NationStates Jolt Archive

Jason noticed Paolo finish, and put down his own still half full cup. He'd always preferred tea to coffee, but now hardly seemed the proper time to mention it. "Ready to go?" he asked, getting ready to stand up.

Paolo stood up and picked up his briefcase, "Yes I am," he said with a smile. "Lead the way."

It was a brisk, clear morning, and Jason almost paused to enjoy the picturesque scene unfolding before them. However, there was work to be done!

When they arrived at the Hudson central office (which was frankly quite unimpressive, but considering the tenacious grip the small company had to maintain, quite understandable), a plump secretary looked up and smiled.

"Hello! What can I help you boys with?"

"Hi," Paolo smiled and handed over two business cards, one for each of them. "We'd like to see Mr. Hudson please. We don't have an appointment, but we think we could help him in his.. current financial matters."

(I'm gonna follow your lead on this one.)

"Oh, I'm afraid you boys just missed him!" replied the secretary with an apologetic smile. "He's off on an, ah, personal trip. Should I take a message?"

"Isn't there anyone we could see?" asked Jason. "This is very important."

"Well," she replied, thinking, then snapping her fingers. "There is Mr. Brown, the vicepresident! He'll be in his office, I imagine. Just go on through!"

"Now, hold on, Becky," replied a more grim-faced security guard. "We can't afford to be getting sloppy. Couple of strangers walking in off the street, askin' to see Mr. Hudson? Sounds awful suspicious...awful Thortrain suspicious." The guard didn't menace them directly, but kept his hand down near the six shot CG mk. VIII .45 in his side holster. "Now, supposing I were to ask your two's business with Mr. Hudson?"

A personal trip? Wonder what her name is...

"We'd like to make Mr. Hudson an offer he can't refuse." Paolo said. "If you'd like to get the upper hand on RM&M, then I think it's very important that we meet with Mr. Brown."

(you might just get to find out, if you don't mind this RP taking a bit of a detour :))

The guard still eyed them suspiciously. "Ok, you can come it. But either one of you makes a funny move..." He left the thought unfinished, opting to wave at a nearby guard instead. "Larry, help me watch these guys, ok?" Keeping his eyes on Jason and Paolo, the first guard pushed open a door marked "G. Brown, E.V.P."

"Mr. Brown? Two men to see you. They say something about beating out RM&M."

"Very well, Henderson. Show them in, thank you."

Henderson glared Jason and Paolo in, taking up position behind Mr. Brown, with Larry blocking the door. Mr. Brown himself was an overweight little man with a bad combover. He quickly stood to his full five foot five inches and extended a hand to shake. "Hello, gentlemen. I'm Greg Brown, the executive vice president. What can I help you with?"

After shaking hands, he directed them to seats and settled back into his own.

(Excellent! Sure it can, like it hasn't already :P)

Paolo grinned as Henderson glared at him and Larry moved to block the door.

"Mr. Brown, to cut to the chase. How would you like to be the reciepient of capital to restart this business, security for your transport ships, a market to sell in, and at the same time, turn the dagger in RM&M's heart?"

Mr. Brown spun a Walmingtonish fountain pen in his left hand, considering the two men with his blue Noropian eyes. "I'd say we're very interested," he replied. "And we're also very skeptical."

Paolo nodded, "Well, let's start with what you are skeptical about."

Brown leaned forward across the desk, glaring at Paolo. "We lose our only ore freighter, and twenty six good men with her, and suddenly a couple of guardian angels with miracle answers to all our questions appear. I'm a little skeptical that your intentions are to help us. I think His-fecking-royal-pain-in-the-highness sent you two clowns up here to finish us off, but y'all screwed up, and Mr. Hudson is out of town. Well? How's that for specific?"

Paolo grinned at Jason, "That's pretty specific, all right," he said with a wink.

"Well first, let me say this. We're not guardian angels, we're businessmen, and in backing you we damn well expect a return on our money. And being businessmen, we can see an undervalued asset and bring it out.

"If we had been sent to finish you and Hudson off, then trust me, you wouldn't be standing here now. Regardless of what your goon squad wants to think.

"Now I don't care what happened in the past, seeing as how we'd just arrived, it doesn't really matter to us. You don't have to like the circumstances that brought us here. You can accept them, and watch RM&M go down in flames; or not, and then go down as just one more business to be wiped from their boot sole."

Jason took a shut envelope out of his briefcase and handed it and a card to Brown. "This is what you can expect in the way of support, should you decide to do business with us."

(oops...just noticed that rather embarassing typo :oops: )

Brown considered the card briefly (I assume it introduces your company?) and smiled at the men. "All right. I'll see what you got here." He tore it open.

"Good then, we are once again in agreement. I think this will work out nicely."

*************************************************************
Lexus goes to the adress of Sir Penton with a race paper in hand and waits for him to come out.
When he exits, Lexus is going to bump into him and trip.
(pic one:her in his arms)
She will then show him the race sheet and see if he can assist her in geting there.
(pic 2: her travelling with him , if he agrees.)
They will spend the day at the races.
(Pic: them spending the day together)
She will ask him back to her room
(lots of pics of the fun that they have.)
if he does not agree to the trip back to her room:
She will drug him on the ride home.
(lots of pics: him in compromising postions with her..and farm animals<not>)

((OOC: hey Iansisle, how did my evil plan go ?))

(What typo? Did I miss it?)

Inside the envelope were the following:

A list of seven transports waiting for delivery.
Crew lists for each transport.
A contract with Arasaka Security to provide security for the transports.
One promissory note for 75-million Generals to be paid upon acceptance.
Rough schematics of updated facilities.

"And that's just to start, Mr. Brown," Paolo said. "Have we piqued your interest?"

((OOC: hey Iansisle, how did my evil plan go ?))

(oops...I'd assume it went however it was expected to. Sir Penton is...well, has a loose cannon :)

(What typo? Did I miss it?)


(Gee, I certainly hope so! ;))

"You have indeed," replied Brown quietly, glancing over the paper. "However, before I send you Mr. Hudson's way, I need to make sure this is on the level. What assurances can you give me that these aren't just a bunch of his-exaltedness's shabby tricks?"

Paolo looked at Jason, "His exhaulted-who?"

Jason leans over, "King Clancy, high whatever-owner-of RM&M."

"Ohhhhhhhh. I understand your concerns a little more now, I was going to ask what King James had to do with this. Here, let me calm your concerns. Call the number on the bottom of that card, ask to speak to Mr. Nigatara, and tell him you represent Mr. Hudson."

[code:1:a5c47923d2]Incoming message :
Materials recieved. Agent payed and returned

Img.file attached[/code:1:a5c47923d2]

"Wonderful."

[code:1:a5c47923d2]Forward>Christian>add message:

I think you will find this most interesting. Do not publish yet.[/code:1:a5c47923d2]

(You wil find some interesting photos in here of the CEO of RM&M)

Agent one turns his attention to The primary share holder of RM&M....

(Iansisle, please tell me about this fellow,and his family.)

Christian grinned as the file opened up.

"Excellent. We can just hold on to these until we get the sign."

" Here, let me calm your concerns. Call the number on the bottom of that card, ask to speak to Mr. Nigatara, and tell him you represent Mr. Hudson."

Mr. Brown smiled as he picked up the reciever. "Yeah, hello? May I speak with, ah, Mr. 'Nigatara'? Yeah, I represent Hudson Steel..." He face grew progressivly more astonished.

----

King Clancy I of Thorntree, Lord Whitman, is the primary owner of RM&M. He's reclusive, hard to get a hold of, senile, secretive, and very old (by Iansislean standards.) I'm afraid digging up dirt on him would be harder than Sir Penton.

EDIT: His only known family is a single estranged son, aged 44, by the name of Thomas. No one knows if he's in his father's will or not; Thomas is currently living in Weshield (over near Fort Jackson) married to a local Countess in her own right.

Paolo's grin spread as the astonishment on Brown's face grew.

At last, Brown finished his (somewhat stammering) conversation and hung up. "All right, gentlemen, ya got me licked. But there's only one thing - I need Mr. Hudson to sign off on anything this big; he's always been better than me at catching stuff like this."

Jason arched an eyebrow. "So? Let's go pay Mr. Hudson a visit!"

Brown tapped his fingers together. "I, er, only wish it was that easy. You see, Mr. Hudson's not only out of the office; he's out of the Dominion." Brown paused a second...

"Really?" Paolo asked. "Well then, shall we take a trip?"

"Yes, yes, I think that would be the best choice," nodded Brown, fiddling with the pen some more. "Only problem is, I've got to stay here and keep up apperances, y'know? Make sure we're ready for your support. I'll just have to send you two...wait a moment." Brown scribbled out something on a piece of paper, then crammed it into an envelope, and sealed it with stamp and his ring. "Here. This'll let Mr. Hudson know he can trust you. Good luck gentlemen."

He nodded at Larry, who opened the door for the two men. "Oh, I almost forgot!" added the short little executive vice president. "He's at #14 East Evergrove Street, in Intuton, Gadsan. If you're going by flyer, you'll have to land at Delton! Safe trip!"

"Of course, thank you Mr. Brown," Paolo said as they stood and took the letter. "It's been a pleasure."

As the two sat down in their car, Paolo took out a cell phone and dialed a number.

##################

Christian's cell phone rang. "Excuse me a moment," he said to Kaldwell as he answered it. 'Yeah?"

