You all are aboard the shuttle Okimoro on your way to Absalom Station.  Each of you, for your own reasons, is seeking to make contact with the StarFinder Society.  Your prelimenary requests put you each in touch with a dwarf named Duravor Kreel.  You have been told he will met you when you arrive.

     An attendant on the shuttle explains that they are stuck in a holding pattern awaiting for clearance to approach the stations and dock.  She asks for your patience and hopes the delay is not long.

     Other passengers murmur amongst themselves, only mildly annoyed at the delay.  Such is life around Absalom Station, the heart of the Pact Worlds.

OOC:

     You all can talk to each other now ... If you want.

Midge's pink eyes flickered from speaker to speaker as he listened to the announcement, bearing his long incisors flashing yellow as he expressed his annoyance at the delay. Mechanical hand twitched and he lifted his right hand and started tapping away on the computer wrapped around his wrist before looking up at the other passengers as thought trying to weigh them before typing some more.

Asher sighed as he leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed. He gazed out the window too his left into space, as he tapped his fingers on the staff of his doshko.

A young man in helmetless Golemforged plates, unmarked by any military or mercenary logo, sits quietly in the back of the shuttle, hand resting lightly on his knees.  He has passed the journey so far with the uncanny stillness of an android, but looks up attentively as the delay is explained.  "It is no trouble," he says, a sudden friendly smile flicking onto his face.  "Such delays occur in 28% of flights; 37% at our economy class.  Thank you."

Then he blinks, his smile disappearing just as fast, returning to a flat affect.  "I do hope I am not late for my meeting, however," he adds.

[Private to GM: Just a quick note, she is not, of course, wearing Golemforged plating, any more than, well, any of the rest of it; it's just, you know, cosplay armor made out of something like worbla.]

"That probability would be higher if we are scheduled to land in Docking Bay Four, as I suspect we might." The speaker was an android in female form with long blue hair, and turquoise lines over her pale skin. Her eyes, turquoise over black and slightly luminescent, turned to look at Laelyn. "It is by far the most inefficiently organized of them, and has been the source of many delays and personal frustration." Her voice was soft, neutral and matter-of-fact.

The android wore a long, high-collared black coat in a leather-like material over a ridged top that showed a bit of midriff. Various tools and pouches were tied to her belt, and her left hand was covered by a gauntlet, the back of which was covered in a touchpad display, though the screen was currently dark and safely under its semitransparent protective covering.

     The shuttle lurched slightly, indicating a very sudden acceleration considering the internal gravity and inertial dampeners designed to prevent such sensations.  The attendant reported that there had been a last moment change to speed along their docking, and they were making their way to Docking Bay 94.  As the ship approached one of the station's star-like arms, the attendant welcomed the passengers to Absalom Station, where the time was 11:42 a.m.

     The sound of docking clamps thrummed against the outer hull as the ship powered down and the boarding hatch opened.  The brightly lit docks of the station were abuzz with activity as travelers bustle every which way.  Brash starpilots, scurrying Ysoki, and eager colonists mingled with curious Kasatha mystics, asteroid miners, Vesk mercenaries and many, many more.  Other passengers left ahead of the four of you, meeting friends and loved ones on the main floor and quickly melted into the humming activity of the station.

     In the distance, ground crews tended to other docked ships, and dockworkers in load lifters handled freight and baggage.  The electrical discharges of the ships put the faint smell of ozone in the air, and the deck plates thrummed with activity.

     Straight ahead off the disembarking ramp, you all see a tall, lanky Dwarf with a bristly iron-gray beard and bushy eyebrows.  He's wearing patched and stained coveralls, looking much like any dockworker, but a badge on his chest identifies him as a member of the Starfinder Society.  He's scanning the crowd and checking a hand-held computer display.  When he spots you all, he raises his hand to wave and smiles.

[Private to Asher; Kairynn-412: You also notice two groups of armed individuals encroaching on the perimeter of the docking bay and taking up defensive positions.]

     Before you can reply, the air is suddenly filled with laser blasts criss-crossing in front and over the dwarf's head.  Bystanders scream and flee the area, diving for cover or running away.  The dwarf freezes, paralyzed with indecision in the middle of the firefight.

     Laser fire flies back and forth across the hangar as the assailants seem to be firing at each other.  However, one shot hits the dwarf and he collapses.  A shooter to the southwest takes a shot at Laelyn and hits him square (25 vs. 14 EAC) in the side (-5 SP).  [Private to Laelyn: 21:17, Today: Omni-Tent, for the NPC Gang Member, rolled 25 using 1d20+6 with a roll of 19. Shoot Laelyn. 21:20, Today: Omni-Tent, for the NPC Gang Member, rolled 5 using 1d4+1 ((4)).]

OOC:

SURPRISE ROUND

Laelyn and Midge are surprised and can only move this round.

Asher and Kairynn-412 can move and act this round.

There is plenty of cover nearby.

Do not roll initiative.  Just act and I will resolve actions logically.

Health      Position    SP/HP/RP
Asher:        P18        8/11/ 4
Kairynn-412:  R19        6/ 9/ 5
Laelyn:       N19        0/10/ 4
Midge:        U18        6/ 8/ 5

"Shit, Everyone Get to cover!" Asher yelled out looking at the three other figures near him as he dashed to cover behind crates to his left, gritting his teeth while clutching his Doshko tightly within his hands.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:55, Fri 06 Apr 2018.

The android dashed towards cover. "We have to reach the dwarf and bring him to safety!" she called, though that would be very dangerous while he lay in the middle of the crossfire.

Meanwhile, she was querying her memory banks, trying to see if she knew anything about the factions shooting each other. She considered Absalom Station her homeworld, after all, inasmuch as she had one. And it would be good to know if there were any 'good guys' in this exchange of fire...
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:55, Fri 06 Apr 2018.

Looking a bit startled at being shot, Laelyn, like the dwarf, falls gracelessly to the floor and lays still.

Midge started cursing, a long stream of curse words both impressive in length as in the depth to which he cursed, it was only attainable because he switched languages no less than six times to explain exactly what he thought of the Ambushers, their parentage or lack thereof and their very interesting facial features that resembled the sexual organs of various sentient species.

As he cursed up a storm his exocortex highlighted various threats, places he could take cover and finally selected a target as he moved towards the barrels in front of him. Perhaps a little more used to being under fire than the android charging towards the dwarf, and the android who collapsed on the floor Midge moved efficiently towards cover.

