The companions finished the breakfast and decided it was time to start another day of their investigation. Most went to their rooms to use the refreshers and shower up, only to regroup once they were ready for their day.
Dan led them first to Neja - it was time the lady revealed everything she knew. They knocked on her door and she opened it, allowing them to enter.
Emerging from the refresher, Kara felt refreshed as if something had given her a magical pick-me-up. Looking around she smiled and followed as Dan took the lead, and hung back towards the edge of the group.
OOC:
I sent you a PM Tomcat... ;)
[OOC:] Hey everybody, I know how PbP can kind of stagnate when it comes time to RP'ing back and forth (waiting for someone to reply to an inquiry, or waiting for your GM to post a damn post! ;) ). Anyway, my point is, to expedite the conversation with Neja, if you just want to give me a post with all the questions that you would ask her and I will give a narrative and all dialogue based on the Q&A.
OOC: I apologize, crises at home abound :'(
Dan thanks Neja for seeing them and with as much compassion as he can muster asks her about her relationship with the deceased and of what she remembers of that night.
We know there was a Rodian at the scene, and we know she saw him from her reaction to Brim. Brim would like to know if she remembers anything in particular about the Rodian, or if she thinks she could identify him or his companions from a picture. (BTW I have assumed here that the Rodian is male, but that's not necessarily the case)
Sam simply remains to the back and records Neja's responses to the questions (he's starting to get a sense of how droids are perceived on this world!). If time permits after the questioning, he will try to track down some computer aid that would let him analyze the recording to check for truthfulness or at least for the sense if she is holding anything back.
Quote from: GandalfOfBorg on Apr 13, 2009, 01:27 PM
OOC: I apologize, crises at home abound :'(
[OOC:] I hope all is well, Matt. It seems that a few of us are going through some tough times right now. :(
Now to our story, Caden will be the one who tries to warm up Neja... he has the best persuasivness.
Caden's Persuade(http://rpg.avioc.org/boards/Themes/default/images/dice.gif)
Neja's Will 11 Persuade +8, Indifferent attitude -2-------------------------
Roll(1d20)+6: 20,+6 Total:26 CRIT! Nice Success
Neja watched as the party entered her room, her face a mask of indifference. It was evident that she still did not trust her saviors and wondered what was next. Though Dan had led them in, it was Caden who broke the ice. He flashed one of his smiles that had won him plenty of attention in many a port, "Good morning... did you get some good rest?"
Her demeanor quickly changed, and her face cracked a smile of its own. "Yes. Thank you. This place is very nice... who lives here? You all?"
Caden chuckled at that, "No... I am afraid that this is a bit more than my cred chip can afford. No, this is the residence of Senator Ranie." The name was immediately recognized and Neja began to retreat back behind her wall. "It's okay, it's okay," pleaded Caden. "He's a friend and I promise you, you are safer here than anywhere else... 'cept maybe the Aegis."
"Sorry, I just don't know who I can trust anymore and what people want from me. After seeing Draf coming at me with a knife... I have known him for years."
Dan interjected quietly, "Neja, I know you are scared, but the only way we can help you is to find out who killed Senator Seelig, and to do that, we need to know what you know."
"I told everything to the police," the woman replied. Dan continued, "I know you did, but we are a special task force employed by Seelig's friend, your current benefactor, Senator Ranie, and we need you to re-tell
everything that happened. Can you start back at the beginning, when you first met Seelig... and why? And bring us up to the night of his murder - tell us everything you remember."
At Dan's question, Neja gave an awkward smile... surely they didn't need her to tell them why Seelig had come to her. Caden smile, too, as he sat down, "What happened Neja?" Behind him Brim, Kara, and Sam stood. The droid silently recording the whole conversation; the Rodian trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, knowing her fear of him, although he had questions of his own; and Kara sat quietly, staring out the window while aimlessly picking at her boot - her eyes a bit glazed.
Neja began to recount her story from when Seelig, an officer of high standing within the church, had discreetly approached her for her services. She was an
entertainer and she had caught his eye some time past when he had entered the establishment where she worked, disguised as a commoner. The relationship, if one would call it that, grew and Seelig became her benefactor. He kept her with good food, health care, clothing, and money... and all she needed do was fulfill his needs. It was a very equitable arrangement for both of them, and time passed with no one discovering their relationship.
