We Are All in the Gutter [IC]

[Plerumque]

That the galactic outpost of New Steven doesn't appear on any maps is a testament to both its relative newness and its utter insignificance. Out at the edge of the Near, it was created some generations ago by a rather self-impressed wizard and has been hurtling on unnoticed ever since. That isn't to say it doesn't get traffic, as its very inconsequence makes it a destination for smugglers, refugees, and those who just want a little peace and quiet. Still, your average traveler would be hard-pressed to find anything of worth on the tiny planet.

You, of course, are not average travelers. But whatever you hoped to find on New Steven, you have instead found yourself examining the inside of one of its surprisingly well-guarded prisons. You are not alone in this—the New Steven jails, as out-of-the-way as they are, have proved a remarkably convenient place to stash political prisoners, inconvenient truth-tellers, and other rabble-rousers—but the outlook is nevertheless grim. Each morning you are greeted by the same plasticine walls, and each night you doze off to the same. Once they hired a traveling magician to come in and do a show, and it was the highlight of most of the inmates' decade.

Needless to say, you don't want to end up like that. But escape may prove difficult, when the only other prisoners you can communicate with are those few in the cells facing yours—and they look like a pretty ragged bunch. Surely an exiled psychic, smirking lashunta, foul-mouthed visionary, gimlet-eyed mechanic, and twitchy raccoon do not a prison break make...

[artsmythe]

By Desna, this place is the pits!

Taeon Valsari (known in some misbegotten circles as "Quickfinger") sits in the plasticine-enclosed prison cell picking his well-manicured nails.

All this talent -- all this genius! -- stuck in a backwater quagmire like New Steven just because I didn't have the proper paperwork when the local yokels started hassling me. Really? They needed an ID app to know that I wasn't the holovid star that I oh-so-expertly borrowed a wallet from? (Anyway, that guy had it coming when he and his buddies made fun of that pretty, little human waitress back at the bar.)

Sighing, he stood up and began to pace the short distance that it would take to survey his jail cell yet again. There's gotta be a way out of this dump.... Okay, what are my assets?

He looks outside of his cell door --

Spoiler: OOC

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Uh, how do we roll dice here? What's the proper procedure?

[artsmythe]

By Desna, this place is the pits!

Taeon Valsari (known in some misbegotten circles as "Quickfinger") sits in the plasticine-enclosed prison cell picking his well-manicured nails.

All this talent -- all this genius! -- stuck in a backwater quagmire like New Steven just because I didn't have the proper paperwork when the local yokels started hassling me. Really? They needed an ID app to know that I wasn't the holovid star that I oh-so-expertly borrowed a wallet from? (Anyway, that guy had it coming when he and his buddies made fun of that pretty, little human waitress back at the bar.)

Sighing, he stood up and began to pace the short distance that it would take to survey his jail cell yet again. There's gotta be a way out of this dump.... Okay, what are my assets?

He looks outside of his cell door --

Spoiler: OOC

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Uh, how do we roll dice here? What's the proper procedure?

Okay. I think I've got it.

Spoiler: PERCEPTION

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(1d20+5)[8]

[dojango]

Carlos had been meditating in his cell for some time. He opened one of his mundane eyes and watched the alien in the opposing cell pacing around. Carlos had been saving some of the sugary orange goop that was their meal's 'dessert' for a week or so, and had carefully stored it in a sealed, cleanish container. He'd added a piece of bread and some of the fruit they'd been given for some local holiday, and hidden the mess behind the cell's chemical toilet. Carlos reckoned that the naturally occurring fermentation should be complete by now. Should be fine... although it never hurt to be safe. Carlos carefully decanted two fingers of the stuff into a battered water cup, and slid it across the aisle towards Taeon. "Perhaps this will settle your nerves, friend. Remember, they cannot cage your spirit unless you let them."

[artsmythe]

"Thanks, Carlito," Taeon says distractedly as he reaches out for the water cup with his mind.

Nothing happens. The cup sits in front of the human's jail cell, just out of the Lashunta's reach.

Frell it! Stupid power dampeners! It's times like this that I could really use a drink.

"Hey, Carl! What can you see from your position... besides my inspired magnificence, of course?"

[dojango]

Eyes closed again, third eye open. "I see the universe being born and dying in an instant. I see a trillion million motes of dust dancing in the starlight. I see entropy eating away at the very fabric of life," he says.

