S04 Shopping, RTA and Job Offer
Kelroth Arcology, Collace/268/Spinward, 045/1105
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The group went shopping for hardware that they could now afford, and in Glorious Guns they located a source for them. Regular stuff like ammo was no problem. Sturnn commissioned a rather extrovert chainfist gauntlet, and Feng ordered an energy dispersion suit tailored as an elegant full-length dress. They did some negotiating and arranged for some of the more military hardware that they wanted to be delivered to the Highport for Moath to put in the lockers. Feng’s gauss rifle was specified as pink. The shop attendant checked their military ID for their qualification to use the items they were buying, and said the background check results would be confirmed in a week, so unless they were wanted criminals on the run, haha, should be no problem.
As they walked through the Pandren district of Collace, alert senses noticed an out-of-control grav vehicle. They scattered to cover, Feng pulling Selma, and a stolen air/raft crashed nearby, mowing down three people. Wombat and Nevada went to assist the casualties, while Feng apprehended the driver. He was clearly drugged and out of control, with noticeably blue sclerae. Police and emergency showed up and Nevada had a grumble about keeping the streets safe, while Feng noted Officer Shelba’s number and name. The police commented that this was another “Bluey” addict; a new drug popping up all over the place with very nasty side effects including psychosis and suicide.
Wombat left invoices for trauma care in each casualty’s pocket.
Kelroth Arcology, Collace/268/Spinward, 047/1105
Feng had been researching places for a break to learn to ski, while Nevada sent a message to the contact listed in Slocombe’s computer, Tulan Gardan, saying simply “we have information in which you might be interested”They got a vid message from Captain Stobart, who cheerfully sent them a half share of what he’d made selling the boarding dock, Cr125,000.
Moath called back and obliquely invited them to the Highport to discuss the job he had in mind. He was on good terms with the Planetary Police Commissioner, Rosita Ostergaard, having known her since
they were both enlistees, and this relationship improved both their
professional results. However, recently, Cmr Ostergaard had encountered a
serious issue.
Collace being a world with a pretty liberal legal code,
recreational drugs were generally legal, regulated – and taxed. Drug smuggling, however, was something they
cracked down hard on, and the IISS helped out where they can.
In the last 6 months however, things had changed. Drugs
had been flooding in from somewhere, far faster than before, and a new
concoction had come with them, known on the streets as “Bluey”. Even on Collace, this stuff wouldn’t be rated as legal – it
had hideous side-effects, leaving the users psychotic and suicidal, as well as
slightly blue, especially in the sclerae.
Ostergaard set up a task force to tackle this, expecting it
to be fairly simple narc police work – but things did not work out that way.
The police tried investigation, stings, traps, kick-the-door-in busts and
nothing worked. Every time they got close or shut a pipeline down, another
opened; sometimes they get to the target and there’s simply no-one there; sometimes their agents simply disappeared or turned out dead, shot by experts.
Reluctantly, she had to face the fact that she had an internal leak
somewhere. In despair, she turned to Moath to see if he has anything to
suggest. With Captain Stobart’s account of the PCs’ brave actions in his hand, he had…
With a leak in the force, attempts to infiltrate the smugs
were doomed as they were able to identify the agents. However, a group of
footloose ex-servicemen from offworld with a need for money, a familiarity with
weapons and flexible scruples could be just what the smugs are looking for.
Ostergaard’s most trusted officer, DI Giseki Namkad, operates on the highport , and is therefore
separate from the compromised planetary force. Officially assigned to following up on reports
of robot thefts, he was there to try and set up an infiltration. Moath
wanted put the PCs forward to be hired for this. He asked if they are
interested in the job, which would pay Cr10,000/mth
plus all medical expenses incurred, and the dibbles will pick up the PCs’ accom
tab after their stay. The party engaged in some haggling over price and checking what their legal status would be, and Moath suggested they talk to the lawman himself.
They met DI Namkad in a rather nice restaurant an hour later. He was thin, swarthy and pock-marked,
looking an archetypal Bad Guy, a pretty useful look for an undercover detective. He shook hands
all round - taking an extra moment to meet Quin Feng’s eyes - and thanked them for their interest in helping stop this hideous
trade.
His plan was pretty simple; the PCs were going to commit a
crime.
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At this point the PCs were already beginning to throw out their own ideas on how to tackle the operation, much to the pleasure of their prospective patrons. They bargained for somewhat better pay, getting an offer of Cr20/mth for a minimum 3 months, but were still holding out for a completion bonus. When they mentioned a fancy for a winter sports holiday in Tynmos, Namkad grinned and gave them an account to bill it to, as it was excellent cover.
Moath and Ostergaard were confident that the smugs would be on the
lookout for amoral, effective and subtle criminals of the type the PCs would be
portrayed as, and were confident that they would be approached by recruiters. The
PCs job would be to sign up with the smugs, get as deep in as they can, and try
and trace the pipeline. Once they have uncovered how it works and who is behind
it, Ostergaard could clean house in her force and close the smugs down with
extreme prejudice.
The belter from the earlier RTA was indeed a Bluey victim and had since died of withdrawl in the cells; another feature of the stuff.
Moath was able to offer a process to get the group’s less legal weaponry and equipment delivered to Tynmos.
With the deal at least roughed out, Namkad told the PCs to
go back to their digs. He gave them a ‘burner’ hand commo with a cheap
address, to which he’d send the OK to Go signal and the fake IDs.
Session Date Feb 28, 2023