Winter Herald had to send a notification and his picture identity to the team an hour before his arrival on the site, due to the changes he was making to his own appearances, insuring at least Broyko would know what he looked like now, and trusting the others would simply receive the information as needed.

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02:12, Today: Winter Herald rolled 66 using 1d100 with rolls of 66.  Disguise roll. TN 94.
02:17, Today: Winter Herald rolled 5 using 1d100 with rolls of 5.  Imitate voice. TN 97.

Winter Herald arrived, looking nothing like any form he was associated with. His voice became soft and cultured as he spoke, with a hint of Southeastern accent and dripping with elitist arrogance. "My primary blade is in storage for now. I am, as always, a living arsenal with concealed backups, but you can refer to me as Harold Frost. A simple name, close to another one you might know, because I need you to remember that name when the time comes. I need to be exempted from metal detectors upon entry, because it is embarrassing to be scanned by security. I will not be leaving once I am in, but few keep track of the bathroom habits of others, so it should arouse no suspicions that no one sees me exit."

"Now, I am going to be completely submerged into this act until the assassin reveals themselves, so depending on how you talk to me, it might get awkward. I am simply a middleman, a stand-in for another, and that needs to be remembered. So, how am I doing so far? I felt the artists at Star were good at listening to my instructions for facial obfuscation."

In reply to JUSTAR (msg # 4):

"The senator will be coming through the hotel entrance. Zee and Drifter will just be a couple of guys staying out of the way of the secret service surrounding the senator. I highly doubt The Assassin will be obvious till they've acted. Once they have, it's important we don't press them till they're away from potential hostages. The secret service will be using the rear exit as their 'duress exit', those in the banquet area will secure that exit and allow the secret service through while attempting to detain the assassin if they go that way."
"In my opinion, once the deed is done the assassin will go out the front. The hotel is liberally supplied with security cameras; the convention center will be liberally supplied with law enforcement. Exiting immediately to the street will be their most likely option, and that's where REcycler and JUSTAR will be waiting. If they attempt to go to the convention and adopt a new disguise, Runa and Captain Justice will have been alerted and can watch for anyone coming into that area."
"Remember, it's important we don't shoot anyone. Even the assassin needs to be taken alive, if possible. One of the reasons we're here is because I told the city council that your abilities mean you can stop these guys without killing anyone. Prove me right, and we'll be making the world a better place."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:32, Fri 02 June 2023.

Paragon/Alison is no longer even semi-casual. She wears charcoal colored cargo pants and turtle neck, over which is a hard armor vest which displays an insignia of the US Marshal's Service on the front with her "hero" name printed in very small letters beneath; likewise on the back is clearly printed in yellow "UNITED STATES MARSHAL'S SERVICE." She carries one of the HUD helmets that matches her motif under her arm (or now on the table in front of her), and a facemask bunched around her neck for easy pull up to cover if necessary. Her sidearm arm is still on her hip, and she carries an AR-15 carbine slung combat style at her chest. Her hair is pulled up and tightly braided to make getting into and out of the helmet easier. Her ensemble is finished off with a pair of work boot style hard toed shoes.

Alison looked over the map and gave a nod. "Those of us in the main room should either be like me, highly visible as a deterrent, or like Spymaster and invisible. I assume Garcia, as he is riding along with the Senator, will enter with the Secret Service. I will post up between the right hand staircase leading to the podium and the rear exist so as to cover it and provide secure exit." She pointed to the spot she indicated. "Harold, you look rather dashing. You might consider keeping the look, it suites you." Turning to Broyko, "As your liaison, I assume I am on sight point of contact for the Secret Service. Let me know when they arrive and I will be there to meet and greet. You can rest assured, my arms are for show. Push comes to shove, I'll engage hand to hand. I've no questions, does anyone else?"

Hikari listens as the adults plan and direct noting the armaments and makes one 'last' attempt to contribute something relevant, "Uhm, none of you need bear just lethal weaponry.. I can provide a Stun Gun Blaster for any of the team that would like the option?"

Not expecting to be paid attention to from then on.. he will take his assigned post and continue monitoring...
This message was last edited by the player at 14:29, Fri 02 June 2023.

