On a lonely spiral arm at the edge of the Milky Way, the light of a lonely star shines through the void. At a glance the collection of gas and rocks orbiting this silent furnace is little different than the billions of others slowly orbiting towards oblivion in the galactic core. However, among the detritus of the universe, this agglomeration has become more than the some of its parts. It has become so because of you, because of humanity. Humanity lives out its existence ignorant of these facts, and that is where our story begins...
Oliver Kain - Earth Orbit - Habitat "Hotel California"
Oliver stares at the dingy walls of his adopted home with an appraising eye. The decaying hab is in no better repair than the many he has seen ripped apart for salvage, but none of the brinkers pay attention to one more lost soul on walking the disused corridors.
The familiar tingling of the mesh disrupts his thoughts, calling his attention to a message waiting for his attention.
Message:
TO: *OLIVER KAIN* <<ASTEROID 4113>>
FROM: {false} <<ROUTING NOT FOUND>>
Subject: Mutual Benefit
We should talk.
>>TALK<<
Note, the hab's mesh is extremely weak and intermittent, this sort of message is extremely unusual.
The strobe of the lights and the heavy thundering of the persistent baseline give the club an unnatural majesty tonight. Savin nurses a stiff drink, survey the gyrating bodies on the dance floor for one that strikes its fancy. Having spent several minutes whittling down the list of likely candidates, Savin prepares to enter the milling mass of flesh when it they feel the familiar tingle of the mesh, a message waiting for its attention.
Message:
TO: *Savin* <<Selene Station>>
FROM: {false} <<ROUTING NOT FOUND>>
Subject: Mutual Benefit
The speaker seems to drone on forever, expounding the recent corporate profitability gains and the importance of leveraging underdeveloped market segments in order to preserve expansion. Fineal wonders why he even bothered to come to this conference. The tingle of the mesh is a welcome reprieve from this boredom.
Message:
TO: *Taka Tamahashi* <<Shackle>>
FROM: {false} <<ROUTING NOT FOUND>>
Subject: Mutual Benefit
The strobe of the lights and the heavy thundering of the persistent baseline give the club an unnatural majesty tonight. Savin nurses a stiff drink, survey the gyrating bodies on the dance floor for one that strikes its fancy. Having spent several minutes whittling down the list of likely candidates, Savin prepares to enter the milling mass of flesh when it they feel the familiar tingle of the mesh, a message waiting for its attention.
** spoiler omitted **
Through the mesh, "So who are you and what do you want?"
Taka awakens with a start and instinctively scans the darkened room. He knew the interruption was a message from the mesh, but looking over his shoulder had become a habit.
The realization that someone he didn't know had been able to contact him instantly puts him on edge. The fact that the sender had an unknown ID was not surprising, but certainly didn't help any.
Mutual benefit? Right. Not the first time this trick was used.
Talk? Uh huh, and while we 'talk', you track my location, right? He jumped out of bed, preparing for the possibility of a hasty exit. You'd better explain yourself, quick. Who are you and how did you find me?
As he dresses, Taka doesn't wait for the answer and brings his tracking software online, attempting to find out the mesh ID of the mysterious messenger.
Spoiler:
Not sure what kind of check that is, but I'm guessing Infosec? If so, I rolled a 1d100 ⇒ 6 vs 80 (90 for decryption) and any modifiers.
The speaker seems to drone on forever, expounding the recent corporate profitability gains and the importance of leveraging underdeveloped market segments in order to preserve expansion. Fineal wonders why he even bothered to come to this conference. The tingle of the mesh is a welcome reprieve from this boredom.
** spoiler omitted **
Whoever's calling, it's bound to be more important than this meeting. Probably will tell him more information too.
Oliver had been laying low int this dump of a place a few weeks, doing a bit of research for his next score when the Message popped up. Every since waking up two years ago with an 11 month gap in his mind and a whole slew of pissed off people Oliver has became wary of the odd and unusual.
Still some one had found him here and that was no small feat.
"Kel" he meshed his Muse
"Yes oliver?" replied the dour toned Muse
Oliver: Has any new ships dock with the station?
