Wildcards Year 1 Act 2: Brutus's Dark Side

[Sketchley]

CG-420 H. Ito - Orbit of Nora, Williams Star
2061.09.02; afternoon

The Ito folds to Caesar, and docks in the Unified Force's space docks on one of the sub-sections of the Brutus Factory Satellite.

At the airlock, Stonewall stops 2nd Lieutenants Jacques-Burton and Janos, with an arm across the doorway.  "Yuo guys have 1 day leave while I work out today's fiasco with the brass.  Don't leave Brutus."

He lifts his arm, letting the two pass.

They take the train, along with a lot of the other non-commissioned crew of the H. Ito and their duffel bags, into the Factory Satellite proper.  After a few routine transfers, they arrive at their destination: their assigned barracks building in the City Defence Base in City 15 Replica.



Factory Satellite Brutus
2061.09.03; mid-morning

Jacques-Burton has some crystals.  She thinks she heard about some shady dealers in the level B1 Higashi-Neyagawa section of the Kawachi dome.

Does Janos tag along with her?  Does Jacques-Burton want the company security and information that Janos provides?  Does Janos answer Jacques-Burton's question on the value of her crystals?

[MasumiX]

  Janos blanks the trip, her mind drifting to lost memories and flashes of forgotten faces. Despite her silent treatment of her flight crew her mind had been buzzing with information; she had heard of blood crystals; probably dealt in them when she thought deeply about it.  Her shady past and shifting identity had provided her with all sorts of  experiences.

   "Blood for blood"  Ro finally spat out as the train ejected them at the barracks building, joining the light throng of people Ro headed towards their bunk.

   "Theres too much traffic here, all the surface systems are clouded with legalities concerning the price of trading blood crystals; I'm guessing an index of 10:1 vs legal trading, possibly more."  Ro was now convinced that Jacques-Burton was going to buy another crystal for herself, having had hers taken away.

   "I need to get off the Main grid..."  Ro tossed her bag down on her bunk and used the consol to pull up a holo-map of Brutus, zooming in a sectors likely to be free of direct NUNS/Gov control. Her instincts told her to go down; there was always a physical side to the so called "underworld" that would lead back up to the real movers and shakers. like pirates.. a vicious shiver ran down her spine at the thought of pirate.

[Jet Jockey]

"Okay thanks for the info.  Boy am I tired.   I think I'll be heading to bed early."   A lie.  Saffron decides she will pay the dealers a visit.  Before going she visits her room in the barracks to change to her normal civilian dress.   That consist of boots, daisy dukes, tag top, push up bra, twin revolvers with holster and her plastic cow girl hat.   She conceals one of the crystal on her person and hides the other in her room.   Before leaving she practices her quick draw a couple of times if runs into any trouble with dealers of the Neyagawa Section.

Leaving her room she tries to make her way there by public train or bus.

[Sketchley]

Factory Satellite Brutus
2061.09.03; mid-morning

Janos wakes up suddenly.  She fell asleep at her console.  The end of her search was still displayed - some news articles on the underworld active on Brutus - which hadn't resulted in anything close to what she was actually searching for.

Then her mobile phone vibrates again and she realizes that is what woke her up.

Answering the phone, she hears the familiar voice of Mak Morpheus - a middle aged PI that she had contacted when she first arrived in City 15 Replica to look into her background.  Given the few vague details that Janos had to go on, Mak didn't taken her job, but they quickly became friends of a sort.  Whenever Janos's memory spat out a clue of her past, inevitably she told Mak, and he looked into whatever leads the clue spawned.

"Hey, Janos, I saw that your ship returned last night," Mak started.  "Meet me at Sushi Zen in Romama in an hour.  I found some stuff that you'll want to hear!"

Mak's as enthusiastic as ever about her mystery background.  As Janos mumbles a reply, he hangs up.

As Janos wakes up fully, she thinks about what she had last told Mak to look into.  It takes a long time (she was really groggy when he called), but then she remembers: terraforming!



Jacques-Burton heads to the Kawachi dome via the tube train that runs along the surface of Brutus between City 15 Replica and her destination.  Arriving, she transfers to the loop line that takes her to Higashi-Neyagawa station.

The tube train was full of people that looked like they worked in sweaty, grease filled mechanical type ships, and they had an air about them that made her think that they hadn't washed once during the past 24 hours.

The tube train is even worse - the few riders on it looked like they lived in dumpsters and smelled worse.  The train seats were scary to her, covered in suspicious smudges and stains.

Exiting the station, she's greeted by a trash filled plaza with a flower bed in the center that looks like it hadn't been watered in a week.  As the station is on the surface level, she knows that she has to find the elevators or escalators that'll take her down to B1.

As she's looking around for a sign, she heres the footfalls of work-boots approaching her.  Looking up at the owner, she sees a scuzzy looking reject from "Bladerunner", in a grey hoodie, giving her a look over.