"We're on our way to Gadsan to meet with Mr. Hudson. All appearances are positive for the date."

"Gotcha, you two have fun on it. I'll get the team watching the building in on.."

"No, leave them there, I want them to listen in on any conversations that Brown tries to pull. Something felt wrong in there."

"Gotcha. Late man."

"Peace out, dog.."

Kaldwell hangs up the phone and pulls out his radio.

"NI 2 to NI 5 and 6, pick up at new house, over."
"10-2"

The two operatives sit outside Brown's place. One has set up a phone tap, the outher has boom and laser mics set up to listen.

"Damn it is hard to hide stuff in these old cars.."

Christian smiles at Kaldwell, "Get you another glass of wine? So far so good, Jason and Paolo are headed to meet with Hudson now. Hopefully that will be taken care of in the next 24 hours."

"Yes, please. I think we should get some information on the old man's will. I would like to know where the RM&M stocks go if he ...ahem...has an accident."

(Like a suicide.. granted he was found with 16 gunshot wounds to the back... he musta really wanted to go with dignity... ;))

"Yes, I agree. Did you know any lawyers in your time here? Who would the King have trusted. And more importantly... can we break in there if needed..."

" I am afraid that I broke most of my ties when I left here. It should not be to difficult to find out who his personal lawyer is, and there is no building that cannot be broken into."

Jason grimiced as Jason spoke on the phone. "You too, huh? Thought it was just me. I can't really put my finger on it, though."

The car may have headed for Rorie Landing's tiny aerodock, where the two would be informed the next flight for Delton, by way of Lakeriverwood, departed in two hours.

------------------

A railroad exchange, between Rorie Landing and Cape Deliverance

Henderson could hardly see anything. "You there?"

"Always," replied a voice just over his shoulder. The beefy guard, now in a cheap suit, whirled to face the noise. He saw a shadowy figure across the buggy, and a large pouch of change flopped down on the top of his company Westerton. "Here's your part; you got mine?"

"Yeah," replied Henderson. "Is it all there?"

"Most of it."

"He's in Intuton. The idiot told some greasy gentlemen today. They had some important news for him, by the way!"

"How important?"

"I think a couple thousand generals important," smiled Henderson at the shadowy figure. It grunted, and there was the sound of another change sack hitting the roof. "All right - they were from some company. Said something about trying to buy out Hudson; dismantle RM&M. The idiot told them where Hudson was."

"Where is that!?"

"#14 East Evergrove Street, Intuton, Gadsan," smirked Henderson.

"Are you sure?" asked the shadowy man, drawing a quick breath.

"Positive. So, where's the rest?"

Henderson's answer was the loud bark of a Camstol Guns Mk. VIII revolver. The security guard fell dead in the nearby grass without realizing what had happened. The shadowy man leapt into action, (though he knew there wasn't a soul for ten miles around) shoving Henderson back into his driver seat, even buckling him in. The generals went back to his own satchel, and he wheeled the Westerton onto the tracks. RM&M's express 1:16 from Cape Deliverance to Chateau was due soon...the Noropian police wouldn't question the accident twice. Satisfied with his handwork, the man drove off, to the nearest direct, IanCorp-less secure line to Lord Whitman's manorhouse.

(What about the private jet that took Jason to Iansisle? *whistles innocently* that should knock a few hours off of the trip ;) )

"Yeah," Paolo said as he drove off to the airstrip. "We'll pick up our bags when we get back, should be this evening. This'll be a quick slam dunk I hope."

(What about the private jet that took Jason to Iansisle? *whistles innocently* that should knock a few hours off of the trip ;) )

"Yeah," Paolo said as he drove off to the airstrip. "We'll pick up our bags when we get back, should be this evening. This'll be a quick slam dunk I hope."

(*slaps forehead* Er, yeah, I remembered about that! :oops: (I swear I've used that emoticon more in this thread than all previous ones put together!)

"I do wonder what Mr. Hudson's doing in Intuton," Jason thought out loud. "To go to that hole of a town, I suppose it'd be more a question of who he's doing!"

Paolo laughed as the car chugged into a parking space at the airstrip.

"Yeah, I was thinking that too. Hope she's a looker (Note, that said LOOKER! ;) )" he grinned as he stood up and walked toward the plane with Jason. "You packing? We might need it, there are only a few security guys we'll have with us."

(No worries, it's been a long, strange thread... and it's only starting)

Jason looked at him a little strangely. "No, you said we'd get our...our, oh, you mean a gun?" He hefted his briefcase / lapton carrier. "The one Mr. Nigatara gave me." Jason gave Paolo a quick smile. "You're not expecting trouble, I hope? In Intuton? Trust me: we need guns in Ianapalis, not some two-bit one horse town in the middle of the Delta. Take it from a native Gadsanian."

The flyer took off, gliding over the Great Northern Range and across the Jaizar Mountains towards Delton.

(And, just in case anyone's forgotten, here we go!

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-9/390074/delton.jpg)

"It's the one-horse towns ya gotta worry about," Paolo said with a wink.

The plane took off and .... time passed as Jason and Paolo worked on a plan, consulted with Nigatara and Niven and relaxed... or something like that ;)

After the brief ride over to Intuton, it revealed itself to be just as Jason had described: a tiny little burg of just under 20,000 living crouched against the blowing wind on a tiny hunk of rock. Finding #14 E. Evergrove was no trouble - it was easily the nicest house on the island. A young Tharian girl - perhaps eighteen, maybe younger, answered the door. "Yes, can-a help you?" she asked, her eyes looking Paolo up and down and her voice a charming, somewhat lyrical Tharian drawl. A baby could be heard crying in the back.

"Yes, I'm here to see a Mr. Hudson. I have a letter from Mr. Brown to show that he can trust us," he said with the letter in his hand. "Is he here?"

"Misser Hudson? No, he's not here; why do you think he is?" Her voice sounded afraid.

(be back in a half hour...fud calls!)

"Well, Mr. Brown," Paolo said with a soft smile and handing her the letter "said we could meet him here. This is very important to his business concerns. There's nothing to be worried about, promise."

Kaldwell places a few calls to private investigators in an attempt to find out either what is in the old man's will or to find out where it is.

"Misser Brown said so?" she asked, looking about uncertainly. "Well, ok, then, I take you to Misser Hudson." She ushered them in, looked about the house quickly, not noticing the pair of eyes peering from a window across the road.

------------

"H. Samuel Dagger's office. How can I help you?"

-----------

There was some hushed whispering in the next room, and Mr. Hudson - a trim, aristocratic looking young man of perhaps thirty five emerged, wearing a bath robe. "Gentlemen? Maria said it was urgent."

(I am assuming that Mr. Dagger is for me.)

"I need some information gotten in a most discreet manner. What is your normal fee ? What I need to know is either where the last will and testement of Lord Whitman is, or what is in it. Can you do it ?"

"I need some information gotten in a most discreet manner. What is your normal fee ? What I need to know is either where the last will and testement of Lord Whitman is, or what is in it. Can you do it ?"

(of course! You can't say 'private investigator' in Iansisle without Mr. Dagger popping up! ;))

There was a scuffle on the other end of the line. "Darn it, doll, I got it!" A man's voice, with a mild Tharian accent, came on the line. "This is Sam Dagger. Do you mean the Lord Whitman, as in RM&M and all that jazz?" The man paused. "That's risky business, mister. The kind a careless man could get killed doing."

(Make that three sets of eyes, the two corp. sec. guys that 'followed' Paolo and Jason to the house.)

"Mr. Hudson?" Paolo asked handing him a card. "We represent a group interested in your business. I understand you're having problems with RM&M?"

" You are correct, both about the danger and the person. I need this information. How much do you make a year ?"

"Not enough, mister. I work on a per-case basis." He paused. "Five hundred thousand generals plus expenses."

-----------

Hudson shrugged. "These days, who isn't? When you say interested, what do you mean? Not buy out, I hope, because I'm not going to stand for that." The baby started crying again upstairs. Another woman, older than the Tharian house maid, ran out of the room, also in a bathrobe, and up the stairs.

"Five hundred thousand is fine, I will give you a bonus of two-hundred and fifty thousand if you provide me with a copy of the document in good shape, and no one knows that a copy was taken. I trust that this will all be kept in confidence ?"

"How long do you expect this to take Mr. Dagger ?"

"I'll see what I can do, mister. And it'll take as long as it takes. I've my contacts in Thorntree, but it'll take time. How should I reach you when I'm done?"

Kaldwell gives him a phone number " Just tell them that you have the information and/or the document, and a drop point will be given to you. Thank you for your assistance. "

Hudson shrugged. "These days, who isn't? When you say interested, what do you mean? Not buy out, I hope, because I'm not going to stand for that." The baby started crying again upstairs. Another woman, older than the Tharian house maid, ran out of the room, also in a bathrobe, and up the stairs.

(Hmmmm, Plan B Cele?)

"Well, what will you stand for? You've got (x) months of working capital, and no freighters for transport. Right now I can offer you seven transports, more Generals than you've ever imagined, security for your transports as a start, and you get to be CEO and run your company while RM&M burns to the ground."

###################

Train tracks...

Vincent Teranova and his team jumped from the hovering aerodyne, hitting the ground quickly and running to the tracks.

One man looked down the tracks and signaled that he didn't see a train coming. Teranova pulled up the palmtop PC, checking the GPS point. It matched the one from the datachips on RM&M.

