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"Trapped within a cage of steel
Amid the chaos
They suffered undeserved end."
Azara says, standing over the bodies in the cells.
Somberly, he helps Shrike move the bodies into another room and lay them as respectfully on the floor as possible before locking the gnome up.
With the immediate living and dead dealt with, he joins Ohmarc at the open hatch.
Final words and a search of the area...
They discover a few items of use that were overlooked by the last people to come through: an ultrathin dueling sword, an impact breaching gun, an LFD sonic pistol, an inferno flame pistol, and three frag grenades III.
The prisoner makes no attempt to resist, and you clear the rest of the building.
Braerton Sanctuary, once a site of education and study, is in ruins. The structure has been hit by several mortar shells and lies scattered across the city block. Cries for help from inside the building indicate that some civilians remain trapped inside.
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"We'll be back to get you out of here," Azara says to the gnome, who he feels more than a little sorry for. She seems to be more a pawn in a violent game than a player.
After they gather up the weapons cache, he moves cautiously toward the Sanctuary, expecting trouble.
Caution is thrown to the solar winds as he hears the cries for help and he puts his cybernetically enhanced speed to good use in closing the distance.
Without hesitation he begins shifting rubble and debris to dig people out.
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Gunnz swaps her own pistol for the LFD if nobody else is interested, and then joins the rest of the team at the Sanctuary. Her training as a dancer certainly comes to the fore as she shows remarkable fortitude in removing rubble.
Well, she does until she uncovers what at one time may have been a bit of a gym floor, but could equally have been a rehabilitative dance studio. Putting on her speakers she gets a bit distracted by working out to the latest SMC drop
Ishkitik puts her considerable engineering expertise to work as well, directing Ishkitok to strategically drag away pieces of building.
The team works together, and gets a narrow route cleared. The civilians come pouring out.
Among the civilians is one Nikeela Phuvo, cleric of Abadar and manager of Braerton Sanctuary. Nikeela tearfully looks for you, "I... I have to talk to you. She begins to describe the horrifying experience, lamenting that the Mongers have killed many of her friends, neighbors, and parishioners. She says that the building wasn't demolished by rocketfire, but by [b]“an armored tank that walked on two legs and IT fired a missile at the building.”
She turns her attention back to the flock. Ongie pushes you to head towards the community center.
The sky grows momentarily dark. Above, the burning hulk of a Pegasus ship momentarily obscures the sun as it descends towards the city. Through comms, Fitch gives a static-filled cry. “They’ve shot down Brown Team! White Team, it’s going to crash in Sector 5; get clear of the impact site! Blue Team, divert course to rescue any survivors, fast!”
The Pegasus tears through house after house as it touches down, ripping a long tear through earth and concrete as it skids through entire blocks before coming to rest in a debris-strewn crater. Fitch explains "that ship contains Brown Team, whose role was to counteract the effects of biological agents deployed by the Order. The ship is partially obscured by the large dust clouds its own crash creates"
...but by the time you arrive, it’s become a burning wreck.
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Gunnz seems perhaps more upset by the "death" of the pegasus than by the destruction its landing has caused. "[b]They are the most beautiful of ships.[/]b" she bemoans.
Still, with her hundreds of days of flight time, she knows the ship inside and out. And she knows the best place to look for survivers.
Ishkitik, aided by Ishkitok, focus on bracing and securing sections of the wreck in danger of further collapse, trying to maintain a safe egress for her allies pulling out the wounded.
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As her allies push into the ship, Lady Shrike attempts to coordinate with the crew. Through prayers to her goddess, and aiding in focus with members of Brown Team who are more mystically inclined, she seeks to divine the location of survivors lost beyond the range of broken cameras or malfunctioning sensors.
"Goddess, the battle rages on. Your soldiers have arrived. Guide me to them."
throughout the mission, the team has worked together like they've been with each other for years. The warzone here is no different. In short order every last member of Brown team is alive because of your efforts. Alive does not mean unscathed.
Brown Team is led by a vesk named Shareeze, who has sustained severe burns but is grateful for your timely rescue. Numerous other members of Brown Team have suffered life-altering injuries, and most are unable to leave the site under their own power. Fitch breaks in over the comms asking for an update.
Fitch, "Brown Team, you are to join the refugees and evacuate the planet as well. White Team is tasked with overseeing your care. Blue Team, thank you for your quick responses. You are now ordered to proceed with your previous mission objectives. Over."
The recently completed community center and sports multiplex has been destroyed by mortar attacks. Collapsed buildings have crashed to the street or fallen inward, leaving a u-shaped alcove between the destruction. While the haphazard structure is unstable, it creates a sheltered area that is relatively safe from aerial bombs and explosions. Outside this opening are several corpses dressed in the black armor of Order soldiers.
When you enter the bunker, a traumatized survivor fires a shot at the ground near your feet, telling you to "KEEP BACK!"
The seconds seem like hours, but eventually the civilians back down. Among the survivors, you locate Reela, the architect who designed the community center. Reela sits in a daze at the back of the makeshift bunker, absently scrubbing with her nails at the blood splattering her skin and clothes. When you coax her to join the other civilians, she startles and stammers for a time about blood, bombs, and bodies. Right before you part ways with her, Reela despondently remarks, “They’ll never let us leave.”
There's no rest. As soon as you're outside, Fitch hits the comms iwth an update “Heavy artillery approaching landing pad! The Order’s launching a counterattack! Pink Team, protect the civilians awaiting evac! Blue Team, hurry to the landing pad and take out those tanks!”
When you arrive, you find a team of Starfinders and a team of volunteer Stewards protecting the civilians awaiting evacuation, who are currently crowded behind crates, machinery, and all other available cover. Meanwhile, a squad of Order troops fires at them as they move to retake the landing pad. Behind them, in front of you, two armored tanks trundle forward. The tanks unfold, rising from the ground onto two large mechanical legs. It’s clear that these tanks will open fire on the civilians if you don’t immediately interfere!
INITIATIVE
ROUND 1:
Yuqab: Go
Lady Shrike: Go
Ishkitik (SP: 21/72: Go
-----Ishkitok (SP: -42): Go
Tanks: TBD
Ohmarc (SP: 22/56): TBD
Gunnz: TBD
Azara (SP: 0/98): TBD
T10 = 30
Cyan: 75 (Azara marked for death) Ammo 4/4
Yellow: 69, Bleed d8 Ammo 3/4
Ishkitik similarly searches her extensive robotics and fabrication experience for some advantage.
Yuqab and Ishkitik quickly take stock. The tank is heavily armored, but the more you batter the armor, the easier it is to get to the good stuff (it's hardness decreases as you damage it.[/ooc] It's a tank, unpiloted, so mental abilities won't work. Look out for the tactical warhead though. No way to tell how many missiles, but each will hit a big area
None of that matters to Shrike, who charges in. The blade cuts DEEP into the armor, gets through to some vital circuits.
ROUND 1:
Yuqab: Go
Lady Shrike: Hit[b]
Ishkitik (SP: 21/72: Go
-----Ishkitok (SP: -42): Go
Tanks: TBD
Ohmarc (SP: 22/56): TBD
Gunnz: TBD
Azara (SP: 0/98): TBD
Red: 27
