We took a Three Hour Tour down to Chausid Station, which amounts to half an hour of briefing followed by 2 hours of meditation followed by a half hour of getting updates on how The Plan has Already Changed:
All the communications are jammed up tighter than
:my mind supplies static to cover some sort of Orange Catholic metaphor:
I gather that he thinks that someone else already did it. He suspects
Almon D'Joy, of course, but adds that the Killian Clan likely does not see themselves as pawns.
Also there's stuff about tight-beam transmission, which leads to Reese during an analysis of the geography surrounding the town and the heights of various buildings.
Vance contributes some interesting facts about the locals. There's a (retired?) prizefighter who is a Wookiee. Also the "Sheriff" and "Deputies" are from a gang called the Void Wolves, led by Toth T'vondt, and they have a "shoot on sight" agreement with the Killians.
Furthermore, Vance found images of a Mentat named Rokay Elroad, possibly from Reese's graduating class.
Oh good.
I've got some notes here that I am pulling from others' observations.
A distress signal is broadcasting, close-in only, from Jombai Repair and Salvage (Owner: Genkin Jombai). It's a Freedworlds Republic signal. That's interesting enough that Rico and Goss decide to get dropped off and go check it out.
Reese says the existing jamming is based in "old Mentat" mathematics. Ombresezi published his Wandering Sequence equation about 200 standard years ago.
Any math that's held up since the Federal Era has to be solid math.
Chausid Station has a resident Mentat who is integral to local society -- included in most of the social holoimages for the town.
As we quietly make our way into town, the "Docks" region gives off a deliberately unfriendly impression. Reese decides that the Council Center building serves as a nexus of the jamming; he and Bishop head off to take custody. The rest of us head to the Wet Wookiee Inn.
Kunla, proprietor and chef, greets us with a double-barrel bowcaster.
Immediately he gets the Charm Trio: Vance with the banter, Aerena with the appreciation, and So'Zen says what he is doing is called "diplomatic relations". All three find success.
Hicks and I fade into the background as best we can. We'll look over the walls. Hicks checks in with his siblings.
So'Zen goes off to scout out the Killian occupation of the Docks area. Vance goes upstairs to a rented room on the 3rd floor, where he scans the city for useful tactical updates. Aerena and Kunla come to an understanding.
I found an older map of the city, maybe 30 years old?
We don't have solid facts on the Killians other than "hate the Void Wolves", but Hicks dug up tentative info based on some Wanted posters. Gruk Eqitch, a male Trandoshan, is a senior level leader (probably not top, but close) known for brutal action. Annikale Bearsat, a female human, is more known for pilot-related raids.
It bothers me that the Killians did not come to this remote outpost with overwhelming antigrav-based vehicular capacity. This town ought to be covered in the glowing engines of repulsorcraft and speederbikes and whatnot. They should be blanketing every pocket of resistance.
The fact that this is not happening means that it would somehow be significantly detrimental to the Killians' goal to have active hovercraft engines in quantity.
I would like to know why that is.
Hicks and I agree that we need Reese in order to find out from the local Mentat what our answers may be.
First, we need Reese and Bishop to be done with their jamming-related task.