"Let's get this over with," he muttered as he pulled out the TNT sticks and buried them just under the tracks, wires leading out to an embankment where the team was hidden.

(Nice Lark....Plan b.)

"I'll be in touch." Dagger hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. After a moment, he took out a bit of tobacco and started rolling a cigarette. Jean came in and sat on his desk, licking the paper to close it for him.

"I hear its cold in Thorntree this time of year," she said at last. "I'll be sure to pack my warmest sweater."

Dagger looked up at her sharply as he lit up. "Oh, no, Miss. Burkett. You're not straying one foot outside of Harbor City this time. We're not dealing with any two bit Shadow. This is RM&M."

Jean smiled at him. "Sam, you know how you hate the Shield. I wouldn't want to put you through that alone."

(Nice Lark....Plan b.)
(LOL, well, that wasn't plan B, that's just to get them out in the field.. just in case we need to 'interrupt' a transport or two or ore...)

"Well, what will you stand for? You've got [one and a half] months of working capital, and no freighters for transport. Right now I can offer you seven transports, more Generals than you've ever imagined, security for your transports as a start, and you get to be CEO and run your company while RM&M burns to the ground."

"Interesting proposal," Hudson muttered, but his eyes were still searching Jason and Paolo. "Just what's in it for you, eh?"

"Us? We'd like to work out an arraignment to open trade with you, we'd like to use our upgrading of your facilities to also build some of our lower end items with lower overhead than we do now. But primarily, what's in it for us is to crush RM&M under our boot like a cockroach. With RM&M gone, and you in place, the stranglehold RM&M has will be gome.

"We're businessmen first, this isn't a gift. We expect a return on an investment of this magnitude, besides flushing RM&M down the latrine of history."

Hudson shook his head. "I've never been a beliver in the good deal. Belive me, I'd love to think that the best interests of Hudson Steel are all you had in mind." He beckoned them into the drawing room, taking a seat in a large, comfortable chair. "Have a seat, gentlemen. Now, I'm sure you'd understand if we started hashing out some details for this contract..."

---------

"Yeah, that's him, all right," muttered one RM&M operative, dressed in civilian rags, as he squinted through a pair of binoculars through a thin lace curtain. "The one in the big chair."

"Who're those other two blokes?" asked his partner, who shouldered a large Ryansislean sniper rifle, shaded by a heavy piece of cloth.

"Doesn't matter. Peg him."

"Right, right, Bernard, I'm going. Get this damn thing out of my face."

-----------

Jason saw something funny behind Mr. Hudson; the glimmering of something in the second floor window of a house across the street. Just as the window pane shattered, it hit him: a sniper!

However, the realization was too late for Scott C. Hudson. The heavy bullet ripped through his skull as if it weren't even there, leaving an exit wound six inches across as it tore from his face and lodged itself in the wall between Paolo and Jason. Even as the two men dove for cover, there was a distraught cry from upstairs. The second woman came flying down, studying Hudson's wrecked body before turning on Paolo, who was closer.

"You! You f---ing god damn souless s---!" she screamed, tearing at him. Jason rushed over, crouching low behind tables, but the snipers were busy trying to exit from the back of the house. He reached her, and gave Paolo any help he may need prying her off. She wrestled and fought, letting a constant stream of curses fly as tear streamed down her face.

(Damn !!! I never saw that coming. And now we take it up a notch...Welcome to a full blown corp war. Let the games begin.)

(Sir Penton: "Bring it on!" ;) Nah, this'll be fun!

I think I'm going to crash on that note, too. 'Night all!)

(I had a feeling, this was going way too well... Ohhhhhhh, bad idea... :wink: :twisted: )

"Get this bitch off of me!" Paolo shouted. "Where was that sniper?"

"Second Floor, across the way" Jason said.

Paolo picked up the cell phone and hit #5

"Override command Angel-1! Second floor, house across!"

#################

Outside the House

The two CorpSec agents turned and quickly scanned the windows as they reached in their jackets and wrapped the hands around the Uzis's and burst into the house.

(I wonder how they knew you were there...Brown's phone is tapped so that can't be it...You are being followed :) sneaky bad Iansislanders...

(I wonder how they knew you were there...Brown's phone is tapped so that can't be it...You are being followed :) sneaky bad Iansislanders...

Nah, the security guy at the meeting told RM&M before getting killed. Ohhhhh, Brown's in for it now... Paolo's not gonna be happy thinking he was sold out.

Paolo picked up his cell phone again as he and Jason headed out to the street. The woman grabbed his jacket again and he turned to look at her, eyes cold steel.

"Back the f--- off, someone just assassinated someone in front of me and I'm not too fond of that!"

He turned back and dialed a number.

######################

Christian answered the cell phone, "Yeah?"

"That f---er Brown sold us out! Hudson's dead, sniper attack, CorpSec is after the assassins now!"

Christian stood up, "WHAT?? How?"

"Dunno, gonna find out."

Kaldwell watches the excited phone call. "Anything interesting happening ?"

"Sh*t, F---. We've been sold out! Sniper just hit Hudson!"

Christian called another number, "We need to get Brown in here. Paolo said Brown sold him out."

"I have two guys sitting outside his house." He says in a calm voice." Let them handle it." He picks up his radio and says a few criptic phrases.
"Taken care of. Now we sit quiet for a bit and let him think we are confused. How about you quietly send your guys to see Browns boss, and have a talk with him, if he like it or not. Sound like a plan ?"

>Plan aborted<.

(Brown's the VP though, he's the new boss of Hudson Steel I think...)

"I'm sure Paolo and Jason will visit him as soon as he gets back there," Christian said sipping his scotch.

"I'm getting a team in place to disrupt some of some of RM&M's travel lanes," he said. "Just in case we need them. What do you think?"

" I think that sounds like a fine idea...Perhaps they should have some other shipping troubles as well. I will have to see if I can get a man on one of thier ships."

((OOC: thats what I thought, do I need to change plans for Brown ?))

(Oh no, go with your plans, Paolo was gonna have it out with him anyway. Brown might be someone we can work with easier..)

"Yeah, I was thinking about some... piracy problems maybe..."

"Piracy..Now there is a great idea. It's a win-win for us, they lose materials and fall down on delivery, we get free materials. I like the way you think."

((I will leave the plan as it is set then. Just tell me if I get to heavy handed with this RP, I tend to get ruthless in corp wars.))

"I can get some used ships for us to staff. I was thinking we could help ourselves to RM&M's profits while we set up our next plan."

(go for it, I'm trying to be restrained, but I like your plan.. )

(Perhaps I should hold off on Brown and let you handle him. I am going to go delete my post. I think that I would end up alienating him if we do it my way, we may need him.)

"Sounds like a fine plan. If we had some trucks we could take thier sipplies of the trains as well..." He says looking through his wine glass at the light.

" I have called off my dogs at Browns place. I think I will have them continue their survallience of him before I go heavy handed on him. If he is innocent, we could lose an allie, if heis an enemy he will slip up when he gets home. He will have to say soemthing to someone, then we have his ass."

"Yeah, but then Paolo might... be heavy-handed with Brown too. We need to make sure he's still around when Paolo and Jason get back."

(Dear lords, I am sorry about all of the typos in that last post...)

"Perhaps we should send someone more diplomatic over to his office to have a talk with him...Might I suggest Lexus ? We could send her over with a message of some sort . Just brainstorming. Any thoughts ?"


(I love having a call girl as an associate ;) )

(No kidding... if you've got the time and can send her to ABQ... ;) )

"That might be better for now, until Paolo and Jason get back. They might calm down by then. Good idea."

((Oddly enough Lexus is based on someone I knew once...))

She had recieved another assignment while in Iansisle, this was turning out to be quite lucrative. She selected a very nice, and very subdued business outfit, put her hair up and grabbed some glasses. "Nice..I feel like a naughty librarian." She began to laugh.

She quickly wrote a note, something about contacting Mr. Smith <Kaldwell> about some important legal issue.
Her plan was to have him sign for the message (to avoid the security and secritary) and then faint in his office. When he helped her up she was going to plant a small listening/tracking device on him.

((If I am gone when it Iansisle gets back on , will you play this out for me Lark ? She is a bright girl, who knows how to flirt without being to outragous.))

(No worries, I'm heading to bed now. Later!)

(G'night)

Outside the House

The two CorpSec agents turned and quickly scanned the windows as they reached in their jackets and wrapped the hands around the Uzis's and burst into the house.

And they met two men, one carrying a sniper rifle, in full Ryansislean military battle tunics. The two parties stopped, stared at each other for a moment, and then the one without the rifle swore violently, drawing a side arm. His partner was busy working the safety on the rifle back off, bringing it up at the two strange men...

----

Meanwhile, at the tiny police outpost on the far end of Intuton island, the local sheriff recieved a paniced call from one of Hudson's neighbors. They babbled on about gun shots or some such thing. The sheriff lugged himself out of his desk, grabbing a wide brim hat on his way out. There was no squad car, of course, so he had to walk...

-----

And, several hundred miles away, a tiny Bankfield Mk. II from Harbor City landed in Thorntree. H. Samuel Dagger, his secretary (in name; partner in reality) Jean Burkett right beside him. Thorntree was a nice enough place, he supposed, right up in the foothills of the Great Northern Range. However, just looking around, he could see a dozen people in RM&M uniforms of one type or another - which meant there were two dozen out of them.

