Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Play-by-Post => Topic started by: Scarecrow71 on <08-28-12/1624:34>
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Wednesday, June 1, 2072
12:15 hours
All Characters
Late spring in Seattle is much like late fall in Seattle - it's damp and misty, with a touch of crappy raindrops. Today is probably the 13th or so day in a row that rain has been falling for at least a portion of the day, with some areas getting more rain than others. Yesterday, the western half of Ft. Lewis was under a flash flood watch, while today most of Renton is being hit. Tomorrow...who knows. As long as the temps stay in the mid- to upper 50s, it won't feel too cold.
It's shortly after noon on this drizzly, semi-cold day, which at the moment means you have been in bed for only a few hours. The life of a shadowrunner - even those with day jobs - can keep one out on the town and in the bars and clubs well beyond what most normal people call bed time, and last night was no different. No job, but that didn't matter. The only way to find a job most days is to go looking for one, and most days the only time to go looking for one is at night.
You lie in bed, dreaming of whatever it is you normally dream, when your commlink starts with its awful beeping to let you know that someone is trying to get in touch with you. You think about ignoring it for several moments, but that incessant beeping is keeping you from going back to sleep. When you get up to check it, you see a holo-pic of one of those yellow smiley faces, but this one is markedly different from normal ones. This one is cocked to one side, with a pair of red fangs protruding from the bottom of the smile and a pair of golden...are those datajacks?...on the left side of its head.
You normally aren't in the mood for answering calls this early in the day, but the look of the holo-pic is familiar. It's almost as if you've seen it somewhere before, but you can't quite place it. So you decide to check who it's from, and you see the following email in your inbox:
<<FROM: MacAllister>>
<<Hoi. Sorry about this, but proper introductions are going to have to wait for a bit. You may have heard of me, you may not. But I got your name and contact information from the fixer you normally work with. And while this is a bit obtuse and out of the ordinary, I have a job offer for you.
Meet me at The Big Rhino at 13:30 today and I'll fill you in. It's downtown, corner of Seneca & First. And because this is odd and I'm in a rush, I'll cough up 100 Y just for you to show up and listen to the offer.
If you're there, I'll see you then. If not, then good day to you, chummer.>>
MacAllister...MacAllister...now you know why the holo looked familiar. Every runner in the state has at least heard of the guy. Old-school decker with connections to everyone. Retired. Some think he's still got one last run in him; others think he should just go away. Whatever you think, he's just reached out to you with a job offer. Are you in?
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Father Twilight rolled out of bed slowly, scrubbing a hand across his face and through his hair in an attempt to bring his thoughts into order. He stood in a very deliberate manner, slowly, cautiously, stretching his muscles as he rose, bending from one side to the other to ease the tension in his chest and back. A large scar was visible on his back, the exit wound of a pair of hollow point rounds, and a pair of smaller scars on his chest, where those rounds went in. He rubbed his fingers over the scars once again as he attempted to rid himself of the ache of his wounds, and his memories.
A dark, turbulent evening filled with blood and pain. Grunts of exertion from above him preceding a stab of pain from a boot thudding into his ribs. He's drug upright in front of his window, blood washing down his face from numerous cuts and a shattered nose. In a stroke of lightning he sees an orc in biker leathers draw out a chromed pistol, point it at his chest and whisper "For the glory of God." Then, pain.
Wish a shake of his head Dinivin moves for the shower. The damp always made his scars ache, and the ache had ways of resurrecting his old demons. He cranked the shower up to a scalding temperature and stood beneath the flood, letting the heat soak into his flesh, releasing knotted muscle and awakening his mind.
MacAllister, didn't figure on having an old timer contacting me for work. Best to make certain he's not jerking me around.
As he toweled himself off and lathered up to shave he shot off a text message to Slim Jim.
<<TO: Slim Jim>>
<<Greetings Omae, I was awoken by a man claiming you set him up with my information. Let me know if this MacAllister is on the up and up or if he's playing games?>>
That done, Dinivin shaved off the stubble from a night moving through dens of sin seeking work. He was a man of God, but he was the outcast shepherd, protecting a flock that cared nothing for him. Hell, he'd done his share of criminal acts, his only comfort at night was the knowledge that he had never targeted an innocent, and had generally committed crime against those deserving of it.
He slid on his black trousers, tucking a white button-up shirt into it before snapping it shut. He slid on his black vest and then inserted the small priestly collar in it's place before slipping on a shoulder holster containing a Ruger Superwarhawk. He continued his preparations by swinging on his long coat style priest robes, buttoning up the crucifix shaped buttons slowly and all the while murmuring prayers in latin. With his robes upon his body he now reached out and slid a bracelet of prayer beads upon his left wrist. Upon his right went a pendant of the Archangel Raguel, he touched it to his lips and forehead before slipping it around his wrist. In the slot of his old fashioned coat meant for a pocket watch went a pendant of the Archangel Gabriel, as with the one before he went through his ritual benediction before slipping it into place. He then knelt before his altar, hands held palm to palm as he whispered his morning prayers to the Lord Almighty. At it's conclusion he stood, removing the golden crucifix from it's place on the altar and sliding it into a strap at the small of his back. He slapped on his broad brimmed hat as he turned towards the door, sliding on his lined leather duster and walking out into the rain. Whether this was a setup or on the level he intended to show at the Rhino. The only question was whether it was to listen to a job offer or if it was to mete out punishment to a member of the shadow community who had tried to slip one past him.
((OOC: Unless I learn this is not a legitimate job I am taking no more actions until arriving at the meet.))
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Dataminer was sitting in his bus / home, surfing in VR, going through his data finding from an early mining op. Stuff that looked good, ended up being a bust as he grumbled through his brawny avatar in his neon overalls and a stylized safety helmet with Asian Dragons being mor l iek racing stripes on the helm, a a flip monocle that is there for style than functionality. He wipes out the info his gathered as the message intrudes on him.
After the message was done, he analyzes it to make sure it's legit and will trace it to make sure it's coming from macallister's comm.
((I'm assuming all is legit so i won't roll unless you want me to))
He figures he needs the money once he finds it's legit and soon kicks out into meat again. Getting up from his cot of a bed as his AR displayed was still up, playing some metal music into his ears as he drives his bus out of a lot in eastern auburn and headed to the outskirts of downtown to get his HQ closer parking in another vacant lot. The back of his bus opens up as he hops onto his Thundercloud, unlatches the straps to and lowers the jack and drives off towards the Big Rhino as the back end of his bus closes.
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Somewhere in Redmond, a commlink buzzed incessantly. A low grumble preceded a meaty arm reaching out for a pair of AR-enhanced shades lying on a nearby bookshelf, snatching them and retreating to their owner's side.
It only makes sense; Tony has a pad in the Underground, so he'd put his weight behind MacAllister. Five score will also cover a warm lunch..
With a loud grunt, Solifuge sat up on the stolen mattress that served as his bed. The abandoned church that served as his hideout was originally lacking in some key material comforts, so the troll was forced to improvise; that was the fate of many who were stuck in the Barrens. He couldn't complain too much, having worked out a few deals with the tech-savvy Spiders which were nested a block away. Those efforts secured him Matrix access and a relatively low-cost rent with basic utilities, like being able to take a shower and run a soy cooker during certain periods of the day.
Today would be different - he'd get to have his fill at the Rhino. Solifuge threw on his waterproofed track clothes, securing his ceramic knife at the ankle while making a search request for the Metro Transit Company's bus schedules. He'd leg it to Bellevue and hop on the next downtown bus, all while taking a tally of the smoothies who gave him odd looks.
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The entertainment wall...really, the spam wall if you considered the Ads to programming ratio it displayed was set to a low volume so the beep of the message did not get drowned out. The apartment was cramped. Small for a troll, due to the natural inclination for Fomori to be smaller, he was still large. Saving on space, Artair opted for a comfortable couch that doubled as a bed.
Turning off the wall, Artair grabbed his 'link and pulled up the display link on his contact. Hmm. Promising and troubling. While he considered his next move he sifted through the other messages and outstanding notifications. None from LS, which was a problem. Rent loomed and Nuyen was tight.
Rereading the message from MacAllister, Artair debated his next course. Caution suggested he contact his fixer Slipstream to see if the message was on the level. But on further reflection that seemed like a bad move. If Slipstream had arranged the meet, the message would have been from him. So if he brought the sleezy elf into the deal, he'd find a way to take a cut one way or the other.
The odds of it being a trap were low due to the location of the meet. Certainl nothing illegal with showing up. At worst, he'd be out some points on his transit pass.
Risk outweighing reward, the coach groaned as Artair stood. Going to the balcony, he smiled at his elderly Chinese neighbor 'cooking' outside. Grabbing some clothes he had be letting dry from the constant rain, he put the clothes away, grabbed his coat, locked up and headed towards the meet.
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Wednesday, June 1, 2072
1315 hours
Father Twilight
Your commlink starts beeping a few minutes after sending the inquiry off, and checking it you see that the response is from Slim himself.
