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Rushed into boarding a Society starship, there was no time for a formal briefing from any of the Society leadership. Even after a few days en route, there's been no official word of where you're going or what your mission is. All you can determine from the preprogrammed Drift course is that the destination is an inhabited but previously unvisited Near Space world named Pholskar.
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"Just checkin' ta make sure this is the right place."
Grump Gunderson is an asteroid miner by trade, but the Gunderson Mining Corporation is big enough that he can just focus on it part-time, spending time working with the Starfinders when he's not there.
He's currently wearing a new set of Iridishell heavy armor, painted bright yellow with black stripes with a number of corporate logos affixed in prominent places.
Weapon-wise, he prefers mining equipment - he has a paramagnetic storm hammer strapped across his back & a driver seismic pick leans against the table where he's seated.
He usually chews on an unlit cigar when he's working.
"The blasted thing won't stay lit in a vacuum."
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"This isn't one of those Zo!'s Surprise Celebrity Survivals is it? I mean, I think I could do ok, but after that one guy got dysentery, it's just not as entertaining if you're the person who is having to survive by surprise," Azara says.
He is, in fact, famous. At least amongst Castrovellian Epic Poetry fans.
But he is also a Starfinder and is equipped as one. Though he's not wearing them at the moment, there is a suit of Carbon Skin armor, a tactical shield and a set of complex goggles in his room. A purple stone slowly orbits his head like a planet around the tiny star hovering between his antennae that is his stellar mote.
He does wear a gunbelt with a pistol in it. Given how shiny both the holster and the pilot handcoil it contains are, it's likely the gun has never yet been fired in anger.
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Gunnz lounges in the pilots chair.
She, for she most definitely is a she, sits in a relaxed position wearing a "SMC #1 fan" t-shirt.
When not on the flight deck she can normally be found by listening for overly loud syntho-pop music. Sometimes this is in her cabin, but often she can be found in the fitness center working on her dance moves.
"Oh I do hope it is!" gushes Gunnz when Azara brings up the possibility of it being a Zo! special. "I just got back from performing in one. It was totally DRIFT!"
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Azzirm walks into the bridge area after a small stint in engineering.
"Well....all the tell-tales on the drive looks good. We should still be good to travel in the drift with this engine for a while more. I always get worried about some of these older ships."
Seeing the rest of the group talking about Zo!, Azzirm smiles, "I wouldn't want to be in any of their shows....but they are fun to watch. Have you seen that one Survival Cooking shows? Cooking with....oh what was that vesk's name? Man, eating what you kill...and some of those things that he kills I wouldn't want to be anywhere near my dinner plate.
I think some of those critters Zo! picks just to get the gross out factor."
Zir grabs from the mini-fridge near the engineering station a orange Fargot soda, pops the tab, and takes a drink.
[b]"Ahh....as much as I hate Julzakama's hygiene issues....he certainly does pick a good soda."
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Azara grows quiet when others grow ebullient over Zo! It has been a long time and things have worked out for him since, but the lashunta will never forget embarrassing himself with a poor performance in front of the megacelebrity early in his career.
"Nice to be somewhere other than murder tunnels, isn't it?" he says to Zir, referencing their last mission together and trying to change the subject.
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After a week’s travel through the Drift, a pre-recorded message arrives from Venture-Captain Naiaj. “Apologies for dispatching you without a briefing. As you’ve probably gathered, you’re headed to Pholskar, a Near Space planet inhabited by giants. Pholskar’s government, the Cloud Imperium, has tight restrictions on off-world visitation, so there’s little we know about Pholskar that’s been verified by anyone outside the Imperium.
“It’s been a longtime ambition of Ehu Hadif’s to visit. Now that he’s First Seeker, he has the clout to negotiate with the Cloud Imperium’s convoluted bureaucracy. He actually managed it— we’ve been granted permission to explore one of Pholskar’s ruins normally restricted to all but the Cloud Imperium’s archaeologists. It should be obvious how great of an honor this is. He’s asked me to collect a team of accomplished agents to go in his stead. That’s where you come in.
