On the bridge of Obsidian Teknicon, the crew is decompressing from their successful secure of Fey. Serra relays an official Arcadia communication, “You are wanted for questioning at your earliest convenience. You are not being charged. If you are interested please proceed to the central estate. If not consider yourself fugitives and are free to leave at once.”
The estate is a vast solitary structure. It has a mostly ornamental fence. There is a walkway leading up to a door, an android in a vaguely military cut, asks that all mystically infused items and weapon to be set aside and that they would be returned.
Malcolm feels very strange as he walks through the door. Something deep inside happens, but then passes.
At the end of long table is Borris, the leader of Arcadia, far more ornate than others. He’s wearing official capacity uniform. 5’9” ish black hair, sunglasses, etc. He is wearing an invisibility cloak of some sort that Trenton can see.
There are two people in the corner of the room in ordinary suits with external cyberware ear pieces. Each of them are carrying metallic bullet proof cases. There is a skyscape which is only decorative.
There are a series of aura on Borris. The two bodyguards both radiate similar strong evil.
I am interested getting your perspective on what happened. We are interested in fairness. Fey tells she was kidnapped, and we tried to what happened. All of it, Borris, impassionate, listens gathering the general truth.
Fey explains she was investigating the selling Gaian body parts. Borris does not believe that this butcher could lead us to anyone high up in the organization.
In such cases he buys them out and returns parts to the Gaian order. Borris hears many rumors, but does not follow up on them. He offers the parts in the butchers holdings be turned over to Fey to return to the Gaian order.
He indicates that Fey’s companion has had more success in these investigations. Bullet train is led in with some wounds. Two more body guards and an elderly gentleman, fairly well off.
Fey flies off and hugs bullet train. He is distracted and upset. Bullet Train says he is sorry he could not save her, he was captured (looking at the old man indicates he caught him) and was not treated with dignity.
He exceeded what was legal. The old man was just protecting his property. What is legal and what is right are different things. What matters is that bullet train is good person with good intentions.
Bullet train has learned what he needs to. Bullet Train learns that Strife is here now and has meet her to speak of. My thanks to Mr Jurota, she was located and arranged for this meeting. However she is somewhat still intractable. She will not let go of her ambitions.
She was going to buy me from him (looking to Mr Jurota). You can ask her yourself.
Borris is more interesting in this organization we’re talking about that harvests Gaian parts. He has heard rumors of people using these abilities. Trenton looks to trust Borris in secrecy. He would use that information to protect this city.
Property damage and breaking entry are some of the most serious offenses. Killing is illegal, but carrying in parts is legal, although discouraged.
Dr Peters is intrigued and wonders. The Gaians are treated unfairly??
Trenton mentions the organization Pandora’s children who we are looking for. Borris says Trenton knows more than he does. Their base of operations is supposedly on Arcadia. Their base might be here, but their size is probably not the scale which you are alluding to.
Borris seems to know who Scorpio and tell us he has been destroyed. He was no longer to useful to his murderer – Cain. Kane chose to kill him. Noun bored is making paper structures. The stone was killed.
Cain looks old, strong and fleshed out, a discolored spot in the middle of his forehead. He pulls a stone out from his neurojack, a tentacle from that spot on his forehead comes out from his forehead and grasps and tears blackness (a soul) from the stone. It seems really foul.
Cain was only here for 36 hours. He left yesterday. He is exiled. He came with the pirates. There are a few dozen pirates and they don’t have a ship of their own anymore. The rumors say there is someone here on Arcadia that can do this grafting.
Strife can here, because the old man says. He is evil, self serving type, a sense of maniacal, Baron VonPetrol, from the old fuel era. We get the sense he is very important here. The fair lady offered a fair price for Bullet Train and I didn’t want to keep him on my estate forever.
VonPetrol does not have any ties (on purpose) and checked to see if anyone was interested in purchasing Bullet Train and Strife came forward. It saddens me to say very few cared if he lived or died. There were a number that were interested in his death, as I’m not interested in that. I was quite pleased to accept Strife’s offer.
Strife was reluctant to participate in this discussion. Borris says he can have her brought in as he would like no violence in his home.
