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Kandoon
Jaka
Renyaale - Leaning on the bar, Lenyaale is able to shoot over Dart's shoulder and lands a hit on the ysoki closest to the door.
Dart
Centian -
0-Rion
Shobhad - The giant begins casting once again, this time against the kasatha in the doorway, Dart suffers a headache far greater than a migraine.
Ysoki #1 - Despite having a clear target, he tries to shoot at Renyaale, seeking payback, but Dart provides enough of a distraction and the shot goes wide. He then drops his Azimuth Laser Pistol and draws a Club.
Ysoki #2 - This ysoki runs behind the largest cover she can find, the shobhad, then shoots at Dart, as if following some silent command.
Kandoon
Jaka
Renyaale
Dart
Centian -
0-Rion
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As Kandoon clears a path, 0-Rion charges forwards after Dart. While the Kasatha goes after the shobad, the andorid rears back his spear to strike at the cloest, injured ysoki.
for
It did not need to come to this. he says staring directly at the shobad even as his spear pierces the ratfolk. Remember: we offered parlay.
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Centian - He fires two missiles of magical energy that strike ysoki dead.
Shobhad
Ysoki #2
Kandoon - Throws a grenade into the room, sadly, after gulping down the booze.
Jaka - Decides to bring some payback of his own, sending a burst of telepathic energy, that appears to affect the akitonian, who pushes back with some sort of feedback, or shared pain, but his will power lets the shirren stand unscathed.
Renyaale - Shoots and misses
Dart - Catches an opening when the shobhad mentally fights back Jaka, and hits her hard. The giant falls to the floor, barely clinging to consciousness .
Centian - Has line of sight for Ysoki #2, but his laser shot doesn't make it past the door.
0-Rion -
The fight has ended, victory lies with the Starfinders, once again.
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Here. 0-Rion fishes into his pack and pulls out a blue vial. Holding it back to Centian, he say You can use this if you need healing.
Turning towards the remaining ratfolk, the android lowers his spear...slightly.
As I said, we did not come here intending any harm. But that trust has been broken now. Tell us: why did you attack us? For Talbot? He is not all that he claims.
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Kandoon breathes heavily, sitting down on the floor. She spits out the grenades in her cheek pouches, leans over, and vomits on the floor. She wipes her whiskers and says, "It never gets better." She looks around the bar to see if any of the citizens are still there or looking threatening.
She sighs, scoops her grenades up and puts them back in her cheek pouches, and slowly walks towards the front door to keep a lookout.
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After stabilizing the Shobhad, Dart still fishes through her pockets. "However, the Drinkless God would still need penance."
After fishing in the shobhad's pockets, Dart pulls out a spell gem of remove condition and he notices that she is wearing assorted bangles and charms that may be worth a bit and a circlet that appears far more interesting up close.
Renyaale checks the downed ysoki for credits or energy weapon batteries, then returns to the bar to pour herself another drink. "Kandoon, keep me posted if anyone else comes to the door. I'll be ready to help you greet them."
Renyaale gathers one full battery from the ysokis Laser Pistol, but he had no credits.
As I said, we did not come here intending any harm. But that trust has been broken now. Tell us: why did you attack us? For Talbot? He is not all that he claims.
The ysoki answer "We were recruited by Maarbadvae -she points at the shobhad laying on the floor of the tavern- to come and attack anyone that could be a danger for Reynald. The wealth from the thasteron transmutation is the only way our families can survive for at least another generation.
"Reynald Talbot confided in us that there would be offworlders looking for him to take his secret of transmuting thasteron. We were waiting for outsiders to appear at Digger’s Dive, and you did.
"How can he not be all that he claims? He has already placed food in many families' tables, plenty of peoples with creds to spare, it's been a long time since there's been this much joy in town."
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Dart looks at the gem and tosses it to Centian. "I think you can use this." Looking at the circlet, "It is nice, but not my style. Not swashy enough. But some of these are pretty." He places one of the bangles on an arm, and then puts the rest in a empty sack. He holds out the bag. "Plenty of penance to go around."
After dealing the assailants. He gets up and heads over near the bar and does something akin to stretching, martial forms, and pantomime drinking for a few minutes.
When Dart finishes. "Well then, looks like Talbot knows we are here. It would only be courteous to not keep him waiting."
