Where are the Forgotten? You'll have to find them!
The five of you, high level Starfinders all, have been invited to a meeting in a private conference room in the Lorespire Complex. When you get there, you find First Seeker Ehu Hadif as well as Wayfinders faction leader Fitch. Ehu's expression is hard to read, but Fitch looks concerned.
Navasi is chatty as she moves in, casually moving into the room wearing her d-suit as if she's been in it all her life. She goes around the room greeting everybody I'm Navasi, time to team up with you. Hey, don't I recognise you from somewhere? she says. She's carrying some well-maintained pistols and close combat weapons, and fortunately she has the safety lock of her jetpack enabled. Wouldn't want to lift off in accident.
What's the matter, Fitch? she says. She's genuinely concerned, though her statement comes across as a bit grating. Put it down to the excitement of a new mission.
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Grump pauses his work on a personal message as Navasi approaches him, moving his unlit cigar to the corner of his mouth. His heavy Iridishell armor (bright yellow with vivid pink DANGER! stripes emblazoned upon it) appears to mount a jetpack, some thermal capacitors, & a, anti-attack shock system.
He reaches out a meaty hand, careful that neither the overly large hammer nor the somewhat pitted pick come close to hitting the gregarious woman.
"It's a pleasure to meet ya, Navasi. Maybe ya've seen the commercials fer my asteroid mining firm - the Gunderson Mining Consortium?"
A blip-vert plays across his holographic sashimono - a stocky bulldog in an armored mining vehicle jetting around the Diaspora. "We dig mining!" growls the dog.
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Iseph glides into the room, like a wary predator expecting trouble at any moment. Seeing a familiar face in Navasi, they nod politely, and wait for the others to finish their introductions.
They then add:
"The name's Iseph. If its got an engine, I can pilot it. Apart from that, I am good at infiltration, and wet-work."
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Amariel is buff black-haired elf, who paid for aesthetic implants so he can grow a thick bushy mustache. He has what could be described a big &$#!ing gun. He walks in on his personal comm unit, in what appears to be a heated discussion. "Fine, Linda, if that's what you guys think, I guess we will see each other in court..."
"My name is Amariel," his voice is like rocks that slowly rumble out, "I'm a mechanic and engineer for the Society. I also am a fully bonded plumber, both residential and commercial."
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The door opens with a thud as an instrument case pushes into the room, followed by a lean pahtra with light gray and soft lavender striped markings. An unusual scabbard holds a trident across his back. Hilts, handles, and grips for various weapons peek out from sleek holsters built into his armor.
“Hey, uh… apologies about bringing Khalsee on this gig.” He indicates the instrument case as he places it against the side wall. “We were in a rehearsal when the call came through. I packed her up and headed straight over.”
He nods with recognition to Navasi and Iseph, then starts turning toward the rest of the group
As he catches the look of concern in Ehu’s eyes, his gregarious mood quiets and his back goes straight. He looks toward the senior Starfinders.
“Tash Ibri reporting. Weapons, tracking, and close combat. ”
His eyes scan the other team members. Guess we’ll finish the niceties later.
Navasi eagerly shakes the hand of miner Likewise. Mining in the diaspora, you have a tough job. Danger indeed. Can't say I've seen the commercials, but I haven't on the market for mining gear much.
Iseph! Navasi voices her surprise, and seems genuinely happy to see the neaky lashunta Infiltration, huh? Remind me to keep the cookie jar away from you then! she says with a wink.
A plumber? she says when Amariel introduces himself That's a relief. We had a very bad case of driftbog last time, it wasn't pleasant. A pegasus is a small ship, you know, and why on earth they placed those lavatories in the middle and not in the aft where they belong... beats me.
She is about to start a friendly introduction when his sudden serious mood catches her off-guard, and she becomes a bit self-aware as she sits down. Talk later she mouths silently.
“Great, you’re all here on time!” Fitch remarks. “I hope you packed well. You’re heading out to the Vast for a while.”
Ehu Hadif pulls up a holographic display of a single-sun solar system, zooming in on a green and blue planet. “Thank you for coming. I’m sure some of you know that one of my initial priorities as First Seeker was to investigate several Pact World sponsored colonies that seemingly disappeared from everyone’s records. Most of these colonies, of course, were connected to Historia-Prime.”
