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Elian drops his baton to pull a medpatch from his pocket, which he applies to Kalhoun. "If I'm our best medic, you better stop getting hurt!" he calls.
Although perhaps he shouldn't doubt himself so much. The medpatch is so perfectly applied he probably could have gotten by with an improvised tourniquet.
A loud shriek of audio feedback erupts from all communication devices across the Starfinder Society fleet and deployed teams. The feedback precedes an alert of a new threat: dozens of unknown starships are entering the Scoured Stars through the Drift!
Data screens across the fleet begin displaying a live feed of a chitinous, six-legged creature with a large mouth full of sharp teeth. Rings of glowing, unblinking eyes cover the upper and lower sides of the creature’s body, looking in every direction at once. The creature’s three-clawed forelimbs hold what looks like an alien plasma cannon, while its second set of limbs terminate in cybernetic augmentations resembling long sabers.
When the creature starts speaking, its words sound like a chaotic jumble of consonants, but soon the syllables turn into a sinister-sounding, digitalized voice speaking in the Common tongue: “We are jinsuls, and you are not welcome in our space. This is our ancestral home. You do not belong here. You will be removed.”
As soon as the ominous message ends, First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo speaks to the Society through the comm system: “According to our sensors, these creatures—jinsuls—are entering the Scoured Stars through a location near Bastiar-7. I need a group of volunteers, our best starship crews, to scout the area and keep these aggressors occupied. Meanwhile, I want everyone else to continue evacuating the survivors. Time is a luxury we don’t have, so make haste and be ready to be extracted at a moment’s notice!”
As Jadnura holds off some bluethorns to the west and Dirk tangles with a predator up close, suddenly from the north over a ridge you see a trio of armored and armed creatures appear! Crawling along the ground on six legs their purple chitin and large bulbous bodies are covered in interlocking armor. Two smaller limbs of two of them carry guns, while the third has several over its limbs’ armor ending in wicked looking blades.
The one in the lead looks to you all, to the plant beast you’re fighting, and to the injured Starfinders limping towards your ship. It speaks in a strange tongue, but it’s intent is easy enough to read: “Kill them all!”
Initiative
Valas
Aster
Dirk 0/16 SP 1/14 HP, grabbed, photon mode 3
Elian
Cal
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Valas looks at the new aliens and his shoulders visibly slump, but only for a second. He uses his armor's comm unit to send a private message to the team. (I'm trying to avoid these new aliens hearing this conversation).
"If we're having problems with this plant creature, we are in serious trouble if we have to fight it AND these new guys. Maybe this is a fight we don't have to win - or even participate in. We just need to get the Starfinders, and our team, to safety. If we move around the plant, and place it between us and these new guys, maybe we can get them to fight each other! Dirk.... hang in there. Maybe try to escape but don't attack the plant? Even if it drops you, we will drag you to safety. You have my word as a dro.... member of Millithor Arms, Incorportated."
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"If you can escape the grab, head to the south. If the creature drops you, he may go after these new 'friends' of ours."
Turning to the Starfinders (in the red and blue boxes) he says, "Pick up the pace if you can - we have team members falling to protect you! Get on that ship!"
Valas then turns towards the jinsul and shouts (in common), "You may defeat some of us, but you will never destroy our secret weapon!", as he gestures dramatically at the plant creature.
Valas waits to see if most of the team moves to the south. If they do (I know Dirk can't move unless he escapes), then Valas will double move to the "x" I put on the map to the south of the creature. Valas plans to act before Dirk, so as not to draw an opportunity attack from the plant creature.
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A shirren in a lab coat jet packs by above you all. <Ah! Not looking good. Here!> and then shoots at you!
Darts *thwip* into Drik and the unconscious Kalhoun, seeming to inject some sort of restorative serum into them
The shirren is already receding from sight as his engine Carrie’s him further away. <Sorry so many people to help and i can’t quite control this th—>
And then he’s gone.
