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As the doors to the Lorespire Complex slide open, a green holographic image of a middle-aged human woman shimmers into view at the center of the room. “Greetings,” it says. “I am Guidance. Please use the cheek swabs in the open receptacle to provide a genetic sample for Starfinder Society identification purposes. If desired, you may place your hand on the glowing panel to receive a subdermal implant further marking you as a member of the Society.”
This implant rests underneath the skin of the palm of one hand, or at the end of a tentacle or similar appendage in species that lack hands. The augmentation can be activated or deactivated mentally as a swift action. Activating the implant causes a rendition of the Starfinder Society’s symbol to glow underneath the skin. This augmentation acts as a mark, letting others know you are a member of the Starfinder Society. It also increases the light level within 5 feet by one step while active.
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A Lashunta woman wearing a holy symbol walks forward and puts her hand on the indicate panel. Her other hand closes on her holy symbol, like she fears that the graft may be painful.
After receiving the graft, she uses a cheek swab as directed.
Having taken care of business, she looks around to see who else is in the room.
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A human man with sharply trimmed, graying hair and a stern expression walks forward. His outfit is clean, sharply pressed, and relatively simple in design using primary reds and blacks with a high collar. His left-hand under the sleeve shows the matte silver color of metal. His temples have metal disks inset on them, with a single ring of dim blue light inside them. His eyes are natural, though little lines of bluish light forms streams of data that contrasts the pale brown of his corneas.
Stepping up to the device, he places his right hand on it and his cheek barely twitches when the device implants with a hiss. Nodding his head, he moves to provide a cheek swab.
After checking his internal chronometer, he nods to the hologram.
"Good evening, Guidance. Thank you for seeing us."
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An android with androgynous features and a shock of bright red hair walks in. It looks around at the others already gathered and shrugs.. Late again... I shouldn't have paused to make that withdrawal.
Greetings, Guidance. I am Bit... specifically Bit-010100001100 but you can just call me Bit-0101, or even just Bit."
It holds its hand over the device, deciding that light might be handy even though it can see in any lighting conditions without it.
Do I even have genetic material to sample? It submits to the cheek swab just in case.
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"And I am Raelis." Says a second Android, as she receives the graft beneath her skin. She swabs her cheek somehow managing it gracefully, and places her organic material where directed.
Her hair is purple and sits to one side of her softly glowing head, she looks equal parts human and android as she rests a hand on her hip and scans the rest of the newcomers with her eyes before she activates the implant and smiles as it shines through her palm. "I suppose we shouldn't wear gloves when on official Starfinder business then?"
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The human turns to gaze at the three others. "I am Dr. Bradbury. Well met." he says, a brief smile gracing his austere demeanor.
"Gloves or no, the implant itself should be visible to the right scans." he concludes, looking at his palm as he toggles the implant on and off.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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A tall hulking Vesk enters the room. He surveys the group and thinks to himself, "A little small but not bad." He then deposits a cheek swab as requested and places his hand on the panel. After a small beep indicating the implant was successfully grafted, he turns to those assembled and introduces myself. "My name is Terikesh. It is my honor to meet you all."
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You all feel a gentle touch in your mind. It feels friendly, but tentative, like it's requesting permission to be there. Hi, I'm Delea. This is the easiest way for me to speak with you. Now that I've made contact, you can talk to me this way, too. If we have to keep secrets from enemies, this is helpful, too. It doesn't work unless you are pretty close to me, though.
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Telepathic contact acknowledged. Bradbury's ordered mind notes the contact and replies.
He considered the rest of the group, noting physiology and gear.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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A tall android, with pale blue skin and sea-green hair, clad in a comfortable 'station-wear' flight suit, calmly steps forward, provides a cheek swab, and accepts the sub-dermal brand.
"Folks call this one Iseph. I have need... of answers. The Society seems likely to be able to provide them."
He then stands comfortably, legs akimbo, as he waits for the next step in this particular journey to be revealed.
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Once everyone has provided a sample, Guidance continues. "It is our pleasure to officially welcome you into the Starfinder Society. Today is the commencement of your new role as a Starfinder field agent. It is our tradition, at the end of the graduation ceremony, for new graduates to present themselves to the heads of our most prominent factions and complete a task at those leaders’ behest. This allows the leaders of these groups to become familiar with all new Starfinder agents, and it provides a constant supply of agents for handling situations in our holdings on Absalom Station. While these tasks were formerly symbolic, the heavy loss of Starfinder agents in the Scoured Stars necessitates that these missions become something more. Please treat any tasks given with the gravity you would grant any other Starfinder assignment.”
The hologram begins rattling off pertinent data about the major factions in the Society. "The Acquisitives represent the result of Luwazi Elsebo’s efforts to hold the Society together by hiring mercenaries to fill the role of missing Starfinders. Many mercenaries realized that the Society was a far more lucrative venture—both monetarily and in terms of popularity—than their old line of work. The faction’s current leader, Radaszam, is concerned with maintaining the organization’s public-facing reputation, as well as the reputation and fame of those Starfinders directly serving the Acquisitives’ interests."
"The Dataphiles cherish information above all else, seeing themselves as the guardians of any knowledge obtained by the Starfinder Society. Their leader, Historia-7, promotes a belief in superiority through the acquisition and controlled dispersal of information. While cataloguing and data searching are necessities in this faction, the Dataphiles are known to employ less technologically savvy combat experts to procure information."
