2. Digging in Sand

load previous
Apr 10, 2024 1:24 am
[ +- ] Rook's Contact
The Starlight Collective - The Sunset Souk
While not grand or safe, the market known as Sunset Souk is deep in the shadows between a Guild heighliner maintenance facility and a partially dismantled harvester factory. The street between the two buildings, and more and more into the factory itself, is a labyrinth of stalls and passages. Most traders here are legitimate, yet within, a few ply darker wares. New IDs, illicit substances, weapons, and contraband (counterfeit and stolen) pass between careful merchants.

Within Lasfire, a hooka bar carved out of the former factory, you find a sturdy man with a half sunburnt face. His name is Artemi.
Apr 10, 2024 4:03 am
"Greetings," Hural says as he calmly approaches the burly man. "We come with a business proposition, one I think Star Cobra may be interested in. If necessary, please advise them it may come with a bonus: Daniil."
Apr 10, 2024 4:22 pm
Rook nods and says, "I am a friend of Shadran Korr's who will vouch for us. As my associate has said, we have an attractive proposal to offer your faction."
Apr 10, 2024 5:00 pm
Upon seeing his old friend, Marcus steps forward and, with a rare smile, greets him, "Artemi. How are you, man?" He reaches out to grab the man's forearm.
Apr 11, 2024 3:33 am
Artemi Dabrowski
He claps Marcus' arm back. "My brother. You're living the highlife it looks like. Protecting rich people from their own shadows?" His grin tells you he's just taking the piss out of you.

To Hural and Rook, with a wary eye to Marya, he leads you through a hole in the wall into the factory proper Large machinery lines the massive space, but it all looks worn out and in disrepair. "We can talk without being overheard. Impress me and I'll bring Star into it. He's not sure there is anything you can offer us that will interest him. We're so different, you see "
Apr 11, 2024 7:25 am
"Fair," Hural says with a nod. "Glad to meet a friend of Marcus's. As it happens, our benefactor is entering into a mutual understanding with the Builder's League for a project. They have recommended we work with a long-standing partner of theirs, man by the name of Daniil, for organizing the more less-than-legal lifeblood that will surely flow through the project we're starting. Thing is, I don't want us to partner with someone that has loyalties to the Builder's Guild. I asked them who Daniil's chief rival was, and that led us to you.

"I'll make this simple. We cut Daniil out and make a place for your group to operate with our support, without the threat of rival groups moving on you. You agree to some minor concessions - keeping murder at minimum within the allotted area and don't interfere with our business dealings, for example - and in exchange, you get extremely rich with little risk."
Apr 11, 2024 3:15 pm
Rook smiles with the shit eating grin he has as the conversation plays out. His sharp eyes cover every nook and cranny of the factory, dwelling on the shadows created by the machinery. There were too many areas for hiding and he didn't trust Artemi. He noted the dilapidated condition of the machinery and the position of any potential escape routes should they need a hasty exit.
Apr 11, 2024 5:33 pm
Qralloq says:
He claps Marcus' arm back. "My brother. You're living the highlife it looks like. Protecting rich people from their own shadows?" His grin tells you he's just taking the piss out of you.
Marcus chuckles. "Shadows can be scary, bro. It's where the assassins hide."
Apr 13, 2024 2:33 am
Artemi Dabrowski
He frowns at the offer, wondering what the catch is. "What's the catch?" He flips an old style coin across his knuckles, a very old habit of his, Marcus notes. "War with the other gang serves no one, at least in the short term."
Apr 13, 2024 7:38 am
"No catch, and no war if we can help it. We know we can't cut out all of the less-than-legal activity from such a project. It'll be a grand market, lots of buying and selling, lots of opportunity. We just want to make sure we can be on good terms with those who establish their territory there. We would hope that, with our support, nobody would dare to challenge your position there. As I said, we would ask for concessions - mostly limitations on your activities so as to keep it reasonably safe and productive, but you'll stand to earn a lot of money."
Apr 13, 2024 9:25 am
OOC:
This is me as a player feeling too burned out right now to play anything. I'd love to join back again when I'm feeling better, but also understand if that doesn't work out.

