Lauren loots the bodies, listening to the conversation. "Was one of the infants you did documents for is named Eyrub Paqual?"
Seeing the captain drop, she adds, "Ooops, I is tidewater wall." and rushes over to help Diedre back to her feet.
Diedre attempts to wave Lauren away. "Nah, I'm good. I'm just gonna lay here for a while. Let me know when we get back to the ship," she says as she tips over onto her side on the filthy ground.
Lauren loots the bodies, listening to the conversation. "Was one of the infants you did documents for is named Eyrub Paqual?"
"Yeah! I mean, that's what he said his name was. I don't put a lotta stock in that." The thug looks at Lauren quizzically. "And, uh, he ain't no baby. Full-grown dude. Normal size, an' stuff."
Holding his head from the blow that the thug had struck against it, Entiren momentarily leans against the wall for support. Shaking his head a little after the pain fades, he walks over to where Miraj is questioning the thug. "Is there anything else you can tell us about this group of 'eggheads' that you did your work for? Anything stand out about them?"
"Is there anything else you can tell us about this group of 'eggheads' that you did your work for? Anything stand out about them?"
"There was a bunch of 'em. Like, a dozen, maybe more. Said they were off to do some jungle science or somethin', but none of their stuff looked very science-y. Had to 'find' some Port Authority uniforms just to slip all that crap through. Lotta guns, explosives, you name it. They had this comm unit so big it came in three pieces. And, uh, some sort of spores."
The thug scrunches up his face, a moment of irritation flashing through his fear. "You know how hard it is to fake a permit for movin' boxes and boxes of some weird plant into a nature preserve? I shoulda got a bonus for that."
"Well, that's all very helpful. So helpful, I think we'll call the port authority so they can let you be helpful about how you did all this."
He pulls out his comm unit and starts to call the group contact at the Port Authority.
"Well, that's all very helpful. So helpful, I think we'll call the port authority so they can let you be helpful about how you did all this."
"Hey hey whoa whoa whoa!" The thug waves his arms in a dramatic bid to stop Miraj from dialing. "I gave you what you wanted, buddy. Just let me space it, okay? I swear I don't know any more."
His words are punctuated by the sound of distant emergency sirens, gradually growing louder.
"You tried to kill us! You think a little information sets that right? You can plead for mercy from the authorities. Maybe if you cooperate with them, they'll cut you a deal."
Before Miraj makes the call, however, he glances around to see what the others think of his idea.
Looking over at Diedre, Miraj sees that the half-elf is now curled up into a fetal position on the dirty ground and snoring loudly.
Miraj rolls his eyes at Diedre's condition. He looks to the others for their take on what to do with the prisoner.
"He is nots first person to try to kill us and failure. I thinks he is nots bosses here, also. I is okays either way." Lauren looks down at Diedre asleep on the ground. "Am I carrrying captain back to ship?"
"You tried to kill us! You think a little information sets that right? You can plead for mercy from the authorities. Maybe if you cooperate with them, they'll cut you a deal."
"Cut a deal? Cut a deal?!" The thug looks increasingly frantic as the sounds of sirens swells. "You think they're just gon-" He suddenly jukes mid-sentence, sprinting down a side alley at break-neck speed.
Miraj tries to trip the guy before he gets out of melee range.
His sword cane is too slow to get in front of his feet.
Lauren bobs her bell and swishes her feeding tentacle as the thug runs away. She reaches down and wraps her manipulatory tentacles around the captain, rises, and proceeds walking back to the ship.
Diedre twists just a little in Lauren's tentacles and giggles a bit before resuming her snoring.
Miraj contacts the authorities to report the incident, give the location of the dead, and describe the one who got away. Unless the police have anything else they need, once they have the situation in hand and all the information they need, he suggests we get to our ship and prepare for a trip into the jungle.
Unable to do anything to stop the fleeing thug, Entiren watches as he rounds the corner and goes out of sight. Then, once the others begin walking back towards the ship, falls in behind them.
