Starfinder Fly Free or Die Solo Campaign

Game Master Clebsch73

Zeph raised her club high and brought down with surprising effectiveness on the leech attacking her. The blow crushed the tiny brain and instantly killed it. The witchwarper moved cautiously to stand where the flattened leech had been on the hull, so as to be out of reach of the one between Scherzo and Shasta.

"Three down," Zeph said into her comm unit, with a calm, breathy voice, as if she had just dealt a playing card instead of killing a dangerous creature.

Shasta slashed at the leech between her and Scherzo and cut it enough to kill it.

She then moved toward the middle of the hull, looking for another target.

A leech near the fore of the shift continued moving toward the crew, angling a little toward Orion. It sent a power discharge at him that smacked into his broad body. The electricity stung his flesh but did little to lesson him in his battle frenzy.

"That's six down!" Benny called out. "Two to go."

Another leech wriggled toward Shasta and tried to hit her with its electric spit, but it missed.

Orion ran at this leech that attacked Shasta, but his doshko passed just above it.

Emersohn engaged his exocortex tracking program focused on the nearest leech. He fired his pistol and struck a glancing blow but did not kill the pest.

The leech Emersohn wounded crawled up to him and bit his leg. It was a weak effort that only left a bruise.

Scherzo moved over to Emersohn's side and smacked the leech by him with her staff, breaking a few of its teeth.

"Touch beasties," she observed with frustration.

Zeph, feeling a surge of adrenaline after clubbing one leech to a pulp, raced to Scherzo's side and finished off the leech Emersohn and Scherzo were battling. She swung her club like a golfer, killing the leech and sending it flying forever through the Drift.

"That's how it's done, guys. Try to keep up," she teased and looked around to see how many were left.

Shasta aimed her semi-auto pistol at the last leech and squeezed the trigger. The bullet hit the brain stem and put the creature out of everyone's misery.

"Boo-ya! And then there were none," she proclaimed with pride.

Well done! Scherzo said. "Many hands make for light work," she added. "Before we go back in, check everywhere to make sure there is none left."

The crew ranged over the hull and made sure the leeches were all gone and then headed back into the ship.

No one had suffered any significant injuries. Emersohn, Zeph, and Shasta attended to the controls, checking that nothing was damaged and making adjustments to put the shift back in motion through the Drift.

They got back to Absalom after three days of travel.

Spirits were low as the team got back to regular space and checked by radio with EJ HQ at Absalom station. They received a message from their supervisor: <This is to inform you that crew of Freighter BD514 is under disciplinary action for failing to fulfill an mission assignment. You are reminded that repeated failure to meet mission goals will result in termination of employment. No bonus is awarded for this mission.>

Scherzo contacted Tarika and briefed her on the mission outcome.

“Corporations are expandin’ so fast,” Tarika said with a weary sigh. “By the time y’all went from Castrovel to Akiton, your local buyer had already been bought out by an interstellar conglomerate! Guess there’s no room for family businesses anymore. Not in the Pact Worlds, at least.”

She shook her head and tapped a few buttons on her datapad. “But let’s focus on what matters: gettin’ y’all a high-payin’ gig to put ya back in the Company’s good graces. I got just the thing. Came in not long ago, in fact, and it’s... well, not perfect, but it’ll do the trick. A drow callin’ himself Lord Sinjin is shippin’ guns from Apostae to a planet in Near Space. I guess the Gideron Authority is tryin’ to settle a world called Vohxa, and the local miners are turnin’ into more of a problem than anyone figured they’d be.

“So the job is simple: go to Apostae and meet with Sinjin’s agent, Tause Jarzeed, at a place called Lamashtu’s Lair, where you’ll pick up the cargo. Take it to a Gideron military outpost on Vohxa and collect payment. Oh, and no questions asked. You know the type.” Tarika rolled her eyes as she sent over the last of the job details.

Scherzo was concerned about many aspects of the mission. She asked for more information on the players in this transaction.

