Xera
Looking out over the street below and the walkways above, dimly lit as this level is, she notices a general store about half way down the main thoroughfare through the level. The streets are not busy, and she has not seen anyone wearing similar outfits or uniforms to the Downside Kings nor anyone who seems to be acting suspiciously out of place in the area.
Orlam
Looking over the gear taken from the Downside King's storage closet, all of it looks to be quite serviceable. Most of the items are technological, with the only two items that are an unknown entity being the two unidentified serums in small crystal ampoules.
Orlam hands over the tech items and the serums to those that might know what they are. "We've rented this place for a whole day, might as well get some use out of it. Get some sleep, a couple of us watching Ferani at all times. When she comes too, we can fill in any missing pieces we might need to continue our investigation."
"These vials, they are serums of healing. Well... it would seem that we are not without healing if I use my last spell. So perhaps I should bring her around."
Xera lays her hands on the woman's wounds, and her circuit lines flare briefly.
The healing energy coalesces under Xera's hands and flows into Ferani's body, the wounds glowing like stars as they begin to knit and close. The woman's breathing becomes deeper and fuller, and all of a sudden she takes in a large gasp of air and her eyes fly open.
Ferani flails around, nearly hitting Xera across the cheekbone as she swings her arms wildly trying to separate them. Her breathing fast and panicked, she looks around the efficiency with wide eyes before they settle on everyone's form. "F***, you guys again?! Where in the hells have you taken me?!" she yells loudly, her voice echoing through the small room.
Mysterra watches Ferani without any signs of emotion.
"We have questions for you. You will answer them. If you do, you may leave."
Despite describing the situation in a calm and concise manner, Mysterra is not the least bit intimidating.
"We're trying to decide whether to turn you over to the Stewards or the Level 21 Crew. Both are likely to want a crack at you."
Xera seems rather indifferent and returns to the window to watch what is going on outside.
"Hi there. Sorry again for knocking you out, but I assume that it's definitely a better prospect for you that you've actually woken up at all here," Valius comments to the woman and stands across from her with a friendly smile.
"Sorry about my companions. They're a bit too blunt when it comes to asking questions and giving answers. So, let me clarify to you the position that you're in right now," He proposes to her as he lets his solar mote dance around his hand.
"We have evidence of all of your criminal activities, which I'll admit I didn't expect to find all tidy on your datapad like that. My associate has copied and backed it up to send with you to the Stewards, where it's most likely that you'll find yourself being tried and convicted and probably spend a long time confined to a prison cell. And yet, this is most certainly the preferable option," He tells her as his smile fades and he stares her down.
"Maybe you've heard already, since we went and took out the goons that you sent to murder the dwarf, but there's Level 21 Crew blood on your own crew's hand. Jabaxa certainly would like it if we were to deliver to you him all wrapped up like this. Now, what do you think that he would do to you if we did that?" He asks her.
"But I'm a pragmatic person at heart, you know. So we're giving you a chance to decide your own fate here. Cooperate with the questions we ask you and play nice, and you'll have plenty of time to plot revenge on us from your Steward cell. Or you can jerk us around, waste our time, and we'll let Jabaxa deal with you. So then...what will it be?"
Private Eye stands behind Valius as he speaks with Ferani. He doesn't say anything, instead he stands utterly motionless and gives the gang leader his best Cop Stink Eye. He also listens very closly to what she has to say.
Not used to interacting with others in this fashion, Orlam figures maybe he can assist Valius' very fine effort by standing behind the priest, holding the rifle and the hammer once held by the vesk in his four arms. "I think we should just take her to Jabaxa. There will be a reward, and I doubt she knows anything that isn't in her datapad."
vs DC 10 = Abject Failure!
As Valius outlines the position that Ferani finds herself in a cool-as-an-ice-elemental manner, her eyes grow wider out of fear. She swallows, the sound loud enough to be audible to those in the room, and nods as all traces of bravado disappear into the air. "It don't really seem I have a choice. Not really - Jabaxa's a damned punk with delusions of adequacy, but it's who he would give me over to next that scares me, and when Astral Extractions finds out I'm still alive, I'm sure I'll stand a better chance surviving on a f***ing prison rock somewhere than I would here." she says, sighing, her expression a mix of defeat and fear for her own life.
"So f*** it," she says, looking Valius straight in the eye. "I'll talk - as long as your word is solid that I'll be handed to station security. If it ain't, then anything that happens to me is on your head, pretty boy."
