hexarchate_rpg | Chapter 2.3

yhlee posting in

[Housekeeping notes: we're fast-forwarding a bit to the security conference itself. Y'all can be assumed to have obtained anything reasonable during the shopping trip, from toys for the mothlings to jams for Sasha, and whatever else. We can also assume that Seyli more than adequately trained the Lanterner assassins in the use of the equipment sold to them.]

The Cantata docked smoothly in its assigned berth at the conference's hosting station. Remi promised that he would keep the mothlings out of sight, although it seemed suspiciously clear that he was looking forward to running intelligence tests on them in the guise of "games" manufactured with the aid of the matter printer and some toy schematics he picked up during the shopping trip.

Meanwhile, Fluffy the Vraselian pseudo-dragon keeps having to be shooed out of various public areas and appears to be building a nest out of scavenged materials.

It wasn't too difficult getting basic tools/implements/weapons past the conference's security. Paranoia is high, but so are distractions. The designated "dueling fan" is within sight at the far end of a hall with highly decorated vendor booths and poster displays. She is plump, wide-eyed, and deceptively excitable in affect, although Seyli knows from working with her during the trip that she's a quick study and she's really good with knives. She is, in fact, in duelist cosplay, complete with a hot pink Space Styrofoam boffer weapon.

Two booths away from the Lanterner "dueling fan," General Shuos Jedao can be seen with his aide, talking seriously to a highly muscular, tattooed, and decorative company representative. The banner behind the booth advertises "delicious hazelnut gianduja" ration packs laced with various popular stimulants.

[NOTE: So there are two big options for getting involved in this move!
(a) Part of the extraction team removing Jedao, or
(b) Staying behind and preparing the Cantata for extraction. In particular, Remi is looking for one or more volunteers to help him socialize and/or test the mothlings.

Obviously, you're welcome to take a third option if one occurs to you. If you need help brainstorming involvement, please feel free to message me or ask in the comments.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

zuhrovet

Sasha's in her office, monitoring everything. She has feeds from the team members' lokwors, and is keeping an eye on the station atmospheric controls. She thinks she has blocked Spider and Firecracker's attempts to meddle with those systems, but she isn't taking that for granted. She's engaged in an attack on the station's surveillance cameras in the vicinity of the team's booth, trying to make it look like just another conference prank.

Aymad had time to work on the assassins' lokwors during the transit; Spider and Firecracker should also encounter glitches when monitoring through those channels.

From:

yhlee

Sasha and anyone who is watching is thus able to see when the duelist cosplayer Lanterner pounces on Jedao and whips out, from her costume, a binder with an entire two-page spread full of Jedao duelist trading cards, including some rare editions. For a fleeting moment, Jedao's expression is comically dismayed before he politely attempts, with no success, to excuse himself. The duelist cosplayer gushes at him and gets up so close, waving the binder, that she's got to be blocking line of sight for at least a couple of the assassins. She has a gold Space Sharpie for him to sign. It looks like she's taking her role very seriously.

Spider and Firecracker do not, yet, seem to have gotten around Sasha's block.

From:

venndaai

Sulen, wearing a badge saying they represent a fictitious shipping company, is pretending to browse at a booth across the room, and also looking out for anyone acting suspiciously.

From:

kese_seyli

Seyli's not far from Jedao, Kel uniformed, looking bored and distracted even as they have their eyes on the scene playing out with the cosplayer duelist. Close enough to intercept but not in anyone's line of sight.

From:

hoardingpearls

Reshad, representing a fictitious company and doing her best to sell an entirely unreal piece of software to someone at a price that would be questionable even if it existed, watches the duelist accost Jedao. "Excuse me," she says to her mark, and slides sideways in her booth, as if going to see if someone else is more likely to buy.

She taps a 'ready' signal into her lokwor, watching the duelist at work. She could be doing something already, something hidden in the pen or under the binder - or she could be setting up.

Impatience won't help, so she doesn't trip the gas just yet.

Edited (decided that was a bad idea. sorry!) Date: 2019-03-24 11:09 pm (UTC)

From:

yhlee

Sulen notices one thing straight off: their scrying of the duelist cosplayer is turning up a decidedly un-assassin-y Bed of Roses, less flatteringly known as "the groupie signifier." It seems horrifyingly plausible that the cosplayer really wants those signed cards.

On another note, there is in fact a backup assassin that Flute didn't tell them about, who is closer than the other assassins down the hall, within lunge distance. She is pretending to study one of the food advertisements, but there's a telltale "flicker" to her ninefox signifier that lets Sulen know that she's very close to making her move.

Seyli can overhear the cosplayer: "I know it's kind of a lot, but I hope you don't mind? I never thought I'd be in the same room as you! And I thought your match with Kel Azarkon was absolutely fabulous, those moves..." on and on and on. The cosplayer has pressed the Space Sharpie into Jedao's hand.

Meanwhile, a nearby listener with pink hair intercepts Reshad. "Yes!" he cries. "This is exactly the product we need. I've been trying to convince management that we just need better productivity software. I don't suppose there's any wriggle room in the contract for a lower rate?"

