Anson occupies himself during the voyage with VR games when not thinking up plans in his head for various scenarios and possible defenses for Georg as well as trying not to annoy Wingnut too bad.
You have arrived at the habitat.
Boone quickly realizes that he's going to have a problem; without any kind of diplomatic or military license he's not going to be able to get his weapons aboard the intra-system shuttle that is the last leg of the journey.
"Well sorry about that folks..poor planning on my part. Too use to those back-wood moons and bases that do not require a permit to carry a weapon. Will have to leave the heavy stuff behind, I'm afraid."
What is the law level here? What can I bring?
It's pretty prohibitive; pretty much no fire-arms,explosives, blades, or energy weapons.
So you board the intra-system shuttle, which is pretty much the 'party bus'. You fellow passengers are a gaggle of laughing and preening idle rich.
Your instructions from Orismov are, upon arrival, to contact a woman named Aeryl who is employed as a hostess in the casino's VIP lounge.
Anson spends the time waiting for the shuttle to arrive at the casino by looking at the sights offered. His clothes feel out of place with all the expensive wear the other passengers are wearing.
Perhaps it is just well that you were not able to get any weapons aboard the shuttle, as your fellow passengers are infuriating in their postured artificiality.
The view, though, as your make your final approach to the landing platform, is terrible and grand, a vast plain of roiling magma under skies of mephitic fury.
Even the rakes and their giggling companions are momentarily hushed by the the spectacle.
So the shuttle sets down on the landing stage, and you board the air-car to take you to the casino.
Anson relaxes in the comfortable interior of the air-car before engaging the others in conversation.
"Follow me to the VIP lounge first, just in case, and if we're lucky afterwards you can take the time to yourselves."
"Isn't this exciting!" Coos a pretty young thing, her skin pulsing with animated tattoos, as you crowd into the air-car that will take you to the casino.
Eli nods his agreement to Anson's plan, then sits back and keeps his eyes on the other passengers in the air car.
Aurora shifts uncomfortably, feeling ill-at-ease about the whole affair. She can't shake the feeling that they were walking into a trap.
The air car scoots over the infernal landscape. Down below, besides a fiery river of lava, a sturdy tank-like crawler has stopped. A group of tourists, in silvery environmental suits, are dis-embarking, to watch the plumes and geysers of flame.
Eli just shakes his head at the foolhardiness of these people.
"It's bad enough they attempt to build a casino on an inferno-class planet, but to offer sight seeing! Even when I was with the scout service we usually only probed planets like this from space!"
"The arrogance of the rich," Anson says dryly. "Or people in general, I suppose. I wonder if we'll have to sign a contract freeing the casino of any liability in event of injury or death."
Your forebodings of catastrophe seem be bearing out before your very eyes,
a trio of fool-hardy tourists have scrambled out onto a crust of solidified lava; which then breaks away, drifting raft-like, into the lava-stream.
Aurora is aghast! "Anson, Eli, we have to do something to help them!"
The pilot of your air-car appears to be frozen in indecision.
The car is running on a programmed loop! Beside, if we open the canopy we'll all be dead in minutes!
"Eli, can you override this thing and bring it under manual control? If we have minutes to spare with the canopy open, then we might be able to pull this off!"
Aurora begins making mental calculations to determine exactly how long we would have if the canopy were opened.
Eli moves into the pilots space and tries to move over to where the people are stranded.
Mechanic:
Pilot-small craft:
Anson calms everyone down even as Aurora and Eli proceed with their plan. "Please, everyone, stay calm. We have this under control and we won't be taking any unnecessary risks. You may experience some discomfort but I assure you that we'll take every precaution to be safe and the facilities of our destination will accommodate any concerns you may have. You can even treat this as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, seeing all this from close-up!"
Even as he speaks, Anson reviews what he knows about the craft and its engines to help Eli.
Boone roughly shoves the stunned pilot from his seat, and dis-engages the 'auto-pilot'; and quickly brings the car to a hovering stop over the stranded tourists.
Fineline and Feldspar quickly confer, and decide to have the car's other occupants gather opposite the section of canopy that they'll be opening.
