Solomon's Treasures

An enigmatic visitor to Orwell Stronghold weaves a tale of long forgotten treasures, will you listen?

Level: 14
Start: Criles Nane, Local Shuttles, Orwell Stronghold

Introduction

Criles Nane: No madam, there is no Wendell Fong here!

You stroll through the busy but pristine local shuttle terminal when an irate customs officer shouts at nobody in particular. Presumably, someone has called his CORETECHS in error. This would normally be just enough to elicit a rueful smile and shake of your head as you walk on by, except the words seem to catalyze a localized storm of chaos! The customs officer gapes as suddenly every processing gate simultaneously green-lights arriving travelers while hologramatic screens over-head begin flashing and playing what appears to be an ancient Terran piece of music.

The customs officer, who your CORTECHS identifies as Criles Nane, exits his booth in a panic and begins running around like a glitching cleaning bot trying to ferry travelers back for processing. His futile attempts are hampered by the various screens and gates that seem to have simultaneously decided to glitch and add to the havoc of the situation.

Criles Nane: No! Wait! Please, Sers, return to your processing booths! There has been a technical…wait! Ser! Please stop!

As the hapless officer attempts to wrangle various travelers dispersing in the Brownian motion of confused humanity, you cannot help but notice one particular individual smirking and making his way speedily away from the scene. A sneaking suspicion suggests to you that they may somehow have been involved in the currently blooming bubble of chaos before you.

Follow the strange, smirking man on Orwell Station.

You have accepted the "Solomon's Treasures" mission.

Next area: Local Shuttles, Orwell Stronghold

• Follow the smirking man.

(Intelligence check)

Failure

The smirking man is a slippery customer indeed. He ducks and weaves through the crowd, seemingly able to predict its flow and take advantage of shifts in traffic to disappear from sight. A movement round the corner suggests you might be able to catch sight of him again if you hurry.

Success

The large Patrician moves quite quickly for his bulk, wending and weaving his way through the flowing crowds with a grace that is, perhaps, surprising for his stature. You almost lose him a couple of times but, after what feels like a superhuman effort to keep your eye on him, are fairly sure he is heading in the direction of the Lovelace Lounge.

Next NPC: Solomon Abdo, Lounge, Orwell Stronghold

• Approach the Smirking Man

The man you tracked to the lounge, identified by your CORETECHS as Solomon Abdo, continues to smile his knowing grin as you walk towards him. You note that your CORETECHS had not, earlier, offered an identification, suggesting he recently altered his broadcast privacy settings.

The man is sitting at the bar, facing the entrance to the lounge as he sips on a colorful looking drink. He is dressed in outlandish looking white clothing and a hat of similar color. Crisply ironed trousers are held up by a pair of turquoise suspenders that add a splash of color under his ivory dinner jacket. The jaunty white fedora that rests on his head completes a look that complements his grin that grows wider as you approach.

Solomon Abdo: Quite fascinating! Quite fascinating indeed good Ser! I truly wondered if anybody would wise up to my antics during arrival. That you managed to glean my eventual destination is doubly impressive! Yes indeed! You Ser, are quite the specimen! Quite the specimen indeed!

• "Umm…hi?"
• "You caused all that chaos at the local shuttles terminal!"

Chaos:

Me: You caused all that chaos at the local shuttles terminal!

Solomon somehow manages to look both humble and smug at the same time. He leans back and crinkles his large, Patrician eyes as he folds his hands over his expansive belly.

Solomon: Oh that? Weeeeell, I have picked up a trifle number of skills over the years. That particular little trick is a handy way to bypass otherwise unnecessary bureaucratic procedures. Yes indeed. Why bog down the poor officers with more paperwork eh? This way I am in and out with nary anyone the wiser and, indeed, undeservedly and quite unduly stressed about my presence. Especially…

He leans forward with a twinkle in his eye.

Solomon: …as they are entirely oblivious as to even the slightest hint of the existence of the treasure I have come to retrieve!

• "So, you mentioned a treasure?"
• "So why all that chaos and subterfuge?"

Hi:

Me: Umm, hi?

