IC : STARDUST, In-Character thread for Stardust Options

[Qillin]

Jacks going to un push the intercom and speak into his phone" Hank this guys so paranoid that he wont let anyone speak with him in person lets get the frag out of here and back to my place." then he push the intercom button and say " Well if you can't be of any help uncovering who the killing of your best client is, then I'll let Mr. Whittington know this. Good day sir" and will walk to the van and tell Hank to not drive past the house incase he has video of the street.

[FrostyNSO]

Jacky D

[ Spoiler ]

You get no answer from the intercom. Hank answers through the phone though: "You want me to come open a can of whupass on 'em?". You get back to the van where Hank is waiting and hop in. Taking a route away from the house, Hank drives you two back to your pad, taking a few detours and shortcuts to throw off anybody who may be following. After a confusing drive, you return to your apartment.

[Mister Juan]

When Jacky crossed the door to his apartment, Ludmila's Colt was already half way out of its holster. She had spent the past hour roaming around the troll's house, with nothing to do but worry and curse.

She had long ago ran dry out of cigarettes, and simply didn't have the guts to leave the place. The trid was still on in the background, some news anchor babbling about recent events around the world.

She gave a nod to the two men "Sorry for that" and reholstered her weapon.

Walking back to the living room, she let herself fall on one of the couch. Her black hair seemed wet; sticking unfashionably on her forehead and neck, as if she had just ran a marathon.

"The rat's out... did you two talked to Stone?"

[Qillin]

" I talked to Stone through his intercom, he's quite a paranoid guy atm and i couldn't get vary far with him. maybe you could try calling him again. It's alittle less threatening then someone like big ole me walking up to you front gate. Whats Slick up to? And did you find anything while you were on you computer? oo and has there been anything about this case on the new again? " Jack will sit down in his lazzzy troll to hear Ludi's answers.

[Mister Juan]

Leaning forward on the sofa, Ludmila rested both her arms of her knees. Both men had seen her "emotional side", when her temper had flared up agaisn't Ernie. But she had been careful to put her cold and professional front back up. If there was one thing she had kept from her military years, it was that the mission always had to be accomplished... and she was going to make sure this one went throught.

Low, as if talking to herself, she muttered something in russian, before switching back to english. Her accent was still as thick as before, but it seemed to her that neither man had trouble understanding her. She would have never admitted it, but it did put her at ease.

"As I've told you before, I got my hands on an electronic contract putting Kote under Charles' management... which contradicts the contract I found on her desk. Said contract was putting her under Stone's management. From that, there are three possibilities. Adiem, the electronic contract is a plant. Dva, the paper contract is a plant. Tri, both are real and Kote was either planning on switching, or was playing both sides."

She leaned back in the couch, seeminlgy making herself more at ease.

"Also, as I've mentioned to Jack on the phone, Kote had a planned a meeting with a certain "C.W.", at Gianelli's, at 8 p.m. today... the subject of the meeting was simply stated as "contract". This could either indicate that she was going to sign a contract with CW, probably Charles.... which would make the electronic contract a plant. It could also indicate she was going to discuss said terms of said contract."

She ran her hand to her short cropped black hair. Her cheeks seemed to be red from some sort of exercise. The young woman looked tired... or maybe it was wariness.

"Because we are too hot right now, I have lost contact with my decker contact. I alone cannot provide matrix support for our operation... I suggest we find a decker. I almost forgot: in 3 days, we will have the Star's file on Kote's death..."

She got up from the couch, stretched a bit, and started pacing the living room.

"From what I see, I'm starting to believe that Stone isn't totaly in on our operation. This could very well be a power struggle between him and Charles... but I had his identity verified earlier. The individual who contacted me for this mission was directly approached by Stone himself: that, I am sure of. Unless magic was involved..."

She stopped dead in her tracks, as if that thought was new to her.

A physical mask... that wouldn't be far fetched... but who would go to such a lenght...

"What we are sure of is that Charles is aware of the operation, and our situation. He has been compromised, but our orders still stand: track Cain. If Cain doesn't exist, so be it. We will make sure he is a myth, and track down who is hiding behind the curtain. And so... our new directive is to find who killed Kote, so we can go up the stream."

The russian's attitude seemed to be starting to shift; her accent was getting heavier. She also looked taller... or maybe it was the way she carried herself around the livingroom... like an officer giving a briefing.

