Log:Learning Hex-perience 2: Three Card Monte

Infiltration, impersonation, and digital invasion

OOC Date: April 26, 2016
Location: Corbel Industries HQ
Participants: Stavros (as GM), Javi Malek, Zhu Yan, Siya, Arcadia

The long story short: Arcadia bluffs and slices and dirty-tricks its way into shipping data about the missing cybernetic prostheses.

The whole story:

Thanks to a good old-fashioned fishing expedition, Arcadia knows Corbel Industries is providing the cover for lots of smuggled goods. There's still no trace of the missing Simiyiar-class freighter that vanished from a convoy carrying medical cybernetics through Hutt Space. So the goods Hex needs could be in any ship, by now.

The one in a position to change orders and shipment schedules without getting caught is Corbel's Chief Operating Officer, Anton Cepter. The true records and the faked records must both be accessible from his office.

What remains to be learned: Who is he working with? What ship will be bringing the cybernetics down to Nar Shaddaa? When will it arrive? And how can we obtain it without bringing down corporate and criminal might down upon our heads?

There is a party at their office complex tonight, where people from multiple divisions mix and mingle awkwardly while drinking on the company tab. There's no better time to infiltrate the office building, reach his office, and find the information we need - and see if there's anything else useful to be done from his Anton Cepter's comfy leather executive chair.

Javi by day, mild mannered Beatria from the mail room by night. She has a pair of elaborate green rimmed glasses sitting low on her nose, kept around her ears by a beaded chain that loops around her neck. That and the ponytail and frumpy cardigan type sweater has her nearly matching the lady on the ID in her pocket. Now she stands near the drinks table, laughing loudly at something that wasn't even remotely funny and punctuating it with a snort of laughter.

Today was white suit day.

Zhu Yan had been waiting for this day for some time. He'd gotten out the white suit, with the black shirt (because he was a professional today), had it pressed, ensured it was still bespoke, and put it on with aplomb earlier in the night. You never knew when you needed to charm your way into a party, and Yan kept all sorts of dress clothes and accoutrements, all grand, fine, and pleasant, for when he needed to make a scene. Others tended to just throw on frumpy sweaters and pretend to be mail clerks. Heathens, the lot of them.

And so it was that Zhu Yan the Magnificent, charmer of women, social infiltration expert, and bona-fide liar, was strolling up to the front desk with slicked hair, trimmed beard, presumably false ID in his pocket that he'd sourced from disreputable individuals, and a big-ass smile on his face.

"The party is on the third floor." ID badges are easily purloined from drunk and/or surprised Corbel Industries employees. "Enjoy," said one of the men at the front desk, who clearly felt like he should say something, but didn't particularly care. He cares more than the other guy who stays silent, though, who is watching camera feeds.

The lobby the party itself is done up in blue and white ribbons. Conversation circles are arranged in comfy chairs. There is an area open enough for dancing, but probably not intended for such. The lobby is a multilevel affair. Stairs lead up to a second floor overlooking the first, which feels more intimate simply because it's smaller. The second floor is also home to the executive suites elevator. There are restrooms on both floors.

It is easier for the humans to get into the party. Siya has a more difficult time masking her skin color! However today is her lucky day as she managed to get an ID with an altered photo. She comes in all Zeltron style. She has her hair swooped up with ringlets around her face. She has a nice business dress on and a pair of fancy pumps. One of the difficult things about being a Zeltron is the increased difficulty in lying. So, all she does with the security man whi checks her ID is flash just a little bit of pheromones at him. "Hey there. I don't think we met, hotness." She winks at the man who really doesn't take much time to look over her ID.

Javi's little circle of professional-party hell is becoming warmer as people drown their awkwardness in the various nice liquors served by an allegedly professional bartender. A short man in a vest and slacks is trying to be friendly, in the most literal possible sense. He seems to think Javi will be as awkward as he is, so they should bond. His name is Oret Calfin, and he has a passion for highly-competitive tactical battle games that require twitch reflexes.

