"I wonder if I should find something else to wear. Oooo ... maybe they have a recommended style guide."
Diedre finds that the Fusion Queen doesn't have its own net site, per se, but it is very hip within trendy circles. The Fusion Queen is popular for its custom drinks, loud music, and 24/7 party atmosphere.
Miraj starts doing computer searches for information on the Hardscrabble Collective, looking for an office, a list of officers, plus any recent news about their activities that we haven't already noted.
Then he starts mapping out the locations, noting how to get there quickly, and browses the area to familiarize himself with the general nature of the neighborhood. He takes a snap of the picture of Duravor and Astra and the various selfies. He puts the pictures in a folder he can quickly access while questioning people, to show who he is asking about.
He marks the location of the places visited by Aureum, like the Thundercrack. For good measure, he marks where the Acreon is located, as well.
Finally, as he finishes up his breakfast and orders a few fruit pastries and a sandwich for food on the move, he browses for locations of the Astral Extractions offices in the areas he will be visiting.
When Diedre talks about fashion, he asks, "I've got some formal wear in my bag. It's a Ryphorian version of a tuxedo. Let me know if you think zat would be acceptable at zis nightclub or would I be overdressed? I did not hang with people who might be considered 'hip' back on Triaxus, so I might need some fashion advice."
"A tuxedo?" Diedre says looking thoughtful. "If you had the rep, you could rock a tux at a club like this. Without that, I think you would just look like a rich boy slumming."
She looks over Maraj with a critical eye. "I could come up with something for you." She winks. "If you trust me."
Diedre looks at Aureum.
"How about us ladies go shopping?"
~~~
"So, we haven't really had a chance to chat," Diedre says as they peruse one of the lesser trendy shops. "So spill; what makes Aureum, Aureum?"
~~~
For Miraj, Diedre returns with a pair of loose black cargo pants that have a pair of glossy white chains that run down the right leg. The shirt is a dual pattern. The left side is a white cotton material with a long sleeve, while the right is a black see-through mesh with silica throughout the material so that is shimmers in the light. For the final piece, she hands him a white chain necklace.
"That should fit," she says with a wink. "I'm pretty good with sizes."
Diedre has changed into hugging faux-leather pants with a gold zipper that runs from the center of the waist in front, down to the crotch and back up the rear to the center of the waist in back. Her sneakers have been replaced with black high-heels and her top is skin-tight with full sleeves and no other adornment. However, it changes color according to the ambient sounds.
As Miraj is concluding his preparation for a few hours of information gathering, he decides to make another attempt to cultivate a contact on the local police force. He checks for a reply to his earlier message to Officer Steppath.
"While I have yet to hear back from you about my earlier message, I still want to help. The group you escorted from the crime scene at the entry terminal has been investigating the players in the incident. We have determined that Duravor Kreel may have been the target of the Downside Kings and the Level 21 Crew may have been trying to stop them. We have word on the street that the Level 21s were hired by the Hardscrabble Collective because Astral Extractions hired the Downside Kings to harrass the collective. That makes this incident quite possibly some extrajudicial attempts to resolve the conflicting claims of the Collective and AE over the salvage rights to the mining ship, the Acreon, and the asteroid it had in tow.
"We don't yet know how Kreel intersects between these two interests, however, we know he was active with the miners and he blamed AE for the death of his cousin, Astra Kreel.
"We are pursuing more leads today. One thing that could help us greatly--knowing the contents of Duravar Kreel's possessions. If they aren't needed for your investigation, could you please let the Starfinders know where they can be collected. If you need to hold onto them, can you perhaps see clear to give us a list of what is in your possession?
"As I said before, if there is anything I or we can do to help your investigation, let us know.
"Sincerely, Miraj Pavana, Starfinder Recruit."
"A tuxedo?" Diedre says looking thoughtful. "If you had the rep, you could rock a tux at a club like this. Without that, I think you would just look like a rich boy slumming."
She looks over Maraj with a critical eye. "I could come up with something for you." She winks. "If you trust me."
