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Rose-5 says, “No hard feelings, Moxie. Zo!s challenges are quite inventive. I believe I would enjoy experiencing more of his creativity and using it to augment my training and performance as an agent of the Starfinder Society.” She turns toward the large group dancing. “Oh, another surprise challenge. To dance for the audience. I am not good at dancing, but I will try.” Stepping forward into the crowd, Rose-5 gives dancing her best shot. Her dance is a ritualistic series of moves repeated precisely in time, with no improvisation or signs of her feeling the beat as more than a mechanistic set of instructions. When Zo! offers the Poshkettle tea to Rose-5, she grins, entirely oblivious to the implication that Zo! just wants the tea out of his studio. “Thank you, Zo! I am glad that you remembered that I like Poshkettle Tea and that you have generously decided to share it with us as a gift in acknowledgement of our victory.” Back in the Lorespire Complex, Rose-5 kicks back and relaxes, in her way. She spends hours upon hours in her machine shop plotting future improvements for Falcon in her sketchbook and then trying new models in search of an innovation that works well and strikes her drone’s fancy. All the while, she enjoys numerous cups of her favorite tea. When the anti-Starfinder propaganda plays, Rose-5 sputters at the vid-screen. “That’s…That’s highly inaccurate. They are reporting on a nonlethal battle as if it were mortal combat, and selectively editing the video footage in order to produce a false narrative. I don’t like this. And then they just talk about soap operas?" She sighs, “This is why video news is inferior to written news.” She shakes a bit, as part of her mind that she's pushing far to the back contemplates the possibility that what she saw on the screen about the fate of the Rivals may well be true.
Rose chuckles at Falcon, "If at first you don't succeed...assess the probability of success, rather than succumbing to the gambler's fallacy, and try again if it is prudent to do so." She clears her throat, "I said Falcon Rose Falcon Triple Attack!" She and Falcon give the attacks on Shonyvyzam another try.
Rose-5 turns to Moxie, "Always with the threats, Moxie. I thought Moxie was supposed to mean determination, not rudeness. No matter. We'll just have to see what threats you have to offer after you lose this contest." But she doesn't have a clear line of sight to Moxie, and she's not going to waste all the time she spent lumbering down the hall backtracking. Instead, since she doesn't need to move, she'll attack and guide Spinning Falcon to attack twice. In the voice of a cheesy cartoon narrator, she says, "Falcon Rose Falcon Triple Attack!!" as she and Falcon target Shonyvyzam.
"That was just a warm-up..." she mutters.
Rose-5 continues her slow advance toward the front lines, but most of her attention is focused on helping Falcon prepare to fire.
This time, she actually manages to move around the corner gracefully.
Hanging back with the group, she asks Zez'ka, "No flags in there, I take it? Well, it sounds like our Rivals are being rude to each other. Have they forgotten the FRIENDSHIP, or is this one of those times when being rude to your friends isn't rude because you like them? If its the first, maybe we can use their discord to our advantage."
Rose-5 turns to Smek, "Don't worry, Spinning Falcon's on the case. I'm the Rebel, too, so I can look out for Zez'ka as well. Speaking of which..." She calls out to Zez'ka, "Zez'ka! If the past challenges have been anything to go by, I wouldn't be at all surprised if this place is rigged with terrible traps, and the third flag would be a perfect place for one. I suggest looking first before grabbing it. I've got my toolkit at the ready just in case."
As she passes through the door, Rose-5 attempts to turn smoothly. Instead, as she bumps into the back wall, she pushes off too hard, causing herself to spin in slow circles that make it harder for her to control her movement. Spinning Falcon beeps. Rose-5 rolls her eyes and sighs, "Seriously Falcon? EVERY time??"
Back in the break room after Zez'ka's lovely speech, Rose-5 says, "If you are 'The Rebel', can I be 'The Rebel' too? You said they are both being 'The Grump', so more than one person is allowed to be 'The Grump.' Whether I earn the title or not, I would be happy to join you in enjoying this delicious food.”
