Starfinder: Attack of the Swarm (Fate of the Fifth) AP pbp

[Zero Prime]

As soon as the singing disc slices through the last remaining dredger, Vitharyan looked to the tortanian, "Doctor, could you look after Ra'astar while we break camp?"  With that he moved to begin breaking down and stowing the hotelier tent for a long haul, he took his time doing so, "You've got ten before we begin the trek to Brinnoa."  Looking to the two dead dredgers whose ichor was turning the snow into a clumpy swath of green-grey mud.  "Good job, folks, but stay alert, could be more if they're pushing the capitol."

 

OOC:  Going to let the Doc administer any healing he can, or maybe someone has a Healing Serum, then giving enough time to let Ra'as take a 10 minute rest, to recover some stamina.  And finally, my question is what is the distance to Brinnoa from our current location, and how long will it take us to get there on foot?

[Corsair]

Doc is back awake and uses 1 RP to cast Healing Channel [2d8] for all within 30'.

6+5=11

[Dilvish the Deliverer]

Ra-astar spends 10 minutes catching his breath and binding his ribs from where the Dredger bit him.  He then takes a minute to check over the bodies of the Dredgers for anything interesting; any weak points or indications of abilities.

 

Spend one RP to regain Stamina.

[haldir]

On 4/21/2021 at 3:10 AM, Zero Prime said:

And finally, my question is what is the distance to Brinnoa from our current location, and how long will it take us to get there on foot?

 

Your position is around an hour from the outskirts of the city, or where the Major wants everyone to muster up at.

 

6 hours ago, Dilvish the Deliverer said:

He then takes a minute to check over the bodies of the Dredgers for anything interesting; any weak points or indications of abilities.

 

By being attack by them, you definitely see how they use their front barbs to attack with. 

 

Though a Swarm dredger’s head is different from its Swarm brethren, it does have segmented visual organs at the base of its “neck” protected by ridges in its carapace that bristles with hundreds of tiny, nearly invisible setae that sense vibrations in the nearby air. They do not have any capabilities of shooting bio-weapons & such. They are definitely melee attackers.

 

 

[ferret]

Gustav moves to a good vantage point where he can watch the surrounding terrain to prevent the party from being surprised while they break down the camp and take a much needed rest. Gustav will also watch for Ratticus' drone to return from its scouting mission since he is eager to learn what it found.

[haldir]

Camp breakdown is as smooth as it was putting it up as there are no interruptions. The drone returns & there was nothing out of the ordinary there as well. The area is free of the Swarm or other creatures.

 

The march to the muster area is free of any encounters until you reach the city limits. As you get closer to the city, the roar of SDF fighter jets screech into the air & head towards the battle in orbit. Their afterburners kick in as they continue their skyward climb. Even from this distance, the city looks like a disturbed hornet's nest with Swarm vessels engaging aircraft from the First Battalion. The area is abuzz with activity as the civilians of Brinnoa exit the city in however they can. Multiple aerial & ground vehicles exit the city in a mass exodus, fleeing whatever may come. Sadly one is overtaken by a Swarm vessels & is shot down from the sky. A SDF starship engages with the Swarm ship as they rocket across the sky.

 

The city itself, the familiar sounds of combat can be heard in the distance. Multiple gun blasts can be heard, as well as explosions.  As you make your way towards the muster area the time is around 9 am. The sun is up & the temperature is around 40 degrees & hovers there. The party can open their suits if they choose. Several SDF soldiers stand by the road, waving vehicles forward in a slow procession, curtly answering questions from evacuating citizens and repeating that civilians should proceed to Reos City, several dozen miles to the south. As you make your way past checkpoints, you are spotted by Major Jaldamarrak, who greets you gruffly.

 

"Glad you could join us, Midnight Squad! No time for rest! Change of plans for your squad, get your rears in gear & double-time it to the front! The Swarm is about to take Brinnoa, & we’re giving these evacuees as much time as we can before the critters come flooding out of the city.”

 

 

[Corsair]

Doc checks his Swarm loads for his pistol. Assembled 4 rounds of neuro toxin rounds from commercial bug killer mix he found at Base Camp.

[Zero Prime]

As they moved closer and closer to Brinnoa, Vith watched the skies, scram jets were flying sorties over the city, fighting a desperate battle against the strange, bio-mechanical Swarm fighters and aerial support.  The entire scene was chaotic, and deafeningly loud, he turned his focus to the road, moving past various checkpoints until they came to the perimeter of the city.

 

On seeing the Major's scarred, scaled form, he snapped to attention, saluted.  "Contact on the escarpment sir," he snapped out of habit, reporting the findings of their scouting mission, "two sir."  His eyes darted over the Major's shoulder, taking in the devastation that was occurring over the capital.  An evacuation?  With Spacedock Prime down it made sense, there was limited aerial, or orbital support, did that mean more Swarm forces were flooding the Suskillon system?  Retreat?  Where?  The pit of his stomach roiled, he took a deep breath to steady himself.

 

Calmer now, more focused, "We'll find a defensible position sir, buy the civvies as much time as we can." He turned to move off, briefly pausing to look at the Major, "Gradaich an'ach tor'vach!"  ^{*translated from Vesk "To serve is an honor!"}

 

 

[ferret]

"Major,  we can probably buy a little time for the evacuees but we obviously

can't stop the swarm from taking Brinnoa.  Since radio communications are unreliable, is it up to us to decide when to pull out and follow the evacuees toward Reos City?"