“The ruins are Talgradur, a flying city that crashed into the Ithillian Sea centuries ago. Most of the ruins are underwater, but the site they’ve granted you access to is on the fringes of Talgradur, along the coast. Since this isn’t one of the main ruins, I suspect it’s a test to determine the Society’s skill and trustworthiness. I expect you to do the Society proud.
“You have an appointment with Elthel in the flying city of Anduwar. She’s the bureaucrat assigned to your case. A cloud giant, I believe. Your case was recently transferred to her, so we’ve yet to communicate directly. Make a good impression so she doesn’t cancel the expedition, then travel overland to Talgradur. When you’re done at the site report to Elthel, then return to Absalom Station. With luck, we’ll be approved for a follow-up visit soon.
“I’ve attached a digital data module along with this transmission. It contains information on Pholskar. None of the sources are particularly reliable, so it might take some digging to uncover the truth. Stay sharp.”
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The trip takes another days, during which you have time to study the additional briefing materials that Naiaj sent. However, making sense of them requires a certain level of knowledge, though they are formatted for easy access.
Computers OR Physical Science regarding the planet Pholskar
Computers OR Culture regarding Pholskar society and history
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Gunnz sulks a bit when she finds out she has to fly a drake. Still, after a little tinkers around in engineering "Just checking that the sound system has enough power to it.." even the Drake seems a little nippier than normal.
.
How she manages to fly while still playing the Complete Words of SMC at quite such a high volume is a little unclear, but fly she does. And to while away her time, she does a bit of research on her favorite band... and any future gigs they might have on Pholskar.
"Well.." she tells the rest of the crew. "The bad news is that SMC don't have any gigs scheduled for here at all."
"I mean, Pholskar is a terrestrial Near Space world with breathable atmosphere and standard gravity. So they should be able to play here. But it is very geologically active. Earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and other dangerous geological events are commonplace. That sounds more like a Zo! event than an SMC one. Did I tell you about the time I danced on stage with them? Totally Drift!."
She sighs "Pholskar’s geological events release toxic gas into the air. In stable regions the air is acrid, but not dangerous to breathe. In volatile regions, the air is dangerously caustic. Kind of like the boys locker room. Throughout most of Pholskar, the atmosphere remains mildly caustic but not deadly. Environmental protections are a necessity but need not be used constantly. Many of the planet’s inhabitants ration the use of their environmental protections judiciously, in order to ensure they remain fully operational in case of emergency."
She looks over the team. "I assume we won't be here long enough for that to be a big issue for us, or there will be recharge points available. But... who knows?"
"Pholskar’s atmosphere is cleanest at high altitudes. Thus, the planet’s major settlements are located not on the surface but flying in the sky.
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Grump tries his hand at sifting thru the data in the pair of modules.
After reviewing the first module, Grump mods, saying "Most of that matches what I read there, though you managed to tease out some extra details."
A brief glance at the second module elicits a headshake, followed by a few muttered words in his native tongue. A virtual metallic shape appears next to Grump, stating I'm Clippy - how can I help you today?
Some quick directions have the avatar speed skimming through the module's data stores.
Here's what I can tell you, Boss.
Pholskar is a planet of giants in Near Space. Although numerous types of giants live on Pholskar, the planet is ruled by the Cloud Imperium, a bureaucracy of cloud giants that live in flying cities. Off-world visitors are permitted in two locations: the flying cities of Anduwar and Elysius.
Talgradur is a flying city that was destroyed by war and crashed into the Ithillian Sea centuries ago. The site is restricted and only the Cloud Imperium has access. Talgradur is patrolled by giants and high-tech submersibles.
The Cloud Imperium’s rule isn’t uncontested. One flying city is occupied by independent storm giants, the moon is populated by unaffiliated lunar giants, and some giants living in secluded or remote regions of Pholskar’s surface are completely unaware the Cloud Imperium claims governance.
