As Hux looks out over the crowed, he is not able to get a good sense of the crowed. For the most part everyone seems to be listening but when he mentions "I am not afraid of the vesk anymore everyone should know the lying scum they are." there is a clear shift in the mood. That is where it becomes harder to read the emotions, though there are a few Vesk that look pretty upset as they storm away.
As you changes back to normal clothes, you do not see anyone around. You make it back to the hotel safely. Once you are there, you check your email and accept the job that requires hacking the government. The job seems even easier that you expected it to be... but it is because it turns out that the file you were working on was a Trojan that was getting your info while you edited it. The security office placed that file in an easy to get to location to trap people trying to skirt the law.
Hux goes to bed, sleeping easy thinking he just made off like a bandit, expecting a new weapon for Jib. In the morning, the ship he tried to help land gets stopped in the armada and the smuggler is arrested. Hux is tipped off to this before his meeting with Nor, but does not have much time to do much about it before the group is ready for the meeting.
Hux wakes up in the morning feeling refreshed. He feels like he got an amazing night of sleep and finally cleared up of his disease.
Tool stays out late, signing autographs, answering questions, really taking in his new fame with a message of anti-slavery (and anti-Vesk). Station security shows up not too long and work as a security detail because there have been threats made against him already. The security tells him that if anything goes down, not to get involved unless you really believe your life is in danger. Throughout the night, the security guards use nonlethal weapons to take care of a few minor threats. Eventually the night wares down and the guards escort Tool to the hotel. Remember if something happens, try to get a hold of security, do not kill unless you see no other way out. With the speech you gave, having Vesk blood on your hands will surely cause problems for both you, and us. At that moment, you realize none of your security guards were Vesk tonight, which is odd. Vesk is the most common race for that type of job after human. With that, they leave you at the hotel. Despite the stern words of the guards, the night goes by peacefully.
The group wakes up in the morning and gets ready for the day. You make your way back to the embassy, not sure what to expect from this meeting. When you arrive, the undead secretary greets you. Ambassador is in a meeting right now but he told me that you would be coming. I will let him know you are here, and knowing that, I am sure his meeting will wrap up quickly. As the secretary had suspected, you wait in the creepy waiting room for no more than 15 minutes. You are welcomed back to his office.
In his dry raspy voice, Welcome home. I am looking forward to hearing about what you think is up with the Drift Rock. But first, payment for a job well done. Since the job was a bit more involved than I originally appreciated and you following through with the discretion of my package, I have award you each a bonus on top of the agreed upon payment. He places two cred sticks down on the table. The first one has 2400 credits on it. That is the reward for completing the job that was asked of you. Looking at it, it has the official seal of the embassy on on it. The second is from my personal account, and it has 2000 credits. That is payment for delivering the package and keeping it under wraps. By accepting that payment, you acknowledge the confidentiality agreement is still in effect. Both Tool and Katara recognize that cred stick as the type that are often used in the crime circles because it has no memory unit so the funds are untraceable. Now, if you find your bonus acceptable, please tell me, in your own words what you found up there. Feel free to speculate because I am interested in knowing what you think. You have been given a bit of influence because of the show, so your opinion matters to some. With that, he leans back in the chair to listen to what you have to say.
