[Mercy Merchant]

Wednesday  13 June 2075  1413  Ni Ni's Shop  Seattle Chinatown


Ni Ni looks at you over her cup as she sips tea.  Her face is difficult to read as she places the cup neatly in the saucer.  "Yes, I did mention that.  The piece that was retrieved was exactly the right one and the job was made much easier with your help.  Do you believe in the supernatural, Rachel?  I mean the things found in nightmares and are generally assumed to be fiction and something useful for scaring children to bed at night?  In curse, omens and portents?"

[Irn0rchid]

Rose raises her eyebrows at Ni Ni, "Well, I don't *not* believe in them. I've never been given any reason to believe in them either, though. I heard rumors that there was some sort of prophecy connected with the pottery collection, but I didn't get any details since it didn't seem particularly relevant to the task. I'm guessing you're alluding to that?"

[Mercy Merchant]

"That is indeed part of the story, but only a part of it.  There are rumors and omens that portend a great evil is almost upon us, one that will make what happened when the dragons returned look like a playdate in the sun.  Many do not believe in this, but some do.  And of those, more are trying to bring it about than are trying to stop it.  I am working with a small group of those trying to stop it from happening, and have used my position in the Octagon to further our goals by shunting resources and people about.  Unfortunately, those opposing me are better funded and have more resources.  I could use your help, if you are interested.  Are you?"

[Irn0rchid]

Rose furrows her brow, "Wait, why would people be trying to bring about 'a great evil'? Do they think somehow they'll be spared?" Pausing, she thinks for a moment before continuing, "Well, really, this has been a good relationship so far, so as long as it continues to pay, then their motivations don't really matter... It does continue to pay, right?"

[Irn0rchid]

Ni Ni chuckles. "I am sure there are hundreds of psychological
treatises on why people are convinced that doing evil is good for
them.  Promised rewards of wealth or power are probably common
reasons, but I am sure there are more.  And yes, it will continue to
pay."  She pauses then adds, "Do you like to travel?  The piece we
picked up from Howard's collection leads us to Thailand next.  If you
are interested, I would like to discuss travel arrangements."

[Irn0rchid]

Rose pauses and thinks before responding carefully, "I've never been to Thailand, but that could be interesting... I'm a bit worried about leaving all my tools and resources behind though. I'd have to know more about what you wanted done in order to be able to tell if it's something I could even help you with."

[Irn0rchid]

"You would be doing pretty much the same thing there as you did here.
I have a name and not much more.  The person is well protected by
criminals and the military, which pretty much amounts to the same
thing there.  I will not sugar coat the obvious here; it will be very
dangerous.  I will need you to locate a piece of pottery for me and
determine the security measures that protect it.  Obviously, I will
not be immediately available, but I do have contact with assets in the
area that might be able to help.  At this time, I am not aware of a
time factor, but that could change at any time, just as it did here.
If you say yes, I will let you think of what sort of resources and
personnel you might need and I will try to make them available."

[Irn0rchid]

"So this is solely recon again? If the military is involved, that ups the danger quite a bit. How much were you willing to devote to this operation? I'm assuming you have a method of transport available that will permit... less than legal... SINs?"

[Irn0rchid]

Ni Ni shakes her head.  "No, it is likely to end up being much more
than just recon.  I want to provide you with a team to assist you in
finding and securing the item I need.  I already have an operative for
making the grab and she will be part of your team.  I would like you
to consider who you would need if you were doing this without
additional outside support once you are in-country.  Will you want a
rigger, some muscle, a mage, anything else?  I can get you into the
country undetected and provide you with a safehouse and some equipment
and money, but you will mostly be operating away from support or
control."

She taps a finger on the table several times. "I need to know if you
think you are capable of doing this.  I value your skills and can find
something else for you if you do not want this challenge.  Please take
some time to consider this.  Let me know by Monday.  Here at 1400?"

[Irn0rchid]

"It's something I'm capable of in general, it's the specifics that get iffy. Can you give me the name so I can do some research before Monday? I can certainly let you know by then." Putting her elbows on the table, she steeples her fingers and takes a breath, "With that out of the way, I do have another matter to discuss. Let's say, hypothetically, that an acquaintance of mine had come into some information that would be detrimental to members of one of your rival organizations should it come to light. Members up to and including the leader. This would obviously be very dangerous information to posses. What would you advise my acquaintance to do? Hypothetically."

[Irn0rchid]

She shakes her head again. "I cannot provide the name and probably
should not have told you the country, just in case you decline the
job.  What I can say is that he is a foreign civilian currently
operating under the protection of the military junta currently in
charge over there."

She looks surprised at the question. "That would depend on what your
acquaintance wanted out of it.  My initial advice is to destroy what
they have.  Of course, such information might be worth a great deal,
either to the people involved or their enemies.  It might be possible
to broker a sale of the information if your acquaintance is not sure
how to go about it.  If I had to make a guess, I would suspect that
you found something Howard was leaving for insurance and since he only
had one client, it would be easy to guess who the subject of the
information is.  Am I close?"

[Irn0rchid]

Rose sighs, "Okay, well I will definitely need to think about it then. I'll let you know by Monday. As for our hypothetical situation, just for the sake of argument let's say your assessment of the situation is correct. We can assume the friend wanted to end up as well off as possible with little to no risk of ending worse off, but had no specific goals."

[Mercy Merchant]

Wednesday  13 June 2075  1423  Ni Ni's Shop  Seattle Chinatown


Ni Ni shrugs.  Same advice as before.  Destroy the stuff if you think you can.  But if Howard knows you have it, or even thinks you have it, he may use some of his contacts to get it back, and they probably will not be polite about it.  I really think your best interests are better served by trading it to the Yaks.  My guess is that the obayun will not be pleased with his attorney and Howard should soon be in no condition to harm you at all......ever.  For a fee, I could act as a middle man in this exchange.  Would you like me to open a line of communication with the Yaks?"

[Irn0rchid]

"Yes, that would be very helpful. My concern with that route was not being able to get it all the way to the Oyabun and having there be retribution later if an underling retained it." Rose grins, "I think we can drop the 'hypothetical' at this point."

[Mercy Merchant]

"When can you bring me what you have found?  I can begin making overtures on your behalf, but will certainly need something to show to prove I have what I claim to have."