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"Frozen Trove? This is the Starfinder Pegasus still orbiting. We had a run-in with an alien craft, but we're the last ones standing...or flying. It appears we triggered some kind of self-destruct. If you're open to us paying your enclave a visit, we'd welcome the chance to make a few repairs and talk shop."
Response from the research station on Icefront is immediate. Dr. Monsylkis asks, "Pegasus? Are you all right? Your comms went wonky and our sensors registered some kind of explosion. ... Please come down to the station. We'll do what we can to assist with any repairs."
The self-destruct was very effective. Most of the ship is in tiny pieces, but a section that looks like some kind of oddly flexible telescoping air-lock remains intact.
"Oughtta grab that. Could teach us sumthin' 'bout who built the darn thing, anyway."
"Sure, I'll get us close and we can pull in the surviving section if someone skilled in spacewalking wants to give it a shot," replies Zephyr, expertly piloting into an appropriate orientation for such an operation.
After the transmission is over, he adds, "Captain, I'm not sure who all we can trust down there--and I am not that great at reading organics myself...Perhaps we should take some precautions as we go down for our visit."
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Sparky orients the scanners to search for anything worth salvaging. Keeping eye out specifically for the black box or any kind of data core material.
Having a rough time to align the scanners after having it aligned for planet wide scans, he gets the best data he can to provide targets of interest in the debris.
"Captain I have scans of the debris field with any relevant targets locked in"
"Affirmative, Doctor..." Jaeric replies to Monsylkis, "We appreciate the hospitality. The Pegasus will put down at whatever landing zone you designate..." He switches off the external comm and nods to Zephyr.
"I think you're right. Let's pull in the telescoping airlock fragment and lock it down in the cargo hold for analysis. After that, we head down and make contact with these Frozen Trove representatives. If nothing else, we need to get a sense of why they're here...I mean really here...and whether or not that has anything to do with our search for the artifact. If it's already in their hands, we'll need to figure out a way to secure it for the Society. I'm not going to let a few corporatists...even if they're backed by a dragon...stand in the way of getting our comrades back from the Scoured Stars region."
The half-elf then reaches over for the internal ship's comm so he can speak to the engineers. "Lorne? Sparky? Either of you up for a zero-g spacewalk to retrieve the debris? I could do it in a pinch, but I'd rather stay on the bridge in case we have more unexpected visitors. Frozen Trove has invited us down to their enclave so we can make any needed repairs. I plan on using it as an opportunity to assess them, as well. So, keep whatever we gather from the debris hidden in the cargo hold for the time being. I want a better sense of who and what we're dealing with on Icefront before sharing further data with them on anything..."
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"Affirmative, Doctor..." Jaeric replies to Monsylkis, "We appreciate the hospitality. The Pegasus will put down at whatever landing zone you designate..." He switches off the external comm and nods to Zephyr.
...[/b]"
"Pegasus, we will activate a 400 CPS navigation beacon. Please home in on that and you should easily spot our landing area 100 meters to the north. Do you need any emergency preparations from us?"
Zephyr maneuvers your vessel through the expanding debris field of the alien ship. Even small pieces of the enemy ship could be dangerous should they strike you moving at high speed, and the android must choose his path carefully to avoid the largest, fastest pieces.
Sparky leads the salvage team out the airlock, toward the slowly tumbling tube. The operation is difficult without actual salvage equipment. The salvage team slows the airlock's spin one axis at a time with short, coordinated bursts from their EVA thruster packs. Each burst must be planned carefully and executed nearly simultaneously to achieve the desired effect. Zephyr helps by setting the Pegasus into a slow pitching rotation that matches the airlock's residual motion.
From there it goes rather quickly. Cables are attached to the salvaged airlock from anchor points in the cargo bay. The team tensions the cables alternately to kill the last bit of angular motion and slowly draw the extensible airlock into the bay. Then they hurry to lock it down.
The salvage structure where the airlock would join the hull is heavily reinforced. It looks like the hull itself gave way around the roughly three meter square door.
