Deck 52 "If all of that happened I'd think I was the luckiest person on Bakunin. That kind of stuff only happens in the pulps though." He said shaking his head. "I wouldn't need to get back at the BPG at that point. It already hurts their image and role without me doing a damn thing!" Dome Two Taisa emerged from Brundle 3 and rejoined Pietro and Kenn who had set up shop on a nearby bench. The amount of AR graffiti around Pietro was a sight. Every punk or hacker that walked by had tagged the PanOceanian using the Labyrinth layer of Bakunin's datasphere. Kenn was untouched but someone had drawn a large mustache on Igor. It matched up nicely with his aviators and gave him the image of a policeman from a past that many had forgotten about. While most of the AR graffiti was vulgar for vulgarities sake there was one that grabbed Taisa's attention. Free Varuna or We'll Make It Free - Fifth Columnist Fifth Columnists were essentially freelance freedom fighter or terrorists depending on who you talked to. You could find them helping out causes around the Human Sphere either for better or worse. Some say they're a Black Hand operation but they were less an organized group and more a bunch of individuals with a common cause. There had been a uptick in chatter and messages concerning Fifth Columnists, Varuna, and the Libertos over the past couple of months. That thought aside Brandy was a dead end. The only other person from Valentine's list they could talk to right now was Seeks Fish. Saito and Samira were supposed to be talking to them but they seem to have become sidetracked.
Saito logs this information for later so he can bring it up with Valentine. It should score a double win if his gambit pays off. Looking back at Samira, the Japanese man slides a notification to Samira's geist privately to remind her that we are on a schedule and that if she wants him to work an angle for Yandel, can she let him in on it?
"Yandel, before we meet the others i need to make a few calls." Samira tells him with a smile. On the Team Network: "Hello Team, sorry we got a bit side tracked with something on this Deck, but it may help in our investigation. Saito and i are going to talk with some shopkeepers that have been a target for the Heartaches and the BPG and it may help us tie up a loose end with the Heartaches. It shouldnt take up much time, but we may not be on time for our other appointment. On a privat channel to Saito: "I dont want to tell to much over the team networ, but i probably need your support for my idea when we talk to the other merchants. My plan is to get the Heartaches hired as the electronic security team of the shopkeepers as a legitimate business, that would take the pressure of both of them and we may get to the security footages of the shops. That may help us to see if our target was here and when and to identify more of the BPG thugs. It may take some convincing of the shopkeepers but i think the Heartaches should listen. Calling on her Geist Samira tells him to find anything needed to register a legal business on Bakunin.
Samira's geist pulls up all the relevant info she asked for. Getting a legal business registered on Bakunin wasn't hard. The issue with the Heartaches was the amount of Social Energy infractions and being a group listed as problematic by the moderators. The BPG might be a known front for a criminal enterprise but the BPG hasn't run afoul of the moderators and hasn't stacked up a laundry list of Social Energy deductions. There was very much a difference between a gang ran by teenagers compared to one run by a Struktura family. They were in different leagues. However, no one said the Heartaches had to be legit to help out the merchants and to stop robbing them. The urchin gang already did "freelance" work and poking the BPG in the eye was something that Valentine would probably be up for.
"I'll run it by Valentine." Saito sends the relevant idea to Valentine to see if the other Heartaches would be receptive to the idea.... Knowing full well that Mr Hann would be monitoring all communications from her. Saito tells Shadow to put a little signature in that Hann and his associates would recognise as being a legit communication from Saito.
To no one's surprise Valentine turned down the idea of going legitimate with an assortment of colorful language. However, she did like the idea of helping out the shopkeepers if it meant getting back at the BPG. She'd have some of her hackers reach out and get to work on that. Samaria ran this by Yandel and the man couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Someone check me for some random cables plugged into my brain because this feels like a sim." "Maybe it's just your lucky day and you get to experience life, even if it's for a short time, like those in the pulps. Enjoy it." Were the departing words from Samira as she and Saito set back off to their original destination. Pietro, Kenn, and Taisa would be meeting up with them. Deck 99 The TopGun module was down ship resting in a little crook right between the neck of the ship and the second massive and bulbous extrusion of Bakunin. The lower sections of Bakunin were one big port and manufacturing hub full of warehouses, hangers, factories, and docking piers for passenger and commercial spacecraft. It was no less busy then anywhere else on Bakunin but the flair and unrelenting glitz of VaudeVille was gone. Outside of the docking piers it was a place tourists didn't visit unless they got lost or were seeking out something very specific. To those that had been on stations or other large ships this felt more like those with some Nomad paint. Adhering to the suggestions that Eddie laid out to the team everyone made sure to look up the laws of TopGun before stepping into it: - Visitors are restricted to the Beach section. - Only module citizens are allowed to invite guests into the Ocean section but visitors must be accepted by as simple majority vote. - No weapons of any kind are allowed within the module (secure containers are provided for storage). - All Laws of the Core are observed and enforced here. There was a bunch more but the only those stood out to anyone visiting. Spoiler: Refresher on the TopGun Module This is a module that contains many of the Neo-cateanens and Neo-cephalopod who are active or retired starswimmer pilots. It is basically a gigantic aquarium. It also has some Helot residents. Now this was the physical home of Seeks Fish. However, the Neo-cephalopod also used a tinbot to conduct business in other places of Bakunin (mainly around the 100 to 130 decks).