Pholskar was once ruled by a coalition of cloud and storm giants who lived in flying cities equipped with storm engines, and mechanical devices capable of creating and controlling deadly storms. A schism arose between the storm and cloud giants, sparking war. Today, the Cloud Imperium rules and occupies every flying city save one: Agrishall. Agrishall is occupied by storm giants and the only sky-city with an operational storm engine.
Unlike the flying cities of today, Talgradur was occupied by a variety of giants. Historians believe Talgradur’s destruction coincides with the beginning of open warfare between the cloud and storm giants, and the mass malfunctioning (or possibly destruction) of the storm engines. Agrishall’s storm engine was repaired 50 years ago.
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Azara's always been under the impression that, the louder and faster music was the faster and better a pilot flew, so he assumes Gunnz is very good.
He does got to a more quiet part of the ship to try to decipher the information given to them, though.
It doesn't help and he doesn't even find the information Gunnz does, let alone what Grump comes up with.
He hides his disappointment in not being able to help by nodding sagely as he takes in the information.
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[ooc]Why roll....we have all the nerds we need in this party![/occ]
Wiping his hands on an rag, and coming back from the engineering he hears the last of the message.
(Azzirm could have sworn he heard something out of place on the jumped up engines.....crazy that the Society allowed Goblins and Skittermanders to 'juice the engines'...but no matter).
"The engines seem to be doing decent with that last 'upgrade' you requisitioned Gunnz. Maybe next time we shouldn't do it to a Drake though. Those engines are....testy. I think we got lucky though, that cute red skittermander seemed to actually know what she was doing."
Coming at the end of the message brief, and the group discussing this, Azzirm grasps at one thing that Naiaj said, "Elthel. Name almost is like my grandmarm...or who I thought was my great grandmarm....Ethel. Great old piece of leather, trained me right to hate Drow. I might like this Elthel...."
Chuckling about peoples worry about their environmentals Zir motions to the cargo hold, "With that beefed up as it is....I have almost 3 weeks of fresh air, and 2 weeks of full protection 24/7. Benefits of building your own, and knowing all the micro welds and seams are sealed right."
With that, he smiles, "So...an actual archaeological mission from the Society....you would think these would be common, but I haven't really been on one, a couple that were close, but nothing like this...can't wait."
"Storm engines....makes me wonder that term is for what keeps at least one city aloft...or if it is a term for some kind of offensive 'storm' that this engine produces. This probably isn't a question we should ask Elthel though. But if we do get to look at something like this....I can't wait to see what I can figure out."
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All the nerds do indeed figure out everything they can about their destination. Even Azara discovers one thing not mentioned in any of the other data sources. He finds that Pholskar’s diameter, mass, and gravity are all Golarian standard, that 1 local day equals 4 standard days, and it takes 4 standard years for the planet to orbit its sun.
As your souped-up Drake exits the Drift into Pholskar’s atmosphere with the ever-capable Gunnz rockin’ away at the helm, you’re plunged straight into the midst of a volcanic eruption! Ash, rocks, glass shards and smoke obscure your vision and sensors, clog the scanners, and get into every nook and cranny of the poor Drake’s instruments and engine. Blaring alarms and flashing lights draw the rest of the team to their stations as a dense black smoke engulfs the starship.
Your Primary concern is keeping the engines running!
But you also need to:
Try to spot a way out of the ash cloud,
OR
Try to flush the Drake’s systems of contaminants,
OR
Get down there and manually clean the grit and fused glass from the engines.
In case you’re curious, this is absolutely one of the most dangerous - though also rarest - hazards in aviation. Volcanic ash exposed to the heat of a turbojet engine fuses itself into molten glass that then sticks to the inside of this precision devise spinning at multiple thousands of revolutions per minute.. The engine flames out and may or may not restart. Ash and grit blast the windscreens making visual landings difficult if not impossible. The grit can get into the antennae and interfere with the navigation and landing instruments. It gets into the ventilation system and enters the cabin with a sulfurous stench that can make passengers ill.
