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The party heads southeast to the final spoke of the wheel. Water fills this room despite Chip's efforts. A massive drilling rig has collapsed through the sea-facing wall, and now takes up much of the chamber. An android’s corpse occupies the control chair. Large tanks filled with a dull-gray liquid leak into the water.
"Okay, there are two guards, a shirren named Xivix, a Rill named Righteous, and the machanic, a morlamaw named Birshae."
The party races to the ship with two rescues in tow. The flooding is largely stopped, but that's when a strut crumbles a bit and the whole station shakes. "Wait!" Shan stops you just before you board, "There are others here. they're not evil, EJ is. And.... I think this is my fault. we need to get everyone and prevent this place from killing others. We can't leave."
Thankfully it's Angel to the rescue, and not Kaz, who discovers Shan and Kaia hiding at the sight of the grenade. Angel sees that the two are pretty state of the art and would likely fetch a pretty credit on the market. Maybe.... 3,000 credits apiece? Either way, she averts an electrical disaster/ It doesn't seem like there's much else here.
The water in here is still rising, but not terribly fast. Aldo notices that one of the power cells on the wall isn’t properly seated in its housing, exposing an incomplete circuit. At the current rate of flow, a full minute in here and it's going to get tingly.
"Well, you came from the west, where did you enter from? Let's just make a quick pass through the short way back!"
MOM?! Holy servo lube!" Okay, yeah, we gotta get out of here, but man, I'd like to give EJ a black eye. Come on Kaia, we're outa here! Let's GOOOOOO" Chip looks around, but if there's anything of value left, it's got to be in the unexplored parts.
The shirren sheepishly waves, and then crawls back into a bunk and pulls the sheets over their head (antennae included.) Kaz busts into the next room as water floods past his feet. Who knows how deep it would be if Chip hadn't worked outside? Still, teh water is rising in this room. This utilitarian room’s benches fold out from the walls, and one wall has a large vidscreen mounted on it, currently playing some kind of horror movie. A low table even with the surface of the water sloshes over the floor. Two women, one human, the other Brennari, work frantically to address numerous small cracks in this room. Once the door is open, the brennari shouts, “If we don’t stop the flooding, the struts will give out and we’ll all die! I can feel them buckling!” The human looks ready to bolt, but the brennari continues to work.
"Yeah, I've seen one here. She's always hanging out with the human woman. I don't know their names. Last I saw they were in the common room next door!"
"Really? But what about the explosion? That's not to make my death look like an accident? If you're not here to kill me, what are you here for?"
"GAH!!!!!!!" The shirren takes a wild shot at Chip while trying to flee: thankfully the shot is TOO wild.
ROUND 1:
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DM:
This cramped, damp-smelling room hosts ten bunks, five above and five below. Each bunk has a simple vidscreen built into the wall next to it, along with a shallow recess that holds personal items, most of which have scattered across the room. Atop one of the bunks is a terrified shirren. "WHAT NOW?! CORPO ASSASSINS! GAHHHH!!!!!!" the shirren looks like they're about to flee, but they are also armed and look like they're going to shoot their way out. INITIATIVE:
ROUND 1:
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DM: Jelly: 62 DMG to the boat: 30
So, where to now? You've explored about a quarter of the facility, with no sign of Tarika's daughter, Shan.
The ROV allows only one pilot at a time as it's super small. I'll let that be the second roll for Chip. Chip continues to work. It's harder to find key spots now, but not impossible. He then returns to the bay. Dev is better now, but clearly not a Company Man nor a compatant. With the station not nearly in danger of colapsing, he opts to stay tight. If things go bad, he'll escape in the ROV.
"I'm Dev, and your friend out there is doing the only thing I can think of... though to be honest, I'm not even sure I'm thinking clearly."
Kaz looks around, and like any good soldier, focuses in on helpful opportunities. Secured to the wall are three advanced emergency repair kits, each full of limited-use nanites designed to adapt to and repair a variety of machinery.
Chip jumps in the ROV and starts making some quick critical repairs Phsyical Science DC 15: Based o nthe conversation between Chip and the groggy engineer, it seems like the station was rocked by an explosion by its main drill. Likely a gas deposite.
"Oh good. You can pilot it. I'll tell you how. I don't think I'.... ready."
"I'm... structural engineer. I... my job is repairs. We... We'll die if we don't fix ruptures." Aldo doesn't see a reason to doubt him.
"Ah who? Wait.... Aldo? Aldo, the station was just ... we... BLEW UP! I need to get to the ROV to get to work. I can make it safer for us to..." He gets up to move to the vehicle, but stumbles and falls along the way, just two steps after getting up.
