Round 1
Downside King 1 23
Downside King 2 21
Kov'i 19 Steps forward to Defend Zetara
Gang Leader 17 "Your friend claims to be part of an organization interested in our drift rock. Our boss takes issue with that. " The leader answers Ehron dropping his hands to his sides next to his pistols.
Downside King 3 16+
Downside King 4 16
Zetara 16-
Ehron 6+
Downside King 56
Scera 5
Kov'i, Ehron, please. These are not the people that kidnapped us. There is a larger enemy that we need to stay focused on. If these gang members wanted me dead, they would not have approached us, but just shot us. Let me go and answer their questions. If I don't return, you will be alive to exact revenge. We have watched others die to allow us a similar chance. You stay and make sure the greater enemy is stopped.
"That's good," Garland says, his mind still back at his brush with death at the hands of Jabaxa. "Sounds like that's our best route to take then. Let's see if we can get an idea of how much we'll need to bribe her. I'd hate to get to that point and be short on credits." He tries to eavesdrop on the customs officer while remaining inconspicuous.
"Your wish then Zetara." Ehron states with eyes on the leader, obviously unhappy but willing to cede to a beings wishes of their fate. A hand touches his wrist computer although recording the rest of the conversation and snapping some pictures that may be useful later.
Duanimon nods to Garland and circles around the docking bay, trying to covertly listen in on the officer from the other direction.
"Well, well. That's more like it. Come along dear it won't take long. Ol'Ferani will have the Queen popin' tonight. I won't cuff ya, but hand over your hacking and engineering tools. Been around enough to know what a good technomancer can do with that stuff. You'll get 'em back when da boss is done wit ya. " The leader says, the other gang members collect Zetara's gear and escort her into a black hovervan.
Kov'i sighs as Zetara leaves with them. the light that had been gathering around him dims back to normal. His armor, however, continues to glow, and he leans his Doshko over one shoulder like a human might do with a baseball bat.
Scera was scared that her friend was being taken away, she had lost so much already and didn't want to risk losing her as well, that she decided on something chancy. As the group began to escort Zetara away Scera focused and sent her mind out searching for theirs in an effort to quietly read what their true intentions towards Zetara were.
Duanimon steps forward as their circuitry glows slightly. ”I advise you to keep in mind that I am an independent sentient being, not someone else’s property,” they coldly inform the officer.
Zetara obediently hands over her kits, and gets into the black hovervan quietly.
Sighing at the outcome of the exchange. "I do hope Zetara does not regret that call." He says as he ponders outcomes for a moment.
"But still we are here to see if we can arrange aid for Garland and Duanimon if they need." Ehron says while checking to see no comm message had arrived while the show down happened.
She's seen us already. Can't lie our way out of this and then show up while she's on the job. Garland decides to take a more diplomatic approach. His credstick is suddenly in his hands as he fidgets with it, without being explicit to any passersby.
"That being said, we might have business here later on, though I certainly wouldn't call it mischief," the smuggler adds with a sly grin and a low voice. "Me and my friend here could make it worth your while."
Scera watched the four leave with a rustrated expression and after a few moments looked at Ehron as he spoke and said, "She will, need our help I mean, I think we should follow them. I feel something...unpleasant about them and their intentions."
"It would be good to find out where she has been taken to, but my handsome face and dulcet tones stand out in a crowd, so I will likely be of little help in intrigue."
After pausing to ask some passersby about the 'Queen' Ehron informs the group. "Sounds like they are taking Zetara to the nightclub owned by the gang leader. Ferani Nadaz. Of course it is in the Downside Kings territory. If we do want to see if we can visit I suggest we at least disguise ourselves as best we can. I have some skill there."
Taking Scera's suggestion seriously Ehron purchases a makeup case and cheap bling. He will help himself, Kov'i and Scera into a disguise so they can travel into enemy territory. "I hope this works out and I am glad this place is so large and cosmopolitan, at home in small asteroids everyone knows everyone else. Much harder to hide in plain sight." he mutters while sending a comm to Garland and Duanimon with an update.
As part of his disguise, Kov'i will remove his holy symbol and deactivate his armor, then walk around with his Doshko out and a look of "mess with me and you get this" on his face, in an attempt to clear the way for the group.
While awaiting for his companions doing clothing changes Ehron comms through to the Starfinders and asking for Chiskisk. "Is there some information on the Downside Kings and more importantly the 'Queen'. One of us may have an interview with Ferani Nadaz. Or you have someone we should talk to on the way there?"
"How long from here would it take to get to this place we're going?"
"I do not know anything more than what you have discovered. I have no one for you to talk to. You are the starfinders I have assigned to this investigation I can spare no more. I hope this Ferani Nadaz has the information you seek, Duravor was a good man. Now you must excuse me I am very busy." Chiskisk ends the conversation in a hurried tone.
"Downside Kings. Nasty, nasty bunch.
Ehron aids his companions on the trip to the Downside Kings area, using the more aggressive appearance of his vesk companion to work through the crowd. Trying to make them appear a threatening group to keep the predators away, while mitigating that to not appear a threat to the Kings themselves.
