Geartopia : The Case of the Assassination Plot

[cityship]

||Attention, Attention. Would the following personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Please bring with you any weapons and tools you might need. Attention, Attention. would the following personnel please report to the Observation Deck:

Allenby Beardsley
Maridian Gladespring
Ellyn Vitner
Red Robin
Sam Winchester
Dean Winchester
Kanoe Zouichi

Attention, Attention, would the following personnel...||

Stacy's voiced called the entire crew, until all of them were gathered at the Obs Deck. Then, a dossier appeared on the screens, along with the image of a rotating planet.

Planet Designation: Geartopia
Status: Terrestrial, H-class.
Non-sentient life: Extensive flora and fauna.
Semi-Sentient Life: Yes.
Sentient Life: Homo Sapiens, Homo Animalia, Machina Erectus.
Water: 20.6% of the planet's surface.
Climate: Earth-like, Arid desert
Landscape: 70% Desert..
Air: Normoxic concentration.
Air Pressure: 101.3 kPa (kilopascals) = 14.7 psi (pounds per square inch)
Sky: Blue
Sun: A class G2V, yellow star.
Warnings: Wildlife, humanoids and plant-life can be hazardous.
Mission: Find out of town mayoress Nomalanga's suspicions of foul play are correct. Full shore leave will initiate once this is problem is resolved.

Once the entire team was ready, they were whisked of to the planet with little fanfare, their ship landing close to a town, where a woman...well not quite a woman, but a cross between a woman and a hyena dressed in a strange outfit, greeted them along with three other figures behind her. They had arrived near the end of the day, and the sun was beginning to set behind them, staining the sky a deep orange color.

She greeted them with a bow and a wave.

"I think you for coming 'ere just barely an 'our after I send out my distress signal." She mentioned for them to follow her, while the three other figures remained behind.

"I will make this quick, as we are short on time. My name is Nomalanga, and I'm mayoress of Utorian, 'ave been for the past five years. We have asked for a small team to aid us cause some of Snidley's damn dogs have been trying to upsurge the town from my grasp. "e's was the mayor before me, but was removed for having no 'onor. He still has control of some sections of the town due to loyalty and fear, and some townsmen still suspects I threw 'im out to get more power. Now 'e's trying to regain it all, but I have no proof except for a tip I was given by one of my own that says the attack's in two days and there's enough clues stuffed in the 'aunted cave to get the entire town behind me."

She pointed to a cavern on the far left, covered by the dunes of soil and desert sand.

" 'Alf the townsfolk believe the place to be filled with ghosts at night so no one enters unless they have to. But during the day we go in and get our supplies of underground water. The entire place is a maze. I wish I could 'ave send the distress beckon sooner, but we had problems with space pirates recently."

"There is also another problem...the tip also told me one of my own three is a spy. If you could also find out which one, we could end the terrible man's grasp on the town and myself. I am pretty sure they already suspect that I have doubts, but you may find clues inside the cavern. You can also speak to them and ask a few questions, but you should get into the cavern as soon as possible, as not to get too many ghosts attacking you. And there are also men-eating bears spotted inside. My people are strong, but our technology is nothing compared to yours. Once we have more time I can explain to you how I was able to contact you at all. But for now, I can supply you with guns and torches, if you don't have any."

She seemed like a truthful woman, even if her speech was strange and spoke of someone who had lived a harsh life, despite the clothing she wore.

"My three don't trust you at all, due to our stance with outsiders and our last distress signal falling into pirate ears. I understand if you refuse, but if you accept I will make it worth your while, and the rest of your comrades on your ship will be welcomed with open arms one justice and truth is brought to light. My people do not have much but we can offer clothing and animals from our lands in exchange for your services."

[And done! There is no posting order, feel free to all start you own threads to ask questions, or butt in each other's threads while they talk back and forth]

Comments

Talking with Nomalanga

[cityship]

As she finished her speech, the woman stood there, waiting to see if they had more questions to ask her. They couldn't stay there too long or ask too many things, but perhaps she might be able to provide them with a a bit of aid. She could also supply them with weapons, if they needed it.

Suspect #1 Mekaisto

[cityship]

Mekaisto, much like Nomalanga, was a humanoid animal-like creature, a raven. Petite (standing at around 4'11" at most), prompt and well-dressed, she wore clothing that allowed her easy maneuverability and so that her wings did not get caught the helm of a dress. She had a tiny pair of spectacles hanging on the bridge of her nose, and a few books under her arms.

