In their slow, but steady, approach to the "Target Zone" then Father Beretta instructed Kenn-Tal to search for suspicious characters that could be the kind to be on search for THEIR Own Target, especially if just some snippets of their Halo, Social Reports or Tech-Specs coudl just suggest that a person like Sanjay Brown could be too their researched "Person Of Interest". . . It was to ascertain f there weren't "Poachers & Hijackers" on the same trail, but also to provide a powerful "Icebreaker Start" to speak with that pesky individual; with that Profession and Behaviour, be on their toes for Intruders would have been always a probable certainty; if the Panoceanian Inquisitor and the Alien Bioengineer could at least "Suggest" that they were the LESSER Evil to choice from, maybe the Retrieval of Informations could be smoother than an Open Kidnapping and Absconding of the hapless on a Dark Basement to be Waterboarded and Thoroughly Questioned. . . The fact that the Order of the Dominicans of the Black-Friars were doing it for thousands of Year did not meant that was the BEST or most expedient manner to aquire precious Strategical Intel Datas. . .
Taisa was able to get in touch with her contacts in the chimera community, and was able to find out where the lawyer frequented and passed that info to the others. Conga Club - Tanuki (Saito had been here yesterday) - 6 Toes - Ultraviolet Quarter She continued to hack her way into the network being on guard for any surprises.
Mesmer Inn Taisa probed a little further into the network... [Spending 5 Heat for a Major Complication.] She didn't know how it happened. Maybe some prototype IC or corrupted code on her end but she was hard kicked from the network. That was only the beginning of Taisa's problems. Her hacking device and comlog were fried and would need a professional with some time to fix them. [Taisa no longer has communication with the team, can not hack anything, and doesn't have a connection to Arachne. As far as the team is aware, Taisa is okay until they try and contact her. She can only communicate with those that speak German or Ukrainian until she gets her comlog fixed.] Conga Club "That's 2 points better then my last attempt." He happily patted himself on his back. "Am I in? Hell yeah!" He waves his hand to a nearby bartender. "Two margaritas with extra salt on the edges. Don't forget the extra salt! I remember you from last time and you forgot!" Massacre stabbed his fingers towards his eyes and then at the bartender. The universal I have my eyes on you gesture. The merc beckoned Samira forth towards the VIP area. As they were approaching Mr. Wright was up and out of his seat. "I'm so sorry 8-Ball but business calls. I hope we can catch up soon." "Ah, that sucks. Make it soon as I'm going to be off the ship in a week." 8-Ball says with a frown. "I'll have our geists work out a day and time." Wright says as he departs. Samira catches him passing a single... make that two flextabs to one of the bouncers assigned to the VIP area and whispering him something. The bouncer grabs his partner and the two start escorting Wright towards what appears to be a back door exit. Spoiler: Flextabs Smartpaper chits preloaded with credits and a solar cell that shows the current balance—are used. They can be locked to specific accounts, but most are “burners” that don’t monitor or restrict who carries or uses them Wright's Office Saito found himself right where he wanted to be. The main office. The place was extremely gaudy with gold and silver styling on the wall. The walls were also lined with holographic pictures and they only contained images of Wright. The lawyers desk was free from clutter and only contained an integrated holographic console. The only other furniture were two chairs opposite of the desk and two couches with accompanying coffee table beyond them. Saito didn't spot any other security measures in the office. Infinite Jester The bookstore was of respectable size and probably housed the most paper on all of Bakunin. The place smelled of dark roast coffee and the odd hint of oranges. There were a few patrons mewling about the bookshelves but none of them were Sanjay or his friends. They found them near the back of the store sitting down in a circle. There was seven of them in total including Sanjay and his two friends. Each of them had a copy of a book in their hands. It was The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon.
A weird bunch for sure; Father Beretta let Kenn mill about the bookshelves, asking to the Shopkepeer the typical innocent questions of an Alien Tourist, while He scoped a little the Place, checking all the relevant important stuff (Entrances, Emergency Exits, Alarm Systems, Security Cams, Servant Drones). . . While it was at it, whatever Accessible Infos where available in the Book Club public halo would be filed and checked; who know what they could be and what useful snippets could be gained. . . Once the Inquisitor was stationed on Acontecimento, to Train with the local Military Orders there; there were Sea Predators reminiscents of Old Earth Sharks there, but they were far bigger and less aggressive, but somehow "Stalked" the enormous Kelp-Mass of Fitoplancton and Zooplancton present on thos warm Oceanic Waterbodies, slowly circling around in a ever-restringing Spiral Movement towards the prey, steadily and firmly, with a "Grave Certainty" in their assured hunt. . . Like them, the Blackfriar was encircling the wanted target, subtly altering course should unforeseen happenstances materialized. . .