Alison turned to Hikari, "That isn't a bad idea actually. I'll take one if you have one on you." She nodded thoughtfully at the young man. There was more to him than she had originally surmised.

Hikari brightened.. almost literally.. the direct sunlight made him.. very attractive especially when he smiled.

He nodded, "Yes, I do indeed...!!!" to which he went and retrieved a ..  gun chest of impact resin and characteristic rounded edges.  With a thumb-print scan he opened the chest to a dark foam interior with a set of 10 of the energy weapons inside the 'New' smell of the foam was tinged slightly with the hint of ozone.  There was a foam space for each pistol to have 2 spare E-clips.

Stun Gun {Blaster} = Ra: 100’ft, Dam: Special [Victims are dazed, - 10 to strike, parry and dodge, for 2D4 melees – Save Vs Toxin],
RoF: 5/melee, charges: 10, Wt: 1lbs, WP: Energy Pistol [$4,000 + $1,000 E-Clip]

He immediately went into a tech instruction on their operation, "These are energy weapons they have no recoil.. so it will take a little to get use to that.  Those proficient with handguns I'd suggest aiming a tad lower than you normally would with a handgun.  They can only discharge 5 pulses in the space of a 15 second cycle period of the homopolar generator inside to refill the internal capacitors. Avoid head shots.. the electrolaser could potentially have some permanent nasty side-effects on the optic nerve ~ they have not been tested on such sensitive nerve clusters, as yet.  Each holds enough power for 10 pulses before a new E-clip must be replaced.  They have dual side safeties.  Do not fire underwater.. they will work but YOU are not insulated from their pulse.  Avoid firing near powerful magnetic fields as the beam will attenuate... and could possibly damage delicate control electronics.  Each weapon has two spare E-clips."

"These are a limited run Model MkI.. I've not had time to implement the Advanced Model upgrades with laser sight, select-fire pulse, extended e-clips, electronic night sight, Ammo/Charge readout, close-range taser setting, and the hardened melee/handguard construction ~ all integral. Maybe I'll get to it in the Model MkII"

Then he sighed, "Technically.. I'm a 'Foreign Consultant'... so let's just say these are 'on loan' ~ I'm not giving them to the agency... but I 'May' forget to ask for them back... y'know absent-minded geniuses these days..."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:18, Fri 02 June 2023.

Alison is much more interested in the weapon than in Hikari on a personal level. She picked one up and admired it. She sighted it before slotted the E-clip. "Lower? So belt buckle rather than chest or navel? Either way it's ingenious. Light weight too, so I can carry it in my hip holder." She took out her Glock 29 and replaced it with the stun gun. She slid her pistol into the waist of her pants at the small of her back.

Uncharacteristically, the detective grins. "I knew it. This is what I kept telling them, sophistication in lethal weaponry implies the same in non-lethal counterparts. I'll be borrowing one of those, myself. If we can rely on these sorts of weapons we'll turn the usual law enforcement mindset inside out."
"Thank you, Hikari, this is exactly where I wanted to go."

In reply to Paragon (msg # 11):

If the young genius has any notions of personal "interest" in the stunningly attractive US Marshal... it is not apparent in his reaction or gaze as he is the perfect gentleman eyes on her face and his bearing the consumate professional.

Hikari nods, "Yes, Paragon... between navel and belt-buckle will be quite effective!  The stun blaster does have a high pitch buzz when fired but its not very loud... in crowded areas like this.. weapon discharge likely will go unheard."

He turned to Detective Broyko and smiled handing him a blaster and two spare clips, "..Thank you Sir.  Just trying to be helpful and protect lives.  I have some working plans on a stun-nullifier that can be worn to shield Law Enforcement from such Stun Weapons but it is still in the development stage."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:15, Fri 02 June 2023.

As if on cue, Spymaster arrived, his standard suit actually buttoned instead of loosely worn, a flag pin on his breast.

