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A female human is already sitting in the room, reading whatever digital magazine is at her disposal. She exudes hot pink color from her hat that cover her periwinkle pink hair, her dress, and even to her stilletos. Anyone who approaches her will be prompted to introduce herself as well. "Pervir Eir, or just Pervir. Have we met before?" she tells, beaming a smile.
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A privilege to meet RZMR says with a voice that sounds exactly the same as the on-board announcement AIs installed on some Drake and Pegasus models, RZMR. The flat but stern delivery of the android, with his deep piercing gaze, keeps it ambiguous whether the AI is sharing a sentiment and an introduction, or is simply stating that it is a privilege to meet him.
The arbitrariness of cosmic encounters ensures that our paths cross, but our destiny is already interweaved and marked to achieve great deeds. Please wipe your feet before entering.
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A small blue worlanisi walks in, accompanied by a butterfly-shaped mote of blue energy, a bright green furry creature, and an ysoki wearing a Research Rat® shirt. "Oh, hello everyone! I'm Chance and this little furry guy here is my friend, Hexie! We have to watch out a bit for Hexie, as she likes to chew on wires and power cables. Electricity is kind of her food, but she's very friendly!"
Chance waves back behind her at the ysoki coming behind her lugging several tool kits. "And this here is Research Rat, part of the Research Rat® franchise!" Chance's brows furrow. "Um, did I say that right?"
"At least you introduced me. That's better than my last job," Research Rat grumbles as he hauls his boxes around. "I'm Research Rat. Not that any of you are going to remember that I'm around unless you need a trap disabled or a door hacked." Research Rat sighs. "I tell you, hirelings get no respect in the Society. They really should start offering hazard pay!"
Hexie snuffles and pokes her nose in Research Rat's bags.
Is there a battery I can chew?
"GAH!" Research Rat grabs his bags and backs away from the creature. "This is why we hirelings need hazard pay! Keep that hexoglin pup outta my stuff!"
Hexie purrs and pushes her head right under Pervir's hand.
Ear scritches?
Your communicators ring with a new message. It tells you to please report to the Exo-Guardian station in Downlow. It provides coordinates the location and indicates you will be meeting with Ixthia the Unbreakable and Celita.
The Exo-Guardians maintain a presence on Absalom Station in a remodeled warehouse in the trendy Downlow neighborhood.
Within this warehouse, members of the Exo-Guardians are hard at work, preparing for missions and participating in additional combat training. Ixthia’s office is located in a raised loft area at the back of the warehouse.
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Pervir scratches Hexie's head and ears after examining that she is harmless, and cute.
"Aww, you're so cute!" she rubs her head longer. She then stands to greet her fellow agents. "It is nice to meet you all. I hail from Absalom Station. Haven't you heard about me? Maybe the modeling business is really not as known as I expect." she ponders this. "I am a fashion model from Cuts and Pieces Agency." she then flaunts her apparel and begins to strut across the room when suddenly their communication devices ring.
"It looks like we are on to the mission." she tells them excitedly. "Let's go?" she motions them to get out of the room and go to the location where they are to be briefed.
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"A fashion model?" Chance has to look up on her comm unit what that profession is, as the only clothes modeled in advertisements on her homeworld involve the occasional piece of utility sports gear. "Wow, that's a thing? Most folks on Worlan don't wear clothes in temperate weather, and our weather is almost always temperate... But Starfinders need to wear armor, and I of course try to wear what the locals do when I'm on jaunt. So do you show people how to put on sports clothes? It took me forever to learn to don a wet suit properly."
Chance eagerly follows Pervir to the Exo-Guardian warehouse. "I heard that the Downlow part of the station is very trendy, and has dance clubs. Maybe we'll pass by some on our way to Exo-Guardian HQ."
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Research Rat just shakes his head. "She comes from a whole planet of naked people? Figures."
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"Of course it's a thing, you silly!" she almost hit her in a feminine way. "We mostly cater to human fashion but we also have models of various races. The business is more inclined toward high-end fashion but recently the agency has been adopting the utility side of articles of clothing." she answers Chance. She considers what Research Rat has said, "Well, aren't we all born naked?" she laughs at the idea.
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A purple haired android enters the exo-guardian's base. She wears a black labcoat and carries a backpack full of medical supplies. An eye on the end of a tentacle sticks out of her shirt collar before ducking back down when it sees the rest of the Starfinders.
"Nice to meet you all. Name's Delikie."
She gives Hexie a suspicious look until Pervir pets her. She then offers headpats to Hexie.
"It's always the cute/harmless things that wind up growing a mouthful of fangs and try to eat you inside and out."
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She considers what Research Rat has said, "Well, aren't we all born naked?" she laughs at the idea.
All are indistinguishable at birth, a blank slate each to write the stories of one's short existence. Each has his role to play in the fabric of society to contribute to the collective, which exists in all eternity. Put on your own oxygen mask before helping others.