"I am Nomalanga's secretary, Mekaisto," she explained, looking at them with calm eyes, if annoyed and distrustful. "I've been working with her for the past ten years, ever since she was promoted to governess and then mayoress, once Snively was banished."

She took something from one of her bags that looked like a bright candy, and promptly ate it.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I'm quite fond of sweets. I have a hard time resisting, even when talking. Good thing my kind don't have teeth!" Well it seemed funny enough for her to laugh at her own joke, and loosen her mood. "Hmm yes. Well. Dreadfully sorry again. Perhaps we can talk before you enter the cavern."

Suspect #2 Allard

[cityship]

The first thing that was easily noticeable with Allard, was how comical he looked, stuffed in that tight outfit of his. Allard was partly the earth equivalent of a manul cat and the fur spilled out on all sides of his overcoat and he had a rather large gut to accompany it (quite possibly due to beer drinking).

He carried a cane, but didn't seem to need it to walk and stood very upright, giving off an air of nobility. That is until he would regularity stop to spit out the sunflower seeds from his mouth, before cramming more into his mouth, which seemed hard to do with the gloves he wore. He only stopped when the strangers got to him, and he did not look happy about them. He took out his glasses to get a better look at them as they approached.

"Name's Allard," he explained. "I'm Nomalanga main agent. The frontier is pretty cruel and all, and they need a few capable men to pull strings behind to make sure everything is running smoothly. If you have questions, make it quick."

Suspect #3 Taworri

[cityship]

Taworri was the textbook definition of goon. As Nomalanga's bodyguard the tiger stood at an impressive seven and a half feet tall, easily towering everyone. His ears flickered at the sounds around them, and he kept looking around, looking like he was expecting them to get ambushed. There was a large, almost comical-sized shotgun strapped to his back that could have easily passed off as a bazooka in the hands of anyone else.

The growl that escaped his lips when he saw the party was not welcoming in the least. He adjusted the tie of his outfit, carefully due to his bandaged hand.

"Taworri," he simply stated. "I don't trust you, you don't trust me. Now that we're over that, just ask what you need and be off."

Re: Suspect #3 Taworri

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi gave Taworri a brief smile. "Mind if I ask what happened to your hand? Looks pretty nasty."

[cityship]

He glared downwards at him.

"Don't kid yourself, while Nomalanga's a valiant gal trying to change the face of our world for the best, it's still the Wild Frontier out there. I got this during a knife fight at a bar yesterday." A pause, then a terrible grin. "Of course considering my opponent ended up with much more than a cut hand in return, I say it's only fair."

Re: Suspect #1 Mekaisto

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi gave her a slight bow. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Mekaisto. If you've been with the Mayoress for ten years, you must know her quite well. Are you family friends, or...?"

He paused, then added, "Would you mind telling me in a little more detail about the circumstances under which Snively was banished?"

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi raised an eyebrow at Taworri. "So brawls are commonplace, then? What exactly were you fighting over?"

"...And if you think Nomalanga's bitten off more than she can chew, why help her? Or are you one of the men Allard mentioned? The ones who 'pull strings behind the scenes'?"

[seesbosscrotch.livejournal.com]

Mar stroked his goatee for a moment. Given that he was in full plate armor right down to thick metal gauntlets, this seemed like it ought to cause some serious pulling, but evidently he could do it without harm.

"Have any of your three had any obvious changes recently? Change of habits? Spending more than it seems like they should have?"

He wasn't used to asking questions of questgivers, but every once in a while you just had to....

[combustible_me]

Ellyn had listened, for her, rather patiently to all the information she'd been given. Nor had she interrupted the hyena-woman's speech. She knew that she wasn't likely to be much help in questioning, unless someone needed a strong arm, but something struck her in the woman's words.

"Ya said ya go down in th' cave ta get water. D'you got markings to direct the pass'ges down there, or d'ya just trust yer familiarity with th' place ta guide you?"

[cityship]

"It's the Frontier. Anything's a good excuse for a brawl here, booze, girls, card games. Nomalanga's been trying to establish order for the past few years but with Snidley around, that's not going to happen as long as people fear him." He puffed up a bit before answering the other question.

"Never said she bit off more than she can chew. Just said that she can't change the place in just a few years, that's all. Gotta give her a tip of the hat for trying. But I ain't one of those shadow-men. Allard's one of them, I hope him out if someone needs to be punched or made to talk. I protect Nomalanga when she needs me too."

