Welcome to the Brass Clutch! Please introduce yourselves while waiting for your host to arrive to brief you.
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A korasha lashunta lounges in a chair with a data pad while he waits. He is speaking quietly to himself or, more accurately, to the pad, apparently editing some document by voice.
Dressed in the bright gold of an Ysoki refractor suit (but sized and shaped for him) and bearing a tactical shield, he seems under armed, with only a laser pistol on his hip.
The tiny spark of stellar energy floating between his antennae suggests why he might not have bothered with any other weapons.
The mote is almost the same golden color as his suit and only a bit darker than his hair.
But, really, is there any need to describe Azara Thenason? Is there anyone in the Pact Worlds who doesn't know and can't recognize on sight the famous Castrovellian Epic Poet?
Of course not. He'll gladly offer to sign autographs for everyone who enters.
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A winged shirren wanders about the ship inspecting various things they find interest in. Bugface is currently wearing a lashunta tempweave and isn't carrying any weapons, though their left arm is clearly mechanical.
"Are you Azara Thenason? You are aren't you! Bugface loves your poems! Will you take a picture with Bugface?"
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Azara looks up in surprise at the shirren. Then he flashes it a shy-but-not-quite-shy-enough smile that suggests (but only suggests) humility.
"I am, yes. Of course! Of course! I always have time for my fans. You know, there's so much chaos and violence in our line of work, I mean, this line of work," he waves his hand vaguely to indicate the ship and, by extension being a starfinder, "that it's so nice to be able to really bond with our fellow Starfinders over something great like poetry."
By the pause he takes it seems likely he was going to put "my" between the words "like" and "poetry" in that last sentence.
He leans in his hand hovering over its back but not quite touching it in a motion that is well practiced as the picture is taken.
"With Azara and Bugface
Doing their duty
This mission will be a breeze"
He casually tosses out a stanza of poetry before quickly recording it on his data pad. "Needs a little work, but not bad...not bad indeed."
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Oddman is sitting on a chair in the corner, partially hidden in the shadows - nobody can quite remember if he was already there when they arrived, or if he came in silently without anyone noticing. If addressed, he answers his name, but otherwise just grunts or nods. He looks like just any other kasatha.
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A halfling smartly dressed in what appears to be Azlanti noble attire strides into the room, his attention on his wireless earpiece. "I told you, if the Nakondis investment paid off then this should be a no brainer. Now I'm going on a side gig, so I'll be off grid for a spell. If the next thing I hear from you is anything but 'You were right boss, here's the fifteen thousand shares you wanted,' then you're coming on my next trip as a human shield, kapeesh?"
He hangs up and glances down at his distinctive armor. "Flashy, but not up to snuff anymore. Might be time for an upgrade." He starts swiping through models of armor on his comm unit.
Radaszam, the leader of the Acquisitives faction, parts his scaly lips to reveal an exceedingly sharp-toothed, uncharacteristically childlike grin of glee. “You’re here!” the vesk exclaims, making gesturing motions toward the empty officers’ chairs in front of him. “I can’t believe we’re about to land on Daimalko. Can you imagine? Colossi everywhere! Terrible things—with tongues and teeth and gun turrets for heads, capable of destroying entire city blocks with one swipe of their horrific claws. This is going to be great!”
The mercenary leader takes a deep breath, clearly calming the excitement that’s gotten the better of him. He closes his eyes, and when they reopen, the steely demeanor of a veteran Starfinder Society faction leader returns.
“As exciting as this mission is,” Radaszam intones, “I realize I’ve provided scant details so far. You may be wondering whether you’ve walked into what may sound like a suicide mission. And I realize that seeking out a murderous Daimalkan colossus, retrieving relics rattling around in its guts, and escaping alive and unharmed might seem like a fool’s errand. I assure you, it’s not. I’ve taken every precaution for our success. And it’s vital that we undertake this task, both to reclaim the Society’s property and to secure its future against those who would see us destroyed. I’ll explain more.
“Less than a week ago, three powerful and mysterious hybrid items were stolen straight from the Safe in Lorespire Complex, without anyone from the Society so much as noticing. These relics were more mysterious than any the Society has recently recovered. What’s more, if they fall into the wrong hands, they could pose a real threat.
“Worse, the Society didn’t discover the theft until the Aspis Consortium contacted us with some troubling news. Their agents had intended to purchase the items from the mercenaries who stole them from us. They met the mercenaries on Daimalko for this purpose, but a tekenki—a tech colossus, one of the gun-headed ones—rolled up. It rampaged, killing and consuming everyone except a single Aspis survivor, including the mercenaries with the relics.
