TUELLER: “Lah, can you arrange a ship for us?”
FIGGAN: Figgan pours him a refill of the whiskey and coffee while he’s talking to Akilah.
STORY: “A ship?”
STORY: “Kinda figured we could just have you do a crime and I’ll ask the judge to send you there.”
STORY: She points at her chest. “Lawyer? Remember?”
TUELLER: “No, that…that….fuck, yeah, I guess that’s the job.”
FIGGAN: “Aww, this is gonna be hella fun.”
TUELLER: “Get me a new identity.”
STORY: Akilah nods.
STORY: “Jenny, Kahn, you think you can both get hired on as guards?”
STORY: Kahn tilts his head. “Sure, boss.”
STORY: Then you all remember, as I just did, that Kahn also worked for Akilah for years.
JENNY: Jenny nods, smiles. “Aye.”
TUELLER: “Ejo’s going to be so disappointed he missed this.”
JENNY: Jenny checked her straps and levels one more time, then walked the line of jump virgins. One in particular was staring a hole through the side of the Erde-Maris craft. After giving the marine next to the nervous jumper a message for the pilot Jenny paused briefly in front of the grunt to tie her shoe.
JENNY: “First jump, right?”
JENNY: The marine nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
JENNY: “Just hit your mark. Really, the only thing you need to do for this first one is get out of the plane. Just fall forward when I call your name. You can fall down, right?”
JENNY: The marine nodded, weakly smiling.
JENNY: “I knew it. Just hit that mark. Your gear and I will do the rest.” She leaned forward, pitching her voice lower. “You can do this, soldier.” Jenny straightened, slapping the young soldier on the helmet while raising her voice to the rest of her students. “All right, jarheads, find your places, we’re going halo jumping!”
—
FIGGAN: Fig – a much smaller, probably younger version of her — scampered to the edge of the open-topped flyer. Trying to avoid the shock from her retraining collar, she looked down as they crossed a ridge line and a mammoth performance canyon plunged below them. There were at least a million beings that looked something like her only much, much larger gathered before a sweeping stage lit so brightly that it could no doubt be seen from space. It was surrounded by acres of hovering video screens. On stage was band, riotously jamming out. She had never seen the Oracle from the sky before and she was entranced. At least she was until the Guardian next to her yanked her back to her seat and slapped her unconscious.
—
STORY: Tueller, you step off the shuttle that has deposited you back on the Ark and realize with a nonzero amount of dread that you’re in charge.
STORY: Figgan, Jenny, Akilah, and Kahn stand beside you.
STORY: Akilah holds a duffel and the printout with the bounty. “So?”
TUELLER: “Doc Sil.”
STORY: She nods.
TUELLER: “Ethno…sociologist or something?”
TUELLER: “Lights herself on fire occasionally.”
TUELLER: “Follow me.”
STORY: Kahn cocks his head. “Huh.”
TUELLER: “Yeah, it’s a bit of a surprise the first time it happens. And the tenth, I assume.”
TUELLER: “But she’s interested in the Maitri not only in a ‘how do I kill this one?’ sort of way.”
STORY: Grabbing a taxi?
FIGGAN: “Are we interested in that? I mean, for this mission?” Fig looks up at Kahn with a shrug.
TUELLER: “Killing them? Hopefully not. There were hundreds of them and only I could take any of them.”
TUELLER: Tueller looks at Jenny and Kahn, “Well, you two, too.”
JENNY: Jenny shrugs. “Rather not.”
STORY: Kahn nods. “Rather n–” and smiles at Jenny.
FIGGAN: “Good point. That’s why you’re the boss, boss.”
TUELLER: “Me neither.”
JENNY: Jenny smiles back at him.
TUELLER: Tueller throws up his arm and a luxury SUV taxi descends to pick them up.
TUELLER: Tueller wants to talk to the cabbie.
STORY: The cabbie is a robot, but they are programmed with a limited amount of small talk!
TUELLER: Cabbies are excellent sources of local color in fiction, and occasionally…goddammit!
TUELLER: “Hey buddy…been off world for awhile. Whatever happened to that war party of Maitri, anyway?”
TUELLER: Tueller sits back in the cab and just exudes the air of a pampered tourist.
STORY: The cabbie answers by playing a news piece about their continued occupation of the Siglight Hotel. They’ve hunkered down, established supply lines and hired couriers, and none have left in months.
STORY: Any other questions?
TUELLER: Huh. “Any news about the missing councilor?”
