As the thoughts began to coalesce for Kamiya from the minds around her, she felt like weeping for the Pact Worlds. As a lover of learning and gaining knowledge, some of the thoughts made her want to cry because of the stupidity.
I am such a badass! I wonder if Frenchie saw me almost take off Knuckles’ head? I should say something when I shoot...This is how I hug!...no...I'm about ta get my hurt on...no...Say hello to my little friend...
Should I be holdin’ my gun sideways or regular like? I’ll have ta ask Babyface which makes me look more gangsta.
How dare Queen Bee and her flunkies think they can be doin’ business so near our turf. They’re goin’ ta pay for disrespectin’ us
Woowee! Look at all tha humdrums duck an’ flee. Serve ‘em right if I use ‘em as target practice but Frenchie’s orders were clear…kill tha rivals before the killjoys show.
Shouldn’t be long ‘til the killjoys show. Can’t get pinched ag'in. I can shoot the pipe overhead and run. Need ta make sure the path to tha door stays clear.
What is that android doing? Is that a g…
Kamiya cringed at the last one as she recognized the lack of thought which comes with brain damage. Where was security? She ran the risk of peeking out from her hiding spot and looking for a fire alarm pull. Maybe fire response would come faster than security. But the shooting was still raging and she ducked back down before she could see anything.
Sorry people, but got too excited with the soccer games so no recap tonight. :(
Game on!
Zadie cursed loudly as the cannon blasted through the crate behind which she was taking cover. "Watch which way you're pointing that thing!" she shouted over her shoulder to the android lawman.
I'm likely to be out of contact over the weekend. If necessary you can put this in.
Note this assumes John moves as per last post, and killed a ganger. Also assuming his new target returned fire and didn't kill him.
John pivoted smoothly, cannon tracking impartially across a woman screaming as she hugged her suitcase on the ground and crawled for cover. Past a man trying to hide himself in a crevice on the far wall. Past a Ysoki curled up in a ball behind a trolley. It hovered for a second over the ganger hiding in crates, twenty feet from where John stood.
The woman jumped back as the gun fired, hiding in the hollow of the shipping crates that surrounded her. The shell caught her in her right hand, severing a finger. The second shell punched through the crate, her neck, and the crate behind her. The blood exploded from the hole, spraying in the air like a novelty fountain.
"Station security, how may we help you?"
The voice whispering directly into his ear startled Robert, who had almost forgot the call was still being processed. After all, this “being fired upon” thing was a whole new experience to him, and it kept demanding his full and undivided attention – merely concentrating on maintaining his holographic fabrication was almost beyond him… not that the gangsters seemed able to properly appreciate the trouble he was taking in an effort to convince them to leave.
”What too you so long? Had to write your commlink code from scratch to pick up the call?” Robert snarled, keeping his voice low enough to – hopefully – avoid attracting any more attention from the trigger-happy loons.
"Sir, I do not appreciate your tone of voice. Now, if you did not have any actual issue you nee-"
”Oh, for love of… Don’t you dare hang up! Docking bay 94! Shots fired! One casualty at leas-“ Robert swore as yet another stray shot forced him to hunker even lower behind cover. ”Those gene-pool dregs! Shoot at each other, why don’t you? Just leave me out of your stupid turf war! Two rival gangs, shooting at each other. Civilians in the line of fire. Myself included! Send help before they learn to aim!”
Turn 005 – Gangsters from the 1940s
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
, hit
Zadie's relief at the arrival of security was eclipsed only by her relief that she recognized neither the Vesk nor the Lashunta as friends of her dad. She might still get out of this situation without being grounded. She taps her comm and unobtrusively reviews the cloned security chip: Vladlena Kanji, female, human, age 22, junior researcher, Starfinder Society.
Never too early to get some practice in with the borrowed identity: "Hey, thanks," she offers her hand to the android. "Vladlena Kanji. You're quite a shot for a lawyer. I never knew it was such an adventurous profession."
Robert answered the station sec officers' questions quickly and efficiently. He was here on a business meeting, apparently with several other people. No, he didn't know them from before. No, he had not drawn his weapon - feel free to check the barrel for propellant residue. Yes, he had tried to use non-lethal means of stopping the fight, with very little result. Yes, he had called the security. No, he had no idea who the shooters had been and would rather not find out if it was all the same to the officers.
