OOC:　I believe I started sharing once I reached your van.

Fair enough. So quick correction; sorry White Duck. You're not aware of the new individual. We can reopen the Sewer Rats thread if someone chooses to share or act. Are you off with Caduceus to the Banshee?

Caduceus knows a little about the Banshee. It's a no-name bar in a relatively quiet corner of the barrens. Unfortunately, the roads there aren't always so quiet, so he has to take a rather circuitous, winding route. At one point, deep in Crimson Crush territory, Caduceus sees a trio of go-gangers in Blood Rumbler colors coming down the main drag, loud and proud.

Once they're clear, Caduceus can continue on his ride. He arrives at the Banshee plenty early. The place lives up to your expectations. The brick facade is completely unremarkable, with a broken neon sign announcing the "Sa sh e" is open for business. The heavy steel door pulls open, a common feature for establishments more interested in exiting clients than entering ones. There are no windows. Muffled music seeps from under the door.

As you enter the bar, you are slightly more impressed. Although last year's favorite tunes blast from a pair of decaying speakers, the music is clear and loud. The door opens into a narrow hall with a single low window to your left. At the far end of the hall, perhaps twelve feet away, is a steel and wire mesh gate with a single crossbar that can only be operated from the other side. A single human bouncer tells you to check your hardware with the Dwarf behind the window. The man is unarmed, unless you count the cyber eyes and matching set of razors protruding from the back of his hands. As you move to comply, a gritty Dwarf muscles your heavier equipment into rusty metal racks. Your are, of course, allowed to keep your hand guns. The Dwarf flips a thumbs-up sign to the bouncer, who opens the gate.

The Banshee is obviously a meeting place. There is no dance floor to speak of, and there is no room for any type of stage. The music is canned, piped into the bar to cover the inhabitants' conversations. There are several large tables in the center of the room, surrounded by deeply padded vinyl chairs. The only bar is directly in front of you. As you look in, you can see several scantily clad waitresses moving slowly through the thin crowd.

Caduceus, having arrived so early, has plenty of time to check the place out.

Copperhead and Noruas take a much longer route. With Copperhead's drone providing overwatch and a solid knowledge of the streets, they strategically route around any potential trouble spots. It costs them a little more time, but they can still get to the bar before the meeting time, with ten minutes to spare. Unfortunately, neither had time to do more research on the odd guy at the last bar.

(White Duck has his choice of transportation.)

Copperhead spotted Caduceus's bike a couple of minutes before her arrival.  Flying was pretty much always faster than driving, particularly when navigating the patchwork of asphalt, concrete, gravel and debris that passed for roads in the barrens.  She calls the mage up with her cell.

"Nice drivin.  Had ta pick up a toy on da way.  Anyone interestin inside?"

Her voice comes over the intercom in the back of the camper.  "Noruas, ya wanna go inside as meat or ya wanna deck da place?  I kin fine a place ta jack in and keep somethin ta watch yer corpse if ya wants."

Having ridden with Copperhead and Nouras, White Duck exits the vehicle and dusts himself off.

"So, would you folks mind if I got into the pay negotiations, or do you already have someone designated for that?" he asks of no-one in particular.

"Ya go 'head.  Der's a comm in da drawer.  An in da glove 'partment der's a scorp'n drone.  Take it wit' ya.  Mind da pointy bit.  Oh, an don touch da det'nators.

I'm gonna do da over-watchin' ting.  I figger Mr. Shades is like ta bring trouble.  If he ain' already done it."

It would suck if the Johnson was already dead.  She hadn't even paid them the up-front money.

Noruas takes Copperhead on her offer, Sure, show me where I can plug in, and set someone or something to watch my meat.

Can Copperhead find a location that's likely to have Matrix access or a location that's tappable?  (Ideally one where a couple of small armed drones won't be a problem . . .)

After securing his ride and giving the street-side of the place a once over in both physical and astral space, Caduceus entered the rundown building.  Immediately inside the threshold, Caduceus took a purposeful stance inside the doorway and scanned the area for any unwanted astral surprises.