The man comes to, but he's really groggy - most likely concussed. "What... what happened? There.... There was an explosion... Wait? Who are you? Am I dead?"
Chip confirms that the man is not, in fact, dead.
The western connecting hallway is dry for the moment. The door to the west gives no hint as to what's on the other side, so Kaz opens it. Machine parts are strewn about this dark, crowded workshop. The only light emanates from a control console showing a video feed of the terraforming base as seen from right outside. The smell of oil and grease fills the air. There's a human in here, unconscious and slumped over in a folding chair.
The party works quickly to salvage about 10,000 Credits worth of equipment! The strange eel creatures flee to the waters. They leave with a strong push of one final - rather clear thought: The Aglian give thanks.
The chamber quickly floods, and you seal it off behind you. [ooc]Now where?
"No, but we need freedom. Freedom!"
It looks like it's the entire school of fish. But they're not fish, they're something more. they're message seems to be a request for freedom. You're snapped back to reality as the station continues to buckle. The water lock containing reef fragments shorts out in a shower of sparks, and both sides of its aquarium, interior and exterior, begin to open simultaneously! What's worse, it's in this moment you realize that some of the scientific equipment in here is worth a fortune! Water level 1: ankles.
This sleek, well-appointed laboratory has a variety of research and analytical equipment. Built into its curved exterior wall, several aquariums host a myriad of life— including coral colonies, small glowing fish, and a large eel with feathery fins. Large, rectangular metal tanks topped with nets of fine mesh rest below each aquarium. Dissection tables, scales, and waterproofed computers sit in organized rows in the middle of the room. Engineering or Life Science DC 17:
Each aquarium has a control panel that opens either of its sides; it can open to Terra 5’s interior and exterior, but not both at the same time, forming a sort of water lock with the ocean outside the lab. The metal tanks reclaim the water, and the nets catch the contents of the aquariums when they empty into the interior. Perception DC 17 or telepathy: You can tell the approximate origin of the telepathic message, enough to a specific tank...
You pick up on a weak and wordless telepathic plea for help coming from somewhere southwest Kaz doesn't notice it, but Chip and Aldo do. There are doors NW and SW
As Chip approaches the door...
The party opens the door, and immediately the hallway begins to flood. Conduit pipes and maintenance gear clog this cramped corridor.
Kaz gets the door shut fast enough that the water is ankle deep, just enough to only be aminor inconvenience. There are three doors out of here. Where to?
The datapads are easy enough. They contain firsthand observations and recordings of Entha’s sea life and the effects of terraforming, evidence that EJ knows how bad their actions are for the planet.
the party looks around. The waterproof datapads floating in the room contain firsthand observations and recordings of Entha’s sea life and the effects of terraforming; a character can recover one with a full action, and it provides a piece of evidence as to the Company’s wrongdoing... There seems to be nothing else here though.
Kaz gets the party in with minimal flooding! This simple, gently sloped room has smooth walls and two rows of seats arranged in theater-style ascending rows, all bolted to the floor. The seats face the remains of a 10-foot-wide, 20-foot-high viewing window. Company-issued datapads and coffee mugs float in the completely flooded chamber.
That was close. I rarely see that many HP lost. Great game! I'll likely shut the thread in a day or two
A few days into the journey to Absalom Station, Ehu approaches you privately, thanking them for their efforts and sacrifices. “The cost of this mission has been so high, but when I look at the faces of the survivors… I’ve no regrets, and neither should you. I hope you feel the same. The Order may have killed Kortus IV, but you have my word, we will stop them from committing further atrocities. On that note, I’m placing each of you in line for a commendation. It isn’t enough for what you’ve done, but it’s something. Remember the fallen, my friends; they rest among the stars now.” You experience and reputation grow. You're hailed as heroes, whether you feel like it or not.
Aboard the Master of Stars, the survivors of Kortus IV are in various states of shock and sorrow. While some thank you and the Starfinders for your help, most are mourning the losses they’ve endured. Ongie meets you at your shuttle and immediately wraps Roget into a big hug, causing both to break down in tears. When they collect themselves, both Ongie and Roget thank you for reuniting them. Roget goes further and thanks the Starfinders for coming to save the citizens of Braerton. “I know this doesn’t feel like a victory to you. How can it? But every person who made it off that planet is alive thanks to you. We owe you everything, and it’s a debt we can never repay. Thank you.” As the Master of Stars enters the Drift and returns to Absalom Station, medics and clerks take stock. It’s estimated that 45 Starfinders died on Kortus IV, and over 1,500 civilians were rescued. While First Seeker Ehu Hadif is clearly devastated by these losses, Fitch assures you that the Starfinders remain dedicated to destroying the Order of Dawning Fate, while both the Stewards and the Veskarium have promised the Starfinder Society support in tracking down Zhaneni.
