|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The doors to the office slide open with a soft pneumatic hiss. Inside is a well-lit and blue-carpeted office. Venture-Captain Arvin, a handsome and determined-looking damaya lashunta, sits behind a desk, his eyes riveted on a glassy display. After a heartbeat, he glances towards the open door and motions everyone to enter. “Apologies, please come in. Be seated if you like, although this shouldn’t take long.”
He glances at each of you in turn. "I have worked with some of you on an earlier mission, but the rest of you are unfamiliar to me. Let's start with introductions first, shall we?"
|
A large Vesk, for a male, stomps into the room. Resting on a broad shoulder is a reaction cannon and he is wearing a well-fitted suit of armor. "I am Hakrinag of the Bonecrusher family, hunters of all mighty creatures," he declares proudly before moving to the back of the room. He nods his head in greeting at his prior comrades.
|
A curly haired blonde with faintly glowing red eyes stands unmoving by a wall as the others introduce themselves. The android had arrived fifteen minutes early, the ideal time calculated by her processor. Her mechanical eyes focus and adjust (like a camera lens) on each of the room’s occupants. Alice 002’s face is devoid of emotion as she steps forward to introduce herself.
The blonde raises her right hand in salutations. An implant of the Starfinder Society’s symbol glows a pale blue underneath the skin of her palm. ”Greetings, MADRIGAL SERAPHINE, EILIDH HALBI SCONE, HAKRINAG OF THE BONECRUSHER FAMILY, and HUDATHAN. I am Alice. Zero. Zero. Two. I am eager to work with you all on this mission.” Alice 002’s voice has no inflection and her emotionless face displays none of the enthusiasm she verbally proclaims. In fact, her face expresses no emotion at all.
Alice 002’s torso remains still as her head turns 45 degrees to stare at Venture-Captain Arvin. ”VENTURE-CAPTAIN ARVIN, what tasks of this mission require two vesk? My data indicates this species has a disposition to dominate other lifeforms.” Alice 002’s head turns back to the vesk greeting each other.
As if to change the subject, Alice 002 pulls out a brightly-colored, thin rectangular box labeled 'Star Sugar Heartlove!!!' "MADRIGAL SERAPHINE have you heard of Strawberry Machine Cake? Their music is pleasing to the audio receptors." Alice 002's tone and face lack expression despite her keen interest in the band. The android continues her smooth small-talk: "I waited in line for six hours and was trampled by other lifeforms."
|
|
Captain Arvin grasps Eli and returns with a firm shake. He looks vaguely confused. "Eli, there is no need for pretense with the rest, even if there are new to you. You served well in the mission to recover the location of the Unbounded Wayfarer and that is why I have summoned you, together with Madrigal and Hakrinag, for this mission."
Arvin taps a button on a console and murmurs to a digital assistant, “Croyd, put everything on hold for a few minutes. If anyone calls, please explain I’m in mission briefing and I’ll get right back to them.” He then darkens the display to give his full attention.
“Right. I have an assignment for you. This one is a little a different than others you might have received.” He pauses before he explains, “It’s an internal matter."
“You’re probably aware that after the Scoured Stars incident many of our colleagues elected to leave the Society. That is unfortunate, but not surprising. We hate to lose good field agents, but no one is conscripted into our ranks. Normally we wish them well and that’s that. In this case, the defector, former field agent Reynald Talbot, stole an artifact from the Lorespire Complex before departing. Theft is where the Society draws the line; I need you to get that artifact back."
“Unfortunately, Talbot left weeks ago and we only discovered the theft in the last 24 hours. We launched an immediate investigation to determine the identity of the thief and their last known whereabouts. It’s our bad luck that Talbot was smart enough to get off the station and head to Akiton, where there’s no central government or law enforcement to easily call upon. I need you to track him down and recover the artifact. We know Talbot caught a shuttle to the Akitonian city of Maro, so that’s a great place to start. The Society will, of course, cover your travel expenses. Do you have any questions?”
|
|
"Always a pleasure to work with my brethren," Hakrinag says, warmly reciprocating the greeting.
"Us Vesk can handle any problem! Better record us in action Android, you might learn a thing or two! Swarmbait has his dear friend Lucy, and I have a friend of my own," raising his head towards the cannon resting on his shoulder. "Let's hope we get a chance to put them to work!"