As the combat with the hordes of undead begins, Rose-5 comments to the rest of the group, “This is far more traditional than the other challenges so far. Be on the lookout for 'surprises'.” Despite her warning (or perhaps because she was on-edge), when the first skeleton explodes, she yelps and jumps into the air. Spinning Falcon circles around her protectively. “I'm fine, Falcon. Please just focus on the battle.” She looks a bit embarrassed, but she tries to, well, just focus on the battle.
At the suggestion from Smek to attach the beacon to him, Spinning Falcon's lights flash between red and green, and he beeps quizzically. Rose-5 says, “How much danger would that course of action put him in? He's willing to consider it. When Smek volunteers for the task himself, Falcon beeps cheerfully. Rose-5 helps the others open the equipment crate. Wow, there is plenty of useful equipment in here. It takes a while to switch out Falcon's weapon mount, and I'm not the best at combat myself. I recommend that someone else take the weapons and the jets. As for the epoxy...is there anything in the rules that would stop us from using it to glue the real flag to something? Smek's armor, perhaps?" She taps her lip, "No, then they'd just pick up all of Smek as well. We'd need something heavier and sturdier to attach a flag to. We will be getting a second flag if all goes well, so it could be part of our plan for that flag. Regardless, it's worth considering that the other team probably has the same supplies at their disposal." When Zez'ka announces her plan to rush forward to claim the other flag, Rose-5 replies, “Then Falcon and I will go forward to cover you. I'm sure we'll meet some of the other team there, and it won't be easy for you to fight while carrying something so heavy. Falcon can maneuver around and attack them."
Oblivious as usual to conversational subtlety, Rose-5 asks Smek, "Why did you tell Datch that we won't take her gift? I think that was perhaps a snub of some kind. Do you know her? And even if you don't want the fruit, do you mind if the rest of us have some? It looks delicious, but maybe you'd be mad if I eat it?" Rose-5 frowns. After a few moments in thought, her face lights up with With an expression of dawning recognition, and she turns to Zez'ka. "Wait, you're an expert in friendship. What's going on here? Maybe this is one of those situations that some people think is obvious but then they don't say it and then other people are confused. Then the people who think it is obvious either yell that it is obvious or walk away and refuse to explain. It is very annoying." When Zo! comes backstage, Rose-5 replies. "Nearly ready, Zo! I don't suppose you're planning to give us any hints about what we'll be up against next? Your challenges are certainly highly creative."
Noticing the distinct lack of anyone stepping forward to describe the dish, Rose-5 awkwardly steps forward and clears her throat. This kind of promotional speaking is *way* outside of her comfort zone. If anyone else wants to chip in, I'm more than happy for this to be an attempt to aid.
"Ahem. Ah. I would say as you can taste, but you're undead so you can't taste anyway, so I'm not sure what you're looking for here. My teammate Deger cooked this meat in the "old fashioned way", which is probably good or it wouldn't have stuck around for so long. And Zez'ha added some unusual things to the mix too. And Tyus added some sleeve-leather, which is also unusual. And there's Smek's dish too. It BOOMED, and that was interesting. I fixed our stove, which means that our food is safe to eat and won't poison you. But actually you're undead, so you wouldn't be poisoned anyway? Yeah, that's it. I hope you enjoy our food." Rose-5 looks for all the world like a child relieved to be finished with an oral presentation in school as she slinks back to the rest of the party.
Since the rivals seem to be having trouble getting their stove working still, Rose-5 decides to join Frank in the throwing game. Before she throws a ladle at their saucepot, however, she dips the ladle in water and does her best to coat it in a powdery, flavorful spice (or, lacking that, salt. Her goal is to throw off their sauce's seasoning).
"On it!" Rose-5 says, pulling out her electrician's toolkit. She cuts the power to the stove first before inspecting the damage.
"A classic short circuit. These wires are rather fragile and poorly insulated, and so current is able to leap out of the wires into other metal parts of the stove. This sort of defect is often responsible for electrical fires." She deftly removes the faulty wire and replaces it with a length of new silicone-insulated wire. She then turns the stove back on, while keeping a close eye on the back for other signs of electrical defects.
