Iron Stars - jaorle

@Jaorle Artonis (thread is here, no need to ping on a reply, this is just to show you where the thread is) Former merchant Jaorle Artonis awakens in his small home on Jagrati, specifically in the capital, Jagragi City, to someone knocking at the wooden door that serves as the entry door from outside.

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10:30 AM

The gate is open and it looks like this person has just let themselves onto the property, meaning they would have had some kind of access key to the gate. This marks them as on polity business , or as someone very important. Outside the sun is out, and people are wandering the streets going about their daily routine. The clock shows it is just after nine in the morning on this January day. Jagrati does get cold, but this far south there is no snow this time of year even though other sections of the planet are gripped by the chill and frost of winter.

Jaorle got up quickly getting dressed in his secured clothing and bolstering his laser pistol before he went out to meet the person.

At the door is a smartly dressed businessman wearing an NMC badge on their jacket. They look like they serve in some kind of logistics role, possibly military though they're not in what you'd expect a military uniform to look like. "Is this the Artonis residence? I understand I might find a tradesman here that is looking for some polity work" He asks, taking a moment to briefly clear his throat into a lace handkerchief. "It really is imperative that I find him"

“It is, and I believe I’m the one you’re looking for” He said holding out a hand. “Jaorle Artonis.”

Its clasped firmly, "Ah good. May I come in? I think you're going to be interested in something like this " he says and you can see a data pad under his arm. "Opportunity for you, should you take it"

“Of course” Jaorle said shaking his hand before stepping to the side to let him in.

"How would you feel about the opportunity to help us expand resources on one of our nearby worlds?" He asks, as he comes in to take a seat at your kitchen table. "I'm going to pass a file over to you, so you have some idea of where we would like to send you"

8:20 AM

https://www.worldanvil.com/w/iron-stars-nekosmash/a/tavgularis-article?preview=true

Tavgularis

Jaorle took the file looking it over “and how exactly am I supposed to expand the cooperations resources?”

"The camps are all working hard but the logistics to actually move the goods off world haven't been completed yet. We were hoping you'd deliver a ship full of building materials to the Logging camp on the planet's surface so they can finish their docks. You don't need to assist them with the work. After that, there is ironwood in the cargo hub there that needs to be brought back here, to the shipyard so we can complete the construction of our new battleship. "

Jaorle nodded in understanding. “I see, I believe that can be done rather easily depending on the tonnage of cargo. I assume food and all the necessities will be paid for in advance yes?” (edited)

(Ships by default have stores of food, water, and air for 30 days per crew member)

(I’m meaning while on planet)

“Yes. The ship will have a locker you can requisition things from , rations among them. We wouldn’t expect you to do something out of your own pocket for polity business “

Jaorle nodded “very well, when am I to depart?”

“We would like to send you out tonigjt if you can be ready to go by then. This is a mission that has waited too long already and the logistical problems will only get worse if we wait longer. “

Jaorle nodded “I’m ready now if the ship is”

(It is, I will post the rules for downtime here so you don't need to fish them out of our book , but we have three days between Jagrati and our destination)

(I can train a skill to level 0 in 90 days.. would reading up on the planet’s history help me increase my Know skill? Or we’ll start to?)

(Yes, we would start to)

After gathering the few things he needed Jaorle departed on the ship, while aboard he began to read up on Iragarte, it’s culture history local customs, ect. Doing his best to learn anything and everything about it that he could with the time he had, knowing it would be three full days before they arrived.

(We're going to Tavgularis)

7:42 AM

(there's not much in the article, but it might expand on getting there. )

7:44 AM

Arriving in space over Jagrati you're quickly transferred aboard the simple Free Merchant vessel being used for the expedition. Meeting the two pilots, the comms officer, and engineer, you're shown your room and are invited to relax and rest as needed since it will be a long journey ahead, and your primary focus is what will happen on the ground once they safely get you to your destination. The hold is packed with building supplies for the resource caps on Tavgularis, allowing them to expand their operations, house more workers, and develop other infrastructure to make life more comfortable there for those working. This portion of the deal does not require negotiation, but securing resources to bring back from the warehouse there might, as this is an unscheduled polity mission. You spend the time learning about the destination, what little there is to be read, and are summoned to the bridge after three days of your spike journey as the ship enters the system.

Jaorle moved to the bridge quickly.

On the bridge you can see a new presence there, serving as the ship's master at arms. (edited)

12:30 PM

@Rodger Landon (Corn) Pirates are thought to not be of much of a threat in the polity controlled space, but the world is an increasingly dangerous place and it looks as though the Cooperative decided on a last minute addition to the crew. Over the course of this short trip, your paths have not crossed until now.

Rodger kept mainly to the bridge and his own quarters. He was a large figure made larger by the armor he seemed to always wear. A medkit was clamped to his waist within easy reach and he had some kind of scanner in his hand when not learning from the pilots over the short journey.

Jaorle nodded at the master at arms, glancing around the bridge quickly to see why he was called.

