Shadowrun

Shadowrun Play => Play-by-Post => Topic started by: Aria on <10-15-19/1146:54>

Title: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <10-15-19/1146:54>
[Early Evening, Monday November 13th, 2079; Downfall, Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]
 
The Downfall was nice, at least by the available standards of Redmond.  He’d done some research on the way here and it seemed like as good a place as any to collect his thoughts, although now he was beginning to regret his decision to come at all.  The clientele were the usual eclectic mix of street toughs and SINless just trying to scrape by after whatever crap job their limited status afforded them.  But there was also some Talent here, and from the curious glances he’d received when he came in he knew they’d seen the dim spark that was in him too.
 
The air wasn’t too laden with nic or stale alcohol and piss and the music was loud enough to drown out casual conversation but not make your ears bleed!
 
Watcher nursed his drink musing at the water still pooling off his cuffs from the soaking he’d taken getting to Redmond from his ratty apartment all the way over in Puyallup.  He ruefully reflected that he was getting jaded, a bit of rain had never bothered him much but he would once have made more of an effort to stay dry at least.  He’d removed his damp gloves and his metallic right cyber hand tapped an unconscious rhythm on the faded table top as he considered the message from his daughter again.
 
> Hi Dad, hope you’re ok?  Sorry haven’t got time to talk, maybe next week?  Tom’s in trouble, possibly big trouble, I’ve seen it coming.  I know you don’t see eye to eye and if I could I would be there myself to stop you two fighting, but I can’t…some things are even more important than family.  He won’t want your help, he’s too damn stubborn, but I know you will want to do something.
> Lace
 
He sighed, damn it Beth, Silkie, Lace, whatever she was calling herself these days…  He’d tried, he really had.  But Beth was right, Tom blamed him for the death of their mother and the wound was fresh even after all these years.  He’d gone to where Tom had holed up with his tribe, had tried to speak to his son… and had been turned away.  But he knew that Beth wouldn’t have sent him there without good cause, so a new plan was needed…
 
Time to recruit some outside assistance.  With what he wasn’t sure but there were runners that would help a cause for more than just nuyen.  He’d briefly pondered trying to recruit some himself, possibly even at a bar like this one, but it was too random, he didn’t know this part of town any more (too many painful memories) and he didn’t want to end up on the wrong end of some street razor’s grudge.  So that meant squeezing his limited funds further and getting hold of a fixer to set him up with a team.  Thankfully Feather owed him one and it might be time to check in that marker…
 
***
 
#01
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: ZeroSum on <10-15-19/1434:30>
[Early Morning, Monday November 13th, 2079; Enumclaw, Auburn, Seattle Metroplex]
The little apartment wasn't much, but the lock on the door was strong and the electrical grid only rarely suffered from blackouts; aside from the omnipresent hum of heavy industry in the area, the wireless signal to noise ratio was better than any of the other places he would have been able to afford.

Viktor was seated at the large workbench in the middle of the room, the internals of a Shiawase Cyber-6 laid out before him and surrounded by spare parts and various junk. He adjusted the overhead lamp to provide better light for the task at hand, and gingerly slipped the tiny optical relay into place. Despite being mostly broken and in pieces the deck had cost him most of his savings, and that was even after the trade-in on his old model.

"The circuits are good, but she needs a little TLC before she'll purr like a kitten." Max, one of Viktor's corporate contacts at Shiawase, had been adamant that the deck was worth the price even in it's present condition. "If anyone can fix 'er up it's you, and I'll give you a real good price on part. Chip truth!"

Thinking back on that conversation, Viktor realized he should have picked up on the somewhat obvious attempt at flattery, but the temptation had just been too great. Outside of the corporate elite and state of the art tech, a Shiawase Cyber-6 was about as advanced a deck as he'd ever expected to see, no less own! So instead of haggling like he should have, he had thrown caution to the wind and now all of his hopes and dreams rested on the various little pieces of plastic and metal arrayed in front of him.

He sighed deeply, then set to work reassembling the miniaturized cyberdeck. Everything fit onto a slot no larger than a couple of credsticks, and within a few hours he had everything neatly wrapped up. The circuit tester chirrped happily when he applied it to the optical connection port, indicating that the procedure had gone well.

"Only one way to find out,"  Viktor thought as he slid the deck into the receptacle in the back of his head. A barely perceptible *click* announced that the connection had seated firmly, and the dwarf subconsciously moved his hand over the implant location before steeling himself for the next crucial part. He couldn't afford the hospital stay if this didn't work, and the deck going critical inside his skull would be the least of his long-term issues. He inhaled deeply, closed his eyes, and leaned back in his favourite chair.

"This is it. All or nothing, chummer. You got this."

With a mental trigger, he bridged the neural interface between his cyberjack and the new deck lodged firmly inside his skull. For several nano-seconds nothing seemed to happen; his stomach began to sink, when all of a sudden the Matrix rushed out of nowhere and wrapped his consciousness in digital code.

Clad in the blackened armor of a modern samurai, 0day, his persona, rose from a smoke cloud into the Emerald City host.

"Time to see what this baby can do..."

[Early Evening, Monday November 13th, 2079; Enumclaw, Auburn, Seattle Metroplex]

Hours had passed and the Cyber-6 has handled every test he'd thrown at it. Viktor had sliced through the Matrix for hours, and he couldn't have been happier.

The notification that someone was at his door had brought him back to reality, and he checked the video feed from the tiny MCT Gnat positioned in the corner of the hallway leading up to his apartment.

"Ah, delivery!" he exclaimed to no one in particular inside the host he'd been decking. He had completely forgotten that he'd placed a McHugh's order earlier that day to ensure he would eat, but now that he was reminded of it he realized he was starving.

Jacking out of the Matrix brought the familiar sense of loss with it, and it took a few tries before he managed to get out of his chair.

He plodded to the door after grabbing his commlink, and was instantly reminded of how low his funds were. "Drek. I should have gone and picked it up myself" he muttered to himself as he opened the door.

After ensuring his note about no soy had been adhered to he settled up, and shook his head at the mere ¥195 left in his account. Back in the apartment with a plate of chick pea falafel neatly organized on a tray in front of him, he began cataloging local events and news stories in the hope that he could find some work.

#1
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: gwilym on <10-16-19/0902:30>
Phaeton and Dynamyt stool holding hands at the flames lick up around the box that contained their mother's remains. They probably should have buried her but the idea of devil rats knawing on her did not sit well with either of the sisters .
"I spoke Mr Wu you can stay at his and work on his stall." said Dynamyt as they stared at the dying flames
Phaeton tried to speak but Dynamyt held her hand up,
" you need a place he needs the help, with both his boys dead "
" but he don't speak English and I ain't got no 'nese "
" he speaks English plenty good when I sort his burns and cuts, he just pretends"
Both girl giggled
"we better get back, Grimble will be there soon."
Grimble was dutifully solemn but everyone knew he had wanted this pitch of years
"I be sorry for your loss there Shaman, glad it were quick. She were go people. Look theres te things you wanted even fueled it up and here's some script n cred. You can be turned can you, folks are no happy you going an all"
"Grimble, I gotta go find what behind the mountains, I got Phaeton a good 'prentice. An' got me a bike" she eyed the keys "you sure this feather is straight up?"
Grimble chuckled "peice of advice, e everyone wants something, nothin' 'ti's free"
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <10-16-19/1713:29>
Omen sat at his acustomed place at the bar he had chosen as his current haunt - drinking away what remained of his last mission's salary.
As usual he raised his glass in a silent toast to his dead brothers in arms. 'Vive la mort, vive la guerre, vive le sacre mercenaire'.
The drink tasted bitter - not just because of the quinine from the tonic water, but also because of the memories of their last mission.
For a moment he thought about going back on board of the ship, before remembering that the "Sea Witch" had already left two days ago while he had decided to go on a bender.
Seattle was as good a place as anywhere to get back on his feet now that the malaria had finally been purged from his system.
Better in fact, since he actually new someone here. Right. Enough self pity. He pulled out his commlink and searched for her number.
"Hey honey, guess who."
"Omen? Curse your disease ridden hide. I hope the jackals finally got your balls."
"Bah, after living with you for three years, a jackal's bite would be akin to a soft kiss.
Speaking of which, are you still with that prick of a pimp Marshall?"
"You've been away for awhile. Marshall's dead. I took over his business."
"Seriously? You are a Madam now with a stable of mares? Congratulations, I guess.
Anyway, I'm not calling for a quicky for old times sake. I'm back in the city and I need a job."
"Sorry, there's currently no demand for a good-for-nothing piece of drek that can't even manage to get himself killed with the rest of his unit."
"Listen Sandra, forget for a moment that you are my ex and try to act like a goddamn business woman: You know my talents, you know the commission that's in for you and you goddamn know I'm calling you instead of Sharkeye, because I don't want the kind of jobs he is handing out.
So either use old Mars' contacts for me, or hang up and think about what a man with my talents can do for a real piece of work like old Sharky."
"Don't get your knickers in a twist. I'll put the word out that you are back on the market. And stay away from Sharkeye. Bastard."
The call dropped and Omen smiled.
Sandra wasn't half bad all in all - in any case she'd be a better fixer than a wife.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <10-16-19/1828:02>
"Mrs. Mary, Quite contrary
How does your garden grow?
With souless shells and about three hells
and mutations all in a row."

Elga seemed calmer if Tipperman made himself heard before walking into the 'cottage'.  And recently she seemed to be responding to silliness and wordplay, so the dwarf had been digging up vaguely remembered songs and rhymes and playing around with the words.

He entered the converted shipping container, and was pleased to see that Elga was still there, that she was not hiding in a corner, and that it looked like the posts and dishes were still in the sink.  In the first weeks she'd kept taking things like that and hiding them, or making shivs out of cutlery.  He'd almost think that she had been in prison, but her skin just seemed too good for that.  Or it had been, somewhere between living on mostly soy paste and living in a radiation zone she was losing some of her glow.

He made small talk at her, and even coaxed out a few 'yes' and 'no' answers -- along with the usual ratio of what seemed like nonsense.  But his thoughts were elsewhere, and eventually he said out loud "I think you'll be OK for a while if I take on some work."  He definitely needed to find a way to move her somewhere better, and to get proper treatment for whatever had happened to her.

There was a lot of people he could call, but in the end he decided to start to start with his old protege.  The image on his link still showed Brianna in her Neonet security uniform, dark hair buzzed short, a petite and athletic figure.  It was hard to remember that her hair was showing grey, her face and hips had rounded out and she'd been civilian for a decade.  But at least her mind was still sharp -- he may have changed less physically but his mind was not as fit as it had been back then.  And he had to remember to use her business name, not her personal one.

<<Branta, Got any work you could throw my way?>>
<<Tipperman, you coherent enough to present to a Johnson?>>
<< I'm as clear as one credit beer.  I've got someone I'm taking care of, keeping me focused>>
<< Spirits, you've adopted another stray?>>
<< More like a discard.  Found her half dead, still making less sense than me>>
<< If you found her around your place she's lucky.  Almost anyone else would have seen her dead or ... well you know.  I'm glad you have a cause and you ready to work, but I'm afraid I can't risk adding you to an existing team, nor trust you solo -- not until I see that you can stay focused.  Let me see if anyone is looking for a less proven team.>>
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <10-18-19/0831:50>
[ Early Evening, Monday November 13th, 2079; Seattle Opera House, 800 North Taylor Avenue, Downtown Seattle]

Feather sighed in annoyance, he’d been about to silence his ‘link in order to enjoy the performance but there were a few moments to deal with Watcher’s request.  He doubted many of the runners he knew to be available would be interested in the kind of work that was on offer but there were some that were principled enough, or desperate enough, to bite.

He composed a quick message and after doing a quick search through his database fired it to four individuals that looked promising.  If any of them declined there were two more possibilities but scrambling a temporary team together was a delicate business and he knew that they reflected on his reputation so best to go with first choice if possible.