"The Exo-Guardians are made up of Pact Worlds citizens who are concerned for the safety of their home, and who act to ensure that safety. They believe that the best defense is a strong offense, and they work to build up a stockpile of magic and technology to deter external threats. Most of the faction’s operatives were lost in the Scoured Stars. The Exo-Guardians utilize lower-grade installations within the Pact Worlds, having lost their headquarters and many of their operations in the aftermath of the disaster."
"The Wayfinders are Starfinders who adhere to the Society’s primary mission of exploration. The most transitory of the Society’s membership, the Wayfinders are dedicated to exploring the Vast and maintain few direct ties to the Pact Worlds. Wayfinders specialize in both exploration and first-contact scenarios, thriving on the thrill of the unknown and the monumental task of meeting new species."
"Once you have met with each leader and completed whatever task they have for you, they will signal me. Once you have met all four, report back to Lorespire Complex to finish your commencement."
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"Absalom station is the hub of the Pact Worlds culturally, and all sorts of races congregate here. Starfinders are generally respected here too. Also, an Armada orbits the station, lots of ships from all over, some of them with undetected alien lifeforms aboard. All of this should be general knowledge of course."
"Also, I asked around and learned there's a junkrace coming up, and Ratrod, the reigning champion, is something of a hothead. And some band is putting out a new album to released in physical copy initially, followed by a digital release... very unusual. None of this is really of great interest, unless you like races or popular music."
"I recommend we see HIstoria-7 first and do the mission for the Dataphiles, as we may learn important information that could be of use in the other missions."
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Raelis smiles at Bit.
"You must keep your ear to the ground, that's a talent not all people have. Knowing about races and new music is paramount to dealing with different cultures and peoples. It might even help us today, depending on what our missions are. And I confess, I'm a fan of Strawberry Machine Cake. I was hoping to secure one of those physical copies myself."
She frowns, as she considers who to meet with.
"Personally, I'd love to go meet the Wayfinders first. They were my inspiration for joining the society to begin with. But meeting Historia-7 sounds exciting as well. I'd be willing to meet with the Dataphiles first."
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The Lorespire Complex, home and heart of the Starfinder Society, is a striking campus dedicated to knowledge. Communal labs and historical departments study the Archives’ massive collection of artifacts and texts, gathered by generations of agents from across the galaxy. A quick search of the directory indicates Historia-7 frequents the Archives’ Cortex, a computerized matrix containing digital records of the Starfinder Society’s most prominent discoveries. The android reclines on a raised chair and is plugged into the local infosphere when the doors open. The neural cables detach themselves from her neck as she swivels in her seat to address the new arrivals. “Greetings, Starfinders,” she says calmly. “I am Historia-7. If you are seeking a mission from me, please be aware that my request requires both discretion and speed. Do not accept it if you feel incapable of working within these parameters.“
"I discovered someone recently hacked into Bluerise Tower’s computer systems and stole a large amount of sensitive data from the resident corporations. I wish to be privy to this information. I managed to trace the hacker’s location through many proxies and erased the trail so that station and corporate security should be delayed in their pursuit. This deception will not fool them for long, so you must move quickly to retrieve the data before they can recover it. I will leave you to decide what to do with the hacker afterward, but should it be feasible, I believe that person would be an asset to the Society.”
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"I am skilled in computer espionage. I should have little trouble recovering the data... If im not distracted by outside forces." Dr. Bradbury says, agreeing to the mission.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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"That assumes, of course, that the hacker is still there. We aren't going on very much information, and more is always helpful." Raelis says with a smile to Iseph.
Turning back to Historia-7 she says. "I of course, am willing to help either way and am ready to go as soon as we have what information you are willing to give."
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"Sir, or ma'm usually will do with humans." Raelis says helpfully to Bit as she smiles at the young man.
"We're searching for a companion of ours, someone we would like to offer a job opportunity to, if they happen to be interested, of course." Raelis uses her diplomatic training to keep her body language casual and honest, trying to gain the young mans trust.
I sure wish we had a description. Is this our hacker?
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Jubair quickly becomes alarmed by the questions and looks at you quite nervously. "Good with computers? I don't know anyone that good, why all the guns and armor anyways?" An elderly woman steps out to see what the commotion is. "Jubair, what's going on? Who're you talking too?" She blinks at the sight of you all, then asks, "Can I help you?"
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I really need to start concealing that thing. Raelis says.
"Well, I don't have much in the way of armor, but the gun is for self defense, it doesn't even do lethal damage. As for the rest, I'm sure they have their reasons."
Raelis waves to the older woman, using the palm with her new Starfinder insignia, she lights it up to show her allegiance.
"We're here representing the Starfinder Society. We have word that someone here might be particularly good with computers and have been authorized to negotiate an...agreement, I suppose would be the word."
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Bradbury comes forward, activating his Starfinder insignia and holding up his hand. "Dr. Bradbury, Starfinder society. We're tracking a digital security breach, and our sources lead us to here. If you don't mind, I would like to check your infosphere uplink, so that I can continue the trace. I assure you, if there was no one data mining here, then there's nothing to be concerned about and we will continue our search once we have the next relay." He explains, giving her a professional, if emotionless, smile.