Herald's corona begins to intensify again after the scintillating outburst, and the laser blast from his rifle catches the leader square in the shoulder. She gasps in pain from the searing heat.
Initiative - Round 6
15++ - Human female
15+ - Vesk (dead)
15 - Bouncers (dead)
13 - Herald
11 - Krevlor
9 - Darshe
6 - Cree
4 - Valorus
Cree slams the bolt back in his rifle, loading the next round in the chamber as he slides it forward, a motion he's become quite accustomed to over the past couple of days. Here goes nothin' He mutters to himself, kissing his trigger finger and lifting it to the sky in thanks as his cybernetic arm adjusts to target the leader of this gang. With another breath, he squeezes, firing another round of hot metal at his new target.
Cree's bullet flies just wide of its intended target, biting deep into the wall behind the woman's head. She flinches at the sound, looking about her wildly.
Initiative - Round 6
15++ - Human female
15+ - Vesk (dead)
15 - Bouncers (dead)
13 - Herald
11 - Krevlor
9 - Darshe
6 - Cree
4 - Valorus
Valorus readies his weapon and pulls the trigger, this woman was clearly not in a mood for talking.
His shot goes wild and just misses altogther.
"Thanks," Darshe says with no small amount of relief. With his wound no longer bleeding, he removes his hand from it so that he can properly hold his rifle. "Now where was I..."
With a grunt the soldier peeks over his cover once more and lines up another shot. "You're crazy, lady. Did you really think that you could just shoot someone in cold blood and get away with it?"
Neither Darshe's or Valorus' shots are able to hit the woman, with Valrous hitting the wall behind the gang leader and Darshe's shot causing a hole in the desk that she hides behind.
With a growl of exasperation, she shoots at Darshe in return. Her shot is wide and another bottle of expensive liquor shatters on the shelf behind him. "It was just a job!" she yells as she moves around the desk, maneuvering herself into the corner of the room. "We got paid to do it, just like you are!"
Initiative - Round 7
15++ - Human female
15+ - Vesk (dead)
15 - Bouncers (dead)
13 - Herald
11 - Krevlor
9 - Darshe
6 - Cree
4 - Valorus
Krevlor moves up to the side of the door and calls in "Surrender now this is your last chance."
Unless she immediately surrenders Krevlor will try to finish her off with his abilities using the last of his magical energy to assail her mind with [ur=http://www.starfindersrd.com/magic-and-spells/spells/m/mind-thrust/]a mind thrust[/url]
Herald continues shooting.
The attack scores the woman's desk but does little else!
"Yeah, yeah..." Darshe mutters, coming to the conclusion that a ceasefire was probably out of the question. With the others moving up and the worst of his wounds healed, the soldier grabs his hammer and approaches the doorway.
Krevlor holds his spell in his mind at the edge of loosing the magical energy at the gang leader, as Herald's shot skims the top of the desk and ricochets away. Darshe comes up to the doorway and readies himself for whatever may happen next.
Initiative - Round 7
15++ - Human female
15+ - Vesk (dead)
15 - Bouncers (dead)
13 - Herald
11 - Krevlor
9 - Darshe
6 - Cree
4 - Valorus
Valorus holds his action by pointing his pistol at the woman. If she tries to continue her assault then he'll shoot his gun at her.
As the shirren levels his pistol at the gang leader, she appears to weigh up her options. With a sigh of defeat, and a heavy scowl set on her strung-out features, she throws the pistol on the desk in front of her and raises her hands.
"Fine, if you're going to kill me, then do it. Better dead then given over to your double-crossing a**hole employers. The gods only know what they will do when you turn me over to them alive."
Cree drops to the ground, taking up a position near the exit to cover the woman's potential escape, reaching into his belt for a new clip of ammunition and slamming it into The Business. His eyes never deviate from the woman as he reloads his weapon, keeping the barrel trained on her. "Best start talking, after throwin' an accusation like that around."
"You think we're with Astral Excavations," Darshe realizes as he slings his rifle. He does however, keep his assault hammer handy. Just in case she gets any funny ideas. "Look, Ferani, right? You should listen to my friend here. If you do, you might just get out of this alive."
"If you continue to fight use you will die. You may find far more agreeable options in surrender and cooperation."
A look of confusion crosses Ferani's features as she casts her gaze between those who speak. "You mean, you're not being hired to tie up loose ends? Then who in the hells are you, and why are you killing my people?!" she demands angrily, her appearance hardening as she crosses her arms and scowls at the group.
"We're the ones pulling at the loose ends. Saying here isn't going to keep you safe, Astral Extractions can send far more heavily armed people after you. It looks like the only way you will survive this is if you tell us what you know and we can bring you to station security." Krevlor peers at the human woman.