Solomon Abdo slaps a well dressed knee and chortles a deep throated chuckle. The robotic drinks server behind him smiles digitally in polite response. The lounge is not overly busy at the moment and the couple of other patrons drinking whilst utilizing the holoterminals available on every surface pay no heed to Solomon's mirth. The soft orange and purple lighting suffuses the lounge in a comfortable glow that reflects off Solomon's teeth as he grins and replies.

Solomon: Delightful! How wonderfully cynical and sardonic a character you appear to be! I feel, coupled with your obvious ingenuity and resourcefulness that this may be meeting steeped in serendipity and, in due course, no small amount of lucrativity! Yes indeed!

Solomon leans forward and gives you a conspiratorial wink before he continues in a hoarse whisper.

Solomon: If, that is, you would be willing to help me retrieve a hitherto undiscovered treasure located on this station! Hmm?

• "So, you mentioned a treasure?"
• "So why all that chaos and subterfuge?"
• "Wait, lucrativity?"

Lucrativity:

Me: Wait, lucrativty?

The portly man blinks before sniffing haughtily and letting out a soft and offended hurumph.

Solomon: Why yes indeed! The confidence to birth new and evolved vocabulary is the mark of both a gentleman and a scholar good Ser. Bringing attention to one's verbal inventions as if they are mistakes is decidedly less so! Yes indeed.

• "So, you mentioned a treasure?"
• "So why all that chaos and subterfuge?"

Chaos and subterfuge:

Me: So why all that chaos and subterfuge?

Solomon Abdo: I am a most esteemed and enigmatic hunter of ancient trinkets and treasures dear Ser! Yes indeed. I have both a flair for style and a dastardly reputation to uphold! People have come to expect a certain artistic genius from my exploits. Plus, I work so much better when unhindered by the intricacies of bureaucratic protocol and people's relentless need for regulation.

Solomon casts a careful eye at the other patrons before crossing his arms over his expansive chest and leaning back again. The robot behind him continues to clean a drinking vessel, less out of any custodial requirement and more out of behavioral protocol. The large patrician continues, his eyes twinkling and deep voice lowered to be barely audible above the soft and jazzy instrumental music of the lounge.

Solomon: Besides, it is the one sure-fire way of finding such savvy individuals as yourself who are able to pierce the veil of my subterfuge and thus prove they are worthy potential auxiliary associates in each venture!

• "So, you mentioned a treasure?"

Me: So, you mentioned a treasure?

Solomon taps his nose before leaning his elbows on his knees and steepling his fingers.

Solomon: Ahhh, yes indeed. Now we come to the crux of the matter! The arrow of discourse plunges through the verbal shrubbery of small talk to pierce the apple of truth! Yes indeed! Treasure from the days Before! Everyone is so distracted by the mundanity of simple survival, they lack the enterprise to delve into the truly magnificent aspects of our existence!

Solomon leans back and passes a hand over the bar top. The robot server helpfully raises his glass out of the way as a digital holo-terminal is projected off the surface. Solomon places his fingers through it and swivels back around to you, dragging the new screen through the air with him. Manipulating the UI, he brings up a map of the station and zooms it out.

Solomon: Everybody is so focused on the present. What do we do? How do we survive? What is everyone else doing and are they doing it better than us? Pish…they miss the big picture entirely! Where did we come from!? What came before?! You see, before this bedraggled, colonized space pebble belonged to the misbegotten, quasi-intellectuals of Benevolent Dynamics, it was a different place altogether! A place with its own stories and, as luck would have it, treasures!

• "You know what? I think I'll pass."
• "And how it is that only you know of these treasures?"
• "Where are these treasures?"
• "What kind of treasures are we talking about?"

Only you:

Me: And how exactly it is that only you know of these treasures?

The portly patrician raises a bushy eyebrow and shows his pearly white teeth in a gleaming grin. While exuding both arrogance and pomposity, he does his absolute best to appear humble before dropping the charade and tapping his nose.

Solomon: Due diligence my rightfully inquisitive friend. Everything in the universe can be accomplished if one has the forethought to do research, pore through dusty old repositories of data, and, occasionally, have the good grace to buy something off an old junker that turns out to be an E-slate from Before that tells you exactly what you need to know!

