[Crunch]

Mr Alzmer I'd like you to check your seatbelt and make sure it is securely fashioned and that any loose objects are secured. Frenchy continues in a calm monotone. You don't need to be concerned, but we may be maneuvering sharply in the next few minutes. Frenchy pauses. If there's any supplemental security present this would be a good time to disclose it.

Thought
Speech-English
Speech-French
Speech-Arabic
Speech-Kiswahili
Matrix/Text

[Reminder]

Mr Alzmer I'd like you to check your seatbelt and make sure it is securely fashioned and that any loose objects are secured. Frenchy continues in a calm monotone. You don't need to be concerned, but we may be maneuvering sharply in the next few minutes. Frenchy pauses. If there's any supplemental security present this would be a good time to disclose it.

Alzmer turns to you looking confused but after a moment, he seems to begin to understand what you are getting at (though with his lack of street smarts, can you really ever be sure what he is thinking?). His eyes go wide, and turns to look out the back of the Nomad's cab before realizing that it is enclosed and there is no rear window for him to look out of.

[JackVII]

Speaking through her mental link to Wawindaji, Mlinzi says, "Thank you for coming. My companions and I are traveling in two vehicles, the one I am currently in and one behind it. I ask you follow us from above like an eagle and keep watch for astral entities that may be tracking us. They may be in front of us, behind us, or to either side. If you spot something tracking us for 100 of my breaths, please let me know."

[Ren]

>>No signs of physical followers. They don't show up on normal visual or thermographic. If anything keeps up with us that close, it must be in one of the cars.<< Mutumbo messaged to the others. >>Anyone more adept at tech than me care to ask Alzmer about it?<<

[Csjarrat]

<<Team>>//Aha! Got the little fucker. It's a stealth tag, buried in the nomad. Alzmer, is your position supposed to be monitored at all times or do you want me to hose the tag to stop it broadcasting?//

[Reminder]

Position? I don't know. Someone trying to keep us safe?

[Csjarrat]

//or under tabs. If it's not important to your Jon out here, I'll hose it. I'd rather us not having our position broadcast unnecessarily//

[JackVII]

Speaking out loud and trusting that Ultra is monitoring the cab of the Gopher, Mlinzi says, "I'm not a fan of someone keeping tabs on us. but given the location of the tag, seems like it's Johnson or the corp keeping tabs on their gear, don't you think? He'll probably charge us for the tag and installation costs if we geek it or even send a team out to check on their property if the tag goes silent. Seems like it might be better to just leave it as is." From her voice, it's pretty clear she's kind of ambivalent about the whole thing.

[Crunch]

I say get rid of it unless Ultra can spoof the signal. I would rather have apologize to our employer for being too cautious than deal with the consequences if he has a mole in his organization.


Thought
Speech-English
Speech-French
Speech-Arabic
Speech-Kiswahili
Matrix/Text

[Ren]

There was no hesitation in Mutumbo’ answer to the team. ”If the Johnson wanted a working tag on the vehicle he should have said so. Because that raises risk and should have been calculated in the price. Before this came up I was about to call someone I know to get the coordinates of some emergency boltholes in case we need to get out of sight for a few hours, if he knows some in the area. But I won’t jeopardize his or his associates’ business with a tagged vehicle.
"Anyway, when we get back, if the Johnson asks about the tag, we can ask him ‘What tag?’ and that’s the end of it. And if he doesn’t ask about it, we can tell him after getting paid, and he may even be grateful for the info. So, I’m all for frying the hell out of it. Or do something else, so that it doesn’t work until we finish this job.”

[Csjarrat]

//Great stuff. I'm gonna cook it.//
Johannes preps for another data spike, hurling a nasty bolt of code at the tag
log 5, cyber 5, hot sim 2 (12d6.hits(5)=7) {limit 6}
base damage 6 from attack 5 + decryption program.
hammer program gives +2dv for base damage of 8 + net hits.

[Reminder]

The tag resists initially, but under your continued spikes, eventually breaks down and ceases to function.

[Csjarrat]

Seeing the Icon flicker and fade under the attacks, Johannes messages the team:
//Nailed it guys, should be ok from here. I'm just gonna drop out of VR and reboot, follow me into the next layby. Anyone need a pee-break?//
Ultra pulls the van up in a suitable layby reboots his deck, re-establishing VR control of the van and re-joining the flow of traffic shortly after.

[Ren]

”Good, let’s get on with it. Mutumbo followed suit and rebooted his commlink at the same time as Ultra. Then he sent a text to Smokescreen, using their standard encryption protocols. >>Hey, remember the area I told you about a few days back? Seems like I might be somewhere around there in the next few days, and as things look, it is possible the situation will get hot. I might need a bolthole for a couple of vehicles, to lay low for a few hours. You know anything in the area, or someone I could turn to if needed?<<

[Reminder]

Seeing no more obvious watchers, your focuses return to the road ahead, kilometers of cracked pavement stretching out across the grasslands in front of you. The only sign of pursuit is an occasional glimpse of the sun as it breaks through the clouds.

About the time you are reaching the second town along your route, the glare of your pursuer begins to reflect off your windscreen, signalling the day has moved into the afternoon. Traffic remains steady though light in both directions, most of the vehicles of a commercial rather than personal nature.Though traffic slows some as you pass through, it is only a minor delay before you are back onto the road.

About an hour later, the ground beginning to rise, you notice the approaching signs of another settlement in the distance. Checking your position against the maps, you realize you are about 2km outside of Voi, and the first decision on your trek as the turnoff from 109 fast approaches..