In General

For once, things seem to be going smoothly.

No.  Really.

Bix issues an invitation to his 'partners' to join him in the Judges Booth.  The head of the audit teams will be there too, so if anything goes wrong, it might help with damage control.  At least a sudden reaction from the auditors would be a clue that things have gone wrong.

Fritz thinks its a good idea for at least either Tepha or Ledo to go.  He can handle running the programs from Tia's berth at the down port.

Silver and Rig don't get the luxury of a private party booth.  They have to be down at the racing platform three hours before hand.

The race course is pretty straight forward.  It's an old service tunnel that runs from the city's dome to their remote emergency pumping station and back.  It's basically built as a large circle between the two areas.  The race consists of five laps around the entirety of the tunnel, with the final drag through a section of the city streets.  There's a download of the course map Silver can upload to the bike's nav system and the screen on her helmet.

Nero is in heaven.  His views have hit the tens of thousands!  It's all thanks to the Pany Paws.  Their fan base is hungry for photos and vid of their vapid, behind the scenes existence.  And with enough liquor, Nero has been able to provide.

BB's daily duel with the bellhops continues as a new liquor and snack tray are delivered daily.  But what the hell. It's free grub, right?

Perine signals them three hours before the race.  She's coming with a limo (per Nero's instructions) to pick up him and whoever he wants up.  The Paws are completely up for a private party box to watch the race.

Just need to know who is where.

Silver and Rig don't have a choice.  They have to be down at the race course.

Nero doesn't have a choice either.  He's got to go to the Judges Box.

I'm assuming BB will follow Nero to the Judges Box.

I would strongly recommend either Tepha or Ledo, if not both, take Bix up on his offer of attending the Judges Box party too.  But up to you.  Things will happen as they will.

Which will be smoothly.  Very smoothly.  Nothing is going to go wrong at all.

And just to confirm, putting in a 'bet' of 1 million credits, right?

Ledo was dressed in his navy formal outfit while Tepha was in a high priced dress so the pair of them could blend in properly with the rest of the box. With the two of them they could cover one another and be each other's alibi if necessary.

Ledo was a little nervous. They had each made 50cr bets across the racers and the goal was to slip a couple zeroes after that to raise it up to half a million. Enough for a sizable payout but one that if something went horribly wrong they could still cover by dipping into the ship's funds.


OOC: FYI Leave the other thread open. I've got a big final interaction between Tepha and Ledo planned for his return but that will take time to craft.

Also I'm deducting 1,000cr from Ledo's funds to cover all the clothes/food etc.

In reply to Ledo Typhin (msg # 2):

All good.  You may add whatever you need to the first thread.  Shouldn't be closed.

Let's mambo

Nero and BB

The blonde Pany Paws...was this one Kerin?  No.  Maybe it was Styna.  Well whatever.  The blonde one squeals as soon as she enters the room and heads for the chocolate fountain. She likes to eat, that one.

Two of the other Pany Paws spot eligble looking men and make beelines for them.  One thing that's become evident in the couple of days spent with the Paws:  they seem very aware their current career doesn't have a lot of longevity.  These two seem to be shopping for an M R S to fill the eventual void.

The last two:  the original strawberry blonde and the brunette, are hanging around you Nero.

The strawberry blonde clicks her tongue, eyes scanning the room.  BB, you guess she's looking for the bar.  The strawberry blonde really likes her liquor.

The brunette...Ansley...looks around.  "Huh.  I don't know what I was expecting.  Just nothing this...corporate."

It is kind of a sedate affair thus far.  It's more like cocktail hour at a bar that caters to upper management types than a party.

Then again, the day is still young.  There's three hours until race time after all.

---

Tepha and Ledo

The security guard waggles his lips but finally passes you back the comm unit that displays your invitation.

Security here is tight.  Really tight.  It's taken you fifteen minutes and two separate weapons scans to get this far.  But it seems this guy, Mr. Lip Waggle, was the last obstacle.

He smiles insincerely and directs you down the hall to the elevator.  You will want to take elevator number four, as it is an express directly to the Judge's box.  It is the only entry for the public as well.

There are five others waiting on the elevator as well.  Two couples and a single guy.  The couples are an older man and his wife, distinguished looking but not too ritzy.

