Move 2.3 Recap

At the security conference, the team kidnaps Jedao.

Setting Up the Operation

The team's initial plan places Reshad, Seyli, and Sulen in the hall where the Lanterner attack on Jedao will take place. Reshad is at the team's booth, posing as a salesperson. She can trigger a jet of gas that will drug everyone in the hall and render them compliant, using a drug that Ione and Remi formulated. (The team members on station are prepared with an antidote.) A cleaning drone with more of the drug is present as backup. The drone has been programmed to look like the work of a minor heptarchate heretical sect, using data gleaned from Sulen and Virmad's Rahal accesses. The plan is for Seyli, disguised as a Kel, to walk Jedao away from the scene after he has been drugged. Sulen is present to scry and monitor the situation. Ione is waiting outside with a delivery vehicle, ready to pick up Seyli and Jedao. Alaric is outside the hall, waiting to retrieve the supposedly drugged Reshad and Sulen. Meanwhile, Aymad has hacked the Lanterner team's lokwors, rendering their information unreliable, and Sasha is hacking the security cameras in the hall and trying to prevent the rebellion hackers Spider and Firecracker from interfering.

In the hall, the assassin posing as a duelist cosplayer corners Jedao and enthusiastically asks him for an autograph. Sulen notices that her signifier is Bed of Roses, which indicates her enthusiasm may be genuine. They also see a second assassin, dressed as an analyst, with a Shuos signifier. Its flicker indicates she will make a move shortly. Meanwhile, someone with pink hair corners Reshad and enthuses about the product she is supposedly selling. She describes the product, leading the pink-haired person to declare tearfully, "That's so amazing! Can I--can I hug you? Or do your people not do hugs? I just, you don't know how frustrating it's been, our intranet and the tech support and that one time with the ransomware and everything."

Via the group communications channel, Sulen says, "I believe I've spotted a backup. Analyst under the QuickEat Ration Bar banner." Sasha pages Gerae, who traveled with the Lanterner ship, and asks whether he recognizes her; he confirms that she posed as the cook. Sasha also checks rebellion and local databases for information about this person, but finds nothing useful. Sulen asks, "Would you like me to distract her?" Sasha instructs, "Watch her and the collector, and alert us the second either one starts to make a move. Seyli, there are more Lanterners here than we anticipated, and we don't want you recognized. Stay back until we activate the drug." Seyli listens but, worried about onlookers, does not respond aloud. Sasha asks Gerae whether he can identify the pink-haired person speaking to Reshad; he does not recognize him. Jedao points down the hall and declares, "I think I see the famous duelist Kel Isha. I bet you could get them to sign cards, too!" When the cosplayer turns to look, Jedao starts running in the opposite direction.

Jedao Under the Influence

Sasha instructs Reshad to release the sedative gas, and tells Seyli to keep pace with Jedao. Reshad confirms receipt of the instruction, and triggers the command. Gas jets out spectacularly, and people begin to scream and panic. Jedao heads toward a booth and grabs a communicator, attempting to call station security. Sasha re-routes the call and pages Virmad: "I've got Jedao on Line Seven. He thinks we're station security. I need you to stall him until the drug kicks in." Virmad acknowledges, running a hand through his hair. On Line Seven, Jedao describes a "situation": "Some kind of gas leak right by the SkipTrack booth. Not sure if it's toxic or what, and people are panicking." Virmad promises to send someone, and asks Jedao to remain calm. Jedao says, "This place doesn't lack for people with technical expertise, but we're concerned that we'll set off your internal security if we try to fix the problem." His usual drawl slides into a slur as the drug starts to take effect. Virmad agrees, "We wouldn’t want to trigger an alarm and set off even more of a panic than what I'm hearing." He promises to stay on the line with Jedao until the supposed security team arrives. Jedao's slur increases, and he asks, "I'm sorry, what were we talking about again? Did I miss a date or something?"

On the team's lokwor channel, Sasha says, "Drug is active. Seyli, grab Jedao and let's move." She instructs Alaric to fetch the other team members, and lets the station cameras see her altered cleaning drone. Meanwhile, Virmad smoothly adjusts his conversation with Jedao: "Actually, it was me — I just wanted to let you know I’m not sure I’m going to be able to make it to dinner tonight. I hope we'll be able to see each other soon, though." Jedao agrees, "Whenever you want to have dinner is fine. Did I mislay my utensils?" Sasha displays the word "FOCUS" on Virmad's screen and then, after a brief pause, "thx".

Reshad messages that she is almost done, then approaches the pink-haired person at her booth and asks for his name, prompting a long story about his relatives. At the same time, Seyli approaches Jedao and says, "Dinner...hasn't been served yet. If you'll come with me, I'll show you to the dining hall." Jedao agrees and asks who else will be there. Seyli, who is disturbed by Jedao's drugged acquiescence, says, "They'll be a whole group of us there." Reshad waves goodbye to the pink-haired person and discreetly follows Seyli and Jedao. As he walks with Seyli, Jedao answers, "Sounds like a fine party. Will there be whiskey? I like whiskey." Seyli tells him, "Plenty of whiskey. And that man who was flirting with you on the phone, he'll be there. If we could just move a little faster, wouldn't want to be late after all." Blinking slowly, Jedao says, "There was a man on the phone? I'm sure you're right. I wonder who he was?"

