>>472591
Yes.

Yeah, pretty much. Well, unless she'd rather stay up working ourselves into anxiety riddled messes bouncing thoughts of how this could go horribly wrong off of each other. As it stands, you'd prefer to knock back a nightcap and get some sleep. You can let your paranoia run wild in the morning.

>>472591
Eh, maybe not that far, but you could still share the bed for old times sake.

Yeah uh, Itcher isn't into neumono apparently so I don't think he's gonna be doing a lot of cuddling. Speaking of... Itcher, you're not staring at her boobs are you?

Oh! You could spend the next couple of days planning on how to kill Red. Or planning on some general exit strategy in case Father Zozu lets his son off the hook. We've been told that the turrets will 'malfunction' to kill us on our return... how are we going to avoid that? Maybe we can use that to fake our deaths? Make it look like we were in the van that gets shot, but not actually be in it?

Heyyyy. If the gold-transporting thieves happen to be the same species as our 4-man in-the-shit group, we could use them as body doubles after they're executed. Have their corpses in the van that gets shot. I'm assuming the turret is strong enough to render the corpses unrecognizable, considering it would have to be strong enough to guarantee a neumono kill, right? All we'd have to do is plant some recognizable personal affects on the bodies. Malsen is probably in the clear; he wasn't threatened at all, was he? Malsen can probably deliver a copy of the info to Zozu for us. Or we can have the info delivered anonymously somehow?

Spy on Malsen in case he's actually in league with Malkata and only pretending to be nice and loyal mainly to Zozu while he works for Malkata? Or spy on some other goons of our team?

>>472600
I'm pretty sure he's looking at her face, much to the disappointment of my as-of-yet unwritten slashfic.

>>472604

..write it.

>>472606
Oh, I will. I have nothing better to do for the next 8 days. I'm currently trying to think of a funny and plausible enough way for the two to hook up. It's probably going to be "something something, Whiskers decides to break up but doesn't tell anyone, invites Jess and Itcher to drink, spikes their drink with conveniently specific drugs, leaves, clumsy drunk sex, waking up, round two (naturally), story cuts off before the awkward "what the fuck just happened, what the fuck do we do now" part.

1/2 Itcher 2012/11/17(Sat)22:02 No. 472612 ID: c4e5c2
File 135321853334.png - (13.01KB , 700x700 , 639.png )

>Not into neumono
Ain't sayin' I think they're ugly either. 'sides, I trust her judgement that she's not crushin' on me or somethin', so no harm in sharing body heat. Fuck knows it ain't any more intimate than a lotta the things we've done while piss drunk.

>Spy on Malsen/other goons
I'm hardly subtle. I doubt I could do much without gettin' caught, and then I'd really have it comin'. I'll mention it to Jules in case he's up for it.

Lot of other stuff to plan for, but shit if I know how to go about it. How to kill Red is gonna need me talkin' to some contacts at home, and the whole turret issue... well, maybe corpses would be unrecognizeable, maybe not. Depends on luck of the draw and how hard they hit.

2/2 Itcher 2012/11/17(Sat)22:02 No. 472613 ID: c4e5c2
File 135321854818.png - (14.59KB , 700x700 , 640.png )

The next morning, I wake up to find Jess still asleep, but a piece of paper pinned under the alarm clock. I go ahead and read it.

Meet me behind the Drunken Goose at 8 PM tonight.

Start thinkin' about the Drunken Goose and how I dunno where that is offhand before I start realizin' someone was able to come in and out durin' the night.

What did you leave unlocked and how is everything set up now?

>How to kill Red
If you decide to leave Zozu, then uploading those tapes somewhere and waiting for Rokoa to crash in after him is a lot less dangerous.

>I start realizin' someone was able to come in and out durin' the night
Well, it's not like you're dating a goddamn master thief or anything.

Any clues in the note? Anything special about the the handwriting, the color of the ink, the paper it's written on... etc? I wouldn't be surprised if there was some additional hidden message at this point.