<<FROM: Slim Jim>>
<<TO: Father Twilight>>
<<Yeah, I gave the old ork your contact info. Told me he needed some noobs for a job, and when I went through my list and your name wasn't one he recognized, I figured you needed the creds. Not a problem, is it?>>
Data Miner
You run a trace, and this one is probably the easiest one that's ever been done that you know of. The trace goes back a single route, to an IP address near the Big Rhino. Based on that, you can guess that the meet is legit.
Oppenheimer
Things never work out the way you want them to, do they? Your last job was a complete wash - escort some wage slave from his office to his house and then to the airport. Pretty easy, and you could have used the creds. Only problem was that the guy was geeked and laying on the street before you even got to the office. And of course, you show up just as the sirens start ringing out announcing the arrival of Knight Errant, which never looks good.
Your apartment is a mess, and your landlady is always bitching about how you are close to running late with your rent. Your refrigerator is mostly empty, the hot water has stopped running again, and to top it all off the day starts with a leak in the roof, letting the fresh Seattle rain into your living room, mere inches from your couch. At least the cockroaches will have something to drink when they come out from their hiding spots, right?
But at least one thing went right today - your commlink buzzed, letting you know about a potential job that might fit you with some much-needed creds. Heck, you're getting paid a cool 100 just to even show up and listen, so how can you pass that up, right? All you gotta do is head to The Big Rhino and meet some guy and listen to what he has to say. With a little luck, this might turn out to be a good day. So you left your apartment, hopped across town, and...
All Characters
By the time you get downtown, the rain has mostly stopped. A few drops here and there, and the clouds in the sky shield the ground from the sun, turning everything a shaky shade of grey and turning what could have been a beautiful day into a gloomy, dreary sight. Traffic is heavy at this time of day, with people walking to and fro from their cubicles to restaurants and back, and the piercing scream of sirens hitting your ears as ambulances rush by taking the injured to one of the several hospitals in the area. Horns honk as cabbies try to get by slower drivers, and all about is a sense of people generally ignoring their fellow man. Isn't it nice to be alive in such a world where peace takes a back seat to everything?
The Big Rhino is a Seattle landmark, known for its food, entertainment, and for its sense of fun. It also happens to be one of the entrances to the Ork Underground, so some of the tours featuring the underground start and/or end here. By the time you get there, the lunch rush has already subsided, and peering in through the front glass doors you can see that the restaurant is mostly empty. Pushing the doors open and stepping in you can see that sentiment is just about on the nose.
The place looks like it's been hit by some thriller gang, with scraps of food and trash strewn about the place, waitresses and bus boys scurrying madly to clean it all up. Broken glasses and overturned chairs litter the floor, and you have to walk around the mess just to get in. As you enter, one of the hostesses approaches and apologizes profusely for the mess, but she doesn't wait for you to answer as she is pulled away to help clean up.
Looking through the restaurant, you see the lone customer who is still here sitting at a table against the back wall, several empty-looking shot glasses and beer steins lined up on the table in front of him. Upon closer inspection, you notice the pair of red-colored lower canines protruding from his orkish mouth, as well as a pair of golden datajacks implanted on the side of his head. His grey goatee and glasses give him the look of an older man, but you can tell that there is still strength in his body. His demeanor tells another story, however - he appears to be pissed off and deep in thought.
As you stand there looking around, the ork looks up and at you, his irritation clearly showing. He stands, speaking across the restaurant "Right on time. Sit - we have much to discuss."
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Solifuge strode up to the Rhino's entrance, checking the current time of day in the corner of his glasses. Fifteen minutes early, and he also avoided the lunch rush - good fortune overall, if he disregarded the muck-up at the front of the restaurant. If the old decker was good for his word, he'd be able to eat a decent meal in a decent establishment. That was a rare pleasure to be savored.
Speaking of the devil, MacAllister was already there and waiting for him. Without mincing further words, Solifuge walked up to the bar and took a seat.
That's a first for me - an old codger of an ork. Short candles that burn bright, all of em.
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[NOTE: Oppenheimer is an ork, 6'6", 275lbs. His brown hair is beginning to thin in the front, and is cut very short. His tusks are unremarkable. He wears thick-rimmed glasses and his clothing looks rumpled. His eyes look sunken and have dark circles around them, like he doesn't sleep much.]
Oppenheimer walked from his apartment/lab (thank God the landlady hadn't seen his bedroom during her last visit) with his shoulders slump, reflecting on the bad luck and worse choices that had landed him where he was. He cut through dark alleys with no fear; he was an ork, and a large one, and besides, he didn't really have much of anything to lose.
It was nice to be out of the claustophobic mess of his apartment. He tried to browse the screamsheets on his commlink while he walked, but the damn thing was so slow he just gave up. As he entered Big Rhino, he almost didn't notice the mess on the floor; the waitress' interruption stopped him a split-second before he stepped in it. Maybe his luck was finally turning around.
Oppenheimer eyed the old ork, and nodded with respect. It wasn't easy to make it to old age as an ork, least of all in the shadows. He acknowledged the Troll as well, silently, and sat down.
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<<TO: Slim Jim>>
<<No problem, just covering the small details.>>
Father Twilight entered the Rhino cautiously when he noted the destruction in the foreground. It was not an unprecedented state of affairs, especially in a predominantly orc establishment, but it was the moment when you relaxed your guard that someone popped you right in the keister. He eyed Macallister warily before sweeping his gaze about hte rest of the establishment. He noted immediately the presence of others whose lives seemed tainted by the shadows in which they worked. He moved to the table, taking the proffered seat and eyeing the others who sat with care, making a point to take a seat that did not offer his back the the majority of the room. As he sat his used his commlink to order a water from the bar, before turning his eyes back up to the old ork seated across from him.
I see this isn't a private party, had I known I would have worn my dress robes. How many more are we expecting?
Dinivin said with a small smile as he worked the prayer beads through his fingers, and at the same time opened up his mind to touch the thoughts of the fiery seraphim whom had bound himself to Dinivin's service, at least for a short time. Should things go badly, he intended to burn anyone foolish enough to try to stop him from leaving. Not that he expected things to go wrong, but the unprepared man is the surprised man, and the surprised man is the dead man in the shadows. With that in mind he opened his sight to the astral plane, and tried to get a read on the man in front of him, and others in the room.
((OOC: Assensing check: Assensing 3+Intuition 4= 7d6 http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3674840/ two hits on assensing check. Looking for general emotional state, if he is highly agitated etc etc. Doing the same as I look at everyone in the room looking for any emotions that don't fit.))
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Dataminer parked a block away in an awkward spot that he makes for himself for his bike. His holo hood is up and projecting over his face, a Tengu's face from ancient japan. He has a stone cold expression as he takes a jaunt over to the Big Rhino, wearing his suually baggy carpenter jeans, some new age chuck taylors, and under the hoodie is just an under shirt. The sleeves of the hoodie are pushed up. He approaches the Rhino, last one in...noticing the mess right away and than the two trolls, and ork, and hey...a human. He felt like the odd man out of the group for a second there.
Hs stone coldness washes away as he approaches the group and the ork, figuring the icon matches just based on looks. He comes up a bit shy, "Ello, was I late for the party or was their stew that damn good?" he jests as he looks around a bit.
Visual Perception just in case. Attribute 5, Skill 1, Spec 2 = 8 dice (8d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3674963/)
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Artair hates the buses. The 'troll' seats always the first to get ruined it seemed...or turned into some vagrants bed. He hustled down town as fast as the city transit options allowed. While he waited he scanned news updates and other tidbits of gossip. He wasn't looking for anything in particular, but it was good to keep abreast of the going ons of the city, even the going ons that were utter drek.
Once he made it to the street with the Big Rhino, Artair lit up a cig. He didn't smoke much, really. Hated the taste. But the sad truth was the cloying smell of the smoke actually was a general improvement most days to the smells he'd pick up on a bad day of the bus. The faint smell of smoke smothered out the dry booze sweat stench mingled with all other manner of bodily rot to be found without seeming out of place.
The state of the Big Rhino caused some concern. But rent outweighed caution so after a minute or so's internal debate, Artair went inside. From there spotting the group was easy.
And an odd collection of people it seemed to be. "Afternoon," he said as way of greeting with the faint traces of a British accent. "Sorry if I held things up."
Finding a mostly intact seat that could support him, he'd bring it over to the table and spin it around so he's leaning forward rather than backward. Having a watcher spirit seems more and more like it would have been the smart move, but it was time to play the cards on the table.
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Wednesday, June 1, 2072
13:30 Hours
Inside The Big Rhino
Father Twilight
You reach out into the astral plane to take a look at your surroundings. You don't see anything out of the ordinary, except that most of the people you are seated at the table with happen to have magical auras about them. MacAllister, however, does not.
Data Miner
You take a look around the restaurant, but don't see anything odd. Other than the mess from the lunch rush, that is. You do see a sign or two showing where the entrance to the Ork Underground is, so you can file that away for later use.
