PART 1 - "The Colony" [in character]

[TheMyth]

Val

Val rises from her seat while simultaneously saying, "Only thing I need, Gloria, is for you to point me to the Ladies' Room." Val gets up in such a way that she is both next to DJ and has line of sight with Mouse at the bar.

If/when Gloria points out the restroom, Val will lean to DJ and say, "It's so good to see you again, cuz," and then whisper. "Guy at bar watching you."

She will then leave the table and head to the restroom.

[shaidar]

DJ

A waitress named Gloria - according to her name tag - stepped between Val and the man at the bar, blocking your view as she cleared empty plates from the table. "Can I get another round for anyone?" she piped in cheerfully. "We have a new Lager from a local source. The lighter brew is more refreshing in the hot weather. Or my favorite is the Trailer Park Punch, made with Pineapple Rum, Southern Comfort, Amaretto, and fresh tropical fruit juice."

DJ smiles at the waitress, "I'll give the lager a try, thanks."

Val
If/when Gloria points out the restroom, Val will lean to DJ and say, "It's so good to see you again, cuz," and then whisper. "Guy at bar watching you."

While Val heads off to the rest room, DJ tries to subtly glance towards the bar hoping Val might be a bit of a distraction to the guy.

Not sure what to roll to be subtle, so I'll do a basic roll:
[2d6]=9


He then turns to Joe "Val's certainly grown up since I last saw her." dropping his voice low he adds "The guy at the bar, that's one of the clerks from the employment office."

[atpollard]

"Only thing I need, Gloria, is for you to point me to the Ladies' Room."

"Of course, honey" replied Gloria pleasantly "Its right around the corner, over there" [Gloria pointed and Val would cross past "the mouse at the bar" to reach it]. "Don't you fret none, neither. We got the cleanest restrooms in The Colony, I reckon."

"Darn right" chimed in the cook from behind the counter where he had stepped to play Bartender. "You could eat off our restroom floors!" he boasted [to Val's surprise, several patrons actually nodded in agreement.]

"Oh Earl, shut up" chided Gloria. "You can't talk to quality folk like that."

"Like what?" asked earl.

"You can't be talkin' 'bout eatin' off bathroom floors. It just ain't done."

"Oh, sorry." grumbled Earl "I didn't mean nuthin' by it."

Throughout the exchange, Val slipped past the man at the bar and got a good look. He was holding a folded piece of paper all scrunched up in his hands.

"I'll give the lager a try, thanks."

"Yessir, right away." replied Gloria. "Hey Earl, make yourself useful and pour a glass of the Spring Lager for the thirsty gent."

"Coming right up" replied a cheerful Earl, grateful for the change of conversation and a chance to do 'something right'. Earl set the Lager on the bar and Gloria delivered it to the table. It was ice cold with a perfect 25mm head.

Bart stood up and turned towards DJ, resolve painted on his face. As he took a step, the resolve melted and he quickly returned to the stool. Bart suddenly gulped down his beer and, courage fortified, stood and quickly approached DJ [from the look, before he lost his nerve].

"Mr. Dawson." Bart began "Mr. Martin wishes to know whether you have accepted the offer by V.E.T. to repair the Comm Station?" Bart let out a deep sigh. DJ could observe that his fingers were white from clutching that paper so tightly. The man appeared in slight danger of fainting if he didn't start to breathe.

[DJ recalled that the man who chased out of the office after him, yesterday, to talk about the job offer was named 'Martin' ... you think he was the supervisor of this local office. However Mr Martin wasn't the person actually offering the job, he was just the 'headhunter' at the employment agency. Why should he care so much? Something was not adding up. DJ knew when he was missing important information in a negotiation.]

[shaidar]

DJ looks up at the man, wondering what's got him so worked up.

"Siddown Bart. I'm discussing it with my friends. It ain't exactly a one man job, and I've got a whole bunch of questions before I accept it. The first one being what's that you're holding so tight it looks like your hands going to drop off from lack of blood."