“Now, you might think that this would be a total loss, but our research indicates a silver lining. Tekenkis are technological constructs, meaning they’ve got no stomach acid to break down the things they consume. Our preliminary research indicates that it’s entirely possible to access the interior of a tekenki, meaning it’s also entirely possible to retrieve the relics and escape. Maybe even more importantly, we may get some clue about who attacked the Lorespire Complex and stole these relics in the first place. So that’s the plan here—we’re going into the belly of the beast!”
Radaszam’s beady eyes start to gleam and his throaty voice becomes louder and louder. After another deep breath, his steely composure returns.
“I’ve researched this plan to Aucturn and back,” he says, “and I’m confident it will work. I’ve already reached out to New Valor, our destination on Daimalko. Their guardians—think like mayors, but more protecting people from giant monsters—have assured me that our ship is welcome and our mission is sanctioned, as long as we don’t draw the colossus toward town. They’re used to off-worlders landing in New Valor looking for some extreme hunting action. They say we’re more responsible than most, so we won’t face any hostilities from the locals.”
As serious as he’s been this entire time, Radaszam clenches his jaw and nods gravely.
“Of all the Society’s agents,” he says, “I believe that you together - including one agent who will be joining us on site - have the best chance of pulling this heist off. It’s a daunting task we ask, I realize. What questions can I answer before we touch down on Daimalko?”
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"A gun...headed...colossus?" Azara asks hesitantly. He didn't realize mechanical ones existed, let alone that they would have guns for heads.
"I assume they have some other process for digesting things...otherwise, they would eventually run out of space for consuming stuff. Any idea what we're going to face inside? Also...how do we get inside? Does it have access panels or somethign or are we cutting or blowing our way inside?"
Radaszam averts his eyes for just a moment before answering. “Well,” he drawls. “That’s one of the… problems? Opportunities? Call it a proble-tunity. A tekenki doesn’t eat, because it’s technological. But they are well known to consume people and things, so there’s got to be a way to get inside, as well as a way to get out. We’re just going to have to sweet-talk the damais into telling us. They’ve spent generations researching and hunting colossi, so they’ll know.”
The party has access to some additional information about their destination.
Daimalko is a small planet in Near Space with gravity similar to that of Absalom Station and a normal atmosphere. The planet was once home to two highly advanced civilizations, but a cataclysm 200 years ago that its people call the Awakening saw its oceans almost entirely evaporate and enormous, murderous colossi emerge from beneath the planet’s surface, rampaging and almost immediately wiping out most of the population. Descendants of survivors, mostly members of the native grayskinned damai humanoids, now live underground or in small, closely guarded colonies on the surface. The colonies’ leaders, called guardians, use mystical orbs to track the colossi and steer them away from the population centers.
The most prominent aboveground settlement on Daimalko is New Valor, whose population for generations has kept themselves safe through a combination of guidance from their mystical guardians, or leaders, and a proactive policy of hunting and chasing away or even killing nearby colossi. New Valor is particularly known for Project Valko and its fleet of colossi-hunting vehicles named accordingly. There are four valkos, which include bi- and tripedal mechs that employ the most advanced weaponry, tracking systems, and cloaking devices on the planet. The New Valorites are incredible protective of these vehicles, and only highly trained pilots are permitted to embark on colossus-hunting missions with them.
Tekenkis are quadrupedal technological constructs with integrated plasma cannons and the capability of unleashing electromagnetic pulses that can devastate tech items, including weapons. However, they are only one type of colossus that roams Daimalko slavering for the blood of masses of humanoids. Others include biological kyokors and many more colossus subspecies yet to be properly identified. Tekenkis, like all known colossi, have the ability to sense clusters of 2,000 or more intelligent creatures gathered in a single settlement out to 5 miles. Colossi are believed to be highly intelligent as well as territorial, and two colossi crossing paths would certainly lead to an earth-shattering battle of beasts.
When tekenkis prepare to fire their weapons during battle, the mechanical plating that covers their massive bodies like armor shifts, providing brief access to the beasts’ interior. These openings, however, are only large enough to accommodate creatures’ passage through the center of the beasts’ chests. Flying, jet packs, propulsion vehicles, or other methods of transportation would be necessary to breach the armor’s opening. What’s inside the bodies of tekenkis is entirely unknown.
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Dusty sighs. "From what my Daimalko associates tell me, tekenkis can be breached through a gap in the center of their chest right when preparing to fire their weapons in battle. We'll need jetpacks or some other kind of flight in order to access the opening, plus one heck of a distraction to pull its fire. Any chance the Society or the damai's can spot us that tech, Radaszam?"
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A trim looking human woman with light brown skin and dressed in gold and silver colored athletic gear casually saunters into the room. She has a small gym bag in her hand and her short black hair is still damp from a recent shower. Unconcerned that she is late, the woman casually examines the group then nods to herself before finding a place to sit down. She pulls a diamond covered comm unit and begins to tap away at it.
