It's been a pleasure, Yatraxo. Except for the part with that starbeast, that wasn't very pleasurable.
"Anyhow, I got a buyer all lined up for ya at Vartaikam Bazaar on Marixah. Name’s Lindol. He’ll take care of ya, and you can send me my cut."
"Yes, we are happy to send you your cut, but how trustworthy is this Lindol? We have had a good deal of trouble from both buyers and sellers!"
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"Kaz, you are a natural! I think you have been holding out on us. Have you been a miner before?"
Kaz misses the obvious teasing Aldo is giving him. His eyes flash with some anger. He isnt sure if Aldo is accusing him of lying. No. Ive told you my background. I was a special security trouble shooter on terraforming colonies after my service in the military. My only other skill is with herding and using riding beasts. Which you have seen. Never have I had experience in mining.
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"He's good to go for a deal, but I wouldn't have him watch my house. Thanks you lot, I'll take 30%!"
When the FireStorm arrives in the Marixah Republic, the crew can see why many know the planet as the “Jewel of Unity.” A shining blue marble of vast oceans and lush continents, Marixah is a temperate world home to a diverse array of species, who all work together to create a free and prosperous world. You can land at a starport close to the Vartaikam Bazaar, an ancient marketplace that dates back to during the Gap.
If you recall, there is supposedly a vast tunnel network used to smuggle illegal goods running under the market.
Strangely, you noticethat many of the shops and stalls have closed—especially thosethat import from the Veskarium. So, you ask around...
A a few days ago, Marixah law enforcement conducted a mass shakedown of the bazaar, arresting anyone who imports or exports anything to Vesk-5 while offering no explanation.
Rumor has it that a mysterious official representing the Veskarium ordered this crackdown, citing increased stormrunning as “detrimental to the Republic’s relationship with the Veskarium,” but locals don’t believe this reasoning and suspect that the arrests served as fronts to capture a specific target.
Unfortunately, the buyer you've got lined up, Lindol Syfskoda, has gone into hiding. You find his market stall, “Lindol & Sundries,” closed and empty.
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just thought it'd be fun...
"Chip, I really appreciate what you bring to this team, but let's focus on your strengths and run with those."
"I might not be great at people, but I can tell you that a few days ago, Marixah law enforcement conducted a huge shakedown of the bazaar, arresting anyone who imports or exports anything to Vesk-5 while offering no explanation. Rumor has it that a mysterious official representing the Veskarium ordered this crackdown, citing increased stormrunning as “detrimental to the Republic’s relationship with the Veskarium,” but locals don’t believe this reasoning and suspect that the arrests served as fronts to capture a specific target."
"So there's that."
"Angel, thanks for the tip. I'm sure they want to crack down on stormrunning, especially moments after we decide that we want to give it a try. Let's stay cool and keep our eyes open."
How about a closer look at the area immediate to Lindol & Sundries, for physical clues?
Chip separates his drone--more eyes/cameras are better
Kaz keeps quiet. Gathering info and diplomacy are not his strong suites But like Chip he keeps his eyes open and stays sharp.
Perception
Knowledge Mercenary
Kaz also sees if there are any merc crews he might be able to chat with, one of the few types of strangers he is comfortable talking to.
Chip doesn't find any physical clues, but the party does manage to score a lead. Body Begone, ostensibly a service devoted to the quick clean-up of unattended corpses that operates out of a small office in an antiquated building in the bazaar is actually a front, and a likely place to find someone who's on the lamb.
You find it easily. It's a small establishment with a single, rather filthy, door.
Aldo knocks at the door to see if they are open for business. He then wipes his hands on a handkerchief to make sure they remain clean.
”Yoohoo? Anybody home? Anybody open for business?”
NO! Now go away! I don't want any!"
Yatraxo thought differently...
Aldo puts on the charm and sees how far he can take it.
"Trust me, my friend. Our business is the kind you will like. We are here to bring credit sticks to your pockets and goodwill all the more. I am Captain Cygnaurius at your service. My friends and I would love to have a visit."
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"Rea---- Wait a second. GO away, we've already got one!"
”You do not have one, my friend. You haven’t even talked to us. Find out what we are here for first. Trust me, we are here for business and I assure you that it will be lucrative. And yes, Yatraxo recommended we come see you.”
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”Are you not Lindol, the Master Merchant of Starmetals?! The one and only Noqual Knight, who boosted trade in the system 700% with his ingenious trade strategies during the drift depression?! Nobody else came close to your profits. Your reputation precedes you as does your generosity. I am honored to meet such a distinguished fellow.”
With a sigh, the door unlocks. Inside, the office has little more than a large table surrounded by chairs; a tier 1 computer sits near one end of the table. Your contact, Lindol is the one inside. It's clear that this isn't his first time laying low here. The space includes provisions for camping out. "You're a liar Aasimar, but I like the cut of your jib. How can I help?"
Aldo greets the merchant with a smile and a twinkle in his eye but does not deny the words. Instead lays out the situation and sets up the negotiation for the most profitable exchange. ”We’ve been storm running in the system and we have a fair amount of radioactive blue-green abyssium, green crystal noqual, shining siccatites, and even coppery horacalcum that glitters in our hold. We understand you would be able to give us a fair price for the shiny.”
After some savvy negotiating, Aldo secures a price of 15 Bp. With the bargaining concluded, Lindol shakes Aldo's hand, saying, “I’ll meet you at your hangar in two hours. I’ll have help, a cargo truck, and your money.” He escorts you to the door and locks it behind you.