The chance of meeting Wright was spoiled by that annoying Merc / Aristeia! personality but Samira couldnt leave that easily and follow him, that would only end with a love drunken puppy at her heels, that would generate more attention as the team needed and Samira wanted. She send a short warning to Saito, that Wright left the club without knowing his destination and her Geist calculated the time Wright may need to get back to his office. On the outside Samira only nipped at her drink to not consume to much alcohol. Playing it cool, she listens to the 2 sports personalities while avoiding the wandering hands of that merc while trying to insert questions about Wright into the conversation to make the best out of this situation. Like who who their friend was that left and other questions about his work. Then she starts planing for her escape from that party and that annoying Senor Massacre.
Making his way into the office, Saito pauses, listens and looks around, making sure that he is alone. He strolls around the room looking at the computer terminal and looking around to see if there are any hidden cameras situated around the office foyer. He passes a small communique to Taisa that he's in and should start hacking around. He turns around and opens the door to the room behind the desk. Just before he enters, Saito gets the warning from Samira. Crap, he thinks to himself. I don't have much time if he does end up back here.
Infinite Jester The only thing that stood out to Pietro in the shop was a very old model zond that was serving as a shopkeeper. Its shell bore the markings or many repairs and upgrades. This zond, known as Sergeant Kidd, was a veteran of the NeoColonial Wars. It's service history and exploits were proudly displayed over it in AR messages. The owner of Infinite Jester served in the unit that Kidd was apart of. The owner had bought them from the NMF after the conflict concluded. Kenn and Igor were standing in the way of Sergeant Kidd as it was trying to inspect a shelf. It did not appreciate that and quickly sent the Tohaa a message to his comlog. Like the Otodus Imperator (Caesar Shark) that he spotted in those warm waters of Acontecimento Padre circles about his prey. Accessing the book clubs public halo he gathered info on the other 4 members. Carmen Decimo - Book club president and owner of the Infinite Jester. Has a NMF service record and was a Zero. Cordula Uhl - Sensadrama actress. More on the B-list side but it's not like she's unknown. Samuel Forsberg - Member of the Redstripe Module. Dargon Bennett - Member of the Asgard Cluster Commune. Conga Club Interestingly it wasn't Senor's hands that were the issue for Samira. It was his feet. The merc was always trying to play footsie. Sometimes it seemed like it wasn't by his own intention as he forcefully punches his right foot in one instance. 8-Ball, a mountain of a man (easily 7 feet tall, 350 pounds, and made to look like a panda) was surprisingly reserved and listened more then he spoke. For a while the two only told her things about Wright that she already knew. 8-Ball did mention that for all the glitz and glam that Wright surrounds himself with he wasn't a deviant that most thought he was. This didn't line up with him being a frequent visitor to the Ultraviolet Quarter. Samira carefully worked this into her questions. "The UV quarter has great security and secrecy. Good place for all kinds of business." 8-Ball mentions. "The business that goes on there better stay a secret. As much for the people that go there and for those that need it as blackmail..." Senor says as he downs his sixth shot of vodka. Wright's Office The lawyer was very much into that paperless lifestyle. No filing cabinets or any loose sheets were to be found. Saito does get a good look at the computer terminal. He's not the best when it comes to hacking or cybersecurity but this terminal seemed very fancy. Oddly, Saito didn't get a ping of acknowledgement from Taisa... that was very much unlike her. Peering into the room the ninja finds himself in a mixed space. It was part bathroom and walk in closet. There was at least 20 suits and various accessories ready to go for Wright. The total amount of skender tied up in them was at least 3 years worth of pay for Saito. The bathroom was just as gaudy as the office. The office must of had its own water tank to supply the large shower as the mothership's attitude (ie. fines) for excessive use of its water utilities was almost as strict as Corregidor.
Wright's Office Cont'd Saito turned his attention to the rest of the office. He passed through the other door leading out and entered into a waiting room. Large couches, lots of expensive paintings, a well stocked snack bar, and a receptionists desk. There was a flight of stairs leading back down to the front entrance and there was another door off to his right. Saito continued his prowl and approached the next door he hadn't stepped though. This one was heavily secured and didn't open for him. There was a security panel next to the door. He wasn't exactly sure about the method of security it employed but from the looks of things it at least needed a biometric reading. It also meant that this door wasn't going to be picked open.
