Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Play-by-Post => Topic started by: Weebomancer on <04-23-12/1954:09>
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It's 2:20 AM and the dingy gray city of Seattle is the same as it ever was, gross, loud, stinky, and of course obnoxious as all holy hell when it comes to drama. What a professional wouldn't give to be able to just pull his gun and shoot the next asshole that thinks he's tough. Toughness...a quality any runner wants for every job, too bad these streetfighters don't have a clue that the only thing they really are is street trash. Nothing like the bottom feeding on the bottom and overestimating it's worth.
Only one kind of person would think this city is worth a damn. A crazy one. Yet here I am watching police beat a kid in a way that makes some ancient racism trid videos a run for the hills and all I can think is that it's unjust.
"What the hell is wrong with me? Caring about this makes no sense..."
As the man turns away from the kid getting beaten a light buzzing noise interrupts his train of thought. "What the hell? I don't recognize this forwarded number...I told that-" indistinct chatter "Yeah I got the forwarded number but I thought I said no more strangers last time I got screwed because it wasn't a real good job." Fine I'll give her a call." indistinct chatter from his phone "What? Wait why did you give me all these numbers?" indistinct chatter from his phone "You are aware that they make their own groups right?" Pauses for a moment. "Why would you then have me call on them myself and-" more noises erupt from the phone. "Fine! Jesus! Just stop stressing the points already I heard the first time, I was just stating that it felt a little off to call each runner independently and force them into a pre arranged group. They usually bring along people they can trust." chatter "Ok, ok I was just stating a concern you don't need to blow a testicle over it. I already said I would do it to the letter."
Ending his call he starts on his way to a local club and restuarant called The Worst Mistake. "Ironic how this place seems to tell me what I think."
With that he starts a call. Starting with the woman on the top...Reiko Tetsuki. Goes by Predator these days. "This should be fraggin rich."
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Predator, sitting in a booth in Dante's, tilts her head slightly as her comm signals an incoming call. Checking the number and not recognizing it, she makes sure her encrypt utility is set to high strength and answers, saying via subvocal--so other patrons can't hear--"Yes? Who is this?"
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"This is Gerrard Woodward and I have a certain folder of...company issues I need to discuss. Of course you will be paid for your help in these matters."
The part is the part he hated the most you never do this in the game of business, it's common sense to give thinking time. Waiting on his order still he tried to remain as hopeful as he could...until he saw a nice catch.
"If you accept I will need to see you come to the Phoenix Inn as soon as possible. Preferrably within the next two days. I know it's pretty soon for the meet but I am authorized to pay you simply for meeting me."
He hoped secretly that this woman wasn't insane. Her file seemed to indicate some seriously traumatic experiences. You never know some people might be made of tougher stuff. Still he didn't like the job he had in store for her...it could make things real bad especially if his boss was bluffing. Maybe this is a good time to start saving money for that one way ticket to Europe...
"Anyways you won't be able to bring any friends of yours along with you. I already have to make seven more calls so I just need a yes or no. Should you accept or decline you will gain 500 nuyen for this unreasonable offer and waste of time. Although meeting me and hearing my case will benefit you another 1000 nuyen."
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Predator thinks for several long, protracted moments on what was said by the person on the other end of the comm call. A meeting on such short notice wasn't unexpected. It happens at times when the subject matter of a job is time sensitive, but the insistence on her showing up alone brought about the paranoia that comes after one has been in the Shadows for a while, especially considering the supposed pay just for meeting the man. No, this just screamed "Trap". A part of her remained curious however, and there were ways to ensure relative safety, so she responded, "A short meeting could be arranged, how is 2100 hours for a time?"
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Shrike splashed into the water, revelling in the tingling sensation of salt on her skin and the tropical sun beating down above. Other children of the Fre∑dom tribe were playing around her, free for a little while from the harshness of the Puyallup ash wastes. She flicked water at one of them and with a twist of code, dove into the digitally rendered waters, becoming a sleek porpoise as she did so…
…her game was interrupted by a comm call, her ‘link picking up the message and flagging it for attention. It would seem that work was calling and the stipulation to come alone didn’t bother her…she was never alone as long as she had the matrix at her beck and call…
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Iron Raven couldn't believe how great it felt to be working, even if so far the work was all legit backbreaking mechanics work. There really was no rush on the Jackrabbit he was working on, considering it had almost been totaled, the owner wasn't going to expect to see it back anytime soon. Even so, he was working late into the night, well morning now, because it felt so damn good not to be incarcerated and to be able to freely commune with spirits of the machines once again. Although even as good as he felt he had to admit he was starting to dose off a bit...