Someone who was good at picking locks, and fairly quiet. I take it Jess is settling into being a not-light sleeper, now? Look around for any evidence they were here. Use your nose (sniff the note?), look for footprints. Then ask the others if they saw anyone. Maybe ask the front desk, though I really really doubt you'd get anywhere with that since they either saw nothing or got paid to say nothing.

Next time we sleep in an insecure location like a hotel, either outright jam the door or put something noisy right in front of it.

...may as well ask at the bar if there's anyplace named that nearby. Or better yet, the post office, as they deal with ALL addresses.

1/2 Itcher 2012/11/17(Sat)22:37 No. 472621 ID: c4e5c2
File 135322063383.png - (12.60KB , 700x700 , 641.png )

Smells like... booze. Similar scent to the Cat Dive.

This isn't some five star hotel, but the electronic lock isn't a joke and the deadbolt isn't made of lead. Between the smell, and the quiet bypassing of the electrical lock and cutting of the deadbolt, it isn't a mystery of who this is from.

>How is everything set up now?
Cept for the note, everything looks like it hasn't been so much as breathed on.

2/2 Itcher 2012/11/17(Sat)22:37 No. 472622 ID: c4e5c2
File 135322064455.png - (12.83KB , 700x700 , 642.png )

My getting off the bed does wake up Jess, though.

"Hey, Jess."
>"Morning."
"Ever hear of the Drunken Goose."
>"Uh.... sounds familiar.... oh, wait, yeaah, I remember seeing that while we've been walking around this place. Why? You want to go there or something?"

Give her the note and see what she makes of it.

Posted that slashfic, if anyone cares. Wasn't sure if it belonged in fanart, since it's not really art at all, so I put it in the disthread.

Pff. She cut the deadbolt? Sloppy. I would have expected her to have put all the locks back behind her.

>You want to go there or something?
Got a mystery invitation.

>>472624
She didn't weld it back up? Either she's a filthy casual thief, or it's a trap. Either or. Take a gun. And flowers. A bunch of flowers with a gun inside.

Hold the note up to Jess' nose, text facing away, and ask her what she thinks it smells like. Then flip it over to show her what's written on it, and tell her how you found it. Say you'll both have to go to the appointment, since you're not absolutely sure it's just for you.

Check the edge of the note to see if there's gum residue that indicates it was pulled from a pad. If so, get a pencil and make a rubbing over it to see if there's any indentations from a previous note written on the pad.

The both of you get dressed (double-checking that all your stuff is still there and hasn't been messed with) and head down for breakfast with the rest of your crew. Show them the note, share how it showed up, and ask Malsen if he can cover for you and Jess going to the Drunken Goose at that time.

>>472624
It was most likely one of Whisker's crew who delivered the note, not her herself, so it's not the "magic trick" break-in and -out she can pull off.

1/2 Itcher 2012/11/17(Sat)23:30 No. 472635 ID: c4e5c2
File 135322380229.png - (8.76KB , 700x700 , 643.png )

"What's it smell like to you?"
>"Heaven."

I show her the text.

"Guess we'll both need to go, for all I know it was for you.
>"... why she'd want to see me, I don't know."
"Yeah, unless it's just a coincidence. She cut the deadbolt, and I'd sooner have expected her to not just undo it, but lock it back on her way out. Then again, coulda been a sloppy cohort of hers."
>"Heh, well, still, we'd better go. I guess we just relax till then."
"As much as we can anyway."

2/2 Itcher 2012/11/17(Sat)23:32 No. 472636 ID: c4e5c2
File 135322395333.png - (267.55KB , 700x700 , 644.png )

I ask Jules to spy on some of Maklata's guys and maybe even Malsen, and Jules says he'll do it lightly, not enough to risk himself. Fair enough I say. Otherwise the day passes just fine, I avoid mentioning the note to anyone else, till 8 PM when Jess and I go.

>"... I hope this is the right place, this alleyway is the creepiest fucking place in the whole outpost. Cold as hell, too." Jess says.