A deserted ship named the Acreon arrives at Absalom Station from hyperspace, towing behind it a mysterious asteroid dubbed the Drift Rock. The PCs come to Absalom Station to join the Starfinder Society but soon find themselves caught up in a gang war instigated by two factions—the Hardscrabble Collective, the scrappy mining clan that owns the Acreon; and Astral Extractions, the large corporation that hired the ship. With both factions vying to claim the ship and the asteroid,the Starfinder Society hires the PCs to investigate the death of one of its members caught in the gangs’ crossfire. After exploring some of Absalom Station and dealing with the gangs, the PCs are hired by Gevalarsk Nor, Eox’s ambassador to Absalom Station, who is serving as a mediator between the factions. The PCs’ job: to explore the Acreon and the Drift Rock and learn what happened to the crew. The PCs take a shuttle to the quarantined Acreon, but sends a ship to attack them, giving them their first taste of starship combat. The PCs can find no trace of the deserted mining ship’s crew, but they do find the ship infested with alien monsters and opportunistic scavengers. The PCs continue their explorations on the Drift Rock, which is honeycombed with tunnels and rooms, and learn the final fate of the Acreon’s crew, while also dealing with an extraterrestrial monster that inhabits the asteroid. The PCs eventually learn that the asteroid is incredibly ancient and that it is a fragment of some larger alien structure or artifact, though its exact nature remains an enigma. They also discover the Sunrise Maiden, a ship lost in hyperspace 75 years ago, which they can claim for themselves. But as soon as the PCs leave the Drift Rock in their new starship, they come under attack from a Corpse Fleet Ship.
Addressing Nor. "I am pleased to see that you recognize your error in assessing the original task. In the future, I will be much more careful in getting specifics from you so there isn't the appearance of deceit in your requests. As to the completion of the task, you can thank Alim of the Qawiu Aldhihin Clan for that. It was his undying loyalty to you and willingness to face uncertain odds to gain your favor that saw us take such risks to secure your terrorist girlfriend."
As to the confidentiality of his package, Dahlia thinks for a moment and then picks up the credstick, saying nothing about her intentions in that regard.
When Tool comes to him after her apology he takes in what she has to say and thinks for a moment. It is quite alright, I do not hold it against you as you have clearly been wronged by my fellow Vesk. I am glad to have gained a friend who can see past the hardships of their past and show me such kindness. I only ask that you can try to extend this way of thinking to other Vesk, we are not all like those that tried to bend you to their will. I know it won't be easy and I understand that it may take a while but please try. You're a good friend and a great pilot in a pinch, I hope we can continue like this for some time. You are quite strong to face your past the way you do, I myself am not that strong and only wish to move forward and leave the past behind.
Katara bids his companions goodnight and heads to bed to rest for the meeting with Nor tomorrow.
Nor takes a deep breath as once again, this human fails to treat him with the respect his rank deserves. It was an error on my part, and I will admit a mistake. The task was far more dangerous than my original appraisal. It is why I am glad we had the cameras with you, they allowed me to get a better assessment of the job. I try to be a fair employer and pay for the job that is done, even if that means paying more than the agreed price.
I am unsure where you are seeing deceit. I have not tricked or lied about it. You knew everything I knew what I knew about the Acreon and Drift Rock. The only thing that was not made clear was the what was inside the package. And you agreed to the job knowing that you wouldn't know whats inside of it. I was honest with it not being illegal, and to the best of my ability and knowledge, it should of been safe to transport the package. I am currently investigating how the Corpse Fleet got involved in this. I apologize for being incorrect about the level of danger involved with dealing with the package, but that is all it was. And I quintupled your pay over that mistake, despite you blatantly going against what you were hired to do by opening my package. I am paying you for your loyalty. You not betraying me and all of the Pact Worlds is not a matter of a "favor". It was your job that you were getting paid to do, and your duty as a member of the Pact Worlds to not help terrorists. I appreciate the work you did for me. I paid you very well in return for it. But I am not going to act like you are Gods. So please get off of your high horse, you act as if you have done some amazing favor for me. I want to keep a work relationship with you if I need something in the future, but if getting paid extra money for a job is not enough of a thank you for the job, I can seek to hire elsewhere. I do not know why you must try to test my patience with you... I have been trying to be nice ever since I upset you during the first meeting and all you come back with are insults and hostility. So Dahlia, explain what your problem with me is.
"My problem is not with you. It is with your kind. The wealthy and powerful. Oppressing those beneath you to propel yourselves into greater power and wealth. Using people as pawns with little regard to their safety. If you did not know the corpse fleet would confront us, you should have. It seems unlikely that smuggling a member of a terrorist organization onto the station is legal, but I'm sure a person of your influence forces even the law to bend to your will. I have no quarrel with you personally, but i value and respect even the weak, and that seems out of your wheelhouse."
