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"Yo, babe." says Antomnius. "I get what you're puttin' down, but I don' think that'll get us what we want. You see, we need to get outta here all quiet like... and draggin' the boss b~##~ around ain't gonna git dat done.
"So, why don' we jus' pick outta coupla da best looking outfits here, dress ourselves up like dem, and walk outta here like we belong. Dey'll find da body later, and den dey'll know dat dey ain't got no boss.
"Capiche"
Jaru leaves the office muttering under his breath. "Act natural...act natural..."
Exiting the club, he nods to the Vesk at the door,"Farewell friend Vesk."
You make your way out of the back room. One of the bartenders looks your way for a second, then makes a point of absolutely not looking in your direction.
He is defenitely giving off a 'not getting payed enough for this' vibe.
The bouncers outside are looking around nervously. They dont pay attention to anyone leaving, but not letting anyone into the club. It looks like they are waiting for someone or something to arrive.
You hurry some blocks away, but it doesnt look as if anyone has followed you.
Anotonious hacks into the datapad. While he pulls it off, he feels like he just about managed it. There were some good security measures on the divice.
And for good reason.
On the pad are numerous files confirming many of the Downside Kings’ criminal activities—including several communications between Astral Extractions and the Downside Kings, ordering the gang to kill Duravor Kreel both as a message to the Hardscrabble Collective that the corporation means business and to keep the Starfinder Society from getting too curious about the Acreon and the Drift Rock.
Jaru's eyes harden as Antonius relays the contents of the datapad. "We should inform Chiskisk of our findings. The Starfinders will want to know of Astral Extractions' involvement in the death of their agent."
Making your way back to the Lorespire complex, you only have to wait a short while before Chiskisk joins you in one of the meeting rooms.
Their compound eyes glisten while reading the datapad. Their telepathinc voice quivers a bit.
"This... this is important. Do I dare ask how you aquired this?"
Shaking his head sadly, Jaru responds,"Unfortunately Astral Extractions was less than forthcoming so we were forced to seek out The Downside Kings. The information is the result of our failed negotiations with a very unpleasant woman at one of their establishments."
"Hm.."
Chiskisk's antenna gently wave from side to side. "I will have to turn this over to station security. Probably send a copy to the stewards too. It would be best if you all lie low for a few days. I'll have to get creative where we obtained this information, and I dont want this all tracing back to you."
"It would indeed be nice to stop and reflect on these past few day's experiences. Should you need me for anything I shall be meditating at the Moons of Sleep."
Chiskisk gives you all a firm handshake. "Thank you for digging this up. I'll miss Duravor. He was my friend. But at least we can do something now to bring those involved to justice."
As the whirlwind of the past few days subsides Jaru meditates at the Moons of Sleep in hopes of achieving some moment of clarity. After several hours of quiet reflection, broken only by the whispers of the stars, Jaru feeds himself to keep up his strength and then follows the whispers out an airlock.
Floating in the void's embrace he resumes his meditation and listens in the hope that here, out amongst the stars, the whispers would come in to focus.
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Raz, freed from other responsibilities takes the day to wander the station. He wished for more time to experience the sights and sounds of all the different species and cultures crammed together inside the labyrinthine station but a day would have to do for now. Even with his odd appearance and the floating mote of ghostly blue light that constantly accompanied him, the press of bodies rendered him refreshingly anonymous.
First was the food, it was always the first thing that drew his attention on any given stop. Enticing smells drawing him in to sample whatever was safe to eat. Strange spices and mixtures of flavor tickled his senses luxuriously.
Then there were the sounds. Hundreds of languages, bits of advertisements, music, the sounds of machinery and labor. It was a unique melody that chased him throughout the station, changing from level to level.
Finally there was the feel of the place. In the wealthier areas, air circulated regularly but below, it was as stiff and stale as on any other station he had visited before. Yet the sheer size of the place kept it from being entirely familiar. There was a specific sort of 'weather' that sang through the station. Ventilation fans, public transit, and the movement of bodies shifting blocks of air and humidity about in esoteric patterns.
Raz wished he had more time to properly dive into the station and experience every little bit but there was a familiar disturbance in the back of his mind that told him he would be moving on soon.
Jaru drifts trough space, like a leaf on a still pond. Away from the thrum of the station, the silence is a relief.
You're not sure how long you have been drifting. But some voices are intruding on your solitude. Someone talking on an open comm channel.
"Hey, hey Buzz, there is another one here."
