Iron Stars - zariah

Zariah is spending another day in the shaky peace that had fallen over Balquis. After years of banditry, organized crime, privation and pain, the planet is finally going to have a chance to rebuild with SCAF at the helm. The prison had been liberated just a few days before. The guards that once ruled this place like petty nobles and the warden who ruled like a king are all hanging from a gallows on the courtyard now for their own crimes. It was hard to mistake the signs of torture and general willful mistreatment of the prisoners here who were little more than servants and corvee labor. Issued a handful of credits and a compad, Zahira is left to wander the streets of the shattered capital, trying to find something meaningful for the second act of their life

1

Z looks at her Compad, plays with it and tries to get familiar with it's UI, as she makes her way to a bar she used to frequent. Hoping to reconnect with the barkeep's alcohol.

The building looks to have been partially burned recently but the facade says it’s open, and the house is only about a third full right now. Smoke and the strong smell of scorched timbers hangs in the air

Z smiles arrogantly, she walks in. Looking for a stool to sit on close to the barkeep, Z pulls out her credit sticks and asks, "Ay, yo, beermaestro, how much are shots goin' for these days, anyways? Just got me my walkin' papers, ha"!!

“Same as ever Z. “ he sighs. The same grumpy attitude hasn’t left the man. It’s probably worse due to the damage of this place

Z uses her index fingers to drum roll, "Hey! Chin up! This place'll be poppin off like crazy one day! 'Specially with the new players in town, eh? These SCAF guys ain't playing around from what I hear. By chance, you got any jobs lined up? Maybe know someone who can put some lettuce in my wallet"? Z puts credits down as she points for a refill. "you think them SCAF guys are hiring"?

“I’m sure they are. “

"Unless you yourself need a hand around here, brotha, or if anyone else 'round here is hirin', then could ya point a sister in their direction"? Z shakes her shot glass for one last shot, so she could leave happy and tipsy "Oh, and how much I owe ya so far, beermaestro? I'll be back 'round when I got real moolah, make this place a real hoot, know what I mean"?

"They've got a small office in the heart of the city now, where the mayor used to run things. Can't really offer you a SCAF job since I'm not one of them"

"No worries, nothin' but a thang. But hey! If you yourself need a hand around here, I'd like to help ya out before I head on over to them SCAF guys. If ya got anything for a few credits going on, anyways, hah"!

"Those firestarters are still out there. No luck tracking them down or making them pay for this" he sighs "SCAF would hold them to it, if only we knew where our little pyromaniacs were hiding"

"Firestarters? Is there a new head honcho or something"? Z takes out her Compad readying the GPS to head to the heart of the city, SCAF's posting specifically, though continues questioning the barkeep on the "Firestarters". "Who do these guys usually extort from anyways? They run drugs? Guns? .... People"?

(thats not their actual name, hes talking about the people who literally tried to burn the bar down)

22:58

(he has no other information about them, thats the point of your mission)

(oh understood) Z pays the barkeep and heads off to the SCAF post "Catch ya later, I'll see ya when I make it big".

02:00

(let me know how much it is for about 5 shots of the good stuff, she's walking out half-drunk and happy)

(It’s a negligible amount of credits)

02:05

The SCAF outpost is the top few floors of one of the only intact buildings downtown. A few soldiers stand at the doors leading inside to screen anyone coming in and you can see more security in the lobby and on the stairs.

Z has her ID ready and in hand, arrogantly she enters the building, "This place ain't so shabby compared to the rest of the city, damn". Z then asks around, looking for anyone who could be up for hiring someone with a known criminal record.

(How would you have a SCAF ID if you’ve never worked for them before and were in jail)

(Kinda assumed I had a regular ID before going into prison and that it was given back upon release)

02:31

(your average ID we'd get at a DMV or the Balqis equivalent technically)

(Alright , that’s fair ) You’re frisked for weapons before being allowed inside. If you’re holding any theyre taken from you until you decide to leave. The public affairs office seems to be fairly busy

Z awaits her turn to speak to someone in the office, sometimes looking around for someone who looks like they have authority and who isn't busy

You’re called forward after a half hour of waiting to be attended to

(Sorry that I slowed down heavily, had two days off finally and all I've been doing is sleeping and eating and sleeping once again haha) Z walks up to the attendant with her arrogant swagger, most of her body language is spoken through her hands, "Ay, buddy, I'm lookin' to help the cause and this that and the other. You guys got me let go from prison over there, so, uh, I guess I wanna repay the favor".

“SCAF is always looking for volunteers. What can you do?”

Z looks at the person curiously, leans in non-chalantly, rubs the counter with her index finger in a circle and says, "You point at someone that needs a lesson learned, and theys learn a lesson. I'm a teacher, per se'. I knows how to keep it hush-hush if ya catch my drift, though I prefer sluggin' a dude out-right. I robbed a couple banks here and there and my boys might pay me, one day, but I doubt that. I'm lookin' for steady work is all I'm here for. I hears you the new players in town, so I figured, why not help out keepin' the peace and all".

