Kaylee shrugs and smiles at the surly man. "It is always better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. I really hate to be in a situation and wishing for something that I wish I had brought. Sadly that thinking extends to everything and I am sure I overpacked my clothing and tools as well."
Albert nods slightly at Phineus and then returns to staring out at the surface, not responding to any other comments from the group. Shortly thereafter the elevator arrives and the large doors slide open.
The elevator is large and surprisingly well-maintained for one that belongs to a small colony. A display glows with large blue numbers that show how far the elevator has descended down the wall. After a ten minute drop, you feel the car begin to slow and a few moments later the elevator opens. Beyond the door lies Presidia, lit by the harsh glow of flood lights. Stepping out, you can see the wall of the canyon rapidly vanish into the darkness. It’s almost as if the sun doesn’t exist down here.
Despite the nocturnal environment, the town itself is as alive and active as any small colony on the surface. Men and women go about their respective business and children play here and there. The town’s sole ore processor emits a constant low frequency drone that anyone in the street is going to have to talk over. From your current perspective, you can see that Presidia has a single main street that runs directly away from the elevator. Buildings line either side of the street, with a couple of smaller streets leading to warehouses or similar buildings. All-in-all a relatively normal mining town, if you ignore the perpetual darkness that cloaks it.
When Hoss had entered the building he gave the man a polite nod, and then moved to a corner of the room; partially because the room was small and there were numerous persons and cases, partially because corners are the best spot on a wall for leaning into.
Hoss begins to frown as the direction of the conversations seems to continue it's mad rush downward. He begins to open his mouth to say something, thinks better of it, and then pulls out his video game in order to occupy himself while he awaits the elevator.
--
Once the elevator dings open Hoss takes an initial look around. It was as nice a place as any small town, after a while most of them seem to blend together. As he looks up Hoss smiles, at least this town had something to set it slightly apart.
He departs the elevator and onto the main street, looking for the Sheriff's Office or Police Station - whatever they happened to have in this place. Despite whether he sees it or not, Hoss will begin down the main street in order to find the Sheriff.
Kaylee departs the elevator as well, pulling her roll-a-long suitcase behind her. She starts heading on down Main Street as well, looking about at all the buildings they are passing and reading any street signs posted.
Adopting his best "authority figure" posture, Quinton will walk up to one of the nearest groups of adults and say "Good afternoon. I'm looking for the Sherriff's office. Would you please point me in the right direction?"
I follow who ever I think has the best chance of finding the sheriff's office first.
The people that Quintin approaches are dressed as you would expect - heavy coats with rebreather masks swinging around their necks. They seem to respond rather coldly to the signs of authority, but they answer nonetheless. You are all given quick directions to the Sheriff's Office which is a nondescript building right in the center of town. The people then move along unless held up directly.
Kaylee will join the others in following the directions given and heads on over to the Sheriff's office. She will give the door a knock and then open it if it is unlocked.
Once at the Sheriff's Office you enter a lobby with a single locked security door that allows access further into the building. A young attractive female deputy sits behind a desk and eyes you all with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. Once you let her know that you are Wardens she doesn't hesitate to let you inside.
You quickly cross the single large room that fills the bulk of the building. Inside are two other deputies that seem more bored than anything. Any conversation that may have been going on stops, as the pair of deputies seem more interested in watching you. You sense the same distrust that was palpable in streets, though here it seems more contained.
The deputy ushers you into the sole office, eager to be rid of you. A rugged looking man, the same you saw on the video stream in the Warden-Commander’s office, sits behind an equally rugged desk, steaming cup of coffee in hand.
“Hey Joe, these folk say they’re here at your request,” the deputy says, in a manner more familiar than you would use with one of your own superiors.
The Sheriff looks up from the flex screen he was studying and looks at each of you before nodding to the deputy. Without another word, she turns and leaves you alone with the man.
“Well, I know I asked for help, but I wasn’t expecting a bunch of Wardens to show up. Never had much dealing with Wardens – too secretive for my taste. But thanks for taking time to come down into the trench. Maybe you can make more sense of things than I can.”
"Greetings Sheriff, er, Joe. So, what exactly has been going on."
