The employer remains beside the walnut table, while the payment card glows between him and Blackout’s unseen presence. The restored mansion lights hold steady.
the employer
The fee has cleared. Now I am offering you a permanent position as a mercenary for my company.
He opens an encrypted contract on the wall display. Pages of legal text scroll beneath headings for resource access, future assignments, operational discretion, and substantial compensation.
the employer
You would have equipment, intelligence support, transportation, and priority access to contracts that never reach public channels. Your identity remains your own.
The final page replaces the offer’s polished language with technical photographs of the black module, its custom circuitry enlarged beside fragments of the mansion network logs.
the employer
This device proves there is an internal breach. Continued employment depends on uncovering who planted it without exposing my network, my clients, or this company.
the employer
Read the terms. Then tell me whether Blackout is willing to become an asset, rather than remain merely available.
✓ Quest Accepted
Uncover who planted the device
“I read the contract terms, focusing on discretion, intelligence support, and above all else what his expectations are.”
SUCCESS (Superb Perception, rolled +1)
Blackout studies the encrypted contract from the deepest shadow, tracking each clause as the display scrolls through discretion, intelligence support, equipment access, and payment schedules.
The discretion provisions are broad but conditional. He may choose methods and refuse assignments, yet secrecy, client protection, and minimal public exposure remain mandatory.
The intelligence section promises dossiers, surveillance feeds, financial records, safehouse access, and an analyst assigned to active operations. Transportation and specialized equipment require advance notice.
Blackout
The contract grants operational freedom, but the expectations are stricter than the title suggests.
A highlighted expectations clause defines success: complete assigned objectives, preserve deniability, report material discoveries, avoid unauthorized collateral damage, and keep company operations confidential.
the employer
You are not expected to obey blindly. You are expected to deliver results, identify threats before they mature, and tell me when a contract conceals a larger problem.
the employer
The discretion is real. So is the accountability. If you accept, intelligence support begins tonight, and this internal breach becomes your first standing investigation.
✓ Quest Accepted
Preserve Blackout’s freelance autonomy
Director's note
Blackout emerges from the shadows. His mask lights up in such a way, that it appears like he's smiling
“I require the contract to preserve my right to refuse any assignment and to work for any other employer or organizations so long as it doesn't interfere with this company's goals. "You should probably agree to my conditions..." The lights in the room go out. Pitch black. Except for a glowing smile. "If you like having two working legs"”
SUCCESS (Good Intimidation, rolled +0)
Blackout
You should probably agree to my conditions. I can refuse any assignment, and I can work for other employers or organizations unless it interferes with this company’s goals.
The room’s lights go out. Pitch darkness swallows the display, the table, and the employer, leaving only Blackout’s mask emerging from shadow with a glowing, unmistakable smile.
Blackout
If you like having two working legs.
The encrypted contract remains suspended in the darkness, its clauses rewritten beneath the faint glow of the mask. A new section appears, granting Blackout the requested refusal and outside-employment rights.
the employer
Your methods remain theatrically unpleasant. However, those conditions are acceptable, provided your outside work never compromises my company, its clients, or its operations.
The lights return. The employer reviews the amended language, then authorizes it with a thumbprint. The contract locks into place, and the breach investigation becomes Blackout’s first standing assignment.
the employer
There. You retain your independence, and I retain my expectations. Welcome to the company, Blackout.
Quest Complete
Earn the employer's permanent role
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Superb→Legendary
Quest Complete
Preserve Blackout’s freelance autonomy