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Xxvik checks his equipment to make sure it isn't damaged. "Venture-Captain Arvin - my equipment all seems in order, and I haven't stopped recording since we got to this grove. I was focusing on the white equations for documentation when we were attacked. I haven't had a chance to take a look at the footage, but I'm sure I got some of it. Happy to meet a fan of my work. You are in good company. Did you know that ZO! is a subscriber? Thank you for your kind complements of my humble show. I'm happy that the heroism of the Society really shines. I'm sure after this episode posts my subscriber count will skyrocket! My team did amazing work here!"
Xxvik is thrilled watching Bega take a hard blow from the statue and somehow manage to stay up, dodge another blow, roll out of the way and take a shot. "GET HIM, BEGA! You show that thing that Starfinders are no beings to mess with! Then Xxivk yells to everyone. "Shoot that statue on Bega before he crushes the little guy!"
Why aren't these things dying faster? That goo is not getting on me! Xxvik, seeing that the creature that attacked Ve'Shek is getting close, makes sure he gets far away from it. I got luckily shooting that thing last time, let's see if it will work again! Screaming with fear/rage, Xxvik fires at the construct again. "STOP COMING AT ME!!!!"
Xxvik turns toward Bega. "Oh yes, thanks for the reminder about the white equations. Let me move for a better shot of them...wait, whaaa!?!?!?" Xxvik starts screaming again when he see's Bega draw his pistol and close in to shoot at the now active statues. "Oh no!!! Not again!!! I can't even reason with constructs! Someone kill that thing before it attacks me!" Xxvik points at the construct that Bega shoots at as he quickly moves away from the statues and continues to record.
"As this stuff is way out of my wheelhouse of knowledge, I'll get out of your way and film this hopefully exciting scene. Please let me know what I can do to help." Xxvik steps back and sets his camera to record the action and discussion as he is sure that this will be an exciting climax when the team figures out how to fix this menhir. "I'll also keep an eye out for further interference from those Devourer vandals. Anyway... 3...2...1. My viewers, we have now found one of the menhirs of this planet that is in the process of decaying." Xxvik focuses on a close up of the menhir. Whatever it is, it looks nasty...The team is currently diagnosing the problem, and I'm sure that these experts will be able to break the code and restore this menhir. While they are working, let's get a statement from Cantor Alvreein about the state of this menhir." Xxvik looks around for the Cantor. If he is not in the area, Xxvik attempts to raise him on the commlink via the Loreseeker to give him a feed of the situation. "Cantor, what do you make of this situation? You are the expert on these menhirs."
Xxvik did not even register the danger until the grenade goes off! "AAAaaaaaaaahhhhh!!! Somebody is trying to blow me up!!!!!!! Why is everyone trying to kill me?!?!?!? I just want to help beings..." Xxvik dries the tears from his face as he realizes that the team is no longer in danger. "Good job saving us, guys. I could never make it though this without you." Xxivk notes the RageMax wrapper. "Bega, did you drop this?" Xxvik examines the wrapper.
"Nope, I was wrong, Bega. Looks like the Cult of the Devourer has been leaving their trash here as well as traps." After following the team to the sunken chambers, he examines the area.
Xxvik barely holds back his vomit. Oh my gods!!! I can't believe what happened here?!?!? All this broken furniture and crystals. The this is nightmare!!! Who is going to fix this room?!?!? Someone needs to pay for this! With some serious credits... upfront..." "And can someone please take care of the poor quorlu's head. He shouldn't have to witness this atrocity even in death. Where in the hells is his body? What kind of weird stuff are these cultist into?"
"Ladies and gentlebeings, this is quite a sight! Who would think that there would be such humbling beauty on the edge of such chaos. Such are the wonders of the Multiverse. There are the moments that I live for as a Wayfinder in the Starfinder Society(TM). Now the question is have the minions of the Devourer arrived before we can stop them from despoiling this wonder? We will have to tread carefully, my viewers, lest we fall prey to some sinister trap." Turning his attention back to the grove, Xxivk see Ve'Shek's interest in the menhir with the blue and red symbols. "I must admit Ve'Shek, I too am quite intrigued by that particular menhir. Lead the way." Xxvik gestures the team forward toward the menhir with the blue and red symbols.
