Carver's Warehouse!

Continue.

The Shenlong warehouse yard is massive, well lit, and extremely organized. The entire lot is based off of a double canal system that leads all the way out into the bay, built wide enough to handle light traffic all the way up to hovercrafts. The warehouses are all squat ugly things, barely two stories of concrete with corrugated aluminum siding slapped on top to make them seem less bunker-like at a casual glance. The entire area is well lit with several dozen security cameras at key overlapping points of view.
After all, it would be poor form for Triads to lose a shipment.

Carver's warehouse only stands out by the large black number painted to its side. The cargo door is massive enough to allow a full sized tractor trailer through, perhaps something a little bigger.

Old Willy Jiang is on watch tonight, rolling up crinkled cigs and stopping in doorways to keep himself out of the rain and a little warm during his rounds.

I take my time and follow the directions I was hastily given to find this damn warehouse. At least my choice of vehicle is apt for the area I am in. For once. I roll the rig slowly into the warehouse area. I park the rig right in front of the appropriate door, and take a look around. Seeing that nobody is here yet, I decide to lock up, sit in the back, roll one up, and check astral space. Something tells me this is going to be a tense planning meeting. Everybody seems so uptight. I have to make sure there is at least one calm mind about...

After having a chat with St. V, Twitch decides to head straight for the warehouse, after he swings by his place to pick up his weapons and change.  Arriving a couple hours later (traffic is fragged on public transpo) he walks up the the door.  He tells the guard "Malory sent me." and waits to be admitted.  He doesn't much like the fact that they are on Triad turf but he didn't know until now.  As he enters he nods at the two already here from the meet.

OOC:  13:05, Mon 03 Feb 2014: Twitch rolled 4 successes using 4d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 ((4,(6+6+6+5)23,4,(6+3)9)).  I am assuming a 23 will tell me that this is owned by the Triads.

"Of course, any friend of Mr. Archer is a business associate of my managers."

Carver lets you in as soon as you arrive. The back of the warehouse is interspersed with gardening tools and agripods, and smells faintly of eucalyptus. Cots line the wall, and a second floor office hangs over the empty stretches.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:30, Tue 04 Feb 2014.

I finish up my astral surveillance with a quick dosage of visene.  I grab a bag of chips off of the shelf and open the porta fridge and grab a couple of beers to go with it. I set the snacks on the floorboard and climb down slowly out of the rig. I grab my snacks and lock her up. The on board security will be more than enough for any dumbdreck thief.

I head over to the man guarding the door. "I gotta meet here. Snacks En route man, let me in, I might literally melt over here..."

After begrudgingly paying the cab driver and getting his wheeled luggage trunk out of the back, Saint Velveteen gazed upon the entrance to the warehouse yard.  "This better be the right place," he mumbled, scanning his address card yet again.  He spotted one of the guys from the restaurant getting out of a vehicle. (One that looked an awful like the one he had watched having troubles earlier.)

Velveteen hurried to catch up to the guy who had called himself Castanova as he neared the door.  "I'm with him," St. V tacked on hastily.

Twitch suspects this place is owned by the Triads!

A group of shadowrunners collects before Old Man Jiang. "Yes? Is someone there? Hello?"  He shines his flashlight around. "I think I heard something! Who is that dwarf. Corver! Corver! I think I heard something!" He feels out with a blind hand, touching St. Velveteen's chest.

"Oh, I don't remember there being a wall here ..."
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:38, Tue 04 Feb 2014.

I clear my throat and speak more slowly and loudly. "WE ARE HERE TO TALK WITH CORVER." I turn to Mr. Velveeta and say "Man, I dont swing that way."

Snow shakes his head at the scene before him and simply waits patiently while the others deal with the guard

Twitch smirks at the blind man pawing at St. V.  "Wonder if he is really blind or just pretending?" he thinks as he states, "Carver, we are here to see Carver, sir, not Corver."

"Malory sent us."  Snow feels the need to speak up.  and he hold up his card, "Gave us these cards and said you would show us the way.  So now if you don't mind..."

"COPPER? You're buying copper? Well I don't think we have any, but I can ask. Come along, both of you."

Old man Jiang walks along the wall until he comes to the door. He pulls out a ring of keys and fits them in, one after another.

One after another.

Same one again. Still doesn't work.

Another one, it fits in.

Oh! The door was unlocked the whole time.

He opens the door to let you in. One of the warehouse walls is apparently follows, so he closes the door. It's an external wall, after all.

Twitch walks in the building shaking his head in amusement at the "guard".  looking around the area he thinks about how great it would be to have a place this big for a bike shop.  He cups his hands around his mouth and calls out, "CARVER?  Where you at chummer?"

Firefox's chopper purrs around the corner and slides to an easy stop about 20 meters from her teammates.  She watches, amused, as her new team-mates accost the blind watchman.  (Or as the old man continues to grope his hands Velveteen, perhaps the old man was accosting them?)

As she released her helmet and slid off the bike, issues seemed to resolve themselves, so she fell in behind the small procession, making use of the time to post watchers with instructions to notify her if "peoples or magic things come near this building".  She new she'd have to re-dispatch them as the remaining teammates arrived, but that was better than be surprised.

She wanders in, looking around, particularly up.  Somehow she figured that looking up was going to be an important action during this run.

I walk in behind Mr. McFeely pants and put a cold beer in his hand as I walk past. "Seems you might need this more than I do old timer" I take a look around the warehouse for Carver. Not immediately seeing him I give a shout "Yo, Corver! Your security is SOTA man. I am totally jealous." I crack a beer and take a drink while I try and figure out where the other exits are, and perhaps where we might be planning to heist a singing teddy bear.

Firefox drags a crate over to the wall and half sits and half leans on it, tossing a miniature ball of flame back and forth between her index fingers, the color changing with each pass.  She concentrates on this for several minutes before pausing.

"Any of you guys know someone who'd actually watch this sort of a drek show?  I'd love a first hand account of how this particular critter manages to consistently win a singing contest without even humming a few bars.  Not to mention that she does it consistently and no-one involved bats an eye enough to claim mind control or yank her out of the contest or whatever.

If she can convince 10s of millions of trid viewers she's the greatest thing since sliced bread, whose to say she can't convince us all to stand still with our hands behind our backs while she shows us this cool trick she can do with her razor sharp claws.

Would also like a lead on one of the journalists who dissed her.  How're come they're not as rabidly in love as all the other viewers?  Should probably dig into the other contestants too.  Might give us a clue who we're working for, and that's never a bad thing to know."

She scanned the room for a visible jack point, as well as anyone who looked like they might have the skill to use it.

In reply to Firefox (msg # 17):

I set the beers and chips down someplace conspicuous, and look around for a good spot to setup a plan. I listen to the woman speak, and turn the details over in my head a bit before replying. "Well, in theory, you cant use mind control on the scale that she is. I mean, MAYBE the audience could be controlled, but that assumes they are physically there to begin with." I pull back the hood on my SWEET ROBES and try to fight down the fro before donning a tinfoil hat. "Now, I suspect, that the ratings are all made up by the man anyway. I mean, your average corp drone MIGHT watch this dreck. Maybe. And even if they do, who gives a shit about a arboreal carnivore anyway? No matter how cute. Truthfully, I suspect vote rigging." I pop open the bag of chips and shove some in my mouth. Damn, I could use a pizza.

Firefox's stomach gurgled.  The salad had been delicious, but terribly filling.  Perhaps her ancestors had subsisted that way for millennia, but there were definitely things to be said for the merits of choco-soy shake and a slice or two of pizza.  But it would appear a little odd to suggest ordering one when they'd just had dinner.  A beer, on the other hand . . .

She pushed off the crate and wandered over to the fridge.

"If we find out it's all rigging and payolla, I'd be fraggin thrilled.  Maybe we could dig up some paydata on the side.  But right now, we don't know.  And I'd rather avoid surprises."

I can't help but chuckle at that last bit. "Lady, if you aren't one for surprises, you are in the WRONG biz."

"Fair enough.  Should've qualified with 'unnecessary'.  Getting laid up because of drecky legwork is no fun."

Twitch listens closely to the banter, "I have found that not much takes burst fires of gel rounds very well but if that don't work I got these babies too." he says revealing the stun grenades he brought along for the ride.

With a quick scan of the room after he walked in, Saint Velveteen located an unoccupied area of floor and set down his luggage trunk.  Then, getting down on his knees, he opened it up and began sifting through its contents as the others chatted.  Inside were all his run supplies.  Grenades, rope, his trusty guns, spare clothes, body armor, and other assorted necessities.  He even had his hand-carved beat-stick.  "Things never go as planned," St. V said, finally joining the conversation but still not looking up.  "But if things went as planned, little Becka drop bear wouldn't have to worry about us in the first place.  We just gotta plan for more of the unplanned drek than the other guys."  Velveteen pulled out his Ingram Valiant and made sure it was still put together properly.  It was.  Next he started looking over his respirator.

"And speaking of planning.  What is the plan?  Rent the room above the target and then drop down on our drop bear?"

"Unless I miss my guess the entire hotel will be booked up by contestants and staff, plus security would be enacted to the point that if there are any vacant rooms that they wont be rented out.  This is a huge money maker as all the mindless drones tune in and drool on themselves watching bad singing."

