"Your father?" The professor takes a step back and reassesses Arc, frowning a little as she looks at his face. "There is some resemblance, though... these days someone who's a fan of the dean might get reconstructive surgery to look more like their idol." A small smile the creeps onto her face that she thinks that idea to be more than a little silly.
"The dean never mentioned having a son. Though, he's always been more than ready to tell everyone who's willing to listen all about his daughter." The light of realization crosses her eyes and she follows with "Ah, you said, that he 'was' your father. Disowned then? I see why you might have rebelled. He can be a harsh man at times."
"In any case, whatever your relation, you're welcome to try to convince him. I can step in if it doesn't go too well."
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Ted tosses his top from hand to hand, letting it do somersaults and loop-de-loops en route.
"Hey Spec, what's the odds that we get expelled from this institution without enrolling?" Ted laughs inwardly.
Spectre turns his head toward Ted, unsure how to respond.
"I find it impossible to be expelled from an institution we have not enrolled in. However, the likelihood of being ejected from this campus for some other violation, including the not improbable event of violence given our level of armament, is good."
He looks at Arcalinte for some time.
"Or because his father hates him. I find that possibility likely. Highly likely."
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"Your father?" The professor takes a step back and reassesses Arc, frowning a little as she looks at his face. "There is some resemblance, though... these days someone who's a fan of the dean might get reconstructive surgery to look more like their idol." A small smile the creeps onto her face that she thinks that idea to be more than a little silly.
Arcalinte blinks and his jaw drops.
"He has fans?! What kind of Dean has fans?"
"The dean never mentioned having a son. Though, he's always been more than ready to tell everyone who's willing to listen all about his daughter." The light of realization crosses her eyes and she follows with "Ah, you said, that he 'was' your father. Disowned then? I see why you might have rebelled. He can be a harsh man at times."
"Rebelled isn't really the right word. I was only ten years old at the time. Most of my experience of it was the arguments between him and my human mother. Though, given he didn't even call to see how we were doing when plague rolled through our town two years later. My mother and me both got sick. I recovered...my mother didn't. I didn't even really necessarily want him to come back since he was my only surviving parent, but he didn't even offer financial assistance. I'm lucky my cousin took me in, and even after that, I had to get a job almost immediately so we could support ourselves, damn Akiton's lax enforcement of Pact Worlds labor laws..."
He raises an eyebrow at the mention of a daughter.
"I...have a half-sister? What's her name? How old is she? What does he say about her? Is she...a full elf, or is she half-elven like me?"
His curiosity appears to be piqued!
"In any case, whatever your relation, you're welcome to try to convince him. I can step in if it doesn't go too well."
"Thank you, Professor Muhali. Sarenrae may exhort us to forgive the trespasses of others as she forgives us ours, but she also exhorts us to be honest, and honestly I've run the conversation I'd have with my father when I finally caught up with him a million different ways...and I don't want to let my personal baggage ruin our chances of helping Ailabiens redeem himself...sort of...which will allow us to get the information we need to continue our own expedition."
Isu looks at Arc in surprise.
"Arcaline Soter! You keep skeletons in your closet. This one wants the whole story, all the gossipy details so this one can talk to the others about you behind your back."
Arcalinte shrugs at Isu's words, smiling a bit at the obvious sarcasm.
"Well, apart from my relatively uneventful life with my cousin and my encounter with Sola Gorsen that started me on the path of a solarian, that's pretty much it."
Ted tosses his top from hand to hand, letting it do somersaults and loop-de-loops en route.
"Hey Spec, what's the odds that we get expelled from this institution without enrolling?" Ted laughs inwardly.
Spectre turns his head toward Ted, unsure how to respond.
"I find it impossible to be expelled from an institution we have not enrolled in. However, the likelihood of being ejected from this campus for some other violation, including the not improbable event of violence given our level of armament, is good."
He looks at Arcalinte for some time.
"Or because his father hates him. I find that possibility likely. Highly likely."
"That's an accurate assessment, Spectre. Though I don't know...maybe he's changed...become a better person...maybe he didn't send us financial help because he couldn't find us or he didn't have money to provide us. I won't know until I actually speak to him. Professor...could you please assist us in setting up an appointment with Dean Theraels?"
Muhali frowns as Arc gives his story and as he describes the difficulties around surviving on Akiton, that frown only deepens. She seems to be having a hard time reconciling this story with what she knows of the Dean.
"The Dean's little girl? In her mid twenties. Of course she's an elf-" The professor cuts off. "Maybe I shouldn't be saying anything. I'm sure the Dean has some explaining to do to you." She purses her lips, determined not to get caught up in someone else's family drama.
