"That's a right good idea, Arabella. Now the hard part is finding a safe way to get it all to them without getting bonked on the head.. or worse."
"That's a right good idea, Arabella. Now the hard part is finding a safe way to get it all to them without getting bonked on the head.. or worse."
"Then maybe that's what I can do. I think the odds of me being attacked, given that I am one of them, are less overall. I can go, bring the message with me, have a drink, and leave the message on the bar."
Wren shakes her head, sending her dark hair flying like wings of the bird for which she's named, grinning widely. "You mean that Brook fella? You ever seen him readin' minds or throwin' stuff around with a thought? He just don't seem the type."
I'm going to assume that Wren wants to meet her client in private, so Harold stays outside.
Wren's meeting :
The note you’d received the night before had been terse : “Midnight. The Velvet Lantern. Back room. A job for someone with your skills.”
You push open the tavern’s creaky door just as the clock strikes twelve. Inside, the Velvet Lantern is dimly lit, its patrons murmuring in hushed tones. Wren ignores them, heading straight for the back room.
A lone figure waits there, cloaked and masked, seated at a table with a single candle casting flickering shadows. They gesture for you to sit.
“You’re Wren,” the figure says, their voice low and even. “Word is you’re quick, clever, and discreet.”
“That’s what they say,” you reply, leaning back in the chair. “What’s the job?”
The figure slides a rolled parchment across the table. You unroll it to reveal a detailed map of a manor. “There’s a vault in here,” the figure says. “I need what’s inside. Moderate security—nothing you can’t handle. Payment is double your usual rate.”
You study the map, your eyes narrowing. “What’s the catch?”
The figure chuckles softly. “Only that if you fail, you won’t have to worry about the guards. I’ll find you first.”
What do you do?
Wren looks over the map carefully, asking a few pointed questions about security - or at least as much as the cloaked fellow can answer. Finally, she rolls it up. "Okay. But it's triple the usual rate. Now. What is it I'm going to be taking out of there? And when do you need it done? I'll need a bit of time to plan it out, after all." She idly wonders what else might be in there worth taking...
"Triple? You do think highly of yourself. If you can get it done in the next 24 hours, I'll pay double. There's a lockbox in the vault, bring it to me *unopened*.
You succeed, and (I assume) deliver the lockbox unopened.
I have no idea what the "usual rate" is for a thief. Shall we say 100p, so he pays you 200p?
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Wren considers a moment, then agrees to the price. Several hours later, after getting some much needed rest and then spending most of the next day scouting the area, she is making her way into the mansion a few hours after nightfall, having memorized the patrol route of a single guard outside and another on the inside she could see through a window. Climbing up to the second floor is a breeze, and the window opens easily after she picks the lock with a slim tool she keeps tucked in her leather vest pocket. Pausing to allow the expected guard to pass as she waits for a few minutes in an alcove hiding behind a large marble sculpture, she makes her way into the office and easily defeats the electronic lock, taking her prize with a satisfied smile on her face.
Getting out is even easier than getting into the place, and it's still a few hours before midnight when she first collects Harold as an escort and then brings the lockbox unopened to the Velvet Lantern a few hours before the deadline is up, collecting her fee with a smile. "Pleasure doing business with ya! So... you gonna tell me what's in that lockbox? Or will I have to go my whole life just wonderin'?" She doesn't press if the man seems to bristle at the idea, just raises her hands in mock surrender and starts to make her way out, still smiling. Then suddenly she stops and turns with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Would it be presumptuous of me to ask y'all for a favor? See, a good friend of mine got herself beat up by a bunch of folk outside a bar. I bet you know a lot of people in this here city, and maybe you could point me in the direction of where those huh choo-shung tza-jiao duh tzang-huo (filthy fornicators of livestock) might be hidin' out, do ya? They oughta be taught a lesson in treatin' a lady with respect, don'tya think?" Wren will give over what details she's gleaned from Arabella - though she leaves out anything regarding psychics.
And, of course, if there was anything else in the vault besides the lockbox she delivered, she would have taken that as well...
Your contact says "Yeah, I'll ask around", but in a tone that leads you to think he's not going to concern himself with it.
Wren nods at her contact, her lips smiling crookedly, then turns and heads out into the late night air. She breathes deeply and counts the coins, then grins at Harold. "How 'bout I buy you a drink this time, big guy. Then we'll head back to the ship. I don't think we'll hear anything from our friend back there, but a girl has to try. Maybe the others have figured out somethin' on their own anyway. I missed out on any talk that may have gone on today, ya know. You hear anything?"
