Scrambling after her companions, Kotora tugs her credstick free. Pausing a moment as she watches her fellow skitters accost the woman behind the counter, she frowns. "Dribble! Where's your manners?" she chastises her cousin.
Quickly, the purple puff ball rushes around the desk and wraps her five free arms around the receptionist. "It ok. Kotora hug you. You do good job. We thank you for your time. When you can, we would like to do as Chisky asked us with your help."
The goblin squirms around in a comfy chair as he listens to the conversation go on. When they go to look at him he appears to be sitting in the chair upside down.
When asked for involvement the gentle nagging of his 'inner voice' convinces him to raise his hand to volunteer before hopping down and following the others.
When he reaches the desk he holds his credstick up and says, 'ank you for food'
It's amazingly polite for a goblin... must have had some good teachers...
Cha'Vishtyr also hands his credstick to the receptionist. He doesn't attempt to further the conversation as she more than likely wouldn't know the inner workings of the local gangs.
He opens a mental link with his newfound companions. "Would it do any good to ask her. She has no affiliation with the local gangers." Cha'Vishtyr gives an inner sigh as he looks to her. "Do you?"
As he waits he pulls out his own personal computer and begins to sift through what he can find on Absalom Web from local reports of crimes that fit the gangs areas.
The receptionist smiles, almost overwhelmed by the skittermander hugs and friendliness.
"Well, I can tell you some rumors I've heard. You would be shocked some of the rumors I hear in this job."
Information she provides:
The Downside Kings are a brutal street gang that controls several decks of Absalom Station’s lower levels, or “Downside,” through a combination of intimidation and violence. They are known to engage in a wide variety of illegal activities, from extortion, fraud, robbery, smuggling, and theft, to drug and arms trafficking, kidnapping, murder-for hire, and trafficking in sentient species. Turnover among the Downside Kings’ leadership is high, but the gang’s current boss is a barbarous human woman named Ferani Nadaz. A group called Astral Extractions has recruited the Downside Kings to threaten another group called the Hardscrabble Collective and pressure the miners into handing over something called the Acreon and the Drift Rock to the company without dispute. The Downside Kings are known to use a nightclub called Fusion Queen as a front for their illegal activities.
The Level 21 Crew are a street gang that claims (unsurprisingly) Level 21 of Absalom Station’s seedy lower decks as its territory. Their known criminal endeavors include theft, fencing stolen goods, gambling, prostitution, racketeering, and smuggling. The Level 21 Crew may be a criminal gang, but they have a reputation in their territory (and neighboring levels) for promoting community empowerment, and many neighborhood residents tolerate or tacitly endorse their activities. The gang has also been known to hire itself out to defend marginalized and threatened groups or factions. A grizzled ysoki called Jabaxa currently leads the Level 21 Crew. Fearing retribution from powerful corporate interests, the Hardscrabble Collective has recently hired the Level 21 Crew for protection. Those who want to get in touch with the Level 21 Crew can leave word at a bodega called Mama Fats', which the gang uses as a message drop.
Cha' is able to verify that many of the rumors provided by the receptionist appear to be true.
The receptionist puts 200 credits on each of your credsticks. She also gives you directions to the small inn called Moons of Sleep which will give you a discount if you mention you are with the Starfinder Society.
poke poke
"And have you ever been to the Fusion Queen? Or maybe to this bodega 'Mama Fats'?" Dribble asks while she puts her credstick away.
"Thanks for the heads up. Whats a 'Aye-cree-on and Drift Rock'? You think the 21 guys would be interested in talking to us?" she asks.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Either sounds like a good start. Which should we head to investigate first? Fusion Queen or Mama Fats?" Cha'Vishtyr looks to his companions. Or rather the drow as the Skittermanders seemed to be hugging each other and the Goblin was chewing on the edge of the desk.
Takes the cred stick and puts it back as quickly as he can, still embarrassed by the stickers. "Let's go to the Moons of Sleep first! I want see what the place is like and decide on a place to sleep before we hunt down the gungs."
Allain makes his preferences clear amid hugs and miscellaneous munchings and crunchings from the goblin. "Arranging accommodations before we confront either of the gangs sounds amenable to me... I think the Level 21s do sound the more tractable of the two groups, so I think this Mama Fats would be a good place to start."
The receptionist continues to smile at the cuddly skittermanders. "No, I've never been to either of those places. "
Kotora, go ahead and roll diplomacy again if you want to see what she knows about the Drift Rock or the Acreon. If any of you want to ask the receptionist about other unknown things she mentioned, go ahead and roll diplomacy for that, too.
"Who or what is the Hardscrabble collective? And what is with that powerful corporate interests, what does that mean?" Dribble probes further
Once again Jaxy seems to try resisting the urge to join in the hug Kotora started, he turns his eyes to Dribble instead, his voice wavering slightly. "Can you ask her about the Drift Rock and Ac..orean too? They sound really cool!" By the time he finishes, though, the small skittermander has glanced back at the receptionist and his resolve breaks and he rushes over to join in.