"You're better off trying to intercept him downstairs. His waiting list for appointments is longer than the rest of your crew appear to be willing to wait." She smiles at the others waiting behind Arc "He went out to give the media the telling off they deserve not all that long ago. He should still be there, if I know Qabarat media at all."
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When the elevator opens, you see that the Dean is almost done with last few reporters. From his body language, he seems to be completely at ease, while the reporters he's talking to look like they've been worn down. Finally, the last two reporters share a resigned look and start trudging back down the path towards the road. Dean Theraels watches them for a minute, then starts returning to the lobby.
He steps into the lobby, heading straight for the Reception deck and not paying you any attention. It looks like this might be your only opportunity to stop him and ask.
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"I don't think he's evil, Isu. A flaring d!ck, maybe, but not evil. And it's not that simple. Either way, killing him is the last thing I want you to do. There's many more ways to solve problems besides hitting them with weapons."
Though it had been years, he recognized his father's sharp, angry walk. He'd seen it many times after his parents argued, the last time being when he walked out of his life forever.
He moves to intercept him.
"Quel andune, Atar. An coiasira, n'uma elea."
Solaria wanders off and around the campus, her mind wandering as much as her body. All my life this has been here, and I never knew what an interesting and wonderful place it is. Her meanderings through the corridors and spaces of the university bring her to meet the rest of the party as theyu make their way to the Dean. Arc, you lead on this, you are related after all. She keeps an eye on the Dean's reactions to gauge his response and passes on anything she notices, by entering and speaking directly to Arc's mind.
Dean Theraels is deep in thought when a bold Arc steps into his path and hails him. It takes him a moment to focus on the person to stop him, and a second moment to process the words. When we finally does, his eyes widen and he whispers.
"San' lle nae il- y' fea thar amin men ale' ilya..."
Conflicted emotions cross his face as he takes in Arc standing there, but before long he gets them under control, once again presenting a smoothly genial demeanor.
He switches to common, saying "Arcalinte, is it truly you? I had heard that... I was told... to assume the worst. That when town had been seared from orbit to prevent the spread, everyone there had gone with it. You managed to escape?" He casts a look over his son. "You're looking very well. All grown up. I-- I'm glad to see you've grown into a fine young man." A sad smile sneaks its way onto his face, and when he masters it this time, its quickly replaced by a thoughtful frown.
"You must be here for something. Your mother sent you, didn't she?"
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Arcalinte's eyes widen a bit. He's pleasantly surprised by his father's own surprise. That meant, to him at least, that the lack of communication wasn't entirely due to bitterness on his part.
"Unfortunately, no...we both got sick. I got better...she didn't. She died before the town got torched, so I'd moved in with her nephew already, since I didn't know where you were or how to find you."
He opens his arms and offers his father a hug.
"She's... dead?" Another tumultuous wave of emotion crosses the Dean's face before he conquers it. When Arcalinte moves in for a hug, he returns it stiffly and awkwardly. It's clear to the rest of you that he's deep in thought.
He pulls away from Arcalinte. "What brings you to Qabarat, Arcalinte? Surely not just to find me. You wouldn't need to come with all these others for that." He gestures to the rest of the party. "All these... surprisingly well armed individuals. You included. You're not here as part of a security outfit, are you?"
"The Starfinder Society?" He frowns "Dangerous work. Why, I remember just recently when one of the Society's missions swept up a few of the scholars from the Drift-Physics department. Only one of them came back, and even she's been in psychotherapy for the last year to try to get the nightmares to stop."
"You're already far too old for me to protest against your choice of occupation. And-" His face takes on a tired cast "-and in any case, I don't have the right, considering."
"I suppose that means you're here on their business? What does the-" He's cut off by an insistent beeping coming from the comm device on his wrist. "Ah, right. This business with Ailabiens has left me well behind schedule."
"Arcalinte. If you're able to spare the time, join me for dinner tonight. We have a lot to catch up on... son."
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"Not necessary, Isu."
Arcalinte nods to his father.
"That business with Ailabiens is actually why we're here. Weve convinced him to make a public apology for his lecture, but he had a few things he wanted in exchange for said apology, and Professor Muhali said you'd need to approve them. Long story short, Ailabiens has some documents vital to our own research checked out, and will let us examine them if we help him."
Very confusing, this man is unclear as to his feeling for his son, though he seems happy you are here and well. her mind transfers to Arc.
She continues to follow the interaction, her eyes following the words from one male to the other, she listens and watches intently. What is it that he thinks of your mother's death, does he even believe it, though he has no compassion for her in death. This one has left those past times behind.
