[Chrona]

Stumbling out of the van, "We're taking the job.. it's just a hunch but I think it'll be all right Stryker...urgh" He held his head. "Think I need your help again, sorry."

[Kot]

Stryker takes a look at Cursor, and it's not the usual, nice kind of look. He unpacked his MedKit and started working on Cursor...
"I'm sorry, Cursor, but a hunch it's not enough. This is beginning to feel personal to me. I won't kidnap a child. And I don't think you guys should too. There are things you just shouldn't have on your heart... Besides, that Jade lady is still an enigma to us, we need to know more. I'm going to try finding out more through my channels. I don't trust her. I though that maybe it's a family matter, or something like that..."
Stryker checks out the biomonitor readout, and applies the proper medical procedure, trying to keep the parameters steady, and excluding a few chems that could mess with brain and neurotransmiter chemistry.

Logic(4)+FirstAid(1)+Medkit(6)-Technomancer(2) (9d6.hits(5)=5) Enough to heal 3 boxes of damage

Looking at the biomonitor ARO blinking and turning green in all areas Stryker managed to smile a bit.
"To be honest, it's my fault. I should've called out that I pass. But I was scared. That corp that's after me... Well, I don't want them to get their hands on me while I'm breathing. It scares the crap out of me. So I failed to speak my mind, because I feared that she might be one of them... Hell, I was scared of Mata when we first met."
Stryker packed his MedKit, and patted Cursor on the shoulder.
"Nothing major this time. A few bleeders, but the kit was enough. No need for magic..."
He sighs, and looks at the rest of the team.
"I know that might be something you will not approve, but let's say we want to earn some money, and keep our hands and consciences clean... and we turn to the target's side. We might be able to squeeze enough money out of them, and not involve ourselves in dirty, immoral work. We're Shadowrunners, not common criminals."

[Chrona]

"Thanks Stryker." He nodded at the mage. "MT looks like you'll need to work your connections really well

[Codac]

When they get to the shop Calico Cat looks at the neon sign and sighs shaking her head. She sends a message to Rick The Arms Dealer.

Hey old chummer you know anything about a Lady Jane, obviously an alias, a Catherine Westmore or her mother Donna Westmore. I've also got some possible merchandise to sell. Nothing fancy just some basic thug gear. I'm still looking them over but I'll get back to you another time about them. That old friend always demands to have his job in his title Back when we were mercs it was Rick The Mercenary. Yep that crazy guy, one of the only friends she has left. Another sigh leaves her mouth.

"I seem to be sighing allot these days."

She shoots off another message to Rick The Arms Dealer. We should go get a drink sometimes. I need someone to carry me home when i get completely smashed. After this job though its fishy I need to keep my focus. She sighs once more."Hope we finish this job quickly and save the girl I need to drown my memories in alcohol."


 

[Kot]

At the same time Stryker sent a message to Stalker, Lena and Mr. Falcone, hoping one of them would have any decent info on Jade - he refused to call a gun runner and kidnapper a lady. He was trying to be as courteous as possible, knowing they don't think much of him yet...

[Sentinemodo]

Hoi Sister, always happy to join the drinking contest. Bring the stuff with yourself. We'll dispose it first and then go drinking. Lady Jade is a major one lass and a competition at that. Intouchable kind until lately - Yakuza linked. Very loyal to her clan, and you know those Yakuza. They take their loyalty seriously, to a fault I’d say. I know nothing about Catherine Westmore though Donna Westmore ring more bells though. I know a guy named Jack McPherson retired from active duty and she hired him. He was bitching about it in the Military Central in UCAS. Taking orders from a pretty lady must be pain if she don't know the business end of gun form the other. I can ask around for him if you want.

Stalker and Lena provided Stryker with no info (Stalker was unavailable at all) while Lena courtly replied that she is selling guns, and that there is little more she can tell. The access to Falcone was a little bit restricted but in the end you confirmed most of the information provided by Cursor and Codac plus one more. The rumor in the shadow is cruising that Jade is an independent now, and she never really had aspirations to be an independent. To quote: "Something must’ve happened to make her walk away. Something bad. Whatever it was, I’d bet money she hasn’t forgotten. Or forgiven."

The above had in total costed you the 300 yen.

[Kot]

Stryker without a word took a few items out of his backpack, and threw them on the van's floor. Surprisingly, those were I-Ching pieces, and after a silent moment a ghostly figure of an old, corpulent Japanese woman of granthmotherly posture materialized. She looked at Stryker - and the others - with a smile that was as creepy as it was meaningful, and the meaning was different for everyone. Stryker bowed low before her, his forehead touching the floor, and staying there while he was talking. It was in Japanese, so those who knew the language heard him greet her, an 'Ancient and Wise Grandmother of Scrolls' and asking about what the fates had in their game for them and that particular child, if they would stand on the side chosen, and what if they did the opposite, and took pledge to protect the child...

[Sentinemodo]

The woman didn't listen, or at least didn't seem to, because of her constantly moving eyes and head. She examined every piece of metahumanity in the room looking deep into their essences as if following the strings that linked them. Her head from time to time turned at the angles impossible for a human, reminding you of an owl. An old Japanese owl. Creepy.

She took her time, leaving Stryker at the bow.

A glimpse of future it is then. The streams of fate flow like the streams of mana my child. You wave them into pattern. Or rip the thread. Or split the thread into two. But the thread of fate exists as is the mana flow existing and you can change it if it already woven into pattern, ripped or split, much the same as you can't undo the spell that has been cast and done. What make you think my child, there is a difference? The pattern is made, so is your decision made and with that decision and that pattern her fate is sealed.

