[jonathanc]

Oppenheimer stood behind Father Twilight and Artair, following the conversation but remaining quiet. He'd been to the Underground before, and could probably blend in if he had to, but was hoping in this case to act as the group's "ork pass".

[Scarecrow71]

Artair, Father Twilight, and Oppenheimer
Father Twilight approaches one of the shopkeepers - a bicycle rental shop - and starts to send creds to the shopkeeper's PAN.  The connection is horribly bad, mostly due to the lack of wireless activity in the OU, but you eventually get a signal and send the money his way.  He pulls out a rather old, rather out-dated commlink and checks the beeping, seeing the money transferred.  He looks at you, smiles slightly, and says "It's gonna take a little more than that to get me to talk to you top-siders."

As this is happening, Artair gets a message on his commlink from Gracie.

<<To:  Artair>>
<<From:  Grace McKnight>>
<<No-can-do.  And no, that's not anywhere near Katmandu.  The OU's police force has the area cordoned off, and we have to negotiate with them just to get into the area.  They don't like us to begin with, and if any civilians come poking around...well, that won't be good.  I'll catch up with you later and we'll swap stories.>>

Father Twilight, please provide a Negotiation roll with your next post if you press the shopkeeper for information.


Data Miner
You run a search for about a minute or so, and all you get back is that the Skraacha are an Ork gang, taking their name from some word in Or'zet (that you are unable to, as of yet, find the meaning for).


Solifuge
Tosh smiles slightly while putting the remaining 2 tickets away.

"Knight Errant thanks you for the donation."

He picks up his commlink and places an order for some food through AR, and while you are waiting for it he begins to talk.

"Where to start...Well, you know I was the lead on the original Cutter case.  We nailed that bastard, and I know we got the right guy.  Human asshole, targeting metas for fun.  Fucker killed some really good people, and I put more time in on that case than I did on anything else at the time.  Pisses me off that Lone Star is spreading the conspiracy bullshit about how we caught him so quickly, and that it was an inside job to help us earn the contract with Seattle.  Really pisses me off."

At this point, he essentially tells you the same thing that was posted earlier from Data Miner's data search on the original Mayan Cutter.

He shifts slightly in his chair as the questions turn to Rebecca.

"The new Cutter appeared two weeks ago, and he's killed five people so far, including Rebecca MacCallister.  Once again the majority of the victims are metas - two orks, one troll, one dwarf, and a single human - however so far all of the victims have been SINners. There has been no apparent pattern to the locations of the killings, and we haven'tt been able to find any obvious links between the victims.  This guy ain't the original - he's a copycat pussy."

The food arrives, and Tosh takes a bite of the rather large burger he ordered.

"I'm sure you asked Mac, so I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt here cuz I gave him your name.  Body is at the coroner's office, and I can get you in if you need to see it.  Gonna take some creds to 'secure' the right paperwork once we're there, but if you wanna see it badly enough..."

[vinnmun]

Dataminer continues his data search on the Skraacha and their recent activities. Still making notes on nodes he would need some form of access to.

Continuing search on Skraacha. Data Search 4 + Browse 6 + Analytical Mind 2 + Improved Data Search 2 + Hot Sim 2 Doing an extended test (15d6.hits(5)=4, 14d6.hits(5)=8, 13d6.hits(5)=8, 12d6.hits(5)=1)

After would look at nodes that he noted during his search.

[jonathanc]

Oppenheimer scratches his chin thoughtfully. It's been a little while since he's been in this part of town, but he used to know his way around fairly well.

Area Knowledge (Seattle) roll
5d6.hits(5)=1
Edge to re-roll the four dice that didn't come up as hits:
4d6.hits(5)=1
Total of 2 hits


He scoffs softly at the old man. "Who you callin' a topsider? I did my time down here. Don't that count for anything?"

[WSN0W]

"Well, bollocks," he mutters as he reads the follow up reply from Grace. He sends her a quick 'ok' message with a 'Hang in there' style demotivational poster from a recent action trid movie where the protagonist is holding on with a nearly sheered cyberarm, trying not to fall into the preverbal pit o' doom while a drake circles overhead.

Not wanting to trip over the other two at this point, he hangs back and waits for them to resolve the situation before they try to press on to the appartment together.

[Operator]

"Would that offer be on the table later? One of my chums might be able to make some sense of this poseur by viewing the body."

Solifuge set down a fourth empty glass, having made quick work of the boneless wings and sliders brought to his table. "Looks like it's my turn to hit the streets. I may never get to do legit detective work, but we share a common thread - when we ask questions, people listen."

<<Once I'm finished up with my meet, lads, I'll join you in the Underground. I doubt you're going to get anything useful out of the Skraacha without someone like me to act as a visual deterrent.>>

Solifuge is currently carrying:

Commlink
Customized ceramic knife "Redback"
Earbuds
Gecko tape gloves
Glasses
Simrig
Securetech PPP
Street clothes <worn>

Current armor: Leather jacket (2/2) with FFBA (+6/+2) and discreet Securetech forearm guards, leg/arm casings, shin guards, and vitals protector. (+2/+4)
Total effective armor is 11/11.