His stare sends shivers down her spine, as she realizes that she's rather under-dressed for this neighbourhood.  She's attracted the attention of other denizens, too.  A handful of hobos passing through the plaza behind Mr. Reject are ogling her.

Mr. Reject, with his hands still in his pockets, lifts his chin in her direction as a greeting.  "What's a nice tail like you doing here?"

[Jet Jockey]

Saffron didn't like the look of this place it reminded her of the worst places of home but more urban, more people and less seaweed.

"You might be able to help me.   I hear this is place to buy exotic trinkets.   I'd like to view the merchandise."

[Sketchley]

Factory Satellite Brutus - Kawachi dome: Higashi-Neyagawa section Level 1 in front of Higashi-Neyagawa station.
2061.09.03; mid-morning

"You might be able to help me.   I hear this is place to buy exotic trinkets.   I'd like to view the merchandise."

Mr. Reject does his best Mr. Spock eyebrow raising impression.  "I'll show you.  But first, how about we check out a coffee shop or a hotel or something?"

[Jet Jockey]

Like she's gonna take that offer.  "Sugar I ain't feeling thirsty or sleepily.   I came here to discuss the exchanging gold & silver..."  Saffron rest a hand on her hip next to one her holstered revolvers.   "...I might even have some lead to exchange."

[MasumiX]

  "Mak mak mak mak, " Roben mumbles to herself as she logs and closes down the search she had running. Then restarts on her internal network with an auto log and 30 second ping notification when it was done. Then promptly forgets all about her lovely friend the space cowgirl goodness knows what on earth is in her head anyway.

  "I wonder what he found..."  Roben was feeling more and more like her past had become someones else book. Written with all her names in the places where the action happened. An inner, unbidden, voice warned her away from searching too hard sometimes you get what you wish for..

   Tossing off her formal gear she pulled on a pair of lean jogging slacks and a tight t-shirt, then a loose jacket that would cover enough of her hard ware to make sure she didn't end up 'all back of the bus'.  Making sure to grab her credit stick, as well as gold dust and a fake credit stick, not worth much, but enough to get the right mouths talking if Mak had a solid lead. Then she hoofed it out the door.

-----------------------


   Into the busy habitat, really just a giant strip mall. It was like the 20th centuries dream design; the shoppers could never really escape from the mall. that's pretty cynical of you  "Shut up" she berated her inner voice under her breath, but out loud, just to be sure she actually said it.

   Three circuits around the sushi joint, each one a circumferential pathway closer, just to make sure that Mak was alone, relatively un-watched, or at least otherwise in such a fashion that Ro could take care of the situation if she had to.  She checked her bolt routes. She'd been here before and knew that there was a trash auto-dispense that lead to a cat walk around the corner, far from prying eyes. It stank.  The sushi bar didn't and she homed in confidently and smiling warmly and expectantly.

[Sketchley]

Factory Satellite Brutus - Kawachi dome: Higashi-Neyagawa section Level 1 in front of Higashi-Neyagawa station.
2061.09.03; mid-morning

"Sugar I ain't feeling thirsty or sleepily.   I came here to discuss the exchanging gold & silver... ...I might even have some lead to exchange."

Mr. Reject's eyes follow Saffron's hand down to her hip.

"Nice toys," he mumbles, eyes glazed over in a lecherous stare.

He blinks a few times, and his eyes rise to look at hers, pausing on her bosom.  "Exchanges, huh... how about we go some place more private to talk about it."  He nods his head indicating something over his left shoulder.

In that direction, Jacques-Burton can see a bunch of shuttered stores (it's still mid-morning).  However, at the end of the row, what looks like a bar is open.



Factory Satellite Brutus - Main Dome: Romama section Level 1: Sushi Zen
2061.09.03; mid-morning

Immediately upon entering, the maitre d' asks Janos how many will be joining her today.

Before she has a chance to answer, Mak waves at her.  He's discrete about it, reconfirming why Janos has faith in him.

Sitting down, the middle aged PI just starts talking.  "I ordered negi-toro don for both of us.  It's a bit pricey here, but its worth it.  You know they actually use real tuna in it.  None of that artificial tuna crap that's really reprocessed bug meat from De Moins.  I've even heard that Sushi Zen has a fish farm on Carthage growing tuna!"

"Now," Mak says, his voice quieting considerably and his tone changing to something that could be misconstrued as menancing, "you remember why you told me to look into terraforming?"

[MasumiX]

  Ro squints at Mak, "yeah, real tuna. Been to DeMoins, bug meats' better just as it is..."  Ro scratches her chin at Maks ominous presence.

   "Terra-forming,hmmm. I know I was involved in, or on, or around it, and its pretty recent memory as far as I can tell."  Roben is bluntly honest, her tone is not open but reserved, and her answer is not really and answer at all. ... I don't remember, do I .... ? she left her puzzlement internal.