Outside the House

The two CorpSec agents turned and quickly scanned the windows as they reached in their jackets and wrapped the hands around the Uzis's and burst into the house.

And they met two men, one carrying a sniper rifle, in full Ryansislean military battle tunics. The two parties stopped, stared at each other for a moment, and then the one without the rifle swore violently, drawing a side arm. His partner was busy working the safety on the rifle back off, bringing it up at the two strange men...

The CorpSec saw the two men, one grabbing a sidearm and the second working the rifle. Uzi's up, one man rushed and fired at the legs of the man pulling the handgun while the other dropped to the ground and fired at the groin of the man with the rifle.

The CorpSec saw the two men, one grabbing a sidearm and the second working the rifle. Uzi's up, one man rushed and fired at the legs of the man pulling the handgun while the other dropped to the ground and fired at the groin of the man with the rifle.

The man with the handgun - a modern Ryansislean effort, five shots semi-automatic - screamed in pain as 9mm bullets raked across his legs, ripping flesh and shattering bone. He fell to what was left of his knees, collapsing to his off-side, but managed to get his gun pointed in the general direction of the CorpSec men.

Bullets also tore into the sniper, the first handful shattering his pelvis, recoil forcing others into his lower abodmin. Unlike his partner, he didn't even try for a shot, but instead dropped the rifle and fell onto the floor, his dark red blood staining the room's carpet as it poured from his wounds.

(Does he get a shot off or not?)

Edit: And they were aiming to wound, not kill. Ya can't interrogate a dead man after all.. ;)

(Eh, lets say sure - it's not really aimed well or anything though ;). And don't worry - I'm sure at least one of 'em will live, but uzi's do have a lot of recoil.

Off to class. Back in an hour or so!)

(Gotcha)

The first CorpSec man groaned as the bullet slapped into his bulletproof vest and lodge in the muscles of his chest. He pulled up short and swung around to kick the pistol out of the man's hand.

The second CorpSec pulled the gun back and jumped to his feet grabbing the body of the sniper as the first man drove his knee into the other's stomach.

The first CorpSec man pulled out a one-shot syringe and jammed it into his leg, releasing a flood of painkillers into his system. He then jammed a rag into the man's mouth and bound it as he drug him to the back of the house looking for an escape route.

Meanwhile Paolo checked Hudson's body for a pulse, "Damn," he said as he was unable to locate a pulse (Missing a head will do that to a guy ;) ). He picked up the business card and letter and put them back in his pocket.

"Time to go!" he said to Jason.

(Oh, the sniper's not dead - he's just losing a lot of blood through a wound in his lower abdomin. I'd imagine he passed out from shock and blood loss, though)

There was no one outside - the sheriff was taking his sweet time getting to the crime scene.

In Hudson's girl's house, Jason nodded, letting go of the Noropian woman and running after Paolo. The girl chased after them, screaming bloody murder (correctly, in this case ;)). A few heads peaked out from behind windows and the such.

(LOL, but they didn't do it, this time) ;)

The two men left Hudson's house, looking down to not be identifiable and made a line back to the docks to get off of the island.

The CorpSec moved to the back of the other house. (was there a getaway car waiting for them?)

The two Corpsec men see that the house's backyard slopes gradually down to a little eddie on the south-eastern corner of Intuton Island (it's a pretty small little rock..driving about it is not going to get them much of anywhere :)) There, dragged up on shore and tied down, is a small inflatable raft, complete with outboard motor.

(How big is it? If it can take the group, doesn't have to be comfortable, just do-able)

A way out!

CorpSec 2 quickly pulled out a cell and punched a number.

*ring ring*

"Yeah," Paolo answered.

"Boat, behind house, an escape."

"We'll meet you there." Paolo stopped Jason, "Follow me, we've got a way out."

The two groups moved to meet up at the raft.

(Big enough)

Jason nodded, and changed direction, skirting around the woman who was still persuing the two of them. He and Paolo jumped into the boat, which promptly motored out. Hudson's girl followed them waist deep into the water, before having to retreat for fear of being washed away.

Back at the house, the sheriff was looking in shock at Hudson's body through the shattered window, a neighbor excitedly pointing down. The Tharian housemaid was also outside.

The sheriff flicked his hat back, staring down at the people with a look of utter confusion. "All right, all right! You - you first! What's your name?" He pointed at Hudson's girl.

"Elizabeth Ericson," she answered, her voice still trembling with rage. "There were four or five of them...two came into the house to sucked Scott towards the window, the rest sat up there to shoot him."

"The two who were in the house - what'd they look like?"

"One was Gadsanian, without a doubt. From the mid-river; Lakeriverwood if I were to guess by his accent. 'Bout yeah high -" she indicated Jason's higth "- with kind of a stupid look. Brown hair. The other one..." She paused. "I dunno - Tharian, if I had to guess. They just motored off in a launch. Are you going to nail those bastards!?"

"I'll damn sure try," replied the sheriff, squinting his eyes in the direction she had indicated the motor launch had taken, but they were too far gone by now.

(With kind of a stupid look? Jason gets no love man... :P)

Paolo looked down at the two assassins in the boat. "Patch them up when you get a chance. I want to know who hired them," he said as one CorpSec worked on the other who'd been shot.

Paolo turned to Jason and gave him an apologetic look, "Ummmm, welcome to our world. Hope this doesn't scare ya off."

(With kind of a stupid look? Jason gets no love man... :P)

Paolo looked down at the two assassins in the boat. "Patch them up when you get a chance. I want to know who hired them," he said as one CorpSec worked on the other who'd been shot.

Paolo turned to Jason and gave him an apologetic look, "Ummmm, welcome to our world. Hope this doesn't scare ya off."

(egads!)

(It's tough love, dude...tough love ;))

Jason made a humorless noise that he may have been trying to construe as a chuckle and edged away from the two bleeding, olive skinned men in the bottom of the boat. "It takes more than that to scare off Jason Whittimere," he replied, noticing for the first time that the bullet had sprayed Hudson's blood all over him. "I think that getting the f--- out of Gadsan may be a good next move, though."

(Tough love huh? I'll follow your lead there...)

"That's the spirit!" Paolo said. "Yeah, we've got the plane at the airport, I think we should fly back to either Ianapalis or the house we'd rented. I want an explaination from Brown about this."

"We're going to have to be careful in Rorie Landing," warned Jason. "That's a small town, and the police and IanCorp are going to be all over Hudson's and Brown when they find out what happened." Jason shook his head. "But they'll be encumbered by the various civil liberties of this country. I think heading back to Noropia would be the best idea, get that s--- to tell us what he did, then meet up with Christian.

Jason sat and thought for a minute. "Rorie Landing will be too hot to take the plane to. We ought to head for Fort Dawes or Cape Deliverance and find a more subtle means of transport. They're both big RM&M towns, but the only other cities in Noropia with airports are Chateau, which is too far away, and Turnish, which is an even bigger RM&M town."

Paolo nodded, "You know this area better than anyone. We'll follow your lead. What do you think? Cape Deliverance? We can line up a boat to meet us there and take us outta here."

(oops)

"Yeah, I'd say Cape Deliverance would be better. There's a quiet little eddie over there," he said, pointing suddenly to the shore. "Getting off the water would be a good idea; there's a lot of torpedo boats based around here, and I don't want to be looking down the barrel of an R.I.N. ship of any size in this tub."

"Right," Paolo said as one of the CorpSec men veered the boat over to the shore. Paolo picked up his phone. "Yeah Christian, we need a boat to pick us up in Cape Deliverance. Nothing too much, something discrete. Do we have any of the pirates out this way? .. We do? OK, have one meet us there ASAP."

Jason smiled at the mention of the word 'pirate'. "I'd imagine we're not talking about the jolly roger on the Spanish Main, are we? Just be careful - pirates around here are tried by a military court, not a civilian one. Piracy, under Iansislean law, is still punishable by public hanging at the mouth of Adien Bay, and RIN patrols around the Shield's Head are heavy."

He helped transfer the men out of the little boat, pointing to the north east. "The airport is two miles that way."

(Here's a map of the Shield's Head that you can actually read ;):

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-9/390074/ws2.jpg)

(Which Airport?)

Paolo winked at Jason, "Well, I'd prefer the Pirates of the Spanish Main, but this is just Plan B, in case things didn't work out. And they have to catch us first.. RM&M won't have anything to worry about, unless they venture into International Waters..."

Paolo helped move the two men out of the boat. "Well, then, shall we? We need to work on a plan to get these two men into the plane."

(The one at Delton, where their plane's parked.)

Jason thought for a moment. "Security at an Iansislean airport isn't as heavy as it is elsewhere in the world...and we're in the private area." He smiled as a thought hit him. "Think you can send one of them-" he indicated the CorpSec men, "to get a large duffel bag or two? And some gauze to stop the bleeding? There should be plenty of places in Delton, and we're not too far away from there."

He looked about; they were in a small grove of trees. "In the meantime, we'll be fine here, as long as we conceal the boat so it can't be seen from the water and move inland a bit."

Paolo nods to the remaining CorpSec man, "You heard him, get some first aid kits from the plane, and two of the Spec Ops gear bags, leave the gear in the hold and get here fast!"

The man headed off in the direction of the airport as the other men moved inland and hid the boat under some tree limbs.

"Ok, now what?"

"Now?" asked Jason, shrugging. "Now, I guess, we wait."

