Nothing's Free in the Free Zone (IC), Adventure 1: Broken Star Options

[Jack VII]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:31PM, July 31st, 2075

"Encantado de conocerte, Captain Costalas. Name's Diego Sanchez, but everyone just calls me Jack." The ork reached out a meaty paw and shook hands with the security officer. "As of right now, there isn't any sort of verified threat for this event or its principals, it just seems like it might be a good place for a hit. Just consider us as a contingency."

With a look of sympathy, Jack continued, "I know how much of a pain it is to try and incorporate an outside group into your operation at the last minute, so I don't even want to suggest it. But I do want to offer you our help. We've got a surveillance net up and would be happy to let you know if we spot anything that might impact your operation. We'd just need a commcode to send any information we develop. Other than that, we' shouldn't be getting in the way at all."

[Lobo0705]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:32PM, July 31st, 2075

Costalas shakes Jack's hand, and then looks back and forth between him and Chomsky. "So, you are just going on a hunch? Ok, well, as long as you stay out of the way of my men when they are doing their job, and have permission from Mr. Chomsky or Ms. Greeley for the weapons you are carrying, " he looks pointedly at the slight bulge under Overkill's arm, "then we shouldn't have a problem."

"I'm sure that our friends here can be trusted, and I assure you Mr. Steiner is fully licensed for the weapons on his person." says Chomsky with a smile.

Costalas nods, and causes a series of digits to materialize in the air in front of the group. "Here is our emergency commcode - if you see anything, contact that number. Thank you gentlemen, and if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to business." His look as he turns away is clearly God save me from my customers...

Chomsky walks the group away, and then stops near a portable bathroom. "My friends, I must heed the call of nature, but before I do, is there anything else I can help you with?"

[Always Overkill]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:32PM, July 31st, 2075


Drave looked at his friend with concern and said, "It would help us to know what has gone out about this rally, to see if the parties we are concerned about would even register this group as a threat yet. What exactly are you and Greeley planning to do to help stop the flow of drugs into the Warrens? More importantly, have any of your or Rebuilding Together's plans been made public?"

[Lobo0705]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:32PM, July 31st, 2075


Chomsky looks at Overkill as if to say I told you I had to go to the bathroom, right? but says "I'll try to be brief, we have lots of plans - and not just to stop the flow of drugs, but also to help those afflicted. We are, after all, realists, we don't have the ability to shut off their flow altogether. So, Needle Exchanges, testing for diseases, setting up halfway houses, group therapy, and the like. We will try to increase the amount of Lone Star involvement in the area, as it stands, with no protection from the police, we have to fend for ourselves, and the area is overrun with gangs. Failing police protection, we'll just have to start taking matters into our own hands. Most of this is on the Rebuilding Together's site, so it isn't exactly a secret. Well, not the taking matters into our own hands part..."

[Always Overkill]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:32PM, July 31st, 2075


Seeing his friend was in a hurry, Drave followed up with, "Have you actually made contact with anyone at Lone Star? If so, who did you talk to?"

[Lobo0705]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:32PM, July 31st, 2075


"We've been in contact with a Lt. Bradshere, he seemed most accomodating. He seems ideal, since he worked in Vice, and now handles Smuggling Interdiction." Chomsky shifts a little back and forth, "Haven't had a problem so far, whether he'll deliver on his promises is another matter, time will tell though."

[Jack VII]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:32PM, July 31st, 2075

Oh frag... Jack thought to himself as soon as Bradshere's name came up. "Thanks for your time, Chomsky. Go take care of your urgent business, amigo." Jack gave Overkill a meaningful look as the organizer departed.

"Well, that's either the biggest coincidence I've ever heard or there may actually be a threat here tonight. We need to let the rest of the crew know, but we got to do it discreetly. Has Ramirez got back to us yet on the good Lieutenant? Once this is over, we may need to have a sit-down with Chomsky and Greeley."

<<@Amy [JustJack] Hey chica, we just had a chat with Chomsky and something came up. We're by the Cruz van in the parking lot, can you meet us real quick?>>

[Chrome Head]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:33PM, July 31st, 2075

Amy was just a few paces away, talking to some of the volunteers. "You should check out Fredo's soup kitchen next time you're hungry. He moves around but you can often find him on Tower Road." She looks at her commlink and walks up to Jack and the others. "What's up?"

