Lying Liar

[archeologue]

[Belloq remains in the clothes he was wearing during the expedition of earlier, the pith helmet off his head, but the safari suit dirty and stained from a day crawling about the jungle. His head is bowed in remorse.]

I am sorry to report that Niko Bellic, wilderness guide, fell today in the course of his duty.

I will not distress with details, but only say that we were taken by surprise by a swarm of skeleton archers while exploring a temple. Niko fought bravely, and I owe my life to him. He is a credit to all who risk their lives leading us through the dangerous wilds. May the psychopomp guide him to peace.

I will be at Pugsy's tonight, raising a glass in remembrance, if any would like to join me there.

[And the lie is done. Even Belloq doesn't exactly know where that temple was. Niko, as guide, had that knowledge. There is little chance that someone will find Niko before he really is dead. And Belloq's done his duty to the Orion Syndicate, for which he'll be paid well.]


((OOC: Feel free to network reply or action spam at Pugsy's))

Comments

for Kay

[thumbsdown]

[When Boone first hears Belloq's words, he believes them. For maybe a few moments, he's convinced that Niko is dead. He doesn't do anything more than stare at his communicator for that time, thinking back to all the times Niko told him he wasn't easy to kill. Then he remembers something else Niko told him. And suddenly, he's not so sure Niko is dead.

Maybe he's just clinging to that thought because he doesn't want to believe that Niko could be gone. Maybe he would've insisted on checking just to make sure even if Niko hadn't warned him. It doesn't matter. He promised him. Even if he does find him dead, at least he'll know. And Niko deserves more than to rot in some temple.

The problem is, he doesn't know where the temple is. And he's not about to ask Belloq, because he doesn't want Belloq to know that he's going to go back for him. So he heads straight for the security station, and to Kay's office.]

Need to know where Niko was last.

[most_feared]

[Kay isn't as affected by the news as Boone, sadly. It's just how things go. People die, and people grieve, but Niko hasn't been someone he knows so he's being treated like any other guide. That is until Boone comes in.] Suspicious of somethin'? [Not that he doubts it, he stands up to go into motion before Boone's even answered, but he needs to check.]

[thumbsdown]

Don't think he's dead.

[Kay is Boone's boss, he's not going to lie to him. He doesn't have to tell him what Niko told him, but he'll at least admit that he doesn't believe Belloq.]

[most_feared]

[Kay could insist on a good reason, but he knows what he would do. If he was convinced a friend was still alive, he'd just fuck off without back-up and do whatever he damn well pleased. It's better, in the end, if he sends Boone out there with some support.]

Alright. Well, let's see what we can do. If he's alive, he might be in bad shape if he was in a fight with skeletons. [He doesn't have reason to doubt Belloq's story.]

Double check with Belloq about the location, tell him it's to retrieve the body. In the meantime I'll check with the museum and if they don't have a solid record of them going out, I'll follow up with Jeffers and the communications next work. We can at least see what route they took by what filters they accessed on the way.

[He makes a motion at the door.] Scoot. Then get back to me.

[thumbsdown]

Okay, sure.

[He leaves the room, bringing up his communicator as he goes.]

[domesheriff]

[when she activates the communicator, Linda is in her security patrol uniform, but this is clearly not official business--not from the distraught expression on her face]

Niko's...dead?

[it's all she can manage to say, and from her dismayed tone, she's hoping somehow that Belloq will contradict her]

[una_persson]

[Una didn't know Niko as well as she might have liked—though she knew they'd talked when she was there before—but she liked him, and after seeing Belloq's announcement, she just sort of sat and stared into space for a while. Later that night she shows up at Pugsy's, soberly dressed, and seeks Belloq out.]

Rene, I'm so sorry about Niko.

[voice]

[thumbsdown]

Need to know where that temple is. Gotta go get the body.

[If Belloq is lying, he expects him to give him reasons not to go back, or for him say he's forgotten where the temple is. In fact, Boone is hoping for excuses and lies. For all he knows, Niko really did die back there. He wants to believe he didn't, though. He'll hold onto hope until he sees the body himself. He's not sure what he'll do if there is a body, but... he'll think about that if he needs to.]

[ewestmarch]

Planet's dangerous.

[Emilia is reading a thick book, and doesn't look up from it to speak.]

Life's dangerous.

[archeologue]

Thank you.

He was a good friend, Una.

[And the devil of it is, that isn't actually a lie.

He waves the bartender over.]

Let me buy you a drink.

[archeologue]

I'm afraid so.

There was nothing I could do. Not even retrieve his body.

We will miss him.

[voice]

[archeologue]

I don't know the precise coordinates. Niko had that information and it was left with him. All I can say is that it was somewhere in the jungle. We teleported in and from there we hiked about five hours, so probably 10 to 15 miles or so. I couldn't say which direction; the canopy was too thick to see the sun.

[It's bits of truth mixed in with misdirection. He doesn't know how the teleports work, if they can record where you go like a train ticket recipe. But if they do, he can't let himself be caught lying and claim they were in a desert or a tundra. But they'd hiked for seven hours, not five. If they stick to the smaller radius, covering all that ground first in all directions, that might buy him enough time for Niko to actually die.

