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Obozaya looks around at everyone else and says, "It is good to see you again my friends. As always, I look forward to earning honor and glory through battle. And there never seems to be a shortage of battle when it comes to the Starfinder Society!"
Keskodai looks up from the table that he has sat at while awaiting the briefing - he appears to have brought his lunch with him, as there's a small sea of containers spread in front of him. He dips something wriggling into a bright orange sauce and slurps it down. "This will be a fine excursion!," the shirren proclaims. "Should it be the day Pharasma reclaims us all, may we greet her with open arms, and all together, as we lived!" He affectionately rubs the cradle-jar that he has sat on the table, so the larval Chkoresk can watch his father eat.
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A small drone flies into the room, buzzing and whirring. After a few moments it rises up near the ceiling and hovers there. A small ysoki enters and takes a seat. He appears to be outfitted and ready to depart immediately.
In a quick, clipped tone he introduces himself, "Laz Resk. I fix things. Sometimes by taking them apart. Sometimes with explosives." He giggles to himself.
A short hiss precedes the opening of an adjacent door. A woman with a determined look steps through the opening, holding a datapad in one hand as she sits down at the nearby table, takes a calm breath, and begins to speak, “Ah good, you made it. All of you come highly recommended. You have skills, and the Starfinder Society has credits.”
She pauses, looks over the group she has assembled, and continues, “How rude of me—introductions. I am Luwazi Elsebo, the elected First Seeker of the Starfinder Society, and I have an exceptionally fair sum of credits available in return for your specialized services. For this mission, each of you will represent the Starfinder Society, but hold no offucial title within our organization. As you can probably tell by the empty halls around us, I need to use mercenaries to act as temporary agents. If you agree to the terms, I would like to offer you all a job.[/b]
“The Stardinder Society endured a staggering setback several months ago when our previous First Seeker led a mission into a region of space known as the Scoured Stars. We lost almost all our experienced field agents and assets in that endeavor. What the Starfinder Society really needs right now is something to entice outside interest and investment. In short, we need to make a major discovery.
“Prior to the Scoured Stars incident, the Society acquired exclusive rights to explore a rather unique moon. The inhabitants of the nearby planet call it Salvation’s End and see it as a ‘false moon’ due to its visible metal components and underlying superstructure. There’s the potential that it’s nothing more than a mangled hunk of stellar debris on the remains of a moon, but there’s also the chance that the entire object could be one inconceivably large structure.”
Luwazi lets loose a devilish smile. “This is where you come in. I want you to go to Salvation’s End and explore the surface. First, you’ll need to make a quick trip to the moon of Varos, which orbits the nearby gas giant, Bretheda. There’s a high- level security complex on Varos that has a survivor from a rogue prospecting mission to Salvation’s End. I want you to question the prisoner, find out what you can about the so-called ‘false moon,’ and then make way to Salvation’s End. Once there, you will need to see if the moon is worthless, or something valuable enough for the Society to announce. Understood?”
"Credits and combat. Music to my ears."
"Is the Varos security complex expecting us? And do you know anything more about the prisoner? Name? Race? Weaknesses to exploit when we 'interrogate' him?"
"And once on the moon, by what criteria do we use to judge whether Salvation's End is valuable or not?"
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Laz looks up at the hovering drone, giving a short ysoki chitter. "Compile a onesheet on Varos or Bretheda law enforcement, whoever has jurisdiction. And offline it."
"What else can you tell us about this prisoner? Popping off for a visit to a high-level security complex sounds like a pretty bad start. What are they being held for? Trespassing? Claim jumping? Forgetting to grease the right palms?"
A spry human woman leans against the wall, flipping her colorful hair out of her eyes with a twitch of her head. ”Any leverage you can think of to get the prisoner to work with us? Also, any knowledge of threats or competition for the false moon?”
We need you to seek out a pilot named Livewire, who is interred at the ‘Sauna’—a prison colony on the volcanic moon Varos. Contact this prisoner, as she is the only survivor of an expedition that trespassed on Salvation’s End. Once you establish contact, it’s a matter of gathering intelligence. We doubt this information is cheap,
so we authorized a spending account for you to encourage Livewire to talk. We need to know why her team’s illegal salvage on the moon failed. Once you get this information, we need you to travel to the false moon. Touch down, scout for hostiles, and look for any indications that it’s more than a moon with crashed starships piled atop it.
The warden denied our requests to meet with Livewire, though. They indicated that our presence would rub salt in a fresh wound. So, whatever you do, do not let the warden or Livewire know that you are working for the Starfinder Society. I have set up a front to explain your meeting with Livewire: you are all investigators hired by an unnamed corporation looking to remain anonymous. You’re researching a rash of disappeared spacecraft that have gone missing when their flight path took them too close to Salvation’s End
I’m able to provide a spending account of 2,500 credits for mission expenditures; this does not include expenses for personal use, but instead for dealing with Livewire and the other occupants at the Sauna to help in your mission. In addition, you have use of a brand-new Pegasus-class starship for the mission.
If we end on agreeable terms, you can count on the Starfinder Society for more work in the near future. Trust me when I say an ongoing partnership would be quite... lucrative, for both parties.