She went on in regards to his duties as barrister of the church - tending all legal and political relations between the church and the planetary government. Seelig was also a senator and so his combined duties kept him very busy. She did not know how he was able to maintain the stress and work load that he did, but he was always energetic and... awake. When their times together occurred, he had a voracious appetite that she needed to appease and Neja commented on how Seelig would go and go, only to collapse into deep sleep. It was here that she brought her story to the night of his death.
Dan asked, "What happened that night?"
"It was another night, like usual... Seelig had me picked up and brought into town. We had dinner and then made love. I was drifting to sleep when I heard the chamber doors open and four assassins entered the room. Seelig rose to face them and I hid." A bit of shame crossed her face, but then she pointed to Brim. "An alien like him led the others and he was the only one that spoke."
"What did he look like?" asked Brim. The Rodian did not realize that the characteristics of his people were not easy to differentiate by other races. Neja shook her head, "Like you if you must know. He was tall. Thin. His speech was broken like he didn't know our language completely. And his... hair... or whatever that is on your head, was longer and it had colorful beads in it. He began to threaten Seelig and wave a blaster in his face. Said something about Varta knowing... and the senator denied doing anything. He said he did what he had been told. The other three men just grabbed the senator, they branded him and then they killed him."
Kara was feeling somewhat jittery, and while she felt good, she knew that the high she was on would eventually come crashing down. While she wasn't one who was very skilled in interrogation as she was often quite blunt in conversation, she wanted to get things on the move at the same time.
Kara looked at Sam and nudged the droid and in a low voice whispered. "You think you can make this go any faster?"
OOC: Knowledge: Galactic Lore to recognize Varta Roll(1d20)+8: 3,+8 Total:11
Dan thinks about the name "Varta" for any meaning and comes up short. "Who or what is Varta?"
Quote from: tomcat on Apr 15, 2009, 06:06 PMSaid something about Varta knowing... and the senator denied doing anything. He said he did what he had been told. The other three men just grabbed the senator, they branded him and then they killed him."
Caden's stomach turned a bit. While he had witnessed - and caused - violence in his life, this particular crime seemed unnecessarily repugnant.
He had heard of such things before; generally surrounding organized crime. It sounded to him like the man was the victim of some kind of mob hit. Given their experiences the previous day... a rather confident one.
Caden suspected that they were all in far more danger than they had bargained for.
[OOC:] Hey Shawn, nice to see you back. :)
New post coming tonight.
Neja shook her head at Dan's question, "I don't know. I have never heard the name before."
Somewhere in the city of Salis D'aar, Puk pushed through the beaded curtain out of a smoke-clouded back room. He nodded at the shadow that stood before him and felt a bit of a chill when he looked at the shape. He was an assassin of great skill, but even he could tell danger when it was close. The Shade spoke, his voice a whisper, "I have some more information for you. Pictures and even an ID... seems there are some non-Bakurans looking into the murder of Seelig. One is a Rodian - unknown as to the identity - and the other is a man from the Outer Rim, named Qinos. It seems that he has spent time in Hutt territories." A holographic image of both Brim and Dan appeared above a holodisk in the Shade's hand.
Puk rubbed his chin, tilting his head as he did - the beaded tendrils atop his head softly clicking together. He was not well-versed in the languages of his associate and spoke Rodian... which the Shade knew well. "Seelig left a long list of associates on his world, I cannot kill them all... besides it is not my orders."
"Well the thugs you sent last night to kill the girl failed... and I am sure it is because of these two. I feel it."
Puk nodded already hearing of Cho's failure. "Then they will all be killed - the girl, the Rodian and the man. I will see to it."
"That may be wise. I think the two found something in Seelig's office in his apartment. I am sure that Varta doesn't want any connection here on Bakura. Seelig was successful in getting the namana processing labs in place and the product that is coming to the street is proving more addictive then Sticks. I hear the Gora might even become concerned with Varta's operations."
Puk looked up at that, "The Gora are far from here and the namana won't interfere with their business. Varta has nothing to fear. Seelig is dead and he is the only one who knew that the Hutt was ever involved here. I have setup my traffic so that no one knows anyone except one level higher than themselves. Besides... it's your job to make sure that security remains tight. Isn't that what Varta hired you for?" The Rodian assassin stood up and returned to the namana den. The room was clouded with an acrid blue smoke that smelled overwhelmingly sweet. Puk sat back down in the chair and grabbed the hooka pipe mouthpeice and drew deep on the intoxicating smoke and allowed his mind to fall into that huge abyss of forgetfulness.