[Izzarra]

Slate lays in his over-sized bunk contemplating the design of a new drone. He was only recently brought in on some trumped up charges by a crooked officer that was probably trying to meet and arrest quota. His drone was impounded and disintegrated for not complying with some local regulation. The officer probably did not even know the difference between a screw and a bolt much less what the regulation even referred to.

[Stevesciguy]

Cedric rolled his eyes in his cell. Them and their magic.

He knew it was real, of course - he'd seen it work. But they could be so over the top with it that he could only feel exasperation at the theatrics.

He absent-mindedly fiddled with the hard light constructs his implanted rig produced. Morons who stuck him in this hole didn't know about it, but didn't matter, the lock was too advanced even for him.

"Are you trying to pawn that goop again? Someone's gonna end up in the infirmary."

[artsmythe]

Eyes closed again, third eye open. "I see the universe being born and dying in an instant. I see a trillion million motes of dust dancing in the starlight. I see entropy eating away at the very fabric of life," he says.

The Lashunta bangs his head a few times on the jail bars in front of his cell. "That's GREAT, Carlito. Just great! I'm seeing a few trillion dust motes myself right now. I'll get right back to you. Don't go 'way."

Frell! Everybody's a philosopher!

There's gotta be a way. Think! THINK!

"Are you trying to pawn that goop again? Someone's gonna end up in the infirmary."

Waitaminnit.... "Hey, Cedric! What did you just say?"

Spoiler: Taeon Quickfinger Valsari

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https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1917210

[dojango]

Somewhat irritated at the aspersion cast on the previous batch, Carlos said, "We don't know it was the last batch that gave those guys the thunder runs. Could've been anything. Besides, I made sure to wash the bag out this time."

[artsmythe]

All caught up in the moment, Taeon Valsari continues onward with his idea. "No, Carlos! That's IT! What if I can convince the guards that I have imbibed some of your elixir of enervation -- thus suffering its disreputable effects -- and when I'm close enough, I swipe the pass key to the cell doors? Waddaya' think? Brilliant, huh?"

[Stevesciguy]

"We don't know it was the last batch that gave those guys the thunder runs. Could've been anything. Besides, I made sure to wash the bag out this time."

*muffled gagging from Cedric's direction*

"No, Carlos! That's IT! What if I can convince the guards that I have imbibed some of your elixir of enervation -- thus suffering its disreputable effects -- and when I'm close enough, I swipe the pass key to the cell doors? Waddaya' think? Brilliant, huh?"

"...well, you could try that, but if you get caught you'll end up needing the infirmary for real. I'm not sure just how many doors need those cards, so it may well be that he finds it missing at the first door you get to after you swipe it. Then he'll know."

"If you want out, you'll probably need to try it from somewhere already outside our cells, with as few doors as possible between you and the outside."

[artsmythe]

Taeron Valsari shoots back, "Oh, yeah, smart-guy? We haven't heard any bright ideas from your end, Cedric! So unless you have a tool kit hidden up your zarkin' eema, shut your frellin' mouth. I'm gonna go for it. If I end up in the infirmary, at least I know I did what I could to get out of this dump."

[Stevesciguy]

"First off, I do got a tool kit, just ain't done jack for me so far. Two, here's one for ya: try and get yourself on laundry duty 'n' swipe a couple of the guard's uniforms. Probably has the same chance of working, carries less chance of getting caught, beaten, and thrown in the hole."

[Izzarra]

Slate hears the others talking about swiping keys and wonders if any guards might be overhearing the chatter. He begins carefully looking for cameras, microphones, and other surveillance devices.

Spoiler: OOC

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If possible I will take 20 for a 26 Perception

[artsmythe]

"First off, I do got a tool kit, just ain't done jack for me so far. Two, here's one for ya: try and get yourself on laundry duty 'n' swipe a couple of the guard's uniforms. Probably has the same chance of working, carries less chance of getting caught, beaten, and thrown in the hole."

Taeon stops for a moment and considers Cedric's suggestion. "Hmm... maybe you've got something there, Cedric, old bean. What if I can sucker some of the guards into a quick game of Fizzbin and I can trick them into getting me onto a laundry detail? What do you think, Carlos?"

[dojango]

"If'n you want to bribe them with some of this wine, be my guest. Such a fine vintage should be well worth it. Try the guard with the clipped antennae. He seems like a sort who'll do anything for a fine drink."

