Gang warfare on Absalom Station!

After the Gap - January 29, 317 @ 09:32

Following their maintenance routine operations, Bratrizik asks CASPER the status of the monitoring on the alien structure. CASPER replies that there have been no changes in the last 24 hours. The team's breakfast is interrupted when they receive a call on a secure channel from Audra Davis. She informs them that in-depth analysis of the computer found aboard the pirates' ship revealed that the pirates had been hired by an outfit called DT43, a small deep space exploration and mining surveying outfit based on Absalom Station. This company is known for its aggressive style of operations.

Furthermore, there were several deleted messages that were partially retrieved. These messages seem to indicate that DT43 has been hired by rogue elements within CIDERA to undermine the corporation's mining operations on planetoid H-7758. Audra Davis suspects that this is part of an intra-corporate dispute.

As soon as she mentions the dispute, communications between the research lab and Mine-2 are interrupted. Yiris runs a diagnostic on the communication system. The check indicates that the communication satellite received a power surge. CASPER is unable to identify the command source of the surge. Yiris is concerned that the power surge is a prelude to another attack, and she commands the planetary sensors to scan for intruders, both on the surface and in space.

Secure communications are reestablished, and Audra advises them that even with a secure channel it is not safe to talk for long. Bratrizik informs Audra about the alien structure they discovered, and mentions that it is made of woven titanium that can repair itself. Audra is impressed, but she tells them to bury this knowledge for now. She wants them to travel to Abaslom Station and investigate who is behind DT43 before H-7758 falls victim to corporate intrigue and good people die. The lab's medical officer has diagnosed all three of them with methane pneumonia, a highly contagious disease that cannot easily be treated on H-7758. As a result, a temporary crew from Mine-1 and Mine-3 will cover until a replacement crew be dispatched. They are to travel to Absalom Station under quarantine. Once there, their pneumonia will have cleared, and they will have roughly two weeks to investigate before they need to return to H-7758 aboard the Serenity.

Audra tells them that when they arrive on Absalom Station they will be met by Duravor Kreel, a corporate doctor for CIDERA. The dwarf doctor will escort them to CIDERA's medical facility and clear them for return to work. Duravor is an old friend of Audra and will not ask any questions, but Bratrizik, Nict, and Yiris should also not mention the true purpose of their trip.

With a day left before the arrival of the Serenity, Mine-2's crew gets busy. They remove all information concerning their investigation from CASPER's memories, and place them on a memory stick which is then hidden on Mine-2's level 400, disguised as rocks. Bratrizik builds a stone bulkhead to hide the shaft that leads to the alien structure, and CASPER's survey records are modified to show there is no rich titanium vein in that direction. Mining robots are reassigned to different sectors of the mine. Due to the imaginary methane pneumonia, bio-hazard signs are posted at the entrance to the level, and Nict rigs sensors to read a constant trickle of liquid methane. Yiris, meanwhile, triple locks all of their personal spaces, and places notices on the door requesting the replacement crew to respect their privacy. She also stashes away all of their favorite food, to ensure they have supplies when they return. Nict spends the remaining hours removing and hiding critical components out of the pirate shuttle, to ensure it will still be here when they return.



After the Gap - January 30, 317 @ 11:07

The crew prepares the landing strip for the Serenity, and complete their last minute tasks. Wearing isolation suits, Bratrizik, Yiris and Nict board the Serenity while a crew of two from Mine-1 takes their place. Security protocols are updated, and the staff exchanged is made official. With Mine-2's titanium cargo now on board the ship, the Serenity takes off and heads for Mine-3, where it completes a similar process.

Mine-2's crew have their own isolated quarters on board the ship, and they are instructed by Quehbeg, the Ysoki captain, to remain in their quarters during the trip to Absalom Station. The trip in the Drift will take between 5 and 30 days.



After the Gap - February 23, 317 @ 02:07

The Serenity emerges from the Drift a few thousand miles from Absalom Station. The transport ship heads to CIDERA's docking facilites, which orbit the station. Quenhberg informs the sick crew that the automated shuttle Okimoro will pick them up and transport them to Docking Bay 94 aboard Absalom Station. Bratrizik contacts Duravor Kreel and leaves a message instructing the doctor to pick them up at 08:00 at Docking Bay 94.

Absalom Station

@ 08:03

The crew from Mine-2 boards the Okimoro in their contagion suits. Duravor Kreel contacted them and told them he looked forward to meeting them at docking bay 94. The shuttle trip takes fifteen minutes. The crew sheds their contagion suits and stow them away. Docking bay 94 is a busy landing area, with merchandises piled high around the facility and robots moving cargo around. The bay is deserted, aside from a well-dressed dwarf with a trimmed beard.

