[rednblack]

Ace waits for Sam to make his case for destroying the obelisk, so that he can hear things straight from the source, and not through the garage door like last night, but the troll doesn't seem interested in revisiting the subject.  As the others talk, he feels some of his old corporate schooling taking hold in his mind.  'Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for dinner.'  And this is the problem with democracy.  There's one right call here, and no guarantee that a majority will make it.  Tyranny of the majority, they called it.  'Of course, a republic is a more refined form of politics, where a political class is encouraged to seek compromise and consensus over a more primitive winner take all system, but one needn't look further back than the twentieth century to see its failing as well,' the voices of past teachers ran through his head.  And then there was the meritocracy of Ares.  What a load of bullshit, that was, but he could see their points.

"Okay, it sounds like we have 2 for destroying it, and 3 for not destroying it - at least not yet. I want to stress that destroying it is NOT off the table. I suggest that we take another vote this evening after we've learned more. But for now, we proceed on the assumption that we are keeping it in one piece. So, here's how I see things going for today:"

"Hold on, Ohanzee, I haven't cast my ballot yet.  What happens if I vote to destroy it, and we end up tied?  My guess is the same thing that happens if I vote to hold off, right?  Without a majority, the proposal will not pass?  Ok, well let's come back to it tonight."

"Ace, Sam, and Katsina, get ready to go into town in case we need to. We'll probably need supplies - anything you can think of. Also, if we need boots on the ground to gather intel, you'll be the boots. Chino will return here once we have a vehicle and help keep guard - I don't want us spread too thin if things go south. I'll be providing astral overwatch from here as well as study the artifact."

"Roger," Ace says.  This all makes sense to him.  "There's that nice looking RV at the house to the north.  One elderly couple inside, by my count.  That RV could go a long way for us, should we be able to keep the plate's off LE's radar."

"Any questions or suggestions?"

"Yeah, I don't think we're done here.  We need to piece together a timeline for what got us in this room.  You guys have heard my story.  I've yet to hear yours.  Do you have any idea when this team was formed?  How far back your connections go?  Do you have any contacts who may have been the agent I was sent to find?  And then there's the chopper from last night.  That thing wasn't Knights Errant, it wasn't Ares, and it sure as hell wasn't PCC.  The logical tie is to Ohanzee, but I can only base that assumption on language.  Any other ideas?  Ohanzee, anything you've been able to remember or dig up on yourself that would explain what those boys were doing out here?"

[Poindexter]

As the conversation goes on, Sam becomes increasingly upset that he'd involved the rest of the team in his decision. He'd been right to trust Chino, but wasn't prepared for Doc's eavesdropping. He makes a mental note to remember that and not underestimate the spoon chewing decker again. Through listening, he is able to pick up some new information though.

"If this is the end of civility between us, you'd better come hard and fast because I'm not going to go quietly into that good night."

Sam just snorts and lets a smirk cross his face. That's assuming im NOT a corper AND that I was the type of runner who cared. Old prejudices are the farthest thing on the backburner to be figured out right now.

"I'm exhibiting clasic symptoms of an overabundance of hard nanites."

Nanites? That doesn't sound very ancient possessing, mind wiping magical evil.

With a furrowed brow, Sam asks, "So... are you sick? What is the endgame if you're not treated properly?"

"One exec with 5 bodyguards in one of the safest cities on the continent might be more than a little suspicious. We could limit the security detail to just Chino and Sam - by virtue of size alone they look the part. Katsina can act as a romantic interest - wife, girlfriend, paid companion, whatever. Of course, if Katsina refuses to take off her mask, it'll make it difficult for her to travel inconspicuously, even as a bodyguard, so she could just stay here with Doc and I."

"Or she could just take the damn mask off." remarks the troll, offhandedly between bites of scone. Still chewing a bit, he adds, "You know, since we're all trusting one another and everything..."