03:18

"I'm loyal, what more can anyone ask for, eh"?

“We have been looking into a group of arsonists. Torched the bar down the street. You know anything about that? Or who they might be?”

Z raises an eyebrow and gets a look of of motivation about her, "I know nothin' of em, but, the beerman down there's a good man, he's the one who sent me. I wish I knew more and I was hopin' you guys had some leads, to be honest".

"Well we don't. We thought a well connected local like yourself might be able to hit the streets and do that stage of the investigation for us so we can make the arrests"

14:47

(your sheet is also missing a bunch of things its supposed to have. If you went the quick skill thug background you should also have connect 0. )

(I believe I forgot a focus which I figured was no biggie, I rolled on the learning and growth instead of quick-skills)

(Your sheet needs to be correct in order to play the game. )

18:19

(I’m not going to remember all these little special cases. This is the literal one thing you’re asked to be responsible for )

(no worries and my bad, walked myself through it and looks like I'm missing a point in 'any-combat' and a 'combat related focus') (I can bump up my sole focus to LvL:2 and drop a point into stab, to me it's not a big deal if I'm a bit under-powered in some way, though, my screw up so my fault, not trying to make ya deal with bs)

(No but it’s a big deal to me that if we ever lose data or you want to respec into something else or even for tracking endeavor rewards that we have to remember all these special little things basically just because. There needs to be a baseline and it needs to be correct )

(understood, fair point, I wasn't thinking, you're right though it's not pencil and paper so you have shit tons more to deal with) (I left a note on my sheet to bump things up after my first mission, I can do it now if it's more convenient that way though, but I figured after since I'm in the midst of something)

(updated, can change back if need be)

Z smugly looks at the attendant and says, "I'll keep an ear to the ground". Z then turns to walk out, but after a step, she turns around and asks, "So, do I get a badge, or what? How's this work, me working for the man and all? I just come back, tell ya it's done and we're frosty"?

(and sorry about before man)

“We aren’t going to deputize someone who might not be reliable. If you are able to get us a lead and it turns to arrests, we will consider you a member. Not a moment sooner though “

04:49

“We lose our authority if we give police powers to anyone who walks through the doors”

"Hey I get it. I'll be back another time with more info". Z flips the person a thumbs up and walks out, heading back to the bar she just came from.

You haven’t been gone for long and a couple of the patrons have left and been replaced by others - but the bar otherwise remains the same

Z sits back on another stool, close to the bartender, "Ay, yo! I'm back"! She drum rolls with her fingers, "Listen, I just got back from that SCAF place, they seems alright. But theys got the same problem you do, the fire starters". Z points at a shot glass, wanting to freshen up. "You think you can at least tell me the other places these bums have burnt down, by chance"?

“There’s a couple Empty warehouses at the edge of the city that they hit. There’s also a medical clinic that was not used recently that they hit

"Empty warehouses and a not so recently used clinic... huh, odd marks. But I gotta give it to them, they got balls. Either that or real stupid. I'll be back 'round when I figure more out, beermaestro". Z takes a couple shots, stretches, and heads back out, heading towards the most recently burned warehouse.

(Notice /wis)

(lmao critical fail, 2, no mods)

You're not able to make much out of the scene. There is a burned warehouse here, it was very large and now the timbers and metal sheeting used to build it are very black.

13:54

This is the oldest of their acts of violence, and likely won't yield much

Z walks the perimeter of the burned down warehouse, wondering why someone would target the place. She continues onto the next warehouse, looking for more clues.

You see some burned crates in the middle of the second warehouse you check. You;'d have to get closer to see if any labels, emblems, or clues as to their contents survived

Z investigates further by checking on the crates. Getting her Compad ready to snap pictures of the crates.

The crates had medical supplies in them once from CAST. They’ve been burned and stolen from and there’s evidence of accelerant and broken glowbug

Z snaps pictures of the inside and outside of each crate, doing her best to get a few different angles of each crate, accelerants and glow bugs. Z begins feeling kind of like a detective, which makes her laugh to herself. “The irony”.

05:58

Z spends time at the second, before leaving to the third ware house.

The third is generally the same. Clothes look to have been taken from that one. There are a few left behind, things they couldn’t carry or didn’t want

Z snaps more pictures, of the crates, clothing, and general damage of the warehouse, before making her way to nother warehouse

There doesn’t seem to be anymore that have been burned here for the moment

After finding no more have been burned, Z heads to the clinic to investigate further.

(Notice wis for here too)

(7 total)

The clinic is gone but you don’t find any medical equipment or supplies among the debris

Z snaps pictures of the outside of the clinic, as she makes her way to the debris, taking pictures of that as well, whispering to herself she says, "Oh, man... people really did a number on this city and her surroundings". Z looks at her Compad to see if there's any other place to investigate.