Check out the incredible story of British Airways Flight 009 if you want more details.
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Azara quickly and easily clears the accumulating grit from the intakes, reaching out through an access panel with a long japridium pole. As the grit breaks free and passes through the engine, the exhaust glows and flares in bright flashes of reds and oranges.
Your Primary concern now is only to keeping the engines running!
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"See I knew it...those Drake engines...they have issues with running 125% efficiency. Even with space goblin 'pseudo-science' and skitter-tape these things are fickle!"
Zir runs back to the engine room...ready to do some miracle work on the overly stressed engines.......meanwhile hoping that the ships shields...and heat ablation can survive superheated ash....
Getting to the engines, he takes out his gorillion tape, some Zo! chewing gum, and a hello pathra bandaid.....and hopes that this will be enough to work that miracle....
Muttering to himself...."I hear they call this Mac-guyering things...."
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Azzirm patches up the engines with a smiley pink “Hello Pahtra” bandaid (and other less important tools), and she keeps “purring” right along.
The Drake flies through the volatile debris launched into the air by the volcano, causing countless minor collisions. It might be time for a certain someone to stop pouting and make sure the ship stays steady and doesn’t get blasted and damaged too much.
But you also need to:
Try to plot the safest route through the debris,
OR
Quickly divert power to the ship’s forward shields,
OR
Get into the gun pods and try shooting the bigger pieces.
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Gunnz grins, and turns the SMC soundtrack up to Eleven.
"Somone make them go Pop!" she sings out.
Unfortunately for the crew Gunnz singing voice isn't quite up to her dancing.
Still, her piloting is reasonable.
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Since Zir is already in the engineering room, he looks around, and see's a
can of 'dilithium' energy drink. Thinking for a second....he pours almost the whole can onto the engines, and takes a quick drink himself....
Over the internal comms, in a weird dwarvish brogue you hear Azzirms voice, "Capt'n, I'm giving her all shes got!"
He then hiccups.
And back into his normal voice, "Yeah...these energy drinks....not good for you...."
The hiccups continue though.....
As Azzirm looks over to the engines...the "Hello Pathra" bandaid looks non-plussed....or maybe irritated. with no mouth, it is kinda hard to tell.
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"Rocks do not belong in sky
Pilot must adjust
Poetry is no answer."
Halfway through trying the solution, Azara realizes his professional abilities are not going to help in this situation.
Instead, he pulls up a gunner's station on one of the consoles and tries to forcibly break up some of the larger debris.
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Azara’s poetry falls on deaf ears, or maybe it’s just that Gunnz has the Space-Pop turned up so loud no one can hear it. Either way, both he and Grump blast a path through the rocks and Gunnz makes the Drake do exactly what she wants, flying easily and cleanly through the debris. Meanwhile, Azzirm’s strange accent seems to make him a better Engineer, able to deliver results in less than half the promised time.
Suddenly, a sheet of red-hot lava spews from an undetected crater! Hurry up and rebalance those shields to protect the ship’s paint job hull!
But you also need to:
Boost the engines to escape the lava faster.
OR
Keep control of the ship as your traverse the changing density of the molten lava,
OR
Pray for your lives Foresee the eruption a few moments before it strikes
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Zir looks at the sensors and realizes that Gunnz is actually getting awful close to the spewing lava....and looks over to the Hello Pathra bandaid--its scolding look at him makes him realize it is either tweaking the already overstressed engines...or trying to oscillate the shields to protect the ship, and if possible shunt any excess energy to the shields. Best not touch the fickle Pathra protected engines.
Swinging to the computer console nearby, he does some quick vector and projection calculations in his head, with the computer helpfully checking and modifying, then his fingers fly across the keyboard. Moving shields just right to get it into the the incoming vectors of the projectiles...and seeing if he can coax any more energy from the engines....
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Grump manages to notice the lava with his eyes moments before his spidey-sense tingles uselessly.
