You meet a lot of colorful folks working off the grid.  All kinds of interesting stories that they give you when they hire you, and even more interesting stories that they aren't telling.  But you know what you're doing, better than almost anyone else you run into.  Just because they aren't telling doesn't mean you won't hear the story sooner or later.

Your latest job looks like it will fit right in with all that.  Andre Grecocitto, a thin, well-dressed, dark-haired man who looks to be in his mid to late 40s, has hired you to run security for an upcoming meeting.  What he has told you so far is that he used to work for the government of Malta but left the country after he learned some things they probably didn't want him to know, and he is concerned that they may send someone to stop him from sharing.  His meeting is with a journalist (he gives you the name Tobias Brinkerhoff when one of you inevitably asks) to discuss exactly that.  As of now, the plan is to meet this coming Thursday, at 2:00 in the afternoon, at a "coffeeshop" in the Zuid (south) section of the city called Dikke Rups.  Today is Monday, so that does give you a little time for any preparations you might want to make.

Grecocitto pays your asking price for the job with no hesitation.  What's your next move?

"So, he's using his own security to get him to the meeting," Tyr says to the others (wherever they are).

"Our job is to make sure the meeting goes off without a hitch."

"We should put out a few feelers and see if there's any dope on the street about either the meeting or if something else is going to happen there."

"And we need to case the cafe... look for hiding places for an assassin, escape routes, access points, all that stuff."

"Any of you know anything about Malta? Will they employ a personal hit man or are they of a more modern bent--use explosives?"

Rob, who is sitting right behind Tyr, nods:
"Yes. About Malta, we should check out this Tobias Brinkerhoff. See if he's working for Malta. Also, maybe we can have them move: Andre Grecocitto meets Brinkerhoff as scheduled, but then we have them switch venues. To make planned things harder to be pulled off.
So, I'd say:
- put feelers out to see if the street is talking about Dikke Rups
- case the cafe and surroundings
- get info' on Malta, Grecocitto... and Brinkherhoff
Who does what?"

Fortunately, the little storefront that passed for an office for their 'security' work was in Oost, on Zacharias Jansestraat just off of Cornelis Drebbelstraat practically behind the Lux Garage, wasn't too far from the coffeehouse. Whereas all the other shops on the street had names emblazoned on windows and an open/closed sign hanging on the door, theirs was nondescript in keeping with their business profile. A desk in front was strategically scattered with 'important-looking' papers that were all meaningless that one of them shuffled around every other day or so to make it look like it was in use.

Behind the partition divider was the real heart of the operation--a table with chairs to have these meetings and a well-stocked refrigerator of Amstel and Heineken.

Tyr sat in one of the chairs, leaned back against the wall with his feet propped up on the table.

"I can do some inquiries on the street... about all four subjects," Tyr offered. "And I can take some preliminary photographs of the coffeehouse while I'm at it."

"Research is a bit out of my wheelhouse, though."

"Good call on Brinkerhoff. Is he the kind of journalist looking for that Pulitzer Prize-winning story? Or is he more about the money? Is he likely to have sold out Grecocitto?"

"I'm thinking it might be a good idea to see if we can get building plans for the coffeehouse as well as street plans for the area. Hell, for that matter, find out who owns the coffeehouse and do a dive on him! Starting to make me wonder why the coffeehouse was chosen in the first place!"

Galen stands to one side of the room, leaning ever so slightly against the wall his hands clasped behind his back and with one eye, as is his habit, on the door at all times.

"I can case the venue; historically I've been on the other side of this kind of op but I know what to look for. I agree that a drug den" Galen's distaste for it is evident in his voice, "seems a pretty unusual choice for this kind of meet, even in this city. Do we know who's choice it was?"

"Can't say I'm an expert on all things Maltese but I've been there before and served with some lads from that neck of the woods back in the day - it's not exactly a military powerhouse so I'm guessing they'll go for hired help rather than home grown. Might be worth putting an ear to the ground to see if anyone's been looking to book the local talent."

((OOC: Ha-ha-ha. I read 'Dikke Rupps' as being the section of Amsterdam-Zuid where the coffeehouse was, rather than the actual name of the coffee house itself.))


"Really? It's a drug den? Are you sure about that?" Tyr responds.

"Maybe it's Grecocitto's home turf. Okay, that puts a whole new wrinkle on security."

"It's not a drug den, just a coffeehouse... which in my country means, well, a place to buy pot!
Well, I can start researching Tobias Brinkerhoff if you want. Can get onto that right now."

Galen snorts slightly, "All the same to me - where a bunch of druggies go to waste away their lives. Not my scene at all. On the upside we could turn up in full tactical kit and loaded for bear and it's not likely the clientele would even notice."

"I will get started then."

Unless his companions want him to wait, Rob would head off to the main library, in order to check their files on Tobias Brinkerhoff. Aiming to use the Net to see who the man writes for, and then find physical copies of the newspapers or magazines at the library, or use their databases to see digital versions of them.
Rob wants to read some to get an idea of how he writes and on what topics.
He will also see if there are any articles about the reporter.

Galen sees Rob head off with a wave of his hand and nods a goodbye to Tyr as he collects a sidearm and tucks it neatly into a subtle shoulder holster. He's not expecting trouble but that tends to be when it most often turns up.

Double checking the address he heads out to size up the Dikke Rups. Once nearby his first steps are to do a slow circuit of the area keeping an eye out for anyone who seems to be equally interested in the coffeeshop, especially if they're making a concerted effort not to look interested.

Once he's as sure as he can be that he's the only watcher he'll take up a perch, either loitering in a doorway or - preferably - a table at a nearby bar or cafe to keep a careful eye on coming or goings. Especially if the clientele are the type who look like they might cause trouble.

OOC: Took a cue from Rob and thought it's a good time to get things moving. If Tyr would rather case the joint then Galen can find something else to do and I can amend this!

As for which skills are in use I think Tradecraft probably fits best for identifying if there are any other people acting suspiciously nearby or any covert surveillance going on but could equally be Urban Survival or even Streetwise (if it's really grim!). Happy to go with GM decision on which is most appropriate - have points in all.

Rob's time at the library quickly turns up some basic info on Tobias Brinkerhoff.  He is a reporter for the Agence France Presse, covering political news around Europe.  About ten years ago he was awarded the Wächterpreis der Tagespresse for exposing a vote-rigging scheme in Bavaria.  More recently he covered the events transpiring in Transnistria, a small breakaway state in Moldova which (according to Brinkerhoff's articles) might be receiving covert support from Russia, even though the latter has not formally recognized their independence.  A few other outlets have mentioned this story as well, but it seems like no one had noticed it until Brinkerhoff brought it to light.

Rob - you may spend another hour and 1 point of Research to dig deeper if you'd like

                    *                           *                             *

Galen heads over to the coffeeshop.  It's in a commercial neighborhood, a little bit off the main roads but hardly obscure.  In the middle of the afternoon on a Monday there isn't much foot traffic here, though there are a few people around.  None of them set off any alarms in your mind.

Dikke Rups is easy to spot - the big green caterpillar on the sign over the door is a giveaway, and if you didn't already know what this place was, his hookah would settle that quickly enough.  There is a green and white sticker in the door which signifies that they are a legally certified purveyors of cannabis.  The windows at the front of the building have a frosted finish, allowing light to pass through but obscuring any of the finer details inside.  The door is plain glass though, so you can at least get a glance without looking obvious.  What that shows you is a number of colorful leather couches arranged around small tables, and two or three customers currently inside.

Across the street is an actual coffee house with a few tables on the patio, so you are able to get a drink and sit comfortably for a while.  As you watch, you see two men walk out of the shop, laughing raucously at whatever joke they have just told each other, and then a short time later a man and woman walk in, saying something (in English) about wanting a snack before going to see the tulips.

Rob notes all the info' down.
Then goes to see a librarian at the desk, and ask for some more information.
Spending my Point in Research
"Hello!", Rob says, offering a tulip. "Have a great festival!"

The librarian smiles and thanks you, then gives you the information for accessing some more professional-level papers through the library's account.  Reading through these, you find that Brinkerhoff's reporting about Transnistria got a lot more attention from the Russians than you would have expected for an issue that seems... well, not unimportant exactly, but certainly less attention-grabbing than Chechnya or Crimea.  But no, you see multiple articles not only reporting Russian denials, but quite stern objections.  Maybe even veiled threats - after all, it's not every day that FSB officers allow themselves to be quoted in the news talking about the need to "respond to slanderous accusations."

Not knowing where Galen was going of what he was doing, Tyr grabs his camera and also heads out and makes a bit of a circuitous route to Dikke Rups, making a mental note of the streets and alleys leading to the place. He's also paying attention to the roofs, to vantage points for a sniper, potential climbing places if he needed to get up to the roofs. He's also going to try and assess the potential traffic routes... street lights, traffic congestion, choke points, narrow streets, places motorcycle could go but a car couldn't. Traffic isn't his forte but he'll take photographs of everything to show the others.

When he reaches Dikke Rups, he continues take pictures of the entrance, adjacent shops, etc. If he doesn't notice Galen, it's more likely that Galen will notice him.

In any case, Tyr will use Tradecraft just to gather the intel. Don't see any reason to spend a point right now.

Since Galen had specifically been looking out for anyone else that might also be scoping out the location, he immediately notices Tyr's activities.  But he also recognizes his teammate quickly enough to avoid any kind of confusion.

As far as his own observations go, Tyr does get a good sense of how to navigate the streets immediately around the shop.  Most of them are wide enough to accommodate a single lane of traffic in each direction, but there are also a few picturesque single-lane cobblestone streets in the neighborhood.  He also notices that there are narrow alleys in between buildings every so often to allow access to utilities, emergency exits, or what have you, and that there is one of these alleys on the side of the coffeeshop.

I don't think Tradecraft would be the right skill to use in this instance.  It might give you an idea of where would be a good location for a dead drop or a clandestine meeting, or something along those lines, but the info you're looking for would probably fit better with something like Urban Survival and/or Streetwise.  But you do have those, and you're not spending points out of anything right now, so it's not especially important to make the distinction at this moment.

Rob will report all this to his comrades when he meets up with them later on.
Sharing the intel' he got with all
"Maybe we can whack this Tobias Brinkerhoff and get a bounty from the Russians!"

In the meantime he will keep on working at the library.
Well, first he has a coffee, and stretches, and then gets back to the research.
This time looking into two things: Andre Grecocitto ; and anything catchy or fishy about Malta right now.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:25, Sun 30 Aug 2020.

Rob doesn't find quite as much this time.  Grecocitto's LinkedIn page says that he is a mid-ranking official in Malta's Ministry of Finance.  You are able to find a couple other sites that confirm this, and whatever photos you see do look like the same man you met earlier today.  As for Malta itself, there are occasional stories of individual crooked politicians, but the only recent news that stands out is some questionable government contracts with various foreign businesses.

Rob tries to see if the nationality of those foreign businesses can be determined - and if any have ties to Russia - before heading home.

Galen sees Tyr also checking out the area and catches his eye before beckoning him over to the table he occupies over the way sipping at a cappuchino. He gets straight down to business, "I've been watching for the while now and it looks like the normal crowd you would expect - nothing too fishy. Am thinking I might go in and check out the inside; see what we're dealing with by way of entrances and exits. You want to join or were you planning to do more on the street?"

The only one which is identified by name is Emirates Capital Growth, from the UAE.  There is also brief mention of other companies based in Russia, Turkey, Italy, and other unspecified countries.

Rob will try to see what information is available about Emirates Capital Growth, and maybe what dealings it has with Malta.

The only info you can get from this search is a very bland corporate website (available in multiple languages, including Russian among others) about their investment services, with a lot of boilerplate language about diversified portfolios, international markets, investing in both new and established businesses, etc, and some stock photos of various impressive buildings in (presumably) Dubai.  You are able to find general contact info (no specific names) if you want it.

Getting more info about Emirates Capital Growth is going to require a different Investigative ability, depending on what you are trying to find - Research covers info that would be available to the general public, and there is very little of that here

Intrigued by the fact there is not much there, Rob will try to access some legal databases, to see what kind of lawsuits ECG might be involved in-- or is there nothing? He wonders: is it a flat ECG?
Okay, okay, time for another coffee!
He looks into any lawsuits or condemnations or such, to see if there some pattern of illegal activities--
Criminology
--while also looking into corporate registration databases, or merger reports, or investor meetings and such, where information might transpire as to what they are up to.
Bureaucracy

Galen finishes his coffee and heads into the shop, attempting to look as much like a tourist as possible. Once inside he orders a brownie, or at least something edible, and another coffee  and takes a seat with his back to the wall and facing as much of the room as possible. There he casually casts his eyes around the building to see if he can get an idea of the size of the place, entrances, exits etc.

OOC: If it's an option I'll use Architecture to try and get an idea of the layout of the place. Mainly any entrances/exits which might not be immediately obvious from the front.

"I was going to go in and scout the interior, but not sure I'd fit in, now that I see it," Tyr replies to Galen.

"I'll stay here and keep a watch on it a bit more."

Rob continues digging for anything interesting about Emirates Capital Growth and finds alarmingly little.  The only public record he can dig up is a government site stating that the company was legally established in 2002, and he can't find any record of lawsuits, civil or criminal penalties, or anything else of the sort.  If there is more out there, it's not something he's going to be able to find sitting on a computer in a public library.

Bureaucracy could also be used to obtain records from a government office, whether online or in person, but you would have to wait for a human being over there to put everything together for you - definitely nothing that's going to happen tonight, and even to get it before the meeting on Thursday would take a lot of maneuvering.

If you really want to speed things up, good old Digital Intrusion is always an option, but that's a General skill rather than Investigative, so you would need to roll for it.  And you probably don't want to be seen doing it out here in public view.

                              *                                  *                            *

Galen walks into the shop.  There are two people behind the counter, a man and a woman, both probably in their mid 20s.  They both wear dark green t-shirts with the shop's logo printed in white.  You spot a door behind them, off to the side, such that whatever is behind it goes along the long side of the shop.  Storeroom and office, most likely.  You also notice that getting behind the counter requires going through a door with an electronic keypad.  The prices for snacks are a little high, but that's probably because of the extra ingredient (you notice that there are "with" and "without" options on the menu).  The coffee might be decent under normal circumstances, but after the drink you just had across the street, this one tastes like gasoline.  Modern pop music plays over the shop's speakers, loud enough to hear it easily but not so loud that you have to raise your voice when speaking.  The atmosphere is only lightly smoky, since you are here during off-peak hours.  If you've ever smelled pot smoke before, you can definitely recognize it again now.

The layout of the shop is comfortable.  As you saw through the door earlier, colorful couches arranged around small tables, with enough space in between to walk without difficulty (though running would be more of a problem).  You notice that the couches and tables are all movable, not secured to the floor; they slide easily enough, but if for some reason you wanted to actually lift one you would probably need someone else to help.  With your focus on the setup of the building, you see three doors in the back - men's and women's bathrooms, and one labeled "Tobacco*."  That last one also has a glowing "Exit" sign above it.

And of course, in a real emergency, there are the front windows.  They might make it hard to see in and out, but they look like they would break easily enough if you needed them to.

*Local law is stricter about tobacco than marijuana, so it can only be smoked in a designated room away from everyone else.  This is something you would all know in-character.

                              *                                  *                            *

Out in the street, Tyr sees one customer leave the shop (yes, Galen sees that one too), but no one else goes in for now.  A few random people stop and glance inside, presumably out of curiosity, but then continue walking to wherever they were actually headed.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:51, Sat 05 Sept 2020.

Rob has a look at the local press before leaving, to have a look at anything big or seemingly odd that is going on these days--
--before heading back to the group's base.

Nothing odd exactly, although there is an article from last week about a shootout in broad daylight, between rival gangs of Albanian and Yugoslav smugglers, in an industrial area in Westpoort.

Seeing only one person exit the shop and none entering, it occurs to Tyr that it might be the wrong time of the day for much business. Stopping at a pub for a beer after work might translate into smoking pot here. It was a subculture he was not familiar with.

Likewise, he considered the windows. They looked vulnerable, but who would bother breaking it to steal pot when you could just buy it anywhere. There did not seem to be any value to stealing it. Besides, it was probably all locked up after hours anyway.

