Cathay
Solaris City
Solaris VII
11 April 3061
Lin Ming sat at a booth in the bar that she had agreed to meet the detective at. She had arrived early and ordered a cocktail, and was sipping on it when the detective arrived and slid into the opposite side of the booth. The server arrived and Nicky ordered herself a whiskey neat.
"So, you have some information?"
Lin Ming shook her head. "Not really. More of just a feeling. Like something is wrong, and I don't know what, I'm just looking to you for help, if that makes any sense.
Nicky took a sip of her whiskey. "It does. Something fishy is going on. You have a right to be scared."
Lin recoiled at that last word. "I'm not scared....just confused. There is more to this story than my boss is letting on, and that worries me, given what happened to Mr. Avellar."
"Do you think it could have anything to do with whatever project you're working on?"
Lin shook her head. "I can't get into that. It's all under NDA and what not."
Nicky shrugged. "I don't need to know the specifics, just if there's any way that it might be tied to Mr. Avellar's murder."
"I don't know. There's certainly corporate espionage to think about, as well as possibly state actors given what I'm working on. But I just don't know."
Nicky downed the last of her whiskey. "Just keep your eyes and ears peeled, look for anything funny going on. You've sensed that something isn't right, and I'm glad you came to me with this."
Nicky reached out and touched Lin's arm. "This is probably just the beginning. Lay low, just keep your nose clean, and everything will work out. We'll get to the bottom of this."
Lin felt an almost electric buzz at Nicky's touch. She wanted to come through for this woman, wanted to impress her if she was being honest. She tried to push the foolishness to the back of her mind. "I will keep you up to date on things. I'll let you know if I find anything out."
Nicky nodded. "Let's get some air."
Lin smiled. "Good idea."
The two left the bar and walked to the nearby bridge over the Solaris river. "So, you're not a local, what's your story?" Nicky asked.
"My story?" Lin posed inquisitively.
"Yeah, everybody's got a story. I was born and raised here on Solaris, so I've seen people come and go my whole life. Everyone comes to Solaris with a story."
Lin shrugged. "I guess I just wanted something different. I always knew I wanted to pilot a Mech, and I just went through the motions back on Altorra to get it done. But there always seemed like there had to be something more to me. I didn't want to end up on some backwater garrison my whole life, so when my enlistment came due, I signed out, cashed out, and bought a ticket here to see what might happen. I guess it's probably every MechWarrior's story here on the game world."
Nicky chuckled. "You're certainly not the first or the last. But there's something unique to your story. One way or another it won't be like everybody else. I see a lot of stories come through here in my line of work. Each of them different. Each of them unique."
Lin smiled. "I guess when you put it that way, it sounds like the grand plan I had in my head."
"Grand plan? What's the grand plan? See, you've got something to your story."
Lin smiled shyly. "Nothing much really, just what everyone wants, to make a name for themselves."
"Oh, so you want to be famous?"
Lin shook her head. "I didn't say that. Just make my mark on the world somewhere."
"Good for you. I don't follow the games much, just what's on the news. But I bet you've got a part to play in all this."
Lin leaned up against the railing, soaking in damp river air. "What about you, detective? What's your story?"
Nicky shrugged. "Call me Nicky. And yeah, I guess I've got a story. Ever since I was a little girl, I've wanted to understand this place. What goes on here, the people and all that. Police work just seemed like a natural fit, investigating things, trying to find out the angle to everything. I've only been a detective for a couple of years now, but I've seen a lot of stories and I've figured a lot out about how this place works. Still got a lot to learn, but I'm trying. That kind of things leads me to nights like these, here, with you, uncovering yet another story."
Lin smiled slightly. She was enjoying this evening. She had somehow gotten past the nervousness and just opened up, at least a little, to this woman. Of course, as a detective, that's probably what Nicky was good at, getting people to open up. Lin took the plunge "You make it almost sound like a date."
Nicky smiled wryly. "I guess it kind of is. I didn't plan it that way or anything. Technically you're still my only suspect in this murder case."
Lin was coy. "So I'm still a suspect?"
Nicky laughed. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that. I just mean you're the only actual person with a motive. Everything else is just shadows. Oh god, that sounded even worse, didn't it?"
"Kind of. But it's ok, I get what you mean, detective. Let's hope this case reveals itself to you and we can dispense with the suspect thing."
"I'd like that. Anyhow, the night is getting late. Can I offer you an official police escort back to your apartment, or can you find your own way."
Lin smiled. "I think I like the sound of that, detective. It's only a few blocks away."
"I said, call me Nicky. Let's go."
The two walked the several blocks to Lin Ming's apartment building in silence, but smiling.
"This is your stop. Look, like I said, just lay low, keep your senses peeled for any funny business, and we'll get to the bottom of this whole mess together. Sound like a plan?"
Lin smiled. "A plan indeed."
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