Kel: I shall check sir, but the Mesh is...unrefined sir
Oliver: Do the best you can Kel
"Ah what the hell?" Oliver says to no one as he hits the talk option
Who is this, how did you find me and what is in my benefit?
Hes Meshes to who ever is on the other side of the odd message
Through the mesh, "So who are you and what do you want?"
The reply to your question is almost immediate, as you are answered by the familiar tones of a computer generated voice, genderless and mechanical.
"You can think of me as a headhunter of sorts, I hire contractors for clients with unique requirements. As far as what I want, I want to offer you a job, a dangerous, potentially illegal, and very well paid job. However, if I though those factors would dissuade you, we wouldn't be talking."
Taka awakens with a start and instinctively scans the darkened room. He knew the interruption was a message from the mesh, but looking over his shoulder had become a habit.
The realization that someone he didn't know had been able to contact him instantly puts him on edge. The fact that the sender had an unknown ID was not surprising, but certainly didn't help any.
Mutual benefit? Right. Not the first time this trick was used.
Talk? Uh huh, and while we 'talk', you track my location, right? He jumped out of bed, preparing for the possibility of a hasty exit. You'd better explain yourself, quick. Who are you and how did you find me?
As he dresses, Taka doesn't wait for the answer and brings his tracking software online, attempting to find out the mesh ID of the mysterious messenger.
As you begin tracing the message though the local mesh, you quickly realize that this is no amateur you are dealing with, the message has been routed through multiple nodes, including several protected by private firewalls. You know that you can work your way through without any trouble, but it will take a while.
Oliver Kain - Earth Orbit - Habitat "Hotel California"
Oliver Kain wrote:
Oliver had been laying low int this dump of a place a few weeks, doing a bit of research for his next score when the Message popped up. Every since waking up two years ago with an 11 month gap in his mind and a whole slew of pissed off people Oliver has became wary of the odd and unusual.
Still some one had found him here and that was no small feat.
"Kel" he meshed his Muse
"Yes oliver?" replied the dour toned Muse
Oliver: Has any new ships dock with the station?
Kel: I shall check sir, but the Mesh is...unrefined sir
Oliver: Do the best you can Kel
"Ah what the hell?" Oliver says to no one as he hits the talk option
Who is this, how did you find me and what is in my benefit?
Hes Meshes to who ever is on the other side of the odd message
As you initiate contact you are surprised that you are not greeted by the standard voice or video link, which even the station's unrefined mesh could easily support, but a simplistic text link. Almost as soon as you accept the connection, words begin to appear.
<<Greetings Mr Kain,>>
<<Let me express my sympathy for your present situation, I am sure these unusual circumstances came as quite a shock. Fortunately, I believe I can help you. It has come to my attention that you may have missed certain events over the past 11 months, and I just so happen to have access to such data. In return, I need a favor...>>
As you finish reading the text, Kel returns with an answer to your previous question.
"There is not evidence of new docking activity, would you like me to check on anything else for you sir?"
The reply to your question is almost immediate, as you are answered by the familiar tones of a computer generated voice, genderless and mechanical.
"You can think of me as a headhunter of sorts, I hire contractors for clients with unique requirements. As far as what I want, I want to offer you a job, a dangerous, potentially illegal, and very well paid job. However, if I though those factors would dissuade you, we wouldn't be talking."
"I will guess you know that I take a specialize type of job. Will this job fit my parameters?"
EDIT:
"Gen, what is my sched for at least the next month? I might have to cancel." They mesh to their muse.
As you begin tracing the message though the local mesh, you quickly realize that this is no amateur you are dealing with, the message has been routed through multiple nodes, including several protected by private firewalls. You know that you can work your way through without any trouble, but it will take a while.
"I will guess you know that I take a specialize type of job. Will this job fit my parameters?"
EDIT:
"Gen, what is my sched for at least the next month? I might have to cancel." They mesh to their muse.
"Indeed, you were selected for your unique range of interpersonal skills. The job will require travel, is this acceptable? "
Gen, Savin's muse waits for the mysterious caller to finish speaking before informing Savin that though there are several social engagements you expressed interest in or were invited to, your schedule for the next 31 days is quite flexible.
