[JupiterSanders]

My group did a mission, an extraction of a kidnapped girl from one of the homes of a CEO for a corporation. While doing so they also just happened to get a copy of a file that looked interesting to the hacker. Near as they can tell the information is research and development of a virus that the corp. is working on that would essentially kill all dragons, from drakes to greats. Now the team needs to figure out who to leak/sell the data too for the best return. They have to present their plans this weekend and decide as a group which one to go forward with.

I was hoping that I could maybe get some ideas/opinions from the people here on what they would do in this case if they were the player. I would like to make sure I am prepared for whatever they come up with. Thanks in advance!

[DeathofVirtue]

  The first step for my group with data as potentially dangerous as that would be to go to ground hardcore, that's the sort of drek that gets you square in the crosshairs of the AAA Corps at even a rumor you might have seen it.  The corp actually developing it will likely throw everything it has at you to get it back, or destroy it, because they are finished if their involvement comes out.  The Dragons themselves will definatley be out for it too and this is the sort of rare threat that can cause a temporary alliance between them, which is BAAAD news if you like breathing.

  With data as hot as that you need to thouroughly cover your backs and be insanely carefull, I know prime runners who wouldnt touch that data.  I would consider setting a deadman trigger or 4 to make the data public as insurance and letting the developer know they will activate and leak the data if they take ANY action towards you to buy some time.  Then probably contact the Draco foundation hash out a protection gig for your group and some pay, making sure you have leverage so they need you alive.  If the dragons unite you want to be on their sweet side.  You might need to agree to memorywipes or something similar once the data is handed off as well so make sure you have damn good reminders who might be gunning for you if it's necessary.

  In short, go to ground, setup deadman switches, act quickly, choose a side strong enough to protect you from the fallout.  I would also have totally new identities ready for the team should anything go wrong at all.

[JupiterSanders]

Nice, DoV. Things to consider.

[DeathofVirtue]

Always glad to chip in ^^

[MijRai]

Look up Blue-227 in Storm Front and other dragon-centric sources of 4th Edition; they have a product similar to that, and it can show you how others react to the presence of it in the world.  Were I a player who found that...  Well, different characters would do different things.  My Troll Anarchist would target Lofwyr with it, or give it to people who'd do so for him.  My nature-attuned, multiple initiation Adept would destroy it, as it's a nasty, bioengineered death bringer.  Others would see the threat of dealing with dragons, others would see nuyen signs.  It varies, but ALL of them would be very cautious, as that's extremely dangerous information. 

[DeathofVirtue]

  Well very cautious or very dead, welcome to the shadows chummer xD

  In all seriousness if your group did a really thorough job of covering their tracks, wiping astral sigs, not leaving any DNA, keeping mouths shut and playing cards really close to their chest etc your probably not being hunted down right away.  However the likely methods for shifting or using that data will definatley be being watched like hawks.

  If you left astral sigs or even a slight hint to follow however the rabbit hunt is on and you are probably in big trouble.

  I would also be highly suspicious of the Mr Jonson who set up the run, it might be a coincidence he sent you on a job that exposed you to that data, or he could be counting on you coming across it as his true purpose for the run, they are a shifty and largely untrustworthy bunch and coincidences rarely "just happen" when running the shadows.

[JupiterSanders]

Good advice MijRai, I will look into those references. Also great point about clearing their tracks, DoV. If they fail to do so I can keep that in my back pocket and have it come back to haunt them. They are not a very cautious group, and all too often they fail to think of the repercussions of their actions. Also they never question the Johnson, even after the job goes bad.....

[Reaver]

Yea...

This is an instance where my team triggers a 'clean slate' action. Kill the Johnson without accepting payment - he's the individual that can most easily identify the team.

Torch the data - its too hot to safely unload as this data could/would trigger a war...

Move out of the city and assume new handles while dumping and contacts in the old city.

You can't earn a profit if you're dead, and you can't spend or even collect a profit if an entire Mega is looking for you....

Probably geek the decker as well..... Him going 'off mission' is what brought this mess down on us, and if he's done it once he's more then likely to do it again. Best nip that bud before it blooms....

THIS is why you start on mission and don't stray... Some people's dirty little secrets end up screwing over the entire team, and you never know what secret is going to do that, so don't go digging!

[DeathofVirtue]

*Whistles* they never question Mr Ulterior Motive and never cover their tracks?
I'm amazed they are still alive and breathing.  First lesson of the shadows is you basically can't trust anyone, particularly the Johnson, have they never had one turn on them?
The second is to leave no trace, if you mess up even once you can end up with the L Star at your door, or worse, all it takes is one drop of blood or sloppy astral sig and you and possibly your associates and contacts are toast.
The only reason I can see for a group like that still being alive at all is that they are caught up in something big and none of the involved parties wants to make their move yet, even my street sam wouldnt bet on their odds of walking out of a situation as hot as this if they went in like that.  And he's a burnout level gambling addict.

  Yeah that's how Zero, my Prime Runner mage and his group would react too Reaver, but they have been running the shadows a long time and seen just how drekky things can get.  Unfortunatley my group switched characters a few months ago, the newer runners aren't amaturs but they have that slightly cocky take on anything attitude that gets replaced with not entirely unfounded paranoia as time goes on, I'm a big believer in the idea that runners only truly respect how dangerous things can be after they have been tangled up with a Greater Dragon or had a AAA Mega gunning specifically for them.  If you survive it's a perspective altering experience.

[JupiterSanders]

Reaver, geeking the decker should have happened but they are a very trusting bunch and don't turn on each other. As a GM it is great to use that against them. Also DoV, to clear some things up they are new to Shadowrun and I am new as a GM. I am spoon-feeding elements so it doesn't overwhelm the new players. Things get progressively harder and past actions have started to come back to bite them. Also a Mr. Johnson did not hire them for the job, they were hired to provide bodyguard service but their charge ended up being kidnapped on their watch. That prompted them to retrieve her and in doing so the decker happened upon the file and made a copy of it. He couldn't resist!

[DeathofVirtue]

  Ahh, I see.
Well I'm rather interested in how this is going to turn out now, call it morbid fascination xD

Yeah drip feeding stuff in is a good idea then, however typically new runners are introduced to the shadows with street level jobs (that allow them to learn the risks and status quo in a lower risk environment), most fixers don't give high tier jobs like bodyguarding somone a mega is after to new runners because they are an unknown variable and there rep is on the line too if they screw the pooch.  Obviously your game your rules but, food for thought.

  How much do they know about shadowrun itself?  I tend to find that when I'm introducing somone new to shadowrun to my table it helps if you pull them aside at the start and give them a street level rundown of things they would know ic but perhaps dont irl, such as how easy it is for their mage to be tracked by astral sigs dna etc and the basic steps their character would know about to avoid it, a light overview of the local corp and gang politics etc.  Printed handouts can be great for that purpose.