Rose-5 lowers her weapon. Glad that no one else is going to get bitten now. Falcon beeps cheerfully. Lacking a knife, Rose-5 picks up a sharp rock from the same general area that Tyus found one in. I don't have much experience preparing my own meat, but maybe I can help out. Falcon's beeps turn inquisitive. And if you think that electrically frying the meat will help prepare it, Falcon would be happy to help too.
When it came forward and took a bite of her, Rose-5 said, "YEOWCH! I think they can understand us talking. Sorry about the edibility comment. I guess this is only fair, owowowow. Something nasty in that bite there. A toxin of some kind. Cold and shivery. Be careful, everyone." And with that, she and Falcon attempt to take the akata down before it gets another chance to assess how edible she is.
In response to Zez'ka, "Hugs can change the world, huh? Well, they are pleasantly warm, at least." Rose-5 hugs Zez'ka back. When the contest starts, Rose-5 says, "Cooking contest? Good, all that lava jumping made me hungry. Hopefully we'll get to taste our creations. And hopefully one of you knows how to cook." She chuckles to herself. "I can hunt, and fix the ovens if something goes wrong." Rose-5 and Falcon take their shots at the green-tagged herd animal to stop it from running away. But first, let's see if she knows what it is.
Falcon spins a bit from the kickback of the massively failed shot, making a disappointed sound.
Rose-5 says to Zez'ka, "Yes, I would like to be friends with you. You are very straightforward. I appreciate that. Most people hide away their feelings, expect me to guess, and then get angry when I do not guess correctly." To Deger, Rose-5 says, "Ah, that's right. We did not ask it there would be a prize for victory before starting this contest. That was an oversight. However, if this is in keeping with my knowledge of standard Starfinder Society protocols, if this game does not pay us, then the Starfinder Society will compensate us instead."
In response to Zo!'s whisper, Rose-5 speaks at her normal volume, "I quite like Poshkettle tea. I haven't tried their Eoxian black though. I typically go for their herbal varieties. I first bought their rosehip tea because it said Rose in big letters on the box so it caught my attention. That is not a rational reason to make a purchase, however, I enjoyed the tea so it was worth my credits in retrospect. I am not saying that I endorse irrational purchasing in general. Can we get some free Poshkettle for being on this show?" Spinning Falcon performs the little jingle from another Poshkettle commercial in a series of robotic tones. She says to Zez'ha, "I too am curious. Whatever else happens next, I expect it will be dangerous. Zo! and his team are creative with their challenges. It is good training for our future missions."
When the trap went off, the electricity damage didn't seem to phase Rose-5 that much. It did, however, cause her braids of metallic hair to hover in the air for a moment. "This is far from the first time I've accidentally shocked myself. It is one of the dangers of teaching yourself how to create electrical systems. She quickly grounds herself and let the buildup leave her body before offering help to Tyus and leaping across pillars as described in the botting. Once Tyus makes it across too, she says to her, "There we go. The finish line is just up ahead. Watch your step on the conveyor belt, and keep your eyes sharp for last-minute surprises. For example it seems that people are hopping over a spot on this conveyor belt, so there is probably a trap there."
Rose-5 takes out her toolkit, filled with her engineering tools as well as her electrician's tools, and says "Thank you for the warning, Smek. Hold on, I am likely to succeed at my attempt to disable this trap. Nonetheless, it would be wise for the rest of you to stand back in case this doesn't work." Falcon moves closer, though not right next to the trap, in case Rose fails. After waiting for anyone who wants to take a step back to do so, Rose places a narrow set of sharpened pliers under one of the tiles and attempts to gingerly lift it.
Though she was pretty confident, he hands are sweaty from the heat. Her grip fails, and the pliers get jammed in the casing. She curses under her breath, bracing for the trap to go off on her.
Round 4 and 5 actions: Spinning falcon flies up the cliff. Lacking flight of her own, Rose-5 attempts to scale the cliff, using the handy rope that Smek dropped.
She makes it halfway up. Then keeps going on Round 5.