As this is happening Elian finally manages to throw off the bluethorn, though his shot still goes wide. Dirk has a bit more success hacking away at the plant - him being currently surrounded by it likely making it harder to miss.
Initiative
Valas
Aster
Cal
With the newcomers still far enough back, Cal encourages you against the plant grabbing Dirk and fires at it.
Aster sees what Valas is doing and tries to follow his plan. She shoots at the leading spider-thing before moving closer to the drow while still keeping near the injured.
for
With much clicking amongst themselves, the three spider-aliens - 'jinsul' their message seemed to name them - advance. The one with heavy blades charges across the ashen ground and slashes at some of the retreating Starfinders! A pair of badly hurt agents get even more badly hurt as they try to retreat.
for
Meanwhile the two other 'jinsul' advance with pistols out that crackle with sparks. One turns due east to fire at Elian, while the other takes a shot right at the bluethorn itself.
for
for
Hit - and now getting attacked from all side by quite a few bodies - the plant roars in annoyance and frustration.
Initiative
Kalhoun 0/7 SP 5/11 HP, 3/4 RP, prone
The hurt but still resiliant Kalhoun snaps back into consciousness, grabbing his wepaon and dragging himself along the ground towards the injured retreating Starfinders. Who in turn continue their careful retreat towards the shuttle.
The bluethorn - shot and stabbed multiple times and now seeing more reinforcements of a sort arriving and firing at it - snarls and lets go of Dirk, lopping off and away from its tougher-than-expected meal.
Of course these jinsul are still looking very murderous indeed!
[i]Initiative
Valas
Aster
Dirk 0/16 SP 6/14 HP, photon mode 3
Elian
Cal
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Cal sees the bluethorn leave rapidly, and in true Starfinder fashion, jogs closer to get a better view around the cliff, muttering to himself all the while
"what was that all about? .. well, good riddance to bad shrubbish I say... woah.."
He sees the horrors approaching the various wounded Starfinders and vehemently denies that any sort of squeak was released.
"Horrible pointy-blasty-murder-spider at eleven 'o clock! Give it something else to worry about!"
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Valas moves in front of the injured Starfinders and takes a shot at the yellow target. He keeps an eye on the retreating bluethorn.
vs a DC of 20 + target's CR
plus trick attack of
"Jinsul aliens, we do not need to be enemies. Let our injured companions go free, and we will discuss why we are here in your space. In fact, if you let us take our companions, we will all leave your space. What do you say? We'll even stop shooting at you if you agree to talk."
Valas will first try common, then repeat his words in Drow, Aklo, Eoxian, Elven, and Vesk.
A Glowing Dirk moves amidst the jinsul and explodes with the power of the sun.
Valas's shot misses, but between Aster and Elian's good hits and Drik's photonic eruption one of the jinsuls drops burning.
The heavily-bladed one skitters back towards Dirk and slashes out at the human. But his armor holds!
for
Meanwhile the other alien fires back at Elian, winging him twice!
for
for
Initiative
Valas
Aster
Dirk 0/16 SP 6/14 HP
Elian 1/6 SP
Cal
Kalhoun 0/7 SP 5/11 HP, 3/4 RP, prone
Cal motivates you all to direct fire on the bladed bug, as while the ysoki's shot still misses Valas lands a solid hit while distracitng the jinsul.
Dirk too slashes a deep cut against the alien attacker, but takes a bad hit in return as he moves back to protect his prone ally.
for
Initiative
Get 'Em! on yellow
Aster
Elian 1/6 SP
Kalhoun 0/7 SP 5/11 HP, 3/4 RP, prone
Elian may not trick his target, but his laser does connect to it. snarling, the now heavily injured jinsul snaps back in accented common
You, they, profaned our home. Death is the cost.
Initiative
Get 'Em! on yellow
Aster
Kalhoun 0/7 SP 5/11 HP, 3/4 RP, prone
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You, they, profaned our home. Death is the cost.
