159-1103 Acadie
The session began with the party calling on the station security office when the alleged police (with Germanic accents) from the previous night’s stand-off failed to show up. They were in turn directed to the Gendarmerie, and when their suspicions of Neubayernisch agents posing as police was mentioned, they were at last put through to the Agency for the Defence of Amondiage, 2nd Division (Colonial Security) – known simply as “La Défense”.
Soon, they were back at the scene of the abortive attack and speaking to the magnificently-moustachioed Monsieur l’Inspecteur Villeneuve. From him, they learned that the contact they had been given was one “Patrice Clenard”, a genuine citizen of Acadie who had in fact died at the age of three weeks, but for whom an elaborate cover identity had been constructed.
Inspecteur Villeneuve thanked them for the tip-off, and asked the party to let him know if they had any further contact with the false gendarmes.
Next, the Travellers paid a visit to La Grande Alliance, a ship suppliers and chandlers, for the remaining parts that they needed to repair the sabotaged power and sensor systems on the Perfect Stranger. Everywhere, they could see large groups of protestors or growing numbers of riot police shipped in from Amondiage and clearly itching for a fight.
Having ordered the parts to be delivered to the Stranger’s landing pad the next day, the party visited a bar in the city centre: La Belle Femme. Zhana chatted to a local, and asked about the ongoing unrest. He talked about what he’d heard, and at one point said “I heard that a bunch of weapons started showing up in Houillon about a year ago, maybe a bit less. Then a few months ago that bunch of merchants get shot out there, the ones from the ship that’s been at the starport ever since. Bit of a coincidence, eh?”
Ferrik bought a drink for another local, but on explaining why he was using a translator, found himself being harangued for taking part in the psyop which was the pretence that some mysterious “Imperium” existed outside of the Islands. “What are you people doing this for? I know you’re fakes, part of a govt conspiracy. The ‘Imperium’, hah! So for thousands of years we had this huge empire surrounding us on all sides and nobody knows a thing, then suddenly they magically appear and what a coincidence, we’re all on the brink of war! It’s all a fake and I know it. Prove to me that your so-called Imperium exists!” When Ferrik struggled to provide convincing proof of a vast Imperium spanning thousands of worlds, the man was delighted: “See! You can’t! Because it doesn’t exist!”
Travis spoke to Zak Larchwood, an Imperial citizen and a debt collector, who had heard the party speaking in Galanglic and come over to take a break from French. He gave his view on the current unrest: “Things are already tightening up here. It’ll be martial law, tomorrow, you mark my words, but they’re already stopping anyone walking around with guns. No wonder: they’re worried people might shoot back when the troops show up from the capital en masse, looking to crack some skulls and get people off the streets. There’ll be a big demonstration tomorrow, and it’ll all kick off then, you mark my words! There’s going to be a huge riot! These French workers love a riot, and the French coppers love a fight…”
With that, the party made their excuses and left, returning to the Perfect Stranger and preparing for several days of repairs.
162-1103 Acadie
The sensors were repaired first, and Ferrik and Dr Hakim together worked to isolate the frequency of the bugs being used on the ship, and to find the receiving stations that they were broadcasting to. This they swiftly achieved, only to find that the receivers were in a small apartment block only a few hundred metres away, in clear view of the Perfect Stranger’s landing pad.
Ferrik then used his PRIS binoculars to observe the observers, and he could see an array of electronics equipment and cameras in the window of the apartment. This was identified as 211/F2 Rue des Aigles, and Zhana used her computer skills to find that the downstairs flat was rented but that the first floor – where the equipment was stationed – was allegedly vacant.
That night, the party visited the Rue des Aigles. From the city came the sounds of riots, of fireworks being shot at police and extensive gunfire from varying calibres of guns.
The Travellers found that the rented flat was dark and empty but seeing activity in the first floor flat. Inspecting the premises from the outside, they say electronic locks and a camera system: opening a manhole service cover, they cut the power using a laser to cut through the armoured power cable within, then hacked the lock without being seen by the now-disabled camera, and swiftly made their way to the first floor apartment.
Breaking in, a firefight ensued, with the enemy agents (suspected by the party to be from Neubayern) using lethal weaponry against the party’s stunners. However, the Travellers had the advantage of wearing their protective, moderately-armoured vacc suits, while the agents were surprised. In less than thirty seconds, the agents were subdued, and the party repeatedly stunned them into unconsciousness before tying them up and subjecting one of them to “enhanced questioning”.
The agents were clearly made of stern stuff, and refused to yield immediately to questioning, claiming to be Amondiage agents watching the ship to find out what happened to the previous crew.
Meanwhile, Zhana was collecting the agents’ mobile computer while Travis and Perre were tossing the apartment: they found spare passports and ID cards for the agents as well as spotting that there should be two more Neubayerners than were present.
At this point, the party left, and called La Défense to report gunfire, Neubayern spies, fire and everything else they could think of to provoke an urgent response.
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