• "Where are these treasures?"
• "What kind of treasures are we talking about?"

What kind:

Me: What kind of treasures are we talking about?

Solomon's eyes widen and he hisses at you, making a chopping motion with his hand.

Solomon: Hsssst! Keep your voice down do, Ser! This station is a veritable cornucopia of digital surfaces, each capable of running any number of recording or listening applications at any time! Every damnable table might hold the virtual ears of some nearby ne'er-do-well eh?

Solomon: That said…why the shiniest and most valuable treasures from yore! Artifacts from Before! What more valuable a thing than that which tells us more about our own, forgotten past eh?

• "Where are these treasures?"

Where:

Me: Where are these treasures?

The portly patrician holds your gaze a moment, one elegant finger held up as if to punctuate the gravitas of the moment. Then his eyes crinkle and his lips smile as he relaxes back into his chair again and directs your eyes to the holo-map of the station hovering before him. He manipulates and spins it around, zooming in on a section in the Ruins.

Solomon: Where indeed! There is a building, or rather, there was a building that housed a number of important artifacts Before. It is mostly likely rubble now and thus, I imagine, of little note to most. However, some judicious research and more than a little serendipity allowed me come across a number of old delivery invoices that included a negative floor number as their final destination. A very negative number indeed! Thus, this storage space is likely quite intact!

Solomon: As luck, and what can only be described as an almost superhuman capacity for resourcefulness, would have it, I know how to find it!

• "Before we agree on anything, what's in it for me?"
• "Ok, so let's find some treasure!"

What's in it for me:

Me: Before we agree on anything, what's in it for me?

Solomon: Fortune and glory Ser, fortune and glory.

Solomon beams at you for a moment with a twinkle in his eyes before rolling them jokingly and continuing.

Solomon: And, of course, a generous cut of whatever we find! We shall, after all, be partners in this venture! You are the only person who saw through my little ruse at the arrivals bay and have thus impressed upon me your savvy and worth as a potentially long time colleague!

• "You know what? I think I'll pass."
• "Ok, so let's find some treasure!"

Pass:

Me: You know what? I think I'll pass.

Still smiling and without another word, Solomon shrugs and deactivates the hovering holo-map. With a wry shake of his head he turns his back to you and reacquaints himself with the colorful drink that was waiting for him on the bar.

You have failed the "Solomon's Treasures" mission. You can retake this mission and try again.

OK:

Me: Ok, so let's find some treasure!

Solomon: Splendiferous my new and eager friend! Let us shake and seal this exciting and, quite certainly lucrative, venture in a bond that shall surely be remembered for cycles to come!

Solomon's eyes gleam with excitement as he pumps your hand and his smile seems genuinely excited by the prospect of this grand adventure ahead. The robotic barman behind him offers an enthusiastic bleep in empathetic response to the large Patrician's merriment. Solomon glances at the barman with a raised eyebrow and a hint of disapproval before once more leaning in manipulating the holo-map projected out of a node on the bar and still currently hovering before him.

Solomon: Now then, listen well good Ser. Our first hurdle lies in the fact that what separates us from the building in question is a vast gulf of time! 100's of cycles have passed between today and the last time the building was in working condition. Thus, what little map data I have is both corrupt and very, very out of date. Benevolent Dynamics have altered and built over huge swathes of the old station and re-purposed what was salvageable to the point that the old Orwell Stronghold could be virtually unrecognizable in any cartographical capacity. Are you following? Good! So, what we need are a couple of metaphorical anchors to moor our ship of understanding in the waters of time!

Solomon pauses, quite pleased with his metaphor. He seems to wait for some sort of reaction or, perhaps, praise but when none is forthcoming he frowns and continues his plan, somewhat deflated.

Solomon: Basically, I need you to explore the station and find any concrete historical information on what existing locations might have been Before. Three should allow me to triangulate and transpose the information onto this map here, then we're in business! Oh…and best we keep all of this to ourselves yes? The authorities will surely find a way to finagle themselves into some quasi-legal ownership situation.

