Entry point 1
Jae"The Exalted One bless the house of von Valancius for your largesse of spirit, shereen! And thank you for deigning to speak with me." Jae turns unusually hesitant, now tentatively choosing the words that only a moment ago rolled off her tongue in an uninterrupted cascade. "Here's the thing, shereen — my network of 'trade representatives' has been stretched a little too thin recently, like a chiffon dress on a whore. Supplies are all over the place, orders aren't being filled, clients are kicking off — and not without reason — and revenue's plummeting!"
Jae"And if that wasn't bad enough, my guys running things from Footfall have been incommunicado recently. And an Astropathic message has finally come in to tell me why: some ashmag — or ashmags, Throne smite them — has captured my gang! And they're threatening to kill every last one of those hard-grafting whelps if I don't do what they want..."
Jae"And they only want one thing: my Mercatum Tabula Officiale in exchange for my gang's lives." Jae tosses her thick mane of hair and grits her teeth, looking more vicious than you have ever seen her. "But I'm not giving up my certificate for anything! And nor am I going to leave my guys high and dry. That's why I am begging for your help and protection, shereen. If I have to step into a cage of hyenas, I'd rather do it with a lion at my side."
YOU"Toliman did not say who sent the message?"
Jae"Shereen, you know yourself that all this Astropathic chitchat is nothing but a stream of images, thoughts, intentions... nothing concrete! But I don't need the name of the sender — I already know it. I can smell Falco's stench all over this... or else it's Vladaym's doing — this is just that damned ashmag's style, azhi take him!"
YOU"Toliman did not say who sent the message?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"It could be a bluff."
Jae"It could, shereen. But I've been missing the familiar stench of the docks, and darling Octy and her bar, and even the stony gaze of the Exalted One that watches over you wherever you are on Footfall. I'm homesick, you see?" The tender smile vanishes from Jae's face, leaving a nakedly bleak expression behind. "The Exalted One helps those who help themselves, shereen. And I don't want to risk the lives of my people."
YOU"Toliman did not say who sent the message?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"It could be a bluff."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why should I help you? It seems you have reached the limit of your abilities."
Jae"If the intoxicating feeling of your own magnanimity isn't enthralling enough, shereen, I will remind you of more mundane but no less significant concerns. My network of Cold Traders is falling apart because someone threw a spanner in my well-oiled machine, and then a few more for good measure. If we do not remove these obstructions, the network will not recover. And all the resources and effort you have invested in my business will have gone down the drain."
YOU"Toliman did not say who sent the message?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"It could be a bluff."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why should I help you? It seems you have reached the limit of your abilities."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"When we reach Footfall, I will help your associates."
Jae"I look forward to that day, shereen! And praise be to the Exalted One for bestowing such a miserly portion of haughty indifference upon your heart."end of branch
YOU"I've had enough of your problems, Jae. Deal with them yourself."
Jae"If the galaxy itself bows down before the will of the God-Emperor and the Rogue Trader, though the Rogue Trader be nothing compared to the might of the Master of Mankind..." Jae shrugs her augmented shoulder and smiles thinly. "...then who is Jae Heydari to gainsay your decisions, shereen?"
Jae"Thank you for dispelling the fog of naive expectations that clouded my gaze. I will not presume to disturb you any longer."
Jae"Lord Captain, permission to report. Jae Heydari... is gone. It is difficult to say when and how she left the ship, but only a few items are missing — her personal weapons, her certificate, and a small box containing securities. I believe she has returned to Footfall. According to vox-officer reports, she was always telling the crew that she would do the 'last decent thing in her life' there."end of branch
YOU"When we reach Footfall, I will help your associates."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I've had enough of your problems, Jae. Deal with them yourself."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why should I help you? It seems you have reached the limit of your abilities."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"When we reach Footfall, I will help your associates."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I've had enough of your problems, Jae. Deal with them yourself."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"It could be a bluff."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why should I help you? It seems you have reached the limit of your abilities."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"When we reach Footfall, I will help your associates."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I've had enough of your problems, Jae. Deal with them yourself."continues where this line first appears above