For now, this is a retro-active post for Marya on the way to the Sunset Souk - mechanically, I'll stop as a player following the story, and will ping you back again when, hopefully soon, I feel well enough to join again.

And maybe Marya gets up to something interesting while she's away from the party.

If this doesn't work as an approach to dealing with my absence, totally open for any alternative that's better for you.
On the way to the Sunset Souk, Marya receives a message on her Emergency Transmitter - looks up from it, and says to the others

"I have to go. I'll be back with you again as soon as I can. I'm sorry, but this can't wait. I wish you all well."

And with that, she heads out on her own, without looking back.
Apr 13, 2024 6:05 pm
Rook's eyes follow the coin as it flips from knuckle to knuckle on Artemi's hand. Shadows, yes. He knew all about those being a frequenter of them himself.

A thought strikes Rook. Something Artemi said. "What would be the long-term advantage of a war? You said at least in the short term. I'm curious."

Best to get the man to talk and reveal whatever he would.
Apr 14, 2024 3:26 am
Artemi Dabrowski
He's about to answer the Mentat, and then Rook asks him a question. "War creates a, what you call it, an industry, no a demand for mercenaries. I'm sure you know what I mean."

To Hural he says, "Okay. You sold me. I'll bring Star Cobra to meet you."

He presses a remote and says, "I think you want to hear this. "

You can hear bootsteps in the factory, and a hardened looking warrior enters.

Star Cobra
"I'm Star Cobra, if we help you, we'll want help in return."
Apr 14, 2024 5:43 am
Hural relays the offer once again to Star Cobra then considers his words. "I think you misunderstand. We are not asking you to help us, we are offering you a job - a turf free of competition and with the silent backing of our benefactor who will be managing the project. There is only upside as far as your group is concerned. The only thing we gain is some amount of certainty in who controls the territory. I think we can entertain your request, if you can tell me what help it is you offer."
Apr 14, 2024 5:55 pm
"I do," Rook replies to Artemi, expecting that exact response.

When Star Cobra arrives on the scene Rook assesses the man openly. He looked tough, capable, confident and not someone Rook would enjoy tussling with without the advantage of surprise.
Apr 14, 2024 11:37 pm
Qralloq says:
"War creates a, what you call it, an industry, no a demand for mercenaries. I'm sure you know what I mean."
Marcus nods, expecting an answer like this from his old friend. His chosen path suits him.

Star Cobra

Qralloq

Apr 15, 2024 3:35 pm
Star Cobra
He responds with the non unexpected routines of the criminal mercenary - if they wanted scraps from the table, they'd have jobs working in a factory or spice harvester. So what's key to them is a kind of autonomy, where perhaps they work for you on some level, but operate more like a mercenary outfit than employees. Of course, they'd have to curtail some of their activities, that's a given.

If that's something that Hural would agree to, then it comes down to contract price. One of their conditions will be for you to rid them of a problem, someone to whom they owe a debt but can't risk taking on on their own. It's a minor house attached to the Harkonnens.
Apr 15, 2024 7:07 pm
"I think these terms fair, and only what would be expected. We had not considered bringing you in as employees and did expect you to maintain autonomy of your organization. We can discuss the details of any limitations within the area later, but among them would be the typical protection racket, try to keep the market safe while collecting your payments, and keeping violent crime to a minimum. I would not myself agree to ridding you of this problem without the consent of those that may risk themselves to do so, however."

Hural looks to the others. "Marcus, Rook, what do you think?"
Apr 16, 2024 3:01 am
Marcus considers the terms before replying. "I am concerned that eliminating this minor house allied to the Harkonnens will carry great risk. It will surely raise the ire of Harkonnens and quite likely draw unwanted attention to us. But this is a decision above my pay grade, as it were."
Apr 16, 2024 5:59 am
Hural nods. "This, I fear, is above mine as well," he says, turning his attention back to Star Cobra. "I wont' say not to your request at this time, but I will need to take this to our benefactor. Moving against a House, even a minor one, carries risk, as Marcus rightfully points out. I imagine you care not how this debt problem goes away, so we may have options. To properly consider it, I need to know two things - who would be the target, and how much do you owe?"
load next

You do not have permission to post in this thread.