Heading straight to the barrel that was closest to the female Android's headlong rush towards the Dwarf he drew his Azimuth Laser Pistol, his one eye lighting up slightly as a targeting reticule formed in his line of sight around the ambusher on the right most side behind some large crates. Using his small size he tried to make himself as hard to hit as possible knowing he was flanked on the side the big bruiser had head.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:56, Fri 06 Apr 2018.

     The Human, female Android and Ysoki dashed for cover and readied their weapons as the male Android flumped unceremoniously to the ground after being shot.  [Private to Kairynn-412: You can tell the gangs are comprised of the Downside Kings and the Level 21 Crew.  They have always been at odds, but this isn't their normal territory.]

     The gang members popped up from their covered positions and fired across the docking bay.  The individuals on the left didn't do so well, all of their shots going wide or low and missing entirely.  The right side was better, with two of them hitting their marks.  The third gunman (6) fired at Midge, but his shot splayed against the barrel he crouched behind.

     The dwarf was still motionless.

OOC:

ROUND 1

Everyone can make a full action, a move action and a standard action, or two move actions.

Health      Position    SP/HP/RP
Asher:        L17        8/11/ 4
Kairynn-412:  S17        6/ 9/ 5
Laelyn:       N19        0/10/ 4
Midge:        T17        6/ 8/ 5
[Private to GM:
1                        12/14
2                         9/14
3                        14/14
4                        14/14
5                        14/14
6                        14/14]

Asher looked at the gang members in the crossfire, his eyes set on the three to the left side of the docking bay.

"One of us needs to go get to the dwarf, while the rest of us deal with these gang members!" Asher yelled as he pointed his Doshko to the left of the docking bay.

"I got the left" Asher said charging to the gang member hiding behind the barrels.

[Private to GM: (I would like to move to gang member of D18, and if possible I would like to make an attack if I am able too.]

Midge realized they need to focus their attacks on one side or the other if they were to prevail here. He turned as the big human yelled and rolled his pink eyes. Let the Dwarf bleed, he wasn't about to run out of cover in the middle of a firefight, no matter who was yelling.

Yes the Dwarf was his contact but he wasn't worth dying for, not a lot was. Focusing on the fire flashing around him his exocortex singled out the target slightly exposed behind the crates on the left hand side. There seemed to be two factions, might as well take out one and see if the other would back off.

Mechanical hand wrapping around his furry hand he raised his pistol just as Chesk had taught him and fired off a shot at one of the combatants.

OOC:
Move Action: Target 1 is selected by Combat Tracking
Attack Action: Hits EAC 13 for 2 damage

Laelyn lays still and quiet.

[Private to GM: For a moment, but since everyone does indeed seem pretty distracted, it's not long before she's pretty sure no one's looking, and she'll disappear.  Stealth rolled 23.

Her intention over the next couple turns actually is to get to the dwarf, but Midge has a point about it looking very open over there, so I have a couple of questions.  First, is there a.. high road she can get to?  Like, rafters?   Secondly, I'm not sure what's used for lighting in this century, but if there are lights that she can disable around the dwarf - whether shooting out bulbs or, if she can get up in the ceiling, probably just unplugging things?]

"The Downside Kings and Deck 21 Crew are longtime rivals, but this isn't their usual stomping grounds", says the android. "No good guys here." Her calm, even tone sounds odd in the middle of the furious firefight. As she speaks, she glances over to the dwarf, but right now, crossing all that open space, without benefit of cover, would be tantamount to suicide. She glanced back at the man who'd been hit - he lay where he'd fallen.


As she unhooked her laser rifle and took aim at one of the gangers on the left, she asked, "Human, is the injured near you all right?" Then she fired at the same man as Midge.



00:48, Today: Kairynn-412 rolled 18 using 1d20+2.  Attack on Target 1.
00:48, Today: Kairynn-412 rolled 5 using 1d8.  Laser Rifle damage.

     As the female android started shouting to Asher, he charged toward a couple of barrels where a gang member was hiding.  He swung his huge two-handed laser axe down and scorched the man's arm.

(OOC:
19:51, Today: Omni-Tent, on behalf of Asher, rolled 16 using 1d20+4.  Attack Gang 3.
19:52, Today: Omni-Tent, on behalf of Asher, rolled 6 using 1d12+3.  Damage #3.)

     Both Midge and Kairynn targeted a Downside King to the north (1), both of their laser blasts hitting him square.  He yelped in surprise and growled angrily toward the two who seemed to be ganging up on him, then he moved back behind the crates to get himself more cover.

     When Kairynn glanced back to check on the wounded android, she saw that they were gone!  [Private to Laelyn: You make it to the grate without being seen and slip down into the tunnels.  It runs diagonally to the Northwest.]

     The Deck 21 Crew on the right concentrated their efforts on the Downside Kings on the left, now that it seemed the party was on their side.  #4 and #5 both shot and hit #2, who was looking very weary abut still not giving up.  #6 took a shot at #1, but due to his improved cover, it just deflected off the crates.

     One of the Downside Kings shouted something in Elvish to the others. [Private to Laelyn: You can't hear it clearly because of the metal, gunfire and machinery around you.] The King to the north (1, partial cover +2 AC) then fired back at Kairynn, hitting her in the shoulder (-3 SP).

     The last King (2) jumped over his crate and dodged his way to the information kiosk, diving inside and hiding beneath the console (full cover, cannot target).

     The King in melee with Asher (3) dropped his pistol and pulled out a club that looked like nothing more than a tapped up piece of compressor pipe.  He swung low and hit Asher's leg (-5 SP).

OOC:

ROUND 2

Everyone can make a full action, a move action and a standard action, or two move actions.

Health      Position    SP/HP/RP
Asher:        E17        3/11/ 4
Kairynn-412:  S17        3/ 9/ 5
Laelyn:       ???        0/10/ 4
Midge:        T17        6/ 8/ 5
[Private to GM:
1                         5/14
2                         2/14
3                         3/14
4                        14/14
5                        14/14
6                        14/14]


This message was last edited by the GM at 03:45, Fri 13 Apr 2018.

And now the beams started to fly around them even more, with shots being directed towards them, taking aim on the scumbag behind the crates. Hhis Exocortex was still locked on the ganger he concentrated and as he was about to fire a bolt of laser sizzled into the shoulder of the creature he was now, by happenstance, fighting together with.

Jerking his head round at the smell of burning...well it wasn't flesh, his own shot flew wide, his tail lashing as he kept his head down and tried to take aim at these creatures that were attacking them with no apparent cause.

OOC:
Attack Action: Hits EAC 9...assuming that's a miss :D

This message was last edited by the player at 18:33, Tue 10 Apr 2018.

