Starfield:Companion - Barrett/Story SG02 Case

Quest:	Com_Companion_Barrett
Scene:	COM_Barrett_Story_SG02_Case

Barrett:

"I've been thinking a lot about my early days in Constellation lately..."

--

"Got me pretty nostalgic and I started digging in some old things, just sort of reminiscing."

--

"I found some of Ervin's last messages to me and thought I'd listen to them again to hear his voice."

...	Player	Response
	[+Starborn?] I assume Ervin's messages had a secret message.	You know... that sounds silly, but listen.
	I hope that was a comfort.	It was surreal, honestly.
	That sounds depressing.	I guess I didn't think of it that way, but yes, it was sad. It was also comforting though.
🗣︎	Were these previously unread messages?	No, I apparently read at least a few of these. I just don't remember... it was a difficult time.
🗣︎	Whoa, wait. What are you talking about?	Oh, sorry. I got ahead of myself there. Remember a bit ago we were talking about Constellation? I've just been thinking about it since. And Ervin, my husband, used to be in Constellation way back when. So my mind jumped to thinking about him. So I was listening to these old messages to hear his voice.

"So, most of the messages were everyday things. Lots of excitedly written news about biodiversity and plant life."

"But one thing stood out."

"In one of his messages he mentioned this job that he took at a mine shortly before he died. "

"He said something terrible was happening there but the message was garbled after that."

...	Player	Response
	[+Starborn?] He sent you an encrypted message, but you know that.	Aw, did I give it away somehow? It was my voice, right? I sounded too giddy... too dramatic? Oh well, that's precisely correct.
▲	[+Cyber Runner?] Sounds like an outdated form of encryption, likely from the before the Colony War.	Precisely. And as a tech person, you also know that style of encryption was prone to error and rarely used outside of academia.
	Interstellar communication isn't always reliable.	True, but this was different. I recognized this pattern from the war. A portion of the message was encrypted.
	I hope there's a point to this story.	Just wait, listen. The point is that I found an encrypted message where one shouldn't be.
🗣︎	Are you seriously worried about something from twenty years ago?	Kind of. I mean, it depends, right? If it's something that's still happening today then I care.

[BQS:210]

"Well, Vasco helped me decipher it."

"Turns out the message was from Ervin and he was begging me to help him."

"The message was short but his voice was pained... he was so upset."

...	Player	Response
	Let's get the time machine.	I know this is probably long done. But I heard his voice. I can't just... not look into it.
▲	That must have been difficult to hear, Barrett.	Yes. Hearing his voice in so much pain was very difficult... I wish I had noticed this message when he sent it.
🗣︎	What was the message?	He said they were going to destroy his life if he didn't leave the planet now. Then he asked me to help clear his name... said they had a case against him. He sounded so upset.
🗣︎	He was injured?	No, he was frustrated and angry. He said they were going to destroy his name.

"So, in this message Ervin said he was being framed."

"He said they'll do it again... he asked if Constellation could send more help."

...	Player	Response
	This recording is twenty years old.	It is but I was thinking about it and well, it's still wrong... right? So, I figure hey... I can do some sort of a remote investigation here. See what I can find out. There's got to be a paper trail, right?
	Ervin is dead. We can't help him.	I understand that, trust me. But I still want to know what happened. He mentioned a court case, so there's a paper trail.
🗣︎	Who is "they"?	His former employers at some job he took before he died. I think it was a mining company...
🗣︎	Framed for what?	Not exactly sure, but he mentioned a court case... so I think there's a paper trail.
🗣︎	You didn't notice this encrypted message before?	No, I just thought it was garbled. I just wasn't paying attention... I don't know.

"Now, I happen to have a trustworthy contact who knows a bit about law and owes me a favor."

--

"I'd need to pay in advance in case there are any access fees or bribes."

...	Player	Response
	[+Starborn?] [QB211] If they're quiet, we'll send over coordinates to an empty mine later.	Fair offer. I'll assume you have a plan to acquire those coordinates down the road.
	[+Leadership?] | [Q+111?] | [Q+113?] [QB212] Constellation can pay for it.	That makes sense. Ervin was one of us, after all.
	[Pay <Global=NPCDemandMoney_Medium> Credits] [QB213] This should be enough.	That works. I'll tell them to go ahead with the investigation.
	[< NPCDemandMoney_Medium?] We can't afford to pay for extras.	[Q+121?] [QB214] I'll pay it, Captain. Maybe I can convince Constellation to let me expense it later. [or] [QB215] Don't worry about it. Like I said, they owe me.
🗣︎	What is your contact going to do for us?	He knows how to navigate archived and redacted legal documents, so he'll look for anything to do with Ervin on Gagarin. If those documents are protected, he might have to pay to access them. Might need to grease some palms, too.

[BQS:220]

"You know, hearing Ervin's voice again made me want to help him even though I know I can't. Does that make any sense?"

...	Player	Response
	[QB222] No, it doesn't make sense. Ervin is gone.	You're right. It is what it is. But being able to find out answers... maybe even right some wrongs. That could mean a lot.
▲	[QB221] If Ervin was that upset then it must still be important.	I appreciate that. It's going to be hard to get to sleep tonight after all this, but the fact that I'm doing something about it might be enough to help.
	[QB221] [Flirt] Everything makes sense when you say it.	Huh. Can't say I've had that effect on anyone before.
🗣︎	Do you think this will help him?	No. I know I can't. I just don't want whoever hurt him to get away with it... if that's what happened.

• [Q+230?]

"Hopefully poking around in old records doesn't catch the attention of Hephaestus."

--

"Well, anyway. I'll let you know if my contact finds anything."

[QE290]