A comm channel opens. Bryqin peers into the camera. He then utters You're all...a bunch of...NAUGHTY TURTLES!"
His awkward attempt at taunting your gunners fails.
On the other hand, the enemy gunner proves to be accurate.
Your gunners manage to bring down the shields of the enemy vessel and do significant damage!
The comms fall silent following the pahtra's awkward exchange. Obviously the enemy ship has something up their sleeve, as they fly directly over your ship, guns blazing as they do.
Their guns rake your front shields.
As it settles into position, a missile is loosed from their starboard side.
Drake
Front 7/25
Starboard 5/25
Port 25/25
Rear 25/25
HP 85/85
Front 8/20
Starboard 15/15
Port 15/15
Rear 20/20
HP 17/50
Engines are malfunctioning
sensors are glitching
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Chk'tarlsh loiters awkwardly about the Gunnery Station for a moment, antennae twitching in agitation, before noticing the vacant Science Officer's position.
The shirren crosses the Bridge quickly, slides into the seat and brings up the user interface.
Chk'tarlsh sighs in frustration as he inadvertently shuts down the terminal and has to wait for it to reboot.
1. Engineering phase.
2. Helm phase
Roll off!
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Shokil bats at the blue furred figure frantically trying to help him.
"Go away...go.. go get me another drink? That would be helpful!" The friendly skittermander seems not to believe him as it hits a button marked "Targetting assistance function"
Chatting into the intercom he calls out "That felt like a hit, glad our shields held... anyone else using the computer for a real task, not just playing Asteroids?"
The enemy vessel comes about and lets loose a missile.
The tactical nuclear missile crashes into your starboard side, penetrating your shields! You all receive a low dose of nasty radiation!
Unfortunately for the rebel vessel, both Shokil and Abistar wreak havoc with their weapons. The enemy vessel is now a helpless floating hulk.
A comm channel is opened. Just as it seems Captain Bryqin is ready to surrender, there is an intense explosion as all of the smuggled weapons and plasma explode. A thick orange haze lingers where the ship once was.
Brigadier Tassada Kor is overjoyed at the news of the smugglers’
defeat. “Good work!” she
applauds all of you. “We shall crush the insurrectionists beneath
our durasteel boots yet. You’ve done the Veskarium proud!”
Later that day, you receives your clearance papers.
In addition, Tassada includes tickets to see SkitScratch Dreams,
a skittermander jazz band, at a local cantina. The music is, sadly,
awful; after the concert, Tassada remarks, “You know, Starfinders,
those little creatures have six hands each—you would think that
they could find the right notes sometimes.”
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Gamuzali looks on with a stony expression as Bryqin's ship explodes. "So comes the end of those who bid for power without the ability to harness it. Be at rest, Captain. You fought bravely, but your time has come."
Later, at the cantina, Gamuzali can hardly keep his look of distaste from his face. "I thought jazz was about hitting the wrong notes, but I guess there are some notes that are really wrong. Still, thank you for inviting us to the show, Brigadier."
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"Holy sword of Iomedae, you say that and then drop a torpedo right up their crapper?" splutters Shokil.
Abistar-4 it is a bit lost for words as readies a response, but stops with the destruction of the rebel ship. After running some calculations the android ends up deciding silence is proper.
He joins the others during the performance and is far less critical of the band. "Music is an excellent medium to induce emotions. As a work it seems to be producing an exceptional effect on the listeners. Many excellent post-Swarm works were intended to produce feelings of discomfort and this recalls to them."
Aside from the few moments here and there is spends in silent pondering and consideration.
Venture Captain Naiaj has sent you to Voyedris, a city on the
jungle planet of Vesk-6, to meet with their contact from the
Voyedris Cultural Alliance, Reha Nacar.
You receive the following transmission from Naiaj:
“The Voyedris Cultural Alliance on Vesk-6 has requested a crew to retrieve artifacts from a valley of ancient pahtra ruins. Normally,
Veskarium contractors handle these tasks, but I’m told their last patrol went missing somewhere south of the valley. As you are
surely aware, Vesk-6 is incredibly dangerous. Giant plants and animals are common, and an electromagnetic storm aptly called the
Shriek rains down hell over parts of the planet. There’s no telling what you might encounter out there, so prepare for the worst. Our
contact, Reha Nacar, can hopefully explain everything once you arrive. Now, get out there and make the Society proud.”
-Venture-Captain Naiaj
In a room crammed with towering shelves full of artifacts, a
pahtra hunches over a workbench dusting fragments of pottery.