>"And well out of the way from earshot! I'm glad you came with only trusted company at most, dear Tax Accountant!"

Is it her?

Itcher 2012/11/18(Sun)00:11 No. 472645 ID: c4e5c2
File 135322630050.png - (364.75KB , 700x700 , 645.png )

"Don't make me guess your talking."
>"Oh come on, who calls you tax accountant? No one."
"Hello, Whiskers."
>"Hi, Whiskers." Jessica says.
"... gotta note to myself that second impressions are a lot tougher to impress with. Don't make many of those."
"I notice you got sloppy with the deadlock."
"Consider it my calling card."
"... right. So why'd you have us meet you here?"
"I've seen your stuff, and you're not half bad! Not perfect, but not bad! I'm inviting you to join me as one of my inside guys. May as well get something out of this fiasco. It's pretty sudden, but I figure it'd suck to come this far just to get yourself killed by Maklata or an indirect decision of his. The way I see it is that you're good in my eyes, and you've got nothing going for you back home. What do you say? Abandon this dump right here?"

Something seems...off, maybe because the silhouette doesn't have horns? Could just be an art error.

Anyways, we can't rightly do that, abandon our family and friends while they are still hanging in the wind on an unknown fate, even if we got the data to Father Zozu, our defection would reflect extremely poorly on them if it became known.

Just my 2 cents.

Ask Jess what she thinks about the offer. Her included.

What is going to happen to the rest of the crew if we up and leave?

>>472648
Itcher's horns aren't very noticeable, and to be meta, her text color matches, but still yeah.

We've been far too trusting. Ask her... what color and pattern cup was she holding on our first date? Pink with darker pink hollow inverted triangles around the middle, no?

No deal. We can't abandon our friends just like that.

Itcher 2012/11/18(Sun)00:48 No. 472657 ID: c4e5c2
File 135322851240.png - (200.01KB , 700x700 , 646.png )

Art error: Missing horns in last panel

"Don't think I can rightly just up and leave when I still have my friends around."
"Sweet."
"What do you think Jess?"
>"I, uhh.... this is sudden. But, you know, we've been danging off the end of a thread for a long time now with Maklata holding the scissors about that. He could snip it at any time, and we don't really need you. Just the four of us would be good enough to meet that other crew. So... if you like Whiskers, then... I say go."
"... I was expecting you to say no."
>"Eh?"
"Even if you did come with me, Jules and Lamarra shouldn't be abandoned like that. Plus, it's not like I don't have friends back in Zozu home. Maybe not many, maybe not even good friends, but I'm not readily gonna walk away from now."

"You surprise me, Itcher! Alright, then. I think I'll leave you alone. I'll give you an updated copy of the recordings you've had, and slash or tell you where the nanoband is so you can remove it. Up to you."

So is this her way of breaking up?

Say it in a joking manner, whether it's true or not doesn't matter.

But, opt for her to tell you where' it's located so we can remove it at our own discretion later.

"keep the recordings. Those got us in some deep shit last time. I'm keeping the recorder. Don't use any of the info and get me in trouble. If I can manage it all of this is going to Father Zozu. And again, if I bite it, send it to him, ok?"

Before she leaves, ask her how well versed she is in faking deaths and forging new identities. Even if you're staying, it won't hurt to have a backup plan for you and you're friends. Also thank her for the booze for god's sake.

Smile and say that if you had the option to, you'd take a way to tap into and control your "personal surveillance" system. But since that isn't on the table, you'll take the knowledge of how to break it instead.

Tell Whiskers that, as before, if you kick the bucket before getting the recordings to Father Zozu, to send it along in your stead. Take the recording and hand it to Jess, jokingly saying that there's still space for this one.

Thank Whiskers for the grand pub crawl across the Asteroid, it was a the best time you've ever had. You hope that some day your paths will cross again, when the circumstances aren't so dire.

Oh, and before she leaves, ask if she will tell you the most important thing you'll need to know to get you and your friends through the next 24 hours.