He looked at the doors and windows to see if hours of operation were listed.

While the windows wouldn't need to be tempered glass, they were probably double-paned against the cold of winter.

Taking in every detail he can memorize about the location at the same time he takes in the sub-standard coffee Galen finishes his drink with a slight grimace and heads towards the door marked 'tobacco' and 'exit'. As he goes he pats his pocket like a man looking for his cigarettes, just in case the staff are paying enough attention to wonder what he might be doing.

There is indeed a sign on the door with hours of operation.  Looks like they are open every day, usually starting at 1:00pm, and open until 10:00pm on weeknights or 1:00am on weekends (and shorter hours on Sunday).

Galen walks into the tobacco room and immediately notices the change in scent - tobacco and marijuana mixed together, as you would expect, and a little fainter than in the other room.  There are no windows, just the lights from the ceiling.  Furniture is similar to the main room, but with the lighting it feels less inviting than out there.  There is indeed a heavy door at the back of the room with a neon Exit sign above it.  The door has a push bar to open it, with a chain hanging from it that suggests it can be locked shot if needed (after hours, presumably).  There is only one person here, a young man absorbed with his phone and nearing the last few puffs of his joint.  He glances up when you walk in, nods vaguely, and then turns back to his phone.

Coming home from the library, with plenty of thoughts, and some information, to share with his comrades, Rob sees they are not back yet.

He thinks it is best he did not go to the pot shop, since he'd end up testing some produce.
So, in the meantime, while waiting for them to return, he fires up the computer's protection and countermeasures, and starts looking around for how to get more information.

He sees that, though not as well protected as he would expect, the UAE gov' sites would take a bit too much effort for now, and maybe a better hacker than he-- especially to avoid leaving a footprint.

But the company, the ECG sites, do seem penetrable, even if rather well guarded.
He just hopes that they are not as good at finding out where a failed attack originated from.

So, he starts typing away, trying to get in--

Spending 2 of my 4 Digital Intrusion points (updated my sheet in Character Details)
23:00, Today: Rob Zwartnacht rolled 3 using 1d6+2 ((1))

--but he now realizes that he is not proficient in Arabic, so he has no idea what to type... nor even what keyboard to use to get the correct characters!
This message was last edited by the player at 21:02, Sun 06 Sept 2020.

After a quick glance at his surroundings Galen gives the other man a curt nod and promptly heads out of the door marked exit. Assuming it empties out into a side street (and not a sealed yard or similar) he walks back around to the front and meet with Tyr - intending that they all head back to the office to compare notes.

The exit opens into an alleyway which does indeed lead out to the street, and then back around to the other street, where you are able to reconnect with Tyr.

So once you eventually reconvene and get up to speed, what's your next move?

OOC: My thinking is that we'll want to head back to the coffee shop and surveil it again tomorrow to watch for suspicious patterns but that leaves plenty of time to look into other things. Not sure any of the leads from Rob's research were things we could look into from central Amsterdam were they?

Seeing his two friends return, Rob shares the information he has garnered so far:
"Not sure any of this is pertinent, nor that it helps..."

"What do you guys have planned?
I was thinking I could take another go at ECG if needed, but with some Arabic software to help out!
Or else have a look at who owns the pot shop we're going to.
Do you need help checking the shop out full time, to see if anyone else if scoping the place out?"

After taking a lot of photos... mostly of the cafe... but also of a few other places as his cover.

Once Galen exits the shop, Tyr joins him and they head back to the office.

He laughed to himself a bit as he realized he had an 'office' job. It wasn't really an office exactly, but the term worked to deflect probing inquiries.

At Rob's information and question, he replies.

"I don't think we need to do that. If it's a professional hit, the assassin has already got all the intel he needs. For that matter, he could be camped out on a roof already, or in one of the rooms overlooking the place."

"If it's a personal amateur, we'll never anticipate his move. Gun, knife, poison, bomb..."

"By all means, though, we should do a deep dive on the people involved... including the owner of the cafe and all his employees, plus their relatives. I'm thinking 'six degrees of separation' here."

"There's something going on here, but I can't just put my finger on it... yet."

Rob looks at Tyr-- deep dive into the owner, his employees, relatives... Hmmm...

Rob will at least have a look to see who owns the pot shop, and if there is any info' about the owner doing anything other than running his or her shop.

Finding the owner is easy enough - legitimate coffeeshop registration is public record.  Dikke Rups is registered to a Xandra Andriessen.  With minimal effort you are able to find her social media accounts.  You don't find anything immediately accessible that suggests a criminal record or involvement in anything shady, but you could certainly request an official background check if you want.

Rob just gets some pictures from her social media to give to Tyr if he wants to check having seen her or not around the place.

The door to the office opens, and Evelyn Shepard walks in. "Hey, fellas. Sorry I couldn't get in earlier," she says, having spent the morning finishing the final report for a client. Evelyn unloads her purse and jacket onto her workspace before taking a seat to listen to her colleagues.

"How're things shaking out so far?" she asks.

"Hello, Evelyn!"

"You know about our new job? Playing baby sitters?
Tyr and Ives are casing out the place-- a pot bar!
I've been trying to get some info' from the library. They only have coffee there, no pot, though!"

Rob shares the information he has gathered so far.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:51, Thu 17 Sept 2020.

In reply to Rob Zwartnacht (msg # 42):

"Rob," Evelyn replies with a smile. "Yeah, I got a chance to look over the file. No pot, huh? Missed opportunity," she kids, pulling out her work laptop.

"For my part, first things first I want to get eyes on Tobias Brinkerhoff. Have you guys found a good history on him? Do we know if he's a legit reporter yet?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:09, Thu 17 Sept 2020.

Rob smiles at Evelyn's kidding--

--before giving her what he typed out and collected on Brinkerhoff.

Tobias Brinkerhoff
He is a reporter for the Agence France Presse, covering political news around Europe.
About ten years ago he was awarded the Wächterpreis der Tagespresse for exposing a vote-rigging scheme in Bavaria.
More recently he covered the events transpiring in Transnistria, a small breakaway state in Moldova which (according to Brinkerhoff's articles) might be receiving covert support from Russia, even though the latter has not formally recognized their independence.
A few other outlets have mentioned this story as well, but it seems like no one had noticed it until Brinkerhoff brought it to light.
Brinkerhoff's reporting about Transnistria got a lot more attention from the Russians than you would have expected. Multiple Russian denials, and even veiled threats (FSB officers allow themselves to be quoted in the news talking about the need to "respond to slanderous accusations").

Evelyn reads through Rob's report carefully, nodding.

"Sounds more like the profile of a potential secondary target than a likely threat." She taps through some old internet archives on her laptop, all agreeing with Rob's history of the reporter. Unsurprising: Evelyn knows her colleagues are more than good at what they do. "Do we know where Grecocitto is hiding out before the meeting?"

Galen greets Evelyn warmly as she enters and, when Rob finishes, takes the opportunity to give a rundown of what they found at the location. Summing up, "So seems to be a fairly normal establishment at first flush. Might be worth another pass later in the week though, just to get a better feel for it."

He did not give his address when he met with the group earlier.  He did give a phone number in case you need to contact him before the meet on Thursday.

"No, we don't know where he's staying," Tyr replies to Evelyn with a wave of greeting. "He seems to be using his own 'security' to get to the meeting but wants us to provide protection once he gets there."

"Good point... that Brinkerhoff could be a secondary target. On the other hand, he could be the main target and Grecocitto is the secondary and the decoy and the smokescreen."

"I wasn't expecting this Xandra to be a criminal herself, though you never know. No, I was thinking she might have a shady brother or cousin or even a boyfriend. I'm just wondering why the pot shop was chosen as a meeting spot."

"In fact, now that I think about it... are we being set up?"

"Anyway, two things to look into... the surrounding buildings line of sight, potential sniper nests... and whether the pot shop has a basement."

"By the way... have we got a chemical sniffer in our arsenal of equipment? Portable metal detector?"

In reply to Tyr Thorvald (msg # 48):

"Eastern and Southern European subjudicial killings are generally done by poison, often administered by injection;, so if someone with ill intent had any influence in choosing the meeting location, it was probably because it's some place an agent could get right up close to them without raising suspicion. They could always poison the coffee but indirect poisoning is a less reliable method that big agencies over there tend to avoid."


"I think the question of a potential set-up is worth asking," Evelyn replies with a slow nod, mulling it over. "Any agent worth their salt would catch up to him before the meeting to get him out of the way ahead of time, not at it, where he has a chance to spill the beans. If he's as clued into state secrets as he claims to be he should know that sort of thing, but apparently he feels confident that he only needs extra security at the meeting. It doesn't track."

"I'm sure we've got a metal detector around here somewhere, but not sure about a chemical sniffer." She looks towards Rob for that answer, assuming his science expertise would make him the man with an answer.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:01, Sat 19 Sept 2020.

"Well, it's always possible that 'they' are letting the meeting take place to see just how much Grecocitto knows," Tyr replied.

"If they can somehow monitor the meeting and find out Grecocitto doesn't know as much as he claims he does, then they don't have to kill either of them."

"Monitoring the meeting can be done two ways that I know of... planting a bug, which could be done ahead of time, and long range listening using a parabolic mic or a laser on the windows. So, we should definitely bring a bug detector with us. A bug is the easiest way to go."

"Damn. Never did check to see what kind of glass was in the windows. Double pane would eliminate the laser, probably the parabolic mic, too."

"Too many ways to die; we can't cover them all. For instance, this could be a set-up for some agency that wants Grecocitto dead and they plan on blaming Malta. So, a rocket launcher could do the trick."

"Do we want to put our own sniper up on the roof the pot shop, keeping an eye the surrounding buildings?"

He thinks back to the buildings he looked at, trying to remember how close they were together. Could an escape route over the rooftops be possible?

On both sides of the street were rows of connected buildings with shops on the ground floor, and two floors of apartments above them.  The roofs were flat, which would make it easy for someone to run down the length of the whole block that way.  Although they would still need a way up and down.

"Rocket launcher in Amsterdam would be pretty messy, even for a set up. My money's on poison, maybe a sniper."

"Yeah, I think we should have someone on a rooftop. We need as wide a vantage point as we can get."

"I want to lay eyes on Grecocitto before this meeting. I'm going to try and find out where he's staying. We have his cell number, so it shouldn't be that hard to nail it down."

Wanting to get going on her first real task, Evelyn starts up the necessary software to locate their client through his cellphone.

OOC: Using digital intrusion.

21:47, Today: Evelyn Shepard rolled 6 using 1d6+1 ((5)).
This message was last edited by the player at 01:51, Mon 28 Sept 2020.

"Yeah, I can see poison being used," Tyr agrees. "If Malta wants it to look like death from natural causes, like a heart attack, that would be way to go. I doubt if the authorities would look too deeply into it. Unless they have reason to suspect foul play, they wouldn't delve too deeply into a drug screen."

"Keep in mind, though, that there are four ways to poison someone. The first and obvious way is if they ingest the poison either through food or drink. The only way we're going to prevent that is if we give all the staff the day off and we run the places and we bring in all the food and drink ourselves."

"The second way is to inhale it. In a pot shop, that would be an obvious choice. Of course, that depends on whether Grecocitto indulges himself. Keeping with the natural causes scenario, I'd use something that was slow acting so that it would take effect until later, even to the point of killing the journalist, too."

"And there are other ways for him to inhale it... perfume laced with it, for instance. Wait! Does anyone know if Grecocitto has any allergies?"

"The third way is through the skin. Mix the poison with DMSO and it'll get absorbed right through the skin with just a touch."

"Fourth way is injection. Usually just a little prick is enough, especially with something like sarin. Certain areas of the body are less sensitive so that any little distraction might let the prick go unnoticed. Even if it is noticed, it'll be too late by then."

"You know, the more we look at this, the less likely it is that we'll be able to protect him. We simply don't have enough intel. So, that brings up two questions: have we been paid in advance? And just how does Grecocitto know he's targeted? Is he just being paranoid?"

Galen nods his agreement with Tyr's thoughts, "Maybe that's what we need to do - ask him upfront whether his concerns are hypothetical or if he's got a concrete reason for believing he'll be targeted? If he worked for the government over there he may also have some insight into just how they might come for him if that's what they want to do. Anything else we need to know from him? We've got his number so may as well use it."

Grecocitto followed whatever is your standard protocol when taking a job - presumably that includes a deposit, which he paid in cash.

Evelyn has no difficulty getting into the phone carrier's files.  The number he gave you is on a pay-as-you-go plan, so probably a burner.  When you look up the address that is registered with it, it's an apartment building in the trendy waterfront neighborhood of IJburg (and yes, it is spelled with the double capital like that).  No apartment number is listed.

Evelyn nods thoughtfully as she listens to Tyr's thoughts.

"Inhalation and ingestion might be hard to control. Injection sounds most likely in the case of poison."

"Whether or not he's really being targeted, if he knows as much as he says he does, I'd say his concerns are valid."

"I agree," she replies to Galen's suggestion. "We should ask him some more questions. I'd like to be in position to watch him before you call, though. That way we can see what he does in response to your inquiry afterwards."

Evelyn smiles as she pulls up the listing on Grecocitto's phone. "Ah, here we go. The phone--probably a burner--is listed for some hoity toity place in IJburg. No apartment number, but shouldn't be too difficult to figure out."

Galen nods again, happy with the proposal that they go to uncover a bit more about their employer.

"Shall we head out to IJburg and see if we can find somewhere to stake out Grecocitto's place? If we can get eyes on him we can make the call from there."

It is early evening right now, if that affects your decision

"It won't be dark for another hour or so," Tyr suggests, "so we can at least go scout out the area. If we locate Grecocitto in that time, we can decide then whether to contact him."

"Otherwise, try again in the morning."

"Let's do it," Evelyn agrees. Shutting her laptop, she piles everything back into her bag and stands up from her seat.

Galen grabs his coat and checks the pistol he collected earlier is still holstered before heading out with the others.

IJburg is a cluster of artificial islands that were just recently built up and developed into residential neighborhoods.  The address you obtained is on Haveneiland.  You make your way over and find yourselves in a neighborhood with a mix of townhouses and smaller apartment buildings (4-5 floors), with a square park in the middle.  It doesn't take long to identify which building matches Grecocitto's address.

Did you all drive over together or did you come a different way?  And now that you've located the building, what's your next move?

I'm guessing we all drove in the same car.

"Did we get any financial data on Grecocitto?" Tyr asks. "Does this look like a place appropriate for his finances?"

He studies the building and the surroundings a bit more.

"Doesn't appear to be much security. I'd guess he's either staying here under an assumed name or else he's at a friends flat."

OOC: I was imagining us in some sort of surveillance vehicle if that works for everyone

Rob had previously verified that Grecocitto is (was?) a government official, and he was able to pay your deposit without any hesitation, but you don't have any concrete info about his finances.

"Don't know the ins and outs of his checkbook, but if he has the money for two security teams, then I'd say he's got it in the bank. In my opinion, IJburg makes sense as a hide out." Evelyn pauses to think at her own statement. "We might want to consider that Grecocitto could be a thief. Maybe there's an extra reason he's so sure his government's coming for him."

She returns to looking at the apartment building through binoculars.

"I could throw on a wig and just go take a look at the mailboxes," she suggests. "I'm sure his name isn't on it, but it might help to have the names that are there."

In reply to Evelyn Shepard (msg # 66):

Rob looks up from the Berlitz Arabic book he grabbed from the library.

"We've got competing assumptions here. If he's got another security team, there's no way the burner's registered to his current location. If he's here, then he most likely is counting on no one finding him before the meeting."

He looks out the window of the car. "Doesn't mean we don't check, but if he's got a security team, we have to assume the possiblity he's not here and that this place is monitored for anyone snooping. Like us. I doubt they have profiles on us. If anything, I'd imagine they don't know about us, even that we've been engaged for this job."
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 19:33, Sun 11 Oct 2020.

This is simple enough - if you choose to do it, the Disguise roll will only be Difficulty 2.  So you can spend 1 point to make it an auto success, or save your points and rely on probability to get you through this one.

Evelyn nods at Rob's words, considering them.