He listens attentively to the mission briefing. "Stealing? Dishonorable. How do you wish for us to deal with the thief?" he asks, clearly disgusted with the former agent. I can think of a target for the mighty Vesk already! "Did this agent have any notable talents?"
________
|
Albans gives a respectful nod to Venture Captain Arvin. He is a tall, thin human in his mid-forties. Worry lines cover his pale, somewhat gaunt face and his mouth is drawn in a tight lipped smile. Addressing the others in the room, he says "Greetings, colleagues. My name is Albans. It will be my pleasure to work with you all." Noticing some tension between the vesk and the android, he adds "I'm sure we'll all get along swimmingly."
At the mention of his home planet, Albans' smile changes to a frown of distaste. "Hmm. Akiton, you say? Dreadful place. Still, if this thief contunues to run loose then he makes our organization look the part of fools. To Akiton we shall go!"
|
|
"What's the artifact?"
“Good question, but the answer is complicated because it’s actually two questions: what the artifact is and what Talbot thinks it is. We’re operating under the assumption that Talbot thinks he’s stolen an object from old Golarion called a philosopher’s stone. Legend has it that the stone could transmute matter, among other properties. What Talbot actually stole was recently re-cataloged as a charlatan’s stone. It does something similar, except the effect is a potent illusion and only temporary. We think ancient con artists used to make false gold.”
"Stealing? Dishonorable. How do you wish for us to deal with the thief?" he asks, clearly disgusted with the former agent.
“I want the stone back. Talbot’s not worth the expense of dragging back here, so you can do whatever you think is necessary with him. That said, you don’t have a license to go on a mass killing spree. Don’t make the Society look bad. It might be tough to do on Akiton, but don’t take that as a challenge.”
"Did this agent have any notable talents?"
“He is one fine shot with his pistol, being especially gifted at using his nimbleness to take shots where least expected. He has also installed a cybernetic device that creaters holographic images of himself. Beyond that, he’s smart, capable, a bit brash, and was a reasonable field agent. Unfortunately, Talbot is also self-entitled and ambitious. After the Scoured Stars incident, he expected to be promoted to venture-captain, but the Forum felt he needed more time. He got angry. We think this theft is retaliation.”
Hudathan frowns. "I'm sorry for my ignorance. I have only recently arrived from Vesk-10. Can you tell us more about this Akiton? Is it in the Vast?"
Arvin is taken aback slightly, but recovers quickly. "No, no, Akiton is one of the Pact Worlds, in fact the closest one to Absalom Station. That is likely why Talbot fled there - he unlikely has resources to flee further. Akiton was once the center of its solar system’s mining, production, and trade of thasteron, an ore instrumental in the creation of fuel for sublight interplanetary travel. Since the advent of Drift travel and a reduced need for long realspace flights, however, demand for thasteron has fallen, and Akiton's economy crashed. Political squabbles and civil strife are rife across the planet, so be careful there."
|
|
"Quite the dreary planet, Akiton is. I don't envy this Talbot fellow one bit. To be marooned in that red desert with a useless artifact and without the credits to move on..."
"My family used to live there, you know. We had an ore refinery out in the wastes, a vast family fortune, and gardens worthy of Castrovel. Drift travel changed all that, of course. Wiped out my family's fortune and those of many other families practically overnight. And Akiton is again as miserable as it always was."
|
"Eli, Hakrinag, how nice to see you again!"
Eli makes a joking salute - "Reporting for duty, Cap'n! With my charming steward, too...", she gives Hakrinag a pat on the back. With that done, she gives Albans, Alice 002, and Hudathan a series of quick, measuring looks, then claps her hands, keeping them toghether for a moment. "Alright! Let'd do this, then."
She addresses Arvin again: "Do we have any notable contacts in Maro, or are we on our own once we arrive? Someone who knows people and can send us in the right direction."
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Alice 002’s frame remains stable despite Hudathan’s mighty blows. ”Your gun has a name?” Alice 002 focuses her mechanical eyes on Hudathan’s weapon and extends a hand in greeting: ”Hello LUCY. I am Alice. Zero Zero. Two.” Alice returns her expressionless face to meet Hudathan’s. ”I do not understand. Why do you name inanimate objects?”
Alice 002 addresses the other vesk: "I have a recording capabilities in my visual receptors and audio jacks. I will create a combat log of you on my secondary memory slot, HAKRINAG OF THE BONECRUSHER FAMILY to LEARN A THING OR TWO." Historia-7 will be pleased.