"Joe is fine, yeah. And...well...you'll have to tell me that. But let me tell you what I've gotten so far," he says as he slides a tablet across the desk to the group of you and continues. The tablet contains a record of all case files as well as any other data the Sheriff has thought was relevant.
"All this nonsense started about six months ago - thefts starting up here and there - though I don't know if that is really connected. About four months ago pets started to vanish. We thought it was just animals wandering off and freezing to death...things get cold here in the dark...but we never found any carcasses. About two months ago the first person went missing. That's what really set all of this off. It just...well it seems like they have just disappeared. All have been miners out at their dig sites - most of the folk around here have stopped going out because of it. Total of twelve disappearances so far...and no suspects...not even a group of them."
He pauses, nodding at the tablet. "You can look up anything you want on that. And I'm happy to help anyway I can," he says before pausing a bit longer and seeming reluctant to continue. "But...might I suggest that you leave your weapons here? Keeps everything safer and you are going to get a much better reception from the townfolk. And you should cover up those uniforms and badges. Folk around here don't take kindly to outside authority. I'll give you all of the codes for the building and the weapon lockers so you can get in here any time you like...just my personal recommendations." He leans forward a bit, interlocking his fingers and seeming relieved to have gotten that out of the way.
The tablet, if looked through, confirms everything the Sheriff has said. It looks like it will take you about a day to get through all of the information provided.
"We're here to help you. As my college said, why don't you explain it to us from the beginning."
Phineus smiles and nods at Joe. Thanks...Joe. Sounds like a difficult situation. I certainly hope we can help.
He looks around the room, You don't happen to have a room that we'd be able to...uh, 'take over', so to speak, while we're here. Just somewhere to put our gear and keep it out of your way. And set up some equipment. It doesn't have to be big. Just a table, a couple of chairs, and a free wall for a flexscreen for briefings.
He raises a hand and turns his head as he coughs, but continues, Along with the case information I'll need whatever scientific studies about the area. Weather, geological studies, anything really.
He leans over and takes the tablet, We'll start here and see what leads we can come up with.
--
Once they have a place to work he'll address the others, I'm not sure where you are all from, or how you became Wardens, or what you did before. But you should be aware that from these people's perspective, the only reason to carry a gun is to kill another person. Especially here. There's no wildlife. The only thing you could use that, he points to the shotgun hanging under Hoss' jacket, against is one of the townsfolk.
He pauses a moment, And that's going to scare the bejeesus out of them.
He looks around the room, Now, I'm not in charge of this operation. I'm just here as a science advisor. But if you want to come across as professional agents, I'd suggest just carrying your sidearms. And not openly. And if the Sheriff thinks hiding our badges is best, we should. Though I'm sure the whole town knows that a group of armed people came in and went straight to the Sheriff's office, so no sense in lying if asked.
He pulls out and sets up a large flexscreen on the wall, punching something into his wristcomp. Alright, we should get to work. I can set up our wristcomps to output to the screen if anyone finds something they think should be shared with the group. Otherwise I think we should split up these files and start looking through for anything useful.
You are quickly given a room and the codes to all of the safes in the building. The Sheriff seems genuinely relieved to have Wardens around, even if the deputies do not. The room has an old screen, but not many other amenities - though you do have a signal here as the relays in the elevator structure are quite powerful.
The Sheriff does also attempt to provide scientific data, but it is scarce. There is basically just a list of things that have been mined and various yields and trends thereof. It is clear why 4G Enterprises pulled out of the colony, though with small independent contractors, the yields, while common, are enough to support the town and don't seem to be likely to disappear soon, but the refusal of miners to go to the remote sites has certainly threatened finances recently. Weather is almost fixed here - nothing much gets in from above the chasm and the location is almost completely consumed by darkness. There are some semblances of seasons, but that mostly manifests in simple shifting of average temperature.
"I suppose local folklore could be useful. Joe, what time do the bars get busy around her? Also, who is the local wise person or crazy?"