The office is a brightly lit, humid space packed with countless potted plants and plenty of windows that overlook the main warehouse space. A few uncomfortable stools and a spartan worktable are crammed in among the vegetation. The sole plant-free area is a wall-to-wall storage locker, filled with armor and weaponry of all kinds.
Celita reaches over to examine one of the blue-leafed plants clustered in pots in Ixthia's office. “Don't lean too close,” Ixthia warns, “that one's carnivorous.” Celita pulls her hand back, narrowly avoiding the snapping blossom of one of the plants, then looks up at the open door. “Perfect timing, Starfinders. Thank you for coming.”
Ixthia spreads their arms wide with palms up and spins in a traditional copaxi greeting, then gestures for everyone to be seated. While Ixthia makes no move to sit themselves, Celita perches atop a stool far away from the hungry blue plant, pulls out a datapad, and begins the mission briefing.
“Upon Historia-Prime's death, his holdings and possessions passed into the care of the Starfinder Society. In the months since, the Dataphiles and Cognates factions have focused on inventorying and investigating the ownership of these holdings. We've determined many were obtained illegally. These stolen possessions, funds, and properties are in the process of being returned to their true owners.”
“All that said, one site, located here on the Station, deserves further scrutiny. The property was legitimately purchased and renovated by Historia-Prime well before his ill-fated mission to the Scoured Stars. He had taken over the life of Historia-3 at the time. Now that it's ours I want to know what's inside.”
Ixthia nods in agreement. “We've spent the past year cleaning up Historia-Prime's messes, including the recent Data Scourge. That work continues today. Your mission is to examine the property, clear it of dangers, and find out what Historia-Prime used it for. It could be nothing more than an empty warehouse. Or it could be an automated house of horrors with a nasty trap waiting to be sprung on the Pact Worlds.”
Celita taps her datapad, causing it to project a holographic map of Absalom Station's Spike into the center of the office. “The property is in the Sparks, a neighborhood in the Spike. Historia-Prime has owned the property for over a century, and it's still drawing power from the station, but we haven't been able to hack into it. If there are any computers in there, they're completely sealed off from the Pact Worlds infosphere.”
“Be cautious and thorough,” Ixthia warns. “We look forward to your full report.”
Ixthia turns to Chance and says “They are bluebloods. They went extinct several years ago on our home world, Tabrid Minor.”
“Royo found us a botanist who had some Tabrid flora in his greenhouse and let us take a cutting. If our ecology recovers enough, maybe we'll be able to reintroduce them.”
Evidently Ixthia considers one warning enough, as they do not interfere with Chance as the worlanisi tempts the plants to bite her finger off.
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"Please be careful with that thing Chance, just because you have four arms doesn't mean you should be any less careful with them."
She turns to Celita and Ixthia.
"Do you think you could have the officials cut the power to the property? It would be far easier to explore a compound that doesn't have any power than one that could be full of automated defenses. We could have someone on call to turn the power back on if we needed to, and pack some extra batteries to power a computer if we need to."
"The lack of computers connected to the infosphere makes me nervous. You don't set up a private network unless you have something you really want to make sure nobody sees. Or that nobody lets out."
Ixthia looks to Celita in response to the question of cutting power.
Celita quickly replies “I don’t think that would be a good idea. Other people live down in that area and I don’t think we have a good way to cut power to just one building.”
“Even if we did, since it is Historia-Prime we are talking about I suspect he would have back up power for what he considers vital systems. Those systems could probably last at least two days if not longer.”
“Your concerns are correct though. Traps, robots, and computers,” Celita says. “Historia-Prime preferred them to people.”
“Where to start?” Ixthia muses. “Historia-Prime was the architect of the Data Scourge and he launched two direct attacks on Absalom Station. He planned to seize control of the Starfinder Society, replacing both the First Seeker and Guidance with himself.”
With a pained look, Celita adds. “Historia-Prime was the founder of the Dataphiles faction, and one of the earliest members of the Society. In his arrogance, he believed that the Society could not function without him, so he extended his life by transferring his mind into a succession of android protégés. He stole their lives and attempted to steal mine.”
“He failed.”
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Thus always the tyrant RZMR speaks the seeds of tyranny find fertile ground where the vigilance of the collective slumbers. Leadership is a mantle of service, and the usurper who seeks to consume the resources of the masses falls foul of shortsightedness, for wasteful consumption will lead to inevitable downfall. Due to an unforeseen change of equipment, we are currently short of seats.
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Your sense of purpose is the driving force for your achievements, and achieving progress unlocks the chemicals of reward, RZMR says, philosophically taking the fun out of fun, then turns to Ixthia and Celita the tyrant is enable by their lieutenants. Any festering weed should be extinguished root an all, lest it return to growth. What allies remain loyal to Historia-Prime?
Celita responds “As far as we know, no voluntary allies. He has forced people to act for him and as I already mentioned he prefers robots. The robots he uses are not sentient.”
Ixthia says “Do you have any more questions for us?”
Historia-Prime
Historia-Prime, a former Starfinder, was the architect of the Data Scourge and of two direct attacks on Absalom Station, once with a robot armada and once with a massive nanite starship.