"With a name like Livewire, I'd bet money that we're dealing with a Ysoki here, am I correct?" Obozaya chuckles. "By the way, do you know the warden's name, Ms. Elsebo?"
"Aside from that, I have no more questions. When we get to Sauna, I assume we'll be playing good space cop / bad space cop. I'm only good at one of those and it ain't good space cop." Obozaya's reptilian face breaks into a broad, toothy, and not very pleasant smile.
"Before we depart though, I'll check with my contacts to see if I can find any information about Sauna, it's warden, Livewire, Varos, Salvation's End, or anything else that may be relevant to our mission."
Keskodai perks up. "Ooooh, I can be good space cop! People tend to like me, I think I can do that!" He begins packing up his lunch, and carefully fastens his son to his belt. "Do we get badges??"
The shirren also takes a few moments to ask around for anything his network knows about the Varos or Salvation's End.
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The ysoki yawns sleepily, "New mark - Livewire. Activate crawlers, compile a timeline, and store for offline retrieval."
Turning to the others, he says "Looks like a good crew, pleasure to work with you. Do we need to do some shopping before we jam? I'm sure some barter will go a long way in the Sauna."
Luwazi moves to a large entry, and opens it to reveal a hub of activity.
Wonderful! I am so excited to conduct business with you. With a renewed energy, Luwazi steps further into a large hangar bay containing a pristine ship with a stylized symbol of the Starfinder Society along its hull. Several engineers, laborers, and mechanics buzz about the hangar running diagnostics, polishing the vessel’s unspoiled hull, and finishing the last touches for a maiden launch. Luwazi looks up to the ship with beaming pride, reaches into the folds of her clothing, and pulls out an expensive vintage of champagne, and extends the bottle outward as she exclaims with a wide grin, “The ship is yours for the mission, it is only right you christen it! Tonight, we celebrate; tomorrow you sail off into the stars.”
"What about Our Lady Of Graves!" Keskodai has the good sense to wince as he says it out loud. "Oh, erm... maybe something more... hopeful sounding? What about... The Moonish Light... The Eternal Spiral... Hang on, I'll come up with something!" The shirren wanders a little ways away from the ship, muttering ideas to himself.
After a brief pause, Navasi’s face widens into a nostalgic smile. ”I’m partial to Weydan’s Watch, myself. But as long as I can stand at the helm and help guide this team to victory, I don’t care what we call her. What matters is that she’s beautiful and able to get us where we’re going.”
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Seeing an expensive bottle of champagne, Obozaya wonders momentarily where this region known as 'Champagne' is located. But her thoughts quickly move on to consuming the drink as she looks around for a glass.
While searching around, she says, "All good names. My vote is for Weydan's Watch. However, I am a bit more concerned about subtlety (and about finding a glass for that very tasty, very pricey drink.)"
"While en route to and while we're at Sauna, we don't want anyone to know we're working for the Starfinders. So is it wise to have the Starfinder Society's logo emblazoned on the hull like that for everyone except a blind person to see? Is there some way to mask it? Perhaps with the logo of some generic commercial passenger transport company?"
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"Look, you guys go shopping. I'll stay here and get a new paint job and file a bogus ship registry against a little venture capital firm that's just gone out of business. I guess the Seeker got a little wrapped up in her new project and forgot about operational security. Sounds like Weydan's Watch is the winner." Laz sets off looking for a terminal he can use...
Obozaya finally finds a coffee mug and not knowing any of the traditional customs or rituals behind drinking champagne (most noticeably the correct stemware to be used), she holds the empty coffee mug out towards Luwazi - a giddy and expectant look obvious on Obozaya's face.
"Drink first. Ship's weapon systems check after drinks. Then shopping. Those are my priorities in proper order."
Weydan's Watch maiden voyage is an uneventful handful of days in normal space, until the gas giant looms up, swirls and eddies clearly visible on the surface. Varos, the hellscape of a moon, contrasts this view. The prison complex, safely elevated above the surface of the moon, is barely discernible as the intercom flares up and the ship is hailed.
Attention starship approaching on vector one - four - kappa - bravo. Please state your destination and purpose.
Navasi comes onto the intercom. "Vessel is Weydan's Watch, bound for the facility called 'the Sauna' on Varos. Looking to interrogate a prisoner on details about a failed criminal operation to track down possible accomplices or evidence."
Acknowledged Weydan's Watch. Please proceed to landing pad five.
Upon approach, the lights on landing pad are turned on. Welcome to Varos Correctional Faclity. Please be advised that food, armaments... contraband... toiletries... must be left on board your vessel. Credsticks are universally accepted on this station. Donation can be made with any representative.
Once docked, an organic bridge connects the pad to the structure itself. Hot air blasts in from the surface of the moon, making the crossing from pad to inside structure barely bearable.
A flotilla of four barathus—floating, iridescent masses of flesh with draping tentacle appendages—wordlessly greet the party and escort them to the nearby Warden’s office.
