The Marshall Cooperative (T20)

We get some things set up and settle in on Uzdiki. We start looking for Cassel de Messul, and apparently some lady friend of his is missing. We are going to be neck-deep in the social scene of Uzdiki, apparently.

Follow up:

Traveller notes run 2, Q1 2010

Metal-skinned armor and life points for Mike’s legs. Korey has to figure out an UWP. Eric needs a house. Scott needs to go with Steve. And he needs to draw up an apartment.

Capital city of Uzdiki:

Imperial capital and starport is Ampanan. That’s where we live. Uzdiki is a desert planet.
Spaceport: Alvik. There is also a naval up/downport.

We all get copies of Sergey’s first research paper.

Angel and Jack speak with a governmental office dude about getting Jack a permit for Battle Dress; as part of the favor being called in, she picks up Dan’s character. They’ll have to wait.

The net profit after taxes and Rainwind’s share of the wood is 54227 credits.
Angel has to figure out where to send her new foster children…one will go to a technical school, and one will go to the social school (to be an ambassador). Of course, that would mean splitting them up, and Tina is more technologically skilled. If they’re going to stay together (which they’re pretty serious about because they only know Angel and Amaryllis), they would prefer to attend the social school.
The children, BTW, are not mad at us yet. They are still afraid.
Angel will be able to get them into school for summer. It’s 5k for the tutor in spring (to catch them up) and 10k each per trimester for school…and another 4k for living expenses.
The kids get cellphones with Angel’s and Amaryllis’s number and Jose’s number.
Jack is trying to get a raise from the cooperative since Angel *is* important, and he is her primary security. He wants exorbitant cash, but reconsiders to 40k/yr. They agree; he’s the on-planet chief of security. He will have to hire staff, deal with a budget, etc.
After a briefing, Amaryllis says she’s hired another bodyguard for on-planet—Jack. And she’s got a note from Baron von Helkensomething, about a Nelson Loreno guy (Dan’s character). Rainwind is also undergoing psychological evaluation after her contact with an unlicensed AI; this may take a while because the Navy is busy with her; she’s not allowed to leave. And, Cade Mastigan (the Vargr) will be taking a Captain’s position on a far-trading organization. He’d like us to make a counter-offer, of course…but we may not be able to give him a position unless Captain Vos retires. He wants a bump in status more than cash, given he’s a Vargr. Also Samuel Sargvr would like to hear about any Solomani before we meet them rather than afterwards; he must not care for his countrymen. Shelly, our gunner, also wants more gunnery training—on guns we don’t have.
The ship’s engineer gets a pass off-world.
Also, the Imperial Federal Investigation Service wants to speak to us about a package sent to us (the one on Gigakuuli, quite remarkable that it arrived). We need to find Mr. Dumesil (who sent this package?). TMC has counsel available for us. At present, it is TMC’s law firm, but we can get our own lawyers.

Gedvondur: list of people and companies on the BOD of the Marshall Cooperative
Sir Juho Tikkanen – Imperial Moot – Committee on Imperial Expansion
Elias Samaan – Boliad Nutrition
Annie Jenymin – Cantwell-Oberstien Minerals
Nahli Tonfik – Wellness Pharma
Todor Sycoff – Manlow Mercantile
Elon Olsen – The Shoal Corporation
Hilda Klasen – Bilwind Manufacturing (land ag equipment)
Jovan Dimic – Galwide Grocery Consortium
Frederic Ware – Gilson-Weston Pharma

Next day, our lawyer (James Ellsbury) and Edward Derkins (IFIS) comes to meet with us. Amaryllis brings us in to meet.

It was a Moot secured courier box; when we tried to open it (it was damaged in transit), it blew up. She doesn’t know what we got. She provides the name of the scouts that delivered it. We will have to look for the box. She doesn’t know the guy, and does not answer the question whether she was sleeping with the guy. The IFIS guy is pretty pushy.

