Musashi let out a sigh as he stood at a holotable in the city of Chasaas. It had taken only two days to secure the city itself, but there were many pockets of resistance all across the areas outside the city, leading to the various Starfinder operatives having to spread out to hunt them down. His own people were in combat with a small pocket of pirate resistance that had taken over a small fuel depot outside of the town, and as such he had taken a particular interest in watching over the situation as he could.

Fuel depots were always a danger with the way pirates often fought.

"Hey."

Musashi looked over to see a large hulking Vesk standing the doorway to the room. He was wearing full equipment and had a huge weapon upon his back, and those who did not much about the vesk would have assumed he was angry or about to start something just from how his face looked. Luckily, Musashi knew better. " Vax, what can I do for you?"

"Just figured I'd check up on you boss. You've been in here for almost six hours."

"Really?" Musashi seemed to look off in no direction for a second before letting out a groan. " Damn,"

"You shouldn't be so worried. Emden and Marila are out there, those two would be too embarrassed by the prospect of failure to even let it happen."

Musahsi chuckled. "Yes, you are right. I suppose I just have been tense. Fuel depot, you know?"

"Please, I've seen you impale people and throw them into fuel containers even as they are lit on fire by your blade, the fuel depot is not what is making you tense," Vax said as he crossed his arms. " Its those human girls, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Why? Was the last update on their progress bad?"

"No, the opposite actually," Musashi said with a sigh." Talcu said the Blonde is catching onto the teachings of a mystic very well, and said that he's not surprised by it as their own cultures teachings were more similar to a mystics. But Gadge said the same, even though technology doesn't really exist in their world, not as we see it."

"Isn't it a good thing to learn quickly? The ability to learn is good, right?"

" it is but . . . something about it doesn't sit right with me."

Vax stepped further into the room and sat down on a chair that looked far to mall for him, looking at Musashi as he did. "Tell it to me."

Musasi was quiet for a moment. "Grey's kidnap primitives all the time, but they've never been seen with Azlanti tech, let alone putting in the heads of primitives. The fact they've been increasing their kidnapping of primitives to such a noticeable extent is concerning."

"okay, how does that relate to the girls?"

"they know magic, and they are learning it quickly. Primitives rarely do, so even if their culture has a history of very basic magic, it is unexpected. Additionally. Both of them use magic. Why? The grey's always go after very different groups of people, they rarely if ever take similar people. Both of them have a similar body shape, same age, both use magic. Both get Azlanti tech shoved into their skulls. Tech that most of the pact worlds barely understands. Is it why they understand things better, or is it something else? Or . . . "

"Or?"

Musahi walked away from the table and seemed to look up at the ceiling before suddenly coming back to the table, planting both hands on it as he looked at Vax. " what if the Grey's didn't just find or steal the Azlanti augmenter's? What if they were given them?"

"You think the Azlanti empire is working with the greys?"

"Other way around, but yes. What if, what if they are using them to look for something?"

"Like what?"

"The Azlanti empire is extremely xenophobic, their specific species variant of humanity are the only ones with full rights. What if they are looking for specific genetic markers for something? Some kind of biotech project or the like?"

"Genetic markers, you mean, the kind of thing that the Greys specialize in?" Vax asked as he nodded his head. "Right. And Azlanti tech could easily have trackers built in that could be keyed to Aeon stones or some other technology most of the rest of the galaxy wouldn't be able to counter or deactivate easily. You think the girls were marked to be captured and shipped off to the Azlanti for some sort of experiment?"

"Now I am,"Musahi said with a nod. "It makes more sense than anything else I can think of."

"That is. . . wait, that means the girls will possibly be constantly in danger? That the whole ship is if they will be getting hunted down by the Azlanti in the future."

"No, the Azlanti are in too precarious of a political situation right now to be hunting people down individually themselves, that is why they were using the Greys."

"Still means their future will be uncertain at best," Vax said with a sigh. "Might be an idea to teach them more than just magic in the future. Firearm safety and use, how to use basic powered melee weapons, that sort of thing."

"We're not supposed to since they are primitives trying to return to their home."

"Having them learn magic is already bending that rule. What is a few more if it improves their ability to survive?"

" I suppose so. The extra training might help keep their minds off things too."

"Do thy need their minds taken off things?"

"Well, Talcu said that as they are learning more of the basics of magic, they are asking more questions about other things. Only a matter of time till they really start trying to earn their keep and-"

Musashi was cut off by the sound of an explosion and the whole building they were in shaking.

"What the fuck was that?" Vax asked as he was immediately on his feet and pulled a gun off his belt in one hand.

"No idea," Musashi said as he began tapping the holotable, his expression looking worried a mere second later. "Half kiloton nuclear explosion a couple of clicks outside of the city."

"The Fuck?!"

"Yeah, it doesn't make . . . . . oh no, Marila, this is Musashi, do you read? . . . . . . . . . Shit."

"Comms down?" Vax asked as he understood Musashi's worry.

"Yeah, any tech not Neutron Hardened are likely scrambled across the whole city," He said as he looked at the holotable and saw some glowing red marks start appearing on it. "The IFF sensors in the city are still working. How did these pirates get into the city?"

"looks like I need to get out there."

"Wait!" Musashi sais as he watched the holotable. It glitched out every few seconds, but it still was showing the red marks. And after a few seconds of watching their movement he realized what was going on. "They are heading for the landing areas. For all of the ships parked while most of the crews are out rooting out other pirate forces. They are looking to capture our ships!"