Kris does a quick scan of the other storage bays, but they turn up naught.
Hefting your loot, your group join the swell of clubbers exiting, with Ed's continued fanning of the proverbial flames, adding urgency to the exit of all.
Once outside a quick scan fails to register any of the surviving Downside Kings members or club staff.
As smoke wafts from the interior of the place, patrons linger to rubberneck at impending flames or shuffle off back to whence they came - many hailing the increasing amount of robo-taxis arriving on the scene.
In the distance claxons and flashing light arrays heralding emergency services can be heard and seen.
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Taxi. Ed mentally groans.
"Good idea, we need to make ourselves scarce right now." Kris says heading towards a waiting robo-taxi, once they are all inside she lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding as the aches and pains of the fight begin to make themselves known.
As you collectively enter the cab, a faint air of recognition washes over you all as you clock the faded logo: Robo-Taksio - We Get U There
Inside a snack dispenser sits empty as the tinny voice kicks in;
"WELCOME ABOARD ROBO-TAKSIO. NOT A NICE NIGHT FOR A WALK RIGHT? WHERE DO YOU WISH ME TO CONVEY YOUR PARTY TO? PLEASE STATE CLEARLY IN COMMON...DANKON."
Ed's antennae droop in disappointment at the lack of snacks, but he's too tired and burned to raise a fuss. He digs out the fare while he waits for someone to give directions.
Kris leans forward and enters the neighborhood where Duravor had a house, no sense leading the authorities back to Starfinder chapter house, they'd head there soon enough.
Taking time to rest while the ride ensued, Kris searched the web to see what trouble they had caused tonight.
Retsiji sits quietly and rests, an expression of unmistakable satisfaction on his face.
Noah 2.0 watches the surroundings pass by looking for any signs of trouble but also looking for some response to their actions by officers of the law. I suspect the law is very slow to respond to trouble in the part of town where the club was. It also occurs that the other gang might be quite appreciative of our actions tonight.
As your robotic vehicle glides along to your destination , you all rest and lick your wounds...
Kris' data-investigations yield some interesting results - surface chatter seems to indicate a level of surprise and confusion that the Kings were hit (and hit hard) tonight.
Numerous theories circulate on the nature of the wet-works team involved... here's but a few:
@Hush-Man222ᐒ Level 21 Crew hired some off-station muscle to settle blood debt.
@i-Spy-Drone-iᐒ New gang on the scene made a BIG statement - led by crazy arsonist Shirren
@The Voice of Reasonᐒ Insurance job by Kings that went south.
@DeadCorpsᐒ Kings got involved with big Corp credits, learned too much and paid the price.
Most interestingly many gangers and crim-threads seem to think its a turf-war and effect is battening down until they know more. Gangers pulling resources and holding off on jobs until its clear this isn't a new faction making power plays or settling scores...
The vesk grunts at the report and speculation. "Good. Things should be quiet when we go after the ones who ordered Kreel's death."
Perhaps the society should be updated quickly so they can add their spin to what wend down.Noah 2.0 suggests.
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Arsonist? I was the one on fire! Ed sighs as he looks down at his sooty clothes. He shakes his head and then lays back in the seat checking his fanny pack for any remaining snacks.
"I wasn't going to return straight there, but perhaps Noah has the right of it. We should allow them to spin their own side to this if they choose. If there are no objections..."
Kris will give the updated address to the robo-taxi driver, unless there are objections
As the ride continues, Kris begins to look at the next side of things. The big corp that was behind the killing and what they were trying to accomplish. "Astral Extractions and The Acreon, how will we best move forward there, they want the ship and if we can block them from it in the long term they will have lost."
"Can you make sure we are not followed?"
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Mulling over the rumors and chatter Paeon chimes in,
{I'm not convinced that we should tell the Starfinder's this was us, even though they may suspect. We did agree to work for them did we not? Can't be good publicity if people connect the dots. Also, can we even be sure the Starfinder's weren't responsible for Kreel's death.... if it was big corp, perhaps it could have been them all along. We also got no information from the Kings boss before Noah assaulted her.. Is it somehow possible to find out who is fortifying themselves the most here? If some corp connects Kreel to the Kings and thinks they are next might be safe to assume that they could be worried...}
Paeon's thoughts trail off... he reminds himself that he intentionally left a life of violence and now has seem to found himself directly back into one. An audible sigh is heard as his stellar mote releases an extended stream of light.
"Why do you think the Starfinders were behind Kreel's death?"
