I need to know who is going into the party, who is staying outside, who is doing other stuff. If you're going in, tell me what you're bringing.

As the group wraps up their conversation (or at least, their requirement for matrix access) they pile back into the van and head westward towards the party. You get about two miles when a pair of lone star cars come in from behind, sirens and lights on full blast. Copperhead preps the van's discrete defenses, but holds on showing her cards until she knows their intent. The cars zoom past the van and continue on.

Copperhead continues on route. A few hundred yards on, the flashing lights clearly demark the cause of alarm. There's a meat wagon from the local chop shop parked out front of an old, but clearly inhabited tenement. They are laying the exsanguinated remains of a young dwarf bearing way too much skin. The 'medic' (for lack of a better term) covers her blue corpse with a sheet as you drive past.

The drive is chronologically short, but in regards to class differences it's different worlds. Everything is flashing lights and beautiful people. The address on the invitation, a glorious white condominium, is bathed in light. The Seattle fog surrenders itself to the twin searchlights parked out front. Stretch limos and taxis alike glide to a stop in front of the complex's security station, and with a wave of their golden invitations, they pass through the magical portal to the luxury beyond.

Copperhead's drone moved ahead and settled into a comfortable orbit at her usual 1-k height trying to get a lay of the land before arriving.  She was going to have to be a tad mor cautious here as there would likely be a good number of legitimate LoneStar drones in the region and she didn't feel like them taking too close a look at her serial numbers or wondering why she was in their sector.  The good news was that standard operating procedure called for a height considerably lower than hers.

Once in position, she did a quick scan looking for threats and to get a sense of the building's layout before changing her focus to finding a good parking spot.

"Probaly best if ya goes in on foot.  Dis ride ain gonna be a good fit."

She offers her tracking device to White Duck before he exits the van and passes her ear-cell to the mage.

"Think yer spirit frens kin 'ceal da van an da drone?  An mebbe me an' Noruas too, case we needs ta do some outside sneakin?"

Which floor is the party on?  It sounded like 2nd or 3rd floor, but I wasn't totally clear.  How big is the floor?  Does that floor have an outdoor balcony or courtyard?  Largely glass windows around the exterior of that floor?  Multiple rooms?

What are the parking options like?  Ideally I'd like a position kitty corner where I can shine my laser eavesdropping tool on two sides of the building.  And somewhere that it won't be super hard to drive up beside the building, behind it, etc. as needed.  And of course, not a location that's likely to have the friendly neighborhood LoneStar patrolman tapping on the driver window 2 minutes after I park . . .

There are multiple Lone Star cars outside of the perimeter, and a Knight Errant van parked in the lot. There's a wide space around the building itself, with a pool, tennis courts, and gardens. The gardens have a few small groups looking for privacy. The pool has beautiful women in bikinis, handsome men in their speedos or trunks. Clearly it's heated, and very well lit. The building itself shows all the signs of modern engineering and luxury.


The party is on multiple floors, but mostly the 16th. The condo is very large, easily three full-sized apartments. It has a large bay window on one side and a patio.

There is parking under the building, and a second lot behind. However, there is a wall around the green space, which keeps people away, and there's no street parking by the apartment building itself. On the good side, aiming lasers at the 17th floor means you can be pretty far from the building, as long as you clear line of sight. If you don't mind being down the block, you can clear it.

Duck, suited up in a classic black tuxedo, brushes some errant cat fur from his shoulder and looks to Cadeuces. He palms his invitation, looking around somewhat saddened, if only for a moment, to not have some drop-dead gorgeous girl on his arm, but, well, maybe he'd find one at this party to begin with.

"Shall I go in now and expect you to join me in a few?"

As soon as Caduceus had the phone in his ear, she buzzed him with the burner phone she'd acquired for the purpose.

"Comm check.  I'll letcha know if we see 'r here anythin interestin from out here.  We'll try ta fin a place where Noruas kin deck, so we kin dig some intel fer ya too."

Is there anywhere nearby he could jack in safely with a decent connection speed?  Cyber cafe would be ideal.  Alley with promising wiring could work too if I can cover that while watching the building.

Sewer line with access would also be ok.  But would it be too hard for us to access to the underground parking?
This message was last edited by the player at 14:49, Wed 07 Sept 2016.

Cafes are a little sparse here. You could find one, but it won't be LOS on the building. Underground telecom access is far more common, if you feel like running a tap.

Caduceus will be leaving most of his gear in Copperhead's vehicle, in his satchel bag.  He is only bringing his pocket secretary and pocket flashlight with him into the party.

"Yeah, you can go ahead without me White Duck," Caduceus said as he fitted Copperhead's earpiece into his ear.  "I wanted to do an astral sweep of the place before going in anyway.  I'll mind-link you when I get in, assuming it's safe, so don't be alarmed if you feel my thoughts slither into the back of your mind.  The link should stay stable so long as we remain within about forty feet of each other.  It should allow us to share information freely at that point."

The snake shaman slicked back his hair and brushed a nonexistent speck off the front of his fancy silk vest, then cracked his knuckles in a series of satisfying pops.  "But first let's see what spirits this city has to offer."  Caduceus closed his eyes, rolled his shoulders, then let out a long controlled breath.  He slowly reached out one hand and pressed it against the wall of Copperhead's rig and brought his other hand quietly up to his face.  He held his pointer finger lightly against his lips and murmured words just quietly enough to be indecipherable.  In this way, Caduceus called a spirit of the city toward him.

13:04, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 2,(6+2)8,2,3,(6+1)7,4.  Conjure Force 3 City Spirit.
13:04, Today: Caduceus rolled 6 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 5,5,(6+4)10,4,(6+5)11,5.  Drain Test.

After greeting the new spirit appropriately, he asked it to do what Copperhead requested, using descriptors it would understand. "I want you to keep these two, this vehicle, and Copperhead's drone Concealed and Guarded whenever they happen to be in your domain."

"Hopefully that will accomplish what you hoped," he said, flashing Copperhead and Noruas a half-smile.  "Now, if you would be so kind as to keep me alive for a moment, I need to take a quick stroll outside of my body.  Oh, and make sure I don't drool on my fancy outfit."  Caduceus strapped himself into one of the vehicle's seats and got comfortable, then began murmuring to himself again much like before.  It was only a moment before his eyes rolled back into his head and his entire body slumped.

Caduceus will go have a look around the building, keeping his distance as he looks for obvious wards, spirits, or evidence of spells.  Then if it's safe, he'll go in closer and see if anyone seems to be observing the astral and/or if there are any noteworthy auras.

"I thinks I gots a napkin 'ere somewhere.  We kin try ta keep ya presenable."

So is there a location where Noruas could tap where I could keep an eye on him and he wouldn't be too obvious?  If he needs to go down the sewer, I can send a small drone with him to keep an eye on him.  (We really need to acquire a high-rating wireless tap or two so that you can just install the tap and then do your decking from the comfort and safety of the van, but the timelines on that are too long for this run.)

You can park overtop an access manhole. It goes pretty deep; fiber laid inside of existing utility tunnels. But you're 80% sure there aren't any ghouls down there.

Duck nods to Cadeuces, palming his invitation and making sure his unobtrusive, yet incredibly lethal deck of playing cards is keep enough in the pockets of his coat to remain hidden. He walks up to the party's entrance and attempts to get himself in.

Firefox made a mental note to install a trap door in the bottom of the van.  Such a feature would have a number of potential uses.  She'd just have to figure out how to ensure it didn't   In the meantime, she parked a bit in front of the manhole and opened one of the upper cabinets to reveal a pair of crawler drones, each the size of a small dog.  One had a shotgun mounted, the other a rifle, though the barrel was currently unscrewed and strapped to the door of the cabinate.

"Ya kin take both if ya think ya kin handle da weight goin down da ladder, but da shotgun one's probly 'nuff.  Be sure ta keep yer respirator 'n goggles on tight 'fore ya jacks in.  Gas mask'd be even better.  An lie to da side o' da tunnel ta somewhere dat's gots at least a tirdy meter straight line o sight ta eider side.  That way I kin drops any critters 'fore day gets ta ya an starts gnawin on yer leg.  Oh, an bemember which way ta run ta da ladder if ya wakes up ta shootin."

Noruas sighs deeply at the thought of crawling into the sewers.  The things I do for this team....

I'll take both of them.  Just screw in the rifle barrel and I'll head on down.  Got any sources of lights I can use?  He begins loading his Predators with EX explosive rounds.

Once he has finished loading his Predators, he puts the comm in his ear and taps it into his deck, Comm check, he asks the group.

She handed the decker a flashlight, then unstraped both drones, and passed them to him as well.  She eyed him critically for a couple of seconds, then reached out to take the rifle-mounted crawler back.

"No way ya kin carry'em both on da ladder.  I's only gonna be able ta run one adda time anyhow."

<blue"Comms good, but  da only one on da coms's me.  I kin relay over da phone to da udders.  If I gots time, I'll see if I kin patch'em tagether."</blue>

She helped remove the manhole cover and then pushed it back in place once he was down, keeping her eyes open to make sure they weren't drawing attention.  Then she returned to the security of the van.

"While yer patchin, I'm gonna take a look roun.  See if I sees any signs o' critters"

As soon as Noruas put the controller down, it sped off at a surprisingly rapid pace.  The tracks kicking up a spray of what Noruas hoped was just rain-water.  A minute or so later, a whirring noise signalled the drone's return, splashing him again as it quickly headed down the tunnel the other direction, returning again and coming to a stop along the opposite wall of the tunnel.

"S'all clear 's fer as I kin tell"

I'll check 200 meters in both directions, using thermographic vision, radar and if appropriate, ultrasound.  If I see anything particularly interesting, I'll turn on my strobe to light it up and study a still visual image.  Then I'll park with my shotgun facing the wall (will make Noruas more comfortable than pointing it at him), so I can quickly spin in either direction.

quote:

14:10, Today: Copperhead rolled 4 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of (6+2)8,5,2,(6+1)7,4,1.  Perception in sewers.

If I do actually see something, I'll obviously adjust the "all clear" in my post

Noruas, you might want to be explicit about whether you're wearing goggles and/or a respirator or gasmask.  If I end up triggering neurostun, it's going to matter.

She continued to monitor the drone in the sewer as she dug out her laser eavesdropper and scanned the windows of the building for a point that seemed promising, before settling down into captains chair mode. She used her aerial drone to pick up what she could of the conversations in the garden or the balcony, occasionally pausing to aim her laser device at a new patch of window.  Her focus was to locate Pengrave as well as anyone else who seemed interesting, relaying what she learned to Caduceus.

While here ears were busy, her eyes flicked between a view of the air traffic around her arial drone and the more limited signals returned from the base sensors of her crawler - radar and low-light being the most useful in the circumstances.  For good measure, at semi-random intervals, she would spin the drone one way or the other so she could check in infrared and ultrasound, just to confirm there was no change in the surrounding environment.

<orange>

"Noruas is online if ya gots any questions"

The dwarf shrugs at the mention of not being able to carry two.  He graciously takes the flashlight and begins his descent down into the sewers.  Once he has reached the bottom, he places the drone on solid ground before beginning to look for the cables.

After making his trip carefully around the building, Caduceus returned to his physical body.  He shook his head a bit as he regained his bearings then said to Copperhead, "I'm back.  Got a bit of bad news too.  The entire building is warded, so I can't safely get a look inside.  And to top it off, there are three powerful spirits watching over the pool and gardens area too.  Which probably means there are some spirits inside the building as well.  Haven't dealt with a place with such high magical security in quite a while..."

After a moment's pause, he called his city spirit back since he hadn't had the opportunity to leave its domain as planned.  He had a new instruction for it.  "Sorry to keep you from the party, but what we're doing is important.  Please let Copperhead know if she or Noruas are ever being observed from the astral plane by anyone besides you or myself."

Caduceus straightened out any minor wrinkles that might have developed in his clothing while he was astrally projecting, then prepared to go find his way into the party.  He was actually a bit nervous now, but tried to push that feeling away.  He didn't want it showing up on his astral signature.  "Anything else I should know before I go into the lion's den?" he asked Copperhead.

Can Caduceus determine what type of Spirits are above the pool and garden, and just how powerful they might be?

16:50, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,4,(6+1)7,2,(6+4)10.  Knowledge: Conjured Entities.

The utility tunnel is perhaps a little nicer than Noruas imagined, only insofar that there are not any dead bodies visible at this particular moment. The communications are a little spotty, but as long as Copperhead stays almost immediately overhead, he can still talk.

Working in the wet and dark is a PITA. The junction box is right by the access hole, so it takes a few moments to pick it, then plug in and, if Noruas feels especially trusting of leaving his body limp in a sewer, he can jump in. Hopefully Copperhead's drones will keep him from drowning in a puddle of refuse like the hero he is.

Caduceus knows two of the spirits around the building are slightly stronger than he is, magically speaking, with the third one weaker, but not by much. They are all elementals. By his guess, whoever is running security had plenty of time to conjure up something fierce.

White Duck doesn't have any time for second thoughts as he heads towards the gate. Not a lot of people are walking to the front, but to the doormen, walking, car, unicycle, it doesn't matter if you have an invite. All doors are open.

Past the gate, steps meander up to the building, lit like a torch in spotlights. Revelers lounge half way up, enjoying the stares of the street people below. A waiter serves drinks to those on the steps. You continue your climb, finally reaching the front door.

You can hear music from inside, faint in the distance. Entering the building lobby, you look out the opposite window to see more party-goers frolicking In the moonlit pool. Off to your right waits a open elevator. The uniformed doorman guides you
inside as you wave your Invitation like a wand.
"The action Is especially lively on the 16th floor, sir." He waits for your order.

