Episode 23: The Pint Size Job The Six Little Romulans Job, Part One - kaseido/NeoTokyo GitHub Wiki

7 Moskva

The morning after the block party and Stridev’s horrifying meetup with Nymphie, Star contacts Svetlana Makarova, the offworld agent, at her hotel on Odaiba Island, about the potential art recovery job. Svetlana suggests a meet at a local spot in the Spire she was told about: Café Hoàn Kiếm, at 3:30. Vir will join Star; it’s really not Carbide’s and Paragon’s scene. Shortly after the call, Night pings the team chat: she just got off a call with Elyssa Castiglione, of LovingHands Insurance, who has a job offer.

You went to the top of Castiglione’s to-hire list after you saved the firm a million NB payout on the Vulcan retrieval. She’s dealing with a thing, and look, you’re already involved.

There’s this guy, goes by Boozer, he’s putting the arm on a dozen or so pubs in Old Dome: good premium-paying, low-touch customers. That idiot Ferengi isn’t the only one thinking about arson, on either side.

She can’t just make the guy go away: he’s got a contract, however tenuous, with some junior dipshit at ConBrands. Anything direct could escalate – since ConBrands loves escalating anyway. But if he isn’t stopped, either he’s crush the indie pubs, or actually roll them up into a new line of business for ConBrands, and nobody wants that.

10K up front, another 30k to make Boozer go away for good in a way that can’t be traced back to her or to LovingHands, minus 10k for every week after the first one. If it is traceable, well, both ConBrands and LovingHands will come gunning for you, so make sure it isn’t, mmkay?

Don’t care if he’s hit by a bus, moves to the Baikonur Industrial Zone, or gets scammed out of his last NB. Whatever works. The team plans: Paragon suggests framing him for their art heist. Carbide wants to enroll him in Starfleet Academy, and have a new identity for him where home is on Earth. “Ensign Boozer of the Starship Tim.” Carbide isn’t sure how to frame him: they’d have to steal other artifacts to plant on him. Paragon suggests get DNA samples to leave on the scene. Carbide can build a glove to capture a handprint and DNA from Star shaking hands with him.

Star’s going to find the timing on the art heist, and then see if it’ll coordinate with the other job.

They take the meeting at the Café. There’s an exhibition of contemporary Romulan, Vulcan, and Human art travelling between the three homeworlds. It’s scheduled to leave Earth for Romulus within a month. There’s one small problem: the Romulan ceramics are all fakes. They’ve gotten lucky: the Terran curator, Professor Dumont of the Sorbonne, is completely convinced they’re authentic. But the V’Shar needs to ensure that the real artifacts are sent on to Romulus.

They don’t know how the substitution was made, but thanks to an unofficial contact on NeoTokyo, they’ve spotted images in a private collection here. The collector is Masane Tsukayama, some sort of retired businessman.

Star knows he’s Chairman Emeritus of Cheerful Rodent Empire, and was CEO in her day, but plays it cool, and Svetlana doesn’t pick up a reaction off her.

He maintains an invitation-only gallery in Koto City, Flux VII Space, where he holds monthly showings for a select clientele. There’s one in five days. That may be your best chance to case the place. The V’Shar has no available information. They’re willing to pay NB40,000 for recovery, undamaged, of the six artifacts, within 15 days. No deal if they’re not in pristine condition or past the recovery window.

Star sounds her out, and gets her to admit she’s a top art thief. She got caught once, and the V’Shar made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. Because of the delicate diplomatic situation, there can’t be any official involvement in this recovery. But her cover is solid.

Star talks her into one last job, for fun. She can’t commit: she has to take the offer back to her team, but it looks good.

Back at the Hideout, strategizing. Star dumps the entire conversation on everybody. Vir thinks Svetlana’s creepy. Star’s sure she’s lying, but doesn’t know about what. Vir: “the ugly cake statues, so convoluted!” Carbide likes having a really good art thief on the job. Vir wonders when the gallery gets cleaned. Star adds catering and setup before the opening. Carbide says with Star’s braindance recorder, all they need is a walkthrough.