Oh! Looks like you botted that part already? At any rate then, all good. She attacks as you said. Round 6 Having learned the the creature is immune to electricity, Spinning Falcon decides to try to help his new friend Tyus climb the rope. He flies down, and then attempts to help her balance. I'm not sure what kind of check this would be, so I'll just roll a d20.
Rose-5, on the other hand, continues attacking the ooze. "Careful there, Smek!" Before she fires, she attempts to identify it.
Question: Does it have any weaknesses?
Before going into the vent to find the gear, Falcon replies to Tyus.
Perception DC 15 if you aren't Tyus, Tyus hears this regardless:
Falcon speaks in a soft, metallic voice. "The only part of me that is injured is my pride. And perhaps also my aesthetic appeal. My functionality is not impaired." As stated on the bot-turn, Falcon nudges the gear down from the vent. It's a bit awkward and unwieldy, as his appendages are entirely occupied with his weapon, but he manages. Rose-5 then carefully stacks the crate on top of him so that he can fly over to Smek. On Round 3, Falcon and Rose both double-move forward. Rose decides to play it safe and only try to move at half speed across the planks.
Looks like she didn't need to be worried after all! Meanwhile, Spinning falcon flies up far enough to be able to see around the corner. He's surprised to see Zez'ka here all of the sudden. He tilts his whole body to the side as he flies near her, and says "Beep boop BOP boop? Boop blip bee boop bop bee? Be boop be booop be bebebeeep... Rose-5 calls out, "He said, 'wait, where did you come from? And also welcome. And he would also like you to carry the box, because it's bothering his wings that are already scuffed and dirty." She then sighs and speaks to Falcon, "I promise we'll go to a detailing shop once we're back on Absalom station, OK?"
Rose-5 awkwardly clambers back to her feet and looks around at the group. "Is everyone all right? That was quite the fall. Spinning Falcon, who had been slammed into the ceiling when the elevator fell, beeps in irritation. His decorative wings are now dirty and slightly askew. Rose-5 speaks to him, "Yes, I know you don't like it when your wings aren't pristine. But I don't have time to clean you right now. Sorry."
"Nice to meet you, Verity. I expect this will be rather entertaining for us as well as for the audience. Rose-5 inspects Shonvyzam's gear closely, trying to find a flaw that she can point out.
She probably doesn't find anything worthy of a witty quip, though. She speaks to Rafelo, "Perhaps if you would like people to stop associating you with your physical attractiveness, it would serve you well not to introduce yourself by telling people of your victories in contests in which attractiveness is a primary component. I am now thinking a lot more about your physical attractiveness than I would have been if you had not made those comments, so your strategy is counterproductive. In response to Tillik's remarks, she says, "I'm glad that you are no longer confused about where you are. Smek, I did not realize that your flips could be so disorienting. This tactic may well be of use to us in the challenges ahead."
Rose-5 answers Kemashi, "Thank you. People rarely say nice things about my voice. But these songs are very catchy. I got a Strawberry Machine Cake album recently and I liked it a lot. Then I started looking for similar artists. If you like this type of music, it would make sense for us to spend time together and present samples of songs so that we can efficiently grow our music libraries. That would also be an effective way to assess the possibility of developing a friendship based upon common interests." After a quick count of team members, Rose-5 says, "Excuse me, Mr. Zo! Should we not be the Starfinder Seven? There's Spinning Falcon, Kemashi, Frank, Deger, Tyus, Smek, and also me."
And then when the other team comes out, she replies to Mia Moxie, "Well, hello there! Spirited competition you are, then! I'm Rose-5, and this is my traveling companion, Spinning Falcon. This is the part where we do the trash talk, I see! Unfortunately, you haven't given me much to work with yet. I'll have to wait to see you fail first. A word of advice though--anger clouds the higher functions of the mind. If you wish to perform well at these contests, I recommend calming down. Many breathing creatures find taking deep breaths to be an effective means of re-centering concentration and reducing emotional interference. If you wish to assist me in insulting you by increasing your probability of failure, by all means continue to allow your inaccurate hypothesis that we will be an easy team to defeat to annoy you."
When she sees the others returning from their conversation with Zo!, she snaps back to the present, shuffling awkwardly and rushing back to the center of the room. "Aah, right. Did you have a good chat?"
