The River Between is a rushing waterway contained within a cylindrical containment field that winds through the Diaspora, connecting hundreds of asteroids and sarcesian crèche worlds in an endless loop. For years, the River Between’s current has slowed, and its waters have darkened, becoming fallow and murky. Now, the River Between is drying up, and all signs indicate it’s an act of sabotage perpetrated by notorious space pirate Alera Okwana, captain of the Riveters. Grab your laser pistol, plot a course for the Diaspora, and raid a pirate stronghold in your quest to save the River Between!
|
Jek shows up early waiting for the others to arrive. As the other arrive they see a shirren wearing their Dash Riprock Absalom Ankhegs jersey, listening to replays from past Absalom Ankhegs zero-gee football matches, you hear Jek as he jumps up yelling "Dash scores again!'
Jek looks surprised not realizing others had showed up.
"Sorry, I didn't realize anyone else was here, I was just catching up on some past games."
To anyone, Jek doesn't know Jek says.
"Hi I'm Jek team combat medic, nice to meet you. Did you see last week's game? That last score by Dash was epic!"
|
A very violet android slips into the room as Jek is introducing himself. Her armor is such a deep purple that it's almost black, and it's shot through with organic motifs that match the tattoos covering her hands and face.
"Yes. I never realized how fun a sports game could be. I assumed you'd have to really enjoy the sport itself to get into it, but the atmosphere was contagious. I might have to look into season tickets." She fiddles with a navy blue hat with the Absalom Ankhegs logo and a marker, glancing at the door. "I heard Dash was assigned to this mission, too."
|
|
Jek hands Twila-5 and envelope
"Before you buy tickets might want to open this."
"Cool good to know Dash will be on this mission I've been meaning to ask him if this hurt."
Jek shows a short video on thier comm unit of Dash getting hit really hard right as he scores.
|
|
After reading the card, Twila-5 playfully punches Jek in the shoulder. "Excellent. Thank you." She doesn't show emotion, but the way she keeps looking at the ticket shows her excitement.
Turning to the newcomer, she intones: "Different people have different understandings of the word 'coincidence'. I call it 'anything convenient that I can't explain'. So welcome."
|
|
Jek's bug face and eyes, stay looking like a bug face and eyes, but Jek's antenna perks up a bit when Twila-5 says thank you.
"Gald you like it, now I won't feel as bad if I blow myself up again on this mission."
Hearing Kaath talk about coincidence.
"I call anything that can't be explained that's is a coincidence a conspiracy theory, there's conspiracy theories all over the infosphere explaining just about anything you can think of. One of the big theories going around now is that Aucturn is not a planet it's a giant egg, can you believe that! I've seen at least two dozen videos on it's got to be ture I just know it. I mean what's the chance of every planet just being a planet. Where it came from that's a rabbit hole I haven't gotten to the bottom of yet. I know that sounds crazy but I can send you links to the videos if you like. My favorite channel is the GAP Insider, I don't know how they do it but they get all their info from the GAP years that's so cool."
|
From the back of the room, a lone figure edged in, eavesdropping on the conversations before announcing her self by playing a verse of the Absalom Ankhegs fight song on a synth-violin while dancing as she plays.
She is a slightly petite human female with auburn hair, in practical jumpsuit suitable for adventuring. She shows few weapons, just a knife and a pistol, and no evident armor. She moves with grace and has a disarming smile that puts most sentients at ease.
"Greetings all! I'm Stell," she says brightly as she finishes the melody with a flourish and a bow. "I'm not a sports fan, but I like that fight song."
Regarding the debate on coincidence, she says, "One sentient's coincidence is another's synchronicity. If two events happen that do not appear to have a causal connection, you call it a coincidence if you see no significance to the event and therefore assume no causality. If the event seems significant, you assume there is a causal connection, even if you don't know what it is. Potato - Potaato."
|
|
Jek's bug face and eyes, stay looking like a bug face and eyes, but Jek's antenna perks up a bit when Twila-5 says thank you.
"Gald you like it, now I won't feel as bad if I blow myself up again on this mission."