Meanwhile, the Shade watched as Puk's bodyguards all stood close with weapons exposed. "He needs to get off this planet before he draws more attention," he thought. The shadow turned and left the namana den, his mind running through everything that was going on here on Bakura. The planet had an illicit treasure - the namana fruit. It was a small, yellow-orange, fruit that had a large pit. The fruit could be processed into multiple forms, such as liquor and candy, but it also could be mashed into an oily juice that when put over a flame gave off hallucinigenic smoke. If the oil was consumed directly, the individual could suffer long-term impairments and hallucinations. The pits were also used by drying them out and grinding them into a flakey herb that could be smoked. Yet most growers did not give up the pits as they were the perfect source to keep the inventory by growing new namana trees.
Namana had only one legal use - the church allowed its production and during the most holy seasons of the year, the congregants were allowed to consume a diluted portion of the drug. Thus was Seelig bought - for both his position in the church and government, and to procure the needed namana seeds to produce the inventory.
Outside the den, the Shade drew upon the Force to cloud the minds of all those around him that might take notice of his passage.
[OOC:] My use of namana is a stretch from canon, but I don't care... I need it dark for the story.
Quote from: tomcat on Apr 19, 2009, 02:36 PM
[OOC:] My use of namana is a stretch from canon, but I don't care... I need it dark for the story.
OOC: Canon, schmanon. It's nice when it's there, but it should never get in the way of a good story.
Of course, I didn't know it wasn't anyway. ;)
[OOC:] Thanks Shawn! I appreciate it when you guys give me some freedoms to write within the tale and don't hold my toes to the canon fire. #:S (D
And truthfully, I didn't know this stuff was so evolved either, until I started searching around Wookipedia.
Kara was wondering if it would be better if they tried some intimidation tactics on the Neja, but realized after her ordeal yesterday, that it might not go as well as she planned. So she felt around her jacket to make sure she still had the last two viles she had secreted inside. Feeling them there, she felt some comfort and relaxed for a moment.
OOC:
I don't mind canon breaking, as long as you let us know we are canon breaking. That way I know that I don't have to perfectly fit within a universe as some GM's like. I admit in most cases I try to stay in canon, but I always find I need to make stretches in places. So I fully enjoy the idea Namana being a drug. And I like to escape the trap that is canon, so we feel more free to affect the universe around us.
[OOC:] Not sure if I gave you guys enough to RP off of here, before I gave you the cut-scene. I also forgot to call for the skill rolls needed.
So, Sam can link in with the Senator's mainframe to try and find information on the name Varta: Use Computer DC 10 and Gather Information DC 15. If someone else wants to try and search it, increase the Gather Information test by 2 to DC 17.
Or, you guys can try to search your own Knowledge (Galactic Lore) DC 15
"I am sorry," said Neja. "I do not know anything else."
She sat there staring at the people around her, "What happens to me now? Will I be put back out on the street?" Fear grew upon her face at the thought of her own suggestion, and the fact that someone out there wanted her dead.
Quote from: tomcat on Apr 21, 2009, 09:45 AM
She sat there staring at the people around her, "What happens to me now? Will I be put back out on the street?" Fear grew upon her face at the thought of her own suggestion, and the fact that someone out there wanted her dead.
"No," Caden said firmly. "Not if I have anything to say about it. My ship, the Aegis, is on the landing pad out back. It's not as luxurious as this place, but it'll keep you safe. If you'd like, you're free to stay there until we get this all sorted out."
He paused... she
was pretty, wasn't she?
"After that... Well, we'll see where things go."
[OOC:] Yes, Neja is a very pretty woman... although she has some miles. ;)
Quote from: tomcat on Apr 21, 2009, 05:01 PM
[OOC:] Yes, Neja is a very pretty woman... although she has some miles. ;)
OOC: Oh, yeah. Emotionally scarred...
courtesans don't usually make for a great catch. Caden's just a sucker for a pretty face. Which, I'm sure, gets him in plenty of trouble... and might here.
Kara shook her head at Caden's offer, and elbowed Sam.
"Hope you are still recording. That's typical males at work, look at him offering for her to stay on his ship. Its a surprise all women are alcoholics with the way men behave." she muttered just loud enough so that everyone in the room could hear her.
Dan smirked but covered it quickly. "Unless there is a more suitable option, I agree with Caden. The investigation into who or what Varta is can wait, we need to get to the storage facility."
[OOC:] You guys are welcome to give me the Gather Info rolls when you want, but I am going to move us along.
