Now boarding for Aballon.
This group of Starfinders find themselves aboard the Abundant, a slow-moving cargo ship, as part art of an expedition of about fifty Starfinders that includes archivists, archaeologists, and engineers, all led personally by the newly elected First Seeker Sarmak.
As the Abundant flies over its intended destination, Eternity, the Starfinders aboard get a good look at the city.
Soaring spires emerging from the rocky ground break the monotony of Aballon’s dusty plains with their silvery gleam. The straight roads crisscrossing the vast city of Eternity resemble a meticulously planned circuit board whose purpose has been lost to the ages, with the occasional fallen roof and buried sections disturbing the ancient city’s architectural precision.
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A tall, but slim and agole man appars, dressed up in light armor, a white coat over the second skin, and a long arm on his back, his blue hair betrays his ancestry to have some far conections with some elemental being, or maybe it was a very good tint
Greeting Starfinders, I am Siliur Vinclad, i am still adjusting myself to the current timeframe and scheduling of becoming an agent, its been just some months now, but has been a very enlightneed experience, I am learning about archeology as a lot of your fellow agents might be, i am a student of sciences of sorts as well, so i'll be able to help the best i can on the several study brances i've persued
I also am "blessed" with some magic, that i can comand and pull from diferent time streams or so it seems to work. Honored to net you all
After the Abundant lands south of the city, Sarmak leads the Starfinders in unpacking and setting up base camp just inside the borders of Eternity. Base camp will serve as the base of operations for the dozens of Starfinders participating in the archaeological survey of Eternity—a survey that may well span as long as a year.
After a few hours of labor, the party is called into Sarmak’s large tent for the first mission of the expedition.
“Welcome to Eternity, Starfinders,” Sarmak says grandly, opening his arms wide. “This is a momentous occasion. Aballon’s ruling Insight Array has granted us permission to perform a detailed survey of Eternity after a team of Starfinders recovered… this.”
The First Seeker produces a teardrop-shaped device illuminated by faint silvery lines, each brightening and dimming in unison. With a twist of his wrist, the teardrop, unfolds, revealing its intricate flower-like interior.
“This is the Eternity Drive. It was retrieved from an anacite temple here on Aballon. Tests revealed that it is both an encrypted data drive and a physical key. A data analysis and a molecular scan of its unique metal structure link it to the city of Eternity, although we have no idea what it might open. My hope is that the lock for this key is still here in the city.”
The First Seeker shifts his bulky body toward a holographic panel in the middle of the tent. With a few taps, he highlights two nearby sites. “I want you to take a closer look at two interesting locations we’ve identified. The first one, located to the northwest, is a distribution node—a warehouse of sorts. Although it’s hard to tell what it contains, I’ve been picking up unusual power spikes, which increased in strength as we entered the city. There’s no pattern to them, and without getting closer, it’s hard to tell if they’re connected to the key, our arrival, or something else entirely.
“The second site is a technocrèche, an assembling array located to the northeast. Erratic heat signatures and an observable energy drain in the neighboring structures suggest that something there is drawing power at an alarming rate. Your mission is to perform an initial exploration of both sites and ensure that these sites are safe for your more scholarly colleagues to enter.
“When your exploration is complete, we’ll send in teams of archaeologists, engineers, xenolinguists, and other researchers, who will go over every inch of the area to learn as much as possible from what was left behind by the builders of this city.
“Do you have any questions?”
constructs from a hidden dimension known as the Infinite Loop, who aim to assimilate the entire three-dimensional galaxy by any means necessary.
When the party exits Sarmak’s tent, base camp is still being set up and busy Starfinders bustle around. Immediately outside the tent, is an an android, unpacking equipment from a couple of large crates resting on an anti-gravity platform.
When he spies you leaving Sarmak's tent, he introduces himself.
“One moment, friends. I think I have something that may assist you.” As the android consults his data pad, looking for something specific, he continues, “I’m Hope-01 and I must admit I’m still taking all this in. I don’t think I’ve fully recovered from the excitement of the post-graduation festivities at the Lorespire Complex.”
The cheerful beeping of the data pad interrupts his reverie.
“Ah, yes. There it is. I have a few items that were put aside to assist you in your mission, including some food packets if you need to rest as you explore. Just a moment as I find them,” he adds with a bright smile.
Quickly turning to his task, Hope-01 retrieves a small kit emblazoned with the symbol of the Starfinder Society, which he presents to you. "Go ahead, open it up." Hope-01 encourages.
"Have you made your way around camp yet?" Hope-01 asks, eager to make small talk and be of help. "If not, I'd be happy to give you directions to any of the other places."
