Iron Stars - thorgerd-investigation

@Austin Hayes (feel free to close out the scene in your thread, but I wanted to get you and @Crazymajor set up here , especially since tomrrow might be busy for me irl. Austin we can handle shopping and downtime from Draemia to Gudrun in your thread, by time we get a couple posts in here we should be caught up down there, and nothing critical will have happened yet) Austin and Nikola manage to meet one another on cyberspace, Nikola looking for someone to accompany them to Thorgerd to investigate the Sons of Stone and the growing cries for separation from the UNW, aligning with Austins own goals of pitting themselves against a problem created by the living, rather than the undead. Returning from a long trip to the Draemia colony, Austin enjoys a few days of recovery and relaxation on Gudrun's surface, the burn of the anti zed vaccine slowly leaving their system over the course of travel. One adventurer with a few successes under their belt, and an upstart politician with everything to prove meet one another in Central's air/space port, tucked in the center of the city, dating back to when Central was one human settlement on a hostile world, rather than the frontier capital of a system spanning intergalactic polity. The sounds and sights of orbital launches and conventional flyers taking off and landing is a constant dull background roar as each makes their way to the shuttle they will share for the day long journey to the potentially hostile world. The shuttle's crew chief is standing outside, handling last minute pre flight checks.

(Sounds good) Austin is waiting by a large window that overlooks the field. When Nikola arrives, Austin walks over to him and holds out his hand. “Mr. Radovic. It’s nice to finally meet you in person. Excited for the trip ahead?” Austin is 5’11”, probably around 30 years old, and is wearing a UNW semi-formal casual uniform without patches. His laser pistol is hung prominently at his belt, despite the safety of the area.

(sorry for the lateness) The Taros man greeted him with a wicked grin as he accepted the firm handshake. "And you as well, Mr. Hayes," he replied eagerly. Nikola, for better or worse, looked perfectly the part of a UNW political representative; a finely tailored suit and tie, slicked-back hair, a metallic suitcase dangling in a hand that looked as if he'd never done a day of hard labor in his life, and an award-winning smiling that always flashed his perfectly pearly whites. "Excited as much as I am wary," he answered. "This will be no easy-going assignment from what the reports said, and miners always are a rough bunch." Whipping out his compad, Nikola took a brief glance at the time before motioning ahead, encouraging Hayes to take the lead on boarding the shuttle and following quickly behind. "And what encouraged you to join me on this, my friend. You have connections to Thorgerd?" He'd asks once they'd boarded. (edited)

Austin leads the way onto the shuttle and deposits his gear by the door of the nearest unclaimed bunk room. “None at all, I’m afraid. I heard rumors of the unrest and decided to check them out.” He also grins. “If I were looking for easy-going, I’d still be pushing papers in the army. Miners may be rough, but if it comes to combat, I think we can take a few. Or better yet, talk em down at the negotiating table. So what brings you to Thorgerd?” (edited)

Nikola glanced over towards the laser pistol that had been on his belt. "I hope you know how to swing a pick then," he snorted a laugh. "The reports said no weapons allowed on board. A safety precaution. Cant have an accident leading to everyone getting sucked out to space." He said, despite the irony of hiding away his own weapon. "Well, I'm just doing my job." He answered. "UNW requested me to come in as a fresh face and try to smooth things over." (edited)

Austin gives a sly smile and gestures to a bulky weapon-shaped package attached to the top of his gear. “No picks for me - luckily, as I’d probably hit myself before someone else. My void carbine here is specially rated for a space environment, and won’t puncture walls or sensitive equipment, so it’s exempt.” (edited)

(dont want to cut either of you off, crew chief will say hello once you're done talking)

"Thats exactly what I wanted to hear," Nikola smiled at the good news. He was no fighter, and certainly didn't look like one. Fighting was what he had henchmen for. "I'm glad you've come along, Mr. Hayes." (Im fine with you going ahead Neko)(

“I’m glad as well. I dare say we’ll make a good team.” (Same here)

"Good afternoon both of you" The crew chief says as you both approach. "We're your ride to Thorgerd. The UNW has deployed a marine unit ahead of you to help keep order, but its tense there. You'll want to keep your wits about you. You'll each have your own cabin and we'll be in flight for aobut a day, most of it in spike space. Thorgerd is pretty close to the capital here, so you can understand why this is so important. "

“The fact that political unrest is happening one jump from the capital is… distressing to say the least. Well, that’s what we’re going there for. Thank you for the heads up.”