Sulen is watching the assassin whom Gerae identified as a cook. She announces, beaming, "The voice in my head wants me to look for the general! Is anyone here a general?" Sasha identifies the "voice" as instructions from Flute's team; in this case, the instructions are associated with Firecracker. Seyli, walking ever more quickly, mutters, "I fucking hate foxes." Apparently serious, Jedao agrees, "Foxes are bad. Do you have a dog? I like dogs. My family used to have one when I was a kid." Sasha is suspicious of the idea that a person whose family is, at least in fiction, associated with geese would also need a dog. Over the team's channel, she says, "Seyli, please move faster if you can. Some instructions are getting through to the Green Team, and I don't know how they'll react. I'll call Alaric for backup." She tells Alaric and Ione, "Seyli is with Jedao. He's cooperating, but I'm not sure if it's the drug, or something else. Ione, get close and get ready for pickup. Alaric, we may need you as backup." Alaric confirms, "Moving in to join them."

Seyli, increasingly tense, says, "I love dogs. I hate foxes, but I'm pretty sure someone is about try to assassinate you so we can either pleasantly talk about dogs or start moving a whole lot faster." Jedao agrees, "My dueling teacher always says I need to exercise more anyway," then breaks into a run, straight ahead. Reshad blunders across his path; they collide. Clinging to Jedao's sleeve, Reshad says, "I am so sorry. Here - let me just fix your sleeve-" Jedao apologizes profusely, fiddling nervously with the edge of his glove. "I've always thought the fashions in sleeve length out among the Lanterners were so confusing. Different kinds of lace and all. Do you like lace? I left my nice lace gloves in my hotel room, even though there's supposed to be a dance at some point, wasn't there?" Seyli heads toward the entrance. Jedao waves at them. "That's my friend. What did you say your name was?" Reshad answers, "Let's get you to them, then." She chats about the difficulty of choosing lace patterns and the potential for snags, ignoring the question about her name. Jedao agrees, "That's exactly what my girlfriend Yeren always used to say. Personally, I always go online and check the fashions, and even then it's hard to pick." He asks whether Reshad is related to Yeren. Reshad approves Jedao's strategy for lace and says truthfully, "I don't think I have a cousin named Yeren. But where's she from, if you can say?" As they catch up to Seyli, she finishes, "Ah--here's your friend! The conversation has been delightful." Jedao remarks that Yeren "was always coy about" her place of origin: "Her folks were living on Esker Station when we were both in Academy, but she kind of hinted that wasn't where they were from." He greets Seyli cheerfully, asking, "Did you bring anything nice for the dance tonight?"

Extricating the Team

Ione is driving the getaway vehicle, which the team rented using funds borrowed from a heretical heptarchate sect, using Sulen and Virmad's access to Rahal files. On the team's channel, she says, "Should be right outside your nearest exit." With a bit of guilt, she adds, "Sometimes people under the influence have trouble with doors." Seyli glares at Reshad and greets Jedao with forced cheer, adding, "We really need to keep going, though so why don't we keep walking toward the exit? No need to waste time chatting about fashion." Jedao goes to the exit, but fumbles with the latch. Seyli tries to open the door without touching Jedao: "Here, let me, there is a trick to the door." They wave Jedao forward: "Let's go!" On the team channel, Sasha asks, "Sulen, Reshad, any more movement out of Green Team?" Seyli, in motion, adds, "Has any of the plan changed or are we still making for the moth?" Sasha confirms, "Same plan. Ione's waiting for you, in the blue vehicle. Let me know when Jedao's loaded in."

Listening in on the station security conversations, Sasha tells the group remaining in the exhibit hall, "We're expecting company from the station in fifteen minutes, twenty at most. Alaric, can you collect Reshad and Sulen?" Inside the hall, a woman is moaning and asking plaintively for directions to the restroom. Reshad tells her, perhaps erroneously, "The bathroom is right over there"; she wanders off. Sulen makes an imperfect attempt to wander casually toward Reshad. Alaric finds it easier to feign a harried demeanor: "There you are. We're running behind schedule, we need to hurry if we're going to make our, ah, appointment on time." Reshad agrees with faked blankness, "Oh! There you are. Let's go, we wouldn't want to be late." Together, the three leave the area.

Operational Assessment and Future Challenges

The team carries out its plan for acquiring Jedao effectively, and with a minimum of miscommunication. Sasha's hands-on approach to monitoring a situation is effective in this scenario, and the different team members carry out their assignments without error. What confusion arises is due to the Lanterners, who fail to initiate the assassination attempt they planned. This is inconvenient for the team's plans to use the Lanterner attack to confuse station security as the Cantata makes an escape, but may smooth future interactions between the team and Flute's subordinates.

Though the team cooperates in retrieving Jedao, individual members have wildly different reactions to his presence. The opposite extremes may be Virmad, who is interested in Jedao and even tempted to flirt, and Seyli, who is deeply suspicious and reluctant to touch Jedao even when he is drugged. These varying assessments will have implications for the team's attempts to assess or recruit Jedao.