The pounding music seems to energize the Pahtra bandaid and between Azzirm and Gunnz, the SFSS Whale slips right past the lava flows without so much as a scratch.
As you escape the dense black clouds, massive boulders of cooling lava now fall from the sky around your ship. Let’s hope Gunnz is as good as she thinks she is one more time!
But you also need to:
Spot incoming boulders and call them out to your Pilot.
OR
Manually adjust the thrusters to aid maneuverability,
OR
Get back into the gun pods and blast the boulders into smaller chunks
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The drake is sluggish at the controls, and even SMC doesn't seem to help that much. Sweat pours down Gunnz face, soaking her #1 SMC fan t-shirt, which appears to be just about her only garment.
"I hope those shields are fully charged..."
And then breaks into song.
"At least the Drake is Anti-fragile"
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"They are charged....Gunnz...please tell me you are not going to charge straight through this lava 'avalanche'...are you???"
Azzirm goes to work quickly on the computers again....putting likely trajectories of falling lava globs onto Gunnz HUD.
Meanwhile the "Hello Pathra" bandaid, which is starting to dry from the heat of the over stressed engines seems to slightly start to peel off. It makes it look almost like a little kitten dangling off the cushions of the couch, claws the only thing keeping them from falling into the abyss. Azzirm hopes that this mental image isn't a harbinger of doom.
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Grump and Azzirm work “masterfully” together to call out the threats, and Gunnz lives up to her well-deserved reputation as one of the hottest pilots in the Society. Easily avoiding the falling rocks, she brings the Whale ouf of the Danger Zone and into sight of the cloud giant city of Anduwar.
Anduwar is a flying city with architecture that’s a fusion of ancient and modern, featuring sleek glass skyscrapers, white stone pillars, glimmering domes, extravagant gardens, and plentiful statuary. The city is almost entirely populated by cloud giants and, barring a shopping district sized for Medium and smaller creatures, everything is sized for beings around 30 feet tall.
After a perfectly smooth landing, you get yourselves ready to disembark and are then quickly escorted through a domed government building with white marble floors and plentiful windows, into a meeting room with a dozen cushioned chairs arrayed around a long table. Sized for cloud giants, the seats of the chairs are 10 feet above the ground and 8 feet wide, while the table’s top is 13 feet above the ground. On the table is a jug of water (4 feet tall) and 12 glasses (each 2 feet tall). Even Azzirm in his big combat armor looks and feels comically small in this room and for some, even climbing up into a chair is a challenging feat of athletics.
A few minutes after your arrival, having given you time to get situated, an aged female cloud giant arrives with two intimidating cloud giant bodyguards. She sits at the head of the table, crossing her legs as she reviews documents on a datapad and periodically glances at you.
Apparently finished, she looks up from her datapad with an unimpressed quirk of her eyebrow. “My name is Elthel. You’re here on behalf of Ehu Hadif of the Starfinder Society, correct?” She nods, waves her guards away, then offers a strained smile. “Congratulations, you’ve been granted authorization to visit site 728G, a portion of the sunken sky-city Talgradur. This is an honor rarely bestowed to those outside the Cloud Imperium and granted to an off-worlder only once in Pholskar’s history. I’m not sure what Mr. Hadif has done to earn this opportunity, but it seems my colleagues have deemed him fit to visit. You, however...”
She crosses her arms as her smile drops. “I’m too old to waste time, so I’ll be frank. The required documents for transference of Mr. Hadif’s visitation rights to yourselves are in order, but your behavior and performance reflects on my own. So, tell me, who are you and why should I allow you to explore a restricted cultural site where countless giants lost their lives?”
Bluff: A PC can convince Elthel they possess knowledge or specialized training related to this mission that they don’t actually possess.
Culture: A PC can display their knowledge of Pholskar’s culture, history, or people.
Diplomacy: A PC can soothe Elthel‘s worries and assure her they’re well-suited for the mission.
Intimidate: A PC can posture to appear formidable despite their “small” stature, thereby assuring Elthel they’ll survive the expedition.
