Deep Water Blackout, In Character Thread Options

[crizh]

Taking a break from his work in the hold the ebony Dwarf shrugs.

If they have no mojo the job is simple. Depends how big the crew is. Boats have accidents all the time, seamen go a little funny in the head, weird drek happens.

As to Chan, if he is ever alone anywhere the Loa can bring him to me. Actually, alone is not necessary, just less messy. I will need access to a local Talismonger to replace the materials I must sacrifice to the Loa. I know a man who might be able to help. I will speak with him.

[pragma]

Then I guess the question is what we're most comfortable with. A firefight with well armed gangers on turf we know or a clash with well armed pirates on a turf we don't.

After thinking about it for a while, I think ambushing the meeting is our best bet. What about you guys?

[BlackHat]

Carter considers the issue from both sides, before shrugging. "I'm willing to go about this either way. I think we're better equipped to take on pirates at sea, but you're right about crossing people we don't need to cross. Ambushing the meet sounds fine - especially if we can think of a way to invite the ghouls."

[crizh]

If Chan were to suddenly turn out to be an evil Wu-Jen who turns on his associates and disappears with the goods after the delivery we would avoid tangling with the smugglers and get the man and the gear without having to show our faces or dispose of the witnesses ourselves.

[BlackHat]

Carter looks a bit confused. "Is that a statement for, or against, hitting the meet?" He then smiled very big. "Frankly, if Chan has anything up his sleeves, I'd prefer he waste it on those smugglers, than on us when we show up. I think that's what you were getting at, right?"

[crizh]

No, my friend. I mean if Chan were suddenly possessed by the Loa the truth would not be immediately apparent to his flunkies. The Loa could slaughter them and leave with Chan and the goods. We would never have to deal with the smugglers which is for the best. Do your people not say Keep it Simple Stupid?

[BlackHat]

Carter nods with new understanding. "Ah, yes. That does sound good - but would it put Chan at risk? We need him alive, and if one of his flunkies gets lucky, and kills him while he's going crazy... that would put a damper on our victory."

[crizh]

They would have to get very lucky, my friend. With the Loa riding our Mr Chan mortal weapons will be as insect bites to him.

[BlackHat]

"That sure sounds easy." Carter looked pleased. "How much would it cost us?"

[crizh]

Depends. I can persuade one of the Loa to aid our cause briefly, until the following sunrise or sunset, for nothing.

For more extensive help I would have to offer gifts worth about 3000 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) . However I could make such gifts from the materials I have to hand for about 1000 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) .

[BlackHat]

Carter shrugged, "Free sounds good to me. It ain't gonna take more than a night for this Loa guy to do his thing, right?" He looked to Guy to see if he agreed. "So, does anyone think we should wake up the ghouls as a back-up plan?"

[crizh]

I was thinking they might be useful to dispose of any unfortunate evidence we might create.

[pragma]

"I'd rather not deal with them if we don't have to. If we leave the doors unlocked, they'll take care of the mess on their own."

"So, I think we should like rely on electronic surveillance of the site until we know the crew's there. I'll hang out somewhere nearby armed to the teeth while Petwo sneaks in and works his magic. Then I provide cover fire while we get the fuck out, hopefully on the lamprey. Worse comes to worse, I can wait around in dive gear and make an underwater getaway while you and Chan ride off into the night. Des can back me up there.

We should get ahold of Kurita before we get started, just drive the hostage straight to the drop point and get out on the water while the heat dies down."

[Method]

The Warehouse, Tuesday 18 Feb 2070, 1830:

Sam Whiting hurriedly finished his daily paperwork and reviewed the books one last time. This gang was killing his business. There was a back log of orders to be filled and his employees were scared to come to work. He took a deep breath and rubbed his thickly-bearded chin. I sure hope Kurita knows what he's doing. If this situation isn't resolved soon, I'll be out of business. He took a swig from the flask he keep in his desk drawer and gathered a few things into his briefcase, before heading for the door. He walked out through the lobby, grumbling under his breath as he passed the ganger posted at the the front desk.

"Have a good night, Mr. Whiting!" the ganger sneered, "We'll be sure to keep an eye on the place while you're gone."

The old dwarf paused for a moment turning back to the young upstart. He stifled the urge to pull his Light Fighter and shoot the ganger in the face. He knew all too well that such action would sign his death warrant. Before he could compose himself, the door swung open and a youthful Asian elf in a poorly-fit suit sauntered into the lobby.