[Eris]

DJ
He then turns to Joe "Val's certainly grown up since I last saw her." dropping his voice low he adds "The guy at the bar, that's one of the clerks from the employment office."

Joe has his back to the bar, but he doesn't turn around, "I thought Val noticed something. Is the clerk somebody we should cultivate?"

Joe chuckles, "You know, he might have a better opportunity for us...off the books, maybe? Does he look nervous, like?"

[Eris]

DJ looks up at the man, wondering what's got him so worked up.

"Siddown Bart. I'm discussing it with my friends. It ain't exactly a one man job, and I've got a whole bunch of questions before I accept it. The first one being what's that you're holding so tight it looks like your hands going to drop off from lack of blood."

Joe will look now that the man has come forward. Seeing how he looks, Joe's first reaction is to put him a ease and get him to calm down and sit down.

Joe will nod to the newcomer and say, "DJ here was just starting to fill us in, but first things first..."

"My name's Joe." Joe stands and holds out his hand to shake, "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr ????"

Keeping hold of Bart's hand, smiling and making eye contact, Joe pulls out a chair for Bart, "Why don't you join us so we can chat quietly, like."

"Would you like another drink?" Joe grins, "On me!"

If Bart can be cajoled to sit and accept a drink, Joe will turn toward the bar and beckon Laura over to get a drink for their new contact.

[atpollard]

Bart yielded to the urging from DJ and Joe and sat down with them. He quietly informed Joe that his name was "Bartholomew Tobit" and he absently handed the crumpled paper to DJ.

[unfolding and smoothing the paper out, DJ read an insipid memo instructing "Bert" to "grow a pair" and to go and locate Mr. Dawson and persuade him to accept the Comm Repair ... or it might be time to update his own resume. - signed by a Lawrence W. Martin, Supervisor.]

Bartholomew accepted a drink and began to explain to Joe "Mr. Martin REALLY wants the finder's bonus." Bart sighed "Boy, I could sure use a hundred-thousand credits. Of course, we'll be lucky to see a ten credit bonus from old skinflint Martin". Bart looked around suddenly panicked "Don't tell anyone that I called him that."

Bart placed his elbows on the table and his face into his hands, then mumbled "I wanted to be a thespian, but NO, Mother insisted that I needed steady, reliable work ... a government job. I hate every minute of it." He turned towards Joe "That office sucks away your soul like a ghoul draining your life essence. I think government bureaucracy runs on the souls drained from its workers."

Bart leaned close to Joe and whispered "You should tell them, no. What good is a million credits if you are dead and can't spend it?"

[Eris]

Bart yields to the urging from DJ and Joe and sits down with them. He quietly informed Joe that his name is "Bartholomew Tobit" and he absently handed the crumpled paper to DJ.

[unfolding and smoothing the paper out, DJ reads an insipid memo instructing "Bert" to "grow a pair" and to go and locate Mr. Dawson and persuade him to accept the Comm Repair ... or it might be time to update his own resume. - signed by a Lawrence W. Martin, Supervisor.]

Bartholomew accepts a drink and begins to explain to Joe "Mr Martin REALLY wants the finder's bonus." Bart sighed "Boy, I could sure use a hundred-thousand credits. Of course, we'll be lucky to see a ten credit bonus from old skinflint Martin". Bart looks around suddenly panicked "Don't tell anyone that I called him that."

Bart placed his elbows on the table and his face into his hands, then mumbled "I wanted to be a thespian, but NO, Mother insisted that I needed steady, reliable work ... a government job. I hate every minute of it." He turned towards Joe "That office sucks away your soul."

"You should tell them, no. What good in a million credits if you are dead and can't spend it?"

Joe listens with a sympathetic expression, "Yeah, office work ain't my thing either Bart. Never wanted to be an actor, though. You any good at acting? If you are you should try doing community theater or something like that. It might make your day job more...palatable, you know?"

"About that million credits, though, first of all that's a lot of dough. I didn't think the job offer was nearly that much, was it?" Joes says seriously, adding, "Oh, and what's this about being dead? Do you know what happened to the guys that had this contract before us? How they died?"

