My bot lets me know when an hour has passed. Shortly after that our guard comes back. "The Lieutenant is ready for you, follow me." He stops at the door and turns to me, "Your robot can wait here".
The
protocol bot would be a useful ally in an interrogation. It seems
unlikely I'll change this underling's mind but I decide the benefits
outweigh the risks.
"E.R.I.C here is
programmed with the cultures, languages and customs of every world and
every sector we know about. I'm a stranger in Veiled Keeper territories;
an outsider who has only the most rudimentary knowledge of your laws and
social conventions. I rely on E.R.I.C to tell me when I'm running afoul
of your laws, or inadvertently causing offense. Allow me to take him
into the interrogation room - he won't speak except spoken to, and he'll
keep me from landing myself in even deeper trouble. I've not been
arrested, so I assume I'm here in my capacity as a concerned citizen and
just helping your enquiries for now?"
Compel + Heart
[Weak Hit: 4 + 3 + 0 = 7 vs 2 | 9]
My
guard actually stops and considers it. "The bot is also a potential
witness I suppose. You've chosen to involve him, so you will allow us to
make a copy of his memory in case it helps our investigation."
Fuck.
I'm careful to compartmentalise my operations just in case of something
like this. E.R.I.C doesn't know about my interest in Forlorn, but his
memory will have references to my search for Precursor artifacts. He
doesn't know about the illegal Simsense I smuggled in for Eveline, but
he does know I'm here looking for leverage over useful contacts and that
I'm not particularly pure in my methods. No worse than any other
jobbing trader perhaps, but it's not going to play well with this crowd.
We
follow through to the interrogation room. It's the world's most bleakly
functional table and three uncomfortable-looking chairs. I seat myself
on one side of the table and the guard sits opposite. A man in slightly
smarter uniform walks in and sits in the remaining seat at the end of
the table off to my right. I can't keep both in view at the same time -
that's definitely a tactic. E.R.I.C takes up position behind my
shoulder.
I'm gong to run this interrogation as a scene using a tension clock.
Objective: Get out of this interrogation without incriminating myself
Begin the Scene: Dangerous
Clock: 0/4
As
the Lieutenant shuffles papers I take the initiative and ask E.R.I.C
"excuse me Eric, but I could use your advice on the customs here. What
does it mean f I have been coerced into an interrogation room but not
arrested or told why?"
Secure an Advantage (Scene challenge) + Wits
[Weak Hit: 4 + 2 + 0 = 6 vs 6 | 2]
+2 Momentum (5)
E.R.I.C
responds "by the laws of Veiled Keepers territory it would not be
permissible to coerce you anywhere if you have not been placed under
arrest, unless the supervising officer suspects clear and present danger
to the Veiled Keepers, their property or their citizens. In that order.
They may instead ask you to go with them voluntarily in order to assist
with their investigations,which request you are, of course, at liberty
to refuse."
The
Lieutenant looks up at the bot in irritation. I place my hands on the
table, palms up in a gesture of appeasement. "So am I voluntarily
helping you with your investigations, which I'm happy to do, or is
something more serious going on here?"
Face Danger (Scene Challenge) + Heart
[Miss: 1 + 3 + 0 = 4 vs 6 | 9]
Not enough momentum to burn that into a weak hit. This is a bad start.
Clock: 1/4
He
levels a carefully blank stare at me and I can tell this wasn't the
right approach. Either he knows I'm hiding several somethings, or he's
got an incredible poker face. "Tell me about your relationship with
Eveline Durant."
I
try to keep the sudden alarm off my face. My relationship with Eveline
is polite and transactional. She has no particular loyalty to me, and
therefore no reason to cover for me... except to keep me from exposing
her role in gathering intelligence on the Forlorn research orbital.
Which, now I think about it, doesn't look any better for me than it does
for her. I can't expose her without condemning myself. If she's been
caught with the Simsense and she's named me as her supplier... my only
hope is that fear of the personal consequences has kept her from
testifying against me, and that the Lieutenant is just doing his job and
shaking down the outsider who was seen talking to her alone earlier
today.
There's
no way he hasn't started reading something into that pause. I play into
it; maybe I can muddy some of these lines of enquiry. "Professional,
for now. I was kind of hoping she might be open to something a little
less professional off duty..."
Secure an Advantage (Scene challenge) + Shadow
[Weak Hit: 6 + 1 + 0 = 7 vs 9 | 6]
+2 momentum
His
face is carefully blank, but there's no immediate retort. This angle
explains my keeping the conversations out of earshot of her squad, the
note asking her to meet me at the bar, the slightly covert nature of some
of my past coversations with her. I get the impression I've bought
myself some leeway. I risk a glance at the guard and see a smirk on his
face.
I
ask "is Eveline OK? Did something happen to her?". I have to pitch my
concern at the right level for someone whose relationship with the
subject so far consists of 'unsuccessful flirting', but the concern is
genuine even if it's much more self-interested than they know.
"She
was found in her quarters immersed in a Simsense programme. When we
searched her living space we found several other chips hidden away.
Simsense is a class B narcotic in this sector. You wouldn't know
anything about that would you?"
My
answer here will be the defining moment of the interrogation. If I
evade they'll know I'm hiding something. If I'm anything less than
convincing they'll know I'm involved. With calculated alarm and not a
moment's hesitation I say "Simsense? I've heard of it but I don't trade
in narcotics. I have nothing to do with whatever you've found on her."
Face Danger (Scene Challenge) + Shadow
[Strong Hit: 4 + 1 + 0 = 5 vs 1 | 2]
Oh wow I needed that.
Mark Progress: [**________]
As
I'm saying it I can feel the truth of the statement. It's not true, but
I feel it and I can see that it cuts through. Starting with a truth
gives me the run-up I need to sell the final sentence.
E.R.I.C
cuts in. "Eveline Durant sees dozens of pilots every day. Many of them
will have incentive to smooth the way with a customs inspector, and many
of them will be less honest than my Captain." An excellent point from
my protocol bot, sowing seeds of doubt.
Face Danger (Scene Challenge) + Wits + Protocol Bot assistance
[Miss: 4 + 2 + 1 = 7 vs 7 | 9]
Pay the price. This interrogation is about to take a dramatic turn for the worse.
Clock: 2/4
The
lieutenant looks up. He meets my eyes and doesn't deviate as he passes
orders to the guard. "Soldier, take this bot down to engineering and get
them to copy his memory please." The guard stands and leads the bot out
of the room. It's no great loss to this interrogation, that bot has
been worse than useless, but he's the closest thing in the room to a
friendly face and I feel a small sense of loss as he passes out of
sight.
The
Lieutenant checks to make sure the door has been secured and then turns
back to me with the smallest of grins. "I too
meet many pilots every day, some more honest than others, but very few
are stupid enough to ask questions about secret governmental archeological sites in the middle of my cargo hold. Tell me, how you did
find out about Folorn?"
And I realise my trouble here has only just started.
