At this point though you have probably seen each other around the hotel you have not been introduced. As you settle into the hotel for the first few days and get used to your surroundings you notice a lot of hustle and bustle. Even minor investigation reveals that the Pan Pacific Hotel will be hosting the opening reception for the upcoming conference that is likely to resolve the question of Seattle's independence. This reception, conveniently enough, is scheduled for the last evening of your week long stay.

Though asked to stay and establish your presence in the hotel most of you elect to leave from time to time and pursue your own goals. All of these get accomplished without interference. FreeMason rents himself a small Puyallup apartment and makes a few purchases, Xaays has a good time visiting the the sites of Seattle and makes plans for a Friday night visit to the Bellevue Poor House but a message received by all members of the group three days into your stay, on Wednesday, prevents that.

The message is sent to the identity which was used to reserve your stay and is a request from Johnson to each of you requesting that you connect to a meeting on a new secure host that should be available to your commlinks. Connection details are attached to the message and a quick scan of available hosts now reveals a new secure wireless host available alongside the hotel networks.

Glamnarok will make their way back to their room, secure the door, find a nice corner to face the door and balcony entrance, sit down, and log into the host.

Ah. So now is the time.

"Jan Bahd" had been settled comfortably in a hot tub; bubbles, jacuzzi jets, and the smell of saffron were the only things that kept her company as she watched the news. The display hung in the space before her eyes while the bathroom walls were changed to a campy beach setting. The beaches were supposedly Almaza Bay. It seemed this scenery missed the looming buildings in its background, but Jan Bahd wouldn't complain.

Breaking through the illusion was the sliver of her bedroom seen through the partially, purposefully cracked open bathroom door.

She grabs the small subvocal mic from the edge of the tub, the adhesive slipping onto her neck with its powerful adhesive. Her mic was triple-linked backed to the Hermes in the bedroom. Then she reached out over Baby Girl - her belly full of gels - to grab a cigarette and lighter from the small silver case close by. A real cigarette, filterless and french, full of all the things a body needed. Like the ability to relax. As Jan Bahd lit the cigarette, she sank deeper into the water.

A black cloud of unbound hair hung over her head, white clouds about her face as she logged on to the call.

Never has a smile lit her lips.

The woman was either completely confident or inept. Yet one didn't get hired for jobs like these solely on their taste for class.

Xáays grumbles at the timing of the call and turns around. He hadn't really known for sure that there would be Wednesday Night Fights at the Bellevue Poor House, but he's disappointed that he won't get to find out. Even if they weren't organized fights, a good poor house could usually generate its own entertainment...

To add insult to injury, he's wary of the method of the meet. Xáays does not like going into VR. Xáays likes the real world, the physical one where he is graceful and elegant and competent and handsome. The virtual world is one where all of those gifts are negated. He finds the disconnect from one's body to be completely disorienting. It creates a terrible feeling of seasickness which, ironically, he doesn't even feel while he's at sea.

Maybe it's just a call, he thinks hopefully. Or a recorded message, like the gruff dwarven voice that told me to have fun. Can't charm over the comm as well as I can in person, but it's better than being motion sick, right?

Returning the hotel, he goes up the elevator. He strips naked and then sits in the bathtub without any water. It's a precaution in case he does have to go VR and, you know, ends up barfing all over the place.

At the designated time Mason used the provided credentials to access the secure host. Still unwilling to trust his safety to the whims of strangers, he did so from the hotel bar with its multiple exits and relative anonymity. He selected a non-alcoholic beer from the AR menu and opened a second AR window in which to take part in the meeting.

For the moment at least, Mason kept his video feed deactivated. He saw no sense in giving away that particular piece of data without good reason. His earbuds and subvocal microphone should ensure his conversation remained private unless someone was making a determined effort to eavesdrop.

Glitch enjoyed the high life, but came back to reality once the Johnson’s message came through. It didn’t take a whole lot of guessing to figure out why they had come here and why they had to follow his employer’s instructions. The Decker found it actually comforting that the Johnson had already planned and done some of the preparation for them with the SIN and arrangements at the hotel.