Zhu Yan looks like a particularly egregious social-climber junior executive. The guards know the type and they want nothing to do with him. He is waved on, to try to his charms on the partygoers.

The guard checking out Siya and checking her in doesn't even look down from the woman to the ID badge. He does pass along a comm identifier where he can be reached afterwards, if she likes.

On the second floor, there seem to be quite a few seated people rising to their feet, and a human with thick silver hair in superbly-fitted conservative businesswear steps towards the rail, looking down.

Javi pushes up the glasses on her nose like it's a reflex, the green things sliding down repeatedly every time she laughs. I bet you didn't know there was so much humor to be found in tactical battle games. "You must have the most muscular thumbs of anyone I've ever seen." She tells dear Oret after about the millionth regaling of his latest triumph, and the night is very young. Her eyes flick up to the second floor balcony, "So have you ever met the big boss?"

Rule one when drawing attention to yourself. Be a jackass. But do it tactically. For example, wait until your hacker has actually stepped through the door. She was a Zeltron, it'd be even harder. And judging from the security guard's reaction, that wasn't all that's hard. Zhu Yan sighed.

Right! Schmoozing time! As the galaxy's sexiest junior exec, he knew how to get it done. Namely, find the coat-tails of the best looking MILF in the building and ride them like there was no tomorrow. And ohhhh, they made a hell of a scene whenever he got involved. He scanned around. Were there any lonely looking upper management ladies in the building? That would be his ticket. Oh, there was Frumpy Javi! Yan refrained from waving. Great way to blow the whole op. Still, maybe there was a bored lady up on the balcony.

Siya moves through the crowd at a casual walk, making her way over to the snack table. She cant help but to peer at the bartender and secretly rolls her eyes at his work. Of course when he is not looking. A shrimp is dipped into some sauce as she pops it into her mouth. Casually, she glances around and looks to where this office might be. Ah, there.. that is where she needs to go. Slowly she chews and just looks around as if she is bored.

"No," Oret Calfin admits. He cranes his neck to look up at the second floor balcony when he sees Javi's attention go that way. "There's a holo-portrait on the wall in the Operations room, though. He seems like a good guy, all that push for transparency." He raises one shoulder in a half-shrug. "I would say it's kind of cult-y to have his smiling face up there all the time, but every corp's like that, right?"

There are several ladies up there. At least one is watching the CEO's every move. Executive assistant or wants to be in his pants? Maybe both. At the opposite end of the second floor, though, with her own conversation going on, stands Alsia Darsten. Not a C-level executive, but more important than several: she is a troubleshooter. She solves problems, and you best hope you're not one. She appears to be in her early thirties, though her makeup is expertly applied, so who knows? Blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, dark blue eyes, and she wears her professionalism like armor. She glances down to the first floor, eyes flitting from person to person. They stay on Zhu Yan longer than necessary.

Siya's look-around shows that the elevator to the executive suites is on the second floor, just outside the lobby. The restrooms are past them.

At the rail, none other than the CEO himself clasps the metal rail and leans slightly out over the crowd. There is a speech incoming: "Thank you all for coming-" He mentions the last quarter's performance a few times, names a few names (with mandatory small applause), and wraps it up in less than three minutes, much to the relief of all attending. "-you made this happen. So enjoy yourselves," he concludes. A few people start trekking up the stairs, once he finishes talking.

"Creep-oh. I never really get out of my little dungeon." Javi agrees to her new found awkward friend, giving a wriggle of her nose. "Ugh, he's going to speak. Now's a good time for me to pee." She flashes Oret a smile, then slinks off into the crowd towards the restroom on the lower floor. There is no line currently so she slips in and systematically starts going to every stall, pulling out feminine products from her fanny pack and wads of toilet paper until flushing no longer entirely works. "WOO! Don't go in there!" She tells a woman as she passes on the way out.

Alsia Darsten. Troubleshooter. If you ever needed a structurally superfluous new behind, she's the person to tear it. Oh, she gave Yan a /look/! Yan loved it when he got /look/s. Even the ones that usually meant he was about to become a smear on the pavement. Those were thrilling.

