The Azlanti Star Empire is a vast union of diverse species, worlds, and star systems under the tyrannical dominion of humans who left Golarion for the stars long before the Gap. Under the leadership of Star Imperators Iorian and Yridela Ixomander, the Azlanti Star Empire seeks to bring all inhabited worlds under its hegemony, exploiting their knowledge, labor, and resources for the good of the empire. With a navy rivaling that of the Pact Worlds and the Veskarium combined, its ruthless legions of gem-augmented Aeon Guard pose a terrifying threat to the inhabitants of the galaxy. Most systems—including the Pact Worlds—have forbidden their citizens from entering Azlanti space, lest they draw the Imperators' covetous eyes.
Yet, a foe as powerful as the Azlanti Star Empire can’t be ignored, and numerous factions have dispatched agents into the Star Empire to operate in secret, acting as the eyes and ears of the Pact Worlds—a first line of defense against invasion.
When an undercover Starfinder broadcasts an emergency call for extraction from New Thespera, at the heart of the Azlanti Star Empire, Venture-Captain Naiaj dispatches a team of highly experienced Starfinders to answer the call. Infiltrate the Azlanti Star Empire, retrieve a Starfinder in peril, and escape with your lives—if you can!
The group has been called to the 'quiet room', the room used for the most secretive of briefings. It was venture-captain Naiaj who called you here, but she isn't in yet. Suddenly, your comm units bleep with the message '5 mins late'
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Neroo is a well known Lashunta, thanks for her participation and second place at the famous holoTV show Absalom Idol a few years back. Since then she joins the Starfinder Society, improving her audience while streaming her new, and heavy edited, adventures and missions until Dash smear campaign against the Society. After the backlash of Dash's campaign, she decided to quit the Society to focus more on her personal and professional life.
But she recently came back into the Society.
Neroo is a smiling joyous Lashunta with purple hair. Her round face is quite charming and her voice like honey to a bee. She's always followed by a camera drone.
Despite her smile and joyed attitude, her eyes have a strange darkness in them and around her eyes there is some strange purple shadowy veins...
Seeing Maverik she smiles even brighter than before! Maverick, so good to see you! she says hugging the famous pilot. And Katrina! How are you since this awful betaTest? she adds hugging her.
Greeting all! I'm Neroo, by the way! You may know me from my second place at Absalom Idol a few years back or with my new holoVid about my adventures and charity works for Desna's Alone for Children? she adds turning to the camera drone.
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Better since then to be honest. I made up with an old classmate and we're now back together and I've taken up vid blogging as well. She hugs back. I should get one of those camera drones - waterproof of course .... oh I also bought some watercraft. Had a wonderful time on Vesk-2 with Big Jim, Sunny and Selene.
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Katrina nods The Forum was a bit abuzz about that, that's why I'm here. Besides, this could be my last hurrah before retiring - and I wanna delay that as long as possible.
She looks into Neroo's eyes. Wanna talk about it? Or to my sister? - she works as a Dream Interpreter.
She pauses for a bit. Or to my sister's current boyfriend's psychologist?
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Oh?! That? says Neroo seeing that her comrades seem to be worried about her.
She smiles and says After taking a break from the Society, I've decided to take some much needed vacations! I was unfortunate to choose New Elyseum on the Diaspora... From this fateful experience, I don't recommend AT ALL New Elyseum, I was touched by the Shadow Plane and since then I was gifted the Darksight at the cost of some a small tight to the Shadow Plane. Nothing to worry about!
After getting back her all-bright smile she continues giggling I'm glad that you get back with your old classmate! You need to tell me all about it Katrina!!!!
Turning to Maverick she adds I'm fine! and super excited to discover the Azlanti Empire! At last I will be able to practice my Azlant!
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*ponders* Oh, at least I think he's her boyfriend, I know they went to a conference together on Castroval and shared a room, but that might have been because accommodation was tight. Apart from that ... I dunno. He was one of her patients so maybe they're keeping it professional.