Miraj meets her gaze, holding it long enough to read her motives. He nods and reaches in his pocket and pulls out a 25 credit chit and lays it on the table. "Nothing that calls too much attention my way. The point is to minimize attention on me. Include a hat to cover my ears."
For Miraj, Diedre returns with a pair of loose black cargo pants that have a pair of glossy white chains that run down the right leg. The shirt is a dual pattern. The left side is a white cotton material with a long sleeve, while the right is a black see-through mesh with silica throughout the material so that is shimmers in the light. For the final piece, she hands him a white chain necklace.
"That should fit," she says with a wink. "I'm pretty good with sizes."
Diedre has changed into hugging faux-leather pants with a gold zipper that runs from the center of the waist in front, down to the crotch and back up the rear to the center of the waist in back. Her sneakers have been replaced with black high-heels and her top is skin-tight with full sleeves and no other adornment. However, it changes color according to the ambient sounds.
"Ah, but clubbing is all about drawing attention to one's self. That's how you blend in. Anything else looks out of place," Diedre says with a raised finger.
~~~
As if revealing the cherry for the top of the sundae, Diedre produces a bowler style hat in bright crimson. She places it on Miraj's head and the fit is almost perfect.
"See, I know sizes," she says with a grin.
Miraj starts doing computer searches for information on the Hardscrabble Collective, looking for an office, a list of officers, plus any recent news about their activities that we haven't already noted.
Miraj finds that the Hardscrabble Collective has no sort of office on the Station - instead, they're represented by a small employment agency located in the arms on the "north" side. Instead of a permanent base of operations on the Station, the Collective uses the Armada (the ac-hoc fleet of ships orbiting Absalom) as a sort of central gathering place while the member ships pursue mining operations. These expeditions are typically to the scattered asteroids and planetoids of the Diaspora, so the contract the Acreon received from Astral Extractions to scout for new prospects in the Vast represented a fairly significant windfall.
Since the contested reappearance of the Acreon, it seems that the Hardscrabble Collective has been (publicly, at least) completely silent.
"So, we haven't really had a chance to chat," Diedre says as they peruse one of the lesser trendy shops. "So spill; what makes Aureum, Aureum?"
Aureum accompanies Diedre on her shopping trip, looking surprisingly at ease as they browse the different stores.
"Well, I was a researcher in Qabarat until several years ago," she begins. "My ongoing studies of alien ruins were well-recieved, but cut short when I had to leave Castrovel suddenly."
She shrugs, running her fingers over the material of a shirt. "I'm a freelancer now, I suppose; no shortage of work for an archaeologist, especially one in the line of," she pauses meaningfully, "procuring artifacts."
The tall lashunta holds a shiny black dress to herself, as if measuring how it would fit, and looks down at Diedre. "What do you think?"
She shrugs, running her fingers over the material of a shirt. "I'm a freelancer now, I suppose; no shortage of work for an archaeologist, especially one in the line of," she pauses meaningfully, "procuring artifacts."
Diedre raises an eyebrow.
"Ah ... hunh," she says with a smile.
The tall lashunta holds a shiny black dress to herself, as if measuring how it would fit, and looks down at Diedre. "What do you think?"
"Um ... that's fine ... for a PTA meeting. For a night of clubbing ... " Diedre says tipping her hand back and forth.
She moves to a different rack and begins flipping through tops.
"How about something like this?"
She holds up a small black cropped tee shirt with tiny fluorescent pink lines across it. She tosses the shirt to Aureum.
"That would go well with these ... and these," she continues, digging up black leggings and a bright pink skirt that's all of 25 centimeters long.
"Shoes, we need shoes," she mutters to herself.
"So, freelancing, huh? That's kind of where I'm at myself. Can't say I'm a fan. I preferred the stability of a corp contract. But, hey, what can you do?"
She shrugs.
"I'm from Castrovel as well. Cordana to be specific. Where are you from?"
She moves to look through the large selection of shoes.
"Hey what size shoe do you ... ? Nevermind, I bet these will fit."
She holds up a pair of heavy-soled boots. They look like boots that a construction worker or other manual laborer would wear. However, they also happen to be bright pink as well.