And wait they did. There were a couple times they heard the sound of a RIN boat cruising up and down the river, but no one came ashore. Soon, the CorpSec man was back.

ooc: Hehe, I think I have to get another character. I like the way you have Paolo developed, and by coming back I don't want to completely change his style.. After this week I should have more time on the forums for this, and maybe I'll introdue a new character. Cya tom. maybe.

(Ok, man. Sorry to steal your character, and hope you get some more free time soon! We miss Roberto! :))

(Yeah, sorry Ag, man ya gotta come back soon)

The CorpSec man returned with the first aid kits and two large black duffel bags.

"Here we go," he said handing the kits to Jason and the bags to Paolo.

"Right." Jason certainly wasn't any expert at bandaging wounds, but he figured that replacing the soaken rags keeping the two snipers from bleeding to death would be a good idea, and so he did his best, concentrating mostly on the man shot in the knees. The man with groin and abdomin bleeding was probably too far gone anyway - he still hadn't regained conciousness. After they were bound, Jason nodded and helped stuff them into the bags. "We gotta make sure it doesn't look like we're carrying bodies in these," Jason warned. "The cops are pretty stupid, but no reason to be stupid ourselves, right?"

"Exactly," Paolo said as he picked up one of the bags with a grunt and the CorpSec man that returned had picked up the other one. Paolo pulled some sedatives from the first aid kit and given them to both of the injured men before putting them in the bags.

"Let's just stroll in easily and quietly, keep our heads down, load up on the plane and get the hell out of here."

There was just a side gate to the airport (unguarded, of course). No one thought to challenge the men and their bags, even though the news of the murder and gun fights in Intuton was playing on a moving picture box in the terminal! Jason lent a hand in loading, and the plane was soon underway.

"All right, we're safe for a while," he grinned, seeing for the first time how much of Hudson's blood had splattered on his dark shirt. "But what do we do with Frick and Frack back there?"

(So what were they saying in the report? ;) )

"We need to keep one of them alive long enough to find out who hired them, and how they got their information," Paolo said as he opened an above bin and handed Jason a clean T-shirt and black sweater.

The plane banked and headed back home.

"We can always dump the dead one out of the cargo hold at... say... 10,000 feet to try and convince Frick to talk..." One of the CorpSec men said.

(Oh, the usual, 'Steel Magnate shot at home of his illegitimate baby!' ; 'be on the lookout for a a stupid-looking Gadsanian!' ;))

Jason thanked Paolo, stripping to the waist and hastily putting on the new shirt. He listened to the suggestion and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. We can do it when we're over the Range. And, if that doesn't work, there's nothing wrong with a little good old strong arming, eh?" He moved towards the back of the plane.

(Can't... resist.... "Steel Magistrate"? You have people suing steel in Iansisle? Or did he go to the same school as the "Iron Chef?" :P)

"Sounds good," Paolo said, walking back with him and the one CorpSec, the other one was laying back after he was patched up.

"A little strong-arming..." the CorpSec said. "only a little?"

Lexus stepped into the office in a very smart business suit and carrying a leather case (imagine all of those naughty librarian fantasies you have had..come on you know you had them). "I have a message for Mr. Brown from his investors. Will you tell him that I am here."

(Ah, yes..magnate would be the word I was looking for! heh, thanks for reminding me :P)

"Well, as long as he doens't kick the bucket," grinned Jason maliciously. "You seem to be more experianced at this sort of stuff," he said to Paolo. I think I'll let you handle this."

(Translation: I'll concentrate on the interrogatee ;))

Lexus stepped into the office in a very smart business suit and carrying a leather case (imagine all of those naughty librarian fantasies you have had..come on you know you had them). "I have a message for Mr. Brown from his investors. Will you tell him that I am here."

(sorry, just a quick question before I reply...what's the timeline here? Before Henderson kicked the bucket? Between Henderson and Hudson? Or after Hudson was killed (and the news reached the company?))

Lexus stepped into the office in a very smart business suit and carrying a leather case (imagine all of those naughty librarian fantasies you have had..come on you know you had them). "I have a message for Mr. Brown from his investors. Will you tell him that I am here."

(sorry, just a quick question before I reply...what's the timeline here? Before Henderson kicked the bucket? Between Henderson and Hudson? Or after Hudson was killed (and the news reached the company?))

(After Hudson was killed)

(After Hudson was killed)

(Good deal, thanks)

The secretary was busy arguing with a literal swarm of news paper reporters. Two police officers, in Noropian uniforms and a detective with a Gadsanian badge hung towards the back, their arms crossed in annoyance. At last, the lady spotted Lexus, but her question drew the attention of the media.

"His investors? You mean the two men who were here asking after Mr. Hudson?"

"The ones the police think killed Mr. Hudson?"

"What did you want to talk to Mr. Brown about?"

They continued until the two police officers came up behind Lexus, waving away the cameras. "Thank you all, thank you...I believe we'll be having a chat down at the station with this young lady. Please, no more questions!"

One officer took her by the shoulder, and tried to lead her towards Hudson Steel's office's door.

(Ah, yes..magnate would be the word I was looking for! heh, thanks for reminding me :P)

(heh, it's all love dude.. ;) )

Jason, Paolo and the CorpSec walked into the back of the plane.

"Listen pal," CorpSec said calmly, taking out three items, two knives and an ice cream scoop, "You can talk to us now and spare yourself what's gonna happen, or you can talk to us later, if you still can"

(Let me guess...tough love? ;))

The operative, a south Tharian, groaned as the men walked in. "F--- you. I don't give half a flyin' s--- what you want, 'cause you'll not get it from me. And don' think them pretty tools impress me, either."

Lexus puts on her best innocent face " I have no idea what a Mr. Hudson is, or what has happened. I am a bonded legal courier. I have no information for you about anything. I was contracted to carry a private message to Mr. Brown, that is all."

(Let me guess...tough love? ;))

The operative, a south Tharian, groaned as the men walked in. "F--- you. I don't give half a flyin' s--- what you want, 'cause you'll not get it from me. And don' think them pretty tools impress me, either."

The CorpSec looked at Paolo and Jason, "Gonna be the hard way then," he said as he stepped on the gunshot wounds in his legs as Paolo pulled out his Glock.

That just doubled the reporters' questions.

"Who's it from?"

"Do you know what's in it?"

"Would we be allowed to watch Mr. Brown open it?"

"Do you think it might be a bomb?"

The detective glared at them, before imposing himself between the reporters and Lexus. "Look, little lady, I'm sure you haven't done anything wrong, but there's a murder investigation going on, and you're our first line to the perps. Now, I need to confiscate that package, and just ask you a few questions away from the vultures." He indicated the throng of reporters.

The CorpSec looked at Paolo and Jason, "Gonna be the hard way then," he said as he stepped on the gunshot wounds in his legs as Paolo pulled out his Glock.

The man screamed, perhaps trying to make out a swear word as pain raced through his body. Jason could see his face muscles working violently as he choked back the reaction and tried to bear it. "F--- you," he managed at last. "F---ing shoot me, then."

(PS: sorry about all the vulgarity. I'm not a fan of swearing myself, but I think it's needed for effect. If it needs to be toned down a bit, just tell me, and I'll do so. [/disclaimer])

Lexus looks at the detective " I will be happy to give you the message that was intended for Mr. Brown. You will have to sign for it , and since you are not the intended reciever I will need a witness as well." She looks at the reporters " Well, I guess we have those." She pulls out a small reciept pad. " Now if you would be so kind as to take me to wherever it is that you need to take me, these reporters are making me closterphobic." She then faints.

Lexus looks at the detective " I will be happy to give you the message that was intended for Mr. Brown. You will have to sign for it , and since you are not the intended reciever I will need a witness as well." She looks at the reporters " Well, I guess we have those." She pulls out a small reciept pad. " Now if you would be so kind as to take me to wherever it is that you need to take me, these reporters are making me closterphobic." She then faints.

One of the uniformed officers behind Lexus catches her, and the press leans in with bulbs flashing. The detective quickly signed off on the reciept pad, a picture or two getting taken of that, and nodded back to the press. "Ok, you vultures, back off. We're taking her in for questioning."

The Noropian officer with his arms free cleared a path to the door, holding it for the man carrying Lexus, and they loaded her into a police Westerton. About half the reporters followed; the rest stayed asking after Mr. Brown.

The CorpSec looked at Paolo and Jason, "Gonna be the hard way then," he said as he stepped on the gunshot wounds in his legs as Paolo pulled out his Glock.

The man screamed, perhaps trying to make out a swear word as pain raced through his body. Jason could see his face muscles working violently as he choked back the reaction and tried to bear it. "F--- you," he managed at last. "F---ing shoot me, then."

(No worries dude, it does make sense given the situation)

"Shoot you?" Paolo asked. "Ummm.. no. Your pal however," he said hitting the intercom to the pilots, "Drop altitude to 10,000 feet"

(( Wow this is working out to well. We know have a woman connected to RM&Ms CEO involved in the murder of the CEO of the other steel company....Excellent)).

Lexus wakes up in the back of the car " Thank you so much for getting me out of there." She awaits questioning.

(good deal; just wanted to make sure ;))

"What ... about my ... pal?" he asked, glancing around the area as his breath came out in shallow gasps.

"Don't worry, doll, it's all right," replied the officer, turning around in his seat to face her. "Now, supposing you want to tell me a little more about that delivery? Who hired you?"