"Understood, chief," Nikola nodded. "Do you know of any new documents or reports I can look over containing more details regarding the ongoing dilemma? Would be a good way to keep productive till we arrive."' (edited)

"Unfortunately given the delay in communications any information I'd have will be out of date by the time you get there" (I don't have anything more really tro say about the situation other than what was in each of your threads. Little UNW involvment there, miners are mad, legal battle, now there might be actually simmering violent tensions. Had to leave some things for player involvement to discover)

8:23 AM

"Well, hop aboard, we'll have you there within a day, " (we have one day of downtime between here and our destination)

“Looks like we’ll find out when we get there.” Austin drops his gear in his cabin and makes his way to the bridge, where he volunteers to take a shift watching the spike drill. When the ship drills back down, he’ll be back on the bridge. (applying one more day to Pilot-0 - 15/90. How many stations, arcologies, and etc. are in the system?)

(there is the arcology where all the people live and where all the mining work is processed from mining system ships, and a separate ship service depot platform, so two stations in total)

Nikola went off to wait out the trip. (Training Notice for 1/90)

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

Thorgerd

7:58 AM

Entering the system a day later the crew sends a short message to your cabins letting you know the spike jump has been completed, and that it will be six hours of sublight burn to get to the mining station. System control has welcomed you in, but the crew has remained silent about your presence on board, not wanting to give the Sons time to plan something. (austin mentioned wanting to go back to the bridge when the jump was complete, if we want to do anything there we can, if we want to just get to the station I can move us up)

When they drop out of Metaspace, Austin aids the pilot with the scanners to ensure no danger is imminent. (It was mostly flavor text, coupled with paranoia from a couple of “you drop out of metaspace and find” encounters I’ve GMed and read)

Dressed for the occassion, Nikola grabbed his brief case and readied to step off the vessel.

(its a UNW system despite the tension, there is a regular fleet patrol, so no surprises) The pilots are content that there is no danger here and they begin to plot a course toward the mining archology. A unit of UNW marines has been deployed to the station already and are doing their best to keep order. A squad of them will be waiting to greet you once the shuttle lands, and will brief you on the situation there. The shadow of the station passes over you as its metal flanks eclipse the system star, and the landing skids extend as the ship sets down. There is a wail of sirens as the heavy hangar doors are closed behind you and the squad of marines emerges from their holding room nearby as the hangar re pressurizes.

As the shuttle touches down, Austin debarks and makes his way over to the marines.

The marines are led by a sergeant and each of them are in a heavy assault suit, powered armor with fully sealed helmets to protect them from the void of space in the event of an emergency. Each of them is armed with a void carbine and they wait respectfully. The sergeant steps forward, helmet speakers turned up so they can be heard over the sounds of the engines powering down. "Agents Hayes and Radovic? I'm Sergeant Ingran. My squad and I will be your protective detail while you're here on Thorgerd."

"I doubt you'll be needing to do any fighting after all, Mr. Hayes," Nikola remarked joking as they joined the marines. "A pleasure, sergeant," Nikola offered a hand in greeting. "I have full faith in you and your men, but. considering the UNW thought it necessary to have you all here, what are the current security risks? Is there belief that the miners will actually try something during negotiations, or is this simple... safety precautions..."