The Sheriff seems a bit confused by the second part of that question. "Wise person? I guess me? At least in this context. I mean we've got the processing crew if you are looking for more knowledge about the infrastructure around here. But we don't really have anyone crazy that I know of. That would have been my first suspect with all of these disappearances," he says, continuing in a more certain manner. "As for the bar, it is really more of the town cafeteria, though they do serve alcohol. And that place is open all of the time; people come and go at odd hours to make dig site shifts or to work on the processor, so folk go whenever their shift is over or whenever they decide to come back in from the more remote digs."
Quinton will begin with what he's really good at: finding the thing that sticks out of the pattern. He'll dive into the basics of the missing people: where they lived, known associates, assigned dig areas, and so on. He'll add to this recent changes to the colony: new dig sites, new personnel, even new shipments of replacement parts or supplies. After staring at the information for a few hours, he'll get out and go walk the town, grabbing his shoulder duffel as he leaves.
You are fairly easily able to check delivery schedules, at least insofar as the Sheriff has access to them. Shipments out look normal, though have decreased steadily over the last two month as more and more people have either vanished or decided to stop going out. As for incoming supplies, nothing especially large has been ordered lately - the miners in Presidia keep things in good order - all that has come in are normal supplies and parts. No new personnel has arrived since 4G Enterprised pulled up roots and though rare, sometimes a person (or family) moves to Presidia to attempt to make their way in the world. One notable arrival five years ago was Ferris Bourne, a man that runs a local broadcast that no one listens to but that covers a lot of conspiracy theories.
The rest of the information cannot be gleaned in only a short time. The Sheriff, though well meaning, isn't at all used to this kind of an investigation. He's basically provided you with everything under the sun for the last six-eight months in an effort to avoid leaving anything out. As a result, the signal to noise ratio is extremely low. It will take a few hours just to sift through what is and is not relevant and then getting through the rest will take more. On the whole, if you all stay up later than you would normally, effectively "working through the night", you can get it all sorted out before needing to sleep. While it does take work from all of you, it is quite clear that Quinton and Phineus are by far the most productive members of the team at this task.
Assuming you do, you find the following relevant information:
- Many of the thefts involve thefts involve things used in traditional mining operations. Items of note include a batch of excavation explosives, shoring frames used to brace potentially unstable tunnels, sonic drills, a portable power generator, and mundane excavation tools.
- On two separate occasions, cases of portable batteries that would fit the sonic drills were reported as stolen.
- Two of the missing people are miners who specialized in excavation work. The rest of the of the miners range from rookies trying to strike out on their own to grizzled veterans with no detectable links beyond living in Presidia.
- There are no reports of grudges of any sort between any of the missing, and none of the missing are known noted for any suspicious behavior or habits beyond those normally associated with one who prefers living off the grid – as much as is possible in today’s world.
- The most recent thefts, with the most recent happening only the previous week, include things like high-tensile cables, pulleys, a large drive motor, and a large (12’ x 9’/4 m x 3 m) reinforced screen. Each was stolen at different times from different active mining sites. However, each one could potentially be used as a component for creating a high-capacity elevator.
Some additional leads you find include the following:
- Angelina Sanchez is the owner of the dog Sand, who is from a type of Australian Shepherd that has been bred to survive in the thin Martian atmosphere. Sand went missing about three months ago.
- Alise Alenin’s husband, Stepan, is one of those who has gone missing.
- Philip Van Hooser's business partner Li Zau is missing.
After your research, the Sheriff can get you some mattresses and blankets and the Sheriff's Office has a locker room and shower facilities.
Also do we have an approx. location of where the missing were last seen? In the mines, in town, in their beds, etc.?
The broadcast from Mr. Bourne is professional for what it is, though it does not broadcast for much of the time you are working. When it does touch and touches on the recent happenings, it seems to suggest a belief that aliens are attempting to take over Mars.
As for the disappearances, it is somewhat difficult to piece them all together, but it seems like people mostly vanished while out at dig sites.
Is it possible to get a list of specific dig sites, or are the reports a little too general for that?
Most miners visited many sites, particularly when they were farther away from town. As a result there is no real sense of where exactly they might have vanished from - all that is in the file is that they were known to have set out and didn't return. Talking to those close to people that vanished might yield more information regarding particular habits of particular people.
Besides the most recent thefts that we have records of, do we have records of which sites the other thefts occured at, or were they all from the same site at the same time?
