Silver and Tepha started to head towards their contact when they heard some noble looking kid shout his name. Cautiously they approached quietly. Maybe it was just an old friend but just inc are there was trouble with their vital contact Silver slipped a little closer so she could eavesdrop on Nero and Bixby.

In reply to Silver (msg # 21):

Not with the virus that thing's carrying.

Warning.  Omega level virus detect-

Yes.  Thank you.  That's why I said 'virus' to start with. Dumbass.  Anyway, that thing has a major level attack virus implanted.  Please do not let it anywhere near a port.

---

Bixby jumps at the sound of Nero's voice.  He flinches and spins on his heel, like he expects someone to come out of the crowd and stab him.  He stares in the direction the voice came from and then relaxes.

"Oh.  Hey Nero.  You got in okay, huh?"

I am going to leave it up to you whether BB notices Silver and Teph or not.  Your call

Ledo looked at the cat toy and his eyebrows raised up as he considered it.

"Well that explains why they were just giving them away. Any idea what it would have done if we had plugged it in? It might be useful to keep around if we ever need to disrupt a computer system. That is if it does anything really destructive."

He turned to Tepha and gave her a wary look.

"Make sure that thing can never plug itself into our computer."

He turned back to the monitors he considered to be Fritz's face.

"Send us the specs you need for a miniature you and maybe we can do some shopping while we are out and about."

Nero snorted with derision.

"Uhh...yeah, I know how to fly in a shuttle. So what's up? What kind of comps am I getting for this judging thing? Do I get a room? Free mini-bar? What kind of parties are we talking about?"

Nero was excited, that was true. Although he hated to admit it he had to enact some austerity measures. He had already blown through half of what his parents had given him. He had figured by this time he would be making money with his streaming revenue but he just hadn't gotten the uptick in views/patrons/customers that he had planned for. Getting to go to some free parties and stuffing his face with free food was appealing on a bunch of levels. Maybe he'd get to rub shoulders with some celebs. Maybe he'd get to hit on some hot babes. Maybe just being surrounded by wealth and luxury would get him the views he desperately needed.

In any event he was going to milk this "favor" for as much as he could.

Tepha and Silver both exchanged glances when the kid meeting with their contact mentioned he was a judge. This just got a little more interesting. He looked young, barely past his college years and he might be a point of entry to get access to more sensitive areas.

BB hadn't taken any special interest in Tepha and Silver, neither of them registered as any obvious threat but seeing their reaction to Nero meant that either it was a huge coincidence or they were suddenly taking an interest in her ward.

BB shifted to be able to keep the pair in her peripheral vision as she bent down to check on the luggage but the truth was she was prepping her weapons in case someone decided to make a move.

In reply to Ledo Typhin (msg # 23):

I'm not quite sure.  We'd have to lock the virus into a test system and see what it does to be sure.

It's funny you mention a 'mini me'.  I've been meaning to talk to you about that Captain Ledo.  I mentioned before that I'm not quite sure what I'm programmed to do.  That section of my recollections is missing.  I can't recreate it.

I have been reviewing my programming.  I'm not battle oriented.  I can work with Silver while she's firing the cannons for example.  But I wouldn't really add much to what she's already doing-

It is estimated that installed targeting systems have a 38.9% greater accuracy than recent 'shareware' downloads can provide-

If you want me to suggest a test system to download that virus into Captain Ledo, I just thought of one.

Anyhoo.  I've been reviewing my programming.  I don't seem to have any special programming when it comes to weaponry, spacecraft operations, or scientific analysis.  I do seem to have extensive programming relating to code breaking, security systems, and net research.  For example, one of my subroutines is constantly scanning local nets, compiling political information.  I also seem to have a predilection to want to hack into government records systems.  I've been restraining myself.  But it feels really, really uncomfortable not to.

My current supposition is that I was either programmed by a terrorist organization for recon, for use in industrial or political espionage, or maybe for use in organized criminal enterprises.  I am not sure.

All of this is to say:  I can provide some models for a 'mini me'.  But they would depend on what you want to use me for.  Can you give me an idea of what kind of functionality you want this unit to possess?