Point out that everything's not over, yet. You don't want her to get the wrong impression - you might be willing to take her up on her offer later, but you've got obligations right now. Now that you've been sucked into this, you don't want to see anyone else get fucked over by Maklata.

Of course, trying to fix everything might go really sour. That's when you might need her help, if she's willing to give it. For example, faking your deaths and having copies of the recordings miraculously survive, or get mysteriously delivered to Father Zozu might cause at least a little bit of justice without putting you in significant danger.

If she can get all of you out of this, it's only fair that you pledge your service to her in compensation.

Ask what the masses of alcohol was about.

So... this is where we go off the rails? The point where the timeline changes? This is why original timeline Itcher wasn't there at the clusterfuck, and we passed it up.

>More recordings?
We don't actually need a record of anything we've done since last time, as amusing as it might be to have the drinking montage on tape.

Thanks for the booze run. Be seeing you, hopefully.

>>472657
Tell her that this doesn't mean we're not going to chase her down. We just need to finish this first, and set your things in order back home.

Tell her to come over and remove it; steal a kiss in the process. Oh! Also, ask for another cat pin for Jess.

Tell her you're a complex guy whose motivations can't be understood so easily over a hand full of meetings. Have her tell you where it is and get a good place, some kind of sound-proof box or something, to store it in, it could be nice having a way to send her a message later even if she can't easily respond to it.

1/2 Itcher 2012/11/18(Sun)11:53 No. 472719 ID: c4e5c2
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I head over to where she's standing, at least to look her in the eyes. Can't really see far in with all the smoke coming out, but I can tell it's warm where she is.

"It's not over yet, Whiskers. I'll pass on the recordings. I want to know where the nanoband is, but I'm not gonna remove it yet. Once this is all over, I may still come chase you. If I do kick the bucket, though, I still hope you'll drop off the recording for Zozu."
"I'll see I do, but don't think of me as reliable!"
"I don't suppose you could give us information that'll help me and my friends out? Maybe know stuff about forging identities or faking deaths?"
"Like I say, I'm not reliable! I'm not in the market for direct help. That said... Itcher, I'm damn good, but I'm not perfect. I threw in a load of stuff in that cargo van and sent it off expecting it to get lost at some point. There's more in there than just gold, and I'm just not sure how I feel about Zozu getting some of that stuff. I rolled the dice hoping it wouldn't land zozu side up. You guys are powerful enough already. That's not to say I'm going to steal it back, but... well, look at me, thinking to myself. Here, I'm going to give you some motivation to get out of this alive. Both of you."

She gives me a Cat Pin. I didn't even need to ask, she at least knows me somewhat well. Not that that's a difficult thing to learn about me.

"Thank you, by the way, for the way you gave us leads. It's been a good week."
"Quite welcome. The nanoband is in two places. Where a mustache would grow, and the back of your head, just at the farthest point back. No special locations. If you're going to chase me but not accept my invitations, Itcher, then I'm going to run. You'll have to take off that nanoband when you do."

I lean in to bend down where I'm pretty sure she's on some kind of elevator.
"I'd say goodbye, but I'll be watching till you take off your fur."
"Yeah. See ya."

2/2 Itcher 2012/11/18(Sun)11:53 No. 472720 ID: c4e5c2
File 135326840027.png - (11.65KB , 700x700 , 648.png )

"Here, Jess. Cat Pin."
>"You idiot... I can't believe you're staying in this hellhole. And we've got to be the ones to meet the other group? I thought we were going to be kept out of harms way, but now we're taking the most dangerous fucking job."

"If I took her up now, Id be blaming myself for letting you all get yourselves all killed."

>>472720
Tell her not to worry, you'll find a way to get our asses out of the fire. I mean, have you let her down before?

>>472720
Please, we just want to see Malkata's face when all his plans fall to and he feels the greatest shame of what he has wrought upon himself.
Want to show him how badly he is at these complex plans, maybe then he'll be actually become a decent fellow or leader, but then again that means Ziril will become the heir to the Zozu line probably. The next father, anyway. He might actually be a decent sort for all we know.