"So that leave 3 areas to target the snatch: the hotel, the studio and in transit.  Transit is to risky, that area has a fair lone star presence and a low response time. It will also entail some pretty good timing.  The Studio is vulnerable because so many people go in and out so much.  The contestants should be there a fair amount practicing though how much practice a bear needs is beyond me.  Plus we would have to deal with studio security, crew, guests, other contestants, as well as Lone Star.  Probably not the best idea.

"That leaves the Hotel.  Plenty of people coming and going though most would be screened.  Hotel security is a joke but there will be corp security bored with their life there.  contestants would be separated into their own rooms.  Sounds like out best bet unless we want to try to become the bears transport but that may take more time and finesse than we have.

"Which leads us to vectors of attack.  There is the roof, the ground floor, anywhere in between and from under.  I don't feel like mucking around in the sewer on the off chance that there is an access under the hotel so lets scratch that off the list.  So we either bring the bear out or go in for the bear.  When does security have a problem? when there is a problem.  When every thing is normal that's when the guards may be bored but unusual things stand out.  When there is a problem they are to busy to notice things.  So I say we stage a problem, pose as the solution and while we are in there get the bear.  These are a bunch of bored kids, I am sure that there are plenty of problems with the waste disposal system.  Who wants to play plumber?"

he looks at twitch and pulls out his taser, "Gel rounds are great but personally I prefer this."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:42, Wed 05 Feb 2014.

I shrug at the woman and take a drink of my beer. "Fair enough."

I grab some more chips and listen to what the others have to say before interjecting. "I agree that the hotel would be the best vector of attack. However, I think that creating a distraction will be counter-productive. If we can get in and out with out any raised eyebrows at all, I say that is the way to go."

 I take a drink to quench my quickly drying throat. "You say security is gonna be bored, I think they are gonna be twitchy. If we are getting hired, I would go so far as to say that they might be expecting us on site. I would like to get some eyes on site if we can. Anybody a 'trix head? We could use some remote intel here, maybe check out some security cams, and maybe if we are really lucky get us on the cleaning roster or something similar."

"Before we settle on the hotel, maybe we ought to check the blueprints or something?  One might be a lot more straight-forward than the other.

Keep in mind that 'in transit' is likely just a sky-walk between the two.  Only real difference is what we're likely to be able to pull of quietly and the trade-off with risk and duration.  In transit will likely be noisy, but could be fast in and out.  In the hotel has the potential to be quietist, but if things go south, pretty easy to get sealed in before we can get away."

Carver comes in through a side door with two paper bags stacked with groceries. Among them, a case of eggs, a gallon of soy-milk and a baguette.
"Oh hey, I tried to get here first but then I realized I ran out of TP. Feel free to rummage through the fridge in the office upstairs. Also I have a few botanical sample trays in back. Peppers and tomatoes mostly. Stay away from the habañeros and the belladonna. They're labeled." He pauses "Matrix is a little spotty out here, but I got a connection through the renters. Just don't try for big downloads or we'll be here all night."

"The reason you got in was 'cause I phoned ahead and disabled the security first. I'm guessing you didn't notice the waist... Well I guess for you all it'd be knee," he looks at Velveteen "ankle... height slits between the double doors? I like to call that my murderbooth. It's like a foyer with extra gunfire."

"Personally, I'm in favor of hitting the hotel. Elvis wasn't so great, bodyguards who dress like him can't be that good either. I'm guessing I'm not the only one with a grappling hook, so ground access turns into roof access right quick. If the lady feels like helping out slick over there, then we should be able to talk our way through no problem."
"I will draw the line at cutting a hole in the pizza box, though. Sausage gives me gas."

After listening to the group talk for a bit Twitch speaks up, "I believe that the hotel would be the best idea at this point, however I think that more intel is needed before deciding on a plan.  Does anyone want to go into the matrix after the blueprints and security of the places?  I have a friend that can do it also.

In reply to Twitch (msg # 28):

I polish off some more chips and finish my beer  as people talk. "Agreed, Intel first. We need to know about this hotel first. I think that is the best shot, but I would like to have a backup plan also. Paranoia can be a good thing.."

Twitch nods, "Never can hurt to have multiple options.  Even the best plans rarely go without a hitch."

"If nobody else wants to, I can go into the matrix and see what I can scrounge up on this hotel."  Saint Velveteen put down the smoke grenade he was polishing, stood up and scanned the room for a jack point.  "It's strange.  It seems like in the teams I've been in there has always been a guy just itching to do all the matrix informationy stuff.  I don't usually fight 'em for it though, 'cause computercationing isn't typically all that exciting to me."

"I don't work with the matrix if I can avoid it.  I have people I call if I need that.  I can get us eyes on the security of the hotel, I trust those more than anything I see on the matrix anyway."

Snow stands up, "If someone would be so kind as to give me a lift I would appreciate it."

Snow passes around some business cards with a phone number written on them.  "You can reach me at this number."

"Before ya go, I have some extra keys so we can keep this place up and running." He wanders over to a small cabinet near the power box, pulls out some thick cardkeys and tosses them around. "RFID chip plus a card for the front and side doors. Don't bother using 'em after the run is over, I'll change the codes when it's done. Here's my commcode number," he scrawls it on one of his notecards and passes them out.
"I could offer ya a ride wherever, Snow, but you'd be riding bitch on a scooter." he shrugs. "Right," Carver tugs down a sleeve to show a tattoo ruined by acid burns. Two kanji characters still stand above the scar and blurred ink Yo mi, "That's why you can look down to talk at me, but you don't get to talk down to me. Comprende?"

"Necessary headwear tends to interfere with my line of business.  Go to it.  While you're at it, grab what you can about the other contestents, judges, etc.  It'd be especially good to know if the Elvis guys are also participants.  Wouldn't want to accidentally shave their dues of it's gonna cut back on the paycheque."

Seeing as no-one else had responded to her suggestion to find someone who'd actually watched the show, she returned to her crate and hopped up on it cross-legged, her head cocked sideways against her phone, hair partially obscuring her face.

"Hey Johnas.  Whatcha up to?

Ah.  Well, tell her I said hi.

When you're done, would you mind find our if any of the boys watch some trid called UCAS Idolize.  Or even any of their girls.  Need to talk to someone who's seen this season.

Yeah, well don't let her hear you say that.

Later"

Seeing the group split up again is troublesome to Twitch, if they find out information they may need to move on it fast, and traffic is bad in Seattle.  "You mind if I stick around here and do some calling around?" he asks Carver.  Assuming it is ok he will wander off into a corner and speak quietly into his phone.

"By all means. You can stay in the office if you want privacy. Jack's up there too, if you want to go virtual. Just keep an eye on the camera feeds. I paid to have a few spliced."

to Firefox:
"I stop watching after the tryouts episodes. The eliminations are the funniest part, everything else is autotune and push-up bras."

"Whats wrong with push up bras?"

In reply to Snow (msg # 37):

"Unrealistic expectations of the female form man. Not to mention, its kinda like lying."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:36, Sun 09 Feb 2014.

"Certainly preferable not to need them . . ."

"It's like finding a jar of nutella and then realizing that all's left is caked against the sides. Still pretty fantastic, but disappointing all the same."

After taking down the peoples' numbers that were being handed out, Saint Velveteen headed up to the second floor office to use the datajack.  "I'll be right back with our intel."  It had been a while since he had been on the matrix, so he was a little rusty.  When he had his datajack installed, he had imagined himself becoming a top decker overnight.  Turned out the matrix was boring though, so he rarely ever made trips there.  He jacked in and made a quick search of the hotel and contestants.  The information was easier to find than he thought.

St. Velveteen failed (no successes) using 3d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 6 with rolls of 3,3,5. datasearch.

St. V quickly downloaded the info he found and printed out the highlights.  He then headed back downstairs with his new found data.  "Piece of cake," he proclaimed, waving around the information to share with the others.

In reply to Carver (msg # 40):

"You just need to learn to enjoy the fantasy."  Pants says with a smile as he accepts the access card and phone number, "You're alright in my book so far Doc."

he heads towards the door, "I'll call when I know more about the security layout."

Exit Pants, going to catch a cab to the hotel.

So Firefox calls Jonas...

"Who the fuck is this? Oh, hey, Firefox, baby, how ya doin'? Things ain't so good. Some new gang in town, Cutie Crusaders or some shit. They beat Tina with a box of Tastee Pux in a Stuffer Shack. Just got back from the clinic; sounds like they managed to put most of her teeth back in.

"Yeah, thanks, I'll pass that on.

"UCAS Idolize? Oh man, I love that show! But I am pissed as hell they bumped Lavender Takita last week. Can you believe that? Damn, those polls are loaded or something. I called like eight times to vote for her and shit, well ... she lost anyway. Tough balls, man. Her voice ... like a mockingbird. Beautiful. Her smile? My heart, it melts. And her ass? Wish Tina was built like that!

"Eh, don't plan to tell her. Listen, some guy just put two bullets through our front window an' I gotta crush his skull in. Always when you're on the phone, right? You keep in touch, okay? Good hearin' from you!"


St. Velveteen does a quick search and comes back with a few useful hits.