Oliver Kain - Earth Orbit - Habitat "Hotel California"
Oliver Kain wrote:
Yes, Kel give me a run down on any ships in dock, arrival and departure times as well.
Thinking for a moment Oliver reply's in text as well < What kind of favor>
Kel responds immediately, before you have a chance to finish your message to your new acquaintance.
"There are no vessels docked at this time and there does not appear to be a schedule of any kind. However, the station's sensor array lacks an efficient mesh linkage, so it is impossible for me to locate any inbound vessels."
Hearing this, you finish your message. Several moments later, your answer appears.
<<Standard work, nothing you haven't done before.>>
"Well, I'm always up for some freelancing. What do you need sold?"
"Please understand, discretion is required in this matter. The contract is for negotiations with several interested parties at a neutral location. You shall be paid a commission based on the amount you are able to secure."
The sub-par soundproofing provided for the cheap hab-space you have appropriated allows you to make out a commotion down the corridor. There is a muffled crash followed by raised voices. You recognize one of the voices as belonging to one of your neighbors, but you can't place the other. It seems odd that someone would be having an argument at this hour, since it is still a few hours before the night-shift laborers come home and the day-shift leaves for work.
The neighbor you hear is a large man who lives with his wife and child in a small apartment a few doors down from your hideout. If you remember correctly, he works in a warehouse of some kind.
<< All in what the job is, I don't sign on blindly. Signing up for jobs blindly in my line of work is risky.>> Oliver messages back. Just who could this be he thinks to himself as he awaits a response
"Indeed, you were selected for your unique range of interpersonal skills. The job will require travel, is this acceptable?"
"I am clear for the next month. Is that sufficient time for this job? Traveling is not a problem. Is there a particular gender you want me to be? It takes me a week to change, so I need to know now."
This sucks. What's going on? Taka finishes slipping on his smart clothing and grabs the satchel with the remainder of his gear. He moves to the door, back to the wall next to the portal, all the while continuing his mesh search.
So? he responds once more to the message. Hopefully he could glean something useful from his messenger. You DA? Or some bounty hunter? Just so you know, you're not the first, and whenever I find out that someone is onto me, I tend to make things very inconvenient for them. So on the off chance you are legit, out with it.
He shifts his clothing to black as he slowly opens the door and carefully peers out, looking for signs of movement.
"Well, I'm always up for some freelancing. What do you need sold?"
"Please understand, discretion is required in this matter. The contract is for negotiations with several interested parties at a neutral location. You shall be paid a commission based on the amount you are able to secure."
"Standard NDA then. I assume you'll pay for transport to this conference and back? Now, what kind of pay range should I expect for this? After all, no point in making the trip if I'm just going to make a few hundred cred/"
Oliver Kain - Earth Orbit - Habitat "Hotel California"
Oliver Kain wrote:
<< All in what the job is, I don't sign on blindly. Signing up for jobs blindly in my line of work is risky.>> Oliver messages back. Just who could this be he thinks to himself as he awaits a response
<<I understand, you will be transporting 2 - 4 individuals out of a large terrestrial habitat during a period of increased security. Any materials necessary for the task will be provided and you will be given time to study security procedures beforehand. Was my explication sufficiently illuminating?>>
<<Please keep in mind that this is a limited time offer, I can find someone else.>>
"Indeed, you were selected for your unique range of interpersonal skills. The job will require travel, is this acceptable?"
"I am clear for the next month. Is that sufficient time for this job? Traveling is not a problem. Is there a particular gender you want me to be? It takes me a week to change, so I need to know now."
"The job will take no fewer than two standard weeks, though you may take as much time as required for your portion of the operation. Choose whichever gender you prefer, a defined gender is required, but there are no further requirements."
This sucks. What's going on? Taka finishes slipping on his smart clothing and grabs the satchel with the remainder of his gear. He moves to the door, back to the wall next to the portal, all the while continuing his mesh search.
So? he responds once more to the message. Hopefully he could glean something useful from his messenger. You DA? Or some bounty hunter? Just so you know, you're not the first, and whenever I find out that someone is onto me, I tend to make things very inconvenient for them. So on the off chance you are legit, out with it.