Bratrizik is the first one off Okimoro, and Duravor Kreel moves forward with his hand outstretched, a happy smile on his face. Suddenly, two groups of humans, standing on opposite sides near the end of the docking bay draw weapons and fire on each other. Bratrizik runs foward, hoping to protect the doctor. Duravor Kreel turns around and jumps behind a stack of crates to protect himself, but he is struck before he makes it. Nict joins the fray, while Yiris takes cover and heads towards the doctor. Bratrizik clearly saw one of the gang members on the left side of the bay aim at the doctor. He first a series of shot, hitting the gang member and igniting him on fire.


Yaris pulls Duravor behind the shuttle and checks for pulse. Duravor Kreel has a hole in his chest and is bleeding profusely. Meanwhile, the vesk is hit and also ignites on fire. Nict grabs the fire extinguisher and puts the fire on Bratrizik out. Bratrizik casts mind thrust, and the Downside Kings who had shot him collapses.

Bratrizik hears sirens in the distance. He fires a flare, but misses his target and hits the docking bay's ceiling instead, triggering the fire suppression system and spreading foam all over the area.

Station law enforcement arrives on the scene and finds four out of the six gang members dead, with another one wounded. The last one managed to escape. Duravor Kreel succumbed to his wounds despite Yiris' frantic efforts to revive him. She pockets his identification chip. The officer in charge briefly questions them, but the video surveillance shows that they were innocent bystanders who were unfortunately involved in gang warfare between two groups of thugs.

Absalom Station Docking Bay 94

Using the station's public infosphere, Nict obtains Duravor's address. The dwarf lives alone in the Spikes in a small but cozy apartment. Searching his computer records, Yiris discovers that Duravor Kreel, aside from his work for CIDERA, was a member of the Starfinder Society. His contact list includes the name of Chiskisk with an associated address at the Lorespire Complex, the headquarters of the Starfinder Society. The Lorespire Complex is located six blocks from CIDERA headquarters, in the Eye section of Absalom Station. 



@ 11:32

They arrive at Duravor's apartment. It is very clean. Bratrizik turns on the holovid screen. Duravor watched a lot of holo-boxing, and the match currently being broadcast involve a Vesk wrestler, Saarak, who shows impressive moves. They clean up from their gun battle, and after raiding the dead dwarf's fridge for light lunch they head out to the Lorespire Complex.



@ 12:47

The teammates arrive at the Lorespire Complex. A sleek campus located on prime real estate on Absalom Station, the Lorespire Complex contains several famous areas, including the
First Seeker Ilyastre Memorial Museum and the large reception hall known as the Skyreach Room. Other important buildings include the Archives, where all of the Society's findings and discoveries are kept. The leadership of the society works out of the Hall of Discovery. Other buildings include the Adamantine Bastille, the Communion Vaults, and the training facility known as the Perplexity. Several other buildings serve as dormitories for Starfinder agents and for visiting dignitaries, but the central building is the tall spire that is one of the highest skyscrapers on the station. Emblazoned by the front door is the seal of the Starfinder Society.

Seal of the Starfinder Society

A large reception center welcomes them, and they quickly receive directions to Chiskisk's office, which is located on the 9th floor of the Hall of Discovery. Heading there they locate the shirren's office and, after meeting with Chiskisk's personal secretary, they sit in a comfortable reception area. The holovid feed is tuned to a news channel, and they catch a report about the firefight at Docking Bay 94, which mentions that two gangs, the Downside Kings and Level 21. The reporter explains what happens, with video surveillance footage, and then mentions the identity of the deceased, including an innocent bystander, a dwarven physician named Duravor Kreel. The report also describes the two gangs. The Downside Kings are a violent street gang which claim ownership of several decks of Absalom Station's lower levels, also known as Downside. This gang is involved in many criminal activities, but focus on smuggling and murder-for-hire. The Level 21 crew lays claim to the station's 21st lower deck, a seedy area populated by criminals and downtrodden individuals. This gang is also involved in many criminal activities, but generally focuses on theft, the fencing of stolen goods, prostitution, and racketeering. The reporter concluded her newscast by stating that the reason for this attack remains unclear at this time but is actively being investigated by Absalom security.

After a few minutes of waiting, Chiskisk arrives and welcomes the three to their office. Chiskisk is neither male nor female, but host, the third shirren sex, and as such is referred to with the pronouns “they,” “them,” and “themself.”

Chiskisk

Chiskisk is saddened to hear of the death of Duravor Kreel, who was a personal friend. They ask Bratrizik, Nict and Yiris to investigate his death and find the reason(s) why the dwarf was targeted by the Downside Kings. They advance credits to the group, and offers their personal contact information along with new datapads. The three of them now have another mission to complete.