But yeah. It was during the month of Kuthona. For the First Choices holiday, she sent me a plushie mermaid as an apology gift for being a total douchbag as she put it when we parted - we .... had a bit of a shouting match. And then when I saw her in that rather tightfitting outfit during the Newspark Parade, I realised how stupid I had been for letting her go for so long so I invited her to our family Reunion gathering. Well one thing led to another and ... yeah ... we're back together. I've been trying to talk her into getting gill implants like mine
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That's soooo cute! I'm so happy for you two! she says to Katrina.
Turning to Maverick she answers I've read my history! But don't you feel excited to be one of the few to see by ourself such evil empire? I've always wondered what the life of the Empire was! I will be a firsthand observer how cool isn't it?!
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I got this book Katrina said, producing a book titled The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Azlanti Empire But I suppose I should get a tetrad translator - I don't know Azlant.
But I guess I'll do that after the mission briefing
She looks over to Maverick and grins.
Rock, Scissors Paper for the pilot seat? Unless they assign us a Drake - then you can have it.
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Rock blunts scissors. You win
*PING* That was when Katrina's comm unit went off with an incoming text.
It's Selene. Excuse me a minute
She steps away for a bit.
*Ticticticticticticityticy*
*PING*
Kat's comm unit was one of the early basic ones she picked up at Dot's curio shop in the Freemarkets. It did only calls and texts, but that was all she wanted. Unfortunately it had annoying sounds which couldn't be changed.
*PING*
*ticticticticticticticticticticticlitytictic*
*PING*
*tictictictictictictictictictic .... tic tictictic*
*PING*
A few exchanges of texts later .....
No, apparently he's not her boyfriend, they're just good friends, and her patient but she sent me a few pictures he took of her underwater in the hotel pool and she wants me to join her in an underwater photoshoot that he's shooting. I said yes. I could do with up to date pics for my socials. She also suggested I resume my studies of marine biology and conservation if I do retire after this. Might ask Sunny to shoot the 'behind the scenes' video of the photoshoot for the vlog.
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A suit of incredibly ornate Aeon Guard armor strolls into the room, and bows its head at the party, as you hear a telepathic voice echo through your minds.
Greetings, everyone. Apologies for the tardy arrival. My name is difficult to pronounce in the Common tongue, but the closest approximation would be 'Deep Blue With White Highlights', or 'Deep Blue' for short. I am an explorer, a pathfinder, and a travelling Priest of Kadrical, the Covetous Protector.
As for why I am here in particular...
They remove their helmet, the environmental protections disengaging with an audible hiss, revealing the severe-looking face of a middle-aged Azlanti male with close-cropped greying hair and a well-trimmed goatee.
It will be nice to return... *home*, for want of a better word... after so long. Rest assured, my loyalty is *not* to the Aeon Throne.
At that, their head splits in two, revealing the 'Azlanti man' is actually a suit of powered armor, with a three-inch-long cuttlefish sitting in a saddle surrounded by levers, touch panels, and even a steering wheel, roughly in the middle of where the 'brain' should be in a 'normal' human.
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What can I say? After learning more about Them when I visited the Scoured Stars, something about their portfolio just... clicked... with me.
They then waggle a tentacle in greeting to each of the mentioned individuals, one of their suit's hands likewise waving hello.
It is a pleasure to meet each of you!
The group has been invited by Venture Captain Naiaj to meet in the 'quiet room'
A guard in sealed black armor stands in front of a nondescript door as it slides open.
“This way please,” he says dispassionately, pointing inside. The foyer has two countertops adorned with bins. “Please leave your comm units and other devices here. Use of scrying and communication magic is prohibited in this facility.”
Deep Blue recalls rumors of Quiet Rooms being used for urgent and secretive mission.