"Aw, dammit Nik, not another one shoved out an airlock. We're here to do maintenance, not get involved in a gang hit."
"I know, I know, but this one is looking pretty fresh. Look like he has his stuff."
"Nik. Nik, dont touch that Kasatha. We're not getting involved in this. Last time was a pain enough and I wont have robbing the dead on my conscious."
"Shut it Buzz. This job is paying s$&% for the risks we take. And Jainy needs another round at the orthodontist. You know how expensive that is? I cant leave her with that misformed jaw. Whatever this guy is packing will probably pay for several appointments."
When you lazily open one eye, you're face to face with an Ysoki in a space suit, a second Ysoki in a suit floating behind the first.
"ARG HOLY LAO SHU PO THIS GUY AINT DEAD!"
They both put their suits manouvering trusters to full and make a run for it as if they had just seen a ghost.
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Rasalhague winds his way trough the layers of the station. Starting at the light and beautiful Jatembe park, down into the badly illuminated corridors of the spike.
The anonimity of the station was refreshing. With so many species rubbing shoulders, no one gave his strange appearance a second glance. Hell, there were definitely some individuals at the docks which looked even weirder then he did.
Absalom station wasnt a bad place to loose yourself. It also wasnt a bad place to find yourself either.
Something pulls you deeper into the spike. Lights flicker intermittently, and the air filters whine, as if encountering some resistance.
A back room, half hidden behind dilapidated storage crates pulls you in. It is surprisingly clean. Deliberately so. Smudges on the walls look like someone took the time to scrub off grafitti. Marks on the floor indicate several heavy things were moved in here, and back out again. Whomever cleaned this room up, made sure no clues were left behind.
But a presence lingers. Some kind of energy, that feels intimately familiar.
After a day of down time, you get a message from Chiskisk the following morning after breakfast.
Please join me at the Lorespire complex. An important message has arrived for you.
When you arrive, an attendant leads you to a bigger meeting room then last time. Chiskisk is there, together with a Lashunta and a Vesk.
Chiskisk addresses you all telepathically. "Ah, so good to see you all again. It seems your investigation has stirred up more then just evidence. This arrived for you this morning."
They slide an actual paper envelope across the table towards you. The paper is as black as the void of space and the lettering is gold leaf. Inside is a formal invitation, requesting your company for a meeting with His Excellency Gevalarsk Nor, the ambassador of Eox.
Chiskisk twitches his antennae. "Tali let me know that the proceedings were a bit much for her. We have found her a much more quiet task. As we would not like you to go to the meeting with the embassador unprepared, we arranged for two new team mates to join you."
Chiskisk motions to the Lashunta and the Vesk.
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"Hello! I'm Blixa.... oh, uh, Myrwood. Yeah. I'm so high right now Chiskisk here asked me if I wanted to get out more and yes I do! Also, that thing with the Eoxians well I just happen to speak Eoxian very well I might add. they total know I'm high right now Which is really perfect as I have a way with words in that I can usually convince others or just straight up lie to them and most are none the wiser. blink remember to blink So ok, cool, so I'm like a dream prophet and that's kinda cool I think. I mean when I sleep I have some wicked colorful dreams. And then sometimes what I dream happens! That's like, whoa. Just whoa."
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The space was marked by something, he could tell that much. A familiar energy, almost nostalgic for the strange solarian. With a spark of will, he drew his mote into himself and soon the ghostly light was leaking from his skin. His countless scars becoming illuminated by the light of dying stars. It was not a response to an unseen threat so much as a want to grasp and hold the forces that had shaped his known life so closer as he explored the space at a relaxed pace.
Humans are not supposed to look like the only one in the room, that much is certain even is the two newcomers have only had a passing brush with the species.
Between the ashen skin, the white hair with only vague hints of a darker color in places, and the uncountable scars across his body, the human would be alarming enough. One could almost think he was Eoxian himself but there was a vitality about his person that the undead usually lack. However, it is the twin black spaces where his eyes should be that are the most arresting feature of this human. It was not the darkness of empty sockets, but rather like looking into windows that opened into the void of the space between stars.
Then there was a mote. Solarians are rare but not unheard of, and the motes of strange cosmic power that often accompanies them is well known in the media. However, very few have one that is quite that shade of ghostly blue, based solely on how they show up in holovids.
“A pleasure Mrs. Myrwood,” the solarian said with the voice of someone habitually unruffled by the things going on around him. He politely waited for the vesk to make their own introductions before making his own.