Miraj contacts the authorities to report the incident, give the location of the dead, and describe the one who got away. Unless the police have anything else they need, once they have the situation in hand and all the information they need, he suggests we get to our ship and prepare for a trip into the jungle.
The authorities actually intercept the Starfinders not far from Twonas En's last stand, but after a tense few moments Miraj is able to explain the situation and the crew of the Moriko is able to extract themselves from the scene relatively quickly.
On the way back to the ship, the Starfinders receive a message from Professor Ailabiens 21:2, along with a large cache of documents:
<I have completed the transfer of Halkueem Zan's original journals to modern digital files, and I have taken the liberty of annotating them with my extensive xenoanthropological knowledge. This will allow you to easily identify the most relevant sections in the field; I am aware that the stress of a non-traditional environment can make logical data processing difficult for some races.
It is worth noting that there appear to be some gaps in the records. Either Zan was negligent in documenting his journey - unsurprising for a human - or portions of the record have been removed from the archive. I do not have the information to speculate further.
There is one final item. Professor Muhali has informed me that, in line with my formal apology, it is customary to surrender any proceeds from the offending act to a charitable cause as an act of good faith. Although I find this quaint and illogical, I do not have the standing to disagree. I understand that you are about to undertake an archaeological expedition, so as a measure of gratitude, I have sent you the earning from my recent lecture. Make good use of them.>
By the time the Starfinders reach the Moriko night has well and truly fallen, giving a respite from the heat and humidity. The crew beds down in short order, knowing that a massive task lies ahead.
At some point in the dead of night, the Moriko receives an interplanetary message from the Lorespire:
<Greetings, Starfinders. Professor Muhali has reached out to me for assistance in expediting your permits to visit the wilderness preserve of Ukulam. I understand that a kidnapping has taken place. I don't need to inform you that safely recovering a civilian is just as important (if not more so) than unraveling the mysteries of the Drift Rock. Rest assured that you have the full weight of the Society behind you. In partnership with the University, I have forwarded you a stipend of 2,500 credits so that you may properly outfit yourself for the expedition.
It is my understanding that you are in need of reinforcements. Luckily, we have many agents on-planet, and I have arranged for a promising young agent to meet you in Ukulam. I'm sure you will have plenty of time to bring him up to speed once you set out.>
<Johnny,
I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you yet. My name is Chiskisk, and I am a member of the Society's leadership council. There is a crew of Starfinders on Castrovel in need of additional personnel. A noted member of a Qabarat university has been kidnapped and apparently smuggled into the Ukulam wilderness preserve. I am sorry to cut your vacation short, but time is of the essence. Attached to this message is a stipend for expeditionary gear as well as a permit to travel via aiudara to Turhalu Point. You should rendevous there with your new crew within 12 hours. They will explain the situation when you get there.>
The next morning goes by in a rush. The Starfinders receive a missive from Muhali, informing them that permission has been granted to travel via gate to Turhalu Point on the east coast of Ukulam at 12:00 Qabarat time.
As everyone is rushing through their morning preparations, there's a announcement tone over the ship's internal PA.
"Attention, everyone," Diedre's hesitant voice echoes through the ship. "Um, I'd like to apologize formally to you all for my ... uh ... behavior ... yesterday. It was unprofessional and very ... um ... uncaptainey. I have no excuse and I promise that it will not happen again. Um ... I guess that's it. Thank you." - click.
The half-elf looks down at her comm-unit and then sighs. Ignoring the roiling in her stomach, she sets about straightening up her quarters - her gear already set for the journey. She refuses to look over at the empty bunk on the other side of the small room.
Lauren rises and stows her gear in an effort to pack for the trip. Seeing the stipend payments to her account, she sends a note to the group, using the auto-translation feature on her comm unit <"We should head out to purchase supplies and get to the elf gate quickly."> She completely fails to understand what the captain is talking about.