Tarika said, "So the Gideron Authority, that's basically a hobgoblin empire in Near Space. It’s gotten pretty aggressive lately, expandin’ to nearby worlds hobgoblins used to inhabit. I guess there’s old hobgoblin ruins on those worlds. Fascinatin’, huh?"

As for Lord Sinjin, she said, "I don't know a lot about this guy. Only women can rise to positions of authority in a drow house, so whatever Sinjin is ‘lord’ of, it must be somethin’ else. Anyways, he’s not on Apostae. Not sure where he is, actually; that’s why you’re meetin’ with Tause Jarzeed instead."

Regarding the mining planet, "It’s rich in siccatite and other resources. There’ve been human, dwarf, and shirren miners workin’ there for years. The local mining guild ran things until recently, but now that the Authority’s shown up, we can count on hobgoblins takin’ over. Hobgoblins don’t mess around. I’m surprised they need a weapons shipment at all. You’d think they’d have brought guns for, y’know, their planetary invasion."

Scherzo asked Tarika to hold while she shared the assignment with the crew. Nobody was thrilled to have another job that seemed it would involve thugs and criminals. But they said the next job might be worse.

Scherzo connected back with Tarika and said, "We'll do it. But tell me this. Are we breaking any laws, running guns? This deal seems pretty shady."

Tarika shook her head. "Is it legal? Pretty much everything’s legal somewhere, these days. Apostae’s economy is built on the weapons trade—-makin’ and sellin’ weapons is what drow houses do. So, the short answer is... yep. As for bein' shady, Every job's shady, ain't it? But this one’s got a fat paycheck, and that’s what we need to get y’all off the Company’s hit list. Uh, figuratively speakin’. I mean, they haven’t hired assassins to kill you yet. I mean, as far as I know. Ha ha!"

The crew had looked forward to a shopping spree in Absalom Station after their anticipated bonus, but lacking that cred, they decided to forego docking at the station to save fees and head straight to Apostae to meet their contractor.

Two days later, they were landing on Apostae. From space, Apostae looked more like an abandoned moon than an inhabited planet. With no natural atmosphere, water, or greenery—and no light emanating from its few settlements—the planet’s surface remained wreathed in a cloak of darkness. But as soon as BD514 emergeed from the Drift, the ship was hailed by a Nightarch traffic-control AI that demanded to know their business on Apostae. Once the Scherzo gave their reason for visiting the planet, they were given a landing bay assignment and told to wait there for a security inspection.

As the ship descended, the nightshade towers of Nightarch jutted into view, surrounded by great halls, smaller domes, and other enclosed buildings. Soon after they landed, they were met by a group of four drow enforcers who did a brief inspection of BD514’s interior. The drow were looking for smugglers, a constant problem on a world that depended on the arms trade; Scherzo made sure everyone cooperated fully. Soon enough, they were given leave to go where they wanted to go.

As soon as the crew emerged from BD514, they each received an automated transmission from Nightarch Air and Water, a utility company run by House Zeizerer. This message alerted them that they had become customers of NAW, and were accumulating a bill for all air, water, and other materials necessary for life support. This bill was displayed in the lower corner of each crew member's personal comm or helmet display, slowly ticking up in fractions of a credit.

Zeph did a few calculations and confirmed her results with a quick search of the planet's infosphere. "We could limit this charge by switching on our armor life support systems. But the charge is minimal, basically about a credit a day," she explained.

At Scherzo's request, Zeph looked up Lamashtu's Lair, which was where Tarika said they should go to meet Tause Jarzeed.

Zeph reported after a minute or two. "Here it is. It's about ten miles from here. Robo-taxi's cost a credit. I ordered one to find us here."

Soon, a driverless (if one didn't count the AI program that guided the taxi) cab picked them up and trundled toward the bar, which was in one of the commercial domes nestled between the city's purple towers. The lighting along the street was minimal, since most of the inhabitants could see in the dark. Scherzo was the most limited by such low light environments. Orion could not see in total darkness, as Benny, Shasta, and Zeph could, but he could see fine if there was dim light. Emersohn was the same, but his sensitive nose helped him sense what was around him even in total darkness.