He ordered his comm unit to send them his ID certificate, knowing the officers - or rather more likely, someone back at the base - would be running it against his public profile. Idly, Robert wondered just how much they might have on him, but decided it didn't matter. Mostly. He had committed no crimes on the station - he had barely got here after all, and what they might have from Arkanen or Verces wouldn't be troubling, youthful indiscretions at the worst. Although if they had had time to get copies of those damn talk shows from Kashak here... not that it was incriminating in any way, really, but he had got here to leave that publicity behind him, not to have someone fill the station's datasphere with useless drivel about the Grand Heretic getting into a firefight here. With his luck, it would turn out that he had instigated the damn thing!
While he waited for the officers to run their profiles against their databases and clear them to depart, Robert gravitated almost against his will to where the others were gathering.
Kamiya had never been shot before and the pain was startling. Oh she'd had a few bad cases of road rash taking spills while driving a few cycles and therefore no stranger to pain but being shot was different. And she'd only been grazed - but the sensation of a bullet ripping through skin almost shocked her. She had enough sense to try to stop the bleeding by putting pressure on the wound with her hand but she had nothing to use as a bandage and her blood just oozed from between her fingers. She could hear the approaching sirens and felt relief that help was on the way.
She struggled to her feet as the officers started rounding up those to question. She wasn't sure if the nicknames she'd heard would be helpful but she wanted to help.
It was then that she saw Kreel's body on the ground and a Kasatha motioning over him. Kamiya felt guilty for his death not being her immediate concern. She then felt even guiltier as she became disappointed that her chances of joining the Starfinder Society was now compromised. If her contact was dead, would there still be a job for her? Would she now be stuck in the internship she hated?
As the others introduced themselves, she added her name. "I'm Kamiya. I take it that the four of you were also here to meet Kreel? Admittedly I'm still pretty shaken. I've never been caught in anything like that before. How are you all faring?"
"I do not know what to do now."
Kamiya returned Oriana's bow. "Pleased to meet you, Oriana. I am also at a loss as to what to do next. Maybe after we speak with the authorities, we will be pointed in the right direction. Hopefully the Starfinder Society will provide a secondary contact for us to speak with."
I'll give Lawyer John one more to post (I know he said he was going to be out) and then recap tomorrow.
Questions?
BTW: I finished reading the CRB. I think starship combat could be fun so get ready for some of that.
Game on!
Never too early to get some practice in with the borrowed identity: "Hey, thanks," she offers her hand to the android. "Vladlena Kanji. You're quite a shot for a lawyer. I never knew it was such an adventurous profession."
"Jon Anderson PLLC." John took the proffered hand and performed a textbook handshake. "Call me ms Kanji. We - wait, what is that Kasatha doing to my client?"
John had only started to proceed over to investigate when Orianna and Kamiya introduced themselves. Once more he responded with a polite handshake - his training materials had been lax on non-human greeting customs. "John Anderson PLLC. I've never been involved in anything like this, but I have trained extensively. Legally, I should be fine. I clearly stated my intention and reasoning. Ms Kassi, did you terminate one of the participants?"
"Pleased to meet you, Oriana. I am also at a loss as to what to do next. Maybe after we speak with the authorities, we will be pointed in the right direction. Hopefully the Starfinder Society will provide a secondary contact for us to speak with."
"Magnusson, Robert," the technomage grunted with a slight nod of his head. "Here for the same reason as you, it seems like."
He had watched the four-armed kasathani female invoking some god or spirit to speed the souls of the departed on their journey... or some bull like that. But as long as it was she who was wasting her time with it, it wasn't an issue to him.
"As to what comes next... I suppose the officers will want a word with us, but since they didn't go to the trouble of separating us so we can't agree upon telling the same story, I think we are in the clear," he went on, to answer the lashuntasi's question.
I'm keeping it simple. It's foreign enough that you don't need to change it.
So it's the kasatha's ritual or the lashunta's weapon, or the ysoki's gadget.
Action 3
"Well damn," Robert summed up his feelings. Instead of a dream commission, he had been almost killed and the man offering him a job had. "I wonder if the Society will honor late Mr. Kreel's offer... whatever it may have entailed," he murmured, wondering what he should do next. Approach the Starfinders? If Mr. Kreel hadn't been going solo they might well be wiling to extend the same offer the dwarf would have. Unless they felt it far too cadaver for someone to approach them for a job before their previous contact's body had cooled. But fact was, Robert needed a job and this gig had been the most promising one around. To just give up on it without even an attempt would be stupid.