Spoiler

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(1d20+8)[15] v. DC ?? Sense Motive to figure out which guard is most willing to take a bribe.

[Izzarra]

Slate considers the possibility of building a new drone out of parts gathered while on work detail. He would need a place to keep it though.

Spoiler: OOC

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Is this prison build with the intention of detaining small size humanoids? Wondering if Slate could explore the ventilation system or something similar.

[dojango]

"Yeah, word in the cafeteria is that Dave Chx'xt'zz is an unhappy soul. I can see his suffering. Poor man. He feels that she is slipping away. He thinks that money can buy her heart again, so he picks up more shifts here. But the longer he is here, the more she pulls away. He was asking me to write some poetry for him, but I fear I do not speak from his heart, so it would fall flat. He needs... well, we all need more time to spend with those we have connections with. After all, we are all lost children and we need to learn to hold hands. Once I get outta here, I think I'm going to have to make some connections down at the Silken Pillow lounge back at Abasalom station, if you know what I mean."

[artsmythe]

"Um, yeah... sounds great, Carlito. That's great. Uh, thanks for the info on this guy Dave. He's my pigeon, then. Next time he wanders by, we'll have a little discussion about... economic opportunities. "

[Plerumque]

The conversation more or less concluded, the day slinks into night, punctuated only by the expected check-in and then the abrupt shutoff of the lights at nine o'clock.

The lights come back on too soon, after what is for most of the inmates a fitful and troubled night of sleep. Four uniformed guards stride down the hall, checking that each cell contains one and only one person rubbing the sleep from their eyes. They are followed by the overseer, a masked kasatha named Metweska Smith, who brandishes a list of names in each hand as she assigns each prisoner a block for the day.

"Johnston—Block A. Bannister—Block A. Xiang—Block D. Levalle—Block C."

And then she gets to you:

"Slate—Block C. Toric—Block A. Valsari—Block D. Perigo—Block B."

When she finishes going through the hall, Smith steps back into the middle and announces, "Block A will be on repair duty under Foreman Greer, Block B will be working on construction over in the new wing under Foreman Syliss, Block C will be sweeping and mopping under Foreman Xylitol, and Block D will be on laundry detail under Foreman Chx'xt'zz. You will have half an hour of exercise in the recreation yard first, then proceed in block order to the showers, the mess hall and then to your respective details. Keep your nose clean and you might find something nice in with your dinners tonight." With that, she turns on her heel and marches back out, and the walls of the cells begin to slide up as the guards begin herding the prisoners out towards the "recreation yard," i.e., the gymnasium with its flickering holographic sky.

Spoiler

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You're each allowed one check to accomplish something during your work shift—e.g., a Diplomacy check to chat up a guard or foreman, a Sleight of Hand check to secret away some tools that might be useful to you, a Perception check to notice security flaws, or really any skill or ability you can make a reasonable case for. Also, feel free to narrate your day in as much detail as you want; I don't have all of this super well-fleshed out, so you can take liberties with the setting and characters so long as they don't provide you with an actual mechanical advantage. After everyone's made their check, we'll return to the cells and y'all can continue plotting your escape, then we'll do it all over again.

[Izzarra]

Due to his size Slates spends the day cleaning hard to reach places that most of the other inmates have trouble getting to.

Spoiler: OOC

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Perception check. Would like to keep an eye out for hidden compartments that might contain contraband along with anything else that might be pertinent.
(1d20+6)[13]

[dojango]

This is a space station. Carlos has lived all his life on space stations of some sort or another. While he is working on the 'new wing' of the prison, he is constantly poking around, trying to see if there are any airlocks or umbilical connections to the rest of the space station. Water, air, sewage, food-slurry, electricity... it all has to come and go from somewhere, and that as long as that somewhere isn't here, it's an improvement.

Spoiler

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(1d20+8)[27] Perception roll to see if there's any way out from the new wing that might not be as well guarded. Also, I assume there's something blocking us from using mystic powers?

[artsmythe]

Taeon works as diligently as necessary in the laundry room during his allotted time, trying to find a quiet opportunity to befriend the guard known as Chx'xt'zz. He encourages the alien to list his tales of woe -- marital problems, financial problems. He listens sympathetically to all of his complaints. Once an opening presents itself, the Lashunta asks if the guard would be interested in a quick-rich scheme. Nothing that would be a major problem for someone as "sharp" as the foreman obviously was, of course. No, Taeon had information on a sure-fire deal on some blackmarket items. If Chx'xt'zz could stop by the cells tonight so that they could discuss this more privately, Taeon would be more than happy to assist his newfound "friend".