The walls of the extensible portion are thin, light, metallic, and flexible. Flying debris has punched a few holes through the thin walls. The material around the holes bends crater-like, then resolves into gradually thinning filaments. The material must be incredibly ductile. Yellow strips band the extensible tube longitudinally and in slow spirals both clockwise and counter-clockwise.
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The churning gray clouds of Icefront’s outer atmosphere eventually give way to a wooded area blanketed with snow. Much of the planet’s surface appears untouched by civilization, save for a small complex of artificial structures: a landing pad, greenhouses, satellite towers, rows of irrigated crop fields, temporary humanoid shelters, external generators, and biodomes outfitted with all manner of measuring devices. A tall scaffold tower sprouts from a walled enclosure far from the other buildings, its length regularly pulsing with blue light.
A team of winterborn ryphorian technicians approaches once the PCs land. The group begins any necessary repair work on the PC’s starship, eager to assist.
As the PCs disembark, three figures arrive to greet them: Dr. Monsylkis, a verthani who stands just shy of eight feet tall and whose pale skin is laced with cybernetic augmentations designed to insulate heat; a short winterborn ryphorian wearing a suit of armor that appears to be a technological masterpiece of its own; and a towering dragonkin, whose sharp features naturally form a perpetual scowl. Dr. Monsylkis graciously introduces herself and welcomes the PCs to her research station, introducing the ryphorian as Spinjack (her lead technician and head of facilities) and the dragonkin as Farvenzi (her head of security).
Dr. Monsylkis offers to show you her station and discuss her studies while your ship is tended.
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"Thank you, Doctor. I'm Jaeric Kem of the Starfinder Society, and captain of the Pegasus...on a xenoarchaeological mission..." Jaeric responds as he reaches to shake hands, "We had quite the adventure just getting here. Perhaps we can discuss more about it inside." He glances back at the team's engineers. "Lorne? Sparky? Would one of you care to oversee the repair work?" He looks back at Monsylkis, Spinjack, and Farvenzi. "We appreciate your hospitality, Doctor, but as you know, some engineers are kind of sacrosanct about who touches what aboard their ship. So, one of our crew can direct your techs on where best to assist. Luckily, our shields held up pretty well during that dog-fight on approach, so I don't think there'll be a need for any major repair. Our attacker was a curious ship. Matched nothing on record, so it's an alien craft from all we could ascertain in the heat of the moment. Zephyr, our pilot here, did a fabulous job of keeping us at range until we could turn the tables on their little ambush."
As they begin to move away from the landing area, Jaeric gazes about the compound, mentally assessing whatever permanent or temporary structures Frozen Trove has erected on Icefront, but more out of scientific curiosity and interest than any kind of security protocol analysis. He'd leave that to Never as the vanguard seemed to have a better eye for that kind of thing. "Have you had any conflicts yourself here? Whether in orbit with anyone attacking your supply ships, or maybe on the surface? I'm worried if we should be on guard during our visit as we intend to explore for any local or prior alien civilizations here on Icefront. Ruins, artifacts, and such. It's a calling for all Starfinders to engage in these missions. And our prior research uncovered a bit of lore that led us to believe we may find such things here. If you've encountered something like that yourself, we'd appreciate anything you can share with us about it."
”Thank you, Captain,” says Zephyr, having done his best to properly lock down the helm before he left. Moving smoothly in his streamlined Battle Harness, he keeps up with the others easily, adding briefly, ”They had us outgunned, but we have the faster ship.”
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Sparky wonders if the space battle caused him to hallucinate, but to make sure he rushes to the computers and attempts a life signs scan in the vicinity he noticed.
Relaying his findings to the captain as he ponders the results as they land.
As Zephyr brings the ship in for landing Sparky sets his clothes to his shipbuilders configuration and begins creating a list of deficiencies and areas for work.
His style of writing UNSATs and non conforming conditions though is not really made for triaxians.
"I am ok with monitoring repair work and ensuring that no foreign devices or intentional mistakes are made."