Well i've stumbled into a lurch everyone. Biometric lock on the prize, i need the man himself or a lot of effort from Taisa to break this. How's the hack coming along anyway? There was a pause and the Bakuninite still hadn't responded to the question. Saito gets uncomfortable, and presses again over the tacnet. Still nothing and now the Japanese man is starting to sweat. He double checked the line and hailed responses from everyone else. Taisa are you there? Guys, has anyone gotten a ping off Taisa since the hack started? Everyone else confirms the suspicion. Somethings wrong.
Damn, everyone I can't get farther in here without Taisa. I'm worried and going to abort... Go back and see if Taisa hasn't been attacked. We were hacked earlier and it wouldn't surprise me if they've jumped us as we tried to jump them. Saito carefully videoes the rest of the office in detail, searching everything within quick, easy reach, then tries to make a smooth exit from the office so as not to arouse any suspicion from the patrolling remotes. Slowly opening the second story door, he looks around briefly before exiting the premises.
Not getting any further with those 2 celberties Samira plans her retreat going through different plans in her head. Asking Saito or the Padre playing her jealous boyfriend or husband would be fun, especially trying to get the Padre to act like this, but the chance of failure seems to high for different reasons. But keeping the idea to play the Padres wife for fun to get him to loose up a bit, Samira will keep in the back of her mind. So what options are left? Faking being tired etc. wouldnt help, as that merc would be to clingy and would try to slip into her bed. The last option would be to fake a spontanous call for work, which would seem to be the best option to leave without much attention. As the Merc is in the middle of his next story, Samira gives him a sign to pause and lays to fingers of her other hand on her temple. "I have to take this call." she anounces. Samira lets her look into a distance like concentrating on something else and begins to nod a few times in irregular intervals. After a short time, she begins to act normal. "I am sorry but as much as i would liek to stay, my boss is calling me and i have to leave." and to Senor "I will give you a new chance we meet again." Samira rises and starts walking with a fast controlled steps through the exit.
Taisa couldn’t believe her luck! Or actually bad luck! Especially given the fact that the security system fried her hacking device. She immediately had her geist send a warning to the rest of the team advising them to be careful and that she would be out of commission for a short while as well as what had happened. However she then realized that her comlog was fried too so she couldn't do that. Cursing her bad luck, she quickly began to wonder how to get out of this mess. Luckily Faust’s Boutique was nearby so the chimera ran inside and said, “I need your best hacking device and comlog right away! I got friends who need my help and you know us Nomads, we don’t like to leave our friends out in the open. Plus I feel naked without my comlog and hacking device. Long story short: I accidentally got them fried.” She then made an offer to the storekeep. Usually Taisa wouldn’t panic but things were on an extremely tight schedule.
While externally just acting as a slightly worried bodyguard, Father Beretta compiled a super-quick message to Kenn's Comlog, inquiring if the Tohaa wanted to try solving the Harassing Drone on its own, to keep the facade of Clueless Alien Tourist on, or if the Inquisitor help would be needed. . . With some careful and smart acting they could also leverage that incident to reinforce their charade, or even obtain an ouverture icebreaker to start speaking and negotiating with their target, but that needed both "Carefully Applied Skill" and also a not small quantity of "Lucky Holy Providence". . .!! Fortunately Father Beretta did NOT rename any of His newly aquired Special Pistols "Providence" (even if was sorely tempted to do so before. . .) as that would have perhaps caused some serious miscommunication incident. . . . .!!!
Kenn pondered on the implications of the question. He had been mostly silent during recent events due to his weariness of Bakunin's surroundings. But now perhaps was the time to step out of the comfort zone. It certainly seemed as if the Tohaa was being nudged into physical action. As for the drone it was a shame it was a drone. Otherwise influencing it to his advantage would be much easier. Kenn "Oh I'm sorry. I was distracted. Bakunin is a...eye catching place. Everywhere you turn seems to divert your eyes. And books have been a time passer. Along with being a repository of info to get acclimated with Human customs & history. Though lately I have been reading what Man refers to as fiction. Work like Nero Wolfe & Poirot have peaked my interests of late. Do you have favorite books or series?" It was probably best to start out friendly and see how things went from there. But Kenn always kept a trigger finger on the pheromone command that initiates Igor's combat protocols. Bakunin was a place that always seemed to put him on edge enough to consider that. Eddie's Moderator tales & advice being the suppository of knowledge his instincts & feelings where being drawn from.