He's starting to wish now that he'd turned off the darts and let the Orions go after him and make sure the job was finished. This was too precarious. It was simply that, if Niko dies from the elements, or starvation, or spiders in the dark, Belloq doesn't have to feel as culpable.]

[archeologue]

It is indeed.

But that makes it no less tragic when life is cut short.

[voice]

[thumbsdown]

Right.

[He pauses for a moment, wondering how much time Kay will need to figure out roughly where Niko is.]

...How'd it happen?

[It's no secret that Niko and Boone are good friends. If he didn't ask, it would seem odd.]

Pugsy

[folkscallmewander]

[Wander shows up at Pugsy's that evening, cradling his kitten as he walks up to the bar. He got her as a gift from Niko the last time they saw each other, but he never would have thought it would actually be the last time.

He sets the kitten on top of the stool before climbing up, then moves her onto the counter.]

I'm so sorry. [Niko was one of his best friends here. Sure, Wander considers most of the people he meets as friends, but Niko was one of the closest.] He was one of the nicest, bravest people I ever met in the galaxy.

[domesheriff]

He... [but she trails off. whatever it is that she started to say, she can't bring herself to finish. it's not that she knew Niko that well--she's only been here for a few weeks, after all. but of all the people here, she felt closer to him than almost anyone else. they were both people from small places with an immigrant background and a shared understanding of being a fish out of water, and she appreciated the support that he gave. he was kind and helpful, too--she liked him a lot]

[but instead, she says:] Thanks for...trying to help him.

[she may not know Belloq, but she believes his words implicitly, knowing both the dangers outside and Niko's willingness to help others. Belloq's story fits with that, and she isn't angry at him--just stunned by the loss]

What happened out there?

[most_feared]

[When he returns, Kay has already done what he can. He got the transporter log, the three last archive locations that Belloq accessed, and one slim, negligible communication.]

[When Boone arrives, he has a arial map of the the last locations.] Well, on the plus side, it looks like it it's on an island. Sort of a largish island, but there's less to explore that way.

Better watch out. Jungle heat is different from desert heat. [He motions for Boone to pass the communicator over so he can upload the information.]

[thumbsdown]

[He hands over the communicator and frowns.]

You know where to find him?

[He just wants to find Niko as soon as possible. He's thinking less about himself than he should be.]

[most_feared]

No. I'm afraid not. All we can get is that general area. You'll have to look. But if you can find an artificial structure, some of the ruins, it would probably be around there somewhere.

[Then he hands the comm back, his serious look settling.] Take someone with you. Another officer that is on call and maybe a guide. Don't go out there alone.

[He hesitates.] You gonna be alright? [He knows he's in a rush, but he's just checking.]

[video]

[athousandcurses]

Oh no... Niko...

[She didn't know him well or Belloq either, but Grainne looks upset and distraught over the news.]

Will there be a ceremony?

[archeologue]

[He sticks as close to the truth as he can. It's harder to disprove that way.]

We were exploring a temple, proceeding as usual, nothing out of the ordinary. There were a few monsters along the way, but Niko dealt with them. Then we got to a place where there were poisoned darts along a hallway and a stone door at the other end. And levers that control the darts and the door. Turn the levers one way, the darts are disarmed temporarily, turn it another and the door opens. I was manning the levers while Niko explored ahead.

Beyond the door...it was very dark. An ideal place for the monsters to lurk. They attacked him, too many to fight off. I was on the other side and since the levers were set for the door to be open, that meant the darts were active. There was no way I could get to him to help. If I disarmed the darts once again, the door would have closed, trapping him in there with them. I could do nothing but watch.

[Belloq is a practiced liar and imbues his words with a fitting amount of anger, grief, and frustration at his supposed inability to reach Niko. His hands were clenched in fists and his expression grim.]

[voice]

[archeologue]

He was exploring ahead. We had encountered a lever trap. I was manning the levers and Niko was entering a chamber we had just opened. It was very dark, the sort of place the monsters here are wont to dwell. They attacked, and there were too many at once for him to fend off.

[He puts up a good act, a rattle of his fist hitting a table in anger and frustration.]

I couldn't do anything to help. There were poisoned darts between myself and the chamber. To disarm the darts would have meant closing the door on Niko, locking him in with those things. But while the darts were active, I could not cross over to him without being killed.

That is why I...I couldn't even retrieve his body. There would always be either darts or stone door between him and me, no matter how the levers were positioned.

[video]

[archeologue]

I hope so, although we have no priest here. Perhaps a ship's captain would be willing to perform the rites.

Niko deserves a proper funeral, even if, to my shame, there is no body to bury.

Pugsy

[archeologue]

[Belloq has already drunk many a glass, but he raises a toast at Wander's words.]

Yes...that he was. A very brave man. And a very nice man, too nice for our line of work, sadly. Too honorable.

[thumbsdown]

I'll be fine. More worried about Niko.

[He takes the comm back, looking down at it.]

I'll take someone with me. And... thanks. For not asking too much.

[As his boss, Kay easily could have asked for a legitimate reason for him to go out there besides having a hunch. He appreciates that he didn't. Boone doesn't want to waste too much time.]