What, if anything, are you all doing about the bar where Arabella went?
then grins at Harold. "How 'bout I buy you a drink this time, big guy. Then we'll head back to the ship. I don't think we'll hear anything from our friend back there, but a girl has to try. Maybe the others have figured out somethin' on their own anyway. I missed out on any talk that may have gone on today, ya know. You hear anything?"
Harold shakes his head.
Nope, nothing. He then looks at wren. But I will take you up on that drink.Who knows, maybe by the time that we get back to the ship, they will have figured it out, and then I grab a couple of my toys and go back to them to pay a visit.
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Arabella prepares an edited video that incorporates images from the incident on the star-liner (fight with the reaver that emerged from an Alliance controlled area). She does not reveal her face or name, but mentions that she got hit on the head at the bar (and states the exact time and date).
Arabella seeks out a delivery service if one is available, which would eliminate the risk of the recipients suspecting the person is in kahoots with those they tried to scare away.
She'll negotiate for the cost.
Shepherd: +2
Reroll from Charismatic Edge
Shepherd: +2
Best Result = 4 + 2 = 6
If you want to use a delivery service business, with like a store and such, the cost is non-negotiable (10p per item). If you want to hire an independent courier, they'll haggle. But the businesses have a better reputation for not "losing" (running off with) or taking a peek at your goods, if they involve electronic data.
Which do you want to use?
While the crew is 'relaxing' on a 'civilized' world, Daisy will go shopping. She happily takes anyone along who wants to go.
She returns with cloths, some practical, some business like and some, well. Still business like for her.
Also some more new sheets and pillow cases for rooms. A few knick knacks and such...
Assuming there is less risk of problems with the pros, that would be the way to go. Arabella is mainly worried that the Alliance may keep tabs on deliveries just like they do on the Cortex. Sounds like they don't micromanage delivery contents.
You can find a highly-rated company (on the Alliance-Net) that will deliver your packages where and when you want them to.
On to the next planet! Bryce takes the controls...
= Raise
= Raise
- 2 for Raises = 7 days
The trip is uneventful. If anyone wants to do some in-character actions or dialog, feel free.
"At some point, it would be really nice if someone could help me understand this whole "drunk" thing more clearly; like, how many drinks does it take? I had drinks, why didn't I get drunk? Were there drunk people at the bar and I didn't notice them? Did I do something wrong? I should have purchased some tequila in port, that's the problem, right?"
"The library was MUCH easier to understand. There were books on almost everything, similar to using a tablet, but different. But after you searched for the books on the weird library terminal, then you had to take this piece of paper and actually go to where the book was, it didn't come to you. They were on shelves and you needed to go get them, by hand, sometimes with a ladder. They also are not uniform, for some reason; I asked the book filing lady and I think she may have laughed at me. She said that bindings were part of the artistry, and then she said that holding a book was like caressing a lover, which I also didn't entirely understand."
"Believe it or not, there are books about things that are practical too! There was an ENTIRE wall of books about cooking, even the history of cooking. You guys would not have believed it."
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Arabella smiles at Brook's questions about drinking and his observations about the library. Having experience with both, she offers some advice.
"In my humble opinion, the experience of being drunk is waaaay overrated. You cannot walk or talk straight. Falling down is a common experience. And the morning after, you are visited by something called a hangover, which consists of dry-mouth, headaches, and pain from sudden movement and loud noises. If you have any inhibitions, you can be temporarily free of them, which makes shy people sometimes have a bit more courage to make romantic overtures but it can also make some people super obnoxious and prone to getting into fights. But in my experience, most young people have to experience these things for themselves before they believe old-timers like myself. Me I prefer some strong coffee and the company of good friends in the presence of music and food. The universe provides plenty of wonder without the mind-numbing effects of alcohol."
As for the books, she says, "Physical books are an acquired taste. Digital text has no smell, no feel, no weight, and no history. When you hold a physical book, you are in touch with both the artist who wrote the words as well as the artisans who designed and made the paper and the bindings. For a real treat, you should find some scrolls. The Taoist temples often have copies of the Tao Te Ching with the Chinese characters drawn by an artist with a paint brush and ink on a long strip of paper rolled into a cylinder shape."
"Well young man, if'n ya really want to experience drunkenness I suggest you do it safely. Like here on the ship. Now, what booze do we have on board?"
"Oh yeah, a physical book is a work of art these days. I agree that it's a much better experience."
You contact the company expecting the computer equipment, and they send out trucks and men to unload it. You each get 60p for the job.
Bryce says "So, how do you want to try and get in touch with any psychics on this planet? More bars? Something different?"