...A commlink set to audible startled him awake. Damn, he must of dosed off, he certainly hadn't intended to pass out on the floor.
He looked at the AR time display as the commlink chirped again. 3am, must be another idiot wanting Mongolian take out, one damn alphanumeric off in ID and apparently half their clientele couldn't tell the difference between an O and a zero.
The commlink chirped a third time as he got up and stated heading for it. He realized then he was headed for his new dummy commlink Chase had gotten him for less legal activities, not the shops comm. Hmm, maybe some buisness, Chase sure works fast.
"Hello?"
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The water beat down within the shower, steam rising to cloud the glass enclosure, obscuring the view of the two bodies writhing within. The sound of water and music from the trid system in the luxury hotel room hid the sounds coming from the conjoined pair.
Iceblade's commlink was set to take messages only, for the moment, as he had other 'work' to handle. The recording artist he was currently entertaining in her room at the Gates Undersound Hotel had just finished up a tour, and decided to take a day or two in Seattle to relax. At the moment, she was certainly not relaxing, but the singer didn't seem to mind.
The world may be hell outside, but there were times it was still very good to be him.
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Delir Emet, sitting in his bedroom in his small house, also had his comlink set to record the message, though unlike Iceblade, his distraction was of a less worldly nature. As was only proper, he regularly studied his book copy of the Avesta, honoring Ahura Mazda and seeking guidance in his tightrope between light and dark in the war of the cosmos.
The world was a battlefield outside, and it wasn't easy to be him.
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CT is sitting in a nice comfortable armchair at home, his legs on a wooden table and is watching the replay of the Timberwolves match he attended earlier. Only paying attention to the most exciting scenes, he is currently busy cracking the latest patch for a tracking program supplied by his warez group. Same protection as last time, they are slacking off. But still making a note to double analyze it later, just to make sure it has no hidden options in it. Then he feels his commlink announcing a call.
A thousand Nuyen just for showing up. That's rich. Whether he is a newbie, has a hidden agenda or is just desperate - none of those options makes me feel comfortable about it. Better be extra careful, when going there.
An hour later after cracking the pogram, he is going to bed. Dreaming about the wonderful gothic elven girl, he saw earlier at the match - "Next time i will ask her out."
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Thorn pulls his Lexus off the highway as a translucent window flickered in the lefthand corner of his vision, giving him an AcID that the server didn't put a name to. Odd, that. He flicks the window open with a thought and focused as they connected, putting up a minor screen of interference just thick enough to stop any bugs or recordings (there were perks to the Resonance, no doubt about that) and waited as what sounded like a well-worn message unfurled. Darting his right hand over the AR interface of his car, he pulls up the Pheonix and sees, to his surprise, that it is only a few short kilometers away. He checked his taxable accounts, and his private one held by a rather discrete and unique group of launderers - unique in that they kept their electronic money transfers in a Resonance Network, making them completely incomprehensible to mundanes, and therefore making it perfect for him - and frowned at the low balance. His recent uprooting certainly hurt it. "I will see you in thirty minutes."
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As Gerrard sat at the Inn's reception room he realized that he still had not been called back by some of his runners. Even though one was due in thirty minutes. Well he would not divulge information until they all showed up. He did after all rent enough suites for them. In fact he hoped that they would at least enjoy the week at the inn reserved for them. Gerrard knew he would get in trouble for sweeping bugs out from their rooms but what the heck. His boss would protect him from afar once again. Besides his line of work calls for privacy and he was sure his boss would be the better person to be happy with him. Hotel managers always bucked under a bribe. Even better was a threat but that could not give him an assurance of loyalty. Needless to say this hotel now has some blind spots for him to deal with his...team...in private.
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The next morning after only three hours of sleep CT was fit as a fiddle. Giving his 'link a new strong encryption while having breakfast, at dawn he went out gliding through the fields of Snohomish, and started mass probing some of their clients nodes using a special access id. None of those exploits found are for keeping, they will all be reported. He knows how important it is to separate work and personal life.
In comparison to the dirty and crowded downtown Snohomish feels more free and its easier to breath here. During the day CT kept thinking about the call from last night. As soon as possible - Phoenix Inn - 1000 Nuyen. If it wasn't a joke, then it would be big business. CT got excited. He will go there in the evening, but first he had to finish his work.