Satisfied, he visually soaked in the composition of the building itself.  Arcing his neck as he examined the wall, ceiling, then other wall.  As he did, one of his fingers absently swirled around on the nearby wall, calling forth a spirit of the hearth.  His consciousness called out in a whisper through the nooks and crannies of the walls.  Into the gaps between brick and beam, where a snake could creep comfortably and in safety.

Listening.  Waiting.  Learning...

Rolling 6 of 8 dice on a conjuring test in Caduceus' chosen environment.  Force 4.
11:14, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 3,1,5,1,4,3.  Force 4 Hearth Spirit Conjuring.
Got two services.
Carrying over 2 conjuring dice to add to the drain test.  Total of 8.
11:16, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 8d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 3,1,2,5,4,5,4,3.  Drain Resistance 4.
Medium stun reduced to no stun.

After what seemed like hours, although Caduceus knew it had been mere seconds, a spirit came to answer his call.  "Shhhhh.  Come back in a bit," the shaman whispered under his breath to the spirit as he continued to examine the wall.  It returned to where it came from as instructed.

After all his loitering in the entrance, Caduceus suddenly strode forward with purpose.  He swiftly showed the cybered dwarf that he had no weapons worth confiscating under his longcoat. () After being let in he made his way to an empty table far from the door and made himself comfortable.  He casually scanned the room in physical space and astral space for any obvious threats.  As long as it looked like nobody was watching him in astral space, he ordered a big "Scotch and water on the rocks, hold the scotch," then called back his hearth buddy.  He put his boots up on the chair next to him and settled in.

A while later, when he got the call from Copperhead, he listened to what she had to say then replied, "Nah, not too interesting in here yet.  Looks better on the inside than the outside though, that's for sure.  I would send you a picture, but I get the impression that it would be frowned upon.  On that note, you should know you are expected to check your big guns at the door, so no bazookas.  I would say that was obvious but, well, I don't really know any of you very well yet."  Caduceus shrugs even though she can't see him.  "Anyway... I take it you are almost here?  Any last minute details I should be aware of before our meeting starts?"  Caduceus glanced at the time displayed on his pocket secretary.  The Johnson could show up any minute now.

"Decker's gonna manage stuff from out 'ere.  I'll sen Ducky in wit a s'cure comm fer ya.  He's volnteered ta do da negotiatin.  We kin throws in our 2 nuyen wit da comms.  Ya kin mebe handle da overwatch on da inside?

Noruas snapped some pics o' a tail da J had at Reno, so we oughta be ready for compny.  I'll letcha know when she gets 'ere.  An if anyone else is joinin' da party.  Der in 5, watchin already."

Can I send the pictures over the phone?

With her drone Copperhead performed a detailed scan of the parking lot, the building and anything with a line of sight to it or the parking lot, taking care to remain well above the maximum range of the average hunting rifle.  In part, it was to make detection by the Johnson or others more challenging.  But primarily it was to keep her baby safe.  Most of the locals in the Barrens weren't too keen on anyone monitoring their activities, let alone LoneStar.

quote:

11:41, Today: Copperhead rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,2,5,3,1,4.  Perception.
11:45, Today: Copperhead rolled 2 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,4,1,1,4.  Active sensor sweep.

"Overwatch.  Got it."  The shaman hung up the phone and looked casually around the room again.  This time with security in mind.  He took more careful note of peoples' auras now, cross referencing the ones he had seen at the club, since it would be much easier to throw on a new jacket and a wig than it would be to disguise your aura.  He payed extra attention to newer arrivals.  If the Johnson had a stalker it would not be good news for them.  Chances were that the four of them were already being added to a checklist of her known associates or something.  They might be able to press her for more cash if she was in a hurry though...  Caduceus hoped this White Duck kid knew his stuff when it came to negotiating.

Caduceus sipped his ice water and put negotiations out of his mind, however.  He was on guard duty now.  And between his skills, tricks, and spirit buddy, Caduceus was confident he could manage that task quite effectively.

As his lips left his cup he let a slight smirk escape, directed at the hearth spirit in the "empty" chair next to him.  "Hope you don't mind subtlety."  The bottomless eyes of the vaguely humanoid entity stared back at him.  It looked almost like a little bouncer and about exactly as talkative.