"I hope I've dressed the part. I debated between this and my Ranger dress uniform, but I feel the Ranger uniform would draw too much attention to myself. I presume I'll handle the east, Harold, the south, it'll put you at the back of the room, where you should be able to outpace anyone trying to flee, no matter the door. Hikari, I love the initiative with the stun blasters. If you don't mind I'll have one as well."

Spymaster took the gun, and slid it under his jacket around the back, not moving his normal .45 from his shoulder. It didn't exactly conceal well, but for now it was held. An easy fix later, but for now he looked around the room.

"Our most immediate move is to scan the room as it stands. It doesn't seem to be his play, but our assassin may have left a few surprises. While we have the time, better to be on the safe side."

OOC: 17:56, Today: Spymaster rolled 97 using 1d100 with rolls of 97.  Concealment for stun gun.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:59, Fri 02 June 2023.

Winter Herald studied the pistol, matching it with other ballistics he was familiar with and finding a zero match. "It does appear to be an effective weapon. Unfortunately, I do not trust my aim with it. But I shouldn't need it, any more than I require the pistol. My primary role for this operation is observation. If the target appears, attempt to keep up, radio location information, and engage with non-lethal force to save lives or to enforce compliance with an arrest."

"And thank you, Agent Paragon. It was the best I could do on short notice. Lite Star are the real heroes. I just gave them my specifications - they were willing to invest in me for this assignment, as long as it was clear they were not endorsing any political views."

Hikari nods and smiles cheerfully as he hands the Stun Gun Blaster with two spare e-clips to Spymaster.

He makes no comment or reaction to Winter Herald's refusal, his expression neither surprise nor disappointment...
This message was last edited by the player at 05:26, Sat 03 June 2023.

Lilibeth strode into the convention center in her 'Cammy' costume with a positively beaming expression on her face. She knew that the real reason for her being here was to be part of a PSD (Personal Security Detail) but that wasn’t enough to damper her enthusiasm and excitement in the least bit. “Do try to remember we are here for an important task; protecting life,” Runa commented in their shared mind. “Of course! I will totally be alert and all that but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy myself until something happens, right?” Runa gave the mental equivalent of a snort but said nothing.

So it was that when Lilibeth entered the room where Detective Broyko was giving his assignment briefing, the blond woman had a beatific smile on her face. She leaned forward attentively as the detective detailed who would be partnered with whom and where. When he was finished, she raised a hand and then pointed at where she was to be on the map. “Not that I have any problem with being paired with Captain Justice,” she nods at the giant of a man, “but I thought you wanted me paired with Spymaster? Or did I just imagine that from a few days ago?”

She removes her hand from the map and folds her arms under her breasts while waiting for the detective to respond.

Senor Garcia arrives wearing a blue suit, with a light blue tie. A pair of aviator sunglasses can be seen in the left side pocket of his suit jacket and a clear radio earpiece is visible in his left ear.

All in all, he looks like a shabbily dressed old Federal Law Enforcement agent who is way past retirement age.


13:14, Today: Senor Garcia rolled 47 using 1d100 with rolls of 47.  Surveillance Systems 113% (check out cameras inside convention center).
PASS, how many security camera are there inside the convention center?

13:13, Today: Senor Garcia rolled 67 using 1d100 with rolls of 67.  Wardrobe & Grooming 62%.
FAIL

13:16, Today: Senor Garcia rolled 81 using 1d100 with rolls of 81.  Disguise 105% (just some old Federal LEO)
PASS

This message was last edited by the player at 20:29, Sat 03 June 2023.

wringing his hands Drifter briefly gets a confused expression crossing his face.
 Drifter wonders.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:46, Sat 03 June 2023.

In reply to Runa (msg # 17):

"I had second thoughts on that. Both of you can fly, so you're the aerial component of a chase team. If you're informed the suspect is escaping you two are to take to the air and mark his position, follow as best you can till you can get him pinned down"

When Captain Justice got his email from Hikari, He immediately replies with a query on where to meet up. He then flies straight to that location. It is obvious that he enjoys the costume/armor that Hikari made with how he praises it's flexibility and construction.

He arrives at the Convention Center a few minutes earlier than ordered in his full King Vultan costume/armor and practically struts in. Obviously method acting for his cosplay of King Vultan as played by BRIAN BLESSED

He contains the ham for the first few minutes, Nodding with the instructions to be in the room with Runa.