"The object is old, it is - just by mass and composition - extremely valuable, and it is highly magical. It is very likely unique and quite possibly sentient. It may or may not be malicious, but due to its value, destroying it without having all of the facts is something I hesitate to endorse. However, this is a democracy, and while many have deferred to my judgement, I do not act without the support and input of the team, so we must put it to a vote. Regardless of the outcome, I would like a few hours to study it before we destroy it, and I would like to attempt to communicate with it using my mindnet spell."

"You know where I stand."

"So, either the bomb was placed by someone else and we removed it, or we were taking it somewhere to destroy, very likely as part of a ritual. Or the artifact got to us before we could destroy it at the facility and forced us to extract it for some reason rather than simply make us fight to the death there. Or any of many other less likely scenarios."

"I do not believe I am skilled enough to have removed that bomb. It's got multiple triggers and failsafes as well as-" No. Don't share everything with them. "As well as other measures which more or less assure me, I created this bomb."

He pauses for a moment before speaking again. "Whether the thing I saw in us is caused by the artifact is debatable, but it still seems likely to me. Regardless, I think we should get rid of the obelisk, or at the least lug it along to prepare to get rid of it in a way that doesn't give us away." He looks at Doc. "I don't know what's happening to you, or whether having the artifact around will help. What I do know, is that the artifact seems to have caused us no end of trouble." Chino looks at the others before he settles back on Ohanzee. "You said this thing was valuable, right? Clearly, it's valuable enough for someone to send not one, not two, but three strike teams at us so far, and who knows how many more they will send? This thing is hot, way too hot for us to sell it somewhere, if we even remembered how to connect with someone to sell it to. Besides, do we need the money? We probably thought so when we accepted this job, but look at us now." Chino's arm gestures around at the room. "Look at us now. We are sitting into a house that we broke into, and trying to figure out how to make it look like we weren't here because we are running for our lives."

He sighs and continues, "That artifact is probably priceless. That means we must be pretty well connected and well known, to be hired to steal it, no? If we could remember our past lives, I'm sure we were not wanting for money. Or maybe we were, but that doesn't matter. Right now, we are focused on survival. That artifact is not helping us survive. The longer we have it on us, the more strike teams will come after us." Chino rubs his temple for a moment, then continues, "Plus, we have to lug it around everywhere. I don't know how long this hideout is going to last, but I wouldn't plan on more than another day, if that. You can levitate it, Ohanzee, but that leaves you distracted and busy. At the very least, that could get you killed, or it could get all of us killed. I don't want that to happen, and not just because we would lose your abilities. We're a team," Chino looks at Ace and Katisna, "All of us. Whether we were before or not doesn't matter, we've been thrown together by circumstance. Teams trust each another, and teams look out for each other."

He pushes his plate away from him and sits back. "I say destroy it. If you need another day or two to do some research or something, go ahead. I won't say I'm not curious about it and how it may be affecting us. Hell, if it can help us some way, then that's better. I still think it's too dangerous, even if it didn't put any mojo on us."

Ok, Chino is my boy.

Sam gestures at Chino with a scone in one hand and says, "Everything I was about to say, he just said. What are we going to do when we have to run too fast to bring that thing along?"

"If we're not going to sell it, there are organizations that can study it, research it, maybe find out where our minds went. The Draco Foundation has an office in Denver. The Atlantean Foundation - Gloria Winters was a member, right? - would almost certainly be interested. There's the Dunkelzahn Institute of Magical Research and the Astral Space Preservation Society. There are plenty of people who could help, or at least ensure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

Sam stopped and considered her words. She made a damn good point. Giving the Obelisk to the third party who was vastly more powerful than the Johnson would screw him over just as bad as blowing it up. Probably pay better too. He speaks up. "You know? That's an excellent idea! Why don't we get in touch with one of those organizations and see what they have to say about it?"

1) Find Ace's agent, or figure out what his assignment was here.
2) Find Gloria Winters if she's still alive, or if not find out what she knew that got her killed.
3) Reach out to our contacts to help fill in the blanks. Whatever we did last night, we did it with legwork."

"Ok, pardon me if I'm being thick, but who is Gloria Winters? People keep mentioning her. Also, I'm not putting any of my contacts at risk until I know more about what's going on. Simple as that."