It wouldn't hurt looking up this inn already - maybe i will even find some floorplans.
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In the morning, after he'd said goodbye to the starlet, Iceblade checked his messages, and saw the request for a meet. Thousand just for showing up? Had to be either something very important, or a trap. He'd had experience with both, in his time. Still, it had been a while since he'd done anything to move to the top of anyone's hit list, so for the moment he was willing to go with the idea of it being a legit meet. He sent a return message, saying he would be there for breakfast.
When he showed up, he was dressed in all black, a kind of designer brand casual look. Over it was a lined coat, and at his side was a katana, worn openly, and a knife slipped into one boot. He also had one of his Fubukis in a hidden arm slide in his coat, just in case they had to go to work immediately. After parking his Scorpion in the parking lot, he slid the designer Death Mask off his face, carrying it with him as he walked in the door. Time to meet with this guy, and see about his money. And the job.
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Arriving approximately an hour before nine, Predator pulls into the parking area of the inn mentioned in the call, and after making certain all of her gear was secured, she settled in to watch for any others that may be arriving. As the clock neared a quarter till, she steps out of the Rover, locking and activating the security systems on board--and keying the Doberman drone in the back into defense mode as a little 'surprise' for any would-be thieves--before heading inside the inn.
Figure a Doberman drone armed with an APDS loaded battle rifle coming out shooting makes for a nice surprise for a common thief to run into. ;)
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Waking up the next morning after the call Iron Raven uses a full two days to compile and register sprites and to send a unregistered sleuth sprite to browse information about the Phoenix Inn. Because of the time frame hes going to have to rush three of the sprites registering which means hes going to owe allot of services, but not much he can do about it because going into an unknown with out is not worth it.
After compiling all six sprites he spends a few hours knocking out a few services.
Web, I need to know how many services I can do for them in four hours so I can keep track of the services
At the end of the two days he puts his Ford LEBD, one of the GMC chariots and 2 of the Dragonflies into the Bays of the GMC Van and packs his two ferrets into two backpacks along with industrial tools and micro-welder packed in with his clothes and necessities. He puts one of his dragonflies in a pocket carefully. He makes sure his fake sin and license is loaded up in his commlink. He then heads off to his meeting at the Inn.
Timeline
MS(#) = Machine Sprite (specific number) PS(#) = Paladin ... SS(#) = Sleuth ...
09:00: Wake, eat ,shower.
11:30: Compile MS(1), Rest.
14:30: Use Diagnostics, Register MS(1)
21:30: Eat, Compile MS(2), Register(MS2).
04:30: Rest
08:30: Eat, Shower
09:00: Compile MS(3), Rest
11:00: Rush Register MS(3), Rest
13:00: Compile PS(1), Rush Register PS(1), Stop Diagnostics, Rest
18:00: Compile SS(1) Use SS(1) to Data Search Phoenix Inn, Rest
19:00: Eat, Drive to the Phoenix Inn in his Van, assuming nothing drastic comes up about it in the Data Search.
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Shrike allowed her consciousness to return to her avatar and her naked body rose dripping from the nutrient bath that had been maintaining her flesh. Apart from the gleaming medical apparatus the rest of the dusty cavernous room was largely bare. The hulking form of Caliban was lurking in a corner keeping an eye over Ana. Shrike briefly mused at the incongruity of Ana, a drone herself, playing with a tattered dog drone that one of the tribe’s children had given to her. The personality software was still a mystery to Shrike and she wondered if Aria had modelled it on someone real…her daughter perhaps? Shrike was determined to find the truth but that would have to wait for today, there was work to be done.
She dressed as she usually did, in the skin tight cat suit that hinted at, rather than revealed, the perfection of her fabricated body. She slung a battered leather jacket on over the top to conceal the holstered pistol in the small of her back. Ana skipped over to her and Shrike handed her the light pistol, looking enormous in her childlike grip, and silently communicated with her.
<<You will be my additional eyes and ears for the run up to the meet, and a distraction if required. We’ll use the seventh protocol.>> Ana smiled a most unchildlike smile as she logged that information away. <<Caliban will be backup two, he’ll stay in the truck.>> There is a sort of metallic grunt as Caliban activated servos and rose up on his hind legs to his full impressive height.