“Well, Mr. Radovic, at the very least I can sacrifice myself to save you when you offend the wrong miner” Austin jokes back. He also greets the Sergeant. He makes note of the heavy weaponry and armor they’re wearing, and waits for the Sergeant’s reply to Nikola’s question. (edited)

"Right now the only real fighting is one with words, but this entire issue snuck up on the UNW, so we can't count anything out for sure. The locals sure aren't happy we're here, but we'll be gone soon enough once this gets worked out one way or the other. We are here to make sure none of them see UNW officials and get any bright ideas"

“That’s good to hear at least. Street brawls don’t precisely have a positive impact.” “So, what do we know about the Sons of Stone?”

"Only what the reports say. Miners, the most independent minded of them at least, though I think everyone here more or less agrees with them in some way. They don't like the UNW, and they certainly don't like my men and I being here. If we packed up and went home tonight, and left them to their own devices, they'd be happy. But we can't do that, which is why I'm guessing you're here"

"That would be so," Nikola agreed. "Let us request a meeting with their leadership as soon as possible. Better to make introductions sooner rather than later." His freehand reached for his compad, ready to send the message out himself in needed. "Let them decide the time and location. Hopefully, it will make them feel more at ease and not like we are here to start yanking them around by the collar." (edited)

“Do we know who their leadership is? Or if they even have leadership?”

"Not that we've really noticed. They listen to their foremen but that's the most I can give you. Guess you'll have to try to pick things up from there and see what they do. We'll keep an eye on ya. Don't worry" he says. You can't see his face through the helmet of the assault suit, but you can hear the slight smile in his voice.

“Starting from ground zero then. How about we find one of these foremen, corner him, give him a bri- I mean tip - in order to start him talking, and then send him with a message to the leadership if there is any.”

"An aggressive introduction. Not sure how well that will work out, Mr. Hayes. But, we should certainly make contact with the foremen. "

“Indeed. We should try the “nice” version first, but with an escort subtlety isn’t easily accomplished.”

"That is why I was thinking," Nikola took a cautious glance towards the Marines. "We take this first meeting without an escort. My intuition tells me they won't be trying anything violent right away... at least not until we start telling them 'no'. Plus, I expect them to act in their own interest. Attacking us certainly wouldn't satisfy that just yet. So, what do you say, Mr. Hayes? Are you confident enough in those skills of yours to go without the boys in power armor?"

“Is that a challenge, Mr. Radovic?” Austin says with a grin. “I would be willing to do that. What are you thinking?”

"Nothing special. Just a meeting. What we lack most of all now is information... We are more likely to get it, and the truthful sort, if they feel comfortable and safe. We come as friends of course! These are miners. They know a rough life. Intimidation will only likely make them more stubborn."

“But who shall we meet with? We don’t know the leadership, and I dislike the idea of risking ourselves only to meet with a middleman. Also, a foreman would probably dislike the idea of talking to a UNW agent, marines or no.”

"Indeed we don't, and that's what we need to fix. The whole reason for us being here is to talk to the leadership. They've been in a legal battle for some time now and have yet to show any violence. Clearly, as of now, they are still looking for a path through the courts not open rebellion." ((For Neko: Considering they've been going through legal battles their leadership/representation would likely be publicly listed as the defendants/plaintiffs in this case, no? Im assuming if they are battling out in the public courts it would be public information. If this is so can we not simply look up or request this information from UNW?)) (edited)

6:10 PM

((Im just assuming here that UNW courts would work mostly like irl courts considering the form of goverment))

Austin supports Nikola’s plan of communicating with the lawyers.

(lets get a connect/cha to try to get in touch with them, or see if we can find someone who might be able to get us to them. I don't think reaching them is really what we're rolling for here so much as trying to collect some info to leverage to get them to meet with you. Each of you can roll it)

Austin Hayes

used /roll

Austin Hayes Request: [2d6-1] Roll: [6, 3] Result: 8

Crazymajor

used /roll

Nikola Radović Request: [2d6] Roll: [6, 1] Result: 7

Quintillius Bivins is a fierce hotshot lawyer and her reputation as being intimately skilled with contracts like a concert virtuoso is known beyond just the confines of the Thorgerd system. You spend a bit of time talking to the marines, and eventually head toward the marketplace where you begin to enact your plan of talking to any of the foremen that are willing to be seen talking to you. Eventually, you reach one who gives you this small tidbit of information. "I don't want to say too much more" he goes on, looking nervously around "The people here are mad, in a big way. The UNW let us down, and we're looking after ourselves now. I'm telling you this so that maybe you'll meet with her and she can explain all the problems she

5:08 PM

has seen in the c harter, and maybe then you'll leave us alone"

“Thank you. We’ll talk to her.” Austin shakes the man’s hand. “I understand if you’re not willing to answer, but may I ask one more question? How did the UNW let you down?”