The ship is preparing to make its planetside run, and the crew wanted everyone on the bridge so they can be present for the inevitable comms call from the surface, asking your name, the nature of your business and so on. As the face of the mission, the crew believes you should be the one to take that message.

Rodger stood at attention a little hard to read through his helmet. "Good to finally meet the face of this mission. Sounds like you'll be up in a bit, good luck."

Jaorle smiled at the man “same to you mr..?” He let the question hang, knowing that he was the master at arms, as that much was obvious but not the name.

"Landon, Rodger Landon. You van think of me as the one whose goingvto get between anything thay wants to hurt you or rhe cargo on this ship. Like an extra vac suit hopefully I wont be needed but youll be glad that I'm here if you do."

Jaorle nodded with a smile “glad to hear that mr Landon, and it’s good to meet you”

The logging camp and mining camp on the surface both could be candidates for the supplies you have on board , but only enough exists in the hold to make a meaningful difference at one of the two locations. The bridge crew is wanting to know where jarole thinks it’s best to set down.

Rodger nodded curious where Jarole would send the resources.

Jaorle hummed for a moment before he spoke “what are the wood and metals used for respectively, and get me worker numbers for each. I’m not making a decision half cocked”

Known data begins filtering into the bridge screens for Jaorle to digest. Neither of those places are production centers in terms of being a holding, so would have less than 1,000 workers. The major export here so far is astronautic tools, which would require a backbone of metal more than wood, but there are growing markets on other worlds for Ironwood in both military and civilian applications.

(So in essence it’s the wood for local and metal for trading?) (edited)

(correct)

“Prioritize the logging camp, we strengthen them first, get them to like us. The more we help them the more they’ll help us.”

"Sounds like a plan, this iron wood seems interesting anyway. More of an unknown than aeronautics tools."

With the decision in place the freighter begins making its orbital descent towards the logging camp. As re-entry burns away to reveal a wide ocean world, you see the large forested island where the logging camp sits. Lights on the landing pad begin to shine as you make your approach and it looks like the camp bosses are assembling nearby to greet you. Work crews continue working in the background to both re-seed and cut select patches of the forest where needed. The ramp lowers, and those who you'd need to speak with look to be waiting to meet you.

Jaorle approached them with a smile “hello, I’m Jaorle Artonis” he said dipping his head slightly acknowledging them respectfully.

Rodger would try to look the least menacing he could manage as he made sure the area was secure. All his weapons stowed safely, but still cutting a large figure in his powered armor and staying close enough he could react if the situation warranted it.

"Welcome to our camp, Mr. Artonis. I see you've come with a bit of hardware behind you" the camp supervisor says, looking on admiringly at the cargo ship. "I assume these are the building supplies we ordered?"

“They are, though I wish we had more to give you” Jaorle said “perhaps next time I can bring more”

The cargo ramp begins to lower, and it looks like some teamsters are going to be heading up the ramp to begin unloading. "While you're here, there might be something else you can help us with while your ship gets unloaded. Maybe a little outside of what someone who specializes in spreadsheets and numbers might be comfortable doing, but you're here, and you're not assigned to any of the work crews. I was hoping you could take a look at our books, and try to figure some tihngs out for me. We're meeting our quotas, but just barely. The quota doesn't go up, it hasn't in some time, even though we have more workers and better equipment now more than ever. We clear more trees, we process more wood, the warehouse is emptied more often. Somehow the output doesn't rise. We were hoping you could take a look at the operation here and help me get a sense of where things are going wrong, or if we're dealing with a thief"

"With a difference in margins that big it seems like more than petty thievery. Sounds like someone is embezzling any kind of excess product that you would make. No one has reported any kind of irregularities which is potentially worrying, you would think that much missing lumber would be easy to find."

“Agreed, I’ll need access to yo ur records along with a list of people who had access to them and a list of employees… if the scale is what you think it is it’s likely it’s not just a single individual but whoever is behind it is smart enough to know to not let you fall behind.” Jaorle said his eyes narrowed in thought.

"I'd be honored for both of your help, and will make this worth your while" He begins leading you over to his trailer as the workers begin unloading the goods from your vessel. The mood in the camp seems affable and even boosted at the delivery, and you can see where the pilings for an elaborate pier have already been set into place.

"That's impressive. It seems like you are able builders even in the face of adversity, and I admire you asking for help from openly. I am glad to provude itvfor my part, though I admit I will probably be doing more legwork after the fact than number crunching."

Jaleel followed as he glanced around his mind taking it all in.

Entering the office, he quickly cleans off his desk and gets a pair of seats for you. "word will spread we've got some visitors looking through the books before long" the foreman says, looking to you both. "If you see anyone suspicious, or if anyone looks to be paying a little too close attention to what you're doing, please report it. We have a small security team on staff here, mostly to keep the animals away and for the occasional bar fight, but they're permitted to make arrests, put them to work if it looks like your safety might be in question"

Jaorle nodded “understood” he said sitting down “may I see the books?”

