----------The next day----------------
The walk back down is relaxed, and it feels good to have a fresh night of sleep after your eventful first day. You walk by Castamir's Station, a hot spot for agents (what's left of them anyway), but you've already got a mission today.
Thankfully Torin doesn't have to actually eat any synthetic gach. As soon as the order is placed, the human at the counter escorts you to the back of the bodega. There, a confident looking ysoki sits, guarded by a tough looking pair of humans. He motions you to have a seat and pours out a shot of bathtub moonshine for each of you as a gesture of hospitality before asking you your business. "And don't speak any doubletalk, ya hear?"
"Doubletalk? No not at all. Greetings, my fellow Ysoki! Do I have the pleasure of addressing Jabaxa? I am Gig Razorbite at your service. I am formerly been in the service of the great keyboardist, Thrull Magnar. I served in the role of technical expert and special effects man when incorporating new sounds into the mix of his Howland 5000. However, after Shock broke up due to a minor disagreement, I decided it was time to come out and open myself up to adventures that await me. Little did I know that they were waiting for me right here at Absalom station and right at the moment I got off the ship. I have narrowly avoided being shot at unlike some of the companions I was intending to meet. Anyway, I was thinking that we both share a common threat to our own well being, mainly in the name of the Downside Kings and perhaps worse, the Astral Extractions. I was wondering if there might be somethings we could do to serve each other?"
Booker lounges in his chair, though he leaves the moonshine in its glass. "What my talkative friend is intimating is that we're friends of the late Duravor Kreel. You know the name?" he asks, his confidence clear in his tone that the ysoki understands the matter.
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Dunklezahn steps forward and addresses the ysoki in his deep baritone.
Sir, you are leader of your... clan and we would not impose on your time any longer than necessary. I will speak plainly.
Dunklezahn eyes Booker and Gig with annoyance.
As my companion stated, we're associates of Duravor Kreel, who was recently killed during your conflict with the Downside Kings at Docking Bay 94. We've come to learn that he was a target of the Kings at the behest of Astral Extractions. It has also come to our attention that the Hardscrabble Collective has hired you to protect their interests in their current dispute with Astral Extractions, which would naturally put you at odds with the Kings.
We'd like to hear your side of what transpired at Docking Bay 94. Kreel was a fellow Starfinder and his death requires reparations. We'd also like to discuss how we might get in contact with the Collective to examine how we might help each other in resolving our mutual conflicts with Astral Extractions.
Gig glares back at Dunklezahn with a similar look of annoyance. and sharply whispers to him. "Can't you see?! He's one of my people. We are connected beyond mere commonalities. We both have cheek pouches. We're ysoki, not a bunch of reptiles!!"
Stepping back in front of Dunklezahn, Gig adds a bit more to the conversation trying to impress and connect with Jabaxa.
"One thing I forgot to mention was that besides being a keyboard technician for Thrull Magnar, I also operated the lighting effects on the panel behind Thrull's console. If you saw the show he did at the Akiton Grand Centrum, you would have seen my handiwork in action. That laser fan of rainbow light when he hit the cascading section of Light in the Jar, well that was all me, brother!"
Janzi downs the glass he is offered in one gulp, then displays genuine interest in the conversation. For a few seconds, anyway.
He interjects several nods as Gig talks — not necessarily at the right points — exclaims Yes! Kreel! as Booker mentions the name, and then his eyes glaze over again as Dunk begins to talk, seeming not to notice when Gig steps back in to list his technical C.V.
As the group falls silent, he looks back at Jabaxa. So. What's the word, then?
Hack-It tries to help the conversation by steering Gig back in the right direction. "I don't think your time working for Thrull matters, interesting though it might be to a select few. This is all about Kreel and the Downside Kings, and how we can help each other."
"I like the vector of your thrusters Starfinders. I can tell you that much. Let's chat. It seems like we both get that the Kings are bad news. I've been itching to get something done there for a while, but I can't simply start a gang war. You, however, are NOT members. So if I accidentally tell you that the Fusion Queen is a nightclub located in the lower levels of Absalom Station, deep in Downside Kings territory, and their main headquarters... it's not like *I* dd anything."
He twiches his nose a bit, "If you want justice for your dwarf friend, you'll find it by aiming your blasters at Ferani Nadaz, their leader. She's not too bright. I be you could also get some legal juice to your argument by searching her office."