> Hoi. There’s a work opportunity, couple of days’ worth probably. Remuneration might not be high but apart from the warm fuzzy feeling of doing good there are some solid contact opportunities in this one.  It’s not a corporate deal, the J has his own handle, Watcher, he’s at the Downfall in Redmond this evening <Profile attached (https://stormy-waters-2075.obsidianportal.com/wikis/watcher)>.  If you’re interested go and hear what he has to say, I’ve arranged a meet at around 21:00.  If you’re not let me know so I can get a replacement.
> Feather

[Early Evening, Monday November 13th, 2079; Downfall, Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]

Well Feather was putting the word out, hopefully someone would turn up.  Watcher began to pull together the info he’d need to supply the prospective runners whilst he absentmindedly ordered another drink and some soy snacks.  A brief intro to his son and the urban tribe he lead.  Their living accommodation <file (https://drive.google.com/open?id=12uAExC0QLdmTVX03VSA0-_aGVPGEd-3z&usp=sharing)> and the perceived threat to them… looking over it there wasn’t much to go on, it would have to do…

***

#02
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: ZeroSum on <10-18-19/1124:06>
Viktor glanced at the AR notification from Feather between mouthfuls of falafel.
"Work. Low rate in exchange for connects. Civvie. "Watcher". Where have I seen that face before..."

The dwarf kept on chewing, and closed his eyes to focus as he searched his mind for clues. 1
"The Fre∑dom tribe raid... Some researcher got caught up in that mess, ended up in a coma. Could be the same guy. Intriguing. Most intriguing." Something from Feather's message tugged at his consciousness. "Wait. Downfall, in Redmond? Drek..."

Viktor cleared away the tray and threw away the rubbish while he pulled up his mapsoft in AR.

"70-80 kilometers to the north end of the Barrens. That's going to be at least 150 nuyen just to get there by taxicab." He weighed the comfort of a direct ride over the cheaper options, then glanced at his account balance again. "Bus it is; better get going if I want to get there in time."

As he began gathering his gear he compiled a brief response to Feather.
> Interested. On my way.

The dwarf slipped various tools and equipment into the pockets of his jumpsuit, checking them off his mental checklist one item at a time. "Bug scanner, credsticks, ah the medkit of course. Tag eraser, and tool kit." As an afterthought, he added a second reply to the fixer while he put on his go-bag.
> Oh. And thank you.

On his way out the door he latched the arm slide holding his pistol under the jumpsuit sleeve on his left arm, then donned the heavy lined coat he usually wore outside; the acid rain had been particularly foul these last few months. He once more checked the video feed from the hallway outside his front door to ensure no one was waiting to jump him, and once he was satisfied he wouldn't run into anyone he headed downstairs. He made it to the front door of his building before he realized he had forgotten to check the weather.

"Blast it, more rain" he exhaled through gritted teeth. Viktor adjusted the collar on his coat and ran the few meters down the road to the nearest bus stop. Fortunately, the gangs had left this one alone and it provided a modicum of protection from the rain while he waited. Still, it had been built to accommodate humans and orks, and with the rain coming in somewhat horizontal he wasn't completely sheltered from the elements.

"Ah, the wonders of living as a dwarf in a human-centric society." The sarcasm in the muttered statement was as acidic as the rain.

Viktor wiped the wetness from his brow and scalp before it could do any real damage. He would need to change lines in Auburn, to the Tacoma-Everett line, so he pulled up a browse program and keyed in search parameters for Watcher. 2 Within minutes he had found the connection he was looking for; Alex Smart, the Seattle University alum gone cold for three years before resurfacing.

"Another time" he thought to himself, wondering what the real story there was. The screamsheets just spoke of a corporate raid on so-called 'decker gangs', and 'a local anthropologist' ending up in a coma as a result, and scuttlebutt on the usual rumour sites weren't much better.

The trip to Auburn and then onto Everett was thankfully uneventful, besides the rain fouling his mood as much as it did the streets. After the change of bus lines and with another 40 minutes left on his trip, Viktor pulled out a tool kit from his pocket and released one of his microdrones. The little insect drone would keep watch over him as he sunk into the seat and slipped into VR.

[2045 hours local, Monday November 13th, 2079; Downfall, Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]
NE 175th St and 140th Ave NE was a blessed quarter block from the nearest bus stop, and Viktor hurried along the street dodging scurrying rats and spillwater pouring down from the nearby gutters. He had barely managed to avoid getting drenched when a particularly burly ork had ridden by on a big hog of a bike, splashing water all over the sidewalk.

Finally, the door to Downfall loomed ahead of him; he gently pulled it open and slipped inside. While he would never be able to actively hide in the real world, one benefit of being a dwarf was being casually overlooked. He'd configured his deck for stealth 3, and seeing the number of icons in the bar told him he wasn't alone in being cautious. Some quick tweaks to his deck's attributes and a few more icons revealed themselves. 4

"Ah, there you are." He chuckled; some of these script-kiddies were about as obvious as an ostrich with it's head in the sand.

He picked a booth at random and settled in, and ordered a cheap, non-soy based synthetic bourbon from the disinterested waiter. "Let's see what we're working with" he thought to himself, digging the bug scanner out of one pocket. 4

A few more icons had been revealed as a result of his cursory scan, including a stealth tag that looked like it was sitting in someone's drink. "Mental note, check drinks for tags from now on..." he thought to himself as he eyed the glass in front of him. He had left one of the Gnats on the door just outside the entrance, up high and out of the rain, keeping an eye on the street just outside Downfall. The weather was making it hard to see to clearly using the tiny drone's camera sensor, so he loaded up a clearsight soft to improve the feed. He then launched a second and third drone and used them to leapfrog through the room, looking for Mr Johnson, aka Watcher.

"Who watches the Watcher," he smiled to himself slyly. "Who watches, indeed." 6 With all of his usual prep out of the way, he settled in to wait.

1 Memory Test (Local News): "Watcher" (http://orokos.com/roll/764940): 13d6t5 5
2Matrix Search: "Watcher", "Fre∑dom tribe", "Seattle University" (http://orokos.com/roll/764946): 15d6t5 5
3Running Silent (http://orokos.com/roll/764961): 14d6t5 8
4Matrix Perception (http://orokos.com/roll/764955): 15d6t5 3
5Matrix Perception (Bug Scanner) (http://orokos.com/roll/764960): 17d6t5 4
6Perception (http://orokos.com/roll/764962): 13d6t5 3


#2
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <10-18-19/1735:16>
There were a few things from his old life that Tipperman hadn’t been able to give up, and taking this job would give him a chance to use all three of them: his coat, his Ingram, and his customized Harley.  “You know Princess, I said I was working again to help get you better care, and this job offer says it doesn’t pay so great.  So should pass, right?  But I gotta say, after I got Inga and Bella all cleaned and oiled and my coat all brushed down, I’m feeling all ‘Hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to work I go.’  I guess my brain doesn’t work well enough to know better anymore or something?  What I’m saying is that I’m going out for the evening.  I’ll be back with some supplies later tonight, but then I might be gone for a bit and you are going to have to take care of the place, OK?”

Elga smiled vacantly and Tipperman worried that his words had passed by entirely, but then she replied “’Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play.’” And after a moment added “My rates double after midnight.” 

Tipperman was fairly certain that the first had been a quote from one philosopher or another – he’d given up looking them up after recognizing her pattern – but the second sounded like a memory of something she used to say.  A clue to who she may have been in the past, but he found himself not wanting to think what sort of work would have inspired a line like that.  “OK, sounds like the communication was received.”

Half an hour later he rolled up the door at the ‘back’ end of the shipping container, then rolled out on Bella.  The bike had been re-build multiple times over the years, first to fit a dwarf, then because of various damaging incidents.  Each time it had ended up being just a little more fitted to him, until now being back on her felt like pulling on a tailored suit.  He patted his smartgun in its holster on the bike frame and muttered “Shouldn’t be any business for you tonight, Inga, but you never know around here.”  Then he made his way through Renton, going fast enough to discourage interactions, but slow enough to manage with his reduced skills.

Finally he arrived at the location, circled it once to look for any problems going on, then parked.  He latched his helmet to the bike, transferred Inga to his hip, then pulled his fedora out of the storage big and pulled that firmly down over his head.  Once he made sure his bike was locked up securely he walked around to the side, gathered up a shredded tire and carried it to the dumpster around back.  “Fragging lazy asses”.  Then finally he marched into the bar.

Inside the door he paused for a few seconds to give anyone who wanted to a chance to get any short jokes out of their system while he scanned the place for the Johnson.  When nobody decided to make their night more bruised, Tipperman went up to the bar before going to the Johnson, and ordered a bourbon. 

Make that four things from his old life he hadn’t been able to give up.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <10-20-19/1147:57>
Omen hadn't finished his next drink before he received a message back from Sandra: <<Might be something for you. No corporate, but chances to get to meet a few local influencers. Take it or leave it.>>

'Great' he thought, 'a bunch of tough young ones crazy coons.' He sighed. If he was honest, he had to admit that he fit both categories in some way. And it would probably be better than to stay here and run out of money.
So he released his info to the would be Johnson and soon received his invite.
"Might as well get going then." He paid up and left - only to reenter a similar establishment about an hour later.

When he found the Johnson, he nodded and took a seat with the others.
"Hi there. What's up."
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <10-21-19/0747:27>
[21:00 ish, Monday November 13th, 2079; Downfall, Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]


Watcher studied the runners as they approached him, weighing up their manner, dress and any visible weaponry.  For his part he was of that indeterminate age between forty and fifty with neatly trimmed greying hair and goatee.  His casual dress was probably better quality than normally graced the Downfall, slightly outdated Furba jacket and shirt, his only concession to fashion being a pair of platinum rings in his left ear.  All in all pretty average, were it not for the metallic cyberhand that rippled unnaturally as he toyed with a ‘link stylus.

“Thank you for coming.  You can call me Watcher, or Mr Johnson if you prefer.  Don’t worry, we can talk here, nothing I’m going to say is particularly sensitive.  I understand from Feather that you are all in the market for employment, and I asked him to stipulate that rewards won’t necessarily be solely financial, so I presume as you are here that that is acceptable in principle?  We can come back to that once you’ve heard my pitch.”

He paused to bring out a small projection unit attached to his ‘link.

“My son is an urban tribal leader here in Redmond…they are based out of a former retirement village north of Touristville. They haven’t given themselves any fancy titles, they are just the tribe to anyone in the area.  They’ve been operating peacefully enough with their neighbours in the last few years and even have a market supplying surplus fresh food back to the area.  But there are two new players in the district, gangs, and for some reason tensions are on the rise and the tribe look like they are going to get squeezed in the middle of a turf war.

I want to avoid that, quite how I leave to you if you take the job.  One additional wrinkle, my son and I don’t exactly get on, so when you talk to him for gods’ sake don’t mention my name.  Tell him Beth sent you and all should be well, but he’s a proud bastard so you may need to convince him to let you help at all.”

***

#03
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <10-21-19/1139:49>
As he listened to Watcher, Tipperman swirled the drink in his glass.  It certainly wasn't bourbon, although there had been some effort with artificial flavors to nudge the synthihol roughly in that direction.  When Watcher paused for questions Tipperman took a deep swallow and let the stuff burn its way down his throat before he answered. 

The easy solution would be to decapitate the leadership of the two new gangs and let it be known that this would happen to anyone threatening The Tribe, but in the long run that would make The Tribe bigger targets.  And it was apt to result in a lot of bullets and bodies littering the streets.  Hopefully their Johnson would pony up a good enough offer to justify a more elegant solution.

His words come out in quick bursts of bourbon tinted breath, some words almost caressed, corporate buzzwords clearly air-quoted.  He sounds perhaps a bit more like he is making a speech or preaching than having a casual conversation, although he keeps his voice low enough to not easily be heard beyond their table.

“Do you have any ‘constraints’ or ‘incentives’
on what sort of mess we make in this process
Or how much we solve for the here and now
or how much trouble we leave fermenting for later? 
Are you looking for ‘quick’ and ‘expedient’
-- and keep us on speed dial for next time? 
Or do you want something more thorough,
a ‘re-engineering’ of the situation?
It changes the job profile quite a bit, you see.”