Copperhead, you finished scanning the place yet?  If so, I'll need you to guard my meat.

As he spoke, Noruas plugs into the line but doesn't fully immerse himself in just yet.  He wanted to wait for Copperhead's confirmation first.

Duck grins, pulling out a comb and running it through his hair, changing its color from shockingly white to black as the tines run through it. He tucks a cigarette behind his ear and checks the fluid of his lighter. He adjusted his new suit- simple black with gold pinstripes, satisfied with the fit. He put on his gold-rimmed aviators, then checked his perfectly-somehow-white teeth in the elevator's panel. His whole getup made him look like some wealthy Asian businessman with possible Yakuza ties. Heck, he even had the tattoos to boot, but those were a story nobody had asked him about, so a story for another day.

"Floor 16 it is, my good man." he says with a smile, tipping the operator generously when he departs from the elevator.

"I's keepin an eye on ya"

Of course, she was still scanning the party too.  Watching a comatose decker in a dark tunnel wasn't exactly thrilling.  Besides, she was a good multitasker . . .

re: White Duck

The operator presses the unmarked button and steps out of the elevator as the door slides closed. As the doors open on 16, the music reaches into the elevator and shakes you. You are standing in a large entryway. Strobe lights flash as lasers bounce off mirrors on the floor, walls, and ceiling.

Across the room, a single doorway opens into a large apartment. More lights flash inside the room to the beat of the driving music. The few socialites standing in the hall look you up and down as you leave the elevator. Conversation is impossible; there is only the music.

You cross the entryway and enter the room. Inside, dozens of people dance in what must be the living room on a normal day. The kitchen, to your right, is filled with real food of every description. Across the dance floor, you spot a girl passing out
simsense disks to guests. To your left is a huge picture window overlooking the bay. The view, through the faint whispers of fog, is breathtaking. This is the lifestyle you could easily become accustomed to.

Duck smirks as he allows himself to be immersed in the vibe of the party, if only for just a moment. He double checks his invitation to verify that this is indeed the residence of a one Mr. Pengrave, then moves into the apartment. He lights up a smoke and checks out the dance floor, wondering if this party is bumping enough to have its own B-boys, or breakdancers for Duck to show up. He'd learned to breakdance from a very young age, and it in fact pre-dated his own ability to fight. Of course, it helped it along, too, as not many melee combatants expect to get double helicopter-kicked in the face, much to the chagrin of the now likely-to-be-late man who 'gave' him this party invitation.

Loud noises were easy enough for him to filter out, though. He honed the pulsing throb of the music down to a buzz in his inner ears, then began to search the sounds of the place outside of the bump and grind of the dance floor to see if he can pick up on anything interesting. He also watched for Pengrave, of course, who was from his understanding possibly accompanied by one third of his eventual payday.

After giving White Duck enough of a head start to make sure nobody would think they had arrived together, Caduceus made his way to the party as well.  With a swing in his step, the Brazilian shaman walked through the gate and up the path.  He consciously willed himself to stay at ease and enjoy himself a bit, even as he worked on a strategy for dealing with the elementals if they became hostile.  The music helped with that.

Once he was past the threshold and was within the building and its wards, his first instinct was to summon a hearth spirit and scan the room with his astral perception.  He did neither though.  He figured if anyone was watching for such things, the lobby would be a prime observation point.  Instead he meandered over to look at the pools and garden area through a window, taking in the scenery and people (and potential strategic positions).  After a couple moments he feigned boredom and strolled back over to the elevators.  He waved his ticket at the doorman.  "Suppose I should see what all the excitement's about, eh?" he said with a wink.

Noruas sits down next to the panel and begins his immersion into the Matrix.

Noruas slides into the Matrix. The connection is healthy and fast--better than he's enjoyed for a ... well, since 5pm. But he's using HIS computer this time, so it's definitely better. Go ahead and tell me where you're going. You can do that in the Matrix thread or here.

Caduceus walks up to the guards. Again, a flash of invite and he's in. As he's waiting by the lobby windows, a clearly inebriated party goer, his collar popped almost to his ears, stops him. "hey chummer, loved you in Swamp Beast! Awesome they have the sim actors here too..." Without waiting, he rejoins his friends, laughing far too loud. There are a few islands of relative peace; circles of chairs or suit-clad men holding court, sipping drinks, clearly discussing people and numbers next slated for uploading into their customer-base's collective heads. Through the window, Caduceus notes the pool has a definite mercenary feel to it. Beyond the joygirls, the pool-goers walk with the calm reserve of sec or ex-mil. Caduceus even recognizes a few 'discreet knives', the sorts of belt buckles and credit cards that hide a blade to pass through security checks. They do seem to be at ease though; laughing, swimming, and bearing skin to the cold Seattle night. When Caduceus enters the elevator, the doorman punches the button and sends him up.

The party upstairs has some professional dancers, but they're more in the 'sexy slither' style than breakdancing. White Duck probably realizes putting on a proper show here will attract more attention than he's looking for. Fortunately, people seem to be pretty liberal with their tongues;
"I'm telling you, I saw Elvis."
"Bet I can pull the tablecloth from under these plates."
"If you eat another thing, Norman, I'm going to be sick."
"Excuse me, sir, but you're standing on my foot."
"You're challenging me? Come on tough guy, hit me."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Pengrave. I mean, I didn't know. I mean, well, I'm leaving already."

Sure enough, watching the dance floor is Booker Pengrave, HSE exec whose name is clearly emblazoned on your invite. And on his arm is a woman in a long, silk evening gown, bedazzled with jewelry. While she holds herself with the poise of a queen, Duck notices a line of datajacks barely hidden behind her ear and neck.

Despite all of the sexy slithering and the liberal tongue usage, Duck indeed remembers he's here to do a job. His eyes snap to where his ears locate Pengrave, and he nods, almost to himself, well, okay, to himself, for a job-well-done. Immediately after spotting the highly-likely location of his first mark, he steps off the dance floor, using his phone to send a text-based comm message to Copperhead.

T1 located. Awaiting opportunity for acquisition. he types, hitting send as he leans his back against a wall near the two, taking a drag of his cigarette and focusing his ears closely on the couple's whereabouts and conversation, hoping the two make themselves separate from the party at large. If they leave, he follows, albeit sneakily, to see where they get off to.

Copperhead monitored Noruas occasionally to make sure he's not frothing at the mouth.  Though realistically, the best she'd be able to do to help would be to fire buckshot into his cable connection, hopefully making things better rather than worse.

She spent most of her time monitoring the party, trying to get a sense of where her teammates were and positioning her drone to best give cover if some were necessary.

I'm guessing I don't pick up anything more from my scans or eavesdropping than White Duck and Caduceus

Receiving the text, she briefly wonders which one T1 is, but supposes that it doesn't really matter much.  Acquisition here was going to be a challenge though.  Her read of the local security was that they wouldn't take too kindly to watching someone being bundled into a van, especially if it was a high-value target.

She texts back:
N's in.  Let us know if either of us can help

Duck smirks. Good ol' Nouras. Would probably have to thank the dwarf later on if the idea that just popped into his head worked. Knowing how useless the comms were, he continued to keep a reasonably close distance between the pair and himself, keeping his smoke's ashes burning long as he texts in.

Trigger fire alarm possible? Can swipe the chip during evac if close enough and escape in the chaos. See if Cad can help cover? Confirm if good idea?

15 right?  Sure right chip?  Intel on the others before we need to run?<blue>

The rigger speaks over the com as she's transmitting her text response.

<blue>Noruas, Ducky wants ta know if ya kin trigger da sprinklers on 15.  Snake, mebbe hav an 'lusion ready ta stract da security.  No action 'til Ducky says "go"

Sprinklers would be a more effective distraction than alarm.  Fire alarms tended to have people looking around trying to figure out if they should move or not.  The women in particular wouldn't be in a hurry to go tramping down a back stairway in their 6 inch heels, nor to soil their feet by walking barefoot.

On the other hand, a spray of water from above would have everyone scurrying fast and looking for nothing but cover.  And the team would have a good reason for going home "early" once their outfits were ruined.  Plus the spray of water would keep any cameras or bodyguards who *were* paying attention from getting a good look at what was happening unless they were very close.  Hopefully Duck would hold off on his "go" until the marks were well positioned to be clear of any close observation.

Plus, she had to admit that part of her was sort of looking forward to seeing Duck looking like a drowned rat . . .

She took another swig of coffee and returned to monitoring.

As the elevator doors closed to take him up to floor 16, Caduceus had to make a quick decision.  Conjure a hearth spirit here in privacy, with only security cameras watching him (presumably), or wait until he surveyed the area upstairs with his astral senses.  He wanted to scope out the place, but this moment alone was just too good to pass up.  He decided to do it.  Besides, once he made his mind link with White Duck it would be too difficult to conjure anything while sustaining his spell.

The shaman leaned against the wall as he went up.  He pulled out his phone and made a point to view the screen.  His eyes were not focused on what was there though.  They looked through the screen as he tranced out.  His other hand gripped the elevator's hand rail tightly as he pulled forth the place's hearth energies.  He pulled a spirit from the gaps between the walls, the spaces under the floorboards, and the unseen well of the elevator shaft around him.

13:39, Today: Caduceus rolled 5 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,4,(6+5)11,(6+4)10,(6+3)9.  Conjuring Force 4 Hearth Spirit (saving 3 dice for drain).
13:39, Today: Caduceus rolled 7 successes using 8d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,4,5,(6+4)10,5,(6+1)7,4,1.  Drain Test.
5 services, no drain.  Nice!

"Go back to where you came from and wait for further instruction," he mumbled to it as soon as it appeared.  He would call it back as soon as he got a look at the party's magical security.  "Snake, guide me."  Caduceus stood up from the wall and exited as the doors opened.

The loudness and lights were more than he had been expecting.  He stood for a moment,taking it in, before grinning at the party goers nearby and moving his shoulders to the beat.  With a slight rhythm to his step, caduceus made his way casually into the room and mingled with the crowd, dancing.  After about a minute or two, he began sneaking glimpses with his astral sight, looking for obvious astral/magical threats, and for White Duck's aura.

After locating Duck and being at least moderately confident he could discretely reestablish a connection to the group, Caduceus grabbed himself a beverage to recover from his musical exercise and went about establishing the Mind Link.

He breathed large steady breaths as he concentrated on White Duck's head.  With each exhale a mana whip lunged out from his own forehead like a viper.  Each strike bringing it closer to Duck.  Until, finally, its invisible fangs plunged painlessly into Duck's scalp.  <Testing. One, two,> Caduceus thought-spoke to his teammate.  <We get signal?>

Force 2 Mind Link.
Target is 4 and I need 1 success.  I'm still a bit sketchy on spell rules, but I believe I get 6 Sorcery dice to use, +2 for a detection spell, and 6 Spell Pool Dice.  Leftovers go to drain test.  Then I get 6 Willpower dice for drain test as well.  Target for the drain test is 1 2, and I need 6 successes for 0 drain.  I'll allocate 8 dice for the casting and 12 for the drain test.

14:27, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 8d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,4,2,(6+4)10,2,1,1,4.  Force 2 Mind Link.
14:27, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 (I mean 9) successes using 12d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 (I mean 2) with rolls of 5,(6+2)8,1,1,2,3,3,(6+1)7,4,1,3,3.  Drain Test.

PM

White Duck bides his time, keeping an eye on the duo. The woman quickly has an audience of handsome and wealthy men, competing for her ear or her arm. She quickly settles on one and he escorts her to the balcony, while she whispers little things into his ear now and again. Pengrave has a small audience of his own, but they seem to be interested mostly in business. A muscle-bound ork with gold tusk-caps says he has a script, an older fellow congratulates Pengrave on his stock up-tick, but asks if he's sure about a recent investment of his. For those who press their own interests, Pengrave is polite, but soon excuses himself; instead he gravitates towards a circle discussing new shows on the trid, and the importance of smell in simsense.

Caduceus summons his spirit, but the elevator is fast. The doors slide open as Caduceus gives his command. Watching the astral, he notices a small spirit in the room watching him. He is wary about holding it too long. Caduceus focuses a moment to establish the mindlink with WD, when a young woman touches him on the elbow; "Sarand, is that you? You have to watch this chip with me. Come on, honey." Judging by her lilt and unfocused eyes, you'd guess her mind is not totally in this world either.

"N kin trigger da 'larm, but e's gettin toasty.  Dunno how long 'e kin hang on, so confirm quick"

Copperhead examines those on the balcony to see if she can identify any of them or listen in to whatever they're saying.

From 1 k up, I'm equivalent to 20 meters away.  Can I see if she has anything jacked in

Duck seemed somewhat saddened when the squad of wealthy suitors narrowed down to one. With Pengrave distracted, however, now would be the time to make his move. Closing his eyes for a moment, he shifts an eye in color from both a blackish brown to one an almost metallic sheen of gold, the other a pure, almost white blue.

He steps out onto the balcony, attempting to steal "Cleo"'s attentions and make the other guy go away by talking an utterly embarrassing level of shit about the man's clothes, appearance, and demeanor, attempting to humiliate the man into leaving.

Verbal Intimidation check, dumping half CP:
07:29, Today: White Duck rolled 5 successes using 8d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,3,5,4,4,5,(6+2)8,3.  Intimidation (Verbal.)

With "Cleo" now outside, Copperhead can get a clear reading on her. The discussion is perhaps a little too saccharine (and certainly not mission-related) to share with the team.

