You've been called to the Lorespire Complex on Absalom Station, center of the Starfinder Society, to meet with Venture-Captain Arvin. Rumor has it there's something going on about a Rogue Agent...
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Lynn comes in soon after Naboh, striding into the room while tapping away at her datapad. She looks up at the meeting room, and upon spotting Naboh, she gives the ysoki a warm smile and a cheery wave. She takes a seat and taps away furiously for another couple of minutes. Eventually, she sighs and places the datapad back in her pocket with overacted grumpiness before coming over to crouch next to Naboh.
Lynn has the appearance of a young human girl of about 15 or 16 years of age, with pale skin and finely defined features. She has a skinny build with long and delicate limbs, and her bright green eyes shine with youthful energy. Her long turquoise hair is currently tied up in a pair of elaborate braids, the ends of which hang like tassels behind her. Her outfit looks completely impractical, a short maroon dress covered in both real and holographic ribbons in shades of red and orange.
She stares for a moment at the ysoki with wide and curious eyes before extending a hand and saying "Hi there! It looks like we'll be working together today. I'm Lynn! I'm a bit of a newbie here still, so I hope you can support me." She breaks into a grin "Oh and I wouldn't worry so much about the combing, you look great!"
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ptui! The comb goes back into the ysoki's mouth adroitly.
I don't worry about it all, my fine young lady. Naboh Berrnshaw, Intrepid Pilot, at your service.
He bows in an exaggerated fashion, as if meeting an old-time queen.
But then again, with your kind, you may not be so young after all, eh?
He spits a medium sized vegetable out of his mouth, then pops it back in and starts chewing.
As the grizzled veteran of a hundred minus ten squared campaigns, you shall have my unadulterated support. Never hurts to have a friend watching your back, right?
He finishes eating the vegetable, stalk and all, and reaches for Lynn's hand. If allowed, he takes it gently and kisses her knuckles gallantly.
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In strides a tall, four-armed kasatha, a small orb of utter blackness and a clear spindle aeon stone orbiting his elongated head like moons. He wears a mask that covers his entire face, instead of just his mouth like most others of his race.
"Greetings, fellow Starfinders. It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Chirrk Do'Tak, and if you don't recognize the graviton orb, I am a solarian." He reaches a hand out to each of you simultaneously in greetings. "I am recently fully attaining the title "Starfinder," so am looking forward to getting back out into the vastness of space."
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Jakt'chit beams at the others as he enters, crossing his forearms across his abdomen in a Shirren hello.
"Hello hello hello, sentients! he beams telepathically. "Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Jakt'chit, a newly made Starfinder!" He looks down at the glowing holographic Starfinder symbol emblazoned on his chest. "I simply cannot wait to be the best of friends and closest of companions. Let's start now! Chirrk, please feel free to regale us with your full name. I know Kasath take great pride in such things, and would not want to deprive you of the opportunity!"
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Lynn giggles at Naboh's over-dramatic gallantry and responds with "Zero campaigns? You look like you've been through a lot though. Very relaxed too! I was all nervous for my first briefing." She lets the ysoki take her hand "Well, we can watch each other's back then. On my last mission a nice kasatha said I was a 'formidable warrior', we'll see if that's true." She grins, winks, and flexes an arm to show off her non-existent muscle.
At the sound of the door opening she spins around to face the two newcomers, sending sunny smiles their way along with a "Hi Hi! Are you here to join Naboh and me for the mission?"
After Chirrk introduces himself she steps close and clasps his extended hand in both of hers "Oooh, a graviton orb. First time I've seen one! It's very pretty. I met another kasatha that covered his whole face on my last mission. Are you related to a Markar?"
Turning to Jakt'chit she responds "Jak-chip, jaques-chick, ermmmmm..." She rubs a finger against her forehead in consternation "Can I call you Jak-ie? It'd be much easier for my puny sentient mouth." She tries to imitate the rough speech of the Vesk for that last bit, but quickly breaks into laughter. Its a moment or two before she manages to pull herself together and peer up at Jakt-chit's faceted eyes "I think we could be friends, though I don't know much about you yet!"
"Oh, I forgot. I'm Lynn! Nice to meet you two!"
