W 19.
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Vyviane gives a snap and her static pistol pops into existence in her hands. She dances ahead into a good tatical position and then takes a simple aim at the cat with a black coloration. "Hrmm, if you call a foolish rush into the heart of the enemies inspirational. Seems he's pretty likely to get himself pounded by three or four enemies at once and then have to retreat from the damage."
Viv manages to scratch one of the cats.
They jockey into position around J'shun, then lash with long tentacles that seem to protrude a long distance!
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Vs J'Shun
Attack
Damage
+Grab
Attack
Damage
+Grab
R2
Vivyane
Chorizal
Rastar
Bodo
J'Shun
ENEMY
G 3
B