And then the HAM comes out
"INDEED! Our Arial Forces will easily outmaneuver anyone on foot. Unless they can outrun a helicopter. Or a Jet in Runa's case. But how likely is an Assassin to have superspeed on top of the probable shapeshifting or superhuman disguise skills?"

Hikari greet Captain Justice cheerfully.. and smiles at his unbridled HAM.. taking pride in how well the 'King Vultan' components to the costume work. He will take a moment to demonstrate for Arnold how the plastic mock pieces on his hammer that provide the appearance of 'King Vultan's' hooked beak-like war Scepter can be easily released and discarded for actual combat.

To his question Hikari replies with his assessment of the Assassin's potential tactics, "Honestly Captain, I don't think the Assassin will be fool enough to stage a direct attack upon the Senator.  I'm thinking he will slip in to set up in some innocuous location that he knows the Senator will be in proiximity at some point of his appearance with a lethal trap that will be triggered either by the Senators innocuous action or remotely when he knows the Senator must be near his trap... so he 'the Assassin' need be no where near the kill. For instance the dias the Senator will likely be ascending to give some pompous speech at a podium... the steps up to the podium could be rigged with a dart launcher containing a lethal toxin... that his steeping on will sting his ankle quite unobtrusively killing him before he finishes his speech.  Or since this particular assassin likes to use .45cal ammo exclusively.. the very microphone at the podium could be rigged with a close range single shot .45 cal Zip gun to shoot the Senator in the head at a timed or remotely triggered signal."

"I think It would be the height of ego for the assassin to plan some disturbance expecting the Secret Service to try to rush the Senator out of the Convention hall specifically to open an opportunity to personally get near to shoot the senator and escape in the confusion... but that seems a 'rookie' kind of move for an assassin this cunning to attempt considering his reputation of 100% success.  I'd put my money on a remotely triggered or innocuous trap so he need never be anywhere near his target."

"No. I don't think this assassin will be making a physical appearance.  But What do I know?"

Lilibeth nods her head in understanding of Detective Broyko's reasoning. "Sounds good!" she says cheerfully and then looks up as her partner for the mission makes his big entrance. "Good to see you, your majesty!" she says to the faux King Vultan, giving him a polite curtsy.

In response to the talk about whether or not the assassin would manually attempt the murder or rely on remote devices, Lilibeth shrugs. "Well as my first platoon sergeant was fond of telling us, 'this is a binary solution set; either he will or he won't.'" Her voice had gone deeper for her last sentence, no doubt in an attempt to mimic her former platoon sergeant. "We could spend hours, days if we really put our minds and egos to it, playing the 'he might do this' game and still not figure out what's actually going to happen. So lets not overthink things, keep our eyes and ears open and do our best."

"I for one find the whole deal suspicious.  The whole idea of assassination is to work in secret behind the scenes. Yet somehow it is discovered or leaked that an assassin is going after a Diplomat!  One known to be adamantly against people with extra ordinary talents.

May as well go after sport stars or special force operatives while they are at it. I would not be surprised at all to find that the whole building is the target.  Just how long
have people known of this Convention or that a large number of... non human freaks like us Heroes were going to conveniently show up?  What is that phrase?
dammed if we do and dammed if we don't.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:55, Sun 04 June 2023.

"Harold Frost" practiced blinking and breathing, devoting a minor subroutine to both, as he continued to lightly refine his dialect. "For someone to attempt a high profile assassination against a hardened target requires either confidence, idiocy, or both. Someone has an objective of 'sending a message.'"

He had a sour look on his face, one that became introspective as he wondered if his persona might not be better served believing that nonsense to be a good idea. "Let us hope we put more work into this than the adversary, even though I do not expect that. Runa has the correct outlook. I do not believe we can put more planning into this, because all we know is that the most likely assassin, if in fact singular, favors firearms, which implies an MO that at least requires a line of sight and a projectile capable of delivering a reliable deathblow. We have finite resources, finite time, and no one can be strong everywhere. Let's hope we left the weak points we want to leave, because it is sink or swim."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:04, Sun 04 June 2023.

