Session Five

James Cineus gathers the crew at his container, opening it to reveal a plethora of weapons and other equipment, and invites those who will be traveling with him to arm themselves. As you’re checking out the weapons he has issued you from the cargo container, you notice it is full of other things, too, like racks of uniforms and shelves with combat helmets on them. He pulls forth one of these racks and starts sizing you up, then hands each of you a uniform. It is a Craston Security uniform, complete with ballistic armor padding (counts as Cloth Armor, rating 5). He tells you to put them on, then hands each of you a helmet. The helmets have built in radios, and a heads up computer display.

He then gives his mission briefing:

“The VIP we’re going to extract is Joma Danso, a Craston Security executive. I do not know what type of resistance that we’re going to encounter. Be prepared for anything. My latest intelligence briefing places Ms Danso in the main station security office, so that’s where we’re headed. Leave all of your electronics behind so that station security cannot track us. Keep your visors down so that facial recognition won’t tag you. As long as you follow those simple rules, you’ll be on their systems under rotating Craston IDs, and effectively invisible. Don’t be trigger happy. Our goal is to get in and out without any casualties. We are not enemies of the security people we’ll encounter, but it is important that we retrieve Ms. Danso, and that may be counter to their orders. Our primary tactic is going to be confusion and intimidation.“

“Who’s the computer expert?” Averyn raises her hand. “When we get to the office, I want you to head to the back of the office where the control center is and load this drive into their system. It will help hide our presence on the station, and provide some false tracking of our real identities to create alibis. In addition to that, I need you retrieve these files (hands her a list of file names).

“You two” (points to Tsaru & Captain) “when we get to the office, I want you to clear out all personnel. The rest of you stay with me. This is going to be a fluid situation, stay on your toes, and be prepared for the plan to change. Any questions?”

The group departs the ship, and get through security screening easily when Cineus flashes a badge. On the walk to the security office, their suits start cycling through several identities.

In the Security Office: Upon entering, Cineus flashes a badge: “Get these people out of here. You’re done for the day.” Tsaru & Captain start ushering people out of the offices.

In the executive office:

Danso: “Mr Cineus, I presume?”

Jones: “Ah, Mr Cineus, we’ve been expecting you.

Cineus: “We’re here to take Ms Danso into custody.”

Jones: “Good. You’re going to make sure she gets turned over to the authorities? She needs to pay for her role in this.”

Cineus: “I will handle it. Ms Danso, if you please?” He points towards the door, and she stands up and moves towards it.

Jones: “Thank you.”

Cineus (also turning to leave.) “Oh, Mr Jones?”

Jones: “Yes?”

Cineus: “I almost forgot, corporate wanted me to deliver a message.” Jone’s face lights up with delight, and doesn’t quite have enough time to turn to fear when Cineus raises his pistol and shoots Jones right between the eyes.  

Cineus escorts Danso out of the room. She stops at the office security locker and grabs a helmet for herself.

In the back of the office, Averyn has loaded the trojan programs Cineus gave her, and begun copying his files. While there, she copies files for herself, including all of the station plans. She makes a copy of the files Cineus wanted for herself as well. Scruffy asks her to pop the doors on the security locker that Danso had just closed. Meanwhile, Gable goes back into the executive office, to see what they could find on Jones body/desk. The biggest revelation was that the office was Danso's.

Averyn managed to unlock that security locker, and Scruffy, Gable & Morgan help themselves to some new weapons.

On the way back to the ship, Cineus and Danso are conversing. As they get close to the docks, Cineus stops the group and tells them there has been a change of plans - he and Danso have arranged alternate transit. Averyn refuses to give him the files he wanted until he pays them, so he throws them a data chip. The group watch the two of them walk off, duck into a side corridor, and come back out without their uniforms and helmets on. The group continues back towards the ship when all of the suit identities switch to “Hostile”. Alarms in the station start going off.

The group ducks into an empty storeroom and sheds their uniforms, but keep the weapons. They make their way back to the docks and the ship, but temporarily become flummoxed on how to get their weapons past security. They eventually hatch a scheme with Andromeda's help to steal a cargo crate and sneak the weapons on that way. The scheme is successful, largely because at this point security is more concerned about things coming on station than things leaving station.

Once back on board, Averyn tests the data chip Cineus gave them for payment, only to discover that it was also a trojan horse virus. Fortunately, she had fire walled it on a virtual machine, and no damage was done. The group decided they had been betrayed and cheated. The only compensation they were left with was Cineus' locked cargo container. Averyn began working on trying to break into it.

Scruffy finds a message from E1L-33N, offering a job involving meeting a VIP at Nobos Station. He provisionally accepts the job.

While Averyn works on breaking into the cargo container, the rest of the crew works on obtaining passengers and cargos for the long trip out to Nobos.

Depart for Nobos.

End Session

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Session Date: 12 Feb 2023