STORY: Miguel puts his hands up, laughing. “Hey now. Let’s all calm down. I did no such thing, Akilah. You’ve been through a lot today.”
STORY: “Let’s talk about this.”
ALEJO: “Never left, huh?” He has his gun trained between Miguel’s eyes.
STORY: “Alejo. Come on. You know me.”
TUELLER: “Her word is good enough for me.”
STORY: Akilah takes another step, still holding the gun on him. She squints.
STORY: “He’s got a damper.” She lowers her gun.
STORY: You both see it too. He’s wearing a necklace with a portable inertial damper, one most likely made to stop bullets.
TUELLER: Tueller charges forward and grapples him.
STORY: “God damn it, we’re just gonna have to do this the hard way.” She drops her shoulder and runs full-tilt into Miguel, throwing her body against his as the three of them sail out the window.
MILLICENT: To Tueller, “Hey, I just crashed a shuttle into the street. It’s not a bomb or anything.”
MILLICENT: “You’re probably busy, but I just, you know. Don’t worry! It’s all good!”
ALEJO: She’s carrying two steaming mugs of coffee, her hair a gorgeous wreck in the cool blue light of the dual moons overhead. She has a blanket thrown around her shoulders like a shawl and pretends not to notice him staring at her as she slides up to the edge of the building and their perch. “Anything?” she asks, passing him one of the mugs and squinting out into the darkness. “Nothing. Asshole hasn’t moved.” He reaches out instinctively to touch the butt of the snipper rifle affixed to the tripod next to him, wondering what she’d do if she knew that she was the real target. He’d gotten so close to her. She trusted him. And he was about to end all of that.
—
STORY: Proog leans forward, slowly, carefully.
TUELLER: Tueller smiles guilelessly.
TUELLER: (Well, trying for guilelessly)
STORY: You note that at least three of his tentacles end in stumps.
STORY: He beckons you with a metal finger, his whole hand a prosthetic.
TUELLER: “I consider myself a connoisseur of prosthetics, and that looks like a good one.”
TUELLER: Tueller moves closer.
STORY: He beckons again.
STORY: When you are very, very close to him, he speaks loudly, right in your ear. “WHAT? CAN’T HEAR SHIT OUT HERE.”
STORY: It is, in fact, a very noisy street.
STORY: “C’MON IN THE BACK, WE CAN TALK THERE,” he shouts in your ear as he stands.
STORY: He pulls back the swinging half-door and gestures to the three of you to enter a back office. He gives a nod to Vil.
TUELLER: Tueller comes back. Moderately ready to get attacked.
ALEJO: Alejo waves Vil off, friendly, but business-like and also heads to the back, on high alert.
STORY: Proog welcomes you into an interrogation room. He leans on the table and lifts his leg, one butt cheek hanging on as he puts his foot on a metal chair.
STORY: “Close the door.”
TUELLER: Tueller steps forward and waves back to whoever is behind him to do so.
MILLICENT: Millie closes the door quietly behind them and folds her hands in front of her
STORY: “Now. You said you had a message for me?”
ALEJO: Alejo steps beside Tueller, but allows him to do the talking.
TUELLER: “I speak for the Maitri, and for Antaam here. There will be no deal.”
TUELLER: “Your attempts to impress them have backfired.”
TUELLER: “Antaam wanted me to impress on you that you are pathetic.”
TUELLER: “It is important that you know how pathetic you are, she said.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods. “That was an important part.”
MILLICENT: Millie leans out from behind the boys and nods. “Her very word.”
ALEJO: Alejo steps aside a bit and nods again, to Millie’s point.
STORY: Proog twists up his mouth.
STORY: He takes a deep breath.
STORY: “That it?”
TUELLER: “That’s all she had for you, yes.”
TUELLER: “Personally, I’m not particularly happy you sent your boy after my crew.”
TUELLER: “But she didn’t say shit about that.”
STORY: His taut mouth erupts into a smile, and he lets out a hearty laugh. “Well, hell. She’s a hard woman to impress.”
TUELLER: “She is Maitri.”
TUELLER: “They have high standards.”
STORY: “Well, I guess I’ll have to come up with something else to get the Antaam’s impression.”
TUELLER: “I want to impress upon you that Antaam said that her decision was final in this regard.”
STORY: “I take it you’re the ones traveling with that Maraas from the Mercury crew, yeah?”
TUELLER: Tueller nods, once, sharply.
STORY: “Too bad about Jarlax. He got it in his head that’d work, I said well give it a try. You know kids.”
TUELLER: “He got something else in his head as a result.”
ALEJO: “Best to keep your kids under control.”
STORY: His manner suddenly gets very serious, and he points a metallic finger at Alejo. “Don’t tell me how to run my family, boy.”
ALEJO: “Don’t have your family threaten mine . . . prosthetic hand guy.” He stumbles over the last bit, intentionally.
STORY: “Now you took him down, fair and square. I’m not comin’ after you for that one. But you don’t get to dishonor my boy after you brought him to our maker.”
STORY: “I want an apology.”
STORY: “And you better mean it, son.”
TUELLER: “We didn’t kill your boy. Our Maraas did.”
STORY: “You better keep that mouth shut unless you want to join your friend here in trouble, big man.”
TUELLER: Tueller smiles.
TUELLER: It’s not a friendly smile.
STORY: He keeps his finger pointed at Alejo. “Apologize.”
STORY: Millie, tensions are pretty high in this room and you’re the smallest, least armed person in it.
MILLICENT: Yes, that’s how I’m reading this, too.
