Rbz16: The HQ
General Summary
The crew gather at a cafe across the street from The Legion's HQ, their dunkeys tied up nearby and out of the sight. It offered them the idea vantage point to scope out the scene, and to also get a late lunch as some of them were famished.
Quinn had stern words for Reinhard about the need to respect the natural order of things, and the horrible sin that dwelt within the VR headsets. Reinhard shrugged it off as a harmless passtime, though Saskia interjected that it was starting to affect his judgement and his ability to protect the group from danger. They were quickly distracted, however, as the waiter came by to introduce them to the digital menu. It seems that this cafe served... unconventional local flare. Many of its dishes were genetically engineered fruits or vegetables... or at least looked that way.
When their order arrives on its own table, wheel in by a pair of waiters after they removed the original table. Set into the table were several pots of plants -- whole foods indeed!
Saskia was the first to dig into hers -- a cactus that she cut into with a steak knife, with red flesh to match. Quinn was hesitant to anything so... modified, and opted for a simple salad that might have been fit for the dunkeys. Reinhard also dug into his plate with gusto. Benesh drew back in digust as he watched the warrior skewer finger-sized maggots, slather them in sauce, and then roast them over a portable grill. It was evidently a dedicacy that he knew well! He offered Benesh a grub, but the nobleman declined. Instead, he sighed and turned to his own potted plant. He moved to pick one of the red fruits from the vine when a waiter rushed over to stop him, "Wait sir, that's part of the table!"
Benesh sighed pushed his utensil away. Opting to order one of the green smoothies that he enjoyed earlier (and Quinn had just finished off). He eagerly grabs it when it arrives, complete with a big fat straw. Just as he is about to draw in a gulp, he notices something moving inside! One of those accursed grubs -- no, not one, it was full of the creatures, swimming around! Benesh yelped and pushed the drink away, no longer hungry.
As the meal (or lack thereof) drew to a close, the crew's attention turned back to the HQ. What did they want to accomplish here? Saskia fronted the idea of completing the soldiers' mission, and to find out more details about it. But sooner or later, the real soldiers would report in their failure, and the ruse will be up. In fact, that meant they needed to act sooner or later. Benesh proposed a simpler plan. Why not walk in through the front, pretending to be VIPs. Once inside, they could dig through their paperwork and see if they could find more information about this Khosla that Wynne seemed so intent on finding.
"But how could we get inside? We don't exactly look Legion," Quinn said, raising his enrobed arms.
"Don't you worry about that," Benesh grinned and pulled out his own tablet. He let the others sort out the finer details and busied himself browsing through the fashion catalogue. Before long, he had ordered half a dozen outfit for each member of the crew, tailored to fit (though Saskia's volunteered measurements were just a bit too thin).
The architecture of the Legion HQ jutted sharply out of the more round and organic Elysian spires. The tall building featured bland but sharply angled concrete sides, seemingly cleaved in two by a ground to roof glass section. Immense columnar decor completed the faux-Roman look. Where the vertical glass section met the ground was the main lobby. The crew saunter up to the lobby entrance just as the stragglers of the day workers shuffle out from the sharply transparent lobby. Saskia and Benesh were dressed in sharp and professional tailored suits. Following them were Reinhard, who wore the tactical turtleneck of a bodyguard, and Quinn who had insisted on keeping his usual robes (despite Benesh's selection). He would be the VVIP, where his unusual manner of dress would only add to disguise. The code cylinders let the group in through the armored glass entryway with no trouble. Quinn's unusual dress turned several eyes, but the gravitas of the entourage clearly had the right effect, with many of the office works only sneaking glances at what they assumed to be a dignitary of some sort. Even the lobby's security officers nodded their approval at the passing security detail, who clearly had the right credential to be here. No knowing where to go, the group walked up to the elevator bank and pressed the button. Benesh quickly scanned the floor descriptors and decided floor 12 sounded the most promising -- "Business Center & Virtual Conferencing". When the elevator doors dinged open, a pair of shocked office workers shuffled awkwardly to the side and the crew entered. The elevator raced up smoothly to the designated floor, the glass sides offering a dizzying view of the vertical lobby and, through the glass walls, the jungle and spires outside. A chime signaled their arrival and they stepped out onto reception area. A handsome looking man in a toga stepped out from behind a desk and, clearly used to seeing unusual guests, greeted them politely and asked their business. Thinking quickly, Benesh nodded toward the row of doors, "Teleconferencing. Urgent." "But sir, I do not have anyone on the schedule..." "Good. Then you won't have to kick anyone out." "I'm sorry, but you need to be registered..." The receptionist moved in front to block the group, but Saskia drew her pistol and pointed at the paling man, "Listen, we don't have time for this. We need the room right now." "We are not on the books," Benesh added, "It is for very urgent business." The receptionist stammered and nodded, seeming to understand and brought the group to one of the big virtual conference chamber. As the others filed out, Benesh stopped the receptionist with his palm, "See that we are not interrupted."