"So you would rather us work through them if detaining potential subjects. I would rather avoid an incident, but sometimes struggles are inevitable. I do have some means of non lethal detainment, if that is your worry." Rodger scanned the room making sure it was secure before taking a spot standing next to the desk. (edited)

(Admin/ int Jaorle)

Jaorle Artonis

used /roll

Jaorle Artonis Request: [2d6] Roll: [5, 4] Result: 9

There are four people with warehouse and inventory access the foreman The two shift safety officers the camp quartermaster interestingly enough, the site supervisor does not have access to actually updating inventory numbers, but is able to run reports to see where the camp is at.

Jaorle hummed in thought before he looked at the payslips and person expenditure reports of those four to see if any of them were spending more than they were making.

Rodger stood there and never felt more sure about his rejection of his family's bureaucratic way of life, but remained professionally quiet on the matter.

Their expense statements are private and are not available, at least from this computer. All of the mentioned staffers make a steady salary and their pay is generous compared to other labor positions.

Jaorle hummed at that and looked towards the supervisor “I have four individuals, three whom are likely that might be in on it, however I can narrow it down if I get their personal expense statements, unless you’d like to have security take them all in and break them with little evidence I will require them” Jaorle explained

Rodger perked up at the prospect of taking people in before realizing Jarole was making a point.

"I can't get that information for you. The private bank accounts of workers would be a massive breach of privacy. Ever since the nobles were removed and the laws were reformed, people are pretty hesitant to give up their freedoms. I'd never be able to get away with asking for something like that" the supervisor says.

Jaorle nodded and looked between him and Rodger “how difficult would it be to let us question them? One at a time preferably, while keeping them separated?”

Rodger just looked to the supervisor not wanting to assume anything about camp security policies, or overplay their hand.

"You could grab them as they come in from their shifts, or come in for lunch. They're on different crews so you should be able to nab them one at a time"

Jaorle looked at Rodger “does that work for you?”

"That's fine with me, it seems like it should work to minimize visibility so we don't spook the others."

Jaorle nodded “then we take them kne by one, separate them, give them a bit to stew and then interrogate them, does that sound like a plan?”

(who do we want to start with? )

(Up to Rodger)

(Oh i thought we were going by the work schedule. Let me look at the suspects. If were not limited possibly the quarter master depending on how far his purview extends he might be able to cover it up. Though all of them probably should have noticed something. /Sorry about that I edited to condense the posts to one./) (edited)

(Quarter master then?)

(yes)

The quartermaster comes in after a long shift and looks to be a bit surprised at the new people in camp, and at the very serious nature of the discussion about to be had.

(So the interrogation is happening in this office?)

(this is the only real private place in the camp, unless you had some other idea)

(Did you want to take lead on the questioning Jarole, I was figuring good cop bad cop type thing, but that might be too simple.)

(That would work yeah, Jaorle shows paper trail and so on offers them an out, they decline Rodger shows them their other choice.)

(You can go ahead and start if you like. Just figured I'd say so you don't need to double post.)

(sure, go ahead and set that up, lets see what our folks do. Roleplaying through it is really an important component of the mission)

Jaorlw approached him with Rodger as he had a soft smile “excuse me, you’re going to have to come with us.” He said friendly but firmly.

(sorry for another ooc post, but I wanted to clarify I thought we were all already in the office, which we were using as an interrogation room.) (edited)

The quartermaster nods once, understanding you're here as outsiders, and that means you're Cooperative agents of some kind. Being taken into the office he sits down on the opposite side of the desk where visitors would sit, and waits for you to begin doing whatever it is you plan to do with him. Thus far, aside from lighting a cigarette, he remains silent.

Rodger cut a large figure content to be a quiet implication of necessary compliance for the moment.

Jaorle sat down the book with the numbers showing the paper trail but had it closed for now “you’re the quartermaster responsible for the logging, that means any equipment goes through you, and you’re responsible for keeping track of it and whatever power cells are used and recharged yes?”

"That's right, that's my job. I handle all of that,a nd I make sure the workers have what they need to do their jobs safely"

Jaorle nodded “and I suppose that means you know the average amount if power is needed for cutting down a tree and thereby can estimate how many trees any group of people can cut down in a given stretch of time yes?”

Rodger suddenly seemed very interested in the answer to the man's question moving almost imperceptibly closer.

"I suppose we could figure that out, yes. It's not an exact science, but there are some things that stay relatively the same"

Jaorle opened the book and told him the numbers of materials used, but not the ammount of wood produced “given your knowledge, what would be the output, just an estimate. Take all the time you need.” Jaolre said. Wanting to know just how close to the answer of given output he would be to the book, which would also indicate just how much is being smuggled.

Rodger settled a bit letting the two men talk numbers waiting for a misgiving or some kind of verbal cue.

