The City At The Center of Mars (Red Planet Rising)

Spaceport Strike!

Part Ten: You've Got A Friend In Me!​

---

You depart the Garrison bright and early, around the time that the patrols are switching from the graveyard shift to the morning one. Heading out to the Spaceport, to meet with the Laborers. Bill, Janice, and River are staying at the Garrison, for now, to help supervise the investigation while you and Galle get the papers from Laura and her people. It'll be a long day today, you're sure of that. The weather's nice, at least - Pleasantly warm and sunny.

When you get to the barricades, there are no issues like last time - The Laborer guards have been forewarned of your arrival and let you pass, giving you nods and waves. A few don't even bother to get up, playing some kind of card game on the ground. Seems news has spread around - A lot of their behavior is relaxed in a manner you doubt they'd feel towards you if you hadn't removed Hellas. The atmosphere of dread has vanished, and new hope has sparked in their eyes. They don't bother taking your weapons or giving you an escort, either - Another sign of trust or perhaps, laxness. Instead, you're just given directions to where Laura's set up for today.

Sister Galle glances over at you, as you walk through the streets leading to the Spaceport's primary administrative building. "Hey, Rosalind - Uh…have you wondered what the Spaceport might be used for, once this is over and it's been repaired?" You tilt your head, thinking about it. You've considered the logistical aspects, certainly, from your own discussions with UN personnel during the War, though much of that is moot, now, after League One's destruction. But you doubt that's what Galle's asking about. "Frankly, Galle, I think you might have a better idea than me. I'm not much for engineering or the technological side of things." She shrugs. "It's just, I've been thinking - What could it really be used for, now that orbit is so…uh, cramped? Blocked? I'm not sure what the proper word is…but, yeah. It's a big landing pad - Will it just be used for air vehicles, like the helicopters used by the Nomads? Or, heck, maybe the Shanxi?" You think about it for a second, searching your memory. Some of Station's researchers had been talking about trying to replicate the Nomad's grasp of air technology for logistical, transport, and combat purposes - As well as ways to counter it. Even if orbit had been blocked off, for now, it shouldn't interfere too much with air travel - So, in theory, the Spaceport could instead become some kind of…Airport? Heliport? Skyport? What would they call it? You muse on that, as you enter the building. Laura's giving some sort of speech, and you settle in to listen as she seems to be wrapping it up.

"And that's why, in my opinion, we can't limit ourselves to just being a group about construction - We need to be spreading our ideas to the tailors, to the farmers, to the guards, to every aspect of labor in the District, those ones who're currently stuck in their petty ideas of craft guilds and family businesses! We've gotta ensure that we follow that principle - One Big Union! We will not allow ourselves to become entrenched in our own class interests, like the bureaucrats of the Council-" You frown momentarily, in reflexive solidarity with your oft-maligned bureaucrat brethren, before blinking and deciding not to feel offended on behalf of the Watson Council. "Or the academic elites of University!" The crowd claps, recognizing it as the capping off point. Galle's clapping too, you notice. "Thanks for comin', everyone - Right, that's all for today - If you want to keep attendin', feel free to take a look at the schedule we've got up on the wall. Comrade Sarah will be holding a talk here in about an hour, on her opinions about how to unionize the working women of the District, and about how to start unionizing women abroad under our banner, as well." The people start to filter out, talking to each other about the seminar and if they intend to attend the next one. You notice that some of them don't have the look of Laborers about them - One or two wear badges or pins that are absent from any Laborer form of dress you've seen thus far. Perhaps signifying employment elsewhere?

Laura spots you and moves through the crowd, strolling up to you and Galle. "Conductor! Sister! Good to see y'all again. I assume you're here 'bout those papers I promised ya?" You both nod, and she turns around, gesturing to follow her through a door. You and Galle enter into a storage facility, currently unoccupied by anyone but filing cabinets and empty shelving units. Laura pulls one open, grabbing a sheaf of papers out of it. A few pictures fall out of it, and she has to lean down and awkwardly pick them up after handing the papers to Galle. "Now - No offense, I trust y'all, but a lot of the membership voted on being a bit more cautious, just in case. We're going to ask that the originals are kept here, for now - Feel free to copy whatever you need from them, but the photos and whatnot have gotta stay here." You nod. "Of course, Steward. Do you mind if we borrow this room to take a look at them before we leave?" She shrugs. "Fine by me. I do have to go, though - Need to help set up for Sarah's talk." She exits, leaving you and Galle in the room to start going through everything.