White Duck begins attacking the single suitor. He laughs and dismisses WD with a wave of his hands, "I suppose not everyone can afford 'derelict chic'. Please, you're embarrassing the lady." Cleo momentarily locks her gaze on White Duck. It's a look that is both alluring and yet, very mysterious. "We're in the middle of something, Rupert and I. Perhaps you could spare me a few moments to speak with him? Whatever this issue between the two of you, I know he will set things right as soon as he is able."

Can't use CP for non-combat actions. There's no pool to pull on for interpersonal skills except, I suppose, karma pool.

Can I get a line of sight on her from the van or just from the drone?  Is there visible security on the balcony?  What's the aerial environment like around the drone and the building - other drones nearby in stationary or orbit?

quote:

16:23, Today: Copperhead rolled 1 success using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of (6+4)10,2,3,1,2,1.  Perception - security situation.

"I kin drop'er when d' larm goes if ya wants.  But we gotta move quick.  Dunno what da s'curity is.  An mebbe astral o'rwatch I can't see"

The rigger was already examining the nearby roads, noting the location of law enforcement vehicles and plotting the best ways to get out of the area with back-up and back-up back-up plans.

PM

PM

Caduceus gently pulled the strange woman's hand off of his elbow.  "In a minute, Hon.  I need to make a pit stop in the little boy's room first.  How 'bout you go get started without me."  He excused himself from the woman as politely as possible and went to find a restroom, getting a better feel for the dwelling's layout as he went.  As soon as his attention had a chance to waver a bit, he attempted to fill in White Duck about what he had learned about their situation.  He just hoped his info-dump wouldn't throw the adept off his game.  (He will also inform Copperhead as well if he can find a secluded spot to do so, such as an unoccupied restroom.)

<There is a small spirit in the party area.  It noticed me, but I don't think it took any action yet.  There are three powerful elementals out in the gardens and pool outside, too.  Each roughly on par with my own power.>  He sent mental images to White Duck of all the conjured entities.  <There are lots of ex-mil mercs hanging out in the pool for some reason too.  Hidden weapons galore.>  He was going to leave it at that, but then added, <Oh, and apparently I look a lot like some trid star from Swamp Beast called Sarand.>

Duck laughs. "Derelict Chic? You're talking shit about my clothes, but your name is *Rupert*? Hoo, boy. Well, *Rupert*, turns out I have some important info to share with the lady here that isn't some veiled attempt to get laid. Perhaps, *Rupert*, you can piss off? I think I saw a conspicuously-dressed robber making off with a sack full of your daddy's money." Rupert would *probably* want to have Duck thrown out of the party for saying this, but that brief split is actually what he hoped for, as he would utilize this time to reach over and unslot "Cleo"'s chip.

Now that Cleo is on the porch, she can see her (as well as WD). However, the noise of the party is still interfering with her audio. It's tough to make out the physical security. With the flashing lights and Seattle fog, it's easy for drones to disappear into the background. However, given the security present, Copperhead is reasonably shore there will be drone support as well (and probably supported by multiple skilled riggers).

Caduceus finds the bathroom easily enough. It's expansive, and there are a few sim chips left casually by the sink basin. Caduceus can make the radio calls out (and can get up to whatever other mischief he cares to as well. Lavender-cucumber soap and jacuzzi tub? Would they really notice if you went offline for 15 minutes?)

Rupert addressed White Duck; "what is your problem, sir? Are you another drop-out actor sorry I passed you over? Drek off before I call security and have you escorted out."

"Pardon, chief, but I'm not here to sell you chips or scripts. I'd just like five minutes of the lady's time, then I'll leave you both alone to have a wonderful evening." He looks to the woman known as 'Cleo'

"I'm afraid it's very important, Rupert. My apologies for being unfamiliar with you and not paying you proper heed if you're some sort of celebrity, but my priorities currently transcend that. Can you please spare just these few moments?" he asks of them both, hoping Cleo herself might step in or get curious about what Duck has to say. Of course, he *could* probably chuck this guy off of the roof, but that would be too conspicuous, and it would actually be the second person this week he pushed from a roof. Not a good habit to start.

Cad, if this guy can't walk away, perhaps you can confuse him into doing it?
This message was last edited by the player at 13:13, Tue 27 Sept 2016.

Despite the odd drop in the audio, it wasn't hard to catch that things were definitely heating up.  She casually switched the ammo in both her drone and the van to gel rounds.

So can I target her (or, in the unlikely event it's necessary, him) from the van or just the drone?

As White Duck inserted himself into 'Cleo's' conversation, Caduceus sighed.  He was still getting used to their face's methods.  After a quick astral scan of the room to make sure a spirit wasn't spying on hI'm in the bathroom, Caduceus called back the hearth spirit he had conjured earlier.  "I need you to go Confuse the people the guy I am Mind Linked with is talking to."  He hoped that would keep things from escalating too far.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:05, Tue 27 Sept 2016.

Copperhead, I can't hold this place forever.  Ask them how long before I set the alarms to go off?

"N's gettin' toasty.  E's gonna set a timer an ditch.  So pick when ya wan it ta get loud 'an do it quick."

Caduceus relayed Copperhead's info over mind-link almost just as quickly as he received it, at the speed of thought.  He also sent a literal feeling of urgency along with it to emphasize that they needed a response ASAP.

"That's fine, champ," Rupert smiles. "You can have your turn when I'm done. Sure I won't be forty minutes." Cleo gives him a glower and steps away.

"Excuse me both. I think I hear someone else calling my name." Her fingers briefly brush White Duck's shoulder as she returns to the room. It will only be a moment before another piece of meat is on her arm, drink in hand.


Copperhead: You can always aim :) Your weapons have some pretty long range. Can't say how likely you are to hit!

"If the water's too hot, tell him to get out now. Can make a move here, but would rather make the grab when she leaves. Going to stick around, hear if she says anything about the others, then we grab her once the party's over. This good? Seems the subtler option, at least."
he thinks, taking a drag of his smoke as he glances to Cadeuces to ensure that this weird spell even works, not entirely accustomed to having someone else inside of his head.

"</i>If 'e gets out, dunno if e kin get back in.  So if 'e pulls out, dat part 'o da plan's probly off da table.  If ya confirm, I'll tell 'im ta ditch.  If ya's desprit, I kin make a d'straction later, but it's gonna draw lotsa da wrong 'tension.<i>"

"No need for a distraction and we aren't desperate. Would just rather play it safe. Too much security present. Giving the place a bath might arouse more suspicion than panic, both of which are dangerous to begin with." he thinks, walking back into the party to listen in intently on Cleo's conversation, paying particular attention to what catches her eye and interests with these boy-toys, and listening for her whereabouts close enough to follow if she leaves.

"Ok N, time ta get out.  Don' set da timer.  Dey wants ta play tings quiet.  Mebbe keep plugged in 'case dey change der min' agin."

She hoped that the decker didn't get beat up too badly during his incursion.  The team would have to chat about not jumping the gun so much next time.

Understood.

"No need for a distraction and we aren't desperate. Would just rather play it safe. Too much security present. Giving the place a bath might-." he thinks, then startles when Cleo herself attempts to talk away. He covers a hand with his own, spinning around to make eye contact with her, eyes darting to her chipslot before she makes eye contact, then locking to hers. Bringing her close, he lets the neon lighting of the cityscape dance within eyes electric for just a brief moment. Grinning, he sets her into the spin of a classically trained ballroom dancer, fingers darting for the chip expertly as he does.

Please let me know what rolls would be appropriate. Going for subtle removal of the chip during the continuous motion of the dance.

"...security present.  Giving the place a bath might-."  Caduceus had been aimlessly snooping through the cupboards in the bathroom, relaying the conversation, when White Duck's sentence halted.  He stood up straight and closed his current cupboard, then said to Copperhead.  "I think my potty break is over.  Gotta go be present.  Update you when I can."

The shaman flushed the John, sprayed a bit of air freshener to complete the illusion, then headed back out to the party without washing his hands.  He didn't know what White Duck was up to, but that pause meant something was happening.  And whether good or bad, that meant his buddy might soon need a spell or two.

Is there anything in the bathroom Caduceus could pocket as an improvised emergency weapon, like a pair of scissors or a straight razor?  If so, he did that as he was searching the cupboards.

Absolutely. There's a small first aid kit tucked in under the sink, which includes scissors, and there's a lovely marble statuette that could make for quite a nasty club.

He'll just stick with the scissors. They seem like they would be more inconspicuous than a statuette bulging scandelously from his pocket.

With this party, I wouldn't assume that. Some people seem a little less aware of their surroundings and themselves than others.

White Duck takes Cleo for a quick pirouette in goodbye... But as his hand slips behind her neck, in a move that should be too graceful to stand out, she slaps his hand away from her jacks. Her eyes turn suddenly dark, and White Duck realizes this woman is faster than the socialite she appears to be.

Cleo steps away and Rupert blocks White Duck. "I think you are done, sir."

Cleo rejoins Pengrave. A few hanger-ons keep an eye on White Duck, and prevent him getting close again.

The two loiter for another forty minutes, before saying their goodbyes and heading to the elevator.



As a reminder, I only go off of what is in the GAME THREAD, not the planning thread. I skipped posting on Thursday, but I do (try) to hold myself to Tu/Th, if not earlier. In this case, the last post from White Duck says he makes an attempt for the chip, so that is what I am going off of. I know it sounds anal, but I've had players go wishy-washy in the past and it results in a big fight and a ton of confusion. So as GM, I need clear "I do X" in the appropriate thread. I don't want to be interpreting for players what their characters want to do. (The exception to this is combat--To help keep combat fast, I will distribute pools in what is objectively ideal for survival/success, unless the player gives clear instructions otherwise.)

White Duck will have issues directly engaging Cleo again. Caduceus can try his luck, Noruas can do his magic (early, I hope--if he waits longer than five minutes, I'll have to start rolling to see how long it takes until the system detects him). Otherwise, they will depart. Since this is officially Pengrave's apartment the party is in, it's not clear where they might be departing to.

Duck sighs, pushing his way past Rupert if he continues to block him after Cleo's departure from the balcony. Moving his way back into the party, he relays mentally what just happened to Cadeuces, saying he'll stick around to draw heat if it's needed as a distraction.

<That would have been real smooth if that had worked,> Caduceus commented mentally to White Duck after he had been updated about the situation.  <But yeah, I think we gotta still try something.  It's sounding more and more like we found the right target.>  Caduceus went back to blending in, eventually finding a nice wall to lean against and bobbed his head to the music.  He casually scanned Cleo and Pengrave's astral signatures to get a sense of how they were feeling (as well as anything else interesting).  If their auras had spikes of alarm or something, it could be an indicator that they should start packing up and heading home.

09:31, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,4,(6+4)10,1,(6+4)10. Aura Reading (Auras).

<I'm thinking I'll try to Influence her.  I'll need to drop our call when I do though, so that I can concentrate all my attention on the task at hand.  If something goes wrong though, it might be a good idea for us to... be someone else, then get out of here.>  He was referring to using illusions to disguise their appearances, of course.

The shaman meandered his way near the balcony to a spot where he could see the railing.  <Okay, here goes.  I'm going to suggest for her to put her chip on the balcony railing discretely and walk away.  Then use Magic Fingers to float it to a discrete spot for us.  If they go looking for it, hopefully their first thought will be that it fell off the ledge.  Gotta break the connection now.>

Just before Caduceus enacted his plan, however, he called forth his spirit and used another of his services.  "Conceal me and the chip a woman places on the balcony railing," he whispered to it.  Then he crossed his fingers and went to work.

Edit: Bobbing his head rhythmically with the music, Caduceus struck a mesmerizing cadence to put Cleo under his spell.



Force 6 Influence Spell (Exclusive - Lowered Force)
Rolling 6 Sorcery dice plus 4 Spell Pool dice.  Total of 10.
I'll use a Karma Pool Point here if needed, which looks like it probably is.
10:33, Today: Caduceus rolled 3 successes using 10d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,2,4,2,3,1,3,5,3,5.  Force 6 Influence Spell.

Drain Test
Rolling 6 Willpower dice plus 2 remaining Spell Pool Dice.  Total of 8.  Target of 2.
10:37, Today: Caduceus rolled 6 successes using 8d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 2 with rolls of 3,3,1,5,1,(6+3)9,4,5.  Drain Test.

quote:

Influence Type: M • Target: W • Duration: P • Drain: S
This spell implants a single suggestion in the victim’s mind, like a powerful post-hypnotic command. The subject will carry out this suggestion as if it were his own idea and it will then fade. If someone points out that what the target is doing is wrong, the target can make a Willpower Test to overcome the suggestion as described for the Control Thoughts spell. The caster can also withdraw the suggestion at any time.

This message was last edited by the player at 15:42, Fri 07 Oct 2016.

Reading them astrally, there are shocks and ripples. They are reacting to something, although it doesn't seem like it's White Duck specifically. They pass by Caduceus on their way to the door, kissing people and saying goodbye as they go. As she goes, she pauses and rubs the back of her head where here datajacks are. White Duck can see clearly, among the multi-colored chromed jacks, a single gilded data core nestled gentle in the plug. Her lacquered fingers brush against it, then pause.

Pengrave leans in and whispers something in her ear, but she is clearly looking confused, even distraught. Watching her astrally, Caduceus can see two powerful drives pushing against each other inside of her, washing over her like colliding tidal waves. Looking around, Pengrave takes her by the elbow and hurries her towards the elevator. She stumbles along with him, barely able to keep her feet under her.

After watching the two depart, Duck blows out a sigh and thinks to himself.

"Please tell me I'm needed to snap-kick that guy in the balls."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:30, Tue 11 Oct 2016.