It wasn't how he'd wanted his words to come out, but his words seemed to have a will of their own since he was damaged.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <10-21-19/1434:07>
Omen wore his scuffed and often repaired long coat that had kept him dry and warm for so long... and showed it through countless stains that no amount of washing were ever able to get out.
He had taken the time to shower and trimm his beard and hair - inexpertly. There was already a bit of grey in his hair and the deep lines in his leathery face made him look more like an average hobo. Except for the quite expensive glasses with the integrated vision enhancements.
Once or twice during Watcher's speech he put a green leave into his mouth and chewed.
He nodded at the other man:
"Paving gangs, is it? Not much restraint necessary. Just animals in need of culling.
But out of interest: What are those gangs names and how are they financing themselves? If you shoot them in the knees some gangs on the other side will carve them up for us just fine. We might even get something nice extra out of it if the pay is as shit as Mr. Watcher here has insinuated."
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <10-21-19/1621:46>
Tipperman runs calloused fingers through his bushy beard -- the radiation hasn't caused it to start falling out, yet -- as he listens to Omen.  He taps the brim of his hat to acknowledge the other man's point, and replies
"Just so I was thinking
Although i thought decapitating
-- Remove the leadership leaving turmoil.
Our basic ideas march together however:
wounded gangs won't threaten, but won't vanish,
It will take time for dangers to grow back.
To me that is the 'quick and expedient'."
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: ZeroSum on <10-21-19/1747:35>
Viktor watched the feed from his drones as a dwarf walked up to the Mysterious Mister Watcher. Shortly before the agreed-upon meeting time, a burly, mean-looking ork similarly made his way inside and to the prospective employer. With some reticence, the young dwarf grabbed his glass of synthetic bourbon, hopped down from the bench he'd been using as a hideout, and strode over to accompany the three men.

[...]

After the customary brief introductions, followed by Mr Johnsons' initial pitch, Viktor listened to the conversation. The other dwarf, Tipperman, seemed to be asking Mr Johnson for more information about the job; his way of speaking was something Viktor found odd, but intriguing.

"Not quite Cityspeak, but not quite English, either" he thought. "Strange; I wonder if the DSM-IX has any entries on disjointed speech patterns as a symptom." Between listening to the Ork, Omen, and Tipperman discussing options of how to deal with the gangs, the young hacker began running a search of medical journals. Cross-referencing peculiar symptoms like those exhibited by his kinsman should not take long. Once the discussion turned to more drastic measures, Viktor diverted his attention back to the real world.

"Ah..." he managed, then cleared his throat before continuing. "I'm not much for violence, direct or otherwise. That being said, a well-executed counter-intelligence campaign could have the desired effect." He paused for a brief swig of liquid courage, and he observed the reactions of the others over the rim of his glass. "Most gangs these days are beholden to someone or something. I say we find their respective pressure points and squeeze them until we have what we want."

Content at having said his peace, Viktor leaned back in his seat and continued listening.

#3
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: gwilym on <10-22-19/0352:09>
Dynamyt checked the room as she entered, trying to not look like she was looking. She was pretty much sure she failed she ordered a drink at the bar for appearance sake. She saw a guy matching the description feather had described.
New to this she kept her introduction to a minimum.
She listened quietly to the man's explanation. Gang war OK she tried to listen to the other ideas as she thought of her own. Cat liked this job lots of thing to play with
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <10-22-19/1641:33>
Omen groaned: "No violence? Are you sure you are here for a run and not a fragging UN meeting?
I'm all for finding pressure points. But you know what you do with pressure points? You fragging press them and then shoot them while they are paralyzed with pain."
He paused an shrugged: "Ah, never mind. We can try your way first. In my experience it's going to go wrong anyway and we'll have to solve it with a good old fashioned massacre."
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <10-23-19/0635:42>
[21:00 ish, Monday November 13th, 2079; Downfall, Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]
 
 
Watcher frowned at the talk of cullings and massacres “I appreciate that life is cheap in the Barrens but if I had wanted random violence I would be talking to other gangs in the area.  I would prefer something a bit more surgical.  The tribe need to continue to live there after you are long gone and killing a bunch of kids who had the misfortune to fall in to a gang is only going to foster a new round of feuding.
 
Similarly just leaving a power vacuum is going to attract interest from further afield.  I am interested in why these gangs have suddenly taken an unhealthy interest in the tribe.  I haven’t had an opportunity to gather much intel on the two gangs yet, I will pass on anything from my contacts as I get it and I expect you will have your own avenues to explore.  The Reapers are a mixed metatype gang, twenty to thirty members I think and they were a turf gang.  The Slaughterhowzers are primarily an orc gang and a bit larger, maybe forty to fifty members.  Both were low tier gangs and wouldn’t in normal circumstances threaten the tribe who have somewhere around two hundred members as far as I can tell.
 
I am not going to tell you how to conduct this other than cautioning restraint.  I certainly don’t intend to tell you not to hurt anyone, I sadly suspect that will be necessary.”
 
***
 
#04
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: ZeroSum on <10-23-19/1010:31>
Viktor smiled through gritted teeth as Watcher cut through the discussion and tightened up the parameters of the job.

"Reapers and Slaughterhowzers; charming" he thought to himself as he began a cursory Matrix search*1 of the the gang names, starting with the former; the names were familiar to him but nothing beyond what Watcher had already laid out came to mind.*2 "This Omen character certainly seems bloodthirsty enough to fit right in with the latter, maybe we can have him pose as a prospect or some such..."

"Intelligence is my specialty" he said out loud without a hint of bravado. There seemed to be no use extending this discussion any further when there was information to hunt, so he quickly went on. "As long as no extreme measures are expected on my part, I accept your initial terms. If you obtain any further information, feel free to forward it to this commcode." The burner link would serve as well as any as a temporary drop-box.

He took a closer look at Watcher through AR and sent a quick message to his employer's commcode.*3
> As a token of goodwill, any and all data points I uncover will be relayed here unless you have another preference.

"Now, let's talk compensation, shall we?"

He paused and looked around the table, silently hoping that someone else would take up the mantle of negotiator. His skill laid entirely in navigating the Matrix and finding the things other people wanted to keep hidden, and he knew the limitations of his abilities only too well.


*1Matrix Search: Reapers, Redmond, Gang (http://orokos.com/roll/766125): 15d6t5 4
*2Memory Test: Street Gangs (http://orokos.com/roll/766121): 13d6t5 3
*3Matrix Perception: Watcher (http://orokos.com/roll/766124): 15d6t5 4


#4
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <10-23-19/1133:03>
Tipperman smiled into his drink; they'd had exactly the discussion that had been needed before talking payment.  From the Johnson's side it was always better to agree on payment, then reel out the limitations.  It was always pleasant to side-step that trick.

"You are not looking for ‘quick’ and ‘expedient’
You want something more subtle,
a ‘re-engineering’ of the situation
That makes for a bigger, harder, job:
A background that needs investigation
Gangs needing 'attitude adjustment'
Keeping The Tribe buffered with tamed gangs.
An 'interesting' challenge with all that implies
So now is the time to incentivize."

He swallowed the last of his drink -- he refused to actually think of it as Bourbon -- then put his glass down just hard enough to audibly punctuate his comments.  He kept  his gaze fixed on Watcher, while quietly pulling in a deep breath to try and establish if the Orc was running tailored pheromones, or even if he was stressed enough for it to come out in his scent 1.

Notes:
1 Using Olfactory Boosters (with wireless on) for a smell based perception test.
Excerpting from the 6th CRB about Olfactory Boosters:
"You can smell
people’s emotions in their sweat (and if applicable,
the maker’s mark of their tailored pheromones),
traces of ammunition propellant, explosives, or
biological and chemical warfare compounds—the
list goes on and on."  and
"The
user gains a bonus Edge for all scent-based Perception
tests, but it goes away if they do not use it
on that test.
Wireless bonus: Add the booster’s rating as a dice
pool modifier to your scent-based Perception tests."

scent perception (http://orokos.com/roll/766144): 8d6t5 3
use the 1 free edge to re-roll one of the 3s edge 1 die (http://orokos.com/roll/766145): 1d6t5 1
Total of four successes

There are no guidelines on what is needed for a scent based perception test, but from the general threshold guidelines on page 36, four successes is "More difficult, impressive enough to accomplish.
Shooting an enemy in the window of a nearby building."  Whatever that means ...
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <10-23-19/1610:07>
Omen also smiled. He was the first to admit that he had neither a particularly high amount of empathy or book learning - he relied primarily on his low cunning and reflexes to get ahead in the world. So now looked calculating at Watcher, trying to guess where his limits where. On an intelectual level he knew that gaining new contacts in Seattle was probably very good in the longterm, but his mercenary soul yearned for cold hard cash.
So he nodded at the poet to let him know he had his back in the negotiation, concentrating only to exude menace without disturbing his flow.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: gwilym on <10-23-19/1612:03>
Dynamyt spoke for the first time.
"someone want them out of their home or someone in the tribe is playing games that got out of hand." she shifted nervously "well that my guess, maybe we can get the links of the gang leaders hacked and se what their messages say" she giggled "maybe get some leverage or social ammunition to cause issues in the gangs" she felt very awkward "anyway that's my two cents"
She began to wonder if she could raise a spirit in the dome to ask but she'd need some money upfront for that; she needed some reagents
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <10-24-19/1019:55>
[21:00 ish, Monday November 13th, 2079; Downfall, Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]
 
 
Watcher nodded as talk came down to the price “I don’t believe the nuyen is shit but it might be less than you were hoping for.  I’m prepared to offer you one thousand apiece for the work.  We can negotiate how much of that you want upfront but the remainder will be conditional on success.  I appreciate that success might be a bit hard to measure when I’ve specifically asked you not to simply wipe out the two gangs.  I propose that I leave the balance with Feather or another neutral third party and get them to release it to you in weekly instalments provided the threat seems to be neutralised.  If you can offer more concrete proof that the threat is gone then I will authorise them to release it faster.
 
What I can provide that is potentially much more valuable than cash is access to my web of contacts.  I’ve been studying the fringes of the Seattle shadows for twenty odd years and I’ve amassed a reasonable network.  I am also prepared to put a word in with one of the premier infobrokers in Seattle, Silk, who has a far wider reach than me.
 
Perhaps of more immediate use I can also connect you with Doc Grace who is a street doc and cyber surgeon operating on the Redmond border.  He works with the tribe and many of the gangs in the area and might also have useful insight in to recent goings on.
 
So, does all that sound acceptable or do we need to haggle some details?”
 
***
 
#05
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <10-24-19/1341:41>
'A thousand? Frag yeah, I'd call that shit pay - especially with such a complex mission.' Omen nearly blurted out but kept his mouth shut, waiting for what his new chummer had to say about that.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <10-24-19/1612:48>
Tipperman went to take a slug from his drink, then stared at the empty glass for a moment as if wondering where it had gone. 

Then he re-focused on Wanderer, his manner of speaking very different, almost as if he was explaining something to a new recruit.  “You are valuing your contact network highly, and asking us to do the same.  A thousand nuyen – a grand -- sounds like a lot of money.  If you found a credstick lying on the sidewalk with a thousand nuyen on it, it would make your week, maybe your month.  A nice dinner, maybe some new clothes, maybe get your Salish-Sidhe visa and go skiing, ah it would be a grand grand – if you already had an income that covered your costs.  As payment for a job for someone squatting in a factory that was burned out ten years ago and will finish collapsing next year, it would still be the sort of payment that would make them happy to do nearly anything.  But as payment for a job for people who aspire to shower and eat regularly – even cold showers and drek food – or who want to keep any possessions they can’t clutch to their chests while sleeping?  It’s grandness, it is less impressive.”

“You see, even if we view it all as net profit at the end of the day, that might cover a couple of weeks of costs.  Even cold showers and drek food and a locked space where you can lie down at night begin to get expensive.  Between food, clean water, and bribes to whatever gangs, police, landlords, or corps are shaking you down.  Worse, of course, if you are supporting others or have debts to pay.”  He glances around the table to see if anyone seems to be nodding at the mention of dependents or debts.

“But it isn’t all profit, now is it?  In a job like this I could have my Ingram and a couple of clips of ammo taken from me, and it would cost nearly that grand to replace that – not accounting for sentimental value.  I could wear out the insulating coating on my jacket, and it would cost more than a grand to replace.  I could burn an ID, and it would cost far more than a grand to replace it.”  Truth be told he needed more IDs, for himself and ‘Elga, and had been hoping for the sort of payday that would cover them.

