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Sovellis continues to struggle with the controls. He tries again to divert power to the guns. There's a surge, but he's sent it to the shields instead.
Source Starfinder Core Rulebook pg. 323
As an engineer, you can take any of the following actions, depending on your ranks in the Engineering skill. These actions can be taken only during the engineering phase. Unless otherwise noted, each action can be performed only once per round, no matter how many engineers are on a starship.
Divert (Engineering Phase)
You can divert auxiliary power into one of your starship’s systems, giving it a boost. This requires a successful Engineering check (DC = 10 + 1-1/2 × your starship’s tier), and the results depend on where you decide to send this extra power. If you send it to the engines, your starship’s speed increases by 2 this round. If you send it to the science equipment, all science officers receive a +2 bonus to their crew actions this round. If you send it to the starship’s weapons, treat each damage die that rolls a 1 this round as having rolled a 2 instead. If you send it to the shields, restore an amount of Shield Points equal to 5% of the PCU rating of the starship’s power core (see page 296), up to the shields’ maximum value. You can distribute the restored Shield Points across the shields’ four quadrants as you see fit.
Hold It Together (Engineering Phase)
You can hold one system together by constantly patching and modifying it. If you succeed at an Engineering check (DC = 15 + 1-1/2 × your starship’s tier), you can select one system; that system is treated as if its critical damage condition were two steps less severe for the rest of the round (wrecked becomes glitching, and a malfunctioning or glitching system functions as if it had taken no critical damage). This check isn’t modified by penalties from critical damage to the power core.
Patch (Engineering Phase)
You can patch a system to reduce the effects of a critical damage condition. The number of actions and the DC of the Engineering check required to patch a system depend on how badly the system is damaged, as indicated on the table on page 324. Multiple engineers can pool their actions in a single round to effect repairs more quickly, but each engineer must succeed at her Engineering check to contribute her action to the patch. The number of actions required can be reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 1 action) by increasing the DC by 5. If you succeed at this check, the severity of the critical damage is unchanged, but it is treated as one step less severe for the remainder of the combat, until 1 hour has passed, or until the system takes critical damage again (which removes the patch and applies the new severity). This action can be taken more than once per round, and this check is not modified by any critical damage to the core.
Critical Damage Condition Actions to Patch DC
Glitching 1 10 + 1-1/2 times your starship’s tier
Malfunctioning 2 15 + 1-1/2 times your starship’s tier
Wrecked 3 20 + 1-1/2 times your starship’s tier
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That also hits. The River Rat looks like it's in bad shape with bits of it's hull plating floating off it. Mister Smiles has obviously decided enough is enough as they attempt to accelerate away despite the plasma fire in one engine.
Ezra Silverbrew (female dwarf mechanic), the Society’s liaison with the Silverbrew clan, quickly contacts you with a message of gratitude.
Nice flying, Starfinders. That ought to teach those skulking thieves
to keep away from what isn’t theirs! Now then, as promised, we’ll send you the one chunk of the tablet they didn’t get their grubby hands on. And after you get that, we get to sweep the station for any other ‘surprises’ they might have left behind.
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Sovellis is happy to abandon the engineering board. He feels like it bested him in a sparring match.
"That is the second piece of the tablet. We are already halfway to the outer planets. We should contact Venture Captain Arvin to see where the next mission is. It would be a shame to drop down to Absalom Station only to have to lift ourselves back up here. "
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Sovellis puts in the call. A bit later, Arvin sends back instructions, (see Handout #3) and has you dock the Loreseeker with a commercial shuttle going to the planet Verces, as arriving in a Starfinder ship could arouse suspicion. A fellow Starfinder was also dispatched on that shuttle to bring the Loreseeker home.
The shuttle docks in the city-state of Vanos, where Karelite Bogdin has his club.
Culture to Recall Knowledge or Diplomacy to gather information.
Amy, the pilot, also passes on Arvin's recommendations that you disguise yourselves as wealthy clientele - the better to blend in, and wishes you the best of luck.
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Verces is a tidally-locked planet, with one side permanently facing the Pact Worlds’ single sun. The largest civilization is a sprawling metropolis spanning the circumference of the planet called the Ring of Nations, a temperate refuge lying between the scorching heat of Fullbright and numbing cold of Darkside. The most technologically advanced of the native species are the Verthani, eight-foot tall humanoids whose chameleon-like skin allows them to blend their pigments to hide in plain sight.
The mega-metropolis that spans the planet is known for its elevated level of technological advancement. Because of this, most Verthani use various cybernetic instruments to some degree to augment their senses and defenses.
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Different nation-cities within the Ring of Nations operate with varying degrees of self-governance, with some being known for their rather lax rules on bodily autonomy. The city-state of Vanos is known as they place to do business if you’re looking to avoid scrutiny from the authorities. Casinos, clubs, and open black markets where the rich can buy and sell sentient androids abound. Laws, which are few and far between, are rarely enforced where they do exist.
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“This city-state is known for not enforcing its laws — and sometimes skipping laws entirely. Weapons must be the norm here. Still, I guess it's worth looking up. Is it on their infosphere page?”
She fishes out her comm unit and looks up the club’s info.
After poking and shaking the comm unit for a moment, she blushes and turns it around in her hands.
“I need to put a sticker or something on it to show which end is the top.”
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Sure enough - conceal carry is the norm.
To blend in with the wealthy clientele that patronizes Kozmos, you should create getups that enable them to easily blend in with the crowd. Successful disguise checks should do it.