"Ace, Sam, and Katsina, get ready to go into town in case we need to. We'll probably need supplies - anything you can think of. Also, if we need boots on the ground to gather intel, you'll be the boots."

"Any questions or suggestions?"

"Just one. This high class bodyguard act? It requires a better costume than what I'm wearing now. Unless we can find some well tailored troll sized suits around here somewhere, I just don't see anyone with a brain in their head falling for it."

[Zweiblumen]

Letting everyone get their thoughts in, Doc looks to Ohanzee.
"So you'd rather NOT get more information on the artifact, and just wait until tonight and have this discussion again?  Sorry if I'm being dense," he says somewhat mockingly, "but if you need me out searching for a car, it's hard for me to do research or see to your medical needs.  The only thing I could do from here to find a vehicle is find ones that are currently in use.  Unless we want to go the carjacking route, that won't help much."

"That may have been a bit harsh... but if felt like me.  I really think I was a smug asshole."
Shaking his head in a futile effort to clear the cobwebs, he continues.

"Sorry about that.  You're the boss, if you want me out hunting for cars, I'll do that.  Would be nice if we could find someplace that had some high-end medical gear anyway.  I could use that to do a more thorough diagnosis on us.  I think that's a longshot, but if we happen to stumble across a recently abanded hospital or lab I think it would be worth our while to do a little B&E."  Sarcasm seems to be his mode at this point, regardless of its ineffectiveness.

Grabbing another beer, he looks at his deck with the still glitching screen and at the dressing that's starting to come off of Ohanzee's wounds.  Without saying a word he just falls into doctor mode.  Walking over to Ohanzee, he sits him down and starts re-applying the dressing and checking for any other injuries.  Looking the dwarf over and seeing the exhaustion and stress starting to slowly wear on him despite the meta's fantastic constitution he relents.  "I know you're trying to do whats best for everyone, lemme know where you want our resources spent and I'll follow your lead."

[Tecumseh]

Seeing that it is gone, Katsina gets up to make a second pot of coffee. She's not drinking any of it, despite the short night of sleep, but she seems to enjoy how it smells. She seems to have figured out how to operate the upscale Aztechnology coffee maker at some point during her watch. Maybe she ate then too, or had a whole pot to herself to better stay awake. She carefully measures out the precious coffee grounds and sets the machine to make a new batch.

She scratches the top of head, starting to think about the logistics of leaving the cabin to get into town.

"We don't have any transportation except the snowmobile. We have neighbors now that might see us, and snow that will make tracks. And Mr. Wonderbread doesn't exactly strike me as the type to keep mixed company." She seems to be referring to the metahumans of the group. She taps her mask where her lips would be, looking pensive.

"We could get limo service, which would fit the role. Sam is right about the clothes though. His armor jacket is a little rough even for a bodyguard, and Ace's Armored Survivalist isn't going to cut it. No corporate mogul is going to be caught dead in that in a town like Aspen. Our host has cold-weather clothing but it's not armored. I could alter it to fit Ace and maybe Chino, but the thought of going out unarmored is unpalatable, given the circumstances."

She seems to be rethinking her idea. It's clear she wants to get out of the house, but the logistics are a challenge. But they'll never learn more just sitting around the living room...

"I have someone I can talk to learn more, the person that sent me after Ace. I can talk to her on the astral so it doesn't get traced back to us. Still, it would probably still be best if my body were elsewhere when I project.

"I don't know anyone at the organizations I mentioned. I don't even know how to get in touch with them other than calling the front desk. Maybe Doc or Ohanzee can make some discreet inquiries. But if we go that route we have to be as secure as if we were dealing with the Johnson. Nobody is above a profit-loss equation that says it's easier to kill six shadowrunners than fork over a million nuyen. Speaking of which, we need to figure out an asking price."

She hears Sam's barb about the mask and trust.

