[RHat]

With a raised eyebrow, Baron responds to Nitro.  "Does it matter if they control the PR?  Either way, the scandal would happen and his backers would be aware of it.  Whether the general population knows about it or not, the hidden people supporting him would see him as untrustworthy and a liability.  They might even try to take him out themselves, rather than risking exposure.  This Captain isn't the problem, it's the group behind him, correct?  So he's not the end goal.  They are."

"Why are you so sure that this is the sort of thing his backers would care about in the first place?  It may well be it doesn't matter to them at all, and that they picked this guy and this city because they wouldn't have to worry about this sort of scandal."

[Mithlas]

-Elmer's Dive Bar & Eatery, private room 12C-
Feldspar nods at Baron's proposal, and listens to the rest of the counters. "Gentleman, it seems that you have a solid plan A and backups to ensure that his plans and backers are shaken. That is what my employer has assembled us for. Whether the captain ends up killed or deposed is not something my employer considers vital, nor is a massive public relations campaign - embarrassing his promises to the public would be one of several options to discredit him and his backers' choice, which should be enough to trace them, but if you don't create new headlines and his strings are still shaken that will still be a victory for my employer."

He glances to Steam. "I am uncertain whether he has been selected because he is thought to be capable of engaging all of these objectives, or if somebody thinks he will be easy to control. His broadcasted speeches have centered on gangs, though the equipment would be more easily applied to transit line control. He was appointed without the public's complete approval, and if they are sufficiently dissatisfied with him, Event Horizon's police contract may be threatened - his job there almost certainly would be."

"You are problem solvers, and it is in my employer's best interests to see to it that you are facilitated. Some of the gear you have used before is material that could cause complications if it went through standard checkpoints, so I have arranged for a shipping container that will be . . . poorly inspected . . . to be made available to you this Wednesday, two days from now. It will be placed onto an express train to Springfield, but a pre-arranged technical malfunction will force it to stop in Galesburg just seventy kilometers west of Peoria. It will not have sufficient trained personnel or proper sensory equipment to pick up any restricted gear you have in the container. A base of operations in Peoria has been prepared for you."

Feldspar steeples his hands. "Now I believe the questions are beginning to circulate around your payment. Of course, necessities like fuel and ammunition will be reimbursed by my employer." He settles back in his chair. "Our offer is seven thousand each, plus an additional ten thousand to your team should you complete your objective within two weeks."

[Aryeonos]

Aaliyah almost choked on his own tongue at the sound of such a lowball pay. His head was practically spinning.
"Why would I leave my perfectly nice vacation for money like that? I couldn't even travel abroad for that kind of pay. Let alone the six of us. That kind of cash wouldn't even cover IDs and Passports, let alone operations expenses and transportation. 300'000 Nuyen, 60'000 up front, I wouldn't leave seattle for less. That comes to 50'000 a piece, 10'000 up front. I'll even keep track of an operations account for you.

13d6.hits(5)=7

[mtfeeney = Baron]

Corporate Interactions Knowledge Skill to boost Negotiations roll (10d6.hits(5)=4)

Negotiation (25d6.hits(5)=14)

I assume we make separate negotiation rolls, since we're not really working together yet.  In the future, I assume we'll do teamwork or something, right?

With a disarming smile, Baron leans forward to rest his elbows on the table.  "Surely we can come to a more appropriate price than that.  You're talking about what could amount to a long-term contract away from our personal bases of operation.  My charming new associate has the right of it, and his figures sound fairly reasonable.  I'm positive your employer will be more than happy with the results he buys with said funds.  We are talking about a big move, after all...  This isn't knocking over a Stuffer Shack.  For that, 7000 would be fitting."  He rests his chin on his hands, indicating that he has finished speaking for the moment.

[Aryeonos]

This work entails subtle political machinations, working the people's view, planting descent and presenting opportunity for those that would make a grab for it, and undermine those that we wish in the process. I'm not putting my neck out onto a chopping block for a salary man's wage."

[Mithlas]

-Elmer's Dive Bar & Eatery, private room 12C-
Feldspar:
Shadow operations (financing)
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4058794/
Negotiation
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4058800/

Feldspar’s hands remain steepled. He listens to Aaliyah’s negotiations, and then the exchange with Baron. After a couple minutes, his lips curl into a smile, though his eyes remain still as steel. “We were expecting a counter-offer closer to two-hundred fifty thousand, but you make some good points.” His eyes unfocus and drift in horizontal motions for a moment, and then he looks back at the group. “We can pay you fifty thousand each, with another ten thousand if the job is done within two weeks.”

The ork’s fingers tap quickly. Feldspar pauses and his eyes make the brief sweep of horizontal motion. “I can pay you ten thousand nuyen each immediately, but my employer has several projects running simultaneously. I am afraid that my shadow account cannot make thirty percent up front.” He unfolds his hands. “That comes to three hundred thousand for your team, not including the bonus for timeliness or our arrangement of your transportation and the comfortable safehouse that we have prepared for you. Given that my employer has already agreed to reimburse any ammunition, parts, IDs, and such small items, that is a generous offer for a team without audition. We are prepared to alter supply and financing if something unexpected occurs.”