All Characters
As soon as you are all seated at the table, MacAllister sits down and picks up one of the steins, draining it easily before haphazardly setting it back down on the table. He looks at each of you, and you can see that his eyes are both puffy and red. Whether that is from the alcohol or something else, you cannot tell. He wipes his brow with his left hand and then begins to speak.
"I'll dispense with most of the pleasantries because I quite frankly don't have time to chit chat. I got your names from the people you know, and you are all here because there is a job to be done. As promised, you will all be paid 100 nuyen at the conclusion of this meeting. Now, as for the details..."
His face tightens, and his eyes squint a bit as he focuses not on you, but on one of the shot glasses in front of him.
"At 09:00 hours this morning, my daughter Rebecca was found dead in an apartment she was renting in the Ork Underground. I didn't care for her staying there, but she was a grown woman, and she kept saying that she needed to be there for some paper she was writing on the history of the underground.
"Because I know people - the right people - I've been able to learn that the killing appears to be the work of The Mayan Cutter, a serial killer who was supposed to have been killed several years ago shortly after KE took over the job of security for the city. 2 weeks ago a new rash of killings started up, with the M.O. looking a lot like the Cutter, and now rumors are flying that KE got the wrong guy.
"I want to hire you guys to find the Mayan Cutter, I want you to find out why my daughter was targeted, and I want the Cutter brought back to me. Alive at all costs. While money would normally be no object, I do have financial limitations. I can therefore offer you 8,000 Y each for doing this job for me.
What do you say? Are you willing to do this?"
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Dataminer pulls a seat, and sits down with the back of the seat being his arm rest, slouching down and putting his head on top of his hands listening in attentively. When he hears the depressing news, it does not flinch Miner. He was more excited about task at hand, being more of a detective for this one than usual.
Dataminer lifts his head and nods, "Well, I'm in." first thing he thought, My money is someone that she knew killed her. He looks over to everyone else before back to Macallister.
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The shining Knights are thicker than bricks? That's not a bloody surprise at all.
Eight grand for bringing in the Cutter alive. Solifuge remembered that bit of news, feeling the slightest twinge of guilt; his experiences with Lone Star were far less than savory, and he had actually cheered at their embarrassment in the metroplex. Served them right for trying to send him off to Wynaco.
After several moments of contemplation behind a poker face, Solifuge spoke up in his more distinct British accent. "Alright guv, I'll take up the hunt."
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By the saints, a copycat murderer? The Cutter was an abomination in the first place! This world needs fewer demons not more.
Father Twilight's face hardened as he heard the old ork dispense his sad tale, and an inferno of righteous rage blazed within his eyes as he spoke with iron conviction.
"I normally wouldn't hunt down a sociopath who would rather slice me to bits than speak with me for 8,000 nuyen, but this is a case I will take exception to. Righteous men must stand forth when demons haunt the night. My prayers go out to the soul of your loved one, and to your soul to find solace in this troubled time."
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Resting his arms on the back of the chair, Artair steepled his fingers together as he took in the story. A serial killer? Some things still managed to spark interest in the masses and killers like the Mayan Cutter was one of them. It didn't matter that the body count of even a high running killer was less than a bad day brawl between some gangs or when a neglected tunnel crushes people in the Underground. It's the fear that go with the serial killers that make them so noteworthy.
The others voiced the acceptance and agreement and Artair watched them each in turn before speaking. "Do you have access to the full files of the Mayan Cutter's work and of the new string of murders that have happened in the past 2 weeks? How many new deaths have been attributed to the Copycat?" Drawing in a thoughtful breath, he conisdered a few more questions. "Do you know the lead detective Knight Errant has on the case and what involvement, if any, do you have to that? Does KE know you are looking to outsource investigators?"
The tips of his index fingers ceased tapping together and his hands came to gently rest on the back of the chair. Thoughts of the case and what he would need to do formed in his mind in an orderly fashion, but his next question required a bit more empathy. He himself had no connection to the dead girl, but the Johnson did. The redness in his eyes were likely the result of a father's grief. So Artair softened his voice when he asked, "Have you secured your daughter's body or is she still in custody of Knight Errant?"
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Oppenheimer sighed heavily. He hated situations like this; it was always awkward, and he wasn't good with "awkward".
"I'm...uh...sorry for your loss, mister. I'll do what I can to help. 8,000 sounds fine....hell, if you don't have any plans for him after we bring him in, I might have some compounds that could be helpful...depending on what you're looking to do..."
Oppenheimer's eyes darted left, then right. "I mean, you are going to be torturing him, right? That's why you want him brought in alive? I'm not judging you or anything, just...you know, I like to have it all laid out there. Better to be up front, right? I mean, do you need him entirely unharmed, or would minor tissue scarring be acceptable?"
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The old ork looks over the lot of you, his expression getting more dark and his shoulders drooping a little lower.
"I have some information for you that may be of use while doing this job for me. I'm assuming you are in with the other 4, so..."
At this point, he pulls out a pair of old-fashioned reading glasses, setting them on the bridge of his nose as he looks at and enters data into his commlink. Several seconds later he looks up, and all of your commlinks begin with their annoying, incessant beeping, letting you know the obvious.
"I've pushed some data to your commlinks that may help. One word of warning - if you're gonna call T, watch your step. He's not mean, but if you're on his bad side you won't get off it. And his help ain't cheap. Anything else you need before you get started?"
When you check your commlinks, you find the data sets that MacCallister pushed to you, as well as his own CommCode to contact him. You also get details for a temporary account with 500 nuyen - 100 each, just as promised, for showing up and listening.
OOC: GMail was being a pain in the ass about attaching a file, so I had to use my alternate email address from yahoo. fflipps "at" yahoo "dot" com is from your GM.
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*His commlink Arnold Player commlink fowards the email to his Battlecom and takes a ponder at it when he noticed the icon is from the old ork. He looks through the information real quick and processes as it burns into his brain*
"May I ask, you know of anyone that your daughter hung out with in the underground? Also do you have any of your daughter's work for..." he looks at the crew and than back to himself myself to look into?
*He's afraid to hear the words, Knight Errant has some of it for their investigation, he also felt extra annoyed having to talk to a corporate 5-0 for these file entries.*
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His real commlink gets the message. It's the 'Link MacCallister had when he contacted him in the first place so it didn't surprise Artair when he used it again. He pulled out his commlink to glance at the screen.
Checking the screen on the 'Link first, he didn't seen anything odd before shifting it to his contact display. Back at school, a classmate had sent him a message one that was very...visually intense to get right on his eye shortly after getting contact displays. While he's long since adjusted to the stimuli of reading in that fashion, the experience shaped a habit to glance at his 'Link's display first when things allowed.
Reading the files in silence, his gaze flicked around as some other good questions came up. Unless answers or follow up questions prompted something new, he had nothing more he felt he needed to add at this time. He did compose a few quick messages, one to MacCallister and one to a friend.
Sending the messages as PMs.
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Message to MacCallister:
Yes, I will accept the job for the 8000 Nuyen. If the investigations come across a need for a major expense I will contact you and we can discuss if the expense is worth while before proceeding.
Is access to your daughter's body viable? If she is under the care of Knight Errant due to the investigation, may we be given your permission to view her or is that something we should take up with the Detective you recommended we interface with?
I am sorry for your loss.
- Artair
Message to Grace McKnight (My Lone Star Detective contact, 2 Con, 4 Loyal):
Gracie,
How's your shift schedule looking these days? Able to grab a beer or three in the near future?
- A
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Father Twilight perused the data on his commlink swiftly, taking in the details and thinking about the situation.
Based on what this says, our killer is either a copycat, or perhaps the real killer was never caught. Either way this gives me a couple ideas of leads to follow up on.
He glances around the table briefly before looking at MacCallister.
"Your daughter was an awakened, do you have the name or comm number of the Talismonger she frequented? There may be some information there. Also, do you know if she was with anyone the night she died? Anyone we could contact to start retracing her steps the night she was killed?"
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All Characters
As you begin to ask questions, MacCallister holds up his hands in a showing of asking you to slow down. He shakes his head a couple of times as he checks his comm, and then looks up at you.
"You're right," he says towards Artair. "If there are expenses, we can talk about that later."
He calls over one of the waitresses, ordering another few drinks, and by the look of him you'd guess those drinks won't be full very long.
"I've pretty much told you guys all I know at this point. She was only found 4 hours ago, so I have no idea where her body is right now. I got a call from Tosh at Knight Errant telling me about finding her, at which point he suggested we have someone look into it.
"I don't know who she hung with, and I've given you the address I have for her. If she had a talismonger or other awakened friends, you might find clues in her apartment. Or by talking to Tosh. I don't know.
"As for her body...probably not an option. I haven't even seen it yet. Had she not been my daughter, Tosh probably wouldn't have even cared about some random girl in the Underground. But he knows me, which means he knows who she is. Sorry - was.
"That's all I've got, guys. I've told you everything I know at this point. Which is why I am hiring you - to find out what the fuck happened here, and then bring that asshole to me. I'd do it myself, but I've got a funeral to plan and a wife to console."
