[Wilhelm R.]

So, after getting put into a set-up run and finding out aztechnology was behind it (Aztech used the guise of Saeder Krupp, so it was meant to smear them), the team face took all the info of the run and gave it to a hacker contact to put out for the world to see.   The info is highly destructive to aztech's image, and also openly shows them trying to defame SK.

But heres the kicker, the info has a clear trail to said face, and said face is... a SINner.

Hacker contact warily put the encrypted data out, but didn't do a very good job...  The info has been traced, and Aztech is on to them.

So what course of action would be most appropriate?

[Zilfer]

Well if the SINer currently has a place he's living registered with his SIN and doesn't have a place to stay then they know exactly where he lives....

Besides this if it was REALLY bad for the company and they can't just shake it off i'm sure there might be some shadowrun teams hired to kill him. If it really is that bad I'd say they probably hired a good crew to do it, and then upon death claim the video or whatever evidence was just put out there, discredit the person who discredited them. Common way to undermine something/someone, hell i'm sure the company can think of non lethal ways to be a nausance as well.

As it has been said before on this site this is Shadowrun, so stick to the shadows... otherwise your likely to end up dead.

[Nath]

Warn all the fixers in town that this team of runners has an habit of gathering and publicly releasing intelligence on the job they pull.

Corporations do not hire shadowrunners because they're skilled. In-house black ops teams and private contractors would suit just as well. No. Corporations hire shadowrunners because they provide deniability. This is a business, and what your team did was to throw away their only selling point. No Johnson is going to hire a team known to publicly expose operation they're involved in. And no fixer is going to bother searching work for such a team.

The Johnson shouldn't even need to punish the runners further himself. The runners tarnished their fixer reputation. As long as he'll keep working with them, he'll be blacklisted by every Johnson and every other fixers in town, and he'll be out of all the lucrative deals. And unlike the Johnson, the fixer usually know where the runners live.

[jonathanc]

Jackpoint is crammed full of runners who give up info on corps they've run operations for. Keeping important details out of the hands of runners is the Johnson's job, not the Fixer's; this is on Mr. Johnson, IMO.

Striking directly would just substantiate the "rumors" that the face released. If you want to go full Azzie on them, you could send some blood magic their way, but I don't see why the big A couldn't just set some cartel with local contacts on the player's heels. The cartel in turn uses either runners, local street gangs, or both. Even if someone slips up, it's probably just traceable as far as the cartel (and that's with some serious digging by a reporter without a fear of death), or maybe to the front corp that Aztechnology routed the request through.

In the end, publicly it'll look like the info came from disreputable criminals who, shortly thereafter, met their demise as most criminals do: in a drug/gang related killing.

[ARC]

Here's one that might throw them for a loop.  SK wasn't being defamed, they were behind it all and were working with the Azzies and now Big L is ticked and wants a late night snack...

[Fizzygoo]

I agree with most everyone here, but I have one thing to add as well. In quick re-cap of what I would do (some of which has been said above):

• Face gets +1 Notoriety for being unShadowrunery-business-like (Street cred & Notoriety, SR4A, 265)
• Hacker gets interrogated by Aztechnology.
• Once the team is identified then Azzies run a smear campaign on the team rep (effectively creating a +1 Notoriety for the team that will last for a few weeks to six months depending on how well the team can work against it).
• S-K keeps runners in mind to be used as a pawn & wild-goose chase team.

But this is where I'd differ. (So long as we're not talking blood magic info being found and released by the face) I'd have Azzies contact local law enforcement and press charges against the face for corporate theft, corporate espionage, trespassing, etc. Face has a SIN, it would look bad if it was ever found out that the Azzies took violent action against a legally registered citizen (regardless of Corp or National citizenship) so this would lead to;

• Azzies getting a court ordered search of Face's residence and property, from the courts in which the Face is a citizen.
• Arrest & Detainment of Face until bail is met.
• Use of tracking device on the Face so the court can keep track of him.
• Several court dates and hearings where missing one gets the Face held in contempt and detained in jail for up to 30 days each time.
• Azzies running a local smear campaign against the Face in the media that also works to minimize the public rep damage that releasing the data did. "We're just trying to help the community and look what this evil nasty criminal did to us."

I'd tie up the Face in so much bureaucratic crap that the player's hands would cramp up from writing down all the court dates, lost gear, etc. Then, just as the trial is about to start an Azzie lawyer meets with the face and says, "You want this nightmare to end? I can make it end. You can walk out of here today. But I have a job for you to do..."

And how much are the Azzies spending for all this? A little of their media funds and the cost of one of their already-on-retainer-for-life lawyers. The Azzies use Lone Star or Knight Errant and the local government to foot the bill on judges, defense attorneys, jail / detainment costs, search and seizures, etc.

Of course, during all that time, the other players may come up with a plan which may interrupt any or all of that narrative. But that's what I'd plan for. And depending on how important the leaked data was (and how good the team was at getting it), the end run they're offered could either be a "legit" run, or a death-trap distraction for some other run.

[rasmusnicolaj]

I'd tie up the Face in so much bureaucratic crap that the player's hands would cramp up from writing down all the court dates, lost gear, etc. Then, just as the trial is about to start an Azzie lawyer meets with the face and says, "You want this nightmare to end? I can make it end. You can walk out of here today. But I have a job for you to do..."

+1 for genius evilness 

Rasmus

[Zilfer]

I'd tie up the Face in so much bureaucratic crap that the player's hands would cramp up from writing down all the court dates, lost gear, etc. Then, just as the trial is about to start an Azzie lawyer meets with the face and says, "You want this nightmare to end? I can make it end. You can walk out of here today. But I have a job for you to do..."

+1 for genius evilness 

Rasmus

Makes me want to shoot the guy in the face.... might have to use something other than a gun tho.

[CanRay]

"Why the hell did you get that mod done?"

"Hey, we're out of that Atzlaner prison, aren't we?"

"I know, but how do you, know, get with a lady or guy and not blow them away?"

"Never was one for long-term relationships."

"OK, ew."

[Netzgeist]

Fizzygoo, all that you said was really, really good. I can't even thing of a advice after reading yours. That's the way I see a Corporation working.

[farothel]

One thing that you can add to Fizzygoo's excellent idea: give the face a criminal SIN.  That gives him a lot of other problems to deal with in the long run (and every time someone else puts a smear campaign like that, law enforcement will come knocking on his door first).

[CanRay]

"Round up the usual suspects, Mr. Higgs."  "Yessir.  Does that include the annoying Gnome?"  "Especially him."  "Damn...  I hate it when he bites my ankles."

[Wilhelm R.]

Incredibly good ideas from everyone here.   The team is currently trekking to Denver...  I'll keep you updated as to how things go.

[Chaemera]

One thing that you can add to Fizzygoo's excellent idea: give the face a criminal SIN.  That gives him a lot of other problems to deal with in the long run (and every time someone else puts a smear campaign like that, law enforcement will come knocking on his door first).

That's the consequence if the Face doesn't get out from under the court date. The criminal SIN is reserved for convicted criminals, and SINners at least get a show trial.

[Mirikon]

Unless a hacker decides to give the Face a criminal SIN, and all sorts of other goodies, without the bother of putting him through a trial.