PM

[Private to GM: Laelyn starts up the tunnel, trying to keep angled as north-as-possible as she goes.]

Asher swung down his weapon at the thug with a powerful yell, hoping that he could finish him off quickly before moving on to the next one.


OOC 18:04, Today: Asher rolled 15 using 1d20+4. Attack.
18:04, Today: Asher rolled 4 using 1d12+3. Damage
This message was last edited by the player at 23:08, Wed 11 Apr 2018.

Kairynn spent a fraction of a moment staring at the spot where the injured passenger had been. "Sneaky sort", she said quietly, but she could not fault them for making themselves scarce in the middle of a firefight, particularly if they were not used to combat.

Then she recoiled from the hit and looked at where it had struck dispassionately. There was no permanent damage, the armor having protected her at least to this extent, but the systems in that area would be scrambled - the android equivalent of a bruise.

She looked back at the battle. Appearing to side with one gang was less than appealing, but it kept the Deck 21 Crew from shooting at them and meant half the gangers' total firepower would not be directed their way - and might persuaded the Downside Kings to withdraw early. A good way to end the fight quickly and rescue the dwarf, then.

She took aim at the remaining visible, unengaged Downside King and fired her rifle again.

08:08, Today: Kairynn-412 rolled 6,4 using 1d20+2,1d8.  Attack and damage on Target 1. - yeah that's a miss

     Asher's plasma axe came down on the ganger, knocking them unconscious with its hot fury.

     The gangers continued to pop up from cover to fire at each other.  King #1 sighted in on Kairynn and hit her (-3 SP, -2 HP) as she was shooting back at them.

     Both Midge and Kairynn missed their shots at the elusive King (1) to the north.

     King #2 popped up from their new cover in the information kiosk and fired across the bay at Crew #4, but their shot was low.

     In retaliation, Crew #5 shot King #2, hitting them square in the chest.  King #2 fell back into the kiosk and didn't come back up.

     Crew #6 came up and fired at King #1, but the shot was too late and missed.

     But when King #1 came back up from cover, Crew #4 was ready and hit them in the shoulder.  King #1 fell and did not recover.

     [Private to Laelyn: Laelyn proceeds northwest through the tunnel toward another grate and the sound of gunfire, which suddenly falls silent.]

     Once the last King falls, there are shouts from the Level 21 Crew, and they all retreat quickly together.  All the gunfire has stopped, and only a few random shouts from bystanders remains.

OOC:

COMBAT OVER

Health      Position    SP/HP/RP
Asher:        E17        3/11/ 4
Kairynn-412:  S17        0/ 7/ 5
Laelyn:       ???        0/10/ 4
Midge:        T17        6/ 8/ 5

PM

[Private to GM: With the sudden silence, Laelyn will hurry to the upcoming grate and climb out.]

     As everyone is looking around at the aftermath of the battle, a grate in the middle of the docking back pops open, and the male Android Laelyn climbs up and out of it.

     He is about 20 feet south of the dwarf.

With only a brief pause to confirm that no one is shooting at him, Laelyn hurries over to the dwarf and drops into a crouch, looking at his wound and checking to see if he is still alive.

OOC: Medicine rolled 22.

     Laeyln confirms that the dwarf is dead.  There is a large laser hole blasted through his neck.  A Starfinder badge is pinned to his chest of his somewhat rough-patched overalls.  A small hand-held computer he was holding is lying nearby.

Kairynn-412 watches the Level 21 Crew leave the field. She carefully comes out from cover, still holding her rifle, but finding the battle over, she shoulders it and approaches the dwarf and Laelyn.

"A clever stratagem", Kairynn compliments the other android in a neutral tone. "Unfortunate that there was no saving the dwarf. We should notify the Starfinder society, and perhaps the authorities, of what transpired here."

She glances at the computer, then kneels next to it to see what is on its screen.

Midge, once he was positive danger was gone, slipped his pistol back into his holster and scurried up behind Kairynn-412,"Crap, this was who I was supposed to meet! Let's stick to the Starfinder society for now. Sometimes this is an accident, othertimes this is a ruse to cover an attempt to kill him."

Watching Kairynn take the computer his whiskers twitched,"If I can look at that after you please..." In the meantime he scurried off to investigate the bodies of the dead group. There had to at least be the weapons they were carrying if nothing else, he could perhaps scavenge a few bits and pieces at worst.

Asher walked to the group dragging the uncncious gang member and dropping him a few feet away.

"Well we got this guy to turn in....maybe we can question him or something.....hell maybe were lucky a there is a bounty on him." Asher said as he looked at the gang member before looking at the star finder representative with a frown, "Its a shame we couldn't save him."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:45, Thu 19 Apr 2018.

Laelyn looks up, head quirking to the left at Midge's exclamation.  "Interesting," he notes.  "I, too, was scheduled to meet a dwarf here, to explore the possibility of joining the Society.  Circumstances notwithstanding, it is nice to meet you," he offers.

He nods acceptance of Kairynn-412's complement, and then stands, waiting patiently to see what either the computer, or Midge's `investigations', might reveal.

     Kairynn sees that the computer has a list with four names in a sub-group:  Midge, Laelyn, Asher, Kairynn-412.  Midge and Asher were checked off.  There seemed to be additional information files attached to each of the names.

     After their names was another entry, looking like a 'to do' task.  It said Chiskisk, and there was also an additional file attached.

     Midge looked over the fallen Downside Kings, both dead, and found they were wearing out-moded stationwear flightsuits.  Each carried old azimuth laser pistols with a single battery, a ramshackle club, and credsticks.

     As they all came together over the dead dwarf, they head some sirens and heard the approach of station security.  Sentients in the neat uniforms tromped into the area with weapons drawn, but quickly stood down when they saw the threat was gone.  They started questioning bystanders, and a stocky Kasathas approached them.

     "What do we have here?" she asked, noticing the dwarf and the unconscious human.  "Downside Kings, huh?  Under-level scum."

     She then pulled up a holo-palm display.  "Name and home planet, and what were you doing here?" she asked, glancing at each of them.

Asher gave a short sigh, hoping that the cops wouldn't take too much of his time.

"Name's Asher, Homeworld is Akkiton, He said crossing his arms to the police officer, "I just got off the shuttle, I was trying to meet up with the representative from Starfinder society."

Asher jerked his thumb to the dead dwarf "He sadly bit the dust between the gang firefight."