"I don't remember why I made the mask. All I know is it's a magical focus and I feel better wearing it. Maybe it's an addiction. I'll take it off if we're in public, but until then I feel better with it on. And if you want to talk about trust, Ace and I are willing to leave the obelisk here with three members of Blue Team. How is that for trust?"

[Malevolence]

"Hold on, Ohanzee, I haven't cast my ballot yet.  What happens if I vote to destroy it, and we end up tied?  My guess is the same thing that happens if I vote to hold off, right?  Without a majority, the proposal will not pass?  Ok, well let's come back to it tonight."

"You are correct. I have no desire to be the group's leader, but as I am thrust into the role, I get to break any ties. If anyone else wants the position, they are welcome to it."


The gathered members of the team probably saw the comment as ballsy, or even a challenge, but the truth was that Ohanzee really didn't care whether he remained the group's leader or not.

"There's that nice looking RV at the house to the north.  One elderly couple inside, by my count.  That RV could go a long way for us, should we be able to keep the plate's off LE's radar."

"It's not fast or maneuverable, but it's roomy and can likely take a beating if needed. Unless a better option presents itself, that's our ride out of town. We can work out the details later. However, while we are still in town, we probably need a smaller vehicle." He pauses for a moment. "As many cars as we're going through, the authorities are going to think some car theft ring has moved into town. But I don't have any thoughts on how to keep a lower profile and still meet our transportation needs."


His face goes slack as he appears to focus on information coming through his DNI. He glances at Katsina and nods as Ace continues.

"Yeah, I don't think we're done here.  We need to piece together a timeline for what got us in this room.  You guys have heard my story.  I've yet to hear yours.  Do you have any idea when this team was formed?  How far back your connections go?  Do you have any contacts who may have been the agent I was sent to find?  And then there's the chopper from last night.  That thing wasn't Knights Errant, it wasn't Ares, and it sure as hell wasn't PCC.  The logical tie is to Ohanzee, but I can only base that assumption on language.  Any other ideas?  Ohanzee, anything you've been able to remember or dig up on yourself that would explain what those boys were doing out here?"

I've shared all of my contacts with Doc so that he can look into them, and I have suggested that all of you do the same. Information on our past is at a premium and I don't want anything to fall through the cracks. So far, the only thing to turn up is on one of my contacts, a Gloria Winters, who - as Doc reported earlier - has turned up missing. I did some further investigation this morning and it turns out her residence recently saw some violence. It is likely she has died, and not gently. Her body has not been found, but I am looking. Which reminds me; Doc, I know you've got a busy day today, but if you can find the time, I'd like to know what the police have found out - they have to have been by her house and seen the crime scene by now.
As for the strike team, I was attributing the language of the soldier to the area - Lakota is a common language in the Sioux Nation. The primary organized crime presence there is the Lakota Mafia, so if our guests weren't Ares or KE, then they become a strong option. But I'm not sure I agree that it wasn't a corp black ops team. What makes you so sure it wasn't?

"I do not believe I am skilled enough to have removed that bomb. It's got multiple triggers and failsafes..."

"So that rules out attaching it as a precaution. How long would it take to attach if we needed to scuttle it in a hurry?"

"So you'd rather NOT get more information on the artifact, and just wait until tonight and have this discussion again?  Sorry if I'm being dense," he says somewhat mockingly, "but if you need me out searching for a car, it's hard for me to do research or see to your medical needs.  The only thing I could do from here to find a vehicle is find ones that are currently in use.  Unless we want to go the carjacking route, that won't help much."