Or are any of the sites connected....ie. Site A had sonic drills, batteries, and the cables stolen from it, Site B had X,Y,Z?
The explosives went missing from a nearby excavation site. The batteries and generic mining equipment were taken from the general store at the edge of town. The large screen, iron bars, and high tensile cable were stored at a storage yard about a quarter of a mile outside of town. Finally the portable welding generator was taken from a construction site about four hours out of town near a new mine.
Which was the "first" theft; on the time-line where did the very beginning of it all start, obviously ending with the disappearances of miners, and was there a noticeable pattern...like it started at a localized point A and then occurrences expanded exponentially from there sort of thing?
It is unclear from the notes. No one was in a panic when the thefts started, so it is unclear what might have gone missing when, things that were missing already were more likely to be noticed as the thefts went on and grew more serious. Checking the locations or interviewing people involved might garner more information.
Alright, do we at least have who is in charge of inventory or keeping the equipment in check for each of the sites? Or is it kind of haphazardly organized?
You don't have great information in that regard. Partly because in a small town where everyone knows everyone, there isn't a reason to take notes on who owns what or who frequents which dig site. Visiting the sites and asking around is likely your best avenue for finding out who might know more details on the specific thefts.
Unless they really need me for the all night research party, I want to try to blend into the back of the cafeteria/bar and soak up the conversation for a while. Let me know if I need to roll anything.
--After a long nights work and a short (3 hour) nap--
Hoss wakes up from his mattress a little sore, he didn't get much sleep but he was starving. He thinks back, remembering that he had only had that Protein Bar the afternoon previous. He looks around to his slumbering team members, "Hmm...I guess I'm the first in line". He fumbles around and he stands up, hastily throwing on his gear and duster. Then, grabbing a small pad of paper, he writes a quick note to the team:
Gone to get Pancakes. Call when up.
With his team informed of his whereabouts he begins to leave before he quickly checks himself in the mirror. His hair was a mess, luckily he caught it, letting himself tease it back into it's Mullet-Like state. The Duster effectively covers up any obvious signs of him being a Warden, although it did a poorer job of concealing his weaponry. He opts to throw his Sawed-Off into his HardPack, which barley fits it. With his shotgun stowed the Duster fell better on him, letting a cursory glance easily pass over his sidearm. It would have to do.
Finally ready to leave he heads over to the cafeteria. Inside he looks to sit in a section that has a younger, cuter waitress. As he's seated he flash's a smile to the waitress, orders his pancakes, and waits to make small talk with her.
When he get's the chance Hoss flashes another smile, "Hey Kid, how long you been down in these parts?"
Phineus sifts through the information as best he can. Sending any particular details up to the main screen whenever something seems useful. He doesn't talk much, other than to send a file to one of the others for a second pair of eyes on it if it's particularly interesting.
At some point after Takenachi leaves, he leans back and sighs, rubbing his eyes. Looking around he notices Kevin is missing and blinks, looking around again.
We're investigating a series of disappearances. We don't know the locals, or the local layout. Going out alone seems like the last thing you want to do. He sighs again. Look, I get that we haven't worked together before, but I'm to understand that our job is quite dangerous. Let's at least try to work together.
He stands and stretches, We should go grab some food before it gets too late. He frowns, And maybe go find our other agent before he upsets even more of the locals than he already has. Our reputation here is important.
During the late night research session, Kaylee goes old school and prints up big maps of the area to pin to the wall. Taking a red marker out of one of her bags, she consults the list of missing items and persons and marks down their locations on the map, along with the estimated times they happened. If nothing else, she figures it may be handy for later to compare to alibis when they finally get any suspects. For now though, they can use it to most efficiently map out the route they wanna take when they head out to physically investigate the areas.
Once the group realizes that the missing items could potentially be used to build a high-capacity elevator, Kaylee does some research in order to determine what other parts may be needed for it and where they are located. "If someone is trying to put together a high-capacity elevator and still needs any parts, perhaps we could stake out the areas where they may try to steal more parts from."
After making notes on the missing people, including the locations they went missing from , the people who reported them missing and the home addressees of both the missing and the reporters, Kaylee finally succumbs to the long day and falls asleep on a couch for a few hours.