***
In convoy the Roadmaster and much smaller, but smarter, Rover headed towards the meeting place. Whilst the truck pulled off beforehand into the parking of a small local supermarket the Rover continued on with Shrike and Ana. With a mental order to the drone rack on the Roadmaster a gasbag drone was spat out into the air and rapidly sailed aloft out of sight of the ground. Its excellent sensor suite would provide Shrike with a clear view of the surroundings and give her a measurable tactical advantage should things not be what they seemed – what were the chances of that, right?
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Iron Raven, just before leaving Cracked Jack's, reconsidered bringing his van, thinking back to what Snake, the sleuth sprite he'd compiled, had shown him of the the Phoenix Inn.
It looked to be a pretty snazzy place and would likely have some pretty heavy security of its own and didn't look like a place that would like bad publicity. Kind of a catch 22 while it might be dangerous to walk in there without any drones going in with drones was going to be difficult without hacking into the hotels security. which if they catered to "whales" on occasion was going to be high.
Iron Raven repacked his bags just taking clothes, necessities, and his industrial tool kit / welder. He put these bags in his car and put the ferrets and the dragonfly into the multilauncher in the van.
Getting into his car he called one of the machine sprites to him. A small sprite in the shape of a bio-mechanical ferret coalesced seemingly from nowhere and seemed to crawl out from his shirt and onto his shoulder, and while the sprite wasn't there the mischievous little thing had no compunction about sending a bit of biofeedback sending shivers up Iron Ravens back.
"Ferret, I'm going need you to do something very important for me," Ferret cocked its head to the side and made a chittering noise.
The sprites weren't animals and definitely could communicate but often used only body language or pictures to communicate. Iron raven thought it likely that they did this to amuse him, though he never had found out exactly why.
"I need you to stay with the van and watch it while I meet in the inn, now Ferret this part is important," he paused and then continued on with emphasis on his words," I know its going to be boring but I need you to be careful and to watch out because I could be going into allot of danger, do you understand?"
The sprite raised up onto hits hind leg on Iron Raven's shoulder got a solemn look on its face and put its miniscule hand over it supposed heart, holding the pose for a brief moment then broke into small snickering. Expecting any sprite he compiled to be 100% on task and serious was something Raven had given up on years ago.
"Oh and feel free to play with the inside image screens but please don't play with the chameleon coat or the outside image screens."
The sprite gave him a brief nod and ran down him and over to the van seeming to jump into it.
With that done Raven Linked up with both his vehicles and drove towards the inn. As he got close to the Inn he sent to Ferret, "Make sure you move every couple of hours just keep within 5 minutes of the Phoenix Inn and if I get some free time we can play some games, if you've been good."
After parting with Ferret and his van he drove to the inn and checked in.
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The evening after the phone call CT arrived near the hotel, his Rover neatly parked in an underground parking lot two blocks away. Masked like a mundane, he started walking a circle around the hotel to map as much with his radar from the surrounding and hotel as possible. Satisfied with his results he walked in and greeted the concierge "Vince Kimbley, Mr. Woodward is expecting me."
CT wears a longcoat over one of his nicest suites he possesses, under it his formfitting halfbody suit and his securetech. His Ingram loaded with regulars in a concealable holster, an extra clip of SnS in an inside pocket. In his Rover is usually all his other equipment, its not much anyway.
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The desk woman looks at you and hands you a key to room 1 in the suites.
"I was told to hand these out as you arrived. Congratulations your the first expected guest. Mr. Woodward is expecting you but he insists you check out your rooms first."
With that the woman goes back to her work. Looking pensive all the while.
Meanwhile Gerrard sat at the table. Watching as the runners arrived. Hopefully they would check out their rooms first.
'Mr. Kimbley' notices that he is not hassled by the security staff and most measures seem to go over him without any warning.
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"Thank you, Ms... 'nice lady'. I appreciate that. If Mr. Woodward insists, i probably should not reject."
Quite impressed of how his contact is running this place, CT first had a detailed look around. His radar sense pierced through clothes, desks, doors and walls. Then on the way to his suite he gave Mr. Woodward a slight nod.
Seemingly fumbling with his keys in front of the suites door, CT inspected the interior thoroughly from where he stood. After getting inside he had a further quick glance at all the six walls and the rooms behind them, then flung himself onto the bed. What an excellent reception. A few more minutes of relaxation and he was on the way down to table number 6.
