gronkthebold
Level 3 Conjurer
That low level hireling who carries the 10 ft poles...
Posts: 69
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Post by gronkthebold on Aug 25, 2013 19:07:30 GMT -6
"Bleedin' heck woman, we're not that bad as to need protective custody. With these fellas at my back," Regin indicates the rest of the group, "I'd have no worries if the entirety of the EHC came after me." The mercenary gives a fake grin to Berwick, and then continues: "So yeah, same question: Do these 'Invisible Fence' doohickeys come with microphones or tiny cameras or what?"
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Post by coffee on Aug 26, 2013 8:03:24 GMT -6
"I'm going to have to go with the 'fence', myself," Rik says. "I have another shift tomorrow, and if these EHC guys are acting up, it might be a long one."
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eris
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 161
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Post by eris on Aug 27, 2013 15:37:37 GMT -6
"I'm with the others. We'll look after ourselves." Mike says then asks, "What hospital was the old guy taken to? I'd like to go over there and check up on him."
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Post by sulldawga on Aug 28, 2013 12:41:21 GMT -6
Berwick nods and smiles as you all answer.
"Wise choice. We aren't exactly running a luxury hotel, if you know what I mean. As far as the details on the monitoring anklets are concerned, I'm not at liberty to say. But I think you smart guys can connect the dots."
She does some more talking into a comm, you wait around another 10 minutes or so, and a police cruiser shows up. The lookout goes in the back, Berwick pops the car's trunk and pulls out some metal bands, and just like that, you're all under 24-7 Constabulary monitoring.
"I'll be in touch once the old man regains consciousness. Until then, you're not to attempt any contact with him. At all. Or you will end up in lockdown. Everyone got me?"
She gives you all a stern look for a few moments, then says, "Ok then. You're free to go."
[It's about 7 PM on Sunday. You can assume that Nirvana is similar enough to Earth that the average day and year is the same length. We will also assume at this point that you all go back to your normal lives for the remainder of the evening, and the next day. If you wanted to do something specific, feel free to let me know and I'll retcon the action.]
At about the same time at the end of the next day, call it 6 PM Monday, the four of you meet up again at the Eolian to compare notes. There's been no word from Berwick on Aoki-san's health and no apparent retaliation from the EHC just yet.
Abruptly, Jak starts buzzing. Mike looks down to see a high priority quickvid in his queue. The sender is supposedly Aoki-san!
[assuming Mike watches it and shares its contents with the rest of you...]
The figure on the vid is not Aoki-san but Mike seems to think the young man resembles him... like a son or even grandson.
The young man says, "The Cult has recovered the chip from the wreckage of Koga's car. Even now, they are trying to decrypt its data. Once they learn of the ship's location, all is lost. Retrieve the package from the warehouse. You have the needed clearance. Then go, with haste. Do not wait for Aoki-san, he will not be able to travel for days. We have no time to wait. They must not succeed."
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eris
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 161
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Post by eris on Aug 29, 2013 10:50:53 GMT -6
Berwick nods and smiles as you all answer. "Wise choice. We aren't exactly running a luxury hotel, if you know what I mean. As far as the details on the monitoring anklets are concerned, I'm not at liberty to say. But I think you smart guys can connect the dots." She does some more talking into a comm, you wait around another 10 minutes or so, and a police cruiser shows up. The lookout goes in the back, Berwick pops the car's trunk and pulls out some metal bands, and just like that, you're all under 24-7 Constabulary monitoring. "I'll be in touch once the old man regains consciousness. Until then, you're not to attempt any contact with him. At all. Or you will end up in lockdown. Everyone got me?" She gives you all a stern look for a few moments, then says, "Ok then. You're free to go." [It's about 7 PM on Sunday. You can assume that Nirvana is similar enough to Earth that the average day and year is the same length. We will also assume at this point that you all go back to your normal lives for the remainder of the evening, and the next day. If you wanted to do something specific, feel free to let me know and I'll retcon the action.] At about the same time at the end of the next day, call it 6 PM Monday, the four of you meet up again at the Eolian to compare notes. There's been no word from Berwick on Aoki-san's health and no apparent retaliation from the EHC just yet. Abruptly, Jak starts buzzing. Mike looks down to see a high priority quickvid in his queue. The sender is supposedly Aoki-san! [assuming Mike watches it and shares its contents with the rest of you...] OOC: Mike certainly will share the video with the others! The figure on the vid is not Aoki-san but Mike seems to think the young man resembles him... like a son or even grandson. The young man says, "The Cult has recovered the chip from the wreckage of Koga's car. Even now, they are trying to decrypt its data. Once they learn of the ship's location, all is lost. Retrieve the package from the warehouse. You have the needed clearance. Then go, with haste. Do not wait for Aoki-san, he will not be able to travel for days. We have no time to wait. They must not succeed." "I don't know quite what to make of this." Mike says, "There's a chip, a warehouse and most importantly...a ship involved. Now, if we *do* have clearance to go, then getting off planet might be a very wise idea?" "I just wish I knew where the warehouse and where the ship are located, what is in this mysterious package and where we're supposed to take it." Mike scratches behind his ear, "Anybody have any ideas?"