-
Tosh was on that case. These rumors can't be good for his temperment.
Solifuge adjusted the glasses resting on his eyes, scrolling over the data forwarded to him by MacAllister. He also signaled for a waitress, giving her a measured grin. "Bring me a menu, love; I don't get many opportunities to dine out." After the waitress ran off to fulfill his request, Solifuge turned his attention to MacAllister and the other gathered gentlemen, offering the commcode of his public link to the runners. The active link's profile identified him as Norman Smith, a troll in his mid-20s whose interests included bodybuilding and martial arts trids. "I will speak with Tosh about the case; we are acquaintances."
<@Tosh>
<DT, are you working today? I have a few questions for you, and if lunch at the Rhino floats your boat, send me a message.>
-
Dataminer nodded at Macallister in his response. And once Solifuge said he'd talk to Tosh he would turn to him, "Do me a favor and see if he can get us a copy of whatever casefiles he can lend us. I'd rather not have to do this that hardway, but am very willing to do it." he grins devilishly and writes on a napkin how to contact him and receives the team's commcodes but memorizes it if they write it down for him with ease. It seems to be something like an email / matrix dropbox."It's an encrypted mailbox that I only have access to. If anything, leave a message and I can get back to you guys."
He gets up from his seating, "I'm never much for tlak, so I do apologizes." he tries to be as cordial as possible, but than again he's not use to these kinds of interactions. "I'm going back to my dwelling and do what I do best. I might have something to help us out so let me know what the plan is for....your 'meatings' " he snickered at his horrible play on words joke and than goes serious through his Tengu holo mask and heads back out to his bike and would drive back to the bus, but would stop at an electronic store to buy a fiber optic cable. ((spending the 5 nuyen unless otherwise))
-
Oppenheimer is quiet, mostly. He reviews some of the materials on his commlink, and takes long sips of water from his glass. Finally, amidst the conversation at the table, he speaks up again.
"I...uh...I used to be a doctor. Well, sort of. It's possible that I might be able to get something out of the coroner's notes, if anyone here can acquire them. Other than that, well....I won't be much help until we find the guy."
-
Artair looked at the other investigators (He didn't see himself a 'Runner. Or tried not to anyways.) and back to the grieving father. When Dataminer rose to leave, Artair held up a hand. "Perhaps we should shift to another table? Do proper introductions and work out an outline of a plan while leaving," Artair nodded his head towards MacCalliser, "him some privacy with his thoughts?"
He was far from rolling in the nuyen these days, but sometimes you needed to spend a little to make a little. "We can wash down their sampler platter with some soybeer while we talk." Using his public link IDing him as Gabriel, he'll order a troll sized sampler platter and some beers and set the link to tune into some of the local entertainment vids. Then he ignores the link like he was just a guy watching sports in a pub.
Rising, he turns his chair around and pushes it under the table and gestures to a different one that will let them give the Johnson some space.
-
Dinivin nodded his head at Artair's suggestion and stood with him, tucking in his chair before giving the grieving father, and his employer, a parting nod. He sat at the table his new associate chose and used his commlink to place an order for a cup of soycaf. At the same time he checked to verify that his link was broadcasting his fake SIN of Gabriel Veracone.
We are an interesting bunch, I wonder what all of our talents are?
Dinivin steepled his fingers in front of him and observed his new comrades over them while he waited for his soycaf. Once all of the Runners took a seat he spoke his piece.
"Perhaps we should get more comfortable with each other and have a round of introductions? I'm known as Father Twilight, and no the priestly garb is not a joke. I have access to magic and spirits. When it comes to the job, my first inclination is to go investigate the victims home and try to retrace her steps before her death."
-
Artair
It takes a few minutes, but eventually your commlink starts beeping. When you check it, you see the familiar holo-pic of Gracie.
<<To: Artair>>
<<From: Gracie McKnight>>
<<My shift schedule sucks ass, but I might be able to check out for a bit. When and where?>>
Solifuge
Almost at the same time Artair's comm starts beeping, you get the flashing holo-pic indicator that you also have a new message, and this is one you recognize immediately.
<<To: Solifuge>>
<<From: Detective Theodore Athack>>
<<Rhino? You just meet with Mac? I got lunch coming up, so I'll be there in thirty.>>
Data Miner
As you get up and are ready to leave, you see everyone start to gather around one of the other tables. You can either continue to leave (and spend the nuyen on a cheap FO cable), or you can sit with them. Your choice.
All Characters
As you start to gather around the table, you glance back over at MacAllister and see that he is getting himself ready to leave. You aren't sure where he's going, but it takes a couple of Ork bus-boys to help him to his feet. Once on his feet, he stumbles around a bit, the alcohol obviously impairing his sense of balance, and he then heads to the door. On the way past your table, he says Call me if you get anywhere with this. Keep me updated. And remember - I'd prefer he be alive when you deliver him. Battered and bruised is fine, but I want him alive. And at this, he leaves.
Whatever orders you want to place for food and drink will arrive in a most timely manner. Just remember to deduct an appropriate amount of nuyen from whatever you have (10 for a burger, 5 for a beer, etc.). Discuss whatever you need to discuss at this point, and I'll interject when necessary.
-
<<To: Detective Theodore Athack>>
<<From: Solifuge>>
<<Yeah, I just spoke to Mac; he's not taking the news too well. I'll save a seat for you.>>
Solifuge shifted in his seat, placing an order for a beer and a basket of fried cheesesticks; it would only be polite if he waited for Tosh to arrive before following up on the main course. "Well, Father, as long as you're not a target then you'll be fine. I'm called Solifuge, as some old ork said I looked like an ordinary spider who got injected with pure hez. I work best as a legbreaker, but I also like to surprise smoothies by blending in with polite society."
The slender troll leaned back as his appetizers were delivered, biting down on one of the cheesesticks with a satisfied grin. "I do tend to draw attention, however. It must be the accent."
Solifuge will spend his 100 nuyen from the meeting to cover the cost of his lunch with Tosh. He's paying for both of them, and they have large appetites.
-
Before Dataminer leaves the table. He gets up, looks at Artair's extended hand and shakes it with a wimpy grip. "Name's Dataminer, my job is in the name." He puts his arm out, with his palm towards the ceiling as he projects his icon for the team to see, an 8-bit pickaxe about to crack into an 8-bit rock over a yellow warning sign. "So again, I'll get started on my work, in case I need to find alternative routes..which have a tendancy of being longer than not. Give me a heads up on what's going on and I'll streamline whatever my findings are to you guys." the holo projection formhis gloves stops and goes out to do his hunting through the trix for his new team. He already left them a way to reach him as his heads back to his bike. He looks around for a moment as he steps out of the Rhino, putting his shades on through his holo mask of a tengu that he for some reason never turned off.
Intuitiion 5 + Perception 1 + Visual Spec 2 + Vision Enhancment 3 = 11 dice Perception Visual (11d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3684461/)
He roams over to his bike, starts up his bike and heads to an electronic store, picking up a fiber optic cable and than heading back to his bus. The back end opens up for him as he drives up onto the bike lift. He gets off his Contrail, the hoodie and the shades go ad get toss to shitty couch that looks to be connected to his futon. He puts his futon in it sitting mode as he lounges around, back entry of the bus already closed. He kicks back and goes into the Trix.
Dataminer does a prelim sweep on anything about the Mayan Cutter. News feeds of all the murders, the capture, and so on.
Data Search 4 + Browse 6 + 2 Adept Data Search + 2 Analytical mind + +2 Hot Sim (16d6.hits(5)=6, 15d6.hits(5)=3, 14d6.hits(5)=5, 13d6.hits(5)=7) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3684502/) 21 Hits - Continuing
Continuous Data Search : Mayan Cutter Data Search 4 + Browse 6 + 2 Adept Data Search + 2 Analytical mind + +2 Hot Sim (12d6.hits(5)=6, 11d6.hits(5)=5, 10d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3684506/) 33 Hits final
Once he's satisfied finding all the road blocks on the Mayan Cutter and whatever info is easy pickings on the trix, he looks up everythign he can find on Rebecca MacCallister.
Data Search : Rebecca MacCallister Data Search 4 + Browse 6 + 2 Adept Data Search + 2 Analytical mind + +2 Hot Sim (16d6.hits(5)=2, 15d6.hits(5)=8, 14d6.hits(5)=5, 13d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3684547/) 19 Hits and Continuing
Data Search : Rebecca MacCallister - Continued Data Search 4 + Browse 6 + 2 Adept Data Search + 2 Analytical mind + +2 Hot Sim (12d6.hits(5)=4, 11d6.hits(5)=5, 10d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3684550/) 32 hits Final
Once last look of Rebecca MacCallister cross reference University of Washington.