Explore the station and find any historical data on three separate locations.

Next area: Bank, Orwell Stronghold

• Scan the bank for pre-Catastrophe information.
• Call Demosthenes and ask him to look into Solomon Abdo.

OR

Next area: Clones, Orwell Stronghold

• Scan the clone-vat for pre-Catastrophe information.
• Call Demosthenes and ask him to look into Solomon Abdo.

OR

Next area: Docks, Orwell Stronghold

• Scan the Docks for pre-Catastrophe information.
• Call Demosthenes and ask him to look into Solomon Abdo.

OR

Next area: Any other area, Orwell Stronghold

• Call Demosthenes and ask him to look into Solomon Abdo.

Call Demosthenes:

Once you are a good distance away from Solomon, you pull up your contact Professor Demosthenes Chandrinos, a portly Harsene you helped to solve a murder on this very station not so long ago who promised to help you find information on the Janissaries. You find a quiet corner where passersby won't overhear your conversation and ask him to see if he can find out any information on Solomon Abdo.

Demosthenes answers your call with his usual jovial but long winded aplomb before finally settling down to listen to your request and recounting of your strange meeting with the eccentric Solomon Abdo.

Demosthenes: An interesting sounding character indeed my friend, you have definitely piqued my professional curiosity. I will initiate some background checks and similar biographical research and get back to you with everything I find! You are wise to contact me thusly, proper research is the very best strategy before undertaking any venture or, indeed, relationship! I shall be in contact anon!

You can't help but smile as Demosthenes disconnects the CORETECHS call, recalling that he is no less eccentric a personality as the one you just asked him to look into.

Explore the station and find any historical data on three separate locations.

Bank:
(Intelligence check)

While the plethora of impressive looking technology within the bank definitely marks it as a recent upgrade, the building itself looks quite solid and old. The dark regocrete foundations could well predate the Catastrophe and you get to work sifting through the endless amount of data on the public network here. An remnant of a cctv footage file grabs your attention. The recording is corrupted beyond salvage but the name of the file sports a time and date from Before!

That marks this as one of the areas that Solomon can use to triangulate the position of his building.

Continue exploring Orwell Stronghold and find historical data on two more separate locations.

Clones:
(Intelligence check)

The various cloning facilities around the galaxy were one of the technologies that humanity found relatively intact and able to utilize. While the knowledge of the cloning process is still far from reclaimed, enough has been understood about the machinery that the concept has been embraced by those who can afford it. This is what brings you to the area, in the hope that it likely serves the same function now as it did Before. A quick scan with your CORETECHS confirms your hunch, with various old and inaccessible work orders existing from several hundred cycles ago.

That marks this as one of the areas that Solomon can use to triangulate the position of his building.

Continue exploring Orwell Stronghold and find historical data on one more location.

Docks:
(Intelligence check)

It seems likely that the docks were present during pre-Catastrophe times and thus, hopefully, still hold some indication thereof. You note several security cameras in the area and do your best to ignore them as you initiate a residual data scan with your CORETECHS. You pour over various public information sources before finally alighting on a dock manifest. Much of the data that predates a number of cycles is garbled and corrupt, but at least two entries indicate ships that docked here from Before!

That marks this as one of the areas that Solomon can use to triangulate the position of his building.

Contact Solomon and tell him about the three sites.

• Call Solomon.

You call up Solomon via your CORTECHS and inform him of the locations he required.

Solomon: Sheer brilliance! I never doubted you for a moment my friend, I knew you would have no trouble with this. Now, let's see what we have shall we? So, when I add your data into my map, and then transpose it over the existing one like so…

There is a moment where all you can hear is Solomon's excited breathing as he presumably inputs the data into his holo-map. After a moment, he continues.

Solomon: It would seem, good Ser, that we have our location! Right here, smack dab in the middle of the ruined city, what the local scientists colloquially refer to as the Techdump. Let us waste no time I say. I propose that you head straight there and see what you can find. I will secure some transport both within and later without the station! I will meet you there as soon as possible! This is very exciting my friend!

