Outroduction

As I don’t really have anything in terms of an Introduction this week I thought I’d just write an Outroduction instead, mainly in reference to next week.

The old saying is that “There is no honour amongst Thieves” which is to a degree both true and false at the same time. Built into that expression is the general assumption you don’t “Dob your mates in” as it tends to be detrimental to your long-term relationships and potential longevity of existence. Now Commander Shaddick, don’t worry if you don’t know who she is yet you will do next week, has an agenda.. just a GM hint or two.

Are we really the Good Guys?

We pickup with Two in solitary, Three on concussion watch in the Infirmary, Four in his cell in Block A, and Seven in his cell in Block B.

Time passes to the following morning. Three gets breakfast in the Infirmary before being returned to his cell in Block A. Prior to his return there is a general 1 hour recreation release of all prisoners into their respective blocks to get ‘breakfast’.

Having obtained his breakfast from the food dispenser Seven sits down at a table. A few minutes later the same guy from last night sits down, “So what’s your answer then?” Seven ignores him. “Last chance offer, your ration card for piece of mind or you’re on you own.” Seven declines his offer. “So be it”, he gets up and walks away.

Seven goes around a few of the other tables warning them about the guy wanting to take their ration cards. They give him the cold shoulder in return.

He finishes his meal before moving to drop his ‘tray/plate’ into the recycler prior to returning to his cell. Suddenly he feels a sharp stabbing pain in his left side, followed almost immediately by a second sharp pain in a similar place. He clutches his side feeling the growing wetness before collapsing to the ground.

Meanwhile Four has obtained his own breakfast and has sat down to eat. He gets about half way though when the guy from yesterday who started the fight (sort of) approaches his table “The Man would like to see you please”. He stands and waits. Four contemplates before following him.

[GM note: Arax’s Office is off the link corridor on the 2nd floor which links A and B blocks. Access through the corridor is semi-controlled by the guards…]

Arriving at Arax Nero’s office Four is ushered inside. Arax is sitting behind a desk on which sits a computer screen. Several shelving units stacked with various items of contraband line the walls.

[GM note.. I’m using the transcript from the series modified slightly by the events that happened..]

Arax "Ryo Tetsudo aka Ryo Ashieda, what am I going to do with you?"

Four "Who are you"

Arax "You can call me Arax. You know that stunt you pulled is causing me a lot of headaches. The warden is furious and he wants me to hand over the instigator."
Arax gets up to pour 2 cups of coffee.. "Now if I did he'd put you in solitary for six months. Half way through you'd be smearing your shit all over the walls, and by the end you'd be gibbering like a lobotomised toddler. I've seen it happen"

Four "If you were going to hand me over you'd have done it already. You obviously brought me here for a reason"

Arax hands Four a cup of the coffee. Four waits until Arax has drunk from his cup before doing like wise

"You and your friends are new here. You need to understand the way things work. The warden likes it quiet and by the book. It looks good on his quarterly reports. So I make sure it stays that way."

Four "And in exchange you get certain benefits"

Arax "Which I can pass along to anyone who cooperates. Everyone wins."

Four "Especially you"

Four "Those men with the tattoos, are they a part of this."

Arax "They made their own seperate arrangement. We try to stay out of each others way, but you may have screwed that up to."

Four "It was necessary to test the response to a chaotic situation"

Arax "What did you think?"

Four "Interesting"

Arax "Sonic Disabler. The guards all wear this earpieces that nullify the effect. If they want to they can broadcast it throughout the entire prison taking down every single inmate in a few seconds. Very effective"

Four "Not foolproof"

Arax "You see this is exactly what I was talking about. You think you're some hotshot mercenary that's better than us common crooks. No one has ever escaped from this facility. If you try you'll just get yourself killed, and the rest of us will be put into lockdown for months."

Four "And you might just loose your special arrangement."

Arax "You and your friends are going to tow the line"

Four "Or What"

Arax "or you're going to regret it."
         "you can go now."

Four returns to his cell.

Time passes to the ‘lunchtime’ recreation break.

Having retrieved his food, Three sits down to ‘play’ with the “goo/slop” that purportedly passes for food. [GM note: Two would receive the same trays of goo via a slot in her cell door..] After a couple of minutes, a guard appears “No time to eat Boone, you’ve got Laundry Duty”. The guard will escort him down to the Laundry where he is put to work steam cleaning soiled sheets. Having finished the ‘bin’ of soiled sheets he’s in the process of congratulating himself when the door opens and another prisoner pushing in another full trolley of soiled bedding enter, “There you go next lot”. Three sighs in exasperation, yesterday’s conversation with the old guy in the Infirmary coming back to him “It has to be the ‘right sort’ of injury you know”. Three looks at the pile of soiled sheets and the steam press. He loads a sheet and then forgets to remove his left hand as he closes the press. He screams in pain…

He's escorted to the Infirmary where Devon is once again on-hand to see to his wound although not until after Three has noted that the “pretty” nurse from yesterday is missing, as is the old guy despite the fact that he’d said he’d be there for a couple more days.

When Three enquires Devon says that the nurse has been transferred off world on “stress related leave”, and Charlie, the old guy, who he comments was a “Frequent Flyer” has been transferred to the Psych wing on the Governer’s orders. It seems that Charlie’s injuries were self-inflicted so now he’s getting daily does of ECT instead.

Three attempts to get Devon to sign him off for more than just an ‘overnight’ stay but Devon isn’t playing ball, suggesting that Three might not want to become a frequent visitor.

After Devon leaves, Three notices that one of the Intensive care beds now appears to be occupied. When he looks closely he finds it’s Seven. He correctly guesses from the clinical incision wound in Seven’s lower abdomen on his left side and the puncture would above it that somebody attacked Seven with a Shiv. Since Seven is lying on his back, he can’t 100% confirm that whoever attacked him went for his kidneys, so a pre-meditated takedown/assassination. Seven is likely to be out for several days…

Time passes to the following morning. Two is released from solitary and returned to her cell, and Three is released from the Infirmary and returned to his cell.

At the lunch recreation break they are in a position to discuss the events of the last couple of days. Three comments on having thought he’d found a way to game the system but it turns out not so, but he did locate Seven. He’s in intensive care in the Infirmary having been attacked. Four comments on his experiment and the Sonic Disabler system used by the guards, and that they’re been warned by Arax Nero, who “manages” things on behalf of the Govenor, to keep their noses clean and not cause trouble. Two comments on the ‘holodeck’ type SimYard and the fact that the Governor has it set to resemble Siberia, and that Nyx might be able to help in some way.

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