On the ride, Zeph read an introduction to the planet found in a popular infosphere tourist site.

Apostae is a planetoid far from the system’s major trade routes and mining operations, with few natural resources and no atmosphere on its surface. Its largely hollow center is filled with thousands of tunnels, caverns, and chambers that are clearly artificial in nature, many of which are filled with advanced technology unlike that of any race known to the Pact Worlds. Even before the time of the Gap, Apostae was a mystery, believed to be an artificial world that came to the solar system from the vast gulf of space beyond. When the Gap ended, numerous drow houses already resided on Apostae in the city of Nightarch and small settlements just under Apostae’s surface, dealing in the technological treasures found in the planetoid’s interior. However, only a small fraction of the inner world has been explored, and even now, centuries later, much of it is inaccessible.

"I don't think I'll be building a summer home here," Scherzo said glumly. The dark city full of shadows, untouched by sunlight, depressed her. "I speak elven, by the way. The drow speak a dialect of Elven but I've been able to understand them before and can make myself understood."

"Me too," Emersohn put in. "Also goblin, which is what the orcs and half-orcs are likely to speak."

Lamashtu’s Lair was a seedy dive bar with a VIP Lounge popular among individuals seeking privacy from House Zeizerer’s omnipresent surveillance network.

Muted conversation and the stench of spilled alcohol permeated this place, and the light was quite low. Travelers of all species—though mostly the local majority drow, orcs, and half-orcs—sat at tables of thoroughly stained aluminum, nursing their drinks and keeping to themselves. Across the room, a pitted bar counter and black aluminum stools beckoned those eager to drink their sorrows away. Behind the bar was a brusque-looking half-orc who eyed the crew curiously.

Scherzo indicated some empty seats near the door for everyone to take while she inquired about their contact, Tause Jarzeed. Before she could do that, however, the doors to the bar clattered open and a drow entered, dragging a protesting gnome along behind him. The drow wore the distinctive armor of House Zeizerer and bore a long sword of pure black energy—motes of crackling power flowed off it and popped in the dark air. The gnome, in contrast, had their wrists pinned together with binders.

“I’m telling you,” wails the gnome, "this is all a mistake! A huge mistake!"

Without sparing a glance to his prey, the drow heaved the gnome up and deposited them on top of the bar. “Here’s your bounty, Kaden, as promised,” he said. The half-orc behind the bar gave the gnome a glance and took out her personal comm unit.

While the bartender, Kaiden, was looking something up on her comm unit, the gnome looked desperately around the room. They had electric blue hair that rose in a shape like a candle flame, green eyes, long wispy eyebrows, and pointed ears. They wor a colorful shirt and tight slacks under a freebooter armor jacket. They did not appear to have any weapons or other tech.

Spotting the crew seated nearby with weapons and armor, they called out, "I’m not... whoever he’s looking for! I just lost my comm unit! Please, you look like reasonable—-not to mention well-armed—-individuals. Give a gnome a hand?"

Scherzo looked sympathetic to the gnome's plight, but she knew it was not a good idea to get involved. She made eye contact with the others and gave her head a slight sideways shake to warn off anyone who might be thinking of helping. Zeph and Benny looked sadly on, while Shasta, Orion, and Emersohn kept stolid expressions and avoided eye contact with anyone.

Kaden looked up from her comm and showed the image displayed there-—a gnome similar in appearance to the drow's captive-—to the bounty hunter. "This isn’t the mark, Horizon," she said.

Benny and Shasta got good enough peeks at the picture to tell that the bartender was right. The captive's hair was shorter, and their ears jutted out more. The eye color did not match either.

The bounty hunter, named Horizon, kept insisting he was owed payment while the bartender insisted the opposite. While the drow's focus was elsewhere, the gnome managed to slip his hands out of the binders. Before they revealed this, however, the gnome shouted, "Thank you, strangers, for that timely rescue!"