Reading her name tag, if she wears one, or waiting to add her name on her own. If she doesn't play along, he'll will use the term 'nice lady'.
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Entering the lobby of the inn at the time she'd stated that she would arrive, Predator immediately turns stride toward the desk. She looks to the woman, but without quite seeing her, says "Sarai Takamura. I believe I am expected?"
She's wearing her Zoe business suit over FFBA, with her hair pulled up and back into a rather 'severe' style to make herself look like a 'no-nonsense' corp headhunter.
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Entering the lobby just behind Predator, Iceblade looks around. He's dressed in clothes that probably cost more than some people's monthly rent, all black, and stylishly done. When he speaks, he does nothing to try and hide his Tir accent. "Count Mirikon Mollen. I am expected."
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As Shrike entered the lobby Ana went skipping off around the feet of the dour looking doorman. She took a few moments to analyse the lobby space and mentally record the faces present. Approaching the desk she got the same spiel that the other runners arriving before her had. Figuritively raising an eyebrow at the request to go up to a room she sent a command to Ana and they proceeded to the lift...she had been expecting a meet not a vacation and she wondered briefly what other guests would make of their lack of luggage.
Having taken the message to head back to the restraunt she deposited her firearm in the room safe and hung up her leather jacket. Although the catsuit wasn't exactly corporate chic it cost enough to not look too out of place and she was used to eyes following her by now.
Time to go and see who else was waiting for the Johnson...
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On the way to the dining room CT overheard new arrivals. He didn't even need to look - his radar told him everything. A moderately cybered woman, a clean elf and a freaking drone. Someone is afraid to show his face, that's gonna be interesting. With a thought he saved those three radar signatures to be able to recognize them again later. Then, looking up the drones manual, CT tried to locate its shutdown button with the radar.. just in case.
Continuing into the dining room, CT spoke out loudly: "Mr. Woodward, nice to meet you in person!"
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At the desk.
"'Lady' will be just fine and don't add Ms. next time." she says pensively.
You note the brunette woman is a out of place to be a mere desk jockey, perhaps her attitude is what landed her this job? Then again that scar across her face and her violet eyes...
Every piece of your body is looked at in great detail from your feet to your head almost as if judging you like a cow or slave at a competition or market.
At the booth.
Gerrard looks up from a folder, which you know is older then the dirt outside by this day and age, to greet you. Standing and offering his hand.
"Why hello there. I believe most of your comrades have arrived by now and they should be along shortly. I hope you enjoy your room. On that note after we are done here I will be transferring an additional 1,000 nuyen to you. You merely need hear me out. Also feel free to scarf down as much food as you are comfortable with. Suites come with free food and room service."
With that the man sits down and starts at a cup of what smells like peppermint candy.
He seems to be wearing momma's boy clothing. You have never seen a Johnson wear a polo style t-shirt with a sweater on top before. And wearing canvas pants no less. He looks like a square, but then maybe he decided business suits attract attention. Johnson's are known to only be professional when on some level they want respect, acknowledgement, or mystique. Gerrard doesn't even have a single 'bodyguard', no doubt he can defend himself and the staff of the hotel will come to his aid, but he has no official meat heads with him nor any other type of real security. You aren't sure why but he seems to be completely comfortable turning his back to you to get things from a tray.
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Thorn pulls into a dirty little side road and shifts his license plate to the same model car he'd seen in chicago two weeks ago. Leaving the Thunderbolt in the car, he slips the sleek, vicious slivergun into his concealed holster, across from a stun and an incendiary grenade. He considered it going in light, but c'est la vie.
He was rather frusterated by the absence of a johnson to meet him directly, but the room mended it a little, and having a nice meal free from worry was truly a gift...
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CT hung his longcoat in a wardrobe and took Gerrards hand, while curiously looking into his eyes.
"The room is a doozy and the money more then welcome, Mr. Woodward!"
He scanned his body with a tilted head and a slight but honest smile. CT couldn't help but feel impressed by his appearance. Not that he liked his clothes, but that Gerrard seemed too comfortable wearing them. Fascinated by his calmness, CT relaxed and ordered oodles of food. He was hungry and didn't intend to let this opportunity pass by.
He knows how to cater for someone, i just wish every Johnson would be like this! CT laughed and dug in.