"I agree it would be a strange move by a good security team to allow him to register a phone to his actual location, but he might have just hired more standard bodyguards to get him as far as the meet. Or no one, like you said."

"How about this: we drive around the corner, I hop out and walk back here to the building on foot to get a look. In the mean time you guys can circle back around and slip into a new parking spot here near front of the apartment. What do you think?"

In reply to Evelyn Shepard (msg # 69):

"I'd want eyes on where the eyes are likely to be watching the building. Whether it's his security it someone else who's trying to trace him, they may react to someone new checking the place out. I'd almost say be conspicuous."

"Stealth first," Tyr suggests. "If that doesn't produce any results, then we can try being conspicuous. It's a lot harder to do it the other way around."

"I agree with Tyr, lets keep things quiet at least to start with. If we check out any likely observation posts we could make some discreet checks to see if anyone else is watching for Grecocitto."

Galen casts his eyes about, seeing if he can identify the best places from which one might watch the entrance to the apartment building.

OOC: Galen's got points in architecture, notice and tradecraft - any of those of use here?

Tradecraft would be appropriate to just identify spots for potential surveillance.  For future reference, Surveillance would be the skill to use if you want to catch someone in the act (unless it's leading to a fight, in which case it might be Sense Trouble instead).

There is an intersection about 20 meters from Grecocitto's building (to your right, if you are facing the front door from outside).  Along the cross street there are about a dozen townhouses with windows that face toward his building.  Some of them might have obstructed views due to the trees in the park, but you can easily identify a few that would have clear line of sight.  There are rooftops to consider as well, though your intuition tells you that this would be less likely in this instance unless there's a sniper in the mix.  At ground level you spot a bench in the park (currently unoccupied) that would definitely offer a good view, and there are enough trees around that someone could probably position themselves behind one to be able to see the building entrance without immediately being spotted themselves.  On the street you don't see any cafes or anything like that where someone might sit outside, but there is car parking on one side, so that would definitely be an option for a stakeout.

In reply to Director (msg # 73):

Hiding behind trees is fine for a brief encounter, but would stand out for any length. Rob grabs his Berlitz and says "I'll go spend a bit of time on the bench and keep an eye out for anything."

Barring any objections, he hops out of the car when it's out of sight of the building and circles back to the park.

Roll Surveillance, difficulty 4, whenever you're ready.  Depending on what the others are doing I might wait to give you the results, just so the timeline doesn't get too distorted again.

The rest of you, joining Rob, finding different stakeout spots, or something else?

When they drive the car around the corner, Evelyn hops out when he does, donning the wig she always keeps in her bag. She intends to go check out the listed names at the apartment while Rob keeps an eye out, like the team discussed.

In reply to Director (msg # 75):

13:36, Today: Rob Zwartnacht rolled 3 using 1d6+2 ((1)).

[That's OK, he'll speak Arabic when it's done, that was a weird excuse for a bad roll before, given that he speaks Hebrew and more...]

Evelyn, you can roll Disguise, difficulty 2 since this feels relatively low-stress, at least as I'm reading it.

With everyone jumping out of the car, someone has to still be in there to drive! Guess that's Tyr.  That lets Galen play lookie-loo around the area.

Tyr will do his best to spot any other vehicles that look like they might be doing what he's doing, or parked suspiciously with people inside.

But, to try and not be one of those same people, Tyr will look around at the buildings, any For Rent/Sale signs, at the shops. In fact, if there are shops, he'll try to stop in front of or near one of them and run in to make a small purchase (coffee, magazine, snack). While in the shop, he'll make some casual inquiries about the neighborhood.

"So, people in the neighborhood... are they pretty friendly? Or does everyone keep to themselves? Any block parties? Any weirdos?" That sort of thing.

Galen talks a short walk around the local area, keeping his eyes peeled for anything or anyone looking suspicious. He doesn't venture too far from the target building, however, in case something happens and he needs to rush back.

Evelyn approaches the building at a casual pace, stopping at the grid of mailboxes. She intends to attempt to subtly take a picture of the name's list, so as to avoid standing around for a long period of time reading.

OOc:
15:31, Today: Evelyn Shepard rolled 5 using 1d6.

would they be in the lobby or out front?

The mailboxes are indeed in the lobby of the apartment building.  There is no one here when you first step in, so it's easy enough to get the photo.  It should come as no surprise that none of the boxes are labeled "Grecocitto."  Of the sixteen mailboxes here, five of them don't have any names at all (though they do have apartment numbers).

Evelyn casually snaps the picture on her phone, and then texts it to the group.

Instead of leaving right away, she sits down on a small bench in the lobby. She has a few minutes at least, she's sure, before a woman simply sitting reapplying her makeup in the apartment lobby would elicit suspicion.

She'll wait to see if the group wants her to investigate anything inside further before leaving.

OOC: sorry thought I already uploaded a response to this

14:54, Today: Tyr Thorvald rolled 5 using 1d6 ((5)). Surveillance.


It suddenly occurred to him that even if he spotted someone else doing surveillance, he'd have no way of knowing who they were surveilling. He didn't think it unreasonable that there could be half a dozen people in the area that were being watched... by P.I.s, jealous boyfriends, stalkers, bill collectors or even process servers. This was all 'normal' activity though it'd be more than passing odd if all of it was going on at the same time.

Galen has a nice little stroll.  The neighborhood seems pleasant, safe, family-friendly.  Tulips abound, though not as much here as closer to the city center.  At one corner he spots a uniformed police officer sharing a smoke and a laugh with a middle-aged man in jeans and a Golden Earring t-shirt.

Tyr looks for a good parking spot and finds one just outside a small grocery shop.  Heading in for a magazine, he spots Grecocitto in line at the checkout.  He manages to duck into the next aisle before being spotted.  From there he is able to get a good look.  Grecocitto's basket has a couple bottles of soda, some apples, and frozen single-serving meals.  He is wearing a light duster.  While he waits in line he periodically touches his waist through the jacket, like a nervous habit.  When he turns the right way, Tyr is pretty sure he sees the telltale bulge of a gun, probably tucked into his waistband, concealed just well enough to not draw attention from untrained civilians but easy enough for a professional to spot.

Just as Tyr is noticing the gun, and Galen is finishing his walk around the block, and Rob is getting lost in some of the finer points of Arabic grammar, you all receive the photo from Evelyn.

What now?

Rob puts down his book and realizes he's gotten a little more involved than pretense requires. He looks at the photo, then texts.

if he lives here, it's probably one of the unmarked units. Probably short term rental.

Evelyn texts back:

I agree. Maybe we should take off and look into which of the unmarked units were most recently rented.

She gets up from the bench, intending to go unless anyone has a different course of action in mind.

Keeping an eye on Grecocitto, Tyr texts a message to the others.

He's here at the grocery shop.

It's only after he sends it does it occur to him that the others might not know where he went.

He'll keep his head down while looking at something on the shelf while he tries to keep an eye on Grecocitto through a reflection in one of the glass cases, also while trying to see the name of the store or an address. He'll text those back to the others.

By the time Tyr finishes his text, Grecocitto has reached the front of the line.  He pays in cash, and a minute later he is walking out the door.

(even if Tyr doesn't catch the name of the store it's easy enough to explain the location to the rest of the group.  It's just down the block from the apartment building)

In reply to Director (msg # 89):

Rob will monitor as Grecocitto exits the store and watch for anyone else reacting to him as he (presumably) heads home.

21:27, Today: Rob Zwartnacht rolled 6 using 1d6.  Surveilance (no spend).

Evelyn texts the group again: Should I stay and try and follow him to the apartment?

She looks around the lobby for a potential hiding place.

Upon receiving Tyr's phone call Galen immediately heads back towards the grocery store. Assuming he makes it back in time to catch Grecocitto leaving he will tail at a distance, more interested in seeing if anyone else is following their employer than anything else.

20:03, Today: Galen Ives rolled 3 using 1d6+1 ((2))
This message was last edited by the player at 20:04, Mon 02 Nov 2020.

Tyr ran a few scenarios through his head before texting back to Evelyn.

::Yes.:: He wasn't sure if Grecocitto had actually met Evelyn yet or not, but that was why they were here.

So far, it looks like he's just staying under the radar, not holed up in some fortress. Just because Big Brother is watching you doesn't mean everyone has access to that surveillance.

He gives Grecocitto a minute to move off and then make sure he doesn't suddenly turn around and come back to the store because he forgot something, or, worse, to confront Tyr because he spotted his reflection in the glass.

Then he'll purchase the magazine he came in for, as well as a fizzy drink, and then go back out to the car. He won't bother looking around. He'll just keep acting like what he was doing... getting a drink. Still acting casual, he'll get in the car and pull out like he is going somewhere, but he'll circle around the block.

Grecocitto makes it safely back to the apartment building; none of you catch anyone watching him except for each other.

In the lobby, he walks over to the elevator, which is around a corner from the mailboxes and thus fairly convenient for spying.  Evelyn can see him standing and waiting, holding his grocery bag in one hand, and with the other nervously patting the spot that is presumably a concealed gun.  When the elevator finally arrives he steps on and presses the button right away.

In reply to Director (msg # 94):

Rob quickly taps out a text: All clear here. The way he's moving around, I think he's flying solo. No security team worth their salt would have let him do that.

::Guess we answered our question. Meet back at the office.:: he texts back to the others.

He finishes circling around the block and picks up the others.


Back in the office, he settle down into a chair before speaking.

"Maybe I'm getting too old for this job any more," he begins, "but I still feel like we're... I'm missing something."

"on the surface, it seems perfectly straight forward, but it just seems too simple. It feels like something else is going on."

"There are three aspects of this assignment: Grecocitto, the location, and the Malta government. If it's not Grecocitto, what's wrong the other two things?"

"For that matter, what if we're looking at Grecocitto all wrong? What if his is all made up in his head? What if he's schizophrenic? Could he actually hire someone to kill himself but not know that he's done so?"

"Or is that just crazy talk?"


OOC: Of course, this is assuming that his apartment doesn't blow up while we're driving away...

When their client disappears into the elevator, Evelyn walks out into the open and watches the numbers climb to find out what floor he live on.

Once she has the information, she compares it to her list of apartments with unnamed occupants.

Are any of those apartments on the floor he stopped on?

When she has all her information, she hops in the car with the rest of the team.

***

"I feel it too: something about this is a little strange, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

"schizophrenia usually displays in a man's mid-twenties. If he was seriously mentally ill there would probably have been signs long before now."

In reply to Evelyn Shepard (msg # 97):

Rob nods. "I'm thinking the Emirates and Malta angles need to be covered better. I can make another pass at the bank's computers again. Anyone have a lead on the other?"

The elevator stops on 2.  There is only one unlabeled mailbox for that floor - apartment 203.

Nothing explodes as you all drive away, and before long you are back at the office.  You have tonight and then two more days before the "real" job.

In reply to Director (msg # 99):

Feeling good about his brush up on Arabic, Rob sets up his computer and bounces through several VPNs and proxies to take another pass at Emirates Capital, hoping to find out who they really are and who they're connected to (still looking for a Russia connect, but also Malta).

12:24, Today: Rob Zwartnacht rolled 7 using 1d6+2.  Digital Intrusion (2 spend) to make another pass at ECG

Rob gets in this time, and downloads all the financial records he can find.  Actually making sense of it all is beyond his expertise though, and he hands it over to Evelyn to take care of that part.

Half an hour of skimming the files is enough for Evelyn to feel certain that ECG is just a front for money laundering - the amount of money in most of the accounts bears little relation to the investments they are supposedly making (although a few of them do look legit, for whatever that's worth).  A little bit more digging turns up specific accounts where money has been moving into Malta, confirming the initial clue that Rob had found earlier, as well as plenty of accounts moving money both into and out of Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and other former Soviet republics.  And others too, but that's where you've been focusing.

Oh, and the Netherlands.  Yep, there's one right there - it takes a little work to trace the path, but you can definitely detect money moving out of an account registered in Russia, and into an account registered in the Netherlands.

Evelyn - you're the only one with Accounting, so this job goes to you.  What I wrote above is I think as much as you will get for free, but you can spend a point to put together some more details.  You can tell me what you'd like to focus on, or leave it up to me to make it worth your while.

Evelyn accepts the computer from Rob and gets to work diving into the records. She explains her findings as she goes.

"Most definitely a laundering scheme. The money's heading all over: Malta, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova--not to mention the Netherlands."

OOC: I would love to spend a point to get more details please! Up to you what you think would be useful and relevant

sorry for the long lapse, guys. Life got crazy for a moment.

In reply to Evelyn Shepard (msg # 102):

Rob nods. "Sounds like our employer may be dealing with even rougher folks than he suspects. And he clearly expects trouble. So we're supposed to protect a pawn who thinks he's the player."

Paths are not explicitly labeled - you can tell where money is coming from, or where it's going, but the links from one to the other are not indicated.  However, you can identify patterns of when money comes in or goes out, and from that you are able to extrapolate some connections.  Within an hour you have determined that the account in the Netherlands receives all of its money from one of the Russian accounts, and that most of its withdrawals vanish from the ECG system but a few have gone to a specific account based in Ukraine.  Incidentally, that same account has received money from multiple other accounts in Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Yemen, and Kazakhstan.  Not Malta though.

In reply to Director (msg # 104):

"Strange, we got on to ECG due to it's supposed connection to Malta. Clearly laundering money and a lot from someone local, so we need to be on our toes. If I had to guess, it looks like the Russians using someone local to run operations around Europe. Not Brinkerhoff, but quite possibly the toes he stepped on that got him in bad with the Russians. So, if you were a local station chief for the Russians where would you act to intervene. If they know about Grecoccito, then he's in significant danger already. Maybe we need to go round the clock in monitoring his place since his OpSec doesn't seem top notch."

To be clear, there is definitely money going into and out of Malta through ECG, just not connected to the specific accounts you're focused on.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:54, Wed 18 Nov 2020.

Evelyn nods.

"He's definitely in danger. The smart thing for anyone going after him to do would be to hit him before the meeting, but he seems to think the meeting is his main concern. Maybe he has a reason for that, but maybe it's just because he doesn't know how that sort of operation works. I think you're right that we should should broaden our surveillance here."

Galen agrees with the concerns raised by the others, "I think that's right - he's vulnerable prior to the meet and if someone offs him before that then we're going to have a hell of a time getting the payment out of him. We have his location and the manpower to have someone on him pretty much round the clock until the meet to make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble.

Though there's also that account in the Netherlands. Anyway to see who the proud owner of that is? We could make a pass around them as well and maybe get a better idea of what we're dealing with?"

In reply to Galen Ives (msg # 108):

Rob looks at the ream of financial data. "Looks like there's enough action on the local account that I could talk the back to see if we can get a lead on who it belongs to. Runs a little risk if I make any missteps, but I think it might need worth it."

"Not thrilled about the idea of babysitting, but it may also be necessary."

"I can take babysitting duty, I don't mind," Evelyn offers. "The question is, should we tell him we're watching?"

"No, don't tell him," Tyr responds. "I still think there's something going on here that we're not aware of yet. If we tell him, he might back out if he thinks we're interfering."

"On the other hand, if he spots us, he might do the same, but that might be easier to explain."

"So, we've determined that Grecocito's story is accurate... at least, as far as it goes. It still doesn't explain why someone would want to kill him."

"I know we're treating this seriously--no choice, but is it real? Is the threat real?"

In reply to Tyr Thorvald (msg # 111):

"So long as the check clears, we assume the threat is real. But, we back it up with research, which is why we need to trace that account and see who the local hub is."

Rob goes back into the ECG system and pulls up the (allegedly) Dutch account.  The official registration information there is so generic it has to be fake.  But he is also able to extract the routing and account number where money goes when it is withdrawn from ECG.  That's enough to determine that the account is with ING Bank; you'll probably have to go through them to get anything more specific though.

In reply to Director (msg # 113):

[OOC I assumed this too was for going after the bank, that the routing and account until was in the previous or I wouldn't have burned my last points of digital intrusion.]

"We should probably start surveillance tonight. We can at least have eyes on the building for now. Maybe tomorrow when he goes to the store we could get a bug into the apartment," Evelyn suggests.