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"Thank you, Doctor. I'm Jaeric ..."[b]We appreciate your hospitality, .... Have you had any conflicts yourself here? Whether in orbit with anyone attacking your supply ships, or maybe on the surface? I'm worried if we should be on guard during our visit as we intend to explore for any local or prior alien civilizations here on Icefront. Ruins, artifacts, and such. It's a calling for all Starfinders to engage in these missions. And our prior research uncovered a bit of lore that led us to believe we may find such things here. If you've encountered something like that yourself, we'd appreciate anything you can share with us about it."
" Your very welcome. We receive few visitors of any nature here. Our residency has been quiet. I haven't been off station at all, but no one has reported signs of civilization. Farvenzi? " She looks at the dragonkin.
The security chief nods. "No signs of ruins, alien tech, or civilization on any of my scouting trips."
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Never has pretty much disregarded whatever her duties are on-planet. The dragonkin has her full attention. You just don't see them in the Absalom slums. Like, never.
She tries to engage with Farvenzi when the moment appears to present itself.
"Scouting trips? What are you looking for on these trips? And how do you get around out there?" Please say flying, please say flying!
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The dragonkin's response to the good doctor was laconic. All Never receives for her effort is a cold stare. Spinjack smiles amusedly. "Don't take it personally. She doesn't like strangers. She doesn't like to talk."
*****
Sparky stays with the Pegasus and the ryphorian repair crew. They seem to be willing, but not enthusiastic, about the repair work. The quality of their efforts is acceptable, and they do nothing untoward.
*****
"Are any of you biologists or otherwise scientifically trained?" Dr. Monsylkis asks while you walk toward the greenhouses from the the landing pad.
Sense Motive: (DC 21)
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"I have sum medical 'n' physics trainin', but Ah ain't a biologist, xeno 'r' otherwsie. Whut's up?"
"Are any of you biologists or otherwise scientifically trained? " Dr. Monsylkis asks while you're walking from the landing area to the greenhouses.
"Why, yes..." Jaeric offers, "I'm trained in both xenoarchaeology and the various life sciences to better correlate alien cultures with their physiological characteristics, biochemical makeup, and ecological harmony with the worlds in which they live or once lived. So, I dabble a bit in almost every bit of lore and science to better prepare myself for the unknown. I believe it helps us to understand other civilizations in relation to our own, and to build rapport across the universe."
"Now, that's not to say I'm the foremost researcher in any particular field of environmental science, botany, zoology, and so on," he shares, "But, being half-elven and having grown up among the diverse life that's so prevalent on Castrovel in the Pact Worlds, it's given me some degree of insight and definitely an appreciation for such things."
"Why do you ask, Doctor? Are you seeking another colleague as a second pair of eyes for a peer review of your work here? I'd be more than happy to assist if you think we can aid one another in some way..."
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"Are any of you biologists or otherwise scientifically trained? " Dr. Monsylkis asks while you're walking from the landing area to the greenhouses."Why, yes..." Jaeric offers, "I'm trained in both xenoarchaeology and the various life sciences ...."
"Now, that's not to say I'm the foremost researcher ... having grown up ... on Castrovel in the Pact Worlds, it's given me some degree of insight and definitely an appreciation for such things."
"Why do you ask, Doctor? Are you seeking another colleague as a second pair of eyes for a peer review of your work here? I'd be more than happy to assist if you think we can aid one another in some way..."
The doctor brightens visibly. "That would be very helpful, and pleasant. All of us here have been dedicated to the project for months now. In such an isolated place it's too easy to fall prey to group think. A fresh set of eyes and a new perspective could be very valuable."
Dr. Monsylkis detours through one of the greenhouses and describes the plants therein, and the general purpose of the research here -- "WinterHarvest is the nonprofit that has given us out grant. We're looking at genetic modifications to make a variety of root stocks more resilient to extreme climatic variations. Icefront has extreme weather, but sometimes we need to extend or contract growing seasons to see how the plants respond. The scaffold tower allows us to alter the local weather to that end."
She gestures to the large tower that looms over the research station despite being some distance outside the fence. Indeed, while the rest of the continent is warming into an early spring, the fields outside the greenhouses are still blanketed in snow.
From there she goes into a more technical discussion of the techniques they are using and what the hope to achieve in the short and longer term with Jaeric and anyone else who is interested. "Do you know if anyone has published anything along those lines recently?"