TUELLER: Tueller holds out his hand to Alejo.
ALEJO: “I didn’t dishonor your boy. I told you not to send more of your family after mine.”
TUELLER: “We’re done here. You’ve got your warning from the Maitri. They’re done with you and so are we.”
STORY: The metal parts of the hand that is pointed at Alejo rather suddenly shift and reassemble, and within a second and with a few clicks to announce its arrival, Proog’s prosthetic hand is now a gun, pointed between the eyes of your captain.
STORY: “Now I’d hate for this to go that way, friends. But you’re being questioned by an officer of the law here, and I’m sure if I had to discharge my weapon in the course of duty, say, to subdue a murderous set of outlaws I brought in for questioning, well I don’t think anyone would ask any questions about that.”
STORY: “So why don’t you apologize, young man, and we’ll all be on our way.”
TUELLER: Tueller slowly raises his other hand so it’s the appropriate hands up response to promised gun violence.
MILLICENT: Millie leans out from behind Tueller and waves. “Hi there, I wanted to add a little sociological context that might help to explain all this, ah, totally reasonable masculine tension.”
ALEJO: Alejo stands very still and smiles. “Neat trick.” He does not move. “I’m truly sorry your boy attacked my crew.”
MILLICENT: “Where we’re from, historically, the term “boy” is a racially charged insult. Which I think may have raised tempers a little.” Millie smiles. “Perfectly understandable not to know this.”
MILLICENT: “So I think we should all take a deep breath and say our apologies, and then, very exciting, _our goodbyes_.”
STORY: Proog does not move. “Get your woman to quiet down or your problems are going to multiply, son.”
ALEJO: “Oh, friend. She’s not my woman, and you really don’t want to pick a fight with her.”
TUELLER: Tueller looks irritated at Alejo.
TUELLER: Shakes his head.
STORY: He smiles. “Now I know if you call Vil a friend you know how to apologize. Better than that half-assed one.”
STORY: “Give it here, a real one, a good one, or one of us ain’t leaving this room.”
STORY: And with that, he adjusts his aim to focus on Millie.
STORY: And winks at you.
ALEJO: He nods. “Fine. I’m very sorry for dishonoring your family.”
STORY: He smiles, largely, and raises both arms appreciatively. “There we go! Was that so hard? Agnes!” He calls behind you, and the other A-Sec officer opens the door and pops her head in.
STORY: “Show these folks out, will you?”
TUELLER: Tueller nods at Proog, and turns to leave.
STORY: Agnes holds the door for you, pointing the way back out, which you already know.
ALEJO: Alejo raises his eyebrows at Proog, then offers him a genuine nod of respect. He turns and heads out as well.
MILLICENT: Millie shrugs. Inconspicuously gets this guy’s badge number and leaves.
ALEJO: “That went really well, I thought.”
TUELLER: “Remember cap. Strong, non-confrontational, not arrogant.”
ALEJO: “Yeah. Better at giving advice than following it. You’re right.”
MILLICENT: “I wonder if I could hijack his next technical update with randomly occurring offensive gestures?”
STORY: As you’re walking out, the cop who showed you out calls after you. “One of you Soto?”
ALEJO: Alejo stops and turns.
MILLICENT: Millie stops walking. “Yes, I think I could.”
TUELLER: Tueller turns around, bracing for action without telegraphing it.
ALEJO: “Hi.”
STORY: “Madsen sent down a message for you.” She hands you a piece of paper, with WHILE YOU WERE OUT written on top.
MILLICENT: Nods, starts at the new cop and turns to see what’s going on.
ALEJO: Alejo takes it, thanks the officer, and then says to the others, once the officer is out of earshot. “We need to get back to our office now.”
TUELLER: “Ok, spill.”
ALEJO: He starts moving swiftly, expecting that they will keep up. “A lead on our missing crew member.”
TUELLER: Tueller double-times it.
MILLICENT: Millie starts running
ALEJO: Alejo leads them on a direct route, but he keeps a close eye out for any tails.
STORY: It’s about a ten minute trip on foot. Alejo, let’s have an Assessment + Mettle on that one
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 8 + 2 = 10
STORY: You notice a tail, a young-looking cop in A-Sec armor, and manage to slip him relatively quickly. Gain a data point about A-Sec protocol!
STORY: You have to take a few elevators and a long walk down a tunnel to get to the market area that your office overlooks, and when you do you glance up when you see flashing lights. You note the window of your downstairs neighbor, ten stories up, with its tacky neon signs advertising companionship, and realize the broken window above it that the lights are shining through… is yours.
STORY: There are large spiderweb cracks in the window, though it is holding together. Maybe a few small holes?
ALEJO: Sniper fire?
STORY: That’s your instinct, yes.
TUELLER: “We’re going to need to reinforce those windows.”
TUELLER: “Maybe Serj caught a round or two.”
MILLICENT: “We’re not that lucky.”
MILLICENT: Millie is starting to take off toward the office.
ALEJO: “Maybe. I’m going to look for a vantage, make sure someone’s not still here.”
MILLICENT: Anyone wanting to stop her can try now
ALEJO: “Shit!” Alejo grabs her before she’s off.
TUELLER: Tueller’s going up with Millie.
STORY: The lights are red and blue.
MILLICENT: But she’s a doctor and there may be hurt people she cares about up there
TUELLER: “Do so, Ejo, we’re going up, but DOC we’re going to have to be at least a little careful here.”
TUELLER: “You can’t patch anyone up if you get tagged too.”
MILLICENT: Millie shakes her arm free. “Fine, how are we careful in this situation?”