As Captain Yawnsmith himself started his tirade about names, Zhu Yan made cheeky little steps to the opposite floor with clearly inept intent. He'd gotten through the door as a junior exec. Now he was about to promote himself to Interested Potential Client. His timing was good. The speech ended right as Yan approached the Troubleshooter's group. Using his natural lingusitic skills (good for more than just shit-talk!), he schooled his tone into something a bit deeper and spoke. "Ms Darsten." His tone was uncharacteristically formal, and he held out his hand. "Randall Geard, Xucphra Corporation. A pleasure to finally meet you." Begin, stage one.

Taking to going up the stairs with the group of people, Siya makes her way towards the restroom. She goes past the elevators, checking out the security bits there. In her casual glance, she is looking for code keys, or if it is just a simple little elevator. She continues past along with the group of people. She is being patient right now, but the waiting is making her nervous.

Javi's adventures in plumbing begin to bear fruit within a minute or two. Women who go to the restroom on the main floor soon come back out. There is soon a steady trickle of women trying to avoid any trickle of their own heading up the stairs. Word of why is gradually spreading, but even people who don't know stop registering any woman going upstairs as particularly usual.

Siya sees no unexpected security on the executive elevator. It's a card swipe that determines which floors are available to you. The restroom on the second floor is identical to the one downstairs, except not sabotaged! Siya has beaten the rush there, however, if she has anything she needs to get ready.

"Mister Geard," Alsia says, offering her hand for a quick clasp. "Your business must be urgent, to come during a company party." There's a pleasant lilt to her voice. One could almost forget her reputation and let one's guard down. "You have chosen a good time; I was bored. Few people have wanted to talk to me for long. What can I do for you?"

All those drinks while entertaining poor Mr. Calfin must have gone straight through Javi, for when the more delicate sex starts accepting that the upstairs is the place to pee, she too then blends into that same crowd until she's backed up against the wall by the elevator, leaning their nonchalantly like she's waiting for the sudden, unexpected line to die down.

Probably because you have a reputation for tearing arms from their sockets. "Probably because most people are far too keen to dance around with small talk," Randall Geard responded. The Xucphra Cartel, or Corporation as their members prefer to be called, had a stranglehold over Thyferra's bacta market. 'Cartel' was such an ugly word, but it was entirely apt, and bacta was business. Very, very rich business.

"You may or may not have heard about recent pirate attacks around Polith," explained Geard, his voice low and almost conspiratorial. The conversation was becoming intimate, in the business sort of way, and Randall Geard was in his element. Shifty business was no stranger to him. "The Zaltin Cartel has been up to its old tricks. Now, I've been informed via... reliable sources that Corbel is the," and he stressed the definite article, "most secure and efficient freight enterprise in the sector. Am I," pause, "correct in that assumption?"

Flashback!

The room was dimmed, only lit up with the screen of a computer. A singular individual had been working tediously at the computer as she sipped on an icy, sweet, carbonated beverage. It got down to the bottom of the cup, and she grumbles, pushing it away. "Eh, bad for my butt anyways." Back to the screen, she peers and works, her fingers typing away at the keyboard. Who knew that the simple bartender also had some skill at using computers? It's always nice to be a little underestimated. Finally, "Bingo. Haha.. I'm coming for you.." The Zeltron giggles almost madly as she holds up her name badge in the dim light.

Back in the Present:

Siya walks with poise and with confidence. She steps up to that elevator and swipes her card. *DING* The elevator chimes merrily before it slides open. Without glancing about, she walks inside and spins on her heels to look forward as the doors swish shut.

All Javi was waiting for was that confidently little beep of the card being read, and then she's rolling against one shoulder to step in just before the doors slide shut. "Nice work." She mumbles to Siya as she slides those annoying glasses off her face and lets them hang by the chain around her neck.