How have I shown you disrespect? I sought out adventures to carry out a mission that adventures do, and paid well above the typical asking price. I have never intended to be disrespectful. Am I cold and not always friendly, yes. I rose to my rank by being on Eox and dealing with people who hold no value with such things. But I do not see how I have disrespected you or anyone else here. It seems absurd that someone as cold as you would value me being warm so much. My goal was to establish a good relationship with a group of adventures so that I could hire people I trust. I have been too lenient with you to that ends. He pauses, because he knows that most living people need a breath when talking in longer bouts, and has learned that pauses make people feel more comfortable.
But I would like you to explain who exactly I have oppressed? I asked you to do a job, paid you for it.How have shown little regard for your safety. Zo!, my ally, paid for half of your healing from a disease caused on the mission I sent you on. I gave you a treatment that is not even on market yet to treat draining effects. I have done nothing but try to make sure you succeeded at the mission.
Like I said, it was an oversight on my part, I admit it and payed you a large compensation for that mistake. The Corpse Fleet should not of known about any of this. And if they did, there was no reason to expect them to come here. I have never seen a real Corpse Fleet threat so close to the station. They stay out of the Pact Worlds for the most part and especially to the Station. So if in the future, if you want a job that has absolutely no unexpected events, I would stay out of the adventuring business. No employer will no every risk you will have. There should of been no reason to suspect an attack from them.
Lastly, I am assuring you that you delivering my package was not an illegal act. If something came up that involved the Station Security, I can promise no legal issues would of occurred for you. I don't know how to explain it any clearer to you Dahlia, delivering an unopened package to a government employee is not no breaking any laws. Now willfully delivering a member of the Corpse Fleet to me is a bit of a different question. It would of made it a lot harder for me to keep you out of trouble after you opened the package. Everything I did was to try and protect you on this mission. So please, explain to me where I abused my power and how I have shown you or anyone weaker disrespect? How have I shown you no value?
"I believe you when you say you meant no disrespect. But, as I see it, the decision to recall the ship we used to get to the rock remotely showed little regard for our safety. The Sunrise Maiden turned out to be a functional ship, but you couldn't have known that. The second obvious disrespect was not telling us that the package might be sought after by others willing to kill for it. I feel you downplayed its importance and danger. If it is truly your intent to build a relationship of trust, these actions did not help."
"I do greatly appreciate the additional remuneration." she says, looking at the credstick. "And I do intend to honor our original agreement. And I do recognize that adventuring will be very dangerous at times, but we would be remiss if we let an employer lead us into excessive danger. I will do my best to put my feelings aside, if you will do your best to be forthcoming with relevant information."
You can through diagnostics of that ship before I recalled my own. I recalled it so you didn't feel obligated to fly it back since you only have one pilot. Worst case scenario is that you waited 3 hours while another ship was sent to pick you up. You would need it anyway since my ship doesn't have the ability to tow your ship. But everything appeared operational. That was not a sign of disrespect, it was making you no longer obligated to take care of my equipment when you had better. And is a delivery boy who delivers pizza supposed to be notified that he may get mugged every time he leaves the restaurant? There should not of been danger when it came to the package. I still am working on understanding what had happened there. But regardless, you not knowing what was in the package was safer for you than knowing. And I will stand by that even after the attack. You knew before signing up that the mission was dangerous. I made that very clear before you took the job. But all of that is irrelevant since those excuses happened after you already were insulting to my face plus on a public broadcast. So those are not the reasons you have a problem with me. I am trying to be as forthcoming as I can. Next time, if there is a next time, I will make sure I give you an extensive list of every single danger you may face as an adventurer from the odd chance of space pirates to getting pulled into the drift, to your power core failing. Your job is dangerous. That is why you get paid well. If you need to know everything that can go wrong in the job no matter how remote of a chance it is, then you are in the wrong job. I am sure there is something a bit more predictable for you since that seems to be what you need.