"Yes, you're totally right - we deserve that. We only ask that we be allowed to return to our own homeworld to die... eventually... on our own terms. Or, you know, I bet we could come to some mutually beneficial trade agreement. Is there someone else we can talk to?"
Kalhoun stands and fires at the jinsul
for
You are not worthy to talk to the great -
Who exactly Valas is not considered important enough to negotiate with is unclear, as Aster's shot finally finishes the talking jinsul off. They fall (and Kalhoun clips the remaining one) as the last of the innured Starfinders scramble onto the shuttle.
The last jinsul roars and readies to charge, but is pushed back by a barrage of bullets around it. First Seeker Jadnura races towards you gun blazing, two dead bluethorns on the plains behind him.
"Lets go! Before any more of these things arrive!"
You're able to launch the transport off of Agillae-1 and race back out of atmosphere towards the Starfinder fleet. As you approach the Society's flagships you notice many more starships have entered the system since you were on the planet; scores of triangular ships of unusual designs seems to be massing near Bastiar-7 and harrassing Starfinder vessels throughout the system. Jadnura looks out with concern. "We have been trapped here for a year, but I have never encountered these 'jinsul' before today. Perhaps just as the Godshield sealed us inside it sealed them out. But how would they have been away from their home in the first place?" The kasathan shakes his head. "A questions for the future. For now you have I and my companions' utmost personal thanks for helping recuse us. I never gave out hope, but it warms my heart to see that in my absence the Society has continued to grow and bring aboard explorers of such caliber."
As you dock and unload Jadnura and the recovered starfinders an even more frazzled than normal Naiaj greets you.
Good you're back. Did you face any of these yet? These 'jinsul' came out of nowhere with a full Gods-damned fleet. They're staying clear of our flagships - for now - but ships of theirs keep breaking off and chasing down all of our teams as we're trying to get the rest of our forces off-worlds ASAP.
Those things' foothold right now seems to be right by Bastiar-7. You lot were investigating that planet earlier, right? You know the lay of the land: if you can get a ship out there and do a quick sortie against them it might throw them off. Every ship we can make them hold back in concern about their own defenses is one that isnt trying to shoot down our agents!
Getting into your starship and launching out back to the icy planet the jinsul fleet the Venture Captain was talking about becomes quite apparent. At least three massive capital ships are in orbit around the planets, while dozens of vaguely arrow-shaped pyramoid smaller craft streak about in the nearby space.
Taking on the center mass of the jinsul fleet would be suicidal. But as you approached the first of the icy rings orbiting Bastiar-7, you spy a single craft isolated from the rest. Currently positioned just outside of the planet's heavy gravity well, the enemy ship is alone and seems unaware as you race towards it: a perfect target!!
Starship Combat, Round 1
Engineering Phase
Helm 'Initiative' Piloting check
As Valas powers up your engines you see the far-off craft seems to start to notice you. It revolves in place to turn to face you as you see it’s systems powering up.
Starship Combat, Round 1
Helm Phase
Gunnery Phase
As Kalhoun steers you closer to the enemy craft, Aster runs the Drake's computers to get a better read on your opponent. The alien vessel seems to be a Medium Transport, and not one especially maneuverable . The craft has a set of linked laser cannons in the front of the ship, but seems to aggressively lack any active shielding.
Starship Combat, Round 1
Gunnery Phase
Dirk and Elian yet to act, Elian gets a +2 from Encouragement, two +1 nodes still available.
Dirk fires the coilgun!
for
for
for
While both vessel's lasers miss each other, both you and the jinsul see your missiles impact the other almost simultaneously. Your shields absorb the blow (barely) but their craft's hull looks badly scarred!
Starship Combat, Round 2
Engineering Phase
Helm 'Initiative' Piloting check
The damaged jinsul vessel nevertheless advances towards you, veering a bit evasively in the process.
Starship Combat, Round 2
Engineering Phase (Valas if going here)
Helm Phase
Gunnery Phase
You: Forward shield 1/10
Them: 19 hull damage