[Ren]

Excerpt from SCMS Newscast

…And now to weather forecast. Summer rainstorms are here for the second day in a row. A generally overcast day will yield around 15 millimeters rainfall. We can expect two showers, one around 4 PM, one between 10 and 11 PM, both lasting at least half an hour. Don’t forget your Evo ChemRep coats at home, the rain will be slightly acidic and may cause allergic reactions. Temperature will be approximately 12 degrees centigrade in the morning, warming to 18 by 4 PM, when a slight cooling effect can be expected from the rain. Evening will be strong ocean winds with 14 degrees centigrade, and the night will bring it down to 9.
Mount Rainier is blessedly calm for the fifth day running, our experts expect no ashfalls until the end of next week…

[Ren]

Act I

The first job offer

[Ren]

24th July, 2072, Sunday It was a slow Sunday afternoon. After more than two weeks of seclusion, you started to sink into a routine that almost turns to boredom. Leroy practiced at the virtual shooting range training program he found on the matrix, Miko was spending time in the gym, Matt poked something in the garage, and Joel read the e-book on arcana basics in a comfy chair. The weather was simply oppressive, thick clouds gathered above, proving that the forecast was correct at least on the day. There was not much to do, and despite the uncertainty, you were itching to see what, and more importantly, when, future would serve you.

At 13:58, just as you thought that you couldn’t bear another week closing without something happening, a most unusual thing happened. The house comm beeped, showing an incoming call from your fixer, Tweety. When the person nearest to it answered the call, he was beaming at you from the screen, cutting to the chase by way of greeting. ”Good news, chummers. I’ve got something for you. Grab your gear and haul ass to the usual place. No need to hurry, but don’t let me wait too much. You know the procedure when you’re here.” He waited for you to confirm you’ll be there then hung up.

A great anticipation filled you. This was it. The first opportunity to get used to your new lifestyle. To your new “jobs”.

[Csjarrat]

Tweety you beauty, good man.
Matt felt a sense of excitement at the prospect of getting out there and actually doing something. It'd been a long two weeks, all his drones and the car were gleaming with polish and he'd hit the limit of what he could do to them without new parts.
He heads upstairs and loads his personal kit into a duffel bag, his helmet, rebreather, pistol, clips, toolkit, miniwelder, glass cutter and helmet crammed in and ready to load into the trunk.
Matt carefully decides between the Stormcloud and the Optic-X. Wanting to take both, but realising he can't fit both in the car, he settles on the Optic-X. He tucks the wings in and folds the gear up slotting it nicely into a rucksack along with his two microdrones in their protective cases. Heading downstairs to the living area, he shouts out to the team
"You guys ready? We'll load up in the garage rather than out in the yard."
Checking the courtyard was clear of prying eyes, Matt heads over to the garage and retrieves the rotodrone from its storage box.
Sure hope I don't need you today buddy.
He checks the drum is full and tightly attached and loads it into the trunk of the car alongside his kit, covering it with an old blanket he'd had in the car for a while.
Hopping into the driver's seat, Matt jacks into the car, feeling the sensor data wash over him as he waits for the others to gear up.

basically taking full sensible load-out. left the stormcloud at home in storage as it is a medium drone and requires a bit of set-up time.
manservant obviously stays at home (with orders to patrol garage and alert me in case of fire or intrusion)
contacts are in, goggles in kit bag. wearing AR clothing + lined coat, taser in jacket as it's legal. commlink + data chip with me too.

[farothel]

When she heard about the mission, Miko was glad.  You could only spent so much time in a gerbil gym before it started to get boring.  She quickly put on her runner clothes and armour, taking her warhawk and her whip but leaving her bow at home.  If they really needed that kind of firepower, she would have the time to collect it.

"I'll take the bike," she said as she arrived in the garage, "I'll ride a bit behind you to see if you're being followed."

Before they left, she loaded her Seattle mapsoft, just in case, and left a bit behind the car.