Midge collected the credsticks, the battery's for the azimuth pistols, after all he had one and left the rest before moving over to the dwarf. His whiskers twitched as he saw the police appearing, sliding behind Kairynn-412 he was not pleased but he did want that computer she had. It had all the information he needed to find the next point of contact for the Starfinders he was sure. Glancing around the Android his whiskers brushing against her legs lightly he frowned,"Midge, Akkiton and as the big guy said, we're here to join the Starfinder Society and they just started shooting."

As the heavy footsteps approach, the android digs briefly through his pack, stopping and standing as they enter so it's clear he's not armed or arming himself.

He nods to the Kasatha.  "I will need a moment, please, and do not be alarmed," he replies.  "I merely had no intention of deceiving the constabulary."  As he speaks, he reaches up, rubbing at his temples in a fairly non-androidly way.  Then he peels back the black wig, revealing dark russet hair underneath.  Running a hand through this teases out a pair of short antennae, even while his other hand begins scrubbing at his face with a small cloth, quickly removing a layer of make-up.  In the promised moment, his face has subtly, but significantly, changed, revealing both more feminine, highly symmetrical features, and the subtle markings the Lashunta bear.

"Laelyn, of Castrovel," she replies.  She says it with a little bit of flourish in her tone, but resists the urge to include a dramatic bow.  "Also here to join the Starfinders, and equally in the dark as to what all this was about."  She notes the burn mark on her own side.  "There were two groups fighting each other when we got here, but it was one from this side, these Kings, that began shooting at us as soon as we came off the shuttle."

Kairynn watched Laelynn's transformation from android to Lashunta with the appearance of impassiveness - but she did watch intently.

"Kairynn-412", she told the constable. "Abaddon Station. Here to meet the Starfinder society, so it is no coincidence that we all found ourselves here meeting the same dwarf. I am unsure whether this was merely gang crossfire or if the Society was indeed targeted, though I would surmise the former; they would not have shot at each other if they had been in league."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:00, Tue 24 Apr 2018.

     The officer took down everyone's information, and gave Laelyn a curious look as they changed their appearance.  Another officer, a human female, inspected the fallen Kings, the unconscious King, and the dead dwarf.  She gave the Kasatha a nod to confirm a silent question.  [Private to Midge: Neither officer seemed to notice the Kings were missing their weapons batteries and credsticks.]  [Private to Kairynn-412: Neither officer seemed to realize the computer in your hand originally belonged to the dwarf.]

     "Very well.  Your names match the manifest of the Okimoro here, and it looks like you were just caught in the crossfire.  Sorry about your contact here," she said, motioning to the dwarf.  The human officer cuffed the unconscious King and dragged them away from Asher.  "We'll take it from here and make arrangements for the body.  We have your ident-tags, so we'll contact you if needed.  But to be honest these two gangs have been at each other for years.  Probably just another turf skirmish."

     In the distance, medical staff were arriving and seeing to other bystanders who had gotten any scrapes and bruises in the mad dash to escape the battle.  The officer glanced everyone over.  "Is anyone in immediate need of medical care?  Looks like no one was seriously damaged, but it's the least we can do before sending you on your way."

OOC: Anyone missing Hit Points can see the EMTs and regain 2 HP.  Stamina Points must be regained normally. 

"Thanks, officer.  That's very kind.  I think I'm alright.  Anyone else?" she looks at the other three.


OOC: Has it taken about ten minutes for them to check our names and all?  If I can, I'd go ahead and spend the Resolve to recover Stamina.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:59, Wed 25 Apr 2018.

Midge just shook his head, he needed no further attention from anyone related to law enforcement thank you very much, they just didn't like his kind much. With a twitch of hsi whiskers he stayed close to Kairynn, his paws itching to get hold of the computer terminal she'd gotten off the dwarf.

He kept an eye on the others who had been tagged as seeking entrance into the Starfinder society, they might prove useful as allies within the organization.

"I'm good thanks" Asher said with a nod as he stored away his ax.

OOC:  We can say it has been a short rest, if anyone wants to use Resolve Points to recover Stamina.

"I am undamaged", said the android. "A glancing hit, no more." She slung the rifle back to her back. "Thank you, officer. May we proceed, then?"

     The medics come over and with a nod from the Kasathas, they put the dwarf's body on a sling and carry it of the docking bay.

     "Very well, citizens.  Welcome to Absalom Station, for what it's worth.  Good luck with the Starfinder Society," she said with a half-hearted salute as the security personnel follow after the medics.

     Slowly but surely, the din of the station returns to normal, and the four of you are left to your own devices, which now seemed to include the handheld computer that Kairynn took off the dwarf.

OOC:

     Please let me know if you used any resolve points to recover Stamina.

     What do each of you do next?

"It would seem we are left to find another contact with the Starfinder society on our own", says Kairynn. "Perhaps the dwarf's computer will provide us with some manner of clue on the matter." She turned to look at Midge. "You certainly seem most eager to have a look at it."

[Private to GM: I will spend a Resolve point to regain Stamina.]

Midge tilted his head askance at the android, wanting to deny it but knowing that his skills were not in manipulating people he simply held out his hand,"Indeed, I came to join the Starfinder society it seems to contain the information I....we, need to achieve that end. If you don't mind?"

And it contained information about other people, some of whom stood right in front of him, and that meant he gained knowledge over his situation and he loved that more than anything except fixing things, programing things, eating things....okay he liked a lot of things.

Asher crossed his arms glancing at the dwarfs computer in midges hands, "I'm just wondering if we need to tell the Starfinder Society that the dwarf kicked the bucket trying to meet us? Hell I wonder if they will get pissed at us not having saved him?
This message was last edited by the player at 14:21, Wed 02 May 2018.

"It seems like we're all at least passingly interested in, and possibly impacted by, what's on the computer," Laelyn points out.  "Maybe we should go someplace quiet where we can set it down and look at it together?" she suggests.

"Reporting in with the Society would probably be nice of us, but I don't think either of those things are actually our responsibility.  The police will likely let them know what happened, and we tried, which honestly, considering we didn't even know who he was, is more than most people would have done."

     Midge took the hand computer from Kairynn-412 and saw that it had a very simple 'to do' list called up.  The first four entries included his name and those of the people around him.  Each name also had an additional file.  Midge's name and Asher were already checked off.

     The fifth entry merely said 'Chiskisk,' but a sub-task included an address on Absalom Station.

OOC:

Everyone earns 150 XP for their involvement or sneaky avoidance during the battle.