----
I will use a common hand gesture as a sign of my understanding of the mission. ”We will retrieve the CHARLATAN’S STONE for you, VENTURE-CAPTAIN ARVIN.” Alice curls her left hand into a thumbs up and her mouth turns upward into a smile. Alice 002 stares unblinking, face expressionless except for her incongruous smile.
Alice 002's smile is disconcerting.
|
|
"... Wiped out my family's fortune and those of many other families practically overnight. And Akiton is again as miserable as it always was."
"Indeed. That is a common story you hear coming from Akiton. Large swathes of the planet has gotten a rather ill-repute, but understanding the cause of their desperation at the least helps one to see things in a different light. But be warned - that makes encounters in the frontiers no less dangerous."
She addresses Arvin again: "Do we have any notable contacts in Maro, or are we on our own once we arrive? Someone who knows people and can send us in the right direction."
"Unfortunately, as you would know, much of the Society's resources have become very strained following the Scoured Stars Incident. It had already strained our local contacts to get you the information thus far. I'm afraid you're on your own. We know he landed in Maro, but lost his trail after that. Hopefully, actual feet on the ground, you might pick it up again."
Captain Arvin stares at Alice 002, trying to read her expression but quickly gives up and looks away.
|
|
Arvin gives you directions to shuttle that has been arranged for travel to Akiton. The journey there is uneventful and after days, you come into orbit around your destination.
Outside the observation windows floats Akiton, a world the color of blood, rust, and red clay. A thick shell of white caps both poles. The shuttle descends toward the planet, and a barely perceptible shift in gravity occurs as the ship’s artificial gravity begins to lessen and the planet’s natural gravity begins to take hold.
From suborbital heights, a handful of small towns, large complexes, and industrial sites that spew noxious fumes into the thin atmosphere surround the trench city of Maro. A spidery web of dirt roads scratched into the rust-colored ground by regular traffic connects these sites to the metropolis.
Maro, the so-called City of Lights itself, comes into view as the ship begins its final descent. The city occupies more of a vertical space than horizontal, built into a six-mile-long section of trench that is half as deep and a half mile wide. Entire neighborhoods and business districts are built into the walls, accessed by patio entrances. Lights, neon signs, and holographic advertising bejewel either side of this urban canyon, while an active spaceport and industrial zones occupy the ground level. As the shuttle lands, it does so beneath the backdrop of an immense mural of brightly glowing neon-green graffiti that reads in Common: “Git Out! Planet’s Broke!”
|
|
Walking around, Madrigal starts to ask people that she meets and finds about Talbot. Have they seen him, heard about him, etc. Same thing for the artifact.
She also uses her knowledge of local and regional customs and greetings to also learn what she can learn about Talbot and the Artifact.
[ooc]To tell if people are lying to her...[/dice]
|
|
The android focuses her daze out the window, examining the structures outside. ”My fellow companions, I have detected grammatical errors on the art outside. ‘Get Out! The Planet Is Broken!’” Pleased with her explanation, Alice 002 stares expressionless at the others as they disembark the vessel. "If the planet is broken, perhaps we can fix it."
Alice 002 approaches the first lifeform she sees outside of the ship: ”Excuse me, your graffiti sign has grammatical errors. I was not confused, but other visitors might be.”
Alice 002 follows Madrigal to aid in questioning the life living on Akiton. I will set my parameters to blink every 15 seconds to appear more personable.
-----
After assisting Madrigal for a while Alice 002 conducts some exploring on her own. Alice 002 finds a scrap/junk parts shop and enters. In her monotone voice, she announces: "Greetings. I am Alice. Zero. Zero. Two."
"I saw your sign: Git out. Planet's broke. Perhaps I can provide assistance."
Expressionless, Alice 002 turns to examine something behind the counter. "A broken solar converter." Alice 002 pulls the energy collector off the wall to examine it. "The middle panel's wiring is short circuiting the top and bottom. Do you want me to repair it?" Alice 002 pesters(?) the shopkeeper by performing repairs on the junk parts while providing stiff small-talk. "Have you heard of Strawberry Machine Cake, a sugar-pop sensation?"
"You may have not noticed because of my skin and blonde curls, but I am actually an android." Alice 002 continues to blink her faintly glowing red eyes at 15 second intervals. "I was sent here by the Starfinder Society to find a stone." Alice 002 turns over her right hand to show the shopkeeper the glowing mark on her palm, marking her as a field agent. "A lifeform named Talbot last had the stone. Talbot landed in Maro before we lost contact." Alice 002 hands over another repaired item. "Have you heard of someone named Talbot?"