The studio and 'hotel' (actually offices owned by U-Luv-It) occupy 1414 and 1413 124th Ave. 1414 is the office complex that Becka is currently residing it. It does have extraterritoriality, so Mitsuhama legal codex and the U-Luv-It Rules of Behavior have the force of law, NOT UCAS/Seattle law. The bottom level of the building is open to the public. A large number of personnel live on site, but it's not a place you can just rent a room.

The current list of contestants is down to the top 18. You can download the entire list, including their standings, place of birth, pictures of them doing their favorite things, their hobbies, pet peeves, list of ten things they love, what magical house they would be long to if they were characters in the popular Larry Grobber vid series, etc.

Twitch wanders around the office still on the phone, "5k?  are you kidding me, come on DB I know you are just going to jaunt in and out real quick.  You are always bragging about how awesome you are."

OOC: 19:13, Today: Twitch rolled 3 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 3,2,3,4,(6+4)10,5. Negotiation (-2 to tn for good rep).

(in response to Twitch):

"It's a tough host. I can crack it, no question. But I gotta get a safe place to login, and it's my noggin on the line, not yours. What all else are you looking for from this? You ask me to turn some network, but it doesn't sound like you even know what you're looking for. I can't help that. Maybe if you're just looking for one or two files? I can cut the price down. If I've got to hit it four of five times to pull everything down you need, well ... I've got expenses too."

Twitch paces around the office more, "Drek I don't need that much, just floor plans and security information.  Should be a cake walk for you."

OOC: 19:30, Mon 10 Feb 2014: Twitch rolled 3 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 ((1,4,4,1,4,1)) Negotiation (-2 to tn for good rep)

"Send Jake and Ugly.  They get antsy if you don't let em crush skulls a couple times a week.  This is about biz, so I need you to stay on the line.

What do you think about this teddy-bear contestant.  You got a clue why she's on top?"

The decker responds to Twitch, "Look, it's still an Orange host. Two pieces of data, I can go down to two thousand and a favor later. Maybe some inside on this job of yours so I can make the difference on the odds. But I can't go any lower. This isn't a quick online search. I need to crack the security, find it, tidy up afterwards, and dodge any security they send out after me."

Jonas hangs on the line with Firefox ...
"Okay, okay. It sounds like it's just a handgun anyway.

"Becka? She's not *top* but she isn't eliminated either. As a contestant, it's pretty clear, ya know? She's just adorbs as it gets. Her little chocolate-tuft ears! I'd love to take her home. Like a pet, I mean. Not a girl, ya know? I don't go for short and fluffy myself. Plus, she's just about the only non-human, non-elf at this point. If you're a meta, she's all you've got. Plus she's so *real*, ya know? No make-up, no fake bio.

"Hey listen, you're not going to this? I mean, one of the shows? You got space for one more? I'd *love* to get in there. But you know, gang-bangers like me, I don't have the change for somethin' like that. Also, I don't have a SIN so they'd probably beat me."

Pants sits in the back of the cab and directs the cabbie to take him to the site of the run.


While on his way he pulls out his pocket sec and tries to get as much information on the show, who is running it and the who's who of the company.
08:58, Tue 11 Feb 2014: Snow rolled 3 successes using 4d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 ((5,5,4,2)).

He also makes some calls for the same info
08:58, Tue 11 Feb 2014: Snow rolled 1 success using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 ((1,2,3,1,4)).

He didn't want to go in blind if he could help it.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:00, Tue 11 Feb 2014.

Snow makes a few calls. It's pretty clear that U-Luv-It is one of scads of Mitsuhama studios. This one focuses mostly on 'ground-breaking pop culture of a new generation', as guided by market demographics and telephone polls. You can get a pretty thorough corporate profile. If you have something specific you're looking for, you can tell me. If people want to make some sort of knowledge of corporate politics or accounting, you can look for anything odd in the data. You can also get profiles of different publicly-known member of the company (and Mitsuhama as well, if you care to). U-Luv-It doesn't attempt to hide the fact that it's owned by Mitsuhama.

Twitch blinks a bit at the mention of a favor, "Yeah that sounds great DB, let me know when you got the stuff and I will arrange a meet to pay you.  Thanks."  He heads out of the office and down the stairs, "Well i have a friend working on the floor plans of the studio and the hotel, as well as the security details." he motions towards the beer and asks, "May I?"

OOC: I assume this cost will be split up evenly across the entire party. Now is probably a good time to wait a few clicks and answer other questions. If everyone is cool with DB doing legwork for the party, on Thursday (i.e., in a 'few hours' in game time) I'll post the data recovered, if any. If someone wants to interrupt, you can do it yourself.

Snow heads on to the actual location. This will take an hour or so to wrap up. It'll be done before DB gets back to you, but after any chatting at Carver's place.

With the address already in hand, you can find the studio and the U-Luv-It offices, each of which takes up a single city block. The office complex is 25-stories tall. It combines polished chrome and tinted windows, highlighted with bright, neon lights and shifting marquees, but ultimately is much more static than its neighbor. Like the studio building, access is denied except to employees and invited guests, but spacious green areas and sidewalks around the building give you plenty of space to stretch your legs and consider your plan of attack.

The studio isthe flashier of the two, built around a semi-circular hub with regular outcroppings of antennas and satellite dishes, entirely covered with reflective windows, reflective lights, and shifting holograms. Several of the larger walls display waht's being played over the public airwaves, adverts and all.

Both sites have posted extraterritoriality, although Lone Star enters and exits the building without any issue. Both are covered by light security. Most of the security is made up of unarmed thugs in black t-shirts that say 'SECURITY'. However, Snow spots a few armed security personnel, wearing armored jackets and helmets, with an Uzi III and stun baton.

"Those beers aint drinkin' themselves mate. Cheers." I quickly polish off my beer and crack open another while turning what little data we have over in my head.

"Shall we wax theoretical while we wait for the data to start rolling in..." The question was rhetorical as there was bearly even a breath between it and the following.

" I would be willing to bet there is some kind of magics on staff if nothing else, to keep the VICIOUS ANIMAL under control, and suitably cute. I would also propose that both the studio itself, and the attached HOSTEL will be well secured. Now, it seems that eucalyptus, the blood of dead virgins, unicorn vulva or whatever the damn thing eats will likely be delivered to it. This may be an avenue of exploit. Also, if any of the other contestants are using any "MOOD ENHANCERS" as they say in the biz, that may be another avenue of attack. Having a distraction option would also be useful..." I quickly realize that the brain to mouth filter has been duly nuked from orbit and go about repairing it while I wait for someone else to interject. Beer. Beer will keep my mouth busy. Another drink!

"Makes sense they would have some way to keep Becka in line," Saint Velveteen said in reply to Castanova.  "I don't know if it would be magic, but you would know more about that than I would."  He was sitting on the floor by his trunk, legs stretched out in a V-shape, and was examining all the papers he had printed and had spread out on the floor in front of him.  He picked up the photo he had found of their target and held it up so the others could see.  "She really is cute though.  If we weren't already planning to take her home with us, I'd vote for her."

Velveteen grunted as he strained to stand back up and grab one of the free beers.  Or two.  "You do bring up another good point about the other contestants though."  He cracked open a beer and downed half of it in a couple big gulps.  "If they wanna win, they'll want Becka to lose.  Maybe enough to help us take her outa the picture.  Not sure how we could exploit that, but it's somethin to keep in mind.  I've got a list of names somewhere in my stack."  After chugging the rest of his beer and grabbing a second, St. V headed back to his collection of information.  He took off his sweaty boots and sat back down on the floor, toes wiggling in the fresh air.

Pants walked up to the nearest security guard and showed him his ID, "Inspector Steven Hyman, CCI." He then pocketed the ID before the guard to take to close of a look at it.

Pants glanced at the guys name take, "You're Jackson right?  Moreau said that I would be able to find you here.  I need you to give me a walk about.  CCI sent me to assess your security. What are you standing about for, I don't have all day, lets get moving."  And he starts walking before the guy has enough to time to think about anything other than doing what 'Inspector Hyman' asked him.

07:50, Today: Snow rolled 5 successes using 7d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4. Etiquette, Security.

07:50, Today: Snow rolled 3 successes using 7d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4. Fast talk.

Any bonus for friendly face and good reputation would be appreciated.

This message was last edited by the player at 13:52, Wed 12 Feb 2014.

"What? I didn't get a call about ... oh hey, you went inside. Uhmm... Don't forget to check in at the desk!"

The guard shifts from foot to foot before calling something in on his radio.

While Pants was not successful in getting an escort, he did manage to slip by the first checkpoint.

The bottom level of the building looks more like a hotel lobby or a mall than an office complex. Shiny little outlets dot the walls. The floor is polished marble, and there's a desk straight ahead with a guard watching one of the monitors. At this hour the lobby has only light traffic; a few suits still wander around, guests peruse the storegoods or are sitting in the nearby restaurants. There are elevator banks to the right and left.

"Yeah, I've noticed you tend more towards bare than bear.

Can't promise tix, but you never know.  SINs tend not to matter when you ask the right way.

Anyhow, I thought this Becka critter was supposed to be #1.  If she isn't, who is?  And how the heck is she sticking around if she doesn't even hum a tune, let alone sing.  Does the studio audience just sit there, tilt their heads and go 'Awwww' at her cuteness for 2 minutes?"

