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KDF and allies have located the last surviving member of the Rhombus group, but will they be willing to help them?
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Shift Time: Sunday, Jun 6, Alpha -1
Audience: KDF and allies
Event Type: Social RP
Starting Point: Starship bridge
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GM: @gulremal
Mission Log
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Silence has fallen on the underground hideout. All mercenary attackers have been taken care off. In a small makeshift fort at the center of the warehouse, you can spot a figure in mercenary armor, sporting a modified rifle, aimed in your general direction. Bara has moved away to secure the entry point, while Egzo is lurking around, letting rest of the team do the talking…
T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris calls over, “We are not here for the bounty. We just wish to talk.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:through a comm in their helmet “Well that’s reassuring…if you are telling the truth. You were not the first to try to pull ‘we come in peace’ trick. Who are you and what do you want?”
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“We do not come in peace. We come for information. Whether it remains peaceful or not depends on whether we are able to reach an agreement. We usually operate in a region far from here known as the Zenas Expanse. Have you heard of it?”
[Emote]Sadia@gulrema:rolls 91 (1-100)
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<Figure> thinks for a bit Yeah, mostly unexplored region of space to the galactic west of Cardie space. Heard that the klingons have moved in and are having a kerfuffle with the breen.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<Figure> And no, I’m not part of whatever this new “Rhombus group” is, and I don’t know anything about what they stole from you.
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“Very quick to deny involvement. Either you are indeed innocent or you are hiding something. In either case, you know /of/ the theft. Is that from rumours, or did someone come to you for information regarding the new group already?”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<Figure> You think those stiffs around you are the first group of shovelheads that tried to get to me? I’ve barely had time to clear the bodies are repair the defenses since these thefts started.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<Figure> Always the same thing - “Rhombus” stole some important info, and half of the sector is suddenly looking for good ol’ Spade.
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“So this new Rhombus Group has been active for some time, then?”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<Figure> I don’t know for how long, but folks started looking for me some…4-5 weeks ago. Whoever they are, this new Rhombus group is obviously very busy…and probably even more stupid than the old one.
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“Do you suspect that someone related to the old one may have started this, or are what you’ve heard of its operations so far suggesting that it is an entirely new group that has simply stolen the name? Is there any similarity in their methods at all beyond being hacking groups?”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<Figure> Listen, if we are gonna start this line of inquiry, I’m not going to chat over the gunpoint. the rifle that was pointed your way lowers down As a show of good faith, I’ll come up there.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<Figure> No funny business, or this entire place will be so lit up you could observe the explosion from orbit. OK?
T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris nods, returning her own pistol to her belt, “Understood.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Arright. Gimme a minute… disappears from sight, you can hear some rustling, sounds of door opening somewhere behind the makeshift fort
T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris looks around to make sure Spade isn’t trying anything either.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:<FX> Soon, a hidden door opens on the upper level, and the figure walks out, their rifle slung over their shoulder.
Egzo@HF_Mud has his own disruptor slung, standing back from the ladies, in ‘bodyguard’ mode.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Figure: Okay, this is better than shouting over the gunpoint. they remove the helmet, and a lethean face greets you with a smile Hello folks, I’m Spade.
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“So you did not attempt to sneak away. I suppose you may not be trying to hide something after all.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: Well, I figured you are smart enough to cover the exits, and besides, it’s not that I’m stuck here with you, you are stuck here with me.
Egzo@HF_Mud nods silently to the (apparent) truth of that, offering no other comment.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: Anyway. No, new Rhombus group is nothing like the last ones, at least from what I could glean from angry victims’ mercs they sent here
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“How exactly did your old one operate? More discreetly?”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: Original group was, well, made mostly from the idealists - you know, freedom of information for all and all that crap. Plus few of us who were paid to keep them alive, I guess. shrugs
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: They never used the info they stole to blackmail or sell it, they’d usually release it all to the public*
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“And we have not seen any public releases yet, so the motivation behind the hacking is clearly different. It does not rule out the possibility that someone affiliated with the old group may have had a change of heart since its disbanding, though.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: That’s highly unlikely, since there were only two survivors. You’re talking to one, and another, last time I checked, had a quite lucrative contact on Ferenginar.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: We moved on. Unless someone else survived the last stint and no one figured it out yet.
