.
The massive starfinder vessel has the words 'Master of Stars' in bright lettering written across its hull. It is currently in a docking bay, and if we zoom in closer, we see five (six?) specks ready to board the vessel to meet with the leader of the Wayfinders and captain of the Master of Stars, Fitch.
The docking bay is a hustle and bustle of engineers. Fitch seems to be somehow in control in the middle of a heap of tools. The ysoki is holding a datapad and is rummaging through what seems to be mostly useless junk. Hmm... he says Conversion spanner... pola-rod... plasma inverter... as he mostly just seems to reject stuff Uber-coil!
Just one moment, Starfinders! Fitch says, then beckons to one of her assistants. rpItzil Fitch says, making sure to clearly articulate the lowercase 'r' and capital 'I', tell the engineers that the pile of 16As needs a closer reinspection. I can’t put my finger on it, but you’re right, something’s off with this batch. Good catch—you, should enroll in those engineering classes I was telling you about.
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The robot waits patiently as it regards the scene with its two camera 'eyes' glowing a dull red, the sparks from the plasma tools being used in the engineering bay reflecting off the polished chrome of its endo- skeleton, it appears made for intimidation and fear. A smaller innocuous-looking robot marked with safety symbols follows behind it carrying a medkit in its hands.
"DocMedevac™ and this is a DocJr™, here to help. Of course you have followed the relevant Workplace Health and Safety regulations to the letter to avoid any waiving of your health insurance policies - correct? We would still be delighted to provide any ad-hoc medical support outside of any insurance claim, but on a strict user-pays basis"
"If you have some leisure time you might want to catch up with some back episodes of 'The Doc is in!' - my hit info-tainment medical show, or perhaps put a downpayment of one of my invaluable and life-saving DocJr™ first-aid assistants - can you really put a price on peace of mind? Perhaps you might want to buy some quality first aid supplies"
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A very old model of android stands still next to DocMedevac.
Its frame more robotic than humanoid marks him as several centuries old.
HK42-5. Waiting for Meatball instructions. it says with a mechanical voice.
Turning to DocMedevac it adds Greetings MetalScrap. I'm Droid Protocol. HK42-5. at. your. service.
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"Greetings. My name is Astran. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I look forward to sharing the sky with you. I'm not much for vids, so watch what you'd like. I'll likely spend the time in meditation."
It's obvious that the kasatha is a solarian, but the blaster by his side marks him as someone who isn't completely absorbed in the secrets of the universe....
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The Doc turns its attention to HK42-5 "An older model, mechanical frame? I think the hearing systems may have aged, see me later for free audio assessment and a no obligation quote on any new cybernetic installs"
"Meditation Astran? Did you know that meditation is highly recommended by health professionals as a way to de-stress and unwind? This leads to positive health outcomes and a potential reduction in health insurance premiums"
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"Well, aren't you a fount of knowledge. I'm Twila-5. Pleased to meet you." A very violet android approaches the gathering. Built like a human woman, the left side of her head is shaven, while the right side of her naturally wavy hair is dyed with ombre red-violet roots blending into deep indigo tips just past her shoulder. She's dressed in dark purples and blues and has several pistols holstered to her. Her warm light brown skin is absolutely covered with indigo and violet tattoos in delicate scrollwork and flowers that highlight her pale violet glowing circuits.
“Thanks for waiting,” Fitch says, stepping away from the tools. “Glad to see you’re all in one piece, but you’re about the only ones. Half of these ships still haven’t recovered from the Drift Crisis—the whole thing seems like it was designed to give me more work than I know what to do with. Some good has come out of it, though. Giving these folks something to do other than think about what they lost, for one thing, but also these new Drift lanes popping up all over the place, connecting distant places and getting agents like you there faster, safer, and more directly.” She tilts her head in appraisal.
“I’m asking Starfinders who can handle themselves to go out, explore these Drift lanes, and see what’s on the other side. The latest one is near Triaxus. A group of students calling themselves the Drift Lab are investigating it from orbit, but we need to see what’s on the other side. That’s where you come in, my brave and bold Starfinders,” she says with a wry grin. “Check this Drift lane out, find who or what is on the other side, and see if you can make us a few new friends.”
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Embri hellknight armiger in dark heavy armor arrives at the hangar and heads to your group. A murky dot of absolute darkness, like a small black hole, rotates near its left shoulder, endlessly absorbing light. Its mask is hiding the whole face and covered with infernal runes, and there is something frightening and inept in its very manner of movement.