From:

zuhrovet

[Is the new assassin wearing armour?]

From:

yhlee

[The new assassin is not. She's wearing the rumpled suit and badge of a civilian analyst type.]

From:

venndaai

"I believe I've spotted a backup," Sulen says into the group comm channel. "Analyst under the QuickEat Ration Bar banner." They hope Sasha can see her from her camera angle.

From:

zuhrovet

Sasha pages Gerae with an image of the analyst, and asks whether he recognizes her from the trip with the Lanterners. She also starts running the face through whatever rebellion and local databases she can access, though she's not expecting a rapid match.

From:

yhlee

Gerae pages Sasha back and confirms that she was present as the "cook." He doesn't remember her doing anything weaponish, although of course that doesn't mean anything.

The rebellion/local databases are being sluggish.

From:

venndaai

"Would you like me to distract her?" Sulen asks, a little doubtfully. The Lanterners seem like the types to just shoot through any civilian distractions.

From:

hoardingpearls

"I'm so glad to hear that!" False enthusiasm is nearly as bright as the real thing, as Reshad approaches her newest mark. She maneuvers herself to watch Jedao over their shoulder, the remote tucked tight against one wrist.

"Would you like to hear about our upcoming features?"Anticipation channels into her sales persona, lending her versimilitude. She starts her patter, explaining to Pink Hair why their unique blend of options makes SkipTrack a deal at any price.

Buying time, until someone else takes a swing at her target and starts the real fun.

From:

yhlee

Pink Hair is enraptured by Reshad's list of features, as though each one were targeted to her company's situation. "That's so amazing! Can I--can I hug you? Or do your people not do hugs?" She wipes a tear away. "I just, you don't know how frustrating it's been, our intranet and the tech support and that one time with the ransomware and everything."

People around them are starting to notice; some of them are quite amused, and definitely distracted from the scene with the cosplayer, who is now brandishing a Jedao action figure.

From:

zuhrovet

"Watch her and the collector, and alert us the second either one starts to make a move," Sasha directs. "I'll move the cleaning drone up: looks like Reshad may have been enrolled in someone else's distraction. Seyli, there are more Lanterners here than we anticipated, and we don't want you recognized. Stay back until we activate the drug."

Sasha sends Gerae an image of the man with pink hair, and asks whether he's also recognizable. She lets the station cameras blink in and out, recording some of the scene, but also leaving obvious gaps.

From:

kese_seyli

Seyli doesn't respond verbally, if only because they're close enough that they know they could be overheard by any of the players in the scene by them. They shift, trying not to appear overly tense, while still being ready to move at a moments notice. A brief glance around to make sure they're not in any obvious lines of sight. This whole scene is fucking madness

From:

yhlee

Jedao points vaguely down the hall, in the opposite direction from Seyli. "Oh, look!" he says with enthusiasm. "I think I see the famous duelist Kel Isha. I bet you could get them to sign cards, too!" The moment the cosplayer (reluctantly) whips her head around to look, Jedao makes a dash for it.

[Jedao will be passing by Seyli--they could try to trip him or otherwise slow him down!]

Meanwhile, Gerae reports to Sasha that no, he doesn't recognize Pink Hair.

From:

zuhrovet

Bind this duelist up with burning wire. She's supposed to be a professional.

"Reshad, please confirm, can you activate?" Sasha asks. "Seyli, keep pace with the target." She directs the cleaning drone to amble in Seyli's direction, just in case.

From:

hoardingpearls

"And of course, for the bundle price-" Hell and void, he's making a run for it! Reahad tilts her head as if distracted. "Sorry, is that Kel Isha? I'm such a fan!"

Stepping away from Pink Hair, she cues the confirmation, then the release of gas. Jedao should still be in range, and Pink Hair won't be a distraction for much longer.

From:

yhlee

Jedao's choice of Kel Isha was not (for anyone familiar with famous duelists of this era) entirely random; one of the passers-by has a reasonable if coincidental resemblance to them.

The gas jets out spectacularly. There is screaming; people start to run or duck for cover. The cosplayer's face crumples as she clutches her binder full of trading cards and runs after Jedao.

Jedao, with perfect Shuos logic, is making for the nearest booth and brought up a contemporary communicator to call security.

From:

zuhrovet

[Does the communicator belong to the booth, or to Jedao?]

From:

yhlee

[He nabbed it from the booth--thanks for the catch!]

From:

zuhrovet

Sasha, who has worked her way into most of the station's systems, re-routes the call and pages Virmad. "I've got Jedao on Line Seven. He thinks we're station security. I need you to stall him until the drug kicks in."

From:

lleullawgyffes

Alright, Virmad, be cool, he thinks, brushing a hand through his hair to make sure it’s Rahal-presentable. “I’m ready.”

[IT'S TIME.]

From:

yhlee

Virmad can clearly hear Jedao's distinctive drawl over the link, as well as shouting, footsteps, and the occasional scream. "Hello, Station Security? You've got a situation down in"--Jedao rattles off the name of the hall. "Some kind of gas leak right by the SkipTrack booth. Not sure if it's toxic or what, and people are panicking."