Ferani sighs and shakes her head, seemingly unconvinced. "Right - 'station security', you say." Uncrossing her arms, she raises her hands and slowly walks to the chair, keeping her eyes on the kasatha as she lowers herself onto it. "So why should I believe that's where I'll end up, and not in some trash incinerator down below?"
Taking the chance to look around, the group notices that the room is sparsely furnished other than the desk and chair that Ferani now sits at. In the corner is a small storage closet with an electronic card reader set to locked, and a wall with vidscreens on it, each showing a different entertainment stream on it.
The fire alarm continues to ring loudly throughout the club's interior, though Ferani seems to be completely unfazed by this.
Darshe seems unfazed by the fire alarm; the ones back on the colony were far more annoying. The equipment was pretty loud, too. Even so, he pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
"Look, we were asked to investigate by the Starfinder Society. Last I checked, they're not in the business of throwing criminals into incinerators."
Valorus holds his gun to the lady but then notices the colorful monitors to the side. Most of them music videos, but one in particular catches his eye. As the beat starts playing in his head, he suddenly belts out the chorus...then he looks at the rest of the people very awkwardly and says "sorry, I just really like that song. It's one of my favorites..."
Ferani flicks her gaze at the strange shirren belting out the chorus to a catchy dance track and cracks the merest hint of a wry smile before turning back to Darshe. "So, you mean to tell me that the bloody eggheads are the ones who sent you here? For what exactly? Killing that dwarf? Man, he was dead the moment he poked his head up for more than a split second. He's had it coming for years, apparently. But I ain't saying nothing else unless you guarantee I'll be safe in custody with Stat-Sec, otherwise my life ain't gonna be worth living either and you may as well kill me where I sit right now."
"Seeing as we are fresh out of holding cells that's exactly where we will be bringing you. But perhaps you'd illuminate us about the situation to make it... how would you put it- worth our while." The Kasatha peers at the human woman.
For a moment Darshe just stares at Valorus with a look of pure disbelief, before turning back to Ferani.
"Safe? I dunno about that. But you can be damn sure that it's a safer bet than trying to run and hide. If we can find you and do this much damage, then I can only imagine what kind of people those corporate crooks would send after you. That is, if they planned on killing you in the first place."
Ferani frowns, swallowing audibly at the prospect of being hunted through the station by others like her. "That's true - seems I don't really have a choice on this if I want to keep my damned skin intact," she says, nodding her head. "So, what do you want to know?"
"You've already said as much but to confirm Astral Extractions hired you and your gang. What was the exact job and do you have any proof?"
"The job was easy enough - kill the dwarf to send the Hardscrabblers and the Starfinders a message," Ferani says, a sneer creeping onto the woman's features. "Seems the message was received by the Starfinders loud and bloody clear."
She shifts her weight forward in the chair, holding both of her hands wide and open while the guns are still trained on her. She begins to lower one of her hands towards the drawer of the desk while keeping her eyes trained on the kasatha. "As for proof," she says, flicking a latch and opening the top drawer of the desk to reveal a datapad stashed in it. "Everything that station security will need is right there on the datapad. Astral Extractions paid us through shell companies, but there are communications from their guy who ordered the hit in there - enough to at least light a fire under the arse of whichever exec is behind those e-comm messages."
Underneath the datapad is a flat white card with the club's logo on the front and a silver magnet strip on its back. The word 'STORAGE' is written in black marker on its face.
Taking the datapad, Darshe taps on it a few times, grimacing when he realizes that it is encrypted. Not wanting to break the damn thing, he looks to the others and holds it out. "Any of you want to take a crack at it?"
"We would appreciate it if you unlocked the device,once we have the proof we can start heading to station security."
{"Um yes, I do have some skills with computers."} Valorus speaks up. He goes up to the datapad and hooks up his hacker kit to the device in question.
Valorus (taking 10): Hacking the protections on Ferani’s datapad, you manage to find all of her communications and files confirming the Downside Kings various criminal activities. The most recent series of files is a communicator thread between her and someone claiming to represent Astral Extractions, ordering her to organise the murder of Duravor Kreel for the purpose of sending the Hardscrabblers a message that the corporation means business, and to keep the Starfinder from getting too curious about whatever might be found on the Drift Rock.
"Well done Valorus, lets finish gathering a few bits here and then get Ferani to station security. Do you have any clothes that might cover you up a little... just in case someone tries to track you.
"Those bastards..." Darshe mutters when he hears Valorus's findings. Damning as the evidence was, he doubted that it would be enough to discredit the mining company. "But what the hell is the Drift Rock?"
Deciding that the answer to that question could wait, the soldier nods to Krevlor. "Right. Better move quickly, then. Chiskisk is going to want to hear about this."