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
During flight, Eli takes some time to explain emotional attachments to Alice. "Don't worry about organics giving names to inanimate objects. We sometimes develop a sense of bonding with items to an extent that we just give them names. Like if you use something on a daily basis, you sort of don't want to refer to it by a serial number. You know what I mean?" She invites Hudathan to chip in on the explanation, as he will surely know more of his personal property than her.
She smirks at the android's interpretation. "Devoid of capital or wealth 'broke'. Not damaged. Though as a figure of speech, it does go hand-in-hand." She turns to the rest of the crew: "I'll go ask the locals and find terminal to dig up any records on Talbot. Back in a jiffy..."
You can see her walking towards the nearest information booth and briefly speaking to one of the representatives of the station. The person clearly pays ner little to no attention, and continues reading whatever they have in their hands. Eli gives up, and disappears in the crowd.
|
|
Hudathan walks around, keeping an eye on the group. Place like this, people get desparate. No knowing what they might do. He smiles at the locals, hoping to soften them up for his more friendly partners.
Never one to be taken unawares, he stares down any hustlers or gangsters who are eying his group. "Move along, bub. "
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Despite his words, Albans smiles when his homeworld comes into view. To Alice, he says "It's quite all right. Not everything that is broken needs to be fixed. It leaves certain...opportunities... for those with the right connections."
Albans tests the environment seals of his microcord suit before disembarking. Satisfied with the reassuring hiss of oxygen, he jumps softly to the ground. "Ah, that's better. No amount of functioning economy can possibly make up for the oppressive gravity on so many other planets!"
"Right, well. Eli and Madrigal seem to know their lines. And Alice," he glances at the android uncertainly, "Well, I'm sure she'll dig up...something." Albans looks to Hudathan. "Say, you look like a capable fellow. What say you and I go talk to some of the local merchants?" Gods know I wouldn't mind the protection!
Regardless of who accompanies him, Albans goes to a few merchants who his family has had dealings with, and attempts to appeal to their nostalgia for the old times...
...but Albans must not have left on the best of terms with them.
"...No sir, of course not......didn't mean to leave you without a buyer, ha ha......come now, those words were clearly said in jest! Say, if not for old times sake, how about you share what you know in exchange for some rumors I've heard about the future of Castrovel coffee beans and related commodities?"
|
|
More talking? Why is there always talking? Hakrinag grumbles inwardly as he too follows Madrigal around. "Just like that time with the junkracers, eh?" As she engages people, Hakrinag does his best to repeat the important parts of what she said.
________
** spoiler omitted **
"Yah, but at least there it was totally worth it. Our guy won by a large margin if I remember correctly, did he not?"
|
|
Alice 002 approaches the first lifeform she sees outside of the ship: ”Excuse me, your graffiti sign has grammatical errors. I was not confused, but other visitors might be.”
The stocky grungy man that Alice accosted stares incredulously at Alice 002 for a second or two, then slaps his thigh and laughs uproariously. Turning to his companions, he hollers, "Hey, this lady wanna fix the sign! Go right ahead then!" The rest of then laughs along as they continue to barrel their way through.
Madrigal, with a large vesk hanging over her shoulders, drift over to the docks area. With information from Captain Arvin of Talbot's time of arrival and shuttle, Madrigal finally manages to locate a dockworker with recollection of the man after hours.
"Shifty lookin' guy? Shoulder length hair not washed for days? Yeah, think I saw that fella when I was loading his shuttle. Made a bit of a scene loading the shuttle. Some shirrren bumped into him, and he dropped a chunk of coal or something. The shirren was gonna pick it up for him, and the he whipped out his pistol, threatening the bug-eye! Now where was it headed? Um, let's see, 1445... that's the one to Tasch. It's a small minin' town. A few miles out of Maro."
"Talbot?" the elderly shopkeeper looks at Alice from over his glasses. "Shifty lookin' guy? Shoulder length hair not washed for days? Yes, he came in a few weeks ago. Rather unfriendly. Rude even. Kept grilling me about different types of engine fuels for some reason. Seemed particularly interested to find out about drift engine fuel eventually. I couldn't help him much there, and he stormed out. So rude. I prefer androids like you any day. Always with perfect manners."