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Shrike observed the others around the booth while she sipped at an espresso coffee, the lavish displays of food ignored. She was curious to see what sort of group dynamic would grow out of this eclectic combination. The Johnson didn't seem in a rush to divulge any information until the others had finished eating and enjoying the display of casual wealth and she was equally content to wait. She diverted part of her conciousness to browsing the matrix, searching as ever for any elusive clues and otherwise just soaking up information from the vast sea of data.
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Leaning back in his chair and opening up a folder Gerrard suddenly spoke.
"I suppose I should get down to business now. Don't worry I can answer questions about the assignment. First, we needed a team of more seasoned people for this and so I apologize on forcing you into an arranged group however I do not think the friends that most good runners have are quite capable of backing someone up. Second The assignment will take you into a Knight Errant police station. I don't know if any of you in particular is wanted by the authorities but after this you will be so it shouldn't matter too much. Third before you scream bloody murder about this arrangement I do want you to know that you will not be yourselves for this job so becoming a criminal is of minimal impact since you will all be dead people walking."
Gerrard moved the tray to a more advantageous position so he might refill while talking.
"Now I know most people in general are paranoid about these things, but rest assured that I have no intention of blowing valuable assets nor does my employer. In fact he's hoping that we might have repeat business. Before saying anything more I need to know if you are in or out and I will answer any questions you might have. Also note that we will all be euthanized should this information be leaked."
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CT choked on his ginger creme brulee, which he ordered for dessert, "Bloody murder!" Then he frowned. "You want us to throw away our current lives?" He sat back, "Not for all the ginger creme in the world" and pushed away his plate. "I need some real incentive here. How do you intend to motivate us? And it better be good, especially at times like this."
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Shrike mulled over the proposal for a nanosecond or two and then waited a comfortable time before replying, letting the other runner interject before her...
“I suppose it will depend on the nature of the assignment and how you wish us to be present. There is a great difference between infiltrating the building with access to all our resources and being voluntarily captured and risk being separated from the tools we would normally have at our disposal to conduct a run. In principal I have no objection to the former, the latter would require careful consideration before committing to it.
You are hiring professionals so the task will be difficult but not insurmountable if you want repeat business. Consider me sufficiently interested. Naturally nobody will hear of our discussions from me…”
She turned to the others to judge their reactions and see if this run was likely to get off the ground…
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Iceblade shook his head. "I am sorry, but I won't throw away my current lifestyle for a job, nor will I voluntarily sign up for a criminal SIN. I've worked very hard to get what I have, and to keep from getting any criminal SINs attached to me. So if that is what you're asking for, I'll be leaving now." And with that, he rose, and began moving towards the door.
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Iron Raven interjected as Iceblade began to leave.
"I think what were all looking for is some motivation, your asking an awful lot so one would assume your willing to give an awful lot, so tell me what are you willing to offer?"
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Thorn merely smiles. Tallying up his assets, deniable and official, and all the associated costs following a swift move, and nothing short of a heavy bonus, he comes to a nicely rounded figure with a healthy dose of zeroes, and flicks an AR paper football at his potential employer, before issuing his terms in a soft, slightly musical and lilting tone. "That's the cost of my life. They'll never find me after, I've made damned sure of that or my career would be rather shorter then it is, but the cost of making me dead is certainly the minimum before we continue." He waits, patiently, as he expertly constructs a snack of caviar and a french pate he recognized from his time there. Exquisite.
Bear in mind, he lives the high life and has the deposits down to make that cost exorbitant.
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Gerrard immediately looked up and began to curse himself. Where were his manners at? Asking for a job to be done and not throwing out a nice round number.
"Ah yes I seem to have momentarily had a lapse of manners there. The job is this. You will use nano paste disguises on top of body armor we have acquired to make an entrance known as cops that have not yet returned from their vacations. Of course it will stay that way. Using these identities as Knight Errant officers you will them smuggle in however much explosives you need to destroy the building. Before this however you will need to know that the corpses of these officers you will be playing are inside the building already. The cost of the explosives can be billed to me. After this you are to simply leave as whomever you wish to be. A second set of nano paste disguises will be supplied and in the lockers of your targets. The cans will look like paint but if you bother to scan the liquid inside you will know exactly what it is. Your new disguise complete with janitorial outfits also in the locker room. After this you simply walk out the back door. In essence you died. So you cannot have committed the crime you see?"
Leaning back Gerrard sends them all relevant files for where things are at. Including a cleaning service van to escape in.