"We have three main leads: Charles Whittington, Rick Stone, and the fiber we recovered from Kote's apartment. What we know for sure is that Charles is either under surveillance from the Star, or in custody. Rick was contacted by the Star, and is probably under surveillance also. The fiber will be taken care of by our rodent. The heat is too great to make any direction action: we must avoid exposition to threats as much as possible. The Star has sketches of Hank and me circulating, which means we should lay low for some time. Approaching Charles is too dangerous for now."

Suddently, she stopped dead in her tracks, as if thinking.

"Rick..... Rick is reachable. He have to question him... I would have suggested conducting a surveillance operation on his person, but I have just tought of a much better thing..."

The woman was grinning. She walked back to the couch, gave the two men a brief look to make sure she still had their attention.

"We will help the shaman in any way we can. For now, that is what we do. It will give us some time to lay low, let the heat dissipate a bit. This will also give me enough time to access the Star's files."

[Qillin]

"Whats your Plan? after we lay low for 3 days. And where is Slick ? Is he doing his thing with the hair? " Jack gets up and starts making himself a sandwich. "Decker, Decker." he muddles. "Let me see if i can track one down, I'm atleast under the Stars radar so far, but maybe not after talking with Stone. If he has any kind of security at his home i'm sure he has me on film at the intercom." Jack will eat and then call up Nathan.

"Yo Nathan whatz up chum."

[Mister Juan]

2 pm, Jack's Condo, 19th floor, Downtown Seattle

"Mister Rat went out to make some calls... I presume. When I jacked out, he wasn't here anymore. As I said, the plan of action is to lay low for a few days, while we track Kote's killer through magical means. This will give me the time to set a few pieces into place and get to Stone. We will also be able to get our hands on the Star's files. So, yes, we lay low and assist him in the tracking whatever way we can. That is the plan."

[FrostyNSO]

Ernie

[ Spoiler ]

Mickey agrees to let you use his vidcam reluctantly. "Try not to break it, I'll be at the lodge for the next couple days or so if you want to stop by and pick it up. I'm working on some new formulae I'd like to get done by the end of this week."

[ Spoiler ]

After finishing up with Mickey, you call up Tommy Chong who answers his phone with the screen blacked out. You explain to him what you need and the vidphone goes silent for a few moments. In short order, he comes back on:
"I'll take a look at your cred personally if you want me to, but you know I don't come cheap, otherwise I can slip you the name of a guy i know who works with this sort of thing on occasion." He stops and you probe him to continue. "After you get this stuff cracked, be sure to slide some of that cred my way next time your looking for something. If you take it to Wiremasters in Downtown, a friend of mine there, Fark, can check out those stick. We have a little arrangement and I'm sure he'll appreciate the business."

[ Spoiler ]

You call Johnny Yen. After the message rolls over to voicemail, you hang up and he promptly returns your call. "Hey Ern, what'll it be today?" You tell him that you're looking to "score". Johnny's tone remains calm and cool. "Will you be wanting that dropped off, or you wanna pick the stuff up yourself?"

[Qillin]

Jack calling Nathan "Yo Nathan whatz up chum. I'm in need of a decent Decker man. Youz know of anyone that I couldz talk too?This job you gotz me isn't going that well atm i might not be in touch for a while if i can't get this thing back on track chummer."

[FrostyNSO]

Jacky D

[ Spoiler ]

"Yez, I knowz a decker youz can be talkin to. But he duzzn't do biznez anywherez but the matrix. Youz gotz to meet him at a place called tha Bitzkrieg. It's one of thoze decker barz." Nathan explains.

[Qillin]

"Sounds great old chum...oh wait i've never been on the net in my life. One sec Nat" Jack looks over at Ludi " Hey Ludi. My old CHum here knows where we can find a good decker but we have to meet him at a net bar. Can you do that? because i know i don't have a clue." Waits Ludi's response

[Mister Juan]

With a slight sight of irritation, Ludmila looked up to Jacky from her seat.

"... Yes... I can manage such a meeting... Simply tell me where and went and I will take care of it."

[Qillin]

walks over to ludi and talks into the phone " Nat, that sounds fine. Here give me the details of where, when and with who. Thx alot old chum. Take this for you trouble. And i'll be in touch when this SH(^$& is over. Take it ez, Latez" jack will hit off his wrist phone and take a seat. "You get all that info Ludi?

[Mister Juan]

Silently nodding a yes to Jacky, Ludmila got up and walked over to one of the apartment windows. Out of habit, and good dose of paranoia, she had drawn the curtains shut when left alone. Parting them apart, she peered out into the street, watching cars and pedestrians go by. He world had been thrown upside down in a matter of hours... and no one had noticed. It wasn't the first time Ludmila was wanted by the Star, and it probably wouldn't be the last one... but she still never got used to it. She chuckled, remind herself she probably had numerous arrest warrant already hanging above her head. She had carried her share of Mafia operations in the past, and a lot of them and been quite "brutal" to say the least. The way she saw it, it was the only way she had to really pay the bills, and help out her own russian comrades.