May the discipline and power of Hell come with you. It raises one of its limbs, holding it in your direction. My name is K'ssatak-Sul. I am a Hellknight and I act according to the precepts of Measure and Chain. I am a melee warrior, diplomat, inquisitor and detective. I specialize in destroying dangerous and chaotic heretical cults. I am here on a partnership restoration program between Starfinder Society and Hellknights.
It mints these words like a hammer on an anvil. Voice sounds a bit strange, as if the organs under the mask are not intended for a common language There is no emotion in the way it speaks - it just gives you information without bragging or threatening.
_____
Hunterkiller's memory cards contains a plethora of information on the drift crisis:
The Drift Crisis refers to the time period immediately following the Drift Crash, when the Drift failed. Many ships disappeared or were stranded, communications usually transmitted through the Drift went silent, and many Drift beacons shut down, disappeared, or exploded.
Drift travel eventually came back online after the Crash, but it wasn’t fully restored until recently, when it returned in something close to its former form—though not completely unchanged.
Several groups of pirates have already begun to take advantage of the chaos of the Drift Crisis and its aftermath. Among those groups that operate near Triaxus, the Drifters are notably persistent. Initially formed by those stranded far from home during the Drift Crisis, the Drifters have now begun using the Drift lanes as an easy place to prey on passing ships
When Cha'mon asks about the Drift Lanes, Fitch attempts to clarify: “If I try to repeat the technical explanation I heard the other day, your head will hurt as much as mine did, but as far as I understand, they’re basically an express lane between parts of the galaxy that haven’t been connected before—a Wayfinders’ goldmine, if you ask me. If you want to know more about what that means when you’re flying through one, though, the Drift Lab on Triaxus is your best bet for info. They’re students, but apparently, they’ve been theorizing that this kind of thing could happen for years, so they’re the closest thing we have to experts right now.”
When Twila-5 asks about the users of the lane, Fitch says “The Drift Lab researchers are mostly concerned with the technical details of the lane. I'm not sure they have actually kept track of traffic, but if they did, they might not have done more that count or look at the size of the vessel. From what I have been told, going through a Drift lane is pretty much like going through the Drift, except you get where you’re going a heck of a lot faster. And we’re not the only ones who’ve noticed. Pirates are using the lanes to move goods all across the galaxy. Watch your back.”
“I have no idea where this lane leads to, but wherever it goes, be on your best behavior. Get in, make connections, and report back in one piece.
---
The group choose their ship to travel on, () and set course for Triaxus. No sooner have they entered orbit than they receive an incoming hail. Not one, but three of them. The first is a dragonkin, broadcasting Here for answers about the Drift lanes? Contact the Drift Lab for the latest.”, followed by a ryphorian Here for answers about the Drift lanes? Contact the Drift Lab for the latest.”, then finally a half-elf, who instead says Here for answers about the Drift lanes? Contact the Drift Lab for the latest.”
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"Jump into some unknown piece of space where we have rumours that pirates are doing the same? Drake it is. As much as I would like the ability to access the advanced facilities of the Pegasus, our organic party members being spaced when our ship is shot apart is a bigger priority"
***
Doc fires back a reply to the Dragonkin/Ryphorian/HalfElf "We'd like more information on the Drift Lanes"
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Embri hellknight armiger in dark heavy armor arrives at the hangar and heads to your group. A murky dot of absolute darkness, like a small black hole, rotates near its left shoulder, endlessly absorbing light. Its mask is hiding the whole face and covered with infernal runes, and there is something frightening and inept in its very manner of movement.
May the discipline and power of Hell come with you. It raises one of its limbs, holding it in your direction. My name is K'ssatak-Sul. I am a Hellknight and I act according to the precepts of Measure and Chain. I am a melee warrior, diplomat, inquisitor and detective. I specialize in destroying dangerous and chaotic heretical cults. I am here on a partnership restoration program between Starfinder Society and Hellknights.
It mints these words like a hammer on an anvil. Voice sounds a bit strange, as if the organs under the mask are not intended for a common language There is no emotion in the way it speaks - it just gives you information without bragging or threatening.
_____
[dice=Diplomacy]1d20 + 11
Outwardly, there is no notable reaction from Twila-5. Inwardly, however, she feels a sense of doom. Great. A religious fanatic. Here's hoping I don't peeve it. That's not a fight I'm likely to win.
No sooner have they entered orbit than they receive an incoming hail. Not one, but three of them. The first is a dragonkin, broadcasting Here for answers about the Drift lanes? Contact the Drift Lab for the latest.”, followed by a ryphorian Here for answers about the Drift lanes? Contact the Drift Lab for the latest.”, then finally a half-elf, who instead says Here for answers about the Drift lanes? Contact the Drift Lab for the latest.”