The answer given is within 20 or so tons, he goes on to explain sometimes more power cells are used if the trunk is knotty, because the wood is more compressed and is tougher to get through. Sometimes brush will also need to be cleared in sections of the forest that have not been managed in a while, and that also uses power. On the other end, he explains sometimes you do not get as much wood because you will cut a trunk down and the inside might be rotted,or riddled with a parasitic worm the loggers call Ironblight Beetles. There doesn't seem to be a way to repel them without destroying the food chain here, since many birds and other beneficial creatures eat them. Some of the loggers have come from worlds where environmental collapse was an occurrence within their former lifetimes there, and did not want to repeat the same here. On the whole, this quartermaster seems knowledgeable given you're not giving him many specifics to work with, and is trying to make general estimates.

Jaorle nodded “if you were given say a increase of workers of about” he gave the rough percentage of workers that were provided before “and a general improvement of equipment of about” he then gave the percentage of higher efficiency for the newer equipment they were given already “what in your estimate would be the new general output accounting for.. let’s go on the high side and say 5% of the end product cannot be used due to rotting or complications of some sort.” Jaorle said. (I know this may sound odd but mathematically he’s looking to get a general percentage increase in what the new load would be. Then take that percentage apply it to the one they had before they were originally given better tools and before the smuggling, and then using that they can estimate how much is being smuggled and so on. Sorry if it doesn’t make much sense with how it’s written out but if you want it mathematically. He’s taking X which is the orginal output before the general improvement, Y which is the current output, and Z the output of the math he’s asking the guy to do. Taking the percentage increase from Y to Z and applying that to X to see what the increase should be, math wise it’s easy to check and prove or disprove) (edited)

Rodger watched the conversation between the two pencil pushers trying to remain professional but glad that his face was hidden.

With numbers the quartermaster feels more comfortable. He provides them and it becomes clear that he knows what the increased output should be. 30% of the product is being siphoned off by whatever is happening here. (so far we havne't actually asked him what he knows about hwats going on, if he does)

Jaore nodded “so by your estimates about 30% of the product is being smuggled?” (Yeah that’s mainly because I was stacking the deck, you’ll see what I mean.) (edited)

Rodger listened in as the conversation seemed to be reaching an intertogatory point.

"If that is what this numbers game was supposed to figure out, I'd feel confident in that as a rough estimate." the Quartermaster says. You can almost see the gears in their mind turning as they try to piece things together.

“So, from what you’ve told me you’re clearly an intelligent man, and you’ve likely run these numbers before. That means you’re either utterly incompetent at your job, you’re part of the smuggling ring, or youre being paid off. So which is it?” Jaorle asked flatly as he leaned back in his chair.

Rodger subtly moved in the way of the exit implying the only way out was to answer the questions, but trying to stay out of the conversation as long as possible.

He turns red. "None of those. I am being threatened to keep my mouth shut. They sent me pictures, my kids playing outside back on Jagrati, my wife hanging up the laundry. They said if I keep quiet, nothing will happen. "

Jaorle nodded “who.”

The two shift safety officers look to be working in concert on this, for at least this end of the problem. They evidently have off world connections but the quartermaster is not sure who that would be.

Jaorle leaned back in thought at that his eyes narrowing before he looked to Rodger and nodded at him “if their willing to threaten him like that, I believe they’ll resist any form of detainment. I believe it’ll be your show with the security staff from here until we have time to interrogate him.” Jaorle said standing “so, what’s our move?”

(There are two security officers involved on this, working together, not just one, not sure if that was clear)

(How long would it take to send a message to jagarti to possibly make sure his family had a protective detail. Im assuming it's possible if they're threatening them. Just me as a player doesn't know the details.)

(I think as long as it takes for a ship to get there which is 3 days I think?)

(it would take 6 round trip, 3 to get there, and 3 for an answer to come back if it is something we need an answer to) (edited)

12:13 PM

(Otherwise just 3 if we're wanting to send a message and are not concerned about a reply)

(Would it be secure? I was figuring get ahead of it in case, but I don't want to doom this random family by tipping off Rodger's intelligence contact, and not asking enough questions ) (edited)

(We can certainly send it that way, we have no way of knowing really what the electronic capabilities are of the people we're warning against)

1:51 PM

(That would be very PAFO)

(Of course I just meant something that the NMC would consider more secure, or say is secure. Like give it his best to make sure that the guy's family is secure before asking him if he'd testify about it.) (edited)

(I've given you my absolute best answer to this question)

1

Rodger looked to the man taking out his compad. "If i call into intelligence and try to arrange a protective detail for your family, get ahead of things, would you testify to the things you have just told us upon their capture and trial?"

"I would, but I want to see the response before I agree to anything"

"I don't think that should be a problem, would you mind being taken into protective custody, do you think your own life is at stake? I assume you know that it will take around a week to have conformation but hopefully they will be safe soon after the message is received. I would ask if there was anything else you could tell us about the safety officers or their possible contacts before I make this report and request."

Jaorle watched them, staying quiet as he did just pass the torch of leadership to Rodger, until they had the safety officers in custody at least.