The virtual conferencing chamber was a semi-circular amphitheater, with desk stations for the attendees that could also project a hologram in place of the seat. These fixtures were of no use to the crew as they huddled around the tech support terminal at the side of stage. Once again, their code cylinders had granted them access and the Legion VI program materialized. "I am Delphi. How can I help you today?" She chimed pleasantly at the gathere group. Simply asking the right questions proved very effective. Cassidy Khosla was definitely on the file. She was currently held in one of the sublevels of the building. While she would not say so, it seemed like she was being held against her will. More than that, it seemed that she was due for a transfer offplanet, with a destination that was classified even at the code cylinder's level. Intrigued, Benesh pushed for more details about Khosla, but was stonewalled by Delphi. Feeling like perhaps they had worn out their welcome, the crew gather their things and manage to glimpse through one of the interior facing windows a sizable security detail getting off the elevator. They quickly went over their options and decided simply walking past them was the best bet. So once again, the crew put on their best VIP faces and left the conference chamber. Out front, it seemed the receptionist was arguing apologetically with the security detail -- something about "not to be disturbed". As they passed, Benesh gave one of the officers a nod and got an up-nod in return. They stepped into the same elevator that the security detail arrived in and keyed for the ground floor. Sweating bullets, the crew walked out through the front door, with the Legion apparently none-the-wiser.
The architecture of the Legion HQ jutted sharply out of the more round and organic Elysian spires. The tall building featured bland but sharply angled concrete sides, seemingly cleaved in two by a ground to roof glass section. Immense columnar decor completed the faux-Roman look. Where the vertical glass section met the ground was the main lobby. The crew saunter up to the lobby entrance just as the stragglers of the day workers shuffle out from the sharply transparent lobby. Saskia and Benesh were dressed in sharp and professional tailored suits. Following them were Reinhard, who wore the tactical turtleneck of a bodyguard, and Quinn who had insisted on keeping his usual robes (despite Benesh's selection). He would be the VVIP, where his unusual manner of dress would only add to disguise. The code cylinders let the group in through the armored glass entryway with no trouble. Quinn's unusual dress turned several eyes, but the gravitas of the entourage clearly had the right effect, with many of the office works only sneaking glances at what they assumed to be a dignitary of some sort. Even the lobby's security officers nodded their approval at the passing security detail, who clearly had the right credential to be here. No knowing where to go, the group walked up to the elevator bank and pressed the button. Benesh quickly scanned the floor descriptors and decided floor 12 sounded the most promising -- "Business Center & Virtual Conferencing". When the elevator doors dinged open, a pair of shocked office workers shuffled awkwardly to the side and the crew entered. The elevator raced up smoothly to the designated floor, the glass sides offering a dizzying view of the vertical lobby and, through the glass walls, the jungle and spires outside. A chime signaled their arrival and they stepped out onto reception area. A handsome looking man in a toga stepped out from behind a desk and, clearly used to seeing unusual guests, greeted them politely and asked their business. Thinking quickly, Benesh nodded toward the row of doors, "Teleconferencing. Urgent." "But sir, I do not have anyone on the schedule..." "Good. Then you won't have to kick anyone out." "I'm sorry, but you need to be registered..." The receptionist moved in front to block the group, but Saskia drew her pistol and pointed at the paling man, "Listen, we don't have time for this. We need the room right now." "We are not on the books," Benesh added, "It is for very urgent business." The receptionist stammered and nodded, seeming to understand and brought the group to one of the big virtual conference chamber. As the others filed out, Benesh stopped the receptionist with his palm, "See that we are not interrupted."
The virtual conferencing chamber was a semi-circular amphitheater, with desk stations for the attendees that could also project a hologram in place of the seat. These fixtures were of no use to the crew as they huddled around the tech support terminal at the side of stage. Once again, their code cylinders had granted them access and the Legion VI program materialized. "I am Delphi. How can I help you today?" She chimed pleasantly at the gathere group. Simply asking the right questions proved very effective. Cassidy Khosla was definitely on the file. She was currently held in one of the sublevels of the building. While she would not say so, it seemed like she was being held against her will. More than that, it seemed that she was due for a transfer offplanet, with a destination that was classified even at the code cylinder's level. Intrigued, Benesh pushed for more details about Khosla, but was stonewalled by Delphi. Feeling like perhaps they had worn out their welcome, the crew gather their things and manage to glimpse through one of the interior facing windows a sizable security detail getting off the elevator. They quickly went over their options and decided simply walking past them was the best bet. So once again, the crew put on their best VIP faces and left the conference chamber. Out front, it seemed the receptionist was arguing apologetically with the security detail -- something about "not to be disturbed". As they passed, Benesh gave one of the officers a nod and got an up-nod in return. They stepped into the same elevator that the security detail arrived in and keyed for the ground floor. Sweating bullets, the crew walked out through the front door, with the Legion apparently none-the-wiser.
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