_________
Allain looks curious about the same things that caught Jaxy's notice.
"What can you tell us about this Acreon and perhaps you can tells us a bit about the drift rock you spoke of?"
Cha'Vishtyr isn't one to seek out speaking with strangers, let alone the receptionist. Speaking with just her private mind he comes of as cold and impersonal.
The receptionist glows with joy at all the skittermander hugs, and spends a few minutes researching some answers to your questions. She then hands you a data crystal with the following results:
A few weeks ago, the prospecting ship Acreon, owned by a scrappy clan of asteroid miners called the Hardscrabble Collective, discovered an asteroid floating in the Drift while traveling to Absalom Station from Near Space. Always looking for their next claim, the miners captured the asteroid and towed it behind their ship—but when the Acreon arrived at Absalom Station, its crew had disappeared, leaving the ship deserted. Station security immediately quarantined the ship and the mysterious asteroid at a safe distance from the station, pending further inquiry.
Two groups have stated a vested interest in the Acreon and the asteroid. One is the Hardscrabble Collective, which owns the ship and claims mineral rights to the asteroid. The other is Astral Extractions, a large mining company that hired the Hardscrabble Collective and the Acreon to explore potential sites for future exploitation. Both groups claim the sole right to investigate the disappearance of the Acreon’s crew and determine the fate of both the ship and the asteroid.
Astral Extractions is a powerful mining conglomerate with business ties throughout the Pact Worlds. Most of the company’s operations are centered in the Diaspora and the rocky moons of the outer planets, but it has also begun sending scout vessels into the Vast in search of new claims. The company recently hired one of the Hardscrabble Collective’s ships, the Acreon, for one of these exploratory missions. The public face of Astral Extractions is that of an ethical and respectable corporation, but outside of the public eye, some say the company uses hired muscle—corporate mercenaries, strikebreakers, and even criminal elements—as proxies to intimidate and threaten those who stand in its way. Following the arrival of the Acreon, Astral Extractions secretly hired a violent Absalom Station street gang called the Downside Kings to coerce the Hardscrabble Collective into abandoning its claims on the Acreon and the Drift Rock. Underworld sources claim that Astral Extractions specifically ordered the Downside Kings to target Duravor Kreel, whose anticorporate activism was well known to the company’s board of directors, to discourage other parties (particularly the Starfinders) from intervening in the Acreon matter.
The Hardscrabble Collective is a clan of stubborn asteroid miners that operates primarily among the scattered planetoids of the Diaspora. It has no offices or base of operations, but the clan members usually view the Armada—the ever-changing fleet of ships that orbit Absalom Station—as a central gathering place. Collective crews hire their ships out to a wide variety of business concerns, including Astral Extractions, which recently employed the Collective ship Acreon to scout for new mining prospects in the Vast. While the Hardscrabble Collective calls itself a clan, it is more of a cooperative business enterprise, a coalition of dozens of ships’ crews who have banded together for mutual benefit and safety. While some of the Collective’s members are related, most of them are individuals from a dozen different races: humans, dwarves, androids, ysoki, and more. Nevertheless, the Hardscrabble Collective is as tightly knit as many families, and members fiercely look after one another’s welfare. Following the arrival of the Acreon and Astral Extractions’ claim on the ship and the Drift Rock, the Hardscrabble Collective contracted with an Absalom Station street gang called the Level 21 Crew to protect its members and its interests on the station until the dispute can be resolved.
"Wow, thank you miss! That was quite a bunch of information! We won't disturb you any longer"
Dribble walks away from the reception area "Should we go up and tell this to Chisisk? Imagine that he just had to talk to that lovely woman and he would have known all this!"
The puff ball pulls herself away from the creature as her companions play the data crystal, her eyes glazing over as it drones on. Shaking her head when dribble speaks, she nods fervently.
"Uh, yeah. Thanks!" Turning, she scurries after her friends. "Uh...so what now? Big rock in space, someone hired someone to find it....but they left....now they both want it? Or something...?"
"No, Chisky hired us to find out why his beardy friend had ta die. Not sure this rock thing has to do with that. I think we keep this to us fa now and see if it has to do with dorf dieing."
Cha'Vishtyr nods "Let's secure a room and some equipment. Then we can go find this Mama Fats." The Shireen taps his newly filled credstick.
Jaxy gives the receptionist a final squeeze before breaking away. "Thank-you, you're a wonderful woman! If you ever get tired of living feel free to come see me!" With one last smile he turns to listen to the crystal, but as is drones on, his eyes start to take on a glassy look.
Jaxy then gives his head a shake and decides to start looking around to see if he can find the secretary's secret goblin rations stash.
When the crystal stops and his friends start talking again, Jaxy pops up from behind the counter, a little chocolate on his lips. He bounds over to the group licking his lips. "Maybe we can leave a message for him, explaining what the nice lady here found for us? But I agree; I want to see mysterious spaceship! And creepy rock, so let's go to this Fats place!"
You go to the Moons of Sleep and find that you are easily able to secure rooms for a reasonable rate. Because you have all had a long and exciting day of travel, you get something to eat and get some rest.