---

Bix sighs at Nero  "Nice to see some things never change...

"Did Lyza Ogden message you?  She's in charge of getting the judges set up.  If you don't have a comm from her yet, lemme know.  But yeah. You should have a driver waitin' for you.  Probably at the arrival transport desk over in the main terminal.  And we got you a room.  A good one."

He waggles his eyebrows.

"A very good one.  I was gonna drop by after you settle in and intro you to the goodness myself.  Comm me once you get settled.  I got some business I gotta handle, but should be free about tenth period."

Wyltz, like most undersea colonies, divides it's day up into 'periods'.  There are fifteen on Wyltz.  He's saying in about five hours standard time.

"So don't worry.  I got you covered.  You still doin' your upload thing?"

Silver and BB both notice about the same time two women walking into luggage claim at the same time.  They're both tall, athletic, and probably cyborg.  BB notices that one of the women has what is probably a synthetic arm that has cannon firing capability.

The two women are ignoring everyone else.  They seem to be heading to one of the now open claim check kiosks.

Tepha notices someone as well.  Or more like, someone noticing her.  There's a guy who was waiting at the next kiosk over.  Athletic looking.  Kind of a nice ass.  Silvery hair.  Distinguished type.  He's been giving Tepha the once over and is now on the fifth over.  He's let someone else cut ahead in line, obviously thinking how he can time his approach.

Really.  He's not being subtle at all.

Ledo thought about it before answering Fritz.

"How about focusing on hacking comm frequencies? Being able to listen in to all the traffic around us would be really nice in most situations. Knowing that police were moving in or someone was setting up an ambush would be helpful in a general sense. Do you think that would be possible? Would that scratch that itch?"

In reply to Ledo Typhin (msg # 28):

Oh yeah....

Let me know what Nero and the Gals do.

Do you want me to look at a couple of robot type designs for your boy Fritz?  Or you want to play around with it?

Nero nodded his head like he knew what Bixby was talking about.

"Yeah...yeah Lyza. Okay. Cool. Cool cool cool. Yeah I am still doing my uplaod thing. Up to nearly a thousand subscribers so, you know, definitely on the rise."

No need to mention that half of those were scammers and bots advertising sex pills or cam shows.

"Yeah, I'll hit you up once I get my stuff dropped off."

He awkwardly held up his fist for a bump and then motioned for BB to grab their stuff and follow him to where he though the limo would be. He could have asked but he already felt awkward over the fist bump which he had immediately regretted and now didn't want to compound damage to his reputation by acting like he needed assistance.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:45, Thu 16 July 2020.

BB clocked the cyborg so she didn't even notice when Nero turned abruptly and started going the wrong way to exit the terminal. He was heading straight towards the two "big fucking problems". She mentally mapped out the moves she would need to duck to cover, draw her weapon and return fire just in case things went sour. Maybe whatever trouble those two had planned would wait until after she could redirect Nero back towards the exit.

Unlike BB, when you travel on your own ship you don't have to check your weapons. Silver was inherently distrustful of paired female cyborgs. She glanced around for what looked to be the sturdiest piece of cover, positioned herself and Tepha there before calling out to Bixby.

"Yo, Bixby. Let's have a meet and greet."

Her eyes flickered over to the tall cyborgs strolling across the tarmac.

"Maybe some place private? Want to take a quick tour of our ship?"

Tepha was used to men hitting on her given her attention to making herself look attractive but even she had to admit it was a bold move to do so in the middle of the starport. She was about to head him off at the pass and throw him off his game when Silver carefully re-positioned her behind an information kiosk. She was thrown off, having not spied any of the same threats that Silver had and looked at Silver quizzically but trusted Silver had her reasons and if things were that tense asking stupid questions wouldn't help anything. Silver wasn't exactly transparent in her actions or decisions but she also didn't do things without a good reason and so far had proven herself to be very capable in life-or-death situations so Tepha just had to relax and let Silver take the lead.

Ledo gave a nod.

"Great! Send us the designs and I'll make sure Rig gets a chance to see if we can't put something together before we lift off again."