.
Boone brings the Air Car as close to the stranded tourists as he dares, all the time fighting the thermal updraft that buffets it.
Fineline and Feldspar, after dousing themselves liberally with bottled water, pop open the canopy, and beginning dragging in the trapped tourists.
Furnace hot air, full of fiery ash and cinders, blasts the interior of the car.
The feckless tourists are dragged into the car, the canopy slammed shut, and then Boone is gliding away, back towards the casino.
"Is everyone ok back there? Do I need to head right for a medical station, or just call it in?"
He smiles sheepishly at the pilot.
"Sorry about that bub....but it did not look like you were willing to try and go get them. Here you go...back in your control!"
Aurora checks the tourists to make sure that no one is badly injured, then gives a grateful look at Eli and Anson.
Anson winces as he moves, looking quite like he's spent too much time on the sun. He seems to bet he only one injured. "Let's just head to the casino before anything else happens."
Of the debutantes that you had to share the car with; most of them are thrilled with their brush with danger.
Most.
"You put all our lives in danger!" Shrills one a youth with a towering plume of hair.
The tourists remove their re-breather masks, to thank you effusively.
"That was not very smart of us was it!
Eli gives them a flat stare.
"No..it wasn't"
He ignores the youth who complains and simply gets ready to disembark as soon as the shuttle arrives.
Aurora tries to maintain her composure, but when the youth speaks up, she turns and glares at him. Getting right up in his face, she says, "You were never in any real danger. Mr. Boone had the controls, and I would trust him with my life! In fact, I have!"
He gives Dr. Feldspar a defiant stare, but a quiver in his lower lip undermines much of the intimidation he he was hoping for.
You arrive at the Casino docking station, and are swarmed quickly by emergency technicians.
Anson shrugs at the protesting youth. "It's done and over with and your friends don't seem to mind."
He doesn't say anything when they get swarmed by emergency technicians, half-hoping they can get through this without any distractions… it's unlikely though.
Everybody gets a clean bill of health from the medical staff, who then withdraw.
Rescued tourist: "My name is Andru Bly, and again I thank you!"
Someone in the hotel's livery crowds in on you.
Hotel Concierge: "That was really something you did, and hotel management wants you to know that we really appreciate it! Tours of the lava fields are meant to be safe and fun, and follow stringent safety policies! Of course, there's no telling when some-one might get an idea inside their head to do something fool-hardy, something that puts their life on risk!"
"Well that is very nice of the management to recognise our heroics. Now how is the hotel showing their gratitude?"
Eli puts his arm around the fellow's shoulder and motions to the others to follow them away from the crowds.
Hotel Concierge: "We'll of course comp your rooms while you're here. You'll also each get 5000 credits apiece in chips, in the game-room.
Concierge: "We've also of course upgraded you to a VIP suite."
He passes a you a trio of room-key cards.
"Thank you very much," Anson says, taking his room-key. "Where would the VIP lounge happen to be? I think it would do us some good to relax."
I heartily agree," Aurora says, taking her key as well.
"Of course," he purrs, all oozing obsequiousness. "I'll summon a bot to take you there directly."
So Orismov's instructions, which show his fondness for melodramatic conspiracy, are that you're supposed to request an old standard from the band playing in the VIP lounge, 'The Stardust in Your Eyes': upon hearing this tune played, your contact will know that you have arrived.
"Thanks pal! We will enjoy ourselves as soon as we freshen up!"
Anson makes himself comfortable in the lounge, not immediately request a song change so they don't arouse suspicion. "Take a few moments to relax and then I'll put in the request."
As you take in the outrageous, and no doubt extremely expensive, fashion on display in this room, you feel a little out of place; definitely not your crowd.
Ahh, look some of the social climbers that came in on the inter-system shuttle with you are here, including the aggrieved kid with the big hair.
Aurora tries not to look at the kid, focusing her attentions elsewhere.
Anson sees them out of the corner of his eye and waits for what they do, not wanting them to interrupt when they meet their contact.
They take a table across the floor; 'Kid Attitude' glances in your direction, sneers, and then turns away.