[Jack VII]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:33PM, July 31st, 2075

Jack turned to Amy with a grim face, "Just had a chat with your guy, Chomsky. He said the Rebuilding Together folks have been reaching out to Lone Star. Overkill asked who they were working with at the Star. If I gave you two guesses, I bet you'd get it... he's a lieutenant and his last name starts with a B. I'm not sure if this changes anything, but I do think we should probably have a chat with Chomsky or Greeley after this rally is over."

[DrZaius]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:33PM, July 31st, 2075

Grease rubs at his chin, deep in thought. He speaks in a low voice, so only his teammates near by can hear him. "We shouldn't jump to any conclusions just yet. Despite his grieving widow, are we sure that Manuel was clean? It's possible that Bradshere was just cleaning house off the books. We need more answers; I still feel like we're two steps behind."

[Chrome Head]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:33PM, July 31st, 2075

"I agree. We're not sure about anything, except that the Lone Star can't be trusted when it comes to the Warrens and drug smuggling. I absolutely want to tell Chomsky about that and make sure he understands the implications that some Lone Star officers are either on the payroll or directly involved in drug smuggling themselves. We can wait until after the rally though, and I won't give him any specific detail. For now, we have one more reason to want to prepare for the worst this evening."

[Always Overkill]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:35PM, July 31st, 2075


After hearing his worst suspicions confirmed, Drave checked the link from Ramirez at Jack's question. "Well, according to Ramirez, our instincts about Bradshere were right. He was working a beat for Vice for years, but now, in the past two years he has been promoted up from beat cop to Lieutenant and transferred to Smuggling. "Smells Fishy" is the direct quote. He also gave a few details into case #5427, as well as Twoman's SIN."

"This is not good, Meine Kameraden," he continued, "If Bradshere is who we think he is, he has had at least half a dozen Lone Star officers murdered in the past 3 months. He wouldn't bat an eyelash at taking out a few upstart community organizers talking about getting in his way."

[Jack VII]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:35PM, July 31st, 2075

Jack tugged at one of his tusks. "It's possible, but he might just be keeping tabs on them at this point. I mean, if they think they're working with him, it would put him in a great position to manipulate them. Anyway, we still don't really have anything definitive beyond Ramirez's gut instinct and a not-quite-friendly relationship with one of the deceased. Like Captain Costalas said, we're basically just playing hunches here. We do our job tonight, try to keep anything from happening, and then follow-up with Chomsky and Greeley afterwards."

Jack paused, his mind racing, "Anything interesting with #5247?"

[Chrome Head]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:35PM, July 31st, 2075

Amy nods. "Nothing has really changed for tonight. But to me, things have changed regarding Mr. B. He's likely part of a conspiracy, and not working alone. There's an higher up somewhere who promoted him and changed his assignment for a reason. We know enough about him that I'll tell Chomsky not to trust that guy. We'll want to track Mr. B sooner rather than later, and try to find who he's the protege of."

"And yeah, send us what you got from Ramirez."

[Always Overkill]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:35PM, July 31st, 2075

"Definitive is a bid word in our business, one you rarely find. But you are both right. Even with this news from Ramirez, we are working on instinct here." Drave breathed heavily before finishing, "But understand this; Chomsky is more than just a friend. He is a leader; the first true leader I have met since I was forced to leave Berlin. People follow will him; he could lead them straight into the flaming mouth of Hell, but people would follow nonetheless. There is nothing more terrifying to those with power than a true leader following a cause contrary to their interests. If Bradshere has any sense at all, he knows Chomsky is a threat to him and his associates. Now we know Bradshere has spoken to Chomsky personally; asking about getting Lone Star's assistance in putting a halt to the drug pipelines going into the Warrens. Even if he had never heard his name before the call, what are the odds he doesn't want him dead, to put a stop to his movement before it gets off the ground?"

Drave worked in AR while he spoke, and forwarded a copy of Ramirez's message to the rest of the team.

<<@Churchfriends [blocked] I've had partial success tracking down the information you requested. What I've found is as follows:

1) Case#5427: I didn't want to delve into this too far, since I'm sure any deep snooping would be flagged. I can tell you that the case was an investigation into Red Rocks Transportation, which, as it sounds, is a transport company. You may want to pull the records of who Red Rocks does business with.

