The Fifth Ace Saloon and Grill

From SSDC, Inc.

This location can be placed wherever the BM needs it to be.

The Fifth Ace is a three-level casino, restaurant and grill run by an Orion by the name of Duchnaur Marauder. After a couple of drunken Rams all but leveled his prior establishment, the Four Aces, Duchnaur – who hates to be called Duchy or (even worse) Douch – built up this new location which has gained quite some popularity in the last few years.

Entering the Fifth Ace, a set of wide, ramp-like stairs lead down to the "Vault", the underground grill of the place. The Vault is decorated with lava stones, it's always dry and hot and everything is built around the idea of "I like to see the Ram who can destroy THIS" (so there is no moveable furniture, and all benches and tables are of stone and durasteel-reinforced ultraconcrete). The local Rams like the place, as they can feel very much at home here and really relax. There is even a "grill your own meat" open table grill area and a wrestling arena.

The ramp leading doewn is so big that even drunken Rams cannot miss it. One has to look closely to discover another door adjacent to the ramp leading into the restaurant section of the Fifth Ace. Here, Duchnaur, who is handsome and charming and gives off the air of old Orion merchant aristocracy, serves fine food and fine wine and whiskey to the rich and famous. A Flux-shield protected opening in the center of the restaurant allows you to watch the underground arena and grill from the safety of your table. Duchnaur owns three I-Bots modeled after him that help him with to serve food while he is busy with small- and sweettalking his regulars.

From the restaurant, a spiral staircase leads up to the casino floor of the Fifth Ace, where a good selection of games of chance is being offered along with fine cigars and some mild drugs aimed to relax. The casino gives off a lounge atmosphere. There are several separate rooms for closed game events. As these feature a good selection of anti-spy hardware (like whitenoise fields and IR-proof tapestry) these rooms are sometimes used by criminals (and Battlelords) for private meetings. The casino can be reached directly from the rof without any need to pass through the restaurant.

The security of the Fifth Ace rests in the pranks of Kmorr, a retired Dronk captain, and six other Ram Pythons (named Awonn, Athuu, Dree, Afoor, Vife and Psiks). There are also some Gen-Human and Orion pleasure girls working here who just happen to be very capable card players, too.

Plot Hooks

1. After Duchnaur refused to pay the local criminal cartel, they killed him off. Realizing that the place would lose its attractiveness if Duchnaurs death would become known, the cartel inserted a program within one of Duchnaurs I-Bots, letting that I-Bot think it was the real Duchnaur. Said I-Bot has since spread the rumor that one of "his" I-Bots has had a malfunction and has to be trashed. The PCs are being recruited by a wealthy relative of Duchnaur who suspects that Duchnaur has vanished or may have been killed. The PCs are to pose as guests, become regulars and find out what happened. To make things worse, Kmorr is on the take of the cartel.
2. As it turns out, Duchnaur isn't quite the nice guy he appears to be. Matter of fact, he is a hunted man, wanted for acts of piracy. He is also a rebel spy, and his "girls" are really all very capable (unregistered) Empaths whose job it is to drag out secrets out of the local business elite. Duchnaur was once leader of a quite successful fleet of Pirates. Until the Galactic Marines came after him. He relocated his considerable wealth to shadow enterprises and black accounts, then he faded away, leavin his pirate mates for the bloodhounds. The PCs get hired by a Phentari bounty hunter who seeks their assistance in bringing down Duchnaur. The bounty hunter pretends that he can not face Duchnaur himself since he would be immediately recognized. That much is true: The Phentari was once the lieutenant of Duchnaur in the pirate fleet. He uses the PCs to discredit Duchnaur and bring him down. He has neither the funds nor the intent to pay the PCs.