In reply to Evelyn Shepard (msg # 115):

"Anyone got an in at ING or do we need to run a quick op to connect these accounts to local operators"

"We might need to--could be priceless info to know who's connected to this whole thing," she replies. "I'd say ideally we'd get it done remotely, unless anyone thinks it's worth the risk to go walk in the door."

In reply to Evelyn Shepard (msg # 117):

"Definitely valuable intel, probably worth the risk. I've been doing enough poking around that there may be additional security on the computer side, but I don't think it's worth going on premises. I have an auditor I worked with when I was still official. I could probably get some info on the account with the right bottle of kirsch and a bit of tradecraft to keep him out of trouble."

The next morning, Rob gets in touch with his old contact at ING.  A few minutes of waiting on the phone is enough to tell you that the account in question is registered to a business called Club Radium.  Listed owner is a Markus Vokopola.  He gets you the address for the club and asks if he should be watching out for anything with this account.  When Rob asks for more detailed information, the contact offers to send you a list of transactions in the past four weeks, but also asks if you have something more specific in mind (either way this will cost 1 point from his pool).

In the meantime, the surveillance of Andre Grecocitto's apartment has started off without incident.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:56, Sat 26 Dec 2020.

In reply to Director (msg # 119):

I'm looking for any significant changes in pattern starting within about a week before Grecocitto engaged the team, any transactions involving Malta or Russia and any interactions with other suspect accounts (in rough order from most important to least), but anything that wiggles his professional wierdometer would be good.

"Sure, I have to take care of something else real quick but I can have that for you in a couple hours."

Around lunch time, he calls you back and tells you that he's looked through the transactions of the past few months and thinks he has a good idea of which ones are regular business expenses (especially payroll, which follows an obvious pattern) and which ones seem irregular.  He comments that this is easier to spot since you tipped him off to watch for deposits coming from Emirates Capital Group, and thanks you for that alert.  He doesn't see any transactions involving Malta or Russia.  But one item that did catch his attention, and which he thinks might match your interests, is that there was a recent transfer of €10,000 from ECG, and a cash withdrawal for half that amount just an hour ago, which clearly falls into the "irregular" expenses as far as he can tell.

Time check - as Rob hangs up the phone, you have a little over 48 hours before the meet.

With a click-clack of high heels, a slender woman enters the room.

"Здравствуйте," she greets with a smile. She's dressed in the vibrant red uniform of an Aeroflot stewardess, and pulling a cabin suitcase emblazoned with the airline logos. Perhaps it takes some of the team a spare second to recognise Lia.

"Evelyn, guys, I'm awfully sorry to be so late. And before you ask, this was the only way out," she sighs, taking off the white gloves and throwing them on the table, "and it was not fun. In case you were considering it as a side gig."

Lia sits on one of the chairs after smoothing her skirts. "Can I have a beer? Thank you. Anyone fill me up, please? Client only said to come here ASAP. Have I missed all the fun?".
This message was last edited by the player at 20:37, Mon 28 Dec 2020.

In reply to Lia Mizrahi (msg # 122):

Rob is on the computer, checking into Club Radium and Vokopola when Lia comes in.

"The fun's just getting started, or hopefully never does, given that it's a babysitting job where the baby has apparently been poking at bears. Since it doesn't look like he's got any personal security other than our scheduled overwatch at the meetup, we're keeping an eye on our paycheck. In the meantime, I've got a lead on possible opposition who just took a ten grand payday from a black hole money laundering operation that's tied to the bears. I'm just looking into it now."

In reply to Rob Zwartnacht (msg # 123):

Lia lets go a little laugh, shaking her head. Something in the Dutch veteran reminds her of Uncle Moshe, the charming old kibbutznik rogue.

"Let me guess, Evelyn is the one doing the babysitting. You guys are so old-fashioned. Show me that bear den of yours."

She gets up, stepping out of the high heels, and walks up to Rob to peek at the screen over his shoulder.

"Al ha'panim, 'Club Radium'? I guess 'Club Polonium-210' didn't have the same ring to it. So what's the vibe like? Because I happen to know a girl that has been trapped inside a tin can for six hours with a bunch of dirty old Business Classers drunk on complimentary vodka. Trust me, she is very much in the mood for a night out in town."

She takes a sip of Amstel. When she speaks again, her l's are delicately liquid, her r's subtly rolling.

"Yelena Igorovna Sidorova, cabin crew, 25, single, ESFP-T sorta girl. From provincial village near Cherepovets, just landed at Schiphol after week-long shift, free for couple of days and ready to party them away. A bit corrupted by contact with Evil West, just enough to be alluring, but still decent girl from rodina deep inside. Quite the catch, for operative having pre-murder jitters."

Another sip of Amstel. She pats Rob on the shoulder.

"Solid legend. Passport, airport credentials, airline payroll, Facebook and Instagram accounts. Looks great in bikini. If she says so herself. Greenlight, дядя?"

OOC: I suppose that's a few Cover points? Let's say, 3?
This message was last edited by the player at 19:11, Tue 29 Dec 2020.

In reply to Lia Mizrahi (msg # 124):

"I'd just started looking. Take a load of and week see what we can turn up on Radium and it's owner. Once we have a baseline we can decide if a night out is called for."


What can we turn up with Research?

“There was a summer in my youth where I waxed poetic about becoming a flight attendant,” Evelyn replies with a smile to Lia’s playful commentary on the profession.

She passes the other woman a beer when she asks for one, and listens to the others fill her in.

“If we do send you in, we shouldn’t send you alone,” she interjects as they begin to discuss inflitration. “One of us can tag along, and another can do outside surveillance.”

“Sounds good,” she says to Rob’s proposal of trying to pull more info first.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:03, Wed 30 Dec 2020.

Lia smiled and clinked bottles with the other woman.

"Been there. With me it was the stage, back in Paris. My first ex, he was directing some avantgarde Godot, I was dying to get Estragon. And after six months of dating he was like 'nah, you're too intense for Beckett'. And that was my first kill."

She took another sip of Amstel.

"Joking. But should have. Anyway. I'd like to think I've proven him wrong."

She nodded at Rob and Evelyn's tactical expertise.

"Sure, never go in blind, and never alone. We wait until you get us the intel, Rob. I have to shower and change and get all Yelena'ed up anyway. She wouldn't party in cabin uniform, it's too blatant."

Lia bit her lip and propped herself against the table. After a moment, she added:

"You guys have done a great job of spotting what looks a lot like serious oppo. Those bears are probably trying to do the same, sniffing the air for bear hunters before they pounce on their prey. Assuming we're still black, aren't those bears going to get a little suspicious that Grecocitto has no apparent security at all? Unless they think he's a total joke. So I'm thinking, why don't we give them something obvious to chew on, so they stop looking for us? Someone cheap and local, bodyguard types, the dumber the better. Have them case the cafe, prowl around Grecocitto's place, attract all the attention. And if things go south, well - local guys spotted at the scene, known to Dutch police, case open and shut. What do you think?"

It doesn't take much work to get the basics on Club Radium.  While most of the popular nightclubs are closer to the center of the city, Radium is a bit outside of the canal ring, in a building that looks like it was probably a factory or a warehouse once.  The website gives all the basics about where to park, when to come for '90s Night or Goth Night, and how to book private parties, as well as links to their social media.  There is also a photo of a man on stage in a silver jacket with lightning bolts painted on, shouting into a microphone; the caption identifies him as "Club owner and impresario Markus Bliksem."

Besides the club's website, you also find reviews on several other sites which are mostly positive (some complain about it being too far from other clubs in the city, while others consider this a benefit, but mostly they agree about the music, drinks, and so on).  Notably, a number of these reviews mention the availability of drugs inside the club - none of them say so explicitly, but their attempts at "code words" are pretty obvious.

As for Markus Vokopola, you only get a single hit under that name.  It's a newspaper article from about two years ago, a feel-good piece about immigrants who have been successful since coming to Amsterdam.  One section of the article briefly describes Vokopola as a young man who came with his family from Albania when he was 10, struggled over the years, and eventually opened up a popular nightclub called Radium together with two friends.  There is no other information about the friends in question.

Galen greets Lia with a warm smile and a nod of the head. Hacking and online research   falling a distant second in his skill set to the more hands on side of investigation he has left the computer research to his more skilled colleagues.

He hears out Lia's suggestion and ponders it for a second, "Good idea getting some stooges in to draw any attention but that seems like something we should run past the client first. No point getting some guys in who are so obvious it spooks the client before drawing out any bad actors. He specifically didn't ask for any close protection prior to the meeting so there may be some reason he doesn't want people floating around.

In respect of a visit to Club Radium I think that sounds like a solid plan. Ex-squaddie like me will probably stick out like a sore thumb in a trendy night spot so I might be better off outside than going in undercover."

Lia listens to Galen's considerations and nods.

"I think you're right on both counts, Galen. If things take a wrong turn at Radium, I'd rather have you nearby with a gun. Fighting in heels can be dicey. Gosh, I hope it's not Foam Party Night tonight..."

She takes a step away from the table, leaving the beer on it.

"And about the fall guys - yes, we need Grecocitto to play along, otherwise we're just adding noise to the op. If we all agree about this, I'll give Grecocitto a call right now and explain our little ruse. Rob, is there anything else you can get us on Vokopola/Bliksen, our favourite self-made man? I can't quite decide if I should expect some ex-Spetsnaz killer or just a civvie the FSB is using for cover. Albania doesn't seem like an obv-"

She takes a step towards her suitcase, freezes and then turns around as if she's suddenly recalled something.

"Albanian. Mmm. OK, it's probably nothing, but wasn't there something in the news about Albanian gangs? Last week, I think? A shootout somewhere in an industrial estate, or something like that... Long shot, but could Vokopola have anything to do with that? It would be unlike the FSB to hire small-time locals for their wetwork... but then again, aren't we planning to do just that?"

Unless someone thinks it's a bad idea or wants to add any modifications to the plan, Lia calls Grecocitto and explains the development, giving it a positive spin: it's an added layer of security, using Reassurance.

In reply to Lia Mizrahi (msg # 130):

Rob's head swivels to try to follow the rapid fire thinking.

"Whoa, slow your roll, there, Liz. Let's think this through. Extra muscle means extra risk and extra cost and we don't have any solid ID on the oppo yet, so we could just be bring them into the operation. We can keep monitoring him, but he's the boss on the operation and he hasn't asked for that and if we ask him to pay for it, he's just going to question our competence. Let's focus on gathering intel and not blow things up ourselves."

Rob pauses and takes a deep breath.

"I think a trip to the club is in order. We don't know that Vokopola and Bliksen are the same person. I'd doubt it, actually. Looks to me like Vokopola is a behind the scenes kind of guy. Bliksen is either a hired front man or one of his unnamed partners, most likely. It'll take more digging and I'm not entirely sure where to start. There's no other news stories on him so it'll have to be private databases. Might start with Facebook. Interesting thought on the Albanians being more than just tangentially involved. Could be that they're the source of the problem. We've got no clear marks of an FSB op, just past relations between the client and the Russians and some money in and out of the same laundering operation. Certainly enough to suspect, but don't presume that they're the motivators."

Lia stops, phone in hand, then rolls her eyes theatrically.

"Sure, whatever you say, Uncle Rob. I'll hold my horses," she says in a girlish voice, before dropping the act for a more serious expression. Antics aside, she has a great deal of respect for the operational experience of the Dutchman.

"Yeah, I might have jumped the gun a little bit. Sorry, my nerves are shot from that flight. And on that note..." She unlocks the phone again, logs into Yelena's account and posts the pictures she had previously taken after the landing, with an emoji-ladden little text to the effect of "omg Amsterdam <3 time to partyyyy!!!!1". She hits send and drops the phone, then sighs.

"I know... someone who could maybe tell us more about Radium," she says slowly, as if pondering if it's really a good idea.  She shakes her head and gets up to grab the suitcase again.

"Right, if you don't need me right now, I'll take a shower and get changed, see you in thirty."

But once in the bathroom, she gets Sophie van der Hout's phone and speed-dials a number.

"Hi, sweetie. Yeah... yeah, I know... No, I had to travel, for work... Well, 'work' as in 'work', Sas, I work for a living, you know... Yeah, me too... No, I'd love to, Sas, but I'm trying to close a deal with that Chinese collector I told you about, as soon as it's done I'll take a week off, we can go to... No, no, I promise... Yeah. For real. Listen, there's something I wanted to ask you..."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:54, Sun 03 Jan 2021.

Evelyn listens and brainstorms as the team bats ideas back and forth.

"It would be good to have you on stake out," Evelyn says to Galen, agreeing with his and Lia's ideas.

"I can go in with you," she offers to Lia. "I'm sure I can rustle up a clubbing appropriate wig."

She sips at her beer once Lia's left to shower, pondering the situation.

Lia listens for a while, nodding to herself, consigning all the info Saskia is feeding her to memory - GEUBEL, Stefaan, 53, playboy and nightclub mogul, ex- musical producer, ex-Eurodisco one-hit wonder, a pioneer of the 90s new disco (whatever that meant) and a fixture of the Amsterdam nightlife ever since.

"Thanks, Sas, I owe you... No, one of them is an Eurodisco nut, he collects memorabilia, you wouldn't believe how much these crazies will pay for Moroder's first tapes... Yes, well, I'm more of a Rubens girl, but I have to yield to market forces... Yes, you too, I'll call you soon..."

Lia ends the call with a little wistful smile, then dials another number.

"Hello, mister Geubel... no, my name is Sophie van der Hout, I represent MC Saskia ...yes, she's crazy talented... Well, between you and me, it did start as personal, but I am helping her with the business side of things, you see... oh, a record deal? Well, we should go over the figures, naturally, but rest assure I can convince her to sign... Yes... surely... Actually, there is something you can do for me indeed, and I will be sure to return the favor... It's about this place, Club Radium..."

OOC: Network 2: Stefaan Geubel, godfather of the Amsterdam nightlife, who knows everything and everyone in the Amsterdam nightlife. Lia asks him about Club Radium, its owners and what goes on there. And particularly if it's popular with Albanians and/or Eastern European types that don't look like they actually enjoy the party. Using Negotiation, I think.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:57, Sun 03 Jan 2021.

"Radium?," Geubel responds.  "Yeah, I know it, decent place.  A little too far off the beaten path for my tastes, but I think that works well for attracting a crowd that's not coming down to the canals that much...  Yeah, Eastern Europeans, Albania and Romania and wherever else, lot of Arabs and Africans too, everyone has a good time there...
 Markus Bliksem runs a good party there, I don't know about his partners though.  I just met them once, a couple of Russian guys, I don't remember their names I'm afraid.  They seemed like they were all business and no fun.  I guess they're just investors and that's it.  Is your friend thinking to play there?  I'm sure she'll like Markus, seems like everyone does, the others will probably push to give her the lowest fee they can get away with, but if she can convince them she'll bring a good crowd then Markus can probably get them to be more reasonable."

"Excuse me, did you say 'Bliksem'? As in 'Markus Lightning'? Surely that can't be his real name?", miss Van der Houten says, a note of prissy distaste in her voice. "I have a duty to make sure I know who my client associates with, publically at least. I had Radium's owner as one mister... Hang on... Vopo--Voko-- Vorkopola? Is that the same person? Do you know him well? You see, I'd really appreciate the scoop on him, if you have any reservations about his good character. Saskia is just starting to make a name for herself, she can't afford any PR faux pas at this stage."

Lia paces the bathroom, thinking.

"And those Russian gentlemen you mentioned, do you know someone who might know more about them? In this age of social media, anything and everything will come back to damage reputations."

OOC: Spending a Contact point or both, if it's a big ask for Geubel.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:37, Mon 04 Jan 2021.

"Vokopola?  Yes, I think that's him, I never asked actually.  I agree, "Lightning" seems a little cheesy for a stage name, but the man's got energy so I guess it works.  I don't know him at a personal level at all, I wouldn't know anything about him that isn't generally public.  He's flamboyant certainly, and I've seen him do a line of coke at least once, but if that's the kind of thing that would scare your friend off then I think she's in the wrong industry.  Honestly I don't think there's anything more worrying about him than about any other club owner in the city.

Those partners of his though... Well, I have a friend who goes to Radium more than I do, and he actually knows some Russian, and he knows some Russians come to think of it, so he might know a little more about them than I do.  Can I give him your number?"