"I'm glad to participate as well," says Rose-5. "Spinning Falcon is much more capable at combat than I am. I'm curious, though--you said that you love questions but then your answer to the questions about what to expect is that everything is a surprise. Do you love questions because you love being enigmatic? Is this one of those social situations like when a person buys someone else a gift and asks them to guess what it is but actually doesn't plan to tell them what it is?"
An android woman with grey skin inlaid with faintly glowing blue circuits walks in, typing to the bronze hoverdrone that flies beside her. Her metallic hair is styled into cables in a manner reminiscent of dreadlocks, and she wears an emerald green set of freebooter armor. The drone is decorated with bronze wings and blinking red lights. She gestures to one of the swanky chairs, waiting for her drone to pick a seat before sitting in a chair next to him. Instead of engaging with the other Starfinders immediately, she listens to their conversation while playing a vid-game on her datapad. When the ad comes up on Tyus's screen, she rapidly changes her vidscreen to display the game. After a few seconds, she backs away, giggling, and puts on a pair of headphones. The drone emits a metallic facsimile of a laugh, its lights flashing in time with the sound. A few minutes later, she takes out the headphones. The lashunta from the earlier smear ad speaks from her datapad. "Fellow viewers from the Pact Worlds... Did you know that Starfinders are explorers? Why are so many Starfinders explorers who return in glory? I like Starfinders." "Another ad for my collection, once I have time to go back and clean up the audio, that is." the android says, smiling to the group. The drone beeps in approval. "I should probably introduce myself, because we are meeting for the first time. I'm Rose-5, and this is Spinning Falcon." The drone twirls around in happy circles, "Bee boop boop BOOOP!" When Frank Gulp makes the comment about mining not getting his name up in lights, she projects a hologram made of glittering lights from the surface of her data pad: "FRANK GULP". "It's pretty easy to make text appear as flashing lights. I can show you how, if you'd like." When Zo! shows the smear campaign ads, Rose-5 eagerly records them all for later editing. "Wow, that's quite the collection, Zo! Thanks." When Zo! mentions going on Pact World Warriors, Rose-5 speaks to Spinning Falcon. "Did you catch that last bit? You're going to be a star!"
Who are you, and what do you have to offer the party?
If you’ve played this character before, tell me about the favorite thing you’ve done with this character so far. "Modifying a racer to run more effectively was an interesting challenge. I was surprised that what we did was not considered to be 'cheating'" What do you think of Zo!? Have you met him? If so, what’s been your most memorable moments so far with Zo!? "Zo is entertaining. When people talk about him, sometimes they say his smile is unnerving. I do not understand what they mean. He displays his teeth fully, which means he is happy." Any memorable moments with Radaszam? "Radaszam told us that another Starfinder agent made incorrect assertions about her skill as a mechanic. We then helped her win, which was not cheating because Radaszam said it was not. Radaszam also said that she should go to the bottom of a trash compactor, which I did not understand. I thought it was to scavenge for better parts, but when I informed him that trash compactors are not a good place to find workable material he said 'never mind'. And then he said that she should stay in the Starfinder Society so I suppose I changed his mind."
Did you participate in SFS 1-05, the First Mandate, or SFS 2-00 Fate of the Scoured God (likely at a different major convention)? What’s one memorable moment that you did with your team? Not yet! Do you have an up-to-date 'bot me' spoiler -- complete with dice expressions? (Subtle, aren't I?) Not yet but I will make one to answer your oh-so-subtle request :) Will you be willing to bot other characters if I ask you to do so? Yes. Do you promise to let me know if you get super busy for a few days so we can bot you? Will do. Are you comfortable with a 2 post a day pace? If I'm not for a day, I'll let you know, as per above. What's been your favorite SFS Adventure with this character, and why? The Commencement, because I got to play with a dad and two of his kids, and it was a super-cheerful, supportive table filled with laughter. CHRONICLE INFORMATION: Player Name: Linda Zayas-Palmer
Information for this chronicle sheet: Number of this Chronicle: 5
Reputation with slotted faction: 8
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