The quartermaster would agree, trusting you to make this look good so the security officers are not suspicious

(Sorry just trying to make sure I'm understanding is it the security officers or the like safety regulations guys like standards type thing or both.)

(Not secuirty guys, basically their there too make sure no one’s being an idiot with equipment and is following safety regulations)

(How did you want me to handle the names, I know you don't like to make them but I didn't want to not get it since I'd need it to tell them which family to protect likely, I just figured I would ask first.)

(I do not understand what you are saying Roger. And Jaorle is right, they're making sure no one's being stupid with the gear, ect)

(They would need the name of his family to provide a protective detail. E.g. the x family needs a protective detail. I didn't just want to assume it was hand waived, but i know you don't like being asked for every npcs nane so i wanted to clarify. Before posting or putting you on the spot by asking. Hopefully that's more clear? Sorry for the late response I was helping a friend move dirt for a few hours.)

The man gives his last name, and their address to you so detail can be arranged.

Roger types out a message to intelligence telling them about the quarter master's family, and telling them about the possible breaches in local security on Jagarti. He then holds over the compad for the man to look over the message and give his assent before he sends it. "Does this seem correct to the best of your knowledge?"

(to Jarole or to the quartermasteR? )

(Both but mainly the quarter master.)

The quartermaster agrees that all the details look to be correct. He will do his part once he knows this message has been sent.

Rodger pressed the send in front of them then closed the device. "No tricks, not that i would. I doubt thry will try to bribe us, but ss yiu can see it shouldn't matter as far as your family is concerned. It's put of my hands until i check in them personally next tome i ho to Jagarti. Is there anything else we need Jarole?"

“Not currently, other than detaining them.” Jaorle said

"I think we should carry forward as if we hadn't gotten a tip like this. We were going to bring them all in anyway, and question them and this is something we will need to do. Would you rather be taken aboard our ship or left with the security officers here?"

"Take me aboard the ship, that looks like I didn't cooperate and you're keeping me as a suspect" the quartermaster asks, his voice half pleading, half answering your question

(Just a heads up today and tomorrow I might not be active due to IRL reasons, by all means continue however)

"Alright." Rodger clapped his armored hands together to hain the attention of thr two security officers. "We were told we needed to coordinate with you two, but I will need some time alone with our suspect to get him to fully cooperate. I need to get some gear from the ship at any rate before the next bout of questioning are we all ready to move out?"

(If we;re locking the quartermaster up we can certainly do that)

(Yeah and i wanted to add in some non lethal weapons for the arrests.)

(the ship that brought you here has an armory, so what did you want to get? )

(stuff from his own stash, I think just a stun prod and flop rifle. Like stuff he'd have on ship, but not with him currently because of encumbrance. If that's alright.)

(sure, There is some for Jarole too in the ship

2:19 PM

*ship's armory, if needed )

Rodger escorted the man back to the ship making sure to make it look like he was a prisoner until he was in the brig. Once back on the ship he made sure he had the things he might need in case the apprehension took a turn. He put away the bulky heavy cutter which gave him ample room for a stun baton and flop rifle. (How much time would there be until the next persons shift after the interrogation. Mainly asking because I think the suitcase bake has prep time in exchange for portability.) (edited)

(I'd say two hours)

(would I need to roll anything if it's two hours to put it together? I wasn't sure if that was too close. Sorry for the delay finally was able to look it up.)

(Nope. Wouldn’t need to)

1

Rodger spent the extra time assembling the Dragonfly. He readied himself as well for the meeting, and prepared should it devolve into a chase ready to have Jarole or the bike cut off any escape plans. Once he had an idea he went to bring in the next suspect for questioning.

(Whod id we want to grab, we have those two safety officers and the foreman, Quartermaster is in custody right now)

(Probably one of the safety officers. If there isn't any particular set shift order for plausible deniability) (edited)

One of the shift officers is grabbed when they return to the camp and bundled into thr same office, unsure of what’s going on. (edited)

Rodger approached the safety officer leaving them to stew in silence for a few minutes. "I think you know why we have called you here, but I'm feeling generous. Have you noticed anything irregular on your shifts that you believe needs to be brought to the attention of the NMC authorities?"

(Talk/cha)

Rodger Landon (Corn)

used /roll

Rodger Landon (Corn) Request: [2d6+0] Roll: [3, 1] Result: 4

(4)

"Nope, haven't seen anything out of the ordinary here, aside from you and your accountant friend here" he says, indicating Jaorle

Rodger drew close to the man looming over him. "It's alright, we really don't need any testimony from you with what we have already. I just hoped you would come forward on your own, it would have made things less... messy. You see my accountant friend did what the bookish types do and found out there was a lot of product missing, guess who it led to? You're in a lot of trouble. Now I'm going to ask one last time. You see the new regime isn't really fond of treason. It makes them very paranoid. To me you're nothing more than an uncooperative piñata with a commendation inside who has made the poor decision of wasting my time."