"Castrovel beans? Ha! If you've got the capitol, now is the time to get into drift engine fuel. Rumours has it that Abadarcorp has recently been showing great interest in that here on Akiton. My sister' high school friend whose daughter works in the AbadarCorp bank said that large amounts of financial transfers have been made into the planet for such a purchasae. Strange though. I do not know of any drift engine fuel mines here on Akiton, but I guess that must be a well-kept secret."
Eli spends a few hours at a quaint little cafe, an oasis away from the chaos that is Maro, digging through the system records for traces of Talbot's movement. The records she manages to hack into are patchy, but the crawlers she programme picked up something interesting, a record of a call by Talbot to the local Abadarcorp branch from a small mining town of Tasch a couple of weeks ago. Cross-referencing with local news over the period, Eli notices that a large Abadarcorp transport fleet had docked a week or so later here in Maro. Knowing how efficient the AbadorCorp's executives are, that the transport fleets have sat vacant since then is rather strange.
|
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Sitting at her table in the cafe, Eli quietly searches whatever infromation she gained with the hack. She spurs out several quiet 'Hmmm's, 'Interesting's, and sips her - now cold - coffee, despite it tasting like rusty dirt. As if having a sudden epiphany, she sipes her credstick at the terminal, closes her datapad and storms out, looking for the group.
"Alright folks - here's the deal.", she starts when they all gather up. "Talbot contacted AbadaCorp from a place called 'Tasch'...", she double checks her notes - "two weeks ago. Probably straight after reaching the planet. One week later, they landed their own ships here in Maro, and haven't moved since."
She pauses for a moment, shuffling her tongue over her front teeth with her mouth closed, looking irritated by something.
"These were mostly transport ships, and have been sitting idly since. Transport ships not hauling anything to other places and paying docking fees are a net loss, or something we're not seeing. In any case, Talbot was, and possibly still is, in touch with them."
She finally puts her index finger into her mouth and rubs her teeth with it.
"And see that cafe over there?", she turns to the direction of the place she was sitting in and quickly turns back. "Don't drink whatever they call coffee there. Might be just coloured mud with some flavour additives."
She checks her index finger and flicks whatever was on it to the ground with a quick motion.
|
|
"Wasn't he a she? Humans mix me up with their fur-not-fur hair and all that nonsense. Vesk are easy, females have bright colors, males don't. You can tell on sight! Convenient, eh?" Hakrinag continues on for a while about the ways Vesk are simply superior to humans, missing several social cues to stop talking in his fervor.
"Were you able to find clues as to why they are here? Who owns these ships? A local shipping company?" he asks Eli. As she cleans her teeth, Hakrinag eyes her quizzically. I thought humans found teeth cleaning a personal matter. They always tell me to do it in the facilities. Does she think we are on such terms? The might of the Veskarium is certainly alluring, but we are professionals on the job. I must consult with Swarmbait.
|
|
Madrigal thanks the dockworker for all that he could remember, and then comm's the group to share what she had learned, especially that "...It was shuttle 1445 heading to Tasch, a small mining town."
"Well, my friend," she says, looking up at Hakrinag, "Ready to put your bounty hunting skills to work? We have a solid lead."
|
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"The transports belong to, or are working with, AbadarCorp.", she answers Hakrinag's question. "That's one of the bigboy players in the Pact Worlds. If not the biggest. But Madrigal is right. It's your field now. Go do your thing, my scaly - but very charming -
stewardess.", she grins.
"Speaking of which, we might want to check those transports before we head to Tasch. Our man might be on them or connected to them."
She pauses - "And yes - it is a human male. With long hair. Didn't we have a picture somewhere?", she starts checking her datapad.
|
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Hudathan frowns. You can practically see him struggling to think this problem through. "The Corp moved a lot of money here recently to buy Drift fuel. But as we know, there ain't drift fuel on this god-forsaken hell hole. I wonder if that artifact has more capabilities than just pretending that lead is good. "
Later, as the party is walking, he pulls Hakrinag to the side and shows him the datapad. "The filthy humans are playing a prank on us. Look at this picture. See the large amount of fur on its head? Obviously a typical female human. See, they're the furry ones. Vesk women are bright and beautiful. Human women are furry and disgusting. Like our mark, here. " He is one hundred percent serious as he says this. Just trying to help a fellow Vesk out.
|
|
Hudathan nods. "Aye, Albans, I'll accompany you. This face ain't pretty enough to work alone. " He follows and helps where he can. "By the way, call me Hood. "
"Very well then, Hood! Let's see what we can see."