I would like to point out that you have already accepted the payment for the original agreement before you went to the Drift Rock. The bonus is for the extra unexpected hassle and to make sure you stick to the confidentiality agreement. If that is something you can not agree to, then you can just leave that bonus behind.
I do not believe I have put you in excessive danger. I warned you that this is dangerous. I am not able to predict the future, I can not know what will happen before it happens. I had no clue that the Corpse Fleet would get involved. I am not asking you to put feeling aside since I am trying to get a business relationship developed. If you hate me and I need to deal with you bad mouthing me on television, than I have no interest in ever hiring you again. Or the Starfinder Society. No matter how much you set those feelings aside, I can not have an employee who can not trust me to do my job and who who actively tries to ruin my career. I gave you all the information on the mission before you left. The only thing that I withheld is the package which was for your own safety. It was the only way to keep the transaction legal between us. If you knowingly delivered that package to me while knowing what is inside, you very well could be breaking the law. Me having the package is not illegal because it is needed for my job, and you delivering an unopened package is not illegal. But you willingly delivering what appears to be a terrorist, now that is illegal. I tried to keep you on the right side of the law, but you didn't listen. I did not hold back relevant info. But I do suggest you look into other occupations.
As promised, I will explain the details of what my operation. But I will need each of you to sign an expensive magical contract. The contract itself just states that you may not discuss this with anyone besides me. You may not discuss this between eachother in any place that you can be overheard. You may not discuss this over unsecured comm units.
The magic notifies me of a break of contract and will places a powerful enchantment on you if you break it. It will slowly drain away your life, until I release you from that punishment. I promise to release you from the pun if you show up in my office. I will not promise that other punishment won't result. But I want to be fair and give you the chance to explain. We are dealing with very important information that holds many peoples lives at stake. I do not take including you on this information lightly.
"We will have to agree to disagree about your portrayal of the task. We seem to both be committed to a professional arrangement, why don't we focus on that. I intend to speak to no one about the package. If a contract makes you feel better about that, I will sign it." Dahlia says as she takes the paper and signs it.
Katara merely listens to the conversation between Dhalia and Nor as they argue over how bad a boss Nor actually is. Katara can't help but feel most of the bad feelings toward Nor are more from him misunderstanding something or simply being uninformed.
I have no problem signing the contract.
Katara takes the contract from Nor and signs it.
Tool signs in the same way he signed the autographs. E1518- Androids not just A : TOOL.
Hux too signs the agreement though slightly worried it may be some sort of curse.
Alim signs the contract, and moves to the back of the group, waiting to listen to what Nor has to say. Alim does his best to not display any feelings regarding what has been said thus far as he moves through his comrades...
Well, I hope this will help explain why I needed to keep things hidden, especially to people who have not earned my trust. As I am sure you know, part of my job is to help the Pact Worlds against the threat of the Corpse Fleet. I found a Corpse Fleet facility about a year and half ago outside our system. The facility appears to be a low threat system so me and the Stewards decided it better to use this as an advantage rather than just destroying it. The facility seemed to be for breaking down objects into UPB then using that UPB to build new weaponry for the Corpse Fleet. Unfortunately, most people there were mindless so we were limited on the options of what we could do for extracting information.
Over the past year and a half, I have managed to make contract with 3 different individuals. You have met one of them. The first two have been killed or worse. The first two, I have made contact with and through acts of diplomacy, I have convinced them to betray the Corpse Fleet. We did so in hopes of that leading us to additional intel. Well, we suspect that the people we were talking to acted suspicious enough to warren extermination since both times our communication stopped abruptly. There has been no evidence that makes me think that they know of my involvement with any of there suspicious actions. Well, the third effort to communicate with an officer there went much better. We met Commander Hebiza Eskolar, who you have also met. She was our first successful extraction. The escape plan was very elaborate and had the package travel from many back and forth points through unofficial channels and I have wait anxiously for her delivery.
