The Starfinders have been chosen to represent the Starfinder Society in the Great Absalom Relay, a live-streamed charity event benefiting Absalom Station’s unhoused population. They’ve gathered at Jatembe Park for the opening of the race, already wearing their team uniforms and equipped with their usual adventuring gear.
The goal of the Absalom Station Foundation is to “enrich the lives of all citizens of Absalom Station and help the countless refugees who take shelter within its walls.” The purpose of the relay is to highlight some of the iconic locations in Absalom Station, entertain the station’s citizens, and raise funds via corporate donations, live viewer chats, vidfeed ads, and betting pools. Proceeds from the charity event go to renovate one of the lowest levels of Absalom Station’s Spike, clearing away refuse and detritus to construct a thousand living suites for Absalom Station’s unhoused population. The livestream of the event tracks the funds earned in real-time, adding additional living suites and community features with every major funding milestone.
A dozen of Absalom Station’s most prominent factions, organizations, and corporations have been invited to participate in the Great Absalom Relay, with each putting forth one team as competitors in the event. Among these groups is the Starfinder Society! You have volunteered to be on this team.
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The lanky green host shirren arrives, wearing whatever "team uniform" provided over their normal suit of Carbon Skin armor. They are reviewing their list of spells in a comm link, swiping left and right to determine a proper configuration.
When some of the other team members arrive, Klicknop turns attention from the spell database to greet them telepathically. Salutations. I am Klicknop, a technoarcanist. Not to be confused with a technoanarchist, of course. *mental chuckle* I look forward to our competition together today.
A green-haired human woman in light armor jogs up and begins to warm up by performing some light stretching exercises.
"Pleasta meetcha Klic! I'm Navasi. You should do a bit of stretching before the race begins. You don't want to get a cramp."
A pahtra with tan skin wearing a green vest and cargo pants approaches. The red-tinted goggles, already over their eyes, seem appropriate with a race approaching, but the golden arm - it's not clear if it's armor or a prosthetic - with a sun-emblazoned pauldron is definitely unique.
"Hey, folks," they say, approaching the two other Starfinders, "it's Dae. Let's get this show on the road. Literally, it seems."
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Klicknop nods to Navasi. "I appreciate the concern. I am a trained medical professional, and commend you on your precautions. However, the physiology of my carapace is different from your mammalian skeletal-muscular structure. We do not ... cramp up, as you say."
As Dae approaches, the shirren waves. "Greetings." They hold out a datapad. "Would you be willing to digitally autograph this holo for my brood sibling? She is quite a fan of your ... I believe 'killer moves' is the phrase she uses to describe them. She would surely treasure this NFT ... though I don't have the heart to tell her that such collectibles are not as monetarily valuable as she believes."
"Oh, hey, yeah anything for the fans. What's the name? I can't speak to how many credits they might get if they sold - but why would they want to?"
“Hello, Pact Worlds! Rick Molbrun here, broadcasting live from Jatembe Park. A green space at the heart of Absalom Station, its greenery provides a welcome respite for the citizens of this unmoored city. Today, it’s also the starting line for a race like never before.”
“Twelve teams will embark on a race around the station, each sponsored by a different organization. Whether they’re representing a megacorp like AbadarCorp, a military faction like the Stewards, or a special-interest group like the Arcanamirium, they’ll all need to solve clues, complete challenges, and race to be the first to cross the finish line. The prize? Fame, glory, and the first-ever relay medal. This is… The Great Absalom Relay!”
As the crowd cheers and the camera drone zooms out, Rick Molbrun drops his smile and turns to face the twelve teams arrayed on stage. Each team is dressed in matching clothes, whose colors complement their tastefully-emblazoned sponsoring organization’s logo. “Are you ready to go, racers? We’ll have one final review of the rules and then we’ll move onto team interviews.
“On my mark, you’ll run over to your packs to get your first clue. You’ll need to figure out which Absalom Station landmark the clue is guiding you to, get there, and then complete a task. Once you do, you’ll get your next clue, and so on, until you come back here for the final gauntlet, which is the last stage of the relay. The first team to complete the gauntlet and cross the finish line wins! Remember, each of you needs to complete at least two tasks before the final gauntlet or you’ll incur a time penalty, but it’s up to you which of you completes each task. And don’t forget, we’re live! Smile, perform, have fun—let’s put on one hell of a show! It’s all for charity, after all.”
As the competitors hustle off stage, Venture-Captain Arvin waves the Starfinders over. "Thanks for agreeing to participate in today’s event for charity. Any quick questions, so far? Before the race begins."
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A tall-ish woman with braided hair rushes into the meeting room. Her clothing is slightly disheveled, making it appear that she slept in them...
"Apologies!" she puffs, "Overslept."
She turns and is immediately enfolded in a hug she did not see coming. She barely acknowledges the hug and gives a half-hearted one back to the skittermander.
