Contrasting a starlit sky background is the familiar sight of Liavaran the dreamer, the gas giant. Orbiting the huge swirling ball of gas are several moons, the most peculiar of which is Arkanen, a moon that orbits the giant in a dangerous balancing acts between regeneration and destruction. The moon leaves a trail of gas as the tidal forces of the gas giant strip it from its atmosphere, only to be replenished as it makes its yearly pass through the atmosphere.
As our camera zooms in on the moon, we see the surface, and slowly the buildings of energy companies, research stations and those who study the magic arts come into view. We then halt at one such building, labelled 'Elkrius'.
The facility is modern but quiet, with comfortable seating, large potted plants, and gray speckled tile. There's the desk of a rather friendly dirindi clerk, and nameplate on the that reads 'Otaia Nuvith'. As the members of our adventuring group trickle in, she is friendly and accmomodating: Oh, hello, we have been expecting you. Would you like something to drink while we wait?
The desk is neat and clean, but there are a few personal items that look to be personal rather than corporate. There's some pamphlet, a Strawberry Machine Cake photocard and what looks like some crumbs of animal feed, for a rabbit or mouse, perhaps?
Here's some fresh water! Our water is all 100% organic... Otaia says with the intonation of somebody who really cares about the water being organic. if you need sugar or nitrates, it's on that table over there.
She hands the water with a happy zap of electricity. To phelps, she winks with one of her three eyes and says Aah, we're an office facility, so our drinks won't be that surprising. We've got water and the PWSO-12769 standard selection of beverages: coffee, tea, everything. They're all organic though, except for the protein mush, which comes from a can.
When she sees Volitare inspect the feed, she says That's for Fiddles. He's the cutest Squox you've ever seen...
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A small robot with tracks maneuvers itself into the room, followed by a larger walking artillery platform. The smaller one raises up and verbally smiles as it greets you. "Hello. I am Lego. And this is my sib, BUDI. Are we late?"
It trundles over to the drink area and looks over the offerings. "Do you have any mineral oil?"
Mineral oil... mineral oil...
I takes a while, but the office clerk returns with a glass of 'beyond mineral oil' Fully organic!
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Today on 'this really grinds my gears', we talk about this so-called 'mineral oil'
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- Broadcast of the Aballon consumer program 'this really grinds my gears'
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A tall but rather scrawny, underfed-looking half-orc enters the lobby and looks around warily before approaching the dirindi. "I'm...Talgoth. And coffee would be...welcome, yes," he says, smiling slightly as if he's not very practiced at it--or at small talk in general.
Talgoth wears dark, slightly shabby military fatigues, with odd-colored patches where some kind of insignia has been removed. A knife is strapped to his thigh, with a garish peacebonding cord providing one of the few spots of color in his gear. He carries a battered case slung across his back that clearly holds some kind of rifle, but it, too, is very visibly secured while he is among polite company.
Once he has a beverage in hand, the twitchy half-orc finds a seat that has a clear view of the exit, and any other doors in sight. He watches the others curiously, particularly the walking cannon and the tiny Raxilite.
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"Desna's blessings on you all!" Chance waves with two of her four arms, and the other two clap with anticipation as she sees the food spread out before her. She's a Worlanisi, a slender small blue humanoid with two concentric cones sticking out of either side of her head. A blue mote shaped like a butterfly zips around her head. She smiles as she sees the tiny raxilite. "Well, hello there! It's seldom that I meet with races smaller than Worlanisi!"
Chance spreads her mote into a shield, and raises it over Voltaire's head. "There, is that better?" The worlanisi smiles, offering a hand to shake with each of her companions. "You can call me Chance! I'm a worlanisi Fortunaut, off to travel and find adventure! My goodness, the locals are friendly here! The local dirindi have all been zapping me with rather electric high-fives!"