"See? You just have to know where to look," she says triumphantly.
"Born and raised in Qabarat. My parents were scientists at the university there." Aureum eyes the clothes skeptically. "I'm not sure it's quite, uh, me?"
She produces a skin-tight black bodysuit with a deep v-neck. After a moment of searching, she finds a semi-transparent holographic jacket to wear over it, and high-heels of the same iridescent material. "Will this do?"
"Qabarat? I haven't been there. My mom's a singer." Diedre replies as she flips through more clothes.
"Hunting down artifacts sounds dirty and dangerous. What do you do for fun?"
She holds up a plain long-sleeved top in a silver material.
"There we go! It's a little retro, but I think it'll work just find."
She looks over at the outfit Aureum is putting together.
"That looks good. It needs a matching belt, though."
~~~~
Not getting any good leads on investigating the Hardscrabble Collective, Miraj journeys over to the ship where Aureum located Kreel's berth. His approach is to show Kreel's picture and start by asking for stories of how Kreel contributed positively to the miner's work and community, in order to put together an obituary and a memorial address to be given at his funeral.
As he receives stories, he'll try to follow up to find out Kreel's recent activities for Hardscrabble and/or connection to the Acreon.
Jehir takes the time to get cleaned up and to mend any damage to his clothing before he meets up with the others.
"Lookin' good, folks. Anything we need to pick up before we get there?"
Not getting any good leads on investigating the Hardscrabble Collective, Miraj journeys over to the ship where Aureum located Kreel's berth. His approach is to show Kreel's picture and start by asking for stories of how Kreel contributed positively to the miner's work and community, in order to put together an obituary and a memorial address to be given at his funeral.
As he receives stories, he'll try to follow up to find out Kreel's recent activities for Hardscrabble and/or connection to the Acreon.
Miraj is able to find several people willing to speak about Kreel's life and interests, and while he doesn't uncover anything revalationary, the detective is able to paint a more complete picture of Kreel, the Collective, and their place in the Pact Worlds.
Far from the enormous grav-elevators that transport people and goods through the Spike, five prospective starfinders find themselves walking down a narrow, dank passageway. Deep within the Station, the local "day lights" are predominantly broken, vandalized, or otherwise malfunctioning, producing a permanent twilight that is only accentuated by poor airflow and occasional piles of refuse. Up ahead, lurid neon lights brighten the otherwise dingy space station corridor, advertising the main entrance to the Fusion Queen as thumping music creeps through the walls and down the walkway.
"If the rest of you wish not to be identified, perhaps you should enter separately from me. I am willing to go first, but if the rest of you wish to be in place when I arrive, you could precede me and meld into the crowd."
"We should go in first, bouncers almost never give girls like us any trouble," Diedre says with a wink. She grabs Aureum's hand and heads towards the door.
As she gets closer to the music, she hits a control on her comm unit and her top changes patterns. Now instead of varying solid colors in time to the music, it goes transparent and various geometric patterns begin appearing and moving around, also in time to the music.
When she reaches the entrance, she gives the bouncer a big smile and then enters the club.
As they approach the club, Aureum's attention is drawn to the logo. "Look," she murmurs. "We're in the right place."
In heels, the lashunta towers over most of the party, and stands a foot-or-more taller than Diedre; she blushes at the half-elf's sudden grip on her hand, but hurries after the girl compliantly, following her down the corridor and into the club.
Miraj feels foolish in the hip clothing Diedre obtained for him, but he doesn't complain. He hides 'Alice' (his pistol) in a shoulder holster layered beneath his shirt. He'll also hide his ears and wear a pair of dark glasses to try to disguise himself from being recognized from the attack the day before.
He'll also hide his tool kits in various pockets of his cargo pants.
As discussed earlier, Miraj will hang back from the main group (with Entiren, if he wants). He keeps an eye on the main group from a slight distance, hoping to blend in and be ready to help if there is trouble.
