I've heard a rumor …
Level: 17
Start: Tam Tim, Market, Madame de Pompadour
Introduction
Tam Tim smiles at you as you approach his row of gondolas, and then his smile fades just a bit as he looks closer at you.
Tam Tim whispers <name>. I've heard about you. I've also heard that Tinker Donalson can use help from someone with your skills. If anyone but Tinker asks, you didn't hear it from me. He's in the Consortium Consulate … when he's not in the bar.
Tam Tim turns and walks away, his hand outstretched to greet a potential customer who's just arrived. It's as if he never spoke to you.
Head to the consortium consulate and find Tinker Donalson.
Next area: Consortium Embassy, Madame de Pompadour
- Look for Tinker.
Most consulates are dull, officious affairs. The Consortium Consulate on Madame de Pomadour is not a dull, officious affair. Suits are clean and pressed. Everyone is smiling. The Consortium personnel seem happy, even eager to help.
A young woman with a Consortium lapel pin walks towards you. From the glint in her eyes, she's checking her CORETECHS, probably finding out who you are.
Amélie Hello, <name>. I'm Amélie. We've been expecting you. Please follow me.
Before you have a chance to respond, she leads you to the back of the room, taking you through a door you probably wouldn't notice if you hadn't been aware of it. You find yourself in a sparse office, with a grim-faced man sitting at a desk in front of you. Amélie turns and leaves.
- Meet Tinker.
The man sitting at the desk holds up his hand to stop you from talking while he continues to read a report on a tablet in front of him. The screen is clearly polarized because it appears to be flat black from where you're standing. After a couple of hundred units of uncomfortable silence he puts the tablet down and looks up at you, a troubled look on his face. You smell whisky.
Man behind desk Thanks for being patient.
If your Reputation with the Consortium is below "Admired":
- Apologies
The man shakes his head.
Man behind desk: You must be <name> . My apologies. It appears we have wasted your time. Tam Tim means well and he knows I need off-station help. Your record shows you have skills, but you need an excellent reputation with the Consortium before I can risk this. Maybe come back then.
You have failed the "Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Die" mission. You can retake this mission and try again.
With at least "Admired" reputation:
- Keep listening.
The man shakes his head and waves his hand over the tablet, in the unmistakable gesture of brushing a message towards you. Your CORETECHS lights up with an incoming message. The man stares at you intently.
Incoming CORETECHS message « Say nothing. The room is being swept for bugs—covert listening devices. You must be <name>. The man before you is Tinker Donalson. We already know Tam Tim sent you. Your record shows you have skills and can be trusted. He needs help from someone off-station. You'll be doing the Consortium a favor. Are you interested? »
Get Briefed by Tinker
- "This is too weird for me."
- You nod your agreement.
"This is too weird for me."
You stop for a moment and take stock of the situation. You're on a Gaule station, but at the Consortium Consulate. This looks like spy versus spy type stuff. You don't need the hassle of getting involved.
Me Yeah, um, thanks, but this is too weird for me.
You turn and walk out of the office, wondering what that was about.
You have failed the "Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Die" mission. You can retake this mission and try again.
You nod your agreement
You have accepted the "Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Die" mission.
Next NPC: Tinker Donalson, Consortium Embassy, Madame de Pompadour
- Listen to the mission briefing.
The man nods at you and sets two glasses on his desk. He pulls out a bottle of Fungivulin, a high-end whisky, and gives healthy pours in each glass. He pushes one towards you and gestures to the chair in front of the desk. You sit.
The slate beeps. Tinker looks at and smiles.
Tinker Donalson OK, the room's clear of bugs. We can talk. There's a Promethean in the Catacombes de Pompadour, or the ruins of them. She's waiting for us to send someone to bring her in. She wants to join our Witness Rehabilitation Program. She's tired of being a Promethean.
As you consider this request, Tinker lifts his glass to his mouth, his eyes never breaking contact with your own. He takes a healthy gulp of the whisky.
Me Doesn't make sense. Why someone off-station? Why not one of your own people?
Tinker regards you with a calm look as he sets his glass down. For the first time since you've met him, he appears to relax a bit.
Tinker Donalson If you said "yes" without asking, you wouldn't be the right person for the job.
He lifts his glass and takes another sip of his drink.
Tinker Donalson I'm not with the embassy. I'm DZ—Department Z. I'm the station head here. In exchange for our help, one Sister Mirceonne is going to tell me who the DZ mole is on this station. Someone's leaking information and I don't know who.
Me Still doesn't make sense. Send a wave to Tau Station. For something this sensitive, DZ will send someone.
Tinker looks down at his drink, frowning. He stares at it hard for several units before taking a sip. When he continues, there is bitterness, anger in his voice. The glass shakes in his hand.
Tinker Donalson When you're DZ, you don't get sent to stations like this as a reward. I'm out of the way here and DZ's not sending anyone for me. I've already asked. But Sister Mirceonne has helped us before on the House of Congo and I will not let her down now.
You stare at his glass and it all makes sense. Tinker's a drunk and he's not trusted. But he clearly feels this is a matter of honor…and importance.
Me OK, now it makes sense. Sure, I'll find this Promethean and bring her back.
Tinker looks back up at you and raises his hand to stop you as you're about to get up.
Tinker Donalson I've read your file, <name>. I know who you are. You've gotten through scrapes that trained DZ agents would struggle with. But I think you're cocky. And being cocky means you're going to get hurt. Don't be cocky. There's something wrong about this job.
Next area: Consortium Embassy, Madame de Pompadour
- Leave Tinker's office.
As you leave Tinker's office, Amélie is there to escort you out of the office. She speaks to you quietly as you make your way to the exit.
Amélie It's simple. Go to the ruins, establish contact with Sister Mirceonne, and bring her back. But there's something wrong with this. I've heard rumors that there are some other off-station types who are heading to the ruins. If there's any sign of trouble, get back here and we'll plan another extraction for the sister.
Me Why don't you go? Tinker seems to trust you enough to share that information.
Amélie stops before the exit and gives you a bland smile that does not reach her eyes. She looks for all the world like an innocent clerk who just helped someone with routine paperwork.
Amélie Tinker told me you were smart, but apparently you're not. If I go and there's a mole, game over.
She regards you with a cold look.
Amélie Bring Sister Mirceonne back. Prove me wrong. But if there's danger, don't be stupid. Get back here.
Amélie graces you with another fake smile as she holds the door open for you to leave the consulate.
Head to the ruins and find Sister Mirceonne
Next area: Ruins, Madame de Pompadour
- Enter the Catacombes de Pompadour.
You find an old entrance to the Catacombes, long ago sealed off and even more recently ripped open. You pull back one of the panels and walk down a rickety set of metal stairs. It's dark, but as you reach the bottom, there are occasional flares of ceeling lights stretching off into the distance. As you realize the size of the ruins, you also realize that you have no idea where in the ruins Sister Mirceonne is.
There's no hope for it, so you start walking. The Catacombes de Pomapadour is a huge graveyard for those who were unwilling to have their dead bodies recycled for the common good. You shake your head at the selfishness of such an act. There are large stretches of tombstones marking graves, ossuaries containing bones, and the occasional large tomb celebrating famous people no one remembers. You pass by a particularly ornate tomb, a video display flickering with remnants of power, showing one of the early pre-Cat settlers at a ribbon cutting ceremony. The image keeps cutting out before the ribbon is cut.