After waking up, she notices that two of their number have gone out and replies Phineas's comments:
"At least going out in pairs would seem more sensible. Since something is obviously going on, we should definitely exercise more caution. I also think that not being so obviously heavily armed would be a good thing too for now. We don't want people too scared to talk to us since we have a lot of questions that still need answered."
Kaylee's stomach grumbles a bit loudly at his mention of food. "Yeah, food sounds like a really good idea right now. I think I forgot to eat anything for dinner yesterday once we started getting into researching the situation."
After catching a nap for two hours, Quinton will get up and take a look at the map for the top 5 spots where someone could build an elevator. When he had his list, he would try to wake up the rest of the group and call Hoss to let him know that he had a lead.
Quinton, you figure that the most likely places to build a high capacity elevator are either in new mining shafts or far away from town on the cliffside. The reasoning being that existing mining sites are generally in use and therefore a new construction would be likely to be noticed. Further, without any additional information, you can only guess that things farther away are simply less likely to be seen and you have no accounts of townspeople noticing a new elevator being constructed. With only the existing evidence, you figure that the construction site for the new mine four hours out or even farther into the chasm would be your best guesses.
My main objective was to hear what everyone is talking about. Especially after the booze starts flowing. I am positioning my self so that I can hear as much of the general conversation as possible with out being noticed.
Kevin, as you enter the cafeteria, people give you a very unfriendly look. The space is set up like a cross between a restaurant and a mess hall and it appears to seat between two and three hundred diners. People seem to shift in and out as you wait there, but while the staff does come over and ask if you want anything to eat or drink, everyone else gives you a wide berth. There is no real way to avoid being noticed - in a community of 900 souls, no one forgets that you are an outsider and a Warden at that. You are able to notice that the place never turns into what a bar would be like in a large city - people drink, but not generally to excess, there are no fights, and everyone is particularly on edge given your presence. As you sit there, the conversations you overhear are mostly about you and people whispering and wondering when the Wardens are going to leave. They seem to blame outsiders for all of the emerging problems and, as a result, they see you as an amplified problem, not a solution.
For the rest of you, once you arrive, the situation is similar. It is clear that there is no "normal" day/night cycle in Presidia and, as a result, there is no time in which the cafeteria is any more busy than any other except by sheer chance.
I grumble something from the snatches of Japanese I know. Since this seems to be going nowhere I sit with the other wardens.
When working with Quinton on where the elevator could be built at, Kaylee has another thought that she voices to the group.
"Perhaps we could request a look at the personnel records of the colony, assuming that they have any, and attempt to figure out who has the working knowledge of how to build one of those elevators."
While speaking with the girl Hoss continually clears his throat and sipping water. Finally he looks sheepishly at the girl and says, "I'm sorry to trouble you Kid, but I forgot my resperator. I have a slight breathing condition and I think the dust mighta' got to me finally. I thought I could make it through without seeming too weak, but if this keeps up I might just keel over." Hoss gives a sad smile.
"Do you know where I might find someone to help me get a respirator?"
While you are flirting with the woman, you notice that Kit is sitting out of the way, mostly eavesdropping on conversations.
"Best place is the general store. It's right on the edge of town out toward the mines," she says with a soft tone, though she doesn't really smile. "You all are Wardens aren't you? Rumor is you came by to shut down all of the mines and forcibly ship off anyone that won't leave by choice. That...isn't true is it?" She seems clearly nervous, but does take a seat across from you to listen to the answer.
Hoss looks noticeably taken aback by the question, "Now why would I care to do that? Nah, I won't be forcing anyone to leave - don't worry. I'm just here to help find a missing dog is all." He gives her a wink, "Seriously though Kid, don't worry, we're here to help - not hinder." He gives a hard cough before starting to stand, "Now I need to go see to that General Store. Let the cook know these here are some of the best Pancakes I've had since 'Meemaw' Delgado's very own." He stands up, leaving enough money enough to pay and leave her with a good impression of him. "Keep it, money don't keep my heart's sway."
With that Hoss is off to the General Store. He notice's the rest of the Warden's entering the cafeteria. He sends a message from his wristcomp.
Might have found lead on who keeps tabs of equipment. If anyone wants to come, meet me outside.