Aldo bids Lindol goodbye for the present and agrees to meet at the hangar in a few hours.
Turning to the crew he quietly remarks, "Well, we have secured our deal and we are free for the moment. This should be a lucrative trade, but let's keep our eyes and ears open. This town seems a little jittery tonight."
Aldo tries to gather any information to see if anything suspicious is going down with the upcoming exchange.
If all seems fine, Aldo returns to the ship to prepare for the trade.
"Bringing help huh? More than likely it will be help to try to rob us blind. I suggest we be ready for anything."
Angel agrees they should head back to prepare.
"Bringing help huh? More than likely it will be help to try to rob us blind. I suggest we be ready for anything."
Angel agrees they should head back to prepare.
Even some simple traps or defenses could turn the tide of battle. . The vesk says thinking.
He leans in to speak with the others. Could we have a large number of hand grenades rigged up above on the ceiling (above the general area of the bad guys), then maybe the drone could trigger and drop the grenades if needed?
”Kaz, I love the way you think! You are always looking out for all of us. This sounds like a great plan. I just ask that you not trigger the trap until the deal starts to go sour. I’ve negotiated good money for this deal and I would like to see it go through.”
Unfortunately, nothing ever goes smoothly. About an hour after your meeting you get a weird message on the comms, "ARRESTED HELP TRANQ"
Angel shows off some serious netrunning skills. She realizes the message points to Tranquility Rehabilitation Center, a Marixah prison. She also finds Lindol’s arrest record; Marixah Republic law enforcement picked him up before he got transferred to Calm 93 by order of a Veskarium official named Renevaya. Angel's not convinced though, suspecting that the arrest record was too easy to find, perhaps intentionally left for someone to follow.
[b]”Why does every job run into problems? My friends, shall we go rescue our buyer?” [ /b]
Since Angel is in their base, killing their dudes with that roll...
Tranquility is a state-of-the-art prison complex comprising hundreds of isolated facilities known as “calms,” each built on separate artificial islands. A massive hexagonal wall patrolled by drones and topped with anti-air weaponry surrounds the entire region. Tranquility structures the calms as small island villages devoid of conventional security with only a drone or two to perform maintenance and interface with guests. Each island houses only 16 prisoners, and from their calms, inmates can see surrounding islands and their occupants, creating a sense of community with no risk of overcrowding. Every island has plenty of room for exercise. Many prisoners have painted the walls of their calms with murals, and everything from the paint color to individual room design intends to minimize psychological pressures and conflicts. AI consoles throughout the facility provide counseling as well as advice on developing life skills, self improvement, or routines to increase mental and physical wellness. Inmates can cook their meals and do laundry on their own, but they can choose to have drones serve them, too. Tranquility has open visitation 24 hours a day, which requires neither supervision nor observation.
”I have never heard of a prison called tranquility. I understand keeping everyone calm, but this is something I have never seen before.”
What is our best play here? How do we get our man out?
What is our best play here? How do we get our man out?
"Open visitation, huh? Sounds pretty easy. Let's go!"
"Hello, we're here to visit Lindo. May we come in to see him?"
Kaz considers things… he isnt always up to date with SOTA technology. He turns to Chip and Angel, Tricking the drones seems to be the key here. How do we keep them from noticing we are busting someone out? And/or make them think we never took anyone. A straw dummy w/ papermachet head probably isnt going to cut it.
"Consoles throughout the facility means a hackable facility. Hopefully I can send those drones on a merry chase."
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[oooc]Back! The Gathering was amazing. The only one missing was Kaz. Also, I did toast to Jack early in the weekend.[/ooc]
The party talks over their plan before opting to simply go in and talk. Everyone knows it's going to take crackerjack timing and total concentration...
"Sure bub. Visitors can reserve automated shuttles daily to transport visitors to the prison, the trip taking about an hour from the nearby port city of Doba. However, weapons aren’t permitted on a shuttle. you'll need to leave them behind."
Aldo leaves the azimuth laser rifle back on the ship, but smuggles in the laser pistol.
"Oh yeah of course we won't be bringing weapons."
Security? What security?
Chip helps Angel with the snecky engineering
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Kaz helps the team with his brawn if needed.
Athletics
Kaz places his reaction cannon and doshko in the cargo hold. He keep two grenades (shockI, fragII) on his person.
The shuttle takes you in, but before you can arrive, a voice comes on the shuttle PA, "Weapons detected. EMP safety measures enabled." A field passes through, and disables your weapons!
The effects will wear off in 24 hours. The weapons hidden in the hold are unaffected. Additionally any weapon with the Analog trait is similarly unaffected.
As you arrive, you see acres of forest, beach, and grassland surrounding a small whitewashed village. Individuals, too far away to recognize, play outdoor sports, enjoy the pleasant weather, or hike. You spot a prominent welcome center near the beach; brick paths wind among the inmate homes (referred to as “guest rooms”), eventually leading to a community center, commissary, and examination room. While a handful of drones fly to and from the facility, they ignore you.
The welcome center boasts a colorful map of Calm 93 with each guest room conveniently labeled; and it's.... there's something wrong. The guest list includes too many familiar names to be a coincidence:
Dizzy
Quomp, Shazarad
Rezzmin, Yatraxo
Rovo, Niva
Stoneblood, Agavana
Tulvauran, Rishae
Vuul, Rygan
"This is looking too much like a retirement community and not enough like a jail. I also don't like seeing these names here. Everyone keep your eyes open. Let's make sure we have a way out of here."
<--are you effing joking???