The doors to the office slide open with a soft pneumatic hiss.
Inside is a well-lit and blue-carpeted office. Venture-Captain Arvin, a handsome and determined-looking damaya lashunta, sits behind a desk, his eyes riveted on a glassy display. After a heartbeat, he glances towards the open door and motions everyone to enter.
Apologies, please come in. Be seated if you like, although this shouldn’t take long. Arvin taps a button on a console and murmurs to a digital assistant, Croyd, put everything on hold for a few minutes. If anyone calls, please explain I’m in mission briefing and I’ll get right back to them. He then darkens the display to give his full attention.
Right. I have an assignment for you. This one is a little a different than others you might have received. He pauses before he explains, It’s an internal matter.
You’re probably aware that after the Scoured Stars incident many of our colleagues elected to leave the Society. That is unfortunate, but not surprising. We hate to lose good field agents, but no one is conscripted into our ranks. Normally we wish them well and that’s that. In this case, the defector, former field agent Reynald Talbot, stole an artifact from the Lorespire Complex before departing. Theft is where the Society draws the line; I need you to get that artifact back.
Unfortunately, Talbot left weeks ago and we only discovered the theft in the last 24 hours. We launched an immediate investigation to determine the identity of the thief and their last known whereabouts. It’s our bad luck that Talbot was smart enough to get off the station and head to Akiton, where there’s no central government or law enforcement to easily call upon. I need you to track him down and recover the artifact. We know Talbot caught a shuttle to the Akitonian city of Maro, so that’s a great place to start. The Society will, of course, cover your travel expenses.
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Jakt'chit's antennae shook with the pleasure of the decision before him. Sit or stand? Sit or stand? "I will stand" he projected telepathically before the Venture-Captain began his speech. The glow of his own free will lingers as he listens to the story.
Jakt'chit cannot imagine who would leave the Starfinders, let alone steal from them. "What was stolen?" he asks. "And do you know any more about this....scoundrel?"
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A "Crash!" and a "Bang" Is heard from outside.
Sparks and Sprockets Boytoy, getup, we're already late!
The commotion is ended as a pair walks in through the doors. One is clearly an android, the lines of her circuitry covering almost half her face and disappearing down below her t-shirt and the overalls. The neon pink pixie cut and bring pink irises speak to a whimsical attitude, even if the grease stains on the overalls speak to being handy with a wrench. The other is even more mechanical in appearance, standing about the height of a man, but with a holovid screen for a face and a body covered in armor plating.
Yo! Sorry all, Boytoy here lost his footing while we're running in. I'll have to work on his balance servos. Name's Gear 2.0, though just Gear is fine, and this bucket o' bolts is my partner, Boytoy.
Boytoy's holovid face shows....
:( [moody] Pleased to Meet your acquaintance [/moody][whining]Gear honey, why must you call me that in front of others?[/whining]:'(
Gear groans.
Hells of Golarion, I set his emote core to high again... I'm gonna get this right eventually.
She taps the air with her fingers as if pressing buttons on a screen only she can see. Boytoy figits for a moment.
:X xxx[Recalibrating]xxx [Southern Accent]Howdy all! Name's Boytoy, I'm the young miss's personal battle drone.[Paranoid]Don't you go makin eyes at my girl now.[/paranoid][/Southern Accent]>:(
Gear shrugs.
Close enough for now.
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How would one go about crafting eyeballs at someone? These androids are getting weirder and weirder.
Naboh adjusts something in his head mentally, and his eyes gain a circuitboard pattern briefly.
Analysis: combat drone visual-spectrum electromagnetic detectors found: 2, center-top of facial area.
Huh. Maybe he spits them out of his mouth?
Ah, Akiton, my old homeworld. Hey, uhhh...if anybody asks about a "Bah-roose Waene" or a "Toi-nee Staarc" that looks a lot like me, make you you tell 'em you didn't see them. My name's "Naboh". Always has been. I don't owe money to anybody there, and I've never met Zurg the Merciless. Remember that.
At least as far as you all know...
Arvin smiles at Jakt'chit's questions. Glad at least one of you has an inquiring mind.