Booker Broadshaw is a soldier. He leans forward in his chair and offers a curt nod of thanks for those tidbits of information. Then he dives at the guts of the job, and his soldiering shows. "Size and disposition of their forces? Preferred tactics? Standard weaponry?" Here he grins. "Known weaknesses?"
Jabaxa looks at Booker with wide eyes, "You sound like Station Security... You some kind of solider?" He twitches his nose a bit more, "They use vesk muscle, but there aren't many of them there at any point. You're headed to a lucrative night club. Shooting scares the clientele, but fist and baton fights tend to make it more hip."
Booker smiles. "I've seen a firefight or two." He turns in his seat to eye Dunklezahn. "Say, you're lookin' for a job, right? Interested in bein' a bouncer? Might get us a way in."
He stands. "Unless there's anything else...?"
"Good luck. Let me know when you've given those bastards a black eye. They deserve it."
Hack-It pokes at Sputter, and the droid easily rights itself. "Hear that? No shooting the place up." Bo-de-do-dee-doop "I did not cause that fight." Bo-de-do-dee-doop "Don't give me that 'my programming requires I follow your commands' techno-babble, I know what AI I gave you." Bo-de-do-dee-doop "Well that time was different. He was going to shoot me first..."
This back and forth continues as they take their leave.
Once the party leaves the company of Jabaxa, Gig declares, "Did you hear all of that?! I think we made quite the impression on our fine Ysoki friend. I'm sure he was very impressed when I told him about my part in the concert at the Centrum. Ysoki can be difficult to impress you know. You guys are just lucky that I came along."
We are? Janzi muses, before catching himself. I mean, we are!
Thinking a moment, he declares, We should dress for this night club. Gig, do your contacts have anything that can help us out there? Studio 54 stuff, maybe?
Indeed, Gig hears Jabaxa drumming on the table a rhythm he knows quite well....
Fusion Queen is a nightclub located in the lower levels of Absalom Station. The neighborhood is somewhat depressed, but still considered trendy in certain circles, and the club is usually filled with patrons at all hours, day or night. You recall trying to get a gig there, but not being able to book. You have little knowledge that will help you here.
-------------------------------------------
Lurid neon lights brighten the otherwise dingy space station corridor here, advertising the main entrance to Fusion Queen. A pair of bouncers guard the door. At the moment, there is no line to get in.
Janzi quietly identifies the logo, describing its similarity to the Downside Kings' symbol, to the group.
Recon, he says in response to Dunk's inquiry. And maybe Nadaz, if it works out that way. Try not to hurt anyone who's not trying to hurt you in return.
He leads the sextet tot the door with confidence. Hey! What's the word, Blue? The posse and I here gonna party down t'night.
The guards stand with hands not on their azimuth pistols, but their tactical batons. The stare right at Janzi's face as he speaks, then the both eye the rest of you. "Move along, we're full and there's a waiting list."
"We should dress for this night club. Gig, do your contacts have anything that can help us out there? Studio 54 stuff, maybe?"
"I can't say I know that much about the Fusion Queen except that its pretty trendy for a rundown neighborhood. I don't know any contacts there, but maybe my own contacts might be enough to get us into the place. Let me see what I can do. At the very least, we may have to act the part of roadies and help set up for the next musicians."
"Move along, we're full and there's a waiting list."
"Hey bro, I can tell you're full, but what you don't realize is that I'm an expert keyboard technician and soundman. I'm not sure that you realize this, but I am Gig Razorbyte, the right hand man for Thrull Magnar. I'm here with my pals to check out this joint and see if it might be the place for me to put in a good word to Thrull. Besides, if you want me to give your sound just that little boost, I'd be happy to do that for free. I'd even be able to get you your own autographed disk sign by the Shockman himself! What do you say, my man?"
Before heading down here, Booker practiced a few swings with one of the captured batons. His opinion of such toys does not improve. Clumsy, pointless weapons.
He watches Gig's verbose barrage with skepticism, and waits for the shoe to drop.
"Maybe you didn't hear us the first time." their clubs come out. "We said get the hell outa here."