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Well, I am not thinking of wandering around with a sign saying Psychics wanted please see us
But I will be back in a bit, maybe with a solution to brooks question
Harold heads out to find himself a store, to pick up a bottle of medium strength whiskey.
According to Chemistry, Alcohol is a solution. :)
Arabella accompanies Brook in case he becomes highly intoxicated while away from the ship. She'll talk with shop keepers and service workers as she can, trying to learn about local news that might not be on the official media reports.
Shepherd: +2
Reroll from Charismatic Edge
Shepherd: +2
Best Result = 6 + 6 + 6 + 2 + 2 = 22
Apparently it's feast or famine with her networking rolls lately.
Assuming her client is moderately well connected and seems to be of a temperament to hear a lady talk about such things, Daisy will gently mention the whole psychic thing after the actual 'job' is complete.
Something like "Well, I was travellin' through some of the core worlds and heard people talk about a group of people with some kind of fantastic mental powers. Part of me thinks it'd be neat to meet such a person but... hey, probably just stories, right?"
Arabella hears whispers of Alliance police/soldiers chasing a wanted fugitive thru town. What they're wanted for is unknown, but there's been no reported robbery, kidnapping, assault, or murder...
Your client looks around (even tho he's alone with you in the room, in his own house), and conspiratorially whispers "I've heard the same rumors, and I have my doubts, but I've also heard the Alliance is looking for them, so - who knows?"
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Daisy will smile and giggle, "I imagine people born with something the authorities hate would be hard. I imagine most just want to live their lives. Ah well, not like you or I will ever meet one!"
If Arabella's info gives her any idea as to where the chase started or ended, she will visit the area and see if she can pick up chatter about the case to try to learn anything about the one they were after. She knows better than to ask bluntly about what the Alliance was doing, so she'll complain about how boring the area is and ask if anything exciting ever happens--to see if anyone volunteers information about the chase.
Shepherd: +2
Best result = 5 + 2 = 7
Daisy's client says "Yeah, if they even exist", and seems content to leave it at that.
Arabella's first roll also gave her the starting point of the chase, as far as is known. Going there and mingling, something she says prompts an onlooker to say "I don't get it - the girl was minding her own business, not doing much of anything, when all of a sudden the police showed up. She suddenly turned and started to walk away, when the police started chasing her. It was odd - I remember noticing the police were wearing gloves - I've never seen them with gloves before."
Arabella reports what she learned when she gets back to the ship. "We might be able to find someone who took a picture or video, although given the Alliance's attitude toward interference, people may be reluctant to document what they do for fear of being nabbed themselves."
Result = 6 + 6 + 3 = 15
Arabella is certain that no one posted any pictures or videos of the event on-line.
The Alliance typically tends to confiscate any "cell phones" that people use to record public Alliance business like chasing criminals...
When the eye-witnesses mention that the police were wearing gloves, she says, "I've heard there is a special task force that wears red gloves."
She is hoping the witnesses will identify the color of the gloves if they are not red, wondering if they might be blue, but not wanting to ask if they were blue.
"I don't know about that, but these guys had black gloves."
Wren, who has purchased her own bottle of whiskey after taking her share of the plat for the job, gives a small shrug. "Could be she's just some petty thief that got recognized. Or maybe there's more to the story." She shrugs again, and pours herself another drink, then caps the 3/4 full bottle. Swirling it for a moment, a thoughtful look on her pinched face, she takes a small sip and turns to Arabella. "What's this about the color of their gloves? What kinda task force wears red gloves? Sounds like an awful choice!" She raises an eyebrow and takes another sip.
Any more ideas for locating a group that doesn't want to be found? ;)
Going undercover! I like it!!
How about finding this fugitive? What sort of skills would be needed? Not being a real-life tracker or anything, I'm thinking that finding a way to hack info from local law authorities, maybe talking to those that witnessed the chase, finding out where the trail was lost (or was she captured?) That sort of thing.
When safe in the ship, Arabella explains, "We had an encounter a while back that made some reference to blue hands. When I tried to research it on the Cortex, the system responded in a way that said it was a dangerous line of research. I didn't want to ask if they had blue gloves since that might alert an Alliance informant within earshot. I was hoping if their gloves were blue, the person would tell me, but she said black, so dead end."
Arabella discourages any efforts while on an Alliance planet to do anything further. "That poor woman is likely lost to us now. If we try to learn who she was, we will likely become targets. This is an almost impossible task. But it lets us know there may be elements working here. I'm not sure we can do much else, except maybe spend time in places where people gossip and listen for any other odd stories."
After her return and catching up:"Yeah. We can only push so far safely and around these parts we go from mostly safe ta' never be seen again.."