[gilga]

Marco smiles and say "Either you want to torture Tsina at the cellular level...
 or blowing up her train is a terrible idea. You said that you failed the previous time because she had a mage. Well a mage can continuously watch the meetup location without leaving his bed and I am not speaking on drones and other methods of surveillance that I am sure Tsina has access to.

But lets assume that you can rig the meeting place with explosives, or that you already have rigged it and nobody has found out about it. Good for you! Who exits the train first in your scenario?

Tsina the notorious arch criminal with many enemies or her security?

Right... I did not think so. Security comes first - especially when dealing with a client for the first time. So many of her security are going to be out of the train when it goes off,  What happens to me when the train blows up? They all shoot at me - and I die as I cannot exactly dodge bullets .
I die so quickly that basically, you better make some other plan to get Tsina. I died once and it was not very fun.

Scenario 2, the slaves escape - are you to blame for Tsina's men incompetence to keep their package secure? Are these guns going to be pointed at me? I do not think so, her security is going to round up the slaves and when you take her off with a sniper rifle I have a good chance to disappear in the general commotion. "

[ismilealot]

Nicolai looks at Blackbird. "Charges are set. Each side can only have seven people.Weapons and double cross are expected. What is not expected is to kill slaves. Expected to steal slaves. Some guards will stay to keep from stealing. They will not expect explosion. We will. We kill all when explosion happens. Then torture Tsina until she confesses."

[gilga]

Marco said "Look Nikolai, although I'd much rather have you amend your ways and dedicate your life to charity than blowing off trains, killing and torturing people. I am committed to the plan. I ask so many questions because I do not understand what the plan is.

I seem to have a role in the plan, and I am a mage and a prime target. So I'd like to understand what is going on in order to improve my chances of survival. In fact, Jed and I would like to analyze the plan in order to understand how an opposing mage can interfere with it and what we can do to counter it. I completely trust you to be capable of handling security and given your experience and badass nature I completely trust your man are capable of handling anything reasonable. Yet, magic can sometimes be a real wildcard... it can change everything...
 and you have already failed once because of magic.

This time you have two talented mages at your side, it'll be a shame to fail again for the same reason, just because we did not understand enough of the plan to do our job. Even small details matter. For example, it matters if I meet Tsina out in the open or in a building, it matters if I wait for her in a car or not.  I need to keep my magic secret for as long possible - and for that every tiny detail matters.  "

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena feels compelled to say something at this juncture.  Yelena not understand kill slaves.  Why necessary?  Is not way to slaughter so many innocent people.  Must be different plan if think enough.  Yelena ready kill Tsina Molovna.  Kill guards and lieutenants.  Why kill slaves?  Is not justice."

[Qwikfix]

Arc remained silent during this discourse and arguments regarding the plan.  Stepping back, she crossed her arms under her chest, bringing her cybernetic hand up to her chin in thought.  It's clear that Nicolai is not open to a different plan, which is causing the frustration now.  Great.  Besides that, I'm still waiting on those parts, and I haven't heard nothin' about a secure place to stick my hoop to help.  This ain't looking good.

Glancing over to Yelena, she made sure to catch eye contact for a brief moment, her expression conveying such concerns while she stayed back, observing the unfolding situation...

[ismilealot]

Nicolai looks at Yelena and then around at the group. "Plan is simple. Tsina coming with train to finalize deal, receive last payment for shipment of slaves. Double cross always possible. But, slaves have already been paid three payments. This is last payment. Negotiations have begun for next shipment if this satisfaction. She feels secure. As you say, we are stationary, she is moving. We can be easily located before meet. Again, she feels secure. You want to be me. Sure, maybe. But, mage not expecting angel buy slaves. No. Is better you stand back as guard. But, guard will have hat and glasses. Guard will be looking like Tsina. During negotiations I will signal. You will be ready. Train will explode. In one moment two of her guards will die on train. The others will react quickly, but not quickly enough to save one, maybe two more from rigger with sniper drones." he says nodding towards Arc. "Maybe she has men sneaking to meet. Take money and keep slaves. But rigger is watching. Killing with sniper drones. Mage is watching. Technology can not hide from mage. He can show rigger where to shoot hiding men." He shrugs, "Maybe Tsina knows men are dead, but, can not confess to those men. She can only pretend nothing is wrong and take last payment as negotiated." he says. "Then explosion happens. You step forward." he says pointing at Blackbird. "You are fake Tsina beside me pointing gun. Confusion, they hesitate. They will not fire at fake Tsina. Yelena kills last two before confusion ends. In six seconds we have won. We take Tsina. She will know that we killed slaves because two million nuyen already paid mean nothing. She will see Silver Scorpion. She will hear Hellfire pronounce judgement. Fear will own her soul. I will torture her slowly, filming all for kings. She will confess. She will beg Yelena and Hellfire for her death. Justice." He nods at Marco, "If you use mojo for illusion explosion is ok. Slaves are valuable and can be sold. But, they are not important. Tsina is only goal."

Nicolai stops speaking after he's outlined the plan, looking at each in turn. A few moments later Arc has a bag of supplies quietly handed to her. "Is all." MadDog says to her.

Jed had poked around earlier. He knew how small Nicolai's staff was. Assuming that this was it. Maybe he had more people in another location. But, what had amazed him was that there were no cameras within the compound itself. With Nicolai's level of paranoia that in and of itself was surprising.

[SmilinIrish]

Jed listens intently to Nicolai.  He still can't shake the feeling that Nicolai may eliminate them and try to bring Yelena back to him.  He quietly asks Nicolai Do you have any awakened on your staff?  It would be a shame for me to mistake one of yours for the enemy...