2) Bradshere: I think your instincts are right on about this guy. Used to be a street cop in Vice, and just did patrol for years, and then in the last two years he's been promoted up the chain from beat cop to Lt, and switched over to smuggling. Smells fishy.

3 )Twoman's SIN is 29Δ7–36fΔ972-lk83◊0mv

Stay safe, contact me if you have anything else.>>

[Jack VII]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:35PM, July 31st, 2075

Jack shrugged, "Well, 'definitive' entered our vocabulary when our Johnson required us to turn those responsible over to the proper authorities. We have to operate at a higher standard here, this isn't just a wetwork gig. I know you're probably just talking about tonight, but canceling an event due to a remote chance that something is going to happen might play just as much into the hands of someone trying to put a stop to this movement as anything else."

The ork paused for a second before continuing. "As far as Chomsky, I think the last thing they would want to do is make a martyr out of him. That's usually what happens when the top people are taken out with these kinds of groups, at least from what I've been reading in the old new feeds, catching up on what I don't remember anymore. But who knows with these guys? Only so much we can do, really. As to our actual job, that Red Rocks deal sounds like a pretty solid lead. A dirty transportation company seems like a perfect cover to smuggle drugs over the border."

[DrZaius]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:35PM, July 31st, 2075

Grease nodded with Jack. "Still, I'm glad he's wearing my vest. If someone wanted to take a shot at him, this would be a good place to do it. So long as they wanted to send a message." Grease looks at the stage, frowning. "At any rate, I should get back to the car and start monitoring the feeds more closely. I also know a few smugglers, I can send them a message and see if they know anything about this Red Rocks Transportation. I bet if they're moving a ton of this stuff some Coyotes know their deal."

[Chrome Head]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:35PM, July 31st, 2075

Once again, Amy just finds herself agreeing. "This is good work from Ramirez. We have more reasons to follow the Mr. B lead, and we have a new lead on something that has a lot of potential with this truck company. Jack, you make me realize that the people who want to put an end to this movement tonight are probably not going to murder anyone, they'd rather see the rally fail in other ways, anything that gives a bad reputation to the movement as a whole. Vandalism and destruction can begin with only a few people, and any form of violence, especially if it's racist in nature, can be prompted in many ways. So we should be on the lookout for agitators just as much as we should look for snipers, don't you think?"

[Jack VII]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:35PM, July 31st, 2075

Jack was impressed with Amy's quick thinking. "Good call, Amy. That something else for Overkill to keep an eye out for in the crowd. That would be a pretty damn smart move on their part, particularly with the media here. I can just imagine what the talking heads would be saying, all kinds of jokes you could make when the organization's name is Rebuilding Together."

[Always Overkill]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:36PM, July 31st, 2075

Still feeling doubt, Drave stated his feeling, "I sincerely hope you both are right; I will keep my eyes out for anyone looking to incite something within the crowd. But trust me, these men we are dealing with aren't worried about martyrs. They, and those like them, have filled graveyards with them, I have dug their graves. To them, its just another one for the newsreels to write about, then forget. Dead men don't make the news for long."

[Chrome Head]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:36PM, July 31st, 2075

Amy was tough and had seen people murdered in the streets in her lifetime, but Overkill's account had something very heartfelt and personal... and grim. Had a close friend of his been murdered? She knew a few things about his past but didn't foresee this reply, maybe she'd talk to him about it some other time. "Yeah, preventing an assassination is our number one priority, Overkill, you're right. It's just good to be ready for any possibility."

[Jack VII]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 6:36PM, July 31st, 2075

Jack remained non-committal, figuring it wouldn't do any good. The German elf seemed to be calling on his experience in Berlin to color his understanding of Denver. Given the dated newsreels the ork had been reading recently, he could see why someone from that environment might think that way. At the same time, there were still Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevards up and down the former United States of America (well, maybe not so much the CAS anymore) plus all the new Dunkelzahn Boulevards that had popped up throughout the UCAS after the dragon's death. Maybe martyrdom went out of style in Europe with Joan of Arc... The ork couldn't wait for this part of the job to be over.

[Lobo0705]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 7:45PM, July 31st, 2075

After a tense hour, walking the perimeter, making sure all their equipment was ready, talking briefly with the staff and security guards so that everyone knew who was in charge in case of an emergency, the sun slowly started to descend toward the horizon.

The crowd had begun to arrive around 7:30, and were now filing in over the bridges and through the checkpoints.