"Well, she's in the top. She's rankin', ya know? But it's hard to tell at this stage. She has a real shot for winning it, but the current vote-getter is Lucas. He's been doing some of those older Maria Mercurial songs and people love 'em. Still, it's kinda getting stale. We'll see.

"Oh, it's not just quiet. We get music. Her taste is really good. She just doesn't make any of it, ya know? So yeah. I guess. Just sits there and looks cute. But she's really, really cute. Sometimes she tumbles or eats, or maybe plays with a toy. I mean .. LOOK, HAVE YOU EVER IDOLED? I don't need to justify my votes! You watch the show and you tell me if she isn't the cutest."

Pants does not check in with the front desk but he does move about gently probing the security to see how far he can safely make it without pushing to hard or to fast.

(If the GM wants to RP this out further we can but for the sake of time:
07:40, Today: Snow rolled 17 using 6d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,5,3,4,2,2. Security procedures.

07:41, Today: Snow rolled 11 using 4d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,1,2,4. Security Systems. [Edit: should have only been 4 dice])

Security seems comfortable with Pants moving around the bottom level. However, the elevators have some sort of a keycard system, and will only go to the two ground floors (both offering media and shopping) and the four underground parking levels. The stairs are similarly locked.

If he had backup at this point he would probably be willing to push his luck a little more and go deeper but at this point he does a final recap of the system looking specifically for a door in the stairwell with either no camera or one that is out of position allowing for someone to access the key card panel.

If he sees an opportunity to snag a keycard off of someone coming from a higher level he will, otherwise he will take his leave.

08:34, Today: Snow rolled 20 using 5d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3,5,5,4. Pick pocket.

Unfortunately, Pants does not find a well-concealed reader to fool with.

However, Pants finds a few people drinking and talking too loudly in the bar. One of them left her open purse a bit too far for her to monitor. At the cost of a drink to avoid looking suspicious, Pants leans back and scoops the badge out of the purse. It'll probably be an hour before she notices; longer if you're lucky.


Meanwhile, DB gets back in contact with Twitch.

"Alright, I did my part. I'm sending over my files."

The blueprints are quite large and in depth, documenting all 25 levels plus four parking levels. The bottom two levels contain the lobby and some small shops. The next ten contain business offices. Levels twelve through nineteen are each dedicated to housing employees who live on site, as well as lesser trideo personalities and stars. Twenty to twenty five house the high-level stars and executives, as well as several large board rooms. This area serves more as a hotel than permanent housing, as most big names work and reside at specialized sets or offices, and only visit the studio for brief periods. The floors twelve through nineteen each contain 22 rooms of different sizes. The rooms towards the center of the floor are smaller, largely as single-occupancy rooms or for lower-ranking employees.

He also comes away with some security information. The building employs eight armed guards, one at the front desk, one at or near each of the four entrances (two above ground, two parking entrances), and three roving, plus a scattering of unarmed "security staff" on an ad hoc basis. The building also has drone nests set around which can be activity as necessary. It's not clear what sort of drone is in the nest. On the passive side, a selection of the windows are alarmed. A keycard system controls user access. The building also LOVES it some CCTV.

Twitch thanks DB and asks how she wants her pay.  After figuring that out he shows the group the maps, "Looks like we have a lot of planning to do.  At least there are only 8 guards."

"All right, I'll check it out.  Thanks for the info.  And feel free to kick a
Crusader or two in the nads for me.  I'll see if I can drop by and see Tina too."

Sticking her phone back in its holster, she hops down off the table and begins to study the blueprints and security specs coming off the printer.

"The eight guards don't worry me too much.  The 3-minute response time of the local lone-star detachment is a bit more of a concern.  We're going to need this to be real quiet and ideally pretty fast.

If anyone's up for a surprise, Johnson lied about who was on top in the competition.  It's not Becka.  Some Mercurial imitator named Lucas."

She heads over to the trid to see if there were any schedule repeats of previous Idolize episodes.  She was sort of curious as to what a drop bear actually looked like.

OOC: Are the Elvis roomies contestants in the show?

Twitch shrugs at Firefox's comments, "Johnson's always tell their side of the story.  I am thinking that if we can find a way to breach the top as opposed to coming in from the bottom we might be able to get it out before security even notices."

Becka looks like an oversized, adorable koala.

There are no elvis impersonators in the competition.

Pants dials up his teammates (Carver) and reports on the situation,

"I am inside the facility as we speak.  The Security around the place is light.  The bottom floors are open to the public so they have to allow for that.  Upper levels are protected by keycard access, I have a keycard though it will only be valid for about another 45 minutes if we want to make use of this window of opportunity."

We can make use of lone star, if we want to get creative. Or we can just start spamming panic buttons on the hour every hour at the location to facilitate a slower response time.


I figured he was lying about something. Perhaps this is a bid to get her in the top, make people feel sorry for her. Hmmm...
This message was last edited by the player at 20:11, Fri 14 Feb 2014.

Firefox easily finds the one entertainment TV in a corner of the warehouse. It looks to be a late 1996 model covered in Lisa Frank stickers and barely held together. The rear casing has been removed and is now a jumble of wires and little black boxes wired to the cathode tube. A quick check shows that it only has access to five channels, three of which are in Spanish.

"I'll give you full points for speed, but we've got a little more planning to do. What do you think your chances are of scoring another card? You wouldn't happen to have a cardreader in your pocket, would you?"

"No card reader, no.  I saw an opportunity and I went for it.  I may be able to score another one when we do this for real, but that depends on your relationship with mistress Luck.  I'll finish up here and head back."

GM:  I would like, if it is possible to use the keycard to access a door and then quickly and simply disable the latch on the door by slipping some folded paper into the mechanism making it so it doesn't properly latch but doesn't set off any red flags with security.  if possible great, if not oh well.

regardless of the above Pants will return the keycard to the lady, "I think you dropped this miss." and then exit and head back to the ware house.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:53, Fri 14 Feb 2014.

You can disable a latch, no problem. I'm guessing you're doing it to a stairwell?

yes sir, that was the plan

After looking over the information that Twitch managed to get his hands on, Saint Velveteen was a little jealous.  None of the blueprints or security information had come up in his search.  Granted, Velveteen had been much faster.  And Twitch's info didn't include a list of current contestants, so St. V figured their abilities for obtaining information were probably about even.  Which was a good thing since now Velveteen knew he wouldn't have to carry the whole team in this regard.

"If you really want to slow Lonestar's response time," St. Velveteen says to Castanova, "don't push the panic buttons on location.  Set them off in a different direction.  That way they'll be busy with something else, somewhere else, if we manage to get ourselves into a jam."

So it seems you guys have gotten the data you want. Are you ready to make an operational plan?

I'm ready to plan. Once Pants gets back, I'll be ready to pool resources.

I'm ready.  This whole time I actually thought we were planning as well as collecting information, so... yeah, I'm ready.

OOC:  Ready and waiting....:)

Okay, so can we stop planning to plan and just ... plan?

(Pants said he's coming back, and unless he gets the munchies and decides to hold up a stuffer shack, he shouldn't have any trouble rejoining you lot.)

In reply to Papa Bear (msg # 78):

OCC: What are you preparing? You are always preparing! JUST GO!

Firefox wanders over to Warlock.  "Care to share your spell list?  I can burn stuff about 5 different ways, though I throw a pretty decent stunball too.  Pretty decent at taking out elementals and spirits as well if necessary."

Ludicrous speed - GO!

So just tossing things out here, Carver offers to update everyone's radios with rating 4 broadcast encryption. He's also got a grapple gun he'll share if we go with a roof insertion. Does anyone have a sequencer or a maglock passkey? (I actually have some cash on the side 'cause I forgot to finish character creation if we need it)

"Now it will cut into profits somewhat, but I can see if a friend of mine in Lonestar could... say... delay the Star's response times a couple minutes if we need it."

In reply to Firefox (msg # 80):

Burning things is a specialty of mine as well, my inner pyro will not be silenced. Stunning and lightning I can also pull off. I can do a little bit of healing, but I am mostly terrible at it. Some personal combat enhancements are also in my repertoire. I am a bit limited due to lack of funds.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:20, Mon 17 Feb 2014.

Firefox grins.  "Then I think we're in agreement on the nature of an appropriate distraction, should one be required.  What sort of material were you looking for funds for?  I may be able to assist."

She chatted with the mage for another couple of minutes before returning to the blueprints and reviewing the options with her teammates.  Getting to the twelfth floor on the inside was going to be a lot easier than on the outside.

Pulling out her phone again, she re-dialed Adonna.  "Hi dear.  Sorry to disturb again.  Looks like a face-to-face meeting with one of your parazoology experts is called for after all.  Happy to do it by trid if they happen to be remote of course.   I can't recall whether your travels have ever taken you down under."

It takes a few rings before Adonna picks up. "Good evening again. No, of course, never an issue.

"Let me check the little friendly rolodex ... Yes, yes, I do have someone in town you might like. Dr. Birwin, parabiology researcher with a specialization in predators. In fact, his first and third PhDs were both in Australia. Is this regarding that bunyip sighting in the Sound? No? Alright. Well I'd be happy to set up a meeting. $500 for expenses ought to cover any inconvenience to him for the short notice. I should be able to arrange something tomorrow."

"Thanks as always.  Tomorrow will be fine.  Can count on his discretion?"

