Some time after returning from your previous mission with the Starfinder Society--or after completing your initial commencement into the Society for any fresh recruits--you are contacted by Venture-Captain Arvin to attend a briefing for a new mission. Upon arriving at the Lorespire Complex, you are directed to a small reception room on the 14th floor of the massive central Lorespire.
A large vesk in a muscle shirt sits at a table in the small reception room, messily consuming the various laid-out refreshments as you make your way in once summoned by the Venture-Captain. Venture-Captain Arvin stands on the opposite side of the table, visibly annoyed at the vesk, and turns toward the arriving Starfinders with some relief.
“Thank you for your quick response. Some new technology has come to the Society’s attention”—the vesk clears his throat loudly, and Arvin’s eyebrow twitches in irritation—“from our… contact Julzakama. If you would…”
The vesk, Julzakama, stands, pulling a battered gym bag out from under the table. “Feast your eyes on this little gemling.” He reaches into the bag and removes what appears to be a severed human hand. Julzakama waves the limb then offers it to Arvin to shake.
Arvin declines the offered limb, rubbing his temples, and explains. “As you might have guessed, this is a prosthetic limb. It’s a standard cybernetic augmentation, but this one was made with a new type of biotech, so well grafted that it’s almost undetectable without magic. Its special features are just as well hidden.” Arvin takes the hand from Julzakama to demonstrate a nearly invisible compartment large enough to conceal a knife, several data drives, or a small toolkit. “Such technology would be invaluable for covert and diplomatic operations, and the Society would like to find the specialist who crafted and installed it. But therein lies the difficulty. Julzakama, if you could explain the… circumstances of this discovery?”
Julzakama holds up his hands, saying, “Now, I wasn’t personally involved. Some vesk workers known to some of my customers got in a territorial dispute with some manlings. Stuff happened, one of these guys turned his winnings over to my customer to settle a bet, and here we are.” Julzakama gestures at the hand, smiling ingratiatingly, and continues, "I thought you Starfinders might be interested.”
“Indeed, we are.” Arvin folds his hands behind his back. “Julzakama tells me that his acquaintances’ rivals had been known to acquire their gear from gray-market operations in the Freemarkets. As that is our only lead so far, I’d like you to investigate the area; even if none of the listed clinics are the source, they may have more information on who is. Do you have any questions, agents?”
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Laniakea, a tall, gangling woioko with fine blue and green scales wearing the uniform of the Stewards nods along as the pawnbroker and Venture-Captain relay the information. He holds out a long-fingered, webbed hand, "May I see the prosthetic?" I assume there are no visible serial numbers since that would be counter to the covert use of these biotechs?"
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"Will we be asking as official Starfinders or simple traders as far as the clinics, etc. are concerned? How about when we find the specialist? Will we be asking them for an exclusive contract?" asks a 5'6" human clad in Counselor's Professional clothing. "Oh, please excuse my manners, I am Tolmu.", bowing as he speaks, his steel Holy Symbol of Sarenrae swings forward and back.
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A tall, well-built human man, with broad shoulders and a shaved head, leans back in one of the chairs, arms folded as best he can against the thick plates of his Golemforged armor. At Tolmu's questions, he shrugs. "I'd guess you want us under the radar, am I right? 'Gray market' makes me think this isn't illegal, but maybe..." He glances at the Steward, then back to the venture-captain. "... frowned upon?"
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"May I see the prosthetic? I assume there are no visible serial numbers since that would be counter to the covert use of these biotechs?"
Arvin shakes his head, "Unfortunately, no, there is neither serial number nor maker's mark on the device. Either the makers were very careful not to leave any trace that could lead back to them, or the purchaser removed any such mark after having it installed--though the latter possibility seems...unpleasant to say the least.
"For those of you unfamiliar with biotech augmentations..."
"Nah nah nah, hold up, Arvin," Julzakama breaks in as he wipes a few crumbs away from his mouth. "I can tell 'em all they needs ta know about the augments. See, they work by messing with yer DNA and integrating biological components to improve what ya got or add whole new abilities. They’re a lot like cybernetics that you’ve seen used around and some can even mimic standard tech enhancements.
"I gotta tell ya, though, I’ve never seen any as well concealed as this. Downside is, each biotech implant is customized to its recipient’s body and gene structure, so ya can’t just swap 'em out with yer buddy or nothing. That customization also makes it a trick to reverse-engineer.
"So, if ya want yer little Starfindling buddies to have this kinda tech, ya need to find whoever created 'em.”