Data Search : Rebecca MacCallister cross ref UWASH Data Search 4 + Browse 6 + 2 Adept Data Search + 2 Analytical mind + +2 Hot Sim (16d6.hits(5)=9, 15d6.hits(5)=5, 14d6.hits(5)=4, 13d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3684552/) 20 Hits + More
Data Search : Rebecca MacCallister cross ref UWASH - Continued Data Search 4 + Browse 6 + 2 Adept Data Search + 2 Analytical mind + +2 Hot Sim (12d6.hits(5)=5, 11d6.hits(5)=4, 10d6.hits(5)=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3684553/) 34 Hits Total
-
Artair offers a friendly smile to Dataminer as they shake hands, the edge of his eyes crinkling as the greeting turns into an amusing goodbye with the 8-bit icon display. "Nice retro look," He offers. "Keep in touch, Guv," he adds when it becomes clear Dataminer isn't sticking around for the meet and greet. He bumps his contact info to the Hacker before going to settle at the new table.
MacAllister's depature earns a solemn nod from the Formori. Not letting himself dwell on it, he hashed out a quick reply to Grace.
At the Rhino downtown atm. Can be free in about thirty and catch a bite? Somewhere ease for your beat?
Given her position with Lone Star she didn't have work shifts that brought her near anywhere the plus side of pleasant. Why she had remained in Seattle and not tried to relocate was a question he kept meaning to ask but had never gotten around to. Likely wouldn't today either.
Setting those thoughts aside, he focused on those that remained and joined him at the table. "Artair," he offers with a smile. "Pleasure and thanks for joining me." He adds to Solifuge, letting his accent surface a bit more, "Never apologize for proper speaking."
Taking a beer when the first round of food rolls around, he sniffs it before taking a hefty pull. I'm a licensed investigator specializing in the occult." Artair bumps his true contact information to them. "This case likely will be drawing the attention of the public eye and I suspect KE will want to crack down on it fairly hard soon if they haven't started already. How do we want to go about this? And what angles do we want to follow?
-
Oppenheimer scratched the stubble on his jaw absent-mindedly. He hadn't ordered any food, and seemed content to nurse his glass of water. He didn't quite look homeless, but he certainly appeared broke.
"It's a dead ork, in the ork underground, and it points towards a serial killer. I doubt Lonestar will be working the case that hard, at least not in the way that anyone looking to solve it would. I expect they'll increase their patrols, roust some folks in her neighborhood, that kind of thing. We should try to hit her apartment before it gets too hot there. Once we're able to get a picture of her contacts, we can start working the list. And like I said before, if you fellas can get me the coroner's report, I might be able to give us a clearer picture of what we're dealing with here."
-
Artair
After about 5 minutes of sitting at the table speaking with the others, your commlink interrupts the conversation.
<<To: Artair>>
<<From: Gracie McKnight>>
<<Right now a beer would be good. Unfortunately, we're getting calls coming in about some gang called the Skraacha causing issues in the Underground. I'll let you know when I've got some free time, but it may not be for a couple hours as I'm on this one.>>
Your last commlink communication was formatted incorrectly. Just an FYI for future reference.
Data Miner
It takes you about 5-7 minutes to completely scour the matrix, but you are able to come back with a bunch of information on the Mayan Cutter.
The original Mayan Cutter’s first victim appeared in October of 2069. There are forty–eight confirmed victims between then and early 2072, when he was finally tracked down and killed by Knight Errant. There are at least two dozen other open cases that are possibly the work of the Cutter as well, but nothing can be proven for those. The victims were all killed in the same fashion. They were all ritually sliced up, the cuts forming the same pattern on each victim. The cuts were all made by an obsidian blade, probably the size of a dagger. The obsidian left microscopic fragments in the wounds. And finally each victim was bled out and then publicly hung out on display. The majority of the victims were metahumans, with the bulk of those being orks and only a couple of them being human. Most were poor and SINless.
You are also able to identify some pieces of information that indicate he was the reason that KE got the contract to police the city when Lone Star botched and couldn't find/capture the guy. And it only took KE a month to find and catch the guy, so the amount of conspiracy talk is almost overwhelming.
We'll deal with your next search at the next 5 minute interval.
All Characters
From this point on, when you are contacting one of your contacts to do research, please provide a CHA + Etiquette + [appropriate contact] Loyalty roll. This is only needed for the first time you reach out to that contact, but is needed every time the subject changes.
-
Artair nodded in agreement with Oppenheimer. "I think Knight Errant will take this seriously enough to give it a thorough one. This could look really bad for them. And I don't think Lone Star will slouch on this if they realize what they're sitting on. Any excuse to make KE look bad."
He shrugged and popped a quick bite before he continued. "Who wants to go to her appartment? I-" He stopped as he got an update from Gracie. "'Sec..." he murmured as he hashed out a quick reply.
<<To: Grace "Gracie" McKnight>>
(Artair's set holo-pic of here is an off duty shot of her cramming beer cans on horns when they were drinking one night.)
<<From: Artair Ross>>
<<Oh? Mind if I bring one to you? have something that could help the Star look golden.>>
Looking back up at those around the table, Artair sets the link down and resumes speaking, "Seems like there is more action going on in the Underground. I have a friend working things down there." I shrug, "No time like the present, really. I can head down and interface with that and we can look into her apartment at the same time. Anyone want to come with? And when do we want to meet up and touch base again?"
-
As Dataminer picks away through the diamond field of information, he grabs some tid bits...but not as much as he hoped in such a short amount of time. He continues to look for public info and any node he needs to access to get the more juicy stuff. During that time, he sends some news over to his teammates in a secure message.
<< To: Team>>
<<From: Dataminer>>
<<Subject: MC Part 1>>
<<From reports that I am able to find and what was given to us, "Mayan Cutter" attacked homeless orks, and a few non orks that have no SINs. Rebecca would not be in his cross-hairs based off of that. Gonna look into more of her school work if possible. Also traces of obsidian was left behind in the wound of his victims, something to ask the detective about. I do have an amazing nanny cam tat I wanted to try if you guys wanna use it.>>
-
Dinivin drains his soycaf before standing.
"As I said before, I think the apartment is the place to start, so I will go along. I want to find any contacts she has in the awakened world and follow that trail."
-
Solifuge chomped into a few additional cheesesticks, offering the basket to his company. "I'd never intend to apologize for it, my good sir. I previously held the belief that I was the only troll in the Metroplex who spoke the Queen's English with articulation. If not the accent, my clothing style is to blame." He made a gesture to his tracksuit jacket, which was designed to look as if a camel spider was clinging to his backside. It was always good for a laugh when someone thought the arachnid was actually alive and trying to bite him. "I will join you once I finish lunch; I'm expecting company. I am familar with the Underground, and there are a few individuals there who might take offense to our search."
A subtle grin crossed Solifuge's groomed complexion. "Should they want to cause trouble, I am very talented in the field of corrective attitude realignment."
-
Oppenheimer pushed his chair back and rose to his feet. "Let's go. Sounds like most of us are headed to the apartment."
-
Despite the rather solemn reason they had been hired for and the always awkward 'meet and greet' of aligning oneself with new coworkers, Solifuge's reply prompted an earnest smile from Artair. "At least the weather is similiar here," he'll offer. Stealing a last minute bite from his plate, he prepared to depart. "We'll contact you should we encounter anything that will adjust our course."
Reading the message from Dataminer, Artair fired off a quick reply. "Letting the Miner know where we're headed."
<<To: Dataminer>>
<<From: Artair Ross>>
<<Headed to OU. Know anything about the Skraacha? They are reportedly causing issues in the Underground right now. Be careful.>>
"Alright," Artair looked between those coming with him right now, "We headed together or meeting separate?" It wasn't glamorous to be sans a vehicle, but they were largely unneeded for him.
-
Data Miner
You end your search on the Mayan Cutter, and start the search for information on Rebecca MacCallister. This one takes a little bit longer, but not too much (in the neighborhood of 10 minutes, but that's for the search and sifting through all the junk that comes back with the actual data).
Based on what you can find, Rebecca was a student at UWash, studying up on the Ork Underground. She was writing a paper on its history and importance to the city of Seattle, and you find a few articles by pure happenstance through cross-referencing about the OU not being a formalized part of the city, and that it is one of the few areas that both KE and Lone Star help provide policing for (although you know that the policing isn't that much).
A couple of articles you find make reference to the fact that she was a mage, and that her father used to be a shadowrunner. There also seems to be some information that connects her to the Skraacha, and that rumors have it she was involved heavily with one of their leaders.
Artair, Oppenheimer, and Father Twilight
Finding the entrance to the Ork Underground is easier than placing an order for a soykaf here. The Big Rhino has 1 of the 2 public entrances into the OU, and it also happens to be a stop on the OU tours that take place from time to time. And at the thought of wageslaves and vacationers paying money to go underground, you almost chuckle to yourself.
The entrance itself is in the back of the restaurant, near the kitchen, and it's easily found thanks to the signs pointing to it. The staircase is well lit, until you get about half-way down, at which point no more than half the lights are functioning, and some of them are blinking and on the verge of going out. There is a stand at the top of the stairs that has the usual tourist map on it, but Rebecca lived in one of the residential areas, and because of the make-up of the OU, you aren't sure which residential area on the map it is. Heck - due to what the OU is, you aren't even sure the correct residential area is even on the map.
