“OK, self,” Dae said to their reflection without realizing they were speaking out loud. “You’re about to knock the socks off this planet! You’re one lucky cat, you know, but you’ve also got nerve and plenty of raw talent—the makings of a real star! Now let’s get out there and make Miiyu look even more amazing than she already is!”
The pahtra performer closed their eyes for just a moment and took a deep breath, attuning to the vast power of the stars that filled them with inner light. After a long and deliberate exhale, they checked their outfit one last time. Would adding more glitter to their fur would be overdoing it? No, there’s no such thing as too much glitter. They did one more spray, spinning around in the cloud as it covered their guard hairs in iridescent splendor. Beyond the walls, they could hear the crowd chanting for Miiyu in unison with steadily increasing excitement. It didn’t matter that the chant wasn’t for Dae; the energy alone was enough to make them feel as though they could fly. They absently adjusted the woven bracelet on their left arm, smiling widely as they slinked to the curtain, opening it ever so slightly to steal a peek at the audience—
—and drew in a sharp breath.
There, standing in the front row, was a lizard-like humanoid that was clearly trying to blend in and failing spectacularly. It wasn’t that vesk were unknown or completely unwelcome on this planet; it was her body language that caught Dae’s attention. While she tried to appear as excited as two ysoki hanging off the railing to her right, the expression never quite reached her eyes, which were darting around as she took stock of her surroundings. That’s when Dae noticed the outline of a weapon under her jacket, and a shoulder bag brimming with something that could have been eggs but were more likely to be some sort of explosive devices. A flash of light reflected off what Dae had initially clocked as a piece of jewelry. It was a three-pronged imperial sigil, sharp as the claw of their cruel war god.
“A Veskarium trooper in the front row? Oh, come on!” Dae muttered.
Another vesk joined the first. He was doing a better job of blending in, but not by much. He’d had the sense to hide his sigil, but he’d shown up with his admittedly stunning black jacquard silk pants tucked into military issue boots, and he was wearing battlegloves with clawed metal joints. The fur on Dae’s neck stood up as they scanned the crowd and spotted another probable vesk trooper entering the theater on the right-hand side of the stage, blending in considerably less than the two directly front and center. This one hadn’t even bothered changing out of their uniform.
They look out of place and they look armed, Dae thought. They must be after Miiyu! Everybody knew about Miiyu’s rebel activities during the Veskarium occupation of Pulonis. If imperial troopers were here, they probably weren’t fans. There were no security guards in sight, and Dae wouldn’t risk raising an alarm this close to curtain with everyone packed in here.
Dae needed a plan that would protect both the star and the audience while avoiding panic. An idea flared up immediately. With absolute confidence, they stepped out from behind the curtain and sashayed toward the crowd. The cheers that burst forth simmered to a buzz as it became clear that Dae wasn’t Miiyu.
“Hey, posers!” Dae shouted, directly addressing the two vesk sitting front and center, who looked around at the others in their row as if they hadn’t been directly pointed at. One of the ysoki pointed at himself in utter confusion before pointing at the vesk to his left, who shot him a withering glance before scowling up at Dae. “First of all, there’s no replica weapons allowed at this venue, and second of all, they don’t even match your outfits,” Dae accused. “Not to mention Imperial vesk attire is terminally out of style.”
“We’re just here for the show,” the latecomer replied. She wasn’t convincing at all.
“Speaking of shows, this one’s about to start!” Dae was pleased when the spotlight landed on them. They began tapping their foot in a steady rhythm as a ribbon of pulsing midnight unspooled from their finger—the manifestation of their solar weapon in graviton mode. Dae flicked the ribbon with a sound like spring thunder and snatched the female vesk’s shoulder bag, pulling it up on stage and spilling its contents. A jumble of wired pipes gleamed under the stage lights. As always, Dae’s instincts were on point.
The vesk imposters immediately gave up on their ruse. The man cracked his knuckles and scrambled onto the stage, hefting his bulk in slow motion with a bestial grunt. The woman pulled a baton from under her jacket and squeezed. The baton elongated into a triple-bladed polearm—a doshko with a collapsible design created for smuggling into secure venues like this, used for assassinations ordered by Veskarium military leaders with grudges. Miiyu was in danger.