STORY: Another news piece, this one more fluffy, about the councilor herself. After a few minutes of glowing coverage of her political history, she has not been seen in three weeks, and her last known whereabouts were this hotel, leading to the bounty on the Antaam.
TUELLER: “Akilah, you got any courier contacts? We got an in there?”
STORY: Akilah thinks about it. “Ezio’s Sergio’s errand boy, we could see if he knows anything.”
TUELLER: “Figgy, you and him bonded, didn’t you?”
FIGGAN: Fig laughs. “Guess we did. Still owes me a bunch of drinks though. Happy to try to collect and see what he might know. Wouldn’t hope too much though. He’s a complete idiot.”
FIGGAN: “Got a great smile though.”
TUELLER: “He’s a sleazy little shit but he’s resourceful. He’s no Sergio, at least.”
TUELLER: Tueller shrugs.
FIGGAN: “Don’t pick on sleazy little shits!” She smiles with too many teeth for her small mouth.
STORY: The cab ride to Three’s new offices is quick, and the five of you ring the bell. Before anyone realizes they ought to warn Kahn, Tariq opens the door and stares in shock.
TUELLER: Tueller says, “Oh shit I forgot about…oh fuck.”
STORY: Kahn inhales slowly, then nods.
TUELLER: “Hi Tariq.”
STORY: Tariq also nods. “Hi Tueller.”
STORY: “Something you need?”
TUELLER: “Doc Sil around?”
STORY: He nods. “Yeah?” Still watching Kahn, who is looking at his feet.
JENNY: Jenny smiles big and quietly and slips in for a quick and unobtrusive hug
JENNY: Then slips back into the doorway
STORY: Tariq returns it, smiling. “Hi kiddo.”
TUELLER: Tueller tries again, “Is Doc Sil around and feeling like chatting with us?”
STORY: “Uh, I’ll check, sorry. C’mon in.” He opens the door for you and shows you to the waiting room.
TUELLER: “It’s about the Maitri again.”
TUELLER: “If that skews her interest at all.”
STORY: “Yeah, I’ll let her know, one sec.” He goes through a door into the back hallway.
FIGGAN: Figgan fidgets, stepping back and forth from one set of appendages to the other, clearly uneasy with all these awkward feelings. She rushes in when Tariq opens the door, and then realizes that she’s just in a waiting room, so she goes back to her rocking agitation.
STORY: Kahn holds his head in his hand. “Thanks for that, guys.”
FIGGAN: “Yeah, we suck. Sorry kid.”
TUELLER: “That is my…I’m sorry. It slipped my mind entirely.”
STORY: He nods and waves his hand. “Too late to change it.”
TUELLER: “At least Millie wasn’t here. She’d have made that waaay more awkward.”
STORY: Kahn laughs.
STORY: Tariq comes back, holds the door to the back hallway for you. “Third door on the right.”
TUELLER: “Thanks bud.”
TUELLER: Tueller heads back, not looking to see how anyone else responds.
JENNY: Jenny follows, after giving Tariq a squeeze on the arm on the way past.
STORY: You head back and assemble in Dr. Sil’s office, all finding places to sit or perch before you realize that you are one short. Akilah takes the seat across Dr. Sil.
JENNY: Jenny stands in the back
FIGGAN: Figgan glances back out the door and down the hall, then shrugs and settles in beside Jenny, standing as well.
TUELLER: Tueller sits next to Akilah and lounges.
STORY: Dr. Sil smiles at the four of you. “What have you got for me today?”
TUELLER: “Hey Doc. How’ve you been?”
STORY: She waves her hand in a circle. “Good, good. I’m sorry for the rush, I’m expecting some documentation to come in shortly and will need to focus on that when it arrives.”
TUELLER: “Okay. We’re…well, we’re wondering what else you’ve heard about the Maitri and the missing councilor.”
STORY: Tueller, let’s have an Assessment + Influence on this!
TUELLER: /roll 2d6
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 6
TUELLER: Who has two thumbs and sucks? This guy.
STORY: “Not much, to be fair. I assume you’ve heard the official line?”
TUELLER: “We’ve heard the official headline. We’ve been off-Ark for awhile.”
TUELLER: “Just that the councilor went in, and didn’t come out.”
STORY: She nods. “Indeed. And since then, the Maitri have gone on lockdown. No more couriers, shipments are left in the lobby, no social visits out of the hotel. No one’s seen a Maitri since the day the councilor disappeared.”
STORY: “Are you planning on going back to see them?”
TUELLER: Tueller is silent at that at first.
TUELLER: Quietly, “I don’t know. It felt like we barely made it out the first time.”