Physical Science: A PC can display their knowledge of Pholskar’s geological hazards and toxic atmosphere.
Survival: A PC can prove their ability to survive in dangerous environments.
As a result of their intense preparation for this meeting when studying the data modules on the way here, both Gunnz and Grump are able to make their cases more effectively.
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Azara uses his gravitic powers to run up the side of one of the chairs and take a seat. He dangles his legs over the edge but does not try to lean on the table.
When Elthel and her guards enter, he stands and bows.
"You are right to be wary, of course. There are far too many people who would come here only to exploit this site of ancient tragedy for either lost technology or valuable antiquities.
"We Starfinders, however, care little for either of these things, at least for our own ends. For us, what is most valuable is the knowledge of things, ensuring knowledge is not lost and finding facts that have disappeared. Each of us has been on a dozen or more missions for the Society and many of them have been to places thought lost or destroyed but whose secrets we were able to tease out.
"Give us the chance to do the same for you here," he somberly says.
Then smiles. "Just think of the tiny places we can get to that your archeologists can't."
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Azzirm pats the now dry--and slightly scorched--bandaid in appreciation as they land....maybe it was a talisman that let them get to this marvel of engineering safely.
Putting the engines in standby and then moving to his armor, he smiles. "Giants....that means this thing should be considered normal sized..."
That illusion...busted as soon as he realized that the giants in question were cloud...one of the largest of the giant race.....he might feel like a toddler in comparison...and what will his normal sized companions feel like...babes?
Getting to the amazing meeting room, Azzirm mentally marvels at the site, and then realized that he will be climbing into a 'normal' sized chair for a cloud giant.
"Yeah....guess we all feel like we are babes in size....well...." Seeing Azara run up the chair...."I gues Azara got up safely...anybody need a boost up before I pull myself into one?
Waiting patiently, Azzirm mostly stands on the seat, with his elbow leaning on the chair's arm. So when Elthel comes in he just straightens a little.
Letting Azara starth, Azzirm adds when their point is made.
" Correct Azara, we are smaller--even myself in this power armor is only the size of some of the smaller giant-kin. Elthel, as Azara stated, we can get into a likely compromised area of this sky-city. I myself am an expert on structural engineering. I will be able to keep myself and my allies safe while we explore and document all the cultural items for you and the Society."
"Let us look at this solemn site for you. We can document it, and share on what we found. If this sky-city--Talgradus--has even one-one-thousandth of what I saw just walking to this meeting room, we should have teraflops worth of data, photos and recordings for you and your colleagues to go through."
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Elthel nods in appreciation of Azara’s opening statement. ”You make a good point about being small, though as you can see just here in this room, that could also present its own complications. But I accept that you likely do know what you’re doing and have the best intentions in mind.”
"If this sky-city--Talgradus--has even one-one-thousandth of...
Azzirm makes a strong case, and Elthel seems to be inclined to agree. Until she suddenly frowns slightly when he mispronounces the name of the city. ”TalgradUR,” she corrects the General Contractor by placing emphasis on the last syllable and the “r” sound. ”I hope your note taking and recording isn’t as lazy as your pronunciation. And to correct another thing, it won’t be me reviewing the data. I’m not an archeologist; I’m a Senior Administrator in the Cultural Affairs Ministry. For reasons beyond your need to know, I have suspicions about your assignment to my office. But that’s none of your concern.”
She pours a glass of water for herself and turns her attention to the next speaker.
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Gunnz, while firmly believing that SMC is the true answer to all problems, is aware that perhaps Cloud Giants might not be of quite the same opinion.
For the meeting she is is dressed in formalwear, having forsaken her beloved "SMC #1 fan" t-shirt for once.
Arriving at the table, she does a small jump, catches the edge of the chair and flips herself up onto it.
The big scary giant lady's sour demeanor does cause her to rethink her strategy a bit.
"Umm, MS Ethel. While we might be small in size, we have a lot of skills. In fact, being small in size may allow us access to some parts of the city that have been difficult for beings of your own magnificent proportions to access." she points out.