When the Acreon returned as a ghost ship, I was confused. That was meant to be the final leg of Eskolar's journey. There was no evidence of the Corpse Fleet's involvement. If they attack living ships, there would be evidence of their attack plus there wouldn't be resolution of the fight till their target is destroyed or they are destroyed. A ghost ship doesn't fit. So I did not think the Corpse Fleet had anything to do with it. Now that led to the problem that I still needed that package, and the legal debate will go on for years about that Drift Rock. So I got involved and asked you to retrieve the package. The reason I could not fill you in is that while the Stewards know of this mission, Station Security does not and I wanted to keep it off as much record as possible. If you knew that you were transporting a member of the Corpse Fleet to me, you would be breaking some laws and putting you at risk. If you had no clue what was in the package, you would be free to go, and I would be brought up on charges, which is when the Stewards would get involved and everything would be okay. But over all, I wanted to have as few people know of this mission as possible because you never know where a leak can happen. You could not be trusted to not be sympathizers so I needed you to be in the dark.
You delivered the package and now I have had her on the station and have made multiple fail safes to protect her current location. I have yet to had the opportunity to talk with her, but she will be treated as an enemy of the Pact Worlds till we are sure it wasn't a trap. The reason I did not foresee Corpse Fleet involvement in the delivery is that the Acreon was sitting out in space for about 2 weeks and interference from them. None of my contacts who were involved in the transporting the package have seen any sign of the Corpse Fleet. The only way I would of seen the Corpse Fleet finding out about all of this would be following the trail that Eskolar to get here, which would tip us off. That didn't happen. So it seemed like we pulled the extraction off without getting caught. I am still trying to figure out how they knew about Commander Hebiza Eskolar's location. The fact that they asked where she was implied they did not know of my involvement. It is all very confusing to me. Does that clear things up for you? Do you have any questions?
"It is good to hear that you are working with the pact worlds toward peace. I hope that you are able to convince Eskolar about the error of her ways. If our business is concluded? I have things I need to attend to..."
Katara listens to what Nor has to say and waits for Dhalia to finish up and leave.
Hopefully you can get plenty of info from Eskolar, thank you for the mission. Feel free to contact us if you need any further missions, although I'm not so sure how keen you are to work with Dhalia again.
After that Katara leaves Nor.
Hux listens incredulously as nor gives a rather predictable explanation When nor finishes he leaves without speaking following dahlia and katara.
Alim, who has been silent during the whole conversation bit and Nor's story, remains quiet until most of his comrades have spoken or left.
Upon their leaving, Alim approaches Nor, his costume from his adventures still on.
"I greatly appreciate hearing your side of the story... I apologize that it required us needing to sign a contract to gain your trust..." Alim pauses to think. "... Before I say too much more, I would like to know if there is anything more that you will require from us, as far as missions go at this time? And if so, where you stand with us as a group? Because, as much as my comrades bewilder me, we are a team. I would like to know if other restrictions or wariness will follow us for some of the actions taken on this last mission."
That is my job Dahlia, to represent my government in the Pact Worlds, and help with any threat that I can. I want there to be peace between us. But yes, you have been paid and debriefed. I was hoping to get your input on what you thought was happening with the Drift Rock, but that was foolish of me to believe you would be in a mood to talk about the mission.
When Katara mentions it the offer of future jobs, Maybe, I am unsure yet. This job was far more drama filled than what hiring low level adventures normally brings. But we will see. You may want to check in with the Starfinders. I will be sending in your report explaining that you completed my task.
To Alim, Trust isn't the only issue. People accidentally leak information all the time. My biggest concern about trust with your group in particular is that it seems that they value credits more than they value morality. People who would be willing to see you out to a higher bidder makes it harder to trust them without a binding document.
As of this moment, I have no need to hire you. I am not sure there will be many missions from me that your crew will be well suited for. Most things that an ambassador would need from trained fighters would involve a level of civility that certain members of your crew seems to lack. You make a good lot of adventures, but I feel bad for everyone who tries to hire you. If something comes up, I will consider you as a possible group.
