Operation Grievance: Pound the Pavement

I have taken a long break from this campaign (too long) to play some other RPGs, but with the release of Paul Elliott's SOLO Second Edition (SOLO 2E) I am stoked to get started playing again.  I am picking up the story from where I left off last back in 2021.

341-1122

System: Abin

Setting: City streets of Dakala 

The Mission: 

Make contact with an informant who has information on the location of the criminal organization who possesses the medallion and locate it. 

Story Narrative: 

The group makes its way into a seedy area of the city and heads into a local tavern known to be a hangout for members of the criminal organization responsible for the medallion theft. The local undercover cop who is escorting the party has infiltrated the gang, and will introduce them to his confidential informant (CI). 

Tavern patrons enthusiastically greet the undercover cop, so it appears his cover is good. A rather burly and surly individual approaches and asks, "who the hell is this?" The undercover cop vouches for the I-Con Squad, and although the street tough gives a skeptical grimace, he nods to the undercover cop and walks to the back where a private group is gathered at the back of the tavern. The undercover cop smiles and says," a round for the house!" While the patrons hoot and holler, the cop whispers to Icond that the street tough is actually a high-level enforcer for the criminal organization. Everything is cool for the moment, but be careful. 

After about 30 minutes, a rather wormy looking figure enters and heads to the table where the party is sitting. The undercover cop introduces the party to Turl Herdisen, his CI. Turl's high-pitched and squeaky voice fits his image, as he proceeds to tell the undercover cop the news that the medallion has already been sold, or at least that's what he has heard.  

As far as the undercover cop is concerned, he believes the CI is telling the truth.  Colonel Janice waits for the CI to move on before voicing her opinion.  "Despite his claims, I think it would be foolhardy to believe it before checking it out.  I think we need to investigate further." The rest of the team along with the undercover cop agree.  After all, the CI is low-level and may be misinformed.

Create a Plan:  

Make appropriate Skill checks, then apply DMs to The Plan roll.

Solid 8+   Danger Level: Dangerous

GM Notes:

I will make appropriate skill level checks (Cepheus Light Rules) for the I-Con Squad members and use these as positive and/or negative DMs for the plan resolution roll. The fact that the I-Con Squad is unknown on Dakala means their inquiries will be viewed as highly suspicious, even with the undercover cop's presence.  The squad members nonetheless are skilled at this kind of work, especially Icond, Chance, and Ritch. I consider this type of activity to be quite dangerous and it could lead to the death of a member or members of the team.

Plan Resolution:

Skill DMs: Successful checks: Icond, Chance, and Ritch (no automatic success rolls made) / Failed: Col. Janice (no critical failures) = DM +3

Plan Roll: 2d6 +3 = 12  Success!!  [I decided not to roll for a consequence due to the level of success]

Story Narrative:

The I-Con Squad along with the undercover cop hit the streets over the next few days to further investigate news about the medallion theft.  Ritch befriends a local jewel thief who is quite knowledgeable about the theft.  She has reliable information about the party responsible.  It has not yet found a buyer who will pay their asking price.  She tells Ritch they are exceptionally greedy, and will hold out for top money.  Although she doesn't know who is holding the medallion, she does know a crew member of the responsible organization.  His name is Sarosh Nakajima, a member of the Throttle Kings.  The Throttle Kings have ties to organized crime in Dakala, but are one of many such gangs.  The Throttle Kings or 'TKs' are mainly involved with the illicit drug trade, but have a few members who specialize in theft and fencing of high-value items such as jewelry and weaponry.  Sarosh is part of the theft/fencing operation. The jewel thief gives Ritch his address and tells him, "You didn't get this from me."

 

The party locates Sarosh's residence, an apartment in a better section of this rough neighborhood of Dakala.  A sign that he is not simply a low-level street thug.  A quick survey of the apartment location indicates security systems are present.  A straight approach will not work, but the I-Con Squad has a few options at their disposal.  One difficulty will be the bio-identity access passes at the apartment entry point. The team will need to decide whether to defeat the security system and make entry, or conduct a stake-out and track Sarosh's movement.  Time is of the essence, so long-term surveillance is not possible.

GM Notes:

At this point, the options for the team are limited with the time factor situation.  Nabbing him and conducting an interrogation probably won't yield much.  Approaching him as potential customers is an option, but someone approaching out of the blue without a known connection would be highly suspicious and would probably fail. Time to break out the One Page Solo Engine Generator (OPSE)!!

OPSE Results: 

Advance A Threat=An agent of the 3FT is also looking for Sarosh.  Does the 3FT agent spot the party casing Sarosh's place? 

Find out by making an Ask The D6 check for the situation.  Result=Bad stuff happens, but it's not yet catastrophic. 

GM Notes:

With this development, I think it would be great to actually play this out using my game's combat system.

Up Next: Advance a Threat Resolution

***AI images obtained through https://perchance.org/generators