"Well, if you won't talk, he won't talk. And we'll just have to jettison some weight," Paolo shrugged as the plane lowered altitude. "I think your pal will do fine."

"You wouldn't!" the man replied, his eyes narrowing. They widened again at the look on Paolo's face. "You crazy f---! What the hell is this?"

"This? This was the biggest mistake of your life." Paolo said. "You still don't understand the situation you're in do you..."

A voice came over the intercom, "10,000 feet sir."

"Good," Paolo said walking over to the cargo chute.

"Sure, I have no idea what was in the message. That is part of the job. I guarntee complete secrecy with my deliverys . Don't get the wrong idea, I have never been involved in any illegal activities, I mosty carry items for law firms. Papers that they do not wish anyone else to see." She takes a breath and seems to be collecting herself " As to who hired me, I was contracted by a Mr. Smith to deliver the message. I was here on holiday, visiting a friend that I would rather not name. He is married" She blushes deeply and starts to cry " I know that it is a horrible thing to do, but I love him so ." SHe collects herself again "At anyrate, I am sure that you are not interested in the frailties of a womans heart and the flaws of her judgement. I was contacted at my hotel. It seemed like an easy way to make money while I was here, and my friend had sent me away."She starts to tear up again " I needed money to get back home, and I this was enough to cover my ticket...."

(*Oooooooooooh, she's good....*)

(Thank you *takes a bow*)

The man tried to thrash against this bindings. "You little s---; you wouldn't! " He screamed (presumably in pain as the guard stepped on his wounds) again, rolling back to his original position. "Ok, ok, you're a lunitic; I get it. Just what the f--- do you want to know?"

------------

The detective listened to the sob story, not without sympathy, but he knew what he needed to get done. "It's ok, doll, calm down. Everything's going to be just fine. Tell me more about this Mr. Smith." He offered her a hankerchief.

The man tried to thrash against this bindings. "You little s---; you wouldn't! " He screamed (presumably in pain as the guard stepped on his wounds) again, rolling back to his original position. "Ok, ok, you're a lunitic; I get it. Just what the f--- do you want to know?"

"First off, who hired you? Why assassinate that man?"

The man looked from Paolo to the dump and back again. "All right, f--- you, I'll tell. His Highness Emperor Héctor Ramírez-Arroyo did. I don't know why; that's not my f---ing job."

She drys her eyes on the hankerchief. " Thank you. Mr. Smith contacted me at my hotel. He said that I had been recominded by a former business associate and he offered my the job of carrying the message to Mr. Brown. I met with him briefly, he is about 6' tall sandy blond hair , apeared to be in his mid-forties. Beyond that I don't think that there is much that I can tell you."

Paolo looks at Jason, "And this high dude is...?"

He looked at the man, "You're really wearing my patience thin. Start telling me who contacted you and how to start."

"I see," replied the detective, copying down what she said. "Well, honey, we really can't hold you for anything, but I don't suppose you'd be nice enough to hang around the station until we find out what we're dealing with here?" he asked, indicating the box. The Westerton pulled up to the police station, and he held the door open for her.

---------

"Emperor Ramírez, ruler of Ryansisle," whispered Jason back.

"Yeah, dip-s---. I'll have you know, too, that he's gonna be f--- pissed when he sees how I've been treated. This is all f---ing illegal, y'know."

"Emperor Ramírez, ruler of Ryansisle," whispered Jason back.

"Yeah, dip-s---. I'll have you know, too, that he's gonna be f--- pissed when he sees how I've been treated. This is all f---ing illegal, y'know."

"Really? Ryansisle has a ruler?" Paolo asked Jason, "And he's stupid enough to hire this guy?"

Paolo turned back to look at the man, "What's all illegal? All's fair in war, and you've just gotten involved in one."

"Of course I will stay, do you mind if I call my mom ?" She enters the police station.

"Of course not, dear," smiled the detective, waving her at a wall-mounted phone in the small office. "Go right ahead; just try and keep the cost down."

Meanwhile, he and a couple of officers retired to a back room to examine the package.

----------

"I guess so," smiled Jason, noting the man's lack of an expression.

"This all - it's illegal. You can't f---ing torture someone in the 'wealth," the man groused.

"This all - it's illegal. You can't f---ing torture someone in the 'wealth," the man groused.

Paolo looks at the man with a quizzical expression. "And that matters why?"

She walks over to the phone and dials a drop number (basicly a multipul routed answering service) " Mom, it's Lexi. Tell dad that I have run into some trouble in Iansisle, but it is nothing big. The guy that I was supposed to give a message to ended up being involved in a murder, and there were cops everywhere around him. They brought me in for questioning, but I should be out soon. I love you (Which means this is going to cost you BIG)." She turns to the police officer "Fast enough ? I can pay for it if you need me to." She pulls out a couple of small value generals.

The package was just her leather case with a note that said Call Smith about the investment. There are also some tourist brochures about Iansisle.

"Because it'll end up bein' you behind bars, dumbass, as soon as I tell your boss what you've been up to!" shouted the man, confident in the Commonwealth's governmental regulations and the freedoms granted by the Tablet.

"Because it'll end up bein' you behind bars, dumbass, as soon as I tell your boss what you've been up to!" shouted the man, confident in the Commonwealth's governmental regulations and the freedoms granted by the Tablet.

Paolo grinned, "You think that'll actually happen? You didn't go to war with a nation, but a business. I didn't sign no Conventions or anything. You presume too much."

"I didn't go to war with no one," groused the man, trying again to sit up. He groaned as his ruined knees ached. "F---. Next time, tell Billy-Bob to do a better job aiming."

-----------

The officer who had been watching her, almost dropped his cap (which was removed in the presence of a lady, of course!) in shock. "Oh, no, ma'am, that's ok, you don't have to," he stammered, his face bright red.

The detective came out of the back room with a dissapointed look on his face. "Ok, doll, thanks for the info. Your story checks out; we'll do some looking into this." He looked at her, waiting for her to leave.

EDIT: BTW, sorry if my posting is a little slow every now and then...I'm working on an essay while I'm doing this.

"I didn't go to war with no one," groused the man, trying again to sit up. He groaned as his ruined knees ached. "F---. Next time, tell Billy-Bob to do a better job aiming."

"Yes, you did. Your boss just didn't have the heart to tell you that. Now, what other big boss were you referring to before? You see, I need to know the who, what, where, when, why and how of this little plan of yours."

"Yes, you did. Your boss just didn't have the heart to tell you that. Now, what other big boss were you referring to before? You see, I need to know the who, what, where, when, why and how of this little plan of yours."

"The who is that f--- with his brains scattered all through Gadsan. The when was a few hours ago. The how was a rifle. I don't know the why; like I say, that's not my f---ing business."

Lexus smiles broadly at the officer " Thank you for your kindness in all of this. " she leans up and gives him a kiss on the cheek before leaving.
She is on the next flight home.
*************************************************************
Kaldwell gets the message," Well Christian, it would appear that the time to release the pictures is at hand. Lexus just got picked up by the police while delivering a message to Brown. The cops were all over the place, and I am going to assume that this will be on the front page of every paper tommorow. Now we just release the pictures and a story about a poor girl having her heart broke and then being used for foul play. If I know Lexi there will be at least 20 or thirty people to say how upset she was with the entire situation. That should give RM&M a black eye." He toasts Christian with his wine glass.

The officer dropped his hat, and recieved a smack on the back of the head from the detective.

"I agree with you," Christian said clinking glasses with Kaldwell. "Let's send these to IanCorp post haste!"

######################

Paolo backhanded the man. Then walked over to the other man, and picked him up to walk over to the cargo chute door.

"So you were just told to shoot a guy for no reason? Are you that gullible or stupid??

"Let's try again... when did you get the orders to kill that man?"

The man spat out some blood after the backhand, choking back another curse. "F--- you. I'm a soldier; I do what I'm told." He swore as they walked his partner's (unbeknownst to him, but knownst to us ;)) body over to the cargo shoot. "S---! I got my orders a couple weeks ago. They just told me to wack some guy, and not get caught!"

Paolo nodded, "A couple weeks huh? How'd you get the address of the man you killed? Better talk fast, my grip ain't what it used to be."

"Then drag him away, dips---!" exclaimed the man (pause for reaction) "God DAMN it, that hurts! How'd I get it? My boss gave it to me."

(at dipsh--...)

Paolo makes it look like the man started to slip from his grasp a moment. "What was that you say?

"The king? When did he give it to you?"

"A week or two ago!" shouted the man, struggling in a valient (if misguided) attempt to help his friend (God DAMN it, that hurts! ;)). "That's a f---ing person you have there!"

(You think that's bad.. I'm trying to think how Hannibal Lecter would act here, thing is Paolo isn't supposed to be this bad...)

"And what took you so long to get there?"

##########################

Special Delivery to IanCorp....

"Dunno, it's a long trip," replied the man with defiant eyes.

(Yeah, sorry he's in no hurry to tell...he knows what happens if he tells is as bad as anything Paolo could do to him :))

---------

(Err...can we leave this bit to tomorrow? I really need to finish that essay, and the torture is really all I can keep up with :()

(No worries, we can take care of that later, well we tried threats.. maybe bribery?)

Paolo nods, "I'm sure it is. You said this was a human being I have in my hands, much like the man you killed today. Why should I spare your friend here? So how much did you get for your little action?"

The man ignored Paolo's lecture. "Enough. Yourself?"