11:34, Today: Caduceus rolled 3 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,5,1,2,(6+4)10.  Aura Reading (Auras) - Recognizing anyone from the club.
Caduceus may try casting a spell while he still has a bit of time to relax (hopefully) if his drain test goes poorly, depending on what all of his observations since arriving reveal.

Unfortunately, matrix jacks around the barrens are hard to find on short notice. The telecom network is forty years out of date, and totally unmaintained. You can drop Noruas a few miles back at a safe little corner if you want.

Caduceus summons up the bar's hearth spirit; a small but muscled homunculus forms in the shadows of the corner, visible only to him. As Caduceus gets settled, he can sense the spirit still lingering just at the edge of his vision, and feel it grow closer when called. Caduceus can faintly hear a stream of whispers surround the two of them, but try as he might, he can't pull out more than stray words from the noise.

The spirit awaits Caduceus's command.

Copperhead can send the image, but the connection is weak, and will take a few minutes. Who are you sending it to?

Copperhead does a quick scan of the area. There's a mix of very trashy, very armored, and very nice vehicles parked within a three-block radius, including a small helicopter parked a few blocks over.

With White Duck and Caduceus in the bar, the time for the appointment finally arrives. One of them goes to the bartender and asks for Urian, as the Johnson had instructed. The bartender continues to run the wet bar with an even wetter rag. He casually looks up and scans you. With exaggerated slowness, he points to the far door. He raises his hand to the troll standing there, and returns to his work. Crossing the wet tile floor, you are ushered into the next room by the doorman.

The next room is not a meeting room, but another section of the bar. There are several tables, of slightly higher quality, bunched in the center of the room and a large redwood bar against the back wall. The music is much softer in this room. The doorman backs out, closes the door, and the music fades altogether, and with it, your wireless connections, including radios and cell phones. Sitting at the bar, sipping some foaming blue concoction, is your very lovely Ms. Johnson.

Mr. Johnson ushers you into a small room, set in the back of The Banshee. Inside is a legless vinyl couch and a card table with five straight-backed wooden chairs. A single bare light bulb hangs from the plaster ceiling. Seated on an arm of the couch, next to some kind of electronic box, is a huge Indian. He is wearing a leather jacket with matching fringed breeches and loin cloth. He is not wearing a shirt. Instead, a bone vest, brightly decorated with colored beads and small feathers, covers his massive chest. His feet are covered by thick-soled moccasins, intricately designed with hundreds of hand-sewn beads. On his left foot is the pattern of a snake, seemingly caught beneath the sole of the big man's foot. On the right is a small green bird, just taking flight up his calf. As you enter the room, he flips a switch on the front of the box and rises to meet you. A faint, relaxing
hum fills the room.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Urian Manes, son of Isheer Many-Manes and president of Global Technologies. The woman who brought you here is Roxanne Wunter. We would like to acquire your services.

<green>"The task is a simple one. Last night, a member of my staff assisted several thieves in stealing three data chips from my company. Although the defense was spirited, all of the thieves managed to get away. The one who turned against me was like a son. But that is no more. I must have these chips back. The actual thieves are of little consequence; the stolen merchandise is vital.

"Time is of the essence. However, you cannot charge into battle full of pride and self-importance. This run must be accomplished silently. Am I understood? Even a hint of your activities could be disastrous.

"I understand the way of the world. The workman is worthy of his wage. I am, therefore, willing to pay competitive rates. However, I must have the chips delivered here, into Roxanne's hands, no later than 9 A.M. Friday. It's now Tuesday night. That gives you two and half days to do your job."

Outside, Copperhead and Noruas are treated to static.

Copperhead will drop Noruas off a couple of miles away if he wishes, so long as it's within comm range of the bar.  Depending on the safety of the location, she'll also give him her shot-gun mounted crawler to watch his hoop and discourage anyone from interfering with him.

She transmits the image to Caduceus.  White Duck was with me and Noruas, so he's already seen the image (and could presumably have transferred it to something he could carry if he wished).

Copperhead let out a few choice words as her link goes dark, thankful that she was in captain's mode at the time.  The scorpion drone slumped uselessly into the recesses of White Duck's pocket.  If she'd been jumped into her little drone, the loss of connectivity would've meant for a nasty headache.