As you get further into the ruins, there's no sign of any activity. You haven't seen any signs of anyone. Usually the ruins of stations are overrun with ruin rats, criminals, and those who are just down on their luck. But there's no one here. Until you spot a firepit that's still smoking slightly. Someone put it out too quickly. You stop and slowly turn. You're surrounded by tombs. Your hand reaches towards your weapon as you realize that this would be a good place for an ambush. There's a low whistle to your left.
You spin to your left while crouching down behind a large, crumbling ossuary. There's a small, dirty boy dressed in rags about 30 meters away. He's obviously a Belter child and if he's not getting his meds, even this low gravity probably hurts him. He lifts his arm and points towards a large mausoleum you can see in the distance.
Belter Boy Dey wen' dataway. We don' wan' no trouble.
The boy disappears behind a tomb. You're pretty certain you won't find him again. The mausoleum, however, is pretty hard to miss. In fact, muzzle flashes just lit up the building.
- Return to the consulate.
- Head to Mausoleum.
Head to Mausoleum.
As the flicker of the muzzle flashes die away, you strike out towards the mausoleum. You're breaking Amélie's orders to return if you spot trouble, but Tinker didn't quite say that, did he? He just told you not to be cocky. Are you being cocky?
You keep an eye out for trouble as you watch the mausoleum. Battles in ruins weren't unusual things. Probably wasn't related to your mission, was it?
As you get closer, you notice a body off to your right, lying between headstones. You go check it out and you see a massive, dead Mall lying face up. She's missing an arm and the stump appears to be freshly cauterized from an energy weapon. A hole where her stomach would be testifies to her manner of death. It's still wet. And though she appears to be a merc, she's already been stripped clean. Her shoes are gone, along with any weapons. Her armor's been rendered useless by combat damage. You hope she had a recent clone.
- Return to the consulate.
- Keep heading to the mausoleum.
Keep heading to the mausoleum.
You leave the dead Mall woman behind and the sounds of battle near the mausoleum increase. It's mostly the piercing sound of energy weapons, punctuated with bursts from grenades. Whatever's going on is serious. And, of course, station security is nowhere to be seen. No one cares about the ruins.
You push forward, trying to keep tombs between you and the mausoleum. After a few hundred units of creeping forward, hunched over, a scream erupts in front of you. A Belter, well over two meters tall, tumbles back over a tombstone, half of his head burned away. Whoever let out that scream wasn't this Belter. You idly note the assault rifle in his left hand. Might pick up a few credits on the market. Then your mind snaps back to the mission.
You're there to bring in a Prothean defector. But Tinker told you not get cocky. Amélie told you to abort at the first sign of trouble. And you have no idea if this battle is related to the mission.
- Return to the consulate.
- Never give up.
Never give up.
You get why Tinker and Amélie said what they did, but they've underestimated you. You didn't get this far into the 'verse by accident. And there's a Promethean out there who needs your help. You never did like the Prometheans and anything to stick it to them makes your socks roll up and down. It's time to get this done.
A rustle. A movement out of the corner of your eye. You turn and see a stun grenade landing at your feet. For some reason, your find yourself thinking that maybe you really are too cocky.
- You wake up after the grenade hit.
You awake in a haze of pain. You're lying facedown and your head feels like someone hit it with a sledgehammer. You vaguely remember being a combat zone, but as you struggle to lift yourself, you retch and collapse.
You lay there, waiting for them to come and finish you off while you try to remember how recent your last clone is. At least it's quiet. Wait, it's too quiet. There's no sound of combat. You manage to turn your self onto your side and look around, but there's noone to be seen. Even the body of the Belter who was shot before you is gone.
Your CORETECHS flashes a notification. You have an incoming message.
CORETECHS message « I told you that you were too cocky. »
You have failed the "Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Die" mission. You can retake this mission and try again.
Return to the consulate.
Your instructions were clear. Bug out at the first sign of trouble. You don't want to leave the Promethean defector alone in the ruins, but you clearly don't know enough about the situation to make the call yourself. It's time to go.
Next NPC: Hellison Weregot, Consortium Embassy, Madame de Pompadour
- Report to the consulate.
As you enter the consulate, Amélie is there. She quickly moves to intercept and leads you to the back of the room, taking you through the door you went through before. You find yourself in a sparse office, with a grim-faced man sitting at a desk in front of you. Amélie turns and leaves.
The grim-faced man at the desk is not Tinker. Nor is the man sitting in the chair in front of the desk.
Hellison Weregot Ah, yes. I wondered if I might be meeting you, <name>. I'm Hellison Weregot. I'm the new acting station chief for Department Z. And this is my assistant, Eligar Soldier.
Eligar nods at you. While Hellison has an arrogant manner about himself, Eligar strikes you as someone more down to earth. But Tinker's not here …
- "What happened to Tinker?"
Me What happened to Tinker? I was working with him.
Eligar Soldier Yes, well. Bit of bad news there, really. The Promethean you were sent to bring in? She's a fraud. There's no mole. Just between the three of us, Tinker's an old drunk. He was sent to this station as a courtesy, rather than firing him outright. The Promethean was just running a scam. And in the process, she got herself killed. She's a Promethean—real death. There will be political consequences for this.
Hellison Weregot We gave Tinker the courtesy of retiring instead of being fired over the scandal. To be honest, he didn't run a tight ship. We had to do a bit of housecleaning. We're still not sure how deep the damage goes.
Eligar looks at Hellison who pauses before nodding briefly. Ellison looks back at you.
Eligar Soldier Tinker may have been past his prime, but it seems choosing you wasn't a bad idea. Thanks to the housecleaning, we're a bit shorthanded and you've an excellent reputation. We, um, need a message picked up from a freebooter courier, Darial Bica. We'd go ourselves but we can't afford to be seen with him.
Hellison Weregot He's in the ruins. Tell him "Smiley" sent you. Unlike Tinker, we'll actually provide you with coordinates. Are you interested?
Tinker's been "retired"
- "Sure, why not?"
- "I've had enough."
"I've had enough."
You look at these men and think that something just feels wrong about this. But yes, Tinker's a drunk. They did what they had to do.
Me You know, I think I've had enough fun for one day. Seems like you two have enough on your hands right now. I'll just leave you to it.
You have failed the "Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Die" mission. You can retake this mission and try again.
"Sure, why not?"
Me Sure, why not? Anything to help the Consortium.
Ellison Soldier Excellent! Here's his location. Just find him, get the message, and bring it back.
Ellison pushes his hand in your direction and your CORETECHS flashes a notification. It's a set of coordinates in the ruins. It doesn't appear to be anywhere close to the firefight.
Ellison Soldier Good luck and, uh, be careful.
Find the freebooter
Next area: Ruins, Madame de Pompadour
- Look for Darial Bica in the ruins.
You take the same set of rickety stairs down to the Catacombes de Pompadour. This time, you can already see people moving about. It's not the eerie calm of last time. You consult your CORETECHS and head towards the location of Darial Bica.
This section of the Catacombes looks more like administrative offices. Did they really need that for a glorified cemetery? As you walk past the broken buildings, you again think this is a perfect place for an ambush, especially since your contact is a freebooter. But ruins residents tend not to shoot first—you never know who you're shooting at. Caution's fine, but there's no need to be paranoid.
The eyes of ruins rats peer from windows, watching you. You walk along the side of a building, projecting an air of confidence. Never let them think you're weak.