Xxvik smiles as he sees the crevasse and realizes he is ready for this physical challenge. YES!!!! These jump jets are going to come in handy and were totally worth it! No falling down for me this time! He positions himself between the crevasse and the camera. "As you can see viewers, the planet is currently quite unstable and there are a number of environmental challenges that we must overcome to get to our objective. Luckily, having a good team and the right equipment makes navigating this obstacle much less hazardous." Xxvik summons his 100ft of titanium ally cable line from his Starfinder backpack and finds a place to secure the line on his side of the crevasse. Then he uses his jump jets to jump across and secure the line to the other side so that the line can serve as an extra handhold when crossing the bridge.
Xxvik ponders the shifting terrain and gets a shiver remembering all the times he has fallen off planks and walls to climb. Oh boy...time to see if all that time in the gym pays off now...or if the new jump jets come in handy. "I've got a bad feeling about this..." Xxvik starts moving forward toward the coordinates trying to pick out the safest route.
"Well, ladies and gentlebeings, that's how you take care of cultists. In the end they were not so tough. Especially, when you have a fast acting team like my group of Starfinders. Bravo, fellas!" says Xxvik to the camera after somehow managing to wipe away the sweat and tears to make himself look pristine. After hearing what the local quorlus & Cantor Alvreein asks the team to do, Xxvik speaks for the team (and to his audience). "Cantor Alvreein and comrades - Of course we will help you to end this corruption of your planet! We are Starfinders! This is what we have trained to do! Well...not this exactly, but we are prepared for the unexpected. My crew and I will do everything we can to save your planet from these cultists! To the Lorefinder!!!" After boarding the ship and seeing Bega jump into the pilot's seat, Xxvik continues playing to the camera. "Ummm...nice knife, Bega. Quite the first combat souvenir. Take us up. Plot a course to where we can begin saving this planet!" Xxvik quickly straps in the captain's seat after hearing the computer's assessment of the quality of the journey.
Google Hangouts is on the way out, if not already ended. My Star Wars group has been using Zoom for about a year very effectively as a replacement. I have a pro subscription so it doesn't time out every 45 minutes. I'm game to try Zoom. I've also seen that Discord has some good gaming as well with dice rolling bots and such. I'm open to trying to play on the weekend.
Xxvik continues to scream.
Xxvik jams his hand frantically into his Starfinder backpack which magically has the item he wants on top. Xxvik grabs the frag grenade, pulls the pin and tosses it into the darkness. "Don't come any closer to me!" Once Xxvik sees the grenade enter the darkness he dives for cover in some nearby stalagmites.
Having already felt the tension in the air and knowing that these cultist nihilists are just hell bent on death and destruction, Xxivk was ready to spring...away from the action...so as not to be in the way of the very capable combatants on the team...
Xxivk screams!
Xxivk continues to be unnerved by this drow’s talk of ending existence, but somehow finds the courage to continue to try to interview the subject hoping that his teammates are using the time to prepare to counter these nihilists. Speaking telepathically to his teammates again, ”Does anyone know what those Quorlu said? Going to try some counter arguments to try to keep these other Quorlu from thinking about joining these lunatics.”
Xxivk does recall a bit of knowledge of the Devourer that he forgot in his initial panic. ”That is a very um...perplexing answer. I’m always confused by followers of the Devourer. I’m not really surprised that the answer is incoherent and continues to degrade as it goes on as that is the nature of entropy, isn’t it, Raval? But can you explain why you continue to exist and are indeed here now if you argue that existence itself is wrong? If you, yourself, are deeply flawed and a mistake, which is what you profess to believe, then why have you not tossed yourself into the Devourer’s Maw already and begun your journey to perfection? It really seems like you are a part of the problem that you profess to be trying to solve. Overall, it seems like a cry for help. A justification to act out, be angsty, and wear black clothing. Is this an extension of a troubled childhood? Were you excluded by your peers and lacked a loving family? Your story must be way more interesting than just an obsession with boring primal forces. What personal damage makes Raval lash out at the Multiverse? Viewers want to know!”