Alsia Darsten doesn't interrupt, just meeting "Randall Geard's" eyes. She doesn't blink even once until after he finishes his question. "We pride ourselves on security from the time the shipping order is placed until delivery confirmation, Mister Geard. All orders are anonymized on our end, and information is compartmentalized between departments. Even the crew of the ship can't be sure what they're carrying." Though when exiting Thyferra, it is fairly easy to guess! "We have shipping options for every need, including fast and maneuverable, but we do not," she emphasize, "employ warships. If you wish a guarded convoy, we can discuss a custom package."

A quick press of a button and the turbolift rockets up towards the upper levels of the Corbin Industries building, its inertial compensators preventing the acceleration from affecting its passengers. The challenge ahead: entering Anton Cepter's office undetected. The entire level is bound to have security footage, and if things go wrong - if they realize any intrusion occurred - that footage will be reviewed endlessly for details.

So it would be good if there were nothing out of the ordinary showing up in the footage later. There is also the probability that the Chief Operating Officer's office will be locked beyond a keycard's ability to bypass.

"Right here." Javi tells Siya, indicating when the elevator should be stopped before their end stop. She slips a pneumatic driver out of her little fanny pack of awesome before hoisting herself up on the railing that lines the elevator and pops open the emergency hatch. With a grunt she's climbing out onto the roof of the elevator and like all good action movies, talks Siya through what she's doing. "I just need to reroute the power supply to the security cameras and if I splice this line.." Her narration drifts off as she concentrates, making quick work of stripping wires and making it so they can move up above without detection.

A custom package sounded good. Geard was Thyferran. Humans on Thyferra were rich. Cartels, even more so. "You understand the nature of what we're exporting, I assume." Rhetorical question. The only thing exported from Thyferra was bacta. "So you understand the value." And bacta was very, very pricey. "A guarded convoy is essential for the Corporation's line of business." Randall Geard made a solid effort not to let any expression beyond polite seriousness enter his face. Once he hit the zone, reeling off the sithspit was easy.

"Ms Darsten, I would hate to waste your time, but the Xucphra Corporation considered many options here. We aren't," pause, "accustomed to using third parties." Admit a little bit of weakness. Let her seize it and capitalize on it. Give her the paint and let her paint the picture. He glanced up at the balcony, in a casual sort of way that she couldn't possibly miss. "There are a lot of credits involved here, Ms Darsten. I need to ensure that Xucphra has made the right decision." Come on. Show him that your bosses were the greatest people in the world.

Siya smiles as the elevator begins to rise. Her ice blue eyes cut to Javi, "I have to say, good job yourself. And that outfit is simply adorable. Absolutely adorable." She smiles to Javi. "Then again, you look adorable regardless." When Javi tells her to stop the elevator, she does, stepping forward and pushing the button. When Javi tries to pull herself up, siya offers a bit of assistance to push her up. When Javi is done, she helps the woman back down and smiles. "Alright. Let's go." The button is pushed and the elevator resumes. Soon enough, they slow down and the doors hiss open. "Here we are." She steps out and her icy blue gaze turns left and right as she surveys the new environment.

Alsia Darsten raises an eyebrow slightly. "We keep a select list of trustworthy mercenary companies on retainer for just such occasions, Mister Geard." She leads the way back along the balcony but pauses halfway towards Sato Vars. The CEO is still dealing with compliments to his speech and the party, it looks like. Practiced as he is, it is difficult to tell if he's genuine or not.

"My father worked on Thyferra for a few years," Alsia says casually. "Not for Xucphra directly - a consultant for a financial services firm. I visited his rented dacha northeast of the city with him." She meets Geard's eyes and asks, "Has the city grown out to that area yet?"

The door to the executive floor opens and reveals taller ceilings, pleasing reproductions of famous paintings, and small benches and chairs spread about the entry lobby. There are no guides on the wall, only names outside the office doors. If you are supposed to be up here, you know where to go. If you don't know where to go, you should wait in one of these seats until someone comes for you.

The appropriate office is to the left at the end of a lengthy hallway. The hall lights are muted, but brighten as they detect motion. At the door, there is only a card reader. That's not very much security.