You check your CORETECHS and see you're at the correct coordinates. The eyes of the ruins rats fade from sight as you feel cold metal at the back of your neck. You raise your hands slowly, but you can't help but be impressed with how stealthy the approach was. Maybe Darial hired the ruins rats to watch you, to be a distraction?
Me Darial Bica? Smiley sent me.
A voice behind you What, you're not Darial?
- Talk to the voice.
As the metal pulls back from your neck, a hand rests on your shoulder and pulls you around. You find yourself staring at someone who's obviously a Patrician, but he looks a bit scruffy. He has a small pistol trained on you, a Connery, if you're not mistaken, and he's looking you up and down.
Scruffy man I've never actually met Ser Bica, but you don't strike me as a freebooter. Who's "Smiley"?
You lower your hands slowly and the scruffy man doesn't object, but his pistol never wavers.
Me No one is "Smiley." It was just the name I was supposed to give. Who are you?
The scruffy man looks you in the eye. He squints and runs his tongue over his teeth before shaking his head.
Scruffy man You may not be a freebooter, but you were going to meet one that I very much want to find. So talk to me, or this doesn't end well for you.
You weigh your options. The Patrician looks down on his luck, but he managed to sneak up on you. And his gun is already drawn. But you can't just tell him the truth; this is DZ business.
- Subdue the scruffy man.
- Talk to the scruffy man.
Subdue the scruffy man.
(Agility check)
Failure
Quick as a snake, you twist your body out of the way while you grab for the gun, but your hand finds nothing but air. The scruffy man has stepped back and the gun is still pointed at you.
- Subdue the scruffy man.
- Talk to the scruffy man.
Success
Quick as a snake, your twist your body out of the way while you grab for the gun. You twist it out of his hands before he realized what happened. Before you can follow up, he lunges forward, grabbing you and tossing you over his hip. You're thrown to the ground on your side, stunned. When you manage to get up, he and his gun are gone.
Next NPC: Eligar Soldier, Consortium Embassy, Madame de Pompadour
- Report what happened to Hellison.
As you enter the Consortium Consulate, you notice Amélie isn't there, but embassy personnel are studiously avoiding your gaze. You walk to the back office and knock on the door. After hearing a gruff "enter", you open the door and slip inside. Hellison and Eligar are there, reviewing some notes on a tablet. They turn it upside down as you enter.
Me The freebooter wasn't there. Some scruffy Patrician was there asking about him. We got into a bit of a dustup, but he disappered.
Both Hellison and Eligar perk up at the mention of a Patrician.
Eligar Soldier Did you get a good look at him?
You shake your head.
Me No. In fact, for all I know, the Patrician could have been the freebooter.
Talk to the scruffy man:
(Social check)
Failure
Me: You really don't know what you're asking and you don't want to know. In any event, I can't tell you.
The scruffy man waves his gun at you.
Scruffy man: You'll have to try harder than that.
- Subdue the scruffy man.
- Talk to the scruffy man.
Success
Me: I'm sorry, I can't tell you why I'm here. I'm not even sure myself. I'm just supposed to meet the guy.
The scruffy man sighs in relief.
Scruffy man: Of course, Tinker sent you! He's got access to what I need. Can you take me to him?
Me: Um, I'm not sure what I can say here, but Tinker's been "retired," but I can try to get him a message.
The scruffy man pauses, obviously considering his new information.
Scruffy man: That's bad. Tinker was a good man. I'm Taylor. Taylor Harolds. Tinker'll know who I am.
Next NPC: Taylor Harolds, Ruins, Madame de Pompadour
- Talk to Taylor about who he is.
Taylor Harolds I was DZ on the House of Congo a few cycles back. Darial Bica was going to give us the name of a mole in exchange for defecting from the Freebooters. The deal went bad, but our station chief was tortured after we started a mole hunt. They burned her alive and she resurrected completely insane. I went on the lamb because I didn't know who the mole was. I very much want to find Darial.
Me You said a mole?
He nods.
Taylor Harolds Since you've asked me that question, you've told me what I need to know. I'm guessing there's a mole here, too. And I'm betting Darial Bica was his contact.
As Taylor talks, you discreetly toggle your CORETECHS facial recognition, but get « Unknown ». That's not unusual, but you wonder if the man you're talking to is actually the Freebooter. Is he trying to implicate someone in the DZ? Or is he really an ex-DZ agent on the run, trying to stay alive?
Taylor Harrison Look, you need to get back. Go ahead and tell them the truth; lying won't get you anywhere and I can handle myself. Maybe somebody other than the mole will find out and investigate.
Taylor steps back and disappears around the corner of the building. You notice the eyes of ruins rats are peering out at you. They've been watching this conversation.
Next NPC: Eligar Soldier, Consortium Embassy, Madame de Pompadour
- Report meeting with Taylor to the consulate.
As you enter the Consortium Consulate, you notice Amélie isn't there, but embassy personnel are studiously avoiding your gaze. You walk to the back office and knock on the door. After hearing a gruff "enter", you open the door and slip inside. Hellison and Eligar are there, reviewing some notes on a tablet. They turn it upside down as you enter.
Me The freebooter wasn't there. Someone calling themselves "Taylor Harolds" was, though. He's claiming there's a mole in the DZ, on this station.
Both Hellison and Eligar perk up at the mention of Taylor's name.
Eligar Soldier A mole? Did he offer proof? Did he say who they were actually working for?
You shake your head.
Me No proof. No information. In fact, for all I know, it could have been the freebooter who was talking to me. I don't know what to believe.
Elligar turns to Hellison. Before Eligar can speak, Hellison waves him back.
Hellison Weregot The protocol's clear enough. With two claims, we have to investigate.
Eligar Soldier We don't have two claims. We have two pieces of hearsay. One witness is dead, but we need to find whoever it is claiming to be Taylor. They wouldn't have that name unless they were Taylor, or knew about the House of Congo business.
Both paths continue:
Hellison Weregot That's quite the pickle, isn't it? <name>, I know this is beyond what were asked to do, but if you would keep your ear to the ground, we'd very much appreciate it. You seem to have a talent for sniffing things out.
Former option, no longer available:
- "I've done more than was asked of me."
Me No offense, but I think I've done more than was asked of me. This is all a bit to strange for me.
Hellison signs and nods.
Hellison Weregot Quite right, quite right. You have done more than was asked and to Consortium appreciates it, but I'm afraid we can't officially acknowledge what happened here.
You have failed the "Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Die" mission. You can retake this mission and try again.
- "I'm happy to keep checking around."
Me Yes, my curiosity's piqued. I'm happy to keep checking around, seeing what's going on.
Eligar Soldier Be careful, <name>. This is probably all much ado about nothing, but if it's not, it might be dangerous if you push too hard.
You nod and leave the office.
- Leave the consulate.
As you close the door and walk away from the office, you notice Amélie still isn't there. She may not have liked you, but you had the sense that she took her role seriously. Maybe she's off for the day?
What really happened on the House of Congo? Is Taylor actually the freebooter named Darial? Is Tinker just a tired drunk who held on to his job too long? Well, maybe you can find the answer to that last question. You're pretty sure you know where you can find drunks.
Find Tinker in the bar
Next NPC: Tinker Donaldson, Bar, Madame de Pompadour
- Look for Tinker in the bar.
