[Jack_Spade]

An intensive matrix search about the party brought some interesting details to light:

- The organization of the party was done by a professional agency - EEE Org - in theory with absolute discretion
- But a gossip magazine had found out quite a lot about the coming party:

- The whole affair wasn't to be held at the main house - a nigh impenetrable fortress - but at the guest/pool house that the birthday boy would be living in from now on.
- Security was to be provided mainly by (anthro)drones with a few riggers and very few human guards.
- The catering was booked with one of the most prestigious chefs of the city: Jean Valmont and the staff of his french restaurant. A gourmet magazine revealed that the chef never worked with less than 10 side cooks and 25 kitchen aids. A full serving staff of 20 was also listed. On its matrix presence the restaurant boasted about its inclusivity program to provide underprivileged meta human youths with the chance to slave in his kitchens.
- The restaurants host (R5) looked like it would be a lot easier to crack than the security host Thorin Manor sported (R7)
- In total 200 guests would be expected to attend the event

[Sabato Kuroi]

"That's out of discussion, kiddo.If someone's going in, that's me.Unless we're sure we can secure  safe passage for another , you're staying with the big boys."

Torrent spoke in bnc's voice, to make his point  clear.

[Volker]

bnc looks abashed for a moment when she hears herself chiding her. When she realizes what he just did, she bursts out in laughter.
"Sure, cowboy, and you disactive the security systems from within, don't ya? I didn't mean to go alone, sure as hell. I'll prefer some big guns close to me, and mucho definitivo will let you do the talking. But I guess one man inside won't do, even if it's Jack-in-the-box Torrent and he can do all nice and fancy tricks. You're gonna need me inside. There will be cameras, recordings, messaging systems, defense systems, authentification lists and so on. Check?"

[Sabato Kuroi]

"Tell you what, we'll make a deal. You dive into that restaurant host, find us the kitchen assistants who will be present at the party. I want the most recent recruits, the slightly unfamiliar faces. If I'm satisfied that you can match a profile, then you can come with me. You'll earn bonus points if you can ensure that our guys will be driving one of the catering vans."

[SquirrelDude]

"That all sounds like a pretty good plan, but how am I supposed to get in there, Torrent? You're not just expecting me to sit in the car the entire time, am I?"

[Volker]

bnc raises her eyebrow. "You make it sound like I gotta please you, Torrent, to get the allowance to be in there. Maybe you want to remember that, until now, the whole project was basically run by me. I found him Frigg, I traced her home, thus found Woden, surveillanced them until we found the time to hit, got rid of the decker, safed Slob's life und am now delivering him Eliza, which makes it basically read like a summary of the whole revenge plot - While you ... got laid by Tigra?

Okay, here's what I suggest. Slobbertooth darling invites me to a dinner in Jean Valmont's restaurant - no worries, I won't get past a starter - and covers me while I break into the restaurant system. I extract all data I can then we return and think of a proper plan rather than discussing details like where Slobber's gonna sit and wait before we even know what kind of security we are to expect. You may then add you congenious ideas, Torrent.
Roger that?"

[Jack_Spade]

Unsurprisingly, to get a seat at Valmont's you need a reservation and probably a few weeks time - unless of course you find the right ear to whisper in or the right palm to grease or the right file to edit...

[Sabato Kuroi]

Torrent shows a fiendish smirk.

"Τhe way you put it kid, you seem to think you did more than press buttons behind a screen. Do I have to remind you that you were not the one to  stick your neck out and find the actual Frigg?That you were not the one to get involved in a shootout against highly trained killers and viking spirits? If this is about feeling unappreciated, please spare me the details. If I'm not confident we got an actual chance, if I'm not pleased with the odds, then you can run the rest of this project  without me, because I sure as hell won't plan an infiltration OP according to someone else's standards.Unless that someone is an expert."

The elf turns to Slobbertooth.

"This is why we need the van. There's a better chance  to get  you inside along  with the food,  while bnc messes with the entrance scanners, than let you act like a kitchen assistant. If we can get our hands on the manor's security overview I will be able to form a detailed plan. But it doesn't have to be my plan, Slob. This isn't an ego contest. Whatever you decide to do, find yourself an expert. And a mage. We caught Woden unawares, we had him cornered and still he gave us hell. Thorin manor is going to be worse. Magical security is not our forte."