"Let me apologize for my ill-mannered friend, Mr. Whiting", said Chan, lighting a cigarette. "I can assure you that we will be out of your hair after tomorrow." He took a long drag and exhaled the thick blue-grey smoke. "And while we're on the subject, it would probably be best if you didn't come in to work in the morning..."

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

Mitsuhama North American HQ, Tuesday 18 Feb 2070, 1830:

Eva stood at the rain-spattered window gazing out over the Seattle skyline and pondering her new assignment. She'd been in town for less than 12 hours and already she'd been dispatched to investigate a security breech. A hacker had accessed a number of highly-sensitive nodes the night before, and she was fairly certain the culprit was a Mitsuhama employee. And then there was this mysterious "accident" that had claimed the life of a local agent. She was beginning to wonder how she was supposed to keep a lid on all this. She turned around quickly as Kenji Tomiki entered the office.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Agent...?"

"Correo." She bowed low, showing the proper degree of respect for the older Japanese executive. "Evangelista Correo, but please call me Eva. And I am sorry to keep you so late, Tomiki-sama."

Tomiki returned the courtesy before slumping into his office chair. "I understand that you've been sent to help us with a special investigation? Perhaps you could enlighten me as to what you might be investigating?" He leaned back in his chair and focused his gaze on the attractive young Hispanic woman.

She moved confidently across the office and took a seat in front of Tomiki's desk. "I would be happy to, sir. But first I need to ask you a few questions about a recent communication you received from your friend Hiroshi Tada..." She paused, searching the old mage's face for any reaction to her pointed statement. He leaned forward in his chair, making sure she didn't find any.

"I think we can dispense with the games, Ms. Correo. We are on the same team, aren't we?"

She smiled with flawlessly-simulated warmth. "Please, Mr. Tomiki, call me Eva..."

[Method]

Empty Warehouse on Pier 13, Tacoma, Thursday, 20 Feb 2070, 23:00

Chan slumped to the warehouse floor, utterly drained by his ordeal. He made a lack-luster attempt at loosening the plastic zip-ties that bound his wrists and ankles, but it was clear that he lacked the strength to make an escape. His eyes widened as Kurita stepped out of the shadows, accompanied by a number of serious looking Japanese gentlemen in suits.

"You!?" Chan gasped more than spoke. Kurita paid him little attention. In stead he focused on the team.

"I trust everything went according to plan?" The older Japanese man took a long drag from his ever-present cigarette.

"Well enough..." said Carter, with a wry grin.

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

3 hours earlier...

The Trader Queen's transponder ID, purchased from Davis at the steep cost of Bart's service, a favor from Carter and some stale beer, turned out to be worth the effort. After tracking the small ship for the better part of the day, the vessel made an abrupt change of course, passing into the Salmon Bay at about 20:00.

At the warehouse, Petwo's astral form circled. He whispered softly to his loa companion, a dark ethereal form that hung nearby. "Soon, friend, soon you will dance in the new shoes I promised you." He sensed movement below. His quarry, the small-time hustler Billy Chan, exited the warehouse and wandered toward the waterfront momentarily alone. Gazing out over the water, the lanky Chinese elf lit a cigarette and waited, unaware of the magical threat descending upon him.

Waiting in a small fishing boat nearby, Des and Guy donned their scuba gear and slipped into the dark water. They would have a short swim to reach the warehouse, but if their timing was just right they would arrive just as the smugglers were finished unloading the shipment.

Carter's Lamprey had lain dormant on the Salmon Bay's floor for the better part of a day. From the Odyssey the rigger captain powered up the sea sled and started a quick diagnostic check. Finding all systems go, he prepared to jump into the drone directly. He issued a command to the Odyssey to maintain its current speed and heading. If things went as planned the Odyssey would cross the mouth of the Salmon Bay just in time to recover the sled. Carter closed his eyes and engaged the full VR mode on his sim module.

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

2 hours earlier...

The Trader Queen had barely tied off to the pier before the smugglers were off the boat. Mbandi, the massive African troll was the first over the rail, a heavy black duffle bag slung over one shoulder; an assault rifle over the other. Captain Pretorius, the swaggering South African smuggler, followed close behind. They were met by Chan and a cadre of K Street Killers, none of whom seemed to notice that their boss had suddenly become more taciturn the past few minutes.