The city-state of Vanos lies in a perpetual twilight, and the appeal of the city lies mostly in the traditionally nocturnal activities found there. The club is a short distance from the port, down a busy boulevard. Neon lights flash above various storefronts, advertising everything from virtual reality shows to high-end pet shops selling imported animals of dubious legality. All around, people of various species, dressed in expensive clothing, laugh as they make their way beneath the pulsing lights. Many are accompanied by androids dressed in similar black uniforms, all with red collars around their necks.
When you arrive at Kozmos, a line stretches around the block, filled with eager concert-goers awaiting admittance. Gaining entry is easy; the tickets provided by Arvin are legitimate, though the large vesk bouncers do eye any of you in shabby outfits as you pass by. As with most locations in Vanos, weapons are permissible within the club.
The main dance floor of Kozmos extends almost eighty feet from north to south. Two raised bars, tended by clearly augmented verthani, nest within raised platforms in the northwest and northeast corners, while two large vesk guard a door in the middle of the northern wall. Two androids with red collars tend a central bar, which serves as the main drinking station. Throngs of verthani and a handful of other species fill the dance floor, and the 10-foot ceilings barely rise two feet above most of their heads. A large stage covers the southern section of the room, flanked by ramps leading up from the east and west sides. Each ramp leads to a door, with the southern one guarded by an intimidating vesk who stands under a sign marked “Dressing Room.” A double door marked “Fire Exit” lies in the middle of the eastern wall, and the club entrance is the sole door along the western side.
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"Shame we're on a job, otherwise I'd see just how hard the parties get in there."
Lash follows along and looks over the various partygoers. Stimmed-out airheads and wannabe thugs are hardly an interest for her, but the locals do like their cybernetics. Thus, the tiefling will use this opportunity to break the ice. Complement some people's various mods, cybernetic or otherwise. Maybe talk shop and see if loose lips can let her know about the owner and his operation.
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Sovellis takes some time to shine up his armor. It's practically new, this mission is the first time he's used it. It should emphasize his role as bodyguard without need for a disguise. His sword doesn't fit the 'concealed carry' concept, but he thinks that his starknife will probably get through. The knife goes in its case on his back. His medpatch and smoke grenade stay on his belt. On the way to the club he purchases two serums of healing (1).
The sword stays behind with his pack.
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Nippostia keeps up the "we're here to party" vibe and moves next to Beta. She stands on tiptoes and motions Beta to lean close.
“Check out the collars on the android bartenders, Beta. Do those look decorative or like they do something bad? I can try talking to them if you want to get a closer look…”
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Lash purses her lips at the mention of the collars. While wondering where she can get one. At least without the bomb part. Then she looks around the club before leaning in to chat with her companions. "You guys can talk to them. I'm not so good at that."
Then she gestures towards the fire escape. "Want me to slip back there and have a look around? I can't promise it won't get sloppy if I bump into a guard, but I can at least try to make it quick."
She makes a fist to articulate the point, with sickly green energy dripping from her palm for just a moment.
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Grimalki's whispered voice echoes through her allies' heads. "Sounds like a good plan, I'm gonna go talk to one of the bartenders, see if I can't get one to at least talk around that control collar."
She sits down at the bar, at least a couple seats away from any other partygoers if possible. "Whiskey on the rocks."
She takes a swig. "Damn good." She taps her fingers on the counter, turning to the bartender. "Is it usually this busy?"
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The two androids at the central bar look rather timid. Getting them to talk requires a Diplomacy or Intimidate check. The two augmented verthani tending the northern bars do not have much to say; they are more interested in what they can sell you to enhance your club experience.
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”Want me to slip back there and have a look around? I can't promise it won't get sloppy if I bump into a guard, but I can at least try to make it quick.”
Nippostia nods.
“Sounds like a good idea. I’ll head for the bar and try to keep an eye on you. Maybe Sovellis or Beta can go with you. Or even both of them.”
She joins Grimalki at the bar, picking a spot a couple of chairs away from them.
Nip hops onto a barstool and taps a credstick to get the other android’s attention, then leans in close when they come over.
“Those collars tell me you aren’t here willingly, and that’s just wrong. Do you want to be free? How can my friends and I help you?”
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If you can get these things off us, we would be grateful. They're there to force compliance and, if they're switched on, we can't move. We've seen other androids disassembled while in that state. Bogdon controls us via a computer in his office. Shut that down and ... well ... we'd jump at the chance of retribution.
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Sovellis is comforted by what he sees. If there is trouble the customers will likely scatter. The verthani can probably be handled by any of the Starfinder despite the light armor they no doubt wear beneath their clothes. Sovellis out-guns the vesk at range. The strategy will be to keep the fight moving until at least one of the vesk is down.
Invisible inside his helmet, he smiles. The sword might have given him too great an advantage.
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“Got it. Give us a few minutes to work. You’ll know when everything starts happening. Be ready. And thank you for trusting me.”
Nippostia picks up her drink and turns to Sovellis. With a bit of appropriately theatrical pouting, she gestures toward him with her glass.
“We talked about this, Sovey. Don’t stand so far away. C’mere… I like it when you stand next to me.”
She waggles her free hand toward him, then points to a spot next to her chair.
Quietly on comms, she passes along what she learned from the bartenders.
“Sovellis, what do you think? Should we stay out here and watch for trouble or join the backstage team once they’re in?”
Then she hears Balok’s diversion.