“When you sum that all up, accepting this job for a grand makes it far from a sure thing that any of us even come out ahead on a strict cashflow basis.  Throw in that we would not even see all of the money until some time later --none of us are strong candidates for walking into a bank for a bridge loan -- and you are setting us up to rush through this; we literally cannot afford much time on this job, on these terms, because we need to find other ways to cover our costs.  So even IF we value your contacts so highly, we would be gambling just by taking this job.”

He let his words hang in the air with his tailored pheromones, then leaned forward and tapped his finger on the table as he enumerated options.

“Now, if while we were waiting for that money to be paid out, there was somewhere we could stay for a month – along with maybe a couple of dependents – that might help.  In your extensive contacts list, is there anyone who might need some ‘house-sitting’ done, or even some casual guard work that we could rotate through?  Knowing that when the current groceries and bribes run out, we have a dry place to stay, that could be one way to make this investment of our time more palatable.  And if you know somebody who could be persuaded to stitch up any holes in us, and somebody else who could stitch up our armor, well that would help too.  You get the idea, maybe we eventually get all of our grand, maybe access to your network brings us more, and more lucrative, work.  But maybe we need a bit more to help us hang in until we arrive at the land of milk and honey.”
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <10-25-19/1114:17>
[21:00 ish, Monday November 13th, 2079; Downfall, Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]
 
 
“I appreciate that a grand is at the lower end of the pay scale but the other items are something we can do a deal on” Watcher nodded “Cash is a limited resource but assets I can work with. If you chose to I know that you will be able to stay with the tribe during all this…they have a policy of hospitality.  That won’t work for your dependants as I’m sure you don’t want them in harm’s way.  I have access to a couple of properties that are above basic living standards, if not by a huge amount, and I’m sure I can locate more.  If you prefer something a little less connected to your employer then I can ask around.  I can certainly organise you a discount rate on various hardware and even IDs if that’s what you need?”
 
***
 
#06
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: ZeroSum on <10-28-19/0829:54>
In between fine tuning the parameters of his Matrix research, Viktor perked up at the mention of discounts for hardware and IDs; both were hard to come by in this day and age with the corporations constantly squeezing their grip on the market ever tighter.

"Mmm. Discounts could be highly beneficial, but I agree with my friend here that 1k nuyen is rather low" he said, nodding his head at Tipperman. "I for one could use some of that up front to cover incidentals while we work on the problem at hand."

#4
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <10-28-19/1556:06>
Omen nodded too: "Yeah, having a base of operations for the duration of the job is a good start. Get us some expendable wheels too if we have to tangle with gang turf. Some old clunker will do. Add a fitting throwaway ID or two and we might be getting somewhere."

He nodded at the other runners: "But we haven't really introduced to each other: I'm Omen, weapon specialist and second story man. What are you and what can you do?"
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <10-28-19/1749:26>
Nodding to Omen, Tipperman spoke, returning to short clusters of words.
"People call me Tipperman now;
They used to call me Sir or Sergeant.
(Corps don't play with broken toys;
All the Villiers horses can't put me together again.)
For now I have a cause and so some focus;
I'll wait for my batteries to run down later.
When I say 'jump' people still say 'how high?'
And my fists haven't forgotten what to do.
And if I don't shoot like I used to
Inga and I can still hit a target or ... three."
At that last he brushes back his coast to show a vintage Ingram Smartgun.

Turning back to Watcher and changing to a more pedantic voice cadence he gets back to agreeing on terms.
"Two-hundred and fifty up front each, which is ridiculously low but obviously cash is an issue.  Hopefully you have a grand on you.  Two-fifty more when we tell you the job is done.  The third payment a week later if things are good.  The last after a month.  Gangs change so fast that we can't guarantee things for longer than that no matter how well we work.  Plus holding onto chump change longer than that is more embarrassing than you could live with, I'm sure.  And in the meantime, access to those networking opportunities starts tomorrow in a very big way  -- that is part of the upfront payment, you could say."
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <10-29-19/0908:34>
[21:00 ish, Monday November 13th, 2079; Downfall, Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]


“As a gesture of good faith I will pay you each three hundred now, two more on completion and then the remaining lots as suggested.  I can get a set of wheels here, do you have a preference for an SUV, a Stepvan or just an Americar?  It won’t be pretty but then pretty stands out like a sore thumb here in Redmond.  The road network outside Touristville isn’t the best but it is still passable between here and the Tribe’s location.”

***

#07
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: ZeroSum on <10-29-19/1036:54>
Viktor kept his silence after Omen and Tipperman began introducing themselves while negotiating with the Johnson.

"Time for intros later" he thought to himself. "Let's at least agree to terms before getting all chummy."

Fortunately, Watcher countered Tipperman's offer. While rent wasn't due for another month, the nuyen wouldn't even cover half after incidentals for the job was accounted for. Still, some work was better than no work, and the dwarf quickly interjected his agreement.

"You've got my deck, Mr Johnson." The statement was delivered matter-of-factly, but the dwarf couldn't help but smile at the reference to an old literary work from before the turn of the century. Something about a fellowship he mused as he looked around the table. "Not too far off the mark in this case, with this motley crew."

***

Once the others voiced their agreement to the terms offered by Watcher, he added a brief, monotone statement about his capabilities. "Call me zero-day; matrix support and information gathering is my specialty. I'm also handy with a wrench; you bend it, I'll mend it."

#5
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: gwilym on <10-29-19/1736:27>
"I'm going to need some reagents and fetishes, some foci too if possible, I'm a shaman if you need a label" dynamyt stretched. "I'll ask some of my gang contacts if they know what happened with this new gang."
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <10-31-19/1853:14>
Tipperman looked at the two dwarves, one human, and one orc, and suggested "Before deciding on a vehicle type, we might want to decide on a driver.  It is difficult to have a vehicle ready to be driven by a dwarf and by any of the taller races."

His face twitched then he dredged up the new names
" Dynamyt, Omen, do you drive?
Grudgingly, or does it bring you alive?
0-Day, how about you? 
If it is up to us shorties, how would you do?
Vans have more space
Vans are harder to mod for dwarves
If a tall driver, I vote van"
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: ZeroSum on <11-01-19/0012:39>
"I can out-maneuver GridGuide on a clear day, but piloting isn't exactly my forté." Viktor paused and glanced at the bar, where he had parked one of his minuscule MCT drones in order to gain a high-vantage view of the room. "That being said, I can remote control any vehicle with a Matrix connection. Seats and comfort doesn't matter much to me, I can drive from the trunk if I have to. Don't ask..."

A notification appeared in his AR view, indicating that the search algorithm he'd been running on the Reapers had returned something.

"Formerly known as the Greystone Crew, under some tool called Absolution who's no longer around. Intriguing; mental note, follow up on leadership and name change. Could be avenue for exploit. 20-30 members of mixed metahumans; known public activities include pushing drugs and an active protection racket." With a mental command he compiled his preliminary notes into a trapped file*1, and offered it up as an AR icon to Mr Johnson and the other team members along with the commcode of his burner link.

"Some preliminary intel on the Reapers; note that you'll need to use this passcode to access it. If you value your commlink, make sure you remember." Pausing his search, he quickly rebooted his deck to ensure GOD wouldn't come down on him like some n00b on his first outing.

*1Set Data Bomb (illegal) Electronics 6 + Logic 7 + Overclock 1; Wild Die;  vs. Device Rating 5 x 2 (http://orokos.com/roll/768217): 14d6t5 7 1d6t5 0 10d6t5 6
Spending the bonus Edge and one of my regular edge to make the 4 rolled for the Wild Die into a 5, giving me 3 extra hits for a total of 10 vs 6. Resulting data bomb is rating 4
Overwatch Score increased by 7; base 6 hits on defense test, plus 1 for using an illegal hacking program (Overclock)


#6
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <11-01-19/0518:25>
Omen shrugged: "I drive well enough - more instinct than anything else though, so don't expect me to parallel park.
And yeah, some kind of van would be nice - we might have to bring an involuntary guest with us."
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <11-01-19/0855:36>
"To Summarize:
Lie to your son that 'Beth' sent us
You'll give us an intro to Doc Grace,
-- a Doc who might know who is doing what around there
You'll provide a step van for use during this,
And can arrange some off-scene accommodations
Although The Tribe will also offer hospitality
300 nuyen now, more later.
And intros and discounts with some of your contacts.
Anything I missed?
"
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <11-01-19/0940:49>
[21:00 ish, Monday November 13th, 2079; Downfall, Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]


“No, I don’t think you’ve missed anything important.  Here’s my commcode if you need to contact me, oh and you’d better have a pic of Beth in case Tom starts digging about why you’re turning up out of the blue… <file (https://stormy-waters-2075.obsidianportal.com/characters/sop-lace)>…where do you want the van delivered to?  It’ll be coming up from Puyallup so somewhere in Touristville is probably sensible but you pick a spot…”

***

#08
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <11-04-19/1313:52>
"Call us with when to meet the driver. 
Park upwind of Stinky's Shawarma Shack.
Thank you for this opportunity
We'll take it from here,
time for you to fade"

Once their Johnson provides their initial credit sticks and leaves, Tipperman orders another round for their table.  While they wait for that, Tipperman provides to the others the code for his good link.

Once they are drinking he tips his glass to the others, then suggests
"We need gear and gossip
We need to go to our own places for gear
and to our own sources for gossip
Shall we meet again at the van?
Share our info then make our ... scheme?"


Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <11-04-19/1537:59>
Omen shrugged as he did so often in recent times: "Not much gear to fetch. Got everything in the bag with me. As for the scheme: Let's go there and ask one of them what's going on and why they are having a turf war there."
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <11-04-19/1647:35>
Tipperman nodded along with Omen's words -- but then his bursts of speech argued otherwise:
"I at least have gear that isn't here.
And yes we'll end up asking.
But who to ask, and how?
Knowing a piece helps find the whole.
And so some research
Since we have some time.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <11-04-19/1718:40>
"Watch out for colors, wait for one to go take a leak, knock him out, drag him into a cellar and beat him up till he spills the beans. Or one of you can go talk with him - whatever..."
Omen replied laconically
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <11-06-19/1812:04>
Not that Omen's approach didn't have merit, but Tipperman truly did need to determine what gear to bring with him and to make further arrangements for his ward, so after he finished his drink he rode off into the night.

**********

His first stop wasn't too far, just south in Touristville.  The Horrible Harpoon had nothing much to recommend it, but it was the preferred watering hole of Detective Pat Billings.  He could feel her watching him warily from the time he entered the bar, but he took his time, ordered drinks, tried to make small talk with the bartender, looked at the Speed Hockey game that was for some reason on the trid, and finally made his way over.

He placed a glass of the bar's least bad whisky on the table, and helped himself to a seat.  She broke the silence first 
"You. Again.  I thought you were busy dying."
"Yah, I got interrupted. 
Someone I'm trying to keep alive,
and that means I'm working. 
Work means I'm looking for info."
"Someone?  Knowing you it is someone human and female, your type never changes.  Anyway, I don't owe you anything these days."
"Yah, you do, and you know it.
Besides maybe I'll owe you.
North Redmond, group called The Tribe
Gangs up there are maybe getting restive
Know what's going on?"

Billings took a long sip of her drink, considering what to say.

**********

When he finally left the Harpoon, Tipperman didn't immediately head through the ruins of Redmond to return 'home,' instead he took a loop through some of the better parts of the sprawl, eventually finding a dark corner of the parking lot of a Stuffer Shack where he felt reasonably alone and safe, and there he hunched over on his bike and let tears run down his face. 

He couldn't even talk right at the meet!  Oh, when he was pulling up old lines from topics he knew well it went OK, but then it would go all funny when he tried to be more free form.  And all that he couldn't remember how to do anymore, all the resources that were lost to him.  Once this job would have been handled in two phone calls, or if he wanted to get involved personally he could have arranged the whole operation to run smoothly.  Now he couldn't even make himself run smoothly.