[TheMyth]

Val

"Who died?" Val asks as she returns to the table. (She entered the restroom, cleaned her hands, and went right back out...).

"And who's our new friend, looking so nervous and such?"

[Eris]

Val

"Who died?" Val asks as she returns to the table. (She entered the restroom, cleaned her hands, and went right back out...).

"And who's our new friend, looking so nervous and such?"

Joe speaks up, "Val, this is Bart. Bart, this is Val, DJ's cousin. Bart works for the Employment Office and he's talking to us about that job offer that DJ brought up. The one about the Comm Array repairs, right Bart?"

[shaidar]

DJ almost chokes on his beer when one million credits is mentioned. He waits for Barts response with an eager look on his face.

[atpollard]

8:40 AM District 0, Building 12 Bar & Diner

Bartholomew perked up when Joe mentioned Community Theatre. "I briefly joined the local group, but Mr. Martin disapproved and changed my hours so I could no longer attend rehearsals. I think my days of Government Employment are numbered."

As Joe transitioned the conversation to “the Job”, Bart changed his basic disposition. For all his anxiety and character flaws, the man was extremely calm and collected when discussing matters that involved facts and figures. “Oh yes. The contract is for a great deal of money because the ‘opportunity costs’ and ‘liquidated damages’ associated with the loss of Communications are so high. The original offer was 1.5 million, but that was three days ago. Mr. Martin only cares about the ‘finders fee’, and V.E.T. only cares about restoring communications.”

Joe: "Oh, and what's this about being dead? Do you know what happened to the guys that had this contract before us? How they died?"
Val: "Who died?"
Joe: "Val, this is Bart. Bart, this is Val, DJ's cousin. Bart works for the Employment Office and he's talking to us about that job offer that DJ brought up. The one about the Comm Array repairs, right Bart?"

Bart was about to answer the question about ‘death’ when Joe made the introduction to Val. It was as if a switch had suddenly been flipped and Bart was suddenly tongue-tied. Clumsy even for Bart. He started to nervously stutter out a response – apparently affirming his identity – that ended with him just briskly nodding to Val. Bart was painfully shy when dealing with women.

Bart: "N… n... nobody knows what happened to them. They completely vanished. B … b… but the blood at the scene says it was something bad."

Y’all sense that Bart is a ‘gold mine’ of additional information, but like any good mine, the secret is knowing how to ‘work’ the claim.

FYI:
If anyone has access to a computer and COMPUTER skill, you can "research any topic or person" ... that government Bureaucratic Law Level intrusive information gathering cuts both ways: you can harvest information as well.
STREETWISE skills would allow you to "hit the streets" to gather information.
ADMIN skill would allow you to make official inquiries through bureaucracies.
I am just pointing out that when you are finished with Bart, there are LOTS of options for gathering information. Look at your skills and get creative!

You can also "hit the streets" to learn about other job choices - although million credit jobs are uncommon.
This is 90% sandbox ... players choices and actions drive the plot (I just create options).

[Eris]

"This Mr. Martin sounds like a piece of work." says Joe, "Reminds me of a character in a story I once read. Scrooge was his name, um Scrooge McDuck, I think it was." Joe sympathizes with Bart, "As an old guy, let me give you a couple pieces of hard earned advice. First, don't quit a job and burn your bridges to it before you have another one, but two, don't work a job you hate with people you hate. The first will starve your body, but the second will starve your soul. You do need to follow your passion, but yeah, you also need to feed your belly. It's a balance, a trade off, for most of us."

Joe grins, "See, for me my passion is traveling, seeing new and different worlds and I have a career that lets me do just that. I hope to continue feeding my belly by following my passion until the day I die."

"But, back to the job." Joe frowns slightly and leans in close to Bart looking him in the eye, "You don't think we should take it because it's too dangerous? Or do you think we shouldn't take it because Mr. Martin is trying to short shift us?"

[shaidar]

DJ stays quiet, watching Bart's reaction as he answers.