Leaving the greenhouse an hour later, she asks, "Can you give me more specifics about your research here? What do you hope to find? Do you expect to stay long?"
Spinjack and Farvenzi trail the party. They're always at the back of the pack, and always within earshot.
"Pitch away then, Doctor! I'm happy to help however I can. If nothing else, I believe we owe you that much for the assistance in repairing our ship. And, perhaps, as we talk, you can tell me more about Icefront and anything that might be of interest to me as a xenoarchaeologist..."
Zephyr falls back and trails the others, keeping pace with Spinjack and Farvenzi. He doesn't try to make conversation or do anything in particular other than listen and learn, maintaining a companionable silence with the other trailing warriors, waiting for anything dangerous to occur.
"I'm sure yer engineers 'r' all over it, but Ah could take some time ta see if Ah cin improve the efficiency of your climate tower. Seems yer research is pretty dependent on it workin' as desired."
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"Pitch away then, Doctor! I'm happy to help however I can. If nothing else, I believe we owe you that much for the assistance in repairing our ship. And, perhaps, as we talk, you can tell me more about Icefront and anything that might be of interest to me as a xenoarchaeologist..."
Dr. Monsalkis continues with her exposition of her research with increasing intentsity and detail. When she finally turns to the subject of Icefront, she can roughly describe the flora, and to a lesser extent the fauna, in the immediate vicinity of the station, but not much else. "I'm rather tied down by my work here." She apologizes with a small smile.
"I'm sure yer engineers 'r' all over it, but Ah could take some time ta see if Ah cin improve the efficiency of your climate tower. Seems yer research is pretty dependent on it workin' as desired."
The verthani nods. "That would be very helpful. It's not my expertise, but I've been told the machine works very hard and consumes a great deal of energy maintaining the environmental bubble around our station."
From the rear of the group, Spinjack speaks up. "That's very delicate equipment. ma'am. I think we should leave it to our own technicians. No need for our visitors to trouble about it. "
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Winterharvest’s agricultural mission. A small non-profit like Winterharvest would issue more tightly controlled research grants; they couldn't afford what looks more like a broad basic research effort.
"Do you know if anyone has published anything along those lines recently?"
"I can't say that I'm as well read in the Life Science journals these days. The Starfinders are a bit stretched thin given our recent troubles, so we've all been busy trying to pick up the pieces left behind by our lost colleagues. But, if I come across something on the infosphere back at Absalom Station, I'll be sure to forward you anything that might be of interest."
Jaeric pauses to look more closely at some of the plants in the greenhouse, making a show of appreciating their beauty and comparing them to the jungle flora on Castrovel. "I must say, Doctor...these are impressive specimens to have been grown here on Icefront. Your weather tower must have some impressive technology to tame the storms we saw on our way through the atmosphere. It seems like that would require a lot of financial backing. You must have a very sizeable grant from...Winterharvest, did you say? I'm not sure I've heard of them before. They seem aptly named, though, assuming you can establish crop yields in environments with this level of wintry climate."
"Can you give me more specifics about your research here? What do you hope to find?""
"Certainly," Jaeric offers, "Our team visited the Athaeum recently...a migratory museum of collected knowledge...very hard to get there or gain access to their archives. But our reason for going there involved an artifact we were researching, curious as to its origins. It turned out they had a memory maze there. And, once we reviewed the recording, we learned that there was once an alien civilization in a different star system which owned this artifact. But they left their homeworld quite some time ago. The recording showed a trajectory of migration that pointed us here...towards Icefront. So, we came here in the hopes that we could learn more about them...either thru their descendants or any ruins and other artifacts they may have left behind."
"Do you expect to stay long?""
"As for our stay, I'm uncertain, he explains, "It depends on how swiftly we're able to locate any signs of their presence here, and what we're able to learn from them. That's where we were hoping you could be of assistance. You say you've been tied down here with your work at the habitat, but I would imagine your companions...Spinjack and Farvenzi, was it?...may have scouted the surrounding terrain well enough to know if there's any intriguing locations we should explore."
