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Upon landing Maverick dons his Mask of the Mantis. The large sensors on the helmet give it a bug eyed look and the communication antenna rising from the the helmet's forehead also contribute to its insect like appearance.
Over the team's comm channel. "Everybody keep your distance. We aren't here to get caught up in the conflict between the Vesk and the Azlanti. Wait Katrina, come back here. What are you doing!"
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Neroo disguise herself as a simple human and have her armor look very basic.
Better if the Aeon's throne doesn't send more trooper here. and we need to help the civilian! says Neroo through telepathy.
She follows Cathrina and tries to defuse the tension between the two groups.
She says in perfect Azlanty and then Vesk Please, there is children and senior citizen here! Keep the peace, please. We just all want to live in peace.
Katrina gets involved - despite the objections of Maverick. The Azlanti seem to react somewhat well to the interference Finally some decent humans one says, looking at Katrina and... somewhat suspiciously at Neroo.
The Vesk leader is still adamant, seeing a reaction to the insult as a matter of pride, and looks to be very displeased by the interference.
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Diplomacy
"No one is 'yielding' to anyone, but this ain't the time and place" Roquefort points around the square "Settling a matter of honour here is going to hit a lot of people who aren't involved. Let's not have any street-beefs crushing businesses and harming bystanders, plenty of space for you to play elsewhere - then play as rough as you like"
in vesk - "And when you do, hit them with the full might of Damaritosh"
The moment is tense for a moment, with the muscular vesk leader staring down Maverick and Roquefort. For a moment it looks like he is going to whip out his doshko and go head to head with the Starfinders, but then he breaks into a grin and slap Roquefort on the back Hah! I like this one! And you! he says pointing to Maverick It's a strong ship! We'll meet you in battle one day!
With the tension diffused, the merchants standing around breathe a sigh of relief. Mohaul comes out of hiding You've certainly done us a great favour here, you've earned my thanks for that. You've drawn a lot of attention to yourself, though, you should probably get out before... eh... the fruit spoils.
At tthe dock, it doesn’t take long to examine the fruit and find a button embedded just under the its artificial shell. Pressing the button causes the fruit to click open, revealing in each fruit an Azlanti Star Empire ID card and Empire-coded credstick with about 1,500 credits on it. One of the fruits has a passcode with a label 'Forlorn Departure'
The Forlorn Departure is a Destined Traveler model, a simple merchant class ship with minimal weapon and defensive systems.
As the group moves around the dock, two Aeon Guards approach the ship, guns in hand. “Where do you think you’re going?” one asks rudely.
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Carlos sighs. During the first tense situation, as soon as everything started, he walked a hundred meters away, sat on the roof of one of the houses, deftly and quickly climbing the wall with the help of tentacles, took out a sniper rifle from a violin case and prepared to cover the group's retreat. This time there was no such option. He just takes a couple of steps back and prepares to destroy the minds of these azlanti with his magic. However, there are negotiators in the team - perhaps they can still cope with this without blood... Or it will be as Roquefort said.
Well, let's see some papers, all of you. And your ship, I will need the registration papers the guard says while the second is impatiently tapping his baton.
After a bit of further harassment, the guards break into a smile and confirm what Roquefort knew all along hah, we're just joking with you, we had you good there, didn't we? In fact, they didn't, not for a second.
Go on, you're cleared to depart! the guards says, much more jovial than before.
On board the ship, the group finds the navigation computer already has coordinates pre-entered for Eronesse on New Thespera.
It's three days of travel deeper into Azlanti territory. New Thespera from orbit is a complicated grid of landmasses, massive structures, and floating vehicles. Warships of various sizes form an intimidating mesh in patches of the planet’s orbit. There’s not much time to absorb the sight of the planet before a gravelly voice flatly intones over the ship’s comms, “State your business and registration number.”
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During the travel, Neroo reconfigures her drone to look more like an Azlanti drone rather than a Pact World one. She also connects into the local infosphere to learn the last news and state of fashion of the Empire to make sure to not do any faux-pas and adjusts her disguise.
Once arrived, she lets Maverick do the talking.
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You certainly did Katrina smiles back to those guards.
During the trip she took turns with Maverick doing the piloting. Presumably there wasn't much opportunity for swimming on board so she'd practice her gymnastics - both with gravity and without.