The meet was short and to the point. Within minutes of their arrival the smugglers had their cred in hand and were on their way. The gangers stood around in awkward silence as the smuggler craft disappeared into the night. Chan remained uncharacteristically quiet, and they glanced at one another unsure of what to do. Eventually one of the gangers made a move to pick up the black duffle bag. Without warning Chan grabbed him by the throat and sent him sprawling across the pavement. The shocked gangers shrunk away from the changed elf with fear and confusion in their eyes.

Before they could compose themselves automatic gunfire erupted from the water. Des and Guy had taken cover behind a low cement wall at the edge of the pier and began laying down a withering hail of suppressive fire. The gangers scattered and fell, but Chan moved as if in a trance. He seemed oblivious to the bullets flying all around him, even when a grazing hit tore through the sleeve of his cheep suit. He grabbed the duffle bag, hefting the heavy sack with the same ease as the troll and walked calmly toward the water. Any attempt by the K Street Killers to return fire was feeble at best. Chan, the drugs and his apparent kidnappers disappeared into the dark water of the Bay before anyone knew what was happening.

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

Now...

Kurita smiled. "Very good then." He tossed a certified credstick to Carter and took another drag of his cigarette before flicking it away. "I like a team that gets results. I hope we can do business again in the future." He gestured to his bodyguards to collect Chan and the duffle bag.

"Now if you will excuse me, Mr. Chan and I have some important matters to... discuss..."

[pragma]

The Odyssey, Friday, 21 Feb 2070, 00:30

Guy had been more contemplative than usual since the hit. He knew he'd shot two gangers. Des had pegged three. Between the two of them they'd probably taken five lives.

He fiddled idly with his cross while lying on his bunk and letting the matrix flicker aimlessly before his eyes. This life was right in so many ways, and he'd only shot bad people who were being paid money to push drugs. The gangers probably had done horrible things and the drugs weren't going to put anyone at peace. He knew the drugs wouldn't do anything good.

Guy was increasingly convinced he needed to get onto the ocean, be it by surfing or smuggling. Carter hadn't seemed too keen on staying here so his hopes were high. He needed to get away from this ... the ambush might have been bad karma ... it was hard to say.

His sea duffel was largely still packed but a holopic poked out of a corner showing a pretty woman -- not a bombshell, but a a charmer with big eyes and an open smile -- throwing her arms around a computer programmer who bore a striking similarity to the haggard looking shadowrunner on the dilapidated mattress. Guy stuffed it back into the bag before going out for some air and hopefully synth whiskey.

[Method]

Puget Sound, Friday, 21 Feb 2070, 00:30

From the deck of the Odyssey the city's lights shone like a million tiny fires reflecting off the water. At this distance Seattle's emerald green AR sculpting couldn't be rendered. Des leaned over the rails enjoying a rare glimpse of the city- beautiful in a way that could only be appreciated from afar. He scanned the sky for a certain helicopter piloted by a certain girl to whom he had made certain promises. Before long, Guy joined him from below decks, looking similarly solemn. With a nod Des handed the newcomer a silver flask. "Ye look like I feel there, mate."

They stood for a long while in silence. Eventually, Des piped up. "Helluva night, eh mate? Those K Street lads didn'a see what het em. Ah well! It is what it is, right?" Guy passed the flask back to the old solider and he took a long pull of the woody synth-scotch. "I imagin' the cap'n will fancy a new port-of-call. We can'a stay out here forever."

He was right of coarse. Sure, it was safer here on the Sound. The Star had no jurisdiction in open water and the Harbor Patrol wasn't going to come looking for anyone. They'd go through the motions of coarse, but any real investigation was certain to reveal Davis' role in the drug heist, and that was certain not to happen. But getting out of the area sounded like a good idea, at least to Guy. He sensed that Des didn't share his enthusiasm.

Des turned to the old surfer. He looked tired, or maybe just drunk. "Have ye ever felt like you're just all used up?"

--------------------------
Pier 13, Tacoma, Friday 21 Feb 2070, 00:30

Kurita stood in the huge open doorway of the empty warehouse. In the cavernous building beyond his suited underlings loaded a collection of black trash bags into the trunk of a small car. The old gangster gazed out across the peer toward the water, deep in thought.