The party left Neja's room in search for their host. They would need transportation once more so that they could go in search of Kreyvahl Storage. Senator Ranie was quite accomodating and allowed them to take one of his vehicles. He also was not oppossed to Neja staying at his home for the meantime, although it would come a time that she would need to leave - after all, it was not proper.
Sam had pre-programed the route into his memory and so the team allowed the droid to drive. Once more, they left the natural wonder of Ranie's home, driving along the wooded cliffside until they at last returned to the city. The traffic was heavy with people going to and from work, or conducting business of their own. The droid weaved throughout the city heading towards the southside, and the large seaport facility that was there. They followed along a main road, and then onto some less-kept side streets until they passed through a large gated entrance. Beyond was a series of warehouses and loading docks that both sea vessels and commercial trucking vehicles would unload. The facility was busy with merchantmen working with cranes and repulsor sleds moving large shipments of cargo on and off of ships and trucks.
Sam pulled the speeder over and shut it down. The team stepped from the vehicle and each seemed to notice that the senator's speeder stuck out here like a sore thumb. Eyes glanced their way, though no one approached. Sam checked his positioning and then looked in a direction - there, 100 meters away, was a long storage building. A front office was obvious and above it was the sign, Kreyvahl's Storage.
Brim snorted. Unfortunately, having a quiet look about the place was not going to be possible, as the group had been noticed by too many already.
"Might I suggest we play the part of customers, looking for storage. If some of us can remain discreet, perhaps we can slip away from the group once we are inside and look at the Senator's storage unit undisturbed."
"Alright, I'll do it... anyone want to come with? It'll be pretty boring," says Dan.
[OOC]If still allowable, Sam would have liked to search data records for any blueprint or layout of the storage building that could be used to gain access other than by the front door. Also, I can't recall if we know the actual number of the senator's unit. Possible to hack something to find that out?
Sam look around at the curious glances. "I'll stay with the speeder and keep an eye on the door. Send me a message if you need anything."
As Sam parked the speeder, Brim quietly considered his hastily envisioned plan, deciding that it might be better to take an alternate approach.
"Upon second thought, this facility is bound to have all manner of security systems for monitoring activity within it. Anyone skulking around will attract more attention than a group simply visiting a storage unit they are supposed to have access to, like we do.
Perhaps we would be better off staying together to check out the Senator's unit. There is really no need for deception here, unless the Senator has placed some form of restriction on who is allowed access, and the staff question us about it."
Kara looked at the jacket she was wearing, the one she had stolen, but that made her look like a member of the mechanical repair company.
"I'll stick outside with Sam. If they won't let you in, then I can try to slip in like I'm here for a repair job. I even have my toolkit with as always."
OOC: Unless there are any objections, let's move on to inquiring about a storage unit.
OOC: Sounds good, I'll hang back ready to bust in as backup if needed.
Quote from: donimator on Apr 28, 2009, 07:18 AM
[OOC]If still allowable, Sam would have liked to search data records for any blueprint or layout of the storage building that could be used to gain access other than by the front door. Also, I can't recall if we know the actual number of the senator's unit. Possible to hack something to find that out?
[OOC:] Hey Don, I have no problem with Sam making data checks - I am still waiting on rolls from you guys with the data retreival above. I gues the question I want you guys to answer for me is, do you want me to roll these kind of rolls for you? In my Lord of the Rings games, the players roll all but the most unimportant of rolls. But for ease of game (and speed), I certainly can make game rolls for you guys.
Let me know... and yes, Sam can make data searches but he is going to need a database to tap into. The only information he retrieved from the Senator's computer was address.
Sam took up a casual (non-droid-like) position at the front of the speeder, sitting on the vehicle and causing the repulsors to whine a bit louder as they compensated for the weight. Kara on the other hand sat in the front seat and put her booted feet up on the door, allowing the cool conditioned air to blow on her - after all, the day was warming up and it was muggy down by the ocean, the breeze being non-present.
Caden, Dan and Brim all made their way towards the office. They pushed open the door, sounding a bell overhead as they did, and walked up to a disorganized-looking counter. Stacks of paper and binders lay about and an old computer monitor flickered on a desk along the back wall. A ceiling fan above squeeked softly, as if it were on its last leg. A heavy set man came from a smaller secondary office, his unkempt shirt already showing the stains from the day's heat.
He eyed Brim, "Can I help ya?"
