Scoured Stars
Luwazi Elsebo glared through the window of her captain's quarters, into the field of aurum energy that surrounded the Scoured Stars, which separated her from the rest of her people. The Scoured Stars Incident... It had only been a year since it happened, but it felt an age. Four-fifths of the Starfinders gone -- locked behind the Godshield -- on Jadnura's mad mission to conquer the unknown.
She'd invested in Navasi and her crew -- the first Starfinders to rise up through the ranks since the disaster. In the Lockette program, and the Iron Drake said to be capable of destroying a planet in one blow. In the Access Beacon to Golarion, and all the lost knowledge that lived within. All in search of an answer yet to come.
One little mistake, and still no solution...
Luwazi's comm unit began to ring, and she swiped to accept the call without looking at it.
???: "First Seeker, we have information about the Stewards."
Luwazi: "What about McCallow?"
???: "Trapped, ma'am. On Orikolai." Luwazi raised an eyebrow at that. Although they'd invested heavily in Ops' dealings in the Pact Worlds, she'd never been invited out to Typhoon. On account of her being a "stand-in" Seeker... As if the Starfinder Society hadn't voted Jadnura down after his disappearance. Her title was recognized by Guidance, which was all that mattered. She suspected it'd had something to do with House Marcus. Luwazi had made an enemy of the man early on in her career, and Atticus was the only one willing to be seen with her in public. Luwazi: "Tell me it's not another field of aurum energy. I'm getting sick of gold."
???: "Negative. The Swarm have invaded the system." She muted the mic on her comm unit, and let out an agonized groan. Things just kept getting worse... First the attempt on her life, and then the failed experiments on the Godshield, and now this. If the Swarm had come to Orikolai, they could only be after one thing. She'd told Atticus that trusting Jun Zhao was a bad idea. She suspected he was just learning that himself. Mixing organics with technology was a dangerous business, and could lead to unpredictable results. Luwazi didn't know much, but she'd learned enough. DNA from Caesura and the Aspis Consortium's Swarm Queen, several covert dealings with the Grays, and frightened whispers of Wither manipulation. If they weren't swarming over Smertrios, they'd already located the Queen, which meant they were after one thing. The Iron Drake. Luwazi unmuted herself, and also opened up the general PA for the starship. Luwazi: "Tidy up, boys and girls. I wanted all experiments in flight completed ASAP, and all results dutifully recorded. Navigators, make course for the Typhoon system -- I'll be passing the coordinates along shortly."
???: "Seeker? Are we abandoning the Scoured Stars?"
Luwazi: "Oh no... We're just taking a detour. And when we get back, I might bring a friend..."
???: "You mean Atticus McCallow?"
Luwazi: "I mean mind your business! Get this rust bucket moving. To the stars!" Luwazi slipped into her jacket, slinging her Starfinder emblem around her neck, and launched out of her rooms. Perhaps she would find her solution after all.
Luwazi: "What about McCallow?"
???: "Trapped, ma'am. On Orikolai." Luwazi raised an eyebrow at that. Although they'd invested heavily in Ops' dealings in the Pact Worlds, she'd never been invited out to Typhoon. On account of her being a "stand-in" Seeker... As if the Starfinder Society hadn't voted Jadnura down after his disappearance. Her title was recognized by Guidance, which was all that mattered. She suspected it'd had something to do with House Marcus. Luwazi had made an enemy of the man early on in her career, and Atticus was the only one willing to be seen with her in public. Luwazi: "Tell me it's not another field of aurum energy. I'm getting sick of gold."
???: "Negative. The Swarm have invaded the system." She muted the mic on her comm unit, and let out an agonized groan. Things just kept getting worse... First the attempt on her life, and then the failed experiments on the Godshield, and now this. If the Swarm had come to Orikolai, they could only be after one thing. She'd told Atticus that trusting Jun Zhao was a bad idea. She suspected he was just learning that himself. Mixing organics with technology was a dangerous business, and could lead to unpredictable results. Luwazi didn't know much, but she'd learned enough. DNA from Caesura and the Aspis Consortium's Swarm Queen, several covert dealings with the Grays, and frightened whispers of Wither manipulation. If they weren't swarming over Smertrios, they'd already located the Queen, which meant they were after one thing. The Iron Drake. Luwazi unmuted herself, and also opened up the general PA for the starship. Luwazi: "Tidy up, boys and girls. I wanted all experiments in flight completed ASAP, and all results dutifully recorded. Navigators, make course for the Typhoon system -- I'll be passing the coordinates along shortly."
???: "Seeker? Are we abandoning the Scoured Stars?"
Luwazi: "Oh no... We're just taking a detour. And when we get back, I might bring a friend..."
???: "You mean Atticus McCallow?"
Luwazi: "I mean mind your business! Get this rust bucket moving. To the stars!" Luwazi slipped into her jacket, slinging her Starfinder emblem around her neck, and launched out of her rooms. Perhaps she would find her solution after all.
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