TUELLER: “Let me go in first and get hit.”
STORY: The three of you anxiously step into the elevator and it moves excruciatingly slow. It slows and stops on the third floor.
STORY: The doors open.
TUELLER: “I’m bigger and bullet resistant.”
TUELLER: Tueller steps out first, checking for danger.
STORY: Ezio steps on, a leather briefcase over one shoulder. He smiles at the three of you, giving Millie a slightly bashful look. “Hey, guys. Hey, doc.”
STORY: “Going up to the office too?”
STORY: Millie, Ezio has tried to apologize for the Noma thing a few times. He gets quiet around you, though you do see him fairly frequently as he’s Sergio’s main courier on the Ark.
MILLICENT: Millie bounces on her heels and stabs at the elevator button over and over
TUELLER: Tueller nods.
TUELLER: Takes a quick look at Ezio’s jaw.
STORY: It healed well, Tueller. Just a little scar.
STORY: He reads the room as the elevator lurches slowly again. “Something up with you guys?”
TUELLER: “Know what’s going on up there?”
MILLICENT: Millie nods and jams at the button
ALEJO: “Hear from anyone in the office recently?”
TUELLER: “Hear gunfire?”
STORY: “Wh–” He looks at you and Tueller.
STORY: “No?”
STORY: “What are you talking about?”
TUELLER: “Not to jump to conclusions but our experiences are leaning towards sniper fire on the office.”
STORY: He looks unhappy about that.
STORY: Cocks his head to the side, looks at his watch.
TUELLER: “Millie, you get anyone on comms up there?”
STORY: And takes the briefcase off his shoulder, handing it to Tueller. “For your signature.”
STORY: “Good luck out there.”
ALEJO: Did Akilah get coms?
STORY: No, she didn’t.
MILLICENT: Millie tries comms
STORY: He leans against the back of the elevator car and looks at his watch again.
STORY: Millie, who are you trying to reach?
ALEJO: Kahn is with the ship?
STORY: You assume.
MILLICENT: T’chololl, then Kahn, then Jenny,
STORY: They all check in.
MILLICENT: Are they at the office?
STORY: None of them are at the office.
STORY: The elevator arrives at the eleventh floor.
STORY: Ezio waves to you and presses the 3 button.
MILLICENT: Millie follows the boys out, but right on their tail.
ALEJO: Alejo asks Millie to put them on high alert, as someone might be after us, before we’re off the elevator.
ALEJO: He then heads out, after Tueller, keeping close to the walls and as far away from line of sight through the windows as possible.
MILLICENT: Millie passes on the message to keep their heads down.
STORY: You step out into the hallway and see the flashing lights of a police bike, and three A-Sec cops standing outside the office.
TUELLER: Tueller comes down the hall, making himself big and central and with his arms raised up.
ALEJO: “Officers.” Alejo approaches cautiously.
TUELLER: Okay, Tueller let’s Alejo take the lead here.
ALEJO: A bit behind Tueller, for cover.
STORY: Alejo, you’re approached by Miguel, your old contact from Roti dan Garam. “Soto.”
TUELLER: Verbally.
STORY: “Glad you weren’t in there.” He takes out his badge. “Any idea what happened here?”
ALEJO: “Miguel.” Alejo looks at it briefly. “Was hoping you might tell us a bit about that.”
ALEJO: “Anyone else in there?”
ALEJO: He says this cooly, but it’s apparent to Millie and Tueller that he’s anxious for that answer.
STORY: He shakes his head. “No blood on the scene, nothing even turned over. Just a couple holes in your window and some fucking loud alarms. Who installed those?”
ALEJO: Alejo lets out a long, slow breath. “Sorry for the alarms.”
TUELLER: Tueller steps into the office unless people really stop him.
STORY: Miguel lets you pass, waving off the cops, telling them to post up outside.
STORY: “Can’t guarantee it’s safe in there, sir.”
TUELLER: “Stay outside, guys.”
TUELLER: Tueller goes in, keeping a fair amount of cover, and checking out the holes.
ALEJO: “The holes, bullet fire?”
MILLICENT: Millie runs inside and sends messages by terminal to Akilah, Figgan and Sweet letting them know to keep their heads down and check back in.
STORY: He lets you pass, Millie, just sort of looking exasperated.
ALEJO: Alejo steps to the door to watch Tueller as he keeps talking to Miguel.
MILLICENT: She’ll crouch down or army crawl or whatever she’s shown to do, but she’s going to get warnings out if she can
STORY: He nods. “Far as we can tell. Seems like you have some idea who was in there when this place got shot up?”
TUELLER: Tueller puts his back to the outside wall and checks out the room.
ALEJO: He shakes his head, non-committal. “Maybe. When’d this go down?”
TUELLER: Tueller steps out for a moment and disables the alarms.
STORY: “We got calls about the sirens half an hour ago. Thank you,” he calls to Tueller.
TUELLER: And he lowers the blinds on the windows.
STORY: “You wanna clue me in on what’s going on here, Alejo?”
STORY: “I can’t help if you don’t tell me anything.”
ALEJO: He nods. “And nothing about a shooter?”
ALEJO: Alejo looks at him. “Sorry, I’m just a little shaken. Honestly, Miguel, I’m in the dark on this one.”
STORY: “No, nothing about a shooter. My crime scene guys think it was someone half a dozen floors up, on the other side of the presidium. There’s a balcony up there, so it tracks.”
STORY: “Who were they trying to get?”
ALEJO: “I’m not sure, but I think that Akilah Ya’Makasi might have been the last person here.”
