Jaqweh walks through the sagging doorway and sees an entranceway, mostly ungarnished except for two decrepit sofas. One of the humans is currently sitting down, and the other is standing between the sofas. The vlaka Bargai stands protectively between him and the entrance, and then rests her hand on his arm and begins tapping on it. He asks bluntly, "Are you Starfinders?"
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Eralyn walks into the building, her joints creaking loudly to those who can hear it. She finds a place to sit on the sofa and smiles at Bargai. To the other person in the room she replies, "Oh, hello there, dear. I'm Eralyn. Eralyn Marrens. And yes, I'm a Starfinder. What's your name? Please pass along my greetings to your boss."
She smiles pleasantly, but listens attentively to other sounds from the house.
The human looks surprised when Eralyn makes herself at home on the sofa, and then again when asked his name. "It's Goro. I'm just talking for Bargai." He passes along all of your messages, and Bargai finally relaxes. She sighs, looking suddenly tired.
"I will be plain then. I assume you are here about the shobhad? He came to our headquarters a few days ago, and we thought he was part of some investigation. My men knocked him out, but only later did we notice his Starfinder insignia. He probably was here for his own reasons. I was going to ransom him back to the Starfinder Society - the credits have been very tight this last month, as you can probably tell." She gestures around at the condition of the building you stand in, and then sighs again. "I'm not sure it's worth it, now. We can't afford to run foul of the law on this station. I certainly can't afford it."
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Jaqweh looks directly at Bargai, knowing that when working through an interpreter, one addresses the principle as if the interpreter isn't there.
"Bargai, you speak of Hurondo in the past. Where is he now, and what is his condition? How do you not know what his intentions were if he was here with you for some period of time?"
While he waits for her answer, he telepathically asks Itch what the bounty hunter knows about her criminal background and connections.
"We have kept him confined but safe. Go and talk to him, if you don't believe me." She gestures to a closed door down the hallway.
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Garven's a dwarf more of actions than words, so once the smoother ones have verbally cleared the way, the dwarf heads to the door. "Glad ta 'void any kin o' trouble wit' ya!"
Presumably the rest are going too at the same time, Garven will have a look and listen as he approaches, but unless there's something alarming he opens the door
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Eralyn stays seated on the couch as the others move to verify Bargai's claims. With a (grand)motherly smile she continues the conversation.
"Must have been scary -- a big fellow like that knocking on your door. But Hurondo was here looking for some missing friends. Friends who are likely in deep trouble. He and those friends is the reason we're here."
She pulls a few homebaked oatmeal cookies out her her backpack and offers one each to the Bargai and Goro. She eats a third herself. "We heard of this memory-erasure clinic your young'uns were making claims about. Am I right in assuming you're being paid to advertise for them? I'd appreciate if you could tell us everything you know about the clinic." She smiles, "I've a bad feeling about it, you see. And when you get to be as old as I am you learn to trust your instincts."
Itch can't get a good read on the situation. It could be a trap or the gang could be dealing honestly. However, when Garven opens the door he sees a spacious room furnished with a couch and a bed. The walls are broken open in several places and thin sheets of plastic cover the two windows to the north and east. A nuar is sitting on the couch and a shobhad, who matches the images you've seen of Hurondo, on the bed. They are conversing but look toward the door when it opens. Hurondo says, "Oh, hello. You don't look like one of the Uniters."
Meanwhile, Eralyn continues the conversation with Bargai. Goro takes a cookie but Bargai declines, and under her even stare he slowly puts it down and goes back to interpreting for her.
"Yes, it's the Open Collective. They were paying us to send them patients to be treated for trauma, but recently the credits all dried up. I need funds to buy this building and repair it, and it's not looking good, the way things are going. But to be honest, they give me a bad feeling too. Even if they aren't paying what they owe us, I don't want to dig into it. We'll probably have to find another source of funding."
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Garven tries to speak as ordinary as possible.
But his dwarf comes through pretty strong again. "Nay, we ain't with those Uniter folk, Starfinders actually. Ye're Hurondo I 'sume? We be seekin' ye out fer Jiwala. Everthin alright? How're these Uniters treatin' ya?"
He tries to get a line on how Hurondo and the unknown mintoraur man are responding.
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When the others go down the hall, and Eralyn opts to remain, Jaqweh decides to stay with her. He leans up against the edge of the couch and puts one hand into the pocket of his estex suit in an effort to appear non-threatening. But he picks a position that allows him to keep an eye on Garven in case things down the hall go south.
