"No, we didn't get any other contact information aside from the clinic's address and comms code," Tanit tells Roddy Hank, "but the channel's been disconnected for several days now. If we could just get in touch with them to have the current compounder replaced, I really think that might do the trick."
Hermot seems to think this over for a moment, then adds, "You could talk to Shenge. He's the one who recommended biotech to us in the first place, the one I told you about who got the data jack installed. He's...well he's kinda shady, but he still supports the community here. It is where he came from after all. Anyway, Shenge has contacts in some of the gangs, and the Freemarkets too, and he'd probably know how to find the owners of that clinic. He lives in a workers’ lodging camp over past building C."
Tanit turns to Tolmu and picks up on his question, "Oh, and if you want to see Maija at all, she should be well enough for the moment to have some visitors. Maybe just a few of you if that's alright. Don't want to overwhelm her after all, the poor dear."
With Tanit's permission and her accompaniment, a few of you leave the living room and enter one of the rear rooms. Maija lies resting in the apartment’s larger bedroom, exhausted but lucid and able to answer questions. She tells you much the same story as Tanit, though she was unconscious for the actual implantation. The only signs of the augmentation are small scars on either side of her trachea.
As Maija finishes telling her side of the story with a round of deep, hacking coughing, Tanit turns to you with concern. "I'm almost worried at this point that the augmentation is doing as much harm as good. I thought about removing it myself, but I'm not any sort of healer. Please, I know it could be risky, but if any of you have any medical training, could you look to see if it might be possible?"
|
Chk'tarlsh shakes his head, setting his antennae to swaying, at the halflings' recount of events. Verces, Akiton, Absalom Station. It seems that no matter where you go there will always be someone looking to squeeze a profit at the expense of their workers or take advantage of the vulnerable.
Unable to lend much support in the way of medical assistance, the shirren remains in the main room unless called for, speaking further with Tolmu and the others.
"We will sspeak with thish Shenge. It sseemsh he might be able to help ush find out more about thish clinic. And we sstill have the other augmentation vendorsh to vissit back at the Freemarket. Did you sstill have the commsh channel code?" he asks, adding notes and updating the group's POIs on his personal comms unit.
|
|
Feeling a bit useless, Roddy waits in the living room while those who could actually help Maija head in. He paces restlessly, feeling torn. He doesn't want to leave until he knows Maija has the help she needs, but seeing as he can do nothing in that regard, he is anxious to get moving and contribute somehow, even if it's pounding some jerk's face in for endangering the life of an innocent woman.
Chill out, Roddy, he tells himself. That kind of thinking is only gonna get you in trouble again. Stay calm, watch your corners. Daredevil BS brings in views, but it'll also get you killed. Remember what Nemoy taught you.
With a heavy sigh, Roddy goes to sit in a chair, realizes he's a rather large man in Golemforged plate armor about to sit in a rickety wooden chair made for halflings, and sits on the floor instead.
|
Realizing that he is one of very few with any medical training among his associates, Laniakea follows Tanit to visit with Maija. He listens to her tale.
"We have field medicine training," the woioko says. "I can examine it for you."
He squars down on his gangly legs and inspects Maija's operative site. "Does anyone have a medical kit?"
|
"Laniakea, allow me to assist," the shirren advances towards Maija, her bug eyes falling on the poor woman. "I have a little training in surgery as well, and might be able to help. Let's see what Tolmu's magic comes up with first, and then I'll give you a hand with the operation."
Tolmu moves closer with Maija's consent and holds a hand above the halfling woman's throat. Though he initially struggles with determining what is happening to Maija at first, he focuses on what he knows of halfling physiology specifically and soon realizes that the issue is that the biotech augmentation is behaving strangely. He can tell that, if the system isn't removed soon, Maija will die!
With this knowledge in hand, Laniakea and S9 move quickly into action to remove the augmentation. The atmosphere is tense for a moment as they make their incision and carefully separate the biomechanical device from Maija's tissue, but they are ultimately successful!