For wariness that will follow you, I plan to explain in my report that I do not think diplomatic missions will be the strong suit of you. I will write that I believe that your crew values credits too much and that it may compromise the trust the employer can have in you. Besides that, I have only good things to say. Normally how the society works is that they will put the mission report files in a file for you so that when a future employer is looking for groups to hire, they can see what others have said about them. Does that sound like a fair assessment?
Tool listens to Nor taking it all in. I don't know how to take the drift rock it is a constructed base. The language is something i have never seen and was unable to crack. I feel now that it is safe it needs to be investigated and studied. Its not like anything i have seen or even heard of before. I don't know what to make out of it. Tool then thanks him for the extra credits and the opportunity the job has given him. Tool extends his hand to Nor Thank you, Tool leaves but dose not go back to the hotel.
Alim takes in what Nor has to say, and then hears what Tool adds about what he observed on the Drift Rock.
Alim looks at Nor, nodding as Tool finishes his assessment of the Rock, and adds," The Drift Rock has been cleared... Or at least the part we entered and explored. There was the language that we found that Tool described. It was strange and definitely not of the Pact Worlds, or at least nothing common enough that I came across it in my studies. Speaking of which..."
Alim pauses, and looks to the floor for a moment, then looks back towards the direction of the docked ship. "...Upon arriving home, I made sure to bring home all those that were part of the crew of the Acreon... I know they may not be in the best of shape, considering most of them were consumed by the Akata's and turned into Void Zombies... But I know that they deserve to be brought back and laid to rest according to their family's traditions and customs... Could you please make sure that they find their way home? I would presume an examination would need to occur before they are released but..." Alim pauses again.
When he speaks again, he is quieter, and somber. "...I know you saw everything that happened. You are no fool. You saw the ins and outs of our struggles with what we faced. So, I want to personally thank you for all of your help. From offering to pay half of my healing to allowing us to stand here with only a polite suggestion to write on our report back to the Starfinder Society. While this didn't go as intended, I appreciate your candor with us just now, even after all that our group has been through during this mission for you. Before leaving, I want to ask you if you would like the Sunrise Maiden as your own. Technically we found it on your mission, and you did lose a ship on our return here. I want to make sure that you understand your kindness to us has been much more than anticipated, especially after an additional pay bonus... I just want to make sure you didn't want the Sunrise Maiden for your own after all of this..." Alim pauses again, and awaits Nor's reply.
Yes, I have never seen the language before. From the best we could tell, the Drift Rock is a piece of something larger but we do not know what. You would be correct that it is not of the Pact Worlds. I am sure it is something that the Society will interested in.You may want to check in with them.
I will make sure the bodies are properly taken care of and released to the members of the Hardscrabble collective. I am sure they will be thankful to have their loved ones.
The Sunrise Maiden is yours. I have no legal claim to it in the least. You should expect Astral Extractions to try to lay claim to it since they think the whole rock is theirs. But I am not interested in getting involved in that legal fight. You keep it, it was clear that the intentions of the late Captain was for it to go to an adventurer, not a corporation or an ambassador.
Shopping!
hux will also have some shopping to do
backup generator armor upgrade (210)
After Katara exits the meeting he charges his batteries used on the mission and heads to do some shopping.
Sell: Longsword(37), Second Skin(25)
Alim nods the the ambassador, and says, "Thank you... For everything. We shall be in touch. "
With that, Alim heads out to wander the streets, to see what strange and useful items are available...
You are able to get an interview with a top reporter if you promise him that it will be exclusive. Essentially he doesn't want you to go on a media tour giving everyone an interview and his getting washed away since he is first.
If you take the interview as your post suggested you would, the interview starts by allowing you time to give free talk, followed by questions. Your post covers most of the stuff he would ask besides a few questions. Please answer these plus throw a diplomacy check in as well.
There are a lot of people who still see Androids as just another robot. Something built by our hands to serve, what would you say to those people to try to change their mind?
Given that Androids can be built, how do you see the end of slavery of your kind? There will always be a market, and a means of production. So how would you like to take down the business.