Nikola politely shook the man's hand as well and awaited their response to Austin.

"They come to collect taxes and the things we mine, and almost nothing comes back. No new settlers, almost no expansion or new holdings, no one's even been down to the surface of the planet here. Its empty,sure, but more living space could help things. We're an orphan system"

“I see.” He’d been expecting something of the sort, but hadn’t wanted to believe it. “Thank you for being willing to tell us this.”

(thats all he's got unless Nikola has any other questions)

Once the pair had departed, Nikola would pull out his compad. "And there we finally have a name, at least. Time to make contact. Hopefully, she can be our channel into the Sons of Stones." If possible, he'd attempt to search for the famed lawyer and write up a formal message, through the proper channels, requesting a brief meeting. The message would introduce himself and Hayes as UNW agents and their goal to help the Sons of Stones and the UNW come to a beneficial agreement. (edited)

Bivins does not want to meet in her office and instead suggests a local drinking hole, the Cracked Helmet . It is near the hangar, and is a common spot for miners to drink after their shifts, spending the credits they earn. She promises that you will be safe if you meet there, but she won't have long to talk in between her various meetings with the various parties of the space station.

“First step complete.” Austin remarks as he reads the invitation. “I am very intrigued about the ‘issues with the charter’ that the foreman mentioned. Hopefully she can explain.”

"Surprised by the location," Nikola remarked with some amusement. "I take she might be a local then. Likely adds to the conviction of her work. And, I take it she'll have plenty of supporters around the Cracked Helmet. Well, Mr. Hayes, you seem the sort of man who knows how to drink. Shall we?" He questioned jokingly before leading the way ahead to meet up with Bivins. When they arrive, Nikola would take a general scan of the area for anything of interest and any individuals that might stand out. (edited)

“Indeed. I suspect she has some ulterior motive for meeting there. She may suspect us of some bad intentions, or she may be planning something of her own. I suggest we have Sergeant Ingram and his squad come along and take a nearby table.” He grins at the mention of drinking. “Surprisingly, I was never much for the bottle. Some experience, of course, with my fellow classmates at academy, but not once I entered the corps. But by all means, lead on.” When they arrive, Austin surveys the area, looking for anyone who appears overly well-armed or likely ambush spots. He doesn’t particularly suspect Bivins, but the unorthodox meeting area has just enough of a red flag to warrant suspicion.

(notice/wis Nikola)

"If the Sergeant is to come... lets have them not come suited up. Don't think a load of drunk miners will approve otherwise. The marines can enjoy a drink or two." He added before departing.

Crazymajor

used /roll

Nikola Radović Request: [2d6] Roll: [5, 2] Result: 7 Reason: Notice/Wis

“Very well, assuming the Sergeant finds that plan acceptable.”

Arriving at the drinking hole there is a figure in the corner table on the opposite side of the room that is both paying too much attention to you and to Nikola, it also looks like this individual is not a miner, and is also concealing a blade poorly in the lip of their boot. Far from him closer to the center of the bar there is a smartly dressed woman that you can guess is Bivins. She is sitting with a few miners and they stand up to leave as she sees you enter, also looking clearly not from this station. The miners pass, rubbing shoulders with you a bit aggressively, before heading out into the hallway without incident. She has a small bottle and glass in front of her, and is not deep in her cup, yet. With a gesture she invites you both to sit as one of the wait staff comes to clear the table of the left behind bottles and glasses of the others.