He shifts his clothing to black as he slowly opens the door and carefully peers out, looking for signs of movement.
Once you accept the connection an oddly atonal voice filters through the mesh, its diction oddly broken, as if the speaker was deliberately accenting the wrong syllables.
"Greetings Mr. Tamahashi, please forgive me for waking you, but I am most certainly not tracking you down for any of your past misdeeds. Well, in a matter of speaking I am, though I would like to present an altogether different proposition. Your work is exceptional, and I would like to offer you an exciting job opportunity."
As soon as you open the door, the once muted sounds assault your ears, though the argument is somewhat difficult to grasp. you peer out the door, you see a handful of small crates littering the floor of the corridor. Standing among them are two men, one of whom you clearly recognize as your neighbor. The other you have never seen before, but nearly matches your bulky neighbor in height, and appears particularly fit for one living in the low gravity of Luna.
"Standard NDA then. I assume you'll pay for transport to this conference and back? Now, what kind of pay range should I expect for this? After all, no point in making the trip if I'm just going to make a few hundred cred/"
"Of course, the contract will pay out a minimum of 5000 cred, no sale required. You will also receive a commission of 1% of all monies beyond the minimum acceptable price."
"The job will take no fewer than two standard weeks, though you may take as much time as required for your portion of the operation. Choose whichever gender you prefer, a defined gender is required, but there are no further requirements."
"I expect you to give me the exact parameters of the job before I leave to do it."
<< As long as the pay out is good then yes. What about a time frame? As you know I am currently a bit isolated and arranging a way off station may take some time.>>
"I expect you to give me the exact parameters of the job before I leave to do it."
I will start my shift to female.
"There is a transport leaving at 1400 local time, a ticket will waiting under your name. I shall provide a link to the information you requested, remember that absolute discretion is expected."
After a few seconds you receive a link to an encrypted node within the local mesh.
It is currently 2340 local time, so you have about 14 hours until you are expected to leave.
Mesh Link:
The link provides you with an abbreviated dossier on your assignment. >>Time Sensitive Document - Expires in 5:00<<
Subject: Masoto Tamahashi Employer: Go-Nin Group Residence: Tsukomo Orbital Habitat Note: Subject makes frequent visits to terrestrial habitats on Luna
Contract: Infiltration & Retrieval Base Prive: 20000
This description is accompanied by a photograph of an extremely attractive young man, with just the faintest traces of Asiatic heritage.
Oliver Kain - Earth Orbit - Habitat "Hotel California"
Oliver Kain wrote:
<< As long as the pay out is good then yes. What about a time frame? As you know I am currently a bit isolated and arranging a way off station may take some time.>>
<<Payment can be negotiated. Your transportation is inbound, ETA: 6 hours. Please be prepared to leave as soon as it arrives.>>
Once you accept the connection an oddly atonal voice filters through the mesh, its diction oddly broken, as if the speaker was deliberately accenting the wrong syllables.
"Greetings Mr. Tamahashi, please forgive me for waking you, but I am most certainly not tracking you down for any of your past misdeeds. Well, in a matter of speaking I am, though I would like to present an altogether different proposition. Your work is exceptional, and I would like to offer you an exciting job opportunity."
As soon as you open the door, the once muted sounds assault your ears, though the argument is somewhat difficult to grasp. you peer out the door, you see a handful of small crates littering the floor of the corridor. Standing among them are two men, one of whom you clearly recognize as your neighbor. The other you have never seen before, but nearly matches your bulky neighbor in height, and appears particularly fit for one living in the low gravity of Luna.
You may roll perception to learn more.
A job? What sort of job? I'm going to assume you know I'm not someone that's looking for gainful employment. I don't do what I do for the creds. Taka sends back. You probably know that, though, so you've piqued my interest. So what's the deal?
Is he digitally scrambling his voice? This guy is as careful as I am. Which is either good or really bad. Hmmm....
Taka takes some notice with the odd happenings with his neighbor. Odd time of night for an argument...concerning anything legal, anyway.
