Episode 05: A Simple Delivery Job

Fer's sister was not happy about having a crate of Naruni weapons in the basement, and probably even less so about having a crate full of Pre-Rifts contraband. Ol' Jack knows from personal experience the latter would get the Coalition's dander up more than a crate of weapons. Needless to say she wanted it out of the Top Hat ASAP.

Fer and I began working our connections to see who was interested in the haul. Jax was interested but low-balled me on it. Fer's contact low-balled her too, but at least it was better than what Jax was offering, which was better than nothing, and with the ISS being on heightened alert, we did not need that stuff hanging around. We took the deal with Fer's contact (I probably pissed off Jax by cutting him out of the deal) and arranged to meet at the Park Hotel Parking Garage for the transfer. 

Not long after that we were approached by a guy flanked by two green-skinned cavemen, orcs or ogres from the look of them. I dunno because I didn't ask. Guy called himself Cutter and asked us if we were interested in a simple procurement job. The money was good and all he needed was for us to pick up some electronic components from Gordo's Salvage. With all the heat from what went down there yesterday, I wanted a little more compensation from Little Enos Berdette. So ol' Jack sweet talked him into $5K up front and a total of $10k on delivery if we were able to get everything he needed. He was a bit hesitant, but agreed. Fer was a bit hesitant, but all ol' Jack saw was dollar signs.

It was looking to be a profitable day for the Prophets. Might even be able to buy a few mods for my jalopy; hell maybe even a better jalopy. A truck would be nice, especially for some of the areas ol' Jack has to deliver to. Maybe something with a machinegun turret....

Ol' Jack should have known Lady Luck was due for a turn. Things were going too well. Before heading out we stopped by Vic's room to see if he could get us schematics for Gordo's Salvage. No such luck. The idiot was probably passed out from "product testing". We'd have to go in blind. Not a problem. We'd poke around a bit and see the best way to achieve our objective. No sense someone getting hurt if it wasn't necessary, especially us.

Wouldn't you know it? Just as Fer and I step outside the front door of the Top Hat we see a gathering at a nearby building with a vid screen showing Colaition Recruitment Propaganda. Just our luck too, some loony toon ran out of the shadows, spouting his revolutionary garbage, and pulled the pin on his suicide vest in the middle of the crowd. Fer would have walked right into it if ol' Jack hadn't slung her to the ground in the nick of time.  Probably another one of them Tolkeen Retribution Squad Idiots. Needless to say we didn't hang around to find out. We hightailed it to the alley, loaded up the crates, and got the hell out of there before ISS could begin going door to door.

Our first stop was to get rid of the crates. Fer's contact was as good as his word, and paid the money. He was keenly interested in how we'd come by a crate of Naruni Weapons and told us that if we acquired anymore he would be interested. Of course, the jag-off was interested he made out like a bandit. Still we walked with $300K which was nothing to sneeze at. Next time (if there is a next time) I think we'll ask for more.

Next stop was to scope out Gordo's. There was a dilapidated warehouse across the street from it and I pulled the car into it. We surveyed ways to get in to Gordo's from here, but none of the ideas were viable - well not without acquiring some specialized gear and we didn't have time for it. So we simply took a little stroll.

There were a few ISS agents out front and as we walked we sussed out a plan in which Fer would go in and get the guys in the shop to gather the parts for us and I would come in playing the vicious dogboy routine to distract them so she could five-finger discount the parts. 

She waited while the monkeys working the shop got to work. I took a stroll down to the market and procured a can of shaving cream. Ol' Jack would have preferred Reddi-Whip because Barbasol tastes like shit. Supplies in hand I walked back to the shop just as the monkeys finished gathering the stuff. 

Time to do my thing. 

I stood in the waiting area for a moment and lathered up my snout. Then I threw back my head and charged the counter on all fours barking and snarling like a crazed rabid dog. The chimp that had been gathering the parts high-tailed it up into the shelves. Gordo must have been part monkey too because upon seeing me he suddenly became a monkey as well. I winked at Fer who gathered the loot and fled.