Seeing that his half of the tidal wave wasn't quite powerful enough to accomplish his goal, Caduceus let his shoulders slump and he shook his head ever so slightly, still bobbing to the beat.  So that Copperhead would be able to hear over the earpiece, he said, "this music rocks hard, but not quite hard enough..."  He hoped she would catch his meaning.

"Wazzat fer me?"

The problem with this party was that it was hard to tell when the mage was talking to her vs. someone else at the party.

That's not enough for Copperhead to realize that the target is leaving and you're not with her.  Nor does it indicate what you want her to do.

Papa, you still haven't indicated whether she's wearing anything that could conceal a tracker

Duck, seeing the couple depart, puts himself on their trail just as soon as he can slip out inconspicuously, which, since he'd caused no further trouble, shouldn't be all too long.

She's picking up her purse on the way out, which is ideal. Otherwise, flowing gowns, jewelry, not much else. No pockets, and not ideal for dropping trackers (also not ideal for hiding weapons, so that's a plus).

Replying to Copperhead but sounding like he was making up his mind, Caduceus said, "Yeah, this music just isn't doing it for me right now."  He nudged some random guy's shoulder and pointed down off the balcony, "I think I'm going to go check out that sweet outdoor area I saw on the way in."  Without waiting for the stranger's response, the shaman wandered off to go have an alleged backyard adventure.

As Pengrave and Cleo say their goodbyes, Caduceus made an effort to casually end up at the elevator at the same time as them, trusting his spirit's Concealment to help him do it without drawing attention to himself.  And if time permitted, he would also take a moment to reestablish his mind link with White Duck to exchange what details they could before the elevator pulled him out of range again.

Copperhead shakes her head.  She should have thought this part of the plan through better.  Code words.  Or better yet, a sub-vocal mike, though that could be problematic around people with auditory enhancements.

"If yer needin somethin, text me"

Pengrave and Cleo make their way to the elevator and hit the button. He holds her close and whispers in her ear as they wait. The doors slide open and a few party-goers roll out, some stopping to shake Pengrave's hand as they do so. It's easy for Caduceus to slide in with them.

The doors slide shut, the elevator man asks for a floor. Pengrave sends it to the ground, then holds Cleo tight and speaks into his wrist-phone; "Bring the car around." He holds Cleo a little closer, and whispers, "are you alright?"
"Of course I am. Just surprised." She brushes a hand back across her datajacks again, carefully pulling her hair back over them.

The elevator accelerates downwards.

Outside, a silver Westwind pulls out from the garage and comes around towards the front. They will need to pass through the lobby to reach it, then take the car down the driveway towards the front gate to get on the public streets.

White Duck had the tracking device, so unfortunately I can't try to plant it on them. :(

On the elevator ride down, all of Cleo and Pengrave's whispering made Caduceus wonder just what was going through their heads.  So he decided to try and find out.

When the elevator reached the ground floor, Caduceus ambled out casually and scanned the astral.  If the coast looked reasonably clear he would send his hearth spirit out to Confuse his targets.  However, he really did not want to draw the ire of the three elementals outside.  And for Coppehead's benefit, he commented to himself, "Wish I had a fancy car to pick me up from the lobby like Pengrave does."  Then, while pretending to look at his phone while standing in a corner, Caduceus's gaze reached across the lobby to probe Pengrave's Mind.

Mind Probe - Force 6
6 sorcery Dice + 2 bonus dice because it is a detection spell + 6 spell pool dice available
I'll use 10.  Target is Pengrave's Willpower (unknown).
12:29, Today: Caduceus rolled 6 successes using 10d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,1,4,2,1,5,3,5,4,4.  Mind Probe 6.

Drain Test - resisting serious stun at target number 3
6 willpower dice and 4 remaining spell pool dice being used for this.
12:33, Today: Caduceus rolled 7 successes using 10d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 1,(6+4)10,3,4,2,2,4,4,(6+6+5)17,(6+1)7.  Drain Test.
Should bring me down to 0 stun damage.

Copperhead quits eying a girl in the pool area with a near non-existent swimsuit and spots the vehicle pulling in, giving it a quick scan.
"E got's da girl wit 'im?  Ya plant da tracker?"

She switches over to the comm.

"Ay Norous, looks 'ike Pengrave's gonna be on da move.  So start packin.  We's mebbe gonna have ta go fer a ride.  An I can't watch yer hoop so good when I's not parked on top o' ya."

She pulls forward, then hops out to help lift up the manhole cover, going back online to watch her feeds as soon as she's in her position

Out of curiousity, why wait to cast until they were out of the elevator and in view of the astral security in the lobby?

The dwarf packs up his equipment and carries the drone up the ladder back into the van.

My thoughts were that in the elevator, it would be too hard to pull it off without being noticed.  Caduceus wouldn't be able to order his spirit to Confuse them without being heard, and a force 6 spell would be pretty noticible too.  Especially to someone already on edge who was able to spot Duck's grab attempt.  And if he did get noticed in the elevator, he would be cornered.

Having left earlier, Duck spots the Westwind pull up to the lobby. Putting two and two together, he moves outside to check the viability of quickly planting the tracker on the car, presuming it to be Pengrave's from the radio chatter.

Okay, so I'm going to HOPE the valet staff aren't a secret detective agency, but with my luck so far in this chapter... I'd like a TN on how viable an option it would be to plant the tracker on the vehicle right now before Cad, Cleo, and Pengrave arrive.

Planting stuff is an opposed stealth roll--you roll to hide it and that sets the TN. I'll let you take a penalty to attach it better (so it's less likely to fall off if we move to combat). Anyone gets an opportunity to notice it with a perception test, but if they're not looking for it, they're at -4 (plus environmental modifiers--it is night and overcast).

I'm going to put the next post tomorrow, between questions and workload :)

Looks like Caduceus picked the right target :P

Caduceus's spell writhes free from his fingertips and wriggles (astrally) into Pengrave's ears, sussing out his secrets. It's a flash of understanding; the man is ambitious, and overjoyed at his success. He's had a taste of being aristocracy, and thirsts for more regardless of the cost. He's a golden boy in HSE, and secretly working to acquire Global as well--a huge coup if the Global board meeting this week goes his way. He is also absolutely enchanted by Cleo--not magically, nor meager puppy love, but he has a level of dopamine running through him that approaches chemical dependence. He absolutely desires and needs her.

As Caduceus recovers from the blast of information, Pengrave's fist connections with Caduceus's nose. The blow is more shocking than painful, but already another is following the first.

Go ahead and roll initiative and/or tell me your actions. You have two rounds before the elevator will hit the ground floor.

quote:

07:33, Today: Copperhead rolled 6 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,4,4,(6+6+3)15,(6+2)8,5.  Perception - detecting the fight.

07:47, Today: Copperhead rolled 10 using 1d6+6 with rolls of 4.  Initiative.

The sound of a fist hitting flesh was like a thunderclap in her ear. The microphone being mere centimeters from point of impact didn't help.

Dat musta 'urt

She started dragging the manhole cover back into place, ignoring the shocked look on the deckers space and explaining silently over the sub vocal as she did so.  "Drek jus' hit da fan.  Get in an make a 'straction in da lobby 'fas as ya kin."

She then dialed White Duck's cell.  "<i>Fight inna elevator commin' down.  Get reddy"

It was possible the fight would be over before the elevator hit the ground floor, hopefully with the mage on top.  But she expected he was going to need some help getting past security.  She hurried into the van, closed the door and jacked in, already preparing her route to the front of the building - and plotting her way back out.

This was likely to be a hot extract.  The only thing she didn't know was the likely number of passengers.

"If I hasta leave ya, leave da drone an make yer way ta da bus stop.  We'll meetcha at da Soy Mart in South Reddin"

She should've dropped him a stim patch, but too late for that now.

<orange>That probably covers both combat turns for Copperhead, so when the elevator doors open, she'll be in her seat jacked in and ready to go.

Initiative
12:24, Today: Caduceus rolled 1 success using 1d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5.  Initiative (+6).
5+6=11

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!  Take it easy!" Caduceus said to Pengrave, holding his hands up submissively while trying to dodge the man's punches.  "I didn't mean anything by it.  It's just my way of auditioning.  Showing you what skills I bring to the table.  Think of the possibilities!"

The shaman knew that retaliating physically would probably cause more problems than solutions in the long run, considering what was down in the lobby.  And magic wasn't very viable while punches were flying at his face.  So that meant Caduceus was left with words and very little time to use them.  Even so, Caduceus's mind kept drifting back to his hidden scissors he had swiped from the first aid kit upstairs, but he only wanted to try using those as a last resort.

Caduceus is trying to get Pengrave to stop attacking by suggesting that he is willing to sell his skills to Pengrave.  I'm not sure if Negotiation(Bargain) or general Etiquette would fit the scenario better here, so I'll let you make that call.  I also have Seattle High Society 4 as a companion skill if you'll allow it.

In this case, I think Etiquette would be more appropriate. Your complementary skill definitely applies.

08:56, Today: Caduceus rolled 3 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,5,5,2,2.  Etiquette.
08:57, Today: Caduceus rolled 1 success using 4d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,3,3,(6+1)7.  Seattle High-Society (companion Skill).

"Yanking the fire alarm for some cover. Will attempt chip/Cad extract as soon as doors open. Expect a bit of a crowd, folks." he relays to the group via text, making an attempt to pull the fire alarm closest to the elevators unnoticed. Sure, he'd probably be recorded on one camera or another, but he wanted to make sure no one was immediately suspicious of him when he pulled it.

Afterwards, he leaned against the wall and pretended to be looking for someone important, waiting on those elevator doors to open.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:15, Thu 27 Oct 2016.

Is the mind-link re-established?  If not, you'll need to ask Copperhead to relay, as Copperhead probably assumes it's in place

"Noruas, Ducky's pullin' da 'larm da ol' fashion way.  So ya kin book it up 'ere 'er ya kin try deckin' and 'fusin folks more.  Yer call."

Pengrave holds his blow for a moment, staring at Caduceus. He looks over at Cleo, who grins and nods.

"Frag you," he swings again, the steel of his cyberfist colliding with Caduceus's ribs.
How much CP are you using to soak damage?

Suddenly the lights on the elevator dim and the alarm sounds.

"Drek, Cleo, stay behind me."


Up in the suite, strobes kick on and the scream of the fire alarm kills the party atmosphere. People shout and stumble groggily out of the bedrooms. If anyone saw WD pull it, they aren't harassing him. But even as they spread out, no one seems to quite no where they should be going, and a few people are so whacked out they probably aren't making it out at all under their own power.

Outside, Copperhead can see an immediate reaction as well, as strobes flash inside the building. Esteemed guest stream out, mostly to the gardens or the pool. Meanwhile, guards appear out of the woodwork and charge into the building. The front gate locks down, with anyone still outside locked out. It may be Copperhead's imagination, but she thinks she hears the sound of helicopter blades somewhere.

When you say "the front gate locks down", what do you mean?  Are you saying they seal a gate across the doors out of the lobby when the fire alarm goes?  Or they put a gate across the driveway leading up to the building (to make sure the fire department can't get in???) or is it just that once you leave the building you can't re-enter?

Also, I thought Duck was in the lobby, not still up at the party.  We need to confirm that ASAP as it matters whether Duck's waiting at the bottom to help deal with Pengrave or he's upstairs with a whole lot of stairs between him and the exit.

Copperhead's "Dreck" followed a couple of seconds after Pengrave's as she saw the rapid response.  No way she was going hot and heavy into that particular crowd.

"Noruas, probly best ta come up.  If da ice is crawlin in da system like da guards are in da lobby, ya's not gonna get far.  Sorry for all d'exercise on da ladder."

She sent a quick warning to Caduceus
"Lotsa guards, so play it cool when ya gets ta da lobby."

I was planning to designate as much as possible to dodging/deflecting, since he isn't trying to attack back.  He isn't saving anything since CP should reset by the time the elevator doors open again, right?

The driveway gate is getting locked. Yes, it will prevent the fire engines from entering unless they unlock it again.

Yes, with one-on-one melee, it makes the most sense to just dump your entire CP into each turn. If he's wired, there /might/ be some strategy to splitting up dodge pool, but he isn't, so there isn't.

I thought WD was still on the party level, but it could be I missed a post ...

Pengrave hits Caduceus again with the side of his fist--a glancing blow. That's when Cleo follows up with a punch as well. Circling around to his side during the whole affair, she punches one targeted strike to Caduceus's kidneys. Her fist comes away bloody and there's only the momentary glint of steel.

The elevator reaches the bottom floor and the doors slide open, revealing the two brawlers to the world, with Cleo standing back looking aghast. Guards are inside in a moment, pulling Pengrave away and escorting him out. Caduceus knows Pengrave only has to say the word, and the guards will finish the job. But after a moment glowering, he turns and heads towards the door, still escorted by one heavy. Cleo gracefully follows, and the remaining guards disperse towards the stairwells.

White Duck, having come down prior, doesn't seem to be noticed among the stream of exiting revelers.

Duck arches a brow at the bloodied Caduceus, changing his hair color to red and growing a beard as he moves, trailing closely after Cleo as she departs, blending in with the crowd and waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Need to nab that chip before lockdown. he texts the group.

Following closely and taking the shot when I can... Unless anyone else has a better idea.

Caduceus propped himself against the wall of the elevator as Pengrave and Cleo walked away.  "Ugh, my kidney," he muttered, holding his side.  "Kitty's got claws."  He really had not been expecting her to blindside him like that.

Since the elevator wasn't going anywhere in the immediate future due to the lockdown, Caduceus didn't rush to leave it.  He did not particularly wish to stay, but the guards already knew where he was and that he was on Pengraves' bad side, so if they hadn't killed him already then they probably weren't going to.  Probably.  Not in the time it took a guy to collect himself after losing an elevator party brawl anyway.