"Will we be asking as official Starfinders or simple traders as far as the clinics, etc. are concerned? How about when we find the specialist? Will we be asking them for an exclusive contract?"
Arvin replies once again as Julzakama picks up another pastry from the table, "I will leave it up to your discretion to determine the best methods for your investigation. Some of the Freemarket's businesses may welcome you and be glad to cooperate, while others might find your questions intrusive or possibly even disruptive to their businesses.
"As for the producers of the prosthetic, yes, please do what you can to secure their assistance in developing this type of technology for the Society, provided their operation is above board, of course." He adds with a nod to Laniakea.
"I'd guess you want us under the radar, am I right? 'Gray market' makes me think this isn't illegal, but maybe..." He glances at the Steward, then back to the venture-captain. "... frowned upon?"
Julzakama pounds on his chest as some crumbs leak down his throat. Once he has the errant pastry dislodged, however, he laughs at Roddy's questions. "HAH! This manling of yours doesn't even know the Freemarkets, Arvin?! Give me a break!"
Venture-captain Arvin visibly bristles at the vesk's insult, and he turns to the agents assembled before him. "Well, agents? This junk peddler thinks you're ignorant of one of Absalom Station's most significant market districts. Why don't you show him why I choose you to complete this mission?"
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Clad in matte dark grey heavy armour of overlapping ceramic plates, a well-armed shirren stands at ease, a full faced helm tucked under an arm. He watches on with glittering multi-faceted eyes as the Venture-Captain greets the group, introduces the vesk and, more importantly, the prosthetic.
Chk'tarlsh cocks his head, antennae twitching in curiosity during the demonstration of the unusual technology. "Sso we are to find the trail that leadsh ush back to the craftsspersson who made it," he says aloud, mandibles waving and clacking in a way some might find disconcerting. "What ish our objective once we find we find them?" he asks pointedly.
"What can you tell ush of the Freemarketsh?" he adds
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"The Steward's dossier on Absalom Station indicate that the Freemarkets are the Ring’s open-air retail space, where small businesses of all sorts showcase their products and services. AbadarCorp sponsors the area; the corporation’s religious doctrine mandates that they encourage the growth of free enterprise. It’s relatively easy to get a business permit, so many entrepreneurs get their start there," Laniakea repeats from memory.
"Most of the Freemarkets’ businesses are temporary operations, working out of stalls or carts. The most successful make enough of a profit to secure permanent stores or are acquired by larger corporations. Some manage to hold their spots in the Freemarkets long-term, while the failures melt away," the woioko continues.
Breaking from the academic recitation, he adds, "While the majority of businesses in the Freemarkets are legitimate enterprises, fly-by-night operations and scam artists take advantage of regulation loopholes. If caught and shut down, they simply lie low for a time and then acquire new permits under false identities."
Arvin grins pointedly at Julzakama as Laniakea gives a class on the the Freemarkets.
The vesk waves a claw at the venture-captain dismissively and scoffs, "Ah, that doesn't count! The fishling's a Steward! Anyway, like the brainiac says, the Freemarkets themselves are legal, as are most of the businesses in there--at least as far as the AbadarCorp folks are aware. You won't get yer precious reputations dinged up just for running down there for some shopping and some intel. "
Arvin nods his agreement, "Correct, and if I recall correctly, there’s a directory of businesses near the entrance that’s updated monthly; you could check that for augmentation clinics. As Starfinder Laniakea mentioned, the Markets have a high turnover rate, though; businesses open and close all the time. It might be worth your time to check with the Markets’ AbadarCorp representatives for an updated list of operating permits so you know where to find all the augmentation clinics currently in operation.”
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Roddy gives the vesk a toothy grin. "I know the Freemarkets just fine, thanks. Your insult did nothing to answer my question. Fortunately the venture-captain was able to cover for your..." He looks the vesk up and down with a smirk. "...shortcomings."
He turns to the others. "Without any way to know who's gonna be friendly to the Starfinders and who isn't, maybe incognito is the way to go for now. But I wasn't called in for my charming personality, so I'll let someone with a more silver tongue make that decision, and do the talking. You need somebody tracked or hit, though, just say the word."
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Galaxy S9 had stepped out to ask for details on the Freemarkets herself, so she missed Laniakea's recitation of it. And so she repeated it herself all the same.
"New biotech? Sounds like it could be fun. Check the directory, find the clinics, find the biotech. Seems simple," she shrugs. The shirren sports larger-than-usual eyes and antenna, though she'd have you believe it only helped her aim. And maybe it did. On her back is a large tactical shirren-eye sniper rifle with a massive shark decal painted along the side. "S9. Please, call me S9. And don't look at me like that, I didn't choose this android-like name, but I love it anyway." She clicks.