The Shade tapped in the series of numbers that he had written down from the speeder that had carried the two investigators from Seelig's apartment. It only took a moment for the system to give him what he was looking for:
SORSB V36 COURIER LIC#J22457 [OFFICIAL, GOVT - RANIE]"Senator Ranie..." he thought.
Quote from: GandalfOfBorg on Apr 29, 2009, 01:52 AM
OOC: Unless there are any objections, let's move on to inquiring about a storage unit.
OOC: None here. Let's do it.
Quote from: tomcat on Apr 30, 2009, 09:54 AMHe eyed Brim, "Can I help ya?"
[OOC]
Not sure if he is asking Brim directly or not. I think considering the xenophobic nature of Bakura, Brim will hang back and look subservient, allowing the humans to carry the conversation.
[/OOC]
Kara sat there in the front seat, feat up feeling the cool breeze from the air unit on the vehicle she was on. As she sat there, she could feel the Euphoria draining from her, almost an itch, she wanted it to stay, but she knew what the price would be if she used them up too quickly. Looking around she tried to take her mind off of what was really bothering her.
"Hey Sam," she called out. "How does a droid like you get named Sam anyway?"
"Here for a storage unit, of course," says Dan, smiling in an attempt to be disarming. "Just moved to the area but need a place to put my things while I find a more permanent residence. So what can you tell me about the sizes of your units and their cost?"
The man's face cracked into an ugly smile, "Moved the whole family here, I see... that sure is an ugly son!" he said, gesturing towards Brim. His whole body shook as he laughed out loud at his own joke, but then he got back to his business, "Well, I have units big enough to hold cargo containers, seeing as I am located on a port, and all sizes in between down to a simple locker. Whatcha needin'... a 12x12 or bigger? Oh, and I also have data storage... 50,000 teras." He thrusted a thumb over his shoulder, back toward the flickering monitor. The system looked quite antiquated and unreliable.
The team was starting to notice all of the non-technical means in which Kreyvahl did business - the clerk grabbed a paper contract and a pen and set it on the counter. "Read that," he said. "Tells you all the terms and conditions and then let me know what size you need."
Sam kept tabs on the level of activity around them, noting frequency of the same face looking for them and that the traffic patterns matched what he knew of the building layout. He interfaced with the speeder's rudimentary scanners to help in montioring approaching vehicles and to filter out the signatures of the work equipment and lifters around the warehouses...in the next second... he ran a diagnostic on the speeder's systems to ensure it was in top running order - Kara's question was a welcome distraction.
"Sam? My model designation is SM and my identifier O4b. My maker lived a rather solitary existence and built me as much to have someone around as to help him out with his tasks. Eventually SM became 'Sam'...I do wish to find him again one day."
With lightning reflexes, Brim pulled the heavy blaster from its holster, levelled the barrel at the Kreyvahl employee's face, and depressed the trigger. Before anyone could react, the ruin of the man's head flew backwards, splattering gore across the antiquated computing equipment. As Dan and Caden looked on in speechless horror, the smouldering, headless remains tottered for a moment, then collapsed onto the desk.
Blinking to end his reverie, Brim realized he had forgotten to ask about obtaining a blaster at the Senator's house that morning.
Quote from: BrianM on May 04, 2009, 02:18 PM
With lightning reflexes, Brim pulled the heavy blaster from its holster, levelled the barrel at the Kreyvahl employee's face, and depressed the trigger. Before anyone could react, the ruin of the man's head flew backwards, splattering gore across the antiquated computing equipment. As Dan and Caden looked on in speechless horror, the smouldering, headless remains tottered for a moment, then collapsed onto the desk.
Blinking away his reverie, Brim realized he had forgotten to ask about obtaining a blaster at the Senator's house that morning.
[OOC:] I love this post! (D
But this was really just Brim daydreaming a retaliation to the simple fool, right?
Kara nodded at the droid.
"Everyone's got a story, everyone's got a past these days." She sighed and felt the pocket inside her jacket that held the last two vials she had and looked back at the droid. "So, how did you manage to hook up with this group anyway?"
Quote from: tomcat on May 04, 2009, 08:18 PM
Quote from: BrianM on May 04, 2009, 02:18 PM
With lightning reflexes, Brim pulled the heavy blaster from its holster, levelled the barrel at the Kreyvahl employee's face, and depressed the trigger. Before anyone could react, the ruin of the man's head flew backwards, splattering gore across the antiquated computing equipment. As Dan and Caden looked on in speechless horror, the smouldering, headless remains tottered for a moment, then collapsed onto the desk.