"What if we're here for ice cream?" After a pause, she looks around. "What? We could've gotten lost."
Drake it is. The Thunderbolt is available, but you can pick any Drake from the fleet ()
Doc fires back a reply to the Dragonkin/Ryphorian/HalfElf "We'd like more information on the Drift Lanes"
“They returned our hail! I told you they’d respond immediately. No ferswigging fools here, I tell you!” says a young dragonkin, shuffling several papers on an overloaded desk.
“Of course, they returned the hail,” responds a ryphorian with goggles on her head and a notebook in her hands. “It’s SOP to make contact in a timely fashion, IIRC.”
“Still,” chimes in a third voice from behind a research station, “there are a thousand, thousand ways to go adrift in the space betwitxt intention and decision, don’t you think?” He gasps and stands, head peeking out from over the top of the station, revealing himself to be a half-elf. “Perhaps we should call this the Adrift Lab!”
The conversation between the three goes on for a while, seemingly completely ignoring the hail and instead debating between themselves what the name of the lab should be. The dragon-kin seems to prefer newly-invented slang and swear words (ferwswiggling? artoonk? dunt? noofer?), the ryphorian, AFASIC, prefers to riddle her MOS with abbrevations. YMMV. The glorious half-elf, appears to be stuck between eloquence and clarity, brevity and harmony of expression, the elaborate and the elegant, but ultimately settles for the most tedious poetic expressions imaginable.
What they don't quite do, though, is answer DocMedevac(tm)'s question. Ultimately, they let the Starfinder Ship dock, and the trip hurriedly usher the Starfinders into the lab, where they finally come to a sense of coherence. They introduce themselves as Hyyxzen, a umfooosh nonbinary Dragonkin, Ferra, a female AOTP ryphorian, and Vaalaris, master of words, descendant of both human and elf.
Ferra begins, “You see, we’ve hit a bit of a snag in our research— we’ve done about all we can from out here, but none of us AFAIK have the proper aptitude with starship piloting to do much, well, in there. There being the Drift lane.” She sighs and continues, “And that’s why we SHP-ed our missive. We need you to go into the Drift lane ASAP and collect the data we can’t. Of course, you’ll be compensated AML for performing these research tasks. Oh, but perhaps we should explain what a DL is.” Vaalaris chimes in immediately to explain with a flourish, “A thing of beauty, reaching across the sky! A new stitch in the fabric of the Drift. A coming together of threads that would have been otherwise unconnected.” Hyyxzen interrupts him, adding, “I don’t think they’re looking for klekkin poetry, Vaalaris.”
At that point, the conversation devolves into a debate on the merits of poetry in research science, and everybody in the room is a little dumber for it. Ferra finally sighs and turns to the Starfinders "YHBT, it seems. They'll be bickering ADAN if you let me go on like this. They never listen to me, but maybe you can be the AITR and get them to CAD?"
SOP - Standard Operating Procedure
IIRC - If I recall correctly
AFASIC - As far as she is concerned
MOS - Mode of speech
YMMV - Your mileage may vary
AOTP - All Over the Place
AFAIK - As far as I know
SHP - Standard Hyperwave Protocol, a broadcasting method
ASAP - As soon as possible
AML - At market level
DL - Drift lane
ADAN - All Day and All Night
YHBT - You have been trolled
AITR - Adults in the room
CAD - Cease and Desist
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...and everybody in the room is a little dumber for it.
At this point, Twila-5 feels like she has two options: go catatonic at the inanity or be rude to put a stop to it. There may be other possibilities, but she simply can't think of them. She chooses rudeness.
Marching over to stand between the dragonkin and the ryphorian, she puts a hand over each of their mouths. "Enough! You will speak one at a time, only speaking to the topic at hand, and you will not side track our business with debates about poetry while on duty. Now. DocMedevac™ asked you a question. Answer it. In Common. Without acronyms." Deadpan, she returns to stand with the group, turning to face them with her arms crossed.
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HK processor almost burns trying to follow the conversation between the three.
Meetball are too talkative. I can put a stop to that.
But remembering that it was their mission to learn something from this carbon creature, HK doesn't activate its hunting protocols.
I agree with Twila-5. Please refrain to use acronyms without explanation. My protocols could interpret your words in a more lethal way.
After a stop it adds HK42-5 at your service.
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Despite the Starfinder's attempts at intervention, the bickering continues, for waaay too long.