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“How did your ‘last stint’ go wrong, from what details you are aware of?”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: I was not there, as I left the group exactly because I thought it was a damn suicide. I have no details of what actually transpired, but I never again heard from them and I never found any clues about possible survivors. And I tried…heck both of us tried.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: Ever heard about The Vault?
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:"/The/ Vault, as in the Romulan facility?"
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: The same. sighs This happened, what, over 15 years ago. The place was allegedly abandoned at the time, as D’tan and his bunch were still roaming and gathering allies. RSE locked the place 5-6 years after Hobus, as they couldn’t afford to run it anymore, let alone defend it. Team wanted to sneak in, grab all the cool data and vamoose. From their viewpoint, it was an easy run, but I was strongly against it. In the end, we couldn’t agree and I left.
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“I would have advised against it as well. Do you know how exactly things went wrong, or did you simply never hear back from them again?”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: I literally left the ship minutes before they were heading into Romulan space. Never heard from them again.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: Nobody had any relevant info about the place since the RSE locked it down. You’d think there would be other scavvers bringing some stories or rumors, but nothing.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: It smelled like trouble. And if I had to place my bet, I’d go with Tal Shiar. grumbles Poor bastards.
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“That is my suspicion as well. What have you been doing following their disappearance? How long have you been hiding out here?”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: Well, after that I got fed up with mercenary work - I worked as a combat engineer in a couple of outfits before I was hired by Rhombus. So I returned to my hometown - here - and opened a chop shop. Though nowadays it looks more like an underground fort…
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“This recent bounty that has attracted these mercenaries to you- do you know what that is about?”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: I never had any problems - aside from the usual ones - until 5 weeks ago when mercs and other unsavory types who were so obviously not from here started looking for Rhombus group.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: I guess new Rhombus has way different ideas, and have no qualms hitting some powerful groups and people - people that have no qualms sending hired killers to retrieve or bury the stolen data, along with the thieves. And good ol’ Spade is the only clue. Whoever this new Rhombus team is, they are damn good if no other traces could be found.
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“Even with your impressive defenses, there is still a possibility that someone skilled enough, or simply a group with enough bodies to spare, could make it to you. That last group was getting rather close. While you may be able to destroy this entire compound and take your attackers with you, I don’t imagine that’s something you want to do.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: Not if I can help it. What do you propose?
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“Come with us to track down this new Rhombus Group. Once we apprehend this new group, there will be no reason for people to come after you. You may return here if you wish, hide out elsewhere, or continue working with our Orion friends here,” she looks to Aestae. “Whatever you do with your life is your concern, but you will be free to live it without interference.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: Well, I was going to track those guys anyway…until I had to defend myself from all the bounty hunters. However, I would like to know your names and who are these friends you’re working for?
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“We are here on behalf of the Klingon Defense Force, specifically Task Force H’urq Mevik, which is assigned to the Zenas Expanse, which includes members of the KDF as well as a variety of hired assistance. I am T’Vek, representative of a Ferengi-owned defense and defensive equipment trading service.” She looks to the others to introduce themselves
Egzo@HF_Mud puts his hand up at that last one. Then: “Egzo. Captain Egzo, of the Hag’lhr.”
[Local]Aestae Vali@crystyl:“Aestae Vali, just a ship commander, nothing special here”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: Well, glad to meet you folks. I will need some time to pack up the most critical stuff and shut down this place. How quickly can we leave?
[Local]T’Vek of Vulcan@anncaris:“Our ships are here and we should be able to leave whenever you are ready, provided nothing unexpected occurs.”
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:Spade: All right. I’ll get packed ASAP. Shouldn’t take more than 5-10 minutes.
[Local]Sadia@gulrema:-- SCENE END –
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