The woman seems a bit relieved at your assurances, but she is still clearly nervous when you leave. She seems to be well disposed toward you still, but the presence of outside law enforcement has her on edge nonetheless.
The General Store is a relatively simple and nondescript building at the edge of town, though most buildings in town are of a similar description. Hoss, when you arrive the store is open and inside are a large number of rows of shelves selling everything from food items, to alcohol, to simple supplies, tools, and even clothing and linens. There is a single man behind the counter at the front of the store and he looks to be in his late 50s, and eyes you suspiciously as you enter.
As Phineus enters the cafeteria he stops, stretches, and yawns. His wristcomp beeps, and he looks down and sighs as he reads the message, shaking his head and mutters,
That's one way to go.
With a blink, he looks around and spots Takenachi in his booth and heads on over.
Find out anything interesting? He sits with a thud and yawns again. We've got about a dozen leads thanks to Quinton. Kaylee here thinks that someone might be building an elevator. So, it seems to me we need to find out who might have the expertise to do that. The crime scenes are spread out all over, and we don't know where the people were specifically picked up, so searching the scenes of the thefts seems out of the question. It'll just take too long. We do have a short list of people related to some of the missing. Including a dog owner. He sighs and sits back in his seat.
It'll probably take a day or two to track these three down and give them a proper interview. Quinton has more experience with doing this, so he's probably got some better ideas on how to use our time.
He pauses and rubs his temples, But I'm thinking we can split up. But we shouldn't be going anywhere alone. We don't want to interview locals looking like a goon squad and overwhelm them. We should grab that deputy, or another one if the Sheriff's got any, and have him help us look for a couple of these people.
He looks over at Kaylee, You're an engineer right? You're probably our best bet at figuring out who'd be capable of using the equipment taken. I'd suggest you grab whoever is left, talk to the Sheriff, and find out.
We know whoever is doing this is excavating. He, she, or they, also took a couple of guys that are experts in doing just that. Seems like they needed some help. Let's find out who else is good at that and see if they know where would be a good place, what they know, and all that. Given we don't know what the elevator might be for yet, might be a long shot.
Kaylee looks down at her wristcomp the same time Phineus does and sends off a quick message of her own.
"Grabbing a bite to eat real quick, can you give us the location of where you are heading? No one should be heading off to investigate leads without letting at least one other person know their location. Just in case, you know..."
She will sit in the diner and order a light breakfast.
Kaylee nods at Phineus. "I should be able to figure out who has the know-how to build that elevator as long as the Sheriff can provide us with any personnel logs. Though I worry that may give us too many suspects unless we can think of other ways to narrow down the list. Knowing the exact timing of the thefts and disappearances would help with eliminating alibis. I would also like to know the skills possessed by the people who disappeared. It is possible they were taken for a purpose, though what purpose a dog could serve I have no idea."
"It is too bad the crime scenes are so spread apart, I was rather hoping to be able to narrow out search area."
So far you know of three deputies, though none of them have introduced themselves. The woman that greeted you when you arrived at the Sheriff's Office and the two men that were sitting inside of the building.
On the note of finding the people you have as leads, you all have access to their addresses from the file and you have the equivalent of a phone number as well. Just about anyone can give you directions if asked, but your welcome so far has certainly implied that a local deputy knocking on the door would be much more well received than one of you flashing a badge and doing it directly.
Breakfast is served to you quickly and largely wordlessly. The staff keeps their distance when possible and isn't rude, but doesn't engage in unnecessary chatter either. The food is well prepared, but somewhat bland, though none of that is unusual for cafeterias out in isolated mining colonies.
As Takenachi leaves, We got some mattresses set up. You'll be able to at least get some sleep. Call us if you're up before we get back and we'll try to hook up and give you and update.
When the waitress comes over Phineus gives her his best smile,
Hey there, I'll take whatever you recommend. He looks around, Got a nice place here. Steady business. I hope we're not causing any troubles.
He's content with any light chitchat that ensues, but doesn't press.
When the food comes he eats slowly, picking at it at first while he thinks.
There's always a pattern. We just don't know enough variables yet. Just need to keep collecting more data and the pieces will fall into place.