The OU itself is a unique experience, with part of it being old downtown Seattle, with other parts of it being roughly carved stone and dirt tunnels no wider than a single person could fit through. As you hit the bottom of the stairs, you can see the residents and nearby shop owners giving you that look. You know the one - the look that asks what you are doing down here, seeing as you don't live here. You can tell that they aren't mean by any stretch at this point, merely annoyed that what appears to be yet another group of runners or tourists is coming down to screw up their day.
Solifuge
Almost as soon as the others head towards the entrance to the OU, one of the largest trolls you've ever seen walks through the front door of the Rhino. Even if you didn't know who it was, it wouldn't be hard to place him thanks to the badge swinging on a chain around his neck and the large Ruger Super Warhawk on his side.
Tosh sees you sitting at the table and walks over, shaking your hand when he gets there. He sits down, and even though the chairs are built for Orks and Trolls, it groans under even his heavier than normal weight.
"Good to see you, Sol. Sorry about throwing your name to Mac, but he needs help and I thought this would be up your alley. I'm sure you've got questions for me on the case, so as long as you're attending the policeman's ball - I got a few tickets here..."
He puts his hand inside his jacket and pulls out 4 tickets, and from the print on the front of them you can see they are valued at 100 nuyen each.
-
Solifuge could barely back a grin as he shook hands with the detective. Tosh was one of the few trolls on the force he could respect, largely owing to his strength and bulk (and knowledge of its proper application). "Put me down for two tickets. If none of Brackhaven's employees are attending, I may even be able to work it into my schedule. Oh, and feel free to order whatever you like - lunch is on me."
Once the food and drink started to flow, Solifuge began his inquiries. "I got a peek at the case file report, courtesy of Mac. Martine seemed to exclusively target metahumans, which leads me to ask if any of his victims were human. Hell, was Martine human himself?" He listened to Tosh intently, speaking up later on the second topic that crossed his mind. He forwarded the holo-pic of Rebecca's address to Tosh, which incidentally was not far from the Rhino itself. "My other question revolves around Rebecca's address. Do you know if that spot is reasonably close to tourist lanes? I'd also be interested in knowing if Skraacha keep any close eyes on the general vicinity; from my own experience, they aren't fond of elves or humans and they style themselves as a 'neighborhood watch' for the Underground."
Sol took a deep draught of his lemonade, then glanced back at Tosh. "Also.. this is a bit hard to ask, but do you know if Mac's going to arrange for an autopsy?"
Two tickets should be fair; Solifuge had two lines of questions for Tosh. Marking off 200 nuyen.
1) Mayan Cutter: CHA 3 + Etiquette 4 + Kinesics 2 + Tailored Pheromones 3 + Loyalty 1 (13d6.hits(5)=6) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3692305/)
2) Rebecca Mac: CHA 3 + Etiquette 4 + Kinesics 2 + Tailored Pheromones 3 + Loyalty 1 (13d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3692306/)
-
Dataminer just sends a mass text to the team.
<< Interesting note, Rebecca is rumored to be involved with the Skraacha leader. >>
Dataminer continues to chip away at gathering more info by searching for Skraacha gang; specifically the leader and recent gang related events.
Data Search 4 + Browse 6 + Hot Sim 2 + Analytical Mind + Improved Data Search 2 = 16 Dice Searching Skraacha specifically leader, cross reference with Rebecca Macallister. (16d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3692492/) We agreed on the quick extend right? If I need to roll more let me know.
-
The Orc Underground, always an interesting place to visit, as long as you made certain not to upset the locals. Father Twilight was never a believer in walking around a potential problem, so he moved calmly up to a shop owner. As he approached he traced a cross in the air as he spoke his greeting.
"Good morning. I was hoping you could give me directions to Hautanan Court?"
As he spoke his other hand manipulated his commlink and deposited 20 nuyen in the shopkeepers account.
-
Artair had not spent a ton of time in the UO. Sometimes trolls got lumped in with Orks, but Artair himself had never made that personal connection. He had devoted some time to learning Or'zet partially due to the intellectual curiosity of the language and partially because it helped with a number of the cases he had consulted for in Seattle.
Stepping closer to Father Twilight, Artair whispered to the holy man, "Use this greeting." He proceeded to quietly give an Or'zet greeting.
As his commlink chimes a message, he takes a step back. Dataminer's revelation matched the hunch Artair had churning in his gut. "Of course she was," he muttered to no one in perticular.
<<To: Grace>>
<<From: Artair>>
<<In the OU. (Links the entrance point address) Can come to you. Need a hand?>>
Biz aside, Gracie was probably one of his (if not the) closest friend he had these days and gang fights could get bloody. He waited for Father Twilight to finish his conversation, as further interjection would just undermine anything Twilight managed to accomplish. "I have a lead on Skraacha's location," he says quietly to FT and Oppenheimer. "Given his connection we might need to get to the leader before he's killed or hauled off somewhere. I can handle that if you two want to check out the appartment?"
He didn't relish the idea of going alone in the OU, but murder investigations had expiration dates.
-
Oppenheimer stood behind Father Twilight and Artair, following the conversation but remaining quiet. He'd been to the Underground before, and could probably blend in if he had to, but was hoping in this case to act as the group's "ork pass".
-
Artair, Father Twilight, and Oppenheimer
Father Twilight approaches one of the shopkeepers - a bicycle rental shop - and starts to send creds to the shopkeeper's PAN. The connection is horribly bad, mostly due to the lack of wireless activity in the OU, but you eventually get a signal and send the money his way. He pulls out a rather old, rather out-dated commlink and checks the beeping, seeing the money transferred. He looks at you, smiles slightly, and says "It's gonna take a little more than that to get me to talk to you top-siders."
As this is happening, Artair gets a message on his commlink from Gracie.
<<To: Artair>>
<<From: Grace McKnight>>
<<No-can-do. And no, that's not anywhere near Katmandu. The OU's police force has the area cordoned off, and we have to negotiate with them just to get into the area. They don't like us to begin with, and if any civilians come poking around...well, that won't be good. I'll catch up with you later and we'll swap stories.>>
Father Twilight, please provide a Negotiation roll with your next post if you press the shopkeeper for information.
Data Miner
You run a search for about a minute or so, and all you get back is that the Skraacha are an Ork gang, taking their name from some word in Or'zet (that you are unable to, as of yet, find the meaning for).
Solifuge
Tosh smiles slightly while putting the remaining 2 tickets away.
"Knight Errant thanks you for the donation."
He picks up his commlink and places an order for some food through AR, and while you are waiting for it he begins to talk.
"Where to start...Well, you know I was the lead on the original Cutter case. We nailed that bastard, and I know we got the right guy. Human asshole, targeting metas for fun. Fucker killed some really good people, and I put more time in on that case than I did on anything else at the time. Pisses me off that Lone Star is spreading the conspiracy bullshit about how we caught him so quickly, and that it was an inside job to help us earn the contract with Seattle. Really pisses me off."
At this point, he essentially tells you the same thing that was posted earlier from Data Miner's data search on the original Mayan Cutter.
He shifts slightly in his chair as the questions turn to Rebecca.
"The new Cutter appeared two weeks ago, and he's killed five people so far, including Rebecca MacCallister. Once again the majority of the victims are metas - two orks, one troll, one dwarf, and a single human - however so far all of the victims have been SINners. There has been no apparent pattern to the locations of the killings, and we haven'tt been able to find any obvious links between the victims. This guy ain't the original - he's a copycat pussy."
The food arrives, and Tosh takes a bite of the rather large burger he ordered.
"I'm sure you asked Mac, so I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt here cuz I gave him your name. Body is at the coroner's office, and I can get you in if you need to see it. Gonna take some creds to 'secure' the right paperwork once we're there, but if you wanna see it badly enough..."
-
Dataminer continues his data search on the Skraacha and their recent activities. Still making notes on nodes he would need some form of access to.
Continuing search on Skraacha. Data Search 4 + Browse 6 + Analytical Mind 2 + Improved Data Search 2 + Hot Sim 2 Doing an extended test (15d6.hits(5)=4, 14d6.hits(5)=8, 13d6.hits(5)=8, 12d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3697843/)
After would look at nodes that he noted during his search.
-
Oppenheimer scratches his chin thoughtfully. It's been a little while since he's been in this part of town, but he used to know his way around fairly well.
Area Knowledge (Seattle) roll
5d6.hits(5)=1 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3698019/)
Edge to re-roll the four dice that didn't come up as hits:
4d6.hits(5)=1 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3698023/)
Total of 2 hits
He scoffs softly at the old man. "Who you callin' a topsider? I did my time down here. Don't that count for anything?"
-
"Well, bollocks," he mutters as he reads the follow up reply from Grace. He sends her a quick 'ok' message with a 'Hang in there' style demotivational poster from a recent action trid movie where the protagonist is holding on with a nearly sheered cyberarm, trying not to fall into the preverbal pit o' doom while a drake circles overhead.