Ehu shares a meaningful look with Fitch, then continues. “Kortus IV was not.”
“The Pact Worlds sent a colony ship to Kortus IV approximately 90 years ago. The timeline is shaky, but within a few years of its founding all records of the colony were erased. It’s as though someone was trying to hide its existence. As far as we know, there’s been no communication between the Kortus colony and the Pact Worlds since. We have no idea what happened to these settlers or if any remain in the area. Travel to Kortus IV, determine the fate of the colony and its inhabitants, and locate any survivors. If the colony still exists, find out if they need any assistance from the Starfinder Society or from the Pact Worlds. We’ll send you with food, medicine, and construction supplies to provide them.”
Fitch cuts in, looking serious. “You need to be on high alert for this mission. Things went bad the last time I led an expedition to a lost colony. Real bad. A lot of good people died. We have no reason to expect danger on Kortus IV, but we didn’t before, either. Watch out for each other. If anything feels off or you find yourselves outnumbered, come back and report in. I’ve also got a few gifts to help you out.”
Fitch hands Navasi a duffel bag that turns out to contain three incendiary grenades III, a set of kasatha microcord IV armor, and an advanced arc emitter.
She adds, "Do you have any questions about your mission?"
90 years ago... my grandmother was still in high school then. If they ran out of food since then, we might be a little too late.
What did we encounter at the other colony? Anything we can expect here?
Grump seemingly keeps to himself and hasn't heard much.
Amareil pays more attention to goings-on, and knows that Starfinders dispatched by Ehu Hadif uncovered records on the lost colonies while on the library world of Athaeum. Following up on these colonies was part of Ehu’s platform for his election to First Seeker. The library world of Athaeum contains only very rare information: everything there is the only copy in existence. For the records of these lost colonies to exist there, all traces elsewhere must have been erased.
Navasi further knows that the lost colonies were connected to Historia-Prime, a Starfinder who committed countless crimes in their quest for immortality and control of the Starfinder Society. Historia-Prime used the colonies as a trap, which resulted in the death of numerous Starfinders. Historia-Prime was destroyed by the Starfinders at the culmination of the Data Scourge.
Fitch frowns at Navasi's question, though not at Navasi. “It was an ambush. Historia-Prime used the colony’s disappearance as a lure and the colony as a trap. Many Starfinders died and more were captured. I don't know what you'll find at this colony, but I don’t want to lose any more of our people that way. Keep your eyes open and trust your instincts. Don’t do anything rash.”
Ehu Hadif answers Amariel. "The planet has ancient forests, vast lakes, and diverse flora and fauna, but no sapient life prior to the settlement. The colony was founded 90 years ago by colonists from the Pact Worlds and led by Berrla Tonhue, a government surveyor. As a sponsored colony, the colony was promised regular support, supplies, and protection from the Pact Worlds. In exchange, the colony would provide a share of any valuable resources discovered to the Pact Worlds and expand the reach of the Pact Worlds into the Vast."
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Tash listens to the team’s questions and the leaders’ answers.
After thinking for a moment, he gestures to Ehu. “The colony leader you mentioned — Berria Tonhue — was a surveyor. Do we know anything else about them or their background? Had they been involved in scientific or business endeavors? Ever been part of a settlement before?”
He smiles at the team’s commentary about what happened in their lives 90 years ago. “It’s interesting that 90 years is both a long and short time in our lives, depending on your point of view.”
Do we have any idea who is involved here? If there were regular food and supplies shipments, and they just... stopped... then someone quite influential must have been involved, no? Navasi asks, and reflexively checks if her pistol in place when she does so.
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Iseph's lips purse together in a grimace.
"It's *always* a trap. The trick is noticing beforehand, and working out whether or not you are the intended target. If any of the colonists are still alive, I doubt that they will have a lot of fondness for the Pact Worlds, since from their perspective, they seem to have been abandoned..."
Always the optimistic one, Iseph Navasi says Sometimes it's not a trap, sometimes it's a dinner party. But yeah, we probably shouldn't expect a tip with our delivery.