TUELLER: “My only real experience with the Maitri is with a Maraas ex-girlfriend, so I don’t know what’s typical with them.”
STORY: Dr. Sil claps. “A Maraas! You don’t say.”
STORY: “Does she still keep the Maitri customs?”
TUELLER: “I didn’t have anything to compare it to, Doc. I think so.”
STORY: “Fascinating. I’d love to interview her.”
JENNY: Jenny makes a face.
FIGGAN: Fig rolls her eyes at this.
TUELLER: “If we can resolve this, I’ll see if she’ll talk to you. She’s away, right now, what with the Maitri not being too friendly with the Maraas.”
STORY: “Smart move.”
STORY: “Well, I think if you’re interested in investigating this, there isn’t much to do but go see the Antaam. If you survived your first conversation, I’m sure she likes you!”
TUELLER: “I like your confidence, Doc.”
TUELLER: “Is your experience with Maitri first hand?”
STORY: “Some, some. Mostly through a jail cell, of course. They don’t often favor studies.”
TUELLER: “Right. Right.”
TUELLER: “Anyone else have any questions for the Doc before we leave her? As” head nod out towards where Kahn and Tariq might be, “recent circumstances have demonstrated, I may overlook important details here or there.”
TUELLER: “No hierarchy here. We’re not on the ship, speak up!”
STORY: Akilah takes a deep breath. “How do we get an audience?”
STORY: Dr. Sil tilts her head. “Best guess… he asks for one.” She nods towards Tueller.
STORY: “If they’re hiding the Antaam there, which all our information suggests, it may simply be a question of presenting yourself for parlay.”
FIGGAN: “Nothing could go wrong with that.” Fig says quietly.
TUELLER: Tueller closes his eyes and exhales audibly.
TUELLER: Tueller opens his eyes again. “Once more into the breach dear friends, once more.”
STORY: “Good luck!” Dr. Sil nods cheerfully.
TUELLER: “Yes, thanks, Doc.”
TUELLER: “Hope to speak with you again.”
TUELLER: Tueller gives everyone a look, and then a nod, and then stands up.
STORY: You return to the waiting room and find Kahn there, elbows resting on his knees, breathing deep, alone.
STORY: He looks up at you and stands.
TUELLER: Tueller looks to Kahn, and then to Jenny.
TUELLER: Taking cues from how she responds.
JENNY: Jenny walks over and stands behind Kahn. She leans in, whisper asks him if he needs to talk right now.
STORY: He shakes his head and gives her hand a squeeze.
JENNY: She squeezes back, smiles at him. Punches his shoulder, gauges his reaction, then nods quickly to Tueller when she’s sure he’s the only one watching.
FIGGAN: As she does this, Fig moves closer to Tueller and stretches as tall as she gets, talking quietly to him, “Heavy is the crown, right? Still want me to hit up Ezio?” She’s barely at Tueller’s waist.
TUELLER: “Yeah, please, first.”
TUELLER: “Before we do anything we can’t take back.”
STORY: Let’s split up for a bit!
STORY: Jenny, Kahn will take you up on grabbing lunch. Akilah returns to the office space to check her mail and drop her bag, so Figgan you should go with her to set up a meet with Ezio.
FIGGAN: Fig does so.
STORY: Akilah gives you Ezio’s contact info from the office – how are you doing this?
FIGGAN: She’s going to give him a buzz and demand that he pay up on the drinks he owes, immediately. She’s playful but firm.
STORY: Ezio meets you for drinks at his local, a dive bar with a dark back room he has the door key to. It’s relatively quiet back there, maybe only a dozen other people drinking and chatting quietly.
STORY: “What’s up, Fig?”
FIGGAN: “Ezio, damn I do love it when you flash that smile!” She hops up onto the nearest chair.
FIGGAN: “How’s Ark shit?”
STORY: “Busy. How’s space shit?”
FIGGAN: “Wild.” She orders two beers from the nearest server. “He’s buyin’,” she adds.
STORY: Ezio nods in agreement to the bartender.
FIGGAN: “So, you hear anything about this missing councilor mess?”
STORY: He laughs. “Yeah, Sergio bringing you in on that one?”
FIGGAN: She raises her glass in apparent agreement, with a nod, and downs the entire thing.
FIGGAN: “So what’s the story? Seems like a clusterfuck.”
STORY: “It was a little messy, sure, but it all worked out in the end. What’s he got you doing, cleanup? Going to fetch the Antaam for her court date or what?”