Xxivk gets a little nervous as the conversation with the elf has taken an unexpected turn toward the extremely violent. He telepathically begs the team. ”Can anyone quickly give me some information on whatever the Devourer is? I’m going to try to stall her as much as I can. Maybe we can resolve this without violence?!?!?” Xxivk then hyperactively responds to Raval. ”Nevermind the yoski, he’s a little jumpy on his first mission and still getting use to the first contact protocol. I want to know more about what/who the ’Devourer’ is, what he views as ‘his due’, what interest does he have in this particular devine experiment? Does he have some kind of cosmic grudge against Yaraesa and how did that happen? I’m sure that there is some juicy gos there!!! How did you come to be the spokesperson/herald of the Devourer? What attracted you to him? What kinda of bennies does he offer?”
Upon the aggressive entrance of the new visitors, Xxivk quickly turns to his floating camera. ”This planet is full of surprises, my viewers! We have potential interlopers on the Starfinder’s exploration rights or maybe these visitors are stranded on this planet and need assistance. Let’s meet them and find out!” Xxivk directs his camera to focus on the elf, Raval Domunseir, who clearly seems to be the spokesperson for the visitors. ”Raval Domunseir, I’d like to introduce myself. I’m Xxivk Vid, creator and host of Drifting through the Universe! I have to tell you that my colleagues, viewers, and myself did not expect so many inhabitants on this precariously located planet. You appear to be a non-native here. I assume that your aggression is merely to get our immediate attention. If you please, I and my viewers want to know how did you arrive on this planet, what is your interest here, and how can we assist you? We are from the Starfinder Society, we are here to help.”
Xxvik can barely contain his excitement over the opportunity to explore Cantor Alvreein's underground settlement/town/city?!?!? "Ladies and gentlebeings, are you ready to uncover more about this strange planet, Enereth-7, or as my furry friend here likes to call it 'Chuckles'. This planet is already full of mysteries: Where are the other six Enereths? What are these menhirs? How are they being corrupted? There is so much unknown. What more can we uncover? I know that the combined skills of this Starfinder team will be able to help Cantor Alvreein stabilize this planet before it and all of us on it are sucked into the void of the black hole. Team - what do you think our chances are? How are YOU going to make the difference? My viewers want to know! And Cantor Alvreein, what can you tell us about Hulwen's Posit?" Xxivk telepathically asks Ve'Shek. Can you translate my questions to Cantor Alvreein and translate them back verbally? You are doing a great job so far. Keep up the good work because my viewers love this!
After the exchange, Xxivk turns to the camera. Ladies and Gentlebeings, you heard it here first! It appears that the being that greeted us is Cantor Alvreein and needs our help to stop the further deterioration of the menhirs that contain holy writing and help to stabilize the planet. We Starfinders are uniquely qualified to help this being prevent further decay of his homeworld and we will bring our varied skills to solve the issue. Stay turned to find out how we will solve this situation."
Seeing that Ve’Shel can communicate in Celestial, Xxivk realizes that his translator will not be as effective as a native speaker. But perhaps it will still allow him to be helpful negotiating support. Xxivk addresses Ve’Shel telepathically. ”Ve’Shel, looks like you speak this gentlebeing’s language, so perhaps you should take the lead and I’ll support you as I can. I’m sure my viewers will be very intrigued by this being and its melodious language. Please be sure to translate out loud so that my viewers can hear what’s happening!”
Xxivk summons his Tetrad certified translator device from his Starfinder Backpack and activates it. Well, this is why I got this device. Hopefully, this will get us some better communication if no one recognizes the language this creature is speaking. Xxivk continues recording and raises his empty hands in the air in a non-threatening manner. ”Hello goodbeing! We do not come with hostile intent. We are explorers from the Starfinder Society. Perhaps we can be friends?”