Not caring to dress up, Entiren is still dressed in the same outfit that the group had originally met him in. Gesturing for Jehir to follow the ladies in, he stays standing near to Miraj, while also trying to not be noticed.
"We should go in first, bouncers almost never give girls like us any trouble," Diedre says with a wink. She grabs Aureum's hand and heads towards the door.
As Aureum and Diedre approach the Fusion Queen, they see three bouncers - two human males with gaudy augmentations and an apparently fully robotic creature with boisterous purple and black styling. There is a short line to enter the club, which trails in the opposite direction of the women's approach.
When she reaches the entrance, she gives the bouncer a big smile...
The half-elf's smile is matched by one of the male bouncers, but before they can speak, the robotic bouncer steps between them.
"NO WEAPONS IN THE FUSION QUEEN. HOUSE RULE." They point to the laser pistol openly strapped to the back of Diedre's belt and brandish a heavy length of pipe right under her nose. "GET LOST, FLESHBAG."
Meanwhile, one of the other bouncers gives Aureum a rough and only slightly invasive pat-down, but doesn't seem to notice her concealed weapons, and gives her the go-ahead to enter the club.
From a distance, Jehir, Entiren, and Miraj can see that Diedre is having some sort of disagreement with the bouncers.
When Diedre sees who the bouncers are, she begins to sweat.
You're just fine, Didi. Guys like that aren't looking at your face anyway.
"NO WEAPONS IN THE FUSION QUEEN. HOUSE RULE." They point to the laser pistol openly strapped to the back of Diedre's belt and brandish a heavy length of pipe right under her nose. "GET LOST, FLESHBAG."
The half-elf takes a step back.
"Hey! No need to get personal. It's just a part of the look."
She leans around the robotic bouncer to look at the one that smiled back at her.
"Please?" she says in her best cookie-wheedling voice. "I just want to dance. It came with the outfit and I have to return the whole thing or I lose my deposit. I don't even know if works."
Miraj nudges Entiren and indicates full stop. "Those two were at the shootout the other day. Look sharp," he whispers.
Miraj will look for a spot from which he can shoot with cover if it comes to that. His hand rests under his loose shirt, ready to reach for Alice.
Jehir casually approaches, still some distance away.
She leans around the robotic bouncer to look at the one that smiled back at her.
"Please?" she says in her best cookie-wheedling voice. "I just want to dance. It came with the outfit and I have to return the whole thing or I lose my deposit. I don't even know if works."
"Relaaaax, Twigs!" The friendly human bouncer comes up to Diedre, sliding his arm around her and jiggling the very real laser pistol. "It looks like a toy to me - just some o' that crazy fashion stuff. Go on hun, find your friend in there." With a leer, he taps Diedre's backside and sends her through the automatic double-doors.
Jehir casually approaches, still some distance away.
Miraj will look for a spot from which he can shoot with cover if it comes to that. His hand rests under his loose shirt, ready to reach for Alice.
Diedre claps her hands.
"Oh, thanks bunches! I'll have to remember you," she says, her tone dripping with meaning.
Once inside, Diedre quickly locates Aureum.
"Stupid robot," she says in disgust.
She grabs the lashunta's hand. "Let's dance!" She pulls her companion along to join her in the middle of the crowd.
As she dances, she leans in close.
"We should spend a few minutes here!" she yells over the music. "Once we've set our image as just a couple of party girls, then we can see what we can see!
Whispering, Miraj says to Entiren, "Ve have a decision to make. If everyone else gets in, ve can either stay outside where ve are useless, or try to get in und risk being recognized. I think I could possibly bluff my way past, but you look zee same as you did yesterday und you do sort of stand out. Haven't seen a lot of your kind around zee station, so how do you want to approach this? I might be able to create a distraction and you could perhaps slip inside. Or ve could just go up and see if they decide to give us trouble. Maybe ve can convince them ve were just acting in self defense und see if they can be bribed or cajoled into letting bygones be bygones."
Then he thinks a bit. "On zee other hand, perhaps we can find another way in."
Looking for back-alley service entrance.
Aureum breathes a sigh of relief when she sees Diedre make it inside alright.