Feldspar nods to the ork, who reaches into one of the deep pockets on his double-breasted coat. He withdraws what looks like two Metalink commlinks, then sets them on the table before the closest two members of team, Chikage and Nitro. "These have modified chipsets and will allow encrypted communications if you find some pay data worth sending, or find a sudden need for equipment or plan changes."

[Aryeonos]

Without so much as a blink Aaliyah extended forward, gently, smoothly, to the table and 'stood' just a couple feet back, pulling his coils up underneath himself. Turning his head slightly to the left into something of a gentle bow, he extended the tip of his tail like a handshake across the table, "These terms are fair and acceptable, I will communicate to you book keeping as necessary. Should I expect a certain communications window, or code you would like to keep to?"

[mtfeeney = Baron]

"Yes, that is more than satisfactory.  Thank you.", Baron says with a kind smile after Aaliyah finishes.  "Now we have 2 days to prepare for this trip.  Is there any further information you could offer that would aid us in achieving your goals?  Anything, no matter how small or seemingly irrelevant, could end up being crucial to our success."  On the surface, Baron appears to be all calm and composed, but his thoughts tell another story.  I've never gone that far from home...  and this is the biggest payday I've worked toward.  Keep it together, Reg, don't count it until it's in your hands.  I'm just pleased to find that my name is growing  Imagine, being the go-to guy for everyone that's anybody...

[Mirikon]

Taking one of the offered commlinks, Chikage nods her approval of the situation. The pay was good, and with many expenses being taken care of, that would reduce their overhead substantially. It could be a lot worse, definitely. As she slipped the commlink into her pocket, she quietly made sure the link was completely turned off. She would scan it for bugs later on, but for the moment turning it off would help keep anyone from tracking it remotely.

[RHat]

Nitro leans back in her seat, paying careful attention.

[Aryeonos]

Aaliyah looks to Baron then back again, ...Yes, I'm rather interested in the Captain's new found obsession with the local gangs."

[Mithlas]

-Elmer's Dive Bar & Eatery, private room 12C-
The ork takes his position standing behind Feldspar, and the human nods. "That is correct. The gangs haven't been an extremely big presence in the news for most of the past fifteen years, but that changed two years ago. A couple of high-profile murders and drug smuggling shipments were intercepted, and this last year has seen a great deal of highly publicized conflict between gang-supported 'social groups' and police-backed 'social programs'. They have been in the public and I suspect that he is merely exploiting Horizon's spin instead of publicly tackling real problems like externally supported drug cartels. As long as the locals believe he is doing them a service, they aren't digging into his questionable election and they aren't reconsidering whether they should update Event Horizon's contract next year. If public relations turn sour, it could look bad for himself and for Event Horizon."

"If any of you have recently run afoul of one of the big ten you will want to keep a careful disguise anywhere you go. Seattle is heavily influenced by the triple A's, but underground newspapers have called it a corporate playground for a reason. Most have an extraterritorial wedge cut out of a district - or two in the case of Ares. Their formal presence extends into police and manipulative economic 'aid' in surrounding neighborhoods in the district. Fortunately, as long as you keep your head down they are not likely to cause trouble - most of the crime in Peoria is corporate espionage, or corporate sabotage. The city's money comes first and foremost from shipping, so vehicular traffic will receive much less scrutiny than other areas. There are technically three airports in Peoria, all of them relatively secure. Lake Peoria running through the center connects the Mississippi to the Great Lakes, so a good deal of naval traffic passes through as well."

He types into the flat tabletop as if a keyboard were built into the surface, and the AR display shifts to show the city again. "The underworld of Peoria is contested, but the largest share is held by the three local gangs: Fondulak in the east, Pottsonian and Red Glen in the west. The vory are more active in waterlane smuggling. The Yakuza, Triads, Sons of Sauron and a couple other illicit groups have a scattered presence."

Feldspar leans back. "As for Event Horizon itself, Captain Donald Erickson has begun a reorganization as most new managers tend to. He brought Lieutenant Richard MacPherson along as his Chief Gang Supervisor, instead of promoting one of the veterans of the area. That could be an opening. His scaling up the armament of the district could be another - several buildings are under heavy renovation and should be more vulnerable to matrix and on-site disruption. Files and evidence lockers have also been moved to off-site storage in several cases, though my hackers have not been able to get into his nodes to find out where."

[Aryeonos]

Aaliyah eyes Sidhe briefly and nods, looking back to the johnson, "I don't suppose we'll be aware of any agents of yours in Peoria, can we hope they will be aware of us?"

[RHat]

"Just how subtle do y'all need need us to be?"

[Mirikon]

Chikage considered all this, and nodded. There was plenty to get started with here. She would put in a couple calls once the meeting broke up. If anything, having a local source of supplies in case things went crazy would be a good thing. The "Will we have to find our own way into the city, or will there be transportation provided?" While Peoria was still the UCAS, one couldn't exactly just take a train or drive unless one was able to successfully cross several national borders, including more than one that was outright hostile to the UCAS. Flying would be easiest, but airports tended to be well secured. That meant smuggling, especially if they needed to get any substantial gear (like her body) into the city unnoticed.