She straightens and brushes away the fine layer of dust that
accumulated on her black fur. “Welcome to Voyedris,” she says.
“Frankly, I wasn’t expecting such a promising-looking bunch.
Starfinders, are you? I am Reha Nacar, an advisor with the
Voyedris Cultural Alliance. Looking at you now, I predict that
you might just get out of the valley alive.” Her tone is reserved,
and she chooses her words carefully.
“My job here is simple. I repair, catalog, and store cultural
artifacts. It’s the retrieving part I don’t handle. Usually, the
military assists us with patrols to aid in retrieval and keeping
off-world looters at bay. But a patrol sent to recover the latest
batch of artifacts went missing recently, and a replacement
won’t arrive any time soon. That’s where you come in.”
“I need you to retrieve two artifacts from a ruin once called
the Azure Sanctuary. One is a blue gemstone beetle that rests
above the entranceway to the ruins. The other is a polished
stone pipe that rests atop an altar honoring a lizard spirit that
once protected the Sanctuary.
“Please keep your eyes open for our patrol while searching.
You should have already received coordinates to their last
known location from Naiaj. Feel free to ask your questions
now—communications aren’t reliable in the valley.” Reha crosses
her arms and stands waiting.
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Shokil eyes up the pahtra with interest. "Any word of.. insurgents... in the area?" he asks pointedly.
"It's just that my last interaction with some of your folk was...abrupt. Can you tell us anything more about the artefacts, or the deities / spirits they represent?"
He takes out a notepad, the first real signs of animation seen from him outside of combat for weeks.
"Ancient ruins... now there is a possibility. I like where this is going.."
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Zarg seems a bit off-put by the fiery end to their quarry, but mumbles a bit about "...bloody nukes... firin on civvies... woulda likedta take em alive... but feh... firin on civvies... s'whatcha get... a torp up the crapper..."
Still a little off-kilter from the explosive finale marring his happy trip home he is a little less boisterous in the meeting with Reha. "Ahm a bit more worried 'bout the last team... ya got a dee-scription o' em? Ancient art-ee-facts like ta stick around for centuries... lost patrols for a couple 'o days. Any guesses what mighta gotten em?"
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After they are given instructions, "Ah, I be hop[in' none O' the Pahtra take a negative view of our recent actions..."
After the meet with the representative Freeman stays quiet. After the rest speak "Sounds simple enough. We'll look fer tha first bunch. Hopefully they still be breathin'. Now, what precautions should we be a takin' fer that nasty storm I hear abouts? "
Freeman looks at the coordinates and decides if they need food, water or any kind of survival gear for the time they'll be out and the weather conditions. Especially that nasty one...
Shokil eyes up the pahtra with interest. "Any word of.. insurgents... in the area?" he asks pointedly."It's just that my last interaction with some of your folk was...abrupt. Can you tell us anything more about the artefacts, or the deities / spirits they represent?"
With regards to your first question, the pahtra responds, “Although there is no evidence of these 'insurgents,' Our ancestors
who created the sanctuary deeply respected individuality, just asmuch as modern pahtra do. As such, the ruin features a puzzle
which you can solve in different ways. Trust your own instincts,
but think before you act.”
Answering your second question, she responds, "With regards to the artifacts, they are merely a beautiful look back into our history. They are as I have already described to you."
Still a little off-kilter from the explosive finale marring his happy trip home he is a little less boisterous in the meeting with Reha. "Ahm a bit more worried 'bout the last team... ya got a dee-scription o' em? Ancient art-ee-facts like ta stick around for centuries... lost patrols for a couple 'o days. Any guesses what mighta gotten em?"
“Many terrors could kill you on Pulonis, but this particular ruin is just
north of one of the most dangerous. We call it the Shriek, and youmust avoid it at all costs. My worry is that the soldiers may have
walked straight into it. They were vesk, and I believe there were two of them."
After the meet with the representative Freeman stays quiet. After the rest speak "Sounds simple enough. We'll look fer tha first bunch. Hopefully they still be breathin'. Now, what precautions should we be a takin' fer that nasty storm I hear abouts? "Freeman looks at the coordinates and decides if they need food, water or any kind of survival gear for the time they'll be out and the weather conditions. Especially that nasty one...
“When magnetic storms rage on Pulonis,
they fling razor-sharp metal, glass, bone, and unexplodedmunitions from a lost vesk destroyer across the planet’s surface.
Two to three times a day now, the Shriek rains death over
the valley.”
