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Alimon is able to coax the little alien along as it skitters across the wall. Too small to pass and set of the children's 'trap', it reaches Alimony's hand and eats a few small batteries from his palm, which seems to calm the creature down.
With the alien gone, engineers can move back into E-Deck and fix the damage done. Fitch turns the alien over to an assembled team of experts in hopes of learning more of the alien’s language and culture. He seems pleased that the alien survived and gives you a pat on the back for a job well done.
For the safe return of his children Kieu Kein hands you a small ring as a token of his thanks. . Fitch seems to toss in a credstick containing 400 credits as well. "Come back later and I may have more work for you yet." A large spark arcs across the bay as a young Ysoki hurtles across and slams into the bulkhead. Fitch sighs. "Children.... They never learn."
The Acquisitives to meet with Radaszam “The Dealmaker” in the Nyori Palisades
The Dataphiles to meet with Historia-7 in the Lorespire Complex (your current location)
The Exo-Guardians to meet Zigvigix in the Downlow
The Wayfinders to meet with Fitch in the Armada
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The Acquisitives’ leader, Radaszam “The Dealmaker” (male vesk), manages the deployment of the Acquisitives and his personal mercenary outfit, the Obsidian Spiders. He keeps a public-facing office for this purpose in the Nyori Palisades, a luxurious neighborhood located in Absalom Station’s transparent central dome.
The plain white doors of the office slide open to reveal a stark, dimly lit room. The chamber is bleak and expressionless in its emptiness—no vanities line its smooth black walls, and no signs of use mar its smooth black furniture. The only occupants of the suite are a bug-eyed tadpole wriggling in a glowing blue aquarium and a reptilian vesk seated behind an onyx desk. The vesk gestures to a number of chairs in front of him, his features sharply illuminated by the light of his desk’s green holoscreen. “The new graduates,” he greets, in a low and pleasant voice. [/b]“Good day. I am Radaszam, though since you are here, I should hope you already knew."[/b]
“I trust you are aware of our Society’s traditions, so I will cut to the point. I have a minor situation that needs resolution. One of our members, a human named Laboni, had a rather public altercation with a junk scavenger from the Spike. You might be more familiar
with the scavenger than I, actually; he is a ysoki who fancifully calls himself Ratrod. I am told he runs a popular racing competition
that has, hmm, several hundreds of thousands of viewers on the station’s infosphere. For some reason, Laboni felt the need to tell him that any ‘real’ mechanic could easily beat the garbage that Ratrod and his associates slap together. Now that Ratrod has issued an infosphere-wide demand that she race him and prove it, Laboni doubts she can back that claim up."
“Embarrassing, isn’t it? Not really the sort of troublemaker that suits our Society. Perhaps she would be better suited to the bottom of a trash compactor... Well, we cannot afford to throw her out, not after so many Starfinders were lost in the Scoured Stars. Besides, we can’t let people think we are so weak that we can’t control our own members, or that we cannot stand up to a scrapyard junker. No, I would like you to assist Laboni in winning this race. Show our detractors that even the least of our Society is not someone to be trifled with.”
Radaszam gives you directions to the race’s location in Botscrap and hands you badges marking you as Laboni’s official pit crew.
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"Always wanted to be in a junk race," Alimony grins, as is his custom. He flips his badge into the air and deftly catches it. "Well, I may have before, but I don't remember. It seems the kind of event where one drinks. What? I weigh like 30 pounds, I black out quick."
"But really, how big are these racers? Any holds barred, installed guns and explosives? Are they driven manually or remotely?"
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"Manually driven and weapons systems are installed on many of them." The Vesk answers.
He shakes his head and smiles "I don't much care what you do, but I remind that you the Starfinders’ reputation is currently precarious, and any disciplinary issues can be settled after saving face. You lot should be more worried about MY good opinion than any glory you might find from a mere racing victory or punishment for any exposed cheating."
With a couple buttons on his wrist he adds, "There, directions sent. You'll find the race in a hollowed-out section of a mountain of spare parts in Botscrap."
***
And indeed, the place is packed when you get there. Laboni is easy to find in the crowd due to her paisley clothes and bright white lab coat. She is in her late teens. She's also frantically tweaking a true piece of junk...
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"Looks as if, but he's also reminding of the cheater's number one rule: don't get caught," Alimony whispers back.
Upon arriving, the ysoki mentally shakes his head at Laboni and her 'racer,' but gets ready to work. "No need to worry, I think I know what I'm doing," he says in lieu of assurance. "How are we allowed to trick out this baby?"