FIGGAN: Fig smiles. “Why’s it always gotta be messy, am I right?” She take a smaller sip of her second beer. “And why am I always cleanin’ it up!” She smiles again. “So, yeah, how much of a mess was it?”
STORY: Figgan, why don’t you Assessment + Influence to see what you get out of Ezio.
FIGGAN: /roll 2d6
STORY: ablair01 rolled 8
STORY: You have a few friendly rounds with Ezio, and get out of him the following: Ezio was tasked with forging a ransom note from the Antaam and false identification papers and Sectornet history for the councilor, he doesn’t know who Sergio is working for but he does know he’s being paid handsomely, and the plan more or less went as intended except for the part where the Antaam won’t leave the hotel and take the fall for the councilor’s disappearance. He assumes Sergio has brought your crew in to “persuade” the Antaam to leave and get her arrested.
TUELLER: Somewhere, Tueller feels relieved and doesn’t know why.
FIGGAN: Eventually, Figgan excuses herself, orders one more round of shots and has them delivered to Ezio, as is their custom when they finish up a bar hop session, and leaves to make her way, drunkenly, back to the others.
STORY: Jenny, while Figgan is getting drunk, you’re talking to Kahn, who is his usual concise self but is also clearly in a flurry of emotions.
STORY: He hasn’t made up his mind about anything, but he’s supposed to meet Tariq later to talk.
STORY: Shall we all rejoin at the offices?
JENNY: Jenny nods
TUELLER: Tueller went back to the ship to get his Maitri armor, in anticipation of going to the hotel. He meets us all back at the office.
STORY: Tueller, the ship’s gone, let’s assume you had brought it with you
STORY: The others are on their way to find Tux’s ship
TUELLER: (He’s not wearing his armor, but wheeling the crate with it in there. Not from the ship, then, but from his flat.)
TUELLER: Tueller’s not walking around the Ark dressed like a Maitri shock troop.
TUELLER: Anyway, meets y’all back at the office, leaning on the crate waiting for people to arrive.
STORY: Akilah’s been doing research while everyone has been having their side quests.
STORY: What do?
FIGGAN: Figgan is a little wobbly coming in the door, even as she uses all four limbs to move. She tells them what she learned from Ezio. “Gotta respect the balls on that Sergio jackhole.”
TUELLER: After Figgan catches us up: “So she’s gone. Don’t know if it’s a kidnapping or an assisted escape.”
TUELLER: “The Maitri are the fall guys, which is maybe the dumbest plan Sergio’s had and that’s saying quite a bit from me.”
FIGGAN: “I’d say let the Annatammm,” she’s slury, “know it was all Sergio and stay outta the blood splatter way.”
TUELLER: “300 angry Maitri could be an existential threat to the station if it got ugly.”
STORY: Akilah sighs.
STORY: “I don’t know if getting Sergio killed helps us.”
STORY: “As much as he is a jackass, he’s a useful jackass.”
TUELLER: “Sergio is our business partner and a guy who learned from CJH the value of a dead man’s switch.”
STORY: “Plus, we’ve got to assume he’s got his intel on Millie set to a dead man’s switch.”
STORY: “Jinx,” she nods to Tueller.
FIGGAN: “It’d be real fun though, huh?” She smiles and sits down.
TUELLER: “It would be glorious.”
TUELLER: “But I’ve decided to stop doing things that are momentarily glorious that wind up fucking us all.”
JENNY: Jenny cocks her head to the side. “Wouldn’t hurt to have him owe us, though, would it?”
STORY: Akilah smiles and points at Jenny. “Now that kind of thinking, I like.”
JENNY: Jenny smiles.
FIGGAN: “Ohhhh.” Figgan points at Jenny as well. “I like you.”
TUELLER: Tueller again closes his eyes. “Man, I swore off making impulsive decisions like two days ago.”
TUELLER: “Guys, you guys are my external consciences. I need you to be more obvious angels and devils on my shoulder here so I can know what’s good ideas and what are bad fun ones.”
FIGGAN: Fig raises her hand. “Devil. For sure. Devil.”
TUELLER: “Don’t literally get on my shoulder this time around.”
FIGGAN: “Boo.”
JENNY: Jenny lays out her hands in front of her. “I don’t know much about angels or devils, but if we can find the councilor and return them in one piece we’d be owed by the Maitri and the Ark. And then, for fun, we could set up a dead-man’s switch with the information that Sergio tried to get the Maitri strung up. We could end up covering our hides AND come out ahead.”
JENNY: She makes eye contact with Kahn while no one is watching and mouths, “For once.”
