I hope someone else knows where this "Downlow" neighborhood is...
It is not uncommon for residents and visitors of Absalom Station to eventually obtain enough knowledge of the massive station to be able to find their way around.
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"Yeah, I've been down there a lot to help out at the clinics!" Neon seems genuinely pleased at the dea of revisiting the neighborhood. "I can take us down - just don't let go of your credsticks and you should be fine. It's one of those 'awkward teenager' places between poor and poppin', so we'll be seeing all kinds of stuff."
The gnome's head cranes up. "Why are you winking at me? I am not into that sort of thing!" She raises he stick to crack the Venture Captain on the foot. "Pervert!"
The Venture-Captain bites down on a yelp, managing to keep it in, as his hand instinctively reaches down to his foot, now smarting from the sting of the gnome's stick.
The mystic makes a few hurried gestures with his hands and utters syllables of some ancient tongue, which seem to soothe his pain. "The more you increase the number of Starfinders assigned to a mission", they said, "the more you increase the likelihood of success." he recites with annoyance. I'm beginning to wonder if the “The Godshield” was actually constructed by First Seeker Jadnura as a some last ditch effort to free himself from other Starfinders like the human and the gnome--leaving them for the rest of us to have to deal with!
His eyes narrow. If that's the case, then I say that its high time that we redouble our efforts to bring the "The Godshield" down and "rescue" them!
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Zapp grimaces and holds back a retch at the sight of the newcomer. Still, he leads the gnome out into the lobby. "We're searching for a lost Starfinder vessel," he explains. "A vesk in the Downlow has come upon some of our insignias, which may help us in that regard. The current mission is to retrieve them, and follow any clues they provide."
The man shakes his head violently. She wasn't picked for this mission because of her voice. That means she likely has much brain-power. I'm not sure I can sell her needing extensive plastic surgery as a mission requirement. Maybe if only those under 3 feet had to...? No, there's that ysoki. You ruined it, Darqen!
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Watdems swats at Zapp's hand with her stick. "Well, don't sit there dreaming boy." She taps the metal handles on her chair. "Be a dear and give me a push there." She sets her small staff down in a groove on the side of the Hoverround, so as not to get caught up in her oxygen tubes and folds her hands neatly in her lap as she waits.
On the way down to the Downlow she does nothing but complain about the Vesk. "Vile creatures. Nothing but trouble. Neighborhood has gone to s+## once they started moving in."
Seeing Harqen shaking his head, Venture-Captain Arvin says to the ysoki, "Believe me, I sympathize. Just make sure, Harquen, that you authenticate the insignias. I would hate to have gone through all this... bother... for nothing."
"Of course I will authenticate the insignias and blow a hole in anybody trying to play the fraudster on my watch."
At the mention of "blowing a hole" in somebody, Venture-Captain Arvin raises an eyebrow, but does not immediately respond. Instead, he glances briefly over at Neon Punk.
Then, returning to address Harquen, Arvin notes, "Although this isn’t common knowledge outside the Starfinder Society, these insignias are no mere trinkets; they can be used to encrypt or decrypt information that the Starfinders wanted to keep hidden.”
"I fully understand Venture-Captain Arvin. I can assure you that I have heard from several sources that blowing holes in people can also keep information hidden sometimes."
Venture-Captain Arvin again glances over at Neon Punk.
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Wait...what's this about bleeding and dying? I don't know what your plans are, but I like keeping my blood and guts right where they are.
Vchk murmurs quietly into Ozei's thoughts, {"Well, if they wish to boldly sacrifice themselves for the good of the Starfinders and the civilized world, I won't rush to stop them."}
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Wait...what's this about bleeding and dying? I don't know what your plans are, but I like keeping my blood and guts right where they are.
"As do I, but you never know what will happen in the field. Why, it may come to pass that the captain may have to go down with the proverbial ship. Talking of which...Watdems, was it? I hereby promote you to my second-in-command. With a chance of field advancement."
