Posted by Lieutenant Kate O’Neill (Chief of Security) in Outskirts of the market

Posted by Gamemaster Gamemaster (Gamemaster) in Outskirts of the market

Posted by Lieutenant Kate O’Neill (Chief of Security) in Outskirts of the market
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻

SNIP

Lissi glanced sideways around the CSO and smiled. “I wouldn’t run if I were you.” She said in an almost laughing tone. No point in spooking the person who was already running. “Come out so we can see you. We aren’t going to hurt you.” She laughed once more. “Though I guess being chased by strangers may make it seem that way. But honestly, please.. we just want to talk.” She still hadn’t seen who it was she was talking to as she walked towards the tree, slowly swinging wide so if they suddenly turned to fire at her, she wouldn’t be where her voice was last heard.

Lissi
CE

The man came out from behind the tree with his hands extended upward. “Please don’t report me. I will get into trouble …”

The man looked like he was really young, definitely not more than 20. He was human and was about 1.5 metres high.

GM

Kate looked at the man stepping out from behind the tree. Giving Lissi and Ari a side glance she then looked back at the man. He was younger than them but not exceedingly so, maybe five or six years but based on life experiences, he seemed much younger and nervous. “No, one is reporting anyone,” Kate said with a smile. “I’m Kate. This is Lissi and Ari. What’s your name?” Even though they were all wearing uniforms, Kate had found using first names instead of rank tended to make civilians more at ease. After polite social niceties, Kate and the crew could figure out why she looked like a gazelle leaping through the market place after the kid but first things were first. No need to have him spooked and sprinting off before she got her second wind.

Lt. Kate O’Neill COS

“I am William,” said the young man with an accent that was distinctly Italian. There was still a tremor in his voice. “People call me Wiz.”

GM

“Great name. I have a brother named William but we call him Will.” Kate hoped that a little bit of personal information would help to set the man at ease.

Lissi smiled. “Nice to meet you. Why were you running? What are you afraid of being reported for?” She asked him, stepping up beside Kate. “Does it have to do with the folks you saw in the market?” She didn’t want to bring up their own party in case it was someone or something else.

Lissi
CE

Kate held a neutral expression as she wondered if her inquires in the market had somehow caused this man to go on the lam. She had been asking about who was taking apart weapons and not long after that was told to search for a suspect. It wasn’t exactly a straight line but it wasn’t a winding path to the conclusion either.

Lt. Kate O’Neill COS

“You’re Starfleet,” said Wiz. “I trade refurbished Starfleet stuff. You don’t like people using your stuff, right?”

GM

“Don’t like using our stuff is such a strong word.” Kate waggled her head back and forth as she shrugged in a laid back its really not a problem gesture. It was a problem but there was no need to spook the kid and play let’s make the market a track and field event again. “It’s more of I got a boss like you got a boss.” Kate’s tone and posture was more of two people talking about work rather than defending it. “My boss is like O’Neill we lost X pieces of government issued goods go find them. I am pretty sure you have boss that is like Wiz get out there and get me X. The one thing I can guarantee is that neither of us are getting paid enough for our job to move as fast as they might like it.”

As Kate spoke, it was evident from Wiz’s face that he was afraid.

“Are you from Earth,” Kate asked leaning against the tree. “You sound Italian. Love the accent. I’m from West-Penn. That’s short for West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Our family farm straddled the line so a walk around the property had you in a different state.”

At the sound of a location on Earth, the youth relaxed slightly. “Yes, I am from a small town called Orvieto.” Then his eyes seemed to glazed over for just ten seconds before he seemed to shake off what ever he was thinking of and said, “I have not been back to earth for a long time.”

Kate’s laid back tone and nature with Wiz was not an act. Many people had made the mistake that she was naïve, weak, or too innocent to hold her own in a fight when she came at them with the girl next door persona. She could easily take someone’s head off when needed but it was so easier to avoid physical when possible. Hopefully Wiz would realize she and her friends had no intention at the moment of hog tying him and dragging him back to the ship. Maybe he would be a bit more forthcoming with the information they needed is they just tried to talk to him at first. If that didn’t work, hog tying was always an option.

Kate O’Neill COS

“What are you going to do with me?” Wiz asked with more worry than defiance.

GM

Lissi laughed. “Well we aren’t gonna eat you. So relax. Besides,” she glanced around at the group, “I think most of us prefer chocolate and you don’t strike me as being made of that. So you’re safe. I would like to ask if you would be honest in answering some questions, though. She,” she nodded to Kate, “has some things we need to figure out. And something tells me you are the man for the job.” She crossed her arms and cocked her head as if waiting for the guy to deny he knew things.

Lissi
CE

The mention of being eaten caused Wiz to cringe. However, he felt fear again when he heard the Starfleet officer mention that they were going to interrogate him. “Wh.. What do… do you want to … to know?” he stammered.

GM

“I need you to tell me or take me to the guy that is modifying the Starfleet equipment unless that guy is you,” Kate looked at him. “If it is you don’t worry. We are not going to slap cuffs on you or anything. We are not here to bust a small time weapons refurbished. ” She avoided any term that would make the man feel like he might be in trouble. “We are after a larger fish. So can you help us,” she kept her tone calm and relaxed.

Lt. Kate O’Neill COS

Wiz turned to the rest of the officers. “I am the one who repairs and matches different parts and gets them working again. I have some of them in my satchel here. Don’t tell me you’re not going to do anything. I know that Starfleet doesn’t like their equipment modified. It’s against Federation Law but I am now not in Federation Space …”

GM

“Hell no, we don’t like it modified. It’s a good way to get shot or killed if you don’t know what a weapon does or even if it is a weapon because it has been modified so much,” Kate admitted freely. “That being said there are all kinds of levels of dislike when it comes to having stolen goods. If you are the one ripping them off it is grand or petty larceny. If you are selling them for profit you are either a fence or arms dealer.” Kate shrugged it off nonplussed. Her job was taking in people not judging them for what or why they did something. What did always bother her was her conscious. Stealing was wrong, however, her parents had shown her that while it was wrong, sometimes people had no options. The guy didn’t look that much younger than her. Maybe he was here not by his choice but from the hand life dealt him. The other option was that he completely chose to be here and on the other side of the law. Kate needed to find out the answer to this which would help her decide if she would lose sleep over this mission or not give this kid another thought. “So what’s your story. We are here because we were following a ship that was attacked. We met some folks from your planet and walking around the market found our refurbished stuff. What are you doing here besides the obvious.” Kate was careful not to say steal.

Lt. Kate O’Neill COS

On hearing about the ship that was being pursued, Wiz looked visibly paler. “I’m sure I don’t know anything about the ship you were chasing… “

GM