Borris pings Strife to see if she is interested. What of the deal I brokered, will I be allowed to take my brother? Strife thinks that Borris was far too lenient and that they should take Trenton to allow the others free. Borris agrees to let Strife take her brother.
Strife agrees to meet with us and expects her interests are respected.
Trenton and Strife banter. Strife says that it is her family’s fault that she did not get what she was promised. She says she bears no ill-will to Gaian’s but a necessity. Justice has nothing to do with it. The world is not just.
Strife says that furthering her own power is worth it. Verner should not exist, his power should be mine. I was there he was still in his mother’s womb. They burned down the facility and only by luck not all of the results were not lost, was that by a stroke of luck only one of researchers is missing.
Bullet Train says that he took him into custody, because the things he were engaged in were unethical, and a favor by the arcane order. What the hell am I then, asks Trenton? He is the fruits of decades of research, a human with power of non-humans and that can breed.
All she cared was that she had no powers, and could have powers and live beyond her family. The baron laughs that her idea of villainous is repulsive with these long diatribes and discussions.
Gaian parts are delivered to the Obsidian Teknicon.
Trenton feels that Strife’s reasons wanting to kill him are petty. Trenton makes a backhanded remark as blood runs from Strife’s eyes, “I’m glad I got passed that stage”. She runs out of the room mortified and angry. Bullet train calls her Finesse.
Strife is not exactly being held here, but he needs to have another conversation with her.
Bullet Train asks that he not be allowed to leave without him speaking to her again. He is being released into her custody. So he is willing to be let into her custody. If killing him is what it takes for her to realize her errors in judgment then it is worth it.
Ridge asks what if it only seals her evilness. Borris says he will bring him back to try again.
The butcher shop keeper is also being held for questioning. Borris is planning to release us afterwards. This is his personal opinion that he does not like the Gaian parts being traded and anonymous tips will be forwarded to Fey.
Trenton tries to broker a deal with Borris to set Dorian free, misleading that he promised to set him free. The butcher wants to trade for the Dorian. Borris is interested in gaining control of this pirate – Borris is not asking for a gift. Borris would like to procure him for a unidentified of time, before returning him to you.
Borris is interested in knowing what the UNF would be interested in bartering to question him. It is stated that Ridge would gladly do this if so ordered and that he should contact Earth directly.
Fey says that he can be questioned, but only on our ship.
Many martians on Arcadia pay rent, but do not publicly advertise. But through the proper channels it would lead them to their business.
As far as I am concerned the excessive force used the butcher shop was not entirely warranted, but even so you will likely to be pardoned.
Trenton wishes to strike a bargain with the UNF.
Bullet Train hears that the Baron likely has knowledge of this. There was a trading of information with the Baron and learned of the butcher. When he tried to escape he was captured. The baron told him he would be sold to the highest bidder, and if no one wanted him it was insinuated he would be killed.
Strife has been working with this scientist. When I (Bullet Train) took him into custody, he was working on a number of projects.
A series of transactions from the butcher shop is obfuscated. Much of it gets taken off the station. The people all spend money in different places. Butcher hoards money, and owns a lot of property – none of them directly connect to this situation.
The butcher owns a lot of properties.
The UNF sends an official warrant to transfer custody of Ponce Dorrian to Arcadia authorities, Admiral Jefferson (who we had never heard of).
Looking around Malcolm and Trenton find that many pirates who have been augmented, and their captain has abandoned them, Their lieutenant tried to take control of them and a bunch of them worked went to work for the Arcadia authorities.
They are trying to get a new ship and are procuring one now. Any rumors about what ships they are moving towards, there is another person to talk with Super Nova, their previous ship refuses to cooperate with them any longer.
Malcolm pulls a pirate (Flint) with grafts on him and tries to find who else he can contact. I could hook you up with a fence, not sure what her status is. Felisha Worthington – a fence who has had dealings with this.
Dark Soul quit the organization and changed it back to his old name – Bernard Sinclair.
Looking over parts we get a Umber Hulk kidney or something that Trenton perceives that is sensitive to vibrations.