As you step into Le Bon Vin, you're again struck with how overdone everything is. The sculpted molding, the gold frames around impressionist paintings, the … drunk sitting at a corner table, staring at you. You've found Tinker. His hand seems remarkably steady as he waves you to a chair in front of him.
Me Looks like you've turned whisky into wine.
Tinker hoists his glass in a silent toast before taking a sip.
Tinker Donalson I'm guessing this isn't a social visit. What brings you here?
Me Sorry to hear about what happened. Some man named Hellison has your job. Guy named Eligar is his assistant.
Tinker sets his glass down and leans back in his chair.
Tinker Donalson Yes, Eligar's been here for a while. Transferred off of House of Congo. Seemed to have a real talent for disrupting freebooter plans and they were gunning for him. Hellison, though. He's an officious, paranoid micro-manager. Never should be a station head, but don't underestimate the old boy's network. They take care of their own.
Tinker frowns and looks up in the air, thinking.
Tinker Donalson Still, he's here. Wonder who he ticked off?
Me Taylor Harolds is here, too. I get the feeling he's ticked off lots of people.
Before Tinker can respond, someone else walks up to the table. It's Amélie, with a glass of sparkling water in her left hand. She carries a box under her right arm. She sets it on the table and slides it over to Tinker.
Amélie I gathered up the rest of your things. But what is <name> doing here? They got you into this mess.
If you talked with Taylor:
- Discuss what you've learned.
Tinker Donalson Amélie, <name> met Taylor in the ruins. In fact, Taylor already managed to send word to me about this. It appears that <name> handled themself very well and we need all the friends we can get.
Amélie Taylor? He's alive? What is he doing here?
Me He was looking for the freebooter, Darial. And he thinks there's a mole on this station. But honestly, I can't say it was really this Taylor fellow. That's just the name they were using.
Amélie and Tinker take this information in. Amélia sips at her sparkling water while Tinker drums his fingers on the table, deep in thought. Finally, he nods.
Tinker Donalson Right. Time to roll the dice and take a chance. <name>, it really was Taylor you met. The manner in which he sent word to me confirmed it. I can say nothing more. Especially in Le Bon Vin.
Amélie My place. I have a flat in a reclaimed area of the Catacombes.
If you tried to subdue Taylor:
- Win over Amélie
(Social check)
Failure
Me Look, Amélie, you can't stay mad at me forever. This isn't my fault. Let me buy you a drink.
Amélie glares daggers at you.
- Win over Amélie
Success
Me Amélie, I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I'm out of my depth here, but now I want to help.
Amélie, sighing, Fair enough. This whole situation is a mess.
Tinker Donalson Amélie, <name> met Taylor in the ruins. In fact, Taylor already managed to word to me about this. It appears that <name> handled themself poorly, but no harm done.
Amélie: Taylor? He's alive? What is he doing here?
Me: Taylor? I'm not sure. I think he was looking for the freebooter, Darial. But who's Taylor? And how do you know that it's really him?
Amélie and Tinker take this information in. Amélia sips at her sparking water while Tinker drums his fingers on the table, deep in thought. Finally, he nods.
Tinker Donalson: Right. Time to roll the dice and take a chance. <name>, it was Taylor. The manner in which he contacted me confirmed it. I can say nothing more. Especially in a Le Bon Vin.
Amélie My place. I have a flat in a reclaimed area of the Catacombes.
She turns and regards you with a cool stare, but without the previous hostility. Finally, she nods and a CORETECHS alert pops up. The coordinates of her flat in the ruins.
Amélie Let's get out of here.
Amélie leaves first while Tinker waves for you to stay in your seat. After she's gone, he gets up to leave, gulping down the last of his wine.
Tinker Donalson Wait a bit until after I leave. We don't want to be seen together. Meet me at Amélie's.
Both paths continue:
Go to Amélie's flat in the ruins
Next area: Ruins, Madame de Pompadour
- Enter Amélie's flat.
As you enter the ruins yet again on this strange task, you're greeted by Tinker who nods at you and puts his finger to his lips. He motions for you to follow and you do. You can see from your CORETECHS that you're getting closer to Amélie's flat, but Tinker's leading you on a merry chase. He's doubling back, ducking into old tombs, and sometimes just glancing behind him. Apparently satisfied, he finally heads straight towards the coordinates.
You're in the "office" area of the Catacombes again, feeling a bit strange as you look at a recently remodeled building with a row of tombs in the distance. Tinker presses a button and turns quickly to look behind you. There's a buzz and a click and Tinker leans back against the door, pushing it open while looking back the entire time. You follow him inside.
Amélie There's no one out there, Tinker. Now sit.
Amélie's flat is small, but comfortable. The walls are a burnt orange color and the red faux-leather furniture contrasts nicely with it. You take one of the chairs as Amélie sets a pitcher of water on the table with three glasses.
Tinker Donalson Got anything stronger?
Amélie Not for you. Not now. If we have a mole, we need to get to the bottom of this.
Me Are we sure there's a mole?
Tinker Donalson No, actually, we're not. Something's going on and we could be being played by the outside. But Hellison is housecleaning. I'm willing to bet that if there is a mole, they're not going anywhere. So, who's gone who might know something?
Amélie's eyes sparkle as she checks her CORETECHS.
Amélie Brigette. Brigette duLaff. She was let go almost immediately after you "retired." She was in auditing, but she seemed to know her business. I'm surprised she was forced out. Last I heard, she was planning on leaving the station entirely.
Tinker Donalson Well, <name>? We can't go. You've come this far. If you do this, visit my flat just off the public market after you find Brigitte. I'm sure I'll have more information then.
Former option, no longer available:
- "This is above my pay grade."
Me No offense, but this is above my pay grade. You should take over from here.
Tinker signs and nods.
Tinker Donalson That's fair. We've asked a lot of you and DZ politics isn't something outsiders want to play in. Heck, insiders don't want to either.
You have failed the "Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Die" mission. You can retake this mission and try again.
Find Brigette duLaff
Next NPC: Brigitte duLaff, Port, Madame de Pompadour
- Talk to Brigitte.
You recognize Brigitte from the image Amélie flashed to you via the CORETECHS earlier. She's standing in the port, staring up at the departure board. There's a hard look about her eyes and a large travel case she's pulling behind her.
Me Excuse me. You're Brigitte duLaff?
Brigitte duLaff I don't know how you know my name. I don't care. Go away before I call security.
- Convince Brigitte to talk to you.
- Pull Brigitte into a side corridor.
Convince Brigitte to talk to you.:
(Social check)
Failure
Me Brigitte, we need to talk. Now.
Brigitte duLaff Seriously? You need to go. Now.
Success
Me Amélie and Tinker sent me.
Pull Brigitte into a side corridor.
(Strength check)
Failure
You grab Brigitte's arm and yank hard, trying to pull her into a side corridor. A quick twist of her arm and you find yourself sitting on the floor staring up at her.
Brigitte duLaff Seriously? That was pathetic.
Success
You grab Brigitte's arm and yank hard, trying to pull her into a side corridor. When a quick twist of her arm fails to free her, she sighs.
Either success continues:
Brigitte duLaff OK, you have one chance to tell me what's going on before I call security.
- "Do you know what's going on?"
Me Brigitte, I'm trying to help Tinker and Amélie. Do you know what's going on?
Brigitte shakes her head.
Brigitte duLaff No. Nothing but the rumors swirling around. I'm in auditing. Not financial: personal. We hear rumors and we investigate the investigations. It's what we do. Hellison said I was being "hysterical over conspiracy theories" and let me go.