He desperately wanted to crawl back into a hole and wait to die, but he had someone depending on him.  So he just got angry instead.  And on cue he saw a couple of young punks carefully approaching, like they maybe thought he wouldn't notice them, like they could maybe get him to empty his pockets out to them

**********

Back in the shipping container house he was surprised to find Elga disturbed by the knife cut he'd received, but apparently at least somewhat aware of the principles of first aid. He assured her "Don't worry about it, I can patch myself up, besides it a good reminder that I'm sloppy and slow these days.  There was only two of them, punks really, I should have broken both of them before they could touch me.  I still busted them up, but I got this souvenir."  Despite his words, he let her help clean the wound and wrap it.

**********

The next morning he gathered up some minor bribes -- a few water bottles, some tofu, a bit of weed, and went looking for the Isotopes.  It didn't take him too long to get passed on to Marie 88.  As they walked along the roof of an old low rise office building, assessing its condition, he told her again "I got to you way too easy.  You need better people around you, insulating you from time wasters like me."  She just rolled her eyes at him and kept walking. 

Tipperman hurried to catch up to her longer legs, and got to the point. 
"Reapers?  Slaughterhowzers? 
Know anything about their latest?
Up north, not the biggest or the closest
But I know you talk with other gangs,
Have your own sources of intel.
If you have the good stuff I'll trade you
How about training time in unarmed
Most of your members need it."
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <11-08-19/0752:03>
[Tuesday November 14th, 2079; Isotopes’ HQ, Seattle Metroplex]


Billings had been a waste of time more interested in the crap alcohol and keeping her head down than answering any questions.  She’d made it clear that her remit ended at the Touristville border and she wasn’t interested in the goings on of tinpot gangs further north.

Tipperman was left hoping that Marie 88 would have a better understanding of the situation and he wasn’t disappointed.  After the usual bickering about the price of paydata she got down to it

“The Slaughterhowzers aren’t a bad lot, bit stuck on their racial purity angle but that’s mostly a tag to keep their members in line.  We’ve dealt with them from time to time.  It’s backfired on them this time, Flint’s sister has shacked up with one of the Tribe…proper Romeo and Juliet shit, and we all know how that one goes.  Good luck trying to unravel that shit!

The Reapers are a different story…they’ve suddenly turned nasty and they’ve got the bang bang to back it up from somewhere. It’s not that they’ve got it in for the Tribe, at least any more than they’ve got it in for anyone in the neighbourhood.  They don’t seem to be interested in profit, just hurting folks.  It’s never good when a gang goes rabid, we’ve got enough crazy in this part of the ‘plex without needing more.”

***

Other team members’ contacts had come back with similar intel, nothing entirely concrete but enough corroboration to make it plausible.  So, two very different targets with very different griefs with the Tribe…maybe it was time to renegotiate with Watcher!  Either way there were heads to be busted and new wheels to check out…

***

#09
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <11-08-19/0954:45>
“OK Elga, you should be set for a few days.  If there is trouble, or if I don’t come back before supplies are running out, contact Marie 88, I put her number on that link I gave you, remember?  And if you want to go outside, take the Geiger counter with you, you never know when something will stir stuff up and I want you to stay away from anything that ticks quickly.”

Tipperman did one last check of the gear packed on his Harley.  First aid kit and various slap patches, plenty of ammo, some electronics, and his fedora.  Double checking his body he had his taser and Inga, his head was loaded up with glasses, earbuds, respirator and helmet.  The pockets of his long coat held his two tiny drones.  He was good to roll. 

As he kicked Bella into motion a broad grin hid behind his respirator – preparation was done, it was finally go time.

%%%%%%%%

He met the others at the van.  It looked at least ten years old, one side door wasn’t quite the same dirty white as the rest of the van, it only had one hub-cap, the tires had barely enough tread left, the back door was badly dented and some rust was showing through above the wheel-wells.  “This is what I call perfect for our needs.”

After they had compared notes there was really just one decision to make
“Where to first? 
I’d love to go bust up some Reapers,
But maybe scope out The Tribe first?”

As he talked he was smacking one fist into the other palm, his black leather biking gloves smacking together loudly.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: ZeroSum on <11-08-19/1146:05>
Viktor finished his drink and left with the others, intending to finish his basic Matrix recon of the two gangs while waiting for the van delivery. Instead of heading back to his doss he spent the night in a cheaper than cheap no-tell motel, using his lined coat as a pillow and the thermal blanket from his survival kit as a blanket. All in all, not a bad place to rest for a few nuyen.

***

The location of the van delivery had been a brisk walk from his overnight location, but at least the rain had relented for a little while. The vehicle had definitely seen better days, but it looked like it would run well enough. Could use a coat of paint and a tuneup, though.

"Hoi, Tipperman" he said. "I'd definitely like to meet with this Tribe before we go after the gangs. If they don't have any more intel, they can at least tell us who they deal with in the gang, how much they pay them, and other incidentals our background checks might have turned up. Speaking of which..." He once more made his research notes available as an AR icon.

> Reapers; AKA Greystone Crew. Former: Absolution (ousted through mutiny). Current leadership may include a Technomancer named Recall and/or a Rat Shaman who goes by Ridde. Estimated total size: 20-30 members, mixed metahumans. Unknown influx of resources after name change could indicate corporate or criminal backing by other org. Known criminal activities: drug dealing, protection racket.
> Slaugherhowzers; no known previous alias indicates upstart gang. Currently lead by Flint, second in command Red Shadow. Presumably violent, as nickname alludes to blood being spilled. Estimated total size: 40-50 members, primarily orks with some trolls. No known ties to other orgs. Known criminal activities: drug dealing, prostitution, extortion (tolls), carjacking.

Viktor looked around for the others and realized that so far only the two dwarves had made it to the van. "Once the others arrive, we could always take a look at the respective gang turfs. I might be able to sleaze a backdoor into neighbouring surveillance equipment, if any, to give us a better idea of what to expect. I'd also like to see if we can't figure out why these low-lives have decided to take more aggressive action as of late.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <11-09-19/1651:47>
Omen stepped off the bus and walked towards the two waiting runners. He still smelled faintly of booze and sweat - but that was not that unusual.
The car was ok for their purpose. He nodded at the two other runners:
"Yeah, hooking up with the tribe first sounds like a reasonable idea. Maybe we can swing it that they are paying us too. Our Johnson can't be the only one who has a problem with the gangland stuff. After that let's take a look at those Reapers. Seems like they have too much cash floating around for a bunch of animals."
He grabbed the keyfob for the car and got behind the steering wheel.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <11-09-19/1822:51>
"Any objections to me staying on my bike for now?  If you think that's dumb I can get someone to come take it.  Just thought a couple extra wheels might be worth having around?"  It feels to Tipperman that this makes sense, but he hates that when he tries to trace through the logic of it he just gets muddled.  What if he is missing some factor?
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <11-10-19/0315:53>
"Suit yourself. Having more than one transport isn't the worst idea I heard yet." Omen replied, looking at the other runner as if waiting for someone else to get out their personal ride. In truth, he didn't care for passengers anyway. The screaming got on his nervs.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <11-13-19/1231:31>
[Tuesday November 14th, 2079; Isotopes’ HQ, Seattle Metroplex]

In their new set of wheels the team made their way towards the Tribe in northern Redmond.  The terrain was about as bad as they’d expected but at least it was passable…albeit the shocks of the van could do with a serious overhaul once this was done and going fast wasn’t really an option.

The various gang tags and colours, both real and augmented, slowly gave way to signs that the Tribe were staking their claim.  There wasn’t a perceptible shift in the quality of the environment, this was still very much the barrens, but there was a palpable feeling that this was a less hostile place. 

As they approached the former retirement village they could see the cluster of low rise housing and in the central courtyards a series of geodesic greenhouse domes which was presumably where the nut jobs thought that growing stuff where barrens dwellers could see was a good idea.

0Day was tracking several matrix signals which formed the surveillance perimeter, mostly cheap cameras with motion sensors.  Any half competent decker would be able to take them apart in moments, but then again there weren’t that many around here…

There did appear to be one or two people who were obviously sentries so they weren’t completely oblivious to security concerns but perhaps no match for a gang attack of any significant size.

***

#10
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: gwilym on <11-13-19/1647:14>
Dynamyt steps to her bike.
"I'll follow on this, he right about keeping options open"
The roads where horrible, much worse than the ones over by the docks. She kept in low gear and wove between the potholes and pools. As the van bounced and rock she felt she had definitely made the right choice.
As they neared the site. She could feel the background count change. It was still there but it felt and tasted different. When she gets to the commune she will concentrate more on it but right now it dodge the pot hole and spot the gang colours
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <11-14-19/1549:10>
Having two bikers flanking the van, Omen tried to keep the old car steady. When they reached the compound, he stopped before the sentries had a reason to get hostile. This was clearly the job for someone able to talk to people without setting them off. So he kept his mouth shut.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <11-14-19/2218:52>
Tipperman stopped his bike about ten meters back from the sentry and then walked up.  No need to ride the hog right into the poor kid's face.

Tipperman had been rehearsing his words on the way over, and to his relief they came out sounding pretty normal.  " Good day.  We are here for social call of sorts.  Tom.  I hear he's a good kid, but we're here to check up on how things are going for him.  Of course his pride probably says he doesn't need anyone looking in on him, but tell him that Beth sent us."
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: ZeroSum on <11-15-19/1019:27>
When the van got closer to the Tribe hangout, Viktor sent out several of his microdrones to provide recon and overwatch. While unable to provide the kind of eye-in-the-sky functionality of a dedicated surveillance drone like an Optic-X2, the tiny insect-like drones were more than capable of creating overlapping sensory data from a vantage point far above any metahuman. With half a dozen drones operating as a mesh and combining their processing power, he would have plenty of warning if anyone approached from within or without.

With Tipperman taking point in the physical realm Viktor slipped into the all-too familiar feeling of hot-sim VR. The dreary interior of the van was replaced by the resplendent beauty of the Emerald City grid; 0day soared into the simulated sky above the city, the digital realm splayed out beneath his warrior-like persona. The act of hiding his digital footprint took the form of his icon wrapping the clouds around itself, growing translucent in the process. *1

He gingerly began seeking out the members of the Tribe in the Matrix, taking care not to intrude where he wasn't welcome. This was a social call, as Tipperman had put it, no need to rile up the locals just yet. *2

#7

*1Running Silent (http://orokos.com/roll/770918): 14d6t5 6
*2Matrix Perception (http://orokos.com/roll/770919): 13d6t5 7
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <11-15-19/1237:40>
[Tuesday November 14th, 2079; The Tribe’s turf, Northern Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]

To 0Day it was trivial to pick out the matrix signatures of the inhabitants and the crude surveillance mesh that surrounded the former retirement village.  There were also two local hosts, one dedicated to running the green houses and the other an administration hub.

***

The sentry looked a little flustered but nevertheless got his ‘link out, a crappy Metalink, and called someone

“Tell the boss there’s someone at the entrance to see him, Beth sent them apparently… well how the hell should I know… yeah, yeah… no it’s a group, I’d hazard a guess at mercs or runners, probably runners… they said a social call…”

Turning back to Tipperman he said “wait here, the boss is coming…”

A short while later, short enough to not be rude but long enough to indicate he hadn’t come running, a trio appeared.  The two broad shouldered types had obviously been picked up to give Tom some physical presence but although he was particularly ordinary looking… mousy brown hair and a rough trimmed goatee, he even wore glasses… when he smiled, genuinely smiled, it was obvious why these people followed him…

“Beth sent you?” he asked without preamble “What sort of trouble is my little sister in now?”

***

#11
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <11-15-19/1621:19>
No, this wouldn't do -- giving a quick summary at the edge of the territory, where Tom could just deny entry to some anonymous visitors?  He needed to make this more personal.

"You'd be Tom then?  People call me Tipperman, that would be Dynamyt on the other bike over there, Omen and 0day are in the van.  And these are?"  He pointedly looked at Tom's broad-shouldered companions, and then to the sentries, and gave Tom time to answer, or not.

++++++++++++++

With that out of the way, Tipperman continued -- falling into the short burst of words pattern again.
"Well then, as to why we are here,
It is to help you, not to ask help of you
We were called together by a Fixer
-- I'm sure you know how that goes --
But were told that Beth's concern is the root,
The reason we were offered a wiff of cash.
That you have neighbors losing respect;
respect of old boundaries, of The Tribe."