Not wanting to trip over the other two at this point, he hangs back and waits for them to resolve the situation before they try to press on to the appartment together.
-
"Would that offer be on the table later? One of my chums might be able to make some sense of this poseur by viewing the body."
Solifuge set down a fourth empty glass, having made quick work of the boneless wings and sliders brought to his table. "Looks like it's my turn to hit the streets. I may never get to do legit detective work, but we share a common thread - when we ask questions, people listen."
<<Once I'm finished up with my meet, lads, I'll join you in the Underground. I doubt you're going to get anything useful out of the Skraacha without someone like me to act as a visual deterrent.>>
Solifuge is currently carrying:
Commlink
Customized ceramic knife "Redback"
Earbuds
Gecko tape gloves
Glasses
Simrig
Securetech PPP
Street clothes <worn>
Current armor: Leather jacket (2/2) with FFBA (+6/+2) and discreet Securetech forearm guards, leg/arm casings, shin guards, and vitals protector. (+2/+4)
Total effective armor is 11/11.
-
Data Miner
You sift through more data in the Matrix, taking your sweet time (like 4 minutes, and that's really stretching out ever last second on this one). Skraacha is Or'Zet for "Scorchers", and they are a gang in the OU (like you couldn't figure that one out on your own, right?). They see themselves as a type of policing agent for the OU, providing protection for...considerations...from the residents. When you search for any recent activities for them, nothing out of the ordinary comes back or catches your eye.
Father Twilight, Artair, and Oppenheimer
Artair continues to stand there, silently observing what's going on as he doesn't want to step on anyone's toes. Things seem to be ok until Oppenheimer mentions that he used to live in the OU, at which point the shopkeeper turns to him and gets a really sour look on his already ugly face. He spits on the ground near (but not at) the feet of Oppenheimer and scowls.
You make me sick, turning on your own people. What - we ain't good enough for ya? You too good to live down here? Get away from me and my shop, turgma, with the emphasis on the Or'Zet word stinging Oppenheimer's ears.
The shopkeeper then turns back to Father Twilight, still visibly upset.
You gonna have to really pay now, topsider. More creds, or take a walk.
Turgma is Or'Zet for "traitor", for those of you who know the language.
Solifuge
Tosh gnashes on the food as you speak, slurping loudly and quickly. You get the impression from his eating that he's in a hurry or rushed by something. And when he starts to speak, your suspicion is confirmed.
I'd love to hold the offer, but I can only do so much. Mac wants this taken care of quickly, and he's paying all of us quite a bit to make sure that happens. It's a one-time offer: now or never, I'm afraid.
He pushes his chair back and starts to stand.
Sorry, but I can only give you two choices at the moment due to the compressed nature of things. You can either come with me to the morgue to see the body, or you can go find your friends and see if anything turns up there.
-
Once the two trolls were finished with their meal, Solifuge shook his head to politely decline. "Null sheen, omae. I probably won't pick up too much with these eyes, so I'll go catch up to the lads and keep the general peace. We should do lunch again next week."
<<No dice on getting access to Becky's body, so I'll be legging it down to the Undergound.>>
Solifuge is going directly from the Rhino into the Underground, following after Father Twilight, Artair, and Oppenheimer. Perhaps there's time for him to help salvage the bad situation with the shopkeeper.
-
Dataminer was not able to find anything more in the surface, UWash looks to be a good spot to check. His HUD shows a message from Soulifuge. and mass replies to the team.
<< How you guys handling down there? I'm thinking if it's possible me and Soulifuge check out her school with me? Maybe a connection with what she was looking into and her death? I do not see why we need to be bunched up in one area?" >>
-
Oyi! Things seemed to be getting rapidly out of hand. Part of him just wanted to end the talk with the shopkeeper and try elsewhere, but that could cause a spiral 'shut out' effect.
<<To: Dataminer>>
<<From: Artair>>
<<Checking out the school seems like a wise move. You and---Fraggit. 'Sec>>
The spitting pushed Artair to intercede. He didn't know how his teammates handled things like this and he didn't want to find out his companions had a short fuse by watching the shopkeep's brainpan springing a few leaks. Stepping forward with a smooth grace and speed that seems odd for his frame, Artair raises his hands, palm outward in a non-threatening posture. Though he was a Fomori and thus large in frame, he didn't really carry a threatening air to him. While he was capable of violence, it was not a natural inclination for him.
Speaking in Or'zet, he moved himself between the merchant and his two companions. They could easily go around him as his positioning was more to draw the shopkeeper's attention to him rather than prevent the others from action. "How does his leaving cause him to turn on his own people? There is a war for the rights of the Underground being waged above. If the people's voice is to be heard," Artair says, choosing the phrasing 'the people's' purposefully, implying a sense of unity without directly claiming to be part of it. "Must it not be heard up there? And if the Underground is not heard then it will never be truly free of the mechanization of the Corps above and the plots of the dandelion eaters." It was easy to blame the elves. In Artair's experience they did tend to be always be up to something.
Lowering his hands slowly to his side, Artair heaves a sigh. "Our aim here was to aid, not to harm and to do so with as little disruption as we could manage. Hence why we sought your counsel."
Artair has a Cha 2 and Etiquette 1 (or Negotiations 1) for a base dice pool of 3 before modifiers are thrown in. I can't access Invisible Castle's site at work (Shakes fist at blocked sites). I can roll later or if you just want to roll Scare_Crow I'm fine using your luck. I wouldn't be spending Edge on this.
Gear Location:
Commlins:
Meta Link (1, 1, 1, 2) Attached to Gabriel Morton ID. Currently in Passive Mode
+Vector Xim
Fake SIN (Gabriel Morton) Rating 4
+Fake License (Ruger Thunderbolt w/ Smartgun) Rating 4
+Fake License (Sustaining Focus (Detection)) Rating 4
+Fake License (Sustaining Focus (Health)) Rating 4
+Fake License (Cram) Rating 4
+Fake License (Contact Lenses) Rating 4
+Fake License (Shock Glove) Rating 4
Sony Emperor (2, 2, 2, 3) Attached to actual ID. Currently in Hidden Mode. Set to alert if known contacts (Team, Gracie, others with direct number) send messages.) Liscenced Paranormal Investigator
+Renraku Ichi
+Subvocal Microphone
+AR Gloves
FTL Matrixware Power Suite
+Analyze Rating 3 [Copy Protection 3; Registration]
+Browse Rating 4 [Copy Protection 4; Registration]
+Command Rating 2 [Copy Protection 2; Registration]
+Edit Rating 4 [Copy Protection 4; Registration]
+Purge Rating 4 [Copy Protection 4; Registration]
+Scan Rating 2 [Copy Protection 2; Registration]
Weapons:
Grenade: Thermal Smoke (1 Carried, 2 at House)
DV: (10m Radius) AP: - RC: 0
Ruger Thunderbolt w/ Smartgun - Carried in under shoulder rig. Loaded with Mag of SnS. Two spare mags of SnS, Two mags of Reg ammo carried. (rest of ammo back home)
+Gas-Vent 3 System
+Quick-Draw Holster
+Spare Clips
+Smartgun System
Shock Glove - Worn
Armor/Clothes:
Armor Jacket 8/6
+Chemical Protection 6
Form-Fitting Full-Body Suit6/2
+Nonconductivity 6
SecureTech PPP Armor (Ensemble)2/4
Worn:
Contact Lenses Rating 3
+Smartlink
+Image Link
+Flare Compensation
DocWagon Contract: Basic Braclet
Earbuds Rating 3
+Audio Enhancement Rating 3
+Select Sound Filter Rating 1
Glasses Rating 4
+Vision Magnification
+Vision Enhancement Rating 3
+Low Light
Carried:
Medical Pouch (Secured to Belt):
- Medkit Rating 6 (2 Refills back at home)
- Cram (1 Dose on me, 2 back at home)
- Psyche (1 Dose on me, 2 back at home)
Zipped Pockets in Jacket:
Stealth Tags (3 on me, 17 back at home)
Certified Credstick, Standard (150 Nuyen Balance on stick)
Gecko Tape Gloves
Healing Fetish
Light Stick (1 in Jacket, 1 back at home)
Attached to Form Fitting body-suit:
Sustaining Focus (Detection) (bonded) Rating 3
Sustaining Focus (Health) (bonded) Rating 3
Kept at home:
Survival Kit
-
He calls Soulifuge's commlink, once he picks up "Want me to swing by and pick you up or you got a wheels we can meet there." Dataminer switches to AR, his eyes instantly open awake. He gets up from his couch and stretches out a bit, putting his holo gloves and hood back on while on the call with Soulifuge
-
Solifuge wandered outside of the Rhino, using a troll-sized toothpick to clean his teeth.
"Your ride sturdy enough? Keep in mind I'm a huge guy and a bike size for a humie isn't going to be enough. That's just how it works, so unless you've got a taxi or a van lined up, I'll have to take a bus or leg it over."
