'Eagle eye' Squizzer notes that the catwalks overhead feature three cameras. One overlooks each of the office doors and the third is positioned above the machinery to the south.
She determines it would be possible to climb onto the catwalk using the ladders and a skilled computer operator or engineer might be able to prevent the cameras from transmitting footage temporarily.
Ayoka manages to get the cameras to start feeding a loop - should last a while...
LAB
This lab emits a familiar foul odor from an overturned vat of white sticky sap. Lined up along the shelves to the west is a collection of bottles and syringes. Microscopes and other measuring devices are on display in a set of cabinets. Artificial lights emanating from the scientific display cast the room in a deep green color.
Joe disturbs one of the shelves in her search, and a vial of acid clatters off and showers her!
Damage
DC 15 Reflex for half.
She does determine that they are doing something with sap and shimmersheen - though what exactly is unclear.
She also finds a locked Datapad
Whilst Joe deals with some frssh acid burns, Ayoka manages to crack the datapad and finds it contains electronic notes and personal logs detailing experiments taking place in this lab. As she digs the weeks’ worth of entries she finds two that pertain to the current mission.
PSYCHIC NEGATIVITY EXPERIMENTS
... Only one heavily in tune with nature can perform such a ritual. The Xenowardens have that power, and I spent many years perfecting it within their ranks. Those fools possess magic that they are too sqeaumish to use. Why waste such power on pointless things like protecting forests that will only wither and die anyway, when they could use their knowledge for much more profitable endeavors? Like my most recent natural discovery, for example.I perfected a ritual that can corrupt entire sections of this forest. The kinwoods can be influenced, you see. By causing them intense pain and
fostering their anguish, sections of the forest begin to change. The sap produced from the altered kinwoods—well, I need to run further tests, but it has mood-altering properties. I think it could be especially useful in pharmaceuticals. The ritual is unfortunately rather short-lived, so the sap must be harvested quickly. The harvest is often fatal to the kinwood, however. Thanks to the ghorans, these forests have grown well, and it turns out kinwoods make excellent lumber.
SHIMMERSTONE ROD EXPERIMENTS
After many trials, I have finally found a foolproof method to fully utilize these kinwoods’ negative emotions and corrupt the rest of the forest. Previous attempts yielded short term results, but with the addition of shimmerstone rods, the effects can be made permanent. The lumber is lucrative in its own right, but once this shimmersheen hits the market, then our sap production will be the real money maker. I just have to make sure those Xenowardens continue to play into my hands a while longer.
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When Joe gets hit with the acid he yells
"Look out!" Then he goes through his backpack and takes out healing serum with a syringe. "Do you need one? I can stab you, to return the favor...."
Buddy reads over Mossgrove's shoulder and his expression darkness. His hands fall towards the ground and his facial furry expressions show all spectrum of emotions from anger to sadness.
He asks Mossgrove
"Any idea who might that be? Any Xenowarden that is particularly rich? A bit different than others? Bad to the bone?"
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"Blech...I am usually better at working with chemicals...these people have no Good lab practices is what that was about. Nah Buddy, I am fine. Well as fine as a person who has had their lab coat covered in acid. Thanks for the thought though."
Cleaning herself up, she keeps a half ear open to hearing what Ayoka and Mossgrove are talking about on the datapad. "Monstrous, simply beyond the pale.....these evil people are killing a truly sentient creature for....wood and sap. We had heard about a corrupted sap...sorry Mossgrove, but the Starfinders found out about that a month or so ago....it is the main reason the skitterforce was sent out here. But to collect the sap they have to spike the trees with shimmerstone rods and then effectively deforestation them......."
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"I can understand wanting to make money," Szama says, thinking back on her relationship with the Acquisitives faction and their brave heroic leader, "But to exploit and destroy peaceful entities like the kinwoods to do it is unforgivable! Well, we've seen all along that the people working on this shimmersheen stuff are bad news. Let's put an end to their nasty experiments once and for all!"
Mossgrove looks horrified - "This is shocking, how could a Xenowarden fall so far and become so corrupt!? Someone on the inside... this is devastating. Ainveln will hunt them relentlessly, no corner of the universe will be safe from his wrath" - the horror gives way to shock and sadness tinged with righteous anger.
"I suppose this explains how someone was able to keep this monstrosity of a building a secret from us"
Moving around the rooms...
Maintenance
Mundane maintenance gear occupies this cramped closet. Most items here are dusty and neglected.
Office
This office room contains two desks on either side of the room. Two computers sit on each of the desks.
Ayoka manages to find an interesting email...
PRODUCTION NEGOTIATIONSAinveln,
The first researcher I hired failed to get consistent results, but one of my other contractors has had much more success with the shimmerstone mixture. I’d like to increase my order of sap from you. You seem to be the only provider of it on the market that gets it modified properly to achieve the results I need. In exchange, I will pay you double what we agreed upon and provide any extra supplies you require.
I have someone working on the treated shimmerstone rods you asked about as we speak. You better not be pulling my leg that these will greatly speed up your production process. It took a lot to get these built. We’ll be in touch.
—Jularaz
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Cleaning herself off, she is only paying slight attention to Ayoka's reading of the email...until the name at the bottom. "Jularaz?? Wait? This email is from Jularaz? Isn't that the person who is the High Despot of Vesk-8? I think we met him after we came back from the gate.....kinda pompous and overdressed...remember? This email certain seems to suggest he is behind all this mess. It probably needs to be verified Ayoka...make certain we take that with us.....you know...thinking on this....yeah. Jularaz does have access to Vesk-8 and the Shimmerstone Deposits to make these rods that seems to make the sap become corrupted. I certain hope that Rahla isn't involved in this....I kinda liked her."
Joe finishes cleaning the acid up with some sodium bicarbonate powder she pulls from her backpack. Using the last bit in the bottle she dumps on the pool of acid that didn't get on her....hoping that at least some of it will neutralize the acid so it doesn't do too much damage to the floor.
"This Jularaz must pay!" Mossgrove injects from behind the party as you reveal the name.
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"Yes....the High Despot of Vesk-8....I believe Ehu mentioned that he was always scheming, feeling that Vesk-8 wasn't good enough for him. If he is behind this....making this 'Shimmersheen' so that he can use it to gain money and prestige....we must stop it here....and then with Mossgrove's help, figure out why Ainveln is doing this, and stop that. We can then go to back to Absalom Station and bring our evidence to Ehu Hadif and let him bring it up to the Pact Council and the Veskarium."
"Wait... what?" Mossgrove looks completely perplexed "No no Ainveln is our best Xenowarden, the most seasoned and experienced on the planet. You must be confused."
"No, no, this is all wrong - someone is clearly trying to frame him. There's some sort of mistake, there is no way our most esteemed Xenowarden would be connected to this monstrosity - we should go and speak to him and let him know he's being set up!"
"These trees have all been massacred, there is nothing for them here. Ainveln will be so furious about this atrocity"