Drek, he was doing it again!  Tipperman paused for a moment, took a long breath, gave his head a touch of a shake, and then continued "In short, even if we are not Karl Kombatmage and his team, we pack enough punch and talent to adjust the direction of events onto a more favorable vector.  We could just go start busting heads among your neighbors," Tipperman emphasized that remark by smacking one hand into his other palm.

"But the view from ... wherever ... is never the same as down in the trenches.  So we came to you first, to gather field intelligence and refine our approach.  There is always the possibility that the solution here could be more constructive than destructive."

Tipperman looked fairly dubious of that last thought, but he let it hang in the air anyway.  If The Tribe was running greenhouses they were composting most likely, had salvaged enough material to make the structures, maybe had enough electricity generation to add light and heat at times.  He approved of this, but more importantly anyone leading a group like this was not apt to leap at the violent solution; hopefully making it clear that if they were turned away they would start the bloody dance would encourage the man to talk to them in more detail.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <11-18-19/1230:22>
[Tuesday November 14th, 2079; The Tribe’s turf, Northern Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]

Tom looked puzzled but not particularly disturbed by Tipperman’s revelation…

“Why don’t you come in and we can talk about this?  Stick your vehicles over there, my people will watch over them so don’t worry about the hubcaps…although those look like they will fall off by themselves if you hit a pothole…”

Once they’d parked up to their satisfaction Tom led the runners inside the building on the left through what had once been a reception area and in to some repurposed offices.  The place was shabby, a bit like the old people it had once housed, but efforts had been made to make it feel welcoming.

“Soykaf?” Tom asked as they settled in to a scruffy lounge area, rousting a couple of teenagers who took off in a cloud of giggles.

“Introductions then, I’m Tom Smart, guess you know that, Tipperman, Dynamyt, Omen, 0Day, good to meet you.  So what’s this about?  You said neighbours?  I’m guessing you mean gangs?  There have been some brushes recently but nothing particularly out of the ordinary.  So is this some of my sister’s weird prophecy voodoo?  It’s ok, I don’t expect you to answer that.  If she’s seen something coming I’d be a fool to ignore it, she’s right far more often than she’s wrong…and believe me that’s as irritating as it sounds!

So she’s paying you to sort things out?  Well that’s all very well up in her ivory tower but we have to live here afterwards, scan?  We don’t want a war with anyone so whatever you’re going to do for frag’s sake keep it quiet!  I appreciate you coming to talk to us first… I’ll help if I can but I won’t put my people directly in harm’s way if I can help it!”

***

#12
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <11-18-19/1312:34>
Omen took to the soycaf with gusto. He was thirsty and tired already. When he had taken his first satisfied pull from the cup he nodded at their host and said:
"Depends on how total the war is. But yeah, we already got told that. We'll try to keep it ninja style.
Any idea why the Reapers started their agro tour around here? There's a rumor they are backed by someone. Any offers to take real estate of anyone's hands around here? Corporate types usually try to buy what they want first with peanuts, before they bother to spend them on monkeys"
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <11-22-19/0747:48>
[Tuesday November 14th, 2079; The Tribe’s turf, Northern Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]

“The Reapers?” Tom raised an eyebrow “That’s the old Greystone lot isn’t it?  They’re a bit off our patch and I don’t think we’ve had any dealings with them.  I’d heard they’d changed m.o, got a bit more crazy violent, but no worse than some of the other psychos in the neighbourhood.  Nothing corp related as far as I know...there's nothing here worth their while as far as I know.  If Beth thinks the Reapers are a threat to us here then that is something to take seriously… I can ramp up security for a bit but I don’t know how long we can sustain that… pull too many off the gardens and we all won’t eat this winter…”

***

#13
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <11-22-19/0806:29>
"Listen, we don't know drek yet - no reason to show nerves just yet. In my experience there are only two reasons for a gang to get ambitious all of a sudden: They get a new, hungry leader with ambition, or they are being paid by someone to get their asses of the curb. Around here there's not much in natural ressources beyond real estate. Hence my question: Has there been any change in the market around here? People trying to buy or sell, new competition for you or someone else? Recent deaths or retirements of prominent figures? Stuff like that."
Omen replied, while thinking of Africa and how the warlords there went about their business.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <11-22-19/1008:54>
"Corp--or whoever-- involvement with the Reapers might not even be aimed at you.  It could be part of a move against another of their neighbors." 

Tipperman still had regrets about what had happened down on Carling Street.  He hadn't been the one making the call, but he'd been the interface to the Karling Kripplers.  And after that squat had burned down in the resulting violence and all those kids had died, he'd been the one to take out the gangers who'd known about Novatech's involvement.

"Yah, gangers aren't a precision instrument., you can't exactly aim them precisely."

In part he was rambling, but at the same time Tipperman kept a careful eye on Tom to see how he'd react to mentions of random ganger violence.1

1: judge intentions (http://orokos.com/roll/772394): 9d6t5 2
 Well, he doesn't keep a very good eye on Tom, it seems.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: ZeroSum on <11-23-19/1335:01>
0day hid in the black clouds above the horizontal plane of the Matrix where most people conducted their digital business. Wrapped in mist and clad in armour darker than the clouds around him, he surveyed the compound below him. Several icons milled about their seemingly daily tasks, and some personas entered and exited a tribal tent dashed with vibrant colours stood out.

Unable to contain his curiosity, 0day slipped closer to the tent and used an exploit program in the form of a traditional Japanese tanto to cut a small sliver in one of the canvas walls*1. The codebase warped around the blade and the host defenses were laid open to 0day's trained eye, and with a fluid motion of his tanto he made the opening large enough to slip insde the tent*2.

Once inside he deftly avoided the host's Patrol IC program; the icon resembled a Salish warrior in resplendant garb, hunched on a rocky outcropping watching the entrance to the tent. Since 0day had slipped in through a back door, he had easily avoided the silent warrior's gaze*3.

Moving in utter silence, the black-clad samurai slipped deeper into the host and scaled the rockface behind the sentry. The tent was far larger on the inside than seemed possible, but rules in the Matrix were guidelines more than anything; designed to be bent from the outset by entities such as corporate spiders and GOD, and frequently broken by deckers such as 0day. From his vantage point atop a cliff he could see a valley laid out below, with a stream carrying water from the nearby mountainside to an encampment down below. In the center of the camp another host icon was broadcasting, this one in the shape of a cornfield. With no obvious threats appearing, 0day made his way towards the field.

He paused for a moment and observed the maze-like construction from afar; the design was simple and merely designed to confuse, and to a mind like his the path through was immediately obvious*4. He barely slowed down as he moved through the maze, and in some cases slipped through parts of the maze using his tanto to carefully part the wheat stalks before him*5.

Once he neared the center of the maze he spotted another IC program, this one in the form of a scarecrow with a raven perched on it's shoulder. The raven seemed distracted, however, and 0day slipped past the sentry with ease*6.

With administrative control of both hosts firmly in his armored fist, and no alarms raised, 0day shifted his focus back to the real world. He checked his diagnostics information and determined he was safe from the watchful eye of GOD for now, but he kept a close eye on his surroundings just in case*7.

#8

*1 Probe (Extended, 1min), Cracking + Logic + Overclock vs Firewall x2 (http://orokos.com/roll/772589): 14d6t5 3 1d6t5 0 12d6t5 2
Wild die result of 4 means no impact. 1 net hit, which becomes bonus dice on the Backdoor Entry test. OS increases by 2 for opposing hits and an additional +1 for use of a hacking program, for a total of 3. +2 Edge gained, for a total of 7 (max).

*2 Backdoor Entry (Major), Cracking + Logic + Overclock + Probe vs Willpower + Firewall (http://orokos.com/roll/772591): 15d6t5 5 1d6t5 1 7d6t5 3
Wild die result of 5 for 3 extra hits. 5 net hits. OS increased by 3+1 for a total of 7. Edge at max, earned edge wasted.

*3 Patrol IC Matrix Perception (6) (http://orokos.com/roll/772594): 4d6t5 1

*4 Probe (Extended, 1min), Cracking + Logic + Overclock vs Firewall x2 (http://orokos.com/roll/772592): 14d6t5 5 1d6t5 0 8d6t5 2
Wild die result of 4, 2 Edge gained spent on increasing this to 5 for 3 extra hits. 6 net hits which are added to Backdoor Entry test. OS increased by 2+1 for a total of 10.

*5 Backdoor Entry (Major), Cracking + Logic + Overclock + Probe vs Willpower + Firewall (http://orokos.com/roll/772593): 18d6t5 7 1d6t5 0 5d6t5 1
Wild die result of 3 for no effect. 6 net hits. OS increased by 1+1 for a total of 12.

*6 Patrol IC Matrix Perception (6) (http://orokos.com/roll/772595): 2d6t5 1

*7 Check OS (4) (http://orokos.com/roll/772597): 14d6t5 7 1d6t5 0
0day is successfully aware of his actual Overwatch score.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <11-26-19/1231:27>
[Tuesday November 14th, 2079; The Tribe’s turf, Northern Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]

“I really don’t think the corps have any reason to be involved here, the real estate is shit, it’s why we haven’t had any real competition setting up here.  If the Reapers had some new fancy tech they might be part of field trials but from what I’ve heard it’s good stuff but hardly cutting edge.  Of course that’s more than enough to make them a threat if they come looking for trouble.  I think the new leader is the more likely scenario, someone who wants to make a name.  I don’t know if we can pay them enough to make them look in another direction?  Carrot and stick perhaps?”

***

In the matrix 0Day had complete control of the two hosts and was able to rifle through their archives, whilst keeping a careful eye on his OS, to gain a bit more insight in to the urban tribe.  As far as he could see they were on the level, just beginning to trade with parts of Toursitville as they got some surplus above just keeping themselves going.  That might be enough of a tip to the status quo that someone could see them as a threat?

***

#14
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <11-26-19/1448:19>
While Tom talked Tipperman fired a message off to 0Day, trusting that the decker had not been able to resist temptation <<Find a list of the members of the tribe?  Better yet if it comes with pictures?  And my contact said one of the Tribe was romantically linked with like the sister of the leader of the Slaughterhowzers -- find anything on that?>>  He gave his hat a bit of a tug, never quite trusting the trodes to be staying in just the right place, for all that his connection to his link seemed good.

When Tom finished, he replied "So that's the Reavers.  How's things with the Slaughterhowzers?"

Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <11-27-19/0730:23>
[Tuesday November 14th, 2079; The Tribe’s turf, Northern Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]

Tom looked a bit restless at the mention of the Slaughterhowzers… “That may be a different story… we’ve dealt with them before, as far as we had to, but things are a bit more complicated now.  Their leader’s Flint, well his sister, Gemma, has shacked up with one of my friends.  He’s a human so it goes against all their orc pride schtick and they’ve made it quite clear what they feel about the situation.  Normally this’d blow over but pride has a way of interfering and Gemma has been a little too vocal about the matter and blood is up.  I could send her away but we have a tradition of hospitality that I am loathe to break as it would compromise our own values and for now the council is siding with her.  So, there’s my dilemma…”

***

#16
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <11-27-19/1659:06>
"So if I see this right we have an ambitious new leader stiring up drek and a Romeo and Juliet stick on the other side.
Curbing the ambitious is potentially the easier thing of the two. Seems like we should get some serious info on the guy to see which buttons make him go."
Omen had been pretty alert so far and caught himself actually beginning to enjoy this job.
"If all else fails I can try to join the Slaughterhowzers."
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <11-29-19/1221:31>
[Tuesday November 14th, 2079; The Tribe’s turf, Northern Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]

“Sounds about right” Tom replied “Look, I don’t know how you want to play this or precisely what my sister is paying you to do, but you’re welcome to stay here and we can help you with resources, within reason.  I don’t know who the current Reapers’ boss is, you’ve probably got better contacts to find out than I have anyway.  They used to hole up in the centre of the Greystone estate and I presume that hasn’t changed…”

***

#17
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: gwilym on <12-04-19/1500:33>
"I got dem' some ganger contacts, get em called see what the names are I. The winds" Dynamyt piped up "we ship 'em rehashed lumps all the while. An' some come to me for fixing up, no much though, I charge too much keeps the que short"
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <12-05-19/1011:12>
"Sure, sleeping here would save time and bullets traveling through Redmond.  But the way I figure it, the Reapers are the more straightforward issue to deal with, so I think it is time for us to head over that way and find some answers."  Although he hadn't put into words how they'd get answers, that he was smacking his right fist into his left palm gave a pretty clear indication of how he was figuring they were going to get answers.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <12-05-19/1627:42>
Omen smiled: "Alright, finally. Let's head over there - but let's keep the van close by if we need to make a sudden retreat."
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <12-06-19/0820:35>
[Tuesday November 14th, 2079; Reaper turf, Northern Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]

The team headed out on bikes playing outrider with the van following behind.  The terrain didn’t change much, it was still crap, but the gang signs changed over to the Reapers’ scythe motif daubed across walls and even more prominently in AR tags on street lamps (some of which were even functioning in the grimy light) and building fronts.