Paragon does some research on the gallery and finds erased stories: serious A list clientele, and scrubbed from socials. It’s way too upscale for Stephane-Louis to get on the guest list. Carbide suggests Hot Uncle, Star suggests Tiffany Nguyen – who’ll want the exposure and won’t care that they’re up to Crimes.

Star tells Svetlana they’re taking the job. She then calls Tiffany – who had already scored an invitation, and is totally happy to bring Star as her Plus One. Tiffany loves it that it’s part of a plan to destroy the Mouse. The two of them get massively carried away strategizing a full-on corporate attack on the conglomerate: Tiffany would love to do a buyout of Big Time Sports, the Rollerball league owner. Star wants her to go after Retirement Services: there’d be great synergy between entertainment has-beens and Rollerball players. But for now, just humiliating art theft! They coordinate designer outfits.

Paragon starts working on forgeries of the ceramics, based on Svetlana’s high-rez scans: they don’t have to be great. Carbide wants to get a Boozer thumbprint on the base. If they can arrange a meeting in the next couple days, just need Star to shake his hand. Then, after, they can just drop an anonymous tip to the Mouse, and let them sort Boozer, after planting a paper trail back to him. Now to get Star into a meeting with Boozer, and try to get someone in on the catering for the opening. Paragon remembers she’s been into Sekushina Meido’s system. Star remembers she’s got a huge credit with the firm, from the Tentacle Temple reschedule. Carbide says they’re competent and discreet, so might be brought in for setup. “I am a subservient maid is actually perfect for the worst people in the world.”

Star will go in to discuss the credit. She’s bored of the church! Something in the Spire. Twenty years ago a month from now, their first album came out. A memorial concert, intimate and exclusive. Classy. Thirty people. A charity event. $5k plate. He offers a $10k package. They have an $8k credit. They haggle. Paragon hacks into the system and builds in a back door. She grabs the schedule and contract: they are doing the gallery opening.

Paragon adds herself to the contract as a staffer, Liz Jeckle. She automatically gets the onboarding package, including 8 hours of videos. And she owes NB600 for the uniform. SHE’S GOING TO WAKE UP BRAINSWASHED INTO A MAID! She fails her debug check! And her drugs check! She wakes up as an incredibly subservient neko. Star has the control keywords!

Her basement-gremlin lair will be spotless. As will the entire house. Jade’s mom is deeply upset: wasn’t she doing a good enough job?! Paragon fetches her tea to calm her down! And then starts cooking! Badly! The kittens start bossing her around too.

Carbide suggests Star take the opportunity to upgrade Para’s wardrobe, since she’s already throwing her own stuff out as un-presentable. It’s all been replaced by maid outfits! Carbide has been the victim of enough mind-altering states that he dumpster-dives to get a couple trashbags of old clothes back, and tucks them in his closet for safekeeping. Star’s closet is now organized by color! Vir can’t do anything to counteract this…

Paragon isn’t responding to her own name, only to Liz Jeckle. Star realizes she’s going to have to turn her off, because a good employee would never case a joint. They got four days of very tastefully plated burned kibble and a spotless house.

Now to contact Boozer. He’s working to take control of the list he has, not expanding. She calls Bobby Styles and tells him to call if they come by his place. She’ll pick another.

Star contacts Sailor Moon for coverage of the other three pubs on the list. Drinks are on Star for any Sailors who want to hang out and call Star if they see the dude. No fucking him up required, just distract him long enough for Star to get there.

Carbide and Vir each take a pub on the lsit, and then they’ve got all six covered. Vir will take Eely along for emotional support, and they send a message to Shan – maybe she can go as an emotional support Sailor. Paragon will stay home and wash dishes – and water the plant – not the bonsai.