"You wouldn't dare hit me, we have eyes everywhere. You might get away with it here, but the network I'm part of will get you. I'll cut both of you in if you drop all of this. Waht do you say? A million credits each? Enough for both of you to retire somewhere nice and never have to think about any of this shit ever again"

"Wow two million is a lot, maybe you are serious, but retirement seems boring I would rather hear about this network if even a small fish like you is liquid enough to even pretend you have that much money that's where the real worth is. You can't change the Sector with a measly million. If you're serious about turning me that is. You've gained my interest and stayed my hand for now." (edited)

(Jarorle? Want to weigh in at all? Not sure if you're back or not)

(Ok so I would like to apologize for my absence and I would like to ask if we can pause this or something like that as I am currently working doubles 18 hour days, and barely have time for sleep for a bit)

(Roger and I can finish this so we don’t have to try to remember what happened on this mission so far at some indeterminate time in the future , and when you’re ready to tag back in we can do a fresh mission)

1

"Not gonna explain the entire operation to you, but we've got backing, we've got money. King doesn't have his hand in every pie, and neither do the people"

"You know you're making it very hard to want to take your money. I realize a two million dollar brush off isn't the rudest thing, but I'm trying to be honest with you it's more intriguing this shadow brokery you keep referencing. If you're trying to make me feel like getting involved is my idea, it's already worked."

"Once the goods are loaded onto barges to be taken to the spaceport, we meet a ship at sea. They take the goods off world , just the skim, and sell it there. We get a piece of the action, and were told about the fund to offer in case someone sniffs out what we're doing"

"Ah so you're not as connected as all that, just the local part of things. Who was the one who brought you in? Maybe I can ask them about it."

"I got bought in when I discovered the same thing you must have. I talked to the other shift safety officer, brought my concerns to them, and here we are"

"Do you know who brought him in? Or who makes the payments? Also is it only money you have been alotted for complications or do you have access to anything else?"

He does not know, it looks as though you;d need to speak to the other shift officer to get that information.

"Alright it seems that we're done here for the moment then. I am going to have these security officers take you in for holding as a formality until I'm done questioning the other suspects. Just to keep suspicion off of us all. Please don't attempt escape or anything stupid. You'll be released back to me when our investigation wraps up so we can get a story straight, does that seem acceptable?"

"Yes, of course. Do what you think you need to do to sell this. We'll talk when it's done" he agrees, with a relieved look on his face .

Rodger called over the guards. "I think I've gotten what I will out if this one take him to a private holding cell search him and confiscate any communication devices, but it should be noted he has been cooperative so far."

They will only lightly smack him around on his way back to the ship as they take him into custody and relieve him of his belongings

Rodger waits for the officers to return taking a moment to type up a basic notes of the investigation. (Just wanted it noted a record of the offers and implications he made not sending it anywhere yet. Also didn't want to assume they came back or anything. In figuring get the other officer then the last suspect after questioning him.)

(did we want them to bring the second officer in? )

(that works for me)

Fifteen minutes later, the second shift officer is brought in by security and is promptly placed down in the uncomfortable seat facing the desk.

Rodger turned to look at the man. "Do you know why you have been brought here?"

He spits on the floor, making sure you see him doing it, and then says nothing.

Rodger visibly sighed shaking hud head. "Look, there is no point in playing tough I know everything, but I'm not here to arrest you. I want in, so tell me what you know. I already know you're not able to do more than empty the petty cash for a bribe. Now tell me who brought you in so I can talk to them or their boss about recruitment and we can get this overwith."

"Off world. This was my post with the org. I was recruited on Jagrati, and the network was set up from there. Was a couple months between getting sent here and getting my first orders. I thought maybe I was being scammed, or taken for a ride myself"

"Alright, but who on Jagarti? It's a pretty populated place and the point is not to spread the information that they exist around if possible."

"Well, if you let me go, I'll give you a name . I think that's a pretty fair trade"

"Give me the name and I'll cut you the same deal I did your friend. I'll put you in custody until the 'investigation' is done then cut you loose until I clear you both. Just so no one thinks I'm giving you special treatment."

(talk/cha)

Rodger Landon (Corn)

used /roll

Rodger Landon (Corn) Request: [2d6] Roll: [5, 1] Result: 6

(6 better than 4 I guess) (edited)

"Rapton. Don't know if that's a first name or a last name, but that's who brought me in, and that;s who sends us orders"

"Do you know where I can find him?"

"He meets us in the water , once we bring the ironwood barge out to open water. It's past w hat you can see from land, over the horizon"

"When do you send the next barge out?"

"Work has been interrupted for the day based on all this" he gestures, toward you, Jaorle, and the security dispatch with you. "We're behind pace now, but probably tomorrow"

"Tomorrow it is then. I'll say something that gets the line moving, you just worry about me getting on that barge to meet your contact. Pleasure working with you. Is there usually anyone else to meet you on the barge or just this Rapton?"

"Security and the ship crew normally. Six people in total. That's in though, small operation for this leg"

"Shouldn't pose a problem, but hopefully it won't come to that. Is there anything else I should know before I have you detained. I should be wrapping up things shortly. One last interview and enough time that it's believable I conducted a proper investigation."