The other couple is a pair of young women.  They giggle.  One of them says to you Tepha "Excuse me.  That's a fascinating dress.  Is it off the rack?"

The girl's breath smells like joint.  Her date/friend is tittering nverously.

The single guy is well dressed, almost impecabbly so.  He nods to you Tepha, but frown when he hears the young high woman say what she did.

---

Rig and Silver

The official walks into your pit.  "Hey folks.  Sorry for the delay.  Another vehicle was havin' problems.

"I'm Kastor.  I'll be mpnitoring your pit for the officals.  Now then.  Ms...Silver?  You'll be driving, right?  Then do you have any questions for me?  The race will be five laps around the access tunnel.  Once you enter from the tunnel, you will move through the prescribed city street route.  Deviation from that route will be means for disqualification.  If you understand, please scan your retina into this box."

Nero gives Ashley a friendly nudge with his elbow. It was one thing to just get backstage info about one of them but if he could land one as a girlfriend, even temporarily, it would send him into the stratosphere. Everything was coming up Nero!

"Come on now, Ashley, the night is still young! Besides even if this place is dead you and I can at least have a good time!"

BB silently walked to a corner where she could keep an eye on Nero and the box door at the same time. She had left her chainsword at home but her pistol and knife should be sufficient for an unruly fan. Plus she had backup in the form of the Pansy Paws security team.

Thinking about them she glanced over at the nearest one, catching his eye and giving a nod of professional courtesy. She might not be part of a professional unit but she figured he would be able to sniff the ex-military scent off of her all the same.

Tepha was no stranger to catty women.

"Well when you have a figure like mine you don't need extensive alterations to look good."

A nice counter jab reference to plastic surgery and time to go in for the kill. Tepha leaned forward and gave an exaggerated sniff.

"Oh that is a very interesting perfume you have."

Silver gave a half smile and leaned forward.

"Don't you be staring at my ass while I'm doing this."

Behind her Rig just planted his face into his palm. Was there ever a situation that Silver didn't somehow make more awkward?

BB

You've gotten to know the Paws security detail some.  Of course they can't afford to be blase of you and Nero.  Just like you couldn't afford to be blase of them. But there has been some interaction.

Your overall impression is most of them are adequate.  Two stand out.  The head of the detail is Parket.  He's definitely ex-Marine and one of the better trained ones.  He can definitely hold his own.  Of them all, you think he's the only one who might be real trouble in a fight.

There is another guy:  O'Henrix.  He seems pretty on point.  Not as weathered as you or Parket.  But give him another few years.  He certainly seems the most vigilant.

So when you look his way, and see him sort of do a double take like he is right now, it seems worth nothing.

O'Henrix has taken up a position to keep watch on the elevator.  He seems to be reacting to the group that just came off.

You glance at it.  Three couples and a single guy.  One of the couples are a couple of young twits.  Party girls who are probably already stoned.  An older couple who look took banker to be of concern.  The single guy seems of average concern.

Okay.  Wait.  Last couple.  A guy in military uniform.  Naval.  And he's escorting a cute little number in a slinky dress.  Red hair.  It's the red hair that stands out.  You remember her.  When Nero and you saw Bix at the starport, there were a couple of women who came up towards Bix, waiting for him and your boss to stop talking.  The red head was one of them.

Okay.  It's not necessarily suspicious that you'd see one of those women here.  Bix is here.  So maybe he invited other friends, right?

So why is O'Henrix on his earpiece?  And why is he keeping tabs on those two as they start to mingle...

---

Silver and Rig

"Hard not to look at something so round and fully packed ma'am." Kastor doesn't blink as he responds, capturing your retina Silver on his device.

He checks some output and nods.  "Okay.  Route info should be uploading now.  Lemme see the bike."

He turns towards you Rig, but all conversation starts as a new contestant arrives on a really loud bike.  A really nice loud bike.

It's a Hevenford A-2229 Sublight Absolute Zero.  Latest in fuel processing, handling, and guidance.  Even the seat looks sweeter than sex.

A pretty boy with an overstuffed crotch parks it in the lane next to yours and hops off, his perfect hair glistening in the artificial sunlight.

