Hotel Meeting

[Pher 0]

They were gathered in one of the hotel rooms, if the dive counted as meeting the high standard of the descriptor ‘hotel’. Pher started things rolling.

 

“The way I figure it, we’re supposed to be looking for jobs, so we’d best look like we’re looking for jobs. Not sure we want to get em. That would pin us down. Still, if they keep an eye on newcomers, and they will, we’d best be looking for a while. You might also watch for jobs that grant access to interesting places. Anyway, we might find bars, visit job consoles, ask questions about pay scale, working conditions and such like.

 

“Troy? You might want to do the initial technical scouting. How many sensors and where? Where is the control room? Airlocks? Escape pods? You might want to take William with you to check six and provide second opinions. As we agreed earlier, low risk to start, but if you see something too good to pass by and William agrees, maybe some risk.

 

“Joe? Byblos? Shane? Me too, I guess. For various reasons, we might stick out or be recognized. Byblos and Shane might draw extra attention just being what they are. That’s fine. Early on at least, be what you look like you ought to be, big, not overly willing to back down. Gular attracts not a few of that type. You might draw less attention showing a bit of attitude than if you wander around as meek as mice. Not too much attitude, though. No hull breeches if you could? Drawing a little attention away from the rest of us might be OK, but too much trouble means too much attention.

 

"I figure to work the bars some, but not in all out flamboyant mode. Working girl in a working bar, that's it. Joe? I figure you ought to stay low key too? Chris? I've nothing specific in mind. General rumor gathering I guess?

 

“Any other ideas, suggestions, or intentions?”

 

Chris Looks at Pher. "Well I said medical when I came aboard. It would make sense that I be looking in a hospital or medical facility. You would be amazed at the info you can gather from medical folders. Who knows might find something or even someone interesting."

 

"Sounds good," Pher said after brief consideration. Thinking of nothing to add she looked about the rest of the group.

 

"I can do low key easy enough," Joe said with a smirk at Pher. "Assuming I don't get into any fights. My version of low key also happens to involve bars, only I won't be shakin' my hips quite as much as you will. Only question is whether or not you want me in the same bar you'll be workin'. Might be safest if you got someone watchin' over you.

 

"Might be safest if I got someone watchin' me for that matter. I will try to limit my intake, though, I promise."

 

Joe glanced around at the rest of the group. "I do have a few observations to offer as I did sit through that whole show in the waiting area. Pher's cover story -- that we were all working together for a port-based outfit on Tranquility -- fell apart within one or two sets of questions. It put our charming processor on his guard a bit. There were more red flags raised later, though I suppose they could be chalked up to folks who were just irritated havin' to wait then be interrogated. But by the time I stepped up to the plate, he was clearly convinced that we were all hiding something. That means we're probably already targets of a light level of surveillance, and someone's story will have to change some if we don't want to bumped up to the next level."

 

Joe shifted his focus back to Pher. "I'm afraid it's gonna have to be yours, gal. You provided a story for all of us and not everyone played along. So if anyone asks, it'll have to turn out that you misspoke. Most of us worked together on Tranquility, but a few of us met up with the rest not long before we left for Andus.

 

"I have a cover story to suggest, one that would bring all our accounts together -- maybe a few minor holes notwithstanding -- and even give us a convenient path to the corporate center when the time comes. I suggest that we worked for Systems Enterprises. Remember them? Folks what got their skyscraper blown up by Minos when we were on Tranquility? Building where Jerald LaHaye worked? The same LaHaye who compiled a cache of data on the Rainmakers that I now possess?

 

"There are a few advantages to this story. One, the company's Tranquility base getting blown up gives us a good reason for why we lost our jobs or couldn't get one that we were lined up for. The violence in general is a good reason we decided to leave the city; I believe I recall one of you giving it, in fact. Systems Enterprises is probably in a bit of disarray at the moment, so if anyone decides to give them a call to check employee records, it might be easy to see how our names would be lost. It may be understandable that we'd not want to broadcast our association with a company that was targeted by terrorists, hence our evasion of the questioning. And if and when the time comes that we decide to introduce some of the data on LaHaye's cache, our work for SE is the perfect cover.

 

"Systems Enterprises builds and codes computers. But it's a safe bet that they install and repair computers on starships. The group of us that followed Pher's story could have comprised the spaceport branch of SE's operations. The group of us that chose separate career paths will have to fill in the gaps.

 

"Ultimately it's your call, Pher. Don't worry -- our interrogator didn't bother askin' me for more than my name, so my story ain't been written yet."

 

Byblos spoke up. "Since I followed Pher's story, the SE Spaceport angle might work for me. I told the guy I was a new hire of Pher's. That would fit in with those who got wasted in the bomb blast. I also declared my profession as an exterminator. Voles are everywhere in the galaxy, and they love chewing on data cable systems at ports and ships." From what I have seen this place fits the description of a port. I think that will work."

 

Pher responded, "Well, if Joe wants to keep an eye on me, this leaves Chris, Shane and Byblos unpaired? You're all three looking for different job angles, but you might start poking around together, or start with a night at the bars together. Chris might look to belong better with Joe and me. I've no strong commitment to any particular pairing, but not being on one's own seems prudent."

 

She turned to Byblos. "I like the vole hunting job. That could give you a low key way to poke about a lot of places. Are you actually good at it?"

 

"Am I good at it? No. Have I done it yes. Nausicaa was infested with them, basically shot them on sight if I saw one. My father's ship as designated mop boy, I learned some baiting methods. They go for the bait, they get fried by a piece of stolen Federation tech. Tranquility was a jykin' pain. We tended to leave cycle parts around the yard for those who might want what others don't. Well the Voles went for them too. Again, a disruptor did them in. But they kept coming. Little Pet`aQs are tenacious. It was once said we should hire the Klingons to obliterate Cardassia Prime and eradicate the species..Hah! Beneath them apparently.

 

"The lower spectra of society usually on Tranquility did the Vole hunting. A Nausicaan doing it would fit. I'd need to pick up a few things to make me fit the role, as for a partner? Well depends if one wants to get one's hands dirty," he added with a chuckle and a glance at Pher

 

Will piped in. “How can he not be good at it? These are voles we’re talking about. I one-eyed, one-armed person could do it. The trick is setting up in the right area.”

 

"OK," Pher replied with a small laugh of her own. "Then all we have to do is come up with a endgame that depends on our passing as expert vole hunters."

 

The big cyborg looked at the surrounding area with a furrowed brow as the others spoke, his low voice still griping and mumbling to himself over the whole processing incident. "He turned back to the group, his bionic giving off a whine as he glared about. Shane had a pretty good idea who Joe was referring to on the whole red flags thing and he was still fuming from it. But he decided to keep his mouth shut on the whole ordeal, not wanting lose his temper to the point of snapping someone's head off.. "Aye, the cap'ns got the idea. I'll say I was workin' security SE spaceport branch, so with their buildin' gettin' blown to the next nebula, I wouldn't want to broadcast my previous position. I can baby-sit any of that think ya need it, seein' how I'm not much good for infiltratin' anywhere at this point."

 

Pher nodded. “I’d like to see everyone working with someone. If anyone isn’t sure where they fit, I’ll give an opinion, but I suspect you can handle it. Anything else?”