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"You didn't learn anything? I thought that was why we went in there in the first place, to get information." With the hasty exit from the club this was the first Kris knew that they hadn't learned anything from the King's boss.
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Paeon shrugs,
{Not sure, just wandering thoughts as to what's going on here. Only thing we really found out is that Kreel was messing with Big Corps and they silenced him. Might be more information to be found if we take up Old Jeb's offer and head to the Dust Runner.. Captain Otal Serissi was his contact for us there.}
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Ed chews a scavenged candy slowly. You didn't find out anything? he repeats and shakes his head. Maybe we should see the other gang. They were working with the Collective even if Duravor really didn't like it. They might know something more about the The Acreon. We did just attack the Kings and... how does it go? the enemy of my enemy is my frenemy?
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the enemy of my enemy is my frenemy?
"At least until we turn our backs to them" Kris says with a hard smile to Ed's comment, "Not sure if we can get a meet with L21 crew this soon but I'll check. Are we or are we not going to check in with the Chiskisk. Either way Paeon has a point with Ole Jeb's offer, it gets us one of the places we wanted to go."
Turning back to her data pad for the moment Kris sends out an encoded burst to Shifter.
@Siren-7ᐒSeeking invite with L21 if not too late for dinner. Stock rising with sovereign tumble into broken gate.
Paeon spends some times recalling the events at the club,
{Here's what we learned before things escalated to violence. The L21 is employed by the Hardscrabble in which Kreel was deeply involved. The Kings got funded by Astral Extractions to eliminate Kreel and send a message to both the Starfinders and the Hardscrabble. If we're goin into see the L21 we gotta keep in mind they might be trying to play us. Same goes for the Hardscrabble... Might be smart to investigate Astral Extractions a bit too?}
As you continue to mull decisions and destinations, the taxi slows to a hover;
"ROBO-TAXIO DESIGNATION 1001_A78 CONFIRMING DESTINATION DETAILS... VARIOUS DESTINATIONS HAVE BEEN NAMED. PLEASE CLARIFY FINAL DESTINATION. THANK YOU."
As the tinny voice requests a clarification, Kris fires up her data pad and reaches out to her fixer contact...
It doesn't take him long to tap back:
@Shifterᐒ Wondered if that was you and your crew Siren-7! BOOM! Regicidal maniacs !) Will try and book you a table... Might have to settle for breakfast. B in touch.
Koro listens to all of the speculation, then produces Ferani's datapad, offering it to Kris, "Hopefully Ferani kept lots of notes....
"Safehouse. Take time to read the pad, think about it, then act."
The robo-taxi acknowledges the decisiveness in the Vesk's voice;
"ROGER. ROGER."
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When the vehicle stops at the safehouse, Ed stretches and agrees, Rest, food, then more gangs. You have food here?
Find anything, Koro?
Noah 2.0 is fine taking a little time to think things our but iterates Look, we joined up with the Starfinder Society. I am throwing in with them and plan to trust them with what happened with the Kings unless you can come up with a compelling reason not to. And I second trying to go and see these level 21 folks. We know there were fighting with the Kings with Kreel bought it. I think they will be pleased the Kings are down, if not out.
Kris pays some attention to what the others are discussing but her main focus is on the data pad that Koro gave her. Perhaps it would reveal what discussion had not back at the club.
"We'll get there, after we have more intel."
Inside the safehouse you all settle in to relax, heal and pick over the takings from the The Downside King's cache.
Kris works feverishly at Ferani's data_pad, attempting to find harder evidence that implicates Astral Extractions.
Her efforts prove worthwhile as she recovers a number of comms detailing the Kings illegal activities, but more pointedly This Data Transmission
The company that the fixer belongs to is Stellar Resources a specialist recruitment company supplying skilled individuals across a spectrum of roles throughout the Pact Worlds.
They have an office in the Ring sector of the station.
You recall once hearing an investigation into Stellar Resources suggesting they were a subsidiary company of Astral Extractions
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Good work Kris. I knew there was a connection there. Say, I recall that the company that the fixer belongs to is Stellar Resources a specialist recruitment company supplying skilled individuals across a spectrum of roles throughout the Pact Worlds and at least one investigation into Stellar Resources suggested it was a subsidiary of Astral Extractions.
"Thanks Noah, what's next?"
Kris ignores the drugs, having typically avoided the recreational ones in her line of work.
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Ed quickly loses interest in the datapad as he looks over the loot. Pharasma is my drug, he beams to the others. Accept no substitutes. Oooh! An Arc pistol. I could use that next time someone tries to laser me. He sighs as he looks over his scorched secondskin. I'll probably need to replace this. Here, sell my old pulsecaster. It's never been used.