The drow jerked around to see what the gnome was talking about. The gnome scampered down the bar and jumped to the floor and around a corner, out of view.

When the trouble started and the gnome ran and hid, Orion, Shasta, Benny, and Emerson stood and drew weapons, ready for a fight. Orion held his doshko in one hand, his other hand free for fighting as well. Shasta drew her semi-auot pistol, Emerson his subzero, and Benny held his battle staff.

Around the bar, patrons took defensive positions. A short female drow ran into the restroom. Horizon, a solarian began to attune himself to the mystical energies of black holes, pointed at Orion, whereupon the light dimmed slightly around Orion, and snarled, "Stay out of this, cubby!"

The solarian stepped to where the gnome had moved to and found nothing but bar patrons.

Zeph stood and moved between Orion and a wall, ready to cast spells if attacked.

Scherzo stood, held her hands away from her to show they were empty and approached the drow.

Speaking in Drow, she said, "Имею опыт переговорщика. Я не заинтересован и готов разрешить этот спор в арбитраже."

Orion moved to stand behind Scherzo, his doshko on his shoulder. "Cubby?" he said, his deep voice rumbling. "Why not let the lady help you out."

Emersohn moves up toward the bar, set his combat tracking program to focus on Horizon.

The short drow took the moment to slip out of the restroom door and moved behind the bar past Kaiden, who let her by and put her hand on her pistol.

Horizon was startled by a human speaking Drow dialect and offering to help. But he was too angry to listen to reason or to accept the help of a human and her off-world friends. He raised his sword to attack Scherzo, but Orion was ready to defend her and swung his doshko at him, cutting his shoulder.

Orion's attack didn't stop Horizon from trying to kill Scherzo. His solar sword cut across her chest and she cried out as blood gushed from her wound.

Shasta fired her pistol, hitting Horizon in the chest. He was caught off guard, not spotting her.

Benny rushed to Scherzo's side and passed mystic healing energy to her with a touch. Her wound entirely closed up.

The video monitor over the bar, which had been showing an Eox gladiatorial combat match, suddenly switched to a news report that said police were rushing to a bar called Lamashtu's Lair to investigate a distrubance. In the distance, sirens could be heard wailing and getting closer. The short drow watched the screen for a moment and slipped into the kitchen.

Orion roars in anger at Horizon's wounding of Scherzo. He drops his doshko and rushes at Horizon with both paws, trying to slash the drow. He misses, but one of the attack slams into his body only to be stopped by his armor.

Zeph dashed around a table with cowering customers to get behind Horizon. She simply touched the pistol at his side and its battery surged and gave him a nasty shock.

Scherzo, recovered from her near fatal wound advanced on Horizon, hoping to help take him down before anyone got hurt. She couldn't hit him, however.

Emersohn waded into the fight, leaping the bar and attempting to hit Horizon with his truncheon. He missed, but Horizon was hemmed in on all sides.

Benny sent a mystic surge of information into Horizon's brain, causing him pain and further debilitating him.

Orion flailed at Horizon with both big paws, but the solarian was avoiding them both.

Horizon slashed at Orion again and this time drew blood.

Zeph drew more electricity from Horizon's powered pistol and the surge of electricity almost killed him. He was wounded and smoking as the air around him smelled of ozone.

Scherzo finished Horizon off with a staff blow to the head.

She knelt by his body and checked Horizon for a pulse. "He's dead. Stubborn ass. We would have stopped if he would have surrendered."

Then she looked to the bartender. "You saw we acted in self defense, didn't you? Are we going to be in trouble with the police."

Kaiden rose from where she had ducked down behind the bar. "What police?"

Everyone looked back at the video screen and it was showing a commercial.

"The little one disguised himself as a drow female and slipped out the back. I think that news bulletin was just an illusion spell. Horizon had it coming. I should pay you the bounty he was trying to collect. The guy I think you're looking for is in that room back there."

Kaiden moved over and dragged Horizon's body back to the kitchen while the Scherzo and company checked out the room at the back.