Me He can do that? Seems strange if you can fire the people investigating you.
Brigitte duLaff "Old boy's club." If you're in it, and he is, you're untouchable.
A Razorback launches, the sound temporarily drowning out all hope of conversation. Brigitte stares again at the departure board.
Me What were you investigating?
Brigitte duLaff Rumors. An old cargo shuttle landed. We don't know who was on it. It's registration was traced back to House of Congo. It was purchased there a few cycles ago and disappeared until it turned up here. We don't know who was on it, or if was transporting anything.
Me I don't understand. That's security, not Department Z, isn't it?
Brigitte duLaff Not when our agents on Congo reported that the shuttle was rumored purchased with DZ funds. But I don't have clearance for investigating off-station expenditures. So I pushed. And I was pushed, in turn.
- Ask about Tinker.
- "Do you know someone named Cassandra?" (If you have completed the mission "Shadow in the Dark")
- "I've heard there's a freebooter with ties to this."
Ask about Tinker
Me Do you trust Tinker?
Brigitte starts laughing.
Brigitte duLaff That tired old drunk? He was a legend in his time. But now? Not so much.
Me That didn't answer my question.
Brigitte duLaff I honestly have no idea. If I went with my gut, I'd say "no," you can't trust someone like that. But if there's one thing you learn in this business, trusting your gut is your last choice, not you first.
- "I'm sorry it's come to this."
- "Do you know someone named Cassandra?"
- "I've heard there's a freebooter with ties to this."
"Do you know someone named Cassandra?"
Me Your last name is unusual. Do you know someone named Cassandra?
Brigitte blanches.
Brigitte duLaff You know my cousin?
Me I knew your cousin.
Brigitte duLaff Heard she was killed on Moissan. I'm thinking about going there and checking it out.
- Ask about Tinker.
- Change the subject.
- "Don't use your last name."
- "I've heard there's a freebooter with ties to this."
Change the subject.:
No matter how you explain it, Brigitte's not going to like hearing that you killed her cousin's … android. Or whatever it was. It's probably best to let this drop.
- "I'm sorry it's come to this."
"Don't use your last name.":
Me If you go, don't use your last name. There's something rotten on that station.
- "I'm sorry it's come to this."
"I've heard there's a freebooter with ties to this."
Me I heard there's a freebooter with ties to this.
Brigitte shakes her head.
Brigitte duLaff I don't know much solid there. I heard he was an informant, but I thought he was actually a dangle. They usually are. I warned Hellison.
Me A dangle?
Brigitte duLaff Sorry, shop talk. A dangle is someone offering something, but they're really doing it to gather information on you.
Me Was he also on House of Congo?
Brigitte duLaff No idea … wait. Darius, Darren. Something like that. He was a 'booter from Congo who came here around the time the shuttle was purchased, but he dropped off the lidar. No idea what happened to him. Don't know if it's the same or not.
- "I'm sorry it's come to this."
Me Brigitte, I just want to say I'm sorry it's come to this. Are you sure you want to leave?
She shrugs, but doesn't look at you.
Brigitte duLaff That's how the game is played. I knew that when I got in.
Brigitte looks up at the departure board and seems to consider something. She turns to you.
Brigitte duLaff You know, if you're working with anyone who's currently DZ, you need to report this encounter. They'll already know about it and you'll be burned if you don't.
Report Encounter or Find Tinker's Flat In Public Market
Next NPC: Eligar Soldier, Consortium Embassy, Madame de Pompadour
- Report encounter with laDuff.
OR
Next area: Public Market, Madame de Pompadour
- Look for Tinker's flat.
Tinker's Flat:
You arrive at the Marché aux Puces, the public market of Madame de Pompadour. It's kind of a sad little affair, with rickety tables piled with second-hand wares. Of course, Tinker didn't tell you how to actually find his flat here. He must have assumed that if you were resourceful enough to be of use, you'd find it. And, of course, you could truthfully deny knowing where he lived if questioned.
You walk down the rows of stalls, pretending to browse, while keeping your eyes open. One table has a pile of servos, wires, mesh boards, with a old woman hunched behind it, cobbling together the parts to fix a customer's cleaning robot.
A vendor at the end of the row, to your amusement, has cheap pruno, a bootleg liquor that no respectable person would touch. The Mall behind the counter is using an old Fungivulin crate for a seat. Oh! You look past the row and see a grey, nondescript door in the wall that surrounds the market. You walk to the door and knock.
Report duLaff:
As you enter the Consortium Consulate, the encounter with Brigitte left you thinking. What's the "Old Boy's Club" that Brigitte said Hellison was part of? And what was going on with that alleged payment on House of Congo? You look up from your thoughts to find Eligar staring at you. He nods his head towards the back room and other Consulate personnel busy themselves with their work.
Eligar reaches the office door and scans the room while you step inside. He pulls the door shut behind him and motions for you to have a seat.
Me: Where's Hellison?
Eligar Soldier: Busy. What do you have for us?
Me: Nothing, really. Met Brigitte laDuff and she mentioned something about Hellison being in an "Old Boys Club." What's that about?
Eligar peers at you through narrowed eyelids.
Eligar Soldier: Why did you meet with her?
Me: You wanted me to keep my ear to the ground. I heard she was fired, so I asked why. What's the "Old Boy's Club" and what do you know about rumors of large DZ cash payouts on House of Congo?
Eligar Soldier: Sheesh. "Old Boy's Club" is exactly what it sounds like. Rich fools who grew up on Tau Station, became DZ and take care of each other. The rest is need to know and you don't. As for duLaff, she heard a rumor about Congo payments and raised an alarm. She almost blew an important op. Hellison let her go over my objection. She's a good kid, but she pulls the trigger too quickly.
Eligar leans forward, his fingers forming a steeple in front of him.
Eligar Soldier: Look, <name>, this is messy. DZ work often is. But I need to know what happened to that freebooter. Or failing that, where's Taylor? I've already sent off a message about him. If he's alive, we need to know it. Things are pretty calm around here, but those are two loose ends that are top priority to be fixed.
Find Tinker's Flat in the Public Market
Both paths continue:
Next NPC: Tinker Donaldson, Public Market, Madame de Pompadour
- Enter Tinker's flat.
Tinker opens the door, glass in hand, and ushers you inside with a quick nod of his while scanning the Marché aux Puces behind you. Satisfied, he closes the door. You, meanwhile, are standing face-to-face with the man claiming to be Taylor Harolds.
Me How do I know I can trust you?
Tinker Donalson <name>, hear Taylor out. We have a new plan.
Taylor, still as scruffy as he was in the ruins, lifts his hands in supplication.
Taylor Harolds No gun this time, see?
Taylor wiggles his hands and eyebrows and smiles. You can't help but like the guy, even though you try to hide it.
Taylor Harolds There was a mole on House of Congo. I'm sure of it. Even if there wasn't, we start a mole hunt and the chief gets tortured and killed? That's not a coincidence. Every DZ outpost has a duty log and a backup. The chief would have had one. So would Eligar. He might not have made the connection, but if Hellison certainly would have. If we can get a copy of the duty log, we might at least have enough to force an investigation. That duty log's in their office.
Me What am I'm supposed to do? Walk in there, rummage around in their desk, and swipe it? Are you insane?