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"Why don't you take advantage of our lounge for the afternoon? We can see how your ship progresses before making more definite plans. I'll see if I can get Farvenzi to be a little more open."
major niche in the prescription drug market.
...
Dr. Monsylkis considers your mission. "The natives have rudimentary intelligence; they are quite simple. They have no technology worth discussing, no monuments of great size, just the rudiments of civilization. It seems unlikely that they are descended from a spacefaring race."
The tour wends through some labs, housing habitats for animal
research. The labs are spacious, clean, and well equipped. Each desk has a sleek computer terminal.
From the labs you move on to the staff housing. The ryphorians’ shelters are modest but cozy, many decorated with personal treasures. Instead of name plates by the doors to quarters, the inhabitant's diplomas are displayed. Several of these ryphorians have advanced degrees from elite universities. The clothing, furnishings, personal devices of both the ryphorians and the guards are expensive. The pay here must be nice.
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Dr. Monsylkis considers your mission. "The natives have rudimentary intelligence; they are quite simple. They have no technology worth discussing, no monuments of great size, just the rudiments of civilization. It seems unlikely that they are descended from a spacefaring race."
"Did you say natives?" Jaeric notes, "I thought you said earlier there were no other inhabitants here? Did I get that wrong? Admittedly, we did a bit of research regarding Icefront before venturing to this system, and other than Wildharvest's claim, we found no record of anyone else on the planet..."
"And, I must say the revelation that there are others living here is of great interest to us. As xenoarchaeologists, we're able to glean so much more from the living than just the ruins of another civilization. And, even if they're not the ones who created the artifact we found, perhaps they can tell us more about any other beings who may have visited here. Can you tell us where we'd be most likely to find them? I'd like to establish first contact, if possible...or, rather second or third contact given that you must have interacted with them before. Hopefully, you're on peaceful terms, yes?"
Lorne notes the likely target of the research, but sees no reason to bring it up. Don't need to spook their hosts.
As he sees the terminals, and notes the appearance of the staff, though, he lets out a low whistle. "You guys are really well funded, aincha? How much you pay your grant writer? Cause it probably ain't enough!"
Once Monsylkis has left them alone in the lounge, Jaeric muses over what they observed during the tour of the facility. 'Weather manipulation, climatology research, genetic crop modifications...? Is all this legitimate or just a front for laying claim to the planet and something else they found here? I wonder what these so-called natives must think of the corporate presence in their midst? I suspect we'll get the truth if we can talk peacefully with them. Oh well, what was all that xeno-cultural outreach training for anyway? Guess it's time to put it to use...'
"Lorne?" he finally speaks aloud. "You think you might be able to jack one of those terminals we saw? Nothing overt. Just a simple sweep thru whatever you can learn about their network and anything they might be trying to keep away from prying eyes. Especially about those natives Doctor Monsylkis mentioned. I'm worried her security detail might try and dissuade us from making contact with them..."
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Dr. Monsylkis considers your mission. "The natives have rudimentary intelligence; they are quite simple. They have no technology worth discussing, no monuments of great size, just the rudiments of civilization. It seems unlikely that they are descended from a spacefaring race.""Did you say natives?" Jaeric notes, "I thought you said earlier there were no other inhabitants here? Did I get that wrong? Admittedly, we did a bit of research regarding Icefront before venturing to this system, and other than Wildharvest's claim, we found no record of anyone else on the planet..."
"And, I must say the revelation that there are others living here is of great interest to us. As xenoarchaeologists, we're able to glean so much more from the living than just the ruins of another civilization. And, even if they're not the ones who created the artifact we found, perhaps they can tell us more about any other beings who may have visited here. Can you tell us where we'd be most likely to find them? I'd like to establish first contact, if possible...or, rather second or third contact given that you must have interacted with them before. Hopefully, you're on peaceful terms, yes?"
"They're hardly more than animals. We mostly ignore them. They're not hostile, but Farvenzi keeps them away from the station. Again, I'll see if I can get him to be more open."
The three leaders of the station leave you in the lounge.
