Chapter 5: Phaon

(Relating to the move, I want to point out that the vehicle that has been discussed is not a police cruiser. I was obviously not complete enough in my description. It is a private vehicle which is probably owned by a police "contact" of Tessa's. This, of course, has both advantages and disadvantages.)

(And one last point. I noticed in scanning dialogue that some actions were hinted at or stated that were not posted in the actual moves. Remember that I will go by the posted move, only using dialogue as a back up. Also, I didn't get everyone's move. If you sent one and I didn't send a Jet gemcode in response, please remember to resend your move. Thanks, JK)

Joe made it to the bank. The teller booths were automated, pretty standard fare. Joe went over to one and punched in his info, requesting setting a meeting up with a loan officer. A standard feedout told him his appointment would be in a week. Frustrated, Joe punched back into the system, requesting an emergency meeting.
"Cmon," he urged the bank's computer. "Baby needs a new pair of shoes." He didn't see the loan officer come up.
"Mr Grange? May I help you?" It was a woman's voice. Smiling, Joe turned around. The woman, dressed in a classy Lamaraine styled gown smiled, her green eyes contrasting highly with her bright red hair. "My name is Siobhan Oban. How can I be of service?" She was very attractive.
"Hello, I've got a slight emergency," he explained. "Is there somewhere private we can talk?"
Oban led Joe to her office. It was laid out in a spacious style with plush furniture and subdued lighting. Small iridescent eels swam in a nearby tank while two holoscreens gave the impression that the office actually commanded a panoramic view of Avalon and its bay.
Joe started the conversation, explaining how he had a need for extraordinary funds and that he had a guaranteed investment income and wanted to get an advance on it. He noticed that she didn't seem to be listening to him as much as she was looking at him. When he caught her at this, Oban seemed to blush.
"What you're asking is pretty standard fare, Mr. Grange," she explained. "However, I should warn you that almost all banks will demand a fairly high return on your advance." She looked over the computer screen with his info, tying into his Id card at the Hall of Records. "You only have an income of 100 credits per month. We could advance you, say 2000 and we would retain your income for two standard years, which would give us a twenty percent return. Of course, you would have to fill out standard forms, and also guarantee us insurance coverage in the event of your death. That would amount to about ten percent of what we advanced you."
Beggers couldn't be choosers, Joe decided. "Is there anyway I could get more?" he asked.
"Hmm." Oban looked again at the screen. "Well, yes, but at a significant payment to us. We could advance you up to 6000 credits, but we would hold your income for eight years. If you think it's worth it, I can initiate arrangements right now. You would just need to sign papers and go to the Hall of Records tomorrow to arrange final transfer. Payment will be made here, of course."
(Joe needs to choose how much he wants to take, if any. Also, you need to let me, the D.M. know what your choice is right away. Realize that Joe will still only realize 70% of the loan, since 20% will be taken as taxes and 10% will go to pay insurance premiums on the loan in case of Joe's death before it is paid back. Also, Joe will be bereft of income for the duration of the payback. Assuming Joe takes the offer)
"Well, thank you, Ms. Oban," Joe shook her hand.
"Oh please," she insisted, "Call me Siobhan." She paused looking at Joe as if wanting to ask something. What she ended up saying was, "So that I'll have everything ready for you, did you want your payment to be in credits of cash pounds?"
Joe had a sense of something. He asked her, "Is there anything else you wanted to ask me? And call me Joe, please. I'll be insulted if you don't."
She smiled and blushed a bit. "Well, don't take this the wrong way, Mr, uh, Joe that is." She paused and, seeming to regain her composure asked, "I was just wondering if you're single, or that is, uh, available. I know your records state you're single. I just don't want to step on anyone's toes. Please feel free to decline."
Joe took her hand and kissed it. "My dear Siobhan, I wouldn't dream of declining."

Solo, Bug and Leon looked down at the car.
"That isn't a police cruiser, is it?" Leon asked.
"Cmon Leon," Solo told him. "Obviously it isn't. I guess this was the cop's private mode," Solo surmised.
Bug, his usual agitated self, whined, "Shouldn't we get going? Maybe we should just leave it here."
Solo and Leon looked around them. They were on the outskirts of the city, parked next to a Spinecone orchard. There wasn't a soul in sight.
"Calm down Bug," Solo told the chit. "If youNevermind, just calm down."
Leon walked over to the trunk. "Should we try to break in? I wouldn't mind seeing what's inside."
"Unless it's a dancing girl - human dancing girl," Solo replied, sitting down at the wheel, "I can't say that it's that important. We can't chance someone coming along. I mean, breaking into our own storage compartment in our own car doesn't look right."
There was a swishing sound behind them. Bug flitted into view, holding onto two automatic machine pistols. It was all he could do to hold on to their bulky weight.
"Hey, look what I found," he announced.
"Where did you get those?!" Solo asked, jumping out of the vehicle. Leon, however, beat him back to the rear storage compartment, which now lay open. Inside was a case of what looked like organic wine, local stuff with maybe two bottles missing. Also, there was a box of ammo for the pistols Bug had found.
Solo chuckled. "Bug," he announced, "You're a man, er, thing of many talents."