Sparks reflected in Dae’s goggles as they attuned with the blazing creative energy at the heart of every star, turning the dark ribbon into a whip of fire. Dae leapt high into the air with deceptive ease, swirling their ribbon behind them in blazing circles. They landed on the opposite side of the doshko-wielding vesk, smiling as they spun around and lashed the ribbon out like a solar flare. The crowd screamed and cheered as the vesk was engulfed in flames. She staggered stage left and fell to her knees, where black-clad crew tackled her with fire blankets.
The male vesk dashed forward, punching wildly with clawed fists as his wicked tailblade sliced the air. Dae gracefully dodged the swings. Every slash, duck, and weave became part of an elaborate dance made up on the spot.
Then Dae missed a step. Pain hit Dae like a truck as one of the vesk’s underhanded punches slammed into their face. A second later the vesk shoved Dae hard with both hands. The crowd booed and Dae stumbled back awkwardly, pinwheeling their arms. A tongue of flame shot out as Dae’s nimbus reacted to the assault, but they were already off-balance, their dance streak was ended, and the crowd was beginning to rumble with panic.
Meyel, help me pretend that didn’t happen, Dae prayed. A comforting warmth spread through them. Dae cartwheeled and called their solar flare, which appeared like an extra spotlight hovering overhead and blasted the vesk who’d shoved them with a ray of sunlight. He tried to flee then, but Dae streaked forward, leaving a contrail of hypnotic light in their path and twirling the burning ribbon like a lasso.
By now Dae was getting bored with this interruption and was ready to take on the last target. Though it wasn’t necessary, they couldn’t help but add a few flourishes to their movements—a quick flick of the left wrist in this direction, a more dramatic swoop of the right arm that way. Their left leg swept forward, leading the rest of their body in a graceful slide. Small motes of light first emerged from their core and then glittered down around their body before beginning to gather around their elegantly outstretched hands, quickly compounding into a glimmering, dynamic brightness that drew cheers from the audience. Seconds later, a blast of solar energy erupted from their outstretched hands, firing a searing beam of light into the group of soldiers. Two of the three enemies cried out in shock and pain as the light burned through their defenses. At the same time, Dae felt the deep shifting of the stars within them as photon became graviton, and fire extinguished into pulsing dark.
Dae landed with grace, seamlessly going down on one knee in a dramatic bow. Becoming the opening act was completely unintentional. They felt electrified, like they could dance for the next week straight.
On cue, the theater went dark. Dae exited the stage and found their position for the main show. The Veskarium saboteurs had been dealt with without any innocent bystanders getting hurt, and the audience was clearly entertained. The night was off to a fantastic start and was sure to only get better.
“Nice work,” Miiyu purred as she breezed past Dae. Dae felt as if they smiled any larger, their face would break open.
In front of them, the curtain rose as neon pink and teal lights danced over Miiyu. The diva strutted on stage in a shimmering holofiber gown custom made for this song only. The crowd erupted in deafening, delirious cheers. It was going to be a phenomenal show.
Illustration by Pixoloid
About the Author
Danielle Cavanagh is an artist, writer, and designer living in the Pacific Northwest with her partner and their two cats. Her life is a work in progress.About the Iconic
Dae (they/them) is an agender pahtra solarian whose literally flashy and magnetic dance moves command attention on and off the stage. No matter how famous they get, Dae always has time for an adventure with their bestie Chk Chk.About Iconic Encounters
Iconic Encounters is a series of web-based flash fiction set in the worlds of Pathfinder and Starfinder. Each short story provides a glimpse into the life and personality of one of the games’ iconic characters, showing the myriad stories of adventure and excitement players can tell with the Pathfinder and Starfinder roleplaying games.
Learn more about the solarian class in Starfinder Player Core, releasing at Gen Con 2025, on paizo.com, and at your friendly local game store! Be the first to play Starfinder Second Edition by subscribing to the Starfinder RPG or Starfinder RPG (Special Edition) lines and receive a free PDF when your book ships!
Read more at this site