[Volker]

bnc glowers a moment at Torrent.
"Yeah, I do. Because I did more then "press buttons behind a screen". Quite apart from the fact that I don't need to actuall push buttons, it was me who stuck my neck out to find the actual Frigg. Not only that I found out the place where we could find her, I was the only one who entered the club without leaving Slobbertooth alone while fucking some elven whore, I was the one who traced Frigg and surveillanced the couple until Woden stuck his neck out. So yes, I did.
Also, I guess it is safe to say that I participated more in the fight than you did. You fought a window, while I brought down the decker and prevented ... Slobbertooth from getting killed. It's not my fault if you need some 20th century meat body to fight effectively, throw-back.

Now. I know that your skills about infiltration are beyond mine and I will happily bow to your plans. But spare me that "If I'm satisfied you can come with me" bulldrek. We managed to pull off a lot without you, buddy. Let's see how far you get without me. Or don't treat me like the teenage girl I actually am because otherwise I'm gonna behave like one and that you won't like. Roger?"

[SquirrelDude]

Slobbertooth stares blankly forward as the two fight, blinking and tilting his head when bnc says "darling" after his name."

Right. Teenage girl. Clingy.

He pats bnc on the head. "Calm down, paper tiger. Fact is that we will physically need to enter the building to pull off this job on our timetable. At a party for the rich and famous it's going to take more than turning off their cameras to a big ugly orc, an anorexic teenage girl, and a tin-man troll to get us past security, no matter how charming the tin-man might be. We're going to actually need a cover for being there.

"Torrent is also right that we'll need a mage.

"bnc, we need you to get us those credentials, and also put out an ad for a mage looking for a permanent position. This can be the trial run, and if things go well they can be part of the team moving forward."

[Sabato Kuroi]

"But you do behave like a teenage girl. And well you should. Because this way your precious little ass can be saved by  disconnecting from  the Matrix. Slobbertooth, Krestov and me ...we can't push a button and get out of a bullet's way.  You insist on measuring dicks? Alright : You entered the club but without me , Frigg could snap your neck in seconds. You'd never see through her  disguise anyway, and I never  used your help back there. I brought the magical barrier down-provided the opening. But it was  Slob and Krestov who met everything Woden  had in store, head on.  That's why  I don't think  my little "accomplishments" are worth mentioning in the presence  of other runners. That's why  I'd never puff my chest out and  make demands  when it comes to their field of expertise. And knowing precisely what I can and can't do, I won't take you, Slob or Krestov with me in an infiltration OP unless I am confident that : a)you won't blow our cover and b) that I have a way out for all of us.  So yes, you do need my permission if you want to enter the Manor with me, just as I'd need yours in order to accompany you inside the Matrix."


Torrent stays silent for a couple of seconds.

"Did I say that this is an infiltration OP? Scratch that. This is a hit. Wetjob. Our team's first."

Torrent rose and  went for the exit.

"Ι think I'm done arguing for the moment. Catch you later."   

[SgtBoomCloud]

Ever since the incident with Woden and Frigg, Krestov saw fit to shut himself in his room for the recovery.  He even refused treatment for the stunbolt that he had eaten.  The simple fact that he could be influenced like such to attack his own comrade shook him to the very core, and the unresponsiveness meant he was mostly left alone.

But when he heard shouting from the living room, he knew that something as amiss.

By the time Torrent made for the door, the large troll had stepped out, the living wall blocking the exit.  Her expression was solemn, but voice resolute.  "And we let job get better of us, no bother trying finish, Da?"  He crossed his arms, nodding over the the couches.  "Sit.  We work this out.  4 of us go through hell together.  Multiple times.  Is job.  Krestov know this now.  We handle this and move on."

[Volker]

"Oh, sweet Jesus, no group therapy session!
Did I leave förböveln Europe and become a shadowrunner, surrounding myself with hardened orphans and kick-asses in order to habe a 10-feet troll Sigmund-Freud me? What the heck's wrong with the lot of you?