The Kasathas shrugs. "We have no loyalty to Jabaxa. Though we'll be turning down good coin by not taking you to him. Still, if the information in your head is worth it, then we'll hand you over to station security instead. You have my word." Orlam trades a look with Valius and nods, intending to confirm with the human that he will be true to his promise.
Xera shrugs.
"For starters though you can tell us... just who would Jabaxa turn you over to?"
She shrugs, a slightly confused look on her face. "There's any number of gangs on this station that would want to see me dead, or worse - the Furnace Grinders, the Fysh Street Boys. Or they could sell me over to Astral Extractions and get themselves some nice juicy wetwork contracts - if the rat can stomach the hit to his precious reputation, that is," she sneers.
"Fact is, the Kings and I have made enemies, Jabaxa most of all, though if you think I'm going to let you hand me over to any of them, you can take a walk out of a damned airlock. A deals a deal, and if you're planning to go back on your words and just give me to them once we're done here, then there ain't no worth in talking."
Mysterra listens to the conversation, trying her best to remember everything being said...
Orlam eyes the gang leader. "What are you to Astral Extractions? Thought you did their dirty work for them by killing the dwarf."
Orlam eyes the gang leader. "What are you to Astral Extractions? Thought you did their dirty work for them by killing the dwarf."
"That's right. And if that's true, why would Jabaxa go to Astral Extractions? Don't worry... I'm not planning to sell you off to them. I just figured you'd be happy to tell us someone else's secrets as well as your own."
She nods, flicking her gaze between Xera and Orlam. ”We’re contractors, for lack of a better term - we’d do the work that would otherwise leave bloodstains on their suits. Shakedowns, extortion, knee-breaking, even disappearing someone - whatever the job was, as long as it paid well it was all good.” Ferani fidgets on the bed, twisting her wrists in the electrical cable as she tries to scratch at her arm.
Valius reaches out and halts her twisting with one hand, before scratching the spot she was trying to reach for her. Mostly because he was worried she was trying to break free, but also to try and appeal to her sense of gratitude if she had it.
"Let's get to the meat of things here. Your crew was hired to take out a dwarf that was under the Level 21 Gang's protection. Tell us about who hired you, what other jobs they gave you, any information about the reasons for having him killed."
Ferani jerks her hands away from Valius's outstretched arm and glares at him before she continues to scratch at her wrist with her thumb. "Protection? Jabaxa's crew?" she asks incredulously, her eyebrows raised. "Hah! Then they failed. But feel free to ask Jabaxa if he feels in any way bad about taking the dwarf's creds before letting his sorry arse get killed."
The gang leader scoots back on the bed, leaning against the wall. "As for the deets of the job - we were hired by Astral Extractions, or at least someone claiming to rep for them, to be at the docking bay. We were told who to kill - your short friend with the beard - and that it was to send the Harscrabblers and the Starfinders a message. No idea as to what the message was and I didn't give a crap enough to ask. No other jobs this time - just to off the dwarf and get paid to do it."
"Who is your contact from AE? And where and when did you meet? I assume you have already been paid for the job, yes?"
Ferani shrugs and shakes her head. "Dunno who it was - they never gave their name, and we always got instructions for the job from e-comms. Guess that was safer for them, in case this ever happened," she says, waving her bound arms around at the room.
"How would you get paid?"
"We'd get credits transferred through shell companies once proof of the job was sent back. The companies changed most of the time, but station security can probably link it all back to Astral Extractions if they dig for long enough."
Orlam glares at the gang leader. "You aren't giving us much to go on. Nothing we haven't learned already. If you want us to keep our end of the deal, you need to hold up your own. What can you tell us that will lead us to find those that hired you?"
Ferani glares right back, her eyes like daggers in the kasatha’s direction. ”And exactly what do you want me to say - that we met every Fourthday for an expensive dinner before going on a nice long walk where he would tell me who’s kneecaps to break for the week?” she yells, uncaring if the volume of her voice carries through the paper-thin walls of the shoddy efficiency. ”I can’t bloody well tell you what I don’t know, pal.”
She huffs and gives the impression that she would be crossing her arms right now if they weren’t bound. ”Look,” she says, her voice and expression softening. ”This business is shady at its best, and the corps don’t generally like letting details of who they are slip to the likes of us - plausible deniability and all that. It’s why I set up some insurance.”