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AS they are getting ready to depart, he is checking on and cleaning hjis new rifle, one that might be useful on the takk ahead, you never know know the thngs that ca one find on the wilderness , on unknown planets
Indeed, graduation party is important, To start working on the field can be undaunting as well, Is there something on the planet you have observed? I mean this first ones seems like an important thing to find about, but it would not be thrilling to find if there were other civilizations or traces of it in this planet after all?
Indeed, graduation party is important, To start working on the field can be undaunting as well, Is there something on the planet you have observed? I mean this first ones seems like an important thing to find about, but it would not be thrilling to find if there were other civilizations or traces of it in this planet after all?
"I arrived with First Seeker Sarmak's ship and I haven't had any opportunities to do much observing yet," Hope-01 explains. "Actually, this is my first mission. Celita put my name forward
for consideration and First Seeker Sarmak was more than happy for me to tag along. My task is to help analyze and catalog whatever secrets may be found within,” he says with a hint of uncertainty.“As for the First Ones, they seem to be the main focus of this expedition, Some consider this the cradle of artificial life in the system and to delve into such an enduring mystery is quite intriguing. But knowledge for knowledge’s sake is doomed to become stale. What good is uncovering a secret if it is not used in the best interest of all?” He smiles ruefully. “I’m curious where all this will lead.”
"OH thank you. Me Poko me always want to make nufriends! Me had fun at the graduation party too. You come with us as well explore the area?"
At the mention of the graduation party, the android smiles. “In the interest of those involved, I won’t go into detail. Let’s just say that I’ve realized Castrovelian wine can fill even the mosttimid bantrid with the grandest of courage. A lesson one particular vesk will not forget easily.”
"As for exploring?"Hope-01 points to the analyzing equipment. "I suspect that I will be remaining in camp for the time being at least."
X nods. "It was quite the experience. Is there anybody in particular we should speak with?"
"That depends on what you want to speak about." Hope-01 replies. "The First Seeker and most of the analytical team are located here." The android points to nearby workstations. Multiple workstations have been set up in a semi-circle facing the First Seeker’s tent, allowing archaeologists, mechanics, researchers and scientists to work side by side.
"If you have issues with conditions within the camp, you'll want to speak with the engineers. On the camp’s west end, the engineers set up an energy-based habitat zone large enough to encapsulate the camp, while to the north, engineers prepare the massive atmospheric generators—together, these devices will supply base camp with standard atmosphere and regulated temperatures."
"I had heard that the atmospheric generators were a bit tricky to assemble, so the north may be a good place to go if you want to be offering some help." Hope-01 suggests.
"Of course, if you are hungry, head southward." he continues. " The south side, furthest away from the city itself, hosts comfortable living modules, a mess hall, and a kitchen. "
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He listens to Hope- 01, the optimism was a good way to start this endeavour, for sure
That is good to know, thanks for the insight , Once we start the exploration it seems that we'll be getting such information, I do certainly hope that the information we find would be useful to find more
data about the past, and if we are lucky maybe finally the key to understanding the gap, that of course is wishful thinking, this First ones might have existed before such events, so we should keep our eyes open.
Heading north, the party notices a squox-like creature as they are struggling to loosen the oxygen release valve on the top of the one of the oxygen generators, which are very large complex hybrid devices.
The petite creature with bright orange fur is wearing a homespun purple scarf. They peer deeply into a datapad which they use to decode a complex set of instructions written in a language comprised of colorful pictograms and mathematical notations. Their eyes go from the text in front of them to the large oxygen generator assembly, clicking their tongue as they think.
Suddenly, their ears perk up and they climb on the array, opening a barely noticeable panel with expert fingers. Hanging almost upside down, the vulkarisu alters a few settings and the previously silent oxygen array comes to life with a loud hiss.
“Yes! Always read the instructions, I say! How else would you notice sub-panel 3F,” they preen, then add to no one in particular, “You’re lucky I noticed,” as they descend from the large machine. It’s only once their paws are back on the ground that they notice their audience.
“Oh, hello! Don’t worry, you’ve no need for environmental protections in camp. The generators are working at peak efficiency now!”
The creature cocks their head and looks intently at Siliur Vinclad. "You are a human! How rare!" they declare, before addressing the entire party. "What are your specializations? And what they think about the expedition so far?"
"Hi I'm Poko, how are you?" The skittermander smiles and holds out her hands.
"I'm Kinpopo. I am fine, thank you," Kinpopo replies, holding out a paw-like hand. "I'm quite excited, in fact, sine I have joined Sarmak’s expedition to act as a translator and programmer. My expertise is in technolinguistics, and I must admit that I pride myself on my knowledge mathematics, linguistics, and codebreaking."
"What is your area of expertise?" Kinpopo asks of Poko.
Tuirk tries not to laugh when he cause Siliur Vinclad a rare breed. Goblins are the rarest of them all.