Upon arrival, she stays quiet in the bridge monitoring sensors.
There is some mumbling in the background, where the words 'old code' can barely be made. After a few terse moments, the Forlorn Departure is allowed to proceed to Eronesse.
Nothing in Eronesse moves at a modest pace. Not the space lanes or the airport or the people on the streets. The only constant is the churn of movement, the dazzling lights and the curved Azlanti skyline. Eronesse offers no rest to the senses of its visitors.
In contrast to Atuity, there are very few non-Azlanti anywhere that are not in a position of service or deference to the Azlanti citizens. Many seem resentful, but most seem resigned. The Azlanti they serve seem not to notice or care at all, keeping to their hectic activities and imbuing the streets with frenetic energy.
The group has some basic information on locations on Eronesse regarding where to look for Felthaum: they know the location of his apartment, and they know where he used to work: the Ministry of Citizenship. They also know the designated extraction point where Felthaum was supposed to wait, a cafe and lounge called Conqueror’s Rest.
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Katrina taps into the local infosphere as they walk, curious about what the Azlanti Empire offers for nightlife and entertainment. She is fairly sure she isn't going to experience any of it but who knows what ideas she can bring back to to the Pact Worlds.
She would suggest going to the extraction point.
The group moves through the streets of Eronesse, with most Azlanti citizens minding their own business. Every now and then a snippet of conversation can be overheard, mostly small talk, but the occasional flavour of the true mind of the Azlanti: "The Aeon Throne is wasting their time trying to be ready. The Veskarium grow stronger every day and need to
be brought down to size!
The extraction point is a cafe called 'Conqueror's Rest'. The cafe is dimly lit and full of brooding Azlanti reading datapads and writing notes. The bar is mostly empty, and a gosclaw tending the bar is pretending to look busy by cleaning the same spot on the bar absentmindedly.
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Neroo remove the armament on her drone and send it to their contact address to see if something is amiss while she follows her comrade at the extraction point.
With the schematic of the city map and her own AI, the drone flies to the address looking around.
Nero is amazed by the city! if the mission wasn't so important she will have sightseeing all day!
Concentrating on the mission, she hopes her talent was not gone so she walk into the bar and go see the bored bargoscla.
Greetings citizen, I'm new in town and my last contact in the suburbs of the Empire recommended me this bar. I was quite hoping to see him there, as he works for the Ministry of Citizenship. Have you seen him, he goes by the name Felthaum? Do you know what's his usual hours? I don't see him now.
“Greeting to you, citizen. Felthaum, eh? Even for an Azlanti, he was boring. He would always, always be talking about the variations and deviations of the Great Purpose. ‘What is the true extent of the Great Purpose? How do we find its echo in our own hearts?’ On and on,” the bartender says, makes mocking grand gestures.
“But every once in a while, he and his friend—some shatori I absolutely feel sorry for—would talk about something real. Once he had enough drinks in him, that is! Ha!
“They haven’t been in here in months though, so I’ve been spared their scintillating conversations.” Y’halla’s face scrunches in curiosity. “Why are you asking? Are they in trouble?
Neroo notices that the bartender is initially hesitant, but quickly opens up to the 'human'. Well, it's obviously important to you... and that makes it dangerous for me. For 500 credit I can give you more information
Know what Y'halla the bartender says to Neroo's convincing words you can have the info for 200 credits. Final offer!
The friend is a shatori woman, partial to the wine, if you catch my drift. Haven't seen her all that much in the last few months - she’s
in and out like a ghost! Felthaum I have no direct info on. You know, these two, whenever they were talking for longer periods, the language was reserved, as if they were talking in their own language that only they understood.
Ah, and Felthaum also had some religious paraphernalia of Lissala with him the last time she saw the two, months ago.
She grabs a cloth and starts polishing the same spot on the bar again, a bit more nervous than before.
It seems the group has exhausted its options in this area. Fortunately, there's more leads: Felthaum's workplace, and his personal apartment.
Felthaum’s house is in the middle of a neighborhood of small stone domes. The houses each have perfectly trimmed lawns and immaculate landscaping. The steady hum and whirr of maintenance robots on the adjacent properties seems to be the cause of all the orderly appearances.