As he walks towards the center of the bar, Austin locks eyes with the figure, then reaches down and scratches his leg precisely at spot where the not-miner’s knife is exposed. After they sit down, Austin will let Nikola take the lead on the conversation. He periodically glances over at the not-miner.

(so far the not miners is minding your business,b ut not to the point where he's going to come over)

Nikola straightened his tie and approached. They weren't a pleasant lot to say least, but he tried his best to at least appear unperturbed. "Mrs. Bivins," he called, offering a hand in greeting. "I am Nikola Radovic and this is my partner Mr. Austin Hayes. Thank you for agreeing to meet with us." He spoke, exchanging pleasantries before taking his seat. Once she'd given him her own, he'd continue on, asking: "Tell me, Mrs. Bivins, whats are the real problems around this system? I know the miners talk of the UNW offering nothing, about wishing to part from the UNW. But, I'm looking for something more detailed then that. You are a lawyer, after all, and a well-respectful one at that. In the small details of a case is where your work really begins. And where I hope ours can begin," he ended, motioning to the two of them. (edited)

"You're what, exactly? " she asks, sipping at the first of her drinks. "Fixers for the UNW? I'd like to know who exactly I'm dealing with before I say anything. You are right about the miners though. To them, the UNW takes, and takes, and takes, and nothing comes back. I'm representing them, and their opinions in the proceedings " she says, careful not to let her own feelings on the matter slip.

"UNW representaives, of course. And, if you would like, call us fixers. Our goal is simple - to help, to mend the relationship. As you say, the miner's claim the UNW simply takes. Well then, what do the miner's believe they should be getting in return for their hard work? What should the UNW be giving back? Perhaps, we can aid in getting the people of the system this... whatever it is." (edited)

(talk/cha Nikola. Not that she's unwilling to talk but if the roll goes well you might get more)

Crazymajor

used /roll

Nikola Radović Request: [2d6+1] Roll: [6, 5] Result: 12 Reason: talk/char

(Niccceee)

"If you look around this station I think you would realize that the situation is probably not able to be salvaged without something dramatic happening. Exploring the barren planet here for a site to build, and the significant investment it would take to relocate mining operations to something pleasant on the surface would convince the miners here that the UNW is serious about keeping them aboard, and I could see talks deferring if concrete action is taken. The Psychic Academy and then the traditional arms of the UNW government have things they can do to modify the climate of planets over time. The miners were content to wait while the tragedy on Chloe played out, but the planet is recovering and those responsible have been found, and sentenced. They

8:17 AM

are wondering when it's finally going to be their turn for a better life now, and I sympathize with them:"

“I see. To be honest, I sympathize with them as well. The UNW claims to be for the benefit of all their planets, but to be overlooked in the way Thorgerd has been is a breach of trust that won’t, and shouldn’t be soon forgotten. But it may be healed. You mention exploring the planet for a settlement site and developing a settlement will help the colony expand and prove that the UNW is attempting to work for Thorgerd. That is a very helpful perspective. I will need to hear Mr. Radovic’s opinion before committing to anything, but it sounds like it would be an excellent course of action. First, I have a question. As UNW representatives, we also have the job of keeping the station politically stable. If we explore the planet, it might take us away from further unrest that may arise up here. You know the people, Ms. Bivins, so I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on how we could prevent further unrest. Public opinion doesn’t usually change in a day.”

"Have you felt like your being here has eased tensions? " she asks pointedly. "I can't guarantee the situation here won't get worse, but the presence of your heavily armed marine friends here will probably keep a lid on things for a while"

“My concern was not our presence but being able to solve or prevent any problems.” Austin’s voice is calm and decidedly not pointed. “So you don’t think the marines being here will cause unrest for a while. Good to know.” He pauses in thought, and takes the opportunity to check on the not-miner’s status. “I have one more question. Who actually are the Sons of Stone?” He watches closely as he poses this last question.

"The miners believe they're the ones with the courage to speak up for what's right. They're not the only voices speaking now ,but they were the ones to speak first, and are speaking the loudest"

“I see. Well, Mr. Radovic, what do you think?”

