An evening in town

[BackworldTraveller]

Drake has many questions. First, concerning the missing coyns:

Did anyone notice any strangers or strange events around the time of the theft? Have there been other incidents involving members of your group?


And concerning Drake and his situation:

How many people like me have you helped? Can you tell me anything about them?

Many more questions but I will focus on the task at hand for now and try to gain more information as the conversation develops.

That is what most worries us, there have been no unexpected people visiting our Dreskay. And only people who are expected would know where our coyns are. So we fear that the information for the theft has come from a friend even if that friend is not the thief. You were away when this happened so it cannot have been you. And that is why we ask you for help. Our attacking our friends for proof would not leave us untouched, and my not yield the proof we require.

As to who they have helped...

I am not sure our intervention has yet helped. All were ultimately doomed. You are the 11th. I watch for the 12th. I do not know why this planet is where you are all drawn, but it seems to be so. Each of the previous ten has been different depending upon their upbringing; All have been the same (you are after all clones). So far, you are the most unusual - To have gone so long with no effect makes us wonder if the batch you were given was faulty, whether there is something in you that is unexpected or there is some circumstance that is affecting you. It's hard to tell and we don't wish to just tinker just yet, if ever.

[NorthernTraveller]

Drake ponders this for a moment. I wonder if the people who attacked us are connected to this? But why put in a violent assault on me and then use more covert methods to steal the coyns? Why not just attack the Dreskay and finish the job? I am not even certain any authorities on the planet are really aware of there presence.

I guess I must consider that someone on my crew could be involved. Finding proof of that will be dangerous. I have had to share some information so I am already at a disadvantage. Has anyone new joined your group recently?

Perhaps the others of my kind got a bad batch and I did not? Thet information will be hard to find. Any idea when number 12 will arrive?

[BackworldTraveller]

Tantars has been listening in. If you have two different MOs, do you have two different actors? And you crew have been away as long as You have - if you are out of the frame, then surely so are they?

The Droyne looks hard at Tantars. Put your ears down - this is private matter

and turning to John Number 12 is about your age. So soon.

I too have wondered something. As you are clones, why didn't you have identical names? You have such different names.

[NorthernTraveller]

I believe we have different names because we were separated and raised under cover. I think it was to protect us.

[BackworldTraveller]

There are 12 of you on planet? Tantars looks bemused. The security guys for your ship are going to have trouble telling you apart

Watcher explains: Not all at once - and 10 are dead. John is Number 11 and No 12 - well I watch

Tantars offers So No 12 is here somewhere? Have they been here all along or do they just turn up? There aren't many ways to arrive these days.

Ihatei K'ahkhir draws himself to his full height While I am here, John will not die for lack of protection.

Tantars is unimpressed. You say 10 are dead. Why? How?

Watcher flaps his wings and sits up straighter...Every death has been related to SuSAG somehow - but never attributable. We understand that they would seek to control John and his clones - or ensure no-one else will. We fear that they have placed agents on Gabrael and we have been unable to find such agents. That is why you are here. Because we need help

[NorthernTraveller]

That makes keeping on the move more important now. Two more questions:
Are my "parents" in any danger? Do they understand the risk they continue to face?
Is the Watcher and his group in danger? Could there be an agent among them that puts the clones at risk?

[BackworldTraveller]

That makes keeping on the move more important now. Two more questions:
Are my "parents" in any danger? Do they understand the risk they continue to face?
Is the Watcher and his group in danger? Could there be an agent among them that puts the clones at risk?

Watcher looks at you very steadily - eyes boring into your soul. Your parents probably never understood the risks - but that didn't stop them trying anyway. Those risks are no less than they ever have been: And may be higher now that they have been for a while.

Our group is probably in less danger - This theft of our coyns is clever, but not dangerous to us for a long time. We are only Watchers and Catalysts. If we are utterly prevented, neither path can occur. As to agents. You think there is deceit in the Dreskay? There is a word I've always loved because it sounds so foreign: Anthropomorphism. Why Humans think everything behaves like Humans astounds me. It blinds but provides such surety. We Droyne have other means of blinding ourselves. We know Humans are not like Droyne. No. It is something else. Whatever it is is clever. It hides from our senses and that is not something we have known before.

Tantars seems a bit unsettled by Watcher's statements. I've heard your senses include strange powers. Anything that can hide from you is scary

[NorthernTraveller]

It sounds like we need to work together to make up for our unique blind spots. There may be a technical aspect to this, we should see if the Dreskay is under some sort of surveillance

[BackworldTraveller]

The flight draws to its conclusion and the air-raft approaches the village of the Droyne.

What are you plans for action here?

[NorthernTraveller]

I would like to see where the Coyns were before they disappeared. I would also like some of the party to to check out the village, last time we were in the area it was pretty intense (by intense I mean violent) and we probably weren't paying much attention. I want a better idea of where we are now.