[Scarecrow71]

Data Miner
You sift through more data in the Matrix, taking your sweet time (like 4 minutes, and that's really stretching out ever last second on this one).  Skraacha is Or'Zet for "Scorchers", and they are a gang in the OU (like you couldn't figure that one out on your own, right?).  They see themselves as a type of policing agent for the OU, providing protection for...considerations...from the residents.  When you search for any recent activities for them, nothing out of the ordinary comes back or catches your eye.


Father Twilight, Artair, and Oppenheimer
Artair continues to stand there, silently observing what's going on as he doesn't want to step on anyone's toes.  Things seem to be ok until Oppenheimer mentions that he used to live in the OU, at which point the shopkeeper turns to him and gets a really sour look on his already ugly face.  He spits on the ground near (but not at) the feet of Oppenheimer and scowls.

You make me sick, turning on your own people.  What - we ain't good enough for ya?  You too good to live down here?  Get away from me and my shop, turgma, with the emphasis on the Or'Zet word stinging Oppenheimer's ears.

The shopkeeper then turns back to Father Twilight, still visibly upset.

You gonna have to really pay now, topsider.  More creds, or take a walk.

Turgma is Or'Zet for "traitor", for those of you who know the language.


Solifuge
Tosh gnashes on the food as you speak, slurping loudly and quickly.  You get the impression from his eating that he's in a hurry or rushed by something.  And when he starts to speak, your suspicion is confirmed.

I'd love to hold the offer, but I can only do so much.  Mac wants this taken care of quickly, and he's paying all of us quite a bit to make sure that happens.  It's a one-time offer:  now or never, I'm afraid.

He pushes his chair back and starts to stand.

Sorry, but I can only give you two choices at the moment due to the compressed nature of things.  You can either come with me to the morgue to see the body, or you can go find your friends and see if anything turns up there.

[Operator]

Once the two trolls were finished with their meal, Solifuge shook his head to politely decline. "Null sheen, omae. I probably won't pick up too much with these eyes, so I'll go catch up to the lads and keep the general peace. We should do lunch again next week."

<<No dice on getting access to Becky's body, so I'll be legging it down to the Undergound.>>

Solifuge is going directly from the Rhino into the Underground, following after Father Twilight, Artair, and Oppenheimer. Perhaps there's time for him to help salvage the bad situation with the shopkeeper.

[vinnmun]

Dataminer was not able to find anything more in the surface, UWash looks to be a good spot to check. His HUD shows a message from Soulifuge. and mass replies to the team.

<< How you guys handling down there? I'm thinking if it's possible me and Soulifuge check out her school with me? Maybe a connection with what she was looking into and her death? I do not see why we need to be bunched up in one area?" >>

[WSN0W]

Oyi! Things seemed to be getting rapidly out of hand. Part of him just wanted to end the talk with the shopkeeper and try elsewhere, but that could cause a spiral 'shut out' effect.

<<To: Dataminer>>
<<From: Artair>>
<<Checking out the school seems like a wise move. You and---Fraggit. 'Sec>>

The spitting pushed Artair to intercede. He didn't know how his teammates handled things like this and he didn't want to find out his companions had a short fuse by watching the shopkeep's brainpan springing a few leaks. Stepping forward with a smooth grace and speed that seems odd for his frame, Artair raises his hands, palm outward in a non-threatening posture. Though he was a Fomori and thus large in frame, he didn't really carry a threatening air to him. While he was capable of violence, it was not a natural inclination for him.

Speaking in Or'zet, he moved himself between the merchant and his two companions. They could easily go around him as his positioning was more to draw the shopkeeper's attention to him rather than prevent the others from action. "How does his leaving cause him to turn on his own people? There is a war for the rights of the Underground being waged above. If the people's voice is to be heard," Artair says, choosing the phrasing 'the people's' purposefully, implying a sense of unity without directly claiming to be part of it. "Must it not be heard up there? And if the Underground is not heard then it will never be truly free of the mechanization of the Corps above and the plots of the dandelion eaters." It was easy to blame the elves. In Artair's experience they did tend to be always be up to something.

Lowering his hands slowly to his side, Artair heaves a sigh. "Our aim here was to aid, not to harm and to do so with as little disruption as we could manage. Hence why we sought your counsel."

Artair has a Cha 2 and Etiquette 1 (or Negotiations 1) for a base dice pool of 3 before modifiers are thrown in. I can't access Invisible Castle's site at work (Shakes fist at blocked sites). I can roll later or if you just want to roll Scare_Crow I'm fine using your luck. I wouldn't be spending Edge on this.

