Starfield:Companion - Barrett/Story SG04 Investigation

Quest:	Com_Companion_Barrett
Scene:	COM_Barrett_Story_SG04_Investigation

Barrett:

"You know, I needed this. Exploring the galaxy with you by day, investigating the mysterious legal woes of my long dead spouse by night..."

...	Player	Response
	I'm glad to see your sense of humor is back.	Vasco never appreciated my humor that much.
	We're not on a strict day night schedule.	That sounds like something Vasco would say.
	[Flirt] I love adventure and mystery, but a little romance is nice too.	You know, I couldn't agree more.
🗣︎	What else were you hoping for?	Hey, I'm not complaining! Honestly these have been some of the best days of my life in a long time. I mean that.

"Hmm. I was just remembering how I'd pour my heart out to Vasco... so many times."

"I told him all about Ervin. He showed me a chart of how sad I should expect to feel."

...	Player	Response
▲	I'm sure Vasco was a reliable co-pilot.	We got to point B many times just fine. Top notch co-pilot, would recommend him to anybody.
▼	Vasco is just a simple robot.	He's not so simple, actually. He wanted me to work on a social ritual algorithm with him, believe it or not.
🗣︎	He had a sadness by time chart?	He was really hoping the visual presentation would help. It did not.
🗣︎	You talked to Vasco about Ervin?	Why not? Trust me, I've talked to way less sentient humans before. Vasco's just fine for most conversations.
🗣︎	Did you travel with anyone else other than Vasco?	Sure, folks from the Lodge, folks from my past. I've got friends when and where I need them. But traveling with you has been different... we're more of a team. It feels stronger.

[BQS:410]

"Anyway, I'm glad you here right now because we have things to discuss about Ervin's case."

--

"I heard back from my contact."

--

"They looked into Hephaestus Mining Corporation. Looks like they paid off the judge."

--

• [Q+331?]

"And that's not all! My contact really came through for us."

--

• [Q+331?] & [Q+332?]

"Turns out, the witness was threatened until he withdrew his testimony."

--

• [Q+332?]

"And thanks to our contact, we now have the receipts. "

...	Player	Response
	[+Gangster?] That's not nearly enough for the court to convict. Trust me.	This is why I always leave the legal stuff up to Walter. I think we're going to need a security expert to get more usable information.
	We need more evidence.	I tend to agree. It's interesting... but not enough to take it to a lawyer yet.
	We should hire a lawyer now.	I'm glad you're confident already... I'm not, though. I'm worried we don't have enough evidence to go up against a massive corporation like that.
🗣︎	[Q+332?] What's the proof the witness was threatened?	My contact has an audio log with the identity of the speaker verified, timestamped, everything.
🗣︎	[Q+331?] What's the proof Hephaestus paid the judge?	Bank transactions. A precise amount was transferred to the judge only the day before the ruling.
🗣︎	Do you have the actual evidence with you?	No, my contact does for now. I trust them. We worked together a long time ago. And it depends on what I want to do with all the proof, if anything.

[BQS:420]

"So I know a Cyber Runner who has accessed corporate archives before."

"They can dig into the classified archives before we go to a lawyer."

--

"We can pay extra for them to use less legal methods to obtain information, but that adds risk."

...	Player	Response
▲	[+Cyber Runner?] [QB421] Tell them to use the backup system to retrieve the data, it has less security.	Oh, good call. I'll relay that to them. Reputation is pretty important for people who work with smugglers.
▲	[Pay <Global=NPCDemandMoney_Large> Credits] Do it.	[Q+121?] & [Q+221?] [QB421] I appreciate that, Captain, but I'll take care of any fines or bribes that come up from this. You have always been so supportive of me during this process... let me take care of this part. [or] [QB425] I'll cover any costs for bribes or fines that go over that amount.
	Let's not press our luck.	[QB422] That's definitely wise, and absolutely why I'm glad I asked you. I think I can do some digging in public records on my own, so I might. That's much safer.
🗣︎	What happens if we're caught?	I don't know. I guess that's a good question for a lawyer.

[BQS:430]

"Depending on what they find out, it might be time to talk to a lawyer. I'll see if I can find one."

--

• [-TrueGlobal?]
  "When all this is over, I think I might sleep for a week."
• [+Barrett_Q02?]
  "Whew. Taking on Hephaestus isn't going to be easy. And I say this as someone with actual superpowers."
  "Why couldn't I have gotten something more useful, like the art of cross-examination? Might've come in handy at the trial."
• [or]
  "Whew. Taking on Hephaestus isn't going to be easy. And I say this as someone who's fought the Crimson Fleet."
  "Maybe I should study up on the art of cross-examination. Might come in handy at the trial."

...	Player	Response
_END	I think that's the lawyer's job. Let's focus on gathering evidence.	That's solid advice. Know your actual limitations, and not the ones granted to you by a mysterious superpower.
▲	I think you'd make a great lawyer.	Objection, your honor! I think our lawyer in Gagarin is the right choice.
_END	[Flirt] I think you'll need a nice long massage to de-stress.	Massages are nice for relieving stress, sure, but... Have you ever jumped around in an atmosphere full of human-sized colorful bubbles in ultra low gravity? It's bouncy chaos. Wait... oh, you meant like... you and me... uh, right. Gotcha. I knew that. Sure, massages would be perfect... *ahem* My, oh my.
🗣︎	Do you have any other dead loved ones with mysteries to solve?	Well, my long lost cousin had this farmstead that was taken over by pirates. I'm just kidding. But no, probably not.

...	Player	Response
	Overruled.	Ha! Hoisted by my own petard! I better get to studying my legalese...
	Sustained.	And I win! Wait, does that mean I'm a good lawyer? I caught myself in a paradox it seems.
	Don't worry, I wasn't being serious.	Whew, that's a relief. I'm a physicist. Court rooms are not my natural habitat.

[_END]

"Anyway, let's go adventure while we wait on the Cyber Runner to get back to us."

[QE490]