Mysterious abandoned research facilitySource Starfinder #27: Deceivers’ Moon pg. 62
Location The Vast
Settlements —
Diameter ×1/2; Mass ×1/2; Gravity ×2
Atmosphere Thin
Day 20 hours; Year 5 years
Deep in the Vast floats an unnamed red dwarf star orbited by a handful of unremarkable, uninhabited planets. Several years ago, the Pact Worlds corporation Astral Extractions first charted this star system, but was disappointed to find no natural resources of any significant value. Being so distant, the company deemed it too expensive to set up mining or colonizing operations within the system. It did, however, find a use for one of the desolate moons orbiting a mid-sized gas giant; its isolated nature made it ideal for building a research facility for less-than-savory activities.
This small moon is the only celestial body in the system with any sort of atmosphere, though thinner than standard. While not toxic, the air’s high percentage of nitrogen makes breathing difficult for most Pact Worlds species. Similarly, gravity on the moon is also heavier than Pact Worlds standard, and the moon’s terrain consists mostly of rocky scrublands dotted with shallow lakes, their water poisoned by solar radiation.
A shadowy Astral Extractions committee oversaw the construction of a facility on the moon with finances from a secret slush fund. Designated Depot 583-B, it consists of a labyrinth of utilitarian buildings connected by service corridors. Once completed, it soon became home to several dozen researchers, technicians, and security personnel. The mission of the outpost was shrouded in secrecy, and the employees working there were forced to abide by the strictest of nondisclosure agreements.
Under normal circumstances, such a project would go unnoticed for years outside the corporation. However, the moon was thrust into the spotlight when reports from a supply ship captain suddenly flooded the Pact Worlds’ infospheres. The captain claimed to be the sole survivor of a vicious attack by unknown creatures when she and her crew stopped at Depot 583-B to drop off new personnel and deliver supplies. Her account states that after landing, they discovered the facility seemingly abandoned and showing what appeared to be intentional fire damage and deep claw-like rips in the walls. The crew was then ambushed by horrific, vaguely humanoid monsters augmented with cybernetics and other machinery, whose attacks apparently transmitted some kind of nanotech-based parasite. The captain alleged that she was able to escape only thanks to the heroic sacrifices of the rest of her crew.
Astral Extractions has actively tried to suppress the captain’s story, its lawyers burying a deeper investigation under injunctions and miles more red tape, while public-relations agents have undertaken damage control in the media. Several conspiracy theorists have been quick to speculate on what exactly the corporation was researching at Depot 583-B. Most of these conjectures are easily discounted, but recent rumors claim that several of these outspoken truth-seekers have disappeared. At this time, the Stewards have declared the planet and all its moons off-limits to visitors.
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