Carver will pull up the nearest spaces for rent he can. If it comes back as a We-Stor-U brand coffin hotel, he will smile widely and pull up his premium membership bonus card (400 nuyen until he gets free airfare for any air travel booked through Southwest UCAS airlines that starts and ends with cities ending in "eattle" or "ewark"!)

"His discretion depends on his loyalties. Not knowing who you are working for or against, I can't speak to it. However, he's quite independent, and only local for a short while. The likelihood of his being loyal to your particular target should be low. I can do more thorough checks if you'd like to share what I'm looking for."

Carver is looking for hotels close to the target hotel? This is downtown. The absolute closest are four-star hiltons and sheratons. A few blocks out is a We-Stor-U subsidiary called Deadbeats, which offers "power-naps and power chords for professionals on the go--enjoy our premium discount sleeping bin. Afterwards, wake up to our lounge-level thrash metal cafe." Your discount does carry over, fortunately.

If it is still close enough to be useful for intel, that sounds like a good place to be. I've got vision magnification and good tools.

It's not a perfect view of the building, but it's a good base of operations, plus you can monitor radio traffic easily.

I believe we're ready to move forward with interviewing Dr. Birwin?

"Probably best if you don't know too much.  Thank you, as always.  I may drop by the shop sometime tomorrow to pick up a few supplies.  Plus I've recently acquired a new ginseng variety with a citrus infusion you simply must try.  Rest well."

She returned the phone to its holster.  "I've got a meeting tomorrow with a parazoologist with an auzzie background.  Happy to go on my own, but if one or two of you wish to tag along, can probably swing that too."

She scribbles down a phone number on a piece of paper and leaves it on the table.  "Call me if anything interesting crops up.  Otherwise, I'll see you here tomorrow night, say around 7?"

She pauses by Warlock on the way out.  "I'm doing a bit of shopping for elemental supplies tomorrow.  With the back-up plan involving folks jumping out a window, I'm thinking an air elemental could come in handy.  If you need some summoning supplies, I'm happy to pick some up.  You can pay me back later.  Just let me know how much."

Happy to jump to tomorrow

OOC: Okay, a bunch of people have said to move it forward, AND it is Thursday so I need to put up an in-game post. People are welcome to decide whether they're attending or not. I'm just going to move things forward.

Dr. Birwin receives you in his house, a cute little bungalow tucked away a quarter mile from the campus. As he opens the door for you, a four-foot hellhound leaps out from between his legs and lunges for Firefox.
"Down, Bengie. Down! You're a bag of trouble." He grabs the hellhound by its collar and hauls it off. "Sorry for that. He's just happy to meet friends."

The main room is decorated sparsely, and there are still a few cardboard boxes tucked away under tables and in corners. The walls and most flat surfaces are covered with crazy little objects; tusks, a forty-foot snake skin, some sort of a seed or husk the size of your fist. Other than a pair of cough drops lost underneath the china cabinet, the room is tidy.

"Ah, so you're interested in drop bears! They're fiesty little nippers, I tell you. They spend their time sitting high in the eucalyptus tree, where they eat three times their body weight in leaves. They're tough blighters to see. They use their para-natural camouflage ability to practically disappear. That's a handy defense strategy for the drop bear, because they sleep most of the day.

"They don't need to drink. They get all of their water from the eucalyptus, and from the blood of creatures that walk beneath. Drop bears are what we call opportunistic predators, and ambush predators. If you walk below, they drop down on you. That's why they call 'em "drop bears". When they drop down, they use their teeth and claws, and the weight of the drop, classic attack, they punch right through armor. They got a nasty bite, and boof, crack the skull right in half and kill the prey.

"Drop bears, they're called that but they aren't really bears. They're closer to koalas, which are also not bears. In fact, they're closer to wombats. Mind you, wombats are not really bats. In fact, they're closer to wallabies. Mind you, wallabies are not really bees.

"Koala bear populations have been hit hard by diseases and poisons. This is a real tragedy. But it is also boosting drop bear populations, because they are more resistant."
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:57, Thu 20 Feb 2014.

Firefox gives the hell hound a scratch behind the ears, giving it a quick grin on the  astral.  She listens attentively, interjecting questions when the professor pauses in his narration.

"It's amazing how something so cute looking can be so dangerous.

Do they have any weaknesses or vulnerabilities?  How would the locals go about capturing or killing one if it was proving a nuisance?

If we wanted to track one, would infrared be enough to negate their camouflage or would something like sonar be more appropriate?  You said they tend to sleep during the day.  Does that mean they feed primarily on nocturnal creatures, or will they wake up and attack if something walks under them during the day too?

How do they rate in terms of intelligence?  Are they just opportunistic hunters, or will they attempt to stalk prey and try to focus on stragglers rather than risking dropping into the middle of a group?

I presume they need to drop from quite a distance to crack a skull.  They're not that big from the pictures I've seen.

You mentioned that drop bears are more resistant to toxins and diseases.  Has that been studied at all?  Do we know what they're resistant or immune to?"

What's the layout of Becky's suite?  I presume there are multiple rooms given she's bunking with Elvis impersonators?

As long as you define multiple as "two", yes. There are two bedrooms, a main room, and a bathroom. I really do not expect this to be a tactical operation. You're either sneaky sneaking, or you're destroying the room with devastating over-power. Neither requires a map.

"Koalas can be nasty beasties, but if you just rub their tummy ... oh, DROP BEARS! Well, they don't much like being in low places because they can't stalk their prey. Drop bears also have a very strong sense of smell, and anything too powerful upsets them. As a natural tool to keep drop bears and people safe, people would use some marmite to ward drop bears off. They can't stand the stuff.

"Drop bears are natives to the Australian outback, far away from human settlements. If they're being a nuisance, it's because humans are not where they belong. We need to respect nature's boundaries and leave wild animals alone. I don't recommend trying to capture them, and definitely not killing them. These are kind and peaceful animals, and they're just doing what comes naturally.

"Now I'm about to do something you should never, ever do to a drop bear, or to any wild animal." As he talks, he scoops up the hellhound. "You should never shake the animal, or tug on its ears, or call it nasty names. Drop bears especially have very sensitive egos, and this sort of thing really causes them distress."

As he talks, he shakes the hellhound. The dog growls in response and bares it's teeth.

"And never, ever stick your finger up its bum, like this. They HATE that." The dog's eyes go wide and Birwin grabs it by the nape of the neck. "You should always respect wild animals, and recognize any animal can be dangerous! People die every year by mishandling animals."

(will have to post more later.)

Firefox nods sagely.  "I understand that goes doubly for trolls."

"Ahh! Yes it does!  Do NOT try any of that mishandling on me.  Especially the last one."  St. Velveteen liftes his reading glasses to his forehead and rubs the bridge of his nose as he re-collects his thoughts.  He had not expected the conversation to take such a quick and shocking turn.

After needlessly brushing off the shoulder of his sweater-vest, St. V resituates his pen on his notepad where notes had been scribbled in a weird amalgamation of English and Japanese.  There was also a crude sketch of a hell hound, highlighting the best cuts of meat.  "Can we just... get back to drop bears?  I promise I won't make any into fuzzy finger warmers.

You said they are opportunistic hunters, but what sorts of critters do they take the opportunity to get the drop on?  Birds, frogs, dingos, kangaroos?  People?

Are they dual beings?

Oh, and one more thing.  You don't happen to have any of the marmite you mentioned, do you?  Now I'm curious what kind of smell would be so overpowering that it would affect a wild animal like that."

Saint Velveteen prepares some bullet points on his notepad so he can fill in answers as the doc gives them.  But not before adding some EPIC fire breath to his hell hound sketch.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:18, Fri 21 Feb 2014.

Birwin doesn't seem to hear St. Velveteen.

"Ah yes, trolls! Now there's a critter. Trolls are just another sub-species of metahumanity, and are native to all the same continents. Unlike humans though, they're very big, and can be very strong. Getting in a fistfight with a human can be dangerous, but with a troll it's downright suicide.

"Now this one's a beaut. Look at him! Very healthy. But you see his eyes, he's clearly uncomfortable in this non-native environment. I'm going to have to be very careful not to startle him. Eh, big guy? But watch this."

Birwin snatches Velveteen's glasses off his face. "There now, no one's gonna hurt you, big guy." Very carefully, Birwin reaches up and strokes St. Velveteen, nose to horn, nose to horn, then rubs St. Velveteen's cheeks. St. Velveteen feels himself getting a little light-headed, and after a moment, enters into something like a light sleep.

(OOC: Rolled willpower save on behalf of St. V. Failed to beat Birwin's skill.)

Birwin speaks just barely over a whisper, "There, I've put this big guy into a little nap. Don't worry, this is a natural reaction trolls have to being touched just the right way. Don't try this at home! Trolls can get very upset by strangers touching them, and many people have gotten hurt, or even lost their lives, doing this. Now, let's have a look at you."

Birwin continues to check over St. Velveteen, commenting on his health and signs of what sort of a life he lives.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:41, Fri 21 Feb 2014.

Firefox watches bemused as Birwin pokes and prods her new teammate, but as he starts to approach the poor troll's belt buckle she intervenes.

"He is indeed a very fine specimen, but if we could, I'd like to return to chatting about drop-bears."

She then repeats her questions on camouflage, intelligence and resistance.