"Really?" Kinpopo replies, clearly surprised. "I will beg your pardon, but I had read that goblins were actually known for having a rapid rate of reproduction and for having spread out across the stars."
"The fault is mine, I am sure. I should know better than to trust the infosphere for accurate information." Kinpopo sighs, before eagerly asking, "And what is your specialty, my 'rare' friend? And what do you think about this expedition?"
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HE looks at the small creature and smile
Well. believe me , Absalom station is full of us humans you know? [/b[ He grins
[b] As for specialization, I know a bit of many things, I have been "blessed" by tachions or so to say, so i have some control over the time frame, time wizard has been an oversimplification of the things i am able to do, but i consider myself more an archologist and explorer than. . well .. a spell caster
HAve some experitse with technology as well
Kinpopo's excitement grows. "Technological expertise? Then, I see why you were selected for this mission. I am ecstatic to be studying the First Ones! As far as I'm aware, no one has been able to reconstruct the machine language that operates the technology left behind by the First Ones. I hope to be the first to create a translator that can help provide insights about what the First Ones left behind."
The furry Starfinder pauses for a moment, then notes, "You described yourself as an archeologist and an explorer, didn't you? Are you by any chance headed into the ruins of Eternity?"
We are to explorte this generla area, so yes you can say that we are in going to investigat Eternity's ruins
And does this translator is .. operative already?
Kinpopo's ears perk up. "As a matter of fact, yes! Get a comm unit ready," the furry Starfinder urges grabbing a computer. "I have some software to download. Transmitting, now..." Kinpopo presses a button on their computer.
"I am giving you a lexicon analyzing program that I wrote specifically for this expedition. I am asking you to please test it out in the field. The program is designed to capture and analyze any linguistic artifact you may encounter. It can even attempt to reconstruct meaning from context, although with such little data, it’s unlikely to be very accurate."
Looking down their computer, Kinpopo declares. "Done!"" The Starfinder then flashes a toothy grin, "I can’t wait for us to work together to translate anything that you might find in the ruins of Eternity!"
He looks at the comm unit, and tries a few commands on the lexicon, trying to understand tha basics of it
Well, yes it appears to be funciotnal now, so waht we do? we just point the comm unit an scan what we try to do and that is it?
"That's it! Just point and click!" Kinpopo declares. "You should see your comm device flash equations as it isolates phonemes and reconstructs key morphemes while reconstructing words."
Heading outside base camp, the party finds that the heat is intense, amplified further by the gleaming metallic structures surrounding them.
Luckily, the environmental protections of your armor are enough to keep you safe as you explore the city.
The city unexpectedly retreats as the party approaches the coordinates of the first high-lighted site, its perfect symmetries replaced by the jagged edges of rocky outcroppings and damaged streets. The gurgling of a metal stream is broken by the remains of a hexagonal basalt pillar embedded with solar powered holo-projectors, which partially crosses the morass.
The metallic shell of an anacite lays beside the stream in a dusty depression, reflecting the sun’s rays in complex, fiery patterns. The shell is punctured and pried open in multiple locations, with scraps of metal and circuitry scattered around it. Metallic pings akin to those created by a rapidly cooling engine sound from the anacite’s remains, disrupting the soft murmur coming from the pool with their tinny dissonance.
Map now on Slides with locations of pillar and dead anacite indicated.
The gray and green stream is quite shallow, only ankle deep.
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HE thanks Kinpopo, as they walk over to the first exploaration area, he seems to be playing with the device and getting used to the lexicon as they do
So... that was very convenient to have this software already develpped no? Porbably its because of this that they decided to move things along with this exploratoon
From their current vantage, Poko, X the Hunter, and Siliur Vinclad each spot a pair of winged, mechanical constructs with basic arthropodan forms of silvery metal. Each has with multiple legs for efficient travel and claws or manipulators.
One of the creatures is inside the damaged anacite, using its laser ray to warm up the body enough that it can rip small pieces from it with its mandibles. The other creature is in its nest, charging its batteries.
X the Hunter
Creature (blue)
Poko
Siliur
Creature (red)
Tuirk Ra
Even given its cover within the dead anacite, the creature is struck by laser fire.
One of the constructs takes to the air, flying towards the Starfinders.
CREATURES' NEST - First Full Round Begins!
X the Hunter
Creature (blue)
Poko
Siliur
Creature (red)
Tuirk Ra
X manages to again strike the construct within the dead anacite , leaving it severely damaged.
The construct flies forward, trying to return fire on its attacker.
CREATURES' NEST - First Full Round Cont'd!
X the Hunter -2 SP
Creature (blue) -12 HP
Poko
Siliur
Creature (red)
Tuirk Ra