Twhy both swing at Janzi
MISS
THWACK, right in the temple
Round 1:
Guards: ATK
Booker: Go
Torin: Go
Dunk: Go
R1G5: Go
Hack-it: Go
Gig: Go
"Oh, we heard you," Booker replies with nonchalance. "We just didn't care."
He ducks under the brute's next clumsy swing to put is shoulder to the wall and cracks his own baton at the vesk's knees.
Stupid, clumsy weapons.
R1G5 swings hard but the guard bobs and weaves under the swing easily.
Round 1:
Guards: ATK
Booker: Go
Torin: Go
Dunk: Go
R1G5: Miss
Hack-it: Go
Gig: Go
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Gig Razorbyte lets out a sigh of exasperation when the dialogue turns into combat. "I don't think Thrull is going to want to come to this place."
As a full round action, Gig casts magic missile and lets three arcane bolts blast directly at the rude red dude!
Gig's missiles slam into the guard! Once the yhit, the guard is barely on his feet, and the Starfinders are confident that even a grazing shot would do him in.
Round 1:
Guards: ATK
Booker: Wicked miss
Torin: Go
Dunk: Go
R1G5: Miss
Hack-it: Go
Gig: MM!
Blue:
Red: 12
"Don't shoot the place up, they said," Hack-It snaps open a tactical baton. "It'll cause a scene, they said," the mechanic steps in front of Gig and hits the bouncer (red).
"This is going to be a mess."
The ysoki smashes the guard in the neck with his baton. The guard drops into a crumpled mess!
Round 1:
Guards: ATK
Booker: Wicked miss
Torin: Go
Dunk: Go
R1G5: Miss
Hack-it: Kill
Gig: MM!
Blue:
Dunk misses his foe, but the staff strikes the ground with enough force that the guard still lets out a shout.
Round 1:
Guards: ATK
Booker: Wicked miss
Torin: Go
Dunk: Miss
R1G5: Miss
Hack-it: Kill
Gig: MM!
Torin five foot steps (that's still a thing, right?) over to the door. So we can just go in now, then, right? he says matter-of-factly, trying to ignore the concussion he just got and the blood streaming down the side of his face. He spies the baton that the fallen gaurd had, and flings it with his mind at Blue
Torin's projectile strikes the guard hard in the chest. It's not enough to knock him out, but given the fate of his coworker, he decides it's better to flee.
Round 2:
Guards: Flee
Booker: Go + AoO
Torin: Go
Dunk: Go
R1G5: Go
Hack-it: Go
Gig: Go
The fleeing guard ducks under the shot!
Round 2:
Guards: Flee
Booker: Go + AoO
Torin: Go
Dunk: Go
R1G5: Miss
Hack-it: Go
Gig: Go
"Oh no you don't!"
Booker curses at the weapon's utter awkwardness. He chases after the guard and brings the baton down on his fleeing head. "Gatcha!"
Booker catches the man on his wave by and then catches up to him to lay him low. Suddenly the new Starfinder agents find themselves in an alley way with only the bodies of two gangmembers to keep them company...
Just need to know what you're doing (if anything) with the bodies.
Janzi grabs the body of Red and helps drag it over by where Booker has subdued Blue. He props him up along the wall and fishes out whatever is in each thug's pockets. They won't be needing this stuff for a while, he says, handing what he finds over to Booker before making sure to cast stabilize on each, then returning to the door.
Torin passes on a pair of fully loaded azimuth pistols and two cred sticks with 150 credits apiece on them. The heavy bass coming from the club can be felt more than heard.
After looking over the guards for missed loot, Gig looks over at the stash that Janzi found. "Whatdcha find there, my friend?"
"Shall we proceed inside. Let's hope the music is better than their hospitality!"
After looking over the guards for missed loot, Gig looks over at the stash that Janzi found. "Whatdcha find there, my friend?"
"Shall we proceed inside. Let's hope the music is better than their hospitality!"
Booker catches the man on his wave by and then catches up to him to lay him low. Suddenly the new Starfinder agents find themselves in an alley way with only the bodies of two gangmembers to keep them company...
Booker looks over the pistols, shrugs, and stuffs them in his pack. "You need a minute?" he asks Torin. "That's a nasty cut you got there on your forehead. Almost took out a tentacle." He gestures uncertainly at Janzi's bruised antenna.