Despite their collective apprehensions and fears, Solo drove the vehicle back with the others, not even once seeing a policeman. Dropping off Bug, he and Leon cruised around for a derelict neighborhood to park the groundcar. It was embarrassing to admit, but the most derelict part they could find was near Dicey's, in the outer portion of the downport. They settled on parking it near a section of shops that were being constructed, hanging out a nearby robodiner frequented by techs from the downport.
Other than a few admiring techs examining the car out of normal curiosity, nothing happened for several hours. Finally, Leon jostled Solo out of his sleep. They were the only two in the diner, and had kept ordering coffee so the diner's computer wouldn't order them out as non-paying customers.
Solo, jostled out of a dream, mumbled, "Wha?"
Leon hushed him and pointed out to the car. They both hunched down in their seats.
An agrav car with police markings was hovering near the groundcar, inspecting it. As they watched, the a-grav lowered down and a side hatch slip open. A cop in uniform got out and walked around the car. Shaking her head, the cop took out a comp-pad and began to jot down on it. Finally, she took a little scanner and began to run it over the car.
"What's he doing?" Leon hissed, realizing that their gamble had failed. Now, his mind was running through several plans of what to do when the cops tried to arrest them.
"Relax," Solo told him, chuckling.
"Do you mind telling me what's so funny?" Leon whispered.
Solo nodded at the cop, who had finished her scan and who was getting back into her vehicle. "She was writing a ticket. I think we parked it too long too close to the fence, or something. She was scanning it for it's I.D. so she could write it a ticket." Solo laughed.
"Well, won't it come up as stolen?" Leon asked.
Solo shrugged. "As far as I know, it would have when she scanned it. I don't know what Tessa or Jessine or whatever did to that cop, but he must be out for the count, if not for good."
"Doesn't that mean murder?" Leon asked him. "I mean, stealing a car is one thing. Killing a policeman"
"Yeah, I see what you mean," Solo agreed. "Stakes get higher everytime, don't they."

Later, Solo and Leon were treated to a whistling Joe Grange nonchalantly joining them at the end of their vigilance. Joe had brought the multiscanner with him.
"Anything happen?" Joe asked them.
"Nothing," Leon told him.
Solo looked at Joe suspiciously. "Why are you so happy?" he asked.
"No reason," Joe smiled. Whistling, he set about scanning the vehicle for evidence of bugs and tracers. He didn't find any.
"Checks out clean as far as I can tell," he reported.
"Does that mean there aren't any?" Solo asked him, "Or just that you can't find any?"
"Only one way to find out," Joe replied.
"That being?" Leon asked.
Joe smiled. He seemed in a very good mood. "Well, I say we leave in forty-eight hours for our `camping trip.' That's how we find out," he concluded. Having done, he walked off whistling back to Dicey's, while Leon and Solo looked at each other.
Solo, chewing aggressively on his cigar stated, "If he got what I think he got"
"Yes?" Leon prompted.
"I really hate that guy," Solo growled, just about chewing his cigar in half.

Having argued all morning with what Raymont was convinced was the most stupid agro clerk in the galaxy, Raymont was now heading for the downport, having struck out once again.
Based on a tip from Thorn, Raymont was going to meet a character named Smiling Yani. He was supposedly a weapons dealer, but more importantly to Raymont, he sounded like the unscrupulous sort who would do anything for credit or cash. In other words, he was Raymont's type of guy.

"Yeah, I can get you this stuff. No problem," Yani said after having scanned Raymont's quickly scribbled list.
"You're kidding me," Raymont told him. "Just like that? I've been walking my feet off all morning, and now you just say, `no problem.'"
"Kid," Yani told him, "It's not a matter of yes or no. It's a matter of finding the right guy or the wrong guy. If you've got money, I'm always the right guy - usually."
"O.K." Raymont cut to the heart of the matter. "How much?"
Yani scratched his chin. "You know kid, I like you"
"Cut the bullshit," Raymont told him. "How much?"
"Eight-hundred. For that you get the list." (Mk 1 stunner, tranq spray and 10 tabs of a certain controlled substance anti-manic/antidepressant stabilizer plus applicator. - No paperwork or strings. Even a pick up sight already past the inspections point.)
Now the time had come to either put up or shut up. Raymont tried to think. Was it worth it?

Having assembled everyone back at the bar, Thorn gave them the briefing.
"O.K. It looks like the vehicle Jessine here acquired checks out as far as we can tell. We're going to chance using it. Shakes and N'iall are loading it up with the gear we bought. The vehicle was meant to hold four. It will be carrying eight of us, including Bug. That means we're going to be really "friendly" for some time. All the way to Ballynena in fact. We'll take rest stops and take turns driving, but other than that, we're going all the way non-stop. Since room is cramped, we're going to take minimal gear, and we'll buy the rest in Ballynena. Any questions? Good. Then get ready. We depart in twelve hours. That will be 24:00 tonight. Have everything ready by then."

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