For Goodness Sake: Where's Johnny!
01 Dec 2024Vasil Vasilescu
MISSING PERSON: REWARD NOTIFICATIONSubject: Johnny Bright
Height: 188 cm
Weight: 88 kg
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Last Known Location: Irrational Exuberance, Forculus System
Details:
Johnny Bright, a rising entertainer with a growing reputation in the Forculus system, was last seen aboard the Irrational Exuberance—a space station famed for its extravagant indulgences, libertine attitudes, and unpredictable party atmosphere.
Shortly before disappearing, Bright, known for his captivating performances alongside the legendary Benny Cosmo, made an unscheduled appearance at one of Cosmo’s shows on Irrational Exuberance. During the brief set, Bright and Cosmo dazzled the crowd with an impromptu duet, reigniting speculation about future collaborations.
During the performance, an altercation broke out in one of the balconies involving Bright’s date, a striking young woman with fox-like body modifications. Witnesses report Bright leaping in low-g from the stage mid-performance to assist her. Captured by mobile arena cams, the short brawl was initially dismissed as part of the show’s theatrics, which thrilled the crowd. However, Bright’s disappearance after the show, and the station’s sometimes shady reputation, has cast suspicion on whether or not the disturbance was just part of the show.
Shortly after the incident, Bright left with his unidentified female companion. Despite the station’s sprawling entertainment districts, and Bright’s status as a rising star, no verified sightings of Bright have been reported since the encounter. Family, agents, and collaborators have expressed increasing concern over his disappearance.
Reward Offered:
A three-million-credit reward is available for any information leading directly to Johnny Bright’s location. All tips will remain confidential, and the reward is payable upon Bright’s verified location.
If you have information, contact:
ERS Missing Person Recovery
"Help us Brighten the Galaxy again! Bring Johnny Bright home!"
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Vasil read over the notice one last time before committing it for wide distribution across the major news feeds. That last part about brightening the galaxy was egregiously maudlin, but appropriate. These types of notices always had an appeal to emotion which was supposed to motivate people to help. Even a fake notice like this one needed the legitimacy afforded it by some kitschy catchphrase.
Yes, Johnny Bright was missing, and had been for several years, but only because Charles "Creamy" Goodness, the person who was Johnny Bright, was missing. Vasil and the search team knew exactly where to find the pirates were who had kidnapped and marooned Creamy, but directly contacting the raiders to ask where they left Creamy would raise questions. How did the team discover where the pirates were currently hiding, and how did they knew Creamy had been marooned and left for dead? Pirates tended to put bullets in the brains of people they thought were suspicious.
So, the team had to get the pirates to contact them first. They needed a plan that appealed to a pirate's desire for easy profit, and which was layered like an onion, meant to discourage anyone from peeling back too many layers and revealing the truth.
Vasil would use ERS to issue a reward for the Johnny Bright alias in order to establish a credible search for a known missing person. After a week, Maul would approach his contact, a minor pirate calling himself Pilfer, claiming the Imperial behind the reward seeks more than just information. The Imp, Vasil, knows Johnny Bright is really Creamy and believes pirates under the pirate lord, Vengerfield, were involved in Creamy's demise. The imp does not care if Creamy is dead, all he wants is to recover Creamy's remains for some bullshit political purposes. That is why he is searching for the Johnny Bright alias, to keep political rivals from realizing what he is doing. Maul would also suggest Vasil had a connection to a skirmish between Vengerfield’s pirates and a privateer called Red Jade. He'd hint that Vasil not only witnessed the battle, but leaked intel to an unknown associate, who then told the pirates about Red Jade's impending ambush, allowing them be ready for Jade and win the battle. Maul would then offer Pilfy a cut of a larger payoff if he could facilitate contact with the pirates.
The plan was full of half-truths and misdirection, was overly convoluted, and utterly confusing. In other words, a perfect recipe for spectacular success or even more spectacular failure.
If things went according to plan, the pirates would be contacting Vasil and the team, seeking a quick profit for info on Creamy's death. They'd also be less suspicious knowing that Vasil had a part in their victory over Red Jade.
Hell, if they were really lucky, someone unconnected to the pirates might know where Johnny Bright is and save everyone a butt ton of time. After all, who does not want to brighten the galaxy?