Ferani turns her gaze to Mysterra and Private Eye. ”Check in the file directory for an executable file called ‘trove’ - it’ll remote into a secured server. I’d advise not trying to open the executable from another device - the servers rigged to recognise my device, and will send a virus to scramble your drives to s*** if you try. You’ll find a few call recordings between me and the guy repping for Astral Extractions - once we became one of their go-to’s for this kind of deniable work they didn’t want to get their pressed suits dirty by doing themselves I figured a day like this might come, so I started recording any of the very rare voice communications that I got from them in case they tried to throw me and my people under a ringtrain.”
She turns back to Xera, Valius, and Orlam. ”Give the datapad with the communications and the executable on it - and me - over to station security, and they will have enough to make life really uncomfortable for AE. And after today, you all are going to want stat-sec to be doing a good job keeping them uncomfortable. If they get wind it was you folks who dobbed them in they’re going to come at you with everything they can, and they have the resources to make your future grand-children regret you came after them.”
Mysterra looks completely unruffled by Ferani's speech and threats. After a long moment she checks the data pad for the listed file. Once she finds it, she activates the audio recording function of her custom rig, then opens the 'trove' file, curious as to what these recordings entail.
"Oh, don't worry about us. Our goals seemed to be aligned with the process of making certain that Astral Expeditions make a terrible choice in picking a fight with the Starfinder Society," Valius cheerfully threatens, patting Ferani on the top of her head. "You've done well for us, so we'll make sure that you get to live and reflect on your live. I think I'll send you a copy of The Birth of Light and Truth. I'm sure that you'll find it a comfort."
He looks at the others. "All right, let's get her to station security then go and report back to the Society. Once wind of what's happening reaches certain ears, I'm sure we'll finally see some firewalls being lowered. Man...it's been a heck of a busy day. I'm thinking we all deserve a rest after that."
Orlam is also convinced that the woman has given them all the information she can. "I agree with Valius. Let us rid ourselves of this thug and let station security handle her future. We have plenty to think about and action to take. We need to regroup and rest a bit before making any future plans."
Recording the files is an easy enough task, playing them aloud from Ferani's datapad and recording using the comms device. The conversations are quite short, with one voice belonging clearly to Ferani and the other to an unidentified male who never introduces himself. A couple of the conversations mention Astral Extractions as the employer, but most of the time the man just uses the term 'we'. The jobs being ordered are universally unpleasant - usually involving murder for hire or causing injury and destruction to people and equipment to either get a message across or ensure that payments are made.
While the conversations are being recorded, Ferani looks at Valius, her facial features pinched with anger at the pat on the head. "Then we're done then. Are you going to untie me so I can at least walk," she says, indicating the electrical cord bound about her ankles, "or were you planning to just have someone knock me out again and carry me like a sack of Vercite yams?"
Orlam shakes his head. "The moment we release you, you'll be gone. I think that instead the easiest thing to do will be to leave you here and alert the authorities. They will deal with you as they see fit, in accordance with the local laws." He glances at the others, to see if they are in agreement with this plan, or if they have other ideas.
"I don't feel comfortable just leaving her tied up here. Calling security to come pick her up is a good idea though. I'll wait here if you guys don't want to."
Orlam nods. "Then I would suggest we leave as soon as we see the authorities arrive outside. Being detained to answer questions could be problematic, if we desire to report to the Starfinders sooner rather than later."
Mysterra looks back and forth between the others, jerking her head back and forth awkwardly as each of them speak. She waits quietly to see what decision is reached.
As Mysterra finishes recording the saved audio files, the last file is dated from that morning and is a conversation between Ferani and the unidentified male. Ferani's voice can be heard confirming the death of Duravor Kreel, and the man's voice responds. "Good - that will hopefully convince the Hardscrabbler's that we mean business, and keep the Starfinders from poking around the Drift Rock before our people can get there. Good work. Payment will be transferred shortly." The conversation cuts off abruptly as the unidentified man terminates the call.
Listening to the saved audio files and considering the evidence against the gang leader, Orlam makes a further suggestion. "Since we have the recorded audio files, let's leave these originals playing for the authorities when they arrive. They will have plenty of evidence to detain her, no matter what she might claim, and probably more than enough to charge her for her crimes as well."
"As long as there's no chance of her getting loose in the time when we are not watching her."
With the course of action decided, the datapad is left on the round, poorly balanced dining table with the voice recordings playing on an auto-loop. The authorities are called with an anonymous tip that the leader of the notorious Downside Kings has been captured and detained under a form of citizens arrest and can be found in the Hillit Rooms.