STORY: Akilah nods along with this. “Good plan. So where is she?”
TUELLER: Tueller looks to Figgan.
JENNY: Jenny shrugs. “I don’t know. We could use a detective. Or a systems analyst.”
JENNY: “Ark’s covered in cameras, right?”
TUELLER: “That glass jawed putz give anything else away?”
TUELLER: “We don’t have the Doc.”
FIGGAN: Figgan shakes her head, exaggeratedly. “Nope. Nothing else.”
TUELLER: “Or the Ghost.”
TUELLER: “Such as she is now.”
STORY: Akilah pushes out the chair next to her desk, offering it to Tueller. “Better get reading, then.”
STORY: She loads up all the screens in the office to different public databases. “Local news,” she says, pointing to each, “Crime stats, gossip sites, I’ll check legal briefs filed in the last month.”
STORY: “Kahn, you up for some legwork?”
STORY: Kahn nods.
TUELLER: Tueller sighs. “I guess this is better than strapping on the armor and taking on an innocent Antaam.”
TUELLER: “But only slightly.”
STORY: She types quickly and sends something to the printer, signing it. “Turns out being a lawyer is useful for a few things. Run this down to all the local circuit courts and bring me back whatever they give you.”
STORY: Kahn nods and departs.
FIGGAN: “I’m gonna need coffee. Like, a lot of coffee.” Fig stands.
TUELLER: Tueller actually is pretty knowledgable at how crime networks work, so he starts up with exactly what Akilah said, and just starts skimming.
TUELLER: “Coffee. Make it Irish, please.”
TUELLER: “There’s a bottle of something nice up there in the ceiling, please.”
TUELLER: Tueller points up to the drop ceiling without looking up from the screen.
JENNY: Jenny rolls her eyes and starts wading through gossip sites.
STORY: Who wants to lead the Assessment roll? Others can help if you like.
TUELLER: I will!
STORY: Assessment + Expertise please!
FIGGAN: Figgan frowns a little, then nods, and drags a chair and a couple of boxes over to the ceiling. She then makes coffee and eventually joins the hunt.
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+2
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 10 + 2 = 12
STORY: Well, turns out all those gossip sites are unnecessary reading, Jenny.
STORY: Figgan returns with the coffee and places one in Tueller’s hand as he announces, “Got it.”
TUELLER: Tueller holds up a finger like he’s about to speak, but keeps typing away one handed for a minute or two longer, while people look at him.
TUELLER: He puts his hand down, takes a sip of the coffee, puts the cup back down, and puts his finger back up in the air again.
JENNY: “Is this a bit?”
TUELLER: “This is funny. CJH has gotten into the private prison game.”
FIGGAN: Figgan sits back on her arms, a cup of coffee in each of her leg hands.
TUELLER: “And the Ark has played along. There’s a pipeline for some criminals, tried and convicted here on the Ark, sent to a CJH penal colony near…our home system.”
FIGGAN: “Any skevvy shit your family isn’t into? Not judging. Just wondering.”
TUELLER: “Figgy, you know Bria the Red? Vitruvian merc? Real asshole.”
FIGGAN: “Oh yeah.” She puffs.
TUELLER: To the rest. “Bria is Vitruvian. Same race as our missing perp. No, not perp. Politician. Anyway, Bria’s schtick when getting to a new holding pen is to immediately kill a baker’s dozen of the toughest motherfuckers at the new prison, just to establish herself as the biggest fucker of fuck mountain. Except when she went to Erehwon this time, that didn’t happen. No deaths at all.”
JENNY: Jenny laughs.
JENNY: Laughs and laughs.
TUELLER: “There’s where our councilor was sent.”
STORY: Akilah blows air out of her mouth, long and slow.
STORY: “So… you’re gonna need a fake ID, T.”
TUELLER: “And maybe some spirit gum for a mustache.”
STORY: “And I’m not going. I put too many people in that place.”
FIGGAN: “Fuck it. I’m in.”
FIGGAN: Fig slams the rest of her two cups of coffee and goes to get more.
TUELLER: “I’m leaving this up to my wise councilors here. I don’t have Millie or Ejo to help out here, and I’m even less even-keeled when my family is involved.”
TUELLER: “I make bad decisions when they’re involved.”
JENNY: Reluctantly. “They would probably be interested in hiring former Erde-Maris marines.”
JENNY: “As guards.”
JENNY: “But, I’m not going in without a C.O. who believes in what he’s doing. We’ll have your back, T. You just have to make the call and mean it.”
