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She grabs ahold of the arm and examines it under several scopes. "This augmentation has an unusually high concentration of nanites in its construction. Under normal circumstances, most of the nanites used in biotech augmentations have a short life cycle. They are used to make changes to the body to help the biological components graft properly, and after this phase ends, they die off and are cycled into the body’s waste within days. This augmentation has substantial sections made entirely of repair nanites with long life cycles, which is very unusual." She hands the arm back. "It is amazing work, but I can't tell you more than that I'm afraid."
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The Renew-You clinic is a modular unit that resembles a shipping container. Although it is clearly older than the surrounding structures, it looks clean and well maintained. Metal doors are rolled down over the entrance and windows, and a neat sign reading “CLOSED INDEFINITELY” hangs over the posted business hours.
The clinic is bordered on one side by a temporarily vacant unit and on the other by an accountant’s office closed for lunch.
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"My, we're starting to run out of good leads," Remi sighs in disappointment when they find another closed-down place. She remembers Data's advice from earlier, and resolves to dig a little deeper.
As Donovan starts poking at the door, Remi goes to one of the shuttered windows and presses her ear against it, trying to hear if there is anything moving around inside.
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Donovan tries his hand at the shutters locks. After a quick moment the lock falls to the ground and he is able to raise the shutters to the building.
The inside of the clinic is divided into a reception area, an office, a small workshop, and an operating area. Searching the premises reveals that all computers and physical records have been removed.
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The doctor steps into the facility and quickly shakes his head at the mess...
"Not only the computers and records are gone but there isn't enough equipment in here to do any medical work...minor or major. I would say this place hasn't seen any activity for near a week..." he says a little frustrated as he double checks for any traces of...well anything.
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The young halfling turns to lead the way. "She is coughing bad and has a hard time moving." The halfling apartment complex is only a short distance from the Freemarkets.
*****
Jumpsuits and equipment belts hang from pegs, crowding the entryway. Farther in, this cluttered apartment is dimly lit. To the right of the entryway is a small kitchen, where an older male halfling is preparing food while assisting two adolescents doing schoolwork at the table. To the left of the entryway is a common area, full of worn but comfortable-looking furniture. A heavy, wracking cough echoes from deeper in the apartment.
Senndi’s extended family—maternal grandparents, two uncles, and several cousins, all of which are halflings— lives in the apartment. A close friend of his mother’s is staying temporarily to help during her illness. The coughing comes from Senndi’s mother, in the back room.
The older male looks up and frowns as the large group of Starfinders enters. "Senndi? Who is this?" He nods to the group. The little boy looks down at his feet and shuffles them. "They were asking around about the augmentations and broke into that clinic. I thought they could help mom." The older man begins to scold the child.
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With a sinking heart, Remi remembers the news about people going missing. She anxiously follows the halfling child, and speaks telepathically to her teammates, {I have a bad feeling about this.} She then looks around at the gathered family.
Remi speaks gently to the halfling man, “Please don’t scold Senndi too much. He is really worried about his mother. I can see that you all care for each other very well here. You do your family proud. But now that the situation is like this, we all want what’s best for her, don’t we? Could you let us take a look? We might be able to help.”
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"Hello, family of my new friend! We have come to offer our assistance!" Zez'ka exclaims. "It is true, that we were looking for information about the Renew-You Clinic, but helping a friend in need is much more important!"
Zez'ka twitches her antennae at the halflings. "Please, may we offer you the help?"
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The older man grabs the child halfling and hugs him close to his chest. "My name is Hermot." The family seems to relax enough to talk with Xenal's kind words giving him strength.
"My wife, Maija-" He nods to the back room as a wracking cough cuts him off. "-damaged her lungs working long hours in the chemical plant. she needed a variation of a respirator compounder to continue providing for her family. An family acquaintance, well known in the halfling community, talked us into seeking out a biotech augmentation, which would be less obvious than standard cybernetics. As it happened, this acquaintance had recently received his own augmentation—a high-density datajack—from the Renew-You clinic. This friend claimed his graft had taken almost immediately, without problems or scarring, and he had returned to work just days afterward."