"Standard NDA then. I assume you'll pay for transport to this conference and back? Now, what kind of pay range should I expect for this? After all, no point in making the trip if I'm just going to make a few hundred cred/"
"Of course, the contract will pay out a minimum of 5000 cred, no sale required. You will also receive a commission of 1% of all monies beyond the minimum acceptable price."
"Good. It'll be a pleasure working with you, I'm sure. Now, the little matter of transportation..."
A job? What sort of job? I'm going to assume you know I'm not someone that's looking for gainful employment. I don't do what I do for the creds. Taka sends back. You probably know that, though, so you've piqued my interest. So what's the deal?
Is he digitally scrambling his voice? This guy is as careful as I am. Which is either good or really bad. Hmmm....
Taka takes some notice with the odd happenings with his neighbor. Odd time of night for an argument...concerning anything legal, anyway.
1d100 vs Perception 60
"Perhaps it would help if I explained my offer further. I require an expert in the penetration of complex computer systems. It seems you have experience with this particular system, it belongs to the Go-Nin Group."
You notice that the crates on the floor are labeled in large block letters: FOODSTUFFS - SEMI-PERISHABLE. The newcomer is pale, with black hair and dark eyes. He wears an expansive trench-coat, which unsuccessfully attempts to conceal a bulky, high-caliber automatic.
"Standard NDA then. I assume you'll pay for transport to this conference and back? Now, what kind of pay range should I expect for this? After all, no point in making the trip if I'm just going to make a few hundred cred/"
"Of course, the contract will pay out a minimum of 5000 cred, no sale required. You will also receive a commission of 1% of all monies beyond the minimum acceptable price." "Good. It'll be a pleasure working with you, I'm sure. Now, the little matter of transportation..."
"There is a chartered craft on standby, please contact them once you are ready to leave. The ship's name is the Maurice Kisomo, you will be briefed once you arrive at your destination."
["There is a transport leaving at 1400 local time, a ticket will waiting under your name. I shall provide a link to the information you requested, remember that absolute discretion is expected."
After a few seconds you receive a link to an encrypted node within the local mesh.
It is currently 2340 local time, so you have about 14 hours until you are expected to leave.
"Information recieved, of course discretion is necessary, it would be unusual for it to be any other way. The fact you were able to contact me tells me all I need to know about discretion."
"There is a chartered craft on standby, please contact them once you are ready to leave. The ship's name is the Maurice Kisomo, you will be briefed once you arrive at your destination."
"In that case, I'll be seeing you around." Fineal ends the call.
"Hey, Magellan. Anyone say anything important at the meeting yet?" "No, sir." "Good. Send the boss a message, something just came up and I have to leave for a week or so but I should be able to still get my work in. Oh, and send a message to the Maurice Kisomo, tell them I'll be ready to leave within the week." "Right away, sir."
Why not? Oliver thinks to himself. At lest it'll get me out of this dump. He thinks as he takes it the barely up kept room with the flicking lights and corroded walls.
<< Agreed>> He simply sends cutting off the connection.
"Perhaps it would help if I explained my offer further. I require an expert in the penetration of complex computer systems. It seems you have experience with this particular system, it belongs to the Go-Nin Group."
You notice that the crates on the floor are labeled in large block letters: FOODSTUFFS - SEMI-PERISHABLE. The newcomer is pale, with black hair and dark eyes. He wears an expansive trench-coat, which unsuccessfully attempts to conceal a bulky, high-caliber automatic.
Taka closes the door. His neighbor's business was none of his. Keeping a low profile was mutally exclusive with being a good samaritan.
I see. Where is this system located? And how much would it pay if I were to accept?
Smells a bit fishy, but a trap wouldn't be so obvious. Taka hadn't messed a whole lot with his father's hypercorp in the past ten years, at least not to the degree he had back then. But that just made the offer more tempting.
"Information recieved, of course discretion is necessary, it would be unusual for it to be any other way. The fact you were able to contact me tells me all I need to know about discretion."
I will continue what I started. The next day, I will pack up and will be on time to pick up my ticket to the transport and be on it.