[cityship]

She stroked her chin to think about it. "Not particularly. Allard's been busy as usual, and Taworri only leaves my side to go to his bar runs and food hunts. Mekaisto helps run the town press due to her skills in literature, but she refuses to be an editor due to conflict with the fact she's my secretary."

[cityship]

"We have a few people knowledgeable about the entire cavern, but due to shifts and the beasts inside, sometimes pieces of the cavern either fall apart or are too dangerous to go in. We have those areas clearly marked. There are about twenty wells scattered inside. You can ask Mekaisto for a crude map, but no one's really gone in there to do an extensive map project, due to the dangers, the beasts and the ghosts at night."

[battorch]

Tim could be succinct, so he'd do just that. He wasn't going to dress this up or dodge around, he'd just ask his questions.

"How long have you worked with the mayoress?"

[combustible_me]

"Thank ya. I'll do that. An' do ya got like, some paint we c'n take along? I 'magine that's prolly on th' dear side, so I ain't gonna ask fer a lot, but even a small can might be of help in explorin' the place."

Not that she'd ever been spelunking before, but there was a first time for everything, Ellyn wagered.

[seesbosscrotch.livejournal.com]

Well that wasn't very helpful.

"Who gave you the tip? One of them or someone else?"

Re: Suspect #3 Taworri

[battorch]

Well, at least he was upfront and honest about it.

"You obviously spend a lot of time with the mayoress. Have you noticed anything strange lately, from such a close perspective? Even if it doesn't seem particularly noteworthy to you, it may still be helpful."

[battorch]

Tim was going to pass on those weapons, thank you.

"Red Robin," he introduced, feeling he should be polite with their hostess, considering her own efforts at diplomacy. "How well do you know each of the three in question?"

[cityship]

"Actually yes! When I saw I have been working with her for the past ten years, that is as her secretary. There is only one school in town, many close friends are those you grew up with. Nomalanga came in from another faraway village with her family to live here. We both knew each other as classmates, and as she advanced to become governess, she remembered my skills in school and asked me to help her out with her dreams. I trust her enough to have picked her as the Chosen Watcher over my son."

She paused from her talk to take another candy up to her mouth before stopping and look at Zouichi, showing him what it was.

"My manners are terrible this evening! These are candied fruit, made from the fruit of the nearby cactus and sugar from our beet farms. Would you like one?"

[cityship]

"No a different source entirely. You may notice that most of this place is arid desert, but there is a nearby forest defying the sand and earth closer to our city that is home to the Wild Ones. They are one with nature and I have been conversing with them. It was they who heard the whispers in the wind. The ancient ones have never steered me wrong, and I trust their words, as much as it pains me to think about it."

[cityship]

"I'm afraid that I can't allow that," Nomalanga answered sadly. "The cavern is sacred to the Wild Ones around this area. We have a contract that stipulates we are not to change the land in any way, and painting a holy cavern would most certainly me seen as offensive. However..." she stroked her chin. "We do have rolls of Shepofalant wool! You could use it as a guide into the cavern, to make sure you don't get lost."

[seesbosscrotch.livejournal.com]

Hmm. That trust ruled out the obvious answer of the source attempting to set someone up or cause divisiveness then. Chances were the information was real, then.

"Any of the three seemed unhappy with the way things are run?"

[cityship]

"Mekaisto is a childhood friend," Nomalanga explained. "We have known each other since my family moved to this city. Allard has been with me since I was mayoress and offered his services after hearing about my dreams to make this place a much better place for everyone instead of pushing uniquely towards technological advances and disregarding life like Snidley wanted. He is a family man, and has six children, so I can see why he fights so much for this. Taworri has been with me for three years, although I also knew him as a child in an older child. He is...quite handsome and we did date briefly for a while. Or relationship is strictly professional now, however. He has saved my life as a bodyguard countless times."

[battorch]

"So you have the utmost trust in each of them?" Tim pressed, watching her closely. "Do you believe any of them might have motivations for turning against you? Or else something that may be exploited to force them into the position?" He was thinking particularly of the family she had mentioned-- he knew first hand what kind of motivator danger to family could be.

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

"A direct man, huh? In that case, I'll just ask -- do you have any suspicions about what form this attack from Snidley will take? And what do you know about these caverns?"