Gear Location:
Commlins:
Meta Link (1, 1, 1, 2) Attached to Gabriel Morton ID. Currently in Passive Mode
   +Vector Xim
Fake SIN (Gabriel Morton) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Ruger Thunderbolt w/ Smartgun) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Sustaining Focus (Detection)) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Sustaining Focus (Health)) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Cram) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Contact Lenses) Rating 4
   +Fake License (Shock Glove) Rating 4

Sony Emperor (2, 2, 2, 3) Attached to actual ID. Currently in Hidden Mode. Set to alert if known contacts (Team, Gracie, others with direct number) send messages.) Liscenced Paranormal Investigator
   +Renraku Ichi
   +Subvocal Microphone
   +AR Gloves
FTL Matrixware Power Suite
   +Analyze Rating 3 [Copy Protection 3; Registration]
   +Browse Rating 4 [Copy Protection 4; Registration]
   +Command Rating 2 [Copy Protection 2; Registration]
   +Edit Rating 4 [Copy Protection 4; Registration]
   +Purge Rating 4 [Copy Protection 4; Registration]
   +Scan Rating 2 [Copy Protection 2; Registration]


Weapons:
Grenade: Thermal Smoke (1 Carried, 2 at House)
   DV: (10m Radius)   AP: -   RC: 0
Ruger Thunderbolt w/ Smartgun - Carried in under shoulder rig. Loaded with Mag of SnS. Two spare mags of SnS, Two mags of Reg ammo carried. (rest of ammo back home)
   +Gas-Vent 3 System
   +Quick-Draw Holster
   +Spare Clips
   +Smartgun System
Shock Glove - Worn
   
Armor/Clothes:
Armor Jacket              8/6
   +Chemical Protection 6
Form-Fitting Full-Body Suit6/2
   +Nonconductivity 6
SecureTech PPP Armor (Ensemble)2/4

Worn:
Contact Lenses Rating 3
   +Smartlink
   +Image Link
   +Flare Compensation
DocWagon Contract: Basic Braclet
Earbuds Rating 3
   +Audio Enhancement Rating 3
   +Select Sound Filter Rating 1
Glasses Rating 4
   +Vision Magnification
   +Vision Enhancement Rating 3
   +Low Light

Carried:
Medical Pouch (Secured to Belt):
- Medkit Rating 6 (2 Refills back at home)
- Cram (1 Dose on me, 2 back at home)
- Psyche (1 Dose on me, 2 back at home)

Zipped Pockets in Jacket:
Stealth Tags (3 on me, 17 back at home)
Certified Credstick, Standard (150 Nuyen Balance on stick)
Gecko Tape Gloves
Healing Fetish
Light Stick (1 in Jacket, 1 back at home)

Attached to Form Fitting body-suit:
Sustaining Focus (Detection) (bonded) Rating 3
Sustaining Focus (Health) (bonded) Rating 3

Kept at home:
Survival Kit

[vinnmun]

He calls Soulifuge's commlink, once he picks up "Want me to swing by and pick you up or you got a wheels we can meet there." Dataminer switches to AR, his eyes instantly open awake. He gets up from his couch and stretches out a bit, putting his holo gloves and hood back on while on the call with Soulifuge

[Operator]

Solifuge wandered outside of the Rhino, using a troll-sized toothpick to clean his teeth.

"Your ride sturdy enough? Keep in mind I'm a huge guy and a bike size for a humie isn't going to be enough. That's just how it works, so unless you've got a taxi or a van lined up, I'll have to take a bus or leg it over."

[vinnmun]

"You might have to crouch. I'll be there shortly" Dataminer had already got up and started his Conestoga. Taking the driver seat and maneuvers out of the parking lot and off to the Big Rhino. He loved lugging this around, but can never drive this properly manually. Thank the Marix for awesome remote controlling. He eventually pulls the bus up to the Rhino and honks the baritone horn.

Command 6 + Pilot Ground 2 + Wheeled 2 - 3 Handling (7d6.hits(5)=4)

When Soulifuge comes out, probably puzzeled, the back end opens up so he can walk in, but would have to crouch. There was couch that he could fit as his own seat. Wood panelling for walls and windows tinted. He put his bike and bike lift aside so you can squeeze through to the couch.

"Sit back and relax, next stop University of Washington." Dataminer sits back down, closes the back end and drives off to University of Washington.

[Operator]

Solifuge squeezed into the vehicle with a grunt, crouching into a somewhat cramp-free position. "Let's be quick about it. I don't like leaving the other guys alone with the underground folk. They aren't too keen on topsiders, regardless of whether you're from Bellevue or the Barrens."

[vinnmun]

Dataminer nods, "Fair enough, I think they put on their big boy pants though."  He grins as he accelerates via his AR to drives with his AR steering wheel as his GPS look up on UWash.

Intuition 5 + 2 Area Knowledge: Seattle Data Search 4 + Browse 6 + Improved ABility 2 + Analytical Mind 2 = 14 Dice (7d6.hits(5)=1, 12d6.hits(5)=1)

Searching Google Maps