At precisely noon, the Starfinders find themselves in a small Port Authority complex in the heart of the Gateway District. After being processed through a lengthy security gauntlet in a dull, nondescript government building, the crew find themselves ushered into an enclosed courtyard full of towering trees, lush flowering bushes, and meandering pathways leading to archways seemingly woven out of branch, stone, and precious metals. No two archways are the same size or shape; some tower high enough to park a starship under while others seem sized for just one person - or less. All contain a shimmering curtain of magical energy, however, concealing what lies beyond.
"This way, please." A bored functionary leads the Starfinders through the mystical garden to a gate just large enough for two abreast, nestled next to a small pond. An anachronistic holographic display stands next to the aiudara, displaying the words, "Turhalu Point: 06:00 19th day Vernal".
"When you reach Turhalu Point, please check in with Dr. Khair al-Nuaf to document your arrival," the functionary continues, "have a safe trip, and thank you for using the Qabarat Port Authority for your travel needs."
With a single step, the Starfinders travel over 3,000 miles west, crossing Castrovel's Western Sea and setting foot on the untamed continent of Ukulam.
In an instant, the noon sun flies to the eastern horizon, where it rests on an endless stretch of blue-green water. In contrast to the regulated gates of Qabarat, Turhalu Point's single aiudara stands alone, watching over a beach of white sand and small birds that dive in and out of the gently cresting waves. Further inland, a walled compound squats on a small hill.
About 20 feet from the aiudara a male half-elf in tempweave armor and loose clothing leans on a battered shield, watching the sunrise.
"Hello fans," she says in slightly slurred speech. "I probably shouldn't make a log entry in the state that I'm in, but I'm pretty sure that we're heading out into the bush tomorrow." She offers up a half-hearted laugh. "And not the fun kind o' bush either."
Edit break.
"I wanted to get a new clip for the members section before we left. It's done. It's probably not my best work. But sometimes there's no way around the fact that life sucks."
She sits for a bit, gazing over at the empty side of the room.
Edit break.
"Before I go, I wanted to say thanks to BiddleBow888 again for the collector's edition shirt," she says. She extends her chest to show that she's wearing a cropped pink t-shirt. It's emblazoned with Selena the Skittermander carrying katanas in each hand and with a black mask over her eyes.
Edit break.
"One last thing ..." she says, leaning into the camera. "If you're watching, Roomie," she says in a calm-but-slurred voice, "Stay safe, ok?"
Cut
~~~~~
In spite of the expected weather, Diedre is wearing her brown duster over her clearweave armor. Under the clear fabric is a cropped pink t-shirt with Selena the Skittermander (TM) on it. She's wearing cargo pants over the top of the armor from which are strung various grenades. She carries a holstered sidearm and there's a designer rifle slung over her back that looks more decorative than functional. Her auburn hair is pulled back into a utility pony and she's donned a pair of dark glasses that cover her blue eyes.
"Are you the agent Chiskisk sent?" she asks in a no-nonsense voice. "I'm Captain Lhashi. This is Laurenzia Th'Chenta, she's science ... and I guess engineering now," she says, indicating the scyphozoan, "Miraj Pavana, gunner," she points at the Ryphorian, "And our pilot, Entiren Vraken," she concludes with the nuar.
"And you are ...?"
"John Lawrence, but you, pretty lady, can call me Johnny. I am indeed a Starfinder agent." he says as he transmits the codes to prove his identity.
"So you want to tell me what the hell was so important that it required me cutting my leave short?" He gives Diedre a quizzical look as he asks, but the smirk never leaves his face.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Johnny" is a Half-Elven man wearing tempweave armor surrounded by what appears to be a forcefield made of absolute darkness. He stands about 6' tall, with oddly-colored eyes: one dark gray, and the other a striking shade of ice blue. He wears his hair close-cropped but not shaven, and appears to have neither weapons nor armor.