Still looking down she says, "Sorry, I'm late. I lost track of time. Can somebody send me a recording of the briefing? I'll catch up."
"I recently got my piloting license back. If the Exoguardians would be good enough to loan us a small tactical aircraft I could get a couple of us inside."
Radaszam grins and strikes a heroic pose in his high-backed starship chair. “Of course I am planning to help!” he roars, laughing with delight. “Do you think I’d let the opportunity to go inside a colossus pass without getting my own claws a little dirty? I’ll accompany you into New Valor and on the safari—I mean the trip!—to find the target tekenki. After that, you may be on your own. Depends on how hard it is to get into the belly of a colossus, know what I mean?”
"The locals will know more about the colossi and local conditions. Hopefully we can get something from them."
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"So we'll have to be flexible then. I guess that's why they assembled such an elite team for this job."
Looking around she notices Bugface and waves to them. "Hey! Its good to see you're still alive! Thanks for sending the mission briefing. We'll have to catch up later."
A flash of recognition crosses Moxie's face as she notices Azara sitting in the briefing room. "Hey, I recognize you! You're a writer...a poet, right? I know I've heard you recite some of work recently. I've met a few celebrities in the Starfinder Society, but they're usually musicians or cammers. Pop culture people, like myself, I guess. I think you're the first producer of fine art that I've met, though. I'd love to talk with you later. We could do lunch after this is all over."
Stepping out of the Brass Clutch reveals a bustling, haphazard scene. Just beyond the spaceport, rising all around are misshapen buildings made from chunks of iron, displaced bridge struts, and massive structural supports—blasted remnants of advanced architecture lashed together to form workable structures. Osmosis pipes snake toward flat rooftops, where lush gardens contrast with the dusty dirt pathways below. Gray-skinned humanoids, many wearing utilitarian jumpsuits, flit about, interspersed with all manner of peoples. In the distance to the north, toward the thick iron gates that separate the town from the wasteland beyond, stand four massive mechanical vehicles—bi- and tripedal robot-like units equipped with enormous guns and swords as appendages—that hulk above the skyline, seeming as if they gravely watch for threats from beyond the gates.
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"Lunch, of course. I always have time for my fans. And even more for fans who truly understand the importance of my work. Certain music certainly has its own type of importance when it comes to true culture and cammers make art, in their own way. So much of it all is just flash for the sake of entertainment with no meaning underneath, though. It's not really made to make you think or feel, Azara replies to Moxie.
Azara steps off the transport with assured grace. Any swagger he might display is disrupted as soon as he sees the giant...hunters...is the only word he can think of, in the distance and he stumbles a bit as he stares at them.
If nothing else, they are an indication of the dangers the group is going to face if they are what is necessary to deal with the colossi.
"Mechanical collosi fight"
"Mechanical behemoths"
"What place do starfinders have?"
Moxie flags down a female damai who introduces herself as Raluna Po. She is is a bubbly, zippy woman who is carrying a datapad and cheerfully, obliviously counting to herself in Daimalkan when the you stop her. She’s happy to talk with you about her job, which she takes great pride in. When you explain their mission to her, Raluna explains that the guardians only carefully track colossi that roam within 50 miles of town, though she knows that some effort is spent to catalogue colossi who operate outside that range. Since the tekenki in question may have a history roaming the wasteland outside of New Valor, she recommends combing through the settlement’s historical data of colossus activity. The easiest way to do so, Raluna says, is to check in with the gnome historian named Vedasprig in the large building next to the valkos, called Command Central, on the northern end of town.
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Now ready for action, Bugface exits the ship wearing a spellcaster's aegis that has a starheart cannon attached to the weapon slot and there's a 15-notch plasma fork hanging at their side as well.
Bugface stands looking at the colossus fighting vehicles for several seconds. {Bugface needs one of those.}
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Azara thanks Raluna for the information and gives her an autograph before she can even ask for it.
Then, he leads the way into Command Central. "Curious how this place has military undertones yet isn't entirely structured as a military."
"Not tyranny, discipline
"Working together
"To keep everyone secure."
Once inside the building he asks around for Vedasprig.
You are directed to a small office in the middle of the sprawling building. In a room filled with schematics, a female bleachling gnome sits at a desk reviewing what looks to be a fairly old document showing colossus hunting and attack sites. She does not look up as you enter the room.
“Did you know that all colossi are capable of murdering up to 1,000 people in under 30 seconds?” she says distractedly after a moment, not looking up until she makes some mark on the document she is working on. "Vedasprig Makuree, colossus historian. What can I do for you?"
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"Well, we are looking for information about a particular colossus and we've heard you are the expert we need to talk too. It ate something belonging to us and we're going to get it back. We just need a way in."
Moxie describes what she knows about the Colossus, including any pictures if there are any.