"Sorry," he announces.  "Just can't help but let the beast roar."

---

Tepha and Ledo

"Don't we all know it," mutters the older woman, waving a hand in front of her nose as if to fan off the fumes.

Everyone except the party girls chuckles.

The indicator dings as the elevator arrives.  Just as the doors open, the single guy glances at the blushing party girl and says

"Really shouldn't try to mess with class honey."

He gives you a wink Tepha and steps off the elevator.

The party girls throw a murderous glance your way Tepha and storm off.  Probably going to the bathroom to have another joint and bitch about you.

As you both leave the elevator, it looks like the party is in full swing.  The room is pretty full.  Maybe forty people thus far.  Ledo, you see Bix standing by a window on the far side.

Your comms light up.  A message from Fritz.

I was able to locate photos of the auditors.  Sending to you now.

It's a bit like finding the Hivers hidden in this picture, but you spot all three of them.  Two women and a man.  One of the women is talking to Bix. The other woman is seated at a table, a holokeyboard and screen displaying in the air before her.

The man is chatting up a pretty strawberry blonde.  The blonde looks vaguely familiar, and seems more interested in getting the bartender's attention than the auditor's lines.

---

Nero

"Huh?  Oh yeah."  Ansley nods vaguely at what you just said Nero.  Though you doubt she's paying attention.

Ansley reminds you of an accountant at times.  She seems more level headed than the others.  But she's also not as fun.

She nods towards a display window.  "Let's take a seat now.  So we have 'em to watch the race."

She takes your arm and seems to want you to escort her over to the sofa she indicated.

"Sorry Nero.  Got distracted.  We haven't really had a chance to talk.  Tell me about you.  I mean, besides the vid channel.  What else about you?"

Just to recap:

BB sees Tepha and Ledo.  So does this O'Henrix (remember him?) guy.  Ledo and Tepha don't see them.

Ledo and Tepha have ID'd all three auditors present and see Bix.

Nero is coozing up to Ansley by the couch.

Silver and Rig are checking in.

We have a little bit of set up, but will be focusing on the party for a few posts.  The race will start very soon.

Thanks

BB glanced around at the rest of the guards. She wanted to give them their space to work but she didn't like being out of the loop on a potential threat. She shifted positions to get eyes on Parket and see how busy he looked. If it didn't look like he was actively listening or issuing orders she'd clear her throat to get eyes on him.

"Listen, I know you've got your job and I've got mine but with our packages so tightly mingled do you mind keeping me in the loop? If something happens I want to be an asset and make sure we're all shooting the same way..."

Rig came prepared with ear protectors. He slipped them on so he could focus on helping the inspector view the bike for registration.

Silver rolled her eyes as the kid revved his engine. She was tempted to go over there and commit a little "light" sabotage but she remembered that there was a lot of money at stake and the last thing she needed was to get in trouble for something like that.

Out of curiosity she pulled up her phone and looked up the odds on pretty boy. Maybe he could actually back up all that bravado.

Ledo gives a glance towards the guy at the bar before breaking away from Tepha to head towards Bix and the woman.

"Hello, sorry for interrupting but I just wanted to express my appreciation for the seats. I assume you two are the hosts so thank you."

He lifted a glass at the woman and Bix. Not the smoothest of entry lines but he hoped it was enough to get into a reasonable conversation with the woman.

Tepha slinked her way over to the bar where the desperate man was trying to get attention. She slipped in right next to him and then gave an exasperated sigh to get his attention.

"Ugh...what do you have to do to get a good martini around here."

She was technically talking to herself but it was at sufficient volume that even with his focus on Strawberry Blonde he might register that there was a single woman next to him on the other side.

Nero gave a shrug.

"Oh you know. My parents thought I wasn't living up to my full potential so they tried to kick me out. 'You can't just live at the estate forever...' that kind of bullshit. It's not like they earned that money either. Anyway I wanted to see the stars so that's what prompted the channel. I'm touring the galaxy and sharing the best of galaxy with all my fans. And some of your fans too thanks to a bit of cross-pollination. I travel to a system, see what is new or exciting or interesting and share it around.