Oh fuck. Here I go:
My name is Bianca Baumgartner. I was born in 2056 and I miss mommy and daddy soooo bqd that I became an anorexic drug-addict who is pissed off by people who treat me like a child after I they witnessed me defeat a bloodmage in a special forces armor, found the long-looked-for killer of our comrade and kept a 800-pound troll intent to geek the very same comrade from turning his beautiful ork head into porridge. I will not lower what any of you pulled off but I do remember that I played a more than vital, sometimes the most vital roll in basically everything we pulled off and if you really have to look at my birth certificate to figure out how to treat me then go fuck yourselves, or Tigra, or anyone else - but not me. Not anymore, eight-six-eight-two!"

[Sabato Kuroi]

Torrent saw the tusked giant block his way and the determination in his eyes.

No way out this time. Shit.


He liked Krestov.  He sometimes was more cop than runner but he was dependable. That was a rare trait and not just among runners.

He spoke in a low voice.

"The girl  is going to get herself killed because she seeks validation for the things she is payed to do. "


He returned to the living room.

"OK, now's my turn to tell a story. It's about a fellow named  Woden. Now this guy was a piece of work.  An awakened elven assassin with a reputation and a skillset to match his  mythical name. He had one small  weakness : He loved his partner in crime, a decker named Frigg. A fine lass, and a pro,  she would never betray our villain willingly. Frigg liked to boast about her accomplishments. She would never imagine that a talented little spider named bnc was on her trail , that she was already weaving Frigg's own web against her. And so  Frigg, imagined herself  the Queen of Spiders and was content.  But our young ninja-spider, bnc, found the most handsome and valiant knight to aid her in her quest. Enters sir Torrent. Together they followed Frigg into her Palace  and saw through a tiny flaw in her disguise. At last, the secret path to the Thunder-God was revealed! The epic battle against Woden and the small part sir  Torrent's ugly henchmen played are  tales for another time. What we should remember is that Woden was fucking good. Better than me by a mile. A tiny flaw in Frigg's disguise brought him down. He either forgot that ours  is a solo act or he found the odds to be in his favor. My modus operandi has nothing to do with underestimating my fellow runners. But the truth is, I don't fucking care about what you've done. You shouldn't care either if every time I change my face and step among enemies, a tiny flaw in my disguise will cost me my life. It is my job, it's not more important than what the rest of you must face.  To me, Slob is  the Johnson  and he asked me to find a  way in. He asked me to do my job and If you find my attitude demeaning towards you , that's your problem. You probably think the same when you sound cocky to me. And you're right, It is of no relevance. Our feelings are of no relevance. You can bring up Tigra as many times as you like, It means nothing to me. But if you mess with my job because you feel like it, you're done."

[SquirrelDude]

Slobbertooth side-eyed bnc at her boasts.

Is that how you remember things, bnc? I seem to remember being the one who shot the blood mage in the head, I remember dodging a troll's punch, I remember taking at least 5 shots of flechette ammunition from a shotgun to the chest and getting back up. I remember Special K breaking you out of Triad mages' webbing so that you weren't a sitting duck. I remember spending 10 years of my life to find Woden. I remember Krestov and I running through hell to get to Woden.

Slobbertooth sighed and petted Li. To say all that would have been too harsh.

"bnc, we treat you like a child because you are valuable and fragile like one. You have puked at the sight of blood. You screamed and panicked when you were first under gunfire. You have sought dates from our employers. You have never been shot or involved in any physical confrontation to understand the pain Krestov absolves us of or that your drones will cause to people.

"We also do it because you are the only person who can do what you do. Not one of us can wrap an icon, spoof credentials, spike a spider's deck, sneak into a host and steal a file, or lord over multiple combat drones.

"That is a very mighty hammer you wield, but not every problem is a nail.(Japanese) You must also know your limits, though. You will not see Krestov or I ask to be undercover operatives. You will not see me ask to take the lead in negotiations. It is not your job to impersonate a manager for a catering company. There are many ways you can aid Torrent and us in that, but it will not be in meat-space."


Slobbertooth turned to Krestov. "Oh, I meant to ask you. What do you think KE would do with evidence that a lone-star captain been moonlighting as a wetwork fixer for the rich and famous?"