Talbot's smart, capable, a bit brash, and a reasonable field agent. He's also self-entitled and ambitious. After the Scoured Stars incident, he expected to be promoted to venture-captain, but the Forum felt he needed more time. He got angry. We think this theft is retaliation.
Now as to what he stole... It's a good question, but the answer is complicated because it’s actually two questions: What the artifact is, and what Talbot thinks it is.
We’re operating under the assumption that Talbot thinks he’s stolen an object from old Golarion called a philosopher’s stone. Legend has it that the stone could transmute matter, among other properties. What Talbot actually stole was recently re-cataloged as a charlatan’s stone. It does something similar, except the effect is a potent illusion and only temporary.
We think ancient con artists used to make false gold.
Less geographically speaking, Akiton suffered an economic crash when the revelation of Drift technology rendered the numerous pre-Drift fuels mined on Akiton virtually worthless.
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Lynn hides a laugh at the comic duo of the android and her drone. With a beckoning wave, she pats the seat next to her so that Gear can sit down and listen to the briefing. As the Venture Captain begins his explanation, she whispers "Nice to meet you, Gear, Boytoy. He's a funny little guy, you must've worked hard to make him! I'm Lynn." She extends a hand (though apparently not the one that's still occupied by Naboh).
After listening in to Arvin's explanation, Lynn asks "So Talbot stole a philosopher's stone, or at least what he thinks is one, and we're to go get it back? What about Talbot? I bet the higher ups are zetta mad at him. Do we need to bring him back too?"
"Do you have a file on him? What he looks like, any quirks, things like that?" She pulls her datapad back out. "Stream it this way if you do, we'll need a pic of his angry mug."
"Oh, and what does the stone look like? And when you say temporary, how temporary?" She starts tapping some notes into her datapad, wriggling her hand free from Naboh to get maximum typing speed.
Arvin is happy to stream over an image of Talbot along with his file (though it doesn't have much more useful information than he'd already disclosed), I want the stone back. Talbot’s not worth the expense of dragging back here, so you can do whatever you think is necessary with him. That said, you don’t have a license to go on a mass killing spree. Don’t make the Society look bad. It might be tough to do on Akiton, but don’t take that as a challenge.
The stone is about the size of a Vesk's fist, dark grey, but with yellow veins running through it. As for how temporary the Stone's effects are... he quickly consults a datapad, There is some variability depending on what materials are involved. Nothing longer than a month though.
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Look, I know this place -- the gravity is weak so you can jump higher, but the atmosphere is thin, so you'll need to take it easy. And since the economic crash, loyalty is hard to come by. As outsiders we'll be watched closely -- but so will Talbot. Likely someone will have noticed him.
Naboh goes on at length about his former homeworld.
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Jakt'chit shivers in excitement. So many new friends and such an interesting case! "Greetings, Gear! Your companion is quite interesting. Are you sure it is functioning properly?" He looks at it worriedly, hoping he might be able to help.
"I'm afraid I do not know much of Akiton. Perhaps he intends to find a buyer for the stone there? Or to use it and sell the substances... Jakt'chit nervously chitters to himself. "And he's been gone a few weeks? Not good, not good, not good. My friends! We should leave immediately!"
Well said. Any further questions? If not, you've got a shuttle to catch.
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Chirrk uses the opening door and the Venture-Captain's intro as cover to ignore Jakt'chit's earlier inquiry, hoping it will be forgotten in the excitement...
"I have never been to Akiton! It sounds like an interesting place to visit. And if the economy is as bad Naboh says, then perhaps credits will speak louder than a club upside a head. I imagine Talbot has made many friends with his fake gold. Maybe someone has already discovered the temporary nature of the effects and will be willing to root him out!" the kasatha muses.
"So in summary: Retrieve the stone. Protect the Society's image. The rest is fungible. I have no additional questions."
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A lean copper blue colored android enters the room. His focus is intently on a datapad that he often makes notes with a stylus as he nods. Professor Nemzo looks up as he realizes he and his on board companion are not alone. "Oh, hello all! Sorry for my tardiness but I was engrossed in this fascinating article on the dawn of machine intelligence. I understand we have an errand to run, yes?"
