[Junk XIII] Entering Tradertown (K 3-6)

Rich

Kiddo,

It's late at night when the truck approaches the ramp to drive up onto Tradertown. You've been closing in on it since dusk. The damn place belches smoke from a dozen pipes and it's nearly as bright at night as day with all the floodlights. Except at night, the shadows are at odd angles.


You're looking for Big Time, the ferryman. Who are you taking with you and who do you leave to protect the truck?

Adam

I left Svenja and Rinso to look after the truck with Vee — I figure if Ma' hired Big Ticket to tell the Candies what's what, then it only makes sense that the Candies shake him down for frakking up...

Rich

Alright, Kiddo. Here's a Tradertown custom move for ya.

When you go into Tradertown looking for a person or thing, roll +Weird. On a Hit, you find it or them. On a 10+, you find out with no trouble and they don't know you're coming.
On a 7-9, choose 1 to be true:
* You either drop a jingle to find it or fight someone for it
* The bloke who pointed you in the right direction needed a favor from you

On a miss, you run into someone you never expected to find here. They might be looking for you. Name them, and the MC will set up the situation.

Adam

OOC: Looking for someone. Roll+Weird.
(Rolled: 2d6-1. Rolls: 6, 4. Total: 9)

Adam

OOC: Let's go with the favor.

Rich

Kiddo,

Turns out that Kensitas has set up shop here. He's got the drug trade under his thumb, and has enough muscle and jingle to offer folks protection if they're worth his time. He wants you to carry a package to Boomtown for him, deliver it to Loot. And don't open it. It's about as big as a shoebox, heavy and wrapped in leather.

You find Big Time hanging out at Amiga's little cathouse up on crane three. He's laying in bed with a cute guy that you recognize. Who is it? Did you know he's hooking?
This is Big Time:


BT looks up when you push open the door, which wasn't locked. He's got a sheet over his torso, he's naked. There's a revolver on the metal cabinet beside him. He doesn't recognize you, has he ever even seen you?

"Hey... room's occupado" Big Time says.

What do you do?

Adam

Oh shit... Really? A package from Kensitas? Well, I guess I don't really have much of a choice, yeah? At least he pointed me in the direction of Big Ticket.

I'm surprisingly calm as I walk down the last hall to BT's door — I stand outside it a second, checking my gun to make sure the silencer's on tight, and that there's a bullet in the chamber. Then I turn to the girls and nod, and my game face goes on.

I'm not surprised he doesn't recognize me, but I am surprised that Nova's hooking... Poor boy never was quite right after he saw Fox kill the last Oracle — of course that might come flooding back in a second. I enter the room at a quickened pace, and stick the gun in BT's face.

"Move, and you're both dead." Then without looking back, "Girls, cover the door."

Rich

Nova rolls off the bed, terror in his eyes, scrambling for the door. Starburst gives him a boot to the head, "Hey Nova!" He grunts in pain and rolls over, hands on his head.

Amazon hangs out in the hall, shuts the door, and Mirage stays just inside the door. Really, this place is over-crowded, but you've got him good.

The gun in his face wakes BT the frak up, "WHOAH now! What the frak? I'm in with Kenz, you can't just drop me! Take my drek, its in my pack, frak!"

Adam

I shake my head, "Not here for your shit, shithead — and your boss sold you out, so don't think he's really gunna care if I drop a good for nothing piece of shit that can't do his frakking job."

I come right up close to me, "Do you know who I am, asshole?"

Rich

BT blinks, looks past you to Starburst, back to you. His voice shakes when he answers, "I got no frakkin clue, missy. But whatever beef you got, we can talk through."

Adam

My eyes narrow when he says he doesn't recognize me, and I fire a round into the mattress between his legs — purposefully missing anything other than the sheets. "I need you to think hard about an older woman that looks an awful lot like me, hired your sorry ass about a year ago to deliver a message — about Zero and Oliver — to a group of girls called the Candy Bars."

I move closer, and whisper, "I'm the intended recipient."

Rich

You're most certainly Going Aggro right now. Let's see dice.