His concentration was broken by the commlink on his hip vibrating. An AR window popped up in his visions with an icon of an old friend.

<<Kurtia-kun: Still no word from our friend. I am compelled to find him, but I need your help. My agent needs people with the skills and resources to get her where she needs to go. If you can put me in touch with such persons, I would be in your debt. -- Kenji>>

Kurita cleared the AR window and paused for a moment. He glanced over at the large black duffle bag sitting near by. With a nod, he keyed up a new message of his own.

<<Carter: An unforeseen situation has arisen. A friend of mine is in need of your services. I am unsure of the details, but it is certain to pay more than our last endeavor. If you can help him, I would count this as a personal favor. I can arrange a meeting tomorrow night, if you are willing. My establishment will be at your disposal. -- Kurita>>

[BlackHat]

Puget Sound, Friday, 21 Feb 2070, 00:35

Carter made his way, topside, shortly after receiving the text from Kurita. It would have been simple to forward the information to his crew, but decisions like this were best made in person - and he had gotten the impression that a few of his recent hires were still a bit shaken up by the last job Kurita had sent their way. He certainly wasn't going to respond to this one until he got some input, and buy-in, from everyone.

On the deck of the Odyssey he found Des and Guy chatting and waved to them both as he made his way over. "Nice quiet night, ne?" There was an awkward moment of silence, as Carter hand reached into his pocket and produced his commlink - still glowing with Kurita's message. "Tomorrow may not be...." He gave them a moment to look over the message, themselves, but he knew there wasn't enough information in there to base any real decision on. They didn't have any concrete plans to move on, yet - Carter was still looking to charter paying work that would take them away from here - so there didn't seem to be any reason why they couldn't stick around at least another day and listen to the pitch. The question was really, when Carter showed up at Kurita's place tomorrow evening, if anyone else would be interested in going with him.

[Method]

International District, Friday, 21 Feb 2070, 20:00

The Strip House is bustling as your cab pulls up to the curb. A line extends from the front door around the corner of the building. Faced with the prospect of a long wait, you realize that you should have come earlier. Luckily Bombshell is working the door again tonight, this time in a skin-tight black number. She smiles as you exit the vehicle and unhooks a red velvet rope so you can move past the front of the line, much to the distaste of the waiting partygoers.

"Welcome back gentleman! Mr. Kurita is so very pleased that you were able to make it tonight!"

She leads you past the two large orks in speakeasy attire. If they recognize you from the last visit, it doesn't seem to soften their rock-hard demeanor. But this time there are no sensor paddles waved over your persons. The orks just stand idly by, eyeing the crew suspiciously as Bombshell leads you into the swank cabaret-style club.

Inside, the club is as energized as the street outside. The nightly burlesque show is in full swing. A scantly-clad elven girl with Dayglo pink hair and a parasol dances around on stage to the howls of boisterous businessmen. You navigate past tables filled with hipsters and local celebutants, dodging busy waitresses in provocative outfits and virtual holograms of famous starlets from by-gone eras. An impressive rendering of Audrey Hepburn winks as you pass by and starts to tell you about the drink specials, but Bombshell banishes the digital apparition with a wave of her hand.

She leads you through the club and past the stage to a painted red door. Another large ork steps aside, opening the door for you as you approach. A short hallway beyond leads to a private room, where three people wait around a polished hardwood conference table. Kurita rises from his chair as you enter.

"Hello again Captain. Thank you for coming. I'm glad you and your men could join us on such short notice."

He is joined by another older Japanese gentleman and an attractive young hispanic woman. The man's conservative grey business suit is a stark contrast to the woman's stylish outfit, a perfect balance between the severe corporate style of the month and a sort of feminine casual that could fit in just about anywhere. They both rise as Kurita makes the introductions.

"This is my very good friend Mr. Tomiki and his associate Ms. Correo. They are in need of your services. Please let my hostess know if there is anything you might need, and I will leave you to your business." He turns to leave, but pauses before exiting the room. "And gentlemen, I am in your debt..." The two Japanese men bow low to one another before Kurita leaves.

Tomiki gestures to the chairs arraigned around the table. "Please, gentlemen, have a seat. I'm sure your time is valuable and we have a lot to discuss."