"This old thing?" Javi asks Siya of her frumpy outfit, giving a snerk of laughter at being told she looks cute. "Careful there, darling, before your pheromones start wafting my way." At the Zeltron's notion that they are at the appointed floor, Javi's eyes never stop moving, roving about to look for complications. "Wait." She puts a hand out to stop Siya. "That's...way to fucking easy." Just a single card reader? No way. With a deep breath, she turns her scavenger mind on and starts evaluating the door locks. Her hand runs along the wall, humming to herself until she finds a panel nearly hidden behind a cleverly placed potted plants. "Have you ready in a jiffy." She assures, then sets to work.

Hm. Was she buying time? Trying to trip him up? Zhu Yan couldn't tell. She was good, there was no doubt about it. He was better, of course, but she'd achieved a small victory here. Then again, she'd given him some ammunition to work with as well, and he'd done his research over and over. He could do this. He could do it easily.

Randall Geard followed her half-way to the balcony, waiting patiently when she stopped. No need to be in a rush, he had all the time in the world to complete his business. "Much of the area around the city is where the Vratix grow alahzi," he explained, having zero trouble conveying a seemingly intimate knowledge of the place. "Expanding the city further than the outskirts currently occupied, especially with such a low human population, is both inefficient and impractical." IE: I don't know, but I highly doubt it. Geard let his formal mask crack a little, dropping a small knowing smile with the deliberate effect of slightly humanizing him. "To be honest, I'm not much of a realtor. Besides, the men who own those dachas would kick up a storm if their views were bulldozed, see?"

Once Javi suspends the silent alarm's operation, Siya is free to swipe her card and enter the office. Within is a very large corner office. The view of Nar Shaddaa is downright majestic. The glass walls deserve a better landscape to portray, really, but this is the Corellian District, so there are fewer red bulbs and neon twi'leks than there could be.

The desk is a large L-shaped piece of stained coral. From a distance it looks like wood, but it is much more expensive than even that precious substance is on this moon. Atop the desk is a computer. Several small files and post-it notes can be seen in the drawer underneath the desk, when it is opened. There is also a second desk, for a secretary to use.

Siya makes her way down and through the corridors until she comes to the right door. She looks to the scanner and then plucks the badge from her chest. She is about to swipe it when Javi stops her. "Oh by the gods.. Good thing you are here." She says softly. A nervous chuckle comes from her. When she swipes her card, the door opens and she lets out a low whistle. "I think that desk is worth more than a starship." She moves in and opens the laptop before sitting in front of it. Her tongue sticks out slightly as she begins to work and there is an intense geeky computer girl sort of look on her face as she tippity types. It takes her a few long minutes, but finally it lets her in. "Yes!" From a pocket sewn inside her skirt, she reaches in and takes out a downloadable chip and sticks it into the computer. "Here, I am going to download the files into this. We can search the files later. It should take only a few minutes."

At Siya's exclamation about what something costs, Javi sticks her head in the door, pipes up, "Nah, ten thousand credits though, maybe. So like. The ass end of a Starship. Literally. Where the biowaste is kept." And then she's back out in the hall. Waiting in case shit hits the fan.

Alsia Darsten smiles at the response. Genuine? Relieved? Knowing? Zhu Yan can't tell, but it's time to see this through to its end. "I expect they would." She leads the way once again to the CEO. "Mister Vars, this is Randall Geard, a representative of the Xucphra Corporation, looking into a customized armed convoy package."

The silver-haired man's smile makes him look like a patriarch, comfortable at the heart of his beloved family. Which happens to be a successful corporation! "Thank you, Alsia. Mister Geard. It is a pleasant surprise to see you. I am Sato Vars." He spreads an arm towards the party downstairs. "An auspicious time for it." He doesn't mention last quarter's performance again, but he's clearly referring to it. "I have wondered if Xucphra would approach us. We have had a leading position among shippers for years, but I understand the desire to keep all the business in-house." He smiles wider. "But there is no company better suited to serve your needs than Corbel Industries."

