Played on 9 October, 2011

As recorded by our reporter, Manon-Thérèse Renard.

The Hunters Hunted?

Wednesday 24 October 2379

This report probably notes "As recorded by our reporter" during the opening reel but after today I'm not so sure I'm on the payroll of Sinopec anymore. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The day continued with more research. Space travel makes for an interesting challenge: every time you drop out of a space gate you have several days of news to catch up. I was getting rather proficient in that so was quickly able to solely focus on Bridgeport and our immediate surroundings, the city of Freescape.
On the rumor mill: the Marina Gamba, "the first 'Far-travelling' ship" (notice the not-so-subtle quotes) was found and to be visited in the Alpha Centauri system. The Ada Lovelace was also found, in either the DNS0255 or the Chara system. Rather vague, but the fact that the second ship was found was slightly encouraging.

During this time Gert was warned by Joshua, an agent from the AFS working on orders from Liao, that we were being followed. The one we knew as "John" was an intergalactic criminal. However, Gert didn't mention this to us as he was distracted by an attractive lady in his jacuzzi... This would leave John with a large window of opportunity.
Also during this time Knut found out that the amount of money on his account was a lot less than he'd expected. Now I didn't really expect Sinopec to pay us 100% while we were cruising to space, but he also mentioned that it had been quite some time that we'd received any money at all. Knut'd dutifully informed us all, contrary to some "homme politique" we all knew.
I reacted to Knut's findings by sending a message to Cheng, asking why our salary wasn't being paid and whether we had a new assignment.

Jasmin later told me she'd barged into the chemistry faculty of local university and with a combination of warm charm and cold money got herself the use of a lab. She'd studied the red goo and had found out that it was probably artificial. Indeed, it contained nano-bots. The chemists couldn't help her any further, however.

After sending the message I focused my research on the two "hidden" infraspheres. I found out that we probably needed to get on the third, it being a forum for the black market. The remaining 'sphere seemed almost mythical and access to it was severely curtailed. Until I had more clues, this avenue of investigation seemed to be of little efficacité.

Around this time, Jasmin told me later at dinner, she'd found that her "victim" professor had a slight gambling addiction. Indeed, he'd know some people in the gambling circuit, one Ms. Farding.

More research followed, while I had a pedicure. There were rumors that the AFS and Sinopec were on the verge of open warfare, a rather troubling thing given that we were friendly with both. Also: the Lovelace would contain all manner of treasures, or perhaps an enormously advanced AI. Hmm, that'd probably trigger every two-bit fortune-seeking low-life, if they knew where to find her. Interestingly, the Commonwealth denied the existence of both ships.
Unrelated: It seems as if Bridgeport is a free port and tolerates the shadier kinds of business on purpose. AI's, however, are just as banned here as elsewhere in the Commonwealth.

Right before dinner I got a reply back from Cheng, unexpectedly early I must say. I guessed he wasn't at Gnapho II either? He'd investigate why we weren't getting any salary, he was investigating our report on Alpha Mensa and for the moment our instructions remain the same. Something was not quite right here...

During dinner everybody told their news. Gert seemed... reluctant? to tell anything about his encounter with Joshua, but after a while I got his contact info. Also, and I guess Knut told me this, our connection with the infraspheres is lacking because of our low-quality chips.

I was still mulling over Gert's information (and his conduct) when a familiar voice announced the presence of Erik Montague, the tradesman from Procyon. I quickly agreed to his offer for a more private dinner. Jasmin was leaving as well, anyway. She had a "date" with "her" prof Darren McKinley at la société. She would later tell me that she'd be introduced to Robert Duncan, professor in Nano-technology, and later to Miss Farding.

Erik, in the meanwhile, asked him what I was doing on Bridgeport. I trusted him so I told him I was an investigative journalist and looking for a way to gain access to the third infrasphere. Why, he asked. Upon telling him we were looking for a way to gain access to one John Bosworth (but hey, that was probably an alias?) he got very intense very quick. He told me that John Bosworth was indeed an alias, but one a very influential criminal mastermind uses on Argos. If "John" of the Commune was indeed the same, then we were in over our heads and it was quite possible that he was gunning for us.
When I tried to communicate this to the others, Erik notices that my communications were unencrypted and probably readable by everybody with an ounce of technical know-how in the restaurant. That'd explain the strange communications with Cheng I guessed — perhaps we'd been communicating with Bosworth all the time?
Anyways, I got Rinus and Gert to our table and informed them. Les frères had gone off to the ship, so we had them and mon amie out there, unprotected. I opted to send a message but use a kind of code: "Come quickly to the restaurant, we found a bowling alley!" Hopefully that'd trigger the men, and Jasmin would note something was up.

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