As the Dean concludes his chat with Arc, Solaria also asks, "And if you have a way to contact Doctor Olmehya Solstarni, that would be useful and of course any authorisation you give to access the texts we need to research."
Isu's jab seems to strike the dean right in his gut, the idea that he failed Arc and has been failing Arc all these years is a fresh wound that hasn't even begun to scab over.
He blinks for a couple of moments as he processes Arc's statements. "You need some documents Ailabiens has? That contemplative probably squirreled them away somewhere... the moment I put him on academic leave he started 'securing' everything he'd borrowed from our archives." He presses his lips together in displeasure. Upon hearing that the contemplative is willing to make an apology, he adds "About time. What did he want in return?"
"Bah! He's always a pain. Fine, if he'll make a proper apology, I'll restore his access and cancel his academic suspension. But, this incident will be marked against the University for years, I can't just erase it from his record. There needs to be some repercussions!"
When Solaria gets his attention, he responds with "Doctor Solstarni? You'll likely find her in her office on the 18th floor. And as Arcalinte's allies, you're welcome to the resources here in the University. As long as you don't cause any trouble, of course."
"Knowledge is what we seek, it's only when trouble finds us, do my friends respond." Solaria smiles at the Dean. "No doubt we will seek out Doctor Solstarni on the 18th floor to ask a few questions to follow the trail of learning that has been placed before us." she continues, her head heady with the sensations of authority they appear to have. Oh this is fun, "Your actions are welcomed and we hope it concludes the present difficulties." Her head bows slightly towards the Dean, her hands crosses her chest in a sign of thanks.
We have two options, to return to Ailabiens with the good news, or we might as well search out the missing Doctor Solstarni on the 18th floor. There may be clues in her office as to her real whereabouts. I think we should take the opportunity to search the office, before we find Ailabiens her words enter each of her companions' minds in turn, as her antennae twitch and she look in the Deans eyes, with a calm smile.
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Arcalinte nods.
"In all honesty, that's what I expected you'd decide, and for what it's worth, I think it's a fair decision. If he wants his record scrubbed, he should be willing to make a full retraction. We'll see if he wants to play ball with that, or if he'll just cut his losses and accept the deal as it stands. Thank you, Father. And much as I loathe to admit it, Spectre's right. I'll see about meeting you for dinner after we get back from our expedition. When we'll have more time to talk."
He smiles faintly.
"Perhaps you can introduce me to my sister then?"
"I won't hold out too much hope that he'll change his mind and make a full retraction." Dean Theraels slowly shakes his head in frustration.
When Solaria thanks him, he turns to her and smiles "No, thank you all for helping with Ailabiens. While it seems circumstances may have pitted you against him, it has certainly saved me what I suspect would have been another half dozen frustrating arguments..."
"And dinner afterwards sounds good Arcalinte. Miyara will be there. Here-" He makes a couple of swift finger prods at the comm device at his wrist. "My contact details. Though you're here right now for work, I hope we'll be able to stay in touch."
At Spectre's question, he raises an eyebrow. "Studying criminal organizations? Of course, our archives have quite the broad range of material. Though I admit, what you'll find is mostly the more esoteric ones. We are a xenoanthropological University, after all."
And will a final long (perhaps longing) look at Arc, the Dean steps into the elevator to return to his own duties.
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You approach Dr. Soltarni's office on the 18th floor and are surprised to find Professor Muhali standing outside of its closed door. She looks over her shoulder at you as you approach. "I was thinking of sending you a message. Dr. Solstarni... she hasn't been answering any of my attempts to get in contact with her. And beyond that, it seems that no one was informed ahead of time that she'd be missing." She shakes her head "She's not here either, I just knocked. It's not like her."
The professor's brow creases with concern. "I've known her for years. She's a very diligent person, even when she's deep into her research. She would have let us know if she was going on a research trip."
Muhali seems to war internally for a minute, brow furrowed, before dipping a hand in her pocket and producing a key card. "It might be nothing, but maybe we should check. You wanted to talk to her too, right?" She swipes the key card against a panel on the wall and the door to Dr. Solstarni's office opens up.
Inside, the office is in disarray, with cabinet doors ajar, several stone artifacts scattered across the floor from open archival drawers, and a traveling bag open and half-packed. The computer on the desk at the far end of the room is dark, but a diode at its base blinks regularly.