Vaalaris eventually explains, “Basically, Drift lanes connect two or more places in the universe through a stable path that is faster and safer for travel than navigating the Drift alone.”
Hyyxzen adds, “When we’ve got these things all mapped, it’s gonna be towls amazing. You can help us by crossing from one side of the lane to the other, so you can measure how wide it is.”
Ferra then adds in “A fascinating area of study concerns exactly how the lanes work, and I believe the answer depends primarily on whether you are thinking from the inside out or outside in, so to speak. For those within them, Drift lanes chart a path that shifts through the planes, taking mere days each time.”
Vaalaris interrupts to add, “Like a dance across the fabric of the universe, always to the same beat.” Ferra, annoyed by the interruption, clears her throat and continues, “In fact, we do not know if it is the ‘same beat,’ as we have not measured the planar energy within a Drift lane. Yet.”
Here you can also help us. I have constructed a device that can measure planar energies, you just need to take it into the lane.
Hyyxzen picks up from there.
“Now, getting into a Drift lane is one of the sliffering easiest things to do. At least we think so. You just gotta be within the gravity well of a world, chart your course to a Drift lane, and fly your way in.”
Vaalaris adds, “From the musings others have drafted concerning other Drift lanes, I surmise the interior to be—” he clears his throat and begins reading from a handheld device, “—a tunnel cutting through the drift, its shifts too quick to trace, its walls a hazy shimmer in the endless dark of space. O, safe and steady forward path for those in your embrace… and well, that’s all I’ve got so far. Without a picture of what a Drift lane looks like from the inside, I’m having the hardest time finishing my ode.”
Vaalaris further explains: "while the Drift lane may cut across the Drift and change position frequently, for those inside of one, it will generally be a smooth ride. Each lane has a barrier that is solid enough to prevent ships leaving the Drift lane accidentally, but will not prevent a vessel from pushing through the side into the rest of the Drift if it does so purposefully. This barrier has also prevented me from getting a picture so far. I would have untold gratitude if you would help me obtain one.
----
The trio provide the coordinates to the drift lane, which is just a short flight away. After a sixty-second countdown to engage the drift engines, a tunnel opens ahead, its walls hazy and translucent but thick enough to seem almost solid, clearly marking the transition between the Drift lane and the area outside. The Drift lane stretches forward, curving slightly in the distance, leading to the unknown like a passageway of purple clouds.
While in the drift lane, HunterKiller manages to realign the photography equipment and get a number of very informative inside shots of the drift lane. Twila has some trouble getting the planar measurement up and running, but DocMedevac(tm) helps out, establishing a connection between the device and the planar energies surrounding it. When it comes to measuring the dimension of the drift lane, there is a lot of time dilation and length contraction that makes this surprisingly difficult, but Cha'mon Cha'mon still manages to get an estimate that is consistent with the laws of physics.
After a few hours, there is an incoming transmission riddles with static. The voices on the other end of the line are recognisable as the Drift Lab team, asking them to transmit results.
Another hour or so later, the analysis comes back. Ferra says AFAIK, the drift lane is entirely embedded in the drift, but it looks like you can't enter a drift lane from the drift, you'd have to enter from one of the ends.
Hyxxzen mentions It looks like the drift lane is several miles across. If you cross the boundary, you'll just be dumped at a klekkin random location in the drift.
Vaalaris adds It's a thing of beauty! To the beholder it seems as it the traveller just disappears, as if they never existed, no trace left, no memory to their presence. The flow is a symphony, and travel is fast. To be specific... he seems to be checking notes[/b] half a forthnight divided by your drift engine's rating[/b]. ()
---
On the second day of Drift travel, the Thunderbolt encounters a large starship with a frame and hull of dark brown wood grain under attack from a number of smaller starships. While the smaller ships appear to be working together, each looks as if it has been assembled from a scrapyard, and is sporting a variety of materials in various styles and states of wear.
As the Thunderbolt arrives, two of the smaller ships break off and move into the direction of the Starfinder ship, while the rest of the small starships continue to focus their attacks on the large starship. As the small starships approach an all-frequencies hail from the large starship cuts through the Drift lane. “I told you my backup was on its way!” says an unfamiliar voice. “Do you really think that a captain as renowned as Tosin Jaws of the Yonder would fly through Jatembe’s Jaunt without someone to help him fend off Drifter scum?” The speaker lets out a confident and easy laugh that echoes over the comms.
The smaller ships don’t pause or slow down their attack, returning the hail with one of their own, “the Drifters recognize only one captain—Metzari Angelfang! Surrender now or we’ll take you both down!”