Still holding his wound and standing in the corner, Caduceus curled in on himself a bit and cleared his mind.  He retreated to his mental healing space.  A calm area.  A warm rock cave in a cold winter landscape.  The walls were close, but cozy, not cramped.  Just big enough for one, maybe two.  The cold winter air was biting outside, but he was safe and warm in his cave.  A good place to recover.  A good place to hibernate.  A good place to shed his skin and emerge renewed.

Caduceus will attempt to cast a Force 6 Heal on himself.  I'm not sure exactly how injured he is though, so I'm not sure what modifiers I will need to include.
Target Number should be 4 + the damage level modifier.
Duration in turns is 5 (light) 10 (moderate) or 15 (serious), divided by the number of successes he delegates to shortening the duration.
Drain is equal to the wound level.  (Note to self: The roll for it will include the damage level modifier.)

I believe he should have 14 dice to split between the tests though. (6 sorcery, 6 spell pool, +2 for health spell.)
Feel free to roll that for me if it will speed things along.

You received a Light injury and Light stun. Only the former can be healed.

Force 6 Heal
Target number is 6 (4 + 1 light wound + 1 light stun)
Duration is 5 divided by number of extra successes.
Using 13 dice here, saving 1 for Drain test.
14:02, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 13d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 6 with rolls of 1,2,5,1,1,(6+2)8,4,3,(6+4)10,3,2,5,3.  Force 6 Heal.
It will take him 5 Turns to heal up. (5 / 1 = 5)

Drain target is 5 (3 + 1 light wound + 1 light stun)  Need two successes to resist light Stun.
14:07, Today: Caduceus rolled 3 successes using 7d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 5 with rolls of 2,(6+4)10,2,(6+5)11,2,(6+6+6+6+5)29,1.  Drain Test.

As Caduceus felt his magic begin to flow through his body, he staggered slowly toward the exit with the rest of the crowd while sustaining his spell.  He made sure not to follow Pengrave's path though.  The guards knew he had lost the fight, and so he was aiming to look like he was going home in defeat.  This was made easier because it was also the truth.  "That's enough partying for me for one night, I think."

Duck, already sporting a different look of being pale-faced, heavily freckled, with with a long red beard and the hair on the back of his head bunched up in a quick man-bun, removes his coat as he approaches the designated target vehicle, pretending to drop something out of a pocket as he meanders closeby. Using one arm to hold his coat over the action, an old pickpocket's trick, his other hand darts in beneath a wheel-rim and finds a solid plant for the tracker.

White Duck passes by the car and, in half a moment, the bug is planted. As he's stepping away, one of the security staff approaches, "hey, step back from the vehicle!"

Watching his motions to avoid setting the guard off, White Duck can slip away without further issue.

Caduceus can step back out of the commotion and get to casting. Ahead of him, Pengrave and Cleo are guided through the crowd to their car. As White Duck slips back a safe distance, the car glides away, moving slowly through the crowd towards the gates.

I'm assuming no one is going to interrupt this--you can if you choose to though.

When the car approaches, the guards unlock and open the gates. It's a momentary push through the last trickles of the crowd and they're gone. Only a few other guests are permitted off the premises, all men and women in the most cutting edge fashions, some leaving through the gate via car, others going on foot to cars or personal helicopters just outside the compound. Pengrave's car peels onto the main road and heads into the darkness... and onto Copperhead's tracking screens.

Going to assume WD provided some sort of indication to me that the tracker had been placed

Copperhead waited for Noruas to make his way into the vehicle before activating the tracker and verifying it was transmitting properly, then texted White Duck.

"DEVICE IS WORKING.  YOU GUYS NEED US TO WAIT FOR YOU, OR DO YOU WANT TO CATCH UP WHEN THEY START LETTING FOLKS OUT?"

The tracker was good quality and theoretically good to more than 10 k, but theory didn't hold up well in a dense urban jungle.  She figured she could safely count on about five kilometers max as a safe window and she preferred to be closer still so she could monitor the couple when they left wherever it was they parked.  The tracker wouldn't be much use if their target had his driver drop them somewhere and keep going.

While she waited for a reply, she adjusted the thrust of her drone, putting it into motion.  She flew at an angle to the limo and kept her high altitude.  She didn't want any chance of the driver realizing he was being tailed.

Duck just flips on his commlink at this point.

"Well, might be a bit difficult to find them again. Let's see if we can get a quick way out of here." he finds Cadeuces and nods for him to follow along, scouting the perimeter for a good place to hop the fence.

Once he confirmed that the guy who nodded him over was truly his fellow runner by scanning his astral signature, Caduceus followed White Duck.  Discretely, of course.  When his wound was healed up, the shaman made an increased effort to help find a suitable location to cross over the fence.  As they searched, he made note of things they would need to watch out for.  Spirits, drones, cameras, electrified perimeter, guards, fellow party-goers, etc.  "Let me know if you think an illusion would help."

The two runners walk discreetly into the darkness and greenery surrounding the building. It's hard to be sure how many sensors are placed around, but there's no sign of anything being triggered.

Soon they reach a point where a thick oak tree reaches over the fence. With some quick climbing, they can get over and drop outside of the perimeter, and away from the security forces.

Outside, once outside of the gate the car puts on speed, weaving around traffic as it heads down increasingly rural highways skirting the edge of Seattle. It continues driving for about forty minutes before pulling into the driveway of a small mansion not far from the border.

As it became obvious the sedan was heading into less populated areas, Copperhead immediately set out looking for a prime ambush site.  As she scanned the terrain, she consulted with the other runners to confirm they were game to deal with their well-dressed targets while they were in the more vulnerable vehicle rather than waiting for them to hit whatever well-secured compound they were heading to next.  The drone's sensors gave her considerable advantage as she could easily see both the terrain and the roads for kilometers around.  All she needed now was to find a location that would let her drone and the van get in good and close without raising attention.

quote:

12:26, Today: Copperhead rolled 6 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,(6+4)10,(6+6+3)15,5,4,4.  Perception.

Changing this roll to be looking for a good ambush site

Ideal would be somewhere I could set the drone down safely where its heat would disipate quickly and would give me a sufficient view that I could aim for a turn before they hit short range (75m) and hit them in their front end as they approach my position before they've noticed me.  And obviously some place where I could get into position well before they had any view of me.  (I'd use the spirit to help cover me).  At the same time, the road behind them should be windy enough that the van could get in quite close behind them such that arrival time after the crash would be minimal.  Final constraint is that the crash site should be far enough away from nearby estates that it'd be unlikely anyone would hear or be super-alarmed by full auto LMG fire that was close to the ground.

If getting the van to be able to safely approach from the rear seems unlikely, we could fall back to something that allows me to take advantage of a spirit's movement/guard powers to let me safely go cross-country if I can do that without being noticed so as to get to a concealed location ahead of the sedan.


This message was last edited by the player at 15:59, Sat 10 Dec 2016.

After getting into Copperhead's vehicle, strapping in and relaying the most pertinent information he had gleaned from the party, Caduceus made an effort to rest up and let the last of his injury fade away.  It didn't take long for him to figure out that the bumpy ride was going to make that all but impossible, however, and instead focused on helping to plan the ambush when their course of action shifted that direction.  "My spirit friends should be able to assist us.  What is the weather like outside?" he asked.  Perhaps a mist or storm spirit would be possible.  "And don't forget I can veil us with illusions as well.  I'll be pretty much useless as I maintain it though."

He grabbed his satchel and made sure all of his gear was still in its proper place, then put on his standard armor jacket, concealed gun, and subvocal mic.  "Oh yeah, and just before Pengrave punched me with his cyberfist and Cleo stabbed me in the kidney with her secret switchblade, I gleaned a bit of information from Pengrave's mind."  He went on to describe how he learned "the man is ambitious, and overjoyed at his success. He's had a taste of being aristocracy, and thirsts for more regardless of the cost. He's a golden boy in HSE, and secretly working to acquire Global as well--a huge coup if the Global board meeting this week goes his way. He is also absolutely enchanted by Cleo--not magically, nor meager puppy love, but he has a level of dopamine running through him that approaches chemical dependence. He absolutely desires and needs her."

The rigger's voice crackles through the speakers in the back as the van pulls out of a sharp turn.
"I think's Pengrave's gonna be goin inta witdrawal purdy soon."

Wow, that must be some woman!  To have him wrapped around her pinkie like that.  I'm guessing she's probably got a medical/psychiatry degree to be able to get him become so addicted to her.

He quickly turns to Copperhead and politely asks, D'you mind if I plug in and take a look at what you are seeing with your sensors?  Unless this turns into a high speed chase with guns blazing at each others' vehicles, or unless there is something to hack, I'm going to be pretty useless to all of us here.

The audio and video feeds from the van and the drone are both already being piped onto the video screens in the passenger compartment but Copperhead understood what the decker meant.  There was 'looking' and then there was looking  There was a slightclick, then a recessed panel above the passenger seats clicked open revealing an optical port.

"'Bove ya"

You can't actually see Copperhead's body - she's encased in the front of the van, so I presume you just talk in the direction where you know her meat to be. :>

Thanks.

The dwarf quickly plugs his cord into both the optical port and his own datajack.  Within seconds he was seeing and sensing everything Copperhead had allowed him to take a look at.

Which is what exactly?  I'm guessing I'm just piggybacking onto your feed.

The weather outside is thick fog and light rain--perfect for ambushes, not so much for long-range targeting. Caduceus can attempt to summon a storm spirit, although he expects it won't be especially stormy.

The road is long and winding. Pengrave is clearly enjoying the drive. With the maps already available, White Duck or Noruas can find stretches which will be ideal for an ambush. With that, and Copperhead scouting ahead, it's easy to find a place where the road drives two hundred meters along the edge of the mountain; a sheer overhang on one side, an incline on the other, and nearly straight before a hard left. Copperhead can place her drone in the trees over the overhead and hope that the fog and rain cool it off enough to not be a spotlight to the incoming car.

Noruas found ample feeds to amuse himself.  The regular ping of the tracker, video and thermographic from both the van and the drone.  On a smaller feed he could see the zoomed gun-cam with smartlink tracking the sedan as it meandered through the twisting roads, though the view through the precipitation made it hard to pick out much other than the headlights.  He could see the safety on the LMG was currently on.

I'd kind of like to not have the car plumit to the bottom of a ravine when I take out their tire.  Am I relatively confident that if I blow away one of their wheels somewhere within the planned ambush zone there's little chance of the vehicle doing more than just hitting a tree or spinning out?  If not, Copperhead will look for a different ambush site  Also need a sense of how closely the van will be able to follow without being noticed in the lead-up to the ambush.  I don't necessarily need them to have a straight approach, just sufficient that I can see them coming for 3 seconds before they get inside the 75 m range.  (And in fact, it's advantagous if there's no line of site between the drone and the target too much before that 3-second aiming period.)  As well, I don't need a direct head-on shot.  I'm assuming that a called shot to take out one of their wheels (tire + rim) is probably the best way to bring the vehicle to a rapid halt with lowest risk of blowing up, so anything that would give me line-of sight on one of the wheels for 4-5 seconds or so would be fine.

Probably wouldn't go off into the ravine. If it did, you're reasonably sure the chip would be protected by Cleo's jack, so you'd just send a drone to retrieve it. If you hit it closer to either turn, it's very unlikely to go off; the ravine is only along the straightaway. But at his speed, a fiery wreck is a very real possibility regardless as to the location.

At the speed the car is going, you'd want at least 100 meters for your 'three seconds to aim'. More on straightaways. You can get a less treacherous point, but you won't have the space for an extra action, while having clear LOS. (You can of course change where you place your drone however you like.)

ok, so if I hit him as he's slowing down to go around the sharp bend - which presumably he can't do at 100km/h - he'll be past the sharp drop-off.  How close behind can the van follow with low likelihood of being detected at that point?

it's an opposed roll. How well do you think either one of them will roll perception compared to your stealth? You do get a bonus for light fog and darkness as well, plus he's driving pretty fast (I'm going to rule that 'driving fast' penalizes your stealth roll less than his perception roll, but not a huge difference either way.

It was more a question about how close I can get without being in line-of-sight.  If it's a winding road in hilly terrain, I can probably get reasonably close without getting to a place where he can see me on sensors, but "reasonably close" could be "30 combat turns" or "3 combat turns", which makes a bit of a difference. :>

Is the vehicle showing any signs of using radar or any active detection mechanisms?

Yes, the vehicle is using radar and ultrasound, but only weak levels, probably part of the on-board navigation system. The road is windy and forested, so for the most part you can lag two combat turns behind without LOS. Any closer would require stealth tests. There are some places you would need to slow up, of course.

Out of curiousity, when Pengrave and Cleo got into the vehicle, did they have a driver or was Pengrave in the driver's seat?

Copperhead scouted ahead as the RV easily handled the curves and tight conditions, though it did strain a little going up a few of the inclines.  A rigger could do many things, but they still had to work within the limits of their vehicle.  When she had enough nuyen, she'd have to look into replacing the electric drive with a good turbo-diesel.  A hybrid would be even better.  Electric for stealth and diesel for power . . .

Her attention returned to the road ahead.  There!  The site was about as perfect as she could get with these conditions.  A short straight-away followed by a tight corner that couldn't help but bring the sedan down to a more reasonable speed - one less likely to send it flying end-over-end when it suddenly found it was driving on one less wheel than recommended by the manufacturer's specifications.  There was a decent boulder she could hide the bulk of her drone behind while still being able to track and aim at the approaching vehicle.  Plus there was no civilization around for miles.