Albans ponders Hood's words for a moment, and replies "Indeed. Certainly suspicious behavior for AbadarCorp. Call me a cynic, but transactions that large, processed in an out-of-the-way locale, and over something so ubiquitous, untraceable, and absent-on-this-planet as Drift fuel strike me as a cover for money-laundering or an illicit exchange. Not that I would know anything about that, of course."
Thinking a bit more, he adds "The supposed artifact is the most obvious explanation, of course. I'm beginning to wonder if Talbot does indeed have the real Stone afterall."
To Eli, Albans says "You really need to buy the imported stuff. I hear there's a lucrative future in Castrovel coffee, if you buy now."
|
|
Hakrinag grins, exposing his sharp teeth. "I'm always ready for the hunt," he says, sounding like the dangerous predator he is.
When Swarmbait pulls him aside, he rubs his chin as he thinks. "That is certainly a human female, you are right brother. It is as I thought! It isn't the first time Eli has tried to 'pull the fast one' on me. One time, I was conducting a safety briefing for our spacecraft and she flipped the whole thing! My outfit was ruined when the cart tipped and refreshments flew everywhere." He brings his head a little closer to his fellow Vesk and lowers his voice. "I think she is courting me. I've heard humans try to woo their mates by performing such pranks on them. A 'teasing.' She also cleaned her teeth in front of me! Humans only do personal things with others they feel comfortable with, no? We should keep this to ourselves for now, let's catch up with them."
|
|
"Wasn't he a she? Humans mix me up with their fur-not-fur hair and all that nonsense. Vesk are easy, females have bright colors, males don't. You can tell on sight! Convenient, eh?" Hakrinag continues on for a while about the ways Vesk are simply superior to humans, missing several social cues to stop talking in his fervor.
Alice 002 bends over to examine the datapad Eli’s working on. Is the lifeform male? Alice 002’s eyes adjust and focus on the bust of Talbot. ”I am projecting a 68 percent certainty the lifeform is male.” Alice 002 turns her emotionless face towards Eli, ”A hologram of the lifeform’s entire form is needed for more detailed analysis.”
Hudathan frowns. You can practically see him struggling to think this problem through. "The Corp moved a lot of money here recently to buy Drift fuel. But as we know, there ain't drift fuel on this god-forsaken hell hole. I wonder if that artifact has more capabilities than just pretending that lead is good. "
”Talbot visited a shopkeeper asking about different types of engine fuels. Specifically, drift fuels. ALBANS, why would Talbot ask about drift fuel if plans on using it as a money laundering cover? Perhaps the lifeform is stuck on this planet from a lack of drift fuel.”
|
|
With a number of speculations on what Talbot is involved in (and also on his gender), but no real definitive answer.
Albans know little more of the philosopher's stone or charlatan's stone, beyond what Captain Arvin has briefed earlier - that the former is powerful ancient artifact that can transmute one substance into another, while the latter appears to do the same but the effects are purely illusory and temporary. He also does not know any connections Tasch, or even Akiton, might have with such legendary artifacts. As a native Akitonian, however, he does know of Tasch. It is one of many mining towns across the surface of the planet that was prospering from mining thasteron, the fuel previously essential for interplanetary space travel. That is until Drift technology made that technology obsolete, depreciating the value of thasteron tremendously in the process. Tasch was one of the few mining towns that still hung on stubbornly despite the economic depression, but it has largely degenerated into an abjectly poor frontier town.
The Starfinders first make inquiries at the docks about AbadarCorp's transport freights. Security, however, is extremely tight, and it is clear there is no safe way to infiltrate into the actual shipyard. However, no matter how tight-lipped the AbadarCorp workers are, there is a palpable sense of confusion over the delay in loading the intended goods. Also, no signs of anyone by Talbot's description (male or female) turn up.
It seems that further answers can only be found at Tasch itself. Rather than wait for the next shuttle, scheduled for the next day, the Starfinders engage a personal driver, billing the travelling expenses to the Society.