She doesn't bother trying to re-establish the connection.  This wasn't a jammer, it was a shielded room.  Short of drilling a hole in the wall and slipping an antenna through, there was no way she was going to listen in.  Technically she had the equipment to do what was necessary, but that was the sort of thing that was likely to make a skittish J like this one downright unruly.  Plus the population density was a little high for her to undertake the task without getting detected.

She settled for attempting to reconstruct the geometry of the building based on what she had seen of the feed from the "public" portion of the bar as well as the quick view she'd had of the private section before the door closed.  She used that information together with her exterior view of the building to try to get a sense of where White Duck likely was.  Then she went to work looking for doors, windows or anything else that might allow ingress or egress from that area.  If White Duck needed to get out in a hurry or someone else wanted to get in, she wanted that information easily available.

On the plus side, Caduceus was well positioned to relay a warning if someone showed up here that looked like they intended to raise any issues.  And if Noruas managed to dig up anything useful about the photos he'd grabbed before the meeting was over, he'd be able to relay that as well.

She parked the van about a block away, positioned to be well lined up with the interior doorway.  Her deck was positioned on the dash, antennas aimed squarely at the building  If she could get a burst of signal from someone else going into or out of the "private" area of the bar, she intended to make the most of that opportunity.  Her drone took care of watching the back side of the building.  While she waited for the static to disappear, she focused her energy on grabbing vehicle images, license plate information and still images of anyone visible outdoors.

It sucked that she could listen in on the discussions.  When the run was done, she'd have to investigate the possibility of some sort of sub-sonic or hypersonic communication device.  Something that worked outside the range of most white noise generators, or was low enough bandwidth that it could compensate for the noise.  Most places relied on the generators now, so true soundproofing was rare.  The tricky bit would translating the subvocalizations of whoever was in the "private" area into appropriate text for low bandwidth transmission . . .

She pulled herself back to the images, doing a quick scan for threats.  Overwatch could be fragging boring.

Duck, having noticed the drone going silent in his pocket, leans back, considering the words of Manes. Two less in his audience of observers didn't really affect his nerves, but if things went hot, he'd have to at least get outside of jamming range to contact the team for emergency backup, so he noted the location in which the drone went dead as he'd entered. It was a shame, really, as he'd hoped the team that had worked together before would use the meet as a chance to demonstrate his usefulness. Here's hoping a fat paycheck helped out just as much. With an impassive face, he leans in to address the Johnson.

"Well, Mr. Manes, I would certainly say that we would be able to help you with that. Subtlety is an expertise of mine, personally, and I am confident enough to tell you that this job would be done aptly. However, I'd like for us to talk about some specifics regarding payment prior to accepting the work." he smiles politely, his teeth shining white as he reaches into his coat and draws forth a cigarette, lighting it and adding to the haziness of the room after a deep draw.

"I am supposing now would be a good time to ask you about an initial offering for our services."

Where is the location of my connection to the matrix?  I don't think we really established that very well...

Caduceus is in the room with White Duck too, correct?  If not, I will edit my post as appropriate.

After White Duck entered the Banshee, Caduceus spent one of his spirit's services to have it Guard the two of them.  He didn't want any simple accidents to mess up their entire night.  When they were showed to the other room the shaman kept one eye on the astral plane, watching out for any barriers, spirits, or other astral forms.  He wouldn't be too concerned if he found any of those things, but he did want to be aware of their existence.

He was a bit surprised to see their Johnson in the room already.  Either she made excellent time in arriving here, or she came in through a separate entrance.  His bet was on the later.  He looked around for where that entrance might be, just so that no other surprises would sneak up on them from that direction.  Especially the guy in the image Copperhead sent him a few minutes earlier.

As introductions were made, Caduceus nodded politely and kept a friendly face, but otherwise remained silent.  He listened to what Mr. Manes had to say, but the negotiations were White Duck's department.  The tattoos on Mr. Mane's feet did catch Caduceus' eye though.  He looked carefully to see if they looked shamanic in origin or if they possibly had some other meaning.  He looked carefully at Mr. Mane's astral signature too, in an effort to see if the man was Awakened.