After the impromptu surgery, the medical team shows Maija’s friend Tanit how to provide long-term care for her, keeping Maija comfortable for a week while the family finds a replacement augmentation.
(Core Rulebook 211) mimicking a respirator compounder. However, the biochains have continued expanding unchecked like cancer within Maija’s lungs.
|
|
Laniakea activates his environmental protections prior to the surgery and leaves them engaged during his inspection of the malfunctioning augment. "It looks like the adaptive biochains they used in growing the augment were mutated," Laniakea says. "The mutations created an effect like cancerous tissue."
"This sort of unauthorized product should not have found its way to Absalom Station," the woioko says to the halfling family. "Do you need assistance purchasing a replacement?"
|
|
Roddy listens to Laniakea and Tolmu explain the situation. At the completion of Tolmu's diagnosis, he makes a face. "Reanimate...? What in the Hells kind of purpose could that possibly serve? Unless it was an accidental mutation, which I kinda doubt, considering how shady this whole deal was in the first place. I think it's time we go pay that friend of theirs a visit--Shenge, was it?--and see if we can't find the ones responsible for this travesty."
|
|
Chk'tarlsh exhales in relief at the news of the successful surgery, commending their efforts. He listens intently to their explanation of events, the twitching of his antennae rapidly increasing throughout.
"Sso thish technology could continue reproducing cellsh even after the ssubject hash died?" he asks incredulously.
Nodding in agreement with Roddy, he adds, "Yesh, time ish of the essence. We need to track down thosse ressponssible and get help for their patientsh. Before more dissappear... or worsse."
"and there ish sstill the matter of the other leadsh we have yet to invesstigate."
Tears well up in the eyes of virtually all of the halflings present as Laniakea makes her generous offer of securing help in finding a replacement augmentation for Maija. Hermot seizes the Steward's hand and shakes it vigorously as he holds back his sobs, "You **sniff** really would do that **sniff**? That's very generous of you. Thank you so much! **SNNNIFFF**"
Hermot drops Laniakea's hand for a moment and hurries into the back room for a moment before reappearing with his arms loaded with all sorts of items. "Please, take these things as a thank you for all you've done for us! It's not much, but these are some old familial trinkets that you might have some use for."
Newly loaded down with goods from the grateful halflings, you take Hermot's directions and head toward Lodging Camp 66, where the family's associate, Shenge, is said to live. Foot traffic is low in this neighborhood, and most of the roughly dressed citizens ignore newcomers and expect to be ignored in return. Short halls connect several basic square lodging units together in simple patterns, while exterior areas with open tables and chairs act as communal gathering points. Few people walk the dirty streets here, and many of the doors are unnumbered with multiple locks installed.
As you enter the area, you see a small housing unit (marked by the green house symbol) next to the public bathrooms, a personal defense gun shop (yellow explosion), and a local clinic (red cross).
|
|
"Yes, of course," the woioko's blue stripes flush a deeper blue as the halflings' emotions swell. "It is not right what happened to your family."
Scanning the run down neighborhood, his black eyes settle on the clinic. "If Shenge received the same corrupt biochains, then at best he will be in the clinic," he suggests. "If he is dead, he probably visited there at least once before his demise."
|
|
"I'm so happy we could help you," S9 adds. "But .. reanimation? What if the corrupted program mods were being installed in anyone visiting? Maybe they intended to reanimate more than just one person. Or maybe it was all an accident." S9 shudders, unsure of what to make of it.
Entering the neighborhood, S9 takes a long look around. "Yeah, perhaps we might visit the clinic now," S9 nods in agreement with Laniakea.
As the group enters the obviously rougher part of Absalom Station, everyone seems ready for a fight to break out (definitely not because there's a map ;D ). Reasoning that, if Shenge's augmentation went bad like Maija's he might seek medical attention, you head toward the nearby clinic. Neither Hank nor Chk'tarlsh see any obvious threats in the area at this point, though they keep their heads on a swivel just in case something unexpected should happen.