Still contemplating the normal life outsiders had, she talked to Jacky over her shoulder.

"Meeting your contact should not be a problem... Simply warn him that he will deal with me, and not you. We are already deep enough in trouble ... No need to spook him."

She turned toward the two men.

"We must speak with Rick Stone. Wheter he is our employer or not does not matter: we have questions he need to answer. If he will not speak to us, than we will make him. If we cannot get to him while he is at his residence... then we will reach him on the outside."

She seemed to ponder something for a few seconds, as if looking for something to say. Ludi then quickly spoke something out, in russian.

"How to say... If one cannot go to the mountain, one must bring the mountain to himself."

Grabbing Jacky's telecom unit, she dialed Varya's number.

"Dobridien Varya. Sister, I need your help. Rick Stone, remember him? The man you met at Matchsticks. I need you to call him for me: tell him you'd like to see him again, and that you have a friend of yours that would just love to do modelling for him. Promise him a good... a very good time with the both of us. When he agrees, tell him you'll call him back with a time and meeting place."

Once the call was done, she decided she had to explain her plan to her teammates.

"Mister Stone just lost his main mean of revenue: he will soon be seeking new recruits to fill his pockets. We shall play on that. We'll lure him to some meeting, dinner, party, what ever, and abduct him. Yes; it is a very vague plan, but we will decide upon the details if Mister Stone is ready to meet. I have the means to locate the weaponry needed to accomplish such a task... I will make some calls and see if I can secure a good "public" meeting point".

[FrostyNSO]

Ludi

[ Spoiler ]

You speak to Varya and ask her if she can set up a meet with Stone under the pretences you set. She agrees to help you. "I'll try to see what I can set up. Who should I tell him he is meeting? Namewise, I mean." Varya asks. "Oh, and um...Don't prospective models usually have a portfolio of some kind for the employer to take with them?"

[ Spoiler ]

Your next call is to Sasha. He answers rather smugly and sounds to be having a bad day. "Ludi...been busy lately?" You defer the question for the moment and give him your list. You hear a small beep, followed by soft classical music...Tchaikovsky. A moment later, Sasha comes back, obviously disturbed by something. "I have run into some problems in my network of friends. I am afraid it takes some precedence at the moment, but if you give me one week I can have your items. If you have a little something I can distribute to my people, I may be able to have them aquire your items sooner. What say you?"

[ Spoiler ]

Your call to Roland goes rather quickly. He explains that he has access to disposed asthma pumps and can get you what you need rather quickly. He just need to know where to send it.

[ Spoiler ]

Finally, you are able to get ahold of Zina. "Ludi, what kind of trouble are you in? The little one almost saw your face on the TV so we went to the park. You need to tell me what is happening. Remember, you have a daughter you know."

[Mister Juan]

To Varya:
"Tell him... Tell him your friend's name is Yulia. Concerning the portfolio, I'll take care of that.

To Sasha:
"One week is fine. There is no immediate rush. If it can help, put the hold outs on hold... Page me at the usual number when you get your hands on the hardware. Thanks a bunch Sasha."

To Roland:
"Actualy, you hold on to one for the time being. I'll drop by this week to pick it up."

To Zina:
"I know Zina I know... I swear to you, do not believe anything they say... I will be home... soon."

[FrostyNSO]

Ludi

[ Spoiler ]

You finish up your calls without a hitch. All is set in motion. Now where the hell is that rat?

[ Spoiler ]

Seriously, where the hell is the rat? Pressed for time, gotta go.

[FrostyNSO]

Ludi

[ Spoiler ]

After concluding your business, you are forced into that most cruel game of all: The waiting game. It would be about a week before the gear you needed would be on tap, which meant that unless rushed, it would be wise to set up the appointment with Varya and Rick for sometime after the gear is in your hands. Now would be a great time to spend time with the family, but the wet blanket of being wanted by the Star made that a messy proposition at best. Luckily, you could spend some time with them when Zina gives you a "makeover". At home, or at the salon after hours, or maybe something else...You wonder where the rat is...milling about in your thoughts, you are suprised by a knock on Jacky D's apartment door!