There are not, but if you look, there seems to be a theme among what was taken from each of the burned buildings

Z raises an eyebrow and goes through the pictures she snapped. She begins walking to the bar, once again. "Aw man, I need a cigarette". Z says to herself as she walks. Z then wonders if they're specifically targeting CAST or going after someone specific.

(look at what specifically was taken, not from who)

(Oh, the medical supplies and clothing yiss)

18:26

(relief stuff was the idea I got)

(Right) Returning to the bar and mulling over your lead, the crowd here still isnt much different

Z sits on stool close to the bar keep. "Looks like things got crazy while I was away, eh? May I get a couple shots please? Ay, by chance you got a room for rent? I might wanna stick around for a bit".

"Sure, won't charge youfor the week since you're looking into this for me"

"Well hey! Thanks for looking out! I swears I'll make it up to ya"! Z claps her hands and rubs them together excitedly. "I hope you don't mind if I turn it into a temporary investigation room, I always thought these bars were neutral turf, so, hey, fuck around find out, amirite"? Z smirks arrogantly whilst holding her Compad, "Heyo, quick question, you know any relief stations around here? Like clinics or places where someone would store meds, and is up and running"? She leans in and whispers, "If there are, the people there might be in danger, but I'm not sure". Leaning back out, she takes a shot.

"Not anymore- they were all burned too. Haven't heard anything official but there's one a bit below the radar open on the north side of town. Not in SCAF hands

"North side of town, eh? I just might head over there before heading back into the city. Thanks, I'll be back 'round soon enough". Z takes a few shots and gets herself refreshed, she winks and says, "Catch ya later".

He waves goodbye as you head out into the afternoon streets

Z wanders northward into town, looking to find herself a business, salesman, or person who gets frequented by society's Average Joe.

(Connect/cha)

(5 total)

You're unable to find anything suspicious but there is a cafe that seems to have been spared any kind of fire or malevolent intention

Z enters the cafe, and takes a look around.

(what are you looking for, specifically)

(oh nothing crazy, just someone who can serve coffee, and how populated this place is, I was going to question about where the low-key clinic is)

There are a few people serving and making the food, there are only aobut 10 patrons as most people dont have the money to be eating anything more than whatever they can scavenge.

Z walks up to a table and sits, putting two-hundred credits on the table in front of her, eyeing up the nearest server.

They wait to see what you want

Z smiles at them, "Ay uh, can I's getta coffee, black, and whatever ya got ready to eat, kinda got some people to meet. You knows any place where a sister can get new threads, by chance"?

“Threads? I’ve got a couple places in mind. What are you looking for?”

"Hats, shoes, shirts, just got out of prison, lookin' to look good". Z points at herself up and down, showing off her tucked in white t-shirt, bluejeans, and red and white sneakers. "Not just that, but maybe ya know someone setting up a pick me up station nearby? Need a little something for fun".

02:56

(asking for someone who may be giving out meds found in a clinic)

“There’s a clinic in the bottom of the old strip mall in Fortune street. Bouncer Is a nice guy. Try not to give him too much trouble “

"Thanks, daddy-o. I 'ppreciate ya". Z eats her late breakfast, and chugs her coffee. Leaving another fifty credits as a tip for the server. She leaves rubbing her belly and heads towards the strip mall, putting more investigation notes into her compad.

The site itself is a ruin, but there is litter and evidence of a good amount of foot traffic here, and on the way. Your tip might finally be panning out. A small parking call-box at the edge of the property looks well used.

Z whispers to herself, "Clinic's at the bottom of the strip mall". Z looks for signs for Fortune Street, as she looks around the general vicinity of the call-box. (she's looking to see if someone around is paying general attention to the box from a bit of a distance)

Nobody looks to be paying direct attention to it

Z shrugs and walks over to it, picking it up and putting it up to her ear, "Ay, hello"...? Z asks confused

The voice sounds like its talking back to you from under 5000 layers of tinfoil. "Hello!? what do you want?!" it squaks

"Hey, uh, just lookin' for someplace to grab some shtuff. You know where I'm 'spose to go"?

(emphasis on the word "shtuff")

“Are you armed ?”

"Just outta prison, I got nothing but the clothes on my back".

“approach the third store from the left. Step into the rubble and go down the trap door. Wait at the bottom of it.

Z laughs, "Now that's a funny joke. Go down a trap door, and wait"?

03:40

"Where's your punchline"?

The box hangs up.

Z shrugs, "Weirdo". She continues to the bottom of the strip mall.

At the bottom of the stairs, you see a security type figure. "I have to check for weapons"

22:57

"Then you can go inside"

"No worries, brotha-man". Z raises her arms in a surrendering motion and approaches, letting the security do their thing

Satisfied, he nods toward the door and youre admitted to an underground black market of sorts.

Z winks at the person and makes her way to the market, looking for someone who is selling drugs

You can see someone has a scale set out, with many offerings up for sale.

Z guffaws quite audibly, rubbing her hands together, "Now we're playing"! Z asks for a-hundred credits worth of the markets good kush, before asking about where to find CAST quality meds.

(initiative)