Action 2:
Kamiya was taken aside by medical personnel to have her arm bandaged. They offered her a topical numbing agent which she gratefully accepted. As the medic was finishing with her dressings, the Vesk officer approached her to take her statement. She gave her answers to the standard questions. "Kamiya Opunui...I'm an intern at the Plenara...for now home is Absalom Station and I'm at work more than I am where I pay rent..." Kamiya needed to pull out her ID to show the officer her address. Between work and her other hobby, she wasn't there frequently enough to have memorized the address. "I was here to meet Mr. Kreel as requested by work."
When it came time to describe what happened, the lashunta didn't think she'd be of much help. "There were three gang members on each side of the Docking bay that were shooting at each other and intent on killing each other. One of them shot Mr. Kreel although I'm not sure if he was a specific target. I think he was caught in the crossfire. I basically took cover so I didn't see much that would be of help." She almost hesitated but then realized that this Vesk had a lashunta as a partner so it shouldn't come as a surprise what she said next. "As I was hunkering down, I managed to determine names of the six involved but considering they're all nicknames, I'm not sure if it'll be much help. There was Queen Bee, Dollface and Knuckles on one side while Frenchie, Reclue, and Babyface were on the other. I'm pretty sure that Queen Bee and Frenchie were in charge."
Action 3:
"I wonder if the Society will honor late Mr. Kreel's offer... whatever it may have entailed,"
Kamiya looked hopeful. "If it was important enough to arrange this meeting then I would think there would still be interest on the Starfinder Society's part. Mr.Kreel had a computer when we were arriving, did that get taken or is it still around here somewhere? Maybe it had details about why we were meeting or possibly contains the name of an alternate contact. Otherwise, I think we should make our way to headquarters and make inquiries."
KREEL'S COMM UNIT
Feel free to either 'take it' (sleight of hands) before it's found or to request it (diplomacy or bluff) from the officers.
CULTURE CHECK
My bad. I didn't mean it as an open ended check like I had something to offer but rather if you wanted to know something about say Absalom Station or the Starfinder Society or the local security, etc, for you to let me know and I could provide info according to your culture check roll.
Questions?
Game on!
Kamiya returned Oriana's bow. "Pleased to meet you, Oriana. I am also at a loss as to what to do next. Maybe after we speak with the authorities, we will be pointed in the right direction. Hopefully the Starfinder Society will provide a secondary contact for us to speak with."
Starfinder Society? Zadie hoped that the alarm she felt didn't show on her face. It would be just her luck to clone a chip and then stumble into a group of people with a tie to the ID she'd faked. Then again, the android hadn't reacted to Vladlena's name; maybe she'd still be okay. The annoyingly moralizing tone of her Abadarite dad echoed in her mind: When you always tell the truth, you never have to keep track of what lies you've told whom.
Stuff it, dad, she silently replied to the phantom voice, kneeling down next to the dwarf. I always liked that other aphorism of yours better, Knowledge is power. Taking advantage of the chaos in Docking Bay 94, she quickly slipped the comm unit off the still-warm corpse. The more I know about what Starfinder is up to here, the more likely I can bluff my way through this....
You may take 10 if you wish but your attempt may be perceived by others (officers and/or fellow companions). I'll roll for everyone or they may roll themselves.
In any case, if you do take the comm unit, you'll need some time to try and access whatever data is there. This could be done during Actions 3, but the tier 1 computer is password protected so you'll need to hack into it (DC 17).
Questions?
Game on!
Nervous about the upcoming interview with the guards, Zadie forgot all about her intention to try to ID the gangs involved, trying to will her palms to stop sweating before the officers got to her.
"Um, Vladlena Kanji," she identified herself in accordance with the ID she had cloned. "Starfinder Society. I was here for a meeting. I don't think the dwarf was the target. We were all just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have a laser pistol, but you can see I didn't fire it. I'm not a hero. I just wanted it all to be over quickly. I was taking cover behind that cargo box ... well, what's left of it."
"In that case, while I am prepared to act as your lawyer I believe I have an unacceptable conflict of interest. Purely as a concerned and impartial citizen I suggest you tell the truth about what happened, and make sure that you state that you were acting out of fear of your life or the life of others." John answered quickly, apparently unconcerned by the confession. "It is possible but unlikely that you will be prosecuted, but self defence is a legitimate defence for manslaughter, and while you struck to kill rather than disarm it was while facing; A, lethal weaponry and B, overwhelming numbers. I would suggest you do not claim you attempted a warning shot as in that case you could attract civil liabilities."