Taisa was a bit puzzled and intrigued by the Fifth Columnist info. She immediately informed the others about this. The thought that had entered her mind was a bit far fletched but it was possible: what if their little runaway was in fact a Fifth Columnist, and PanO was starting to get too close to the truth so she fled here and is now trying to start up an operation here? She advised everyone to keep a lookout for any info on the Fifth Columnist. “Could be a red herring but then again, it might be something.”
Father Beretta considered the last proposal of Taisa and could be indeed an interesting avenue of exploration; quickly started to collate the specific attitude of the Panoceanian Church and, in particular, his Order of Domenican Black Friars regarding Varunan Natives claims of independence, cultural rights, emancipation and social-structural-integrity. . . As they tagged Him as a "Interloper Oppressor" then at least He could claim His old Investigative Journalist Credentials to honestly say that a Personal Declaration Of Intents by some "Free Varunans" credible spokesperson would have forwarde to the far less biased Church-Newsletter Maya-Magazines (very often extremely adversed to the Capitalistic Bias of the Hypercorps Congolomerate Lobbies). . . Failing that if they would throw Rotten Tomatos (Rotten Algae Foodballs ?) to the "Panoceanian Oppressor", either Analogically or Digitally, that would have offered Stealthier or Craftier members of the Investigative Party an ouverture to explore and find traps or loopholes to exploit. . . The "No Weapon" Policy was rather vexing, but Saito, Taisa and Igor were enough sturdy even without a single armed tool to have no issue; and anyway the Inquisitor could always stab Enemies with Forks or Cocktail Woodtsticks (maybe well tinctured with the MOST burning "Hotsauce" that Snack Bar Grills could have there, for added offense). . . Time to discuss and plan beforehand with the others. . . . .
"Ok guys lets sit down and plan our next move before we make a call. " Going through the Beach Section of the modul the inspiration of the uplifted people in the interior desing is rather interesting. Looking around Samira finds a small café frequented by the locals to sit down and have a chat about the next steps. As they sit down and ordered their refreshments Samira starts a small convo about the mothership and work options until their ordder arrives at the table. "Taisa do you have any experience with the people of this module? Samira asks the ex-Chimera.
Saito deposits his weapons away with a sigh. He felt very grateful for bringing secondhand gear to Bakunin. Trying to part a warrior of Japanese tradition from his weapon was an affront that he luckily didn't have to endure this time. Sitting with the rest of the team, Saito pays attention to the conversation but makes sure to take in as much of the module as he can. He had been to a lot of places on multiple worlds BUT he had never been to a beach on a spaceship. He has Shadow take plenty of pictures of everything. But to also snap the security situation. He can be a genuine tourist and work.... After all. He should still be on holiday if it wasn't for this blasted runaway girl.
“The no weapons rules is a bummer but understandable,” she said as she deposited her chain weapon. Yes it could be used as her belt and she could sneak it in but best not chance it. “Now I have some experience with the TopGun module. Not so much during my time as an Uberfallkommando but during my sport career. The module was always a big supporter and some of the citizens were die hard fans. Now, getting into the Ocean section is pretty much impossible unless you know one of the citizens. Also, the Beach section is a popular meeting spot because of the no weapons rule and bungalows with advanced privacy one can rent for a few hours. Also luckily for us, one of the Neo-cateanens that is a citizen of TopGun is a contact of mine. I can send a message and call them up.”
"Nothing beats having a local on the team after all," Saito says with a wink at Taisa. He then proceeds to sip his coffee and goes back to his touristy wonder gazing.
Kenn was fine with the lack of weapons as he had two hidden in plain sight. First was the physical manifestation of Igor. Who could easily turn a bad situation around. Especially since this module did not allow weapons. Then there was his Pheromones. Though still damaged he felt that some of the people in here could be manipulated easily. Unless someone knew what Tohaa were capable of then Kenn could work his craft unhindered from outside interference. That sounded That sounded interesting. Kenn's scientific curiosity was activated. It would be quite an education seeing these animals in action. Cephalopods were octopi. Earth creatures who where smart enough to escape puzzle rooms without any uplift procedure. Granted that meant they were smarter but being smart did not mean you were unaffected by pheromone influence. Now where was a Sea Creature's nostrils located again?