While Julzakama glares back at Roddy after his comment, Arvin responds to Laniakea's question. "For this mission, the Society believes you will be able to secure information without having to resort to outright bribery, though I am sure any of the dealers in the Freemarkets might respond more favorably to your questioning if they don't feel you're wasting their time when they could be tending to paying customers.
"Now, unless you have any further questions, I believe you have your objectives. Good luck, Starfinders!"
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After concluding your briefing with venture-captain Arvin and Julzakama, you make your way toward the Freemarkets to gain what information you can about the augmentation clinic that produced the biotech you are researching. Gilded doors separate the Freemarkets from the previous station sector. The entrance area contains a sizable shrine to Abadar to the right; to the left, an office issues permits, takes complaints, and receives petitions. Through the entry zone, a giant signboard with a directory of businesses offers onlookers a way to locate their desired merchandise.
The walkways are laid out in an orderly manner, with lifts and staircases at regular intervals leading to the Markets’ three retail levels. Kiosks sporting AbadarCorp logos offer carts for rent and advertise delivery services. Other businesses promote themselves in a riot of lights, music, and recorded ad pitches. Businesses are not grouped by type; food stalls operate next to jewelry stores, and specialists repair high-end electronics next to secondhand clothing racks.
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"I will check in with the licensing office to request the locations of augmentation clinics recently approved that may not appear on the directory," the woioko says, turning his path to the left.
He enters with the intention of politely requesting the information and applying the authority of his position only if necessary.
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Roddy nods. "Maybe we aught to split up. I don't foresee anything happening in the middle of a crowded bazaar, but couldn't hurt to have a partner. Three teams of two can maybe cover more ground." Plus if you have somebody with you, they can do all the talking. Right Roddy? He clears his throat awkwardly. No need to mention that part to the group, he supposes.
As Laniakea and Chk'tarlsh make their way toward the licensing office, a well-dressed shirren wearing a badge marking him as an AbadarCorp representative emerges from inside, nearly colliding with the pair. The agent begins making apologetic gestures for the near miss, but suddenly stops and looks closely at Chk'tarlsh.
"Ah, I thought I recognized you," the shirren telepathically projects into your minds, "Chk'tarlsh, how good to see you again! It's been quite some time since that unpleasant business back on Akiton!"
The shirren Starfinder recognizes the representative as Philt, the same AbadarCorp agent he dealt with in a previous mission on Akiton.
"I see you are headed toward the directory," he says, "An excellent place to begin your visit to the Freemarkets! You never know when a business might have relocated or no longer operates, though I'm afraid the directory is currently out of date. That's part of why I'm here, actually. Just a routine inspection of the markets, nothing formal really, but it's good to have an antennae in the air, eh Chk'tarlsh?"
The shirren chitters with laughter at his own joke, then carries on the conversation, "So what brings you to the Freemarkets today?"
"I see, so the Starfinder Society is looking into biotech augmentations. How interesting that our objectives align once again," Philt says excitedly. "You see, several customers of shops here in the Freemarkets have recently disappeared. The one commonality among them?" He pulls out a datapad and flips it around to show you a list of names with associated purchase histories. Each of them has a line highlighted--"Biotech Aug".
"I am sure you have your own reasons for being here, but if you would be willing, I could use some extra feet on the ground to look into this matter. Here, Chk'tarlsh, this should help you if you speak with any of the shop owners. They tend to be more open and honest when dealing with a representative of AbadarCorp. Good luck!"
The Cytech Clinic - Level 1, Stall A42
Metagenesis - Level 1, Stall X99
S9 and Roddy move seamlessly through the crowds of the Freemarkets, occasionally stopping to ask directions to the nearest augmentation clinic, or inquiring about biotech augmentations. The crowds are helpful enough, as they direct the pair toward a few different stores they might check out.
It's on the way to one of these clinics, called Bioboost, that S9 spots a familiar-looking shirren striding along the walkways and casually craning his head around to look at the various shops and vending carts. It's Philt, the AbadarCorp representative S9 encountered back on Akiton during one of her previous missions for the Starfinder Society!
Deciding to approach her old acquaintance, S9 moves toward Philt, who soon spots her across the crowd and waves a friendly greeting. "I wondered if I might find more Starfinders here today," the shirren says with an air of pleasant surprise. "I ran into Chk'tarlsh and a rather persuasive Steward friend of his back at the licensing office just a short while ago. I assume you all are here together?"