[BlackHat]

Carter nods in agreement, and takes a seat in the center of his pack. He takes a moment longer to continue to size up the two suits on the other side of the table, but quickly decides that he isn't going to glean anything they don't want him to, and simply smiles. "I hope we can help you." He considered introducing himself, and the men he brought with him, but decided that these two had probably already gotten as much information as they wanted or needed from Kurita who probably put a much better spin on it than Carter could, anyway. For the moment - at least until he is told what the job entails - Carter didn't particularly need to know anything more about the suits, either.

After the others took up seats beside him, he gestured towards their hosts as if to say, "go on...."

[Method]

Tomiki settles into a chair across the polished hardwood table and pauses for a moment, collecting his thoughts.

"I understand from my discussions with Kurita that you gentlemen specialize in maritime operations, including deep sea salvage. I would like to enlist your services for such an operation. Specifically, this would entail accompanying my associate Ms. Correo to a remote location and recovering sensitive data and equipment, which we believe has been... compromised."

Des leans forward in his chair. "What exactly do ye mean by 'compromised', sir?"

Before Tomiki can answer, his attractive young companion chimes in. "Its difficult to provide specifics at this point. What we can tell you is that 10 days ago we lost contact with a deep sea research facility in the North Pacific. Its possible that the facility had a simple malfunction, but it is also possible that something more unexpected occurred- anything from a natural disaster to a catastrophic power failure. Frankly, we won't know until we arrive onsite. Thats why we are enlisting your expertise."

Tomiki continues. "This operation is likely to take a number of days and involve extensive underwater operations. In exchange for your services we are prepared to offer you 150,000 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) We will give you 50,000 now and the balance upon delivery of the salvaged equipment. We will also provide you with a min-sub capable of reaching the habitat and some specialized personal equipment, all of which will be yours to keep upon completion of the job. I doubt I need to emphasize how generous this offer is, gentlemen, or how lucrative this could be for your operation." He pauses, to emphasize his point none the less. "Now before we continue with the details, I need to press you for an answer- can we count on you involvement?"

[pragma]

Puget Sound, Friday, 21 Feb 2070, 00:30

"All used up ..." Guy repeated to the demolitionist as he gazed across the water. "I guess I can't feel too spent with all those waves out there." The breeze was cold on his face, but the sea jacket kept him warm against it. "But sometimes I wonder if this is the right thing ... I just don't know where else I have to go." He reflected wryly that fully half of the smattering of religious symbols he wore offered him an eternal home and a happy community. He didn't put much stock in that.

Carter surfaced in what appeared to be as somber a mood as the rest of the team. It was odd for having finished a job.

The Strip House, Friday, 21 Feb 2070, 20:00

Guy took some joy in Bombshell waving the haphazardly dressed team past the waiting line. There was a certain comfort in bruising the ego of twenty to thirty people in one fell swoop.

After navigating the crowd and listening to Tomiki's pitch, the engineer buried under the surfer and criminal went wild. An undersea facility, we'll probably need a pressure chamber to breach the side, and Des will have to do a hardcore structural evaluation. I'll want everything available, I wonder if the NLJD will work in ... He grinned in spite of himself waiting for Carter to continue negotiations. The electronics in his brain fired off a message:

<<@Team: This is what we do best and I don't think we have to kill any teenagers. Interest piqued.>>

[Method]

The Strip House, Friday, 21 Feb 2070, 20:00

Tomiki pauses long enough for the team to glance around at one another and exchange approving nods. When it is apparent that all are on board he continues.

"The facility in question is the Mitsuhama Deep-sea Research Habitat, or MDRH. The habitat houses a variety of research projects from across numerous divisions of the corporation. These include hydroponics, natural resource development, hostile-enviroment mining technology, parazoology, deep-sea magical research and astral exploration, just to name a few. Your primary objective will be to recover an offline network core that contains encrypted backups of all research conducted at the site. As you might image, this is data is invaluable to our corporation." He pauses as if there is something more he wishes to say.

His companion, Ms. Correo continues. "As I mentioned earlier, we lost communication with the facility 10 days ago. This is highly irregular, as there are plans in place for all contingencies. We have no choice but to assume the worst. The corporation has charged Mr. Tomiki and myself with recovering the network core." She glances at the older Japanese executive. "All other considerations are secondary to this objective."