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Post by coffee on Aug 30, 2013 8:11:38 GMT -6
"He says we have the clearance," Rik muses, "or at least you do. Would that be some remote kind of clearance, or would Jak have a record of it?
"And does it cover the rest of us?"
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eris
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 161
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Post by eris on Aug 30, 2013 11:06:10 GMT -6
"He says we have the clearance," Rik muses, "or at least you do. Would that be some remote kind of clearance, or would Jak have a record of it? "And does it cover the rest of us?" "Don't know. Seems like the cops would have come got their leashes back if we were cleared." Mike says then asks Jak, "Jak, check to see if I've, if any or all of us, still have a police hold on us? Then check if any of us are cleared to leave the planet? Then see if you can find out what clearance the previous caller was referring to?"
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Post by sulldawga on Aug 30, 2013 13:47:05 GMT -6
Jak says, "Checking... one moment... I don't see any public records of individuals with "police holds". I think it's safe to say that if you're still wearing the anklet, you're going to have a hard time leaving the city."
OOC: Your PCs would know that many warehouses and remote storage facilities, in fact most buildings with restricted access, don't have physical keys but have biometric access checkpoints. Mike could go to the warehouse and have his retina or his handprint scanned and that would grant him entry, if he had been given access.
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premmy
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 295
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Post by premmy on Aug 30, 2013 16:06:55 GMT -6
Rahim zoned out for the last few minutes, but his partners' words finally reach his brain. "d**n it, fools!" - he hisses. He grabs the others and shoves them towards the nearest speaker with music blaring from it. "That cop women pretty much admitted these ankles are bugged" - he rattles off under the cover of the music - "and you're all talking about ships to fly away with, warehouses to get into with shady credentials, and stuff they're guaranteed to take as interfering with their investigation. Are you all crazy? Why not just send them a transcript of everything we say? Stay next to the speakers and talk low!"
He waits for a moment then continues in slightly calmer voice. "This man, Aoki's son or whoever, he must know we're completely clueless, so if he just mentions a warehouse, we should assume he means the only warehouse we know of, the one where we've been already. They must have something there they want us to get before the EHC takes it. He probably rigged the security system to open to us - maybe he owns the place. Let's go there as soon as possible.
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gronkthebold
Level 3 Conjurer
That low level hireling who carries the 10 ft poles...
Posts: 69
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Post by gronkthebold on Aug 31, 2013 7:32:51 GMT -6
Regin steps near the speakers and talks low: "Good idea Rahim. The main thing this time is to make sure that the police don't get any indication that we're snooping in that warehouse. I'm ready to go when you are." The mercenary steps out of the range of the speakers, into the open again, and says to the group: "So yeah, that's the idea I'm having for this new historical fiction novel. I thank you guys for your appreciation of the concept, and I'm wondering if you would like to go to my place or a bar for further discussion? I've also heard of this good place that does a d**n good buffet if you guys are into restaurants..." (This non-sequitur is simply to confuse the police, if they are tracking the conversations we are having, and to give them a couple of false leads if they intend to spy on us. Regin hopes that the rest will understand and go along with this lie.)
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Post by sulldawga on Aug 31, 2013 22:07:40 GMT -6
Rahim's idea seems as good as any, so the four of you jump back onto mass transit and in no time at all, you're at the warehouse where you first encountered the EHC and Aoki-san the night before. Aside from the cracked facade of the building opposite the warehouse where the Pugilist's car impacted, there's no obvious evidence your melee ever happened.
You head to the front of the building and let Mike take the lead. He walks up to the door, completely blank with no handle or knob, and checks out the panel on the wall next to it. It's got a handprint scanner clearly marked, so Mike puts his palm down and the machine buzzes and glows for a few seconds.
A disembodied female voice above you says, "Good evening, Mr. Kaminski. Please do come in." The door slides open and all four of you are allowed to enter.
Inside, there's a Handy-bot waiting. Shaped like a thin two meter tall cylinder, this one has three arms ending in hands with long, human-like digits.
The disembodied voice speaks up again. "Please follow Clarence to the back deck, Mr. Kaminski. Your package is in Gate 12."
"Clarence" takes you through a room with a number of small wall safes that resemble a bank's safe-deposit boxes. On the other side, you walk down a hallway lined with storage rooms containing larger boxes and containers. Finally, you reach the back deck, which has the largest storage areas. Some are rooms with chain link fence walls, others are simple stalls containing what look like vehicles with dustcovers over them.
When you get to Gate 12, Clarence spins and glides away. Inside your stall is a huge object covered by a tarp. A couple of you grab the edges of the tarp and throw it back. Underneath, you discover the package is a beat-up, mud-speckled gravcar. The disembodied voice says, "Now that you have taken possession of your package, Mr. Kaminski, you must exit the facility within ten minutes. Have a nice day!"
At the far end of the back deck, you hear an overhead door rumbling into the open position.
Actions?
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premmy
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 295
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Post by premmy on Sept 2, 2013 7:15:52 GMT -6
"Huh, a flying car" - grunts Rahim. "Who's gonna fly it? I only drive things on the ground."