---

Since there's no table, you settle onto the floor, sorting through the papers and looking through them piece by piece - And the picture it paints isn't pretty. You choose to arrange them in order from least severe to most severe as you take notes.

The first problem is, essentially, seemingly undirected mild instances of skimming off the top - Allegations that Garrison personnel are trading off small bits of ammunition and Stadium equipment from their stores to acquire various non-essential goods and services from locals. This is essentially just an incident log, typically consisting of "[name] saw Garrison Member [name] slip [name] Stadium-issue knife, received bar of chocolate in exchange." or similar levels of minor incidents. None of the names mean anything to you, and frankly, this isn't that big of a deal - A few reprimands and punishments for the worst offenders, tighter accounting of supplies, and actual investigation of reports of 'lost equipment' will handle the majority of it.

Unfortunately, mixed in with these accounts of skimming are more serious allegations - It seems a small smuggling ring has popped up in the Garrison, involving someone high up. Several of the reports of 'trading' include far larger quantities of supplies than any single garrison member could get on their own without being noticed, or of supplies you know are restricted from common access - Primarily, higher-grade military gear and ammunition. Notably, most of these anomalous reports indicate that the supplies involved in them are going into the hands of the Enforcers, or that the Enforcers wound up picking them up from whatever intermediary was used. In addition, what's being traded back seems to be more on the technical end than luxuries, as you would typically see from smuggling rings like this. You see a lot of vehicle parts being noted, a lot of specialty goods and supplies that probably were smuggled or traded through University. That's…troubling. Most of the photos are included in this segment, covertly taken from rooftops - Garrison members carrying crates back and forth from trucks. Nobody you recognize, but you'll be able to use this to identify members of the smuggling ring.

Finally, there are incidents of 'favoritism', which the Laborers characterize as some form of extortion, though they admit that's just speculation. Apparently, when conducting counter-insurgency investigations, even before the Laborer fracas, the Garrison has displayed patterns of bias in their targets. Specifically, they seem to be targeting 'cooperative businesses' over independent craftsmen, and they straight up haven't touched a single Council-run business or industry. Often, these 'investigations' wind up impeding work or otherwise shutting down the cooperatives for a few days, damaging equipment, or just plain old driving off workers fearful of being arrested. Complaints filed to the Garrison by these businesses never go anywhere. Noticeably, you've never heard of any of these so-called 'investigations' in the reports that the Garrison has been turning in, which means that either Hellas was lying even more than he indicated, or that this was happening under his nose, for whatever reason, and it never wound up getting to him, hence why it is the most severe.

Now, luckily, it seems that both of the actual organized operations are fairly small - The reports repeat names quite a bit, and there's noticeably no overlap between the two trends you identified - Garrison members the Laborers identified as being smugglers aren't involved in the theoretical extortion operation, and vice versa.

As you're laying all this out in your notes, Galle frowns, looking over your shoulder. "Rosalind - I'm looking at, ah, the second part you laid out over here - I recognize a lot of this equipment that the Laborers are noting down as being given to the Garrison in exchange for the ammunition and other such things. It seems to be a lot of maintenance supplies, construction materials, and tools - That sort of thing that was always in short supply back when I was in the Administrative Exchange Program!" She points to another part of your notes, cataloging traded items by the smuggling operation. "Everything that seems to be being traded away by the Garrison is the sort of thing we always had in surplus, too. Could they be trying to make up for, uh, supply shortfalls by trading with the Council? We don't know the exact details of what Hellas did and didn't approve, after all, right? Some of this could be...theoretically legitimate - If not necessarily transparent." You nod, thoughtfully. That is a possibility - If not necessarily a likely one. Still, Hellas was prone to lying on his reports. Could he have lied about his supply needs, planning to make himself look better by not needing in-demand items and arranging to acquire them through black market channels?

When you return to the Garrison, after bidding farewell to Laura, you've got a few leads you can pursue - Which do you choose to focus on first?

[] Put pressure on the small fry - Find some of the members of the extortion group, and convince them to flip on the ringleaders. Who's giving them their orders?