"All due respect, you ARE being dense. The vote this evening is AFTER learning more about it. But if it helps, here are our priorities as I see them:"


"1. Stay alive. This is what the first part of today is working towards - getting a vehicle improves our odds of staying ahead of our pursuers. Misdirection is also a critical part of that plan. Supplies and information are critical to all of our objectives."
"2. Learn about the artifact. This takes the second position over our infection because there is a passionate desire to destroy it that risks dividing us, which goes against our first priority. Also, as Chino points out, the artifact is bringing heat which jeopardizes priority one. The power of the artifact makes simply blowing it up exceedingly dangerous." Again, he looks to Katsina as he says this. "The safest option may be to simply abandon it and leave it to our pursuers, but I don't believe for one second that that would cause them to give up their chase."
"3. Find out about the infection. So far as we can tell, it is not life threatening, so it isn't yet running afoul of our staying alive. But I'm not naive enough to think that that situation can't and won't change quickly. As the most infected, you might rightly place this as your second priority. And I could probably be easily convinced to swap these. I am more and more inclined as I learn about our infection that it is not caused by the artifact, so in my mind these remain completely separate issues until there is strong evidence to indicate otherwise. And likewise, either one of them, or neither, could be responsible for our amnesia. Which leads to number 4."
"4. Find out about our past, as Ace so emphatically pointed out. This gets its own position, but really it is likely strongly interweaved with one through three. It probably isn't required to achieve the other priorities, but would almost certainly make the tasks easier. And, considering our skill sets, not knowing about our pasts - and the demons they certainly contain - has the unavoidable potential to complicate priority one at some point, probably sooner over later. Number four also includes learning about our amnesia and whether it is related to item 2 or 3."

"Would be nice if we could find someplace that had some high-end medical gear anyway.  I could use that to do a more thorough diagnosis on us."

"That's a very good point. If anyone has any ideas for how to get access to some high-end diagnostic equipment on the sly, let us know. Otherwise, you might have to add that to your list of things to look for while you're digging around the Matrix. Our away team should also keep an eye out for anything that might fit the bill. I wouldn't doubt that there are some high-end clinics about, so that might be a good nighttime activity. We could also reach out to the mafia, as they are certain to have some discreet medical facilities, but depending on what's in us, we may not want anyone outside this group privy to our scan results."

As Doc drinks his beer and tends to Ohanzee's wounds (ah, the glorious life of a Shadowrunner) he thanks him and responds to concerns about the plan to have Ace play dress up.
"A limo service sounds good, but I don't know if we can afford it, unless our unwitting host happened to leave some full credsticks laying around. Whatever you guys decide on, I'm good with."

[Poindexter]

"I do not believe I am skilled enough to have removed that bomb. It's got multiple triggers and failsafes..."

"So that rules out attaching it as a precaution. How long would it take to attach if we needed to scuttle it in a hurry?"

"Seconds." He hopes that sharing this information with the group will ease up on their feeling as if they need to watch him or keep him away from the artifact, because if he'd wanted to ignore the groups wishes on the matter, he had more than enough time to do it last night.

[Zweiblumen]

Looking over to Sam Doc says, "Is there any reason to NOT attach it now?  If it's only seconds for you to do it, but you may be away from the area when we need it blown I'd rather that not be the reason you don't get to enjoy it going to bits."  Doc hopes this will let everyone, especially Sam, know that he's not against blowing it, just wanting to make sure it's not essential to there survival first.

Turning to Ohanzee he says, [color-red]"Aye-aye Cap'n!  I think it's best that I fix my deck before diving too deeping into getting into more trouble, then I'll go about finding us a good get away vehicle.  Once I find it, I'll get Ace and Chino the location as I can't drive it.  And I don't think we want to have it go on auto.  I'll get it to invite marks from Chino, and then he should be able to DC into it and drive it somewhere close by that we can hide it.  Then I'll find a decoy car to send off as a wild-goose chase.  That one I'll let the Grid Guide drive so we don't have to split Chino's attention.  That'll be fire and forget.  Then I'll start doing some research.  Unless directed otherwise I'm going to focus my time on the artifact so we can come to a resolution on that first.  And I might get some info about various potential interested parties along with it, but if I don't once that's done I'll start going that way."[/color]  Now that there's a plan, he seems to relax quite a bit.

Looking around it occurs to him he's the only one with absolutely no digital past.  There's no record of his contacts, no information on where he lived or who he knew.  He's got less than 16 hours of history recorded data stored on his new deck and most of that was running for their lives or sleeping.