"This 'Chiskisk' seems like a fifth potential recruit. While it may be polite to inform him that his contact has met an untimely end, it seems to me that we should be investigating the chain upwards, towards whoever sent the dwarf, rather than downwards towards those he was seeking out."

Midge smiled up at the others before focusing on the hand computer, first thing first his mechanical hand was lifted, two fingers bending to touch the computer on his wrist and the other computer in his hand, small jacks sliding from both as he connected them temporarily.

He transferred the memory of the dwarfs computer to his own, reading all the files by each persons name and then reading the data on the address. He then scanned the computer for anything else of use, including what it's specs were....you could never have two many computers when you were away from the fleet.

"Alternately, Chiskisk might be where he was supposed to take us," Laelyn points out.  "After all, he arranged for us to all meet him, but apparently for him to then go meet Chiskisk.  That sounds like Chiskisk outranks us, and quite possibly him, at least in his estimation."

"You are, of course, welcome to go wherever you'd like, but I think I'd like to look up this Chiskisk."

She pauses a moment, watching Midge expectantly.  "So?" she asks.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:19, Tue 08 May 2018.

"You raise a good point - and furthermore, if Chisksk is indeed an additional recruit, then no harm is done from us seeking him out first", says the android.

She regards Midge's work, her interest displayed by the intensity of her gaze rather than the expression of her face.

"I'm cool with looking up this Chisksk guy" Asher said with a thumbs up and a smirk, "Who knows what we can end up finding out, might be fun"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:31, Tue 08 May 2018.

Midge frowned, shrugging,"Not a whole lot we don't already know. Basically our information and identities and pictures and the address for 'Chisksk'. I second the concensus, let's go check it out then we can find the Starfinder Society."

Some extra muscle would let him move around unmolested, and less likely to be noticed, now he was part of a group not an unusual individual.

     Kairynn-412, being a resident of Absalom Station, recognizes the address as being the Lorespire Complex in the Ring Section.  The haphazard friends headed for the nearest tramway station, and after a short time were approaching the complex.  While there were several buildings in the campus, the tallest and most prevalent was the tall Lorespire, which proudly displayed the circular, golden, four-pointed star seal of the Starfinders.



     Hundreds of sentients milled about on the streets and entry to the complex was easily discovered.  As the group steps into the entry foyer, a young brunette woman approaches you.  You can see other similarly-dressed sentients speaking with individuals and groups throughout the foyer.

     "Welcome to the Starfinder Society.  My name is Dallia.  How may I help you today?" she asked in a chipper tone.

Laelyn smiles back.  "Thank you!  We have an appointment with Chiskik."  Her smile fades, and she adds, "And some bad news, I'm afraid.  Where can we find him?"

Midge's furry eyebrow rose as he consider the person welcoming them, so they were at the Starfinder society? Why would the person sent to bring them to the Starfinder Society not know where it is? Why did they need an address and a name to meet?

So many questions, perhaps the dwarf was a hireling, servant or someone else that had been sent in the stead of the more busy...Chiskik?

Perhaps it was a Shirren?

Asher crossed his arms, offering a small smile to Dallia.

He himself wasn't too good with words and such, so decided let Laelyn take point with him just standing nearby patiently.

Kairynn watched Laelyn chat up the brunette attendant impassively. Her point of earlier had turned out to be correct; she was curious to see where this trail would take them next. Was Chiskik the person in charge of recruitment?

The speculation was interesting, but irrelevant; answers would no doubt come presently.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:28, Tue 22 May 2018.

     Dallia smiled politely and guided the group to a small room and asked them to wait.  There were a couple of couches, a small table, refreshment dispenser, and a video display showing a news report about a large asteroid and a mining vessel floating near Absalom Station.  The report was labeled as as the 'Drift Rock Mystery.'  The report ended quickly and then moved onto a how-to segment for tourists on using the tram system.

     After a few minutes of waiting, Dallia returned and asked you all to follow her.  She then begin to lead the party deeper into the complex.  Eventually they were lead into a clean, but cluttered office.

     Several boxes filled one whole corner of the office, with only a few of them open and some items sitting on top or leaning against them.  Seated behind a polished and empty plastic desk was a Shirren in understated business clothes.  They stood as the party entered, they're antennae flexing from side to side.

     "Come in.  Welcome ... Ah," they started, moving around the desk and gathering chairs for them on the opposite side of the desk.

     "I am Chiskisk.  Sorry for the mess," they said as they and Dellia fished two additional chairs out of one of the boxes and set them up.  Once five chairs had been placed, Chiskisk returned to the desk and encouraged everyone to sit.

     "I'm sorry.  Where is Duravor?" they asked, looking a little perplexed.

Asher rubbed the back of his head before looking to all his companions "Yeah....about that."

Laelyn nods.  "Unfortunate news, I'm afraid.  There was a shootout between two gangs at the dock.  The Dwarf that we were there to meet," she looks down, her antennae dipping, "Never had the opportunity to introduce himself.  We only found our way to you because Midge is good with computers," she gestures towards the Ysoki, "And found your name in his.  We did try to get to him," she notes, "But it was a very unlucky shot that found him."

"He suffered an immediately fatal hit in the initial exchange of fire", added Kairynn-412. Her face was expressionless, her tone even and factual. "Please accept our sympathies."

Midge nodded along, not wanting to get into details, wishing Laelyn hadn't mentioned the computer but all the same it was what it was and he didn't want to go further down that path so he deflected,"While it is sad, there was a reason he was collecting us..what was that?"

     Chiskisk's body slumped slightly at the news, briefly shaking their head.  They then looked up at everyone, and a voice alighted in all of their minds.

     "I am sorry that I cannot welcome you to Absalom Station under better circumstances.  I assure you that such attacks are not a daily occurrence, though I realize that is likely small comfort too you.  I am pleased that none of you were seriously hurt, but I grieve for Duravor's death.  He was a valued member of the Society, and a friend.  May the Lady of Graves be kind in her judgement of his soul," they said before bowing their head again and closing their eyes for a moment.

     When they looked up again, their compound eyes were glistening.  "What puzzles me is the reason behind the attack."  Chiskisk tapped on the plain desk, which seemed to be a touchscreen.  The black surface lit up with various images, videos and documents.  They expanded one document and glanced it over.

     "According to the incident report just released by station security, two gangs were involved in the attack: the Downside Kings and the Level 21 Crew.  Gang wars are not uncommon on the station, but they usually confine themselves to the more lawless sectors like the Puddles."  Chiskisk leaned back and steepled their fingers.  "It is rare for street gangs to battle openly in public areas like the docks.  I cannot help but wonder whether all is as it seems.  There must be a reason why those two gangs were at Docking Bay 94 at that time--the time of your arrival, coincidentally.  But was it coincidence?  Were you and Duravor just innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire, or might you and he have been specifically targeted?  And if so, why?"