It seems like he has given you all he knows ,as just a small part of this bigger smuggling ring himself

Rodger summons the guards again. "Alright take this one away too, same deal as the last take any communication devices, but don't be too aggressive with them since they're cooperating. We should be done with this soon."

(we have 3 folks in custody now, and it sounds like the last guy wasn't part of tihs, so we're good to leave the camp)

(Can i still interview him? He might know something or the others might have leaned on him like the first guy. Also i thought the barge was the next day?) (edited)

(It is, but the scene would be over so we would have moved on to that since thats the next important thing. OOC I am telling you this last guy doesn't know anything, in the interest of time)

(Im okay with fast forwarding through ot if he knows nothing, just wanted to make sure it got done since it could be important if he's saying something different with the investigation.)

(Sounds good. Yeah he's got nothing, and wehave those three in custody. We can push on to the barge/meeting if you're ready)

(Sure, i wasn't sure if i would need to talk to anyone else before hand)

With the three in custody, you wake up the follownig morning to one of the barges of Ironwood being loaded , prepared to float across the ocean to a warehouse on the other side where the goods are eventually shipped off world. Two nervous looking longshoremen are on the boat, as well as the security officer who promised to buy you in.

"Hopefully this goes as easy as everything else has. Do you ever get any trouble on these shipments?"

"Patrols once in a while, but the ocean is so big, its almost impossible to be encountered, but everyone has some bad luck now and again. It's been a while since we had seen anything out there"

"No need to be worried about patrols with me here, even if we do run into one I'll just send them on their way."

"You asked, thats the main danger out there. Anything else you want to know before we set off?"

"I think you have told me all you can, and I appreciate it, the sooner we're there the sooner I can talk to Rapton and get out of your hair."

The longshoremen secure the load of Ironwood tree trunks down, and push off with their long poles. There is a large amount of sea between here and the distant horizon where you are due to meet. (d10, no one's been this way before)

Rodger Landon (Corn)

used /roll

Rodger Landon (Corn) Request: [1d10] Roll: [7] Result: 7

(7)

sailing away from the harbor on this flat bedded barge you pass just over the horizon, past a very small uninhabited island. Four palm trees with a hammock between two of them wave their leaves in the wind. It does not look like anyone is here now. Crab traps made from packaging material and sticks are in the shallows, and it looks like a lean to had also been built here once but has fallen in from neglect and the elements .

Rodger takes note of it, but it does little to hold his interest besides indicate survival is possible in these islands. (edited)

Another few hours pass, and the crew begins to tense. You are close to the meeting point, and a tail of bubbles is seen shadowing the barge from a distance, slowly drawing closer. Whatever is making this trail has remained underwater so far. (edited)

"Are there a lot of sea creatures out here that might follow the barge, or are you expecting some kind of submarine?"

"Perceptive, yeah the bubbles is our friends. They're probably going to lurk for a bit and make sure everything's okay before surfacing. Paranoid bunch. Need to be for this outfit. Don't know you either, probably deciding what to make of it"

"Thats understandable, hopefully they don't take too long realizing I am a threat just not unless provoked. Dont get paid toouch if you're completely harmless right?" Rodger hoped the joke would help to relieve some of the tension of the situation.

There is a bit of laughter, and after a few moments the shuttle rises from the water. Fitted with aqua operations fittings, it is at home in sea, and in sky. A hatch on the side of the vessel opens as an armed smuggler appears. "Whos he?" the smuggler calls out to the ship crew whom he knows better , though you get the sense he's not looking for any one specific person to reply

"Roger Landon. I've heard you're part of a big network, and I want to be too. I figured if you have millions of credits for bribes there must be something to it so here I am ready to sign up."

"You with the Cooperative Roger?" he asks as the two ships come closer. "Just need to know who I'm getting into bed with here"

"Sergeant Rodger Landon of the New Moon Cooperative army." He did a snap step and gave a quick salute. "It was surprisingly easy to find your operation. So where do you fit in this group I'm assuming you're at least higher up than the two back at the logging camp."

“I need to know I can trust you before I let you in on something that sensitive. Thing is though , roster is a bit full at the moment, and I need to know I can trust you. “ He points to the ship safety officer with you. “That man failed us. He was careless and gave us away. Shoot him. Then his spot is yours”

"Does it matter which gun, or how many times one of them is very loud and very painful." Rodger turned to face the security officer.

“So long as he’s dead, your choice”

Rodger chuckled. "I was wondering if you'd catch that. Hmm I guess I couldn't be sure if I flopped him and pushed him into the water, too bad." He quickdrew his Las lock and took a shot at the Sec officer hoping to finish him quickly. (Wasn't sure if you wanted me to roll or if it was a more would he do it thing?)

