The Elojin system, 2295

The Elojin system, one of a few key points along the main trade lane going from Korrinth to Earth.  Mainly known for having so many resources, quite a few of which were dug up and refined during the Civil War, the system is also home to a freighter port.  It acts as both a rest stop to freighter operators, in addition to being a relay, allowing freighters from various minor systems to move forwards, down to one of the main hubs at Port Avlita.  As a result of these factors, numerous ships are seen coming in and out of the various hangars.  Of course, for the smuggler team, they’re here for another reason entirely.

The smuggler team continues to stand at the security line, waiting as a few security officers check everyone who’s entering the main part of the station.  They hear the loudspeakers hidden throughout the room come to life, buzzing for a second before a feminine voice is heard, saying, “The time is now 9:57 AM, Galactic Standard Time.  We thank you for your cooperation,” only to hear the buzzing once again.  Various individuals, ranging from businesspeople, to tourists, to military personnel all stand in the line, waiting to get through the line and do whatever else that they had planned, with almost all of them doing something that signifies how impatient they are.  Some of the businessmen turn their gaze towards the team, scoffing as they continue to discuss varying topics with each other.

The line continues to shorten as the seconds, minutes, and maybe even hours going on by.  It can be hard to tell, especially what with everyone being somewhat boring.  Off to both sides, they can see murals depicting the state fleet, and its victories.  They can see various tourists taking pictures of the murals, smiling and enjoying their vacations.  “It’s just for security purposes, there’s no harm to it,” were the words said by the Intelligence officer as he directed them to the line.  Regardless of whether or not those words were entirely true, they eventually reach the Security officers, one of which holding out a hand and saying, “Show me an ID, please.”

The girl in front reaches into the pocket of her brown trench-coat, pulling a plastic card which she hands to the officer. "Here ya go. This won't take too long, will it? We're, uh, kinda expected."

Behind her, a fairly burly guy yawns loudly, pulling his ID card to show the officer. "I hope the day doesn't take too long, didn' get enough sleep..."

At the rear, a slightly thinner guy laughs a little. "You always sleep though, Mack, how did you not get enough this time?" He also has his ID ready.

Mack glances back at him. "I like my sleep, don't y'all go judgin' me..."

The guy shakes his head a little. "It's just a joke, big guy."

The Security officer looks at all of the ID cards, snatching them out of the smugglers hands, one by one, until the officer holds all of the cards in their hands. The officer puts them down, scanning the cards and checking everything out on their computer as they slowly turn their gaze towards you. The security officer grabs a nearby phone, dialing up a number and placing the phone next to their ear as they say, “Sir, these individuals say that they’re expected, and they have a special icon next to their names. Sho--- should I---- alright, sir. Thank you, sir.” The officer hangs up, turning their gaze towards the smugglers as they return the ID cards.

The Security officer steps away from the desk, walking to the other wall, towards a door, and they begin to type in the passcode on a nearby keypad. The officer looks back at the smugglers, holding the door when it opens up as they say, “You may proceed through this door. Our mutual friends are waiting for you down this hallway.”

The girl in front tips her hat at the security officer as she walks by. "Thank ya kindly." After they walk through the door and hear it close behind them, she sighs. "That coulda gone a whole lot worse."

Mack shakes his head. "Nah, captain, doubt it. As y'all said, we're expected."

The girl nods. "That we are, but never can tell with these gov'ment types. Y'all saw the looks those wealthy folks were given us."

The guy nods in agreement. "Indeed. I guess we got off lucky. Good thing they didn't have you remove your coat, Jackie, having those guns would of made us look bad."

Jackie pats her hip holstered pistol with a grin. "Aw, let 'em try takin' it. They'd be on the floor faster than they could react."

They walk through the hallway, with cold steel walls encircling them as they’d continue to move through, with the lights shining brightly above them as they find themselves at the end. As for what they see, they’d find a door with a keypad just a few inches away, and to the side, bolted to a wall, lies a security camera that shifts around, scanning the hallway until the smugglers come into its field of vision. It then freezes in place, staring at the smugglers while a light that’s situated to the right of the camera lens turns red.

They hear a voice coming from hidden loudspeakers throughout the hallway. The voice, a masculine and deep one, says, “We’ve been expecting your group for quite some time. We hope that everyone treated you with some degree of respect.”