"Are you the new muscle from King Gurney? If so you are late. Ferani doesn't like it when your late." A Half-Giant at the door says as he eyes your weapons.
Okay. What do you want to know? There is no AAM, or rather, we just made up the name on the spot, in the middle of that freaking bloodbath on the dock. We were trying to stay alive, and I was lucky enough that both sides believed me long enough to stop shooting.
I assume you're just going to kill me anyway, so here's the rest of the story. Some freaking Anacites (probably) kidnapped us and were torturing us. We escaped and took a ship. We registered it as salvage, and it totally was, because everyone there was dead, dead, dead when we left. Then we get here, finally back to normal life, or so we thought, and when we dock, people are trying to kill us. (That would be you.)
We survive through the luckiest bluff I've ever made, and get a job, and then the Anacites steal their ship back through some legal means which I have no power to stop, and then you come along and say I was "breaking the law" by hacking a taxi? Hacking *is* breaking the law, by definition. That's the whole point, right? And now I'm tied to a chair and probably going to die. Not really an improvement in my life. And this all in one day, on what was supposed to be a great day of finally getting back to a non-horror show reality and putting all of that behind us. The only good in this whole day was that Starburger and fries, and I was on my way back there to have another. I don't have any information for you, I don't have any stuff to give you, I don't have any secret stuff up my sleeve. Just tell me what you want, or get it over with.
It was also good to see Scera smile. That was a good thing too. I hope they don't try coming after me and get themselves killed.
As they entered downside she was glad that she had Kovi and Ehron along, especially Kov'i, no one messed with a Vesk if they could help it and wanted to live. She endured any number of catcalls and hoots at her appearance, she'd endured far worse before so it meant little to her, though they quieted down when the crowds started to become too intimidated.
When they reached their destination Scera looked up at the Half-Giant with an amuse smirk at his question and said, "They're the new muscle, me not so much, I mean let's face it I don't think I could intimidate anyone but adolescents with too many hormones and not enough confidence to approach me." She gave him a lovely smile, "They're late because they were escorting me, I doubt I'd have made it here safely without them." Her look was questioning, "Do I need to go to the same place they are or am I to report to a different person?"
What do you need done? Only thing I'm good at is hacking and salvage. Not going to kill anyone for you. You look like you can do that yourself anyway.
Kov'i actually seems convincing in his "threatening Vesk" persona, and as they enter into the club, he will give it the once over, specifically looking for guards or thugs.
Bowing down a bit to speed quietly and privately over the sound of the club Ehron says. "I'm going to visit the security room, see what the surveillance is like. Maybe there will be something interesting to see." Standing back to his full height to look over most of the other beings Ehron heads towards a direction that looks right while keeping an eye on what else is happening. Using his physical height to give off the right tones despite being thinly proportioned.
Sounds fun. Let's do it.
(Zetara, of course, doesn't want to get caught hacking a casino and go to jail, but given the choices currently before her, a chance at life seem like the best one. Plus, the challenge of hacking a casino does sound fun, especially with the excuse of being forced into it by a crazed gang leader. Her biggest worry is that she won't be good enough at hacking. A datajack in her head made things easier, but there was definitely still risk... especially since she still had no idea how she got caught hacking that astrocab. If she could get caught so easily doing something small, she was likely to get caught doing something this large. Casinos always had the very best security. But hey, at least if the authorities caught her, she'd probably end up in a nice, safe jail cell... which was infinitely better than what she'd been through today, and for most of the last month.)
Duanimon nods to Garland as they leave, ”The acknowledgement is appreciated. I am merely grateful I have more control over myself than you biologicals. To the astrotaxi, I suppose?” They set off for the nearest kiosk.
After handing over his weapons and noting the location he indicates with a a subtly pointed finder to Scera and Kov'i his destination before weaving through the crowd and entering. Using the bluff of confidently looking like he belongs there.
"So, you want to ask a Vesk to disarm? Sure, come over here and take my weapons." says Kov'i to the person collecting them, in an attempt to help offer distraction to Ehron's movements.
Garland nods in agreement. "How many credits do you have on you?" he asks as they approach the astrotaxi. "I want to make sure we can cover the cost before we leave." He remembers hearing a sound from his comm earlier during the conversation with the dock worker,and checks his to see Ehron's message. Is she crazy, why would she go with them? I hope she knows what she's doing. I hope WE know what we're doing.
Zetara rubs her head and wipes Starburger vomit off her lips.
Exactly what game would that be? Ask my idiot friends to get themselves killed trying to rescue me? You think this is a TRAP? What kind of paranoid world do you live in? You have all the power. They just like me too much. We got out of a jam together recently. Kind of bonding. Just let them go. I'l hack anything you want. Twice.
Zetara tries to wriggle out of the ropes.
Sighing and thinking the busy club isn't a place to hack into a door or security system Ehron pauses to look around for other opportunities.
Kov'i chuckles and says "You sure you got all of them? I'd hate to think you left little ole me armed inside your club."