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Tash nods with Grump's comment.
“Heading into unknown and potentially hostile territory fit the Drake's strengths. Plus it has the most comfortable gunner seats.”
The corner of Tash's mouth lifts into a small smile.
And that warm spot midships in the access tunnel behind the secondary weapons controls that's perfect for naps...
Tash knew the same information as Amariel about Ehu's platform.
Ehu responds to both Tash and Navasi. "I'm afraid there wasn't much on Berrla Tonhue's background in the records we have. And indeed, someone powerful must have been involved to stop all contact and erase all records."
You collect your gear and load into a Drake.
You spend days traveling through the Drift. How do you pass the time?
Anyone up for a game of one-card Shobhad poker? Navasi asks, knowing this is going to be a long trek.
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Tash will join Navasi and anyone else willing to indulge in some games each day. “Nothing builds a team like eating together and indulging in some cards.”
During the first couple of days, he sets up a reasonable parkour course in the cargo bay using items at hand. He goes through the course daily and happily welcomes anyone else to give it a go.
“It’s a good agility skill, especially if you need to escape a grapple or roll past an enemy in close quarters.”
He also periodically disappears for naps somewhere midships…
“It’s a good agility skill, especially if you need to escape a grapple or roll past an enemy in close quarters.”
I'm up for it. Navasi says, seeing the parkour course, Think you're faster than me?
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Grump stops by at some point while Iseph is tweaking the pilot console.
"I think you & I need to compare notes, to see who's going to be the best one to pilot the Drake on the mission."
<from a purely mechanical viewpoint, Grump's a better overall pilot - Pilot skill +20 vs Iseph's +19, 10 ranks vs 8 ranks. The only advantage that Iseph has as a pilot is the Sky Jockey feat, granting a +1 to the ship's movement.>
After the leisurely trip, you reach Kortus IV, but your arrival is not undetected! Two drones lift off from a mobile launch pad as an automated broadcast reaches your ship.
“No trespassing permitted on Kortus IV. Transmit access code or depart immediately. Trespassers will be treated as hostile.”
Unfortunately, you do not have an access code! These automated drones look ready to attack!
We have entered starship combat! We are in the engineering phase! Amariel may act. Can I also get a piloting initiative roll from Grump?
Well, sounds like that colony is doing fine for themselves, Navasi says dryly, checking if her gunsight is working. They're drones right? No people on board?
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Tash drops his workout towel by the weapons station and slides into the seat next to Navasi.
“Did you call in drones just so you could win our last race? And don’t think for a minute that I'm not keeping score.”
He flips a few switches and brings the console to life. A row of indicators flip from red to yellow to green.
His voice suddenly gains the serious tone from the briefing. “No malfunctions; all weapons loaded and hot. Navasi, anything showing on your console?”
I really need to work on that shift from “it’s such a lark” to “this is war.”
Navasi is answering, faintly audible from an ascending Wooop sound: I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF THE PARTICLE BEAM POWERING UP!
LOOKS LIKE TWO, NO, THREE BOGEY AT TWELVE! GET US CLOSE SO I CAN LINE UP A SHOT!
We are now in the helm phase!
The launch pad creeps toward you and starts scanning.
It gets your basic information and defenses!
Grump is up in the helm phase! After that, the two drones go, and then we'll have the gunnery phase.
The two drones move into position! They zip over close to you, keeping you in their forward arcs.
We are at the gunnery phase! Navasi, Tash, and Iseph are all up!
What bear? Navasi asks and fires the particle beam at the drone.
Concentrate your fire! Don't give 'em time to recharge their shields!
Hey Izzy, the turret console is yours! I've calibrated the antimatters for you, the password is 'FIREZEMISSILES' Navasi shouts.
The first two hits just barely knock the drone out of the sky! However, it gets a parting shot before it goes, along with its friends.
Iseph's shot goes on Blue instead!
They all miss!
If anyone wants to change starship positions, now is your chance! Otherwise, we are on to the engineering phase and Amariel is up! Grump, can I also get your piloting initiative roll?
Blue forward shield down 12