"As for me, I'll have some Poshkettle Tea and some of those... er nuts?" Chance points at the animal feed. "Er... what are those, actually?" She almost offers a hand to Otaia, and then hesitates. "Are you going to zap me too? I'm not sure my hands will fully recover from the tingling they got today."
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Hi .... I'm Volitare ... yeah .. I think even the Kiirinta are bigger than me. And ... thank you. And yeah .. nuts .. they're for the squox ... erm .. squirrel-fox if you've never heard of them.
She watches the mote, wondering if it's going to land on her flower.It would not be the first time such a thing has happened. At least it wasn't a kiirinta this time. That had been a bit rude.
Talgoth gets a cup of dark, black coffee, and the kitchen even has some poshkettle tea
I believe we are still waiting for one more? Otaia says.
The nuts are for Fiddles, I don't think you would like them... She is silently for a moment, pondering the possibility. You are lucky, though, I do have some small packets of nuts. she says as she procures some packets labeled 'fully organic nuts'.
You do want to see a picture of fiddles? Before she gets an answers, she holds up a picture of a squox, with a snout almost pressed into a camera lens. It's slightly blurry but undeniably cute. Horrifying to plant-based life, perhaps.
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"That's adorable," Chance says. "And thank you for the nuts and the tea." Chance does not say that she's always lucky, because that would be rude. "So you're from Apostae. It sounds a bit like Preluria. Some of my people became involuntary experimental test subjects for the Reivolus Corporation, but then they got lucky, escaped, burned the labs down, and took over that moon and turned it into their own military base, the Vault of Vorlath."
"But I'm not from there," Chance says. "I'm from the planet Worlan, in the vast. It's like this place, only more beaches. I've entered my time of wandering as young fortunaut, and want to see as many worlds as possible. Where are the rest of you from?"
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"I am not familiar with this...'squox' you called it? Look, BUDI," Lego pulls over its drone. "Aren't they cute?" You aren't sure if BUDI actually *has* eyes but it walks at Lego's command.
Looking back at the team, Lego's voice takes on a smile. "We are from Absalom Station most recently. It has no beaches that I am aware of, but is lovely in its own way. I...don't remember anything before then."
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"Oh! Absalom Station! I was only there for a short layover because I wanted to tour Liavara and Bretheda's moons first. But I totally want to spend more time there, and even enlist in the Starfinder Society some day!" Chance looks around. "Unfortunately, other than a bit of natural athleticism and charm, I'm not very skilled. I even had to hire a hireling to help me out. Research Rat, wave to the nice people."
The bored ysoki is sitting on top of a pile of books, playing a game on his comm unit. Printed on the back of his uniform is the following advertisement. Need a hireling? Hire a Research Rat!
Unfortunately, his uniform shows more enthusiasm for the work than he does. Attention still on the game, he asks, "Is it a Computers, Engineering or Physical Science question? If not, I don't care."
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Jortek joins a bunch of heroes that he thinks have the same goal as him today, whatever that may be. What he has in mind today is to add more credits to his stick. "Jortek." he introduces proudly with the usual air of a vesk. He is wearing a reinforced EVA suit with his weapons ready for any combat that may happen. He picks up the pamphlet and reads what it is about. "So what do we have here?"
Jortek reads the pamphlet, which merely states the time and place of a rather harmless-looking gathering of environmentalists. Just as Otaia is about to open her mouth - either to explain to ask what Jortek wants to drink, there's a buzzing sound from the intercom, and Otaia rushes to her desk. Yes... ok... I'll see them in now. she answers.
Otaia escort the group into the heart of the research station, until she comes across a male sarazon pacing outside of an indoor animal habitat with glass walls. One of the panes of glass that circles the habitat is shattered, granting access to the humid, forested enclosure, although the glass shards have already been cleaned up and cleared away. Beside Dr. Tevurda is a female korasha lashunta security guard whose nametag reads “Genayvin.” The lashunta throws the group a skeptical look, but then offers them a firm (non-electric) handshake and treats them with respect.