Tomiki sets his jaw, and glares at the young upstart for a moment. "Ms. Correo will accompany you on this voyage, along with, Edison Reed, an engineer and technician who helped design the facility. You will sail first to a Mitsuhama owned port on the coast of Tsimshian. There you will take on a Shinkai III mini-sub capable of operation at the depths required to reach the facility, as well as deep-sea diving suits and any supplies you might need. From there you will navigate to the facility and start the operation. Are there any questions?"

[BlackHat]

The Strip House, Friday, 21 Feb 2070, 20:01

The fact that Tomiki was willing to put not one, but two, of his own men in, literally, the same boat as Carter and his crew did a lot to reassure the captain that this opportunity was legitimate. For (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) 50,000 up front, Carter was willing to go a long way towards satisfying his curiosity about the rest of the job. Obviously, everything wasn't going to go smoothly - multiple contingencies did not fail simultaneously by coincidence - but he was not being asked to solve whatever major malfunction had taken place, down there. Their job would be to recover an offline storage box, which should be right where the engineer would expect it to be kept, and to return. In fact, any dallying about down there would probably be discouraged since it put the primary objective in danger. That probably included any attempts to rescue survivors, which gave Carter pause, but he wasn't sure they could evacuate a large research facility with a single mini-sub, anyway.

"Just a couple." Carter added grimly. "First, I understand why you would want a technical engineer to come with us, and I appreciate that. I also have no doubt that Ms. Correo will be just as invaluable to us, or you wouldn't be sender her along, but could you provide a little more detail on her background, skillset, and role on this mission? Is she just your eyes and ears down below, or is she going to be doing something for us that we can't do more easily without her?" He smiled to the woman and added, "No offense intended, of course."

"Second, I'm sure I have even less of an idea about what could have gone wrong than you and your associate might have. I am assuming the MDRH is offline, or we would have more information - and if that's the case, the status of the staff is unknown. Could you give us some idea of what emergency life-support systems are in place, and (assuming they are still functioning) how long we might expect those to last - given that they may have been running for 10 days, already."

"Lastly, since you are providing us with the personal deep-sea suits, would it be possible to have them outfitted for - say - a worst-possible-scenario event. If the technicians and scientists down there have not come up with a way to contact anyone on the outside, there is a good chance they are all dead, or, well, incapacitated, at least. The more we can seal our known environment from there unknown one, the better chance we have of not sharing the same fate before we recover your box. It wouldn't do to spend a lot of money and equipment on a team, like this, if we're exposed to radiation, or biological or chemical agents the moment we breech the MDRH. If we going in blind, I, for one, would feel a lot better inside a deep-sea HEL suit than my old diving gear."

[Method]

Eva's otherwise perfect posture stiffens a little. "No offense taken captain, but I can assure you that I can handle myself in any situation we may encoun..."

This time it is Tomiki who interjects. "Ms. Correo will indeed be my eyes and ears of sorts. Obviously we require that the research data remain confidential. Her primary role will be to ensure that everything goes smoothly, and that the data is recovered without tampering. Beyond that her task will be to assess the situation and determine whether a rescue operation is warranted or feasible. If there are survivors, she will act as the corporation's liaison, organizing those that remain and ensuring that your mission is not hindered. There may be key personnel we wish to evacuate, but this will be secondary to recovering the research data." He gives her a sideways glance. "She will also hold a master passkey for the minisub, which she will release to you upon completion of the job." Eva forces a smile.

"As far as the habitat is concerned we know very little about the current situation. The facility is designed to sustain emergency power and life support for up to 1 week depending on a number of factors, including the number of people present. I fear we may be well beyond that timeframe by the time you arrive. The habitat's emergency procedures are based largely on rapid evacuation of personnel, which does not seem to have happened. The fact that this did not occur does not bode well for the staff..." He pauses for a moment with a distant look in his eyes. "Of course, we have no way of knowing for sure."

"As for protective equipment, we can arrange for anything you require, but I can assure you that the habitat did not house any research projects involving chemical weapons, biological warfare agents or anything of the sort."

At this point, Tomiki produces a certified credstick from within his suit jacket. He places it on the polished hardwood table and slides it across to the group. "Ms. Correo and Mr. Reed will provide you with more detailed information, including the exact coordinates of the habitat once you are underway. Now if you have no further questions for me, I will pose one for you: how soon can you set sail?"