Muhali stifles a gasp, steps in, and casts a look around into the corners of the room. "This... I was hoping my feeling was wrong, but I think something happened to Solstarni! I'll call the local police. It'll take them some time to get here... we don't usually have any crime worth keeping them close." Her expression turns steely "If I can rely on your experience once more, please take a look. Whatever you learn might give the police a leg up when they get here!"
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"Ted, why do you persist with this anti-robotic khefak-sh!t? You know you're never going to get a reaction out of Spectre."
When Ted reveals what the tools imply, Arcalinte looks at them, intrigued, wondering if he'd seen similar tools at the Cosmonastery.
"You ARE full of surprises, though. Come to think of it, I don't think you've ever shared what brought you to the Starfinders."
Then his eyes drift to the desk and he notices the blinking light.
"Strange that they didn't take the computer. If this was sabotage or espionage, they'd have taken it or at least tried to destroy it to prevent the people investigating it from finding clues. Ted? Spectre? Could one of you slice it, please?"
"What a mess, who would do such a thing? I mean she's an academic, what would she have that would be important enough for someone to do this? If they didn't take the computer, then they were looking for something else!" Solaria stands her mouth agape, looking into the ransacked room, as she spoke slowly in disbelief. "We should tidy it up, so we can see if there are any papers missing?" she looks around to the others for confirmation.
Arc, you know we should see if any of her possessions are missing, you know, if there's a shape outlined in the dust, for which we can't find an object that fits? You know like the vidi-rerun of Inspector Pairote series, by Crystal Agathar. It's amazing what shapes in the dust I found when working at the RecroMotel Glizzi, when guests left... her mind trails into a few reminiscences which she does not share, as her face shows botches of green.
Suddenly she looks around to her friends and blurts out, "You don't think she could have been kidnapped???"
While some of the rest of the party are still speculating and taking in the office, Solaria steps forwards to begin a detailed investigation in the vein of the legendary Inspector Pairote!
First, she notices that one of the carbon-fiber cabinets has one door ajar, revealing a set of field gear in an untidy pile at the bottom of the cabinet. A quick search of the armor reveals a hastily scrunched up piece of paper tucked into the upgrade slot. Solaria spreads the paper out and finds that its a printout of an email between Solstarni and someone named "Eyrub Paqual". It is dated as having been sent two days ago and it reads as follows:
Dr. Solstarni,
I really must insist to speak with you in person! As the premier expert in the field, I'm sure you can understand the importance of keeping this under wraps until the artifacts can be properly examined. If one of your less even minded colleagues, like that Dr. Ailabiens 21:2, got their hands on them, it could cause an international incident! You are the only one I can turn to! Please.
If you experience a change of heart, I will be waiting tonight at 8pm at the Five Arches Cafe in the Gateway District.
Counting on you,
Eyrub Paqual
Someone has underlined the Five Arches Cafe in red pen and added "Why so far away??" in a swooping, elegant script.
Setting the printout aside for now, Solaria returns to inspecting the room. She notices a sizable dent in the side of the cabinet where (judging by the size and shape of the dent) somebody collided violently with the furniture.
She also inspects what might be missing from looking at the dust on the shelves. She finds multiple areas on the shelves where old-fashioned books must have once sat that are now empty. It's hard to tell how many books are missing, but it's clearly at least a dozen. The computer doesn't appear to have been tampered with from a casual inspection, but it would need someone with some computers skills to confirm that.
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"What a mess, who would do such a thing? I mean she's an academic, what would she have that would be important enough for someone to do this? If they didn't take the computer, then they were looking for something else!" Solaria stands her mouth agape, looking into the ransacked room, as she spoke slowly in disbelief. "We should tidy it up, so we can see if there are any papers missing?" she looks around to the others for confirmation.
Arc, you know we should see if any of her possessions are missing, you know, if there's a shape outlined in the dust, for which we can't find an object that fits? You know like the vidi-rerun of Inspector Pairote series, by Crystal Agathar. It's amazing what shapes in the dust I found when working at the RecroMotel Glizzi, when guests left... her mind trails into a few reminiscences which she does not share, as her face shows botches of green.
Suddenly she looks around to her friends and blurts out, "You don't think she could have been kidnapped???"
Arcalinte raises an eyebrow at Solaria's invoking of murder mystery tropes in the investigation, but he doesn't comment.
"It's looking increasingly like that's the case."
"You know who is to blame? Astral Extractions. They've wanted the rock ever since the beginning. And now they kidnapped the person who could help us the most on the Drift Rock investigation! By Sarenrae's light, we should destroy Astral Extractions!"
Isu's epic jump to this conclusion makes Arcalinte facepalm.