There rumors floating around that you have said some very negative things about all Vesks. Tonight you sound much more targeted at some Vesk. Was there an event or conversation that changed your tune? Also, is it hard working with a Vesk.
One of your allies uses a robot he built himself in combat that appears to have artificial intelligence. How do you see that robot different from yourself? Where do we draw the line between sentient Android and a tool to be used by others. Do you believe that my comm unit that uses AI to organize my schedule is a form of slavery?
Not an easy concept to define, consciousness has been described as the state of being awake and aware of what is happening around you, and of having a sense of self.
"I think, therefore I am", the idea that the mere act of thinking about one's existence proves there is someone there to do the thinking.
Children can be created but for the most part child slavery is stop by the leaders of the worlds. If the leaders policed the slavery instead of profiting from it. It could be controlled a lot better then it is now.
I admit when i first came foreword i spoke more from anger and did not think my words through full. That is why i wanted to do this interview. I did hate all vesks at one point but i have learned there all not to blame. and some are even willing to lay down there life fighting beside me. Working with a vesk was hard at first i needed to learn to give each person i meet a fair chance. But i still fully believe the leaders of the Vesk should be held accountable for letting this slavery go on under there noses and profiting from it. The leaders of the packworlds need to do something about it or Androids need to stand up together and do something about it we can not stand by and let our people continue to live in bondage.
The robot can not think for himself ,or act for himself. It needs to be told what to do and how to do it. I confronted him about the robot when we first met and he said "the robot is free to go when ever it wants" it isn't not a sentient being it lacks the ability to be aware to think for itself. AS far as your comm unit can it think for itself ? Is it self aware? have independent thought not programming?
After a long day of shopping and taking care of maintenance to your gear, everyone retires for the night. Tool is later to get home than some of the others. Hux notices a strange lack of emails before he goes to bed. He has not received any throughout the whole day and he would expect at least some junk mail.
In the morning, the group heads out to the Lorespire Complex to check in with their case manager. The secretary in Chiskisk's office building informs you that the wait should be brief since today is mostly a paperwork day for Chiskisk. Without waiting too long, you are called back.
Chiskisk is sitting at their desk with a mess of papers everywhere. In your heads you hear, We are sorry for the mess. Today is a busy day of finishing files and organization. So, we have been following your adventure and are very pleased. We have read the report by Ambassador Nor and are pleased. The report makes it sound as if you may of made an ally for the Starfinder Society, if not in Nor, than in Zo!. He has already contacted the Society in talks of a potential "donation". We will see how that all plays out. What did you think of your second Starfinder assignment? Was it what you imagined?
The Shirren gestures to the open seats. We can see why the Astral Extraction wanted to keep our noses out of the Drift Rock. It is certainly something we are interested in. It appears that we have come to the same conclusions of what the rock is as Nor. But one thing that Nor does not have is our massive linguistic library.
And there is some good news. The Starfinder Society’s linguistic database recognized many of the symbols you found on the Drift Rock, because this is not the first time they’ve appeared
post-Gap. The bad news is that the source is... highly unreliable, Chiskisk notes, as segments of their chitinous body scrape together in agitation. All that we have about these earlier texts comes from Halkueem Zan nearly three centuries ago, and it seems that no published studies of those texts have appeared since. According to these records, Zan’s original findings were donated to the Qabarat University of Xenoarchaeology and Xenoanthropology on Castrovel shortly after his— The shirren pauses while contemplating how best to phrase the sentence. —disruptive expeditions.
Fortunately, the Society has numerous alumni from that university, and I can readily secure you a contact there and forward my personal recommendation to a few faculty members. Perhaps they can show you Zan’s notes and even take you to the original site so that you can search for more clues about whatever this Drift Rock once was.
After a moment pause, That is if you are interested on staying on the Drift Rock case. We are just really excited about this and projected that excitement onto you. Jobs like these are why the Starfinder Society exists. We only wish that this job came about when we were still field agents. What do you say? And if you do take the job, do you have any questions.