STORY: He nods. “Well, they didn’t get her, but she’s gone. Want to have a look around with me, help me figure out where she went off to so we can make sure she’s okay? I’m gonna hazard a guess she’s got a better idea who tried to kill her than I do right now.”
ALEJO: He agrees and heads inside with Miguel.
STORY: Tueller, let’s have an Assessment + Mettle as you search the place.
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+1
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 8 + 1 = 9
STORY: Okay! You notice something that is out of place, something it’s likely only you would notice. What is it?
TUELLER: Oh that’s a lot of pressure.
TUELLER: Tueller notices that an artifact, a memento displayed on the wall, a sword that he kept as a souvenir from their adventure in the Orcus Belt, is backwards.
TUELLER: Like it had been knocked loose and replaced by someone who didn’t know how it went.
STORY: What do you do about that?
TUELLER: “Sorry…ummm, Alejo didn’t introduce us. Officer? Did anyone clean up in here? Shift things around?”
STORY: “Miguel Garcia. No, crime scene just finished up. They don’t generally move things, as a rule. Something out of place?”
STORY: He offers you his hand.
TUELLER: Tueller shakes it, while looking at the blade.
STORY: Miguel looks too.
STORY: And points, suggesting. “That?”
TUELLER: “That shakhur on the wall is backwards. Can we make sure it’s not an explosive or something before we continue?”
STORY: “Oh, sure. I’ll have to call it in. One minute.”
STORY: He steps outside.
TUELLER: “Millie, can you still read tech?”
STORY: Millie, the whole crew other than Akilah is accounted for and has agreed to stay away.
STORY: Millie, you bought a new visor to replace the old one, right?
STORY: So yes, that new one still detects alien tech.
STORY: I guess it wouldn’t notice a regular old human bomb, but if there’s anything fancy back there, it’ll let you know.
MILLICENT: Millie slips her visor on and nods. “I’ll do a sweep.”
MILLICENT: Millie does so!
TUELLER: “There’s something wrong with my shakhur souvenir, and since we went through considerable trouble to get it, I’d prefer not to throw it out but I’d really prefer that it not murder us all.”
STORY: Millie, how do you investigate?
TUELLER: “Just…please be careful.”
MILLICENT: Millie starts with the sword and mount, using her visor to detect alien tech, but mostly putting herself in the headspace of someone who would want to put something in this office undetected and then checking out those possibilities.
MILLICENT: She is way carefuller than she was when you first met her, if it’s any consolation!
STORY: Millie, you peek around the sword and see what looks like a small plastic case lodged behind the bell. It’s not dinging your alien tech detector.
ALEJO: As this is happening, Alejo goes to the window and looks at the bullet holes, trying to see the perch where the sniper must have been and trying to see if he can work out where the target in the room was.
MILLICENT: Do I recognize it at all?
STORY: You can’t really tell, it’s mostly occluded by the weapon in front of it.
STORY: Alejo, based on the angle and the holes in her desk and console screen, it looks like Akilah was sitting at her desk when the attack happened.
MILLICENT: Millie cuts her hand back and forth, peering over her shoulder to make meaningful eye contact with Tueller. “No alien tech here!”
TUELLER: “Well….that’s good, Doc.”
STORY: Miguel returns. “Bomb squad will be here in five. Don’t touch anything.”
TUELLER: “Everyone out of the room, please.”
STORY: Miguel raises an eyebrow.
MILLICENT: “Yes, for normal reasons! We’re late! To. Get ice cream!”
STORY: “…No?”
STORY: “What’s going on, Mr. Ya’Makasi?”
ALEJO: Alejo looks puzzled at Tueller.
TUELLER: “Out?”
MILLICENT: “Now now officer, how can you be expected to function without an afternoon ice cream break?” Millie mouths the words MAYBE BOMB
ALEJO: Alejo nods. “Miguel, let’s step out.”
TUELLER: “I could use an ice cream or maybe a drink.”
TUELLER: “It’s been a long day and the professionals are coming.”
ALEJO: He leads the way, ushering folks towards the door, casually, but quickly.
MILLICENT: “We could do both! I know a place where they pour Arturian brandy over ice cream!” Millie pauses, remembering the maybe bomb and points to her mouth and mouths BOMB to the officer again
STORY: He narrows his eyes at the three of you, then waves you out. “Go on. You three, now.”
MILLICENT: Millie leaves the room
STORY: The three of you find yourselves back in the hallway, standing there with the three beat cops who are monitoring the situation.
STORY: Miguel stays behind.
ALEJO: Once they are outside, he looks to Millie. “Bomb for sure?”
MILLICENT: “Maybe bomb. Plastic shell attached to the wall.”
STORY: Miguel’s voice calls from inside. “Not a bomb!”
TUELLER: “Christ these rookie cops.”
STORY: “Sigrun, you can call off the squad!”
MILLICENT: “It could be a listening device of some kind, which is why I created the clever ruse of an ice cream break.”
TUELLER: “It was very clever, Doc.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods. “Good thinking.”
MILLICENT: Millie nods, of course it was.
STORY: Again, from inside: “…Are you guys coming back in or should I just stand here shouting about it not being a bomb some more?”
TUELLER: Turning back to the room. “What was it Miguel?”
TUELLER: Going back in.
ALEJO: Alejo heads back to the office.
TUELLER: “You just have a tendency to poke things that might be a bomb?”
STORY: He stands there, leaning against the desk and smiling, holding a small data disc.
ALEJO: Walking to the desk, but listening to this conversation as he looks at where Aki might have last been, trying to see if she left anything or any clues.