This wasn’t his first time going into a host, so he made his preparations of go bag with preprogrammed commands for his drones and the engine warm as he reclined in the driver’s seat. He fired up his Cyberdeck and brought up the AR overlay. Unlike other deckers, he was also an adept and didn’t need to go full VR to use the matrix to its fullest. Some Jazz sat in the center console cup holder in case he needed the boost. His icon was that of a man in a three piece suit with a featureless face that kept glitching like an old tube tv with the bunny ears needed adjusting.

As you jack into the secure host and enable its AR features your visual display is overlaid with the faintly transparent imagery of a corporate boardroom. The virtual image of a table appears before you. At the end of the table a figure sits, it's facial features displaying the video image of a male dwarf in a business suit. His beard and hair are styled neatly and you see a few wisps of grey in his beard. Around the table other figures flicker to life as their respective representatives join the virtual meeting. You recognize these people as other guests in the hotel who you have seen around in the past few days, all except one spot that stays black.

The dwarf speaks in a low, gruff voice that you recognize from the message left on your room voicemail. "Mr FreeMason, I think it would be appropriate that you introduce yourself visually to your teammates. I believe they would appreciate knowing who they will be working with." He waits patiently for FreeMason to turn on his video feed and then continues.

"Thank you for coming to Seattle. I hope you are all enjoying the sights and experiences the city and especially the Pan Pacific Hotel has to offer? It is, however, time now to get down to the business of why you have been brought here." He pauses briefly. "I, obviously, am Johnson. As I would hope you are now aware, Seattle approaches a critical juncture in its existence. Over the course of the next few weeks the governor, Corrine Potter, and her administration will be deciding whether Seattle will continue to be part of UCAS territories, will become independent or will follow some other course. The newsfeeds have been full of almost nothing else but conjecture on this matter for some time, everyone it seems has an opinion."

"You should also be aware, by now, of the upcoming conference where the governor will host the representatives from UCAS and the territories surrounding Seattle, as well as those corporations who maintain significant business interest and investment in Seattle. Obviously their positions will have tremendous weight in the decision Governor Potter makes in regard to the future of the city."

"What I would hope you understand is that the negotiations that go on in public is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what will be happening during this conference. Everyone of the parties involved will be looking to gain a negotiating advantage over the others, as well as leverage over the governor and the city of Seattle. At the same time they will all be trying to prevent their adversaries from doing the same to themselves. As such I have been approached by a number of interested parties who are looking to recruit talented individuals such as yourselves to obtain the information they are looking for in unobtrusive ways."

"Now I don't play sides, so I've brought you together from around the globe because I want a team that can be valuable to all parties. I'm willing to put you in position as a team to benefit from the largesse of the conference representatives. I'll provide you with invitations and clothes for the opening gala event here at the Pan Pacific in two days time. If you attract the attention of one or more representatives I will provide you with a safehouse in Puyallup as a base of operations and 1,500¥ each for expenses. In return I expect you to rely all information you discover to me, including information on who hired you, what run they had and the outcome. If the results are satisfactory I will continue to market your skills and provide opportunity. If they are not... well, you're in my town and I know a lot of people. Let's just leave it like that."

"Questions?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:26, Mon 09 Aug 2021.

Is Xáays on camera without a shirt? It's okay, he thinks. I look good without a shirt. But how low does the camera go? Oh well; too late now.

"Yes, question," Xáays says.

He opens his left hand.

"Are you actively marketing us prior to the event? Will it be an open secret who we are and what we do, and we're simply there as the merchandise, so buyers can inspect us before purchase?"

He opens his right hand.

"Or are we sales reps? Are we drumming up business for ourselves and then repaying your hospitality" - a grand gesture with his open hands to his surroundings, not that those are on camera - "with intel?

"Because if we're in your town and you know a lot of people, why are you not at this party yourself?"

Johnson nods. "As I said, I don't play sides. In order to maintain my neutrality I can't be seen to be involved in these events. I have informed interested parties that the resources they are looking for may be represented at this event but that I promise nothing in regard to their willingness to co-operate. Any employment will be upon agreement between you and the faction or factions you choose to represent, including remuneration."

"That said, you see the other side of the coin clearly. I have gone to considerable expense to furnish you with the opportunity to represent yourselves to these factions, and as I said I'm willing to continue to facilitate your activities in this regard with the greatest discretion. In return I expect you to return the favor by sharing any information you uncover with me. Again this information would be treated with discretion and your anominity would be assured."

"I will also say that if you can prove yourselves in this arena I believe that our relationship could become very profitable for all of us."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:54, Mon 09 Aug 2021.