You hear Solomon grunt as he gets up and rushes over to pay the bar-bot. After a moment, presumably when he realizes he forgot to end the call, he disconnects.

Head to the Ruins to find Solomon's building.

Next area: Ruins, Orwell Stronghold

• Find Solomon's building.

(Agility check)

The Techdump, as local scientists refer to the ruined city, is an eerie graveyard of technology set against the backdrop of the corpse of what was once the station's main residential district. All sorts of machinery, ranging in every size, litter the broken streets, having been deemed irreparable or beyond salvage by the engineers of Benevolent Dynamics that run the station. Brilliant bursts of dazzling light from the system's flaring suns are occasionally punctuated by some distant piece of machinery exploding in a muted thud as some ancient coolant housing or containment system finally gives way to the rigors of time.

You gingerly pick your route, doing your best to avoid the more unstable looking technological cadavers that litter the area and finally arrive at the squat building in question. A broken roof and jagged walls stand as testament to the harsh environment but you can also make out a dark staircase descending into the bowel of the building. Of more immediate interest, however, is the squad of BeDyne security that stand at the entrance, all their eyes fixed on your approach.

• "Is there a problem officers?" [security-foes-with-incident]
• "Is there a problem officers?" [security-foes-with-incident2]

First option:

Me: Is there a problem officers?

The security squad move to surround you and their commanding officer, who you recognize as Commander Cornelius Hawthorne, steps forward. He is about to speak when a distant explosion forces him to pause as dust from shifting debris sifts down onto the area. After a moment, he addresses you.

Commander Cornelius: Hmm, I did not, I must admit, expect to see you here my friend. We are responding to a report of an unsanctioned salvage operation on these premises. However, given your previous aid towards our investigations in the past, I am prepared to hear your side of this story.

The Commander listens intently as you tell him about Solomon Abdo and the artifacts he claims to have discovered in this location. The Commander looks thoughtful while you speak and takes a moment before answering.

Commander Cornelius: Curious. I have not heard of this individual but, from what you say, am inclined to err on the side of caution in dealing with him. For the moment, our next steps seem clear enough, we will respond to this report and proceed into the building. I will, however, leave some men hear to watch for your 'friend'.

A number of officers around you gather equipment and gear and make ready to leave. One female officer straps on some heavy machinery onto her back with the help of a large Mall who then takes a quick inventory though a bag of medical supplies before strapping it into a modification attached to their hip. You also note a third officer struggling with some comms equipment. They are trying to pack it away when a call comes through. He answers and snaps a response with a note of irritation before disconnecting the call.

Irate Security Officer: No madam there is no Wendell Fong here! Please keep off this frequency as it is an emergency broadcast security system!

Accompany BeDyne Security into the building.

• Proceed further into the building.
• INCOMING CALL: Professor Demosthenes Chandrinos

Demosthenes:

Demosthenes: Greetings my friend! I don't know where you are, but it was almost impossible for me to reach you! Luckily, my vessel is equipped with some state of the art signal boosting equipment, of which I have added some ingenious additions to myself. Now, I have some news for you. To the untrained eye, the individual you call Solomon Abdo seems legitimate, at least in as far as his existence goes. A number of incidents do indeed paint him as an opportunistic scavenger of illicit goods and artifacts. However, to my expert eye, and after a little digital sifting, I was able to deduce that this persona, and indeed all incidental reports therein, are entirely fabricated! Solomon Abdo, in digital terms, is less than two weeks old, a fact easy to entirely miss if not looking for some very specific telltale algorithmic flags.

Demosthenes pauses to give you a chance to compliment him, then continues with a slight tinge of irritation in his voice when you do not.

Demosthenes: Furthermore, as my curiosity got the better of me and after a parsec or twelve's worth of research, I suspect that Solomon is, in matter of fact and in all likelihood, a corporate freebooter who goes by the moniker of Sly. He makes his living, if you can call it that, by the purloining and reselling of unreleased technological knowledge!

You thank Demosthenes for his help and disconnect the call.

Inform the Commander or continue exploring the building.