The sarazon then starts to speak in a deliberate, almost commanding manner: “You’re here. Excellent, we’ve not a moment to lose. My name is Dr. Tevurda, head researcher and director of Elkrius. Elkrius is a research facility with a focus on preserving and studying Arkanen’s biodiversity—particularly the unique adaptations that have enabled life to thrive despite Arkanen’s atmospheric bleed and extreme electrical storms. This habitat held a pair of mistuors until late last night, when poachers attacked the facility and stole them. Mistuors are quadrupedal herbivores that went extinct due to overhunting shortly after the Gap.
We genetically re-engineered the species here and were scheduled to reintroduce the specimens into the nature preserve in the coming days—under strict observation, of course. The mistuors were fully grown adults and a viable breeding pair. They’re the first to set foot on Arkanen’s soil in centuries!
“We reported the theft, but official aid is slow in coming. That’s a delay we can’t afford. These mistuors must be saved before they’re killed or sold!” Dr. Tevurda turns, leading the way from the habitat to a security office. “The poachers didn’t bother to hide their crimes. They were quick, efficient, and took down our security forces with little effort. You can view the break-in on our security feeds.”
Genayvin has the security recordings cued up before Dr. Tevurda stops talking. The recordings show a team of six entering the building and ambushing a pair of security guards before moving to the animal habitat where they shattered the glass, causing the mistuors to panic. The poachers shot the mistuors with tranquilizers, loaded them onto carts, and hauled them out of the facility. They left in a convoy of three off-road vehicles, each equipped with a large cage.
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"Er... When you said these creatures were adapted to Arkanen's electrical storms..." Chance frowns unhappily at her just purchased Tauon Least Solarian Crystal, "does that mean that these mistuaurs might be immune to electricity? This crystal's my main source of non-lethal damage, in case we need to subdue one of the creatures without hurting them, but it's electric."
Then Chance thinks a moment, and cheers up. "I suppose I could just use my shield on poachers instead!"
"Also..." Chance thinks a moment. "...how did these poachers know these creatures were here? Have you published any papers on your work, or perhaps have a disgruntled former employee?"
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Talgoth's past didn't give him much opportunity to learn scientific or technical skills, but being observant helped him to survive on Apostae. He studies the recording for a while, then examines the enclosure and the area around it to see if there are any other clues that weren't obvious from the recording. As he moves about, he's very careful where he steps, displaying a certain natural grace that belies his rough and rumpled exterior.
Chance has a look at the security footage with Dr. Tevurda, while discussing mistuors. Volitare manages to describe them from memory, while Dr. Tevurda nods in acknowledgement:
“Mistuors are quadrupedal herbivores with metallic horns and branched antlers, that went extinct due to overhunting. They primarily
eat grass, bark, and other roughage, but have a strong preference for berries and other fruit. They have antlers that absorb electrical energy from Arkanen’s atmosphere. Mistuors use this energy to enhance their bodies, granting them sudden bursts of speed or strength. When scared or angry, they emit this energy as electrical discharges channeled through their pelts.[/b]
Dr Tevurda adds: Keep them calm and try not to electrocute yourselves.
"Also..." Chance thinks a moment. "...how did these poachers know these creatures were here? Have you published any papers on your work, or perhaps have a disgruntled former employee?"
Genayvin nods and points out a blue-skinned indivudal, which Phelps and Talgoth recognise as a dirindi. “Darvis Olem. They’re a scientist we fired a few weeks ago. Escorted them from the premises myself. Caught them trying to smuggle data and genetic samples out of the building. Olem’s a thief, plain and simple. I warned Dr. Tevurda they might try to escalate things.”
At that, Dr. Tevurda shifts uncomfortably. “Bad publicity can ruin research facilities as easily as they can ruin corporations. Better to handle these things quietly, when possible. I didn’t think Darvis would resort to something this bold. They were a friend, once. Clearly I underestimated their anger. They were… less than pleased when their employment was terminated. Darvis is cunning and an excellent hunter. Don’t underestimate them.”