Taking one of many elevators leading to the central hub of Selene station, begin to make your way towards the docking ports for incoming and outgoing spacecraft. As you begin pushing your way through the crowds of people arriving and departing, a autonomous program in the local mesh takes your identity information and transmits your ticket information. Only then do you realize that you are not departing on one of the shuttles, but on the lunar skyhook, your destination: Nectar.
Following the directions provided by the enhanced reality of the local mesh you make your way towards the central section of the hub. As you approach your destination you notice a proliferation of heavily armed hyper-corp mercenaries, signaling your transition from the station to the crown jewel of the hyper-corps' empire, the lunar space elevator. A checkpoint marks the entrance to the elevator proper, and the guards check the identities of everyone passing through. As you reach the front of the line, the guard stops you momentarily moving aside and waving you through.
Enhanced reality signs direct you to the passenger waiting area for the sky-hook, a sterile white room with padded walls and plenty of hand-holds (it's zero gravity, its not like they could put in couches or chairs). Before long you are ushered into the passenger compartment of the massive lift-car, a claustrophobic cabin containing roughly a hundred seats. The low ceiling room seems to have been added as an afterthought beneath the massive cargo compartment, you think you can make out rust on the bare metal of the walls and ceiling and the faint aroma of urine hangs in the air. You receive a message to strap yourself in over the local mesh, and are directed towards a specific seat. You are also belatedly informed that for safety purposes, you should not get up for the entirety of the 5 hour journey. After a few minutes, a warning klaxon sounds and you begin your descent.
"In that case, I'll be seeing you around." Fineal ends the call.
"Hey, Magellan. Anyone say anything important at the meeting yet?" "No, sir." "Good. Send the boss a message, something just came up and I have to leave for a week or so but I should be able to still get my work in. Oh, and send a message to the [i]Maurice Kisomo, tell them I'll be ready to leave within the week." "Right away, sir."[/i]
Magellan informs you that the Maurice Kisomo will send an LLOTV to pick you up once you are ready.
Is there anything you want to do during the next week?
Oliver Kain - Earth Orbit - Habitat "Hotel California"
Oliver Kain wrote:
Why not? Oliver thinks to himself. At lest it'll get me out of this dump. He thinks as he takes it the barely up kept room with the flicking lights and corroded walls.
<< Agreed>> He simply sends cutting off the connection.
<<Very well.>>
You feel the connection break off and you are once again alone in your room.
You have six hours, is there anything you want to do before you leave?
Taka closes the door. His neighbor's business was none of his. Keeping a low profile was mutally exclusive with being a good samaritan.
I see. Where is this system located? And how much would it pay if I were to accept?
Smells a bit fishy, but a trap wouldn't be so obvious. Taka hadn't messed a whole lot with his father's hypercorp in the past ten years, at least not to the degree he had back then. But that just made the offer more tempting.
In answer, you hear your own voice, parroting words you said just moments ago.
"I don't do what I do for the creds."
The mysterious caller adds:
"I would be willing to provide some monetary assistance, though what I am really offering you is access to a high-level, closed system belonging to the Go-Nin group. There are only a few things I need, after that, you can do as you will."
In answer, you hear your own voice, parroting words you said just moments ago.
"I don't do what I do for the creds."
The mysterious caller adds:
"I would be willing to provide some monetary assistance, though what I am really offering you is access to a high-level, closed system belonging to the Go-Nin group. There are only a few things I need, after that, you can do as you will."
Taka grins to himself. Good, you were paying attention. I wouldn't have accepted anything that wasn't goods or hard credits anyway. Even tough-to-trace transactions are traceable.
Taka pauses a moment, considering the offer. It was either a really good idea to accept, or a really bad one. He hadn't avoided capture for a decade by taking risks, but he also had proven himself good at slipping out of tight scrapes.
High level and closed. Great, it would be like sticking his hand in a nanoswarm hive. His father was still searching for him, though, to be honest, not as fervently in the past few years. And Go-Nin had remade the lost ground he had put them through, and then some, becoming quite a powerful post-Fall hypercorp. Knocking them back down a notch was very tempting.
Alright, I accept. Can you tell me where it is now?