• Inform Commander Cornelius of Demosthenes' findings.
• Proceed further into the building.

Inform Commander:

You ask for the Commander and inform him of Demosthenes' findings on Solomon. The squad pauses in the dark hallway of the building as he listens to you. He seems to raise his eyebrows at the mention of the name, Sly, however and motions to an officer to report this to Security HQ.

A moment passes as the officer's eyes glaze over and they interact with their CORETECHS, however they frown and shake their head.

Security officer. I cannot seem to make a connection to internal security comms Commander.

Commander Cornelius frowns and tries his own CORETECHS but, after a moment, apparently to no avail. He motions to the female officer with the communication equipment to come over and set up a broadcast.

Commander Cornelius: We did anticipate possible communications issues in the area, what with the various old technology potentially playing havoc and causing interference with the network. Private Vareeka is carrying a signal booster however, this will hopefully allow us to connect and relay your information back to HQ.

Private Vareeka unloads the comms equipment from her back and places it on the floor. After several moments powering it up and connecting her CORETECHS to it, she frowns and, looking up at the commander, shakes her head.

Commander Cornelius: Interesting. I don't mind saying that this is becoming increasingly unsettling. Very well, Vareeka, run diagnostics and see if the fault is from this side. If it's not, then we will send someone back. For the moment however, we have no option but to press forward.

Proceed further into the building.

• Proceed further into the building.

Flanked by officers, you proceed further into the building. The squad proceeds with a professional efficiency and, for the most part, stays relatively quiet and focused. Occasionally, one of several officers with scanning devices call out a piece of information relevant to the surroundings such as building stability, air purity, blocked passages and the like.

Several long segments pass as you explore the building, floor by floor, as it descends ever downwards. Chrome surfaces tarnished with age dully reflect the light off the squads light beams, though you also note a number of officer's eyes glow with a night-vision enhancing upgrade to their CORETECHS. Dust and debris litter the halls and the group is forced to double back several times to find an alternate route downwards. Finally, you reach the subterranean level that Solomon's map, if true, indicated as the one holding valuable artifacts. A cracked and partial sign on an entrance from the staircase you descended to this level from declares this the floor of:

RESRC_ A DE_OP_ENT: MILARY DIV__ION

Commander Cornelius: Right, if this floor holds anything as valuable as what this 'Solomon' alleges to, there will likely once have been some serious security to the area. That was bad then, even worse now as we cannot be sure how erratically any systems may behave, if indeed they still function. We must proceed with caution.

The Commander gives the go ahead and two officers set about opening the entrance. It seems heavily fortified and they are forced to utilize breaching devices. After a long moment, the door is opened and the squad gingerly proceeds into the dark interior. Almost immediately, a klaxon begins to sound off an intruder alert and several wall mounted gun turrets swivel in the direction of the group. An officer yells in pain with their shoulder exploding in a spray of blood as the turrets open fire and bullets ricochet around the chamber!

Continue exploring the building in the ruins of Orwell Stronghold.

• Dive for Cover!
• Tumble past the firing turrets!

Cover:
(Agility check)

Failure

You dive for cover only to see it shatter under a hail of bullets, keep trying!

Success

The turrets are firing relentlessly, chipping away or shattering much of the available cover in the room. You manage to dive behind a chrome plated desk that seems to withstand the hail of bullets for the moment.

• Wait for the squad to act.
• Hack the turrets.

Hack:
(Intelligence check)

You try to ignore everyone;s impending death as the turrets whittle away at what little cover remains and initiate a CORETECHS scan of the nearby networks. With much of the building already dead, it is easy to isolate the turret systems. Their security is formidable but also quite outdated. Soon, you manage to break through and force them into a debug mode. The guns whir down to a stop as the system begins running a self diagnosis.

You shout your success at the Commander and he gives you a nod of relieved thanks before shouting for the squad to move past the room, not willing to risk how long the system might be down for. As they move past, he orders his officers to disable the turrets by brute force. You note that a number of officers have been injured, but nobody was killed. Hawthorne, mirroring your thoughts, voices a question.

Commander Cornelius: Is everyone ok? Status report.