Xáays is reasonably content with the answer. He nods and lounges back in his empty bathtub.

Usually he would be disgruntled at the prospect of ratting out employers, of flipping their information to a third party. But, in this case, it was the price of admission. Did it feel wrong? From a professional etiquette standpoint, yes. But would Xáays pay that price to have a seat at the table? Also yes.

He's been wanting to break into Seattle for years and now he's done it. And, to be sure, there are nuyen signs in his eyes as well. He wholeheartedly agrees that this could be immensely profitable. Bioware doesn't pay for itself... Johnsons do.

Tu Bahd's face only shifted when she pulled on her cigarette. Unlike the one known as FreeMason, she seemed to have no qualms about revealing her face. It probably helped that her confidence stemmed both from being a profession and not being a citizen of this country. There was little reason to believe anyone would recognize her here; if they did, she would have presumed it was because she'd been doing too good of a job.

A hashashin never needed to fear the light, even if their deeds were dark.

Tu Bahd wasn't as spun up on UCAS politics as her family would've liked her to be, but that was what Johnsons and friends were for. Maybe she'd call up Diggs for some information. He'd give her an ass chewing for not calling him sooner after an inevitable sermon on a higher moral calling. However, his street level info might be able to get her a more level view of the situation, and at least an idea as to it affected working civvies and wageslaves alike.

"Zhese factions."

Tu Bahd's words were accented by both sound and smoke. A sweeping motion of her cigarette took in those hypothetical factions.

"Vhat can jyou tell us of zhem? Perhaps zhe...ehm..."

Her brow furrowed, her lips pursed as she took another drag.

"...bee-gest...most enterezting fish in zhe pond."

Tu Bahd's voice held all the warmth and tenderness of a steel stool. She knew this, and wouldn't change it. One could guess she wasn't asking because she was a Face.

Glitch looked at his perspective teammates trying to glean any information he could from their possible personalities or tendencies since they were from other countries. The Decker was certainly interested in paydata gathering. The only concern he had was possible security spiders in the nearby hosts. “I’m sure we will have no issues being able to secure some runs here. I suppose some introductions are in order. Name’s Glitch your friendly neighborhood Decker and Rigger. All about recon and info gathering.”

For the most part the minotuar in the Vashon Island suit tried to lean back and not loom.  Occasionally it looked like they might have a question or something to say while Johnson was speaking, but instead of interrupting they tapped something into a comically ruggized Meta Link burner with the absurdly tiny smartpen it came with.

When the others started in with their questions and comments, they continued to remain silent, taking notes.

In reply to Tu Bahd (msg # 23):

At Tu Bahd's comment Johnson barks a short gruff laugh. "I don't think there's any shortage of interesting big fish at this conference. Perhaps the most interesting, certainly the most surprising, is the invitation to the Sea Dragon. But alongside her you could certainly include Margaret Telestrian, Seattle socialite and member of the Tir Tairngire high council, John Abernathy, ambassador to Seattle for the Salish-Shidhe Council and Takuto Nakagawa, COO of Renraku, Seattle."

The troll leans forward, interest glittering in their eyes, they nod towards Tu, "A most perspicacious question, thank you," and then returns to facing the Johnson, "So, Johnson, you do have a guest list.  If you can forward that to us, we can spend some of the next two days arming ourselves with better information on our prospective marks."

Their voice was not the bass rumble or mumbling around tusks of most Trolls, but crisp and medium tones.  Educated sounding, with an indistinct, Midwest "newcaster" accent.



[Edited for spelling]
This message was last edited by the player at 00:47, Fri 13 Aug 2021.

In reply to Glamnarok (msg # 27):

Johnson frowns. "Not a complete one. All I have is the publicly available list of dignitaries. I'll share it but you should be able to pick it up from any news feed."

A pop up appears in your AR display:

Major Brenda Reed - Ares Macrotechnology
Thomas Miranda - Horizon
Takuto Nakagawa - Renraku
Dewei T'ao - Wuxing (Representing Pacific Prosperity Group)
John Abernathy - Salish-Shidhe Council
Carl Derrick - UCAS
Margaret Telestrian - Tir Tairngire
Sea Dragon

"All the representatives arrive today and are scheduled to be staying for the duration of the conference at the Pan Pacific. It's the main reason I couldn't get you reservations during the conference. You will need to check out of the hotel after the gala."