After about a half hour or so, a group of three station security officers begins to make its way down the main thoroughfare of the level, an officer familiar to Xera, Orlam, and Mysterra leading them. Officer Dereforth appears to be rather tired, as if she is nearing the end of a double shift thanks to the gang-related incident earlier in the morning. The stat-sec officers near the building and prepare to enter it.
Xera stays out of sight across the street.
Not wanting to be tested by the authorities, and feeling that their purpose is better served by an anonymous tip, Orlam tries to make his way out of the building while making certain that Officer Dereforth is able to apprehend the ganger leader with no problems. Though moving around in heavy armor makes it... difficult.
Private Eye waits in the room for the police. As soon as one of them enters he walks over and introduces himself, giving them his credentials as a private investigator. He then gives them a rundown of the group's activities in regards to apprehending Ferani with time stamps for everything. He has his comm unit in his hand and the notes he took pulled up but never looks at them.
After doing this he leaves them to do their jobs, quietly if necessary.
Happy enough to let others take the lead and not wanting to see Ferani possibly accuse him of attempted murder with a beam of sunshine, Valius slips into the crowd and smiles as he heads back to the Starfinder Society, ready to report on one eventful day and then go and fall asleep right afterwards.
While Xera and Valius manage to disappear into the crowds of people traversing the streets below the Hillit Rooms, the large kasatha and the awkward android stand out against the throngs. Officer Dereforth does a double take as her eyes wander over the forms of Orlam and Mysterra and reaches for the miniaturized computer in her jacket. Before she can begin to approach the pair, one of the other stat-sec officers taps her on the shoulder and points to the hostel. She glares tiredly in his direction before scanning around her once more and taps on the screen of the datapad before returning it back into her pocket before the three officers enter the rooms.
Officer Dereforth and the two accompanying stat-sec officers enter the room to find Ferani still bound hand-and-foot in electrical cable, and Private Eye waiting patiently for them. Once the introductions are made and credentials checked, Officer Dereforth begins to take notes on the datapad, the stylus in her hand moving rapidly to take down the notes. A small red light flashes steadily on her comms unit to indicate that it is recording. The other two officers move to unbind Ferani and read her rights before putting a set of binders around her wrists tightly before leading her out of the efficiency.
Once Private Eye has given his statement of events to the officer, Dereforth thanks him and steps aside to allow the android to leave. "I'll need to speak with your friends at some stage in the next few days, just to take their statements. Vigilantism is not something we can officially condone. But for what its worth," she says, looking at the door to ensure that the other officers are not nearby. "the Downside Kings are scum, and I think you did good in doing something about them. " Officer Dereforth offers a weak, tired smile before waving towards the door to let Private Eye exit the hotel, and then she turns around to start collecting evidence into plastic bags for collection.
Once Orlam hooks back up with the others and hears Private Eye's recounting of his talk with Dereforth, the Kasathas nods. "Of course, I had planned to speak with the authorities sooner or later regarding Ferani. I am glad you were not detained further, that was my concern. We must report this to Starfinder headquarters immediately."
The soldier is looking to some food and rest once they make their report. There are still many loose ends to investigate, though Orlam figures the Starfinder might be putting other agents on some aspects of this mission. Still, the Kasathas hopes that he and his companions will be asked to remain involved.
Mysterra nods in a jerking, awkward motion. "Agreed. Let us return to the Loresprie Complex."
Xera nods. She hefts her bag and heads off.
Making their way back up the Spike using the public access stairwells and service elevators, the group finally reach the Ring district of Absalom Station. Its wide streets and tall buildings offer relief from the cramped conditions of the various communities below. The lighting that simulates the passage of day and night within the station are currently dimmed to their night setting, and the streets are flowing with people moving to and from various places of work, homes, and venues for food and entertainment.
Taking another ringtrain carriage to Drifter's End, the looming cobalt blue tower of the Lorespire Complex looms over the district, several of its windows darkened. The group can see that the lobby area is still lit brightly, and people can be seen coming and going from within the lit rooms of the campus.
Once they've arrived back at the Lorespire Complex, Valius attempts to comm Chiskisk to set up a debriefing for the group.
"Hopefully after we report in we can find ourselves some place to rest in the dormitories, right?" He asks the others.
"That is agreeable." Mysterra replies.