How about you? What do you do when you're not doing...this? The other girls don't seem to think beyond the next bottle or pill but I think you've got a pretty keen mind resting on those perfect shoulders of yours."


That's it Nero, play it cool. Casually mention your rich family with generational wealth, express a sense of excitement but also a humanizing side of wanting to share and end with a double-barreled compliment about intelligence and looks.

Ledo

Bix smiles, maybe a little too flatly, as you approach.  But even if he's not a great actor, he's at least smart enough to go with the flow.

"Oh, no worries Ledo!  It's always great to have you around.  Do you two know each other?" He waves a finger between you and the auditor.  "Lemme introduce ya.  Nassie Collins, this is Ledo Typhin.  I met him a couple of years ago.  I-ooops."

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his comm.  "Sorry.  I need to take this.  Be back in a bit."

He steps away, acting like he's got a comm line incoming.  Nassie stiffles a sigh and then turns back to you, a polite smile on her face.  "Nice to meet you.  How do you and Bix know each other?"

---

Nero

A waiter brings up a tray of shrimp puffs and barbecued eel.  Ansley smiles and holds up a hand, shaking her head at the offer.

She sits next to you on the couch.  "Well thanks.  I do try to keep my head about me.  Honestly, I lucked into all this.  Just answered an ad for a job.  Didn't even know it was an audition.  I like to sing.  Guess I have a decent voice.  And I jazzercised.  Who knew it  would lead me to stardom."

She laughs, obviously being sarcastic about 'stardom'. "You're not recording right now, right?  Well keep this off the air.  I don't think the Paws have much longer.  Our last couple of singles did okay, but not like the first five.  I've been saving my credits.  I'm going to ride this until I can't and then...we'll see.

"How long do you think you'll be able to keep your channel up and running?"

---

Silver

The guy's name is Righteous Rigs.  No. Really.  Righteous Rigs.  Stop making that face.

Whatever kind of bag he is, he's at least got press.  Apparently he's a pro at riding.  He's not the odds on favorite, but he's in the top three.

Must be the bike.  It is a good looking bike.

---

Rig

"Really?  This is your bike?"

Kastor blinks at it and shrugs.  "No offense.  I mean...'s a decent bike.  For like...recreation an' stuff.  But racing?  I hope your gal's pretty tough.  Like I said. No offense."

Kastor squats down and inspects the exhaust.  "Got no armaments, right?  If you do, they gotta come off pre-race."

---

BB

Parket checks his ear piece and glances in the direction of the redhead and military guy.

You catch his eye just after.

He siddles up and listens to you, scratching the back of his head.  Signal?  Can't tell.

He nods, leaning in enough to sotto voce.  "Don't disagree.  Here's the sit:  my guy O'Henrix recognizes the two that came in.  Red Head and guy in Naval.  You copied them I'm guessin'?  Right.  So apparently he's run into them before.  They were involved as 'witnesses' at some kind of auction heist he worked security on.

"Sounds like they were suspects of having hands in, but the cops never boggied 'em.  We're runnin' backgrounds and security checks.  I've got another one I'm concerned about. Guy who ducked inta a closet and seems to have gone ghost. Trying to get security cam footage.  But the site's security team is gettin' all territoral."

He looks at you. "You wanna play ball with me?  If you're gonna ride on my intel, I'd like some glad hand back.  Tag the redhead, tag the naval guy, or go down an' try to sweet talk the onsite security head into releasin' that footage to us.  I'll keep an eye on your boy jus' like he was my own."  He holds up an earpiece like the one his team uses.  With it, you could monitor their back and forth with ease.

But he doesn't hand it over.

"Deal?"

Just to clarify, the event has it's own security.  You and the Paws detail are just 'guests'.  The onsite security team is supposed to be running the show

---

Tepha

Mr. Desperate does a bit of a double take, eyes traveling over you like a little kid eyeing up a gum drop mountain.

Mr. Desperate waves a hand at the bartender.  The bartender must know him, because he looks up right away. "Hey Marty! Gives this lady a Nice n' Dirty, will ya?"

Mr. Desperate smiles at you.  "Local specialty.  Olives and hot peppers in vodka an' Vagarian Vermouth.  Worth a try.  Definitely a good martini."