Ferani watches the interactions between the Starfinders, sneering slightly at the cooperation being shown between them. ”Yeah, I got a holoskin in the storage closet there,” she says, inclining her head to the door in the corner of the room as she responds to Krevlor. The door appears to be secured by a card reader. ”Are you really that concerned that I’ll be traced? Well, I guess if you eggheads can catch up to me, almost anyone else could.” she chuckles mirthlessly.
Valorus copies the files in just a few minutes onto his miniature computer, hopefully with no problems. {"It is better to be safe than to be sorry."} He was referring to both copying the data onto his own pad and for the makeshift disguise. He then hands the original pad to one of the other two for safekeeping.
"Yes us eggheads. Being dismissive of your intellectual superiors has surely served you well this day. I'd advise you to learn from this and never tangle with the Starfinders again."
The gang leader narrows her eyes, glaring daggers in Krevlor's direction. "Fine. Noted. Now, be a doll and grab my holoskin for me, if you're so hellbent on keeping me safe before delivering me to stat-sec," she says, slowly reaching into the desk draw again and picking up the white keycard before tossing it onto the desk's surface. "I'd get it myself, but I'm pretty sure your friends would shoot me if I so much as stood up."
Krevlor takes the white keycard and goes to open the door. "You're a thoroughly irritating woman but I do intend to see you safely into station security hands. If it takes you borrowing out new holoskin that's alright with me."
Ferani scoffs at the comments made by the mystic and folds her arms. "Borrow? I'll have you know," she begins to say before noting the itchy trigger fingers training firearms in her direction. "You know what? Fine, take 'em. What'm I gonna do with that junk on a prison rock anyways."
As Krevlor swipes the keycard through he card reader securing the storage closet, it trills delightfully in stark contrast to the harsh interior of the club's office, and the door opens ajar to reveal the spoils of the Downside Kings work that had not been distributed. The holoskin Ferani had indicated was stored here sits on one of the shelves, along with an autotarget rifle sitting next to five full magazines of longarm rounds. A small case holds two incendiary grenades, and two small ampoules of an unidentified serum sit next to it. In a crate on the floor is a bag of UPBs, a half-dozen credsticks, and a quick-release sheath armour upgrade.
Krevlor examines the ampoules but finds them confusing "How odd." He helps gather up the various other items and stored them away.
Moving over to Ferranni Krevlor looks at her with the holoskin in hand "Let's be going then."
Standing guard, Darshe eyes Krevlor with bemusement, having not at all expected how stone-cold the kasatha could be when he wanted to. Not that he's known him for very long.
"All right, let's get you the hell out of here," he says once the mystic is done packing everything up.
{"Yes, let us leave this place. I have an unsettling feeling about this place."} Valorus follows suit with his allies. Sooner they got out the better.
Ferani clips the holoskin device to her belt and flicks the switch on it. It whirs gently and after a few presses of the small keypad, it projects a completely different appearance over top of the gang leader's form for a few seconds before the image sputters out.
"Ok, I'm ready. Lets get this over with quickly, shall we?" Ferani says, making her way to the door of the club. Cree holsters his rifle while Herald keeps his hand on the hilt of his survival knife in case the gang leader attempts to flee.
Darshe follows Ferani closely behind, keeping his assault hammer close at hand. He did not think that the gang leader would try anything funny, but they couldn't take any risks. But whether she was alive or dead, they already had the evidence they needed.
Accompanying Ferani through the public access stairwells and lifts of the Spike before emerging into the Ring of Absalom Station, the overhead lights of the station set to their evening setting to indicate the lateness of the hour. The group of prospective Starfinders finally finds themselves standing before one of the station security precinct buildings. Holstering their weapons, the group pushes the gang leader towards the building and notes that this is the first time that real trepidation has crossed her face, wiping all bluster and bravado from her features.
The inside of the station is teeming with people of many races. Many are uniformed station security officers, but some are hardened criminals in plastic binders while others are members of the public demanding that their complaints be heard first.
Three booths line the inner wall, each furnished with a small desk and computer terminal and fronted with presumably a bullet- and laser-proof clear window. Beleaguered stat-sec officers try to get through the complaints as quickly as possible, while other officers drag criminals and drunkards alike through the double doors at the back of the entry lobby and into the processing rooms beyond.
After a nearly twenty minute wait, a frowning half-orc with pale green skin and a broken tusk jutting from under his lower lip waves the group forward to the booth. "Nature of your visit this evening, please?" he asks, turning bright blue eyes towards the group.
"This woman would like to confess to a crime. She was the leader of a gang called the Downside Kings who were contracted to kill a member of the Starfinder Society called Duravor Kreel. We can provide you with communications to that affect as well."
Valorus stands behind the group, just keeping an eye on the area. He wondered if they should give the copy to the police, or if just give the original.