Tinker a swig from his drink and smiles. He holds up what looks like a piece of broken plastic.
Tinker Donalson Department Z, like all government departments, is a bureaucracy and its wheels turn slowly. No one can just cancel a station's head priority access. It has to go back to Tau Station, go through multiple layers of approval. It will be days before my access is canceled. This is a blank duty log with my access codes. It's scanning for House of Congo logs. As long as you're in their office and my codes are still good, it will copy the logs. But you need to get there quickly and figure out a reason to stall.
Former option, no longer available:
- "There's a line I won't cross and this is it."
Me: This is insane. Take the word of a disgraced former DZ station chief and steal classified documents? There's a line I won't cross and this is it.
Tinker pauses, looks angry. He shakes his head.
Tinker Donalson You know what? You're right. It's a risk and I can't expect civilians to be willing to take it.
You have failed the "Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Die" mission. You can retake this mission and try again.
- Agree to copy the duty log.
Me This is insane. Take the word of a disgraced former DZ station chief and steal classified documents?
Tinker pauses, looks angry. He shakes his head.
Tinker Donalson You know what? You're right. It's a risk and I asked too much. But I can't fix it. Taylor can't fix it. Amélie's just been involuntarily transferred out. There's something wrong on this station and I'm out of options.
Tinker holds out the piece of plastic. You stare at it. You can't believe you're seriously considering this. No, you can't believe you're agreeing to this. You reach out and take it. As you do, Taylor turns up his collar and heads to the door.
Taylor Harolds I'm off to find more options. <name>? Get into Hellison's office with that. Tell them I'm looking for the freebooter or something. The duty log will pulse if it starts recording the other. Stay there until you feel it double pulse. That's it. Don't know how long it will take.
You have received 1 'DZ Duty Log'.
Get Into Hellison's Office
Next area: Consortium Embassy, Madame de Pompadour
- Turn in Tinker's duty log.
- Discreetly copy the duty log.
Either choice continues:
As you enter the consulate, the staff's eyes flick up as one, and glance away as one. They're used to you. Amélie is not there to greet you. Hellison and Eligar are nowhere to be seen. You see no signs of cameras pointing at the discreet door in the back, but you know they must be there. This is madness.
You walk forward as if you own the place. You reach the door and reach up to knock. The door is ajar. You push it open slightly and step inside. For the first time, you're alone in here. You feel a pulse from the duty log that you've slipped inside your shirt. The House of Congo log must be here and it's being recorded.
Why was the door open? Shouldn't Hellison or Eligar be here? Or is there some way you can take advantage of the situation? You take a step towards the desk as the door creaks open behind you. Eligar is there, a gun you don't recognize is trained on you.
Eligar Soldier What are you doing here, <name>?
Me I came to report. The door was open. Standing in the lobby by the door didn't seem like a good idea.
Eligar shakes his head and puts the gun away, closing the door behind him.
Eligar Solider Sorry. Paranoia comes with the profession. I've been telling them for weeks to get this door fixed. What did you find?
Turn in Tinker's duty log.:
You hand Eligar the duty log Tinker gave you.
You no longer have 1 'DZ Duty Log'.
Me Nothing about the freebooter, but Taylor and Tinker are working together. They tried to get me to steal classified Consortium information. I believe this is copying the House of Congo duty log as we speak.
Eligar's eyes widen as he stares down at the plastic chip in his hand. He smiles.
Eligar Soldier Thank you, <name> This explains a lot. You can stand down now. But in the future, if you ever hear of that freebooter, Darial Bica, let me know immediately. No one else. We have unfinished business.
Eligar walks over to the wall and slips the duty log into a recycler. Your eyes widen in shock as Eligar turns to you.
Eligar Soldier Now, now, <name>, don't look so surprised. There are always secrets that must be kept. You may go now.
As you turn and walk out of the office, you find you're sick to your stomach. Destroying the duty log didn't feel right. None of this felt right. There's more going on than you realized, but you suppose that's the nature of intelligence work.
You have failed the "Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Die" mission. You can retake this mission and try again.
Discreetly copy the duty log.:
Me Nothing about the freebooter, but Taylor's running around the station. I hear he's asking about a freebooter.
Eligar cocks his head sideways as he takes in that information, his eyes distant. All you can think about it the duty log recording. It's not done yet.
- Stall for time.
Me Eligar, I know you can't say much, but if you can tell me anything about Taylor, it will be more information to work with.
Eligar stares at you, calculating. You can feel the duty log in your shirt. It feels like it's impossible to miss. Surely Eligar knows something's wrong.
Eligar moves behind the desk and picks up a tablet. He turns it over and taps the face a few times. Then he thrusts his hands forward in the direction of your face. Your CORETECHS lights up with a notification.
Eligar Soldier Read it.
CORETECHS notification « House of Congo current account receipt for Taylor Harolds. 300,000 credits incoming from the account of Darial Bica. 198.23/41.409 GCT Receipt #a3e7073efc3e1730acf7a17b944a0daac0c373dc »
You run a standard CORETECHS banking validator. It verifies the receipt hash and they can't be forged. Taylor received a payoff and disappeared with the money.
Me Why would Darial send him money?
Eligar Soldier We'd like to know that ourselves. Darial's slippery—we don't even have proof it's a crime—but Taylor was on the take and then his chief was taken out. It's time to take him down.
Me Eligar, about this "Old Boy's Club." Do you really trust Hellison?
As Eligar looks down at the desk, you feel your duty log quietly pulse twice against your skin. Eligar speaks slowly.
Eligar Soldier I wouldn't think to question the loyalty of the station chief. Even Tinker, though he was drunk, was loyal. And frankly, if Hellison went bad, the club that protects would be the first to take him down. They protect the club before their members. Now get out and find Taylor before he does any more damage.
Warn Tinker about Taylor
Next NPC: Tinker Donaldson, Public Market, Madame de Pompadour
- Warn Tinker about Taylor.
As you step into Tinker's flat, he's sitting on his couch, writing notes on a tablet. His glass, as usual, is full. There's a bottle of Fungivulin sitting next to it. Tinker looks up at you with tired eyes and says nothing. You hand over the duty log without a word.
You no longer have 1 'DZ Duty Log'.
Tinker takes the log and sets it beside the tablet. You see one side light up. Tinker's fingers brush along the tablet, quickly skimming for information. His brows furrow together. He looks confused.
Tinker Donalson The log is corrupted. Starting from about half a cycle before Taylor left. It's all gibberish. It could be a mistake, but this is too convenient.
Me It's worse than that, Tinker. I have an authenticated bank transaction receipt.
You trigger your CORETECHS to send the receipt to Tinker. His eyes light up as he accesses his CORETECHS. Then they grow grim.
Tinker Donalson I trusted him.
You both turn as the door opens. Taylor slips inside, shutting the door behind him.
Taylor Harolds I have some goods news! I found … wait … why are you both staring at me like that?
- Attack Taylor
Tinker may be an old drunk, but you're shocked with how fast he moves. Taylor moves even faster, twisting out of the way and throwing Tinker against the wall. You rush forward to grab Taylor. As he turns to intercept you, Tinker gets an arm around his throat and presses something that looks like a grey metal spider against it. Its legs dig in to Taylor's throat.
Taylor Donalson Is that what I think it is?
Tinker Donalson Yes, you piece of goza. Start talking. The log's very conveniently corrupt and you received a 300,000 payoff while you were on the House of Congo.
