Freelance Traveller

by Bruce Johnson

The PC's are caught in town when a coup/riot/massive civil unrest occurs. While they are trapped in their hotel by the curfew, a man comes to their door, offering a briefcase full of credits in exchange for a little job. He says he's an aide of the former dictator who is awaiting trial on numerous corruption charges. He wants them to use the cover of the riots to steal evidence from the prosecution...

1. All is as it appears. The dictator is hoping to get back into power, and if the prosecutor cannot produce the documentation, the case will collapse, and he will be able to rally people to his cause.
2. All is as it appears. The evidence includes bearer bonds and bank access chips for the former dictator's secret offworld bank accounts. The former dictator is using the PC's to get his loot for him. If successful, he may offer them more money to get him off-planet.
3. The man is a thief. The evidence includes bearer bonds and bank access chips for the former dictator's secret offworld bank accounts. The thief is using the PC's to get his loot for him.
4. The man is a thief, and he's setting the PC's up as a diversion for his real robbery. The Police will be anonymously tipped to the PC's actions.

5. The man is a high-ranking member of the current government's intelligence services, and is using the PC's to point suspicion toward the former dictator, who was backed by a nearby, more powerful nation, as instigating the riots.

   It's a trap, as secret police will be waiting for them to attempt the theft. The PC's will be put on trial as agents of the other government, who of course will disavow them.

   This can provide considerable leverage on the PC's to do something the current government wants, such as going into the other nation and kidnapping the former dictator.