     After a moment to ponder, they leaned back over the desk and tapped through some other documents.  "My understanding is that you are each interested in becoming Starfinders, and since you were witnesses to the attack, I would like to ask you to investigate the incident on behalf of the Society.  Find out exactly what happened and why.  It may simple be a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time--I have no doubt station security will rule it so--but if Duravor was murdered, I would like to find justice for my friend.  At the same time, this will give you the opportunity to demonstrate your own skills and abilities and show the Society that you are worthy of the title 'Starfinder.'"

     The Shirren glanced at each of you briefly, awaiting your response.

Midge blinked, well that was not what he had been expecting, reaching up he scratched behind one of his ears with his cyber hand for a few moments before his tail lashed and he looked at the insect like alien,"So you want us to investigate a murder, involving too gangs that may, or may not, have been sent to kill us?"

Well, that sounded like a terrible idea to the little Yskoi,"Oh, please sign me up....I suppose we don't have a choice." Glancing at the others he frowned,"Don't suppose the Starfinder society has any pull with security on the station? We can maybe questions some of the members that were taken away?"

"I mean sure if that's what you want for us to do to get into the starfinder society, then I'm okay with poking around." Asher said with a nod.

"But uh any chance you could give us some start-up cash to help us...investigate, I'm not exactly rolling in credits at the moment" He said rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish expression on his face.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:58, Fri 08 June 2018.

"Those gangs were indeed far from their stomping grounds, but if they were sent so that we would be caught in the crossfire, it is very likely that they were not aware that their war was so directed. If they had been hired to attack us directly, they would have done so exclusively rather than shoot at each other, and would certainly not have withdrawn once one of the sides was eliminated", said the android. "Likely this was to make it more difficult to trace the attack back to its sponsor, though it was done at the cost of making the ploy less likely to succeed." She pondered. "Unless, perhaps, Duravor was the sole target. Then once he was down the gangs were free to fight each other."

Laelyn leans forward, nodding.  "Maybe they were individually hired to attack Duravor, so once he was down, the fight was over who could claim the payment.  Or, if they are rival gangs, it could have just been a matter of opportunity - you know, people you hate, right there, and what luck there's a gun in your hand, sort of thing."

She smiles.  "I am definitely interested."  She pauses a moment, running a hand through her hair, and her smile fades, replaced by an apologetic look to Chiskik.  "I'm sorry, it's not right to be `interested' when you've just lost a friend.  I get caught up in the puzzle of things, sometimes.  Midge, of course we have a choice - the door isn't locked.  But don't you want to know what happened?  Or perhaps more to the point, why?"

     Chiskisk nods at Midge's suggestion and taps on their table.  "I will inform security of your status with the Starfinders.  If you can track down where the prisoners were taken, they should be responsive to letting you interrogate them," they said.

     They then glanced at Asher and nodded again.  More tapping, and everyone's data chips chirped.  "I have forwarded 200 credits to each of your accounts as a ... Signing bonus.  I suggest you all get settled aboard before beginning your investigations.  I can recommend a nice hotel just a short walk from the Eye, if you like.  I know they provide a discount to Starfinders.  It's called the Moons of Sleep," they suggested.  They made a flicking motion on their table, and the mini-computer Midge had taken bleeped.

     "I trust you all to get to the bottom of this.  Duravor was my friend, and I hope you will not let him or the Starfinders down in this investigation.  All I desire is the truth," they said, standing and moving back around the desk.  "I have forwarded my personal comm code to all of you if you wish to contact me.  Good luck."

     The door to the office opened and Dallia entered.  She moved to the side of the open door and waited patiently.

Kairynn stood and offered Chiskisk a polite bow. "Thank you. We will endeavor to bring whoever is responsible for Duravor's death to justice." She waited for the others to make their goodbyes.

Asher smiled as he gave a thumbs up, "Just leave it to us." before making sure to wait for everyone to be done as well.

Midge's eyebrow rose as he got exactly what he wanted, and so did Asher, but he took note of the secretary's motions he gathered up his stuff and headed out with the others. Not bothering with more than a nod before heading towards the door and with a glance at the bigger people he sniffed briefly twitching his whiskers before asking,"To the moons of sleep? Anyone get any details on the coppers?"

"I did not", said the android. "I am unsure if the constabulary will give us information on an ongoing investigation. It will require persuasion. We could also visit the Level 21 crew. They might tell us why they were so far out of their turf, and they may be favorably inclined towards us if they perceive we aided them against the Downside Kings."

"I like the androids line of thinking, going down to the gangs will let us a lot more than having to deal with all the red tape of the cops."

Asher rubbed his chin, "Though they could just end up killing us on sight just for walking in on their truf.....so there is that threat......"

Shrugging he simply gave a smile, "Still you guys seem to have smarter heads then me, so I;l go with whatever you guys sounds the smatter way of doing things."

"Chiskisk did say they'd send our `status' to security," Laelyn notes.  "And seemed to expect they'd be cooperative.  Talking to the one they took into custody seems like a safe place to start.  Even if we don't learn more about what actually happened, we can probably find out more about the gangs that would help us deal with them, both from the police and, if we're lucky, the ganger."

"Their insignia said Precinct 12, so that's where I'd start.  Officer Letru was pretty friendly, and Officer... Melanie, I think?  Melodie?  It was harder to make out her badge without gawking, but she's the one who confirmed our report made sense, so she's likely well disposed towards us also.  We might also talk with Aliq," she considers.  "That was the medic who looked us over.  He seemed nice enough, and if there was anything odd about either Duravor's wound or any of the gang members', he'd probably know."

[Private to GM: I just made the medic an Ysoki, but apart from picking a name that kind of fits that, I can't see a reason why Laelyn would say that out loud.  Letru would be the Kasathas who talked to us directly, and Melanie the human officer who gave her the nod.  While I'm establishing things, I'll go ahead and say Laelyn noted an Inspector Parker, another Human, who was the officer in charge, if that's OK.]

     Dalia escorted them out of the building as they discussed their plans.  She showed them to the exit and wished them luck in their explorations, which was a typical Starfinder Society farewell.

     Laelyn seemed to be very confident in her memory recall of the officers they had encountered.

     The Moons of Sleep hotel was in this district, and would only be about a 10-minute walk, and considerably less if they flagged down a hover-taxi.