"If they are repulsed by marmite, is there an equivalent substance that they find irresistible?"

In his sleep-like state, Saint Velveteen was dreaming that he was riding a pony back when he was a scrawny little kid.  His mother was yelling at him.  "Goosey, get off of that pony.  You'll break it."  He looked down and suddenly he was his adult size.  The pony snapped in half.  The front half of the pony dragged itself around to where he was now sitting on the ground and started reaching for his belt buckle.

"I need a new pony..."  St. V must have been starting to fall over in his sleep because he catches himself and jolts awake.

Velveteen looks around for a moment in a daze as his brain reminds him where he is.  "What I miss?" he asks rhetorically.

"Oh yes, let's release this big fella back into the wild.

"Drop bear bait? Well, they do love eucalyptus. They eat a tremendous amount of it, and that's the only thing they eat. Aside from the flesh of their unsuspecting victims. I do have some of that, if you'd like. Also some marmite, of course. Delicious stuff, good on bread. A little dab behind the ears ought to keep them away. Poor little critters.

"Regarding prey, they're not too choosey. If it's under the tree, it's fair game. Mostly bigger critters, of course. They don't normally go for people face-to-face. We look too big for them. Look at me! But from up above, we look like a perfect, juicy morsel, just right for a hungry drop bear.

"They don't have to jump too far. They've got a vicious bite, like a steel trap. SNAP! Crack right through the bone, and eat the soft meat inside. Their camouflage makes them invisible to most everything, even infrared, but they are not astrally sensitive, so magical spirits and the like are totally safe.

"They are pretty smart li'l mates. Smarter than Bengie here. But out in the wild, you learn a different kind of intelligence, about how to sneak up on unsuspecting critters and such. Not reading books like you do in school. They won't normally attack a group, unless they think they have the advantage. But most of their prey items will run away after a kill, so a herd of goats is a perfect target."

"You were saying something about resistance or immunity to toxins and drugs?

Also, if they're not astrally sensitive, I'm gathering they're not dual-natured?

Are they active at all during the day?

Some marmite and some eucalyptus would be wonderful."

"Oh yes. They have a general resistance to most toxins and diseases. This helps them survive against their major enemy, Man.

"No, they're not dual-natured. And no, they're not especially active during the day. Or at night. They are generally very passive and peaceful animals, and they sleep for most of their time."

He goes on into the kitchen. You hear him banging around for a bit before he returns with a small pot of marmite. "I almost always have eucalyptus on hand, but it seems I'm all out, sorry."

Saint Velveteen finishes catching up with his notes just as Dr. Birwin comes back with the marmite.  After taking the pot of marmite and smelling its contents, he offers it to Firefox so she can take a whiff herself. Figuring they are just about done with their interview at this point, St. V asks one more question.

"Is there anything else we should have asked you about drop bears that we have forgotten?"

"If they're immune to most chemicals, how would you dart them for tagging and analysis?  Are there other techniques you use?"

"Righto, well I'd shimmy up the tree and make myself look real small. Then I'd come down from above while she's sleeping. Then, I'd grab her my hear ears so she can't bite me and tag her right quick. Not something I'd recommend. Every year lots of people grab drop bears by their ears, and they get injured or even killed.

"Anything else? Well, drop bears have finger prints just like humans. They can pass on some human diseases, like HMHVV and syphilis, but they're carriers, which means they don't show any signs of it. Right, even one little bite from that fuzzy critter is enough to do me in!

"Look, I know you two are out to get a drop bear. It's not something I can condone. They are wild animals, and it's best just to leave them alone. If you really need to tangle with one, you need a professional who knows how to handle them. Someone like me. I promise you, I will take the best of care of the little blighter."

"Was that an offer to provide your services?"

Firefox switches her view to astral, keeping a close watch on the man's aura, doing her best to ascertain his motives.

"I capture and help wild animals regularly. I think it's important to handle them correctly and protect them from humans."

"This would be a rescue of sorts, but there would be risk involved.  I'm not sure how much we could offer for your assistance and I'd have to consult others."

Based on what the doc said over the course of their conversation, Velveteen got the impression that the guy would be more concerned about the drop bear's safety than their own.  He didn't trust the guy not to rat them out if it meant Becka would be safer.  Not to mention St. Velveteen didn't trust anyone on principal who could render him unconscious with a touch.

"Maybe it would be better if you just taught us some tricks of the trade.  Make us into professionals who know how to handle 'em.  'Cause I don't think you would mesh too well with our crew, especially if you aren't planning to help pro bono."

St. Velveteen picks his glasses up and puts them back on his head.  They didn't actually do anything for his vision, but they were a part of his getup.  And none too cheap either.  He went back to his crude hell hound sketch, glancing at Bengie and trying to capture the canine's true essence with his thermo vision.

"Crikey! Let's go. I'll call the crew and we'll meet up at your place."

He grabs his cell phone and dials. "Liam! Get the cameras, mate. We're on the move!"

"I guess we'll call you with the details?  We have your number, right?"  St. V glances at Firefox nervously, unsure of what to make of the situation.

"This won't be on for tonight.  I presume there are waivers and other paperwork that would be needed too.  Give me your number and we'll confirm as soon as we have a date."

She stands up and extends her hand.  "Thank you for agreeing to assist us.  You'll hear from us soon."

So without too very much trouble, the two PCs can extract themselves from Dr. Birwin's house, jar of marmite in hand.

Twitch begins going through the recordings of the show in his spare time.  Wondering if he could perhaps get another contestant interested.  He begins looking over the web reviews of the contestants and their matrix presence to attempt to figure out one who would be receptive to his company.

OOC:  looking for contestants with similar interests or interests I can fake.

There's one lady who is a combat biker fan according to her profile. In the 'additional content' category, there's plenty of clips of contestants bad-talking each other too, so you can pick out a few people who seem more competitive.

Deciding that the combat biker fan is probably the best bet he has for getting in Twitch takes some notes about the woman and heads out to the hotel, hoping to find her out and about.

Trying to figure out if she stays in all day or if she likes to go out on the town at all.  If she does where does she go, etc.  Considering paparazzi now a days it should not be too hard to figure out.

Would be good to know who the managers & sponsors are too - who stands to make money if our furball gets removed.

So is anyone going with Twitch? Is Twitch just going in and loitering around the hotel bar?

Happy to give information about managers and sponsors, just say what you're doing/rolling.

OOPs.

Twitch walks up to the doors at the hotel/studio preparing to just walk through.  If stopped he will act impatient saying, "Oi, look chummer I know you are just doing your job but I got a meeting with an agent in bout 5 minutes.  You gotta let me through!"

17:55, Today: Twitch rolled 2 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 3,4,(6+3)9,2,2,3. negotiation Karma Pool

17:57, Today: Twitch rolled 2 successes using 4d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 3,5,3,5. karma pool reroll.

Twitch walks into the bar wearing the gear of a biker, figuring it is best to leave his gun at home he stopped there to change.  He saunters in and begins hobnobbing with anyone who looks interesting.  He drinks slowly, "Point of the run is to make money not spend it all." he thinks as he chooses a barstool near the area where you order drinks.  He strikes up a conversation with anyone who steps up to the bar to order.

16:49, Today: Twitch rolled 3 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of (6+6+2)14,1,3,4,3,(6+2)8. Etiquette ...don't think good rep helps here but maybe with the specific contestant?
This message was last edited by the player at 01:57, Sun 23 Feb 2014.

You're also going to figure out how to get past the front guards.

Carver is gonna go to the hotel he pointed out and stick to ranged recon. If the party thinks that's what we need, that's what Carver will be doing.
He'll have a notebook handy and scribble down interesting Leverage-worthy data, and need to be relieved for sleep and work.

Saint Velveteen will look into locating a goat just in case they actually need one. (They could deliver it in the crate instead of raccoons.)  He will try to remember from his time working in a butcher shop, any of the suppliers they used who delivered goats.  If he can remember that bit of knowledge, he will contact them and see if he can pick up a live goat in a few days time.  If not, he will go to a butcher shop and see if he can't get the name of a supplier from them.

12:42, Today: St. Velveteen rolled 1 success using 3d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 2,2,(6+3)9. Butchery - finding a goat supplier.

Pant will try to get ahold of information of managers and sponsors of the other contestants.

The matrix is always a good place to start so:

08:00, Today: Snow rolled 22 using 5d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,1,5,(6+2)8,5. Matrix search.

Depending on how you run things Snow's Base Etiquette is 5 (etiquette matrix) or his computer skill is 4.

He will also ask around to verify/expand on the info he finds:
08:03, Today: Snow rolled 14 using 5d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,1,2,5,4. etiquette sponsors.

In addition  he will call up his call girl contact to see if she or anyone she knows takes jobs at this particular establishment.  We may be able to arrange a party.
08:05, Today: Snow rolled 15 using 5d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,4,1,2,(6+1)7. Contacting contact.


Actually that's not a bad idea at all:
if these contestants are partiers and someone (twitch I'm looking in your direction) can plant some ideas into their heads maybe they can plan a party and call up several escorts. Fox and Snow could pose as escorts (maybe with a few real ones from Snow's contact) and the rest of the team can pose of security.

Only down side with the stripperiffic plan is that pulls our talkers and forces the rest of us to try and pose as something else. Carver is ninja, not face.
Of course, I'd love to see St V take the lead on charm.