OOC: it's just a 1-point spend; I can't think of anything else Geubel would give you to justify 2.  And you won't need to spend Network points for his friend.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:19, Tue 05 Jan 2021.

"Thank you, mister Geubel. Yes, please, I would really appreciate it if your friend could give me a call at this number. Perhaps I am being overcautious, but I have a duty of care towards my client. I am much obliged..."

Lia ends the call and gets in the shower. She reappears twenty minutes later, changed into skinny jeans and a white jersey.

"I have some tidbits, mostly confirmations of what we already suspected: Vorkopola is Bliksen, and his two nameless investors from that article seem to be Russian and uninterested in running the club, just moneymen. Nothing else on Lightning Guy, but I'm waiting on a call from someone who might tell us more about the bears."

She retrieves her beer and smiles at the other woman.

"Sorry, Evelyn, I had a lot on my mind - yes, let's do this together. Do you want us to not know each other, or shall we co-ordinate covers? I'm sure Lena has some friends at Delta."

OOC: OK, I'll spend that point.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:07, Tue 05 Jan 2021.

In reply to Lia Mizrahi (msg # 138):

Rob listens to Lia's report with interest.

"If there are Russians involved in the club and somewhere connected got paid with our dark money, it's best to assume the whole place and anyone connected to it is potentially dangerous opposition. Quite possible that the Albanians are street muscle for a larger operation. I can hang outside with Galen. I'll bring my photo great and play paparazzi if I can to get close and get photos of anyone who raises an eyebrow."

"Paparazzo, right. Any excuse to spend the night ogling young ladies that could be your daughters, dirty old man. What's tonight's theme at Radium? I have to pop by the Gaieté to get Yelena'ed up"

She gets up, going through the things they know for a few seconds, then nodding.

"Is there any avenue of investigation we're forgetting? I can't think of anything, beyond the Albanian mafia angle. I think we have the rest covered. If that's all, I'll go get ready for our girl's night out."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:23, Tue 05 Jan 2021.

"We might as well coordinate covers if we're going to be together," Evelyn agrees with Lia. "Guess I get to live out those flight attendant dreams after all."

"Sounds like a plan, Rob," she responds to his suggestion of getting in place to be able to snap some photos of the attendees. "The more we can get on film, the better."

In reply to Evelyn Shepard (msg # 141):

"Sounds good. Lia, I think a little help with makeup and wardrobe so I'm not made as soon as I show on scene would be helpful."

About an hour later, Lia gets a call from Geubel's friend.  "Stefaan said you wanted to know a little more about Boris and Vanya... Sorry, I don't know their last names, neither of them ever told me.  Few times I've talked with them it's just been first names.  I know Vanya said he's from Petersburg, if that helps... They're investors, they don't really know the business of club management, but they know music, between the two of them they can talk for hours, though they don't really like talking about bands that do a lot of politics.  They changed the subject real quick when I said something about Pussy Riot that one time... I don't actually know where their money comes from, all I know is they do various business investments.  They do well with it though, I know that.  I remember a couple months ago I was playing a gig at the Russian embassy, some black tie thing, and I spotted Boris in the crowd there.  Didn't get a chance to talk with him though."

Lia comes from the bathroom wearing a bathrobe, hair suddenly strawberry blond.

"Latest update on Bliksem's Russian friends - a certain 'Vanya' from old Leningrad and a certain 'Boris' who has been spotted at the Russian embassy. I don't know if it's worth looking for the latter in the list of official staff of the Russian embassy. According to sources, they have no idea how to run a club, but they're pretty enthusiastic about music. Stated political sympathies seem in harmony with Kremlin line, what a surprise. Oh, and they have other investments. I'm torn between thinking they're using the biz as cover for FSB ops, or the FSB ops as cover to do biz. The corrupting touch of capitalism, comrades."

If nobody has anything to add, she goes back to her preparations for Yelena's big night out.

In reply to Lia Mizrahi (msg # 144):

Dressed like local paparazzi, Rob will get to the club as early as Lia says won't raise suspicions and will jockey for a good position. He's got an equipment bag with surveilance equipment along with the typical camera gear, a top notch shotgun mic amongst them, easily attached to his camera between the body and the flash.

Lia shows up in full party attire, mini and heels and spaghetti strap top, presumably accompanied by Evelyn, talking excitedly in loud tones, English with a heavy Russian accent, about how great she's heard this place is.

"Arriving at location. By the queue outside."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:37, Mon 11 Jan 2021.

In reply to Lia Mizrahi (msg # 146):

Speaking English or Dutch?  They're both valid options, one just might attract a little more attention.

In reply to Director (msg # 147):

I think English - Lena is supposed to speak only her native Russian and then professional English. Perhaps with a sprinkling of Dutch words she's supposed to have picked up on similar short holidays in Amsterdam, plus some rehearsed bits like 'Please take care when opening the overhead lockers, as objects inside might have shifted during flight' and so on. If she's talking to Evelyn initially and she's posing as American cabin crew, then definitely English.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:18, Tue 12 Jan 2021.

Galen arrives at a similar time to Lia and Evelyn and takes up a spot in the shadows, well away from the crowds at the front but close enough to see the entrance and come running if there's trouble.

If there is any way around to the back nearby he'll also aim to keep an eye on that just in case it looks like anything shady is going on down that way.

Evelyn makes light chit chat with Lia for show, listening on her ear piece as every member of the team settles into their respective positions.

Her hair is carefully pinned up inside a dark, straight haired wig. Evelyn had chosen a little black dress flashy enough for a world traveling young woman hitting the town in Amsterdam, but not so outrageous that it would draw too much unnecessary attention from mission irrelevent clubbers. Evelyn has more makeup on than she's worn in her off time since her early twenties, and has foundation swabbed carefully around her ring finger to erase the line of where her wedding ring goes. Her alter ego for the night, Teresa Laurita, is a fancy free young woman out on the town with a colleague, cutting loose in Amsterdam.

She smiles pleasantly at the bouncer as they approach the front door.

Lia and Evelyn get into the club without a problem.  They do get some looks from people who hear them speaking English with non-Dutch accents.  Fortunately, most adults in Amsterdam speak at least some English as well, so this isn't going to be a barrier.  The bouncer at the door is at least able to give you a passable "Good evening, ladies" as he lets you in.  When you pass by you easily spot his earpiece, which looks like it is not even intended to be concealed, unlike yours.

The first thing that hits you when you get inside is the sound of Daft Punk's "One More Time" being mashed together with Drowning Pool's "Bodies."  Somehow it works, though if you are at all musically inclined then it probably sounds wrong at the same time.  Multicolored lights move and flash in time with the music.  It's only a short walk from the door to the main dance floor, which is definitely populated but not so crowded that you would have a hard time getting in yourself.  To your right is a dimly lit area with several tables.  To your left is the bar.  A dozen or so customers are gathered there, and you easily spot Markus Bliksem himself, fully decked out with lightning jacket and glowstick bracelets, enthusiastically working the bar together with two other staff.  Around the perimeter are a few guys who are obviously security, even without factoring in the earpieces and the clearly marked shirts.  Up above you see a balcony with some more patrons dancing or just watching the crowd down below.

---

Outside, Rob's first encounter is with a small group of young men and women who are taking a smoke break from all the dancing; as soon as they see him with the serious camera they start calling to him to take their pictures, laughing while they pose and make faces for the camera.

Galen finds a good vantage point where he can see the front of the club and also the poorly lit parking area around the side.  Only a minute or so after he arrives he sees a man emerge from the shadows there and head toward the entrance.  He looks to be in his late 40s, and wears black jeans and a tan leather jacket.  He stops just a couple paces from Rob, turns to the bouncer, and nudges his head toward Rob.  The bouncer nods but doesn't do anything just yet, and the other man walks into the club.

Lia takes a walk around the place, taking in the general layout. Then she pulls Evelyn towards the dancefloor, and makes a show of being overexcited about the place. To avoid looking like she's going straight for Bliksem, she indulges in perhaps twenty minutes of dancing, then heads for the bar, giving Evelyn the classic and international 'drink' gesture.

She makes her way to the bar, and casually 'spots' Bliksem, regaling him with a flirty smile.

"Ooooh, молния?" she says, pointing at his lightning jacket with a suggestive smile, "You very fast, Mister Lightning? It's pity, no? Can I get drink very quick, please? And then you can stay longer, yes?"

OOC: Flirting, in case it wasn't obvious.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:57, Fri 15 Jan 2021.

Galen watches the exchange at the door of the club carefully and then taps his earpiece to contact Rob, "Think you've been made mate, someone just pointed you out to the doorman. Doesn't look like they're doing anything yet but be on your toes."

He then goes back to his watching. The parking area around the back might warrant further exploration later on but he'll let things get underway inside before leaving his post.

Evelyn follows Lia to the bar and takes a seat close enough to insert herself into the situation when the time comes. She orders a drink and pretends to drink it.

"We've got eyes on Bliksem," she mutters quietly into her ear piece.

In reply to Galen Ives (msg # 153):

Rob acknowledges without a twitch. "Okay, keep an eye on my back, but I'll stick with the play. We'll learn something about the operation be who and how they respond."

Bliksem grins at Lia's joke and replies, in almost-fluent Russian, "Lightning may be fast, but this one, it strikes the same place as many times as you need it."  He then proceeds to take her order and returns a minute later with the drink, ready for more banter.

While that flirtation is happening, Evelyn notices a scruffy looking guy in a tie-dye shirt and cargo pants chatting with one of the security guards, who glances over toward you.  This ends their conversation right away, and tie-dye guy weaves through the crowd toward the bar to take a seat next to Evelyn, on the other side from where Lia is sitting.  In heavily accented English he says "Party girls, yes?  I got some extra party supplies if you want, high class stuff."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:29, Mon 18 Jan 2021.

"Вы же говорите по-русски?" Lia Lena exlaims, her voice pure delight. She carries on in Russian.

"You're Russian? I had no idea! Do many of us come around this place? I'll come each time I have a free day, then! So, you, like, work here? Can you get me into the VIP? Or somewhere like that? I don't mind taking my chances, I'm quite the lightning rod," she winks suggestively.

OOC: Flirting again, spending a point if necessary to get more info on those fellow Russians, and/or to get to the staff-only parts of the Radium.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:22, Mon 18 Jan 2021.

Bliksem replies in Russian "No, Albanian, but I know the language well enough.  It's definitely good for business."  When you mention moving somewhere else he leans in and says a little less loudly "VIP room isn't open tonight, but give me a few minutes and I can set up a private party in there."  He grins at you as he backs away to pour himself a shot of something that looks expensive.

"'Party girls?' Are we that overdressed?" Evelyn jokes with a casual smile. She shrugs. "Work hard play hard, as they say."

She lifts her glass to her lips (not actually opening her mouth to drink it), and uses the motion to give the guy the once-over.

To Evelyn, the timing seems suspicious; but on the other hand, it's not exactly uncommon for low level drug dealers to shoot their shot like this at clubs.

"how 'high class' are we talking?"

OOC: Using bullshit detector. If the initial free information is suspicious, then I'll spend for more.

The dealer exudes confidence, but Evelyn doesn't pick up any signs that there's more going on here.  And he definitely seems confident in his product.

He is so confident, in fact, that what happens next might come as a bit of a surprise to Evelyn.  Without taking his eyes off of her he reaches into one of his pockets, then places his hand on Evelyn's.  She can feel that there is a small plastic bag there with a few circular tablets.  He says to her "You take one, your night will be magic.  And extra if you want to share with your friend."  He also throws out a number which, streetwise as you are, you know to be roughly the going rate for ecstasy in the city.

------

Back outside, some time has passed uneventfully.  The smokers have finished having their fun with Rob and gone back inside, and nothing else noteworthy has come up since then.  Until now, at the same time that the ladies are working their magic indoors.  Rob and Galen both notice the bouncer at the door put his hand to his earpiece, and glance at Rob for a moment while he is listening to whoever is on the other end.  He stands still for another 30 seconds, then reaches for a pack of cigarettes in his pocket.  He walks toward Rob as he lights up and says in Dutch "So, mister photographer, you get anything good tonight?  Maybe something the owners would like up on the website?  I'm sure they'll pay well for something that makes the club look good."  He takes a few more steps away from the door as he speaks, so that Rob cannot be looking at him and at the door at the same time.

Of course, he hasn't accounted for Galen, watching from the darkness a short distance away.  So what he might prevent Rob from seeing, but not Galen, is another man in a security shirt walk out of the club and beeline for the parking lot around the side.

Galen, this would be a good time to roll Surveillance, unknown target number

In reply to Director (msg # 160):

Rob makes a point of lowering his camera and tilting the lens away from the door, though he keeps his hand on the grip ready to bring it up again.

"Not so much yet tonight, but the night is young. I'm more used to the scene in the city center, thought I'd try my hand somewhere new."

Rob speaks conversationally and shifts so that any glossy surfaces nearby will give him some sense of what's happening at the door while comforting the bouncer that his ploy is working.

ooc: Using Reassurance with the bouncer to see if he'll give up anything useful and to keep his attention off Galen's better angle.

Evelyn gently pulls her hand away, but softens the gesture with a smile.

"Thanks for the offer, but I have to be on my best behavior. I flew in for work--can't do anything too crazy on company dime."

Galen picks out the additional security man and immediately gets a bad feeling, though of exactly what he isn't quite sure. He keeps a careful eye on the new man and starts to move, slowly, in the direction of the parking lot to be ready for action.

OOC: 20:30, Today: Galen Ives rolled 7 using 1d6+2.  Surveillance (Spend 2).

Lia turns to her fellow stewardess.

"Kate, darling, Mr. Lightning here is going to show us where the magic happens," she whispers excitedly into her ear, inobtrusively enough that Evelyn can keep her eyes on the drug dealer if she wants; the mike open so the other can hear. "I can't wait to see the secret parts of this place!".

The dealer smoothly pockets the pills and says "It's all good, yes?  You have fun, maybe I see you again later."  He then gets up and returns to his post on the edge of the dance floor, watching the crowd and chatting with security.

A minute later, Bliksem finishes up his work and vaults over the bar.  He beckons you to follow him and then turns to head upstairs.  He dances his way through the club, high-fiving or hugging various people as he passes by.  He leads you up to the balcony and over to the back, where a double door leads to the VIP room.  He takes a key out of his pocket and unlocks one of the doors, lets the two of you in, and shuts it behind him.

The room is quite dark at first, lit only by Bliksem's glowing bracelets.  The first thing he does is to head over to a locked panel containing the room controls; a moment later he has brought up some soft, dim lights, commenting that it might attract too much attention if it's too bright.  In the room you see four leather couches currently arranged in a square formation, each with a low square table in front of it.  The floor is carpeted, unlike the rest of the club.  There is a separate bar in here, currently unstaffed, and a private bathroom.  You can still hear the music from the main floor but it's a lot quieter, practically just a background bass thump.  As you take it in, Bliksem leans back against the bar and says "So ladies, can I get you anything to help you get comfortable?"

--------

Outside, the bouncer keeps up the small talk with Rob, evidently thinking he is doing as good a job of keeping Rob distracted as Rob is doing with him.  Meanwhile, Galen walks carefully toward the side parking lot.  The ambient light is enough to let him see roughly what is going on, though not with as much precision as he would probably like.  What Galen is able to see as he approaches is his man reaching behind a dumpster, feeling around for a moment, and then pulling out some kind of package - a large envelope, or something like that.

Darkness penalty in the shadowy parking lot: +2 difficulty to any task involving vision from a distance or with fine detail, including shooting from Near range, as well as +1 difficulty to attack from Close range.  Your flashlight will negate these penalties if you are willing to give yourself away like that.

Galen - you are currently about 15 meters away from the guy.  Getting closer without being noticed will require an Infiltration roll against difficulty 3, since the darkness is helping you on this one instead of hindering you.

Evelyn introduces herself, as Kate, to Bliksem when Lia leans in to invite her along. She keeps a smile plastered on her face as the man makes a show of himself all the way to the VIP rooms, although off the job it would be more than worthy of an eye roll.

"Great place," she comments, using the opportunity to give the room a thorough visual once over. "People in Amsterdam always seem to know how to live it up right."