I'll ask teh guard says, walking away to talk to a superior. After some lengthy deliberations, the guard returns with a superior. We have to inspect the range of your unit. Another few minutes pass tinkering with the device, until finally the conclusion comes [b]You can go in
The walls of this room are made of a slick, polished white ceramic like material. A large, framed photograph of a desert mesa adorns one wall. The doors leading from the foyer close, and pearl-colored light beams from the wall scan over everybody in the room while a low grumbling noise emanates from beneath the floor.
After a minute of this, the lights turn off and the noise stops. The doors opposite the foyer slide open, revealing a dark blue metal room. In the center stands a plain metal table with several chairs. On the opposite side of that table sits a pale female gnome with a stern look on her face; Venture-Captain Naiaj.
“Please sit,” she says, motioning to the chairs in front of the table. “Time is precious, and we have far too little of it—perhaps none at all.”
As the communication device feeds back, Deep Blue feels a bit dizzy, disoriented
The room is heavily protected against scrying magic, which is what is causing the disorientation.
“I’ve called you today for a mission of dire importance. I apologize for all of this,” Naiaj says, gesturing to the room, requires multiple levels of secrecy, lest we risk open war.” The grimness of her tone makes it clear that this is not hyperbole.
“Years ago, we sent spy into Azlanti territory to keep tabs on what’s happening there—social movements, political propaganda, new technologies, archaeological discoveries. Not for anything sinister, but you know as well as I do that the Azlanti Star Empire is too dangerous to go unwatched.
“The agent we sent is exceptional, but during the Drift Crisis, we lost contact. By the time we reestablished comms, we’d missed his request for extraction. We don’t know exactly when it came through. The agent holds crucial information about an imminent threat from the Empire. Even if he didn’t, we take care of our own. If our agent is alive, we must do whatever we can to retrieve him. I maintain highest confidence in our spy, but we can’t rule out the worst.
“So I’m dispatching you to the Azlanti Star Empire to retrieve the undercover Starfinder, a man who goes by Felthaum Pixilu. If he’s alive, bring him back. If he’s not, see if you can retrieve his findings. But remember, utmost secrecy is vital, and we can’t rescue you if you’re caught. If the Azlanti learn that the Starfinders have infiltrated their Empire, it could spark open war between them and the Pact Worlds. As far as the rest of the Society is concerned, you’re not on this mission. It doesn’t exist.”
“Infiltrating Azlanti space is not a simple task. The Azlanti Star Empire loves its paperwork and bureaucracy, so you’ll need proper credentials and an Azlanti ship with proper registration. You’ll get that in Atuity, a city at the fringes of the Empire that’s far enough away from the central authority of the Star Imperator that it’s a bit more open and tolerant than the rest of Azlanti space. You’ll meet with your contact, a screedreep named Mohaul, on the outskirts of the city, in the Tangles Airport. Tell him you’re ‘looking for interesting fruit’ and he’ll know who you are. He’ll provide you with faked credentials and an Azlanti starship. From Atuity, you’ll travel into the heart of the Star Empire, New Thespera, where you’ll look for Felthaum in the city of Eronesse. He might already be dead. Either way, your secondary objective is to see if Felthaum made us any more friends behind enemy lines. He almost certainly had contacts there—see if you can find us a new ally. They might even help you locate our missing friend.
“It’s safer for everyone if I don’t give you Felthaum’s real name, but I’ll provide you with his last known place of residence, his place of employment, and the location of the extraction point. It’s not a lot, but it should be enough for agents of your skill.” Naiaj pauses, scanning the room with a cool expression on her face.
“I’m sure you have some questions.”
Deep Blue and Katrina have heard of Atuity
Atuity is the lone city on the world Khetaria, itself the only planet in the Adladwe system. It’s at the edge of the Azlanti Star Empire. It’s said to be a bit more tolerant of foreigners than other places in Azlanti space.
During the Drift Crisis, a new Drift lane opened near Atuity and brought a vesk battlecruiser with it. The Vesk and the Azlanti on Atuity have an uneasy peace that could shatter at any moment.