STORY: He points to the bullet holes in the room. Desk. Console. Then, another one on the floor where Tueller is standing, and one on the back wall. A fifth on the stone statue next to the area where the sword is displayed.
STORY: “So. Either this sniper was a terrible shot, or Akilah had some reason to stay behind after the bullets started coming.”
MILLICENT: “We never established what the th-ah.”
STORY: “Figured she had left something behind. Looks like it was this?”
TUELLER: “Can I have that disc please?”
STORY: He hands it to you, Tueller.
TUELLER: “Working theory: Aki put it there and knew I’d notice my sword was fucked with.”
STORY: “Exactly.”
STORY: “Smart lady.”
TUELLER: Tueller hands it off to Millie.
TUELLER: “Let’s see what Kiki left for us.”
MILLICENT: Millie loads it up
TUELLER: “Officer, can we have the room please?”
STORY: “I mean.”
STORY: “No? That’s evidence. I’m doing you a favor by letting you see what’s on it with me.”
ALEJO: Alejo joins them. “Miguel, please. I’ll keep you looped in, I promise. We just have some . . . sensitive stuff.”
STORY: He moves his hands in a circle, facing the ground. “This here? This was a crime. It’s sort of my job to find out what happened here.”
STORY: “So you can give it back to me, or we can all have a look together.”
ALEJO: Alejo nods. “Let’s look at it.”
STORY: Millie pops the tape into the console. It’s a holo-message.
STORY: The message is from one of Akilah’s contacts, an Odh you have met once or twice named Yhogag. He looks to be leaning over a public messaging terminal, and speaks quietly.
STORY: “Akilah.”
STORY: You hear Akilah’s voice, though you don’t see her in the message. “Yho. What’s up.”
STORY: “Got a lead on Chandra. I think I can nail down his base of operations to a planet, maybe even a continent. Come to my office at Vasir Motors, I’ll show you what I have.”
STORY: “That’s amazing, Yho. Where’d y–” her voice cuts out as you hear a tinkle of glass breaking.
STORY: “Shit!”
STORY: “Yho, you better be ready to meet now. GO!”
STORY: The message cuts out.
STORY: Millie, that’s all that is on the disk.
ALEJO: Alejo looks up. “Miguel, give us a chance to track this down before you do what you’ve got to do. Give us a 30-minute lead on this. I don’t want to spook people with a big show of A-Sec force. Can you do that?”
ALEJO: “I’ll share everything we get, and we might need the assist.”
STORY: “Nope. But I can come alone. Vasir Motors, anyone?”
ALEJO: “Works for me.” Alejo nods and heads out.
TUELLER: Follows!
STORY: Miguel hops on his hoverbike. “Get a cab, meet you there?” He tosses Alejo a walkie talkie. “Keep it open.”
STORY: He revs the engine and departs.
ALEJO: Alejo frowns, opens the walkie channel and flags the nearest ride.
STORY: You hop in! Luckily, it seats three.
MILLICENT: “He’s cute, is he on the up and up?”
ALEJO: Alejo shrugs. “He’s a good guy. For a former spy.” He gives her a quick smile.
MILLICENT: Millie groans
STORY: Okay! You head out. Millie, can you please describe for me the building you are heading towards? It has the offices of Vasir Motors. What else?
MILLICENT: What do we know about Vasir Motors?
STORY: Tell me about Vasir Motors!
MILLICENT: Okay! This area of town is the hipster tech zone. It’s like a goddamn Sharper Image building.
MILLICENT: It houses every start up and incubator for technological fixes to problems people don’t really have
MILLICENT: It’s got a very 57th St station/Underground Atlanta vibe.
MILLICENT: Vasir Motors is a “personalized transport solution consultant”
MILLICENT: They help beings with too much money buy and customize their own transports
STORY: It’s a real pimp my ride kind of place.
MILLICENT: Yeah
STORY: Your taxi lets you off in the parking lot, and you can see before you the factory floor, full of bright lights and absurdly overengineered personal transport vehicles. Miguel pulls up just behind you in his hoverbike.
STORY: “Wh–” he doesn’t even get the word out before the three of you are knocked to the ground by the blast.
STORY: Millie, you catch sight of cars exploding. Tueller, just a bright light. Alejo, your ears pop and you’re all thrown fifteen feet.
TUELLER: Tueller, if he can, tries to get on top of Millie to shield her.
STORY: You get up, ears ringing, as smoke pours out of the building and debris blocks your path. Miguel is standing over you, yelling. You can’t hear him. He’s gesturing.
MILLICENT: “Mnah”
ALEJO: Alejo gets up, trying to get his bearings.
STORY: Millie, if you don’t have a close up, take it
MILLICENT: Millie sits up on her elbows on her back. “Mnaaaaah”
STORY: Alejo, the building is on fire, with most of the first floor blown clear and cars scattered across the parking lot. Your cabbie is sitting in his vehicle, the door open, leaning out, banging on the side of his head.
ALEJO: He looks to see that Millie and Tueller are okay. Then he looks to where Miguel is gesturing.
STORY: Miguel helps you up. You can’’t hear him well. “Y…kay?”
TUELLER: Tueller is sticking with Millie until she gets sorted.
STORY: He was pointing to the building. Smoke pours out of the first and second floors.
MILLICENT: Millie shakes her head and holds out her hand to Tueller, getting a hand up. “Uuuuuuuh fah fah aaagaugh”
STORY: “… g… roof. Y… ay safe!”
ALEJO: He nods, his senses still overloaded.