     Level 21 was in the lower decks of the station and would require a good hour of travel at least.

Midge pulled up the computer that had belonged to the dead Starfinder, investigating what had been sent to him. He listened to the others blabber with half an ear, his ear flickering as Laelyn recalled everything with uncanny precision. His red eyes looked up at her and his nose twitched,"I'm pretty sure I can get us a map of the station and a location for Precinct 12 if I can get a stable connection to one of the local networks...like say the one at the hotel. Let's get a hover cab, they may even know where it is with just a question...."

Laelyn nods, rubbing her hands together excitedly.  "Sounds good!" she agrees, stepping out to wave for a taxi.

"Precinct 12 is four corridors over and one level up from the docking bay in which we arrived", said Kairynn. "We can proceed on foot or by cab as you prefer."

     A hover-taxi floats up to Laelyn and opens up like a clamshell.  The robotic driver turned in place to face them.



     "Need a lift?  Nano-Cab is on the job!" he announced.

Midge pushed forward, a rather amazing accomplishment considering all the bigs he was with,"Yes, we need a ride to the Moons of Sleep." He glanced over at the others,"Once we have a settled place to use as our base we can make our way over to Precient."

Without really asking he slipped into the cab and waited for the others.

”Very well”, said Kairynn-412, and she slipped in after Midge.

Asher did his best not to take up to much space or sit to close to the others.

"Heh sorry about the tight fit" he said with a sheepish smile as he glancd at Midge and Laelyn.

Laeyln takes her own spot, and smiles at Asher.  "It is called nano cab for a reason," she replies.  "So I suppose we should be happy that it's larger than a billionth of a normal cab."

     "Moons of Sleep?  No problemo!" the golden robot insisted.  Once everyone was inside, the clamshell closed and they lurched into traffic.  Along they way they passed a shopping district, a few large churches, the Arcanamirium, and a large park with purple and yellow-leaved trees.

     On a big holographic display, a news report showed a picture of large, pock-marked asteroid.  A banner at the bottom of the screen read: 'Hardscramble Collective vs. Astral Extractions: Legal battle for salvage rights to Drift Rock'

     The cab pulled up to the archway of an attractive building that seemed to be made of stone.  The side of the building was mostly a dark gray, but two crescent moon symbols were painted across it in a soft yellow.  A holographic display above the entrance spelled out 'Moons of Sleep'.

     The clamshell opened and the droid asked for four credits.  He then offered a Speed-Call activation card so they could request a Nano-Cab anytime they needed one.  The card guaranteed a cab to any main-level location within five minutes, day or night.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:07, Sat 04 Aug 2018.

     The robot seemed to cough.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:07, Sat 04 Aug 2018.

Laelyn pays and accepts the card with a thanks, giving the robot a concerned look.  "You should run a diagnostic," she suggests.  "That sounds like you might have downloaded a virus."

Turning, she looks at the building.  "Looks nice," she decides, strolling in and up to the front counter, still smiling.  "Good afternoon.  My friends and I need a room, or two if you don't have a quad open."

Midge seemed unconcerned about being squeezed against the bigs, in fact he almost seemed to relax as things got a little tighter, like the smaller space seemed more natural to him. Smirking he looked up and out of the window as they drove, a twitch of his nose the only indication the headline they saw as they drove interested him.

Once he got out he watched as Laelyn seemed to take charge and then with a shrug fell in behind her, his tail slipping over the edge of her belt as he raised his wrist computer up to his arm,"Keep going, I'm going to walk and work, this way I'll follow you."

Glancing down at the screen he placed his bionic hand onto the input terminal of his computer, the connection that was established was obvious as blue runes started flying across the view as soon as he did.

First he started looking for the article he had seen about the people fighting over the rights for the Asteroid, and then learning what he could about the precinct that they were going to visit.

Kairynn-412 extricated herself from the nanocab and follow around. She followed along with apparent impassivity. "Let's get that room quickly and move on to our investigation. We do suspect we are dealing with murderers, caution is of the essence and we would not wish the trail to grow cold."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:27, Tue 07 Aug 2018.

Asher nodded in agreement with Laelyn as he moved toward the counter as well, "Way better than some places I had to stay at that's for sure."

"While I agree that we shouldn't wait around too long, we still might want to take a quick breather for ourselves before we head off. I mean we haven't really had a chance to fully get a chance to get our bearings and get to know each other," He said looking over to the group, "Unless you guys don't want too, and just keep things professional between the lot of us."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:47, Thu 09 Aug 2018.

     The four of them entered the lavish lobby and approached the front desk.  The entry was decked out in burnished chrome and pink marble.  A dark-haired elf with obviously bionic arms greeted them kindly.



     "Good morning and welcome to the Moons of Sleep.  Alseta has guided your journey most properly," they said with a smile.  When Laelyn addressed them, they blinked and glanced away for only a moment, the glowing flicker of an ocular implant flashing in their left eye. "Yes, we have a quad available on the 22nd floor.  The view isn't the best, but it does include two bedrooms, four beds, a living area, balcony and kitchenette.  Will that be sufficient?"



OOC:

Could everyone please highlight their dialogue with a different color?  You can go back and fix your previous posts, or just use the color consistently from here forward.

Midge has already claimed Aqua, and Asher and Kairynn need to decide who gets to keep Blue.

Orange is limited for OOC text.

Thanks! 

Midge looked up from the flickering of his wrist computer to look at the bionic elf and snort, shaking his head slightly,"How much is it going to cost us? We've got discounts through the Starfinder Society, we got told a message had been sent?"

Glancing around at the others his nose twitched and he looked at them all,"And if I can get com addresses or other ways to send you guys information and ask questions as I research that would be stellar...since we seem to be stuck together for the time being it's best we work as a nest, at least for now?"

His eyes wondered to Laelyn,"Especially you with, if I'm not mistaken, an Editic memory?"

     The attendant raised an eyebrow at Midge's comment about the Starfinder society, and glanced away again. "Sorry, Sir.  I have no messages regarding your arrival.  However we do provide a discount for Starfinders.  May I see your badges and get your names for our registry, please," they asked.

Kairynn remained quiet. She knew they were not actually members of the Starfinder society and  thus had no badges and probably were not entitled to the discount - but the difference was somewhat academic, and she didn't want to speak up and mess up any plans Laelyn might have - as the human clearly was far more expert at this sort of interaction than the android.

     Noticing everyone's awkward silence, the attendant proceeded to complete the transaction.  "A quad costs 40 credits per night," she explained.