He furrows his brow slightly into a puzzled mien. "Bargai, I'm... confused," he begins but with an encouraging and solicitous smile. "The Uniters are known as being a minor criminal gang who usually work for larger organized crime outfits. So why are you trying so hard to buy a building? Are you looking to build the Uniters into a more powerful gang? Or is there something innocent and legitimate that you're trying to accomplish here?"
Horundo's expression brightens when Garven explains that Jiwala sent them. "Ah, she must be quite worried. They kept me sedated for a while, and apparently a few days have passed? It's all a little foggy. But since waking up, I've gotten to know Orghuun here." He glances toward the doorway and lowers his voice so that it doesn't carry to the hallway. "I've convinced him to leave the Uniters and come to the Respite. The one out there, she is a passionate and talented individual as well. I think she would do better with the Starfinder Society than leading this gang. I have a hunch she might not take much convincing either, based on what I've heard from my friend Orghuun." The nuar looks bashful.
Hurondo sobers, and adds, "I'm truly concerned for the patients I came here seeking, though. I still don't know what has become of them, but I fear they've been caught up in whatever is happening at this Open Collective location. Something terrible might have happened in the time I've been out."
Garven believes their reactions and explanations are genuine. He notices a set of manacles attached to the bed, but they have been opened and are not being used as restraints.
Bargai answers Eralyn's questions with some reluctance. "Yes, it's close by here in the Spike, about 30 minutes walk. I don't know much about the owners. We talked mostly through secure messages. I think it was an android who was my contact there? I'm not certain."
She straightens and glares at Jaqweh down her long nose with an affronted expression, her ears flattened backwards. "You've written me off, haven't you? I came to Absalom Station to start a new life, but it's very difficult to build something when you start with nothing. The allies I found were being killed or recruited away by other gangs. You have to be tough, smart, and rich to survive in this world. Is it so wrong to want more?"
Goro is slightly pained to be relaying these words and looks as if he would also like to speak up in defense of his boss, but he keeps his own thoughts to himself.
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"No, not at all," Jaqweh begins and raises his hands in a peaceful and placating gesture. "You've done nothing wrong, and I don't make judgments without evidence. My question was based on the intel we had about the Uniters. Perhaps it was wrong. Or outdated." He pauses, giving her a chance to wind down and save face at the same time.
"Look, the Starfinders are all about helping beings build new lives for themselves and their friends," he says the last looking to Goro hoping for a little help handling his ... prickly ... boss.
"We appreciate the fact that you didn't let Hurondo come to further harm, and we're thankful for the intel about the Open Collective. I would sincerely hope that we could be allies in the future."
Now, what was that gesture the vlaka use to show respect? Ah yes,
He then touches the two fingers of his right hand to his forehead in a vlaka salute to Bargai.
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Itch walks into the room with Horundo. "Well, it looks like you have a talent. Even when snatched, you manage to heal those around you."
He nods at the nuar. "Orghuun, is it? I think you'd like the Respite. They have footraces and games. Horundo runs the game night, and they're missing him." He glances back to see Jaqweh talking to Bargai. "Would she let him go? What would it take?"
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"It is difficult for a lot of us. These people that you sent to this Open Collective? They were trying to deal with some traumatic memories that they had to endure. I know that feeling...Damn, what I am trying to say is the Starfinders know your struggle. And they have a pretty nice set-up for you and yours." Altorin adds.
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"Hurondo's family," Eralyn replies with a smile. "All Starfinders are. My thanks for not causing him harm. As I'm sure you know, taking care of family can be hard." She nods at the cookies she had given the pair of them. "There's no harm in accepting the hand of friendship when it's offered."
With a loud groan Eralyn struggles up to her feet. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've a wayward child to tend to. Best of luck."
Eralyn wanders over to see Hurondo, creaking over slowly. She fixes the fellow with a smile. "Long time no see, Hurondo. Can you walk, dearie? Or do you need a hand?" Seeing the nuar and unbound shackles, Eralyn smiles. "Oh, don't you look like a nice strong, fellow. Can you help Hurondo up? I'm a little old for that sort of thing..."
"Would you like a cookie, dearie?"
Eralyn offers the nuar a home-baked cookie wrapped in a piece of wax paper.
Bargai wilts a little under the combined diplomatic assault. She doesn't make any immediate response, but engages in a quick tactile conversation with Goro.
In the meantime, Hurondo nods slowly. "I think we can convince her. Ah, I believe I can stand on my own. Let's see." He shakily gets to his feet, and Orghuun offers a strong arm of support. "I should be able to get back to the Respite. Let's get us all out of here safely."