His body language screams swagger, as if every fiber of his being is trying to convince you he's the baddest MF'er in the room, regardless of what room he's in.
A pack that appears to be newly bought rests on the ground at his feet, matching his freshly broken-in boots.
"Well, Mister Lawrence, my name is Diedre Lhashi. You may call me Captain Lhashi, or Captain if you're in a rush," Diedre says without her normal good nature.
"Our short term goal is the rescue of a kidnapped uni professor - One Doctor Olmehya," the half-elf continues. "Once that's accomplished, there are some ruins that we need to investigate in our longer-term goal of investigating the origin of the drift rock."
Lauren rushes through her shopping in Qabarat, sure that she's completely forgotten something important but not knowing enough to know what. "ဂြိုဟ်ပေါ်မှာပထမ ဦး ဆုံးအကြိမ်, ဒီမဖွင့်ပါနဲ့, မိန်းကလေး။." she thinks to herself as she rushes to meet the others at the gate. The instantaneous travel leaves her a little confused, but she perks up and bobs her bell at the mention of her name.
Completely missing the subtext of the conversation, Lauren says, "It is goods to meet you, Johnny Lauren. We is definitely needings your help."
Johnny chuckles and says "Only people who owe me money call me Mr. Lawrence. You can call my Johnny." Johnny ponders for a moment then asks "Do you know who kidnapped the professor or why? Do we know what the professor is a professor of, and is he the professor of anything related to the ruins?"
"She. And I actually don't know what Professor Olmehya Solstarni's specialty is, but she's very familiar with the writings of Halkueem Zan. Which is why we were trying to make contact with her. It seems that there's a group one step ahead of us with the same idea. They kidnapped her and are using her to find the same elvish ruins that we're looking for."
"We need to rescue her and then we can deal with the ruins."
She looks the other half-elf up and down.
"So what is your skillset? How can we best utilize you?"
"I'm a master of Carmaleg." says Johnny as if that explains everything.
Carmaleg is a pre-gap Elven unarmed combat style whose strikes are so precise they are said toe be able to sever the bonds between molecules.
True masters of the art are said to be able to remove limbs with a touch.
"I also have excellent situational awareness and my winning smile."
"So how bout you? Besides being a very pretty Captain lady, what else do you and your team do?"
"I knows this jokes," Lauren mumbles. Casting token spell she uses it to make a manipulatory tentacle full of illusionary glitter which she throws in the air between them and says, with strange confidence, "I is 'entertainer'."
Diedre snorts and quickly puts her hand to her mouth to cover her laughter.
"Lauren is our science expert and she knows a little magic," Diedre says, trying to take on a more serious tone. "Miraj is a master of investigation and stealth. Entiren is our expert where the divine is concerned. And myself ...?"
Diedre considers the question for a moment and her brows furrow slightly under her dark glasses.
"Let's just say that I'm good with people and I'm the one that keeps us on task. Speaking of which ... let's get moving."
When Diedre introduces him, Entiren will nod in greeting to Johnny. He is wearing a long-sleeved white shirt underneath a new jacket which appears to have armored plates installed in several locations, as well as a pair of sturdy pants and thick hiking 'boots' on his feet. He has a pair of gloves tucked into his belt next to a small pouch, opposite which is slung a starknife. On his back is a backpack that is mostly full, next to which is a laser rifle. Opposite the rifle hangs a helmet to go with the rest of his armor.
"It is good to meet you Johnny. However, I do agree with our Captain in that we should get going, as time is of the essence in this matter."
"Fair enough. How far a hike are these ruins frum the Aundair?"
Miraj gets his shopping done efficiently, getting some new armor, some survival items, ammo, and an industrial backpack to hold it all. He visits a tech augmentation shop and gets a personal upgrade that boosts his strength. He never looked either strong or weak, but now his muscles are a bit more defined, toned, and with slightly more bulk.