Deck 23 (VaudeVille) - Star Emporium The coast was clear. No ship's cat within sight. Saito disappeared back into the bustling Star Emporium and headed quickly for the nearest loop station. He was now the victim of time, distance, and mass transit. He wouldn't know what had happened to Taisa for a good 45 minutes to an hour as he traveled back to Sunset Boulevard. Conga Club Senor was quick to his feet as Samira was making her escape. It was the massive arm of 8-Ball that stopped him. "Nice to have met you miss. Have a good night." 8-Ball's voice cut through the music and club crowd. Senor hung his head like a scolded dog and let 8-Ball push him back into his seat. "3 out of 10, 8-Ball. That's the best score anyone's given me all year." Senor sighed. Samira stepped back out into Deck 34. She was free of the merc with a mouth but she had lost Wright. Faust's Boutique Faust was slightly startled by the chimera. "Calm down." He said in German which Taisa luckily spoke. "I can get you a good hacking device but you'll have to settle for a cheap wearable comlog." Faust went to the back of the shop and returned with a standard hacking device while one of his roving waldo arms brought over a comlog. [Total Cost: 11] "Are you able to transfer over the data from your comlog or would you like me to do it? It would be free of charge." Taisa hadn't thought about that. Faust probably had more tools and expertise to get that done quicker. "If you're still in a hurry to contact with your friends," He pointed a thumb towards the storefront's window, "You can always use a SIC terminal." SIC (Ship Information and Communication) terminals were holdovers from the warship that Bakunin built around. These were hardwired terminals used as information kiosks and provide a secure line of communication across the ship. Their hardwired nature made them resistant to quantronic attack. For that reason and because they were kind of quirky they were kept around. They did the same job they did in the past. Tourists used them for information look ups and to update their comlogs. The more security inclined or paranoid used them for communication (either to other SIC terminals or to make a call to someone's comlog). For Taisa it would let her get back into contact with at least one person of the team as her data was being transferred from one comlog to another. Infinite Jester Sergeant Kidd's lone waldo twitched and grabbed a book from the rack installed on its shell. Kidd presented it to Kenn. It was Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick. The book club was wrapping up their meeting. Chairs were being returned and final long goodbyes were being mete out.
I'm on my way back to check on Taisa, I got away clean... I think and it'll take just under an hour to get back to the hotel. How is the mission going for the others?
Kenn "Well that was good news" The Tohaa thought to himself upon hearing the ninja sound of on his getaway.
Seeing that the issue with that weird Drone seemed to be not so serious, then Father Beretta tried to casually approach the Book-Readers Group saying goodbyes; with the various unforeseen complications that are happening to the Team maybe a frank, earnest approach with their Target was the best idea. . . Maybe just stating the truth and asking an eventual price for the Collaboration and sharing of Useful Infos could be the most expeditious and efficacious option; and would leave far less unpleasant aftereffect behind. . . But as they were on the tail of their Mark, maybe even others were too, to "Cut Loose End" and so perhaps was wise to be attentive of weird happenings, or even suspicious persons loitering outside the library. . . As was prior explained to Kenn, maybe even if was just a coincidence, could be an effective opening argument of discussion. . . For the moment the Idea of the Inquisitor was to expect the Target finihed shacking hands and then would have approached, politely but firmly, to say that "His Alien Boss Wanting The Pleasure Of Exchanging Some Words. . ." trying to create an enticing subtext of profitable mistery about it all. . .
Kenn "Mmm...Never read this one before what is it about? I assume you know it contents since you have it on your rack." It was true the Tohaa never had read nor knew that this book existed. Maybe getting the bot to talk about it could open up a route to turn the conversation into a subject matter the Sunz could use. This is why Kenn disliked sentient technology and/or those that hid behind it. Things are much easier to obtain information from when you can stealthily have pheromones to open an otherwise closed clam. But this looked like it was going to take some brain work. Not his preference at all.
Leaving the Club Samira send a short message to the team, informing them that she lost the lawyer to some comlications in the club. He may have somewhere else like the Ultraviolet Quarters, but hse had no proof for that. Samira wandered slowly through the public spaces to the teams quarters hoping some distraction geave her some new ideas.