Heading to a side table, she searches (in vain) for coffee, as her usual stimulant. Noticing the other starfinders staring, she blushes bright red from embarrassment. "Luna." she says shortly. Gesturing at her rumpled clothing, "Dryer in my section was on the fritz. Was up all night trying to find an alternative..."
She takes an empty seat and prepares to listen to the briefing.
Dae asks Klicknop to spell the whole name, which makes the signature take twice as long.
They enthusiastically accept the hug from Gabitha.
Dae is slow getting to Arvin as they mug for any camera they see.
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"Yes, I have a question," Klicknop says. "What is the means by which this funds charity? Are viewers essentially betting on who will succeed, and a portion of the proceeds are going to charity? Or are they bidding to support an individual team? Specifically, is there anything we can do while competing to help increase the number of donations coming in?"
"Well, all I know is that proceeds from the charity event go to renovate one of the lowest levels of Absalom Station’s Spike. Funds earn are tracked real-time." Arvin responds to Klicknop.
"I don't expect your group to win the Relay, I just hope you’ll perform as well as you can and use youy heroism to raise money for charity, if that's what you mean to help! Just enjoy the competition! After all, the Relay is also an entertainment!" he adds with a wink.
Before the Relay begins, each team has a moment on-stage to introduce themselves to the audience. As the Starfinders wait offstage, the previous team, the Zo! Media Superstars, are finishing their interview.
The audience laughs at a joke before Rick Molbrun collects their attention and turns back to the team of veteran reality stars in the spotlight. “And finally, what would you like to say to your competition?”
Liall Tharavull sneers at the camera drone, looking confident and smug. “Competition? There isn’t any, Rick. This isn’t our first game show. We’ve got years of experience in much more difficult competitions. This’ll be a piece of cake in comparison. We’re here, we’re ready, and we’ve already won.” She tosses her hair and smiles. “I look forward to seeing who wins second place from my spot at the finish line.” With that, Liall and her team stalk off stage, posturing and posing for the audience. As she walks past, she whispers “Good luck,” under her breath.
“And finally, we’re thrilled to have some true heroes among us today! Please welcome… the Starfinder Society!” Rick calls. The crowd applauds as the spotlight illuminates the teal and copper uniforms. “Come on up and introduce yourselves!”
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Klicknop comes up and says, "Greetings fellow citizens of Absalom Station. I am Klicknop. The Starfinder Society is pleased to compete in this congenial competition in the name of helping those in need. Though new to the Starfinders, I will be contributing my knowledge and technomagical arcane skills to the effort." With that statement, Klcknop waves his hands and tangible constructs of balls and cubes begin appearing in the air in front of him, shifting color as he appears to juggle them, some popping out of existence and others popping into existence briefly. A simple prestidigitation spell, but artfully done ... he hopes.
It is not particularly impressivr.
Navasi takes inspiration from her favorite professional wrestling stars and taunts the opposition in an exaggerated and over the top fashion as she shoves Klicknop off camera. "Ha! Don't listen to that nerd! We only keep him around to show how awesome the rest of us are. Yeah, The Starfinder Society is here to get large and take charge. There's only one team worth watching and one team worth winning and aaaaallll the rest will just be sittin' and spinnin'. Yeah, baby, aaallll the other teams will choke on our exhaust as we go past that finish line. Heh, I almost feel sorry for 'em...
Once out of sight of the camera Navasi pulls Klicknop aside and whispers. "Sorry about that nerd thing but you were dying up there. I was just trying to salvage something. We needed to get some pizzazz onscreen. It's too bad you complained telepathically instead of out loud. The probably would have played nicely for the camera. Remember that for next time. We'll probably get more views if we can generate some drama."
"Hey, hey, hey - it's Dae! Fresh off a smashing tour of Pulonis with the one and only Miiyu, me and my buds here are going to put on a great show for you, while finishing this race numero uno. This one's for you!"
They wink at the camera and parkour around the stage.
Klicknop performs magic with juggling, but the act might be too cliche for the audience.
The crowd roars when Navasi taunts the other group and faces the crowd thru the camera with the same vibe.
The watchers are also impressed with Dae's stunt and charisma.
Gabitha cartwheels, and the audience claps for her presence.
"And there you have it, folks!” The crowd goes wild, cheering the teams that are participating in the event.
Rick then turns his attention to the teams.
”Again, n my mark, you’ll run over to your packs to get your first clue. You’ll need to figure out which Absalom Station landmark the clue is guiding you to, get there, and then complete a task. Once you do, you’ll get your next clue, and so on, until you come back here for the final gauntlet, which is the last stage of the relay. The first team to complete the gauntlet and cross the finish line wins! Remember, each of you needs to complete at least two tasks before the final gauntlet or you’ll incur a time penalty, but it’s up to you which of you completes each task. And don’t forget, we’re live! Smile, perform, have fun—let’s put on one hell of a show! It’s all for charity, after all.”