"Oooh, we have the VIP to ourselves! That's sooo cool!" Lia take a cursory look around, more for the sake of Lena looking impressed than for an actual search, she relied on Evelyn being better trained for that. Exchanging a meaningful glance with her, she focuses on Bliksem. Time to pump him for information, while keeping him busy so Evelyn can subtly snoop around.

"Champagne, please", she replies, sitting on the lather couch. "So, I'm curious, how come your Russian is so amazing, mister Lightning? I meet a lot of interesting people flying around, but you are so... fascinating," she adds with a suggestive giggle.

OOC: Flirting again. Did I use a point to get here? Can I use one/another one to get him to tell me more about his Russian contacts/line of work? Whatever her talks about, Lena will be super impressed and wanting to hear more.

It's still early in to the investigation of this night spot but Galen is pretty sure he wants whatever is in that envelope, or at the very least to see what it might be.

Sliding through the darkness behind the bouncer Galen eases his handgun in to his hand, hopefully just to use to cold-cock the guy should the need arise...

13:46, Today: Galen Ives rolled 5 using 1d6+1.  Infiltrate (Spend 1).

Bliksem hops over the bar, a little less nimbly than before, and rifles through the bottles until he finds a good one.  He puts three glasses on a tray, pops the cork with a shout of "Proost!", and pours one for each of you. He then makes a show of properly walking out from behind the bar instead of jumping it, and of carrying the tray over to the table in front of the couch where "Lena" is sitting.  He clinks glasses with her (and with Evelyn as well if she comes over for it), takes a sip, and then starts talking.  He first asks Lena if her friend speaks Russian as well, and then speaks in either Russian, Dutch, or English, whichever will allow them both to understand (so as not to be rude).

As they chat, Bliksem explains that he grew up in a community with immigrants from all over Eastern Europe, and there happened to be a lot of Russians in his neighborhood.  As a result he learned the language fairly quickly and also got to know some of their customs.  His partners, he tells you, are Boris Podolsky and Ivan Medvedev (no relation to the former president).  They're both business investors of some sort who he met while he was working at a record shop (this leads to a lengthy tangent about the record shop life, if you allow it).  They geeked out over music together, he mentioned his dream of running a dance club, and they started talking business.  Now the three of them are equal partners in the club, with Bliksem doing all of the public-facing work and the other two operating more as business managers.  It's been a good arrangement so far.

When the question inevitable comes up, he tells you that he doesn't know anything about his partners' other investments - "Better not to ask too many questions," he says with a wink and a half smile, clearly trying to impress you rather than scare you.

I'm going to call this 1 point worth of info.  If you want to spend a second point for more, give me an idea of what you're looking for and I'll tell you what's there.


-----

Galen is able to get up close, with no one else seeming to notice his presence...

Since you're being all stealthy like, and you've set this up just right, I will say you can spend 2 points of Hand to Hand and knock the guy out without rolling.  Nonviolent options are also available, of course; Filch would be tough but not impossible given the circumstances, let's say difficulty 6 to give you at least a few seconds of lead time before he realizes he's not holding the envelope anymore.  Or let me know if you want to try anything else.

Galen has never been one to shy away from the violent options and, taking advantage of the man's distraction, fetches him a mighty crack against the back of the head with the base of the pistol.

Assuming the heavy goes down as expected Galen will liberate the envelope and then spend a moment unceremoniously dumping the sleeping beauty into the nearby dumpster before retreating back into the shadows to study his prize.

OOC: Spending those two points :)

Evelyn joins them in the toast, using practiced sleight of hand to dispose of the contents of the shot glass. When he inquires, Evelyn says she'd  be happy to speak in Dutch or English.

She doesn't discourage him from waxing poetic about his history in the record shop. The looser his tongue gets the better.

"You've come a long way," Evelyn remarks with a smile, when he takes a break from his story. "You're close to your business partners? That must be fun, to run a successful business with friends."

OOC: I'll spend one point to try and get more information about the way their running the operation/any clues he might accidentally give when explaining

'Lena' lets 'Kate' take the lead with Bliksem, enthusiastically agreeing with everything.

"Ooh, imagine that! It must be so much fun, no? And with friends from the old country too. Are they here tonight?"

She doesn't quite say that she'd like to meet them, but it's certainly implied.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:59, Wed 27 Jan 2021.

Evelyn - make sure to specify which ability that point is coming from.  There's enough overlap right now that it's not super important, but you never know when it might become an issue later on.

Bliksem grins at the two of you and says "I did see Vanya come in earlier.  You want me to invite him to join us?  I could give him a call, but I think he's hard at work, and he's not usually much fun that way.  He really doesn't like people to bother him when he's working.  Maybe he thinks they will burst in on his secret projects?"  At that he bursts out giggling, then drains the rest of his champagne.

-----

Just by feel, Galen can tell that the envelope contains a couple stacks of cash and a few other sheets of paper.  He'll have to return to the car, or some other suitable location, if he wants to take everything out and really look at it.

At this point, the bouncer is finishing his cigarette and his conversation.  Rob notices a concerned look flash across his face, just for a moment, and then he resumes his post at the door.

In reply to Director (msg # 173):

Rob goes back to his photographer act and checks in with the others as he keeps watching the door and who goes through it.

"Your partner sounds like a bit of a workaholic," Evelyn says with a grin. "He never finds the time to celebrate with you? If I ran a place like this, I'd be celebrating."


OOC: I'll take the point from bullshit detector if that works.

"Sure, he celebrates sometimes, just not when he's focused on his work.  Not everyone is fortunate enough for their business and pleasure to be the same thing."  He leans back on the couch in as relaxed a position as he could possibly get, with his arms up on the back of it, and then says "So which would you like to discuss, business or pleasure?"

Galen decides whatever is in the envelope could have direct relevance to the mission at hand and so leaves his observation post to return to the car and have a skim of what he's got in light and, relative, security.

As he heads back to the car he fires Rob a message on the communicator, "I've managed to nab something interesting round by the bins but I need to nip back to the car to have a look at it somewhere with a bit better lighting. You alright to keep an eye on your back while I'm gone?"

In reply to Galen Ives (msg # 177):

Rob listens with interest. "Should be ok for a few, but something's got the doorman spooked. Be quick.

Galen peeks in the envelope, and the first thing he sees is two stacks of cash, neatly banded together.  Looks like €5,000, the same amount that was withdrawn earlier today according to Rob's contact.  Besides that there is a note handwritten in pencil, which may or may not make any sense (the language turns out to be Albanian - does Galen understand it or will he need a translator?) but at least includes the easily recognizable phrase "Dikke Rups."  There are also a few photos of Tobias Brinkerhoff - one that looks like it's from an official ID of some sort, and a couple others that might have been taken from social media.

As Galen studies the contents of the envelope, Rob studies the bouncer at the door.  He continues to do his job as people come and go, but he's a little less talkative now, and a little more impatient with everyone passing through.  He also seems visibly more annoyed by Rob's presence as the minutes go by.

"I'm all for pleasure, but it's two of us hre" giggles Lena, exchanging a meaningfully look with Kate, "It's unfair. Why not bring that mysterious friend of yours? And you're right, Kate. He needs to celebrate. With us. You have to be a good partner," pointing a mock-accusative finger at Bliksem, "and save him from his worka...worholi... whatever it's called. And share everything like good partners, yes?"

OOC: I guess this is another Flirting point?

Rob will note the bouncer's irritation and work to attach himself to a group that's moving away from the club. He wants to stay close enough to respond of Lia and Evelyn get in trouble, but reassure the door that he's not an ongoing threat.

Addison plays along with Lia's lead. "My friend here is right; it wouldn't be fair for you to hog all the fun," she says with a smile.

Without ever losing the grin, Bliksem replies "Well I guess if you insist..."  He then pulls out his phone and dials one of the contacts in there.  You catch the name "Vanya," but the rest of it is in a different language.  Even if you can't understand his words, the enthusiastic tone is clear enough.  He rolls his eyes, makes some faces, and eventually hangs up and turns back to you two.  "He'll be here in a minute.  How about some more champagne while we wait?"

Lia - yes, one more point, but I'd say it's well spent.

I noticed that neither of you have the right language on your character sheet yet, but if you want to use one of your open slots then you can certainly do so.

----

As soon as the bouncer is satisfied that Rob is gone and no one else is here, he walks toward the side of the building with the darkened parking lot.  He moves hurriedly and stays close to the wall.  Rob and Galen both see this happening.

In reply to Director (msg # 183):

Rob will get some quick shots of the scene, just in case we miss something in the action.

OOC: Hmm, languages aren't Galen's forte so I won't rush in to burning a precious slot with that. Let's go with him not knowing Albanian.

Galen flips through the items and documents he's managed to get hold of. He might not speak the language but what he can see and make out paints at least the outline of what's happening. Stashing the documents, and cash, carefully in the car he returns to his observation post to make sure he gets his eyes back on Rob and also whoever might go down the side of the club looking for that envelope.

Once back in post he opens comms with the rest of the team,
"Found some interesting paperwork hidden behind the bins at the back of the club. Five grand in cash and some photos of the journo our client is set to meet. Looks like he might be the target, or at least someone is very interested in him. There's some notes but it's in a language I don't recognize, probably something Eastern European? Might have to wait until we regroup to spend some time on it."

In reply to Galen Ives (msg # 185):

"Whatever you did it's got the attention of the bouncer, he's abandoned his post to investigate."

"Investigate" in this case means that he walks up to the corner of the building, stops there, and calls out something.  Neither of you can hear exactly what he's saying, but the tone of voice suggests he's calling someone's name.  Hearing no response, he pulls out a small flashlight from his pocket and flicks it on, then walks slowly into the parking lot.  At first he is sweeping the light from side to side, but after a few steps he stops it in one spot.

Galen can tell immediately that this is the spot where he dropped the guy with the envelope.

Rob's camera presumably has some rudimentary night vision feature*, so he is able to get a few photos of the bouncer without a flash giving him away.  He now stands ready to get a picture of whatever the bouncer finds.

Rob - I don't know camera stuff well enough, so if it makes sense to you I'm going to rule that either your default professional camera has something here that's good enough for grainy but not worthless photos, or you can roll Preparedness (difficulty 3) to say that it's already rigged up with much better night vision and still in a way that doesn't make it obvious to curious bystanders.

Everyone - for general reference, we can assume that your team has access to some kind of night vision equipment (maybe a couple sets of binoculars), but that's different from saying it's built into the camera that Rob has been using for other purposes so far.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:32, Sun 07 Feb 2021.

In reply to Director (msg # 187):

ooc: current DSLR/professional cameras have remarkably good low light capabilities. they're gathering light with a lens and sensor massively larger than cell phones and have all the same technology advantages that make night mode on the top grill phones look so good. it's still not night vision, but really good.

In reply to Rob Zwartnacht (msg # 188):
And Rob happens to have the right lens and firmware teams to make the best of it:19:50, Today: Rob Zwartnacht rolled 6 using 1d6 ((6)).

Rob dials up the ISO and goes full manual as he zooms in to get the best shot of the bouncer's find.

Evelyn accepts the offer of more champagne, although she does not truly drink it.

She listens to the chatter on the team radio. Things sound in control, although developing.

"So, what should we know about your partner before he arrives?" she asks, with a friendly casual tone.

Galen holds back, starting to feel that perhaps his decision to bludgeon the other man and steal his documents might have been a little rash and so would rather wait to see what happens than rush in again.

"I suppose just that he works too hard and could always use something to take his mind off of it, whether he admits it or not.  Oh, and that his happiest moment was seeing Iron Maiden in St Petersburg in 1993.  Once he starts talking about that there's no stopping him."

Just as Bliksem finishes speaking, the door opens and another man comes in.  He looks to be in his late 40s, and wears black jeans and a peach-colored turtleneck.  He claps his hands together and says in Dutch (with a mild Russian accent) "Markus, pour me a drink and introduce me to your lovely friends!"

----

Where the flashlight stopped is on the face of the man Galen had knocked out.  After a second of panic he runs forward and then kneels down next to the man to check on him.  Rob is able to get a decent shot of both of their faces, in case that's useful later.  The bouncer then presses his hand to his earpiece and shouts something; with the shotgun mic Rob can clearly make out his panicked tone, and can hear him in Dutch saying "I need Vanya, does anyone know where is Vanya!"

In reply to Director (msg # 192):

"Whatever you did, Galen, the bouncer just freaked and is calling for Vanya. Ladies, be alert!

Rob quickly swaps memory cards, in case he has to ditch the rest of the gear in a hurry, then makes sure he's packed so he doesn't have to ditch if he needs to move quickly, all the while trying to look casual.

Lia almost jumps from the couch in enthusiasm as Vanya enters.

"Oh, no way, you are Vanya?" she says in delighted tones in Russian "So cool to meet a cool dude from back home!" She goes in for the customary three kisses on the cheeks.

"Markus here says you're an Iron Maiden fan? I saw them at the Olympic in 2016, they rocked!" she enthuses.

OOC: Assuming we're in ~2020, otherwise "last year" or another date as appropiate

"Care to join us? I like myself a mysterious gentleman with a cool club," she adds suggestively.

OOC: Guess what I'm using here.

Evelyn offers her hand with a smile when Lia is finished with her introductions. "Kate," she says, giving her assumed name.

"That's true, Lena talks about that concert all the time--on every flight, it feels like," she adds to Lia's story.

Listening intently to the events on the wire, she takes note of Rob's warning. Something is about to happen, and this attempt at low key information gathering might not last long.

OOC: meant to reply to this last night, but fell asleep. Sorry for the pause.

Bliksem returns with more drinks.  Vanya takes one, puts his other arm around Lia's shoulders, and walks with her back to the couches.  Bliksem waits to see what Evelyn does and then follows her lead.

You've pretty much got them where you want them, at least for the moment.  So what are you trying to get from them?
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:30, Sun 14 Feb 2021.

Galen stays well back without making any sudden moves but carefully un-holsters his pistol and holds it flat against his side, ready to put to use in the event things go south very quickly...

Evelyn sits on one of the couches, allowing Bliksem to sit beside her.

She raises a quick toast "to your club" with the champagne.

"So, how's your night treating you, Vanya?" she asks, hoping to get a sense if he's stressed about any of the goings ons relayed to her by the team over the wire.

Lia takes a seat at the other side of Vanya, nodding at Evelyn's questions to show she shares her interest.

"And what do you do when you're not keeping the lights on for our dear Markus?" She winks at Bliksem, so he doesn't feel left out. "He makes you to be a very interesting man of mystery. I am so tired of ordinary, normal men, with their little lives, all trying to chat me up in Business class... none of them has ever done anything intersting," she signs. Oh, the cabin crew blues.

Vanya replies "Well, my night has been okay so far, but I think it's getting a lot better now.  As for my work, well, I don't know how different it is from your other business class friends, but-"

At this point he is interrupted by the door opening.  He immediately drops the smile, and he turns toward the sound with the kind of speed that strongly suggests serious training.

Presumably you also turn to see who else is joining the party.  It is a security guard with an anxious look on his face.  He starts speaking quickly in Albanian, about a situation outside needing immediate attention, someone named Ardit was attacked.  Vanya curses and says to him "Right, let's go."  He then turns back to you and says in Russian "So sorry my new friends, family emergency."  He then hurries out the door, accompanied by the guard, who is saying something into his headset as they leave.

Bliksem now looks nervously at the two of you and says "Okay, so I guess Vanya can't join us after all tonight.  Do you still want to party?".  He is already draining his next glass of champagne by the time you respond.

-------

Outside, Rob and Galen see the bouncer respond to something in his headset and then get up again.  He walks to the corner of the building so he can keep an eye on the door while keeping his flashlight pointed at the man Galen had previously knocked out.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:32, Thu 18 Feb 2021.

Lena intones a slightly exaggerated "oh noooo" protest when Vanya has to leave.

"But the party was only getting started! Oh, these businessmen, all work no fun," she exclais, giving no sign of having caught anything wrong or alarming, just plain old partypooping.

"Sure, let's have fun, at least the three of us," she says, getting up and heading for the toilet, "but first, if you'll excuse me... Don't get too far ahead without me, Kate, you greedy girl," she adds, playfully admonishing Evelyn with a finger.