TUELLER: “Lah.” Tueller looks up and starts running towards the building.
STORY: He gathers that you can’t understand him, and holds out his hands in a “stay” gesture, then mounts his hoverbike and takes off, taking the corner hard and scooting straight up the wall through the smoke.
TUELLER: Sorry, Tueller’s not here for that.
MILLICENT: Millie looks around a little, looking for anyone who isn’t acting like this was unexpected
STORY: Alejo, as you watch him, you see something else – figures descending from shuttlecraft onto the roof of the building. They slide down ropes. You recognize that machinery. Roti dan Garam.
STORY: The Exodus is here.
TUELLER: —I wish I brought my heavy armor.
STORY: — right?
STORY: — probably would have made a bad impression with the Maitri, though
ALEJO: Alejo runs to Millie. He gestures towards them. “RDG,” he says, mouthing the words big and getting her to cover.
TUELLER: Guys, Tueller took off running towards a fire where soldiers are dropping in.
MILLICENT: Millie heads with him, looking for a terminal.
MILLICENT: If she sees one she’s going to head for it.
ALEJO: “Keep your head down.”
STORY: Tueller, you reach the first floor, which is more or less covered with the flaming wreckage of vanity cars. What do you do?
ALEJO: Do we have weapons with us?
STORY: Did you bring any to your meeting with the Maitri?
TUELLER: Look to see if there’s a directory that shows the office.
TUELLER: Tueller has his nice suit and his gloves.
STORY: There is! It’s half blasted away, and also you’re having trouble breathing in all the smoke. Give me a Face Adversity + Physique please
TUELLER: Come on, we always have weapons on us.
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 5 + 2 = 7
STORY: _You_ always have weapons on you
STORY: Tueller, the corporate offices are on the fourth floor.
TUELLER: On comms to Millie. “Offices are on the fourth floor. See you up there.”
ALEJO: Alejo draws his pistol. “Millie, can you get Tueller on coms. Tell him Exodus is here. On the roof. I’m headed in on the opposite side of him. Then get Kahn and Loll to lock everyone else down.”
MILLICENT: Millie passes on the messages.
MILLICENT: I also have some stuff I’d like to do whenever we get to Millie.
STORY: Millie, we’re with you!
STORY: What do you do?
STORY: You’re the only one not currently running through an on fire building, is that right?
TUELLER: Tueller’s wetting his pocketsquare in a water fountain and wrapping it over his mouth to try to block out some of the smoke, and then heading towards the least fiery stairs.
MILLICENT: To Tueller, “I don’t believe I’ll be joining you inside. I’m going to try and disrupt their comms from here.”
MILLICENT: Millie wants to find an electronics store with a window with a view of the building and go to work.
STORY: That’s wise, Tueller.
MILLICENT: I accidentally described this place as having EXACTLY what I’d want to have right now.
STORY: Millie, give me an Assessment + Interface please, let’s see how your luck is
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: josh rolled 7 + 2 = 9
STORY: Where’s the electronics store?
MILLICENT: It’s right across the street!
STORY: The proprietors of said store, seeing the explosion, run out!
STORY: It’s empty for you! What luck
STORY: Alejo, what are you doing?
ALEJO: Alejo moves at top speed now, which is freaky fast. Inside the building, he’s on full alert, moving stealthily but swiftly, not expecting to see any hostiles yet but being safe anyway. He’s looking for the quickest way to get to the fourth floor, and he’s keeping eyes open for Tueller, through the smoke.
ALEJO: In the walkie, “Miguel, Exodus is here. Roof. Tueller and I are headed to the fourth floor.”
STORY: Alejo, you meet up with Tueller midway up the first floor stairs, where a collapsed beam is blocking your way. Also, it’s on fire.
TUELLER: —Just to be clear, are we openly antagonistic to Exodus?
STORY: Tueller, no, but they’re arriving with guns and shit, and the building just exploded, so like.
TUELLER: Yeah, I figured. Just wanted to make sure we didn’t have history with them that I’d forgotten.
STORY: Nah, aside from Alejo and Kahn being former RDG agents who are probably now either relieved or wanted by them, and Kahn being a former Evanuris agent who is definitely wanted by them, and both of them having significant conflict-ful history with one of the highest ranking Exodus members, nah, no history
MILLICENT: So we good
TUELLER: Tueller’s cool with them, at least.
STORY: Oh yeah, Tueller’s got no Exodus beef.
STORY: You can probably assume they’re here to fuck things up.
ALEJO: Alejo assesses whether there’s a way around it.
ALEJO: Or under it? Over it?
STORY: Alejo, you can give jumping over it a shot, but it’s unlikely anyone without significant biotechnical enhancement can do the same.
TUELLER: This collapsed beam–how on fire is it?
TUELLER: I mean, is it just a bad idea for Tueller to pick it up and toss it aside, or a TERRIBLE idea?
STORY: It’s on fire enough that it will probably hurt if you hold on to it for more than a second.
ALEJO: Alejo gives Tueller a look and then jumps.
STORY: Alejo, Face Adversity + Mettle please
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 5 + 2 = 7
STORY: You hop over the flaming beam, but have to leapfrog and burn your hand. You’re clumsy for anything involving using your right hand until you get medical attention.
ALEJO: Once he’s over, he looks to see if there’s anyway of helping Tueller move it.
ALEJO: And he rips part of his shirt off and wraps his burned hand, quickly trying to numb the pain.
STORY: You could maybe give it a kick? But then you’re probably losing a boot.
STORY: Tueller, what do?
ALEJO: “T, I’m headed up. Try to find another way around?”