14:00, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,5,(6+2)8,2,4.  Knowledge - Symbolism - foot tattoos.
I'm looking for any significance the tattoos might have for Mr. Manes other than to look pretty.

14:03, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,2,5,5,5,(6+4)10.  Assensing test - Mr. Manes.
14:05, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,1,1,(6+5)11,(6+3)9.  Aura Reading (Auras) - Complimentary Assensing skill.
That should fall into the 5+ category on the Assensing Table if I did things correctly.

Also, if the room happens to have a barrier on it, would that mean my hearth spirit is stuck outside (and unable to Guard us) and I should try summoning another one?

For matrix connections, you could hunt for a telecom line somewhere, tap in, and hang off the side like a scarecrow. Next to that, you can find a matrix cafe further out than that, pay some cash, and bunker down out of the weather.

Manes leans back in his seat, as though preparing for a deep laugh.

"Direct, no time wasted. I like that!"

"100,000 per chip. There are three, so that is a tidy profit for you, I imagine. You may decide to divide that up among your coworkers as you please."

Yes, Caduceus is there as well.

The room is warded; a simple wall of magic, but certainly sufficient for these purposes. The spirit has no issue entering though; this is where it lives!

There's no sign of a second entrance, and no signs of other parties.

Caduceus reads his new Johnson carefully. The man is not awakened, but he is certainly aware. His spirit is strong, and unwavering. The colors are unusually even. From his tattoos, you judge the man to be of the plains tribes, but not all of them are so traditional. A few have more modern motifs, with lines of code and circuit boards. Unfortunately, understanding that is beyond your ken.

As the meeting moves on, Copperhead's drones catch an unusual shadow around the back of the building. Zooming in, it looks like your old friend from the bar has made a reappearance. He has a radio or phone close to his mouth, that he's whispering into.

Is Noruas's deck set up to allow radio communications yet?  Or an inbound cell call?  Please? :>  If not, I'll adjust the post.

Also - spirits can go through wards within their building?  That's a slightly scary security hole.  Yer fren is playin sneaky sneaky at da back an Ducky an da bald dude is in a comm-shielded room so I can warn'em.

Copperhead zoomed in with her cameras, trying to pick out as much detail as she could.  Unfortunately she was too far out for audio pick-up.  And if she brought her drone in close enough to pick up audio, it was almost certain the man would detect her.

The rigger reached out to Noruas.  "Kin ya get me da phone number o' dis Banshee place?  Also, yer fren from da bar is yammerin on 'is comm while hidin roun da back.  If ya can break in an cop a lissen, dat'd be good"

The rigger kicks off her frequency scanner.  If it was a radio, she should find it easily enough.  There weren't that many bands licensed for such use (civilian or military).

quote:

16:06, Today: Copperhead rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,2,1,4,(6+5)11,2.  Electronic warfare - companion skill.
16:05, Today: Copperhead rolled 5 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,4,(6+1)7,4,4,3.  Scanner - identify radio frequency.
16:04, Today: Copperhead rolled 1 success using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,(6+2)8,2,2,3,2.  Perception - info on shadow guy.

So on perception, one success on stuff that isn't blatantly obvious.

On the scanner, if the radio's rating 1, I'll find it in 5 minutes.  If it's 2-4, I'll find it in 15 minutes (in the unlikely event things haven't gone south by then).  If it's higher than that, I can try again in 30 minutes.

Copperhead, you mind lending me a drone so we can go say hi to that gentleman?  Unless you have other plans for him.  It might be wise to warn our new teammates inside...
This message was last edited by the player at 11:44, Wed 21 Oct 2015.

I do not believe Noruas has a radio or cell connection on his deck yet.

In general, spirits cannot cross wards regardless. But shamans break rules, and in this particular case, the Banshee owners have an ongoing relationship with their hearth spirit, so it's all good.

Seeing as communication is rather important - the team's expecting an ambush, is Noruas able to establish a call to my cell?  And would he have done that prior to me noticing the shadowy individual?

Duck whistles, his face even and calm, but his honest demeanor cautious. He breaks into a tone of strict neutrality, cautiously avoiding the use of the more aggressive terminology in favor of more polite ones.