Jacky D

[ Spoiler ]

You are caught off-guard by a knock at your apartment door. A quick look reveals suprise on Ludi's face...you didn't order a pizza or anything. Who would be knocking at your door?

Wormwood

[ Spoiler ]

You feel the cell in your ear vibrate with an incoming call. That damn tingle never gets any easier to bear with time, but it was a small price to pay for discretion. You answer: It's your fixer.

"Heeeyy, L'Emmerdeur...I have a something available to you if you are most interested. A client has a meeting coming up and is supicious of those he is meeting. He wishes the services of a discreet 'watchman' who can catalogue the meeting and take some pictures...shall I assume this may be up your alley"

Gun

[ Spoiler ]

Your ear cell vibrates suddenly, it's gentle tingle sending a shiver down your spine. Acknowledging the call, you hear Julius on the other end.

"Good morning, Gun. If you are still interested in working, I may have something for you. A certain man is searching for a bodyguard for a night. It doesn't pay much, but he understands this is short notice and may be willing to up the price. Would you like his number?"

[Shadow]

Gun leaned back in his plush leather chair provided by the Seattle Hilton. His Mafia work was done in Seattle and he had the flexibility to take as much time off as he needed. He plopped his leather clad feet up on the mahogany desk and answered the man.

"Sure, when and where?"

[Slacker]

'Bonjour mon ami." says Wormwood in greeting.

After a few moments of listening to his fixer, he says "Oui, that sounds right up my alley. What kind of specifics can you give me? Will I be working with anybody I know? That last group you set me up with was good, but I haven't heard back from them in a while." Its been a while since his last job so Wormwood is anxious to get things rolling.

Already thinking of what will be needed for the job, Wormwood makes sure to save the details in his Memory, while he pulls out his Armante and makes sure it's presentable.

[FrostyNSO]

Gun

[ Spoiler ]

Julius is audibly pleased that you seem to be available. Must be that he is getting a decent finder's fee. "I don't have the details myself, but the client is a Mr. Rick Stone. He is currently working out the details of the meeting but says it will most likely be at Matchsticks in a week or so. He gave me a number and requested you call if your were interested." Julius then recites the number for you over the phone. "I hope it works out for you." He concludes.

Wormwood

[ Spoiler ]

"I am a little short on details," your fixer begins. "...it seems they are still in the making. The meeting he has needing you for is going to be at Matchsticks...a sort of favorite place of his, and will be in a week. He has given me a number that you are to contact him." Your fixer gives you the number without delay.

[Mister Juan]

Ludmila's pumped up reflexes immediatly went to action. Her mind was still trying to process the different scenarios of who could be behind the door. Ernie? Cain? The Star? The Feds? Stone's goons? She was drown back to reality when her field of vision was lightened up and overlay with her smartlink interface. The way her body was reacting to the situation made her feel a lot calmer. Like a well oiled up machine, it was moving by itself, acting on instinct.

Rounds: 16
Type: Regular
Chamber: Loaded
Safety: Off

Taking cover in the nearest doorway she could find, she got her weapon at a readied position.

Now came the moment for prayer.

Please Lord, protect us from evil.

With a quick nod to Jacky, she indicated that she was ready.

[Shadow]

"Right, thanks for the tip." Gun disconnected the phone with a tap to his ear. Another reactivated it. He dialed the number in and waited for the line to pick up.

[FrostyNSO]

Gun

[ Spoiler ]

In a few rings, somebody picks up on the other end. "Since you're calling this number, I assume you're one of those I'm looking to hire?" The male voice on the line answers. He is confident in tone and speaks with a 'radio host' voice. "As I am sure you were told, I am looking for someone of your skills to accompany me to a little appointment. I trust one week isn't too short of notice, I wanted to ensure I had the personnel I needed before I went about with the details." By now, you are certain that this must be Stone himself. "I recently had an employee of mine run into some trouble, and I am afraid that whoever is responsible may try to come after me. Regardless, life goes on and I do have a business to run. I will be meeting with a prospective client at Matchsticks in about a week. So far I havn't set a specific date or time as it is partially up to them and I am awaiting a reply." The man pauses to probe for any reaction, then continues. "Of course, dress appropriately and be discreet, though i am sure a professional of your caliber has no need for such advice. I can pay :nuyen: 1,000, flat fee at the end of the night. It should be no more than 2 to 3 hours of work. I am sure you have questions, and as such, I defer to you."

[Shadow]

[ Spoiler ]

1k? This is what Julius contacted him about? He would have to wait around Seattle for a week just to earn less than a plane ticket home.

"Do you need me for 2, or 3 hours. Please be specific."