FIGGAN: “You got a devil on your shoulder, and Jenny here is twice the angel. You’ll be fiiine.”
JENNY: Jenny snorts at “angel”
TUELLER: “Lah, can you arrange a ship for us?”
FIGGAN: Figgan pours him a refill of the whiskey and coffee while he’s talking to Akilah.
STORY: “A ship?”
STORY: “Kinda figured we could just have you do a crime and I’ll ask the judge to send you there.”
STORY: She points at her chest. “Lawyer? Remember?”
TUELLER: “No, that…that….fuck, yeah, I guess that’s the job.”
FIGGAN: “Aww, this is gonna be hella fun.”
TUELLER: “Get me a new identity.”
STORY: Akilah nods.
STORY: “Jenny, Kahn, you think you can both get hired on as guards?”
STORY: Kahn tilts his head. “Sure, boss.”
STORY: Then you all remember, as I just did, that Kahn also worked for Akilah for years.
JENNY: Jenny nods, smiles. “Aye.”
TUELLER: “Ejo’s going to be so disappointed he missed this.”
STORY: “Two fake IDs, two guard jobs. Okay, I’ll get on it. Give me a couple hours.”
FIGGAN: “Yeah, there ain’t no way that crazy asshole Tux is worth missing this.”
FIGGAN: “Rest in peace.” She adds.
STORY: What’s everyone doing with their last few hours of freedom?
TUELLER: “Okay, get me an identity as something like a bootlegger from Enceladus. Hamish Rothesay, maybe? I can pull that off.“’
TUELLER: “You need me to commit an actual crime?”
STORY: “Don’t you _want_ to?”
FIGGAN: Figgan nods.
TUELLER: “It’s the getting caught that rankles me.”
JENNY: “You’re going to go to jail for _someone else’s crime_?”
JENNY: “You think you know a guy.”
TUELLER: “Never been arrested for a crime I’ve committed before. Don’t like ruining my perfect record.”
STORY: “Okay, hang on. We’ve got two options. Fresh new IDs for you and Figs, at which point you have to go rob something big, or I find existing warrants and give you fakes for those people. Then you just go use your credits somewhere and A-Sec will pick you up.”
STORY: Kahn looks exhausted about this whole conversation, and leans against a table with his arms crossed.
FIGGAN: “Might not be a bad failsafe, yeah? If we are incarcerated for somethin’ we didn’t do. Then if shit goes tits up, you can get us back out?”
JENNY: Jenny sticks out her tongue at Kahn when no one else is watching.
STORY: Kahn shakes his head.
TUELLER: “Problem with that is that she can’t get us out by giving our real names.”
STORY: “Well, you.”
STORY: “I can’t get _you_ out that way.”
JENNY: “Isn’t it a question of where a sentence will get you? If any of us are arrested under our real names, we’re as likely to be assassinated or taken by our enemies as tried for our arguable actual crimes.”
TUELLER: “So, make me Hamish, and we’ll see how many Sssszzzzsssss weapons I can steal before they get me.”
TUELLER: “Uppity gassy bastards.”
JENNY: Jenny nods.
JENNY: “Wait, I didn’t mean to nod for that racist bit. Shame on you, T.”
TUELLER: “They’re actually lovely clouds.”
FIGGAN: “See, angel.” Fig gives her a quick wink.
TUELLER: “I was just trying to get into character.”
STORY: Okay! Anyone doing anything in the next couple hours? Akilah needs some time to prep.
FIGGAN: Fig takes a nap.
JENNY: Nope, aside from emotionally supporting her friend(s), Jenny is ready
STORY: Speaking of, Jenny, Kahn needs a minute.
STORY: He’s anguished here. It takes you _ages_ to get the whole thing out of him, but he and Tariq haven’t spoken in a year, since Tariq left the crew. That part you know. Except for today, when they did speak, and it was pretty intense, and they are supposed to meet later to have an actual conversation, and now he’s about to go on some insane mission to a penal colony for who knows how long
STORY: You’ve never known Kahn to waver in his loyalty for a second, and here he is wavering. He doesn’t know what to do.
JENNY: Jenny consoles him as a friend, excuses herself to the restroom and calls Akilah from a pay phone.
STORY: “What’s up?”
JENNY: “I’d like to owe you a favor.”
JENNY: “In exchange for another favor that you will do me.”
STORY: “…”
STORY: “Let’s hear it.”
JENNY: “The favor is that you’ll need Kahn here on the Ark while we run this mission.”
STORY: Akilah sighs.
STORY: “Tariq?”