Atuity is relatively lax in its interpretation of Azlanti edicts. There are rumors of an independence movement in the city. Even in the main part of the Empire, there is some disapproval of the Star Imperator’s rule and aggressive decisions.
Naiaj nods at Maverick I get your concerns, the Azlanti is already looking for an excuse to make war. The risks have been carefully, and we considered this the best course of acction. The fact that we are not in open conflict right now proves that Felthaum hasn't been caught yet.
“We’ll provide you with the credits you’ll need to pay Mohaul, and he’ll provide you with credentials that grant you the permission to enter and carry arms within Azlanti space. I encourage you to not treat this as a brute force mission, but certainly keep yourselves armed and prepared. You might want to look into whatever surveillance gear you have available as well.”
We'll have the usual types of ship available, Drake, Pegasus and Azata. Anything else and I'd have to check, but I know for certain the Thunderbolt, Hurricane and Preference are available.
On Atuity, you’re going to want to be mindful of the tensions between the Azlanti troops and the Vesk contingent that landed there during the Drift Crisis. The ruler of the planet does a good job keeping the peace, but the Azlanti that came rushing in as backup don’t have the same level heads, I hear.”
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"The Preference is too conspicuous for a mission like this. We probably want to avoid getting into a dogfight with the Azlanti and if we feel the need for speed the Hurricane has that and more. That being said, I don't ever want to fly into enemy air space out gunned and the Thunderbolt is the ship we will need if we have to shoot our way out of trouble."
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I'm not sure taking a Drake class anywhere near Azlanti Space is a good idea, a Pegasus can be more easily passed off as a science vessel, and they maneuver a lot better - that's my opinion of course
She looks towards Maverick
Feel free to prove me wrong though. I won't mind. Much.
And I guess there'll be no v-blogging on this mission.
Absolutely none Naiaj responds to Katrina's question.
The group takes the Hurricane to Bretheda, where a little surprise a waits them: a CompEnt Windfall ship - not officially the property of the Starfinders - and a much better disguise than a warship with Starfinder insignia.
Travel to the Adladwe system is uneventful, though a bit of an umcomfortable affair in the unarmed Windfall ship. From space, Khetaria is a luscious, verdant green planet punctuated with pockets of cerulean. Locked above it in a geosynchronous dance are two warships, one a sleek, green battlecruiser and the other angular, red and bristling with weapons.
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Neroo follows the instruction and leave all her material behind.
After listening to the instruction she's even more enthusiastic about visiting New Thespera!
Saving one of their own, was of course the more important, nevertheless, despite the danger of the mission, she was excited.
I've bought a hat of disguise for this mission, so I could pass more easily for a human or another race of the Empire than a lashuntas. I've heard that Azlanty are quite humanocentric.
Once around Adladwe she looks at the sleek battlecruiser and says It's an Azlanti's ship I recognize it!
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The streetwise-looking Ysoki takes in the scene, reading the room and taking mental notes. He then hands over some business cards "Some of you I have met, some I haven't. Name's Roquefort..." the ysoki extends a paw to shake in greeting "Psychic Detective" he offers with a smile "If things go bump in the night with no clear cause, or if you want to know if your partner has run off with either the pizza guy or a forbidden cult of Urgathoa, give me a call"
"What do we know about the agent? What would be the damage if they have been captured or compromised?"
"We know anything else about Atuity? Do I need to pack a warm jacket? Is there acid rain?"
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later
"Check those warships Mav, I don't suppose you'd want to pilot one of those crates"
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It's hard to say how long the figure in the yellow robe had been watching you hiding somewhere on the ship... But now, for the first time, you notice him in the corner of the captain's cabin. As tall as a small humanoid, the figure stand there in a yellow robe with a pale mask on, and the shadows in that corner turned black and thick as ink.
The creature is heading towards you and you see that instead of legs it has a black mass of writhing tentacles. When he gets closer, he takes off his mask, but nothing terrible happens, although it seemed that it would be so. Instead, the halfling's pale, haggard face looks at you with completely empty, frighteningly indifferent eyes. He has only a violin case with him, although other items are probably hidden in null-space chambers under his robe.
