Vestigial Memories, Session 14: Holden's Office

Scene setup

Countdown event roll: [D6]: [3] => no event
No need for any other setup for this scene.

It’s been too long since I checked in at the Tower. The weight of the drive, the encounter with Kamarr, and the conspiracy with Dante are all screaming for attention, but Holden is the one I have to answer to now.

I can’t give him the sabotage. He’s a company man—even if he hates the suits, he won’t sanction a rogue operation that rewrites genetic code. And with the ghost of Kamarr haunting the streets, I have to assume the walls have ears.

I knock on his door. The air in his office is thick with the smell of cheap coffee and old reports.

Holden: "Locke. Fucking finally. I was about to send a recovery team to look for your remains. What did you find at the hub?"

I take a seat, forcing my posture to look relaxed despite my cracked ribs.

Locke: "It’s a Vestige plot, Chief. They’ve been cooking bootleg replicants using Tyrell data scavenged from thirty years ago. But it’s not a united front. They’re eating themselves from the inside."
Holden: [Leaning forward, eyes sharpening] "Internal feud? Give me the details."
Locke: "There’s a faction with... ethical hang-ups. Hard to believe, but Zhao and the K-model I found are part of it. They’ve been sabotaging the operation for years. They’re the ones who blew the production site and stole the master data drive. They don't just want to stop Vestige; they want to erase it. They’re planning something big, something final. I’m still tracking the movement."

Holden stares at me, his eyes searching mine for the twitch of a lie.

Opposed roll: Manipulation vs Insight
Advantage for locke: Holden has no reason to doubt my word, plus I'm mostly telling the truth
Locke's [D12 + D10 + advantage] vs Holden's [D10 + D12] (taken from the official rules stats)
Result: [11 + (7+4)] vs [5 + 6] => 2 successes for Locke vs 1 for Holden => Success

Holden: "Huh. Radical skinjobs playing corporate saboteur. So, what’s your recommendation, Locke? Do we kick in the doors?"

Locke: "Why waste the manpower? If we move now, we might trip over their feet and let the real players slip away. I say we monitor. Let them do the heavy lifting of burning Vestige to the ground. We intervene when they’re both exhausted, then we sweep up the remains. Minimal effort, maximum results. I’ll stay close to the trail and figure out their endgame."

Holden leans back, the tension in his shoulders dropping just a fraction. He’s buying it. The logic appeals to his "work smarter, not harder" philosophy.

Holden: "Seems smart. Efficient. But Locke... you keep your ear to the ground. The second you find out what that 'endgame' is, you tell me. I don't want any collateral damage, and I definitely don't want a war in the streets that I have to explain to the Chief. You hear?"
Locke: "Loud and clear, Chief."

I stand up and walk out. The air in the hallway feels easier to breathe, but the clock is still ticking.