Enter the Sick Bay on the Groundbreaker, where you’ll find a doctor named Ellie arguing with another doctor named Mfuru. Talk to Ellie and she’ll express annoyance that an acquaintance of hers, Jessie, is in Sick Bay and for some reason isn’t receiving visitors. Sounds fishy, and Ellie seems to lack the… people skills to get her way, so offer to help to start the quest Worst Contact.

If you talk to Dr. Mfuru you can further the quest Worst Contact by asking to see Jessie, but it’s a fruitless endeavor even if you succeed at an optional [Perception] check. Still, he mentioned that Jessie has had a lot of inquirers, which could well mean more than just Ellie and yourself. Looks like you’ll have to sneak your way into the restricted area in the back of the Sick Bay and find out what’s going on.

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(1 of 3) Talk to Ellie to learn about her friend, who is mysteriously refusing to see visitors while in Sick Bay.

You can just sneak through the door in the back of the Sick Bay, but to make this easier you’ll want an ID Cartridge for your Holographic Shroud, which will make moving around in the restricted area less of a “shoot on sight” affair. Assuming you followed the Passage to Anywhere quest you should know how this all works, and if not you can find a **Mardet ID Cartridge on a table in the back of the Sick Bay, near the door to the restricted area. With this cartridge in your possession, head through the door to the restricted area, turn right (north) through another door, then pass by another door to the right (east) and head down a hallway to the right and examine the first door to the right (south), which has a microphone outside it.

Use the microphone to talk to Jessie Doyle and after she displays her flair for the dramatic about her “ailment”, pass an [Intimidate 25] check and she’ll relent and agree to talk face-to-face. Do so and she’ll tell you she’s having some trouble repaying a loan, and now suspects a corporate stooge it out to get her. Succeed at a [Lie 15] check for some XP, or not, either way she’ll ask you to speak to Udom Bedford on her behalf to discuss the small matter of… you know, not murdering her over her debt. Seems like her loose tongue about her profession and associated jobs would be more likely to get her killed but… we digress. She does use “anywho” in dialogue, however, so… hard to hate anybody like that.

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(1 of 3) Either convince Udom to accept an indenture contract, or just pay off Jessie’s debts.

Anywho, to advance this quest you’ll need to return to Udom Bedford and square Jessie’s debt, which is actually pretty easy to do, although your options - and hence your results - may vary.

With no dialogue checks you’ll have to settle for paying off her debts yourself, which will set you back 2,085 Bits. Steep, but compared to the 10,000 and 8,000 Bits you’ll need to get the Stellar Bay Navkey and Udom’s seal back, respectively, it’s peanuts. On the other hand, the fact that you need so much cash makes spending more less than ideal.

Pass a [Persuade 20] and you can convince him into entering an indenture contract with Jessie. Might sound harsh, but forced labor is a fair sight better than involuntary organ donation. When asked about collateral, say whatever you wish - your response doesn’t matter.

Whatever your decision, return to the Sick Bay to find Jessie talking to Ellie. Talk to Jessie and she’ll she’ll give you 1,250 Bits - a large chunk of what you paid to get her free - then talk to Ellie, who will transfer her debt from Jessie to you, offering to join your crew… although she was mostly just looking for a new job. Whatever, don’t be picky. Welcome Ellie on board, as she’s skilled in the Lie, Medical and Engineering skills, making her a fine addition to any squad.