Spoiler: Bluff

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(1d20+8)[15]

[Plerumque]

Due to his size Slates spends the day cleaning hard to reach places that most of the other inmates have trouble getting to.

Spoiler: OOC

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Perception check. Would like to keep an eye out for hidden compartments that might contain contraband along with anything else that might be pertinent.
[roll0]

Slate spots one place between two air ducts where a former inmate seems to have crammed a shiv, a fake ID badge for a male human named, apparently, "Morgan Morgan," and a packet of crisps; based on the expiration date, the cache seems to be a few years old.

This is a space station. Carlos has lived all his life on space stations of some sort or another. While he is working on the 'new wing' of the prison, he is constantly poking around, trying to see if there are any airlocks or umbilical connections to the rest of the space station. Water, air, sewage, food-slurry, electricity... it all has to come and go from somewhere, and that as long as that somewhere isn't here, it's an improvement.

Spoiler

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[roll0] Perception roll to see if there's any way out from the new wing that might not be as well guarded. Also, I assume there's something blocking us from using mystic powers?

Carlos notices that the locks on the doors that lead into the wing under construction and from it to the building site outside work differently from the locks on the rest of the doors—while most of them are biometrically locked, these seem to have some kind of access-pass system enabled that allows any worker with a valid pass to go through.

Spoiler: OOC

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There's a ward against teleportation on the prison, and the guards may have individual protections, but there's no sustained anti-magic field or anything. Most mystic powers should be fine.

Taeon works as diligently as necessary in the laundry room during his allotted time, trying to find a quiet opportunity to befriend the guard known as Chx'xt'zz. He encourages the alien to list his tales of woe -- marital problems, financial problems. He listens sympathetically to all of his complaints. Once an opening presents itself, the Lashunta asks if the guard would be interested in a quick-rich scheme. Nothing that would be a major problem for someone as "sharp" as the foreman obviously was, of course. No, Taeon had information on a sure-fire deal on some blackmarket items. If Chx'xt'zz could stop by the cells tonight so that they could discuss this more privately, Taeon would be more than happy to assist his newfound "friend".

Spoiler: Bluff

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[roll0]

Chx'xt'zz seems interested in a wary sort of way. He notes that he's on-duty tonight and will be checking up on the cells anyway, so he's willing to hear more then (though Taeon knows from experience that guards almost always work in pairs or threes, so any privacy had will be short-lived).

[artsmythe]

Chx'xt'zz seems interested in a wary sort of way. He notes that he's on-duty tonight and will be checking up on the cells anyway, so he's willing to hear more then (though Taeon knows from experience that guards almost always work in pairs or threes, so any privacy had will be short-lived).

Before they part ways for the day, Taeon suggests that the guard come alone because somebody as smart and clever as Chx'xt'zz could handle one lone and unarmed prisoner such as Taeon. Besides, because what he has to reveal to the foreman is so valuable, can he actually trust any of the other guards not to steal it from him? The Lashunta just shrugs his arms. "But what do I know? You know these guys better than I do."

[Stevesciguy]

Cedric's day was filled with routine maintenance. Fix the leak in the sink, replace the radiator, check the air conditioning units in the vents... oops! didn't seem to tighten those couple units quite right. Eh, shouldn't be a problem; only makes it easier for someone inside the vents to take off, and no one is gonna be in there, anyway...

Later in the day, Cedric gets a bit of an unusual assignment. The TV in the guard's break room is on the fritz, and Cedric's the only one they trust to be competent enough to fix it...

Speaking to his supervisor:

"I got bad news and good news. Bad news is that this ain't a hardware issue; someone's gone and bugged up the software in this thing. Good news is that I got a handy little port here -"

At this, Cedric taps the port to his datajack on the right side of his head.

"- and if you can get me a cord, I can plug in and fix it in just a couple minutes. Oh! And, uh..."

Here Cedric leans in close, making lowering his voice.

"If you 'forget' to ask for the cord back, I think you'll find that you'll get some extra channels on this thing."

Spoiler: OoC

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Loosened the AC units so that they can be taken off from inside the vents.