JENNY: “It’s my favor, not his. He never finds out, neither does anyone else.”
JENNY: “I can handle my end.”
STORY: “You’re a good friend, Jenny. Fine.”
JENNY: “Thank you, Akilah. I owe you One.” Capital is audible.
STORY: Okay!
STORY: Everyone else good to go on this reverse-heist?
FIGGAN: Sure thing.
STORY: Figgan, tell us about your new ID
FIGGAN: Figgan is now Yepta Blewer, a wheel woman extraordinaire. She’s got a limited record because she’s supposedly just that good. She not only handles the transportation, but she handles getting, cleaning, and disposing of the vehicles.
STORY: Cool.
STORY: Tueller, you’re a bootlegger from Encedalus?
TUELLER: Yep.
TUELLER: Cattlefarmer turned bootlegger.
STORY: Cool. You arrive back at the office and Akilah stands. “Hamish, Yepta,” she says as she hands each of you a small envelope.
TUELLER: Tueller takes off his gloves and hands them to Akilah. “Ms. Ya’Makasi.”
FIGGAN: “Yepta?” Figgan takes the envelope.
STORY: It’s various documents. “Better get rid of any real ID, credits, that kind of thing. Start using these.”
TUELLER: Tueller takes out everything that’s personal, and gives it to Akilah.
FIGGAN: “Yepta?” She mutters to herself as she starts to shed all of those items, putting them on the desk. She’s got stuff stuffed in every pocket, so it takes a moment.
TUELLER: “I need shittier clothes.”
STORY: “Jenny, you’ve got an interview tomorrow morning for a guard position on Erehwon that just opened up. I hear Esinam is sitting in on some of the interviews, so Kahn, it’s not safe for you. I don’t think E knows who you are, Jenny. You feel comfortable with the risk?”
TUELLER: Tueller looks to Kahn. “Shit, sorry man.”
JENNY: Jenny nods. “I’ve got this.”
JENNY: Jenny smiles at Kahn. “I’ve got this.”
FIGGAN: “Tough break, kid.” Figgan gives him a quick pat on his arm.
STORY: Kahn looks relieved as Akilah continues. “I’m gonna need help here anyway, so we’re the away-away mission.”
STORY: Okay!
STORY: Tueller, tell me about your heist with Figgan. What’s the plan?
TUELLER: So, my basic idea is that Hamish and Yepta will try to break into the Ssssszzzzssss embassy and make their way to the armory.
TUELLER: (Tueller chose the Ssssszzzzssss because he’s fascinated by them, and also because they’re basically impossible to kill).
STORY: All right! Figgan, what’s the major barrier to getting into the embassy?
TUELLER: (The Ssssszzzzzssss are sentient genius gas clouds…they usually keep themselves contained to suits out of politeness and they us effector technology to manipulate objects.)
FIGGAN: Once we’re inside the main area, there are biometric scanners on all of the doors to the places we want to get.
TUELLER:
FIGGAN: And we’re not Ssssszzzzssss, so we’re going to have a bear of a time hacking past them.
STORY: Tueller, what’s the plan to get past them?
TUELLER: Explosives!
STORY: hahah
STORY: Okay! You come in loud and bangy. Cops come quickly. Roll Face Adversity + Mettle for me please
FIGGAN: Fig does a double take when Tueller explains his plan.
TUELLER: Two distraction blasts, and then one for the door that we want to go through.
TUELLER: /roll 2d6+1
STORY: chris.stuart rolled 12 + 1 = 13
TUELLER: WOOOOOO MOTHERFUCKA!
FIGGAN: –Yeah!
JENNY: —hell yeah
FIGGAN: –Except we’re supposed to get caught.
TUELLER: —Eventually.
STORY: The plan almost goes _too_ well.
TUELLER: —I want to get my hands on some alien guns and press the trigger, honestly.
TUELLER: —my plan if it goes well is to just pull the trigger till it goes _click_
STORY: You breeze through the necessary doors, push past two besuited security guards who quickly exit their suits and do their best to stop you in gas form, and lay hands on the weaponry just as the A-Sec cops make it to you.
STORY: “Freeze! Drop your weapons!”
TUELLER: “Oh come on man just 30 seconds more I just want to see what this does, aren’t you curious?”
FIGGAN: Figgan has an alien gun in each hand. She slowly lowers them to the ground.
TUELLER: Tueller hefts some controls and the gun floats in the air, pointed where ever Tueller wants it to point.
TUELLER: It glows a creepy blacker than black color.
FIGGAN: “That’s so cool!”