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"Yes, I'm Laboni. I'm guessing you were sent here to admonish me too? Look I'm sorry. I screwed up. I made a boast that got the best of me in the moment, but now we're on the hook. If I back out now, the Starfinders look incompetent (something we can't afford.) If I apologize, we look weak (something else we can't afford.) I'm stuck with one option..." She gets a glint in her eye, "Win."
She looks about the pit. there are numerous other racers, junk everywhere, and people posturing, flirting, and trash-talking everywhere.
"Please, with us cooperating, I'm sure we can report some good news, now go explore our options here."
----
Indeed, she's not wrong, your curious eyes and ears pick up a bunch of opertunities. I'll lay out your options.
- Improve Laboni’s Junkracer: check to find parts in the scrapyard and install them in Laboni’s racer. Each success allows you to improve 1 item from spoiler below.
Improve Junkracer:
• The vehicle’s base speed increases by 5 feet.
• The vehicle gains a +1 Piloting modifier.
• The vehicle gains a +1 attack modifier.
• The vehicle gains a +2 bonus to its EAC.
• The vehicle gains a +2 bonus to its KAC.
• The PCs install a basic energy weapon on the vehicle (imposes a
–4 base Piloting penalty on a hit).
• The PCs install a basic kinetic weapon on the vehicle (imposes a
–4 base Piloting penalty on a hit).
• The PCs upgrade a weapon to impose an additional –2 penalty to
enemy Piloting checks on a successful hit.
- Investigating the Enemy: check to scout the enemy or to examine enemy racer. the PC can ask one pertinent question about the pilot’s skill or about the vehicle the pilot is driving.
- Sabotage: can attempt to sabotage the other vehicles, but they must dodge the eyes of everyone in the ramshackle stadium . Followed by to sabotage enemy vehicle to either reduce the vehicle’s speed by 10 feet or to impose a –4 penalty on one of the vehicle’s modifiers.
- Socializing: Speak with other drivers to seek inside angle.
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Still walking around, trying to annoy the other racers into spiliing their secrets, and running back to their Pit when he finds a shiny-may-be-useful-piece-of-scrap.
"Do you really think those racing stripes will make your junker go faster?"
"Guys, I found this, I think this can help us get more speed."
"Junker? More like PURE JUNK, at least what THAT ratfolk is saying" Pointing away from Laboni.
"WHOAH!! This gun obviously holds MORE DAKKA!"
TRS-80 deploys his good friend VIC-20 with the utmost confidence after a brief maintenance of its joints lubrication, and a diagnostic check of all systems...
VIC-20 smoothly and silently transitions into action slowly, but with purpose... making use of its Reactive Camo and any nearby cover to get close to the nearest racer...
If sabotage is successful, VIC-20/TRS-80 will endeavor to impose -4 penalties to all checks.
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Once VIC-20 is in position, TRS-80 will stop flirting with random female biologic units and trying to impress them with his advanced knowledge.
Activating Master Control (EX), The flirtatious android attempts to sabotage a racer...
Examine Enemy Racers:
TRS-80 walks by in a rush..seemingly to chase skirts, but is actually logging mechanical details into his encyclopedic brain about the other racers...
TRS-80 will finally make good use of his recon to choose an appropriate DIY improvement project on our Racer.
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Kentalch spends a small bit of time tweaking the engine on the junker and is able to install a basic weapons system.
Done with his work Kentalch goes off to speak with a couple of the other racers.
Lemgem is a blue-haired gnome covered in piercings, tattoos, and augmentations. A short conversation reveals she is obsessed with continual alterations to herself and her racer, to the point where her vehicle modifications skirt the bounds of common sense.
Moving on from LemGem Kentalch has another racer catch his eye. Still bearing the scars of the fight that killed her dragonkin partner, Nyizin is a racer with an obvious death wish. Unstable black-market mods made of dragon bone and elemental energies fill Nyizin’s vehicle. So long as she is alive, she intends to win in honor of her fallen companion.
[ooc]@Kentalch- With a Culture check you feel you might be able to emphasize with her.
Chetna spends a small bit of time with him but only manages about half the work Kentalch did as she wasn't sure where to start.
VIC-20 hovers low near one of the racers and loosens Ratrods bolts to his steering column.
While VIC-20 is flying by TRS checks out two of the junkracers. Orsis is a stoic, dark-haired lashunta who looks unfairly good in black and gold. His racers seems fairly straightforward though folks say it is difficult to get through his armor with weapon systems.
Ratrod is a ysoki with mottled gray-and-white fur. He has a showman’s personality to match his icon status. People in the Spike consider him something of a hero to the ysoki-dominated Scrap Union. Ratrod looks to be able to absorb energy attacks on his vehicle and convert it to base land speed.