Ha! The other captain shouts, have it your way, then. Allies, let's give them a taste of our unstoppable two-ship maneuver, Jatembe's Javelin! Remember, dinner at Mama Rae's on Xibion is on me if we squash these drifter gnats!
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The SRO returns the hail
Bluff
"By your command"
***
"Time to earn our keep"
Pilot: Cham
Gun 1: HK (alternate Sci/Eng if req second round onward)
Gun 2: Doc (Will Minor crew action scan)
Gun 3: Twil
Mago: Dara
Capt: KSS
Keep going at them the besieged captain shouts over the comm channel, These drifters are just sad they can't join Captain Tosin at Mama Rae's
The captain is trying to point out that the drifters aren't very disciplined in working together. The captain can take an extra action in round 1
=====
[Status report]
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---
(round 1)
Engineering:
Helm: [Please roll a piloting check]
Gunnery:
---
(round 2):
Engineering:
Helm: [Pilot can also roll for round 2]
---
Pilot: Cham
Gun 1: HK (alternate Sci/Eng if req second round onward)
Gun 2: Doc (Will Minor crew action scan)
Gun 3: Twil
Mago: Dara
Capt: KSS
---
Damage report: No damage
---
Enemy report:
Bogey 1: No hits
Bogey 2: No hits
---
====
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Capt: KSS
Pilot: Cham
Gun 1: HK
Gun 2: Doc (Minor Crew Action - Science/Visual ID)
Gun 3: Twil
Chief: Astran
***
"K'ss, keep Cham focused on outmaneuvering these ships"
"Cham, keep our nose pointed at one of the ships, pick your mark and lets wear them down one at at time"
"Astran, this ship handles like a brick, prepare us for a few hard turns"
"HK you are on the Torpedos, use the computers to aid your firing solution"
"Twil, coilgun - the computer system can aid your attacks"
***
Doc dials in the particle beam whilst quickly examining the enemy fighters.
Minor crew action - Visual Identification
Engineering (DC = 10 + 1-1/2 × the tier of the starship being examined) (Should get Basic Information: Size, speed, and maneuverability.)
Attack
Particle Beam
Damage
*EDIT = Sense Motive = - Thanks Twila, your post was a well timed reminder about the SM check... I posted at 5.30am, I was tired :p
-Captain gets TWO actions! :)
(Round 1):
Helm phase:
Cha'mon easily outmaneuvers the incoming drift raiders.
Astran tries to move the ship beyond engineering limits, but runs into his own.
Gunnery Phase:
Twila and DocMedevac(tm) rain damage on the starboard drifter, and HunterKiller 42-5 should consider renaming himself 42-6, since he can chalk up another kill to his name. The torpedo his the front of the drift that has been stripped of shields by the coilgun and the particle beam. The result is a bright explosion.
=====
[Status report]
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(round 1)
Engineering:
Helm: Enemies move first
Gunnery: Bogey 1 down
---
(round 2):
Engineering:
Helm: [Pilot can also roll for round 2]
---
Capt: KSS (Two actions)
Pilot: Cham'on (roll piloting for round 2)
Gun 1: HK
Gun 2: Doc (Minor Crew Action - Science/Visual ID)
Gun 3: Twila
Chief: Astran
---
Damage report: No damage
---
Enemy report:
Bogey 1: Down
Bogey 2: No hits
---
====
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Contrary to some expectations, the Knight of Hell sitting on the captain's chair does not threaten or shout appeals to the forces of Hell, but quite competently coordinates the work of the squad, calling for acting as a single mechanism and relying in his appeals on team spirit and teamwork. Perhaps he is much more reasonable than it might seem at first, or indeed discipline and efficiency are above all for him.
KSS calmly encourages Cha'mon and Twila do perform their tasks along with the most efficient protocol
Cha'mon aggresively moves up to the first Bogey, which then valiantly and utterly gets shot to pieces, but not before it manages to nearly take out the front shields with a torpedo.
Good shot! I hope Mama Rae hasn’t switched up her dessert!
=====
[Status report]
---
---
(round 1)
Engineering:
Helm: Enemies move first
Gunnery: Bogey 1 down
---
(round 2):
Engineering:
Helm: [Pilot can also roll for round 2]
---
Capt: KSS - Encourage gunner (success)
Pilot: Cham'on (add move and roll another action)
Gun 1: HK
Gun 2: Doc
Gun 3: Twila
Chief: Astran
---
Damage report:
Shield FSPA: 2/25/25/25
---
Enemy report:
Bogey 1: Destroyed
Bogey 2: No hits
---
====