"Do we have any possible leads beside Gloria?  Outside of hacking the local PD, I won't have access to any more info than the news feeds have, I'm sure any of you could get the basics on that while I'm looking into the artifact."

[8-bit]

Chino silently drinks his beer as the others argue. Damned if we do, damned if we don't; no matter where we go, it's got a problem to it. You would think the whole world was pissed off at us, but no, it's only one group; a group with a drek ton of resources.

As each plan gets shot down, Chino remains silent, for the most part. Finally, he speaks up.

"Maybe we're thinking about this the wrong way." That got everyone's attention. You started it, might as well finish it. He pushes himself off the wall and finishes his beer. "We keep looking at plans and finding what's wrong with them. We need to find what's right with them."

He moves towards the pot of coffee, checking it; it isn't done yet. "All our plans so far get us stuff we need, and they do so in a way that can help us survive. That's the important part. What's the drawback? We can't find a way to do them without being noticed." He looks towards the window. "Sam and I will be very noticeable in this weather, and the snow is going to leave tracks. We can risk being noticed, if it means we get all of our goals accomplished. We need to be ready to leave though. That might mean we need to spend today gathering information and preparing ourselves. It's not glamorous, but everyone knows the trids lied when they said Shadowrunning was glamorous."

Chino pauses as the coffee pot chimes, indicating that it is ready to drink. He pours himself a cup, but doesn't drink it yet. "Getting ourselves a vehicle and getting out of here is the easy part; doing it without being noticed will be impossible. What we need is a distraction, or better yet, multiple distractions." He continues, his entire posture and demeanor calm, "The second car idea is not a bad one, but we could do so much more." He looks at Sam, "You think you could rig up something dramatic and noticeable? Like a snowmobile blowing up when impacting a fence a block away? Hell, I'm not sure what would be more effective; just blowing up the snowmobile, or blowing up something a bit more important." He knocks on the counter. "Like one of these houses." He picks up a bottle cap and flicks it in the air. As it flies through the air, he says, "Click." As it lands he says, "Boom."

Chino lifts his coffee cup up and takes a sip.

[rednblack]

"Seconds." He hopes that sharing this information with the group will ease up on their feeling as if they need to watch him or keep him away from the artifact, because if he'd wanted to ignore the groups wishes on the matter, he had more than enough time to do it last night.

Ace nods appreciatively at the troll's comment.  After the smirking and smart-ass bit, it's good to see him play the part of a team member, despite the posturing. 

As the rest of the conversation wears on, Ace jumps in, "I can't help but think we're making this more complicated than it really is.  We've got the RV next door, and not much in the way of defense.  Katsina and I can over there to borrow a cup of sugar, or whatever, and make the RV ours.  Doc can continue his work, and we'll have an out should we need to make it.  With a vehicle, I can go into town and get clothes for us, should we be able to solve the nuyen problem.  A second car as a distraction is a good idea, but it's one that we can probably solve when we're making our exit.  That said, I don't want to stay here too long, so whatever the plan is, let's get to it."

[Malevolence]

"Is there any reason to NOT attach it now?" 

"Because it is near impossible to remove. If it takes seconds to attach, we will hopefully have plenty of time to attach it should we need to in a hurry."


Ohanzee listens to Chino's plan. "I'm not sure I follow. Is the explosion in order to keep people looking the other direction while we enter and exit the cabin, so we can do so unnoticed? I'm afraid it might attract more attention than it would deflect. I'm willing to entertain the idea, but I strongly think that stealth and subterfuge is the proper play here. But it's not without its challenges."


"Getting Ace out of the house is fairly easy as he can disguise himself to fit in. Katsina might be more difficult as we don't have any women's clothing for her to use to fit in. Doc is the biggest help to the team staying put here, and I can provide assistance without leaving. So that leaves you and Sam. Katsina says she might be able to tailor the clothes we have to fit you, so perhaps you'd be the better choice for the away team over Sam. That would also put you in a position to obtain a vehicle. But if Katsina is correct, and Ace having metas in his entourage would raise suspicion, perhaps you both should stay here and we'll just have to forego the obvious bodyguard component. Assuming Katsina can find clothing for herself, they'd be the only ones that could reasonably leave the house without raising suspicion. Well, and Doc, but I think we'd all rather have him stay here."