She drew something on the scroll, and when she finished you see a girl from the picture. She is sitting in the corner, her cyber eyes focused over something and there is huge shadow of a metahuman over her.

She listen or don't listen for another question, but reply anyway.

A glimpse of past it is then. An easier task, watching the pattern is only as hard as the distance is far and the meaning clear. See this man. She draw a picture of samurai, his face shadowed by the hat, kneeling before his house with a woman kneeling by his side holding two children. All into the peaceful picture of a farmhouse. And see the other men. She draw another samurai with his back bare and a large dragon tattoo on his back. And see this women. At the distance she draw two figures of women one of them in geisha outfit but both too far to discern any details. And see the child. She draw a cute, looking like the five years old blindfolded girl. Walking in the central part of the picture between all the figures.

Both scrolls falled into the ground before Stryker. She disappears.

[Kot]

Stryker sighs heavily, looking at the scrolls with his unfocused eyes...
"Well, this is new. She never did this when my Sensei called her, and the divinings were cryptic, but understandable... I'm just a stupid elf anyway, and I don't see the pattern. I don't understand it at all... Anyone?"

[JDA]

alright chummers, wilco grabs 2 flash bang grenades out of his gear and places them securely on the drivers side of the van. then reaches over and grabs the MP-5 chambers a round, Claims that he always hates carring one in the chamber, but he hates the feeling abouut this job even more. After that the rant on the OCC thread hapopens and he grabs a notebook from the van and walks into his private quarters in the shop without another word said. Once there he begins to studty his notes on smuggling routes and looking for good places to hold up if needed.

[Chrona]

"What? You don't get it? Seriously?"

He gets up and points at the first scroll. "We've got trouble, kid has a Bodyguard."

He waves in the direction of the geisha. "She's an illegitimate yak kid too. I better not have to explain where i got Yak from."

"Could be Jade's..."

[Codac]

"Makes sense to me but more likely Donna Westmore is the geisha. Bodyguard eh a friend tells me Mrs. Westmore hired an ex-military for something he's checking it out for me now." Calico says from her spot leaning on the wall.

[Chrona]

"I'll check out Donna, Bodyguards, The kid and Jade again...."
He sat back down, "catch you in a few, gonna be out a while."

Thread Browse (10d6.hits(5)=8)
Rating 8 Browse 8P Fading: Fading (10d6.hits(5)=2)
6P Damage

He jolted out of VR, instantly after receiving his text to everyone else, grabbed the nearest container and vomited blood. "F-Frag! The matrix just hates me today... Sorry to call on you again so soon Stryker... Er... sorry about the bin Wilco..."
"At least i held the thread..."

[Kot]

Stryker was lost in thoughts, but he nonetheless unpacked his MedKit, and applied it to Cursor's forearm, starting up the procedure cautiously...

Logic(4)+FirstAid(1)+Medkit(6)-Technomancer(2) (9d6.hits(5)=3)
1 P damage healed.

He looked at the biomonitor for a while, and it obviously wasn't enough for him. He looked at Cursor with the unfocused eyes that the rest of the team already learned to notice, and jabbed him in the solar plexus with his right thumb.

Spellcasting: Magic(4)+Spellcasting(5) (9d6.hits(5)=6) The spell heals up to 4 P damage and will become permanent in (3*2)-2=4 rounds
Drain Resistance(3S): Drain Resistance (10d6.hits(5)=2) Stryker takes 1S damage.

It doesn't hurt, nor does it paralyze Cursor like it should. Instead he feels the warmth of magic flowing through his body from the point Stryker's thumb hit. And the pain slowly fades away... In a few moments Cursor is feeling great again. No pain, no muscle spasms, nothing. Just an aftertaste of blood in his mouth.
"Here, that should do. I still don't want to kidnap the child. It could be like you say, but I doubt it. If this is a Japancorp, then the whole 'geisha' figure means the child's mother is working for them. We know that already. We know there's a decent bodyguard. And that Jade's hands definitely aren't clean... Do you guys trust her? I don't. Not with a child's life... You guys, we went through some together. I like you. So please, don't make me chose between my Loyalty to the team, and my Honor." You don't know how, but the kid(?) managed to sneak real capital letters into the last sentence. It sounded... Just true. Real.

[Sentinemodo]

To speed up. I've assumed no spectacular rolls on the Cursor side, just about the average. The remaining is coming for the Calico friend. The total cost of information is 600 yen. You may make the roll if you wish, if you make an exceptional one - above 32 hits you'll save 200 yen out of this. Mata has also pulled some string to learn anything more about the Catherine.

By the morning Ricky called back.
Sister, you owe me one. But don't shout your gratitude. My head is banging. With that he send a file.

Combined with what Cursors was able to find you got the following picture.

Jack McPherson goes by the handle Frost, the breeder’s ex-UCAS Special Forces.- you got his commlink ID.
He used to run with a team that is based right here in Denver. Maybe you’ve heard of ‘em. They call themselves The Trinity.
Since about the month he’s a full time bodyguard for a Catherine Westmore. He carts her back and forth to school and baby sits her at home.
Business is real slow these days, his bitchings comes mostly from the fact that he had to take quite a cut in pay when he accepted the job and he isn't too happy about the arrangement.

Donna Westmore is on Federated Boeing’s payroll. She’s an aeronautical engineer. Probably works on some pretty heavy stuff. - you got her address.
She used to be on the short list for all the hottest club’s in the UCAS sector’s international district. Strange for a gaijin, but anyway few weeks ago she was struck off all the lists.

Cursor wasn't able to find anything more on the Jade or Catherine. But Mata was able to dig out the following:
The girl was born blind. Her mother paid an arm and a leg to have nature’s mistake corrected with cybernetics.
Word on the street is that she could have Yakuza blood in her veins.