[] Interview Hellas - What did he know about all of this? Did he know any of it?

[] Dig through the supply logs of the Garrison and find out exactly where the books have been fudged, as well as why.

QM's Note: Thanks for reading and welcome to the weeds of the investigation! If anything's confusing, or you have any questions - I'm happy to answer!

It is the future - 2217. The Collapse brought about the end of human civilization as we know it a century ago. Now, the remnants of humanity struggle in turn on Mars, fighting for survival and dominance. Raiders prowl the wastes, preying upon survivor collectives. Nomadic groups of survivors roam, trading for vital survival resources on their patchworked vehicles. And you - The largest factions on Mars, eye each other. For one day, Mars will be unified once more…and you intend to see it be under your banner.

Welcome to Red Planet Rising, a 4X Inspired GSRP of Post-Apocalyptic Politics in the ruins of Earth's largest Martian colony! In Red Planet Rising you play as members of the leadership of a number of survivor factions, each of whom has managed to successfully overcome the first century of survival on a hostile world made worse by the fallout of a grand conflict beyond the scope of any of the survivors. The main conflict of the game is about the future of Mars' governance and leadership- an increasingly important question.



Red Planet Rising is the GSRP that inspired me to write these quests in the first place, and I've dreamed of running a (slightly revised) version of it for a while. With the help of some other people, now I intend to! If you'd like to join, the thread is here and the discord is here.

I'm not halting work on CATCOM or anything, this is just a fun project for me to run alongside it! Update should be coming tonight!

Spaceport Strike!

Part Eleven: The Prisoner's Dilemma​

You're in the office you've requisitioned, smiling politely at the sweating Garrison member. Janice is standing by the door, and the rest of your team is outside, waiting politely. Nobody is speaking - You're just letting him sit there and think about his life choices.

After a moment, he speaks up. "Um. Conductor. Uh. May I ask why you called me in here?" Your smile widens. "Well, Militiaman…Ronald, was it?" He nods, glancing back and forth between you and Janice. Another drop of sweat glistens on his forehead, slowly tracing its way down. "We're here because we're aware of your… activities." He pales. This man is an awful liar. How the hell did he manage to get involved in this?

"And so, we're here to make you an offer. If you come clean - We'll ensure that whatever punishment you receive isn't that harsh. Alternatively…" You trail off, still smiling. You let his mind fill in the blanks. You can practically see all the wild rumors he's heard percolating in his head until he snaps. "Alright! Alright, I'm sorry, I really am, it was just one time, I thought it wouldn't be this big of a deal! It was just this scarf that looked really nice and I saw it while I was on patrol by the marketplace and he said he wanted my knife for it and I know we're not supposed to trade them away, but he was so convincing-" He pauses, staring up at your face of utter confusion. "...Is this, uh, not about the…scarf?"

"No. No, it isn't." Janice leans over the chair, chuckling. "Right…" A few moments of explanation later, you get the story from him. Apparently, he was following orders - As far as he knew, whatever was happening was legitimate, and he didn't see any extortion going down. The orders were issued from his patrol's elected leader. You let him go, and start pulling in other people you know as having participated, and they all say the same thing after questioning, though a few do break and confess to equally minor violations as the first militiaman, which you do write them up for. So, eventually, you pull in the patrol commander. He tells you, strangely enough, the same thing - He says he got his orders from higher up, though - Says they got reports of the businesses being fronts from Goalie Maxine Dembowski. Which is…interesting.

---

By the end of your interviews, you come to a troubling conclusion. From what you can tell, all of these people believe fully that they were doing legitimate business on behalf of the Garrison - Which leaves you with quite the conundrum. You've only got one option now, though, that evidence has been presented to you. You nod to Janice, and she sends River and Bill to retrieve Goalie Dembowski. In the meantime, she looks over at you.

"Ma'am, permission to give my thoughts on the situation?" You wave your hand. "Granted. What's your perspective, Janice?" She nods and begins to speak. "With all due regard, ma'am, it seems as if regardless of what's occurring - The command structure of this garrison is hopelessly involved or so incompetent as to be unfit for their position. This is a deficiency common in groups with elected officers - In my experience, at least, with no offense intended to Station." You disagree, of course, but you continue to listen, gesturing for her to go on. "If we are forced to remove even one of the three remaining high-ranking figures, it will likely cripple the Garrison - I doubt they will be capable of fulfilling their counter-insurgency duties, even after new officers are elected, and frankly, I do not trust them to effectively do so. While there are not a wealth of good options at this point in time for such-" She pauses, then continues.