Xxvik is surprised by the impromptu the personnel change. He runs to the airlock as the shuttle starts pulling away. "Wait!!! Don't leave Obozaya! I NEED YOU!!!" Xxvik's body slumps as he sees that the shuttle isn't turning around. He puts his hand on the viewport of the airlock dejectedly. "Bye Obozai...you were my only hope..." As Xxvik turns away from the airlock, he takes stock of the newcomer. "Hey..." he says solemnly. "So your the guy taking her place? You look much smaller than she was. I hope you at least have some helpful skills since you obviously don't have the muscle. Do you know anything about Engineering?"
Faction: Wayfinders Champion
Xxvik walks on to the bridge after spending a good part of the journey in the relaxation suite. It might be an older model suite, but it sure does a relaxing Castrovelian tropical retreat. Xxvik takes a look at out the viewport. "I guess we made it. Look at that view! Time for a quick recording." Xxvik sets his camera levitating again and addresses it with the view of Enereth-7 behind him. "Hello Drifters! We have finally made it to our destination. The Society kept us in the dark about our exact mission until we arrived. We are to explore this amazing planet below and discover its secrets! To top it off, there is a mysterious signal coming from the planet! Will there be new species to make peaceful contact with or hostile constructs who wish to destroy us for daring to visit their planet? Who knows?!? But we are about to find out! Stay tuned as we begin our descent on to Enereth-7!" Turning to Bega in the pilot's seat. "Take us down easy, Mr. Awar." Xxvik slides into the science station seat, still recording... "I'm going to see if we can find the location of this mysterious signal. Let's see what this ships scanners can do..."
After experiencing the smooth descent into the atmosphere courtesy of Bega, Xxvik comments. "Very nice piloting, Bega. I'm pretty impressed at your skill for a newbie. Hopefully, this mission will go as smoothly as this ride."
Xxivk searches the local area for the team’s commlinks and drops the search results to everyone. ”Here’s what I’ve been able to dig up about where we are heading. Looks like you WILL get to fly near a blackhole, Bega. And from the looks of all the groups looking to explore this new planet, you may even get to race!”
Xxvik smiles wide at the sight of Obozaya. "Obazaya! It is so good to see you again. Hold on, I have to get a shot of seeing you again." Xxvik taps on his commlink again and the floating camera takes up a position behind him and begins recording. "Ladies and gentlebeings, we are once again graced to be working with Obazaya! Her talent for destruction is only matched by The Analog Affair-12. Oba's a bit more blunt and straightforward than Ani, but what more do you want in a soldier. Welcome to the team, Obazaya!" Xxvik looks around for the scanner for Bega to access.
Xxivk continues walking and recording while talking to Bega... "Like I said, if they issue us a ship, we will probably be leaving the system. Hopefully, there will be no black holes though. You are really luckily that your first mission will be on a starship. For my first few missions, I didn't even get off the Absalom Station." "Very impressive with the gun play. That's not really my forte, but I really appreciate the skill. I've yet to have a mission where there wasn't shooting, so you'll probably get live targets soon enough." "I'm usually brought in to situations where diplomacy and negotiation are valued. I'm often trying to de-escalate conflicts, but sometimes shooting your way out of a situation is the only option. When that happens, I'm good at coordinating fire, but my aim is so-so. I recently acquired a magical augmentation to improve my coordination, so I hope to contribute more to our defense when necessary." "Don't sweat the briefing. Rest assured, somebeing will get us the available intel. If you're luckily, it'll be Guidance, the Society AI."
Is it already boon slotting time? I thought we usually get some information before slotting boons. I have a few starship boons to choose from, so it would be good to see what the options are. Do we want faster starship travel and better maneuvering at the start of starship combat, a bonus for attacking living starship-sized enemies, or an extra Resolve Point when we get a full day's rest on board the starship? I'm inclined to get the bonus RP, but the others have advantages as well. On a related note, I've posted all of my boons on my character sheet. Do I need to note what mods I got them from? That seems a little like giving away a few secrets from other mods, but I'm willing to go with whatever.
XXivk takes a pause. You know what, it would probably be good to get some footage of you guys talking about the upcoming mission too. Xxivk taps on his comm and the levitating camera pops back up and turns to face Bega and Ve'Shek. So my viewers want to know, what do you hope we will encounter on this mission and how do you think it will impact the Society and your lodge?