”Everyone ready? ‘Coz we are ready in three, two, one, go!”
The teams rush toward their packs for their first clue. The Starfinders find their first clue across the park with their packs: the menu for a fine-dining restaurant with the name of the restaurant withheld. The meals are ridiculously expensive, clearly among the priciest on Absalom Station, and include several courses. The menu lists examples, such as Castrovelian eel soup and frujai frond steak on a bed of sautéed caypin rings with Akitonian ice cream for dessert.
Dae glad-hands the crowd, but none of them are the sort of person to eat this type of fare.
Navasi spends some time working the crowd.
Luna knows this is the menu for Perfexion, a high-class restaurant popular for its experimental cuisine and psychic chefs who deliver what the guests didn’t even know they wanted. The restaurant is not far from Jatembe Park, in the Eye of Absalom Station.
At their arrival, a maître d’ wearing a fine waistcoat meets them. "And who will be the pair that will represent your team for the task?"
"Do we also need to read the customers' minds? 'Cuz I think Klicknop's the only one here who can. But if you think having dishes served by a celeb is the way to go, I'm your cat."
"You will find out once I have your team's representatives." the maître d’ responds, tapping their foot on the ground, waiting for their representation.
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Klicknop nods to Dae. "Yes, I would be willing to work on this task. In addition to my telepathy, I know how to follow a recipe and my medical and biological knowledge could potentially come in handy." He seems enthusiastic about the opportunity to prove himself following his less-than-stellar achievements thus far. "Perhaps Dae or Navasi could be my teammates, in case part of the task involves ... um ... talking to people ..."
"Well, that's settled. Quickly, follow me!"
The maître d’ guides competitors to a private dining area within the lavishly appointed restaurant. Each of the twelve tables has four well-dressed guests and a floral arrangement in the shape of a different team’s logo. The room bustles with activity as competitors rush to and fro. An ysoki in a black and orange uniform and floppy chef’s hat apologizes as she brushes past at waist height.
“These guests are waiting to be served, take that table on the right end corner.” the maître d’ explains haughtily. “You’ll need to take their orders, then prepare the dishes in the kitchen before serving. Ensure they are up to our highest standards. We won’t let anything leave the kitchen that isn’t… suitable.”
"But first, wear these, of course." The pair is given chef’s outfits and instructed to don them before they can proceed.
While in the secluded changing area, they are greeted heartily by a female ysoki researcher, ”Nib, from the Deep Cultures Institute team. We’re done with the task, yey! Thanks to my telepathic anassanoi partner.” she shares. ”I am very excited to meet fellow explorers and scholars, like you Starfinders. What have you been searching recently? Have you heard about what happened to the planet that hatched into Newborn?” and peppers them with other questions as they change. As the Starfinders depart for the task, Nib wishes them good luck as she races off to rejoin her team.
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As he is dragged away, Klicknop reaches out and grabs Dae's arm dragging them along with him.
Once in the kitchen, Klicknop looks around. "Okay, I will take the orders, I think ... you do the cooking. All of those cooking vids you binge watch will finally pay off."
Using his telepathy, he attempts to get a sense of what everyone wants to eat.
After a brief moment where his confidence wavers, Klicknop gets in the zone, realizing he can feel all of the dietary emotions around him as if they were lines of code in his spell database.
Navasi looks around at the remaining Starfinders. "Well we might as well go inside and grab a quick bite. Who knows how long this will take them." She turns to head inside and peruse the menu. "We should probably order 'to go' Just in case. I hope they have spicy noodles."
Klicknop determines that the guests want something meaty like fritted asteroid parasite crisps, complimented with melted sedimentary jelly for desert.
The less said about Dae's food prep and serving, the better. The diners' food is late, cold and poorly plated.
It takes Dae quite some time to prepare and cook the dishes the guests had requested. By the time everything was ready, which is over an hour later, the food had gone cold when served.
The maître d’ shakes their head with the results. Nevertheless, they pull out a datapad and electronically message the Starfinders their next clue: a blueprint of a massive multipurpose complex containing offices, living spaces, a gym, library, auditorium, and at least one gallery or museum.
Dae is surprisingly muted as the other Starfinders research the complex.
"Waitaminute...I know this place. It's..."
Gabitha and Klicknop know the next location is the headquarters of the Starfinder Society, the Lorespire Complex!
The team quickly goes their way to the next location. Upon arrival, a series of marker flags indicate a path along the side of the Lorespire Complex grounds. The door at the base of one of the towers opens as the Zo! Media Superstars dash out, their next clue in hand. “Good luck, Starfinders!” Liall calls, before spotting a camera drone hovering nearby. Her tone turns cruel as she adds “You’re gonna need it! Hope you ain’t scared!” The team laughs as they run off.
Just inside the door, a sign sits at the base of a long spiraling staircase.
Dae is probably a good option for this challenge, but is looking dejected.