Outside the observation windows floats Akiton, a world the color of blood, rust, and red clay. A thick shell of white caps both poles. The shuttle descends toward the planet, and a barely perceptible shift in gravity occurs as the ship’s artificial gravity begins to lessen and the planet’s natural gravity begins to take hold.
From suborbital heights, a handful of small towns, large complexes, and industrial sites that spew noxious fumes into the thin atmosphere surround the trench city of Maro. A spidery web of dirt roads scratched into the rust-colored ground by regular traffic connects these sites to the metropolis.
Maro, the so-called City of Lights itself, comes into view as the ship begins its final descent. The city occupies more of a vertical space than horizontal, built into a six-mile-long section of trench that is half as deep and a half mile wide. Entire neighborhoods and business districts are built into the walls, accessed by patio entrances. Lights, neon signs, and holographic advertising bejewel either side of this urban canyon, while an active spaceport and industrial zones occupy the ground level. As the shuttle lands, it does so beneath the backdrop of an immense mural of brightly glowing neon-green graffiti that reads in Common: “Git Out! Planet’s Broke!”
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Lynn finishes taking notes and springs to her feet to stand next to Chirrk. She raises a hand and counts down with her fingers as Chirrk recounts their goals "Alright, lets do it!" She presses her last finger to her cheek "Oh, before we go... If you don't mind..." She hops over to Arvin's desk, spins around and leans against the table. Whipping the datapad into position, she quickly poses next to the Venture Captain and takes a photo.
"Thanks!" With a wave to the VC, she scurries out of the meeting room and almost into NM-0/Nemzo.
"Oh hi there! Are you the last one for Arvin's mission? Briefing just finished." She hooks an arm around his "Come on, shuttle's waiting. I'll fill you in on the way there! I'm Lynn by the way." Her rapid-fire explanation comes along with a grin for the slightly dazed looking android. "Stick to me and you won't be late next time!"
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During the flight over, Lynn gears up with armor under a somewhat more practical outfit of iridescent maroon overalls, decked out with ribbons in the colors of Akiton's deserts. As the shuttle descends, her face is up against the windows to take in the sights of Maro.
She lets out a low hum as she takes it all in. "Cool place! Doesn't look too welcoming though? Maybe we can ask around for any stories of suddenly wealthy offworlders?"
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Gear whistles.
Hospitable huh Boytoy?
The droid's vidscreen face shows a clip art of a worried man.
[Fretting]I don't know Gear, there could be all sorts of dangers here! A lady like you should stay at home where it's safe![/fretting] (,,꒪꒫꒪,,)
Gear grumbles a few times as she taps at something, and the Droid's face changes to a clip art of caped crusader.
[chivalrously!]FEAR NOT LADY GEAR! YOU MAY WALK THESE STREETS IN COMFORT FOR I AM HEREง
Gear grumbles under her breath. I swear I'm gonna break you down for parts....
With a sigh she turns to Lynn.
Unfortunately, my specialty is computers and bots, and I don't think this place has the best immigration records. Might be best to canvas first, see what we can find.
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Jakt'chit nervously rubs his three fingered hands together as he steps off the shuttle and surveys the harsh world around him. It is not at all to his liking.
"Oh my, oh my, oh my. Not a friendly looking place, not friendly at all. . He turns his attention to Lynn. "Excellent idea, dear Lynn. I'm afraid I may not be as helpful in that regard. People often say they find me...offputting." He lowers his head sadly before he continues on.
"But it is no matter. I will do some searches on the local infosphere while we walk!" he smiles and pulls out a datapad and contentedly types away. He focuses his attention for any reports, articles, or stories about a Philosophers Stone.
Naboh's local contacts point out a strange anomaly. AbadarCorp, the largest corporation in the Pact Worlds, recently purchased a large amount of Drift engine fuel from the nearby town of Tasch. While the discovery of Drift engine fuel on Akiton is impressive, the fact that the AbadarCorp fleet that purchased the fuel is 2 days overdue for departure suggests something is likely amiss with the delivery.