After S9 and Roddy confirm that they are here as part of the same mission, Philt nods happily. "Good good," he says, "Then I wonder if you would also join in an investigation I'm conducting that seems to align quite well with your own inquiries. You see, several Freemarkets customers have gone missing lately, all of whom recently had augmentation implant procedures conducted. It could be that your search for this biotech producer and the missing customers are linked somehow. Would you mind looking into it with me? Here, I can grant you some extra assistance in your search."
"By the way," he adds, "If you find you can spare a moment to simply enjoy the many goods and services the Freemarkets offer, I recommend the Many Petals Cafe, up on Level 3. They have an excellent assortment of teas and baked goods to choose from!"
Tolmu and Hank also make their way along the walkways of the Freemarkets, talking with the crowds and vendors as they go along. At some point in their search, the pair nears a food vendor that smells simply too delicious for Tolmu to pass up. So, as he orders a steaming meatpie from the vendor and multitasks by asking about augmentations, the vendor, a female half-orc with a beautiful smile (despite the tusks), is happy to tell him what she knows.
"Oh yeah, there's this great place over in the A40s someplace called...ehhh what was it? Cybeck? Cyduck? On! No, it was Cytech! Yeah, The Cytech Clinic! Yeah yeah, my girlfriend got her some ocular implants over there. The color she got is real nice, and now she can see in the dark too." She winks at the pair of Starfinders and grins salaciously. She then turns to Hank, "Did you wanna order anything hon? Or you just here to enjoy the show?"
Whether Hank orders anything or not, the pair now has the name and location of an augmentation clinic in hand, and are ready to move forward with their investigation.
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Roddy has never been wild about authority figures. As a kid growing up in Maro, too many of those figures had been corrupt cops and violent ganglords for him to be able to shake off those suspicions entirely. Yet despite himself, Roddy finds himself liking Philt.
He chuckles as the shirren hands them the badge. "Thanks for the tip, but I'm a coffee man myself. As to the disappearances, I don't see why we can't look into both. Seems pretty obvious to me they're connected to this biotech. Too much of a coincidence. Could be maybe these people got these fancy new enhancements, then got nabbed by someone unscrupulous to try and reverse-engineer the tech?" He raises his eyebrows at S9 to see what she thinks.
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"Thank you, Philt," the woioko says sincerely. "We will do our best to assist you while we investigate these biotechicians."
Laniakea turns his com unit to the SF7 channel and texts to his companions.
>>> Helpful AbadarCorp agent Philt.
>>> Found 3 active biotech licenses (B19, A42, X99)
>>> Found 2 inactive licenses (CC7, N14)
>>> Where to meet?
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Hank gives the half-orc an appraising look, deciding whether her girlfriend would also enjoy some company.
Perhaps later... he thinks to himself.
"I already had some grub earlier sweetie, but I am sure I'll get an appetite...later," He winks salaciously at her.
Once they have moved on from the vendor (after getting some contact info for later) he turns to face Tolmu. "Wanna continue lookin' around or jes' follow up on this clinic, this Cytech place?"
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"My thanks, Philt!" S9 clicks her mandibles together. "Listen, I'd love to help you, and you and Roddy here might be right. Perhaps there is a connection, and solving one problem might solve the other." S9 pats her shirren-eye rifle with a wink. Turning back to Philt, S9 accepts the AbadarCorp badge. "We'll check it out. Come on, let's go to the Clinic!"
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Chk'tarlsh extends a gloved hand to clasp Philt's in greeting.
Nodding as the AbadarCorp agent shares his intel, he says aloud, "It sseemsh our goalsh run parallel once again."
"We will ssee what we can dig up - it sseemsh too much of a coincidence for there not to be ssome connection."
He takes the offered insignia and, activating the magnetic contacts, attaches it to the breastplate of his armour.
He idly inspects the wares of a nearby stall while Laniakea makes contact with the others, falling into step just behind the Steward as they set off for Cytech.
A short while later, your party reassembles in front of the Cytech Clinic, a gleaming white storefront decorated with the silhouettes of humanoids performing various activities, overlaid with full-color depictions of some of the augmentations the clinic offers.
Stepping through the automatic sliding glass doors, you find the interior of the clinic as immaculate as the exterior. Computer terminals where visitors can schedule augmentation surgeries line the walls on either side. Opposite the front entryway, a female damaya lashunta with a golden data jack implanted in the side of her head where she has shaved away part of her long blue-green hair, stands behind a counter. A doorway behind the counter seems to lead to another chamber, presumably the clinic's implantation theater.