With a bit of information TRS shifts back to modding their own vehicle.
Altharikon
Kentalch
TRS-80
Alimony
Chetna
Vahni
Altharikon
Kentalch
TRS-80
Alimony
Chetna
Vahni
Altharikon
Kentalch
TRS-80
Alimony
Chetna
Vahni
Altharikon
Kentalch
TRS-80
Alimony
Chetna
Vahni
* +5 Base Speed
* Installation of Basic Energy weapon
-Chetna 2 successes
TRS 1 upgrade
* -4 to piloting
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VIC-20 having sabotaged their primary rival, Alimony decides against working against the other racers. He doesn't want to get kicked out of this spectacle. Instead, he works on improving Laboni's vehicle.
"No good form of transportation comes without a minigun," the ysoki states happily as he assembles a rudimentary one from scrap.
"Don't want it to spiral out of control - not that kind of race," he muses as he tweaks the pilot's controls, making them a bit more friendly.
"More speed is more good." Needing to say nothing more, he ups the engine's potential.
"Their buckets'll only move if we say so," he adds as an afterthought, boosting the simple targeting system.
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1. Sabotage with the help of Vic-20
Stealth Take 10 = 28
Engineering Take 10 = 18
If successful - Reduce speed by 10 feet.
2.Improve Laboni Express
Engineering - Take 10 = 20 (Using Custom Rig as a Toolkit)
+1 Attack Modifier
TRS-80 sends his trusty companion over to the racer belonging to Orsis, for a little surgery with an impish grin...
After getting his face slapped by a few more feminine specimens, TRS-80 goes to work on the energy weapon of the Laboni Express...He finds that he can upgrade the interface that between the pilot and the energy weapon to make it more responsive and accurate...He also decides to wash the racer and give it a quick polish, so that it has an attractive luster...instad of looking like a pile of junk.
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"Aw, I thought it looked better unpolished," Alimony groans exaggeratedly as he returns with some useful scrap. "Makes me feel like some upper-class brown-noser coming down to the poor district to show how superior I am."
"Eh, I don't actually care. This thing's coming along nicely, though, wouldn't you say?" With the pile of junk he collected, the ysoki looks to construct some simple armor plating and a brace for the minigun.
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Before you know it, the call for racers is sounded, and it's time to go. The party feels good about their chance after all the prep work. All that's left is to win the race!
Laboni's Racer!
Speed 50 ft., full 500 ft.
EAC: 12, KAC: 20
Attack: energy weapon (hit causes –6 to Piloting) AND Kinetic Energy Weapon (hit causes -6 to piloting)
Attack Modifier: -1 (Base -3)
Piloting Modifier: +5 (Base +2)
Ratrod
- (Reduce speed 10 feet)
- (Piloting -4)
Prior to the start of the race, the vehicles set up at the starting line, and they take off when given the signal. Laboni is technically piloting her vehicle, but since she lacks the necessary racing skills, she needs your help to compete.
- Success! Move your racers FULL SPEED.
- Fail by fewer than 10: Drat! You bounce and only go half speed.
- Fail by 10+: BOLLIX! You crash the racer and don't move this turn.
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"Is Laboni's name still involved in this?" Alimony can't help but whisper, away from the aspiring racer. "All she did was make the shell and a promise she couldn't keep."
Despite his slight annoyance, he grins in anticipation and readies himself for whatever position he is most fit for. "Let's race some junk!"
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The siren sounds the final call for the race. All the racers take their place! The race is a 3000' track, and everyone is focused on the finish line.
Starfinders!:Go
Lemgem (Bulky): shoots at Ratrod: MISS
Nyizin (Well-armed): shoots at Ratrod: MISS
Orsis (Sleek): No weapon!
Ratrod (Custom): Attacks Starfinders shoots at the Starfinders Hit
Velocity (Spherical): shoots at Lemgem: MISS
While most of the initial shots miss Ratrod aims straight for your chassis, sending jolts of electricity through it.
It's neck and neck!
Starfinders!: 0'
Lemgem (Bulky): 0'
Nyizin (Well-armed): 0'
Orsis (Sleek): 0'
Ratrod (Custom): 0'
Velocity (Spherical): 0'
Laboni's Racer!
Speed 50 ft., full 500 ft.
EAC: 12, KAC: 20
Attack: energy weapon (hit causes –6 to Piloting) AND Kinetic Energy Weapon (hit causes -6 to piloting)
Attack Modifier: -1 (Base -3)
Piloting Modifier: +5 (Base +2)
Ratrod
- (Reduce speed 10 feet)
- (Piloting -4)