Blinking away his reverie, Brim realized he had forgotten to ask about obtaining a blaster at the Senator's house that morning.
[OOC:] I love this post! (D
But this was really just Brim daydreaming a retaliation to the simple fool, right?
Yup, that's correct. I used italics to differentiate the daydream, but I'll make it clearer in the future. :)
[OOC:] That's not necessary Brian, as long as I know that is how you are doing it. Still, loved the post! ;D
Quote from: tomcat on May 05, 2009, 09:46 AM
[OOC:] That's not necessary Brian, as long as I know that is how you are doing it. Still, loved the post! ;D
Glad you like it! I altered the wording in the final sentence ever so slightly to emphasize the daydream.
The Shade had spent a better part of the late morning to afternoon going from location to location within the government district of Salis D'aar. He wasn't making any serious inquiries, just trying to get a feel for what the mood was in the Senate and if anybody knew what Ranie was up to. He did not make direct contact with officials, only their ancillary personnel - and with each, none remembered having a conversation with him.
The sun was standing at the noon hour when he activated his secure commlink. "Ranie is involved," he said to Puk. The Rodian at the opposite end of the transmission looked around him to make sure he could talk. "And?"
"The people around downtown did not speak of any special investigations or non-official investigations into Seelig's death. It appears that the BFI is the only organization working on it." The shadow paused, "I can only assume that Ranie is doing something on the side... discreetly. Maybe to keep any bad info from making it to the public."
"Well that would be wise," Puk laughed. "Seelig was a dirty scoundrel! If his beloved people only knew."
"Needless to say, I also must assume that the girl is with Ranie. Probably at his home on the coast. It is very private there. I am going to make a drive out to the country to have a quiet look around. Maybe you should start thinking up a plan."
Puk looked at his comm and knew what the Force-user was saying. He wondered if killing another senator would make too much noise on this backwater planet.
[OOC:] I like the RP'ing that is going on between characters, so keep it up. I will just fill in more with cut-scenes so that you guys can, as players, know what is going on in the rest of the world. >:D
Quote from: watanabe on May 04, 2009, 08:22 PM
Kara nodded at the droid.
..."So, how did you manage to hook up with this group anyway?"
Sam activated his shoulder actuators to draw them upward slightly in what he believes was termed a shrug, "When war swept across my homeworld of Bestine, I found myself left trying to operate a dying power station. My master gone, the towns gone, I simply...left. Caden was leaving the planet, too and looking for a crew so he got me out. One thing lead to another and (
yadda, yadda) now I'm here."
[OOC:] Matt is going through a lot with his wife being ill, I am sure, and his posting may be sparse. Because of this, I am going to post for him here. If you come in Matt, feel free to pick up where I left off and change anything if it is not what you'd do.
Dan looked at the contract for only a moment and then handed it to Caden, who looked at the paper and then back at Qinos with a questioning gaze. The soldier ignored his companion and looked to the heavy-set clerk and thought maybe Brim was right... a more direct approach.
"An associate recommended you to me. He's been renting a unit from you for a while and says he has been real comfortable with the security. I was wondering if I could see a storage unit like his... it is really all the space I'll need."
The clerk's face screwed into a puzzled look, "What kind of unit does he have? What's his name?"
"His name is Seelig... and his unit is 15."
The clerk looked in a file folder and thumbed through a series of contracts. "Well 15 is occuppied but the name isn't Seelig. Unit 17 is open though and it is the same as 15... still wanna see it?" Dan nodded. He did not want to push his luck with Seelig's unit. If the Senator had rented it under another name, they would not be able to guess it.
The group followed the clerk through a door, into an air conditioned passageway that was lined with bays. By the size of the doors, it was obvious that these were only small closet sized units. Their numbers started at 1 and grew as the party walked down and then took a right. They passed unit number 15 and went two more to 17. The clerk drew from his pocket a code cylinder and inserted it into the round lock port - there was an electronic beep and then a click and the door opened slightly with the overpressure of the air conditioning system.
"You will get a code cylinder and it will be programmed to your bay, as well as any other data you want to install on it. We sweep all locks and cylinders clean for each new rental."
Dan walked into the small storage room and nodded. "This is perfect."
Not five feet away was Seelig's unit and Qinos had the key in his pocket. All they needed to do was get rid of the clerk. "What do you think Caden? Brim? You think this is enough?" As he spoke, Dan made a subtle gesture with his head towards the clerk and gave a quick wink.