Once in the toilet, she locks it and flushes to create some white noise.

"Watch out, guys, Vanya and a guard heading for you, possibly more oppo. Want us to get out and help?" she whispered hurriedly into the mike.

In reply to Lia Mizrahi (msg # 201):

"I should be OK so far. The bouncer may not trust me, but he had eyes on me the whole time his buddy was in the shadows. I'll keep an eye on them and let Galen know if they're heading towards him."

Galen grunts a word of thanks to Lia and sidles further back into the shadows trusting in Rob to give him a heads-up if anyone starts heading his way.

In reply to Galen Ives (msg # 203):

Evelyn feigns a laugh in return, and waves "Lena's" concerns away playfully.

She makes small talk while the other woman is gone. "I don't think I've ever had champagne this good," she lies.

Evelyn half hopes they have to high tail it out of there, if only so she'll get to stop playing nice with this guy.


OOC: Sorry for my slow responses lately, my semester started up. I'll make sure to get back to more frequently, though.

In response to Evelyn's comment, Bliksem raises his glass and drinks, and offers to refill hers.  He then says, in a slightly distracted tone of voice, "The champagne isn't the only good stuff I've got, if you want to see more."  He follows this up by reaching into one of the inner pockets of his jacket (presumably a very tense moment for you watching him) and withdrawing a small plastic bag half-full with white powder.  "You want any?"

------

Vanya walks quickly out of the front door of the club, together with the guy who had retrieved him upstairs.  He is the same middle-aged man you had noticed going in when you first arrived (see post #151 if you need to refresh your memory).  As soon as he comes out, the bouncer waves him over and shows him what he found.  Vanya looks around and then whispers something to the two others; even with the shotgun mic Rob can only make out the sound of his voice, not the words.  After that he goes with the bouncer to where Galen had left his victim.  The other security guard walks toward Rob and calls to him, in Dutch, "Excuse me mister photographer, we need to see your camera!  There was an incident with one of our staff, maybe you can help us figure it out."

In reply to Rob Zwartnacht (msg # 202):

"Roger that. I think we're done here, started exfiltration."

Lia gets her phone out and shoots Evelyn a quick message:

"Supervisor here - Can't find Mia and Charlotte, I need you and Lena to cover for them in the red eye flight tonight. Be at Schiphol in half an hour."

Then she makes a point of flushing again and washing her hands and then rejoins Evelyn and Bliksem, ready to be terribly disappointed.

"Yes, make champagne flow like river in spring! Oooh, what's that, Markus? You have magic powder?" she winks at him.

In reply to Director (msg # 205):

Rob subtly thumbs through the menu on his hacked firmware and hits the selection to corrupt the already blank memory card currently in the camera.

"Sure thing, I never want to see any trouble"

He brings up the camera and flips out the large screen.

"F*&$ the card's not reading. Do you have a computer with a reader? I can give you the card and come by for it. Those guys I took the pictures of earlier will be happy if you can recover anything."

[Rob will use Reassurance to calm them a bit and see if they'll give up anything while they take the card]

Checking her text, Evelyn puts on a faux-disappointed face.

"I wish I could," she replies to his offer, "but I'm afraid Lena and I have to sober up. Duty calls."

She turns towards Lia.

"Mia and Charlotte haven't materialized, we have to take the red eye from Schiphol."

"Oh come on! No way!" Lena protested loudly, "We just got here! We were supposed to be free until next week!"

But she gets up reluctantly, rolling her eyes and making a show of being pissed off. "I'm sorry, Markus, it's our bastard of a boss. Raincheck, OK? We can come back next week." She gives him three pecks on the cheeks, Russian style, and joins Kate on the way out.

"I am going to kill that bitch Charlotte. Third fucking time in a row!"

Bliksem is visibly disappointed but does his best to be a gentleman about it.  He takes a quick pinch of powder and sniffs it up, then escorts the two of you back downstairs.  He tries to be a showman like before but even with the drugs he doesn't have that same energy; you can tell his mind is somewhere else.

----

Rob's manner does put the guard at ease.  As he takes the card he says "Mr. Gribkov should be able to do some magic with this.  He doesn't usually come by until Thursday, but if we call he'll probably be here first thing tomorrow.  Maybe even tonight if the boss says."

Meanwhile, from his vantage point in the shadows, Galen can see that the fallen man is now sitting up, one hand lightly rubbing the back of his head, talking with Vanya and the bouncer.

In reply to Director (msg # 210):

Having established that his camera isn't working properly, Rob will calmly finish stowing his gear as he waits for the other three to exfil.


edit: something -> stowing
This message was last edited by the player at 07:09, Wed 24 Feb 2021.

Lena gives Bliksem a few more empty promises before she leaves the place with Kate. She badmouths her imaginary coworkers for a block or so.

"OK guys, we're out. Anyone needs a hand wrapping up?"

Evelyn commiserates with Lia over their put on misery at having to leave until the two of them are out of the building and around the corner out of sight.

She relaxes into her normal posture and lets out a sigh.

"You're always taking me into the strangest situations. I'm much too boring for this shit," she says to Lia with affectionate exasperation, while they're waiting for word from the guys.

Lia laughs, letting go the tension of the infiltration.

"Pfff. That was nothing. Get me drunk and I'll tell you about honey-potting Iranian diplomats in Istambul. Now that is what I call fun."

She fiddles with the phone.

"Boys, I think we're going home for the night. Personally, I think the oppo are none the wiser. Bliksem didn't even question how come we have a common boss, considering Lena is with Aeroflot and Kate probably isn't. But who needs a proper cover when you have that rack, right, Evelyn? Girls team out, see you at home."

She throws the keys of whatever vehicle they had ready for exfil to Evelyn.

"You drive, I've had two glasses of bubbly. Good job, by the way, that was flawless."

"I'm all wrapped up here, just staying close in case you have any trouble. Once you're out, I can pull out no problem."

The guys in the parking area mill about a bit more.  Eventually the one who got hit manages to get to his feet, and the bouncer helps him into the passenger seat of one of the cars that is parked there.  The bouncer returns to his post at the door, and the one who spoke with Rob talks with Vanya for a minute, then takes his flashlight and takes over searching the parking area.  While he does that, Vanya walks back to the door.  As he does he takes out his phone and starts typing something in.

At the moment that Lia and Evelyn walk out the door, Vanya is walking in.  He glances up from his phone just for a moment, and in that moment he makes eye contact with the two of you.

What do you do?

Evelyn catches the keys with a laugh.

Before she can respond, she catches sight of Vanya.

"Thanks for having us," Evelyn says when he looks over to them, intending to keep heading for the car.if she could glance at that phone as they passed, she would, but this meeting on the street didn't really see like an opportunity to get much more out of the guy, so she figures it's time to regroup with the team.

Lena smiles warmly at Vanya, getting close enough to lightly grab his arm. She tries to keep him there as long as possible, buying Evelyn a few seconds so she can read whatever he's typing.

"I'm sorry, work shit," she says in Russian, half apologetic and half miffed, "Hope next time we're in town we are all less busy, yes? I miss speaking Russian with nice gents from the old country," she adds with a wink.

The text on the phone is in Russian...

We know that "Kate" doesn't speak Russian, but does Evelyn?

I think to be honest to the character, she's not fluent. Probably has learned a workable amount over the years, in the way that many people known a workable amount of french. I think whether or not she'd be able to read it would depend on how complex it is.

At that level of semi-fluency it takes a little longer to read.  It wouldn't be a real problem under normal circumstances, but when you only have a couple of seconds it makes a big difference.  You manage to get as far as identifying that the recipient is Boris, and the word "keys" somewhere in the middle of the text, and then Vanya is gone.

Anything else before you all reconvene at the office?

In reply to Director (msg # 221):

As long as everyone gets out ok, Rob will head back to the office to review photos and go over whatever other Intel was gathered.

Heading back to the office too.

Evelyn would head back to the office with Lia. She would likely update her on the way.

Galen will fade in to the shadows and make his way back to the office to share the contents of the envelope - ideally with someone who speaks Albanian, or at least with Google Translate...

You all make it back safely to the office and start comparing notes.

As for the specific note that Galen pulled out of the envelope, together with the cash and the photos, Lia is able to translate it for the rest of the team.  It says "Dikke Rups coffeeshop, Thursday fourteen hours.  One friend or more."

In reply to Director (msg # 226):

"I'm not used to being called 'or more.' I guess we can be sure that there will be some danger to our client. Can we change the place and time of the meeting?"

Rob will get out a loupe and carefully examine the photos for anything they might tell about the shooter or subject. Then he'll do the same virtually with what he shot at the club.

"I'm sure we could," Evelyn replies. "A private meeting might be more manageable, all things considering."

She looks back down at her notes, frowning. "Whether or not we move the meeting, we're in the dark with what's happening here. We need to figure out what exactly we're up against."

"I saw a mention of a key on the phone when I got my glance heading out--anyone have any theories?"

Lia took off her high heels, staring at the ceiling as she replayed the events of the night in her head.

"I still can't figure out if Bliksem is one of the bears or he is just playing host to them. He at least knows Vanya is into dodgy business, but does he know the full story? And is that important?"

She shrugged, wondering if that was relevant at all.

"We have Vanya's name and likeness. Do you guys think you can do something with that? Run it against some Who's Who database of known or suspected Russian assets?"

Just as Galen had noticed before, the photos of Brinkerhoff look like they were pulled from various sources.  Mostly casual shots, except for the official looking one.

The photos from the club don't reveal anything particularly striking or startling, though after taking the time to examine them closely Rob feels like he can remember most of the faces pretty well.

Evelyn nods.

 “Yeah, we should run his info through what we can and reach out to the relevant connections who might have a scoop on him,” she replies.

“We also have to decide if we should tell our client that this meetings definitely in somebody’s crosshairs or wait until we know more.”

In reply to Evelyn Shepard (msg # 231):

"I think we have to work under the assumption that our client's communication is being monitored. It's possible his contact has the leak, but it's possible it's not. That means we need to use secure communication with him only, but I think we need to reach out some, since we know he's relying on paranoia alone to keep him safe."

"Looks like they're handling some aspect of this through that club. Do we try going back in the day when it's going to be less busy for a little breaking and entering to see what we might find in their office or on their computers?"

“I agree,” Evelyn replies to Rob. “We should get in touch with him today, things could be heating up.”

She nods at Galen’s suggestion. “We could slip back in during whatever hours the place is totally shut down—maybe install some ongoing surveillance.”

"Going into the club is a big risk. They know something's gone wrong and they'll be on alert for at least a few days, probably past the meet. Even external surveillance is a risk. Galen's the only one of us none of them have seen and I don't think we want him hanging out there alone."

Lia considered the situation, chin in hand.

"There is too much we still don't know, despite all of our efforts. I'm with Evelyn, we need to talk to Grecocitto. He needs to have an idea of what the risks are before he decides to go ahead with the meeting. I don't know about you, but I'd recommend he changes the date and venue. The oppo knows all about it and we know they plan on making a move that day."

Galen nods along with Lia's thoughts, "Agreed, first we tell the client - this is all pretty pointless if our employer gets offed. Once he's decided what to do we might get some other leads like who might have spilled the beans on the meeting details."

In reply to Galen Ives (msg # 237):

"Makes sense. I think he knows he's playing with sharks. We're better let him know they have fricken' laser beams."

"Alright, let's give the man a call then," Evelyn says, reaching for her phone. "At the least, we can let him know what we've learned as of yet, and he can decide what he wants to do, or us to do, with the information."
She pulls up his number and looks to the others. If there's no objections or last notes, she hits call.

You leave your message for Grecocitto through the secure, asynchronous system that you established at the start of the contract.  There is no response for a couple of hours, but then eventually you get this:

My friend says to cancel the meeting completely, it's not safe anymore.  Meet me tomorrow at noon, you tell me where.  I will give you a package to deliver.  He says to take it to the German consulate on Honthorststraat, near the Rijksmuseum, and give it to Horst Schmidt.  Once that is confirmed I will pay you the rest of your fee as agreed.

Evelyn looks to the others after they listen to the message.

"I don't know about you guys, but if we're bringing anything onto government property filled with diplomats, I'm going to want to know what's in that package he's talking about. Assumedly, it's information, but we need to find out for sure."

In reply to Evelyn Shepard (msg # 241):

Rob chuckles, "We're in the wrong business if we expect to know what we're carrying, but I think we should be clear on what we're not. Nothing biological, nothing chemical beyond the ordinary. I'm happy enough to bring intel that gotta like a bomb, but I think you're right that we need to make sure we're not muling a bomb itself."

Lia nods along to Evelyn's and Rob's worries.

"Yes, we need to have a reasonable idea of what it is, or at least what it isn't. Can we bum the use of an X-ray scanner, just one use? I'm thinking Lena can pop into Schiphol after hours, use one of the airport ones?"

In reply to Lia Mizrahi (msg # 243):

"That ought to work. Let's get the package."

Rob pauses before speaking again, "I think we should drop a camera or two at Grecoccito's place to see if anyone comes after him."

Lia slips into her heels again.

"Very good, let's roll then. Someone come with me, I mean, with Lena, someone who can operate one of those things and know what to look for. And the other two go do that CCTV op, sounds like a good idea, Rob."

Galen stands up and checks his gear, "Agreed, let's get about our business. I'm happy to go to the client's place on the basis that if there's going to be trouble it's likely to strike there. Though if nobody else wants to figure out an x-ray scanner I can give it a go, if in doubt we can hit it 'til it starts working!"

In reply to Galen Ives (msg # 246):

"Maybe someone knows someone who might be willing to do them a favor and run it for us."

“I’ll go to Grecoccito’s and get surveillance and a video link set up,” Evelyn replies. “I think I’ll stick nearby his place tonight in the surveillance van just to make sure he abs. makes it to noon tomorrow to get us that package.”

Evelyn stands and moves to collect her equipment.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:35, Wed 31 Mar 2021.

In reply to Evelyn Shepard (msg # 248):

ooc: we have an order of operations problem. we don't have the package yet to scan. it just occurred to me that there's no reason to split up.

Late Tuesday night, Galen and Evelyn make their way to Grecocitto's neighborhood.  They plant some cameras, then plant themselves somewhere they can keep an eye on things.  The night is uneventful, which is maybe a bit dull but in the long run is probably better than the alternative.

Wednesday at noon, some (or all?) of you convene at a pleasant cafe on the other side of the park from Grecocitto's apartment.  The weather is warm and sunny, and a large patch of tulips (arranged in red, white, and blue stripes) outside of the cafe adds to the welcoming atmosphere.  Grecocitto is right on time, looking nervous and wearing a light jacket that still seems unnecessary for the weather.  He gets a small cup of tea and then sits at your table.  He does his best to focus on speaking with you, but he can't stop himself from glancing around occasionally, watching for something which so far has not materialized.  Once everyone is settled in, he looks around one more time, unzips his jacket about halfway, and pulls out a manila envelope.  He places it on the table and then takes a gulp of his tea.  Just from the shape of the envelope you guess that it contains a small stack of paper and one or two other small objects.  After he finishes his drink, Grecocitto says "I appreciate the work you have done.  Very much the help that I needed.  Five star review on Yelp!"  He allows himself a small laugh at his joke and then finishes his tea, waiting for a cue from any of you to see if he should stay longer or walk away now.

Whenever someone decides to look, the other thing inside the envelope turns out to be a metal thumb drive.  It's just that and the papers in here.

-----

Now that you see what the package is, do you still want to scan it?

And then there's the delivery to the Consulate (which, according to the intelligence experts at Google Maps, is only a ~20 minute drive from Schiphol if you want to go directly).  Who is taking care of that part?

When we get it back to the lab, Rob will swab it for the most likely candidates to get us in trouble, drugs and explosives.

Rob's swabs come up negative.

In reply to Director (msg # 250):

Evelyn gives their client a smile when he looks to the group for a cue.

"Is there anything else you can tell us that might help us keep you secure?"

Lia kept her silence, trying to think about all the possible angles. She was satisfied that Grecocitto was taking the hint and being safe... but it also meant it was her team that would now be in the open, assuming unknown risks. Well, that was the job anyway.