Not an easy concept to define, consciousness has been described as the state of being awake and aware of what is happening around you, and of having a sense of self.
"I think, therefore I am", the idea that the mere act of thinking about one's existence proves there is someone there to do the thinking.
Fair enough. I think you will see a lot of resistance to that thought though. People struggle to understand that consciousness is something we can create and program. But that brings up bigger questions than this interview can deal with.
Children can be created but for the most part child slavery is stop by the leaders of the worlds. If the leaders policed the slavery instead of profiting from it. It could be controlled a lot better then it is now.
Some would argue that the creation of Androids was what led to the downfall of slavery. Traditional living things is a huge investment to create in both time and resources. If you build an Android, they can be ready to use the same day they are built, making them a lot more efficient of slaves to keep.
Tool speaks up right away I am in, I want to know more. All so would be good idea to offer to let ZO continue to record us to maybe do a follow up to his show. More publicity could stark more intrest in other to join starfinder.
I am glad you are as excited about this mystery as me. Who knows where this will lead! Now with Zo!, he is not going to be looking to do another free show since he knows the show is a big deal, which means he will be spending a lot of time working the details out on that and their is a lot to figure out on the business end.
I'm also interested in continuing the Drift Rock case, how soon do you think you could secure a meeting between us and the university?
I am sure I can arrange a meeting once you get to Castrovel. It is about a 4 day flight from here. I will arrange the meeting while you are flying. While things aren't urgent, there is a risk of waiting too long for I am sure we are not the only one's who could piece this together.
I think we should leave as soon as possible. We know we have made enemies. The longer we stay in one place the more dangerous it becomes.
"I'm not fond of the idea of Nor watching our every move. He is no longer our employer. But I will yield to the groups choice in that matter. Some of us seem more smitten with him than others. I agree that we should leave soon. The markings were aired for the worlds to see, others will be following up." Dahlia says.
Nor should not have anything to do with this mission. As you said, he is no longer your employer so I have no intention of involving him in anything else.
Tool is ready to go when ever everyone else is
Hux is also ready
Chisick messes with his datapad for a moment. I just sent you a digital copy of Halkueem Zan's book. Take it with a grain of salt though. Now if you have no more questions, I have some more to do. Thank you for checking in. I will message you about who our point of contact at the university is once I know! Feel free to get a hold of me if you need anything else.
"This planet we are headed to," Dahlia says, looking over the notes of Halkueem Zan, "Seems none too friendly. Anything we encounter is likely to be hostile."
"This obelisk he speaks of may be visable from the air, but the jungle may make it difficult to land close."
The planet is partially civilized. The continent (Ukulam) that the temple you are looking for is not civilized at all. Chiskisk is asking you to go to one of the cities to meet with a university to get more info on the area since Zan is not a really reliable source. Zan is no longer alive. The expedition was centuries ago.
Q:Who was Halkueem Zan?
A:As you know, the Starfinder Society is an organization dedicated to uncovering the secrets of the universe and its past. As in any pursuit, a sensational hero can attract new recruits, and a buffoon can tarnish the whole field. Halkueem Zan was both. He traveled throughout the Pact Worlds making a name for himself as an explorer and archaeologist, but his techniques were utter rubbish. He was a looter with a good press agent, and he published lurid gibberish like ‘Pyramid People of Ukulam.’ His articles were popular with the public, but for every diligent explorer they inspired, another two were unscrupulous treasure hunters who just wanted to blow things up and call it archaeology.
Q: Was Halkueem Zan a Starfinder?
A:Chiskisk shudders visibly. “No. Zan did most of his work at about the same time the Starfinder Society formed, but I don’t believe he was ever associated with us.”
Q:What trouble did Halkueem Zan experience on Castrovel?
A:“Different planets have different regulations for explorers. Zan wanted to explore a site on the restricted continent of Ukulam, but when the authorities denied him passage, he went anyway. I believe they confiscated most of his findings, and the whole incident spurred a decade of restrictions on offworld explorers.”