Leaving the professor's small home, Firefox looks up at her troll teammate.  "Well, that was a bit awkward.  Could give us a route in though."

"I'm going to stop by the zoo and get a feel for this thing's relatives.  You're welcome to join me"

So what's happening re: scanner vs. bug?  Anyone trying to shop for either?  (Those in the hotel room won't be listening to much until we've got one of them.)  Also, did Warlock want any elemental supplies?)

St. V can be a stripper, I'm sure there are plenty of troll fetishist out there.  I mean I imagine being 'hung like a troll' is a phrase that has nothing to do with nooses.

and who says that a stripper can't do the talking?  Personal Security is there to make a person secure not smooze their way past hotel security.  Besides if things go right then walking in will all arrange from the inside.

"Nah, I've seen a koala before.  I'm gonna see if I can scrounge up a midnight snack for Becka.  Could come in handy depending on how things go.  And if we don't use it, I just might.  Been craving a stew lately..."  St. Velveteen starts to head off in his own direction, but then pauses and turns back toward Firefox.  "Let's keep the whole falling asleep thing between the two of us, okay?"

Twitch will need to tailgate someone in. He hurries by the guard whose eyes momentarily unfocus from whatever he's seeing in his cybereye display link. "Yeah sure, whatever. Your ID checks out."

Twitch hangs out for a bit before a cute young dwarf buys him a drink. A little chit-chat later, you realize this is one of the many agents working backstage, working to recruit and market the little starlets.


Carver begins the long watch. He doesn't come up with much, just reports from people as they continue their rounds. Sounds like they have some level of encryption on the radios, so he'll need to crack that before he can get any of the juicy stuff.


St. V stops in at the butcher. The butcher laughs at the request, "Goats? Like live ones? No no, animal meat is crazy expensive. They have to import them. No one has the money for that. I haven't been cutting or selling meat in years. If you're looking for a live goat you'll want to check out the zoo. Or, well, there is one market where goats can still turn a profit. Wanna buy some beefsteak?"


Snow gets some profiles on a bunch of people. Rather than write it all out, just ask questions. There's nothing in the profile that suggests partying like you're thinking of, but these are fairly cleaned up, so that sort of thing is normally swept under the rug. Unfortunately, Jasmine doesn't have any special ins.

Twitch chats amiably with the dwarf, "So starlets huh?  I like singing but I don't know if I can compare to the talent you have here.  Like Sharon, she is just rocking." he says mentioning the woman who follows the combat biking.

Hope you don't mind me giving her a name.

"No beefsteak for me.  Grill's outa service right now and that's the only way I like it.  I'll take a pork shoulder though, if ya got it.  And a salami."  Saint Velveteen taps his fingers on the counter as he waits for his order.  While it is being bagged up he asks, "So... What's this other market then?  And where?  They got good stock?"

Twitch -- The agent seems suddenly bothered. "Whatever, she's manufactured. She hasn't got anything I haven't got." She wiggles her hips. "Seriously though, with all the touch-up and electronic returning work they do, I could make anyone a star. Even you."

St. V. -- The butcher moves the machine; a giant, udder-like squirter, and squirts some grey goo into a plastic mold. He adds some powder and some color, mixes it up, and closes the mold. Opening it again, he puts on a face mask and sprays the grey phalange with paint, wraps it in plastic, and hands it over.
"Salami. Give me a second for the pork shoulder." He upends his garbage bin and fishes out a few pieces of old PVC, which he fits into a larger mold, and does the process again.
"Yeah, the place you're looking for is only a few miles out. It's got some name in Japanese; I can't pronounce it. Roughly means "Fun Place". Good place, I hit there all the time. Ask for Marilyn."

18:13, Today: St. Velveteen rolled 3 successes using 3d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of (6+1)7,4,4. Test of willpower - Can St. V bring himself to call this stuff meat?

"I'm going to have to wait to try some of this meat at home.  This meat looks like a good meat to share with my friends, who probably like meat.  Thanks for the info. ...and the meat." St. Velveteen pays for his "meat" and heads out the door.  He turns in the direction of "a few miles out" and starts walking, keeping an eye out for a sign that says something along the lines of "Fun Place" in Japanese.  Or any place that looks like it might have a goat, really.  Before too long he starts getting bored of walking, and so grabs a tricycle he sees parked in an alleyway and starts peddling it down the sidewalk.  All the while he wonders who Marilyn is supposed to be.

Twitch wonders about the irritation but decides to switch subjects, "So who are you representing in this competition?" he asks, still looking around for the biker and (if he's really lucky) the bear.

In reply to Firefox (msg # 83):

Gawd, I dont know how I missed this post. DERP A DERP. Sorry.

My vision snaps back into something resembling consciousness. "Apologies, that happens from time to time. I get the feeling that my whole consciousness has been forgotten, its a very lonely state of being." I shake the feeling off before doing a quick mental checklist "I do appreciate the offer, but there is little I do need that can be acquired on short, or even little notice. I am very picky about the tools of my trade."

St. V -- The butcher gives you a smile and two thumbs up.

He trikes on down into the barrens. Someone shouts "hey, nice trike!" He does eventually reach the address. There's a sign in fluorescent Kanji characters; "Palace of Celestial Joy". St. V doesn't have a bike chain or lock on hand, although there is a lamp post nearby the troll might be able to use to secure his wheels.

Just inside the door there's a small vestibule area, with a second, reinforced oak door, and a metal-grated window. A scrawny guy sits behind the window grating, reading a copy of PC Magazine from 1996. He doesn't look up as you enter. "Hey. Hey, hey. Welcome to the fun place. I'm Skinny Vince. How can I help you have some fun."

Twitch -- "I work with post-digital media modification. So you could say I work with almost all of the contestants. And the post-digital media modification crews. I don't usually work with the contestants directly. I work with their digital media post-products, and making sure the to the post-digital media modification group has what they need. Sometimes that means talking to the contestant's agent or make-up artist, or digital modification artist, or voice artists, or media image agent, or media image artist, or demographic agent, or 3D rendering artists, or whatever. Sometimes I work with the contestants directly. Putting tagging stickers on them or telling them to stop breathing, things like that. But I prefer working through their agents. I keep pretty busy."

Twitch listens to the woman as she tells him about her work, it is obviously importunate to her, "That is fascinating, I don't know much about computers, but this sounds great.  Can you show me exactly what you do?"

Looking to see who might be appear to be bribable if it means that their contestant might get ahead.

Looking up at the "Palace of Celestial Joy," Saint Velveteen wasn't sure what to think.  He couldn't tell what the place was from the outside.  Maybe some kind of hipster meditative coffee shop?  He determined he would just have to go in and find out.

St. V stands up and stretches his cramped muscles before unceremoniously shoving his wheels over by a wall and heading inside.  Skinny Vince greeted him to which he replied, "Hey Vince, just parked my 'cycle outside, hope that's okay.  I was talking to a "meat" seller recently and he recommended this place.  Said you may have what I can't find anywhere else.  Namely, a goat.  Was told to ask for Marilyn.  Let her know I've got a salami ready to share with her."

To Twitch--"Weelll ... it's mostly running around and talking to people. Not something you'd think is too interesting, and not something I really do when I'm drinking. But I do have time for SOMETHING. Wink, wink." She then winks twice.

Snow--I assume you're doing this online, in which case you can find several contestants who describe themselves as "competitive". None of these people have any real need, although they'll all certainly benefit from the cash (and less-so, the moment of fame). Actually, if you're looking at total assets, the one in most need seems to be a cute one named Becka ...

Any other criteria you're looking for?

St. V--Vince shrugs, "it's not designated parking, but it's not like we tow.

"Marilyn. Goat for your big salami. Gotcha."

Vinnie radios something in and has you put your weapons in a locker by the door before hitting a hidden button that buzzes the door.

The interior of the building is ... rough. It was once the lobby of some software developer or design study, heavy on the glass and aluminum, but it's gone downhill since, and most of the glass has been replaced by slabs of hardened plastic or old plywood. Over the sagging frame, garlands of colorful paper and a few sexy-time posters are hung. This is the entry room, for greeting guests and clients.

Today there's a stocky ork leaning against a wall, clearly the muscle, and a goat in a blonde wig and a sequined pink dress waiting for her client. "Brraaaaaaah!" she welcomes you, waggling her hindquarters. "Brraaaaaaaaaaah!" You'd guess her to be six months old; barely legal. As she turns to lead you to the room, you notice a jack behind the left ear, with a chip currently inserted.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:28, Sat 01 Mar 2014.

Twitch had a feeling he knew where this conversation was leading so the woman's brazen attitude didn't catch him off guard, "Well I was enjoying hanging out and hobnobbing but for such an enchanting woman I can cut it off for the night." he replies with a wink.  He offers his arm to the woman.  "At least I am getting somewhere close to the room." he thinks.

As Vince said the words, Saint Velveteen suddenly got the impression that this was definitely NOT a coffee shop.  He was beginning to wonder if he had the right place at all.  The only thing keeping him here was the fact that they seemed to actually have a goat somewhere.

Since Velveteen was still dressed in the outfit he wore to Dr. Birwin's earlier that day, and hadn't brought any weapons along to talk to a scholar (he would have if he knew the guy had a hell hound), the only thing St. V put in the locker was the pork shoulder.