We figure that this isn’t necessarily a big deal that we don’t have the box since poundage = fuel on a ship; unless we thought it would be important as evidence in an investigation.

IFIS: If you have information on de Messul, being forthcoming will make it easier.
A: If I knew, I’d tell you.
IFIS: He took 100000 credits from TMC in cash.
A: I don’t know why.
IFIS: We’ll be in touch with you. Please send in the doctor.
SQ: Yes?
IFIS: You know she got a box from Sir de Messul?
SQ: I am aware that she got the box from some scouters, broken.
IFIS: Did she attempt to open it?
SQ: She did, but it let out a bunch of smoke. We torched it open and found nothing.
IFIS: Where is it?
SQ: I think we left it there.
IFIS: You realize lying to the IFIS will result in extensive jail time.
SQ: I don’t know.
IFIS: Where is Cassel de Messul?
SQ: I don’t know, I’ve been gone for two years and he didn’t leave a forwarding address.
IFIS: We are done. Send in Jack.
IFIS: Do you know where Cassel de Messul is?
J: No.
IFIS: What was in the box?

Jack’s story matches Sergey’s. He doesn’t know anything.

Jose asks some questions back…dude says it was a message. De Messul took some other things as well, but doesn’t say what or why he thinks we’re in cahoots with him. 100000 credits isn’t enough to live on, but he’s not *that* wealthy.

The lawyer says that we only entered one claim for lost property, but Jose *did* get him to say that there was something else missing. He got the money in hard cash, so there is no record since then…and they’re not sure how de Messul got the Imperial Moot courier box.

Apparently the IFIS didn’t talk to anyone else other than Amaryllis and the party. They don’t have much info on Edward Derkins from the IFIS. There’s a lock on his personal data, but that isn’t too surprising for IFIS agents.

BTW everyone with soc of 15 or under, add 1.

Angel helps Jose get an improved weapons permit, and he’s good for Level 2. Jose buys a heavy pistol.

Jack hires a couple of security guys, Andy and Bob. A and B for short.

Jose looks into Edward Derkins guy: above board, he’s native to the planet, born outside Ampanan, masters’ degree in criminology, worked for the police first as a patrolman, then investigator, then went to a quasi-military organization (the equivalent of the IFIS). He’s been with the IFIS for 15 years or so.
Underground: he specializes in industrial espionage, white collar crime, and the occasional kidnapping. He has been decorated twice. Married and has two kids, but can’t find his address. He is known to be dirty.

Amaryllis introduces Dan’s character, Nelson, to us. He is armed, and apparently none of us can spot that. He specialized in the recovery of lost technology. He’s done six tours in the corps, bunch of medals, and was knighted.

Jose starts to grill Nelson about how to handle dealing with people on backwards worlds. Nelson continues to stress his enthusiasm for listening to high command and killing stuff when necessary.

Amaryllis asks him about feeling a need to right wrongs. He says, not necessarily. Angel asks him about how he feels about sims. He says he doesn’t care as long as they don’t try to kill him.

He mentions blowing stuff up or killing it a lot, but we decide to hire him anyway.

Angel tells him that our next mission is due to start in October, but for now we are looking at some internal difficulties within TMC…the director, Cassel de Messul, disappeared and we are looking into the situation. While we chat, Imperial Express shows up with a letter from Sir Juho Takkanin (CEO of TMC) who’s in the Moot. This is official – so much so that it includes the long form of Angel’s name and title.

Due to the continuing investigation by the IFIS of the actions of K dM regarding theft of money from TMC, it is suspended until further notice. Payroll will continue, but no members of TMC are to act offically until notified by myself or the board. Amaryllis Kai (sp) is released as interim director and is suspended until TMC resumes. Heard and witnessed, Juho.

So if we don’t find de Messul, we’re out of a job. So, we’ll start by looting Cassel’s office (although Amaryllis has been using it).