-
"You might have to crouch. I'll be there shortly" Dataminer had already got up and started his Conestoga. Taking the driver seat and maneuvers out of the parking lot and off to the Big Rhino. He loved lugging this around, but can never drive this properly manually. Thank the Marix for awesome remote controlling. He eventually pulls the bus up to the Rhino and honks the baritone horn.
Command 6 + Pilot Ground 2 + Wheeled 2 - 3 Handling (7d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3712555/)
When Soulifuge comes out, probably puzzeled, the back end opens up so he can walk in, but would have to crouch. There was couch that he could fit as his own seat. Wood panelling for walls and windows tinted. He put his bike and bike lift aside so you can squeeze through to the couch.
"Sit back and relax, next stop University of Washington." Dataminer sits back down, closes the back end and drives off to University of Washington.
-
Solifuge squeezed into the vehicle with a grunt, crouching into a somewhat cramp-free position. "Let's be quick about it. I don't like leaving the other guys alone with the underground folk. They aren't too keen on topsiders, regardless of whether you're from Bellevue or the Barrens."
-
Dataminer nods, "Fair enough, I think they put on their big boy pants though." He grins as he accelerates via his AR to drives with his AR steering wheel as his GPS look up on UWash.
Intuition 5 + 2 Area Knowledge: Seattle Data Search 4 + Browse 6 + Improved ABility 2 + Analytical Mind 2 = 14 Dice (7d6.hits(5)=1, 12d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3713794/)
Searching Google Maps
-
Artair and Oppenheimer
The shopkeeper looks at you, taking in your words about loyalty and the Underground.
"Yeah, we're trying to become officially recognized and part of the city and all. How do you think it looks to the suits if our own people won't stay down here? You think they want to acknowledge us when our own people keep leaving?"
At this point, Father Twilight mumbles something about a previous engagement and he turns around, walking back up the stairs to the Big Rhino.
The shopkeeper looks to the two of you once again.
"Now, if you want to know where this place is, I suggest you show the proper respect to its inhabitants, if you take my meaning."
He then looks at you as if expecting something.
See the OOC thread for why Father Twilight has left.
Data Miner and Solifuge
The drive to UWash isn't that bad this time of day, although traffic could be better. It's a simple 20 minute drive right up I5, and the signs that aren't covered with physical graffiti can at least still be read with AR.
When you arrive, the school looks like...well, a school. Parking lots with some cars in them, a bunch of buildings and dormitories, and people walking all over the place.
Where are you parking, and where are you going once you've parked?
University of Washington (http://www.washington.edu/discover/files/2012/09/VisitorsCenterBrochure.pdf)
-
Dataminer controls the bus remotely as he swings it around and goes into the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture parking lot. "Alrighty, let me grab you a brochure." Dataminer siffs through their website and grabs a brochure which has a map in it. "I'd assume you wouldn't need me for this, I can keep the vehicle warm and be ready in the trix for you." He sends the brochure to Soulifuge's comms. Dataminer himself looks like he can easily pass for any college student, just probably a more rebellious one.
buying the successes for the brochure
Parking: Command 6 + Pilot ground 2 - 3 handling (5d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3716312/)
-
Though Artair was not a fan of being bullied, it was how the world turned. "Well, perhaps I can browse your wares as we converse?" Looking past the man to check his inventory, he'll select something in the twenty nuyen range...preferably something that looks moderately tasty. He'll settle for edible. He'll ask a few questions about some of the 'top choice' items to let the shopkeep guide him up from a ten nuyen sale to the twenty. People feel better about money they earn and Artair doesn't mind 'being taken advantage of'. Well, he did. he just had already come to accept it in this case.
-
Solifuge clambered out of the bus, using a meaty finger to flip through the digital pages of the brochure. "I'll play the part of the jock and see what I can sniff out of the students. Shouldn't be hard for me to get answers - and it's not even as if I have to be a bully."
The troll laughed to himself, striding up to the campus with a suitably arrogant swagger. A few innocent questions and pointed queries would steer him in the right direction; acting like he belonged at the school would ensure that no one would think of him any differently.
Rolling Etiquette for Sol to fit in with the students and pose his questions about Rebecca Mac and her acquaintances.
Cha 3 + Etiquette 4 + Kinesics 2 + Tailored Pheromones 3 (12d6.hits(5)=8) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3718525/)
-
Dataminer grinned at SOulifuge's comment as he has the bus door close. He lays down on the couch and stays in AR scanning for all nodes that belong to the university and and analyzing them when he finds them. He lounges and relaxes, keeping alert if anyone comes by the bus.
I just went with an extended test.
Scanning UWash nodes (10d6.hits(5)=7, 9d6.hits(5)=2, 8d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3718892/)
-
Oppenheimer looked at the old man, and then to Artair. When the latter spoke first and offered to buy from the old man, he shrugged and stepped back. Business was business, and there was nothing to be gained from fighting the old man, but there was no way he was giving any cash to anyone calling him a traitor.
He didn't go far, just enough to give Artair some breathing room and keep an eye out for any trouble that might come rolling their way.
-
Artair and Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer backs away in an attempt to show that he's not a threat and that he understands, as well as to make sure nothing bad is happening around them. Taking a look around, Oppenheimer begins to get the sense that this is a familiar area, and that Rebecca's apartment might be north of where they are.
Artair begins to browse the wares, but it's hard to find something moderately tasty in a bicycle rental shop. Unless you like eating rubber and chain grease, that is. But the shopkeeper turns to you, interested in the fact that you are looking to "purchase" some of his "wares". He stops you at the bicycle seat section.
"Good seats here. Plenty of inventory to choose from..."
I completely missed your Area Knowledge skills before, Oppenheimer. My bad.
Solifuge
You are able to easily blend in with the other students at the school. Sure, you're a little larger than most, but it's the summer term and a lot of adults who can afford to do so are at the campus taking continuing education classes. So you aren't too out of place.
You stop a few students and ask about Rebecca, but most of them have no clue who you are talking about. One student looks at you and begins questioning if you are KE, and another one tells you that maybe you should check with the admissions office.
Data Miner
You are able to find the following nodes for UWash:
Admissions
Enrollment
Financial Aid
Programs/Classes
Scheduling
Maintenance
Sports
Extra-curricular Activities
Student Life
Faculty
Which node are you attempting to analyze?
-
Bleeps of his scan result come up as he gives it a quick read through and decides to check the Faculty Node and than the Admissions node.
Analyze Faculty computer 4 + Improved Computer 2 + Analyze 6 (12d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3722874/) Analyzing Faculty node
Analyze Admissions computer 4 + Improved Computer 2 + Analyze 6 (12d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3722873/) Analyzing Admissions node
-
Oppenheimer fished his commlink out of his pocket and texted Artair:
Hey, unless you're really in need of a bicycle, I think I remember the neighborhood where this girl lived. We can probably find someone more cooperative over there.
-
He didn't even have a rack with power bars, now with Real(tm) flavor. Sigh.
The text popped up in his contact display and Artair debated for a moment doing the abrupt brush off. The guy had been rather...aggressive in his anti-topsider stance. But the last thing they needed now was some guy bitching about them on the 'Trix as he knew a bit of what the team was interested in. Even worse, what if he tipped off the local 'protection' to hassle them?
Still, it did switch his shopping gears. He had no need for a bike seat save maybe throwing it at the wall of his loud neighbors. He DID want a power bar, but that was a dead end. So he settled on the cheaper and practical: Light sticks. He had one with him, but in a place like this, they could be useful. And if not today, he'd use them at some point. A round about 'win-win' he decided to look at it.
He'd haggle over it, not wanting to draw it out but intentional offering to overpay at 7 nuyen once the dust settled. Artair was far from a master negotiator, but he had some basic skill. Still, the point was to engender good will...or at least prevent negative will and a few extra nuyen to keep a mob of slotted off orks from trying to crack their skulls seemed worth it.
OOC: I figured 7 is a 40% markup seemed fair. If it winds up being more, Artair will just walk away with the clear indication that the shopkeep got greedy. If he doesn't have light sticks in stock, I'll settle on some reflective tape.
Once he wrapped up the business, he'd walk with Oppenheimer, following the man's lead. His knowledge of the Underground was rudimentary at best, having focused more on top side locations. When the shop and its irritable owner were well out of earshot, he muttered to his companion, "A rude bloke that managed to make me hungry." Heaving a sigh, Artair shook his head. "Any etiquette for the gangs should know about?"
-
<<Miner, I'm getting the suggestion that we need to visit the Admissions office. I'm walking that way now.>>
Solifuge strolled towards the university's administration building in a suitably arrogant manner, seeking out faculty members working in Admissions. Barely any of the students seemed to know the girl, so it was time to sniff out information from school officials.
Second etiquette test for Solifuge to get info from the Admissions office
Charisma 3 + Etiquette 4 + Kinesics 2 + Tailored Pheromones 3 (12d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3727497/)