The elongated dune buggy transports the Starfinders from Maro into the red dunes of Akiton’s surface. The journey only takes 2 hours, with the buggy stopping just outside the city limits before heading back to Maro. A long dusty road, lined with single-story dwellings, runs through the town of Tasch. Some powered vehicles rest chained to their owner’s homes. A small general store stands near the center of town, illuminated by flickering white lights. Another building, full of locals, hosts a signpost that reads “Digger’s Dive”—clearly the town bar. Although the sun beats down on this desert town, its citizens meander around the bar in good cheer. Most are ysoki and humans, with the occasional lumbering four-armed shobhad mingling among them.
|
|
Albans sputters a bit, clearly taken off balance by having flaws pointed out in his logic, especially by an automaton which seems as naive as Alice does. "Well I, ah...hmm. I suppose that's a good point, Alice. It seems you are just as good at finding errors in logic as you are finding spelling mistakes in signs!"
"Fear not, however! For I believe that I have deduced what is going on here. The Philosopher's stone transmutes materials to different materials, yes? Well, in Tasch there is an abundance of thasteron, a relatively worthless fuel made obsolete by the introduction of Drift technologies. Talbot has been inquiring as to where he can find it. AbadarCorp have come here looking to purchase vast quantities of Drift fuel, and yet there is none to be found. I posit that they are meeting Talbot here so that he can use the Stone to transmute thasteron ore, the proverbial lead, into plentiful Drift fuel!"
Clearly impressed with himself, Albans continues "Now, the only missing piece of the puzzle is the stone itself. I beleive that we have been sent here to find the real Philosopher's Stone, and that the story about the fake was merely a clever ruse to prevent us from keeping the artifact for ourselves. I know I wouldn't trust myself with such a device!"
Albans waits, expecting the others to be impressed by his theory. He is completely blind to any possible holes in his logic and doesn't seem the slightest bit concerned by how much of a stretch some of the 'connections' are.
Before leaving Maro, Albans buys a pair of fragmentation grenades.
|
|
Eli observes Albans' work, and offers some help when she sees he can not get access.
"Honestly, just try a guest user. Some people are absolutely idiotic when it comes to setting up permission for those, and every system's security is a function of the junior admin's competence. You'd be surprised with how often it works."
She seems concerned for a moment after Albans' comment on the artifact. "Now - if the VC mislead us, that would piss me off. In a major way."
|
|
While in the dune buggy, Hakrinag pulls out a seemingly random assortment of tools and materials. Over the course of the bumpy two hour ride, he creates multiple hideous contraptions. Finally settling on one that meets his approval, he shows it to his allies. "Why buy a grenade when you can just make one?! Ha Ha!" The lunacy in making grenades on a dune buggy ride is clearly lost on him.
"How shall we proceed? The bar should be a good place to learn about what is happening in this hovel."
________
|
|
"Would you like me to assist you?" Alice 002's emotionless red eyes stare at Madrigal, then Albans.
Alice 002 accesses the data terminal with her custom rig. Her eyes stare forward, looking at nothing in particular as she searches. "WOULD YOU LIKE TO ORDER TAKE-OUT FROM DIGGER'S DIVE? SAY YES TO HEAR MENU OR SAY NO TO END CALL." Alice 002 breaks from her trace-like state. "My apologizes, I think I accessed the wrong computer."
Alice 002 is the fourth party member to agree and raises a hand to her chest, "My system is incapable of digestion, but the menu sounds intriguing. Perhaps we should visit the establishment of DIGGER'S DIVE."
|
|
Digger’s Dive is a single-story structure built using imported wood. There are no windows, but there are small rectangular openings in the exterior walls at ceiling height to allow for ventilation. The front entrance is a swinging waist-high wooden half-door.
Faint electric lights dangle from the 15-foot high ceiling, while the open sky is visible from cracks between the planks that serve as a roof. The floor is solid wood. The interior walls and ceiling supports are mud brick, the latter being carved in a rare attempt at ornamentation. The tavern is divided in two halves by an energy field with an opening on the northern end. The bar lining the southern wall is open to either side, with a wall of half-empty bottles behind it. The tables are wooden and makeshift, but solid. The east end has square wooden platform about a foot above the floor. Two sets of double doors are built into the northern and southern walls on the west end, both ajar. A single closed door provides an exit behind the west end of the bar.
The bar is packed! Which is rather unusual at mid-morning. Humans and yoskis, families and friends, are seated, having drinks, having meals, or just chatting all in rather good cheer. An yoski is mixing drinks behind the bar. She looks up as you enter, but doesn't seem surprise to see strangers and instead smiles welcomingly. In fact, few turn to look at the newcomers, and even those who do look just as welcoming.