[MaxKojote]

Joel was happy to finally have something to do. Admittedly he was getting rather restless. Granted learning about the theory of Arcana was important, but it was so boring. He got his focus, a necklace with a pawprint pendant as he was gathering his other meagre equipment. He wished he could have recruited one of the spirits of the pack as an ally, but it hadn't occurred to him to prepare for one in advance. Something to consider doing in the future when he had free time. He made sure his stone circle lodge in the garage was in order before heading out to join Matt in the car.

[Gustovness]

A sinking feeling in Leroy's stomach.

Things were getting real, real fast.

How could everyone else be so excited when they were going out to break the law? Yeah they were already being hunted by the law themselves but after this job they'll really have no way of provng their innocence... they were forfeiting that by taking this job. They wouldnt be innocent anymore... sure they'd be innocent of The Rider but they'd be in for something else... isn't that what they were running away from in the first place?

Running wasn't a choice, however. The only running he could do now was in the shadows. They forced hin here he didn't choose it. He had equipped his pistol, grabbed his shotgun, and packed the medkit, breather, and ammo for both weapons in his backpack.

Go time.

[Ren]

Sunday, 14:31

After a very much uneventful drive (and ride) to Tacoma you arrived at the now-known building which held Tweety's office. The usual protocol was no surprise - a call just before you arrived, gate opening automatically, troll bodyguards in the garage and at the top of the stairs, weapons and drones stashed in the strongbox. Even the dwarf was his usual self, welcoming you with a smile and offering seats on the other side of the table. "Come in, come in! I was waiting for this opportunity, and i'm so excited what it will yield."

After you were seated, he cut to the chase. "OK, in some of these situations, your future employers may want to exchange pleasantries, invite you to dinner, or do other things they feel necessary. I will do no such thing, i see you want to get to the point. So, i encountered an unfortunate situation. One of my suppliers just went off the grid, i cannot reach him in any way. The problem with this is, he just shipped something in the city for me, which - in his abscence - will just sit on a shelf instead of getting to the one ordering it. While this would be a loss i could cover other ways, this is a perfect opportunity for all of us.
"The job itself is easy. You have to get into a moderately secure warehouse, and bring me my ware. I know some details that will make your work easier: like, where exactly my stuff is stored, the nature of the thing you have to take.
"As we already agreed, i will waive the rent for next month if you do this for me. Also, if you need the services of a hacker, i can provide one for this job.

"So any questions?" He looks at you expectantly.

[Csjarrat]

Sounds good. Just want to clarify that we're just after a package, we're not trying to track down your contact? Also, how secure is "moderate"? Are we talking professional armed guards or fat nighwatchmen?

[farothel]

That was indeed the most important question Jade also had, so she kept silent.  The details on where the warehouse was and the information about the package, like size, weight and contents would follow if they were to do their job.  Tweety would know this, although contents would probably stay vague, but that was okay for her.  She was better off not knowing, although they would need to know if they need to keep it out of sight of police and stuff.

[Ren]

"Nah, it's just the ware. I'll take care of other things. And it probably is more like fat nightwatchmen. Of course, armed, and they may be the unusual, earnest type that doesn't think his own hide is worth more than what he guards, but chances of that are low on that neck of the woods."

[farothel]

"And when we get it, we bring it back here I assume," Jade said, "do we have to take special precautions, like keeping it out of sight if the Errants are around?  And things like dimensions and weight of course?"

[Ren]

"i'd keep it away from fire if i were you, both from the burning ones and the shots fired. The stuff you have to bring is not big, two crates easily fitting into someone's arms. They are heavy, though, about 50 kilograms each. Each crate contains 20 canisters, filled with liquid. Those are not fragile of themselves, and as far as i know, securely locked, but heavy force can break them.
"As for where to bring them, certainly not here. When you are ready to go in, notify me and i will provide a drop point, probably somewhere in Loveland. Jim or Sam will take the stuff over from you. And i wouldn't show them off to the cops, they are not illegal, just controlled. And i do not possess the appropriate permits to transport those canisters."

[MaxKojote]

Joel tilted his head to the side in thought. "Is there other known opposition that we should be particularly on the lookout for?"

[Ren]

"If you mean other parties looking for the same stuff, i don't know about any." Tweety seemed that this notion didn't appear as a valid one for him.