ALEJO: Alejo spins and heads up the stairs.
TUELLER: Tueller goes back down to the bottom of the stairs scans the storeroom floor, before picking up a mostly intact car door. He brings that back up, and tries to use it to move the collapsed bar, so he can get past.
TUELLER: Just using a big chunk of car as a lever to get past.
STORY: So half shield, half ram? That’s worth a Close Up.
STORY: Let’s have a Face Adversity + Physique to see it if pays off.
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 7 + 2 = 9
STORY: You crash through the beam, splitting it, and it heats your metal car door up enough that by the time you reach the top of the stairs you have to ditch it.
STORY: Alejo, as you’re leaving the stairwell, Tueller emerges at the top, a steaming, dented car door wrapped around one arm like Captain America’s shield.
STORY: He drops it and shakes the embers off his shoulders.
ALEJO: “Guess you found a way around.”
TUELLER: “Through.”
TUELLER: “Never much for subtlety.”
STORY: Millie! What are you doing?
MILLICENT: Millie grabs a rig and a seat facing the door.
MILLICENT: I want two things, I want to find the comms channel
MILLICENT: And I want to find the onboard computers on the transports
MILLICENT: In that order
MILLICENT: I want to listen in on the comms channel to see if I can find anything out and if so I want to pass on what I learn and intercept signals with a replacement message. If I can’t find anything out I have a plan for their comms.
STORY: Okay! First thing, you’re going to have to establish a remote connection to find their comms channel. So let’s have an Access roll
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 +2
STORY: josh rolled 5 + 2 = 7
MILLICENT: That’ll work
STORY: All right! You have access, but your intrusion is detected, and they’re likely to adjust or retaliate soon. You can listen in on their comms.
STORY: Please feel free to pipe up with intel for Tueller and Alejo whenever you like.
MILLICENT: Okay! Once they start adjusting I have a plan.
STORY: Speaking of, there is a forward strike force coming onto their floor on their way to secure the ground floor that your crew may want to know about.
MILLICENT: Can I try for the transports or should I wait?
STORY: You’re gonna be busy for a bit.
TUELLER: Tueller’s moving forward aggressively.
MILLICENT: “Alejo, there’s a forward strike force coming to secure the ground floor. Can you give me any code or commands I could use to confuse or redirect them, please?”
ALEJO: “We’re coming up on through the east stairwell, six of us. And say that A-Sec officers are heading up the sides of the building on the east and south. That should keep them focused the wrong way.”
ALEJO: He looks to Tueller, “Let’s try to get behind them? Sneak attack like on the Milton job?”
TUELLER: “Need to get to Lah as fast as possible. Deal with them later if we can.”
TUELLER: Tueller is very worried about his sister and doesn’t quite understand why Alejo isn’t.
ALEJO: “Yeah, so I sneak attack and keep ’em busy and you get Aki.”
MILLICENT: Millie pops into the comms, “We’ve got bogies on the east stairwell, looks like five, maybe six.” Again, “A-Sec spotted on the exterior east and south walls.”
ALEJO: He looks at Tueller, then remembers he wasn’t on the Milton job. “Sorry, you weren’t on that op. I’ll distract them. You get her out.”
STORY: Alejo, Tueller, a small strike force emerges at the bottom of the stairs opposite your stairwell. They look briefly confused, then the leader points them in another direction and they head off towards the east stairwell.
STORY: What do you do?
TUELLER: Tueller’s heading to 4.
MILLICENT: To Alejo and Tueller “Let me know when you have a visual, I should be able to provide a bit of a distraction”
ALEJO: “Go.” Alejo nods to head off. Alejo follows the strike force, very sneaky. “Now,” he whispers to Millie.
MILLICENT: Millie pops into comms, trying for just the strike force.
MILLICENT: “So, I was parking the other day. And I realized, I never, ever have change for the meter. I mean, I have change, but not, like, the correct change, you know? And it occurred to me, for the first time. Where does parking money go? I’m Irak Glaff, welcome to This Arcurian Life. This hour we’ll be listening to stories about where all that money we pay in parking actually GOES to.” at ear breaking decibels.
STORY: Well, if you didn’t have a Close Up, you would now.
STORY: The squad all smack their hands onto their ears and rip the comms earpieces out.
STORY: Alejo, you have a moment where they’re disoriented.
ALEJO: How many of them are there?
STORY: Some.
ALEJO: Alejo will sneak attack their asses, with super speed!
STORY: Are you hanging back, or getting into a tussle?
TUELLER: KILL KILL KILL
ALEJO: Shooting them and, if I can’t get them all, distracting them away from Tueller and the exit back down, assuming he can get Aki.
STORY: That’s an Open Fire please!
ALEJO: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: ablair01 rolled 6 + 2 = 8
STORY: Okay. I think for this one, the exchange causes undesirable collateral damage.
STORY: Alejo, you duck behind a column and pick off a few of them, and as one falls to the ground, he tenses on his trigger, spraying the area and the ceiling above with bullets. The floor above, which has also suffered damage from the bomb, collapses on the squad.
STORY: So the squad has been stopped, they’re all dead, but that stairway is no longer accessible.
STORY: Tueller!
STORY: You rush up to 3?
TUELLER: Towards 4, yes.
STORY: All right! The way the stairways are is like in a department store, you have to run around back to where the stairway started on the previous floor to keep going up. It encourages browsing.
STORY: As you make that trip on 3, a bullet pings the column just in front of you.
STORY: Another squad has you in their sights. They’re roughly 7 yards away.
STORY: What do you do?