"Good afternoon, and welcome to the Cytech Clinic," the lashunta says with a welcoming smile, "What can I do to help make you better today?"
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"Good afternoon!" Laniakea returns the greeting to the lashunta. "We are here for two purposes: one is to see if we can find the source of some truly spectacular biotech prostheses, and the other is to assist the AbadarCorp with finding information related to several missing augmentation clinics." The woioko gestures the AbadarCorp badge on Chk'tarlsh's chest plate.
"I am certain that an upstanding facility such as this," he says, gesturing at the immaculate facility, "will be more than willing to cooperate in an investigation. We have already checked to ensure that your license is up-to-date. Your cooperation will be recorded and be noted by the AbadarCorp and other legal authorities on Absalom Station. I'm sure that Cytech would appreciate having such a positive notation on their record. I would certainly improve the opportunity for investments.
"Now, about looking at your patient list and discussing your current augmentation practices?"
The lashunta's eyes widen in alarm as Laniakea begins to speak at length about missing augmentation patients and the involvement of several legal authorities. "Oh of course, of course! We will be glad to assist in whatever way we can," she replies, stepping around the counter and approaching the group so they can speak a bit more quietly.
"We have heard rumors of the missing patients, of course--such a tragedy!--but I'm afraid we can't help you with your interest in biotech augmentations. Cytech Clinic deals exclusively in cybernetics, not biotech. Biotech is far too...messy," the lashunta gives a slight shudder of disgust, but goes on. "Now, if you are set on biotech, I'm afraid I can't help you here, but I do know a few shops you could check with. Let's see...there's Metagenesis. They do biotech, I'm fairly certain. Oh, and Renew-You also does biotech, though I think they used to be one of our direct competitors on the cybernetics market.
"Was there anything else I could help you with? Perhaps one of you is interested in going cyber with Cytech?"
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Roddy gives the golden data-jack on her scalp an appraising glance before finally shaking his head. "Another time maybe." He motions the party just out of the woman's hearing and mutters, "What do you think? Do you believe her? I dunno much about augmentations, never been able to afford 'em. So I dunno whether or not it's likely she's on the level about them not touching biotech."
Tolmu keeps an eye on the clientele at The Cytech Clinic. The only other customers in the shop, a kasatha and a ysoki who are scrolling through one of the computer terminals, perusing the clinic's wares, and chatting loudly about what augmentations they are considering, don't seem to notice the conversation the Starfinders are having with the clinic's proprietor.
From what they can tell, the lashunta woman is being honest about what the clinic offers, and they know they could check out the clinic's catalogs if they wanted to investigate the matter further anyway. They do pick up on a slight hint of worry in her voice, however, as she seems concerned about the appearance of several armed individuals with Steward badges and AbadarCorp insignia coming into her clinic and questioning her about missing customers.
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"Thank you very much for your help," Laniakea says to the lashunta. "I will document Cytech Clinic's cooperation in my report. What was your name, again?" He taps his notes for his field report onto his datapad. "Do you happen to know anyone from Renew-You? They appear to have lost their license for the Freemarket."
He informs the others, "Metagenasis is across the mall at X99. The stall that Renew-You used to occupy is upstairs at N14. Do you want to visit the old Renew-You location to ensure that they have properly shut down their operation? Or continue on the ground floor?"
The lashunta woman gives her name--Deloresa--and explains that she didn't personally know the owners of Renew-You, but she thinks they were a shirren family. She didn't even realize that Renew-You had lost their license, but simply shrugs. It's perfectly normal for businesses to come and go within a relatively short period here in the Freemarkets. All except for Second Time Around, a pawnshop down the row that had been in the same stall for several years. "If anybody will know something about the other shops in the Freemarkets," she tells you, "it would be Dot, the owner. She's got a great head for business, but she's a huge gossip! Can you believe she told people my jack is only gold plated?!"
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Chk'tarlsh nods his agreement with Laniakea and Roddy. "Worth a look. Never know what we might dig up," he says, mandibles clacking. "Need to sstop by for a vissit with thish Dot, too." Swiping and tapping away at his comm unit, the shirren adds the details for Second Time Around to the group's list of POIs.
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S9 had listened in with an encouraging smile on her face in the form of raised mandibles. "Thanks for the details, ma'am. Love the gold data jack. Really goes well with your hair. The half-shaved thing is all the rage these days too!"
She turns to look at Roddy and Chk'tarlsh. "Personally, I'd rather go to Second Time Around the first time around, but I'm good with whatever order. We should probably visit both locations either way."