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After being deposited in the meeting room, Grump takes in the overall size of the furnishings. "I suppose this is how the shorter folk feel all the time, except when they're at home. Puts a different perspective on things, I suppose."
He thanks Azziz for the offer of a hand-up, but declines, tapping the gold falcons on his boots instead. There's a brief, subliminal pulse as gravity realigned near the dwarf who then walks up the side of the enormous chair. Once he's at the level of the seat & noting that he can barely see over the lip of the table, he opts to remain standing in the seat.
Once Elthel arrives & deals quickly with the pleasantries, Grump adds his duo-deci-credit insights to the conversation.
"I'm happy to hear that we won't be wasting time when we could be accomplishing things for everyone involved.
"Our briefing on your world lends credence to our understanding that the environment where the site is located isn't the safest of places. Active vulcanism, quakes, toxic atmosphere - all are threats to our mission. Threats that we're trained to handle. We're ready to explore Site 728G. We'll conduct ourselves well, showing the honor to the fallen city that it is due.
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Having heard what she needed from the others, Elthel listens to the dwarf talk about the hazards en route. ”Yes, well, I doubt you’ve encountered anything quite like Pholskar, Mr. Gunderson. Though I’m sure you’ll try your best.”
Elthel considers what you’ve told her and mutters something under her breath as she looks off to the side. With a decisive nod, she addresses you once more.
”Your mission to Talgradur is approved. Please don’t let me regret this. In order to better prepare you, let me brief you on what your mission will entail going forward.
“Talgradur is a flying sky-city that crashed into the Ithillian Sea shortly after the Gap. Nearly the entire city is submerged, but some sites, like 728G, are located on the coast and visible above the waves. Your site is registered as partially flooded, so you won’t require specialized diving equipment, but environmental protections or other methods for breathing underwater are highly recommended. Our records indicate the site was once part of an engineering sector—it probably includes maintenance tunnels or a portion of the engines that kept Talgradur aloft.
“When our meeting is through, you’ll be escorted to the Chute, which will transfer you to Pholskar’s surface. From there, you’ll undertake an overland journey to Talgradur, which should take a week or two. Pholskar’s surface is volatile and the atmosphere can become toxic at a moment’s notice. I highly recommend you ration the use of your environmental protections carefully, so they remain charged in case of emergency. Keep in mind you need not only reach and explore Talgradur, but also return to Anduwar through the Chute. I expect a detailed briefing upon your return. You’re approved for an archaeological exploration of site 728G and all items and information acquired during your exploration remain property of the Cloud Imperium. Attempts to withhold information or objects uncovered at Talgradur will result in severe legal repercussions for yourself, Mr. Ehu Hadif, and the Starfinder Society. Whatever you may be in the greater galaxy, while on Pholskar you’re scholars, not thieves.
“I’m transferring a copy of the documents you’ll require to your comm units. You’ll need to show these to the guards at Talgradur to gain access to the site. You’ll also receive a contract and waiver, which must be signed by each of you and returned before your departure. They are not optional. Any questions?”
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Elthel smiles at the tiny but gutsy human woman. "It's a standard governmental exploration contract. And, yes, I do expect that you'll read it first. The Cloud Imperium is not a 'dodgy ass' organization."
As Gunnz examines the contract, she finds that it is indeed a standard exploration contract, specifying the site that the Starfinders are approved to explore and the route they’re cleared to take. It also requires signatories to agree not to intentionally damage the site, and explicitly states anything they find belongs to the Cloud Imperium. The waiver further absolves the Cloud Imperium of fault in the event of the death, dismemberment, or disintegration of signatories while on Pholskar.
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"Is disintegration a common ailment for explorers?" she asks with a smile.
More than happy to sign a reasonable contract she writes with a perhaps unnecessary flourish to her signature.
"There done. Can I ask the reason for this proscribed route? And why we can't just fly down? And what is... 'The Chute?'"