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Neon watches the rest of the group prepare for departure, and then turns back to the V-C and gives him a thumbs-up. "We'll make it happen, Cap'n."
With that simple statement of fact, he flips on the headphones resting around his neck, playing a stream of old-fashioned chillhop that would be sufficiently audible to him and difficult for everyone else to make out.
Noticing that JJ seems unusually quiet, Venture-Captain Arvin gives him a nod. “I am counting on you to help keep this team safe.” he says. “And not just from each other.”
Seeing the assembled Starfinders eager to embark on their mission, Venture-Captain Arvin allows himself to feel a small, moment of hope. ”Neon, I’ve uploaded directions to Julzakama’s shop to your feed.” Arvin says, which he follows up with a stern look to the extranet personality.
“As for the rest of you, you are all…” he breaks his gaze with Arvin and looks around to find an unexpectedly empty room. [b]“…dismissed.” he awkwardly utters to Neon, realizing only now that the other Starfinders had already left for Downlow.
You make your way to Downlow, a poor and densely-populated section of the Spike that extends below Absalom Station.
Julzakama’s shop is less than an hour from the Lorespire Complex, the headquarters of the Starfinder Society, and reaching the run-down store is fairly simple. Given his past visits to the area and the directions provided by the Venture-Captain, Neon has no trouble locating the alley where the shop is listed as being located.
Although some areas of Downlow are clean and trendy, this narrow alley of concrete and metal buildings drips with oil and sparking wires. A wide, red neon electric sign reads “Julzakama’s Loans” on a building sandwiched between a Kuthite sensation house and a derelict building covered with graffiti. The shop’s solid metal door contains a single, small window too grimy to peer through.
Upon entering the store, your nose is hit with the acrid smell of a reptile house that has not been cleaned in months. You find the interior of Julzakama’s Loans to be crammed with shelves containing all manner of near-valueless items, from small appliances to VR game consoles and jars of colored powders.
Behind a low desk in the rear of the shop, enveloped within a series of metal bars anchored into the ceiling, stands a massive vesk in a muscle shirt stands, who looks up from what appears to be the carelessly disassembled remains of an old computer as you enter the shop. With a visible glint within his reptilian eye, a smirk begins to form across his scaly face.
"I always welcome paying customers," he says, displaying a toothy smile, ”but it appears to me that you folks must be lost.”
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Neon waves at Arvin as he leaves, catching up with the rest of the group as the team departs from the Lorespire Complex. "Alright, everyone! Let's get this show on the road... we've got a cold-blooded merchant to coax into a confession."
On the way down, Neon fires up his stream, prattling on with introductions and reminders that "...all donations go to Comet Chaser Charities, the fund that helps kids in need to follow their dreams!"
Once the group reaches Julzakama's shop, he takes a moment to appreciate the graffiti on the derelict building next-door, pointedly ignoring the sensation shop and purposefully keeping it out of the camera's view. He makes his way inside, gawking over the VR games and consoles while the rest of the party gets situated. "Whoa, Star Citadel 7? That's one of my all-time faves!" Someone's not afraid to let their nerd flag fly...
"Whoa, Star Citadel 7? That's one of my all-time faves!" Someone's not afraid to let their nerd flag fly...
"Don't handle the merchandise unless you can pay for it, man-ling." warns the vesk.
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Talking of which...Watdems, was it? I hereby promote you to my second-in-command. With a chance of field advancement."
"WAT?"
***
Watdems rides peacefully down into the Downlows. In fact she seems to take a bit of a nap as Zapp pushes her along. her older skin almost seems purple in spots as if someone grabbed her hard in areas.
Hearing the Vesks gruff voice she startles awake. "GGWWA!!! Did I miss Jewel?" She looks around worried, only to find a vesk behind some bars. She looks back at Zapp. "They just can't stay outta jail can they..." She says matter of factly as she isn't surprised.