Mr. Desperate has a name.  "I'm Keno Wellingslee.  What's your name?"

Ledo taps one of the medals on his uniform. It doesn't really matter which one as she likely couldn't tell the difference between one or the other.

"I used to be a captain in the Navy and I intercepted some pirates that were about to board his ship. At the time he promised he would make it up to me so when I was in the area on vacation I decided to cash in that chip and see the race from a nicer viewpoint. How about yourself? Are you a colleague of his or..."

He let it trail off a bit hoping she would fill in the blank.

Nero nodded along with her and when she asked he gestured that the camera was off. When she asked her final question he just laughed and shrugged.

"As long as my bank accounts hold on. At this point it's a matter of time before I get big enough for sponsorships and ads. Turn it into something proper like one of those travel channel things. And worst case if it all crashes and burns go back to the family estate and try something else.

The problem is I really want to explore, you know. I even got my degree in Astronomy and astrogation. Go out to the fringe and spend my time discovering new planets, maybe even new aliens or what not. The only thing holding me back is...well...it's so lonely out there on the edge of space. The first thing you learn about space is that it is big. Like...really big."

That's it Nero, keep it going. A couple of jokes, some more subtle references to your success with a college degree and a dream to explore the stars. Time to hook her and reel it in Nero. Just keep it cool...

Rig gives a shrug at the man doing his best to hide his embarassment. No need to reveal that this whole thing was just so they could land their ship quicker.

"Just you wait and see. There's more to racing than just hardware..."

If Rig had been a better actor he might have been able to speak about it with conviction.

Silver overheard their inspector and frowned. She was going to get smoked by a bike just like the one this guy was wasting. She fantasized about luring him to the back, knocking him out and taking his bike for a spin around the track but she had to remind herself once again that they had a much bigger score in mind. Much bigger. If she caused trouble over a stupid bike she would never hear the end of it.

With sheer force of will she turned away from that magnificent machine and looked back at her...serviceable mode of transportation.

BB gives a nod and takes the earpiece, putting it in and checking it is working.

"Alright fairs fair. I recognize the redhead. She and some woman with a scar on her face were meeting that guy Bix at the starport when we landed."

She paused and considered the situation. She really didn't want to spend her time watching Nero flirt with some teeny-bop pop star so she nodded towards the door.

"Alright you keep him from doing anything stupid and I'll see if the locals can give us some professional courtesy."

She gave one last look at the kid before heading towards the door and where local security was.

Before they had left she had pulled down a few of their cameras and they were burning a hole in her pocket. She pulled out her personal hud and synched it up to the camera feeds and then looked around where she could drop a few of them off. One she would put in the hallway leading to the room and one she was hoping to slip in the security room provided she had a good angle and a good opportunity. Locals would really not like it if she was caught spying on them...

OOC: FYI she pulled 2 cameras. Back at the hotel room the cameras are still recording the elevator and their room door just in case.

Tepha lifted her voice an octave as she giggled and accepted the drink.

"Wow you must be a bigshot to just get served that quickly. What is it you do exactly?"

She tilted her head down so she could look up and positioned herself so that while he was looking down at her eyes he could also get a clear view at the top of her dress as well. She took a sip of her martini and her doe eyes went wide as the spice hit her tongue and she started to cough, violently, completely ruining her seductive pose. Set down her drink and started frantically looking for water.

OOC: Sounds like a spicy drink and she doesn't seem the type to handle that very well..

BB

Understood. Thanks for the heads up on the hotel cameras.

He. He he. He he he he he.  BWAH-HA  HA HA HA HA!

Parket nods, grinning.  "Good.  Head of security is a gal named Trabor.  But her second is a guy named Snitz.  Snitz is a bit of a ladies man.  I'm sure you know how to handle that."

The earpiece taps into the Paws security network easy.  You can hear the banter as you head for the elevators.

"Heads up boys.  We now have responsibility for another package.  Nero Bigmouth.  He is now one a' our own.  Copy."

The others have all copied as you wait for the elevator.  A quick glance backwards shows Parket has taken up position to where he can watch the couch with Nero and the Paw he's after.

"Copy," adds O'Henrix, the last to respond.  "Hey Cap.  The two I pegged before..."