"I think that after a thorough investigation and, if needed, a purge of the Watson Council, folding counter-insurgent duties into the mandate of their Enforcers may be necessary to have a hope of restoring trust in MPA governance of this District. Locals managing locals. Even if we manage to keep the cause of all this on lockdown, people are going to form their own opinions about why Garrison officials are being arrested after you arrived - And it's only going to drive a wedge between Stadium and Watson District. This place was boiling over before the Garrison got decapitated, and though I think it was the right thing to do, cut off the rot at the source, it still needs addressing. If we don't, we'll see more violent independence movements, more insurgent recruits, and I can't imagine University won't take advantage of it to try and get control of the Spaceport for itself. The only answer is to give them at least some of what they clearly want - Autonomy. A lessening of the hold on the District. Not enough to let them into the arms of University or anti-MPA interests, but enough that we aren't strangling them like, frankly, it seems the MPA's presence in the district has been." You continue to listen, but she seems to be done. A sigh emerges from your lips. She isn't necessarily wrong - But that's the rub, isn't it? Any option that grants that increased autonomy likely comes with significant caveats - From the Laborers to Dollfus to the rest of the Watson Council. "I'll think about it, Janice. Thank you." You spend the rest of the time waiting in a semi-awkward silence.

---

Goalie Dembowski arrives a few moments after you and Janice finish talking, being escorted in by Bill and River. "So, Conductor, what can I do for you? I'm a bit busy, no offense - Though I can always make time for you, hah!" She chuckles. You glance over at Janice, who looks back and shrugs. Dembowski watches the exchange with mild intrigue, still not seeming to pick up on the subtext. "You two, uh…So…" She coughs into her fist, regaining her composure. "So! What can I do for you?"

You speak. "Goalie Dembowski. We've called you here to inquire about the Garrison's counter-insurgent efforts." She nods. "Yep! They're going great - We've been following leads left and right, ma'am." You raise an eyebrow. "Really." She doesn't seem to catch onto the deadpan tone. "You know it! My boys and girls have been responding to local reports on the double for weeks! Haven't left a single stone unturned when it comes to the concerns of the locals!" Though you give up on trying to manipulate her through the atmosphere of the room and conversation, internally, your interest is piqued. Locals…are locals using the Garrison as a tool, perhaps?

Janice speaks up. "Locals? You have a reporting apparatus?" She nods. "Yeah! Jacob handles most of it, he and his little crew - Does a lot of the paperwork around here, hah! He's kinda like Hellas-Er, well, the old Captain's secretary, and he'll probably keep doing it for whoever gets elected. Not like there're a ton of disputes for him to handle. So, he gets to practice with all that Referee paperwork business and we get duties spread out a bit more evenly." She shrugs. "Not the most orthodox thing in the world, but it works!" You glance over to Janice again, and she glances back. This time, Dembowski picks up on it. "Hey, Jacob's not in trouble for this, right? He's a good guy - Dating my brother, for Mother's sake. Everyone in the Garrison loves him. I know it's not orthodox, sure, but it's within the tolerance for things like this, ain't it?" It is, but that isn't the issue - The position Dembowski describes here would fit perfectly for someone sabotaging the Garrison and causing significant - if not all of the issues described thus far, and possibly more besides. Controlling the Captain's access to information, controlling the manner in which locals report to the Garrison, significant personal connections to everyone in power in the Garrison, such that they wouldn't question him…

It's not guaranteed - Not by any means. Dembowski could be a good liar throwing the Referee under the bus, or the entire 'extortion' scheme could be simple coincidence of actual counter-insurgency - But if Cysat handles the paperwork, then he could be the reason why none of this ever made it into the reports. Even if he is responsible for some of it, though, there's no guarantee he's responsible for all of it. You still haven't figured out why he might do this, though. Could he be a saboteur? A secret MUC plant? If you pull him in, you might risk him clamming up before you have all the evidence. It might be best to just haul him in immediately and try to get everything out of him...but it also might be worth it to dig a little deeper first. You have a choice to make.