He cautiously steps outside the room, accompanied by Orghuun, and briefly adds his voice to those aiming to convince the leader of the Uniters. "You have done well here, with what you could. Let us help you. Come with us, and I will make sure you are treated fairly."
Bargai puffs up, looking angered that her own subordinate has joined forces with a captive. But she glances at Goro, who is also watching her hopefully. She gives him a message, which he eagerly passes on. "Very well. I will trust you on this. Maybe another second start is what we could all use. Let me just gather a few things."
She walks back into the other hallway, and Hurondo turns back to the crew of Starfinders. "So far so good. I can take her from here, though I must leave the rest of the investigation of the Open Collective to you, if you're willing to go on my behalf? I promise to put in a good word for you with Ziggy."
Hurondo shakes his head sadly. "I went to the places where they have been living, but none of them were home. It was as if none of them had even been there for a while. A hunch led me here, but I'm convinced none of the Uniters know anything about my patients. The Open Collective is the only clue I have left to offer. I'm sorry to leave you so little to go on."
Bargai returns, clutching a small bag. She holds a quick silent conference with her three subordinates. Goro takes a seat on one of the sofas, apparently ready to stay in the building, while Bargai, Orghunn, and the other human join her and Hurondo in leaving the run-down headquarters and going back to the Lorespire Complex. Hurondo pauses to wave goodbye and sends you off with concern, "Be careful."
Following their directions brings you to another run-down region of the Spike. A trickle of foot traffic passes through, but none of the passers-by even look your way as you approach the address. The building itself looks a bit beat-up, and its main entrance is a large double door facing south. The doors don't shut properly, with one door clearly at such an angle that it almost digs into the station plating. Signage flickers on and off, randomly displaying mismatched letter styles that read: "Open Collective." A reception desk and a hallway lined by a visible force field is visible behind the ill-fitting doors.
Even from outside, you can tell that the inside entryway is crowded with people, talking quietly but with excitement amongst themselves.
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Jaqweh nods to Itch's suggestion and notes Faria's concerns. “I'm in the same boat, I'm afraid, being a Steward. But let's see... “ His voice trails off as he examines his uniform. With a reluctant sigh, he removes his nametag and divisional patch, the tearing sound of the velcro as they come free causing him to wince just a tiny bit. In spite of his uniform still being perfectly pressed and immaculately clean, it no longer "screams" Steward.
He steps up next to Eralyn and places a hand on her shoulder before asking what she heard.
“Well, then, let's do this, “he says as he pushes the door open and enters.
Eralyn hears two individuals near the half-open door chatting about what they are going to do with their lives after this procedure.
"Can you imagine, just getting to sleep at night on a regular basis? I might have enough energy to take up squadball again."
"Ah, I will be able to ride in a spaceship again! I'm going to visit my new niece on Castrovel, first thing."
In a minute or two of eavesdropping, they don't say anything about particular doctors or employees of the Open Collective.
Jaqweh pushes open the door and enters to find that the room is quite crowded. Around twenty people are waiting in the space in front of a reception desk that is currently unstaffed. The force field shimmers behind the desk, and he can vaguely see some equipment on the far side of the hallway.
The people glance up when Jaqweh appears, and then shuffle around to make room for him to join the end of the line.
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Itch follows Jaqweh inside the building. He takes his arm to seem like he might be guiding the man. "See, those men said this place might finally help you. Everyone else is here to make sure you're ok. Whatever the cost, I'm sure we can come up with it together."
The yoski looks around at the others in the room. "Hi, some men told us this was a clinic? My friend here needs help. Who can we speak to?"
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“Oh, there you are, Itch. Thank the gods, I wondered where you'd gone, “ Jaqweh says while adding a breathless sound of relief in his voice now that Itch had arrived.
As Itch asks the crowd for info, Jaqweh looks around at the other patients also. Although his face genuinely holds hope that they can help him, it's perhaps not for the reasons they might think.
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"Oh, dear..." Eralyn mutters again, looking rather troubled. She knew desperation. She knew hurt and pain, loss and trauma.... But she couldn't bring herself to modify any part of herself. The thought was so...
She shivered.
But, it didn't matter what she thought. All these people... They didn't have the same hang ups she did. It was their feelings that mattered.
But, this place.... It felt off.
With a groan Eralyn approaches the front of the line. "Excuse me, dearies, just bringing my son a cookie. He's a doctor, you know!" She does her best to look proud. With a kindly smile she pauses before heading inside, passing a cookie to the person waiting near the front of the line. "Here, dear. I've got an extra."