Now, with only his salami in hand, St. Velveteen walks through the doorway and into the entry room.  The place was pretty trashy, but he had lived in trashier.  Still, if this place was the kind of place he thought it was, there was no way St. V was going to make a roast out of the meat of the goat that greeted him.  However, he doubted a drop bear would be as picky.

"Umm..." was all St. Velveteen managed to bring himself to say to the ork before following the goat.  He really wished Firefox was with him.  She would probably know what to say.

Velveteen follows the goat to the room and closes the door, then he tries to figure out what exactly the animal's chipjack is doing and how it works. (13:38, Today: St. Velveteen rolled 1 success using 3d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 1,3,4. Examining the Electronics behind a goat's ear.) He also examines the room to get a better feel of his surroundings, taking special note of any possible exits.  He was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to afford this goat or its... services.  All the same, it didn't feel right leaving it here.  He didn't mind butchering animals for food, but putting wigs on them was going too far.

Twitch--The dwarf will actually try to take you down to the parking level. A quick suggestion convinces her it would be more fun to head upstairs to one of the executive offices. (If you have a more interesting suggestion, go ahead and pitch it.)

St. V--The goat appears to have a personafix chip plugged in. It likely has a full simsense rig, and the chip overrides her normal personality with a new one. The side of the chip is labelled, in peeling, chipped paint, "Marilyn Monroe, 1960".

The goat puts on some music and sings for a bit. "Braaaaaah! Brrraaaaah BRAAAAH!!" It waggles around the room, then hits you about the shoulders and back with its hooves, still baahing to itself. After half an hour, you are charged 10 nuyen.

In reply to Papa Bear (msg # 138):

I think that will do it for now unless someone has some other information they would like snow to look into

snow will share the little information he uncovered with the rest of the team to see if that sparks any ideas.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:11, Mon 03 Mar 2014.

Twitch eyes the dwarf with a sly grin, "Why don't we go upstairs to one of the offices I like the thought of having a bit of fun on some execs desk and then  we can head down to the garage and get really dirty."

"Oh man.  Wow!  That felt really good.  I really needed that.  Thanks Marilyn.  Your hooves were like kisses from angels!"  He had been pretty weirded out at first when the goat was trying to sing to him, but as soon as she started working his shoulders, Saint Velveteen couldn't help but submit to her wily ways.  St. V hadn't realized just how many knots and kinks his muscles had (especially after the long ride here on his three-wheeler) until the goat's hooves started working at them.  Before today he had always considered these types of services to be a huge waste of nuyen, but now he was going to have to rethink that.

However, he was here on business.  If he was going to justify this use of time and money, he would definitely have to leave with the goat now.  "How would you like to get out of this place, Marilyn?  Run away with me to the seaside.  I can introduce you to all my coworkers.  We may even have a job for you!  Even if we don't end up staying together forever, at least we can be happy in the moment."

Grabbing his salami that he had left leaning against the wall, Saint V heads out to where he had seen the ork earlier.  "Hey chummer, what would it take for you to let me get Marilyn off your hands?"

Twitch--With a swish and a giggle she brings you to the elevator and swipes her card, taking you up to the 19th floor, where she'll lead you to a full board room with a digital, touch-screen table. The two of you I'm sure make good use of the table, in making vivid and beautiful images, that are certain to stun and amaze the mid-afternoon cartoon infomercial crew when they convene the next morning.

The two of you recline in the plush pleather chairs afterwards, and she offers you a stim patch.

St. V-The goat listens, and baas plaintively. She shows him her cred stick, not to ask for money, but to show the balance; over fifteen thousand nuyen saved up. She pulls out a little digital photo frame, and flips through images of her farm, her siblings, now working their hooves to the thing hooves grow off of in a factory, her little brother, billy, who goblinized into a gerbil and now needs special care. She shakes her head, "Braaaaaah..." Some things are just not meant to be.

However, the ork out front is more helpful. "600 nuyen and she's yours. 200 for a weekend."

"600 to keep her?  You got yourself a deal!"  St. V pays up eagerly.  "I'll go collect her and her things."  He turns on his heel and starts skipping merrily down the hallway.

Usually he is stingy with his money.  The exception is when it happens to be something he really wants.  And a goat that gives terrific back massages for 600 is a whole lite cheaper than the woodcarving knife he paid to have implanted in his thumb.  Buying her wasn't even so much about the mission anymore.  Her history she had shared with him touched him emotionally.  The picture of her goblinized brother even brought a tear to his eye.  He could relate.  Maybe, just maybe, if he took Marylin away from this place they could find a way to help her entire family.

Or, you know, use her as live bait against a drop bear...

Never before have I done this, but I feel I would be dishonest to myself if I did not recognize St. V with 2 karma points.

Marilyn is surprised and distraught at the change in her fate, but without a word, she collects her things in a little suitcase and follows St. Valentine out to his bi... err... trike.

Sweet!  Additionally, I think St. V's mission just ended.

After gathering his own things from his locker, Saint Velveteen leads Marylin to his poorly parked ride.  He lets her ride atop his sweatervested shoulders, uses the proper hand signals for driving, then rolls out into the street.  "I know it's not what you wanted, but today is the start of your new life.  Let's make it a good one."  After waiting for a red light to turn green, Velveteen turns toward Caver's place to introduce their newly purchased recruit.

So while Twitch is doing his run of the upstairs, anyone else up to anything cool? DO you want me to wrap up Twitch so we can move on to the next stage?

Carver is just pulling ranged no-contact intel. We can skip or give Twitch his snuggles and cigs, I'm ok waiting.

Did Carver ever crack the encryption?  I am fine waiting for Twitch.  He might have plans for while he is on the 19th floor or elsewhere and I'm interested as to what they might be.

Broadcast decryption is more expensive than I have cash to invest.

OOC:  I am cool with closing it up.  Just trying to get a lay out and perhaps security patterns.

Snow checked the time and then pulled out his phone and called the number the Johnson supplied.

"Yes sir, a question came up while the team and I were discussing things.  If the final goal to have the subject out of the competition?  If so we have a lead on a plan that will get the subject on the next boat back to her homeland with no heat on the team and by extension no heat on you or your employer."

"Would that be an acceptable solution?"

"Hello, you have reached the voicemail of Mr. Johnson. If this is that group of runners calling to arrange the drop-off, leave a phone number and one of my people will contact you.

If you are that group of runners calling to tell me you failed the mission, leave a time and location and I will send my team to capture you, pluck out your eyeballs like grapes, cut off your feet and feed them to you, and nail your foreheads to the bottom of the Seattle pier.

If this is Susan, I'll be over tonight with wine. See you sooon!

BEEP!"

There's plenty of hits on Baz, including his myface site, where he hosts a lot of videos. He's part of a death metal ukele band. He also has an active ShootCupid account.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:24, Mon 17 Mar 2014.

"Yes sir, this is the team that is charged with retrieving a bear.  A question came up while the team and I were discussing things.  If the final goal to have the subject out of the competition?  If so we have a lead on a plan that will get the subject on the next boat back to her homeland with no heat on the team and by extension no heat on you or your employer."

"Would that be an acceptable solution?  I can be reach 425-867-5309.

Thank you"

---

On Baz: Lets set up a shoot cupid account and try to get this guy a blind date that he would be willing to take off a night for.  One less person to worry about.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:28, Mon 17 Mar 2014.

St. V will help scour Baz's Mayface and ShootCupid accounts for details about his interests to help create his perfect match.  Looking for apparent hobbies, type of relationships he is looking for, people he finds attractive, and what societal class he belongs to.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:52, Mon 17 Mar 2014.

Interests include German movies, BMW, parabiology, UCAS culture, singing, stringed instruments, death metal, drop bears, which aren't actually bears, and big hats. He is looking for a studious and athletic man.

Firefox swung by the zoo, navigating around a small band of protesters waving "Devil Rats are People!" and making her way to the small Oceana exhibit.  She studied the cuddly furry bear with interest, taking a good read on its astral signature.  She tried to envision it it with fangs and inch-long claws, but it was a bit of a stretch.  The awakened Tazmanian devil in the adjacent plasticrete-sealed enclosure was a different matter entirely.  She wondered absently what the biological purpose of the pitchfork tail was, before making her way out.  Past the panda exhibit of course.

On her way back to her bike, she called up Rock.  "Any chance you can get me a couple of tickets for the UCAS idolize concert tonight?"


Negotiation (bargaining)

quote:

18:54, Mon 17 Mar 2014: Firefox rolled 6 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 ((5,(6+5)11,4,4,5,(6+3)9))

Not sure if that's the appropriate roll.  If not use whatever you deem appropriate.

Rock responds, "Callin' it close? Yeah, I'll get some. They'll be uhhh ... a thousand for four tickets. That okie dokie?"

I'm assuming my negotiation is reflected in the proffered price, so I won't bother trying to argue him down.

"Way too much for the entertainment value, but it's work so I guess it'll have to do.  Need 2 for sure.  Can I get back to you in the next 10 on the other two?"

She dials up the safe-house.  "I've got a lead on 4 tickets to the show tonight for 250 a piece.  I'm up for covering 2 of them.  Gotta confirm in the next 5 to lock in the price.  Anyone else wanna come?"