[] Haul Referee-in-Training Jacob Cysat in for questioning immediately.

[] Hold on - Let's check the supply logs first, and see if there's any link to him there.

[] Hold on - Interview Hellas. Does he know anything? Can he give any more context on Jacob Cysat?

QM's Note: Thanks for reading! Could it truly be so easy? If y'all have any questions - I'm happy to answer! Also, sorry that this took a bit longer then I'd planned!

Spaceport Strike! ​

Part Twelve: Pulling On Loose Threads​

You can't let Dembowski out of your sight - Not while she might warn Cysat. "Goalie Dembowski." You stand, projecting a tone of authority that brooks no disagreement. "You will accompany me and my team to the logistics center of the Garrison. We will be conducting an immediate review of the paperwork there." She blinks, and then nods, standing. "Alright, Conductor, uh, ma'am. Yes." She turns around and starts to walk out, followed by you and Janice. After a short official explanation to the rest of the team on your way out, they follow. You walk side by side with Dembowski, while Janice lags back and whispers to the rest of them - Hopefully explaining your true reasoning, or what she's gleaned of it.

Bill hurriedly moves to join you and Dembowski, with a respectful nod to you - One that seems quite uncharacteristic of his typical demeanor. Hm. You reach the logistics hub within a few minutes. Most of the Garrison's central areas are within easy walking distance of each other, which is pleasant, in comparison to your first day of hiking around the District. The personnel there make way for you easily enough, allowing you into Don's office - The Coach himself is absent, handling some of the business you assigned him. Therefore, it's a simple task to begin digging through his files. Bill and Galle join you for this task, while Janice and River keep watch over the logistics center - And more surreptitiously, over Dembowski, who's awkwardly waiting with them as the rest of the team starts digging through the logistics logs.

When you're done with the initial review, you're partially relieved and partially exhausted. On one hand, it doesn't seem as if Cysat has anything to do with these logistics logs - Coach Don seems to handle most everything himself. However, unfortunately, that also directly implicates Coach Don in the smuggling operation you discovered, if that is what it is. You're able to cross-reference these logs with the reports you reviewed before coming, and the numbers are definitely changed. Could it be Cysat altering the numbers? Bill's rubbing his head as well, looking across the papers in Don's office.

"...I won't lie, Rosie. Doesn't look good, does it." He sighs. "I know this isn't a good showing for Stadium - But I do hope you won't let this color your perception of us." You shake your head. "I've worked with plenty of competent Stadium Coaches and personnel, during the war. I wouldn't let one bad experience sour me on the entire nation - However, I trust you can see why this is impacting my ability to put my trust into this Garrison, yes?"

He nods, starting to re-order the logs. "I still think there's a chance for them, though. I mean, Mars, handing off control of this place to the Watson Council? The Laborers? It'd be a mess. A clean sweep'll be better. Get rid of the Garrison's corrupt elements, clean out the Council's clock, whatever shady shit they're definitely up to, and ensure the FLA gets to a better place - Then the District can return to normal. No need for new elections, Laborers'll be pacified, MPA'll be happy…and we won't have handed the District over to University or to folks who'll fund insurgents."

Galle pipes up. "I think you're being a bit unkind, Bill - The Laborers aren't going to fund insurgents. Or, uh…at least not MUC insurgents. They're anarchists - They'll support anarchists and leftists abroad. Labor movements, too. We have to focus on the, ah…how did Brother Onon put it…the hearts and minds of the people we're helping - And the Laborers are clearly a good way to do that. If we just work with them and support them, they'll see how they can work within the MPA." You're not sure about that…and neither is Bill, it seems.

"Look, Galle - I get it. You're young, you-" She frowns. "I'm young, but I'm not stupid, Bill. Look, I realize that you're older than me, but that's no reason to treat me as if I have no idea what I'm talking about. I'm not a child." You cough, awkwardly, mentally trying to revise your image of Galle. You'll admit to somewhat patronizing her, at least internally. "Galle, Bill - I don't think there's any need to argue. We're here on a simple mission-" Bill barks out a laugh at that and Galle giggles, slightly. You smile, acknowledging the absurdity of the statement "Well, at least this part of it is simple. We've got the numbers - We've got the logs. We know that Don was the only one to handle this. Now, we're going to get him in here, and we're going to ask him why. And if he has a reason, then we'll have sorted this out - And if not, then there's no room for corruption in the MPA." You nod, the gesture mirrored by the two of them.