0Day, keeping an eye on matrix activity in the vicinity, was the first to spot the smartlinked weapons in the dilapidated old fire station on the left side of the road and a couple more in the house across the street.  It would seem there was a welcoming committee!

***

#18
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <12-07-19/0356:17>
Omen spotted the Ambush just in time to slam on the breaks of the old van. The car bucked and wobbled on the worn out suspension, but he managed not to crash and get the bulk of the car's engine between himself and the gangers.
It wasn't the first time that he had had to get his rifle ready from the confines of a convoy, but it still took time to do so.
Meanwhile, shots from inside the fire station began to fly in his direction and he had to duck a bit when one bullet punctured the windshield above his head.
<<Get yourself behind the van>>
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: ZeroSum on <12-09-19/0710:28>
One benefit of being a dwarf was that pretty much any car seat was big enough to seat you comfortably. 0day's physical body rode in the back of the van securely belted into his seat, with the back reclined enough to avoid a pinched neck.

Simultaneously, 0day's Matrix persona was screaming along in the Matrix, his new deck cutting through the static of the Barrens with effortless grace. His armoured form coasted along the path the vehicle travelled, and despite his vigilance he only had a moment to warn his newfound colleagues before the trap was sprung.

> Possible ambush ahead, 3 guns in the fire station, 2 in the building opposite, safeties off

Blissfully unaware of Omen's driving ability or lack thereof, 0day shifted his focus and fully embraced the code. The rush of hot-sim VR was like no other high he'd ever experienced, and his samurai armoured persona drew a glimmering katana and rushed ahead of the van icon to meet his opposition in glorious digital combat.

In mere microseconds the dwarf had altered the configuration on his deck for maximum combat efficiency, but his unfamiliarity with the new hardware caused him to stumble ever so slightly in so doing.

Despite a significant technological advantage, his normally precise strikes were almost entirely blunted by the meager defenses put up by the barren trash. Despite his initial shock and surprise, both attacks connected and the sheer weight of code impacting his targets scored deep furrows in the icons of his opponents; pixellated chunks were torn from both icons as their matrix connections were forced open.

The decker readied for another attack all while analyzing his previous performance.

#9
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <12-10-19/1210:03>
[Tuesday November 14th, 2079; Reaper turf, Northern Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]

Rounds were coming down range thick and fast but without any particular accuracy, particularly once 0Day started hacking their smartlinks, slagging the delicate electronics…he could just imagine the swearing and the cries for assistance going out… there still wasn’t any sign of the gangers themselves behind the muzzle flashes from the broken out windows…

Then something wholly unanticipated happened as the entirely offline Aztech Striker sent a lazy contrail hurtling towards the van.  Thankfully the aim was as lousy as the rest and the rocket fell short, churning a new crater in the already pocked road…but assuming they had a loader it wouldn’t be long before they tried again!

***

#19
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <12-10-19/1911:15>
Tipperman was cruising along, a bit in front of the van, when suddenly Omen cursed over the team link, and Tipperman could hear the van wheels squealing behind him.  Thus warned, the Tipperman tapped the brakes to reduce his speed just a bit, then banked into a hard U-turn. 

He almost lost control when his front wheel slid out on a patch of gravel, but was able slam his arm against the pavement hard enough to push him back to his wheels before road burn tore through his clothes.  Despite the quick manoeuvres, one of the shots that rang out managed to pass through a weak spot in his lined coat, and then through part of his abdomen.

As he raced back to cover behind the van he was relieved to see that blood wasn't fountaining out of the wound, at least not yet.  It hurt like burning drek, but not so much that Tipperman wasn't focused on getting revenge at whoever had damaged his coat.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <12-11-19/1514:35>
Omen saw the trail of the RPG and spontaneously decided to prioritize them when he finally had his rifle into place through the open window.
He concentrated to get his speed up and shot a long burst at the explosive weapon wielding maniac, severely wounding him, but not quite taking him out.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: ZeroSum on <12-15-19/1657:56>
Having found his footing in the Matrix and with the new deck growing on him, 0day threw his attack code at the active smartguns once again; sparks went flying as the links were bricked in spectacular fashion.

He pivoted his icon smoothly and struck twice more with his katana at new targets. In the span of a few milliseconds he had overloaded the circuits of two rifles and two submachine guns, but just as he turned his attention to the last remaining smartgun a digital apparition appeared.

> Interloper!

The newcomer lunged at 0day.

#10
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <12-16-19/1219:32>
[Tuesday November 14th, 2079; Reaper turf, Northern Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]

The ganger’s cries of rage as their guns were slagged could be heard now that the gunfire had abated somewhat, but there was still one chattergun sending sound suppressed rounds from the dilapidated house whilst the other, as yet unseen gangers, scrabbled around for working firearms to resume the engagement with the interlopers.  At least two of them in the fire station were desperately trying to reload the Striker, ignoring the pained sobbing of Omen’s retaliation victim…

In the matrix 0Day confronted Recall… the angry dwarf striding through the static laden matrix, the fault sprite beside him looking like a glaring hole in the code to somewhere… nasty…  If Recall was as ugly as his persona then 0Day was in no real rush to meet him in the flesh.  His red eyes held madness and the pocked code made him look diseased and brief thoughts of what the technos called Dissonance flitted through 0Day’s thoughts…

***

#20
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <12-16-19/1753:26>
Tipperman slowed down carefully once he was past the van.  Once he was safely to a stop he did a quick check on how badly he was actually hurt, then decided "not so bad that I can't keep going" and did his best to ignore it.

He fished in his pockets and pulled out his Horizon Flying Eye, activated the drone, then threw it perpendicular to the street.  Once it had stabilized he sent it to parallel the street until it was over the Fire Station, and broadcast what it sees. 

<<Probably we should move in quickly while they are disorganized, but that hurt enough that I also don't want to charge into any new surprises, so I've sent a drone to take a look.>>

Drone has Maneuvering 2, Stealth 2, and Clearsight 6.  I don't have the rules up right now, but I don't think it can run all three at once, but I forget if it can run 2 or just 1?  But basically Maneuvering to get in place, ClearSight once there, and Stealth if/when it can also run that
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <12-17-19/1643:19>
Omen kept firing bursts at the gangers trying to rearm the rocket launcher. Another pair of them went down screaming as the explosive ammunition ripped into their bodies.
Bullets flew around him, while he reached the zone where he was completely centered. Nothing mattered beyond sending bullets down range into those people.
Only vaguely was he aware that Tipperman had sent a message, but it didn't matter to him anyway. Aim, shoot, maim, switch target, repeat.
He felt as happy as he knew to be...
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: gwilym on <12-17-19/1704:43>
Dynamit knew better than to cast and ride. These guys didn't deserve efforts, so lame. She saw the rocket arc towards them then her own teams bullet marked out where the game was. She drew breath and the mana flowed through her eyes to the two fumbling with the launcher. Suddenly the leaped out of their cover almost as if they had both seen a grenade land at their feet. They were now very exposed, pity that.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: ZeroSum on <12-20-19/0843:09>
In the Matrix the digital battle raged on, and 0day grimaced as he recognized the corrupted code of the fault sprite. Thoughts of the crash virus running rampant flooded his mind, and for a nanosecond he was brought back to the seemingly infinite amount of time he had spent in an ultraviolet host. This was a kind of enemy he knew only too well.

He took a deep breath and focused on defense, inviting his opponents to strike at him. The corrupted technomancer did not disappoint and snarled loudly as he launched pieces of garbage code in 0day's direction. The decker waited until the absolute last moment and expertly cut apart the malicious code with an upward swing of his glowing katana.

Without a moments rest the matrix anomaly that was the fault sprite rushed in to swing it's monstrous claws at 0day's digital form. The decker thought he could feel the warped resonance coming at him along with the rage it embodied, but this was not his first rodeo and the black-clad samurai persona danced in deadly lockstep with his foe, ducking and weaving to avoid its blows.

After blocking a swipe that threw the sprite off balance 0day went on the offensive. The attack program manifested in the form of several long bursts from a void black SCK 100; the dwarf had long since mastered the art of balancing offense and defense, and the digital rounds struck home with devastating effect. Recall took a full six round burst to the face, and 0day watched in smug satisfaction as the red light in his opponents wild eyes winked out. The sprite managed to partially sidestep the last round of bursts but was still almost entirely shredded by the code bullets.

With damaged code dripping from it's digital form, the sprite launched a desperate attack that almost caught 0day by surprise. Despite easily dodging the attack his own retaliation almost missed it's intended target entirely; only through concerted effort was he able to turn an overhead swing of his blade into a glancing blow. Fortunately, the effort proved enough as the edge of his sword connected with the sprite's link to its master, severing the last remaining pieces of it. With a tortured scream the digital apparition disintegrated, and 0day breathed a sigh of relief.

> Matrix threat eliminated, ladies and gentlemen. Recall came to play, and if my suspicions are correct I think I might know why the Reapers are going after the Tribe

With one last look at the Matrix surrounding him, 0day took a deep breath as he jacked out of the Matrix and returned to his physical body.

Once everyone had gathered near the vehicle the dwarf recounted his experiences.

"We know that Recall is involved with the Reapers, and we just got jumped on their turf. Suffice to say that this guy dabbles in highly corrupted code; if you're not familiar with Dissonant Technomancers, think of them like toxic shamans. In other words, bad news bears. Dissonance is the opposite of Resonance, and corrupted technos like Recall are drawn to resonance like moths to a flame. They seek to corrupt it, and to use it for their own nefarious means. Guided perhaps by a more sinister intelligence, or just because they're all fraggin' broke in the head. Who knows."

Somewhat uncharacteristically, the dwarf spit on the ground to emphasize his disgust.

"Good riddance, I'd say, but Recall still lives; I was only able to knock him unconscious, and he'll only be out for a short while. An hour, maybe less. I say we capitalize on this moment, take the initiative and bring the pain to the Reapers."

The dwarf looked around at the group and jumped slightly, as if noticing the scorch marks from the nearby rocket impact for the first time.

"Jeez, how about a heads-up next time! Launcher must have been offline, as I never even saw it on the matrix. Good job taking that thing out, guys, thanks for having my back. We should probably let the Tribe know they've got a dissonant techno creeping in on their turf, though, if only so they can be prepared."

He realized he was rambling, and took a deep breath to calm down.

#11
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <01-03-20/1039:49>
[Tuesday November 14th, 2079; Reaper turf, Northern Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]
 
Despite mere seconds having passed the assault was too much for the gangers and they broke and ran…now that they were in the open the runners couldn’t help but feel that their welcoming committee had been cannon fodder rather than a real threat… it was clear now that they were kids, albeit ones wielding assault weapons, from the heights of their fleeing forms around early to mid-teens.  Granted kids grew up fast in the barrens, or didn’t, but it did deflate the victory somewhat… that and the possibility of a stealthy approach had been firmly ruined!
 