"So in essence I guess the job I am asking you to do is become an officer of the law ironically, blow yourselves, in a strange way, up, and last but not least assume a off the grid disguise and drive away as your real selves. Only in cleaning outfits."
Gerrard paused to let them soak in the objectives.
"Now of course let's not forget the pay. First off I will now be transferring your 1,000 nuyen to you, second I will offer 50,000 nuyen total to the group to split up as they see fit. Of course you also have a week here free of charge but should you accept the time will be expanded to a month so you can make it a of base of operations while working together."
Gerrard hoped the pay would entice them to take on his other problems.
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Well planned, low risk. CT was satisfied. If it wouldn't take them more then a few days of preparing, the payment would be appropriate. Looking around the table and at some of the fine suits, he could imagine that they seriously had to think about it. Maybe there is a way to get more out of this. "If we are targeting the building, is it an option to not blow up everyone inside as well. Massmurdering too many cops, will draw lots of heat, even if we are disguised." CT continued his brulee and waited for some more comments. Still tasting good.
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Having gotten up to start walking away around the same time Iceblade did, Predator turns at the mission details and says, "Fifty thousand divided among so many for that level of risk--and yes the risk is inordinately high as those nano disguises are not foolproof by any means--would simply be unacceptable. You go looking for experienced crew and give a pay offer suited to a newbie?"
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Looking over to Predator as she spoke, Iceblade turned back to the Johnson, and shook his head. "Sorry, but blowing up a bunch of cops is bad for business. Killing in the course of battle is one thing, but if you want a building blown up, just get a drone, pack it with explosives, and fly it through the door. You want to start a war in Seattle, doing something like that. Even the Ghost Cartels have better sense than to go blowing up police stations in the UCAS. Now, a datasteal is one thing. But you're paying way too little for a job like this. Go get some rookies who don't know any better to do your wetwork. I don't do contract wetwork without a reason, and I never do the kind of juvenile crap like blowing up a police station." And then he turned again, continuing to the door.
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Thorn frowns, not bothering to hide the distaste. These were not men trying to kill him, or corporate lackeys trying to force some experimental torture, these were just men and women earning a living. Copkilling was never something he had a taste for, and while wetwork is a part of life, this smacked of trouble in so many ways. "I can't imagine why you would think I would wander into a KE facility backed by potential amateurs, blow a bunch of cops to hell, and then settle for eight and a half? Please."
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Although the emotions around the table should register with her, Shrike knew they would have once, she couldn't find it in herself to get heated over this.
"Perhaps we should clarify whether the building needs to be occupied at the time? It would be reasonable to use a drone as described but if the point is more than just random violence then professional services may be what is required?"
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Iron Raven decided his best bet was letting the others talk for now, he was having trouble seeing why this group would have been contacted for a job like this, there must be more going on here, maybe playing it nice and quiet would lead to some enlightenment. If not, he knew that he needed to decide his price tag and what it would take for him to do this.
He wasn't so much worried about the ethics, I mean really, whether in the modern world or in the natural one, it all came down to predator and prey.
What he needed to decide is how much money he wanted to do this and he figured the longer he stayed quiet either more of his associates would walk or negotiate, at worst his share got bigger and at best the Johnson would up the take.
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"Well then perhaps I should move to a different assignment then. Number three in fact since you want more money, this job in particular offers 250,000 nuyen a piece. Some of that to be negotiated as up front pay."
Gerrard stopped to drink some tea, hopefully this crew would see the irony in his next words.
"We need a team to gather information and steal it, or a copy of it, if at all possible. The target is an old Renraku building or as I should say a building from when they still existed. It's now under heavy guard from Knight Errant and ARES and we believe they may be up to something...extreme. We have no details on the layout of the building surprisingly. At least not the part you are required to infiltrate; an underground facility, which is maintained in quite a bit of secrecy. I will not lie to you and say I am sure they are up to anything, however does three dozen combat ready elite troops from each of those sound like 'nothing is happening' to you? Many of our rivals have reason to believe that there is something going on as well, maybe it's a ploy but the chances are low. Using an entire army to throw people off seems foolish especially when it's your special forces. In regards to that it's up to you how to deal with the Knight Errant and ARES combined forces. Too bad there aren't some distractions somewhere in town to cause the two parties to divert attention and possibly some of those guards..."
Gerrard let that last part sink in. No doubt the clever ones will see they were getting paid to do something they would have had to do in the future anyways had they accepted the third and consequently 'real' job while the less genetically gifted ones leave. Besides it's not like having dead weight was a good thing.