We find her in a tattoo parlor and she is quite busy. Hernando pretends to know more , try Butler. Looking around, we hear about a Butler. The sellers get his input and clients go to him to arrange for grafts.
The person we’re talking to offers to set up contact with this Butler.
Noun, Fey, and Borris meet with Strife. She says incredulously, “What do you want?” Confer more on these pirates and the Pandora’s children and no further disdain here. I don’t care about them anymore; they were just a means to an end.
Everything is changed now; all the people I worked with are gone. I didn’t care about them anyway. Fuck them. What do you want to know? I stood by and watched them massacre your people to all sort of people who wanted to improve themselves.
Do you know who did the surgeries? No I just know he keeps himself well protected. I’m pretty sure there is only one who knows how to do this. Strife’s eyes are bloodshot.
I was only interested in the grafts. Strife does not have grafts, kept meaning to get one, but didn’t. I would have eventually, defensively. I kept thinking about that dust you have and that it allows you to sense things. All your parts are good for many things; you are worth more dead than alive. She says humans are worthless. She was in the facility for ten years before it was burnt down.
The most recent iteration, they were able to fuse beholder dna into humans, and they were working on it with Trenton’s parents. Something about it would give humans abilities using their eyes.
She didn’t feel she could match up to her father as he was a renowned hero. My brother was well on his way. I was the ideal candidate as I am only half human. That meant something and that I would be their poster child for their campaign.
Ramseys manage to salvage some of the research and tried the experiment on Strife and it almost worked. She didn’t care about the pain, it was worth it.
You have little value, runtish, inferior. She is intentionally goading Fey for a reaction. She tells of her disdain for the pirates. It is obvious she never really liked them. She was with them to achieve whatever she wants.
It is rumored that beholders have only been around for a while. Like the caretaker. With that DNA you move one step closer to God. With that much power there is so much good you can do.
Fey says lots of things that her brother and father say that she can do well with what she has. Strife tells her to stop and that it isn’t possible, you need some edge to do well. What have you done? Fey tells about a lot of things that they have done (working through our campaign telling everything).
Strife thinks a bit and falls into cathartic laughter. She seems to turn a corner in how she feels admitting that perhaps she has stupid. Her eyes came with a price. Fey and Finesse build a good rapport.
Pronoun jumps in saying they are normal humans. Noun burns himself with a blow torch. Noun says you can use your pain as a focus to listen to yourself and figure out what you know.
Bullet Train thanks Fey as no one has ever been able to get to her. He has never had any doubt; you should have seen her as a little girl.
(Later, Boris asks Fey for one of her hairs, and uses it to make an alchemical item for Finesse – a hair tie: "natural" invisibility, detect anything a pixie can once per day, and scent of Fey Arius – infused with her scent as a constant reminder.)
There was another aspect about Pandora’s children in their hatred of Soul Mechs. Part of the plan was to set up your friend Ridge. She would be used to show Ridge as the example of turning Soul Mechs evil. It was a smear campaign. Someone Mars planted something on your ship to seem like you communicated with them.
Strife only had one contact relating to the branch of (Selena Sharptooth) Pandora’s children. There is believed she is pretty high up in their organization. They want to discredit the Soul Mechs and bettering themselves biologically. They were in line with the pirates. The pirates weren’t really in the organization, just being pirates.
Strife agrees to contact Selena Sharptooth.
Noun wonders whether the children would want the box. Strife tells of the wizards from the astral, and that it is related in name, but it isn’t related. Pandora’s children, is a new group that has spun out of control.
It was ramsey’s grandfather that my grandfather stopped in the war – that’s why I joined him. I guess I feel bad about that
Pronoun says hey… you know Nikoli. We gave him a piece of our hair. Borris looks forward to that.
Admiral Rossner sends a priority one instruction to return to Luna at once. They will proceed to Wolf 359.
We begin our journey to Luna, slowing down, we hear something? Terrifying echoes growing louder and louder – the void. Ridge analyzes it and it is omnipresent, but a localization in the direction we’re going.
The echoes don’t seem to cause damage, just a torrent of emotions, not being able to focus, like looking into a 300 mph wind. Serra is focused, but sensors are at best unusual. Ridge temporarily allows Serra to take over if needed.