Once we are finished in the village I want to do a bit of a walk about at the crash site, just to see if anything attracts our attention that we might have missed before when we wee preoccupied with not getting killed.

I ask the Watcher: Please tell me more about your village

[BackworldTraveller]

The village is in a dry canyon and is, to human eye, a bit weird. The mushroom to the left is the stairs and (at the top) the common space. The inverted umbrella includes a communal kitchen and the far knot in mid-air is an area for sitting, chatting and swapping stuff while keeping an eye on the young.

They don't really do "Private" spaces. Each of the cliffside areas is one of the Dreskay's communal workspaces or sleeping spaces. The building like a floating acorn in the background is the community's school.

[BackworldTraveller]

The Aslan is fascinated by the alien-ness of the village. Droyne are not something that he has ever seen before. And Tantars is surprised to find a bunch of Droyne so settled here. He'd always thought of their being transients. I mean he knew some worked on some of the farms, but out here that's a totally different thing

Kori looks like he's just discovered a Coven in his kitchen. They can like read minds and turn invisible can't they?

Despite the primitive looking construction, the engineering is actually high tech. The base of the stairs can be sealed in case of flash flood in the canyon (for instance).

[NorthernTraveller]

How long have you been here? I am surprised you do not attract more attention.

[BackworldTraveller]

Who comes up here? A few Hunters and Furriers, some Herders - the occasional botanist. It's the middle of nowhere. Oh yes - and Thieves.

He takes you to see the Coyn Room at the top of the tower.

[NorthernTraveller]

I will want to look at approaches to the village, to see where the thief may have made his entry and exit.

[BackworldTraveller]

The arrival at the hall is not a quiet affair. The Group's Leader, Guards and various members of the Dreskay all come to greet the party and see the new type of Alien. This is a big day. They don't get Aslan appearing every day.

You are all invited into the main community hall and are given a formal greeting and light-meal (There is some hurried checking on what is acceptable Aslan fare) and the Leader of Dreskay Kihayssfe is accompanied by both Watcher of the Canyon (who John thinks he recognises - but all Droyne Sports look the same) and Watcher for the 12th (who accompanied you here).

The meal passes quickly, and while sat there, John can see one thing - the room is surrounded on all six sides by occupied spaces. Whoever did the break-in managed to move invisibly through Droyne and stole away the telepath's treasure without their noticing. This was done by a group with considerable resources and unusual skills and lots of preparation - and he knows of only one group (maybe two) that could do that and definitely only one that would want to. Somewhere on planet, SuSAG has a team operating!

[NorthernTraveller]

Whoever did this was well equipped and well prepared. While we are here we will continue to look for clues but I believe we will have to look elsewhere for real answers

[BackworldTraveller]

Whoever did this was well equipped and well prepared. While we are here we will continue to look for clues but I believe we will have to look elsewhere for real answers

Do you have any particular direction you wish to suggest for the investigators and reconnaissance capable characters in your team? Or are they just going to take this as an opportunity to gawp at the quaint natives?
You may wish to consider what skills you or they should be using to gain information!

[NorthernTraveller]

I think we will use gawping at the quaint village as a cover for being able to poke around. I would like to set up some sort of electronic counter surveillance system, monitor the EM spectrum for transmissions in the local area. Perhaps my Aslan friend can lead an patrol in the local area. Also, Asokoezka can provide advice on how to monitor this place from afar. I can see what we can do to set something up.

I ask the Watcher:

Should we establish additional ways to stay in contact? I fear that the stolen coyns will not be the last incident you experience. I am concerned that our communication wil be compromised.

[BackworldTraveller]

Kori points out that We didn't bring any kit for all that electronic stuff - we'll have to come back if that is the plan.

Ihatei is happy to "Go for a walk about the place". This is like a War of Assassins. No one is hurt but a trophy has been taken that causes the other party great embarrassment or inconvenience. Who is their enemy? What have they achieved?

Asokoezka ponders your question for a bit. I don't know. Would the usual methods work? They are Droyne. I'd be inclined to stand well off and watch from orbit - but that would be obvious to anyone who looked for that as any ship/drone would stand out. Although if you didn't know it was there, it wouldn't - and they don't seem to have anti-shipping search radars deployed! You Navy friends might have something.

Tantars, the Dog-Tag's guy, suggests that the whole thing comes down to a locked-room mystery. How do you get into a room watched from all sides, steal something and get out again. It's like magic! Either the item was never there at all or its still there and we just can't see it or it wasn't taken when they think it was or whoever took it got in and out invisibly. Do you know anyone who can jump a ship into a locked room or owns an invisibility cloak?

Watcher of the Canyon (Molkuibyuss) is intrigued by the suggestion of an alternative method of communications. We have a radio-phone link to the city by satellite - when the space station is above the horizon and not being attacked. What other channel is possible out here?