"Both of you are right, every attempt at stopping this before hand met with nothing. Though you aren't wrong Hikari, his preferred method is a 9mm pistol, but he has used other weaponry. A zip gun in the microphone would be hideously unreliable though, a good old fashioned explosive charge in the podium would be how I'd approach it though. It needn't be large for a single target, your detonator can be a cell phone, or a simple object someone wouldn't question like a pen, or a key fob."

Spymaster crosses over to the podium and looks it over, looking for anything that could potentially hide an explosive charge, or if there was a detonator he could spot.

"And there is a simple reason for an assassination Drifter. In your travels, I assume World War 2 happens in many worlds, and the incident that starts that awful war is the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, at least by our history. So, my fear is this a Franz Ferdinand situation, if he's killed, people will blame metas like you for it, and will lead to... interesting times. Stronger metas can hold their own, maybe even carve out a portion of the world for themselves, but weaker ones will wind up dead. And that's not counting the loss of life of innocent unpowered civilians, caught in the crossfire. The attempt might even be enough to set it off. The real question is, who stands to gain by starting it?"

19:21, Today: Spymaster rolled 43 using 1d100 with rolls of 43.  Detect Concealment tn 85. SUCCESS

In reply to Spymaster (msg # 26):

Hikari shrugs, "I'm just spit-balling ideas here.  I'm not saying the Assassin has done such ... but I would think the obvious explosive placements.. like under the stage/dias or in the very podium would be prime-target places for our professional secret service men to inspect and they have more than likely already done so ~ Repeatedly!  I only mean to suggest that certain objects and locations that would on the surface seem perfectly innocuous... like the three aluminum metal steps up to the stage or the very microphone he'd use could be made into lethal traps... and such places WE might do well to thoroughly examine."

"I'm no assassin... but I know I could place a weapon of assassination small enough to fit into a microphone and still be quite lethal ~ I could make a gun the size of one of Your finger's Spymaster and load it with explosive ammo; the effect on a human cranium the same as a targeted pumpkin!  Miniaturization has always been my tech-specialty ~ so I tend to look for threats I could manufacture."

He turns to look at the gathering crowd and waves his team off, "Anyways.. I'd best get to my post.  Good fortunes to us all."

Justar took up position at the main entrance and was taken aback by the Comic and Superhero fans already present.  He almost immediately had his hands full answering questions about LESP and the exploits of the Sentinels and his Justicar suits - Polymer and Paladin.  Clearly his public Id as the Justicar was known by almost all those present and the footage of his battle in the Paladin against the Bronto-Bear had gone viral.  The comic fans and superhero groupies were fascinated to learn that the Justicar-Polymer was being piloted by an AI ~ 'K3' of Hikari design... and that Hikari was also a mutant genius.

Some even had recent footage of him using his mutant powers flying across the city..confirming for Hikari the LESP HQ was watched ALL THE TIME.. not only by law enforcement but also superhero fan Groupies.  He'd have to be more careful... but the fact of his mutant powers was not going to be a secret for long... and he refused to outright lie.

He misdirected the conversation one persistent fan kept trying to find out the nature of his other energy powers by returning to his ideas abut how AIs like the one in his Polymer Suit could be fairly and equitably be integrated into society.  Earning himself a rather stimulating conversation with many of the fans and Sci-Fi thinkers gathered there ~ some for some against.  It was... distracting to keep his mind focused on watching for threats... but K3 helped a great deal through mental communication with the telemental crown/headband...
This message was last edited by the player at 03:32, Mon 05 June 2023.

Senor Garcia listened to the conversation regarding the assassin, and figured now would be the time to bring up something so preposterous that....well unless he had evidence would be dismissed.

Except he did have evidence.

It wasn't until JUSTAR left, that Senor Garcia motioned and pulled Detective Broyko, Spymaster, Winter Hearld, and Paragon aside.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:55, Mon 05 June 2023.

looking around at the sites aimlessly browsing
This message was last edited by the player at 05:23, Mon 05 June 2023.