"Gots an ambush site.  5 minnets 'head.  Snakey, kin ya git one o' yer spirit frens ta cinceal da van an da drone?  An mebbe you 'an ducky too, if it's big 'nuff.  Da drone's perdy much strait 'head an a bit lef.  If it kin, mebby have it keep da car up fron safe if it looks like is gonna crash"

I'll leave it to you to decide if you want to re-summon to slow/confuse the occupants of the vehicle once it stops - don't want to hit them until then.  I'll do some more preparatory stuff once the spirit has done its stuff.

"I'm on it," Caduceus replied.  He had been keeping an eye on the video feed to know what type of weather and terrain they were in so he could know an appropriate type of spirit to conjure when the time was right.  Misty mountains seemed to be the norm for where they currently were, and potentially forest or storm spirits as well.  He decided a mist spirit would probably be most practical for their current concealment needs.

In his seat, Caduceus closed his eyes and spread his arms wide.  He let an emotional pulse of serenity flow out from him, coaxing the mists to gather and shape themselves and agree to provide a service or two, if they felt so inclined.  The shaman did his best to keep his injuries from distracting himself as he made his attempt at establishing a connection.

He felt a spirit's presence, but it was reluctant to form for him.  He wrestled with it and negotiated with it using methods only a fellow shaman could understand.  In the end he managed to convince it to provide one service for him, but at a significant cost to his physical state.  Breathing heavily, he said to the group, "Got one.  I'm pretty well spent though."

Bowing reverently to the spirit he had conjured, Caduceus said to it, "I would like you to Conceal Copperhead's drone, this vehicle, and everyone in it.  Keep us concealed as good as possible whenever we are within your domain tonight."

17:36, Today: Caduceus rolled 1 success using 3d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,4,(6+6+4)16.  Conjure Force 6 Mist Spirit.

17:37, Today: Caduceus rolled 1 success using 9d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 7 with rolls of 4,4,5,1,3,5,(6+5)11,1,1.  Drain Test.

Caduceus takes 3 boxes of stun damage, for a total of 4.

"K, thanks."

As soon as Caduceus appeared to be finished with his instructions, Copperhead angled the drone for its ambush location on the far side of the mountain, descending as she went.  She wanted it to be down with the engines off as quickly as possible to maximize the time for the surrounding weather to cool her heat signature.  She parked the vectored thrust device, extending the landing feet and adjusting them so she was almost completely concealed behind a boulder, a strange weathered area providing an excellent view of the road for her gun-cam and LMG.  It was like the rock had been set there for the purpose.  It would have been hard to see her in broad daylight.  With the cloudy moonless sky, the mountain blocking a large portion of Seattle's endless glow and the swirling mist enhanced by the spirit, she was as close to invisible as it was possible to be without magic.  Or without much magic, anyhow.

She adjusted controls to disable unnecessary sensors and anything else likely to consume power or boost her heat signature, then accelerated the van, closing the distance with her target and aiming to be just outside line of sight of the speeding sportscar when it reached the ambush site.

For good measure, she killed her headlights.  Anyone approaching from the other direction would be seen first by her drone, so there was little risk to driving in the dark.  And her passengers in the back were looking at her thermographic and radar images anyhow.  They wouldn't have a chance to panic at the fact that she looked like she was driving blind.

She monitored the tracker signal, watching for any shift in speed not tied to the road conditions she'd already mapped out that might hint awareness that something was off.  A mental twich flicked the safety off and shifted the ammo feed to EX rounds.  A second adjusted the visual filters on the gun-cam to thermographic.

Regular visuals would have been ok if she wanted the engine block - just aim between the headlights.  But that carried too much risk of fire or explosion.  Both gasoline and high-performance batteries tended to not react well to the penetration and sparks associated with large calliber ammunition.  So she wanted to take out one of the tires.  And those would be glowing even brighter than headlights on her thermographics as the speedster dumped energy approaching the corner.

She set the van on auto-pilot given that Noruas hadn't seemed overly enthusiastic at the notion of driving.  And given the steep drop-off beside the road, she frankly hadn't been overly enthusiastic either.  Him manning the rifles to provide an extra set of eyes and source of cross-fire would be sufficient.

It was too bad the mage was out of commission already, but the concealment he'd provided would hopefully make his other skills unnecessary.  She'd try to make the ride back into town a bit more relaxing.  No need for the same speed.  It'd be fine for their captives to stew a bit.  Noruas could have a stab at their comm devices and White Duck could apply his talents to convince the pair that cooperation was in their best interest.  If they needed magical persuasion, they'd just have to wait a bit.

She'd actually prefer if they could get what they needed without magic.  Threatening to slice off someone's cahones she could handle.  But somehow the notion of someone's mind probing another's left a sick feeling in her belly.  She was sure there were worse things to do to a person, but she wasn't sure it was a long list.

quote:

17:46, Today: Copperhead rolled 16 using 6d6 with the Shadowrun, Open Test with rolls of 2, 6+4, 3, 5, 2, 6+6+4.  stealth - drone.

Base signature is 4.  + 6 for the spirit, +2 for tight terrain, + 1 for fog.  With the rock, I don't think he has direct line of site, though if you want you could do a -1 for partial line-of-sight.  So overall TN is 28 or 29.  I think we'll avoid honking or doing anything to wake the driver up from their nighttime joy ride.

quote:

17:52, Today: Copperhead rolled 11 using 6d6 with the Shadowrun, Open Test with rolls of 1, 6+5, 1, 3, 4, 6+2.  Stealth - bison.

Base signature is 2, + 6 for the spirit,, +2 for terrain, + 1 for fog and no line of sight so final TN is 22

I'll wait to see if anything intesting happens before making my attack roll.

Do I need to roll anything to see if I can man the rifles and grenade launchers?

The dwarf then quickly offered, I'm gonna man the guns, if you want.  Feel free to open the port for that.

Once Copperhead does reveal another port for him to access, he quickly plugs in and takes aim at nearby boulders and rocks to adjust himself to the settings.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:26, Sun 18 Dec 2016.

"Ya should 'ave access.  Don pop-em 'til ya got somethin ta aim at do.  Da sites kin get fragged if ya drive wit 'em up fer too long.  An it bumps up da signature which we don wants.  Ya kin pop 'em once ya hear ma gun.  Oh, an yer gonna hafta tell da auto-pilot ta stop once ya round 'da bend."

You probably can't approach too much closer than 50 meters and still be able to decline the rifles sufficiently to get a decent shot if they keep low.  That'll still put you in short range for everything.  Shouldn't need to roll.  If you're jacked in and Copperhead has given you access, you should see all the controls

Understood, thanks.

The dwarf waits until the van comes around the bend before letting it slow to a stop.

Pengrave was driving.

The car comes around the bend at 90 miles per hour; the wheels momentarily lose traction and the vehicle skids towards the precipice before the vehicle's computer compensates. Pengrave accelerates on the straightaway. To the drone, it's supernova, the heat from the engine and tires giving everything a red cast.

The engine kicks up as Pengrave shifts to engine braking, the vehicle speed (and range) dropping. The drone gets an easy lock, but there won't be second chances. Copperhead has a hard time driving while also feeding information to the drone, so slowing down as she comes around that bend may be advisable, even if it increases that same range.

The van's on autopilot - rating 3.  It'll slow to a speed it deems safe for its capabilities and the road conditions.  It may take an extra turn to arrive, but that's ok.  Copperhead is fully jumped into her drone.  Once she's fired, she'll probably trade with Noruas.  He can use suppressive fire on either side of the vehicle to keep them pinned and Copperhead can speed up the van and stop it where she needs to.  She might wait to see what they do in the immediate aftermath of the attack though.  Cleo's probably got a pretty high initiative, so if she makes a break for it, I'll hit her first.

I'm going to hold of posting the attack to give Caduceus a chance to summon his mountain spirit if he wishes

20:50, Today: Caduceus rolled 1 success using 4d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,1,(6+6+5)17,2.  Conjure Force 2 Mountain Spirit.
20:51, Today: Caduceus rolled 6 successes using 8d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,5,3,4,3,4,5,5.  Drain Test.
20:51, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 4d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,1,4,2.  Conjure Force 2 Mountain Spirit (again).
20:51, Today: Caduceus rolled 5 successes using 8d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 5,2,(6+5)11,1,5,5,(6+4)10,3.  Drain Test.

After catching his breath, Caduceus dug deep and reached out to the mountain spirit's for some help as well.  He would feel naked knowingly going into combat without some spiritual guidance.  "We are going to stop the car in front of us from moving," he told the spirit.  "Make sure that vehicle is guarded so that its occupants come out of the crash ok."  He then dug even deeper and requested additional services from the spirits of the mountains.

"I think I'll go out and observe the scene from astral space.  See what I can do with my spirit friends from there.  Please keep my meat safe while I am out." Caduceus began his trancing and would opt to fly over to the crash site as soon as he knew shots were fired.

Copperhead noticed the mage slump in his seat as the Westwind approached the corner into her straightaway.  Go time.  She jumped fully into her drone.

It felt a bit odd to feel the coolness of the mist swirling around her rather than the wind rushing against her face, but this was one time when being stationary was necessary.  She watched the ball of heat tear around the far corner and slowly resolve as it came closer.  She centered the cross-hairs of the smartlink on the front right tire, tracking it as the vehicle veered slightly out of control, then compensated.  The loss of the right tire would spin her target counter-clockwise across the oncoming lane and into the wall of the cliff rather than off the road and down the hill towards the trees below.  So long as there wasn't another rich millionaire speeding the opposite direction this time of night, that would probably be the safest location for her quary - and it was certainly the easiest for her to manage.


"Noruas, get ready ta, flick da jammer"

Her breathing slowed, even though with the jack neither her heartrate nor breathing had any impact on her accuracy.  Some habbits were worth retaining.  She monitored the sports car as it slowed, Pengrave perhaps deciding that a bit more control coming out of the corner would be a good idea.  He was hitting the brakes too hard for the Westwind's small battery to consume all of the needed power and the brakes lit up as the shoes engaged.  She waited for the targeting rectical to turn green, indicating optimum range then twitched a mental muscle.

"JAM!"

The night erupted with sound as her LMG splashed bucked with full auto then getting louder as the explosive rounds detonated.  The metal cut through the tire easily, then ripped chunks out of the rim shattering it and ropping the silver vehicle onto its bare axle triggering an unavoidable spin.  The noise echoed off the mountain into the night, quickly dampened by the fog.  The flame from her unprotected barrel lit up the rock and surrounding mist, making her hiding place obvious, but too late for the driver or his passenger to do much about it.

The auto-pilot would be doing its best to minimize injury to occupants.  With luck the sedan would slam into the cliff and trigger the airbags.  That'd slow Cleo down a bit.  The former samurai would undoutedly be the first to move.

Copperhead flexed her feet and the drone's vectored thrust kicked in, rocketing her skyward as she tilted to position herself with a good view of the road from both directions and clear line of sight to the road on either side of the vehicles doors as it ground to a stop.  She toggled her weapon to gel rounds and prepared to fire, focusing most of her attention on the passenger door.

quote:

21:27, Today: Copperhead rolled 11 using 12d6 with the Shadowrun, Open Test with rolls of 2, 1, 3, 2, 1, 6+5, 4, 2, 4, 6+3, 3, 1.  Manuever score.

(I used 6 dice from my control pool.)  I'm going to assume he drops to just below 60m/ct (about 45mph) in order to make the combat turn.  That means his maneuver score will be 3 (sports car) + 5 (speed/10 rounded down) + driving open test.  Mine is 10 (ultralight) + 0 + 11 = 21.  (I'm not bothering to factor in the tight terrain because that affects us both equally.)  Seeing as it's unlikely he can't hit 3 or more on his open test, and it's really unlikely he'll get 24, there shouldn't be any bonuses or penalties from the open test to my shot.

Short range (base TN 4); smartlink: -2; aim * 3: -3; relative motion - toward each other: -1; relative speeds (assuming between 22 and 45 mph as he gets to the corner): +2; Shooting an automobile -1; Called shot + 4.  Final TN=3.  (4 if he's suicidal and tries to take the corner above 45mph)
Gunnery 6, control pool 6, 9 rounds of full auto (to avoid recoil) = 20 dice

quote:

21:34, Today: Copperhead rolled 13 successes using 20d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 5,3,1,4,1,2,4,(6+1)7,(6+4)10,(6+4)10,4,2,5,5,1,5,1,(6+6+1)13,3,2.  Shoot the tire.

13 successes.  (10 if he's going 45-67 mph instead).
Base damage = 9S, becoming 4M for hitting a vehicle.  So after staging, that'll do either 8D or 7D, less whatever vehicular armor his tires have (base Westwind has none).  I'm assuming he can't dodge due to surprise.  Vehicle rolls its body of 3 to resist.

In the unlikely event Pengrave is jacked in, he may need to resist physical damage with willpower.  A full rigger would need to resist 6M if the vehicle takes Serious or 6S if it takes Deadly.  Not sure what the targets would be for merely being jacked in.

Then it needs to make a crash test (not really relevant for the vehicle, but will be relevant for the occupants).  TN is 3 + 3 for serious damage or 4 for deadly + 4 for tight terrain, so 10 or 11.  He gets to roll 6 (autonav * 2) + driving skill.  If he fails, the vehicle crashes.  Vehicle needs to resist 6M (if he was 45mph or less or (speed/10)S if he was going faster.  Passengers need to resist the same power, and whatever damage level the vehicle actually took.  They can't dodge and can use impact armor.

quote:

22:06, Today: Copperhead rolled 27 using 4d6+12 with rolls of 4,3,6,2.  Initiative.

quote:

22:10, Today: Copperhead rolled 10 successes using 12d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 2 with rolls of 4,4,2,(6+5)11,2,2,5,(6+3)9,5,1,4,1.  Accelerating.