Research Rat sighs, puts down his game, and attempts to aid Lego. "Here, let me adjust that for you."
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The tiny raxilite notices the poachers neutralized both the mistuors and security guards with sedatives. This suggests the poachers intend to keep the mistuors alive, rather than dead.
Lego checks the logs and find that the poachers used an employee keycard to enter the building without triggering an alarm. This keycard was used again at the mistuor habitat but lacked high enough clearance to unlock the door.
Research Rat (tm) finds that the keycard was registered to Darvis Olem, a dirindi recently fired for “attempted theft of proprietary data and genetic material.” Darvis’s personal file indicates they were a scientist on the mistuor repopulation project. Their security clearance was revoked upon termination, but a programming error prevented their
employee card from being deactivated completely. This error appears accidental.
I think we know enough, Dr Tevurda says, and escorts the group to the front of the building. He hands the group a small rectangular box with a metal antenna sticking out This is a tracking device, that is attuned to the tracking collars that each of the mistuors wore. The thieves removed the collars, but what they likely don't know is that we injected the mistuors recently with a subdermal implant, as a fallback.
He points to two exploration buggies, each towing an animal trailer You can use these buggies to track down the thieves. I can offer you 240 credits as compensation for your efforts, and my eternal gratitude if you return my life's work.
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As is customary when tracking down genetically recreated monsters, it's raining outside, and the sound of thunder is clearly audible in the distance. It is mid-afternoon, and the sun will set in a few hours.
The tracker point in a direction of a faint muddy road, that soon transition into no road at all. The trackless woods turn out to be challenging to navigate.
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As the group prepares to head out, Talgoth removes the peacebonding from his knife and rifle case, and inspects the blade and gun carefully to make sure they will be ready when needed. The knife seems normal enough, but the hunting rifle's barrel is covered in ominous, shadowy runes. Both weapons are in far better condition than his other gear. Finally, Talgoth pulls out some tools to help the group navigate through the trackless forest and the downpour.
Volitare takes the lead on navogation, even though Talgoth seems to have the better pointers - today. Lego and Chance manage to give helpful directions beyond 'I think we should go here'. Altogether the group manage to stay on trail without losing too much time.
The forest is getting quite mushy at this stage, and its proving to be quite challenging not to get stuck.
While traveling through the forest, there are ample opportunities to spot interesting things about the forest.
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"Are you sure I can't just use Athletics to push our vehicles out of the muck?" Chance asks. Not being very educated in either driving or in biology, Chance attempts to aid the driver by just cleaning muck out of the wheels.
At first, Chance's finger gets stuck in the wheel well, but then she remembers when a dune buggy get caught on the beach back home, and she readjusts her approach!
The first time each day that a worlanisi rolls a natural 1 on a d20 roll, they treat it as a natural 20 instead.
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Phelps and Voltaire also point out bumps in the road.
Lego positively planks it through the mucky soil, and the great pointers of nearly everyone (except for Volitare, who is too focused on the local flora) it starting to feel more like a race rally than a careful expedition. It sure beats freeing a stuck vehicles from the mud. It's tiresome and ruins your clothes - great to have avoided that!
Volitare's preoccupation with the forest pays off. Remember those fruits the mistuors prefer as their food? She spots a tree carrying those. They're called akren apples, and there's three juicy ripe specimens ready to be picked in all their juicy juicy goodness. These apples actually do keep the doctor away, having healing properties on their own.
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The group is hot on the trail of the poachers, which is evidenced by the fact that some tress have been cut down, probably to hamper and slow down any pursuit group. So far, it's proving effective.
Just beyond the trees you can spot a camp. From this point, it's clear there's multiple buildings, with some external lights already turned on because of the sun nearly setting (and the awful, awful weather).