"A most perspicacious question, thank you,"

Tu Bahd pressed her eyelids tight. "You're vwelcome..."

She squint again, this time with a gently raised eyebrow.

"...G'lahm...narok."

Tu Bahd ran the name across the full breadth of her palate. Good. It had a good "taste".

Even as she saved the AR pop-up for later perusal, Tu Bahd was caught off-guard for a moment by the troll's (a minotaur at that) eloquent use of vocabulary. They didn't make many of them like him back home. It was reassuring to know they possessed a more...refined air.

"As jyou know, my name ez Tu Bahd." Another pull, another roll of smoke across her face. "Security analyzt, fashion conzultant, and fire-arm enthu-zi-azt. I'm also adept at ze discreet removal of user..."

"...errors."

She casually ashes out her cigarette as she adds, "Vwill our accomodazhuns in zhis city provide se-parate rooms? Also...for my dress...I do not vwear lace. Et eez gauche."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:34, Wed 11 Aug 2021.

Johnson huffs at Tu Bahd's question, you realize it's a kind of gruff chuckle. "One point I think you need to understand Ms. Bahd. Luxury dwellings are few and far between in the Puyallup Barrens, and by luxury I mean having more than a couple of rooms. However I'll see what I can do to find somewhere suitable for you and your gear."

Xáays imagines himself circulating at a black tie event, rubbing elbows will so many wealthy and politically important people. His manners are... rudimentary, perhaps, but he cleans up nicely and his natural charms are usually sufficient to carry him along.

When the Johnson sends the list of attendees, Xáays looks it over carefully. If anything, he's surprised that there aren't more representatives of AAAs and even AAs. It also seems a bit odd to him that such a pivotal decision is being made so publicly. There will be backroom discussions and agreements, sure, he would have thought the entire thing would be conducted that way, rather than with galas and other visible fêtes.

"Do we know if Sea Dragon will be attending in metahuman form or, ah, her natural form with the assistance of a translator?"

"That's the confusing part." Johnson muses. "The Sea Dragon has not yet responded. It's not even clear why she was invited in the first place. It's one of the governor's moves that has everyone talking. So in this case your guess is as good as mine. One thing, if she does make an entrance tomorrow you'll be in a prime position to see it."

Xáays still thinks it's odd that this is being done so openly rather than as a fait accompli, but that's neither here nor there. If anything it's better this way as it gives him an opportunity to make some nuyen.

"Where's the best place to meet in person and plan?" he asks. "Does the hotel have conference rooms that are sufficiently secure? Or is it more prudent to meet in one of our rooms, or offsite?"

Mason placed his commlink on the table and reluctantly activated the video feed, listening to what Johnson had to say. Like Glamnarock he was taking copious notes, but using his AR gloves and virtual keyboard.

"That's definitely a big fish." he added sardonically.

To his thinking, Johnson appeared to be holding an audition and getting himself on the radar of the potential new power brokers in town. He accepted the ARO with the details of the attending dignitaries. Editing his copy of the ARO, Mason added a small note that they should figure out what each of them, or their factions, stood to gain from either outcome.

As the conversation moves away from the details of the gala into the planning for the run Johnson asks. "Any more questions for me? If not then I'll see what I can do in terms of finding suitable accommodation for Ms Bahd." He then shares each of your room assignments and you realize that you occupy several rooms at the end of one floor of the hotel. Johnson waits a few moments and if there are no questions he jacks out, shutting down the host as he does so.

Before the host closes, as the dwarf sits back waiting, Glam makes a motion as though holding up a card, the number for the Metalink burner appears.  The minotaur looks at their fellow teammates, "Let's arrange a meeting, in person, in a few hours.  We can work out the deets over IM."

"Agreed," Xáays nods to Glam. He records Glam's Metalink address on his own, and shoots a short message to make the connection.

Xáays is also pleased not to be nauseous from VR, and also not to be meeting immediately. He's still naked in the tub and needs a minute to dress himself.

Once the group link is established, he suggests: <<Let's meet in the middle room to promote privacy. I have a bug scanner we can use to sweep the room, although I'm sure Glitch knows how to use it better than I do.>>

Xáays spends the time practicing with his bug scanner in his own room, mostly trusting in its wireless mode to do the work for him.