Inside the clinic, a friendly female kasatha is busily typing at her computer console, while simultaneously holding up and scrolling through a couple data pads. She takes a break from her data entry as you enter and gives you all a pleasant greeting, "How can I help you, friends? Is someone in need of medical assistance?"
|
|
"Greetings," Laniakea says. "Someone may be or may have been in need of medical assistance. We are investigating a series of disappearances that may be related to a lot of corrupted biochain augmentations. The augmentations cause a cancer like illness that relatively quickly sickens the recipient and ultimate will kill them. Has anyone presented with such symptoms or with a severe illness of uncertain origin who recently had a bio-augmentation installed?"
The clerk looks alarmed at the symptoms Laniakea describes, and she quickly sets down the datapads she had been holding to search through the clinic's recent records for anything like what the Steward has described. After a minute of searching, she looks up at your group and shakes her head, "I'm sorry, we haven't had anyone come into the clinic with those sorts of symptoms within the last few weeks. Did you have a name for a particular patient you were wondering about? Normally, I wouldn't be allowed to give out information relating to our patients, but this sounds like Steward business."
"Oh, you're looking for Shenge? Oh, I hope he's alright," the kasatha says, her face lighting up with recognition. "Yes, he's come in here a few times before with various lacerations and burns--you know the type I mean... Anyhow, he lives in the housing complex right across the alley here. Unit D, I think it is. Listen, if you find him and he's hurt, bring him back here. He's something of a repeat customer."
While Laniakea heads toward the main entrance for the housing complex, S9 disappears from view as she makes her way subtly around the side of the building, checking for another way in. Hank stands a short distance back, keeping a sharp eye on the scene for any signs of trouble, and seeing none. From the outside, the complex appears to contain six single-occupant dwellings crammed together. Each space is a ten-foot-cube chamber with a single door. Some of the chambers have armored windows, though each of these is covered by posters or shaded over by crude spray paint.
All seems quiet so far.
S9 makes her way into the housing complex, stalking carefully from door to door. S9 doesn't notice anything out of place or obviously dangerous as she moves through the narrow halls. A communal restroom unit is located near the center of the accommodations. Next to the restroom's entrace, the sealed entrance to one of the dwellings bears a battered nameplate that reads “Shenge. No solicitors.”
Chk'tarlsh, along with most of the others, proceeds down the halls until they reach the the apartment door with Shenge's nameplate. The shirren soldier bravely steps up and knocks on the door, but there is no answer.
Outside, Hank tries to get a view into the apartment through the window, but it is blocked from the inside by a poster, not to mention some inventively profane graffiti spray painted on the window.
|
|
Roddy steps up next to the shirren. He debates keeping his pulsecaster sheathed so as not to startle the inhabitants, but once Laniakea gives the go-ahead to bust in, he shrugs and unholsters the rifle. At least it will only knock someone out; the last thing he wants to do is barge into the guy's house and kill him over a misunderstanding.
|
|
Faced with the silence that greets his knock, Chk'tarlsh takes a moment to listen at the door and inspect the outside for signs of being trapped.
Should things appear clear, he will attempt to open the door.
**kkkzzzzZZZAAAAPPPP!!!**
A loud buzzing sound begins emanating from the door as Chk'tarlsh touches the access panel. Realizing what is coming, he quickly withdraws his hand is only hit by a few stray arcs of the electricity that courses across the pad.
Despite the pain of the trapped door, Chk'tarlsh finds that the electric surge had the upside of frying the lock mechanism; he is able to easily open the door after making sure the trap hasn't reset itself.
The interior of this cramped dwelling reeks of death mixed with all manner of foul odors. Sweat-stained bedsheets lie half-draped on the floor, completely covering a three-foot tall lump on the floor while still clinging to the sides of the bed. A computer terminal and associated desk are bolted to the west wall.