Well, if he made it off that ship. I owe him a death.

(((These events take place BEFORE the previous post, while the boat is on it's way to Ezra)))

Rae Overholt sits down on the cargo bay floor with a roll of paper which she swiftly unrolls. "What do we know?" She takes various items and weights down the four corners so the paper stays flat. Then she grabs a marker out of her pocket and waits.

Li Mei looks on with interest, but has no knowledge to share

Rae Overholt looks up at Xiao Li.

Xiao Li Marshall: Well, operations mighta changed since I was there, but I can tell you what it was like before I left.

Gabriel Keats listens intently

Xiao Li Marshall: And I got a bit of info off the Cortex, but most of the records are either locked up tight or just not there.

Rae: What did you get? Something is better than nothing.

Xiao Li Marshall hands a datapad to Rae.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
The Data Pad reads:


“Maldito” is (or was) a Mandell class C transport built in the year 2478 with a gross tonnage of 5000 tons. She has a long series of maintenance records from the Huay Gonne ship works on Persephone. Most notably a persistent problem with the starboard hydrogen storage containers.

“Maldito” is registered to a Captain Weve Ryder, a veteran of the independent forces. He has owned the ship for four years. W. Ryder has done a good job of keeping his name out of official files.

The accident aboard “Maldito” was not reported to the authorities.

Flight plans filed on Beaumond indicated Maldito was heading for the Georgian system, with cargo and one passenger: one Amelia Small.

A profile of Amelia Small appears in a search of ‘Commerce in the ‘Verse’ where she is described thus:
Amelia Small was raised on Ariel, but has chosen to apply her talents to promoting trade and business on the less fortunate and under-developed rim worlds. “I just think there is a lot we can do to help the struggling entrepreneurs bring the far reaches of our ‘Verse out of the darkness in which they have suffered in since the war.” Ms Small is a Golden Circle Fellow, and in her spare time generously volunteers with the Save the Children Foundation which provides shelter and assistance for underprivileged orphans in many Rim cities.

Hacking into the Wallace Mining Consortium business records reveals a Provisional Shipping Manifest from one A. Small Enterprises with a list as follows:
Heavy Earth Moving Equipment (As specified): 5000 credits
Ore Scanning Equipment (As specified): 1000 credits
8 Barrels of Beaumond Wine (Aged 8 to 11 years): 400 credits
Total due upon arrival: 6400 credits
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Rae Overholt looks at the data pad, reading over it. “No list of any other cargo owned by her. Amelia Small was on that ship, but was able to come to us to go fetch her stuff off it. Then some of them made it off. She's one of them.”

Xiao Li Marshall: No shit.

Rae Overholt hands the datapad back to Xiao Li, lips tight and eyes angry. “Seems like the accident might have been an internal failure. Not an attack.”

Xiao Li Marshall: Maybe.

Rae: No other information on this Captain Ryder then. A discription? Anything?

Xiao Li Marshall: Nope. Not even sure that's his real name.

Rae: He was an independent. Hard to believe an independent would traffic in what he did.

Xiao Li Marshall: The *records* say he's an independent. That don't make it so.

Rae: And she's paying us a pretty penny for them scanners and she's only getting’ 1000 creds herself. Interesting. Well, if he made it off that ship. I owe him a death. Ok. So we're delivering it to the Georgian system to the mining colony. Which you knew some about. What can you tell me about that?

Xiao Li Marshall: Well, when I was there it was deep-shaft mining, for copper ore mostly, although they'd take pretty much any ore they could get out of that rock.

Rae: How were the building set up?

Xiao Li Marshall: We ate an' bunked underground too. Could go for weeks without seein' daylight. Only things topside were the ore processors and the facilities for the folks who weren't slaves. And the manor house, of course.

Rae: Any way to pull up some schematics from the cortex? Maybe some sort of building permits?

Xiao Li Marshall: Might be. Can't guarantee it'll fit what's actually on the ground, though. Wallace's makin' himself out to be a legitimate operation.

Rae: What about recruitment posters, any info about their policies, law whatever.

Xiao Li Marshall: They didn't recruit like *that.*

Rae: They'd have to have some way to get some legit business folks there for their cover if nothing else.

Xiao Li Marshall: Everyone I met came in same way I did--someone approached 'em about gainful employment out on the Rim. All of the buyin' and sellin' took place offsite.

Rae: Ok. So we get there. I know my goal. What's everyone elses?

Xiao Li Marshall: ...I dunno. Find Rohan Wallace and strangle him?

Gabriel Keats: "Yours." He looks at her, nods once.

Rae: “Do what we can to cause him problems.” She nods.

Xiao Li Marshall: If it's anything like the old colony, evacuating everyone would take *days.* Some of those shafts were three miles deep.

Rae: Supos'in we don’t evacuate. Supos'in we get rid of the top dogs and let those in the mine run it themselves.

Li Mei: How do you know there's not someone worse who would take over?

Xiao Li Marshall: An' how many people d'you think are gonna wanna stay there?

Rae: So we go in, drop our cargo and take a tour around town. See if there are any spots to hack in remote like to their system. That's true Li. There's got to be ships there so thems that want to leave can. Surely we wont be the only ones arriving.

Xiao Li Marshall: True. I can hack the system. I *learned* how to hack on those systems.

Rae: Alright. Place like that, one button could bring it tumbling down right?

Xiao Li Marshall: If they're as dumb as they were when I was there...

Rae: Let's hope they're dumb as a box of rocks. I'm guessing if they’re getting equipment like this in though, they’ve moved their operation up and are gettin’ bigger.

Xiao Li Marshall nods. "We were minin' by hand a lot of the time."

Rae: Bigger means more people, more people means more security, more security means upgrades and the nature of the business means mean security. You make sure our papers are in order. Things we don’t want showing are hidden, and that we can get out at a moments notice.

Xiao Li Marshall: Will do.

Li Mei: I assume I just need to stay out of your way?

Rae: We might need you to distract some higher ups. But it'd be safer if you stayed put.

Xiao Li Marshall: Maybe you could 'distract' Rohan.

Li Mei smiles, "I can be distracting when I need to be. But I don't want to complicate your plan if it isn't necessary."

Rae: I'm sure there will be plenty to do.

Li Mei: I would hate for you to have to rescue me if I don't prove "distracting" enough.

Rae: There is that.

Li Mei: Besides, he could be sly. You never know out here.

Xiao Li Marshall gives Li Mei a Look. “Rohan Wallace sexed my best friend every other day, and started goin' after *me* soon as her body was in the ground. If he's sly he's got a funny way of showin' it”.

Li Mei: Ah, I see then.

Rae: Well, lets hope he rots for it.

Xiao Li Marshall: He will. One way or another.

Rae Overholt nods. "So, reckon we've done what we can tonight then."