• "I'm uninjured."

Me: I'm uninjured.

The Commander nods at you in acknowledgment and sees to the rest of the squad, ordering those uninjured to help the wounded and patch them up. Finally, he motions to the female officer with the comms equipment.

Commander Conrelius: Private Vareeka, any update on the booster tech? We have men down here and…and we need to contact HQ. What do you have?

Private Vareeka: I…yes Commander. I ran a diagnostic but everything comes up green. Comms booster is working fine, we're just not getting any connections.

The Commander looks thoughtful for a moment, tapping his chin with a forefinger. He looks at the injured with a grim expression before coming to a conclusion.

Commander Cornelius: Vareeka, you need to get back to base. If our comms are working, then something might be wrong on the other side. We're got injured here and we need evac for them to sickbay. Take Willis and get me a situation report. Me and the…

The Commander gives you a wry look.

Commander Cornelius: …external consultant here, will continue further into the building and get to the bottom of this. We're too far in now and I don't want to risk the chance of more security systems waking up and compromising the injured here.

Follow Commander Cornelius Hawthorne deeper into the building.

• Follow Commander Cornelius Hawthorne.

Once Privates Vareeka and Willis have left, the Commander instructs his remaining officers to care for the wounded and nods at you to proceed. Together, you move into the next chamber and the hallway beyond. For several long segments you explore the floor, searching various rooms and doubling back when you find a dead end. Much of what you see suggests that this was some sort of research and development facility, specifically in the making of arms and armors for military use. You proceed deeper into the floor taking note of several dimly lit terminals and devices along the way. Luckily, there do not seem to be any more security devices further in.

Commander Cornelius: I suspect many of these systems are operating on a closed network. Some of the more secretive or simply more paranoid military facilities no doubt used more archaic systems to avoid external hacking. As long as they have a good power source and escaped any damage, they could theoretically run for hundreds of cycles.

As the Commander continues to muse aloud, you arrive at a larger chamber. You cannot see very far into it but there is an expansive feeling to the air here, as if it extends well beyond a simple room.

Commander Cornelius: This feels like something, lets see if my theory stands true, look for a light source somewhere. My beam will not illuminate this chamber very well I think.

• Search for a light source.

You begin inching along the wall to find some panel or device that may provide some illumination. Suddenly, you hear the Commander speak, apparently having gotten a call on his CORETECHS.

Commander Hawthorne: Yes? Vareeka? How were you able to make contact? The problem was on that side? A virus! How is that even…He did what?! What was stolen? I…see. Well that will not be what he is expecting. Ok, yes. Post an all points bulletin and send officers to the port, check every outbound shuttle. What? Who the smog is Wendell Fong? Vareeka? Vareeka! Blast…She's gone again.

Just as the Commander loses his connection, your hand slides over a protruding panel on the wall. A dull ping responds to your touch and the room is suddenly lit in a dull and soft light emanating from several glowing tubes that run along the perimeter of the ceiling far above you. Only three of them function but the light is enough to illuminate the chamber.

Both you and the Commander gawk at the sheer size of the room which seems to extend for at least 200 meters on each side. All number of crates line the wall with several having fallen over with their contents spilled onto the floor. Some are huge, standing at at least three meters in height, others are smaller and lay open close-by. Of what you can see, most of the crates seem to hold weapons and armor of various high-tech varieties. Here and there you also spy some equipment you do not recognize and at least one large crate that fell over seems to hold robots!

• INCOMING CALL: Solomon Abdo

You warily accept the call from Solomon.

Solomon: Well…Salutations my stalwart friend and, perhaps, some small measure of apology is in order. I had to be a concerned citizen and summon security on us. Our operation was just too ethically negative, it weighed heavily on my conscious! And, more importantly, I rather needed the bulk of those officers away and busy so that I could enact my own little plan. My buyers over in the Iron Quad are going to pay handsomely for this research data I have so cunningly purloined.

Solomon seems to pause, perhaps hoping for some reaction from you. When none is forthcoming, he continues with a slight note of irritation now evident in his voice.