STORY: “I SAID DROP IT!”
TUELLER: Like light no longer exists where it is.
FIGGAN: Figgan’s hands are now theatrically in the air. “Alright, alright.” She’s still looking at the blackhole gun.
TUELLER: “Honestly at this point i’m not sure how. Turns out those smart farts don’t know shit about human-fart interfaces.”
TUELLER: Tueller gets down on his knees, with his arms raised, but the gun points straight up when he does so.
STORY: There’s a bit of comedy as this goes on, but A-Sec does eventually take you in without violence. You don’t get to see what the guns do, sadly.
TUELLER: “Okay. I’m stopping. I swear. I just…come on, aren’t you curious?”
TUELLER: Tueller looks back wistfully as they take him away.
STORY: You’re taken into custody. Akilah meets you soon after as your legal representation. The trial goes quickly, as these things do, especially with Yepta’s priors.
STORY: And she successfully pleads to have you sent to Erehwon.
STORY: Jenny, let’s see how your interview went?
JENNY: Jenny brings two copies of her resume and sits in the lobby with her hands folded on her lap
STORY: You arrive the next morning for your interview! It isn’t Esinam, luckily, just some lower-down delegate.
STORY: What’s your angle here? Playing it straight?
JENNY: I’m going to Deduce what is Most Vulnerable
STORY: This person has to make a hire soon.
JENNY: Oh good
STORY: So she’s the most vulnerable in this situation
JENNY: Playing it straight.
STORY: You can tell she’s somewhat desperate for an even moderately good fit.
STORY: Okay!
STORY: Give me FA + Mettle please
JENNY: I’ve got a solid resume and work history, she doesn’t have time or inclination to research WHY I’m after this job.
JENNY: /roll 2d6 + 2
STORY: josh rolled 8 + 2 = 10
STORY: She doesn’t even check your references!
JENNY: If she did she would find them all disappointed only to hear that Jenny wasn’t interested in coming back to where they work.
STORY: All right! We’ve got ten minutes left. I want to scene set once you arrive at Erehwon.
STORY: You all arrive after a two jumps and a week. Jenny, you actually end up in the same transport as Hamish and Yepta.
JENNY: Jenny makes no eye contact.
STORY: It’s a moon!
STORY: A small, recently terraformed moon in the Alpha Centauri system.
STORY: Figgan, tell me about the environment. What’s the ecology of this place?
STORY: The staff lives separately and is mostly there to monitor what’s going on. They don’t interact day to day with the prisoners, who are charged with farming the land and mining for copper, which contributes to their accounts for buying things they can’t make themselves on the colony.
FIGGAN: The moon is mostly made up of rock and algae. Lots and lots of algae. So it smells pretty awful. But it’s bright and temperate. The main housing is basic, two story square units, situated around a central hub where all of the common services are located. The guards have a tower in the middle that is at least thirty stories tall, with windows and observation cameras looking out in all directions. The entire compound is surrounded by a fence, with a few guard shacks. But mostly, if prisoners were to wander off, they’d die because the only way to get potable water is through a complex reclamation system in the central hub area.
STORY: All right! Tueller, tell me about the prisoners. Are there gangs? Who’s at the top of the pecking order? You haven’t had a chance to find the councilor yet, but you’re here about a week, long enough to get a sense of who’s in charge here.
STORY: and Jenny, tell me about how the guards operate, what you’re charged with, day to day operations on your side.
JENNY: Sure.
TUELLER: There are gangs, but Tueller has not yet figured out what unifies them. He came in expecting people to segregate by species, and is bewildered to find that this does not seem to be the case. Part of the problem is that each gang keeps to themselves. The penal colony is set up to fit a LOT more people, so there’s plenty of space and (basic) essentials for the different groups to hang out relatively comfortably as long as they hit their quotas if they don’t want to interact with each other.
TUELLER: Tueller is actually bewildered, because there doesn’t seem to be anyone in charge at all, not even the guards, who he sometimes goes for entire days without seeing.
JENNY: The guards live in the middle tower. Guard duty consists of perimeter duty, tower duty, and actual inmate duty. Actual inmate duty is the considered the least pleasant, most personal, and most likely assigned to newbies. It’s actually not that bad! Guards escort prisoners to and from their work details, ensure the work is done to a minimum standard, and keep fights from getting too bloody. Because the camp was designed for a much larger capacity and is so dispersed, it’s actually kind of nice. Jenny’s initial impressions is that everyone here is trying not to let on how not bad it is, from inmates to guards to visitors.