Gordo started calling for his security. A walking mountain of a grackletooth walked out of the back room. I grinned and wiped the shaving cream off with a rub of my hand. Time for the second half of my performance. 

With him bearing down on me, I started wimpering and giving the sad puppy dog eyes routine. I rolled over on my back and whimpered some more. He scratched my belly and called me a good dogboy. It's kinda humiliating. Then ol' Jack pulled a tennis ball from his jacket and playfully growled "Play?"

The idiot took the bait and hurled the ball right out the door past the ISS guys. Shit I forgot about them. Ol' Jack heard Gordo ask the Grackle why he did that and he told him that I wanted him to throw the ball. I did. He did, and like a good boy I chased it. Gordo then realized he'd been bamboozled and the chase was on.

Fer and I ducked through alleys as we worked to lose the ISS agents that started chasing us. Eventually we shook them and made it back to the car. We'd managed to get eight of the components at discount prices, but apparently the other four were too high-end. Gordo had told Fer about Al's Electronics and we went to pay him a visit.

Fer felt bad that we were considering stealing from a man that just about everyone liked. I told he she could feel bad later when we were tooling around Firetown in a flashy new Mounatineer ATV. Turns out Al didn't have the parts either, but said he might in a few days. We thanked him and drove away. We couldn't risk going back to the Top Hat just yet, but we needed somewhere to make the trade with Cutter (if that was his real name). I decided payback was a bitch and I called Magpie. I took great pleasure in knowing I'd had to wake her up.

Naturally, Magpie thought we had something to do with the suicide bombing. Ol' Jack told her it wasn't our doing this time. She helped us out with a place to make our trade - a bar called Solezny's, told us to ask for Alayna.

Before we went to the bar ol' Jack called in a favor from his buddy Azgon. Yeah I know I've heard the joke a hundred times. He's as good as gone. Asgon is a Fennodi, but unlike others of his kind, there is nothing quiet about him. He agreed to watch our backs at the meeting.

Alayna was interested in our story, especially the part where I mentioned I'd had to wake up Magpie. She advised me not to do it twice. The results would not be pretty. I told her it was payback. She still advised against it. Good to know. She let us use the room in the back for our meeting, but the patrons of the bar weren't happy when my loud mouthed buddy walked in. Alayna didn't exactly warm up to him when he put his feet up on the table leaving scuff marks from his boots. The bikers in the bar looked like they wanted to take Azgon out back and beat the shit out of him, Fortunately for him, Cutter and his crew arrived.

The bikers and Alayna were cowed by the sight of Cutter's muscle. The same two green-skinned mounds of beef he'd brought with him before. The bigger one closed the door and gave us some privacy as we completed the deal.

Naturally Cutter was currious about the presence of Azgon. I explained why he was there. We showed Cutter the case containing the eight pieces were able to get. He nodded his approaval and the other goon slotted his card and ol' Jack's, completing the exchange. Fer was curious exactly what the components were being used for and Cutter reiterated his early assertion of a communications device. Something didn't seem right to Fer and in a rare moment of courage pressed harder.  Ol' Jack didn't want to insult our hosts by getting his blood on the table so he thanked Cutter and told him it was a pleasure doing business. As Cutter left he cryptically said something about us potentially having more work from his employer. Creepy.

Needless to say Alayna let us have it after Cutter and his crew left. They didn't like the more monstrous looking d-bees in the bar because they were trouble makers. Ol' Jack apologized. She told us Solezny asked us to tell Magpie hello for him and I told her I would when she woke up, but apparently Solezny wanted me to wake her up and vidcap it. That can't be good. 

We walked out of Solezny's another $8K richer, but just as hard up for information, especially when we saw a familiar looking truck drive by with the Dysgenix logo on the side. The last time we'd seen a truck like that we were getting rid of it after the Brain Eaters job. Was this just another truck or was it the same truck? What was weird was seeing it right after we completed the deal with Cutter. Were the two connected? It would probably take bigger brains than ours to find out.

Note: By the end of the session the Wanted Level had increased to 7!