"If Doc can get a car into the garage without needing a physical driver, we may not need you to go outside at all. In which case, there is no real need for a distraction. Yet. It is certainly worth having the option available in our bag of tricks." Ohanzee concentrates for a moment and the coffee pot explodes into fire, rapidly climbing up the curtains of the kitchen window it was sitting near, engulfing them in flame. Ohanzee snaps his fingers, and the illusion vanishes, leaving the curtain and the pot unscathed. "If we need a quick distraction, I think I can cover that base."

"A second car as a distraction is a good idea, but it's one that we can probably solve when we're making our exit."

"The point of the second car is to help take the heat off of Aspen while we are here. Executing it when we are ready to leave would defeat that purpose, though depending on how events unfold, it might be valuable to do again at that point."

"But I fear you are right, we may be overthinking this. It might not be too conspicuous to have Ace and Katsina use the snowmobile to get around town - this is a vacation spot after all. That makes the motor home a valid option for our get out of town ride. That leaves us only needing the decoy car and the disguises to get Ace and Katsina into town. That seems simple enough."

[rednblack]

As for the strike team, I was attributing the language of the soldier to the area - Lakota is a common language in the Sioux Nation. The primary organized crime presence there is the Lakota Mafia, so if our guests weren't Ares or KE, then they become a strong option. But I'm not sure I agree that it wasn't a corp black ops team. What makes you so sure it wasn't?[/color]

"The language, the equipment, their look, everything.  A black ops team of operators is going to look markedly different from those guys, and they'd probably be quite a bit more multicultural.  No, these guys were used to hard living, and they didn't speak English.  Plausible deniability from Ares?  Maybe, but not likely.  Again, their look was just too homogeneous.  You may be onto something with the Lakota Mafia idea.  I mean, even the average person in the Sioux Nation speaks English, so a group of Lakota-only speakers has got to be rather insulated, right?"

[Tecumseh]

Katsina looks back and forth as the suggestions fly. She's about as familiar with stealing cars as she is frying eggs.

"I think we had the right idea when we came into town, which was to have as few people see us as possible. I agree with Ohanzee that explosions are going to attract more attention than they deflect and that stealth is our best approach.

"My concern about the presence of metas in an entourage was more in regard to our neighbors, who might know our host. Once we're in town I doubt it will be an issue.

"Speaking of the neighbors, I think we can snag the RV fairly quickly if we're pressed for time, yes? It's too large for the garage so even if we appropriate it early it will have to stay outside. Since we can't conceal it - unless Ohanzee wants to maintain an illusion on it all day - we should probably leave it in place until we're ready to relocate.

She listens to the idea of taking the snowmobile into town with Ace. She looks to him.

"You know how to drive one of those things, right? Because I don't. And are snowmobiles even legal on the street? Or should we take the ATV?

"I've got some cash in my account if we need to hire a car service instead. There should be options for all the corpers who fly into town. I can also get some supplies if we assemble a list."

She looks torn about the idea of going into town without a third person for backup, but she nods to Ohanzee's plan.

[Zweiblumen]

Doc rummages around in his pockets and pulls out a cred stick.
"I've got a bit of cash on here.  Ace should have no problems getting supplies with it.  At the very least, we need refills for the medkits.  It's got almost ¥2k on it."

He tosses the credstick to Ace.
"Won't do me any good dead, but if there's anything left I'd like it back as that's all the money I have in the world."

[Malevolence]

At the talk of a shopping list, Ohanzee speaks up.


"As disconcerting as it has been not knowing the face of a trusted associate, Katsina has a good idea. Considering the illegality of most of our activities, something to hide our faces would be a wise call. The mask she's wearing, though less customized of course, will do nicely, and they aren't terribly expensive. If you have some nuyen, I think it would be wise to spend it on one. Also, a further suggestion would be to grab a micro transceiver. Doc can provide some great protection for our gear, but he's spread pretty thin. If he needs to go offline for a spell, we need a way to maintain secure comms over distance. They are also quite cheap. And considering the Matrix threats Katsina intimated, extra precaution seems warranted."