John sat quietly as the others were questioned, doing his best to overhear. Finally it was his turn. "John Anderson PPLC" John introduced himself "I am a solicitor and was here to meet with my client Mr Kreel, now deceased. I was nearly hit by one of the weapon discharges, so notified those using weaponry that under station law section 5, subsection 2, paragraph c I perceived a threat to my life, or the life of others, and that I was thus authorised to use deadly force to end that threat where necessary. The threat remained, so I acted to end the threat with the least loss of life possible, to whit by terminating the threats closest to me. I fired several rounds from my cannon. I would be happy to have my secretary send you the paperwork for the cannon if you care to give me a comm address to send it to."
"On another note I would be very interested in any evidence as to the identity of the deceased. I intend to sue the estate of the deceased for the cost of a cannon bullet and the cleaning bill for my shoes."
"Vladlena Kanji. You claimed membership of the Starfinder Society." John said, as he turned furiously to face Zadie. "With the death of Mr Kreel, you are therefore the senior-most member of the Starfinder Society here. As such I hold that you are their de-facto representative, and bear the legal and financial responsibilities of Mr Kreel, until I hear otherwise. Please make contact with any senior management should that become necessary."
A ping on his watch had Jack check his comm "I am sorry for your loss." he added, unconvincingly "An event such as this can cause significant trauma. Do you require counselling Yes No?"
Robert frowned as it noticed Ms. Kanji palm something from her fellow Starfinder's body but decided not to make a comment. Perhaps she was merely protecting some Society trade secret from falling into the hands of the Station Sec, or perhaps she sought some personal edge. In the first case, discretion might win him points with the society... and in the second, it might offer him an edge of his own when he confronted the woman in a more private setting.
"Well, we should get going. Ms. Kanji, if you are no more privy to the specifics of our business with late Mr. Kreel, I suggest we try our luck with the Society headquarters. If we are lucky, our arrangement was not merely a private undertaking known only to Mr. Kreel but a Society matter his superiors are also aware."
Mr. Kreel had a computer when we were arriving, did that get taken or is it still around here somewhere?
Kamiya knew where they needed to go but was willing to defer to Vladlena since she was already a member of the Society. After all, the lashunta only knew where they needed to go but not who they needed to talk to.
I suggest we try our luck with the Society headquarters. If we are lucky, our arrangement was not merely a private undertaking known only to Mr. Kreel but a Society matter his superiors are also aware.
"I agree with Mr. Magnusson. By all means, Ms. Kanji...please lead the way. The sooner we can sort this out, the better." A twinkle crept into Kamiya's eyes, "I can arrange for a ride for us if we'd prefer that over public transport."
"Vladlena Kanji. You claimed membership of the Starfinder Society." John said, as he turned furiously to face Zadie. "With the death of Mr Kreel, you are therefore the senior-most member of the Starfinder Society here. As such I hold that you are their de-facto representative, and bear the legal and financial responsibilities of Mr Kreel, until I hear otherwise. Please make contact with any senior management should that become necessary."
A ping on his watch had Jack check his comm "I am sorry for your loss." he added, unconvincingly "An event such as this can cause significant trauma. Do you require counselling Yes No?"
"Um, no," Zadie replied. "I didn't know ... Mr. Kreel. Personally, I mean. But I do have his comm," she demonstrates as she shows the personal computer device. "If there's anything he was supposed to tell you ... us to do, it should be on here."
Fortunately Zadie, being a native of Absalom Station, is familiar with the location of the Starfinder Society's headquarters; the spire is actually visible from her dads' apartment. "Let me just, uh, log in here," she offers as she quickly hacks into the comm, searching for Kreel's schedule and any information about the appointment he didn't get to keep.
Fortunately Zadie, being a native of Absalom Station, is familiar with the location of the Starfinder Society's headquarters; the spire is actually visible from her dads' apartment. "Let me just, uh, log in here," she offers as she quickly hacks into the comm, searching for Kreel's schedule and any information about the appointment he didn't get to keep.
The comm unit flashed to life as the operative's nimble fingers and sharp mind do what they do best. The screen showed Kreel's schedule together with five names, a brief description, and a picture. The names coincide with those gathered around Zadie and her alias.
There was also a sixth name - Chiskisk - and an address.
"O-kay," Zadie tried to cover her surprise that Vladlena's name was actually on the list. "Looks like Mr. Kreel was supposed to take you ... us to meet with Chiskisk at the Lorespire Complex. That's where we're headed now, so...."
I had some rare free time with today being a holiday, so I got most of a 10-minute background up in Zadie's profile. I'm still missing a goal and a memory.
(That's totally a misnomer, by the way. It's taking me far longer than 10 minutes.)
