Tuesday 18-01-3200
18:03
"Got a little job for you all. Nothing too taxing for such capable people, and the money's so good this is practically a favour from me to you." Kal Kasama, the slick-talking, arrogant information broker that called you in here smiles at you from across a worn desk. The secure office at the back of the restaurant is a simple affair, furnished for brief face-to-face gatherings away from prying eyes, quiet aside from the muted hum of the trans-district magrail running past every 45 seconds, and with the pleasant smell of refried nutrient pastes and vat-grown vegetables from the kitchens filling the air. Kal leans back in his chair and continues, already utterly assured that you'll accept his generous offer. "A friend of mine, businessman in the pharmaceutical industry; one of his suppliers has missed a delivery, which means several of his client's orders have remain unfilled. Whilst this is not good for business, what concerns him the most is that this supplier is known for her reliability. Punctual, keeps regular contact, yadda yadda yadda; long story short, this ain't like her, and this friend of mine wants to know if his supplier has decided to make some... ill-advised decisions regarding her employment situation."
He takes a sip of dark amber liquid from the short glass on the desk, and lets out a satisfied sigh. "And that's where you come in, my lovelies. There's a shuttle docked at the Helden Lane Starport, bay 3, all fuelled up and ready to fly, just waiting for five eclectically-talented young problem solvers to hop on board, make their way out to the coordinates programmed into its nav computer, and to see just what the fuck has happened to our absent supplier. It could very well be nothing, but we all know that ain't the case, so instead we've prepared for everything. That's why you'll all be working together on this little jaunt. Complementary skill sets and all that. Anyways, get out there, fix whatever issues you encounter, and have that shipment back here by the end of the week, and when you hand it over you'll each be 5 ton richer."
The fixer nods, causing one of the large bodyguards to move away from the door at the back of the room towards you. He reaches into his breast pocket, producing a standard memory chip and places it carefully on the desk in front of you before returning to his overwatch by the door, his military-grade spike thrower held in a manner that advises against any ill-advised decisions here as well. "One last thing, my friends. Where you're going is off the grid; incognito, if you will. My friend and I are trusting you with some rather valuable information in giving away this supplier's location, so I hope you appreciate just how much faith I'm putting in you all here. Don't let me down, eh?"
Kal's tone signals that the meeting is over, and that any questions you might have will be answered by the datachip. You are politely but firmly ushered out of the office by Kal's two security guards, into the sprawling, humid bustle of the infamous Sleepless Market.
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Slotting the offered memory chip into a standard compad port will relay the following information:
- The station is a partially damaged Callaway 16 Sentiel Class, one of the many pre-Scream instalments lost to time and commandeered by scavenger types.
- The station, known as the Flowerbed in typical pirate humour, is a hydroponics farm used to grow plants which are then synthesised into powerful drugs.
- The Flowerbed is hidden inside an asteroid field in deep space, which is how it has remained such a secure location. It takes a day or two to travel there from Mejo, depending on the quality of your ship and the skill of your pilot.
- The errant supplier and undisputed captain of the Flowerbed is a League member by the name of Nina Rose (pirate humour has many levels), known for her ruthless efficiency.
- Rose's latest shipment is nearly 2 days late and absolutely no word has been received from her crew. This is unprecedented for someone of her professionalism.
- You have less than a little over 5 days before Kal has promised his client's shipment (Deadline 23:59 on Sunday 23-01-3200), which is to be handed over to one of Kal's associates at the Helden Lane Starport immediately on arrival.
- Once the shipment is confirmed as delivered, you shall each receive 500 credits in the form of an untraceable credstick.
- The shuttle provided is a standard Tausass-class civilian transport. It is unarmed, and fitted with a rating-1 spike drive, atmospheric configuration, fuel scoops, a ship's locker, and a smuggler's hold, with 4 tons of free cargo space available. It will comfortably house 10 people. Its stores are fully stocked, so you will not have to pay any living expenses for the duration of the job.