[03] Nameless Dive Bar

[tibbius]

The landing on the remote and thickly forested planet is uneventful and you are glad to stretch your legs.

Gvny grumbles - a lot, and often unintelligibly, though you're getting used to his dialect - about the dilapidated appearance of the unremarkable starport. The Bilk assigns each of you a shift to keep eyes on him. Then she leaves, with the ship, saying she'll contact the Movement to have Gvny "picked up."

You take rooms above the nameless dive bar closest to the landing pads. It's cheap and you're low on credits. Also, the server is friendly. She flirts with one of you (Who?) every time you see her. For a few nights, you take turns sleeping in Gvny's room. He snores and farts all night.

After a few nights, one of you (Who?) actually gets some sleep in Gvny's room. You're lying across the door and the window doesn't open. But when you wake up in the morning, Gvny's gone. The window has been removed in the night, leaving a big hole in the wall through which a cold breeze blows. None of you heard anything over night.

You don't have contact info for the Bilk. You don't have any obvious way to leave. What do you do?

[soypunk]

(Flashback, dive bar) Anen stops to look at the woman's hand that brushes gently over his shoulder while her other places a drink in front of him. "Thanks. I don't think I caught your name?"

[NJWilliam]

Alex Fiord

Alex takes a closer look at the hole where the window used to be, and whether there are any marks or prints on the other side of it.

[tibbius]

Alex Fiord

Alex takes a closer look at the hole where the window used to be, and whether there are any marks or prints on the other side of it.

There's just a rough cut square in the wall. Looks like a laser was used, but surprising the noise didn't wake anyone.

(Flashback, dive bar) Anen stops to look at the woman's hand that brushes gently over his shoulder while her other places a drink in front of him. "Thanks. I don't think I caught your name?"

"Saradeen, sweetie. Staying long ... I hope?"

[tibbius]

You gather in the bar-room downstairs, griping at each other about how long you've been stuck on this literal backwoods planet and whose fault it might be that Gvny vanished.

Saradeen approaches you. She's holding a wristpiece.

"I have a message for you. Someone has a job for you. If you’re interested, use this wristpiece to call him."

[soypunk]

Anen takes the wristpiece and exams it. I think we should give this fellow a call, it is our only lead to finding Gvny. If we don't act soon the trail will go cold.

[ybn1197]

Rhisza nods in agreement. "With any luck something will pan out. The weight in my pocket isn't getting any heavier and the notion of staying in this backwater bar isn't very appealing."

[tibbius]

As you discuss the wristpiece, which is a distinctively ornate piece of functional jewelry probably worth nearly as much as the departed Bilk's ship, the holographic display at the bar stops showing a miniature ultramarathon zero-g ball tournament that has been on for the past forty hours. Instead it flashes urgent yellow and red cubes before steadying on an image of a news personality.

Just in – Randolph Yofi’s spouse and children have
been abducted. A ransom message was delivered to
him by subspace. The holo message demands a
ransom to be paid in antique cryptocoins to an
anonymous address. Mr. Yofi is cooperating with
investigators to uncover the perpetrators of this
horrible crime. He recorded this brief message to the
public.

The display flashes to a Salimar dressed in a heavy red and black silk gown. It is hard for most people to read a Salimar’s expression, but his flickering tongue and the bright hues of the scales around his eyes tell Rhisza that Mr. Yofi is anxious.

"I am very worried about my family,” he says. He holds up an ornate wristpiece that dangles from his hand. “If anyone can help, please call me.”

The wristpiece appears identical to the one you are discussing.

[soypunk]

Anen looks for Saradeen at the bar and walks up to her. "Hey love, how's the night treating you? Better tips than last night I hope." Anen opens her hand and places a small but not meaningless amount of credits into it. Before she can respond Anen adds "Say, who gave you that wristpiece you passed on to us?"

[tibbius]

Saradeen blinks - bats her eyelashes in fact - and smiles. "The Bilk came back last night with her ship," she answers. "As always she was secretive about where she had been. But she gave me the wristpiece to give to you."

[soypunk]

Anen frowns a bit at Saradeen "Did, she? I figured she had abandoned us here. Well, thanks. I'd ask you to meet me for a drink after your shift but I have to figure out what we're caught up in first."

Anen then walks back to the table. "Well, our Bilk friend is involved in ..." Anen points at the wristbraclet and then waves his hand up towards the holographic display. "... whatever all this is. She may be our only way off this rock.

Anen pauses and then looks at Alex Do you want to make the call?"

[ybn1197]

Rhisza clears his throat. "Mayhaps I should make the call? You know, Salimar to Salimar?"

[tibbius]

It's easy for Rhisza to find the right contact on the wristpiece - there's only one name. "Randall."

Mr. Yofi answers on the second chime.

(calmly) “Hello, Randall speaking."

[ybn1197]

There is a long pause before Rhisza is able to speak, "Mr. Yofi, word has reached us that you are in need of assistance. We are in a position to assist you but we need all the information you have on what transpired."

[tibbius]

"Those bastards took Sandra." Randall Yofi's holo image flickers above the wristpiece. Centuries of innovation and AI development, they still haven't figured how to get away from the up-nostril view that wristpiece cameras impose. At least Randall maintains the cavities - well-groomed, Rhisza notes, no loose scales.

"They took our kids, too. We were searching for them for days. And then they sent ... a ransom video. It's almost all the info I have. Would you like to see it? I can download to you. After I find it."

[soypunk]

Anen shifts in his seat, throws his hands up in the air, and silently mouths to Rhisza "After he's FINDS IT?!" Anen wonders how anyone could possibly misplace a ransom video.

Then... the usual sense of urgency strikes and, always vigilant, Anen looks around the dive bar to see if anyone is listening-in-on (or following) the table's conversation with Randall.

[ybn1197]

Rhisza cocks a sly smile to Anen's comment and nods. It did seem very odd to him that Randall would have to look for the ransom notice. Wouldn't that be front and foremost on his mind. And almost all the information? Wouldn't you give the people trying to help ALL the information? And if you were trying to conceal something, why would you admit that you hadn't given all the information? Things were not adding up in Rhisza's mind.
"Yes, please send us the video once you have found it," Rhisza says in his best "politicking" caring voice. "Is there anything else you can thing of? Even the smallest piece of information can prove useful in helping us to help you."

[tibbius]

"Ok - hold on, I'll download it."

The image flickers with a spinning wheel and the wristpiece buzzes - assuming you accept the transfer, it buzzes again with a prompt whether to view the file.

Do you continue the call, or break to view the ransom video?

[ybn1197]

Rhisza nods, "Received. Now is there anything else you can tell us?"

[tibbius]

"I've been looking for help for a while. This public announcement was a last resort. I know it's going to bring out all kinds of crazies with nothing but empty pockets to offer. But I've been looking specifically for you for a few days. You're famous in certain circles from the surveillance feed of you interrupting the Reset. Looks like you can handle yourselves just fine. I want you to find my family, take out the kidnappers, and bring them home. Can you do that? If you need a ship long-term, I can buy out the Bilk and make you partners with her."