Outside, Sam and Kara talked. All the while, the droid tracked all individuals that paid them or their vehicle any interest. Sam was unable to make any distinction between onlookers - they were being looked at, but no one seemed to pay them much heed.
Kara sat in the speeder and flipped the cooling switch a little higher as she felt her self begin to sweat a little.
"Bestine, I went by there once on a job with a cargo hauler. Something about hauling a bunch of aqua-crops out of there, but ended up being one big mess. Course, not as bad as the mess I've seem to have gotten in on this planet." She sighed and looked at the sun in the sky bearing down heat.
"So, how long you guys been here on Bakura? I was hoping we could head to a more civilized world...you know a place where prices are cheaper, and one can buy anything they want."
[OOC:] To Brian, Shawn (Matt's not included cause he is on downtime due to his wife's ailment)...
Am I not leaving you guys enough to RP off of, in this game? Are the personal life schedules slammed for now? Let me know... and I will adjust accordingly.
Don and Nick are having some good back and forth RP'ing outside the store, but I will give you guys some stuff as it comes up.
[OOC Sorry this past weekend was swamped for me. To be honest, Brim's a little stumped coming up with a plan, but here goes anyway ... :)]
Once again taking on the subservient role, Brim leaned in close to Dan, speaking quietly but still allowing the Kreyvahl man to hear. "Master, to save time, if you would like to discuss the details of the rental with the proprietor in his office, we will take some more precise measurements of the space." Realizing that Dan had the code cylinder for the Senator's unit, Brim added "If you would give me the measuring device we will proceed."
Quote from: BrianM on May 11, 2009, 01:32 PM
[OOC Sorry this past weekend was swamped for me. To be honest, Brim's a little stumped coming up with a plan, but here goes anyway ... :)]
Once again taking on the subservient role, Brim leaned in close to Dan, speaking quietly but still allowing the Kreyvahl man to hear. "Master, to save time, if you would like to discuss the details of the rental with the proprietor in his office, we will take some more precise measurements of the space." Realizing that Dan had the code cylinder for the Senator's unit, Brim added "If you would give me the measuring device we will proceed."
OOC: That's a better plan than I had... Caden will try to stall the man by chatting his ears off about anything and everything while Brim (and Sam and Kara?) see what they can find.
Quote from: sdrotar on May 12, 2009, 08:12 AMOOC: That's a better plan than I had... Caden will try to stall the man by chatting his ears off about anything and everything while Brim (and Sam and Kara?) see what they can find.
OOC: Though, Brim's first plan (his daydream about blowing the guys brains out) was perhaps the best of all. ;D
Alas, he has no blaster so we'll just have to go with the boring plan. ;)
OOC: I actually like rp'ing, so I could sit in this speeder all day long, unless help is requested. ;D
Quote from: BrianM on May 11, 2009, 01:32 PMOnce again taking on the subservient role, Brim leaned in close to Dan, speaking quietly but still allowing the Kreyvahl man to hear. "Master, to save time, if you would like to discuss the details of the rental with the proprietor in his office, we will take some more precise measurements of the space." Realizing that Dan had the code cylinder for the Senator's unit, Brim added "If you would give me the measuring device we will proceed."
[OOC:] This was a perfect plan Brian, and just what I needed! ;)
"Ah yes," said Dan, and he reached into his pants to grab everything that was within, including the code cylinder. He quickly pushed it all into Brim's hand and gently maneuvered the clerk from the closet storage. "All right! Let's go see about the contract and getting me set up."
Caden also followed along, "Looks like that is all you'll need, Dan. So what's the rate on it again?"
The clerk looked over his shoulder at Brim, still standing in the closet, his face unsure. But it was just an empty storage room and he'd obviously have a signed agreement in a few minutes, so what was the big deal. "Err... all right," he mumbled. "Just pull the door closed when you have your measurements. It will lock automatically." The trio turned the corner and walked back to the office.
Once gone, Brim stepped out of the empty storage unit and moved quickly to the unit labeled 15. He filtered through all the items in his hand and inserted Seelig's code cylinder into the lock. It took a single moment, then the light turned green and there was a click. This door also opened slightly from the overpressure of the ventilation system. Brim drew back the door the rest of the way and looked within.
