>>>>>[Heh. Well, while I am a vet (in more than one sense), this is more a case of it being one of the more basic gigs newcomers get all the time. Sometimes they'll even hire the distraction gig out to gangs like the Halloweeners, or stir up some protesters against some cause or another to have a nice big distraction at the front gate. Regardless, the core of the job is always the same: keep eyes focused on something other than the main players.
If you're wondering, here's the basic types of jobs you can expect. Sure, there are others, and some have a mix of two or more, but these are the main types:
Courier - Pick up a package, and get it from A to B. Package might be a datafile, it might be a verbal message, might be a kilo of novacoke, or it might be a cargo container full of Ares Arms' latest and greatest. A and B could be a couple blocks apart, or in entirely different countries. But it is still a courier job, and is one of the most common gigs out there, since everyone has things they'd like to move around discretely.
Escort - Escort gigs come in many forms, but they all boil down to you (and your team, if you got one) protecting something or someone from people who want to interfere with what your target is supposed to be doing. This can be a bodyguard gig, or running an escort on a convoy between corp facilities, or any number of other things. Maybe you're the hired help to make sure the Courier gets his package from A to B. Or set to watch the courier so he isn't tempted to take it to C instead.
Persuasion - Sometimes people need other people to do things they might not want to do. Now, most cases Mr. J doesn't care how you persuade the mark to play ball, just so long as they do. This means that when 'persuading' the mark, possible methods range from seduction, to bribery, to intimidation, to hostage taking, to torture and everything in between. Now, most teams won't be comfortable with all those methods. Even the people who will jump straight to torture might balk at the idea of actually having sex with a mark to get them to change their mind.
Distraction - Big and shiny objects waved in front of a child's face to keep them from crying. Well, it gets more complicated than that, but the point remains the same. Your target is doing something you would rather they not do, so here's a bunch of Halloweeners on one of their joyrides that 'just happens' to run straight through the parking lot of the target's building. Or whatever. Regardless, you want them to be looking at the pretty birdie, and not the team slipping in that open window.
Tailchaser - Hands down the most annoying jobs ever. This would be the majority of your 'milk runs'. And most of them are simple timewasters. Why would people pay bank for jobs that they could easily just have a legit messenger service do? There's plenty of reasons, actually, but they generally boil down to either testing new talent's skills, confirming the loyalty of trusted agents, or camouflaging big jobs in a flurry of little, inconsequential jobs. Kind of like getting a bunch of dominoes and painstakingly setting them up so that when you hit that first one, everything falls naturally into place.
Extraction - This is one of the big ones people think about when they talk about shadowruns. Your job: get into corp A, grab the target scientist/exec/whatever, and deliver them to corp B. Oh sure, there's a bunch of different variations, but in the end it is essentially a courier gig involving people. And the very real chance that the package will be incredibly uncooperative about being relocated, while people are actively trying to kill you (and sometimes the package as well).
Datasteal - Like an Extraction, but instead of dealing with people, you're dealing with information or objects. Maybe it is the latest IC cooked up by MCT, or a prototype of Ares's newest gun, or even a priceless relic from a museum. Regardless, someone wants it, and is willing to pay you to go in and get it. Oh, and if alarms get tripped, guards will be even less hesitant to open fire, because there won't be potentially valuable corporate citizens in the way.
Sabotage - Go in, and ruin someone's day, maybe their whole week. If you can ruin their month or year, even better. These gigs can be anything from planting a virus to shred research files (putting the target corp behind their rivals), to arson, to blowing up a dam or bridge, to poisoning food supplies. Sometimes you make it look like an accident. Sometimes you are very blatant about what happened, because you're supposed to send a message. Regardless, Bad Thingstm are going to happen at the job site. These are not gigs to play nice on. You're looking to put the hurt on the other side, and the only question is whether you're going to be causing financial pain, or going to be causing casualties.
Wetwork - Sometimes people die on runs, because corpsec isn't willing to let you just walk out without exchanging a few words (and a lot of lead) first. That isn't what these gigs are about. You are hunting metahumans for money. Sometimes they'll be rat bastards who deserve it. Sometimes they'll be people who are simply too principled to see that MCT really should be allowed to strip mine a national park. And sometimes they'll be a nice lady who's only 'crime' is standing at the podium at a Mothers of Metahumans rally. Regardless, you are setting out to end someone's life. Whether it is an 'accident' or a bullet from a sniper rifle depends on you, and the requirements of the job.
Intelligence - Most gigs will include some of this as part of legwork, but some jobs are all about gathering intelligence, sometimes over extended periods. Maybe it is trying to find out who is flooding the streets with a new tempo knockoff. Maybe you're trying to get inside SK Prime to read Lofwyr's secret plans. Or maybe you're just trying to find blackmail material on that sleazeball in accounting, or provide evidence (even if you have to create it) that a husband is cheating on his wife so the divorce goes her way. Those of you with experience as cops, private investigators, or spies know all about this gig.
Like I said, there's more types of jobs, some of which are specialized to only certain types (no use talking to a decker about a jaunt to the metaplanes, for instance), but those are the main categories, and most jobs you'll find will fall loosely under one or more of those categories.]<<<<<
--Iceblade (11:25:23/01-21-78)