Let's hope that the guards' TV doesn't already have the deluxe package

Edit: Oh! Does the TV hook into the security cameras? If so, Cedric might flick through them to see where they are and get a better feel for the layout of the prison

[Izzarra]

Slate leaves the stash as it is, for now. It has been undisturbed for this long, no point in bringing the items back to his cell where a random search might discover them until he has a use for them.

[Plerumque]

Cedric's day was filled with routine maintenance. Fix the leak in the sink, replace the radiator, check the air conditioning units in the vents... oops! didn't seem to tighten those couple units quite right. Eh, shouldn't be a problem; only makes it easier for someone inside the vents to take off, and no one is gonna be in there, anyway...

Later in the day, Cedric gets a bit of an unusual assignment. The TV in the guard's break room is on the fritz, and Cedric's the only one they trust to be competent enough to fix it...

Speaking to his supervisor:

"I got bad news and good news. Bad news is that this ain't a hardware issue; someone's gone and bugged up the software in this thing. Good news is that I got a handy little port here -"

At this, Cedric taps the port to his datajack on the right side of his head.

"- and if you can get me a cord, I can plug in and fix it in just a couple minutes. Oh! And, uh..."

Here Cedric leans in close, making lowering his voice.

"If you 'forget' to ask for the cord back, I think you'll find that you'll get some extra channels on this thing."

Spoiler: OoC

Show

Loosened the AC units so that they can be taken off from inside the vents.

Let's hope that the guards' TV doesn't already have the deluxe package

Edit: Oh! Does the TV hook into the security cameras? If so, Cedric might flick through them to see where they are and get a better feel for the layout of the prison

The guard thinks about it for a second. "Can you get Idari-609? I hear they've got lashunta mud-wrestling this season." He doesn't wait for Cedric's response. "All right—but it'd better be back tomorrow, or Smith'll have my head, and yours right after."

Spoiler: OOC

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The TV doesn't hook into the cameras, and besides there are only cameras in the common areas (the "rec yard" and mess hall). But you have the cord now.

One by one, the tone sounds that signals dinnertime for each block. The surprise Warden Smith promised turns out to be a tiny sliver of satsuma tucked onto each plate, and the oohing and aahing of the prisoners around you makes you even more certain that escape is a must. Then, back into the cells for another few hours of deceptively-named free time.

It's around forty-five minutes later that Dave Chx'xt'zz and his partner step in, pacing their way down the row of cells and confirming the presence of each inmate. Once they've completed the circuit, Dave comes back to a stop in front of Taeon's cell, his partner staying a tactful distance away. "You wanted to talk?" he asks, eyeing the occupants of the nearby cells warily.

[artsmythe]

One by one, the tone sounds that signals dinnertime for each block. The surprise Warden Smith promised turns out to be a tiny sliver of satsuma tucked onto each plate, and the oohing and aahing of the prisoners around you makes you even more certain that escape is a must. Then, back into the cells for another few hours of deceptively-named free time.

It's around forty-five minutes later that Dave Chx'xt'zz and his partner step in, pacing their way down the row of cells and confirming the presence of each inmate. Once they've completed the circuit, Dave comes back to a stop in front of Taeon's cell, his partner staying a tactful distance away. "You wanted to talk?" he asks, eyeing the occupants of the nearby cells warily.

Taeon Valsari notices the additional guard, so obviously a direct attack on his "buddy" Dave was kind of out of the question... for now. Plan-B wouldn't work because he didn't remember to get the bootleg liquor from Carlos before tonight's visitation. That only left Plan-C... whatever that is.

Gesturing to Chx'xt'zz to come a little closer to the cell door, the Lashuntan whispers dramatically, "Okay, Dave -- this is the situation. I've got a lead on some hidden contraband. Nothing dangerous, mind you. Just some luxury items that would help your current financial situation. Now, you're a smart guy. You know how the universe works. You'll need some proof first about what I'm talking about. Now, I can get my hands on a sample tomorrow for you to check out on your own. If it's not the real McCoy, no problem. You can walk away and just leave me in here to rot. But if it's the real thing? Well, you can keep your sweetheart happy for a long, lonnng time, you know what I mean? All I would ask in return for helping you find the loot would be a small favor from you. I mean it -- small. Miniscule. Microscopic. Teeny-weeny! I just need to continue to work on the laundry detail. I have this thing for fresh linen. Waddya' say, Dave?"

Spoiler: BLUFF

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[roll]1d20+8[/roll]