2011-07-07 - All Along the Watchtower

The Den - Aces High [Trailers] The further into the Den one goes, the fancier it becomes. Aces High is a high-class restaurant, bar and casino all in one, catering to the Trailers and those they do business with. Walking in, one can head directly to the bar and restaurant to their left, where the atmosphere is more casual and less formal, or to the right into the casino, a strictly suit-and-tie affair. The bartender is a jovial, overweight man named Hiram, priding himself on both the high quality of his meals and the house special: the PPC, a drink named after the 'Mech weapon for having the same kind of kick to it (and for supposedly having 'Mech coolant in the mix) no matter which variety is ordered. The people who frequent the place are not typically a rowdy crowd, and the atmosphere is very relaxing with soft but sufficient lighting, comfortable leather seating and private boots upon request. The casino is another matter entirely. Crystal chandeliers, bets tied directly to bank accounts, lots of polished wooden surfaces and scattered art of all kinds. Full of high-rollers including mercenary pilots and shady businessmen, nice suits and fancy dresses are the norm, with high-paying deals going on constantly with subtlety to spare. All kinds of gaming is done, from traditional games of chance to betting on the far-off arenas in the Solaris Circuit. It's the kind of place that someone would expect a spy movie to be filmed in, complete with the handsome men, beautiful women, and burly, armed security guards at every possible exit. Needless to say, everything that goes on here requires several zeroes on the end of a number for something to happen at all. Spectre [T]  East :                The Den - Habitation Sector[T] Spectre's office isn't so much an office as it is a table in the corner of a very classy bar. Aces High caters to people with a great deal of money and at least some amount of class, so it's not really that surprising. It's fairly empty at this time of day, though--only the really loaded alcoholics and the people who work bizarre shifts (or run missions at odd hours) are here right now. Spectre appears to be dressed for something more formal than sitting in a bar, even if it's the kind of bar that you stand out in if you aren't in a suit and tie. Basically, because Binary is excessively lazy, he's in this but with the cloak/coat and the military beret hung on a rack nearby. Being fancy has not stopped him from having a glass of something golden in front of him. [] Ringo wasn't fancy. With the A-laws in the joint he didn't want to get his nice clothes dirty by having them touch Titan wanabes. Ringo has no love of the faction, it's members (save for a VERY small handful), and especially for it's leadership. Ringo basicly had a a pair of jeans and a long sleaved shirt. Walking into the bar, Ringo moved towards Spectre and sat across from him, placing a recorder down infront of him. It wasn't to record the coversation, it was to play something. "So here is what I got from the fight with Shu. One of sly's buddies mentioned something about...ComStar being the other party involved. I can play this whenever your ready." "Also, there is something else, after the conversation that I think you need to hear." The Nest is infested with A-LAWS, but the Den doesn't have a single one here (well, except for the guy who was only briefly affiliated with them, and even then only once in a while). It's entirely likely the A-LAWS don't even know that the place exists--it's fairly well hidden and out of the way, and most of them were tied up with the Balmarian invasion in orbit while the Trailers rolled out to save Europe on Earth. Spectre looks at Ringo for a long moment, and then at the recorder. He folds his hands on the table, a frown on his face already. He knows he's not going to like what he hears. "Alright. If it's ComStar, it's going to be big. Go ahead." Ringo nods. Ringo moves over, pushing play on the recorder and sitting back. The man has heard it a hundred times, while some of the meaning was lost, Ringo had some theories. Not a lot of them, but he was not very well versed on the Innersphere politics and such. "Please, Dr. Shirakawa!" "Please! Whatever you're intending -- stop! You have your deal! Please! Just take your money and your designs and go!" "Your kindness overwhelms me, Precentor." "The moment I have confirmation of data delivery and a deposit into my bank account, I will be more than happy to leave your world .. a slightly more used state than I found it in." Ringo presses stop immedaitely after that. There was more, but Ringo wanted to let this first part sink in. "It seems that ComStar and Shirakawa are trading technologies. I doubt they are getting the Granzon out of it, but...WHY is the question..." Spectre listens. His teeth are set on edge by the recording; the voice sounds somewhat familiar, but he can't place it. Shu Shirakawa is obvious--the other man, a ComStar Precentor, is the dangerous element--strange as it sounds, anyway. Shu will be destructive, but he isn't the one with the political clout throughout the IS. "Do you know what tech they were trading?" Spectre asks suddenly. He thinks he remembers, but the clarity of the evening changes into a blur that can only barely be perceived through beer goggles. "The 'why'--if the DC is suddenly working with Shirakawa and pushing into the Inner Sphere, there could be trouble." Ringo shakes his head. "No, I didn't get that. I imagine the plans were sent more encriptically, ComStar probably wanted to make sure nobody got anything. I can only begin to guess that Shu either didn't care...or wanted to be listened into." he says, thinking. "Why do you think that the DC has any interest in working with Shu? I imagine that they consider him a Traitor. Probably more so than Sanger, Elzam, or myself." he considers. "I admit, I am not very knowledgable in my Inner Sphere Politics." Spectre picks up his glass and downs a mouthful. Okay then. "Encrypted... right." He massages the bridge of his nose with two fingers, eyes closed. "Shu Shirakawa is too strong an ally for the DC to be rid of him forever. He'll go back to them, or they'll go to him thinking they can control him. Either way... smells like the kind of thing he did while he /was/ working with them." "I think he's looking for them to be strong enough to do whatever it is he need them to do. This Cosmo Babylonia..." Spectre trails off and has another drink. "There is more." Ringo says. He can see the path that Spectre is following...it's a bad one, but one that is very likely. Whatever Shu's goals were...Ringo was sure that the Innersphere is part of them, especially because of what Shu said openly towards them. Ringo presses play again. [] When it ends, Ringo sits back again, the recorder turns off, and starts rewinding automatically. "I think that whatever his plans are, the intent is very clear. He is attempting to draw the Innersphere into the politics of Earth...worse, involving them into the war." Spectre pretty much stares at Ringo throughout the duration of the song. He's not particularly certain why he decided this was important, but he can't say he's unfamiliar with the old thing. Snord's Irregulars traded some old music to his boys the last time they were on Outreach. "The Inner Sphere is always on the brink of war, or fighting over itself somewhere. That's not new. But bringing Terran technology into it, putting mobile suits into play..." He turns his head and looks out into space, rubbing his neck and frowning. "It's not good at all. But I suppose all we can do is keep an ear out, and hope there isn't another disaster like there was on Solaris." "Yes, but ComStar is involved. He's got ComStar plans for some reason, and they have his designs. SOMEONE is going to do something...the question is who?" Ringo says, shaking his head. "I think Shu is purposely going to get them involved with the Terrain conflict. How? God only knows. I got my hands full trying to deal with Crest, inhereting some sort of fucking Super Robot, and keeping Solis' nose clean...oh and lets not forget my duties on the Kurogane." Ringo shrugs. "Whatever the case, I thought you should be aware at the very least. I'd offer my help infiltraiting ComStar, but I ain't getting into a situation like that without some heavy reading, and I am sure you got better people suited for the task than I am." "You don't mess with ComStar as a general rule," Spectre says. "They control communications throughout the Inner Sphere and some pretty unnerving technology besides. But you've got your hands and plate full," he adds, spreading his hands in front of him, "so I'd find someone else anyway. Take care of your duties on the home front--I doubt they'll be able to pull the whole Sphere into Terra's wars so quickly." He takes another drink, surely because he believes this to be true. "Or, I hope so," he admits with some chagrin. "We'll keep an eye out in the Inner Sphere, and see if they move in on it."