"Not allowed."
"Hi, Stell. That was great. Can you play it again when Dash comes in? He looks like this." Twila-5 whips out her datapad and pulls up a pic of Dash from the Ankhegs' website.
|
As if conjured up by some eldritch magics the half-orc in question arrives. He is clearly quite angry. He smashes a hole in a nearby wall."'At's b~!*$~*s innit? Foive game suspension? 'At ref's outta 'is bleedin' mind. Anyways Marcotti knew wot 'e was in for. It's a rough sport, zero-gee football 'an 'is leg'll 'eal up just foine. An 'oo needs a pinky finger anyway? I did warn 'im 'at I'd crush 'im like a bug next time I sees 'im." The footballer grins menacingly at the memory. His grin widens with genuine happiness when he sees the other starfinders in attendence.
"'Oi. Look 'oo it is. Twila and Jek. Good to see you lot 'ere. I just got back from 'at disciplinary 'earing for that 'it wot I did on that bastard Marcotti last noight." He makes finger quotes around 'disciplinary hearing.' "Foive game suspension, can you believe it? I mean two games, sure. Mebbe even free if they wanna teach me a lesson, but foive?" He laughs ruefully before continuing his rant."'An it weren't no cheap shot neither. Marcotti saw it comin' 'e did. Heh. I bet 'is 'ead is still ringin'."
"Anyways enough 'o 'at. It's good to have the gang back togevver again on starfinder business. It'll give me somfink to do while I wait out the next few weeks. ''Fink we 'ave time to nip over the pub fer a pint before the briefing?"
|
After everyone gathered in the place, a a smiling and muscular Tiefling, clad in a black heavy armor, bearing the holy symbol of Besmara enters.
Howdy! I'm Ysh'yaal! Servant of Besmara. You can call me Ysh' if you want!
Her only weapon is a gliming new laser pistol, but you see that she has a toolbag with different used bits and part of computers and other electronic devices.
|
|
Kaath tries to stay engaged with the conversation and recent events as he has been on holiday from missions for a couple years.
Kaath is my namesake. Greetings to you all. It would seem our fates have aligned to this point in space and time. Although from the conversation, some of you have crossed paths before. I am a bit 'rusty' as an operative but hope to contribute.
The Master of Stars. Flagship of the Starfinder fleet, mobile base, headquarters of the Wayfinders faction.
The bridge of the Master of Stars is large, spacious, and brightly lit, and brimming with crew. Starfinders, science officers, engineers, and other supplementary crew hurry back and forth as they perform their duties, operate the scanners, and maintain the massive starship.
Fitch stands with the middle of the room, bent over a digital tabletop with a holographic interface and at least a dozen mission briefs and reports open at once. Behind her, eight ysoki children tumble about, bumping into the crew and jostling levers and buttons that look like they should not be jostled—typical behavior for Fitch’s grandchildren.
Two of the grand-children start dancing to the violin music, while a particularly tiny ysoki looks at Jekcedo's pizza with big eyes and asks Can I have a piece? Pleaaaase? A fourth ysoki makes an impression of Kaath by pulling up their polo shirt and wrapping the collar around his face, imitating the Kasatha with a muffled voice Kaaf iff my bnameffake, while a fifth asks What's a bemsara?
“There you are, Starfinders!” Fitch exclaims, pulling up a hologram of a river winding through an asteroid belt. “Let’s get right to it. As you may know, the River Between is the lifeblood of the Diaspora. The water flowing within its containment field sustains hundreds of flourishing settlements and provides a means of cheap travel throughout the region. Over the past several months—”
Fitch’s grandkids suddenly bound across the table, their scurrying motion causing the holograms to shift wildly, then wink out completely. The youngest ysoki screeches and waves their arms around, nails bared in an inaccurate imitation of some aggressive monster.
“Not during briefings!” Fitch shrieks as she shoos the kids away. Gesturing at a nearby ysoki Starfinder, she calls, “Kiha! Watch the kids!”
Kiha groans melodramatically. “I’m working, Grandma!”