Galle glances to the side, at Bill, flushing slightly. "Sorry, Bill - I didn't mean to snap at you. I just…ah, I feel a bit awkward - You all are a bit older than me, or, well, a lot older, sorry-" He shakes his head, chuckling. "It's fine. I'm proud of my age - Shows my experience!" She nods, continuing. "And you all…well, you're a lot more comfortable in this sort of thing than I am. At that party - I really do appreciate you pulling me out, Rosalind, but I feel…like I'm in a sandstorm without a mask, sometimes - Like I'm choking on the unfamiliar atmosphere, and I wish I could just…acclimate already. And you all went out to that bar, and while I appreciated the time to meditate, I also felt a bit sad about being left out because it was an action I don't participate in, even if I was the one who turned you down, which is stupid, right?"

You and Bill glance at each other. This feels like a moment that's almost parental, which makes you somewhat uncomfortable - Galle's your coworker, after all, not your ward. You cough and speak up, choosing to frame it in that manner, rather than risking overstepping your bounds. "Galle, as…colleagues, especially in this position, we're expected to spend a lot of time around each other. And that means having clear lines of communication. If you'd like to suggest doing something else, we're more than willing to listen to you - It's our…professional responsibility, as colleagues." Bill chimes in. "And as friends, hopefully." You side-eye him - You were trying to keep this from getting too personal, to avoid potentially overstepping any professional boundaries or hurting Galle's feelings. Still, she seems comforted by this gesture and smiles.

"Right. Back to work, people - We've still got more logs to sort through, just in case there's any further malfeasance."

---

Now that your complete review is done, it seems Coach Don runs a tight ship - Bar for the smuggling operation that, legitimate purpose or not, you are now one hundred percent sure he must be involved in. Little is out of place, and what little is has reasons noted down in a tight scrawl, except for the supplies coming to and from the smuggling. That is left conspicuously blank to your trained eye if perhaps not as obvious to an untrained one. Still - It's enough evidence to call Don in, with Dembowski acting as an observer in addition to your team.

Within a few moments, he returns, accompanied by Janice and River. You're sitting in his seat - A power play you hope he appreciates, as he pales slightly. It seems he's picked up on the context of this visit. Will he drag it out…? "So, ah, Conductor - What can I do for ya?" Seems he will. You pick up the stack of papers you prepared for him, and gently nod for him to take a seat. He does so, the meekness displayed by his posture at odds with his stature - The man is a bit taller than average, now that you think about it. Regardless, you hand him the papers and let him look through them, his face slowly deflating with each piece of evidence.

He sighs. "I suppose the jig is up, then, eh?" You raise an eyebrow, letting him continue to dig his own grave. Dembowski is watching with surprise and more than a bit of pity. "Right. So, Conductor - You gotta understand, Hellas was…he was a good soldier, a real politician. I know that, I voted for the man, even if he turned out to be, uh, a real cheat, you know? But he had no head for numbers or logistics - Which isn't necessarily a problem! It's why my position exists." He rubs his forehead. "But that's where the problems started - Hellas wouldn't approve my requests for the things we needed - Not weapons, or ammunition, but vehicle maintenance supplies and technical parts - Things we needed to keep the Garrison at full functionality. Or, if he said they went through, I talked to Cysat and he told me that he never passed them along! He said they were inessential - That they were in too high demand! That it'd look bad if we kept requesting so many of them!" He shakes his head. "He didn't seem to get that they were in high demand because they were essential!"

River rolls her eyes and Janice seems nonplussed, but you, Bill, and Galle all grimace with some level of shared sympathy and disgust. Don continues, encouraged by the sympathetic reaction. "And so I had to make do. It wasn't strictly legal - And I'd never have been able to get Hellas to sign off on it. The man didn't want to give the Enforcers anything more than we needed to. But Rosa Lederberg had the parts we needed, and she wanted more materials for her people - So we worked out a deal. She'd get me the parts I needed if I got her the parts she needed. And everyone got what they needed! And it worked! Right up, well…" He sighs. "Yeah. Right up until now."