She squints her eyes at the strange electronics and VR equipment. Her hands shakes a bit. She looks to the Vesk. "You have a Werthers original and a water? My blood sugar is acting up?"
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Actually, this looks exactly like "When Gangers Attack!". I suppose you CAN trust the vid streams. Sometimes."
Vchk tries to put some space between himself and Watdems, mostly for the safety of his toes. He pointedly ignores the Vesk, as his gut tells him that his usual pleasant demeanor won't take him far. The shirren keeps his hands close to his sides, hoping not to raise Julzakama's ire, as he pretends to peruse the shelves.
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She looks to the Vesk. "You have a Werthers original and a water? My blood sugar is acting up?"
“This isn’t a sweets shop or some shirren sensation bar, gnome-ling. Though I suppose that you could use some fattening up.” The vesk’s smile grows larger, nearly covering his entire face, as he makes as sound that resembles a hiss as much as a chuckle.
The vesk thinks for a moment then assumes a more business-like demeanor. “Now, if you are looking to make a purchase, I do just happen to have an object among my possessions that was specifically made for a gnome-ling like you.” Through the bars, the vesk points over to a nearby corner where, next to a stack of dented toasters, sits a small, earthen chair made out of a substance similar to adobe. “It’s size and construction is just perfect for the significant, gnome-ling other in your life. I don't know what its name is, but it’s a perfect gnome man clay chair."
"Not lost, but nor are we paying," Zapp smirks confidently. "Our employer, the Starfinder Society, negotiated a payment for some insignias you came upon. You should already have received the credits. All that remains is for you to hand 'em over."
"...And how'd you find these, anyway?"
Julzakama responds to Zapp’s smirk with a wider smile of his own. ”Starfinders? Well, why didn’t you say so earlier, man-ling?”
He reaches down below his desk and retrieves a small metal box. ”Thank you for your business." snaps Julzakama, as he slides the box through a gap in the bars. "It is much appreciated.”
The vesk scratches the scaly skin between his bony beard-spikes with a clawed hand and says, “Seems I’m now fully paid for those trinkets there. I remember Arvin said something about wanting information, too, and I can do that. But information costs extra.”
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Zapp furthers his own grin again as if it was a contest (though Julzakama would eventually win simply by way of physiology). "Extra? Very brave of you to make such demands from that side of a cage. Perhaps you'd like to me to come over there and show you why they call me The Man with No Name? Me, Zapp Brannigan?" He puts one hand on his pistol, while the other rests casually on the bars.
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Wat's blood sugar does indeed get low and the Vesk sees a hangry side of her not many get to see. At least that is what she thinks. In reality it is what most people see most of the time. She holds her stick out and gives the bars a hard whack.
*Clang!*
"Out with the information scaleface. You should be ashamed. Trying to take my social security check away from me." One of her eyes somehow squints as the other doubles in size as she stares down the Vesk, scolding him.
"Don't act surprised! Do we not look like Starfinders to you?"
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Neon watches with a bemused air as his fellow Starfinders lay into the vesk with their best Bad Cop/Bad Cop routine. With one last longing glance at the VR decks, he tries to move closer to the group. It sucks being the one with a conscience sometimes.
"I think what my friends here are trying to say is that if you pass along the info sooner rather than later, we can all be on our way. I know your time is a lot more valuable than anything else - wasted time is bad for business, and we don't want that to happen to you."
His heartfelt appeal to the vesk's sense of reason is somewhat diminished by an explosive sneeze immediately afterward.
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Watch out, shady pawnbrokers everywhere. The dynamic duo of Zapp and Watdems will shake. You. Down.
Twenty minutes in. Hands down, strangest mission I've been assigned to.
Vchk continues to muddle between the shelves, careful not to do anything that might allow the Vesk to acknowledge him.
Harqen takes the box and starts to examine the insignias with his tools to authenticate them.