He nods to Roquefort and to everyone he had traveled with before, and introduces himself to the others as Carlos. Putting the mask back on, halfling remarks aloud, I am an Azlanti Hunter. I've killed many of them on many worlds. He pulls out a thick bundle of army badges with names in the azlantian language from somewhere under his cloak. His indifferent, tired and slightly hoarse voice sounds like the rustle of the pages of an old book that is flipped through for the last time before being burned as unnecessary. It doesn't seem that being a self-proclaimed "Azlanti Hunter" causes him great delight, but also no shame and annoyance. Just a dark fact from a dark past. I have already broken into the Azlanti military facility in order to rescue a prisoner once. Back then, it was the outskirts of the empire, and it all ended in a lot of blood. We'll see... will it be different this time?
Paragon, an Azlanti Sovereign Vindicator battlecruiser. The other is the Red Clarion, a Veskarium Vindicus Tyrant battlecruiser that was deposited here during the Drift Crisis. It looks like both ships are in a standoff, and it's not even clear if they are noticing the Starfinder ship.
Katrina notices the clear evasive holding pattern and trimmed guns, clearly showing the two ships being very focused on each other. With a subtle barrel roll, Maverick matches the trajectory of an asteroid to slip past the ships.
Maverick lands the vessel safely at the Tangles airport. The Tangles hosts a chaotic swirl of species, vegetation, and trade, especially in the Rows, a massive stretch of stands and vendors selling all manner of goods. Here, vesk, Aeon Guard, and a dozen other species all walk the same Empire streets without bloodshed or conflict— though the atmosphere remains tense with the ever-present shadow of the warships above.
The data provided by Naiaj says to look for a cluster of red stars inside a black circle signifying Mohaul’s stand. Even in the chaos, it’s easy enough to find. A, shaggy, screedreep with large green eyes mans the stand. Cloaked in drab green cloth, he says to all who pass by: “Mohaul has the finest food in the Tangles. Many you have tasted and loved, and many that you have never tasted before! All of Kehtaria’s wild tastes can be yours for a price!
Mohaul looks a bit cagey when Deep Blue approaches him and says “Interesting fruit, you say? Are you sure you would not like this plain fruit, or perhaps a vegetable with a reliable taste instead?”
Only when Roquefort quotes the password a second time, does he seem to change his stance. “Interesting fruit I have in abundance. Like, for instance, I have these wonderful, sweet tasting fruits that as far as I know have never been seen or tasted before. You seem like connoisseurs, so I know you’ll appreciate them.
Mohaul reaches under the stand and presents a set of bulbous yellow fruits with crusted, spiked shells.
“I would not open that fruit here if I were you,” he continues, “but accessing the fruit—and all it offers—is as simple as pressing firmly in a soft spot on the shell. You’ll find that everything, uh, clicks into place?”
Mohaul waits for a moment and then extends a hand. “You were told by our mutual friends that these are expensive fruits, no? I think we should hurry this transaction up so we can conclude our business and I can close the stand.
“You'll want a nice private place to enjoy fruit, don't you say? I would go to dock G6-VTR, which is quiet enough, and find some, err, transportation, when you bore of Atuity’s entertainments.”
Mohaul closes his stand, collapsing a few legs and storing it in a nearby locker reserved for the vendors. “Well friends, given your excellent tastes in fruit, I bid you farewell. Please see me again sometime!” He hoists his bag of fruits over his back and walks away.
Mohaul makes it about halfway across the street when he and several other vendors and bystanders suddenly find themselves in the middle of a shouting match between members of the Aeon Guard and a group of Veskarium soldiers. Both groups are heavily armed, though no one has drawn weapons—yet.
Hey scaleface, yield to the might of Aeon force! the conversation starts, and what follows is an escalation of obscenities and profanities. There isn’t enough space for both groups of about a dozen people to pass, but both sides also refuse to budge.