He changes his appearance with his holoskin to make himself look similar to before, but with features of an elf with suntanned skin, black hair, and silver eyes.
He arrives through the aiudara and stands stock still for a number of breathes, just staring around and smelling the air, feeling how different everything is in an instant.
When Johnny's acquaintance is made, he gives a jaunty salute. He leaves things as Diedre introduced him unless Johnny asks him for details about his skill set.
Miraj is wearing traveling clothing, with Freebooter armor I armor underneath. He has on an apparently new set of boots and a hat with a broad brim. He takes the hat off when introduced to Johnny, then puts it back on. He has a walking cane in hand, with a semi-auto pistol, a laser pistol, and a knife on his belt, and a sniper rifle in a holster attached to his backpack. He has a shoulder holster with a static arc pistol as well. Also attached to his pack is a medkit and he sports a medical emergency responder patch on his shoulder. He has a few other tool kits on his belt.
He otherwise is traveling light and moves with grace and poise.
"Fair enough. How far a hike are these ruins frum the Aundair?"
"Possibly up to two weeks in and then another two weeks back out - all on foot," Diedre replies. "I hope your geared up for that."
"I brought food for two weeks. Do we have someone who can hunt among our number? We'll want to supplement our diet with fresh food."
As Johnny learns about his new companions, the Starfinder crew make their way up the hill towards a fortified compound. As they ascend, the pleasant sea breeze is replaced by a stifling savanna heat as the sun climbs over the horizon. Along the way, the crew pass several layers of decommissioned military fortifications - anti-tank barriers swallowed by creeping vines, gutted gun turrets converted into masts for weather stations or camera equipment, and heavy-duty bunkers meticulously disassembled and rebuilt into greenhouses or open-air laboratories.
As the Starfinders reach the gate of the main compound, they are greeted by an older human male with a shock of white hair and sun-weathered skin. Despite his apparent age, he seems full of energy and has a firm handshake. "Greetings! A warm welcome, indeed, to our humble facility here at Turhalu. My name is Dr. Khair al-Nuaf; I am perhaps the closet thing to "in charge" around here. I understand you are working on a project that is rather time-sensitive? Dr. Muhali didn't give me many details; she seemed very concerned with getting you access to the continent as soon as possible." As he speaks, the scientist leads the crew into a former mess hall converted into a series of open-air offices.
"Yes," Diedre says, smiling as she greets the older man. "We have reason to believe that Doctor Olmehya Solstarni has been taken into the bush against her will - kidnapped. We plan to rescue her and then, if she's willing, there are structures that we'd like to examine."
She looks around the offices.
"How many people do you supervise here, Doctor al-Nuaf?"
As the group made their way towards the compound, Johnny slightly bowed his head while he touched his forehead.
"Yes, if you could perhaps let us know if a group passed through here recently?"
As the group climbs the hill, passing all the former stations of war, Miraj nods and says, "Nice to see peaceful uses can be found for the instruments of war. May it always be so."
Miraj shakes hands with Dr. Khair al-Nuaf and enters the compound, looking around with curiosity. He lets Diedre do the talking and listens with interest to the answers she gets.
He is beginning to feel nervous about the trip into the wilderness. His family back on Triaxus had actually run a business as wilderness guides, offering trips into the winter wilderness for locals and off-world tourists. But he had gone off to college before he learned much of the skills needed to survive in the wild and events prevented him from participating in the family business, in fact from even seeing his family.
But even if he had become skilled at wilderness survival, that frozen landscape would not have prepared him well for what he was to enter. Fortunately, medical changes he had undergone before leaving Triaxus made him able to deal with heat much better than most.
"We have reason to believe that Doctor Olmehya Solstarni has been taken into the bush against her will - kidnapped. We plan to rescue her and then, if she's willing, there are structures that we'd like to examine."
"Yes, if you could perhaps let us know if a group passed through here recently?"