That'll get me moving to 90m/ct and position me 45 meters up by the end of my ct

Hopefully Noruas was holding action, so the jammer was active almost as soon as the shots were fired.

My only previous action was to slow the van down.

Upon hearing the command, Noruas flipped a mental switch to turn on the van's jammers.

Do I need to make a roll for this?

Upon 'hearing' Copperhead's gunfire, Noruas took that as a cue to begin aiming the van's weapon system at the Westwind.  He made sure to load in some concussion grenades into the grenade launcher before taking aim.  He takes a moment to take aim at the damaged vehicle, ready to let loose a barrage of grenades should the order be given.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:52, Fri 23 Dec 2016.

It'll take you 2 combat turns before you've got line-of-sight on the van - we couldn't follow super close or we'd have been seen.  Once the van has line-of-sight, there may be more specific targets so I'd hold off making detailed plans until you know what they're up to.  You may not need to shoot at all.  If White Duck can talk them into surrender, that'd be less noisy and avoid us having to wake them up from stun before we can ask questions.

In terms of non-lethal, you've got offensive, defensive, IR smoke and concussion in the grenade launcher.  I think the smoke would help them more than us - they're not attacking, they're trying to get away.  You've also got EX and Gel rounds in a pair of rifles.  If the vehicle is armored (as would be reasonable for an executive), you'll have to blow out the windshield before you can put a grenade in.  As well, I'd encourage you to spend a couple of turns aiming before you launch the grenades to make sure they actually go inside the vehicle unless someone's already opened a door.

Wow, Pengrave actually got a 23 on his open test for maneuver score. Hopefully that's the last high roll he gets ;) However, that doesn't meet the 10+ threshold to change those TNs. BTW, thank you for the full explanation of everything :) Every time I do vehicle stuff, I go back through again and spend 15 minutes just relearning everything.

The Westwind's wheel explodes in rubber and shrapnel. The other wheels kick on automatically, adjusting for the abrupt loss of braking torque. The car fishtails down the road, the automated accident transponder drowned out by Noruas's jammer. The car sideswipes the side of the cliff, removing the front fender and crushing the passenger door inwards before it bounces back into the road and towards the cliff. The car turns back into the road, still screaming, leaving a trail of sparks. A second tire bursts and the car goes skidding forwards and off the end of the curve into the underbrush.

The car is quiet for a moment, then the driver's side door kicks open and Pengrave stumbles out, his suit torn and stained with blood. He struggles around the back of the car, just as the RV comes around the bend on the far side of the road.

Hadn't thought of loss of braking torque, but you're right that the front end dragging probably produces less friction than tires with shoes applied.

The loudspeaker on the Strato-9 boomed out.

"ON THE GROUND.  NOW.  FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL BE CONSIDERED A HOSTILE ACT"

For good measure, she toggled on the red and blues as she held action, watching for Cleo.  She'd leave Pengrave for Noruas to deal with if the executive decided to misbehave.  The drone slowed it's assent and held station about 70 meters above the damaged car as she tried to figure out the status of the second vehicle occupant.

quote:

14:13, Today: Copperhead rolled 1 success using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,3,1,2,4,2.  Active scan - watching for Cleo.

(Actually, that should have been 5 dice, not 6)

quote:

14:14, Today: Copperhead rolled 4 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of (6+1)7,1,(6+3)9,4,2,5.  Passive scan - watching for Cleo.

As soon as the action started, Caduceus flew his astral body out to the crash site to keep tabs on the situation.  He had never witnessed a car crash from the astral plane before, and it was certainly a sight to behold.  When Pengrave got out, Caduceus took the opportunity to peek inside the car to check on Cleo's status.  It would be good to know if she was waiting, scheming, or about to die.  He just hoped Pengrave himself wasn't going to the trunk to surprise them with a bazooka or something.

Pengrave looks back and forth, at the car and the drone. He then launches himself towards the edge of the road and tumbles into the underbrush.

if anyone wants to take potshots at him, you can.

Caduceus can tell Cleo is still dazed inside the car, but in good physical condition, wrapped up by a friendly spirit. She is quickly regaining her senses though.

Duck pops open the door to the van, fastening his mempo to his face, then tossing his coat over his shoulder and striding up to the Westwind's crash site casually. His colors change and shift slightly under each street light, up until he makes it to the vehicle. He moves through the brush quietly, ignoring Pengrave for the moment and going for the car. His albinism, his eyes glinting pink like some cornered, feral predator from the ambient glow of the city. He'd certainly moved quickly enough- keeping a decent enough pace to put himself at the busted-up passenger side door in seconds.

"Damned nice car. Shame about the accident..." he says, inhaling a plume of fakesmoke from an internally-built vape pen in the mempo. When he exhales, the vapor billows out from the nostrils in thick plumes that make him appear like some well-dressed yet pissed off Chinese river dragon.

"Pardon me Valerie, I'm afraid that chip you slotted is having some side effects you can't seem to fight off. I've been hired to retrieve this chip, and as it just so happens, I'm going to have to remove it forcibly. You have my sincerest apologies, as a handsome guy such as myself is accustomed to *really* consensual touching, but alas." Relieved to be done with the airs and social graces of the corporate party, Duck deftly darts his digits down through the broken window and moves to swiftly swipe the chip.

Howdy guys, sorry for my long absence but things have been hectic at work. Looks like I came back just in time! I hope you all had a great holiday. BTW.

Aside from that, I'll roll unarmed if it's necessary at this point, but I'm trying to get to Cleo before she fully comes to.

As Copperhead was essentially holding action, is she able to fire before he hits the brush?

So who's going after Pengrave?  And this is probably not a good time to be firing concussion grenades at the escaping Pengrave, right?

That depends on the timing of things.  If White Duck has had the time to get to the vehicle before Pengrave decided to bolt, he probably wouldn't appreciate a nearby stun grenade - so I should take the shot.  On the other hand, if Pengrave ran before White Duck got close, probably best for you to fire the grenade and I wait for our primary target to make her move (seeing as we don't have intel relayed from Caduceus yet).  PB - what's the timing of actions?

Caduceus smiled at the spirit wrapped around Cleo, glad that it had done its job well.  But when he noticed Cleo was beginning to stir, he didn't hesitate to request a service of his second mountain spirit.  "Slow down her Movement and the the guy outside too, while you're at it.  We can't have them escaping on us, or else this entire plan will have been a waste."

He then flew off to go report their status to the camper-crew.  Manifesting, he said, "Cleo is dazed, but healthy, and recovering fast.  I have my spirit friend slowing the two of them down."

I imagine this would take Caduceus a couple actions, but I think it fits in with what other people are doing too.

Both jacked in techies can take the shot. Copperhead has initiative. They will get their actions in before White Duck arrives at the car, since he needs a little time for his saunter ;)

Take da shot.  I've got da primary

To fire, you need to do the following:
1. You're stopped, so determining a maneuver score doesn't make much sense - we'll just do straight gunnery against your target
2. Technically you're not trying to hit Pengrave per se, just the spot he's in, so you could argue you're targetting something bigger than a human, but don't know Papa would buy that.
3. I don't know how close to the wreck you parked.  If it's < 50 meters, your base TN is 4, if its > 50 meters, your base TN is 5
4. The weapon has a smart-link (so -2 if you have a smartlink adapter)
5.  You have gunnery of 3.  If you have a reaction of at least 3, you can throw total of 6 dice into your attack against whatever the final TN is
6. Roll 3d6 to see how far it scatters.  Reduce by 4 x number of successes on your attack roll
7. Roll 1d6 to see what direction the grenade will scatter in

Damage is 12M stun, reduced by impact armor and resisted by Body and combat pool, staged up by your successes.

Good luck . . .

3) I'm not sure how far I parked in relation to them, since we never specified.
4) I have a smart link so the TN should be 2 or 3 depending on where I'm parked, right?
5) How does one determine reaction?  Is it the initiative?

You had control of the vehicle, so it's sort of up to you, though Papa has the right to override.  And yes, that'll make your TN either 2 or 3.  Reaction should be listed on your character sheet.  It's the average of (Quickness + Intelligence)/2 rounded down.  It can be altered by other things, though those changes probably wouldn't come into play here.

Thanks. Then let's say I parked at a little more than 50 meters.

The dwarf felt for the general location of Pengrave before mentally pulling the trigger with the grenade launcher.

Today: Noruas rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 ((2,2,1,1,4,4)). 'Nading the heck out of Pengrave.

Today: Noruas rolled 2 successes using 3d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of (6+3)9,1,(6+1)7.  How far the grenade scatters.

Today: Noruas rolled 1 success using 1d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 3 with rolls of 5.  Direction the grenade will scatter in.

<orange>The 3d6 actually needed to use the default system rather than shadowrun (no re-rolling of 6s and add the result).  So what you actually rolled was 6 + 1 + 6 = 13 in terms of scatter distance.  You reduce that by 4m x 2 successes, so 5m off.  Pengrave will need to resist 7S instead of 12M stun stun based on the difference in distance and your staging it up.  He'll resist using his body + combat pool and the TN will be reduced by his impact armor.  The grenade landed between 4 and 5 o'clock from where you were targeting it, so probably still at least the 12 meters or so away from WD.  Odds are he'll be able to counter one of your successes and avoid serious stun.  If he keeps running, I'll try to drop him if you and White Duck feel like you can cover Cleo.<orange>

Noruas lines up the shot and fires. The grenade skitters under the car and detonates with a *WHOOMF*, blasting out two more windows. Pengrave skitters towards the edge of the road but loses his footing from the blast and collapses into the underbrush. His heat signature still comes up distinctly on the cameras. He's there, apparently immobile, and thoroughly tangled.

Caduceus's spirit hurries off to... slow their movement apparently? Little spirit is a bit confused as to this one, as neither seems to be moving much at all.

Duck approaches the car, keeping his calm stride as he walks /towards/ the explosion. Cleo/Valerie, for her part doesn't seem to have the fight in her that she used to. She's sprawled out in the passenger seat, her torn dress hidden under the deflated airbags. Her face and neck are covered with cuts from her jewelry and bits of glass. She barely manages a groan as Duck grasps the chip, plugged into the nape of her neck. With a half-twist, the chip unlocks and glides free from its socket.

Watching Valerie, she doesn't seem to suffer any visible medical issues. Nor does she look like she's bleeding anywhere, although concussions and even fractures are likely. She'll live if you want to leave her for DocWagon.

Once she was comfortable that Cleo/Val was covered, Copperhead slipped back into command mode and edged the van up to the crashed vehicle - and into a position where at least one of her rifles could get a bead on Pengrave's condition.

Her voice came over the comm
"Best ta get 'em loaded ta chat elsewhere.  Dunno when da nex car's commin, but best ta not be 'ere."

As soon as the pair is in restraints, she eases her form out of the RV's cabin and makes her way to Pengrave's vehicle, pops the hood and plays for a minute before slamming it shut and returning to the van.

"Ready ta go?"

quote:

08:29, Today: Copperhead rolled 5 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of (6+5)11,(6+1)7,1,(6+6+1)13,(6+2)8,4.  Disable emergency beacon.

Presumably that should do it :>

Both sacks of potatoes are easy to strap down. And the emergency beacons, while not made for servicing, can be removed with only a little abuse.

After 'abusing' the emergency beacons, Noruas quickly straps himself back into his seat.

Let's go.

Just as she was about to pull out, Copperhead had a quick mental flash.  She popped out of her vehicle and went to retrieve the tracking device.  It was too fragging expensive to lose, plus it might have attracted undesired attention.  For good measure, she popped the trunk and the glove compartment, looking for anything of value.  May as well confuse whatever LoneStar detective got assigned as to the motive.  Plus a bit of extra Nuyen wasn't ever a bad thing.

That done, the rigger slipped back into her seat and pulled an easy u-turn and drove the team and their "guests" back towards civilization.  She did her best to keep the ride easy and relaxing for everyone, particularly Caduceus.  Any interrogation was going to be a lot easier if the mage was in good form and their targets were at least conscious.

Back-tracking was always easy for her and she had her drone to scout ahead and help avoid any potential trouble spots.  She flicked the jammer off once they were about 5 minutes away from the scene of the accident, trusting to the RV's passenger-compartment faraday cage to contain the broadcasts of any doc-wagon bracelets, phones or other signalling devices.

This time, she left the internal video displays off.  No point letting their guests know where they were going, though she did respond to any questions over the comm.  Her stomach rumbling, she made an executive decision to hit a local Soy-Mart, grabbing sandwiches and coffees - a double expresso for herself.

The parking lot of an abandoned mall about 15 minutes futher seemed as good a stopping point as any.  It had good sightlines and a few potential exits.  She perched her drone atop the highest nearby lamp-post, then briefly flicked on the jammer as she pushed the food back before resealing the cage and turning off the electronic noise.

She kicked back in armchair mode, watching the feeds from both inside the van and out.  For good measure, she adjusted the van's radio to pick up the local 24-hour news feed as well to see what sort of attention the team had brought upon itself.  She slurped absently at the relatively well-insulated coffee and enjoyed the sensation of physical relaxation combined with the energizing effect of the caffeine beginning to seep again through her veins.  Her visual and auditory cortexes flicked effortlessy through the multiple feeds.  This already long night was only going to get longer.