[atpollard]

8:45 AM District 0, Building 12 Bar & Diner

Joe: "You don't think we should take it because it's too dangerous? Or do you think we shouldn't take it because Mr. Martin is trying to short shift us?"

Bart glanced up, startled at the question. “Mr. Martin?” he paused as he considering how best to word the answer. “If reality was like an ancient story I read once, the world is really the shell of a giant amphibian suspended on the back of four giant grazers …” Bart paused for dramatic effect “… and Mr. Martin is a bug on a pimple on the backside of one of those grazers; confident that HE is supporting the whole system.” Bart chuckled softly. “That is how little he matters about ANYTHING. The only power he has over me is the simple fact that my four year review and contract renewal is coming up.”

Bart shrugged “Do you know the sort of creatures that live in the Arctic? … Well neither do I … but I’ve heard stories speculating about what MIGHT have happened to the Corporate Repair Crew.” Bart shuddered. “Creatures that can run as fast as an Air-Raft, or things with claws that can shred combat armor. Things that hunt in packs and things that can shrug off a blast from a Laser carbine.”

“I like you. That’s why you shouldn’t go.” He continued softly “… but if you do go, time is not your friend.”

[TheMyth]

"So, Bart," Val pivots the conversation, "how's the silver market doing hereabouts?"

[atpollard]

8:50 AM District 0, Building 12 Bar & Diner

Val: “how's the silver market doing hereabouts?”

“Commodities Trading is a little out of my wheelhouse. I am more focused on labor and economics” Bart smiled “… but let’s see if I can help.”

Bart removed a small Handheld Computer (HandComp) from a hand-tooled carrying case trimmed with polished brass fittings and equipped with both magnetic closure and a thumbprint lock, that was specifically designed for it. He frowned. “Hey Alice, what’s wrong with the COMM? I can’t get a Data Link.”

Alice: “That’s cause it’s broke, hon. They said they’d send someone to fix it when they could, but it’s on a government service contract and …”

“… Government service contracts take time to process through channels.” Bart and Alice and several customers all said in unison. The natives of Beau recognized the “official recording” that one heard repeated while on hold “waiting to speak with a representative” about the overdue status of a scheduled repair. Bless Beau Bureaucratic efficiency.

Bart sighed in resignation. “A setback, but not a defeat.” (He called up data on his system) “Well, there are no silver mines in this district …” Bart looked up from the Comp at Val “ … but I could have told you that without looking. There aren’t THAT many people employed in mining on the whole planet and what little hard rock mining … like Iron and Silver and Copper … would be found in the mountains near Montsoliel. That would be where most of the Ore Processing and Heavy Industry is located as well.”

Bart smiled with pride “However, Brulantfort is in the heart of Oil Country. We have Oil wells and Pipelines and Refineries. Oil means Plastics. We also have a high-tech manufacturing sector that rivals Ville d’Espoir. Plastics plus tech-industry means Aerospace and Electronics and Power Generation and Bio-Medical and Military Contractors. All those industries USE silver in the manufacturing processes.”

Bart scrunched his face, trying to remember something “There was something in the news about silver a few months ago. I remember reading it, but …” Bart shrugged “… aww, I just can’t remember what it was. Stupid Comm connection.”

[TheMyth]

8:50 AM District 0, Building 12 Bar & Diner

Bart scrunched his face, trying to remember something “There was something in the news about silver a few months ago. I remember reading it, but …” Bart shrugged “… aww, I just can’t remember what it was. Stupid Comm connection.”

Val's from Beau, so does she remember seeing anything in the news about silver?

[atpollard]

Val's from Beau, so does she remember seeing anything in the news about silver?

Y’all have just arrived on planet from various locations where your careers took you. Some have returned home and some have come to a new world. So you will need to talk to people or access the Computer Network to get several month old news.

[shaidar]

DJ

DJ stands and picks up one of his grey carry-alls, the one with a blue tag on a handle, then turns to Alice: "Comms problems? That's just my thing. Do you mind if I take a look? Half the time it's something simple if you know what too look for. Bart can vouch for my credentials."