Jaru greets the newcomers with a slight bow of his head. [b]"It is a pleasure to meet you both. It is intriguing that this Eoxian would want to meet with us. Is their government somehow tied up in the conflict between Astral Extractions and the Hardscrabble Collective?"
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Antonius had spent the last while doing... well, what Antonius does. Mostly, he tried to get in touch with his brother, Lucius, who he learned was off Absalom Station on a mission. From there it was contacting some folks he had been told about, making contacts and getting some inroads into the workings of the dark side of the station.
—-
”Yo, babe, Blixa is it?” says Antonius. ”Name’s Antonius, and I am the team’s fixer. I fix thing, you know? Ain’t got too much chance to do dat yet, wit’ all da gangers and fightin’ and such. Dat probably why dat Tali chick left. Ain’t got no stomach for da wet work.
“Say, whatchoo lookin’ at? Dats just a blank bit o’ wall! ”
You all recall that Eox is a planet inhabited almost entirely by undead creatures.Its dominant species, the humanlike elebrians, were forced to transform themselves into undead to survive an ancient cataclysm that almost destroyed their world. Although many sentient species find them disturbing, the elebrians are not considered “monsters,” at least in polite society. Eox is a full signatory to the Pact, and its undead inhabitants are equal citizens of the Pact Worlds.
Antonius recognizes Gevalarsk Nor as the head of Eox’s diplomatic delegation to the Pact Council.
An imporant person to be sure, altough its not clear why he would involve himself into a conflict between two companies.
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Arrizkovya cocks her head to the side to regard her colleague, then looks down briefly, smiling distinctly Vesk smile. She raises her finely bearded chin, as she makes eye contact with each of the assembled party.
It's a lengthy, almost ritual staredown, as the bulky, red and fuschia-scaled newcomer assesses each of you, her tail sweeping lazily, but purposefully from side to side.
"I am Arrizkovya Eykval. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she pronounces with finality, while absent-mindedly petting what you could swear is an enormous claw... thing... that's purring? Is it purring? It's definitely purring. "I also specialize in Eoxian... relations. If you need anything removed, I would be pleased to assist you."
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"I have been told this, from time to time, though not often in professional settings," she says with a bemused and distinctly toothy grin. Maybe she's misinterpreting. But maybe she isn't....
Taking a step toward Blixa, she offers a brightly colored arm for what one can only assume will be an extremely technical quantitative examination of color, value, and vibrancy.
A little more quietly, she points out the obvious."You're glowing yourself, you know. Are your antennae always so bright?"
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Blixa's leans forward, almost touching the proffered arm with her nose. Blixa's mouth opens ever so slightly and her eyes widen as her dilated pupils reflect colors. Hearing the remark about her antennae, Blixa's head snaps up.
"THEY ARE?"
Blixa's lips purse and tremble; her eyes flit back and forth before she remembers her armor is reflective. Raising her left arm, pursed lips give way to a toothy overbite with pulled in bottom lip. Giggling, Blixa tries to make herself small.
She finally squeals and collapses to the floor, arms and legs splayed out. Her eyes close. She grins.
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Arrizkovya sighs, kneels, and surprisingly gently lifts Blixa into a fireman’s carry, muttering “this is why you never skip tail day,” before turning to the others.
“You’ll have to excuse my colleague. She is sometimes overwhelmed by the more powerful manifestations of her... faith. She is a competent Starfinder and will be of great help to us in the field. I have shared a mission or two with her and speak from experience.”
Chiskisk tries to sink into their chair.
Jaru looks at Antonius and Ras,a concerned look in his eye, before addressing Arrizkovya. "Pardon me, Miss Eykval, but based on your previous experience how long will she be... like that. If she is as skilled with words as she claims we will likely want her upright during our meeting with the Eoxians."
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Raz cleared his throat from where he sat, rolling the mote of light from fingertip to fingertip. His eyes were fixed on Chiskisk as the senior Starfinder tried to slither away in embarrassment.
"I'm sure they'll fit right in with the rest of us," the solarian said without a trace of irony in his voice. "Events are afoot ladies, we should head to the Embassy as soon as possible."
Jaru's eyes go wide and dart uncomfortably around the room.
"We won't need to ask anything like that will we?
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Antonius winks at Blixa..."Babe, you know, all you hasve to do is ask!" he says without being asked. "So, we gonna talk to this Eoxian bigwig, eh? Mebbe we sit 'im down to a round or seven of drinks and the like. Get 'im all lubed up and all. I am sure there is something that will get an Eoxian lubed up, right Blixa?"