Should we get Amaryllis back? Angel is a little offended at the suggestion, but calls Amaryllis for the code. She says she’s been using the computer and desk, then gives us the code.

Computer on the desk, desk is fair sized and expensive, a computerized file cabinet on one wall, paintings, chairs, and a coffee area. Cabinet on one area that’s shut.

We tear the room apart: Search 32. Nothing in cabinets, floor. Expensive liquor in cabinet on floor and a small ice machine that goes over the ice bucket. However, one of us finds a bug in the light fixture—an AV bug. It will cover the room; it’s a new design, but Nelson figures it could only transmit 200 meters or so max. It looks to be a recording style and probably stores 4 or 5 days’ worth of data…we could probably look at this. We’ll want to look at that shortly. We access the information and find lots of dark room, then see Amaryllis two days ago. We zip through it and find nothing too interesting. The only thing kind of interesting is the roof repair guy coming in to get a quote. We can’t get any old, overwritten data. There is one blurry shot of Edward Derkins of the IFIS; he seems to be alone; it’s timestamped from four or five months ago (Cassel disappeared 9 months ago).

The computer is spotless clean. It also includes the 100000 credit withdrawal by Cassel, which is his last touch on the computer. We would have to break in (etc.). We could talk to the planetary investigative services but the Imperial feds are already looking into it. It’s questionable whether or not we could pull this off.

We don’t know much more…does he have a maid service, who are his parents, etc. Where does he live, anyway? He’s on a 3rd floor place in a 400-year-old building in a relatively nice place that is still reasonably-priced. We have next of kin: Viscount Wiley Edward Tunquist de Messul (and second contact). First contact is Lady Constance Sage—a daughter of Baron John Sage, a notable industrialist and nobleman. She is probably out of Cas’s league socially, which is curious. Viscount is lesser nobility than Marquesa.

Cassel’s mother is dead, 3 siblings (two of which are married without children). He’s also the youngest of the four children – James (oldest) is the heir to the estate, but his father is 60 so there are years to go. Next is a girl (Aloisia), and the next is Fisher. Roll wasn’t good enough to get more information.

What do we know about Constance? (GI 27): The only available info is from Alexia Nightingale (mag called 4th spectator) – there is a short comment about her dating below her station, but she’s happy…and “I hope she likes scrubbing floors.”

Constance graduated from a premier university, has a degree in psychology, and works with children – for free, of course. She deals with troubled teenagers, actually, and does seem to be a bit of a do-gooder. Surprisingly, we haven’t seen the follow-up saying, “now how does she like her deadbeat boyfriend since he’s scammed her”. Baron Sage is known for his well-run and well-behaved companies.

Angel has Amaryllis call the Sage estates to set up a lunch or something with Constance Sage. However, Constance indisposed for “the nonce”. It will be quite some time before she is available, and the representative cannot tell us when Constance is available—but she would be delighted to know given Angel’s recent escapades on Gigakuuli.

Is Constance gone? Can’t say. But Baron Sage would be able to keep any news of such quiet, even if he was being blackmailed. And we’d have a hard time getting to speak with Sage anytime soon, much less tell us that. And he’s awfully hard to get a visit with normally.

The other contact is Cassel’s father. Angel doesn’t work for him (or vice versa) but she had the power to get him fired before he disappeared. But if we can find Cassel before the IFIS, good for both of them—although Wiley is more likely to be worried for Cassel’s sake than the family’s reputation.

Angel’s people call Wiley’s people and set up a meeting for first thing in the morning.

Paperwork for battle dress: Yeah, still going.

Rainwind calls Angel looking for help – actually she was expecting Amaryllis, but yeah. Rainwind says she’s bored because they’re testing her right now.

Rainwind says that people need names, but it’s a quaint nickname system to call the rest of us by our numbers. She would like Amaryllis to call her. Apparently she can’t access TMC’s computers again. The rest of us laugh in the background, and Rainwind wonders why.