"You've given us actions to take, Mrs. Bivins, and for that I am thankful to you and the time you've given us. I can see why the good people here feel just in their outrage. But, as you said, me and Mr, Hayes here are fixers, and we do intend to fix things. We'll try and get in contact with our people and see if we can finally get the ball moving. But, that of course, will take time. Even if the UNW begins building efforts on the planet it'll no doubt take months. Would you have any recommendations of places we should see or things we can personally tend too, Mrs. Bivins? I would like to get to know the people and start gaining a level of trust here." (edited)

'The market deck is a good melting pot of people. There's also the Blue Heron. It's a watering hole like this but its a bit more upscale. You won't be seeing the same sort of...clientele...down there as you do here. If you're looking for more perspectives on the situation, you may not find too many more, this is something that has been brewing for a long time, but " she shrugs "You never know"

All of Austin’s questions have been answered, so he resumes his position of sitting quietly and observing while Nikola talks.

(she's said what she is going to say too unless Nikola has anymore questions)

"That's it for me" Bivins says as she knocks back another drink and stands up "I've got some paperwork to get to. It was a pleasure meeting you both, try to stay safe if you can"

“It was a pleasure to meet you as well, Ms. Bivins. I wish you all the best.” Once they are outside, Austin strikes up a conversation with Nikola again. “That conversation was - enlightening, to say the least. You most certainly have the proverbial “silver tongue”, Mr. Radovic.” He thought back over all the information Bivins had divulged. “That settlement idea is excellent. We can definitely bring that up to the UNW as you suggested, but before they can get to the building work, they’ll need someone to find a site for the settlement. The most efficient action would be to do it ourselves, as we’re already here. I am concerned about the possibility of some sort of unrest while we explore. Ms. Bivins seemed of the opinion that the situation was stable for the moment.” “Here’s my idea. We contact the UNW offices here, and ask them to release a statement describing our intentions. That should provide the citizens with some hope that the UNW is acting in their interest and buy us some time to prove it.” “That being said, you’re the politician, so what do you think of the problem?” (edited)

"My thanks," Nikola replied with a smile. "Do it ourselves?" He remarked with some distaste on the idea. Politics is where he excelled. He could certainly talk, but exploring a planet's surface was not the kind of job for a man who spent most of his time in a suit. "Must we truly, Mr. Hayes? Have you even done anything like that before..." "Regarding the statement," he pulled out his compad. "That would certainly be the way to do. They'll likely be wary about any statements coming from the UNW, but so long as we pair it with action... or, at the very least, make it look like we're actually taking action... it should settle them down." The pair would walk and talk, and all the while Nikola's fingers worked their magic as he typed away, sending off reports back to the UNW regarding the trouble here. Specifically, he inquired about having the Psychic Academy and the traditional arms of the UNW government aiding in modifying the climate of the planets. As well as efforts to build new settlements. Already, he had lined up a few contacts on the compad to call and relay the information, requesting that the UNW begin taking steps towards these actions and advocating for both sides of this issue.

Austin notes Nikola’s distaste at the idea, and empathizes.“Well, we can head over to the Blue Heron and attempt to get more ideas first. And while it’s not my favored option, if that still seems to be the best way to improve the attitude here, I could go find a site while you handle the politics here.” “I’ve never picked a site for a civilian settlement, but I’ve found locations for military camps once or twice, and from what I’ve read, the principles are very similar.”

(seen, just want to give Nikola time to reply)

(On second thought, what about splitting up now? I think we’re each interested in the two different plot hooks at the moment, and in-game we’ll tackle the problem from both ends.)

(sounds good to me for sure, we can return to our character threads and we can keep this one if you want to update each other about things)

The pair prepares to head their separate ways. “Good luck, Mr. Radovic” Austin remarks. “I’ll keep you posted on the situation down below. If you happen to run into a problem that could use an application of ‘discrete force’, give me a call, and I’ll do the same if a silver tongue is needed planetside.”