Upon being confronted in such a manner, Julzakama looks around the shop. Looking at Vchk scanning the shelves in a seemingly cool and calm manner, Julzakama thinks that the ren-ling probably isn’t crazy enough to take something. Looking at Harqen opening the box and analyzing its contents, Julzakama thinks that the rat-ling probably isn’t crazy in examining the merchandise to make sure that he was acquiring what they came for. Looking at Ozei, Julzakama thinks the lash-ling probably isn’t crazy enough to do enough harm to trigger a response from the Lowrigger gang in their territory, but that should would probably do enough to ruin his day. Looking at Neon Punk admiring the VR equipment, Julzakama thinks that the man-ling is crazy if he thinks that that junk is valuable. Looking at Zapp reaching for is pistol, Julzakama thinks that the man-ling just might actually be crazy enough to use it. Looking at Wats riding on her Hoverround ™, Julzakama knows that the gnome-ling actually is crazy enough to use it.
Whether the result of fear of losing merchandise, fear of physical harm, fear of jeopardizing his business by getting into a scrap when his protection money has already been paid in full, fear of possibly being eaten by a gnome, or the fear of losing a smiling contest to a creature that he estimates couldn’t have much more than just thirty-two teeth, Julzakama quickly relents.
"All right, all right.” he says, backing away from the bars. "The seller was named Exegara, and she wasn’t from around here. She’s one of them creepy, undead. Definitely an Eoxian. She looked like a man-ling, but didn’t breath or blink or anything. Wore a flight suit, like she had come off a long trip. Once she had her money, she asked about where to purchase clean skeletons.” He points to the littered shelves around his shop. "I don’t carry goods like that!
"So I sent her to the Vat Garden. She stormed out of here. Mentioned something about hiring some local muscle. ‘Just in case’, she said. “ Julzakama raises his clawed hands in protest. "That’s all I know. Honest!”
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Harqen is somehow triggered again by all these buzzwords and starts to talk and talk and talk about Vat Garden and about Eox.
"Oh man ... I am actually a really sneaky thug and no scholar but sometimes our father's teachings just breaks out of me! Sorry for the monologue! And please do not think that all Ysoki are ... oh on second thought ... ok we are that unscrupulous ... hmmm ... or maybe that is just me?!? Ha ha ha ... " and he starts laughing in a strange ratty voice.
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"Good to do business with you," Zapp lets his painfully wide smile morph back into a normal one.
He sets about wracking his brains for prior knowledge on the subjects, coming up with nothing. Still, he has the good sense to open his special comm channel, on which Kiff morosely looks up data from the laundromat's Infosphere. By the time this process is over, Harqen has schooled the team on all things Eox and Vat Garden. A bit sheepish and annoyed, Zapp keeps his mouth shut, hoping no one heard the comm.
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"Definitely an Eoxian."
Vchk's antennas perk up.
Eoxian? Ma said I would see all sorts if I went to Absalom. It seems she was right. What an interesting opportunity this will be...
"Sorry for the monologue!"
In any other group, a compulsively monologuing rat would seem strange. Vchk glances over to see Zapp and Wat throwing menacing glares at the Vesk behind the security bars. In any other group...
Vchk quietly steps outside the pawnshop to send a brief update message to the venture-captain. It reads, "Suspect Eoxian. Headed to Vat Garden. In pursuit."
Vchk quietly steps outside the pawnshop to send a brief update message to the venture-captain. It reads, "Suspect Eoxian. Headed to Vat Garden. In pursuit."
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"Thanks, big man! You're a credit to the Society," Neon says to the vesk. He casts another look back at the VR gear and sighs, trailing after the rest of the group as they depart from the shop. I'll be back for you, Retro Beauty.
Letting the ysoki take the lead with the intel this time, Neon hangs back and addresses some questions from viewers, though he's somewhat distracted by his thoughts. "This Eoxian sounds like bad news, and that's not out of any prejudice I may have toward the... uh, the 'differently alive'. We're in for a rough ride if we want to get the truth about those insignias."