Taylor's sweating and looks confused. Tinker lets go of Taylor, but the metal spider is still at Taylor's throat. Its thorax has turned red and the legs gently squeeze in and out. You stare at in in horror. You've never seen anything like it.
Taylor Harolds Honestly didn't think you had it in you, Tinker. They'll wipe your clones if they find you with one of these.
Tinker Donalson Talk.
Taylor Harolds Think it through, Tinker. Work the problem. Isn't that what you taught me? Why would I urge you to get the duty log if it was corrupted? That wouldn't help me at all. And I never received 300,000. That's idiotic.
Me The receipt's digitally signed. It can't be forged. And it has your name on it.
Taylor Harolds But … no! That's not possible. I never received any money. This doesn't make sense.
Tinker Donalson No, it doesn't. I trusted you. But you're lying about the money. What other lie did you come here to tell us?
Taylor Harolds The Promethean. Sister Mirceonne. She's alive. And she still wants to come in.
- Sister Mirceonne?
Me How is that possible? Everyone agreed she died.
Taylor Harolds Pathogenic nanites got to her brain. They never responded to treatment; like nothing we had seen before. She spent enough cycles as a missionary on freebooter stations that finding contacts for gestating an illicit clone was easy. When she was killed in the ruins, she respawned in a clone without nanites. And she's waiting for you in the ruins. She still wants to come in.
You and Tinker stare at Taylor in shock. To be honest, you had almost forgotten what started this entire mess. And Taylor claims she's back.
Taylor Harolds Look, I don't know anything about the credits, but the duty log doesn't make sense and you know it. Find this Promethean woman. Maybe she can help sort this mess out.
Tinker shoves Taylor into a chair and walks over to the couch and sits down. He pours himself a drink and raises it to his lips. He pauses, looking at the drink. He sets it down on the table.
His sits back on the sofa, staring at Taylor. He sits forward again, reaches for the drink and downs it. He points at you.
Tinker Donalson Go find her, <name>. I gotta baby-sit Taylor. He gets too far from me with that spider and things will go bad. And don't worry. I'm safe so long as the spider's here.
Your CORETECHS flashes with an incoming message from Taylor: Sister Mirceonne's coordinates.
The metal spider's abdomen starts bobbing up and down, almost as if in anticipation. The thorax is cycling between red and black. Taylor's hands grip the arms of his chair, his knuckles white. His face is covered in sweat, but his voice is steady.
Taylor Harolds Tinker, old chap. Would you be so kind as to share a last drink with me? For old time's sake?
You hurry from Tinker's flat. This is not something you wish to see.
Find Sister Mirceonne
Next area: Ruins, Madame de Pompadour
- Look for Sister MirCeonne
After the horror of the metal spider in Tinker's flat, the ruins are almost welcoming. The coordinates, ironically, are at to the mausoleum the Promethean was killed at. It seems a strange place to want to meet. And maybe a dangerous one. Whoever was after her last time, are they back?
As you walk further, through the ruins, you pass now-familiar tombs and gravestones. People are out and about, reassuring you that there's probably not a heavily armed fire team in the area. At least, not one out in the open. There's a small fire off the path to your left, surrounded by dirt-encrusted baselines. The familiar smell of roast rat assaults your nostrils. Life in the ruins and life in the station main areas may as well be different worlds.
In less than a segment, you arrive at the mausoleum. Fresh burn marks score its walls, but it doesn't appear to have been broken into. The pre-Cat ancestors built things that last.
And there, standing in the midst of the rubble, is an elderly woman wearing the brown and green robes of a Promethean.
Next NPC: Sister Mirceonne, Ruins, Madame de Pompadour
- Talk to Sister Mirceonne
You walk forward and stand before the Promethean. You regard her with suspicion. She regards you with a smile.
Sister Mirceonne You must be the envoy from Ser Donalson. I am, was, Sister Mirceonne.
Me Uh, yes. Envoy. You … uh … I'm sorry for your loss.
Sister Mirceonne chuckles I lived with freebooters for years to convert them. I think they may have converted me instead. Including, "let's make a deal." Ser Donalson gives me protection in exchange for the name of the DZ mole.
Me I'm afraid I have bad news. Tinker's been forcibly retired. He can't offer you protection. But we found the mole. Taylor Harolds. He's been out of action for ages, but we've captured him.
Sister Mirceonne looks at you as if you're not too bright.
Sister Mirceonne Really? First, I was offering a current mole, not someone who dropped off the mesh cycles ago. Second, what could possibly make you think that the nice young Taylor could be corrupt?
Me To be honest, a 300,000 credit transfer from Darial Bica. And I see from the look on your face that you know that name.
- "Why you so surprised?"
The look of confusion on Sister Mirceonne's face catches you off guard. If anything, you were expecting answers, not more surprises.
Me What's going on? Why are you so surprised?
Sister Mirceonne says nothing. She looks up and her eyes dance with light as she consults her CORETECHS. A notification pops up on yours.
CORETECHS notification « House of Congo current account receipt for Mary Mirceonne. 300,000 credits incoming from the account of Darial Bica. 198.23/41.409 GCT Receipt #a3e7073efc3e1730acf7a17b944a0daac0c373dc »
Momentarily confused, you run your authenticator. The digital signature matches. Why would Darial … You call up the other receipt.
« House of Congo current account receipt for Taylor Harolds. 300,000 credits incoming from the account of Darial Bica. 198.23/41.409 GCT Receipt #a3e7073efc3e1730acf7a17b944a0daac0c373dc »
Me That's not possible.
Sister Mirceonne Well, it's surprising, but hardly impossible. But Darius was just a cutout for Ser Soldier. He was … um … trying to help me get off that station. But why would he send money to Taylor?
Me No. The receipt signatures are identical. That's literally impossible. You can't forge those … wait. Eligar Soldier?
Sister Mirceonne Yes. He's your mole, dummy.
- Get out of the ruins, quickly.
Forged bank receipts. Taylor might be lying. Eligar might be lying. The Promethean might be lying. But you can't forge bank receipts …
Sister Mirceonne Hello? Are you still there? Snap out of it!
None of this makes sense. None of this at all. And you don't trust Sister Mirceonne, but your both in danger out here.
Me I don't know what's going on, but if Eligar is involved, we need to get out of here.
You turn and set a brisk pace for the exit. Sister Mirceonne hesitates, and then she follows. You can hear her panting as she struggles to keep up. As you move, you send a flash to Tinker containing Sister Mirceonne's bank receipt.
Me This makes no sense. Why would Eligar betray the DZ? What's his motive?
Sister Mirceonne I have no (pant) idea. He always seemed serious (pant) about his job. Except …
Me Yes?
Sister Mirceonne As a missionary, I met with freebooters (pant) a lot. But also Gaule (pant). I would share information with Ser Soldier (pant), but he didn't care about (pant) Gaule information.
Me The Gaule? Why?
Sister Mirceonne Don't ask (pant) me. Ask Ser Soldier.
As you arrive at the stairs, the Promethean is breathing harder than ever. You take her by the arm and help her up the stairs as she gasps for air.
- Leave the ruins via the rickety stairs.
You and the Promethean quickly make your way up the stairs. As you squeeze through the broken panels that should have sealed the ruins, you find Tinker and Taylor there. Taylor has a scarf wrapped around his neck. Sister Mirceonne is still breathing heavily.
Tinker Donalson Sister, why would a freebooter have sent you 300,000 credits?