Helped by knowledge of when he arrived, and even the name of his shuttle, you're able to track down rumors of an outsider Talbot who departed to small mining town called Tasch a few miles outside of Maro.
The Society has provided you with a per diem for your travel expenses, so a few minutes negotiation can see you on your way out to Tasch in an elongated dune buggy.
After a couple of hours across the red dunes you come into sight of the outskirts of Tasch.
A long dusty road, lined with single-story dwellings, runs through the town of Tasch. Some powered vehicles rest chained to their owner’s homes. A small general store stands near the center of town, illuminated by flickering white lights. Another building, full of locals, hosts a signpost that reads “Digger’s Dive”—clearly the town bar. Although the sun beats down on this desert town, its citizens meander around the bar in good cheer. Most are ysoki and humans, with the occasional lumbering four- armed shobhad mingling among them.
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Back in Maro, Chirrk joins Nabo in heading off alone for a short while, but he goes in a different direction after a few moments. He quickly finds a member of a less-than-reputable organization, makes a few inquiries about who would be interested in trading large amounts of gold or other valuable metals, if any were traded recently, and if there were any disputes about them. Before long, he returns to the group.
As they arrive in Tasch, he actually almost sighs. "Ahh, I do miss the beautiful emptiness of a desert - the comforting sight of rolling dunes and unending sands. Maybe we will have an opportunity to wander outside of the town?"
However, Chirrk agrees with Naboh and follows him into the bar to continue looking for clues about Talbot.
Faint electric lights dangle from the ceiling, while the open sky is visible from cracks between the planks that serve as a roof. The floor is solid wood. The interior walls and ceiling supports are mud brick, the latter being carved in a rare attempt at ornamentation. The tavern is divided in two halves by an energy field with an opening on the northern end. The bar lining the southern wall is open to either side, with a wall of half-empty bottles behind it. The tables are wooden and makeshift, but solid. The east end has square wooden platform about a foot above the floor. Two sets of double doors are built into the northern and southern walls on the west end, both ajar. A single closed door provides an exit behind the west end of the bar.
Naboh, your eyes are drawn to the only Shirren you've seen in town, sitting in the corner with the only two Vesk you've seen, clearly bodyguards.
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Gear and Boytoy walk up to the bar.
[Chivalrous!]The lady will have a Dazabar whiskey, neatノ
Gear smiles widely.
Baby you remembered! So sweet of you. Somebody is looking for a full lubrication bath when we get home.
Boytoy's Vidface shifts from green to red.
[Bashful]DEAR! Not in public![/bashful]（´・｀ ）
Nemzo can't help but think it would be no fun if one of the shobhad got their hands on him, but, for Akiton, people seem to be lightly armed, even the Vesk don't seem to have any firearms.
Naboh's not able to figure out why the Shirren or his bodyguards are here, but he's quite certain they noticed when the Agents came in. They're not staring or anything, but.... still very aware.
The ysoki behind the bar tells Boytoy that the whiskey will be a credit, but before the drone can pay her, the shobhad at the bar raises a dinner plate sized hand to stop Boytoy. Your money's no good here.
Her huge face splits into a wide grin, This one's on me. Gotta pay it forward, right? Thanks to Talbot, we're none of us counting creds
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Lynn follows along after the rest of the party, but avoids making any more of a scene than the others have already managed. Instead, she quietly makes her way up to the bar and taps Naboh on the shoulder.
She whispers "No sign of Talbot. I'll ease things up a bit, help people open up to you. Just leave it to me!" She giggles and winks at the ysoki. "Good luck!"
Lynn takes a quick look around to spot someone who looks to either be a proprietor or in charge of things . Once she spots them, she strides right on over.
"Hi there ma'am. I'm a travelling performer, and I'd love to sing a bit for your wonderful bar here. No-no, you don't need to pay me either! Just looking to get my name out there. Noticed you have a bit of a stage over there." She gives the proprietor/bartender an impish smile while pointing over at the raised platform. "The name is Lynn, by the way."
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"Thanks to Talbot"...?
Naboh interrupts the non-transaction between bartender and Boytoy.
Did you say "Talbot"?
He looks around the bar as if expecting to see Talbot.