Adam

OOC: Going Aggro on BT. roll+cool* (ice cold). +1XP rolling highlighted.
(Rolled: 2d6+3. Rolls: 4, 5. Total: 12)

Rich

Fear flickers across his eyes before Big Time closes them. His pulse quickens and sweat beads on his forehead. "Kiddo.... you're Kiddo. Frak me..."

He swallows, then starts begging, "Listen, I didn't tell you, but I told your granny. She told me she'd tell you and your brother! I've got... I've got her mark! Not my fault, you gotta believe me. You were further down south, she was... drek, don't kill me, alright? I'll show you her mark! It's in my bag, I swear!"

Adam

OOC: Reading BT. roll+sharp. +1XP rolling highlighted.
(Rolled: 2d6+1. Rolls: 1, 6. Total: 8)

Adam

OOC: Is he telling the truth?

Rich

yes

Rich

You hear Starburst behind you mutter, "Oh frak."

Adam

My breathing picks up, and I feel goosebumps on my neck when he says Gramma knew; but my hand is steady, and my expression stone cold. I bite my lip, and move in closer.

"Where the frak are my parents?"

Rich

Big Time pants a little more, "I don't know? It's been a year. But, but when she paid me, they were at Armour, heading to Ascendant."

Adam

I look him deep in the eyes, and let him sweat a bit — call it payback for all the shit he's put me through. Then I lower my gun, and nod over to his pack. "I'll take the bill with her mark."

I hold my hand out, and wait patiently for him to produce the bill.

Rich

Big Time slides out of bed and stoops, naked, to pull a ledger out of his satchel. He rifles through the pages backwards, talking as he does, "I mark every delivery here, that way I can keep track." You see that the pages he's on are mostly indecipherable squiggles, he looks up, says apologetically, "Been delivering for Kenz full time lately, he makes me write in code... let's see" He flips hurriedly through more pages until finally he comes to one that he stabs at with his finger.

"Here. See, it was easy to find because your granny, who's kept herself up quite nicely, she can write." He puts the book up towards you and you see it.
Date -
from Zero
to Kiddo in Boomtown
signed by Jemma

What do you do?

Adam

I look down to where he's pointing, and let loose a bemused chuckle, "Huh... Imagine that. It says to Kiddo, in Boomtown..."

I clock him upside the head, as hard as I can with the butt of my pistol, and spit on him. "When someone's Dad is dying, and you're tasked with delivering a frakking message to them — you deliver the frakking message! Do you hear me, asshole?"

I wait for him to acknowledge me, and holster my gun. On the way over to the door, I add, "I hear tell you shortchanged someone ever again, and I'll nail your balls to your frakking forehead."

I turn to Starburst, and nod to the door. "Let him go. Let's roll."

Rich

He falls like a sack of potatoes, head bleeding. You wait, and he groans a nonsensical reply that is probably "sorry" or "okay" or maybe "sassafras", who the frak knows. He got it. If he didn't, Nova will remind him.

You head out, the girls are ecstatic. How do you play this?

Adam

I walk out of that room with purpose, my mind racing. I guess I look focused, and cold — but on the inside I don't know what to do... Gramma knew a year ago. Gramma knew that message was for me and she never told me.

I turn back to Starburst after a while of thinking to myself, and announce, "I need a bike. Where do I go looking for one in this place?"

Rich

Starburst walks with you, you're on a metal catwalk right now, walking from one tower to another. She answers, "Morgan. He's the most connected to all the tradesmen. Follow me."

She moves quickly to a ladder on the other tower, takes it down to the "ground floor". She leads you towards the main entry hall, where Kodak went to check in. Inside a mobile home is an office. An honest to the gods office with a man sitting at a desk with paper on it. He's well built and very well dressed. He even has a nameplate, that says "Morgan" on it. There are chairs and a couch, a door to the back, too.

What do you do?

Adam

I knock on the door, and step in, "You're Morgan? Do you sell bikes?"

Rich

Morgan looks up at your, then to Starburst. He smiles and stands, "Yes, I'm Morgan. No, I do not sell bikes. I don't sell anything, but However, I can help you find a bike. I assume you're after a motorcycle? Any in particular you need?" He starts moving around the desk, as if he's going to walk with you, lead you somewhere else.