“If it only ate something of yours, rather than you, you should consider yourself lucky.” Almost as an afterthought, she adds, “Statistics show that New Valor will be annihilated in no more than 10.2 years.”
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"It reminds me of stories of olden days back on Castrovel. Of course, we don't have anything as large and fearsome as these kaijus but the number of people who died by being bitten by spiders no larger than your thumbnail was mindboggling and of course, there were the carnivore rushes where packs of predators decided small outposts were convenient snacks.
"It's all fascinating, in a morbid sort of way. But, you know, we might be able to help each other. We're trying to get inside a tekenki...a particular one, but while we're in there, we could do some research, take some notes and report back to you so you can further your research," Azara says.
Vedasprig looks up. "Every planet has a way to kill its inhabitants in a particularly gruesome manner," she answers with no more emotion in her voice than if she was telling you the temperature outside. "But if you'd rather it happened to you here, I know Daimalkan heroes in the past have had success entering the interior of a tekenki and escaping alive. The best way to do so is while the tekenki is distracted from those attempting to breach its armor."
She ponders a moment, then adds, "You should talk with Luku Gaiul. He's obsessed with far-reaching colossi and focuses on tracking colossi who roam much farther from the city. Gaiul spends most of his time in the crow’s nest at the very top of Command Central. I can alert Gaiul that you're headed his way."
After what seems like an interminable stretch of ascending stairs, the corridor widens into a circular room with transparent aluminum-paned windows on all sides. The crow’s nest offers an unparalleled view of haphazard New Valor and the blasted landscape beyond. The room itself is cluttered with half-moon desks and digital signboards, all showing a mess of electronic and holographic displays of colossi anatomy, overland maps,
travel routes, and the like.
In the center of the room is what appears to be a small fitness area, with a weight bench, a pull-up bar, and a steel-sided treadmill. Hanging from the pull-up bar by one arm is an aged but heavily muscled damai man, a long braid hanging down from his short white hair and a heavy eye patch over one eye. After heaving a pull-up and grunting with assertion, he takes a drag off the cigarette in his other hand, drops to the floor, and strides over toward his visitors.
“Yeah?” he grunts as he walks toward you. He stubs his cigarette on his leather pants and flicks it aside. “And what do you want—can’t you see I’m busy?”
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"You come highly recommended by one Vedasprig Makuree. She said that there wasn't another who knew more about the far roaming colossi. I suppose we'll be making some mischief inside the creature's guts, but our reason for going in there is that it swallowed something that belonged to us and we intend on retrieving it."
As soon as the colossi tracker hears the absurd nature of your goals, his ears perk up, and he becomes less grumpy.
Gaiul immediately moves to a display showing numerous tactical maps and zooms in on the general area you describe—about 60 miles northwest of New Valor. He nods, slapping the screen. “Yep, it’s just like you say. A tekenki roams there, and a big ’un. Bet that’s the bastard that et your relics. I could show you exactly how to get there.” He points to his eye patch. “Sure as that kyokor stole my eye.”
Further, Gaiul explains that it’s very possible to breach the belly of a tekenki and retrieve something the beast has consumed. However, there is only one way to accomplish that unlikely goal: you must enter a breach in the tekenki’s armor that opens only while the creature is preparing to fire its weapons in battle. The best way to do that, Gaiul explains, is to set up a battle between the tekenki and another colossus, wait for the fight to begin, and then propel themselves through the tekenki’s open armor plates before the battle heats up.
Gaiul then explains the lifepulse beacons, which the New Valorites installed throughout the wastelands of Daimalko more than 70 years ago. The beacons simulate the existence of many intelligent creatures in one area, activating colossi’s ability to sense the masses and luring them into the waiting arms of early-generation valkos. The technique was abandoned before Gaiul was born, but the beacons still exist, and Gaiul knows of a field of triangulated beacons near the tekenki’s roaming grounds. It’s in a location known as the Dead Reef—before the Awakening, it was on the floor of the sea, but now the dangerous terrain is a desert and a prime stalking ground for colossi.
“No idea whether the beacons there still work,” the tracker says, “but I reckon you could get ’em in order again with a little attention. Sing the siren song of a mess o’ people and those colossi’ll come your way like flies to fluorescent lights.”
Gaiul states that he has an all-terrain transport vehicle outfitted with automatic weapons and cloaking devices that he uses for his own treks into the wilderness. Further, the transport vehicle is outfitted with a propulsion pod that can fit all of you. Gaiul keeps it as an emergency escape pod, but he explains that it could be used to propel you from the vehicle into the tekenki’s breached armor.
Gaiul recognizes your need to travel to the Dead Reef to rile up the tekenki and another passing colossus to battle, but he seems skeptical about whether he should escort you out there or help you with your goal at all.