"Anyway, we should get it out of here, get to a safe, out-of-the-way place and search it thoroughly. I bet there's something hidden inside. Either that, or it has some coordinates in its navigation system. These things have navigation systems, right?"
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Post by coffee on Sept 2, 2013 10:05:35 GMT -6
"I'll drive," Rik says. "I'm licensed for grav." He gets in and starts it up (assuming there's no hindrance, like a biometric lock or anything like that.
"Where do you guys want to go now?"
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gronkthebold
Level 3 Conjurer
That low level hireling who carries the 10 ft poles...
Posts: 69
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Post by gronkthebold on Sept 3, 2013 13:54:16 GMT -6
Regin listens to Rahim, nods and looks to Rik: "Yeah, saved co-ordinates in the navigation system... that sounds about right. Could you check that for us, Rik?"
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eris
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 161
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Post by eris on Sept 3, 2013 16:20:23 GMT -6
Mike climbs into the car, "Just out into the city for now. We can consider what next, after we get out of here."
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Post by coffee on Sept 4, 2013 7:45:33 GMT -6
Once we're all aboard, Rik starts the car and pulls out into the streets. He'll adjust the mirrors, seat, etc., find a light jazz station, and check the nav for any saved coordinates or route plan.
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Post by sulldawga on Sept 4, 2013 10:58:49 GMT -6
Rik gets into the driver's seat, the rest of you pile in, and away we go!
Wait, no. Rik looks down at the dash and sees another biometric lock: in this case, a thumbprint sensor. He dutifully presses his thumb down but the engine does not start. Quickly, you realize that Mike is probably the only one whose thumb will work.
As luck would have it, the engine engages once Mike presses his thumb on the scanner and he's not required to drive, so Rik can stay put.
The gravcar quietly rises up about 0.5 meters from the ground and Rik eases it out of the warehouse and onto the street. Riding shotgun, Mike activates the onboard nav system.
A pleasant male voice says, in slightly accented English, "Please tell me your destination and I will engage the autopilot."
Mike ignores the voice for now and calls up the GPS logbook. There are no locations saved within the log, but when Mike looks at the previous destination list, there's one entry. It's a physical location, rather than an address, and when you find it on the map overlay, the satellite image is missing. The nav system suggests that it will take roughly 10 hours to reach the location.
Actions?
OOC: Rik would know that gravcars run on Type B power cells, and you can expect to get about six hours out of a cell (in a gravcar) before it runs out of power.
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eris
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 161
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Post by eris on Sept 4, 2013 12:19:28 GMT -6
Rik gets into the driver's seat, the rest of you pile in, and away we go! Wait, no. Rik looks down at the dash and sees another biometric lock: in this case, a thumbprint sensor. He dutifully presses his thumb down but the engine does not start. Quickly, you realize that Mike is probably the only one whose thumb will work. As luck would have it, the engine engages once Mike presses his thumb on the scanner and he's not required to drive, so Rik can stay put. The gravcar quietly rises up about 0.5 meters from the ground and Rik eases it out of the warehouse and onto the street. Riding shotgun, Mike activates the onboard nav system. A pleasant male voice says, in slightly accented English, "Please tell me your destination and I will engage the autopilot." Mike ignores the voice for now and calls up the GPS logbook. There are no locations saved within the log, but when Mike looks at the previous destination list, there's one entry. It's a physical location, rather than an address, and when you find it on the map overlay, the satellite image is missing. The nav system suggests that it will take roughly 10 hours to reach the location. Actions? OOC: Rik would know that gravcars run on Type B power cells, and you can expect to get about six hours out of a cell (in a gravcar) before it runs out of power. "Well, we can't get there from here on a single charge." Mike says, "And it's 'out there', too."
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Post by coffee on Sept 5, 2013 7:47:35 GMT -6
Rik gives a worried glance at the destination.
"About ten hours or so. Add ten hours back, assuming we come back here. Twenty hours round trip. Power Cell B will give us 6 hours, plus or minus. Be on the safe side, make it four; gives us 24 hours total.
"Anybody got 300 credits lying around? Because I don't."
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premmy
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 295
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Post by premmy on Sept 5, 2013 8:27:21 GMT -6
"I assume a ten-hour flight would take us out of city limits" - Rahim notes while he reaches forward between the seats for the radio to turn it up real loud - "and I think we all remember why that would be a bad idea right now, don't we? So let us take our rented car and see if we can park it anywhere until our present business is wrapped up. Maybe we could put it in a random garage where we can keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't have any tracking bugs or anything that those cultists could use to find it."
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gronkthebold
Level 3 Conjurer
That low level hireling who carries the 10 ft poles...
Posts: 69
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Post by gronkthebold on Sept 6, 2013 15:37:35 GMT -6
Regin leans forward from the back seat to speak to the driver, "This might be a bad time to suggest this, from all the trouble we've been getting into, but do you guys want to go after one of those 'job' offers and kick some backside for cash? I'm pretty open to some other suggestions if you have any other ideas..."
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Post by sulldawga on Sept 6, 2013 21:49:21 GMT -6
You drive back to your neighborhood and park the gravcar in a public garage.
Now what?
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