Adam

I look over to Starburst expectantly... I don't really know what they're riding, but I know what my mom rode, and I'd love one of those. I really wish I'd have listened more when she was explaining how to supe these things up... "I'm looking for a 250cc 6-speed ... Something that can fit 2 people would be nice. What do you guys ride anyway, Starburst?"

I would kill to find a frakking custom job... Ma's old Bull run was so awesome, and it purred like a kitten.

Rich

Starburst shrugs, "Nehi picked up a dozen retro UJMs. They're just four cylinder, four stroke jobs, but since they're matched, we can cannibalize the extras for parts in a pinch. They get the job done."

Morgan opens the back door, which leads into a dimly lit tunnel. He locks the door behind you, then leads you down a set of twisting corridors, past huge, grinding engines, a giant furnace with men shoveling red and green bricks of some chalky substance into it. The corridor traverses a number of offshoots, like you're traveling the arteries of some great beast.

Then finally, on what feels like the other side of the entire town, you come to a fire door, which Morgan opens. Inside is a workshop. There ae hubcaps of a hundred different vehicles along with license plates from old Earth all nailed upon the wall. There's a door deeper inside, this seems to be some kind of entry room.

Morgan says, "The mechanic inside should give you a good deal. Ring that bell on the counter there and he, uhm, well, she.....hrm. The mechanic will be along soon." He points to the door to the right, "You can head back out into the thoroughfare through that door. The tunnels take a while to learn. Good luck."

Morgan heads back into the tunnels, leaving you with Starburst, Mirage and Amazon.

What do you do?

Rich

Oh and by the way, this is the UJM that Starburst and the North Candies ride:

Adam

Heh. Ma' hated Hondas. She saw a magazine that called them "Jap-crap" when she was a kid, and she never got over it. I'm not quite so picky... I guess I don't have the luxury, really, but if this thing sticks I can always try my luck at gutting the bike later. Presuming Brillo doesn't do it for me...

I nod to Morgan in thanks, and ring the bell — Ok, I may ring it two or three times. It's so cute!

Rich

Mirage fingers a few license plates, saying quietly with some reverence, "Alaska, Rio De Janeiro.... and over here, Imbria." Amazon crowds behind her, looks at each.

Starburst rolls her eyes at the pair of them, not impressed, "Dead places on the other side of the universe. This is just their frakkin trash. Who cares?"

You hear sounds of someone coming towards the door, moving at an odd, shambling gait. You recognize the sound, Kiddo. Then you see the robed figure. It's Lemi. He comes limping in, and looks at you, "Greetings, wondrous children. We are Lemieux. This is our shop. How may we please you?"

Adam

I look a little surprised at Starburst — I didn't know she felt that way about the stuff on the old world. "That bike you rode in on was their trash too, you weren't complaining then." I don't mean her bike is trash — strictly speaking anyway — just that everything we've got that wasn't made by hand fell from the frakking sky at one point.

Lemieux's shamble catches my attention, and I spin around eagerly to meet ... Him? I was never too clear on that. I remember him from the exodus — vaguely. I lean against the shop's counter on my palms, and smirk, "Hi Lemieux — I'm Kiddo." You never know... Maybe it'll ring a bell. "I'm looking for a bike — a four-stroke with enough power to lug two people around. My Ma' had a Bull Run custom job, and I used to love it... Do you have anything like that? Anything with a vintage feel to it?"

Rich

Lemieux nods and smiles, "Ah yes, Kiddo. We remember you. And your mother, so pretty. We helped her find her bike, didn't she tell you? We once hoped she could be the next Technician. But your father held her back from that enlightenment. No matter."

Lemi pulls a tablet from the robes Lemi is wearing, and pulls up this picture:


"We can provide this for four barter." Lemieux says with a grin.

Adam

Dad held her back? ... I mean, I can't see Ma' doing it anyway, but I'm a little surprised Dad would've said no... Dad put up with a lot of shit to keep Ma' happy.

The bike is frakking beautiful... I'm already running my fingers over it, and have to keep myself from drooling. I would pay full price for it right now if I had the jingle for it.