(its more of a would you do it, so if you are doing it, the security officer will be shot, and will fall overboard)

9:41 AM

The officer has just a half second to cry out before the bolt punches through his heart, and he falls overboard. "Alright, good enough for me. I'm Lotal. And welcome to the network. He promised you some money on joining did he? Well, better climb aboard and we'll sort this out while the others load the cargo"

"Two million. Made it seem like that was just a drop in the bucket for the network. Even just for this backward arm of the operation." (edited)

"It is,but it should be more than enough for a new member. Enough to buy your silence if you decide you don't want to be part of this, or a nice salary advance if you decide you want to be a smuggler like us"

"It's enough for the hassle of reports to keep things quiet. I probably won't be able to spend it outside of the network for a good deal of time anyway. Or that idiot of a king might arrest me and try to redistribute it. So tell me more about this network is it all smuggling? Hopefully less obvious in the other operations?"

"People here got sloppy. This entire operation is going to be shut down" Lotal says, patting his weapon and gesturing to the longshoremen outside. "Terrible accident, those poor men, and the barge. The network is larger, and we have more discrete operations elsewhere. Clients outside the polity pay well for the things we manage to get our hands on" (edited)

"I can take credit for shutting it down if you need. Met with resistance obviously, or something like that, would have to make sure to quiet the other safety officer though. I think that's as far as it goes everyone else will be overjoyed that I've rooted out the corruption. What do you plan to do with the wood or are you going to wait until after they've loaded it for their accident? Outside the polity you say, anyone specific you're dealing with, you know there are a lot of gung ho types who want to take everything for themselves or others who are technically in the federation, step on the wrong toes there, and it's a whole bunch of trouble."

"There are other independent captains out there , people who remember the good old days of the Constellation Supremacy Front, or the Freeguild, and independent worlds who aren't part of a polity. We open up trade lines they cannot, but the polities control the goods. So we take, we subvert, we steal, and then we take the cargo to the stars, and sell" (edited)

"Is it usually skimming and raiding or do you have any operations of your own? What would you think my position would be further in?" (Are these factions from the past or anything Rodger might know( csf and freeguild) just trying to judge how he reacts, also how old does this guy look?)

(Yeah Roger would know about them. They’re on world anvil and both have been in the news a fair bit. The freeguild has a few ships wanted for bounties currently by the guild as well so I’m sure Roger keeps an eye on that since he’s in a position to travel and respond to Any chance encounters with them )

(Makes sense, thanks i have an idea of them.)

(this guy looks to be a hard bitten mid 40's) "Can't let you in on the other parts right yet, We don't raid, a military ship is a rare thing right now, but we skim, we steal, we re-direct"

"I understand. I'm a bit too shiny to trust even with fresh blood on my hands. You've bought yourself some patience with that many credits. Besides. I have to at least look clean if I'm really going to be useful." Rodger paused "I have my own plans. Plans that would work best with a healthy stream of credits, and a thriving community outside the federation or any polity. That's for later though, nest egg talk." (edited)

"That's not how this works. We're not going to give money to someone to set up a competing op. You either take the money and disappear, or you take the money and sign on"

"I'm signing on and don't worry it wouldn't be a competing op however you look at it, and it's just a pipe dream. You don't much seem like doctors or scientists."

"We're not,but some of our clients are. " he says, and it looks as though the cargo is loaded. He nods once, excusing himself to get to the hatch where several laser shots cut down the longshoremen. "There's a demolition charge in the locker. Throw it over"

Rodger looked through the locker for the charge taking it out and tossing it over making sure to stick close to the old man after so he didn't try anything. "I'm sure work in the network will be interesting enough. Whatever I end up doing. I'll learn the ropes quick, and what buttons not to push." (edited)

The charge looks to be a normal demolition charge with nothing special about it- just powerful enough to sink the barge and make it look like an engine accident or mechanical failure.

The power of the charge made Rodger feel at ease as he waited to follow the other man onto the sub.

It is placed, and as the hatch closes behind you the submarine begins to take on pressure, and dives. 50m below the waves, the trigger is pressed and the raft explodes. "We're going to get over the horizon, and from there we can get into space, off to our first stop. Some of the higher ups will want to meet with you, and should know this branch has been closed down"

"I'm eager to meet them as well. I'm curious did you want me to try and spin something or just step away from my position. I don't mind. Mainly I thought I would be more useful with some kind of pull, but either way want to be prepared. Unless that's their decision?"

"That's their decision. My job now is to cover our tracks, and bring you in. We'll make our delivery, and go from there. By tomorrow you should be able to check your account and see the money has been released to you"

"Sounds good, and like it's the most I'll get until I meet the higher ups anyway."

(anything you wanted to do during our travel time? )

(Observe the pilots I guess. Gotta push that pilot skill to 0. (13/90 if I'm right for one day.)) (edited)

(sounds good!)

10:48 AM

The day in flight passes, and you are woken from your bunk by a quick knock on the door.

10:48 AM

(We can move back into your thread now when you answer this, I think the immediate mission has been completed and we can free this up for Jaorle to come back into something if they come back)

1

(archiving this for now until Jaorle is ready to play again)