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On the tour:
[dice=Medicine]1d20+13
[dice=Computers]1d20+12Lorne notes the likely target of the research, but sees no reason to bring it up. Don't need to spook their hosts.
As he sees the terminals, and notes the appearance of the staff, though, he lets out a low whistle. "You guys are really well funded, aincha? How much you pay your grant writer? Cause it probably ain't enough!"
Dr. Monsylkis doesn't seem to hear the dwarf, but one of the staff does. "Yes we are well-funded. This is a plum posting." His smirk suddenly fades.
You turn around and Spinjack and Farvenzi are glaring at the ryphorian.
"We're falling behind Dr. Monsylkis and Captain Kem. Let's move along," Skipjack offers.
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Once Monsylkis has left them alone in the lounge, Jaeric muses over what they observed during the tour of the facility. 'Weather manipulation, climatology research, genetic crop modifications...? Is all this legitimate or just a front for laying claim to the planet and something else they found here? I wonder what these so-called natives must think of the corporate presence in their midst? I suspect we'll get the truth if we can talk peacefully with them. Oh well, what was all that xeno-cultural outreach training for anyway? Guess it's time to put it to use...'
"Lorne?" he finally speaks aloud. "You think you might be able to jack one of those terminals we saw? Nothing overt. Just a simple sweep thru whatever you can learn about their network and anything they might be trying to keep away from prying eyes. Especially about those natives Doctor Monsylkis mentioned. I'm worried her security detail might try and dissuade us from making contact with them..."
Never could not be more unimpressed with the digs and fancy diplomas and whatnot. "Why do we care what these eggheads think anyway? Let's just go do our job."
She looks around the room for any kind of monitoring cameras or microphones.
Spinjack returns to the room. "I'd like to help with that, but there's a difference of opinion in management. Dr. Monsylkis seems to think we need to offer you some more hospitality. Farvenzi would like to just see you leave. She's paranoid about any potential security risks."
"I agree we should go pay the natives a visit. Do we know the name they have for themselves?" asks Zephyr as he interfaces with the datapad/translator integrated into his powered armor.
"Test, test..." comes through to the team in text on their datapads using a private comm channel. "Anyone good at encryption?"
"I'm ready as soon as we know how to find these natives..." Jaeric responds to Never. "We need a direction, I think, before we head out into the wilds..."
"Spinjack?" he asks, "What can you tell us about them? As my friend Zephyr here questioned. What do they call themselves? What do you know about them? Have they proven antagonistic? Where are they located?"
As he poses that series of inquiries, he glances down at his datapad's alert. And, upon seeing Zephyr's message, he nods slightly, then puts it away again, switching to his comm unit instead. "Sparky? How are things at the ship? Are the repairs coming along well enough to lock things? If so, ready the transports from the hold. We'll meet you there soon as we can..."
"Lorne?" he finally speaks aloud. "You think you might be able to jack one of those terminals we saw? Nothing overt. Just a simple sweep thru whatever you can learn about their network and anything they might be trying to keep away from prying eyes. Especially about those natives Doctor Monsylkis mentioned. I'm worried her security detail might try and dissuade us from making contact with them..."
"Sure, given some time. Not likely ta get it."
After glancing at his datapad, Lorne just laughs out loud for a second, only pointing at the pad as explanation, though he doesn't show it to anyone.
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"I agree we should go pay the natives a visit. Do we know the name they have for themselves?" asks Zephyr ...
Never gives Spinjack the People's Brow. "You're not going to keep us here against our will. Monsylkis can stuff it."
"Never crossed my mind, darlin'. Farvenzi's worried you're here to steal our IP. I agree; it'd be best to see your back sides."
To the others she says, "Are we ready to head out?"
"I'm ready as soon as we know how to find these natives..." Jaeric responds to Never. "We need a direction, I think, before we head out into the wilds..."
"Spinjack?" he asks, "What can you tell us about them? As my friend Zephyr here questioned. What do they call themselves? What do you know about them? Have they proven antagonistic? Where are they located?"