Scherzo led the group into the private room indicated by the bartender. Inside she found a drow male sipping a drink and looking up from a datapad he had been studying. He had typical drow features, purple skin, short white hair, paile eyes, pointed ears. He was tall and handsome, wearing fine looking casual clothes and not carrying any obvious weapons.

"Welcome, Captain Vivacissmo," he said, pausing, glancing at his datapad and then back up to make eye contact again with Scherzo. "I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly," he added, speaking fluent Common. "I'm Tause Jarzeed. I have a contract for a shipment of cargo to the planet of Vohxa to the Gideron Authority."

Tause sat in the corner at the end of a black leather couch. The wall had a one-way window looking out on the street. Scherzo sat on the couch next to the drow. Bennie took the other couch seat while Shasta and Zeph sat on small chairs next to a coffee table. Emersohn stood with his back to the closed door, arms crossed over his chest. Orion remained outside, keeping an eye on the others in the bar.

A device high on a wall indicated the room was protected from surveillance. It also meant devices could not connect to the infosphere or make calls.

"Good health to you, Mr. Jarzeed. Please, call me Scherzo." Scherzo sat and introduced her crew. Tause made eye contact with each in turn and nodded in greeting.

Scherzo looked down at her bloodied clothes. "I'm sorry about the disturbance outside just now. We didn't mean to cause any trouble but trouble came a-knockin' and we had to respond in kind."

Tause waved a hand to indicate it was of no concern to him.

"We appreciate the chance to make your delivery," Scherzo continued. "What do we need to know?"

Tause said, "My Lord Sinjin wishes a shipment to be made to the planet of Voxha, in Near Space. The cargo weighs 50 tons and will be delivered to your ship. Report to Commander Vash at Labor Camp 1120 on the planet's surface. Details are in the contract."

Tause handed his datapad to Scherzo, who studied the contract for several minutes, reading the fine print and making sure all was as expected. Once Scherzo looked up and nodded, Tause added, "I think you'll find the compensation for the trip is exceptionally high. If you agree to make the delivery, sign the contract and the cargo will be delivered to your ship within twelve hours."

Scherzo remembered Tarika's instructions about "no questions asked," but she wanted to see if she could coax more information from Tause anyway.

"The payment is generous. Is there anything we need to know about the situation that could cause complications? Might there be other parties interested in keeping the 'items' from reaching the Gideron Authority?"

Tause shrugged. "Not that I know of. It is possible the sudden need for the cargo is precipitated by some emergency on the surface. It's not my problem, so take it up with the Gideron Authority if you want to when you get there. They're paying the bill."

Scherzo concluded the meeting by signing the contract and notifying Tause of the location of the freighter.

"I will notify crew to deliver the shipment and will let the authorities know you have permission to explore the area if you are in need of any supplies or wish some entertainment while waiting. Good fortune."

Scherzo and her crew filed out of the room and were met by Kaiden, the bartender. She had a bundle of items which she handed to Scherzo.

"These are things you might want to have, courtesy of the late Horizon," she said. The bundle turned out to be a suit of armor and a pistol. "There's a cred stick and a crystal in a pocket of the armor," Kaidon pointed out. "I kept the comm unit and a drug that is only of interest to drow, for my expenses."

The armor black, reflecting very little light, a type worn by drow, manufactered by a leading arms exporter, House Zeizerer, and called
Zeizerer Diffractor light armor. It was basic but an improvement on the Second Skin suits worn by Scherzo, Shasta, Benny, and Zeph. The gun was a Pusher Decoupler, a kind of light weight disintegrator. It was more expensive than any of the weapons the group had. The armor pocket contained a credstick with 150 on it and a crystal. Scherzo figured Benny or Zeph might be able to figure out if it had any special properties or was just a pretty stone.

Scherzo bought her team a round of drinks and some lunch, leaving a tip as well. The fare was mediocre but Scherzo wanted to give the place some profit for the trouble their presence had caused. After finishing their meal and strolling out to look around they heard a hiss from the shadows, someone trying to get their attention.

20 credits deducted from the credstick: 130 left.