Xxvik telepathically communicates to Ve’Shek and Bega - Good to see you again, Ve'Shek, and even better that you are in for another adventure. I have no issue with communicating telepathically especially when we need to be discrete, however, please be verbal when I’m recording. Unfortunately, my audience finds telepathic conversations boring. Switching back to normal speech, Xxivk addresses Bega. Welcome to the Wayfinder’s lodge, Bega. A Besmarian Whelp is a living starship-sized spacefaring monster. So your blaster wouldn’t do anything to it unfortunately. But I like the enthusiasm. That will play well with the audience! Xxivk casually takes the proffered field ration bar from Bega, whips out a pen, deftly signs the bar, and hands it back to Bega. Xxivk continues. That beast really wanted to take a bite out of our ship. I hope to never see such a creature again, but I got some amazing footage of the battle. That massive maw really wanted to take a bite out of our ship, but all it got was a gullet full of missiles! Anyway, I guess we should make our way over to Docking Bay Andoren 5-A. Looks like we’ll be issued a ship. Xxvik checks his personal comm unit to confirm the location of the docking bay that the team has been assigned. Okay, I think I know where we are going. On the way, let’s get some footage of you guys to introduce you to the audience. Xxivk walks out of the room on his way to the docking bay and makes a signal to the floating camera to begin recording. Well viewers, looks like we will be travelling off station for this mission. Not much in the way of details yet, but I have met some of the members of my new team for this mission. Joining us on Drifting for a second time, is Ve'Shek. The camera turns and focuses on the shirren. His mystical ways should prove interesting as I rarely get magical teammates. I’m looking forward to the options his skills will open up for the team on this mission. The camera then shifts its lens to the ysoki. Our second team member is Bega Awar. A new member to the Starfinder Society and a fellow Wayfinder. This will be his first mission for the Society, so it’s good that Ve’Shek and I are here to show him the ropes. He say’s he’s a pilot and hopefully, he’s a good one as you never know what we will encounter in the Drift. However, I can attest to his acrobatic prowess. Maybe he’ll be able to show me a thing or two. The camera turns around and refocuses on Xxivk faux whispering. Don’t tell Odris. He’ll think I’m cheating on him with another trainer. Xxivk winks at the camera. Switching back to serious broadcast mode, Xxivk continues. We’ve been told that the additional member of our team will meet us at the docking bay. Hopefully, they are the brawn of the team as we are currently short in that department right now. Let’s see what the docking bay has in store! The camera hovers in place for a few beats as Xxivk continues to walk down the hallway. He eventually makes a cut signal, summons the camera back to himself and continues to lead the way to the docking bay.
“Check…1…2…1…2.” says the tall slim male lashunta as he checks out his vidcasting gear while walking into the room. After seeming satisfied that it's ready to go, he makes some additional adjustments to his appearance – smoothing his antennas, checking for food in his teeth, straightening his collar. With that done, he tosses his levitating camera into the air in front of him and positions himself in front of the Starfinder Society logo on the wall. “3…2…1… Ladies and Gentlebeings, welcome to another edition of Drifting through the Universe! As always, I’m your host Xxivk Vid! In this episode we will discover the newest mission from the Starfinder Society. Will it be facing down some space monstrosity that devours spaceships, discovering new sentient aliens, or another gameshow challenge? Stay tuned to this cast to find out what Guidance or one of the Venture-Captains has to say! But first, a word from our sponsor – Body by Odris! Are you uncoordinated and have 2 or more left feet? Let my Vesk trainer, Odris, get you into shape! He’s done wonders for me! No more falling off of narrow planks or failing to climb things! Now I can navigate a public playground as safely as any primary school being! So go see Odris! You won’t be sorry, unless you insult him.” Xvivk makes a signal to cut the video feed and the camera stops recording. He spots the ysoki in the room. ”That was a pretty good take, huh? I’m Xvivk Vid, vidcaster and explorer from the Wayfinder’s lodge. I suppose we will be taking this mission together. I’ve worked with a lot of ysoki on recent missions. You guys are a fun bunch and pretty handy with tech. What’s your name and what do you specialize in?” |