They had a stark choice now, press the advantage of 0Day’s battle with the techno and carry on before he woke up or retreat and try again at a later date with the knowledge that they were likely to be fired at if noticed…
 
***
 
#21
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <01-04-20/1015:36>
"Drek... I mean, I don't want to say I told you so, but I told you so: In the end it comes down to a massacre - and if we aren't careful it's us getting massacred. How is everyone? Any serious injuries? If you are all alright I'd suggest we press on and get as much info as we can - and maybe catch that techno before he wakes up. That guy should be able to tell us quite a bit about what's going on here."
Omen sent to his chummers.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <01-04-20/1736:11>
"I'm oozing a bit and hurting like a sommabitch.  Some analgesic spray on dressing might help.  But it isn't too bad, if we need to keep pressing I can wait.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <01-07-20/1645:23>
Tipperman took a moment to check the feed from his drone, to make sure there was a secondary ambush waiting while some of the gangers ran to lure them in.  Seeing nothing, he invited 0-Day to the drone feed so that the decker could keep an eye out for them, then messaged the team <<frag it, I can get patched up later, let's try to run down one of these kids and get some answers.>>
<< Omen, can you start after them with the van?  I'd rather stay behind you for cover until we are close, don't need another random burst ruining my clothes even more.  >>
<<0-Day, I sent you my drone feed.  Can you send it after the kids, keep an eye on anything they are up to?>>
<< And someone message me when we are closed in on them -- I've got non-lethal options ready so we can maybe get some answers.  Or if our mage is good to just lift one or trap one or whatever, it would save me some ammo.>>

Tipperman took a moment to swear at the pain -- he'd swear it made it go away a bit -- then kicked his bike back to life and closed up on the back of the van. He made sure that Inga was loaded with gel rounds, then followed the van
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <01-08-20/0319:44>
"Sure." Omen replied and got the old van back into gear, greatful, that the bulk of the old vehicle had kept him relatively safe.
Driving down the street he kept on full alert for any sign of another attack.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: ZeroSum on <01-08-20/0906:03>
> All good from my end. Given the nature of the opposition, I'd definitely prefer to catch Recall while he's taking a nap.

The dwarf got back into the van, buckled up, and assumed control of the Flying Eye. Through AR he issued a command to the drone to seek out the attackers, and began reviewing the video feed from the miniature flier. *1

> On it. Stand by for targeting information.

Reaching into his coat pocket, 0day brought out the electronics kit and activated a few MCT Gnat drones. He commanded three of them to follow the Horizon drone and provide overlapping audio-visual coverage of the surrounding area, and then slipped back into full hotsim VR to mask the Matrix signature on all four drones. *2

Once he was satisfied that covert recon was handled, he slipped into the shadows of the Matrix to provide overwatch and to try and find a possible location of his quarry. He had noticed that one of the smartguns he hadn't bricked was still active, which meant it could be tracked.*3

---

In just over a minute of real world time 0day had pwned the meager defenses of the smartgun link, and despite the relative noise of the barrens he was able to get a solid lock on the device. *3 *4 *5

With a neural command he sent the Horizon drone and the three Gnats towards the location he was actively tracing, and fed the target information to the rest of the team.

> One of the shooters are still broadcasting. I've got a lock, visual confirmation in...
> 3...
> 2...
> 1...

In the Matrix, the visual feeds from the four drones combined into a 3D representation of the real world. 0day watched the feed from one drone turn a sharp corner in order to fix its sensors onto the fleeing ganger. The other drones followed soon after, and with all four locking their sensors onto the metahuman there was nowhere for him to hide.

He seemed to be running for all he was worth, and the dwarf chuckled. "You can run, but you can't hide the signal, chummer" he thought to himself before sending another message to the team.

> Target acquired. Tipperman, let me know if you'd like me to take care of his firearm; with visual confirmation, I no longer need the trace.


*1 Perception (Sensor Array) (https://orokos.com/roll/779769): 9d6t5 4
*2 Running Silent (Willpower + Sleaze) (https://orokos.com/roll/779775): 15d6t5 5
*3 Matrix Perception (Electronics + Intuition) (https://orokos.com/roll/779777): 15d6t5 6
*4 Probe (https://orokos.com/roll/779784): 15d6t5 2 4d6t5 0
*5 Backdoor Entry (https://orokos.com/roll/779785): 17d6t5 6 4d6t5 1
*6 Trace Icon (https://orokos.com/roll/779786): 15d6t5 7 2d6t5 1



#12
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <01-10-20/0752:04>
[Tuesday November 14th, 2079; Reaper turf, Northern Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]

The ganger, a scruffy youngster of about fourteen with ratty dreadlocks and a bad case of unwashed, could run, really run, even with the chatter gun bouncing along on his back.  He was going parallel to 116th Street, keeping to the tree cover and dashing through the gardens of what would once have been nice suburban houses before the matrix crashes ripped the heart out of Redmond.  With the noise he was making there was little chance that he’d notice the slight whine of the electric drones following him.  Equally that made the audio feeds from the drones a bit patchy but 0Day could definitely hear the ganger muttering to himself

“The fra*gers d* it, R**dle s*** itd be tod**, no* *ext we** like they sai*…”

After he’d made a mad scramble across what was left of the tarmac of 165th he took a quick look behind him and hunkered down in a shallow bowl in the woods and pulled out his ‘link.

> It’s me!  Yeah it’s the test, early like you said, get everyone ready, we need to show ‘em we’re up to it!

With a last breathless grunt he heaved himself back to his feet and set off west again towards the Reaper turf proper…

***

#22
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <01-10-20/1727:39>
Tipperman blessed the effort he'd made to get top-notch sensor software.  The little drones's microphone may not be much but the software had managed to makes some sense of things anyway.

<<You heard the kid, they were expected someone to come test 'em.  Doesn't matter if it was The Tribe or someone else, we are playing by their script.  That means they are at least somewhat prepared, and have the confidence of being on-script.  I hate that.  But I don't know that we have better options than charging ahead.>>

<<Anyone have better thoughts?>>
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: ZeroSum on <01-10-20/1747:55>
0day focused his attention on the ganger when the link came out; he bit off a curse as he should have known better, but there was no use crying over spilled soymilk. He threw every fiber of his digital being into intercepting the traffic going in an out of the link, and the Cyber-6 screamed along the digital pathways as he sliced through the comms firewall.

> Working on finding out who that call went to; sounds like he was saying "Riddle said it would be today". Riddle, as in the Rat Shaman associated with the Reapers, perhaps...

Behind the armoured mask he wore in the Matrix, he peered into the darkness, looking for the destination of the commcall.

> I'll get eyes in the skies, see if I can spot any obvious ambushes. Maybe we can slip past their front lines and grab Recall from under their noses.

The dwarf sent a mental command to a trio of MCT microdrones riding in his electronics kit, ordering them to take the position of the forward drones shadowing the Flying Eye. The forward drones were then commanded to advance ahead and look for groups of 5 or more armed metahumans.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <01-13-20/0746:55>
[Tuesday November 14th, 2079; Reaper turf, Northern Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]

The two gangers in the street began to hightail it back towards their home turf but there was no way they could outrun Omen in the van and they seemed to have lost any sense of rational thought in the face of animal panic otherwise they might have chosen a more restricted route than the open sidewalk.  It was a simple matter for Omen to mount the crumbling path and wing them both in passing… he got a brief glimpse of a frightened face of the orc kid, a girl under all the grime who looked to be about fourteen so was probably ten to twelve years old, before the front fender clipped her shins  and sent her pin wheeling in to the gutter.  Seconds later Omen side swiped her companion sending him broken in to the litter strewn verge…

***

Ram 1 Pilot+Reaction (1+9D) -Speed Interval(3?*) vs. React+Int (4D), AR Omen’s Pilot+Sensor (1+3) vs. DR2 so no edge, Damage Bod/2 (8) +1/speed interval (3), 0 net hit, but in attacker’s favour, damage resist Bod 3, 2 hits, 9 boxes – ouch!

*Set speed interval at 3, that’s 40m/rnd on impact as you presumably want to catch them but want them alive?  Reducing to 2 for the second hit as I’m assuming some deceleration to line up the hit.

Ram 2 Pilot+Reaction (1+9D) -Speed Interval(2*) vs. React+Int (4D), AR Omen’s Pilot+Sensor (1+3) vs. DR2 so no edge, Damage Bod/2 (8) +1/speed interval (2), 1 net hit, damage resist Bod 3, 0 hits, 11 boxes – that’s 1 overflow damage and he’s bleeding profusely!

#23
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <01-16-20/1435:03>
Omen slowed down and reversed to pick up the apparently less severely injured ganger.
<<I've got one of them. We could get out of here and interrogate her to get some answers - would need some patching up though.>>
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <01-16-20/1541:21>
<<Sounds like a good plan to me.  I could use some patching too for that matter.  And we scout with drones before going in next time, if they are expanding they'll have too much perimeter to watch everything in detail.>>
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: ZeroSum on <01-17-20/0536:16>
> Solid copy; you interrogate the ganger, I'll covertly gather intelligence.

Viktor ordered the Horizon Flying Eye to return to the van for safekeeping, and simultaneously monitored the drone feeds and dug into the commlink he'd obtained access to. Almost as an afterthought, he slipped a piece of custom code into the communications sub-system of the device in order to better listen in on future calls. *1

*1 Snoop (Cracking + Logic vs Logic + Firewall) (https://orokos.com/roll/781157): 15d6t5 2 4d6t5 0
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <01-17-20/0846:34>
Tipperman was happy to put his Flying Eye back into its pocket.  It was too useful not to use, but he liked it too much to be happy about risking it.  He couldn't help think "I'm too sentimental, that sort of soft spot will get a chummer killed."  Of course the only reason he cared about living or dying anymore was that he wanted to take care of a few things he was sentimental about, so ...

<<We should probably fully clear the ambush site before we get down to interrogating and patching.  Never know what they could have dropped that might tell us something, and if they dropped any guns or ammo I'd rather they don't get to go back to pick them up.>>
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <01-17-20/1006:32>
<<Aye, will do so. And while I'm at it, I'm scooping up the second one too. Never know what incentives we have to use to make a ganger talk. Providing medical aid to that one might give us an edge on that.>>
With that, he stopped again, scooped up the even worse hurt ganger and applied a medkit to him to stabilize his vitals.
After that it was a straight u-turn back to base.
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Aria on <01-22-20/1227:51>
[Tuesday November 14th, 2079; Reaper turf, Northern Redmond, Seattle Metroplex]

Conscious that the gangers seemed to be mobilising their gun wagons only a few hundred meters away certainly added a certain impetus to the quick search of the fire station ambush site.  It was clear from the amount of detritus, Stuffer Shack wrappers, cheap synthol containers and the odd bit of drug paraphernalia that this was a long established stake out position rather than a hastily put together ambush site.  It would be reasonable to assume that there would be another one on the far side of Reaper turf and possibly along 162nd Avenue too as the principle approaches to their lair.  There was little of intrinsic value apart from the rocket launcher and the two spare rockets they had there, something the team were only too happy to relieve them of… and then it was time to high tail it or face the ganger’s wrath as the sound of souped up engines filled the bleak Redmond afternoon air…

***

#25
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: gwilym on <01-22-20/1619:34>
Dynamit looked around the ruin, looked like home. She picked up the launcher
"I can't carry thises on bike. OK to put in yer van?"
When she heard the message about the ganger
"I can help with that. I can some patterns that can fix them good" she heard the noise "we better to be gone now" she trotted to her bike and look around for the others before sloping the bike in to gear at moving off
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <01-22-20/1658:27>
Tipperman was really tempted to hide in the fire station and drop on the punks and bust them up but good.  But a) it wouldn't really help anything, and b) he should probably get patched up before risking more wounds.  But frag it would feel good to see some punk ganger's eyes to wide as he choked them out.

"Yah time to fall back
Time to calm down
Time to plan
Then it can be time to go show 'em what's what."
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Jack_Spade on <01-23-20/1603:07>
Omen gunned the gas pedal and accelerated back toward the direction they had come from, glancing now and again into the rearview mirror both to keep an eye out for pursuers and to ensure the ork girl wasn't getting up to shank him while he drove.

Once they had left the gang territory, he slowed down again and asked his chummers: <<We probably shouldn't take them back to the tribe - that could implicate them with some nasty stories. I say, we set up shop in that derelict building over there, patch those two up enough so that they can talk and then ask some pointed questions. You with me on that?>>
Title: Re: [6E] Dome Sweet Home IC
Post by: Beta on <01-23-20/2109:12>
"yep, let's get answers quick before they realize we are getting them"