"Part of our transparency initiative is increasing the amount of information available whenever our clients need it. I think the results speak for themselves in our customer retention rate." He claps a hand affably on 'Geard's shoulder. "Did you just arrive? We can arrange lodging. It is night on Nar Shaddaa, but we never sleep. Would you like to see the Operations Room? It is an impressive logistical achievement, if I do say so myself. Mister Cepter is a genius."

Siya's data transfer begins, leaving her with little to do except wait - and take a look at the vast power at her fingertips. From where she sits, she can move starships in several sectors, change schedules, and reassign crew. The live graphic display of Corbel's business is a bit mesmerizing in its complexity. Does she fiddle with it?

There is nothing to see inside, save the gradual dimming of the lights in the hall that had brightened as they walked through. The elevator door finally closes.

The wonderful thing about small talk was that it was never just that. The man was hitting Geard with a sales pitch, and clearly he thought he was the bee's knees. No one got that hand-on-shoulder friendly with someone if they weren't trying to push it. As for the operations room? Well, no one had given him reason to be suspicious, but Zhu Yan suspected a trap all the same.

"I'm actually jetting out tonight," responded Geard, looking at the hand that had landed on his shoulder. It was a tricky thing, letting an expression of distaste just barely appear on one's face before subsuming it back into that professional demeanour, but it was essential to the charade. The patriarch needed to realize he'd potentially just made a mistake with his lack of professionalism. They needed to stew over it. "The Corporation is in high demand, as such, I'm a particularly busy man. So unfortunately I must decline your offer of lodgings." The girls should have been done by now. Yan needed to extract. But first... "The Corporation must agree with you regarding Mister Ceptor. His work on transparency is one of the reasons we're here. I fear I may not have time for a tour, but please, fill me in."

Siya waits patiently and even hums a little tune.She is nervous and she sort of looks at things on his desk, looks to the notes and such. She is trying hard not to mess with any of his belongings to raise any suspicions. Though, she does peek over the power at her fingertips, whistleing lowly. "No, Siya.. no. Bad girl. Too much attention." The download completes and she shuts down the computer to the point it had been shut off before. Then she moves to step out and into the hallway. "Ok Javi. You go first. I will take the next elevator down."

There is nothing so crass as a beep when the pertinent files and schedules have finished being copied. There is just a green light that turns on on the chip itself, signifying it is ready to be removed. After that there is nothing but the walk to the elevator, re-jimmying the silent alarm, and the two riding their elevators down to the lobby.

Sato Vars' smile never slips, even at the brief expression of distaste from Zhu Yan. "He and his team have programmed a way to let customers have access to a separate shard of the our Operations data that is generated as needed, updated real-time and closed when the customer no longer requires the information. That many updates should be impossible to manage without much more costly infrastructure - but his algorithms sort and merge the streams seamlessly. It's more than any one person can track." Vars glances over at Darsten. "Alsia, please ensure Mister Geard has a drink. Perhaps you can discuss security in the sector in more detail? I myself must stop by the Operations Room - it is a comfort to see, each time before I leave. They would notice if I did not stop by." With a small bow - no touch, this time - Sato Vars heads towards the elevator, his extremely-focused executive assistant following shortly thereafter. Her attention had been on Zhu Yan, though. Perhaps she is actually a bodyguard?

Alsia Darsten plays charming hostess and doesn't push business further - she keeps it cordial, discussing recent events, the markets, and a bit of discussion of Thyferra's balmy climate.

The general conclusion that was reached from Randall Geard and Alsia Darsten's conversation was that Thyferra is fuckin' hot, and way too goddamn humid. At least for the natives. Geard apparently missed the heat. So on and so forth. Later in the evening, after a couple more glasses of wine, Randall Geard bid space-adieu to the lady whom he'd tried very hard not to hit on, and departed the premises in cold professionalism.

Later, around a corner, the tie came off and Zhu Yan came back out. "Whooh! That was rough! Man!"