As you approach the landing pad and prepare to leave, a massive explosion blooms on the distant horizon, the fallout forming a towering mushroom cloud. Ehu shouts over the comms a moment later. “Get out of there, Starfinders! Nuclear warheads incoming! I repeat, the Order is nuking Kortus IV! Abandon all missions! Evacuate immediately!” As the remaining Starfinders and civilians pile into the starships and reach the upper atmosphere, Braerton is engulfed in a nuclear explosion. It’s clear there will be no further survivors. From orbit, it’s obvious that Braerton wasn’t the only region hit. Much of Kortus IV is devastated, and huge areas will remain irradiated and uninhabitable for many decades to come.
The comms are alive with transmissions reporting that the Order of Dawning Fate has been routed and is retreating from Braerton and Kortus IV. There is no joy though. The return trip through Braerton to the landing pad shows you the grim reality of your “victory.” The battle has ended, but the town has been demolished and entire sections are aflame. The stench of smoke, blood, and gasoline is prevalent, and it gets harder to breathe with each passing moment. While your environmental protections keep you safe from such hazards, the civilians so recently freed from the mines have no such protections.
The party begins the process of leading the civilians back to the surface. The closer you get, the more the smoke thickens. When you return to the surface, you find Tara sitting atop the crashedmech, a pile of other charred and destroyed vehicles around her. Her only question, “Is Sozirenn dead?”
“No!” they scream as Ishkitik's doshko connects. “You will not have the honor of my death! You are not worthy of that!” Sozirenn digs their claws down into their own chest, ripping their decayed flesh, and pouring every ounce of their solarian electricity inwards. Sozirenn’s flesh burns, organs liquefying, until their charred body collapses to the ground. There's a sudden scream, but this one is joyous. One of the escaped prisoners embraces Ongie. It's Roget!
Ohmarc's true power comes to bear as the Starfinders dig deep to overpower Sozirenn. Yuqab's shot goes wide, but it distracts Sozirenn enough that Gunnz and especially the prone Lady Shrike can really deliver. The dragon reels backwards. The civilians begin to flee and there's nothing Sozirenn can do about it. There's a major opening in the dragon's torso.... ROUND 6:
DM: Sozirenn: 199 (RP Used: 3, Prescience on 7, Breath on 7, Fast Healing until beginning of 8, Bleed: 1d8+10)
Azara's skill is more than up to the task as he slashes the dragon twice! It's going to take a LOT more than that. What's worse, the dragon instantly engages some nanites to start knitting the wounds closed. The twin concerns of Azara's weapons and escaping civlians divides Sozirenn's attention. Hoping to put a quick end to the lashunta, they strike quickly!
ROUND 6:
DM: Sozirenn: 123 (RP Used: 3, Prescience on 7, Breath on 7, Fast Healing until beginning of 8.)
Ohmarc holds the team together as all attention turns towards Soziren ROUND 5:
DM: Sozirenn: 70 (RP Used: 2, Prescience on 7, Breath on 7.)
Gunnz finally blows the lock off. The civilians inside give a cheer, but a roar from Sozirenn stuns them back to terror. Meanwhile, Yuqab, Lady Shrike and Ishkitok all miss, though Ishkitik connects with an overcharged shot! ROUND 5:
DM: Sozirenn: 70 (RP Used: 2, Prescience on 7, Breath on 7.)
Ignoring EJ's undercurrent, the party pushes on to rescue Shan. Adjacent to a large, brightly colored coral reef, a well-lit underwater structure of steel and transparent aluminum perches on large articulated legs that allow it to crawl slowly along the ocean floor. The structure lists toward a deep trench that disappears into the inky depths. Flurries of white and green foaming bubbles stream from various ruptures. Red emergency lights pulse intermittently along its perimeter as a water-dampened alarm faintly sounds through the water.
Ishkitok's aim isn't good enough to hit the dragon where they hurt. And the lock seems to only respond to powerful hits. With Lady Shrike prone, Sozirenn turns their attention to Azara, leveling a powerful swing of their mystical weapon:
ROUND 5:[b]
DM: Lock: 50% Sozirenn: 65 (RP Used: 2, Prescience on 7, Breath on 7.)
Gunnz blows the lock about halfway apart! ROUND 4:
DM: Lock: 50% Sozirenn: 65 (RP Used: 2, Prescience on 7, Breath on 7.)
Still tangled in part of its jelly lattice are precious minerals worth a total of 10,000 credits! Just as you wrap it up, you get an alert on your personal comms, "This is Avarin. Your cargo has been cleared, so you’re free to leave Entha within the hour." DC 17 Sense Motive: You are most definitely being asked to leave the planet immediately.
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