 

[haldir]

8 hours ago, Zero Prime said:

As they moved closer and closer to Brinnoa, Vith watched the skies, scram jets were flying sorties over the city, fighting a desperate battle against the strange, bio-mechanical Swarm fighters and aerial support.  The entire scene was chaotic, and deafeningly loud, he turned his focus to the road, moving past various checkpoints until they came to the perimeter of the city.

 

On seeing the Major's scarred, scaled form, he snapped to attention, saluted.  "Contact on the escarpment sir," he snapped out of habit, reporting the findings of their scouting mission, "two sir."  His eyes darted over the Major's shoulder, taking in the devastation that was occurring over the capital.  An evacuation?  With Spacedock Prime down it made sense, there was limited aerial, or orbital support, did that mean more Swarm forces were flooding the Suskillon system?  Retreat?  Where?  The pit of his stomach roiled, he took a deep breath to steady himself.

 

Calmer now, more focused, "We'll find a defensible position sir, buy the civvies as much time as we can." He turned to move off, briefly pausing to look at the Major, "Gradaich an'ach tor'vach!"  ^{*translated from Vesk "To serve is an honor!"}

 

 

The Major returns the greeting.

 

"I had a feeling that the Swarm hadn't fully retreated. I'm sure those two you encounter were part of a large force in the area. Probably a good thing, you only encounter 2 of them. At least it gives you a taste of what the enemy has in store for us. Every little bit helps."

"Spacedock Prime isn't down yet, she still is there. We were able to fend off the first salvo of Swarm fighters, currently Air is engage with fighters. She'll hold." 

 

4 hours ago, ferret said:

"Major,  we can probably buy a little time for the evacuees but we obviously

can't stop the swarm from taking Brinnoa.  Since radio communications are unreliable, is it up to us to decide when to pull out and follow the evacuees toward Reos City?"

 

 

"Radio communication is allot more reliable in the city itself. Outside of the city is where the trouble is. Hopefully it'll hold. You'll know when the time is thou. Don't be a hero, if things turns badly for you, retreat, find other SDF teams, strength in numbers."

 

"The party needs to head to the front, which is north of here inside the city. Take up defensive positions & most importantly take out Swarm & give the civilians time to get the Hells out of here. Any other questions?" (he pauses for this)

 

"If you double time, it should take you roughly 30 minutes to reach the front. Further orders will be given at a future time. Move out, Midnight Squad!"

 

The Major salutes the party before returning to what he was doing before seeing you.

[Corsair]

Doc mutters something under his breath about Double time to a 400 year old turtle...

Then realizes that Ra'astar is still carrying 3 HP damage, rolls Healing Channel, 7+1 so you are back to full strength. Sorry I missed that earlier.

[Zero Prime]

Vitharyan brings his reaction cannon to his shoulder, as he moves towards the designated position, checking cover for any further dredgers.  "Let's move out Midnight."  Even as he spoke, he waited for his squad to move towards the defensive perimeter.

[haldir]

If no one has any more business with the Major, the march to the front is uneventful besides civs moving through the area. There are a few firefights, but those are taken care of by other SDF forces in the area. The city thou has suffered allot even in this early stage of the siege. There is rubble from downed walls & some small buildings in the ground, causing the party to traverse over & through some rough terrain. There are corpses of Swarm & soldiers alike, thou not many, probably scragglers that got through the lines & such.

 

You know when you get close as the gunfire has picked up. There are familiar sounds of SDF weapons , but there is also the sounds of Swarm weaponry as well. The area you come to has a large crater & a couple smaller ones, the structures in the area are pockmarked with shrapnel & other war effects. It's almost unrecognizable as a place people once inhabited. Once you get there, you see other SDF members have taken refuge in the area around the large crater, they are covered on for a few moments before popping out to take shots at swarm who have dug into similar areas. As you move into positions, overhead you hear & can feel the roar of several large Swarm vessels as they enter the airspace over the city & then begin their descent onto the outskirts. Eventually they'll be here to join the rest of their brethren, as they always do.

 

As the party settles in (feel free to name where you are on the map, before this happens) suddenly one of the large skyscrapers nearby explodes & is engulfed in flames. Sadly, you can hear screams from people who haven't yet made it out. There is slight pause in the fighting as suddenly out of the sky a large comet or possibly a fireball, no wait it's a very large structure! (Please give me a Culture check or a Engineering check)
 

[ferret]

Culture check  17+9=26

 

Gustav moves into the rocks (F 4) hoping to stay out of sight while he observes the fight near the crater to get a better idea of where the swarm elements are.

 

 

Checks if needed;

Stealth check 7+8=15

Perception check 10+7=17

[Dilvish the Deliverer]

On 4/24/2021 at 12:30 PM, Corsair said:

Doc mutters something under his breath about Double time to a 400 year old turtle...

Then realizes that Ra'astar is still carrying 3 HP damage, rolls Healing Channel, 7+1 so you are back to full strength. Sorry I missed that earlier.

Ra'astar was fully healed.  he was only down 7 hp, and the rest and RP brought back the stamina.

 

Culture Check: 1+6=7

 

Ra'astar moves up to the rock trying to take some cover while looking for a target to engage (G2).  He has not forgoten his earlier close call and is anxious to not repeat it.