"Mr. Manes, Discretion is of utmost importance to my clientele. I respect the confidentiality of your information, sir, and would rather agree to payment before you disclose any information to me. This is, of course, out of respect for our mutual security as well." he smiles, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"That said, I'd much rather clarify a few terms. First, I'm assuming that by offering such a high fee, we aren't to know the contents of these chips, or try to use them in any way, just that you'd like them back safely in your hands as promptly as possible." he doffs his cigarette politely into a nearby ashtray. His posture eases a bit, but his eyes are keen through the smoke.

"Secondly, silence is a large part of our expertise, but sometimes things happen. I'm assuming that you would not want to attract any outside attention, naturally, but what if the current thieves aren't so willing to part with their chips, and end up taking arms? Would it be in violation of our contract to neutralize any hostile personnel?" he asks, not giving much of a pause, but holding up three fingers with his hand instead.

"Thirdly, those chips could be anywhere, it's been almost a day. They could be in Japan or Germany- we can track them down, but that factor, along with many others, may require an advance to cover some of the costs associated with this type of task." he holds up a forth finger.

"We'd also like the opportunity to know more about this disloyal employee of yours. If he was close to you personally, that's a potential vulnerability, and while I'm assuming you're already taken countermeasures in your security to prevent further infiltration, it would benefit us greatly in knowing more of the specifics how the task of stealing the chips was accomplished." he says, then holds up a fifth. Through some sleight of hand, series of photographs appear in his palm, he places them onto the table.

"Lastly, do you recognize this individual? He was spotted tailing Roxanne out of the club and reporting to someone via commlink. We don't want him to come to any harm, if he's one of your employees, but we also want to make sure he isn't already compromising your discretion." he asks, finishing his cigarette and putting it out in the tray. He leans back and nods politely, allowing the potential employer to respond. Spotting that tail was a trump card, and he grinned as he thought of Nouras' work as a clear demonstration of professional competency to Manes.

I'm not sure if you've mentioned whether or not I should make a negotiation roll here, but he's mentioned several factors that would possibly lead to an increase in pay, an advance, etc, so I'm presuming this is where I'd make it if it's a player-side roll. Clearly, I'm using Negotiation (Bargain) here if it's a GM-side roll.

"Good. I'm happy to get money out of the way.

"You are correct. The chips should not be run or analyzed. Executing them would be, likely, fatal, although not always immediately so. No copies, no analysis. The only copies are delivered to me, or they are destroyed. What happens to those who are currently holding the chips is not of my concern. I trust you to use your tools judiciously, without bringing the attention of the police or the media to focus on me."

If Manes has any discomfort over authorizing the deaths of individuals, it doesn't show. Both his face and his astral are as even and unperturbed as if he had just ordered a coffee.

"We can arrange a small advance, if that is what you require.

"We can provide information on the disloyal employee. And on the events resulting in the loss of the chips. Unfortunately, the employee has decided to cut his losses before we could intercept him. He may be useful to your investigation, if you can find him."

Manes does break for the briefest moment when the pictures are provided, showing the slightest hint of surprise before he can resume his stony-faced demeanor. He takes the pictures and examines them, then hands them over to Roxanne. She looks at them closely and shakes her head.

"No, no I don't recognize him."

She hands the photos back to Duck. Manes continues,

"there are other complicating factors. I suspect this may be one of them ... He is not one of ours."


If you want to roll negotiations now, you absolutely can. Otherwise I can roll it for you. Since you don't know his Intelligence, just post what you roll and I'll figure out how many successes. Also, don't worry about actual amounts of nuyen--the whole back-and-forth is abstracted. I roll, you roll, I take the actual amount offered (which I haven't posted, but is above what I stated), and I figure out the final figure. All of the posturing, such as the pictures of the guy outside and general professional demeanor, just offer modifiers to the roll.


If Noruas is online at another location, or sitting in the van with you, in either case he would be able to contact you, and I have to imagine he will do so. He's not very useful decking in from a remote location, but unable to tell what's actually going on.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:37, Tue 20 Oct 2015.

Duck nods.

"In this line of work, complicating factors are an expected variable, Mr. Manes. That said, I already see a few." he points to the man in the photograph.