Anyone with weapons put them into secure containers that were stylized like old school changing booths before moving through a scanner. Saito could only spot the scanners and a few more senors above the module's entrance. It was a pretty typical security layout but the ninja couldn't locate any other security measures within the Beach section itself. Either they were very well hidden or the beach was devoid of them. As everyone saw the Beach section was much more than a name. It was indeed a white sand beach with multiple bungalows, shaded recliners, and a few automated bars (with varying themes from tiki to pirate). The sealed lifeguard huts were the stations where some citizen kept their remotes when they needed to interact with the outside world. There was a bunch of off duty NMF members playing a game of volleyball. Where there was supposed to be water was a gigantic diamond glass wall stretching from the floor to the ceiling and spanning the length of the beach. This was the Ocean section and one could maybe catch a glimpse of a citizen out for a swim. Any entrance to the Ocean was very well hidden as no one could see one. Saito's eyes wander over some of the other beach goers. A few tourists, others were Nomads visiting with some of the module's citizens remote peripherals, the NMF members playing a game of volleyball (their halos indicating affiliation to the NMF but not their specific units). Then there was someone closer by relaxing against the bar. He had a long bionic arm connected to an arm socket for easy removal with a beaten down denim vest with a vast collection of patches and pins. He was talking to a modified crabbot that skittered around on the bar with a striking paintjob of a orca's gaping maw. His halo didn't reveal much beyond that his name was Material Johnson and that he was a private investigator. The crabbot belonged to someone named Void Reaper.
Father Beretta looked around too, especially if some of the Bungalow-Automated Bars had "Real Varunan Helots" themed structure, would be the best spot to approach a "Air Breathing Nomad Sympathizer" and try out the "Journalist Credentials" presentation; in the meantime compiled also a Report-Submission to the Abbot-General Secretariat of the Domenican Order, to file up a believable, 100% true document (at the moment better to play the "Total Honesty Angle" was not enough trained in Spycraft to beat Bakunite Nomads on their own turf). . . Scrolled also the Public Arachne Bulletin Gazetters for that Political Angle, asking the Geist to compile a list of good ones, to be then also submitted to Taisa to divide Flamewarriors-Chaff to "Real Deal" about it all. . . Was also searching for some Moirae Observancer with an Open Media Profile, to check if She was able and willing to debate, even HEATEDLY, along something more constructive than "You Crazy Shotgun Mary Nuns Betrayed Christ" and "You Kneel Down To A Golden Idol Called ALEPH" usual issues (often scramed or streamed digitally between Order Knight and Observancers ALSO shooting each other Real Bullets). . . . .!!! Better to left open all avenues of interaction; if Social Stealth was at all impossible for Father Pietro, then being the best possible decoy will do, attracting Attention away from the more craftier Members of the Investigative Team. . .
After getting the rest of the team ready to enter the section of the mothership Samira leads the team to a bar with a good view of the section. After a seat and some small talk without much on how to proced, Samira makes the suggestion to just ask. Soon after that Samira parts her way and gets closer to the volleyball playing group of NMF people, making sure they recognize her while she watches.
Finishing his coffee, Saito says nonchalantly, "time to work." He gets up and after making another wonderstruck pass around, heads to the bar to order some coffee liqueur and try to strike up a conversation with this Material Johnson.
In the meantime Father Beretta fakes to be "Just Another Hypercapitalist Clueless Tourist" while scrolling useful Infos in the Public Arachne (to reinforce the "Clueless Panocean" decoy) and the Geist "School Drill Abbott" instead filtered down what could have been "Doublespeak Lingo" or "Hidden-In-Plain-View Cyphers" (if Water-Breathers here were supporting Libertos Terrorist Cells then some form of "Public Uncomprehensible Messaging" was a must). . . Idly also forward a Query on the Private Comms of the Group asling for the Polmonar Capacity of Taisa (Human Like but heavily Genemodded and maybe also fitted with Cybernetics Proscribed elsewhere the Human-Sphere), of Kenn-Taal (basic infos portray "Baseline Tohaas Without Symbiosuits" as "Like Standard Humans, But Better"; but who knows what Genotweaks the Parent Triad of the Alien Doctor-Engineer had ordered, or Kenn Auto-Performed on Himself) and of Igor (for what the Inquisitor Blackfriar knew the Chaksaa could have been developed from Fishes, Amphibian Frogs, Aquatic Reptiles or Mammalian Swimmers like Orcas or Dolphins). . . If a daring Run-By would happen, maybe to follow up a Water-Breather Culprit escaping away, better to know who could follow keeping most lenghty Oxygen Reserves. . . . .!!!
Samira wasn't the only one watching. Other Bakunians and a few module citizen with there remotes had perched themselves on the bleachers flanking the volleyball court. She drew all kinds of looks from the NMF players. When there was a stoppage in play one of the players, a dark skinned women, came up to Samira. She sprayed some water into her mouth then around her head from a bottle. "What's a lub like you doing in a place like this?" She asked Samira. The automated bar spits out his coffee liqueur but it's soon crowded by Void Reaper's crabbot. "Land mammal, answer me this." The crabbot barked at Saito in a digitized voice. "If you were to steal some prototype biografts to assist with underwater living what would you do with them?" Material slowly rubbed his face with his cybernetic arm. "Excuse my friend. She's just being a little too helpful right now." "You asked so I'm getting answers for you." She shot back at Material.
Samira is caefully watching the woman that aproached her. "Me? I missed a beach. Being travelling on business through the sphere is interesting but after being trapped to long in ship corridors and getting a chance here on the mothership i wanted to feel something more natural than a hydroponic plant." Galncing down and up again at the woman and smilling "It was my pleasure to watch."