So he is here! He told me he had a "special project" for me, but the damn fool didn't mention where on Akiton he'd be. Can you believe it?
I'm Podswald, the ysoki bartender replies, and if you want to provide free entertainment, who am I to say no! Go ahead and get set up on the stage; anything you need for your act? Nothing too crazy of course.
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"Nice to meet you Podswald. If you've got an amp to spare, I could use it. No worries if you don't." She gives the ysoki a thumbs up and heads over towards the stage. As she does so she taps at her datapad, searching for something.
With a satisfied smile she sets her datapad on the stage and rummages in her pack to bring out some of her other gear. From a large pouch she pulls out a microphone, mini-amp, and collapsible stand . It takes her less than a minute to assemble everything together. As she works she listens to the clientele to try to work out the accent of the locals around here.
She steps up the the stage, grabs the mic and murmurs "G'day folks. Thanks to the lovely Podswald I have a chance to bring to ya'll a few songs I've written over the years. I hope you enjoy." She casts a coy smile at anyone whose attention she's managed to grab. As backing music begins to flow from the mini-amp, Lynn ♪♫starts to sing♫♪.
The crowd is entirely charmed by Lynn's performance, and once finished the young idol quickly faces a barrage of questions about where to find her music!
Naboh's inquiries are met with a refreshing lack of suspicion, and he is easily able to get directions to the old thasteron mine that Talbot has rejuvenated.
I know, I know - no one wants thasteron any more, but Talbot's got this amazing method of transmuting it into the Drift stuff, explains a bright red human, nearly in tears, I never thought I'd see the day, but Talbot's saved the whole damn town.
While Naboh, Gear and Boytoy are at the bar, and Lynn is receiving her proper adoration, one of the Vesk approaches Nemzo, Chirrk, and Jakt'chit. She points her head at the Shirren in the corner and rumbles, Mr. Philt would like a word. He wants to make sure that certain "proprieties" are maintained about poaching. Bring the rest of your team.
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"Oh dear," Jakt'chit projects to his companions. "I don't have a good feeling about this."
He turns his head to the Vesk. "Certainly, I will grab them!"
He chitters nervously to himself and walks close enough to the others at the bar to speak telepathically with them. "The Vesk says the Shirren, Mr. Philt, would like us a word with us. We should see what this is about. Mr. Philt," he adds. "Ridiculous name, I mean really."
When the others are ready, Jakt'chit leads them towards the Shirren's table. He gives a customary Shirren greeting and projects telepathically. "Hello, Mr. Philt. I am Jakt'chit. How may we help you?"
Well, that all depends on why you've been looking for Reynald Talbot. I am a customer relations representative with AbadarCorp, and my associates and I require a lengthy non-negotiable conversation with Mr. Talbot. A little worm told me that there was another team on his trail back in Maro, but low and behold, here you are. I'm certain we can come to some kind of understanding, but first, I must know: what is your interest in Mr. Talbot?
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Jakt'chit prayed that representatives of AbadarCorp would be natural allies here. As the largest corporation in the Pact Worlds the corporation must be on good terms with the Starfinders. He hoped, anyway.
He looks to his companions for help but as the current focus of the conversation he feels like he has to continue it.
"Perhaps we may be able to help each other. Friends, yes?" he projects. Jakt'chit pulls out a datapad and lays it on the table, trying to keep it out of the view of most of the room. The datapad projects the symbol of the Starfinder Society for a few moments before blinking off.
"Mr. Reynald stole something from our organization. We have been sent to retrieve it. But, we have no orders about the man himself. So we work together. We get our item back, you get him for your negotiations, everyone wins yes?"
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Lynn continues her performance, her singing serving as a backdrop to the conversation with Mr. Philt. When Jakt'chit mentally prods her, she gives a quick mental 'Not now!' and doesn't even pause her singing.
Nevertheless, she allows one ear to pick up the essentials of the AbadarCorp representative's demands.
Mr. Philt looks intrigued by Jakt'chit's offer, but still proceeds warily, You would turn him over to us? I had heard that he was a Starfinder; you wouldn't be planning some sort of completely understandable accident that lets him conveniently escape? Perhaps out of misguided "professional courtesy?"