"What is the Voyedris Cultural Alliance? Is it an organization built to help recover and safeguard the relics of city's history?" Abistar-4 looks about the world to acclimate himself before asking more pertinant questions to the mission, "How many were part of the missing patrol?"
The Cultural Alliance maintains protected
historical sites, and in some cases retrieves and stores keyartifacts. The crumbling structures where these artifacts rest are
often unstable; some ruins are in such disrepair that the only way
to save the artifacts is to send in teams of specialists to remove
them. The Cultural Alliance catalogs the recovered artifacts and
stores them in modern, secure museums.
"There were two vesk soldiers that were part of the patrol."
After a three and a half hour ride to the ruins, you arrive.
On the outskirts of the jungle stands a stone entranceway
overgrown with moss. Stone-carved lizards encircle an empty
socket in the gray stone. A constant low rumble emits from
within, as slowly swinging pillars move over a floor inlaid with
sapphire beetles. A pair of muddy boot prints leads into the
ruins’ entrance and down the corridor.
pillar, now removed from the structure and leaning against a wall
in the middle of the corridor. You see that there is enough room under these pillars to crawl through safely to a valley below.
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"I would judge your statement to be likely Shokil. It is difficult to confirm without reading the feelings of the potential actors though."
Abistar-4 gestures toward the muddy prints and deeper into the passageway. "The prints head to that pillar over by that wall near the center of the passage. It has been removed from the other swinging pillars and is now stationary against the ground."
"I can't speak to comfort, but if we wish enter deeper, there is room enough to crawl below the pillars. It should be safe and leads forward within. I can't see sign of the pipe from here."
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After his lacklustre Science Office imperaonation aboard the Drake, a subdued Chk'tarlsh is grateful to return to Terra Firma.
The shirren listens intently to the briefing and nods in affirmation of the replies to his companions' queries.
Chk'tarlsh checks and double checks his gear on the ride to the ruins, eager to make amends for his recent mishaps.
On reaching the site, he joins Shokil in a scan of the entrance.
"Maybe. It'sh hard to tell," he says with a shrug. "One thinhk ish for ssure - whatever wash there, issn't there anymore."
This once-pristine valley bears dreadful scars of its turbulent
past. Trenches in the soil expose layers of bedrock, revealing
preserved bones of giant fauna. Radioactive fluids collect in
pools and emit toxic gas that clings to structures like mist.
Only the rubble littering the ground hints at the ruins that once
stood here. Parked between the massive rib bones of an ancient
megalith is an abandoned military vehicle.
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"Ah... whelp... that looks nasty."
Zargothrax activates his armor's environmental seals.
"So uh... how'd they keep the blue beetle from walkin' away? Ann if it was a special blue beetle did it have a name? Like... Harvey Bugman... or Bugs Meaney... or somethin' exotic soundin' like... Jaime ya know spelled with a J but sounds like an H..."
"So uh... where's the puzzle? Ah like puzzles. Spells are like puzzles... gotta fit all 'o the pieces tagether or it falls apart."
He waggles his fingers pointlessly as he casts Detect Magic.
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"one would think they would send a message back rather than leave one with their vehicle. However the thoughts of the sentient are varied and countless. The vehicle would be a well calculated starting place for a search."
Abistar-4 looks about the landscape, drawing inspiration from it as he contemplates some work. "If they arrived down here, maybe the relics had gotten lost here?"
He keeps a slow pace behind Zargothrax and Shokil.
The rubble covering the ground mostly consists of splintered tree
trunks, smashed pillars, and jagged chunks of ceramic. Judging by
the state of the area, the "shriek" has obviously caused massive destruction recently here.
As you search the valley, Abistar and Shokil discover two vesk soldiers pinned beneath a fallen tree.
Though the unfortunate soldiers are deceased, one carries a hard case on his belt containing both the blue beetle and stone pipe artifacts.
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Shokil eyes up the fallen tree.
"Ugh. I hope the armour servo's are up for this..." he mutters.
"They wanted to know what happened, guess we should bring back the bodies."
The armour servo motors are most definitely not up to the task. With a sigh, the little halfling looks around for a fallen branch to use as a lever. "I'll push here, lets see if that lets one of you big guys get them out."
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Chk'tarlsh dashes across the valley at the news of Shokil and Abistar's discovery. Scurrying across the fallen tree, he drops down beside the halfling author.
"Probably not the end they would have wanted," he observes aloud, mandibles clicking. "But they died completinhk their mission objectivesh, about ash much ash a warrior can assk for."
"Let me help you with that," Chk'tarlsh offers, bending to reach beneath the fallen tree.