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The ysoki answer "We were recruited by Maarbadvae -she points at the shobhad laying on the floor of the tavern- to come and attack anyone that could be a danger for Reynald. The wealth from the thasteron transmutation is the only way our families can survive for at least another generation.
"Reynald Talbot confided in us that there would be offworlders looking for him to take his secret of transmuting thasteron. We were waiting for outsiders to appear at Digger’s Dive, and you did.
"How can he not be all that he claims? He has already placed food in many families' tables, plenty of peoples with creds to spare, it's been a long time since there's been this much joy in town."
0-Rion looks down at the ysoki His transmutation is a false hope - whatever alchemy it does is unstable, and reverts back to itself before long. Once that is discovered by Talbot's buyers, they will come for him. And their anger may be taken out on your town as well.
The android crouches to the ratfolk's level. I can understand despair in the current state of things. But you cannot let that despair overwhelm you so that you will cling and fight to the first shortcut that comes your way. Maarbadvae and your companion fought for that illusion. And now their path has ended.
There is always hope. My kind could have been one of the goods Talbots's was selling within some beings' lifetime. And yet now I am here, and free. I cannot promise you we can change this town, but once we finish here I will see what I can to have our group look at helping Tasich. Just know: no path to happiness has murder as a signpost.
Now, what is your name?
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Maarbadvae and your companion fought for that illusion. And now their path has ended.
His transmutation ... reverts back to itself before long...
There is always hope... Just know: no path to happiness has murder as a signpost.
Now, what is your name?
"The name's Coponisa, you can call me Nisa for short, or just Nis, everyone does, food was scarce but ma' had plenty of letters to spare for her litter's names -she adds with a slight smile.
"That princess tiara you've got there, is what she used to speak to our heads, kinda like a shirren does.
"So that fuel won't last? I knew something smelled funny around Talbot. Like cheese left on the desert after a week or two, it was too good to be true. But we had to have hope for our families.
She walks around the tavern, looking for any hard credits left on the gambler's table, grabs one and puts it close to the tap and pours herself a beer. "You'll find the rotten-man on the mines, follow the road southwest, you'll get there some 15 minutes past the cliffs, look for the tracks leading into the hillside."
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Just a few minutes after the fight, shortly after your chat with Nis, Podswald, the bartender, comes back inside to start rearranging and cleaning up. "I ain't one throw blames aroun', but, could ya help me takin' the trash in the storage room out the back door before it smells? It can get hot out'ere in the desert.
"And when you're done with that, if the general store out front is closed after that ruckus your gigantic lady friend caused, I've got a couple healin' serums I could sell ya. Out here, even if yer not lookin' fer a fight, they'ave a way of findin' ya."
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Renyaale puts down her cup, shoulder her rifle, and walks into the storeroom. “I’ve never shied away from helping with the trash. Thank that buyer for the drinks for us, will you Podswald? Would hate to not be charitable,” she mutters as she starts dragging the large form of Maarbadve out the back door. Once finished, she gets ready to hop back in the transport with the others.
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_________________________________
After leaving Tasch and following Nis' directions, the Starfinders find themselves in front of a sloping ramp that descends into the hillside to the west, made of hard-packed red dirt that shows signs of heavy vehicle traffic. The ramp opens into a large square chamber with rough walls. A metal track runs along the ground from a passage in the west wall and then turns north, ascending a five-foot ramp and then running along the north wall until the track terminates. A pair of metal lockers stand in the southeast corner, and a heap of ore is piled to the southwest.
Centian and Renyalee figure out that the tracks here are for automated mine carts. Mine carts enter this chamber and roll along the ramp. Once stopped, the carts are then uncoupled to tip over and pour their cargo into the bed of a vehicle that would back up to the tracks.
Everyone, but Dart, can tell that the tracks are relatively recent, matching the timeline of when Talbot arrived on Akiton.
Centian identifies the ore to the southwest as unrefined thasteron.
The passage going north after this chamber, is covered in thick, trackless dust, the lights are failing and flickering, it's safe to assume no one has been through here in over a year. After about 110 yards, it ends abruptly in a cave-in.
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So, 0-Rion says quietly as he walks slowly into the newly excavated mine. [b]Talbot's believers have started their operation quickly. This would require investment; further draining from Tasich's resources in exchange for an illusion.