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"Is disintegration a common ailment for explorers?" she asks with a smile.
”I wouldn’t think so either, but apparently enough so that the Imperium lawyers felt it necessary to add it,” Elthel replies to the spunky little pilot.
"There done. Can I ask the reason for this proscribed route? And why we can't just fly down? And what is... 'The Chute?'"
“To answer your last question first, the Chute is a magical doorway between the flying cities and the surface. We built dozens of them across Pholskar’s surface. Each sky-city has a similar doorway that functions as a key to the others. It has a technical name,” she gives a dismissive wave of her enormous hand, ”but most call it the ‘chute.’ The chute automatically syncs with the nearest doorway on the surface. When someone wants to leave a flying city, they simply walk through the chute and exit at the nearest doorway. They work in reverse, as well. If you’re on the ground and you want to reach Anduwar, you simply walk through one of the doorways when Anduwar is the closest flying city to your location. It’s similar to a portal network and enables people to come and go without the city having to stop or land.”
“As to why you cannot just fly down or fly straight to Talgradur - quite simply because we don’t yet trust you. You’re visiting a restricted site of extreme cultural significance. If you flew, what’s to stop you from absconding with the objects you are to acquire in Talgradur? What guarantee do I have that you’ll return and to report your findings? None. So no, you will not fly. Your starship will remain here until your exploration is complete. Mr. Hadif was made aware of this condition; I take it he did not inform you.”
She flips back through her datapad documents, sighs and addresses Gunnz, whom she seems to have taken a liking to. “Well, at least he was supposed to have been made aware. I’m beginning to suspect that whoever approved your expedition before it was transferred to me meant for you to sabotage my career. They expect you to fail spectacularly, forcing me into early retirement. I’d rather you excel so I can rub their noses in it. To that end, here are requisition chits for some equipment that mayhelp you.”
She transfers two digital pre-filled forms to you. ”On your way out, if you want either or both of these, the guards can take you to the appropriate office to pick them up.” The forms allow you to receive a filtered rebreather and an infiltration assistant.
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"So..." says Gunnz, just checking.
"The gateways on the ground take us to the nearest of the flying cities... So once we do our exploration, we hope that Anduwar is still the closest city? Or is there a way to ensure our destination is not... subverted?"
She sighs. "I hate to ask, but if someone is trying to use us to get to you, having the city float out of range, or another city get slightly closer would seem to be a great way to do that."
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"So..." says Gunnz, just checking.
"The gateways on the ground take us to the nearest of the flying cities... So once we do our exploration, we hope that Anduwar is still the closest city? Or is there a way to ensure our destination is not... subverted?"
She sighs. "I hate to ask, but if someone is trying to use us to get to you, having the city float out of range, or another city get slightly closer would seem to be a great way to do that."
”A good point, but one that you needn’t worry about. When you are finished at the site, you’ll need to check in with the guards. They can determine which chute is closest to Anduwar at that time. If that one is too far away or otherwise inaccessible, they can arrange transport to it for you.”
With no further questions from the tiny little Starfinders, Elthel recalls her guards who escort you to pick up your new equipment and then on to the Chute.
The Chute appears simply as a single room with a single door. Your escort detail tells you that you must enter the room, shut the door, wait only a few seconds for transport, and then step out onto Pholskar’s surface through the same door. But on that side, it will appear as an ancient freestanding door on a small dais. (Well, small by giant standards, of course.)
A rustic outpost surrounds the doorway, where you can resupply and make purchases if you feel the need. The outpost additionally sells mounts and vehicles, although the only options available in your size are juvenile upondos (shaggy herbivores) or garishly painted motorcycles intended for cloud giant toddlers. Each of you may rent one of these transports using credits provided by Venture- Captain Naiaj to speed overland travel. Or you may, of course, choose to walk or use any alternative modes of transport you possess.
The air is mildly caustic—anyone that doesn’t use their environmental protections or have life bubble cast on them soon has a sore throat and itchy eyes.