>most dangerous job
Well, naturally. Malkata wants us dead.

And even if it was an idiot move... I meant what I said back there. I couldn't just leave you guys to your fate.

>>472720
>"You idiot... I can't believe you're staying in this hellhole. And we've got to be the ones to meet the other group? I thought we were going to be kept out of harms way, but now we're taking the most dangerous fucking job."

Point out that's *exactly* why you're staying with them. You're not going to back out on your friends just because you had the option of a golden ticket.

Also, you want to make sure this whole thing doesn't go sour and end in a blood-bath. Out of all the people here, you're the one that has the most experience dealing with the underworld in face-to-face meetings. You have an innate sense for when shit's going to go tits-up, and you're certainly going to be a better negotiator than anyone else here.

Even though Whiskers says that she's not reliable, I'm pretty confident that she'll come through if you don't make it. I don't think she wants a douche like Maklata to gain power. All that's left is to make sure your friends make it out of this alive and in one piece.

Also, I'm sure you've been thinking - Do you *really* want to make an example out these guys? I mean, if they're anything like the guys you've captured, they're just bumbling thieves in training. Probably the, what, 6th or more set of those since this began?

If you REALLY want to make an example of people, you should backtrack this whole thing. Find EVERYONE involved, then make your move. Round up all the people involved. Don't just randomly pick *one* group and take them out.

Oh, and it should go without saying that these guys are going to be on-edge until the hand-off is complete. That's the WORST time to make your move. Get the goods, verify that the gold is there, and wait until the mercs and the targets part ways. Then go after the targets.

Itcher 2012/11/18(Sun)12:59 No. 472737 ID: c4e5c2
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"I meant what I said, you know. That whole danger bit is why I'm not gonna abandon you guys. Sides, I think I'm the best negotiator out of any of you."
>"Are you saying I'm mean?"
"Oh, you've been an angel cake around me, but you're a witch to strangers."
>"Heh."
"Still questioning this plan though. The other groups is gonna be on edge during the handoff, probably clutching their guns in their pockets. For what's probably just some bumbling thief wannabes to boot."
>"That's why I'm nervous about you going. All of us technically, but at least one of us should be out in case it goes balls up. And you'd know what to do best if it did."
"Well it shouldn't be me. Like said, I'm the better negotiator."
>"Wouldn't put it past Maklata to make shit hit the fan just so that we get killed."

I wouldn't put it past him either. I still like the idea of trying to avoid or stop that better than sitting out, letting it happen, and then going for revenge.

>>472737
We've got Jules set to find that out already. I'm thinking Malsen can be our guy on the outside, if he checks out, because he's been shown to be a smart guy and he's pretty good in a fight too. Plus, he's less likely to be suspected by the others of hiding something.

If Malkatta really is planning to make everything go tits up regardless of what we do... maybe it would be a good idea to find a way to just bail. They don't need us to find the gold, and if we can get back to Zozu with the evidence we'll be in the clear.

>>472737
Then we'd better try to be in the best possible position to influence events!

Asteroid Quest - Thread 3 END Itcher 2012/11/18(Sun)13:57 No. 472746 ID: c4e5c2
File 135327587049.png - (14.52KB , 700x700 , 650.png )

"Eh, we've got Jules to try and find out if any knives are getting sharpended behind our backs."
>"Jules? He barely has any experience with that. He sits in the sec room all day, he's no field worker. You know what he does while you sit in the gold room and make little gold pyramids all day out of boredom?"
"What's he do?"
>"Watch you make little gold pyramids all day. But fine, maybe he's a real secret agent. I guess we keep on waiting."
"Yeah. Drop might be in 6 hours. Or a day or 2 and 6 hours. Guess we just gotta wait, now. I'm still gonna be in the best place to influence matters."
>"I don't like it. But fine. Have it your way. We'll wait."