The halls and rooms of the Sauna are entirely organic, comprised mostly of eshy blue walls replete with pulsating green veins. Tunnels take odd angles, sometimes sloping up or down, anuisance that the Barathus don't seem to mind. At the Warden’s office, several hard, plastic chairs await arranged in a semicircle around a matching table.
Opposite of the table floats a large Barathus, that can be best described as about a dozen Barathus lumped together.
Which is not that far from the truth - this is a combined barathu—a group of barathus who merged to form a superior being.
Welcome investigators the Warden greets telepathically, please have some refreshments. The warden points to some assorted trays of grey mush, and glasses of opaque, bluish milky substance.
The refreshments look welcoming, and the drink might help cool off. There is, however, a very off-putting stench permeating the complex.
After some small talk, the wardens says It is an honor to meet investigators such as yourself. We do our investigating ourselves, we are proud to say, one of our constituents barathus had a career as an investigator, and we are always excited to meet with like- minded personalities. Tell us, what is your proudest achievement?
Obozaya's thoughts immediately flashes back to her most recent not-so-proud moment when Luwazi ignored her coffee mug, walked up to the Weydan's Watch and smashed that very expensive bottle of champagne upon the ship's hull. Propelled by a profound sense of loss at such a blatant waste of perfectly good alcohol, Obozaya screeched, 'Nooooo!' as she leapt towards the ship and licked what little champagne she could off that cold, metallic surface. 'What?' she had said to everyone else when she turned back around towards her companions and saw their looks of dismay and disapproval.
Obozaya quickly refocuses to the present. 'The smell around here isn't pleasant,' she thinks to herself, 'But it's no worse than what I encountered in the Vesk military canteens.' With that in mind, she says, "Thank you warden, your hospitality is appreciated."
Obozaya eats some mush and drinks some blue milk as she continues talking...
"My proudest achievement was and continues to be rising above the petty politics of the Vesk military bureaucracy and striking out on my own - operating as a member of small, contract-for-hire teams. Countless times I have been called upon to defend my teammates as the sole hand-to-hand combatant. Only by defeating an enemy face-to-face in defense of one's allies can great honor and glory be earned. By breaking away from the military and taking the space lane less traveled, I have put myself on that path towards honor and glory."
After she finishes making her statement, Obozaya takes another long gulp of the beverage, leaving a blue milk mustache on her face.
Keskodai politely takes the refreshments and takes a long drink of it. "I'm a bit of a softy, I'll admit - no professional achievement has taken the place of the birth of my son here," says the shirren, protectively and proudly touching Chiskesk's belt container. "As amazing as the universe is and as amazing as travelling it can be, knowing that I'm helping raise another being to share that joy with - it's humbling." He telepathically shares a message of awe, joy, fear - trying to express the feelings of fatherhood in an uncertain and incredible galaxy.
Yes, yes indeed. Procreation, raising offspring. The circle of life is a beautiful thing, isn't it? What it through meiosis that your species procreates?
Navasi takes up a glass of blue milk and looks to the barathu conglomerate. "I'd like to think that my proudest accomplishments are still to come. When they roll around, I'll be sure to drop you a line. For now, though, I'll be proud just to clean up the mess that Livewire left behind."
Nothing glorious about exile from both family and pirates. Nothing in my past worth bragging about... Navasi takes a swig of the beverage. "As for procreation, that's not commonly discussed in polite company among my people."
[dice=ooc]Site is wigging out when I go to edit, so apologies for the double-post![/ooc]
Keskodai manages to not actively gag, but the telepathic feeling he was sharing gets a little... greenish around the edges. He quickly dismisses the shared thought, hoping that the Warden didn't notice.
Keskodai tilts his head at Navasi. "Truly? I swear I hear more humans discussing procreation casually than any other species - maybe it's only recreational procreation that makes for such constant discussion?"
Turning back to the Warden, Keskodai continues. "With the shirren, it's a... unique process. A female and male provide the material for the child, which is then incubated by a host. I've yet to find a term in Common that properly expresses the process, but shirren refer to it as..." Again, the shirren relies on his telepathy to express a concept of communal growth and parenthood.
Obozaya says, "I agree, Altronus!" trying to help him cover up his obvious gagging.
"Warden, this stuff is not bad at all!" and Obozaya helps herself to another handful of mush and glass of blue milk hoping to take the warden's attention off Altronus. The blue milk mustache on Obozaya gets a bit blue-er.
Obozaya continues, "So, would you like to tell us about your proudest achievement? Or shall we turn to the business at hand and discuss the matter of your prisoner Livewire?"
It is hard to discern emotion from the near-formless blob that is the barathus, but its telepathic voice betrays a hint of disappointment, It must exciting to be new to the field as investigators.
When Obozaya mentions the prisoner, the Warden says to my regret I must say that visits to prisoners are forbidden. It would, of course, be an entirely different matter for benefactors of proud prison complex. The barathus holds out an empty credstick in a very transparent attempt at soliciting a donation.
"So aside from visiting privileges, what other perks are provided in becoming a benefactor? Perhaps a look at the prisoner's profile information before the visit? Or use of the 'questioning' room and facilities as a part of that visit?"