Places to Hide

Gallente epic arc - Syndication
Chapter 3 - Inertia
Previous mission: Rat in a Corner OR With Authority
Next mission: Little Fingers OR Oldest Profession OR Octomet Plantation

Type	Branch
Objective	Choose your path

Mission briefing

Mourmarie sent you? How sweet. She hadn't used me in a while, but this kidnapped kid is kinda big. That's why the Black Eagles have pros like me on the, er, team. I'm in the freight business, and I'm completely legit now, I swear. My specialty used to be in sentient biomass freight, if you catch my drift, but now I focus on moving livestock. Not nearly as profitable, but it's honest. Trafficking kids is a tricky business. Yeah, they're small, but people have a soft spot for a sad child, so you gotta find places where nobody will notice them or care. I know a few of these places around these parts, but this is grasping at straws, really. The kid could be anywhere at this point. Check out one of these places, and I'll send some of my friends to the others. Some eggers like you owe me favors. So take your pick. Octomet Plantation >> What most people realize is that slavery exists everywhere around New Eden, not just in the Amarr Empire. Except around here we don't call it slavery; we call it farming. Children are great for the big bio-farms out in the border regions and tucked away in deadspace pockets. They can work the fields at practically no cost, and you barely have to feed them. Since they're kids, they don't get no paycheck. Plus, you can raise them like cattle. It's a great racket, if you're into that type of thing. There's a plantation nearby called the Octomet Plantation. From what I've heard, it's connected to the Syndicate, but who knows? All I know is that if you want to hide a kid, there's no better place than a child farm. To me, all kids look alike anyway. Take a gander around the plantation and see if Ralie is there. Seeing as he's a high profile kid, odds are he's in their mansion. I could be wrong about all this, of course. But either way, you'll be taking out some bad guys, right? You'll probably have to fly to lowsec to get to this plantation. Gotta warn you beforehand so you don't come blaming me if some pirate takes you out when you're not looking. Better fit a battlecruiser or heavy frigate. You know, something sneaky. Little Fingers >> Though I don't think it's the Syndicate's style – too obvious, if you ask me – there is one place very near here that could be holding the kid: the Rattler Row. Rattler Row is, for lack of a better word, a sweatshop. Child labor is more common than you think, and not just at child farms like the Octomet Plantation. Much of the manufacturing produced throughout New Eden is based on the exploitation of the young. Is it legal? Debatable. Is it profitable? Absolutely. It's also the bread and butter of human smugglers, although sweatshop owners refer to them as “recruiters.” The Rattler Row sweatshop focuses on manufacturing ammunition, though it's not always the legit product. They're really a front for counterfeit ammo, which is shoddily produced and sold to rubes all over the black market. Dangerous stuff, really. Kids seem pretty adept at making ammo, though, so they keep the product available at incredibly low costs. Ralie could be there, working on the factory floor. Explore the Rattler Row. Look for any signs of Ralie. You'll probably run into some of their guards, so take them out. It's a long shot, but it might be worth it. Oldest Profession >> A strange habit found among body smugglers is to hide stuff at brothels. I don't know exactly why they do this. Maybe the flesh trade, whatever they're dealing with, just sort of attracts itself. I don't know. Anyway, there's a brothel that has been known to hide some kids. Not for working there, mind you: The flesh trade can be seedy, but they're not that immoral. At least, not that ones I know of. The place is called The Spintrix. Real nasty little place. I might have frequented there in my younger days, but their standards have plummeted. The men working there are way below even my meager standards. Go to Archavoinet and visit The Spintrix. Poke around there and see if the kid is there. You may get some aggression from their clientele – they're practically animals – so take them out. If a whore loses business, it's no skin off my back. You will have to fly through lowsec to get to this destination. It isn't far, and The Spintrix is actually in a highsec system. If you think you can run the gauntlet in your current ship, go ahead, but watch out for pirates. Don't say I didn't warn you. Arnalen Octomet The last known member of the Octomet family is Arnalen Octomet, a former executive in Quafe. He was the last member of a withering dynasty, and much like his family, he could not handle the lifestyle of a wealthy socialite. Drugs, especially Frenetix (a diluted form of the Frentix booster) took control of his life. Within a few years, all of the former Octomet properties were abandoned or foreclosed. Arnalen Octomet disappeared shortly afterward, assumed dead, though he has been spotted as a day laborer in some systems in Solitude.

You are offered three choices:

• Octomet Plantation takes place in a random system. Usually low security system but it can also be in high security.
• Little Fingers takes place in the same high secuity system where the agent is located.
• Oldest Profession takes place in high security system Archavoinet. You must travel though low security space to reach it.

The choice has no effect after the next mission is completed.