Sister Mirceonne Because Ser Soldier told (pant) him to. They worked together and (pant) they both knew I had been feeding Soldier intel on the freebooters for years and when I was ready to leave the Prometheans, Soldier was ready to help.
Taylor Harolds But what did you need the money for?
Sister Mirceonne That money got me (pant) a private shuttle and an illegal clone.
Me The sister mentioned that Eligar wanted freebooter intel, but not Gaule.
Tinker Donalson Ah ha!
Tinker looks at Taylor and his eyes flash. You hear a "pop" and Taylor's gasps. He pulls off the scarf, a tiny rivulet of blood running down his neck, and hands it to Tinker.
Tinker Donalson Eligar's seen the feeds. He must know he's been made. You hit the local shuttles. I'll get to the consulate with Sister Mirceonne. <name>, you take local shuttles. We need to catch him before he escapes.
Find Eligar Soldier
Next NPC: Taylor Harolds, Local Shuttles, Madame de Pompadour
- Look for Eligar at the local shuttles.
OR
Next NPC: Tinker Donalson, Consortium Embassy, Madame de Pompadour
- Look for Eligar at the consulate.
OR
Next area: Docks, Madame de Pompadour
- Look for Eligar at the docks.
Local Shuttles:
Taylor Harolds He's not here, but I'll keep an eye out. Get to the docks.
Me What was on your neck?
Taylor goes pale and his hand reaches for the trickle of dried blood on his neck.
Taylor Harolds He did what he had to do. Get to the docks.
Consulate:
As you enter the consulate, you find Hellison and Tinker standing over Sister Mirceonne. Medical staff have arrived and are performing CPR, desperately trying to save her. One of them looks at Hellison and shrugs.
Hellison Weregot: She doesn't have another clone, you fool! You have to keep trying.
Tinker sees you and hurries to your side. As he speaks, you try not to wince at the strong smell of fungal whisky.
Tinker Donalson: Did you get Eligar?
You shake your head, unable to take your eyes off of the Promethean.
Tinker Donalson: Get to the docks now! He mustn't get away! We'll clean this mess up.
Docks:
You've run to the docks as fast as you can, breathing as hard as Sister Mirceonne did in the ruins. Like most docks, they bustle with activity with private shuttles, Razobacks, Mantis shuttles, cargo ships, and so on. Eligar could be anywhere.
You want to start making discreet inquiries, but you have no official standing, nor do you have an image of Eligar. You're doing to have to do this the old-fashioned way. You check the launch schedule and prioritize the next few ships.
- Search a cargo shuttle.
- Search a razorback.
- Search a private shuttle.
Search a cargo shuttle.:
(Intelligence check)
Failure
Port security sees you and pushes you along.
- Search a cargo shuttle.
- Search a razorback.
- Search a private shuttle.
Success:
You slip past security and sneak a peak into the Cargo Shuttle. A nav android shoos you away. Eligar is not here.
- Search a razorback.
- Search a private shuttle.
Search a razorback.:
(Intelligence check)
Failure
Port security sees you and pushes you along.
- Search a razorback.
- Search a private shuttle.
Success
You slip past security and sneak a peak into the Razorback. A angry Harsene couple stare back at you. Eligar is not here.
- Search a private shuttle.
(Intelligence check)
You slip past security and sneak a peak into the private shuttle. A confused Belter stares back at you. Eligar is not here.
Next NPC: Eligar Soldier, Docks, Madame de Pompadour
- Search a Mantis cruiser.
As you enter another launch tube to search a Mantis class cruiser, there's Eligar, standing in the airlock three meters above you. He smiles down at you while your mind races, trying to figure out how to stop him.
Eligar Soldier I'm not going to pretend. Yes, I'm guilty. And to be honest, I'm quite impressed with your tenacity.
Me But why? You're young. You had a good career. Why throw it away?
Eligar Soldier I've admired the Gaule for years. The Consortium cut deals with freebooters, the Gaule destroy them. The Gaule have the right idea. There will come a time when the Catastrophe returns and we need to be ready. The Consortium is fat, lazy, and spoiled.
Me So why did Darial Bica help you? That doesn't make sense.
Eligar Soldier I have no idea why. But boy, did have have connections. Did you know he's the one who gave me that forged bank receipt for Taylor?
Eligar looks up as a commotion occurs near the launch tube entrance. Security is trying to enter, but the door isn't responding to their security passes. Eligar ducks inside and the airlock seals shut. You hear the electric whine of the launch catapult and the Mantis slides forward, picking up speed. As the security forces the door open, the cruiser breaks through the atmosphere field with a loud crack and you feel your ears pop as the air pressure drops before stabilizing again.
Hellison and Tinker are side by side, running towards you as the Mantis recedes in the distance. Tinker pulls up first.
Tinker Donalson Why, that slippery little devil. I never suspected. In fact, I thought it was you, Hellison.
Hellison scowls and turns towards Tinker and opens his mouth to respond. As he does, bright light bathes the interior of the tube. You turn to see an explosion where Eligar's ship had been. Automated point defense cannons are already firing at debris to prevent it from hitting the station. Tinker erupts at Hellison, furious.
Tinker Donalson Why you idiot! You moron! He couldn't leave the system. There's no way he would have gotten away! Of all the stupid, inbred, stinking, dumb ideas! How could you?
Hellison shakes his head slowly.
Hellison Weregot That wasn't us. I have no idea what happened, but we didn't do it.
Everyone turns and stares at the fading explosion, watching the cannons pick off what they can.
Hellison Weregot whispers I think we should meet back at the consulate.
Tinker and Taylor Reinstated
Next NPC: Hellison Weregot, Consortium Embassy, Madame de Pompadour
- Attend final debriefing.
As you enter Hellison's office, you find Tinker and Taylor sitting there, with Hellison standing and going over a station map. His fingers flutter back and forth, tapping on camera icons, but apparently finding nothing worth his trouble. He finally turns towards you.
Me Why did you fire Brigitte laDuff and transfer Amélie?
Hellison shrugs Eligar was in charge of personnel. He was completely trusted and he knew this station, so when he made a recommendation, I accepted it.
Tinker Donalson Let's not dwell on that now. He had us all fooled. What I want to know is why he didn't just defect here since he was working for the Gaule?
Hellison Weregot No idea, Tinker. No idea. There's obviously a lot more going on here than we thought.
Hellison turns back to you.
Hellison Weregot <name>, thank you for your help. We wouldn't have unraveled this without you. I'm just frustrated we don't know what happened.
Me I'm willing to bet a large sum of credits that if you can find Darial Bica, you'll have the answers you're looking for. Eligar said he was the one who provided the forged bank receipt.
Tinker looks up at Hellison with raised eyebrows. Taylor appears deep in thought.
Hellison Weregot That's an excellent suggestion. We've reinstated both Taylor and Tinker. I think both of them would like to get to the bottom of this as much as I would.
Taylor Harolds Maybe find my old station chief. Mentally, she's a wreck and will never be out of the care home, but maybe there's enough up there to give us some clues.
Hellison Weregot <name>, the Consortium conveys their deepest thanks for your assistance, though of course we cannot officially recognize that anything happened here. However, we'll send you a small reward as a thank you for your services.
You have received 1,000.00 credits.
You have completed the "Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Die" mission.
Notes
- This mission is a reference to the novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by British author John le Carré. See References for other references.
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