Solomon: I expect you are deep in the bowels of our mysterious building right now? A nasty trick I know, but all necessary for the aforementioned cunning plan you see. The map was genuine of course, I salvaged it off a derelict cruiser, that and this amazing little software virus I have taken to calling Wendell Fong, plays absolute havoc with any system I introduce it to! And hey! You seem to have survived, so all is good! And I am sure security will let you off the hook once it is apparent that you, just like them, were simply duped by my greater intellect. Still, as a gentleman of negotiable honor, I do feel I must apologize for sending you on a wild comet chase!

• Stay silent.
• Tell Solomon about the 'treasure' trove of technology you found.

Tell Solomon:

Solomon falls silent as you tell him about the building and the chamber you now stand in. You spend a good amount of time describing just how valuable everything here surely will be and you relish the very loud silence on the other end of the line once you are done. Commander Hawthorne stands close-by, listening with a raised eyebrow. Eventually, Solomon replies.

Solomon: “It would seem that, to some extent, I was hoisted by my own petard. A most interesting turn of events…most interesting indeed. Well, I cannot be too grumpy I suppose. I achieved what I planned and therefore I did not fail! Your…good fortune is simply an unforeseen byproduct of my own genius! My success was simply so fruitful that it spilled over onto you! Why, I would say you owe me good Ser! Ha! Well, I must bid you adieu now, the hostess bot approaches with the drinks. Be well partner! Talk soon!

The call disconnects, leaving you in the vast chamber with Commander Hawthorne. Once he realizes your conversation is over, he crosses his arms and addresses you.

Commander Cornelius: Was that our friend?

• Stay silent.
• Tell Hawthorne about the conversation with Solomon.

Tell Hawthorne:

You fill the Commander in on the conversation you just had with Solomon.

The Commander listens intently and nods as a number of details seem to fill in gaps in his knowledge of the recent events. You also cannot help but notice a slight glint of amusement in his eye. After awhile, he replies.

Commander Cornelius: Yes that certainly corroborates some of what Private Vareeka just reported. There is one missing fact, however, that your friend will soon discover. What the esteemed rogue did not, perhaps, know is that the big secret about androids and robotics in general, is that we have no idea how they work. We have managed to reclaim enough rudimentary knowledge to repair any superficial issues and, more often than not, an android will guide us into proper repairs, but beyond that, our ken is quite limited indeed! I imagine he will have an interesting time once his buyers delve into the data he stole, data that simply indicates there is no concrete data.

As he speaks, the Commander starts walking towards the various crates that line the chamber, opening them and taking stock of what he can see. He takes out a couple of items and inspects them with a fair amount of interest as he continues.

Commander Cornelius: And, considering what he COULD have gotten his hands on had his original plan actually been real…well, one hates to think how upset he will be with himself. Still, I wouldn't worry about it, especially if I were in your shoes. There will be a very generous finders fee for your help in procuring this stockpile. It is all from Before, Pre-Catastrophe tech! Mostly military of course, except for the robots I'll wager, but Benevolent Dynamics simply loves studying old world tech. And here…

The Commander was handling a powerful looking rifle as he talked, he tosses that towards you.

Commander Cornelius: Call that an advance, nobody will miss one unit. You're free to leave now. I will coordinate the requisition of this place, bring down some scientists to have a look around once we're sure everything is shut down.

With that, the Commander returns to his inspection and calls back Private Vareeka to coordinate the team. Solomon's virus has apparently ran its course as he is able to make contact quite easily. You turn and slowly make your way out of the building, noting the medical staff who have now arrived to help the injured security officers. Just before you exit the building, a CORETECHS notification informs you that your finders fee has been received.

You have received 350.00 credits.

You have received 1 'ENT-SMG'.

You have completed the "Solomon's Treasures" mission.

Notes

• Players met Professor Demosthenes Chandrinos and Commander Cornelius Hawthorne during the mission "The Curious Incident"
• The reference to "a parsec or twelve's worth of research" is likely an homage to a famous discrepancy in the 1977 film Star Wars. Smuggler Han Solo boasts that his ship "made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs," but a parsec is a unit of distance, not time.

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