Greeley and Chomsky were making last minute preparations backstage, Jack standing protectively near them in his very tight t-shit.

Grease was in his BMW, hopping from drone to drone as they cruised the air, with Rhex parked next to the BMW, waiting for orders.

Overkill was wandering through the crowd, his perception constantly updated with reports from his Agent scanning for hidden icons.

Amy was getting ready to get to her position, but first prepared herself to speak to the spirits once more.

[Chrome Head]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 7:45PM, July 31st, 2075

Amy had found a spot out of sight to perform her conjuring - in a Port-A-Potty, of all places. Calling for a being as powerful as she intended required such concentration that it was impossible to avoid making all sorts of movements that would give away that she was using magic. In the worst case, her totem could even show and that would bring about a lot of questions from a lot of people. At least, even though the process seemed long and complicated in her mind, it took actually very little time.

Reaching out to the metaplanes as she had been taught, the shaman started looking for the right kind of ancestral spirit. She was looking for one attuned with the clouds and the storms. And she quickly found one. It was large and powerful, and a little scary. A negotiation began between man and spirit, but her initial sentiment must have shown for the astral being managed to reject the connection Amy was attempting to establish. Breathing deeply, she tried again, this time with more determination as well as more recklessness. She wasn't going to impose her will on a spirit that has to travel from the land of the dead back to this realm without pushing herself to the limit.

Again, she called out for the right kind of being, and there it was. She could see it now, a turbulent, vaguely human-looking form that floats at the ready. His name was Thraha. Astral negotiations with a spirit were always short, and Amy had to make her move fast. This time it worked. "Thank you for coming to my help this evening, oh great ghost of our ancestors." "I am here to serve, my lady. Please instruct me and I shall obey." "Excellent. Our mission tonight is to protect a few people who need it, and you can help in many different ways. First, let me show you around..."

Amy got out of the portable toilet and started walking around the park at a brisk pace, as if she had difficulty following someone else. She immediately felt that the conjuring had made her slightly more exhausted already. "...Here you see the entrance, and over there the kitchen. These people here are volunteers, ah and that woman over there is important, her name is Greeley..." And eventually she made her way to the stage, pointing out to her spirit some key elements of the setup, using the telepathic link they shared.

Finally, when she was certain that the spirit understood what she understood herself, she made her command explicit. "So your job in all this will be to perform astral surveillance. I want you to observe people, especially in the crowd and in the park in general, but also within the surrounding area as you see fit within the range of our link. The goal is to protect Chomsky and Greeley, plus my team, including yourself, and in that order. If you notice an entity or even an object that is hostile, that appears to you to threaten us or to put any of us in imminent danger, I want you to alert me telepathically and be ready to intervene. This is the first service I ask of you. I put my trust in you, Thraha."

[Jack VII]

Horseshoe Park, Aurora Warrens, 7:46PM, July 31st, 2075

Jack kept his senses sharp as the crowds finally started to arrive. He didn't think anyone would try to make a move at this point; whether they wanted a general disturbance or to geek one of the two elves, they would probably want a full crowd for maximum effect. Still, one never knew what could happen and the ork remained on his toes.

As he scanned the crowd again, his AR feed lit up with an incoming text icon. A quick glance showed Jack that it was from Honeypot. Given that the fence was trying to track down information about the people tailing Amy and Overkill, Jack opened it immediately. Reading through it, he cursed. Composing a quick response, he sent it and waited for a response. Pacing back and forth, the ork muttered, "...fraggin' timing." He looked back and forth between Greeley and Chomsky and truly hoped that there wasn't a real threat to their safety.

Less than a minute later, his commlink chimed again. Mashing the button, the ork called up the new message. Frag, frag, frag... he thought to himself, reading through Honeypot's message. Jack called up the number for Amindola's and requested a taxi, promising double the rate if they could shake someone loose to pick him up in 5 minutes.

Figuring back and forth texts weren't going to work, Jack opened up a conference call on his phone.

<<@Team [JustJack] Folks, I know this is unprofessional as all Hell, but I've got to go. That contact I put on the trail of the folks looking for us thinks they may be in danger. I've learned to trust their instincts. Considering what's happened to some of the witnesses, I've got to believe that there is a clearer threat there than here. I called a cab so that the only resource being pulled from this job is me, myself, and I.>>