"What about 'em?"

"They seperated and seem to be chatting up other people."

"So?  Their marital problems aren't our concern."

The elevator dings and the door slides open.  The Locals Security nest should be by the main entrance on the ground floor.

"Sure. But it's who they're chatting up that's the ish.  I ran crosschecks on the attendee list copy we got.  Both their targets work for the same accounting firm."

There's a pause on Parket's end while he chews on that.  The elevator slides down to the first floor.  Parket comes back online.

"You think this might be a set up?"

"They've done this kind of thing before."

"Alright.  If they're just runnin' some kind of con, that's not our business.  But if they're gonna try to pull guns, it is.  O'Henrix, stay on the DL in case they recognize you.  Wayman, tag the red head.  Wxley, tag Mr. Uniform.  Do not approach.  Just monitor and look for signs of hardware.

"BB.  Leave it up to you if you wanna share this with Local or not.  Your call."

---

Silver

You turn to look back, feeling like a guy who's given up a date with Ms. Universe to go with Ms. Congeniality, when you notice something.  The stands at the starting line are back there, not too far from where you are.

In the stands you see Olga's security guard.  No Olga.  Just Mr. Security Guy.  He seems to be looking over the bikes and racers, looking like some average Bob having a day off work at the races.

But then he raises his hand and touches his ear.  Like he's wearing an earpiece.  His mouth moves...maybe.  You're too far away to be sure.

But it looks like he's talking to someone on an earpiece.

---

Ledo

Nassie raises her eyebrows, surprised by your tale of derring-do.  She waves a hand at your implied question. "Oh no.  No.  Sweet Buddha no.  Just a colleague I guess is the right term.  My company is doing some work for the Racing Committee.

"Have you ever been to Shrimp Fest before?"

Over her shoulder, you notice someone who looks like security moving a little closer towards you.  The guy stops scanning the room a little too deliberately.  He must be security.  He doesn't seem to be attached to you per se. Maybe where you're talking to Nassie is close to a security post.  This area does give a good vantage point to the rest of the room.

---

Nero

Ansley nods slowly, her expression changing slightly, but you aren't sure from what to what.

"Huh.  I'll be honest.  I kind of had you pegged as more of a Momma's Boy.  But I guess I was wrong.  That's actually a pretty decent dream to go after.  Sorry for judging you.

"I'd like to travel too.  I wanna see the Jewel sector.  I guess everyone would like to.  But I'd like to go deeper into the Imperium too.  Have you ever thought about going on a safari?  I'd like to.  Or maybe go skiing on an ice moon.  Any one thing you'd like to try?"

---

Tepha

The drink is more peppery than hot, but the effect is the same.

Keno seems a bit surprised, but hurriedly waves the bartender back for some water.

As you sip the water, Keno grins sheepishly.  "Sorry. Should have asked if you could handle spicy.  Let's try something sweet.  Get her an Upper Decker, would ya?"

That's more like it.  Sake and Aslan okijit buried under fruit juice syths and sweet oils.  It's mild and sweet.  Coats the tongue to help kill the burn.

But it's also got quite a kick.  You probably want to keep that in mind.

Keno's smile seems to get a little more confident.  "Better?"

---

Rig

Kastor gives you a look, like he's not buying what you just said either.  He opens his mouth to respond, but you are spared whatever he has to say by the sudden noise of an engine kicking on.

One of the riders about four rows over suddenly cranks her bike and peels off down the lane.

The track is filled with people.  Onlookers, officials, and curious fans have to scramble out of her way as she shuttles down the raceway and into the tunnel.

Kastor frowns.  "Whadda douche.  They're gonna get disqualified for that little stunt."

BB paused in the hallway outside the room, looking for someplace inconspicuous to drop her first camera and when a good spot was located she fumbled with her phone, dropping it to the floor and letting her use her body to shield her actions from the security cameras as she dropped one into place. Checking to make sure her phone was alright she took the elevator to the security office.

When she got there she knocked on the door.

"Hey I'd like to talk to Trabor. Got some matters of security to discuss."

Seducing a douche wasn't really her cup o' tea and would likely end up with he being locked up for injuring a security officer.