Ed checks the fridge before wandering off to a quiet corner explaining that he needs some 'me' time.
"Perhaps if you'd used that pulsecaster you might not be quite so scorched there Ed." Kris says with a playful smile at the shirren to lessen the barb. before diving back into the data pad, performing searches on Astral Extractions and Stellar Resources and any connections between the two.
The vesk occupies his time making sure the new weapon is in reasonable shape, checking the sights on it, cleaning his armor, and generally letting the folks who are better with computers take the lead for a while.
You thorough searches yield suprisingly little on any connections between the mining conglomerate and the recruitment brokerer.
Buried in more archived feeds you do find the data_drop that Noah was perhaps recalling. An investigative piece that inferred links between AE and dozens of shell companies and more pointedly their use of sub-contractors (such as Stellar Resources) to supply personnel for industrial espionage, illegal sequestration of proprietary and other black ops.
While nothing was ever proven, AE stocks suffered a minor slump until the accusations were refuted and faith from the financial sectors restored.
Notably the freelance journalist - one Tallish Gil'K, was involved in a fatal Grav-train accident a year after publishing her article.
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Kris peruses the available information what little there is...tapping a marker absently against her cheek as she reads.
"Duravor is likely not the first one AE has had removed as a thorn in there side. Seems there was a journalist who came to a sudden end after one of her pieces cast AE in a bad light. Nothing ever proven in a court of law but stock prices took a hit, so the execs took a hit. If only a temporary one. Reading the piece this work with the Acrean seems remarkably similar. Need to appropriate the Acrean before AE can get there claws into it."
moving over to sit next to the large vesk, Kris almost appears childlike as she begins to strip down her pistol and clean it; until one noticed the practiced ease and familiarity she showed with the weapons.
"If we go forward, we paint a large bullseye on our backs. I've had one ever since I left Verces, so I'll go willingly but just know what we plan to do will be kicking the proverbial hornets nest."
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Retsiji snaps the battery back into place with a click. "Hatchbuster kept this in good shape." He absently cleans up where he was working, dragging a waste can over and leaving it for the android when she finishes.
"Hmmmmm...we go for the ship or the fixer now, AE has to figure we got the intel from the Kings. What's this Drift Rock?"
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"Have to imagine once this shakes down and AE gets a clear look at it, they'll make their play for the ship. Perhaps a visit to the chapter house and let the councilor know what's happened and then on to the Hardscrabble Collective, with their help perhaps we can gain entrance to the Acrean. Then again we can forgo the chapter-house visit but seemed like a good chance to change out some of what we've earned for something a bit more useful one might say." Deft hands replacing freshly oiled barrel, springs and slide seemingly on their own, Kris looks up to Paeon, "You been fingering the holosuit and the drugs, do you have a plan for them?"
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{Hmm.. Well Kris. I am not sure that I'm ready to become a full fledged criminal yet. Lopping off the heads of gangsters sets us in the right direction though.}
Paeon sighs and eyes the contraband. He stuffs it in a pocket.
{Although, i think the value could come in handy at some point. If not for straight credit, maybe in a trade at some point. If you've a thought, speak your mind Android.}
Bear in mind if you want to unload Earned Seizure through the Starfinder's you'll get the 20% trade value. On the open market it reverts to the core standard of 10%.
"I've no mind to use them, not my thing, but as you say they have value and how we spend it still remains to be seen. Granted should we be caught holding them by the authorities, typically the locals figure we plan to distribute. I could see if there's a trade we need that my fire d could perhaps work out.
Paeon looks to Kris and smiles warmly,
{Tap into that dark web and see where this could take us. Some spending money wont hurt any of us I wager.}
He wanders off to gain some privacy and reflect, opening his comms in private.
Paeon would like to make a call on a secure line to his contact in the AB-Sec. He is curious to see what or who the Security team is looking for around town and wondering if there may be any suspicion placed on their little crew around the surrounding assault on the Kings.
Bear in mind if you want to unload Earned Seizure through the Starfinder's you'll get the 20% trade value. On the open market it reverts to the core standard of 10%.
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Kris smiles at Paeons's comment, "We shall see"
Finishing up on the pistols, Kris takes time to search the darkweb as Paeon mentioned
The vesk shakes his head. "That's an excuse for AE to turn the law loose on us--put us away legal. Get rid of it."
Paeon hears Retsiji and turns his head,
{But There is no fault in murdering the Kings? We exacted our own justice. I don't know if the AB-Sec would see it the same way.}