“So am I! That’s an order, Starfinder!”
With a roll of her eyes, Kiha ushers the kids away, muttering, “Kirkath should be saddled with the babysitting.”
Fitch takes a deep breath as she reopens her files. “The River Between is deteriorating. Where the waters once flowed cold and clear, they’ve slowed to a murky crawl. Even worse, water levels are lowering, as if there’s a leak somewhere along the route. Sarcesian créche worlds throughout the Diaspora are already seeing poor harvests and failing filtration infrastructure. Whatever’s happening, we need to figure out how to halt and reverse its progression.
“Our scouts pinpointed the source of this inexplicable drainage: an asteroid that serves as the base of operations for a group of pirates called the Riveters. Word is the Riveters abducted half a dozen scientists, engineers, and arcanists from across the Diaspora, whom they’ve yet to issue ransom demands for. I strongly believe the Riveters are using the expertise of those abducted to sabotage the River Between, likely to hold the whole Diaspora hostage and demand a ransom for its repair. Your mission is to rescue the civilians and stop the pirates from causing irreversible damage to the River Between.”
I'll answer any question you might have, and I need you to pick one of the ships we have in our hangar bay. Fitch brings up a datapad. We currently have the Hurricane, which is a Pegasus-class ship, the Drake-Class Thunderbolt and the Preference, an Azata ship.
|
|
Stell greets each newcomer in turn, introducing herself, and taking in their own introductions. She plays the fight song again for Dash and then entertains the Fitch's grandkids until the briefing starts.
To Ysh Stell asks, "If there is time, I hope you can teach me a few pirate chanties."
Once all are assembled, she comments, "Seems like a good balanced team: muscle, magic, both techno and mystic, and a couple of operatives for finesse."
As a member of the Wayfinder factions, Stell feels at home in the presence of Fitch and the crew.
Once the briefing is over, Stell concludes, "Sounds like fun. Weyden bless us all."
Potaato! the ysoki screams I don't like Potato
Fitch offers some insights on the pirate forces when Jekcedo mentions them:
You should know that the Riveters are a group of pirates who’ve established their home base on Asteroid Y-47. As far as we can tell, they number around three dozen pirates, plus an unknown number of supplementary crew. Their fleet consists of six starships. Their captain, Alera Okwana, is a human woman whose personal starship is the Rusty Rivet.
The Riveters run random patrols around the asteroid. We’ve also gathered that they installed weaponry on the exterior of the asteroid, but we haven’t tested the full breadth of their defensive capabilities.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Stell looks over the ship's profiles on her computer. "The Pegasus is fastest. Pegasus is the less maneuverable than the others. Azata has the best defenses and strongest shields. It's also the hardest to get a target lock on. Drake is the sturdiest, can take the most damage and it has the best PCU. Drake and Pegasus both are well stocked with weapons. In terms of scanners, Azata has the longest range, but Pegasus makes up in effectiveness what it lacks in range."
"The Pegasus may be a good compromise between fighting capabilities and scanning power."
|
|
"Unless Ysh has some knowledge on why not to take the Pegasus against pirates, I'm ok with the Pegasus. it has some unusual options for combat, sort range port side, and long-range starboard. all we need is a pilot that doesn't get dizzy easily. Oh, I got an idea what if you paint a pirate flag on our ship so they think we're one of them? "
I have to warn you: The pirates abducted a mechanical engineer named Jazen who specializes in hybrid technology; two historians, Linatta Cray and Firin Udor, who specialize in the history of the Diaspora; Quira, a spellcaster known for her powerful disenchantments; Rad-3, a hydrologist who has been studying the decline in the flow of the River Between; and Mirai Vox, a noted physicist. Each of the abductees is renowned in their respective fields, and the combination of all their knowledge and abilities could cause significant destruction.
---
The Hurricane () sets out from the Master of Stars to their destination, which shouldn't be more than two days of travel. Early on the second day of the trip, an Inheritorworks light freighter shows up on the scanners, which is unmistakenly powered by an archon drive. Soon enough, a hail calls the Starfinder ship. Hey there! a friendly human captain speaks on the holo-screen, This is Captain Hada Ebun of the Herald. Where does the universe take you today?
|
|
Ysh'yaal smiles back at the captain, waiting for theirs to respond.