Laelyn shakes her head a little, blinking.  "Sorry, yes, thank you.  We shall, I think, be taking turns in paying, but you may charge my account for the first night."

     The attendant nodded and smiled, typing a few more details and then holding out a scan pad for Laelyn's thumbprint.

     "If you all would like to be encoded to the room, you can place your thumbs on the scanner as well, please."

"Sure, I'd be glad too." Asher said taking off one of his gloves and letting his thumb being scanned.

"Also thanks for paying or the first night, very nice of ya." Asher said giving her an appreciative nod.

Midge looked at the thumb pad scanner suspiciously and then gave his best impression of an innocent smile,"I'm alright, I'll just stick close to the bigs if I need to get in." He wasn't putting no thumb print on record so people could find him, not if he didn't have to.

Kairynn looked at Midge for a moment, her face unreadable, then pressed her thumb on the scanner without comment.

     Once the attendant had received scans from those who willing to provide it, she handed over a small transparent card that had the name of the hotel, their room number, and a small animated map showing it's location.  An arrow on the edge of the card even shifted to indicate which way the room was.

     "Lifts to the right.  22nd floor.  Enjoy your stay!" she finished cheerfully.

Midge met Kairynn's look and gave her a wink, a little weird on a Yskoi but it was something he had learned from humans. Once they had walked away and were in the elevator away from prying ears he spoke again,"Did a little research, while we were walking on this rock that's outside. Any of you know anything about Hardscrabble Collective or Astral Extractions?"

"Nothing that we can't discover with a computer search once we get to our room", said Kairynn-412 evenly. "They sound like the names of businesses, aren't they?"

     Moving to the elevator, they got a car to themselves and traveled up to the 22nd floor.  Easily finding the room and entering, they found it as advertised: two bedrooms, four beds, living space, kitchenette, computer terminals, entertainment matrix and balcony looking out over the station.

Once they were in the room Midge nodded to Kairynn-412,"Yes, they are, they are the companies currently fighting over the ownership rights of the strange asteroid, the Collective owns the ship, but the Astral Extractions hired them to search for potential mining sites...so there is some conflict. Any of you know anything about either of them?"

"Can't say I have." Asher said as he walked around the room, cheerfully impressed with the arrangements.

"Heh I like our digs though" He said as he quickly began moving around inspecting everything with a smile before calming himself down, "Heh sorry didn't mean to get too excited."

Laelyn drops backwards onto one of the beds, looking up at the ceiling.  After a moment, she sits up, looking at Midge curiously.  "Why?" she asks.  "I noticed it on the news, but you've actually been researching it.  Personal interest?  Or do you see some connection to our situation that I'm missing?"

[Private to GM: And in the meantime... does Laelyn know anything about those?  I'm not actually sure what skill that might fall under, and since my computer is still out I don't have my pdfs, but I think Culture?  Or possibly her Reporter profession.  Those are both a 7, so the roll works out the same if either fits, in which case she got a 16.]

"As I mentioned earlier, a few searches should give us a good grounding." Kairynn walks over to the room's computer and types in searches for 'Hardscrabble Collective' and 'Astral Extractions'.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:33, Fri 07 Dec 2018.

     Kairynn's searches of the infosphere both initially brought up links to the Acreon and the Drift Rock.

     After searching for a few more minutes (take 20) she discovered that Astral Extractions did mining business all over the Pact Worlds, and was starting to expand their interests into the Vast.  There were various indications that while they put up a pretty front, they weren't afraid to use hired muscle to deal with those who were against their interests.  She eventually found some reliable indications that AE had hired the Downside Kings to coerce the Hardscrabble Collective into abandoning its claims on the Acreon and the Drift Rock.

     Speaking of the Collective, who were a tight-knit group of asteroid miners that worked mostly the Diaspora but had not central headquarters, there was evidence that they had hired the Level 21 Crew to protect their personnel and interests until the Drift Rock incident was resolved.

Midge blinked at Laelyn's question, a twitch of his whiskers and he reached up with his metallic hand to scratch his ear before answering,"I can't bust my way out of problems, I research everything. I need to have an answer, a friend or a solution to every problem you bigs can just force your way out of. There is no such thing as information without value, just information I haven't found a use for...so I collect information."

The best imitation of a smile curled his top lip exposing his large gnawing teeth even further,"Information, bits of electronics and soft scraps of cloth...I collect all of them. So keep an eye out, it would make me happy."

As Kairynn reads out her findings, Laelyn nods thoughtfully.  "All I had was that they were likely to be a good fight...but there's our Kings and our Crew."  She looks at Midge, and grins.  "Useful habit.  If your electronics and cloth collections work out this well, we won't need force."

"I'd say the good news is, this lends a lot of weight to the likelihood that Duravor was just an unfortunate accident, and we were all in the wrong place at the wrong time."

“Allowing that it is so, and there is certainly a strong suggestion from this research, it still does not explain why the shuttle bay at that hour was the wrong time and place. The gangs would not have engaged in a firefight without some greater purpose, and it would need to be one which caused them to both be present at the same moment. We should look at the arrivals schedule for that bay. Obviously our own shuttle will be one of the ships whose manifests we should examine.”
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 05:01, Mon 24 Dec 2018.

     Calling up the daily arrival schedule for Docking Bay 94, Kairynn sees that the Okimoro had been expected at 11:40, but arrived at 11:42.  The public manifest only showed the number of passengers, crew and the name of the pilot, Captain Linhorn.

     Docking Bays 93 and 95 were empty at the time of the firefight, but they received their planned arrivals at 12:10 and 12:35 respectively.

[Private to Laelyn: You think it might be good to investigate more information about the Downside Kings and the Level 21 Crew.]

[Private to Midge: It occurs to you that you don't know much about Duravor Kreel, besides what Chiskisk had told you.]

"It seems unlikely our gang members woud've been interested in a neighboring docking bay; they would not have walked past so far their target to meet in the middle. They must've been waiting for our shuttle, or someone waiting for something being delivered from our shuttle. This manifest is very thin in information. Unless someone recalls having seen someone or something interesting on the shuttle, we will need to acquire the private manifest."

Midge reached up scratching behind an ear and crinkling his pink nose,"Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way, maybe it's not the ship or the place, maybe they got their target? Duravor Kreel was a member of the Starfinder society, but that doesn't mean he didn't have a checkered past...maybe we need to dig a little deeper into his history? That might give us a clue."

Asher nodded in agreement, "I agree, you never know who's got skeletons in their closet. Checking out if this guy had any may be worth looking into just to cover our bases"