"So it seems that Astral Extractions does not want the Starfinders to get involved in this discussion about the Acreon and the Drift Rock. I do not understand why they can't just jointly investigate it."
Before everyone wakes up Cha'Vishtyr visits a couple of stores as he looks for more of a nonlethal weapon of sorts.
"Credits brings out the worst in people. It has been enough to commit murder in the past. We will find out shortly enough." Cha'Vishtyr hopes as he heads in the direction of Mama Fats.
Jaxy sleeps soundly and wakes up a little late. When he comes out of his room the fur on his head is styled into a sharp mohawk. Joining up with everyone else as they head out for Mama Fats' he excitedly points at his new hair style. "They have such fun things here! Like this geeell thing!"
Catching the tail end of Dribble and Cha's conversation, Jaxy gives a confused tilt to his head. "They don't want our help? Then why are we going? But it is odd they can't work together! And murder's that bad killing, right? Maybe credits aren't all that good then..."
Allain joins the others for a quick breakfast and then after Cha is done shopping, heads out for Mama Fats. "Your hair looks... " he avoids the words bed-head, and considers alternatives. [/b]"Very pointedly impressive. and yes, murder is 'bad killing'."[/b]
Joining Chacha in his shopping excursion, Kotora locates an armor augmenter. "It's nice when you can see." she tells the man as she points at the infrared sensors. "I like to see and those let me see at night too! Makes it easier to hug people." Giggling, she hands over her credstick to the man.
Jaxy smiles happily at Allain's possible compliment, despite not understanding pointedly. He grins, "Thanks! Do you think I should do this everyday? It takes a long time..."
"Oh, so we're going because these people have been committing bad killings? Let me at 'em!" Jaxy then speeds up and rushes forward before realizing he has no idea where he is going and falling back with the group.
"If it takes a long time then only do it on special occasions Jaxy"
"Dribble has a good point, you might not always have time to style it so. But when you do have time, it is quite becoming and definitely establishes you as quite unique among your fuzzy kind."
Making his way to the inn Ack finds a nice humble room to set up for his needs and whims. He works a little into the night setting his equipment up with the little bit of routine maintenance necessary before searching for his evening snack, and then retiring to bed.
When the morning comes around everything is set up and ready for him to grab as he heads down and orders something to start the day with and takes a seat by the group he recognizes while he quickly scarfs down the food before him.
You make your way to the little neighborhood grocery store Mama Fats.' It's in a neighborhood that appears to be poor, but still relatively well maintained. You are now standing outside the store.
Cha'Vishtyr makes his way to the door and opens it. He sends a mental link back to his companions. "Keep your weapons handy. Who knows what we are walking into. Don't need anyone else getting shot in the neck." Cha'Vishtyr taps his flame rifle.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Jaxy's eyes light up as Cha'cha's message comes in, before he even hears all of it, his reaction cannon and his taclash are already in his hands and he's rushing the door. "Ohh, a fight? Let's go! Eheheheehehehehe!" His excited laughter trails after him as he barrels past Cha'cha, and slams into the door. It takes the skittermander a moment to realize that the door has a handle, but he soon finds it and pops the door open.
Inside he jumps up and down excitedly, head flicking all over the place trying to see where the people he will be helping pass on are. "Oh, ohh, I'm here! I'm here! Where's the battle? Wait, who are we fighing? and why? Ooooh, look a purple ceiling!"
Tugging her own taclash free, Kotora giggles at Jaxy. "Uh...that was subtle my friend." As he barrels away from her, she calls out "Shouldn't we make sure we've enemies first?"
With a shrug, she follows the excitable skittermander into the shop. Glancing around the room as she enters, she tries to pinpoint any potential threats.
The only occupant is an older halfling woman. "May I help you?"
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Jaxy's excited rush with guns drawn causes the goblin to chase after him and attempts to lower the skittermanders' weapons so he looks less likely to be robbing the store. 'ugn! ihz bad mannerz. Makes look like bad, uhh, bad friend making'
Cha'Vishtyr opens a mental link with the older halfling woman. "We are looking to get in touch with the Level 21 crew." He gives as serious of a look as he can, though he feels out of place among the local thug life.
"Tell me where to find you, and you will be contacted soon."
"Depends on when you contact us. Iffen you contact us at sleepy time, we'll be at the 'Moons of Sleep' but during the day we'll prolly be out and about. Like now, we're here." replies Kotora.
Shoving her taclash back onto her belt, she waddles towards the older woman and offers a hug. "I'm Kotora. It's nice to meet you ma'am. Sorry, but I don't have any good food to offer you."
Cha'Vishtyr responds in kind. "The Moons of Sleep should be suitable to find us." He scratches the note on a sheet of paper, sliding it to the large halfling and turns to leave.
Stepping back outside, Kotora looks to her companions. "So, we go to see that Queen now? Get the skinny on the Kings?"
Without waiting for a response, she rushes up to a local walking past. Giving the man a big hug about the knee, she looks up with a smile. "How I get to the Foooseon Queen?"