"More than enough, and now you're going to cost me some of it." Paolo said as he removed from hand holding the man and ran it through his hair. "You're right though, enough games."

He grabbed a cargo line and tied it around the 'man's' waist, through his legs and around his arms to keep him from flying away, then dropped the man through the cargo chute. "Not too late, depending on how long he can hold on."

"F---! S---!" the man screamed. "Paul! F---! F---!"

"Interesting," replied Jason, "But it does strike me that 'Paul' is not a very Ryansislean name."

"It isn't?" Paolo asked. "Better hurry, before... Paul... can't hang on anymore."

Paolo picked up a knife and teased it across the rope.

"S---!" exclaimed the man. "All right, pull him in! I'll talk!"

Paolo nodded, "You'll talk, then we'll pull him in."

"You pull him in and we'll talk!" the man countered.

"You start talking while we pull him in. It's rough winds ahead.."

"S---, all right, all right," the man exclaimed, watching to make sure they made good on their end. "My name's Bernard. I was supposed to kill Mr. Hudson to make sure that idiot Brown got control of the company (because of his fear for his partner's already spent life, Bernard didn't even think about plan B, that Mr. Brown had hired him to kill Hudson)..." His voice trailed off before naming names.

Paolo kept pulling on the line, slowly pulling the body in,"Yeah? Who hired you, none of this sh--, start naming names.."

Bernard looked about nervously. "Look, if I do that, he'll kill me, and everyone I know. Just...it was someone high up, ok?"

"If you don't..." The rope slipped a little. "We'll take care of you. He'll never know."

"All right, all right! The orders came from Thorntree! They weren't signed, but the stamp was Lord Whitman's!"

"Where are these orders?" Paolo pulled more of the rope in.

"I burned them, soon as they came in! Honest! Pull him in!"

(help, I am getting pulled in by the story line......Must keep reading.)

(help, I am getting pulled in by the story line......Must keep reading.)

(That's good, I was getting worried that I wouldn't be able to pull this off, but I tapped into the inner solo a little..)

Paolo handed the line to Jason, "Pull him in slowly," he whispered, barely audible. and dialed the cell again.

"Christian, the orders came from some Lord Whitman, does anyone there know of this guy?"

Christian turned to Kaldwell, "do you know a Lord Whitman?"

(Glad we could help, Cele. Oh, and just so everyone knows, 'Lord ----' is an alternative way of talking about the lords of the Shield...for instance, King Clancy is also Lord Whitman; James is also Lord Callahan, etc. It stems from the pride in family names and such as that.)

Jason nodded and kept pulling. Both he and Bernard seemed shocked that Paolo didn't know who 'Lord Whitman' referenced.

(Cool, well ya know this is his first time and all... be gentle on him. :P)

"You willing to vouch for that?" Paolo asked Bernard. "In exchange for a new identity, money and a new life somewhere else?"

(thanks Iansisle)

"I believe that is an alternate form of address for King Clancy. Interesting news from the front ?"He smiled.

(These guys are gonna be so drunk by the time this is over :) )

"New knees too?" asked Bernard with a snort.

"Yeah, rebuilt, stronger legs. Deal?"

Bernard snorted. It was clear he didn't believe one word of this. "Sure, why not? I'll bite...I put down, on my word of honor, that those orders came from the Lord Whitman himself, or may lightning strike me down!" He snickered.

"Good enough for me. J., what's the number to IanCorp?" Paolo asked. He punched in the number as it was given to him.

*Ring ring*

He held the phone to the man's ear, "Get ready to talk... He says one thing wrong J., let go of that rope."

He whispered at the man, "Better hurry... tick tock, how long can he hold on?"

Bernard's inner monologue was a constant track of swear words.

"Hello, IanCorp front office. How may I..."

"I'm the man who killed Scott Hudson!"

"...uh, pardon?"

"It was me, and a partner. Lord Whitman ordered us to kill Hudson; I don't know why."

There was a moment of scrambling on the other end... (pause to let Lark respond ;))

Paolo smiled as he pulled the phone back, "One more time, Bernard, when they get back on the line to talk to you."

(I can just picture Bernard with that Robin Leach voice... " Lord Whitman ordered us to kill Hudson and I.. don't.. know.. why!" :P)

(heh)

Bernard proceded to tell the exact same thing to the reporters as they came on to ask him. The answer to most of their questions was "I don't know".

(Ooooooooh, is it a live broadcast? Would our intrepid boys in Ianapalis, or even the King hear this?)

(Yeah, live on radio and moving picture box, though the king is probably napping.)

(*devil fingers* Yes! Live on IanCorp! We've made the big time! ;) )

"Tell them how you did it," Paolo mouthed deathly quietly. "And remember your friends life depends on how honest you are..."

Meanwhile, Christian and Kaldwell are enjoying their drinks and some lunch when Christian looks at the TV set.

"What in the hell is that?? Turn it up!"

(the picture would be a group of reporters clustered around a speaker phone, with a large boom mike sticking down)

"My partner and I...we snuck into the house across from where Hudson was...then we set up a sniper rifle and waited. When we got a clear shot, we took it."

"Well this is what I call interesting television..."He looks at his glass of wine " Do you think I could trade for a scotch ?"

Christian nods, "Yeah, one scotch coming up." he said waiving over a butler.

###################

Paolo listens and waits as the interview goes on. "Your name, and what you do for King Clancy.. remember those. You won't need it after we change your identity," he silently mouthed.

"My...my name is Bernard O'Stanley. I work for RM&M at the Third Whitman plant, in the security building.

Paolo nods as Bernard finishes the interview.

(Let me know when he's done.)

Bernard choked back a sob, and turned from the phone.

(howzzat?)

(Quick, dramatic.. you da man!)

Paolo pulled the phone back and listened to the reporters in the background.

*click*

"Pull him in J."

Jason nodded, wondering why Paolo kept calling him 'J'. He gave the rope (which had actually been all the way in, with the body just out of sight) a final tug....

(All will be clear soon young Jedi... at least for that ;))

Paolo walked over to the man's body and felt for a pulse, his head dropped in a convincing act of shock.

"You were just a little too late," he said as he closed the man's eyes. "A little sooner and he might have made it..."

Paolo stood up and looked at the man, "But we had a deal, and I'm a man of my word. A new life is in store for you, maybe in a neutral country, far from here, and further from us. Larkinia maybe..." He nodded to the CorpSec, who had prepared another syringe, strong enough to knock out half of Hannibal's army, and jabbed the syringe into the veins of his neck and shot the knockout drug into him.

After he passed out, Paolo turned to Jason, "He doesn't need to know this poor bastard was already dead before we started questioning him. He'll have enough to deal with in his new life.

"And he doesn't need names to chase after us anytime soon, this way we can keep an eye on him."

(this needs a proper respons, but I'm afraid I need sleep. I'm afraid I'm going to have to crash for now. Later, dude!)

(Cool, g'night dude! On that pause, any critiques so far?)

( I have very much enjoyed it.)

(Thanks Cele, I gotta tell ya, halfway through that interrogation I was working on a TG to send you on what to do next cause I was a little tentative, then decided 'screw it, I'm throwing him out on a rope'...)

(You did great, I can't wait to buy your books :) I am going to be gone again for a couple of days so you have Kaldwell. I can't wait to see what the news does with out little activities 8) )

(No kidding, IanCorp will have a field day, especially with the allegations of assassination, and Kaldwell's lover showing up at Brown's office after that too... man this'll be sweet.

I need to get cracking on writing these things up.. maybe over winter break I'll have some more time)

(You better, if I ever decide to stop writting crappy fantasy and start on sci-fi you are in trouble...well not really you are much better at this than I. I cant wait to get back to civilization and see where all this has gone. Feel free to be as ruthless as you need to with my assets, those 6 undercover guys are here to work.)

(I'll work on it. It'll depend on what happens in the next day or so. Oh yeah, will NivenCo operate on that one dude? Since they've got the better cybergear? Or I'll have to blow him away and give him a new world to work in... ;))

(Yes we will back up your promise. Kaldwell wil instruct your team to take him to an underground cyberclinic in New Chiba, Celeborne.)

(Cool, we'll pay for it. Like I said, I was ready to put a bullet in his head anyway, Paolo said he'd 'take care of him', but I decided he wasn't quite that hardcore.

New Chiba... heh, classic.! :) )

(Wait until you see Night City :wink: )

(*snaps fingers* Ohhhhh, beat to the punch again! :P heh I'm working on turning Golden Agate into a version of that. I had the best pic for earlier on in the meeting with Niven and Nigatara, but it wouldn't load. I vote the next CP:2020 thread take place in Celeborne!)

(Night City is yours. I have something else that I want to work on. Yes we can do the next one in the seedier side of Celeborne, New Chiba....Go read Nueromancer .....Evil laugh)

(You sure dude, I can take NYC after the nuke blast, would make sense with GA's history.

Neuromancer.. "Case was 24. At 22, he'd been a cowboy, a rustler, one of the best in the Sprawl." Hey... now I know what to do to Jeff next... :twisted: Cyberware's useless if you get the mycotoxin.)

(nice quote , and Night city is all you. Jeff gets mycotoxin...NOooooo)

(Thanks man, yeah that is a nice quote. Mycotoxin... tastes like caster oil ;) )

Edit: *flips through "Land of the Free"* It just hit me Iansisle will have no idea what we're talking about...