"Even if you succeed I'm not sure it will do any good. I'm just trying to be as ready as possible for...well...this."
Gerrard sent a file to each runners commlink. A video with a hell of a statement.
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"Three dozen each? That is a hell lot of guards. But while its a topnotch security for the building itself, they seem to have given up on secrecy with that. Lots of parties will be interested in whats happening there.
The end justifies the means, i suppose. Am i right to assume that the second task would have been to distract the ARES elite forces?
While i agree that it is necessary to have any chance to get in there, we probably wouldn't be able to draw away more than half of them. They don't need combat units for investigating in an blown-up building.. unless the intention indeed was to reduce their numbers and kill reinforcements directly, though i would consider it quite harsh. We will need more than that!"
Having a hard time keeping his excitement hidden, CT took a look at the video Gerard gave them.
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"What I find immensely strange is that you guys only say more. Exactly how much are you wanting I do have limits and I did start rather low. I was hoping for a negotiation to see how skilled you guys are at talking but so far that seems a weak point."
Gerrard hoped they wouldn't need to talk their way out of anything.
"How about I throw in another 5,000 each?"
Gerrard emptied what seemed like his 10th cup of peppermint tea.
"Also if you steal any information from the computers or databases of any kind I would be able to pay for it as well as anything else you might steal. Just make sure it's useful, and by that I mean at the least it has to be damaging to them OR beneficial to my employer. Big nuyen on anything that falls into both categories. This is for any task you undertake with us on top of whatever fees you feel like negotiating."
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Iceblade shook his head. "You're not looking for shadowrunners. You're looking for mercenaries. So either you're setting up a suicide run, or you're not intelligent enough to know the difference. When Plan A involves mass murder to distract someone so you can draw off people from a different facility, you've moved far past Shadowrunner territory. I'm out. Anyone who likes living would be advised to follow." And with that, he left the room.
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"Gerrard - please - don't understand me wrong. The money is plenty, but nice to see you can up the stakes, if needed."
CT was showing a big smile.
"I meant, we need more - distraction. I am not sure how much one blown-up building can help us to get in there. Maybe you have some more information, about how KE ticks and might react to that. Maybe it will suffice. But just to be sure, i'd like to have a few more options."
"But that will be up to discussion with my ... colleagues, if they bother to finally sit down and join us."
With that CT turned around to await their decisions.
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Predator watches as the elf leaves the room before turning back toward the potential employer and saying, "Our elven compatriot is quite right. This truly does not sound like a job for 'runners, but rather more suited to a small army--especially considering the facility you're wanting us to get into was set up by Renraku and held by Ares and subsidiaries."
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Shrike watches the others and guages their reactions. The elf's objections seemed to be premature...of course there were a large number of guards in what sounded like a military grade complex, but mercs would be unsuited to such a task, brute force would not be appropriate to this, Ares would always have more troops at its beck and call. This would take professionals, ones with a great deal of stealth to be sure. Head to head was not something that she liked to consider, and distraction would certainly be a valuable tool - although blowing up a building might not be the best option open to them. She would wait and see what the others had to say...
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"I never said you had to use my plan. It's just an option that's there. If you know or can perform another way of spying out this facility then it's your show. Remember that you have a blank and anonymous check for the task at hand. Just send me the requests and I will see to it that you have what you desire for this quickly and quietly."
"Now as to your thoughts on more info. Normally torching a building does nothing to anyone. Hell it's not even a distraction really. However I wanted to leave out that there is supposed to be a rather famous person nearby. Meaning it WILL be a distraction. You see we have reason to believe two big heads of Knight Errant and ARES will be there. No confirmation on who they are exactly but you can now see why this becomes a massive concern. Do you protect a facility or divert some of it's protection to the man paying you to protect it? But again by all means if you can figure a way to spy on what is happening inside be my guest. In the end my my employer hired runners hoping they would come up with a cheaper and much more effective plan to get in and get the details. Mercenaries would have been my first choice but my employer insisted on you all specifically."
Gerrard suddenly set down his cup and stopped smiling. The only feeling one could get was a wintry cold one as his voice became less warm.
"Now if you aren't going to negotiate or bother making any counter offers at all for any aspect of this mission I would like to relay to my employer that I was correct in my assumption that you are not up to the task."
The room suddenly feels like a hurricane got trapped in it.