5-008: Vizier Frederick’s Offices
Oliver is first into the room, everyone else seems happy to follow his lead. People take their seats at the table.
Image: Everyone Seated at the Conference Table
Conference Table Seating
▌ F
┌───┐
D │ │ O
│ │
11 │ │ E
│ │
C │ │ M
│ │
A │ │ 5
│ │
8 │ │ F
└───┘
7
▄▄
When everyone is seated, Vizier Frederick begins, “Bluevening. This is the preliminary debriefing on the completion of the project to purchase the notebook of Willard Argyle. Melody, start the formal record.”
He looks at Vizant Melody, who nods and touches a key on her console (Melody’s console is active, but everyone else’s is showing a tag login screen.)
Melody speaks in a ‘projecting for recording’ voice.
“Preliminary Project Stage 2 Debrief for Tier-5 Project Argyle Notebook, 211.346 BG10-5. Project Support Officer Vizant Melody Landmark recording. Present are Project Sponsor Vizier Frederick Salfield. Project Manager Vizier Richard Dicard. Project team:” she works around the table making eye contact as she does, “Contract Mission Specialist Christopher Uddin; Legion Liaison Master Pilot Alan Halcyon; Contract Medical Officer Dr Victor Fromm; Contract Ship’s Engineer Erin Malan; Contract Computer Technical Specialist and Ship’s Comm/Scan Officer Oliver Starr.”
There is a pause. Frederick says, “Very well, Vizier Richard, make your preliminary report.”
Dicard clears his throat and begins a short precis of events. You can make a psychology roll for Oliver to assess his mood if you wish.
“Following project team assembly, the project team travelled to Pristine as planned aboard Vizierate-registered starship Snark 416.” He swallows a moment, perhaps remembering how much he hated his time aborad the ship, “Travel time was within expected parameters. On arrival at pristine the project team made enquiries after the location of Willard Argyle, eventually locating him in an isolated hunting lodge in the Pristine wilderness. He was hostile to initial contact and refused to negotiate, ordering the project team members to leave the property under threat of violence. The property had been fortified against intruders and the project team complied. “The project team withdrew to consider options, eventually deciding to approach the compund by air using a rented commercial aerostat. On approach, the project team drew fire and the aerostat was damaged, however the team was able to land at the target building. Reparations to the hire company consumed a substantial portion of the projects discretionary funds.” Dicard seems a little upset at that.“The project team entered the building and confronted what proved to be automated defenses.”
He pauses to glance at Chris and Oliver, “Mission Specialist Uddin was injured by an automated defense turret and Technical Specialist Starr suffered minor burns from an incendiary trap. However,” he clears his throat, “the mission team was able to overcome and deactivate the defenses and recovered a personal computer and several boxes of hard copy notebooks belonging to Argyle.”
He gestures at the goodies on the trolley behind Chris.
“Technical Specialist Starr spent much of the return journey to GRRAS analysing the recovered items.”
He looks at Oliver, “Oliver, would you tell Vizier Frederick what you found?”
“Argyle had a number of notebooks as well as a personal computer that contained a lot of information on Cryptography, Mathematics and Engineering that seemed to mostly be involved in sending hidden or encrypted messages over a network based in lower protocols.”
With a wave towards the books and computer, Oliver continues.
“The books have been sorted into type and date, the computer has been mostly decrypted but it mostly seems to be digital copies of what’s written there.”
Oliver will lock eyes with Frederick. “If you have a more permanent employee with Cryptography and Engineering knowledge they’ll be able to understand these notes now I’ve sorted them.”