Ohanzee hands a credstick to Ace. "Same deal as Doc - I'm going to arrange for some stuff for me that I'll need you guys to pick up. There's enough on the 'stick to cover it and some extra to help with group supplies like medkit supplies, but if there's anything left, I'd like it back."


Dolphin's high-pitched voice reaches him over the Astral, with news that is chilling, though not unexpected. The spirit delivers it dispassionately. The game is done! The quarry has been found. She will not be playing any further games - her life-force is extinguished. Ohanzee knows the location of the spirit - simply knows it though his connection to the summoned ally - and makes note. He will have to inspect the body later to see if he can piece together what may have happened.


Thank you, Dolphin. You have played well. Perhaps next time I will have an even greater challenge for you. The spirit broadcasts something that could almost be interpreted as happiness - at the praise, or the prospect of a future challenge Ohanzee could not tell - and then the link fades as the spirit returns to its home.


"Dolphin has found Gloria. Her body is to the North East of here a ways. Considering the taint of violence at her home and the location of her body, she was likely dumped there. I'll try to get more information later."


Seeing the pause in the conversation as people absorb the news - the team didn't know her, but it seemed likely that whoever was after them probably killed her, which brought home a certain sense of mortality - Ohanzee took the opportunity to summon an air spirit. White Raven would not be powerful enough this time - in addition to concealing the six members of the team, Ohanzee felt it would be prudent to have the spirit hide the artifact as well. A more powerful spirit would be needed.


He chanted as he focused his will, summoning above his pay grade, as it were. This would be difficult, and not without risk. But the task was still far more difficult than he had expected. With tremendous effort of will, he pulled forth the spirit he needed. He did not see the spirit - he was not perceiving on the astral, but the spirit's words came to him through the link that bound them.


I will grant you your favor, hard won. While you are yet beneath me, you show promise. Perhaps you will some day prove a worthy ally. White Raven indicated that your pursuers are determined and that vexing them was most amusing. Am I correct to surmise that I shall enjoy that same opportunity?


Yes, great spirit. They seek myself and the five others in this room, as well as the bright aura in the next room belonging to an ancient and powerful construct. It shines brightly in the true realm and so needs a powerful spirit such as yourself to keep it hidden from those that will come looking for it.


I am aware of the - The word was unfamiliar to Ohanzee - you have in your possession. You play with many things you are not yet ready for. You would do well to be mindful of your limits - but I admire those whose reach exceeds their grasp. Only time will tell if I have misjudged you. But today, I am compelled to help you, and perhaps I will watch with interest as well.


With a nearly imperceptible feeling - like a light impact on your funny bone, but all throughout your body - the concealment spell took hold on the team. Hopefully this would keep them safe - safer - for now.


The little dwarf found the nearest available seat and slumped into it. With any luck, the concealment from the spirit would throw off any progress their pursuers might have made towards finding them during the window between sunrise and now when there was no magical protection in effect. They would likely know soon enough.

[8-bit]

"I'm not sure I follow. Is the explosion in order to keep people looking the other direction while we enter and exit the cabin, so we can do so unnoticed? I'm afraid it might attract more attention than it would deflect. I'm willing to entertain the idea, but I strongly think that stealth and subterfuge is the proper play here. But it's not without its challenges."

"It's an additional distraction when we bail." Chino shrugs. "Just an idea."

As everyone pitches in their credsticks, Chino remembers he had one too. "Be back in a moment," he grunts. He quickly goes to the bedroom he slept in and returns with a credstick. He slides it to Ace. "Should have something around 2k on it. I'm not sure how much need for money we'll have for a bit, so use your judgment."

He takes another drink of the delicious coffee. "It's probably best if only Ace and Katsina go into town; I have the feeling rich folks don't look too kindly on Orks or Trolls."