"I'm not really... I'm not great at... dancing," she protests as the shorter woman leads her into the crowd, to no avail.
She tries to keep it simple, swaying in time to the music behind the half-elf, but it takes a minute or two for her to relax into it; and watching Diedre undulate in front of her does nothing to help her nerves.
It takes a few moments before Diedre gets into the rhythm of the music. Once she really starts feeling it, she turns back to face Aureum. She notes that the woman is obviously uncomfortable on the dance floor.
"Oh come on," she calls out. "Aren't all you Damaya supposed to be wired for sex appeal? That's gotta include dancing."
She moves in closer, her motions becoming more suggestive.
"No holding out now. Show me whatcha got."
"Maybe that's why they kicked me out," she mutters, but to her credit, the tall woman does try to loosen up, doing her best to copy Diedre - until she moves into more suggestive territory.
"I - I need a drink," Aureum says abruptly, and hotfoots it to the bar. She orders two shots and takes them quickly, one after the other.
With a determined look on her face, she returns to the dancefloor, this time with significantly more confidence; she lets her hair down and, although she isn't nearly as graceful as the half-elf, joins Diedre in her provcative dancing.
Diedre continues dancing, but watches thoughtfully as Aureum takes a moment for some liquid courage.
Did I say something ... ?
She rolls her eyes at herself.
Jeez, Didi. You all but criticized her for not acting slutty enough.
Once Aureum returns, Diedre's happy to help her relax to the pounding beat, but after a few minutes, she takes her hand and pulls her off to the side. She positions the pair so they can still see the door, but are out of the way of the jostling crowd.
she shouts to be heard over the music. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that Lashunta were ... well, that you were ... Listen, don't let some has-been cyber-flesh jockey tell you ... you be you and don't let anyone tell you different. Ok?"
So much for well thought out articulation. Jeez, Didi, you're supposed to be good at this.
Aureum squeezes her hand appreciatively, acknowledging that she gets the point.
"Thanks. It's just a little overwhelming," she gesticulates to the close-packed dancers, the crowded booths, the hazy air and flashing lights. "I'll be alright. It's been a while, but it's not my first time. I mean, uh -" she scrambles for words. "At a club," she adds, looking flustered.
Diedre raises an eyebrow at her companion.
"Just do what you feel," she says with a smile.
"Now if you'd just keep an eye on the door for a moment," the half-elf says as she maneuvers the taller woman between her and the majority of the crowd. "I need to check something."
She pulls her pistol and checks it over.
"I hate it when people touch the goods without asking," she mutters.
Having assured herself that the weapon is still in working condition, she re-holsters it and then pulls up her comm unit.
"Are you guys coming in or are we ladies supposed to do all the work?"
After he sees the ladies make their way into the club without a fuss, he gives Miraj and Entiren a look. Provided they aren't giving him a signal to hold back he calmly makes his way to the door. As he approaches, ee activates the camera in his comm unit to record video with sound, and then leaves it in hands free mode (so as to record sound).
Of the three doormen, he recognizes two. He looks at one for a moment, then the other.
"Remember me?" he asks calmly.
While discussing strategy with Entiren, Miraj gets out his camera from his detective kit and as Jehir approaches and absorbs their full attention, he will take pictures of the three, using some zoom to improve the level of detail, hoping to spot whatever weapons they are carrying and have evidence for determining their identities. He does this from cover of an abandoned maintenance vehicle gathering graffiti and rust.
Thanks to twisting side streets and vehicles that can provide cover, it’s usually easy for a creature to use Stealth to hide in a settlement. In addition, settlements are often noisy, making Perception checks that rely on sound more difficult; this increases the DC of any such checks by 2 per 10 feet.
The light is not good, but he snaps what pictures he can, hoping they might provide some help to the investigation into the shooting.
"So, wait a minute," Diedre says as she puts away her comm unit and looks up at Aureum. "Did you say they kicked you out? How do they even do that? I mean what did you ... ? Are you wanted or something?"
She waves her hand.
"Sorry, that's a little personal - no need to answer. None of my business."