Jackie waves her hand a little. "That don't matter. We're just here to get the job y'all offered. I'm sure the good folks of this station will be, uh, more at ease the sooner we leave. It's a nice place, but we're a little out of place here."

The team doesn’t hear a response, but the door does open up, relatively slowly.  They see a woman come out of the door, wearing a polo shirt and some black jeans.  She motions for them to follow her as she walks through the some more halls.  Unlike the previous ones, the walls here have more life to them, coated in velvet.  The woman doesn’t say a lot, although she does murmur to herself.  Eventually, they go around another corner, and she stops as soon as she reaches a steel door.

She opens it up, once again motioning for the team to follow her.  Once the entire team gets inside, she flicks her fingers and the door closes behind them.  She does a 180, turning around and smiling as she says, “We’re glad to have you guys.  The department’s been looking for some private contractors to do some work for them.”

"Happy to help! Though I am curious, why hire a team of mercenaries for it? Seems a little far fetched. Wouldn't it be easier to just use teams of the Cosmopolitan's military or scout teams? Heh, not that we're objectin' the consideration of course."

She raises an eyebrow, listening to what you're saying as she thinks for a moment. She says, "Well, all you really need to know before we discuss what your job will be, and what your pay will be, is that the State felt like private contractors would be the best option for the job we have in mind." As with any other Intelligence officer, there are a lot of details that she's not going to discuss with them, no matter how much they're curious.

She motions for them to follow her as she heads towards the table in the center of the room, and she walks around it until, once again, she's facing them. She says, "Now then, let's talk about your job." After saying this, she raises her hand, and the lights dim within the room. In the center of the room, on the desk, a holographic screen appears, and displays a map of the universe, or to be more specific, a portion of the universe centered around the system they're currently in.

Mack examines the display. "So, uh, are we doing missions in the system? Seems rather straightforward, don't it? Was hoping for somethin' a little more excitin'."

Jackie looks to him. "Hey, Kenz, your mouth is running, mind stoppin' it?"

Mack nods a little. "Aye, cap'n."

Jackie turns back to the woman. "Any job is fine for us, out of system or not."

She turns her gaze away from the screen, and towards the smugglers as she says, "Well, that's good. While we would've been just as interested in giving you an exciting job, Mack, State Intelligence thought that this matter was vastly more important than anything else you'd probably have in mind." She steps around the desk, tapping her finger against it as she says, "As for you, Jackie, we're glad to have business partners like you and your group." After saying this, though, she turns her gaze back towards the screen.

She points, and the map begins to zoom in even moreso, with a velvet line glowing from this system, to others, although that line eventually stops. The line seems to go along keyhole paths as she says, "State Intelligence has discovered some weird readings, and after checking them over, time and time again, the agency is assured that something is out there. We'd be willing to pay your group quite a few million dollars if you, Mack, and the others could check that system out more... closely."

Mack's eyes widen and Louis' jaw drops a little at the mention of how much the pay could be. Jackie merely lifts an eyebrow. "A survey mission? Alrighty then, how close do y'all want us to get? Planet side or just observe from orbit? And exactly how far do y'all reckon this 'ere planet is from here? We'd rather be prepared provision wise. Only looks like a piece from Cosmopolitan space here, but that's only on the display."

Her gaze remains locked on, facing the screen as they respond to what she's said.  The screen continues to loop as she says, "Well, it's actually a little ways away from Cosmopolitan Space, at least, when compared to the defined borders that the TGC decided on.  We've sent out scout ships in the past, mainly to map out the keyholes, but we've never received readings like this before.  It's a bit... more... lively than we expected..."  She pauses for a second, before she shifts her eyes away, towards them.

"As for how far it is, it's about... 13 or so systems away.  We also don't expect you to go planet side, but if you must, we can send some men, or guns, with you, just in case," she says, looking at Jackie with a pretty serious expression.  Given the tone of her voice, it also suggests that she doesn't want them to go planet side.  She turns towards Mack and Louis as she says, "If this little business venture is successful, your group can expect more requests from us in the future."

Jackie nods. "13 systems, huh? Quite the trip. We may have to stop before goin through the keyhole just to refuel. And orbit based observation, that's no trouble at all. I think this should all work out just fine."