Spinjack shrugs. "We don't talk to them. We just herd them away from the station. Farvenzi thinks that's safest for everyone. After the first few months, they got the message. We're the new top predators. They mostly keep their distance now. Occasionally one blunders into our perimeter. They mostly light out before we're close enough for a firm visual. If you just head north past the climate tower, and keep going, you'll find them. They've got some kind of mud hut village, a day or two away on foot, depending on the snow. Or maybe they'll find you first. Sometimes they shadow our patrols. "
As he poses that series of inquiries, he glances down at his datapad's alert. And, upon seeing Zephyr's message, he nods slightly, then puts it away again, switching to his comm unit instead. "Sparky? How are things at the ship? Are the repairs coming along well enough to lock things? If so, ready the transports from the hold. We'll meet you there soon as we can..."
Lorne works with his data pad.
As written before, the local help seems to be honestly trying to help you out. They may not be as good as you with tech, but they're not bad, and the quality of the work is acceptable.
"...If you just head north past the climate tower, and keep going, you'll find them. They've got some kind of mud hut village, a day or two away on foot, depending on the snow. Or maybe they'll find you first. Sometimes they shadow our patrols."
"Thanks for the information." Jaeric replies in his diplomatic voice. Inwardly, however, something rubs him wrong with Spinjack referring to the security team as the 'new top predators' on Icefront. Philosophies like that always turned xeno-encounters into violent encounters at some point or another, and he's not fully convinced Spinjack or Farvenzi might not have precipitated something along those lines already...in which case, it could make the Starfinder mission all the more difficult if he had to unwind whatever damage Winterharvest could have caused in local relations.
"Alright, Starfinders. Let's get saddled up and check to the north," he directs everyone, "Sparky? We're headed your way. Pack a few meals for everyone in case this turns into a multi-rotation trip. Could be a day or two there and back according to the local intel..."
Nodding, Zephyr says, ”Right, let’s get moving. We’ve learned all we can here,” moving after the captain and back towards the ship.
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Spinjack and Farvenzi follow you on your walk back to the ship. When you reach it, Sparky and his Winter Harvest Helpers, have your vehicles and gear waiting.
Cold weather environmental suits are the main item of extra personal equipment. They're not needed while you're still inside the environmental field of the research station.
Your three vehicles, snow dragons, designed for the long harsh winters on Triaxis, look something like small, narrow bulldozers. An enclosed cab seating two people in tandem sits above the caterpillar treads that should obtain good traction in all terrains. Large removable doors and drop down windows give the cabs an open roomy feel. Coupled with 360 degree swiveling seats, you'll have great visibility. There's storage for all your equipment and up to three weeks worth of food, water, and camping gear.
When you're ready to leave, Sparky secures the ship.
You begin your journey north, kicking up dust on the wide, gravelly research station pathways. Once you pass the tower, the gravel ways decay into well worn dirt footpaths, and you no longer generate a cloud of dust because vehicles' tracks are crushing vegetation on either side of the way. Within an hour the temperature begins to drop noticeably, but not hazardously.
Close to the station, the path runs along a ridge. This affords fine views of fields, meadows and forests to either side. In the distance the landscape is smoothed and softened by white snow with more coming down. About the time you reach the edge of the station's climatic bubble, the temperature drops quickly, so does the path. It splits into two single tracks that roll down either side of the ridge into forest toward the northeast and northwest.
You nose over the embankment. It's steep. The upper slope is gravelly with stretches of crumbling sedementary rock. The lower slope is masked in snow.
The cabs are designed to self-level, but not to the same degree as the slope. The pilots have to face forward to guide their dragons. This leaves them pressed awkwardly forward into their seat harnesses.
"Seems like the station's patrols use these paths pretty frequently," Jaeric comments over the comm to all the other vehicles, "Vegetation hasn't even grown back yet. Makes me think they've had more contact with these natives than they're letting on...and it could've been violent interactions. So, we'd better be on our toes here. Coming from the station, we're going to look like we're part of their operation. So, if we want a peaceful engagement, we'll have to act fast to convince them otherwise."
Taking advantage of his special skill piloting vehicles, Zephyr takes the controls an revels in the joy of man and machine (or is that machine and machine?) as he pilots the snow dragon.