"Remember me?" he asks calmly.
The two guards glance at Jehir for a moment, and then the human's eyes go wide. With a choked expletive, he reaches for his weapon, the other two not far behind him.
While discussing strategy with Entiren, Miraj gets out his camera from his detective kit and as Jehir approaches and absorbs their full attention, he will take pictures of the three, using some zoom to improve the level of detail, hoping to spot whatever weapons they are carrying and have evidence for determining their identities.
Miraj is able to snap a few photos from his hiding spot , but before he can really capture the moment, he sees all three bouncers reach for their firearms. It appears that each thug is equipped with a basic laser pistol and some sort of club.
Block 1: Jehir, Miraj
Block 2: Downside Kings (Bouncers)
Block 3: Entiren
Jehir, seeing the doormen reach for their weapons, pulls out his, while stepping backwards.
"That's the welcome I get?" Jehir shouts. "You would think after taking out three of those Level 21 losers, you would at least buy me a drink! Easy now!"
Jehir watches the doormen carefully. If they make signs of standing down, so does Jehir. But if any of them actually make to shoot at Jehir...
Miraj draws Alice and readies a shot but waits for signs of a fight.
All three bouncers draw their pistols, but pause when Jehir speaks. There's a moment of hesitation in the air, but the robotic one declares, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? SHOOT THE CRAZY GUY WITH THE SPEAR." All three point their weapons at Jehir.
Realizing he is in imminent danger, Jehir lets the spear fly, landing a glancing strike on the nearest ganger , who grunts in pain as the spear slashes across the side of his chest before flying back towards the solarian's outstretched hands.
At the same moment, Jehir hears a sharp CRACK. Turning slightly, he sees the robotic bouncer standing there, aiming his laser pistol at Jehir but not moving. A small stream of sparks spurts from a neat hole punched directly between the optical sensors, and with a short burst of garbled static, they fall to the floor with a metallic crash.
The two remaining bouncers both take a shot at Jehir, not yet fully realizing their predicament. In the flurry, one of the shots lands, leaving a burn mark across his torso.
Block 3: Entiren
Block 1: Jehir , Miraj
Block 2: Downside Kings (Bouncers)
Surprised by the sudden combat, Entiren is somewhat slower to react than the others. He notices that they are at the maximum range of some of his spells, but decides that he should delay using them for now. Pulling out his laser rifle, he aims at the bouncer nearer to the door, not wanting them to get inside and bring out backup.
Entiren's shot strikes the bouncer squarely, the laser bolt burning through his clothing as he chokes out a yelp. The crowd by the door, initially slow to react, starts to flee from the sounds of combat.
Block 1: Jehir , Miraj
Block 2: Downside Kings (Bouncers) | Block 3: Entiren
Diedre checks her comm unit again for a replay from the rest of the group.
"Dang! Why do people carry these things and then ignore them when they'd be the most useful."
She looks again at the door.
"Oh well," she says with a shrug. "If they're going to ignore us then they can't complain that we get a little more dancing in."
The half-elf then proceeds to draw Aureum back into the throng of bodies moving to the thumping beat.
Jehir winces, and moves in to the bouncers, swinging past the first one and stepping in between them. He swings his Doshko at the man by the door.
Miraj advances on the combat zone, holstering Alice in preparation to use his sword cane, not wanting risk hitting bystanders with gunfire.
Jehir's doshko swings wide, striking sparks off the corridor wall but failing to find its target.
"It's a flippin' ambush! Go get backup!" As if to punctuate his words, the bouncer carefully steps a doshko-length from the four-armed fury and fires a shot. The bouncer backed up to the door uses Jehir's imbalance from his previous swing to duck inside, allowing the automatic doors to click shut behind him .
The sole shot fired at Jehir lands squarely, adding another burn mark to his armor.
Block 3: Entiren
Block 1: Jehir , Miraj
Block 2: Downside Kings (Bouncers)
Diedre continues moving to the rhythm of the music along with the rest of the crowd.
Moving forward, Entiren will continue to fire at the opponent remaining outside.