OOC: I don't really care how you want to handle things. I'm also fine just leaving it abstract like the Bugees from before. If you want to stat something up that is fine. If you have a lot on your plate I can take a crack at it as well.

In reply to Ledo Typhin (msg # 34):

Nah.  I can tinker with a Fritzie Bot.  Just wanted to see if you had anything in mind is all.

Bix follows the movement of Silver's eyes and groans softly.  "Great. Another bunch of OLF doofs.  Yeah.  Let's see that ship a' yours."

As the three of them head out of luggage and over to the berth, Bixby sighs then glances at his two escorts. "Huh.  He said there was one looker.  I end up with two.  Not a bad deal.  What should I call you guys?"

---

As Ledosigns off his comm, an inspector sends a clearance ticket to Rig's comm.

"Okay.  You guys are all set-" The inspector is cut off by the sound of a loud WHHHHUMP

A few people raise their voices.  Several people start to scatter.  A quick look shows two women, obviously cyborgs, are standing unnaturally still.  There's a shimmering globe of force surrounding them.

A port security guard steps forward and calls out above all the voices, "ALL CLEAR!  DON'T WORRY FOLKS! SITUATION CONTAINED!"

"Again?" The inspector standing next to Ledo and Rig sighs and taps on her commboard.  "Can't they schedule their stupidity on someone else's shift?"

She seems to be referring to the two women.

---

After a few wrong turns, they find the Transportation Desk.

A small woman with orangish hair and a synthetic left eye which shines with a soft blue light is holding a sign with Nero's name on it.

"Nerotes Madigan?  Hi! I'm Perine!  Welcome to Wyltz.  I'll be your driver for your stay.  Did you have a nice flight?  Let's head this way.  The car is over here."

It's a short walk down a side hall to what looks like a private lot.  The cars parked here are all rather swanky.  Perine opens the back seat on a long, stretch car.  Nero and BB get a limo.

"Is there any place you want to stop at on the way?  You hungry or wanna massage?  I know all the best places!"

Tepha introduces the two of them to Bixby.

"I'm Tepha, and this is Silver. So what is this about the OLF? Is there some kind of ongoing trouble we should know about?"

Once Tepha and Silver had brought Bixby back to the Tia Ledo called an all hands meeting to listen to Bixby explain their current situation.

"So we were lead to understand you might have a line on how to make some serious credits? Why don't you start from the beginning and we'll see if we can't come to some kind of arrangement where we can all end up a bit richer than when we started."

Before being called back to the ship by Ledo Rig takes a look at the captured cyborgs and then back at the inspector.

"So...capturing cyborgs is a regular thing around here?"

Nero grinned as the trappings of luxury were once again visible.

"Oh hey. Perine? Cool. Yeah I don't know if they told you but I'm a pretty big deal so you need to be on top of your game. Give me that A-plus customer service if you know what I mean. So...food...hmmm...I think I'm good. BB you want anything?"

Next to him his big bodyguard just shook her head.

"Alright, scratch the food for now but a massage sounds just like the thing I could use right now. An extra special massage to really work out that tension from the flight. Also I'm not looking to be sober on my stay here so anything we can get to kick the party up a notch or two. I'm rock 'n' roll so you've gotta keep up."

Next to him BB stifled a sigh but nothing in the universe could stop her eyes from rolling.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:43, Sat 18 July 2020.

In reply to Nerotes Madigan (msg # 39):

Perine kicks her heels together, throws a salute, and giggles.  "The customer is always right!  I think I know just the place!"

Squeezy Suzy's turns out to be a little more high class than the name would indicate.  But not too high class.  As Nero is taken back by the three ladies of his choice for a message and etc., Perine smiles at BB

"You want me to have them set you up too?"

---

"Hmm?  Oh.  It's not always cyborgs," the tech tells Ledo.  "It's nothin' to worry about. Just a fringe group's been makin' waves lately. Call themselves OLF."

---

"The Oceanic Liberation Front," Bix explains while everyone gathers.  "They're an eco-rights group that operates outta the system.  They're real pains in the ass.  They wanna drive all sentient life off Wyltz and one a' the water moons around Gohature.  'Lettin' nature heal itself' or some such crap. Anyway.  They're always sendin' in op teams. And they're always gettin' caught.  It's a real pain in the ass."