The storage unit was empty... save for a medium-sized, square safe on the floor. The Rodian approached the safe and saw that it too had a circular key hole. He retrieved the code cylinder from the outside lock and inserted it into the safe. A digital display winked to life and then a code word typed itself out on the screen... f-u-l-c-r-u-n.
Click!
The lock to the safe opened. Brim carefully opened the small door and saw a series of drawers within. The first drawer contained an electronic datapad. The second a sheaf of clipped papers. The third held three racks of small tubes, each filled with a liquid. There were 24 tubes in each of the racks and all were full.
[OOC Just to clarify ... there are 72 tubes in total. Are they all identical? Ideally Brim would like to take all of this stuff with him, but is that possible, even if he filled all his pockets?]
[OOC:] Hey Brian - yes and yes.
The vials are smaller than normal lab test tubes - in fact, think of them as cologne/perfume tester sized. Each is corked and there are 24 in a rack, and three racks.
The vials, datapad and parchements would easily be concealed in an outer coats big pockets, if Brim is wearing one. If not, it wouldn't take much to carry it all out with two hands - balancing stuff, of course.
[OOC Brim is wearing a short jacket as seen in the picture on the character record]
Wanting to get out as soon as possible, Brim did not take time to inspect the items he found in the safe. He first took the datapad and papers and tucked them into the back of his waistband under his jacket. Next, the Rodian carefully removed the small tubes, tucking them into various pockets in his jacket and pants. Fortunately they were small, and he found a spot for all 72. If he walked carefully enough, the sound of them clinking together would be minimal.
Finally, Brim inspected of the inside of the safe to make sure he hadn't missed anything. Satisfied, he closed the safe and then returned to the hall, where he closed the doors to both units 15 and 17.
Walking carefully back to the office, Brim nodded to Dan and Caden standing at the desk. "The dimensions are satisfactory, master."
[OOC Perception (search inside the safe) +7
Roll(1d20)+7:16,+7 Total:23]
"All right, then," Caden said, looking at Dan. He noticed the look in Brim's large eyes; he had found something.
"Let's get this paid for so we can start moving, huh?"
Quote from: watanabe on May 10, 2009, 12:49 PM
"So, how long you guys been here on Bakura? I was hoping we could head to a more civilized world...you know a place where prices are cheaper, and one can buy anything they want."
"We just arrived a day or so before we met you. That meeting was our first foray as part of our
covert mission." Sam struggled with the rudimentary algorithms in his programming to try and inject a tone of irony into his vocalizer output. "Stick around...if this ends up in a shootout, too, we may be asked to leave the system."
Sam continued his monitoring of the foot and vehicle traffic in the area
(Perception +9)...while also thinking about how he could enhance the sensor suite in the speeder as his hand actuator hovered near his toolbelt...(always the tinkerer,
Mechanics +14 :P)
Kara patted her blaster, and looked at Sam.
"I'd like to get paid before we leave this planet, though I wouldn't mind if we got kicked out of this system, the place is a dump. Trust me, I've been stuck here for two months, and if I have to eat anymore of this fruity Bakuran food, I'm gonna stick a blaster into a chef's mouth and make him cook me a real Corellian meal."
Kara got up, and pulled out her toolkit.
"Need any help there?" she asked as she spun a hydrospanner in her hand.
OOC:
Mechanics +8
The paperwork was filled out. Dan used false information for everything, and the clerk never asked for identification, which made it even better. The heavy-set man looked up from his counter, "It will be 275 larians a month... I will need the first month today."
"You take Imperial Credits?" Dan asked. "Sure," was the reply, and Qinos paid the fee. The Senator could reimburse him.
Another code cylinder was handed to him, "You are all set. The code cylinder has been set to a new combination which will open that door. Thanks."
That done, the trio walked out of the small office and back to the vehicle, only to find the droid and the Corellian stripping one of its components.
"Alright we'll start moving in tomorrow. What are the hours of which we can get access to the units?"
....
After satisfactorily distracting the owner, Dan and the others rejoin the two at the vehicle. "Let's be on our way." In a low voice, "Back to the Senator's; I believe we've hit a jackpot," he says, eying the Rodian.
"Yes, back to the Senator's house ... carefully please." added Brim, seating himself slowly in his seat. He handed the papers and datapad to Dan, and described the small tubes of liquid stored in the various pockets of his clothing. "I'll unload the vials when we get there. If we can have minimal jostling I would appreciate it. I'd rather not test out the nature of this liquid while it is on my person." said Brim with a somewhat nervous smile.