[Jet Jockey]

This really was a nice part of town.   Too early for the stores to open but not to early to start drinking.  "Lead the way and no funny business or I'll let you suck on my toys."  Saffron wondered if this bar was classy enough to serve drinks with tiny umbrellas.

[Sketchley]

Factory Satellite Brutus - Kawachi dome: Higashi-Neyagawa section Level 1 in front of Higashi-Neyagawa station.
2061.09.03; mid-morning

"Lead the way and no funny business or I'll let you suck on my toys."

Mr. Reject's eyes flit to Jacques-Burton's breasts and hips momentarily, and he blushes faintly.

"Alrighty then... follow me," he says.  He leads her toward the bar.

As they get closer, Jacques-Burton can make out the name of it: Bar Non3.  It looks like a slightly gungier version of Tech-noir (from Terminator), but without the loud rock music.

On route, Mr. Reject keeps up the dialogue, "so, my name's Crecelius.  What's your handle?"


Factory Satellite Brutus - Main Dome: Romama section Level 1: Sushi Zen
2061.09.03; mid-morning

"Terra-forming, hmmm. I know I was involved in, or on, or around it, and its pretty recent memory as far as I can tell."

"That's a shame," Morpheus follows up.  "The shock treatment works sometimes.  But alas... you're a tough nut to crack!"  He laughs heartily.

"Well," he leans forward, voice falling a few decibels.  "Mars..."

He pauses, watching for her reaction.  Which is a blank.

"... is the most famous," he exhales, leaning back in his seat and turning his head to one side to look at something in the distance, outside the nearest window.

He turns to look at her again, in the eye.  "I'm going to ramble off a few names.  Stop me if one of them piques your interest."

Morpheus starts rambling through a list of terraformed or currently being terraformed planets.  "...  Aias, Adonis, Hyakinthos, Castor, Char".

Char puts Janos through a roller coaster of memories.  As tantalizing as finding the long lost memories are, it is also frustrating, as they are fragmented snippets with no coherency.  One thing does seem to be consistent among the fragments are pirates.

She hears Morpheus says, "... pirates".  Was he talking about something else or did she say it out loud?

[Jet Jockey]

Saffron is going to pick out the table when they get inside.   One where no can sneak up behind her and she has a clear view of entrance.  Now this creep wanted her name.  Maybe he thought it was a date.  He is walking her to a bar.  She picked a fake but believable one "Lynn Min...Mayonnaise."

[MasumiX]

  ....char....   thunder
  ....char....   dark skies
  ....char....   heavy clouds

  Roben rolls the memories around her mind trying to make sense, but like the forboding cloud of a thunderstorm on distant hills, the feeling is simply confused and ominous, a tinge to the air, but no drop of rain to relieve the tension.

 ....pirates.....   lightning!
 

   "What?!  what did you say!"  she grasped at the words like a drowning seamen grasping a fragment of wood. ...pirates ...   there was enough of her past here in the sector that she had not told the man sitting in front of her.  Part of which might have been the way she arrived, in the hands of rouges and pirates. She repeated herself with less force, and more curiosity.

  "Pirates?  I think I have been involved with them, one way or another."  her memory flashed a scene to her; an enclosed space, technical, it was a ship or hanger bay, she was on a listening station, her partner was there, blond, confident. they were monitoring the actions of some men, listening to their conversation and recording them, she saw the insignia on her partners uniform SPACY!
   
   Back from the memory flash she focused hard on what mak was saying.

[Sketchley]

Factory Satellite Brutus - Kawachi dome: Bar Non3
2061.09.03; mid-morning

The interior of the bar is... scuzzy.  It's well past it's glory years, and is the kind of place that you go to if you don't want to be noticed.  Or, because it's the only one open early in the morning.

Hearing her name, he looks at her with a tinge of disbelief.  "Well... Ms. Mayonnaise," he says, with a faint smile, "what's your poison?"



Factory Satellite Brutus - Main Dome: Romama section Level 1: Sushi Zen
2061.09.03; mid-morning

"What?!  what did you say!

Pirates?  I think I have been involved with them, one way or another."

Mak's eyes open wide with surprise.  From Janos's reaction he knows he's hit on something.

"Yeah," he continues in his lazy way of speaking.  "get this, some group called the SSP or SP or something claimed Char until the Unified Forces took it back.

What blew my mind was... and get this," Mak's lazy pace has sped up to a chatter, "it's a desert planet, right?  Well, on that planet, scientists found something, and BOOM", both of Mak's hands smack on the table, rattling their cups and silverware, and causing people at the nearer tables to look up in curiosity.

"the desert suddenly changed into an ocean!"  The people looking on rapidly loose interest and go back to their own conversations.

"When did that happen?"  Mak leans back, pointer finger on his lip and index finger absentmindedly stroking his chin.  "2050... April, I think."

The dates and events continue to stimulate her memories.  However, Mak's antics and the attention of the others dims the flow of memories somewhat.