Historia-Prime was the founder of the Dataphiles faction and designed much of the infrastructure the Society uses. His successors traditionally took the name Historia in his honor. Celita initially took the name Historia-7 but returned to using her own name a few years ago.
Spike and Sparks
The poorest classes of Absalom Station's citizenry inhabit the Spike. It's crime-ridden and cramped, but extremely affordable.
The Spike is simultaneously the most crucial and least appreciated part of Absalom Station. The station's power generators and life support are all in the Spike. There are also a lot of industrial neighborhoods like Sparks, which is a warren of engineering bays, custom tech shops, and starship dry docks.
Most of the parts for starships in Absalom Station are manufactured in Sparks.
The Sparks neighborhood was once one of the most prosperous in the Spike. The combination of the Data Scourge and the Drift Crisis has hit this working-class neighborhood hard, causing a rise in unemployment and homelessness among its residents.
Sparks has a large deaf population and many hearing residents experience hearing loss due to proximity to the incredibly loud ship-building factories. As a result, sign language is common among the neighborhood's residents.
Historia-Prime
Historia-Prime, a former Starfinder, was the architect of the Data Scourge and of two direct attacks on Absalom Station, once with a robot armada and once with a massive nanite starship.
Historia-Prime was the founder of the Dataphiles faction and designed much of the infrastructure the Society uses. His successors traditionally took the name Historia in his honor. Celita initially took the name Historia-7 but returned to using her own name a few years ago.
Historia-Prime took over the bodies of his successors up to Historia-6, replacing their minds with his own to extend his own life. This was a fate that Celita narrowly escaped.
Spike and the Sparks
Is that a new band?
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The leader who gives to society is honored in name for all eternity RZMR says while conveying the works of Historia and his role in founding the dataphiles faction and building up Society infrastructure yet those who abuse their power in the most detrimental form will be condemned to Damnatio Memoriae, the punishment of being erased from history. RZMR nods to Celita, as if judging her choice to change her name.
Spike and the Sparks not found. Looking for alternatives.... Playing 'Song for a banshee' by the Carrion Crooners.
RZMR fills the hall with smooth-sounding easy listening music
So if you're lonely
And you're wailing all the time
Heavens help me
Cause your heart's as dead as mine
After thirty seconds the music cuts out and switches to an advertisement This is AbadarCorp Entertainment announcing a special edition boxed set of undead easy listening sensation the Carrion Crooners, containing all of their smash hits such as 'Love is dead', 'Song for a banshee' and 'Incorporeal touch'. Order now from your local music store!
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"I remember now. Historia-Prime actually, a former Starfinder, was the architect of the Data Scourge and of two direct attacks on Absalom Station, once with a robot armada and once with a massive nanite starship. Historia-Prime was the founder of the Dataphiles faction and designed much of the infrastructure the Society uses. His successors traditionally took the name Historia in his honor. Celita initially took the name Historia-7 but returned to using her own name a few years ago." Pervir shares what she knows.
"As for the Spike and Sparks, the poorest classes of Absalom Station's citizenry inhabit the Spike. It's crime-ridden and cramped, but extremely affordable. The Spike is simultaneously the most crucial and least appreciated part of Absalom Station. The station's power generators and life support are all in the Spike. There are also a lot of industrial neighborhoods like Sparks, which is a warren of engineering bays, custom tech shops, and starship dry docks. Most of the parts for starships in Absalom Station are manufactured in Sparks. The Sparks neighborhood was once one of the most prosperous in the Spike. The combination of the Data Scourge and the Drift Crisis has hit this working-class neighborhood hard, causing a rise in unemployment and homelessness among its residents. Sparks has a large deaf population and many hearing residents experience hearing loss due to proximity to the incredibly loud ship-building factories. As a result, sign language is common among the neighborhood's residents."
While RZMR is playing the music, Ixthia offers all of you a bowl of some colored flakes. “ I've been told my predecessor provided refreshments at these mission briefings, so here are algae protein flakes that I've grown myself. They're healthy and refreshing.”
After offering the food, Ixthia goes to one of his weapon lockers and takes out some equipment which he offers you. The equipment consists of a static arc pistol, a tactical arc emitter, and four mk 1 healing serums.
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Pervir raises an eyebrow and takesa suspicious look at the offer. "Sounds healthy to me." she says and pick up some and tastes them. "Hmm, feels like paper in the mouth. Mildly salty and shrimp. Good thing I am not allergic to shrimp or something that tastes like shrimp. Does it have shrimp?" she asks Ixthia while she takes the whole bowl. "You want?" she offers to others in Ixthia's stead.
"Can I bring this to our next destination?"
“Yes, there is shrimp in it. Some people are allergic to shrimp? Sorry, I did not know that.” Ixthia quickly makes a note on his datapad.
“It is a traditional snack on my planet.”
“You may take it with you.” He looks around then admits “I already disposed of the packaging. Do you have something to carry it in?”
Ixthia nods, indicating he is fine with that plan.