"2 barter," I counter, painfully.

Rich

Lemieux narrows eyes and the smile narrows, "You are so young and pretty. We know you do not wish to insult us with two barter for such a work of art. Look on this, Kiddo. Your mother understood the importance of a bike worthy of its owner. This bike... it was created with love and care for one as powerful as you." He/she moves closer, crooning, "We must receive three barter, or others will seek to take advantage of Lemieux. Surely you understand?"

"Or..." Lemieux offers as thin fingers come up to touch your hair, "Is there other barter you have to offer us?"

Adam

OOC: Reading Lemmy. Roll+Sharp. +1XP for highlight.
(Rolled: 2d6+1. Rolls: 5, 6. Total: 12)

Adam

I lean in close and whisper, "That depends on what you need, sweetie... I'm multi-talented"

OOC: hold 1 – How can Kiddo get Lemieux to lower the price?

Rich

Lemieux licks their lips and continues to touch your hair, moving a step closer. In a husky voice, "As was your mother... oh yes. We were very pleased with her talents." Lemieux looks over to the other three girls and says, "If you, and... another one, will spend a couple nights with us, we would find that a suitable barter for the vehicle. Is this... acceptable?"

By the way, this is Lemieux
Face


Robes, visible layers, inner to outer

Adam

Did he just complement my Ma' in bed?

... I mean, I knew my Ma' had a wild streak – but with Lemieux? And now he wants to be with me? He daughter? It wouldn't surprise me if my Ma' frakked someone for her bike – and I'm not above sleeping with Lemieux – but part of me would rather just spend the barter and get back to Rinny and See.

I look back to him with a curious look, "and what would these nights entail?"

OOC hold 2/3: What does Lemieux wish I'd do?

Rich

Lemieux bats eyelashes and gives you a small grin, "Many mysteries will be revealed, young Kiddo. We desire intimacy with you and another. Is this acceptable for our fine work?"

Adam

I kind of promised Rinso I wouldn't ...

... Was that guilt? Where the frak did this come from? I mean, we were really vague on the whole don't frak other folks thing, but a creeping tension in my gut tells me I wouldn't feel good doing that to him and Vee.

Damn it... I need this jingle!

I swing my bag onto the shop's counter, and open the flap to dig around for a bit. "You said you'd take 3 in lieu, right?" Looks like I'll be working overtime when we get back to Boomtown... Frakking shit. I produce the jingle Stitch lent me, and two of my own. Before I slide it to him, I whisper, "there's nobody in this weird ass tin can owes you something you're looking to collect on? Maybe someone's giving you some trouble you want to back off? 'cause I've got other skills, Lemieux... I'd pay 2 now, and could deliver the rest in services rendered before we bolt."

Rich

Lemieux lets you break the contact, but limps over to the counter to hover near you, "Morgan makes sure we are paid well. None bother us right now. We mean no offense, young lady, it is sure that you have many talents and skills, there are a select fewweI wish to employ. We wish three barter for the motorcycle. For you, and another, intimate companionship for two evenings, it is yours. It is... one of our best works in quite a while, Kiddo."

Adam

OOC: Spending last hold, is Lemieux telling the truth about nobody giving him shit?

Rich

Lemieux is lying. Morgan expects a finder's fee, which is why Lemi is spiking prices. Also, Kenz extorts jingle for security.

Adam

I bite my lip a second, and slide the full 3-barter over to him. "Y'know what Lemieux? Let's put this as a down payment for now; but I'm probably gunna be coming back for repairs, yeah? I'm getting the impression I could get you a discount on your "security" payments." I raise an eyebrow, still holding the barter, "that sound good to you?"

Rich

It seems you're trying to Manipulate poor Lemieux. You've got leverage, let's see some dice.

Adam

OOC: Manipulating Lemieux, roll+cool* (Easy to trust). +1XP rolling highlighted.
(Rolled: 2d6+3. Rolls: 4, 4. Total: 11)

Rich

Lemieux sighs, "Alas... you speak to us of business and convince us to remain lonely. We accept your payment and promise. Perhaps next time, we will be more successful in tempting you. We always have new technologies to share."

--END SCENE--