You are each summoned to the Lorespire Complex on Absalom station where Venture-Captain Arvin calls you in for a briefing.
The doors to the office slide open with a soft pneumatic hiss. Inside is a well-lit and blue-carpeted office. Venture-Captain Arvin, a handsome and determined-looking damaya lashunta, sits behind a desk, his eyes riveted on a glassy display. After a heartbeat, he glances towards the open door and motions everyone to enter.
“Apologies, please come in. Be seated if you like, although this shouldn’t take long.” Arvin taps a button on a console and murmurs to a digital assistant, “Croyd, put everything on hold for a few minutes. If anyone calls, please explain I’m in mission briefing and I’ll get right back to them.” He then darkens the display to give his full attention.
“Right. I have an assignment for you. This one is a little a different than others you might have received.” He pauses before he explains, “It’s an internal matter.
“You’re probably aware that after the Scoured Stars incident many of our colleagues elected to leave the Society. That is unfortunate, but not surprising. We hate to lose good field agents, but no one is conscripted into our ranks. Normally we wish them well and that’s that. In this case, the defector, former field agent Reynald Talbot, stole an artifact from the Lorespire Complex before departing. Theft is where the Society draws the line; I need you to get that artifact back.
“Unfortunately, Talbot left weeks ago and we only discovered the theft in the last 24 hours. We launched an immediate investigation to determine the identity of the thief and their last known whereabouts. It’s our bad luck that Talbot was smart enough to get off the station and head to Akiton, where there’s no central government or law enforcement to easily call upon. I need you to track him down and recover the artifact. We know Talbot caught a shuttle to the Akitonian city of Maro, so that’s a great place to start. The Society will, of course, cover your travel expenses.”
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Shaan Poloo grunts with interest and distaste. "A thief, eh? Well, we know how to treat that sort. But how do you know he took it? And what's the precious artifact anyway - must be a sweet little thingamabob if yer sending a whole team of us crack agents after it! - so what's the lowdown on it?"
Poloo glances over at the Venture-Captain's darkened computer monitor, as if he'd love to sit down and make himself at home. "And what about Talbot himself? If he was an agent you must have loads of intel on him in the files. What can you tell us about his abilities? Any idea why he'd be hiding out on Akiton of all places, or if he's got any connections there?"
The Vesk begins to polish his doshko. "Oh yeah. One more question. You care whether he comes back dead?"
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[color=black]Tavia enters and leans casually against a wall, only the eyes tracking the others as they enter and settle in. [/color]
[color=black]"A trip back home for my first official mission. Not exactly the wonders of unexplored space I'd hoped for. Ah well, maybe I can visit some old friends while we're there. Maro wasn't really my stomping grounds, but that just means the old enemies won't notice me."[/color]
[color=black]"So, are there more details? With a lead of several weeks, it won't be easy to track him down. If he's really smart, even Maro will just be a false lead - a way stop to get an off the record trip elsewhere. Any known contacts there?
What else do we know about him? And of course, anything about the artifact."
[/color]
"Oh excellent. You're some of the smart ones. You'd be amazed at how many teams I get who hear my briefing then run off without asking any further questions. I don't know how they expect to get anything accomplished without digging deeper," Arvin says with sincerity.
"Now to answer your questions," he continues.
"When we were doing an audit of our inventory, we discovered it was missing. Everyone else who has been in that vault has already been interviewed and cleared, though we're looking closer at them as well, just in case. It's possible he didn't take it but it's just suspicious that he left without a word and this artifact went missing at the same time. If he doesn't have it, fine but we have to at least check."
"As far as what the artifact is, the answer is complicated because it’s actually two questions: what the artifact is and what Talbot thinks it is. We’re operating under the assumption that Talbot thinks he’s stolen an object from old Golarion called a philosopher’s stone. Legend has it that the stone could transmute matter, among other properties. What Talbot actually stole was recently re-cataloged as a charlatan’s stone. It does something similar, except the effect is a potent illusion and only temporary. We think ancient con artists used to make false gold.”
Arvin sighs when it comes to talking about Talbot. "Talbot's smart, capable, a bit brash, and a reasonable field agent. He's also self-entitled and ambitious. After the Scoured Stars incident, he expected to be promoted to venture-captain, but the Forum felt he needed more time. He got angry. We think this theft is retaliation.”
"I assume he went to Akiton because there are no centralized governments who can extradite him. This isn't an issue worth sending Stewards over so he likely thinks it's the safest place in the Pact Worlds he could go," Arvin explains.
He sighs even more at Shaan's final question. “I want the stone back. Talbot’s not worth the expense of dragging back here, so you can do whatever you think is necessary with him. That said, you don’t have a license to go on a mass killing spree. Don’t make the Society look bad. It might be tough to do on Akiton, but don’t take that as a challenge.”
He turns to Tavia next, though many of his(her?) questions have already been answered. [b]"To be honest, I would be surprised if he stayed in Maro. It's just the last place we could track him to. I expect you to pick up the trail there and follow it to its end." He rolls into Mik'al's question "I doubt if he left the planet but it's a possibility. Follow him wherever he went. We will cover your travel expenses."