The solarion approaches the lockers, his biomech eyes allowing him to easily see in the dark cavern as he keeps an eye out for any more sings of life.
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Kandoon squeaks in agreement, her cheeks full of explosives and one in her hand with a detonator in the other, goes into the mine and peers up and down the tracks.
She waits at the conjunction of tracks, careful not to touch the railing and to stay away enough from it not to get hit by something on the track.
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None of the adventurers sense any kind of danger coming from inside the lockers, or the room for that matter.
Centian takes care of one lock, while Reyaale handles the other, the lockers contain a basic medkit and an engineering specialty tool kit and you find an old credstick with 300 remaining credits inside the pockets of a tattered mining suit.
An opening to the east leads into this rectangular chamber with rough-hewn walls. A metal mine-cart track runs parallel to the passage and enters the room before ending abruptly. A mine cart in an obvious state of disrepair lies adjacent to the tracks. Tools cover a table against the east wall, while a pair of metal
lockers stands in the southwest corner.
To the west there is an intersection of several passageways with a square ceiling support.
The passage to the south is unfinished construction.
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The room to the east is devoid of any creature or perceivable danger, the lockers contain mining uniforms and binders of material-safety data sheets for explosives. The referenced explosives and equipment was likely removed when the mine shut down, or sold off. Even to the untrained eye, the mining car is currently inoperable and cannot be repaired.
When moving westward, Jaka stops everyone almost immediately, he had a gut feeling that something bad was behind the square pillar, he finds a pair of sliding panels and some motion sensors.
Kandoon tries to disable the sensors, but is not able to, luckily he didn't trigger the possible trap, Centian peeks in and manages to kill the motion sensors.
The passage leading to the northwest is as abandoned as the collapsed one to the north.
The path southwest, opens to the north turning into a a T-shaped room. The ceiling is higher than other chambers, cut to fifteen feet in height. Permanent light fixtures set in the ceiling provide brighter light. The minecart tracks that have run throughout this mine hug the south wall, turn north, and run along the west wall before coming to a dead end at the north end of the room. A single mine car stands on the tracks. Across from the cart is a small office fashioned from two out-of-place plastic walls set into the stonework. An open door provides access to the room within a room.
Kandoon
Renyaale
Dart
Jaka
Team Talbot
Centian
0-Rion
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Kandoon moves in front of the mouth of the cavern where the miners are. She squeaks in Common "We're here to find Reynald. We have no quarrel with you!"
The farthest miner walks closer to the rest, while one takes a step towards the ysoki, a metal pipe in his hands, "There ain't no way you're getting to Mr. Talbot alive, best get outta here li'l fella, 'fore we roast ya!"
After this challenge, Kandoon pours all 10 grenades from her cheek pouches to the ground, moves away and presses the detonator.
Renyaale proceeds up behind Dart and Kandoon, looking at their read of the situation before opening fire.
Renyaale moves into the cave's opening and finds that all the miners are down for the count, but she is still at the defensive, waiting for a foe.
Knowing the ysoki's plan, Dart will wait till after the "Aktion shattering Kaboom" and will then leap in towards who ever is still standing.
Dart walks back to the cave and forms his glowing tankard.
Jaka also decides the best course of action is to finish off whoever is left standing, and prepares to fire a small stone towards them with his telekinesis.
Jaka also waits for any movement inside the room.
Right then, the door at the end of the chamber opens, Reynald Talbot comes out, pistol in hand, with a look between surprise and desperation he turns towards the Starfinders.
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Looking at Kandoon in frustration after the explosion, Renyaale cries, "What did you do?!" When Talbot himself shows up, Renyaale tries to bring him down with a nonlethal shot. "Let's at least try and get one person who can answer for this out alive. That pile of bodies isn't going to clean itself up..."
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As he passes by Renyaale, 0-Rion looks around at the collapsed chambers and crushed miners. He manifests his black spear as he strides forwards, but looking around and seeing no one still moving the warrior looks dispassionately at the fallen, then turns to Kandoon and echoes the bounty hunter's comments. "It is such a waste: the scrabbling and willingness to die for a scrap of hope that surrounds this place.
As Talbot exits his chamber, 0[Rion calls out to his. "Talbot. It's over. Your scam and scheme is done. Surrender, please. The solarion continues - unfortunately just as lasers and rocks shoot past him. There is no need for even more bloodshed.