"Isu...no. Think it through. Astral Extractions wouldn't do something that blatantly illegal. Their whole plan on Absalom Station unraveled when the gang they'd hired killed Duravor Kreel, when they were just supposed to scare him away from getting involved. They didn't hire Clara-247 to kill us, just to keep us away from the Drift Rock. Plausible deniability was the name of their game. And now that the Society's been studying the Rock, they can't profit from it like they'd planned. If they wanted to mess with us more, they'd send a battalion of lawyers to sue us into bankruptcy. Have we been sued? No. But they're not the only ones with designs on the Rock. Ambassador Nor was mediating between Astra Extractions and the Hardscrabble Collective to get access to the Drift Rock for his own agenda, and getting us involved in that agenda DID make us some enemies. Enemies who HAVE attacked us. Enemies who WOULD kidnap someone vital to our...study, expedition, investigation, whatever."
He gives Isu an expectant look, clearly waiting for him to fill in the blanks.
Spectre's touch on the computer awakens it from sleep mode, revealing it to be secured, requiring Dr. Solstarni's credentials to access. Realizing this, Spectre tries a couple of the most basic ways to force access , but finds the login screen to be unyielding. An unobtrusive window opens in the bottom left, warning that the computer will be locked out for a period of time if too many attempts are made to force access.
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As with all things dealing with Spectre's defense, Ted ignores Arc's retort.
But he does answer Arc's question, "Arc, the Starfinders offered me the chance to travel the galaxy. Maybe I can get more out of this little relic," he flicks his top in to the air, letting it flit around the room. "My crew was destroyed by it. Maybe this crew will be too. But there's a destiny that little toy holds." Ted realizes he's been rambling. With a squinching of the eye brows, he takes the keyboard from Spectre angrily.
"Let a non-boxed mind take a crack this, Spec."
Ted takes over from Spectre, deftly hacking his way past the computer terminal's protections. The two of them spend a few minutes looking through the computer's most recent activity for any clues. Like Solaria before them, they find several interesting pieces of information.
First, Dr. Solstarni's calendar shows that she's scheduled for a research sabbatical in approximately 2 months, approved by her department head Muhali and the authorities in Turhalu Point on the east coast of Ukulam. Interestingly though, you also find a recent mail (apparently from 2 days ago) from Professor Muhali granting Dr. Solstarni leave to depart 2 months early to take advantage of special conditions in the field.
You also locate a long mail exchange between Dr. Solstarni and an individual named Dr. Eyrub Paqual. It appears that Paqual initially contacted Solstarni asking for advice on research he was doing in the field of astronomical technology of non-spacefaring alien cultures. But as you read the messages, you see that Paqual began asking and even insisting that Solstarni collaborate with him directly.
You see that the message Solstarni printed out regarding the Five Arches Cafe is the second to last mail in the chain. The final mail is Solstarni's response, a refusal to meet with Pacqual, citing a schedule conflict.
Finally, the computers duo locates a small selection of image files labelled "Zan_text_annotated". Inspecting them, they appear to be scanned-in pages of an old physical book, annotated by Dr. Solstarni with analysis and commentary. This appears to be a portion of Solstarni's research into Halkueem Zan's notes from one of his Ukulam expeditions! While incomplete, it contains enough information that one could plot out a path to what Zan calls 'the accursed pyramid city of Loskialua'. Dr. Solstarni's annotations note that this is likely a remnant of the ancient elven Oatia culture.
Unfortunately, there's not quite enough context in these notes alone to see how they relate to the Drift Rock symbols.
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Spectre examines Ted's techniques as he hacks into the computer.
"That was, of course, what I was going to attempt next," says a peeved Spectre as Ted commandeers the computer.
After watching for a few minutes, he adds "I find your skills adequate, though not as advanced as mine. Perhaps in the future we could get past the trading of petty insults and earn some credits. I've got the brains, you've got the looks. Let's make lots of money."
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Isu's attention drifts away from Arc as he considers what the party is finding.
"From this information, it seems that Arcalinte's father was attempting to lure Dr. Sostarni to the Five Arches Cafe under the guise of person by the name of Pacqual. Perhaps we need to visit this Cafe and conduct some... weapon diplomacy."
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Isu's attention drifts away from Arc as he considers what the party is finding.
"From this information, it seems that Arcalinte's father was attempting to lure Dr. Sostarni to the Five Arches Cafe under the guise of person by the name of Pacqual. Perhaps we need to visit this Cafe and conduct some... weapon diplomacy."
"Isu! Please stop making up conspiracy theories to implicate my father in this!" Arcalinte snaps. He folds his arms.
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"