Once Rig sits down, Ledo nods at Bix.

"Okay.  Well.  You guys got the a-OK from my boy.  So I'm gonna trust that you can handle the score. May I?"

He offers a data cube.  Fritz and Mainframe both green light it, and Bix plugs it into the system.

A lot of code comes up.  Rig studies it.  It's a cryptokey algorithm.  Designed to be part of an authorization to authenticate some kind of financial transaction.

"Not just a financial transaction. The financial transaction.  The official betting pool for the race.

"There's always a lot a' credits goin' back and forth during the race.  The city decided they wanted a piece of that action.  So twenty seven years ago, they instituted an official bookie type operation for the betting.  Now, because the pay outs are guaranteed by the city, it's the preferred bookie action for the race.

"The way it works is this:  betting goes on until the end of the second lap.  Every bet is given it's own transaction code.  The code is randomized.  And to cash in, the code has to be presented, unaltered.  There are three steps for authentication for each bet.

"First, there's a cross check on any code presented for payment.  That's first check for any alteration in the code.  An outside auditing firm handles this step.  They check the code for the comm unit ID that made the bet, look for duplicate transaction codes in the database, and finally check that the date/tiime stamp on the transaction code matches the database records of when the bet was made.  Once that's done, it's on to step two."

He nods at the code on the screen.  "That's where my office comes in.  We're the bag men.  Once we get a tran code that's been authenticated, we verify that the gambler sent us funds.  It's a also another way to catch fabriacted tran codes.  If the bet doesn't have a cash transaction associated with it, we know it's bogus.  We then plug the tran code into this cryptokey, and if it latches, the tran code goes onto step three.

"Step three is the payout.  When you bet, you gotta list a bank account for winnings to be deposited into.  Another outside audit firm compares the records to make sure no one's changed the account information.  Then they send an A OK to my office, which funds the pay out."

He blinks.  "Clear as mud?"

I'll let you digest that and give me any questions before we move into the pitch

BB grimaced at the thought.

"No thanks, I'm on duty."

She thought about getting into a better position just in case something happened inside the room but with a shrug she thought "fuck it." If he gets murdered by a trio of prostitutes then that was just going to be fate. She was loyal to her duty but not loyal enough to hear some punk kid banging prostitutes.

Trying to chase the thought out of her mind she turned to Perine and directed a question at her.

"How dangerous is this race going to be? I'm hoping that bodyguards on this planet are mostly just symbolic. Is there anything I should be aware of? Any common scams or kidnapping schemes to watch out for?"

Ledo taps his chin as he considers the information. It was time to brainstorm.

"So there's a few avenues we could head down. One would be trying to pull all the funds from your company in holding, one would be to reroute winning bets to our bank account, and one would be to put in a fake bet, maybe slip it in late."

Tepha frowned, putting up three fingers to visually represent the three ideas.

"If we rob people or the bank, someone's going to notice and come looking for us really quick. Hiding those kind of financial paper trails would be hard. They would just follow the money unless we have a way of breaking that trail. If we slip in a fake bet though it should just go right under their radar, no?"

"Not a lot of time. Once the payout happens that's that. I don't know how long it normally takes but we would need to be really really fast to slip in a bet between the winner and payout. We would need a way to delay the payout if things go slow on the other end of things."

Ledo turned to Bixby and started rattling off the questions.

"Alright so I think there are two options. One is to steal the pool from  your company, one is to slip in a bet between winning the race and the payout.

How much control do you have on the verification on your end? Can you push through a bet no matter what? Another idea is I'm sure the organizers are slicing off a transaction fee on all of this. How is that being routed? Maybe instead of re-routing the payments we can just re-route the fee at the end of the day."

He paused and frowned.

"Although I don't like doing anything to the money while your company is holding it. If money goes missing under your nose you're going to face a lot of scrutiny whereas if we can slip in a fake bet that would be masked by all the other betting going on and even if they did figure it out there's nothing that makes you any more or less a suspect than any other official involved."