"Anything else?" he asks.
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"Go to boonies of the Pact Worlds, find second rate agent who stole from the company and return what they stole? Are you sure this isn't more appropriate for loss prevention?" Sibhonar asks disappointed.
"My talents will be wasted on that back water hole, but if the Captain insists."
He is completely oblivious to the fact that a a Red Man from Akiton is standing next to him.
"Here's hoping your confidence is justified," Arvin says as half the team voices their certainty that they are on a cake walk mission.
He types a couple of commands on his console and everyone's comlinks buzz/beep/flash to indicate they've gotten a message. When they look, the message is actually a picture.
"Done," he replies to Mik'al.
Strangers find loyalty hard to come by, especially in the big cities.
Newcomers are consequently likely to be observed and watched, especially if an organization believes it can take advantage of the strangers. If Talbot acted or did anything at all out of the ordinary, someone is likely to have noticed. To avoid being found, it is unlikely he stayed in Maro for more than a few days.
Outside the observation windows floats Akiton, a world the color of blood, rust, and red clay. A thick shell of white caps both poles. The shuttle descends toward the planet, and a barely perceptible shift in gravity occurs as the ship’s artificial gravity begins to lessen and the planet’s natural gravity begins to take hold.
From suborbital heights, a handful of small towns, large complexes, and industrial sites that spew noxious fumes into the thin atmosphere surround the trench city of Maro. A spidery web of dirt roads scratched into the rust-colored ground by regular traffic connects these sites to the metropolis.
Maro, the so-called City of Lights itself, comes into view as the ship begins its final descent. The city occupies more of a vertical space than horizontal, built into a six-mile-long section of trench that is half as deep and a half mile wide. Entire neighborhoods and business districts are built into the walls, accessed by patio entrances. Lights, neon signs, and holographic advertising bejewel either side of this urban canyon, while an active spaceport and industrial zones occupy the ground level. As the shuttle lands, it does so beneath the backdrop of an immense mural of brightly glowing neon-green graffiti that reads in Common: “Git Out! Planet’s Broke!”
"And here I thought we could make some money here." Stepping off the transport and looking back towards the group. "So I think we should hit up some local bars. Lets see if we can inquire about precious metals. If he stole this stone a couple of weeks ago, he is probably using it to make quick cash."
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On the transport over, Tavia'll be happy to share what she knows, but she'll emphasize again that she doesn't know Maro well. "It was the big city. I never even visited before my trip to the spaceport and off world. Now if you wanted to know about the Ysoki scavenger gangs in the Wastes, I could tell you stories."
Disembarking, she takes a deep breath and bounces a little. "It's good to be my proper weight again, but I'd gotten used to clean air. You were right earlier, Sibhonar, it's a bit of a hole. It doesn't even have jungles or elves."
"I'm not sure what else to try, Mik'al. If he's made any waves at all, he's probably been noticed. We will be too of course."
The Starfinders start poking around, Tavia starting with the local infosphere now that she has more direct access to it and the others...
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Sibhonar will start chatting with the locals, seeing if they head about anybody new showing up in the last few months. Particularly Starfinders.
"Oh my, everybody is red here. That was unexpected."
"Well, everyone except for the furry ones and the gray ones and the weird brain sac ones. The lizards are red too though.
Tavia's investigation reveals a strange anomaly. AbadarCorp, the largest corporation in the Pact Worlds, recently purchased a large amount of Drift engine fuel from the nearby town of Tasch. While the discovery of Drift engine fuel on Akiton is impressive, the fact that the AbadarCorp fleet that purchased the fuel is 2 days overdue for departure suggests something is likely amiss with the delivery.
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"Well, everyone except for the furry ones and the gray ones and the weird brain sac ones. The lizards are red too though."Oh my, everybody is red here. That was unexpected."
He stares at Tavia blankly. "Akiton is a charming world. No wonder AbadarCorp is interested, their guiding influence is needed here." he says as he pats the golden key hanging from his belt.
"Oh well, shall we head to Tasch or is there anything we should finish up here?"
An elongated dune buggy transports the Starfinders from Maro into the red dunes of Akiton’s surface. The journey only takes 2 hours, with the buggy stopping just outside the city limits before continuing to other peripheral towns.
A long dusty road, lined with single-story dwellings, runs through the town of Tasch. Some powered vehicles rest chained to their owner’s homes. A small general store stands near the center of town, illuminated by flickering white lights. Another building, full of locals, hosts a signpost that reads “Digger’s Dive”—clearly the town bar. Although the sun beats down on this desert town, its citizens meander around the bar in good cheer.
Most are ysoki and humans, with the occasional lumbering fourarmed shobhad mingling among them.
The locals, largely humans and Ysokies, are jovial and inviting as the strangers entered the bar. The bartender is also an ysoki and she greets the Starfinders as they come in through the door.
"What can I get for you folks?" she asks, leaning on the simple bar which is nothing more than a long artificial wood plank nailed to the top of several empty shipping crates.
Before the bartender can answer a man from the crowd comes forward and slaps a cred stick down on the counter. "A round of of Mora Ora for the newcomers on me, Podswald. Or on Talbot, I suppose. He's the one who's responsible for these credits, after all."