You glance at Dembowski, who shrugs helplessly. "Well…everyone sorta knew the Captain, er, Paul wasn't the best at that sort of thing. But Don seemed like he was handling it, so everyone figured it was going alright." She glances over. "You shoulda told us, Don." Don shakes his head. "And risk getting recalled and making the problem worse? Get Hellas pissed at me and see nothing change?" She shrugs, and River speaks up. "You said Cysat knew?" Don nods. "Yeah - He handled a lot of Hellas's paperwork." River nods and then follows up with another question. "Why not just have Cysat fake the paperwork, or slide it through?" Don pauses. "I won't lie and say the thought never occurred to me - I was in deep enough as is, though, no offense. For all that I was…uh…bending regs to get this sorted, in theory, it's technically legal-" Very technically. And if you find proof that the materials were used to conduct any illegal activity, then it's likely he'd be guilty of aiding and abetting it. Of course, that's if the man doesn't get recalled if you announce it to the rest of the Garrison. "And I didn't want to actually get into trouble for impersonating an officer and all that. To say nothing of what Hellas would've done if he'd found out - He did not like folks who tried to infringe on his authority."

You sigh. "Goalie Dembowski - Would you mind taking Coach Don outside for a moment? You two can sort out any personal business you have regarding this event while I consult with my team for a moment." They both nod, and Don stands, taking his leave, with Dembowski close behind. You can see them through the window of the door, though - If either of them makes a run for it, you'll know.

"Right. Team. Thoughts." They glance at each other.

Janice speaks first. "Eh. Coach Donovan didn't do anything wrong, in my opinion. He did what he had to. He even kept himself from crossing any really illegal lines in service of that, right?" She shrugs. "Not sure how else to put it, but without his work, the Garrison probably would've put itself a lot more at risk in any theoretical major uprising or insurgency." Sister Galle shakes her head, speaking up. "But he also prolonged Hellas's corruption - He didn't blow the whistle. It was, ah, River, it was cowardice! Like you said about Councilwoman Dollfus. He should've informed people - Not stayed silent and just…quietly sealed over the cracks."

Bill nods. "He would've been risking a lot to do that - But it would've been the right thing to do, in my book. Now, all this has been festering - And an unreliable group has a lot of Stadium weaponry stored away for a rainy day, or making its way out onto the black market. Looking into the Enforcers needs to be our next top priority." River shrugs. "Man did what he had to, Galle - Cowardice would've been not doing his duty, or trying to shirk it or shove it off onto someone else. I think the Garrison'll agree." You nod, listening to their points before speaking. "I do want to raise the point - If the Enforcers did anything illegal with that weaponry, he becomes at least partially liable for providing them with it, under MPA law." There's a round of grimaces at that. "Seems fair enough, but I don't think he ought to be removed without proof of that - Even though he did do this." Janice opines. Galle shakes her head. "He ought to be removed, in my opinion. Hellas is gone - There's no longer a need for his program, and he's just as guilty regarding corruption as Hellas was. It'd be easy to turn the existing ring here into an actual smuggling operation. We'd best shut it down and not give it a chance to fester - Like Bill said!" She looks over to him with a smile, and he nods. River shrugs. "I don't really have an opinion - Throw it out to the Garrison. He's their official. They can vote on whether or not to keep him."

You think about that…"Right, then. I've come to a decision."

When Coach Donovan and Goalie Dembowski re-enter, you inform them…

[] That Coach Donovan will be relieved of his position temporarily, pending a full investigation into what occurred with the items traded to the Enforcers.

[] That what occurred with the Enforcers will be publicized to the Garrison, who will be given the opportunity to recall him if so desired, pending a full investigation.

[] That judgment has been reserved until a full investigation can be performed by your team.

And once that's handled, you prepare to…

[] Interview Hellas - It's time to get the last bits of information out of him regarding his potential influence in the District and Garrison, as well as any connection he has to Cysat.

[] Confront Cysat - You've got what you can. Best to move quickly before there's any risk of a leak alerting Cysat that you're looking for him.

QM's Note: I'd like to welcome @grimely onboard as my newfound co-QM for this quest, and thank them for all the help they've given me in writing this update! Anyways, two votes today, so if y'all have any questions, just ask!