Healing Stun Damage (4 boxes)
Time to Heal = 4 hours divided by Willpower Test Successes
Target number of 4 (base of 2 plus another 2 for moderate stun damage)
09:20, Today: Caduceus rolled 4 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,2,4,1,4,(6+5)11.  Stun Recovery.
He should heal up in one hour if he isn't interrupted.

After Caduceus returned to his body and their "passengers" were secured (making sure they took into account all of the cyberware and hidden blades he was intimately aware of), he sat back in his seat and took some deep breaths.  It had been a long time since his work had taken this much energy out of him all at once.  "If you guys got those two under control, I think I'll work on recharging my batteries.  Probably didn't look like it, but getting us a spirit friend to cover our tracks back there was actually quite the ordeal.  Let me align my chakras or re-balance my chi or whatever it is that us shamans do.  It's a mystery!"  He looked from face to face to see if his lame joke had any effect.  "Seriously though, I think a little catnap will do me literal wonders right about now."

Duck sits across from the pair, itching for a smoke but figuring the time for that would come later. For now, there was some sort of interrogation to perform. Leaning back and watching carefully for flickers of consciousness, Duck grinned to Cadeuces.

"Well in that case, you should get some sleep right meow." he grinned wryly, enjoying his own joke even if no-one else does.

There's an emergency kit, some heavier armor, and a discreet street sweeper tucked in the back of the car. Not worth a lot, but handy nonetheless.

The night is quiet in this neighborhood, so far from the busier avenues of the urban sprawl. At this hour, there are still a few customers in the soy-mart; mostly exhausted wage slaves hunting for minute-burritos to eat on the commute home. Copperhead stands out, although her van does not.

Once safely in the parking lot, it isn't a long wait before Val groans and comes to. She reaches up, her movement stopped by the restraints.

"What the hell? Are you a kidnap crew? Where the hell is my gear?" She kicks at her restraints.

"Hoi Val, and no. The short explanation from a low-techie such as myself is that the chip you stole and slotted took over your brain. The personality in charge wasn't exactly friendly, and the new 'you' didn't take kindly to being forcibly removed from your neck." he holds up the chip, but keeps it out of Val's reach, then re-pockets it.

I'm contractor hired to do a little damage control for the company that made them. If these things are overwriting your entire personalities, uh, well, I can sorta get why they wouldn't want just anyone slotting their experimental prototypes. You may have observed that you aren't dead yet?" he looks her over, pulling out a smoke and lighting it, unable to resist the urge any longer. He offers her one as well and places it in her mouth, lighting it if she accepts. He shrugs and repockets them if she declines.

"So, pardon the cuffs, and also, you're fragging welcome. If you didn't realize how absurdly dangerous, and some might say stupid, plugging an experimental chip into your brain on a fragging whim was gonna be, then it's a damned miracle you even made it out of your pre-teens with that keenly developed sense of rationality you've got there. Now, can I get some sort of assurance from you that you're, uh, who you originally were so I can unbind you? Your alter-ego already sucker-punched a friend of mine, so we're erring on the side of caution. Something you don't seem too personally familiar with."

"Yeah? And why the hell you dress me like this?" she looks down at the flowing gowns with long cuts up the side, barely concealing whatever she's wearing underneath. "You going to tell me the chip did that too?"

She'll accept the ciggie and settle a little. "They said it was a skillsoft. Little better is all. They didn't say anything about losing memories or... little princess dresses. Don't know what 'assurances' you want. I'm not giving you my credstick PIN if that's what you're fishing for. And what the hell is he doing here? He didn't get paid. The chips went to me, Griffin, and Cooperman. Or are we beating him up for double-crossing us?"

"Me? Nah, c'mon, of course not. Ya, seriously, you dressed yourself, dear. I mean, c'mon, it's a really bizarre plan to change your clothes, take your chip, tie you up and toss you into the back of a van that ain't mine. We were at some corp suit party. You were with a fella named Pengrave, who seemed quite smitten with you. Struttin' it up like the corporate elite." he reaches over and moves to unfasten her bindings. Before untying them, he looks her directly in the eyes.

"Anyway, your mannerisms and posture are clearly different than the queen bee joygirl that walloped my buddy good, so that'll work. You were introducing yourself as 'Cleo' and didn't seem to acknowledge 'Val,' so you being you seems close enough to me. Careful, if you're fibbing and you you pull some kinda trick and start spazzing out, I'll cave your nose in with my foot or slit your throat with a bladed playing card or do some other crazy shit to ruin your day before you can even burble out an insult. I'm not normally so terse, but hell, I gotta say, it's been a long fraggin' day." he then unties her. If she just so happened to be an old kung-fu master and wanted to get into some sort of kung fu...hustle inside the interior of the van, well, so be it. Duck would likely *enjoy* that.

"So, as I was sayin, cap'n sleazebag here was your plus one. Not sure how long you've been out, but if it's as long as I'm thinking, you may wanna get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. You were all over whoever looked rich and famous at the party we found you at. I think he was using you as some sort of bimbo, or not-you was usin' him. Who knows." he takes a drag of his smoke and leans back into his seat.

"He didn't double-cross me in particular, he's just an asshole from what I've gathered. We found Freya, who was a bit beat up but is OK, in case you were concerned. Griffin and Cooperman we're trying to track down. Three chips, three alternate personalities, most likely. Cooperman sold y'all out, from what I've been able to gather. We're trying to track these dolts down for a complete payday. As you can see..." he gestures to an unconscious Pengrave, "We'd prefer to utilize the nonlethal approach and avoid wetwork if possible. That said, we can wake him up, untie him, and I can personally beat the literal crap out of him on your behalf if you're itchy for revenge." he shakes his head at Pengrave. If gods were real, they really seemed to know how to make the perfect combination of idiocy and wealth.

"But um, aside from that, I'd appreciate it if you gave me what you can on Griff and Coop. We need to find them, not only because I'm getting paid to, but because they're either in grave personal danger or actively causing it for others, and I'd like to finish the job before either of those things happens. We can bring you home or somewhere safe. Hell, I can bring you underground with me if you want a safe place to stay until this whole shebang dies down. We read a lot of old comics and smoke a shitton of pot down there though, so if that ain't your bag I understand." he then realizes something, and extends a hand to Val for her to shake.

"Ah hell, where'd my manners go? I'm White Duck- kung fu master, handsome guy, chain-smoker, native son of Nawlins, and professional close-up magician, though it ain't the kind of magic most folks think up."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:14, Wed 11 Jan 2017.

"I was queening it up with fragging Pengrave?!? Ugh, shoot me now. Promise me you won't ever tell no one or my street cred is tanked.

"Freya, yeah. We thought she'd died. A bit prissy, but I liked her. Good to know she pulled out okay.

"Yeah, I think I might head to the clinic. Can't say my head is feeling straight. Fragging pounding, actually. Like I'm running in the red with a cylinder head off. You know Doc Chop'em? No? Well that's what I'll aim for. She's pretty good, if you need anything yourself. Just mention me, I get a commission on referrals. If you need a rigger later give me a ring, although it looks like you got a pretty nice piece of drek you're running already."

She takes a long drag off the cigarette and lets her thoughts clear with the smoke.

"Griff and Cooperman... Well I guess I haven't seen them in a few days? Last I saw them, we were back at base, an old warehouse in the middle of a lot of nothing near Union Hill Road and 208th Avenue, just after the run. I was still securing the chopper. Cooperman and Griffin headed inside. I'm not sure what happened next, but there was some kind of a fight. Cooperman's boys must have gotten the drop on Griffin, because the next thing I know, he came storming out to the tarmac. Was he running hot! I could see his knuckles were bone white as he got into his Westwind and drove off.

"Found out why when I went in. Fragging Cooperman, instead of getting the remainder of my nuyen the hoop hands me that datachip you got. Says it's worth more than the cash. He had half a dozen goons with him, so what am I going to do? I beat feet on out. Leave him to himself. Could still be there. Maybe his chip is a quadriplegic? Sure hope so.

"As for Griff, he had an apartment downtown. I visited once or twice. Think the ass was trying to put the moves on me, but I really just went to spend time with his car. Westwind 1800. Classic, fifteen years old. Baby blue. All aluminum engine components. No plastic composite drek. You could hear it in the purr. They don't make 'em like that any more. Don't know if that'll be any use to you though. If he got a chip too, he's probably paling around with supermodels somewhere."

Val accepts Duck's hand. "Valerie Westerfield from 'Frisco. Pilot, and apparently party princess. Listen, I'll let you keep that chip in exchange for a change of clothes, a ride, and Pengrave over there. Deal?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:01, Fri 13 Jan 2017.

Copperhead face smirked briefly at Val's comment about her ride as she continued to monitor the surrounding area, letting the face do his work.

She wasn't sure she wanted to relinquish Pengrave quite yet, but she was sure that whatever Val decided to do with him, he more than deserved - either for what he'd pulled with her or with others in his past.  She knew his type.

Duck laughed at Val's comment about Pengrave.

"Yeah, we can get you to a Doc. I'm afraid we already have a damned good rigger- one who just saved face for me and my buddy, actually. I kinda feel like we botched our end of the retrieval bigtime, but regardless, I'm glad we got you out of your weird trance." he took a drag of his own smoke and continued to listen until Val mentoned Griff.

"Yeah, if you could get us an address or LP number that'd help as well." he listened, nodding in understanding, until Val's last comment about Pengrave.

"Glad to see you in good spirits, but we're keeping the chip anyway. We can hook you up with some clothes, give you a ride, but this fella? We need to question him first, realistically. I got no qualms with leaving him in your tender lovin' care afterwards though. Depends on what my team has to say."

"Hey, is it really a shadowrun if no one gets to pull out the heavy artillery?

"You can ask him whatever you want, but I get to keep him. No deals on this. I have got a score to settle." She shifts her dress, covering her legs as best she's able.

She will provide both the physical address of the warehouse, and of Griffin's apartment.

Copperheads voice echoed into the back compartment.  "What'cha know bout der sleep 'abbits?  S'curity?  Frens 'an neighbors?"

"Not much, but given how that run played out, they probably aren't sleeping much."

What do we know about the two areas?

The safe house is in the barrens, and overrun by go-gangs. Not a safe place to be. The apartment is much nicer, B-zone. Tidy, quiet.

Moving things along...

Val changes into a spare jumpsuit and waits for her turn with Pengrave.

White Duck can check Pengrave is properly bound, then slap (or possibly slap patch) the man back to consciousness. The back-and-forth is frustrating--he never met any of the other runners, never had any involvement outside of Junior. In fact, and he swears it until Val puts a boot to his crotch, that it was Val who came onto him, not vice versa!

Pengrave does confirm Hollywood was looking to buy out Global, but for some reason he's had a sudden change of heart. Of course, he's just a VP, so everyone knows his vote doesn't count for much, especially with Global's big research missing.

As the conversation winds down, Pengrave begs Val/Cleo to take him back, that things can be "just like they were" if she'll let them, not to be angry with him, how could he have known! Val reassures him, things will be just like they were... for one of them.

Any other questions/issues actions or can I close this down? Are you aiming for the safehouse or Griff's apartment next? Or somewhere else?

Copperhead's voice echoed through the speakers.

"Where'd ya like us ta drop ya?  Be ace if ya kin keep yer new boy-fren on ice 'til Saturday.  I'm sure ya gots lots ta 'scuss . . ."

"I got an old safehouse on the edge of Puyallup. I really appreciate the ride, chummer."

The RV pulled gently out of the parking lot and began making her way to the Barrens using her drone to scout ahead and avoid any likely trouble spots.

"Any 'yer frens no o' dis place?  If ya wan, we kin check fer a welcomin party for we leaves da two o'ya ta work on yer 'lationship issues"

Once she's sure the other rigger is "home" safe and Pengrave is being well taken care of, she sends her drone off to scout the warehouse, given that they were already in the vicinity.

What time is it?  How much activity is there in the area of the warehouse?  Any signs of life?

Caduceus stretched when he finally felt like himself again (more or less).  He had been listening to what had been going on, but hadn't commented, since a large portion of his attention was tranced out in his mental healing cave focusing on recovery.  After dropping off Cleo/Val, he commented, "Looks like we have some solid leads on the last of the chips, and a solid path toward our goal forming.  It's still way too early to call it, but I think our chances of success have gone up significantly in the past few hours here."

Copperhead snorted.

"Doan coun cher chick'ns 'for dey's 'atched"

The dwarf shrugs at Copperhead's comment and adds, I think we can all do with a little optimism right now.

Noruas gently sways his head from one side to the other until he finally here's that *CRICK* in his neck and then says, So where to now?

Caduceus shrugged off Copperhead's comeback without taking offense.  He knew she was right but didn't mean he couldn't be hopeful.  And Noruas was right.  They really could use some optimism right about now.  Still, Caduceus got back to the business at hand.

"I say we check out Griff's place first.  It would be good to learn more about what Cooperman was up to before we try taking on the potential hornet's nest that could be waiting at the warehouse.  Could always do a bit of astral recon before we finalize our decision though."

Well, wherever we decide to approach next, I highly suggest we don't split up just yet.  3 out of 4 of us might need whatever time we can spare in this recon to recover.  But I'm game with whichever location you guys want to head to first.

The decisions were now 1 to Griff's place, 1 to the warehouse, and 1 abstaining.  The dwarf looks at the albino man curiously.  Ducky?  Any inputs?

Closing up the thread. Great job!

For Karma:
2 karma for everyone, +1 for Caduceus and White Duck, who through themselves unarmed into the fray and soldiered on even as everything seems to have gone wrong.

Oh, better break the tie or we'll sit here another week :P

Val laughs, "listen fraggers, you got some nice gear here, but my guess is, you'll be hunting Griff for a while. He knows how to lay low. Start with the safehouse."