Benefit: When you have this boon slotted, you gain a +2 insight bonus on all skill checks made to influence members of the Free Captains (Starfinder Core Rulebook 476). You also gain a +2 circumstance bonus on Intimidate checks made to demoralize a foe, or when using Intimidate as part of a demand or taunt a starship captain action. This bonus increase bu 1 for each Infamy you possess. If you ever reduce your Infamy while this boon is slotted, cross this boon off your chronicle sheet.
|
|
Dash has been silently brooding over his suspension for the last couple of days. The opportunity to speak to someone new drags him out of his funk. "Ha! Just takin' a pleasure cruise while I wait out my suspension. Can you believe I gotta sit out foive matches? I just 'ope Jimmy Two-Sheds don't screw up too much. "E's not aggressive enough as roof attack." He flashes a grin at the holo-screen.
|
|
Jek stares blankly at the screen as the bad news sinks in and thinks to themself.
"Suspended! I just gave Twila-5 a ticket to the next game and I got one too. Ok Jek snap out of it you got a mission to complete, next time you have some downtime you can start planning the fan rebellion then..."
Jek snaps out of their blank stare and talks to the screen
"Hold on Captain Stell Z-Lin is on the way. By the way, do you happen to follow Zero-G Football? Can you believe Dash Riprock got suspended what is this galaxy coming to."
That was never a foul! Captain Hada says, blushing slightly at the wink she gets from Dash. Jimmy is a good roof attack, but he needs to commit more!
She suddenly becomes self-aware, and regains her gravitas We are of the church of Iomedae, on a mission to investigate the effects of Aucturn’s unholy effluence.
---
---
As the pockmarked form of Asteroid Y-47 comes into view, so does the winding trail of the River Between as it weaves through clusters of smaller asteroids and debris. The river flows directly into one end of Asteroid Y-47 and out the other. The water flowing through the containment field is murky, and there are places where debris has penetrated it or where water is leaking out through the field.
That containment field is severely weakened, and it is on the bring of failing.
|
|
"The containment field is severely weakened. It's on the brink of collapse."
Twila-5 nods at Ysh'yaal. "Good idea. I'll play that up." Charting a course that takes advantage of several large pieces of space debris, she causes the Hurricane to slowly spin as if it was a meteor floating through space.
|
|
Stell sits in the Captain's chair and listens intently to the information the crew offers. "Could we do a scan before we try to hide ourselves? It would be good to know what's in the area."
Is the asteroid special for some reason or just the first bit of the River we came upon? Does there look to be structures or technology on the asteroid?
We could follow the river a ways to see if we pick up any clues about what's affecting it.
A cylindrical river of greyish brown water courses through the area, flowing directly into (and then out of) a large asteroid in the distance. Trickles of water leak from the river in a few places, dissipating as they impact debris and burst into tiny droplets. A gruff, boisterous voice crackles through the ship’s communication channel, originating from a nearby vessel.
“Intruders?! Blast ‘em back to Absalom Station, Riveters! We’ll pull what we can from their blasted holds!
---(Round 1)---
Engineering
Helm
Gunnery
---
Everyone!
---
Defrex
Defrex
Dyad
---
|
|
YSh' diverts the power of the ship towards the guns.
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.
Ysh'yaal works hard to divert power to the guns, while Jekcedo tries to help Twila gets a good path to the pirates.
Stell intimidates the lead ship, which makes a few uncertain movements before opening fire.
Dash's particle cannon rips through the front shield of the largest ship, while Kaath mistakes the left laser for a mining laser, and only blasts an asteroid.
The remaining two ship have no line of fire, but lie reasy to pounce.
---(Round 2)---
Engineering
Helm
Gunnery
---
Everyone!
---
Defrex
Defrex
Dyad (Taunt until round 4; F 10; HP 5)
---