She just smiled and nodded in agreement. Part and parcel of the job. If they could do the delivery and complete the job, she might just catch a few free days and take Saskia somewhere pleasant and far away...

"Tell you?  No, probably not.  As soon as our business is done I will leave town, find my wife and kids.  They are in a new home, I have not even seen it yet."  He pauses for a moment and looks down wistfully, then continues.  "I do have another request though.  From what you told me, it sounds like they were mainly interested in my friend.  Could you find out if they were, um, interested in me as well?  Or if my own people have shown any interest?  I know it's more than what I had asked originally, so I can pay extra to cover it."

"In my professional experience, I'd say it's unlikely they're only interested in your associate," Evelyn replies honestly, but not harshly. "Of course, I understand the want for proof one way or the other."


She glances to her team members to gauge their interest in expanding their work with him.

In reply to Evelyn Shepard (msg # 256):

Rob looks non-committal. Last night we probably kicked the hornet's nest. Do we really want to take in the task of giving out who the hornet's want to sting?

Galen nods slowly, he's up for an expanded brief if it comes with an equally expanded payday.

Being out in public, with other people around, Grecocitto is reluctant to even talk numbers out loud.  He thinks for a moment and then quietly says a number extrapolated from the fee for the security job.  If you accept it then he is happy to wrap up the conversation there; if you want to negotiate then he asks to continue in a more secure medium later on.

Lia wondered what "find out who they're after" entailed. Deep infiltration? Grabbing one of Bliksem's men for interrogation? Or something else entirely? And yet, more money would always be welcome.

She replies in a low, measured tone.

"I gather whatever is in that parcel makes you a person of interest to the oppo - so what makes you think they might still have an interest in you once it's delivered? Simple retaliation, or is there something else? And does the parcel contain anything that will give away your identity or involvement, once the German embassy goes through it?"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:11, Tue 20 Apr 2021.

Evelyn nodded along with Lia's questions.

"Anything you can tell us could go a long way towards keeping you secure. That sort of information can be the difference between life and death," she explained, hoping to encourage their client to comply with Lia's request for useful information.

Grecocitto ponders for a moment.  Once he is satisfied that no one else is listening in, he says quietly "I don't know about the embassy.  What is in this parcel is information about my own government, which they would not want public.  And I know that there have been Russians involved as well, or maybe Ukrainians, but I don't know if they were government or freelance."

Lia nodded, taking the new information in stride and exchanging a meaningful look with the other woman before she spoke again.

"And some Albanians too," she added softly, almost in a whisper. "May I ask, what is the Germans' involvement?"

Evelyn shares the look with Lia, happy to see their push for information pan out some.

“I appreciate your being forthright with us,” she says to Grecocitto.

“I’m sure we can get you an answer on your request to amend our agreement by the end of the day, but we’ll have to talk it over back at the office.”

"My contact, the one I was supposed to meet - he told me to send the parcel to the embassy.  I suppose maybe he has contacts there.  He is German himself, after all.  I suppose it's possible they will find something of use here, but I wouldn't know that myself."

"That makes sense. To be honest, I like this streamlined version of the plan better than the old one. Less exposure, less risk," she agreed with Grecocitto, then she looked at the rest of the team with a question in her eyes.

Less exposure meaning less exposure for Grecocitto - they were going to run all the risks. But that was what they were paid to do. Lia was fine with it, but she would never explicitly agree without knowing the rest of her team were OK with the deal.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:26, Tue 27 Apr 2021.

It's been a few days and no one has objected, so let's assume the rest of the team is OK with the deal.  Next move?

Deliver the parcel at the German embassy, I guess?

In reply to Lia Mizrahi (msg # 268):

Makes sense. Two to do the drop and two to cover?

Lia is a face, so I guess she should be part of the front-facing delivery team.

Galen is made for providing cover, though I have a small pool of disguise points if he does need to go in.

In reply to Galen Ives (msg # 271):

Rob's ok either way, depending on our approach.

Works for Evelyn. She could potentially pitch in on either side. Surveillance is her main thing so maybe she should be on the watch/cover side.

In reply to Evelyn Shepard (msg # 273):

Sounds like Lia and Rob for the drop, Galen and Evelyn on overwatch.


What do we know about the embassy and what can we learn about the intended recipient?

Lia was cool with the plan. She thought about what identity to wear to the Embassy - she wouldn't like to use her usual one (Sophie, the Dutch art dealer) and naturally she couldn't wear Lena the Russian hostess again...

Amsterdam is a major city, certainly, but it is not the seat of government.  As such, Germany's major embassy is in the Hague.  The consulate in Amsterdam, by contrast, is a relatively small and unassuming building.  A quick glance at Google gives you this:



As for Herr Schmidt, your initial search turns up too many irrelevant hits for that name to be of use (though you could spend time sifting if you want), nor does it get you a staff listing for the consulate.  If you want to find the right person here then it will take some more serious work.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:24, Sat 08 May 2021.

Could I use Evelyns points in research to find out more about him?

A thorough search still does not turn up anything useful.  You could try breaking into the Consulate's network if you're in the mood for something extremely illegal, but it also occurs to you that it might just be a fake name.

No spend needed; Research won't get you any further on this particular item.

If you do want to hack into the Consulate, you will definitely earn some Heat, even if you don't get caught (though of course it will be worse if you do).

In reply to Director (msg # 278):

"Might be a code word for the covert section. I doubt it's a big group in a consulate that size, but I'm sure there is one."

(So shall we head for the consulate, team? Don't mean to pressure, but we're getting a bit bogged down here, feels like?)

Yeah, let's head over.

Agreed!

You head over at the agreed time.  Galen and Evelyn find a good spot from which to keep watch, and Rob and Lia head inside.

The lobby of the consulate has a long counter with several work stations, plus two clusters of chairs for people waiting, and a couple of racks with papers on them for anyone to take (one appears to be government forms, the other is brochures for things to see in Germany).  A middle-aged couple sits near one of the windows, talking quietly.  The woman is idly playing with a purple tulip.  They both glance up at you when you come in.  There is also a young man at the counter talking with a worker there, and one other worker two spots down who greets you as you enter.

Galen and Evelyn, roll Surveillance, secret difficulty number - this will cover both your chance to spot anything that needs spotting, and to avoid being spotted yourselves.

Evelyn has settled into an empty for rent commercial space across the street from the consulate. Any time she's looking to do outdoor surveillance she does a general search for empty outdoor facing areas in the vicinity, and this time she'd lucked out.

Evelyn sits by the window with her things, keeping an eye on the outside of the consulate and what she can see through its windows

OOC: hope it's fine that I just chose a space to put her. Not looking for benefits from it, just thought it would flesh out the stakeout haha.

Surveillance roll: 20:12, Today: Evelyn Shepard rolled 4 using 1d6 If 4 does not hit, I would like to spend 2 points.

With Evelyn focussed on the consulate itself Galen keeps watch on the surrounding streets, keeping a careful eye out for anyone looking suspicious in the vicinity.

12:33, Today: Galen Ives rolled 4 using 1d6+1.  Surveillance (Spend 1).

I'm fine with the detail here; it fits the scene well enough (though how did you get in?).  For the Surveillance roll you have to decide on spending before you know the result - I'll let you declare now one way or the other, but in the future it should be before you even roll.

I'll choose to spend them just in case!

Rob reads the room and looks for the desk for "official business" (as opposed to tourist stuff) and puts on a professional air.

"Confidential deliver for Herr Schmidt."

Lia accompanied Uncle Rob in a conservative pinstripe business pantsuit, keeping as inconspicuous as possible by blending into the bureaucrat chic atmosphere. She lets Rob speak, smiling politely at anyone they come in contact with, playing support.

---

I'm thinking Reassurance, more from "looking smart and giving off an aura of businesslike respectability" than loads of talking.

The clerk asks which Herr Schmidt you were referring to.  When you specify "Horst," he looks a little confused and excuses himself to go check with someone else.  He steps away and goes to a back office, then comes back about two minutes later, apologizes, and takes the package.

Outside, neither Galen nor Evelyn notice anything amiss at the moment.

Anything else you want to do here?

And if you are leaving now, what's the setup - all in one car, or something different?

In reply to Director (msg # 290):

Does Rob pick up on anything with Tradecraft or Bureaucracy?

OOC: If they leave, Evelyn would make her way back alone or with Galen to avoid all being in one big group.

OOC: Absolutely, I would assume they would travel back in their pairs by seperate routes just to help throw off any tails?

Rob does not pick up any sign that the clerk is sending secret signals or anything of the sort - rather, it seems they are entirely confused about the "Horst Schmidt" request, but mollified by whoever is handling things in the back office.  If someone here is in on it, that's who it is.

In reply to Director (msg # 294):

Rob thanks desk personnel and turns to head out.

When the group has reconvened, he says "I may be wrong, but what I saw was consistent with the name Horst Schmidt being a code phrase for the covert ops section. German and the Netherlands may be allies, but Amsterdam is a lively place and I'm sure there's a small team reviewing whatever our employer wanted them to have right now."

In reply to Rob Zwartnacht (msg # 295):

Evelyn nods, taking in the observation. “Not exactly what I’m wanting to hear, but could be worse.”

“We should check in with Grecoccito to see where he wants to go from here.”

If there are no objections from the group, she sends their client a message.

In reply to Evelyn Shepard (msg # 296):

"There is the matter of the Maltese. we haven't looked into that as requested yet."

A quick chat to update each other, and then time to leave.  Lia and Rob head out one way, and just then Evelyn notices a car pulling out after them.  Not in a blatantly obvious way, they're as patient as they can afford to be, but to your trained eye it's still pretty clear.  It's a white Volkswagen sedan, something that would easily blend in with local traffic (that must be why you didn't pay it any mind when you were keeping a lookout earlier).

How do you want to deal with this?

Evelyn sits up straight in her seat as she notices the van pull out behind their colleagues.

"Galen, you seeing this?" she says, tapping him lightly on the shoulder and then gesturing towards the van.

She calls up Rob and Lia on the head peace.

"Don't look now, guys, but you've got tail. White sedan, Volkswagen. If you want to lead them on a bit of a goose chase, we'll follow them and see what we can figure out, or if we can isolate them somewhere."

In reply to Evelyn Shepard (msg # 299):

Rob suppresses the urge to look behind him. "Maybe we should pick up some fast food, see how they respond. Get the plates while we're at it."

Lia didn't look even marginally tenser as she received the news, she just kept walking by Rob's side. Naturally, she was concerned, but a cuckoo's training dies hard.

"Thanks, Evelyn," she said lightly, smiling at Rob as if they were having a casual conversation, then moving her head so she couldn't be lip-read from behind. "Uncle Rob, what if we went for a long business lunch somewhere nice and public? Give the sedan guys some time to see how inoffensive we are, give Evelyn and Galen some time to assess them as a threat or otherwise. Depending on what we learn, maybe we try to lose them... or maybe Galen and Evelyn set a trap, then we lure them there? But lunch first, naturally."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:03, Thu 10 June 2021.

Galen shakes his head, annoyed that he had missed it, "Good plan, if Lia and Rob can take them on a bit of a runaround we can scope them out a bit better and possibly find somewhere for a cozy chat with them if the opportunity presents itself."

In reply to Galen Ives (msg # 302):

Is there a pedestrian street nearby where we could go to a cafe which they wouldn't be able to park near?

Just around the corner from the consulate is a large park, which is across the street from the south entrance of the Rijksmuseum.  It is an open area, but pedestrians and bikes only, and it is easy to get to where a parked car would be unable to see you.  There are indeed a couple of cafes there where you could get something to eat or drink.

With the city's tulip festival in full swing, this park is more crowded than usual.  You expect that the more impressive displays are probably in the museum's garden, across the street, but a number of people have created floral displays here as well, especially around the shallow pool in the center of the park.  And of course there are vendors of all sorts, selling food, flowers, and any touristy junk they think they can unload here.

Further back, watching the watchers, Galen and Evelyn see the one in the passenger seat raise a camera quickly, with a large telephoto lens, and snap a few pictures of Lia and Rob before they disappear.  There appears to be a frantic conversation between the two of them as the photographer fumbles between buttons on his camera and on his phone.

Lia takes it nice and easy, walks at a leisurely pace, selects a tulip from a stall and twirls it negligently between two fingers as they keep on walking to one of the cozier cafes.

"So we can't head back to the office until we shake them," she says conversationally, as if continuing a friendly chat. "And we can't shake them without them noticing we noticed them. So we can do three things - wait them out, ambush them or give them the slip. One might take too long, depending on which orders they might have, and it means they get aways with our pics. Two and Three will get us some heat, depending on execution. Three also means they get to keep our beautiful mugs too. Just how... executive, are you feeling today, friends?"

In reply to Lia Mizrahi (msg # 305):

"If I were concerned about the Germans having our pics, we wouldn't have gone to the embassy in person. I'm more concerned now that it's someone who's monitoring who the Germans have talked to."

"Agreed," Evelyn says over the comm. "We're already on these peoples' radar. I think our best bet is taking a risk and getting some answers."

She watches the two men in the car having an impassioned debate, turning the situation over in her mind.

"Maybe if you two could lure them into the park on foot, we could use the time to bug the car. I'm sure they'd find it when they got back to wherever their home base is, but in the meantime we'd hear what they had to say about this outing."

"Good idea, Evelyn," Lia whispered into the mike, as she used the coffee cup to cover line-of-sight to her mouth.

"Make the watchers into the watched. Shall we lead them on a merry walk in the park, Uncle Rob? Elderly gentlemen like yourself need their gentle exercise, don't they?" she added playfully. So far so good, and she couldn't deny she was starting to enjoy the adrenaline of the hunt.

In reply to Lia Mizrahi (msg # 308):

"Not so old as all that, but a good constitutional would serve."

Looking for a route that will not just take us out of the eyes in the car but their most likely backup.

"Very good then. Guys, just let us know when you're in position, and we'll lure them away."

The cameraman gets out of the car, with phone in hand but no professional camera.  He shuts the door just a little harder than he needed to and walks into the crowd, looking forward while also dialing a number.  The driver places something small on the dashboard (Evelyn and Galen cannot see what it is from their vantage point) and then follows, beeping the remote locks as he goes.

Alright, here's how we will handle this next bit:

Lia+Rob vs mysterious pursuers will be a contest of Surveillance (since that is explicitly the skill for losing a tail, and would also apply for manipulating said tail to get it into a bad position if that's what you want instead).  The two of you are working together and can play off of each other, so we'll use the Cooperation rules that I just added in the Rules thread.  You can decide between the two of you who counts as the leader for dice rolling purposes.  When you post you may take some creative liberties in describing how you interact with the scene to evade your pursuers.

The way the contest will work is that we take turns rolling Surveillance - first the two of you, then the bad guys, back and forth until someone fails the roll.  You are rolling against Difficulty 4, and the bad guys have Difficulty 5 since you got yourselves in an advantageous position before we brought the dice into it.

Evelyn and Galen, you can't contribute to Lia and Rob's rolls unless you have a way to interfere with the pursuers.  However, you are free to do your own thing, including making a separate Surveillance roll to watch the watchers if you want.

Hopefully this is all clear, but if not then let me know.

Rob direct's Lia's attention to a small cafe with the entrance offset from the main plaza. "I think they'll have to go out of their way to follow us there. We can cut through and see if there's a second way out and lead them on a merry chase."

In reply to Rob Zwartnacht (msg # 312):

Or I can start off with a terrible roll
14:57, Today: Rob Zwartnacht rolled 3 using 1d6+2 ((1)).

Well that ends the contest right there.  Not quite the suspenseful scene I was hoping for before, but at least you won't have to wait too long to find out what they're going to do...

Rob points out the cafe and starts leading Lia toward it.  You only make it a few paces before a large knot of French tourists passes in front of you, both oblivious and impermeable.  It probably only costs you a few seconds, but that's enough for the pursuers to catch up.  One of them puts his hand on Rob's shoulder and says loudly "There you are!  I thought we were supposed to meet at the other end of the plaza."  He speaks in Dutch with a faint accent that you can't quite place at this moment.  He hasn't removed his hand from your shoulder.

Rob and Lia, you have a few seconds to act.

Evelyn and Galen, you probably don't see this happen.  What are you doing in the meantime?