The mention of the name Talbot starts up a chant. "Tal-bot! Tal-bot! TAL-BOT!" (almost) everyone in the bar starts shouting.
The notable exception are the three in the corner. As Sibhonar contemplates, he realizes that it is a common design for some branches of AbadarCorp.
"Aw, Abyss! Ever'body knows where to find ol' Reynald. If he ain't asleepin' he's down to the mine diggin' up more thasterion to sell off. And it ain't sleepin' time, now is it?" the man who offered to buy them a drink says. He earns himself a rousing cheer from the crowd, though exactly what he said to earn it is unclear. Maybe just some combination of "Reynald," "mine" and "thasterion."
The drinks served up are flat, thick and dark as crude oil with a faintly bitter bite behind their sickly sweet taste, but are probably the best booze to be found in the town, or Maro, for that matter.
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Shaan takes a swig of the Mora Ora, does a double take at its rude taste, and then recovers to give a sickly nod of acknowledgment to the "friend" that is buying the drinks and the bartender. "Whew, I see why the Digger's Dive is known throughout the Pact Worlds! You make this yourself?"
Eyeing the Abadar Corp types in the corner, Shaan sizes up the Vesk to see what sort of "cousin" he might be. He turns to his comrades: "I hate to say it, but not all me kind are as sweet and friendly as I am - and I ain't actually so sweet and friendly!"
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Sibhonar approaches the AbadarCorp group with as much formality that a dive like this will allow.
"Well met, my fellow Shareholders. May your portfolio be diverse and profitable!"
"It is so good to see beacons of civilization on a backward planet such as this. My name is Sibhonar Holson, currently working with the Starfinder Society."
Trying to make a good impression - .
As Sibhonar approaches, the Vesk tense, though in a professional way. They don't seem to take him as a particular threat but are simply beings whose job it is to assume everything is a threat until proven otherwise.
The Shirren watches him calmly and perks up a bit at his fellow Corpsman's greeting.
"It is quite nice to meet another who is interested in pushing civilization forward, even to a place as uncivilized as this," the Shirren answers.
"I am Philt, and I hope you will forgive me for eavesdropping on your conversation and I also hope that you are not expecting to make your fortune off of Talbot.
"He approached corporate buyers in Maro with a new, alternative fuel for Drift engines. The fuel was purchased for analysis, and if it checked out, would have been evaluated as a new commodity on the galactic markets. To the chagrin of the buyers, the fuel reverted to common thasteron not long after the AbadarCorp ships made to depart Akiton’s orbit. That fuel was purchased on good faith and, as you know AbadarCorp does not tolerate outright fraud. We were just gathering facts before going out to collect Talbot for punishment and confiscate whatever we found of value to make up for our losses."
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"A thief, and a charlatan, as well. Talbot is a former Starfinder, and on his way out of the Society he took something that was not his. This is intolerable, of course and we were dispatched to retrieve it."
Sibhonar considers for a moment, "I have an idea, my Corpsmen friends."
While they consider, he ritualistically intones "This Can Help Us All."
After a pause for effect, "Our missions are not incompatible. The Society sent us to retrieve what he stole from it, and your mission is to apprehend him and recoup your losses. Maybe we could work together on this?"
Philt's antennae move in a way that is the Shirren equivalent of a nod.
"To be honest, what is most important to us is ensuring people know they cannot double cross our grand corporation. But I have little desire to trek out to the mines myself. Should you bring Talbot back to us, we won't ask any questions about what items he might have had with him. If we don't get Talbot in the next day or two we'll have to go out ourselves."
Philt looks to Sibhonar for help with this strange man with his strange ideas about how a corporation works.
"Yes. I'm getting paid. To do my job. This task isn't even part of my bonus structure. Some people do work for a paycheck, not because they're hoping that every action they take will lead to some sort of jackpot."
One of the Vesk nods stoically to Shaan. "There won't be any trouble if your friends don't start it," he says.
His female partner only pays peripheral attention to either conversation going on, her full interest on...well, everyone in the bar, watching for any signs of threats.
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"Mik'al, I think you are mixing up bounty hunters with regular corporate employees." Sinhonar sighs.
"I understand you have never held down a regular job, but most people are paid the same amount of money every month no matter how much work they do."
He takes Mikal aside and reminds him, "Remember our mission is to return the item to the Society? We don't want unnecessary competition in finding Talbot."
"If you think long term, trust me, friendship with AbadarCorp pays dividends."
Philt nods as Sibhonar straightens out his wayward associate. He provides his fellow company man with his personal communications channel. "Call me when you have Talbot in custody and we'll come pick him up," the Shirren says.
He rises and the vesk bodyguards follow him out of Digger's Dive.
Before the Starfinders can set out, a deep booming female voice echoes from outside the front of the bar. “Intruders! We know you’ve come to Tasch in search of our savior. I give you this one chance. Lay down your weapons and leave our town. You will not disrupt the salvation of Akiton, not when Reynald Talbot has come so close to saving our world! You have one minute to decide.”