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena nods.  "Is good.  Plan uses Yelena friends.  Blackbird use magic for fake explosion?"

[gilga]

Marco replied "How can I refuse... I prefer less collateral damage.

I can indeed make a firework display worthy of a dragon... That said - it is difficult to convince people that they are dead. It may have some benefit - but it is high profile illusion and will not last long.

How about I fake a sniper ? different location than Yelena, have it so the most obvious cover from my fake sniper is to be fully exposed to the real one. Our chances of pulling of this kind of illusion are considerably higher, and any bullet fired on smoke and mirrors increases our chance of survival.

Some other idea to fake is, handcuffed Tsina being forced into an empty van.
Illusion ends once fake Tsina is in the van. Then the van doors close and we can pilot it remotely. I only need to fool Tsina's men for a few second, then the plan is completely mundane. Even their mage cannot uncover that ruse easily as he cannot assense inside the van.

If we fool them, they are going to fire everything they have on that van.  Keep your slaves alive and your people safer.  How about it? You can still kill the guards that are chasing the van if you prefer - or escape with Tsina whatever you prefer. "

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena smiles at her companions.  "Nicolai, is good plan.  Get Tsina.  Kill guards.  Save slaves.  Can do this."

[ismilealot]

Nicolai shrugs. "Two awakened. But they will be with group attacking Tsina's home base. Only group with Yelena is her bratva. Two prong attack necessary or lieutenants kill you to take ownership." He motions you all to a table and in a moment has an image of the train station up. "You will explain your plan and timing. Each of your parts. If possible to sell slaves is good. But, Tsina must believe them dread. Torture begins in mind of subject. She believes we killed them for her she will know she can not beg or buy freedom. Only pain and confession will earn her death.

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena nods and looks at Blackbird and the others.  "Can use some explosives and illusion make Tsina believe?  Would help."

[Qwikfix]

Arc set her jaw as the plan was outlined.  She felt the weight of the role that was imposed on her.  Better hope my practice holds here...nnh....and if this plan is set, that everyone else goes with it...  Her gaze passed over the other two, the human doing her best not to show her apprehension about the operation in general.

But, just in time, her parts arrived.  Nodding her head, she mouthed a thank you before taking a step behind the group, finding a flat place to set the parts down and getting to work right there.  Laying the disparate components apart, she started working with the tools and compartments fitted into her arm.  Cutting, twisting, bending, soldering...she seemed like a sculptor, the final image in her head coming together bit by bit as the others worked things out.  At least  I can guarantee this bit..

[gilga]

The train arrives, Tsina drops from the train with her security.

Nikolai takes Tsina to the office to make the transaction.

At they are walking two things happen - almost simultaneously.

Yelena takes down Tsina with gel rounds and a sniper rifile.

** right about here - Blackbird said and pointed with his hand to a place in the map with a clear line of fire.

At the same time, my bird spirits are going to create chaos at the train by releasing the slaves, and harassing the guards. They are going to attract so much attention to themselves that it is going to be impossible to worry about anything else.   

This means that Tsina's men are going to be distracted by magical birds, escaping slaves and would need their entire composure to understand that a sniper is hunting them one after one.

After Tsina is out, Nikolai is going to load her into the van and I am going to quickly replace her.
Loading Tsina to the van is also our plan B - if things do not go as we plan, we have Tsina, we have a car and we have a gifted driver to drive that car to safety.

Plan A is to keep Tsina at the back of the track while I try to assume command of her men, to confuse them long enough for Yelena to finish the job. My own safety is augmented by Arc's obscuring communication and Jed's job is to make sure Tsina's mage is dealt with. Even if the mage understand the ruse, with no communication he cannot warn the others.

In six seconds that I plan to have Tsina's guards scratching their heads and trying to comprehend what is happening. Yelena should be able to take all of them out. She will still have gell rounds loaded - so I anticipate that none of Tsina's guards is going to actually die. If Jed can augment Yelena to be faster it should also help her finish the job so quickly.

Freed slaves will not get very far in six seconds either, so if we got this far we won. We round the escaping slaves back and keep them in that valley over there, hidden from sight from the van. We load the train with Tsina's unconscious guards and I use illusion to replace the slaves on the train.

Once we are ready, we use a medic kit to bring Tsina back to the living and allow her to witness a real explosion of the train.  She can see her men and the fake slaves die in the explosion.  Perhaps Nikolai would like to give her a choice - confess and save her men. Perhaps not, I really know very little on torturing people into confession.

We get a wonderful distraction out of the slaves, we do not kill them, we convince Tsina that we did. The explosion is real and her men are really on the train. Just the slaves are fake. Tsiana is probably going to look closer at her men, than on the slaves. Her mage is going to be out of the game, I think she will believe us.

Arc's job is going to be two fold, for once if things do not go up as planed I want Arc to drive the van, with Tsina and Nikolai until safety, possibly remotely. If things go as planned than Arc can help us with creating enough noise to prevent communication between Tsina's guards - if they cannot even hear each other it is going to be very difficult for them to communicate with each other and by the time they understand what is going on they are dead.

As for Jed, there is a mage somewhere in there and mages are wildcards, Jed job should be to knock that mage out, prevent him from outing me as a fake Tsina. I should be able to fool all mundane eyes at lest for the time of the combat.

[ismilealot]

Nicolai studies the board going over Marco's plan and timing and listening to the others as they add their comments on what they can do.