"Kidnapped?" Al-Nuaf's eyebrows climb in surprise. "Dr. Solstarni came through here just a day and a half ago, leading a team that was armed to the teeth and very impatient to get out into the wilds. I had meant to ask her why her expedition had been suddenly brought forward after so many months of careful planning, but her colleague said she was feeling ill - by the time I came around to check again, they were gone." The weathered researcher stares out a window at the grasslands beyond. "If she has indeed been kidnapped, she is in very great danger."
"How many people do you supervise here, Doctor al-Nuaf?"
"Oh, I would say that 'supervise' is an ambitious term around here, but there are perhaps 30 souls at the compound and another couple dozen overnighting in the field."
Dr. al-Nuaf leads the group into a room marked CARTOGRAPHY. A large, battered holo-table shows a topological rendering of a section of the continent, overlaid with scan data from aircraft and satellite surveys of the region. Holo-pins show the location of Turhalu point and a handful of research teams in the field. "Dr. Solstarni's colleague told me that they were heading to some elven ruins to the northwest of here, but I don't have a better idea than that. Do you?"
Johnny looks towards the captain expectantly.
Lauren takes a moment before heading away from the elf-gate to cast life bubble on herself, Diedre, and Entiren. The three of us are surrounded by clean, comfortable air and are immune to gas attacks.
"We have some information as to where we're going," Diedre says, but her normally confidant tone is lacking. "According to what Zan wrote," she continues, examining her comm unit. "We're heading first to the the Rune Obelisk. We have some notes on how to get there from another professor at the university. From there we're going to something called the 'Plague Warden', then to the 'Forsaken City'. Our final destination is the 'Stairs to Eternity'."
She shrugs.
"It's not great, but it's all we've got."
"Those sound like simply lovely places." comments Johnny.
"We have some information as to where we're going," Diedre says, but her normally confidant tone is lacking. "According to what Zan wrote," she continues, examining her comm unit. "We're heading first to the the Rune Obelisk. We have some notes on how to get there from another professor at the university. From there we're going to something called the 'Plague Warden', then to the 'Forsaken City'. Our final destination is the 'Stairs to Eternity'."
She shrugs.
"It's not great, but it's all we've got."
The researcher snorts softly. "Zan was certainly creative with the names, wasn't he?" After a brief consultation with the Starfinders' notes, he plots a rough course across the holo-map.
"As best as I can tell, you're headed northwest across the lowland plains. Relatively easy terrain, good sightlines. Luckily for you, the yaruk moots have largely moved inland with the fungal waves, so there shouldn't be much in your way until you hit the jungle proper." Al-Nuaf traces a finger further afield. "It's a proper subtropical rainforest in that area. Very dense. As for what lives there, all bets are off - we don't yet have a robust ecological survey in that quadrant. If you make it through that, you'll soon find yourself in the foothills of the Singing Range." His finger stops at the base of an immense line of mountains running north along the continental ridge. "By my estimation, you're looking at 10 - 12 days of steady foot travel."
Dr. al-Nuaf sighs as he looks at the map. "It's an ambitious journey, especially for an expedition of first-timers. The good news is that the Starfinder Society has reached out and requested us to provide you with a wilderness guide. The bad news is that all my best guides are in the field and can't be retrieved in time. So, I've had to... make do with what's at hand."
On the heels of that cryptic statement, al-Nuaf leads the group to a large, wearhouse-like building helpfully marked SUPPLIES. Out front, a four-legged insectile creature is arguing passionately with an exasperated lashunta who seems to be some sort of quartermaster.
This formian appears to be a member of the warrior class, which tend to be the most individualistic members of the hives (and the easiest for non-formians to understand).
"Excuse me? Excuse me!" Dr. al-Nuaf needs to raise his voice to interject into the arguement. "Hilmya, I contracted Irhok'zath as a temporary wilderness guide just last night. She is indeed entitled to requisition supplies. Irhok'zath? This is the group I spoke of to you."