(Yeah, but he is very smart, I am sure he will figure it out. I am using some of the Arcology information from shadowrun right now to set up the new Niven Enterprises Unlimited (NEU) arcology..This is going to rock :) )

(Yeah that will be seriously kick ass! I've been debating doing that with Inoki, but I'm gonna hold back until the cyberware develops more, just to keep pace.)

(Wanna buy some cyberware plans from Niven ???? That might be what Jeff needs, a cyberware R&D firm of his very own.... :twisted: )

(Oh yeah! There we go! That's what he can start up! Good idea! I've said it before, you're a freaking genius!)

( He has the backing and all the start-up plans he will need, and Niven has a couple of billion <from GRIM sales> that he could invest to get Jeff started. Think about it for a couple of days.)

(Plus we've got the perfect guinea pig for the experiments... *cough* Jeff *cough*)

(excellent. And with Niven Mining and Minerals moving into a new market soon, not to mention NEU telecommunications, and Nivenco entertainment (theaters), there should be a little money laying around LOL :) Ok maybe not)

(Exactly.. LOL

OK, I gotta get some sleep. I'll catch ya in a few days!)

(Later, have fun.)

ooc: Can someone breif me on the 7 pages since my last post?

(whew! Sorry I've been so quiet this weekend, but it's been really busy about here. I'll try and get a more detailed post up later tonight that actually advances the plot, but I'm afraid I can't quite yet ;)

And thanks, Cele. For the 'very smart' comment, that is. I'm not sure how much I deserve it, but coming from someone like you, it means a lot.)

(Cool, Nothing much has happened with this thread, I've been trying to hold the banner at the Third World Conference, but I'm starting to give way a little.. )

(I saw that, and I'm sure P.M. Dhawan would have something to say, but he's uh ... asleep? (no, already used that for MacIntyre). He'll stand up and defend his favorite of the Katana brothers as soon as I, uh, he can ;))

(LOL, thanks dude, get ready, Javin's taking out the gas can...)

(I always had Javin pegged as an arsonist ;). Anyhoo, I'm out for a while. Hopefully, I'll be on later tonight!)

Paolo walked over to the man's body and felt for a pulse, his head dropped in a convincing act of shock.

"You were just a little too late," he said as he closed the man's eyes. "A little sooner and he might have made it..."

Bernard didn't really hear what came next. He stretched out his hand towards the body, fresh tears forming in the bulky paid killer's eyes. "I...Paul..."

...jabbed the syringe into the veins of his neck and shot the knockout drug into him.

He didn't quite have time to realize what was happening. The drug raced through his veins, and he fell over in a graceful sort of slow motion, hitting the plane's floor with a dull thud.

After he passed out, Paolo turned to Jason, "He doesn't need to know this poor bastard was already dead before we started questioning him. He'll have enough to deal with in his new life.

"And he doesn't need names to chase after us anytime soon, this way we can keep an eye on him."

"I understand," replied Jason, looking at the elephant sized man laying at their feet. He tried to feel sympathy, but all he could remember was Scott Hudson's face exploding as a bullet tore through it. He shook his head. "I guess I've still got a lot to learn, eh?" the former diplomat asked with a humorless chuckle.

The intercomm buzzed; it was the pilot telling them that they were only a few miles out of Cape Deliverance.

----------------

"Good evening," came the dignified calm voice of an IanCorp news reporter. "I'm David Williamson, with INN, and you're watching the finest news source on the Shield. Today's top story: Scott C. Hudson, founder and president of Hudson Steel of Rorie Landing was shot dead at the Intuton, Gadsan, house of one Ms. Elizabeth Erickson. Ms. Erickson is the widow of Samuel Erickson, the captain of the ore freighter Scott C. Hudson, lost in a storm off Noropia two months ago. Mr. Hudson was shot with a sniper rifle, apparently of Ryansislean manufacture, from across the street. Two people present in Erickson's house soon fled, though there were signs of a struggle in the house Hudson was shot with.

"Soon after the shooting, IanCorp recieved an untraceable call from one Bernard O'Stanley, who claimed that he and a partner shot Hudson on King Clancy I of Thorntree's, the owner of the Royal Mining and Manufacturing Consortium of Ianapalis, orders. Lord Whitman's office quickly held a press conference in RM&M's downtown Ianapalis offices.

The screen cut away to a stage, where Sir Penton Dubois stood in front of a large RM&M logo. "Bernard O'Stanley and his brother Paul O'Stanley were indeed security officers at RM&M's Third Whitman plant. They both have skipped several days of work." He waved down an IanCorp reporter who was about to stand. "Both O'Stanley brothers were described by several co-workers as hot heads with violent tendencies. In fact, RM&M was just about to start proceedings to have Paul fired after he was involved in a fight in a Delton bar. I am ashamed of what they have done, but there is no possible way Lord Whitman, or anyone else in RM&M, could have instructed them to kill Mr. Hudson. Our business is in steel manufacture, not cold-blooded murder."

The room exploded with questions. One reporter in a Lakeriverwood Tribune (a subsidery of IanCorp, Int.) outfit stood up on his chair, waving about a stack of pictures. "And what of this, sir, showing you cavorting about with a lady of the night? If you can lie about that to us, what should make us believe you now?"

Dubois held up his hands, waving away the questions. "Please, ladies and gentlemen, please, this interview is over." The reporters didn't seem to hear him, and simply shouted louder as Sir Penton strode out through a door flanked by heavy set RM&M guards in dark glasses.

"I understand," replied Jason, looking at the elephant sized man laying at their feet. He tried to feel sympathy, but all he could remember was Scott Hudson's face exploding as a bullet tore through it. He shook his head. "I guess I've still got a lot to learn, eh?" the former diplomat asked with a humorless chuckle.

Paolo shook his head. "No, you've learned fast. This is a.. hard business at times. Not all negotiations are this hard, some are harder," he added with a sad wink.

Paolo looked at the corpse and crossed himself and the corpse. "May God forgive me for what I have done today."

The room exploded with questions. One reporter in a Lakeriverwood Tribune (a subsidery of IanCorp, Int.) outfit stood up on his chair, waving about a stack of pictures. "And what of this, sir, showing you cavorting about with a lady of the night? If you can lie about that to us, what should make us believe you now?"

OOC: Yeah! You go for it baby!! Go for the throat! ;)

Paolo shook his head. "No, you've learned fast. This is a.. hard business at times. Not all negotiations are this hard, some are harder," he added with a sad wink.

Paolo looked at the corpse and crossed himself and the corpse. "May God forgive me for what I have done today."

"I can't wait," replied Jason dryly as the plane started to lose altitude.

Cape Deliverance the city was hunched the the shadow of a huge, rocky mountain. Its small protected harbor wasn't large enough to arract real attention from RM&M or the Royal Iansislean Navy, but Noropians had lived there for time immemorial.

As the airplane landed, a couple of off duty aerodock workers noted the newest arrival.

"Check that out, eh, John?"

"That's a right fancy one, it is! By Gods, hardly a Bankfield!"

"Think W would like t'know about this?"

The two workers looked at each other, then nodded at the same time. "Yes!"

"Well, now you know why we make the big bucks, because we can handle these types of negotiations. Trust me, Nigatara wouldn't have hired you if ya couldn't." Paolo said.

The two men walked off of the plane, "Fuel up and get the engine hot," Paolo said as the group walked away, looking around and trying not to look too conspicuous.

That was hard in an Iansisle still firmly rooted in the early twentieth century. Jason knew they were really standing out like sore thumbs, and tapped Paolo on the shoulder. "Perhaps before we make our way to Rorie Landing, we ought to invest in some new garmants? I know Mr. Nigatara would probably prefer we didn't punch up our wardrobes on his teneral, but I'm feeling a few too many pairs of eyes, if you know what I mean."

----

Down in Turnish, 'W' started up his Westerton Jackrabbit IV and roared up the coastal road towards Cape Deliverance. It wasn't really a good lead, but he wasn't paid to sit around and dismiss things as not worth his time.

"I agree," Paolo said, reaching into the briefcase, whew... the coin purse was still in there.

"We need to find the nearest tailor"
(Hey, Underaloz is back .. the hunt for Vaughn begins soon.. ;))

"I doubt anything too expensive would be needed," replied Jason, indicating a fairly inexpensive looking shop off of Cape Deliverance's main street. About eighty generals later (prices in the Commonwealth tending to be low, as in keeping with the miniscule wages), the party emerged, looking quite sharp, if slightly outdated. Jason reccomended they rent a Westerton Jackrabbit for the run out Rorie Landing.

Paolo sat in the passenger seat of the Jackrabbit as they drove into Rorie Landing. "We might need a new place to stay," he said as the two drove. "Depending on how much that lady could tell them about us."

(I'mmmm Baaaaack)

Sir Edmond leaned back and smiled as the newscast ended "It would appear that the storm has begun. Shall we go to stage 2. I think that some subtle advertising, perhaps saying that it is time for a company with morals to move into Iansisle ?"


(OOC: Is there a name for the puppet company we are going to use to move steel and coal into Iansisle ?)

"New place to stay?" asked Jason, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

(Woo Hoo!!!!! Cele's back!)

(Iansisle, correct me if I'm wrong, but did that guy at the conference just give us a cold snicker and challenge us? *pops knuckles*)

(I was thinking, "Empire Steel and Coal")

"Yes," Paolo said. "If we are recognizable as being the pair that were at the house, people here might have seen where we are staying, pointing out that to the police."