"Excellent. Please lead on Ms Kanji." If John breathed, he would have breathed a sigh of relief. When his only prospect of a client was killed ten feet away from him he had worried he was going to have to sell his gun. Now Ms Kanji seemed to be stepping in to fill the role. With luck she'd sign something and he'd have a job. 'Bring it up now, or wait for this Chiskisk person? Wait' he decided.
"In the meantime it would be prudent for us to exchange contact details. Please, call me 555-555-263. Ms Kanji, as a duly authorised member of the Society it makes sense for you to keep hold of the asset, given it likely contains valuable Society secrets."
"Ms Kanji, as a duly authorised member of the Society it makes sense for you to keep hold of the asset, given it likely contains valuable Society secrets."
With that level of security? I hope not. "Um, yeah, I'm sure they'll ... we'll be glad to get this back. That's just added evidence that the dwarf wasn't the target of the gangs: no one tried to grab anything from him and make off with it. I'm afraid we're going to have to explain again what happened to Mr. Kreel. I imagine the Starfinder Society will take it a lot more personally than station security. Those of you who, uh ... 'were fighting the shooters when they died' ought to look pretty good to the Society," she offered a smile to the kasatha woman. "I'd lead with that more than you did with the security officers."
soccer tonight so may not get to recap tonight...
I promise this is the last one until October. :)
John did his best to hide his surprise, and glee 'A human receptionist? Ostensible display of wealth. Excellent.'
John went to hand over a card, then paused, and looked to "Ms Kanji" to lead the way.
"Hearsay claims information is the commodity of the Starfinders. If we answer it is with the understanding that information is of value and our turning over the information will be given appropriate consideration." John started "Mr Kreel is dead. He was manslaughtered as he left his shuttle. This appears to have been accidental death during an ad-hoc conflict between several gang members belonging to different groups. My associate Ms Opunui has names. Ms Kassi and I undertook to neutralise the attackers. We terminated two of the gang members and were engaged in terminating the rest when they fled. We attempted to provide medical assistance but to no effect. When security arrived Ms Kanji here had the presence of mind to secure Starfinder informational assets before they were bound as evidence, preventing the need for a costly legal undertaking. From that Ms Kanji, who is a Starfinder, accessed Mr Kreel's calendar and determined that he had a meeting with you." John's delivery was cold, factual and methodical. No trace of the fear, excitement, blood and death of the last hour came through in his account.
John's watch beeped, he looked down, looked up and said "I am sorry for your loss."
"Um," Zadie began awkwardly, "this is the group that was to meet Duravor Kreel at Docking Bay 94? There was an ... accident with Mr. Kreel. I understand his contact was Chiskisk?"
Zadie winced as the android identifies her as Vladlena Kanji. Quietly her fingers typed the lawyer's oft-proffered number and texted 'How much is your retaining fee?'
"Mr. Kreel's body was taken away by the security officers," she added softly to John's account. "I'm sure they'll be glad to release it to his family or associates as soon as it's no longer needed for the investigation. Here's his comm." She sat the device on the desk. If I weren't impersonating a Starfinder, there might have been a reward, she thought a little bitterly.
'As a special offer for you, right now, 1 credit' Pops up on Zadie's comlink, without John appearing to move.
"I also was interested in finding employment. It was my understanding he was undertaking job interviews." John stated calmly, though his neural processes raged.
Since Robert may not be posting, I'll wait for Kamiya but would like to recap sometime today...
'As a special offer for you, right now, 1 credit' Pops up on Zadie's comlink, without John appearing to move.
Zadie used her comm to transfer the credit from her account to the android's, waiting for the shirren to make the next move.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
I recapped but it's still the same scene.
Zadie reacted to the offer of refreshments with avidity. "Ooh, they have carob-chip. How about you?" she offered the rest of the group. "Do you like protein? Don't try the raisin; they're awful."
Two hundred credits! That was as much as she'd squirreled away in the last orbit, doing favors for low-lifes. Doing favors for bigwigs was obviously a much better gig! "That's 405-252-817," she gave her comm number eagerly. "Oh, and, um... would you happen to know what Duravor Kreel's last assignment was? Before he was to meet with us, I mean? Anyone whose toes he could have stepped on? Inadvertently, of course."
John restrained himself from pouncing too avidly, but he carefully started gathering and chewing food. One again he was struck by the incredible flavors and textures of everything on the station. It wasn't that the food tasted more strongly, but that there was a... clarity to their flavor notes.
'Take your time, Chiskisk' he thought to himself.