A shorter female halfling steps into the room. "I am Maija's friend, Tanit, and have been helping take care of her. I took her to the Renew-You clinic 2 weeks ago. A shirren male-female couple operated the clinic. The male, whose name was Vrisken, explained the procedure and booked the appointment. According to Vrisken, his partner had personally crafted the augmentation with components from “a new source” that would enable rapid recovery. The female shirren performed the operation-" Tanit thinks for a moment. "-I saw her for only a moment. Can't remember her name. Maija’s operation took less than an hour and that Maija was back to work in 2 days."
Tanit continues " Unfortunately, Maija began feeling ill again 5 days ago. I went to the clinic to ask about follow-up care but found it closed down." Hermot speaks up as he pats his son's head. "We were unable to afford another doctor, Maija has been bedridden at home for the past 3 days."
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"Oh, no! Do you not know how to heal her, Dr. Drix?" Zez'ka asks. "Worried! If not, I would like to bring her right to a clinic that can tend to her illness and remove the augmentation. I have some money to cover the expenses. Once she is seen to, we can attempt to find these shirren." Zez'ka's antennae twitch. "The health of my new friend is very important!"
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Remi shakes her head in concern. “It’s worrying that the clinic was able to shut down so quickly. But this shirren couple does seem to be the key, both to our investigation and to figure out how to help Maija.” She turns to Hermot. “Do you know what happened to that acquaintance who recommended Renew-You? Did he also get sick?”
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I would like to bring her right to a clinic that can tend to her illness and remove the augmentation. I have some money to cover the expenses. Once she is seen to, we can attempt to find these shirren."
The family gasps as the children look hopeful. Hermot looks down to them, a confused look on his face as his mind wraps around the morale dilemma of getting the children's hope up. He tries to remain calm and humble, though you can still hear a bit of shock and excitement in his voice. "We couldn't possibly ask you for something like that."
"That does all sound too good to be true. We would very much appreciate speaking to your acquaintance."
Hermot turns to Xenal. Shenge is the halfling that recommended us to the biotech. He is a bit of a "Shady Figure" who nonetheless supports the local halfling community. Shenge has contacts in the gang underworld as well as the Freemarkets. He has a place in the nearby worker's lodging camp."
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Remi finds the hope-filled gazes of the children impossible to resist. She speaks into the minds of her colleagues, {I too think we should take her to proper medical treatment. What happened to this halfling woman is not our direct responsibility, but what else can these people do?}
Aloud, she adds, "Right, then we should talk to Shenge next. We'll do our best to figure out what is happening."
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Hermot smiles as the credits for the procedure are transferred into his account. He clasps each of you by the hands. "Thank you so much." Tears well in his eyes. He turns and digs through a drawer. "We don't own much but here is a token of our eternal gratitude." He pours three items into your hands.
- Merciful fusion seal (5th)
Falcon boots
- Bright gemstone worth 150 credits.
*****
Departing you head towards Lodging Camp 66, a nearby workers’ lodging camp.
Located on a half hour away from Maija’s apartment, Lodging Camp 66 is one of several scattered camps throughout Absalom Station that provides basic housing for those unable to pay the heightened rates for proper station housing. The area contains several lodgings, and Shenge resides in a small housing unit adjacent to a public restroom.
Foot traffic is low in this neighborhood, and most of the roughly dressed citizens ignore newcomers and expect to be ignored in return. Short halls connect several basic square lodging units together in simple patterns, while exterior areas with open tables and chairs act as communal gathering points. Few people walk the dirty streets here, and many of the doors are unnumbered with multiple locks installed.
The lodging camp is in a worse part of town. While Maija lived in a predominantly halfling area, this neighborhood is more mixed species. As you inquire with locals about Shenge, most people rebuff the inquiries, having no knowledge of Shenge. The only people who speak up are Shenge’s immediate neighbors, who complain about a rank odor that wafts in and out of the area.
You head into the squat stacked apartment. This area contains six single-occupant dwellings crammed together. Each space is a ten-foot-cube chamber with a single door. Some of the chambers have armored windows, though
each of these is covered by posters or shaded over by crude spray paint. A communal restroom unit is located near the center of the accommodations. The sealed entrance to one of the dwellings bears a battered nameplate that reads “Shenge. No solicitors.”