"Take for example this mook. Sorry to say, I know you recognize him, and he's a complication I'd like to know more about what you might know in the interests of my own safety and yours. Your call on how you'd like the issue handled, but we can handle it." He leaves *how* the issue would be handled to the imagination, but seeing that the J was cold enough to authorize wetwork, which Duck himself disdained, it probably wouldn't matter how to him. He continues.

"By the way, it's good for you as far as costs are concerned that the condition of the chips doesn't matter when it comes to final costs. However, since we're not to copy, run, or analyze them, it seems like we're dealing with intellectual property. You'd like us to recover or destroy them, which means you don't want anyone *else* getting their hands on them, including us. They must be nova-hot tech. I have a feeling that us successfully completing this work could be very successful for you and your associates..." he grins, mentioning another factor that might indeed indicate that the runner would like to accept the initial offer on behalf of the team.

"If these chips are dangerous enough to kill, I will presume the individuals that would slot them and survive would be highly dangerous as well, and I appreciate your discretion in how we handle them." He says. He leans in, steepling his palms and bringing his fingers into temples.

"Those are three potentially extreme complications to the initial task of recovering the chips for you that have been revealed in just our brief discussion. I'll let you know now that none of these complications are beyond our capacity of resolving. However, like my mama back home used to say, 'The Lotus has many petals.' I am certain that this task will get more and more interesting as it blossoms, so to speak." He inclines his head politely, his smile that of a polished businessman.

"Rumors can spread quickly enough if folks are already slotting these chips or trying to tamper with, copy, or analyze them themselves. Maybe someone's cracked it? You already mentioned a potential info leak in your initial offer in saying you'd like this done silently. We can assure that this breach remains discrete, and we can retrieve these chips within the provided timeframe. We, Mr. Manes, are an asset that you may never wanted to utilize, but if we accept the assignment, you will be very glad you hired us, and so will your corporate stocks." he says slyly, scratching the back of his head for a moment. The demeanor of the stone-faced man was a clear weakness, since the clear tell in Manes' expression uncovered something he didn't want exposed.

"I like you Mr. Manes, you aren't a sheep. However, you don't hire a sheep for this type of work, either. For that reason, you have my respect. I would like to be direct with you out of that respect and make you a counter-offer. In addition to a small advance, I'd like for you to consider an offer of 150 per-chip and a ten thousand advance. Do you think we can work something out?"

As the conversation continued, Caduceus mostly just provided continued overwatch to White Duck.  Which is to say, he stood behind White Duck and tried to look intimidating and professional while trying not to breathe in the smoke from Duck's cigarette.  A signal block on the room meant there probably wasn't anyone sneaking drones in through the air ducts or anything, and a barrier meant that astral invasions of privacy were unlikely as well, which only made Caduceus' job that much easier.

After seeing Manes falter when the pictures were shown, Caduceus allowed himself the tiniest of smirks.  Not because he had anything against the man, but because it showed the man wasn't perfect.  "Perfect" people put Caduceus on edge and are harder for him to trust.  But seeing that slight flaw in his persona relaxed the shaman enough that he shifted his attention for a bit to Roxanne so he could formally assense her as well.

And once his attention shifted back to her, he realized that it was still bothering him that she slipped in without him noticing since he could have sworn he should have gotten here faster than her.  But there were no other entrances as far as he could tell.  It would make sense for a place like this to have a less obvious way in.  He had a difficult time imagining Mr. Manes strolling in through the front door.  After briefly examining Roxanne's aura Caduceus takes a closer look at the building's layout and tries to piece together where a likely hidden passage might be located.  He knew he could always have the hearth spirit search one out, but the astral entity probably wouldn't feel like granting any more favors after that, and so Caduceus relied on his own knowledge of building layouts to try and puzzle it out.

10:18, Today: Caduceus rolled 1 success using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,5,1,1,1,2.  Assensing test - Roxanne.
10:19, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,5,2,2,4.  Aura Reading (Auras) - Complimentary Assensing skill.

10:33, Today: Caduceus failed (no successes) using 3d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,3,3.  Knowledge: Building Schematics - Where a hidden entrance might be likely to be.
:(