When she heads inside, Eralyn calls out, "Darling? It's mother!"
One of the people waiting gives Itch an odd look at his slightly stilted performance, but his and Jaqweh's interaction is convincing enough that the patient, who has no particular reason to care, shrugs and goes back to reading the news feed on his datapad.
A female lashunta near the door eagerly responds to Itch in a mild tone of complaint. "You've found the right place, but boy, they didn't tell me about the wait times! We've been here for hours now. I'm afraid if it takes too much longer they won't get to all of us today. I don't fancy the idea of spending tomorrow too waiting in this room again, let me tell you!" The male lashunta at her side rolls his eyes, and looks as if he's heard this small rant several times already.
A dwarf accepts the cookie from Eralyn and munches on it absent-mindedly. He perks up when she calls out, but slumps down after there is no immediate response. "Hey, are you really someone's mother?" He squints down at the elderly halfling in doubt. "A half-orc went back there two hours ago to check on the doctor, but she hasn't come back. Maybe you could go too to see how they're doing? If your son really does work here."
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Altorin heads in with the others.
I wish I could lose some memories but this seems like giving up. It is all part of life...
He sighs but when the mention of a staff heading back there he starts looking for another.
"Are there any staff left up here? Someone needs to check it out...people with this trauma can do drastic things." he says to the others.
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Jaqweh nods at the female's rant, and gives the male lashunta a knowing smile of commiseration. “How many days have you been coming here? And you haven't been seen yet?" he asks genuinely curious about the situation here. Using this as an opener, he tries to engage the lashunta couple in an extended conversation, getting them talking about how they found the clinic and what they've heard about it from the other patients. As they get more friendly, he asks about any staff they've seen and any other patients of interest or note.
If asked, he'll admit to having been at the Scoured Stars battle as a rescuer, but keeps his Stewards affiliation secret.
Eralyn experiences a faint shimmer of energy as she moves through the force field. The air on the other side of the field feels a little different, and has a slight scent of citrus. It appears that it allows people to pass through but blocks the external atmosphere. Before she fully enters the hallway, however, she notices that the sprinklers up on the ceiling have been rigged to go off when somebody passes through the hallway.
Looking in both directions, Eralyn sees a hallway lined with closed doors to the left, and a large open room with stacked storage crates off to the right. There are no signs of anyone responding to her call earlier.
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Meanwhile, Jaqweh is making connections with the lashunta pair. He learns that both of them came to the Open Collective for the first time today, and the only clinic staff they have seen is an android, who has been in the back rooms and not come out for the hours they have been waiting. They don't know the android's name. The only patient they recall, other than everyone still waiting here, is the half-orc who got impatient and stormed off down the hallway to the left but then didn't come back.
The male lashunta looks at his friend with an embarrassed expression. "Now that we explain it like that, it sounds a bit strange, doesn't it. Everyone else was waiting, so we just got in line too."
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Eralyn attempts to disable the wiring. "Oh, this reminds me of when I was young!"
She waits a few moments to see if it's worked...
"There. I think it's alright now. Would one of you mind checking out those computer consoles?"
Deciding that a storage room could give them a better idea what they're dealing with -- or be a great place to lock up missing people -- Eralyn heads to the right to snoop around.
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Jaqweh thanks the lashunta couple for their help, and follows Itch's lead toward the back. "I'd rather deal with an unhappy staff member than wait here all day. What's the worse they can do, not treat me?"
Hearing Eralyn ask for help with the computers, he steps over to the nearest one and sees if he can get access.
Eralyn feels confident that she successfully disabled the sprinkler system. Across the way she does indeed see a computer terminal resting atop a desk, between two large cylindrical power generators. The devices hum with actinic power, while a glass window shows the grimy bulkheads of Absalom Station's interior only twenty feet beyond.
The storeroom to the east is roughly forty-by-sixty-feet, and mostly filled with stacks of crates. Dim lights shine from the ceiling, some twenty feet above. Some of the crates lie on their sides, spilling out tiny white crystals onto the ground. Thin pools of citrus-smelling green liquid dissolve the edges of these spills, and the overall odor of citrus is more intense in this room. Another computer terminal blinks against the northern wall. An exit door leads out to the east, while a larger exit is visible to the south.
Jaqweh attempts to access the computer system, but its security is a bit beyond his ability to crack. He does notice that the generators could be shut down from here.
The people in the waiting area watch the newcomers with reactions ranging from curiosity to wariness, but none of them move to either follow or leave.