TUELLER: Huh. Seven yards, huh.
TUELLER: Well that seems like the appropriate distance to sprint straight at them.
STORY: Seems like it!
STORY: All right! Launch Assault, please.
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 6 + 2 = 8
STORY: What goes wrong?
MILLICENT: I mean, I’d oof, but that’s not terrible
TUELLER: More collateral damage.
STORY: All right! It’s virtually a replay of what happened with Alejo – tell me what happens before you tackle the last guy.
STORY: Alejo, Miguel comes in on your radio. It’s hard to hear. “–ourth floor! — ackup– O NOT ENGA–”
TUELLER: Tueller charges in, punching the first guy in the face while grabbing his arm and pulling it forward. He uses the guy as a battering ram on the two remaining, which sprays bullets in both directions from him as he kills them.
ALEJO: Alejo pings Millie. “Millie, great work! Tueller needs to hold. Miguel is on the fourth. Do not engage. Say again do not engage.”
TUELLER: Tueller’s less elegant in his violence than before.
STORY: The bullets hit the ceiling and collapse a section of it. You look up and see Miguel, standing next to a blazing planter, his sidearm raised, shouting at someone you cannot see.
STORY: He fires.
TUELLER: Tueller looks up at him as he crushes the skull of a shooter,.
TUELLER: And then turns back to the stairs, to try to flank whoever Miguel was firing at.
MILLICENT: “Tueller, do not engage on the fourth floor.”
ALEJO: Alejo reloads and sprints towards the stairs up. “Miguel, copy. Where do you need us?”
STORY: Millie, what else are you doing while you wait to help?
ALEJO: He says into the Walkie.
TUELLER: Tueller is still going up to four.
TUELLER: “No, Doc.”
MILLICENT: Millie takes over a transport and brings it down the fourth floor to peer in the windows
MILLICENT: “Alejo, Tueller is being exceptionally male right now.”
STORY: Millie, gonna need another Access for that one.
MILLICENT: “I mean, he’s being a regular amount of Tueller male, but more than is advisable.”
ALEJO: “Goddamn it!” Alejo moves as fast as he can.
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 2
STORY: josh rolled 10 + 2 = 12
MILLICENT: haha how about I bring it down to the fourth floor windows and it has guns?
STORY: Yeah, I mean, that seems likely. There’s still a pilot in this one, though.
MILLICENT: Good
MILLICENT: Can I eject them?
TUELLER: Hah!
STORY: I mean, you can open the door and turn the shuttle sideways.
STORY: Might crash it, though.
MILLICENT: There’s no emergency eject?
MILLICENT: Seems like a real breach in safety protocol.
STORY: Not in a shuttle, no. They’re big enough to stand in.
MILLICENT: But I’m really willing to open the door and shake the shuttle sideways until the pilot falls out
MILLICENT: VERY willing
STORY: All right! Let’s make that a Face Adversity + Interface.
MILLICENT: I would like to do that while directing the shuttle to getting me eyes into the fourth floor
STORY: Sure, but it can do one thing, then the other.
MILLICENT: /roll 2d6 + 2 plus
STORY: josh rolled 5 + 2 = 7
STORY: All right.
STORY: Alejo, you catch up with Tueller as he hits the top of the fourth floor stairs. There are a handful of bodies on the ground, including one you recognize: Akilah’s contact. Miguel is holstering his gun, shaking his head. He walks toward you.
STORY: Just as he approaches, you hear a scream as a man falls past the broken window to the ground outside.
STORY: As does a shuttle.
STORY: There’s a smaller, but still significant, explosion on the ground.
TUELLER: Ummm, on a scale of one to obviously, how likely is it that Miguel is the one who shot our contact here?
ALEJO: Alejo ignores Millie’s handiwork. “No Aki?” He says to Miguel, scanning the room and giving a sidelong glance at Tueller.
STORY: He approaches Alejo. “Somebody took out her contact. I couldn’t find her body. Did you see anything downstairs?”
ALEJO: Alejo wants to assess his credibility.
STORY: Akilah steps out from behind a blazing column, a pistol in her hands, pointed at the three of you.
STORY: “GET AWAY FROM HIM!”
TUELLER: “Hey sis.”
STORY: She looks pretty sooty.
TUELLER: Tueller backs away.
STORY: Probably had a day so far.
ALEJO: Alejo instantly points his gun at Miguel, very fast, and backs away.
TUELLER: Tueller backs, let’s say 3 meters away from Miguel.
STORY: She approaches, fast. “This fucker just shot Yhogag.”
STORY: Miguel puts his hands up, laughing. “Hey now. Let’s all calm down. I did no such thing, Akilah. You’ve been through a lot today.”
STORY: “Let’s talk about this.”
ALEJO: “Never left, huh?” He has his gun trained between Miguel’s eyes.
STORY: “Alejo. Come on. You know me.”
TUELLER: “Her word is good enough for me.”
STORY: Akilah takes another step, still holding the gun on him. She squints.
STORY: “He’s got a damper.” She lowers her gun.
STORY: You both see it too. He’s wearing a necklace with a portable inertial damper, one most likely made to stop bullets.
TUELLER: Tueller charges forward and grapples him.
STORY: “God damn it, we’re just gonna have to do this the hard way.” She drops her shoulder and runs full-tilt into Miguel, throwing her body against his as the three of them sail out the window.
MILLICENT: To Tueller, “Hey, I just crashed a shuttle into the street. It’s not a bomb or anything.”
MILLICENT: “You’re probably busy, but I just, you know. Don’t worry! It’s all good!”